Glitch Hunter Read online

  Glitch Hunter

  Skyler Grant

  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 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Afterword

  Copyright © 2018 Skyler Grant

  All rights reserved.

  This novel is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and incidents described in this publication are used fictitiously, or are entirely fictional.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, except by an authorized retailer, or with written permission of the publisher. Inquiries may be addressed via email to [email protected]

  Cover designed by Alberto Besi

  Edited by Polgarus Studio (www.polgarusstudio.com)

  Electronic edition, 2018

  If you want to be notified of future releases from Skyler Grant and get the occasional goodie and free story please sign up for my mailing list at skylergrant.com

  I hate spam as much as you do. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time

  Created with Vellum

  1

  “While the second age ended with war, it was the merge that closed the first age. Amongst scholars there is little debate which was the more terrible, the merge might yet be the end of us all.” Antonus Gebel, The Ages of History

  It was like breaking up through the frozen surface of a river. A massive sensation of overwhelming cold followed by the desperate need to suck in air.

  Alex looked about in confusion, but he couldn't see a thing. The surroundings were absolute darkness. There was no freezing water, just a sense of awakening. At least he wasn't alone. The feel of warm flesh pressing against him was a pleasant contrast to the chill air. However, there was also a distinctly unpleasant stench of rot.

  "Well, this is awkward," said whoever rested atop him. A woman with a heavy accent who slurred her words. Alex was forced to agree. And he had absolutely no idea who she was.

  "Charmed, I'm Alex," Alex said.

  "I can tell, I'm Helen. So you don't remember me? I’m afraid I can’t remember you either."

  Alex realized that he recalled his first name and that was all he knew about himself. Well, that and the fact he apparently liked girls. While that wasn't an unwelcome revelation, in the current circumstances it wasn’t practical.

  Helen wasn't completely naked, and neither was Alex. They each wore a metal bracer on their left arm engraved with runes that glowed a faint blue. It was the only illumination in the chamber in the otherwise pitch dark.

  Alex mulled Helen's question. Either she was being trusting by admitting her amnesia, or pretending a loss of memory was a devious means to encourage him to talk. Obstinacy or hesitation wouldn't get him any answers. Whether she was being sincere or manipulative, it was best to treat things at face value for now.

  "I've forgotten more than just you. I can't remember anything more than my first name," Alex said.

  "The same," Helen said.

  Alex's vision blurred and seemed to blink several times before a stream of text appeared scrolling in the air before him.

  Bracer Initialization

  Identification: Glaive

  Registering...

  Alex Glaive

  House of Bats

  Contract Status: Probationary

  Level 1

  Interfacing with dissonance field

  Tactical Interface Unlocked

  Grimoire Access Unlocked

  The text faded and the chamber was no longer dark. Rather, it was dark, but Alex could now see everything, although muted and lacking in color. Helen was long and lean. She had a small chest and a fit physique with well-developed arms and shoulders. As naked as he was except for a bracer like Alex wore.

  The chamber was small, barely long enough to allow them lying down. They didn't share it alone, a pair of corpses rested with their backs against the wall.

  "Something strange just happened to me," Alex said.

  "Text? I saw it too and now I can see. It doesn't pissing make sense to me either," Helen said, disentangling from him so that she could stand and look around.

  The only exit from the chamber was a heavy iron door. A wooden crosspiece secured it and on that a message had been written in what appeared to be dried blood. "Ranseur and Glaive stay until they come for you".

  Alex got to his feet as well. "The text called me Alex Glaive, just like that message."

  "And I got called Ranseur, I don't remember being a Ranseur. They're both weapon names. Coincidence?" Helen asked.

  "I doubt it," Alex said, moving to check the bodies. A woman and a man, both had been well-preserved in the cold. Their faces were unfamiliar, and the expressions suggested they'd died in pain. Each had a pack of basic adventuring supplies and wore armor which was barely holding together because it had been pierced, stabbed, and slashed so often. Despite both being well-protected on every other part of their body, the left wrist of each was completely bare.

  Helen moved to join him, kneeling and lifting one of the arms. "What the hell is going on here, Alex?"

  Alex didn't have any more answers than she did.

  So he said, "You can see, they can't have died that long ago. Not and still be in this good a shape, although the cold helps for a while."

  Helen began to pull the armor off the female corpse . "My tits feel like icicles and I’m not going to just sit here."

