Orc Glitch
The Mad King
KJ Harlow
Harlow Publishing
Copyright © 2018 by KJ Harlow
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
Prologue
I. Enter ValorVale
1. Happy Birthday
2. Walk & Orc
3. Trapped
4. Brain Dead
5. Keizen’s Questions
6. Beyond The Trees
7. You Shall Not Pass
8. Two Brains Are Better Than One
9. Black Gauntlet
10. Visions & A Prophecy
II. Bracewell
11. A New Adventure
12. ‘Orc’ vs. Orc
13. A Brush With Royalty
14. The Mayor & The Maid
15. The King’s Camp
16. The Moonshift After
17. The Admin
18. Wind & Fire
19. Round 1
20. Round 2
21. Round 3
22. Javal’s Letter
23. New Challenger Approaches
III. The Mad King
24. Farewell Bracewell
25. Soldiers’ Whispers
26. Lightblade
27. Enter the Catacombs
28. Mea
29. Fairshade
30. I Challenge You To A Duel
31. Foe To Friend
32. The Kings’ Duel
33. Long Live The King
34. When All Is Lost
35. We Will Rebuild
Anyone Ever Tell You You’re Pretty Swell?
Prologue
20,052nd Cycle
15-Hyten
Temple Of Silence
The words rippled into existence above her head. They hung there, as if suspended by invisible strings, before fading away. Her lips curled upwards, scarlet slivers upon a pale, unblemished face. Her silken, ebony robe hemmed with violet sucked in the moonlight striking her being.
Standing on the top step she looked up and the hood folded soundlessly onto her back, revealing shoulder length silver-grey hair with bolts of black running through it. The Temple stretched 500 yards wide and 300 tall. Five, gargantuan arches yawned at the entrance. Compared to his castle this temple was but a cottage; it would have to do for now.
“Status screen.” The command slithered out of her lips. The cross in the upper-right corner spun for a moment before the green screen stretched down then left:
NAME: C????????
AGE: 729 (Earth)
CLASS: Arc Druidess
LVL: 665
HP: 9,524/9,524
MP: 7,352/7,352
AFF: Earth (x1), Fire (x1), Wind (x15), Water (x15)
STR: 890
DEF: 730
AGL: 1,010
INT: 1,300
ABILITY: Examine, Interdimensia, Scarlet Mist, Binding Bite, Warp, Copy Skill
SKILL:
Guard Ward – Level 401 – Next Level In 25%
Nakar Death – Level 473 – Next Level In 52%
Re-flesh – Level 398 – Next Level in 39%
WEAPON: NIL
Good. She dismissed the screen. C glided over the dark grey marble stone towards the biggest arch. It was so heavily cloaked in ward craft that even to a trained eye, the inside of the Temple looked empty.
She raised a slightly cupped hand, stepping towards the entrance. It bumped into an invisible surface, which caved slightly. Pushing further, gridlines woven from green light became visible spreading across the entire width and height of the arches. It hummed, flashed then slowly faded away.
Her thin, red lips curved upwards like they did every time she removed the ward. Like a young girl protecting a precious treasure in a shoe box, she never tired of seeing what was inside the temple. She escaped the moaning winds and into the quietude of the gigantic structure.
All around her were carvings, pillars and monuments of those in their bloodline past, reminders of the oppression they faced. It didn’t matter how many centuries had passed, people still distrusted their kind. The Industrial Revolution, numerous World Wars, the dawn of new technologies… C had seen them all come and go, yet humans were still fickle and weak-minded, looking for something to blame for their misgivings. That burden often fell onto her kind. She was the only one left… for now.
Frowning, she turned to the middle of the large space. The two most important things in her life at that point in time stood there. One was a long, hexagonal structure. Propped up at a slight angle, it had been hewn from the finest redwood and polished with only the purest beastoil. Her Master was regenerating in there.
At its feet was a stone vessel. She had it designed to resemble a bird bath; He had always liked birds, even if they didn’t return His sentiment. She looked into it, her reflection staring back at her. For a fleeting moment, she could feel his hand on the top of her head. She had feigned annoyance at the condescending gesture, but secretly she enjoyed it. It had been over 150 years ago since he last did that, before he had been slain by a family who lived to hunt their kind.
As far as she knew they were all dead now, as was the belief that her kind still lived and breathed amongst their precious humans.
Her hand hovered over the still water. As she moved it in the water dented, as if C had pushed an invisible orb into it. Her hands, like her face were pale. Her fingers were long and slender. Should she cut her own finger and start the Rite? She closed her fingers into a fist. No – it wouldn’t work. Only human blood would work. If it was blood that had been spilt through their folly, even better.
