“I am the Templar’s blow!” I shouted, closing my eyes and driving my fist right into the middle of her chest. By then her skin and flesh were completely eaten away, showing the bubbling and half-dissolved internal organs. I feared to think what the warrior must have felt. Her head was still covered with some kind of protection, so before I hit, a thought flashed through my mind that I wouldn’t be able to pierce the sphere. Expecting to be respawned, I lost my balance and crashed forward: my hand met no obstacle, so inertia toppled me forward, making me crush whatever was left of the player. There was not much left: part of an arm and a still completely whole head with its eyes rolled and tongue hanging out. A moment passed and even those remnants disappeared: the Game dissolved them as smoke, allowing the woman to rest for an hour till respawn. Or return to the pool of NPCs, if she had been a level one player.
That clarified what would happen to the potatoes: even if somehow they fell out of the inventory as a player was destroyed, in this hell nothing would be left of them. It was useless to think that some sort of loot would be left in the nest. The other thought that flashed through my mind was: it was amazingly light inside the bird. The sides of this insatiable chick let sunlight through, so I was able to glance around. A couple of steps away from me there was some strange island; there was no mucus there, so I hurried towards it right away. The moment the warrior departed for respawn, my Energy level started dropping precipitously again. The woman’s emotions had become a source of power for me; moreover, it was so good that it became crystal clear as to why the Dark ones prefer to destroy worlds rather than create joy and happiness there. Inside the chick, taking into account the replenished Energy, I could count on ten to twelve minutes of life; after that I would follow the path of all the other players: dying in the stomach acid. I could not allow that.
Once I was on the island, the Energy bar stilled. The vapors ate up one unit per ten seconds, the same as the amount the Labyrinth restored for me. It turned out the island was just a normal stone‒ who knows how it appeared inside the chick. Once I hit the stone with my foot, the chick chirped angrily and everything around twitched. Several times a wave of acid washed over me, once it even washed me off the stone. The chick didn’t like what I was doing. Well, I didn’t come here for fun, after all.
“I am the Templar’s blow!” I growled, shoving my fist enhanced by the artifact into the stone.”
“Claa-a-a-!” The chick’s cry was so loud, I fell to my knees, trying to protect my ears with my stump and the spiked artifact. The spikes screeched on the helmet, bringing up an interesting thought: was it possible at all to kill oneself? I was not eager to drown in the acid. I’d rather lose two levels. One for dying, the other for a kill, than go like the dark warrior did. Yet before testing the suicide theory I needed to figure out the puzzle of the stone. A bird would not need such ballast in its stomach; yet, for some reason it was there. And for some reason the chick was screaming his heart out every time I hit the thing.
Besides a displeased cry from the chick, hitting the stone did not cause any visible effect. I took two elixirs at once, for Energy and health, and started hitting the stone with abandon. I’d had to take the elven health elixir, as the burning pain returned in my shoulder and thigh which had been pierced through. The last thing I needed was to faint from pain shock before getting any result at all.
An acid storm stared in the stomach. The chick went so completely crazy that the acid waves were over a meter and a half tall, as if trying to throw me as far from the stone as possible. Sometimes the retreating acid revealed the stone completely; yet, there was nothing special about it. Just a normal smooth beach stone that had grown to be half a meter in size. My Energy was close to depletion and, unwilling to spend another elixir, I hit the stone one last time, then started to figure out the best angle for hitting myself on the head. The blow would have to be fast and precise, so that it would be done cleanly and surely.
Level achieved
Level…
The acid storm stopped, and immediately the angry pitiful cry of the bird filled the space around me. Information on receiving more levels was flashing in front of my eyes, and I held still with the artifact almost touching my helmet, glad that I had not been able to drive the spikes into my head. The new levels replenished Energy, and now I had another twelve minutes of life within the bird. Actually, more: the emotions of the bird which had lost its baby would not let my Energy go down even by a single unit.
