The Otherworld

  a novel

  by Alexey Osadchuk

  Underdog

  Book#4

  Magic Dome Books

  Underdog

  Book #4: The Otherworld

  Copyright © Alexey Osadchuk 2020

  Cover Art © Valeria Osadchuk 2020

  Designer Vladimir Manyukhin

  English translation copyright © Andrew Schmitt 2020

  Published by Magic Dome Books, 2020

  All Rights Reserved

  ISBN: 978-80-7619-180-8

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is entirely a work of fiction. Any correlation with real people or events is coincidental.

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  Table of Contents:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 1

  “ABYSS!” I barked through my teeth and kicked a tuft of moss.

  It was an angry kick, as hard as I could. As if it had just told me I needed to “sacrifice” ten mana points to plot a route.

  Breathing heavily, I looked blindly at the chunks of moss I’d sent flying in all directions and the dark brown “guts” of the utterly blameless tuft.

  And to think! I’m just six measly mana points short!

  Far in the distance, a pack of beasts howled out deep in the dead city, making me shudder. That reminded me where I was, and that this was no time to be freaking out. On top of that, the cautious rustling and impatient screeching nearer by told me that a number of scavengers had already picked up the scent of blood and come running. Thankfully, the first few visitors were too weak and cautious to try anything. But that would only last until more of them got here and they worked up the nerve to try and take me on. I needed to move quick.

  Running up to the hyena corpse, I grabbed the machete with two hands and pulled it in a circular motion to widen the wound. Paying no attention to the crunching of vertebrae and squelching sounds of its not yet cold flesh, I braced my leg on its furry side and pulled back hard on the handle. The machete reluctantly came loose. Sloppily wiping the blade on the beast’s fur, I walked over to the other bodies. I was hoping to cut the arrows out, but it wasn’t meant to be. The shaft of the first was broken, and the second was just stuck too deeply in the alpha’s body. There was unfortunately no time to butcher them either ― I could hear many larger howling creatures drawing near.

  After checking on Badger to make sure the potion was still working, I hoisted him up on my back and, constantly looking around, hurried into the building we had come out of a few minutes earlier.

  My retreat was greeted with squeals of elation. The little scavengers were pleased as punch ― before stronger competitors arrived, they would be able to make off with the juiciest and most toothsome bits. As I ran, out of the corner of my eye, I saw their lightning-fast shadows shrieking as they raced to the “dinner table.”

  Badger, to my surprise, was not all that heavy. And after all, I was also carrying his bag and weapon. But still I was making pretty good time. I wasn’t expecting myself to have so much pep. There’s something off about this world. Something blatantly off… But I’m not gonna lie ― I like being strong for once! For the first time in my life, I don’t feel like an underdog, constantly lagging behind!

  I decided to take shelter on the third floor. There was no reason to go up any higher because the stairwell between the second and third floors was missing a fairly large chunk. If not for the tenacious vegetation bridging the gap, we would not have been able to get past it before.

  As I walked up the natural rope bridge, I was praying to all the gods I could think of. And although I heard the occasional menacing cracking sound, I made it up in the end.

  After gingerly setting Badger down on the floor, I took a breather. Then, I spent some time sitting at the edge of the gap with my bow at the ready. It wasn’t likely my tracks would go unnoticed.

  While I waited for visitors, I was carefully inspecting the walls, which were blanketed with ivy and moss. The ivy clung to the dirty gray surface like an octopus’ tentacles. I pulled at a vine as thick as my wrist and snorted respectfully. Dead stiff.

  Then I stuck my head out the window and peered at the outside of the wall. The sheet of ivy ran all the way to the ground. That would make a fine alternate escape route.

  Twilight descended on the dead city, but nothing had followed my tracks even though I could hear distinct growling and squealing noises down below. I figured the scavengers would probably be busy all night now.

  I stood for a bit at the edge of the gap and finally made up my mind. I got a firm grip on the machete and started cutting the “supports” of the bridge I had recently walked across. I didn’t much believe hyenas would use it, but who was to say they were the only nasty creatures around here?

  After I finished, I breathed a sigh of relief and went to investigate the ancient dwellings which, as an aside, left a lot to be desired in terms of size.

  Everywhere I looked there was moss, scorched walls, and desolation. Whoever used to live here, they abandoned this place a very long time ago.

