The Second Betrayal: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Divine Apostasy Book 2)

by A F Kay

  He put the textbook away. Using one of his six available spell slots, he focused on the symbol for Harden. A moment later, he felt the familiar pressure as a new spell unlocked in his mind. He acknowledged the spell notification and then stared at the ceiling.

  To see if the Harden spell would work on the Spirit inside him, he needed to channel the spell on himself. That seemed dangerous, and he considered taking more time to think of a better solution. But he knew there wasn’t one. He decided to at least try the spell on a finger before focusing on his entire body. That way, if he was wrong, it would only cost his pinky, not his life.

  Picturing the icon for Harden, he focused on his left pinky and willed one Energy per second into the spell. He clenched his teeth in anticipation of the pain, but nothing happened. After a few seconds, he added one more Energy per second. Again, nothing happened, and he relaxed. Just to be sure, he slowly scaled the Energy up to ten per second. Nothing.

  Ruwen stopped channeling Harden. It was time to try it on the Spirit that filled him. He considered standing but decided if something went wrong, he would rather fall from a sitting position.

  Closing his eyes, he let himself sink into the middle of the giant sphere of Spirit inside himself. He pictured the icon for Harden, channeled one Energy to the spell, and focused on the glowing ball around him.

  Nothing happened.

  Slowly he ramped up the Energy to twenty per second. Still nothing. He stopped channeling and thought about what to do next.

  The table in the textbook had specified one hundred Energy per second to have an impact on terium. He had two hundred seventy-three Energy and regenerated more at almost twenty-nine per second. The items he carried in his Void Band consumed around seven Energy a second, leaving him just over twenty-two Energy per second.

  He wanted to see what happened if he channeled one hundred Energy per second. The math said between his pool and Regen, he could manage one hundred per second for just three seconds. At the end of the third second, he would have consumed three hundred Energy and would have thirty-nine Energy left.

  Glancing at his Void Band, he made sure it remained closed. Running out of Energy with the band open would kill him. But if he ran out with it closed, he might die, but more than likely, he would just pass out.

  Regardless, he didn’t want to chance it. He would channel one hundred Energy for a single second to give himself plenty of buffer on Energy. In fact, he concentrated for five seconds on Campfire, and fire appeared in front of him. The extra five percent would only add another one Energy per second, but it never hurt to be safe.

  Taking a few deep breaths, Ruwen closed his eyes and focused inward. Surrounded by his Spirit, he channeled Harden at one Energy per second. Not wanting to waste any more time, he willed one hundred Energy to Harden.

  The glowing sphere of Spirit immediately condensed. Instead of Ruwen feeling surrounded by it, the ball of Spirit now looked to be the size of his head. In his mental picture of himself, the globe of Spirit stayed centered in his chest.

  The vacuum left by the rapidly condensing Spirit pulled at the energy surrounding Ruwen. He forced himself out of his meditative state, not wanting a repeat of what had happened last time.

  Before he could open his eyes, a thunderclap erupted, and Ruwen’s body spasmed as electricity arced through it.

  Ruwen’s Health bar pulsed red, completely empty, and he lost consciousness.

  Chapter 27

  Ruwen’s mind started working again, and fear swamped him. If he opened his eyes to the grey ceiling of the temple, it would mean he had died again. The thought of losing another twelve attribute points was unbearable. What had gone wrong? He had only channeled Harden for a single second. It had all happened so fast.

  But if he remembered doing that, he couldn’t have died. He forced open his eyes.

  Blapy’s head hovered over Ruwen’s face, and he gasped.

  “You know what I hate?” Blapy asked.

  Ruwen’s mind flooded with relief, but most of his thoughts were still confused.

  “Uhh,” was all Ruwen could get out.

  “Rule breakers.”

  Blapy paused and then spoke again. “You know what I hate almost as much?”

  Ruwen didn’t try and talk this time and shook his head. Or tried to. His body didn’t want to obey him either. What had happened? And Blapy seemed angry. He might still die.

  “Stupidity,” Blapy said and then leaned back. “Like not immediately reading the rules when presented with them.”

