Tower Apocalypse 3, page 34
It wrenched its head up at me, staring with its single eye, but then it let out one last rattling breath and died.
I let out a long sigh, then pulled out my potions to recover my health.
Although I’d beaten the gorgon, I didn’t get a notification about the mission ending. The ninth floor wasn’t done yet. I still had more fighting, and if I had to guess, it had something to do with those explosions in the distance.
Perhaps there were other survivors. Like last time, I’d probably have to help them.
I pulled up the World Event tab. I still had eighteen hours to go, but that wasn’t the only race against time. Considering the capriciousness of the Demigods, Luparia might just reward Verdunn without giving me a chance.
“System. Is Verdunn already done with this floor?” I asked.
“No, he hasn’t started it yet. You can check the current status of your Archon progression by opening the Archon window.”
I approached the dead flasgin and gorgon to loot their gear before leaving.
YOU HAVE RECEIVED AN ITEM
GORGON CHAIN MACE
ATTACK +90
SPECIAL
+15% chance to stun the target
The gorgon’s item was simple but effective.
Ninety attack points and a stun effect. It wouldn’t fit on Reiny, since he could only fuse with hammers, but it might work with Shai’s odd tail attachment, which was a composite of many different items. Chaining stuns with my durable summon was a powerful combo.
If not, maybe one of our tanks like Ben or Rhino…
As for the flasgin, they all had similar items. Not all of them offered loot, but the ones that did draw from three different item types.
YOU HAVE RECEIVED AN ITEM
SYNTHETIC ARMOR V3
HEALTH / DEFENSE
+70 / +20
SPECIAL
Deflect 15% of received damage
SHOCK SPEAR
ATTACK / FORCE
+75 / +50
SPECIAL
+30% to electrocute the target
SYNTHETIC BOOTS V3
HEALTH / DEFENSE
+80 / +20
SPECIAL
+10% to movement speed
It turned out that the poles with electrified tips were called Shock Spears. That was as good of a description for them as anything.
I received several new spears, as well as boots and armor. However, none of their pants, helmets, or gloves had dropped. Either they were unusually rare or they couldn’t be used by players.
I heard a loud hiss, and I jerked around.
The small vessel was taking off. I’d thought that everybody inside had already left…
I squinted and saw a small window at the corner of the sphere. Inside was a rabbit person at the controls. He had a frightened, timid expression, and he kept looking back at me.
I gauged the distance between myself and the sphere. It was flying away, but the loading dock all the enemies emerged from was still open.
“Oh, no you won’t,” I grinned, sprinting towards the spherical craft.
The rabbit person jolted in surprise. There was a loud screech, and then the sphere started closing up again, but it was too late.
I concentrated force in my feet to bolster my strength, then jumped.
I flew through the air, then landed with a heavy thud inside. I slid and hit my head against something hard—maybe a chair?
I saw stars for a moment, but then I shook them off. Compared to getting hit in the head by that giant gorgon, this was nothing.
The inside of the ship looked much larger than I’d expected from the outside. There were several rows of seats, which looked like they were for the flasgin v3. A large oversized seat in the center, almost like a throne, must have been for the gorgon.
Unfortunately, there were no weapon crates. The enemies must have taken everything with them to attack us.
The only thing of interest was the closed door at the very end, where I heard a bunch of muffled protests.
I walked up to the door and knocked.
“Any chance you’ll open up for me?”
The voice on the other side was high-pitched and squealy. Now that I’d come to Gaea, I knew that there was a diverse array of rabbit people. This guy sounded a lot more like what I’d think a rabbit person talked like. “No! You’re not coming in! Amko isn’t opening up for anyone! I’ll just—oh, yes! I’ll fly you back to the ship and let them deal with you! Yes, that’s good! Amko will just let the scary guys deal with the invader!”
“Amko?” I asked. “Are you Amko?”
“Yes! Who wants to know? Oh, wait, you’re—don’t try and confuse Amko!”
This guy seemed very panicky and not very smart.
Maybe I could take advantage of this to gather some more information.
From the sounds of it, he was already going to take me back to the ship.
Considering the sheer devastation of those force cannons, I knew I’d rather attack inside the ship than fight on the outside. It would make my life a lot easier if the enemy couldn’t target me with those things.
I put my katana and wakizashi away, then raised both my hands to the small window, showing they were empty. “Hey. Look. I’m unarmed and I have no weapons.”
The rabbit person—Amko—stuck his head up to the window, then briefly nodded. “Okay. Okay. I see you have no weapons. What do you want?”
“Can you let me inside? I won’t hurt you. I just want to see what happened to the city.”
Based on the distant explosions, fighting was still going on, even if it was restricted to the smaller scout ships. If I could find any allies, they’d be sorely appreciated.
There was a long pause, and then Amko agreed.
“Okay! I’ll let you in. But I’m still taking you back to the ship! I need to show them the troublemaker! That way, I’ll get a promotion!”
