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

Hamma bit her lip. “Something feels wrong, but I think the plan outlined here is sound. I would recommend we take some of those Stone Mages and Workers that can sense deep underground and check our flanks and forward path. We don’t want any surprises. If things go bad, we can easily retreat to the safety of the city.”

Ruwen grabbed Hamma’s hand under the table and squeezed it. “Good advice.”

Rami, do you have an opinion?

I do, but I think contributing to your battle strategy against two other gods puts us in dangerous water. Because you are Uru’s Champion, as a condition of our bonding, Mom promised the other deities my ability to help you in life and death situations would be extremely limited. This will soon be life or death.

I understand.

“Then we all agree,” Ruwen said. “I’ll lead our forces in the attack. Warlord Vachyl can manage the overall battle from here and direct us as needed.”

By sunset, the war would be over.

Chapter 68

Ruwen stood on the battlements above the city gate and watched the lone rider approach the city from the distant army. They rode a horse which they must have captured in the southern plains. The wild beast obeyed the saddleless rider and Ruwen figured the creature must be under his command, which probably meant some type of mind control.

Elder Drivyd had guessed they would do something like this. The rider would have some type of sensing magic and attempt to gather intelligence on their numbers, all under the guise of diplomacy.

To nullify this, they had put five thousand combat and ten thousand support Classes in the temple where enemy magic wouldn’t penetrate. They sat in the hallways and rooms, waiting for the command to exit.

They distributed the remaining fifteen thousand troops around the battlements, with a higher concentration near the gates. Elder Vachyl believed that number to fall within the parameters of their trap.

Ruwen had used his last ability point on the level sixteen Commander ability Draft. It increased the size of every group he created, except his Primary Group, from five people to ten. It also gave him the flexibility to change the sizes of the groups in each layer.

With Draft, Ruwen had created three new ten person groups, all filled with Workers bound to Void Bands. Using the Battlefield Promotion ability, he’d passed on the capability to create groups. In the end, each group of ten had another group of ten below them, reaching five layers down. All one hundred sixty-eight Workers with Void Bands were in these groups and waited on the ground below. This setup, by using Chat, allowed him to coordinate their actions quickly.

Spending so many points on these group abilities felt like a long-term waste. He likely wouldn’t need so much flexibility in the future, and there were so many other abilities he wanted to increase. But he needed them to get through this invasion, so he didn’t have a choice. Someday, when he figured out the essence recipes and could use his Spirit, he would have access to all the capabilities he couldn’t have now.

The rider had approached close enough that Ruwen’s Perception provided details. He wasn’t the only one either, as muttering erupted along the wall.

Name: Dust Reverend of Retribution

Deity: Naktos

Class Type: Priest

Level: 100

Health: 1,783

Mana: 3,429

Energy: 389

Spirit: 0

Armor Class: 399

The stats of the Priest shocked Ruwen, and he wondered how many high-level combatants the enemy army had. He’d never seen a level one hundred person before. The enemy had likely sent them on purpose, he realized, to show strength and demoralize the city inhabitants.

Ruwen glanced at the ground, ninety feet below, and his stomach clenched.

Rami, what would falling ninety feet do to me?

With your current buffs, armor, and body Fortification, nothing.

What if my body wasn’t Fortified? Would surviving a fall like that be plausible?

I don’t like where this is headed, but yes, even if —

The Overlord took over. He climbed on to the top of the battlement and waited, giving everyone time to notice. The Dust Reverend down below stopped and stared up at him.

This seems like a — Rami started.

The Overlord jumped.

Ruwen screamed the entire fall, but the Overlord never let it leave his lungs. He bent his knees as he landed, his Overseer’s Boots of Duty sinking into the ground. He stood and used a charge on his Watcher’s Ring of Travel to summon Whiskers, and the cat appeared in its gigantic travel form. He leaped onto the saddle of the large panther and waited for the Priest.

Ruwen’s Gold Fortified hearing heard the excited talk from the thousands of troops along the wall above him. As he’d intended, his demonstration of strength had nullified the impact of the Dust Reverend.

After a few seconds, the Dust Reverend continued forward.

Okay, we need to talk about caution, Rami said.

The Overlord did it, Ruwen said.

Stop that. You are the Overlord, Ruwen. It isn’t another person, just you, with no fear. And you without fear is a little terrifying.

The Naktos Priest stopped thirty feet from Ruwen. Before the Priest could start, Ruwen spoke in a loud voice, his maxed Hey You ability translating his thoughts fluently. He wanted to cause confusion and doubt in the Priest. Using the memories of Valora, he touched his chest, mouth, and forehead with a fist. “Blessed am I, a child of stone, unworthy of his grace.”

Whatever control the Priest had on the horse wavered, and it turned to the side. The Dust Reverend struggled for a few seconds to get it back under control. He studied Ruwen, his face full of confusion. Finally, he responded. “Blessed be you, child of stone, who are unworthy of his grace.”

The horse backed up three feet before the Dust Reverend stopped it. Leaning forward, he spoke. “How do I address you, Child of Uru, armored in the blood of Izac, and reciting our most holy rites?”

Ruwen used more of Valora’s memories. “I am a messenger.”

The horse reared up and the Dust Reverend held