You have achieved the maximum level in the Academy (15)
You will receive all subsequent accumulated experience following completion of the Academy or at respawn
As I was rummaging through the stones I was not able to contain a grin: the Academy imposed a limit on player development. Within the Academy levels did not provide any benefit at all except for extra lives; however, in the main world practically everything was tied to them. Level of access to different worlds, participation in various contests, abilities, Dungeons, quest sequences, attitude of NPCs — everything depended on the player’s current level. That’s why the level was the utmost secret that the players guarded more than their lives.
“Now what’s that?” I frowned, pushing aside yet another stone. In my hand I was holding a small flat silvery bar shaped like a regular hexagon. In the center it had the Emperor’s seal: the black skull with three white eyeholes. There was no description for this object; the Game had not informed me that I had received anything, and that was what bothered me the most. What was it? Just a useless trinket? ...or a time bomb? Why could I not see the hexagon’s properties? What did the Emperor’s seal have to do with it? Altogether, what was that thing doing inside the chick? Is there another stone like this in the other chick? There were no answers. There was no other loot, either – the broken stone did not contain anything else. Moreover, the moment I picked up the hexagon the stone bits started dissolving and disappeared literally within a few moments, leaving me alone with the strange object. I turned it around in my hands and, failing to find a use for it, stuck the hexagon into my inventory until a more suitable time. I would show it to Sharda‒ maybe the gnome would know what it was and what it was for. Another heart-rending scream of loss sounded, reminding me where I was. Even after dying the chick would not disappear. Besides, it didn’t even fall over; thus, climbing out the hole through which I had fallen in would be impossible: the distance to the throat was about three meters. Half an hour of trying to punch through the fowl’s body was useless: I was not able to make even the smallest hole. All my blows, even enhanced, were to no avail. With my current level of attack ability I wouldn’t be able to get out.
I was facing a dilemma. From my previous life the optimists’ motto came to mind: “Even if you were eaten, you still have two ways out” and now I had to decide: was I ready to find those ways, or would the feeling of disgust overpower the desire to make another entry in the Book, and I would have to respawn? Both options involved significant delays; and I had no time for that – either an hour for respawn, or who knows how long to find a way to get out, going through with it, climbing down to the ground, returning to the village … The only thing I would really sincerely regret was my freshly achieved 15th level.
“Claa-a-a-!” The mother bird screeched once again and suddenly the chick’s side darkened: the bird alighted on the nest and… “Claa-a-a-!”
The lurch was so strong that I fell flat on my back. I was not prepared for this turn of events, so I hit my head on the chick’s stomach pretty hard; sparks started dancing in front of my eyes. The earthquake finished, but was immediately succeeded by something like a roller-coaster. Up and down switched places again and again. I was thrown around mercilessly and only my protection enabled me to stay relatively whole. Beaten up, but still in one piece. The flight lasted forever: practically all of ten seconds. Subsequent impact crushed the chick flat, granting me the relief provided by darkness. Again the laws of physics overcame the energy shield. I needed to do something a
bout that.
“Look there, there’s one alive in it! Through the fog of my faint I heard an interested voice speaking with a funny village accent.
“We need to tell the village head, yeah.”
“They did‒ sent for him already. Not every day a chick falls from the nest, and with a live person inside, right. That needs some lookin’ into it, eh.”
“Should we take him out, no?”
“Nah, let the eldeh decide, What if he’s got a plague, or some such, that mum threw him out of the nest, she did? Talkin’ to Gromana then? No, I don’t want that!”
“Aggrh!” I groaned, trying to say that I was fine and there was no need to leave me inside the chick. But I didn’t succeed. Moreover, I was not even able to open my eyes – I simply hadn't the strength to do even that.
“So! See, how he’s spittin’ blood so, eh! I tell you, he’s got the plague! Maybe we should kill him, no? Let him respawn, I say.”
“Nah, the eldeh, he doesn’t like walkin’, and they sent for him, they did. He’d yell at us, he would.
