Test Environment: A LitRPG fantasy book (Pixelate 1) by Xavier P. Hunter

Author:Xavier P. Hunter [Hunter, Xavier P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Magical Scrivener Press
Published: 2024-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

CONNOR’S CROSSING

When next they set out, Connor felt differently about his companions. They were no longer nameless competitors and adversaries for one simple reason:

He had names for all of them now.

It was harder to maintain a grudge with Dizzy than it was with “the rogue.” And it was harder to be low-key attracted to a wizard when he knew one of three possible dudes had named her Whorelock.

If he had to make a guess, the others were all Level 3 now. The fights coming out of the respawn cemetery were still challenging, but they weren’t getting chipped down like it had felt last time.

Again, Connor took point, this time heading straight for the mountain.

The zombies grew stiffer in challenge the closer they drew to the towering Spire of Fate, but they never yielded more than 10 XP apiece.

By the time they reached a roadblock, Connor was up to…

XP: 1160/8000

But then they reached an obstacle with no clear way to traverse.

BONE MOAT

OK. That name tracked. It was appropriately creepy for the area, decently fantasy-esque, and accurately described the ravine encircling the mountain’s base, chock full of skeletons instead of water.

Connor looked to his fellow adventurers for anyone who had ideas. Dizzy caught him glancing in her direction and backed away, putting up both hands in warning.

Connor mirrored her gesture with less panic. No harm. No foul. He wasn’t going to push her in if she wasn’t going back to leeching off his kills. Through this whole zone they’d been working together…

Plus, corpses disappeared too soon to consider building a land bridge out of them.

Rather than attempt to descend and fight their way down, the six of them skirted the moat’s edge, looking for ways either over or under it. The zombies avoided this area for whatever reason. In-game, it made no sense. From a strictly “what’s really going on here” perspective, they weren’t programmed to.

What mattered was that they had a break from constant attacks.

They also had a puzzle with no clear solution.

The moat was a good fifty feet across. No skill HE’D come across would allow him to leap that.

Or… could it?

There was nothing on the far side as far as monsters, so he was pretty sure there was no chance of him Charging across. Maybe one of the others had something?

Connor pantomimed a rainbow motion with one hand, an arcing up and over, hopefully clear to the others that he meant crossing the moat.

He pointed to the wizard. She shook her head.

Slapguy? Monks were pulling stuff like that in anime and kung fu movies. But Slapguy bowed and shook his head.

Dizzy, Meatball, and Calamity all shook their heads negative.

Onward they went, painting in the minimap along the way.

They traced a curving path, seeing new bits of terrain as their angle shifted around the mountain’s base.

Then, Slapguy tugged on his shoulder, grabbed the wizard’s sleeve, shook the archer by the arm. He pointed. On the far side, in the distance, was a drawbridge. It was a good hike to get there, but they headed out as a group immediately.

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