RPG'd Earth Book 2: Unyielding, page 1
RPG'd Earth Book 2
Unyielding
Bern and Cynthia Dean
Copyright © 2024 Bern L Dean
All rights reserved.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Cover design by: ebooklaunch.com
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Days 15-18
Days 19 & 20
Days 21-23
Days 24 & 25
Day 26
Caitlins Journey
Day 7
Days 8-10
Days 11 & 12
Days 13 & 14
Days 15-18
Thanks!
Afterword
Day 12
Jason opened his eyes on the 12th day of his new reality, after having survived the long trek to the town of Lone Pine from the coastal city of Ventura, California where he had been born and raised. Along the way he had picked up almost 3,000 followers who like him, now followed the teachings of the goddess of love and war, Freya. This wasn’t the same Freya that had been worshiped in ancient Norse mythology, or any others. No, this was a new goddess that like all the others who had shown up, was looking for followers. Part of their methods of doing so had included warping reality so that everything worked more or less like a tabletop RPG. This meant that stats mattered and you couldn’t just go chopping off something’s head to kill it. First you had to weaken it and then you could chop off its head. That had been a concept Jason had confirmed against the prophet of Hades that he had killed just the night before, after what had been their toughest battle to date, losing 58 of their number. They had also almost lost far more, including one of the three friends Jason had from before everything changed, Bradley who had chosen to become a dwarf. He and Jason’s two girlfriends, Rebecca and Hazel, were his world in some respects, as he refused to let others in after watching his buddies Will and Devan die in front of his eyes.
While Jason said that he had two girlfriends, he had yet to do anything more than snuggle at night with them. Like Jason, Rebecca was a race of partial air elementals called sylphs and both had pale skin, but where Jason had blond hair Rebecca had a reddish brown hair like her sister who was now an elf, Hazel. The two women had refused to let Jason go and at first they had fought over him, before coming to terms with the fact that they would need to share him if they were going to have him. This had been due to the fact that there were about three women for every man in their group and that Jason refused to accept either of them due to it guaranteeing that the other would likely leave. Even when they had agreed to share him, Jason had wanted to wait some time, but when you’re the prophet of your goddess and she practically commands you to accept them, you kind of have to at least try. Thus they had officially gone from not really dating to sort of engaged, though Jason wasn’t planning on a wedding anytime soon. Especially not while they had to worry about other evil clerics out there helping to destroy the world. No, until Jason felt that his new home was safe from the encroaching darkness, as well as any groups of humans who were hostile to him or his people, the relationship would not go any further. Speaking of which, Jason was expecting to have to deal with a group of those who would possibly be seeking to harm him today, though he hoped to avoid a bloodbath.
It was on that thought that Jason extracted himself from his two lovely girlfriends’ embrace and made his way down the ladder. As he passed by the middle level where Felicity Abel, who he still mentally called Elven Rogue One and her friends Molly, the cat girl sorceress, and Leah Davis, a human fighter, slept. Like the elven wizard, Oscar Johnston, and oread fighter, Brayden Meyers, they were all official members of Jason’s party now and would be leaving to exterminate the undead, along with ten other parties of ten. The goals of each of these parties were simple. Destroy any undead, gather more followers and scavenge anything of worth that can be brought back. The first trip that Jason had planned would take them to Las Vegas and back, as if anywhere else was going to breed another apocalyptic event near him first, he would be shocked. Though he was worried about LA as well, Jason knew that taking on the mess of a city, with a population of over 3.5 million before everything happened and its surrounding areas was insanity. Las Vegas’s population was only in the hundreds of thousands and while Jason didn’t expect to be able to purge the whole city, he figured that it would be a great spot to scavenge for supplies while power leveling. When he saw Bradley, he smiled at the dwarf who was wearing the new set of magically reinforced full plate mail armor that Jason bought for him. He had to splurge on the armor, using a portion of the vast wealth that they had collected from their last fight.
At 39,000 gold per armor set, all three that had been picked up for the three fighters were cheaper than the belt and headband that Jason currently wore. The fact that they each had magic added to them that would allow them to resize to fit their wearer, also meant that they could be traded to a new user if and when needed. While Jason didn’t intend to need to have them do so any time soon, the armor would be considered the property of the settlement, as would most of the gear that would be bought for his party moving forward. The way he was organizing things, there would be three main roles for all of the people who would establish the settlement here. First, you had the long-range scavengers, or raiders like his party, that would be outfitted in the best equipment that could be managed, with each party being prioritized by results. These results would include survival rate, as there was no point in investing in leaders that didn’t know how to keep their team alive. Next there would be the short-range patrollers and guards who would be focused on local security and public order, and last were the support. The elven druid, Elizabeth Watson, would be placed in charge of this last group as it was her job to manage the food supply, by leading the other druids who would be staying behind. Jason also knew that he still needed someone to take charge of the guards and patrols who had more of a mind for such things, but was currently drawing a blank as he stepped outside.
