Man Made God 002 Read online

  Man Made God 002

  Brandon Varnell

  Illustrated by

  Lonwa _A

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Man Made God 002

  Copyright © 2020 Brandon Varnell

  Illustration Copyright © 2020 Lonwa_A

  All rights reserved.

  Brandon Varnell and Kitsune Incorporated supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use the material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  To see Brandon Varnell’s other works, or to ask for permission to use his works, visit him at www.varnell-brandon.com, facebook, twitter, Patreon, and instagram.

  ISBN:97-8-1-9519-0-415-9

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  Dedication

  This page is made in dedication to my amazing patrons. Without them, my characters would never get lewded by so many wonderful artists:

  Aaron Harris; Adam; Alarinnise; Alexander Rodriguez; Armando Pastrana; Benjamin Collinsl Benjamin Morgan; Brendan Smiley; Brennan; Bruce Johnson; Bryce McClay; C.L. Holgrahm; Catcrazy9; Chase Corso; Christopher Gross; Cody Woodard; CosmicOrange; Dane Smith; DeseriDan; Dhivael; Dominic Q Roddan; Edward Grindle; Edward Lamar Stephenson; Edward P Warmouth; ElJako98; Emery Moore; Feitochan; Forrest Hansen; Forrest Hansen; Ine Airlcana; IronKing; Jacob Flores; Jacob Wojno; Jake Fedor; James Leon-Moore; Jeremy Schultz; Jesus; John Patton; Joshua Garrett; Kevin; Lane Watkins; LarC85; Lgikito; Lucid Fayt; Lupus Umbras; Mark Frabotta; Matthew Wallace; Max A Kramer; Michael Moneymaker; Nathan; Nathan S; Nex; Omegapudding; Patrick Burns-popieniuck; Peter Barton; Philip Hedgepeth; Rfael Eriksen; Raymond Tatton; Red Phoenix; Red Viking; Repooc Ilahsram; Riesenhuber Christian; Samuel Donaldson; Sean Gray; Seismic Wolf; Slim; Smudi Corp; Starwarscout Jon; Thomas Jackson; ToraLinkley; Travis Cox; Victor Patrick Bauer; Vigil Gardner; William Crew; XY172; Yuriy Snyadanko; Zach Strickland; Zenn Barger

  Contents

  Adam

  Fayte

  Lilith

  Aris

  Titania

  Susan

  1. Leaving the Village of Beginnings

  2. Arriving on the Mainland

  3. Forest of Gloom

  4. The Fox Yokai

  5. Frantic Escape

  6. Knight Golem Times Two

  7. Legendary Hidden Class!

  8. A Short Break

  9. The First Players to Reach Level 10

  10. Meeting In-Game

  11. Creating a Plan

  12. Broken Silence Within the Crypt

  13. Another Hidden Class

  14. Journey to Suncrest Mountain

  15. The Demon Knight Clansman’s Trial

  16. Demon Knight Assassin

  17. Re-Pledge of Loyalty

  Thank you for reading!

  Afterword

  Sneak Peak

  Manga Page 1

  Manga Page 2

  Manga Page 3

  Manga Page 4

  Hey, did you know?

  Brandon’s LNs

  American Kitsune

  WIEDERGEBURT

  MMG

  Catgirl Doctor

  Incubus

  A Most Unlikely Hero

  Arcadia’s Knight

  Journey of a Betrayed Hero

  Rift

  Executioner

  Follow me!

  Leaving the Village of Beginnings

  Adam had not realized there was a dock south of the village. The scent of wood mixed with the salt of the ocean as he followed the old mayor onto a wooden platform elevated above the ocean with simple wood posts.

  The dock was not very big. In fact, there was only one ship, and it was probably only fifty feet long from bow to stern. It looked like one of those classic vessels that used to exist during the early fourteenth century: a wooden vessel with a sail, a mast, and no engine.

  Adam watched as the boat rocked and wondered if this was really going to take him to the mainland. How would that work? Would he get on the ship and suddenly find himself magically standing in the next village on the mainland? Would he actually have to travel across the ocean? Most video games always skipped moments like that so they could place you right at your next destination.

  He could not deny that he was curious to know how travel in this game worked.

  “Well, here it is,” the mayor said with a proud smile as he gestured toward the ship. “This is the ship that will take you to the mainland.”

  “It has been many years since I rode on a boat,” Titania said with a nostalgic smile. “We fairies rarely travel on ships since we can just fly. However, there have been a few occasions where I traveled across the sea to the other three main continents, and I would always take a ship during those times.”

  “When was the last time you rode on a ship?” asked Adam.

  “About three thousand one hundred years ago.”

  “… So old.”

  “I heard that!”

  The mayor escorted them onto the dock and spoke with the captain of the ship, a grizzled man who wore no shirt. His bare chest was covered in thick black hair, he had a gnarly beard, and there was a cutlass swinging from his right hip. He looked like a pirate, but his eyes held a surprisingly gentle expression. They seemed rather jolly. It created an intense dichotomy between his appearance and demeanor.

