Apocalypse Knights 2: A LitRPG Fantasy, page 23
Garlocke ate the skull of the warhammer’s wielder. Despite his barding, the raptor’s cheeks and side now bore dozens of dripping wounds. A saber hacked off Garlocke’s left forelimb. The raptor roared and ripped out the swordsman’s throat with his teeth. Max inhaled, forcibly drawing breath into his lungs and driving back the darkness that threatened to close in upon his vision.
A ring of crimson light spiraled around his right shoulder, then manifested into the snarling visage of a woman with canine fangs. Max recognized that face. It had been Nesura’s before her death. A trail of blood-hued light speared from the woman’s open mouth to strike a Hunnite in the chest. The man reeled in his saddle, before being swallowed by the swirling melee. Some of the pain in Max’s side faded.
Was that Nesura’s Siphon Life spell? he thought.
“You’re welcome,” the bat whispered into his mind.
The world became a small, noisy, and bloody place for Max. A Hunnite’s head flew free above the path of a Moonlit Reflection Arc. Crashing Iron parted a man’s ribs and spilled his viscera over the back of his horse. Stridentsong parted a rider’s face, then tore into another’s spine. A Stone Spear blasting from the tip of his Magus Staff punched through a trio of torsos.
A javelin struck him in the side with just enough force to punch through the plate and sink an inch into his flesh. A handaxe bashed against his visor, snapping his head back. A lance tore a strip of flesh free from Garlocke’s shoulder. Still the raptor pressed forward with Max on his back. Max cut and blasted. Garlocke bit and clawed. They killed and killed.
And killed.
And suddenly they were through, emerging from the back of the Hunnite cavalry formation in a whirlwind of blood and scattered limbs. Ranks of startled infantry blanched at the sight of Max astride Garlocke as the raptor strode toward them.
Barked orders rang from a Hunnite in the second rank of the infantry. A spear wall rose to bar Max’s path, as a multitude of Shield spells rose on his flanks to cut off any attempt to circle away.
A crossbow bolt sliced into the throat of the Hunnite who’d shouted the orders. Max’s gaze drifted to his left. Astride a magical mount, Ike and Vengar were galloping across the roofs of the buildings running parallel to Hisktown’s main street. Vengar pulled the trigger of his bow repeatedly. His hail of bolts cut down another two Hunnites before more Shield spells rose to block the projectiles.
A boulder as large as Garlocke crashed through the Shield spells in front of Max and tumbled into the Hunnite spear wall, breaking shafts and scattering men. A swift upward glance told Max that Trisha was overhead once more, her hands ablaze with ochre light. More boulders began to coalesce behind her.
Max bid Garlocke continue his advance. The raptor plunged into the midst of startled infantry, but instead of scything necks and faces and opening up bowels with his remaining toe claws, he pushed forward, concentrating more on barging his way through than killing. Astride a mount amongst infantry, Max was a much more prominent and easier target than he’d been amidst the cavalry. But men were lighter than horses and therefore easier for a two thousand pound raptor to trample or knock aside.
There were more infantry than cavalry, as Max had estimated, but caught mid-march and unbraced, the Hunnite foot soldiers scarcely had the time or presence of mind to take more than a dozen swings at Garlocke before the raptor was bursting through their rear ranks and striding free, leaving a trail of broken and cloven bodies in his wake.
As Garlocke pulled away from the Hunnites, Max dismissed Stridentsong and brought forth a Health potion from his ring of holding. At the same time, he cast Mid Heal on the raptor. The spell stemmed the worst of the bleeding but was hardly enough to restore Garlocke’s missing forelimb.
“Hmm. Good,” the raptor rumbled as Max ripped the javelin in his side free and tipped back the contents of the Health potion. “Human flesh is tasty.”
“Glad you liked it,” Max said, feeling the agony of his wounds recede. He cast Mid Heal again on Garlocke, closing more of the raptor’s wounds.
