Echoes of the System: A LitRPG Adventure (Stonehaven League Book 7) Read online

  “Just all that stuff in general. Sports for crazy people,” Devon said with a smile. A couple of months ago, she never would have asked her friend this kind of personal question. The added time they’d spent together in the game had made conversations with her friend easier. With people she didn’t know as well—which was almost everyone—she’d never dare ask something that would require them opening up to answer.

  “Yeah, of course. But honestly, I wasn’t ever a great climber. People that really get into it don’t do anything else. It’s hard to keep up with someone who spends all their free time on something.”

  Devon nodded, thinking about how games—even modern VR MMORPGs—rewarded time investment as much as they rewarded player skill. Of course, if you had both, you were totally set. Top of the heap. But if you were trying to squeeze in online gaming around a bunch of other hobbies, players with more free time and a similar skill level would simply advance faster. Still, she had a feeling Tamara’s assessment of her abilities was skewed.

  “Somehow I doubt that you were anything less than awesome,” Devon said. “I mean, have you done the climb those people are on? Because it doesn’t exactly look easy.”

  Tamara looked up and smirked, her lips pressing against the oxygen tube when they twisted. “Maybe a couple of times. Or seven. Not that I keep track of that stuff. But actually, I’m not sure exactly which route they’re on. A bunch of different lines converge near the top of the formation. A couple of them are way too hard for mortals.”

  Devon shaded her eyes and looked up. “Wait, so there’s an easier way up, and people actually choose a path with smaller handholds or whatever?”

  Tamara laughed. “Of course. If it’s not challenging, what’s the point?”

  “I dunno. Avoiding death, maybe?”

  “That’s what the rope is for. Of course, one of the routes on that wall is notorious for having poor protection.”

  “Protection?”

  “Either from bolts that have been installed in the rock or from pieces of equipment that you can wedge into cracks. You clip your rope through carabiners attached to the protection while your belayer feeds out slack. Then if you fall, you’ll only go as far as the height you were above that last clip point plus the distance it takes before the rope comes tight. Roughly double the distance you’d climbed beyond your protection. So if the clip points are far apart, the fall distances can get pretty scary.”

  “I thought you said it was safe up there.”

  Tamara grinned. “Safer than it looks from the ground, anyway. But yeah, it all depends on the route you choose. Anyway, I think those guys are on one of the climbs I did up that particular wall.”

  “Between mountain bike adventures.”

  “Exactly.”

  Tamara started walking again, keeping the same slow pace, and Devon followed behind. On either side of the trail, fragrant brush released a pungent aroma as the sun warmed the foliage. Despite the conversation and the reminders of everything Tamara had lost in the accident that had stolen much of her lung capacity, Tamara always kept a positive attitude. Enough to make Devon wonder if she was faking it just a little bit. Regardless, whenever Devon started to feel down about the situation with Stonehaven—after six weeks of in-game time, she felt no closer to locating her settlement and NPC friends—she took courage from thinking about Tamara. The woman was literally unbeatable, and if she thought highly enough of Devon to want to hang out, maybe that meant that Devon wasn’t so bad either.

  “So…” Tamara said after a little while, and by the tone of her voice alone, Devon knew which question was coming.

  “If you’re about to ask whether I’ve decided on the Tucson thing, the answer is ‘no.’”

  Tamara laughed. “How did you guess?”

  “Because you’re completely transparent. I’m surprised we made it this far from the road before you brought it up.”

  “Well, inquiring minds, I guess.”

  Devon stopped walking long enough to pick up a lava rock that was around the size of an apricot. Serious topics made her want to fiddle with something. If she were in-game, she’d probably be fussing with the buckles on her armor. Instead, she started tossing the rock back and forth between her hands.

  Unfortunately, hand-eye coordination wasn’t her strong point. Nor was walking. A few steps later, she tripped, and the rock went flying, smacking into Tamara’s small backpack as Devon planted a hand on one of the knee-high wooden posts marking the edge of the trail. The post saved her from a full-on faceplant, but she did go down on a knee, scuffing the denim of her jeans.

