Lost Archive: A LitRPG Adventure (Veilwalkers Book 1)

by Isaac Winter

  Tris groaned. "Seriously? Hate those. How much time do we have?"

  > Time remaining: 6 hours 13 minutes 52 seconds.

  "Looks like turning back isn't an option." I grimaced.

  "Then through we go. Watch your back. We'll take Fel's shortcut."

  The forest loomed dark around us, the caws of ravens and the scratching of movement the only sounds as we pressed forward. "Hey Tris," I called as we walked. "Why can't you do that teleporting trick anymore? Apparently I teleported for that other quest."

  "It's a complicated magic. I can tell you all about it later, but now isn't really the best time, you think?"

  I nodded and nearly tripped over an upturned root. "Right."

  "Keep your eyes on the road," She hissed.

  Fel led the charge, and once again I thanked my past self for selecting a race with Night Vision. Night Vision and Runic Vision? Totally clutch. Tris shone a weak light a little ways ahead of us with one of her orbs, but even with that, it was getting darker by the second.

  "Where's this shortcut you keep talking about?" I asked, trying to get a look at the sky. The foliage covered everything, and I couldn't get a good view of the outside. Had the sun gone down already? No way to tell.

  "Just follow me," Fel said, thumping a walking stick on the ground.

  We walked in silence for a while longer, Fel's walking stick in the mud the only measure of time we had to go by.

  I saw finally a break in the trees and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, we were almost free!

  "That wasn't so bad," Tris shrugged, putting her light orb away. "For once you knew what you were talking about. Imagine that."

  Fel grumbled. "I often do, but you never listen."

  We approached the clearing but the sound of scratching grew louder. We were so close. I whipped around, trying to look for movement in the brush. Nothing. Then from above a raven swooped down at us with a shriek!

  "Get down!" I yelled before throwing myself into the dirt. The flutter of wings roared above me and I couldn't see, I couldn't hear, I couldn't breathe...

  Debris flew around me and I felt a rush of heat. Chancing a peek upwards, I saw flames licking into the flock, catching on to the trees and lighting up the forest with a deadly glow. The attackers were gone, but...

  "Run," Tris breathed, and we stumbled over one another toward the exit.

  > WARNING: Burn status. Agility -1, Charisma -1. Elemental damage -2 every 10 seconds for the next 2 minutes.

  "You asshole!" I shouted at Tris as we ran. It had to be her and her stupid bombs again, I knew it.

  "Saved your ass, didn't it?" She shot back.

  "Ever heard of a blast radius?"

  "Not like you did anything to help."

  "Guys, look!" Fel shouted, breaking us apart. The clearing spread out above us and I could see the outline of ruins in the distance. The sun had set almost completely, yet a strange greenish glow emanated from the structure, rising from the stone like smoke.

  We stopped cold, gazing at the scene. Fel drew his axe and Tris reached into her bag to prepare more powders. I made sure I had Runic Vision activated and handed the scroll to Tris. "You're with me," I said.

  She activated the scroll with a wave of her hand and her eyes widened instantly. "Holy shit," She breathed. "Is this what you see all the time?"

  "Yeah, pretty much."

  She shook her head, awestruck. "Let's go."

  With our weapons drawn and our hearts ready, we entered the crumbling ruins.

  > New Area Unlocked: Forgotten Ruins.

  Some say an ancient magic dwells here.

  > Quest Notification: Find the source of the magic hidden in these ruins.

  "Did you all get that?" I asked, closing the notification. Tris and Fel nodded.

  "We're going to need a plan, all right? Can't go in there guns blazing, or whatever's out there will find us."

  Tris looked disappointed at that, and I couldn't help but smile. Of course that would be her style.

  'He's right," Fel said, nodding at Tris. "We'll have to sneak in."

  "Come with me," I motioned to Tris. "Fel, stay and keep watch. If there's...a problem, do what you can to distract them until we can get what we came for."

  Fel nodded, and with that we crept toward a stone monolith at the edge of the ruins. A sickly green glow ran up the side like rotting moss, and a horrid smell like putrefying flesh filled the air.

  "God, what is that?" Tris hissed.

