The Alchemy Worlds: Enter T(he)rap(y): A LitRPG Adventure Read online

  “Distribute points?” Matias asked.

  “You have a variety of skills which you can improve as you go along inside the game. In addition, your health, strength and mana levels can also increase.”

  Matias nodded, and studied the screen closer, reading through the various statistics;

  Name: Matias

  Age: 23

  Race: Human

  Ethnicity: Sumarren Male (Native of the temperate land of Sumarros. Hale and friendly, the Sumarrens have enjoyed many generations of peace and prosperity under the noble rulers of House Caeruleon. Sumarros is a proud and majestic territory made up of great mountain ranges, rich forests, sweeping grasslands and rolling fertile plains. Though slow to anger and lovers of peace, the Sumarrens will defend themselves and their own tenaciously when threatened and can make formidable fighters.

  Class: Alder Druid (Level 1, Sapling Neophyte: A follower of the ways of nature and the land, druids of the Sect of Lady Alder venerate life and maintain the balance of harmony. Dedicated to the service of others, they are valued for their healing skills and deep knowledge of herbs and the elder knowledge.)

  Herb Lore (Class specialty): 0%

  Alignment: Grey Neutral

  Reputation: Rootless Nonentity

  Affiliation: None

  Health: 24/50

  Endurance: 50/50

  Mana: 50/50

  Strength: 5

  Defence: 5

  Dexterity: 5

  Intelligence: 15

  Vitality: 10

  Wisdom: 5

  Perception: 4

  Willpower: 10

  Charisma: 5

  Luck: 5

  “If you swipe the screen, it will bring up skills and abilities,” Amy said, giving Matias time to digest the information.

  Matias did so and brought up a virtually empty screen with a single icon in the top left hand corner. It was a small picture of a clenched fist with the legend Level 1: Bruiser written underneath it.

  Matias smiled and looked through the other screens, seeing an option to change his class type. When he tried though, he found it was locked to the pre-set option of the druid.

  “Why can’t I change my class?” he said. “I don’t want to be a dorky druid. Hey, I wanna be a feralkin berserker. Make me a feralkin berserker!”

  “Sorry, Matias, but the class has been pre-set and cannot be changed. You’re not in here to enjoy yourself but to learn to curb your antisocial behaviour and aggression. The class of a druid will teach you to help people and use your mind instead of your fists to solve problems. You’ve got pretty low strength in this world anyway, so you’re going to run into trouble if you rely on violence early on. As an Alder Druid, you have been blessed with innate magical ability by the nature deity Lady Alder; however, learning magic is extremely difficult for your class and is mostly focused on healing spells. As you progress and level up, you will develop skills and abilities, and hopefully by rising up through the ranks of your profession you will learn valuable life lessons along the way.”

  “Druids are gay,” Matias muttered.

  “Not exclusively,” Lottie drawled, “but I’m not one to judge your lifestyle choices.”

  He scowled and swiped through the screens, finding a mini-map showing a green icon and the interior of the tree room. Above it was written his location: Healer’s Hovel, The Feysecret Forest, North Western Sumarros, The Alchemy World of Arieon.

  “You can access the Secret Shrine to upgrade your stats and chart your progress whenever you touch your access tattoo. However, you cannot enter your shrine when in the presence of any other NPC or when fighting with enemies. You can’t rest or sleep in here either. You do those things like you would in the real world. That includes eating as well.”

  “What about other stuff, you know, like visiting the bathroom?”

  “You won’t need to do that, which makes you a lucky son of a gun in my opinion, but you will have to eat and wash. And your avatar will have all the vulnerabilities your normal body does, like getting sick, or being too cold or too hot.”

  Matias nodded. “I get it,” he said, his eyes drifting over the options. He suddenly frowned and pointed at the screen. “What the hell does this mean, Permanent Death On?”

  Surprise crossed Amy’s stone face. “Oh, just change that to ‘off’. Whenever you’re killed in the game world, you’ll re-spawn back to this point and your stats will be reset to where they were at the start. It’s a steep learning curve I agree, but we don’t want you to have an easy ride.”