  Ruwen couldn’t argue with that. He didn’t have the luxury of ignorance anymore. He didn’t trust himself to speak, so he opened his log, setting the verbosity to medium, and studied what had happened.

  You have cast Campfire (Worker Level 1) for 150 Mana.

  You have gained 12 Mana (Base(1), Spells(10), Equipment(1)).

  You have gained 12 Mana (Base(1), Spells(10), Equipment(1)).

  You have channeled Harden (Worker Level 1) for 1 Energy.

  You have gained 1 Energy (Base(3), Spells(14), [Equipment(26)]-[Void Band(6)]).

  You have gained 12 Mana (Base(1), Spells(10), Equipment(1)).

  You have channeled Harden (Worker Level 1) for 100 Energy.

  You have gained 37 Energy (Base(3), Spells(14), [Equipment(26)]-[Void Band(6)]).

  You have gained 12 Mana (Base(1), Spells(10), Equipment(1)).

  You have canceled Harden (Worker Level 1).

  You have gained 37 Energy (Base(3), Spells(14), [Equipment(26)]-[Void Band(6)]).

  You have gained 12 Mana (Base(1), Spells(10), Equipment(1)).

  Violation of Black Pyramid Rule 4.3.1!

  First Offense: True

  Accepted copy of Black Pyramid: Rules, Guidelines, and Procedures: True

  Punishment: Fatal

  You have been struck by lightning!

  You have taken 155 damage.

  You have gained 10 Health (Base(1), Spells(8), Equipment(1)).

  You have gained 37 Energy (Base(3), Spells(14), [Equipment(26)]-[Void Band(6)]).

  You have gained 12 Mana (Base(1), Spells(10), Equipment(1)).

  The lightning had caused one hundred fifty-five damage. The exact amount of Ruwen’s entire Health pool. It had killed him. Setting the verbosity back to low, he closed his log.

  “I should be dead,” Ruwen croaked.

  “I did give you fatal lightning damage.”

  “Then, how…”

  “I’ve seen this before with lightning, and I should probably switch to something like fire or centipedes or something.”

  “What?”

  “Well, lightning can sometimes keep the heart pumping for an extra second or two. If the victim has any Health Regen active, it might tick in time to save them. It looks like that’s what happened. Lucky you.”

  Ruwen sat up and rubbed the back of his head. He knew luck probably had nothing to do with it. Blapy could have vaporized him if she’d wanted. Instead, he had been struck with a barely fatal blow an instant before his Regen activated. He almost thanked her, but then remembered her reaction in the chapel when he’d stated she’d helped him. For some reason, Blapy didn’t want it to even appear that she’d aided him.

  And, to be honest, she might not have. It could have been luck. Ruwen just couldn’t read Blapy very well. Looking at the pig-tailed seven-year-old, it was so hard to remember she was an ancient being with motivations he probably couldn’t comprehend. He decided to just go with the obvious.

  “You killed me,” Ruwen said.

  “Technically, you killed yourself. When you get a copy of the rules, you lose your chance at any warnings.”

  “That would have been great to –” Ruwen stopped. “It says that in the rule book you gave me, doesn’t it.”

  “Yep, along with Rule 4.3.1: Active Harvesting is prohibited on levels one through forty-nine. Forms (Refining, Fortifying, Battle, etc.) are permitted. Battle forms resulting in the harm of anyone other than the Harvester, or Spirit Venti
ng with the intent to harm or harass, is punishable, up to and including death.”

  What were all these different forms the rule referenced? Where they like the Step forms he was learning?

  “First, I missed that rule. Second, I didn’t mean to Harvest.”

  “Rules are important. Your life right now depends on others keeping them. Anytime you have the opportunity to learn the rules, take it. It might save your life.” Blapy waited for Ruwen to nod and then continued. “I have some sympathy for you regarding your second issue. Trial and error are your only friends, I’m afraid.”

  “I know. And being in a meditative state is dangerous to those around me, and now, to me.”

