The Crystal Bard: A LitRPG Adventure (Kingmaker Saga Book 2)

by Thomas K. Carpenter

  The clash of steel rose above the clearing in the valley as a line of centaurs in shiny armor, massively outnumbered by Crag Trolls, fought with steel and hoof. At the center of the fight, the figure of Lord Ostric stood tall. He shouldered through enemies, smashing them with warhammers in each hand as he cut a hole through their lines. His mustache was splattered with blood, a cry on his lips as he rushed towards an equally enormous Crag Troll juggernaut in thick gray armor.

  As Lord Ostric smashed into the Crag Troll, sundering the pauldrons into steel shards, a concussive gong echoed from the hilltops. A crackling explosion of electricity, followed by a blast wave, rolled out from the Mother Tree. A speeding shard of light impacted Lord Ostric, right before the destruction hit.

  When the vision was over, Terran woke on his back, the taste of coppery blood on his tongue and the ringing of steel in his ears. He climbed to his feet, clearing away the fog from his vision when he found himself staring at the ghostly mustached face of Lord Ostric.

  "Lord Ostric! You're back. I feared that the destruction in the keep had included your ghost," said Terran, breathless with excitement.

  The enormous centaur winked, which shook his bushy mustache. "When Grimchar took control of the essence, he unknowingly threw my spiritual form into the ring, but I was still connected to my body and the heart, which held the essence. Once those were destroyed, I could not reform until you placed it back into the Mother Tree."

  "Does that mean that you're connected to this place? Or back in the ring?" asked Terran.

  "For now, my spiritual form is weak," said Lord Ostric. "But in time, maybe I will be able to travel again. Please accept my signet as a token of my gratitude for freeing me from the necrochanter Grimchar."

  "And if I want to talk to you?" asked Terran.

  "Come back to Mother Tree," said Lord Ostric. "I will know if you wish to speak to me, and return."

  "I'm glad you're back," said Terran.

  The enormous ghostly centaur bowed. "As am I."

  A host of laughter and revelry rose from the fire at the center of the settlement. Terran stared longingly at the light.

  "Go and enjoy yourself," said Lord Ostric. "You have accomplished much."

  "One day, we will have a drink before the fire in Wunderlust Keep," said Terran, brimming with emotion. "And we shall share stories of our adventures."

  The corners of the centaur's eyes creased. "I look forward to that day. Now go. I sense there is intrigue ahead. I must rest."

  Lord Ostric's ghost faded away, leaving Terran curious about his comment. Undaunted, Terran headed to the firelight.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lord Ostric's meaning about intrigue became clear when he saw Vievel set up around the central fire pit, but the presence of the trader brought confusion as well. Terran had calculated that it would take the gnome at least three more days to conduct his business in Salt Luck and then make it to Gneiss Glen even riding on a donkey. He was shocked to see the tiny salesman hawking his wares to a small gathering of elves that were oohing and ahhing at whatever bauble he showed them.

  "How did he beat us here?" Terran wondered aloud as Luna joined him.

  Luna responded with a low, almost imperceptible growl as she continued toward the elves gathered around Vievel at the fire. Terran waved Petram over when he saw the shaman exiting his hut.

  "How long has the gnome been here?" he asked Petram as soon as he neared.

  Petram tilted his head in thought. "He arrived a few days after you left, saying you met him on the Old Road and told him to come trade with us."

  Terran's brow furrowed. "I did, but he shouldn't be here yet if he went to Salt Luck first."

  "Perhaps his plans changed. I sense the addition of another essence," Petram said excitedly, changing the subject.

  Terran shook the frown from his face. "Yes. A fortuitous surprise, though I fear it may bring future troubles. Luna and I were at the ruins of Wunderlust Keep. There is much I need to tell you later about what happened. I encountered a necrochanter named Grimchar who had been using the Mother Tree essence for foul deeds."

  "The name Grimchar means nothing to me, but I assume that since you are here now, you vanquished him," said Petram.

  "I'm afraid he escaped before the explosion," said Terran.

