Stolen Lives: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Underhill Chronicles Book 1) Keith Ahrens (best e reader for epub txt) 📖

“After that, you will need to travel about two hours south along the road. The horses' shoes and the wagons are enchanted so they will travel much faster than normal, but only on the main road. If you get separated from the group and are forced to travel by foot, you will need to stay off the road. Patrols of ogres, goblins riding direwolves, and possibly redcaps will be out looking to capture or kill you. Traveling by foot will take you about a day-and-a-half to reach the next landmark.” She stops to take a sip of water from her canteen.

“The road will lead to a lake; stay far away from the shores… it is well-defended by the creatures who live in it. The road will then diverge; take the left-most fork. It will lead away from the lake and to a small cave. The closest portal back to your realm will be in that cave. It is where all your human foods come from. We will assemble there at the mouth of the cave. Only ten or so people may travel through the portal at one time, so we must be fast, and ready to defend ourselves from those who are most likely guarding it. Any questions?”

“Yeah, if we do get separated, how are we gonna get through the portal?” asks Colt.

“If you make it that far, you should be able to just walk through. I, myself, or someone else will wait as long as we can on this side of the gate for any stragglers. The gate opens tonight at moonrise and will stay open until dawn of the third day hence.”

“Bottom line, not all of us are gonna survive, but this is the best chance we got. We fight together, and then we run like hell and hope we don't get caught,” says Olivia.

“We're hoping that there will be enough disarray and confusion here during the battle to stall any pursuit for a while,” replies Thorn. “The last bit of help we can provide are these healing stones. Some of you may be familiar with them.” She glances at me, patting her satchel. “For those of you who aren't, simply hold the stone over any wound and visualize it healing. It will exhaust the user, so only attempt this when you are safe. Good fighting tomorrow. I hope I will see you all at the cave entrance after the noontime hour on the morrow.” She dumps a pile of white and green stones out onto the bench. She pauses and stares at Haynes, lips poised on the edge of speaking, but then simply leaves without another word.

“Well, folks, that’s about all we have for you. I suggest we get as much rest as we can. Gather whatever gear you want to take with you, and be sure to pack provisions. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day,” says Haynes with a note of dismissal in his voice.

Everyone takes the hint and picks up a healing stone before they leave, filing out of the room to finish removing their own arms and armor. Our small group completes the remainder of our tasks in relative silence. There's not much more to say, but we have plenty to think about.

It’s a cold, sleepless night for most of us. As usual, I try not to let my mind go back to the life I was forced to leave behind as I drift off into an exhausted sleep. It’s a little harder tonight, now that a glimmer of hope stands before me.

13

The pixie light flares brightly as the sound of the morning horn bellows through the hallway. It’s tough to tell without a clock, but it feels earlier than usual.

The jailer begins his usual step, drag, step, drag cadence down the hall, unlocking cells as he goes. The rattling sound of the goblin's wagon is missing. Des sees me looking at the door.

“They ain't gonna feed us before the fight. No reason to waste the food, I reckon,” says Des.

Sighing deeply, I reach under my pallet. Having learned from my past mistakes, I've been able to save a little bit of food, remembering to rotate it every day or so with a fresher stash to prevent discovering any rotten crap again. Finding what I'm looking for, I quickly wolf down a few scraps from the remainder of my MREs. It tastes a bit stale, but I want to be sure to have some energy for the day. Everyone else digs into their own personal stashes as well, eating in silence, the coming fight heavy on all our minds.

We unearth our 'home-world' equipment and secure it under our clothing before making our way to the arming room. The hallway smells very damp, and the dirt floor has turned to a thick mud due to the rainwater rolling down the hill. The fields outside should be a wonderful, sloppy mess to fight on.

We arrive at our armory without incident and begin suiting up with quiet professionalism. The air seems extra tense as we take turns checking each other’s armor for loose straps or openings in the chainmail and plates. We take extra care to conceal and secure our personal weapons and possessions. It sure as hell wouldn't do to tip our hand too soon by having a guard notice our 'new toys.'

Jesse is the first to really break the silence. “Well, best make use of the latrine, gentlemen. Wouldn't be seemly to piss yourself at the first hint of battle.” We acknowledge his practical advice and move to follow it.

The muddy slope leading up to the courtyard proves to be tricky footing. The boggy ground is half-sticky and half-slippery, and it takes us all longer than usual to make it to the gate at ground level.

The sun has yet not risen, but the rain continues unabated. The wind gusts are enough to stagger a man if he's not careful. The goblins on the walls have hunkered down in a clear effort to avoid falling