Heavy (The Weight Of It All): A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure

by J. J. Thorn

  "Then WHAT Howard. The Prince is 16 now! If he received an affinity any later than this year, everyone will know what happened. We must not show any weakness to our enemies. No, there must be a solution, and each of you is simply not thinking hard enough!"

  Another Advisor who had not spoken stepped forward. His hair was black and his features were pointed.

  "There might be one way that has not yet been addressed."

  "Howard, who is this Advisor, I have never seen him before."

  "Yes, my liege. This is Clyde. He joined recently and has provided invaluable information ever since. I stand behind his word."

  "Ok Clyde, those are strong words. Do not let Howard down. What is this alternative."

  "Yes, my King. My network tells of a new Dungeon discovered on the border of your Kingdom and the wastelands. In between your Kingdom and the Kingdom to the south. The Dungeon is located in uncontested territory. No Kingdom has claimed this land because nothing was previously there. My information mentions that the Dungeon is likely Rank B, more than capable of producing a core worthy of your Son."

  "Howard, does Clyde speak the truth? Is there uncontested land between my Kingdom and the wastelands?

  Howard looked at Clyde as he stepped forward.

  "I would need to look at the information to be sure, but I believe his words."

  "Ok, then this seems promising." The King began to smile as he considered Clyde's words.

  "Do we know anything additional about the Dungeon? If we are going to these lengths, I would wish for a strong affinity, at least."

  "Yes, my King. The monsters within are all based on sand. The Dungeon manifested itself as a desert."

  "Hmm, yes. A more specialized form of EARTH would be a good affinity for Emmett. You've convinced me, make it so."

  "There is one thing, my King, that you should be made aware of."

  "What is it Clyde, you have already made your opinions known. You should know when to stop, as you have already convinced me."

  "Yes King, but this must be brought to your attention as well. The Dungeon IS located in uncontested territory, but it has shown up beside a fairly large town. Any survivors that were previously in the wastelands have now taken refuge in this location. The population has swelled as they needed to leave their previous homes. They are calling it Newtown for now, in honour of their discarded past."

  The Advisor stepped back, finished with their statement.

  "You have confirmed that they are not within my Kingdom."

  Clyde nodded as he stood in the line of Advisors.

  "Ok, then they are not my responsibility to protect. We will move forward with this plan. They have started a new life once before, and are capable of doing so again. We will attempt to find a Dungeon core among our trading partners in the Kingdom. If we are not able to find something as promising as the SAND affinity core, then we proceed on this new Dungeon.

  And Howard, I will not have this fail. We will send our best Dungeon Divers to retrieve the core. Do not let anything stand in our way."

  "Of course, your highness."

  "Perfect, we move forward on the retrieval of a core for the Crown Prince."

  Francis stepped forward quickly.

  "My King, I must caution you. You are valuing your Son's affinity over the lives of thousands of people. Should we not consider another option?"

  "Francis, I have tried thinking of other options. You all, my Advisors, had none.

  Should there be any survivors in Newtown after the Dungeon collapse, they will be able to pledge their loyalty to the Prost Kingdom afterwards. I will offer them this courtesy.

  Otherwise, Yes Francis, I value the future of my Kingdom over the lives of people who are not within it.

  Now, you have your orders.

  You are dismissed!"

  Chapter 1

  The Weight Of It All

  He stalks towards me with a level of confidence only seen in some high-ranking Dungeoneers. His level of swagger is only accentuated by the fact that this party is another way to celebrate his latest achievement, getting first place at the Prep School's first-year tournament.

  First, he determined that he would defy the odds by gaining an affinity, which less than half of all people in the world get. Then, by the grace of the Goddess, he was granted a rare affinity!

  ICE.

  If I didn't know better, I would think the Goddess was making a joke about his ability to be cold-hearted and defy any warmth that could be exuded by him and his ilk.

  Sadly, I did know better.

  He has proven that he is a master of trickery on top of his affinity for ICE. He has shown everyone else in town a level of respect and grace that would have made the high Priest himself praise.

  A prodigy within our family and discussed throughout the town of Huag as the person who will put our little town on the map for Dungeon divers everywhere.

  Everyone knows ICE, and all of the elemental affinities, are both sought after and powerful.

  And for all I, or anyone else knows, he might have gotten the affinity because he threw a snowball when he was 12.

  My perpetual tormentor, my mortal enemy, my cousin, John.

  "Hey Terrence, Elise" said John as he arrived at my family's table. At this point, my mother and father were in a heated discussion with my Uncle Tom about an upcoming Dungeon dive in the north. If I knew my parents, they were likely trying to talk him out of it, yet again.

  Who knows, maybe he won't go this time… I'm kidding, of course. We all know he's going on the Dungeon dive.

  "Hey John" Elise answered, before elbowing me in the side.

  "Hey" I responded as well, rubbing my now bruised rib.

  "Can you believe the amount of effort my mother has put into this party! You would think that I cleared a rank B Dungeon and came back with its core with the number of people she invited" he said and sat down at the table to the right of me in my mother's chair. "Did you both see my win over Mr. Lamppost in the finals?"

