Sworn Guardian: A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure (Forbidden Magic Book 1)

by T. L. Branson

  A thick fog was filling the stadium, obscuring the stands and the onlookers, though the dull sound of voices told me they were still there.

  The clouds rolled over us, and Claire disappeared from sight.

  “Are you still there?” I asked.

  “I’m here,” she responded, but her voice sounded farther away.

  I stepped toward her voice, but she wasn’t there. Spinning around, I moved back to where I had been standing, but it was impossible to see more than a few feet in front of me.

  A low, throaty rumble filled my ears.

  I nocked another arrow and held my bow out with the string pulled back. The sound grew in intensity and seemed to come from every direction. I turned to the left and then to the right, but everywhere I looked, the noise seemed to be coming from behind me.

  The rumble changed into a roar, and at the last second, I saw a great flying beast. Several feet above me, with its paws stretched out and its jaw wide, was another lion leaping straight for me.

  I loosed the arrow at its chest and then dove out of the way before I could see the aftermath. I landed at a weird angle, and my bow slipped from my grasp, skittering a few feet away.

  The ground shook with a heavy thud, followed by a loud crack, but before I could investigate, another lion casually walked toward me through the fog.

  I looked for my bow, but it was gone or at least out of sight.

  As it stalked closer, I backed away, but still it came. I reached for my dagger, only to realize I’d given it to Claire.

  Claire.

  Where was Claire?

  The lion sat back on its haunches, then sprang forward, its jaw clearly aiming for my throat.

  Out of nowhere, Claire burst from the fog and drove her dagger up into the neck of the beast, then pulled as quickly as she could.

  The lion struggled as it bled out, but its great paw sliced across Claire’s face, leaving a deep gouge below her left eye. Claire cried out in pain but managed to back away from the creature as its life ebbed from it.

  A distant gong reverberated throughout the arena, and the fog dissipated as quickly as it had come in, revealing us to be alone once again in the center of the arena.

  My bow lay on the ground a few yards away, so I walked over to it and scooped it up. “That was pretty easy,” I said.

  “We’re only just getting started. I’ve been in one of these types of tests before. There’s usually three waves that each get progressively harder.”

  I cracked my neck and stretched out my arms. “Let's do this.”

  Another portcullis opened, and five gnarled ogre-like men stepped through into the area, bearing crude weapons, each one holding a different type. The one at the center stood a foot taller than the rest and hefted a huge wooden cudgel.

  While the other four men wore full body armor, the large man was bare chested, wearing only a loin cloth. I wasted no time in loosing an arrow at him, but he merely held up his cudgel and blocked my attack. Then he bellowed a war cry and slammed it down onto the ground, sending a tremor through the stadium that caused me to almost lose my footing.

  Chet. Avoid the big guy.

  The man hefting a sword, raced forward, followed by one with a spear. The spear wielder slowed as he drew near, lifted his weapon, and hurled it straight at me.

  I spun away and pulled out another arrow as I did so. When I came full circle, I fired at the now weaponless man, but my shot fell short, missing the exposed flesh on his face and instead pinging off of his armor.

  Claire threw her dagger at the face of the swordsman, but he batted the projectile away with ease.

  The distraction had served its purpose, though, as a torrent of flames washed over the man. He fell to the ground and writhed, screaming as he was cooked alive inside his armor.

  I took the temporary reprieve to tap my neural link and get a better grasp of the situation.

  A quick glance at all of our opponents revealed them to be level 20s with the exception of the leader, who was a level 35. I was higher than all but one of them, and Claire was stronger than him, so nothing we couldn’t handle.

  The crowd cheered as the first man faded away.

  That fact only served to remind me of how fabricated our situation truly was, for people did not fade, only beasts. Either that or the men we now faced were not entirely human.

  The unarmed spear wielder raced toward his fallen comrade to acquire a new weapon, but Claire beat him to it and scooped up the discarded sword. In one swift movement, she sliced through the man’s neck, severing his head from his body.

