Level Up or Die: Rise of the Barbarian: A LitRPG Adventure by Heppner Vaughn

Author:Heppner, Vaughn [Heppner, Vaughn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B0CHL2HVLB
Goodreads: 198812596
Published: 2023-10-08T07:00:00+00:00

-39-

We hurried past the hidden rune and trees. We used a path through the high grass until we reached a big hole in the ground. It was different from a gopher or badger hole, in that it was much larger and had worn stone steps leading into its depths.

Did the ghouls use this way down as well? I suspected there was another way into the subterranean region.

Kyl urged us to step onto the first stair. “Hurry,” he said. “I don’t think we have much time.”

We stepped in and out, turned and followed Kyl. We rushed past the hidden rune again.

I hadn’t seen the rune yet. We were clearly taking Kyl’s word for this. We raced behind some bushes and crouched low, barely concealed, with gob trees towering above us. The shade should help hide us.

Abruptly, there were three bright flashes near the supposed rune.

I looked at Kyl in wonderment. He’d been right. His wisdom and cunning stunned me. I wanted to scroll through the smartphone and look up the rules on runelords. Damn Artemis. The quantum computer must have something to do with this.

Why would a runelord do any of this?

Kyl grabbed one of my forearms and squeezed. No doubt, he meant I should pay attention.

I did, peering through the branches and leaves of our bush.

“Don’t look directly at them,” Kyl warned. “A runelord will feel the heaviness and concentration of your stare. Rather, look to the side or on the ground. Listen intently, though. A runelord may be able to pick up the intensity of our listening, but I’m not as sure of that as him sensing the heaviness of our gaze.”

Gnush grunted as if the instructions made sense. The big orc bowed his head. His battle-axe lay on the ground, with his leathery fingers curled around the haft. Gnush was tense, surely desiring to attack or defend instead of waiting like this.

I looked through the foliage and was surprised to see a woman instead of a man. She wore bright, glowing red garments, many of them with many layers and folds. She seemed to flow as she stepped this way and that. She was tall, had dark hair with a single white strand to indicate age and possibly wisdom. Her gaze held the arrogance and keenness one might find in a hawk or eagle searching for prey. On the center of her forehead was a glowing rune. I had no idea what that meant other than grim power.

The other two were men wearing black leathers and boots. They were shorter than she was, with thick wrists and seemed highly competent and dangerous. One had a radius of faint light around his leathers. The other wore bands on his wrists. He struck me as immensely strong. Both had short bristly hair. I wouldn’t say they had coarse features but looked stubborn with a warrior’s cast, merciless and brutal. They seemed more akin to predators—wolves or great cats in human guise. Each had a rune painted on his forehead. The

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