Considering what I wanted to do, I doubted he’d get a promotion. Hell, there might not even be anyone alive to give him a promotion.
Of course, I kept that thought to myself.
The door slid open and I walked in, gaping out the window.
At the edge of the forest, I hadn’t gotten a good look at the city.
Now, I never would.
The once-magnificent city had been reduced to rubble. Fallen pillars and towers were strewn about the ruins, crumbling, burning, and smoking.
A few of the buildings were still intact, and I could see domed force shields covering them up. Based on the tiny dots, presumably, the world’s inhabitants, running towards them, they were either refugee shelters or key military locations, but it didn’t matter.
I didn’t think they were long for this world.
More and more of the spherical scout craft were floating toward those buildings, and soon the defenders would be overwhelmed.
I glanced up at the mothership. That was probably the only way to end the carnage.
A string of incoherent beeps and squeaks came from the console, and the rabbit whispered something to himself. Then, blue light flooded the ship, and we were pulled towards the mothership.
The tractor beam brought our small transporter up to the ship’s port. Then, a massive steel door slid open and we disappeared into the belly of the beast.
FLOOR 9, PART 2
The tractor beam continued pulling us deeper into the ship.
Around us, the launch chute was pitch black. I could barely make out some metal framing and wiring, but that was it.
However, I knew there were other ships alongside us. I could hear the thrum of additional beams pulling ships back in. Other pods launched themselves out, leaving with an echoing whoosh.
“So, where is the boss?” I asked. “Who are you showing me to?”
The rabbit turned to me, and I frowned.
Before, Amko was jittery and nervous, with a high-pitched noise. It looked like he was about to shake right out of his pilot’s jumpsuit.
Now, his voice was calm and resigned, “I don’t have the heart to take you to my boss.”
My frown grew deeper, “What happened to how you were talking before?” I asked. “You know, the whole speaking in the third person thing.”
“I thought if I sounded weird to you that you’d have pity on me and leave, but I guess I was wrong,” he said. “If I take you to my masters, they’ll kill you. I don’t want anyone to die.”
Hollywood would have been proud of his acting skills—I’d thought Amko was a dim-witted coward. Now, he sounded like a compassionate and reasonable guy.
My respect for him rose dramatically, and I decided to answer honesty with honesty.
“Maybe you’re underestimating me,” I said. “If I kill your masters, you’ll be free. What can you tell me about them?”
Amko shook his head sadly. “I can’t tell you. I literally can’t.”
He pointed at his head, making a finger gun.
He must have had some kind of block in place—maybe even an implanted device that’d kill him if he gave information. Alternatively, it might have been more of the System-focused brainwashing I’d uncovered on the fifth floor.
Either way, I wouldn’t say anything. I didn’t want the System to interfere.
However, Amko seemed friendly. I decided to see what else he could tell me. “Can you tell me anything about force manipulation?”
Amko turned and stared at me.
A haunting expression crossed his face, and then he clenched a furry fist. Light flickered, but only for a moment.
Then it was completely extinguished.
There was power there, but it’d been controlled somehow. The energy was forcibly torn away from his body as soon as he created it.
“Once upon a time, we were the players,” the rabbit man spoke through gritted teeth, “It’s been centuries, but I still remember it.”
“Centuries?” I whispered, “How can you remember that?”
“My people live for hundreds of years unless we’re killed. That’s why they use us to do their bidding—to work their machines and offices, or to work as their clerks. Why train someone new when you can have a single person do the same thing for centuries, right? Once, we were perfect travelers. We could journey far and wide, building on our years of knowledge to create even more joyful experiences. Now, we’re the perfect slaves.”
His words were just like a punch in the guts.
Hundreds of years was a very long time—longer than any human could imagine.
The rabbit people had been forced into a long and brutal life of slavery. They might not have had someone standing next to them with a whip, but it was all the same. Through the System, death was only a heartbeat away.
If I had to guess, it was only because of the Fragment that we were having this conversation undetected anyways.
“Are all your people slaves?” I asked. “There’s no free rabbit people out there in space?”
Amko scoffed. “Rabbit people? That’s what you call us? That’s not what we are, even if that’s what we look like.”
He pointed proudly at his chest. “We’re the flappari.”
The name sounded funny to me, but it probably meant something proud and noble in his own language, so I kept my voice polite and respectful.
“Yes, sorry,” I said. “So, there’s no free flappari in space?”
Amko shook his head. “No. There aren’t. They took us all here. And one day, they’ll do the same to your people as well. You and your companions…you’re already trapped here. And that’s what they’ve done for thousands of years. They’ve enslaved every race they’ve come across. First, they make you play their demented game. Then, once they find out your capabilities…”
He trailed off, but I didn’t need him to keep going.
Amko had once been strong. I could tell that much from the mere flicker. In his prime, he probably would have been stronger than me, and he was just a random flappari.
For all I knew, there were plenty of them who’d achieved great power.
It didn’t matter—they’d all become slaves.