  “You’re telling me, I can’t change it off,” griped Matias.

  “What? That’s not right? Just a minute, I’ll access BeyondMind’s mainframe and override that.”

  A shudder went through the Sacred Shrine. Amy’s eyes became unfocused and it looked like she was listening intently to something. When her attention at last returned to Matias, her expression was grim.

  “Okay, I’m sorry Matias but Permanent Death is unchangeable. If you’re killed in this world, you’ll suffer permanent brain death in the real world. You’ll die in both realities.”

  “What? You have got to be kidding me!”

  Amy lowered her gaze, unable to look at him. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do about that. You will have to be really, really careful what you do here.”

  “No kidding, Sherlock!” Matias snapped, making her flinch. “This is bull! You can’t do this! It’s against the law!”

  “I’m sorry Matias, but we can. You signed the consent form to undergo rehabilitation when you were first brought here.”

  Matias was ready to unleash a torrent of abuse on the girl, but she looked as unhappy about it as he was. He swallowed down his anger instead. If this was how they wanted to play, then so be it. He was tough enough to survive this craziness or at least die trying.

  Another shudder went through the Shrine and Amy looked up in alarm. “Okay, Matias I have to go. From here on in, you’re on your own. We won’t be monitoring you while you’re in the game. You’re free to explore, go anywhere and do anything, but please remember the limitations you’ve been given. They are there to help you, not hinder you. You’ll learn more about this world and its inhabitants as you interact with NPCs and engage in quests, as well as learning how to travel to other dimensions within the game. There will be info messages popping up to guide you on your way as well. Just touch your tattoo again to leave the Sacred Shrine. If you don’t choose to do that in five minutes, the Shrine will deposit you back in the game automatically.”

  “Wait a minute, you can’t leave me in this state,” Matias retorted, touching his chest. His underclothes were filthy and the shallow slashes inflicted by the monster he’d just fought were crusting over with blood. Now the initial disorientation was fading, aching pain began to seep through his body.

  “There’s a chest behind the workbench,” Amy said as her face began to melt back into the marble. “It contains the belongings of the Alder Druid who lived here many years ago. You’ll find enough stuff to get started. Good luck Matias.”

  Her face vanished, and Matias was left alone. Numbly, he touched his tattoo and found himself back in the Alder Druid’s home again. An eerie quiet settled over his surroundings and the cold realisation hit him that he was now utterly alone.

  Chapter IV: Venturing Forth

  Accepting that no more help was coming his way from Amy, Matias focused on making the best of his situation. She had told him there was a chest with equipment inside that would help him, so he went to have a look.

  It was resting behind the work bench as she had said, a large container made of wood, its surface pitted and worn with age. The unlocked lid creaked as he opened it, and his scowl deepened as he examined the shoddy looking contents.

  “Bunch of crud,” he grumbled, picking up the item closest to the top.

  It was a small leather bound book, cracked and ancient, and bulging with rough yell
owed pages. When he turned it over in his hands, however, he discovered that the front cover was inlaid with a single dark red ruby. He perked up and wondered how valuable the jewel was. He could end up a rich man if he could sell it, he reasoned, at least in the game world. That would make his time here a hell of a lot easier.

  When he tried to prise it loose with his fingers, however, he found that it was fused to the cover. His blood blackened again and he wondered if he could find a knife or something suitable to cut it free. Idly, he flicked through the pages. They were all empty. When he closed the book, a message notification in gold copperplate appeared a few inches above it:

  Item Description: The Alder Eye Journal

  Quality 4

  Durability 3/3

  Weight 0.5 tkulls (Sumarren unit of weight)

  Item Type: Magical artefact

  Information: Fused with the Ruby of Recording, this enchanted book allows the user to learn more of the inhabitants and locations within the Alchemy World of Arieon. Merely point the ruby at whatever object you wish to learn about, and a brief entry about it will appear within the pages of the journal. The magic imbued within the book will create a supply of never ending pages though the book will never grow any bigger. As the venerable Alder Druid Amosh Johon once wisely observed; “Size doesn’t matter. It’s what you do with it that counts.”

