Atlas Rising a LitRPG gaming adventure by Blake Severson (top 10 books of all time .txt) 📗

charging for another bite. He swept his staff to the side to push it off course, but the distraction of helping Francis didn’t give him enough time to protect himself. While his slight push saved him from the monster’s teeth, it didn’t prevent the claw from digging furrows through his pants and into his legs.

Demon Landshark dealt 15 damage to you with Rend.

You are bleeding for 2 damage every 5 seconds from Rend.

The feeling of blood flowing down the inside of his pants leg sent chills up his spine. The warmth sent an involuntary shiver down his spine, as though he needed to shake, but he ignored the sensation and shifted focus to the fight.

Another landshark was right behind the first, and Atlas didn’t bother trying to dodge or parry. Instead, he grit his teeth in anger and slid his grip to the end of the staff. A quick wind up was followed by his favorite home-run swing, and the heavy metal on the end of the staff caved in the side of the creature’s skull.

You dealt 110 damage to Demon Landshark with Breath of Life. (Critical) (Fatal)

Breath of Life loses 20 experience for taking a life.

Whoa, what? It loses experience when I kill something with it? This is a truly odd weapon.

His surprise at the notification caused him to miss the next attack, and his remaining enemy slashed across his back. The claws caught in the leather of his jerkin and the force of the blow drug him to the ground.

Rolling to the side, the claws slid free, and he got his staff in between him and the landshark right as it launched for his face, mouth spread wide open.

The teeth crunched against the hard wood of his staff but didn’t do any visible damage to the weapon. Drool leaked from its mouth and a few drops landed on his face. He shoved with all his strength and the monster stumbled backward, off balance. A quick roll and twist that a gymnastics coach would be proud of brought him back to his feet in a flash, and he waited for the next attack.

It never came. Instead, Shade appeared near the landshark and dispatched it with a few quick blows to vital points. Atlas took that time to look around. Francis was kneeling nearby, clutching his injured arm, but the landshark that had been on his leg was now dead. Puncture wounds riddled its body, obviously Shade’s work.

On his other side stood Roo. The guy looked like he would fall over with a stiff breeze. Francis was a little below half health and Roo was at a quarter health. Roo bled from scratches all over his body. His attacker was also dead from an onslaught of dagger blades.

“Get them patched up if you can,” Shade told Atlas as he nodded at both of the others and disappeared.

Atlas activated Harmony and cast it on the other two healers and then himself. The spell was enough to seal up his own bleeding debuff. Without waiting, he also cast Nurture on Roo since he was so low on health.

You healed Kangaroo for 17 HP with Harmony.

You healed Francis for 17 HP with Harmony.

You healed Yourself for 17 HP with Harmony.

You healed Kangaroo for 38 HP with Nurture.

The man stood up straighter and heaved in a deep breath. Unconcerned with their status now, Atlas scanned his party menu and saw Stomper was nearing half health. The Harmony spell on the warrior had lapsed, so he refreshed it. For good measure, he tossed in a Nurture on the warrior as well.

You healed FaceStomper55 for 17 HP with Harmony.

You healed FaceStomper55 for 38 HP with Nurture.

The number of landsharks in the room dwindled quickly as Stomper bashed them, Carhein chopped through them like trees, and Shade carefully diced them apart. Atlas and the other two healers just watched the slaughter for a short time.

As the last of the mobs died, the cave floor rumbled. Stomper spun around until he spotted an entryway on the side of the cave and watched the dark tunnel carefully. Seven monsters emerged from the darkness and dashed toward Stomper.

Their appearance closely mirrored the landsharks they were previously fighting only on a larger scale. A quick check showed their status. Alpha Demon Landshark - Level 19.

The lead one hit Stomper’s shield, and a shriek of metal echoed through the cave. The warrior held his ground until the second target pummeled into him. His footing slipped, and he stumbled backward. Atlas watched the rest of the monsters approach and decided to lessen the blow. He activated Entangle and began the casting sequence. As soon as the spell finished, he targeted the area in the path of the farthest landshark. Large thorny vines erupted from the ground and quickly snagged hold of the creature’s powerful legs as it tried to continue its charge against Stomper.

A soft glow caressed Stomper, and a cascade of glitter dusted over him. His body flashed with a golden light and then returned to normal. Atlas didn’t know what that spell was, so he checked the party screen and saw a new buff called Fountain of Light on Stomper.

The description on the menu said it healed him for 8 HP every 2 seconds for a minute. Atlas assumed the spell belonged to Roo since the light from it appeared similar to the attack spells he’d cast earlier.

With those pieces in place, Atlas checked the status of the other two fighters. Carhein was holding on but down to half health. Shade was still near full health since he kept popping in and out of stealth.

Carhein was the next to receive his healing. Harmony was the better option for his mana and was more efficient, so he used it on the fighter.

You healed Carhein for 17 HP with Harmony.

Worried about the status of his mana, he willed the bar to appear.

Mana:

95

It wasn’t as bad as he feared. He’d done a decent job of conserving mana so far. It helped that the