New Game Minus: The Complete LitRPG Fantasy Trilogy

by Sarah Lin

  They let Meara walk forward first, hoping that the Tuner would have no effect on her. Unfortunately, the blue shockwave sent Meara flying back as easily as it had sent him, though she landed more gracefully. Bloodwraith was standing too far away for it to knock him over, but he still felt it rush past him and saw the debuff appear.

  [Debuff: Tuning

  All buffs and enchantments removed. Enchantments on equipment temporarily disabled.

  This debuff will last while in range of the Tuner.]

  That weakened them if anyone else attacked, which only emphasized that they needed to hurry. After a little thought, Bloodwraith turned to his daughter. "Izzy, why don't you try to outrun it?"

  "Okay, Da!" She sprinted toward the mountain pass at top speed, blurring over the land.

  Though she got closer than Meara had, the Tuner still released a blue shockwave well before she reached it. She tried to leap into the air before it reached her, but the shockwave still carried her backward, tumbling wildly before falling into the dirt beside them.

  Izzy sat up and giggled. "That was kind of fun!"

  Fun or not, they hadn't found an easy way through. Bloodwraith considered trying to launch objects at it from afar or go in from above, but if either of those worked, then Belkarin would already have broken through. No, they needed a different approach...

  "I think we need to force our way through." Meara came to stand beside him and they both stared into the pass. "To me it feels like the force moves in all directions, including underground and in magical dimensions. I've been thinking about the shockwave and I think I can resist it next time, but not forever."

  Gharavi nodded in agreement. "This is an Outsider effect, so my necklace should also be some protection, but it will overheat quickly and then I'll be thrown back."

  "Perhaps we can combine our work, then. I think it's worth a try."

  Danniah shifted her shield nervously. "I know I can't be much help with the magic stuff, but I'd like to try to help too. Maybe if we stand in a line I can blunt at least a little bit of it? The power does seem to move in waves, after all."

  Since it was better than any other plan they had, they got in a line facing the Tuner. Meara passed them all a potion that was incredibly glitched, then they got ready to make their attempt.

  Izzy rushed in first, triggering a responding shockwave in case it couldn't react multiple times. As soon as the wave passed, the rest of them ran in. They got further than before, but soon enough a second shockwave expanded toward them.

  At the last second Danniah dropped to one knee and dug her shield into the ground, while the others ducked down behind her. The shockwave still sent her tumbling heels over head before it struck the rest of them, yet Meara raised a hand, parting the remaining force around them. That left them closer to the Tuner than ever before, so they sprinted for it.

  They were within a dozen paces now, close enough that Bloodwraith began to hope. But just as he did, the spider-like legs of the Tuner dug down into the ground. It began to emanate strange distortions in all directions, a constant flow of power instead of a wave.

  Meara came to a halt and grimaced, yet she seemed to be parting the distortions, because Bloodwraith found himself in a pocket of unchanged space. He braced himself behind Meara's back and began to help her move forward.

  Step by step, they made their way closer to the Tuner. The distortions in the world itself seemed to grow more intense the closer they came, though Meara still managed to resist them. Bloodwraith could see the tension building in her face and tried to push her faster, but they were struggling against an alien power that did not care about physical strength.

  "I... I can't..." Meara's eyes suddenly went dull and she slipped straight through his body, flying backward.

  A moment later the power hit him like a wall, rendering the world a mad hellscape. Thousands of boxes appeared in his vision, wildly flickering and twisting. Though Bloodwraith tried to throw his will against it, he would have been overwhelmed if the effect hadn't vanished soon after.

  Gharavi stood behind him, holding her necklace like a talisman. She tried to struggle forward, but it was as if she was moving against a terrible wind. "Not much... time... help..."

  Though Bloodwraith wasn't sure what he could do, he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. He wasn't plagued by boxes and the world around him seemed coherent, but the pressure was intense. Every instinct in his body screamed that he should turn around and he shouted them down, pushing himself forward.