  "Vievel said you had gone to the ruins to retrieve something for him. Were you successful?" he asked.

  "Yes, but he forgot to mention that the place was overrun with centaur skeletons, which is why he left his supplies in the first place I'm guessing," said Terran.

  "It's often more difficult to get people to do things if they know the dangers involved," Petram said with a smile.

  "Terran, there you are," Vievel called out when he noticed him talking to Petram. "Were you able to find the box of supplies? I'm sure a warrior such as yourself had no trouble."

  "I found the supplies and a host of skeletons guarding them that you neglected to mention. And how were you able to beat me back? Does your donkey have hidden wings or something? There's no way you could have made it to Salt Luck and back without flying," Terran said when he got to the fire pit.

  "Ha! Alas, no he doesn't, but I may have to find an enchanter to add them. What a marvelous idea, a flying ass," he said, smiling. "Let's open the box." He held out his hands, waiting for Terran.

  Terran carried the box over and dropped it unceremoniously next to the gnome, glad to be rid of his burden. Even with the bonus to hauling on the ring, it'd been a long, tiring journey back to the settlement. As he watched Vievel approach the box, Terran noticed that the gnome had replaced his tattered noble clothes with a new set of leaf armor fit to perfection on his small frame, and he had been snacking on a piece of a kaleidoscope mushroom.

  "It seems trading has been lucrative for you here," Terran noted, nodding at the new armor.

  "Of course, of course. I had several baubles and trinkets the elves needed. Now which key was it?" he said, searching through keys on a ring. He tried several different keys and none of them worked. "It must be on the other key ring," he mumbled as he got up, carrying the box, and walked toward his donkey tethered at the edge of the clearing.

  Terran moved to follow the suspicious gnome, but Vievel waved him off. "No, no, sir. You sit. You've traveled far today. I'll be right back."

  Terran stood, hands on hips, eyes narrowed, watching the gnome walk away. His anger was rising when he heard a familiar voice call out his name.

  "Terran," Chanterelle said, a smile splitting her face. "Did you just get back?"

  Terran's anger drained away in her presence and he returned her smile. "Yeah, just now."

  She grabbed his hand and squeezed as she leaned in and whispered, "We'll have to celebrate later in the hammock." After a quick kiss on the cheek, she released his hand. "Looks like drill time will go late tonight," she said with a wink.

  Even Terran's ears flushed red as she sauntered off to resume training. A few of the elves' wide grins told him they had heard her too, which only turned him a darker shade of red. He was saved from the embarrassment by Vievel returning to the fire.

  "Finally, the key," Vievel said, holding up a single gold key.

  Terran tried to look over the gnome's shoulder as he slid the key into the lock, but Vievel conveniently turned so his back shielded his actions from Terran's view. He was mumbling to himself as he sifted through the contents of the box. Terran got the sinking suspicion that the petrified limb wasn't in there.

  "I'm guessing there is no limb in that box," Terran said with a frown.

  "Why would the limb be in here? How would it fit in this small box? Is it a retractable limb?" Vievel said, looking like a sheep-dressed wolf. "No, no, I need the tiara in here to trade to get the limb."

  "You said if I got the box I could have the petrified limb inside," Terran said, anger rising again.

  "Oh no, no, I'm sorry I didn't make myself clear. I need to trade this tiara with a friend from the Dead Forest who can get th
e petrified limb. I have sent word to him already to meet me for the exchange. He should only be a few days out by now," Vievel explained. "Though we should talk with an enchanter about a retractable limb. That really would make traveling with a staff much easier. You are full of great ideas, Terran."

  Terran couldn't tell if the gnome was trying to antagonize him. He did feel a little foolish for thinking a limb could fit in the small box, but he also wasn't sure he liked Vievel very much. The elves, on the other hand, seemed to be fawning all over the diminutive trader. They laughed at his terrible jokes and were quick to get him anything he asked for. It almost felt like Vievel had them under some kind of spell.

