The Second Betrayal: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Divine Apostasy Book 2)
Page 45
Ruwen patted his pockets and ran a finger around his belt.
“What are you doing?” Hamma asked.
Ruwen finally checked the cloak’s inner pockets. He never used the pockets since his Void Band was an easier and safer place to keep things. His hand touched a cloth-wrapped item.
Carefully he unwrapped the cloth to reveal a sliver of dark rock.
Hamma, Sift, and Lylan all looked down at it.
“What is it?” Hamma asked.
Seeing it confirmed what his Inventory had shown him.
“It’s Portal Chalk,” Ruwen said. “Enough for one set of gate runes.”
“Like what you use when we go to Blapy?” Hamma said excitedly.
Ruwen nodded and strode to the cavern wall. Finding a reasonably flat area, he gently tried to draw the first Gate Rune of the Blood Gate. But the Portal Chalk sank into the wall and didn’t leave a mark at all. Ruwen tried again in a different location with the same result.
“Why doesn’t it work?” Lylan asked.
Ruwen shrugged. “I don’t know. But we need to find somewhere it will.”
“How did you know to bring that?” Sift asked.
Ruwen stared up at the ceiling and tried to sort through his feelings. He thought back to the hug Tremine had given Ruwen when first arriving in the cavern, and how the librarian had adjusted Ruwen’s cloak.
“I didn’t,” Ruwen whispered.
Screams echoed down the tunnel. Human ones. Slib and Juva hadn’t made it very far.
And it meant that they weren’t alone here.
“What do we do?” Sift asked.
“Give me a second to think,” Ruwen said.
Rami? Can you hear me?
Yes. Mom said you would take me to interesting places.
Ruwen’s chest tightened at hearing Rami’s voice.
I’m sorry I brought you here. Ruwen held up the Portal Chalk but then realized the bookwyrm was covered by the cloth wraps. Does the cloth bother you? I can take it off so you can see.
Rami laughed. I don’t need my eyes to see, silly, and I like the dark.
Okay. Do you know where we are?
It appears we’ve entered the Spirit Realm.
Yes. My Portal Chalk doesn’t seem to work. Is there someplace it will?
Let me look.
Rami remained silent for half a minute. We need to go to the Iris.
What is that?
From what I have in my collection, three books mention portals in the Spirit Realm. The only thing they agree on is the place the portals are drawn. The Iris.
Do you know where it is? Ruwen asked, his heart thudding loudly.
South.
Thank you, Rami.
You’re welcome. I’m going to analyze those three books for new patterns. Wake me if you need me.
Ruwen carefully wrapped the Portal Chalk and placed it back in his cloak’s pocket.
More screams came from up the tunnel. Ruwen tensed for the coming fight. Another thought struck him
Fractal, can you hear me?
Yes, dungeon remain.
Ruwen smiled, glad to hear another familiar voice.
Can you help us at all?
Weak. Return offering can Fractal.
Ruwen didn’t know what that meant.
Lylan cursed. “Trouble. Lake side.”
They all turned to see the Naktos Assassin emerge from the water. Before anyone could attack, it stopped and bowed to Ruwen.
“Your command, Dungeon Master?” the assassin asked clearly.
Ruwen understood what Fractal meant now. The Dungeon Keeper had given Ruwen back the Spirit from the dead body Ruwen had provided.
Thank you, Fractal. I promise to repay you a thousandfold. You will become a dungeon even the gods fear.
Yes. Believe Fractal does. Lucky day.
Ruwen pointed at the assassin. “You fight with me.”
The assassin bowed and strode up next to Ruwen.
He looked at his friends. “I know our destination. Let’s go home. ”
Then Ruwen entered the tunnel and strode toward the screams.
The End of Divine Apostasy Book 2
Epilogue
All four of the warriors stood at the same time, their heads nearly touching the wooden ceiling of their tree fortress. Spirits didn’t like to climb, so hiding in the trees was safer.
“North-west of here,” Jagen said.
Una grabbed Jagen’s hand and squeezed it, then looked at her other two companions. “Dungeon or mine?”
Mica rubbed his forehead. “Let’s pray its not the mine.”
“That entire area is dangerous,” Kaylin said.
“But we all felt it,” Una said. “Even Jagen did, and he’s not even Uru’s.”
“Could it be they’ve finally come? I honestly started to believe she lied to us,” Kaylin said.
Mica grabbed Kaylin and hugged her. “Stop that talk. Once hope is gone, there’s nothing left. And I couldn’t survive this without you.”
“We agree that we need to check, though, right?” Una asked.
They all nodded, and Una looked relieved.
“What’s wrong, Jagen?” Una asked.
The large man looked down. “I kind of thought you three were playing a joke on me. Or telling me lies to give me hope. I didn’t think it might actually happen.”
Kaylin looked north-west. “It will happen. She promised me herself. Promised all three of us. We are going home, and our ride just arrived.”
Mica looked at Una and then at Jagen. “You never thought you were going to have to choose, did you?”
