Sovereign Rising (The Gods' Game, Volume III): A LitRPG novel
Page 8
He chuckled darkly. But this time the goddess of sorcery’s wiles had worked to further his own ends. The information she had provided gave him a real chance of finding the free agent.
Xetil’s body finished materialising. He swivelled his head back and forth, taking in the room. It was awash in blood and destroyed furnishings. He grimaced, recalling his earlier rage. Bent nearly double, and with eyes firmly fixed away from their terrible god, goblin slaves scurried about the chamber, cleaning up the mess.
Xetil pierced the nearest one with his glare. “You!”
“Mmme—me—me—me, holy one?” asked the goblin unlucky enough to attract Xetil’s attention.
“Yes, you,” Xetil waved at the goblin impatiently. “Go and fetch Yiralla.” Bowing and scraping, the goblin inched his way backwards out of the room. “Hurry, you fool!” shouted Xetil. The luckless goblin scrambled to his feet and raced away.
Setting aside the antics of the irritating vermin, Xetil unravelled his physical form and slipped back into the ether as unclothed spirit. Scrying from his temple in Wazrak would take too long.
He would visit the mountains himself.
Game Data
Ability: Psi wave
Skill: Telepathy.
Description: This ability sends a wave of psi rolling outwards in a straight line from the caster, inflicting psi damage to all in its path.
Rank: Apprentice.
Cost: 80 will.
Execution time: 5 seconds.
Area of effect: Extending from the caster in the targeted direction for a length of 1m x skill.
Damage: Inflicts a maximum of 1 x skill of psionic damage to each enemy.
Ability: Beast befriend
Skill: Beast bonding.
Description: This ability is used to persuade the targeted beast into establishing a bond with the caster. It is both less invasive and longer lasting than the novice-ranked variant of the spell. May be reapplied on befriended creatures. Warning: beast befriend may only be used on creatures whose karma is aligned similarly to the caster’s.
Rank: Apprentice.
Cost: 80 will.
Execution time: 10 seconds.
Range: Up to the caster’s direct line of sight.
Duration: 1 hour x skill.
Ability: Shock wall
Skill: Air magic.
Description: Places a permeable field of static at the targeted area. All creatures that enter the wall’s area of effect take damage. Warning: Only one shock wall may be active at a time.
Rank: Apprentice.
Cost: 80 essence.
Execution time: 5 seconds.
Area of effect: Wall length of 0.5m x skill at targeted area. Maximum wall width of 1m.
Range: Up to the caster’s direct line of sight.
Damage: Inflicts a maximum of 0.1 x skill of air damage per second to the targets.
Duration: 1 second x skill.
Debuff: Causes all creatures caught in the ward to be shocked (stunned). Can be resisted.
Ability: Oil slick
Skill: Earth magic.
Description: Causes black oil to spill out of the earth at the targeted area.
Rank: Apprentice.
Cost: 80 essence.
Execution time: 5 seconds.
Area of effect: Radius of 0.1m x skill around target.
Range: Up to the caster’s direct line of sight.
Duration: 1 second x skill.
Debuff: Causes creatures in the area of effect to be mired in oil.
Chapter 5
08 Octu 2603 AB
Durn Duruhl guards Crotana’s southern border and the only pass leading into the mountain kingdom from the Wazrak plains. The pass itself is less than a mile west of the dwarven city’s south gate and in times past was fortified by the dwarven companies of Durn Duruhl. These days, the fort overlooking the pass lies ruined and abandoned. But then, no longer is there much wealth to protect in Crotana. —Rosalyn Teramis, explorer.
Your current civilian level is: 19.
Remaining: 1 SP and 6 AP.
Hmm, Kyran thought as he considered the Game message, I need to focus more on my civilian training. He had to reach civilian level twenty before he could unlock new civilian abilities or advance his nature lore further.
For now, there was little to do. At least I know what I’ll be doing now, while Adra heals, he thought wryly. There was one aspect of his civilian training he could still see to, though.
Now that he was out of the labyrinth, he could expect to meet many more people, and the encounter with the whiesper had made clear it would be useful—more than useful, he admitted—to have a measure of how much he could trust those he met.
With that in mind, he used his only available skill point to learn the governor skill. Closing his eyes, Kyran accessed the Game’s interface from within his mind.
Base skill in governor has increased to 1. Effective skill: 0.7.
You have learnt the governor skill!
The governor skill increases the player’s ability to administrate and govern his vassals and subjects.
New base ability learned: detect truth (monitor the target’s thought patterns for signs of deceit).
Kyran nodded to himself as he scanned through the spell’s information. The whiesper had spoken truly about the detect truth spell. If he had cast it on her, she would likely have resisted the spell’s effect. Not that he had doubted Aiken’s evaluation, but it would have been nice to have further confirmation.
There was only one more chore he had to attend to: the matter of his equipment. After defeating the kobold high shaman and Lesh, he had looted both corpses, though he still hadn’t had a chance to properly inspect his new acquisitions.
He retrieved the shaman’s items from his inventory first.
A high shaman’s frost staff of freezing: 0/1 charges (contains knowledge of the journeyman-ranked freeze spell).