  I walked up and down the floors, scoured every nook and cranny, then went back up to the portal. My hopes of finding something other than a gateway into my world were dashed. I didn’t find any hunter markers or altars either.

  While I combed the floors, the growling and squealing outside was constantly growing louder. By the looks of things, more and more visitors were arriving to the “party” all the time.

  A mighty growl suddenly thundered through the area, making me sit up in surprise. There were now bigger predators on the scene.

  Another growl caught me between the fifth and sixth floors. It was a bit different. Somewhat more drawn out and raspy.

  Not making any sudden movements, I went over to the window and looked down. I could only see a little way in the darkness, but it was enough to realize running away and hiding was the right decision. The creatures that had been attracted by the commotion and smell of blood were scarily big. I distantly considered how lucky we were to run into the hyenas. The huge beasts who had scared off all the scavengers with nothing but a growl would have almost certainly torn us to shreds.

  While poking out the window, I started to get the feeling something was watching me. Something hungry and ornery. A chill ran down my spine. Abyss! Seemingly, I had been spotted despite my best efforts! But who or what had spotted me?

  Getting a tighter grip on my bow, I took a look around. The bloodbath was still raging down below. It wasn’t likely that anything down there had gotten distracted by a lone figure up in a sixth-story window. So…

  Still pretending to look at what was happening down below I looked up while moving my head as little as possible. From under my brow, I started looking at the building opposite. As if they’d heard my prayers, the dark clouds in front of the moon scattered like a smoldering piece of paper. Soft moonlight touched the damaged walls of the dead buildings. And just then, I saw a creature watching me. Black with shaggy fur. Twice the size of the hyenas. Its arms were long and its legs short. It was hiding among the ivy vines that wrapped around the opposite building.

  Somehow the beast could tell I had seen it. With a short growl, hurriedly moving its feet, the thing slipped downward. Once it reached the ground, it’s inky black silhouette instantly dissipated into the leaf cover. I didn’t go feeding naive illusions that it might just ignore me, but I was still in no rush to go downstairs.

  Standing in the window, I waited while focusing my gaze on the plants. My temples were splitting in tension. Well then! Where are you?! There you are! Something flitted quickly through the leaves. And a moment later, a small sapling bent just slightly. The beast was running into our building.

  “Time to go!” I commanded myself and ran down to where Badger was.

  As I went, I ran my fingers through the fletching of an arrow. For some reason, I found that motion reassuring. I thought distantly that I was not panicking. Sure, Gorgie was not by my side, and I didn’t have my magic, but I had recently learned how to hold my own just fine. Beyond that, I had a surprise in st
ore for our visitor – a scroll of fury.

  I came down one more floor and quickly peeked out the window. The brute was already clambering up the wall of our building. It spotted me and gave a short growl, revealing its yellow fangs. Our gazes met. I could see fury and impatience in its ghastly black eyes. No longer trying to hide, it tore off in my direction.

  With a malicious smile, I ducked deeper into the building and ran ten steps back from the window. I’ll meet that thing here. In a narrow corridor.

  Raising the bow, I pulled the drawstring back to my chin and got ready to activate the scroll. My pursuer didn’t keep me waiting. Its hunched silhouette blotted out the light coming through the window, making it dark in the hallway. But that didn’t bother me. The bowstring gave a dull thud, the taut limbs of the bow straightened out and the arrow, boosted by Fury, went flying.

  Truth be told, although I was expecting that shot to be different from the last ones, it still caught me by surprise! I must give the creature its due ― it reacted pretty quick. If it were Badger shooting instead of me, it probably could have dodged. But unfortunately for it, Badger was not shooting…

  The arrow, enhanced by otherworldly magic, plunged into the creature’s left side as it tried to dodge. A crunch of pulverized bone, a short gasp of pain and its dark silhouette fell backward out the window. At first, I thought the monster had decided to retreat after taking an arrow to the side, but a few moments later, I distinctly heard the sound of its body crashing to the ground below.

  Notching another arrow, I cautiously walked over to the window. Three steps away from the window, I crouched down. I felt around for a small piece of wall debris and tossed it out the window. No reaction. After the first, I sent down two more. Nothing.

  Leaving the bow on the floor, I walked over to the window with the machete drawn. I quickly looked outside and turned my head. It wasn’t on the walls. I looked down. My opponent was lying among some rumpled bushes and giving no signs of life.

