Second Skin: Unified: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 3) Read online

  Second Skin

  Unified

  By: M Damon Baker

  © 2018 M Damon Baker All Rights Reserved

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Interior design and ebooks by Booknook.biz.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  A conclave of the entire Pantheon was a momentous thing, an assemblage reserved only for the most dire of matters. Over the many eons since the founding of their world, such gatherings had been called on only a mere handful of occasions. Yet today, the Gods were all in attendance once more, called together by the command of their father. Uthalan himself had yet to arrive, and while they waited for their father to make his entrance, the chamber filled with the hushed tones of the Gods as they debated the many possible outcomes.

  The profound reason for the conclave had spread like wildfire among the deities, and news of the strange Deathless had generated endless speculation. Nentai had heard all the rumors and was aware of the many competing theories that had been swirling about and was certain that her father was as well. Speculation ran wild, ranging from heralding the Deathless as the rebirth of their mother to declaring the Sintári’s coming as the harbinger of their doom.

  Nentai’s own feelings on the matter were limited to an overwhelming sense of dread. She was convinced that Uthalan’s grief and suffering would win out. Nentai could not help but believe that Uthalan would be unwilling to bear the burden of seeing one who so clearly reawakened his painful memories of their mother. She was convinced that her father would declare the Sintári a false reincarnation of their mother and order her extermination. Nentai’s dark musings were cut short as the chamber suddenly grew silent. Uthalan’s entrance abruptly cut off the other Gods’ discussions as well, and they hurried to take their seats.

  Their father strode confidently to his place at the head of the assemblage, and as he took his place, Nentai desperately searched Uthalan’s face for any clue of his intention, but her father’s impassive countenance gave away nothing. Once he had taken his seat, Uthalan gestured for the other Gods to take their places, bringing the conclave to order. Without preamble, Uthalan began his pronouncement.

  “All of you know the reasons why I have called this conclave. While the facts are well-known to you by now, there has been much conjecture among you as to their meaning. To dispel any doubt or confusion regarding my judgement this day, I will first clarify things for you.”

  Nentai was dismayed by Uthalan’s invocation of the word ‘judgement,’ and her heart fell into her stomach. Her father’s complete lack of emotion as he continued only further magnified the Goddess’s growing sense of unease.

  “This Sintári was brought to life by the magic of the Great Barrier, and it used pieces of each of you to fill her empty shell. But this phenomenon did far more than merely bring this Sintári into existence, for in drawing from each of your Essences, the Barrier’s magic reunited the many fractured pieces of your mother, who has been lost to us all for so many millennia.”

  “Some of you have speculated that this woman represents the rebirth of your mother. I will tell you now that this is not the case. While this Sintári may have brought together many of her elements, she is not my Veroiá.”

  Many gasps echoed throughout the chamber as Uthalan uttered the name of their mother. Although the Gods had all been made aware that Uthalan had finally revealed her name, none had expected him to speak it publicly. Nentai’s dread increased as Uthalan made his declaration—his clear repudiation of the Deathless woman seemed to only seal her doom for the Goddess.

  “No, this Sintári is not your mother; she is not my Veroiá. What she represents is something much more than that. She brings us hope for our world. Hope that we can finally bring harmony to our people and end their needless suffering.”

  “She is on a mission to unite our world and defeat its evils. To finally bring a lasting peace to our creation. This quest requires her to succeed where even we have failed before her.”

  “Therefore, it is my judgement today that you will aid her in this quest. It is my command that each of you provide her with a gift, specifically designed to help her achieve her goals. I further charge Nentai and Set with overseeing this process and ensuring that the gifts and boons provided satisfy not only the letter of my words, but also the spirit of my intentions.”

  “I know that crafting such things lies outside the province of many of you. This will not serve to excuse you from your responsibility to aid her. If you require assistance in fashioning an appropriate boon, you have my leave to work together with your brothers and sisters to craft a suitable item.”

  “Despite what I have said, for her safety, our aid to the Sintári must be kept secret, at least for a while. When these gifts are ready, Nentai and Set will serve as our liaison to the Sintári. It will not do to have a parade of Gods visiting her.”

  “Do not think that her importance to you is limited to her potential to bring peace to our world. As I said before, the Sintári, this barrier-born, represents far more than that.”

  “This woman was brought to life through the Great Barrier’s magic—your magic. Each of you played a part in her creation, and she carries a piece of all of you inside her. She is not your mother reborn, she is someone you should feel greater love for than even that idea might represent to you. She is the fruit of your own Essence brought to life. She is your daughter. Remember this as you craft your gifts for her. Make your efforts worthy of your child, worthy of Veroiá’s granddaughter.”