  “Smooth,” Tamara said with a straight face.

  “Thanks.” Devon cleared her throat as she dusted the sand off her knee. “Anyway, I’ve decided one thing. If I do move to Tucson, I’m going to get my own place.”

  “Wait,” Tamara said. “I didn’t realize Emerson actually asked you to move in with him. That’s…well, I mean, that’s great if it’s what you want. But it seems kinda quick, seeing as you just started dating.”

  “He didn’t ask.”

  “But you think he was hinting at it anyway?”

  “Nope,” Devon said. “Nothing like that. The only thing he did suggest is that E-Squared has a deal with one of the condo developments that lets employees rent for around ten percent off what other people pay.”

  Tamara shook her head. “Then I don’t get it. Why did you feel like you needed to make this decision about where you would live if you moved? Seems like it was kinda already made.”

  Devon smirked. “Because I knew you were going to start grilling me about what I planned to do, and I figured that if I acted like I’d made part of my decision, you’d feel like I was making life progress.”

  In the brush beside the trail, a songbird let out a few chirps while Tamara fixed Devon with a flat stare. “You haven’t even gotten your blind fixed yet, have you?”

  “Um, well, not really.” Back when the Venetian blind on her apartment’s front window had broken, she’d made an effort to get the apartment complex to send a repair person, but no one had responded to her request. And since the laundry she’d hung over the blind’s mounting did a sufficient job of hiding her apartment interior from people walking along the balcony terrace, she wasn’t all that motivated to deal with the automated phone system again.

  “Emerson knows this, right? I mean, he gets that you have a high procrastination skill?”

  Devon couldn’t help smiling. Tamara’s newfound love for putting real life into gaming terms was really adorable. “Yeah, I guess. Why?”

  “Because it would be a bummer if he thought you were rethinking the relationship just because it takes you seventeen years to decide on relocating to Tucson. That’s a pretty long time to have a long-distance relationship.”

  “Honestly, I don’t think he was even thinking of our dating relationship when he suggested the condo. He said he thinks I deserve better as far as living accommodations go.”

  “Okay, yeah. At this point, I think we’re all hoping that you get out of that dump you’re sleeping in. But I’m pretty sure he’s got a strong ulterior motive. Ten percent lower rent to move to a different state? Seems like you could find a nice place in St. George just as easily.”

  Tamara had a faint smile on her face, so Devon knew she was teasing. They’d already talked about how good Tamara thought Emerson was for Devon. All joking aside, though, Tamara also knew how hard it was for Devon to think of relocating. She’d spent so long moving from place to place with her mom that the stability of a long-term rental was both a relief and something of a badge of honor.

  Of course, the complicating factor—and something that Devon was too terrifyingly shy to admit to her friend—was that she hadn’t been close to another female since elementary school. It scared her to think of leaving that behind to live nearer to some guy that she’d only recently started dating.

  “Anyway, he only mentioned it the one time, and it’s not like Tucson is going to disappear next week or anything.”

  The words were out of Devon’s mouth before her brain caught up, and when it did, the reminder of Stonehaven’s disappearance poured over her like a bucket of cold water. Tamara’s silence showed that she was thinking the same thing.

  “You’ll find them,” Tamara said. “Even if it takes you finishing your grind to level 50 so you can properly use the Throne of the Ancients.”

  Devon took a deep breath and looked up at the climbers. The guy or girl who was higher on the face had stopped climbing, and now the lower person was moving up to join them.

  “I know I will. At least, I’d be sure of it if there weren’t other demon armies marching across the continent. I’m worried one of the archdemons will reach Stonehaven first, but I try not to think about that.”

  “Yeah. Better to just focus on the next step. That’s what I used to do for enduro races. Focus on getting to the top of the next hill because if I thought about the next seventy miles of terrain beyond that, I’d fall over dead.”

