Realms Of Aethindra 2: A LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure Read online

  Realms Of Aethindra

  Book Two

  Magnus Reid

  Realms Of Aethindra

  * * *

  BOOK TWO

  * * *

  COPYRIGHT INFORMATION This book is a work of fiction. All the characters in this book are fictitious and any similarity to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidence. Published By Honey Wagon Books Inc.

  Copyright © 2021 by Magnus Reid

  Cover by Chris Dapula (Kurizu Artworks)

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  One

  I took a quick glance back as I raced across the frozen dunes. Every time I thought I’d outrun them they were right on top of me again. I was faster than they were by a lot, but they knew the terrain like the back of their grubby little hands and they were experts at setting up traps and ambushes. The town of Crystal Hollow was a vague outline in the distance, blurred by the driving snow. I just had to make it back there and everything would be okay.

  A solid sphere of ice whizzed by my right ear and I hit the deck. How had they found me again? I slid down the snow drift on my belly until it was safe to stand up and activated my Ice Dash just as three more balls of ice went flying past. Beams of cold air blasted from my feet and launched me over the next three dunes. I landed in stride and broke into a sprint. That bought me some time but I was only getting further and further from Crystal Hollow and my MP was running low.

  “Dammit,” I muttered, and the word turned to vapor and rose into the slate gray sky. To my left was a large dune that swelled up from the landscape like a tidal wave. I knew that if I could get up to the top I’d be able to survey the topography and find a safe route back. I also knew that they were expecting me to do exactly that. I only had three Ice Dashes left before my MP was completely depleted and I was running out of options.

  “Ah, screw it,” I said, pulling my banetalon fur muffler up over my mouth and rushing up the steep slope. I had to scramble on my hands and knees to make it to the top. The wind cut through my clothing like a battleaxe through a watermelon and a deep chill was settling into my bones. The Ice Realm was strangely beautiful but I was anxious to move on. I certainly wasn’t going to miss freezing my ass off all the time.

  When I reached the summit I got down on my knees and crept to the edge. Flurries of snow whipped around below and made it difficult for me to see. It didn’t help that my enemies wore white speckled camouflage that allowed them to effortlessly blend into their surroundings. I scanned from left to right then squinted out at the horizon. There appeared to be a clear path from here to Crystal Hollow. Would it really be that easy? I bent my knees, preparing to jump down and use my last three dashes to sail home. The sound of snow crunching underfoot made me pause for just a moment and look back just in time to see a big round ball of ice consuming my entire field of vision before smacking me in the face and sending me careening down the hill on my back.

  Shouts of glee pierced the silent air as a dozen screaming children slid down the giant dune and piled on top of me.

  “I hate this game!” I shouted, as Yara slid down behind them with a huge grin on her face.

  “You just hate that we’re better than you,” Yara said sticking her tongue out.

  “We’ll see about that. When I’m with the hunters and you’re the bunny I’ll take you out twice as fast.” I said.

  Yara shook her head, “We can switch when you win, and I don’t see that happening any time soon. Plus you can’t make these.” she said, as she opened her hand and formed a perfect sphere of water that soon turned to ice. She tossed the ice ball to one of the kids who threw it at another.

  “Those things actually hurt you know.” I rubbed my forehead where a small welt was already forming. I even lost a single point of damage from the hit bringing me to 129/157HP. One of the kids, a boy of about 5, dove on top of me trying to avoid a snowball and I yelped in pain.

  “Is your wound is still tender?” Yara asked, a sympathetic look on her face.

  “Tender is an understatement, but it feels much better than it did a week ago.” I said.

  “A few more days and you should be in top shape,” Yara said with a smile.

  “Let’s hope so,”

  Even though it was a full week after our epic battle with Glacia, the Goddess of the Ice Realm, I was still wounded and unable to recover all of my HP. A month prior that would have all sounded like total nonsense to me, but after being sucked through a portal into the world of Aethindra I caught on quickly. I had to catch on because Aethindra is an incredibly dangerous place full of monsters, mages, warriors, and Goddesses. And the scariest thing was that they were expecting me, an ordinary juvenile delinquent from Ohio to save it from some type of weird alien invasion.

  It was all so overwhelming, but I hadn’t done too bad so far. Even though I had lots of help and nearly died in the process, I did manage to defeat the first Goddess, a freaky ice witch named Glacia. Then I gained the loyalty of her retainers and they lent me their ‘Gifts’ – special magical abilities that I can wield against the monsters of the world. The only catch is that I have to visit them in the Dream Realm and tend to their needs and desires. Not much of a catch if you ask me.

