The Apocalypse is a Side Quest: Book Three, page 4
“Enter,” Nathan said.
A werewolf opened the door and bowed his head. “I was instructed to fetch you if you were awake.”
“Who sent you?”
“Anand.”
Chapter Five
When Nathan entered the room, a knife flew through the air and embedded itself in the wall next to his head. His gaze turned mechanically toward it, and a single droplet of sweat rolled down the back of his neck. He stared at Anand, who was currently grimacing at him.
“I… thought you might be an enemy?”
Nathan glanced at the nurse in the corner of the room—a mushroom woman. “I think you’ll have to get somebody to redo the wall.”
“Oh no,” she said. “We have someone on standby for that. This is the second time this month. Just be glad he managed to control himself and not hit you.”
“…Anand.”
Anand let out a half-laugh, half-strangled-cry.
The nurse looked back and forth between them before waddling to the door and stepping out.
The door shut behind her, leaving Nathan alone with Anand.
“How are you feeling?” Nathan asked.
“That’s not something you ask a mortal enemy.”
“You saved my life. If you’re an enemy, who should I consider my friends?”
Anand chuckled dryly, then winced in pain. “I shouldn’t laugh.”
The two fell silent for a few seconds before Nathan opened his mouth, then closed it. Finally, he gathered his courage.
“You mentioned my sister before you—”
“I wasn’t sure what I saw, but…”
“But?”
“For those few seconds when you were gone, I should’ve been dead. Then… they blocked Silas’s attack. They came from out of nowhere.”
“What makes you think it was my sister?”
“Because of something Silas said. He recognized her—he was shocked, confused.”
Nathan buried his head in his hands. This, on top of what he’d heard from Mara and Chad… Given how the universe seemed to be out to get him, the mysterious figure’s identity was all too likely.
“And she didn’t stick around?”
“When you came out of the portal, she ran away.”
Nathan clicked his tongue. He crossed his arms as his mind raced. Why was she there? Had she been following him? Was she even really alive? No—there was no way this was just a coincidence.
“I’m going to run into her again,” Nathan muttered.
“You’ll figure it out.”
Nathan grunted in response. He wasn’t sure why Anand was so confident, but it was nice to know someone was.
He left the room, and the nurse returned. As he walked, his thoughts drifted to that mysterious figure. He had a feeling he’d run into her sooner or later.
And when that happened, he wasn’t sure what he’d do.
Clarence watched as Gabriel snapped his fingers, and a portal materialized in front of them. His stomach still hurt, but he’d been stabilized. He’d live.
Gabriel stepped through with smooth, unhurried motions. Clarence followed, Reckson close behind.
On the other side, a vast, spectacular fortress stretched out before them. Layer upon layer of walls shielded the stronghold from siege. Artillery cannons lined the towers, and spotlights dotted the perimeter.
As they moved toward the fortress, Clarence heard the murmur of voices, the bustle of activity—Gabriel’s utopia. The headquarters of the Harrowed Hand.
The gates swung open without a word. Clarence spotted sentries watching from the walls. They passed through each gate in turn before reaching the city’s interior. Clarence sidestepped a man who nearly bumped into him.
“Ah, my apologies—” the man began, then froze when he saw Gabriel. “F-forgive me, Commander.”
Gabriel offered an easy smile. “Your contrition is noted and deemed unnecessary. Proceed with your duties.”
The man stared at him, mouth half-open, before scurrying away. Clarence snorted.
God, he sounds like a malfunctioning audiobook.
But he knew better.
Clarence remembered how he’d been on the verge of dying as a teenager who’d gotten caught up in a dispute over treasure. He’d been left for dead.
He truly thought it would all end that day.
Then he met Gabriel. And for all the man’s awkward moments, he was the best hope they had of reaching the Ninth Circle.
Soon, they reached the central keep of the town—a black obelisk embedded into the earth, hollowed out and repurposed as the city’s keep. They ascended the stairs and arrived at a grand meeting hall. As usual, Clarence took the seat to Gabriel’s left. Normally, Silas would’ve occupied the right, but…
Clarence forced the thought away.
“Call the others,” Gabriel said.
