Grimoire Bound

by Jeff Sproul

  Contents

  Title

  Jeff Sproul

  Chapter 1: Open Your Eyes

  Chapter 2: Ride

  Chapter 3: Stand

  Chapter 4: Better Odds

  Chapter 5: Town Hall

  Chapter 6: Grimoire

  Chapter 7: Giant

  Chapter 8: Deal

  Chapter 9: Assignment

  Chapter 10: Ship

  Chapter 11: Cargo

  Chapter 12: Nightfall

  Chapter 13: Daylight

  Chapter 14: Travel

  Chapter 15: Purgatory

  Chapter 16: Fight

  Chapter 17: Delirium

  Chapter 18: Last Chance

  Chapter 19: Passage

  Chapter 20: Trillin

  Chapter 21: Hunt

  Chapter 22: Keldara

  Chapter 23: Nessa

  Chapter 24: The Macidna

  Chapter 25: Preparation

  Chapter 26: The Return

  Chapter 27: New Kamber

  Chapter 28: Questions

  Chapter 29: Drink

  Chapter 30: Strike

  Chapter 31: Grittin

  Chapter 32: Confrontation

  Chapter 33: Step Forward

  Chapter 34: Remember

  Newsletter

  LitRPG On Facebook

  Special Thanks

  About The Author

  Grimoire Bound

  Jeff Sproul

  Text Copyright © 2017 Jeff Sproul

  All Rights Reserved.

  This book may not be reproduced in any form or medium without the express written consent of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters and places either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

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  Chapter 1: Open Your Eyes

  A naked male figure rested upon a stone dais in a small room. The dais was cracked at the base, causing it to slant down towards the floor. But the floor couldn't be seen, as murky water had filled the room up to the figure's feet.

  The young man's eyes opened, and a breath of air filled his lungs. A pale white and orange glow glimmered around the room from the surface of the water, coming from just outside the dilapidated and broken mausoleum he found himself in. He pulled himself further up the dais to get his feet out of the frigid water and looked around, as nothing seemed familiar. The air around him smelled fresh, despite the degradation of his surroundings.

  "Where?" he spoke, letting the word hang in the air before continuing. "Where am I?" he whispered.

  He glanced around, but all he could make out were the cracked stone walls and the water that had filled the room. Where was the water coming from? How'd he get here? His memories were hazy. All he could bring to the fore of his thoughts were the images of large glass and metal towers all around him. It almost pained him to think about it. He focused his thoughts and searched the area.

  There were no clothes around for him to put on. Perhaps there were some in the water? But how would he find them in the murk? He could barely make out the confined room he was in, due to the minimal light coming from outside.

  His green eyes looked to the doorway. It was in disarray. Part of the ceiling had collapsed and he couldn't see out beyond it at his current angle.

  His bare hairless chest heaved as panic set in. How did he get here? Where was he? Why was he naked?

  He slid slowly down the dais and tested the water with his toes, despite them already being wet. The water chilled him to the bone. He hoped he wouldn't have to be in it for long, especially without clothing. He shifted further down the dais and into the water. It came up to his thighs as his toes pressed to the smooth floor, hidden beneath the surface. He waded over to the doorway. It wasn't far, a half-dozen feet at most. He stepped carefully, not wanting to catch his bare foot on anything sharp that he couldn't see. He leaned down and peeked out the doorway, and his eyes widened.

  There was water, as far as the eye could see.

  Was it some sort of ocean? He had no way of knowing.

  The natural ripples in the water caused his gaze to lift higher and higher into the night sky.

  Dark clouds rolled in the distance, but up above him, the sky was clear and gave way to various ripples of grayish light.

  He wasn't sure what he expected to see in that night sky, but the twisting gray otherworldly threads filled him with a sense of both awe and confusion. It was as if there was something far beyond even the night sky, and it glowed with an otherworldly gray light.

  But that wasn't the only reflection upon the water. There was an almost rippling amber glow coming from the left. His eyes followed it, but its source wasn't discernible from within the stone structure he found himself in.

  He pushed through the water and maneuvered through the partially caved-in entrance. His foot sunk into the sand with his first step outside the doorway. Instinctively, he grabbed at the stone wall, but he only sunk about an inch. He moved his toes and feet and got his bearing as he pushed away from the stone structure.

  A chill breeze blew around him and ruffled his shoulder-length black hair. He shivered and crossed his arms, rubbing his palms and fingers up and down his arms for several moments as he treaded through the water.

  His nakedness became more apparent now that he was out in the open and still in the cold water. He turned his head and noticed that he was on the lower vestiges of a shore. The waves splashed against the sand, leaving bubbles and foam in their wake. But as his eyes ran up the shoreline, he realized where the amber glow was coming from.

  A large wooden ship was beached on the coast. Smoke billowed up against the tall white sails, darkening them with thick ashen clouds. Fires buffeted the deck. There seemed to be figures moving; shadowy outlines among the conflagration. But at his distance, he couldn't quite make them out.

