Path of Dragons - A LitRPG Apocalypse (BOOK TWO ON KINDLE SEPT. 2)

“Paradise. That’s what he said,” Sadie spat. “He’s been living on some island sipping mojitos while we’ve been fighting for our lives against nightmare monsters!”

“I don’t think that’s the whole story, bro,” said Dat, adjusting a harness that held a brace of throwing knives. Concealed beneath his long, leather coat was an arsenal of weapons for every occasion, and impressively, he knew how to employ each and every one of them to great effect. Sadie had seen him training, but more importantly, she had seen him in a fight. Despite his easygoing demeanor, he was as ruthless a combatant as anyone she’d known.

Which had been more than necessary back home.

“It’s what he said, Dat,” she insisted, seeing to her own preparations. They were set to leave as soon as the Druid returned from the infirmary, where he said he was once again healing people. But Sadie had seen his true nature, and so, she knew he had to have ulterior motives. Perhaps that was how he had progressed. Maybe that was the source of all his levels. Either way, she knew it was no selfless act. Someone like him was incapable of that. Not with that cloud of sin that followed him around.

Dat shrugged. “I don’t know what to say, except that nobody had it easy,” he pointed out. “Especially someone his level. Maybe you’re being too hard on him, bro. He seems like a good guy.”

“Looks often deceive.”

That was a popular axiom even before the world had transformed, but Sadie had never realized how factual it was. With Sense of Sin, she was exposed to the truth every single minute of each day. If anything, the common adage understated the situation. Human beings were, at their very core, evil. There was so much filth clinging to even the most innocent-looking person that it was difficult to look past.

Sadie tried.

And often, she failed.

Thankfully, her closest companion wasn’t as stained as most others, which gave her a little peace. Dat was no innocent, but he was a better man than anyone else she’d met.

The conversation lapsed as the pair continued their preparations. Sadie had an enchanted backpack that would hold about a month’s worth of supplies, and she’d spent a few hours of the previous day restocking what she’d used on her trek to the Nexus. So, she had plenty of food and water, a couple of camping implements, and the tools necessary to maintain her armor and weapons.

Because of their high grade, they didn’t need much maintenance, but out of habit, she still went through the motions. It did little good, but she found some comfort in the daily task of polishing her armor and sharpening her blades.

When there were no more preparations, they were forced to wait almost half an hour until the Druid returned. When he finally did, he did so in the company of the dwarf who would be the last member of their party. Like all dwarves, he was short, stout, and bearded. He was clad in worn leather armor, and he carried a couple of hatchets at his belt. In addition, he had quite a few other knives sheathed across his body. And finally, he carried a bow, with a quiver or arrows at his hip.

Surprisingly, Sense of Sin was mostly quiet concerning the dwarf. His misdeeds caused a slight haze that clung to him, but it was far more diffuse than anyone else she’d met, save for Dat. Instantly, Sadie liked him.

“This is Kurik,” Elijah said, gripping the dwarf’s shoulder. “Hunter extraordinaire.”

“Don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no ‘extraordinaire’,” the dwarf said. “But I’m a fair trapper, a decent woodsman, and a good tracker. Hope that makes me useful to this expedition.”

“He’s being modest,” Elijah insisted.

“I ain’t. Don’t even know why I’m here. ‘Tween you three, you can do anythin’ I can do and probably better,” the dwarf grumbled.

“I’m Dat, bro. You look pretty swole. You work out? What’s your routine?”

“Routine?”

“Lifting, bro,” Dat said, miming doing an overhead press.

“Uh…”

“I don’t think he works out, Dat,” Elijah pointed out with an infuriating grin.

“Ah. All natural, then. Farm strong.”

“I ain’t never worked on no farm.”

“That’s not what that means,” Elijah said. “He’s saying –”

“Can we please move on?” interjected Sadie, tiring of the exchange. “We have a long way to go, and though it seems like we have a lot of time to accomplish our goals, I suspect that we will need every hour.”

Elijah said, “She’s right. Best that we hit the ol’ dusty trail.”

Sadie glared at him, but she didn’t respond to his ridiculously hokey idiom. Instead, she just grabbed her backpack and the Sword of Morning from where it was leaning against the wall before she turned on her heel and marched out the door. In the background, she heard the Druid ask, “What did I say?”

She didn’t stick around long enough to listen to anyone’s answer. It was early enough that the streets of the Nexus were mostly empty, which meant that she had a clear path all the way to the edge of town. Sadie didn’t break her stride. Nor did she look back. But soon enough, the others joined her, lagging only a little behind. Once they were at the edge of the jungle, Elijah caught up to her and said, “You need to let us do our job.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“It means that if you go marching into the jungle without letting us scout the way, you’re going to end up fighting for every step you take,” he pointed out. “You can probably handle it, but like you said, we’re on the clock here.”

Sadie very much wanted to argue, but not because of what he said. Rather, it was that annoying tone of voice that suggested he took nothing seriously. And of course, the cloud of sin billowing off of him, filling her nostrils with its stink.

“Very well,” she said.

After that, they established a pattern. For the most part, they would rely on Dat and Kurik as scouts, leaving Sadie and Elijah together. That strategy made sense, too, what with Elijah being the strongest healer and Sadie having no skill in stealth or wilderness traversal. But that didn’t mean she liked it.

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Oddly, though, it was Elijah who objected, saying that he could cover more ground than any of them. Eventually, he was overruled, which clearly affected his mood.

The strategy worked well, though, and over the first day of travel, they weren’t forced to fight anything they couldn’t handle. They all played their parts, with Sadie taking on the role of the defender, with Kurik and Dat adding damage while Elijah focused on healing and controlling the battlefield with his restrictive roots spell.

On the second day, they seemed to cross a line into much more dangerous territory. And on the third, they found themselves embroiled in a battle against almost two dozen wraiths.

Sadie rushed forward, using Call of the Crusader to capture the horde’s attention. They abandoned any notion of attacking anyone else, and instead, rushed toward her. She activated Consecrated Shield, then Bulwark of the Faithful. The first was an ethereal shield meant for allies, which she placed on Dat, while the second was a similar concept that was only usable on herself.