by J. J. Thorn
Heavy: The Weight of it All
Book 1
J. J. Thorn
A LitRPG and GameLit Story
Heavy: The Weight of it all
Copyright @2021 by J. J. Thorn
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this book are fictional.
Cover: Piere d'Arterie
Map: Thiagoliuth
This book is dedicated to the two most wonderful women in my life, my Mother and my Girlfriend.
I love you both and thank you for believing in me.
Table of Contents
Affinities
The Weight Of It All
The Town of Huag
Thank the Goddess!
Initial Testing
Milk and Cereal
Arma-Hunting
Interlude - Merchants
Dinner
Augment
Meetings
Death
Expectations
Interlude - Talon
Thunder God
Foxy
Kennel
Busy
Sword’s Folly
Encyclopedia
‘3%’
Interlude – The Night Before
10/10
Rank 1
Surprise!!
Vigor
Interlude – Ring of Mountains
Prologue
Affinities
"Send him in." The King demanded of his nearest servant.
Without a word, the servant ran towards the doors to retrieve the King's son.
The King, William Prost, sat in his throne room, surrounded by his Advisors and servants.
Each of them remained silent as they waited for the King's son to enter the room.
Anticipation was heavy in the room as everyone knew what was about to happen.
The doors opened and a boy walked in. The boy walked with his hands at his sides and his head directed forward. His back was straight as he walked into the room with confidence. His hair was long and brown, similar to how his father had looked when he was younger. He was fairly short, but at 16 years old, he knew he was expected to grow.
His clothing was well kept and especially regal for the day's ceremony.
Emmett Prost, the crown Prince, walked to the steps leading to his father's throne. He stopped before ascending and started to address his father.
"Father, has the Priest arrived to begin the ceremony?"
The King looked down at his son with a wide smile as he began to speak jovially.
"Crown Prince, I would ask you to remember that you must refer to me as the King while we are in my Chambers. You will one day inherit the throne. At that time, you must teach your own children the responsibility and propriety that comes with the title."
The smile on Emmett's face fell slightly as he acknowledged the King's words.
"You are right, my King, my apologies. I meant no disrespect."
The King started to laugh.
"Prince, let us not sully the day. A small mistake was made, nothing more. Today is a joyous day that will not be tarnished by such trivial issues."
The King looked to his right and started to address his Advisors.
"Francis, has the Priest arrived as yet?"
"Yes, my King, the Priest is downstairs waiting for you and your Son to arrive."
The King, now irritated, looked at his closest Advisor.
“Where is he?”
“In the Private Church, my lord. He is waiting for you and your Son to arrive.” Francis repeated.
"For me to arrive?! Why has he not come to ask for my attendance directly? Does he expect that I can be summoned like a common servant in my own home? I am the King, Francis, the man will come to me directly! I will not be treated as a servant in my own Kingdom!"
A separate Advisor took a step forward before responding to the King's protests.
"My King, the Priest would have this done in the private Church you have downstairs. He has stated that the ceremony must happen near a place of worship so that the Goddess might see the ceremony."
The King became enraged as the second Advisor tried to respond on behalf of the Priest's wishes.
"I will not repeat myself again Howard, regardless of how many of you attempt to go against my wishes. Bring the Priest to my quarters immediately! Tell him that he should come prepared to hold the ceremony here. Otherwise, he will see a large cutback in gold being sent to the Church, but at this point even that would be a kindness. I will not be disrespected again! GO NOW!"
One of the servants started to make his way towards the doors as everyone watched the King speak down to his Advisors. The servant had almost reached the door before the King raised his voice once again.
"No, not you. Return to your position. Francis and Howard will go fetch the Priest. They are so keen to tell me HIS wishes, they can do just as well letting HIM know MINE."
The King spoke clearly, making sure no person was unaware of his intentions. The two Advisors who had spoken previously chose not to protest as they walked towards the doors.
Everyone else in the room remained silent as they waited for the Priest to arrive.
The King broke the silence again, addressing his Son. Emmett had remained standing at the steps during the entire exchange. His hands now behind his back, awaiting directions from his Father.
"While we wait on the Priest, we may as well start the proceedings. Have you had any thoughts on which type of affinity you would like to receive Son?"
"My King, I would be honoured to receive any affinity. I recognize that with diligence and patience, I will be able to rise to great heights with any affinity. Should we not wait for the Priest so that this can be done formally?"
"Yes, you are my Son and I believe you have the aptitude to master any affinity. With that said, this is a celebration, let us be braggarts for a moment! Who needs the Priest? I have taken the test myself and it was a trifling thing. Do not worry. If you could choose an affinity, which would you select? At my ceremony, we made a game of guessing what I might get. I guessed incorrectly, but it was my mother who guessed it the closest! The woman called herself an oracle until her dying days!" The King began to laugh. Everyone in attendance started to laugh as well.
