God Mode: A LitRPG Adventure (Mythrune Online Book 1)

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God Mode: A LitRPG Adventure (Mythrune Online Book 1) Page 11

by Derek Alan Siddoway


  Instead, what populated the tent were instruments and tools of an intellect. A giant map was laid out in the center of the tent. Several books were stacked on a makeshift shelf against one wall, and a short table just big enough for an Urok to sit beneath served as a desk, complete with quill, ink, and parchment.

  The chief himself was more in line with my prior expectations. An intimidating-looking Urok, he boasted a figure like Mr. Olympia with enormous ram horns that would have made even a Dodge logo jealous. He lounged on a pile of furs and, of all things, was dabbing his mouth with a tattered but well-made napkin complete with lace trim. I focused on him and whispered an identification command as quietly as I could.

  Ugola

  Title: Chief of the Horuk Tribe

  Level: 20

  I blinked at that last stat. Level 20? This dude was a serious powerhouse. It left me wondering why I’d had to bother clearing out the stupid caves when this guy could have one-shotted the cave ghoul without much more than lifting a finger. Hell, the female Urok next to me could probably have as well, though I hadn’t thought to assess her level when she’d summoned me into the tent.

  +1 Combat Assessment Skill Point

  I certainly hoped Ugola wasn’t a foe, but I appreciated the reward for my nosiness. As I dismissed the prompt, the female Urok announced me.

  “Mighty Chieftain, this is the warrior who has slain the cave ghoul.”

  The chief carefully folded his napkin then motioned to another Urok in the tent, who cleared away a plate heaped with bones at his side. Apparently even fancy Uroks still liked their meat.

  “Forgive me for being so rude,” he said, an eloquent and refined accent taking me by surprise. “I’ve just been so busy that I haven’t really had much of a chance to have a decent meal. My name is Chief Ugola of the Horuk tribe. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance…?”

  “Zane.”

  “Zane.” Chief Ugola nodded. “Well, I can’t thank you enough for the work you’ve done eliminating the cave ghouls. It saves us a great deal of effort and allows us to continue with our plans.”

  Ah, so squishing cave ghouls was beneath them, apparently, I thought. Chief Ugola paused. He was clearly waiting for me to ask about his plans, so I obliged.

  “Glad to be of help. So what happens next?”

  Ugola smiled, revealing large pristine canines. “I’m glad you asked, Zane. This isn’t something I would share with just anyone, I hope you know. But because of everything you’ve done to help my tribe, I have a feeling that I can trust you. And I always need more trusted people around me.

  “We may just be a small hunting band now, but my goal is to establish a permanent town on the edge of the Bloodbone Plains. We seek to establish ourselves as a major trading post between the plains and the hill country to the south. The caves would serve as a perfect storehouse to build around.”

  Huh, this was some interesting world building. It also sounded like they were going to need more help, which was good news for me. “What sort of items will you trade?”

  “You name it,” Ugola said, the smile not leaving his lips and his eyes lighting up. “Furs, mounts, weapons, craft goods, armor, wine — everything the Plains Urok cannot provide for themselves. But there are many challenges we still face. Raids on our camp and trade routes first and foremost among them.”

  I was starting to put the pieces together. The Horuk had come to the region with peaceful intent — something that probably wasn’t an attractive proposition to the warrior Uroks I was more familiar with from beta. The fighters had probably abandoned Ugola’s tribe, and the few warriors who remained were needed to protect the rest of the tribe. That was why they’d sent me to deal with the ghouls.

  “Raiders, huh?” I said, trying to sound confident. “Sounds like this is where I come in?”

  Ugola nodded. “We can’t be a trading hub if the road itself is too dangerous for caravans to reach us. An Urok band called the Blue Hand Raiders kill and steal from those foolish enough to cross into the country between the city of Crystal Fen and the edge of the plains. Only the most heavily guarded caravans come north, and they are so large that a detour like ours is not worth their time. They trade with the Sylvads in the Lazulis Forest to the west or continue along the foothills of the Ice Spears to the east. If the roads are not safe, the smaller companies and guilds will not risk the trip here.”

