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

by Michael Atamanov

  And that’s exactly how it went. Whether the dwarves should remain in the lands of the Dark Sovereign wasn’t even up for discussion. Of course they would! All the clans of underground natives were now confident they wanted to move closer to my barely explored but extremely rich ore veins. So we were just ironing out the details, timeframe and their share of the ore. They needed space for workshops, furnaces and smithies, somewhere to keep ore and finished goods and land to build first temporary then permanent housing. We would also need to plan where each clan would make what things, and where to put the underground passages. And they would also be using ore dumps for fortification dikes, and needed to know how much weaponry and armor my army needed and so on and so on...

  The dwarves had a perfect idea of all these issues and came with their own suggestions. I could only confirm my agreement, and the Steward behind me added more and more new lines to his thick record book, immediately getting permission for a building project. We agreed on many important issues. The deserted spaces to the west of the castle would soon be turning into a production center for metallurgy and forging. I didn’t argue about the little stuff, allowing temporary tax indulgences where needed, and even agreeing to close my eyes to the fact that some of the underground buildings would be placed in areas already settled by orcs and rougarou. Those were minor issues I could solve later, if the undying army didn’t wipe me and all these buildings off the face of Boundless Realm .

  Now in my understanding, this was all supposed to provide for making as much metal, weaponry, tools and armor as necessary in the next few days. I didn’t even delve too far into the understanding between the dwarves and leader of the Thief’s Guild, someone by the name of Gray Raven [2] . It said that a tenth of the mithril mined would go to the thief’s guild in exchange for a guarantee that none of the thieves would target my storage, the traders, or caravans of valuable metal.

  I even signed a special edict saying the most recognized smiths and craftsdwarves, would be freed from serving in the Dark Sovereign’s army in perpetuity. After all, it was smarter and more beneficial to place a hundred more experienced soldiers and monsters in formation than one bearded hammerdwarf, only to lose an experienced craftsman if they were wounded or killed.

  The negotiations took place right in the big banquet hall on the backdrop of the ongoing boisterous wedding with periodic interruptions for yet another toast. Dwarven traditions didn’t allow us to skip a toast either. That would be a direct insult to the toastmaster, and I didn’t want to insult my guests with lack of attention. Wine and strong liqueurs flowed like a river, and I periodically saw messages about failed Poison Resistance checks. Somewhere in the process of the negotiations I also saw that the mission to bring the bearded miners to my side was finished:

  Mission completed: The only thing better than a mountain is a mountain range

  Experience received: 800 Exp.

  Eight hundred experience points was an unnoticeable drip to the Dark Sovereign now, cause only for laughter and yet another toast. The dwarves were normal NPC’s and didn’t understand a thing I was saying, but they didn’t refuse to drink. Fortunately, the negotiations with the dwarven leaders ended before my big-eared goblin fell truly drunk. So although Amra was sloshing around as he left the wedding, he still did so on his own two feet.

  * * *

  “DARIUS, DARINA. I EXPECT you both in the throne room in one minute!” The voice of the Dark Sovereign boomed throughout the castle and surrounding countryside, amplified by the Eye.

  I didn’t know where the pair of young werebeasts were but, in just one minute, the brother and sister ran into the hall and, stopping two steps from me, fell to one knee and bowed respectfully in tandem. It looked elegant and even beautiful. I didn’t know where they’d learned this act. I had already grown used to these young wargs either in the form of man-eating fanged predators or as humans wearing simple street clothes. Now before me were aristocratic children, based both on their stylish clothing of identical coloring and cut and their fine and proper behavior.

  I kept silent, not knowing the proper way to formulate the question. “Why the hell did you come back after begging me to let you go? I had to seriously weaken the Gray Pack to fulfill your request!” That’s what I wanted to say. But not having found decent words, I simply pointed a clawed glove to Darius and barked an order: “Speak!”

  “Sovereign, we were sent to you by a mysterious werebeast society. When you set little Daria and I free, the werebeasts of Boundless Realm deeply appreciated the gesture of good will. And now we were sent with a message that your call has been heard and the time has come to pay back like with like. Wargs and werewolves, kitsune and all other shapeshifting beasts are prepared to swear loyalty to you and become your subjects. And we have brought you a summoning medallion.” With these words Darius stood up and, with a respectful bow, extended me a round heavy bronze wolf-print medallion, darkened by the passage of time. “Activate it, Sovereign, and hundreds of werebeasts from all Boundless Realm will come to you at once!”

  Alright then, that changed things, though I still wasn’t sure I was getting more than I gave up. When Darius and Darina left, I lost two slots in the Gray Pack. The predators that could have been in those spots now would be deadly creatures over level 400, and would also have given extra bonuses to the strength and survival of my other fifteen pets. And what was I getting in return? I had the urge to instantly activate the medallion and see who came. All that was stopping me was the size of the throne room. What if the hundreds of creatures didn’t fit in here and crushed one another to death?

  I wanted to order the Steward to take me to the palace exit or simply walk there on foot and take a look at my new first floor after the remodel. But I stopped, seeing Darius frozen in fear and staring stubbornly at the same spot. I followed his gaze and figured it out.