Emmett joined in his father's laugh.
"A ROYAL affinity was a true achievement, my King. As though the Goddess herself approved of your appointment as King. That is what my tutors tell me, at least."
Emmett eventually responded.
"Yes, my own father was happy to have raised such a regal child, even if it meant his time on the throne was limited. As you know, the affinity was unheard of, but I was able to use it to conquer countless Dungeons and battlefields."
"Yes, my King, your achievements are well known."
Emmett acknowledged his father with true respect. He had grown up learning about his father's ambitions and triumphs. In his youth, the ROYAL affinity had manifested Skills truly fit for a King. Skills that he would use to bring the Prost Kingdom great prosperity.
"I would be overjoyed to receive the same affinity, but as I said, I would be just as content to receive the more common SWORD affinity. I know I could do many great things." Emmett continued as he continued to speak with his father.
Emmett and his father would continue to talk back and forth until the doors opened again.
It had only been 10 minutes since they had left, but the two Advisors, Francis and Howard, walked into the throne room with the Priest following close behind. In his hand, he held a cloth bag and nothing else.
"Wonderful, come closer Priest. I heard you had tried to go against the wishes of the Kingdom. Thankfully, it seems you have come to your senses." The King joked as the three men came closer to the throne.
The two Advisors found their spots to the side of the King as the Priest stood beside Emmett at the bottom of the steps.
"Nothing of the sort, my King. As you know, it is tradition that the ceremony is held within the Church’s back chambers. Very few people are permitted in those quarters."
“Yes, Priest, but we had spoken about having it here. The crown Prince is old enough and will not wait like all of the other children.”
“Yes, my King, but that is why I had prepared everything in the Private Church here. The Goddess does not have a place in these chambers.”
"That is where you have it WRONG, Priest! The Goddess is always with me in MY chambers. This place is just as holy as any room of your Church. The Goddess and I have a true connection that you would do to remember. I am YOUR KING."
The Priest lowered his head and did not respond.
"Good. Now, moving forward, I forgive you and your behaviour. Do you have everything you require to do the ceremony right here, now?"
The Priest raised his head slightly, but only to face the torso of the King.
"Your majesty, I have brought the Goddess' statue here, but I would at least ask that the ceremony remain private. There are too many witnesses, and I worry that this will cause issues."
"Fine, I will grant you this much. Everyone except the Priest and the crown Prince leave the chambers now. Francis and Howard, you may also remain. I take it there will be no additional arguments, Priest?"
The King dismissed the rest of the room. As the parade of servants and Advisors left the room, the King stared squarely at the Priest's head.
"No, your highness. This should suffice."
The priest lifted the cloth bag from the floor and started to take the large statue of a woman's body from the inside. The woman was nearly naked, wearing only a silk robe, with what appeared to be a perfect body and frame. The woman's face held no expression, and its eyes were closed. Otherwise, the stone statue looked plain in comparison to the gold and jewelry that littered the King's chambers.
The Priest set the statue down on the steps directly in front of him and Emmett.
The Priest took a step back, grabbed Emmett's shoulder, and turned him facing his direction.
The Priest's voice had some slight hesitation as he started to speak to Emmett directly, starting the ceremony.
"My Prince. The Goddess has seen it fit to bring you into this world. And with that, she has provided you with free will, understanding and goodness. Would she..."
"Stop. Now! What are you doing?" The King yelled, stopping the Priest's words completely.
"Your highness, this is the same text read out to every child once they come for their test. I am going through the same ceremony I would take for any other child."
"Exactly! You forget yourself again, Priest. My Son is not ANY child. He is MY child, and I do not need you to spend 5 minutes dragging this on any further. He and I have already spent the last 10 minutes discussing his future affinity. He is already ready. Skip to the end so that we might move on to something else."
The Priest and Emmett both stood shocked at the front of the steps. After a few moments, the Priest regained his nerve and moved ahead with the ceremony.
"My Prince, please put your hand on the statue of the Goddess so that she may grant you your affinity."
Emmett nodded his head and started to edge his hand towards the statue. A heaviness had once again taken over the chambers as he reached his hand outwards.
Eventually, his hand reached the shoulder of the Goddess and Emmett waited.
Emmett had discussed this countless times with his tutors and knew that at this time he would begin to see text in his vision. The text would announce the affinity he had received. The affinity he would use to learn Skills and Rank up for the rest of his life.
Emmett waited.
But nothing ever appeared.
He eventually opened his eyes, but despite his best wishes, nothing appeared.
Emmett started to grasp at all parts of the statue, wondering if he had somehow touched the wrong part of the Goddess's figure.
