The Ruined Temple: A LitRPG Adventure (Eternal Online Book 2)

by TJ Reynolds

  I pulled another arrow free, but before I could get it to my string, the monster turned its gaze on me. I froze, the power of its glare shutting down every muscle in my body.

  Status Effect: Terror of the Culling

  Terror of the Culling: The fear of being chosen for death has settled into your limbs. All movement, skills, and access to mana are cut off by the power of the Karinon. Duration: 24 hours or until dismissed by the caster.

  It growled, its hollow face somehow familiar, as if I’d seen it in the corners of my every nightmare. The Karinon’s eyes were so shriveled, I couldn’t see them, or perhaps they were simply gone. A patch of skin spread, wan and wrinkled, where its nose should have been, and its ears wrapped the side of its face, folded and segmented, almost like a bat’s but tattered and decaying. Its mouth was little more than a set of impossibly thin fangs.

  You dare strike my holy body with the curse of the slut Citlali? it asked mentally. I’ll kill you and your wretched beast after.

  Still locked in the spell the creature had cast on me, I stammered out a response with my mind. You won’t take the old man. I might die, but Quinn will remain.

  The Karinon wheezed, its chest of striated muscle and bone seething in a perverted imitation of laughter. Your fear is delicious. I think I’ll release you so your beast will hear your cries before you die. Then she will know I am coming.

  Distantly, I felt Pachi trying to speak with me, but it was as if I were underwater, cut off from everything by some impenetrable membrane. I fought the terror that held me, thrashing with my mind, but I couldn’t move an inch. I stared helplessly at the beast as it shoved against the sphere Quinn was holding, battering him against the wall and sending him to the floor in a heap.

  The Karinon walked toward me, its head swiveling to one side and a black tongue lolling out to taste the air between us. My bow stood rigid in my left hand, an arrow in my right, locked in place a few inches from the string itself.

  Then it released me, the freedom to move an act so shocking I nearly dropped my weapons. It registered the surprise in my eyes, and I quickly nocked the arrow and pulled back. The projectile flew at the beast, but it shifted, blurring its form and sliding around and toward me. Its fangs sunk into my neck, so deep that before the void of death took me, I felt my skull loll to the side in a slow act of decapitation.

  My eyes shot open, a pool of heat and moisture becoming the first sensation I registered. And then the smell of blood, my own and others, came next. What was happening? I ran a hand up to my neck and found it ragged with wounds, but the bleeding was staunched.

  Sitting up, I recalled the Second Chance skill I’d just acquired after upgrading my katana. I was alive then, and had twenty percent HP. It wasn’t much, but at least it seemed stable.

  I looked around me, hoping to find the Karinon close by, but the inside of the shop was silent. Only the faded glow of Quinn’s protective spell still lit the inside of the building, though by the look of his small form, he was still unconscious.

  A yelp and the flapping of great wings came from outside. Pachi!

  I stood up, catching myself on the counter, still dizzy from my too-recent resurrection. I shook my head and triggered everything I had, hoping it would be enough. I stared at my abilities as they came into effect one at a time, hoping to ground myself. Pachi needed me.

  Samurai’s Last Stand (Active): When activated, the user’s Health Regeneration increases by 400% and movement speed increases by 25%. Duration: 1 minute. Ability has a cooldown of 24 hours.

  Blessing of the Bear (Active): Because you landed the killing blow on a Legendary creature, you have been given a special boon. When activated, this ability grows bone plates over existing armor. 80% of all incoming damage received is nullified. Ability absorbs up to 100% of total HP. Duration: 3 minutes. Cooldown: 2 hours.

  Clarity of the Wild (Active): Calls upon the tranquility of living as one with the wilderness around you. Both player and companion gain +15% accuracy with attacks and +20% chance to land a critical blow. Duration: 2 minutes. Cooldown: 10 minutes.

  As the final skill wrapped me in its embrace, I could feel Pachi, just forty or fifty feet away, also being affected. Her voice, frantic and desperate, called out to me. Hana! You are alive. Come quick! I cannot fight this monster alone!

