Dreadwar: A LitRPG Adventure (Badges of Dorkdom Book 3) Read online

  The other dragonborn in their party, Lia, launched arrows side-by-side with Crucible and Demy. Her upgraded bow to Power II showed off with mighty blows knocking the partials well off their feet. One cracked its back on a tree and impaled on a branch.

  Demy’s Frost Breath and Crucible’s Fire 1 blasts hit the partials with frozen balls that slowed them from piling into the middle. This gave Emerald and Zusni room to punch and slice their way through, while the king and his men cleaned up the slower partials and barakas that swept down after the pilot of their formation.

  Fox, their hill dwarf cleric, knocked a few partials silly before those trained for the kill finished the job. Including their other dwarf, Kadush, who imposed his brutal will with the head of his war hammer into the weakened portions of the partials where their bodies started to rot.

  They made good progress until the trail lost half its width to the older trees. Yellow vines shot up out of the foliage, striking with barbed ends, wrapping around limbs and tying them up. Forced to abandon swords in favor of quicker slashing knives and shields, the front of the pilot seemed to hit a wall. A second wave of partials charged in as though executing their portion of the planned trap. They swept through with stronger strides and brandished shields with circular portals of swirling dark clouds.

  Lia shot an arrow into the middle and it disappeared. Crucible aimed his fireball low at the last second when he saw that, and took a nasty chunk out of the charging partial’s knee. He switched to his short sword and equipped his skates. The close quarters tactics he’d honed in the waking of the waypoints felt like a game of tag on skates. The enemy was it, and they had to catch him before he Soul Ripped them apart.

  Crucible accidentally met the gaze of a partial hiding behind a tree. His battle focus fell into the void swirl. Something grabbed his arm and yanked him off his feet, jostling his sword from his grip. He broke from the partial’s hypnosis to face another launching with its yellowed teeth and stank breath.

  Too close to fix ley lines, he rattled off the chant to cast Decay. “Ach-ee Nolir Santak!”

  He stabbed his hand into the underarm of the chest leathers, glove claws rotting the material and skin. Pushing back, he kept the partial’s snapping teeth from reaching his face. Skin melted to ribs and he slid his hand toward the beating heart.

  His balance shifted backward under the stronger partial. He unequipped his skates and turned on his hips like Demy had shown him, shifting his grip to grab a rib and push it down. The partial twisted and started to fall. Demy lassoed the partial by the tree before it could reach him. Crucible lost his five second Decay spell, and chose to launch a Fire 1 with his hand buried in the creature’s chest. Bones snapped inward and hot blood erupted out from the exploded heart.

  He caught the partial before it dragged him down, cutting his arm on its ribs, then carefully removed his hand. Another partial lunged with a sword. The blade tangled in Crucible’s warlock chains and tugged sideways to slice across his armor.

  Crucible handshot Fire 2 into its chest, flashing fire into the sudden cavern opening of armor, ribs and the blackened flesh inside. The partial inhaled a wet wheeze and its eyes drew him like only the higher-level ones could.

  Time slowed to a crawl and the world outside the two of them faded to nothing. “We wanted you here,” it whispered. “Come with me and we’ll spare you and one other.”

  Two scorpions landed on the partial’s patchy eyebrows and stabbed their tails into the eye sockets. His trance broke, but his body remained half clutched in the slog between reality and hypnosis. Fighting to focus on the ley lines around the still beating heart, he cupped his fingers and ripped it open. The partial twisted and grunted its last long breath, collapsing a few feet from Crucible.

  Demy growled. She had a partial sword in her side and was on her back while she tugged at a vine tied around its neck. It snapped a bite within an inch of her nose. She dodged her head to the side and came back with a headbutt. Her downward yank on the vine snapped its neck.

  Another partial raised a ball and chain over its head and whipped it forward. Crucible handshot Fire 1 into its driving arm, blazing through shoulder muscle and sending the attack off with a pop of tendons.

