by TJ Reynolds
THE RUINED TEMPLE
©2020 TJ REYNOLDS
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ALSO IN SERIES
THE SHATTERED SWORD
THE RUINED TEMPLE
Contents
I. Trouble with Iron
1: “Many consider food and good company a proper gift. Weapons, especially sharp ones, are my preference.”
2: “Like water to a wick, adventure comes to those who have chosen to stand against evil.”
3: “In the far reaches of the world, under a lost and lonely hill, lies The Tomb of Horrors.”
4: “Often, it is the same wounds that wake us at night that shape our hearts and bolster our spines.”
5: “Much have I traveled in the realms of gold, and many goodly states and kingdoms seen.”
6: “Gold is fine, no doubt. But trinkets of the heart are what we remember most.”
7: “Nothing will make you feel stronger than holding an axe… except maybe two axes, of course.”
II. Trail of Salt
1: “There will be water if God wills it.”
2: “If you leave your home behind, there is no promise, and certainly no guarantee it’ll be the same when you return.”
3: “You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire.”
4: “Madness, as you know, is like gravity, all it takes is a little push.”
5: “For my handling of the situation at Tombstone, I have no regrets.”
III. A War on Two Fronts
1: “I’m not proud, but I am happy; and happiness blinds, I think, more than pride does.”
2: “What good are wings if you lack the wings to use them?”
3: “Two days’ hunger made a fine sauce for anything.”
4: “They say necessity is the mother of invention. They’re wrong. Desperation is.”
5: “But then a sight she'd never seen made her jump and say, ‘Look, a golden winged ship is passing my way.’”
6: “Battle is a mirror. What you see of yourself in its pristine surface is often more frightening than the bloody bits.”
7: “But it is one thing to read about dragons and another to meet them.”
8: “Not if we hold true to each other.”
9: “Destruction cowers to mark what deeds are done.”
10: “Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light.”
IV. What is Yours
1: “Nothing like the dire peals of a battle horn to stir the blood to action.”
2: “A leader is no more than the sum of her followers.”
3: “Defense is the best defense. Everyone knows that.”
4: “And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from afar ancestral voices prophesying war!”
5: “War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”
6: “History is a cyclic poem written by time.”
7: “What is there so fearful as the expectation of evil tidings delayed?”
8: “But because they are shackled, they are unable to turn their heads.”
9: “It is best to open your eyes and see the storm coming… but oh how tempting it is to squint.”
*Quest Complete!*
ALSO IN SERIES
APPENDIX
Groups you can find TJ on
LitRPG
Part I
Trouble with Iron
Relevant Progress of Hana Kotoba
Status: Chilling at checkpoint. Lucky to be alive.
Class: God Slayer, Bane of Bears, still not a Pathfinder.
Items: A dump truck full of body parts, expensive ones.
To Do: Quest giver? Has anybody seen the quest giver?
1: “Many consider food and good company a proper gift. Weapons, especially sharp ones, are my preference.”
— Sara Dandre
HANA
The town of Benham churned like a barrel of beetles, everyone vying for a better view of Tumsley. The strange man was not particularly popular in town, gruff and outlandish as he was. Yet after he had applied so much of his time and knowledge in the harvesting of the great bear, the townsfolk had begun to view him in an entirely new light.
“A bit to the left,” Garren called from below. “Yep! That’s it, that’s perfect.”
Tumsley was adjusting the tilt of a massive, freshly bleached skull above the yawning entrance of the town hall. He made one more adjustment, then he lifted both of his hands up, leaning back as far as his perch on the ladder would accommodate. “There! Close as a Sunday mornin’ shave and good enough for now!” the man declared as he began his descent.
When he’d finally made it down and the ladder was removed, the crowd cheered in an uproar.
You humans sure love bones, Pachi said to me as we watched from a safe distance.
I laughed. Yes, you might be right. You should see how we react to shiny things like gold and gems. We are an odd lot, aren’t we?
“Well done, well done!” a man called out. “And we’re all hungry now, I’m sure.” I’d briefly met him during the operation yesterday and was not yet sure what I felt in regard to his character. The mayor, one Sherman Hesperine, was a man who valued top hats and embroidery more than he valued sweat and hard work. “There is space and seats enough for everyone. No need to push or shove. Once we’re all inside, we can distribute the food. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is going to eat their fill today!”
