Judicator jane a litrpg.., p.6
Judicator Jane: A LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure, page 6
The structure was enormous. Distance was impossible to gauge as the flat lands around her gave no sense of depth, leaving Jane guessing as she pressed on. In total, it took two days for her to reach the edifice, which she now knew to be an ominous fortification of some sort, reaching high into the sky.
As she got closer, she felt like the impenetrable fortress reared over the surrounding area and emitted an aura of terror. Jane shirked backwards as the huge and terrible etchings covering the walls came to light. There were faces in torment and vicious monsters, all appearing frozen in stone rather than actually carved.
Slowing her approach, Jane saw a steady stream of humanoid figures emerging from the walls in an organized military-like procession. Luckily, the rock outcroppings had appeared more frequently as she got closer, so she was able to hide her presence readily enough while she got a better look. She pinged one of the creatures with her new Piercing Gaze skill and got a wealth of information.
Morbax (Level 40)
Demon
Class: Hellguard (Common)
Strength: 32
Agility: 12
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 1
Dominance: 0
Health: 120/120
Fun Fact:
Morbax, the little demon troublemaker, just popped into this world a mere four hours ago! Yep, this mischievous rascal is fresh out of the Netherrealm, ready to sow some chaos!
Jane looked over the expanded information panel and tried to find patterns in her own stats. She noticed the demon didn’t have the Wisdom or Luck stat, but instead had something called Dominance.
I guess I can’t count on everyone having the same stats. Maybe everyone has the basic stuff though like Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Intelligence… She could see the demon’s class, but had no idea what a Hellguard might be, so the information didn’t appear that useful.
The Fun Fact said they were ‘popping’ into this world. Were they like her? The demons were moving with a lot more purpose than she had been, though. It felt more deliberate than her entrance. She had no idea where they were headed, but with how they were armed, fighting was likely involved.
The situation was ridiculous, once again. Jane hadn’t eaten or drunk anything in the last two days. Should she follow along with the demon army and see where they were going? It seemed unlikely that she wouldn’t be spotted along the way, and as much as she felt her Luck was protecting her, she wasn’t ready to test it against a demon horde. With her health dropping by the minute, how long did she really have anyway? And then, like clockwork, another system message appeared.
You are dehydrated.
-1 HP
Her heart beat faster and she felt panic creeping over her again. The castle was straight out of her nightmares, by far the most imposing structure she had ever seen. Could she actually sneak in and out of this place without being noticed? What did demons eat anyway? She just prayed it wasn’t something sick like humans or cannibalism. Running her hand down her face, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. For better or worse, the dark fortress was her only real option right now. If she could just skate by on her Luck to grab a demon burger and fries, she could be on her way and put this freak show behind her.
TWELVE
DON'T MIND ME
Darting between rocks, Jane methodically made her way closer to the walls of the fortress. She had a slim build and was around five feet two inches tall, so didn’t have much trouble finding refuge among the variety of outcroppings.
Arriving at the castle wall itself, she was glad to see there wasn’t a moat or any kind of defenses. She noticed how the ground near the walls had been forced upwards. This structure didn’t look like it had been built—more like it had burst up through the ground.
Jane kept to the edge of the wall and slowly made her way around the fortress, not noticing any back doors or ingresses, even as she encircled the entire thing. Her Piercing Gaze ability hadn’t revealed anything about the building itself, so she guessed it had some limits—either size or complexity based.
As she neared the entrance, she paused for a moment to see whether there would be a break in the demons streaming out of the huge gate. There were enormous black iron double doors that were wedged open, and the entire procession of demons just kept coming and coming. Every once in a while, she’d see a large demon about three times as big as the others emerge, the smaller demons giving those a wide berth. Using Piercing Gaze on one of them, she discovered a new kind of demon.
Tirgold (Level 62)
Demon
Class: Tormentor (Uncommon)
Strength: 75
Agility: 22
Constitution: 52
Intelligence: 1
Dominance: 5
Health: 520/520
Fun Fact:
What do Tirgold’s foes do when they see him? They freak out and run for their lives! That’s right, just a glimpse of Tirgold is enough to turn even the bravest warriors into scaredy-cats. It’s like a comedy show on the battlefield. So, watch out for Tirgold the Tormentor, because when he shows up, his enemies scatter like squirrels in a nut parade. Run, little ones, run like you’ve never run before!
Welp, I’ve seen more kinds of demons than I ever thought I would, that’s for sure.
If there was one good thing, it was that the demons didn’t seem to care about anything except going wherever they were headed. Not a single one turned back, and she didn’t see any guards or lookouts, either. Waiting patiently, Jane settled down and tried to make herself comfortable. She had come across a spot discreetly tucked behind a protruding pillar, providing a measure of safety. In her heart, she both hoped and dreaded a chance would present itself.
