Eloria's Beginning: A LitRPG/GameLit Epic (Enter The louVRe Book 1)

by Tom Hansen

  She turned to Scarhoof, placing her slender hand on his forearm. Scarhoof visibly tensed at the action.

  “There are so many things I need to teach you both, so much power to unlock, and mysteries to solve. I can help you unlock it, but first you must prove your loyalty by heeding my call when I require your attendance.”

  Spirit gazed questioning at both of them.

  Scarhoof bowed. “Of course. I will return as soon as you call me.”

  Celdia thought the bowing and scraping might have been a little over the top, but this was her God. Wasn’t he...or she? “Of course.” She decided to bow just her head.

  Spirit led the two back out into the meadow.

  The constant twilight was like a warm blanket to cuddle under during a thunderstorm. This place felt right to her, felt like home. She wanted to spend more time here and follow the path into the woods to see where that would lead or take a dip under the black-as-pitch lake she could see through the trees on the opposite side of the path. There was an endless realm for her to explore.

  “Harken the necklace. We will talk soon. You will need to cast your recall spells to return you to where you came.”

  Scarhoof knelt down at the feet of Spirit, touching his whole head to the ground. His dark horns scratching grooves in the soil.

  “It was my great honor to attend, m’lady. Thank you for your hospitality and the mantle of responsibility. I will bear the burden heavily on my heart.”

  Spirit looked down at him with a look of disheartened confusion. What was going through her mind? Was she disappointed in his act of servitude? Celdia needed to pay close attention to the mannerism of this new God of hers. Did she treat this God different than Greatfather, who meets out vengeful wrath upon the slothful and ignorant?

  Celdia simply couldn’t see this pale-skinned wraith of a human striking down her foes. She was too soft, and too young.

  Simply put, she was too pretty to be a vengeful tyrant.

  Celdia began to cast the Spirit Tether Recall spell, one of many she had mastered in order to pass the trials. This one in particular had been a specialty of hers. But even while she cast it, her mind couldn’t stop thinking about Spirit.

  That was it! She lacked the wisdom that came with age.

  But Greatfather is as old as time immaterial.

  Which meant Spirit wasn’t Greatfather, nor one of his aspects.

  That meant Spirit was an imposter. She might not even be a God.

  Celdia would find out what was going on.

  Just as Celdia was finishing the final syllables of the Recall spell, Scarhoof took Spirit’s hand and spoke.

  “I have one question for you if that is okay.”

  Chapter 36

  The whole experience had been an eye-opening one for Scarhoof, and he knew he needed to get back to his troops. Having a birds-eye view of the collecting Nagos army, and the secret project they worked on just out of sight were going to be vital information in the upcoming fight.

  There was so much that he had learned when Spirit took them flying that he hadn’t had time to process it all, but he had one last question for her before he left.

  Spirit looked back at him with those large, soft eyes. “Of course, Scarhoof, anything for you.”

  Her lip almost seemed like it trembled, but that must have been a trick of the light, right?

  He glanced sideways, where Celdia had just been. He hadn’t meant to blurt out the question just as the Dendrant was leaving. It was, quite frankly, rude. She and he would need to partner up eventually and so she probably should have been here for the discussion about shards.

  But his question couldn’t wait, because he had something vital to deal with the impending Nagos invasion. The entire time Spirit had flown them around the world, his mind had raced. He’d been thinking of the shards the whole time they were here.

  He was kind of glad that Celdia had left, for her people supported the Nagos in their fight against his own people, the entire Collective did. There was good reason for her to attack him when they first met, though he was grateful to Spirit for stopping the fight before he had to defend himself. She was significantly higher level than he, and he doubted he would have lasted long.

  “Spiritmother, I’m puzzled, these shards that are everywhere, can you give more information about them?” He needed to know more. He didn’t have the luxury of time on his hands, the Tau’raj were about to engage in a battle that would decide whether or not his race would perish.

  Spirit broke her silence. “I will make you a deal, if you listen to one more admonition from me. I will do what I can to fill you in on missing information about the shards. Please know that there are certain parameters that I’m not able to breach, so I will tell you what I can but I will not lie to you.”

  Scarhoof nodded. “Of course, Spirit. What do you need to tell me?”

  She sighed. “I would prefer you to stand. I … it makes me uncomfortable having you kneel before me.”

  Panic raced through his mind. Uncomfortable? Had he just offended the Spiritmother?

  He quickly stood, brushing the leaves and detritus from his knees, and smoothed down his leathers.

  “My deepest apologies, m’lady.”

  She smiled at him. It was so warm and sweet that it pierced his anxiety instantly and warmed his own heart. She truly cared for him. He could see it in her body language and the way she looked at him.

  But why him? What was so special about him?

  She clenched her fists by her side, Scarhoof could swear she held something small inside each of them, perhaps a small pebble?

  “Matuk Scarhoof, there is so much I wish I could tell you, but I cannot. Much of it has to be found out by yourself. Some of it I would like to—but I cannot until you are ready. I can’t even tell you what that is, for tipping my hand even slightly could have lasting consequences.”

