Excise: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (Ether Collapse Book 2)

by Ryan DeBruyn

  Customized Terms

  ● The Dungeon will not kill any of the Guild Members as long as:

  - If a Member would have ‘died,’ they will be notified and forced to stay in room of their death while kept in a cage. A quest will be placed on the guild boards for rescue of any dead adventuring teams. ‘Dead’ members cannot return until after Resurrection Day; Voskresenie (Sunday).

  - On Saturnday (Saturday), the Dungeon will tally each spared Member and will be awarded accordingly.

  - A Member can choose to enter after they have ‘died’, but then all above protections are void.

  - A party can clear the Dungeon as frequently as they are scheduled to enter. However, from the second floor on the Dungeon will attempt to scale challenges to the party’s skill and level.

  ● The Dungeon will receive 2.5% of Territorial generated Essence.

  ● The Dungeon will receive a new monster corpse one time per moon (month).

  ● The Dungeon will drop loot for each floor boss of the Dungeon and give them the option to exit the Dungeon at the completion of each floor.

  ● The Dungeon is not held liable for any injuries on premises.

  ● The Dungeon shall attempt with all due haste to reach the Tectonic Dungeon as long as it doesn’t hinder other clauses.

  ● The Dungeon will work in conjunction with all other Cardinal Dungeons for the betterment of the Territory.

  ● The Dungeon will increase the fertility of lands in cardinal direction of its placement.

  ● The Dungeon will defend and notify Leaders of invaders from said direction.

  ● The Dungeon can call on Leaders to defend it from invaders who seek its heart.

  ● The Dungeon will create three bath houses that are for the use of the Territorial inhabitants and visitors.

  ● The Dungeon will create a retractable bridge leading to its entrance that will withdraw if Territory is under attack from the cardinal direction.

  ● This agreement is subject to change and will be re-negotiated once per full rotation.

  Offer | Back

  “You’re not listening, Rocky! I read multiple entrances is the best for curb appeal. Why have one gaudy entrance when you can have many entrances of all shapes and sizes? Clearly, you need to read up on your real estate knowledge,” LFD countered, sounding like a child trying to condescend to an adult.

  Rocky groaned and tried a different tact. Earlier in the conversation, LFD had gotten very excited about having each group confined to a floor until the next group had either ‘died’ or cleared the following floor. For some reason, the game of escorting a captured team to the end of the current floor was exciting for the Dungeon, almost like a perverted game of capture the flag. “LFD, if someone enters one of your entrances, do you not close all of them? If what you said about having a single group in your Dungeon per floor is true, won’t that be the case?”

  There was a long moment of silence while LFD’s core pulsed; then the Dungeon babbled, “As I was saying, the east side is the ideal location for my Delving Dungeon. I think one extravagant entrance is the best for appealing to your Territorial inhabitants and adventurers. I will get started on everything right away! I will need a few days to regain my lost Essence that was left behind when we fled my previous body.”

  Rocky felt his eyebrows shoot up, and his teeth clicked together as he closed his hanging jaw. Sela, who had been practicing knife throwing, collected her blades and rolled her eyes as she turned around mouthing, “Finally.” Then they hopped on Azoth who had descended from the skies to join them at a mental signal from Rocky and made a short hop over the river to place LFD on the ground as centrally to the river as they could manage.

  Once the Dungeon sunk into the ground, he clicked his radio. “Just completed negotiations with the Dungeon. Have the golems arrived at the clearing yet?” Rocky joined Sela back on Azoth’s back as he waited for a response.

  Sela punched him in the shoulder. “You didn’t say over. You know he is going to correct you. Honestly, being a leader is about making everyone as comfortable as you can, and saying ‘over’ on the radio with military folk isn’t that hard. Get it right!”

