Hive Knight: A Dark Fantasy LitRPG (Trinity of the Hive Book 1) by Grayson Sinclair (black authors fiction txt) 📕

When my belly wasn’t gurgling anymore, I pulled up my interface to look at the notifications.

 

Combat Results

Five Downed (Dire Wolves): 5000 Exp!

Total Exp Gain: 5000 Exp!

Level: 44

Exp: 4400/4400

Level up!

10 stat points available!

Level: 45

Exp: 1600/4500

 

Well, that’s quite a bit of Exp for just some dire wolves. Last time I fought them, they only gave me four hundred apiece. Odd.

I added five points to Strength and Constitution, bringing both to eighty, nighty-five with my boost from being close to Eris, but I didn’t want to rely on an outside force to increase my power, not when it could be taken away. As I closed out my Interface, I pulled out my flask of whiskey and a glass along with a small frost stone. Dropping it into the glass, I filled it and waited for the liquid to chill before taking a sip.

It was perfect.

The stars were pretty, twinkling high above my head, and I wasn’t quite ready to sleep, so I stargazed while I drank.

Eventually, I turned in and fell asleep, only to be woken by Eris when she crept into my tent sometime later.

With a mumbled, “I couldn’t sleep,” she lay down beside me and wrapped her arm around my chest and was asleep almost instantly.

Chapter 14 - Inn of Ill Repute

After a few fitful hours of sleep, I awoke to the sounds of the forest. The same thing that’d kept me up, snapping me out of sleep with every crack of wood or howling beast, now unleashed a chorus of songbirds to chase the last vestiges of sleep from me.

I sat up and found that Eris wasn’t asleep beside me. The wind rustled the flap to the tent, bringing the scent of roasting meat and carrying the sizzle of grease in a pan. I pulled on my linen trousers and a clean gray shirt and exited the tent.

Leaving, I found a very picturesque scene waiting. Eris, wearing one of my tunics, too large on her petite frame, was cooking a modest breakfast over the fire, humming to herself as she worked.

I sat by the opening to the tent and watched her for a time. She hadn’t noticed me, and it was charming to see her be herself. I knew how she behaved around me wasn’t an act, but she was too focused on me at times.

I wanted to see her when she was alone. She was unbearably adorable as she worked, bobbing back and forth, humming along to an unfamiliar song while she cooked. I couldn’t help but smile at her natural energy. After a couple more minutes of cooking, it seemed the meal was done. She turned to call out to me.

“Sam, breakfast,” she said, turning and seeing me watching her. Her mouth broke into a smile when she noticed. “Ah, good morning. How long have you been there?”

The familiar hurt rose at hearing my old name. “I wish you wouldn’t call me that.”

She smiled sadly and nodded. “I know, but it’s your name. Duran is just a mask, a false name to hide behind. Its not who you are.”

Eris wasn’t wrong, but it was still hard to hear. “Duran is the name I chose. Sam is the name I left behind too many years ago.”

She left the food alone and came to sit beside me. “I understand, and if it’s truly what you want, I won’t call you it again, but I think you should give Sampson Acre another chance, my bonded.”

I didn’t want to, too many things came with the name, but I couldn’t find a defense beyond I just didn’t want to hear it again, and that wasn’t good enough.

“If it makes you happy, then I guess it doesn’t matter. Call me whatever you like. Maybe it’ll make up for the fact I hurt your feelings last night.”

The smile fell from her face for a second. “About that, I’m sorry for overreacting. I know you were just protecting me.”

“I was, still, I’m sorry for upsetting you,” I said, kissing her gently. “What’s for breakfast?” I asked when we pulled apart.

“A bit of bacon, with half a loaf of bread.”

It smelled delicious, and after the inadequate food last night, I was ravenous.

“Let’s eat.”

“I’m beyond starving,” Eris agreed and handed me a plate before grabbing her own.

My rumbling stomach was only too happy to indulge. We sat side by side as we ate, never going too long without brushing up against one another. We couldn’t help but find the littlest of excuses to touch each other. I wiped a smidge of grease from the corner of Eris’s mouth, and her response was to stick my whole finger in her mouth and lick it clean.

After we ate breakfast, Eris helped me pack up the camp and get Lacuna situated. As I was stowing our supplies in my inventory, I had a thought and pulled out a small pouch of fifty gold and tossed it to Eris.

“Here, catch.”

She was busy petting Lacuna and didn’t hear me, but I’d already thrown it, and it was sailing towards her head.

“Eris!”

Without turning, she plucked the pouch out of the air a second before it hit her. She stopped playing with Lacuna and stared at the bag. “What’s this?”

“Money, in case there’s anything you want to buy when we get into town.”

“That’s sweet of you,” she said and tossed the money back at me. “But I don’t need it.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t see the need for it. The Hive never used it. We bartered and sold favors for things we needed. I don’t know what use I’d have for it.”

“Very well,“ I said, stowing it back in my inventory. “But it’s yours if you want it. Times have changed, and we use money for things we