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  The Quell: Destiny Rising

  A LitRPG Series (Book 1)

  By Lachlan Wells

  Copyright © 2020

  The Quell: Destiny Rising - A LitRPG Series (Book 1) by Lachlan Wells

  A work of Gravity Maker Press, a division of Gravity Ecommerce, LLC

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used facetiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book without written permission is theft of the author’s intellectual property. Thank you for protecting the rights and writing process of the author.

  Table of Contents

  The Quell: Destiny Rising

  Chapter 1: Building the Party

  Chapter 2: Mountain Trolls

  Chapter 3: A Quiet Night

  Chapter 4: Cave of Treasures

  Chapter 5: Pseudodragon

  Chapter 6: The Temple of Saint Jose

  Chapter 7: Riddles and Water and Snakes

  Chapter 8: The Council of Lions

  Chapter 9: Expectations

  Chapter 10: Guidance

  Chapter 11: Treasure Hunter

  Chapter 12: Beasts of the Metal Forest

  Chapter 13: Party vs Party

  Chapter 14: Return of the Trolls

  Chapter 15: The Doctor

  Chapter 16: Trust

  Chapter 17: The Seeker’s Scroll

  Chapter 18: Enter the Maze

  Chapter 19: The First Horror

  Chapter 20: Helpless

  Chapter 21: Futile Efforts

  Chapter 22: The Winds of Fate

  Chapter 23: The Final Horror

  Chapter 24: “We Need To Go”

  Chapter 25: Revelation

  Chapter 26: Next Destination

  Chapter 27: Celebration

  Chapter 28: No Rest for the Wicked

  Chapter 29: To Merc’y Springs

  Chapter 30: The Bookkeeper

  Chapter 31: Beginning of the End

  Chapter 32: The End Is Nye

  Chapter 33: Runaway

  Chapter 34: Welcome to the Desert

  Chapter 35: Tactical Retreat

  Chapter 36: Cover of Night

  Chapter 37: Regrets

  Chapter 38: Ultimatum

  Chapter 39: Negotiations

  Chapter 40: Stroke of Luck

  About The Author, Lachlan Wells

  Chapter 1: Building the Party

  Rosewood was an uneventful three-hour journey on foot. Adrianna suggested they get horses, but the two laughed.

  “Maybe if we were down south,” Hancock snorted.

  “Aw, don’t patronize her,” Myra waved her hand. “She probably hasn’t stepped two feet out of her hometown before today. A perfect start to an adventure.”

  Adrianna watched them engross themselves, parrying words back and forth as they walked along. She let herself lag a dozen steps behind and pulled out the Book Of Survival and flipped to a random page. Her eyes widened as the words began to shift and change.

  Reputation is essential to survival in the Quell. Not only will it help you level up, it will determine whether or not you gain access to specific places. For example, if your reputation is a Murder Hobo, you’ll commonly be given mercenary quests, but most common civilians won’t appreciate being around you very often. Remember that your actions have consequences, and NPCs will remember your reputation, no matter where you go.

  She quickly glanced at her reputation and found it to be nonexistent. Well, at least it’s not a bad reputation.

  She stopped, looking up from the book as Myra chuckled. “Welcome to Rosewood!”

  Rosewood was a town teeming with plants and flowers. She returned the book to its hiding place in her backpack.

  “It’s said that a druid of immense powers resides in the heart of the forest here, letting it have terrific powers of great influence.”

  “Druid?” Adrianna whispered.

  “Plant people,” Hancock grumbled.

  “Nature people,” Myra corrected. “They deal with animals too, you know.”

  “They’re annoying to be around.” Hancock pushed forward and led the way into the town entrance.

  Myra glanced at Adrianna. “What’s his deal? It’s like he has a stick up his ass.”

  “I don’t know. I just met him today.” Adrianna shrugged.

  Her new traveling partner stopped her. “Are you tell me you’ve been traveling with a stranger?”

  “My quest told me to find him. And as far as I know I’ve been traveling with two strangers.”

  A laugh escaped from Myra’s lips. “Fair enough.”

  The two caught up to Hancock who was already standing at a kiosk labeled “Adventurer’s Guild.”

  “Go on inside. There should be plenty of clerics willing to be hired out.” The manager pointed inside.

  “Thanks.” Hancock continued in without another word and Adrianna rushed in behind him as Myra leisurely made her way after them.

  The guild was a quiet place of people who were exchanging contracts and leisurely laughing at tables. None of them seemed particularly busy. Hancock gazed over the group.

  “You done brooding yet?” Myra asked Hancock.

  Hancock rolled his eyes and continued scanning. “I’m not brooding. I’m being cautious. Specialized classes are dangerous.”

  “Oh spooky,” Myra feigned fear. “Are we gonna hire a cleric or what?”

  “You are insufferable.”

  Myra shrugged. “I’m the only one who knows where the Council is, so you’re gonna have to tolerate me.”

  “What exactly makes you think that the Council is going to let you in?

  “I’m going to ask really nicely.”

  “Will that work??” Adrianna wondered out loud.

  “No. You probably can’t even access it without a good reputation,” Hancock murmured.

