Battleforged: Book 1 - THE BILLION CREDIT HEIST - An Earth Apocalypse LitRPG Adventure

“Alright, everyone present and accounted for?” Rich asked, giving Yuki a sympathetic look. “I note you have some new boots.”

She grinned, looking back at Eric. “This boy’s proving useful in all sorts of unexpected ways, fearless leader. Who knew that becoming a Necromancer King included cobbling and tailoring?”

Eric smirked. “In my defense, I just shaped some treated leather in my ES space around her feet and calves, and skin tight leather boots have been around pretty much forever.”

Jack and Steven exchanged grins.

“So how did you like molding that leather around those perfectly proportioned calves?” Steve asked.

“He liked it just fine,” Yuki said, glaring Steve’s way. “And unless you’d like to find yourself lost in endless looping corridors...”

Steve quickly raised his hands. “Forget I said anything! I’ll let you two cobble in peace, then.”

Emily sighed, before flashing Yuki a sympathetic smile. “You okay, Yuki? We can always take a break or, you know… stop, if you don’t feel up to any more dungeoneering.”

Surprisingly, Yuki adamantly shook her head, even as she clenched her trembling fist. “No. No, I have to do this… I WANT to do this. Because sure as fuck, I want to raise my skill and see what the payoff is now that I finally have a chance to show off this skill that would have made me, us, absolute kings of the world if the assholes in charge hadn’t torn free all the Greens and Yellows and left us with Orange tier nightmares in their place. If instead I fail to follow through, if I flinch away from seeing for myself exactly what the payoff of this skill is…” she swallowed, looking back up at Emily, the dread in her eyes plain for all to see.

“If I don’t face my fears right now, I know the node will be utterly wasted. I’ll never have the courage to do this again.”

Rich smiled reassuringly, gently squeezing her wrist. “It’s alright. You got this, Yuki.”

She flashed a bitter smile. “And some asshole revenant’s got my feet… and my priceless naginata, but fuck it. Onward we… Eric! You did it!”

Eric was surprised by how fiercely she hugged him when he handed her the naginata he had instinctively flipped in storage when shit went down, having only remembered it when she had kissed him, oddly enough, having previously been so preoccupied with his own shit.

“Of course I did. I don’t want my favorite dungeoneer to be thrown off her game… so shall we?”

Eyes glittering with relief and hope that belied the twitch in her limbs, she took a deep shuddering breath, and they were off once more.

Once more finding themselves moving along a path that wound in and out of alleys, caverns, tunnels, and reality itself, to find themselves in a massive-cathedral like dome covered in twisted depictions of torment and despair. It was only the soft golden glow of a prize in the heart of the chamber that made this chamber of crimson glass seem anything other than a nightmare, for all that a trio of revenants were guarding it just like before.

Eric sensed Yuki’s shuddering breath, whispering in her ear. “Time for you to show the world just how kickass you are,” he said, and just when she flashed a determined smile, he whispered again. “And you know exactly what to look out for.”

She instantly froze, glaring at the three specters, waiting long moments for the telltale signs of the fourth.

Because yes, she did know exactly what to look out for now, all of them studying the pattern of the three specters glaring just past the shadows they had all emerged from the edges of, Yuki’s cloaking ability somehow expanding to include them all, at least when they were embracing her lead, as the official dungeoneer of their group.

“Okay. Every six seconds it pops up. I’m trusting the middle two to be the safest time to…”

Her words cutoff as she darted forward.

Eric’s heart was pounding in his chest as he sensed her darting through the crimson glass cathedral just as specters wearing expressions mirroring the twisted ecstasy of monks embracing the most vile of sins floated by.

For a heartbeat, all three had shifted away.

Yuki was just about to plunge her hand into the golden ball of light before freezing stock still… long enough for glaring eyes filled with malice and hate to emerge from the obsidian floor… before sinking beneath the surface once more.

And just as the three other specters turned around, eyes locking on to Yuki’s presence, she had already claimed the golden key and was darting through the shadows once more.

The air erupted with the cackling howls of revenants sensing their prey.

“Sanguis Fulmen, motherfuckers!” Eric roared as the chamber lit up with crimson flashes and the crack and boom of oblivion, and the three specters were no more.

Yuki’s eyes widened. “Come on, we have to go NOW!”

Eric blinked, but didn’t argue, having no doubt that Yuki knew better than anyone what ugly secrets tied to priceless opportunities were twisted within her pocket realms, quickly taking the rear when everyone linked hands and began darting through twisting corridors that made Eric want to heave just as before… but at least they were leaving the growing sense of hideous abominations howling in their wake endlessly far behind.

“We did it!” Jack cried with a whoop. “That’s two keys down! We’re almost there! Right Yuki?”

Yuki flashed a pleased smile. “That’s right, just one more to go!”

“What happens then?” Eric curiously asked, earning a teasing grin from Yuki.

“Patience, hero. You’ll see soon enough.”

