Dexterity Build: A LitRPG Saga (The Complete Dexterity Build Cycle)

by Steven J Shelley

  It was time to level up. Nick allocated a point to DEX, boosting his damage with bow and blade. Stamina and agility were complimentary attributes and could be boosted over time. Lee added a point to STR.

  “Over here,” she said, disappearing down a side passage. She’d spotted a chest down the way. Excited, Nick was about to follow when a small voice called his name. His real name. He scanned the stream of departing miners but couldn’t see who it was. Then she appeared. A dirty, sad-looking fourteen year old girl.

  “Nick Stanners?”

  “That’s me,” he stammered, knowing it was Inez Popov, Gideon’s lost daughter. He felt incredibly anxious all of a sudden, terrified of what she might say. She was older than Nick expected, perhaps by a good five years. Her ribs were visible through her thin red shawl. Nick couldn’t imagine what horrors she’d seen, first at Lavora High Temple, now here.

  “It’s really you,” she said, seemingly spellbound by Nick’s presence.

  “I’m here,” he said as gently as possible, unnerved by her behavior. This wasn’t a slave girl by the name of Tania - this was a sentient NPC, the first he’d come across since The Spiderling. What the hell was going on?

  “How … how do you know my name?” Nick asked.

  “I … don’t know,” came the confused reply. “I was collecting the rocks, like I always do, when my mind was jolted somehow. I suddenly had memories I never had before.”

  There was intense grief in the girl’s eyes.

  “My father sent me the information,” she said. “Which means he’s dead and the Syndicate have deleted his file.”

  Nick exchanged a look with Lee - this was most unexpected. Gideon had been an extraordinarily smart man - was it possible that he’d set up a hidden data cache on the Syndicate’s servers, ready to be released in the event that he died? Was it also possible that the data cache was released directly into Inez’s code stream, making her a “sentient” NPC?

  “I knew you’d come,” Inez said plaintively.

  This was all too much for Nick. There was no way of knowing how much knowledge Gideon had transferred to his daughter, and how that knowledge had affected her mentally. For the moment she seemed reasonably stable, all things considered.

  “There isn’t much time,” Lee warned, glancing about her. “The world is watching.”

  It was true. Right at that moment the Syndicate would be looking to lock down Inez’s Immersion tank at the Phoenix facility.

  “I’m sorry about your father,” was all Nick could say.

  Inez nodded, as if that was enough.

  “Please,” she said. “Send me back. I know the Phoenix facility - my father sent me a blueprint. I also have a guard on my side. Gideon took care of everything.”

  Nick didn’t like any of this. The thought of sending Inez back to the real world didn’t seem right, but keeping her here was probably worse.

  “Tell me what to do,” he said.

  “Let me stay with you if I make it,” Inez said.

  Nick nodded automatically. “Of course.”

  “Strike me down.”

  Nick hesitated. Hurting Inez went against his every instinct.

  “The Syndicate is on their way to my tank,” she said urgently. “Please - give me a fighting chance.”

  A scimitar flashed from the right and Inez crumpled like a dry leaf, dead before she hit the ground. Lee had heard everything.

  “Least we could do,” she said. “I hope she makes it. I really do.”

  Nick tried to shake his head clear of conflicting emotions. Would the Syndicate seek to punish him? Ban him from the game? That was highly unlikely, judging from the tumult of Hate and Love points. It was official - Nick and Lee were bona fide superstars.

  The cavern was now empty and silent. The miners were presumably being assisted by the Durandor soldiers. Nick had received over 2000XP for quest-related objectives. He allocated a point to DEX while Lee spent a point on STA. If she kept that up, she’d be able to move like a DEX build even though she had heavier-than-usual swords. After all, a true Corsair had the best of both worlds.

  It didn’t take long to catch up to the tail end of the slave line. There seemed to be a commotion at the mine entrance. That was when they heard a dragon’s roar.

  “Vanen,” Nick said. “Those slaves are walking into an incinerator.”

  Several miners were pushing push back from the entrance.

