Atlas Rising a LitRPG gaming adventure Blake Severson (free books to read .txt) 📖

Cupping the dirt in his hands, he lifted the plant and watched as the excess soil fell from the roots, leaving only a perfectly preserved plant.

You learned the skill, Herbalism.

Item - Weer Bloom

Requirements: None

Rarity: Common

Quality: Poor

Durability: 10/10

Weight: 1 lb

Slot: Crafting

Traits: A vase-shaped plant with blue and white streaks.

Uses: To unlock this section you must advance your Herbalism skill or learn recipes using this plant.

One down, four more to go. Atlas spent another twenty minutes and only ended up with three intact Weer Blooms in his bag. On one attempt he slipped while digging and the trowel dug into the base of the plant, killing it.

With all three packed away, he surveyed his surroundings. Nothing stood out, so he consulted his minimap and walked in a random unexplored direction. After a brief stint of travel, a noise caused him to freeze.

The thick bush on the trail in front of him shook slightly. He crept forward until he was only a few steps away. A furry little creature hopped from the foliage and onto the clear path. Atlas stood up tall and smiled. An examination identified it as Rabbit - Level 1.

“Scared me for a second little guy.”

He crouched down and stared at the fuzzy little animal. Its ears perked up and its eyes locked onto his own. Atlas reached out to touch the creature, but it looked back toward the bush it emerged from and darted off in the opposite direction at a run. Its actions confused him until he heard more rustling in the leaves.

To his surprise, a cat like form exited the bush and came to a halt in front of him. It crouched down as though it would pounce. The tag for Bobcat - Level 3 appeared over its head. Two levels isn’t a terrible difference.

You have entered combat!

Atlas slowly reached into the bag at his side while the bobcat shifted its weight to its tall hind legs to prepare for its jump. His blade came free at the same time the cat leaped into the air, and he watched the shadowy form of his blade move in his vision. He partially panicked when he noticed the claws of the bobcat extended and pointed toward his face.

Instead of following the motion, he reacted on instinct and threw both arms up and crossed them in front of his face. A sharp pain exploded from his forearms and a tearing feeling entered his mind as the weight of the creature drug it down his arms. His relief was short-lived as the cat used its claws to jump farther up his arm and it sunk its teeth into his left shoulder.

Bobcat dealt 4 HP damage with Biting Claw.

The little monster fell back to the ground and stared at him in anticipation of his attack. Atlas almost dove forward with his dagger before he remembered he now had a magic spell. With a feral grin, he mentally activated Nature’s Fury. A rush of power filled his arms but, to his dismay, images of his arms moving danced in his view. He stared at them in confusion until the power left him and he saw an unwelcome notification.

You failed to cast Nature’s Fury. There was no spell backlash.

I have to do these motions for spells as well? How the hell am I expected to do that during combat?

A growl interrupted his thoughts as the bobcat attacked again. This time, Atlas maintained his composure and followed the movements as closely as he could. His arm matched the ghostly image and his blade scored a shallow cut on the side of the cat in midair. The attack knocked its jump off course and it flew slightly to his left as the feline hissed in pain.

You dealt 1 HP damage to Bobcat with Deflect.

Hey, I’m getting the hang of this. He activated his Double Slash ability and leaped forward in time with the visualization. His blade wavered in and out of the image as it flew, but maintained a general pace with the copy. An angry bobcat marked the end of the trail as the knife continued and hit its side.

Instead of seeing the next attack, his vision flashed red for a moment and then the cat leaped for him again. The ghostly image showed a defensive slash across his body, so he attempted to follow. Off balance from his attack and the unexpected follow up attack, he stumbled and his defensive swipe flew wide of the indicated path. Instead of the teeth of the cat, Atlas received a swipe of claws as searing pain ran down his forearm and his movement froze again.

You dealt 1 HP damage to Bobcat with Double Slash. (Interrupted)

Bobcat dealt 2 HP damage to you with Counter.

So the creatures can counter attacks? That could make things interesting.

The bobcat attacked again, and he matched the movements, knocking it off balance. An idea struck him and he tried to activate Double Slash as soon as he successfully countered. It worked, and the image of his attack appeared immediately. He followed the movements and struck both times without being interrupted.

You dealt 3 HP damage to Bobcat with Double Slash.

This combat system seems to be almost turn based. If I mess up an attack or miss a counter, it stops my movements until the opponent can strike.

He circled to his right, and the cat crouched down and slowly circled with him. It stayed low to the ground and crept forward as though stalking prey, never taking its eyes off of him. The bobcat dashed forward and Atlas jumped to the side. The animal flew past, and he spun to watch it land and turn toward him. It froze in place with a snarl.

Time to try a spell again. Atlas slipped his dagger in the waist of his pants and activated Nature’s Fury, bracing himself for the onslaught of images. As soon as they appeared, he frantically followed the movements. His right arm spun one full circle in a clockwise motion, while his left did