The Dark Continent (Underdog Book #3): LitRPG Series

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The Dark Continent (Underdog Book #3): LitRPG Series Page 22

by Alexey Osadchuk


  “Why?” I asked with a dry throat.

  It was the first sound I made since the dinghy had been lowered into the water.

  “Why what?” he finally deigned to answer.

  “Why’d you kill them?”

  “Do you really not understand?” he chuckled.

  His tone was driving me berserk but, with undreamt-of force of will, I held back and as calmly as possible said:

  “Would you like me to say what I do understand?”

  My familiar tone made the captain lower his head and look me in the eyes.

  “Go on,” he called back in a steely voice. “We’d love to hear it.”

  The rowers continued working the oars, not reacting to our conversation one bit. But I knew – they could hear everything clearly.

  “You three are cold-blooded killers, who betrayed your countrymen and their families.”

  The captain snickered.

  “Little pup’s showing his teeth.”

  “I’ll be sure to tell the King of your crime!”

  Much to my surprise, all three of them found my threat hilarious. I looked at the captain’s face, stunned and it suddenly dawned on me.

  “I can tell by your face that it’s finally reached you,” Takeda bared his teeth ravenously.

  “He knew you were going to do that?”

  Art snickered and Rob shook his head. I couldn’t see their faces, but I knew they were laughing at me.

  “It appears I’ve overestimated your mental capacity,” Takeda said.

  It came to me suddenly, not like a thought or guess, but as a full and bitter certainty.

  “The King ordered it,” I whispered quietly under my breath.

  I immediately thought about Mee and Maya. My worries must have been written on my face, because Takeda said reassuringly:

  “As long as you do exactly as you’re told, nothing will happen to your friends. Got it?”

  I nodded glumly.

  “There’s a good boy. And now cut the sobbing so I can tell you our plan of action. You did want to hear his Majesty’s plan after all, so listen up!”

  And the captain started to speak. The longer I listened, the clearer my understanding became that the great Steel King was no different from the scumbag bastard Chi. They both equally pursued their own goals with zero regard for human life. Honestly, Master Chi was more honest than the King. At the very least he didn’t try to justify his despicable murders using some ephemeral concept like state interest.

  “His Majesty has tasked us with an important mission!” Takeda said confidently. “It will define whether Fradia shall be a free country or just another cog in the machine!”

  Based on his burning eyes and the firmness of his voice, Takeda really did sincerely believe what he was saying.

  “We’re beset by enemies on all sides!” he continued. “They’re just waiting for us to slip up! The lives of a couple sailors mean nothing in comparison with the overall well-being of my country! If you want to know one of the reasons they died – it’s you.”

  “Me?!” I stared dumbfounded at the captain.

  “Imagine for a moment that you were one of those sailors,” Takeda suggested. “A last-minute voyage to the Dark Continent, and in the stormy season on top of that. The captain and two lieutenants of the steel scouts are accompanying some nulled boy. I’m sure after our return, half the crew would race off to sell this information to the spies of every stripe that range in the capital.”

  “If you think that’s gonna work on me, you’re deeply mistaken,” I answered angrily. “As a matter of fact, I’ve been blamed for things I didn’t do before. You cut down those poor people in cold blood! Their deaths are on your conscience! And the conscience of your King!”

  Takeda took a lightning-fast step forward and loomed over me menacingly.

  “One more word, pup,” he whispered. “And you’ll regret it. If not for the important mission, you’d be fish food on the bottom of this river already.”

  I had to strain to bear his gaze, but I managed.

  “What is this mission you keep droning on about?”

  “Our goal is to revive the order of monster hunters!”

  “Hm... I’ve heard that from your King already,” I waved it off. “And just how are you planning to do that?”

  “Have you really not figured it out yet?”

  “Guess what? No.”

  “You are to become a magister of your order,” Takeda said calmly, keeping a watchful eye on the shore...

  At the mouth of the river, fresh water mixed with the salt, giving it a cloudy gray color. And all that dirty gray mass was absolutely fervent, raising all manner of detritus and sand from the bottom.

  At first, I thought we wouldn’t make it past the mouth, but with some effort our dinghy overcame the obstacle. The rowers won that match. After a bit more resistance, the river finally allowed our little boat to reach the part of its course where its flow diminished significantly.

  The Morta was quite a wide and fairly turbulent river. The inexhaustible rowers constantly had to struggle against the current.

  To avoid unexpected mishaps, they decided to stick to the middle of the river. That way we both wouldn’t run aground and couldn’t be reached from the shore.

