Greyblood: Adventurer Academy: A LitRPG Series Read online

  Adventurer Academy

  GreyBlood

  Daniel Prince

  Copyright © 2019 by Daniel Prince

  All rights reserved

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  LitRPG Group

  For Tom.

  1992 – 2018

  I miss you every day

  1

  Lugor held his breath as he waited for the Goblin to approach him. The green skinned creature licking its lips as it advanced towards him with a mad gleam in its eyes. Lugor had been lucky to find one by itself, they normally travelled in groups of four or five when away from their tribes. At this time in the morning though, most had retreated to their caves to sleep, being nocturnal creatures. This one had been unlucky enough to get caught alone, and unfortunately wouldn't be going to sleep today.

  Lugor drew his rusty sword from its sheath. "Come and get some you slimeball!" he taunted.

  The Goblin snarled at his words and ran directly at him, waving its bone dagger in the air as it charged. The Goblin's battle cry quickly turned into a fearful shriek as the ground gave away beneath it and it fell into the pit Lugor had dug earlier and hidden with branches and leaves.

  "Works every time," Lugor said with a grin. Making his way to the edge of the trap, he peered in and saw the Goblin had fallen directly onto the sharpened stakes left at the bottom. It thrashed wildly in an attempt to loosen itself from the stake but only succeeded in sliding further down the wood. Lugor slid down the outside of the pit and stood next to the Goblin, quickly stepped back as the Goblin's dagger caught his shirt and cut a rough line through the fabric. Staying just out of reach from its wild swipes with its dagger. Lugor raised his sword and plunged it directly into the monster's chest, depleting its already diminished health points.

  "Better luck next time buddy," Lugor said.

  Level 1 Young Goblin Slain. + 25 Experience points

  No Class available to receive Experience. Adding to the pool. Current Experience Points - 1950

  Lugor noted the notification in his vision as he withdrew his sword from the Goblin's corpse with a satisfying shlunk. He wiped the sweat off his brow and felt relief as the cold morning air met his skin. Crouching down onto the forest floor, he waited for the Goblin's corpse to fade to dust before rifling through the loot bag that was left in its place. The contents of the bag appearing before him in his vision.

  Item: Leather scraps x4

  Rarity: Junk

  Item Type: Crafting Material

  "Well, that's disappointing," He murmured, getting up from the ground and dusting off his trousers. Lugor took the scraps and added them to his bag. The scraps weren't particularly useful, but he might at least get a couple coppers for them from a passing trader or from the general store. He wiped his sword off with some cloth scraps from his back to remove the grey blood left along the iron blade. At this point though, the sword was more rust than iron. 'I really need a new sword,' he thought to himself.

  He winced as the morning sun crested the horizon and temporarily blinded him, the light filtering through the trees. Blinking the spots out of his eyes, he exited the pit and started making his way down the hill towards the village, keeping an eye on his surroundings to make sure no monsters were anywhere nearby. Goblins weren't a great concern now that the sun had risen but there were still plenty of possible threats about in the woods if you weren't attentive. Wild animals like wolves and boar could kill him just as easily as any Goblin. As the sun rose higher Lugor broke into a light jog, putting on some pace as he left the treeline and the village came into view. As the church bell began to ring out, his eyes opened wide in fear. "Ah crap," he said. "I'm going to be so damn late!". Lugor began sprinting hard, flying past the crop fields and stables, making a beeline straight for the inn.

  Dodging past the early risers who were already up and out of their homes and in the streets, he came to the alleyway nestled between the Inn and the Baker's house. Quietly opening the gate and stepping through, Lugor approached the lattice underneath his window and began hoisting himself up the wall before pulling himself through the open window.

  "Lugor? Are you not out of bed yet?" a voice called from the hallway.

  Stowing his sword under his mattress, he quickly undressed as he heard steps coming towards his door. He dove on to the bed and threw the covers over himself before feigning sleep as the door opened and his mother, Elissa, poked her head around the corner. "I can't believe you're still in bed you lummocks. Get up!" she shouted.

  Lugor opened one eye and cracked a big fake yawn. "Sorry, Mom. I'm up."

  Elissa put her hands on her hips in her usual scolding pose. “You’ll be late for your work at the Smithy if you don't hurry." She said tersely. "And what was that loud banging noise I heard before I came in?"

  'Note to self, jumping into bed is not as stealthy as assumed.' Lugor thought. "Maybe an earthquake?" he replied.

  "An earthquake." She said in disbelief. "At this time of year, in this part of the continent, localised entirely within your bedroom?"

  Lugor hesitated. "...yes," he replied weakly.