  As soon as she finished, Joe’s voice chirped, “This is negotiation perimeter. The golems and the council are both present and are just awaiting Leadership. Please remember to use your radio moniker and to say over. Over!” The way Joe stressed the moniker they were supposed to be using, Leadership, made Rocky wince. Honestly, he almost pulled the radio out of his ear and left it on the ground as Azoth took to the skies to make the quick jump over to the clearing where they would negotiate with the golems.

  The only thing that stopped him was that he may need to order the perimeter troops to save the ass of the council if the golems chose to get violent. Not that he thought the golems would, after his last meeting with them. Derik was probably the biggest worry, but he was still passed out for a few hours under the effects of Smith’s Elixir swap.

  They flew into the clearing directly and watched as the golems slowly grew and resolved into the towering and imposing figures that Rocky remembered from his last meeting. Omega was cheerfully waving at him, and Rocky smiled, remembering the surfer dude persona of the massive golem. It reminded him of Azoth in some ways, and Rocky immediately hoped that they would be able to come to an agreement, mostly because his Territory desperately needed the protection that these five could offer.

  They stayed atop Azoth until they reached the ceremonial line of weapons that were placed on the ground behind the council. Rocky, who hadn’t seen any of these weapons yet, glanced over many of them, only recognizing Zippo’s staff and Joe’s laser rifle. As he added his sword and Sela added her knives, he glanced at a pair of stylized spears that looked far more powerful than he had been expecting to see on the ground.

  Spear of the Fishes and Eels

  These spears were what the Algonquin derived their namesake from and embody their strong ability to survive by hunting and fishing.

  Soulbound Weapon Level 2

  Quality: Relic / Soulbound

  Ether Pool: 110/110

  Rocky felt his eyebrows rise and looked at Sela who was also examining the spears. They both looked to Smith at the same time to find the man calmly regarding them. When their eyes met, Smith nodded once acknowledging their suspicions, and Rocky smiled sheepishly. That was very interesting, considering that he was also an Ancestral class. He briefly wondered if there was a way to change people’s classes that had already chosen, then dismissed it as something to consider later after this meeting.

  Add it to the list to ask Sela.

  They walked up and kneeled in the center of the assembled humans opposite the hulking golems and both bowed. Rocky then explained, “We apologize for our lateness, Epsilon and the Knights of Ottawa, we were negotiating with our newest Dungeon.” Epsilon bowed respectively back, and the other Knights followed his lead except Gamma, who ducked his head as little as possible. Rocky winced seeing the angry Knight who had suggested killing everyone during their last meeting. He hoped that he wouldn’t say anything like that during this one, or this negotiation might turn.

  When Epsilon exited his kneeling bow, he boomed out, “We were not waiting long, Rocky, and we got to meet some of your council while we did. I must say, speaking to these members here has really allowed us to see the diversity each human possesses.” Rocky looked around, and no one would meet his eyes.

  Oh great—something already happened?!

  Sela cleared her throat. “I, on behalf of my people, promise on my faith that I will deal faithfully with you, not cause you harm, and will observe this oath to you completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit during our negotiations.”

  All of the golem’s heads turned to Sela in unison, leaving a node of stunned silence hanging in the air as they all regarded the young woman. Surprisingly, Tao, who had not spoken during the last meeting, was the first to find his voice, “I, for myself and my
order, pledge upon our sacred oath to do no harm, treat with you without deceit, and honor the pledge you have offered us during our negotiations.”

  The moment hung, and everyone looked between the two speakers as they held each others’ gaze unblinkingly. Then they both nodded simultaneously, and the moment passed.

  Azoth mentally sent, “They doing a dominance dance? Who win if neither blink first?”

  Rocky responded mentally while trying to maintain a straight face, “No, Azoth, that was some sort of ceremony to begin negotiations between Knights, if I’m not mistaken. I think Sela just put us well on the right foot again.”

  Azoth scanned across the Knights and chuffed once into the mounting silence. “I think I could make them submit to dominance!”

  Rocky shook his head and sent back, “Not today, buddy. Please just sit down and relax!”

