A Litrpg and Gamelit Harem Adventure Bundle: (4 Novels) Read online

  “Well, one less couple in the world.” One of the others said and swung his dagger.

  We had our weapons, but no armor. Our defense was our clothes and our own bodies, which made us the perfect target. Two lovebirds that were just passing by and acted as no one could touch them. We should have thought better. This wasn’t Viribirus and anyone could just snap and try to kill us.

  “You don’t want to do this,” Brie said and put her hand over her sword.

  “Are you going to let the woman defend you? How pathetic are you?”

  There it was again.

  The anger spreading through my body; locking up my heart and invading my blood like a virus. Except for them, everything around me was blurry.

  I didn’t hesitate.

  I jabbed my arrow into his throat and watched as the blood trickled down his body. His agonizing screams made everyone come to the streets. Brie looked horrified at me. The other two thieves ran away as fast as they could. They didn’t seem ready to kill someone, and they surely didn’t think one of us would.

  His body evaporated, and I earned enough experience points to level up to 6. I didn’t even remember grabbing the arrow. It was all confused inside my mind, and I couldn’t focus, or remember what happened. I had killed him. However, something was missing; the answer to the question why. Brie could have taken them out easily, and I didn’t need to move.

  Yet, it was stronger than me.

  Maybe that was why the faceless man had tried to recruit me. He knew I wasn’t as good, and delicate as I look from the outside. My strength thrived in dangerous situations but I didn’t know how to control it. I was a victim of my hunger for power.

  Everyone was gossiping about what had happened while the guards were questioning people and asking if anyone knew who killed him. It was a dark night, and we moved away from the dim streets. Even if they could see me, they wouldn’t be able to see my face unless they caught me up-close. We tried going to the resting place but when we got there it was already full of guards.

  They expected the killer to go there.

  Brie grabbed my arm and started running.

  “We need to find a place to hide. Fast.” She said.

  Running away was a good solution. It only had one problem. As soon as they saw us they started following us. They knew the town better than us so it would be easy for them. We ended up getting lost. The streets were narrow, and the lights were off. We stopped in an alley, and hid there, peaking and making sure no one was nearby. This time it wasn’t anger flowing through my veins, it was hate.

  Hate for myself.

  How could I have done something so violent, so grotesque, and so idiotic? We should be lying low, not scaring citizens, and much less killing people. He was just a petty thief, and I had just ended his life in the game because I felt like I should.

  “I saw what you did.” Someone said.

  We looked around but there was no one there. Well, someone was there but we just couldn’t see who or where. I could barely see my own body, and I only knew where Brie was because of her bright eyes, and a shiny pendant she had around her neck.

  “You’re looking at the wrong spots. Look up.”

  The voice seemed childish and friendly. On top of a not-working electricity pole stood a level 4 girl, with reddish eyes, and white teeth. That was all I could see.

  “Don’t say a word. Just follow me. I’ll take you somewhere safe.” She said, and jumped down, landing next to us, “Let’s go. Be careful not to make any noise.”

  Trusting a stranger is never a good idea unless you are being persecuted for murder; in that case, it’s the best one. We followed her through more narrow alleys and dimly lit roads that smelled like garbage until we got to an alley with a dead end. We were ready to be ambushed, but she just opened a sewer and started going down the ladder.

  “Are you coming or no?” She said.

  “I don’t think we have a choice.” Brie sighed.

  The smell was so awful I had to cover my nose and think of something else or my brain would fry. It was disgusting, and I was starting to regret our decision. We shouldn’t have followed her. Our steps echoed through the sewer, and I swear that I saw a family of rats walking around like it was a normal thing to do. If that wasn’t enough the place gave me the creeps, and I had this odd sensation that someone was following us, and was getting closer.

  Fear and terror settled in me as we walked through the dark corridors. Drops of unidentifiable liquid slipped from the putrid pipes, and the scent lingered around the sewer, making us cover our noses. Foxy knew all the routes of that confined space as well as its dangers. She told us to be careful and warned us about the mice and the water, saying both were carrying a deathly virus. The water had a weird greenish-yellow color with some black that seemed to move and absorb the remaining colors slowly.

  After a few minutes of walking, we reached the end of the tunnel. A rusty metal door prevented our passage, but Foxy took the key out of her right pocket and opened the door carefully as if she was giving enough time for whoever was hiding there to prepare.

  The sound of the door dragging itself on the floor echoed through the corridors, causing a few peeled bits of the wall to fall into the water. Brie and I were being extremely careful, walking slowly, ready for whatever was inside. We were still afraid that she could have led us into an ambush; that behind the door was an army or more thieves ready to pluck our belongings and take our dignity and life.

  To our utmost surprise that wasn’t the case. Two boys and another girl wielded semi-usable spears, and I could see it in their eyes that they were willing to use them. They were only level 2. Foxy soothed them and told them we were allies, despite not having talked with me or Brie about it. They welcomed us; offering us almost inedible food and tea that almost induced me to vomit.

  We appreciated their hospitality.