  The two corpses had obviously made it one of their dying acts to write the warning. Heeding it might be wise, but like Helen, Alex didn't like sitting still.

  "Here I thought you were just happy to see me," Alex said.

  "You're one to talk. Notice their weapons?" Helen said. If wearing clothes fresh-taken from a corpse gave her any qualms she showed no sign of it, stripping the corpse bare before starting to slip into the blood-stained underclothes.

  Each body was armed in a similar fashion, a sheathed short-sword on one hip and some sort of battle hammer on the other.

  Alex said, "That isn't the only thing odd. Look at the wound above her belly button."

  The corpse showed an injury that looked like it might have been caused by some sort of small, narrow-bladed dagger, but the hole in the armor was larger, as if done by the head of a spear.

  Helen took a moment to check both and frowned thoughtfully while she continued getting dressed.

&nb
sp; Alex started to strip the armor from the dead man. After several seconds of focusing his attention on it his vision flashed.

  Vandon Glaive's Glitch Hunter Armor (Set)

  Slots: Torso, Arms, Hands, Legs, Feet

  Condition: Critically Damaged

  Quality: Rare

  Keywords: Agile, Insulating

  Slots: 1 (Empty) / Points: 1 (Empty)

  Blunt: 2

  Piercing: 2

  Slashing: 2

  Magic: 2

  Dissonance: 4

  Grimoire Entry

  Vandon Glaive was the holder of the Glaive Bracer prior to its current holder, Alex Glaive. The armor was a gift from Lady Cecila Montague for slaying an ogre on her lands.

  "Did you get any text about your armor? You may need to hold your gaze several moments," Alex said.

  "I do now. Can you see mine?" Helen asked.

  Alex focused his attention on Helen and waited. There was a strange buzzing in his ears and more text appeared.

  Helen Ranseur

  House of Bats

  Probationary Standing

  Level 1

  That wasn't what Alex had been going for although it was an interesting result in its own right. It did help to corroborate Helen's story. If she was some kind of opponent who had done this to him, Helen should have better abilities, but apparently they were on the same level. It supported the idea that the same thing was happening to both of them.

  Alex tried again. No matter how he tried he couldn't get a readout on her armor.

  Helen was staring at him with the same sort of intensity.

  "Working for you?" Alex asked.

  Helen shook her head. "Take off again what you have on. I know how it pissing sounds, but you're wearing less than I do. I want to see if it’s connected to any of it being worn."

  It was worth testing. Alex took off the few pieces he'd put on and took a step back.

  "Vandon Glaive," Helen said with a nod. "Yeah, so if we’re wearing it, the armor readout is only for us to know. Now put that thing away before you put an eye out."

  "Your eyes wouldn't be in danger, if you didn't stare," Alex said, as he resumed getting dressed. The clothing and the armor over it weren't comfortable. The dried blood made it scratchy and stiff against his skin. Then the chill in the air seemed to completely go away.

  "How cold are you?" Alex asked.

  "Slightly less than I was," Helen said, strapping the weapons belt around her waist.

  "I'm not feeling it at all."

  "Think it has something to do with your armor being insulating?"

  Alex shrugged and remembered. "Would make sense, that’s what the readout said. Does yours do anything special?"

  "Nimble and silent. Study your weapons when you get to them," Helen said.

  Alex finished getting dressed and, before he put them on, stared at the sword and hammer.

  Songblade

  Condition: Good

  Quality: Common

  Keywords: None

  Slots: 0 / Points: 0

  Blunt: 0

  Piercing: 5

  Slashing: 3

  Magic: 0

  Dissonance: 7

  Grimoire Entry

  A Songblade is one of the standard weapons of a Glitch Hunter. Special treatment of the steel during forging allows the blade when struck properly to harmonize to a frequency that allows damage to Glitch.

  Songhammer

  Condition: Good

  Quality: Common

  Keywords: None

  Slots: 0/1 / Points: 1/1 (Lightness 1)

  Blunt: 5

  Piercing: 0

  Slashing: 0

  Magic: 3

  Dissonance: 0

  Grimoire Entry

  A Songhammer is one of the standard weapons of a Glitch Hunter. The head is specially constructed to aid in helping a Songblade to find its requisite frequency during combat. In addition, they are weapons in their own right, the best ones enchanted to deal magic damage allowing a Glitch Hunter to round out their arsenal.

