Ethereal Soul: Creations Bane (Book 3): A LitRPG Portal Adventure (Creation's Bane), page 1
Copyright © 2022 Kevin Sinclair
All rights reserved
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and situations portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination.
The Author has no medical experience whatsoever and is in no way offering dietary or health advice. Any situation herein, are purely of the author's imagination.
All resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.
For more Information email:
havok@kevinsinclair.co.uk
First edition 2022
Thanks
As usual, I like to thank those who helped me get this book over the line. The amazing editing prowess of Evan MacGregor and Alicia Sit and the exemplary proof-reading skills of Elias Dantas.
The truly fantastic art of Luciano Fleitas. I’ve loved all of the covers for this series so far, but this one is just incredible.
For the typography I have the amazingly talented Stephen Landry to thank. Who helped me out of a tight spot at short notice and to whom I’m incredibly grateful!
I also want to give special thanks and my sympathy for those of you mad enough to come back for more!
Contents
Copyright © 2022 Kevin Sinclair
Thanks
Chapter 0 Maps of Falritas Continent
Regional
Chapter 1 Slumming It
Chapter 2 A Different Pace
Chapter 3 Greenpeace
Chapter 4 Skill-Set
Chapter 5 Keeping the Dream Alive
Chapter 6 Settling In
Chapter 7 The Resolute
Chapter 8 Life Goals
Chapter 9 Rising
Chapter 10 My Kind of Bliss
Chapter 11 Sidelined
Chapter 12 The Parasite
Chapter 13 It’s Time
Chapter 14 Yorkshire Puddings
Chapter 15 Squeaked In
Chapter 16 A Daztardly Plan
Chapter 17 Contact
Chapter 18 It’s a Numbers Game
Chapter 19 Coming Together
Chapter 20 A True Test
Chapter 21 Yin and Yang
Chapter 22 Concealed Weapons
Chapter 23 Falling Apart
Chapter 24 The Light, the Dark, and the Indifferent
Chapter 25 Have Tools, Will Travel
Chapter 26 Aspiring to do Better
Chapter 27 Little Piggies
Chapter 28 Trust Issues
Chapter 29 The Jugular
Chapter 30 Holmward Bound
Chapter 31 Massive Buns
Chapter 32 Avoiding a Long Flight
Chapter 33 The Forgotten Ones
Chapter 34 Over and Under
Chapter 35 Rules of Engagement
Chapter 36 Cleaning Up
Chapter 37 The Fallen
Chapter 38 Time to Reflect
Chapter 39 Trust
Chapter 40 Packing a Punch
Chapter 41 It’s Best to Axe Nicely
Chapter 42 Rules
Chapter 43 Spinny Rooms
Chapter 44 Levering Beloska
Chapter 45 Company
Chapter 46 Linchpin
Chapter 47 Temple of Plenty
Chapter 48 Spring Trap
Chapter 49 Fair-Weather Friends
Chapter 50 No Privacy Here
Chapter 51 Speak with the Manager
Chapter 52 Hardly Worth the Effort
Chapter 53 Trailblazers
Chapter 54 A Special Tipple
Chapter 55 Prepare for a Moment
Chapter 56 White Wash
Chapter 57 Creepy Memories
Chapter 58 Dodgy Dealings
Chapter 59 And They Just Keep Coming
Chapter 60 Baering Straight
Chapter 61 Big Boy Problems
Chapter 62 Altar Course
Chapter 63 End Credits
Chapter 0
Maps of Falritas
Continent
Regional
Chapter 1
Slumming It
Ashes.
That’s all that remained of Darkness’ army within my Sphere of Influence. Thousands dead in a heartbeat, but on the grand scale of grimness, it wasn’t so bad. Our town, while severely damaged, was now burgeoning with helping hands, and for this particular task, we had cleaners who were both skilled and eager to remove all of the ashes.
Olata’s Fae—they swooped around gleefully, collecting the burnt remains with their magic and sprinkling them in the forest's soil. Olata told me that it would help to further enrich the land. I’d never heard of the like before, but they were happy, and within a day of our return, the Fae already had the forests and gardens brimming with vibrant energy and color.
All along the rubble-strewn streets were neat rows of trees and food-producing bushes sprouting to provide our ruined home with food. Among them were the orange trees grown from the seeds that we’d found under the ice in the far north.
As the Fae and Fensalfar busied themselves producing food, it seemed everyone else, when not pestering me about one thing or another, was involved in clearing up the damage and preparing for our rebuilding efforts. Efforts which were slowed by Joel’s insistence that we were not just throwing up any old crap!
Today I wasn’t enjoying the temperate gardens and forest of Far Reach. Nor was I helping with the cleanup. Nope. Today I was miles underground. Exploring the network of tunnels that led not just beneath Far Reach but all throughout the underground portion of my Sphere of Influence.
It seemed that the Dwarves had been far busier under our town than they’d led us to believe. A whole complex we’d had no idea about sprawled in every direction. Despite our ignorance, the revelation surprised no one at all.