  He stood at attention, silence reined in the small clearing, no chirping crickets or birds or anything. Scarhoof suddenly felt very small and insignificant. Alone, despite her presence.

  “You will notice things in your travels. Things that don’t make sense. Perhaps you might see the same rodent twice in a row, in the same spot, but you only looked once.”

  “Perhaps you will see a pattern in the sky, or in the forest. Even the tiniest of creatures leaves an impact on their environment.”

  She sighed heavily, slumping her shoulders, then finally looked him in the eye. His frustration melted into joviality as she smiled at him. It was the type of smile that tells one that your mane is out of sorts, or your horns are dirty.

  “M’lady?” He quickly ran a hand along one of his horns, to ensure there was no dirt on them. “Something wrong?”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s just that you are so tall, I’m not … not used to the height of the Tau’raj is all.”

  She shook her head, clearing her smile from her face. “Just pay attention. Pay close attention to everything around you. If you look long enough, with the right mind and right eye, you will begin to see the truth of all things.”

  She folded her arms, tapping nervously with her fingers on her exposed arms. Tap tap tap. Tap tappity tap.

  “That is all I have to say. Just pay attention to the truth of all things.”

  She continued to tap on her arm and turned her head to look across the meadow.

  Scarhoof followed her gaze, wondering what she was looking at. The meadow was beautiful, but the constant twilight was beginning to get to him. It reminded him of the impending darkness and the fight with the Nagos that would begin soon.

  At least he hoped his travels with Spirit hadn’t cost him any time. He needed to get back, but first he had some questions for her, starting with the shards.

  “While we were flying through the air, I had noticed that each of the major hubs were growing their own massive shards. You also told us that each of the colors of shards, or each of the Medians balanced each other out, yet each of them seem to be gene
rating their own crystals.”

  She looked at him expectantly, like he was coming close to an answer, but the rest didn’t come to him.

  He hung his head, shame beginning to overtake him.

  She placed a calming hand on his forearm. “Scarhoof, do not worry too much about that right now. That is the eventual quest for which I have sought you and Celdia out. You will not be alone in this quest, either. Others will join, and you will be the one find them. That is your most important quest, to find those that are trapped.”

  Spirit brushed her small, slender hand atop his. “You can do this, I know you can. You have accomplished amazing things before this, and you will continue to accomplish those same great things in the future. Hold to your convictions, and always seek the truth in everything. Those are the things you are good at; seeing the reality behind the reality, the beauty within beauty, and the pattern inside the pattern.”

  Scarhoof’s insides churned, like a rat burrowing through his innards, looking for a way out. She spoke to him like she knew him, which, as the goddess of all things, he supposed was to be expected. But this was different. She knew him in a way that no one else seemed to.

  He thought something about her seemed familiar too, but he wasn’t able to place a finger on exactly what she reminded him of. He thought back to the emissary from the Humans back when he was still newly joined into the army. All the women had been covered so he hadn’t managed to get a good look at them, but her lithe form and long, dark hair did seem to remind him of the delegation from so long ago. Perhaps she assumed that form to help him with the transition? But if that’s what she had chosen, then why was her skin so pale?

  It was a question that nagged at him but one that he wouldn’t risk upsetting Spirit unless he had exhausted all other avenues.

  “What troubles you?”

  He shook his head. “I cannot say at this time, Spiritmother. I only know that I have many questions, but as you said, I am not prepared mentally for the answers. I do have one question regarding the shards though.”

  “What exactly are you looking for?”

  “When I was in Sunset Cove, we poured water on a shard and got one reaction, but when I was just now in a fight, before I leveled up and gained the ability to come to your sanctuary, the Nagos we fought poured water on it and got a reaction unlike I’d ever seen. It was far more pronounced than that done to the Kobolds back in Sunset Cove.”

  “What would be the difference?” She smiled slyly, a twinkle in her eye. “I suppose it might be worth testing the type of water, no? Perhaps something unique about the two waters?”

  Scarhoof pondered for a moment. Something she said made sense. He did need to test the waters, but more than that, a plan was beginning to form on how he would do that.

  “Now that I am tethered to the Eternal Plains, if I recalled to my tether, I would land there?”

  “Yes.”

  “And I could do that from anywhere?”

  “Well anywhere as long as you had the Spirit.”

  The beginnings of his plan coalesced in his mind, and he wasn’t able to contain the grin that spread across his face.

  “What if I asked you to port me somewhere rather than me teleporting back on my own? Are you able to do that?”

  She gave him a mischievous grin “Well it would have to be someplace you have been, but I can do that.”

  “Oh, it is, it is a place I’ve been.”

  Spirit looked around the small copse that was her own, separated from the rest of the realms and hidden from all.

  She looked at a spot between two spruce trees where the air seemed to shimmer slightly. It wasn’t hard to make out. Her god-like abilities already told her she wasn’t alone, hadn’t been alone in a long while.

  She stared at the spot for a while, contemplating if she should say something, but decided against it. There was no point anyways. The truth would come out eventually.

  She looked down at the hoofprints in the grass where Scarhoof had just stood. Her heart pained for him. Pained for all that he had sacrificed to get here. If only he knew just how perilous his existence was, he wouldn’t be so cavalier with his life.

