The Sleeper Must Awaken
By
KIP TERRINGTON
THE TWENTY-SIDED EYE SERIES - BOOK 3
Copyright
The Sleeper Must Awaken by Kip Terrington
Copyright © 2018 Kip Terrington
Cover Art and Illustrations © 2018 Emma C. Terrington
Edited by Emma C. Terrington
All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright laws.
Disclaimer
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Death
Chapter 2 - Roll Out the Red Carpet
Chapter 3 - One, ah ah ah! Two, ah ah ah!
Chapter 4 - I Could Have Danced All Night
Chapter 5 - I’m Not a Part of Your System
Chapter 6 - Call Me, Maybe
Chapter 7 - Checks and Balances
Chapter 8 - Killer in the Code
Chapter 9 - There’s Something You’re Not Telling Me
Chapter 10 - Her Beautiful Eyes Were a Terrible Curse
Chapter 11 - Breach of Contract
Chapter 12 - I’m Sorry
Chapter 13 - The Time Has Come
Chapter 14 - Nice to Meet You
Chapter 15 - Whoops
Chapter 16 - Who’s Thirsty?
Chapter 17 - For the Greater Good?
Chapter 18 - Hello
Chapter 19 - Mi Casa Es Su Casa
Chapter 20 - The Problem of Pain
Chapter 21 - It’s Only a Matter of Time
Chapter 22 - Parkour
Chapter 23 - Is Ignorance Bliss?
Chapter 24 - Seriously, Pheebs!
Chapter 25 - Who’s Up for Pie?
Chapter 26 - Bird of Paradise
Chapter 27 - Small Talk’s Overrated
Chapter 28 - There’s No Rug
Chapter 29 - It’s the Law
Chapter 30 - The Next Paycheck
Chapter 31 - And Then There Was Two
Chapter 32 - Oh No You Didn’t
Chapter 33 - Food is Food
Chapter 34 - I’ll Try, Mom
Chapter 35 - Not the Little One
Chapter 36 - Timetable’s Changed
Chapter 37 - Don’t Forget Your Booties, Cuz It’s Cold Out There Today
Chapter 38 - Roll the Hard Seven
Chapter 39 - Oh Captain, My Captain
Chapter 40 - Bad News for Grork
Chapter 41 - Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
Chapter 42 - When It Rains, It Pours
Chapter 43 - Sticky Steel
Chapter 44 - Too Good to Be True?
Chapter 45 - Idiot Stowaway
Chapter 46 - Bless Your Heart, Sugar Pie
Chapter 47 - Slow’s Steady, Steady’s Fast
Chapter 48 - Whatcha Gonna Do?
Chapter 49 - Happy Accidents
Chapter 50 - Epilogue Part 1: Forum Wall
Chapter 51 - Epilogue Part 2: The First Guild
Appendix
Acknowledgments
for our sons, strong and true
Chapter 1 - Death
Earth.
Long-Term Immersion Center.
Day eleven, moments after Joe died.
“What do you mean he's dead? His bones are freaking space-age alloys and he can eat rocks! How could anyone kill him?” Amelia called out as she walked briskly into the stark and echoing warehouse where her grandfather’s empty pod sat in the dim light. Her ergonomic and rubber clad heels hit the ground with a quickened pace as she met the technician and reached for the magical monitor that connected to another reality. The once sprawling and efficient hospice factory appeared nearly desolate as the sole pod lay still amid an assortment of every scientific scanning instrument the corporation could get its hands on.
“From what I've reviewed since your aunt left in tears, the yeti chief killed him with blades through the heart,” Steven said as the two of them approached the monitor that, for the last week, had maintained its angle on Joe as he sat in a trance healing the yeti girl. The monitor now cast a view of the massive silver box he had been sitting upon, but with no Joe in sight.
“Why is it showing the altar?” Amelia asked.
“After his body disappeared, it immediately switched to this perspective. The boys and I have theorized that this is where his body will be reborn,” Steven replied.
“I hope your theories pan out. I would like to keep him for a little while longer, even if it is in an unconventional manner,” Amelia said, while maintaining her professional air.
The view on the monitor zoomed out and the two watched the screen as a long line of yetis began to approach the altar. Amelia noticed that the avatar, Spooky Joy, was hovering above the metal-covered box. One by one, the surrounding crowd of yetis approached the altar, knelt, and began to speak.
“I thought you said the yeti chief killed my grandpa? Why are all the yetis kneeling before his E.I.? And, why haven't you figured out a way to hook sound up to this yet? Standard lip-reading technology would be sufficient,” Amelia began.
“Ma'am, they're not speaking Russian and, even if they were, their lips are not shaped the same way ours are. It would be wonderful if everything was as simple as a game, but it is not. We are doing the best we can to accommodate your wishes in this tragic and difficult situation,” Steven said in a cadence which lay flat and unemotional.
Amelia breathed deep. “That was rational and well said, but I could do without the tone.” She studied the action on the monitor intently. “Looking at that body language, they seem like they're submitting to her. Do you have recorded video of his death?”
