Apocalypse Knights 1: A LitRPG Fantasy, page 36
“How would I go about doing that? Put you on Turanos’s anvil alongside another soul-bound item and do the same thing?” Max asked.
“No. That’s stupid.” Nesura frowned, glaring at Max. Some of the snarkiness had begun to return to her speech and demeanor, which he was utterly fine with. The spirit familiar’s sudden bout of broken submissiveness was starting to unnerve him. He didn’t need her to be fawning and servile, just civil and cooperative.
“You’ll need the Animus skill to begin the Spiritual Binding process and a spirit core to enhance me in this manner,” she continued. “You’ll have to obtain the Animus skill from a fellow Knight-Errant with the Spirit Binder Classification or a Crucible agent that possesses it. As for a spirit core, you’ll have to hunt and slay spirit beasts, which appear within Crucibles, I mean Dungeons, on rare occasions.”
“Basically one of those special condition monsters, then,” Max reasoned.
“Not exactly. Spirit beasts are much rarer,” Nesura said. “Spirit Binder Knights-Errant can receive Spirit Shards in lieu of Victory Shards, and given enough Spirit Shards, they can create a spirit core, allowing them to enhance their familiars.”
“Spirit Binder is another Classification, then?” Max shook his head wearily. “Just like Artificer and Duelist?”
“That’s strange.” Nesura managed to wriggle one of her foreclaws free to scratch the top of her head. “Your memories are telling me that up until recently, the Knights-Errant of your world know only about the four basic Classifications, but it has been thousands of cosmic cycles since many more have been created by the Cosmic Logos. Surely you’re not the only Arcanist among your comrades? It’s one of the rarest Classifications, but still...”
“Actually, I am,” Max said. “And no, as far as I’m aware. There haven’t been any Knights-Errant who aren’t Warmongers, Elementalists, Defenders, or Infiltrators since the first Dungeon appeared roughly two hundred years ago.”
“Odd. Very odd.” Nesura pulled up a screen from Max’s Soul Lens. “Let me check...”
Phase 99
“Well, you’re in the latest Crucible Phase,” she said. “So...”
“The Soul Lens of every other Knight-Errant I know says ‘Phase 4’ on theirs,” Max said. “When they enter the Apocalypse Horizon, this changes to ‘Phase 99’, but it goes back to ‘Phase 4’ when they leave.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing, and I’ve been a Crucible agent for more than eight hundred cosmic cycles already.” Nesura glared at Max again. “Is this your idea of a joke? If so, you have a lousy sense of humor.”
“No, I’m not joking.” Max slumped his shoulders, suddenly feeling very tired. “Look, let’s get out of here. I’ll bring you out of the Apocalypse Horizon, and you can see for yourself.”
Sometime during the Flux Fabrication process, a violet sphere had materialized over where the Warden had perished. Apart from its hue, it was remarkably similar to the one Max had seen in the Kobold Hills, right down to the crimson runic script crawling across its surface.
“Go on then. Break it,” Nesura prompted. “Get this over with so we can go unravel this enigma about your world’s Crucible Phase.”
Max summoned Stridentsong to his grasp and raised the blade, preparing to slice the Dungeon core in half, but something within his soul bade him to stop.
“What’s the matter?” the spirit familiar asked. “Once a Dungeon’s Warden has been defeated, even the slightest impact from a Knight-Errant will destroy its core.”
“I want to try something,” he replied, lowering his blade and pointing the fingers of his left hand at the core instead. On the outskirts of apocalyptic Hisktown, his Temporal Equalization spell had changed, manifesting a pocket-watch with hands that pointed to the Feast of Dusk. He’d felt his spell pull him toward the Dungeon then, and now he felt the same urge again, only much stronger this time.
Giving in to the urge, Max cast Temporal Equalization, calling forth a pocket-watch of green light. The clock hands spun, and an eerie ticking sound filled the air. The pocket-watch pulled the Dungeon’s core into its heart. Cracks in the air, similar to those in a mirror struck hard enough, appeared in the air all around him.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
“The core has been... neutralized somehow by your Temporal Equalization spell,” Nesura said, her voice breathy with equal parts awe and confusion. “So we’re leaving the Dungeon.”