  I held out a hand for silence and crept on.

  The ground turned from soft dirt to strewn rocks and gravel, making it a lot harder for us to pass unnoticed. Luckily, my natural agility masked some of it, but Tris wasn't so lucky. I grimaced with every crunch of the gravel beneath her feet.

  A thin scratching sound echoed through the columns, and at first I thought it was Tris's footsteps. We stopped, but the sound continued. She looked at me in question. "Something's out there." I mouthed.

  She tilted her head toward the inner columns, where the scratching grew louder. My breaths came shallow now as my heart raced in my chest. I wasn't used to this kind of action all the time! But in the Veil, this was the new me. Gritting my teeth, I drew my blade and pressed on.

  The flashing timer in the corner of my vision warned me I had only a little over an hour left, and that did nothing to assuage my hammering heartbeat. As we crept toward the pillar, I noticed a trail of runes crawling up the stone like ants. "Do you see those?" I whispered.

  "Yeah."

  "Whatever it is...is behind there."

  I gripped my blade and snuck forward, ducking around the corner and lunging forward with a strike. A flash of blonde hair whizzed past me and a dark cloak billowed through the darkness. The figure moved too fast and blocked my blow, knocking my arm away with a wooden staff. The staff planted itself squarely in my stomach, knocking the air out of me instantly. I stumbled and wheezed. My health bar flashed as the Winded status appeared. Tris rounded them on the other side, grabbing one of her signature bombs. She assembled the pieces as I caught my breath and was about to launch it when a root sprung up from the ground and wrapped itself around her ankle. She shrieked and fell to the ground with a crash that made even me wince. Where did that come from? There was hardly any vegetation around...

  It had to be the newcomer. Naturalist.

  Tris's bomb tumbled to the ground with her, fizzing and smoking weakly. She kicked it out of range and it exploded a few yards off, leaving a burning scent in the air. Ingredients spilled from her bag as she wrestled with the root, finally grabbing her dagger to slice it away. As soon as it released its hold another appeared in its place, twisting higher and more firmly around her legs and even reaching up to her torso. She growled and struggled to move, wriggling in the plants grasp.

  "Do something, you idiot!" She screeched, straining her hand toward the remaining pouch at her side.

  I charged the figure full force, blade drawn. Too distracted by meddling with Tris, I was able to close the distance between us. I sliced out with my dagger, ripping a hole through the cloak but failing to hit skin. They rounded on me and raised a glowing hand. Vines sprouted out of the ground and wove their way toward me, the tendrils seeking my flesh. I scuttled backward and slashed out with my dagger. Oh right, I had spells for this!

  I crossed my fingers and cast Weak Gust.

  A breeze came from behind me and the figure's hood flew back. I could see her for the first time. Short blonde hair, searching blue eyes, and a face I never thought I'd see again.

  Mabel.

  Holy shit.

  Sure, she had a few cosmetic enhancements here and there, but her face remained largely the same. I guess she hadn't chosen to change her character's appearance much after all.

  Mabel was here too. And that meant...

  "Mabel?" I stuttered, holding up my hands. "It's me! It's Winston!" I only hoped she still remembered.

  She paused, her hand still glowing. After a tense moment, the s
pell faded away and she broke out into a smile. "Winston...? Jesus, you're here too? And what’s with your character?"

  I let out a sigh of relief. "It's Cael now. Guess we're both trapped."

  Tris still stood at the ready, looking confused. "Stand down," I told her. "She's a friend."

  Tris scowled and gave Mabel a disapproving stare, but pocketed her devices. "What's all this about?" She said, giving Mabel a hard look up and down.

  "Maybe you don't remember, but she was trying to kill us," Tris said and crossed her arms. "What is she doing here, anyway? Isn’t she who we're after?"

  "What? No." I shook my head. Come to think of it, though, was she? There was clearly something fishy going on here, and if I didn't know any better...

  "Why were you here?" I asked Mabel. I didn't want to blame her, especially after meeting the only other person that really knew what I was going through, but it was too suspicious. "We were on a mission to find an unknown source of energy in these ruins. We show up, and you go all druid on our ass. Tell me those aren't related?"