  Adrianna smiled at the bard. “Yours says Traveling Muse.”

  “It does indeed.” Myra bowed dramatically. “‘Tis ‘cause I travel from place to place, sharing my tales. I have a good niche.”

  “More like a good nuisance.” Hancock growled.

  “It’s hard to gather reputation since our world is so spread out. Dead men tell no tales.” Myra said solemnly, ignoring Hancock’s comment. “Anyway, to get to the council you just have to get past three obstacles. Then the three council members will be waiting for you.”

  “You say that like you’ve been there before.”

  “Maybe I have, maybe I haven’t,” Myra’s eyes twinkled. “Maybe I’m secretly one of the council myself.”

  Hancock scoffed as one of the adventurers walked over to them.

  “You guys looking to go south?” A boy with dark curly hair and dark skin strolled up and crossed arms. He wore a baby blue hoodie with armor clasped over it. A mace dangled from his belt. He gestured toward Ari, “Between your level two and you guys not getting along, you may need a healer.”

  Adrianna glanced at his head.

  Joseph Parrish

  Cleric

  Level 6

  “Sure, if you’re looking to travel.” Myra nodded.

  Hancock eyed him. “How well do you handle yourself in battle?”

  “I am a combat cleric and I am not cheap.” He tilted his head, rolling his shoulder. “I thought the armor would give it away.”

  “I’ll deal with the funds.” Hancock growled. He had become increasingly irritated since Myra’s addition.
“You just keep us alive so we can get to where we need to go.”

  “Yeah, I think I’m talking to the party leader,” the cleric pointedly looked at Adrianna and the other two suddenly stopped talking. “Do you want me in your party?”

  The sudden spotlight made her hesitate. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess. Sure, let’s do this.”

  Party Established! You are the party leader!

  Party Members:

  Adrianna Swann

  ???

  Level 2

  Myra

  Bard

  Level 5

  Kelly Hancock

  Warrior

  Level 9

  Joseph Parrish

  Cleric

  Level 6

  “We’re a little mismatched, but it’ll be fine,” Parrish sniffed as the image disappeared. “What’s the quest we’re doing?”

  “We’re going to the Council of Lions.” Adrianna grinned suddenly feeling giddy again, the thought of her missing uncle fading into the background. “We’re gonna go find my class, because I don’t have one yet. Thanks for joining me, Joseph. It means a lot.”

  “Pleasure doing business with you as well. Call me Parrish.”

  “Yo, that includes if we run into any PKs.” Myra pointed at him. “I don’t wanna see you bail on us over that. We’re hiring you.”

  “Sure, sure,” Parrish waved his hand. “There aren’t any that far out anyway. I’m in the party till you stop paying me.”

  “Am I supposed to guess what a PK is?” Adrianna murmured. She should really finish reading her book. Her ignorance was getting uncomfortable.

  “Player Killers,” The all said in unison.

  “Oh.” Adrianna thought about the decomposing body she saw on her way here. It was slashed up and stripped of belongings. She shuddered at the thought of being that way. Alone and forgotten. “Well, let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Come on, times wasting.”

  “Whoa there, cutie, hold your horses.” Myra laughed. “You may be all chipper, but some of us need some beauty sleep.”

  Hancock snorted. “You’re the only one who needs beauty sleep.”

  “Oh, that was for you Hancock,” Myra winked.

  Hancock’s voice caught and he sputtered a moment. “You don’t even know me.”

  Parrish started at them, eyes bouncing from one team member to the next one. He leaned over. “Is this gonna be a problem?”

  “Honestly,” Adrianna shrugged. “I don’t know. I just met them both today.”

  Parrish gave her a skeptical glance and threw his hands into the air. “Whatever, kid. As long as I get paid.”

  Chapter 2: Mountain Trolls

  The party purchased rooms for the night, Adrianna and Myra getting their own room, as Parrish slept in the Guild quarters.

  Adrianna spent the majority of her night reading the Book of Survival by candle, absorbing the most knowledge she could within the short time she had. Luckily, Myra turned out to be a heavy sleeper, knocking off as soon as her shoes and vest were thrown to the floor.

  Traveling in the Quell works just like any other place. Only more dangerous. Once you’ve left your safe pocket of a haven, all bets are off. Monsters that detect you or that you run into will deliberately initiate combat with you. Lower level monsters might ignore you, but that’s only if they don’t have the numbers to overwhelm you. Depending on the monster, you’ll have opportunities to detect their whereabouts, allowing you to either avoid them or take them on. If you’re in a party keep a close eye on the status of your team members. Especially if your team is unevenly leveled. If you’re not careful, you could find yourself suddenly running solo in a quest. Or worse, dead...

  Sleep snuck up on Adrianna when the moon was high and the next thing she knew, sharp knocks on the door made her eyes snap open. The book had somehow made its way into her mess of sheets and she stumbled out of bed, wearing only her long t-shirt. Her platinum blond hair spread out all over the place, draping over her eyes. She pulled the door open and blearily looked up.

  Parrish stood at the door, turned to one side. “Hancock told me to come get you. He’s buying breakfast and he didn’t want anyone to take the seats.”