It didn’t take long for Jason to arrive at the area where the 32 men and 10 women that had been captured, were loosely being guarded. He could see that they were all chatting about their new level, when he approached the same man who had agreed to the mission that Jason had for them. As they took note of Jason, the conversation died down as all 42 of them looked at him with complicated expressions.
“I take it you all have made your peace with the situation.”
“Yeah, we have talked it out, but first, was that dream the real events of yesterday?”
“Ah, yes it should have been. Also, all those currently coming after us should have seen it, as well as all of China Lake.”
“Well that should make convincing them to flip easier. Though I think it will be best if only a few of us go and talk to them directly, rather than try and convince them as they march to you.”
“No, I need to confirm something, so here is what you will do….”
Half an hour later, a group of six of them were headed off, wearing mismatched equipment that would look like they had just grabbed what they could before escaping. If everything went to plan they would return with the force by the end of the day, though for now it was time to get everyone who wasn’t needed to start heading out. Today would be the first of what would likely be many trips to the end of the paved road portion of the path that remained up the mountain. There they would begin to establish a base camp as well as look for anyone who had survived up there so far as with a bit of luck, even a normal human might have made it if they were an experienced survivalist. With the fact that hiking to the top of Mount Whitney wasn’t something that was done casually, odds were that there was likely at least a few people currently up there that would need to be confronted. Whether they joined Jason’s people, or had to be told to leave the area, the fact was that they couldn’t be ignored if Jason wanted to leave the area with peace of mind. It was as Jason was thinking about this that Rebecca and Hazel arrived, and each claimed one of his sides.
“You know you could wait for us to be ready before leaving,” commented Hazel.
“Yeah, there isn’t a need to rush things right now. After all, you don’t need to leave here today,” added Rebecca.
“I know, but I like to get everything done earlier rather than later. Did Bradley hand you the list of names?”
“Yes, and we have one of the others designing it. We are thinking of making it like a war memorial for those who die in battle only. They are using the statue of Freya you brought back for reference on part of it as well. After all, it is for her followers. So, just relax for a moment and let everyone do their part. You got us here. All you need to do is make sure that everyone knows what to do and figure out who is going to handle the local patrol.”
“Becca-”
“Jason, Becca is right. You need to let them figure things out. You may have a brain that goes a million miles a minute, but you can’t be here to solve everything for them. So, just relax and let them figure things out. If you’re really worried, you can leave the headband that that cleric had here for Elizabeth to use, instead of having me use it.”
“I know you’re both right, it’s just hard to shut my mind off.”
“Jason, stop thinking with just your intelligence and use that over-powered wisdom you have as well,” replied Rebecca.
“It doesn’t work like that, at least I don’t think it does,” responded Jason. “Intelligence, wisdom and charisma are capacity stats that we need to fill by experiencing things. Strength, dexterity and constitution get filled to our cap instantly. We just need to maintain them, or we won’t be able to perform at our best when we need to.”
“Yeah, sure, mister 23 is my dump stat,” quipped Hazel. “We get it, you are still getting used to being a superhuman who’s able to lift 2,400 pounds without issue.”
Jason just smiled as he let the pair talk him into taking things easy for at least the morning, as everyone but those level 3 and above headed up the mountain, while a few level 5s acted as an escort. As they walked through the remains of Lone Pine, Jason focused on just being in the moment, since he knew that soon they were going to be faced with another possible battle. For their part, both ladies did their best at just enjoying the time alone with Jason on what could technically be called their first date, but none of them would ever consider it to be.
Time passed until it was early afternoon and the scouting party that had shadowed the group of converted prisoners returned with their report. Sighing, Jason gave the order to move out to the designated rally point, where they could force them into a funnel. This was where the road crossed a canal that had chain link fences on both sides, and getting down and up the canal would put them at the greatest disadvantage Jason could hope for in the area. He couldn’t help but think of the Spartans at Thermopylae, though he wasn’t faced with nearly as steep of odds and there was an easy way around if the foe did a bit of back tracking.
Two hours later, Jason watched as the force of around 5,000 mismatched men came into view. Jason wanted to swear that from the looks of things, his hunch that it would be all men was right on and he just had another reason to want Captain Duncan’s head on a pike, as he continued to take in the enemy. Jason stood slightly behind the front line, where Bradley, Leah and Brayden were at point in their new armor, which all but ensured their advantage in a close-quarter charge. The force stopped and a group of five came forward with the leader of those who Jason had sent with them as he stepped out alone, crossing the bridge that his forces were set up in the middle of. As they drew closer and Jason waited, he took in the other four. One looked to be a dwarven cleric, two looked like some kind of elven spell casters and the last was a massive man with a pair of bull horns on his head. Jason took him to be like a cat person, only with bovine traits and was likely one of the races that Jason hadn’t taken the time to look at. It was this large man who spoke first, once the five of them were about ten feet apart.
