The Rules: The Complete Series : A LitRPG Epic, page 66
Sirus knew better than anyone that a divided front would put up little resistance against a superior force. He hated having to work for these people, but it was better to be on the winning side and receiving rich rewards, than ending up as a slave to some monster’s whim. And besides, they had sworn to help him get revenge, so even if they didn’t do it now, as he so desperately wanted, they would help him get it eventually.
For now, at least, it would have to be good enough.
***
“Holy shit! Did you see the size of that thing?” asked a tall, muscular man dressed in gear resembling a martial artist’s Gi.
“Yes! I freaking saw it!” his companion, an oversized pink and white female skunk, snapped back. “It tried to take a bite out of me while you ran like a scared little female dog!”
The man staggered half a step, nearly tripping over his own feet at the skunk’s reply. He’d been stuck in this world for well over a month now, yet he still couldn’t get used to the odd animal’s insults. They were just too weird, and not really all that insulting.
The two of them shot from the cave entrance, finally slowing down and coming to a stop to recover their breaths. His Endurance was fairly high, so he wasn’t really all that winded, but the skunk was a bit chunky around the middle and her legs were too short in proportion to her body. She collapsed onto her belly, sides heaving as she wheezed for air.
“You wouldn’t have this problem if you just ate a bit healthier and exercised more,” the man chastised.
The skunk glared up at him, her small yellow eyes narrowing just a bit and her muzzle pulling back in a snarl.
“Are you calling me…fat?”
The man was immediately aware of her tail, long and fluffy, switching slowly upward. Though she’d never actually sprayed him, he had smelled it enough times to know that he didn’t want any part of that. A regular skunk’s musk was bad enough, but when a magic, talking, six-foot-long skunk sprayed you, it was an entirely different experience.
In fact, her spray came in a variety of types, from imparting a horrible stench which lowered Charisma, to one that could melt solid stone to slag in minutes.
“No, I’m not calling you that,” the man said, raising his hands before him in a calming gesture. “Just saying that you could eat a bit healthier.”
She seemed to be extremely sensitive about her weight, which the man found odd. Why would a skunk care if she was fat or not? It wasn’t like there were other six-foot magic pink skunks anywhere around.
His companion huffed, slowly getting back to her feet and sticking her nose in the air.
“I can’t help what I eat. It’s only natural, and I need to keep my fur looking beautiful, sleek, and fluffy.”
“And how does eating twenty pounds of honeycomb a day help?”
“Honey is good for my fur,” she replied, having produced a piece of the dripping honeycomb as soon as she rose and munching on it.
The man just sighed, turning away from his weird companion and looking out over the landscape. It was a beautiful night, the strange bioluminescent grass glowing a soft yellow, and the trees in the distance swaying in the wind, their long, blade-shaped leaves glowing a bright orange-red.
This truly is a strange place, the man thought, reaching up to feel at the electrum guild chain around his neck. If not for them, would I even have survived this long?
His thoughts turned to his best friend then, the last person he’d seen before waking up in this strange new world.
Is Sam even here? And if he is, is he still among the living?
“You just gonna stand there all night, Greg, or are we going to head back to the guild and make our report?”
Greg turned, forcing down his worry, and gave the skunk a small half-smile.
“Yeah, let’s get going, Daisy. It’s a long walk back to Zewstown, and I’d really like to get at least a little sleep tonight.”
“You got it, pal, but we’re not doing any more of that running poop. Running’s for animals who have serious mental problems, like dogs.”
“Yeah?” Greg asked. “And what do skunks do?”
“We walk,” the skunk replied haughtily.
Greg forced himself to hold back a laugh as the skunk stuck her nose into the air and began prancing forward, landing as lightly as she could manage before taking the next step. This land most definitely was a strange place, and he really hoped that he’d find some sign of his kind soon. This place was crawling with strange creatures, and not a single one of them was human.
He couldn’t help but look back over his shoulder, as though hoping to see a familiar face. He saw nothing, of course, just as he hadn’t the last hundred times he’d looked.
“If you’re out there, Sam, I really hope you’re doing alright,” Greg said in an undertone, before turning to follow his companion.
***
Sam sat on the bed in a room of a small inn in Shtut. They’d decided to stay here instead of The Classy and save their money for the trip they were going to take in just a couple of days. Right now, though, he had to get ready for his date, and seeing as how he really didn’t want to go, Sam was procrastinating by looking over his full status.
