Champion a litrpg advent.., p.1
Champion: A LitRPG Adventure (Divine Progression Book 5), page 1
CHAMPION
©2024 JAKE BRANNIGAN
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the authors.
Aethon Books supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact editor@aethonbooks.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Aethon Books
www.aethonbooks.com
Print and eBook interior formatting and design by Josh Hayes. Artwork provided by Jackson Tjota.
Published by Aethon Books LLC.
Aethon Books is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is coincidental.
All rights reserved.
CONTENTS
ALSO IN THE SERIES
Act I: A Torturous Climb
1. A Captain’s Report
2. A Cavernous Arena
3. A Mentor’s Reintroduction
4. An Expensive Quest
5. A Fight in the Town
6. A Goblin Horde
7. A Plan for Survival
8. A Dungeon Dive
9. A Spider’s Maze
Act II: A Contest in the Sand
10. A Continent Reached
11. A Soulseer Found
12. A Bit of Good News
13. A Day on the Road
14. A Reunion With Old Friends
15. A Crowd Well Arranged
16. A Duelist Bloodied
17. A Peek Behind the Curtain
18. A Luminous Maze
19. A Duet of Hot and Cold
20. A Trip to the Six Hells
Act III: A Conspiracy’s End
21. A Suspect’s Scent
22. A Teacher Arrested
23. A Divine Gamble
24. A Duel in the Finals
25. A Tragic Accident
26. A Cheater Prospers
27. A Rematch for the Crowd
28. A Speech for the Ages
29. A Triumphant Return
30. An Epilogue
From the Author
Thank you for reading Champion
Glossary
Groups
LitRPG
ALSO IN THE SERIES
TOWN GUARD
SOUL SEER
BLAZER
TRUTH SEEKER
CHAMPION
ACT I: A TORTUROUS CLIMB
ONE
A CAPTAIN’S REPORT
BECKA
“So that’s everything we’ve learned,” Glenn concluded as Becka stood silently at his side. “Leo was last seen leaving the chapel this very morning. He met Sara on the docks, and they had lunch there after Sara secured a boat to take us to Caelfall. They then both traveled to the Old Fishing District, where the Town Guard on duty confirmed they entered alongside Ripper. After that, they vanished.”
Following Glenn’s lead, she and Glenn had spent most of last night verifying the facts Glenn had just laid out for Captain Marion Hawkshadow. The aging Blazer watched them impassively from the seat behind her scroll-covered desk in her office in the Lakebrooke Blazers Guild. Leo and Sara were missing. There was no question they were missing. So the only question was what to do next.
Once Glenn finished relaying his tale, Marion turned her gaze on Becka and practically burned her with a scowl. “So if I understand what you’re saying, what you’re telling me is that your so-called urgent mission to compete in the
“That’s not it at all,” Becka said soothingly. “It’s still vital Glenn compete in the cup and scan the clergy gathered there. We won’t have another chance to find this many secret Deathcasters. We simply can’t complete the journey to Caelfall without Sara and Leo. Without Sara’s ship and Leo’s—”
“Aiden can easily get you on a ship,” Marion interrupted. “After I approved your Quest, all you had to do was ask. We can also have someone else track down the location of the Shrine of Ralun and send it through phantom correspondence once you arrive. But if you’re going to reach port and make the trek to the
“We can’t leave Lakebrooke until we know Sara and Leo aren’t in trouble,” Glenn said patiently. “They’re our party members, and our friends besides. They—”
“Are Blazers perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, likely even more than you two,” Marion again interrupted. “Despite how special you may think the Gods have made you, Graybreaker, saving the entirety of Luxtera does not rest upon your shoulders.”
Glenn frowned. His hurt expression suggested he didn’t think of himself as special but couldn’t immediately come up with a way to insist he wasn’t. Becka would have leapt to his defense had she not been convinced it would only irritate Marion more. They had to handle this delicately.
“We don’t need you to verify Leo and Sara were taken by someone, if they were taken at all,” Marion continued firmly. “We don’t need you to rescue them. We can do that. In case you forgot who we are, we’re the largest, most powerful guild in Luxtera. Nobody abducts our people or gives us trouble... or if they do, they only give us trouble once.”
The Shadowers Guild would argue differently, but Becka didn’t bring that up.
Marion’s scowl remained hard as she stared Glenn down with determination that made even Becka uncomfortable. “If Leo and Sara have gotten into trouble, we’ll find them. If they need help, we’ll rescue them. We don’t need you to do that. In fact, you won’t be doing that at all.”
