Finding a Body (The Dark Herbalist Book #4) LitRPG series

by Michael Atamanov

  Clearly the employees watching over me were showing that I shouldn’t talk about that. What was wrong now? Could I really not talk with my friend about our common acquaintance? Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to risk getting banned before this important night battle and changed the topic, answering Leon’s question:

  “First we’re going to the northern front. A group of undying there has crossed the Border Hills and stopped near the Icy Mountains. Now it is night, so most players should have exited the game. If we show up suddenly and attack all at once, we should handle the remaining enemies without issue.”

  I summoned the Gray Pack and chose my favorite mount, the ice-white level-102 Mythical Hound Fimbulthul. The pooch with matted fur nearly knocked me over in joy, then gave my cheek a grateful lick with his scratchy tongue and lied down on the ground to make it easier for his short master to climb up. Once atop Fimbulthul, I noticed that my Goblin niece Yunna, after her self-sacrifice on the altar was still the lowest level of my companions, yet had already hit 60. Yunna had been leveled up via a special regimen cooked up by Valerianna Quickfoot. It was only what she needed to be a Wolf Rider, and made with speed in mind. Now the goblin girl, wrapped up in a warm fur jacket and holding a short spear in her hands was atop Gjöll. The black female Mythical Hound was up to level 30 already, and today was her combat baptism.

  Yunna’s brother Irek was left with Lobo, the level-98 Hardened Forest Wolf as a mount. And based on the green-skinned big-eared youth’s sour face, he was none too happy about it. And it was no surprise. His sister’s Gjöll was a unique creatures, only one of which existed in all Boundless Realm . But he just got a common gray wolf regardless of its high level. You might wonder what difference it really made. But for Irek, it was important to always be at least on equal footing with his sister. The Goblin boy had asked me a few times to get him “something just a bit cooler” as a mount. However Baron, my rare Alpha Swamp Wolf at level 120 wouldn’t allow the teen to ride him. And Modgud’s old Guard Dog at level 212 was for some reason not rideable and refused to carry anyone including me. And it should be noted that the Guard Dog still didn’t have a nickname. Although Valerianna and I had suggested a few different names for the fearsome hound, none of them ever stuck.

  Alright, the soldiers were in formation, and we could begin.

  “Murk!” I called over my emissary. “We’re ready. Go directly to the camp of the undying and immediately open a portal!”

  The Dark Rider gave me a salute with his spear and disappeared into the wisps of black fog. No more than a minute passed, and just ten steps away I saw the huge flaming orange ring of a portal.

  “Forward, my glorious warriors! Tear them all to bits! Take no prisoners!!!” I shouted with all my might. And to build on that, I cracked the whip I got from the goddess Hel.

  Exotic Weapons skill increased to level 29!

  Warchief skill increased to level 27!

  My army flooded past me through the fiery oval like a raging storm surge. At a certain point, I thought I saw Chai-nee Shu’s familiar face. But come on, how would the Princess have gotten here? I had definitely not allowed my ward to join us. Nevertheless, I was not able to calm the sudden anxiety, especially when See-Uhn-Rhu also dashed past. The young chieftain of the Clan of the Laughing Otter hadn’t been invited to this battle either. What the heck was going on here?

  I was one of the last to gallop through the portal on my Mythical Hound, making sure first that my warriors had all managed to get through and, just three seconds later, the flaming ring behind me slammed shut. Great! So, what did we have here?

  A snowy night forest. Frost. Snow trampled by many feet and thoroughly soaked in blood. Next to the big firepit were the bodies of ten players and a few dozen of their dead pets. There were no losses on our side. The fast-paced battle was over before I’d even showed up. The ten players warming themselves at the fire at such a late hour were caught off guard and swept away by the unexpected flood of NPC’s. Based on Murk’s recon, there were no less than two hundred undying in this squadron initially but, as I’d assumed, they’d mostly exited the game when night fell.

