WATCHER’S REPOSE

  ©2021 SEAN OSWALD

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  ALSO IN THE SERIES

  WATCHER’S TEST

  WATCHER’S QUESTION

  WATCHER’S FATE

  WATCHER’S REPOSE

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Interlude 1

  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

  Interlude 2

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Interlude 3

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Interlude 4

  Chapter 39

  Epilogue

  ALSO IN THE SERIES

  FROM THE PUBLISHER

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  LitRPG

  The LitRPG Guildmasters

  Prologue

  Sometimes the wheels that begin turning in the celestial spheres have great impact upon the lives of those in the mortal realm. Such was certainly the case for Benjamin Taylor, aka Captain Maxwell Smart. His life had been his own, as crappy as it was. A divorced, crippled Vietnam veteran and father of a dead daughter.

  It was also the case for the Nelsons. They had been a family not in crisis but in stagnation. One who watched them closely enough might argue that being exiled to Eloria was a boon, unsought but still a boon. An aimless father lost in self-pity and dead to the ambitions that make life fulfilling found a new passion and sense of purpose.

  A mother so caught up in her own life that she didn’t recognize the needs of her husband or children learned to put them first while still incorporating her need to help those around her. A timid teenager, caught up in the angst of her life and the rebellious intent that so easily grows in such soil, discovered that she was so much more than anyone thought she was, more than her so-called friends and certainly more than she had believed possible.

  Perhaps the Nelsons least affected were those who had the least roots. A boy just beginning the journey to manhood got a role model far beyond the repressed father he had before. He got to live a life of adventure instead of being consigned to follow in the footsteps of quiet desperation.

  Even more, the little girl with a heart of gold blossomed and made friends among the friendless. She grew and took on the mantle of those outcasts and lived out the tenderness that had been in her all along. It might even be said that she was the one who changed the world around her the most rather than being changed by it, for there was little of the slog of life in her that weighed down the others.

  The Watcher had certainly paid attention to their lives. The path his actions had set them on was one to which he gave the utmost focus, even if their choices baffled him. Yet there were others for him to watch. Six more, to be specific. Most of them will be a tale for another day, but one of them was the wheel in destiny’s loom, spinning the threads of fate that came to so entangle the others. This perhaps was fitting in that he was the first of the twelve sent from Earth by the Watcher and the Condemned.

  For him more than eighteen hundred years had passed, and the time weighed upon his mind. Not because he felt crushed or bored, but because the culmination of his plans kept coming closer. He had no more idea than any of the others about the celestial forces that had ripped him away from his home and deposited him in Eloria.

  What he did know was his own mind. On Earth, he had been robbed of his rightful place. He had been cut down and betrayed. Left for dead, even. When whatever god or devil had given him a new chance, he embraced it and continued his work. He meant to create a world of complete harmony free from the divisions. A world where he would be first amongst many equals and where there would be no room for the weak.

  Again his work had progressed; his plans had been set in place. All was looking good when he was again betrayed. In Eloria, his betrayers had been more thorough. They had ensured that he was not simply left for dead, but that he was dead. The difference being that in Eloria, for one such as he, death was no bar to his vision.

  So for many centuries, unbeknownst to most of the world around him, he has been the spider in the web, pulling threads and directing actions here or stilling conflicts there. Two betrayals had taught him patience. He had his faithful few, but even they bore watching.

  In many ways, despite the fact that the Watcher who had started this all abandoned his post and sought repose within the wider multiverse, the oversight continued. The first assumed the mantle of watcher and sat back, keeping an eye on friend and foe alike. Within many of his Earthborn compatriots, he saw obstacles to be overcome. In others he saw opportunities to be exploited. Either way, one thing was certain. Whereas the Watcher had been content to set them on their path and then simply seek to understand, not so with him, for Alucien was a much more hands-on watcher.

  Chapter One

  “When the darn pony knocks ye onto yer backside, it isn’t that the beast be over unruly. ’Tis an opportunity for ye tae get up again.” —Advice given early and often to new dwarven recruits.