  "Yes, you were amazing John! I was so worried for you because Lance had used his light to blind all of his opponents before you. B-But then you...I would never have thought that you would create a small patch of ice on the ground that would cause him to trip and fall! I can't BELIEVE he fell for that" Elise was a huge fan of our cousin. She was too young for her to have seen John's constant abuse when we were younger. His ICE affinity had been the topic of many dinner conversations and gaining an affinity of her own was all Elise could think about.

  "Well, yes, it was simple really. Once he tripped, his light could no longer be used to blind me, and it was a trivial matter to finish the match."

  "When I grow up, I hope to get something cool like your ICE powers" Elise beamed as she went into her own world. She spent a lot of time thinking about affinities, despite only being 13. She knew she was still years away from her own test, and even then, the odds she would get one were incredibly low.

  "Well Elise, I think we should worry about your brother here first. So, Terrence, what affinity do you think you'll be able to get? I haven't heard of an eating affinity yet, but I bet the Goddess will smile down on you and grant you this most awesome power! I can see it now, Terrence "The Eater", he who commands his AWESOME power of eating to chew on the Dungeon inhabitants until they submit." John then erupted into a fit of laughter. Occasionally he would look up to see how I would react.

  At this point, I had dealt with John's torment for years, so I didn't rise to his bait. This was a family party after all, despite his best efforts to make me mad.

  "I don't know John, no one does. I will continue to try my hardest and hope that the Goddess chooses to grant me an affinity"

  "Oh, you're no fun, Terrence. I'm just kidding of course. I see you've started to lose some weight and I'm so proud of you! I remember spending all our time together as kids playing tag. You were always so slow, but we always made sure to involve you in our fun. You see, I've been trying to help you lose weight for y
ears, you're only just catching up to the rest of us now."

  Damn, and here I thought being chased around the town with sticks was something all cousins did to bond.

  "I guess we both had the same goal all along."

  "Yes, Terrence, I guess we did," John said as he plastered on his biggest smile.

  "Well, I'll be getting back to the rest of the party now. I AM the star of the show after all. Good luck little cousin in this year's affinity selection. Remember, most don't receive any affinity at all - so if you get nothing you can always continue the noble profession of counting coin like your mother. With the amount I plan to go diving, I will need a master counter of my own! I'll make sure to keep you in mind for the job."

  With that, John walked back into the crowd of people. It took a few more minutes but Elise finally came back from her own world of wonder. When she did, her first words were reminiscent of someone who only hears what they want to hear: "Do you think the Goddess would really give an EATER affinity? I bet you could become the best chef in the world with something like that!"

  Ya, Elise, I bet you could.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  The rest of the party went on without a hitch. Our parents finally came back to the table and I was even able to enjoy the company of a couple of others at the party.

  Everyone took the opportunity to wish me luck in the upcoming ceremony, but that was a formality at this type of event.

  My parents weren't nobles, nor were they wealthy, but my mother had a natural magnetism that caused others to like her. As a result, she kept busy enough in her bookkeeping services. As it turns out, both Dungeon divers and regular people need someone to manage their money. Even though Dungeon divers bring in more money, I have never seen her turn down anyone.

  I once asked her why. She said: "If I turned down others like myself, what example would I be giving you and your sister? Dungeon divers make the most money, and they might even protect us from monsters, but it's the janitor and hairdresser down the street that keep our town running while Dungeoneers get to galivant."

  My father was once one of these galivant-ers. Given the affinity of METAL at age 16, he went on to Dungeon dive for several years before meeting my mother.

  As she tells it, he couldn't resist her charms and amazing intelligence.

  As he tells it... well, he doesn't really. He constantly tells us that it is not a time he looks back on fondly. He doesn't speak of any amazing adventures or monster killing or Dungeon diving at all. To us, his family, we are made to believe it was a part of his life that never really happened.

  He'll talk about his affinity to METAL, the amazing gift he has been bestowed by the Goddess, but he refuses to discuss his time as a Dungeoneer.

  When it is brought up, you can always see a level of regret and sadness in his eyes.

  Instead, he now works as a blacksmith in our town. His affinity Skills were not originally for smithing, but as is taught to us, affinities are those to make our own. After spending a few years as an apprentice, he was able to reach Rank 4. This threshold gave him the ability to create armor that could rival any blacksmith who had spent their life in the craft.

  In the town, my parents are well-liked and do well for themselves. The bookkeeper with no affinity and the blacksmith with the METAL affinity. Both keep remarkably busy and have built a life they could only have dreamt of.

  This made them happy. To me, this was dull.

  When I dream of the future, I see myself battling a troll in the mountains while my comrades fire spells from behind. I see large caverns filled with gold and jewels being guarded by monsters. I see adventure.

  Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be a Dungeon diver.

  My father would not talk about it, but there was no way for him to hide the gear he used from his Dungeon diving days.