  Demy blew Frost Breath and shot two barbs through the gust to plant them into the partial’s throat like two tent pegs into major arteries. It fell and Crucible kicked it from landing on Demy.

  Fox swooped down to Demy’s side with his enchanted healing towel to press into her wound. Crucible joined him and dribbled a potion over the hole while Fox gently retracted the sword. Demy squeezed his arm and growled through the pain. Blackened blood oozed from the hole. Its sharp odor made Crucible flinch with disgust. Demy’s eyes lost some of their yellow-orange color.

  “Zusni?” Fox called out over the tin of battle.

  Crucible crossed a finger over her forehead to clear her red hair from her eye. Her pupils disappeared under a haze of gray coning into the centers of her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” Crucible asked.

  Demy slowly tilted her head toward him. “We warned you.”

  She spoke Frost Breath into Crucible. Hot pain flushed across his eyes and cheeks. Something sharp punched him in the chest hard enough to knock him onto his back.

  “Demy!” Fox yelled at her fleeing back.

  The ice hardened down his neck and he gasped for breath. He couldn’t tilt his head to see. Pressure squeezed his eyes and burned as a film kept them frozen open. The world was a white blur. -20 HP.

  Frozen. 5 minute Stun.

  A great screech pierced his ears. Massive footsteps thundered the ground. Hands gripped him under the arms, then another set held his forehead and the tandem brought him to his feet.

  “We have to go.” Zusni lifted him onto a dreadwolf.

  “Hold on.”

  Crucible felt the scar on Sparky’s front leg and an open wound just above it. He accessed a potion, but the dreadwolf kicked into a gallop, forcing him to send it back to his bag and hold on for dear life.

  two

  Sparky’s agile and quick course through the woods forced Crucible to a full body straddle, hanging onto the leashed collar with both hands. He strained against his frozen neck holding his head ramrod straight, careful not to stab the dreadwolf with his warlock helmet horns. His flying scorpions landed on his back and gripped onto his hood.

  “Meet us at the shell!” the king shouted.

  “We can’t leave Demy!” Crucible yelled.

  “Okay!” The king blew his horn with short and long notes like a code.

  When it finished, coordinates appeared in Crucible’s HUD. He guided Sparky with tugs on the leash to keep him heading toward them. They were about two-hundred marks by one hundred from their target. The opposite direction Demy had gone. He hated being blind and helpless to find and save her. As he searched for any way possible, an idea sparked. Since reaching Warlock Level 7, he still had two abilities to choose, plus a wizard ability to pick soon. Wizard could bump him up to Spellscript 3 or Fire 3.

  For now, the one he hadn’t wanted in warlock may be the one he had to get. Golden Sniffer. Aside from the forced XP to Dreadlord—which had been significant, gaining him Level 8, and 5% boosts to farming, logging and mining—he’d sacrificed almost all of his XP to warlock this past month.

  One of his favorite attacks in battle had become the Soul Ripper ability. On top of the addictive feeling of ripping soul aura from his enemies, it had given him a target to spend Soul Points and gain Soul Ripper 2 early. War Cry was another cool ability, but he was waiting to meet a forger who could make him an enchantment stone for the bracelet before upgrading to War Cry 2. That would give him greater range. He could send one of his dreadwolves or flying scorpions after Demy. Though he worried about what they could do if they found her.

  Not too stupid there, Dorklord.

  Please, I’m thinking.

  There you gone and ruined it. Everyone shush, Timmy’s got a thought. If we make a
peep it might become a poopy.

  Sometimes I wonder if your position as a game master is from getting in trouble or because your only quality is being a jerk.

  You know, you’ve been awfully dark since Frostrider. Was it the warlock patronage or lost lives—

  Sh—

  Because the latter I can understand. Though the people at your outposts and Dreadfortress are counting on you to function before more die.