  “So these are the two who are gonna be traveling with me to the mainland—holy mother of Davy Jones! It’s a fairy! And she’s so tiny! Why is she so tiny?!”

  “Would you people give it a rest already?!”

  Adam rubbes the back of his head as Titania glowered at the man for calling her tiny. He seemed like an okay guy, but he had the same problem everyone else had with regards to Titania’s presence—and her height in particular.

  In either event, everything had been taken care of. The mayor informed them that this man would be taking them to the mainland, and the pirate-like captain asked them to climb aboard. He was particularly kind to Titania, who was still upset about being called tiny and ignored him. This caused the man to shed tears and profusely apologize over and over again.

  Ding!

  [Warning: You are about to leave the Village of Beginnings. Once you leave, you will not be able to return. Do you still wish to leave? Yes or no?]

  The warning message appeared in front of Adam the moment he was about to board the ship. He paused for a moment but only a moment. There was no need to hesitate now.

  He pressed “yes.”

  Ding!

  [You have decided to leave the Village of Beginnings. Please be aware that you are the first person in the history of Age of Gods to leave one of the Village of Beginnings. An international announcement will be made to let everyone know about your accomplishments. You will also be given a reward for being the first person to leave.]

  Adam read the message, and Titania, who had taken to sitting on his shoulder once more, also read the message with a perplexed look on her face.

  “What does this mean?” she asked.

  “It’s telling me that all the other players are going to become aware of what I’ve done,” Adam said. “I am the first player to leave a Villa
ge of Beginnings. That’s a pretty big thing.”

  “Is it now?”

  Titania didn’t look like it was that big of a deal, but she was an NPC. She might have been the most realistic NPC Adam had ever seen, with an intelligence beyond any program generated personality he had ever met or heard of, but at the end of the day, it didn’t change the fact that she was made of polygons and programming. He didn’t think she’d understand even if he tried to explain this, and he was loathe to break the fourth wall to explain it to her.

  They finally boarded the ship, and Adam was shocked when several waves caused the boat to rock. He stabilized himself, but he was still surprised. Waves lapped against the boat, a salty spray hit his face, and he could taste saltwater on his tongue. No matter how many times it was presented to him, the sheer realism of this game never failed to astonish him.

  The captain was not the only person on the ship. There was a helmsman, the chief mate, the second mate, and several sea monkeys. All of them were burly men with no shirts and cutlasses strapped to their waists. They also acted the same way the captain had done when he saw Titania, right down to calling her tiny, which pissed the woman off so fiercely she flew up to the crow’s nest and refused to come down even when Adam called for her.

  He’d never met a fairy more sensitive about her height.

  Then again, this was his first time meeting a fairy. Maybe they were all like this?

  “All hands! Prepare for takeoff! Weigh anchor! Set the sails!”

  Everyone except Adam began working, running about the deck as they followed the captain’s orders. Several men used a crank to pull up the anchor, another group were unfurling the sails, and one had gone to the wheel and was preparing to steer them away from the dock. The captain stood near the helm as he shouted at the group.

  With nothing to do, Adam moved off to the side and leaned against the railing so he wouldn’t be in the way. He leaned forward, placed his forearms against the rail, and looked out at the sea.

  How many years had it been since he’d gone to the sea? Before Aris contracted Mortems Disease, traveling to the beach had been one of her favorite activities. He remembered the cute bikini she had worn back then to show off to him. How old had they been when she did that? She was fourteen when she contracted Mortems Disease and she was seventeen now, so it must have been… over three years ago at least.

  “So much time has passed,” Adam said with a depressed sigh.

  “What are you thinking about now?” asked Titania as she chose that moment to flutter down from the crow’s nest. He hoped that meant she was no longer angry. It was no fun dealing with an angry woman, especially when her anger wasn’t even his fault.

  “Just thinking about the reason I began playing this game,” Adam said with a wave of his hand.

  Titania frowned, but she did not say anything more.

  At that moment, the preparations to set sail were finished and the captain ordered his helmsman to steer them away from the dock. The ship finally moved, slowly pulling out of the dock and the little inlet it was located in. Adam watched it all. He didn’t say anything, but he was honestly kind of excited. He couldn’t help but wonder what new adventures were waiting for him.

  Fayte chanted under her breath as a level 10 [black bear] released a ferocious and hair-raising roar. Even though she felt goosebumps on her skin from that sound, she continued to chant as Susan fired arrow after arrow into the monster’s hide. The Archer was using the [Deadeye] skill, which increased the accuracy of her shots.

  -45; -45; -45; MISS; MISS!

