Ring of Promise: A LitRPG novel (Elements of Wrath Online Book 1) Read online

  The problem was that all good things come to an end, and you can only dodge your problems for so long. I sure as heck didn’t want to give it up when my timer started to tick down but what choice did either of us have?

  One Portal spell later and we were making our goodbyes back in Granholm Plaza, standing beneath one of the mighty oaks that shaded the hustle and bustle beneath their leaves.

  Kayla smiled as she dismissed her staff and orb. “That was fun. I always try to make some time each day to blow things up.”

  I shook my head and laughed. “You did that very well.” My laughter settled into a smile of my own. “Seriously, though, I think you’re on to something there. I can’t say I’ve had that much fun in-game for a long time.”

  She patted me on the shoulder with a quirked eyebrow. “You need to loosen up, Shale! What’s the point to all this if you don’t have fun with it?”

  I tried to think of some way to put it that would make sense and not run into the Filter. After a brief and awkward silence, I had to settle for saying, “Up above stuff. I need to play, if you catch my drift.”

  Those big blue eyes widened with understanding. “Ah, I think I get it. You’re a tank-for-hire and all that.” Again, no judgment from her and for that I was grateful. “Well, maybe I don’t have the best advice for a businessman like yourself, but I imagine you might do your job even better if you have fun while you do it.”

  Well, I couldn’t say she was wrong. “It couldn’t hurt, I suppose. Hard to go out and blow stuff up as a Warlord, though.”

  “Not solo but you don’t have to go it alone, tough guy.” She smirked. Taking a step back from me, Kayla half-turned and looked back at me. “How about we do this again tomorrow on our second log-in? You know, after we take care of questing with Burndall in the morning.”

  I spoke before I even processed the request rationally. “I’m there, Kayla. I’ll gladly get punched in the face for you anytime.”

  She let out that musical laugh again and waved. “Tomorrow, then! Get some rest. We’ve got some real work to do in the morning!”

  As she disappeared into the crowd, I found myself rubbing my face and wondering if I had just agreed to go on a date. Needless to say (but I will anyway), I carried that vaguely shocked thought with me for the rest of the evening and straight through the night, sleeping restlessly and thinking about the next day.

  The next morning was no better. Thankfully, everyone else seemed to be in their own worlds at the breakfast table. Chrissy was engrossed in whatever novel she was reading between vacuuming up protein paste through her feeding tube and Roxanne was still fighting with what I guessed was more of the same paperwork from yesterday. I should have asked about it, I know that in hindsight, but at that moment, all I could think about was getting back to Elementalis and back to that one strand of hope dangling in front of me.

  I couldn’t dive in fast enough. Even the comet-like descent towards Granholm seemed to take forever, but soon enough, I felt the familiar sensation of Shale’s feet on the ground and his strength filling my crippled arm. Brilliant morning sunlight lit up the plaza and impatient throngs of avatars milling about, grumbling about timers, replaced the once-eager clusters of adventurers I had seen the previous evening.

  Ignoring the moans of annoyance from the population, I gave the Herald panel a mental nudge as I stomped my way toward Champion’s Hall. At least things were starting off well, as I had incoming message requests already vying for my attention with conflicting trumpet blasts in my ears. With a few more mental nudges, I saw it was Burndall and Kayla poking at me, and I pulled them both into one channel so I could talk to them both simultaneously.

  Shale: Good morning, you two! We ready to see what the next quest is?

  Kayla: Morning! We’re already at Champion’s Hall.

  Burndall: Yeah, Kay’s got her guildie here, too. How you doing this morning, dude?

  Shale: Crysta? Any more news about your other friend? And I’m doing good, Burndall, now that I’m here.

  Burndall: Awesome! Yeah, never can wait to get in the dive each day myself!

  Kayla: Crysta’s still worried and I don’t blame her. Two days now without Vanni logging in. The guildmistress is getting concerned, too.

  Shale: Well, like you told me last night, maybe we can at least distract her from worrying. I’ll be there in a sec then I’ll set up the party.