  Once when I was younger, I tried to lift his sword and fell flat on my face. At that moment I realized I would never meet any of my goals if I couldn't even pick up a sword...

  At 14 I was finally able to convince my Dad to make weights for me to increase my own strength. Crude metal pieces that I would use consistently to lose weight and gain the strength that would be so necessary for me to reach my goals.

  I would spend hours in front of our home using those weights.

  When my parents started letting me work out, I finally gained freedom and a level of self-confidence I had never seen before.

  Growing up I was always made fun of for my weight. My cousin was the worst, his friends only making it worse, but the town guards and their constant teasing also struck a chord.

  My mistake was telling them about my ambitions. My second mistake was walking around the town with weights in my hands. The amount of abuse shifted as I lost weight, but it never went away.

  Now, at 16, I have another obstacle in my way. One that every 16-year-old needs to pass before they are considered an adult.

  Many call it "The Testing", or "The Rite of Passage", but it is formally known as "The Affinity Test".

  Chapter 2

  The Town of Huag

  Running through the town of Huag is an interesting experience. The houses along the road are beautifully paved in colourful brick, while the markets always have the most beautiful arrangement of fruits and vegetables. Huag was a prosperous town with multiple guilds that made the town wealthy enough to prosper. On occasion, you could also expect to see some monster parts or weapons, but those were generally sold in stores, not on the street.

  The Dungeoneers guild held the second most prominent position in the town square, next only to the Town Hall itself, with an assortment of lesser buildings scattered across the town. The Guildhall saw an assortment of men and women, of all varying ages, coming in to check on what types of adventures they could apply to for the week. Next to the guild was the Traveler's Bar, where my father told me the majority of Dungeoneers would spend their hard-earned money after returning from their latest trip. He would also frequent the bar with some of the other labourers in the town from time to time, coming back plastered beyond belief. My mom, the people magnet, would use these opportunities to show us how a magnet can both attract and repel when the setting called for it.

  Continuing my run, the brick and cobblestone makes it difficult to navigate quickly, and the inconsistent crowds mean you sometimes step on a toe or run into an old friend near the main square.

  This wasn't an overstatement, as Ms. Francis walked out of the bar and decided I was worth having a conversation with.

  Ms. Francis was a friend of my father's who worked in the clothing shop opposite his Smithy. Ms. Francis had immigrated here from another part of Terna, the continent that Huag was on, when I was younger. Despite being from another part of Terna, she had always shown me a level of kindness that I appreciated.

  "Who av' we here" she exclaimed in her slightly broken accent. "You're sweatin' a bit there boy". Stating the obvious this morning, I see, Ms. Francis.

  "Hi Ms. Francis, you caught me while I was getting in my morning run.”

  "Yes, I see you've been working mighty hard lately. Is it to get ready for the assessment coming up? Isn't yours coming up soon?"

  We began walking towards the south gate of the city together.

  "Yes, it's today in fact. Everyone in my year's last day at school was yesterday, and we are all scheduled to take the assessment today. It's done alphabetically, so my time is later in the afternoon."

  "Aye, it's a big day in a young man's life. The Goddess did not bestow any of my family with any o' the gifts, but with your Dad and his power I bet you'll be getting something mighty fierce. I once saw your Dad lift two grown men, one in each arm after they wouldn't stop fighting at the bar"

  "Yes, my Dad has always been really strong. My Mom makes a joke that if he ever wants to move somewhere else, he'll have to carry the house with him because she loves it too much."

  "Hahaha, yes, Shiela loves that hom
e of hers."

  While giggling to ourselves about my parent's antics, we reached the south gate.

  "Well, this is where I leave you Ms. Francis. Enjoy the rest of your day."

  "You too Boy-o, make sure to come tell me what affinity the Goddess decides to give you."

  "I will, Bye!"

  With that, I started running out of Huag towards home. My parents appreciated the freedom that being outside of the city brought. Despite being outside the city, we were still only about 15 minutes away jogging. The closer you are to civilization, the less you have to worry about with Monsters who might come out of nearby forests or grasslands after all.

  My assessment is scheduled for around 2 in the afternoon, so I still have some time to get home and use some of the weights before lunchtime.

  While running, I considered Ms. Francis' final words. Every person had the chance to receive a blessing from the Goddess, but most still didn't. My odds are slightly higher because my father has an affinity, but there are cases of people who receive nothing, despite having two parents with gifts.

  And if you are fortunate enough to receive an affinity, some are regarded as higher grade than the rest. Elemental affinities were viewed as the easiest to progress, and those with the most versatility.

  Someone with an affinity to FIRE can attempt to be the greatest fire mage that ever lived, or the greatest cook that worked with rare materials in the Kingdom. Both of these people will need to work very hard to reach that point, but they are given that chance. Their opportunities in life were basically set, as long as they took things slowly and worked hard to progress their skills and Skills.

  Someone with an affinity to CLOTH, on the other hand, is likely destined to become a seamstress or designer. Nothing, of course, is set in stone but for some people, you can just tell.