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

by Dhayaa Anbajagane

I didn’t see the logic there, but I went along with it anyway.

  DING!

  A screen popped up—my Message Menu—and I saw a message with Valentine’s name beside it.

  Valentine: My map is telling me you’re really close to the mountain. I told you not to go there. Either way, just turn around and come back, would you? Luna is sleeping right now, and so is Stan. If you get back in about two hours, we can start moving.

  I wrote out a reply.

  Levi: It was too interesting to let go of, sorry. I’ll head back now.

  A blatant lie, obviously. Yet, I felt no guilt over what I was doing. This is how I’ve survived these past ten years, I thought. Being nice to the Henways did nothing for me. Being nice to the Zevalon Knights did nothing for me. Being nice to Valentine and the others was going to pull me down at some point in time. I knew it. I could feel it.

  “I’m sorry, kid.” I closed the screen and trudged up the mountain. My pace quickened, and forty minutes later, I was panting heavily, and could see the top even out. I was close to the peak.

  DING!

  You have received an alert from: Zevalon City!

  Attention, all citizens of Zevalon! We are messaging you today with splendid news. For many years, we have been questioning the fate of our city if a superior force attacks. We now have the answer. The Zevalon Knights—with the aid of an anonymous tip from a member of the royal family—have successfully discovered and obtained an ancient relic known to the scholars as “Aegil”. This relic is believed to have the ability to enhance our Knights and turn them into so-called Super-Knights. This is indeed a great day for Zevalon city, and speaks volumes about the future to come.

  “What the hell?!” I punched through the screen, and it dissolved away.

  Fire and ice burned through my body. I felt it crawl up my skin, gnaw at my insides. “How could they have found it?” I muttered. “No one but the four of us knew where it was. There’s no way the Knights could have—”

  My eyes widened.

  The answer was so obvious, and yet he hadn’t seen it. An anonymous member of the royal family.

  There was only one way that could be read. My past self would have pointed this out immediately. I was growing soft.

  There was only one person I knew who still had a connection to the Zevalon Knights. There was only person I knew who was a member of the royal family.

  I gritted my teeth, and the tendrils of fire and ice exploded into my flesh. The most innocent looking ones are always the most dangerous.

  Valentine had betrayed me.

  ***

  Two things were clear.

  One, I had changed a lot from the man I’d been in Zevalon City; I genuinely trusted people around me, and had a little faith in their ability to aid my cause. Two, I had to go back to being the cold-blooded jerk I’d been before.

  If I had been a jerk, I would have never let something like this happen.

  “I will get you for this,” I hissed. “You stole what I wanted, you damn princess.”

  How could she do this to me? I ran through the forest. I’d been so nice to her, I’d protected her, saved her from death, and yet this was what she repaid me with?

  What was I even thinking? Since when have I ever expected someone to repay my favor with another?

  I’d grown soft. This whole “oh I have friends” deal had broken my stature down. I didn’t need them. I didn’t want them. For all I knew, the vampire and the elf were on Valentine’s side, too.

  She must have planned this from the very start. I clenched my fists.

  “Why was I so stupid?!” I yelled out.

  The forest sucked away my words, and I darted between the trees. My chest thumped hard and deadly fast. I couldn’t tell why my heart beat so fast. Was it because I’d lost ten years of hard work? Because the royalty and noblemen were going to reap the rewards of what I had poured my soul into?

  Or was it because the only people, other than Helen, that I thought I could open up to had stabbed me in the back?

  Shut up, you crybaby, I thought. Calm down, and turn into who you were. That’s what you need.

  I looked at the corner of my screen, below my Health bar, and noticed my Stamina bar. It was still half full. Good, I thought. Enough juice to get me back to the camp safely.

  Soon, I was five minutes away from the camp, and by then, the fire and ice within me hadn’t subdued, but rather, had aggravated. I saw flashes of black every few seconds now. My heart rate had intensified, and every muscle in my body clenched with the rage I felt.

  “I will get you,” I hissed. “You hurt me? Then I’ll come at you with ten times worse.”

  I shifted through my Ga’em menu once again, and summoned the two daggers Pera had gifted me. Both sheaths tied themselves around either side of my waist. I equipped the short sword as well and put that around me, too.

  Three knives. Three people. A smirk painted onto my face.

  The clearing emerged before me, and my flames and chills climaxed. I leapt into the air, and slid out my daggers. I didn’t care about stealth strikes. I was killing them here and now.

  There was only one problem.

  The camp was empty.

  Did they leave? I looked around, clenching my fists. Valentine must have realized I’d come back once I saw the message.

  “She’d have been dead if I’d seen that message while she was next to me.” My voice was soft. Did I play into her hands by going to the mountains, then?

  My Emperor’s Eye skill picked out a shiny object at the base off one of the trunks. I knelt next to it and picked it up. It was a small shard of sharp metal, probably off a sword. What did this thing hit that made it chip like this?

  My eyes moved up, and I noticed another object, a little further into the bushes. I reached out and touched it.