  Quest: The Road Less Traveled

  Urok raiding parties are plaguing caravans along the trade roads to the south. One such band, the Blue Hand Raiders, is especially notorious. Find and destroy the Blue Hand Raiders to make the trade roads safe enough for traders and merchants to reach the Horuk tribe’s new trading post. The location of their camp is unknown, but they will undoubtedly be close to the roads. Maybe a passing caravan could serve as bait?

  Objective: Kill all members of the Blue Hand Raiders.

  I accepted without hesitation. Now this was more like it. A quest like this promised all sorts of loot and experience. On the other hand, Ugola had served up a pretty tall order — I had no clue where the Blue Hand Raiders were nor how many I had to kill. And I doubted they would fall to my axe as easily as the lesser cave ghouls had.

  A Cheshire grin spread across Chief Ugola’s face. “You will not regret this, young Urok. But you will need some help. Because you’re giving us a hand here, I will make it known that other members of the tribe may trade and offer their services to you.”

  Now that was more like it! I thanked the chief, and the female Urok — who still hadn’t introduced herself or said anything else — showed me out of the tent. I was just about to test out my Combat Assessment ability on her when a soft ding drew my attention. I noticed an envelope icon in the corner of my vision.

  Expecting a message from Brandon, I opened it without hesitation. But the message wasn’t from Brandon. Instead, a two-sentence message from the username Leesha almost made me pee my virtual pants in shock.

  “You mind explaining how you survived that?” It read. “I’m reporting you for cheating.”

  15

  Cheater, Cheater

  Crap.

  I’d imagined it would be difficult to keep God Mode under wraps once I started interacting with more players, but the fact that I was discovered after my very first encounter was more than a little disheartening. This was less than two in-game days into my playthrough. How could I have screwed up so badly and so quickly?

  The move was just plain stupid in retrospect. Why couldn’t I have played dead until Leesha left the cave? But no. If I’d done that, she would have noticed my body lying there. What I should have done was book it out of the cave and hide until she came out.

  I buried my Urok face in my hands, annoyed by my hindsight. Normally, I’d be willing to admit my mistake and learn from it, but in this scenario, Brandon would be the one who paid the ultimate price. I had to reply to this girl as soon as possible. But what could I say?

  I took a deep breath then opened up a chat window.

  Z: I’m not a cheat. Don’t be a sore loser. Serves you right for camping in my quest location then backstabbing me.

  L: I’m not an idiot. Coming to the Urok village right now. I was recording when I “killed” you. Either tell me how you did it or I’m publishing. See you soon.

  She actually had the nerve to finish her message with a winking, kissy-face emoji. I would have screamed in frustration if I hadn’t been so worried. This wasn’t good. Not only did she know, but she had video evidence and wasn’t afraid to broadcast it.

  What could I do? Would anyone be able to tell from the video that I’d been cheating? Even if there was no concrete evidence, the devs and online armchair detectives would have a field day analyzing the fact that my body didn’t disappear, and going through the video frame-by-frame as I landed the axe into Leesha’s chest. No doubt about it. This was something I couldn’t call her bluff on.

  I contemplated starting over if I couldn’t pull the wool over Leesha�
��s eyes. I’d have to create an all-new character from scratch. Probably a brand-new account not tied to my old email or credit card, too, as the devs would drop the banhammer on me if they chose to investigate the issue. Worse, there were no guarantees that they wouldn’t discover the God Mode glitch. One patch update could wipe out Brandon’s future life.

  There were no good options. But if I replied to her, at the very least I could stall for a bit. Stall and hope for some salvation to present itself. After a brief bit of hesitation, I replied.

  Z: Ok let’s chat

  L: Where r u

  Z: the village. it’s a small place. I think we’ll find each other fine near the middle.

