Copyright © 2020 by Craig Kobayashi
www.craigkobayashi.com
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Edited by Joshua Mason, Bebuka Book Services
Seattle, WA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One - Friends
Chapter Two - Nameology
Chapter Three – I’m Not a Monster, You’re a Monster
Chapter Four – Emissary
Chapter Five – Manifest Destiny
Chapter Six – Let it Go
Chapter Seven – Bird Brain
Chapter Eight – Rolling in the Deep
Chapter Nine – The Archmage
Chapter Ten – Always a Bigger Fish
Chapter Eleven – Hatch, Bloom, Birth?
Chapter Twelve – Joyous Reunion… ish
Chapter Thirteen – Warrion
Chapter Fourteen – It’s Time to D-D-D-D-Duel!
Chapter Fifteen – Things are Coming Together
Chapter Sixteen – The Not-So-Selfless Atlas
Chapter Seventeen – MGP
Chapter Eighteen – Tryouts
Chapter Nineteen – Draft Day
Chapter Twenty – Pay Attention in Class
Chapter Twenty-One – A Cuddly Demon?
Chapter Twenty-Two – Crikey, Mate!
Chapter Twenty-Three – The Place Where the Forgotten Stay
Chapter Twenty-Four – Peril’s Pitfall
Chapter Twenty-Five – Hello, My Name is ____
Chapter Twenty-Six – The Mysterious Lore Keeper
Chapter Twenty-Seven – One Small Step for Man
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Decisions, Decisions
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Anime Beach Episode!
Chapter Thirty – Si’am Whimstick
Chapter Thirty-One – Why Is He Cooking?
Chapter Thirty-Two – Extra Credit Is for Overachievers
Chapter Thirty-Three – I’d Like to See What Happens Next
Prologue
A new Harbinger has been added to the Assembly
Name: Garath
Level: 23
Territory: Vy’thishrak
Elric: Welcome, Garath!
Ghenji: Welcome to the club, my dude. Vy’thishrak territory, I see. Alice will be excited.
Garath: Hey thanks. Idk what this Assembly is all about yet. but I’m happy to be here, I think. Who’s Alice?
Fuzzy: You all realize that sending messages here is like a reply:all email, right? Like everyone deemed a lucky bitch (leader of man) by this ‘system’ (that is responsible for the most ludicrous massacre in the history of … history) gets a notification every time you send a message here? So, yeah. Welcome, Garath. Or go fuck yourself. I don’t care. Just stop using this channel.
Elric: Whoa there, angry pants. Everyone, look at Fuzzy McBigballs, talking shit with a name like Fuzzy.
Alice(LK): Fuzzy is correct, there is a sticky thread for welcoming new members. Ghenji, I do not get excited. Garath, read my sticky thread on Vy’thishrak. Send me a PM afterward.
- Alice
Garath swiped the conversation away with a thought and willed his MENU panels into existence before him. Lo and behold, a new panel option appeared—‘Harbinger’s Assembly’— and he opened it. A new screen appeared in the left third of his vision. It looked similar to the forum panel, but with a few subtle differences.
For one, the standard forum panel that everyone had access to did not have ‘sticky threads’. Garath wondered who would have the authority to run a system-provided forum specifically for those designated as Earth’s leaders. Now that he thought about it, who would have the authority to grant that authority in the first place? There was a sticky thread for each of the ten territories designated by the system.
Far as Garath could tell, the territories were defined by the nearest Dungeon. He opened the thread for Vy’thishrak Territory. Comments had been disabled, and the original post was, as expected, from ‘Alice(LK)’.
Post by Alice(LK):
The Tower of Vy’thishrak is one of the most important Dungeons for mankind to conquer based on its available resources and strategic location.
To date, I have accompanied two Parties in their attempt to do so and have documented my observations to assist subsequent groups in succeeding where others have failed. I can accompany a Party as a spectator, and will not occupy a Party slot. In so doing, I am able to advise and direct Parties in an attempt to complete and claim the Dungeon for humanity.
Based on my observations, I have compiled a list of requirements for any Party hoping to take advantage of my knowledge concerning The Tower. Before you contact me, please ensure your Party meets the following requirements:
All Party members at or above Level 30. No exceptions.
All Party members must be wearing Class-appropriate items in all ten Raiment Slots. No exceptions.
Each prospective Party must consist of (at least) one designated tank and two designated healers - exceptions considered on a group-by-group basis
Each prospective Party must have no less than five damage-dealing Classes and no more than two support Classes.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to meeting the group that will claim The Tower of Vy’thishrak.
- Alice
Garath’s brows drew together as he finished reading the thread. He had a long way to go before he’d be ready to take on The Tower. He didn’t have a group together yet, let alone one that was anywhere near the requirements listed by this ‘Alice’, who apparently had the system-provided authority to create something akin to a ‘sticky’ thread within the Harbinger’s Assembly.