  They were sharing with us the few they had without asking something in return. The walls were just old bricks, with mold coming out of the crevices, and the stained ceiling seemed to be about to fall on our heads. They were hiding from the world, but surviving at best. They had full backpacks leaned against the counter, but there was still food on the table. They didn’t want to run away but were prepared to do so. The possibility of danger led them to be prepared at any time.

  I wondered how long they had been living there, but I didn’t dare to ask, though I knew it would be at least a few weeks or Foxy wouldn’t know all the routes. Their faces had a layer of dust that obscured them and almost blinded their eyes. It was a speck of light brown dust, that was now making their faces its secondary home, like an unwanted guest who doesn’t leave its room.

  They smelled awful.

  A feeling I hadn’t felt in a very long time made my heart accelerate; pity. Pain surfaced in the depths of my stomach, shrinking it to the point that I had to sit down because it was too much for me. I felt disgusted for having killed someone and for being helped by someone who was in worse danger than me.

  I didn’t deserve it.

  It was like a new world had opened right before me, one that lays beyond the ordinary, and the shadows, one where there was suffering I couldn’t understand. Even with all the calamities that had struck me in life, I had never had the problem of not being able to see the sun or been forced to watch my friends getting killed. It was painful to think about it. I had just killed someone’s character, ruining the game for someone.

  He was a thief, but maybe there was a reason for that.

  “How long have you been living here?” Brie asked them.

  They looked at each other before replying in unison, “Two weeks.”

  “What happened? Can’t you go outside?”

  “We can’t. They’ll kill us. We stole something from Tillian and he won’t stop until he gets it back.” Foxy answered, “I knew I could trust you. Only people who are crazy enough or have no desire to live would kill someone in this town. That’s strictly forbidden. I mean unless you d
on’t get caught.”

  “How did you stole from someone so powerful, and more importantly what did you steal?”

  There was something in their story that didn’t match. A hidden secret they weren’t willing to share. They looked at each other, and then to us, and then at each other again.

  “Can you give us a minute? We need to discuss this.” Foxy asked. Her voice was lower than before. She seemed nervous.

  “Sure. We’ll be right here.” Brie replied, and pulled me with her to a corner of the room, “Do you believe them?”

  “It’s not that I don’t but they’re hiding something from us. There’s no way they could steal something from Tillian and get away with it. Joannie couldn’t even touch him, and she’s level 10."

  “I was thinking the same. Let’s wait and hope they’ll tell us the truth or I don’t think we should help them. Don’t forget we can only rely on each other, but they don’t know that. If something goes south, we can always tell them that our team is online. We’ll make something up at the moment.”

  That was one of the things I liked most about her, she never crumbled under pressure. She always thought thoroughly about the problem and found a way to solve it.

  As we waited we occasionally heard footsteps coming from the world above us. The sound traveled to us, making the walls tremble and pebbles and dirt fall from the ceiling.

  The small group that was living here seemed used to it.

  “So… we talked… We’ll tell you but you have to help us escape. We just need someone to help us get out of this town. You can take us anywhere.” Foxy said, desperation in her voice.

  They were putting their lives into our hands and I felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of saving them. But if I wanted to be a hero, I had to learn how to deal with it. We had to find a way. We had to, there was no way we could let them die here like they were nothing. They deserved better, so with a brief look between Brie and I, we walked up to them and waited for them to tell us their story.

  The other girl in the group stepped forward, cleared her throat, and started talking, “It all happened too fast. We didn’t even want to do it. It was a mistake, an honest one. We swear.” She began crying and used her trembling hands to cover her eyes.

  “You don’t need to justify yourselves. Just tell us what happened.” Bria told her.

  “We just needed something to eat. We planned to steal a few boxes when the guards weren’t looking. We thought they had food… “ The taller guy said, “We never thought they would contain lots of powerful items. As soon as we found out, we made sure to drop them near the door.”

  “If you returned them why are you still hiding?” I asked. Their story sounded more plausible, but there were still a few pieces missing.

  “Because Tillian put a bounty on our heads. To him what we did was extremely disrespectful and he believes we don’t deserve to live. If you think he would forgive us you’re definitely from a faraway land. He doesn’t care about anything or anyone unless he can make a profit out of it. It doesn’t help his business and credibility having someone who gets away with stealing from him.” Foxy said while she tried to comfort her friend.

  “There were 6 of us when this started. Two have been caught already. Did you see the two heads in a stick when you arrived? It’s Tillian’s way of showing what happens when someone defies him. Please, please help us.” The girl who was still crying said, getting on her knees and begging for our help.

  We had no idea how to help.

  The problem wasn’t having them traveling with us but taking them to the ship. It was still a long way and there were guards everywhere. More so now that they wanted to find out who killed one of them. We knew Joannie would be thrilled to help someone who hurt Tillian, so she wouldn’t have a problem with it. Jones might be a pain in the ass, but I didn’t think he would be stupid enough to deny them help. The others would be ok with it as long as we were sure their story wasn’t a lie.

  We asked for a minute to discuss what we would do, and how. The corner waited for us once again. “And now? Do you believe them?” Brie asked me. She looked sad as if she could feel their pain in her own body.

