Login Re:Coded: A LitRPG Novel (Incipere Online Book 2)

by R J Triveri

  “Blade Rush!” River triggered and allowed her body to follow the skill’s preset movements. Unlike her original skill, the blade lined up with her lowered arms and extended towards the ground. A moment later, she was at top speed, running at Blightska with reckless abandon. Her momentum transferred to the tip of the blade as she reached her target and continued to carry herself forward in an arc that’d do the Grim Reaper proud. Her weight and blade came crashing into the dryder boss before Dante could even blink an eye. From the way the creature screamed, the hit was critical. Slicing cleanly through the stressed limb, a small thud joined the scream. The blade skill continued to send River forward and out of retaliation range as she finished moving a few feet later. A smile painted her face as she looked at the now-fuming mass that was Blightska. “Kickass!”

  But her celebration was short lived as Blightska’s dryder half struck back and knocked the woman prone with a spray of webbing that burned at her skin and held her fast against the wet, stench-ridden floor.

  River Hexi: Damage Received - 42% Integrity Remaining

  Warning: You have been affected by the condition - Acid. (Conditional)

  Warning: You have been affected by the condition - Confined. (Conditional)

  Warning: You have been affected by the condition - Silence. (Conditional)

  You have resisted poison.

  ***

  Fear rose in Dante’s chest as he listened to River scream for only a moment before hitting the ground with a squishy thud. In a single moment, she had fallen dumb and mute as a seven-legged dryder loomed over her with a swarm of glowing white knives that weaved back and forth above her back. He didn’t even hesitate to go on the offensive.

  A primal scream erupted from Dante as he ran at the dryder with a recklessness that would do his friend proud. His words warped as he approached, and his language changed into something much more dangerous, the Seeker’s Creed. “Ribut petir jatuh atas musuh saya!”

  Skill Command [Words of Power: Old Tongue] Accepted: Enhanced Skill Trigger has been activated.

  All attack skills have been enhanced for the next thirty minutes and require no skill trigger.

  Support skills have been disabled.

  Fulgoris and Pyros have fused to become Volcanic Thunderfall!

  Temporary Debuff: Communication has been removed.

  Temporary Debuff: Backlash has been added - All skill costs have been normalized and tripled to 30% integrity per use due to their enhanced strength.

  Item: Energy Focus - Offhand has been consumed as fuel.

  Low Integrity warnings have been disabled.

  72 Hours cool-down has begun.

  Not quite an Exceed, but it would do as Dante’s hands flared with golden light haloed in shimmering fire. Volcanic Thunderfall was a new combination, but he knew full well that the cost would be the same as his last skill trigger, Galvanic Strike.

  This is going to suck, Dante thought to himself for only a moment as he rushed to close the gap.

  Blightska turned towards the incoherent noise to face him and sneer as she raised her hands in defiance of his approach. “I shall have you first then, eager light.” She howled a battle cry, and a glowing mass of liquid blades formed and rose to meet her command.

  If he hadn’t been Dante Rior, he would have been slightly more worried about six glowing blades of death. He had planned for her attack though and followed through as his balled fists slammed into the ground just outside of the dryder’s melee range. He had more than enough time to finish before she could trigger an attack and grinned darkly as he felt his life force drain into his hands.

  She shouldn’t have wasted her time talking.

  Skill cost extracted: Dante Rior - 41% Integrity - Spell Channeling confirmed.

  The inferno of light and power seeped from his fists like an open wound against the fetid soil as it pooled and flared to life. In its own flash of defiance against the encroaching darkness, it burned a path in the cave floor that encircled his target in less time than it had taken for the webbing to splash against his friend before taking the form of hundreds of intricate runes of twinkling starlight. Though his grin was dark, his eyes shimmered with the power to eclipse the situation as light rose to form a barrier around his target. Not a moment later, her swords crashed against it with no avail as the light absorbed the attack and fed their magic into its own power.

  All the while, the channel grew in power, seeping his own life for one final attack.