The Krysan of Far Reach had been busy down here, reveling in finding every nook and cranny the Dwarves had carved out and mapping it out. Now they were giving me and Joel the guided tour.
“Down here,” Scralex said, beckoning us onward as he scampered down a relatively fresh-looking tunnel.
I need not have worried about accidentally exiting our safe zone as a newly constructed, heavy, iron door, brimming with enchantments, marked the border on the Dwarven side.
I studied it with distaste, using Singularity Sight to pick out the flow of energy which protected it. That they thought they could put a door like this right on our border was both a threat and an insult in my mind, and I didn’t like it.
Of course, I could banish all of the enchantments with a few thoughts, which is exactly what I did. Within a few seconds, the door was unprotected, and I happily put all 338 Strength into a flat-footed kick at the door.
“They’re arseholes, but they’re damn good craftsmen,” Joel chided as I failed to break through.
“Not that good,” I said, before following up with another almighty boot. The sound of the kick rang down the tunnel. The door remained closed, and Joel’s smirk still pasted over his stupid face.
On the third kick, I added a little Ethereal Neuma to the sole of my bare foot and the door finally, and quite dramatically, opened. It took a couple of armored Dwarves out with it on its trajectory twenty feet down the tunnel.
Once the Dwarven soldiers beyond had recovered from the door-shaped missile, they raised their weapons and approached the damaged opening with hate in their eyes, focused entirely on me. They said nothing, only stood, staring with pure malice, spurred on by my King Slayer title. Despite that hatred, they couldn’t come through.
I stood silently for a few moments, watching them right back. I had no intention of going through to them either. I just wanted them to know that I wasn’t about to put up with their shit.
“I like to keep the doors open in my tunnels,” I finally said, keeping my tone emotionless. “Keeps the fresh air blowing through, and I can keep an eye on my nightmare neighbors. If another one goes up against my Sphere, I’ll break it down and break anyone standing behind it.”
They scowled and growled, but had no recourse. With a shake of my head, I turned and headed back up our tunnel.
“Why didn’t you kill them?” Joel asked.
“They’ll only send more, and at this point, it’s quiet, so we’ll leave it that way. Still can’t have them putting their doors there, though. I want some space between our defenses and theirs.”
Scralex spoke before Joel could reply, pointing down the first tunnel off-shot we came to. “Further storage down here. Lots and lots of space.”
“Always good to have plenty of storage,” I replied as we followed him along the new tunnel.
Five minutes later, we entered a cavernous room filled with weapons and armor. How much use the armor would be, I didn’t know as it was designed for Dwarves. We’d already found a room filled with masses of food supplies, which was a boon for us, but it all clearly pointed to Darkness’ followers being set up for a long time to siege Far Reach. The sly bastards had practically built another town under ours.
Moving past the cavernous s
“Not much more to show today,” Scralex said. “Still looking around, though.”
“Good.” I nodded, surveying the cavern. “Best to have it all mapped out. Especially the entrances into the Nideland. Take me around all the ones you know about so far.”
“We will, we will!” he replied with surprising exuberance.
I guessed he wanted something, and with his next statement, all doubt was removed.
“So, are you okay for Krysan to come live down here, Lord Clive?”
“Sure, mate,” I said, fighting a smirk at his over-the-top helpfulness. “No reason not to make full use of the space. Just work with Joel to claim an area for your homes. I have a feeling we’ll be doing a lot down here in the coming years. The Sphere of Influence is only so big, so being able to expand underground is going to be pretty useful.”
“Still can’t believe the double-crossing dickheads have done this much work down here,” Joel grumbled. “I honestly thought it was still just the garrison and the road to Nuinaer. Still, gotta thank them for all the food and gear they left behind.”
“They’re getting bugger-all thanks from me,” I replied. “But we’ll definitely take advantage of the situation.”
We wandered around for a couple more hours, and I took great pleasure in kicking open every Dwarven door that we came across. If they wanted doors, they weren’t building them right up against my Sphere of Influence, cheeky bastards.
Once we’d finished the tour of the main areas discovered, I headed back up to the surface with Joel. While he was interested in the potential below, I could tell he was itching to get back to the rebuilding project on the surface.
We came out a few yards away from the castle ruins, and I saw his eyes immediately fall upon our people trying to organize the blocks and rubble from the collapsed building.
“So, what you gonna work on first?” I asked, pulling his attention back to me.
“It’ll have to be the castle, really. It’s the center of our town, and you haven’t got a home!”
“We’ve got the restaurant, mate,” I said, already knowing what his answer would be. “We’re both happy kipping in there.”
A smile creased his face. “It’s weird hearing you talk like old Clive, when you’ve done so much and you look . . . well, like that,” he said, gesturing at me.
“Still me, and I always will be. And anyhow, what’s wrong with how I look? Apart from still looking like a beggar, I think I’m quite rocking the purple skin.”
