The old east a four laws.., p.1
The Old East: A Four Laws Litrpg Adventure, page 1
The Old East
License Notes: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this e-book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Old East
Copyright © 2023
David Burke
Cover art copyright
David Burke
Table of Contents
Forward by Author:
Acknowledgments:
The Story Up to Now
Chapter 1 - Encroachment
Chapter 2 - Stats 1
Chapter 3 - Domestic Bli… err, Chaos.
Chapter 4 - Expanded
Chapter 5 - Decisions
Chapter 6 - Mistress of Secrets
Chapter 7 - Breaking Through
Chapter 8 – A-Rank
Chapter 9 – Out of the Chamber
Chapter 10 - Warning Shots
Chapter 12 - Prioritizing
Chapter 13 - Gods and Wives
Chapter 14 - Fathers-in-law and Fairies
Chapter 15 - Prison
Chapter 16 - How Do A-Ranks Train?
Chapter 17 - Rob the Builder
Chapter 18 - Sabotage
Chapter 19 - More Babies
Chapter 20 - Keeping Up
Chapter 21 - The Final Law
Chapter 22 - Words with Fairies
Chapter 23 - To be Wanted
Chapter 24 - More Than Words
Chapter 25 - Goddess, No
Chapter 26 - Visiting the Mother-in-Law
Chapter 27 – When A-Ranks Fight
Chapter 28 - Surrender or Die
Chapter 29 – Stats 2.0
Chapter 30 - Useful
Chapter 31 - Controlled
Chapter 32 - Repeatedly
Chapter 33 - Building Morale
Chapter 34 - Storm Wielder
Chapter 35 – Overburdened Soul
Chapter 36 - An Unexpected Meeting
Epilogue
Cast
Racial Caps
Stats at the End of Book 7
Forward by Author:
The opinions contained herein are those of the characters and not necessarily supported or even condoned by the author. That may seem like the same thing, but you’ll have to trust me—it isn’t. The characters reveal the story to me, and I simply try to be a faithful scribe. I was prompted to say this because of a comment which Rob makes about tabletop gamers. It was rather dismissive and not reflective of my personal views, but accurate to what I believe Rob might have said or thought.
This is a relatively minor issue, but sometimes it isn’t so minor. So speaking only for myself – but this is likely true with many authors – just because a character seems to have a particular perspective on life, politics, religion etc.… that does not mean I have that same perspective.
Finally, with a cast this size, not every character gets as much screen time every book. I did not forget about those characters who were not in this book as much (Mursha and Daria). They will get their time in the sun.
Feel free to let me know in your reviews or by messaging me who your favorite characters are. I can’t change overall plots, but if enough people are asking for more of a particular character… then I will be certain to heed that.
Acknowledgments:
No story is created in a vacuum. This story was created with the help of many people, actually too many to name them all.
I’ll call out a few people though:
First there is my editor: Dutch Palmer. Not only does he help me clean up my poor punctuation – and yes Dutch – I actually am allergic to commas, but he also helps arrange art and a myriad of other tasks.
Second there has been a silent alpha reader who has helped me for some time. He never asks for credit and I’m far from the only author he does this for. He doesn’t offer feedback on grammar or things like that. He just tells me if something feels off or if the pace of the story seems right. I previously gave a nod to him by putting a character in the story named after him, but I feel like he needs to be acknowledged here- so thanks Denny.
There are also my great Patrons. This time I’ll call out one who caught a plot flaw and pointed it out. It was easily fixed but made me feel stupid that I had forgotten something so fundamental to the world I had created back in the first book.
Finally- and people always say last but not least- in this case I truly mean it. She has worked diligently not only on this book but as a beta-reader/proofer on the Prism Academy books. She had a very short turnaround window on this project but she went behind me and Dutch and caught the spelling/grammar, etc… mistakes that we might have missed. She also added a woman’s perspective to the story and let me know if she thought I went off the rails in any place. Her contribution is truly appreciated. So thanks Queenie, all that gaming you do clearly has given you a good eye for this.
The Story Up to Now
Robert Case, a sheriff’s deputy in southern California, encountered a mysterious woman during a traffic stop. Despite her having made what seemed to be incredible, even unbelievable statements, Rob agreed to her proposal that he go to the world of Olimero. There, he could live out a full life, instead of dying in a shoot-out a few hours later. He didn’t know what to make of the strange woman but figured he had nothing to lose—after all, if she snapped her fingers and nothing happened, then he’d just bring her in.
Of course, it turned out that the strange woman was a nature goddess, Sativa, and she was quite capable of transporting Rob to this new world. She was one of several gods who had created Olimero, with her being the chief architect. She brought Rob, as she had done before with numerous other humans, to become the Sheriff of one of Olimero's districts.
