Reincarnation Trials: A LitRPG Apocalypse (Systems of Salvation Book 1) Read online

Free of the onerous weight, I applied more speed, feeling my calves and hamstrings burning from the exertion. The rear wagon returned into the town right as I pivoted at the wall’s corner. The second, third, and fourth slid back into safety.

  The scared guards closed the gate when the fifth wagon hesitated, sealing those who tried to flee to the outside.

  I pulled a dragon off my hip, snatched a torch off the wall, and skidded to a halt not far from the wagon that was trapped.

  People fled their wagons, pounding on the gate in terror. Others pleaded for help while turning over their shoulder to glance into the darkness.

  I flung a rope ladder over the wall, not willing to jump down. Other guards saw my action, and soon, a dozen rope ladders dangled off the wall. A little girl was the first to end up over the ladder, and Braxton led her down a ramp to safety.

  I watched and waited, my .45 at the ready for any webo’narock who dared to enter the illuminated space near the wall.

  The loud crack of bones snapping in the distance revealed the truth of the matter. The dead were being turned into meals, even the horses. The wagons that rested out of the shadows were ushered closer to the gate.

  All the frightened people who scrambled up ladders were ignored by the beasts. These webo’narocks didn’t want to enter another fight, choosing to feast instead.

  “Open the gate,” a woman bellowed. A mob of armed citizens arrived, their weapons at the ready. “We recover the wagons, the wounded, and then go no further. Toss torches every dozen feet. If it moves in the dark, you fire.”

  The gates creaked open, and a hundred plus brave souls beat the darkness back. I couldn’t help but watch from the wall, helping a final woman with streaks of tears onto the wall.

  She thanked me with a hug, sobbing into my shoulder. I watched the party fire shots into the dark, spooking the woman I was comforting.

  Ten minutes later, the wagons rolled towards the gate. A half dozen dead webo’narocks jostled over the rough terrain, being dragged behind the wagons. Twenty-two dead humans were carried in, some of them only returned in parts.

  Whomever the woman was in charge, she had made the right call when she ordered the dead humans to be burned. I heard her cry out for the dead webo’narocks to be processed for food, and the expensive parts extracted so they could be sold later.

  She was a survivalist, a survivalist who noticed me perched on the wall with a damsel shuddering as she cried. The new boss never said anything, but I knew I’d be seeing her again.

  “Braxton, take this distraught young lady to wherever she needs to go,” I said, handing her off.

  “Where ya going?” he asked.

  “To get Henry, of course. That rifle is a killer, and I want it back.”

  “You named your gun? Such a man thing to do,” the teary-eyed woman said.

  “That rifle saved lives today. And he came to your aid hell bent to save your life.” Braxton scoffed. “I’d be dead without his actions. Best not to taunt him.”

  I turned my back, hearing a half-hearted apology. I didn’t really care. I wanted my stuff back, a comfy bed, and a stiff drink.

  Braxton followed me on my hunt for my gear, ditching the woman.

  “Hey, come meet Mari. She makes a mean stew and has a heart the size of Bisben,” Braxton said.

  “Is this a thank you thing?” I asked.

  He caught up, walking side by side with me. I stuck the torch I had stolen back in its holder.

  “I was kinda hoping for a drink then some fun. Maybe a game of cards or listen to the piano to beat back the sights of watching people getting eaten, again,” I said with a sigh.

  “Hey, I should have died. I bet Mari and Roma are worried sick. None of my buddies who started duty with me tonight made it,” Braxton said.

  It hit me then – right in the heart – and hit me hard. I wasn’t the only person dealing with their sorrows.

  “Yeah, man, I’d love to meet your family. But… big but, we celebrate life, not wallow in sorrow,” I said.

  “I guess that’s fair. Mari will just have to deal with a drink over a boring meal.”

  I chuckled, picking a rope ladder off the wall where I had tossed my stuff down. I stopped laughing when I saw the scope was ruined.

  Eh, it was a small price to pay, and Henry had etched the glass instead of marking it. Better damaged than gone, or so I told myself.

  Braxton pulled watch while I retrieved my items.

  A woman and her daughter came jogging down the wall, screaming for Braxton. I froze my ascent, not finishing my climb so they could have a moment.