  Adrianna nodded, wiping her nose. “Sure.”

  It took her ten minutes to wake up and another ten to get dressed and repack her bag. Myra woke up in the middle of that and yawned, stretching like a cat. Her dark eyes stared at Adrianna for a moment before muttering, “What were you doing last night? You stayed up really late.”

  Adrianna pulled on her boots and shrugged. “Just some light reading.”

  “Nice.” Myra sat up. “Was it a romance novel?”

  “More like a help book.”

  Myra let out a breathy chuckle and rubbed her eyes. “Must be nice. Those things never really worked for me.” With those words, Myra gracefully got out of bed and grabbed her vest and flats from the floor. “See you downstairs.”

  She sashayed out the door, shoes in hand, leaving Adrianna on her own.

  She let out a breath and threw up her hood. It was a miracle no one had noticed her ears. For as much as her uncle had told her about keeping her ears hidden, she typically had spent a surprising amount of time without her hood on in her own room at home. With the illusion of privacy here she had let her guard down. She vowed to be more careful.

  Racing down the stairs, she spotted her group finishing up the meal. “You’re late,” Hancock said. “No doubt kept up by the bard.”

  “Damn dude, are you always gonna be like this?” Myra yawned again. “She keep herself up reading a self-help book.”

  “Likely story,” he frowned, but looked to Adrianna for confirmation.

  “It’s true.” Adrianna nodded. “I do that a lot. Don’t worry too much about it. I get enough sleep.”

  She ignored her three team members silent exchange of looks of concern, and dug into her cold food.

  Within the next hour, they were on the road.

  “So, where exactly are we going,” Hancock asked Myra who smiled and pointed in the general direction they were headed. He visibly stiffened and took a swift breath with a stern expression.

  “I’m kidding. God, you need to loosen up. We’re going to San Jose. About two days from here.”

  “You didn’t think to mention this beforehand?” Hancock bristled. “I could have gotten tents or additional supplies.”

  “Dude, it’s not gonna rain. I checked the weather.”

  Hancock rolled his eyes and they started down a path, paved through the mountains. Adrianna kept away from them for now, letting Myra and Hancock bicker as she walked next to Parrish. The cleric didn’t pay attention to them, vigilantly watching their mountainous forest-clad surroundings, occasionally looking up and nodding to himself as he took out a piece of chalk, periodically marking the edge of rock faces and boulders.

  She didn’t have to ask what he was doing. Leaving a marked trail for him to follow back was probably beneficial when he completed this job. At least the guy was thorough, she mused.

  As she was contemplating whether or not to read her book again, Parrish stopped. “Hey, guys?”

  The warrior and the bard weren’t paying attention, as Myra started laughing uncontrollably.

  “Guys!”

  The two finally turned around with Hancock snapping, “What?”

  “Look at the trees,” Parrish pointed. The trees were bent and broken along the path

  A sound of heavy footsteps reverberated against the mountainside with a boom...boom...boom...

  An equally large shadow loomed over them and a monster showed its face, dragging a pine tree behind it.

  “Mountain troll!” Hancock yelled and drew his katana.

  Encounter! Start initiative!

  The mountain troll was a massive beast, standing twelve feet tall, mottled with green skin and blazing yellow eyes that glared at the party. Its large nose was the biggest feature on its face covered by wild locks of hair. It smelled terrible.

>   It lifted the pine it held and swung down, nearly catching Myra and Hancock off guard. Myra cleared her throat and yelled, “God! You stink like rotten avocado stuffed in a dead fish!” Her voice created a red tendril from her lips and the magical energy wrapped around the troll’s head. It’s eyes tinged with red as a deep moan escaped his lips.

  Hancock jumped into quick action, bringing his sword across the troll’s leg.

  Parrish stood there, watching and waiting, as Adrianna struggled to pull out her crossbow.

  She pulled back the bolt and fired at the monster. The crossbow lurched into her shoulder as she watched her bolt shatter against the stone beside him.

  “Breath when you fire,” Parrish murmured.

  “I am breathing!” Adrianna hissed as she reloaded.

  The troll held its head in one hand and swung wide. The tree struck the mountainside missing the party members. Rocks tumbled down the face, narrowly missing Adrianna. “H-hey!” Adrianna called, as Myra pulled out a short blade of her own and stabbed into its foot.

  Hancock swiped his blade again and the troll roared as Parrish pointed his mace at it and shouted, “Hex lumari!” A stream of light spiraled from the mace and struck the troll in its midsection, slamming him back into the wall of rock.

  Adrianna aimed her crossbow again, taking Parrish’s advice to breath.

  Perception Check. Best spot to fire. 4 + 0 (Wis) = 4. Failure!

  She stopped as she spotted another mottled green face creep over the cliff face and another one plodding down the path. “There’s two more of them!” she yelled.

  The two front liners looked past the primary troll and they both cursed.

  “I’ll start on the next one!” Myra called and rushed underneath the trolls, tumbling to avoid footfall. She landed on her feet and took a deep breath before releasing an ear-splitting scream that blew the leaves back from trees. Both trolls were now holding their heads allowing the cleric and the warrior to continue their onslaught.