The Apocalypse is a Side Quest: Book Three, page 19
“We kind of already knew that. We were there,” Chad said.
Clarence flushed. “Right. Of course.” He straightened. “Still, the last two are heavily fortified. The Harrowed Hand has thrown everything into preventing their capture.”
Bree gave a hesitant nod. “That lines up with what we’ve heard. Anand’s report confirmed both towns will be exceptionally difficult to take.”
“So what’s your proposal?” Nathan asked.
“Simple. We leverage my connections on the inside—and we avoid the capital entirely.”
Nathan frowned. “What do you mean?”
Clarence held up two fingers. “The problem is twofold. First, even if we attack the second town, we’ll be outnumbered and crushed by the Harrowed Hand’s remaining forces. Second, their defenses are too strong. My plan? I lure the owner of the second town away from reinforcements. Then, you take him on in single combat. When he’s defeated, the title passes to the closest eligible town owner—which would be you, Nathan. After that, you can transfer it to whoever you want.”
Nathan stroked his chin. It was as good a plan as any, but he knew better than to take things at face value. “What’s the catch? And you still haven’t answered—how do we deal with the capital?”
“For the capital? I don’t think we need to. Gabriel’s power base is already on the verge of collapse. You wouldn’t know this from the outside, but surely you’ve guessed. After all, someone already defected to you. That’s not the sign of a stable regime. No, once you strike this final blow, it’ll destroy what’s left of Gabriel’s influence.”
Nathan hesitated, then nodded. The others exchanged glances, their eyes flicking pointedly from Clarence to the door. Nathan caught the hint.
“Clarence, give us a few minutes to discuss this.”
Clarence dipped his head. “Of course.”
“I don’t trust him. I’m sorry, but I don’t.”
Nathan watched as Mara shook her head emphatically. Nathan didn’t blame her, of course—he didn’t trust Clarence very much either.
Kason, always so silent, chose that moment to speak up. “I don’t trust him either, but I fear we may have no other option.”
Bree crossed her arms. “We took four other towns. What’s the problem with the last two?”
“I’ve looked at Anand’s reports,” Kason said. “The last siege was a near-total disaster. If it hadn’t been for a number of precipitous events, we wouldn’t have taken the town—in fact, most of us should be dead. I don’t want to test our luck twice in a row. If Clarence is telling the truth, then this may be our only way of obtaining that town.”
Mara growled, the sound similar to that of a caged animal. “No other way? I have dozens of other ways. We can blow it all to kingdom-come if you just let me handle it.”
Nobody spoke. Both Bree and Fuge seemed upset, but neither voiced an objection. Kason was right, and all of them knew it.
No, their path forward was clear.
Nathan shook his head. “Bring him back in.”
Clarence stepped back into the room.
“We just need to hash out the details now,” Nathan said. “For example, who is the town owner?”
Clarence froze at that.
“Well, you’ve actually run into him a few times before.”
“Who is it?” Bree asked.
Clarence took a single step backward. “Is that information really that relevant?”
Nathan got the strangest feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer.
“Clarence, who’s the town owner?”
Clarence finally stopped. He let out a long sigh and scratched the back of his neck.
“It’s Reckson.”
Oh, this was about to be a lot more complicated than he’d expected.
Nathan leaned against a palm tree as they waited for Clarence and Reckson to arrive—far outside the range of Gabriel’s reinforcements. To pull this off, they’d be using the permanent portals scattered across the islands. Once they shut it down, Gabriel wouldn’t be able to follow quickly. By the time he got within range, it would be far too late for Reckson.
Still, Nathan was nervous. They’d managed to outmaneuver Reckson and Gabriel before, but it had been close. Too close. And Mara had been seriously injured. He really didn’t want to test his luck again.
But this time would be different. They’d outnumber Reckson, and that had to count for something. Reckson would be isolated, alone.