  Mabel backed up, waving her hands defensively. "No, you've got it all wrong. I came here for the same reason as you! There was this source of energy, and I had to know. Thought maybe I could use it in some way. Thought I could harness it. There were so many runes. So many. And I thought you were some kind of attackers programmed to come after me if I came here. Sounds like a good quest line, right?"

  Tris didn't look convinced. "She can see runes too? Seriously?" She threw her hands up. "I give up."

  This revelation clicked a few more pieces in place. If Mabel could see the runes too, that must mean they came from that blasted book. Or something else from our world. Was Crane associated with all this somehow?

  "How do we know we can trust her?" Tris asked. "She might be telling you what you want to hear, Cael! Or, 'Winston'." She put air quotes around my old name. "Where did you come from, anyway? Both of you."

  Mabel opened her mouth to speak but I stopped her. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. I really didn't have time for this. "Later," I growled. "If you don't remember, we have a quest timer?"

  She shot me a dirty look. "Fine. Let's figure this shit out and get out of here. Where's Fel, anyway?"

  "Keeping watch."

  Or at least, he was. At that moment, Fel's stocky frame bounded over the hill, fear-stricken and out of breath. "Sprikes from the north." He panted. "They're coming. Lots of them."

  > New Quest Unlocked: Protect the Ruins

  A contingent of Esraen Sprikes are descending upon the Ruins. They seek to steal its magic for their own. Will you stand and fight?

  Accept?

  [Yes/No]

  The three of us looked from one to another. We all had the same quest. "What's stopping us from running?" Tris said, looking warily at the horizon. I could hear high-pitched screeches coming toward us, even now.

  "Nothing," Fel said. "It's a test. And we're going to pass it." He drew his axe and shield, his face a mask of steely determination. "With me!"

  "You too." He cried at Mabel. "Unless you want to be Sprike meat!"

  He had a point. Something about the enemy of my enemy being my friend, right?

  > A new member wants to join your party!

  Mabel Vaysen, Level 6 Naturalist.

  Accept?

  [Yes/No]

  From the screeching cries of the Sprikes spilling over the hill, we needed all the help we could get.

  I drew my dagger, prepared a spell, and waited for the onslaught.

  15

  The Sprikes skittered over the hill like a swarm of ants. They clustered together in places, making them look larger and more menacing. The most annoying of all were their high-pitched screeches. It sounded like someone running rusty nails against a chalkboard! I cowed but Mabel waved a hand and with a word a sense of calm settled over me. For a blessed second, the sound dulled and I could think again. I looked to her in surprise. She simply nodded.

  > New Status: Nature's Aura. Aural Damage lessened for 5 minutes.

  One look around at my party members told me she'd given them the same buff. Huh, I thought. Maybe I should have gone for that class after all.

  My Night Vision helped me see the encroaching Sprikes but I wasn't so sure how the rest of them were holding up. Tris fired a flare high up into the sky and it hung there like a lantern, casting a flickering light down on the plains. They drew a few steps back in alarm as the full extent of the creatures reached their vision. Fel growled, Mabel dug in her feet, and Tris gripped a bomb in each hand. We were ready.

  Ready as we'd ever be.

  We had a tank (Fel), a support (Mabel), a mage (me), and a rogue (Tris). It's too bad there weren't more ranged weapons besides Tris's bombs and my spells. I didn't like the idea of getting up close and personal with them.

  "You don't have a crossbow hidden up your skirts or something, right?" Tris asked Mabel, eyeing the approaching horde. "Cause it would come in real useful about now."

  Mabel sniffed. "If I did, don't you think I'd be using it? Surely you have some spells or gadgets or..."

  "I do," Tris said, "But it's going to take everything I've got. Cover me."

  Fel took point and Mabel chanted an incantation that produced a shimmering shield between us and them.

  "A Force Shield, badass!" Tris cried. "How'd you get one at such a low level?"

  Mabel simply cocked her head. "Weren't you supposed to be doing something?"

  Tris tore her eyes from Mabel and crouched, pulling her goggles over her face. A hard mask of concentration came over her, hands moving as if by a machine. She pulled out gizmos and gadgets from pack after pack, screwing, twisting, bending...