Becka hid her grimace as she struggled for a way to salvage this rapidly deteriorating situation. Glenn should never have pushed Marion this hard.
“Captain—” Glenn started.
“You’re officially done looking into Leo and Sara’s so-called disappearance,” Marion said. “That’s an order from your superior officer in the Blazers... that’s still me, by the way... and one you’d be a fool to ignore.”
“But what if—”
“Even if someone did snatch those two up, we can’t have you and your bleeding heart mucking up the search because you’re worried about your friends. You focus on packing for your trip to Caelfall and making sure you’re ready to scan every member of every branch of the church who shows up to cast [-Resurrect-] on the contestants. Others with higher levels and better focus will look into this.”
Glenn had looked like he was going to continue arguing until Marion said those words. “Are you going to send Brennon after them?”
Becka had no doubt Brennon Shadesinger could find two missing Junior Blazers. She doubted there was much Glenn’s mentor, one of the most celebrated Truth Seekers in all of Luxtera, could not accomplish. But she also knew one unfortunate and discouraging fact.
Marion Hawkshadow wouldn’t assign Brennon Shadesinger to a task this... small.
Marion confirmed Becka’s unspoken thought. “Shadesinger’s busy. But I give you my word, Glenn. If Leo and Sara are missing, we’ll bring them home. Blazers don’t abandon their own.”
Glenn’s grimace had returned. Since he looked like he might argue again, Becka grabbed his hand and gripped it tight. When he glanced at her, she incrementally shook her head. Not here.
Marion continued as if she hadn’t noticed anything. “Now, I need you to find the captain Sara convinced to ship you to Caelfall and confirm you’re still on board. Can I trust you to handle that monumental task yourself, or do I need to send someone with you?”
Becka squeezed Glenn’s hand as hard as she could manage. She prayed she could convince him to stop digging before he ruined any chance of them getting back into Marion Hawkshadow’s good graces.
Glenn’s incremental nod was a huge relief. Even so, he couldn’t lie to Marion. He couldn’t lie to anyone, at least not well. That was her job.
Becka turned to face Marion. “We’ll be on that boat. You don’t need to worry about us.”
“Good,” Marion said curtly. “I appreciate the head’s up regarding Leo and Sara’s absence. I’ll get someone looking into it today. Now, you’re both dismissed.”
Glenn still looked like he might be about to say something else, or launch another doomed plea to be put back on the quest to find Leo and Sara. Before he could do that, Becka turne d and dragged him off... or tried. It was like trying to yank a full-grown tree right out of the ground. When Glenn glanced at her in protest, she offered the most pitiable look she could muster.
That convinced him. He never could resist her pitiable gaze. Once he agreed to move, she added a knowing wink that immediately perked him up. He’d gotten the message, finally.
We’re not giving up, Becka assured him silently. But we’re not getting anywhere in here.
With the last of his attempts to sway the unswayable Captain Hawkshadow from her chosen course concluded, Becka led Glenn out of Marion’s office by the hand and into the hallway on the second floor of the Blazers Guild. The inside of the guild was not a good place to plan their next move—too many eyes and ears—so Becka dropped Glenn’s hand and led him down the stairs.
Aiden Goodfellow sat at a round table nearby speaking with two Blazers. Becka immediately recognized them as Jackson Marshcutter—a muscular, brown-haired 24-year-old Shadower—and Jessica Rainfall, a comely, dark-haired 22-year-old Guilecaster. She quietly catalogued this new information away with the reams of other facts she carefully organized inside her head. Blazers constantly came and went from the guild and zone, and it was always good to know who was around.
After all, the only reason she’d been able to convince Marion to assign Glenn a Quest to go to Caelfall, enter the
Jackson and Jessica weren’t supposed to be here, or at least there had been no plans for them to be here. Both had been reassigned to the Blazers Guild in Cullfield last year after officially leveling out of Evolan. Some unexpected matter must have brought them back to Evolan recently.
As Jessica glanced up and in her direction, Becka smiled warmly. The other woman smiled back. She elbowed Jackson, who took one look at Becka and Glenn, then looked back to Aiden.
Becka had taken a liking to Jessica the moment they first met. They were both Guilecasters and both blessed with strong, loyal men who were sometimes too thick about matters for their own good. Jessica was simply a few years further along in her journey, and Becka was grateful for any advice the older woman offered.
