Scourge of Souls: The Realms Book Four: (An Epic LitRPG Series)

by C. M. Carney

  The goddess returned her attention to the sounds of battle and Gryph eased the weapon from his apron. You have a shot, take it, he thought, but something held his hand. It wasn’t fear that caused his hesitation, but awe. Ferrancia was a goddess, with power, clout, respect. Under the right influence she could be a force for change on Korynn, in all the Realms.

  Perhaps Sean shouldn't have fixed the weapon. I could have lured the High God into a trap, used it to kill him.

  How do you know it would have worked on him? the voice of the Colonel said inside him. The High God is no player, not really. What happens if you tried and failed? Stick to the mission and stop wishing things were different.

  Gryph scowled, knowing the phantom voice of his father was right. He would free Brynn, send her home and then fight this war on his terms. Gryph raised the weapon.

  A flash of light exploded in the room, followed by a boom of thunder. Gryph dropped the poker and shielded his eyes. A moment later they cleared and standing before them both was a man clad in shining plate mail of gold and platinum.

  The High God Aluran, Arche of the Pantheon, Prime Mover of the Realms, Father to All, had arrived.

  The High God rushed to Ferrancia and took her face in both hands. “Are you alright, daughter?”

  “I am fine father,” Ferrancia said, flinching slightly at his touch. Aluran gazed down on her with a look of adoration, like an aggrieved father desperate to repair his relationship.

  Gryph’s eyes widened. He truly does care for her. Why? The High God’s eyes snapped to Gryph, and for a moment he feared the High God had heard his thoughts.

  Don’t be a fool, the Colonel berated. Your Godhead resists all passive scrying. You know this. He would have to focus all his efforts on reading you, and still might fail.

  The sounds of the battle beyond the door came to a sudden end. The High God turned his gaze to the door and then back to Gryph.

  “Keep her safe and I will reward you,” the High God said.

  “I am a goddess father, I do not need a servant to protect me.”

  “I will protect her at the cost of my life,” Gryph said, purposely not using the honorific protocol demanded. If the High God noticed he said nothing. Without another word Aluran turned from them and raised his hand. The doors exploded outward and the High God zipped forward. A moment later the doors reformed, leaving Gryph and Ferrancia alone.

  “Who are these people?” Ferrancia asked and turned to Gryph. “What do they want?” Her eyes went wide as she saw the length of wood in Gryph’s hands. Her eyes snapped up, and she moved swift as the wind towards him.

  Gryph fired just as her sword blade pierced his side. The air shimmered as a beam of distorted energy pulsed into Ferrancia. She seized instantly, her slight spastic motions pushing her blade further into Gryph’s side.

  He grunted in pain, refusing to shout out in case Aluran heard him over the sounds of battle in the hallway. Ferrancia’s eyes rolled back into her head and she lost her grip on her sword. She slumped to the ground and Gryph caught her, grunting with the effort. He eased her to the floor, placing a pillow from a nearby sofa under her head.

  Satisfied she was okay, Gryph pulled her blade from his side, grimacing and biting his lip to dull the agony. Had she been any quicker her strike would have killed him. One shot is right, he thought wryly and cast Minor Healing on himself. He watched his red health bar stabilize and knew he was out of immediate danger.

  A sudden cough brought his full attention back to her, and he saw her eyes open. Fear and confusion battled within her and Gryph knelt by her side. “Brynn, it’s me, it's Finn.” He said, cradling her head as she sat up.

  “Finn? What …?” Then her eyes rolled back in her head and her mouth fell open.

  For a moment Gryph feared the weapon had malfunctioned, somehow done damage to her instead of freeing her, but then she leaned forward again, and her breathing eased. "I remember,” she said and opened her eyes, reaching a hand to his face. “Finn? You look different.”

  His laugh was joyous with relief and he nodded. “Yeah, this isn’t my normal…” His gut seized, and he started choking. Brynn grabbed him, concern widening her eyes. He held a hand out telling her it was okay, then hacked and spat up the Mimic Stone. A second later he morphed back into Gryph.