“Where is he?” I heard an authoritative voice. Why have you still not pulled him out?”
“Well, eh… What ‘bout the plague, eh … Spits blood, eh…"
“Pull him out! Where is Gromana?”
“No need to fuss: here I am,” I heard a rather pleasant female voice. “I was listening at the tree. The mother is upset: her chick has been killed. Killed, not poisoned. Today she’ll lay a new egg and then will sit on it for a week. This Paladin helped the recruits of this sector, but what he did is a problem for all of us. It will be impossible to close the Academy in a week, so we’ll have to serve as chick food. Many times. We’ll really have to pay for the first chick starving for a week.
“That’s nasty…, the elder said slowly. “What should we do with this one? Finish him off?”
“No. Since we’ll have to suffer, let him suffer as well. I’ll take him.”
“He’ll run out of Energy and respawn anyway…”
“You’re blind, Vikat. The Paladin is already ours. He’s Dark. There are plenty of emotions here. It’ll be enough for him.”
“Aggrh!” I groaned again, trying to ask what was going on.”
“Sleep, Paladin.” They puffed something sickly-sweet in my face. "I need to figure out what to do with you.”
My awakening was definitely not pleasant: my head felt like it would actually crack. Groaning, I tried to cradle it in my hands, but did not succeed: my hands were firmly tied to something hard.
“Drink this‒ it’ll dull the pain.” I heard the now familiar female voice. Then a bowl appeared in front of me, full of a steaming beverage with a foul smell. My mouth was filled with burning liquid. Someone squeezed my nose, forcing me to take a gulp, then another. Then a third. Despite the liquid fire in my mouth and throat, a pleasant warmth flooded my body. Headache retreated. With an effort, I opened my eyes and stared at the wooden ceiling. I was unable to shake my head: like my hands, it was firmly fixed in place.
“Salmella pollen may cause not only pain, but also death. You are stupid, moving around the Academy with your visor open.”
“Why can I not move?” I rasped through my burnt throat.
“Because you are tied up, is that not obvious?” My interlocutor grinned. I heard steps and then a pleasant female face framed with long raven-black hair appeared between me and the ceiling. “Swear by the Game that you are not going to kill either yourself or other players within the next seven days, and I’ll untie you.”
“You have no right to detain me!” I was indignant.
“Who told you such a silly thing? I cannot detain a recruit for more than one respawn. Everything else is allowed. Torture, abuse, teaching, curses – whatever comes into my head.”
“Are you a witch?” I said with surprise, hearing the word “curse”. Only members of one specific class could cast those.
“She is a player, same as you.” This time the Chancellor’s thunderous voice was muffled, as if he was standing nearby. “Gromana, given the circumstances, I approve your request and you may hold Yari until his group returns. They should be back in five days. You can do whatever you want with him: he is in your power. Well, actually, no, I don’t want to see the ritual for a generational curse in my Academy. That chick was my favorite pet; Yari should be punished for its death. A short delay won’t harm him. As for you and Vikat, you know already: your punishment has been determined. You will be eaten. Many times. You must be more attentive to your responsibilities, Dark one! Don’t let him go without an oath. Yari, I look forward to seeing you. Even though not so much at this stage.”
“You heard it all,” the woman said, surprised; apparently, she hadn’t expected the appearance of the Chancellor. “Either an oath, or you will just keep lying here tied until your group returns. The choice is yours.”
“What the hell?!” I exploded. “Untie me, now!”
“Your choice is clear,” Gromana brought an open hand to her mouth and blew in my face. “Sleep, Paladin. We’ll talk tomorrow…”
“I agree!” I growled, after waking up for the third time. Habitually swallowed the burning liquid neutralizing the effect of the pollen, and then repeated after Gromana, word for word, an oath that prohibited me from making any conscious attempts to respawn within the next two days. “You’ve been holding me for three days already?!”
“Three and a half.” Gromana disappeared from my view and I heard the sound of locks opening.” “Your group hasn’t returned yet, so you can’t go into the village. Besides, not all players have left it yet. You’ll live with me for now.”