  “Yes, that really is the head of your good friend Yunna in the back of my throne. And there a bit higher is the head of Vaash the troll, who you should also remember. They both died fighting for me. And when the new Queen of Lars gave their bodies back to my soldiers and they were burned on a funeral pyre with full honors, the heads of my companions appeared in the back of the Dark Sovereign’s throne.”

  Darius took a slight step back in shock and nodded. I understood his horror perfectly. I still shuddered every time I saw the squirming heads of my dead friends. It was just a sickening sight. I even tried to pull them out, despite the fact they strengthened the artifact just like the other heads, speeding up the flow of Direct Influence Points. But it didn’t work. My hands went through the ghostly heads, not feeling any sort of resistance.

  And I wasn’t the only one who felt grossed out seeing these not-fully-dead heads. My guards said that my goblin nephew Irek just about lost his mind when he first saw his dead sister’s head. Irek talked to her for a long time, made promises and begged his sister to forgive him for letting her die. Meanwhile Yunna’s head nodded in reply and smiled, sometimes even winking... Irek had to be dragged away by force because the guards saw that the goblin boy was going to climb up the leg of the huge throne and was about to touch the deadly antiaris wood. Sure, Irek would have respawned after dying as he had many times, but the guards still decided to escort the goblin youth out and away from this ghastly artifact.

  I used the Steward anyway and, in a moment, found myself at the gates of the large palace square. I went a bit away from all the buildings and other obstacles, then activated the medallion, just clicking the nail of my pointer finger on it. I didn’t know why, but I was sure it would work. And indeed, before the shrill ringing died down, a whole zoo of animals appeared on the square. Wolves of all shades and patterns, brown and polar bears, lynxes and pumas, gray and red foxes. I even saw one incredibly large moose. There were no living players among them, just NPC’s, but there really were a lot. Fifteen hundred, maybe even two thousand. So I was wrong after all. This number of reinforcements, and I saw quite a few high-level creatures amo
ng the new arrivals, was more than enough to compensate the loss of two Gray Pack members.

  I just wanted to know why all the werebeasts were in animal form, not human. I glanced at the sky and, seeing the sparse clouds and full moon peeking through them, instantly understood. Yes, there was a full moon over the Southern Continent today, the very peak of werebeast activity. They were unable to control themselves and had turned into wild animals. Too bad, I really would have liked to talk with my new subjects — greet them, inspire them, explain all the most-important rules of my lands. But now it was totally useless. Before me were animals. They couldn’t speak or even understand when spoken to.

  By the way... it occurred to me what a massive striptease there would be on the square tomorrow when the lycanthropy charms expired. The werebeasts, insofar as I understood, came to me in their animal forms, leaving all their items and clothing very far away. And after all, among them were almost certainly respected citizens and well-to-do courtly ladies who would be very upset to awaken nude in public. Damn, this had not turned out for the best! I wouldn’t want to be here when these thousands of animals transformed back. I’d have to hand those concerns off to my Steward. Let him sort out the newcomers in the morning, issue them some clothing and give them everything else they needed for a new life. And thankfully, the Steward was invulnerable, so even the most enraged werebeasts wouldn’t be able to hurt him.

  I myself would have to handle the very last important task I had planned for this game session. I was going to use a portal scroll and go to another continent where my beautiful wife Taisha’s army was camped.

  Day Five and Six. Final Preparations

  I WAS WORRIED as a schoolboy to finally see Taisha again. That surprised me, but at least I honestly admitted that I seriously missed my redheaded goblin lady. She was contentious and obstinate, but I still needed her. And in my thoughts I didn’t consider Taisha an NPC, even an advanced one. I considered her a real pretty woman. I hadn’t seen my virtual bride for five long days and our last time together was the same day I became Dark Sovereign. I didn’t really get the chance to have a good talk with Taisha then. When was the last time her and I had really spoken our minds?

  I tried to remember and was horrified. It was at the very beginning of the voyage through the scorching desert, before my orcish squadron had even reached the Styx! Then after talking with the Legion of Steel, Taisha was very high-strung and challenged me to a duel. We let off our steam then had a decent talk and, after that, we had the truest possible night of love. Insanely passionate and sincere, in real life I had never had that with any woman, even Kira. And after that night, Taisha and I finally came to a mutual understanding. I trusted her absolutely and loved her, and I now could not live without my virtual bride.

  But reminiscing just made me want to get right underway. What would the weather be like there now? The issue was that here on the Southern Continent it was a moon-filled night, but on the Eastern it should already have been early morning and I did not want to find myself under the direct rays of the sun. Sure, my Goblin Vampire would no longer just turn to ashes on the spot. My Taste Tester had finally leveled enough for that, and I would be safe for five seconds, which was enough to use a teleportation scroll and get back to my castle. But there was nothing pleasant in feeling your skin burn. What was more, I had only one portal scroll to Taisha’s camp. I had plenty going back home. Valerianna Quickfoot had put together hundreds to provide for my subjects and level her skills but, to Taisha’s camp, I did in fact have only one.

