* * *
Keith Borland was a bit surprised by Cat’s sudden visit aboard the cargo barque traveling between Eyre and the Bazaar. The trader looked weird — his friendly and playful mask was off, his wandering gaze giving away uncharacteristic excitement. Cat looked as dangerous as a sharpened knife. After throwing a brief look at the delivery reports, he asked a question.
“Keith, you’ve been to the Astral Plane, haven’t you?”
“You bet!” Borland said, looking proud. “More than once, and I always came back in one piece.”
“Well, not always,” Ellaria added quietly, but Nosquire, who was standing next to her, elbowed her in the side — don’t go embarrassing us before our employer.
“What would you do if you had to quickly find the Pandas’ castle in the Astral Plane without being noticed?” Cat kept asking questions.
“Well, it’s not that difficult. I would have taken a fast lightweight ship, preferably a skiff — it’s hard to hunt down. Then I’d find a Rift or ask a spelljumper I know to open a portal, enter the Astral Plane, and the rest is a formality.”
“So you can chart a course there?”
“Me? No. But Impie can, for example,” Borland replied, not getting the trader’s implication. “She’s been there a few times. Right, Impie?”
“Yes,” the girl said, nodding. A disgusted expression appeared on her face.
“A skiff, you say?” HotCat continued the interrogation. “Will the one we bought for Komtur do?”
* * *
The bare peak of a hill in a green woodland sea could be seen from miles away. Tao landed his dracondor on rocky ground strewn with boulders, jumped down, and ran up, his steps light. He was in a hurry.
The trader was already waiting for him. He was sitting on one of the stones and stood to meet the newcomer, throwing back the hood of his brown cloak.
“You’ve picked quite a place,” he chided Tao instead of a greeting. “I’ve spent an hour getting here...”
“But nobody can eavesdrop here,” Tao countered and after a pause, added, “or steal something.”
HotCat chuckled in response. He seemed at ease, but the HELL leader was experienced enough to notice the steel glint in his eyes and his jumpy movements. Inside, the Watcher’s trader was taut as a string.
“I came to talk about Ananizarte,” Tao said meaningfully.
“About whom, excuse me?” Cat dramatically furrowed his brow. “Ah, that dark goddess who disappeared. I read about it on the forum. What’s that have to do with me?”
“Stop trying, your acting’s terrible!” Tao replied. “I know that she’s inside your sword. This one!”
He pointed at the silver hilt that flashed between the folds of Cat’s cloak.
Cat frowned, put his hand on the guard, and looked at Tao from under his brows.
“Why have you assumed that, may I ask?”
“Don’t think you’re smarter than anybody else!” Tao said, stressing each word. “Illith followed you. I watched the video he recorded in the cave. A very curious place. What have you found there, by the way? The temple of Tormis? But no matter. You were there — and that’s where Ananizarte went! Or do you think it’s a secret that your sword is a Soul Eater?”
“Maybe it’s for the best...” the trader mumbled and looked at Tao. “So what? What do you want?”
“I think the question is, what do you want?”
“Your clothes, boots, and motorcycle,” HotCat snickered. “The question is, what can you offer?”
“Thousands of players have lost their patron. They’ve spent months, if not years, leveling up their reputation,” Tao said, starting to seethe with anger, but giving no sign of it. “They put their money and time into that. And what now? Their altars are dead, their prayers don’t work!”
HotCat yawned, covering his mouth with his hand.
“The House of Darkness, the disciples and progeny of Ananizarte, are numerous and strong,” Tao continued. “Imagine what will happen when they learn who’s to blame for their Lady’s disappearance! An eternal vendetta will be declared against you! Have you heard how dangerous Soul Eaters are, even to their owners? Look it up, use the Taerland tag!”
“Yes, yes, yes. I got it,” Cat replied, yawning again. “Pay no mind, I always yawn when I’m interested... Sorry, are you done?”
With a nod, Tao indicated that he was.
“Then I know how you’ll pay me. Here’s a contract, have a look.”
“In full fighting order...in three hours...a portal...to previous arrangements, reputation, and alliances...do you even know how much Bells cost?” Tao asked as he read the agreement out loud. “This is a real set-up, not a contract. Whom do you want to attack? What if it’s those we vouched for?”
“Even if you have to storm Atrocity itself in the Astral Plane!” the trader said, shrugging. “This is my price.”
* * *
The skiff borrowed from the Watchers soared in the reddish-pink mist, swiftly winging its way through the Astral space. The lightweight maneuverable vessel had only three slots for the crew and one bow thruster with an air elemental locked inside. A blue fore-and-aft sail bagged out above us as it met a strong gust of air.
“We’re getting close!” Ellaria spoke up. “Lots of signals ahead, one of them big, it’s a Shard. I think it’s the one!”
The outline of a giant Shard slowly took shape from the pink clouds, a black Gothic citadel rising high on top of it. I had already seen those sharp spires, the crimson fires dancing inside the arrow-slits, the massive juggernauts hovering over the fortress. Atrocity, Pandorum’s stronghold in the Sphere of Worlds. My face contorted in a grimace of anger. We met again.
“And now they’ll take us down!” Keith Borland once again started his whining. “Haven’t I told you that sticking your head right into the Pandorum’s maw is a lost cause?”
