Underworld - Proving Grounds: A LitRPG Series
Underworld
Proving Grounds
Book 4
By Apollos Thorne
Copyright © 2017 by Apollos Thorne
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 – Flattery
Chapter 2 – Planning
Chapter 3 – The Tail
Chapter 4 – Call me Junction
Chapter 5 – Scared of the Dark
Chapter 6 – Little Flaps
Chapter 7 – It’s Time to Talk
Chapter 8 – Unexpected Friends
Chapter 9 – Return to the Belly
Chapter 10 – Twisters for Breakfast
Chapter 11 – Wisp
Chapter 12 – Questions
Chapter 13 – Knock Knock
Chapter 14 – Ding
Chapter 15 – Spoils
Chapter 16 - Deconstruction
Chapter 17 – Bearing the Weight
Chapter 18 – Being Found
Chapter 19 – Power Leveling
Chapter 20 – Home Sweet Home
Chapter 21 – Sad Face
Chapter 22 – Buff
Chapter 23 – Werewolf Hangout
Chapter 24 – Out of My Hands
Chapter 25 – Lightning
Chapter 26 Meetings and Murals
Chapter 27 Would You Like a Tour
Chapter 28 – Angles
Chapter 29 – Bug Bites
Chapter 30 – Boom!
Chapter 31 – Banished
Chapter 1 – Flattery
Staring up at the dome overhead, I was looking at the depiction of Waldemar. He’d appeared just one slot shy of the mural’s prime position. It wasn’t the image of the Captain Minotaur at his best, but just moments away from his death. The intelligence had bled from his eyes as he suffered mana sickness and his innate ability, Wild Bull, had taken effect. It allowed instinct to take over when his mind hadn’t been able to continue and quite literally turned him to a raging bull. He wasn’t bent over in the mural as he had been during his final stand, but his crazed look told the full story.
To Waldemar’s left, Lady Contessa still stood in position as the chief enemy we’d defeated. Her pale skin and gown of shadow gave the entire image a gothic feel. It didn’t truly surprise me that she was considered more powerful than the Minotaur Captain. He’d been impossibly powerful, but we, the people of Sanctuary, had overcome him and his herd together. Lady Contessa had been arrogant, and even then, it was a desperate move on my part that had given us victory over her. I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to win against her even now. Lady Contessa had her dwarf tank, elf shapeshifter, and numerous wargs, but Waldemar had eighty minotaurs in his war party and it was impossible to forget how his war cries had allowed them to share health points and strength. Watching the two of them fight would’ve been fun.
I leaned forward in my chair to glance at the stone panel that acted as our dungeon map. There were no signs of invaders in our territory, not even a rogue monster that was out exploring for food. We’d yet to turn on our Dungeon Aura to attract more mobs. Richard had taken the beating of his life, so I was letting him have the night off. Somehow his talent with armor had allowed him to keep returning to his feet after each time a minotaur had backhanded him across the room. His abilities baffled me, but I was starting to understand physical abilities better than before. Observing my human friends like Russ and Travis had given me clues about where their power came from. After facing off with Waldemar and seeing what a real master of the melee arts was capable of, it was clear that people with physical talents used mana similar to magic users, but in a unique way.
The silver glow of my Wind Sprite girlfriend drew my attention to where she floated about a meter off the ground. Aeris was curled up like a cat and had fallen asleep. Flying seemed like her new default state.
I had healed her less than half an hour before, but despite having her physical endurance restored to full, the mental stress of the day must have been too much. Temperature seemed to affect her very little after she’d changed to her new form. She wore a pair of black shorts and a plain white t-shirt with no blanket, yet she seemed as comfortable as could be. I also wore just a t-shirt and shorts but felt a chill in the air.
She’d suffered mana sickness at least once today and then went after the last minotaur with Travis and me. Hunting him down had been surprisingly easy. He was moving quickly enough and had to have had incredible endurance, but compared to Aeris and Travis, who were literally designed for speed, he might as well have been standing still. Travis’s tracking ability had only improved with his stat increase and his forced transformation to Werewolf. I’d kept up with them well enough in Hell Hound form, but Aeris hadn’t given me the chance to help. With only one of the minotaurs in her sights and at close to full mana… He’d been the minotaurs’ champion, but he was no Waldemar.
I wished Mistress Nava would find something better to do with her time than threaten to end us. There was nothing else I desired more than to just remain sitting and admiring Aeris’s new form. That probably sounded worse than it was. I was attracted to her, of course, but I still didn’t quite believe I was miles underground in some magical world that had existed here as long as the world above. Aeris’s skin had a very real physical presence, but there was also something intangible about it. It was a mystical contradiction that fascinated me to no end.
“Master.” The dark purple Dungeon Spirit, Khun, appeared before me. “Your Werewolf—forgive me. I mean your friend, Travis, has calmed down and is no longer trying to claw through the wall Clarissa raised to seal him off. His air levels are good. The small holes she made in the wall seem to be doing the trick.”