Her hand trailed over the edge of the vessel before she drew it back into her robes. She stood by wooden structure, hesitating for a moment before placing her other hand on its surface. This was the closest she could get to Him and would get to Him, at least for a few more years. A few more years and she wouldn’t be alone again – to think!
She gripped the edge of the top surface. Should she lift it? She drew away, berating herself. No, how could that thought even cross her mind? He was in a very weak state. Exposing Him to the outside world could destroy Him, even in the sanctity of the Temple. She wouldn’t be able to see Him anyway. He occupied a human shell from Earth who looked nothing like him. Only after He had finished His regeneration would He take on the form that C knew so well.
Her hand lingered on the redwood for a little longer before she pulled away from it. She wasn’t here to see Him; she had to focus. In a heartbeat, she was back outside the temple. Green gridlines flashed across the yawning arches and her Master and the vessel blinked out of existence. She pulled the hood back on. An ocean of sand extended as far as the eye could see. Hyten, the wind moon, painted long, black shadows behind her and the tall, grey structure.
Barring her, only four other people should have known the path to get Temple, let alone knew that it existed – and they were late. She became very still. 100 yards ahead, a small indentation formed in the powdery sand. It doubled in size every second until ten seconds later, it was a sinkhole 30 yards in diameter. It would be prudent to check that the security systems in place still operated as expected.
A sightless beast surged 100 feet into the sky. Its perfect, circular mouth was lined with jagged, triangular teeth that rolled in and out as it gulped down sand-laden air. It bent the top of its long, shelled structure towards the arc druidess standing in front of the temple. Drawing back for a few seconds, it flung its mout
h forward.
SCREEEEE!
A shockwave of sand screamed across the desert, ripping the needles off the dozen cacti that stood between in the path. They stopped dead in the air inches away from her before tinkling onto the marble stone.
The Worm Guardian paused, cocking its mouth sideways in confusion. Why couldn’t it taste the intruder’s blood in the air? No matter. Shimmying for a moment, it pulled itself back before launching itself at the arc druidess. The mammoth sand worm crashed through the sand like an express bullet train.
“Examine.” The cross in the top right of her line of vision spun again, this time showing details of the beast quickly closing the distance between them.
NAME: Worm Guardian
LVL: 78
AFF: Earth, Wind
HP: 1,254/1,254
MP: 603/603
Worm Guardians rest deep in the sands of the Howling Desert. They feed on hapless prey that gets stuck in vortexes they create with their mouths. It is believed that they have up to 50 rows of teeth extending all the way down into their stomach, allowing them to maximize the amount nutrients they can extract.
SCREEEEE!
The arc druidess pursed her lips. Infernal creature. She knew it was just doing what she had programmed it to do but it still irritated her. It halted at the steps of the temple and arched its body into an S-shape. It arced through the air, opened its mouth as wide as it could and pinched it shut around her, turning its teeth inward and sealing her in.
In the dry mustiness of the Worm Guardian’s short gut, the arc druidess bounced around, protected by the spherical safeguard she casted around herself. Should I have set these at a higher INT? She hugged her knees close as she mused. No. She had designed this creature and every other in this desert and beyond with a purpose. The Worm Guardian was stupid because she didn’t need it to be smart. Because it should only eat stupider, weaker creatures or try to eat intelligent, powerful beings like her who it posed no threat to.
The safeguard rolled forward, insulating her from the Guardian’s stomach juices. Enough. The fact that it had tried to eat her was proof that it was operating as intended. She stood up, letting the safeguard keep her upright as the creature started its descent deep underground. She raised her hands to waist height and stretched her fingers open.
“Nakar Death,” she whispered, balling her fists at the same time. The safeguard starting glowing hot, white and opaque around her. The Worm Guardian lurched to a halt and started trembling all around her. She drew her hands up to her chest then flung them downwards. The safeguard punctured the Worm Guardian and ground through 20 feet of sand before bursting into the night sky.
-4,763 Damage!
The damage count floated up in her peripheral vision but she ignored it. The lifespans of enemies she faced were measured in seconds, not minutes. She fell back to the sand with a soft puff and dissolved the safeguard shell.
The moons in the sky spotlighted the Worm Guardian writhing and mewing in the sand. With its final screech, it became rigid and exploded, sending puss flying into the air. It splattered at her feet, painting the sand a violent shade of purple.
Slow clapping punctuated the desert night from behind her. “Amazing, truly amazing.”
The arc druidess stiffened ever so slightly hearing the filth refer to her by her name, even if it was just the first letter. “Leonidas,” C said, watching the remnants of the Worm Guardian twitching in the sand.
“You have been keeping us waiting far too long,” Leonidas said. “Isn’t that right, Bernd?”
C turned around. The moons cast shadows from the two Urath that extended all the way to the steps of the temple. Leonidas was smiling at C, as always. It was the sort of smile that made you feel like he knew your deepest, darkest secrets and was always thinking of how he could use them against you. The moonlight glinted off his slick, black hair as he turned to his comrade.