“Surrender and come back with us. Now that we know that you didn’t kill these idiots and only defended yourselves, I don’t see the need to kill you.”
“Sorry, but while I have no desire to kill you all either, I can’t allow your settlement to control me either.”
“We are a fraction of the settlement and you are a fraction of us. How do you plan to win this fight?”
“I don’t need to win, I just need to not lose. Besides, you should be well aware of what we can do. Do you really want to take the losses that you would from clashing with us here?”
“You act as if this is more than a slight annoyance. All I need to do is order a magic barrage and we will have an easy time overwhelming you.”
“You’re right, that is exactly what you should do. It’s not like that won’t bring all of you within range of my own bombardment and while there may be fewer of us, we have over 100 at or above level-5 spellcasters. While that may be fewer than your ragtag of level 2 or 3 spellcasters, they have much stronger spells to use on all of you and I promise you that your forces will suffer far more than mine in the exchange.”
“Are we doomed to clash then?”
“That depends on a few things. First, what deity do you worship, cleric?”
“Ha, Hephaestus is my patron and don’t you even think about telling me to change to Freya, crafting is what I do.”
“Have you received any instructions from Hephaestus?”
“Only what is in my dreams and it is always about making the weapons of war that are needed right now.”
“Joy, not completely kill everything that doesn’t worship him, but definitely prepare to need to fight a war.”
“Ha, nah, I’m not one of those who only tolerates their own god being worshiped like you.”
“You’re mistaken. While I intend to convert many, I accept that I can’t convert the world. It is why while my settlement will be exclusively for her worshipers, I will not attack others simply because they worship another god. After all, the day may come where our gods decide to form a pantheon.”
“Enough about religious BS,” interjected the horned man. “The gods are going to have it out to rule over us. I say no to that. We did just fine before these gods showed up.”
Jason had to hold in a laugh of derision at that statement as he responded.
“Yes, the world wasn’t on the brink of nuclear war, companies weren’t ignoring human atrocities simply to increase profits and more people weren’t more concerned with TV shows than what laws were being passed.”
“We also had indoor plumbing,” retorted the horned man.
“Wait, you think that indoor plumbing won’t work? Um, hate to break it to you, but it’s the lack of working pumps pushing water to the toilets that is causing the plumbing to fail. If you redid the system with a gravity feed system it should work fine, at least as long as you can keep the pressure up and keep the waste pipes clear.”
“You make it sound so simple, when you know it’s not. We live in the desert. Just getting water is a challenge.”
“Let’s not turn this into a lament about lost technology as we could be here all day on that. Instead, let’s talk about Captain Duncan and how he needs to die.”
“Excuse me, just what makes you think that you can make that judgment?” interjected one of the elven spell casters.
“Let’s see, he can’t simply leave my people alone. He is purposely trying to reduce the male population. If you don’t believe me, send out a few scouts to check a half day behind you as if I’m right, he has soldiers whose job is to finish off whichever of our sides wins.”
“If they are there, it could just be reinforcements for us. You can’t expect us to just believe you?” retorted the elven spell caster.
“It is up to you to believe what you will. Just be ready for the cavalry charge when it comes.”
“Enough!” stated the horned man in a raised voice. “Is battle the only way to get you to yield?”
“No, there is no way that I can place myself under another’s power. If control is your goal, my death is the only option available to you. However, your entire force lacks the power to take my life if I choose to escape and I am a rather vengeful individual. Now what will you do?”
“Piss on your grave for being a fool and costing so many lives. All blood that is spilt today is on your hands.”
With that the man turned around and he and the other four all went to leave as Jason spoke one last time to them.
“No, the one who charges can claim responsibility for that.”
The man paused for a second, before continuing to walk back towards his forces. Jason returned to his line as he called for Hazel and Rebecca. After telling them what he expected to happen, he had Hazel use her spell to lay down hidden spikes just in front of the bridge, such that they would need to cross 40 feet of them to reach the bridge. With that taken care of, Jason could see the enemy getting fired up as the horned man spoke to them. So, he decided that it was time for him to say the final words he had ready, as he turned to face most of his force.
“Today is not about annihilating those before us, it is simply about driving them back. Should you cross this bridge you will have played into their hands. If all goes to plan, most of you will not need to involve yourselves in this fight, as only those of us at the front will be faced with death today as we refuse to let them pass. Still, ready yourselves as nothing in battle is guaranteed and you must be ready to face battle with courage as Freya demands. Cowardice in battle is one of the greatest transgressions you can make, so stand your ground. Face the foe with courage, but never throw your lives away as they are far too valuable. That’s right, your lives are valuable. More valuable than ten of theirs, as you have a purpose beyond surviving, or ruling over others. We are the warriors of Freya and we will drive the darkness out of our world, even if it takes 1,000 years!”
