Immersion: Fallen Kingdoms, a fantasy LitRPG Saga (Book 2), page 5
It took them an hour to find their way back into the mines they had been working on. The Daedor dwarves had already dug deeply before their home had been conquered. Now the orcs pushed them further and further, draining the mountain of what little it had left.
Half way through, they left the well-lit tunnels made by the Daedor dwarves, and entered the haphazard and dangerous tunnels made by the Frosthorns. Light was limited, and the tracks weaved along the tunnels were often broken and unstable.
‘Twenty in here,’ Commander Hagon barked. He gestured to a small opening that led to a larger clearing beyond.
Dorag stepped forward first, peered through the hole and then turned back around and gave his best glare at the orc commander who towered over them all. He was so tall that he had to bend down to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. And he pulled in his muscled arms as the sides closed in around him.
‘Are you mad?’ Dorag barked. ‘Twenty? In there? I think bloody not!’
‘Hold your tongue, dwarf!’ barked an orc from behind Commander Hagon. Though he could hardly be seen behind Hagon’s mass.
‘No,’ Commander Hagon said, raising his hand to silence his guard. ‘Let the dwarf speak.’
‘That cave is too small. How do you expect us to swing our picks and not kill each other in there?’ Dorag said. ‘It can fit … five, maybe six. Or your production will drop.’
Commander Hagon considered Dorag, made an attempt to peer into the clearing, but scraped his scalp on the ceiling. With a growl, he looked back at Dorag.
‘Ten.’
Dorag went to open his mouth to protest, but he didn’t have a chance before he was pushed through the opening by a goblin. Natasha and Shaun were pushed in after him and within minutes they had pickaxes in their hands and were stood facing the wall they would be mining for hours on end.
With a smash of her pickaxe, she plunged the axe into the side of the mountain and got it lodged deep inside. Grunting, she struggled to pull it free. Her mind had dared to move to think about Kai, and her hopes that he was doing better than she was.
‘Haven’t you learned yet, lassie?’ growled Dorag. ‘Move!’
Dorag had been the first person she had spoken to when she had finally found civilisation after being uploaded to Amehurst. He was a Kun Doroh dwarf from the north and he had been scouting the south when his camp had been attacked. It just happened to be the same place Natasha had found and she was caught up in the attack at the same time. He grumbled and groaned, but he had become her friend and he had been invaluable to the group of three hundred or so slaves serving Commander Hagon.
He yanked on the handle of her pickaxe and released it from the wall, before tossing it back to her. She once more focused her attention on the task at hand: clearing out the small iron vein she had been assigned.
Her mind wandered to how the days in the mines had been exhausting to begin with, but eventually she had yearned for their simplicity. While she was completing the mundane task of mining, she was free to plot her next attempt to escape without anyone bothering her. And at least she was progressing something while she was in the mines.
It didn’t last long. A chunk of ore dropped from the wall with a thud, landing at her feet. Her vein had ran out.
Congratulations, you have reached rank 30 Mining. You can now mine mithril. Note: 30 is the current cap for skills. You will not be able to progress this skill further until Amehurst has advanced. +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom.
Her eyes caught the warning in the message. She hadn’t seen that before. A cap? Why the hell is there a cap? She thought to herself.
‘Psst, Shaun!’ she hissed, turning to the man from Ohio who had also become her friend. ‘Have you hit rank 30 yet?’
‘Hit it this morning. You seen the cap?’ he asked while tossing a lump of iron into a nearby cart.
‘What’s that all about?’ she demanded.
‘No idea, I was waiting to ask you about it later. If you don’t know, then no one will. Dorag, what’s your rank in Mining?’ Shaun turned his attention to the expert miner who was already on his second cart for the day. They had long suspected he was much higher than them.
‘Fifty, what’s it to you?’ he barked. ‘I don’t gain ranks on this shite no more. It’s a waste of my time.’
