Chaos Core (School of Swords and Serpents Book 3) by Gage Lee

Author:Gage Lee [Lee, Gage]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: MMO litRPG role playing steampunk quest gamelit, men&#8217, s adventure video game adaptations young adult, coming of age sword sorcery dungeon core demon, action dark epic metaphysical vengeful myth asian, Chinese manga wuxia xianxia martial arts kung fu, supernatural fantasy magic occult legends thriller
Publisher: Shadow Alley Press
Published: 2020-02-10T16:00:00+00:00

The Recovery

“I DON’T THINK HE’S dead.” Niddhogg’s rough voice was accompanied by a painful pinch on my cheek. “Look, he winced. He’s totally alive.”

“I’m not,” I groaned. “I’m totally dead.”

“You will be if you ever scare me like that again.” The pain in Clem’s voice convinced me to open my eyes.

She sat next to the bed, her own eyes wide and searching. Her lower lip trembled as she reached out to take my hand in her shaky fingers. A single tear leaked from her left eye and ran down her cheek.

“I’m okay.” My creaky voice made the words sound unbelievable even to my ears. “I think.”

“You are not.” Hirani’s words were sharp as a dagger. “You’ve hurt yourself quite badly. I hope it was worth the price you’ve paid.”

“Did everyone survive the challenge?” I asked Clem.

“Yes,” she said quietly.

“Where did we place in the rankings?” I was nervous that we’d come in last. After coming in third during the first challenge, our team couldn’t afford that.”

“We beat the dragons.” Clem smiled. “We were first place, overall. The dragons came in second, Yzlanti was third, and the Dojo of Opal radiance came in dead last.”

“Then it was worth it.” I let out a sigh and sank back into the pillows. “Where am I?”

“The School’s staff infirmary.” Hahen appeared at the foot of my bed and lashed my sheet-covered soles with his tail. “Where foolish boys go after they’ve nearly killed themselves.”

“It’s not that bad.” A quick examination of my pained core showed me that the delamination had accelerated more quickly than I’d expected, but my body was fine. “I’ll survive.”

Hirani clutched the arms of her chair and used them to hoist herself onto her feet. She made it halfway to standing, then froze in place when her shaking knees threatened to betray her. A few deep breaths later, she’d steadied herself and managed to stand unassisted. She crossed the dimly lit room to my bed, every step revealing shocking new details.

The right side of her face was covered in bandages, and blood had seeped through the white gauze to form ugly red patches. A scabbed wound ran from the corner of her mouth, down her chin, and under the collar of her robes. Her lustrous black hair was streaked with thick strands of stark white, and the pinky and ring finger of her left hand were gone below the first knuckle. Her breath was harsh and labored by the time she reached my bed, as if the simple walk had taken a herculean effort.

“I’ll survive, too.” Her sarcastic grin was pulled down on one side by her wound.

“What happened?” The rude question slipped out of me before I could stop it.

“You know.” She twitched her eyes, the only part of her that still looked how I’d remembered, toward Clem to let me know that wasn’t a conversation we’d have in mixed company. “Your foolish gamble won the battle, Jace. You completed all three of the challenge’s goals and saved your friends. At a truly horrible cost.

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