  Epsilon broke the silence, and Rocky’s internal conversation with Azoth, “We did not expect to hear such an oath in this place. Please explain how you entered the order, little one?”

  Sela turned her head and smiled at the massive and imposing form of Epsilon. “That is a rather long story, but let’s just say I was inducted into the order of the Knights of the Lighted Path well before anyone present was ever born.”

  Gamma made a sound of disbelief but was cut off by Tao instantly, “We will look forward to hearing your tale one day, honored elder.” Gamma looked at Tao, who had begun a full, deep-seated bow, and his green copper eyebrows shot up before he followed suit and mimicked the motion precisely. The other golems also bowed to Sela who seemed to sit up a bit straighter as her lips pressed into a thin line at the gesture. Then she rapped her knuckles twice on her hardened leather, and the Knights straightened up, ending the surreal moment.

  Sela, who knew the goal of the meeting as well as Rocky did, continued to take the lead, “We have considered your situation and would offer you refuge here and a place to build a home for friendly members of your race. In exchange, the threats to Algonquin Gorge become threats to you, and a call to defence becomes a duty all who take our offer must fulfill.”

  Epsilon bowed his head apologetically. “Circumstances have changed slightly for us. We received another quest from Gaia last night and wish to accept your offer but also complete the quest for our creator.”

  Rocky blinked and asked the obvious, “What is the quest?”

  This time, Omega responded, removing a great deal of levity from the conversation, “Dude… Gaia has tasked all golems with protecting humans. Any surviving humans are to be protected and provided for as best as the unintelligent golems can manage. Gaia has tasked us with going to collect the nearby groups of humans and bringing them back here.”

  Rocky felt himself jerk back as this so closely resembled his initial plans for the golems that he wondered if Gaia had been listening in to their first meeting. Additionally, that meant any remaining survivors were probably going to be a lot safer than they were previously. He took a moment to picture golems ringing human settlements of schools, hospitals, and libraries and smiled to himself, hoping that meant his family, if they were still alive, would remain that way.

  Epsilon looked to Tao before speaking; Tao nodded once, which seemed to give permission to Epsilon who declared, “However, we will leave two of our order with you to help prepare the Territory for the arrival of survivors. We have decided that Tao and Gamma will remain behind to help you build up your settlement.”

  Rocky felt blood drain from his face and saw a similar reaction from the members of the council around him. His earlier assumption that Gamma had done something threatening was all but confirmed by the group’s reaction to the names called. Rocky cleared his throat, “I thank you for your consideration, but we wouldn’t want you to be left without Gamma–”

  Delta cut him off clinically, stating, “Do not fear Gamma. He will make an oath to not harm any human without permission to do so by someone who you deem to be able to give that order.” Delta looked pointedly at Gamma and scowled “Won’t you, Gamma?” he finished.

  Gamma began to stand before Tao placed a hand on his shoulder with a very menacing smile plastered on his face. Gamma gulped and stated, “Yes…” before he returned to kneel, and the fight drained out of him.

  Epsilon smiled. “Gamma is, in fact, our best builder, and his axe will be of great help to you while you gather and construct your settlement. Don’t worry, Tao is more than capable of keeping him in line…” Tao nodded and turned his wicked smile to the group. Clearly, Gamma didn’t want to be the one left behind, but also just as clearly, Tao was going to enforce that decision despite Gamma’s dislike of it.

  Rocky looked around at the council members present, wondering if there was going to be an issue with two golems staying instead of one. At their accepting look, he wasn’t sure what else there was to discuss. The two Golem Knights were already chosen and would stay in the Territory, helping them build and defend it. That thought made him ask a question to clarify, “Will Gamma and Tao help us defeat the cause of these storms?”

  Tao shook his head vigorously, and Epsilon insisted, “No, they will only defend the Territory if it is attacked and will follow orders during such a defence. Otherwise, they will help build and train your people, but will not attack any enemies of the Territory until our return. Is that acceptable?”

