Zero to Hero: A High Fantasy Harem Romance LitRPG

"Hey, buddy." Faye's steps echoed through the chamber and off the walls as she walked into the chamber. Taking a slow look around the room, her frown growing deeper as she took in all the damage. Then, she took a long look at Maluphet before her eyes settled back on me. "It's barely been three hours since you left me, and you're already fighting one of the Thirteen? You're a magnet for this bullshit, Alex."

"Three hours?" It felt like we'd walked that hallway for days. Time really was wonky down in the Depths.

"Maybe four? I don't know. I lost track after a while."

"One of the Thirteen?!" Vral stumbled onto her shaky legs. "He beat six of the fuckers!"

"Six of them, huh?" Faye nodded. "Good to know."

Thrusting a finger at the Hero, Vral spat, "Where the hell were you?!"

"Cutting through about fifty miles of stone and shadowstuff to get to you." Faye shook her head. "It takes a while."

"Tch." Vral bared her teeth. "I don't give a shit about that. You should have gotten here faster!"

"I tried."

"You tried?! You're supposed to be some immortal badass. Prove it! Save our asses, you useless fucking Hero!"

"Please... and thank you..." Tristan groaned from the far side of the seal.

"Done." Faye grinned and took a step forward. Her sword's light grew twice as bright, burning away the shadow hands that had been rising out of the seal.

Maluphet grunted and raised his axe. I thought that was it for me, but I quickly noticed he wasn't looking at me. In fact, it didn't seem to care about me at all anymore.

"Stormcleaver..." I tried to stand up, but that wasn't happening. Instead, I coughed up some more flaming blood.

"I have no interest in fighting you in your current state." His eyes smoldered as he took Faye in. "When you are stronger, we will fight again. Just you and me." His foot snapped outward, catching me in the ribs, and I was thrown from the seal.

[Unbreakable]

As my ribs knitted back together, I tumbled to a stop at Faye's feet.

"Are you okay?" Tristan asked as she pushed herself to her knees.

"Y-yeah..." That hurt.

Tristan stood, whispered something under her breath, and cast a spell.

White light washed over me, soothing my broken everything.

"Thanks, Tris." As her light sank into me, I felt restored, if only a little. Still, it was enough for me to sit up.

"I've got you..." She started limping around the seal, making her way toward me.

"Get some rest now. You need it." As Faye stepped around me, words appeared in my mind:

Faye, American Demigod Hero of the Flame 99, has left your party.

Instant relief washed over me as her buffs wore off. As the nausea began leaving my body, I watched Faye's every movement. I could learn from this.

After a few steps, Faye spoke to the massive wall of muscle in front of us. "Maluphet, it's been a while."

"Champion of the Goddess." Maluphet inclined his head. "It's been... ages, I think."

"Two and a half centuries."

"I see..." The mountainous man nodded. "I'm honored you have come, and I am overjoyed at the opportunity to fight you once again."

"I have come, Stormcleaver." Faye entered the seal. "Though I can't say I'm as happy to see you as you are to see me."

"I understand." He lifted his axe high. "I have had nothing but my pitiful siblings and the memories of my past combats to occupy my mind. This rematch is one I have thought of countless times in the years since we last fought."

Faye held her glowing sword low and behind her, hiding it from her foe. "I'm happy to hear at least someone's been dreaming of me. It's enough to make a girl blush."

A single huffing chuckle escaped the armor.

"Will you fight me now? I wish to test myself against you."

"Yeah. We can do that. But first..." For a moment, the Hero was quiet. I could tell she was subtly looking around the seal. When she was finished, she asked, "Before we fight, want to stretch a little? You've been cramped in that seal a long time. I'd hate for you not to be at your best when we do this thing. I want you to have your best shot before I beat you again."

"I..." Maluphet's glowing red eyes narrowed under his armor. "I can feel you've grown stronger. I would like to focus for a time, yes."

