PrimeVerse: Dose of Chaos: A GameLit / LitRPG Adventure

by R K Billiau

  “No! Leave them alone, Cora, they are just kids!” I shouted as the remaining gromlins again leapt onto me and started biting and gnashing my extremities.

  “Ouch! Cora, don’t…” I shoved my elbow down on a gromlin with my knee in its mouth, “…do this. It has nothing to do with them. They’re children! This is between us!” One hand became useless as several fingers were bitten off, and I collapsed to my knees, the Pain debuff overwhelming my ability to function. My health had dropped to a sliver, but the gromlins stopped attacking me, just as she said they would.

  “They aren’t children, Hudson. They are just lines of code. 0s and 1s. They don’t exist. I will bring them to my master and he can decide what to do with them,” she said.

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ryan beginning to move, the effect of the chaos bolt wearing off. I had to buy him some time, so I raised my hand, using the last of my Mana to cast Mana Orb and condense it down.

  She threw her head back, laughing. “You’ve lost Hudson, don’t you get it? It’s almost cute, you playing with magic. Your little spell won’t do enough damage to even notice!” she screamed at me. “Just accept it! If you do,” she purred, putting her hands on her chest and sliding them down and over her hips, “I can keep you here, you can serve me...” she had dropped her voice an octave, attempting to seduce me.

  Ryan had finally shaken off the effects fully, and I saw him pull something out of his pocket. The yellow gem from the dungeon! How had he gotten that? He popped it into his mouth and closed his eyes, lightning playing across his fingers.

  I made eye contact with Cora, trying to keep her talking. “You won’t send me back to the starter zone if I play along with you?”

  She smirked; she was still keeping her distance but was laying the charm on thick. “Of course, you know how much I like to have men with unique abilities.” She swayed her hips, sliding her finger down her torso. “You would be a good start to my harem, and as long as you play nicely, you’ll get to stay with me.”

  I breathed out, pretending to think it over.

  “Gross,” I said. Then I looked at Ryan and yelled, “Get to the village, help them!”

  I put the Mana Orb in my mouth and detonated it.

  Chapter 41

  “I assume you’ll be leaving quickly?” the Adjudicator asked. It was still watching the proceedings. At least this time it didn’t have popcorn.

  “Yeah, I need to get back but... is there any way you can help me?” I asked as I checked my flashing notifications. No skill raises, and only 25XP. The gromlins must be really low level for it to be so little, enough of the things was still deadly though. “Cora is so much stronger now, I’m assuming she became an archon’s vassal?”

  “Indeed, when she was reincarnated, she became the Vassal of Chaos. A rather unpleasant creature.” It continued to sit, watching me. Finally, it stood. “I cannot directly interfere. The rules do not make it possible,” it said, and my hope was dashed. I didn’t want those kids to be captured. I felt like they were my responsibility now that their parents had been... changed. Well, that and because Cora was here. I didn’t know how much of that was my doing, but her lust for revenge certainly had something to do with me.

  “An interesting thing about Mana nodes,” the Adjudicator continued, and I sighed heavily. I didn’t have time for its random small talk. “They stay as pure Mana nodes,” it continued, “unless they have been claimed by a vassal of an archon, at which point they take on the properties of that vassal’s archon. Pure Mana nodes grant access to Magic, other types of nodes grant... other things to those who access them.”

  “Is this part of that great big game you told me wasn’t happening?” I asked, maybe with a little more venom in my voice than I intended.

  It frowned at me, its features shifting to look like an old Asian man. “Hudson, I did not lie. You asked if there was a war between archons, and there is not one. I apologize for my deception about the truth. It was... uncouth.”

  “Why did you lie to me, anyway?” I knew I didn’t have time to get into this, but I wanted to know, and I had no idea when I would be back. Probably soon, but still.

  It sighed and shook its head. “I was… afraid. Recall how I told you my social skills were very lacking. I was afraid if you knew the truth you would choose not to be my vassal.” It sat back down in the chair, its shoulders slumped.