  Sparky stopped short. Something ripped him out from under Crucible, who flew over the top. He hit the ground, chains catching and ripping a belt loop. Sparky growled and fought with something. Crucible’s vision was too clouded to see. He blew into his bracelet—War Cry 1—and whistled for his scorpions to join the fight. He cast Vanish on himself. With Decay 1 on his mind, he equipped his staff and dwarven shortsword, using it like a blind man’s cane. He tapped a tree root, soil, grass—something caught his wrist and wrapped his gloves. I’m invisible!

  Stop whining and do something.

  Barbs shinked out and pinched into his muscle. It pulled his hand. He cast Decay, swung his staff and cast Fire 1 farther down. The vine popped off his wrist without him losing any HP and the Fire spell severed it.

  The flash of fire sent heat into his neck. Sheets of ice melted from his throat and sprinkled down. I’m such an idiot.

  Welcome to the conversation.

  Crucible pulled his helmet off and—a vine caught him at the jugular. Barbs sliced into his cold flesh. -20 HP. He grabbed them, tearing his glove, and shot Fire 1 into the sky. The flame singed his nostrils and eyebrows, but cleared his vision. Two more vines encircled the tree in front of him. He launched Fire 1. It burst through vine and bark, destroying the first. The second vine shot at his hand. He yanked it back and shot Fire 1 with his other hand. The fireball melted through the vine and carried twenty paces to explode in a tree.

  Not far from that, Sparky clawed and bit at vines as several tightened around his body and rolled him closer to the tree they grew from. Crucible gripped his staff to steady his aim and launched Fire 2 into the vines. They burned up and new ones shot back into the space he’d cleared. He drained most of his MP and scorched the forest black before Sparky rolled free and ran.

  Defeated the case of the nasty vines and the creepy bone shakers.

  +285 Xp

  +55 Soul points

  You gained a level! Now Level 15 Wizard. 0/1800 XP to next Level.

  Granted D-12 for future HP and MP rolls.

  Current HP/MP Max: 219/204

  Gained 2 Enchantment Points. Total: 41

  Gained 1 Attribute Point

  Gained 1 Wizard ability

  Items gained: 2 potions

  A new vine pressed its way out of the forest, breaking branches and slithering between trees like an anaconda on steroids.

  The wide base would be too much for Fire 2. Its speed was too great to outskate, especially with Sparky hurt.

  I choose Fire 3.

  Ability Fire 3 granted.

  Cost: 30 MP

  Distance: Fifty yards

  Diameter: Five feet

  Limitations: Requires advanced magician staff of at least 5/10 Durability. If using handshot, must have magical gloves of 5/10 Durability or higher and the use of both hands. Charge time is three seconds

  This is the highest-level Fire spell you can gain through Levels.

  But Nuldreyin has Fire 5.

  I can’t say how he obtained that, but what you have can be increased in power through enchanted items and the spellcaster’s Charisma points.

  Okay, next point will go to that. Crucible equipped his staff. Being challenged with a perfect excuse to choose Fire 3 over Spellscript 3 relieved him from having to spend the ability on more reading.

  Which means you’ll have to test out if you don’t want to wait. You’ve earned enough XP since the last test to qualify for another if you want me to activate it.

  Not now. Crucible charged Fire 3. Power shook down from the orb at the top as flames lashed out, into and through the pulsating center. The mega vine launched a mini version that caught Sparky’s neck and doubled the grip around the wolf’s throat. New blood sprayed his gray and white fur. The tree pulling him was the biggest in the area, at a width almost as wide as Crucible was tall, with vines and ivy so thickly coating its trunk that he couldn’t see the bark. Yellow and blue buds grew to dangling stalks all over.

  Crucible dug his feet and tensed his core and grip, aimed and launched at the tree. A fireball big enough to engulf a Prius erupted from his staff. Whoosh! Its backdraft punched his chest hard enough to shake his heart. The kick jerked his shot high, but the mammoth boiling engine of fire still destroyed the trunk and incinerated the mega vine.

