Zeal Legacy 2: A GameLit RPG Fantasy Page 2

  As he crawled up the shores of the beach, he hacked unendingly to spit the saltwater from his mouth.

  “Dammit.”

  He coughed the seawater out of his lungs. Eventually, he managed to work up the strength to turn around and look at the terror he’d escaped.

  The kraken was still out there. Clayton swam for what felt like miles. Only then could he see the true size of the beast. It sat out there in the ocean, the gentle swaying of its massive tentacles enough to create giant waves that moved all the way to the shore. Its giant eye staring ominously. Then again, the thing was so big, it was probably looking at everything.

  “Rena… Jalise…”

  He hadn’t forgotten about his companions. He searched the waters for any sign of them. It was a hopeless endeavor but he pushed the thoughts out of his mind.

  He pulled the sword from his belt and dropped it on the sand, hurrying into the water in nothing but his wet tunic and linen bottoms. The water was clear enough he could see what was beneath it when he dived below but there was nothing more than seaweed and harmless fish that looked to be searching for their own escape from the kraken.

  The waves grew more powerful, pushing Clayton back as he tried to make it back to where he estimated the ship had crashed in the water. A piece of wood floated by him. No doubt the ship was nothing but debris. Despite the waves and swirling around him, Clayton continued to circle around the water. Desperation grew to the point his heart pounded hard enough in his chest for him to notice. His lungs burned as he balanced trying to breathe. His muscles ached from trying to fight the water from pulling him under while trying to avoid getting anywhere close to the kraken, out of fear of being swallowed.

  His stamina drained and he had trouble keeping his head above water. He didn’t know how much time had gone by but decided he would have to head back to shore. He reminded himself again he would be of no use if he died needlessly.

  He swam back and crawled along the sand. Despite his fatigue, he remained optimistic they weren’t in the water because they’d gotten away.

  “Rena is too strong to lose herself in the water… Jalise knows how to take care of herself as well… I’m sure they’re on this island somewhere… I just… I just have to find them.”

  For the first time, Clayton observed the shore he’d landed on. The soft sand of the beach was blindingly white, shimmering underneath the sun. The trees he’d gotten so used to in Nalore were replaced by tall palm trees that swayed gently to the breeze. There was a forest of those same trees, blocking his view of the rest of the island. The shoreline extended all the way down on both sides of him, farther than he could see.

  “Nice place.” Clayton lamented not being able to appreciate his tropical surroundings. “Maybe they’re along the shore… Now which way do I go?”

  He pulled his compass from his pouch, the only other thing on him. Not that it mattered which direction he headed. He picked up the Zeal Blade and sighed as he walked up the beach. The sand was soft beneath his feet and warm, too, but not enough to burn. It wasn’t hard for him to stay focused with the kraken constantly in his peripheral.

  He’d regained most of his stamina but heading back into the water seemed futile. His decision to keep walking eventually brought him to a small cove. The cluster of rocks seemed to signify the end of the beach, as more trees surrounded it.

  “Maybe they decided to take shelter in here.”

  The thought of something else lurking inside of the cove didn’t cross his mind.

  He unsheathed Zeal and ignited it. The flames lit up the cavern enough for him to see the path ahead. As he ventured inside, the sea grew distant.

  Water dripping deeper in the cavern echoed. It was the only sound outside of his own footsteps.

  “Go figure. Get to a beautiful beach and I’m already searching through another cavern…”

  Clayton laughed at the thought. He considered himself lucky for the moment. There were cobwebs and spiders hiding in the darkness above. There were no skeletons of travelers who’d met an unfortunate end. If anything, the cavern looked mostly untouched.

  He walked deeper into the cove until he realized there was no sign of anything at all.

  “They’re not here…”

  One last observation of the cavern path in front of him was enough to satisfy his curiosity before he turned around. Then he heard something.

  “What was that?” He quickly spun back around, the flames on his sword lighting the darkness ahead. “Jalise? Rena?”