  I heard love, a kind I’d never experienced besides with Dad. They were overjoyed in their reunion.

  I continued my ascent, not wanting to die while they fawned over the fact Braxton still lived. While I bundled the rope ladder, I felt eyes on me.

  “Mari, this man saved my life. I offered him stew, but he insisted on a celebratory drink,” Braxton said.

  His wife stood a foot shorter than him, her blonde hair the opposite of his dark black hair. Her blue eyes sparkled in the night with streaks of red from crying. She was pretty and all smiles at hearing what her husband said.

  I could tell she didn’t want to go drinking when she glanced at the ruckus from the bar area with a sudden scowl.

  “I – Pleasure to meet the man who saved my beloved. Braxton is the best man I’ve ever met, and I’ll keep my promise to my ma,” Mari said.

  Braxton rolled eyes. “She has ensured I stay safe and healthy, a plump man who shows no bones. Archaic ways if you ask me.”

  A shy woman tucked a blonde lock behind her ear. She nudged Braxton.

  “Oh right, this is Roma, my daughter. Careful of her boyfriend, he’s got a mean streak,” Braxton said.

  “How’d you save Pa?” she asked, rolling her eyes at her father. “And Tarak is not my boyfriend, he just wants to be.”

  I could tell why. She wore fluffy pants, a skin-tight shirt, and had the same dazzling blue as her mother. When she smiled, her cheeks dimpled, and the way she fidgeted lured a man in to ensure she was okay.

  Of course, I knew what she was – bait.

  A woman this pretty, bait.

  A father who warned you away, bait.

  A mother who stopped smiling and started frowning when you and her daughter locked eyes and lingered, dangerous.

  Oh man, what had I gotten myself into?

  “Let me tell you a tale of a daring adventure,” I started.

  11

  Snagglewood Day 10

  Laro

  “And after we saved all those people, you two lovely ladies found us,” I said, finishing the story and heading towards the Beer Heavenly.

  I didn’t even make it a dozen steps toward the ramp when a cagey, rail-thin man found us. The guy turned out to be one of the daytime head guards, and he rightfully wondered where one of his guards was going.

  I stepped back, barely listening while Mari volunteered to pull a shift with her husband.

  “And this one?” the man asked Braxton instead of me.

  I shook my head no, not caring what they thought.

  If I needed to be a guard, I’d do it during the day, that way I could have fun at night and if festivities like tonight’s raid broke out, I’d be able to get out of bed to help.

  While they debated the merits of adding Mari to the wall, I slyly checked my linker.

  Name: Theodore Karo

  Race: Human

  Age: 21

  Strength: 22

  Fitness: 19

  Aim: 15

  Survival Skills: 6

  Melee Combat: Novice.

  Weapon Combat: Moderate.

  Western Proficiency: 9/10

  Health: 10/10

  Thirst: 5/10

  Hunger: 1/10

  Weapon Rating: 8/10

  Gear Rating: 1/10

  Points: 9333

  Ranking: 17th out of 120,999

  Inventory Selected. Finances o
nly selected.

  980 Crowns – see Interim Mayor for amount owed.

  93 Silvers

  89 Chips

  “You got an itch?” Roma asked.

  I shook my head. “I’m consulting with my god.”

  “Ah, you worship Mother Nature?” Roma asked, pointing to the church.

  “I most assuredly do.”

  “A fanatic?” Roma asked with concern.

  I shrugged. “No, I live my life how I want. I’m not from here. I just use my religion to help me survive.”

  “Oh,” she said and didn’t add fuel to the ‘religion talk’ fire.

  “Traveler, I need ya on the wall,” the cagey man demanded.

  “Not sure I like your attitude. Best to realize I’m not one of your minions,” I told him.

  He postured aggressively, as if about to stick a finger into my chest.

  I frowned at him, sticking a hand on my revolver. Daxton and his family quickly parted a path.

  “How dare -?”

  I drew faster than he got his hand to the revolver under his arm.

  “Another inch and you die,” I growled. “No man commands me.”

  “I see what this is, you’re trying to impress the pretty girl,” the man said. “She’s spoken for, and you need to leave her alone.”