  “This is all our fault,” Nick said. “Vanen was stalking us.”

  “No time for existential debates,” Lee said, heading down a side passage. “Come with me or we’ll be crushed.”

  Nick spotted a mother cradling a child in her arms. Hadn’t these people suffered enough? His hatred for the Syndicate just got deeper. They weren’t magic-makers at all. They were callous and brutal, lacking the slightest regard for human life.

  “Maybe we can find one of the old dwarven tunnels,” Lee said as they advanced down a narrow tunnel. “If we can get to Ulferd that way, we wouldn’t need to face Vanen.”

  Progress was relatively easy as the tunnel descended gently. Nick ruminated on the poor slaves who’d known nothing but misery. He also thought of Inez, who was either fleeing Neutron security or already dead. It would all depend on how many “friends” Gideon had organized on the outside.

  The tunnel ended at a T-intersection.

  “Left,” Lee said confidently, heading across a stone bridge spanning a seemingly bottomless chasm. “This definitely isn’t the mine anymore.”

  The air was deathly cold and there was no evidence of mineral extraction. This rock was extremely porous and riddled with caves. Lee chose what she thought was the main path but there didn’t actually seem to be one. Nick was filled with foreboding - in many ways this silent place felt worse than the mine.

  “Looks like a lair of some kind,” Lee said.

  Nick nodded - that was exactly how it felt. They passed into a wide cavern with a high ceiling. There were fragments of starry sky through there. The floor was covered in a layer of bones that had almost been ground into dust. Their boots crunched loudly over the remains, the noise carrying through the caves.

  “At least we’re polite,” Lee muttered.

  Nick looked at her quizzically.

  “We rang the doorbell,” she said.

  Nick was about to reply when the Corsair stopped dead in her tracks. A ten-foot tall beast was shambling into the cavern at the far end. Apart from a shaggy mop on its head, it was hairless. Its feet and hands were long and spindly, its pale body covered in weeping sores.

  “Troll,” Nick said with disgust.

  “Mountain troll,” Lee corrected. “Largest species.”

  “Thanks for the extra information.”

  “I’m not one to sugar-coat things,” Lee replied, drawing her swords and circling the beast.

  The creature’s eyes appeared to be missing. It was the crunch of boot on bone that allowed the thing to track their progress. Nick followed closely behind Lee, Bow of the Damned at the ready. It was time to test his unholy damage.

  The first arrow struck the troll in the temple, but the entry was shallow and had little effect. Nick sighed, pining for a high DEX sword.

  “You’re fucking useless, Stanners,” Lee growled as she advanced. She had a happy knack of defusing his fear and anger with ridicule.

  The troll stepped forward, swinging its weapon - a great scythe crafted from the bones of its victims. Lee ducked underneath and slashed at the monster’s arm on the slow follow through. This exposed her to the troll’s crafty follow-up attack, a lift fist that sent her flying across the cavern. She crunched across the brittle bones, drawing the monster to her. She seemed winded - that brutal blow must’ve drained her stamina as well as her HP.

  Nick equipped his plunge dagger and remembered something critical - he was wearing padded boots that completely muffled his footfall. He was effectively invisible to the troll. Edging around behind it, he executed a full-stamina back-
stab. The animation unexpectedly lifted him to the troll’s back, where he struck a second time, sinking his dagger into the thing’s head.

  Pulling the blade free, he jumped off and let Lee do the rest. She rolled forward and cross-slashed her scimitars into the troll’s chest. Nick loved it when she did that. The troll fell backward and crashed to the cavern floor, never to terrorize adventurers again.

  Nick offered Lee a high five, feeling like a dork when she ignored it. Eyes alive with the adrenalin of battle, she actually moved in and hugged him. Caught up in the moment, Nick looked into theblueraven’s eyes and planted a kiss on those lips. For one, blissful moment she responded, then pulled roughly away.

  “Let’s not get carried away, Stanners,” she said brusquely, heading over to the troll’s corpse. The awkwardness of the kiss had already been forgotten.