CHARACTER STATUS
Name: Sam
Race: Human
Level: 25
XP: 152,655/200,000
AP: 0
Class: Over-Mage
HP: 410/410 (Regen 4.1 Per Second)
MP: 1,190/1,190 (Regen 10.4 Per Second)
STA: 130/130 (Regen 1.3 Per Second)
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 10
Constitution: 29 (41)
Agility: 8
Endurance: 9 (13)
Intelligence: 104 (119)
Wisdom: 75 (104)
Charisma: 56
Luck: 16
ABILITIES
Mana Shot: Advanced LV - 32 (12%)
Mana Burn: Intermediate LV - 30 (44%)
Mana Flare: Intermediate LV - 24 (19%)
Mana Cloak: Beginner LV - 18 (99%)
Mage Bolt: Beginner LV - 19 (27%)
Speed Boost: Novice LV - 7 (8%)
Mage Shield: Novice LV - 10 (53%)
Over-Burn: Beginner LV - 17 (72%)
Recovery: Novice LV - 10 (62%)
Lightning Cloud: Master LV - 41 (0%)
SKILLS
Sprint: Intermediate LV - 22 (4%)
Stalker: Beginner LV - 19 (67%)
Inspect: Advanced LV - 33 (7%)
Mind Over All: Master LV - 48 (1%)
Mental Manipulation: Beginner LV - 20 (77%)
Browbeat: Beginner LV - 13 (81%)
Critical Strike: Beginner LV - 20 (91%)
Sucker Punch: Beginner LV - 16 (38%)
Night Owl: Beginner LV - 13 (10%)
Deadeye: Intermediate LV - 24 (68%)
Mana Control: Novice LV - 1 (0%)
Cauterize: Novice LV - 6 (86%)
TITLES
Slaughterer of Bunnies
Punching Bag
You Won’t Like Me When I’m Angry
Shtainerzeid’s Bane
Arbiter
EQUIPPED ITEMS
Clothing
Robes of the Monster Mage
Trousers of the Monster Mage
Sash of the Monster Mage
Boots of the Monster Mage
Armband of the Monster Mage
Hand-Cannon Holster
Total Armor Rating: 45
Set Bonus: +12 Constitution, Intelligence & Wisdom
Other Items
Name: Staff of the Weeper
Damage: +22-38 (Ability), +13-18 (Blunt)
Name: Pendant of the Novice Mage
Effect: +3 Intelligence & Wisdom
Name: Ring of Endurance
Effect: +4 Endurance
Name: Ring of Fortitude
Effect: +50% Resistance to Mental Manipulation
Name: Wisdom’s Promise
Effect: +15 Wisdom
Mithril Soul Ring (Soulbound)
RULE OF THE DAY
Free a Kingdom (Kept)
A lot had happened in the past few weeks. So much, in fact, that it felt like an entire year had passed since he’d last been in this city. Closing his status, Sam’s only regret was that he hadn’t yet reached level 26. He was desperate to move up in level, skill, and ability, and his specialization would help him do that.
Despite gaining a skill that helped him with mana control, he had yet to test it out. He still didn’t really have a very good idea as to the types of magic an Over-Mage used. He got huge boosts to two useful attributes, and he figured that a higher Charisma couldn’t hurt, but overall, he was still clueless.
What types of abilities could I even try to develop?
His hand strayed to the Flintlock sitting at his side. Somehow, the smooth wooden grip felt comforting. It was good to know that he had a weapon that was this amazing. It cost nothing to use, and the new holster had already restored some of its lost durability. Apparently, the rate at which it restored the weapon was dependent on how many hours he left it without interruption.
If he left it for four hours straight without touching it, it would restore a single point. However, if he interrupted the cycle by drawing the weapon, all of the progress would be lost, and he’d have to start all over again when re-slotting the weapon.
“You know,” Gordon said through a mouthful of top-quality rawhide. “Keeping a lady waiting is considered to be in poor taste, not to mention rude.”
Looking up at the small clock on the wall, Sam saw that it was just after seven. He was supposed to be meeting Emma at a small, out of the way restaurant in less than fifteen minutes, and he had yet to change into the clothes she’d bought him for the occasion.
“I know I agreed to go out on this date,” Sam said, eyeing the bright-colored suit in distaste. “But do I really need to wear that monkey suit?”
“A simian wearing a garb suited for simians,” Gordon said with some amusement. “That seems about right.”
“Oh, ha ha, it’s so funny, I forgot to laugh,” Sam replied sourly.
He rose from the bed, eyeing the suit one last time before heading to the door. Emma might be strong-arming him into this date, but he’d never agreed to wear whatever she’d told him to, so he was going to keep his gear on. Besides, in a world like this, one never knew when they might be attacked, so it was better to play it safe.
“I do hope Miss Emma is not too upset with you,” Gordon called after him.
Sam ignored him, slamming the door, and headed for the building’s exit. This inn was indeed a small one. It was so small, it only had one floor and no dining room or even a bar. He was perfectly fine with that, though. This place was out of the way enough so that he didn’t need to interact with anyone and close enough to the restaurant that he could make it on time.
He and Emma hadn’t had a chance to talk to Joe Leaderman when they’d returned, though he had requested they meet him tomorrow afternoon. Sam was debating just not showing up. He had no doubt that the man would try to recruit them once more, and he had zero interest in taking orders from someone else.
After this whole debacle with freeing the East Kingdom, he was done accepting quests. He would go to Dungeons to gain his XP and level his skills. They gave out just as much as any quest, and it came with the added benefit of being able to leave at any time. There was no need to spy, gather information, or sneak through sewers. All he’d be doing was killing monsters, and that was good enough for him.