  I had to look away. I had to prepare my own attack. I scoured the spell list, hoping there was something I could use.

  "They're weak to fire!" Mabel called through the gathering wind. I didn't ask how she knew that.

  Fire, fire, fire...I had to have something here. Weak Gust? Nope. Gems? Nope. Meliae Wafers? That wouldn’t do at all..

  Okay...what about friction? I thought back to my old days in scouting. To make a fire, you needed flint and steel, right? Or if you were really hard up, two sticks to rub together. Tons of stone littered the ruins, and my dagger was steel.

  It was a stretch, but...

  I reached into my bag and grabbed the old shirt I'd worn when I first came to veil. Well, better than nothing. I balled it up and tied it taut, then bounded over to one of the stone pillars.

  "What are you doing?" Mabel asked, straining against the Force Shield. "I can't hold this forever you know!"

  "Improvising," I said, and struck the blade against the stone at an angle. Sparks flew and landed on the cloth, burning it a little but not catching by any means. Ugh. I was about to toss it aside in disgust when Tris finally looked up from her contraption and held up a vial of brown fluid. "Pour this on!" She yelled. "But careful, don't shake it." Tris had assembled some sort of strange metal contraption. Upon closer inspection, it looked like...a catapult?

  "Rip those into smaller balls, douse 'em, and come over here!"

  I had an idea what she had in mind, but I didn't ask. Fel held the front line as the Sprikes came closer and closer. "Hurry up!" He said.

  I saw sweat bead up on Mabel's forehead. The Shield wouldn't last much longer at this rate. That had to be awfully hard to maintain. I could only imagine the amount of mana it used. I ripped apart the fabric as quickly as I could and poured the sap-like substance on the scraps. It was sticky and smelled awful, but gave the fabric a much heavier, solid shape. When in battle, you didn't have much time to worry about bad smells.

  > New Skill Unlocked: Bombcraft.

  Boom.

  Bombcraft is now level: 1

  > New Crafting Recipe Unlocked: Synra Fire-bombs.

  Ingredients: 1 [Fabric], 1 [Synra Sap]

  > Synra Fire-bomb.

  Quality: Poor.

  By using the volatile properties of Synra S
ap, these bombs explode on impact, making for a messy (and dangerous) display.

  Deals 7 Fire Damage on impact, -1 damage over time for 10-20 seconds.

  I scoffed at the "Poor" ranking, but it was my first one. Hopefully it was good enough. But Bombcraft sounded pretty cool!

  I ran back to Tris and held out five sap-soaked wads of fabric. "Is this enough?" I asked.

  "It will have to be. Now quick, put 'em here." She pointed to a small bowl at her feet. "One at a time."

  "Uh guys, a little less talking! More fighting!" Fel cried. They were closing in, only seconds away now.

  I threw the first of the fabric balls on the plate and Tris pulled a cord. With a clanking of gears, the catapult released, sending a golf-ball sized wad of sap and fabric toward the Sprikes. Fel struck out with his axe, preparing for the onslaught, but when they reached the shield they flattened against it like a kid running into a glass door. I chanced a glance behind me; Mabel looked strained and she grit her teeth as her heels dug into the dirt.

  The improvised bomb sailed through the air and I held my breath. This had to work. If it didn't...we were all toast.

  It struck the front line of Sprikes with a squishy thunk and exploded on impact, the fabric going up in flames. The sap stuck to their skin and they screeched louder as they flailed, trying to get it off. I staggered back, the force of the blow sending heat rushing into my face.

  "God, what I wouldn't give for an archer right about now!" Mabel muttered, falling to her knees. The Force Shield flickered a few times then disappeared. "I'll stay back for heals, cover me!"

  > Danger: Force Shield Depleted!

  With a yell, Fel ran toward the creatures that weren't on fire, swinging his axe ferociously. He hit one with such impact his head flew straight off and sailed across the green. I wasted no time loading another fire-bomb into the catapult and letting it fly. With Tris's help, we aimed it away from Fel and into another large group of Sprikes approaching.