At Nathan’s side were Mara and Chad. Bree and Fuge were stationed on another part of the island, while Kason was out hunting small game. Mara had been unusually quiet since the meeting. More than once, he’d caught her staring at him with a frustrated look.
Nathan would’ve preferred to deal with this after the fight, but he had a feeling ignoring it now would only make things worse later. Her boss-killer weapon was their ace in the hole if things went wrong. They needed her sharp.
He nudged her. “What’s up?”
Her eyes flicked to him, then back to the horizon.
“Nothing.”
“Doesn’t sound like nothing. You seem pissed.”
“It’s just your imagination.”
“I don’t think so. Seriously, what’s going on?”
“Can we just drop it?”
“You’ve been looking at me like you want to rip me apart. Hard to ignore that.”
Mara grimaced and slumped her shoulders. “Fine.” She paused. “Why are we trusting Clarence?”
“I don’t trust him. But the opportunity he’s giving us is too good to pass up.”
“What if it’s a trap? What if someone gets hurt?”
“I can’t promise no one will get hurt. We knew the risks when we decided to take out the Harrowed Hand.”
“I know that. I know—” Mara shook her head. “Never mind.”
“No, what’s this really about?”
Her head snapped toward him. “He tried to kill me!”
Nathan froze.
Oh. He’d sort of forgotten about that.
“And look, I don’t exactly prioritize my own life—that’s not what bothers me. But you said you were—”
“I said I was…?”
Mara snapped her jaw shut and exhaled sharply. “Never mind.”
Nathan tried to press further, but she’d shut down completely. He turned the conversation over in his mind before it finally clicked.
I said I was her friend.
Mara was upset because Clarence hadn’t been shot on sight—did she think Nathan hadn’t meant what he said? Or something like that?
Dammit. Guess you can’t escape interpersonal drama in the apocalypse.
He was about to try again when a siren blared.
Reckson’s massive form barreled through the portal, Clarence right behind him. Both were bloodied and exhausted. A second later, the portal snapped shut before anyone else could follow.
Reckson pushed himself up and locked eyes with Nathan. All three of them shot to their feet.
“So that’s what this was about,” Reckson scoffed. “Shouldn’t be too hard to deal with you lot.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“I’m going to give you one chance to surrender,” Nathan said. “If you don’t, then I’m afraid I’m going to be taking your head.”
Reckson laughed loudly. Off to the side, the waves beat against the sandy shore—an odd backdrop to such a tense scene.
“Do you seriously think it’s going to be that easy? And do you really think I’m the type of person who would surrender?”
“You’re only gonna make it harder on yourself. And on your boss. Maybe it would be easier if you survived and escaped at a later point.”
“You know what would be easiest of all? Felling you.”
“Look around. You’re outnumbered.”
“The only things I see around me are dead men and a traitor.”
Mara yelped. “And a woman!”
Reckson charged forward, fist raised, aiming a punch straight for Nathan’s head.
Nathan’s eyes flickered to the right. A flash of silver.
Crossbow shots from both Kason and Clarence rang out at the same time. The bolts smashed into the air where Reckson’s head had been before he ducked back, barely dodging the attacks. He grunted, then jumped to the right as an earthen spike exploded out where he’d just been. In the distance, Nathan could’ve sworn he heard Bree let out a chuckle.
“You brought out the whole team.” Reckson dodged another crossbow bolt. “I suppose I should be flattered!”
“We brought everybody,” Chad said. “To be honest, I think me and Nathan could’ve taken you. Actually, just Nathan on his own.”
“Then why go to all this trouble?” Reckson said. “This doesn’t seem like the actions of someone supremely confident in their abilities.”
“I don’t believe in expending unnecessary effort, especially when you’ve got friends to do the work for you,” Nathan said. “Speaking of which—Mara?”
There was a flicker of irritation in her eyes, but she nodded and reached into her pocket, clicking something.
Reckson barely had time to widen his eyes before the ground directly under his feet exploded, kicking up sand and dust everywhere.
