Viridian Gate Online: Schism: A litRPG Adventure (The Heartfire Healer Series Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Summary

  Shadow Alley Press Mailing List

  Viridian Gate Online Recommended Reading Order

  Eldgard

  A New Dawn Elf

  Grillable Hours

  Fixed in Short Order

  Breaking in the Habit

  1st Libations, 24:7

  Incandescent

  Speed, Silence, and Maximum Violence

  Globed in a Drop of Dew

  House of the Rising Sun

  The Hidden Hand

  Knot My Problem

  Red Flags

  False Flags

  Immortelle

  PvZ

  Requiescat in Pace

  Snitches Get Stitches

  Boss Fight

  A Loan in the Dark

  In Nocte Consilium

  Malpractice Makes Perfect

  Recovery is a Process

  The End of the World

  Priest Pray Love

  Too Stressed to be Blessed

  Except for God

  Hellfire

  In War, Laws are Silent

  In Absentia Lucis...

  Darkness Prevails

  One Night Awaits Us All

  Ne Exeat

  Vox Clamantis

  The Confrontation

  Amicus Curiae

  Red Sky at Morn’

  Lending Light to the Sun

  Smack My Bishop

  Nobody Expects the Imperial Inquisition

  Dirty Healings

  Epilogue | Divine Madness

  Books, Mailing List, and Reviews

  Dedication

  Viridian Gate Online: Expanded Universe

  Books by Shadow Alley Press

  Books by Black Forge

  LitRPG on Facebook

  GameLit on Facebook

  Even More litRPG on Facebook

  Copyright

  About the Author

  About the Publisher

  Summary

  Priest or not, Liset is a healer, and she’s here to save their ass, not kiss it.

  After rescuing a holy relic from Darklings, Liset the Blessed learns no good deed goes unpunished. The Temple of Areste has given her a day and a half to make a choice: be excommunicated for turning in the quest item or excommunicated for stealing it. Either way, she risks losing her hard-earned class as a Priestess of Gaia, and with it, her ability to heal the people of Viridian Gate Online.

  But the world has other plans, and her temple is the least of her worries. Between the return of the Darklings, an ancient Hvitalfarian evil, and a brewing civil war in Rowanheath, there’s plenty of need for a healer.

  As a former physician, she has more tools at her disposal to heal people than magic. Even if she must go to war with her own temple, she won’t let her faith be ripped away without a fight. Not when so many people depend on her.

  Shadow Alley Press Mailing List

  Want to keep up with the Viridian Gate Online Universe? Visit Shadow Alley Press and subscribe to our mailing list!

  If you’d like to support E.C Godhand (and get access to exclusive content and cool stuff), visit her Patreon page. You can also hang out with other fans on her Facebook group, The Sunshine Gang.

  Viridian Gate Online Recommended Reading Order

  VGO: Cataclysm (Main Series Book 1)

  VGO: Crimson Alliance (Main Series Book 2)

  VGO: The Jade Lord (Main Series Book 3)

  VGO: The Imperial Legion (Main Series Book 4)

  VGO: The Lich Priest (Main Series Book 5)

  VGO: Doom Forge (Main Series Book 6)

  VGO: Darkling Siege (Main Series Book 7)

  <<<>>>

  VGO: Nomad Soul (The Illusionist 1)

  VGO: Dead Man’s Tide (The Illusionist 2)

  VGO: Inquisitor’s Foil (The Illusionist 3)

  <<<>>>

  VGO: The Artificer (Imperial Initiative)

  <<<>>>

  VGO: Firebrand (Firebrand Series 1)

  VGO: Embers of Rebellion (Firebrand Series 2)

  VGO: Path of the Blood Phoenix (Firebrand Series 3)

  <<<>>>

  VGO: Resurrection (The Heartfire Healer 1)

  VGO: Schism (The Heartfire Healer 2)

  <<<>>>

  VGO: Vindication (The Alchemic Weaponeer 1)

  VGO: Absolution (The Alchemic Weaponeer 2)

  VGO: Insurrection (The Alchemic Weaponeer 3)

  Eldgard

  A New Dawn Elf

  24 hours until Astraea

  I confess I’m not a righteous woman. I’m not a holy woman, no matter what they may tell you. But I know this: when God shuts a door, she opens a window so she can throw you out of it. That’s what it means to take a leap of faith.