  Blapy stared at him, almost as if she were waiting. Ruwen flashed back to when they’d first entered the dungeon tonight. Hamma had immediately asked for any help available to her. Ruwen didn’t like asking for help. He felt better figuring things out for himself. But he couldn’t deny the wisdom in what Hamma had done and how he’d benefited from it. He wouldn’t have the library quests without her example.

  “Is there anywhere I can safely Harvest if I accidentally trigger it again?” Ruwen asked.

  “Was that really as painful as you made it look?” Blapy asked.

  “Probably not, but change doesn’t come easy to me, and I’ve had a lot of it lately.”

  “A Champion personifies change. Embrace it.”

  Ruwen nodded.

  “You’ve cleaned and meditated here. Is your intent to utilize this room?”

  Ruwen looked around. His room would probably be more comfortable, but this room had been designed for Spirt work, and if it followed the path of the previous rooms, then using this place would probably make it better.

  “Yes,” Ruwen said.

  Ruwen’s vision blurred, and his stomach rose like it wanted to escape his body. When his sight returned, he still sat in the middle of the Divine Circle, but now the design lay in the middle of a grassy island. Large boulders, most taller than Ruwen, were scattered around the glade. Water surrounded them, and a warm breeze carried the taste of salt. White clouds gathered in clumps and moved slowly through the blue sky.

  Twelve equally spaced bamboo walkways extended off the island, each leading to a separate smaller island that contained a single statue in a unique pose. Crystal blue water stretched to the horizon in every direction, and waves struck the island in a calming cadence, almost like a slow heartbeat.

  Blapy stood. “Harvesters usually like the main island for basic Refining. Fortifying has its own islands, one for each Meridian.”

  Blapy strode away. Ruwen quickly stood and followed her, not understanding any of the terms she’d used. All the rocks they passed had doors embedded in the stone, and Ruwen wondered where they led.

  Ruwen reached Blapy, who had stopped by the largest boulder. An arched doorway in the rock led back to the dungeon, and Ruwen could see the central room beyond. Ruwen stared through the door and then out at the vast expanse of water.

  “This place is definitely not in the pyramid,” Ruwen said.

  “Inside, outside, is there really any difference?”

  “Yes.”

  Blapy flicked her wrist, and a thin black piece of cloth, the length and width of Ruwen’s index finger appeared. She held the fabric between her hands and then twisted one side a hundred eighty degrees. Blapy pressed the ends together, and they merged. She handed the twisted circle of cloth to Ruwen.

  “Your beliefs trap you,” Blapy said. “There’s only one side.”

  Ruwen took the cloth ring, recognizing it. Things like this were called infinity rings, and he had studied them in a unit on dimensional math. You could use a finger to trace around the ring, eventually touching both sides of the ring, and return to your starting place without ever lifting your finger. It was an example of a two-dimensional object in three-dimensional space. It had other properties as well, like there was no up or down on the ring’s surface. It had consumed him for a couple of weeks, but it didn’t have any practical applications. You couldn’t twist the world like a piece of fabric. At least, he hadn’t thought you could.

  “Thank you for the reminder,” Ruwen said.

  Blapy nodded and pointed to a slightly smaller rock. It had a regular door embedded in the stone. “All the doors in the glade lead to pocket dimensions. They’re useful for things you wish to hide like forms, or in your case, accidental Harvesting.

  Ruwen walked up to the door. “You mentioned forms before, but I don’t know what you meant.”

  Blapy didn’t answer, and Ruwen turned around to ask again, but Blapy had disappeared. Ruwen sighed, opened the door to the pocket universe, and stepped through.

  Chapter 28

  Ruwen stepped out of the rock and onto the top of a sand dune. A dry breeze moved the hot air around him. Nothing but sand covered every direction he looked. Not wanting to get lost here, he sat down right in front of the rock and the doorway home.

  He removed The Worker’s Guide to Harvesting and set it on his lap. Sitting up straight, he gently pulled on the cover of the book, trying to open it. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and sank into his center.

