Edge of the Abyss (Respawn Trials Book #1) LitRPG Series

by Andrei Livadny

  “You ought to try again!”

  “Alright,” he tried to draw a rather complicated (in my opinion) symbol in the air again. He was whispering something inaudibly. The piercing golden runes appeared in the air again, this time taking the shape of concentric circles that remained glowing for several seconds.

  Too slow for battle. However, the most important thing was to make Jeb believe in his abilities again. If I wasn’t mistaken, spell casting speed depended on Intellect and Dexterity scores. I had watched several video guides the previous night so knew what I was talking about.

  “We’re going to train. We’ll develop our skills and teach each other.”

  Jeb was pessimistic despite his success. “What for?”

  “To get out of here.”

  “What for?”

  “I don’t understand the question.”

  “It’s not so bad here,” Jeber_Arium spoke quietly.

  “Come on, man, that won’t do. Rustling through the refuse is no way to live, trust me!”

  He drew his head into his shoulders. “I am afraid! I was killed... A lot... I don’t want to die anymore!”

  * * *

  After a rest and recovering our Life and Stamina points, we returned to the other side of the creek. I decided to make the task more difficult to stop Jeb from becoming listless. A person didn’t have time to mope when he was busy. It’s been proven.

  “Right. Look what I’ve got,” I showed him the salamander skin glove. “Can you make a fireball using this?”

  “Will you give it to me?”

  “Temporarily. Then you’ll give it back to me. Agreed?”

  Item exchanges between players were a common thing. I could see my companion brighten up. He was clearly eager to try the glove. It was a catalyst and would speed up a cast, as well as reducing the mental energy required. Plus, he was familiar with pyromancy.

  The most primitive fireballs fly in a straight line and inflict a small amount of damage. Jeb needed about ten minutes to remember the spell and get the skill back. Soon he was confidently flinging lumps of flame at me while I evaded them by practicing my rolls, hiding behind cover and even trying to attack this ‘enemy mage’.

  Phew...

  At the end of the day, I didn’t have that much Stamina. Jeb had utterly exhausted me. The leather armor was singed in a number of places and looked ready to fall apart, but I had nothing to replace it with. I would have to use the remaining rags during training instead.

  I was desperate to get out of here but I still had no idea how to make it happen. The path to the portal was too dangerous. We wouldn’t be able to handle the mobs living in the cave. The way to the town above had now been sealed shut. I had two unexplored tunnels but in my opinion, it was too early to explore them. We needed to train for a few more days at least, then farm the rats again to level up Jeb.

  I received the following system messages today:

  You have failed to complete the quest Rural Days. Monsters’ Lair. You have missed the full moon.

  You have failed to complete the quest Survival Environment.

  You have failed the complete the quest Terra Incognita.

  It was a shame, of course. It was a shame that I couldn’t level up quickly enough. I was on Level 24 now but needed to reach Level 30 according to the quest and uncover the map. Nevertheless, I had learned a lot.

  In the evening, I asked Jeb as we sat by the fire, “How much Intellect do you need to use the Phantom Shield?”

  “Seven,” he responded.

  I had five but after today’s farming, I also had two unused characteristic points that I received when I went up the levels. I spent them on Intellect.

  “Jeb, I want to learn some simple magic.”

  “It’s hard. Do you know the language of the ancients?”

  “No, but surely I can remember how to correctly pronounce a few phrases!”

  He thought it over. “What do you need it for?”

  “We’re in a bad spot. You can’t use strong spells and I lack a decent weapon. Take shields, for example. They provide a defense bonus when they’re used, but look at this,” I took a screenshot and showed it to Jeb. “See how the system identifies my shield? As a ‘door fragment’. My weapon is no better. Minimal damage.”

  My companion had noticeably perked up after our session with the fireballs.

  “Fine. Let’s try it. I will say the spell aloud and you will memorize it. We don’t have any paper to write it down.”

  So that’s what we did. I spent the rest of the day and evening learning a few phrases. They could be pronounced silently. When a mage learned the essence of things, they could simply think ‘Fireball!’ and indicate the direction with their gaze. It took a fraction of a second. It was even easier with staffs and other catalysts. Many of them were charged for a specific spell. For example, an Ice Arrow Staff or a Fireball Glove. These items could be used by any character class but required a high level of Intellect. According to the guides, this problem could be solved using various rings, amulets and other accessories (usually enchanted ones) that added extra points to a specific characteristic.

  All these were pricey items. We had neither money nor the ability to visit a shop and buy enchanted objects.

  Our only hope was Adaptability, continuous training and the knowledge that still remained in my companion’s head.

  The burning fire illuminated our haggard faces.