The gods who had created Olimero included Sativa, Korkanis the god of shadows, Telmorra the goddess of mana, and Mensor the god of monsters. They were all from the younger generation of gods—known as the new gods. Each of them was chaotic in their own way, which led to a wild and lawless world. While Sativa wanted freedom for the people who worshipped her, even she realized that some order was necessary.
At an unknown point, Sativa had been approached by one of the old gods—an ancient being who preferred to go by ‘Old Scratch’. He was a god of Earth and claimed dominion over humans. Since Olimero had no such race—being primarily peopled by beastkin, Orcs, and Elves—he offered Sativa the chance to take a number of handpicked humans to provide order for her world. As one might expect with a deal with the Devil, there was much more to that bargain than Sativa anticipated; things that are only now being revealed.
Upon arriving in Olimero, Rob learned a number of shocking details—details which Sativa had failed to inform him about. First off, he seemed to be the only human in the district (as far as he knew). Even more vital, though, was the fact that all of the native races of Olimero were stronger, faster, and more durable than humans. This meant he was physically the equivalent of a child. To add insult to injury, he wasn’t able to access this strange new world’s magic.
Rob was initiated into the realities of Olimero by Josephine, a flame wielding foxkin, who was the only deputy to have stayed on the job in the frontier town of Yonderton. She and the bunnykin clerk, Rolina, took their posts seriously as appointments from Sativa and were determined to ensure that Rob didn’t follow the previous five Sativa appointed Sheriffs into an early grave.
Rather than wallowing in his misfortune, Rob made a fundamental discovery. On Olimero, he had a stat sheet just like a video game and he found his abilities could be quantified—but unlike the native races, humans didn’t have a cap on their stats. Thus, the more he trained, the stronger he became. Usually, that type of training was rather painful, and Rob had more than one close call with death.
It turned out that Sheriff Case was quite stubborn and wouldn’t back down. This led to his development of body cultivation, where he learned to take the energy of Olimero—mana—into his core, where he then turned it into something he could use, which he dubbed ki.
With his determination and the assistance of his loyal deputy, Rob was able to break up a ring of kidnappers who were selling young girls to parts unknown. He faced down a number of enemies and continued to grow. As he did, he found himself falling for both Lina and Josie.
With those successes came the opportunity to expand the number of clerks and deputies under him, as well as some magical gear from Sativa. Rob’s family now includes Rava, the elven alchemist. She was a woman with a reputation for keeping to herself, but Rob’s unique abilities piqued her interest. They developed feelings for one another, which led to the expansion of Rob’s family beyond his loyal foxkin deputy and bunnykin clerk.
He also connected with his hawkkin deputy; an air-mage named Daria. She was looking for an escape from the rule of her father in the Aerie to the north, but Rob ended up becoming more than just a way out for her, as they saved one another’s lives. Embracing Olimero’s strange new ways, Daria escorts Rob in a tour of his wider district, facing monstrous perils side-by side. Ultimately, Rob
Rob also ends up marrying Mursha, the daughter of his best friend, the orcish blacksmith, Mactosh. Their path to that point was complicated—mostly because Mursha was confused about what she wanted. Though she had felt an attraction to Rob from the beginning, she was initially offered to him by her father as a bride. Wanting to please her father, but hesitant to accept a role that would require she stop chasing her dreams of becoming a blacksmith or a warrior, Mursha was honest enough to admit that such a marriage would be for duty and not for love.
For his part, Rob didn’t want an unwilling wife, especially one who couldn’t be honest with themselves about what it was they wanted most out of life. Mursha had always felt she was a disappointment to her father, because she didn’t have the same metal magic which he and her blacksmithing brothers did. Instead, she had something which Mactosh had dubbed ‘heavy magic’. With some pushing from Rob, Mursha discovered that what she possessed was actually gravity magic, one of the most powerful types of magic on Olimero.
By the end of book four, Rob and his five wives had driven the gangs which used to plague Yonderton out and established a home for themselves. Rob was a father now, as Lina gave birth to the first human/bunnykin hybrid. But just as one threat passed, a new one arose—waves of monsters descended upon his town.
In book five, Rob took the fight to the monsters in the Untamed Lands. His cultivation also expanded, as he began forming a mind core to match his body core—gaining access to the hidden Soul stat. Upon reaching B grade, his power put him head and shoulders over the lesser challenges he had been facing. Unfortunately, it also brought new enemies to the forefront.
Each of the gods have now tried to recruit him as their champion, seeking to win him over. Sativa has offered to make him her consort and help him transcend mortality if he will pledge himself to her. Telmorra’s promises are more vague, but the goddess of mana desperately wants to learn the secrets of his cultivation path. Korkanis has offered him power, wealth, and a virtually indestructible body. Eventually, the god of shadows gets a hook into Rob by providing a path out of Mensor’s buried temple in exchange for Rob’s promise to take on Nimeera, the catkin rogue and priestess of the shadow god as his clerk—with all that entailed.
