08 Alaska Kingdom Read online

  Table of Contents

  Summary

  Black Forge Books Mailing List

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Books, Mailing List, and Reviews

  Books by Black Forge

  Books by Shadow Alley Press

  GameLit and Harem on Facebook

  litRPG on Facebook

  Even More litRPG on Facebook

  Copyright

  About the Author

  Summary

  TO WIN ONE WORLD, HE'll have to journey to another...

  Steven Drokharis has done well to survive on Battle World, a planet designed to murder him and everyone he loves. In order to defeat the Zothoric, he needs both an ancient artifact and an army of allies on a distant world. With the help of the mysterious Shadow Archer, he'll find himself on a quest that strains the limits of his imagination. It certainly isn’t going to be easy on Chastity and Prudence Wayne—the Texas machine-gun twins never signed on to search for lost elves. Good thing Mouse is there to provide the sarcasm, and Uchiko the arrows.

  Hunted by old foes and new, Steven and his Escort will be tested in every way possible. All the while, the Demon Queen Zothora inches closer, preparing to snap close her diabolical trap.

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  Chapter One

  STEVEN DROKHARIS CRANED his head back to take in the spectacle of Icharaam’s Tomb on Gaia Beta, also known as the Battle World.

  Unlike Dorothy and Toto, Steven and his Escort were in Kansas, just not the one on their native planet.

  Steven stood on a gorgeous marble floor deep under Dodge City. This time, rogue Dragonknights and their armies weren’t trying to destroy them. No Mordred, no FleshForged three-headed dragon, nothing like that. For Steven, that would’ve been a lot simpler than the demonic shadows of the Zothoric Myriad.

  Above Steven lay Duchain Hill, the biggest, oldest cemetery in Kansas, just outside of Dodge City.

  They’d managed to hide from the Zothoric. For now.

  The vast chamber dug into the earth had columns supporting an arched ceiling suspended three hundred feet above. Standing at the back of the grand hall was a single statue, a kingly Homo Draconis, his tail curled behind him.

  “Okay, who else is having a Mines of Moria moment?” Tessa asked.

  She stood with Steven, her Peacekeepers out, wearing a long duster she’d picked up during one of their trips into Denver. She also had goggles, which were around her neck. Those came in handy when the windstorms blew the dust of the dead world around in growing storms.

  Her revolvers gleamed with light, but that wasn’t their only light source.

  Zoey, decked out in her armor, let out a roar. Standing behind the gunslinger, the bear appeared enormous, even bigger in the glowing golden armor.

  Aria flew behind the columns, a slim crimson dragon, circling the statue of Icharaam. She landed in front of the statue, shifting into her human form, a gorgeous naked Indian woman, armed with twin daggers, blades crackling with energy. Around her neck was a delicate silver necklace in the shape of a teardrop. She carried her belt with the daggers’ sheaths over a shoulder.

  She threw a glance behind her.

  Steven loved her smile almost as much as he loved her shapely ass; her lower back dimples were as sexy as hell.

  “The amulets work!” Tessa screamed with glee. “The Animus Daggers shifted with her!”

  Mouse flew down behind Aria and Zoey, and she too transformed from an amber-colored dragon, her scent that of roasted almonds. Mouse stood in a leather skirt and a long-sleeved black top partially covered with a cloak that was black on the outside, a shifting amber-light on the inside. That cloak was as good as Zoey’s armor in a fight. Mouse’s boots came up to her knees. On her back was the Slayer Blade, sheathed. She whipped the broadsword out and green flames licked their way up the weapon. “That’s right. Thanks to the amulets, no more naked time when we shift. Except for Aria, of course. Fuck, Aria, you could fucking wear fucking clothes every once in a while.”

  Aria turned, revealing her breasts, the nipples hard. A triangle of dark stubble marked her sex. “I’m a Dragonsoul. I am fire incarnate. I don’t need clothes.”

  Her scent, sweet and cinnamony, drifted over.

  Mouse rolled her eyes. “Did you make a Lord of the Rings reference?” she asked Tessa.

  Tessa holstered one of her revolvers. “Yes. This hall is so much grander than Icharaam’s Tomb on our world. I mean, it must’ve taken forever to set this up. Or maybe just a quick Enchantrix spell.”

  Zoey let out a plaintive whine.

  “We’ll hurry, girl.” Steven scritched the rough fur between the plates of her armor. “I know you want to get back to Sabina and the twins.”

  “As do I.” Uchiko’s voice drifted to them from the shadows above. As a ninja Warling, she could disappear into the darkness. “I long to see mi cariño again.”

  Steven understood. “Well, finding this place was a lot easier the second time.” It had taken them a month, ducking the waves of Zothoric, afraid that another Prosha would emerge. Every world the Zothoric conquered had two generals, or Prosha, coordinating the efforts of the demons. Gaia Beta had a Russian woman, somewhere on the globe, working against them. Ulita Rozhenko.

  Steven and his Escort had stopped Tara Heridan from becoming a Prosha, but barely. Tara Heridan was a problem, a big problem, and Steven wasn’t sure what to do with her.

  Aria stood in front of the statue of Icharaam. “Where are the other items?” she asked.