More cracks appeared around Max. It was a strange and unsettling sight, as if reality itself were breaking apart around him. And then the entire sitting room flew apart. There was no other way to describe it. The walls, pillars, and furniture flattened out, becoming two-dimensional images to Max’s eyes, then scattered into oblivion, leaving him standing in the midst of pitch-black darkness.
He blinked.
Then he opened his eyes to find himself standing once more on the desolate streets of apocalyptic Hisktown, surrounded by a horde of cowering crimson and devourer ghouls. A massive ornate clock tower stood before him, easily three times as tall as the one that had originally stood there. It was made up of the same green light that radiated from his body whenever he cast Temporal Equalization, its sides smooth and sloping, devoid of any entrance Max could spot.
The clock tower tolled once. Max was too close to its base to see its bell, but the chime that rang from its depths was both sweet yet ominous. A wave of green light emanated from it, rolling across Max and the ghouls. The monsters shrieked in horror and fled, disappearing amidst the ruins of Hisktown.
Max followed the pulse of emerald radiance with his eyes as it kept spreading, becoming larger with every passing moment. After several minutes, it eventually settled into a shimmering bubble, which reached high into the heavens and far beyond the outskirts of Hisktown, judging by the curvature of its inner surfaces.
“What...” Nesura spluttered in obvious confusion. “What was that?”
“I’m not sure myself, but I think that we don’t have to worry about Level 99 monsters anymore, at least not within the area covered by this clock tower,” Max said.
“Yes, that strange situation you mentioned about that Knight-Errant called Artur Brightblade...” Nesura mused. “The Crucible is now at Phase 99 and has been for a very long time, but I don’t believe any other worlds are beset by Level 99 monsters. In fact, as far as I can tell, the highest Level I’ve seen on a Challenger or Knight-Errant is 12. Anything above that is unheard of, even among the mightiest of my kin and our extensive information network. Something very unusual has occurred with your world, and like you, I believe this Artur Brightblade is responsible.”
“We’ll have to figure this out.” Max looked up at the clock tower and reached out to it with his hand. As soon as his fingers brushed its ethereal surface, green light filled his vision. When it cleared, he found himself standing just beneath the tower’s bell, high above the ruins of Hisktown.
“By the Verdant Gods!” He gasped, falling to his knees in surprise. A startled squeak escaped Nesura as well.
“Look!” she hissed. “Right above your head!”
Max peered up, his gaze sweeping over the ghostly bell. Strange runic script flowed across its rim, and he guessed that if he were to somehow climb high enough to look at its domed exterior, he would find the latter similarly adorned as well.
No damn way I’m going to do that. Max shrugged. “What a strange sight, eh?”
“No, not the bell.” Nesura sighed and pointed awkwardly with one of her foreclaws. “That, closer to your head.”
With a start, Max realized that he’d been looking through the transparent background of a screen not unlike those projected by his Soul Lens. He took a few careful steps back, giving him enough room to read the words crawling across its surface.
Temporal Equalization Complete
Time to next temporal destabilization: 11.23.55.12
The last number behind “temporal destabilization” became “11” even as Max blinked, and he quickly realized that he was looking at some kind of hourglass, albeit one with its time remaining laid out in unambiguous numbers.
Five minutes or so have passed since this clock tower appeared. Which means that I have just under twelve days before this temporal destabilization occurs, whatever it is, Max thought. He read further.
Equalize next temporal locus to prevent temporal destabilization
Beneath those words, Max saw an ornate compass wheel, rendered three-dimensional in green light and laying flat, its base parallel to the floor of the clock tower’s bell chamber. The compass’s north arrow pointed off into the distance. Max turned his gaze to where it pointed, his heart sinking as he knew what he would find.
