Isecant - Party based LitRPG-lite / Progression adventure

"Hiya Barry, how are you doing mate? Wardi says with professional yet casual undertones in his voice.

"Aye, pretty good, thanks for asking pet, you're back in one piece so I can assume you're doing alreet ya self mun heh-heh" Barry chuckles to himself. "I'm glad ya here, head down to the basement though… there's a little summit ya need hearing." he smiled the entire time. See! I said he was a nutter didn't I.

"I hav-ta admit, I hav-given yaz a bit of a lengthy and pointless request, don't get me wrong, it's not like I wanted to, but something's been amiss for a while up on them plains, and I had a suspicion when Mushay started growing more frequently than they should be."

Barry continues his relentless speech, "You know these Fungoiz only release reproductive spores when the root meets a particular stone called Vechisia in the ground. This stuff is rare, a kinda thing we av big clashes over when it's found…Mushay shouldn't be popping up as fast as they are. As ya all know, most of the materials or mats as we call 'em these days, that adventurers like yourselves go out seeking from: treasure chests, gathering or through fighting with the local wildlife. How often do you come across mats, which have purpose across multiple disciplines?"

"When you mention it…" Rhua chimes in before the word vomit continues.

"Moithril sort of can do this within smithing and construction disciplines, but Vechisia, that stuff makes moithril look tame. I've learned through my little experimentation that there's a hell of a lot more to this stuff… You remember my little day trip to Castle Coch?" he finished saying with a grin.

"WHO DOESN'T!" Horace sings aloud like a one-man choir"

"I had been working on a new debuff potion, like our Horace's non-lethal weaponry, figured there's definitely a market fa summit mad like this, so I experimented by making a non-lethal itching potion as me first project, but low and behold Horace had mixed up my ingredient draws and instead I managed to make something unfamiliar, it shifted colours of its own accord." Barry said with a cheeky grin on his face finishing his talking.

We all suddenly had the same thought of "shifting colours!?" looking at each other with concern.

"Aye, always returning to a distinctive iridescent Amber colour though." Barry used his ascertain art to identify what he added and conjured the list in the air for us all to see:

*One vial of Draig blood, heated to 500°c, stirred, not shaken.

Three elder ent lumber, taken before autumnal senescence.

Three pairs of LocoLoco feet. (sourced ethically)

Nanna's twinned needles – used with love.

Seven Autom hearts maintained at -44c.

Vechisia stone. *

Rhua couldn't help but speak out, "Hey, each of those is the primary ingredient for the highest possible potions in their class, right? Draig blood for strength, Ent lumbers for wisdom, LocoLoco feet for agility, twin needles for dexterity and Autom Hearts for Vitality"

Barry replied, "That they are."

"Then what did the Vechisia do exactly? Rhua replied with.

"Something I daren't think would be possible. It's what allowed me to do what I did with Coch manor … no way could I have, without taking super hard to make potions like that…the Vechisia stone seemed to function as an adaptogen."

"Adapo-what?" Wardi said with his raised brow.

"It's summat tha I thought up, it responds to what you need." He said to us continuing his repeated verbal attacks.

"It amplified the intended effects each ingredient specialises in - I should be dead by all counts, but! The amplification sent me whole being into overdrive! Tore the front gate off with my bare hands! And then the idea popped into my head…run fast, then curl into a ball, aiming at the walls, and I found myself ricocheting around completely unharmed!"

Edge Lord is the only sentient known to have even done any damage to that damn manor and he was fully enhanced when he struck it, I thought to myself.

"Queen Areya used her infamous dead shot ability when I stopped to appreciate the work I did. Her conjured arrow was huge mun, and I watched the whole thing in slow motion as the speed effects kicked in."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Barry stretched upwards before continuing. "The arrow hit me between the eyes… and there wasn't a mark on me!"

"A recipe for disaster if anyone thinks to use it in a more nefarious way." trying to sound comical as I do. But having heard what I just heard, I don't think I can hide it at all.

Remember when I just wanted normality in my life? I sighed out my thought.

"Well, this is not how I saw my day unfolding." Wardi, holding his hand over his eyes, said.

"Something or someone has been stockpiling vechisia stones on the plains Barry says. "Whatever the intentions, it needs resolving, so I'll set out a request, with a heck of a big reward for finishing it."

I try to begin speaking about Barry's request. An overwhelming force takes over my body. Unlike the speech curse, this one feels different. I find myself stumbling backwards, losing all feeling and sense of control as I'm rushed by my party members who are trying to aid me in my sudden seizure, my vision splitting in two.