  At least, if the last few days were any indication, that was true. I went from my freezing, failing Manhattan hospital frying pan right into the hellfire of Viridian Gate Online. Gaia, the goddess of life, weather, and luck, took me in and offered me shelter and purpose. She shared the smallest bit of her power with me. I foolishly thought maybe the existence of a higher power would make the world less cold and cruel. Instead, I found myself in a pit of vipers exploiting healers for profit.

  I prayed to her now in the quiet peace of the morning.

  She called me to stop a deadly plague, the Curse of Serth-Rog, from being spread by fallen priests called Darklings. She taught me we had to make the world better ourselves. Stopping the plague, though, cost our friend Hector’s life. A cursed blade sent him to Morsheim, the land of the dead. He was a Priest, like me, and belonged to my temple, the Novus Ordo Seclorum. In his memory, I touched the Divine Spark, a scar in the shape of the sun, that burned on my chest.

  <<<>>>

  Ability: Divine Spark

  Ability Type/Level: Passive/Level 7

  Cost: None

  Effect: Holy unlocked. All Light-based skill stats are increased by 3% per Divine-Spark level (Current: 21%).

  <<<>>>

  Cian, the leader of the Darklings, took in Priests who failed Exarch Jericho’s tests or were tired of his cult, the Temple of Areste. Supposedly she was the “Aspect of Salvation,” though no one would tell me what god she represented.

  Priests, healers of any sort, were already low in number. To join the temple, the exarch asked them to drink poison to prove their healing abilities. Including me. Many were my fellow co-workers back at St. Mercy’s on Earth. Now, there weren’t a lot left. Hieromancers, like me, were a Priest class built to balance healing, damage mitigation, and DPS. We were the gods’ strike team to make things right.

  <<<>>>

  Lore

  Anyone may choose their Aspect and serve in a temple as they see fit, but only the Priest is personally called by the Light to minister to the people of Falas Alferra directly. Like the Holy Templars who serve as protectors and enforcers of justice, the Priests serve as protectors of life and enforcers of their Aspect’s will.

  They tend to the needs of the faithful through magical light that may heal, punish, or bolster their companions through buffs. When a heart cries out for succor, the Old Gods answer by sending a Priest. When hope is lost, the Priest restores faith. When there seems no way out, the Priest’s light guides them. When death stands in wait to claim a soul, the Priest bids the wounded to rise and fight again with but a word.

  Game Play

  The Priest class is available to all who seek justice and love mercy. Therefore, it is available to any ra
ce, as the Old Gods welcome new followers in this new land, though players may choose a race-specific specialization to honor the faith of their ancestors. Players seeking a specialization must be ordained into a temple to be recognized as a member of the congregation and to receive the associated Reputation buffs.

  If selected, there are five class kit specializations, though only one can be unlocked at a time—Theologian, Spiritualist, Hieromancer, Evangelist, and the Hvitalfarian-specific En’Etaila, or Sunsetter.

  Becoming a Priest as a Hvitalfar instantly grants the player a “light” alignment, which is not the same thing as a “good” alignment; possessing a “light” alignment does, however, lower the player’s relationship with all non-Viridian-aligned factions to Unfriendly. In return, Priests receive a 10% damage reduction by “dark”-aligned players and NPCs.

  They may serve an Aspect directly as their patron deity, and gain access to their Aspect’s skill tree as they rank up within the temple. Aspects each have their own unique skills pertaining to the trait they are known for, but choose wisely. If rebuked or excommunicated by the Aspect’s temple, the skill tree becomes blocked for seven in-game years or until the player seeks penance through a redemption quest.