  Having another pro raider was good news for us completing the next quest, whatever it was, but I found that I was more worried about this girl I hadn’t met yet than about completing the quest. I had lost two of the most important people in my life and I feared every day about the last. Maybe I was good at hiding behind my hard shell but I still felt sympathy for someone that may have lost someone as important. That was still lingering in my mind as I pushed my way through the doors of Champion’s Hall and into the main chamber.

  Matching the mood out in the plaza, there was a prevailing impatience among the champions milling about in clumps in the hall. The ‘spokes’ were mostly abandoned save for a few solo avatars leaning against walls or flopped down on the floor before Sir Copperholt’s desk. Seemingly the only lively group in the place was my own, gathered at the center of the main hub. Burndall’s sword was balanced on his shoulder as he chattered away while Kayla gave him the occasional nod, more out of politeness than interest, as she played with a new orb, swirling waters that kept in a vaguely spherical shape roiling in a cradle of solid granite, probably her version of the Two Nations Banner I was carrying. To her other side stood an Aurum woman that had to be Crysta if the immense longbow and vaguely worried look were any indicators.

  Tall and willowy, almost painfully thin, with cloudy white skin, the Ranger was decked out in full-on raid gear. Lacquered sky-blue chain mail formed the base, trimmed with snowy white fur and accented by polished steel plates stamped with golden runes. Crysta’s arms were bare save for a classical archer’s armguard and glove while a golden tiara set with a topaz settled on her troubled brow while an ornate gold ring studded with diamonds was on her ring finger. Storm-cloud gray hair seemed to float of its own accord around her head while her golden eyes flashed with the occasional spark of a repressed storm. Her longbow was almost as tall as she was, ash wood mixed with bronze reinforcements and a system of pulleys, lines, and cogs that baffled my understanding. If she even saw me, she didn’t really notice, looking off into the distance as if expecting a message to pop in at any point.

  Burndall did notice me, though, leaning forward on his toes and waving. “Hey, man! There you are!”

  “Yeah, here I am.” I nodded as I finished stomping up. Looking over at Crysta, I went for a sympathetic smile. “Hello there, I’m Shale. You must be –”

  “Crysta,” the Aurum finished for me, finally seeming to focus. She brushed at her poufy hair with her free hand and faked a wan smile. “Kayla has been telling us about you these past few days.”

  “Good things, I hope?” I hoped it sounded as casual and nonchalant as I intended.

  Kayla snapped her fingers, dismissing her orb into a burst of sparkles. “Of course, Shale!” She sounded only a tiny bit annoyed that I insinuated anything else. “Like I told you last night, you’re doing an incredible job.”

  I shrugged helplessly. “So maybe I have a bit of an esteem problem sometimes. Being on the low end of the meta will do that to you.” I knew better, of course, but again, I didn’t want them to know that.

  The Ranger’s smile turned up just a hair. “Vanni is a Warlord too. You won’t find me disrespecting your Class or what you can bring to the group.” That smile faltered just as quickly. “I just wish she would pumpkin llama me before the winter solstice.”

  Burndall chuckled a bit, unable to help himself, I suppose. “Stupid hotdog muskrat Filter!”

  Kayla gave me a brief, worried gaze before putting a hand on Crysta’s shoulder. “I’m sure everything will be fine. Let’s just try to have some fun and do some questing, okay?”
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  Though there wasn’t a heck of a lot I could do, I still put on a happy face and nodded. “Yeah, we’ll help Vanni catch up when she pops on. You know how things can happen up there. It’s probably nothing!”

  Crysta nodded slowly, taking a deep breath before letting it out. Like most endgamers, she was high on the immersion scale and the constant shift of emotions in her eyes was obvious. “Right, you’re both right.” Giving her bow a tentative pull, she smiled a bit. “So, let’s get going before I start worrying again.”

  Burndall grinned at me. “You heard the lady, fearless leader! Let’s blow some stuff up!”

  Kayla nodded in relief as I sent out the group invites with a mental touch. We formed up in short order and I was a little touched to get an immediate friend request from Crysta to go along with it. I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see, as the party UI flared into life and ghostly status arcs filled my vision, she was at the level cap.