"Good!" Faye dropped into a squat. "I'm a little stiff on account of cutting through miles of stone. I wouldn't mind a quick reset."

"It is agreed, then." The massive armored man began twisting his upper body and stretching his arms. "Let us rest for a time."

"Are they really...?" Vral, who was a few paces to my right and walking toward me, let her sentence hang.

"He's much more polite than the others." Tristan's brows were scrunched together as she watched them. "It's hard to tell he's a monster." She was close now, too.

"Aren't you two mortal enemies?" I asked Faye.

"Yeah, we are, but...," Faye looked over her shoulder. "This guy's the most straightforward of the bunch. He'd never pass up the opportunity to beat me in a fair fight." Grinning, she added, "And neither would I."

"It cannot be called a victory if a battle is won through artifice or deceit." Maluphet's voice boomed. "To prove one's strength against a worthy opponent is the way to show we are superior. That is the path of the warrior."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Stormcleaver." Faye dropped to the floor and started doing pushups.

"End it, sister! Don't play around!" Kasimir roared.

"We're... a little tired... over here..." Greta panted.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. You'll be fine." Faye glanced at her brother and friend. "Plus, you two have been slacking. You would have made short work of this seal back in the day. This is your punishment."

Kasimir scoffed, and Greta looked away, but neither of them challenged her accusation.

Despite her seeming nonchalance at her situation, I could tell what Faye was doing. She'd noticed they'd been restoring the seal. The longer she waited, the more the seal would be restored. That would hopefully mean the others wouldn't reappear like they had against me.

"Hey, love," Tristan coughed as she slouched to the ground to my left. "You were incredible out there." Her lips pressed to my cheek.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Vral stumbled up and plopped down on my right side. "Yeah, you were amazing, my veshkul'tha." She rested her head on my arm and wove her fingers through mine.

"You really were," Tristan leaned her head on my shoulder. Taking my hand in hers, she added, "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Hey, what about me?" Vral whined.

"Eh."

Vral swatted Tristan's thigh. "Bitch."

"You love it." Tristan giggled.

"Eh."

Tristan let out a hearty laugh and took Vral's hand before she could pull it away. "Of course, I'm happy you're okay, Vral. But you weren't the one spewing burning blood out of your nose a minute ago."

"True... What the hell was that?"

"It's system stuff. I'll explain it later." I nodded toward the seal, where both Maluphet and Faye were warming up. I had a feeling these two were going to put on a show to remember.

"I wish we had some popcorn for this," Vral said.

Tristan sighed. "Damn, I'm going to miss popcorn. Why'd you have to go and say that, Vral?"

"What... Oh... oh no!"

"You just remembered, didn't you?" I patted her head. "There's no corn in Reial."

"Damn it!" Vral sighed. "I lived on that shit when I was pregnant!"

My heart skipped a beat. I knew our experiences and losses in the doorway would stay with us, but for Vral...

Tristan sucked in air. "A-are you okay, Vral?" Her voice was softened. "With the... the baby?"

"Well... it sucked all of the ass when I woke up and realized she wasn't real, but I knew stuff like that would happen before we went into that stupid door. I was ready for it."

"But—"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be okay." Her eyes met mine. "I'm sorry about Stella, though. I loved that bitch."

Tristan sighed. "I did too."

"Thanks, V... Vral, Tris."

Tristan squeezed our hands. "I'm here if you ever need to talk about it. Both of you."

I kissed her forehead. Part of me ached for our fake life... for my sister... but it wasn't real. I had to let it all go.

"I know." She looked at each of us, her eyes getting a little misty before she blinked away the tears. "I always thought I'd get bored if things got too quiet, but I was wrong. I'm glad we got to spend so much time together without anything bad happening. It was nice to just exist like that. I really hope we can have that again one day."

"Me too," Tristan replied.

"Me three," I added.

Vral stuck out her tongue. "Well, if we ever miss having a little shit around, we'll just have to try extra hard to make another one."