Max had truly caught the attention of the Hunnites now. If he’d just stayed on the fringes and cast spells from afar, they would have simply ignored him and continued their pursuit of the Apocalypse Knights. But he’d carved a bloody path through them. Knowing Hunnite culture, Max was sure that the more formidable Knights-Errant in their midst were now clamoring to challenge him. The Hunnite advance would halt, at least long enough for them to detach a dedicated force of elites to hunt Max down.
Nesura had been cackling for a while by now, her mirth and delight ringing through the back of Max’s mind as he cut his way through the Hunnites.
“What’re you laughing about?” he demanded.
“See for yourself,” she replied, projecting a Soul Lens screen.
Tides of Carnage have been unleashed
Condition: Bloodshed amongst Knights-Errant (fulfilled)
“What does this mean?” Max asked. “Bloodshed amongst Knights-Errant? Something has happened because I killed another Knight-Errant? That’s ridiculous! I can’t have been the first one to do something like that!”
“Beyond the Apocalypse Horizon, your world is still stuck in Phase 4. The Cosmic Logos introduced the Tides of Carnage in Phase 10, something that only unfolds after internecine slaughter amongst Knights-Errant,” Nesura explained. The familiar adjusted the Soul Lens screen. “And you’re the first to kill another Knight-Errant here, where it’s Phase 99.”
Sagas:
Beast-Slayer
Defeated a monster 1 Level higher solo
+5% damage and status effect intensity and duration to monsters
High Mage (pending)
Convert 10 spells to thought-casting
-10% to all Mana Costs; +10% to effects of all spells; -10% casting time of all spells
Progress: 1/10
Ignominy
Utterly humiliated and defeated a higher-Level monster
Acquire spirit familiar
Intrepid Errantry
Defeated multiple monsters 1 Level higher solo
+10% Victory Shard acquisition
Killer
Slew 20 fellow Knights-Errant
+20% Carnage Shard acquisition
Slaughterer
Slew 50 fellow Knights-Errant
+30% Carnage Shard acquisition
Kinslayer
Was first to slay a fellow Knight-Errant in this world
+50% Carnage Shard acquisition
“Welcome to a world awash in the Tides of Carnage!” Nesura cried, her voice filled with unhinged joy. “Let slaughter commence! Kill and be killed! Seas of blood! Mountains of skulls! An eternity of screams and murder!”
“Eh. Doesn’t sound too bad,” Garlocke said, still carrying Max away from the Hunnites.
“Wait. Stop, Garlocke. Turn around,” Max instructed. The raptor slowed to a halt, then dutifully wheeled about, so that Max was facing the back of the Hunnite formations.
The Hunnite Knights-Errant were in disarray, probably because they’d also just received the notification regarding the Tides of Carnage upon their Soul Lenses. Many of them were staring at amber screens and muttering to one another, too startled to pursue Max.
Nesura summoned another Soul Lens screen.
Carnage Shards: 106
Level 2 attained in Carnage Classification
“Congratulations, Max!” she said. “Every Classification has a Carnage counterpart. The Arcanist’s is the Exploiter Carnage Classification. Knowing you, you’re going to love it.”
She adjusted the Soul Lens screen.
Exploiter
Knight-Errant adept at corrupting the Carnage spells and abilities of other Knights-Errant. Relies primarily on the Subvert spell.
Subvert
Instantaneous spell
Level 2
Subversion Strength: 2
Mana Cost: 14
Has one of the following effects:
1) reassigns target debilitation spells
2) seizes brief control of summoned creature or familiar
3) gains boosts to physical attributes from existing status afflictions on self or cohort member
Max’s gaze flickered to the subversion strength of the spell.
If it’s anything similar to my Arcane Flux spell, a subversion strength of two probably means that I need a single cast of Subvert to affect a Level 2 spell and more than that for higher Level spells, he reasoned. This could be useful, but I don’t think any of the other Classifications have spells or abilities that debilitate, afflict, or summon.
“See? That’s where you’re wrong, Max,” Nesura said.
Chapter 24
Trisha, standing on her flying disc, swooped down beside Max. The Elementalist’s eyes were wide with horror as she looked down at her hands.