  Uthalan paused briefly, apparently gathering himself for a moment. During that brief time, an overwhelming silence reigned in the chamber as the implications of his profound revelation began to sink in for the rest of the Gods.

  “Time is short,” he continued abruptly. “Soon, your daughter’s enemies will learn of her existence. She must be ready to face them when they come for her. Fashion your boons carefully, but quickly. I fear that she will need your aid all too soon.”

  Uthalan rose and turned his daunting gaze on Nentai.

  “Nentai, I charge you and your sister Set not only with overseeing this process, but also with ensuring your daughter’s well-being. While I will be watching, I also expect you to keep me informed of your progress. I know the capabilities of your siblings and expect that the first of their gifts will be ready in the coming weeks, although I understand that some of them may take longer. See that they are delivered promptly.”

  With his judgement rendered, Uthalan strode out of the meeting chamber, leaving the rest of the stunned Gods i
n his wake. The Gods filed out mutely behind him, still grappling with their father’s revelations as they absently wandered away. Only Nentai remained behind, completely overwhelmed by the unexpected turn of events. As she sat alone in the chamber, the corners of her mouth curled up in a slight smile as she came to an understanding. She had a daughter! A daughter that she was truly proud of, and although she shared the parentage of that child with her siblings, her daughter had chosen Nentai’s path, the path of vengeance and retribution. Whatever facets her daughter might share with the other Gods, Nentai’s prominent influence on her child was clear.

  The daunting task before her now felt more like a privilege rather than a burden. Nentai would ensure that her siblings’ gifts were worthy of her daughter. Her faint smile broadened as a sense of pride swelled within the Goddess, and Nentai’s devotion to her daughter became a powerful force in those few moments, as the Goddess resolved that her child would be gifted with only the best that the Gods were able to provide.

  1

  Before setting off, our companions had helped Tási set up camp in the small side canyon where we’d found the elf King’s sarcophagus. Not only had it seemed like the safest location for us, but it was also where I’d fallen unconscious after combining the final Token with the Amulet. Afterwards, they had remained with her during the long night before setting off to deliver the scrolls. Once they’d left, Tási had begun the task of arranging the camp for our prolonged stay, but she had only managed to get a few things prepared before I’d finally awakened. Tási had only just finished filling me in on what had happened while I was sleeping, when I felt something slam into my back.

  Sintári awake! Bane’s voice flooded into my mind as he clawed his way onto my shoulder.

  “Yes, Bane, I’m alright now,” I smiled as I answered him.

  Bane worried. Bane feel better now.

  “Me too, Bane,” I said, stroking the scales along his neck.

  The Rhastoren settled down and purred in contentment as I resumed my conversation with Tási.

  We decided to take it easy for a day or two and just explore the area for a while. The remote isolation of the valley, combined with the elf-King’s influence, had clearly worked to keep these lands free of the dangers that plagued the wilds just outside their borders. But now that he was gone, we knew it would only be a matter of time before the threats from beyond the valley’s sheltered confines would find their way to us. Despite our concern, we felt that we needed to take some time to carefully plan just how we would protect ourselves from those threats. Not only that, but we also needed to explore our new home and uncover its many mysteries.

  During that time, we walked the length and breadth of the land. As we had observed before, the valley stretched several miles wide and many times that in its length. Verdant fields and several small forests dotted the land, while a waterfall fed into a small stream that supplied a clear lake in the valley’s center. Two small caverns in the high cliff walls showed signs of having been used as mines in the past, probably accounting for the source of the stone that had been used to begin the construction of the incomplete wall at the entrance to the canyon.

  After the first day spent exploring, we settled in for the evening and I pulled up my notifications. A lot had happened since I last reviewed them, but I was completely unprepared for what came up.

  Quest Completed – Uniter V. You have completed a Quest that has been many millennia in the making. For rejoining the scattered fragments of the Amulet of Unity and reforming the ancient symbol of a unified Arrika, you have been rewarded with 55,000 XP.

  You have gained a level! – You have earned sufficient experience to advance to level 22.

  You have gained three Attribute points. Two of your points have been automatically assigned to CON and CHA. You may assign the remaining point to any other Attribute as you see fit.

  You have gained a level! – You have earned sufficient experience to advance to level 23.

  You have gained three Attribute points. Two of your points have been automatically assigned to DEX and CHA. You may assign the remaining point to any other Attribute as you see fit.

  You have gained a level! – You have earned sufficient experience to advance to level 24.

  You have gained three Attribute points. Two of your points have been automatically assigned to WIS and CHA. You may assign the remaining point to any other Attribute as you see fit.

  Quest Assigned – The Uniter. Heal the wounded lands and bring together the fractured people of Arrika. Quest rewards are variable.