  Ahead, a ground squirrel darted across the trail and disappeared beneath a bush. The sun had begun to sink toward the western horizon, and blue shadows stretched out from the foot of the peaks in that direction. A stray current of air carried the sound of laughter down from the climbers. Devon shook her head. Death-defying acts were hardly a laughing matter.

  The trail passed into a small patch of shade, and the desert air sucked the warmth from Devon’s skin. She shivered, wrapping her arms around her chest. “I guess we should probably turn around,” she said.

  Tamara laughed. “Wuss.”

  “Guilty.”

  “Sounds good, though. I think I might be able to ding 20 tonight.”

 
Devon smiled. It really was nice to have a friend. As they turned to go, a message popped up in her implants’ interface.

  Greetings from Juniper Terraces. Apartments, and so much more.

  We have received your maintenance request dated January 13th. Please be advised that your attempt to classify the issue as life-threatening has been determined to be an inaccurate appraisal of the situation. Your request has been added to the queue and will be serviced in approximately: 17 days.

  Additionally, regarding your request for a second key card to be delivered to a St. George post-office box, Juniper Terraces requires a deposit of $350 on any duplications. We also require a valid signature or thumbprint to guarantee your statement that you do not intend to increase the number of tenants in your apartment without paying the required increase in rent payments. Duplicate cards are issued only for the purposes of convenience or to allow entrance to cleaners, pet-sitters, and the like. Of course, if you wish to acquire a pet, this will also merit an increase in rent with the exception of feline “mousers” brought in to control the rodent population.

  Please remit payment and your guarantee in person at our downtown rental office.

  Transportation to and from the central office is not complimentary.

  Devon blinked. What the heck?

  “What is it?” Tamara asked.

  “I’m not crazy, right? You never heard me mention getting a key made for Emerson, did you? And getting it sent to a P.O. Box?”

  Tamara shook her head. “No. Never.”

  Devon sighed and started back toward the autocab pickup. “Sounds like the apartment complex got their records messed up. That or someone is trying to get access to my apartment.”

  “Who would do that?” Tamara said.

  Devon snorted a little. “I know, right? A thief would have to be really desperate to want to steal my crap. I’m sure it’s a mistake.”

  Chapter Three

  DEVON DROPPED HER backpack on the kitchen table. She glanced at her kettle and considered making some instant coffee or something, but she really wanted to get into the game. On the cab ride home from hiking, she’d tried to contact the apartment complex about the key situation, but of course she couldn’t get past the automated phone system to talk to a real person. The hiking outing had already taken her away from the game for longer than she liked to be offline, and seeing as the apartment people were too cheap to give out a duplicate key in any case, the situation would keep until she could make a trip downtown. Maybe tomorrow.

  She levered her feet out of her shoes without untying them and yawned as she shuffled to the couch. As she sank into the cushions, she felt the smile on her face. Despite the problems facing her in the game, it always felt like coming home when she activated the Relic Online icon—to a real place, not the box with flimsy doors and a rat problem where her physical body slept at night.

  A cool morning breeze tickled her face when her avatar appeared in-game. She was standing on the western border of Ishildar beside a new bindstone—for her, a teleport point—she’d found while exploring the city. The massive granite obelisk stood in what seemed to have been a market square in the city’s past. A marble colonnade ran around three sides of the open quad. There, Devon imagined smaller vendors had set up stalls in the provided shade. Behind the open-air hallway, large peaked arches opened into permanent shops. Shelving still lined the walls of these long-abandoned establishments, and much of the merchandise remained—that which hadn’t turned to dust in the thousand years since Ishildar’s fall.