  I am coming, my friend. I am coming.

  Leaving my bow where it lay, I drew both of my swords and charged from the weapons shop. I saw the Karinon trying to corner Pachi a dozen strides away and noted the long gashes that ran down the enfield’s ribs. She was seriously wounded, her HP almost halfway depleted already. A few brave soldiers stood and tried to take shots with their bows, and I saw a second arrow protruding from the Karinon’s back, just a few inches from my own, but the beast didn’t seem to care.

  You are still close to death! Stay back until you are ready to strike! Pachi warned, then the edges of her wings glowed white as a surge of healing entered me via Healing Touch.

  The Karinon charged Pachi, slashing at her with its claws. She used Flamewalking, flashing away from the beast and dragging her light-imbued claws across its ribs as she did so. I realized that teleportation was the only reason she had remained alive this long. Yet each dash sapped her Stamina. Even as I watched, the arcing claws of light energy disappeared back into her bangles. Her Stamina had to be close to depleted already.

  I stalked toward the Karinon, hoping to get within striking range before it noticed me. Yet even as I closed the distance, the dark creature curled in upon itself, a moan of tortured rage escaping it. Its wings buckled and recoiled into its body. The bones passed around the Karinon’s ribs, down its arms, and pushed out, turning into massive claws that exploded from the beast’s hands.

  It had turned its wings into weapons!

  When it struck out at Pachi again, it easily reached her, tearing a great rent in her wings. She cried out in pain and used the Flamewalking skill twice in a row, retreating as far as she could.

  A group of soldiers had found crossbows and launched a well-aimed volley into the Karinon’s side. It screeched and blurred toward then, its great claws cutting them in half. Their spent bodies spilled to the ground. The helm of one of the soldiers tumbled away and I saw the pale face of Corell’s son, the one who’d been so patient teaching me how to skin a rabbit.

  The rage that crashed into me was so potent I nearly lost my footing. I glanced at the fallen soldiers, the boy’s face, and Pachi, wings quivering in pain, and a door unlocked within my chest. Boiling heat seemed to cascade through my veins, and I screamed loud enough to alert the enemy camp.

  Though I’d held the Rage of the Phoenix skill at bay, not wanting my diminished HP to drain away too quickly, I had no control of it now. Even as the Karinon crouched, expecting a blow, a notification flashed before me.

  Skill Evolved: No longer consumed by selfish rage, you have found the bottomless well of righteous anger, the furious fire that consumes all who seek to oppress, wound, and beat down those you love.

  Rage of the Phoenix has reached tier two and become Wings of Righteousness!

  Wings of Righteousness (Active): Movement speed increased by 20%. Skill-related damage increased by 25%. Time dilated by 25%. Duration: 2 minutes. Cooldown: 1 hour.

  The waves of power that flowed through me were more than tangible. I distantly registered Pachi telling me that I was glowing, and as I lifted up my sword before me, I noticed lazy flames rolling down my arms amid the noticeable shift in time’s flow.

  I watched as the enfield bunched her legs, preparing to pounce. I saw an arrow leap into the air, its shaft wobbling subtly. And I felt the eyes of the Karinon find me, those black holes within its skull bleeding out hate and fury.

  It blurred toward me.

  This time I could track its movements, though. Just barely, but enough to dodge its first attack.

  The beast swept at me again, and I used Edge Dancer. The speed of my counterattack made the Karinon hiss, staggering ba
ck a foot as three rapid strikes scored gashes in its vile hide. I had ten seconds of this insane speed. Ten seconds where, with everything stacked, I could outmatch even this fell beast.

  It took a step in retreat, and I saw Pachi flash forward, crushing its leg in her mouth.

  I stabbed out with my katana, then tore the blade free of its belly sideways, dragging my wakizashi over its ribs. Three more passes of my lightning-fast strikes left the Karinon staggering, spitting out black blood onto the ground, with its throat ripped out by my attacks.

  And as I watched another arrow slam into the Karinon’s shoulder, a pool of black energy seemed to fill its wounds, closing them shortly after they’d been delivered.