Rob initially struggled with some of his new powers—especially what it meant to destroy the souls of monsters—but, in the end, his life and the lives of his family came first. If he had to become a monster to ensure their survival, then so be it. Returning from the Untamed Lands, he has found peace with his wives with the birth of his human/hawkkin hybrid daughter by Daria.
Now a father twice over, and with Mursha pregnant, he has more reason than ever to stay alive.
Thus, Rob and his wives plan to escort a caravan of goods essential for ensuring the financial future of Yonderton—ending up in Centrum for a tournament which is held every year to discover the greatest fighters. Josie’s father had been a former tournament champion, and it has been her lifelong goal to follow in his footsteps.
Finally, the one enemy Rob hasn’t been able to defeat remains at large. Named simply Her, the demon is a servant of Old Scratch and has killed Rose, the skunkkin servant of Mensor, taking on her form in an effort to work her way into Rob’s inner circle. Her’s sole mission is to corrupt the human prodigy and get him to pledge himself to Old Scratch, whose true motivations remain hidden.
The caravan turns into an economic success for not only the sheriff and his family but also for all of Yonderton. Rava, Rob’s alchemist wife, is able to reach deals to bring in droves of new people looking for a fresh start. So the population of Yonderton is going to swell mostly with workers to build the growing city and their families.
But nothing can ever be easy and prior to reaching Westerton, one of the caravan guards is lured away by a fairy. As it turns out fairies are the most magically gifted race of Olimero but due to their prior attempt to conquer the world, they have been cursed by the gods.
The last male fairy died in battle and while the fairies can continue their race with the willing or not so willing help of what they deem to be the lesser races, all the children born are females. Now down to one last nest of fairies, Delicia, queen of the fairies is desperate to find a way to restore her race.
When she learns about Rob’s ability to produce hybrid children with the native races of Olimero, he seems like a dream come true. She makes an offer for him to marry her but also threatens that if he doesn’t, she will destroy his family. Rob is never one to respond well to threats, but he recognizes that the queen is a true A rank being and capable of defeating him, so he stalls for time.
Later, he and Josie head to the tournament on their own after making a stop in Westerton. There they meet with Rose the skunkkin, now possessed by Her. This leads to a confrontation where Rob believes he has destroyed Her but two fairies who were sent to follow him had to help in order to save Josie. One of the two fairies dies and Princess Sema remains with Rob and Josie as they continue to Centrum.
The tournament in Centrum goes very well until the end. Josie ends up pulling out a narrow victory but throughout it all, Her who was able to possess Sema taunts Rob until he lets loose. The battle between them destroys much of the stadium and results in numerous casualties.
During the battle Rob is able to realize some truths about himself. He has come to grips with his universal concept, Indomitable, but also that he is not a destroy but a builder. He gains the Soul Builder skill and uses it to free Sema from Her while at the same time destroying Her’s connection to Olimero and either permanently destroying her or forcing her back to hell.
While this is happening, another rogue fairy princess attacks Lina in Yonderton, seeking to capture Robbie as leverage to force Rob’s hand. Lina goes off and the momma bear in her cuts loose. She is blessed by Sativa to become a handmaiden of the goddess just as Josie had before and gains a core for cultivating mana.
Rob returns to Yonderton, fleeing the destruction left behind and undoubtedly leaving the governments of both Centrum and Westerton as enemies. He brings with him Betsy, a cowkin, who had fought in the tournament and who proved to be a loyal ally and now a deputy. Sema also returns with them although she is in a coma initially because of the soul damage caused by Her.
As the book ends, Rob takes Nimeera, the catgirl and follower of the god of shadows as his newest wife with the blessing of his other wives. He soon finds himself with four pregnant wives, as Rava is able to come up with an alchemical compound from a troll that enabled her to have a baby. Josie having finished the tournament which had been a lifelong goal wants to give a child to Rob. Mursha is still pregnant and Nimeera the newest wife joins in.
Rob reached A rank but had not begun the transition yet at the end of book 6 as he was spending time with his growing family.
In Old East he will have to face the enemies he made on this last trip, deal with what it means to become A rank, and continue to grow both his family and Yonderton. To make matters worse, Old Scratch has decided he will have to take a more hands on approach in converting Rob.
Chapter 1 - Encroachment
I spun around and Bargon’s Slice effortlessly cut through the armor of the orc mercenary in front of me at the same time as I slid just enough to avoid the spear thrust from a monkeykin. Wielding the sword had become almost effortless, and with the amount of fighting which I’d been forced to do lately, my Melee Skill was leveling up at a steady pace.
