Warmaster 8: Charnel Keep: A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure, page 39
There was a tense, silent moment that felt like it went on forever, long enough for Aderyn to imagine a dozen scenarios in which the Southlander kingdom went up in flames as a dozen nobles challenged Varoun. Then someone pushed to the front of the crowd. Janesh. He faced Varoun fearlessly. Then he went to one knee and bowed his head. “You have my allegiance, your majesty,” he said. “As I am certain you have that of everyone in this room.”
It was a clear warning, and it worked. Raggedly, everyone except Aderyn and her friends knelt, murmuring variations on what Janesh had said. She concealed a smile. Varoun didn’t look like he thought it was funny, but tension left his body, and he inclined his head to Janesh.
Out of the corner of her eye, Aderyn caught furtive movement. When she looked up, Devendra gestured again, indicating that Aderyn should join her. People were rising and surrounding Varoun, so Aderyn and Owen made their way through the crowd and were joined by Isold, Weston, and Livia. Devendra held Colan’s hand and guided him through one of the doors flanking the dais, not the one leading to the command center.
This door led immediately to a short flight of stairs rising to a long hallway lined with doors. Devendra opened the first door on the left and spoke quietly to whoever was inside. “Colan, Anagha will help you choose what you will take with you. I am going to speak to these people, and I will return soon.” She hugged the boy, and for once she looked like nothing more than a mother who loved her son. “Remember, only the most important things.”
She shut the door on Colan and said, “Join me in my sitting room. I’m sure you have many questions.”
The sitting room was furnished in tropical hardwoods and colorful linens, with gauzy drapes that moved in a breeze with no source. They gave the impression of window curtains, though the room was windowless. Devendra sat heavily on one of the sofas and waved her guests to do the same. “Surprised?”
“I’ll say,” Owen said. “You had to keep it quiet, didn’t you? A king’s abdication is immediate and final, and you needed to set things up so no one could interfere.”
“You’re clever,” Devendra said. “That’s right. There are many who would fight over the right to the crown if they knew I intended Colan to abdicate. This way, if they choose to fight, they will be in rebellion against their rightful ruler.”
“All right,” Livia said skeptically, “but let’s be blunt. Varoun is old. How does making him king do anything but push the instability problem back a few years?”
“Varoun is a good choice for more than one reason,” Devendra said. “Have you met his son, Mansur? Mansur has been involved in governance for twenty years, as a magistrate and arbiter of law. He is well known and popular throughout the Southlands, someone trusted by all to choose the well-being of the country in every instance. And he is married with seven children. When I chose Varoun, I chose a dynasty. I have no qualms about turning the kingdom over to him and his family.”
“I suppose,” Aderyn said.
Devendra eyed her narrowly. “You question my choice? Or do you question my authority to make that choice?”
“Neither. I was just thinking, Varoun could justifiably have expected to retire after this.” Aderyn smiled. “It’s just me and my inappropriate sympathy again. He’s an excellent choice.”
“He would not have accepted if it hadn’t meant freedom for Colan and Rila. And now I will take my children north and make a new life for them.” Devendra rose. “And you. We owe you a tremendous debt.”
“We didn’t do it to incur debt,” Owen said. “But you know that.”
“Nevertheless. Varoun and I are agreed that you can call on this kingdom at any time for whatever you need. Though I imagine you’re headed north again.”
Aderyn and Owen exchanged glances. “We definitely are,” Owen said.
That night after dinner, they gathered in Owen and Aderyn’s room. “We could ask Varoun to use the
“I’d prefer to continue expanding my ability with the spell,” Livia said. “Are we sure we want to go to Finion’s Gate first? Now that I’ve traded acid ray for greater scry, I can take us anywhere in the world.”
Aderyn lay back on the bed and called up the Codex to review again the new quest that had appeared after the completion of [Fated One’s Destiny: Crush the Horde]. She couldn’t help remembering what Ruan had claimed about how difficult the Fated One quests were to interpret. This was the complete opposite of difficult.
She focused on the gold dot in her Codex display and watched it enlarge.
[Fated One’s Destiny: Eye of the Storm]
Bring peace to the Northlands.