Nathan coughed from the sudden onslaught.
“Did it work?”
The feeling of steel slamming into his jaw told him that no, it didn’t. His body flew backward from the force, a red flash bursting from the point of impact. Nathan had just taken the force of a massive punch localized entirely on his chin. Something cracked inside his mouth as he was tossed back. He flew for a few seconds before his back slammed against a tree with a loud thud.
Ow.
Nathan felt wave after wave of pain flood his body. He let out a groan, spat out blood, and winced.
“Well—” he coughed. “At least it’s not an arm.”
A blue-flaming longsword ripped through the air and directly into Reckson’s back. Red light burst from the point of impact, and Reckson’s skin lit up with a glow. He turned around and kicked hard. At the last second, Chad managed to parry the shot.
Nathan analytically stared him down. Last time, it seemed like they’d come close to wearing out his stamina. But Reckson had long since recovered. On top of that, it had taken the usage of Mara’s Ultra Mega Hyper Meta Boss Monster Killer 3000. Was that an option now? No—Reckson would surely see it coming. They’d need to distract him.
They had two options: wear him down with attrition or be taken out in one overwhelming blow.
The second was exactly what they’d agreed to beforehand. Reckson would score these occasional hits, but Nathan was confident they could take it. Just keep chipping away at him. Eventually, he’d fall.
Reckson raised his finger toward Chad and flicked it. Red energy flared out, and wind ripped forward in the direction of the motion. Chad jumped aside, kicking up a cloud of dust behind him. The wind strike sliced through two trees before dissipating into a manageable gust.
“Can someone explain to me how this guy isn’t number two or three on the leaderboards?” Bree said.
“It’s all in the item,” Mara replied. “Same reason I’m ranked lower than you bozos. Doesn’t matter how much firepower I have—it’s not me. It’s all items.”
Of course, wielding an item like that effectively took immense skill and stamina. Nathan was certain that in anyone else’s hands, that weapon wouldn’t have been half as deadly.
Reckson didn’t bother explaining. He sidestepped a crossbow bolt from Clarence and raised his fist for another attack. Another bolt fired—Kason’s—thudding against Reckson’s padded chest. The impact bought Clarence just enough time to dodge the incoming punch and fire his own bolt, this one aimed straight for Reckson’s eyes. A loud twang echoed as the bolt left the crossbow. At the last second, Reckson jerked his head aside.
Nathan narrowed his eyes. Reckson was intentionally managing his energy. He knew their plan—they were trying to exhaust him—so he was avoiding the buildup of his item’s power.
But even then, it was still a battle of attrition. He would run out of energy eventually. So what was his game? What was he planning?
Technically, there was the risk of Gabriel finding them, but that would take time—more than enough for Nathan’s team to whittle Reckson down. So what the hell was he waiting for? A bad feeling crept over Nathan. Some resource he hadn’t accounted for.
“Speed it up! Don’t let him get the jump on us!” Nathan shouted.
A few confused looks flashed his way, but everyone nodded.
Chad lunged back in with a flurry of sword strikes. Reckson dodged most, but a slash caught his arm. Another red flash pulsed across the battlefield. Reckson rolled backward, then flicked his finger at Nathan. Nathan ducked—only for Reckson to appear right in front of him in the same split second.
That explosive speed.
Nathan’s eyes flicked to Reckson’s feet. A fading red glow lingered from the ability’s activation. Nathan pulled his chin inward to protect it from getting hit—
And then Reckson paused. A wide grin appeared on his face. Behind him, a portal shimmered to life.
Nathan’s breath stopped. A soulbound town portal!
“Stop him!” he yelled.
A crossbow bolt shot forward, and Reckson easily dodged. He took a single step backward and fell into the portal, disappearing.
“I think it’s abundantly clear that this is a trap.”