Where Leonidas was chatty and always smiling, Bernd was silent and broody. Where he was tall, Bernd was short and stocky. His brown-red hair, unruly and unkempt as ever, grew tight and curly against his scalp.
“Comrade status,” C said under her breath.
“Now you know that’s not polite, C. If you just asked, I would tell you how my progress has been, you wouldn't have to…” C drowned out Leonidas’ babbling and examined both men’s status screens:
NAME: Leonidas Ellsworth
AGE: 53 (Earth)
CLASS: Blademaster
LVL: 111
HP: 3,206/3,206
MP: 3,008/3,008
AFF: Water (x15)
STR: 315
DEF: 298
AGL: 459
INT: 395
ABILITY: Examine
SKILL: Ice Tomb – Level 75 – Next Level In 25%
WEAPON: Sword – Level A – Next Level in 84%
NAME: Bernd Burgen
AGE: 40 (Earth)
CLASS: Berserker
LVL: 84
HP: 2,600/2,600
MP: 2,125/2,125
AFF: Fire (x1)
STR: 276
DEF: 250
AGL: 221
INT: 230
ABILITY: Examine
SKILL: Burning Ocean – Level 69 – Next Level in 43%
WEAPON: Axe – Level A – Next Level in 59%
“You have been training for over a month now.” C said, injecting a sliver of venom into her words.
“Well if you gave what was promised to us, we might have a little more motivation,” Leonidas quipped. C ignored the lanky swordsman and looked at Bernd. For several moments, they held each other’s gaze before Bernd dipped his head.
“I will work harder.”
NAME: Fetter Knox
AGE: 33 (Earth)
CLASS: Hero
LVL: 63
HP: 2,222/2,222
MP: 1,980/1,980
AFF: Earth (x1)
STR: 210
DEF: 200
AGL: 215
INT: 180
ABILITY: Examine
SKILL: Spire Maiden – Level 45 – Next Level in 47%
WEAPON: Sword – Level B – Next Level in 63%
C closed her eyes, a frown marring her porcelain skin for the first time since she came down here. She had to be patient. These candidates were excellent if not perfect, even if their personalities were not so palatable.
“C!” Fetter drawled, pulling the vowel longer than needed. “Where are my soldiers?” He shuffled towards her and she took a few steps back to avoid the sand he had kicked up. “You told me that the soldiers would make us stronger.” He shoved his face into C’s. “That was the deal.”
“We have to give before we can get.” A voice, rough as sandpaper but distinctively female entered the fray. A middle-aged woman strode to join the rest of them, the men eyeing her meaty midsection and flabby upper arms. “That was the deal,” Nyve said, ignoring them. She acknowledged C with a nod while C Examined her.
NAME: Nyve Doe
AGE: 39 (Earth)
CLASS: Assassin
LVL: 139
HP: 6,205/6,205
MP: 4,121/4,121
AFF: Wind (x15)
STR: 464
DEF: 425
AGL: 526
INT: 489
ABILITY: Examine
SKILL: Guillotine – Level 120 – Next Level in 7%
WEAPON: Dagger – Level S (MAX)
C had seen a lot of hatred in her seven centuries of existence, but never expected a female human to be so driven by it. An animalistic cry somewhere between a lion’s roar and a goat’s bleat pierced the sky. Nyve was the first to turn
towards the west, where the full, ivory moon now dipped halfway into the sea of sand.
Fetter snorted and spat. “You want me to s-show you how strong I’ve become?” He drew his short sword and straightened his back as much as he could. The creature was bounding towards him, its four legs leaving tyre-sized imprints in the sand. C crossed her arms as Fetter lumbered toward the creature. She glanced up at it. “Examine.”
NAME: Chimera
LVL: 43
AFF: Earth
HP: 889/889
MP: 376/376
ABILITY: Eviscerate
Chimera are mythological creatures with the body of a lion, the head of a goat and the body of a snake all fused into one being. They constantly seek more prey to consume, its three heads always fighting for dominance.
She dismissed the enemy status screen and returned her attention to Fetter. Prove me wrong, scum. 20 yards away, Fetter raised his sword then struck the sand.
“Spire!”
The sand that he kicked up floated in the air before compacting itself together and becoming a foot-long spire. With another swing of his weapon, he launched it toward the chimera. It brought its four paws together in the sand and launched itself into the air, while the spire flitted underneath.
“Now come on lad, you can do better than that,” Leonidas scoffed.
“Shut up,” Fetter shouted. The spire stopped in mid-air, did a 180 and then propelled itself towards the chimera. “Spire, spire, spire!” Fetter was running to the left, cackling and striking the sand over and over.