  I rolled my eyes. Just what I needed, my boss being a wimp. “Okay, whatever. Just don’t do it again, okay? I want to be able to trust you.”

  It nodded. “I will not. The nodes, they are a part of our game. Each node claimed by an archon gains them power and standing, bringing them closer to getting their year in power. The nodes also provide a way to access an archon.”

  “Wait, so if I claimed a node for you, then I could go into the node to talk to you instead of dying?”

  “Yes. Anyone could.”

  “Well, that’s a good reason to get you a node then. How many are there?” I asked.

  It paused, thinking, its form shifting to that of a teenage girl with a long braid. “There are, or will be, one hundred nodes. Not all of them are in place.”

  “A hundred, in the whole world?” I asked.

  “Yes. That is the maximum number of nodes this world can support.”

  I gave this some thought. “So wait, if someone accesses a node to talk to an archon, doesn’t the node change them? Like the chaos node changed the villagers?”

  “That is the case,” it said, “with a notable exception. Vassals cannot be changed.”

  “They can’t?”

  “No, once someone has accepted vassalhood they are, from that point on, the envoy of that power. They remain immutable except by their own choice or that of their patron.”

  “Does accessing the node grant them power? Like how the Mana node granted me access to Magic?” I asked, curious.

  “Each node is different, but in general that is the way they work,” it said, smiling as I was beginning to catch on.

  “All right then, I think I know what to do,” I said and jumped up the steps to give the Adjudicator a high-five. I raised my hand in the air and it looked at it, cocking its head.

  “What is this?” it asked.

  “It’s a high-five, it means we are cool, man. Raise your hand.” It did, and I slapped my hand onto it. It pulled back its hand, looking at it.

  “What an interesting custom. Thank you for showing it to me!” It had a genuine smile on its face that reached its eyes and I smiled as well.

  “No problem,” I said and embraced the light.

  This time when I was at the respawn menu, I selected a spot right above the chaos node and jumped into the world. As the world cleared around me, I was thrown into a maelstrom of insanity, the likes of which I had never imagined.

  You have entered a Chaos Node!

  Warning! Entering a node of a type not your own will cause your form to change to that type!

  Reforming... vassal detected reforming canceled!

  I felt like my body was simultaneously being torn apart and sewn together. My vision swam into colors I had never known existed, and an array of smells hit my nose so powerfully I almost retched until the smells were suddenly silenced. My eardrums exploded from the silence, then regenerated as the cacophony reached a crescendo. The taste of rancid meat filled my tongue and I spat as my saliva became the gentlest lavender mouthwash.

  Yeah, it was weird. I could go my whole life without ever experiencing that again. Unfortunately, that was the easy part. The world seemed to have paused as I lived through this experience, all my senses sliding up and down the spectrums. Then a voice entered my head. A voice that made the displeasure of the chaos feel like an uncomfortable breeze while wearing too few clothes.

  The voice slid across my brain like a greased-up cheese grater coated in dopamine.

  The Vassal of the Adjudicator, come to my realm now? What could such a weak being want, besides the mercy of destruction?
/>
  I could tell straight away this was going to be a fun conversation.

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked, knowing I probably wouldn’t get an answer I liked.

  I am doing nothing. I merely sent my vassal out to bring about what I desire most. Chaos. How she achieves that goal is up to her.

  “Well, what about having her do it somewhere else? Maybe leave the village alone?”

  It made a noise that shook me like standing too close to a large bell that had just been struck and ended with that painful tingling sensation going through my body like a limb that had fallen asleep. I think it was laughter.

  My vassal has been doing her work well. I will allow her to continue.

  It was worth a shot. “Fine then, let me out of here, and I’ll stop her myself,” I said.

  I could feel its amusement in my mind, like a massage on my brain with a rough, calloused hand.