  “You’ve gotten pretty good at using your Ice Dash,” Yara said, as we corralled all the kids and walked them back to Crystal Hollow, “When we first started playing this game you were crashing into everything. I was worried you were going to kill yourself.”

  “Aw, you were worried,” I teased, and her cheeks turned red, although it might have just been the cold that made her cheeks so rosy.

  Suddenly the sky lit up red as three flares arced up from Crystal Hollow and landed with a fizzle someplace out in the vast expanse of winter. That was Seraphina’s signal that she needed us to come back right away.

  I sighed, “What now?”

  “Seraphina has sent multiple birds back to Castor and the Chancellor to tell them of our victory and await instructions. Perhaps she’s finally received an answer.” Yara suggested.

  We picked up the pace just as a blizzard kicked up and howling winds screeched over the frozen plains. I pulled my fur tight and staggered the last few hundred yards to the safety of Crystal Hollow. It wasn’t exactly Cancun but every time I came into the relative warmth of the city, which was surrounded by icy cavern walls that buffered the wind, I felt a flood of relief.

  Bjorn, the town chieftain, greeted us as we made our way inside.

  “Good morn!” he said in a booming voice, “Thank you once again for playing Rabbit Hunters with our young ones. It might seem like a silly game, but they learn all the skills they need to hunt and feed the village when they come of age.” as he spoke a gaggle of two dozen kids ranging in age from 5 to 13 shuffled in behind us, “Your companions are waiting for you in the great house. Feel free to pick up
some food on the way.”

  We made our way to the great house, a large wooden building with a steep sloped roof filled with books and tools and miscellaneous items used communally by everyone in the village. It was where meetings were held and decisions were made. Bjorn used it as an office of sorts. When we walked past the inn an old woman named Cora came out with a piping hot basket filled with chicken, cheese, bread, and some purple winter roots that I didn’t know the name of. Yara accepted it with a bow of gratitude and Cora nodded and went back inside.

  The townsfolk greeted us warmly as we passed but they were wearing dark blue robes signifying their grief over the death of their Goddess Glacia. They understood that Glacia needed to be defeated because of the alien infection inside her but they were loyal worshipers and they anxiously awaited her return. The theory was that when she was reborn in the Light Realm the sickness would be gone and she would be able to join the fight on our side, unless of course the fight was over by then.

  Smoke rose from the chimney of the great house and I could see candles burning in all of the windows. Yara and I entered to see Seraphina standing next to the fire with her hands on her hips staring at the wall-mounted skull of a great beast with massive horns. It had huge hollow slots where its eyes had been and rows of sharp teeth. It was like some kind of moose-shark. I wondered whether it was a monster or just an ordinary animal that roamed these parts. Felicity was sitting on the ground with her tail wrapped around her knees, the tip of it gently flicking back and forth. I hadn’t known Felicity long but I knew that she only did that when something was bothering her. I could see it in her eyes as well. Felicity hardly ever got down about anything so seeing her in this state was worrying. Whatever the problem was it must be really bad.

  “What’s up?” I asked, which seemed to startle them out of a deep concentration.

  Seraphina stood up straight and faced us, “There’s been another attack.”

  Yara and I both gasped. The last attack on Greenhaven had nearly wiped it out. If it hadn’t been or Yara’s mysterious super attack that disabled all the combatants, and Alva’s Light Spell that rid them of their demonic possession, who knows how bad it might have been. There was no way Aegus and the depleted town guard could stand up to another onslaught especially without the four of us.

  “Oh no! Have you heard from Aegus and Ludwig? Are they okay?” I asked, feeling an overwhelming concern for my brothers in arms.

  “The attack wasn’t in Taiga, it was in Tiek. Shifter Mages from the Wood Realm have been razing whole villages. They’re nearing the capital of Verdania. There are over a million people in Verdania and I shudder to think what might happen if a hoard of Shifters breached the city walls. They need every available Light Mage to rid the possessed of those disgusting seeds. We’ve been asked to escort Alva and help with the fighting.” Seraphina said.

  “What the hell is a Shifter Mage?” I asked.

  “The Wood Realm isn’t quite like the others. It represents life itself. The followers of Adair are given power over plants and animals and Shifters can turn into powerful beasts and even monsters. Imagine a battalion of monsters with the intelligence of men bearing down on a city full of innocent people.” Seraphina said, and the thought made her shudder.

