Cycle of Ruin - Arrival: A LitRPG Series

Chapter 12

Leo's whole body was aching. Despite leveling up, his old wounds remained in his psyche like a phantom pain. He had read that amputees could sometimes feel pain in the limb they lost, and he thought what he was feeling might be similar. The tip of a protruding rock bludgeoned his foot as he passed by, eliciting a hiss through his gritted teeth as he quickly lifted his feet farther off the ground, curling his knees to his chest in a tight ball.

"Can you be a little more careful you dumb bird!" he yelled at his captor, trying hard to make his voice heard above the crazed rabble behind them. Sparky's beak clutched the back of his shirt and armor, leaving him dangling and feeling like a mewling kitten.

As his kidnapper's beak was currently full, the bird gave him a slight tilt of its head in reply, leaving Leo with no idea if his "friend" had actually understood his words. Then flashes of electricity bounded across Sparky's yellow feathers. Leo managed to shut his mouth just in time to avoid biting off his own tongue as his tormentor gave him yet another playful zap.

He hung there roasted and dazed for several moments, barely noticing the next cluster of rocks that slammed into his once-more-dragging feet. This was the second time he had been electrocuted over the past five minutes, and he was beginning to doubt his odds of survival in getting to wherever the bird was taking him. All around him lightning was thrown, pecks were dealt out, and squawks reverberated off the canyon walls. If it was possible, the Thunder Roc horde seemed to get more riled up each time their leader illuminated their human lightbulb.

Freedom was already a forgotten endeavor for Leo. He had dropped Aveth when he fell and the sword now rested in the beak of one of Sparky's neighbors. Arc Bolt had been the first attack he had tried to break free with, but rather than do damage, the lightning seemed to supercharge his captor and had led to his first near-lethal shock.

Leo waited as his charred flesh slowly mended itself. He hoped the smell of cooked meat wouldn't invite the other birds to try to have a sample. He managed to lose himself in his thoughts on the different ways one could cook with lightning, more to distract his mind from the excruciating pain than any actual curiosity when the jostling of his ride finally stopped.

He opened his eyes to a fantastical scene. They had made their way out of the canyon and onto a large plateau in the mountain range. A small strip of land divided a large lake of crystal clear water right down the center. The still water reflected the tens of thousands of stars dotting the night sky. Both halves of the lake were brimming over, leaving the liquid to trickle down and form numerous small streams much like the one he had followed.

On the far side of the lake, the strip of land changed into a series of long steps stretching hundreds of feet across. Water flowed down all but the center-most portion of the stairway into either half of the lake, keeping the reservoir at max capacity. The steps were made of a pure white material that matched the reflecting starlight. To the left of the stairway was an elegant gazebo made of the same material as the stairs. In the center of the gazebo floated a large blue orb that bathed the structure in an azure light.

Leo'sgaze traced up the sleek staircase and fell on a creature staring directly downat him. It stood proudly on four legs, looking with large eyes of garnet red.Its long fur coat was the same shade as freshly fallen snow, and the furpartially hid the dark grey skin of the beast's feline structured face in muchthe same manner as a tightly woven scarf. Atop the creature's head rose a thinblade-shaped horn, and from its back split off two long cat-like tails thatswished back and forth as it studied Leo with a look of faint interest.