  <<<>>>

  One small benefit to joining the Temple of Areste, though, was it offered two daily orisons, or prayers, to disciples by sharing a faction-wide resource, Faith. I pulled up the ability tree. The table was shaped like an infinity symbol on its side, the double ouroboros that was Areste’s symbol. Light was a cantrip available to acolytes that essentially could be used as a free flashlight. Bless, a tier-two spell, offered 10% bonus to Holy Spell Power for ten minutes, while Divine Aid promised one free use of any spell with no Spirit cost.

  I took the cantrip. I wasn’t sure where I’d use it, what with the sun shining through the Sophitian temple window, but it was new and shiny. Eventually my temple would come for me and the holy artifact I stole from Cian. But not today. Today we were holding a pancake breakfast to celebrate our victory.

  I finished my prayers before the small statue of Gaia my friends had gifted me. For once, I wasn’t hungover, though three hours of sleep wasn’t enough to spare me from the Tired debuff.

  “Protect us with your Light. Allow us to flourish by channeling your blessings. Transform love into hope, hope into will, and will into actions—”

  I felt a gloved hand touch my shoulder and heard Corvus’ metallic voice echo in the empty temple. “Ready to go, ‘Liset the Blessed’?” said the Plague Doctor.

  I glanced up and quickly blessed myself. “Yeah. I’m starving.”

  Aesop’s Tables was a quaint little cafe near Stonemount, the Rowanheath Keep. I didn’t notice it at first compared to the high-walled stone fortress carved into the mountains that protected Rowanheath on two sides. The Keep looked like it could withstand a siege. I felt safe in the heart of the Wode city.

  The café itself reminded me of a charming French bistro. Whitewashed walls artfully flaked their plaster, and purple plumes of wisteria framed a welcoming teal door. Patrons laughed and enjoyed their meals on a patio filled with potted flowers and ivy vines that provided shade on wooden pergolas. The smell of fresh baked bread and spiced apple pies wafted through the door.

  Corvus and I sought out our team. I wanted to see Inquisitor Kismet most of all, and one could hardly miss an Accipiter with wings and one golden eye in a crowd of the Germanic Wodes. Yvonne, dressed like a Bohemian woman at a music festival, blended in a bit better except for the tiny sparrow, Lucky, that nested in her mess of hair.

  Windows let in warm, natural light that illuminated my team in the corner. Corvus and I waved, and they waved back. The plague still infected their arms with creeping black veins. I quickened my step. But the hostess, a brunette Wode wearing a clean white apron and carrying a notepad, stepped in our path.

  “Sister, we are humbled you grace us with your presence,” she said, her smile too wide for her face. It fell into confusion when she looked at Corvus, with their white beak-mask and black leather armor. She forced it back when she looked back at me. “I heard what you did for those people out west in Ankara. I cannot thank you enough.”

  “It was nothing, really,” I said, uncomfortable with the praise. I tried to step around her, but she placed herself in front of me again.

  “How could you say saving lives is nothing? My mother lives because of you.”

  I paused. She stared in earnest and refused to move.

  “I’m glad. You’re right, that’s not nothing. But I just saw two others, my friends, who have the plague, and I’d like to cure them, too,” I said, pointing to the rest of the A-men.

  “Oh! Right, right,” she said, finally stepping aside.

  Yvonne stood up, her chair screeching across the wooden floor, and held out her arms for me.

  “Did the Inquisition get their tests?” I asked, holding up my glowing hand.

  “Yes, yes,” she murmured. “Get in here already.”

  I hugged her and cast Veracity, the forbidden spell that cured the plague. She laughed and inspected her arm with wonder.

  “Damn, that really works, doesn’t it?” she pondered aloud.

  Kismet didn’t have to stand to be intimidating. The Inquisitor’s armor and height did that. “You’re late,” she said, though her wine-colored lips hid a smile. “We ordered for you. It should be here shortly.”

  “Did you get Corvus their sprinkles?” I asked, taking a seat across from her while Corvus sat across from Yvonne.

  “I wasn’t entirely sure what those were,” said Kismet, pouring me a cup of Western Brew. Unlike Corvus, Yvonne, and me, Kismet wasn’t a Traveler from Earth, but a native to V.G.O. A computer-generated character with as much intelligence and feelings as the rest of us. Hector had been, too. He was Corvus’ NPC. Each Traveler had one—a native chosen to help us adjust to the game. A god-sent companion. He should’ve been here with us.

