Unranked ascension a lit.., p.19
Unranked Ascension: A LitRPG Adventure, page 19
“Yeah... I’ll help.” Lucius stood up and turned away from the stove’s light, stealthily wiping the moisture from his eyes. He let out a cough and cleared his throat. “I need to use the bathroom. Wait here for me, okay?”
The color drained from Maryanne’s face when she saw him walking away, and she scrambled to her feet after him, her calm facade crumbling to reveal the traumatized desperation lingering just below the surface.
“Please don’t leave me!”
Lucius turned toward the sudden shout, clearly taken aback by her outburst, as the child rushed toward him on wobbly legs before collapsing into his side and clinging to his pants, her small body trembling with fear.
Slowly leaning down, Lucius rested his hands over Maryanne back to comfort her. The desperate sight of the child clinging to his leg was more than he could handle, and he was no longer able to hold in the emotions that had been threatening to overwhelm him. A warm trail of tears dripped from his eyes as he spoke.
“Okay, Maryanne. I won’t go.”
Chapter 41
Vitality
Maryanne showed Lucius where her parents stored the spare bedding, and together they set up two cozy sleeping areas around the woodstove. After eating another full can of soup and drinking two bottles of water, Maryanne drifted into sleep with her hand still lying on Whisper’s back. When Lucius noticed that she had fallen asleep, he moved her hand to her side and pulled the blanket up to cover her.
“Tomorrow morning, we’ll head back to the farm. I won’t be able to scout and drag her along at the same time so I need to drop her off, and she’s too weak to walk. I’ll have to carry her. She’ll probably fit in the backpack if I leave the top unzipped. That might be the easiest way. You’ll have to share your ride with Maryanne, Whisper.”
The little bat looked up at him before glancing at the backpack lying on the floor as well as at Maryanne with a scrunched-up nose.
“If it’s open, the sun will get me, Father!”
Whisper flapped his wings and quickly flew over to Lucius’ side, pointing at the Adventurer’s Ring on his left hand.
“I’ll just stay in there. As long as you give me permission, I can move in and out of it as I please.”
Lucius looked down at his ring as he scratched his chin. “Are you sure about that? I get the feeling that living creatures can’t survive in there…”
“I am not a living creature. I am a mythical being. Give me permission, and I will show you, Father.”
“Alright... You have my permission.”
The moment he said the words, a big grin spread across Whisper’s tiny face, and with a blink of his eyes, the bat was gone. Lucius concentrated on his ring to bring up the image of the dimensional space in his mind, and sure enough, Whisper had moved inside the space. The tiny creature was currently manipulating the shadows inside the ring in order to move things around, setting up a living area for himself. When he reached the ape’s corpse, he stopped moving as he stared at it for a long moment.
“You never fed me. I want that,” Whisper said, pointing at the corpse with a look on his face that brooked no disagreement.
“Oh, um... You can have it, I guess. I only kept it to try and make some leather with the skin,” Lucius explained.
As soon as he received permission, Whisper pounced on the corpse, covering himself as well as the body in a blanket of shadows. Lucius let the image of the ring disappear from his mind as he lay down to sleep, but as soon as his head hit the pillow, he felt a familiar warmth flowing up inside him. It was the same feeling he had felt when he added points to Vitality. With a sudden idea about what might be happening, Lucius pulled up his status.
Status
Level 21
Strength: 24
Vitality: 11
Dexterity: 30
Intelligence: 5
Creativity: 6
Luck: 1
Stamina: 15
Magic Power: 0
Magic Resist: 5
Free Attribute Points: 16
“Sure enough, my Vitality went up by one point…”
Lucius looked back inside his ring, and by now, the blanket of darkness had retreated from the body of the ape, which had become shrunken and desiccated. Whisper was lying on a pile of clothes nearby with a comically bulging stomach and a satisfied grin on his face.
“I guess I can still use the skin. That’s good.” He muttered, rubbing his chin. “Whisper, can you explain what just happened?”
Whisper didn’t bother to open his eyes, snuggling comfortably into the clothes inside the storage ring as he responded.
“I am a part of you, Father. When I grow in strength, you do as well.”
The little creature was obviously struggling to stay awake now. Apparently, digesting his meal was taking a lot out of him, and his chest soon rose and fell rhythmically as he fell into a deep sleep. Lucius decided not to disturb his resting companion further as he made himself comfortable and followed Whisper and Maryanne’s lead.
The night passed without incident. Lucius had been awoken a few times at the feeling of warnings from Sense Danger, but each time the feeling had faded soon after, and he decided that it was probably just creatures passing in the night.
At sunrise when he finally arose, he threw a few pieces of fresh wood into the fire to stoke the flame and chase away the morning chill, before opening a few cans of food and placing them on top of the stove. Maryanne awoke soon after when the smell of the food drifted into her nose. The young child sat up cautiously, rubbing her eyes and staring toward the food above the fire. Lucius used a towel to grab one of the cans, shoved a fresh spoon inside it, and placed it on the ground close to Maryanne.
“Be careful. The metal is hot. Don’t touch it with your fingers.”