  Two down, three to go.

  The remaining enemies had fanned out and surrounded us. Claire lined up to take on a man bearing two war axes, and I faced off against one with a halberd while never taking my eye off of the great oaf with the cudgel.

  My opponent stepped forward and swung his halberd straight at my chest. I danced backward but ran into Claire, causing both of us to stumble off-balance.

  “Watch it!” she shouted.

  The giant cudgel sailed through the air, aiming for our heads, but we broke apart and dove forward before it came close to hitting either of us.

  My opponent raised his weapon in an attempt to spear me, but I activated my shield, which deflected the halberd and pushed it out wide. Raising my bow, I loosed an arrow into his neck just above the collarbone; however, it wasn’t a critical hit.

  The clanking of steel on steel filled the air as Claire battled the axeman, but I kept my focus forward, trusting she could handle herself.

  I decided to test out a magika stone from Alton that I hadn’t yet used. Calling forth the power of the Clone stone, I let out a small yelp of surprise as two exact duplicates of myself sprang out of my body and burst onto the battlefield fully equipped with armor and bows like mine.

  They seemed to move about the space of their own accord, but when I raised my bow, so did they, and the enemy I aimed at was the same enemy they targeted.

  I leveled my bow at the man with the halberd and loosed an arrow. I had hoped he would be confused by which of us was the real me, but unfortunately, he was not.

  His eyes never left me, and he deflected my arrow without even paying any attention to the clones. The clone arrows penetrated the man’s defenses but went right through his body without causing any damage.

  So, the clones were just holograms. What good were they then if it didn’t even fool my enemies? Maybe the problem was the man had seen me use the stone. The clones might prove more useful under more clandestine circumstances.

  However, they were not completely useless in this fight as the giant man went after one, swinging his great cudgel at the fake me. He was big, but apparently, he was also dumb.

  His idiocy worked in my favor as he swung with all his might, aiming for my clone. The club sailed right through a fake me and slammed into the man with the halberd, smashing his bones in the process.

  A third man faded, and only two remained.

  A quick glance at my stats showed that my MP was steadily draining every second the clones were active, so with a thought I deactivated the stone, disengaging the magic. It had served its purpose.

  On the other side of the arena, Claire seemed to be struggling with her opponent as they traded blow for blow. The problem did not appear to be Claire’s skill, but that she had to constantly keep redirecting her sword to ward off the dual wielding axeman.

  Before I could run to assist her, the big man swung his cudgel at my head. I dropped low and engaged the Stealth stone at the same time, causing me to disappear from sight.

  The giant recoiled in surprise and looked around to see where I had gone. I could have taken the opportunity to strike back at him, but instead, I slipped away to help Claire.

  As I crossed the battlefield, I slung my bow over my shoulder and scooped up the thrown spear. It was a simple thing to slide up behind the axeman and drive the tip of the spear down into the back of his neck and through his chest.

&nbs
p; He faded, leaving only the large man whose eyes now settled on me far away from where he was. He furrowed his brow and let out a war cry, then ran at us, swinging his cudgel as he went.

  Claire and I split up and fell into positions on either side of the last enemy.

  He spun around, taking blind swipes at us, but we kept our distance. The man turned to face Claire, allowing me to unleash as many arrows into his back as I could before he came at me once more.

  When he did, Claire raced in and sliced the Achilles tendon on his right leg. Blood poured from the wound, and the man fell to one knee.

  Though Claire had landed the blow, he took his aggression out on me and swung his weapon high, hoping to crush my head.

  I danced back, just out of reach.

  When his weapon crashed into the ground, I ran up it like a set of stairs, then jumped up and away while simultaneously firing two arrows straight into his heart.

  At the same time, Claire had drawn her dagger and closed in to drive the blade into the brute’s neck.

  He faded a heartbeat later.

