The Realm Between: A LitRPG Saga (Books 7 - 10), page 72
With the largest portion taken care of, Jin and Princess Zadori unshouldered their bows to finish off the rest. Unlike the elf’s laser accuracy, the princess missed more than she hit, her hands shaking from the stress of the ordeal. Still, they were able to get the job done with little more injury to their group.
As soon as the last crow dropped, the entire party began digging in their bags for Potions of Minor Healing. While no one was close to death, the nagging pain they all felt from the dozens of pecks was more than any of them wanted to bear before pressing on.
“Fuck that guy,” Azure mumbled under his breath as he gazed back at the cemetery. They had moved far enough away that it was but a small blip in his vision. However, he could see that Luuq had disappeared, probably having crawled back into the dark, dank hole he had come from.
Princess Zadori followed his gaze with a scowl. “It’s not wise to talk badly about a God, but I mirror your sentiment.”
“I think we can all agree,” Jin said. His Dark Cloak of Racial Concealment was full of snags and holes, showing glimpses of silvery-white hair and green armor beneath. Thankfully, the magical integrity of the item hadn’t been compromised.
“Well, as much as I’d like to stand here and complain with the rest of you,” Rerdam rolled one shoulder back—he had pulled it trying to swat the birds away, “that was just another thing to delay us. We should make haste to Spiritshear. It will be dark soon.” In his urgency, he led the charge, forcing everyone else to follow behind.
No one argued, all of them grumpy after their encounter with the God of Death.
GOD OF DEATH
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE REALM – DAY 905
They reached Spiritshear just as the sun had set. While no monsters had been encountered on their journey, as soon as the sky began to darken, Azure could feel them ready to emerge. It was unsettling—like a predator constantly watching you from the bushes waiting to strike—something he hadn’t experienced anywhere else in The Realm.
There was no wall surrounding the small village, but all the buildings were plated with iron. Vents took the place of windows, only allowing enough oxygen in so that the inhabitants didn’t suffocate. It was a strange sight to behold, almost apocalyptic in nature, but it told a lot about the dangers outside at night.
“You barely made it in time,” the innkeeper said to them. “I was just about to lock up.”
He and Jin had met face to face at the door. As soon as Azure’s party was inside, the innkeeper made good on his word, barring the place from within. Few were brave enough to travel through The Deathlands at night, and those that did understood there would be no sanctuary for them once the sun went down.
“It has been a taxing day.” Princess Zadori blew out an exhausted breath once they were settled in their room.
Since Spiritshear Inn had the good fortune of being the closest inn south of Luuq’s Place, it got to reap the benefit of charging an exorbitant price. Their room was modest in size but decorated in a touristy manner. The walls were painted dark purple with black stripes, and various-styled paintings of the God of Death hung on each wall.
“You’d think someone would steal these,” Azure mused, walking over to examine a coffin-shaped painting of Luuq standing proudly with one foot on a pile of corpses as if he were making the Captain Morgan pose. The God of Death’s smile was larger than life, his face and feathers the only truly recognizable features about him. For some reason, the artist had decided to dress Luuq lavishly in black slacks and a matching overcoat. Azure couldn’t help but wonder if the artist had ever actually met the God of Death or was just going off of what others had described him as.
Touching the ornate, black wooden frame, Azure quickly realized that the painting was bolted to the wall.
“Makes sense,” he grunted.
“I’m not particularly happy with how things went down today.” Jin sat on one of the two available beds to pull off his boots.
Azure was not looking forward to having to sleep on the floor.
“I would not have expected it to go much differently.” Rerdam helped himself to the only chair in the room, which was angled in the corner to face the beds. “The only surprising thing to me was that there wasn’t a monster for us to face beforehand. That seemed a bit off.”
“Maybe someone killed it before we got there, and Luuq just didn’t want us to know.” Azure would not be the least bit surprised if the God of Death had lied about the boss monster.
“Even if what you say is true,” the elf nodded at Azure, “it should have just respawned for us. He has some other trick up his sleeve. Of that, I am sure.”
“I do not like that he is not as straightforward as the other Gods.” Princess Zadori sat on the other bed and shook her head.
“The Deathlands is certainly an odd place,” Azure admitted, his gaze focused on a different picture now. This one was a holy scene, reminding him of The Last Supper. All the Gods were gathered around a long table with Luuq in the middle, clearly the supreme being in the picture. It was as if the other Gods were just peasants at his dinner party. “They really do love him here, though. Don’t they?”
“Wait until you see it in the daytime.” The old knight’s eyes widened for effect. “Most of this village’s income comes from tourism. In the morrow, you’ll find vendors on the street selling dolls of Luuq and loaves of bread shaped like him.”
“They do realize he’s the God of Death, yes? Misery? All the bad things?” Azure rolled his eyes.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s their God. Another massive cog in the existence of The Realm. They worship him for being a part of their creation. None of this would exist without all the Gods working together.” Rerdam’s gaze volleyed around the room.
“He’s right. Though Luuq seems harsh and unpleasant, he plays an integral part in the perfect harmony of The Realm.” The princess backed up her royal guard.