  He took several steps. His bare toes sunk into the sand, and the waves pushed him towards the shore. He waded through the waters at an angle. He wanted to go towards the ship. Were people in trouble? Was he from the ship? How had he ended up in that mausoleum? Should he try and help someone?

  He couldn't move very fast and was still gaining his bearings. He looked further inland and saw a multitude of structures. A village? Some sort of coastal town? There were no lights coming from the town. At least there were no fires. It seemed eerily quiet and dead.

  His attention returned to the ship just as an object fell from the top deck. He blinked. The image was blurry. Then, there was a noticeable splash in the water.

  Nothing made sense. He couldn't just watch and do nothing while others were in trouble. Whoever was on the ship needed help.

  He set his sights on the vessel and moved at an angle so that he could run along the shore, since going through the water directly would take too long.

  He could just barely make out the sounds of crackling fires. Wind whistled and moaned through the rocks that formed jagged outcroppings behind the mausoleum. It was hard to make out his surroundings with just moonlight and the illumination from the fiery ship.

  Almost like a wave all its own, the smell of the smoke reached his nostrils. He grimaced and brought his arm up to shield his nose.

  The water was just getting to his knees when his leg caught on something. He pulled his leg back and looked down, but the water was too dark to see what had snagged him.

  Something squeezed his leg and pulled it back.

  His eyes widened as he fell face-first into the water. His hands cau
ght him in the mushy sand. He kicked with his seized leg as something sought to pull him out to the ocean. He clutched at the sand, trying to find purchase to pull away from whatever was grabbing him.

  His head turned as his heart raced. A shadowy silhouette loomed just beneath the gloomy water's surface behind him. The grip on his leg tightened. Another hand or claw, or whatever it was, seized his foot.

  "Help!" he cried out, just as he was pulled back again, forced to lose his grip in the sand as his face plunged beneath the water. He scrambled and clutched at the sand, his fingers sinking between the grains. He pulled his head above the water long enough to suck in a breath of air before the salty water filled his mouth, causing him to choke and cough as he struggled against whatever sought to pull him beneath the water.

  He kicked with his other leg, but his motions were severely subdued in the water. His heel planted against something slick and smooth. He shoved his foot, trying to kick off of it as best he could. The grip on his leg loosened. He kicked it and freed his foot from the other hand, using those precious seconds to pull himself through the sand and water. His heart raced, his chest ached, and he coughed up the acrid salty water. He moved on hands and feet until his fingers crunched into drier sand.

  He looked up just in time to see something glint in the dim fluorescence from the sky. It came right at him; he thought it was going to hit him. He had no time to dodge it.

  It shot past his head, whistling as it went.

  The sharp crack of metal on bone came from behind. Then, a shrill gurgling cry of some terrible monstrosity.

  He turned his head, only long enough to see something looming out of the water. A shadowy shape covered in glistening black scales. A pair of elongated arms rose up with webbed hands. It plucked the arrow from what could only be its strange fish-like head.

  "Get out of the water!" a woman's voice shouted from far away, seemingly coming from the direction of the village.

  With renewed vigor, he scrambled out of the last few inches of water and rose to his feet.

  Sharp claws raked the back of his left arm.

  "Ah!" he cried out as he stumbled forward from the pain, which sought to encompass his entire arm. He winced and regained his footing, pushing on and running. He didn't look back. He knew the creature was right behind him. He just hoped he could run faster than it.

  "Over here! Come on!" came the woman's voice.

  Another arrow sang through the air as it slipped past him. There was another audible cracking sound and gurgling cry, slightly different than the last one.

  His eyes darted around and spotted three figures on horseback near one of the dilapidated wooden structures of the town. They were on a makeshift road that seemed to be made more of dirt than sand.

  The central figure had a sword that glinted in the moonlight. He couldn't tell their gender, but they seemed to be wearing some sort of armor and helmet. The other two figures were dressed similarly to each other, wearing dark black cloaks with their hoods hiding their faces. Their arms were stretched out, each wielding a bow. Their loosed arrows shot off towards him and smacked into whatever was chasing him. Despite his burning curiosity, he didn't dare look back. He kept his sights on the three riders as he ran towards them.

  "Just a bit further! Hurry!" came the woman's voice, as the central figure swung her sword from side to side to warrant his attention. It seemed as though the armored figure was a woman and the one who was calling out to him.

  Seconds stretched on for what felt like minutes as more arrows shot by him. His arm burned with a strange intensity, but finally, he reached the riders. The armored woman leaned down and stretched out her gauntlet-clad arm and hand.

  "Come on!" she said urgently.

  He had no idea how to get on the horse; his mind was frantic. He took her hand and felt himself being propelled upwards with her unusual strength. His foot caught on a rung from the saddle and he managed to lean up behind her. He sat back on the padded saddle, which he was thankful for, given his nakedness.

  "Grab on!" the woman shouted.

  Shaking from cold and panic, and with little time for comfort, he grabbed her gray and white cloak as tight as he could.

  The woman tugged on the horse's reins and turned the beast to head further into the village. "Hyah!" she called, giving the reins another pull.