  Matias snorted and started trying to prise free the jewel with his fingers again. Another message suddenly flashed up in red lettering: The ruby is fused to the journal by ancient magic and can never be removed! Naughty boy Matias! Remember, money is the root of all evil!

  “Cute,” he muttered, staring at the ruby. He had a sudden thought and went over to the body of the creature on the floor. He raised the book so the ruby pointed at it, and the jewel flared brightly for just a moment. The book felt warm in his hand. Both the glow from the ruby and the heat faded, and he opened it to the first page and stared in surprise at the entry that was now written there in a sprawling, spidery script:

  Creature name: Moss mubb

  Level 1 (small degenerate plant creature)

  Alignment: Feral evil

  Grown in the Gardens of Atrocity, moss mubbs are savage and brutal creatures found in the deepest forests of Sumarros. Abominations of nature, they revel in chaos and destruction. They despise all other creatures and attack without provocation any unfortunate enough to cross their path. Though relevantly weak, they can cause great damage to the unwary and poorly armoured.

  Matias looked down at his shredded chest. “You’re telling me, buddy,” he grumbled.

  Tossing the book onto the workbench, he went back to the chest and pulled out the dark green robe that had been folded up neatly underneath the book. It was made of course wool and felt rough to the touch. As he held it up in front of him, a second message appeared:

  Item Description: Druid Robe (Neophyte)

  Quality 6

  Durability 7/8

  Weight 0.7 tkulls (Sumarren unit of weight)

  Item Type: Clothing

  Information: Hardwearing woollen robe traditionally worn by Alder Druids.

  The robe was Matias’ size, but there was no way he would be seen dead wearing something like this. Flinging it onto the workbench, he looked to see if there was anything better. Unfortunately, that was the only clothing inside the chest apart from a pair of rope sandals. As he picked them up, another message materialised:

  Item Description: Rope Sandals

  Quality 6

  Durability 5/5

  Weight 0.3 tkulls (Sumarren unit of weight)

  Item Type: Clothing

  Information: Simple, sturdy footwear suitable for travelling. You don’t want your pretty little toes to get all messed up by going across rough terrain with nothing on your feet now do you Matias? Also, don’t turn your nose up at the robe, unless you want to walk around in a world full of hostile creatures in just a scummy t-shirt and shorts? Sometimes, fashion has to be sacrificed for the sake of common sense. Don’t worry, though, you can obtain better clothing as you progress through the Worlds. NB: You can buy, sell, steal, and scavenge for all types of gear as you do in your own world.

  Matias barked a laugh. “I better do. I ain’t gonna look like a monk forever!” he called out to the emptiness.

  He put the sandals on top of the robe and next took out a leather rucksack with metal buckles and straps. He scanned through the message that appeared with it, heartened that he’d finally found something he almost liked:

  Item Description: Travellers’ Rucksack

  Quality 15

  Durability 14/14

  Weight 2 tkulls (Sumarren unit of weight)

  Item Type: Container

  Information: Sturdy rucksack suitable for carrying gear. To be worn on your back.

  “Would be great, if I had anything worth putting in, apart from my dorky field guide,” he muttered, putting the backpack with the other stuff.

  By now, there were only two objects left in the chest. His eyes lit up as he picked one of these up and hefted it in his hands. The message read:

  Item Description: Alder Druid Neophyte Staff

  Quality 20

  Durability 18/18

  Weight 3 tkulls (Sumarren unit of weight)

  Item Type: Weapon (mundane)

  Information: Staff typically carried by Druid Neophytes, carved from the alder tree sacred to Lady Alder. Used for defence and as a walking stick.

