Realm of the Nine Circles: The Grind: A LitRPG Novel

by P. Joseph Cherubino

  “WTF are you doing?” Martin demanded, using his special talent to come across domineering even in text chat.

  “Getting some game time, boss,” Kalmond replied casually.

  “Pulling you out,” Martin replied.

  “Not yet,” Kalmond fired back. Seeing his Dwarven voice produce text on a physical glass panel hovering in the air was jarring, to say the least. “Just trust me. I need to be in the game right now. You want to gather data, right?”

  “But not like this. We need you in the lab,” Martin said.

  “This is work. Virgil needs help,” Kalmond replied.

  A long pause stretched out, and Kalmond took a moment to save his progress in case Martin pulled an override.

  “I don’t like it, Dante,” Martin said. Kalmond held his breath, waiting for Martin’s decision. “If things go sideways, I pull you out. Got it?”

  “Got it,” Kalmond said. The pressure was on.

  Chapter 2

  Kalmond closed Martin’s chat window, then brought up his contacts menu panel. Luckily, the immersion interface was essentially the same as the 2-D window system. The difference was that the windows in the Realm were tangible things made from thick, wavy, frosted glass. He poked his finger at Holly’s human character name, Sorceress Keerna. Chat windows had a habit of nearly hitting him in the forehead, so he stopped moving for a moment to punch the ‘send location’ icon at the top window border. “I’m going on a quest. Find an excuse to leave the lab and join me,” he said. He knew Holly kept her R9C chat app running on her phone most of the time and he hoped she was paying attention.

  She was, but the response was both instant and bitterly disappointing. Holly replied, “Nah, I’ll wait til you level up a bit. I convinced Martin to let me grab a harness, too. I’m heading to the Giant’s Toe dungeon instances so I can play through to the new circle.”

  “Suit yourself,” Kalmond said, grateful that the speech-to-text didn’t translate his tone of disappointment.

  Kalmond growled and closed the channel before he said something he was sure to regret. As a participant in the Game World War, the new dungeons were open to him, but he’d already started a quest chain. If he didn’t finish the chain, he risked failure and negative reputation points, something a new character could hardly afford. The prospect of spending a week underground just to level up was not at all appealing.

  His broken plan to level up with the help of his clan had him stalled in grind mode and alone. OK, what now, he thought. He was a rogue after all, so “Fuck ‘em,” he said to the trees realizing he’d just arrived at the most suitable mission statement. “I’ll do this by myself then. All the points, all the credit, all the reputation.”

  Checking his map again showed his location at the bottom of the egg-shaped quest area. He decided to zigzag back and forth to search for his prey.

  The level four quest was entirely doable‍, he assured himself. It meant the enemy was a level six at most. Kalmond was on his third level and armed with his now battered-looking tree branch…ok, fine, he thought, so my chances aren’t great.

  A shudder of foliage sent his heart racing and he thought-activated the sneak command, standing still as stone while he blended into the trees. An explosion of leaves revealed a tall, skinny black bear waddling along on its hind legs like a drunken man.

  Shocked at the size of it, Kalmond could only stare as it ambled past. Only when it disappeared back into the trees did the dwarf move, jerking out of his shock to follow his target.

  Kalmond’s stomach twisted at the thought of going head to head with a creature of that size and he resolved to find a way to gain some advantage—a way that didn’t involve stabbing a bear twice his size with a rusty dagger and beating it with a stick. He quickly checked his experience bar and found he needed 500 for the next level.

  Kalmond trailed his target, tracking the beast by the ruckus it made and the snapped branches it left in its wake. When Kalmond caught up, he almost stumbled into a clearing in the underbrush that looked very much like a camp, complete with a fire ring. While stones were piled up in the center of the rough circle, there was no evidence of a fire.

  “Since when do bears camp?” Kalmond asked under his breath as he looked around, hidden behind a partially stripped bush. Might the bear have taken the clearing from other adventurers? It was possible. The area had been swept free of leaves and piles of rubbish, obviously from the village, lined the edges. Bits of broken pottery sat piled up beside a bed of compressed leaves near the fire ring.

