The Forsaken God: The Realms Book Five: (An Epic LitRPG Series) Read online

  You have reached level 18 in Stealth.

  You have reached level 21 in Dodge.

  You have reached level 11 in Alchemy.

  You have reached level 10 in Imbue (Icons).

  You have reached level 22 in Leadership.

  You have reached level 26 in Lore.

  You have reached level 10 in Smithing (Weapons).

  And he’d reached a milestone level.

  You have Reached Level 20.

  You have moved from Base tier into Apprentice tier.

  As an Apprentice you will now earn 6 Attribute Points per level.

  As an Apprentice you will now earn 2 Perk Points per level.

  You have Earned 7 (6 base +1 Godhead bonus) Attribute Points. You have 12 available Attribute Points.

  You have earned 2 Perk Points. You have 2 available Perk Points.

  Before he could even smile a loud gonging sound filled his ears.

  You have earned the right to choose a Specialty.

  This is a day to rejoice Apprentice. You may now choose a Specialty. To choose a Specialty, you must find a willing Mentor. You must still meet all other Specialty specific quests and requirements to gain a Specialty.

  You may choose your Specialty from one of the following Skill Families: Martial Skills, Magical Skills, Knowledge Skills or Crafting Skills. You will earn a 10% bonus to any skill within the Skill Family associated with your Specialty.

  Note: A Specialty will define your future, by expanding some possibilities and limiting others. Once chosen, your Specialty cannot be changed without completing an epic quest. Choose Wisely.

  The gong music faded, replaced by the rumble of approaching thunder. It built and with a cacophonous boom another prompt filled Gryph’s vision.

  You have earned the right to choose a Specialty - Prime Godhead Bonus.

  Prime Godheads are motes of pure creation and possibility. Due to your bond with the divine artifact the normal rules regarding Specialties do not apply.

  You may earn one Specialty from each of the four Skill Families. You must follow all other rules governing Specialties, including the need for a Mentor and the fulfillment of all Specialty specific quests and requirements.

  Gryph’s eyes went wide at the raw potential of the Prime Godhead. He knew that he was still far underpowered for the inevitable battle against Aluran and his Pantheon, but with the Godhead and rare skills like Lore and Ritual Magic, he might just stand a chance. And soon he would have some help.

  You have reduced Raathiel’s XP Deficit.

  You have reduced Raathiel’s XP deficit by 666,723 XP. Current XP Deficit: - 821,277.

  He turned his attention to his core where the essence of his soul companion, a coatl named Raathiel, slumbered. Her spirit twined into and around his own, a melding so complete that their souls were forever bound until the end of existence. Soon he would work off what remained of her XP deficit and then she would be reborn.

  Gryph stepped from the Port Circle near the gates of the Spire, the local’s name for Aurvendiel, and walked the short distance to the vast chamber hidden inside the trunk of the wondrous tree. As he got close a beautiful trill of laughter reached his ears and his chest grew warm and light.

  Sillendriel, he said to himself as he turned the corner and paused. He saw her, resplendent and beautiful. He eased into the shadows, unnerved by a flutter moving through his stomach. Well, this is the last thing I need.

  He tried to push the feeling away, but he could not take his eyes from her. She stood near the base of the tree, her skin glowing with a dim internal light. She spoke with her brother Barrendiel, the Regent of Sylvan Aenor, and Gryph’s brother in blood. Her laughter flowed to him and the pure joy in its sound buffeted his spirit.

  He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. Calm flowed through him and he listened to his heart rate slow. When he opened his eyes, he found her staring right at him, even though he hid in the shadows. He shouldn’t be surprised, for she was a part of the tree and it a part of her. He doubted anything could hide from her while under its boughs.

  She smiled, and a flush warmed his face. I feel like a teenager, Gryph grumbled to himself and walked towards her.

  7

  The Regent turned and looked right at Gryph. His smile widened, and he beckoned Gryph. He took a deep breath to calm himself and walked towards the siblings. Barrendiel pulled him into a warm embrace.

  “Brother, tell me your mission was a success.”

  “It was,” Gryph said, summarizing events. It brought a much-needed sigh of relief from the Regent. Gryph almost hated to ruin the man’s mood with his next question. “How goes the war effort?”

  Barrendiel scowled. Gryph couldn’t blame the man. No ruler worth their crown put their people into harm’s way without cause, but both men knew that war was inevitable. Despite the skills of both the warborn and the elves, their numbers were far below even the most conservative estimates of the power the High God Aluran could bring down on them, when, not if, he discovered they worked against him.

  We need something more, Gryph thought. Or many people will die.

  “We’re also still trying to establish a mode of communication to your sister, but so far we have been unsuccessful. Though Simon is onboard with getting his Orb of Far Thought to Brynn if we are able.”

  “Of course, he is,” Gryph said with a chuckle. Simon had griped when Gryph had installed the long-distance communication device in the Barrow, claiming it cramped his style. He would gladly be rid of the device and the ability it gave Gryph to ‘get up in his business.’

