The Fourth Secret: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Divine Apostasy Book 4) by A. Kay (best short books to read .TXT) 📕

them centered behind Whiskers. He turned his head enough to look at Sift. “First, really? I’ve never had a bad one. Your ideas are the terrible ones.”

Xavier lowered his shield and sat across from Sift and Lylan.

“Name one bad idea,” Sift said.

Ruwen focused on keeping them aligned, but spoke loud enough for Lylan to hear. “Peeing in the Octorse lake.”

“That’s gross,” Lylan said.

“They do it,” Sift said defensively. “And I needed to distract them so Ruwen could get the gem. It really—”

Ruwen grinned as Sift tried to convince Lylan why peeing in the lake was okay. Ruwen’s map showed no nearby enemies, and the terrain ahead looked fairly level, so he opened his minimized notifications, surprised that he only had one.

A Silent Spotter had caused the first notification by throwing a vial at Ruwen, which he’d caught with his Void Band.

Tring!

You have discovered…

Name: Blackout Vial

Quality: Uncommon

Weight: 0.2 lbs.

Effect: Severe Vertigo.

Description: A small opaque container. Vial’s liquid reacts violently with air to produce gas that causes dizziness and unconsciousness.

That sounded like a useful liquid. Naktos really had some great Alchemists. He would give this to Fractal when he saw the dungeon again. But why didn’t he have any notifications from the Stone Carver’s arm? He’d only gotten a glimpse, but he’d seen rings for sure.

Ruwen opened his log and glanced at the combat details. His group, including Lylan, had been close enough to the combat to get experience from the fight in front of the cave. Xavier and Ruwen had killed a level thirty Silent Spotter, and the three Stone Piercers at the cave had also all been thirty. The Scout Sift and Hamma had killed and the three Ruwen had killed on his own were all in their twenties.

Xavier, level twenty-six, took the most experience, while Ruwen’s level twenty-three took twenty-two percent of the total. He’d gained thirty-four thousand eight hundred nineteen experience. Opening his Profile, he looked at his new Experience total.

Experience: 156,524/276,000

Ruwen closed his log, satisfied he’d already made it over halfway to level twenty-four. But why hadn’t he seen anything about the Stone Carver’s arm? Now that the immediate danger had passed, pulling the wagon at this speed posed an unnecessary risk.

Ruwen spoke to everyone in Chat. I’m slowing Whiskers down a bit so the wagon remains stable without me. Everyone stay alert.

Whiskers slowed and after Ruwen confirmed the wagon remained steady, he pushed himself back from the rear and sat next to Xavier. Opening his Void Band, he removed the severed arm of the Stone Carver.

Blood dripped from the arm onto Ruwen’s armor, which immediately absorbed it. Xavier moved away, and Ruwen looked up to find everyone staring at him.

“What is wrong with you?” Sift asked.

“What?” Ruwen asked.

Lylan glanced toward the front. “You better not let Hamma see you with that.”

“Are you some kind of sicko?” Sift asked. “Who carries bloody arms around?”

“This is very disturbing,” Xavier said.

Ruwen waved the arm in the air. “No, it’s not what you think.”

Sift and Lylan leaned back, avoiding the arm.

Ruwen’s curiosity about the arm’s loot had caused him to overlook what the others might think of the bloody appendage. He lowered it in case Hamma turned around.

“I thought Hamma had a problem,” Sift said. “But you sailed right past her.”

Ever since becoming the High Priestess of the Black Pyramid’s chapel, Hamma had collected everything she could. She gave these items to the church as offerings in exchange for Prayer Points, which she also earned by doing things like the wedding and last rites for the goblins.

“I’m not as bad as Hamma,” Ruwen said.

Lylan looked doubtful.

“At least she didn’t stick bodies in her bag,” Sift said.

“Is this common here?” Xavier asked.

“Will everyone stop,” Ruwen said, slapping the dead hand against the wagon. “It’s not like I carry bloody arms around all the time.”

Sift looked at Xavier. “He sucked an entire person in there.”

“Alive?” Xavier asked, his voice concerned.

Sift nodded, pointed to his head, and circled his finger.

“For Uru’s sake it was an assassin, and it saved our lives,” Ruwen said.

“He put Lylan in there too,” Sift said.

Xavier shifted further away from Ruwen.

Ruwen tried to slap Sift with the arm, but Sift jerked to the side, causing the wagon to bounce against the ground. The motion caused Hamma to turn around.

Why are you holding a bloody arm? Hamma asked in Chat.

Told. You. Lylan signaled in Shade speak.

Ruwen replied to everyone in Chat. I fought a Stone Carver down there. She had two Void Bands. I cut off her arm to protect myself.

Sift leaned toward Xavier and whispered loudly. “And then took it as a trophy.”

Ruwen ignored Sift and continued in Chat. I didn’t want to risk a Healer reattaching it. Her dual Void Bands hurt me, and I wanted to make it out alive.

Ruwen left out his intense curiosity about the Naktos Void Band.

Can you see what was in her Inventory? Hamma asked.

Sift shook his head and spoke out loud. “You two are perfect for each other.”

Lylan laughed and jabbed Sift in the ribs with her elbow. “Be nice.”

Ruwen glared at Sift and spoke in Chat. I was just looking.

“You are both hoarders,” Sift said out loud.

That wasn’t fair to Hamma, as she gave everything to her altar in the Black Pyramid. Ruwen however had learned how valuable even mundane things could be in the right situation and Sift’s words rang true.

Ruwen sat the arm across his lap and studied the Stone Carver’s hand. A black rectangle half an inch wide covered the entire palm. The Void Band didn’t look any different from his, except for its location.

With a finger, Ruwen touched it, and a notification appeared.

Tring!

You have discovered a boon from Naktos…

Name: Dark Portal

Quality: Rare

Durability: Indestructible

Weight: 0.12 lbs.

Effect: 100% weight reduction.

Effect: Flexible opening.

Effect: Enhanced storage.

Effect: No type limitations.

Restriction: Energy-dependent. Insufficient Energy to power the Dark Portal triggers a dimensional inversion and instant death.

Description: Small dimensional rift. A gift from Naktos to his chosen.

The quality, durability, weight, and effects were all identical to Ruwen’s Void Band. The only duplicated restriction was