Reward: [100,000 XP] plus any experience gained in the course of completing the quest.
That was all. No details. No quest victory conditions. Just that one line. Aderyn dismissed the Codex and closed her eyes. She wasn’t even sure what “the Northlands” meant. There were lands north of Finion’s Gate, and even though most of them weren’t in the high-risk zone, nobody went there. So, how could a place where no one lived be in conflict?
She sat up and pulled off her boots, then her stockings, and wiggled her toes. “We don’t have any idea where to go in the Northlands, so we’d end up traveling all over the place and wasting our efforts. Someone in Finion’s Gate will know more about the Northlands. Until then, I’m going to relax.” She tossed her stockings in the direction of where her sword stood propped against the wardrobe in the corner, then one boot after the other. The second boot struck the mystery sword’s hilt and knocked the weapon over.
Isold, who was leaning against the wall, bent to pick the sword up, and froze. “That was unexpected,” he said, straightening with the sword in his hand. “I thought we were going to find someone to cast heritage on this weapon.”
“We were! I forgot. We can do that in the morning, before we leave.” Aderyn held out her hand for the sword.
Isold shook his head. “That is unnecessary. Apparently my ranks in [Knowledge: History] have increased enough that what used to be a tickling sensation of almost recalling facts has become actual knowledge. I know whose sword this was.”
“Whose sword?” Aderyn said. “Not what magic it does?”
“I said before it has only minimal magics. That remains true. The sword’s importance lies not in what it is capable of, but in who previously wielded it.”
“Stop drawing out the suspense, Isold. Was it someone famous?” Owen asked.
Isold shook his head. “Yes, and no. This sword belonged to Aurelon.”
“Who is—oh, I remember! The one we learned about in the Repository. The man who destroyed a city at level fifty.” Aderyn gasped. “And his sword was lying around in the Enchanterium for the kobolds to pick up? What are the odds of that?”
“That’s only strange because we know who Aurelon was, sort of.” Owen took the sword from Isold and half-drew it from its scabbard. “But his name has been forgotten except by us. That makes it damn weird that we should be the ones who got his sword.”
“But why would someone who was level fifty have such an ordinary, barely-magical sword?” Aderyn held out a hand to Owen for the sword. “It’s beautiful, granted, but shouldn’t Aurelon have wielded something that shot lightning bolts out the tip or could cut through superdense metal?”
“Let me tell you everything my skill knows about the sword.” Isold leaned against the wall again and raised his hand, ticking off points on his fingers. “Aurelon wielded the sword at two different times in his adventuring career. I don’t know the specifics of what level he was at each time, but I know he set the weapon aside for several levels before taking it up again as a high-level adventurer. Or, rather, what we would consider high level, since this was before the level cap and reaching level forty or above was not abnormal. During that second period, the sword became famous through association with him. Its lack of powerful magic was a point of pride—Aurelon claimed he didn’t need help to defeat his enemies.”
“Jerk,” Owen muttered.
Weston eyed Owen. “Does that mean someone proud and arrogant? Or should we take it literally?”
“The first thing. I didn’t like Aurelon when we heard about him in the Repository and I like him less now. Somebody who brags about his skills is exactly the kind of person I could see destroying a city and not caring.” Owen gave the sword to Aderyn. It didn’t feel any different, but in her imagination it radiated more mystery than before.
“At any rate, Aurelon traded on the mystique of the blade for several levels. I don’t know why he brought it to the Enchanterium, just that it was meant to be temporary. I imagine it needed mending or reimbuing with magic. The rest, I also don’t know, but my guess is he did this shortly before he disappeared.” Isold’s eyes narrowed as he regarded the sword. “And before whatever occurred to create the level cap happened. Otherwise, he would have returned to claim his sword.”
“That is a thundering weird coincidence,” Livia said.
“It’s exciting, though, don’t you think?” Weston said. “Aderyn’s carrying around a piece of history.”
“We don’t know what kind of history,” Livia said. “If this Aurelon was evil—”
“You don’t believe that, do you?” Aderyn exclaimed.