  “Shall we try?” Jeb seemed nervous.

  “Let’s do it.”

  “Okay. Get up. Stretch your arm out as if you’re holding a shield. Ready? Now say the spell aloud!”

  I uttered the short casting spell without stumbling... but nothing happened. A total failure.

  “How much Intellect do I need?” I asked again.

  “Seven points. This is ancient battle magic,” Jeb replied. “Even the wild wandering tribes that live far to the south use it.”

  “Are you trying to say that I’m dumber than the wild NPCs?”

  He shrugged. “Try one more time.”

  Nothing happened again.

  “It shouldn’t be like this. We’re doing everything right!”

  “Then what’s the problem? Am I supposed to be holding something in my hand? Something that looks even slightly like a shield?”

  “No, the magical shield is incorporeal. It is made up of energy and wraps around the hand...” Jeb suddenly stopped and smacked himself on the forehead. “Of course! I remember! They have tattoos! I remember that I was surprised when I saw what looked like mindless squiggles. But... make a fist!”

  He grabbed a piece of coal from the embers and drew a fancy symbol on the knuckles of my left hand. “Try it now, but keep your fist clenched!”

  I spoke the words of the spell.

  My fist was suddenly enveloped in a glow with pale yellow runes flaring into life. The air seemed to thicken and assumed the shape of a shield.

  “Hit me!”

  Jeb leaped up, grabbed a nearby rock and flung it at me.

  I reflected the attack. There was a dull thud as if the stone had struck wood. The glow died down a moment later.

  “Twenty-one seconds!”

  “Three seconds for each level of Intellect?”

  “Right. What about Adaptability?”

  I opened my interface and had a look. The Intellect scale had filled up by a third! If I learned a few more simple spells and used them frequently, I could go up another Level!

  “Jeb, how’s your development going?”

  “Today has half-filled up my Dexterity, Stamina and Strength bars. Plus, a new characteristic has appeared.”

  “Which one?”

  “Faith. But I don’t really know what it means yet.”

  “Hey, I have it too!” I said in surprise. “Just before the Influence of the Abyss, right?”

  “Yup. But instead of a hint, all I get are question marks.”

  After such a busy and difficult day, Jeb’s interest waned rapidly.
He muttered something, lay down by the fire and was asleep almost immediately.

  Let him rest. I’d achieved what I had set out to do, snapping the guy out of his melancholia.

  * * *

  I hadn’t returned to the real world for a full day.

  It was a restless night. I woke up frequently but then drifted back into an uneasy sleep.

  In the morning, while Jeb caught some dubious-looking fish in the murky water and made breakfast, I read the guides.

  It was time to decide on my character’s future development once and for all. Yesterday’s experiments had clearly demonstrated that even the simplest magic would be helpful in battle, especially since I wasn’t using my mana at all. Even a few points of inflicted or, on the contrary, absorbed damage could play a deciding role in a critical situation.

  That’s a plus. What are the negatives of a multiclass character?

  According to experienced players, stretching yourself too thin wasn’t worth it. They recommended sticking to your class until at least Level 50 and then using rings with Intellect bonuses, which enabled you to cast a few strong spells, such as healing and various buffs to resist damage.

  That wasn’t for me. I had to survive in the here and now.

  I found some interesting information on one of the in-game forums.

  Invincible_Orus:

  Today I came across a Warrior of the Abyss, level 93, at the edge of the Wild Lands. He didn’t look any different at first glance. I’d seen such armor before and he had pretty average characteristics. He was armed with a great sword.

  My level is 95. My outfit has bonuses for Strength, Dexterity and Stamina. I don’t usually lose in single combat.

  This punk buffed himself with some kind of spell and managed to coat his blade in darkness while we were nearing each other. I attacked first and the damage was minimal. I noticed that during the attack, his armor glowed with unfamiliar symbols. Then he just one-shotted me without batting an eyelid.

  I looked at the logs after respawning. My attack was absorbed by Steel Flesh. I’ve never heard of such a buff before. Then his sword inflicted 270 points of physical damage and 470(!) was caused by the darkness. And the blade ignored my armor!

  A cheater?

  If anyone has come across something similar, let me know.

  …

  Wise_Zheka:

  Not a cheater. You’ve met a classic example of a leveled up multiclass character. Very hard to develop at the start, like pulling teeth, but later it’s best to avoid such types. Steel Flesh can be cast from Level 40 Intellect. Dark Blade requires 35 points of Intellect and 30 points of Adaptability. It does indeed ignore normal armor but fails before Light benedictions. My advice is to change your bling. Get Intellect and Faith rings, and use the Blessed Shield, which will deflect 50% of the incoming damage no matter if it’s physical or elemental.