  “Finn,” she said bringing her hands to his face. “Is it really you?" He smiled and nodded, and she hugged him to her. "You found me.” He helped her to her feet, grunting in pain. Her eyes went to his side. “I did this.” She laid healing hands upon him and soon his wound knit up and his health refilled.

  He grinned. “Yup, you’re pretty handy with that sword. The Colonel would be proud.”

  A laugh escaped her, and she held her hand to her mouth in shock. “Yes, yes he would.” She looked him up and down, her eyes brimming with tears and a joyous smile lighting up her face.

  She reached up and caressed his cheek. “You’re my gryphon." Her eyes grew misty. "You’ve always been my gryphon.” She looked down and Gryph followed her gaze to the weapon still clutched in a death grip. “Sean did it.”

  “Yes, he’s quite something that boy of yours.”

  Brynn sneered at him in the manner only a younger sister can manage. “Be nice. He cares for me as much as you do.”

  “He's a good man," Gryph said with a nod. "However, I have a duty to scare the crap out of him before giving him my blessing."

  “Always the big brother,” Brynn said with a chuckle.

  “We don’t have much time,” Gryph said. “Aluran will be back any minute. We need to leave.”

  She pulled away from him. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

  “What do you mean you can't?” Gryph asked, stunned. “You asked me to come save you. I have. Now we have to go.”

  “I never asked you to save me Finn.” Her eyes were strong and stubborn, bearing a look Finn had seen hundreds of times. A look that said heaven and earth would move before she did. “I asked you to find me, to free me.” She touched his face again. “And you have. But my mission is here.”

  “What mission?” Gryph asked, fear tearing at his gut.

  “We have to stop Aluran, or the Realms, and maybe even Earth, is doomed.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I know, and I wish we had the time for me to explain. I wish we had the time for a lot of things. But, we don’t.” She touched his face again. “I’m not here by accident Finn. I’m a plant, a sleeper inside the Pantheon. And you awakened me.” She reached down and put her hand around the weapon. His grip eased and he let her take it from him.

  She took a step back and her gaze moved to the door. “He’s coming back. We’re almost out of time.” Tears filled her eyes. “Do you have a safe respawn point?”

  “Yes, of course. Why?”

  “I’m giving you a mission big brother. When you respawn, build up a power base, grow strong, learn about the Prime Godhead and build us an army.”

  “Who is us?”

  A crackling boom filled the hallway. Aluran had returned.

  “Welcome to the Resistance big brother.” She raised the weapon. “I love you, and I’m sorry.”

  The doors burst apart and the High God stepped through the smoke. His eyes snapped from Gryph to Ferrancia and he held out a desperate hand. “Daughter, no.”

  A seething beam of blue-white light exploded from the tip of the weapon and Gryph knew immediately that this time was different. She is using the weapon to channel her attack. Pain engulfed him and he fell to the ground, screaming in agony as her attack burned him from the inside out, charred by the power of a goddess.

  “Daughter, what have you done?” the High God roared and rushed to Gryph’s side. He cast a healing spell, but the damage was too great. For every point of health the High God’s spell healed, Ferrancia’s attack stole five. The rogue godling would be dead in moments, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

  “He said it was a weapon that could kill a god,�
� Ferrancia said in a tearful voice. She tore her eyes from Gryph as Aluran stood and extended his hand. “A weapon that could kill you.”

  “Give it to me, daughter.”

  Ferrancia looked down and with one swift motion snapped the wand in half.

  The last thing Gryph heard as his life left him was his sister’s voice. “I’m sorry father, it is too dangerous.”

  Gryph’s eyes closed and the Realms went dark.

  Epilogue

  Sometime later the darkness turned to light and Gryph woke with a start. He surged into a sitting position and expelled a huge breath. “Ahhhhggg!” he screamed and then hands were on him.

  He looked around to see he was in the Nexus of Dar Thoriim, surrounded by Grimliir and the members of his Adventure Group.