  He held his breath to remain quiet. The dripping water in the distance was still there but something else had joined it. He turned his head to the side, pointing his ear in the direction he heard it coming from.

  “…Footsteps? Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”

  Something was there. And it grew louder. And louder. And louder. But Clayton couldn’t place it, no matter how hard he tried. Something was definitely moving against the rocks within the cove.

  He held the sword up, both hands tight around the hilt and peered into the darkness in front of him. As far as he could see, there was just a path. A path where something was emerging.

  “…Crap.”

  What looked like crabs suddenly appeared before him. The only difference was they were bigger than any he’d ever seen, a meter wide and just as tall. Their shells were dark and dirty, covered with moss like they hadn’t moved in a long time. But it was their claws that got Clayton’s attention.

  He took a step back but as soon as they spotted him, they raced toward him, snapping their claws like giant scissors.

  “Crap…” He wasted his breath muttering to himself as he raced out of the cove, the sound of the crabs’ legs tapping against the rocks. He nearly stumbled when he got back onto the sand but had enough footing to turn around and face the crabs.

  Out in the open and under the sun, he could see the creatures clearly. They appeared even more disturbing underneath the sunlight.

  For a moment, Clayton was confused but he steadied himself. Both hands tight around his hilt, he nodded. “I wish they were here to see this…”

  He raised the Zeal Blade and cast a fireball from it. The flames hit the crab’s shell and bounced off, only doing enough to burn the moss from it.

  “All right… So magic doesn’t work—”

  One of the crabs moved with remarkable speed, snipping at Clayton before he could come back with his clever quip. Clayton used his agility to move out of the way and slam his sword down onto the crab. The creature’s hard shell wasn’t so easy to crack, so Clayton came back down with an even harder swing. His hands reverberated from the blow but it was powerful enough to leave a dent in the crab and immobilize it.

  The other two crabs converged on him. Clayton quickly blink-dashed away, grateful for the ability he’d learned from Rena. Before the crabs could react, he slammed his sword down on top of one then the other. The crabs struggled to move but Clayton kept hammering away until they stopped.

  He sighed a deep breath to recover while admiring his handiwork. “Never thought I’d actually bludgeon something to death with this thing…” He raised his head up as something from the cove got his attention. He peered into it and heard the familiar sound of a crab approaching. “All right… Someone else wants a piece, too…”

  His eyes locked on the entrance to the cove, he watched as the crab slowly emerged. But as its legs and claws extended, he came to the quick realization this one was a little different. This crab was as big as a room, four times the size of the other crabs.

  “How the hell did that thing fit inside of the cove—”

  The massive crab screeched like something he couldn’t describe and swung at him with his giant claw. Clayton rolled out of the way and raised the Zeal Blade up. Another ball of fire cast from his sword was another failed attempt at trying to penetrate the black crab’s shell.

  “All right… This will be tricky…” Clayton stepped back on the side, pointing his weapon at the crea
ture. Despite its size, it moved quickly on its feet to make sure Clayton couldn’t get around it.

  The crab suddenly lunged forward with another swipe. Another dash out of the way resulted in the ground receiving a thump and sand spraying in every direction.

  “Maybe… Yeah, that’s it.”

  An idea came to Clayton. Whether or not it was a good one, he’d find out shortly. But if a move could work on a Maledict Ferrum, it could surely work on a crab.

  He waited for the crab to strike again. When it did, he dashed forward around it in a circle until he was right behind it. With all of his strength, he slammed his sword down.

  Clayton waited for the visceral slice of its shell to fill his ears. Instead, all he heard was the clang of steel. He stared at the crab and saw there was barely a scratch on it.

  “Uh-oh…”

  The crab turned around and swiped at him. His first instinct was to raise his sword up and block the crab’s pincers. The crab wrapped its vice grip on the sword and squeezed. Clayton clenched his jaw, digging his feet into the sand and holding his ground as the crab tried to move forward. He pushed with all of his strength.