  Four or five trees behind it also burst open at the lightning-fast blast of the Fire 3, blazing a trail into the forest.

  An unexpected plot twist put Crucible into a sprint—the fireball had cut the entire trunk from ground to the upward branches. After the short lift, the top started falling toward him and his dreadwolf. Boughs cracked and branches split as the mighty tree thrust into the arms of its neighbors.

  Crucible kicked into his skates and cut a line toward Sparky who struggled to place a front paw and rise. The vines at his throat had stopped pulling but were still tied tight. Like a tiger.

  My goodness.

  I can’t help it. Get out of my head if you don’t like it.

  If only I could.

  Crucible unequipped his staff and synced a small ley line across the vines at the wolf’s neck and ripped them apart.

  Sparky clawed at the vines and staggered into a stride. Crucible swung his foot out and kicked off. The +3 Speed Burst he bought with Soul Points thrust him at Sparky with enough power to catch his harness and drag him forward. He kicked once, twice—boom! Wind gusted him off his feet. He landed on one ley line, stubbed the toe of his left skate and missed the line. Sparky bumped his leg. He leaned on the wolf’s back and spread his skate out. The edge slid sideways off the ley line. Crucible tripped on the soil and went flying. His wrist twisted with pain, forcing him to let go of the harness and landed more in shame than pain. Jerry cheered in his mind.

  Four out of ten!

  Sparky licked his face and nudged him with his wet nose. His Vanishing spell continued to fade out.

  Set Sparky Free Again

  +15 Xp

  Item gained: Tincture

  “Crucible!” Zusni shouted, wide of the path he’d taken but not visible yet in the trees.

  “Watch out for the vines!” he called back and retreated. The vines twisting toward him had to maneuver around branches and leaves from the fallen tree.

  Crucible poured both potions over Sparky’s wounds, then jogged into the prairie outside the forest. He didn’t see any vines in the waist high grass. What he did see of them was still coming from the forest.

  He pulled up his AP stats:

  Str. 11, Dex. 15, Cont. 15, Int. 20, Wis. 20, Char. 15.

  I still feel like your Wisdom stat is on like a ten-year delay.

  Thanks, bud. Be proud of me for hitting a double twenty.

  Oh, so proud. That’s the only reason you could gain Fire 3.

  Yeah, and related to that, my concern of shooting it. Especially if I’m on skates. Is Strength the best attribute for better control of the power in that spell?

  Good guess. Wisdom comes through after all.

  With his last nine points split as 5 > Wisdom, 3 > Dexterity to help with his ley skating, and 1 > Strength, he felt okay with spending another one on his lowest stat, especially on the brink of a big battle. Before increasing the power of the spell through points in Charisma, he ought to boost Strength so he could better handle what he had already. Okay, do it.

  Strength > 12. Roll for Max HP and MP?

  You’ve got to ask yourself one question.

  Please, Jerry, I thought it that one time. It was barely funny then.

  Do you feel lucky, punk?

  Z
usni, Emerald, Fox, Lia and two of the king’s men emerged at a sprint out of the trees, with Zusni in the back shooting vine poison from her supa soaka. A screech wailed out from deep inside the forest.

  Well, do ya?

  Yeah. Crucible snapped his fingers, hoping he would be. 1. Crucible laughed. Thanks a lot, Dirty Jerry.

  You know, I don’t hate that.

  Of course you don’t. He rolled for MP. 6. Eh.

  New Max HP is 220

  New Max MP is 210

  He drank his tincture and ran to meet his group. Sparky gained strength as he galloped at his side. Taz must still be fighting or he would have come when he blew War Cry. That was another reason he had to get back into that cursed void forest. The wailing deep within made it sound like a demon’s playground and all the crazies were out to play.

  One of the king’s men waved Crucible to follow, but he refused to budge. “No. Demy’s that way. Plus, it sounds like they’re still fighting.”