Land of The Undying Lord

Cover for land of the Undying Lord

## Book Jacket

The Infinite World, ever-changing and ever growing. New nations and races rose and fell almost daily. New Classes were discovered, as old ways were lost. Monsters and beasts roamed the earth and were slain by soldiers and adventurers who were in turn killed by stronger threats. Heroes and villains created new epics and were forgotten when their successors appeared. This was the way of the Infinite World.

Summoned into this chaotic place, a young boy with no name and no past must learn to survive. Bound to a master who doesn't care whether he lives or dies, he must become stronger. The question is how? Do the people around him value him for who he is or merely for what he represents? The world holds endless possibilities, only time will tell what the future holds for the boy.

## Plot Summary

Kirsten Al'Dross, youngest daughter of Duke Luis Al'Dross, receives a Summoning Stone in the Al'Drossford Trial and receives a human boy instead of a powerful Beast companion. Disappointed and furious, Kirsten mistreats the boy. Her frustration results in her ordering the boy order to train and get stronger, which results in a forced run around Al'Drossford until the boy almost dies.

Kirsten's brother, Micheal sees the boy and quickly rectifies the situation. He forces Kirsten to allow him to care for the boy. When he asks the boy his name, he says he does not have one. Micheal tells Kirsten she must name him. Kirsten names him Trent- however this is a sneaky name as she wanted to name him Worthless and Micheal wouldn't let that happen. Trent is a name in common, but in Elvish, S'Trent means worthless. The boy knows this is the name he was meant to have.

Micheal believes that as a human Summons has never happened before, Trent is a rare treasure and destined to be powerful. When Micheal learns the boy has 7 Class slots and 7 Profession slots- when most people have 1 in either Class or Profession, and only royalty have 7 total, he takes the boy to takes the boy to the Duke for assessment.

The Duke discovers Trent could become proficient in any skill or ability, he is a blank slate that could become any Class or Profession. He is shocked, and knows it is a secret that must be kept, or Trent would be stolen and enslaved. The Duke soon recruits his old Adventuring parter Sargent Cullen to train the boy.

While at first Cullen sees the boy as a runt, he quickly realises his potential and uses his Mentoring ability to give the boy XP, allowing him to level. He takes Trent and a small group of Guard recruits to the forest to train away from potential spies. While in the forest Trent makes a friend with another guard trainee named **Tersa**.

While gathering herbs, Trent discovers that the Burning Lake in the middle of the forest is hot and feels like it burns is in fact a Trail of Perseverance. He walks through the Trial, feeling like he is burned alive for hours on end. When he completes the Trial he discovers that he can see and hear the Keeper of the Trial. This shocks the Keeper as this is an ability no one else has. The Keeper begs a boon of Trent- to let others know the Burning Lake is a Trial. Trent agrees, and collects his reward for being the first to clear the trial. Trent receives the **Endurance** Trait, over 1000XP, the ability **Heart of the Inferno** and three pieces of **soul-bound equipment**. The first is a **cowl** that has a mask which lets him see in the dark. The second are two matched hand axes named **Sorrow and Strife**. All soul-bound equipment grows with their user. Trent returns to an angry Cullen, and informs him of the Trial. Cullen forgives the boy and encourages him to choose a class as he now has enough XP to level up. While given a variety of options, Trent chooses the Survivalist class as it is an advanced class with Rogue-like skills, and Kirsten wants a strong partner. Cullen continues to train Trent, and also informs the Duke of a trial so close to his territory.

Kirsten is convinced she needs to rejoin Trent after talking to her brother. She realises she mistreated her summons, and decides she wants to do better. She rides out with her Party to join Trent in the forest. She arrives just in time to fight the **Howlers** Sargent Cullen has had a subordinate lure to the camp in order to train those under his care and prevent these potentially harmful Beast entering the Duke's territory.

After the body of the **Howlers** are all buried, an **Instant Trial** opens over the graves, and all are sucked in. Trent receives a notification that the name of the Trial is **The Land of the Undying Lord** and that the win conditions are to survive two months or defeat the **Guardian**. Trent informs this to Cullen. It is revealed that Kirsten's Rogue Party member is in fact a Lieutenant in the Dukes Guard who has been watching her. His level and Cullen's level are too high for a survival type trial for them to stay with the rest of the Adventurers, Trainees, and Guardsmen who have been sucked into the trial. In Survival Trials, the monsters sent to fight are the average of the lowest and highest member of the party. **Lieutenant Allister** and Cullen go off to search for the Guardian. Cullen puts **Captain Francis** in charge of the others.