Becka didn’t know Jackson nearly as well. Unlike Glenn, Jackson tended to keep to himself unless Jessica forced him to be sociable. Still, he seemed like a good sort. She also knew from Sara that Jackson had retrieved her namesake mace—Becka—from the Redwood home the day after Glenn “died,” and that Jackson and Sara (then Svara) had trained together and been friends.
Their presence here could be useful if she needed to call in a favor to help Glenn find Leo and Sara. Their presence here could be useful for other matters as well. Even so, Becka had no immediate need to enlist either of them in her latest scheme. She turned her eyes to the door and led Glenn out.
The moment they emerged, she turned to Glenn in full sight of the windows on the second floor of the Blazers Guild. Windows she suspected Captain Hawkshadow was looking out of right now. Marion, unfortunately, knew just how clever Becka could be. She had to make this look good.
Right now, Marion was wondering if Glenn was really going to follow her orders or go do something else. Something rash. Before Glenn could say anything, Becka wrapped her hands around the back of his head and pulled him down for a kiss in full view of the second floor of the guild.
He resisted her, but likely only out of surprise. “Hold on. Is this really—”
“Kiss me like you mean it,” she whispered. “They need to think we’re heading off to bone.”
“Oh.” Glenn blinked. “Well, I guess if—”
Becka ended the last of his resistance by hopping up on her tiptoes and planting a kiss on his waiting lips. He had no problem slipping into his role after that, and Becka didn’t really have to act in this regard. She loved teasing Glenn. She only wished they truly had time to get serious.
Once she was certain anyone watching them from the windows of the guild would have a very clear idea where they were going next, Becka once again took Glenn’s hand and led him off in the direction of the Iron Scabbard. They would speak in Glenn’s room. [+Shadow Sense+]—her Blessing that allowed her to detect hidden mortals and Demons—would alert her if anyone followed to spy on them.
The trek to the Scabbard ended without issue, and Becka made sure to kiss Glenn a lot more once they arrived outside, just to make sure no one saw through their clever ruse. Finally, they headed upstairs, and it was only once they were alone inside and the door was closed that she let herself incrementally relax. Glenn now watched her with hopeful eyes.
“We’re not giving up on them,” he said quietly. “Right?”
Becka offered the most offended gaze she could muster. “What do you think?”
He grinned with visible relief. “So, what’s your plan?”
“I thought I made my plan for you clear outside.”
He rolled his eyes at her. “Other than that.”
“You understand what you were doing wrong back there in the guild, don’t you? With Marion?”
“I... suppose.”
“So what were you doing wrong?”
“I imagine I was trying to break through a brick wall with my head.”
Becka nodded in approval. “You can’t simply badger a woman like Marion into agreeing with you. Pressing her to change her mind when she’s already made it up simply causes her to dig in deeper. You know that. That means she might actually be right about some of what she said.”
Glenn frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“You’re very close to Sara and Leo. Are you absolutely certain your worries for them as friends aren’t going to interfere with your ability to complete this investigation as a Truth Seeker? Impartially? Because if it is—”
“I won’t let my feelings for them interfere with my investigation. I can separate my worries for them from my work. Marion might not believe that, but you do, right?”
“If you help me.” She waited. “So help me believe you, Glenn.”
His features calmed. She watched the man she loved as he mentally moved away from her, from this, from the world, and then returned re-centered and refocused. “I can do this.”
“Good.” She absolutely believed him. “So, let’s start by summarizing where we are now. Marion expects us to be on a ship to Caelfall by midday tomorrow. That gives us the rest of the day and perhaps tonight to find something that will change her mind about sending us away.”
Glenn’s brow furrowed. “But you just suggested I couldn’t change her mind.”
“I suggested you couldn’t change her mind by arguing with her about the limited evidence we’ve already gathered, which she’s already absorbed and dismissed. So we simply need to gather new evidence before our new deadline. Something to make her look at the facts with fresh eyes.”
Glenn’s eyes widened as he caught on, which amused and relieved her. He was a talented and capable warrior, a veritable savant in regards to solving the obscure and odd cases Brennon had slowly been assigning him as part of his training, and an absolutely phenomenal lover. But while he could often read people like a book, he still had little idea how to manipulate them.
Glenn’s open nature could get even the most untrusting people to trust him, but he couldn’t trick them into doing what he wanted. He could offer an impassioned plea that would melt the hearts of even the most stoic curmudgeon, but he couldn’t convince them that helping him was in their own best interest. Becka didn’t enjoy manipulating other people into helping her get her way, but she was good at it... so she should simply continue to aid Glenn where he was weak.