I laughed. "Is... is that even possible? I didn't think you and I could do that here on account of the whole being different races thing?"

"Not with that attitude, you can't." Vral grinned up at me.

"Yeah, you've never been a quitter," Tristan laughed. "I believe in you. Plus, I'm ready to put in a whole lot of effort myself."

Hell.

Yes.

Before I could respond, Maluphet lifted his axe high and rumbled, "I am ready, champion."

"Me too." Faye sprang to her feet, drew her sword, and lowered it to her side again, pointing it behind her and hiding the blade from his line of sight. "Last time, it took us three days to end our fight. How long do you think this one will take?"

"Five strokes. Seven at the most." The massive man lowered his axe, mirroring Faye's stance. "Then, one of us will fall. That is what I've seen every time I have visualized our next battle."

"You said it." Faye took a breath. "So, Maluphet. If I win, will you go back into the seal willingly?"

"I will."

"And will you ensure that the others go with you?"

"They all lost their own battles against the one who I assume is your protege. They are unworthy of leaving this place. I will restrain them myself."

"Good." Faye nodded. "If you win, what do you want?"

"Nothing. The victory is all I desire. I have no other wishes."

Faye shrugged. "Alright. Are you ready?"

Maluphet's glowing red eyes flashed. "Yes."

"Alex, call it."

I cleared my throat.

"Three."

Faye turned her front toe forward. She was planning to lunge.

"Two."

Maluphet lifted his axe high again. He was going to try to cut her down before she reached him.

"One."

Faye's body relaxed as she sank into her stance.

Maluphet tensed, his armor swelling around his massive frame.

"Begin!"

"Rrrua—" Maluphet heaved, but before his axe moved even an inch, he froze. A thin white line had appeared on his breastplate directly on his sternum. "I... I yield." His axe fell from his hands, clattered to the seal, and disappeared in a bust of shadows.

"Did any of you see what happened?" I asked the girls.

"Nothing." Tristan trembled.

"Nah uh." Vral scratched her forehead.

"I can't believe what I just saw." In one instant, Faye was standing in front of us, her glowing blade pointing behind her. In the very next instant, she was behind Maluphet, blade held high and stained with sizzling black blood. The only evidence that she'd even moved was the thick line of flames that started where she'd been standing and ended beneath her feet.

"Good fight." Faye sheathed her glowing sword.

"You have... grown... strong... champion." He looked down at his breastplate. A glowing, molten line was forming in his armor, and blood was pouring from the gap. "I am honored."

"Take that honor back with you to the void." Faye exhaled a small puff of flames. As she exhaled, the entire back half of the chamber collapsed.

"Holy hell!" Vral yelled as the dust cloud washed over us. "What the shit just happened?!" She squeezed into my side to hide from the debris.

"So fast..." Tristan breathed as she buried her head into my neck to protect her face from the bits of stone.

I wrapped my shaking arms around the girls and pulled them close. As strong as I'd been with her buffs... she was so much stronger than I had been.

We were in completely different worlds.

For a time, I couldn't see a thing, but as the dust cleared, I saw that Maluphet was standing in the center of the seal, holding a squirming figure against the ground by the throat. The armor where he'd been cut had melted away, revealing the seared flesh beneath. While still bleeding and oozing thick globs of puss out of his torso, he seemed to be regenerating, of slowly.

"No!" Avara's voice shrieked. "I won't go back!"

"I swore an oath, sister." The massive man heaved, picking the woman and slamming her back onto the seal's surface. "We will return to the void." Shadows began clawing at her frame, pulling her down into the earth.

"I won't! I—" She faded away.

Thunder crashed as a cloud formed, followed by two glowing eyes. "I WILL BE FREE!"

"You will not." Maluphet grabbed above each eye and heaved. A scaled, dragon-like form was torn from the cloud and thrown into the seal, where it vanished into the stone with a burst of electricity. "I am the Stormcleaver. I am the first, and I say we return."