The opportunity she was looking for came after a couple hours of waiting. Jane had been beginning to wonder how so many demons fit inside this place, even considering the gargantuan size of it. A break in the line finally appeared, and she waited until the trail of demons had moved into the distance. It didn’t look like they cared much about closing the gates or doors, so she crept around the side and passed into the fortress unseen.
A huge open courtyard dominated the interior, something she wouldn’t have been able to deduce from the high exterior walls. On the opposite side of the entrance was a massive tower that stretched upwards, starkly highlighted against the blue sky. Jane looked around trying to find some kind of general storage area but didn’t see any other buildings. The well-trodden courtyard was completely barren. She didn’t want to take any chances, so she hugged the walls going the long way around to reach the central tower.
As Jane crept up the few worn stairs leading to the tower’s entrance, she grappled with the size of it all. She felt like a mouse invading a giant’s home. The entrance to the tower was just as large as the one on the outer walls. This tower must be like 20 stories high. I hope they have an elevator. She shuddered at the thought of coming face to face with one of those demons as the doors opened. Now that she thought about it, she had no idea about the technology of this world. Was she jumping to conclusions that it was less advanced than her own? Something to worry about another day, she thought, trying hard to clear her mind and focus on the task at hand.
The interior of the tower was pretty dark. She didn’t see any lights or even torches. Another huge doorway dominated the center of the tower, this time leading downwards. The air near it was filled with spine-chilling shrieks and cries that seemed to emanate from the depths of its darkness.
Okay, let’s avoid that area then, she thought, moving past it. She found a doorway that was much smaller than the others and decided to try that one. Though still big, at least it wasn’t big enough for those massive Tormentor demons.
It turns out there were stairs. Quite a lot of stairs. A ridiculous amount of stairs. Jane gave thanks for her increased stats as she trudged upwards one step at a time. Thankfully, there were narrow windows dotting the walls, so she was able to see where she was going. From the look of things, she was winding her way around the tower while she moved upward steadily. Jane didn’t know what she would do if she ran into someone, but so far, everything had been pretty quiet.
Eventually, she reached a landing. But by now, she had no idea how high she had climbed. There hadn’t been floor markers or things like that, just a perpetually continuing stairwell. Peeking her head into the circular room at the top, she saw a set of huge, gilded doors opposite from her. Stone tables extruded from the room’s edges. And they were filled with treasure.
THIRTEEN
GOT A SHOPPING BASKET?
Confirming that no one else was in the room, Jane’s heart soared as she saw all the goodies strewn about. She began looking through the assortment of things almost haphazardly placed on the tables. Many of the items were stereotypical treasure pieces she would expect. Gold coins and gems, weapons and armor. A few trinkets here and there.
Glad to be able to put her new skill to use, she focused with Piercing Gaze to begin identifying everything she could in the room.
Dirthian Armor
Legendary rune bound armor crafted by the renowned smith Durin for the Great War. It carries the power of ancient runes and embodies the valor of its wearers.
Oathkeeper Sword
Once wielded by the ancient kings of old, this long-forgotten weapon now rests in obscurity, its tales lost to time.
Storm Ring
Forged amidst lightning atop the lofty peaks of the Wyrmspire, this legendary ring holds an undeniable power. Its very presence has ignited conflicts, causing kingdoms to clash and mighty empires to crumble under its captivating allure.
Dusty Bag
It’s just a regular empty bag, nothing fancy. But hey, it beats using pockets. But wait a minute, what’s it doing here? Amid all these extraordinary items and epic tales, this humble bag is like the unexpected guest at a royal banquet.
It appeared that many of the things weren’t worth the System’s time and didn’t trigger descriptions. The coins and gems came up empty, along with other pieces of generic treasure like most of the jewelry and chalices. She spent her time looking over the things with messages, getting a chuckle out of the description of the bag. Well, you weren’t wrong; that bag should be handy! She picked up the bag and continued.
The sword was a massive two-handed blade, just about as tall as Jane was. She tried lifting it and got it to move a couple inches. The armor was much the same, though she couldn’t move it in the slightest. Looking closer though, she thought she saw some similarity between this armor and the metallic shards scattered around the wasteland.
The ring was certainly captivating. It was silver and had an electric current running along the band in a perpetual loop. It was way too big for her, even if she had tried to put it on her thumb. Nonetheless, she picked it up and put it around her middle finger.
Before her eyes, the ring shrank and fit perfectly. Oh, now that’s pretty cool! She pulled it off her finger, only to find that it retained its size. Jane decided to keep that one. It wasn’t heavy, so it wouldn’t burden her. She considered taking some of the gold and gems and ended up grabbing a coin and a couple red stones to put in her new bag. What she needed now though was food and water, and there didn’t appear to be any in this room.
Approaching the golden gilded doors with caution, Jane saw they were covered in nonsensical depictions of creatures consuming one another in a continuous sequence.