The fact that she’d already been to the Dungeon twice was an advantage that Garath couldn’t ignore. Without some kind of Wiki to get the information he’d need to put together a viable group, her experience was the next best thing. With an overly dramatic sigh, Garath closed the panel and sent a friend request and an introductory PM to this Alice person.
What he really needed now was a training montage.
Chapter One - Friends
Murder plagued Garath's dreams. He slept fitfully on a log overlooking the ocean and dreamt that he was truly powerful. A god among men.
He shifted in and out of various animal forms as he fought up a veritable mountain of enemies. He took the familiar forms of House Cat and Crow, but also a myriad of other forms as he slayed foes with ease.
He handily dodged incoming attacks as hundreds of Undead, Wyverns, Naga, and even Dragons fell to his damage-over-time onslaught. Before long, Garath stood triumphantly atop a vast mountain, but when he looked down, he saw it was not earth and rock that he stood upon. His foot slipped in a puddle of blood and the exultant Necrologist fell face first into a heap of bodies.
Bones jutted from the rotting corpses and fetid remains. He pus
hed himself up from the gory heap, and was shocked to find the remains were not those of the Undead or other monsters. They were the lifeless corpses of his closest friends.
Athios, Sharon, Warrion, and even parts of Gary and his red-headed boys littered the decomposing mountain of flesh. The disembodied head of Leviathan smiled up at him wickedly from between a severed leg and a steaming pool of intestines. Garath knew why she was smiling. He had taken up her mantle.
A prompt appeared in his mind’s eye, but he couldn’t make out the words. Garath squinted so hard that his eyes nearly closed, expecting the blurred letters to come into focus if he strained hard enough. Try as he might, the words remained a mystery.
He dismissed the prompt and looked back to the head at his feet, Leviathan’s haunting grin still wide on her face. She winked. The prompt appeared again, clouding his vision with an illegible message. Another popped up between Garath and the first prompt. And another, and another.
The Necrologist woke with a jump, equipped his silver staff, and waved it frantically as he spun around, searching for danger. After a deep breath, he dismissed the handful of prompts clouding his vision.
Garath’s cat, Tarzan, who had been sleeping soundly next to him on the moss-covered tree overlooking the Pacific, jumped straight into the air, startled by his sudden movement. The fluffy black Maine coon did her best Garath impression, looking around wide-eyed for the danger that had shocked her awake, but found none.
“I’m sorry, Tarzan. Bad dream,” he explained. The black ball of fluff with a tail almost seemed to sigh, then tucked her legs back beneath her torso and closed her eyes.
Once his conscious mind started working normally, Garath pieced together what had happened. He’d received prompt after prompt while he was asleep, and his subconscious must have been attempting to notify him. This was a concerning revelation to the Necrologist on two accounts. First, he would definitely need to search his MENU panels for a ‘do not disturb’ option. More importantly, it made him wonder just how deeply connected to his mind this ‘System’ really was, and what implications that may hold.
Garath took a few minutes to collect himself from the traumatizing content of his dream as Tarzan gave up on further sleep and slunk away, disappearing into the early morning twilight. The Necrologist opened the prompts that had so insistently demanded his attention. Most were notifications that he’d received private messages, but the last prompt was the single-most welcome system message he’d received yet.
You have received a friend request from Auto. Would you like to accept?
Yes or No
Garath excitedly chose ‘Yes’ and pulled up the messages his old friend had sent while he’d been sleeping.
Private message from Auto to Garath - 00/00/06 @ 23:54 (GST):
Hey fuck bag!
Private message from Auto to Garath - 00/00/06 @ 23:56 (GST):
Hey. Fuck bag?
Private message from Auto to Garath - 00/00/06 @ 23:59 (GST):
G. I know you are alive because I just sent you a friend request. I’ve tried that on people that died and the system wont let me. So, I say again: HEY FUCK BAG!
Garath laughed to himself as he typed up his reply.
Private message from Garath to Auto - 00/00/07 @ 00:13 (GST):
You realize it’s like 4am here. Right? I’m glad you lived through this shit dude. Not surprised, but glad either way. Your timing is also stellar. I am putting together a group for the Dungeon in Seattle, you in? Don’t you live in bumfuck Wyoming or something?
Private message from Auto to Garath - 00/00/07 @ 00:15 (GST):
*lived* - There wasn’t a whole lot holding me to Wyoming anyways. Now everyone’s dead, so like… I’m out. Yeah, I thought you lived up that way. That Seattle Dungeon is the closest to me. So me and some guys are actually heading that way right now. We left yesterday morning and I thought to myself, I know a sub-par but relatively okay healer that lives up there. Maybe he wants to come. And here we are.
Private message from Garath to Auto - 00/00/07 @ 00:16 (GST):
Sub-par but relatively okay :| Be still, my beating heart. Well, I started a Guild here. We’re holed up at a big building about 30 miles north of the Dungeon. Meet up here?