“I’m just saying, don’t rule it out. And if he was evil, maybe that sword has done some evil things.” Livia’s gaze fixed on the sword. “Maybe it’s not a heritage to be proud of.”
Aderyn shuddered. “Now I’m scared to wield it. What if it corrupts me?”
“That’s unlikely.” Owen put an arm around her waist. “Either Isold would have known about its history, or Livia would see that in its magic. Besides, you’ve had plenty of chances to be corrupted over the weeks you’ve used the sword. I think you’re safe.”
“I can’t answer that question, and Livia has a point,” Isold said. “But if an item can pick up impressions from its user, good or bad, there’s nothing to say it can’t change over the years. You are the last person in the world I would expect to be negatively affected by someone’s dark experiences.”
Aderyn blushed. “Thanks, Isold.” She sheathed the sword and leaned it against the wall. “I’m going to go with how amazing it is to have a connection with someone that powerful. The witness at the Repository didn’t think Aurelon was completely evil, right? And maybe someone who’s level fifty sees the world differently. At any rate, I’m not going to worry.”
“Good decision,” Weston said, his words ending in a yawn. “So, we’re leaving tomorrow?”
“If we’re all done,” Owen said, “we’ll go to Finion’s Gate in the morning. Good night, everyone.”
Aderyn stayed seated on the bed while the others left. Owen shut the door and returned to her side. “Are you doing better?”
Aderyn snuggled into his embrace. “Are you asking if I’m ready for sex?”
“I am not. You’re still traumatized, and I have no intention of even implying I think we should share that intimacy until you’re ready. I just don’t know what I can do for you. The nightmares—”
“I think, if I wait for those to stop entirely, we’ll never have sex again,” Aderyn said with a smile. “It helps if you hold me, you know. As long as you’re near, I know I’m not buried in that trench.”
“Holding you.” Owen made an exaggerated “I’m thinking” face. “Hmm. I guess I could put up with that. It’s a real sacrifice.”
Aderyn kissed him, and for the first time in days felt the faintest stirrings of desire. “Let’s sleep, then. I’m excited to see how Finion’s Gate looks in the winter.”
They cuddled close despite the warmth of the room. Owen fell asleep almost immediately. Aderyn’s body ached with weariness, but the nightmares that had plagued her since returning to Ikharatia filled her mind and fought her body’s sleepiness. If she wasn’t dreaming about being trapped in a pocket of air with stones and dirt pouring down on her, burying her more deeply, she dreamed of Suveer, who in the dream floated free of the rockfall and spoke nonsense words her dreaming self knew were spells that failed to save them. Then she would wake, drenched in sweat with her heart pounding, and cry herself to sleep again in Owen’s arms.
To distract herself, she opened the Codex and whispered, “Advancement.”
Name: Aderyn
∞ Jacob Owen Lindberg
Level: 19
Class: Warmaster
Skills: Bluff (18), Climb (15), Conversation (17), Intimidate (13), Sense Truth (20), Survival (11), Swim (3), Knowledge: Monsters (20), Knowledge: World Lore (12), Knowledge: Demons (2), Unite
Class Skills: Improved Assess 4 (33), Awareness (22), Knowledge: Geography (19), Spot (19), Discern Weakness (32), Dodge (20), Improvised Distraction (19), Outflank (27), Draw Fire (15), Keep Pace (25), Amplify Voice (22), See It Coming (29), Basic Weapon Proficiency (Swords) (17), Read Body Language (19), Basic Map Access (9), Compel (13), Spot Weakness (11), Secret Message (7), Bonded Mind (15), Sense Ambush (8), Reposition (8), Truesight (5), Darkvision (5), Interchange (0)
[Interchange] had some good possibilities. It let her switch places with any ally using teleportation. Aderyn wasn’t sure she understood the phrasing “any ally.” If the skill meant it could only be used with members of her team, wouldn’t the system have said so? Probably the wording was to distinguish between creatures who were enemies and creatures or people who were not. But instinctively Aderyn felt “ally” could be a useful distinction in the future.