  You will leave soon enough, but first I have an offer to make. Renounce your vassalhood with the Adjudicator and become mine.

  It was my turn to laugh. “Hah! No way buddy, anyone who would willingly employ psychopaths like Cora is not somebody I would want to work for.”

  I can release her from my service, and I can offer you great power. Nothing like what that weakling the Adjudicator can offer you.

  “You would do that? Why? I thought you liked what she has done for you?” I asked.

  I do as I wish. Cora has been useful, but one as resourceful as you would be more so.

  “Yeah, no,” I said. “Not gunna happen. If you can betray her as easily as that, you would do the same to me. Your whole shtick is a lack of stability. I’m going to pass,” I said.

  It laughed again, my insides vibrating.

  As you wish. You have made an enemy this day, I grant you power as the rules dictate, but I will not forget you.

  I felt the voice fade as the world crashed in on me again in all its glorious normalcy. Well, normal for a video game world, anyway.

  I fell through the air, landing on my feet and rolling. I looked around to see Cora had started off with the rest of the gromlins, and I opened my system messages.

  You have learned the unique skill Dose of Chaos!

  Dose of Chaos – Inject chaos into a skill or spell, causing a random effect. Choose a cost, the higher the cost, the greater the effect. The cost to use this skill will randomly be chosen from your expendables, if you do not have enough of that resource, your HP will be used. This skill can not gain levels.

  Oh, this was going to be FUN.

  Chapter 42

  The first order of business was to catch up to Cora and her army. My plan wasn’t to stop them, or defeat them, or anything like that. There were way too many gromlins and Cora was too powerful now for that. All I wanted to do was buy Madison and the kids some time. Maybe if we could get to the village, we could defend it and push Cora back. I had my doubts about that as well, though. The wall might have been great for holding off wolves or other things that were of limited intelligence, but Cora and these gromlins? I doubted it.

  I thought about it as I jogged after them. They couldn’t have gotten too far ahead of me, so I only moved as fast as I could without much drain to my Stamina.

  What was up with those gromlins, anyway? Multiplying like they had was kind of freaky, and I hoped it wasn’t something that they could do all the time, or else we would be drowning in gromlins. I considered what the world would be like if they indefinitely multiplied, over and over, exponentially raising their numbers until they were unavoidable. If they took over, would we all have to just reincarnate somewhere else? I couldn’t stand the thought of starting over without my friends. Without Madison. I shook the thought from my mind.

  Then there were the villagers. Did they lose their minds? Did they change into gromlins or were they replaced by the gromlins? I couldn’t tell if any of them were players. Certainly none of them stopped to talk with me. How much control did Cora have over them? I had so many questions and I didn’t know if I would get any answers. It was curious, too, that now there was a new playable race. Who would want to be a gromlin though? They seemed pretty terrible, to be honest.

  My ruminations ended when I caught sight of the horde. I immediately frowned when I saw it. It seemed like there were even more gromlins. Had it gotten bigger? I could really only guess, but at the very least it looked like the gromlins that had been killed either respawned or were replaced somehow. That did not make me happy. I was just trying to come up with a plan when once again a voice from behind me startled me.

  “Hey, over here.” I spun around to find Ryan hiding behind a tree. He waved me over and I glanced at the horde still running before making my way to him.

  “What are you doing here?” I shout-whispered. “Weren’t you supposed to be helping with the kids?”

  “Hey man, I’m out here to try to help you, give me a break. Graham has them well in hand and I doubled back to see if there was anything I could do to help bide more time,” he said.

  I blew out a breath. “Sorry man, I’m just annoyed. It was hopeless before, and there’s somehow even more of them now.”

  Ryan nodded at me. “Yeah, I saw how that works. The crazy chick shoots them with that weird black energy thing, and they like, split. Like amoebas. It’s scary. Like, what’s the limit on that? Seems pretty broken.”

  “Damnit,” I said, “there’s always something.”

  “Who are you anyway?” Ryan asked, putting his hand out. “I’m Ryan.”