  His mother snorted with laughter before replying. "Whatever you say hon. Just make sure you get out to the Smithy as soon as possible." She turned and left his room, closing the door behind her. Lugor let out a sigh of relief at the close call. His mother would kill him if she knew he was sneaking out in the mornings to fight monsters in the woods. It wasn't exactly the safest profession in the world, especially if you were without a class and skills like he was.

  Getting out of bed, he picked up his dirty clothes from the morning and threw them into a corner to be washed later on. Remembering the cut in his tunic, he threw it under the bed so he could sew the cut back up before his mother found it and started asking questions. Stepping into his bathroom, a simple small space that held a sink, a mirror and a chamber pot, he started running some water by waving his hand over the runes etched into the metal. They glowed a soft blue for a moment before water started gushing out of the spout. Being part of a relatively small village that lacked the plumbing infrastructure of the larger cities, small enchantments like these were an essential quality of life upgrade.

  Lugor let the sink fill up before turning off the water with another wave of his hand. Taking a deep breath, he dunked his head
into the water, letting it wash through his hair and scrubbing his face to remove any grime. He personally didn't see the point as working in the Smithy tended to cover him in dirt and ash almost immediately, but his mother was insistent that he wash daily despite the freezing temperature of the water. The guest bedrooms at the Inn had heat runes to avoid this problem, but Elissa couldn't spare the expense for their own rooms to be etched as well. Lugor's long wet hair hanged around his face as he withdrew from the water, taking a much-needed breath. Towelling his hair dry, Lugor quickly inspected himself for any dirt he might have missed. Pleased that he didn't have to subject himself to the water again, he removed the plug and let it drain away. Finally, he checked his teeth, opening his mouth wide.

  "You've got to be kidding me," he said. Lugor stared in disbelief at his lower set of teeth. His tusks were beginning to become obvious again, their unnatural shape catching his eye. "I already filed these down two days ago!".

  Lugor reached underneath the sink and picked up a metal rasp, its common use was for horse hoofs, but Lugor needed it for something different. Placing the rasp against one of his protruding teeth, he began moving it back and forth, his face contorting with pain as he ground it down to a regular size. A tear left his watering eyes. He ran the water again to rinse out his mouth, but as he took a mouthful his legs buckled in pain as the water touched his tooth. This hurts a lot less than getting lynched by an angry mob, he reminded himself.

  Flipping the rasp over, he started grinding the other tooth down, tears streaming freely from the pain. He rinsed out his mouth again before shutting the water off. Inspecting the rasp, he saw that it had now been worn down completely was now useless.

  "Fantastic," he said, before throwing the dull metal onto a large pile of similarly used rasps. He went back into his room and grabbed his boots before leaving. Pulling them on, he made his way out of his room.

  It was time to get to work.

  2

  Lugor made his way downstairs passing Elissa in the hall as she carried some bedding out of a guest room to be washed. He pulled her aside. "I worked through my last rasp today," he told her. Elissa frowned. "You'll have to get another one from the Smithy if you can," she replied.

  "Can't we just buy one?" Lugor begged. "I hate stealing them from Garrol. He's already been good enough to take me on as an apprentice, it seems wrong to just take them."

  "We've been over this Lugor," Elissa said. She lowered her voice slightly. "You need them to hide your tusks, and at the rate you go through them, if we kept buying them, he'd start asking questions about it. Especially because we don't even own a bloody horse."

  Lugor sighed in defeat. "I guess. I just hate doing this."

  Elissa put down the linens on the floor and pulled him into a hug. "I know you do," she whispered. "I hate it too, but it's necessary to keep you hidden. I don't know what I'd do if you were found out by the town." She pulled back and looked at him. "Is it me, or are you needing to file them more often recently?"

  Lugor grimaced. "I've noticed it too. I'm worried that it's getting worse. I feel...weird, a lot of the time."

  "How so?"

  "I don't know," he replied. "Once in a while I get these, I don't know. Flashes of anger, I guess? It's worrying me."

  "Well boys your age go through strange changes, I'm sure it’s just part of that!" Elissa said with a strained smile.

  "I'm twenty, Mom. I'm well past puberty."

  "If you say so love," she replied. "Anyway, enough of all this. Let's not add poor timekeeping to our list of sins. I've got guests to look after and you really need to get going to the smithy." She reached up on tiptoes and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Get going, love." She picked up the linens she had left on the floor and carried on through to the laundry room.

  Lugor watched her go before letting out a deep sigh. He made his way out of the Inn through the dining room, giving a polite nod to the patrons who had already turned up for breakfast. He noted a few locals too, as well as two men talking quietly in the corner that he didn't recognise. Looking at them a bit more closely, he noted fine looking armor beneath their cloaks along with a lute next to one of them and a bow next to the other. Adventurers! Lugor realised. 'Probably a Bard and some kind of Rogue or Ranger class by the looks of them. The taller one with the bow quickly moved his gaze to Lugor, as if sensing that he was being watched. The man pulled back his hood to reveal pointed ears and a long angular face. An elven face. The elf beckoned Lugor over with an outstretched finger. Lugor walked to their table.