  Kismet held out the cup of coffee, which I took gratefully with two hands. Her olive-skinned cheeks blushed as my fingers brushed across hers. I held my hands there longer, watching her squirm. I grinned and cast Veracity to cleanse her of the plague as well. The black veins in her hand dissolved into the air with the flourish of light.

  The Inquisitor inspected her hand and whistled.

  The waitress brought our food shortly. Golden waffles topped with syrup and various red fruits in artful designs for Kismet, Sunshine Peach Jam and thick clotted cream on scones for Yvonne, and for Corvus, Old-Fashioned Hotcakes with edible flowers instead of sprinkles. I couldn’t see their expression under their plague mask, but I felt their heavy disappointment next to me. I patted their shoulder, dreaming of the crispy bacon and roasted potatoes I wanted to eat.

  “Hey, it’s alright,” I reassured them. “The food will still taste good, you’ll—”

  The waitress set a Hvitalfar Summer Salad in front of me. Various leafy greens with berries, honeyed nuts, and crumbled white cheese all mixed with a tart vinaigrette, with a buttered crust of bread on the side.

  “What the hell is this?” I asked.

  The waitress clutched the wooden tray to her chest. “House specialty, sister.”

  I looked between the two culprits behind this insult, Yvonne and Kismet. “Who orders a salad for breakfast?”

  Yvonne was already stuffing her cheeks with scones like a chipmunk. I couldn’t make out what she said exactly, but it wasn’t complimentary to my timeliness.

  “I haven’t even said the blessing yet!” I scolded.

  Yvonne swallowed hard and washed it down with a chug of coffee. “Hah! We’d be better off letting Corvus say the prayers if we want them to make it past the ceiling.”

  Corvus stared forlornly at their pancakes. “Do you want me to say the—”

  “No,” we all intoned. I stared longingly at Corvus’ pancakes as my stomach rumbled from the Hunger debuff. They swatted my hand away when I tried to sneak a piece.

  The wai
tress came back to pour water. She eyed my salad, untouched, and offered a cheerful smile. “It’s a little late in the season for a Summer Salad, but it’s a Hvitalfarian dish with a Wode twist. The rowanberries are fresh from Ravenkirk, the cheese is from local sheep, and the nuts can only be harvested from the Whispering Grove outside the Tanglewood. Please, try it.”

  I’m a grown woman, but I still felt myself wince as I lifted the fork to my lips.

  A burst of flavors competed for attention. Salty cheese, sweet berries, savory nuts, and a tangy, almost citrusy dressing complemented the delicate leaves. For a salad, it was absolutely amazing. I saw the food in a new light. The wooden bowl now had enough to feed three people: me, myself, and I.

  The waitress giggled. “I knew you’d like it! Chef says when you have good ingredients, you don’t have to do much with them.”

  “Thank you,” I said, looking her in the eye. “You were right. This is delicious.”

  Yvonne caught the waitress’ attention and ordered what sounded like a Bloody Mary.

  “You’re drinking?” I asked. My in-game clock said it was 7:30 AM.

  “After yesterday, you’re not?” she scoffed.

  “Liset here could personally keep a winery in business,” mumbled Kismet behind her cup of coffee. I ordered a Melon Patch myself and tried the hot coffee. Delightfully bitter but with a hint of toffee taste, the coffee made the ache in my muscles melt away.

  I chuckled and set the mug down, letting the residual heat warm my hands. The morning was sunny, but chilly. “You know, back in our old world, we have a story about two kings who brought peace to all,” I said.

  Yvonne exchanged a look with Corvus as she stole my crust of bread. “We did?”

  “Well, of course we did.” I saluted with the coffee. “Smoking and drinking!”

  Yvonne sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of her nose. I caught Kismet smiling at the joke behind her mug.

  Corvus slipped a pancake onto my plate. “Your habitual intemperance may be a concern one day, sister,” they said.

  I devoured the pancake like I didn’t hear them.