《The Lich beneath the city》 Prologue-Death 101 **DAY 4** The world ended nearly 4 days ago, The god (who we now know are actually multiple gods) decided that they should introduce what we would call mana back into the world. That sent everything to hell. The ability to wield mana isn¡¯t based on skill or aptitude so much as the strength of character and will a person possesses. The greater the strength of will the more powerful the manifestation of mana. Do you know who has a lot of will? Prisoners, radical terrorists, and so on. That screwed up the world more than anything. Hopefully this journal will at least teach someone about the past. It¡¯s the year 2016 new years was a week ago. God (gods?) this is awful. **DAY 10** Regular animals started turning into stronger monsters, I¡¯m hiding with my school. Rats the size of dogs with sharp bone protruding from their backs have started walking on the streets. Some of the fish in the fish tank at our school have started changing too. I was a quiet and peaceful kid so I don¡¯t have that much will. I¡¯m so fucked aren¡¯t I. I¡¯ve been collecting books from all around the school. All kinds of them textbooks, notebooks, I told one of the teachers who has a large amount of will and is really nice that we should save as many as possible. She agreed and said it was smart thinking. I¡¯ve been scouting around collecting books for now and cataloging them since I¡¯m not good for much else. **DAY 30** Some of the people have started to change to, the nice teacher I told you about suddenly got really sick. She collapsed one day during a meeting and was quarantined, when she woke up she had wings. Everyone has been calling her our saving angel, or the Valkyrie of our school. I¡¯ve been going on scouting missions they wanted only the faster kids to go. I told them I¡¯m weak and expendable if they need to I will throw myself at whatever comes our way. The teachers were uncomfortable but didn¡¯t stop me after that, they know I¡¯m right. It¡¯s strange people have started to come to me for help. I just tell them the truth however hard it is. This is no time for games (Plus future favours are nice). **DAY 36** Some kids tried to rebel and get rid of the teachers, they were all locked up when the Valkyrie came and stopped them. I need to get stronger they almost killed me. I noticed something though everyone is always on edge except for me. Everyone is afraid that they are gonna turn into monsters or something, but not me. Two kids turned into what I would call an Orc, and another girl grew scales all up her body. I was the only one who treated them the same after the change so they have been bringing back any books they could find. I have a small library now and it keeps growing. People call me the Lore master, I find it funny like I have some ancient knowledge. Some other kids have changed too, a girl became a kitsune and two more grew wings not like the Valkyrie however. They look like bat wings. Three boys also grew some crowned horns around their head I refer to them as demons since then, they were also the ones that tried to rebel. **DAY 45** The school is being attacked by some pretty powerful people, I¡¯m dieing. I got shot in the chest by magical fire. I don¡¯t feel any pain. I jumped in front of it so the others could get away. They said it would be bad luck to leave the lore keeper behind, I was going to tell them their was no such thing as luck, but magic is real so I stayed quiet. The Magic is slowly eating away at my body, I can feel it. I¡¯ve been reading some medical books, and give myself maybe ten days, some more of the people that turned into the looked down upon monsters have been collecting books for me. I appointed the lizard girl to be the next lore master. Even though the title is kind of a joke, I think she likes me. She hasn¡¯t left my side since I¡¯ve been in my room, it¡¯s just a janitor''s closet next to where I keep all the books. I¡¯m going to sleep now. Her name is Kathy by the way, I¡¯m going to tell her to keep my journal going after I die. I think she¡¯ll like that. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. **DAY 46** Kathy has grown a tail in the night. I told her it looks cute on her and she smiled, she handed me a book she said she found while I was asleep. It¡¯s in a weird language no one can read she said. I told her I¡¯ll keep it safe until the day I die. I told her I have a few weeks left, I was wrong I only have maybe 4 days not ten like I thought. I didn¡¯t tell her though, I think maybe I¡¯ll kill myself so she won¡¯t be as sad. I can read the book however, it has such wonderful knowledge. How to improve your magical skill how evolution works races species of all different types of monsters. It had my name written on the inside cover in between a bunch of garbled text. I think the gods have given me a gift, I¡¯ll pray to them before I go to sleep. **DAY 47** I found an interesting passage about something called a phylactery, essentially you store part of your soul and become an undead who can live forever. I¡¯m a little worried to try it to be honest if it doesn¡¯t work I¡¯m going to try anyway. Kathy is changing much more now. When I woke up she was a lot more like a lizard than before, but when she saw I was awake she shifted into a human form. She got a lot stronger, and she has become close friends with all the other Meta-Humans as their being called now (the ones no one wants to be around). When people found out she could change between and how much magic she could use everyone wanted to be her friend, she turned them all down and is only staying around the other Meta-Humans and me. They all really like me and I have a line out the door of people visiting me now. I heard some of the regular humans talking and they call me the Meta-Human King. I would nearly burst out laughing if it wasn¡¯t so hard to breathe. I asked them to take me down to the Demons in the jail cells. Kathy was a little worried of me being up. I told her she could carry me around or put me in a wheelchair, I had something I wanted to ask them. Kathy scared off the people who were sieging us and everyone was grateful, if not a little jealous. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and she blushed so much it was really cute. When we got down to the Demons I asked if they could read a certain parts of the book. They said yes to some no to others, they could only read half the stuff about the phylactery, and something that wasn¡¯t written for me about it driving you insane. I nodded and told them I owe them a favour now, they looked at me confused but I gave them a good a smile as I could (muster). I''m going to sleep now. **DAY 49** I started preparing for the spell. The list of ingredients was a little tricky to get, I keep fading in and out of consciousness. My ¡°court¡± collected a lot of the ingredients for me. - 2 Demons horns (courtesy of the demon brothers) -30 lesser souls heart (Thank you rats) -1lb of gold (I really like Kathy) -Wolf''s bane (The horticulture club is the best) -A human''s soul (we are getting this near the end, the Meta¡¯s caught a scout from the siege party and have hid him away) -The last ingredient is a Valkyrie''s heart I¡¯m a realist the weak die and the strong live, the Valkyries weakness is the people she protects, I¡¯m going to tell her that I have a powerful hidden magical book filled with curses and evil secrets. She will eat that right up. **DAY 49 part II** The body of the bandit is under my bed the Valkyrie has just walked in. Ta-ta for now. Prologue 2- Kathy LapisGollum here. This is my first fiction so please comment if you can it will greatly help me to write better fiction. Rate too if you can. Thanks for taking time out of your day to actually read this story. I will try to do 2-3 chapters a week. The first chapter might be a little late, I wrote the first three chapters ahead of time and then last minute decided that I didn''t like them in 1st person sorry about that folks. Anyway I won''t bother you any longer get back to enjoying (hopefully) my story. ______________________________________________________________________________ **DAY 50** Umm I¡¯m Kathy. Jorik or the Lich King as everyone calls him now told me to write in his journal from now on. I¡¯m glad that Valkyrie teacher is dead she was nice at first but the minute we changed she only gave us looks of disgust. Like we were less than her that whore, she slept with so many people after she turned she probably got like 5 STDS. I¡¯m glad Jorik cut out her fucking heart. He showed them how powerless she was. Jorik gathered everyone after he completed the ceremony and told them he is the new ruler and he would protect them. I don¡¯t know why he is protecting the fucking humans, not once did anyone of them come and see him. He said he didn¡¯t want to tell me he liked me because he was going to die. Sorry went off on a tangent, Jorik explained that he has ascended death, and that if everyone worked hard they could too. He said that he understands why everyone is changing, that the book I gave him told him that. It scared me how preachy he got but he didn¡¯t try to start anything just saying that everyone is gonna need to work harder, himself included. He then put a bunch of rules in place. First, no unnecessary killing. Second, the strongest person is in charge. Third, if someone wants to leave they can, freely they will get 2 weeks supplies and a weapon. They are barred from rejoining for 6 weeks. If anyone tries to hurt others, rape others or steal they will be kicked out and barred for 12 weeks. He then appointed the orcs as heads of the guard, because of their combat prowess. The goblins as the heads of the janitorial staff and maintenance because of their extreme utility. Everyone else was either gatherers or reclaimers. People who go and reclaim lost areas of the town and gather more people from around the city. **DAY 80** Kathy After claiming much of the city, and making almost everyone safe and happy, Jorik started setting up training camps for different disciplines. People who were better at sword play than magic trained in one area, The magic users got split up into camps by element and then by sub-elements. Healers and people who manipulate the body directly were put into their own camp and instructed there. Everything is looking up, I have been growing and shiny things catch my eye everywhere. Jorik tells me that I¡¯m not a lizard person but a dragon. I nearly jumped for joy. I asked Jorik what the next step is. He kissed me and said ¡°Live with you¡±. Since dragons can live for nearly ever and Jorik can too, I am so happy we get to stay together. **DAY 120** Kathy Jorik is scared he says he knew it would happen but not this soon. Apparently his skin is melting off, parts of the bone are peeking out of his face. He says we can¡¯t have kids now and broke down crying. Or what an undead would cry like he can¡¯t actually cry anymore. He really wanted kids and I told him that I don¡¯t care, he says that I should leave him and go find someone else. Someone that can give you children. I started to cry to and slapped him. I told him I loved him. He just kept crying. So did I. **DAY 190** Kathy Jorik doesn¡¯t come outside anymore, he doesn¡¯t want anyone to see him like that. We finally control the entire city. The guards have said they have seen people coming close to the bridges that lead to the island the city is on. People call this the city of life ruled by the dead king. Everyone likes having him as king, they are nervous that he doesn¡¯t come out anymore. I¡¯ve been talking to the demons. They¡¯ve been looking into any strange books they find (The ¡°castle¡± we live in is a fancy library). They can¡¯t find anything about children and lichs. **DAY 230** Kathy We are being sieged by what looks like a militant version of the catholic church. They have been shouting how the undead and demons are evil and will corrupt our souls. No one really listens to them. I have wings now and am learning how to fly but it''s annoying with the loudspeakers always blaring. Someone found a bunch of speakers used for concerts and has been playing highway to hell back at them. Its really funny. **DAY 290** The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Kathy The church let down a beam of white light to try and kill Jorik and the demons. Everyone in the city went nuts at the church and we¡¯ve been at war for a few days now. We had been