  “Oh, thank baby Jesus,” Lex said. “You’re back. I thought for sure that asshole Aluran had you. How’d you escape?”

  “That’s a long story,” Gryph said, but before he could continue his respawn debuffs hit him like a train.

  You have Died and Respawned.

  You now suffer from the following death debuffs.

  All Attributes reduced by 25% for the next two hours.

  “Dammit, I feel like hell.” He eased himself off the stone slab and stood.

  “You’re gonna feel a whole lot worse if you don’t start yappin’,” Lex said. “What the hell happened?”

  Over the next few minutes Gryph told them about his trickery, the success of his mission and Brynn’s refusal to come with him.

  “Sounds like yer baby sister is as tough and stubborn as ye,” Grimliir said appreciatively.

  “She’s more, much more,” Sean said, his tone both relieved and angry. He glared at Gryph. “I’m pretty pissed at you.”

  “We all are,” Ovrym agreed.

  “I’m so fuming mad, I might cry,” Lex said fiercely, and threw his tense arms around like an angry child.

  “Just let it out little fella,” Vonn said.

  Lex scowled at the rogue and then turned back to Gryph. “So, I don’t get it. This was her plan the whole time? Get you into the Realms, so you could give her memories back and make her a mole inside Aluran’s happy little gang of gods.”

  “Apparently so,” Gryph said.

  “So, that begs the question,” Ovrym said. “Who is she a mole for?”

  Gryph’s eyes went wide, and he looked at his friends, his companions.

  “My guess is the same person who wants Gryph tae build an army,” Grimliir said.

  “But who the hell is that?” Lex roared.

  Nobody said a word for several seconds.

  “We’ll find out sooner than later I suspect,” Gryph said. “For now, we have work to do.”

  *****

  Deep in a dark cavern beneath the city of Avernia lay an altar engraved with a scattering of ancient runes. A thick layer of dust covered the stone, suggesting nobody had set foot in the small temple in years. That was about to change.

  A swirling light appeared above the slab of the stone altar and a moment later a body coalesced from the aether. The man inhaled deeply, blinked his eyes open and sat up. He cocked his head to the side and swung his feet to the floor, looking around the temple.

  The swirling light of his respawn faded, leaving the man alone in the dark. He summoned blue-white mana to his hands and stood examining his surroundings. A low gurgle of water drew his attention to a ceremonial basin filled with clear water. He looked down on it and saw the reflection of a pale man with eyes of solid blue staring back. He blinked and brought a hand to his face.

  "I am called Bishop," he remembered. “Intriguing.”

  *****

  The High God strode through the maze-like corridors of the Pit, fury radiating from him like sweat from an athlete. A dim, yet harsh, light emanated from the walls, seeming to both illuminate and obscure the living shadows that were the only guards in the once inescapable prison.

  Seething hisses rose from just beyond the edge of normal hearing and tendrils of hungry shadow eased from the walls as the god passed. With the barest twinge of his will, Aluran’s armor flared to brightness, scattering the shadow wraiths into crevices and holes with an ear-wrenching squeal. The High God paid them no heed as he arrived at a blank wall marked by a simple circle of mithril.

  Aluran raised a hand and pressed his palm against the cool stone at the circle's center. Trails of light expanded from beneath his hand, bending up and out like the byways of a maze. One by one the trails reached the mithril and a deep thung of metal bolts retracting echoed down the hall. The door parted in four jagged pieces revealing a small, dark cell that smelled of bile, sweat and bodily waste.

  Light flared into the room, startling the woman who hung by chains manacled to her wrists. She was elderly and the strain of imprisonment had been unkind. She blinked through squinting eyes, willing them to adjust to the harsh light.

  “You didn’t believe you could escape me, did you, Milly?” Aluran asked the woman, who had, until today, been the caretaker of the Crag.

  The woman opened her mouth to speak, but a coughing fit wracked her body, each spasm putting more strain on her manacled wrists, making it more difficult to breathe. It was a vicious circle of pain and slow suffocation. Finally, she regained enough composure to speak.