  “Warriors! Carve stakes and place them point-up densely in those tents,” I said, motioning at the large travelling tents with clan emblems. “Most likely, due to the deep freeze out here, the undying exited in those tents, so they will be coming back into the game in the same place. And when they return, these stakes will skewer them!!!”

  In reply, I got an elated roar from many throats. The orcs, minotaurs and rougarou took out their axes, halberds and broadswords and started felling young trees.

  Foreman skill increased to level 80!

  Alright, great. Now I wanted to find a way to stop them from respawning. I looked around for the Ogre Fortifier, because my next job was for him:

  “Shrekson, take a portal scroll and pop back over to the castle. The Storekeeper will issue you a Tectonic Bomb, then we’ll open a portal back for you. We’re going to use that bomb to blow up the respawn stone,” I said pointing at the distant boulder, which vibrated with overflowing energy. “Let the players talk to tech support and respawn wherever they like, as long as it’s not in my lands!”

  “But can a respawn point even be destroyed?” The Ogre Fortifier asked in surprise.

  “I have no idea. But I cannot see an indestructible tag on the stone, which means the plan might work. If the stone doesn’t blow, I’ll write tech support and demand an explanation.”

  Leon gave a slight bow and disappeared in the flames of the now open interspace passage. I then carefully looked around and drove my shaggy mount forward, spurring Fimbulthul on with my heels. As I rode, I gracefully caught Chai-nee Shu by the ear with two fingers. She was trying to hide from me in the night forest! Not particularly minding her cries of pain, I lifted her by the ear and set her in front of me:

  “And who’s this I see? Tell me, what are you doing here?”

  The rougarou princess’s silly furry little snout looked bashful, but not the least bit afraid:

  “Sovereign, I discovered from Regent Uvari-Dor-Shu that this attack was being planned and I convinced him to take me with. After all, as a Princess and future rougarou leader, I must build up authority and earn glory in combat! I can’t just be hunting all the time!”

  “Not the wisest move for a future ruler though,” I said, shaking my big-eared head in reproach. “It could have been very dangerous here, especially for you. You’re unique as the adopted daughter of the Dark Sovereign, so the undying will stop at nothing to take you down. To them you’re nothing but a valuable trophy. And indeed, Chai-nee, where are your bodyguards? I mean, I assigned you thirty elite warriors! Why are they not with you?”

  The girl lowered her snout and gave a lighthearted giggle:

  “They all think I’m sleeping soundly. They’re guarding the doors of my bedroom. But I called the Steward and ordered him to bring me to the castle exit. Then I ordered Uvari-Dor-Shu to add me to the squadron in another rougarou’s place. He didn’t dare refuse. I am your daughter after all!”

  What? This was a serious glitch in my security. The Dark Sovereign’s right to order NPC servants was transmitted to any relative without my approval? My sister Valerianna Quickfoot was one thing. I wanted her to be able to give orders to the Dark Sovereign’s subjects, and she used that actively. But it was another thing entirely for my underage adopted daughter to do so. Seemingly, the NPC Princess Chai-nee Shu could even send the Dark Sovereign’s whole warband out on a campaign and, at her own discretion, order gold from the chests in my storage, or execute whoever she liked. By the way... the Goblin beauty Taisha also probably held a certain sway in the eyes of these NPC, given she was officially known as the wife of the Dark Sovereign. Knowing Taisha’s flighty and antsy character, just imagine what a mess she could make of things by using this privilege willy-nilly. I needed to figure that issue out with tech support to get a few restrictions put in place.

  But that would come lat
er, when we were back in the castle. Now I was interested in a different issue:

  “I can understand that. But what is the young chieftain of the Clan of the Laughing Otter doing here? Did he also convince the rougarou commander to let him replace another soldier?”

  Chai-nee Shu went a deep red, embarrassed and said barely audibly:

  “No, the regent didn’t want to take See-Uhn-Rhu, no matter how he asked. But I insisted, ordering it in your name. See-Uhn-Rhu is a fun companion and wanted a way to earn glory, so I decided to help him. I mean, you aren’t mad, right?”