training our mages although none have tried to challenge Jorik. They have been obliterating the enemy formations that try and get across, one of our mages is worth ten of theirs. They have so many though. We broke the cities bridges to make it harder. Our guards have been walking around making sure no boats come, and the healers have been busy ever since the white light. Jorik hasn¡¯t come out of his room in a week and I¡¯m really worried about him. **DAY 340** Kathy Two more beams of white light came down none of the demons or jorik was killed by it but one of the demons got hit down his left side. That riled everyone up he had a kid one year old. A few mages have been injured and one of the guards was killed. Everyone is getting pretty tired of fighting, but we have systems where we self sustain. We planted crops and the Druids have been speeding up growth like crazy even in the winter. I just hope Jorik is okay. **DAY 380** Kathy Nobody has heard from Jorik in forever we busted into his room and he wasn''t their. Everyone thinks he abandoned us. Some human guards ¡°missed¡± a boat and the church killed two of the demons and captured the last one. I couldn''t prove they were responsible I let them know I knew. I wanted to kill them. **DAY 421** Kathy They just let the church occupy the city, I couldn''t do anything about it. JORIK YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR LEAVING. The church is trying to convince everyone that demons are evil and magic is bad, they also shun metas. That makes me really angry. Meanwhile a bunch of the important people are Valkyries. I FUCKING HATE YOU PIECES OF SHIT. JORIK. ** DAY 500** Kathy The church now controls everything, it''s like the third reich people have been arrested for being metas. They have public executions, I''m in in the sewers with the orcs goblins and other metas. We took as many books from the library as we could, the church came and burned it down later. Saying that the books were corrupted. JORIK **DAY 600** Kathy We found mole people they were human who hid in the sewers. The took us in, a lot more meta humans have been coming down. Even some humans. Everything except demons, Valkyries and Jorik. I thought he loved me, Jorik why did you leave us? **DAY 730** Kathy The mole people are building a large dungeon under the city. The goblins decided to live on the top, it goes down from there. FUCK YOU JORIK. I love you Jorik. I''m gonna be on the last layer of the labyrinth. Waiting for him, sitting on the throne next to his. None of the other metas have given up on him. Jorik will save us has been written all over. I love you please come back. ** DAY 3640** Kathy It''s been ten years since the world ended. The labyrinth is complete, no one remembers me honestly. I go to the surface all the time. Today is special not for ten years but also because the city moved. Everyone ran to the edge a giant turtle was under the city one made from what looked like stone. It''s dragging the city along now. An overwhelming presence behind us as it moved from shore. I''m sure this is Jorik¡¯s doing. We saw many creatures that looked evil and wrong coming after us as the city left the surrounding settlements up in smoke. I checked the head of the turtle because it looked odd it''s made out of bone. I was so excited that I transformed into a dragon. A giant magic wall went up as I tried to get into the city and it wouldn''t budge. Guess I''ll live outside from now on. The head looks like a nice spot to nest and plenty of marine life to eat. I''ll wait for you Jorik. I love you. Chapter 1-Ceremony Hey LapisGollum again I wanted to post it sooner but my good for nothing proofreaders didn''t finish the chapter until now. I''m only kidding Xathridex and another two friends who don''t have accounts have been helping me but all of us are fairly new at all of this. Please point out spelling mistakes and the like it will help me with my work in the future. I''m hoping to post another chapter by the end of the week maybe today even. Thank you for your time reading this story. This chapter is actual plot instead of backstory so enjoy. The first few chapters are going to be a little slow as I introduce characters and plot to this story. To put that into perspective this chapter is like half an hour in total. _____________________________________________________________________ Chapter 1-Ceremony The crowd in front of the stage is quiet, The hustle and bustle of town can just be heard in the small theatre. The building is old and nearly all the seats have been removed, It more closely resembles a fighting pit at this point. Many of the onlookers are clad in armour made of metal and leather. The faintest hint of blood is present mingling among the sweat covering the gruff looking people. Each of them hold different weapons glaives, swords, bows and many other other sharp weapons, very few wield hammers and quarter staffs. A woman clad in a steel scale mail chest piece with a chain mail skirt and leather boots, stands on a stage above the crowd. She has a pretty face, with low cheekbones. Scars adorn her face and hands, and her short cut hair give her a fierce aura. Her muscles bulge out of her shirt slightly and she stands straight as she addresses the crowd. ¡°You all know the sacrifice of an adventurer!