“But you are also a player,” I reminded her.
“I am,” the girl agreed, helping me get up. “This is my punishment. Until this enrollment is over, I will have to stay in this – number three – sector of the Labyrinth and help the recruits. Some initiated slowpokes still haven’t left the forest, so I’ll have to sit here for quite some time.”
“What did you do to be exiled into the Academy?”
“I don’t want to answer this question, and I won’t,” Gromana cut me off. “Come, we need to treat your wounds. Here‒ you could use the crutch.”
“What?” I frowned, staring in bewilderment at the stick the witch was offering me; only now did I notice the pierced steel cuisse covering my thigh. Since I had not yet respawned the armor hadn’t been restored. Underneath the cuisse there was a huge irregular hole all the way through; its edges were covered with the white ointment. My back turned cold: a prohibition from respawning meant that for several days I’d have to walk around with this horrendous wound! Slanting my eyes to my shoulder, I couldn’t contain my feelings and cursed: there was a similar hole there. Even though I didn’t feel the pain, I also didn’t feel the entire left side of my body. As if it wasn’t enough that I now had a stump instead of a normal hand, now I’d received two holes that went all the way through! Must be a reward for special services to my country!
“I cannot cure a wound like this,” Gromana responded impassively in response to my angry tirade. “I can only dull the pain and prevent you from bleeding to death. You will need to respawn, but only after the group returns.”
“Why?!” I came up with the strength to ask a clear question, suppressing my curses for a while. For what?!”
“Because you’ll leave in two days, and Vikat and I will have to sit here until the Academy closes! While no one cares about NPCs and the Game continuously adds new ones, I will have to feel the hunger of the chicks first hand! The Chancellor has already warned us what the death of the chick will cost us. I’ve spoken to those who were eaten by the chicks – it’s a horrible death. You saved the recruits of our sector: in the remaining three days they’ll have enough time to complete the Labyrinth. Or die. But we can’t get out of here until the entire Academy closes. All the sectors! This may take a month.”
“I didn’t know…”
“That doesn’t make life any easier for me.
The Chancellor changed the rules, and from now on it will be impossible to kill either the bird or the chicks. As soon as the last recruit in the sector leaves the Labyrinth, all the NPCs will disappear; then the bird will hunt the only prey available. That’s the two of us here: I, acting as the wise woman, and Vikat, the village elder. Do you still want to know why I asked the Chancellor to leave you crippled for at least a couple of days? Come, I need to dress the wounds.”
Getting used to walking with a stick, I stood up with difficulty. My left leg was useless. So was the left arm. Stumbling at every step, I moved away the curtain, and from a small dimly lit chamber entered a light spacious veranda. In the center there was a massive table covered with retorts, bowls, mortars and other attributes of witches or alchemists. One of the walls was a window, wide open and offering a view of the lush green forest. The other walls were covered with tall wooden shelves filled with the same instruments and things of a wise woman. Gromana was doing something at the table, mixing ingredients in a wooden mortar and whispering a spell.
“Sit!” she pointed at the wooden stool after she finished the ritual. “I don’t have the elves’ ointment, so we’ll have to do with what we have. It should be enough for two days.
Keeping quiet about my stock of remedies, I sat down and cringed when the witch started applying ointment to the wounds. White slop which smelt strongly of ammonia that cleared my mind better than smelling salts.
“This should be enough for you,” Gromana finished the procedure and plopped the dish of evil-smelling substance next to me. “From now on do it yourself. I've already spent too much time on you.”
“If I am stuck here for two days, what should I do?” I asked when Gromana turned away, returning to her vials again.
“Whatever you want!” the witch snorted contemptuously. “There’s nothing of mine here. Just try not to come close to the table. I will not be pleased if you interrupt the ritual. I might get offended and curse you. You won’t like it.”
The Beginning (Dark Paladin Book #1) LitRPG Series Page 33