Rewind: A Grimdark LitRPG Series (Pyresouls Apocalypse, Book 1) by James Callum (reading tree .txt) 📕

he got to the [Whisper of Insanity] he made a warding motion with his left hand, and what was left of his fingers on his right. “Put it away, I beg! Do not show such profane things out in the open, are you trying to tempt the….” He looked around and pitched his voice into a barely heard whisper, “Twilight Council to free your stupid head from its shoulders?”

Heeding his advice, Jacob took the item back and looked expectantly at the rattled merchant. He hadn’t the faintest idea what the Twilight Council was but that was far from his concern at the moment.

Leaning forward, palm pressed to one knee Jacob continued to say nothing as the merchant gathered himself. If he thought Jacob was some sort of dangerous or perhaps unstable person, he might be more willing to trade with him at a favorable rate.

If only to make him leave faster.

That suited Jacob just fine since he wanted nothing to do with the area. At any moment somebody from his past could show up. Alec, Emily, or any number of other players that might wish to do him harm.

If that group from the last Crossing was still around, they certainly had a bone to pick with Jacob and he wanted to be far from the Crossing whenever they came through.

Not that he feared them, but you didn’t face 6 opponents and live to tell the tale. That only happened in stories and fantasies.

He would have scoffed at the thought that Lormar was realistic not too long ago. But having lived a life very similar to Lormar in all the worst ways for a decade, he didn’t find it so silly now.

“What are you looking to buy, son?” the undead merchant asked.

“Seven Dull Sparks.”

“Hmmm… might be that we can work something out.” Looking over the items once more, he added, “Normally that would run you around seven-thousand Souls. Considering your… proclivities and these items I’m willing to part with them for the paltry sum of five-thousand, nine-hundred Souls.”

Jacob leaned forward, handing over the items in exchange for the [Dull Sparks]. “Deal.”

Transaction concluded, Jacob couldn’t help but grin. He was about to get up when he remembered the mention of the Twilight Council.

“Yes?” asked the merchant, sensing his unasked question.

“What is the Twilight Council?”

The undead merchant’s eyes went wide. “Never speak their name aloud like that, you fool! You will doom us all.”

He leaned forward, lowering his voice once more. “They are not to be trifled with, that much you should know. They confiscate such profane items as that you hold and liberate the foolish holder of such items of their life.

“If your goal - like so many of these fools around you - is to head into Camon, the Forbidden City, you will find their power there is absolute. And you will run into them when they choose.”

“I appreciate it,” Jacob said, rising.

“Show your appreciation by never mentioning them around me again. Now be gone or buy something.”

Grinning, his core objective complete, Jacob turned to leave.

He gave the few players nearby a wide berth. There were more people than he remembered upon first coming in and there was something familiar about them that he couldn’t place his finger on.

None of them dressed the same, there were metal-clad knights, sneaky rogues, robe-wearing magic-wielders, and even a few well-behaved Savages.

But still, something nagged at him. Something that he couldn’t figure out and so he pushed it from his mind to focus on the task at hand.

Deep in thought, Jacob only heard snippets of what those around him were talking about. But he caught the word “bounty” more than once and everywhere he walked people milled about nervously.

While it might be more prudent to go back to his set Pyre, Jacob felt confident enough to press on to the southern exit of Hollow Dreams and make his way to the Smog Rifts.

He could wait to upgrade his weapon. With only 348 Souls to his name, he wasn’t much of a target. Even if he did die, not only would the attacker get next to nothing but there was no way to rid him of his [Dull Sparks].

The worst-case scenario was if he died before he reached the Smog Rifts and that was a small issue. Transported back to the last Pyre, he would lose a lot of time but it couldn’t be helped.

Plotting the course through Hollow Dreams that would get him out as fast as possible while avoiding the worst of the monsters, Jacob noticed how quiet everything suddenly became.

He should have been paying closer attention to his surroundings. Only now that he took the time to look around the barren street did he see other players speeding away.

He saw no monsters about. The marketplace of Hollow Dreams was fairly safe. There were a bunch of boarded-up houses that a few ill-intentioned players might break open for a brief bit of chaos but nothing more threatening than that.

Certainly no reason to be running anywhere.

The confusion sorted itself out soon enough when Jacob turned his head back to the winding, sloped cobblestone road ahead of him. A lone figure in gleaming white armor stood in the center, wearing a familiar lion’s head helm.

Lovely.

27

Jacob tightened his grip on both shield and sword. He came within ten feet of the lone knight. He couldn’t remember his name for the life of him. “Mind moving aside? I’ve got a hot date.”

“Oh, no, I won’t be moving,” the lion-knight said with a sneer so deep he could hear it. “It took a bounty of eight thousand Souls to draw you out but I knew if I was patient-”

Jacob shifted his weight to one leg and sighed impatiently. “I’m sorry, what?”

That took some wind out of the man’s monologuing sails. He recovered quickly, puffing his mailed chest out with some effort. “Ever since you wronged me, I have been looking for a way to properly repay you.”

From the periphery of his vision, Jacob could see archers and several