¡± She announces, ¡°We give our lives to this city the first sacrifice. We are shunned as lazy thrill seekers our second sacrifice. And none know our deeds when we die stopping evil in the wretched halls beneath us. If you want to be a hero go back 500 years and help the church of three defeat the Lich king, there are no heroes here only those brothers and sisters among us. Today we do not hunt however, today we welcome three brothers and sister with open arms. Like newborns they enter our world naked¡± After her speech the curtain behind the woman drops, she moves aside and motions with her arms as if presenting some dancer or actor. Five changing stalls reveal themselves. Whoops and whistles echo through the theatre as the onlookers stare at the newbies standing naked in the stalls. A girl suddenly shrieks and a wave of laughter rolls through the crowd. One of the girls onstage desperately tries to cover herself with her small hands. She collapses to the ground on the verge of tears, doing her best to cover herself. A second girl looks a little bewildered, she then smiles. She begins flexing her muscles and displays herself like an artist''s muse. She covers herself but plays it off as tasteful posing. People begin cheering and whistling at the displays of strength. Two boys quite obviously twins step out of the stalls and approach the posing girl. They flank her and begin mimicking her movements. Obviously fishing for praise like the girl. They are muscly, although more so toned that brawny like scarred woman. The only real difference is the one on the right has a slight barely noticeable gap in his teeth and his nose is bent slightly to the left. The last initiate was a fairly tall dark haired teen, the faintest bit of stubble around his face. On his torso is a large ¡®Y¡¯ scar stretching from his shoulders to the middle of his sternum and then down to his groin. A worried expression betrays his previously stoic expression and he quickly turns around. A few people jeer at him.The woman raises her hand and everyone quiets down. A faint sobbing can be heard. Some attendants climb onto the stage and hand robes to each of the naked people on stage. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Now that al-¡± The woman starts, the room erupts into noise, as people slam their staves on the ground or stomp their feet. The action causes the whole building to shake as every other noise is drowned out. Civilians on the street move away from the swaying building that sounds as if a stampede is moving through it. The woman waits with a blank face, although the corner of her mouth is twitched up in a smile. The room quiets down after a few moments and the woman begins to speak again. ¡°As I was saying, now tha-¡± The room once again erupts into stomping and clapping. The woman on stage is a little impatient now but she still has a good nature twinkle in her eye. When the stomping stops she once again speaks. ¡°Are we done now? Everyone got it out of their system?¡± She pauses for a moment and nobody makes any moves, or says anything. ¡°Now all that is finished. All of us have seen you naked, you shouldn¡¯t mind telling us about yourselves then.¡± She flashes the five people standing on stage a big grin. She pauses for a moment, silence grips the theatre. The previously busy street is silent after the vigorous noise coming from within the building, half-scared and half-excited for what¡¯s to come. After a few moments the woman on stage breaks the silence, ¡°no takers eh, alright alright I¡¯ll go first then. The name is Nancy, I¡¯ve been guild leader longer than the average adventurer lives. Don¡¯t go askin¡¯ a woman about her age though, The last man who asked me that still can¡¯t walk right¡± her joke elicits a few nervous chuckles from the crowd. The girl who was previously flexing steps forward. ¡°My name is Griffen¡± she announces, ¡°I¡¯m good with shafted weapons and swords too¡± that comment sends the crowd into a round of laughs. Griffen gives a quick glance towards the other girl on stage, before she speaks up again. ¡°And I don¡¯t know about you lot, but I¡¯m gonna beat the shit out of the group whistling at me from the back over their. I see you in the back there George, you can¡¯t hide from me. I know your wife¡± The clanking of armour could be heard as the people beside the one named George slapped him on the back with their metal greaves. Griffen sticks her tongue out at the crowd, mostly towards George¡¯s group in the back. The two fair haired twins step forward next. In unison they both begin speaking ¡°Hello guild mates¡± the one with a slightly crooked nose speaks up alone this time. ¡°My name is Bruce¡± hi brother chimes in next ¡°And I am Gary¡±. They both speak in unison again, ¡°you can call us the dynamic duo¡±. They bend their knees and form fists. They connect them together forming an arch with their bodies. ¡°More like double trouble¡± someone shouts from the crowd, a new wave of good humored laughter rolls through the crowd. They both back up chuckling to themselves. The next person who speaks up is the dark haired boy. The robe behind him would look almost regal on him if it wasn¡¯t ragged and tattered. A smile quickly spreads across his face displacing his worried look. ¡°I¡¯m Kevin Dale, uhh not much more than that¡± He says. A light murmur rises from the crowd. Second names were not common, they were reserved for the upper class. The boy steps back into his previous position. The last girl steps up next, tears still biting at the corner of her eyes. ¡°My name is Claire¡± she says. She quickly runs across the stage and pulls back her fist, in front of her Kevin¡¯s eyes go wide. Her fist flies down and punches him straight in the jaw. His neck spins upward and he falls. His jaw is now at an awkward angle and blood is pulling out of his mouth. Her middle finger is broken. She spits on him, ¡°That¡¯s what you get for being an asshole, this is why you didn¡¯t tell me about the entrance ceremony?¡±. She circles around the stage and back to her spot of the stage. Her expression is pained, but she forces a scowl on her face. After a moment of silence clapping erupts from the crowd as the Kevin¡¯s body is tended to. Nancy speaks up ¡°Now to begin the adventurers auction¡± Chapter 2- Gather your party This Chapter was a little more late than I wanted it to be. (totally didn''t completely switch the names of two characters half way through the chapter, and had to switch it all back. whoops.) I am however glad to give it to you this week. Another slow chapter and the next one will be a little slow as well but action is going to start to pick up after that. Also let me know if you think I could improve in one area or another. Or if you want to see a specific style like someone POV because I would be happy to do it, I just don''t want to randomly change POV in the story. Anyway enjoy the chapter sincerely Lapisgollum. __________________________________________________________________ Chapter 2-Gather your party The adventurers auction was a way to introduce newbies to more experienced parties. Parties or other adventurers would bid each