  Konig, Capital of Albia, Royal Academy—Jackson Nelson

  Every breath of air felt like a novel experience for Jackson. He was not the same boy who had left these halls just a few days before. Such changes as he had experienced would be inconceivable on Earth, but here they were taken in stride.

  He had left as a five-foot-eight, 130-pound boy of thirteen years. Now he had filled out considerably. It had forced his body to change in order to accommodate the increased stats. Not that he hadn’t been fit or even fairly muscular, given his age and half-elven heritage. Instead, it was merely that the change was so significant.

  Now he was five feet ten and 175 pounds, still lean but with pronounced muscles all over. The gate guards had almost not let the boys in until they had shown their class insignias. Jackson just smiled, as the changes felt a part of himself fully now, but he realized that others would be in for a shock.

  Baron Eikhorn had arranged for Jackson and Tabor to be roommates, which was more than fine with them both. Tabor’s roommate had not been quite as odious as Malten, who was always kissing up to Michael and the other Tier 2 boys, but he was still not a friend. Now, after they’d risked their lives side by side, the bond of friendship between the boys was refined into the sort of trust that lasts a lifetime.

  When they arrived at the new room, which had been set aside for them, Jackson sat on the side of his bed, breathing deeply and savoring this moment. The anticipation of tomorrow’s classes was almost overwhelming. He decided to stay in his room tonight and eat the food he had brought from home.

  This gave him time to relax, sleep, and take stock of the changes that had occurred in him. He pulled up his character sheet and couldn’t help but grin.

  Name: Jackson Nelson

  Race: Half-Human/Half-Moon Elf

  Age: 14

  Class: N/A

  Level: 15

  Alignment +1

  Movement: 37 (44 Air Core)

  Defense: 18

  Attack: 5

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  Stats:

  STRENGTH: 24

  Bravery: 7.2

  Regen Rate: 2.4/hour

  Melee Damage: +48%

  DEXTERITY: 16

  Ranged Damage: +32%

  Rogue Skills: +16%

  AGILITY: 23 (18 +30%)

  Movement Rate: +40%

  Defense Rate: +100%

  CONSTITUTION: 28 (+20%)

  Health: 580 (300)

  Regen Rate: 2.8/hour

  Fury: 8.4

  Regen Rate: 2.8/hour

  ENDURANCE: 22

  Stamina: 9.9 (6.6)

  Regen Rate: 4.4 (2.2)/hour

  Needed Rest: -22%

  INTELLIGENCE: 15

  Mana: 150

  Spell Damage: +30%

  WISDOM: 15 (12 +30%)

  Mana Regen Rate: 195/hour

  Faith: 3.9

  Regen Rate: 1.3/hour

  CHARISMA: 13 (12 +10%)

  Social Skills: 24%

  Teamwork: 3.6

  Regen Rate: 1.2/hour

  LUCK: 3

  +3% chance to avoid catastrophic effects

  +3% improvement on chance of loot drops

  +3% improvement on quality of loot drops

  Total XP: 3744

  XP to Next: 396

  Unspent Stat Points: 0

  Unspent Character Points: 68

  Skills:

  Generic

  Running: 50

  Social

  Speak Languages: 2

  Combat

  Unarmed Combat: 30

  Blunt Weapons: 10

  Short Blades: 5

  Toughness: 10

  Weapon Specialization: Unarmed- 20

  Counter-Strike: 10

  Axes: 10

  Crafting

  Engineering: 10

  Rogue

  Stealth: 15

  Stamina

  Dodge: 1

  Magic

  Esoteric Senses: 10

  Gear:

  Academy Uniform

  Elven Leathers

  Mace

  Wind Axe

  Dagger

  Health Ring: 300 HP

  Lesser Earth Ring

  Ring of Streamlined Movement

  Air Core

  Piersung’s Ringed Fighting Gloves, XP: 933/960

  The level-ups improved everything about him. Whereas before he had no skills, now he had a short but useful list that he could rely upon. In his excitement about stats and gear, he almost glossed over the fact that his sheet said he was now fourteen.

  He didn’t know how long ago Eloria had determined he was a year older or what day it had selected for his birthday. It was almost a letdown. Jackson couldn’t remember a time when he hadn’t had a cake and presents and all the trappings of a middle-class American child’s birthday party. Oh well, it was just another aspect of life here that he had to get used to.