  “Getting old sucks, let no one tell you otherwise.”

  Aluran’s eyes grew tight in suspicion. Who was this woman who had dared conspire to kill him and his daughter? Who was this woman who could bear up under his gaze and stare him right back in the eyes? “You’re not afraid of me. Why?”

  “Because I know you Bechard, and you’re not near as smart as you think. I told you once, a long time ago, that I would stop you. This …” she looked around the cramped environs of her cell …” is the beginning of me keeping that promise.”

  The High God’s eyes widened and for a brief moment fear welled inside them. “You! But you’re dead.”

  “The Realms is a wonderful place old friend. Full of unexpected surprises. But I am afraid it is time for me to go.” She twisted her head to the side and bit down hard on a tooth. A sharp crack filled the room and a trickle of viscous black liquid dripped from her mouth. A sizzle rose and then small holes ate their way through her cheeks.

  Aluran grabbed the woman by the chin and forced her mouth open. His suspicions proved correct as his Identify talent triggered revealing that the liquid was the deadly venom known as The Bane of Life. “You fool, I’ve already altered your respawn point. You’ll just end up back here.”

  The woman coughed as her lips and teeth dissolved under the furious acidic properties of the poison. “That was always your problem Alistair. You always thought you were the smartest guy in the room.” The servant laughed through the pain and then spoke her final words. “You’ll see me again, on my terms.”

  The woman slumped over as the poison continued to eat away at her body, filling the room with a foul stench. A chill rushed through Aluran’s body and he shook uncontrollably.

  Throughout the Pit the shadow wraiths keened in ecstasy as their world grew flush with their favorite form of sustenance, fear. Nothing tasted better than the fear of a god.

  The End of Scourge of Souls.

  Book Four of the Realms.

  The Realms continues with

  The Forsaken God

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  The

  Forsaken

  God

  Book Five of the Realms

  by

  C.M. Carney

  The Day of the Ruin.
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  The blades of grass stood tall and rigid resisting the chill winds humming down from the mountains to the North. High above, a lone eagle spotted prey among the vast sea of swaying fronds. Its eyes widened, and it dove, twisting to adjust its approach. Below a hapless rabbit chewed, unaware that death was coming with bared claws.

  The rabbit's eyes widened, triggered by some primal instinct and it ceased its rapid chewing, searching back and forth. A low hum rose at the edge of hearing and the rabbit ran, pushing through the fronds. A rush of wind blasted the rabbit’s fur back, and it squealed in fear. In the air above the eagle screeched in alarm and wheeled away as a pinprick of blinding white light appeared a few feet above the ground, near the spot it intended to snatch its prey.

  The pinprick flared and expanded, driving the air ahead of it to hurricane force. A circular portal opened, and a man clad in white and silver robes stepped through. As soon as he was clear, the portal snapped shut. He looked around as if searching for others and smoothed the creases in his robes.

  The rabbit ran full bore in the opposite direction as the gale ruffled its fur and lifted it from the ground, a squeal of fear pushing past its incisors. A moment later it landed on all fours, its small brain beginning to hope it was safe, when the ground ahead of it pushed upwards into a bubble of raging magma. The long-eared animal chirped in fear and turned just as the bubble burst spewing blobs of molten rock in a wide fan, igniting the grass and scalding the air.

  A woman crouched at the center of the maelstrom, showing no ill effects from the heat or the sulphuric gas carried away by the breeze. Blobs of magma incinerated the grass, dotting the plain with conflagrations. The woman rose and looked around, her crimson eyes flaring beneath a pair of curved horns. In her left hand, she clenched a long-bladed spear crafted from ever-shifting liquid metal. With a backhand wave of her right hand, she extinguished the flames ignited by her arrival.

  Fear drove the rabbit to the left, but it found no solace there either. The air rippled and folded as if the organizing principles of reality were disrupted. The fleet-footed animal skidded to a halt as the fold spat out another figure.