  So then, how to find out about the weather? The Eye of the Sovereign was no good for that because I didn’t have a map of the location. Should I risk jumping over without scouting? The risk of a mistake was too great. Or... here I face-palmed. I was such a dumbass! I was forgetting about my Dark Sovereign abilities!

  “Let thick dark clouds gather over the camp of my wife Taisha!”

  You have used 1 Direct Interference Point

  You have 424 points remaining

  With just one point, the weather problem was solved. Wait just a second! I realized I had enough Direct Intervention Points to respawn a creature I had been saving up for. The issue was that my sister and I hadn’t found any information about Ravenous Curs either in the Boundless Realm bestiary or on the forums. And yet I had the living skeleton of one in a cage in my dungeons after Hel goddess of death gifted it to me. And when I asked my immediate superior Max Tohner, he opened the service database and dug around for a long time. Then he... just refused to answer, claiming it was top secret. He limited himself to basic words, saying it was created during the beta version of the game before the official release and had existed only on test servers but, in the end, was not added to the game.

  I had some idea of how glitchy and unbalanced the beta version was. My vampirism was a holdover from those distant times as was my short name. But the goddess Hel wouldn’t have sent me such an unusual gift if there wasn’t some possible use. What was more, I needed time for the winds to gather clouds over Taisha’s camp. They couldn’t just fly in in an instant. So I ordered the Steward to bring me to the dungeon, right to the cage containing Faithful’s skeleton.

  The level-210 Modified Chimeroid skeleton was lying on the bare stone floor and staring indifferently past me with the red fires burning away in his eye sockets. I was not wrong. My four hundred twenty Direct Intervention Points were plenty, two points per level of the dead creature.

  You have used 420 Direct Intervention Points

  You have 4 points remaining

  All of the caged beast’s calm evaporated in that instant! No longer a skeleton, it was now a fur-covered lanky and ghastly canine with unnaturally long paws and elongated jaws like an alligator. And it was thrashing around inside its cage. It was a bit strange, but it was afraid of me! When I took a step closer, Faithful huddled in the opposite corner and started wailing hysterically. No words or commands could do anything.

  “Hey dummy, don’t be afraid of me! I’m a friend!”

  Hoping to calm the terrified canid, I extended a hand through the grate. What happened next came as a complete surprise: the shivering and terrified beast... disappeared!

  Mission received: The Horror of Beloria

  Mission class: Rare, group

  Description: hunt down and eliminate the invisible man-eating monster terrorizing the peaceful villages

  Reward: 800.000 Exp., Tracking +3, Hunter +3

  ATTENTION!

  Recommended level: 180+

  Would you look at that! A quest! And they had been so rare recently! But I had no idea where to find this mysterious Beloria, which had once been terrorized by Ravenous Curs. And I thought I knew all the provinces of Boundless Realm . Perhaps it was left on the test server and it hadn’t ever been added to the game. In any case, I was not planning to complete the mission and kill such an unusual beast, nor was I going to track down some invisible monster. Why look for something that can easily escape a locked cage?! I activated Night Vision and Search for Life one after the next, then met gazes with the creature. It was still huddled in the opposite corner of the cage:

  “So then, you must be the horror? But why are you shaking like that? I already said I’m not going to hurt you!”

  Animal Control skill increased to level 89!

  This time Faithful let me pet him and even gave his tail a couple scant wags. That was more like it! I opened the Gray Pack control interface. The invisible monster had my attention, and I wanted to make him my pet. But where could I put the Ravenous Cur? All fifteen slots were occupied. Who could I remove from the pack?

  The four Ancient Forest Wolves, who had been with me since my first days in the game? I had to keep them, and it wasn’t just sentimentality. I had long since come up with an explanation for why the corporate programmers just couldn’t put all of Fenrir’s Pack’s abilities into one creature after it proved itself essentially equal to human intelligence at the last stage of its existence.

  It
was all because a few creatures from Fenrir’s Pack had survived and disappeared in Boundless Realm , so their knowledge and behavior algorithms were not added to the main database. And those were Akella, Lobo, White Fang and Blanca. Way back when we first met I noticed how differently they behaved from normal NPC’s, how much they stood out. They were different, and Boundless Realm abhorred them, trying to eliminate them time and again. But my four Ancient Forest Wolves managed to survive all the tracking as they had survived the defeat of Fenrir’s pack before that. And as a matter of fact, the wolves had been interested in Taisha since our first meeting and were drawn to her, seemingly having recognized they were cut of the same cloth. After all, she was based on the Fenrir’s pack algorithms!

  I wanted to keep the wargs Darius and Darina in the Gray Pack for the same reason. Sure they may have been tiny puppies back then, but they were also once in Fenrir’s pack, so they might have carried some pieces of the puzzle in their code. Today I had suggested that the werebeast teens return to my pack and Darius and Darina immediately agreed. Yes, they were much weaker than the other members of the Gray Pack in level, but levels were easy to get. I was now much more interested in making sure the wargs stayed alive.

  So then, who to remove? The three unique Mythical Hounds? No, of course I needed them! In fact, I liked their combat qualities and brutish looks so much that I set myself a goal to collect all twelve Mythical Hounds. After the war, of course. I couldn’t worry about that now.