  Steven strode forward and stopped next to the Indian woman. He wore boots, jeans, and a leather jacket. On his back was his sword, Samael’s Lash. On his hands were the Baxter Rings, and he wore an ammo belt for the newest weapon in his arsenal. Each bullet was nearly as thick as a Red Bull can. He pushed a hand back through his black hair and regarded the statue of Icharaam with light gray eyes.

  Five items had decorated the Homo Draconis on their version: armor, orb, vambraces, cloak, and crown.

  The only object this dragon man possessed was the orb, which he held out in a single outstretched claw.

  Aria, Mouse, and Zoey joined them.

  “Well, now,” Tessa said. “We have a mystery on our hands. We better split up.”

  Mouse made a face. “Split up and go where? I mean, having duplicate items would be nice, but it’s the orb we need, right?”

  Zoey’s armor flickered off. She shifted into her human form complete with jeans, which didn’t fit, and a heavy wool sweater, which hung off a shoulder. Her thick nipples poked through the fabric. “I think Tessa was referring to Scooby Doo.”

  “Bingo,” the gunslinging barista affirmed. “The mystery of the missing magic items. I’ll find them for two Scooby snacks.”

  Mouse grumbled, “For the love of biscuits, at some point we’ll need to stop with the pop culture references.”

  Steven regarded the orb and the statue. He saw the stone was slightly discolored around his brow, wrists, shoulders, and neck. The items had been there.

  Steven went to retrieve the orb.

  The orb didn’t like that. As soon as his hand closed around it, the artifact hit him with a wave of pain. He dropped to the ground, writhing on the stone. Both of his cores throbbed, and he’d just gotten access to Animus. The Morta in him remained outside of his ability to access. He could see the skill tree connected to the dark energy, but it wasn’t filled in, and he had no idea how to discover the names of the new abilities. And who could he ask for help? Tara Heridan might be able to help, but she’d rather cut his throat.

  His Escort fell into fighting stances.

  Zoey helped him stand. Then she threw her arms around him, holding him close. “Steven, are you okay?”

  “I am. I think whoever stole the other items couldn’t take the orb for some reason.”

  “The reason is me,” Aria said. “Remember, I am a Dragonknight.”

  “You go, Thirteen!” Tessa said.

  Steven managed a half-hearted grin. Tessa’s enthusiasm was infectious.

  “I thought we referred to you as Old Blood and Guts,” Mouse said. Then to Steven, “Are you okay? I think I saw your bones flash through your skin when you touched the orb.”

  “Really?” Steven asked.

  Mouse rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a cartoon. No. But that did look like it hurt.”

&nbsp
; Aria strutted forward. Her Animus Daggers were sheathed. She reached out and took hold of the orb, and it immediately threw out a wave of Animus that hit them all, making their skins glow.

  Steven felt himself harden. He pushed his erection against Zoey.

  The bear girl growled. The noise wasn’t her mad growl, or her angry growl, it was her sexy growl. She licked his ear. “Did you feel that?”

  Steven had, and the energy had filled his Animus core, leaving his Morta core untouched. He thought it might be like when he first gained access to Animus, back after Aria first kissed him. He simply hadn’t practiced accessing the Morta energy, and so it meant nothing to him.

  The orb had brought daylight to the vast chamber for an instant, but that light faded away, until only Mouse’s flaming sword and the shine of Tessa’s Peacekeepers remained. One revolver would have six bullets primed to kill using a variety of Exhalant energy, from fire to ice to electricity. The other revolver would have helpful rounds, to heal wounds and to replenish Animus.

  Shadows danced behind the grand statue and the columns along the perimeter.

  Mouse fanned her face. “Oh, mama got a little hot after that blast. I might have to find a nice corner and play with the kitten for a minute.”

  Aria frowned. “Now is not the time.” Yet she was standing funny, legs crossed.

  Zoey sniffed the air. “I think I smell something.”

  “I think it’s love,” Tessa joked.

  That did nothing to help Aria’s frown. “Tessa, we need to—”

  A cloaked figure emerged from the shadows and plucked the orb out of Aria’s hand. She secreted the sphere away in her black robes before dashing across the tiles. She had a compound bow in her hands made from black carbon fiber. It was new, brand new. On the run, she fired an arrow into the middle of them.

  In midair, the arrow exploded. The noise was deafening, and Steven found himself lost in a black fog. It was like a flashbang grenade that brought noise and darkness instead of light.

  He flung himself up into the air, growing wings, becoming thirty feet long, his scales black and smelling of smoky orange blossoms. He emerged out of the darkness to see the Shadow Archer racing toward the exit.

  “Defensio!” He cast a shield spell in front of her. She leapt over it easily, and in midair, sent another arrow streaking toward him. He avoided it, but just barely.

  Uchiko emerged from a shadow by the pillar. She swept the weight connected to the end of her sickle-chain toward the archer’s face. The archer ducked and sent a shaft at the ninja, who caught the arrow. She dropped her kusarigama, plucked the Hellstring off her back, and fired the same arrow back at the slim robed figure, whose features were covered by her cloak and a black mask.