“Yeah, yeah.” Azure understood perfectly well without it needing to be explained to him. Luuq was the equivalency of the devil back on Earth. But that brought up another question. “What do you guys believe happens to people when they die here?”
“We go back to the land,” Princess Zadori replied simply.
“There’s no afterlife?” Azure sat against the wall, trying to get comfortable. “You don’t believe that good people go to some better place and bad people burn in a fiery pit for all eternity?”
“That would be quite silly, wouldn’t it?” Rerdam gave him a queer look.
“It’s a large part of what keeps people in line back where I’m from.” Azure thought of his own beliefs, or lack thereof. “As well as the laws.”
“The laws are all we need here,” the old knight asserted. “If you do bad, you get punished. Well…” he hesitated, “everywhere else in The Realm, at least.”
“And what’s the reward for a life lived with kindness?” Azure pressed.
“You don’t go to jail.” Rerdam’s expression flattened as if he thought Azure’s questions were just stupid.
“The elves are Dyasitet’s children.” Jin’s voice softened. “We believe that when we perish, Dyasitet personally comes to escort us to Midstar.”
“Is Midstar like Heaven?” Azure cocked his head to the side.
“Midstar is the eternal home of the elves. A place just for us.”
“It sounds lovely.” Princess Zadori gave a small smile.
Azure decided that Midstar was like Heaven, just for the elves. Segregated Heaven. Damn, elves really were pretentious. If Uden were around, he’d probably have all kinds of snide remarks. As it was, Azure had to bite his tongue to keep from asking how that had worked out for Jin when he’d first died. But that would have been insensitive, and none of them were in a great mood.
“Tomorrow we start for Eckgan Bluff. I don’t like the idea of taking you there,” the elf glanced at Princess Zadori, “but leaving you alone in The Deathlands is not a wise choice either.”
“If you were to leave her, I would stay behind to protect her.” The old knight’s voice was firm. “I agree that Eckgan Bluff is not a safe place for the princess. Vrallark The Goblin King is known to have a propensity for collecting women, and he is not one to negotiate when he has the advantage.”
Jin twisted to look at Azure. “What do you think? Should we go this one alone?”
Azure was surprised to be asked. He thought for a moment before speaking. “What’s the closest inn to Eckgan Bluff?”
“That’s another rub,” Rerdam said. “No one has been dumb enough to build a settlement anywhere near Eckgan Bluff’s borders. We will have to spend a night outside before we get there.”
Just the thought sent a chill racing down Azure’s spine. An unintentional groan left his lips, and he muttered, “You’ve got to be fucking with me.”
“I’m afraid not.” The old knight shook his head. “This quest will be difficult for more reasons than one.”
“But the difficulty was only supposed to be Medium,” Azure whined.
“I’m sure Luuq can skew those as well,” the elf told him. “There’s nothing in this country that the God of Death cannot make a deception out of.”
Azure looked at him. “So you think the quest is actually Very Hard?”
“It’s at least Hard. Just getting to Vrallark is enough to elevate it that high.”
Rerdam nodded in agreement.
“While the thought of being left behind is admittedly tempting, “Princess Zadori spoke up, her expression serious, “I think it will take all of us just to get there.”
“But dragging you through The Deathlands at night puts your life at an even greater risk,” Jin countered, “not to mention what might happen when Vrallark discovers you’re a woman. I hate to be sexist, but where The Sapphire Eye Warriors quest was better left to you, I fear that this quest is better left to us.” He turned to Azure again. “What say you?”
It felt like a pivotal decision, every bit as important as the choice had been to go after Princess Zadori in Smallguard or let her handle things independently. If they didn’t pick the right course of action, there could, and probably would, be dire consequences. Azure did not want the outcome on his shoulders.
“I don’t know.” He pushed the decision back onto those more qualified to make it.
The elf sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I don’t know either, but we should decide quickly.”
“Well, you know where I stand.” Princess Zadori faced the wall as if she had nothing else to say regarding the subject.
“I will go wherever the princess goes,” was Rerdam’s predictable response.
Without Azure’s input, they were at a stalemate. He knew that did not make things any easier.
As if to corner him into discussing it further, Jin stood and looked at Azure. “Come with me to the tavern.”
“We should all go.” Princess Zadori got up as well. “It’s been a long day, and I’m hungry.”
“You can come, but I’d like to speak to Azure alone.”
Thankfully, she was not offended by this.
They all went down to the tavern, and Azure and Jin picked a table in the corner of the room away from the rest of the patrons.
Azure was surprised to see families amongst those sharing a meal at the tavern. It was exceptionally rare to find children in a tavern. Those that were present, however, were clearly wealthy. They wore silks and unstained fabrics, their parents equally well dressed and with an air of superiority about them.
“This is different,” he noted before his eyes locked on the barmaid coming their way. When Azure opened his mouth to order an ale, the elf cut him off.
“Just water and food for us,” he said, quickly sending her on her way.
Not frowning was a feat of force for Azure.