"HAHA I know you're excited Son, but don't go touching the Goddess all over in front of the Priest. Now, let us have it, what affinity did you receive."
The King looked towards his Son, who had now stopped touching the statue.
"Fa-My King, there is nothing. I see nothing."
Emmett's shoulders slumped as he collapsed onto the steps, looking towards his father. Tears started to stream down his face as he sat there on the steps.
His father's face turned red as he thought of his Son's words.
"What do you mean NOTHING? Priest, what have you done?! Why does my Son not see his affinity?"
The Priest started to sweat profusely as the King's words were said with ferocity.
"My King, I do not know. As you know most children do not receive an affinity, this could just mean that the Crown Prince is one of those children."
"Priest, I will have your head if you continue to spout such blasphemy in my chambers. The crown Prince is intended to take over the throne. He MUST have an affinity. There must have been a mistake.
You will do the test again, in your back-room chamber at the Church. You will make sure it is done correctly this time. You will not make any mistakes again. Am I clear?!"
"Your highness, doing the test again has never produced a different result."
"Priest, I am not asking. I am your KING. YOU will go NOW, or I will send you to your Goddess this very instant. Am I CLEAR?"
The King stood from his throne for the first time. His body began to take on a shimmer of gold as he enhanced his body with his Skills and internal energy.
The King, who had just looked like a frail old man, stood atop his dais like a god looking at ants. The Priest's legs collapsed to the ground abruptly as he could no longer hold himself up.
"Y-Yes, my K-King. I will do as you have asked. Come, my P-Prince."
Emmett looked up for the first time as well. His eyes blood-shot from his tears.
The Prince and Priest put the statue back into the bag and abruptly left the chambers.
"Francis, go with them. Make sure it goes well, for your sake and his."
Francis followed directly after the Priest.
After the doors closed again, the King dismissed his Skill and took his seat on the throne once again.
"Howard. Bring all of the Advisors to my chambers as soon as we receive a response from Francis."
"Yes, my King."
Howard walked out of the room as well.
The King sat still on his throne as he waited for the answer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two hours later, the King sat surrounded by each of his most trusted Advisors.
"Repeat what you've told me for all to hear."
Francis stepped forward to address the King and the other Advisors.
"The Priest has conducted the Affinity Test on Crown Prince Emmett 3 times since leaving the King's chambers. Each time has had the same result. The Crown Prince has not received an affinity."
Advisors began to murmur to themselves as they registered the news. The King sat still as they spoke amongst themselves.
Eventually, one of the Advisors stepped forward to speak.
"My King, several Kingdoms have been run by monarchs without an affinity. The Crown Prince is smart and will preserve your legacy. Even without an affinity."
The Advisors all shook their head in affirmation of the words.
"What a foolish thought." The King finally responded. "My legacy may only be preserved by power. We have enemies to the south who attack constantly and Dungeons that require constant vigilance. That is only possible with a strong leader."
The Advisors stopped, waiting for the King to continue speaking.
"No, there is only one way to fix this. First, kill the Priest. No one else must know about this. No doubt he has already told someone else. Make sure they are also discarded."
The Advisors all looked at each other before Francis indicated for another Advisor to leave immediately to complete the orders.
As the Advisor left the chambers, the King continued.
"We all know what must be done. We must retrieve a Dungeon Core. Do we have any in our possession at this time?"
Howard stepped forward.
"No, my King. The last Dungeon Core we had was traded away 15 years ago to reclaim our position in the Southern Isles."
"Yes, I remember. Then what about any of our existing Dungeons?"
"My King, we cannot risk taking a core from any of our own Dungeons. Each of the known Dungeons is currently too close to a settlement of our own. If we take the core, the town will be wiped out, if not other towns as well. Our inhabitants will mostly be killed as we wait to send reinforcements. Even then, thousands will die."
"Yes, I know what would happen. Do not patronize me, Howard! None of you are coming up with ideas, so I must. This is my only male heir! He must have an affinity."
Howard stepped back as another Advisor took his place.
"My King, my informants have mentioned that our neighbour in the south has recently gotten hold of a Dungeon core. If so desired, we might be able to take hold of theirs through a barter."
"HA! Barter for what? The kingdom itself? Territory? Servants? No, we cannot barter with those fools. And we do not currently have the resources to attack them directly."
The King took a moment to consider his thoughts again.
"What about the wastelands? Could we send a team into the wastelands to retrieve one of those cores?"
The Advisor stepped back, dejected, as Howard stepped forward again.
"No, sire, we have been tracking the wastelands, and of the Dungeons we are monitoring, there is at least 2 years remaining until a core will become available. And even then, an expedition into the wastelands would take years. The landscape has been completely overrun by monsters."