  The Shadow Archer returned the arrow to her. The movement was so sudden, so fluid, Uchiko didn’t have time to pluck the missile out of the air. She ducked and the shaft clattered across the ground.

  Uchiko responded by firing three more arrows at the Shadow Archer. She dodged all three. They couldn’t let the mysterious archer escape with the orb.

  Steven unleashed a torrent of fire in front of the fleeing figure. The temperature inside the chamber rose a dozen degrees. Smoke rolled off the top of the ceiling.

  The Shadow didn’t try to run through the flames. She sped left, her body blurring with speed—she had access to SerpentGrace, or something similar. The Archer leapt up onto a column, somersaulted in the air, and came down next to Uchiko. A strike later, and Uchiko was sent sprawling back.

  The Shadow Archer pulled the Hellstring out of the ninja’s limp hand. The bone-white bow was massive and gorgeously ornate.

  Steven hurled Impetim stars at the figure, and she dodged every one.

  All this time, the Shadow Archer had been watching, saving them at key moments and then disappearing. Never had she tried to steal from them, until now. She had both Icharaam’s Orb and the Hellstring. They couldn’t let her get away.

  Steven’s flames died.

  Both Aria and Mouse, in their True Forms, flew through the cavern and landed in front of the exit.

  Steven crashed to the floor, biting at the archer. She ran up his body, leapt off his snout, and drew a hand back on the string of the Hellstring.

  A dark arrow, vibrating with power, fired from the Hellstring. She aimed at Aria, not Steven, and the dark shaft struck the Indian woman in the chest. She staggered back, clawing her chest, transforming, getting smaller, smaller, until she was human again. She hit the floor.

  Mouse took three steps, launched herself into the air, and then turned human at the last second, the Slayer Blade poised to pierce the Shadow Archer through her heart.

  The two hung in midair, archer and swordswoman, eyes narrowed.

  The Shadow Archer ran over Mouse, literally over her body. Mouse’s cloak, Icharaam’s Cloak, tried to grasp the slim figure, but she avoided the gripping fabric and whirled, firing another length of darkness into Mouse. Mouse went face-first into the floor. That cloak should’ve protected her, but it didn’t.

  Zoey and Tessa were back in action after being stunned by the dark-bang arrow. Uchiko was still out.

  So it was three against one.

  “Faith!” Steven called out. His Animus flowed into the Baxter Rings, activating them. Metal raced over his body, covering him in thick plates of armor, jointed, so he could move despite the weight.

  The Shadow Archer’s Hellstring arrows pounded him and he staggered back. Morta, he could sense Morta in those shafts, which didn’t make sense. What was the Shadow Archer? Was she part of the Zothoric?

  His armor protected him. Could it have somehow tied itself into his Morta core? Perhaps partially, though he didn’t feel anything.

  Tessa’s Peacekeeper thundered. Electricity crackled from the muzzle of the gun. Zoey, in her glowing golden armor, charged forward.

  The Archer rolled under the lightning bullet. On one knee, she fired into Zoey, who lost her armor, turned human, and lay on her back unmoving.

  She turned to run.

  Steven used up every bit of Animus to imbue himself with SerpentGrace. At the same time, he shouted, “Truth!”

  His armor retracted back into the Baxter rings. His weight changed abruptly; in a burst of speed, he let his momentum carry him forward. He wasn’t done. As he floated through the air, he let go of his True Form while unsheathing his sword even as it appeared on his back. He came down on the Shadow Archer, knocking her onto her back.

  His sword was at her throat. A mask of black cloth covered most of her face, but not her eyes, almond-shaped, with purple irises. Her skin was a dark blue, almost black, a sharp contrast to her hair, as white as bone. Her ears were pointed.

  “If you move, I will kill you,” Steven warned.

  She closed her eyes and went limp.

  Tessa ran up, keeping her Peacekeeper ready. “I did an AnimusChain on the others. They are low on Animus, which explains all the humanness going on. Whatever she fires from the Hellstring is a spicy meatball.”

  Steven reached out with his own AnimusChain, and he found the Morta core in the Shadow Archer. And yet, there was Animus there as well, a mixture of the two energies, in a crackling, uneasy sphere, burning hard.

  “That must hurt,” Steven murmured.

  The archer opened her eyes. Tears leaked down her face.

  Why wasn’t she saying anything?

  And why was she crying?

  Chapter Two

  AFTER SECURING THEIR prisoner, they found a Walmart, outside of Dodge City, and they camped there for the night. The Wayne twins weren’t around to complain.

  Steven checked in on their home base, using Magica Divinatio to contact Sabina for an update.

  The Latina Magician didn’t talk much about the twins. Steven did hear that Sabina was throwing up a lot, and she felt bloated and uncomfortable. Despite the vomiting and gas, she and the Wayne twins were safe. Tara Heridan wasn’t giving them any trouble, and they were keeping an eye on her, though that didn’t require much work. Tessa had used Enchantrix to fashion handcuffs for the former Prosha. Chained, Heridan allowed Sabina to take her for walks through the Denver airport, but otherwise, Heridan sat motionless in a chair staring at them with black eyes full of hate.

  That bug girl, not much fun at parties.