  After the dark blue transparent ocean water, this river water looked cloudy and swampy. My nerves were stretched to their limit. I felt like someone was constantly watching me from the depths.

  The western and eastern shores were extremely dissimilar. The vegetation of the so-called Bonewood was so dense that it seemed the trees and bushes were trying to swallow the river up. The western edge then was the beginning of a plain with its typical landscapes.

  To the measured splashing of the oars, I thought over everything the captain had told me. In summation – I was here to increase my reputation with the order and be promoted to magister. As it turned out, after becoming magister, I could perform induction ceremonies for new hunters. And basically, Takeda, Rob and Art were to be my first inductees. That was only if we could pull off the plan. But seemingly, the King and his advisors had left nothing to chance. According to the plan, we were going to the explorer village now, and it would serve as our temporary camp. For the next few months, we would have to use ancient maps to search for the symbol of the hunters. Beyond that, to increase my reputation, we would have to take down a huge number of dark beasts.

  “Look how overgrown it is,” Art said to Rob, nodding at the thick tree branches hanging low over the water. “And this is just the beginning of spring. Imagine what it’s like here in the summer.”

  “What’s to imagine?” Rob muttered. ”It looks like we’re here for the long haul. We’ll see it ourselves soon enough. If we don’t get eaten by some dark beast first.”

  “Time will tell,” Art chuckled.

  “I have the feeling that we’re being watched from that glade over there,” Rob continued to mutter, frowning.

  “Agreed,” Takeda cut into the conversation. “I started to feel like we were being watched back when we entered the river. There has to be something over there. And whatever or whoever it is seems to be sizing us up. It doesn’t know whether to jump or not. It’s being cautious.”

  “I don’t sense Darkness,” I told them.

  “We’re far from shore,” the captain explained.

  Rob shrugged his shoulders nervously.

  “It’s burning a hole in my back,” he grunted.

  “That’s because you’re the biggest one, which means you’ll make the tastiest morsel,” Art laughed.

  “Oh, screw you!”

  “No matter, it’ll all be over soon,” the captain said reassuringly and patted Rob on his broad shoulder. ”Over there, past that cape, the river gets wider. And from there the village is an arm’s reach away.”

  Rob looked where Takeda pointed and fell on his oar with redoubled effort.

  I looked at the broad backs of our rowers and understood those two were probably in
seventh heaven. For a someone that had chosen the path of a soldier, a mission such as this was a gift. My brother was probably exactly like them.

  But as for me... After Takeda told me the plan, I decided to lay low and not go looking for any more trouble. Arguing with the captain never gets you anywhere. The King wants to use me for his own purposes? Let him. But what’s to stop me from using that to my own benefit? These three high-level soldiers can help me find loot! I was given a clear indication that anything I get is mine. Of course, I wasn’t feeding any illusions. As soon as Takeda becomes a hunter, they’ll probably try to get rid of me. But when that time comes – I’ll be ready...

  Takeda jumped first onto the gently sloping shore. After taking a look around, he turned to me and said:

  “You may release your beast. There’s no one around to stop you now.”

  Jumping out of the ship, I activated the summoning amulet.

  When Gorgie appeared, the warriors greeted him with gasps of delight. The harn though, sensing my mood, bared his teeth and bristled up his fur. I had been periodically letting him out for the whole ship ride when nobody was around. To feed him potions and share my grievances. And yet again, I thanked the gods for sending me this great friend. As always, Gorgie shared his confidence and animal charisma with me.

  “Take a look around,” I said mentally. “Be careful. Don’t pay these guys any mind. For now...”

  The harn gave an understanding growl and, hitting the royal scouts with a predatory gaze, started doing as I ordered. Looking closely and shifting his triangular ears, he walked around the wild beach with its sparse grass and hid in some nearby vegetation.

  Meanwhile, the scouts dragged the dinghy up onto dry land and started unloading some supplies. Not even a half an hour later, Gorgie came back and reported that there were no enemies nearby.

  While he was gone, the warriors managed to hide the boat in some thick bushes and prepare our rucksacks. From there, our path led deep into the western shore...

  It was growing dusky. The sun was lazily setting behind the thick trees, slowly ceding position to night.

  We were lying on a small mound amidst wet grass and closely watching what was happening in the explorer village. Before going in, Takeda decided we should scope things out.

  “What do you see?” he asked me quietly.

  Gorgie had warned me earlier: something was not right with the village. And now I was trying to figure out what it was exactly.

  “A high palisade wall,” I started. “Fresh. The masters of this city clearly see to its defense.”