  "Vandon had better armor than weapons," Alex said, buckling the weapons on. The sword felt as if it belonged there, the hammer less so.

  "Nya was balanced, everything is uncommon," Helen said, moving towards the door and drawing her sword. "You look stronger. You want to lift the bar while I stab anything with the poor judgment to charge through?"

  Alex didn't understand how he apparently knew the things he already did. The armor had been a complicated affair of straps and buckles, and he'd put it on without issue. One weapon was a familiar weight at his hip as if it belonged there.

  It wasn't just things like this. He knew, looking at Helen, she had spent a long time with a bow. The calluses on her hands and the strength of her arms all spoke to that. Alex could also tell from the way Helen held herself that she knew what to do with a sword.

  "You're sure you want to disregard that warning?" Alex asked.

  Helen paused to look at him and leaned against the wall. "You want to talk it out first? Fine. We don't know that the warning was meant for us. Maybe I really am Helen Ranseur and you really are Alex Glaive. But they were Nya Ranseur and Vandon Glaive, and that message might just as well have been for them."

  Alex held up his gloves to study them and after a moment turned his attention towards Helen's. "Pointer finger of your right hand. The other fingers aren't covered in blood, but that one is. Nya wrote the message."

  "You're good at this," Helen said, grudgingly. "So, tell me then, what do you think happened here?"

  "Vandon and Nya were badly wounded elsewhere, and dying they retreated here and sealed themselves inside. They didn't write that message to themselves, which means they wrote it to us. They knew we'd be here and that we'd be able to read it—that we'd be able to identify ourselves as Glaive and Ranseur," Alex said.

  "Why here?" Helen asked.

  Alex looked around the chamber, "I don't know. If they prepared this room as a sanctuary they would have kept supplies here. The reinforced door suggests they made some preparations, but there is no others."

  "I agree with every fucking word you just said and therein lies the problem. Those two might have been trying to do us right, I think they were, but they left us in a piss-poor state and we'll never be in a stronger position to leave than right now," Helen said.

  "We're either all-in on waiting or we take our chances," Alex said.

  "Which is it going to be?"

  "Get that sword ready," Alex said, moving towards the door. The wooden bar securing it was heavy, enough to cause him to grunt as he forced it up and away, one end falling with a thunk to the floor.

  Helen didn't have a chance to open the door, it exploded inward. A massive animal charged through. It had the front half of some large black cat and the back half of a deer. It was upon Helen in an instant, ignoring her sword and lunging at her throat.

  The creature was huge, and Alex saw its flank seemed to be missing flesh, with ribs poking through and a thick, black fluid dripping out. Whatever this was, it wasn't alive in the traditional sense.

  2

  “There is no greater power than that of nature, nothing more enduring or more terrible. Walk amongst the ruins of ancient civilizations and know that for all their power they could not withstand the Wild. Neither will you.” Last words of Jaya Kor, House of the Wild before her execution.

  Alex picked up the door bar and using all his strength swung it in an arc that knocked the creature off Helen to crash against the opposite wall.

  You have hit an unidentified enemy with an improvised weapon

  Enemy ignores blunt damage

  0 Damage Done

  Helen sprang to her feet like an athlete and slipped out the door. Alex followed and together they pulled it shut. There was a tremendous crash on the other side, but it held.

  They were in a hallway as dark as the interior of the chamber, extending in both directions. The only thing to distinguish one way from the other was a t
rail of dried blood on the floor leading into the chamber.

  The door rattled again as the creature savagely tried to pummel its way out. There came an enraged roar from inside—then answering roars from nearby.

  Alex and Helen shared a look and both turned towards the bloodstained passage. Alex drew his sword to match Helen's bared blade.

  "Guessing we're both thinking the same thing," Helen said.

  "Better a known way out than getting trapped deeper in," Alex said, and Helen nodded.

  They kept silent as they moved. The hallway ended in a large area with no visible exits. Thirty feet above was a balcony with no means to reach it. However, it was at the top a white stone wall covered in murals depicting vicious, thorned vines and roses.

  "Well damn," Helen said.

  "Try the other way?" Alex asked.

  Helen narrowed her eyes at the wall. "I can climb it."

  There was another burst of roars in the distance, closer than before.

  "I can't," Alex said, firmly.

  Helen slipped off her gloves and boots. "I'll find something on the other side to drop down to you."