Sure enough, beyond the interior borders of Hisktown, deep within the heart of Misktown, a massive, unnatural structure coiled into the heavens. Max pulled out his looking glass and peered through it from the elevated vantage point the clock tower afforded him. The Dungeon was a tower of twisted stone, standing twice as tall as all the other buildings around it.
Misktown’s shared border with Hisktown is less than ten minutes’ walk from Sunflower Avenue and Corvis’s house. Max’s thoughts turned bleak as he realized that Corvis and his family must have perished in the Apocalypse Horizon, along with everyone else. He clenched his jaw as he put his looking glass away. Well, I’m not going to let that happen in my timeline. I’m going to fix this, and then I’m going to find that bastard Artur and if he’s really responsible for this mess, I’m going to kill him.
Max angled his Soul Lens at the distant Dungeon. He estimated that it was nearly twenty miles away, which was a substantial hike, especially now that the trams weren’t running and the streets were infested with monsters. To his surprise, the scan was successful despite the distance.
Graywind Mage Tower
Dungeon: Level 99
Monsters
UNKNOWN
“Looks like that’s our next destination,” Max said, before glancing back at the clock. “We’ve got some time to make it there and slay its Warden.”
“More than enough, actually,” Nesura agreed. “But I’d suggest going in with some allies this time. You were extremely lucky to have survived the Feast of Dusk.”
“You’re right.” Max sighed. He winced as he studied Jonn’s potion cache. Less than a dozen High Mana potions were left, which meant that he’d consumed nearly forty gold coins worth of potions. That was an expense easily capable of setting a minor noble family onto the spiraling path of interest-laden debts and eventually bankruptcy.
He didn’t think Jonn would begrudge him the potions, but his current strategy of hurling spells with wanton abandon clearly wasn’t sustainable. If he’d had Boris, Marina, and Felix by his side, he would have been able to overcome the Feast of Dusk in a much more measured and systematic manner.
“Let’s get out of the Apocalypse Horizon. I need to report to Jonn, and then we’ll figure things out from there,” Max said.
“Sure.” Nesura swept her gaze around emphatically. “You’ll be able to do that once you figure out how we can get down from here.”
“Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem.” Max crouched down and ran his hands against the ghostly floor of the bell chamber. Nothing happened. He passed his hands through the screen with a similar lack of results. Max walked to the side of the bell chamber and peered over its guardrail. The ground was a long way down.
“Don’t even think of using Umbral Teleport,” Nesura warned. “It brings you anywhere you can see, but the longer the distance you need to cover, the more time you have to spend within the umbral realm while the spell works. You barely lasted a single second when you used it during your fight with the Strigoi scion. If you cast Umbral Teleport from all the way up here, the miasmic backlash would have turned you into a zombie or skeletal puppet by the time you arrive on the ground. Or a ghoul, if you’re lucky.”
“You said there are ways for me to overcome this miasmic backlash,” Max said. “What are they?”
“Well, I already told you, didn’t I?” She tittered, almost maliciously. “The first is becoming an undead entity yourself. Like I said, you would be an excellent vampire. Or a lich, given your penchant for casting spells.”
“The second is enchanted items that counteract miasmic backlash, as you mentioned,” Max continued for her. “I don’t suppose you have any on you right now.”
“Do I look like I have pockets?” Nesura snapped. “I lost all my possessions when you killed me, remember?”
“Huh. That’s true. All that fancy jewelry and those really nice swords all disappeared along with your body.” Max sighed wearily. “What a shame. They would fetch a nice handful of coins, I’m sure.”
“Well, I, for one, am glad that you didn’t have the chance to rob my corpse.” Nesura sniffed.
“Why is that, though?” Max persisted, thinking of the kobolds and orcs he’d fought. “Why do the weapons and equipment of monsters dissipate along with their bodies when they’re slain?”
“The Cosmic Logos doesn’t want the Crucible Challengers receiving any rewards beyond those that it deems fit,” she replied. “That’s why slain monsters only yield metal pieces and Victory Shards in accordance with their Level. Sometimes, the Cosmic Logos is kind enough to have slain monsters leave behind enchanted items of varying rarity.”