Intrigued, Eric just smiled and nodded, happy enough to go with the flow.

And much to his surprise, Yuki now seemed completely in the zone, both focused on her mission and utterly in tune with their environment, such that when they entered a third chamber of whirling black-iron cogs and gears crashing against each other like a massive steam-work clock of doom, earning a disbelieving look from Eric and curses from everyone else, Yuki didn’t hesitate to weave and dart through steely death, disappearing before their eyes.

And before Eric could do anything but gaze in horrified awe, all too easily able to imagine Yuki being crushed between clock-like gears that were now somehow a part of this dungeon, Yuki had popped back into existence right in their midst, holding the third key with a look of absolute triumph.

“I did it! We’re now so close to completion, I can taste it!” And in far less time than Eric would have thought, they were back in the gloomy central chamber, gazing at the crackling portal of crimson and ebony flame leading ever deeper into the rift.

Yuki took a shuddering breath, before gazing back Richard’s way.

“Are you sure about this, Yuki? If you’re wrong...”

Yuki’s anxious smile turned to a glare. “I’m not. These three keys are the lynchpins to the entire kingdom. We claim the keys, we can claim this rift, locking it in just as it is!”

Emily furrowed her brow. “But, Um, Yuki… we’ve never done this successfully before, outside of White-tier dungeons that have already been claimed and drained by countless adventuring parties before us. This one’s still virgin territory radiating so much wild energy, and that’s, well, an Orange-tier boss monster were about to face. And after what happened last time we tried to take on an Orange-tier...”

Yuki made an angry chopping motion with her hand. “It’s not the same! That dungeon was infiltrated by another goddamned faction of elitist assholes, thinking they could smuggle in an actual fucking Bronze-tier scion! I don’t care what bullshit ‘prize’ a certain someone was rewarded, it wasn’t worth it, and there was no way they would have gotten away with it. Anyway, the point is, that wasn’t how a normal delve should flow!”

Of course Ron immediately picked up on what Yuki had said in passing. “Wait, wait, wait! Prizes? This elven asshole was rewarded a Bronze-tier prize on our delve and he didn’t think it worth mentioning? That’s our prize, motherfucker!”

Eric froze, realizing he had to be damn careful in responding to Ron’s hot-eyed accusation, wanting to laugh at the irony that he couldn’t even properly defend himself. His metaphoric hands were tied, at least if he wanted free and clear use of the prize he had been given without incurring strain to his foundation.

“What the hell?” snapped a startled Richard, now glaring Eric’s way, along with the entire party, save for Yuki herself. “Explain, Eric. Now!”

Yuki flashed a cheeky smile. “Don’t blame him. He basically gave an oath never to say a word. The rest of you weak bitches were nocked out, and yeah, I was barely holding on myself. But I still heard all sorts of juicy tidbits, and I gave no oath of silence, and since we’re in another delve, I don’t think any goblin sage or bull-headed tyrant can listen in.”

Eric hated feeling pinned by the hostile stares he was being given, before everyone’s focused turned back to Yuki. Richard cleared his throat, sounding at least partially mollified.

“Okay, so… what exactly happened?”

Yuki smirked, clearly enjoying Eric’s discomfiture. “After our hero here schooled that asshole of a minotaur by goading him into over-extending and exhausting himself, he hit that arrogant shit where it hurt, pounding the crap out of him and blasting him apart with flame. Then the fucker’s squealing for mercy and Eric actually accepted! I thought he was being an idiot, then I realized he was being dead smart, because of course some titanically powerful fucker had been watching the whole thing, and chose that moment to make an eyeball-searing rift and step part-way through. Not that I got a close look at its face, I kept my gaze down! But I still caught sight of the stone box he tossed by Eric’s feet radiating so much Shadow energy even I was squinting to see it, and by the time I looked back, that over-powered monster had already pulled his prodigy back to the land of high-living elites, the farthest thing from here, I’m sure.”

Ron glared at Eric. “So, he was holding out on us!”

Much to an embarrassed Eric’s relief, Yuki shook her head. “Nope. I don’t think so. I mean, seriously, Ron, he’s been watching our asses, setting us up for some fucking sweet power progression, and just saved my ass less than an hour ago while I was screaming with bloody foot stumps.” Yuki’s smirk faded, eyes growing wide with remembered pain and dread before she shook her head and her trademark smirk was firmly back in place once more. “Let’s be honest, in a world full of asshole users, it’s Eric giving up so much choice info and opportunities so fucking selflessly that’s throwing half of us off our game. Am I right?”

Ron scowled, shaking his head, clearly not convinced, though Emily blushed and nodded, even though she hadn’t said a word of protest herself. Even Steve gave Eric a self-conscious shrug.

Richard just smiled, nodding Eric’s way in warm approval. “You’re right, Yuki. Bottom line, it was a duel between cultivators, and our lives were on the line. Any prize he earned should be considered his alone.”

Jack, however, did not look happy.