Amko glanced nervously out the window, then frowned. “I’m not sure how we’re having this conversation,” he said. “I think it might be because you’re the first person to think of jumping onto a pod. I don’t know how much longer we have, but I’d like to tell you a story about my people. Would you care to listen?”
I glanced outside the window too. The black chute was still whirling past us, and soon we’d be back at the loading dock.
I didn’t know what would happen when we arrived, but I wanted as much information as possible.
I nodded. “Yes. Please tell me everything.”
Amko’s face lit up. “Our homeland was beautiful. Green meadows as far as the eye could see and rivers as clean as the very air. There was plenty to eat and enough room for everyone, but we were naïve. My people never thought there might be someone out there who could hurt us. Oh, how wrong we were. They came from the skies. The giant tower destroyed our most beautiful lake. The water drained away, and all the fish died.”
“Something like that happened to us too,” I replied.
Even now, it felt downright bizarre that anyone possessed such absurd power. After staying on Gaea, I now realized that force had some kind of technological component, but it was still so advanced it seemed like magic.
“We didn’t know what to do,” Amko replied. “My people lived in herds and we barely had any technology. Our burrows were made from clay and wood. When thrown into the Great Game, we struggled. We barely made it out of the first round. But eventually, our masters noticed how well we reproduced and how long we lived. That was when they went back for the rest of the flappari.”
“And you remember it all?” I asked.
Amko nodded sadly. “Yes. I was one of the original flappari. Living this long…it’s a curse, my new friend. You watch the world around you change and somewhere down the line all you do is miss what once was.”
The ship lurched to a sudden halt and I shot to my feet.
“Is this it?” I asked. “The unloading dock?”
“Yes,” Amko replied. “If you want to escape, you need to—”
He suddenly broke off.
I could hear another door opening outside the pod, and then a second blue tractor beam hit our pod. Light suddenly spilled into the hallway.
Amko stiffened, and his eyes went wide. For a brief moment, I thought he was acting frightened again, but then he shuddered so hard his whole body shook.
“This isn’t the way we usually go,” he said. “They normally pull us toward the center and not to the right. I’ve never been here before. They must have—”
We realized the truth at the same time.
They must have somehow detected me on board.
Hell, it would have been easy—they just had to weigh or scan the cockpit. The Fragment of the Demigod was hidden from the System, but my physical body wasn’t. Anyone could have looked inside and just seen me.
Another wall slid open, revealing a small docking bay with about thirty spherical crafts. The space was well-lit, and I saw several flasgin scurrying about, setting up a defensive position ahead of time. This time, there were long-ranged flasgarin in addition to the flasgin from before.
So they knew I was coming, huh?
The blue beam brought our pod closer and closer to the assembled army. I’d have to bust my way through, but before leaving, I turned to Amko and offered him my hand.
He blinked, then reached out and took it.
“Whatever happens, I’m glad I got to speak with you,” I said. I meant it deeply. I’d only entered the tower to rush through and gather the Archon mission, but meeting Amko and learning the history of the flappari was something I’d never anticipated happening.
“You too,” he said. “Be well.”
I pointed beneath the command console. “Get down and hide,” I said. “If they capture me, I’ll say I forced you to bring me in.”
He nodded, dropping to all fours and hiding in the nook beneath the command console.
I could feel the pod slowing down, but I wasn’t going to wait. I slashed through the door, pushing force in my arms to strengthen my blows—I didn’t want to waste my skills.
The metal bent and then fell apart.
I lunged forward, starting with a [FORCE WAVE]. The clear wave of white energy sliced through a dozen shield bearers. Their bodies slid to the ground, and the dark oily blood formed a pool beneath them.
Not wanting to give them any time, I activated [IAIDO STRIKE]. I lunged forward twenty feet, then cut straight through the first flasgin in line, eviscerating him with a single blow.
The enemies behind the shield line raised their weapons, strange tubes that looked like a mix of wands and rifles. I gathered myself, preparing to deflect their attacks, but when they fired, it wasn’t at me.
The bolts of lightning went straight for the pod-like ship.
Amko was instantly killed.
The blasts eviscerated the thin walls around the cockpit. Blood and burnt fur went flying through the air.
Hatred and anger flared through my body. There was absolutely no reason for them to go after them instead of me.
However, my mind was still calm. By now, I was too experienced to let my emotions get the better of me. I was going to get revenge for Amko, but I’d remain smart and strategic.
I raised my arm, activating [HEXEN].
A purple dome expanded, instantly lowering the stats of every flas-type enemy clumped up around me. The stat reduction was between five to twenty percent, but more importantly, those stats were added to mine for a single minute.
[HEXEN] was designed for mowing through weak enemies.
I pushed my force into my blades, then slashed in a wide circle. The blades passed effortlessly through my enemies, and then I surged forth, using a combination of [DIAGONAL STRIKE] and [SNAKE BITE] to force my way through.
Then I started running through the hangar, heading towards the cockpit. I hadn’t been on the ship before, but my force sensory abilities told me where the highest concentration of beings was.