  L: Be there soon

  I wondered where her respawn point was to have been that close but had bigger fish to fry at the moment. I chose a spot on a short hill above the stream and paced back and forth, unable to enjoy the brilliant sunset beginning to descend over the western plains.

  It was hard to imagine that, just moments earlier, I’d been basking in the glory of a major quest completion. I’d only just started to buy the fact that I could pull this whole thing off.

  My mind ran through hundreds of potential excuses. This girl was a Sylvad, so maybe she didn’t know some of the capabilities that came with being an Urok. I could tell her it was some sort of racial ability. Yeah, that was it. Nice thinking, Z.

  I rehearsed several different explanations in my head before I settled on the one that I thought would be the most plausible. Even if Leesha really had been a beta player, there was so much information that no one had discovered about MythRune yet, especially with the one-eighty the devs had pulled for the release. This would work. It had to work. When Leesha’s skeptical face finally showed up on the edge of the village, I was ready.

  “You,” she said, pointing a finger at me from a distance, a determined glint in her eyes. Hadn’t even bothered to say hello, even. “Tell me how you did it. I’ve watched the clip over and over again. There is no way you could have survived a critical surprise attack like that at level two.”

  “I—”

  “Oh, and by the way, why even bother going with an Urok in the first place if you’re gonna get rid of the horns? The horns are the coolest part.”

  Not only was she calling me a cheater, but she’d brought my fashion sense into question as well. That was too much.

  “This is coming from a girl who has a Sylvad with no antlers,” I scoffed.

  “Don’t change the subject on me,” Leesha said, poking my chest. “We’re talking about you. You were obviously hacking. How’d you do it?”

  It was safe to say this Leesha’s tongue was as sharp as her dagger. Unfortunately, I could now testify to both.

  I steeled myself for my false explanation. Come on, you practiced this.

  “I don’t know why you’re freaking out — are you talking about my race bonus?” I said. I tried to be a little condescending, like she was a noob for not knowing it. “Uroks are built to be tanks, and one of our special Armor Pursuit skills allows you to survive one-hit attacks. I played dead while you were there because I knew I could ambush you later.” I’d read somewhere that using the word because in a sentence made you more believable or something. I figured it couldn’t hurt.

  She glared at me with narrow eyes, clearly thinking over the explanation. She didn’t have to think long.

  “Liar.”

  “Excuse me?” I summoned my most offended voice, like I was some rich eighty-year-old heiress who’d just been asked to groom her own lapdog.

  “I’m not an idiot. I already checked all that out. I thought maybe it was a Pursuit thing. So I looked up all the different Pursuit Spheres — by the way, did you know they’re different for each race? Crazy, huh? Anyway, almost all of the Tier One and Tier Two skills for almost every basic Pursuit Sphere have been posted online. There’s no skill like that and no ‘racial bonus.’”

  She put air quotes around racial bonus and assumed a surprisingly accurate imitation of Durk as she said it. I’d clearly underestimated this woman. At that point, however, I deemed the best course of action was to go down with the ship and hope for a lifeboat.

  “Now,” she said. “Try again.”

  “I know it sounds crazy, but you know how inaccurate the boards are. Someone goes in there and claims they’ve unlocked them all, but I promise you—”

  “Look, we’re wasting time here.” Leesha gave me a consoling pat on the arm. “I know you’re rigging the system. But you’re lucky, because I don’t care about you rigging the system. I want in.”

  That was unexpected. “What?”

  “You heard me. Whatever you did, I want to do it too.”

  This was a test. I wasn’t going to fall for it.

  “I’m being honest with you,” I said, spreading my arms. Her persistence was nauseating. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

  “Then show me,” she said, her gaze drilling a hole in my corneas.

  “Show you what?”

  She rolled her eyes. “There’s an option for you to show me your menu. Let’s see this ‘racial bonus.’” Again with the dumb voice and the air quotes.