‘We’ve been capped at rank 30, but you’re able to get to 50. Do we need to do anything special?’ asked Natasha.
‘I’ve been capped at 50 for years. I’ve yet to find a new ore that gives me experience. It keeps telling me that Amehurst needs to evolve. Never heard of a cap at 30 though. Then again, you Earth Humans are a wee bit odd.’
It was all they got from him before he turned back to his work. They copied him the moment they saw a hunched goblin slide into view, his whip dragging along the ground beside him.
She remembered back to when they were uploading and the person giving them a presentation had let slip of a starter region. Was that it? Were we supposed to do something to get out of the starter region? Natasha pondered.
A fear began to creep over her as she wondered whether Kai and Jacob would have already gone ahead without her. The panic began to build and build throughout the rest of the day as they mined their way through the latest portion of the mountain. By the time they began to make their journey back out she had become overcome with worry. What if I get left behind?
Her mind span with the different plans she had thought about to escape. She considered making a run for the gate, heading south. It was a direction she hadn’t been to yet. It wasn’t the ideal place to run because more orcs and goblins were sure to be there. She liked her chances.
Other attempts such as slipping out to the east and heading towards the forest, or taking another attempt at running north came to mind. But as they weaved their way around the edge of the mountain and down a set of stairs that led to the western wall, she was reminded of one of her earlier plans.
A river ran along the western side of the mountains, weaving further north. The current was rapid and she risked drowning, but she would only need to stay in the river for a few minutes to allow it to wash her further north.
Her heart beat heavily in her chest. Her hands and feet were shackled, but she could still move. It would be difficult, but worth the struggle. Then her opportunity arrived. Shaun tripped ahead of her, stumbling down a few steps and taking several slaves with him.
In the commotion, the line of slaves came to a halt and goblins screeched loudly, slashing their whips against Shaun’s back and ripping through flesh at once. In the chaos, Natasha made her move.
In just two steps she jumped onto the nearby edge of the wall surrounding the city and then jumped over the edge. The goblins saw her when it was too late. The river below came rushing towards her rapidly.
She could see the jagged rocks under the water as it crashed by, the current taking the river north in haste. Tightening up her body, she prepared for the drop into the river as the ground came closer and closer.
Crack.
You have broken your ankle. -20 Health. Well done.
If she had not been engulfed with freezing cold water, she would have screamed in pain. She still tried as the water flooded her mouth and lungs. Pain shot up her body as her ankle snapped when she landed on a large rock in the river bed.
The river didn’t care. It’s cold embrace dragged her north and she felt the rocky edges of the river slam into her body, scratching her legs, arms and back. It took every bit of strength for her to fight against the current and right herself, grimacing as her foot hit the occasional rock and sent a fresh wave of pain shooting up her leg.
For a moment, she thought she had made it. She’d have preferred to not break her ankle, of course, but she’d deal with it if it meant freedom. Then a coldness washed over her. A coldness that made the icy waters pale in comparison.
‘Stupid human!’ screeched the voice of a nearby goblin.
Her eyes found the wretched creature stood along the river’s edge. He held a spear in one hand and a net in the other. There were six of them in total, laughing at her expense, running along the edge of the river as they poked their spears towards her.
The net was what ended her hopes of escape. A goblin threw the net with enough force to cross the entirety of the river and land on top of her. She fought and screamed, yanked at the ropes in a desperate attempt to get out. But it was hopeless. She felt the strong pulls against the net dragging her from the river.
‘Poke it, poke it!’ roared another goblin with far too much glee.
‘No!’ roared another, smashing the bottom of his spear into the excited goblin’s stomach. ‘Commander Hagon wants her.’
The previous attempts to escape had resulted in her immediate, albeit excruciating death. This time, a fear grew as they bundled her up and dragged her along by the shackles on her wrists. Commander Hagon had never shown any hostility to the slaves, but she had watched him behead dozens of goblins who dared disobey him. There was nothing about him that made her think that her death was going to be anything but horrifying.