Maryanne was too eager and burned her finger anyway, but she ignored the pain and dug into her breakfast with great enthusiasm. When Whisper popped out of the ring a few minutes later, Lucius could tell that the creature had grown a few centimeters overnight, and the feeling of magical power emanating from it had increased. Whisper fluttered around the room a few times when he saw the two humans looking at him, happily showing off his slightly increased stature, before landing on Lucius’ shoulder. He pointed his chin in the air and puffed out his fluffy chest. Maryanne clapped with a big smile as she watched the animal put on his show, further encouraging the behavior.
Lucius shook his head as he packed up the sleeping materials and added some of the starter logs to his ring, looking over at Maryanne as she finished her meal.
“We’ll be leaving soon. I’ll take you to the place where my friends are before I search for your parents. There are lots of nice people there, you’ll be safe. Is there anything you would like to take with you? We probably won’t come back here anytime soon, so this might be your only chance.”
Maryanne looked down at the ground, squeezing her hands together under her chin as the meaning of his words sunk in, before standing up and slowly moving into the bedroom where she had been hiding when Whisper had captured her the night before. She came back a few minutes later carrying a heavy hardcover book of children’s stories, holding it up with both hands as she gave it to Lucius.
“Mom and Dad promised to read all the stories to me, but we never finished. I need to bring it so after you find them, we can have story night again.”
Lucius accepted the book solemnly, nodding with resolve as he carefully placed the large tome in his storage ring.
“I’ll do my best. Let’s get moving. The sooner we get you to safety, the sooner I can start.” Lucius held up his hand, and Whisper fluttered into the air before diving toward the ring, disappearing in a showy puff of purple smoke. He was turning into quite the attention seeker. Lucius waited outside the bedroom door as Maryanne put on the warmest clothes she could find, before climbing into the backpack that he held open for her. She held her knees against her chest as she squeezed into the bag, facing away from Lucius as he hoisted it over his shoulders. After one last glance around the cabin for anything he might want to take, Lucius found a toolbox containing various small hand tools. He added it to his ring before stepping out the front door.
The sun was shining brightly overhead, but the constant wind gave the air a slight chill. It was a good day for traveling.
Chapter 42
Hunted
Lucius moved down the winding dirt driveway away from the cottage. In his mind he did his best to conjure up a memory of the system of roads between here and his destination. It had taken him a full day to reach this place from the farm, but that was when he was in the process of scouting and dealing with multiple distractions.
“We can probably make it back in a few hours if we move quickly and follow the roads.”
Once he settled on a route, Lucius set off at a light jog—not just to make better time, but to train his stamina along the way. With Maryanne adding extra weight on his back and the crisp autumn air making each breath feel clean and easy, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to push himself.
It had been a while since he’d gained any attributes through personal effort—aside from the Vitality Whisper had gifted him—and he suspected it would only get harder to improve them naturally as his stats grew. Still, with his Stamina lagging behind at just fifteen—only half his Strength—he figured there was a solid chance he could earn a point or two on the journey home.
The thought of his attributes sparked a related question in his mind.
“Hey, Whisper, if you are a part of me, why don’t my other attributes besides Vitality reflect your abilities? You obviously have high Magic Power, but mine still says zero.”
The little bat, currently looking through Maryanne’s storybook to pass the time inside Lucius’ storage ring, closed the book and began scratching his chin when he heard the question.
“My Vitality will always add to your attributes because my lifeforce is tied to yours. As for Magic Power, it will most likely be reflected in your attributes only when you actively use my power.”
The first part of Whisper’s explanation made sense, and Lucius nodded along as he heard it. However, the second part was confusing, causing him to narrow his eyes as he glanced down at his storage ring.
“What do you mean by ‘when I use your power’? How am I supposed to do that?”
“Oh, you didn’t know! It is the reason why binding a mythical being is a valuable and rare opportunity. I will show you when you get out of the sun—you cannot use my power while the light is on your skin.”
“How do you know all this anyway, you’re only two days old after all.”
“I... don’t know how I know.” A look of confusion arose on Whispers small face as he scratched his furry chin. “Maybe it’s just something mythical beings are capable of?”
“Works for me.” Lucius ended the conversation and focused his attention on the road ahead. His breath was starting to grow heavier from the strain of jogging, but he didn’t feel anywhere near his limit. Looking back over his shoulder at the small girl riding on his back, he checked in on how she was holding up so far.
“How are you doing back there, Maryanne?”
“I’m alright,” she answered softly, her eyes constantly moving through the colorful forest around them.
“If you get uncomfortable, let me know. We can take a break whenever you need to,” he replied.
“Okay.”
With Maryanne’s reassurance, Lucius kept up his pace. They moved swiftly down the dirt road, scanning the canopy of trees and gazing into the forest on both sides for any signs of danger, while staying alert for any signals from Sense Danger. The distance between them and their destination steadily decreased.
They traveled without issue for close to an hour, taking a break every so often for Maryanne to stretch her legs and drink some water. However, as the group was nearing the one-hour mark, Lucius felt the first pulse of warning moving through his chest since they had started their journey. He stopped abruptly when the feeling arrived, his feet sliding across the ground and creating a large trail of dust behind him. Glancing around in all directions with narrowed eyes, he tried to get a better sense of where the danger was coming from.
