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

  Encumbrance – 64/385

  Clothing

  Bow of Impact (80) Soul Bound

  Essence Blade (45), Soul Bound

  Fine Short Sword, (18)

  Dagger of Laceration (2)

  Dagger, Fine (3)

  Archer’s Circlet

  Fine Leather Chest Guard (10)

  Fine Leather Pauldrons (2)

  Fine Leather Tassets (4)

  Fine Leather Bracers (1)

  Fine Leather Armguards (1)

  Fine Leather Cuisse (1)

  Fine Leather Greaves (2)

  Fine Leather Boots (2)

  Fine Leather Gloves

  Hunter’s Cloak (2)

  Fine Padded Shirt (2)

  Fine Padded Pants (3)

  Scrolls, Resurrection

  Amulet of Unity, Soul Bound

  Token of Grace

  Token of Insight

  Token of Agility

  Token of Acumen

  Token of Fortitude

  Token of Force

  Ring of Encumbrance

  Never Ending Quiver of Arrows, Soul Bound

  Camp blade

  Belt pouch, common:

  15 weak health potions, 17 red crystals, 2 cure disease potions, 2 cure poison potions, 2 purple crystals

  Coin pouch, Soul Bound:

  30 Talons, 63 Gold Bits, 245 Silver Marks, 113 Silver Bits, 224 Coppers

  Backpack 50 slot, 70% weight reduction

  Seeing the true name of the Amulet finally revealed prompted me to try and focus on its description, hoping that the answer to my question would be found there. This time at least, I was not disappointed.

  Amulet of Unity – This ancient symbol grants powerful boons to its rightful owner. Once all of its elements are combined, the wearer gains a 10% Bonus to all Attributes, Health, Aura, Endurance, and Encumbrance. These effects may not always combine with lesser boons.

  The Amulet provided a truly incredible boost to my capabilities, one that would continue to scale up with me as my own powers increased. But right away, I noticed one thing that it did not increase—my Encumbrance.

  As the item’s description implied, the Amulet would not always be compatible with what it labeled as ‘lesser boons.’ Removing and replacing the Ring of Encumbrance a few times confirmed that I was receiving a 10% bonus to that stat regardless of whether or not I was wearing the ring. I left the ring on out of habit but knew exactly what I was going to do with it when the time came to pass it on.

  Closing all the windows I had opened, I wrapped my arms around Tási, and we fell asleep together while Bane perched contentedly atop the two of us.

  2

  I woke the next morning to the sight of Bane’s little golden eyes staring at me intently. Looking into his eyes, I sensed something different about him, as if his gaze had gained some new depth during the night.

  “What is it Bane?” I asked as he continued to stare.

  You have changed me, Sintári.

  “I don’t understand, Bane. I haven’t done anything to you,” I protested.

  You have grown, and I have grown with you.

  I stared at him blankly for a moment as I remembered leveling up the night before. Could that be it? Had my own increase in power effected Bane as well?

  “I leveled last night, grew in strength. Did that change you somehow? Is that what you mean?”

  Yes. We are bonded, Sintári. As you increase in power, so will I. My mind and body have both benefitted from your growth.

  He certainly did seem smarter, or at least better able to communicate. Thinking about those communication abilities, I tried to send my response directly to his mind, but the attempt failed, and I was forced to speak out loud to him instead.

  “You seem to have grown a great deal, Bane, but I still cannot speak to you in your mind as you do with me.”

  No, Sintári, it will be some time before you gain that power.

  “Your words are so much clearer to me now. What else has happened to you, Bane?”

  As you have noted, my mind has cleared—much of the fog that hung over me before is gone. My venom has also grown more powerful, and I am stronger as well.

  “That’s amazing, Bane! Will you keep growing like this every time I do?”

  Unfortunately, no. I was quite weak before. Undeveloped. I think this was just our bond helping me catch up to you. My advancements will be much more modest in the future.

  I did not reply to his statement. Instead, I stroked his scales gently as he laid back down on top of me and began purring softly. His reassuring presence was comforting, and I was glad that his sudden increase in intelligence had not made him any less affectionate.

  I tried to go back to sleep, but Bane’s revelations had brought me too far out of my slumber for me to have any hope of returning to its warm embrace. I gave up on the attempt after a short while, and quietly snuck out of the tent to take in the morning sunshine outside. Bane followed me out and settled on my shoulder while I stirred the embers of the previous night’s fire. Once I rekindled our campfire, I put on some water for tea.

  As the water came to a boil, Bane flew off, searching for his own breakfast. I had just switched out the pot and begun cooking breakfast when Tási emerged from the tent to join me. As she approached, I could see that she held the elf King’s spell book in her hand.

  “Good morning,” I offered her in greeting. “Tea is ready, and I should have some eggs soon as well.”

  “Sounds great,” she replied as she sat down on one of the logs we had arranged around the fire.

  “I was thinking, we should take a look at the plans in here before we do our scouting for the day,” Tási continued, holding up the book.

  The elf King had given me the tome as a gift. In it was not only the spell that would allow me to summon an earth elemental, but also extensive drawings of the plans he and his dwarven counterpart had made for the valley. I had glanced at them briefly, but the full extent of what they had envisioned was simply overwhelming.