  “Honestly, I was planning on getting drunk, renting a fancy room at the brothel, and having three ladies join me. But my new friend here is going through a rough spell. Seems all his friends died. Not fair for someone who knows what it’s like to just abandon a man in need,” I said.

  “Ah, but you’ll leave these walls defenseless. And Roma belongs to Tarak. He’ll kill you if you keep this up.”

  “She said she’s single, but one man’s love isn’t normally worth the hassle. The reality is that you’re an ass, and as dumb as a donkey too,” I sneered. He didn’t catch on but did keep his hands from his weapon. “The only guards you need are torches every hundred feet around the city… and a few folks in towers. Ring the bell, summon the troops, shoot the narocks as they approach then fall back to roofs and hope the wave is small enough to handle.”

  “Bold strategy,” a female voice said from the bottom of the ramp. “I’ve been looking for the hired gun. Not shocked to find him with a pistol in hand.”

  Sulking behind the woman, I spotted Keb. “You’re so fired, Keb.”

  “Ha! I gave him orders to not die. I’m Kimi, Keb’s mother and sudden mayor of this fine town. May we have a word, alone?” Kimi asked. She turned to Daxton. “Take your family to Beer Heavenly. Mari can cook up a stew, just this once.”

  “In the big kitchens?” Mari blurted with raised eyebrows.

  Kimi nodded and Daxton knew better to fight the good fortune. I’d find him at the bar later, or I wouldn’t. Either way, I didn’t worry about it more than that.

  “Get out of here, Egron,” Kimi said. I holstered my weapon, and Egron departed to bug the guards at the gate. “You too, Keb. I ain’t dying to this man. Go grab his things out of his room and deliver them to Mistress Parnessi.”

  “Wait, Keb. Carry this and get a new scope for Henry,” I ordered. He glanced at his mother who nodded. “No one’s sleeping right now. Zed will be open. Tell him I need an unmarked scope with the same distance enhancer.”

  When he struggled to haul my gear away, I found myself alone on a wall with the most powerful woman in the town. Instead of staying on the wall, I decided to walk through the town.

  “What do you need?” I asked Kimi.

  “Hope. I need hope. Mostly for morale, the rest for survival. I’d rather not die, and Laro is my home. I’ll fight in it to the bitter end,” she said.

  “Where do I fit in?”

  “I praised your actions, rallying the people to storm the Eastern Gate after you ran that way. I told them an outsider who gave away his loot, defended the people of Laro, and showed no fear was doing what they needed to do. I made you an example, the right kind of example,” Kimi said.

  “Ah, a political tool,” I said.

  She shrugged. “Hard to argue that assessment. I overheard your conversation. I happen to need someone like you. Sheriff Barno was yanked off the wall. Never found his body, just the blood trail. He has a replacement, but the newest hero on my side will help smooth things over with our Laro politics. Be a day guard for me. It’s boring, the pay is shit because what use are crowns in a city that is under siege, and you’ll make me very happy.”

  “What are you going to do to make me happy?” I said, and she snickered.

  “Uh, so… about that. How about we keep going with the negatives first? We have forty wounded people and thirty-one dead narocks of both types. You killed six for certain as an independent gun. That means –” Kimi paused when I held up a hand.

  We shifted down an empty residential street, the stars and moon going from covered to uncovered with the shifting clouds overhead.

  “Save the lives, Kimi. Pay me the crowns from the treasury even if they’re worthless,” I said. “Tell Doctor Park to use whatever he needs.”

  “It’s Parker, but you’re close. That’ll go a long way. If we survive this, you could sell those parts for a whole lot of coins,” Kimi said.

  “Yeah, well, I have a feeling I’ll get plenty more. I don’t need crowns to buy land, and I should have enough for my needs. When it comes time to leave, I just need a horse or two, a carriage to sleep in, and a wagon to tow supplies,” I said.

  “You can afford all that. However, you don’t want Roma. She’s mired in politics not of her choosing, and you don’t want to live in The Bouncing Bunny.”

  I snickered at the brothel’s name.

  She rolled her eyes. “It’s catchy. Let me explain. Look, Theo, I need you on my team. It’ll help the transition of power, and I’ll enact your sound defense tactics. Before tonight there was three factions.