“What do you sense, Father?” Whisper questioned.
“Cough— the dust is getting in my eyes,” Maryanne complained, covering her face with the neckline of her clothing as the cloud of dust surrounded her.
Lucius walked a few steps into the clear air, continuing to focus his attention. However, as soon as he stopped moving and looked around, the danger disappeared.
A look of confusion spread across his face as he tried and failed to feel the warning from Sense danger again, “I’m... not sure. Maybe it’s nothing.” Lucius muttered.
With a shrug of his shoulders, Lucius turned back toward their destination and continued forward. A few minutes passed without incident, but as he turned a corner to follow the winding road, the same exact sensation of danger returned—this time slightly more intense than before. Lucius came to a stop, carefully lifting his feet to avoid kicking up the dust beneath him like he had done earlier. He tried to sense the direction of the danger, but it once again vanished the moment he stopped to focus on it. Something is hunting us... he thought.
He kept the thought to himself to avoid scaring Maryanne, but he was quite sure of it. Sense Danger was not a simple on-or-off switch. The talent activated his senses in unique ways depending on the danger he was facing. Feeling the exact same sensation meant it came from the same threat—and it was getting closer. That alone wouldn’t necessarily suggest something was hunting them, but the fact that it kept hiding from his senses whenever he stopped to look for it proved they were being watched. Something dangerous was following them, moving closer while carefully avoiding detection.
He exhaled slowly, then—like a snapped rubber band—launched into a dead sprint. Matriarch’s Fury flared into existence in his hand as he hurled himself down the road, each powerful step kicking up thick clouds of dust behind him.
Sense Danger pulsed in a steady, rhythmic thrum the moment he hit full speed, beating like a second heart in his chest. With thirty points in Dexterity, Lucius moved like a phantom—fast, fluid, and nearly impossible to track. He was betting that whatever had been stalking them would have no choice but to show itself if it wanted to keep pace.
His hunch was dead-on.
Just seconds later, the sharp, violent sound of earth-shattering tore through the forest around them.
“Eek!”
Maryanne cried out as the ground trembled violently, and Lucius could feel her tiny body shaking against his back. He glanced over his shoulder while keeping his stride, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was pursuing them—and he did.
The color drained from his face.
His glance had been timed perfectly—he looked back just as clumps of dirt rained down from the sky, falling around a gaping hole in the road. His vision was filled with the sight of a creature bursting out from beneath the earth, leaving a wide crater in its wake as it surged after them.
Hundreds of sharp, skittering legs lined the creature’s body on each side, moving in hypnotic waves as they propelled it forward. A sleek, black, armored carapace covered its body in segmented plates, and a massive set of jagged pincers protruded from its flat, eyeless face. The creature was incredibly fast—at least as fast as Lucius. The creature itself was the length of a city bus, from the tip of its pincers to the base of its body. Lucius cursed his luck that such a dreadful thing had found them. His speed and power that he was so proud of would not be enough to escape, to have any chance of escaping he would need to get creative.
“Hold on tight, Maryanne!”
Chapter 43
Stupid Bug
Lucius dashed to the side with such force that Maryanne nearly tumbled out of the open backpack. The child reacted instinctually, reaching up behind her to sink her fingers into Lucius’ hair as she held on for dear life.
“Tsk!” Lucius grit his teeth as the sharp tearing sensation spread across his head. He did his best to ignore the feeling, focusing on their survival as he raced into the forest, narrowly avoiding the trees whizzing by on each side as he weaved back and forth.
The giant centipede-like creature followed behind him like a homing missile, crashing through any trees or branches in its way. Shattered limbs and upturned root systems littered the path behind it as the creature moved through the colorful foliage with no regard for the destruction it was leaving in its wake. When Lucius jumped through a narrow opening between two particularly large trees, the centipede leaped into the air like a shark jumping out of the ocean before diving into the dirt as if it were the surface of the water.
“What the hell!” Lucius cursed, unable to believe his eyes. “That has to be a magical ability!” He shouted in disbelief. He had been betting that the creature would not be able to move between the large trees swiftly, but now he knew that the centipede was capable of much more than he thought. His mind scoured possibilities as he continued to run. He was ready to try his next plan when he felt a sudden rumbling beneath his feet and Sense Danger rapidly increased the intensity of its warning.
Lucius glanced down, wide-eyed, before quickly launching himself into the air with his next step. He flew toward the closest tree and used the trunk as a second step to jump further into the air—and not a moment too soon, as dirt exploded directly beneath them, sending dust, rocks, and branches flying through the air at dangerous speeds.
Lucius protected Maryanne, shielding her with his body. He even used his storage space to get rid of the larger projectiles as they hurtled toward his face, sending a silent apology to Whisper as he did so. But he didn’t have the perception or telekinesis powerful enough to stop everything, and a rain of projectiles crashed into his body before the massive set of pincers came sailing through the air toward him.