  “Have you seen what’s in there, Tási?” I replied. “It would take decades to construct even half of what they have laid out.”

  “Perhaps,” she answered. “But it might be helpful for you to look at things with the future in mind.”

  “If you’re trying to make a point Tási, just say it.”

  “Very well,” she replied with a smirk. “You are about to begin the process of uniting all of Arrika. This valley will not only be the place where you launch that effort; it’s obvious that it is also intended to serve as the capitol for your empire.”

  “You need to see it that way right from the start—to build with your ultimate goal in mind from the very beginning. You cannot afford to make too many mistakes, or your efforts will eventually suffer from the lack of planning.”

  I knew all of that already, but hearing my future goals laid out so starkly was almost shocking to me. I really should have been over it by then, having been confronted by the reality of it many times, but it still managed to catch me off guard any time I heard them spoken aloud. I hadn’t often thought beyond my immediate concerns, but if I was to have any hope of success, if I was truly serious about my ultimate goal of bringing peace to these lands, I needed to stop avoiding thoughts about the future and accept my responsibilities.

  “Alright,” I answered her after a moment’s reflection. “We’ll look over the book before we set out for the day.”

  The first few entries we reviewed laid out the valley’s defensive perimeter. A high wall across the mouth of the canyon served as an initial barrier against any assault. Towers and siege weapons provided additional security, and an elaborate gateway, similar to the one in Lorida’s fortifications, forced any attackers into a gauntlet of death before they could breach those defenses.

  At the far end of the canyon entrance, a great fortress served not only as a second line of defense, but also housed the many offices of state for the empire the two kings had envisioned. The i
ncredible Palace structure was a city unto itself, designed to withstand a siege and protect the valley beyond from any attack. With the verdant lands behind it supporting its soldiers, the impressive fortifications would easily outlast any attempted siege.

  The tome also contained blueprints for construction well beyond the basic defenses for the valley. Small farms and other communities were plotted out throughout the valley’s interior. But other than husbanding the rich land’s resources, most of the precious land was left undeveloped. Rather than planning for future expansion within the confines of the valley floor, the two kings had looked skyward instead.

  Extensive stairways and even an intricately designed elevator system were described leading up to the top of the sheer cliffs. There, atop the roots of the mountain itself, lay the designs for a city unlike any other.

  Homes and business districts spread out across the smooth rock above the valley. Schools and training grounds provided for both the education and defense of the empire. Here, high above the valley below, the citizens could live free from threats and abundantly provisioned from the bounty of the fertile fields beneath them.

  The full scope of the measures outlined in the tome were breathtaking in their ambition, yet it all began with the completion of the wall at the mouth of the canyon. Without that initial barrier to the dangers outside, none of the rest would be possible.

  “Perhaps we should get started on that,” I admitted as we looked over the plans for the wall.

  “The elf King’s magic should hold the wilds at bay for a little while longer, but you’re right,” Tási replied in agreement. “The sooner we start, the better.”

  As we were looking over the plans and discussing things, Bane returned from his morning hunt. Setting down on my shoulder, he listened intently as we concluded.

  I will scout outside the valley for you. The beasts seemed to stay far away from here while the elf King remained. I should be able to tell if they have come any closer.

  Bane’s offer was not only helpful, but surprisingly insightful as well. His new-found intelligence was already proving quite useful.

  “Thank you, Bane,” I replied to his thought message. “We will be looking over a few things in the valley before we inspect the wall. Come find us when you have finished scouting.”

  After finishing our breakfast, we set off to complete our scouting of the valley’s interior. We had covered most of it the day before and were done with our explorations before noon. With my cursory inspection of the land taken care of, we headed for the canyon entrance to look over the wall’s location.

  The area was exactly as I remembered—the ancient foundation stretched across nearly a third of the canyon’s width while a low screen of scrub and brush hid its entrance from the outside.

  As I looked over the construction, I tugged at the ribbon that was attached to the elf King’s tome. Once I freed the polished stone from the tangled loops, I stared at it in confusion, uncertain of how I was to activate its powers.

  “I admit that I am not familiar with items like this,” Tási offered as she watched me struggle. “But usually there is either a keyword, or you just have to focus on the desired effect. Since the King left us no keyword, I’m assuming you only have to concentrate on its powers for them to manifest.”

  I gripped the stone tightly and thought about summoning the elemental. The vague images I had from the dead man’s memories prevented me from thinking of the entity any other way. The elf King had only referred to the summoned entity as a creature born of the Earth, and I hoped that my conceptualization wouldn’t disrupt the magic.

  As I focused intently, a soft rumbling erupted from the ground in front of me. A mound of earth slowly churned as a pillar of rock rose above the ground. The monolith ceased rising when it stood nearly eight feet tall, and then slowly pivoted towards me, and the rough outlines of a mouth cracked open as the creature spoke.

  “I remember this place,” its gravelly voice intoned. “The old Kings called me here to aid them, but that was long ago. Are you the one they spoke of? The one who would complete their vision?”