She’s never killed another human being before, and it’s just sinking in now for her, Max thought.
“Get back into the skies,” he said to her. “We don’t know when the Hunnites will come to their senses, and some of them have javelins.”
“I…” Trisha met Max’s gaze. She gulped a few times before she could speak coherently. “Our Soul Lenses…”
“I know. You’ve got a Carnage Classification now. And Carnage Shards, too.” Max resisted the urge to reach out and shake her by the collar. “It has to do with the fact that we’re in Phase 99 here, while the world in our timeline has been stuck at Phase 4 since Pureheart’s Sacrifice.”
“But why…?” The Elementalist was hyperventilating. “Why did this happen? What did I...”
Max caught her wrist in a grip that wasn’t incapacitating, yet uncomfortable enough to make Trisha wince.
“This happened because I killed another Knight-Errant!” he barked. “You did too, and if you don’t get up in the skies right now, the friends of those you killed will come over and kill you as well!”
Trisha blinked a few times, before mutely ascending upon her flying disc once more. She was a Level 4 Knight-Errant after all, which meant that at the end of the day, she was still a seasoned veteran of many Dungeons and slayer of thousands of monsters.
Still, monsters disappear after they die. People don’t. Max sighed as he turned his attention back to the milling Hunnites. A trio of riders had emerged from the midst of the infantry, each of them clad in plate armor that was slightly more ornate than that worn by most of the cavalrymen.
The foremost bore a glaive in his right hand. He wore no helm. A dark topknot swung wildly from his shaven skull. The rider to his left hid his face behind a fully visored helm. A tasseled spear hung loosely by his side, held in a relaxed grip that spoke of sublime skill. The third was a swordsman, twirling a saber in each hand. He wore an open faced winged helm.
“Khankiller!” the top-knotted glaive-wielder called out in a thick Hunnite accent. “Find within yourself the courage to face us, the Three Fangs of the Steel Hearts!”
“Three Fangs? Steel Hearts?” Nesura mused. “The latter’s the name of another Knights-Errant guild, I’m guessing, and the Three Fangs are what these clowns call themselves.”
“You’re probably right,” Max agreed, before raising his voice. “Just the three of you are coming for me? What about the rest of your friends?”
“There is no need for our lesser brothers and sisters to lose their lives beneath your superlative skill, Khankiller,” Topknot said. “I, Bataar Arbangiin, will see to your apprehension.”
“As will I, Gansukh Arbangiin,” the spearman added.
“And I, Oktai Arbangiin,” the swordsman said. “We will present you, limbless and mewling to our Master, Guyuk Altaigiin, while the others proceed to spill Valerisen blood in this Winds-forsaken place.”
“Great. Brothers,” Max muttered beneath his breath, surreptitiously casting Lightning Edge over Stridentsong and ramming the blade into his Amplification Sheath.
“I’ll help you, Max!” Trisha called. The Elementalist began to descend.
“No,” Max replied. “I’ve got this. Join up with Vengar and Ike and see if you can find Jonn. You know where he’s heading. The three of you should be able to move faster than the rest of these clowns. Get there first and repel the Hunnites.”
“We’re alive, alright,” Ike called, cantering his mount into view. He and Vengar had emerged from a side alley, and they were standing about fifty feet behind Max. “I know my way around Hisktown, so finding Jonn won’t be a problem for us, but are you sure you don’t need help with these three? They’re not like the rest of the poor bastards you hacked your way through.”
Nesura helpfully scanned the Arbangiin brothers.
Bataar Arbangiin
Level 4 Warmonger; Level 1 Torturer
Gansukh Arbangiin
Level 4 Defender; Level 1 Desecrator
Oktai Arbangiin
Level 4 Infiltrator; Level 1 Afflictor
“I’ll be fine. Get moving. I’ll be right behind you. This won’t take long,” Max said, frowning as he read off the Soul Lens screen. Those are their Carnage classes, I’m guessing. I should find out what their abilities are.