My friends are aiding me in my left field of vision. The right? I see Serilia and the major gods; there are minor ones in the chamber, so near, yet so far at the same time. Yet I hear everything…I've not once encountered anything like this, nor have I ever heard whispers or talk of such a thing either.

At the round table – The spectator relished.

There is a bright room, filled with crystals and figures. The seven of dawn, they gathered around a large, dark wooden table. The sermon of the dawn is singing aloud:

"Serilia, almighty and most pure of all. First of the heavenly realm and head of the table.

Eria, the logic, second of the gods. She giveth her lifeblood for the races to conjure.

Iwan the Gaia, third of the gods. He giveth his lifeblood for the crops to grow.

Chanag the Aqua, fourth of the gods. She giveth her lifeblood to let water flow.

Aricaer the Ignis, the fifth of the gods. He giveth his lifeblood to govern the forge.

Nellah the Gale, sixth of the gods. She giveth her lifeblood to move the skies.

Tyrokun the keeper, seventh of the gods. He giveth his lifeblood to maintain the writings.

The figures in the room cry out in union, the sermon has been the same since the beginning of all that was and ever will be.

"You must now witness your return in motion, youngling." A voice in my mind spoke softly.

"The incident should not have occurred! Boomed Serilia, causing the attendees much hurt as they dropped to the floor at her voice attack.

"A failure on the CCTV has led to the cardinal rule breaking!" In an instant, all, including the fellow gods at the table, fell to their knees in agony as she let out a flash of pure white light from her eyes.

A young god in training, or G.I.T as the dawn have named them so, piped up, "Almighty one, please, forgive me, it was but a moment that I did not have attention, my utmost attention to the happening!" He sobbed aloud.

Another white flash, and the room filled with cries, cries that were shaking the realm in pain.

"Silence you WORTHLESS CRETIN." "DO NOT SPEAK, I SHALL SAY WHEN YOU SPEAK." She barked at the youngling god.

The room is becoming further away suddenly, and my vision turns black. Suddenly, I am there again, running and looking back at scenes of the seven, who are unleashing vicious attacks on the attendees.

"I don't understand!" raced through my mind.

"You must keep watching, youngling." The voice in my head says, and more scenes upon scenes appeared.

I hear speaking eventually, yet it seems it is a later date and time. There are even more attendees in this meeting. I see one that seems to be smiling… a smile that is piercing me and sending chills.

Serilia began speaking again "Maliterr has formed, and the peoples will be reborn anew, let what happened be a lesson to the importance of the CCTV, I do not wish for another occasion like it to ever happen again." she says with a cold tone, one that says, "If you fail me death will be swift."

Her face lights up, the room in turn, and the attendees are returned to normal.

"One of her many powers, the voice whispers to me, do not fall for it." The voice whispers to me

A figure proceeds forward and speaks to the goddess.

"Serilia your divine almightiness, wouldn't it be great to add unfamiliar ideas in the mix? I had an idea for a feature, a rather bold one in fact. perhaps you would like to hear about it?" leaving no time for a response and simply continued to talk to her.

"I had this idea, in which we generate little areas. Randomly in their formations, some are to be filled with slayable monsters, maybe others require carrying out a set of duties to clear, perhaps one of these areas, contains a lone foe, one that is unlike any other, requiring a combined effort with many users all partaking to successfully obtain a reward."

They continued speaking "Of course, we could automate when and where such a thing could happen for, we are, the masters of all are we not?" the figure said.

"Don't make anything too over the top, Phahl, Godly relations are furious still over the state of the world merger, never in all their existence has something so obscene occurred." Bellowed Serilia

Phahl responded, "Of course, divine one, I would never dare to include something that would be...fatal."

Serilia replied to him after a short pause.

"Phahl, consider me impressed by such a fine display of forward thinking, but if I find it's causing issues for my precious little ones, I'll take it away."

"We mere younglings, sing your praise, dear Serilia."

He quickly vanishes to a dark room with nothing of note around except a small stone stage which he stood upon. A dim candle began illuminating his area. I am in the body of a robed figure, surrounded by others like me and bowing in his presence.

"Phahl returns unto us, glory be to Kaiser, glory be to KAISER!" They chant.

"Let the games begin, comrades!" he shouted to them.

The voice said one last thing before fading. "Go forth, let the darkness entwine you, fate denier."