A high shaman’s cloak of protection (+12 spell armour, +8% mystical garments).
The freeze spell contained in the staff could prove useful. It was too bad he didn’t have the wands and staff skill. But perhaps Gaesin would find it beneficial, as he would no doubt find the cloak of protection.
Next, he turned to Lesh’s items. The champion’s loot especially intrigued him. The kend was the first champion Kyran had come across, and he was eager to see what Lesh had carried.
When Lesh died, Kyran had found a richly embroidered leather knapsack next to the fallen kend. He hadn’t known where the bag had come from. Lesh certainly hadn’t been carrying it during their fight.
Did it drop from the champion’s inventory? Kyran wondered. Where else could it have come from?
Whatever the case, Kyran had stuffed the items he had managed to remove from the kend’s corpse within the knapsack. But despite all he had thrown into the bag, it had absorbed everything, without changing size or shape. Nor, when he had equipped it around his shoulders, had the knapsack weighed anything like what it should have.
Focused on escaping the kobold-infested city, he hadn’t thought much of the bag’s strange properties at time, but now he admitted to a mild curiosity. Shrugging the knapsack off his shoulders, he inspected the garish object with insight.
Found: Knapsack of holding.
Type: Enchanted item.
Weight: 4 kg (current).
Rank: Masterful.
Special properties: Reduces the carrying weight of objects placed within it by 90%.
Condition: Excellent.
Stored items: 17/100.
Description: The knapsack of holding is perhaps the single most valuable item for an adventurer venturing into the remote areas of the world. Due to its weight-reducing properties, the bag effectively increases the bearer’s carrying capacity by ten times. Alas, due to the scarcity of the ingredients required for its crafting, few can afford such a priceless item. Only the richest and most fortunate of champions are able to carry one.
Well, well, well,
thought Kyran, grinning excitedly. The knapsack on its own seemed reward enough for killing Lesh, yet there was still more to be explored inside.
Upending the bag, he spread out its contents on the floor.
Found: 1 x enchanting kit.
Found: 100 x diamonds, 87 x sapphires, 34 x rubies, 141 x emeralds.
Found: 4 x gold rings, 5 x gold amulets.
Found: 6 x explosive enchantments.
Found: 1 x golden armour of the Juggernaut.
Found: 500 gold.
Found: 1 x master enchanters ring (+20% enchantment skill).
Found: 1 x divine master’s ring (+20% divine magic skill).
Found: 1 x artificer’s necklace (class restricted item).
Found: 1 x artificer’s cloak (class restricted item).
Found: 1 x manacles of pain (broken).
Found: 1 x champion’s starburst wand (+10% starburst damage).
Found: 1 x climbing cable.
Kyran grimaced as he stared at the knapsack’s contents. They were not what he was expecting at all.
Most of the items Lesh had kept in the knapsack seemed to be his enchanting supplies, and of the items Kyran had thrown in, only a few appeared to be of use to the party.
He picked out the items that had attracted his notice and cast insight on each.
Name: Explosive enchantment.
Type: Enchanted item.
Special Properties: Explodes on impact.
Requirements: None.
Enchantment strength: 59.
Charges: Single-use item, item consumed on use (not charged currently).
Cost: 640 essence.
Description: Infused in this gem is the design for the denotation spell. As a single-use enchantment, this item has minimal prerequisites, but requires 4 x the normal essence energy to cast and must be charged just before use.
Name: Golden armour of the Juggernaut (full set).
Type: Medium armour.
Weight: 15 kg.
Rank: Epic.
Special properties: Awed: the wearer’s splendour inspires all allies in the vicinity. Juggernaut’s set: +24% damage (all types), -12% movement speed.
Requirements: Level 40.
Armour: 12.
Condition: Excellent.
Description: Forged of precious metals and woven with glittering gems, this armour set has been enchanted to both inspire and frighten.
Name: Climbing cable.
Type: Enchanted item.
Weight: 21 kg.
Rank: Adept.
Special properties: When placed against a surface, this rope will self-fasten.
Condition: Excellent.
Description: Made of toughened silk and interwoven with leather, this rope has been enchanted to coil and uncoil automatically and fasten on contact.
The explosive enchantments were interesting. What was Lesh planning to do with them? he wondered.
The climbing cable was likewise intriguing and, given their current surroundings, likely to be of the most use to the party.
He ran the rope through his hand, testing its coarse fibres. It appeared strong and sturdy. He judged that, when uncoiled, the rope would extend at least a few hundred metres. Yet the climbing cable seemed out of place compared to Lesh’s other items. What was the kend doing carrying it? he wondered curiously.
Lastly, he turned to the gilded armour, staring at it in helpless fascination for a minute. Finally, he snorted in mirth. The thing was ridiculous. Why would Lesh have chosen to wear such useless armour?
For all the bonuses the Juggernaut set granted, it provided less protection than even his damaged chitin armour, and nothing close to what his new mithril set would provide.
Shaking his head in bewilderment, he shoved the armour and the other items back into the bag. Then, removing the heaviest item from his own inventory, he stored it in the knapsack.
You have removed a stack of 1,200 essence crystals from your inventory (120 kg).