  Due to its high STR requirement, the great scythe was off-limits to both runners. The only other item of interest was a ring that increased the chances of finding loot. It didn’t really matter who wore it, but Nick insisted that Lee wear it.

  “What’s your Corsair perk?” he asked.

  “I can breathe underwater,” she replied. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Got that one wrong didn’t I?”

  The troll had been defeated, but they were hopelessly lost. Nick hadn’t seen a map of the Hammerhorst Mountains but he suspected the dwarf city of Ulferd would be deep in its heart. In the end he found a tunnel that carried a faint breath of wind.

  The pair ascended the sharply twisting passage. It gradually became rank with the smell of decay. Nick was about to suggest turning around when Lee motioned for him to freeze. She crept forward. A man was sitting against the wall ahead. It was quickly apparent why the tunnel smelled so bad - his legs were missing, chewed off at the thigh. The obvious suspect was the slain troll.

  Miraculously, the injured man was still alive. He’d dragged himself all this way after being attacked. His dark skin and sharp features set him apart from most Durandor folk, but he wasn’t a runner either.

  “Is there any way we can help you?” Lee asked.

  The stricken man opened his eyes for the first time and shook his head.

  “I thank you,” he breathed, “but my time is past.”

  “Are you from Hammerhorst?” Lee asked.

  “I was born here,” the man said. “I am a hunter of the Bentha Spill.”

  “Bentha Spill?”

  “The mountain tribes were once united,” he said. “We lived near the summit of Mount Addax. When Vanen settled there, we separated into various Spills in the lower valleys.”

  “How do you get along with the dwarves?” Nick asked.

  “Well - up until a year ago,” came the reply. “Bentha Hunters were always welcome in Dwarven halls. We’ve been hunting these mountains for centuries. We traded furs and meat to the dwarves, who gave us precious stones and weapons in return.”

  “What happened?” Lee asked.

  “The dwarves changed,” the hunter said. “Before, they were curious. They had questing minds and wanted to know everything about the open range, even though they preferred expanding underground. Then they grew silent and insular. They closed their halls and ignored our traders. I traveled through here because I am no longer able to use the Ulferd Pass. You can see for yourself what Fate had in store for me.”

  “We killed the troll,” Lee said. “If that means anything to you.”

  The hunter mustered a pained smile. “It means everything,” he said, genuinely impressed. “After all, what else is there to life but the hunt …”

  The hunter’s eyes faded and closed over. Knowing the troll was dead, he had allowed himself to be claimed by death. Nick wasted no time in looting the corpse - the hunter himself would have expected no less. These were hard, brutal times - to leave corpses with full pockets was foolhardy.

  Unlike the troll, the dead Bentha Hunter had usable loot. Nick had been expecting something basic, like a moderately-buffed bow or light leather armor. What he got exceeded his wildest expectations.

  First, the armor. Oh, sweet Lord it was tasty. Called the Snow Hunter set, it was an extremely light body suit crafted from smooth fibers. Its light cream color made it perfect for alpine camouflage. There was also a hood that spread across the shoulders and down into a pale cape. Overall the armor conferred four extra DEX points.

  But the Snow Hunter set wasn’t the best thing about the loot. The hunter also carried a katana - a white katana to be exact. White katanas were razor sharp and very light. What they lacked in parrying ability they made up for in slashing damage. Despite its feather weight, the astoundingly beautiful weapon could only be wielded two-handed. Which was fine since Nick didn’t have a shield.

  “That’s a classy weapon,” Lee said approvingly. “The Bentha Hunters prefer to dance with their targets rather than fire arrows from behind a boulder. My heroes.”

  For once, Lee wasn’t being flippant or wry. She looked genuinely saddened as they left the hunter to an eternity of peace.

  Nick might have felt like a new man, but there was still a move set to learn. Not just learn, master. The katana was a unique weapon, replete with its own idiosyncrasies. It was a long blade, as long as a greatsword but with a fraction of the weight. This meant that Nick had reach on his side as well as swing speed.