other up in the off chance that a diamond in the rough would take a shine to them and help them rake in high reward quests. The party however became responsible for the newbie having to help them acclimate to the new way of life. The newbies weren''t the only thing auctioned however, a variety of items and wares that would help any adventurer were also up for grabs. The first thing up for grabs were sets of sturdy leather bags and healing salves. The newer assembled parties quickly buy up the lesser items. After what is considered the lesser and medium class of items are all bought up. The most basic healing salves going for five iron truphles, and quality sturdy leather bags going for upwards of 15 iron truphles. They move on to auctioning off the newbie adventurers. The bidding for Claire is a little slow, as her strange bout of aggression has deterred many potential buyers. She goes for less than one-hundred iron truphles. The group that buys her consists of three other adventurers two more girls and a guy, all with varying dress. Their expressions mark them as fairly lighthearted people. Serious about their work, but with enough time together to make small talk. One of the females with the same dark hair as Kevin give her a scowl and scolds her. Griffen goes for a higher price. The bidding going up and up as parties scrounge to grab the charismatic warrior. Griffen goes for nearly 300 iron truphles. A rowdy group of adventurers are the ones that buy Griffen, the two males of the group are already drunk. The two other females in their party are carrying them out of the theatre as Griffen smiles with glee. The twins go in with a two for one deal, they sell to a group of two more adventurers for 500 iron truphles, or a Single steel colate. The twins are more than pleased showing off their fairly good teamwork by doing backflips and sword strokes, that look almost like an acrobatics routine. They make light chatter to the two who acquired their service after showing off their skill. Kevin goes for a moderate price 200 iron truphles. The same party that bought Claire make a move and buy Kevin as well. They prop up his body and drag him outside. They pull him into a bunkhouse beside the theatre. The bunkhouse is in sharp contrast to the other buildings. The wood structure is out of place among the brick and glass buildings, made with weather hewn marble and mismatched building faces. After entering the bunkhouse the group of people drag Kevin¡¯s body up to a group room. The 3 females stride to a separate side of the room past a wooden and cloth divider. The male drops Kevin onto a bed, and quickly grabs Kevin¡¯s jaw. With a swift motion he snaps Kevin¡¯s jaw back into the natural position. Kevin stays unconscious, bruising is starting to form around the joints of his jaw. ¡°WHY THE FUCK DID YOU PUNCH HIM?¡± Comes from the other side of the divider. The man pokes his head inside the divider. ¡°WELL SANDARA, HE SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME WHAT THE ENTRANCE CEREMONY ENTAILED¡± Claire shouts back at the dark haired woman. ¡°HE WASN¡¯T SUPPOSED TO KNOW. THE ONLY REASON HE DID WA-¡± the girl named Sandara quickly closes her mouth. Her face suddenly washes over with fear and she darts to the door. Sandara glances both ways before slamming the door shut. She hurries over to Claire again. ¡°The only reason he knew was because I got drunk one night and told him. You know what would happen if Nancy found out that I told him.¡± Sandara whispers this to Claire, her face white as a sheet. The connotation clicks for Claire her face going equally white. ¡°Still you think he would¡¯ve at least hinted at it. You know how I feel about stuff like that¡± is Claire¡¯s response. ¡°And you know what you selfish bitch he had to deal with it as well. You should know more than anyone how he feels about his body¡± Sandara white face turns a bright shade of red. The man behind her makes a big ¡®X¡¯ with his hands when Claire goes to open her mouth again. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Claire simply closes her mouth and stomps over to what seems to be her bed. She flops down and screams into her pillow. The female who had been watching the two arguing sits on Claire¡¯s bed and pats her back. ¡°Come on¡±she says. ¡°You are acting like a child. You do know what happens to children when they have tantrums? Don¡¯t you Claire¡± the woman has a mischievous grin on her face. ¡°Helen you bitch don¡¯t you da-¡± is all Claire can say, before Helen begins to tickle her. ¡°Plehehehehe pleHEEEs please please stop hahaha, Helen plehehe, pleheas stop¡± Claire barely manages to speak as she squeals in laughter at the sudden assault. ¡°Will you act like a grown adult then?¡± Helen asks. ¡°Yeeees, please stop I¡¯ll be an adult¡± Helen removes her hands from Claire¡¯s sides. Sandara sits next to the man on the bed beside Kevin¡¯s, She leans her head on his shoulder, and closes her eyes. Her brow furrows as if deep in thought. ¡°Sandara are you thinking, I can hear the gears in your head groaning in protest¡± the man next to her says. ¡°Yeah Jacob I am at least I have gears to grind up their¡± She opens her eyes and look into his ear. ¡°Yup just as I thought you can see straight through to the other side¡± He puts his arm around her shoulder and looks at Kevin laying on the bed. He shakes his and a smile appears on his face. ¡°Just what are we gonna do with those two?