  I paused between levels only long enough to assign my points to Strength, Constitution, and Intelligence at each opportunity, but my sense of joy was completely robbed from me when I read the overwhelming goal of the new Uniter quest. While I knew that bringing together the fractured Realms was my ultimate purpose, seeing it stated so definitively put a very fine point on the daunting task ahead of me. Rather than focusing on it for too long, I pulled up my personal sheet.

  Dreya Dae

  Sintári Female

  Title: Sintári

  Level - 24

  249859/261200

  Health - 308/308 Aura - 715/715 Endurance - 308/308

  Sintári – Sintári interact with their surroundings in unusual ways. The effects of these interactions can be unpredictable

  Class – Warden – Wardens gain a 10% bonus to skills associated with nature or which have natural effects

  Specialization – Protector

  Mastery –

  STR - 32 (+3)

  CON - 26 (+2)

  DEX - 24 (+2)

  INT - 23 (+2)

  WIS - 21 (+2)

  CHA - 39 (+3)

  Abilities

  Ignore Armor – Your next arrow will ignore a portion of the target’s armor. Cost – 20 Aura. – 35%

  Stun – Your next arrow has a chance to stun its target on hit. Cost – 20 Aura. – 33%

  Block – You may attempt to use your bow to parry a single melee attack. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 20%

  Swarm – Your next arrow duplicates itself in flight. Cost – 20 Endurance and 20 Aura. – 44%

  Flurry – Perform three rapid strikes with a bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 24%

  Parry – Chance for your blades to block next melee attack targeted at you. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 23%

  Hamstring – The next arrow fired has a chance to cripple your opponent. Cost – 20 Aura. – 30%

  Hilt Bash – Stun your opponent with a successful hilt strike from your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 22%

  Blood Price – Your arrow inflicts a damage-over-time bleed effect. Cost – 30 Aura. – 34%

  Blind – Your next arrow has a chance to inflict blindness on a successful hit. Cost - 30 Aura. – 33%

  Achilles Strike – Cripple your target with a slash of your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 24%

  Penetrator – Advanced Ability – Your arrow pierces through armor easily. With increased proficiency it may penetrate through even greater barriers. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 60 Aura. – 15%

  Disable – Advanced Ability – A successful strike of your blade to an extremity renders the affected limb completely useless until healed. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 60 Endurance. – 5%

  Sintári Abilities

  Natural Affinity – The Sintári’s unique connection with the natural world may manifest itself in random ways at times. While these effects are generally beneficial, they are also typically outside the direct control of the Sintári. Modifier – Charisma.

  Control – Effect varies, applies to all Sintári Abilities. – 25%

  Protector Abilities

  See Truth – Once per day, the spoken words of your target become visible to you, allowing you to see the truth held within them. Strength and duration of this effect increase with proficiency. Cost – 60 Aura. Modifier – Wisdom. – 17%

  Spells

  Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or
ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost – 20 Aura. – 45%

  Create Trap – Place a magical trap upon an area. Size, type and trigger of traps is determined by your proficiency. Cost – 40 Aura. – 47%

  Elemental Arrow – Your next arrow is imbued with elemental energy and causes additional elemental damage accordingly. Cost – 30 Aura. – 26%

  Bolt – Release a Bolt of pure Lightning at your target(s). Cost – 40 Aura. – 22%

  Find Weakness – Highlights vulnerable points on the target. Modifier – Intelligence. Cost – 80 Aura. – 6%

  Skills

  Bow – 47%

  Critical Hit – 37%

  Blades – 33%

  Long Sword – 35%

  Short Sword – 28%

  Dagger – 26%

  Critical Hit – 28%

  Two – Handed – 29%

  Pole Arms – 14%

  Spear – 23%

  Armor – 29%

  Medium Armor – 34%

  Perception – 42%

  Environmental – 44%

  Identify Enemy – 40%

  Identify Person – 39%

  Combat Dodge – 25%

  Subterfuge – 30%

  Stealth – 35%

  Find Trap – 11%

  Disarm Trap – 8%

  Set Trap – 10%

  Manipulation – 33%

  Persuade – 44%

  Barter – 29%

  Survival – 24%

  Tracking – 26%

  Identify Creature (Beasts) – 18%

  Skinning – 13%

  Field Dress – 12%

  Alchemy – 17%

  Herbalism – 25%

  Potion Craft – 21%

  Lore – 3%

  Identify Magical Item – 5%

  The numbers were awesome, but didn’t add up. My Health, Aura, and Endurance were simply too high. Then I remembered what had caused me to gain so much experience and opened up my Inventory page.

  Inventory