You have stored a stack of 1,200 essence crystals into a knapsack of holding (stored items: 18/100, current weight: 16 kg).
He smiled in pleasure as the essence crystals went into the knapsack without any problems. The Game seemed to consider the stack a single item.
Now that is convenient, he thought in satisfaction. Emptying his entire inventory onto the ground, he repacked all his items into the knapsack of holding.
When he was done, he set his hand on the knapsack, and willed the bag into the extradimensional pocket that served as his inventory, and inspected its status.
Kyran’s Inventory
Storage capacity: 24 / 200 kg.
Money: 708 gold, 35 silver, 50 coppers.
Items: Knapsack of holding (63/100 items stored, 24 kg).
He laughed in delight. His inventory had gone from full to near-empty. What a wondrous bag.
Still chuckling, he willed his new armour out of his inventory. It was finally time to retire his battered and well-worn chitin armour. But the mithril armour refused to come to hand. Instead a new Game message opened in his mind.
Items stored in a bag within your inventory cannot be directly called to hand, only the bag itself can be recalled.
His lips turned down as he studied the message. Oh well, it’s a small price to pay for the knapsack’s benefits. He would only have to be careful that items he needed to quickly retrieve were not stored in the knapsack.
After summoning the knapsack and extracting the mithril armour, he dragged off his chitin armour and slipped into his polished mithril armour.
You have unequipped a set of chitin armour. Your total armour has decreased from 15 to 0.
Armour requirements met.
You have equipped the Heir’s mithril scale armour set. Your total armour has increased from 0 to 32. Your physical defence has increased to 24.6 and your commander skill has increased by 8% to 15.2.
This feels much better, he thought, inspecting the shimmering scales of silver that sat snugly against his body. The armour fit perfectly.
Buffed to a sheen, each piece was light, flexible, and masterfully crafted to leave his movements unrestricted. With his last chore seen to, Kyran bent his thoughts to the future.
What do I do next? he wondered as he stared up into the night sky. Under the open sky, so much more seemed possible. With the party’s escape from the labyrinth, the inexplicable sense of dread that had been his constant companion underground had disappeared.
Even though the labyrinth had provided a measure of protection, Kyran had not been able to stomach the thought of living in its dark subterranean coils. Not for years or—he shuddered inwardly—forever. And not even the labyrinth had proven out of the gods’ reach, as Lesh had demonstrated. If sufficiently motivated, the gods could reach him even there.
Escaping the labyrinth had been the right decision, he knew. But where to from here?
The existence of the Brotherhood and their desire for an alliance had given him a lot to think on. The truth was that Kyran still knew very little of Myelad, its politics, factions, and way of life. And as much as he despised everything he had seen of the gods, he remained largely ignorant of the wider world.
Who should he turn to? Who could he trust? He still did not know.
He had hoped that once the party escaped the labyrinth, he could lose himself in the anonymity of Myelad’s multitude. He’d thought he would spend months—or years—learning of the world and its people before settling on a course of action.
But it seemed he would not have that luxury. He glanced back at the whiesper. The Brotherhood had actively sought him out. Xetil hunted him. Iyra searched for him. Zarr and Aveyad believed he could save their people from their curse. Eld had left him cryptic messages hinting that Kyran was some sort of saviour.
And those were only the forces he was aware of. What other forces are out there, he wondered, seeking to bend me to their will?
He was not going to be left alone, he realised. If he did not want to become a pa
wn and be hounded by forces greater than him, he would have to decide upon his own course—and soon.
So what are my options?
I could hide in Crotana. With the thirteenth Well, Deepholm, and even the dwarven city, he had more than adequate resources to establish a base in Crotana. With or without the Brotherhood’s help.
But how long could he keep a settlement in Crotana secret? Sooner or later, Xetil, and perhaps even others, would come calling. And he was not ready, he knew, to face the full might of the gods.
Or I can leave. And flee east towards Balkar’s realm to buy himself more time. Assuming he could find a way through the mountains, of course. From what he recalled of Zarr’s map, the domains of many of the gods lay that way, Iyra included. Perhaps he would also find Sara in the east as well.
Or do I try to contact Iyra’s representative in Crotana? The whiesper, he was sure, would not be pleased by the idea. She might even turn on the party if she learned of his inclination to do so. Yet he could not afford to let her dissuade him. He still knew little of Mirien, and there had to be a reason Iyra had sent a champion to search him out. Could he forge an alliance with Iyra?
But what of the other gods? What would they do? They must know he had escaped the labyrinth. The Game would have informed them. Did they know how he had escaped? Or where he was? He stared up into the night sky. Was the party under observation even now? If so, how did he escape the gods’ attention?
There was one god that most concerned him. Xetil was surely aware that Lesh was dead. What would be his next move? Somehow, Kyran doubted that the goblin-god was the type to let matters lie. He would seek revenge.
Even now, Xetil could be moving against him. Zarr had been certain that none of the gods would act openly in Crotana, and the encounter with Lesh had certainly supported that notion. Lesh had been alone and unaccompanied but for the two troll hunters. Kyran doubted any others Xetil might send would be so unprepared.