  The horse trotted and worked up to a run, as the other two riders grabbed their reins and did the same. It was only now, in this relative moment of safety, that he looked back to the shore. He expected to see the monster still chasing after him. But the reality of the situation was far worse.

  The beached ship continued to burn, casting its fiery glow across the nearby reaches of the shore. Clouds crept in overhead, concealing the gray stretches of light from above the sky.

  Dozens of pitch-black forms lumbered onto the shore, heading for the village, while dozens more breached the water's surface to lay their glassy gazes upon the fleeing riders.

  Chapter 2: Ride

  The young man's ears rang with the clinking of armor and chainmail all around him as he clutched the woman's cloak. The horses rushed past numerous small hovels; none were more than a couple levels high. Each structure was pock-marked and incredibly weathered. It was unlikely that anyone could be living in such conditions.

  He peered around from behind the woman's bulky armor and noticed a tall, dark forest a short distance away. They had just passed the last structure on their way out of the village and were closing in on the tree line. The poorly maintained dirt road led straight into a meager opening in the trees.

  "How many did you spot?" came a male voice from the left.

  He turned and spotted one of the cloaked archers looking his way from under a black hood. Was… he talking to him?

  "There were about three dozen already on the shore," came a woman's voice from his right. He turned and spotted the other archer looking just past him. The three horses were lined up beside each other, which let their voices carry more easily between them. Luckily, there were only the three of them, as the gap in the forest wouldn't have allowed for many more horses at a full run.

  "I saw about the same," came the male's voice from his left. "Maybe twice that amount still in the water?"

  "Could be ten times as many still in the water," said the armored woman. "We'll warn Kamber and head back out to get a better count."

  "They could be rushing into the forest by the time we get back!" came the woman's voice from his right. "We'll get ambushed and stuck in the midst of an army of merfolk!"

  "We'll see what the councilors decide!" the armored woman yelled, making sure her voice carried to both of the other riders. Her head turned, but it couldn't go very far with her armor. "What's your name?"

  The young man behind her finally spoke up. "Chaxin!" he said, figuring that she had to be talking to him.

  "You picked a shit time to arrive, Chaxin!" she called back, then turned her head forward as her hands whipped the reins.

  "I didn't pick anything! What's going on?" Chaxin asked, wincing as a streak of pain rushed through his left arm. He gripped the cloth cloak tighter. "Who are you? What are merfolk? Where am I?"

  "Fill ‘im in, Tiris," said the armored woman.

  "I'm Tiris," came the woman's voice from the right. "You're riding with Deloris. That's Vol over to your left." She spoke in an almost yell to be heard over the horses’ hooves.

  Chaxin's focus centered on Tiris. Her dark hood remained over her head, but he could just barely make out the blonde hair that crept out against her shoulders. Now that they were in the forest, he couldn't make out much else about her.

  "You're obviously a new arrival, but I don't know what you were doing on that beach!" said Tiris. "There's no working mausoleums in miles!"

  "What?" Chaxin called back. "You mean that stone room I was in? The one on the shore?"

  As he asked that question, he felt something soft press against his side.

  "Put this on!" the male ride
r, Vol, said from beside him.

  Chaxin turned and noticed that Vol had removed his cloak and was pressing the bundled garment against his side. Vol's dark hair was trim around his pale features. He took the offered clothing and removed his hands from Deloris's back, only long enough to wrap the cloak around his shoulders. He found some thin rope at the top, which he tied in a makeshift knot around his collar. He pulled the sides in close and gripped the armored woman's cloak again.

  "Thanks!" he said.

  "Don't be too grateful, I'll be wanting that back when we get you situated in Kamber!"

  "What's Kamber?" he asked, remembering how Deloris had mentioned it.

  "It's the town we're from," said Vol. "It's just beyond the forest. We were dispatched to the coast to investigate the smoke that one of our watchers spotted. Looks like something happened to that ship. Probably the merfolk!"

  "It looked like there were people on the ship!" said Chaxin. "What are merfolk? That fish monster?"

  Vol looked ahead every now and then, but mostly focused on Chaxin. "Merfolk are sea-people, but they're not like us. They're monsters. They're not to be underestimated. Lone ones can be pretty vicious. They can use weapons, but they're not too tough, and they don't tend to wear armor."

  All Chaxin could do was stare at Vol as he tried his best to process what he was being told. "Why are there monsters? What's going on? How'd I get here?"

  Vol reached up and ran a hand through his hair. "You're on Wake! It's the name of this sphere. It's… sort of like a planet, or a world. One of many. I'm probably not the best person to explain that! But monsters have always been here. They're also not too happy about humans like us. We're always fighting with some monster or another."

  In his pursuit of answers, Chaxin found himself even more confused. "But why am I here? Where did I come from?"

  "When you find that out, you let me know!" said Vol with a laugh. "Most of us got here the same way! We wake up at a mausoleum and we have no idea how we got here. I was the same as you are now, but I've been here for five years. Don't rush it, you'll figure things out!"