  Because Stonehaven’s NPCs had vanished when the settlement disappeared, Devon’s responsibilities to the fledgling encampment in Temple Square were fairly light. The players who had been displaced when Archdemon Gaviroth melted their camp were picking up slack by gathering food and helping the vassal NPCs advance the fortifications. For decision-making, Hailey seemed to enjoy helping out as a deputy. Finally, Devon found herself with free time to level up and work on her character skills.

  Of course, she wasn’t grinding XP and searching for loot out of pure selfishness. Fearsome demon armies were advancing across the continent, and the most likely weapon for defeating them—and possibly for finding Stonehaven, too—was the Throne of the Ancients. But since she’d caused a wild-magic cataclysm last time she’d activated it, she wanted to meet the requirements before trying again. She needed to be level 50—the current max level in the game. It was a perfect excuse to get out and fight.

  She glanced toward the edge of the city where the streets dead-ended against the Mudpots of Ven, her current adventuring zone. Her fingertips tingled at the idea of getting into some combat action, but first she had a shop to search. That had become her routine: sort through the remaining inventory of one of the ancient boutiques, then grind out at least half a level. The second half was getting harder to manage within a play session because the experience curve was getting steeper as she moved into the upper tier of game levels, but she planned to keep it as a goal as long as possible.

  As she passed through the archway into the next shop on her list to search, the breeze died, leaving her in a relatively small chamber filled with musty air. Ancient wooden shelves held the merchandise, and the lack of decay made her think some enchantment kept the wood intact. Lining the shelves were a collection of flasks, mysterious metal boxes, decayed cloth, and—surprisingly—a scroll that didn’t crumble when she picked it up.

  You have received: Incantation Mad Libs

  A favorite amongst sorcerer apprentices and budding necromancers, these spells are sure to produce results once the blanks have been filled in. The publisher makes no guarantees regarding the effects, however.

  Devon almost returned the scroll to the shelf, but then decided someone might be interested in it. Though it went against her grain, she’d been doing a little out-of-game research on settlement progression for the encampment. Without Jarleck to advise her on fortifications and her stonemason and carpenter to suggest the fastest upgrade path on city buildings, she’d looked to the forums and wikis to gather information from the player base. Turned out, another player’s city had recently surpassed Stonehaven’s advancement. One of the buildings they’d been able to construct after reaching the Town designation was an auction house. If Devon ever got Stonehaven back, she was looking forward to offloading some of the items she’d been collecting on these adventuring sessions.

  She reached for the next two items on the shelf.

  You have received: Phylactery of Souls - Small Animal Version

  Often used by wizards—particularly those who have transitioned or plan to transition to immortal life as a lich—to grant the power of resurrection to their familiar. Occasionally activated by qualified casters on a commission basis to grant immortality to a layperson’s beloved pet or a small farm animal of particularly fine breeding stock.

  Requires: Sorcerer, Wizard, or Conjurer - Level 25

  You have received: Potion of Potency

  Has your spellcasting been a little limp lately? Is your Starlight Shaft wilting before it reaches your target? Older wizards don’t like to talk about impotence, but it’s a fact of life for most casters. Fortunately, modern alchemy has the answer. Packaged in a nondescript flask that could contain anything from an Elixir of Strength to a basic Mana Potion, this should be your go-to solution to those pre-raid jitters. Especially if there are ladies around, if you know what we mean.

  Devon smirked. She had a feeling the potion would have no effect but saved it anyway. As for the Phylactery of Souls, she had the perfect use in mind. That was, if she ever managed to find Stonehaven. Greel might not be the easiest person to get along with, but there was no doubt he loved his chickens. Sugarcakes, especially. When they’d evacuated Stonehaven, fleeing the demon attack, Devon had been forced to shove Greel’s beloved birds into her Tiny Sparklebomb Backpack of Subpar Holding. Now and again, while fishing around for an inventory item, her hand found a “deposit” left by one of the fowl during their stay. The problem with pocket dimensions was they were hard to turn inside out and hose down. Next time, it would be much easier to use a phylactery to store Sugarcakes’ soul and resurrect her later.