  Matias swung the staff round, smashing it against the head of an imaginary opponent. It was gnarled and knobbly, varnished to a deep rich brown and wrapped with a leather grip. It fitted his hand perfectly and he liked holding it.

  “Okay, I can work with this,” he conceded. “Although I’d much prefer a kick ass sword or battle-axe. That was a subtle hint by the way.”

  Another message quickly popped into existence: A druid treads the path of peace and harmony at all times, only resorting to violence when all else fails and usually as a means of self-defence. The all-powerful Lady Alder can punish recalcitrant druids in many subtle and unpleasant ways if they choose to stray from her teachings. Also bear in mind that nothing gets a tough guy killed quicker than a cocky attitude and lack of weapons training. Remember, you’re just a punk schmuck fresh out of jerk school. Don’t go picking fights with something that could rip out your lower intestine with just a flare of its left nostril. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

  “I get the point,” Matias said sourly, “but I ain’t gonna be a little fairy princess. I can handle myself.”

  His statement was met with no response, and Matias wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Resting the staff against the workbench, he took out the small metal tin which was the only thing left inside the chest. Opening the tin, he found it contained five small brown seeds. He took one out and held it between his fingers and read the accompanying message:

  Item Description: Alder Seeds of Healing

  Quality 100

  Durability 100/100

  Weight 0.001 tkulls (Sumarren unit of weight)

  Item Type: Magical healing remedy

  Information: Gifts of the Lady Alder to her faithful, a seed of healing cleanses all wounds and provides replenishment and rejuvenation. Alder seeds are extremely rare, so choose wisely when using them. Once they are gone, it may be extremely difficult to replenish your stock levels. Simply swallow and let the magic do its work.

  Matias looked at the seed and was keenly aware of the pain he was in. Shrugging his shoulders, he popped it into his mouth. A bitter earthy taste erupted on his tongue and he swallowed it down quickly. For a moment, nothing happened, but then an intense tingling feeling pulsed through his body. The three horizontal bars he’d seen during the fight with the muss mubb appeared in his vision again and the red one swiftly climbed to full strength again. As the info message had promised, he felt replenished and rejuvenated, and he watched as the wounds inflicted by the creature f
aded away.

  He closed the tin and looked back at the rest of the meagre equipment that had been provided for him. Reluctantly, he picked up the robe and slipped it over his head. It had a thin cord that served as a belt and he cinched it at the waist and straightened out the garment. It itched like hell and smelt like mould, but the thought that he’d be able to swap it for something more suitable stopped him from tearing it off. He was equally repulsed by putting on the sandals, trying desperately not to imagine how rank the feet of the druid who had once worn them probably would have been. He kept them on though, not wanting to go about with nothing on. He liked his feet too much to have them get busted up from long walking and hiking.

  Now he was dressed, he felt kind of ridiculous, and was glad none of his buddies could see him now. Still, there was nothing he could do about it. He had to get on with this as best as he could. To that end, he started to explore the Healer’s Hovel in more detail. There was nothing else of much use, but he did find that the wall opposite the workbench curved in on itself, creating a passage that was invisible at first glance. He followed it, down a short passage of packed earth, to an entrance into the outside world. The rotting remains of a door hung off its hinges in the opening and must have been how the moss mubb had got into the late druid’s home. Strands of sunlight reached through the opening and he could hear the sounds of the forest beyond the door.

  As he stood in the passage, his heart was beating hard against his ribs. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he actually felt excited. He was about to enter an unknown world, far beyond anything he had experienced before. It was a dangerous world and one that could kill him in the blink of an eye. Fear slithered through the building anticipation and part of him wanted to remain in the Hovel. If he stayed here long enough, then he wouldn’t be able to go through the rehabilitation process Calladyce had set up for him and they surely would be forced to pull him out again. Wouldn’t they? Amy was pretty adamant that he’d stay here forever if that’s what it took, and nobody on the outside cared whether he lived or died anyway. Besides, if he did that, he could miss out on something genuinely amazing, and anything was better than rotting away in a prison cell.