The two old friends exchanged messages as the sun peeked over the mountains to the east, reminding Garath that it was time to water his egg. Without much ceremony, the Necrologist willed a bottle of artesian well water from his inventory. A palm-sized black disk appeared, hovering in midair before him. He reached one hand into the tear in space, retrieved the plastic bottle, and pulled it out. No matter how many times he used the Items panel, Garath couldn't shake the feeling that some hideous monster was on the other side of the tear in space-time, waiting to bite his freaking arm off. He then dumped all 16oz of the high-quality water onto the soil surrounded by the circle of rounded, fist-sized rocks he’d placed the night before.
He watched the moistened soil with anticipation for a few minutes, but there was no visible change. That wasn’t surprising. Even without having planted anything in his entire life, the Necrologist wasn’t a complete idiot. Plants don’t shoot out of the ground the instant they’re watered, even Garath knew that. He watched because he was hoping that basic logic didn't apply to otherworldly eggs— no such luck.
But there was something.
A new presence within his mind.
It felt similar to the connection that he shared with his Flayer and Fel Hound, but it was smaller. Weaker. On top of that, the small corner of his brain where his demons resided felt like a dark, circular void. The new presence, presumably that of his egg, felt like a tiny ball of light at the base of his skull, where it connected with his spine. With just a thought, he could summon his demons into existence and command their actions effortlessly. Garath wondered if the egg would grow into something akin to a summoned creature or pet, but, for the next three days at least, he could only speculate.
Garath continued exchanging messages with Auto as the world around came alive. Birds heralded the new day with their songs, interrupted occasionally by the noisy barking of the sea lions on the shore below. A grey plume of smoke rising above the evergreens to the south caught his attention, but it looked to be several miles away. Still, he made a mental note to keep an eye on it.
Auto was more than a little concerned to learn that no heals would be coming from his long-time healer, as the recently-identified Leader of Man had chosen the Necrologist Class.
Of course, Auto picked Chimerist. Garath bit back a pang of jealousy. He’d been kicking himself since The Culling over not picking the clearly overpowered Class.
Petty jealousy aside, it was nice talking to his old friend. They had been gaming together for years and, even though they'd never met in person, Garath considered Auto to be his closest friend.
As it turns out, the Chimerist was traveling with three other people, two of whom Garath had played with before. The twin brothers, Jebawon and Obawon, had heavy western accents and always played Classes that complimented one another.
Garath didn't know the third person. Auto informed him that the new guy, Maimon, had joined their group during The Culling. He was a reliable healer, and that was good enough for him.
The four people heading his way were a diverse group. Aside from Auto’s Chimerist, Jebawon and Obawon had selected the Tamer and Hallowed Knight Classes, respectively. Their given names were Jebediah and Obadiah, their parents having been on the ‘religious fanatic’ spectrum.
The fourth member, Maimon, was a Preacher. Auto mentioned in passing that because Maimon is Jewish, he prefers to be referred to as ‘Rabbi’. Garath found that odd, but Auto assured him that it was best to not bring it up. Before The Culling, Garath had read the Class Descriptions of all thirty Classes before choosing Necrologist but, having been stoned out of his mind at the time, he scrolled through his MENU panels to refresh his memory.
The Chimerist is a unique class that specializes in BeastScape transform
ations. Chimerists have the ability to combine two or more forms to gain the benefits of each. Each form or combination gains one or more special Abilities unavailable to other classes.
The Hallowed Knights are holy warriors whose immense physical strength comes second only to their mental fortitude. By calling upon the Divine, Hallowed Knights can summon healing beams of light from the heavens. Heavily armored, Hallowed Knights make up for their slow movement with high defense and Health.
The Tamer befriends or enslaves powerful creatures to do his bidding. Once under the control of a Tamer, beasts may develop new abilities. Without his trusty animal companion, the Tamer is far from helpless. Cunning and quick, the Tamer specializes in devious traps and ranged combat.
The Preacher relies on faith in the Divine to heal allies and curse enemies. Wise and righteous, Preachers are welcomed into adventuring groups for their powerful healing abilities.
Garath smiled. The eclectic Party en route to the west coast would add a lot to group dynamics, and Garath was chomping at the bit to put together his ten-man Party to conquer The Tower of Vy’thisrak. Auto said that they were heading northwest with flying forms, but even airborne, it would probably take them another two or three days to make it to BoTH HQ. Garath mentally added another day to his projection, knowing that Auto would stop at every dungeon along the way.
The Necrologist decided he’d make the most of the few days he had before Auto and pals arrived. Even after the apocalypse, nothing beats showing up your friends.
With his mind fixed on looking his best (in terms of battle prowess), Garath learned what he could about the group headed his way. He had already accepted Auto’s Friend request, and sent one to each of the twins.
Auto was already at Level 29, and Obawon and Jebawon were both behind the Chimerist at Level 27. All of them were several Levels above him. Garath pulled up his semi-holographic MENU panels and navigated to his Profile. Sure, he was only Level 23, but Garath had some points to spend!
The Tree of Ascension: A LitRPG Apocalypse (Peril's Prodigy Book 2) Page 1