The Fourth Secret: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Divine Apostasy Book 4) by A. Kay (best fiction novels of all time .txt) 📗

“Do you have time to spar?” Sift asked.

“I’m still on watch.”

“Lylan took over. I came to tell you.”

“In that case, sure.”

Ruwen didn’t know how many people were looking for him, but his cloak protected him from location magic if he stayed within fifty feet of it. He stripped down to his shorts, retrieved a pair of sparring pants from his Void Band, and put them on. He made a pile of his clothes near the base of the temple and faced Sift.

Just like with Rami, the Steps consumed Ruwen’s entire focus, and time became meaningless. While Ruwen had the advantage in Strength, Sift moved faster, and his moves were a bit more refined. In the end, Sift always beat Ruwen, building on each small advantage minute after minute until he overwhelmed Ruwen.

Do you have time for a question? Lir asked.

Ruwen barely dodged a strike to the head as Lir’s telepathic question distracted him. Taking three steps backward, Ruwen bowed and raised his hand to Sift. “Just a moment, the temple is talking to me.”

“What?” Sift asked as he looked up at the massive spire next to them. “This thing talks?”

Ruwen nodded and then responded. Hi, Lir. What’s up?

That is a difficult question as geospatial orientation is not fixed or in a plane perpendicular to the—

No, no. I meant what do you need?

We are critically low on terium and carbon.

Ruwen rubbed his head and tried again. What is the question you wanted to ask me?

A Guardian has detected two men approaching the city. Both are bound to Uru. What course of action should I follow regarding them?

Ruwen’s thoughts spun. Who even knew they were here? Lir, are you in contact with the other temples?

Of course. The moment I finished complete restoration, I initiated contact.

Which meant at the minimum, the High Priest in Stone Harbor and High Priest Fusil in Deepwell knew the temple here had come back alive. The thought of Fusil made Ruwen’s stomach clench. Even if Uru had manipulated the Hight Priest into making Ruwen a Worker, how it happened still bothered him. He couldn’t wait to get his parent’s story, so he could begin clearing their name.

Ruwen almost scolded Lir about the communication when he realized there was a much easier way to see something had happened here. When Ruwen had restored the temple, Uru’s Blessing, the area where you constantly synched your state with the goddess, had increased for hundreds of miles north and south. That meant anyone who looked at their map would have noticed. So he shouldn’t be surprised that people were curious and headed this way.

But the lands south of Stone Harbor were filled with Cultivators, not Uru’s subjects. So the approaching duo couldn’t be curious farmers. A Dimensional Mage could have gotten here in the twelve hours New Eiru had been restored, or maybe an Elemental Mage using an air sled. But the southern plains were filling with an invading army, and travel like that would be foolish and dangerous.

Ruwen didn’t know how to handle this. How far away are they?

At their current pace, forty-three minutes and sixteen seconds.

Can you tell what Classes they are?

Until they bind here, I can’t be sure. However, I can see the larger one has a Dimensional Bracer like yours.

Wait, you can see them? Ruwen asked.

Of course. The Guardian is feeding me information in real-time.

Rami? Ruwen asked.

You are so needy. Rami said.

I know.

Pictures appeared in Ruwen’s mind as Rami passed him the images from Lir. Ruwen’s stomach twisted as the view came from over a thousand feet in the air. The pictures zoomed in on the figures, and Ruwen’s heart thudded loudly as a dozen emotions swirled through his chest.

Tremine and Bliz were less than an hour away.

Chapter 6

Let them through. They’re friends, Ruwen told Lir.

As you wish, Architect Starfield, Lir responded.

Tremine and Bliz had exited the mountains to the north. Ruwen figured if he left now, he could meet them halfway, around the area of the new portal to Fractal.

Ruwen focused back on Sift. “Tremine and another friend will be here in less than an hour. I’m headed out to meet them. You want to come?”

Sift narrowed his eyes. “The guy who traded our lives for a book?”

“It’s more complicated than that. Uru made him, and remember, he also gave us the portal chalk to get out.”

Sift shook his index finger at Ruwen. “That’s why your fake gods are bad.”

“So is that a yes?” Ruwen asked as he dressed.

Sift pulled a shirt and sandals out of his Dimensional Belt and put them on. “I’m telling you now, at the first sign of trouble, I’m,” Sift whistled, “out.”

“Are you going to whistle all the time now?”

Sift grinned. “It’s hard not to.”

They strode east toward New Eiru’s main gates.

“Why are you doing all this?” Sift asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Running around like a madman for Uru.”

The question surprised Ruwen. He hadn’t spent much time thinking about what he wanted. “I guess at first it was because my goddess asked me to. What if the True God asked you to do something?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Swim the Sea of Tears.”

“That’s dumb.”

“You’re missing the point. Are you going to tell your God it’s dumb?”

Sift looked thoughtful. “Probably not.”

“Actually, it didn’t even start like that. It wasn’t until I acted stupid that she got involved.”

Sift widened his eyes and stared at Ruwen. “You did something stupid?”

Ruwen almost cast a level one hundred Critical Evacuation on Sift, but stopped since it would briefly reveal Ruwen’s Scarecrow Aspect as he tapped his Core. He would’ve enjoyed seeing Sift pee his pants, but it wasn’t worth bringing on the Apocalypse if someone saw him using Spirit.

They walked out the enormous gate, the opening thirty feet tall, and turned north toward the crystal forest and the Shattered Sun portal.

Ruwen continued. “Anyway, my mistakes set off this whole chain of events.”

“At least it got me out of the pyramid. Although you’ve been a terrible vacation guide.”

“As soon as the