¡± Jacob asks. ¡°Well if they just admitted that they liked each other instead of him being all coy and her beating the shit out of him¡± she whispers the reply into Jacob¡¯s ear careful of the two beyond the divider. ¡°Well you know how Helen feels about all that¡± whispers Jacob. ¡°Uggh why can¡¯t she just say it¡± Sandara replies. Jacob turns his face towards hers. ¡°You know it isn¡¯t that simple¡± Jacob replies, his face a mix of worry and concern. Sandara gives him a peck on the lips and smiles, ¡°Not everyone is as blunt as you¡± Sandara pauses for a moment thinking back to what she just said. ¡°When it comes to your feelings at least¡±, Jacob smiles at her and goes in for a much longer kiss. Jacob pushes Sandara onto the bed, and she gives a meek squeal. At this point Kevin wakes up. He glances at the two on the bed and tries to call out with his messed up jaw. ¡°Heh, CWAIHE pweash mok me bach umcomshush¡±, this startles the two lovers. Jacob and sits back up and scratches the back of his head. ¡°Hey uhh, sorry Kev¡± Jacob responds sheepishly. ¡°Ooh you¡¯re awake¡± Sandara says. She sits up and grabs him by the top of his head. Fear blooms in his eyes. Sandara begins mumbling something under her breath and Kevin braces himself. A white light appears around Sandara¡¯s hand and she grabs his jaw. Kevin screams at the white hot pain rushing through his swollen jaw. His vision goes white and he once again blacks out. His jaw no longer swollen he drifts into dreams of adventure and battle. A small army of soldiers in front of him, dressed in ragged and torn leather. With chipped weapons, their eyes rotted. Kevin falls into place with them, his sword still dripping blood after murdering his sister. Sandara¡¯s lifeless body soon rises as well in the streets of the city, just outside the guild. They march with the rest of the army slaying all the inhabitants of the city. Kevin smiles in his sleep. ¡°I¡¯m glad he is having a good dream after what you put him through¡± Jacobs says pointing a finger accusingly at Sandara. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m his sister. I¡¯m allowed to hurt him¡± Sandara replies. Jacob laughs and kisses Sandara again. They lay down and fall asleep peacefully in eachothers arms. Chapter 3- Beneath the Porcelain Throne Hey sorry for the late chapter. My proofreaders and I are students and we don''t always have the time to use on the story. So sorry about that. Leave reviews, as they are free and let me know what to change. Also let me know how you guys feel about the third person. Let me know if you like 3rd person more than 1st or vice versa. Anyway enjoy the chapter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the morning Claire wakes up, her eyes blink and she tries to move her arm to wipe away the crust. When her arm doesn¡¯t move, she suddenly looks at the weight she only now realizes is on her chest. Helen had fallen asleep on her. ¡°Uggggghh,¡± mutters Claire ¡°This is the third day in a row¡±. She carefully lifts Helen¡¯s arm and moves it from around her side. She tries to slide out from under Helen¡¯s embrace without waking her, she fails however. Helen lifts her head up and blinks the sleep from her eyes. She glances around confused about where she is before it clicks in her head. Helen¡¯s cheeks flush, ¡°uh-uh s-sorry Claire¡± is all she stammers out. Her face is flushed red and she hurries to her dresser. The room is filled with an awkwardness so thick you could cut it, all emanating from Helen. Claire didn¡¯t notice the air in the room, and unknowingly gave Helen a show. ¡°Hey Helen are you alright? Your nose is bleeding¡± Comes a reply from between the divider. Claire turns to see Sandra with an obsessive amount of bed head. ¡°Y-yeah I''m fine¡± Helen replies, Sandara chuckles to herself and shakes her head. A pillow sails across the room and hits Sandara in the side of the head. Sandara shoots daggers at Helen who just sits on her bed innocently, no pillow on her bedspread. Before Sandara can throttle Helen an arm drops around Sandara¡¯s shoulder. Jacob stands behind her, he gives her a peck on the cheek. ¡°Now now ladies¡± he says ¡°No fighting this early in the morning¡± Helen huffs at him and sticks her tongue out. Kevin soon wakes up after hearing the commotion and shambles to the divider where his sister and Jacob are standing. ¡°What''s all the racket? Can''t a man get some shut eye after being punched so hard he falls unconscious?¡± Kevin says a smile across his face. Claire scowls and turns away from him. ¡°Breakfast is gonna start soon and Tammy is making pancakes. Someone got flour as a quest reward, and Tammy bought it off them¡± Sandara says rubbing her hands together and licking her lips. Sandara skips out of the room without fixing her bed head. Jacob gives Kevin a sympathetic glance, ¡°Hey she¡¯s with you, you couldn¡¯t tell her that she has bed head?¡± is all Kevin replies. Jacob sighs and trudges out of the room, ¡°Honey¡± he calls. ¡°Yeees¡± replies Sandara in a sing songy voice. ¡°WHAT?!?!?!¡± Is all the three here from the room. Suddenly a loud snap the sound of breaking wood, and Sandara screams. Then a large thud seemingly resounds from outside. Kevin bolts out the door, Helen and Claire dart out quickly after. A man is holding a large box one side of the box is broken open. A large bag of flower is spilled all over the floor below the upstairs banister. Sandara is on the floor crying, ¡°My pancakes¡± she whimpers. Tears slowly falling onto the wooden floor. After a breakfast devoid of pancakes and the party getting themselves cleaned up. They start the short trip to the adventurers guild. The main hall is no longer empty space, but a bustling foyer. A teller at the front desk greets them. Behind her a large array of various stalls sell all sorts of basic supplies an adventurer would need. A few people mill about but most are still drunk after a night of partying, the party they had to skip because of a broken finger and jaw. The stage which previously held a podium and changing stalls now has large boards that contain all number of quests and notices. The party picks their way through the crowd, greeting familiar faces and buying the odd tool that could be useful. One never knew what one might need in a place as twisted as the labyrinth beneath the city. The party eventually makes their way up to the stage and looks over the lowest ranking quests. Something to flex their muscles and get the two newest additions acclimated to the dungeon with. Gods know how many people chose quests above their pay grade and never made it out of the dungeon. They chose a simple kobold extermination quest, the little green lizard people had been becoming a nuisance near some of the farming settlements on the outskirts of the city. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Many people feared them because of their draconic nature, but they were anything but frightening. At best they could be ferocious. The tallest standing only at waist height. Ten kobold teeth could go from 2-5 iron truffles, and the hides offered a decent amount of protection. The leathery but scaled hide made magnificent amour if it was tanned properly. Some people in the upper parts of society actually kept them as pets, breeding them for scale colour as shows of power. Kevin never liked killing kobolds, goblins or any of the at least somewhat intelligent monsters in the dungeon. They felt people like to him, as if he was killing another person. The party pulls the notice down and walks over to the teller. She pulls out a stamp with a glowing sigil on it she stamps the paper. Each party member marks the paper using the stamp, leaving a similar glowing sigil behind. Magic is almost universally forbid by the Church, Magic has the power to corrupt the very soul of a person changing them into monster after periods of extended use. The use of magic is punishable by banishment which is essentially a death sentence, they send you unarmoured and without food or weapons into the dungeon for people to fend for themselves. That was what happened to Claire¡¯s, Sandara¡¯s and Jacob¡¯s parents. It was as if the universe spit in the face of the church however because Sandara manifested white magic, Holy magic, soon after. The stamping seal that was used by the guild was one of the only permitted items. The dungeon gets progressively harder, since a majority of the populace is illiterate the layers are labelled by monster. The first layer is the GKG goblins, kobolds and gnolls. The second layer is OAL orks, anubids, and lizardmen. The third layer is TGM Trolls, Gargoyles and Minotaurs. The third layer is near death to anything but a small army. A force of 500 once went to the fourth layer, the only 4 people that made it out were driven mad. No one knows what lives there, but it is surmised to consist of Giants due to the large Cavern ceilings, as well as dragons and some other large scaled creatures. The party makes their way through the city of white. White only in name however. The reek of refuse and death permanently lingers in the air. The throng of people walking in their own filth is packed tight into the narrow streets, thinking of what it might be like to live in the upper sector. The place where nobles and church members live, among the buildings so tall they scrape the clouds in the sky. Pan handlers beg for coin or food from anyone, Jacob wastes no time dropping a few Iron truphles into the pan of one such person. The old man looks at Jacob with reverence, Jacob simply smiles and continues onward. After almost thirty minutes of walking the party reaches the dungeon. They take a quick break to fill their water skins at a fountain. Sandara exchanges a few words with the guard on post outside the dungeon¡¯s entrance outpost. Jacob and Helen exchange a greeting as well, they introduce the guard named Terrace, ¡°he basically tutored us through the dungeon when we got accepted a few years ago¡± Helen says. Terrace rubs the back of his head sheepishly, ¡°Aww it was nothing for you lot. I wouldn¡¯t be able to live with myself if two beauties like this were killed in the dungeon. Also Jacobs kinda okay¡± he chuckles at the last line. Jacob jabs him in the side. He shares a knowing look with Jacob however. He limps aside as he lets the 5 adventurers through. Kevin notices the wooden foot that Terrace is sporting. As the party begins their descent into the dank dungeons below Terrace gives them a smile, ¡°Good luck to you lot, I¡¯ll have a pork bun ready for your return¡± Helen giggles and waves back. As the party disappears into the gloom below, Terrace sits down at the chair next to the banded Iron door. He lifts his leg up and inspects the wooden appendage. The names Helen, Jacob, Sandara, and Lacey are carved into the wood. A steaming bun next to them. Chapter 4- Tipping you hand Greetings readers, I''ve gotten a few different questions and suggestions (yes I do read them). The Lich is an important character in the background, he is not (currently at least) going to be a main character. An important one yes but not the focus of the story. Concerning special chapters I have something like that lined up. However I don''t like how they portray some other parts so I might just skip them and put them in later. I am also kinda thinking that the description is confusing a lot of people in its sudden change and might change that, depending on what you guys think. I am also thinking of refining the prologues a bit but might just add that as a special chapter instead. Please comment it will help me get a better idea of what to improve, and rate as well. Thank you for your time and return to reading the story. LapisGollum ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 4- Tipping your hand A dimly lit torch illuminates the dank and drippy halls of the dungeon. Claire could never understand how monsters could live down here. Time and time again monsters have shown intelligence but they never bothered communicating or trying to build true towns. The most elaborate thing was a collection of small huts that was once found, a bunch of goblins were found living therein but it was made by human hands. The group slowly progressed through the tunnels, they walked in a ¡®X¡¯ formation. Jacob and Claire lead the group, Sandara was in the middle, while Helen and Kevin followed behind her. The formation was set up to protect the most important member, the healer. Everyone kept their weapons drawn at all times, Jacob wields a scimitar with broken edges not good for slicing but none the less would rip opponents to pieces. In his other hand he holds a rectangular shield with small metal spikes around the edges. Claire held a set of metal gauntlets, the metal that protect her forearms. The knuckles had a blunted point and the fingers were long and claw like for scratching. Her right hand carries a torch that guides them through the tunnels. Sandara wields a one handed mace. Six edges protrude from the round handles, small rivets of metal emboss the sides. Kevin holds his bow ready, an arrow notched but not pulled. A small velcro rack holds five more arrows on his chest, and he holds 2 dozen more in a large quiver on his back. Helen juggles three Tantos in the air, and a Corvo in her mouth. Under her cloak a dozen more small needle like knives are dug into a cloth cushion. They each carry a small pack or satchel with supplies they distributed amongst each other. The party follows a map given to them by the teller, it points the way to the breach in the labyrinth that kobolds are emerging from. The party arrives at a three-way intersection. Claire halts, the party and kneels down to inspect the ground. She brings the torch to the mossy floor and inspects a large amount of footprints heading in the direction of the breach. ¡°Good job Claire¡± Helen whispers from the back. ¡°There does seem to be a lot.