We might have gotten a fix on the Atrocity’s signal, but the Pandorum scouts had seen ours as well. A pack of birdies flew up from the towers, dragon riders who looked like tick marks from a distance.
“Steer toward the gate and don’t be afraid of anything,” I ordered Borland. Then I found Jerkhan in my address book and sent him a message.
HotCat: I’m almost there. Vouch for all of us.
Your reputation with Pandorum Alliance increased to Ally.
“Whoa!” Octopus reacted to the change in reputation. “I’ve never heard about Pandas vouching for anyone.”
“It’s temporary,” I allayed his excitement. “Steer to the gate.”
“The birdies are still coming at us!” Ellaria noticed, alarmed.
“It’s an honorary escort.”
Or, more likely, the guards sent to make sure we won’t escape, I added to myself as I watched protodragon riders surround us from all sides. The Pandas clad in artifact armor were making faces at us, yelling, and writing something in English and German in the general chat, probably trolling us. I didn’t pay them any attention.
The skiff slowly sailed into the open dragon maw — the main gate of the citadel. Behind them, in the stone womb of the tunnel, I saw a wharf full of Pandorum’s astral ships — frigates, corvettes, and skiffs. Borland directed our yacht to a vacant dock where a group of Steel Guard fighters were standing and waving at us.
“Stay here and don’t show your face until I get back,” I warned the crew.
“Just one question, Cat. It’s not like I doubt you or anything...” Octopus chuckled. “But if things don’t pan out, and we see you in the kill rating, what should we do?”
I stared at him, not saying anything. Apparently, that was enough of an answer. Keith turned around and occupied himself with the rigging, fastening the skiff to the wharf.
As I climbed up the dock, I ran into my old acquaintance — Roahildorn.
“You’re a punctual one, Kitten!” she smirked. “Right a day later, just as promised. Didn’t expect to come here again, did you?”
“Why didn’t I? I
did,” I replied. “I planned on a return visit ever since the last time, and I finally got the chance.”
“A chance!” Roa snorted. “Fine, follow me. Jerkhan is waiting!”
Following the graceful rogue and escorted by four more Steel Guard members, I walked across arched corridors, repeating the previous route — down, down the stairs, through the winding tunnels, halls and crossings into the heart of Atrocity, the respawn point that should not have existed in the Astral Plane. Switching off my emotions, I drew a mental map of the road.
At last, we reached our destination. I recognized the gloomy hall, the restored gargoyle statues, and the artifact cage above the respawn circle. It was empty, but surrounded by at least ten armed Pandas in black armor with familiar sharp outlines. They had clearly prepared for my visit.
A large ogre stepped forward. A demonic skull sneered from his black breastplate, sharp curved horns serving as the sideplates of his helm. He had a chain around his right forearm. He used it to drag around a stumbling smaller figure. Dirty white-green dress, light hair, gleaming shackles on her neck and wrists… Weldy was moving like a wooden doll, a distant apathetic look on her face. I remembered that the NPCs captured in Eyre’s marketplace had behaved in the exact same way.
“Howdy, fresh meat!” Jerkhan bellowed. “Have you brought us our souls?”
“First, set her free!” I gestured at the girl.
“You’re not the one to set the rules here!” the Steel Guard leader replied. “First the souls, then your girlfriend!”
My heart was beating as if it was going to jump right out my chest. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and stepped forward, unsheathing Aelmaris. The Pandas automatically flinched back from the shining blade.
First the souls? Well, why not? I weighed the locations of Pandorum warriors around us, then estimated my distance from Jerkhan. Just three steps. With the blade of my sword, I touched the amber sphere on the pedestal.
Release all absorbed souls?
End of Book Two
Coming soon!
Clan Dominance: The Sleepless Ones (Book #1) LitRPG Series
by Dem Mikhailov
Clan Dominance: The Sleepless Ones (Book #2) LitRPG Series
by Dem Mikhailov
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Rogue Merchant LitRPG Series
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Clan Dominance: The Sleepless Ones LitRPG Series
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The Alchemist LitRPG Series
by Vasily Mahanenko
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by Kaitlyn Weiss
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About Roman Prokofiev
ROMAN PROKOFIEV was fascinated by the books of great fantasy writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, and Glen Cook. He started jotting down his first fantasy stories in checkered notebooks at the age of fourteen. At that time, his stories were creative reinterpretations of the books he had read.
Over the next twenty years, Roman fell in the trap of growing up: he studied, worked, and started a family. Meanwhile, he remained an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, as well as a gamer, making the LitRPG genre close to his heart. As he compared popular works with his childish attempts, he was encouraged to finally dust off his old tattered notebooks and get back to writing!
Roman Prokofiev’s first book immediately attracted the attention of several thousand readers. Moreover, on most Russian literary sites his books got designated as the top of the genre and were picked by leading publishers.
Prokofiev thinks of himself as a virtual fantasy writer. In his own words, “I know the world of modern gamers and the nuances of MMOs perfectly, but the main thing in my works is the plot and adventures of the characters. I consider my main achievement to be the creation of Sphere of Worlds, a grandiose virtual multiverse, populated by bright, unusual characters. Such as the ingenious merchant Cat, the naive alchemist girl Weldy, the cold-blooded hunter Ace...”
The Gene of the Ancients (Rogue Merchant Book #2): LitRPG Series Page 36