  He felt Gharavi make herself small against his back, as if he was blunting the force rushing toward them. Perhaps he was. Bloodwraith tried to let that fuel him, throwing his mind against all the insane forces telling him that he shouldn't be moving forward. Instead he just glared at the Tuner and advanced one step at a time.

  It was only a few paces now. Gharavi positioned her staff forward past his waist, aiming toward the Tuner. Though the Outsider magic contained within the wand could have resisted the power flooding against them, she didn't use it. Of course - all of it needed to be devoted to destroying the Tuner.

  Just three more steps... then they could strike the Tuner... then it would be over...

  Then Gharavi let out a scream. Bloodwraith caught a glimpse of her necklace glowing white hot, then suddenly it winked out. She was lifted into the air, hurtling backward.

  Somehow, Bloodwraith caught her staff before it went with her.

  His world fractured into a thousand insane fragments, his target little more than a tiny glint of blue ahead of him. Yet he gripped the staff with both hands, aimed it in front of him, and took another step. Boxes began to contort within his head, scattering all his thoughts.

  The pressure was intense and he didn't understand how Meara and Gharavi could have lasted as long as they did. Just taking another step took everything he had. Though he was nearly there, he felt as though his strength was exhausted. It took all he had just to stay in place and if he relaxed for a moment, he would be thrown back and it would all be for nothing.

  Bloodwraith let out a bellow and drew on the rage within him. This time it was not mere barbarian anger, but a deep anger at the system that had dominated his world. He took another step...

  And the staff struck something. Its tip striking the crystal sounded like a clear bell, and that sound echoed through his mind. In an instant everything was cleared away, even his rage. All the distortions bled away into some other dimension and he could see again.

  He stood in the center of the mountain pass, Gharavi's staff thrust forward. Before him, the Tuner was shattering into thousands of crystalline shards, each of which shattered again until they became a shower of an uncountable number of fragments. They washed over him like a wave, and though his body mindlessly braced itself, it didn't try to push him back, but instead flowed through him as a refreshing current.

  [Tuner disabled. Repurposing assets...

  EXP +1,000,000]

  One million? Bloodwraith was purely astonished for a time before his beaten mind finally reengaged. Yes, it was good that they had broken through the pass, but at what cost? The staff felt empty in his hands and he needed to turn around to see his allies.

  At a distance, Izzy and Danniah were cheering and running toward him. Closer to him, Gharavi was on one knee, rubbing her forehead as she recovered. But in between them, Meara lay unmoving at the entrance to the pass. Bloodwraith took a shaky step to go check on her when he felt a new presence.

  "You were chosen for great things, adventurer. It needn't have come to this tragedy."

  He turned and discovered the old man from the Forest of Beginnings standing on the other side of the pass. As he shook his head, the old man's eyes appeared immensely sad, but Bloodwraith simply scoffed. "Didn't you die before?"

  "I am the Keeper. My death is only the beginning of the story, yet it will always be the beginning of the story. I cannot be slain."

  "Then get out of the way."

  "This i
s your last chance, adventurer. Will you not work with us and claim a glorious destiny instead of fighting uselessly against the system that was made for you?"

  Bloodwraith drew his greatsword, intending to test the Keeper's claims of immortality. "I think I made that decision a long time ago."

  "Too bad." The voice came not from the Keeper, but from behind him. Bloodwraith whirled, swinging his sword, but he was too late. He caught a glimpse of a figure in a gray cloak, then his world went black.

  Chapter 33

  As the figures appeared in the pass, Danniah's joy quickly turned to horror. She was sure that Meara and Gharavi would be okay with some help, but when the Outsider made Bloodwraith crumple to the ground without even touching him, a cry escaped her throat. She charged up the slope, readying her mace even if it wouldn't do any good.

  "Don't you remember the last time?" The Outsider turned to her and waved a hand carelessly, just like he had when he'd pulled her into the air... except this time nothing happened. Danniah wasn't sure if it was Meara's potion or something else, but she just kept charging.