  * * *

  WE WEREN’T ABLE to blow up the respawn stone, but it did go off with quite the bang. The forest was lain low in a one-hundred-fifty-foot radius, and many boulders nearby were shattered. But the vibrating stone didn’t even get a fleck of soot or a single scratch on it! Leon and I had to cover the respawn stone with heaps of lumber and make a huge campfire, just like we’d done earlier in the Lower Fort on the river Styx. The NPC soldiers of my army couldn’t go near the respawn stone, so they cut the fallen trees into firewood and dragged them nearby. We only finished at four thirty AM, when a huge fire pit was blazed in the icy cold forest. Flames lapped at the highest branches of even the most ancient trees.

  “It will definitely burn a few days, then the red-hot coals will stop players from being on the respawn point for a while!” the Ogre Fortifier promised, and I figured that was plenty.

  Other than that, we could of course keep the fire going by periodically coming back to toss some wood on it. So then, I considered the threat from the north neutralized, at least for now. All that remained was the west and the east. To begin, I decided the west was the most dangerous:

  “Night, I need you!”

  The Dark Rider appeared practically instantly from some wisps of black mist, confirming that the emissaries of the Dark Sovereign could accept orders from their master at any distance.

  “Night, go to the undying camp by the Upper Fort and open a portal for my army right inside the fortress!”

  The Dark Rider gave a dignified bow and dissolved back into wisps of a black dust-devil together with her gigantic mount. I waited a minute, then another... but nothing happened.

  “Sovereign, my sister has died at the hands of the undying and shall respawn in your castle in one hour,” Murk told me after riding up closer.

  Well, crap... It was simultaneously worrying and shocking. My enemies managed to kill the level-287 NPC rider with such ease! That spoke to the defenders of the Upper Fort having very high-level players, and that was at the very least. They were also seemingly in a combat-ready state, which meant my army couldn’t pull off a surprise attack now. Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to leave the killing of my emissary unanswered.

  “Murk, your sister must be avenged! Go and appear near the fort, but at a safe distance. And shoot your Cursed Arrow at any of the weaker undying! No, not even that. Choose any large and maneuverable pet as a target! And leave immediately. Let the liberated Midnight Wraith take its bounty of blood alone. Then I will go with my army to the eastern front near Frigid Lake!”

  Warchief skill increased to level 28!

  Foreman skill increased to level 81!

  “Yes, my lord!” It was obvious that Murk was enormously happy to receive this mission.

  Of course, it was a shame to waste a rare Cursed Arrow, but I thought this was the right time to use it. After all, the Midnight Wraith was especially effective against high level players. It’s ability to always be twice the level of the strongest player in a group was almost too much. If there was even one soldier at level two hundred fifty or even three hundred defending the fort... then all the players in the fort would certainly be meeting their maker! At level five hundred or even worse six, the NPC monster could simply not be destroyed. Or more accurately it would remain a theoretical possibility, but doing so would require hundreds of players working together, and the slightest error or disorganization would kill them all.

  “Darkness, I need you! Go to the undying camp on the eastern shore of Frigid Lake and open a portal. Do it as close to the tents and buildings as you can!”

  The Dark Rider saluted with her big curved saber, which left a green trail glowing in the air then she disappeared, and I was left to wait anxiously again. Would my emissary make it to the players? Or would Darkness share her sister’s fate? No more than three minutes later, a bunch of system logs ran past my eyes:

  Achievement unlocked: Player killer (13)

  Achievement unlocked: Player killer (14)

  ...

  Level eighty-seven!

  Achievement unlocked: Player killer (27)

  ...

  I pulled it off! Apparently, Murk had carried out my order and used the Cursed Arrow to devastating effect. The Midnight Wraith was freed and started beating down everyone who tried to resist. But what about Darkness? I figured she must not have made it, but suddenly a portal opened.

  “Charge! Attack!!!”