The journey back to Daedor was as humiliating as it was painful. The goblins poked her with their spears, dragged her along at a pace her broken foot couldn’t handle. Most of the way she was dragged on her back while being endlessly harassed by the cackles of her captors.
Upon arriving back at the city, Commander Hagon and his guards were waiting by the gates. Hagon’s expression filled her with dread. Had she seen anger or hatred, she could deal with it. But there was only calmness in his eyes as he gestured for the goblins to take her into the city. He followed behind slowly, one hand resting on the axe that hung at his side.
Nothing was worse than the expression of the slaves around the city. She had become somewhat of a leader to the slave population, or at least a symbol of hope. Many had assumed she would eventually succeed in escaping and most assumed she would find a way of saving them. To see their disappointment made her heart hurt far worse than a broken ankle.
Slowly, she was escorted onto a small stage in the centre of the city. She knew at once what was going to happen. There was only one use for this stage; execution.
Sure enough, she was pushed down to her knees in front of a bloodied chopping block which still had clumps of flesh and hair along the edges. The stage beneath her was soaked through with blood from the countless humans, goblins and even orcs that had been executed for their acts against the Frosthorns.
‘This slave has proven herself a nuisance,’ Commander Hagon said loudly, silencing the heckling crowd of orcs and goblins at once. ‘I have seen how you slaves follow her. I see the hope in your eyes that she will one day succeed. Though her death will result in her resurrection, I will remind all of you what will happen if you try to disobey!’
Two goblins gripped her arms and pushed her chin down onto the thick sticky block. Their heavy breathing rattled above her as the stench of their breath blew over her head.
The heavy footsteps of Commander Hagon told her he was moving to stand beside her and then the sound of his axe unsheathing from his belt made her close her eyes tightly. She could only hope that beheading would be an instant death.
You received 800 damage from Commander Hagon (level 15)
You have been decapitated.
You have died.
Chapter 5
Kai
Dassaly had surprised both Kai and Chuck. They had spent days riding through Rusea, and enjoyed the general lack of trust for strangers from every corner of the war-torn kingdom. They had taken Darfu’s advise and had avoided their capital city.
The kingdom of Dassaly had been completely different. They were exceptionally warm and welcoming, too welcoming Kai had said to Chuck one day. Children chased them and waved in delight as they rode through tiny hamlets along the road towards Dassaly.
Upon arriving, they had been treated like honoured guests. The tavern they rented a room from had been more than accommodating. When Chuck had mentioned he missed tuna, they had sent riders out to the Wreston, the neighbouring kingdom, for some fresh caught fish.
They didn’t speak much of it until they hit the road again several days later. Now that they were fully rested and relaxed, the final leg of their journey was to pass through the Thundering Pinnacles and onwards to Carrick.
‘It was a bit odd that the mayor came to greet us,’ Kai added. The two of them were idly sat in their saddles as Rosie and Cookie moved them along the single road towards the mountains. ‘When you started cutting that sapphire, you gained an audience. There were six people watching every groove you scraped into the gem. It was weird.’
‘I think it was lovely,’ Chuck said, while he kept his attention on his sapphire and continued to scrape his tool into its edge. ‘The barmaid said it was because Dassaly sees most of its best people move to Carrick for fame and glory. So they try their best to attract people. Her husband said that Earth Humans had fascinated the queen and she was keen to get their fair share.’
Kai was about to reply, but his breath was taken as they continued to approach the towering mountain pass ahead of them. It had looked massive from back in Dassaly where they could see the peaks shrouded by clouds. But as they rode further towards it, they had to strain to look up towards the top. And the sounds grew louder with every step.
‘Listen,’ Kai hissed. He leaned forward, straining to hear. ‘Can you hear it?’
Chuck stopped his scraping and leaned forward to listen too. For a moment, nothing sounded and then a deep rumbling roar echoed across the land. The sounds of thunder rolled through and echoed loudly.
