EverRealm: A LitRPG Novel (Level Dead Book 1) Read online

  “Yes,” Ming agreed and nodded sagely.

  “Are you sure he is the Lich King?” Bubby asked.

  “No, Bubby, the man isn’t the Lich King, but he will bring about the awakening of the Lich King if he achieves his goal,” Ming said. “Just as it is told in the Saga of the Lich King.”

  “I know the Saga, Paulie Boy,” Bubby said, her voice terse. “I am the Oracle.”

  She wagged a finger at Ming while her eyes glazed over. They stayed that way for about ten seconds then the brightness returned, and she regarded all of us with a sadness that made my knees weak.

  “I am sorry to say that your friend will become the Lich King,” Bubby stated. “He does not have his power as of yet, but he will when he reaches Jackal Mountain.”

  “You have got to be kidding me,” Coz muttered. Bubby tutted. “Sorry, Bubby.”

  “Are you all aware of Jackal Mountain?” Bubby asked.

  All eyes fell on me.

  “No, I’m not aware of Jackal Mountain,” I said.

  “Excellent!” Bubby replied and clapped her withered hands together. “A story then!”

  I could feel everyone except for Sandra and Ming suppress a groan.

  “Jackal Mountain is a holy mountain,” Bubby said. “A place of great magic and power. Unfortunately, it was corrupted by Evil. The worst villains in the land began to use it as their lair. They warped its magic and twisted its power to suit their vile ambitions. Until one day, a man hiked up the mountain and took it for himself.”

  “The Lich King,” I said.

  “No, not the Lich King,” Bubby snapped. “Quiet, Steve. Listen and let an old woman tell her tale.”

  “Yeah, Steve,” Coz said.

  “Yeah,” Kip echoed.

  “My bad,” I said and held up my hands in surrender.

  “The man that hiked to the summit of Jackal Mountain was the Creator of this land,” Bubby said.

  “No, Bubby, he was not the Creator,” Ming said.

  “Paulie Boy? Who is telling this tale?” Bubby asked. “Is it you or is it I?”

  “You are, Bubby, but you need to tell it correctly,” Ming said.

  “I am, Paulie Boy,” Bubby insisted. “Your ignorance does not make my tale untrue.”

  “Yes, but Bubby, there is no way the Creator could—”

  “SILENCE!” Bubby said.

  Her voice did not raise in the slightest; it was as if she had roared the word directly into our souls. Which was entirely possible since our souls were a part of the quantum mechanics of the game. We went silent.

  She cleared her throat and took a sip of tea.

  “The Creator displaced the villains,” she continued. “He was tired of how they were using Jackal Mountain to wreak havoc across the land. It is a holy mountain, after all, and for it to be corrupted was an affront to the game itself. So the Creator cleared those nasty buggers out and took back Jackal Mountain.”

  She smiled at us like this was the greatest thing ever. Then she sat down and drank more tea. We looked at each other, confused.

  “Uh, is that it?” Coz asked. “No disrespect, Bubby, but we knew that already.”

  “Knew what?” Bubby asked.

  More looking around at each other.

  “About Jackal Mountain,” Coz said.

  “Jackal Mountain?” Bubby asked. “Oh, dear, you must be talking about the Creator and how he took back Jackal Mountain then hid it from all eyes.”

  Ming groaned.

  “Bubby, we need to know about the Saga of the Lich King and how it can be playing out now,” he said. “Our friend, Jeremy, may become the Lich King.”

  “Well, that isn’t good,” Bubby said. “Is he dead?”

  “Undead,” Trish said.

  “Same thing,” Bubby replied, waving her off.

  Bubby’s eyes glazed over then her entire body shook and she collapsed onto the floor. Kip and Trish hurried to help her, but Sandra held out a warning hand.

  “Let her be,” Sandra said. “Do not forget that she is not Ming’s Bubby. She is the Oracle. This is part of the process.”

  “I…I’ve never seen this,” Ming said, looking from the convulsing Bubby to Sandra and back.

  “I see it all the time,” Sandra said. “She does it at least once a month.”

  “Once a month?” Ming asked. “How often do you visit her?”