  This time the three hundred NPC soldiers passed through the portal noticeably quicker, in just forty seconds. I was the last to jump through the ring of flame and immediately came face to face with a level-132 enemy Paladin wielding a flaming two-handed sword and taking on two of my minotaurs at once. The three huge identical sharp-toothed lizards that went to grapple with the rougarou were clearly the Paladin’s pets. Fimbulthul jumped right into the heavily armored enemy and knocked him over. I very skillfully added a lash to the falling and unbalanced enemy. The enchanted whip wrapped around the Paladin’s neck and by some miracle entered the small gap between his helmet and solid armor suit. My speed separated the enemy’s head from his body and, leaving a spatter of blood in the air, it flew upward into the night sky.

  Critical damage dealt: 10100 (2*8417 Hair Whip strike — armor ignored, 40% defense against physical damage)

  Experience received: 325000 Exp.

  Achievement unlocked: Player killer (31)

  Level eighty-eight!

  Exotic Weapons skill increased to level 30!

  Riding skill increased to level 34!

  All three fanged lizards stopped motionless with the death of their master then got chopped into coleslaw in a matter of seconds by my rougarou. Great! But... one glance at the mini-map made me go cold in the chest. The three hundred blue markers of my NPC army on the map were mixed in with at least the same number of enemy red dots, and more enemies were coming every minute! I couldn’t see any portals opening, the undying were simply entering the game and appearing basically all around us. There were hundreds of them, if not thousands! A trap!!!

  This was a classic login trap. Most players had exited the game to make their army seem weak but, always staying in communication with the remaining players, were ready to go back at any second. Valerianna and I had done this several times before in Kingdoms of Sword and Magic , but here I myself had been caught by this age-old trick. We had to leave now before it was too late! I quickly opened my inventory in search of a portal scroll back to the castle...

  ATTENTION!

  The forbidden spell Astral Explosion has just been cast in the lands of the Dark Sovereign!

  For the next 12 hours, portals, summoning magic and teleportation scrolls will be impossible to use in all areas near Frigid Lake

  A huge dome seething with all the colors of the rainbow folded down over the battlefield. Astral Explosion, a forbidden spell! If this had happened in a city, the mage who cast Astral Explosion would already be getting dragged to prison by NPC guards. However here on a desolate and unpopulated plain, there was no one to punish the malefactor. It was all turning out so bad... I stashed the portal scroll back in my inventory — unfortunately it was too late. Now I couldn’t run away and all that remained was to fight. Fight and die, because it was not theoretically possible to win with this balance of forces.

  “Stay in formation! Shields in a line! Spears out front! Archers focus on the mages!” I could hear the booming voices of Shreks
on and Vaash the troll. Even in this critical situation, my commanders were on their game.

  ...

  Achievement unlocked: Player killer (52)

  Level eighty-nine!

  ...

  Achievement unlocked: Player killer (67)

  But then I didn’t understand. Either that experience was coming from the Midnight Wraith, or my Gray Pack was on the hunt. Most likely, it was both.

  I turned attention to the flickering local chat window and unwittingly read a few messages. The players were in a state of unbridled joy. And not just that. They had managed to take a fairly large squadron of mine captive with its commander! The players could already taste the glory and generous reward for capturing the superboss, so they were joking around and chatting it up. The main idea that always jumped out in these messages was: “Now the main thing is not to kill the Dark Sovereign, otherwise he’ll just respawn in his castle and it will all have been in vain. We need to take our prize alive! No one shoot the Dark Sovereign and don’t sic your pets on him!”

  Oh no... They were planning to take me prisoner. And I had just been surprised no one was attacking me. That was very bad. What could I do? How to break out of the trap? Should I even try to break out? I stood up on Fimbulthul and took a look around as much as my short height allowed. No, it was pointless. My army was surrounded by a solid ring of enemies. Their shields were locked and their innumerable rows of spears surrounded us on all sides. What was more, I could sense that the enemy was well coordinated and had capable command. The undying were skillfully redistributing reserves to dangerous parts and quickly reinforcing the defenses there. No, we weren’t going to be allowed to break out and leave.