Steven raised his hand, signaling to another technician. The technician handed a small touchscreen to Joe’s granddaughter. She paused for a moment before pressing play.
Joe lay on the ground, beaten and battered. Dirt and pig fat mixed with the blood covering his body. He painstakingly rolled over onto his stomach, placed his hands underneath his chest, and pushed against the ground to get up on his knees. As his head lifted, Amelia caught a clear view of his twenty-sided eye spinning. The camera angle prevented her from seeing what Joe was staring at, but whatever it was, Amelia knew it was not good. As the image zoomed in on Joe's face, Amelia read his lips.
“You're killing me, chief! Oh, man. First, attempted regicide, now filicide? Blast! Things are moving too quickly. I gotta get over there,” Joe said as he pushed himself up and stumbled forward in a sprint. The image zoomed out. As the angle widened, Amelia could see the yeti chief attack his own daughter.
Instead of running straight at them, Joe began to head toward the large boulder nearby. In obvious pain, Joe rushed to climb the rock. Once at the top, he immediately leapt out toward the yeti chief whose claws were already extended for his final strike. Joe stopped in mid-air, directly in front of the blades as they began their forward motion. The blades pierced Joe's chest in a criss-cross fashion.
Amelia handed the small screen back to the technician with some force, a hard expression apparent on her face. Turning toward Steven, she spoke, “I don't know why the chief didn't recognize his own daughter, but obviously Grandpa just saved her life, hence his peoples’ newfo
und and undying loyalty. If Grandpa Joe returns, he now has a people. If he doesn't, I don't care what happens. I'm going to sit here and watch for the next few days. I know this is not your job, Steven, but could you arrange a lunch for me? I rushed over here after hearing the news and I need something to settle my stomach,” Amelia requested.
“Of course, that's not a problem. For what it's worth, ma’am, I'm sorry this happened.”
“Thank you, me too.” Her eyes fixed upon the monitor in her lap.
Chapter 2 - Roll Out the Red Carpet
The Wild Mountains.
The top floor of the Champion’s castle.
Day twelve, before the Evening Bunny.
Joe paced back and forth. Why had the developers chosen to place him with an assistant who would actively deceive him? Spooky hovered before Joe with an expression of shock on her face. He had just made it clear to her, once again, that the continued deceit was unacceptable. As an Evolving Intelligence, she should have had access to a thorough database detailing how manipulation, evasion, and deceit would eventually jeopardize any relationship with a human.
Pursing his lips, Joe shook his head and turned his back to her. He shifted his attention away from personal matters and focused on the coming confrontation. The whole of the yeti tribe, now his sworn people, stood in a line on the mound made from the creation of the dugout trench. Only one bridge lay across that dry moat and it had arrived the day before when the yetis had begun their attack against Joe and Spooky.
Looking past the bridge, Joe saw three distinct groups of mounted knights approaching. In each cluster about thirty soldiers gathered together. Each group wore a unique pattern on their shields and armor. Their crest waved high on banners raised in the center of their war party. He recognized their crests as belonging to noble houses in the Kingdom of Dollmar, a nation he had read up on in the Book of Useful Information after encountering their hired Spirit Rogues shortly after his arrival. Behind these three well-organized formations, hundreds of slaves stood somewhat listlessly alongside massive snow sleds.
Joe was frustrated. Once again, there was a force arrayed against him he was not prepared for. This was not a small party of vampires, this was a proper military force. Three platoons of soldiers who each looked capable of organized independent action.
Joe didn't know what the opposing forces’ magical capabilities were and, for that matter, the magical capabilities of his yetis. When it came to knowing one’s enemy and knowing oneself, right now Joe was oh for two. Confrontation with this group would only weaken his position. Joe needed a way to deescalate the situation while still appearing to maintain a position of strength. Lead, follow, or get out of the way-- Joe was most comfortable with the latter two options, but no one ever accomplished anything great by staying comfortable. Except for maybe the Holiday Inn Express. That place was really all about comfort.
Refocusing, Joe noticed in the distance, beside three gathered nobles, as a creature began to emerge from a puddle on the ground. Joe studied the new monster. He could feel its malevolence from his position up in the castle. The longer he waited, the more options began to slip through his fingers. He needed to get down there before the situation escalated beyond containment. He quickly cast L1 Ley Line Feel and almost instantaneously forced his eyes shut. Joe’s scope of vision had been struck by the nearly blinding light from the vast concentration of ley lines running through his Grand Place of Power.
Adjusting his eyesight, he looked over the different lines. He wanted to choose one that would have him land directly on the bridge below. Unfortunately, there were no lines running close to the bridge, but there was one that might work. Using his Efficient Brain Crown, he lowered his pain sensitivity to nearly zero. Without another word, he cast a portal spell and jumped through it, leaving Spooky far behind.
***
Vasili Calamovich, Earl of Dangcor, held the highest title among the three nobles tasked with this expedition. Despite his elevated rank, Vasili had recognized that another in their midst had more experience and had therefore ceded his leadership to Drusilla, the Baroness of Lanpart. Currently, he was wondering if that had been the right choice.