  “Yes,” I answered the elemental, feeling the conviction in myself for the first time.

  “What would you have of me, Mistress?”

  “I need to secure the valley. To do that, we need this wall completed,” I replied. “Can you do this?”

  “Yes, I can,” the elemental replied. “The Kings showed me all of their plans for this place.”

  “But the heartstone you hold will only allow you to call me twice more,” it continued. “I will not be able to finish even this task in the time that will allow us.”

  “The elf King told me as much. That is why he also left me the spell to study. Once I have learned it, I can call you again myself.”

  “No, you cannot,” he replied. “I am bound to the heartstone; when its power is exhausted, your summons will no longer be attuned to me. Your spell will call one of my lesser brethren, who will not share my knowledge.”

  “If you will allow it, I will bind myself to your summons, much like I was bound to the heartstone,” the elemental offered. “Though that binding was made without my consent, I offer you this pact freely.”

  “I am honored by your willingness to help me.”

  “I sense your nature, Mistress. Even if I could not feel your power, it is long past time for these lands to heal. The Earth itself grows weary of witnessing the endless tragedies committed above her. We too have mourned the innocent blood that has been spilled upon us all across the face of your Realms. I am not the only one of my kind willing to help put an end to the slaughter.”

  The elemental shows no outward sign of emotion, but I could hear its voice grow even heavier as it spoke of the evils it had witnessed.

  “I shall begin my work now; you need not stay with me. Summon me again once the spell ends, and I will continue until the task is complete.”

  “What do I need to do to call you once the heartstone is gone?”

  “Nothing, Mistress, I have already bound myself to you,” he replied. “You have only to cast your summons, and I will answer.”

  “Thank you,” I answered. “Do you have a name? Something I can call you?”

  “I have no name, Mistress. My people have no need of such things,” he informed me. “But the old Kings did not feel that way. They called me Ridge.”

  “Ridge it is then, if you don’t mind.”

  Ridge simply inclined his head towards me in acknowledgement before walking away towards the unfinished foundations. I watched for a while as he began completing the work he had started so many centuries ago.

  Ridge reached down, and his arm vanished into the ground beneath him. When he pulled it back out, he held a rectangular hunk of hard stone that perfectly matched the rough blocks of the wall’s foundation. He collected dozens of these crude stones before beginning to incorporate them into the wall.

  As I watched, Ridge laid the blocks in place atop the foundation. After placing the blocks, he ran his hands all along their surfaces and the rough stone appeared to melt into the foundations, sealing the two together into one solid mass. He repeated this process with each and every block, slowly transforming the bare foundation into a thick wall of solid stone. Although the finishes were crude, due to its near-monolithic nature, the wall was far stronger than any normal means of construction would allow.

  By then, it was late in the afternoon and well past time for some lunch, so we left Ridge to his work and returned to our camp in the little side canyon. Tási worked to rebuild the fire while I scrounged in our packs for something to eat.

  “You’ve been awfully quiet. Is everything alright?” I said to Tási as we finished our meal.

  She had barely spoken a word since I had summoned Ridge and I was worried that something may have been troubling her.

  “You have no idea what just happened, do you?” She said.

  The tone of sadness and regret in her voice was unmistakable, and
I paused to consider what I might have done to provoke such emotions in her. I drew a blank and was left with only one possible response.

  “No, you’ll have to tell me.”

  “The Earth just bound itself to you,” she replied, on the verge of tears. “I’m not as well-versed in the legends as Venna is, but I have never heard of anyone receiving a boon like that.”

  “Tási, I think you’re overstating things quite a bit,” I answered, uncertain why she was so distraught. “Even so, why is that a such bad thing?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “Something about it fills me with a sense of dread. I think, just like you, I’ve been denying the enormity of what lies ahead of us, but when Ridge pledged to bond himself to you, it all came into such sharp focus. It’s truly overwhelming.”

  “Yeah,” I retorted flatly. “Aren’t you the one who reminded me that I have an empire to build this morning?”

  “Is that why you avoided the subject?” She replied, ignoring my jab.

  “Partly, yes,” I admitted. “Sometimes I have to focus on just what I have in front of me. Thinking very far ahead is too daunting. But you were right as well—if I don’t keep my long-term goals in mind, I might also cause a great deal of harm.”

  “What do you think will happen to this valley? Will it become what the Kings envisioned?”

  “I think it has to if we are going to succeed,” I replied. “None of the Realms would willingly accept a capitol located in another Kingdom. This valley is intended to serve as an independent capitol for a united Arrika. While there will still be resistance to our efforts, as a new power free from any prior political ties, the Realms will find it much less difficult to accept our rule, rather than having to submit to some former enemy or rival.”

  We both had our fill of the heady conversation at that point and left the subject alone after that. With the valley at least somewhat explored and Ridge working on the wall’s construction, Tási and I turned to our training for the rest of the day.

  I practiced Find Weakness on any creature that wandered past our camp, and Tási cast her Spells at a set of rudimentary targets she had set up. I would have liked to have worked on Disable, but that was far too dangerous a talent to practice on with Tási. Instead, I drew the Essence Blade and began to practice the sword forms that Evans had taught me.