  "Something I can help you with lad?" the Elf asked. "Caught you looking for longer than just a passing glance."

  Lugor shook his head. "No Sir, sorry Sir. You just stood out is all. We don't often have professional adventurers in the town."

  "I see," the elf said. "I suppose we don't look much like village folk"

  "No, we definitely don't." said his companion. "What's your name boy?"

  Lugor turned his attention to the man sat across the table, who, at close range, Lugor realised was a dwarf. "Lugor, Sir."

  The Dwarf snorted. "You're a polite kid, but we're definitely not any Sirs. Just two wanderers looking to get paid. I'm Khazran, and my friend here is called Maenan."

  Lugor's eyes widened with wonder. "Are you two on a quest?" he asked.

  Khazran nodded. "We've got a kill quest to cull some Goblins around the area. Your village Elder is worried that their population seems to be growing rapidly at the moment, so we're here to put them down. Do you know anything about that?"

  Lugor frowned. He had been running into more and more Goblins in the forest during his morning sessions but hadn't thought much of it. "If I were you, I'd start in the area directly south of the village. I've been seeing a lot of them around the hills during my...morning walks."

  Maenan raised an eyebrow. "A morning walk? In monster territory? Seems an odd place for a stroll."

  "I like the danger. Puts a spring in your step."

  "Indeed," Maenan said. "Morning is also the perfect time to hunt Goblins, as they're normally awake through the night and sluggish in the early hours. Perfect time for an individual with no Class or Skills to slay them with a bit more ease."

  Lugor's face whitened. "I wouldn't know anything about that."

  Maenan smiled. "I'm sure you wouldn't." A tense silence followed before Khazran burst out into hearty laughter.

  "That's enough now Maenan, stop torturing the lad." Khazran looked at Lugor. "Maenan here spotted you running back to town this morning through our window here at the Inn. Rusty sword, torn tunic and all."

  "It wasn't hard," Maenan interjected. "My eagle eye ability gives me excellent vision at long ranges when I use it."

  "Ah, that's pretty impressive," Lugor said. Not entirely sure how to respond. He shifted on his feet. "My mother owns the Inn, I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it to her. She'd lose her mind."

  Khazran tapped his nose. "Mums the word, kid. But in return, we'd appreciate it if you could tell us where to restock our supplies. We depleted most of them on the journey here."

  "Of course!" Lugor said. He began rattling off a list of shops. "There's the General store for basic rations if you need food. It also stocks bags, ropes and things like that, some basic potions too. If you want something a bit fancier to eat my Mother has a fairly decent Cooking skill so she can whip you something up that will boost your stats a little bit. The Smithy is along the same road and you'll be able to pick up armor, arrows and weapons if that's something you're looking for." Lugor paused to take a breath. "Actually, I work at the Smithy, I'm sure I could find a way to get you a discount if you like...crap."

  The Elf and Dwarf both looked at Lugor in confusion. "If we like crap?"

  Lugor shook his head. "No, as in, crap, I'm going to be incredibly late for my shift. I'm sorry, I have to run! Please stop by at the Smithy later on!" Lugor ran out of the dining room and burst through the front door.

  Inside the Inn, the two men s
tared after him with wide eyes. "Weird kid," Khazran said. Maenan nodded in agreement before returning to his breakfast.

  Lugor sprinted down the road leading to the Smithy, his feet kicking up clouds of dust and they pounded the dirt track. The streets were beginning to fill up with villagers going about their daily lives, and more than a few curse words followed behind Lugor has he dodged and weaved his way through the growing crowds. Drawing short of the Smithy door, he stopped to catch his breath. After a moment, he opened it and stepped inside, calling out. "I'm so sorry Garrol! I'm so-"

  Lugor was interrupted as a small hammer collided with his chest, winding him. He fell to his knees struggling to breathe.

  "LATE!" a voice thundered out. "You are so late!". Standing at an impressive six and a half feet, Garrol glared at Lugor with contempt from behind the counter with his arms crossed.

  "Sorry." Lugor wheezed.

  "That's the second time this week Lugor."

  Lugor tried to formulate a response but decided to focus on breathing, only giving a small nod in agreement. Garrol came out from behind the counter, his impressive height suddenly diminished as he stepped off of his stool. Barrel-chested and incredibly stout, Garrol was often confused for a dwarf despite being pure human. The fact he was five feet tall and was as wide as most doors didn't help with the assumption. He stepped in front of Lugor and looked down. "Are you alright?" he asked.