‘Is this safe?’ asked Chuck urgently. His eyes moved up towards the mountain. ‘What if an avalanche happens?’
‘It’ll be fine!’ Kai insisted. Though he too eyed the snow-capped peaks. ‘It’s the only road through to the largest kingdom on the continent. If it wasn’t safe, there would surely be another route.’
It felt like he was trying to convince himself, just as much as Chuck. By the time Rosie and Cookie had escorted them through the mouth of the pass, neither Kai or Chuck did anything other than listen as the rumble of thunder, and the snaps of lightening that continued to erupt from above them.
Owooooooooooooo! Owooooooooooooo!
Kai and Chuck both jumped at the sudden and loud howl that Bella roared. She poked her head out of the satchel on the side of Rosie and howled up at the mountains in long bursts.
‘Bloody hell!’ Chuck protested, clutching his heart. ‘She’s been quiet all morning and decides to do that. I might have a heart attack!’
Kai burst into laughter, stroked Bella and encouraged her to sit on the saddle in front of him. The three of them continued to enjoy the sounds of the mountains. Or at least Kai and Bella enjoyed them. Chuck tried to return to his sapphire but flinched whenever a particularly loud rumble came through the mountain pass.
It took over an hour to make their way through the Thundering Pinnacles and out to the other side. The moment they did, they squinted under the sunlight that had been blocked by the mountains around them. Chuck immediately let out a sigh of relief as they moved away from the mountain, upon a perfectly straight road that was wider than any they had travelled so far.
‘This must be the King’s Road,’ Kai muttered, staring off into the distance. The road stretched far ahead of them, seemingly endless, and appeared as though it was very well maintained. There was hardly any dirt upon the stone road and certainly no holes or damage. ‘And that’s our first checkpoint.’
Chuck looked over to where Kai was gesturing and saw the checkpoint in the near distance. It was made up of a series of towers, a small barracks and a stables. And soldiers.
‘Halt!’ a soldier commanded, as they rolled to a stop in front of the checkpoint several minutes later. ‘What is your business upon the King’s Road?’
Kai had found it interesting to examine the soldiers of Amehurst. He had quickly learned that it told you a lot about the kingdom they served. His first had been Strath, when he had spawned. They wore steel armour and blue capes. And they had been impressive when he had first seen them.
But then he had seen the soldiers of Rusea. They often wore damaged, mismatched and heavily used armours and weapons. Only a fool would think they were weaker than their Rozian counterparts. One look in a Rusean soldier’s eyes told you all you needed to know—they were experienced at war, and at killing.
Looking upon the Carrick soldiers told him a different story. They too wore pristine armour made of a blend of steel, leather and cloth. A brilliant white tabard was trimmed in silver with the pointed crown of Carrick on the hem. Each soldier also wore a short white shoulder cape. Even their swords were identical, with matching hilts and held within black leather scabbards.
Along with their impressive, matching armours, they also had the look. The look of experience and confidence that only men of war could wield. Kai was left with no doubt that the Carrick soldiers were the strongest in the world. Or at least, the strongest he had seen so far.
‘I’m making my way to Carrick,’ Kai replied to the soldier, whose hand had already gripped Rosie’s reins. Several other soldiers moved around them, examining their saddlebags for anything suspicious. ‘Don’t mind the —’
‘Fuck me!’ A soldier called from the back. The sound of a sword unsheathing followed the soldier’s panic. ‘There’s a bloody wolf back here!’
‘Strange pet. If I’m not mistaken, that’s a Sacred Wolf. They’re just as illegal here as they are on Middlewood, which is where I presume you’ve journeyed from,’ the first soldier said, his grip tightening on the reins.
‘It’s a familiar. It was a gift from the Sacred Wolves when I saved their alpha,’ explained Kai. He let out a deep sigh. This is my life now. Constantly explaining that Bella wasn’t stolen! ‘I’m Earth Human and I’m just trying to get to Carrick to meet my friends.’