“The Cosmic Logos can kiss my ass.” Max growled, drawing a sharp hiss of breath from Nesura.
“Silence, you idiot!” the spirit familiar said. “Don’t blaspheme against the Cosmic Logos, lest it smite you from existence!”
“If it hasn’t done so already, it isn’t going to.” Max stood, stretched the muscles of his neck, and rolled his shoulders. His fingers brushed the clapper of the bell. Green light filled his vision once more, and when it faded, he found himself on the ground again.
“Ah, there you go,” he said. “That wasn’t so difficult, was it?”
“Pure dumb luck,” Nesura spat. “That’s what got you this far. Along with your utter lack of honor and your willingness to cheat in duels...”
Max ignored the spirit familiar as she began a tirade of obscenity laden grumbling. At least this time she was doing it mostly under her breath, which was a marked improvement, as far as he was concerned.
He retrieved a Warp Dais and put it at the base of the clock tower, before sitting down and skimming the instruction booklet. As he read, movement flickered at the corners of his vision: ghouls, lurking in the shadows of the desolate buildings nearby. But the monsters did not approach, probably because they were afraid of the massive, glowing structure.
“This rune attunes it with the closest established Dais,” he muttered, depressing a raised runic relief on the Warp Dais’s surface. I hope it works. I really don’t want to run through that damned Stone Maze again.
To his relief, the enchanted item rippled with a soft blue radiance. The real world, where there weren’t any Level 99 monsters, where Corvis and Sava still lived, was a hop across two Warp Daises and a skip into a portal away.
Max stepped onto the Dais.
Chapter 28
UNKNOWN
Dungeon
Level 3
Monsters
UNKNOWN
Incursion Deferred: 11:23:21:14
Temporal Equalization (Heroic Resolve implemented)
Instantaneous spell
Level 2
Range: 20 feet
Temporal stabilization in effect: 11:23:14:12
Looks like the way time flows differently in the Apocalypse Horizon doesn’t affect when the next monster horde will appear, Max thought, before lowering his Soul Lens. He stepped away from the portal in the stone building the Knights-Errant termed the Forlorn Dungeon.
There were two possibilities. The first was that a monster horde did appear, and it had either been stopped by whatever forces Jonn had managed to rally or it was currently killing everybody in Hisktown.
The second was that Max had somehow managed to stop a Level 3 monster horde from emerging, at least for a while. Shaking his head, he turned to the featureless doorway and walked toward it. He barely made it five strides before a startled yip jumped from Nesura.
“What is it?” he asked, frowning. “You’d better not have relieved yourself in my belt pouch.”
“Oh, I did that many hours ago, and a few times too. But that’s not important right now,” she replied distractedly. “This is your world, then? It’s... I won’t say cut off, because that’s not entirely true. Its connection to the Cosmic Logos is... muddied, for lack of a better word. The Cosmic Logos’s will cannot unfold here to its intended extent. It has somehow been blocked, stifled even. This might explain why your Knights-Errant are stuck at Phase 4, and none of them can advance beyond Level 4.”
“You can feel this?” Max unbuckled his belt pouch and dumped the bat out. To his horror and disgust, she hadn’t been lying about having relieved herself. He gagged as he held his belt pouch out at arm’s length. No amount of cleaning or scouring would ever render it usable again.
“Yes, I can.” Nesura flapped her wings and rose into the air. “I’m surprised you can’t. But then again, I really shouldn’t expect you to be anything but obtuse.”
Something that stifles the Cosmic Logos’s will... Max felt his heart lurch as he made the connection between the spirit familiar’s words and the colossal tree that prevented Dungeons from appearing within the Dominion’s borders. “Pureheart’s Sacrifice! Could that be it?”
“What is a Pureheart’s Sacrifice?” Nesura asked, before her eyes widened in awe as she read Max’s memories. “No! That can’t be true! Accomplishing something like that would require power enough to challenge the Cosmic Logos itself!”