  Before Terran had time to ponder that thought, a group of elves returned to the settlement carrying a body. The settlement sprang into action as elves rushed to help and Petram shouted instructions. Terran followed the group carrying the body to Petram's hut to find out what had happened.

  "It came out of nowhere," the loamer carrying the body said. "It swooped down and picked her up. We couldn't do anything but throw stones at it while it flew away with Ayda. Cyran took a talon to the chest trying to defend Ayda," he said breathlessly as he laid the injured elf down in Petram's hut.

  Terran looked at the elf lying on the mat. He had a gash from his left shoulder all the way down to his hip. His pallid complexion hinted at the severity of the injury, but the blood-soaked cloth wrapped around his torso made it clear.

  "Everyone out," Petram ordered as he knelt down to work on the injury. "Except you. I need another pair of hands," he said, pointing at one of the elves.

  Terran followed the others out of Petram's hut so the shaman could work his magic. "What attacked you?" he asked when they were outside.

  "It was a peryton," said one of the loamers. "We were returning from the new loam caves up north when it flew in and grabbed Ayda."

  Memories of being dropped by the creature flooded Terran's mind. "I thought we'd be safe if we stayed away from its territory in the south."

  "Safe from what?" Lhoris asked as he approached the group now gathered around the fire.

  "A peryton."

  Lhoris turned beet red and he growled at Terran, "I told you we needed the archery range."

  The weight of Terran's decision to appease Zoras hit him almost as hard as actually being dropped by the peryton. He put his head between his knees, trying to gather his thoughts. "The seed to grow the archery range is ready today. Let's wait to send any more loamers out until we have a patrol that has more ranged fighting ability," he finally said.

  Lhoris blew his breath out of his nose. "It will take two days to have a group ready."

  "Will others be returning before then?" Terran asked.

  "No. The patrol accompanies each replacement group, then brings the other group home. Kumotake is with the group there currently. He knows the drill and will keep them busy until we reach them with replacements."

  "Let's get the archery range going now so you have as much time as possible to prepare before we set out in two days. I am going to accompany the patrol when they leave. I need to talk to Kumotake as soon as possible," Terran said with a sigh.

  A small group of elves sang the song as Terran planted the newest seed. His mind was racing and he felt riddled with guilt about his choice to grow the crystalline conservatory first, so he didn't stay to watch the tree finish growing. Instead he went to his hut and opened up the settlement tab to see if there was anything else he could do to help protect them from the peryton.

  Settlement: Gneiss Glen (Tap to rename)

  +20% defense

  +25% attack

  +20% damage

  +20% food production

  +10% morale

  -5 days seed production

  +5% HP

  +5% AC

  Level: 2

  Vassal State: Wunderlust Keep [UO]

  Essence: 1/2

  Fortifications:

  Bramble wall 1/1

  Watchtower 0/5

  Gate 0/2

  Population: 42/75

  Housing: 8/10

  Seeds grown: 8/10

  Days until next seed harvesting: 10

  Total Buildings: 8/10

  Barracks (Level 2) 1/1

  Fungi Garden 0/3

  Shaman Hut 1/1

  Chieftain Hut 1/1

  Orchard 1/3

  Leaf Armory (Level 1) 1/1

  Weaponmaker (Level 1) 1/1

  Crystalline Conservatory 1/1

  Aviary 0/1

  Archery Range 1/1

  Occupations:

  Unassigned: 0

  Orchard Tender: 3

  Mother Tender: 1

  Armorer: 1

  Captain: 1

  Shaman: 1

  Tenders: 2

  Warriors: 10

  Loamers: 10

  Weaponmaster: 1

  Gatherers: 6

  Builders: 4

  Resources:

  Food Stores: 1,009

  Loam: 1,192

  Healing herbs: 198

  Leaves: 311

  Sap: 43

  Hibernating Shrooms: 8

  Terran thought the settlement might need to be level three before they would have the ability to defeat the peryton. That meant he had to grow two more buildings, find another essence, and somehow increase the population by thirty-three. He had no idea where to find another essence, let alone that many new residents.