  Only a few seconds remained, so I played my last card. I launched myself at the abomination. Its claws raked across my body as I moved forward, but it was not enough to kill me. Slamming both of my swords through its heart, I gripped my katana’s handle in one hand and tore it free, leaving a gaping hole that oozed blood.

  I selected Lunar Flare and Powered Strike, then swept my katana up and to the side, a blinding white light flashing out from my blade as the Karinon’s head lifted away from its body and tumbled to the ground.

  No vorpal hole was ripped in the air above us, claiming the tainted soul that had finally departed this world. The body didn’t burn away and turn to ash in a matter of seconds. Instead, and justifiably, the beast simply bled out in the street and moved no more.

  Soldiers rushed about me, a buzz filling my ears that made everything sound muted and far away, and then Pachi pushed her nose into my belly and urged me gently, It is fallen, young one, and you have done well. It is time to put away your sword.

  4: “And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from afar ancestral voices prophesying war!”

  — The Lays of Laudanum

  MADI

  The clean-up had been a mess. I’d had an official meeting with the town mayor, the captain of the guard, and the head of the merchant’s guild. The most awkward part of the whole exchange was that I’d been ushered into the mayor’s plush office still bleeding in a few places and covered in pieces of carapace and bone.

  Despite living through the ordeal myself, and gaining a level to boot, I felt the fates had dealt me a cruel hand. I was stuck talking politics and “the intricacies of local economy” as the master merchant put it, for hours on end. The only good part was the food.

  When I was done, though, I had enlisted the aid of a platoon of twenty archers and a squad of twenty spearmen to march with the recovered players at first light.

  I pressed the captain of the guard to let us leave at midnight, but he cautioned we wait until we could at least fight back, should we be ambushed. I had to agree with him, but at least won out that we could leave the city as soon as the sky began to turn gray.

  It wasn’t quite noon when we finished our tense but uneventful march to Taelman’s Pond. When we arrived at the front gate, I shouted to the guards who aimed bows down at us from the two short towers above. “We’re here to help! Tell Hana that the warlord of clan Mendoza has finally arrived.”

  A shrill voice rose above the din of activity. “Madi! Open the gates, quick! Let them in!”

  A handful of guards busied themselves opening the gate, and I saw the huntress standing beside Pachi and a tall redhead that was pretty enough to make a thread of jealousy rise within me.

  I shook the thoughts from my mind and hugged the girl who barreled into me. Then she pulled back and punched me in the breastplate, hissing, “What the heck? You show up late ‘cause you couldn’t stop yourself from shopping?” Her gaze was distant as she viewed my gear stats.

  “Be nice, Hana, or I won’t give you your presents,” I said as we walked into the town itself.

  Hana squealed a bit, but visibly restrained herself. The presence of a dozen soldiers and NPCs dampened her exuberance. She cleared her throat and introduced the tall woman. “This is Adalee. She’s the hunter that first taught me to use the bow.”

  I shook her hand and smiled, but a flicker of amusement in the woman’s eyes gave me pause. What was she thinking?

  Adalee’s tone was light and friendly, and I realized at once she was an ally. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I remember seeing you at Wardeen’s forge, but never had the chance to introduce myself.”

  “I probably should recognize you, but it’s so hard to remember names and faces when you’re as selfish as I am,” I quipped, and a bit of laughter broke the remaining ice. “Did the players arrive yesterday?”

  Hana said they had, and I followed up my comments with a description of the Battle of the Bridges, including how many enemies we killed. Though everyone seemed grateful, it was clear they were still in the clutches of fear.

  We had made our way to a large tent that stood at the center of the town, and Tejón and Pachi were tussling a bit, getting reacquainted, so I decided it was a good time for gifts. I showed Hana my new abyss bag and Adalee gasped. “Those are insanely rare. I’ve only ever seen Alysand’s. How did you manage to get one?”

  “Well, I had to give my left ovary and a good deal of coin. Bought it in Bridgerun. Managed to make a few friends with my successes in the arena.”