“Won’t take long?” Bataar growled. “Your arrogance will be your undoing, Khankiller. I, Bataar, have slain ten Level 4 ogres with my own hands! I have vanquished a hundred Level 3 Dungeons alone! I am—”
“Wasting my damn time,” Max snapped. “If you three want a fight, I’ll give you your last one.”
He looked past the shoulders of the Arbangiin brothers. The rest of the Hunnites were moving once more. The going would be significantly tougher and trickier for them once they got past the central area and the clock tower, since the northern parts of Hisktown consisted of small, narrow streets. The Hunnites also didn’t know where the Apocalypse Knights were withdrawing to. There were undoubtedly trackers in the Hunnite ranks, but having them do the work was still more time bought for Jonn to bring the Apocalypse Knights to the precinct building and entrench themselves there.
The Steel Hearts, eh? Max rolled the name of the Hunnite guild over in his head. The Hunnites here were all Knights-Errant, but judging from how they’d advanced in fairly standard military formations, they’d also all undergone some form of military training. Perhaps in the wake of the war, the Khagan—the Khan of Khans—had finally decided to take the less-formidable or newer Knights-Errant of his people in hand and induct them formally into his armies. The Dominion’s Oligarchs, in contrast, had always been either unable or unwilling to do the same.
That possibility carried with it several implications. First, it accounted for the fact that the Steel Hearts were composed of semi-trained, relatively low-Level Knights-Errant led by a smaller core of high-Level elites. Second, it meant that Guyuk was indeed a formal member of the Khanate’s military, probably the equivalent of a general or at least a colonel. Last, if all that were true, a foreign army had somehow traversed Dominion territory and was now moving to kill Valerisen citizens.
No ‘somehow’ about that, Max thought sourly. The Slayer helped the Steel Hearts get here through Dominion soil. That’s treason on top of all his other crimes.
“Look, the three of you are on horses,” Max said as the Arbangiin brothers drew closer. “My mount far outclasses yours. I say we fight on foot, for fairness’s sake.”
“Your honor, at least, matches your confidence, Khankiller,” Bataar growled. He glanced at his brothers, who nodded back at him. “Very well. We shall dismount and do battle.”
Max glanced over his shoulder at Vengar and Ike.
“Go! What’re you waiting for?” he barked.
Ike pulled on the reins of his mount, and the shadowy horse wisped from sight as it wheeled, only to reappear on top of a building, its riders still astride its back.
“Stay alive, Max!” Vengar said, before Ike’s mount broke out into a full on gallop across Hisktown’s rooftops. Upon her flying disc, Trisha sped off as well, trailing after them. Max severed the cohort link as the Hunnite brothers dismounted and continued their approach.
Max hopped off Garlocke as well. He patted the raptor’s side. “Good job back there, Garlocke. We’ll be done here in a bit. Just get ready to move.”
Garlocke dipped his head in wordless acquiescence. Max walked away from the raptor and toward the Hunnites. He came to halt ten feet from them. They stopped as well.
“I, Bataar Arbangiin, shall face you first, Khankiller!” Bataar said, striding ahead of his brothers, his glaive held at the ready.
“No, I don’t have the time for this.” Max beckoned to the Hunnites. “I’ll take on all three of you at once. Let’s get this over with.”
Bataar and Oktai’s eyes widened in outrage. Gansukh’s face was hidden, but every line in his suddenly stiffened body language screamed offense. Max couldn’t care less for their hurt feelings.
“He wants to be treated like a monster,” Oktai growled. “Not as an enemy warrior, nor as a human being.”
“Exactly. You’re Hunnite scum,” Max spat. “I don’t consider your kind human beings either, so that puts us on the same page.”
“I wonder when his mind will break,” Gansukh hissed as he leveled his tasseled spear and took up a position behind Bataar’s left flank. “Right after we remove his limbs and nail him to our Master’s chariot, or when the reality of his situation finally sinks in?”
“He won’t have a mind left to be broken after our Master steals his will,” Oktai said, circling away from his brothers. The Infiltrator vanished from sight mid-stride.