I shook my head. “Is it going to be like this every night?”
“For now, yes. He needs time in the form to fully grasp it. Throwing him into a fight while he’s transformed won’t change that.”
I sighed. “Thank you.”
Khun bowed at the waist before popping back up and giving me a peculiar look. “If you wish to sleep, I’ll wake you the moment I see something.”
“I appreciate that, but there’s no way I could sleep. There’s too much running through my mind.”
“I thought as much but know that the option is still available. Is there anything I can help with?”
With a twist of my head, I looked at him more closely. He’d lost some of his arrogance since we defeated Waldemar and was being uncharacteristically proactive in offering help. There was no mystery as to why in my estimation. He was starting to accept that we weren’t as easy to kill as he’d originally thought.
I brought up the popup I’d received after eating the cave swine bacon. I still hadn’t closed it.
From eating a mana-rich food, you have received bonuses for a limited time!
+1% Strength
+1% Dexterity
+1% Constitution
+1% Intelligence
+1% Wisdom
Bonuses expire in 48 hours!
The cave swine we’d slaughtered for our celebration had only been eating the grain we’d grown for a few days, and yet the buff was going to last three times longer than if we’d just used the same grain to make bread. And this single swine would give us enough meat for a week. It was only the beginning. What would happen if the cave swine ate nothing but a diet in mana rich grain for a month? Or even better, what if they were raised on it their entire lives? What if we ate such meat daily? Would these buffs have an accumulative effect?
It was incredible. Sanctuary had so much promise, especially now that it looked like we’d be able to sustain ourselves without relying on outside help. There was still much to do, but this place could become our real home. And yet, I felt closer that night to losing it all than any other time since I’d been dragged into the Underworld. We’d survived the Belly, cheated death by defeating Lady Contessa, and even thwarted the captain of an ancient Succubus’s personal guard. But now, she had no other choice than to come to us herself, or perhaps send an even more powerful and nasty pet.
I didn’t think she was a match for the Head Mistress, but she was centuries ahead of us in experience and power. How could we possibly win against something like that?
“Do you think Waldemar found us because of my Light Magic?” I finally asked.
“I can’t say for sure, master, but I think it’s a real possibility,” Khun replied.
“With all the Light
Magic I used—do you think Mistress Nava already knows we’re here?”
He shook his head. “Her Captain wouldn’t have sent someone to report to her if he’d thought she already knew.”
His logic was sound, but I was still uneasy. “I need to find a place to train that won’t put the others in danger…”
“We could add more layers of stone.”
“We could, but if it wasn’t enough, our mistake could very likely bring death to our doorstep. No. There’s an Ireki Wraith in a Tomb not too far from here that might know how to block it. There’s also a Vampire Lord’s vault that I might be able to lock myself in.”
“Neither of those sound like safe choices.”
“They’re not. I’m a single level from reaching the Master rank in Light Magic, so I have to do something. It’s not safe to do it here, but I don’t think we’ll survive if I don’t continue training.”
“When will you tell the others that you’re leaving?”
“Soon.” I looked at Aeris, who was still sleeping. “There’s a very wise woman that I must first discuss it with when she wakes up.”
“Flattery, good. Should I tell her what you said when she wakes up so that you gain favor?”
“What? No.”
“I’ll be discreet, master. She must know that you think she’s wise and that you fear her.”
“Okay, tell her just like that. She’ll think it’s hilarious.”
Chapter 2 – Planning
Arching her back with the flexibility of an elite gymnast, Aeris stirred from her sleep. A high-pitched squeak escaped her lips. Her movements were slow and fluid as she extended her legs and pointed her toes as if reaching for the floor. The only problem was that she was upside down. Her lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. Noticing her predicament, she corrected herself in the air and gently touched down on the stone floor of the Master’s Chamber.
“I fell asleep?” She rolled her neck.
I couldn’t imagine her being stiff. “About two hours ago.” I stood, placing my arm around her.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to drift off.”
Leaning over to kiss her on the top of the head, I felt resistance from the air that naturally swirled around her like an aura. It was the same as I pulled her close. All pressure suddenly stopped as she allowed me inside her bubble.
The only buff I had active was my passive In The Buff that had become a part of me when I ascended after surpassing 1,000 in every stat. During Aeris’s rest, I’d kept Mana Sight at full power, extending my perception of time so that I could think as long as possible. I saw no way around leaving Sanctuary, at least for a time. I’d gone through a few of the books I’d brought from the Head Mistress’s dungeon and would spend some more time with them before I left.
“Did you want some more magic bacon?” I squeezed her tight.
She gave me a lazy smile and nodded her head against my chest.