  Shale, 40 Craggar Warlord, Tank

  HP 3280/3280 EP 2500/2500

  Kayla, 40 Nix Sorcerer, Damage

  HP 2110/2110 EP 3180/3180

  Burndall, 23 Ember Sorcerer, Damage

  HP 1120/1120 EP 2920/2920

  Crysta, 60 Aurum Ranger, Support

  HP 6730/6730 EP 8100/8100

  While Rangers weren’t full-on Supports like Mystics were capable of, they were a very balanced Class, and I felt confident that our chances of success had just bumped up considerably. Not that Kayla hadn’t been hyper-competent at keeping us alive, it was simply the numbers and Affinities that would make Crysta better at the job, plus it let Kayla go full-bore on blasting things into loot orbs. With everything in order for the moment, I led our merry band down toward Copperholt.

  Maybe we had somehow been among the first in the server to find the questline because the few folks milling in the hall perked up curiously, keeping a close eye as we marched up to the NPC’s station. The knight shifted forward in his chair as the NPC interface opened up. The world shifted out of focus as he gave our group a greeting.

  “Hail and well met, champions. How can I help you today?”

  In addition to the usual dialogue suggestions, several new ones popped up beside Copperholt. They were ones I already had in mind, the obvious things like ‘any news about the bandits that attacked the princess’, ‘May we have an audience with the princess’, and so on. I had first choice as leader but instead of going for what was the obvious quest continuation, I figured it would be best to get as much information as possible.

  “Greetings, Sir Copperholt,” I began. “Have there been any more reports of corrupted creatures out among the Dominions?” Sometimes thinking outside of the box could hand out some different quest paths so it was worth asking.

  “As a matter of fact, Warlord Shale, some of the border guard have reported not only increased aggression among the Pyrlin and Ogre tribes, but that these tribes seem to be gathering at the highest peaks, especially the Iron Needle.” He rubbed his crystal beard slowly. “Though none of the guard have seen signs of corruption among them, they have seen flames seen roaring atop the Needle. There may be a connection.”

  Focus shifted to Crysta, already looking a bit distant. It took a moment for her to realize that the dialogue lead had even switched to her. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she let slip before her eyes narrowed on Copperholt. “Good sir, what about the forest bandits? Do we have any leads as to their origins or home camp?”

  Sighing, the aging Craggar spread his hand over the map of the kingdom rolled out across his desk. “Unfortunately, Ranger, they remain elusive. Patrols followed the tracks of the Scorch Boars into the woods but lost track of them as they moved north towards the Earthfire. Even with Scorchtusk dead, there are far too many dangerous beasts and corrupted creatures to make it safe for our guardsmen to pursue further.”

  Kayla was eager for her turn at the helm. “Can we make a definitive connection between the Flames of Corruption and the brigands? Is wasting resources on them going to be helpful in finding the source of the Flames here?”

  Copperholt shook his head slowly. “We cannot and while you speak words of wisdom, friend Nix, we must pursue these blackguards as long as they threaten the trade routes between here and the Water Kingdom.” He puffed up in his chair. “Besides, they dishonor the Mountain King by their assault on the princess. We cannot let this rest.”

  She rolled her eyes at the response, as if she had any real influence on the actions of NPCs or the questline. I guess I couldn’t blame her; I found myself doing the same thing plenty of times. Still, even if Kayla thought the bandits were a red herring, I wasn’t so sure.

  To no surprise of mine, Burndall went straight for the quest. “Hey, Copperholt, can we see the princess now? Make sure she’s okay and all that good grid?”

  “Ah, yes! Princess Kallisandre has had an audience with the Mountain King and she expressly informed me that she wishes to see the heroes who saved her and her diplomats.” He stood slowly, adjusting his armored bulk as he did so. “In fact, we should go to the palace right away and –“

  “There is no need for that, honorable sir.” Kallisandre’s regal voice cut through the hall like a knife and to my surprise, we weren’t the only ones to turn and stare at the Nix princess cut a swath through the groups milling about.