  No lighting struck him, so he focused on what had changed when he’d used Harden. Instead of being surrounded by the glowing gas, it had shrunk to the size of his head. When he moved his mental hand through it, he felt a tiny amount of resistance. Tendrils of Spirit appeared around him like wisps of smoke, and he wondered if the ball had expanded again. But the Spirit came from above and around him, not from the dense ball. He realized he must be Harvesting the area around him. Blapy had said the pocket dimensions were made for this, so he didn’t worry about causing any harm.

  Instead, he used his mental hands to try and move a portion of the Spirit ball to his actual hands. If this didn’t work, he would have to try using Harden again, to make the ball even denser if possible. But he wanted to avoid that in case something went wrong, and he killed himself. What would happen to him if he died in a pocket dimension? Would he be lost forever? He didn’t want to find out.

  The process took a while, but Ruwen distorted the ball into an oval. Deciding he might be trying to move too much Spirit, he focused on the very edge of the oval and removed just a thread. Using one mental hand to pull while the other pushed, he created a needle, and then a line.

  Eventually, the Spirit reached his left hand, and then, like a cup that had filled, the Spirit spilled out of his hand.

  Ruwen opened his eyes. The book lay open on his lap, and his left hand glowed a bright white. The air around his hand twisted violently, and colored shards appeared and faded like a rainbow snowstorm.

  He closed his eyes again, and with his mental hands, pinched the Spirit thread at the tip of his hand, closing it. Opening his eyes, he confirmed what he already felt. The Spirit had stopped leaking out of his body, and the glowing around his hand had stopped.

  But he had succeeded! After all this, he had finally managed to open the book. With great anticipation, he leaned down to study the first page.

  The top of the page had a drawing of the person cutout in his Inventory, the one that showed what he had equipped on each part of his body. But the picture had been turned like it was being viewed from an angle.

  The bottom of the page had the same figure, but twelve small circles had been placed over different locations of the cutout, and a larger circle sat in the middle of the chest. Each circle had a percentage. Along the edge of the cutout there were words, but the author had smudged them out.

  Ruwen didn’t know what he’d expected, but this wasn’t it. Why draw two different versions of the Inventory cutout? And the first one looked wrong, almost like it was turning…

  He immediately focused on the lower right corner of his vision and opened up his Inventory. A cutout identical to the one in the drawing appeared. His gear appeared on the cutout, the gear’s quality coloring each section appropriately.

  Ruwen’s heart thumped loudly in his
ears, and he held his breath. With a mental finger, he pushed on the side of the Inventory view. It turned, flipping around, and Ruwen discovered a new view.

  What had appeared as smudged or indistinct items on the drawing were clear in this view. The twelve circles were spaced unevenly around the cutout, all read zero percent, and each corresponded to an outlined portion of the cutout.

  A list ran along the side of the cutout.

  Meridian - Location - Level - Progress to Next Level

  Body - Heart - Lead - 0%

  Stone - Right Leg/Foot - Lead - 0%

  Order - Spine - Lead - 0%

  Water - Right Shoulder/Arm/Hand - Lead - 0%

  Light - Head/Neck - Lead - 0%

  Life - Groin/Hips/Abdomen - Lead - 0%

  Mind - Brain - Lead - 0%

  Air - Left Shoulder/Arm/Hand - Lead - 0%

  Chaos - Torso - Lead - 0%

  Fire - Left Leg/Foot - Lead - 0%

  Dark - Organs - Lead - 0%

  Death - Intestines - Lead - 0%

  Ruwen remembered Sift saying his heart had leveled to Jade. This must be what he’d meant.

  Below the cutout, where Ruwen’s Inventory contents would usually be shown, now had a diagram of the Divine Circle. Each circle on the cutout represented a Meridian, and they all read zero percent. This diagram had a sphere in the middle, and it read 0.013 percent. Lines led from the sphere to each smaller circle and back again. Some of the lines were thick, and at least one, to the circle representing his Dark Meridian, looked very thin.

  Ruwen pushed on the view, and it spun around until his Inventory view returned. He closed it and focused back on the book. The next page had a single word, written in large script: Fortifying. Turning the page, he found a list of levels and saw what he already knew: his body was at the weakest level.

  Metal Levels