  …

  Well, that was something to think about. I could understand the warrior’s bewilderment. A strong mage wearing armor and carrying a great sword is a killer combination of Intellect, Dexterity, Adaptability and Strength.

  But the impressive result was due to persistent effort, constant physical training, intellectual exercises and careful selection of each piece of apparel.

  Would I be able to develop along the same path? For example, what should I do with my one free characteristics point? Spend it on Stamina? Increase the number of HP or raise my Intellect to get three more seconds of the Phantom Shield?

  To be honest, magic looked like a dubious asset for me at present. The Phantom Shield didn’t last long. I could cast it a couple of times and then would have to wait for my mental energy to regenerate, or have a store of potions that refilled it instantly. But the defense that I gained from increasing my Strength remained with me forever. How could I make the right choice?

  * * *

  An unexpected event answered my questions.

  Jeb called me to breakfast. Forcing down the tasteless broth, I didn’t ask him what it was made from because I knew that we had a hard day ahead of us. We need to level up at least a couple more times before we ventured into the unexplored tunnels.

  The amulet on my chest suddenly started vibrating.

  I hadn’t really figured out who the Guardians actually were. I tried to search for information in my free time but had found only a vague description.

  The ancient legend of the Guardians states that those who are in desperate need of help will always receive it.

  I started and touched my chest. As soon as my fingers made contact with the amulet, everything went dark and there was a sudden feeling of vertigo.

  ...The sunlight was blinding. After the dimness of the underground, I couldn’t see my surroundings straight away.

  What was going on?! Where was I?!

  The clatter of weaponry. Heavy footsteps. The feeling of a warm, rough stone surface beneath my palm.

  A respawn circle?

  Had I managed to escape the cursed tunnels? But how? And what would happen to Jeb now?

  …

  You have discovered a new location: The Abandoned Fort.

  …

  I leaped to my feet and looked around. An eroded limestone staircase ran down from a platform on an old fortification standing by the river’s edge.

  At its base, a young fellow in awkward, blood-spattered armor struggled to stand back up after being knocked off his feet. His opponent, a tall, muscular and tough-looking barbarian, armed with a frightening great sword, smirked and squatted down beside him. He dropped the sword into the grass and took out a dagger.

  I read their frames:

  Sir_Lans, Knight, Level 12.

  Your_Death, Dark Barbarian, Level 31.

  Not what I would call a fair fight. There was an obvious discrepancy in the levels. The shield cleaved in two, the dents on Lans’ armor, the smoking fire and helmet with broken straps lying nearby — everything spoke of an unexpected attack.

  “I will cut out your heart,” the barbarian chuckled hoarsely. “It will be still bleeding. I am sure I will get an advanced aura for such a trophy.”

  The beginner knight was doomed. I only had a few seconds. Why did I need to help him? I had no idea. It was what my conscience was telling me. Even if I had to respawn after this, I wouldn’t be able to hide and watch as the Dark player cut out the guy’s heart.

  The dagger sliced through the straps holding the breastplate in place.

  I rushed to the platform and stood at the very edge of the pitted stone.

  It was a hunch. I had read enough guides over the last few days about balance in the digital world and the patterns and variations in character developments to be certain that to use the heavy great sword, the barbarian would have had to invest heavily in Strength and Stamina. He was thus unevenly developed. He hadn’t developed his Life Force and so wouldn’t have that many HP.

  I jumped down, clutching the sword fragment with both hands.

  …

  You have studied Falling Strike. Critical damage 200%.

  …

  The barbarian’s Life bar was almost completely wiped out and he was flung to the ground but not killed.

  Swearing incoherently, he managed to get back on his feet, grab his daunting sword and swing it overhead. Where did he even find the strength?

  I would have normally panicked but no longer. The training with Jeb hadn’t been wasted. I rolled away from the slashing blow and jumped back up, noting as I did that Falling Strike had a price — my own Life bar had shrunk by a third.

  This was bad. The barbarian wouldn’t let me get closer.

  The stump of a rusty sword was no match for a great sword. I doubted that I would have the Stamina to exhaust my opponent and catch a good moment to repeat my attack.

  I shifted the broken sword to my right hand, automatically made a fist with my left and the ancient phrases that I had studied so intently last night raced through my head.

  It worked!

  The Phan
tom Shield enveloped my left arm. But how did I manage to cast it when the rune written in charcoal must have rubbed off by now?

  That wasn’t the case. Jeb had pressed too hard. My skin was still covered in scratches that formed the ancient symbol when I clenched my fingers.

  Twenty seconds.

  I rushed forward, the transparent energy shield doing what it was meant to do by absorbing the damage and then shattering into gold fragments.