  Normally when this kind of cutscene moment happened, it was limited to the group interacting with the quest NPC but this was completely different. The out-of-focus avatars got out of the way and watched, their voices only muffled mumbles. The princess stepped up before our humble band and made an elegant curtsy before us.

  Even Crysta was pulled out of her worry as we all bowed before the Ocean Mother’s only daughter.

  “Please, champions, rise.” Her words were warm, and I could hear the smile in her voice before I saw it. “I and both our kingdoms are already in your debt; you need not bow before me.” As we stood, she favored us with a regal nod. “And yet I am forced to ask more of you, to grow that debt, for the good of now just our kingdoms but all of Elementalis.”

  Hearing that warmth and the urgent need the princess carried in her bearing must have made our Ranger forget her fears for her Promised, if even for a little bit, as she spoke for us in an eager voice. “I think I speak for all of us, your Highness. We will do whatever you need to protect our homes!”

  The princess glanced from Crysta to the rest of us and, without a single objection, she took that as a sign to continue. “I had hoped as much. The Flames of Conflict burn brightly now and those corrupting flames bring the Element of Darkness to both the Earth and Water Kingdoms. Having consulted with the Mountain King, we feel we have devised a plan to divine the source of the Flames and perhaps even quench them.”

  This was our ‘in’. This would be my ticket to a shot at the money I needed to make my family’s life bearable. That was the spark and the motivation that filled me as I said, “Then let’s not wait, Your Highness. Tell us what we must do next!”

  Kayla nodded in agreement and Kallisandre continued, “You may have heard of the strange creatures amassing atop the Iron Needle. Our people have legends of a glowing Light, a powerful weapon against the Elements of Conflict that was stolen from the Ocean Mother many decades ago. The Craggar also have similar legends of said Light being hidden in a dark cave, bound by foul enchantments, somewhere among the Dominions.

  “The king and I believe that this legend is true and this weapon lies within some cave atop the Needle. Now that the servants of the Flame know that we move against it, we fear that these monstrous tribes have been put into place to guard and perhaps even destroy this Light. We need this weapon and we certainly cannot let it be destroyed!

  “Noble heroes, can we count on you?”

  Quest ‘A Light In The Needle’ available!

  Objective: Recover the mysterious Light from the Iron Needle!

  Reward: 50% Experience, Grade S Light Elemental Gem

  Do you accept?

  If anyone
of us hesitated, I sure as heck couldn’t tell. I honestly don’t even remember the last bit of quest dialogue in my excitement. Within moments, the four of us were dashing out of the Champion’s Hall and heading right for the northern gates of Granholm. As silly as it might sound, what with the forced waits we already had and almost a month until Crystalfire went live, the feeling of being at the head of the pack was intoxicating as we mounted up and charged for the mountains. After all, everyone across the world had been forced to wait just like we were and with the princess showing up to us first, we actually were first! Maybe I had a shot at that prize after all … maybe we all did!

  In the pre-NSAF days of MMOs, gameplay always had to trump artistic integrity. Game designers always shot for immersion and cohesive design in art and world building but compromises were made at every step to accommodate both the limitations of graphical engines and ease of gameplay. Now that we have full immersion down to every sensory level, we must design worlds that people could truly want to live in or else why would they bother with a deep-dive?

  Abha Chadha, EO’s art director, International Game Art Conference 2219

  The Iron Needle is the highest peak of the Dominion Mountains in the Earth Kingdom. So called because of the needle-like shape of the highest spire and the black cast-iron look of the spire itself, the Needle is the highest level area of the Dominions, with monster and quest levels ranging from 28 to 36. As of Patch 1.92, there are no Story Quests connected with the Needle, only several Side Quests and Bounty Quests, yet there are detailed cave environments at several points of the Needle.

  From the Iron Needle page, EO Internal Wiki

  11

  The Iron Needle soared above us, a jagged spike of black metal that stabbed a hole through the clouds. There was a real Mt. Doom sort of vibe, the same feeling I had every time I had seen the place in the past. It had been a good five or six levels since I’d last seen the Needle, and the rusted iron surface had changed little. This time, there was a difference, though. Now, smoky fires peppered the pitted peak and reflected dully off the black iron.