  Felicity was silent but I could tell from her expression how upset she was. She wasn’t her usual bright and bubbly self at all. She gazed up at Seraphina for a moment then looked away. I set the basket of food down next to her and she picked up a chicken leg and ripped into it, then gnawed on the bone like a nervous school kid chewing on a pencil.

  “Well, let’s go then! I’ve never seen a ‘Shifter Mage’ before but if we need to go kick some ass then let’s go kick some ass!” I said, trying to match the enthusiasm that Felicity had always shown me in my darkest hours. After gaining 9 levels in a month I was brimming with confidence. I was stronger than I’d ever been or could even have ever imagined being and I wasn’t a bad fighter either. I’d gotten lessons from the best and managed to come out of every scrape a little better.

  “It’s not as easy as that. We’ve also received word that the earthquakes in the Stone Realm are getting worse every day. If we don’t make a move soon who knows what might happen.” Seraphina said.

  Yara and I looked at one another with confusion, “Soooo, what’s the plan then?” I asked.

  “Felicity and I are going to escort Alva to Verdania. You two will make the journey to the Stone Realm to meet with the leaders of Milgar Cliffs. They’ve already been briefed on your mission and informed of your great work in the battle with Glacia. Beware though, relations between Taiga and Petra have been strained for a long time. You might not be greeted with open arms, especially since we’ve been working in secret to find the prophesied hero. There’s a chance they will be upset that they were left out of our plans. Petra is seen by some of the other kingdoms as an uncivilized and backward place and no doubt King Pike will see their exclusion from our machinations as an insult.” Seraphina said.

  “So, we’re going… alone, into hostile territory, to meet with brutal and pissed off king, before attempting to fight our way through the Stone Realm and defeat a Goddess?” I said, feeling my confidence wilt like a neglected house plant.

  “You’ll be fine. We’ll meet back up with you when we’ve completed our mission.” Seraphina said, putting a hand on Felicity’s shoulder.

  “But what if we’re, I don’t know, dead before then?” I said, throwing up my hands.

  “Don’t worry. Yara will look after you.” Seraphina teased.

  Yara looked at me with a satisfied smirk then turned back to Seraphina, “When do we leave?”

  “Felicity and I are leaving now. Bjorn will gather some supplies for you and you can leave at first light.” Seraphina said.

  “So, that’s it? You’re just going?” I sputtered. This was unbelievable. Just when I thought I was on an unstoppable team and that nothing could hurt me, we suddenly break up and I’m back to square one. Well, not exactly square one, but still.

  The fire in the central fireplace roared and crackled as we sat there silent as a grave. There was no reason for me to feel so defeated already. I had to stop thinking like a scared teenager and start thinking like a level 10 warrior. I was more bad-ass than 99% of the people in this world and a good amount of the monsters as well. But it was the other 1% that scared me. I looked to Yara whose physical fitness had improved a lot since the first time we’d met. The first time I saw her she looked like a little blonde waif. A street urchin from a Dickens novel. A sexy street urchin, but an urchin nonetheless. Now she had the toned trim body of an athlete. She was still delicate and slender but the curvature of her thighs and ass and the tapering of her shoulders gave physical expression to the levels she’d gained. She even walked with a new kind of swagger and confidence.

  “We’ll handle it,” Yara said coolly.

  “Well, I’m glad that at least one of you has some self-confidence. I would feel better if it was our hero but, oh well.” Seraphina said.

  “You’ll do great.” Felicity said, breaking her silence for the first time. There was a sadness in her voice that hurt my heart. I hated to see her in pain and I wished there was something I could do. But the only thing I could do was press on and do my part so she could worry about defending her realm.

  Seraphina pulled Felicity to her feet and said, “Alright then, be good. Be smart. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. King Pike sent a bird with instructions for both of you. Bjorn put it somewhere. Just ask him for it.”

  I smiled weakly and embraced them both before they walked out the door. Felicity dug her claws into my back just enough for me to feel them, before whipping around quickly and exiting without looking back.

  Yara and I sat next to the fire wordlessly pondering what was in store for us. I sensed that even before her personal tragedy Yara had yearned for adventure. The way she fell in with the Water Mages and then followed Seraphina and I to the Ice Realm like an eager
puppy. It was clear that she was living a life she’d always dreamed of, even if the circumstances that brought her there were terrible.