Her eyelids were so heavy she couldn’t keep them open, and her mind was foggy, signs that her distraction wasn’t working. The terror of being entombed jolted her awake briefly, but it wouldn’t work forever. Desperately, she reached for any other memory. Suveer. He’d done his best to keep her from being afraid, even though he was dying. Even though he thought she was too nice. No, that was wrong, it was someone else who’d told him that.
Another jolt struck her, this one of a memory she’d forgotten in her fear and grief. Before she could stop herself, she whispered, “Why did you tell Suveer I had ulterior motives?”
There was no response. Aderyn immediately felt stupid. It was the system; it didn’t have to tell her anything, and even if it did, it had reasons for its actions that were incomprehensible to humans. But the feeling of having been betrayed by someone she trusted prompted her to repeat herself. “Why did you tell Suveer I had ulterior motives? You know I didn’t.”
Silver lines formed in front of Aderyn’s face, bright against the room’s darkness.
I never spoke to Suveer.
As a child, Aderyn had walked into what she thought was an empty room, felt the brush of something soft against her forehead, and then screamed when the spider whose web she’d disturbed skittered across her face. She’d never forgotten the thrill of terror that had flooded her body. The system’s five words brought that feeling back, the sense of wrongness and fear. “I don’t understand. Suveer said you talked to him.”
I never spoke to Suveer.
“Then…” Aderyn swallowed. “He didn’t make it up. I know he didn’t. Who talked to him, if it wasn’t you?”
She strained to see anything in the darkness. No more words appeared. She lay there, not moving, until her breathing and heart rate slowed. The system hadn’t said anything to Suveer, but Suveer didn’t have the personality to make up a story to confuse Aderyn. Something else had communicated with him. Something… or someone.
Fear and tension wearied her beyond her capacity to fight. She fell asleep, not drifting peacefully but in a sequence of exhausted images, none of them familiar. Her last coherent thought was of those silver letters proclaiming an impossible truth. There was someone else out there who communicated like the system. Someone who knew who Aderyn was. Someone who had lied about her to Suveer. For the first time in days, the thought of nightmares about being buried alive didn’t frighten her.
She had an unknown enemy. And that enemy might be impossible to fight.
Appendix: Character Sheets
NOTE: These character sheets represent the status of the companions at the end of the book, which means it reveals everything the companions learn about their skills throughout the story. If you haven’t finished the book, don’t read this unless you don’t mind spoilers!
Name: Aderyn
∞ Jacob Owen Lindberg
Level: 19
Class: Warmaster
Skills: Bluff (18), Climb (15), Conversation (17), Intimidate (13), Sense Truth (20), Survival (11), Swim (3), Knowledge: Monsters (20), Knowledge: World Lore (12), Knowledge: Demons (2), Unite
Class Skills: Improved Assess 4 (33), Awareness (22), Knowledge: Geography (19), Spot (19), Discern Weakness (32), Dodge (20), Improvised Distraction (19), Outflank (27), Draw Fire (15), Keep Pace (25), Amplify Voice (22), See It Coming (29), Basic Weapon Proficiency (Swords) (17), Read Body Language (19), Basic Map Access (9), Compel (13), Spot Weakness (11), Secret Message (7), Bonded Mind (15), Sense Ambush (8), Reposition (8), Truesight (5), Darkvision (5), Interchange (0)
Italics are paired skills with partner
Name: Jacob Owen Lindberg
∞ Aderyn
Class: Swordsworn
Level: 19
Skills: Assess (15), Awareness (19), Climb (14), Conversation (17), Sense Truth (16), Spot (16), Survival (11), Swim (13), Knowledge: Demons (2), Unite
Class Skills: Superior Weapon Proficiency (33), Advanced Armor Proficiency (27), Knowledge: Monsters (17), Exploit Weakness (32), Dodge (22), Parry (22), Improved Bluff (19), Outflank (27), Trip (10), Keep Pace (25), Disarm (12), Intimidate (19), Charge (13), Two-Weapon Fighting (17), Read Body Language (19), Basic Map Access (9), Overrun (11), Shatter Confidence (7), Bonded Mind (15), Weapon Mastery (longsword), Anatomist (11), Combat Momentum (6), Crippling Strike (3), Whirlwind Attack (0)