  Frowning, the Outsider turned to the other cloaked man and spoke quickly. "I don't have time for this, not when I'm so close to breaking through. You take care of it."

  With that, he disappeared. Though Danniah wanted to bash his head in, she knew that he was probably long gone. Instead she continued charging the other cloaked figure - now that she was closer, she saw that he looked like an old man, with a huge white beard. It didn't matter, she'd still smash him.

  "Do not fight against our masters." The old man raised a hand and bolts of light flashed out at her. She raised her shield on instinct and one of them deflected away, but others caught her legs. Suddenly she was pinned in place, the light squeezing her like a vise.

  "Why are you helping them?" Danniah struggled against the bonds of light, feeling it give just a little. "They're doing awful things to our world!"

  "As is their right. We exist for them, not they for us. That is why all the signs and portents declare their coming." The old man shook his head. "By trying to fight them, you are acting like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum. I am the Keeper. Come, I will teach you some respect."

  The Keeper raised his hand to unleash another burst of light, which she managed to deflect with her shield. But she could see that he was gathering more mana for the next spell and she might not be able to stop that one. Though he was too far away to hit with her mace, could her new shield technique connect? Just when Danniah decided to try anyway, she saw a shadow flitting behind him.

  Izzy leapt onto the Keeper's back and bit down, her teeth tearing out a large chunk of his shoulder. The old man cried out in pain and immediately hurled light spells at her, but Izzy abandoned her attack and dodged back. Even as she jumped away, her teeth snapped again and a bite was taken from the old man's arm. Growling in anger, the Keeper turned to target her directly.

  But his spells binding Danniah had broken. She lunged forward as hard as she could, summoning flames to her mace. It connected with his skull and the Keeper crashed into the wall of the mountain pass.

  Immediately Izzy jumped on top of him, both of her daggers stabbing down into his back. She bent down to bite his neck again, but the Keeper went still... and then suddenly he surged upward in an explosion of light that sent Izzy flying and made Danniah stagger backward.

  Not only was the Keeper standing again, he appeared to be completely uninjured. He turned and gave them an arrogant stare. "I am the Keeper. My death is only the beginning of the story, so I cannot b-"

  His words were cut off by a lightning bolt through the chest. Gharavi marched up the path, determination in her eyes as she gathered more spells. The Keeper frowned and then abruptly melted away, disappearing into the ground. Though Danniah braced herself for an attack from below, after some time it became clear that he had fled.

  "He's gone." Gharavi leaned against one of the rocky walls, again massaging her head. "But the Aesidh are coming and we're still two people down. Check on them."

  Belkarin was coming? Danniah looked to the skies and didn't see him, but she trusted Gharavi was right. Bloodwraith lay unmoving nearby, but Izzy was already perched over him, shaking his shoulders and calling for him to get up, so Danniah instead moved down to where Meara lay. The other woman hadn't moved at all, lying on her face with her cloak around her.

  Danniah rolled her over onto her back and recoiled in horror. Meara smiled blankly at her, emptier than she had ever appeared before. "Hello, welcome to my shop! What can I do for you?"

  "Come on, Meara, we need you back with us!"

  "Hello, welcome to my shop! What can I do for you?"

  "Please, Meara..." The other woman had sometimes been like this before, growing distant as she thought about things, but Meara seemed different this time. After all, she had thrown herself directly into the power of that blue crystal spider and absorbed a huge amount of it before she had succumbed.

  Since she was uninjured, what could they even do for her? Danniah abruptly had an idea and pulled out one of the potions Meara had created earlier, one of the really strange ones. When Meara tried to greet her again, Danniah forced the potion into her mouth. Though it seemed like Meara might choke at first, once she swallowed it, she grew still.

  Bending down, Danniah managed to pick up Meara and carry her up the mountain path. Meanwhile the others hadn't managed to get Bloodwraith up, but they were carrying him between them, Gharavi holding his legs while Izzy supported his back.