  The black bear trotted around the perimeter of its home, dropping down on all fours to sniff and lick at the pottery shards. It huffed, grunted and groaned as it did. Kalmond began to wonder if this NPC was dreamed up by one of the human brains in the Plexcorp basement. It behaved far different from most other game creatures and certainly acted very little like a bear.

  The wind shifted and tumbled over Kalmond’s shoulder and directly towards his target. The bear froze, and Kalmond stopped breathing with wide eyes as the bear rose up again on its hind legs and tipped his snout in Kalmond’s direction. It sniffed deeply and growled then pointed to the bushes where the dwarf hid. It dropped back down on all fours, then bent its left leg to raise its paw like a hunting dog.

  Oh shit, Kalmond thought as the bear pawed the ground in preparation for a charge. The dwarf tried to make himself small in the tattered foliage. The wind picked up, and Kalmond was close enough to see bear nostrils flare. Kalmond sprang up as the bear shot forward, but it was too late.

  The bear slammed into his back two running strides out of the bush. It pinned him to the ground. The bear slashed with his claws but did little damage. The dwarf managed to free himself and ran only a few paces before he realized his satchel was gone. When he turned around, he found the bear sitting on its scrawny haunches with the remains of the satchel scattered around it. The last of Kalmond’s turkey breast disappeared into the bear’s slavering maw.

  “My food!” Kalmond shouted, forgetting the immediate danger in the face of his great loss. He whirled, club in hand and roared.

  “Food,” the bear grumbled, rubbing a paw on his belly. “More,” it said, fixing Kalmond with pleading eyes. It sat up on its hind legs like a begging puppy, limp paws and all.

  That was when Kalmond noticed the fur around the bear’s neck was matted. He lowered his club.

  “Well, damn. A talking bear,” Kalmond remarked, trying to sort things out. The beasts of R9C usually did not speak. “You wore a collar? You were someone’s pet…or captive...”

  “Food,” the bear said, sniffing the air again. It lowered itself to its paws again and inched forward warily.

  “I’m glad I’m not food to you, bear,” Kalmond said. When he shifted the stick to his weak hand, the bear flinched, eyeing the club as it shrank back. “Huh,” Kalmond said. “You’re not a bad bear at all, are you? I won’t hit you. Don’t worry.”

  “Food,” the bear said, drawing the word out long and low.

  “Virgil,” Kalmond said. “I want an ask.”

  “What is your question, player?” Virgil said as he faded into view leaning on his staff.

  “Is there another solution to this quest?”

  “Yes,” Virgil answered. “You have two questions left.”

  “Damn it,” Kalmond rumbled. “What is the alternative solution?”

  “Convince the villagers to feed the bear.”

  “Food,” Kalmond repeated with a smile. “Let’s go get you some food, bear.”

  “More,” the bear said, as it followed Kalmond through the forest. The two set off towards the village. The bear followed close behind, its wet muzzle touching Kalmond’s hand occasionally, asking about food over and over again.

  “Soon,” Kalmond said. “Food soon.”

  Kalmond followed the path downhill a short while to a wide clearing surrounded by round, gray rocks. The little village sat in a mountain basin down a steep stretch of the trail. The dwarf paused at t
he top of the hill, surveying the town.

  Villagers toiled in a small field where a few scraggly redberry bushes stood supported by crude trestles. The plants should have been bushy with broad, green leaves and be popping with plump, red fruit. Instead, they were brown and without a hint of red anywhere.

  “Food,” the bear said, and made a motion forward. Kalmond reached out a hand to stop him, and the bear cowered.

  “Don’t worry, buddy,” Kalmond said. “You don’t hit me, and I won’t hit you, OK?” He seemed to understand that, and Kalmond had a strong suspicion as to why that was. “We need a game plan. We can’t just walk down there with you. The villagers will freak out. Maybe we should hide you in these bushes for a while.”

  Kalmond moved to a stand of tall shrubs bordering the trail. He was thinking about how to communicate to the bear that he should hide as he parted the branches to see if there was enough room in there for his new friend. He didn’t see the badger until it was attached to his face and raking gouges across it.

