The Fourth Secret: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Divine Apostasy Book 4) A. Kay (best management books of all time .TXT) 📖

The Stone Carver tilted her head, as if surprised Ruwen had evaded her attack. The corner of her mouth turned upward, and another short rod flew out of her Void Band, but this time from the rear one. But the rod didn’t head for him, instead it entered the back of the Mage’s front Void Band.

A silver blur left the front Void Band, and even with Last Breath, Ruwen couldn’t react in time. He twisted his body, managing to avoid getting struck in the heart. But the pointed rod pierced his armor and struck his left lower ribcage. It shattered two of his ribs as it passed through his body before lodging against the back of his ribs.

Ruwen’s Health dropped by eighty-eight, and a second later the rod stuck in his body exploded.

The Gold Fortification saved Ruwen’s life. His organs and internal structures were all stronger than plate armor, not just his skin. But the explosion still caused three hundred thirteen damage. Thankfully, Last Breath kept the pain from his mind.

In a single attack, the young Stone Carver had knocked Ruwen’s Health from one thousand four hundred thirty-four to just over a thousand. Almost thirty percent of his Health gone in an instant.

And she had used the second Void Band to accelerate the projectile even faster, making it almost impossible to see.

What happened? Hamma asked. I’m coming back.

The Stone Carver lowered her arms, her face shocked and confused. She probably had expected Ruwen to be in a thousand pieces right now.

Ruwen sprinted toward the second exit on the far wall and away from his party, hoping to draw the dangerous Mage away from his friends. No! Keep moving. I’m fine. He glanced at his map. Why aren’t you farther away?

Lylan is still recovering, and the water is slowing Xavier, Hamma said.

Ruwen swallowed his frustration. He would just need to buy them more time. In three seconds, he had run far enough that the fog hid him from sight. Stone Echo showed him the enemy group had all turned to follow him.

With a Health Regen rate of four per second, it would take one hundred seconds for Ruwen to heal. He considered casting his instant heal, Massage. He had maxed the spell out when fighting the Bone Sculptor.

The Warlord Banner buff Renew added thirty percent to healing received, making Massage tick for forty-two every second for thirty seconds. It cost one hundred fifty Mana and casting it now would waste two-thirds of the healing, so he decided to wait until he took more damage.

As Ruwen ran, he channeled twenty-five Energy into the level sixteen Commander spell Fallen Heroes. Since he only had one level in the spell, only one level twenty-three apparition appeared running next to him, a Heavy Walking Stick in its right hand. It looked identical to Ruwen, at least in the fog, and should fight with his non-magical abilities.

Ruwen slammed into a rock wall and his Health dropped by ten, shaking his body from the impact. In a blink, he stood in darkness and he activated Glow to see. A stone sphere encased him and his Fallen Hero. The Stone Carver must have an ability to sense location, along with a powerful encapsulate spell.

Channeling fifty Energy to Melt, Ruwen sank his hands into the wall, pulling down with all his strength. In seconds, he’d made a vertical hole that he and the Fallen Hero squeezed through. By the time they were out, however, the Stone Carver and her group had neared, although they still weren’t visible.

Maybe I should use the Sublime Centipede of Solace, Ruwen said to Rami. I could smash them all like I did the Elders.

That lie worked on the Elders, but any god viewing their subjects’ memories will know the truth of it. I don’t think you should use it.

Ruwen frowned, hesitant to run, as the vibrations seemed to give his location away to the Stone Carver. He didn’t have many options, so he bought himself and his group more time with a trick. Taking three seconds to cast, the level sixteen Collector spell Minion dropped his Mana by one hundred.

The Minion formed from whatever material was closest, which in this case was stone, dirt, and water. It had six arms and stood eight feet tall. Ruwen knew it could only obey simple commands, so he pointed toward the center of the cavern.

“Run!” Ruwen hissed.

The enemy group paused on Ruwen’s map, and the Minion only made it ten feet before another sphere began to form around it. But the Minion oozed around the stone before it could become a sphere and continued running. He smiled and cast his next spell.

Two hundred fifty Mana and two seconds later the level twenty Gatherer spell Worker Wagon completed. Ruwen had used over half his Mana on the two spells, but he hoped the wagon would fool the Stone Carver.

The Worker Wagon rested on a cushion of air and needed very little effort to move. It measured six feet wide, fifteen feet long, and five feet high, with a capacity of four hundred fifty cubic feet. Meant to help the Gatherer move resources, Ruwen planned to use it for something a little different.

The enemy group had pursued the Minion, and Ruwen jumped onto the wagon, his Fallen Hero mirroring his action. Ruwen laid on his stomach and hung his arms off the back. Opening his Void Band, he angled it toward the ground. He pulled the mist into the top side of the band, and forced it out the bottom, against the ground, slowly adding Energy until the wagon moved.

Ruwen grinned. Even Sift would have to admit this was a good idea. He angled his Void Band like a rudder, turning his air ship toward the exit his friends had taken. The enemy group closed on his Minion, who it turned out was not a very fast runner, and moments later the Minion disappeared from