  “I think so, but how can we help them? The city must be full of guards, wandering around, trying to catch me. It’s all my fault. We shouldn’t even be here. We should be sleeping, getting ready to leave this city. I’m sorry.” I said. Honesty and kindness weren’t really my thing, but this time I meant it.

  “I won’t forgive you for what you did, but I can understand why you would react that way. However, don’t you ever kill someone again in front of me unless it’s extremely required, understood? For now, let that lay in the past, and let’s figure out the future. “She said and tried to smile. It seemed fake, but I smiled back.

  “I think I have an idea. Well, they don’t know I was the one who did it. It was dark, and they are probably trying to find clues or someone who saw me, so we just need to take them to the ship. Cloaks won’t work, so what if we use our invisibility items? I have one, do you have more than one, or at least one that lasts more than a few seconds?”

  “That’s crazy, but it might just work. I have 2 that last one minute. I know Kitty has three, and Loras must have one too.”

  “Kitty?” I asked surprised.

  “The healer. I forgot you didn’t know her name. Don’t tell her I told you. Okay?” She whispered.

  We would get through this. Immortuos was waiting for us, and so was everyone who believed in us.

  As soon as we finished talking, we turned around and explained the plan. They were reluctant and scared but they accepted our terms.

  There was no other way.

  A blue screen appeared on my right corner warning me that I had been playing for too long. My vision got blurred, my body jaded, and my joints ached with every movement. I asked how they were solving the problem of logging out despite not being in a restroom in the real world. Certainly, they had a solution, they couldn’t have been trapped in the game for two weeks. They would be dead, and their avatar would have turned into ashes by now.

  They explained that all the cities had 1 or 2 bunkers under the resting building. It was an alternative for those who liked to live off the grid or for those running away from someone. The bunkers didn’t appear on any map, and people who knew the location weren’t keen on revealing it.

  They also explained how they got there. It all started when they were hiding in the sewer and were lucky enough to find the door. The key was shining on the floor and contrasted with the darkness of the tunnel. There was also a paper near the key informing them of the reason for bunkers existing, and a request for its secrecy. It was a plausible reason, and a welcomed one. Down here we were safe.

  We agreed to meet at 10 am. It would give me and Brie enough time to go to the surface, analyze the situation, and find out how many guards there were and their location. We also needed to tell our team what occurred and how they could help.

  Foxy walked up to me and hugged me. She pulled me closer and her boobs got squeezed against my chest. Her nipples were getting hard as she rubbed them against me. She kissed me on the cheek, and whispered in my ear, thanking me and saying she hoped to repay me. I was flushed and aroused. Her voice had a softer tone but still trembled a little. Before turning away she twirled her tongue on the softest part of my ear. My body heated up, and my heart was about to leap out of my chest.

  She walked away, bouncing her ass, and then logged out. I stood there, unable to move and completely dumbfounded with had happened. She looked so innocent, but now I knew there was something dark and alluring inside her, I had to get her.

  Brie cleared her throat and her eyes pierced through me like knives. I wasn’t sure if she was jealous, mad, or both.

  “We must go now.” She said and logged out.

  She didn’t even say goodbye. It wasn’t my fault that Foxy wanted me, but I should have known better. Well, you got to live and learn.

  I logged out, and on
ce again I was back in the solitude of my room. It was already noon, and I still had to eat something before going to sleep. I checked my phone and had a text.

  “Dude, I found the perfect job for you. Call me back.”

  A message from Chris, one of my few friends. I needed a job but now wasn’t the time. Maybe I’d regret my decision, but I didn’t feel like I would. I was on a mission to save Online Fantasy Harem, and no one could stop me. Never in my life, had I been so focused and determined to do something. I needed to feel the same rush in my body I felt when Viribirus’ people were chanting my name, but this time it was different. I didn’t want it because I wanted to feel good about myself, I wanted it because it would mean we had been successful in saving the world. The clock was ticking, and I had to stop wasting time.

  I did a quick check on the news to see if there was any recent information about the theft, but there wasn’t. The police were still searching for him, and the company had yet to disclose the technology that was robbed.

  I also read the Online Fantasy Harem’s forums and I was shocked to discover that there were dozens of people reporting that the faceless man was attacking their cities and towns. Some even reported the whole appearance, from what he did, to the casualties, to his agonizing laugh as he watched the city burn to the ground. I wondered if the people he killed also died in the real world. If it was his thing, or a power he could only use once in a while. Several people were trying to pick up the pieces and see where they lead them, but nothing was helping. Not only he was stronger, but he also had hidden pretty well who he was and how he got that power. No one knew his final plan, but he seemed to be hastening his pace to do it.

  Each day more people were complaining that their game had been ruined because of him and that they were on the run, trying to find a new city to live in. The cities that were left were being flooded with scared people coming from all around the world. Fights were breaking out everywhere over petty things, and rest places were getting low on usable rooms. The demand was higher than ever and the programmers couldn’t keep up with it. More people were buying the game, but cities were being reduced to ashes. The weight of the world was on our shoulders, and we needed to surpass everything that tried to stop us to save it.