  "Where do we go now?" Danniah asked as she caught up to them. "Bloodwraith and Meara were the only ones who know anything about this place."

  "It's another unnatural space." Gharavi frowned at the trees ahead - it looked like a normal secluded valley to Danniah, but it must be pure Outsider magic. "In any case, I don't think we have any choice but to get in quickly before the Aesidh come."

  Danniah looked over her shoulder nervously and this time she saw them: a mass of silver lights flooding over the fields on the other side of the pass. At the head of the group flew the dragon, still airborne despite the holes in its wings, and Belkarin must be riding it. They were all moving terrifyingly fast, pushing Danniah to hurry into the forest.

  They had barely gone several steps when a large black wolf appeared from the trees, growling briefly before charging them. Danniah should have dropped Meara and fought, but she was too worn and disoriented. Instead, she just followed her instincts and headbutted the wolf in the muzzle.

  It dropped instantly. Danniah and Gharavi stared down at it in surprise before Danniah ventured a weak guess. "I guess they're weak? They did say this is the Forest of Beginnings, after all."

  "Apparently so." Another wolf appeared from the forest, but Gharavi simply nodded at it and a small bolt of lightning sent it flopping to the ground. "Let's move and find cover somewhere."

  Ahead of them there was a very nice looking cabin and Danniah wondered if it was the one Meara had come from. But it was also right to the side of the path, so it would be directly in the way of all the Fellsilvered monsters chasing after them. After confirming that the house was empty, they instead headed off the path into the forest.

  More wolves attacked them, but none of them proved to be any difficulty at all. They headed inward until they spotted a cave and ducked inside. There were a few wolves there too, but they were no trouble either. As soon as the main area was clear, they set down Bloodwraith and Meara.

  What should they do now? Danniah stared down at her friends as she heard an army of monsters begin to crash into the forest. A battle cry came up from the opposite direction and the two forces began to clash with one another, but without Bloodwraith and Meara, how could they join the fight?

  ~ ~ ~

  Within the darkness, the first thing to emerge was a box. Of course it was. Bloodwraith sighed and pulled himself together enough to read it.

  [Debuff: Admin Override

  - Amulet of Reincarnation nullified.

>   - All Forest of Beginnings benefits nullified.

  - Respawning disabled.

  - Bonus EXP/AP/SP disabled.

  - Marathon bonuses disabled.

  - System bounty bonuses disabled.

  This debuff cannot be removed by local effects.]

  Bloodwraith didn't understand precisely what every line meant, but the overall purpose was obvious: Alan had stripped him of every special benefit he possessed. His core power and all the EXP he had gathered remained because even the Outsider couldn't take those, but he had nothing else.

  Strangely, no other boxes emerged to tell him things. Usually they were so eager to notify him of something or other than he had to suppress them. But this time, Bloodwraith found that he needed to exert his will just to summon the simplest thing like his personal box. Clearly, the effects of what Alan had done to him went deeper than disabling a few benefits.

  Now that he was fully conscious, Bloodwraith managed to struggle his way back to the world. He opened his eyes and saw a cavern ceiling overhead, one that looked vaguely familiar. When he sat up he had no time to notice it, because Danniah threw herself at him. They were both wearing their full armor, so they just clanged off one another, but she clung to him anyway.

  "You're alright! I was so worried!" When Danniah pulled back he was able to see Izzy nearby, beaming at him. Gharavi was further away, relief in her eyes but the rest of her face set in determination. Based on what had happened, he guessed that she had the right attitude.

  "How long was I unconscious? What's happening now?"

  "Not long, but the battle has started." Gharavi turned away from the mouth of the cavern to look at him fully. "Belkarin followed us in with a large number of Fellsilvered monsters, but the Earthian was prepared. I haven't gotten a close look, but he seems to have created... simple artificial adventurers of some sort. The two are killing one another deeper into the forest."