  “There’s the banker group run by Mayor Vincent. He’s dead now. His oldest son is an idiot. I’ll control his faction with my daughter hitchin’ to him as a mistress. He only wants booze and a wet slit anyways.

  “Then there’s Tarak and his Casino group. They keep amassing power with his wealth. Every acquisition they make comes with a sudden and terrible demise of the previous owners. The entire town answers to one of the three bosses, which are now two. Men like Egron won’t tolerate you pissing on their boss’s desires.”

  I shrugged. “She’s pretty, but hey, I just want to have a bit of fun. I’m not looking for drama or a wife. So, the Bouncing Bunny sounds like a fantastic place to unwind.”

  “It is, it is. Just, never saw the thrill in paying coin to use a gal or a man after someone else just did,” Kimi said.

  I frowned at her.

  “Sorry, like I said, there’s three sides. I control one and can maybe control the second. If you join my efforts, with your new status being held high in the court of opinion, it would make me very happy,” Kimi said.

  “Alright, so how do you make me happy?” I asked.

  “Let me put this another way. You don’t want to live in the Bouncing Bunny because there’s gals in there fake moaning at all hours. I can give you your own place, one of the estates near the commerce. It’s far enough away to get a good night’s sleep. I’ll name you a custodian should the Mermonts ever return from Bisben,” Kimi said.

  “A house to use as a hotel. Okay, I like that. Go have fun then find a quiet bed. I’m going to guess they won’t come home anytime soon?” Kimi nodded as I said this. “I want a reliable sidekick and someone to help run the estate, like a housekeeper. I’m sure there’s plenty of people needing work and pay.”

  “You may get that anyways with Roma,” Kimi said. “She needs saving.”

  “I saved her dad,” I said with a smirk.

  Kimi shook her head. “Like I said earlier, towns like these have politics. Tarak gets what he wants. Leave his girl alone or you end up dead. It’s kinda how he operates. He is a wealthy old man with lots of firepower and its
best to avoid his ire.”

  “And he wants Roma? She’s pretty. Makes sense from a basic perspective.”

  Kimi replied, “Tarak suddenly lost his wife to an accident and there’s a story there. But the main thing is, he’s now shopping for three young wives. Courting them each and Roma’s the only one spurning him.”

  “Was the wife’s death suspicious?” I asked.

  “Painfully so. I want him dead. Roma wants him dead. Daxton too,” Kimi said, and I felt I had just earned a new quest chain.

  “No promises, and Roma is nothing to me. She’s a pretty girl I met ten minutes ago. If she were Jenny and in danger, sure. Even Taiyo with our differences,” I said, muttering the last line. “I’ll play the narock’s killer for you. If someone is killing women to trade-in for the hotter model, well, I probably won’t sit on my hands either.”

  “Can you sit on your hands with my guards at the tables? You’re edgy and quick to draw. If you start killing all my other fighters, we may not survive,” Kimi said in a sassy way.

  She turned us down a road with homes that spread out. This was the rich section of town. I didn’t even know if I wanted to stay, but a private place to store my gear and sleep in peace seemed smart.

  “No promises, but I’ll try. I’ll take you up on your offer. The narocks’ body parts go to healing the town, but you pay me out of the town treasury. I’m your hired gun against the invasion forces. You pay me by covering my rent of the Mermonts’ Estate.

  “Also, you don’t stop me from stockpiling supplies to flee Laro if things go south. You send me sidekicks to interview and train. I’ll pay them well. Same with a house cleaner, because, well, I’ll trash the place without one if I work all day and gamble at night,” I said.

  We stopped out front of a big two-story home with expansive balconies on the top floor. A four-foot slate-stacked wall established a perimeter around the estate. The building itself reminded me of the stone homes that used mud to glue them together in the movies.

  The door held a padlock with a chain connected to the wall, and all the windows were shuttered.

  “This is it. There’s a key under the mat at the back barn. Stay at the Bouncing Bunny tonight or stay here. When you finish your shift on the walls tomorrow, expect me to send some help your way if you haven’t found some already,” Kimi said with a smile. “I wasn’t kidding. I want Tarak gone. If he isn’t a wife killer, I’ll find another way. He’s going to be a thorn in my side and split the city into two camps, possibly three if Vincent’s son rejects my offer because of him.”