  I froze. Cloth. I pulled my hands back out, coming away with familiar blanket in my hands. The scent of jasmine sifted through the air, and I rubbed the rough fabric between my fingers.

  Stan would never leave this behind. I looked around me. Leaves were scattered over the ground, and the twigs that had fallen had all been snapped.

  My shoulders tightened. This is worse than I thought.

  The signs of a struggle were obvious, and the shard of silver steel told me enough to know the Knights were here. Stan and Luna were with the Knights now.

  But they hadn’t gone willingly.

  I thrust my dagger into the nearest tree and yelled out. The tone echoed through the skies, and back down to me. I breathed heavily.

  “This is what I get for trusting people.” I pulled out the dagger. “You damn princess.” Dazed, I traced the blade onto the tree, and when I looked again, a perfect V was engraved on it. I chuckled, with a tone that I had not heard in a very long time. I slashed at the design, tearing it down, and turned away from the bark.

  I looked into the forest, at the patches of darkness that were forming between the trees. I gripped my dagger. Perfect. A wicked smile sculpted onto my face.

  It was time to go hunting.

  There was a goddamn princess I needed to find.

  ***

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “Sage Auron!”

  Auron turned back, and saw Joseph riding eagerly toward him. He raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

  The man’s horse stopped beside his. “The scout you asked for has just headed out,” he said.

  “Good,” the Sage said. “Does he have a visual of the target?”

  “Yes, sir, I gave him the portrait that Zevalon had used in that alert.”

  He nodded. “Well done, Joseph. And what of our own men?”

  “Almost all of them have been paid off. There are only ten or eleven left.”

  “Elya?”

  “I have not approached him yet. But I believe he has noticed what’s going on around him, and he doesn’t seem too thrilled.”

  “His happiness and peace of mind are not what I concern myself with.”

&nbs
p; “And sir,” Joseph said, “about the scout. Do I give him the command to kidnap on sight?”

  “No. There will be no kidnapping.”

  He frowned. “But sir, I thought the whole point of the scout was to kidnap him.”

  “I understand. But given your interactions with that boy, he definitely doesn’t seem the kind that will speak easily.”

  Joseph stayed silent.

  “I have strong reason to believe he is still going around with the vampire and the elf from before.”

  “Ah. Capture those two instead?”

  Auron nodded. “He will speak if his friends are the ones we threaten.”

  “I will inform the scout,” Joseph said, and opened his Ga’em menu.

  Auron smiled. “Welcome to my game, Ryder.”

  ***

  I gritted my teeth.

  Fire and ice coursed through my body, though I showed resistance against them. I was angry. Very angry.

  I opened my Map Menu and looked at the screen. I could only see three dots—including me—on it now, just like when Valentine had hidden herself and run away.

  Damn it. I gritted my teeth. But the elf and the vampire’s position markers were blinking and were still close together. She can’t be much further off from them, then. After all, she was probably the one who helped kidnap them. Why are you doing this, Valentine? My fists clenched.

  I’d trusted her so much. I hadn’t even considered the thought of betrayal. Sure, I’d mentioned a couple of times that I thought she was going to go running to the Knights, but I hadn’t actually believed she’d do that. Rather, I’d hoped she wouldn’t.

  “You’ve gone soft.” My voice cracked.

  It was time to go be a jerk to everyone again. No more being empathetic and understanding what was going on with other people. Hack, slash, and kill. That was it.

  Works every time.

  I plotted the Knights’ position from me. North-east. I looked up, in the same direction, and then frowned. They were heading to the side of the mountains, probably the point where the range even ended.

  Why would they do that? I wondered.

  I ran ahead, through the forests once again. Trees and bushes rustled as I rushed between them, breaking small branches and leaves as I did. About ten minutes in, I pulled out my Map Menu once more and looked at my position in relation to the elf and the vampire.

  They’re not moving fast at all, I noticed. Were they all just walking, then? I hadn’t expected their pace to be so slow, but I wasn’t complaining either. This gave me a much better chance at catching up to them.

  What was I going to do once I actually got there, though? I had no freaking clue. Hopefully, I’d figure it out before it was too late. I usually did.

  Twigs snapped under my feet and pebbles skittled over the ground as I made my way through. Suddenly, I caught something from the corner of my eye, and my feet locked up. I froze in place and turned.

  A dark hunk of fur stood fifty or sixty yards away from me, hidden amongst the trees. I focused on just the fur and used my Analyze skill.

  DING!

  Object too far away to be scanned.

  DING!

  Congratulations! You have advanced a skill.

  Emperor’s Eye Level 2!

  That dark hunk of fur sure does look suspicious, but hey, in the meantime, here’s an upgrade to your skill (Again, don’t use it to peep on people. The last person who tried is in prison. Really). Reward: 1000 XP

  Effect 1

  Your perception of your surroundings increases by 1.5%.

  Ugh. I dismissed the screens and stared at the fur. Some kind of animal, for sure. Slowly, I tiptoed away. The creature never turned back to see me, and I never got close enough to see it.

  I spent another five minutes moving around it, and when I was finally sure I was safe, I ran. I have no time to deal with beasts and animals. I threw my head back ahead of me, and pointed myself to where Luna and Stan were.