Nathan glanced over at Kason, the speaker, and nodded. “Yeah, and it’s a damn good one. There’s probably an army on the other side waiting to turn us into cooked meat. But if we wait, then that’s to his advantage too. If we try to raid, then we’d be dealing with a highly well-defended town.”
Clarence stepped forward. “You’re forgetting something.” He opened Dither and read through a few messages. “I still have allies there. Plan B.”
Clarence typed in a few messages, then turned to Nathan. “We have to move fast. They’re mobilizing in front of the portal.”
Nathan paused. “Wait, Mara, you think you could soften up the defenders on the other side?”
Mara tilted her head. For a few moments, she seemed utterly confused before realization dawned.
“Oh. OHHHHH! Yeah, that seems like a good idea.”
She reached into her inventory, arms plunging deep before grappling with a giant barrel. With a heave, she yanked it free and dropped it onto the ground. The impact shook the earth from the sheer weight.
“What the hell is that?” Nathan said.
“According to the system, she’s called Big Bertha. A bunker buster. Roll that baby in there, and they’ll be in for the time of their lives.”
Nathan glanced between the portal and the very visible war crime, then gave a thumbs-up.
“Go for it.”
Mara rolled the barrel toward the portal and set it in front. With one big shove, she pushed it through. A split second later, she whipped out her revolver and fired into the portal, following the barrel’s path. Immediately, she dove to the side. Nathan did the same, along with everyone else in the group.
The moment they hit the ground, a white jet of fire exploded from the portal, its heat searing Nathan’s skin. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned away.
After a few seconds of roaring inferno, he hesitantly looked back. The sand had been fused into glass, eerily similar to what had happened when Nathan fought the Dustend and it blasted lightning at him.
“Did it work?” Nathan said.
“Only one way to find out.” Chad stood and strode toward the portal. “I really hope I don’t get turned into Swiss cheese.”
Before Nathan could stop him, Chad stepped through, vanishing with a loud whoosh. For ten seconds, Nathan waited in silence. Then, a foot reappeared, followed by Chad’s head poking back through.
“Hey, guys. Uh, I think you’re gonna want to see this.”
Nathan stood slowly and approached the portal. After a few hesitant steps, he pushed his body through.
Utter destruction. There was no other way to describe it.
The entire area surrounding the portal had been annihilated—reduced to a smoldering crater. In the distance, the outpost fortress burned, its silhouette flickering against the smoke-choked sky. Explosions rattled the air, gunfire peppering the battlefield in sporadic bursts, but the chaos was already fading into an uneasy lull.
“So… is that it?” Chad stared at the burning stronghold. “What’s happening over there?”
Clarence stepped forward, dust coating his cracked armor. “My allies. They escaped the blast. Now they’re seizing the fortress.”
Nathan’s gaze swept the wasteland. “Was Reckson definitely here waiting for us?”
“Yes.” Clarence ground his boot into the ash. “He should’ve been vaporized.”
Nathan scanned the crater again. No armor fragments. No charred remains. Just scorched earth—until a faint crimson flicker caught his eye. He squinted at the anomaly, brow furrowing.
“What is that?”
Clarence groaned. “You’ve got to be joking.”
Dirt erupted as Reckson clawed his way free. His body blazed like a dying star, molten armor fusing with seared flesh. The heat distortion made him appear more demon than man.
Nathan tensed his legs and got ready for the fight of his life.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Not enough,” his voice boomed, shaking the ground beneath their boots. “Not enough.”
A crimson flare erupted from Reckson’s boot. Nathan threw himself sideways as the shockwave sheared off part of his earlobe. Blood dripped down his neck, but he muted the pain—every neuron laser-focused on Reckson.
He parried a white, gleaming fist, the impact numbing his arm to the shoulder. Reckson’s chest plates heaved. A microsecond hitch in his rhythm. Nathan’s combat reflexes latched onto the weakness—
Chad’s blade arced toward Reckson’s spine. The warlord staggered, then flicked a finger. No physical contact—just the shockwave alone sent Chad tumbling through the air.