  Mention of Brynn filled Gryph with another flash of worry, but once again the Colonel was there to snuff the sentiment out. You have less chance of getting your sister to budge when she’s decided something is right, than you have of moving a mountain, the Colonel’s voice said in his head. So, stop worrying about what you cannot control, and work on what you can.

  Gryph felt Sillendriel’s light touch on his forearm. He turned to her, and she smiled. “I see hints of many paths branching from your sister and into the future. She is safe, for now.”

  Somewhat eased, Gryph nodded and pulled the Occulorum from his bag. He sent a command into the artifact. The ovoid device hummed with internal power and the interlocking plates shifted and parted, expanding outwards to form curved wings.

  The Occulorum lifted from his hand and zipped towards Aurvendiel’s internal trunk like a hummingbird to nectar. Gryph motioned for the siblings to follow, both relieved and anxious that Barrendiel was with them.

  The Occulorum twisted its underside to face the trunk and a shimmering wave of light expanded outwards. The hovering drone moved slowly around the circumference of the trunk scanning the damaged rune-form. A precise copy of the intricate drawing appeared in Gryph’s interface and several minutes later a chirp from the machine announced it had completed its task.

  The damage turned out to not be as severe as Gryph had feared, limited to the large gash ripped by the Black Fog and two smaller sections damaged in the same battle. He nodded at Sillendriel and the empyrean dryad turned her hands upwards in a supplicant’s pose.

  She closed her eyes and a melodic song built in her throat. A stream of green energy built and twined its way around her body. She added another voice to her song and a second strand of light, this one warm and gold, twisted upwards forming a double helix of life and empyrean magic. It was heartbreaking in its beauty.

  Her song increased in volume and the combined braids flowed down her arms. She twisted her palms, placing them against the damaged tree. Beneath Sillendriel’s hand the wood expanded, and the rents began to heal. Tiny blooms grew from her hair, forming a crown of multicolored flowers.

  Unearthly white wood expanded from the charred edges of the trunk, followed by a layer of protective golden bark. In moments the gash healed fully. Sillendriel pulled her hands away and her knees wobbled. Gryph and Barrendiel were there to catch her, but she held a hand out showing she was fine.
r />   She turned to Gryph and a small drop of golden sweat trickled down her brow. “It’s up to you now.”

  Gryph stared at her for a moment, enraptured by her beauty. She smiled at him as he pushed his will inside the Occulorum. The low harmonics of the device spun up and a half dozen Icons glowed to life on the device’s undercarriage. He sent the repair order, and a prompt popped into his vision.

  Error.

  You are trying to repair a Master tier rune-form. You do not have the requisite perk - Apprentice Rune-Form Repair - to activate this function of the Occulorum.

  “Well, shit,” Gryph said. “Guess that would have been too easy.” Gryph’s heart sunk. How the hell am I supposed to repair a Master level rune-form? He was Level 19 in Ritual Magic, which was impressive since he hadn't learned the skill, but Assimilated it upon defeating the Scourge. But he was only Base tier in the skill, so repairing a Master tier rune-form seemed less likely than flying to one of Korynn’s two moons with Lex as a winged mount.

  Now that he had the Occulorum, the task jumped from impossible to merely difficult. Among the artifact’s wondrous powers was the ability to repair rune-forms two tiers higher than his current ability. Sadly, that was still one tier lower than the Cloaking Rune-Form required.

  His mood improved upon examining his Ritual Magic Perk Tree.

  RITUAL MAGIC.

  Ritual Magic is an ultra-rare skill that enables the practitioner to create and wield rune-forms. These patterns are used to harness, control and unleash quantities of mana far greater than any mortal could channel alone.

  Ritual Magic practitioners can draw mana from others to power these rune forms, making it possible to wield magic on an epic scale. Practitioners may Analyze the rune-forms one level higher than their current tier and understand their purpose.

  RITUAL MAGIC PERKS.

  Mana Siphoning.

  This perk determines how many donors the user may draw mana from to power a rune-form.

  Ritual Drawing.

  This perk determines what tier of rune-forms the user may draw, etch, carve or inlay. Once drawn, rune-forms need to be Activated by infusing them with mana. Each tier requires the following amounts of mana to activate.

  • Base: 10,000.

  • Apprentice: 20,000.

  • Journeyman: 30,000.

  • Master: 50,000.

  • Grandmaster: 100,000.

  Rune Form Design.

  The user may design rune-forms of the listed tier. You must know the corresponding sphere of magic to design a rune-form.

  Rune Form Repair.

  The user may repair rune-forms of the listed tier.

  Ritual Magic Perk Tree.