¡± says Kevin. He eyes the amount of tracks a little nervously. ¡°Kobolds are pretty weak, and a bunch had already gotten outside and near the farming settlement by the time they were dealt with¡± Jacob replies. The party continues forward a little more on edge than before. When they get near the breach the party begins to hear grunts and animal like growls. The group slows their approach. The party stays back and Helen moves slowly forward, she peeks her head around. 15 kobolds are gathered around the body of some animal 20 feet away. They gnaw at pieces of flesh. One pops it¡¯s head into the stomach and pulls the entrails out. She motions for Jacob to come over, He pulls his bow back readying an attack. Simultaneously both Helen and Kevin step out from around the corner. Kevin buries an arrow in the shoulder of one of the creatures, it screams in pain. Kevin shivers and swallows his doubt. ¡°Us or them¡±, he whispers to himself over and over. Helen lets two of her Tantos fly through the air. One hits a kobold in the throat and then in its arm. She already has a third ready by the time Kevin draws his second arrow. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. After the group¡¯s surprise attack on the kobolds, Jacob runs with sword and shield in hand followed by Claire. Jacob makes it 15 feet before the kobolds begin to rush him. He slices at the forehead of one of the kobolds, trying to get blood into its eyes. He bats another one away with his shield. Kevin lets another arrow fly and hits the chest of the kobold who has an arrow in its shoulder. The kobold lets out a dying screech and collapses (14 left). With no time to celebrate he notches another arrow, waiting for an opening. Claire grabs a kobold by the arm when it tries to rake her with its claws. She knees it¡¯s elbow and with a sickening crunch breaks its arm. The kobold screeches in pain, and flails its limbs in a panic. Claire takes a hit across the top of her arm, a trickle of blood runs down the length of her arm starting at the cut. Sandara stays towards the back of the party but holds her mace at the ready. Helen throws two more of her tantos and walks forward. A kobold that went behind Claire to attack her screams as two thin blades embed themselves in it¡¯s neck. Jacob rams one kobold into the wall, it scrambles for a moment but the blood loss from the spikes is too much and it stops struggling (13 left). Claire grabs the throat of the kobold in front of her and squeezes with her hand ripping its throat out. Blood splatters onto her face as the kobold quivers and sputters, blood pouring out of its throat (12 left). Kevin¡¯s third arrow pierces the throat of another kobold it tries to gasp in air, choking on its own blood (11 left). Helen meets the kobold in melee, she draws her Corvo. She deflects a swipe from the kobold and runs the Corvo up the length of the kobolds chest. A thin line of blood appears and blood begins to quickly poor out of the long wound. The kobold fights for a few more seconds before it collapses the blood loss to great (10 left). Sandara suddenly give a yelp from behind, 4 more kobolds approach. The sound of battle and smell of blood attracting them. Sandara raises her mace and hits the ribs of one of the kobolds with a sickening crunch. The Kobold still shudders forward and screeches with pained grunts. Sandara raises the mace again and smashes it into the kobolds head. The kobolds skull dents in slightly and it shudders forward a few steps before losing control of its faculties and collapsing (13 left). Sandara backs up and tries to form a defensive position as they are now fighting on two fronts. Kevin lets another arrow fly that hits a Kobold in the eye, it screams and collapses racked with pain. ¡°Guys their are alot are you sure we will be able to handle this¡± Kevin shouts worry in his voice. Jacob chuckles a little, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate yourself. If you believe you will die, you will¡± is Jacobs reply. Kevin grits his teeth and nocks another arrow, determined to win. Sandara¡¯s eyes glaze over and her mace glows. Her lips move as if she is saying something but no words come out. Sandara strikes at one of the kobolds, and the energy is transferred to it. The kobold scratches at its throat ripping away a few scales in anguish. Wisps of light that seem to move through the air like dust, trickles from the nose and throat of the kobold. Cracks begin to form on the kobolds skin and light pours out like a mist. A fizzle and then pop is heard, and beams of light fill the corridor (12 left). Beams shoot out in every direction, every kobold the light touches screeches in pain. A beam hits Kevin but does nothing to him. More than half the kobolds fall to the ground in pain, a few dead ( 6 left). Sandara suddenly collapses. The trump card has fallen. I am not dead! Hello people who enjoy my story. I am sorry to say that I will be ending this. Fear not however the reason I am ending this story, is simply I don''t like where the story is going. I had a specific goal in mind when the story started, and the prologues kind of conveyed that. The story did not at all however. My grandiose dream of the ''american'' novel was quickly dowsed when I realized the enormity of the work I had placed in front of myself. So I will resume this story at a later date with renewed vigor and a (hopefully) more cohesive, and better story. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.Thank you all. LapisGollum TLDR; A level one player ran up to a level 999 boss and punched it, it did not go well.