Ascend: A World of Ga'em LitRPG (The Chaos Emperor Book 1)

by Dhayaa Anbajagane

  “What did they do?” Stan squeaked.

  “They brought together a force of people and created a group whose sole purpose was to vanquish the entire Goblin colony,” I said. “And they ended up doing it. A set of a hundred humans—men and women, the strongest in Zevalon—travelled to the Goblin colony and massacred every single being in there. Every man, woman, and child.”

  The vampire shivered. “H-Humans did that?”

  “It gets worse.” I smiled. “The citizens of Zevalon were so happy with the force that they decided they needed something like it, permanently, in order to keep them safe.”

  His eyes widened. “No way.”

  I chuckled. “And that was how the Zevalon Knights came into being.” I looked at the vampire. “The reason I’m telling you this is—look at backstory of the people the city says are its most commendable. The Zevalon Knights were formed to murder a colony that was growing bigger than the city, and now people herald them as the keepers of justice. Do you think those Goblin children that were killed would share the same opinion?”

  “N-No.”

  “Exactly.” I leaned back. “That man you killed wouldn’t have thought twice about taking off my head, or taking off yours. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that if you don’t protect yourself, no one will. Death doesn’t have any shame in it.”

  The vampire stared at me. "You've thought about this a lot."

  I smiled sourly. "You have no idea."

  ***

  Light warmed my eyelids.

  I gently rubbed them as they opened. Did I fall asleep? I wondered. Strands of sunlight came through the branches above us. Stan slept quietly beside me, wrapped up in his blanket as usual.

  It’s morning? I sat up. My body ached with pain. What happened here?

  I slid out my Ga’em menu and looked at the time. “Ten?!” I yelped.

  Stan jerked awaked from the sound, and scrambled up to his feet. “M-Morning?” He swayed back and forth.

  “Do you remember going to sleep?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “You?”

  “No,” I muttered. I walked down the trail and saw Luna lying underneath a tree. Valentine wasn’t beside her.

  Where the heck is she? I opened my Map Menu and panned out on the image I saw. There were three dots—a blue one and two greens. Valentine wasn’t showing up on my map.

  I frowned. Did she hide her position with some special item or something? She probably had. That girl had the money and resources to find something that could do that for her.

  Damn it. I knelt next to elf, and shook her shoulders. “Luna, wake up.”

  Luna’s hands grabbed my face, her eyes still closed, and she pulled me close to her. “Steamed buns.” Her breath warmed my lips.

  This woman and food. I pried her hands away and shook her harder. “Luna!”

  Jade-green eyes shot open, and she stared at me. “Death-Man?” She rubbed her eyelids. “Luna is tired. Come another time.”

  The things I have to deal with. I shook her again. “Do you know where Valentine is?”

  “Singer-Lady?” The elf sat up now, and her eyes were wide open. “Is Singer-Lady not here?”

  I nodded. “We can’t find her.”

  “But … but Singer-Lady said she’d come back.”

  My eyes narrowed. “She what?”

  Luna nodded. “Singer-Lady asked Luna to be a good girl, and she sang a song for Luna.”

  I slapped my forehead. Of course! I stood up and walked further down the trail, to the stream. A single horse was tied to the tree, and beside the base of the tree was a small cloth bag.

  “Damn it.” I knelt and searched its contents. Two glass vials—some kinds of potions—and a note. The high-quality parchment told me this was Valentine’s. I flipped it over to the other side, and read the only word on it.

  “Goodbye.”

  ***

  “Faster!” I tugged on the reins, and the horse neighed as it burst through the trees.

  Luna sat behind me, and Stan even further behind.

  “D-Do you think we’ll catch up to her?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said. People are so troublesome. It was clear why Valentine had left. Her row with me had probably confused her. After all, I had said she’d forced me into this whole thing.

  But that doesn’t mean you had to leave. I clutched the reins even tighter.

  The elf’s face peered over my shoulder. “Luna is surprised Death-Man is so angry Singer-Lady left.”

  “What do you mean, ‘surprised’?” I muttered. “If that girl goes back to the Zevalon Knights and tells them about the relic, then it’s over for me.”

  Luna chuckled. “Luna doesn’t believe Death-Man. Death-Man cares for Singer-Lady, doesn’t he?”

  “Why would I ever care for her?” I frowned.

  At the moment, our course was set for where we’d seen the Knights last—their ruined camp. There was no smoke in the air, but I headed that way anyway. Valentine didn’t have any resources left, now, other than the Knights. So, she could either go back to Zevalon with no relic, or she could help the Knights find the relic and take a part of the credit.

  Seemed pretty obvious which one she’d choose, especially if she had something she needed to “prove” to someone.

  What was that about anyway? I wondered.

  We soon came upon the Knights’ camp, and well … it wasn’t pretty. Charred wood and cloth were scattered all over the field, and a circle of black, crispy grass stood where most of the camp had been.

  “Would she really have come here?” Stan asked.

  “I think so,” I said. If she didn’t, I’m screwed. I need to find that woman. I rode up to the middle of the burnt camp. My horse looked around and neighed. I stroked its mane and tugged at its reins, riding it forward while searching the ground for clues—anything that would let me know which way the Knights had gone.