  Coupled with the extra DEX conferred by the Snow Hunter set, there was no reason why he couldn’t excel as a DEX swordsman. He’d transitioned from Ranger to Duelist, which was a far bigger leap than it seemed. Both disciplines were powered by similar attributes, but required different skills to execute.

  “Stop checking yourself out,” Lee said with a smirk.

  Chastened by his partner yet again, Nick followed Lee with a fresh bounce in his step. Nothing excited him like new gear. He just wanted to attack something, anything.

  At length the passage leveled out and a speck of light was visible in the distance.

  “Must be dawn already,” Lee said.

  The pair advanced quickly, keen to be in the open again. The tunnel was longer than it seemed, and over an hour had passed by the time they finally reached the end. They emerged onto a large, flat rock that overlooked a magnificent valley. Snow-capped peaks kept faithful watch over a steep-sided valley. Far, far below them, a powerful, frothing river cut the land, a restless serpent winding its way to the distant ocean beyond the Hammerhorst range.

  A family of eagles wheeled in the hesitant dawn light, watching for something to pluck from the depths. The weak sun was only just rising over the easternmost peak - Mount Addax. Just for a moment, that jagged thorn of a mountain looked like it was being touched by the Gods.

  About halfway down the mountain a series of entrances had been carved into the rock. Tiers of steps spilled to either side of a landing. The runners were looking at the western entrance to the dwarven city of Ulferd.

  “It’s glorious,” Lee said, drinking it all in. “At least we know we’re on the right track.”

  “I was worried for a while there,” Nick said, glancing at the timer. Four hours left. They still needed to make it through the valley. It seemed peaceful enough, but Nick knew not to trust “appearances” in this game. He was desperate to start using his katana in any case.

  “No guards down there,” Lee commented, squinting through the dawn light.

  The absence of guards or activity of any kind was troubling, but they had no choice but to investigate.

  “Watch your descent,” Lee said before dropping to a treacherous-looking path under the rock ledge. “This ain’t gonna be easy.”

  She was right. The “path” was only a few inches wide and hugged the mountain to their right. It fell sharply away to certain death on the other side. The river at the base of the valley was still a distant squiggle. It was an advantage to be wearing such light, flexible armor. Nick could not have come this way as a strength build. The treacherous path was just another example of the game makers trying to shove him outside his comf
ort zone.

  After a solid hour of painstaking progress, the track dipped and widened as it passed through a pine forest. The runners encountered a nest of orange spiders near the river. They were agile and inflicted poison on impact, but the Nick and Lee had little trouble accounting for them.

  Nick relished the move set of his white katana, learning how to time his first blow to perfection. The sword’s reach was generous, and he worked his way through the spider pack without getting bitten once.

  Not even Lee could claim that, getting bitten on the leg and suffering the ignominy of a slow poison bar. Once her affliction had subsided, the pair followed the river, dispatching small amphibious creatures as they went. The slow accumulation of XP allowed both to level up - Nick added to DEX whilst Lee boosted AGL.

  The sun had well and truly risen above Mount Addax by the time they reached the base of the stairs that would see them to Ulferd’s western entrance. A cold wind buffeted them as they climbed, a sober reminder that they were in true mountain country and couldn’t expect to be comfortable. Nick was panting after three or four flights and was glad when they reached the top. As Lee had observed earlier, there were no guards to speak of, which seemed even stranger now that they were right on the doorstep.

  “Come on,” Lee said, heading straight in.

  Maybe it was because he was now a pure dexer, but Nick didn’t like it when she did that. As a Corsair she thought like a strength build, but that didn’t make it right. She wasn’t a heavy strength build and was still vulnerable to ambush.

  Filled with dread, Nick entered Ulferd’s dark maw. The passage was dry and well-lit. The only thing missing was dwarves. A creeping silence played on Nick’s mind as they advanced down the tunnel. There was no time to properly inspect the intricate engravings on the walls, but they were incredibly sophisticated. The dwarven style was blunt, functional and alluring. There wasn’t a single curved line, but the steady symmetry was somehow comforting.