This expedition was supposed to be a fact-finding mission. Drusilla was posturing too aggressively and had even asked Vasili to cast his most powerful fire shield on all three platoons of knights. In order to accomplish this, not only had he used all of his personal mana and a few expensive mana potions, but Vasili had been forced to link with the third noble of their party. Normally, linking with another noble in order to share power wouldn’t have been a big deal, but Anday, the Baron of Rolhill, was a special case.
The baron was a Planes Mage and his evil proclivities were well known in the court. Most nobles didn’t give a void’s vaper how their peers treated their slaves, but Vasili held the belief that no one, no matter their rank, should be killed for another being’s pleasure. Unfortunately, as a noble he couldn’t choose who his peers were. In order to follow the orders of their chosen leader, he had linked with the disgusting man and buffed their platoons.
Vasili noticed that Anday had ridden back to talk with Drusilla and so, he decided to join the other nobles for their impromptu conference. Turning the reins, he prompted his long-haired horse into a trot toward the other two, who were already discussing their options.
“Yes, if we choose to attack, I will use my Earth Magic to create another bridge for us to charge across, but right now what we need is information,” Drusilla explained.
“They are just yetis. One charge and they'll break. Yetis hate fire and they can't touch a single one of our knights without feeling the heat. That castle is beautiful, but I sense minimal defenses. We should take it. It's destiny. I'm a Planes Mage and yetis are extremely vulnerable to extraplanar beings. They can't see the monsters I summon. Even that colossal yeti would fall to the power I wield. Here, let me bring out the first instrument of their destruction,” Anday said as he cast L8 Friendly Phasing. The spell allowed him to grab a monster he had cultivated from another plane and bring it slightly into phase within this reality.
Anday’s hands glowed a greenish purple as he cupped them to his mouth. He blew into the palms of his hands as if coaxing the kindling for a fire. Tendrils of this power began to leak from his hands and pour onto the ground. With a practiced speed, the mage dropped the liquid power he was holding in his hands. He immediately pulled back on his horse’s reins.
As the greenish purple liquid pooled on the ground, a six-legged slimy creature began to rise out of the puddle. The rise was slow, like swamp gas forcing detritus out of a bog. As it emerged, the nobles witnessed a five-foot tall and eight-foot long beast with venomous slobber running down its exposed fangs. The girth of its chest was indistinguishable from that of a fully grown grizzly bear. Instead of possessing the rustic majesty of a king of the forest, however, this six-legged freak looked like a half-rotted nightmare.
“That's better, now we're really ready to get things started. And the best part is, not one of those nearly blind yetis can see my monstrous friend. He can tear through them without any of them knowing what's happening,” Anday laughed with a sick excitement.
“Are you out of your mind?! Can’t you smell that vampire blood? Just because you don't sense defenses, doesn't mean they're not there. In fact, it most likely means that they're quite good. This isn't your estate, Anday, you can't just take whatever you want here. We are three platoons, far from support. Like our leader said, we need information, not a fight. We should send a herald,” Vasili interjected.
“That's not exactly what I said, Earl, and remember I am the leader. Sending the castle a herald now would commit us. On the other hand, if we can take this castle with minimal losses, we would be fools not to. Wait. Wait, I feel a portal opening up there about fifty feet above the bridge,” Drusilla pointed toward the sky.
Joe thought his bones could probably handle a fifty-foot fall, but there was no need for that since he had access to a tr
apeze. Holding on to his Mysterious Immovable Looped Bar (MIL Bar) with both hands, he dove head first out of the portal. After a short six-foot fall, he mind-clicked his MIL Bar and allowed his momentum to swing him up and over the bar as if he were a gigantic gymnast. After a single loop, he unclicked the bar and fell another ten feet before stopping for another loop. Safely hidden behind the mound, Moes shook his head at the demonstration.
The athletic display was so unexpected that no one moved. Once Joe hovered around twenty feet above the ground, he felt comfortable enough to release his MIL Bar and make the final drop. As he fell through the air, he flexed his legs, hoping to stick the dismount. He hit ground and bent his knees, but unfortunately, he was forced to catch himself with one hand. It had nearly been perfect. The dirt scattered, creating a rising mist on the bridge around him. As he stood up, his clearly robust muscular frame could be seen by all combatants as he held his MIL Bar like a scepter on his side. Standing taller than most men at seven feet eight inches and dressed in a sharp black military uniform, he inspired awe in most who laid eyes on him. With an air of confidence, he walked forward to the end of the bridge and surveyed the three platoons in front of his castle. His twenty-sided eye spun, and Joe received a new message.
Successful Check.
One-of-a-kind entrance executed. Audience stunned for 15 seconds.
Activate Innate Courtly Etiquette? Yes/No
Joe quickly selected yes.
It felt like ages since he had taken on the skill, Innate Courtly Etiquette, and now it was imploring him to act in a way which suited his station. The skill recognized the presence of other nobles and gave Joe the information he needed. Behind the three platoons, Joe saw three mounted nobles. Though Joe himself was not atop a stallion, at his height, he would come up to about their chest level.
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