Okay, so there is definitely either more treasure past these doors or a horrible monster. Weighing the options, Jane had far too much curiosity to get this far and just turn around without knowing. Just a quick peek. Anyway, they don’t seem to care too much about security in this place.
Jane moved close to the door and tried to ease it open. Not budging, she thought it must be locked. She gave it a hard push. Then, suddenly, the door dislodged and gave way, issuing an ear-piercing SHRIEEEEK.
Losing her balance, Jane tumbled into the room, falling flat on her face. As she rose to her feet and brushed off the dirt, her eyes widened in terror at the sight before her. It was a creature so hauntingly horrifying, her soul felt as though it had shattered. And it was gazing directly at her.
“Oops,” she uttered.
FOURTEEN
THAT'S LEGENDARY
In a moment that seemed to stretch for eternity, Jane absorbed the unfolding scenario she had stumbled into. There was what she thought to be a huge demon almost 30 feet high. Dominating her view was its humongous head that had an oddly perfect human male face, with a very large red gem embedded into the forehead. Disturbingly, the face appeared to be attached to the head like a mask. The rest of its body was composed of tentacles, arms, legs, and a mish-mash of appendages that seemed haphazardly thrown together.
There was also a second demon, this one considerably smaller, though still, Jane guessed him to be at least six feet tall. It seemed to be dressed in fine clothes with a permanent haughty expression etched into its face. It also had a red gem inserted into its head.
Guess they’ve got a theme going, she thought.
The entirety of the back wall of the tower had been removed, and the two of them appeared to have been looking across the expansive view before them. Well, before they had turned their attention to her.
The door behind her slammed shut and Jane found herself being pulled forward towards the huge demon by a long snakelike tentacle. The large demon unnaturally approached her by undulating its various limbs. It put its face close to Jane, and it dawned on her that this creature could eat her in a single bite, its face larger than her entire body.
Jane risked using her Piercing Gaze on it, hoping to gain any insight she could before the confrontation.
Ur (Level 548)
Demon
Class: Demon Lord (Legendary)
Strength: 1275
Agility: 1021
Constitution: 1116
Intelligence: 1099
Dominance: 2744
Health: 11,160/11,160
Fun Fact:
Meet Ur, the big bad Demon Lord and the ultimate party crasher of the apocalypse! This guy knows how to throw a demonic gathering like no other. With a wave of an appendage, he summons a horde of mischievous demons from the Netherrealms, ready to wreak havoc and cause chaos wherever they go. Oh, and by the way, Ur’s got a pretty long and convoluted backstory, but hey, let’s save that for another time when we’ve got a couple of centuries to spare!
Before Jane had time to process what she was seeing, a booming voice crushed her to the ground.
“WHO ARE YOU?”
The face twitched as it moved around Jane, inspecting her from every angle. The second demon stood unmoving, watching the encounter unfold.
“Just, uh, you know, a girl trying to find a bite to eat,” she stammered. Perfectly human hands reached out and lifted her to her feet. The face in front of her was now smiling unnaturally. With the quickness of a viper, four tentacles reached out from behind the demon and grabbed her limbs, pulling them taut.
“REVEAL YOURSELF!”
Jane felt as though her skeleton was being ripped from her flesh under the intense scrutiny. Her arms and legs felt stretched beyond their limits.
“JANE KING. LEVEL… 5. HUMAN. STATISTICS NEGLIGIBLE. LUCK… OUTLIER.”
The demon seemed to be processing the information before him, trying to ascertain how Jane had gotten here. With a look of shock, Jane was dropped, and the large demon reeled backwards, appendages held up defensively.
“JUDICATOR!”
Its face changed expressions back and forth rapidly from fear to anger to happiness. Jane picked herself up again, her heart beating a mile a minute. This monster was straight nightmare fuel. The System window had revealed the insane stats that the creature had, far greater than anything she had faced thus far. She knew she wouldn’t be as lucky as last time. Plus, it didn’t look like there were any rocks around for this guy to trip over, anyway.
Jane put on her best poker face and tried to bluff her way out of this mess.
“Ye… Yeah, I’m the Judicator! I’ve come to judge you! You better stop causing all this trouble and go back to your demon world… err… or wherever you came from!”
The demon cautiously approached her, its face still twitching with muscle spasms.
“A LEVEL 5 JUDICATOR… ARE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY?”
Gazing at her appraisingly, the demon seemed to be considering something. The human-like face was unnervingly close. But a moment later, it snapped its head backwards, apparently coming to a decision. It turned towards the second demon.
“AN UNNECESSARY RISK.”
Jane had about enough of that, so she shook herself out of her stupor, turned around, and dashed behind a nearby pillar, hoping to make her way to the door somehow while the demon wasn’t looking.
It was slow to react but quickly recovered, nimbly pursuing her. Reaching back, it attacked with a long, black, spiked tentacle. Jane ducked, and the tentacle wrapped itself around the pillar, stretching out and hitting the Demon Lord straight in the face.