Where the dragon struck the ground, a large grub bubbled up out of the ground and hissed, but Maluphet's boot smashed it to pieces. Those pieces melted into a pool of blood, but nothing else formed out of it before the liquid faded into the seal and was gone.

"Rest well, warrior." Faye nodded

He nodded as he began fading into the seal. His armor started breaking apart until a muscular, fur-covered, heavily muscled body was revealed. As his torso started to sink into the seal, he pulled off his helmet, which I'd believed was horned until then, and dropped it to the ground. Under it was the head of a bull, one with burning red eyes.

"When I return, I will expect both of you." He nodded at me and Faye. "I wish to test myself again."

"I'll be there," I replied just as his jaw reached into the stone.

"Me too," Faye answered.

With what could only be a bullish smile, the Dark Lord's child vanished in a small puff of shadows.

"Phew!" Faye's armor flashed, and she was back in her frumpy traveling clothes. "That was something."

The broken spot in the seal fused back together, and both Kasimir and Greta collapsed onto it, panting.

Faye nodded at us. "You three okay?"

"Eh." Tristan and Vral said at the same time.

"I'm fine, but..." I had to know... "You were stalling until they fixed the seal, right?"

"Smart boy." Faye winked at me.

"Thought so."

Faye turned toward the mages. "What about you two? You gonna make it, or do I need to kiss some boo-boos?"

"I need to go to the temple..." Greta panted.

"For healing, or..." Faye quirked her eyebrow.

"Both..." The witch rolled onto her back. "Definitely both."

"I'll be fine after I rest, but I must go back to the Library of Xosh." Kasimir picked himself up and wiped the dirt from his face.

"Why?" Faye asked. "What about the Cleft of Shadows? Don't we need to get back to Evron? Consul Dreag is probably getting antsy."

"We do, but neither the witch nor I is in the proper condition to fight as of yet." He glared at the seal. "And, more importantly, we repaired this construct for now, but it won't last. I'll need to have my apprentices take shifts here to keep it together until we find a better solution."

I looked at the seal and could immediately see what he was talking about. The edge of the circle was fused back together, but it looked faded and crackled compared to the rest of the inscriptions. Likewise, the runes and glyphs behind it were faint compared to all of the others.

"How long will you need?" Faye asked.

"A week to rest. Another to open a permanent portal to this place." Kasimir stood. "No more."

"That works. I'll get these kids back to Galden and head to you."

"No. Meet me in Blackrock."

"I can do that."

Kasimir started making complicated gestures in the air. As he did, he said, "Witch, go heal yourself and get ready. You have two weeks."

"Don't tell me what to do." Greta huffed.

"I just did."

"Why not just make a new seal?" Tristan asked.

Kasimir's cold blue eyes burned. "Do you have any idea what we went through to get the ingredients to make these seals? Do you have any idea the sacrifices we made to—"

"She wouldn't have asked if she knew, you grumpy old shit!" Vral snapped at the ancient archmage.

"Yeah, be nice! I was just asking!" Tristan's deep blue eyes burned with equal irritation. "You don't have to be a dick!"

I couldn't help but chuckle when he looked to me for support. "You heard them, old man."

For a long moment, Kasimir stood there looking at each of us, flabbergasted. Then, he wiped his face again, cleared his throat, and said, "I'm leaving." With a final wave of his hand, a swirling portal appeared behind him, an ornate study visible on the other side. "Boy," He said, pointing a bony finger at me. "I'll be coming for you in time. There is much for you to learn about the world, and there are many who will want to know you. Be ready." Then, he stepped backward through his portal. The portal flickered, faded, and was gone.

Faye snorted. "Damn, girls, you told him. I like you two."

"See, I told you!" Greta spat a glob of dirt and spit out of her mouth. "Aren't they great?"

"Yeah." Faye looked at each of us. "They are. And they did well. So, so well." She stepped up to us and rustled my hair. "You've made us old timers proud."