Another cheer rose again, no doubt coming from the people who manned the farms at the outskirts of town. They all worked hard, and if Garren was anything like his fellows, many of them lived a lean life.
I shuffled in with Madi, everyone giving us space as our pets entered the building. The sight of a bear and an enfield had originally made everyone quite nervous, but Pachi made quick friends wit
h all of the smallest children in town, and Madi’s new best friend had made a display of wrestling with her the night before. Madi had won, but it was a close thing. I was willing to bet that it would be the last time she would be able to do so.
The town hall was little more than a massive barn, high-walled and with a ceiling that was no less than forty feet high. I was impressed, not by its structure or the composition of its materials, but of the sheer size of the beams that held the roof aloft. Considering Benham’s location in the mountains, the building must have taken a year or longer to assemble.
People continued to file in, at least two hundred in total. They had come from hamlets and settlements all around. Most were exhausted from the night’s labor. Tumsley and I had worked away, harvesting the bear as quickly as possible. After an hour or so, we had been joined by the butcher and his apprentice along with a team of others who I figured to be hunters and skinners. All were more knowledgeable than I was, and as I took occasional breaks, I was pleased to see my Animal Harvesting skill going through the roof.
Pachi and I sat up on a low dais that acted as a sort of stage. Alysand, Tumsley, and Madi and her bear all flanked me. We sat on formal chairs with velvet padding. The mayor came up last of all and lifted his hands to quiet the room.
Nearly a minute went by until all the throats had been cleared, coughs had been coughed, and the last few boasting men and squalling children quieted.
The mayor spoke with the gravity and formality of a politician. “Today is a fine day. We are here for a feast, something our small town has not had the resources nor the leisure time to afford in years. Let us first give a hand to these brave adventurers who have rid our hills of a danger far beyond our control.”
Clapping and jeers shook the rafters as the town of Benham showed the extent of its gratitude. I blushed furiously but didn’t lower my eyes. The mayor wasn’t done, though.
“And this little thing here, Hana, am I right? This is the warrior who landed the killing blow. Well done! Well done!” He clapped his gloved hands in a flutter of excitement, his face scrunching up with a sickening display of glee. The man was certainly rehearsed.
When everyone quieted down once more, the mayor called for the food, and people brought out huge bowls of steaming bear soup, providing everyone with a tasty meal. Afterward, a massive chunk of bread and wedge of cheese followed. I ate until my belly felt near to bursting then called for another bowl. All it needed was a little hot sauce, but otherwise, it was delicious. A notification popped up and caught me off guard.
Status Effect: Bear Soup Blessing
Bear Soup Blessing: By indulging in this divine dish, you have received a blessing from the gods themselves. +5 Stamina, +5 Strength, +50 Health Regeneration, +20% XP gained. Duration: 24 hours.
I exchanged a look with Madi. The buff was more than helpful, but it was a pity we weren’t adventuring. I shrugged and enjoyed the look of flushed vitality that filled everyone’s faces. Even the NPC townsfolk, it seemed, were enjoying the benefits of the meal.
We finished early, and, having grown a bit sick of the attention afforded by literally sitting on a stage while eating, Madi and I ducked out and enjoyed some fresh air. The sun had fallen, and the sky was a purple and gray that reminded me of lilac.
“Little bit awkward, eh?” Madi asked, kicking at a stone with the toe of her boot.
“You’re telling me. I thought the mayor was gonna raise my hand in the air like a boxing champ.”
The warrior’s face became unexpectedly solemn at that. “You do deserve it though, Hana. I just figured you wiped. I felt awful that we’d killed Alysand. He is pretty damn magical, but I didn’t think there was any way to resurrect him. Then I log back in and find you there with your katana stuck in the thing’s head! You’re a badass.” Before another wave of awkwardness took us both, she thumped me in the arm with a meaty fist.
“Ow!” I said. “Watch it or I’ll stab you next. Hey, what’s your bear’s name by the way? You must have come up with something by now.”
Madi grinned, her white teeth sparkling out of her golden face. “Tejón! His name is Tejón. It means badger. Can’t you see it?”
I looked at the animal and considered. It was in many ways a typical bear, equal parts roly-poly and raging kill machine. But when I looked at the bone plates flattening the hair on the crown and cheeks of the beast, I saw that its head had the likeness of a badger.