“If we leave her behind, someone might kidnap her.” Jin launched right into his thoughts, his head poised in the direction where Princess Zadori and Rerdam sat a few tables away. “But if we go alone—”
“We might die.” Azure finished his sentence. Or at least he thought he had until the elf shook his head.
“No. I’m not convinced we would.”
“Then what?” Azure asked.
The elf stared down at the table, deep in thought. “One would hope that the number of monsters would scale to be difficult but not impossible for us to get there.”
“What are you talking about?” Azure narrowed his eyes.
“The mini-bosses before we get to the Gods. They scale in level to match what difficulty they should be for us. There’s not a lot in The Realm that doesn’t scale for the situation unless it’s meant to be impossible or we aren’t meant to encounter it yet,” Jin explained.
“You make this sound like a game.” Azure chuckled.
Even though he knew the elf had ordered them water, he was still disappointed to find the flavorless liquid in his horn when the barmaid brought it to him.
Jin ignored him. “I’m not sure if this is one of those situations, though. I mean, had you not known magic, the birds at Luuq’s Place could have done us in.”
The elf seemed lost to Azure, entirely in his own world. He also might as well have been speaking Greek because nothing he said made much sense. Then again, Jin knew more about The Realm than Azure ever would, so whatever he was saying had to be true.
Finally, the elf looked up at him. “I really don’t know what to do, Azure. This could be Smallguard all over again.”
“It could be, but we survived that, even though we messed up.” He tried to offer his friend some comfort.
Jin shook his head. “We won’t always be so lucky. And this is definitely one of those situations where my heritage will get us killed faster than it will save us. I have no trump card here.”
Azure realized he was right. They had relied on the anomaly of Jin being an elf to get them out of quite a few situations and help them advance. But, if things went wrong at Eckgan Bluff, they’d have to rely on their own wits and skills to survive.
“Well,” Azure said, “think of it this way; what’s the worst that could happen in either situation?”
“What?” The elf seemed both startled and confused by his response.
“I mean, if we leave Princess Zadori here and she gets kidnapped, at least we might be able to get her back. If we take her with us to Eckgan Bluff, what’s the worst that can happen to her?”
“Vrallark might kidnap her and refuse to give her back. Three men cannot take on a hoard of goblins,” Jin quickly replied.
“So, kidnapped by a handful of unknowns,” Azure flipped one hand over, “or kidnapped by a hoard of goblins that we can’t possibly hope to rescue her from.” He flipped over the other.
“And then there is the other equally important factor that we might not be able to face whatever is out there, just the two of us.” The elf tossed his head in the direction of Eckgan Bluff.
“There’s that.” Azure nodded slowly. “But if things get too tough, we can always try to head back.”
“We might not make it,” Jin said seriously. “It’s a big risk.”
“A moment ago, you didn’t think we would die if we went alone.” He puzzled.
“I’m not sure what I think anymore.” The elf shook his head, clearly stressed out.
“Well,” Azure sat back as best he could on a backless bench, “it sounds to me like potentially losing the princess is an even bigger risk.”
“There’s not even a guarantee that Vrallark would kidnap her, though, especially knowing that we’re going to bring him something better.”
“Who is to say that Luuq isn’t sending us right into a trap to begin with?” Azure offered.
A breathy sigh left Jin’s chest. “Oh, don’t even get me started on that paranoia.”
Azure folded his hands on top of the table. “The point is, there’s no way to predict what’s going to happen, so just make the choice you think is right.”
“That’s easy to say when I don’t know what the right choice is.” The elf sounded annoyed. “I know I don’t like the idea of the princess being separated from us. I also know that I like having extra manpower in case we need it.”
“Then let’s take her with us, and we’ll deal with whatever the consequences are,” Azure replied simply. Though he knew the gravity of their decision, he was tired of talking about it, especially when it was clear that Jin was unlikely to settle on something anytime soon.
If there was one thing Azure had learned about Jin, it was that when it came to difficult decisions, he liked to talk things out, then continue to ponder them for hours on his own. This conversation likely wouldn’t get them anywhere. The elf would not really know what he wanted to do until morning came.
Azure was never happier than when the barmaid brought their food. However, his relief that the conversation was over went away when he saw a rat tail sticking out of his bowl, the contents of the goopy soup as black as tar.
He grabbed the barmaid by the arm before she had a chance to get away. “Excuse me, miss, but could you tell me what this is?” Azure pointed to the black substance.
She smiled brightly at him, a smattering of orange freckles dotting her cheeks. “It’s our Luuq’s Surprise Special!”
“I’d rather not.” Jin pushed his bowl away.
“And…” Azure hesitated, afraid to ask, “What’s in it?”
The barmaid’s smile began to falter as she noticed the elf’s rejection of the dish. “It’s chunks of fresh rat in batwing broth. It’s a delicacy around here. I’m sure you’ll love it.”
“Batwings don’t produce this color,” the elf noted.
“Well, that’s our extra special sauce.” She winked at him before walking away.
Azure watched Jin’s chest inflate.
Instinctively, he held up a hand. “You don’t even have to say anything,” he cut the elf off.
Both men pushed their bowls aside. The only thing special about tonight was that they weren’t going to eat.