  “We have tea weekly,” Sandra said. “Every Wednesday at four-thirty. I found Bubby before the dead began walking the Earth. It’s a long-standing appointment.”

  Everyone watched Sandra carefully. I wasn’t sure why, but I could see their assessments of her change one by one. Except for Holo. He kind of shrugged in that dog way of his then lied down and curled up into a ball.

  Bubby stopped shaking and sat straight up from the waist. It was like the exorcist or something.

  “The Foe has arrived and the Creator is most pleased,” Bubby said, her voice monotone and flat. “The Saga of the Lich King may begin and all shall be right with the land of EverRealm. But beware, adventurers, there is much peril ahead of you. Most will live, one will die, and one will become what they were always meant to become. There is no deviation from this campaign. Once you start your quest, it must be finished or all will die.”

  She stood up so fast that we all jumped. Kip let out a little squeak and Holo barked.

  “Do you accept your quest?” Bubby asked. “Answer now, and know that once you answer, there is no changing your mind.”

  “I accept,” Sandra said and stood up to bow to Bubby. The old woman placed a palm on top of Sandra’s head. I expected her to shy away from the touch, but Sandra held still.

  “Well met, adventurer,” Bubby said.

  Sandra backed up a couple paces then straightened.

  “Thank you, Oracle,” she said.

  “I’m in,” Trish said and repeated the same motions.

  “Well met, adventurer.”

  “Thank you, Oracle.”

  “I will, of course, be a part of this quest,” Ming said.

  “Well met, adventurer,” Bubby said.

  “Thank you, Oracle.”

  “Why the hell not?” Coz said.

  “Yeah,” Kip agreed.

  “Well met, adventurers.”

  “Thank you, Oracle.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You in?” Holo asked me.

  “What? Oh, yeah, of course,” I said. “I will join the quest.”

  “Are you sure, Steve?” Bubby asked me.

  I wasn’t quite sure how to take that. Everyone else got a well met.

  “I, uh, am sure?” I said.

  “This will not be easy for you, Steve,” Bubby said. “You are not of EverRealm. Your entire being says that. You will be tested in ways I am afraid you are not prepared for. There will be great temptation and pain. You will be wounded greatly by this quest.”

  “Damn, try not to sugarcoat it,” I said and laughed.

  No one laughed with me. In fact, they all looked a little scared. Even Ming’s usual haughty exterior was cracked by a wideness of his eyes.

  “Uh, I’m in,” I said. “I accept the quest.”

  “Very well, Steve,” Bubby said and sounded so sad. “Well met, adventurer.”

  “Thank you, Oracle,” I said.

  “I accept this—” Holo began.

  “No, you do not,” Bubby said. “You are to remain here at Castle Lormillion with me.”

  “Hey now,” Holo barked. “I’m an adventurer, too!”

  “Yes, but this is not your quest,” Bubby said. “You are destined for a different path than these men and women. A path they cannot walk.”

  “Huh,” Holo said. “If you say so.”

  “I do,” Bubby said then faced us. “You have accepted your quest. Let it begin now.”

  She clapped her hands and it all went dark.

  Seventeen

  We found ourselves standing in a meadow filled with wildflowers. Regular wildflowers, nothi
ng sinister about them. The meadow was on the edge of a dark forest with a narrow path leading into it.

  “That was abrupt,” Coz said.

  It was as good a time as any to check my display.

  Character class: Ranger

  Character alignment: Chaotic Good

  Character level: 10

  Health: 94%

  Strength: 92%

  Agility: 99%

  Magic: 15%

  Armor: leather, no bonus

  Coin: 200 gold pieces, 155 silver pieces, 0 copper pieces

  Inventory: Long bow with 14 regular arrows, 4 magical. 1 long sword of Breaking (Level 16). The Dark Blade, inactive (level unknown). 2 tunics. 1 pair of breeches. 1 hooded cloak. 1 satchel with 1 wine skin, empty.

  “Into the forest you go, adventurers!” Bubby’s voice called out around us. “Complete the task and your true quest will be revealed!”

  When her voice stopped echoing around us, Trish said, “Our true quest?”