  He didn’t let it get to him and instead just focused on looking at his sheet. It was amazing how much better equipped he was now than before. Still, he was thinking about how to apply these things to his quest for his new class. Weapons came up first. They held value to him even if his class would require that he master hand-to-hand combat too. He still appreciated the mace he had started out within this world, but the wind axe was a fantastic weapon powered by great magic.

  It was a toss-up in his mind as to which item was his greatest treasure. Right now, the wind axe would give him a leg up on any enemy compared to what he had before. Still, in his heart, he knew that Piersung’s Ringed Fighting Gloves were the item that would best fit the way that he envisioned himself growing. They would be key to the build that he intended to create once he got his class.

  The gloves already boosted his unarmed damage by a goodly margin and gave him the perk of being able to wear three rings instead of two, but had the promise of increasing that perk significantly in the future. If he could maximize the gloves and wear ten rings, he had to think that would almost be cheating.

  The only uneasy thing about the gloves was the sense he got from them that they were wearing him as much as he was wearing them. They seemed almost alive. He hoped not in a Stephen King kinda way but more in a magic genie way, but figured only time would tell. The optimism of youth served him well in that regard.

  Thinking of the rings made him wonder if they were all the best choices. He only had three rings to choose from now, so with three slots and three rings, it wasn’t hard to wear them all. The epic health ring’s value was straightforward, and it more than doubled his health.

  Less obvious in its application was the Lesser Earth Ring. It possessed two limited-use effects. One would provide him with camouflage, and another would give him a significant amount of damage resistance for a few seconds. The passive effect, though, was the one that had him most intrigued and would impact the decisions he made about skills the most. The ring added 50% to his stamina pool and 100% to his stamina regeneration rate.

  Straight percentage gains like that scaled far better than just a fixed amount. For example, the 300 health from Jackson’s other ring was a tremendous boon now, but at some point, it might only account for a fraction of his health, while the percentage boosts would only continue to improve in value as his base stats went up.

  The most problematic ring to quantify was the Ring of Streamlined Movement. He had pretty much written this off until his lessons with Daichi. The old monk had drilled into his head the value of precision and, more importantly, the importance of a good foundation. How he moved with each technique was more important than any individual punch or kick and provided the power required for those attacks. Equally, how he moved between blocking and attacking set up any future responses. So he had to assume that precision in his movements was a good thing. Not that he wouldn’t have replaced the ring for another health ring given half a chance.

  The Wind Orb that he had was also another great tool.

  Air Core

  Quality: Excellent

  Weight: 0.1

  Passive Effect: Increase bearer’s movement rate by 20%.

  Active Effect: 3/sunrise. Create a swirling wind shield 3 feet in diameter that can deflect mundane projectiles with a 50% chance or magical projectiles with a 25% chance. It can take 200 pts of damage.

  The shield that it could make was a helpful battlefield tool against arrows and stuff. The part that Jackson valued about it, though, was the passive benefit. Being able to move 20% faster was nothing to sneeze at. Once combined with his increased stats, he had to guess he was the fastest student at the academy. Since the oath ceremony had granted him access to the full moon elf agility bonus, it had to be helping too.

  Jackson’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard Tabor asking him a question. “Are you ready for tomorrow?”

  “Sorta have to be, don’t I,” he replied.

  “I mean, you have to have thought of a thousand ways to get your revenge. You wouldn’t be human if you hadn’t.”

  “For sure, but now that I’m here, it feels different. The beatings definitely stop, and I won’t hesitate to put down anyone who tries that again. I wouldn’t be surprised if you and I aren’t the strongest ones here now,” Jackson said before pausing. “Maybe fighting actual monsters, you know, seeing stuff that literally wanted to rip out our guts and make tooth floss with them, has made me rethink how I view Michael and his friends.”

  Tabor got a confused look on his face. “Ignoring for the moment that I have no idea what tooth floss is, that sounds either like you suddenly got way older or way wiser. Both are kinda boring. I was kinda hoping to see you pound Michael. Did your mom forbid you to or something?”