  I scratched the back of my head in perplexity. I really blasted it! I glanced into my backpack and breathed a sad sigh. I had just seven Fury scrolls left.

  The fresh dish didn’t go unnoticed, either. Dark shadows were already rushing toward the new corpse with impatient squealing from all sides.

  Taking one last look and seeing nothing that could hurt me, I walked back.

  I never did get to sleep that night. The dead city turned out to be less dead than I first thought. I could hear squealing, growling, panting, and bellowing from every direction. After the furry creature attacked, I was constantly on my guard.

  Beyond that, at some point in the middle of the night, Badger started mumbling. He was suddenly feverish. He kept calling for someone named Mink. Must have been his wife. I had to dribble another potion down his throat.

  In Badger’s bag, I found a few pieces of clean cloth that had been carefully tied into bundles containing various herbs. I used them to bandage my new acquaintance up after cleaning his wounds with water from my flask.

  Beyond cloth and other supplies, I discovered a package of something that smelled tasty. I didn’t open it though, instead setting it out of harm’s way. If I saw food right now, I wouldn’t be able to help myself. Then I’d feel guilty. I’d already gone through all Badger’s stuff, which was bad enough. The last thing I should have done was eat all his food. Instead I drank a potion and the hunger let up at once.

  That night I had time to think through a lot of things. While rummaging through Badger’s pack, I didn’t find a single item with level requirements. A-hem… An intriguing twist. Of course, I also had plenty of items with no level. My button, for example, or the mana crystals. But my artifacts still had descriptions and statistics. The same could not be said for Badger’s utterly untouched items. I was starting to get the impression that the Great System held no sway over them. Hm… But there was also evidence against that theory. Did the satiety potion work? Yes, it did. Did the Fury scroll work? Yes, it did. That meant the Great System, how to put it…? simply had yet to reach Badger and his things.

  For the record, all his weapons and clothes were fairly good quality. In my world, they would all have been level ten at least. And the bow would have surely been even higher. Twenty minimum. It was a very high-quality bow. Stiff. Lethal.

  Badger, for the record, could barely handle it. Obviously, he was able to shoot it, but it seemed like he was more used to a different bow. A less powerful one. For me though, it was just right…

  Curious. I wonder why. For now, I have only one explanation. It all comes down to my characteristics. Although I am nulled, my figures are the highest a level-one character can achieve. And some are even better. Obviously for this world that’s more than enough.

  If all people here are like Badger, I’m afraid to even imagine the kind of heights someone like the Steel King could ascend to in this world. Almighty overlord of everything in existence? Archimage? God?

  Setting Badger’s equipment aside, I scanned the contents of my backpack.

  ― Experience essence (855860).

  ― Gold tablet of Intellect (2).

  ― Diamond tablet of Intellect (1).

  ― Gold tablet (1).

  ― Diamond tablet (1).

  ― Monster Hunter Token (33600).

  ― Hunter’s Fury (7).

  ― Ferocious Harn Summoning Amulet.

  ― Silver tablet (237).

  ― Medium Potion of Satiety (22).

  ― Fortified Blot (27).

  ― Mite Sphere (26).

  ― Small vial of Black Armorbug Spirit (11).

  ― Large Orb of Darkness (106).

  ― Messenger Amulet (2).

  ― Amulet of the Wanderer.

  ― “Friend of the Trolls” Amulet.

  After the battle in the drak lair, the Great System had given me a generous reward of esses and silver tablets. I could safely bring Gorgie up to the next level. When I thought about my friend, I breathed a heavy sigh. Without particular hope I checked my mana supply, saw the number four yet again and grew even sadder…

  I met the dawn feeling gloomy and pensive. Badger was now my only lifeline, my only hope of finding a way out of this world. So the exact moment he finally regained consciousness I had already thought through how I was going to treat him.

  “Where are we?” Badger rasped and looked around half blind.

  I was sitting opposite him on a stair and painstakingly wiping the blood off the machete blade.

  “On the third floor of the building where we met,” I answered calmly.

  “Uh…”

  Badger wanted to ask a question but inadvertently moved his injured leg and winced in pain.

  “When you fainted, I had to fend off that pack of hyenas by myself, then carry you here. There were more beasts running toward us from every direction and we had to hide.”

  “You saved me?” Badger asked in surprise. “But why?!”

  Then he saw all his weaponry at my feet and breathed a heavy sigh. Comprehension flickered in his brown eyes, then worry.