  Damn if she hadn’t backed me into a corner. I didn’t know how I was going to pull this off, but I figured if I waded through the menus slowly enough, I’d think of something. I opened my main menu then paused at the mischievous look I could see on Leesha’s face through the translucent screen.

  In a blur, she drew her knives from their leg holsters and slashed my arm. I instinctively clutched the cut for the briefest moment. By the time I looked up, she was already on my back.

  A sharp, needlelike pain blossomed across my neck. And then a sickening coldness as it grew wet with blood. My entire body went limp and I collapsed to the ground.

  Leesha strikes you with Cutthroat’s Dance.

  You sustain fatal damage.

  My last thought as darkness swirled around me was that my Esteem with the Horuk tribe wasn’t worth much if I could be murdered in cold blood right in the heart of their camp. A moment later, I gasped as the darkness withdrew and my neck knitted itself back together.

  And then Leesha stabbed me in the heart. Luckily, I was still so disoriented the pain only lasted a brief second before I passed out again.

  You sustain a killing blow from Leesha.

  I came to again a few seconds later and found Leesha standing over me.

  “Can you read?” she asked. “Because I’m pretty sure your messages say the same thing as mine. Fatal damage. Killing blow. You should be dead and you’re not. Last chance, bro.”

  And just like that, I knew my only chance was to spill my guts.

  “Okay,” I finally admitted. “You got me.”

  16

  Partners

  “Trust, but verify,” Leesha said with a wink as she spun her daggers then sheathed them. “I have to say, your commitment to that charade was pretty impressive.”

  “I have a lot to lose,” I said, climbing to my feet. I looked around, but either none of the Uroks had seen the brutal attack or, as I’d previously guessed, they just didn’t care. Maybe they knew adventurers like me had the habit of coming back from the dead and didn’t sweat it.

  “The ten-million-dollar prize. Yeah, no joke there. If you want me to keep your secret, it’s gonna cost you.”

  I clenched my teeth. At this point, I didn’t have a lot of bargaining power on my end.

  “Now, calm down, big guy,” she said, sensing my unease. “Like I said, I don’t have any interest in outing you. I just want to know how you did it. Think how much better our odds will be if two of us can’t die!”

  “Keep it down, will you?” I hissed, scanning for anyone aside from the NPC Uroks. What was that old saying about three people not being able to keep a secret? If anyone else found out, I was definitely screwed.

  Leesha rolled her eyes again, an expression that was more grating every time she did it. Probably because every time she did,
it signaled I was digging myself even deeper. “Chill out, will you? There’s nobody around but other stinking NPC Uroks. So quit stalling and tell me before I change my mind and post that video on my stream.”

  “I call it God Mode,” I said. I could tell Leesha was resisting the urge to roll her eyes again at the obvious, time-honored name for invincibility cheats in video games, but this time she had the good sense to restrain herself.

  “Real original name.” She clearly wasn’t able to restrain herself completely. “So you’re invincible?”

  “No. It basically makes it so my HP won’t drop below one point, but there are some problems. My pain setting is stuck at one hundred percent, for one, and I can’t log off.”

  “One hundred…” Leesha’s voice trailed off as she realized the implications. She winced and I almost believed she felt bad for slicing me up moments before. “About that Cutthroat’s Dance…”

  “Forget about it.” I waved it off. I probably looked badass and macho, but in reality, I just didn’t have time to waste going over all this. The clock was still ticking. Luckily, her reaction to the pain sensitivity information was right in line with what I was about to propose.

  “Here’s the deal — I don’t trust you not to run off if I tell you how the glitch works,” I said. “And it doesn’t seem like you want to play the game feeling every cut, stab and bludgeon. So you keep my secret and do whatever you can to help me win the tournament, and I’ll give you…”

  My mind ran over several numbers, but I stuck with the time-honored negotiation practice of lowballing. “I’ll give you half a million.”

  Leesha threw back her head and laughed. “Seriously? Try fifty percent, big guy.”

  “Five million doll — you’re crazy! I’ll give you ten percent.”

 

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