Sleeping Player (Project Chrysalis Book 3) by John Gold (novel24 TXT) 📕

had any idea how strong the cat was or how lonely his heart was. It was absolute emptiness, a tiny soul crying out for help in an ocean of pain and suffering. Kilaya didn’t just feel obvious emotions; she sensed the hidden ones, too. The same went for player strength.

***

Each group of fighters had a room assigned to them. Once the tournament started, they were summoned one by one. Chiafredo was first to go, six hours later, then Kasami, and finally LJ. The waiting was long, so LJ just listened in to what was going on outside. He heard the shouts from the stands and the clash of blades, he smelled the burning torches and the room in the next room over. He sensed the many magic crystals protecting the stands from getting caught in the crossfire. The transparent creatures flying through the ear were much easier to see. Sometimes, the smaller ones tried to fly through LJ’s body, though they weren’t able to. LJ was starting to sense them even with his eyes open. Magic soaked into the walls, keeping new creatures from getting in, but there was nothing to block sound. LJ enjoyed listening to the battles from his room.

By the time he was led to the arena, he’d already decided that he was going to lose and head back. His opponent was a paladin in heavy plate armor colored red and covered in magic runes.

Dwarf, Patrick, Level 1381

The steward started speaking.

“Ladies and gentlemen, what a treat! We have a high-level paladin of Giral, the patron of traders and craftsmen, against an unknown young man. For some reason, nobody knows his level or class. Just the fact that he was invited to the tournament, however, speaks to the fact that he isn’t as simple as he seems. Do we have a dark horse on our hands?”

The gong sounded.

“Giral, give me the strength to punish sinners!” A bright light bathed the paladin.

LJ knew exactly what was going on—a god! There was no way he was losing to one of those.

The paladin got into his stance, covered up with his shield, and was about to try a direct jab when LJ dashed around and shoved him in the shoulder to break up his attack. But the cat’s advantage was his speed, not his strength. The paladin quickly picked up his shield and caught LJ’s attack.

“Holy Taran!” The paladin swung away, and all LJ could do was block.

The blow sent him flying, though he didn’t take any damage. On the other hand, the attack enraged him. Spears are for killers!

When his enemy closed, the cat grabbed him by the shield and jabbed tightly clenched fingers into his visor to score a critical hit that completely bypassed the paladin’s resistance.

A step and a throw later, LJ tried to plunge his opponent into the ground head-first. It was his armor that saved him from certain death. But while his head was stuck, his plate armor didn’t bend enough for him to try and free himself. The paladin worked his arms in an attempt to get free.

LJ grabbed the paladin’s sword and thrust it deep into his opponent’s crotch. That was where all armor was weakest, as it was covered by a chainmail mesh rather than thick plates of armor. The paladin stopped kicking. The crowds in the stands fell silent, too—the battle had become vile, cruel, and uninteresting.

As the steward tried to get everyone going again, LJ quietly stepped through the open door. He had the strange feeling that there were dozens of beings watching him. On the winners’ side, where LJ was going, there was another powerful being sitting in one of the gladiator rooms.

Happily, the sensation disappeared when he walked into his room. That calmed him down, and LJ decided to snooze until the next battle. The attention and the battle with the paladin had made him lose his temper. There was that thing in the next room over, too… Everything was strange.

Time passed, and the warriors in the neighboring rooms were called on by one. Finally, LJ was summoned, too, with his future opponent right there in the corridor with him. It was a nasty creature with a rude smirk and undisguised strength. Disgusting!

The steward started talking.

“In this duel, we have two dirty fighters. You probably remember how shocking it was to watch them—in the first, master thief Tullius tormented his victim, jabbing her with an obsidian dagger, not even letting her die in peace. Kicks to the groin, feints, smoke, mirages, blows to the knees—Tullius demonstrated for us all his mastery of the dirty arts. Against him will be LJ, our dark horse and one who laughs at logic and the rules. He killed the paladin by impaling him on his own sword in the most embarrassing way possible. Just like his opponent, he didn’t receive so much as a scratch.

The gong sounded.

LJ stood there motionless, the air around him growing thick and beginning to buzz. Silence settled in his head… His entire reason went blank—a little more, give me a little more.

“So, you know who I am, little one. Our sacrificial lamb! You’re apparently a thief, and you saw my old portraits in those books. But don’t worry, I’ll kill you quickly in deference to the belief you have in me.”

LJ looked at his opponent and felt his deepest memories start to quiver. There were no voices—they’d been engulfed in the silence. Yes, they were silent, as was LJ as he stared at his enemy. The oath! The vow given long ago! His head buzzed, it hurt, but his enemy stood before him, and he had no desire to run. There was just an emptiness and a ringing in his consciousness. God… Enemy… Family… Fem… Home… Blood. Empty consciousness…

Tullius couldn’t stand being scorned that way.

“Watch yourself, worm!”

There was an explosion. Sagie