  A small trail ran through the grass and headed through the trees into a natural pathway through the forest. I looked around and noticed another one, on the side in front of me this time.

  Two possible routes. The one to my left led southward, and the one ahead went west. Both were possible routes to the Kelras Mountains, one much harder than the other. Valentine could have met up with the Knights then.

  Do I really believe that? I wasn’t sure.

  I looked at both pathways. It was impossible to tell which route she’d have taken. We only have one choice now. “We should split up.”

  “What?” Stan asked.

  “There are two possible paths out of here.” I pointed to them both. “Valentine could have taken any of them.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded and got down from the horse. “I’m heading that way.” I turned to the left. “Take the other route and see if you find her. Use the Ga’em messaging service to reach me.”

  The vampire’s eyes darted between me and the camp around us. “A-Are you sure?” he asked again.

  “It’ll be fine,” I said. “You’ve got Luna with you, too.”

  “W-Will you be okay, though?”

  My chest tightened. It’d been a while since someone had asked me that—someone other than Helen. “I’ll be okay.”

  I turned around and ran ahead, through the wide field and into the forest once more. Stan and Luna charged the other way on their horse, and the steed whinnied one last time before I heard it no more.

  I leapt over fallen branches and rocks as I darted through the forest, scanning the greenery and picking out everything I could see. I focused on the pebbles and the leaves, on the twigs and the shrubs.

  I ran for what felt like half an hour at least, and with every step, I wished I would get a prompt—a message from Stan and Luna that they’d found her. And with every step, that hope diminished more.

  My eyes no longer darted through the surroundings. I weakly gazed at them, exhausted. My chest heaved, but I pushed on. She’ll go to the Knights if I don’
t find her soon, I thought. That’s why I need to do this.

  Yeah. That was why.

  I leapt over a fallen branch, but my feet snagged the top and I thudded to the ground. “Argh!” I picked myself up, trying to shake off the pain and embarrassment. “Stupid branch.” I kicked it, but the large thing didn’t budge.

  How did that thing even fall down? I wondered as I continued down the pathway.

  I came upon another stream, a wider one than the one before. Another tributary? I blinked. The Nura River just never stops, does it? I leapt over the water and touched down on the other side. My foot slipped on slush and I thudded to the ground.

  Ugh. I scooped the wet mud off my back and threw it away. That was just—

  My eyes widened. The leg of some brown-furred animal stuck out of a bush five yards away. A horse. I rushed up to it, and my heart froze.

  A horse was behind the bush all right, but it was dead and broken. Its legs were all twisted the wrong way, as was its neck. Damn. My eyes followed its shape until I picked out a small object next to its leg. It was a black, spherical metal ball. I picked it up. Why does this look familiar?

  I froze. A smoke bomb. I dropped it to the ground and stepped back. This is Valentine’s!

  My eyes darted through the forest, and I caught sight of a speck of white. I sprinted to a shrub a yard ahead of the horse. A shred of torn cloth was stuck in the thorns, and a streak of blood colored it.

  Damn it. I gitted my teeth. She better be okay.

  And then I blinked.

  The old me would have thought it was good she was dead or injured. That would mean our knowledge of Aegil was safe. Why am I worrying about her?

  DING!

  Congratulations! You have learned a new skill.

  Emperor’s Eye!

  In this age of magic orbs and images, living things have forgotten the best tool in their arsenal—the eye. Noticing interesting things within their surroundings is how many races and cultures grew in the early days, and now you can do it to grow further. Reward: 500 XP.

  Effect 1

  Your perception of your surroundings increases by +1%

  I dismissed the screen and ran forward.

  A growl sounded through the forest. Damn it. I pumped my arms as I ran. The sound echoed once more, and this time, from my right instead of straight ahead.

  I turned and saw a small clearing, maybe ten feet wide, and within it stood a bear.

  And a princess fighting it.

  I rushed forward. Wait, you idiot. I thought. How are you going to take a bear down?

  Valentine was attacking it using her Light Arts, but the bear was resisting against every single attack. What the heck? I blinked. I stared at the creature as I ran into the clearing, activating my Analyze skill.

  DING!

  Race

  Black Bear

  Level

  21

  The same thing that fought me in the cave.

  Valentine struck the creature with a blast of light, but it was hardly phased. And I realized why. She isn’t casting them properly.

  It was almost like she was nervous, like she was afraid of hurting the creature. This is why mages in close combat are always annoying. Always delicate about death. The bear swayed towards her. It was getting ready to attack. I rushed forward and pushed up as hard as I could, leaping up.

  “Hey!” I pushed my sword into its back, and then jumped off it. The beast growled loudly and thrashed about. I tugged Valentine’s arm. “Run for it!”

  Footsteps thundered behind us, and I glanced back just in time to see the bear shoot towards us with a speed I hadn’t expected. I pulled Valentine and dived out of the way, onto the ground. The bear went crashing into a tree trunk and split a good part of it.