“We’d been busting our asses in that delve for over a month, just for boy-wonder here to do a clean sweep and claim the rewards without telling us a thing? Not even conveniently write us a note since he can’t say it aloud, or drop his prizes so we at least know he’s being square with us? I’m sorry, that’s bullshit.”

His words earned a dark chuckle from Ron, who crossed his arms and glared Eric’s way. “See? Just what I told you. All his idealistic crap and selfless-seeming gestures was him just stringing us along. Getting us to lower our guard. He’s a user, just setting us up for his future score.”

Yuki shook her head. “You’re way off, Ron. Like I said, he’s oathbound not to say a word. And it’s not some storybook oath where the noble rogue slips free of unwanted strictures to reveal everything with a wink and a nudge, Jack. This was some high-tier cultivator shenanigans and somehow I get the feeling that intent here matters a hell of a lot. Besides, as far as sharing spoils goes, I’d say that the twelve points we each earned is pretty much fucking priceless. If you consider how much one lousy low-tier magic stat-boosting fruit costs… in the millions of credits, you know just how valuable those twelve points are. To each of us!”

Ron scowled, then shrugged. “What of it? By his own admission, it was no skin off his back. Twelve points for him, either way. So why not give us something that cost him nothing if he’s just buttering us up for a future score? What matters is that he wasn’t going to give us shit, when it actually cost him something. Because he could have still shared the rewards for the dungeon clear without actually saying anything!”

Yuki crossed her arms, glaring at the belligerent man. “Actually, he couldn’t have, Ron. The minotaur elder’s words were, and I’m paraphrasing here, ‘This was for my living champion. It would have done him no good dead. So now it is yours.’ But it wasn’t said in English. The dialect he used had another meaning. The meaning was that the next living person who touched it would be permanently bound to it. And this was clearly some elite ascended cultivator talking, because I understood his meaning just fine without any universal language node.”

She then turned to glare at Jack. “And you, after practically calling Eric your long lost brother when he hooks you up with a boon granting you over two levels worth of Javelineer points, points which you desperately need, you’re going to jump on Ron’s hate fest just because he got a cut on the side? Really? Like he didn’t already save our lives twice over? Like any amount of treasure we could have earned in there would have brought us even two magic fruit on the exchange?”

Ron just glared and looked away, clearly unwilling to budge in his own opinion.

Jack, however, flashed Eric a rueful smile. “Yeah, Yuki does have a point. You’ve been standup, and here I am bitching like a winy, well...”

“Bitch?” Eric offered helpfully.

“Ha ha. Yeah, you know what? Maybe I was.” He sighed, shaking his head. “I guess the fear of being fucked over by people I thought had my back still hasn’t completely, well, faded.”

Eric clapped Jack's shoulder. “Yeah, I know that feeling well enough. The sting never quite leaves and it’s hard as hell to trust anyone after that.”

“Damn straight. But you’ve been stand-up with us despite all the shit you’re dealing with, same as us. So thank you, Eric, for everything.” His gaze grew solemn. “I mean it.”

“No problem,” Eric said, bumping fists with his new friend.

Yuki nodded in satisfaction. “There. You wanted to know the secret you sensed, Rich? There it is. This fucking badass is dueling Bronze-tier elites, and I’m getting my feet frozen off by ghosts.” She gave a bitter chuckle, shaking her head. “Well no more. Eric’s done enough. Now it’s our time to shine.”

Her smile turned to a hard stare for Eric. “Can I trust you to keep to my shadows along with everyone else, and let me actually do what I have to do to complete this?”

Eric caught her gaze before dipping his head. “That was never a problem, Yuki. But if whatever’s in there is as bad as I think it is…”

She smirked. “If I start screaming, you damn well better come save my ass.” Her gaze turned solemn. “And the rest of you better go back the way we came.”

Jack scowled. “Yuki, that’s bullshit. We’re a team. We take down threats together.”

She shook her head. “No, Jack. That’s just feel good bullshit you see in movies. In real life, if you can’t do shit, all your sticking around will do is stress out those who can. And don’t feel bad. Except for this crazy dungeoneer perk, I can’t do shit against these things either. I think Steve’s the only one who can.”

Steve smirked. “Yeah, not like I haven’t paid enough for Soulfire magic… and it’s not like I’ve had a chance to cast anything so far in here. But sure, if shit hits the fan, I’ll be shooting out Obsidian Orbs fast and furious until the minute whatever’s in there looks my way, and I’m jumping right back through with everyone else. Scout’s honor.”

“Awesome! So, are we all good to go?”

Eric took one look around, pushing his Perception to the utmost, trying to get a sense of any ghost-like revenants that might be lurking in the distance… yet there was absolutely nothing within half a mile of the second gate. “I think we are,” he said.

“Good, then let’s clear our second delve!”

None of them hesitated after that, Eric standing by Yuki’s side as they touched the crackling gate screaming in resonances that made his bones shake… and then they were through.