  As I landed, I immediately dropped down to my knees and let myself catch a breath for a few seconds. The crowd went wild. So entranced was I in the battle that I’d almost forgotten they were there.

  The gong sounded, signaling the end of the second wave.

  Before the third and—if Claire was correct—final wave began, I stood and quickly retrieved my arrows that had all fallen to the ground.

  A third portcullis rose and there, holding a double-bladed axe, stood a ten-foot-tall minotaur.

  Forty

  Chet.

  “Uh... hey Claire, can this temple read your thoughts?”

  “Yes, it often plays off of the fears of Summoners, why?” she replied.

  “Oh, no reason,” I said.

  A quick scan of the beast revealed his stats:

  MINOTAUR

  LEVEL 40

  TYPE: GROUND

  IMMUNITY: LIGHTNING

  ABSORBS: FIRE

  WEAKNESS: ICE

  DROPS: FURY

  I found it odd that the creature absorbed fire, considering it didn’t seem to align with any one particular element.

  The minotaur roared, and its axe burst into flames.

  Well, that’s just great.

  The beast lowered its head and charged forward, horns leading the way. I underestimated its speed, and it was on me before I could dodge out of the way. A gut reaction enabled my shield, softening the force of the blow. Unfortunately, it didn’t completely block it, and pain shot up and down my body as I hit the ground a few feet away.

  I was fairly certain I’d broken a rib.

  Not wanting to take any chances, I willed the Healing stone to usher forth its power and felt the pain ebb away. My MP was down to 150. I still had my two draughts of magic, but I didn’t want to use them if I didn’t have to.

  Claire sliced at the minotaur, but the crude sword barely had enough strength to break the surface of the beast’s thick skin.

  The minotaur swung its axe. Thankfully, Claire was already gone as the heavy blade bit into the arena floor, tearing up stone as it did.

  I kept my distance and loosed my arrows into the creature while Claire engaged it up close. We fell into the same pattern over and over, slowly whittling away at the creature’s strength.

  Claire would stand off to the side and wait for the minotaur to take a swing at her, then she’d dodge before it connected. After the minotaur’s axe hit the ground, the blade would be stuck for a brief moment until the beast gathered enough momentum to wrench it free.

  That’s when Claire took her opportunities to strike.

  In she raced, slicing at the minotaur’s free arm while at the same time, I shot another two to three arrows into the creature’s back, neck, and side.

  On and on this went for several minutes.

  Except, it never seemed to slow.

  This was a temple trial I had to remind myself. This creature was not real and thus a creation of magic, therefore, not subject to the same laws as nature.

  If Claire still had her own sword, the minotaur would probably be dead by now, but this measly tool she was forced to use worked little better than a butter knife. Even my arrows only went so deep.

  Then Claire’s sword began to glow.

  Claire cheered in victory, raced around the minotaur’s axe, jumped into the air, and activated her weapon’s overload.

  With a great swing, Claire brought the blade down onto the beast… and the blade broke in two.

  “Oh, come on!” I shouted.

  I could have sworn I heard a deep, otherworldly chuckle come from the beast as he punched out with his free hand and landed a solid blow to Claire’s abdomen.

  So sudden was his attack that Claire had no time to activate her shield, causing her to take the full brunt of the beast’s considerable strength. She collapsed in a heap at the minotaur’s feet.

  “No!” I shouted as I drew another arrow and drilled into the beast.

  It glanced in my direction but turned back to Claire and raised its axe.

  I ran as fast as I could, tapping the Impervious ring to activate it. Instead of the purple I was expecting, a red light blinked twice quickly across my field of vision.

  Chet. It hasn’t replenished yet.

  Instead, I activated Enrage and Shield at the same time, then plowed into the minotaur’s side as its axe fell. The force of the blow instantly depleted my shield, but thankfully managed to topple the minotaur.

  It fell to the side and dropped its axe.