It was the first night I could remember where nearly everyone had actually gone to bed. Other than Aeris, only Russ and Kylie had asked me to heal their exhaustion. Russ was working in the smithy and Kylie was staying close by the hall we had closed Travis up in. There was little of the armor and weapons the minotaurs had been carrying that we could use because of its size so Russ couldn’t stop himself from getting started on the break down process. As for Kylie, she had seen Travis on the brink of death and only his forced transformation to werewolf had saved him. She didn’t want to leave his side even if there was nothing else she could do.
As Khun had offered, I let him take over the watch for a while as Aeris and I scavenged for some more bacon in the kitchen. It was chilled, but I didn’t care, and Aeris didn’t seem to mind either. Cold bacon is maxed level jerky after all.
We didn’t see Russ, but we could hear the clanging from the smithy all the way in the dining area. Kylie had stopped pacing and was leaned up against the wall next to Travis’s self-imposed prison on the other side of the Living Quarters by our rooms in a separate hall that was still run down and that we weren’t using for anything else. It was one of the rare times since our kidnapping that I could genuinely say it was peaceful here.
Sitting down at a round table, we sat beside one another and snacked on our well-earned breakfast—or was it a late night snack?
It was interesting to see that the buffs that the bacon gave didn’t just reset, but the time in which they’d be active went from 48 hours to 72. The possibilities of further cultivating our food supply were only continuing to expand. A large part of me didn’t want to leave.
Things were quiet between us as we ate. I wanted her to be able to enjoy the peace while we had it and the quickest way for me to disrupt that was for me to broach the topic of leaving. Before I could say a word, she surprised me, as she so often did. “When are you planning on going?”
“Soon,” I said. It was my turn to surprise her. “Will you come with me?”
She twisted her head to the side with the quickness of a hummingbird. “Another date?”
“Into the depths of darkness and unknown terrors of the Underworld? Of course.”
“What of the others?”
“I think I have that part figured out as well.” I began to explain what I had in mind for preparation for our departure. There was a lot to do, but it shouldn’t take more than a day or two to get everything done.
After she’d finished listening to my explanation from the beginning to the end, I saw her eyes light up with a silver glow. Wind magic emphasized her every expression. “I think that will work. We should take another person with us. Not Olivia and not Skyler… They’ll be in charge while we are gone.”
“We can’t take Travis either—in his current condition. It’s going to be hard without his tracking ability.”
“I’m thinking a tank. I know Russ won’t want to go and we need more people that can take a hit.”
“Someone like Waldemar?”
Her eyes fell to the floor. Wind Magic began to whip around her in strong micro-currents.
“Are you okay?” I reached over to put my hand on her shoulder, but the wind was too strong to do so gently, so I pulled back.
“I dropped a literal tornado on his head, Elorion—and it did nothing. I feel so helpless. I don’t want to feel this way anymore. I’m 39 levels from 1,000 Intelligence, but even that won’t be enough. Not with Mistress Nava…”
I knew what she was feeling far too well. Waldemar had been beyond powerful for his level. Even after his mana was spent it took everything we had to take him down. It was only good fortune that he’d run out of mana when he did, for if he hadn’t, none of us would be here. “What level are you now?”
“561.”
I gave a long whistle. “That’s incredible. Congrats.”
“It’s getting there. What is yours now?”
I pulled up my character sheet to show her.
Elorion
Level: 730
Health Points: 212,916 (+1,800)
Mana Points: 208,299 (+1,650)
Mana Per Minute: 7,386 (123.1 Per Second)
Attributes
Strength: 1,917 (+19)
Dexterity: 1,681 (+16)
Constitution: 1,859 (+18)
Intelligence: 1,181 (+11)
Wisdom: 3,693 (+36)
I had nothing equipped and the only buffs I had running were the +1% to all stats from the Light Magic infused bacon.
“How am I supposed to compete against that?” she said with a less serious pout.
“Eat more bacon.”
“Is that your answer to every problem?”
“No. Do you want me to turn into a Hell Hound so that you have a puppy to pet?”
“I actually like your skeletal form better. That way I can ride on your head.”
“I wonder if you’re the only Wind Sprite that has a thing for skeletons…”
“Hey. It’s not like I fell for a real skeleton. You just wear one as armor.”
“Fair point. So, how do you think the others will respond to the plan?”
“Well, you’ll need more than puppies and bacon.”
“That bad, huh?”
She tried smiling to hide her cringe.
***
“Ladies and gentlemen, mages and meatheads, wind sprites and imps, shapeshifters and dwarves, feast your eyes on the mural above! The mighty minotaur captain that threatened our fair Sanctuary has joined the lady of darkness in defeat! Observe his eternal selfie and rejoice, for our necromancer has taken his skull! His bones are being ground for alchemy and fertilizer! And his herd was sucked dry of blood and flesh by our really gross but kind leader! Every time you enter this room, look up at his ugly mug and remember…” Still wearing his dark chocolate colored platemail, Richard ended with his armored hands spread out, reaching toward the sky.