Rot Heart: A LitRPG of Rot Magic in an Ancient World (Book 1 completed)

Div and Dana stayed hiding in a secluded alley as Trabine fell into chaos.

"What do we do?" Div asked. "You've got more experience."

Dana's eyebrow twitched. "I don't know, Div. I've never been in this situation. If it wasn't for the last few months, I would defer to my superiors, but I don't think that's a good idea now."

"Then," Div said, fiddling with the spear in his hand. "We should try to find Genno and Lug."

"Gennorina should be somewhere underground. She'll be hard to find. As for Lugsellos…" Dana trailed, looking toward the hilltop, engulfed in flames.

Div frowned. "I refuse to believe anything happened to him. Let's go."

He was already moving when Dana caught his arm. "Slow down. That place is a battlefield for the Ascended Ranks. The elders are going to be fighting there."

"But…"

"I'm not saying we shouldn't go," Dana said, speaking over him. "But first, we need to understand the situation."

Div nodded. They needed to make sense of this chaos before they could do anything about it. He extended his Rotlife Sense, trying to scout the surroundings.

There were people everywhere, and it was hard to make sense of the situation.

Skill leveled up: Rotlife Sense Lv6 -> Lv7

Facet of the Cheesemaker completed. You can select a new facet.

The voice of the world startled Div. He had completed his facet. Just like that? And more importantly, now?

"Dana," he whispered. "I just completed my facet."

"Hurry and pick a new one. You'll need all the power you can get for this. Don't worry, I'll keep watch."

In the obscurity of the alley, nested between two buildings and their voices drowned by the sound of conflict, Div closed his eyes and entered his inner world.

Available Facets:

Facet of the Fisherman

Facet of the Explorer

Facet of the Runner

Still no new option. It didn't surprise him. He hadn't held Facet of the Cheesemaker for long, and hadn't done anything special since. He didn't have the luxury of time to make his choice. Fisherman was out of the question. It wouldn't help him survive.

It was between Facet of the Explorer and Facet of the Runner. His mind was a mess, panic making it so he couldn't form coherent reasoning.

Without thinking too much, he took a deep breath and made his choice.

Skill Acquired: Endure – Basic – Lv1

He had picked Facet of the Runner. The memory of En making the same choice and gaining Endure motivated him. He barely paid attention as the bark covering his tree hardened and thickened.

His eyes snapped open, revealing Dana's back as she was looking the other way.

"It's done," he whispered.

She didn't turn back. Instead, she pointed at the sky. "Look at that."

Div raised his head and saw Terebus hovering above the village. He was too far to make out the details of his face, but it was undoubtedly the old elder.

"Gaumil," he spoke, his voice echoing across the area. "Your pathetic attempt at transcendence ends here."

As if coming out of the ground, a cavernous voice answered him. "Terebus, old friend. You know as well as I do that transcendence has nothing to do with this."

Terebus sighed. "Yet, I wonder what they offered, for you to turn your back on me like so…"

Gaumil didn't answer immediately.

"I can't transcend, but I can see the tide of history threatening to wash over my people," Gaumil said. "I'm merely doing what I can to prevent it."

Terebus shook his head. "I can't transcend either, and I won't let your excuses be the reason my home is destroyed."

"It doesn't have to end like this, Terebus. Surrender, and Trabine will be spared."

Emerios clicked his tongue, hard enough for everyone to hear it. Then, he pushed himself into the sky, in front of Terebus.

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"There will be no surrender today."

A flash.

Terebus and Emerios disappeared. Gaumil, who was somewhere under the hill, didn't speak again.

The earth shook, forcing Div and Dana to put their hands on the ground to support themselves.

"We can't get involved in that," Dana said. "We'd get killed instantly."

Div could only agree. "There are more Ascended Rank fighters who haven't shown themselves. We have to be careful."

Dana's eyes remained fixed on the sky for a moment longer, the afterglow of the clash still shimmering faintly in the clouds.

"We have to move," she said, voice low but firm.

"To where?" Div asked, his grip tightening on his spear. "We can't go to the hill, and Gennorina's underground. We don't even know where."

Dana hesitated, chewing the inside of her cheek. "The underground library. If anyone knows where the builders are hiding, it's Oerix."

Div blinked. "The librarian?"

"Yes, well, other people would know, but I have no idea where to find them. With Oerix, we can be sure he'll be in the library."

"I don't know…" Div exhaled.

"Do you have a better idea?" Dana cut in.