  Tier

  Mana Siphoning

  Ritual Drawing

  Rune Form Design

  Rune Form Repair

  B

  10

  Base Drawing

  Base Rune-Forms

  Apprentice Rune-Forms

  A (20)

  20

  Apprentice

  Apprentice Rune-Forms

  Journeyman Rune-Forms

  J (50)

  50

  Journeyman

  Journeyman Rune-Forms

  Master Rune-Forms

  M (75)

  100

  Master

  Master Rune-Forms

  Grandmaster Rune-Forms

  GM (100)

  200

  Grandmaster

  Grandmaster Rune-Forms

  Divine Rune-Forms

  D

  500

  Divine

  Divine Rune-Forms

  At first he couldn’t believe his luck. He’d never seen a skill perk that could affect the Apprentice tier while the user was only a Base tier practitioner. But that is exactly what he was looking at with Rune-Form Repair. He pondered it for a moment and then smiled. It made sense. Repairing something that already existed was far easier than creating it from scratch. Why would anyone waste Perk Points on repairing rune-forms if drawing a new one was just as easy?

  This just might work.

  Gryph dragged a Perk Point towards his Ritual Magic perk tree, when he paused. He only had two left. Spending one now would leave him dangerously low until he leveled again. He’d never been one to go into a fight unprepared. It was a good thing he did not have to accept that state of affairs. He opened his eyes and smiled down at Sillendriel.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Her eyes became slits, but before she could give voice to her curiosity, Gryph activated the Perk Point Marketplace and reality slowed and then he was somewhere else. The Lore skill perk instantly transported him to an odd aetherial pocket realm where he could sell a wide range of experiences to a creature known as the Merchant. He could journey there once per week but each journey cost him a Perk Point, lost to the Aether whether or not he purchased anything.

  “Welcome back, Sir,” the Merchant said.

  Gryph had no desire to spend more time than was necessary with the disturbingly alien entity and got down to business. He sold ten levels of his Heavy Armor skill and ten levels of Blunt Weapons for a quartet of new Perk Points. He’d learned both skills from Regveld, his father in a past life, during his time in the Great Forge, the Realm the dwarves journeyed to upon death.

  The skills had been part of his training on how to be a dwarf to prepare him to take control of the city of Dar Thoriim. He hoped that the Long Beards, the elder spirits that ruled the Great Forge, weren’t looking down upon him now in judgement. I’m more of an agile fighter than a smashing tank anyway, sorry, folks.

  He also sold ten levels of Unarmed, ten levels of Alchemy, and ten levels of Smithing (Weapons). Unarmed was a useful skill, but if his survival ever came down to hand to hand combat, he’d be dead anyway. Likewise, both crafting skills had their uses, but he had access to Masters of both disciplines. For now, the Perk Points were worth more than the skills.

  Before he could leave the market, the Merchant spoke. “I do not wish to overstep my bounds sir,” the tall eyeless creature said. “However, with your permission, I wish to bring a matter to your attention.” The Merchant’s overly polite tone unnerved Gryph, but he nodded his assent. “There has been an increase in the reward payment for a quest I proposed to you during one of our earlier meetings. May I?”

  The Merchant raised his right hand. The palm bore a large unblinking eye. Gryph remembered the first time he’d encountered the alarming sight. This time was no less disturbing, but curiosity beat caution and he agreed.

  A thin beam of dull gray light shot from the eye impacting Gryph in the middle of his forehead. A moment later a prompt appeared in his vision.

  There is an update to the quest Lay the Gods Low.

  The quest Lay the Gods Low has an update. The reward has been updated from 500 Perk Points to 600 Perk Points. Discover a method of removing a bonded Prime Godhead. This quest has an optional second part. If you succeed the Merchant will also buy your Prime Godhead.

  Quest Giver: The Merchant - Difficulty: Otherworldly - Reward: 600 Perk Points - XP: Unknown.

  Gryph’s eyes snapped open. “600 Perk Points!”

  “Indeed, sir. The buyer is most eager to acquire this knowledge.”

  “Who…?” Gryph started to ask but waved away the Merchant’s inevitable comment that his client list was confidential. Who could afford such a staggering payment? Then Gryph remembered a comment the Merchant had made on his first visit to the Marketplace.

  “The last time someone attempted to remove a Prime Godhead it tore a schism in the fabric of reality and led to the Ruin. Do try and do better than that.”

  That phrase, the Ruin was familiar, not just from the history lesson taught him by Grimliir and the others, but from his own failed attempts to access his Reverie. It will be the Ruin of the Realms, the voice had said, one that was both unknown and strangely familiar. Could the improved reward have something to do with that past life? And how did it relate to the
here and now?

  A trickle of fear dripped down Gryph’s back and he forced himself to focus. He looked up at the Merchant, eyes begging for some clue, any snippet of information. As expected, the man’s eyeless gaze was implacable and gave him nothing.

  “Is there anything else, sir?” the Merchant asked, his smug tone burned at Gryph’s nerves.

  “No, you’ve been most unhelpful.”

  “I aim to serve, sir.”

  Then, just like that, Gryph was back under the boughs of Aurvendiel, standing next to Sillendriel, with ten new Perk Points and a knot of worry in his gut. The empyrean dryad smiled at him oddly, opening her mouth slightly, before closing it once more, willing to let his quirky comment pass. She turned her gaze back to the massive tree.