  An hour and a half passed, and I still hadn’t let down on my speed. The enemy had possibly moved now, and I had an extra few miles I needed to cover, but compared to me, my foes were moving like snails.

  What’s going on? I frowned, and then it hit me. If they had actually been kidnapped by the Knights, then the slow pace actually made sense, contrary to what I had thought. The squadron had lost most of their horses in that fire, which meant the group as a whole would be moving slower. I guess that one’s on me, then.

  I saw my Stamina bar, empty, out in the corner of my sight. My lungs heaved, but I pushed through anyway. Pain rose up my legs and spread out from my chest. My health bar slowly reduced, by just bits, but I didn’t mind. I looked at my map. I had maybe another two hours of running at the very least. And some of it seemed like it might be an uphill climb.

  I’ll just find some plants that can heal me. I maintained my pace, and my health kept depleting. I scanned through the herbs and plants on the ground as I ran, but I didn’t find anything good.

  I kept running, even as my lungs heaved harder, even as the pain in my legs rose through my body. Thoughts of Valentine rushed through my mind, and the fire and ice pulsed through my blood, numbing every sensation I felt.

  Anger was all that I could think about now.

  I was never trusting someone again. Never. My legs pumped even faster. Another forty minutes passed, and my health was now down to half what it had been before.

  I can make it, I told myself. I can.

  Mumbling sounded ahead of me, and I froze up.

  What? My eyes widened. I looked at the map. Stan and Luna were still many miles ahead of me. Possibly another hour at the most.

  Then what the heck is going on here? My pace slowed and I tiptoed through the forest. The mumbling turned to voices—many of them. I frowned and stepped forward. Ten Knights stood between the trees, all adorned in silver armor. They rode horses, possibly the only ones I’d left behind.

  Stan and Luna aren’t here, though, I noticed. Did the Knights split up, then?

  There were only ten people here, though. It seemed more like a scouting mission rather than a proper split up. The actual forces numbered hundreds, and splitting just ten off—and sending them off with horses, even though the commodity was scarce—was not the best thing to do.

  Unless there was a good reason for it.

  Better equip my daggers. I opened my Ga’em menu and navigated to my Item Inventory.

  Something blond and blue flashed before me.

  A crack thudded against my head, and I dropped to the floor. The forest before me warped inside my vision, and darkness spewed from every spot in the air. A voice mumbled in my ear, whispering words I couldn’t make out.

  And then I lost myself.

  ***

  The rattling of chains woke me up.

  I blinked quite a few times to get my sight back. My vision pulsed with flashes of bright white, and I looked around. We were on an incline now.

  “Sir, he’s woken up!”

  I was on a horse, behind a Knight. There were a few more horse-riding Knights all around me as well, like a protective force. We were riding on an incline adjacent to the mountains, but this one didn’t seem like the short range. The incline was even shallower than what I had seen before.

  “Should I put him to sleep again?” the Knight before me called out.

  My hands were bound up, and I had been gagged as well. Damn it, I thought.

  A man dropped back from ahead of us. “Don’t do anything.”

  My eyes worse to his face. Elya. I frowned. I remembered the sight I had seen right before I went down. He probably took me out.

  I glared at him, but he didn’t even meet my gaze and just rode up to his point ahead. Five minutes later, the incline we were on flattened out. This wasn’t a mountain. It was a plateau. A thin forest grew atop it. There were just enough trees to call this place a forest, and there were just enough dead ones to call it barren as well.

  And living within it wa
s a camp of Knights.

  It wasn’t as organized as before. There were just tents and horses now. Each horse was tied to a peg outside a tent—the tent of its owner, presumably.

  I guess they didn’t want to take a chance and put the horses together again, I thought.

  Other Knights were out and about, and almost all of them glared at me as we passed through. Aren’t I the popular guy.

  The Knights stopped before a small tent and dropped down from their steeds. There were two men at the entrance, holding spears to their chest, staring right at me.

  My eyes darted around, absorbing information on the landscape. A man grabbed me. “Get in.” He shoved me in, through the flaps of the tent, and I stumbled to the floor.

  “Have fun, kid.” He walked away and the flap fell back down.

  “Levi?” a voice called out from ahead. I turned around and saw Stan and Luna sitting before me, with wide smiles on their faces.

  Flames burned inside my body. No Valentine.

  Stan shuffled up to me. His hands were bound in front of him, and he lifted them up to pull down my gag. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “Where the hell is she?” I hissed.

  He stepped back. “Who?”

  “Valentine.”

  “We … don’t know,” he said. “I think she got away when the Knights attacked us.”

  I frowned. Why would she run away?

  “Is Singer-Lady not okay?” Luna’s voice was soft.

  “I hope she isn’t,” I muttered. I looked at Stan. “So you have no idea where she is?”

  He shook his head. “Why?”

  I blinked. “Isn’t it obvious? Did you not get the notification as well?”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Stan, that is clear evidence that this woman tricked us. She acted as a friend and then betrayed us.”