  “You can’t—”

  Suddenly, he felt his weapon give.

  “What the…”

  His eyes widened in disbelief as the Zeal Blade snapped in two. He didn’t believe it even though it was right in front of him. Half of the metal fell to the ground. A split-second of confusion crossed his mind before he quickly dodged the swipe from the crab’s other claw.

  “Holy crap!”

  He moved away, looking down at his sword that was just… half of a sword. The other end of his blade rested harmlessly in the sand.

  The crab stalked Clayton and a tinge of disappointment filled his heart.

  “I’m not gonna lose to a damn crab…”

  “Hey!”

  He jerked his head to the side to the voice. He searched but couldn’t find anything.

  “Over here, buddy! In the trees!”

  He kept searching but still found nothing.

  “Are you blind?”

  “Am I hearing things? Or am I delusional, which is a real possibility—” He dodged out of the way from the crab’s swipe. Just as he did, he saw the figure on top of one of the palm trees. A woman squatted down before leaping off, gracefully flying through the air and throwing what appeared to be a dagger at the crab. It caught the creature in the eye and made it stumble back.

  The woman deftly took the spot right next to Clayton.

  “You all right?” Her voice was light, so smooth it was almost distracting. But that wasn’t the only thing distracting about her, Clayton thought.

  Her petite figure was on full display with nothing more than a bikini top and a pair of shorts to cover her up. Her tan skin just made it more obvious she probably was from around here.

  “Hey!” She snapped her fingers. “You still with me?”

  “W-what? Yeah, I’m with you.”

  “You can’t beat a king crab by trying to smash it. That’s the point of its shell.”

  “Then how do I—”

  “Just follow my lead.”

  She twirled into the air, leaping above the crab and throwing another knife at it. The crab turned its attention to the woman, who appeared more than willing to have that attention.

  “Get it from underneath!” she shouted.

  “…What?”

  “Flip it over! Use that broken sword of yours.”

  He looked down at his blade, still the strangest thing he’d seen today, and rushed forward behind the crab. With all of his strength, he pushed his sword underneath the crab.

  “Flip it onto its back! Get it off its feet!”

  The woman kept barking orders out and Clayton followed. Eventually, Clayton managed to lift the crab up and drop it on its back.

  “Hit it! Now!”

  Clayton looked down at the soft outer shell and thrust his sword down. His blade met little resistance as it sank deeper into the crab. The creature screamed out. Limbs flailed. Claws snatched harmlessly. Clayton gritted his teeth and kept pushing until his hilt was pressing against the creature.

  “I think it’s dead.” He heard her voice and felt a hand on his shoulder.

  The woman beamed her big smile at him, white teeth glimmering underneath the sun.

  “I’m sure you’ve got a billion questions but first things first. Kailani.”

  Clayton didn’t bother trying to admire her, just grateful she’d showed up when she did.

  “Clayton.”

  “Clayton… You’re not from around here, are you?”

  He chuckled softly and shook his head. “You have no idea.”

  “Well, then… Let me be the first to say welcome to Hilamau.”

  Chapter 3

  Kailani dragged one of the smaller crabs through the sand. Clayton lugged the larger one as he trailed behind her.

  He assumed the woman was from around here. The tan skin. The dirty blond hair tied up in a messy bun. Along with her top and shorts, the bracelets on her wrists and ankles appeared to have been made from shells she’d gathered. The same for her necklace. A belt of bone throwing knives on her waist completed the ensemble, making her look like the sort of scavenger Clayton expected on a beach setting like this.

  She turned around and caught him gazing at her petite physique but it wasn’t enough to wipe her seemingly cheery smile away. She looked to be around his age but that was where the similarities between the two of them ended.

  “You wanna get away from the cove,” she said. “It goes pretty deep. Lots of crabs down there.”