“Look’s more blue, to me. And I hear Danivra is sorting you something a bit more fitting to wear. But that’s not what I meant. This Alo-im thing you’ve got going on. You look powerful. Even more so than you did as a demon, which is weird. I keep expecting some posh, commanding voice to come out of you, yet it’s still just you.”
“Posh. Me? Fuck that. I might be seven feet tall and slightly purple, but I’m still from Sunderland.”
“Good to hear, but even so, we’ll still get the castle rebuilt and get you back in there.”
I put a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eyes. “I’m being serious, Joel. I don’t particularly want to live in a castle. I want to live above my restaurant, and Sania doesn’t care either way. She’d sleep on the main street and not bat an eyelid. Far Reach is not in any immediate danger inside the Sphere, so we don’t need it for defense. So maybe you should focus on rebuilding the rest of the town and making sure everyone has a home first. Then you can do a proper job of the castle, rather than just rushing it off. Like you said yourself, we’re not just throwing up any old crap! Even once it’s built, I’m probably not going to live in it.”
He planted his hands on his hips, brows furrowed. “I don’t rush anything off. I might be fast, but everything I build is done with care and precision.”
“I don’t doubt it, mate,” I replied, holding out my hands defensively. “Didn’t mean anything by it, just . . . I dunno. You might want to think on it a little, then design and build something a bit more epic. Something totally different that suits us. Remember, this is our town. It’s gonna be a city and a beacon of safety in the north. We don’t want any shitty Dwarven replica castle. You can do much better than that.”
Finally, Joel understood what I was getting at, his eyes widening with wonder at the possibilities as he rubbed at his stubbly chin. “Yeah. We could do something really fancy, couldn’t we? I’ll have a good think on it, Clive, and if you’re going to insist on living in the restaurant, I’ll get on it straight away.”
“I think the tavern needs fixing first,” I said, nodding over to where Tracy, George, and Remus all lounged on the rubble pile that made up the collapsed half of their tavern. Making the most of the last of the day's sunlight before it dropped behind the mountains.
Joel shook his head with a heavy sigh. “Whole place is a right damn mess. It’s gonna take an age to have it looking as good as it did.”
“You’ve plenty of help, though. The additional Nysti and Nanooks should be a huge help I reckon.”
“They’ll need training up first, which is work in itself. But you're right. I best get to it. What are you going to do?”
“Honestly, mate, sweet fuck all. I need a breather, and I want to really get used to this new body. As much as I’d like to say I’ll be able to relax here indefinitely, I just know Devotion’s going to be calling on me soon enough to help in protecting Malatia, and I owe her that at the very least.”
“Well, you deserve a rest after everything you’ve been through lately,” he said, slapping me on the shoulder. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
I watched him walk off down the street, and took in a few deep breaths of the fresh mountain air. It seemed richer and more alive somehow. I couldn’t be sure if it was just the scent of relief at being back home. It could have been the smell of the Sphere of Influence’s power or the addition of the Fae to the forests and gardens of Far Reach. Hell, it could have just been my new Alo-im senses, which were now far more acute. But then I was Level 288, so who the hell knew. My main takeaway was that I loved it, and as I took in the carnage around me, I saw nothing but hope and promise.
With a spring in my step, I headed over to the triplets. They all attempted to stand up as I approached.
“Sit down,” I laughed, gesturing with my hands for them to stay where they were. “I’m coming to sunbathe with you.”
Stepping over the perimeter wall of the once beer garden, I settled down on the rubble with them. “So, neighbors. How are you holding up?”
“Can’t complain, all things considered,” Remus said. “Can’t get any trade through from Malatia at the minute, and obviously, the Dwarves won't be selling us no more ale. But I’ve been chatting with Queen Olata, and we have plans to make our own stuff. Going to be fruit mead and brandies for the foreseeable future, but who gives a damn, eh?”
“Sound’s good to me,” I agreed. “Watch that Freeler though,” I chided. “He loves a drink.”
George snorted. “Freeler’s in cellar now. Tryin’ to suck last of beer out of barrels.”
Tracy choked out a laugh at that. “Shame me and George already did that yesterday!”
George joined in the laughter, while Remus offered them both withering looks.
“So you met your new, best customer? That’s good. He’s one of a kind,” I said with a wry grin.
“Freeler is good fun,” George said. “But Joel and Lierin best customers. Here every night before the collapse.”
“That doesn’t surprise me in the least. He works hard though, and I reckon he just likes your company.”
They all nodded proudly at that. “We like him too. Joel is like fourth triplet,” George said.
Suppressing the urge to laugh, I was thankfully distracted by Sania and her mother, Sanyl. They were leaving the restaurant next door, ducking under the partially collapsed doorframe. It was amusing to see Sania now smaller than her mother with her Amarok human form only being around six feet tall. She still looked incredibly dangerous, her beautiful eyes taking everything in as she led her mother toward us. Her movements every inch the hunter.