  Skill channeled: Dante Rior - 31% Integrity Remaining

  “What trickery is this?” the dryder boss pressed as she slammed herself against the barrier. Her movement was erratic as the ground began to simmer ever more red with each passing moment. “What have you done!”

  Skill channeled: Dante Rior - 20% Integrity Remaining

  It wasn’t a question so much as an angry declaration, but Dante didn’t care and smiled all the more darkly. He would have explained if he could though and continued to lock eyes with her, not even daring to blink. Data leaked from his eyes from the stress of the ability, and his integrity dripped lower by the moment as he fed power into the skill.

  Skill channeled: Dante Rior - 7% Integrity Remaining

  At least, it continued until it was ready to surge.

  Skill channel has been canceled.

  Skill triggered.

  A rumble from deep within the cave shook the ground, cracking the earth under Blightska as she gnashed and squealed from the heated ground. The boss’s eyes shot venom, but it only lasted until the explosion of thunder and magma erupted from below her and drowned out her screams and venomous tones. The crash of thunder and the sizzle of burning earth removed any trace of her gaze as the cage of energy held back the attack from becoming an area of effect and consuming Dante and River.

  The energy-ridden magma rolled and boiled as it crackled against the corpse of the Wild One boss for almost a full minute before the barrier vanished, taking all essence of the attack with it. Bytes and loot spilled to the floor, and Dante joined it as his mind reeled with the pounding stress of his abilities.

  Warning: You are mentally exhausted (Conditional).

  Find a safe place to rest while your core data defragments.

  The only saving grace were his clever hands catching himself the moment before his head would have crashed into the warmed, wet earth.

  Dante Rior - Rank Up! - Rank 6 Seeker achieved!

  Dante Rior - Rank Up! - Rank 7 Seeker achieved!

  Dante Rior - Rank Up! - Rank 8 Seeker achieved!

  3 Passive Skill Points are awaiting assignment.

  Mastery of Language has increased from 1 to 2.

  Requirements have been met for tier-two spell mutation.

  Requirements have been met for a tier-three spell.

  ***

  River Hexi - Rank Up! - Rank 7 Blade Dancer achieved!

  River Hexi - Rank Up! - Rank 8 Blade Dancer achieved!

  2 Passive Skill Points have been automatically assigned to Flexibility.

  Requirements have been met for Arc-Wave.

  Arc-Wave has been unlocked!

  It only took a few moments for the webbing of the dryder to vanish in the wake of its destruction, and River was back on her feet. It took even less time for her to make it to Dante’s side. He was a wreck, in her opinion. Even if she didn’t have the party menu, it was easy to see what had happened as her boot prodded ever so gently at his prone side. “Hey.”

  Dante groaned in response as she prodded again, and his head fell into the muddy earth and his status changed:

  Dante Rior has passed out due to mental fatigue (8:00:00).

  “You really put it all out there, huh?” she commented to her unconscious partner. “I haven’t seen you use your Language Mastery since you figured out how it worked.” With those words, she sat down and put a hand on his face-down shoulder. “It was stupid, Dante, but I can’t thank you enough.” River sighed and adjusted herself, careful not to hit him as sh
e looked at the shimmering loot that awaited them on the charred earth just a few steps away. Though she had passed it on her way to him, it didn’t feel right to pick it up yet. It was Dante’s kill after all. “I just wish you didn’t have to waste your focus on the trigger though. Now, we’ll have to find you another one.”

  He was in no condition to argue that remark as his body barely held together from the stress of so many channeled spells and abilities. Just another drawback of the Seeker, or really, any purely magical class. The human mind, digitized or not, just wasn’t meant to command that much power, but it didn’t stop her from venting for just a few moments though.

  “I suck at dungeons,” she settled on as she watched the bytes and other miscellaneous loot shimmer every couple of moments. A loot orb waited patiently for them like an egg in a nest as she thought about her actions. “I almost got us killed because I got cocky.”