He arrived at the restaurant just in time. Emma wasn’t waiting outside, so he just assumed she’d already gone in. A man dressed in a shiny blue waistcoat greeted him at the door, and Sam gave him Emma’s description. This place was supposed to be high-class, according to her, and she hadn’t been lying.
The man gave him a once-over, then turned and escorted him through the narrow hallway and into the dining room. It was set up in such a way that every table was in its own little room. This gave the patrons a sense of privacy and also lent to the restaurant’s overall classiness. He hadn’t even bothered reading the sign as he was sure it would have pissed him off but so far, he was impressed.
“The lady is waiting inside,” the man said with an exaggerated bow. “I shall have some refreshments brought in right away.”
Sam couldn’t detect even a hint of distaste or annoyance at his attire, though now that he thought about it, why should there be? He was wearing Legendary-class gear, which was very obviously not cheap. A full set like this was worth at least 75 electrum, which was a literal fortune, and it wasn’t every day that someone came by wearing something like this.
He nodded, waiting until the man had left before sliding the thin door to one side.
“I was wondering if you’d wear the clothes I bought,” Emma said as soon as she saw him.
The wide grin on her face told him that she hadn’t been expecting him to, but that she’d really hoped he would.
“You’re one to talk,” he grumbled, sliding the door closed and taking a seat across from her. “You’re dressed the same as well.”
“Nuh-uh!” Emma said, turning her head to one side and showing off a pair of shining silver earrings studded with green stones.
Sam sorted out a laugh and was joined a moment later by Emma.
“You know it was really sneaky of you to get me to go out with you this way,” Sam said once their laughter had faded.
“Oh, stop being so grumpy,” Emma said. “You get to go out on a date with a hot girl who you get along with. Do you know how many guys would kill to be in your situation right now?”
Sam had to admit that she was telling the truth. Back on Earth, if Emma had asked him out, he’d probably have said yes in an instant. Things were different now, though. He had other priorities and, Emma, while stunning, just wasn’t his type. She was smart, witty, and completely unapologetic. She was brash and said whatever popped into her mind. She acted more like a guy than he did, which Sam didn’t mind. It made him feel more comfortable around her.
“Fine, I’ll behave,” he said, letting out a long sigh and finally relaxing.
What’s the harm in taking an evening off and enjoying a nice meal with a friend?
“Yeah, and then you can be her ‘friend’ all night long!”
“Sins of the flesh are the root of all evil! You mustn’t fall to your base desires!”
Sam ignored the little shoulder people as they began bickering, and decided to focus instead on the three small bowls of stew a waiter had just placed before them.
He could always go back to being sour and grumpy tomorrow. For now, he may as well enjoy his meal. Even if it was just another fucking bowl of stew.
GREMPIRE
The Rules
Book Three
AARON OSTER
For my fans. Thank you for sticking with me to the end!
Before You Read
First off, I’d like to thank each and every one of you for sticking with the series as far as you have. Unfortunately, though originally planned for five books, Grempire will be the last in the “The Rules” series, due to its relative unpopularity.
When starting to write this book, I was faced with one of two options. I could either keep going as intended and leave everyone hanging with an unfinished story or try and end the series as best as I can and go out with a bang. Yes, there will likely be many unanswered questions, and you guys might not enjoy the ending as much, but I believe that I have followed the spirit of the series and finished it in a way that would make Sam proud.
That being said, I hope you guys don’t hate me too much for what I’m about to do!
Oh, and if you read all the way to the end, you’ll get a special bonus episode of Sam roasting some trolls. He’s pretty good at that.
It has truly been a wild ride, and while it pains me to say goodbye to all of these amazing and hilarious characters, I wouldn’t have done it any other way. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this series, and I hope you all have as well!
Prologue
The sky above Zewstown was dark and gray, the midafternoon sun blotted out by the heavy storm clouds rolling in. Thunder rumbled overhead, crackling loudly and sending the last stragglers still outside running for cover. This storm had been slowly building over the last hour, and judging by how quickly the forking flash of lightning illuminated the sky, the downpour would be upon them at any moment.
However, unlike a natural storm, one that would blanket the skies in all directions, this one seemed to be centered around a specific focal point, one sitting at the very edge of Zewstown, standing on the far side of a tall gate. The Mound O’Limpsticks stretched upward, sloping steeply as it neared the peak nearly two-hundred feet above the level of the actual city.
There, perched upon a jutting spire, was a majestic castle, one that seemed to be built into the side of the hill. This was the home of the town’s leader, a man whom the denizens of Zewstown worshiped as a god. His name, of course, was Zews, as the town’s name implied. However, on this day, Zews was not alone in his castle.
Today, he had company. They were some of the most important visitors ever to grace Zewstown’s borders. The people of the city knew that, because this storm had been summoned for the express purpose of keeping them from seeing the majestic forms of their god’s divine siblings. Of course, those devoted few, the completely insane, had tried to jump the gate to see their god’s family in person.