The Guardsmen quickly realise that they are woefully prepared for the trial as many put down their weapons as they dug the graves. The only people who still have weapons are the Adventurers, a few Guardsmen, and Trent. Trent shares the knives and bows he has with those who can use them. The rest will have to receive weapons and ability stones as they defeat the monsters that attack and they collect the drops that occur afterwards.

It is discovered that as a Survivalist Trent is the only member of the party with the **Scout** **Skill** and **Detect Traps.** Even though he is the weakest member of the party, Trent is the leader. Tersa volunteers to travel with him and protect him in case anything happens. He informs the party of a trap that has formed around them, and works well with Kirsten as they fight the **Fleshings** that were summoned by the trap. She begins to realise her foolishness and how well Trent compliments her. She tells him he is doing a good job. One of the drops from the Fleshlings is a Map. Along with his Map Ability, Trent begins to lead the group to what appears to be a town a few hours away.

As the group is about to reach the town, Trent sees a large black hole appear close to his feet. He stops- however, Tersa, who had been following to protect him, runs into him and pushes him in the hole. When she sees the hole shrink, she jumps in after him so he is not alone.

Trent and Tersa find a Hidden Location- the Prison of the Undying Lord. In the Prison they find an Al'rashian prisoner, Orion Embra, Kin Slayer. Tersa is disgusted that Kin Slayer means Orion killed kin, but Trent receives a quest to free Orion. He convinces Tersa and Orion that they need to work together to defeat the Minor Guardian of the Trial and rescue Orion. They succeed.

Orion, Trent and Tersa become their own little party within the quest. Despite themselves, Tersa becomes like Orion's annoying littler sister, and Tersa comes to respect Orion. Trent becomes like a beloved younger brother. Realizing Trent has no last name and no family, Orion offers to adopt him into his family. Trent accepts. Tersa asks if she can join, too. Orion says if he does so, she loses her family. Tersa says she doesn't want to be part of her family. They are both adopted. To Tersa, the ritual is glorious and gentle. To Trent, the ritual is extremely painful. When the ritual completes Trent discovers why- he was not simply human. He also had Al'rashian ancestry. The ritual made him a full Al'rashian with **violet eyes**. Orion is excited because Al'rashian's have been waiting for one of their number to have violet eyes for a thousand years.

Orion helps in fights, but he mostly guides as he realises if he fights himself the monsters become too strong for Tersa and Trent. As scout, Trent can lead the party to **Safe Zones,** and becomes the de-facto party leader. As a result, he learns the Leadership Skill. One Safe Zone Trent leads the party to is a Hidden Location, **Spirit Field.** Spirit Field is an endless green feild in a cavern, filled with bobs of light that turn out to be elemental spirits. Trent completes a Class Quest he received at the start of the trial- to map 75% of the Trial or discover two hidden locations. He receives 1000 XP and the Farsight Ability.

As Orion and Tersa rest, Trent feels invigorated and decides to explore. He discovers a pool with an island in the middle. The island contains three treasure chests. He wades the pool and realises the island is covered in magical traps. He dismantles the traps one by one by casting Flame and sending the Flames produced to the individual runes. He then opens the chests, and collects the loot.

When Trent returns to Orion and Tersa he wakes them up to show them what he found. Tersa receives a mace, chain-mail, and a Spell Stone for Shocking Touch. Trent receives scale armour, Spiritual Van-braces (soul bound items), and the sword technique Ocean Meets the Shore. Orion receives a staff and a crystal ball called a **Spirit Orb**. Orion is at first hesitant to receive the Orb. Spirit Orbs are precious to the Al'Rashians, and an artifact that has been lost to them since their Kingdom fell one-thousand years ago. Orion feels unworthy, as he had been a **Spirit Summoner** without a Spirit Orb when he had been cast out of his clan, and a Spirit Summoner needs an Orb to perform Class tasks.

When Orion accepts his orb, he has an expression of ecstasy as his Spirit Summoner class had been locked when he was exiled. Orion reveals that he was exiled because he killed his brother after his brother betrayed the clan to Orcs. Part of Orion's punishment was a stripping of levels and abilities, and blocking access to his Spirit Summoner class. Opening his class was the condtion for his return to his people. Trent broke Orion's exile.

When Trent, Tersa, and Orion leave the safe zone, they find the small fort that they had origionally thought was a town, where Tersa and Trent were taken from their group. The town has since been abandoned, but a trail is left and they begin to search for Kirsten.