  She sighed again, looking at his form as she finally nudged him onto his back. His face was stained with mud and dirty water as she looked for the lingering or permanent damage to his mouth and eyes he had warned her about. Thankfully, he was clear of pixelation as she returned to a more relaxed stare and simply watched him. His chest rose and fell in shallow, needed breaths as she thought about what to say next, but nothing came as she got back up, wiped off the muck and took a short trip to the loot pile.

  8x [Large Cooked Spider Legs]

  Consumable

  +10% integrity

  25% chance to impart the buff, Sticky Fingers

  Cooked either by accident or on purpose, these meaty spider legs have had their shells burned away, leaving behind a succulent, soft meat free of poison and hair. Most people might stick up their noses at it, but their healing properties are hard to ignore. Those with less than gracious natures also enjoy the rare status one can gain from eating them. This pair of legs seems to have come from an especially powerful spider.

  “Eww,” River said to herself as she continued to pick up the various loot.

  5,000 Bytes found

  Party split has divided it evenly between all surviving party members.

  2,500 Bytes acquired

  10x [Obsidian]

  Uncommon Crafting Material

  Rare Variant: Thunderstruck

  Obsidian is a volcanic glass used for extra sharp, but not very durable, weapons such as arrowheads. Highly enchantable, Obsidian is often used in mid-tier-level magical items as runes or a core. Durability can vary based on crafting. Any items crafted will include the variant’s unique properties.

  Reward Orb - Level 3 - Rare

  Class Locked: Blade Dancer

  Party-bound

  Contents: A dungeon reward for the Blade Dancer class guaranteed to be better than the equipped weapon the user is currently outfitted with at the time of the dungeon boss’s death.

  Do you wish to confirm ownership of this reward? Y/N

  “Oh, hell yeah!” River nearly yelled through her grin as she picked up the orange orb. She had never seen a reward orb, but she knew what to do with it as it refused to take her response as confirmation. “Yes.”

  New item acquired!

  Dancer’s Blade has replaced Reward Orb and has been added to your inventory.

  Dancer’s Blade

  Rare Boss Variant: Dao - Long Sword

  Level 3 Blade Dancer Equipment

  Basic Damage Rank 3 - Above Average Slash Damage

  Basic Damage Rank 2 - Average Piercing Damage

  Attack Speed - Fast - Slash damage

  Rare Variant Attributes:

  Unshaken - This weapon cannot be broken by normal means or forcibly unequipped.

  Spell Cutter - With proper timing, Dancer’s Blade will allow skills to cut through magical protections and attack spells.

  Poison Resistant - While wielding, the Blade Dancer is 50% more resistant to poison.

  Corrosion Proof - This weapon’s damage cannot be reduced.

  In a flash, the blade replaced River’s blunted sword/shield. A slender, curved blade crafted of fine iron and glinting with shimmering blue stones in the pommel and the cross guard. Though the blade was shorter than her last hulking blade, the hilt was long enough to wield it with two hands. As she tested the blade, it gave off a faint, enchanted light as she held it out in her hand and slashed at the air. The smile on her face lasted only as long as it took for her to remember her friend had been the reason for all of this.

  “Shit,” she cursed as she put the blade in the new sheath at her side. She began to feel a little guilty now as she ended up with the best loot. At least he’d appreciate the crafting material. Kneeling by his side again, she brought out one of the recall disks he had forced her to buy for just such an occasion. Tapping the item and setting the item for their home point, she wiped a bit of hair from his mud-ridden face and smiled. “Come on, Dante,” River said softly as a wicked grin grew across her face. “Let’s get out of here, partner.”

  Chapter Five: Just Rewards

  Their arrival to their small room within The Comet’s Fall was little more than a flash of light and data, but the significance of the event still held weight within her heart. They had survived. The pair of adventurers were worse for wear and nearly wiped from the face of Incipere, but they had survived.

  To River’s amazement, the surprises didn’t stop there.