  “Now I know.”

  “You think that thing you’re holding is big… I heard the darkness makes ‘em grow bigger. That’s where all of the ancient crabs are.”

  “I’m not looking to find out.”

  Kailani kept smiling to the point Clayton was almost unnerved. Not that he minded looking at her. She had a youthful face, the golden skin of her cheeks matching the rest of her body. That made the small red tattoo on the left side of her face stand out more.

  “This should be a good spot.” She dropped the crab down. Clayton let go of his massive kill and turned his attention to the broken blade he held.

  “Damn…”

  “You miss your sword that much, huh? It looks like a clean break.”

  “No kidding. This thing wasn’t supposed to break…”

  “I don’t know. That thing doesn’t look like it’s tempered very well. You see how big that crab is, don’t you? Not surprised it snapped your sword like a twig.”

  “I don’t suppose you know a good blacksmith.” He pressed the two pieces of his sword together as if it would magically weld itself.

  “Not in Hilamau. I don’t know if you noticed but these things I’m using aren’t iron.”

  “Right… Just my luck.” He sighed as he looked out into the ocean. The kraken moved away in the distance but still looked as big as an island. “Not that it would matter anyway. I have to go out there.”

  “Go out where? The ocean?”

  “My companions and I… We were traveling when that thing capsized our boat. I’m surprised I was able to swim here.”

  “Wait a second… Are you telling me you were right next to the kraken?” Kailani shook her head in disbelief and burst into a schoolgirl giggle. “You really aren’t from around here, are you?”

  “They’re still out there. I couldn’t find them. If there’s still a chance—”

  “If there’s still a chance, it’s probably gone now. When the kraken comes up to feed, it rips everything up with razor sharp teeth before it swallows it. The people you’re traveling with either escaped or they didn’t.”

  “Then they’re here. Or is there another island I don’t know about?”

  “There are other islands in the area. I don’t know how good of swimmers your friends are, but if they’re not on the Hilamau Islands, maybe they got there. But to tell you the truth,
I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

  The task of finding Rena and Jalise was daunting enough but hearing it from Kailani only made it worse. He looked down and shook his head, the Zeal Blade split in two in both hands reminding him of just how bad his problems were.

  While Clayton lamented his predicament, Kailani worked to gather some brush along the shore and surrounded it with stones. She smacked a couple of them together and a small bonfire ignited. Clayton stared at the flames.

  “I wonder…” He held the hilt up and focused his thoughts. Energy reverberated in his palm and emitted from the broken sword before him.

  Clayton Brooks

  Essence Level 42

  Available Points 2

  Hit Points 500

  Stamina 100

  Strength 15

  Constitution 12

  Agility 13

  Dexterity 11

  Wisdom 13

  Zeal Blade

  Core Level 6

  Passion of Consort Faith - Vigorous: The blade requires less stamina to swing

  Passion of Jalise the Sage - Torrid: Flames can be channeled from the blade

  Passion of Regent Magne - The Queen’s Touch: More essence is gathered from creatures defeated by the blade

  Passion of Monarch Velour - Intoxicating Thirst: Dealing damage with the blade absorbs essence and heals minor injuries

  Passion of Queen Ixia - Rigid Bark: At the cost of stamina, the blade creates a shield, blocking all incoming attacks

  Passion of Rena Ordain - Brisk Rhythm: The blade grants the ability to quickly dash short distances

  “Hmm… Still works…”

  He’d gained some levels from the crabs but didn’t spend the stat points.

  “I guess you weren’t kidding. That is a special sword, huh?”

  “It’s called Zeal. Only Ferrum can wield it. Ironblood.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I mean… only Ferrum can wield it.”

  “Pfft!” Kailani scoffed. “You might be able to do some magic with it but it looks like any old sword. Lemme hold it.” She reached her hand out but Clayton moved his arm away, tall enough it didn’t take him much effort to keep it away from her.