Div started, but shook his head. He didn't. "Let's go."

They slipped from the alley, sticking to shadows and broken paths, weaving through the packed houses of Trabine. Fires crackled in the distance, and screams punctuated the air.

Div was about to turn a corner when Dana put her hand in front of him, stopping him dead in his tracks. He threw her a questioning look, to which she answered by pointing to a squad of mountaineers running through the streets.

"They're inside the walls," she whispered.

Div ground his teeth. The oppidum seemed so well defended, yet it had cracked open so suddenly. The Trabinites hadn't been able to react.

"Let's keep to the shadows," he said, continuing their journey.

Climbing up the hill, they found the entrance to the library mostly intact. A few tiles had been displaced by the earth shaking, but it seemed the Ascended Ranks had taken their fight outside the village to protect the weaker inhabitants and soldiers.

The door was unlocked, so they discreetly opened it, entered, and closed it behind them. Once they were out of sight, they ran down the stairs.

Uncaring of the flickering shadows they cast on the wall as they ran past the magical torches, they quickly reached the bottom. They pushed open the heavy wooden door.

"Div and Dana," Oerix greeted, as if he had been waiting for them. He was on the other side of the room, sitting behind a desk where a book was open. His pale face reflected the artificial light, making him stand out all the more. "What do I owe the visit to? I believe the village is currently indisposed to scholarly pursuits."

"Oerix," Div started. "We're looking for Gennorina. Where are the builders?"

"The builders?" Oerix repeated slowly. Too slowly.

"Yes, the builders," Dana said, irritation seeping into her voice. "Gennorina. The rest of her team. We need to find them."

"They're likely hiding," Oerix said, finally straightening from his desk. "They would've gone to reinforce the structural supports near the lower tunnels or the storage caverns. The shaking isn't just from Gaumil's powers. Trabine's hill is riddled with holes. Parts of the village are coming apart."

Div stepped forward. "Then where would they be? Specifically."

Oerix turned, moving toward a tall shelf crammed with dusty scrolls. He pulled one out and unfurled it across the table. A simple, clearly marked map of Trabine's sublevels was drawn in precise ink.

He tapped a long finger against a spot. "This place is a tunnel between the armory and the underground builders' headquarters. To be clear, I don't know for sure, but I would guess that's where they are."

Dana looked over his shoulder, seeing for the first time the labyrinthine network that extended below the surface. "There are that many tunnels under the hill?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you," Oerix said, his expression unreadable. "But extraordinary circumstances warrant extraordinary exceptions. Don't tell anyone."

Div looked between Oerix and the map. "Aren't you worried?"

Oerix tilted his head. "About?"

"The assault? The mountaineers? The Kheironites?"

"Of course I am. But what can I do? My duty is to watch over the treasures of knowledge held within these walls," Oerix said.

"So if someone comes here…" Div continued.

Oerix closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he said, "If someone unauthorized comes here, they will regret it. Now, take the scroll, I'll open the tunnel of the library for you."

Dana gave Oerix a long look, as if weighing the meaning behind his final words. She seemed satisfied, or maybe just too pressed for time to argue.

"Thank you," she said curtly, grabbing the edge of the scroll and beginning to roll it up.

"You'll need it more than I will," Oerix said, stepping back with a slight nod.

Dana handed the map to Div, who tucked it under his arm. "We'll be careful."

"I have no doubt," Oerix said, walking away. "Follow me."

Oerix moved briskly toward the far wall of the chamber. As he moved, his fingers traced a pattern in the air only he could see. The stone wall ahead looked solid and seamless, but he didn't slow down.

He stopped a hand's breadth from the wall, pressed his palm flat against it, and muttered a word that didn't belong to any common tongue. It was sharp and guttural, something that rasped against the ear like metal on stone.

A faint rumble stirred beneath their feet. Dust sifted from the ceiling. A circular pattern lit up around his hand, etched lines glowing faint blue beneath the surface of the stone. The wall shuddered.

With a grinding groan, a portion of the wall split down the middle and pulled apart. It wasn't swinging or sliding, but receding, melting inward like wax under heat. Behind it, darkness.

A gust of cool, dry air swept out from the tunnel, carrying the scent of earth.

"There," Oerix said without ceremony. "The library tunnel. It'll stay open for five minutes, no more. After that, you'll need to find your own way out. It shouldn't be a problem if you find the builders."

Dana exchanged a glance with Div. No more words. They stepped into the dark.

They had to find Gennorina.