  Rocky nodded, expecting that answer but still disappointed in it. Sela saw his face fall and whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry, that gives us the ability to go all out on attack while depending on them for defence. It is still a great benefit to us!”

  He nodded once at her words, understanding her sentiment entirely. Right after this meeting concluded they were planning to try to make their way into Chalk River and the site of the explosion, after all.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Rocky and Sela had mounted Azoth and sped ahead of the party to return to the Grotto to prepare for their scouting excursion into Chalk River. From the air, it was an inspiring sight to see the two golems accompanying their military and pseudo council towards the Grotto. Additionally, once high enough, they could see the people of the Grotto hard at work looking like ants in a colony. Each member was moving around to collect material and return to building one of the ten construction projects they currently had on the go. They got occasional glimpses of the hunting parties that were out trying to target individual prey safely as well, each group accompanied by a tank and two soldiers who tried to stay out of the fight entirely to not impede on Etherience gains while still keeping the groups safe from death.

  The scene was uplifting to Rocky, seeing so many people who had lost so much hard at work to create a new home for themselves and provide for each other. This was why as they neared the landing point, Rocky was quite shocked to see a group of approximately thirty people moving ominously to greet them, at their head a red-faced Derik. Rocky sighed deeply as Azoth touched down and slid off his back after Sela hit the ground softly.

  Derik didn’t even say a word as he launched his attack at Rocky, who wasn’t even truly aware of what class the man possessed. Three bolts of purple energy soared at Rocky, who dodged sporadically and triggered his Dark Cloak as he shouted, “What the hell, Derik?!”

  Sela transformed into her cat form as she got hit by a few projectiles from the charging group, but Azoth took the worst of it as he let out a roar that could easily be heard for miles. Rocky felt the Chimera’s roar course over him and even felt stronger as a buff notification climbed up into the top left of his vision.

  Call of the Predatory Pact

  Your pet has been wounded and called for your aid.

  Increase to all stat points by 20% for two minutes as you rush to his defense.

  Not sure why Derik and this band of people were attacking them, Rocky jumped into action. He could feel Dark Tidings craving the souls of these individuals but forced down its whispers as he closed with Derik. Just as he attempted to pommel the man in the temple, Derik vanished and appeared
forty yards away from Rocky behind the charging group. Rocky felt his blood boil, and he continued his rush to intercept the other ranged damage dealers.

  His levels easily dwarfed the group around him, and he dodged and weaved through the melee strikes with the aid of his Dark Cloak, only being scored by a few glancing blows that were mostly absorbed by his armor. He retaliated when he could, trying to incapacitate his mute attackers wherever possible, which counteracted his advantage, putting him at more of a disadvantage than he thought it would. The people who closed with Sela and Azoth were not so lucky, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man get torn in half by the enraged Chimera.

  Screams erupted around him as people of the Grotto realized that this was not a demonstration but something far too real as internal organs and blood flew into the air after Azoth’s vicious strike. Rocky renewed his effort attempting to work faster to try and save more of the men before they fell victim to Sela or Azoth. Not that they deserved saving after this ambush, but something inside Rocky sensed the wrongness in this fight.

  He shouted as loudly as he could, “Try to incapacitate or wound. Avoid killing them!”

  They attacked us head-on and haven’t said a single word.

  He moved as fast as he could throughout the remaining attackers until he reached Derik just as the red-faced man finished a spell. Derik bent down and placed both hands on the ground under him. Arcane energy pulsed and wove, attempting to create some sort of glyph in the dirt. Rocky sliced through part of the forming symbols with his sword just as it grew bright enough that he had to look away. Then he felt a massive force punch him along the entire front side of his body, and he was suddenly airborne, flying away from Derik, who was also speeding away from the destroyed glyph. Rocky tucked into a ball as he hit the ground and felt the momentum carry him end over end as the damage mounted. A moment later, he uncurled his bruised and beaten body.