  "What am I going to do, Luna?" he lamented as he scratched the lynx behind her ear, trying to calm himself.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The trip to the northern loaming cave was a few days away, giving Terran a chance to return to Jondar at the crystalline conservatory for more training. The builders had been busy making the crisscrossing suspended bridges that led him to the tree. He found Zoras sitting at a table tending to a row of glass bells suspended on a wooden pole, tapping them in succession as he listened to their melancholy tones.

  "Greetings, Zoras," said Terran brightly.

  The head of the conservatory huffed under his breath. "Can't you see that I'm testing the glass harmonica? Please give me some much needed quiet."

  Terran squeezed his lips together, preparing an explanation about his continued rudeness when Jondar appeared, rosy cheeked and wide eyed.

  "Terran the Tenacious, returned from another successful outing I hear," said Jondar, strolling across the room to hook his arm around Terran's.

  "Yes, it was, and I learned—"

  Jondar dragged him from the room with forceful nods of his head as Zoras made fists of his hands and clamped his eyes shut like a child who refused to take direction.

  Once they were on the hanging bridge, the chubby elf said, "Now is not the time, unfortunately. He's been a bit unbearable since the other night. More than usual, if that's possible."

  "What happened?" asked Terran.

  "He lost a friendly wager with Vievel. Had to give up his prized lute and now he's inconsolable," said Jondar. "He always plays his glass harmonica when he's in a mood."

  "Inconsiderate is more like it," said Terran.

  From the conservatory, an ethereal wail rose into the trees, at once eerie and peaceful. The disorienting sound made it hard to pin down a particular note as they warped together.

  "Let's go somewhere quieter," said Jondar, leading him to a ladder down to the grass. "I assume you came for more training."

  "And to bring news of a strange device I found in Wunderlust Keep that was powered by a black crystal," said Terran, following him down the ladder.

  When he hit the grass, Jondar grabbed him by the shoulders. His eyes were moons. "Did you say a black crystal? Please tell me that you have it. I've heard of such treasures, but to lay my eyes upon one…"

  "I'm sorry, Jondar, it was destroyed," said Terran.

  Jondar pulled away and put his hand to his chin. "Oh, the tragedy. What happened?"

  "The necrochanter Grimchar was using it to extract something from the essence of
the Mother Tree. The black crystal was powering the device, and I managed to find the right note to connect with it, and when I did, the thing came apart," said Terran.

  Jondar put his hand to his mouth. "Wonders never cease. It's good you did not get to tell this tale to Zoras. You might have given him a heart attack. Or he would have tried to throw you off the bridge."

  "What's so special about the black crystal?" asked Terran.

  "They're incredibly rare, and even with the full might of the Mother Tree, extremely difficult to grow. The common crystals—blue, red, and green—are simple to grow if you have the right nutrients for the tree. The conversion is nearly one for one. But the more powerful the crystal, the harder it is for the tree to make them successfully, and even then, the black crystal is tricky to harvest and prepare for use. How big was it?"

  "Only a chip," said Terran, holding out his forefinger and thumb about an inch apart.

  "I see," said Jondar. "If I had to guess, and I'm mostly guessing here because so much is unknown about them, I'd say it was cut from a larger crystal. How? Or by who? That's a mystery for later, but the fact that you were able to connect to it is remarkable. A black crystal affinity is nearly unheard of, especially for a human. From our histories, only Fermanta, the Lady Bard of Belavar, has ever had an affinity, and we all know what happened to her."

  Terran scrunched up his face. "I don't know, actually."

  "She was crystal locked with a large black crystal when she was trying to stop a tsunami from wiping out the port town of Old Cateria. When it exploded, it created the passage which became the sea between the Belavar and Moranne continents, destroying the city in the process. Or so the stories go," said Jondar with a roll of his eyes. "For now, I suggest keeping that bit of information to yourself."

  "Do Crystal Bards have affinity to more than one crystal?" asked Terran.

  "Usually, but until we grow some, we won't know about you," said Jondar. "Shall we work on your training? Once you get your azure crystal staff, we want you to be able to use it."