“Okay, I like it, Tejón it is,” I replied as I watched Pachi bait the creature with a series of well-placed nips. The bear swiped and pursued her up a hill, disturbing a bush every now and then, nearly uprooting the poor plants when he did. “Has he grown? He looks bigger than last night.”
“He has, and he will continue to do so,” Tumsely said from behind us. He’d just emerged, his belly tight and protruding from his leather vest. “He’ll grow like a storm in the peaks, that one.”
“How can he grow so fast?” Madi asked.
“When a creature of this world bonds with a traveler, they will grow to match the strength of their companion. You have become powerful, warrior Madi, and so will your bear. When you take it into battle, the growth will be explosive.” Tumsley explained all this as he leaned against the building.
We watched our two magnificent pets as they continued to tear up and down the slope, Pachi always a step ahead. It was amazing to think of Tejón growing to be the size of his mother. How Madi would manage to feed him was beyond me.
Suddenly, people began to pour out of the building, chairs, benches and table in their hands. They were carrying them away to all parts of the town, many straight back to the church, which was just a hundred feet or so away down the main corridor through town. When a bit of room had cleared, I peeked inside and saw the people of Benham were clearing the dance floor. I made my exit just as quickly. Dancing was not for me.
Music began just as abruptly—two men with guitars, a boy pounding away on a set of hand drums, and three beautiful women singing. The music was what people IRL might call folk. It was catchy, springy, and despite myself, I found my toe tapping along merrily.
Alysand came out, quite ruffled. “If you will accept my company, I had better stay away from such an arrangement. I’ve been asked three times already for a dance, and I am not inclined.”
Madi laughed at his discomfort, and I couldn’t help but giggle myself. It seemed none of us were up to it. Tumsley surprised everyone by heading in, saying as he left, “If I’m ever to find myself a wife, it will be tonight.”
Before anyone of us could effectively tease the man, he’d gone inside, already adopting the bouncing step of a dancer.
I caught Madi peering at me, and my heart fluttered a moment. What was that look for? Thankfully, I didn’t have the time to find out, as two men came up to Madi holding a burlap sack. Judging by the way they were straining, it seemed heavy as stone.
“Here you are,” the larger man said. “My name is Corinth and this is my son, Micah. We are the town armorers.” They set down their burden and shook our hands one at a time.
“I remember,” Madi said. “Wish I had taken care of that axe a bit better, though. It cost me enough. Did you get a new handle on it?” Madi was obviously disturbed by the destruction of her new favorite toy.
Corinth grinned like a boy and held up a finger. “I can do you one better, my friend. We have all gained much since the bear was brought down. I have enough bone and Legendary leather to make a fortune in crafting weapons, and I only took a small share for our labors. This is what we managed to do for you last night.”
His son lifted out the battle-axe that Madi had purchased from them, the edges newly sharped and polished, but otherwise unchanged. The new handle, though, was made of bone. It gleamed a dark gray, almost like river stone. On the end of its handle was affixed an even larger spike than before, to balance the longer and thicker handle. I inspected the beautiful weapon and my expectations were not let down.
God’s Rib Axe
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Quality: Epic
Durability 300/300
250-500 damage
+10 Stamina, +10 Strength, +5% XP gained
Special Ability: Locked. Must meet all conditions.
“Holy crap-stacked pancakes!” Madi bellowed. She jumped up and down, looking like nothing more than a little girl on Christmas morning despite her rippling muscles and huge frame. “Ahhh! The base damage increased by 50 points—and the max! 500 is crazy. Wow, thank you so much Corinth, and thank you Micah.” She crushed the men one at a time, stirring up good-natured laughs.
Corinth continued as he drew something else out of the bag, “We’re not done here. This is for you, gunsinger.” He lifted out just a handful of items. When I looked closer, I saw they were bullets. The same dark gray bone had been sunk into shiny new shells, ten in total. “We have a hunter in town who is a gunsmith. He knew the right size for those cannons you carry, and we think they’ll do well in a pinch. Hope you like them Alysand, sir.”
The man seemed embarrassed by this gift. It was obvious that they revered Alysand. The gunsinger stepped forward and took them in his palm. He gasped as he lifted one up to his eye for inspection. I couldn’t resist a look myself.