  She had materialized with her friend’s body in her arms and nearly stumbled from the additional weight, but that wasn’t what caused the shock to her system. River was able to hold him like he was a bride crossing the altar with little more than a slight strain on her form. Taking a few more confident steps, she realized just how light he was to her. Was she just that strong? She didn’t spend too much time thinking on it and just accepted the world’s logic. Thankfully, it was just another in a long line of pleasant, welcomed surprises.

  Treating him the best she could, River set him in his bed to rest and watched him for a moment as the timer on his status continued to tick down. He looked a bit muddy, but other than that he was peaceful and resting. Old habits died hard though, and his comfort just wasn’t enough.

  Switching from her beat-up-looking armor into her newer aqua-blue street clothes, the shirt was a bit more form-fitting than her old neon-pink one and the pants she bought seemed more like she had to be poured into them, and she loved them. Taking a moment to make sure she had equipped everything, she took it upon herself to right one of the most deplorable wrongs she could think of at the moment. Opening their shared storage, River took a few pieces of river-fish glass, some aqua-spawn gel, and the unique obsidian they’d gathered before taking one last look at Dante and leaving their room with the click of the door’s lock.

  Heading to the storefront of the inn where the real bartering was done, River saw her target and hesitated. He was busy with an unfamiliar bald customer in what looked like a pair of robes. From the way their hands were moving and the way their voices were carrying across the storefront, River decided it was in her best interest to wait. She took her time and leisurely browsed the basic wares that the inn provided its new clientele. Most of which could be gotten easily by simply going outside the city walls.

  “Fine! I’ll get my salves when I get to Siris!” The woman nearly dealt damage with her words alone as she turned to leave, muttering to herself just loud enough for anyone around her to hear. “Two hundred bytes each? Bastard. I hope they never figure out how badly you’re ripping them off.”

  River smiled to herself at the woman. Anders was a shrewd businessman, but no worse than anyone else in Graywall. If the newbies weren’t going to do their research and find a medic, or even less likely, an alchemist willing to improve their craft for the materials, they deserved to pay two hundred bytes for ten’s worth of materials.

  She had learned the hard way, so it was only fair they learned the same way and appreciated the fact that Anders only charged the in-city going rate.

  As the shopkeep wiped his brow, he smiled at seei
ng one of his long-term customers approach. “Ah, River,” Anders said in the overly oily voice of a salesman. “What can I do for you today?”

  “Anything new?” River replied, knowing she had a little time to kill to get things done.

  Opening up his window to check, Anders took a moment to examine his newest acquisitions and present them accordingly. “A few profession skill books,” he began. “Are you interested in learning how to become a tinker or a gardener?”

  She shook her head to both options. “I prefer combat, and where the hell am I going to garden, Anders?”

  “But tinkering is a great way to relax,” he pressed, trying to make the sale. “Not to mention the bytes you can bring in making jump disks and those fun little exploding things that kids love.”

  Detondisks. She almost groaned at how she had nearly snapped on him, thinking he had actually attacked her. It wasn’t nearly as funny when he found them in his bed later that night and burned his ass, but those fun little toys weren’t why she was here. “No thanks.”

  Undeterred, he materialized something smaller in his hand. It was glowing with a light all its own. A moment later, two eyes popped open, and the newly formed creature began rolling around in the shopkeeper’s open palm like some sort of demented stress toy with a death wish. “What about a light keeper? Never get caught in the dark again, and it buffs your night vision when it’s not active.”

  Now that’s tempting, River thought to herself as she stared at the little creature that decided to start bouncing happily at her attention. “How much?”

  At her words, he grinned like a waiting predator. “Luxurious items like this aren’t cheap, you understand. I couldn’t part with it for less than nine thousand bytes.”

  If River hadn’t learned the level of self-control she had over the past few months, she would have punched him for the extortion, but her patience won out and she resisted the urge. Again, as fun as the creature would be, it wasn’t what she had come for.