  “Yes,” Ming said. “The Saga of the Lich King isn’t only about defeating him. It is a race to stop him from achieving his goal.”

  “Which is?” I asked.

  “I am not sure,” Ming said.

  “Dude, you have the module in your estate,” Coz said.

  “I said I had it framed,” Ming said. “I never removed it from its frame and read it. I only know what you guys know.”

  “We go in the forest,” Sandra said. “That much is obvious. We complete the task and more will be revealed.”

  “What task?” I asked.

  “That is what we will find out,” Sandra said.

  “Pretty dark in there,” I said.

  Everyone except Coz waved a hand and a small, floating light appeared above them.

  “Master thief,” Coz said. “I can see in the dark.”

  “I can’t,” I said.

  “You are a Ranger, Steve,” Sandra said. “The wood is your domain. You will be fine.”

  “I hope so,” I said.

  Ming took the lead, followed by Trish, Sandra, me, then Kip taking up the rear. We walked single file since the path was only wide enough for one person at a time. After a couple yards, the forest was close to pitch black as the thick trees crowded in around us. A few more yards and I couldn’t see the meadow anymore behind us. We were deep in the woods.

  The air was damp and warm, despite the deep shade. I could smell earth and rotting leaves. A hint of death, like a raccoon or squirrel had died close by, kept wafting across the path. No one else seemed alarmed, so I decided not to make a thing of it. I was already the odd man out with our little party.

  Sandra coughed quietly and Trish and Ming stopped. The three of them bowed their heads close to each other and had a quick chat before Sandra looked back at the rest of us and gave us each a frown.

  “We have to leave the path,” she whispered. “The way ahead is blocked by a trap of great chaos.”

  “A trap of great chaos?” Coz asked. “No need to go traipsing through the woods when you have a Master Thief in the party.”

  “No,” Kip said and placed a hand on Coz’s shoulder. He shook his head. “No, Coz.”

  “That bad?” Coz asked.

  Kip looked at Sandra and she nodded.

  “Come on, guys,” Coz said. “Traps are my thing. Let me try.”

  “Not this early in the quest,” Sandra said. “We will need your skills later, I am sure of it.”

  “She is right, Coz,” Ming said. “Our journey is long and if you are wounded—”

  “Or worse,” Trish interrupted.

  “—or worse,” Ming continued. “Then we will have to carry you with us the entire way.”

  “Not if he’s or worse,” I said. “We can just dig a hole and put him in it then come back and give him a proper burial.”

  “Dude,” Coz said.

  “What?” I asked.

  “That’s fucking cold, Steve,” Trish said.

  “I’m not saying I want him to die or anything,” I replied. “I was simply stating that if he did die, then we wouldn’t have to carry him with us.”

  “He is not dying because he is not getting near the trap,” Sandra said. “We leave the path here and make our way through the forest. Trish?”

  “On it,” Trish said and squatted down. She drew her finger in the dirt, making the shape of a star. Then she stabbed the center of the star with her thumb and a crude map appeared. She tapped a red circle. “We’re here. The path is here. This is the entire forest. We have to go east to exit the forest by the river if we want to take the fastest route.”

  “I assume taking the fastest route has its disadvantages?” I asked.

  “Good assumption,” Trish said. “If we go west, then we’ll come out of the forest here, close to a nasty little canyon that will totally be in our way.”

  “Except that the canyon does not have the risks that the river does,” Ming said.

  “And those risks are…?” I asked.

  “It’s a river, dude,” Coz said.

  “Oh, right, yeah,” I said. “Trolls?”

  “Trolls,” Trish said. “And from what scouts were telling us, they are pissed off and ready to kill some adventurers. No one knows why they are so pissed off, but they are. That makes the fast route a bad choice.”

  I tried to act casual, but I could feel Sandra watching me. I don’t know if I tensed or what, but she could see I was less than comfortable when the subject of pissed-off river trolls came up. I kind of had a very good idea as to why they were pissed off.

  But, lucky for me, Sandra stayed quiet and let the question of what caused their anger drop.

  “My choice would be west,” Trish said. “But east does have its advantages if we can avoid the trolls.”