  “It’s the only way to survive out here,” the captain nodded. “Next.”

  “A few dozen structures,” I continued. “The homes are top-quality. They stand close to one another.”

  “Easier to defend that way. What else?”

  “I see people. Men and women. They’re all going about their business. Calm. There’s a couple there next to the well laughing. Peace and quiet. But on a deeper level there is something unsettling. Gorgie doesn’t like it here either.”

  “There you go,” the captain grumbled.

  “Well what do you see?” I asked.

  Takeda slowly rubbed the back of his head.

  “That’s the thing – nothing,” he grumbled. “I don’t see a single familiar face nor any smoke from the chimneys, nor a single dog or cat. I can’t see or hear any livestock. It’s like a ghost town.”

  Hey, that’s true! I looked at the village with a fresh pair of eyes.

  “Nobody is tending the gardens,” I said thoughtfully, earning an approving nod from the captain. “And look at how it’s all overgrown around the houses. Based on the untouched land next to the gates – they haven’t been closed in a long time. And the people – their behavior is somehow blunted. Even though they’re bustling around. It’s like they aren’t all there.”

  “Looks like the real villagers have been dead a long time,” Art said what everyone was thinking.

  “All that remains is to figure out what we’re dealing with,” Rob said.

  “Ghouls? Voords?” Art started enumerating.

  “No,” Takeda shook his head. “Neither of them could imitate humans so faithfully. Yeah and they don’t much appreciate sunlight.”

  “I think I know what they are,” I said. “Blackbloods.”

  Chapter 24

  “NOW WE’RE GETTING closer to the truth,” Takeda nodded. “Some real lowlifes.”

  “There’s just one thing I can’t understand,” I said, stroking the back of my head. “If the real villagers are already dead, why are the blackbloods still here? And imitating people...?”

  The captain waved it off.

  “Now that is actually easy to understand.”

  Art and Rob supported him with simultaneous nodding. Do they know something I don’t know?

  As if overhearing my thoughts, Takeda explained:

  “They’re hunting. It’s an ambush tactic. They obviously haven’t eaten everyone yet. They’re waiting for the rest of the explorer groups to return.”

  “You can tell right away they are stupid brutes,” Art observed.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “What do you mean why? Even you could guess something foul is afoot, though it did take some hints. What about seasoned explorers? Some of them are such old hands – they’re practically animals! They can smell a trap from miles away. Half a lifetime on the Dark Continent is no joke.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself too much,” the captain rapped his knuckles. “Stupid or not, they took the village. And your seasoned old-hand explorers seemingly got eaten and couldn’t thwart them.”

  “Okay, what next?” I asked. “Where do we go?”

  “What do you mean?” Takeda asked in surprise while Rob and Art chuckled rapaciously. “Into the village, of course.”

  I lost my wits and stared at them.

  “Do you really think some two dozen blackbloods can scare us away from our intended destination?” Takeda chuckled and added: “This isn’t the last time we’ll need this village. Art, you go right, and Rob left. I’ll wait here for your report. And keep it quiet...”

  The soldiers dashed off silently like a pair of hounds and disappeared into the twilight. The whole time they were gone, I was holding my breath as I watched the village and the behavior of the false humans.

  “Don’t stare at them,” the captain warned me and placed a wide palm on the top of my head. “They’ll sense it. Then you’ll have to run after them.”

  Under the pressure of his hand, I fell to the ground.

  “If you’re gonna look, keep it cursory,” the captain quietly explained. “Don’t look at any one of them too long.”

  A few minutes later our scouts were back.

  “It’s definitely blackbloods,” Art confirmed my guess out of hand. “A few of them cannot hold the transformation for long. They’re hiding in the barns while the ability resets. I counted eighteen heads in total.”

  The captain turned to Rob.

  “Eighteen,” he confirmed. “The highest level is twenty-three. It’s actually strange such little guys were able to take this village...”

  “All the explorer groups must have gone out on expedition,” the captain said. “Only the weakest stayed back at base. They were relying on their security webbing. And they got what they had coming.”

  Takeda considered it for a moment, looked at the sky for some reason and said:

  “We’ll attack from three directions. I’ll approach the central gates and distract them. Art and Rob – you take the flanks. If there’s any way, do not kill them. We have someone else to do that.”

  “Sir captain, what about me?” They’d hardly have forgotten about me, but I had to ask.

  “You stay here and await my signal,” Takeda answered and added: “Keep your beast here as well. They might sniff him out before we’re set up. That’s all! Let’s get started!”

 

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