  The dwarf screamed and flew backward as the badger mauled him. He kept his eyes closed for fear of losing them as he clawed desperately at the animal’s deceptively soft fur. A roar rattled his head, and as suddenly as the attack came, it was broken. He opened his eyes again to see the bear lunge at the badger that tumbled over the rocky trail like a furry beach ball.

  The small, vicious animal whirled, arched its back and wailed. The bear wasn’t having that. Kalmond’s new friend reared up to his full height and drew a deep breath. The bear roared as he lowered his gaping maw to within inches of the badger’s face. When the roar stopped, Kalmond’s ears were ringing. The badger squeaked, then streaked away in the opposite direction trailing a cloud of dust behind it. The bear licked its lips and plopped on its haunches.

  In spite of his tattered, bleeding face, Kalmond laughed as he staggered on his feet to lean against the bear’s shoulder. The bear leaned into him in return. “OK. Bushes are a bad idea,” Kalmond said. “Let’s just go down there.” The surprise attack had cost him nearly half his hit points.

  As the two turned back down the trail, the village exploded into motion. By the time they reached the basin, what seemed like every villager was in the central square, armed with rusty iron tools and sharp wooden farm implements.

  “The bear! The bear!” Voices cried out. “The stranger brings the bear to destroy us!”

  “No!” Kalmond the dwarf shouted, raising his hands as the bear cowered behind him. “The bear is tame! He can’t feed himself in the wild. He was just hungry.”

  “He destroyed our food stores!” one of the villagers shouted.

  “He didn’t know any better,” Kalmond explained.

  An old woman stepped forward from the crowd, and all eyes turned to her. “Why do you bring this creature here?” the village matriarch asked.

  “Like I said, he was probably raised in captivity. Look at his neck. See the fur? It’s matted down. He just wants food. Whoever tied him up also beat him. He’s hand shy.”

  The big bear tried to make himself small behind the dwarf. It peeked around Kalmond’s legs. “Food.” the bear grumbled. Somewhere in the crowd, a small child giggled.

  “We have little food,” the Matriarch said.

  Kalmond considered his response. Wood Dwarves did not have high charisma. He’d have to be careful. “The bear saved me from a badger,” Kalmond said, pointing at his bloody face.

  “The stranger is hurt,” said a farmer, who sidled up to the Matriarch. “We can’t turn away the sick or wounded. The wood spirits would protest.”

  “Nor can we afford to harbor a wild beast,” the Matriarch replied.

  “But he’s not wild,” Kalmond said. “He only came to the village because he doesn’t know how to feed himself. He is also sick and wounded.”

  The Matriarch glanced to one side. Another man stepped forward, draped in furs that weren’t quite thick enough to hide the arrows jutting up over his shoulder. A hunter of some sort, Kalmond guessed. Like the rest of the village, he was human.

  “He stole my fox cub after it ran into his cave. Ate it, most likely.” The man spat on the ground. “Ain’t keepin’ no bear here if he’s just gonna eat my foxes.”

  “What? He wouldn’t eat your fox!” Kalmond looked to the bear. “You wouldn’t, would you?”

  The bear shook his head and huffed something that sounded like a jowly, growling “No.”

  “He talks?” The hunter sighed. “Suppose there’s no arguin’ with a talkin’ bear. But where’s my cub?”

  Kalmond sighed, “He didn’t live in a cave, anyway. He lived in the woods. Something else got your fox. Just tell me you want me to find it. I need all the quests I can get.”

  “Strangers make strange talk,” the hunter replied.

  “I will find your cub for you. I accept the quest,” Kalmond said, making things perfectly clear to the dynamic quest engine. Gong! He barely took note of the new quest notice because a completion text sank from the air and hovered near his nose. “Damn small town quests. I need a real fight, not all this touchy feely crap.”

  Quest Complete: The Marauding Bear. Bonus for saving the bear.

  The XP bubble floating away from the bear read 950, followed by a bonus bubble that showed +500.

  A beam of light shot down, fading out barely a moment before another followed, along with a second gong. His experience bar filled, emptied, and then shot up to full as he reeled, the double level gain making his head swim.