  “Oh right,” I said, shaking his hand. “We haven’t actually met. I mean, I met you when you weren’t you, you were her,” I jerked my thumb towards the horde and Cora. “I’m Hudson, I helped the village solve a quest with my friends, the other ones with Graham and the kids. What happened to you anyway?”

  Ryan blushed. “Right. Well, I was out hunting, and there was a huge explosion of light in the forest, so I went to see what was going on. I had avoided that part of the forest for a long time because of those tutelar. Graham and I had tried to get into the portal a few times but kept getting our asses kicked by the guardian. When I got there the tutelar and the giant tree, they were just gone, replaced by this pond of silvery liquid. I knew it had to do with the quest because the quest had led us there before, so I touched it to see what it was.”

  “Ah,” I said, “did you get your Magic unlocked?”

  He nodded vigorously. “Yeah, that was crazy! I was excited about it, so I was heading back to the village to talk to Graham and the mayor. Except when I turned to leave, there was a woman standing there. A really hot woman. Without… any clothes. I, uh, admit I kind of lost my mind for a little when she came closer to me. I don’t know what happened, I wouldn’t normally let my guard down like that but...”

  “But she was irresistible?” I asked. “Yeah, that’s kind of her thing. Especially now.” Cora was attractive, no doubt. But to think of being so close to her… blech.

  “You know her?” he asked, incredulous.

  “Yeah,” I said, sheepishly. “We weren’t friends or anything, but it doesn’t matter much at this point. Back to you guys.”

  “Well, next thing I knew we were kissing, one thing led to another and we uh...”

  I rolled my eyes. Once again, being in a teenage body with all of its teenage hormones was causing problems. “Yeah, I get it, what happened next?”

  “Well after we uh... did that... she asked me to give her my arms. It was weird, she was talking the whole time, and she was telling me exactly what she was going to do, but when I heard it all I could do was go along with it, everything was a haze. I gave her my wrists, she tied me up, then she bit me.”

  “Wait, what?” That was new.

  “One second I was looking at this incredibly hot, naked chick, then she morphed into this featureless... thing… like a clay person with no details. It opened its mouth and had these sharp pointed teeth that it bit me with. Right on the arm. Then it morphed again and was wearing my fa
ce. I didn’t know what to think.”

  I wanted to know more, but time was short and I had already wasted enough talking. “That is terrifying.” I shuddered. “Anyway, we have to stop them. You know this forest, is there anything we can use?”

  He shrugged. “I knew this forest, ever since whatever happened, happened, there’s been all kinds of changes.” He sighed, heavily. “Are we ever going to get my friends back?”

  “I gotta be honest with you, man. I really don’t know. But help me stop Cora before she can get her hands on those kids and we will do whatever we can to change them back.”

  “Fair enough,” he said. “What did you have in mind?”

  “Can you get around to the front of them, cause a distraction, and I’ll get them from behind? Do you have, like, stealth skills and stuff?” I asked.

  “Oh yeah, all part of my scouting class. I may not be the best in a toe-to-toe slugfest, but I can get around unseen. Stealth archer for the win, baby,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes. “How are you gonna be an archer without a bow?”

  He pulled a bow out of his inventory, a belt quiver appearing on his side. “Psh, I never only have one bow. You just be ready,” he said as he crouched into the stealth position and disappeared before my eyes.

  “Wait! Join my party first,” I told the empty air.

  He came back into my vision, his jaw hung open. “You can do that?”

  “Sure can. We can even teach you how when this is all over.” I sent him a party invite and saw his name appear in the window. My system skill wasn’t high enough to see his health yet, but I could at least give him a mini-map. I activated it and smiled as his face grew even more excited.

  “What?! That is awesome!” he said as he touched the map, sending a ping out.

  “Okay, let's plan to meet back at the village if- er when- this ends badly,” I said. “You spawn at the village, right?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Where will you spawn?”