Reckson, standing behind him, nodded. He pulled up his menu, typed a coded message into Dither, then closed it.
“Are we finally discussing… him?” Clarence asked.
“Yes. Since all other measures have failed, we must consider our next steps.”
“So… kill him?”
Gabriel steepled his fingers. “If we eliminate Nathan, he will no longer be alive to oppose us.”
Clarence blinked. “…Yeah. That’s usually how death works.”
“Precisely.” Gabriel’s tone was grave, as if he’d just revealed a profound truth. “His current state of being relies on biological function. Terminating that function would resolve the issue.”
Clarence pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Nathan is nothing but a rabid dog with how much damage he’s done,” Clarence muttered. “But he’s poked the bear one too many times.”
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Is that how you see him? A dog?”
“Look at everything he’s done. He’s collapsed kingdoms, destroyed Vince’s camp. He’s an idiot. No long-term strategy at all.”
“When we fought, I sensed something similar. No tactics—just instinct. If he’s had any formal training, it didn’t show. It was like battling a wild animal.”
“So I’m right.”
Gabriel leaned back. “Perhaps. But the rest of the world doesn’t see him that way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you see how that girl reacted to him? How the streamer boy deferred to him? He inspires loyalty effortlessly.”
“They’re his friends. What does it matter?”
“I don’t think that devotion is just because they’re friends. No, I suspect all his allies view him that way. On Dither, he’s already becoming a symbol. I’d hoped the weight of it would crush him, but after our fight, I’m certain he’ll rise to meet it.”
“How can you know that?”
“His eyes. They were like pure steel. If you two hadn’t been there, or if his friend hadn’t been injured, I might not have escaped. That kind of willpower… No, he wouldn’t run. He has too many roots, too many ties.”
“You’re overestimating him. So what if he’s strong? You’re a symbol too.”
“To those who already believe in me, yes. But he could become a symbol for all humanity. It’s already happening—defeated Delvers, those just scraping by circle to circle, now fight with renewed purpose because of him. His mere presence has inspired thousands to take up arms. Think about that.”
Clarence grimaced. “What do we do?”
“He’s still one man. And he doesn’t yet grasp the authority he holds. His followers lack organization. Cut off the head, and the body dies.”
Clarence nodded. “For humanity.”
“For humanity.”
The door swung open as Gabriel’s advisors filed in. Clarence straightened up.
As the discussion turned to countering Nathan and his army of Delvers, a knot tightened in Clarence’s stomach.
This war would be long. Treacherous. And painful.
Clarence could only hope that it would come to a swift resolution.
Chapter Six
Nathan stared at the ship. It looked like something straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean—huge sails, cannons lining the sides, and even a man with an eyepatch.
“Chad?” Nathan called. “What are you doing up there?”
Chad leaped off the ship onto the dock. “Living out my pirate dream, man.”
“You’re what? How were these ships finished so fast?”
“Everyone worked through the night. Most people were fine with just rafts or swimming, but some of us wanted to travel longer distances.”
“That’s… great?”
“You’re coming with us, right?
“But… why?”
“First, because it’ll be super fun. Second, we need to hunt down and stop the Harrowed Hand, wherever they are. And third—we’ve got to find clues about the kraken.”
Nathan’s mind flashed back to the beast. Chad was right—if the kraken was in this area, it was up to them to eliminate it so they could advance to the next circle. Plus, the Harrowed Hand did need to be destroyed.
“You’ll be glad to know almost everyone agrees the Harrowed Hand needs to be dealt with. All the ships will be on the lookout for Gabriel and his people.”
Nathan nodded. “Good.”
“So? You in, Captain?”
Nathan rolled his eyes. “Don’t call me that. But yeah, I’ll come. No reason not to.”
“Exactly what I wanted to hear. I’ve been on hiatus since the last circle. My followers are gonna be so hyped up to see you.” He leaned in. “By the way, remember when you left me in charge of Mara?”
“…Yes?”
“If anyone asks about the giant crater in your town, I wasn’t there.”
“Sorry, can you repeat that?”
A deafening boom echoed out, and Nathan flinched. He turned to see Mara grinning wickedly as she loaded another cannonball.