  Kalmond the stone dwarf

  Level 5

  XP 2477

  STA 20

  STR 18

  INT 17

  AGI 18

  CHA 18

  MAN 15

  MLVL 272

  Hit Points5286

  The Matriarch bowed her head to Kalmond, then gestured one of the townspeople forward. “We wish you to accept this reward. I now believe the wood spirits sent you to remind us of kindness. We have had so little of it lately.”

  “Hail the Bear dwarf!” someone in the crowd shouted.

  “Hail the wood spirits!” cried another.

  A man, clad in the rough and dirty clothes of a farmer, handed Kalmond a dull sword and a small satchel. Kalmond thanked him and took the goods. The weight of the steel in his hand was nothing compared to the one that lifted from his shoulders. “Finally,” Kalmond said. “ Some decent steel.”

  Humble Sword: Damage +3

  He accepted the items and checked his the contents of the satchel.

  100 Circs

  Soft Clodhoppers: armor Rating +1, Sneak +1

  4x Small Berry Cakes: +2000 health/10 Endurance over 12 seconds

  “Food,” the bear said hopefully and struck his begging puppy pose again. A small child squealed and burst forth from the crowd that gave a collective gasp. She slammed against the bear’s hollow belly and tried to wrap her arms around his impossibly large frame. The bear leaned back and plopped down on his hindquarters with a grunt. He gently nudged the little girl onto his lap.

  “The bear a good omen,” someone shouted. “The bear is our friend!”

  Kalmond stepped back to allow the townspeople to surround the bear, content that he would not be harmed. In a fit of generosity, Kalmond fed the bear the rest of his berry cakes after eating just one to heal. The denizens followed suit with food of their own. The town NPCs produced what scraps they had from various pockets and satchels, and the bear scarfed it all down. The dwarf grinned as the bear’s belly grew round and the outlines of his ribs disappeared. Even his fur grew fluffier and began to shine. The big animal had his fill, then gently set the little girl back on her feet. He broke away from the crowd to do a little dance on his hind legs in the town square. Somebody pulled out a wooden flute and singing broke out.

  Above the heads of the crowd, a thin blue line appeared. Above the line, the word “Reputation” stood out in wood block letters as the line lengthened. The bar was just a quarter full, but it was a good sta
rt. Now Kalmond had a brand new town on his side. He was now listed as the town alder, meaning he could assign jobs to villagers and grant some privileges to other players.

  The dwarf walked away with a spring in his step provided by new footwear and the confidence of an edged object rattling against his thigh. It wasn’t an axe or spiven steel, but it would do. He headed off in the direction of the fox quest marker. The forest grew thick with towering bluebark trees and green vines that spanned between them. Soon, he traveled between pools of filtered sunlight that became smaller and smaller the deeper he progressed.

  Kalmond slowed, intuition flaring. Forest like this was home to any number of beasts that might love to pounce on a soft, low-level morsel just like him. Wandering around the quest area brought him directly to the mouth of a cave where the quest marker grew large and pulsed ominously red on the transparent map hovering before him. He deactivated the map window and the marker covered the mouth of the cave.

  “This is it,” he said, searching the forest for things that might want to kill him.

  He’d made it to the quest opening without a fight. The lack of meanies on the approach suggested strongly that whatever was inside that cave would be trouble. That was usually the way it worked. The Realm sometimes liked to save up its surprises, then unload them in a flood.

  It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim light as he progressed slowly into the cave. A few moments of blackness concealed his transition to the dungeon instance. The pale green light produced by glowing cave fungus cast strange shadows down the corridor of jagged black stones set in sedimentary rock. One of the shadows moved, and Kalmond sprang towards it without hesitation, sword-first.

  The rhino beetle skittered towards him at knee level, horn lowered and ready to impale. The dwarf sliced it neatly down the middle with an unnecessary power swing. He wanted to be certain of kills, but he reminded himself to conserve his endurance points for a bigger fight should one arise.

  Killing the beetle gave him three circs, 92 XP a copper cup and a rhino beetle horn. Not a bad score. He made a mental note to save the copper cup for later sale. If he was lucky, it might also serve as the base material for a crafting item. He was halfway to level 10; then he would be allowed to trade.