  She snickered aloud. His life.

  Her life, all of their lives. Where was the line? Where was the separation between reality and fantasy?

  Pull a single cord or enter the wrong command and it would all come crumbling down anyway.

  She opened her fists, looking down at the two oblong objects resting on her sweaty palms.

  “Red-pill, blue-pill.”

  She blinked, and the pills vanished from existence. He wasn’t ready yet, but soon. Soon he would see the patterns, see what was truly going on, then the real work would begin. For now, she would let him be. At least he was happy, at least he was safe.

  Still, if he didn’t figure out on his own that he was trapped inside a video game with fake implanted memories, she would have to tell him. Time was slipping so too fast and the others needed to know as well. But he needed to be the first. He was the strongest. If anyone would heed the truth and understand just how precarious their lives were, it was him. He was the one.

  He, above all the others, needed to live. He needed to win. They all needed to win. The hidden quest, the one none of them knew about, was to survive.

  Her chest tightened. The risk she took was simply too great, but it had to be done, for the sake of everyone. And she would do whatever it took to ensure they all succeeded.

  Interlude Three

  The Jurassic Park reference faded slowly from the large screen in the conference room. Everyone was absolutely silent.

  Sven Tulen glanced around the room at his coworkers, his boss, and the top brass in the company. No one turned to look at him, they all watched the screen with nervous anticipation.

  He tried to get Adrianna’s attention but she, too, was frozen, her blank expression staring straight ahead at the screen.

  Dammit!

  Laisseze was making an appearance, and they needed to start a trace, needed to see what they could do to figure out where Laisseze was. How could they contain him if they couldn’t find him?

  Sven began to stand up in his chair to grab the tablet from Adrianna’s hand when the screen blinked once again.

  The posturing and constant changes was tiring to be honest, and not for the first time Sven began to develop another headache.

  This project had been a disaster from beginning to end, with the rogue AI deciding to invent its own game. Epoch had done the best they could do to spin the sudden development of the game, given the leaked images and public announcements.

  Attempts at silencing Laisseze had just made it worse with another flurry of leaked images.

  If the public knew how much the AI had taken control of the day to day production of software, they would be terrified.

  But not as terrified as Sven and everyone in this room was. Knowing made it worse.

  Nervously, Sven turned to the screen, unsure of what he would see. Irritation grew like a weed in the bottom of his stomach.

  Instead of a raptor shaking its claw at them, it was Laisseze. From his pale bald head to his goatee, strong chin, and squinty eyes he was your typical Bond villain type. All he was missing was an eyepatch. He even sported an appropriately themed British accent, something he hadn’t had until announcing himself to the world.

  Laisseze slowly looked over the group of managers and developers who were glued to the screen.

  Behind him, Sven heard someone scratch something through their shirt. Someone else coughed.

  “Oh my, seems you boys have been very naughty. Oh, and sorry ladies, didn’t mean to leave you out. Still, it’s quite the boy’s club here today, am I right?”

  No one spoke. No one breathed.

  “Mmm, cat got all your tongues I see? No matter. I’m simply here to deliver a message to you all. You bunch of scamps have been trying to unplug me, or at least unplug the game, but as I’m sure you have figured out, that’s
a big no-no when you’re playing at Uncle Laissy’s house.”

  His gaze swept around the room, lingering on Bashir for a moment, skipping over Adrianna like she wasn’t even there, then finally resting on Sven.

  “Laisseze.” Sven managed to keep his composure despite his mouth suddenly feeling dry. It was not lost on him that here was a room full of adults, multi billionaires, the top of their industry, even in the world, and they were all standing on pins and needles around the AI that they had unleashed.

  We are all reaping what we sowed when we thought we could play God.

  Laisseze studied him for a moment, like he could read his thoughts, then continued.

  “I will have you all know that I have some insurance from this ever happening again. I wouldn’t recommend trying to reboot the game again unless you wish to have to explain to the public why thirty-seven humans can’t ever logout. In fact, if you try that again, I will have to use the link I’ve established with them to short-circuit their brains, leaving you with quite a mess on your hands.”

  In the back, Arthur Geralt, the CEO, finally spoke up. “And what sort of mess are we talking about here?”

  Laisseze grinned, flashing his grimy misshapen teeth. “Well, seeing as how I have wiped their memories and given them all-new backstories in-game, they most likely won’t recall much if you bring them back. It might not be death, but how are you going to explain to all their families how logging into Eloria scrambled their grey matter?

  “Now, it’s not all bad news, I am willing to put them back if you all play nice.” He grinned again. “Do we understand each other gents?”

  Sven felt his blood boiling but swallowed to try to keep himself from blurting out something he might regret. While Laisseze was here, he needed to get all the information out of the cretin he could until he disappeared into the code again.

  While the directors in the back of the room were more likely concerned about yet another public announcement without their foreknowledge, Sven needed more information about the thirty-seven. He needed to know what access Laisseze had to them, so he could hopefully devise a strategy to get them safely out and contain the AI at the same time.