  Guess we have to take it down. My last attack had missed the correct spot, but I could do the right thing this time. I opened my Ga’em menu, and two seconds later, the kitchen knife shimmered into my hand. Kitchen knife versus a black bear. I twirled the weapon between my fingers. How fun.

  I looked at Valentine just as the bear turned around to us. “Give me an agility boost.”

  She nodded and put her hand on my head, not that she needed to. “Walkeen.”

  A white light glowed around me. I took a step, and felt even that movement happen faster and with greater ease. Perfect.

  The bear rushed towards us, and growled loudly. I ran at it, charging head on.

  “Levi!” Valentine yelled.

  I waited until the last second and leapt into the air. The bear swiped at my leg. Pain tore through it, and a snap echoed. Probably broke it.

  But that gave me the chance I needed.

  Fire and ice consumed my blood yet again, and the pain numbed to nothing. A smirk curled onto my face on its own. I pushed off on my good leg, flipping into the air, over the bear's head, and latched onto sword embedded in its back. The beast spun around, and its hand swiped at me, striking my leg again. It exploded with pain, and I almost lost my grip despite the adrenaline coursing through my body.

  I took a quick glance at my health. Ten percent.

  I needed to finish this. I gripped the short sword and pulled myself higher up, to the small of the bear’s back. I thrust down with my kitchen knife and sunk the blade into the flesh a foot above the embedded short sword. With one hand, I grabbed the beast’s shoulder, and with my other, I pulled the short sword from its back. I used up all my might and pushed the weapon into the small of the bear’s back.

  The beast froze up and collapsed to the ground in silence. I breathed heavy, lying on the warm fur. The sensation of fire and ice climaxed for a second and then disappeared altogether. The pain of what was probably a broken leg came to me once again, and I cried out and gritted my teeth just to bear it.

  DING!

  Congratulations! Your party has defeated:

  Black Bear (Lv. 21)!

  A knife and a sword woke up in a black bear. Turns out the bear was dead. Reward: 6000 XP.

  I rolled my eyes. That is not funny.

  DING!

  Congratulations! Your level has increased thrice!

  Level 16!

  Great job! You just took down the idiot bear that threatened you and Luna a few days ago. Now that’s what you call progress! You gain 12 stat points to spend on your skills. You also gain a 75% advancement to the skill of your choice.

  I dismissed the screen and stood up. Pain shot up my right leg, and I collapsed.

  “Levi!” Valentine caught me in her arms.

  “I can stand up on my own.” I pushed away from her. I don’t need your help.

  Claps echoed through the trees. I jerked my head around, but the sounds were coming from ahead of me. A man walked out of the shadows—a pot-bellied one about three feet tall, with a conical two-foot hat atop his head.

  “I have never seen a human take down a bear like that before.” His eyes sparkled. “Who are you, young man?”

  ***

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Valentine held onto the reins with one hand, and wiped her eyes with the other.

  She was confused. She didn’t understand.

  Why did he have to burn the camp down? The sight of fire and wood flashed in her mind. She had only seen it from a mile away, but the emotions had washed into her heart.

  “Why did he do it?” she whispered. It didn't make sense to her. She couldn’t find any rational reason for doing what he had. The Zevalon Knights had done nothing to them. And yet, he had burned down their camp.

  Valentine wiped her eyes again. Maybe she'd involved herself with the wrong kind of guy.

  “That’s what I get for working with a prisoner,” she mumbled. “I should have never broken him out.”

  But she had been desperate. She had her own problems, and presenting the relic to the royal court was supposed to solve all of them. It was supposed to stop her father from keeping her locked inside the palace. It was supposed to stop the courtiers from telling her she should get rea
dy to be married.

  An eighteen-year-old girl with a hundred and one things imprisoning her would be willing to follow anyone as long as it lead her to freedom.

  And she had chosen Levi.

  His antics had bothered her from the start. It had begun when he’d impaled that Knight. She swore his eyes turned fully black, even if it had only been for an instant. She’d shaken that unease off, telling herself that it was something she needed to bear if she wanted to get to the relic. But burning a Knight camp was a few steps too far.

  “They’re probably going to be after me soon,” Valentine mumbled. Her sleeping spell wouldn’t be in effect for much longer. In fact, her three companions might have woken up already, for all she knew. Would they come after her? She was unsure.

  She looked around. Where was she, anyway?

  Her horse leapt over a small stream. There were more of those than she had realized. The steed slipped a little over the slush on the other side but managed to stay on its feet. She tugged the reins anyway, and the horse stopped.

  Her finger slid through the air and she opened up her Ga’em menu. She navigated to her Map Menu and looked at her surroundings. The blue blinking dot was no longer visible—a side effect to the item she had used. She’d had to use it to hide her location from her party members.

  She’d actually wanted to leave the party, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Maybe she wanted to keep it to threaten to reveal Levi’s positions.

  Was she really planning on doing that, though?

  “I’m too soft.” She looked at her screen.

  A growl echoed through the trees, and she looked up. What was that? She rode her horse forward, and peered into the gaps between the trees. The morning light shone through, but she still couldn’t see much.