While Tersa and Trent were away, the group searched the fort for weapons and skill stones. Kirsten found a sword, but was told to hold onto it. She also found a skill stone and kept it to herself. She learned the skill Holy Strike. The town was then attacked by waves of skeletal and undead warriors summoned by two Skeleton Knights. Kirsten's party healer, Lyra, is the only one who can effectively fight of the skeletons with the spell Purification. While defending Frank with her staff and casting purification on a skeleton that would have killed him, Lyra unlocks the specialised class **Battle Healer.** The group soon realises that the waves of fighters will not end, and they need to attack Skeletal Knights.

While Frank tries to have everyone approach the Skeletal Knights in a formation, Kirsten wilfully misunderstands a sarcastic command to go ahead and attack the leader on her own. She thinks since she has Holy Strike she is invincible. Her Party Defender, Dirk, comes with her. This results in a major injury for Dirk. After the party defeat all the undead and return to the Fort, Frank says they need to depart ways. The Adventurers do not follow the chain of command, and it can result in guardsmen dying. As Kirsten stands in disbelief, another guardsman explains to Kirsten that if she had given Frank the Skill Stone as she was supposed to, he would have had the Skill to protect them all. He is at a higher level then her, and would have been able to defeat the skeletons easily. As it was, he was still unprepared for what the trial might deliver next. Kirsten swallows her pride and apologises to the Adventurers can stay. When Frank later learns the skill, she apologises again with greater sincerity.

After the group leaves the fort, they find no safe zones. They are accosted again and again and are run ragged. They eventually find a fortress they hope to help them. When they arrive, they discover they are not able to leave. They need to fight wave after wave of undead, orcs, and eventually Hill Trolls once every eight hours.

Trent, Orion, and Tersa find the group as they are fighting what would have been the wave that would kill them all. Kirsten's party member Mathias casts Sacrificial Pire, killing himself and one of the Hill Trolls, wounding another. Orion casts ice on the wounded Hill Troll, freezing it to the ground. Trent climbs the troll and plants what amounts to be a magic bomb, exploding the Hill Trolls head and toppling to the ground. Tersa, who had previously unlocked the specialised class Brute smashes at Orcs around her, casting enraging aura. Orion cushions Trent's fall with air spirits, and then demonstrates to Trent the fighting style Ocean Meets the Shore by fighting the Orcs all around him. Trent tries to fight an orc when it shears off his blades. Trent is about to die when the Trial ends.

Sargent Cullen and Alistern went in search of the Trial Guardian. Cullen had some sort of internal compass that guided him to a large power source he hoped would be the guardian (it was). Alistern and Cullen defeat large amounts of undead, and Alistern realises Cullen has been lying about his level and he is much more powerful then he claims to be. Cullen says he is right, but refuses to tell him without being behind a locked door with wards up and the Duke's permission. Alistern is an Assassin and a Scout, and tries to fight by staying behind and shooting his arrows. Cullen forces him to fight up front and be in the thick of the fighting. Cullen also requires Alistern to harvest all the cores, claiming he never learned the skill. When they both reach the ruins of the castle surrounded by 300 undead, where they believe the Final Guardian to be, it is time for Alistern to level. He was at level 49, but instead of hitting level 50 his Assassin class is taken away, he is not able to level Scout, and he is only given the option of the Advanced Class Unyielding Slayer. At first, Alistern is livid. However, after giving him a punch, Cullen explains that Alistern isn't meant to hide in the shadows like his father, but to be up front fighting like his mother. He says the world doesn't give shoddy class choices, and it sounds like Alistern had no choice but to chose Unyeilding Slayer. After taking the class, Alistern realises Cullen is right, and that Unyeilding Slayer is a very strong class. He agrees to fight the undead level 54 and below as Cullen fought the higher level monsters and the Guardian. Cullen defeats the Gaurdian and levels up himself by using the guardian as a bludgeoning weapon, swinging him against smaller foes and killing them in turn. When the Trial ends, Cullen is dissapointed as he worries Alistern did not get enough time to gain the XP and kill the amount of foes he needs to so that he can level up his new class.