Jagen put his arm around Una. “I’ve already chosen.”
Mica nodded. “Good choice. I wonder if Izac will agree?”
The four of them gathered their weapons and climbed down the tree. They knew they needed to hurry. Whatever had made a wave that large when entering the Spirit Realm would attract a lot of attention. None of it good.
Thank you so much for reading this book. I hope my love for this story made it onto the page. If you wish to stay informed about the future books in the Divine Apostasy series please join the newsletter: www.afkauthor.com/subscribe
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Appendix
Item Quality/Inventory Color
Common/White
Uncommon/Brown
Fine/Green
Rare/Yellow
Special/Orange
Epic/Blue
Legendary/Purple
Metals
Bronze
Iron
Steel
Titanium
Obsidian
Terium
Class/Symbol/Color
Worker/Hands/Brown
Mage/Brain/Black
Observer/Eyes/Green
Order/Heart/White
Fighter/Body/Blue
Merchant/Mouth/Red
Fortifying Levels
Metal Levels
Lead
Copper
Silver
Gold
Gem Levels
Jade
Topaz
Sapphire
Diamond
Divine Levels
Angel
Archangel
Demigod
Deity
Meridian - Location
Body - Heart
Stone - Right Leg/Foot
Order - Spine
Water - Right Shoulder/Arm/Hand
Light - Head/Neck
Life - Groin/Hips/Abdomen
Mind - Brain
Air - Left Shoulder/Arm/Hand
Chaos - Torso
Fire - Left Leg/Foot
Dark - Organs
Death - Intestines
Money
Copper
Silver (100 Copper)
Gold (100 Silver)
Platinum (100 Gold)
Terium (100 Platinu
m)
Rank/Level
Novice/1-9
Initiate/10-19
Apprentice/20-29
Journeyman/30-39
Acolyte/40-49
Disciple/50-59
Expert/60-69
Adept/70-84
Master/85-99
Grand Master/100
Level Start/Experience/Level End
1/1000/2
2/3,000/3
3/6,000/4
4/10,000/5
5/15,000/6
6/21,000/7
7/28,000/8
8/36,000/9
9/45,000/10
10/55,000/11
11/66,000/12
12/78,000/13
13/91,000/14
14/105,000/15
15/120,000/16
16/136,000/17
17/153,000/18
18/171,000/19
19/190,000/20
20/210,000/21
.
.
.
97/4,753,000/98
98/4,851,000/99
99/4,950,000/100
100/5,050,000/101
Acknowledgments
First, and most importantly, I want to thank you. Life places insane demands on your time, and I’m so thankful that you chose to spend some of it with this story. Truly and sincerely, thank you.
To follow my dreams, others made sacrifices, and my family bore the brunt of them. Megan, Zachary, and Nicole each of you has a busy life, but you always helped me when I needed it. I am so lucky to be your dad, and I love you more than I can express.
Erika, your belief in my dreams, coupled with your sacrifices so I can reach them, is just one of the reasons I love you so much. (Chop! Chop!).
Jason, I can always rely on you to ask the questions that go to the heart of an issue. I am blessed to have you as a friend.
Kellye, Lisa, Oz, Coral, and Samantha, you are all incredible authors. Our critique group is one of the highlights of my author journey and remains one of the best decisions I’ve made. Thank you for your help every month. You have all made me a better writer.
Isaac, your enthusiasm and insightful comments made this project better. Thank you so much for your help (and for liking my book cover more than your mom’s!).
Those who follow or support me on Patreon are special people to me. They represent the super fans of this story, and act as a secret weapon against the inevitable doubt that every author encounters. Their support has made a true and significant impact on my life and writing. Thank you all so much.
Mom, your example of working hard, taking care of family, and strength is the foundation I have built my life on. Truly I am blessed to have you as my mom.
Special Thanks
Special thanks to Mage, who, from the beginning, has been an ardent supporter of this series. It is readers like Mage that make the hard work of writing easier. Thanks again, Mage. Your support has made a real difference.
Author’s Note
It has been six months since Shade’s First Rule entered the cold world. The response has been an author’s dream. This series has resonated with others and it makes me so happy that these characters will continue to have a voice. Thank you for supporting the series.
Four years ago, I signed with a literary agent, and I thought my dreams had come true. Instead, I learned new ways to hate my writing and smother my creativity. Calling those years a mistake would be untrue, but they clearly halted my progress as an author. Last year, we parted ways, and this series is the result. A work of pure love. As much happiness as this series brings me, it makes me sad that it took so long to be born. I can hear Kysandra in my head right now, Shade’s First Rule: dreams should be chased, never caught.
In a sense, I feel like I’ve finally Ascended, crawling my way out of Hamma’s temple vat. I’ve taken a hit to my stats, but I’ve been given a second chance. I hope you like what I’ve done with it. This story is epic, but it’s only worth telling if others join me on the journey.
Sincerely and truly, I appreciate you taking the time to read this story.
Shade’s First Rule: move fast alone, travel far together.
Let’s go far.