  Hana’s brow furrowed. “Wait, you fought in the arena?”

  Teegan answered from behind, “Yeah, and she dropped her foes like so many flies.”

  I introduced the elf. He bowed formally, then gave me a push. “Go on, quit putting it off.”

  Obliging, I pulled out the ring I’d bought for Hana first. “This isn’t very fancy, but I thought of you when I saw it. Here, put it on.”

  Hana made appropriate squeaky noises and blushed from ears to nose. She always got so embarrassed when she did so, but I thought it made her look adorable.

  “Thank you, Madi! Wow, no stat bonuses, but a permanent increase to my rate of fire will be a nice perk, especially in the fight to come.”

  I noticed that she looked upset for a second, probably because she didn’t have a gift for me. “No big deal. It wasn’t much. I know how you hate to spend coin,” I teased, then tried to move the conversation along. “Besides, this is the real gift and it didn’t come from me. Turns out, the grumpy blacksmith’s brother is a pretty nice guy.”

  I pulled out the scale armor, one piece at a time, and set them down on the ground before Hana. A few gasps were shared, and Hana stared at the gleaming armor. I finally had to urge her, “Well, don’t just stare at it, put it on!”

  She picked up a pile of the gear and disappeared into the tent with a promise to be right back. The wait was awkward, but thankfully Adalee gave me a brief rundown on the defenses that they’d put in place, which eased some of the tension. I never was very good with strangers, and sitting on the brink of battle didn’t help at all.

  Finally, Hana burst from the tent, and it was my time to gawk. Every inch of her looked a warrior. The overlapping scales had a muted gray color to them, and as she turned, the outlines seemed almost to blur.

  I examined the stats with everyone else who was staring at the masterful equipment.

  Ash of Anwar Scale Cuirass

  Quality: Legendary: Armor 115

  Durability 500/500

  +10 Stamina, +50% Fire Resistance

  Ash of Anwar Scale Gauntlets

  Quality: Legendary: Armor 40

  Durability 180/180

  +10 Dexterity, +25% Slashing Damage Resistance

  Ash of Anwar Scale Pauldron

  Quality: Legendary: Armor 80

  Durability 200/200

  +5 Intelligence, +5 Stamina, +5 Strength

  Ash of Anwar Scale Faulds

  Quality: Legendary: Armor 100

  Durability 220/220

  +10 Dexterity

  Ash of Anwar Matching set bonus: Equipping all pieces of the armor grants an additional 20% towards Stealth and increases all elemental attacks by 10%.

  Special Ability: Cinders of the Past

  Cinders of the Past (Active): When i
nvoked, a cloud of cinders envelops the enemy, granting 100% chance of causing Blindness and Choke to all enemies in the Area of Effect. Choke saps enemies Stamina by 2% every 3 seconds and lasts for duration of spell. Area of Effect changes due to local wind conditions with a maximum area of 1000 square feet. Elemental attacks used on affected enemies increased by 25%. Duration: 2 minutes. Cooldown: 24 hours.

  Hana was the first to break to silence, and she did so with one of her delightfully wack exclamations. “By the Boots of Bombadil! I have 360 armor! Also, did you see my special ability? The ratkin don’t know what they’re in for!”

  After a healthy dose of compliments had been laid out, I brought up the last gift of the day. “Pachi, now it’s your turn. Your best bear friend shouldn’t be the only one with a shiny new outfit. Wardahl made armor for you, too, though it is a lot daintier than his was.”

  I pulled out each piece of her armor as well, and Hana immediately fell to clasping it in place.

  Pachi was a sight to see when she was finally strapped in. The scales had been reduced in size and more intricately woven, and they draped over her body like a sequin dress. A yellow and orange glow lit the scales, and I marveled again at how Wardahl had made four sets of armor so individually stylized.

  Like Tejon’s, Pachi’s armor had been made to wrap around the chest, so her existing breastplate didn’t have to be removed. I could only assume that when Alysand had sent him the letter, he’d given detailed information about both of the companions.