  Two of the arrows missed as the [black bear] charged at them, but in that moment, Fayte released her spell. Bluish energy swirled around her staff as she thrust it forward like she was planning to impale the [black bear] with it. She could feel the energy being pulled from her body, like something was tugging her soul out of her chest. Then the energy congealed into a small sphere at the very tip of her staff before it was launched forward like a rocket.

  [Energy Blast] was a non-elemental spell that gathered magic toward the tip of a Mage’s staff and fired it at extreme speeds. The sphere she shot forward and slammed into the [black bear], striking it on the face and sending it stumbling backward.

  -124!

  “I did it!” Fayte shouted in excitement. “Now is your chance, Lilith!”

  At her shout, a figure shot forward like a bolt of black lightning, traversing the distance between it and the [black bear] in less time than it took Fayte to blink. Before she could even register what was happening, a rather large number appeared over the head of the [black bear], signifying how much damage had been done to it.

  -450!

  At that moment, the figure leapt backward, body flipping around like an acrobat. When the figure landed next to Fayte, it revealed a stunning woman garbed in all black. Black leather pants and a black sleeveless shirt covered her body. The pants showed off the wonderful curve of this woman’s generous hips and her shapely butt. Her shirt, on the other hand, possessed no back and even showed off a good deal of her sideboob. She wore black boots, had a black sash wrapped around her tiny waist, and a black assassins mask covered almost all of her face. The only thing Fayte could see of this woman’s face was her intense, dark eyes surrounded by beautifully unblemished white skin.

  -45; -45; MISS; MISS; MISS!

  Immediately after Lilith leapt away from the [black bear], Susan notched arrow after arrow into her bow and fired them. Three missed, but two hit. Likewise, Fayte began chanting for another spell, which slammed into the [black bear] like a powerful plasma bullet. Meanwhile, Lilith dealt damage by attacking from behind, using her powerful Assassin class to pull most of the monster’s agro. Not even five minutes had passed before the [black bear] was defeated.

  Ding!

  [Congratulations! You have defeated the enemy [black bear]! Items dropped: [brown adventurer boots] and 300 gold coins! +400 experience!]

  “We did it!” Fayte cheered.

  “Y-yes, we did,” Susan said with a soft and timid smile.

  Fayte gave her best friend a vibrant smile, even though she knew Susan couldn’t see it past her veil, before looking at their newest companion. She clasped her staff in both hands and bowed to the woman.

  “Thank you very much for your assistance, Lilith. Leveling up would be a lot harder without you here.”

  “There is no need to thank me,” Lilith said in a quiet voice. It was like a whisper, and yet, despite how softly spoken the words were, Fayte and Susan could hear them perfectly, like they were being projected directly into their mind.

  Lilith had joined them just the other day. Neither of them knew who she was or why she had offered her services to them, but they did not regret accepting her offer. Had it not been for this woman and her incredible skills as an Assassin class player, they would have never been able to reach level 8 so quickly.

  Fayte could not help but smile as she thought about the look on Adam’s face when he discovered that she was at level 8 already. She was certain he would be shocked.

  Ding!

  [Attention. This is an international announcement to all players. As of 9:33 am Eastern Standard Time, the player known as Adam has reached level 10 and left the Village of Beginnings. He is the first person to have done so, and as such, he has gained the reward of +100 status points, +500 ability points, and +5,000 Reputation. We hope this knowledge will encourage other players to try harder and reach greater heights as you explore the mysteries of the Forgotten Realm. Thank you all for playing Age of Gods.]

  Fayte froze when she heard the announcement. It felt like a bolt of lightning had descended from the heavens and struck her, electrifying her and frying her brain. She simply couldn’t fathom it.

  Adam was at level 10.

  Adam had already left the Village of Beginnings.

  How was this even possible?

  Fayte knew, of course, that Adam was an incredible player. Back when he first appeared in the gaming world, he had
taken it by storm. He fought in tournaments against some of the greatest players of the time and left them humiliated. But even though she knew of his strength and gaming prowess, she was still completely shocked by how quickly he had reached level 10. According to the forums, only Lin Akamine and the Spear God were close to reaching level 10, and it was estimated they would need at least two or three more days.

  “F-Fayte?” Susan called out timidly. “Do you think this is the same Adam you convinced to join our guild?”

  Fayte took a slow, shuddering breath, then smiled. “Yes, I’m pretty sure this is the same Adam. There can’t be two people with the same gamer tag, after all.”

  “He’s pretty amazing, isn’t he?” said Susan in awe.

  “Yes. Yes, he is.”

  Now that she had begun talking again, Fayte calmed down and allowed herself to think rationally. Adam had already reached level 10. Meanwhile, everyone else was still stuck at level 7, where the experience points required to reach the next level became utterly ridiculous. She and Susan had just reached level 8 not long ago. It was suspected that it would take the more powerful guild masters at least several more days to reach level 9.

  “This is going to shock everyone,” Fayte said, finally allowing herself to smile. “I wonder what the forums will say about him?”