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

finally saw a few of the other races. A beastkin stood in one group. This one wore leather armor and held a heavy bow. Atlas assumed it was a ranger. The black fur on its body looked soft and gently danced in the breeze. Long rounded ears sat on top of their head and their eyes displayed their slit pupils. Claws stuck out from the hands and Atlas watched them retract and extend as the person talked, almost as if it was a subconscious action.

The second person he noticed was a vulpine character. This person wore robes and looked like a magic wielder. They wielded a staff, and their lithe form exuded a sense of speed. Most casters had difficulty with damage. Their casting usually left them wide open to attacks and most were too slow to dodge. A vulpine character could make an excellent caster if they could perfect casting while moving. If you could dodge and cast at the same time, it would be a deadly combination.

Atlas considered approaching them to talk to them until the door of the registrar’s office opened and a man in full plate armor walked out. The only thing not covered in a solid layer of metal was his face. Dark black hair hung to the bottom of his chin in wavy lines, and a black goatee added the appearance of seriousness to his features. A dark red cloak, the color of dried blood, hung from his shoulders and attached to the armor with small metal discs. At his appearance, all conversation in the area ceased and silence descended on the clearing.

“Welcome adventurers! I’m High Marshall Grant of the Royal Army. It’s my pleasure to be here as you embark on this important event for the kingdom. Fierce animals have been encroaching on our settlements, and we can ignore the issue any longer. It’s up to you brave souls to quell this problem.”

The crowd remained silent as the man continued his speech.

“We have eighty brave volunteers here to hunt down this menace and bring an end to the threat. We will divide you into ten groups of eight people. Each team of eight to hunt down and exterminate the seven initial creatures we ask for will receive the last target. The first team to eradicate all eight of the enemies will be the winners and each receive a five gold reward.”

The High Marshall scanned the crowd, and Atlas heard the hushed whispers of excitement.

“Without further ado, let’s get this event started. When we call your name, please step forward and enter the building to complete the process before the teams disperse.”

The High Marshall spun around with a flourish as his cape fluttered out to the side. He marched back into the building and another man in robes with a symbol of the registrar’s office stepped forward. Names echoed through the clearing and one by one people entered the office in orderly fashion. Every eight names called led to a momentary delay before they called another set of names. Atlas finally heard his name called in the fifth group of people.

The inside of the registrar’s office had a small desk set up on the side and two clerks sitting behind it. The two booths in the back were unmanned. Five other adventurers stood around the room as Atlas entered. One of them was the big warrior he’d seen earlier. When the man saw him enter, he rolled his eyes and purposefully looked away. They waited in the room in silence as the last two members of their group entered. The entrance of the vulpine caster from earlier pleased him as he walked in. If this man was truly an agile caster, he would be a treat to watch in action.

One clerk stood up as the last of them entered. He shuffled around a stack of papers on the desk in front of him and then turned his attention to the group.

“Welcome adventurers. Look around at the people in here. They will be your team for the hunt. We tried to balance out the classes for their roles as much as possible. Before we give you your initial quest, sign these contracts to compete. We do not tolerate killing of event members during this hunt. Once you sign these contracts, you’re not allowed to attack any member of your party or one of your competitors until you return to the city and dissolve the contract. If you dissolve the contract early, you forfeit the event. Are there questions?”

The clerk looked around, but no one said anything. After a few moments of silence, the two men called out names and people approached to sign their contracts. Atlas stepped forward and quickly inked his signature on the document when called and waited for the rest to finish.

“All done,” the first man said as he carefully stood the papers on end and tapped them on the table. They neatly shuffled into a solid stack of even paper, “Your first quest is now granted. Please wait outside until the High Marshal announces the commencement. When he does, you’re free to leave the city and begin your hunt.”

A message popped up in his vision.

You’ve been given the Event Mission - The Wild Hunt (Part 1).

The group calmly shuffled back outside and gathered together near the edge of the crowd. Atlas took a few minutes to look over the criteria of the quest. They were told it consisted of seven initial creatures to hunt, and then it revealed their ultimate target when they killed the rest.

Event Quest - The Wild Hunt (Part 1)

Requirements

•     Registered for Wild Hunt Event

Quest Rarity: Rare

Quest Reward: 200 experience per target killed, 5 Silver per target killed. 5 Gold to the winning team.

Description: Hunt the following 7 targets:

•     Anaconda - Level 7

•     Lamia - Level 7

•     Hellrazer - Level 8

•     Swiftfoot - Level 8

•     Black Widow - Level 8

•     The Yote -