  “Not if they’re looking for us,” Coz said. “Those big guys will be ready.”

  “Then west?” Sandra asked. “We need to choose now.”

  She looked nervous and that made me nervous. I started glancing over my shoulders, my head whipping back and forth until Kip placed a calming hand on top of my skull and stopped me.

  “Sorry,” I said.

  He grinned at me and patted my shoulder.

  A branch snapped in the quiet of the forest and everyone perked up. Sandra pulled her dagger and took a fighting stance while Kip, Trish, and Ming brought up their hands, ready to cast spells if needed. I had no idea where Coz went. He slipped into the shadows and was gone.

  I was about to pull the Dark Blade, but Sandra put a hand on mine and guided my hand to the hilt of my long sword instead. I didn’t question her, but I was kind of bummed I wasn’t going to use the big, scary Dark Blade. But, I guess she had a reason.

  I pulled out my long sword of Breaking and we all moved closer to each other, standing back to back to back in order to see the attack no matter what direction it came from.

  But it never came. After a good couple of minutes, and no more snapping branches, Ming waved a hand at us to relax and get moving.

  “West,” Sandra said and started off in a direction I had to assume was west.

  Coz was with us instantly as if he’d never left.

  We couldn’t really walk single file anymore. The underbrush was so thick that we each had to make our own way in order to avoid thorny bushes and low-hanging branches that some of us could pass while others kept getting whacked in the face or their pants were snagged and torn. I wasn’t a huge fan of hiking as it was, but to have to go off path really made things worse.

  About an hour passed before Ming stopped us and nodded to Trish. She squatted again, which couldn’t have been easy in that outfit of hers, and drew another map. Immediately, she started swearing like I had only heard her do once or twice before.

  “East,” she said. “We’re going east.”

  “That can’t be right,” Sandra protested. “I know my directions and I pointed us west.”

  “Yeah,” Kip said.

  Everyone looked at me.

  “
What?” I asked.

  “You are the Ranger, Steve,” Ming said. “An innate sense of direction is part of your character class.”

  “Guys, I’m level 10,” I said. “I’m lucky if I can put my boots on the correct feet.”

  “Level 10?” Coz asked. “Dude, you’re lucky you haven’t choked to death on a piece of bread whenever we eat.”

  “Yet, despite your low level,” Ming said. “A Ranger knows the directions.”

  “Not this Ranger,” I said and brought up my display.

  I turned in a circle and a small icon that looked like a compass appeared. I jolted in surprise and stopped turning.

  “Hey, will you look at that,” I said. “I have a compass.”

  “You’ve never noticed that before?” Coz asked.

  “No,” I admitted. I pointed in the direction that was west. “That way.”

  “Excellent, Steve,” Ming said. “You have saved us precious energy. We would have needed to cast spells in order to—”

  “Hold up,” I said. Something was wrong with the compass. All I was doing was standing there and it had begun to spin rapidly then slow then stop then start spinning again. “Dammit.”

  “I was afraid of this,” Ming said.

  “Afraid of what?” Sandra asked.

  “Bubby said we must complete the task and our true quest will be revealed,” Ming said. “We are meant to stay in this forest until that task is completed.”

  “Great,” Trish said. “That’s just fucking great. So which way do we go?”

  “East, obviously,” Ming said. “The forest wants us to go east.”

  “Then we go east,” Trish replied. “Steve?”

  “East? Yeah, okay, sure,” I said and checked my display again. When I turned to face east, the compass needle stopped spinning and blinked green. “That way, guys.”

  “Are you sure?” Sandra asked me.

  “It’s blinking green,” I said. “Green is good.”

  “Green is good,” she replied and smiled.

  “Off we go,” Coz said.

  We trudged our way east. In less than five minutes, we were back at the path.

  “Now we do things my way,” Coz said and took the lead. “Time to spring a trap.”

  Eighteen

  We kept back a good few yards and let Coz do his thing. He moved from tree to tree, keeping to the sides of the path as much as he could. Every time he’d get to a new tree, I’d have to refocus to find him. His camouflage skills were pretty damn good.