The point of view once again shifts to Trent. This time he is in a throne room, facing an the Trial's Keeper, who has the appearance of an Al'rashian King. The king reveals himself to be the Undying Lord. That he is the keeper of this trial because Al'rashia fell due to an undead invasion, and he wanted the trial to be used by Al'rashians to strengthen themselves. When Trent tries to deny his Al'rashian status, the king reaffirms it. He states he waited one thousand years for his trial to be cleared, and the first time it was, it was cleared by a party that included a Spirit Summoner and a Violet eyed Al'rashian. He then tells Trent he was not a Summons, he was a Bond. In learning more about Trent, the King discovers that Al'drossford is a barrony made up of what use to be the Al' Rashian Dross Clan. That it is in the Al'Verran kingdom, and states few Verran's could ever be trusted. He states that the Al'verran kingdom is inviting Tribulation with its terrible laws. He suspects Trent was never supposed to bond to Kirsten, but instead to the Duke. If he had, Trent would never have appeared human and may have in fact changed the Dukes appearance to be more Al'rashian. He explains that Bonds are unique to Al'rashians, and Trent is unique among Bonds. That Al'rashians lost this part of their heritage after their fall, and that perhaps Trent was meant to be a guide in restoring Bonds to their people. He says Orion as a Spirit Summoner may one day restore the practice.

The King then says that he has written a short note for Orion, for which he will need to pay a price as it breaks the rules. He states that he needs to give Trent a choice. A trial chest that the Trial Spirit wants him to have, and a trial chest that the King want him to have. The Trial Spirit's chest contains contains the ability Swordborn, and a sword that when paired with the ability will grow his class quickly as well as 5 free skill points and attribute points. The kings chest is less impressive due to his meddling. It only contains 3 free attribute points and 2 free skill points, the Unarmed technique of Al'rashia and the charm Self-clean.

Trent chooses the kings chest, partly because the keeper clearly wants him to, and partly because Trent is tired of being filthy and has been jealous of Tersa and Orion's Self-clean ability. As Trent picks up the chest he says he will choose it if the King answers his questions. However, the trial fades away and Trent is left holding the chest, hearing the words "We have no more time, Trent Embra. I wish you luck. Remember, you are and have always been Al'rashian. The people need you." and the words **You have left the trial, Lands of the Undying Lord** on his status.

## Chapter Summaries

### Chapter 1

Kirsten Al'Dross, the youngest daughter of **Duke Al'Dross** is on the fifth floor of the **Al'Drossford Trail** with the rest of **her party.** They have just finished defeating the Minotaur Guardian, and a **Summoning Stone** was their only reward. Kirsten expected a powerful Beast, like a Dire Wolf to come out of the stone and become her loyal **Summons**. Instead a young boy appears, who has weak attributes, no levels, no skills, no abilities, no classes, nor professions. She is upset and claims he is useless and proceeds to verbally vent her frustrations to him and to her party members.

Kirsten's Summons listens to this. The young boy is eager to please and loyal to Kirsten, and disappointed in himself since she is disappointed in him. He knows almost nothing about the world, but continually gets a notification that his Loyalty Rating is dropping. It started at 75. He answers her questions to the best of his ability, and cannot understand her frustration. He notices that he has 7 Combat Class slots and 7 Profession slots, and these items are viable to him and not Kirsten. However, he does not point this out as he does not know it is significant.

Kirsten's fellow Party members try to sooth her reaction to the Summons, but they are also disappointed. They do not stick up for the child or rebuke her for her behaviour. They do not try to help the child, as it is just a Summons. The Party pull out a **Return Scroll** to teleport back to the entrance of the Trial. The summons comes closer to Kirsten in order to return as well, but not too close.

### Chapter 2

Kirsten continues to complain about her Summons. She tells the Guard on duty protecting the Trial entrance it is a burden as she collects her parties reward for a Beast Core they acquired previously in the Trial. She and her Party quickly return to the **Al'Drossford Keep**. They do not slow down or try to assist Kirsten's Summons, even though the child is clearly struggling and gasping for breath. While some Party members consider carrying him or helping him in other ways, they do not as it is Kirsten's Summons and not a real boy. They believe she has the right to treat him how she wants.

When they reach the second Gate of Al'Dross`ford, Kirsten asks her Summons why he is following her. He tells her she is his master, he has to. She yells at him that he is her biggest failure following her around, and that she doesn't want to see him. When he asks her what to do, she says to train and boost his attributes, and to get stronger! She then leaves him at the gate.

The boy receives a message from his Status stating that he has been given an order to train, and if he does not he will be punished. The boy quickly realises that if he doesn't choose something, he will feel tremendous physical pain. The boy says he wants to be able to keep up with his master next time, and he receives a message that the training he has chosen is to run. The exhausted boy is not able to change his mind, and begins a forced run in the relatively cleared area between the first and second wall of Al'Drossford. As he begins his run, the boy receives a message that his Loyalty Rating is now at 47 due to poor management.