  As soon as the weapon left its hand, the flames around the blades dissipated.

  It didn’t take long before the minotaur was back on its feet. It turned around and narrowed its eyes, shaking as it bellowed at me.

  A glance over my shoulder showed that Claire was still unconscious.

  I swallowed hard. How was I going to take this thing out on my own?

  That’s when it happened.

  As I nocked an arrow and pulled back on the string, my bow began to glow. My overload was ready.

  Remembering how it had decimated the battlefield, I felt a small glimmer of hope grow within me.

  I pulled back on the bowstring as hard as I could and loosed the arrow. As before, it split into a hundred and sent a full barrage of death heading straight for the minotaur.

  It covered its face, but the arrows sank deep into its skin all over its body—arms, chest, abdomen. Yet, so wide was the spread that many arrows missed him altogether, peppering not only the beast, but the ground behind him as well.

  The glow on my bow faded, and I held my breath, waiting for the minotaur to fall. But instead, it lowered its arms and charged at me.

  Chet, chet, chet. That was supposed to work.

  I dove to the side just in time as the beast ran past me and smashed into the arena wall, raising a shout of fear from the onlookers.

  The minotaur stumbled backward and shook its head. I used the brief moment to check on Claire, but when I looked back, she was gone. A roar drew my attention back to the minotaur before I could fully investigate her whereabouts.

  When I turned around, the beast was closing in. I moved to dodge at the exact moment that my Enrage spell wore out, crippling me with a debilitating energy drain. It was all I could do to engage Shield before the minotaur trampled me to death.

  Seeing my weakness, the beast came to a halt above me, cheered in victory, and slammed its fists down onto me.

  The shield winked out.

  Its thick, powerful hands rose once more, but instead of killing me, it groaned and froze in place.

  Then it was falling right toward me. I mustered all the strength I could and scrambled out of the way, and not a moment too soon, as the minotaur crashed into the ground, its own axe embedded deep into its back.

  Claire stood behind it, bent over and heaving, but very much alive.

  The minotaur faded, and the axe dropped to the ground with a cl
ang.

  Cheers and clapping erupted throughout the arena as the final gong sounded, signaling the end of the third round.

  My affinity mark pulsed as I leveled up. Thankful for the MP replenishment, I immediately activated the Healing spell. The now familiar blue warmth came over my body, pushing my pain and weariness away.

  After she caught her breath, Claire came over and offered me a hand.

  As soon as I was on my feet, the sound of grating metal filled the air for a fourth time as another portcullis rose. My senses immediately went on high alert, and I nocked my final arrow.

  Claire's hand rested on my arm, relaxing me. She pointed toward the gate that now stood open, and beyond it, I could see another pedestal.

  We did it. We’d beaten another task.

  “How is anyone supposed to do that on their own?” I asked.

  “The enemies aren’t usually that intense. The temple must know that we’re doing this together and adjusted accordingly.”

  “It can do that?” I wondered aloud.

  Claire nodded. “The gods don’t gift their abilities lightly.”

  That thought gave me a lot to ponder as I moved about the battlefield, retrieving my arrows. Thanks to the overload, there were more than I could possibly fit in my quiver.

  Claire picked up a blue magika stone and slipped it into her pocket.

  “Which one was that?” I asked.

  “Fury,” Claire said. “It puts your opponents into a blind rage, granting them increased strength, but it also causes them to attack friend and foe alike.”

  Handy. But a tad risky.

  Claire picked up the minotaur’s axe and hefted it into her shoulder.

  I furrowed my brow. “It’s a beautiful piece of steel, and I know you need a weapon, but that’s a bit imbalanced for you wouldn’t you say?”

  “It’s mine,” Claire said, shaking her head. Seeing my increased confusion, she continued, “Whenever the trials give you something, you take it with you. You never know if the item will assist you in a future trial or, sometimes, if it will be necessary to progress.”

  “And what would happen if it were and we had left it behind?”