“Wait—we have a limited supply of those!” Chad jumped back onto the ship. “You are not blowing up another middle-class home without me livestreaming it!”
Nathan followed behind him with a quick leap and watched as Chad wrestled the cannonball from Mara. Around him, everyone else seemed to have fully embraced the pirate aesthetic—even the crews of the other ships. It was like some kind of mind virus had infected them all.
A flash of a face on one of the adjacent ships.
Bree?
She wore a ragged tunic with a parrot on her shoulder. She raised a hand and waved.
He’d been wondering where she’d been. With everything happening, he hadn’t had the chance to seek her out. Apparently, she’d gotten involved on her own terms.
Wait… was she the one who told everyone to build these ships?
That seemed extremely likely. He’d have to ask her later.
As they started undoing the sails, a thought came to Nathan’s mind.
I can speed this up.
Nathan summoned his water powers and moved the ship forward with a jerk. Chad nearly fell over. “Whoa, what the—”
A sudden gust of wind exploded from behind, tossing someone off the sail and sending them into the deck. The wood splintered, and they fell straight through.
Nathan winced but kept his focus. The ship sped up until it was going about as fast as a speedboat.
The “crew” had adapted quickly. More than a few people were just playing cards on the deck or chatting excitedly.
Chad came up from behind Nathan and gave him a shove with his shoulder.
“You’re not worn out?” Chad asked.
“No, surprisingly.” Nathan looked at his hands. He’d been using his powers for a while, but he hadn’t noticed any significant dip in his energy. “I feel like I should’ve run out a while ago, but this barely seems to take anything out of me.”
“That’s weird.” Chad rubbed his chin. “Did you get a new skill or something recently?”
“No, I don’t think so—”
Nathan froze.
No.
No, that was so stupid.
Is Thalassa’s gift actually helpful?
“Nathan?” Chad waved a hand in front of Nathan’s eyes. “You there, buddy?”
Nathan was about to respond when something gave him pause. It wasn’t tied to any particular sense—he didn’t hear or see anything—but his hair stood on end.
He snapped his gaze toward the west, where the sun was setting.
The glare on the water made it hard to see, but… something was there at the edge of the horizon.
“Chad? Can you look that way? Tell me what you see,” Nathan said.
Chad squinted. “I can’t see a thing. Also, I think I’m burning my retinas.”
The dot on the horizon was getting closer. At their current speed, it would collide directly with their ship.
Chad’s eyes widened. “Wait a second—what is that?”
Nathan grimaced. “I think another faction had the same idea as us.”
Go figure.
As the shape drew nearer, Nathan could make out puffs of steam and a metal exterior. A steamship.
A loud boom echoed across the water, followed by a whizzing noise. Something flew over his head and smashed into the mast behind him, splintering the wood with a loud crack. Nathan turned to see a cannonball embedded in the wreckage.
“Can someone explain why we thought wood was a good option for shipbuilding?” Nathan said. “Surely we had the capability to make a steel ship.”
“There really isn’t a lot of ore refining capabilities in town,” Chad said. “So…”
Another boom rang out—this time from their side. Nathan watched as one of their own cannonballs flew toward the enemy ship. It slammed against the steel with a loud clang and embedded itself into the crumpled-up metal.
He looked over at the person who’d fired it. Unsurprisingly, it was Mara.
Nathan rubbed his face.
“Well, this is off to a great start.”
A member of the crew gave a hard pull of the steering wheel, rotating their vessel toward the steamship. Chad flew into the railing and nearly fell into the ocean. Mara flew backward, grabbed the railing like a monkey, and shoved another cannonball into the cannon.
Nathan remained standing, completely unbothered.
“I don’t suppose there’s a peaceful alternative here that we could pursue?” Nathan said.
“They fired first!” Chad exclaimed, his voice cracking with panic. “I think it’s pretty clear they’re not interested in a peaceful resolution!”
With trembling fingers, Chad swiped the air in front of him, opening his System window. A translucent blue interface materialized, displaying a chat feed and viewer count.
“H-hey, everyone,” he said. “Chad here with an unexpected LIVE pirate battle. This wasn’t the fishing stream I promised, but—” He yelped as the ship rocked. “—but content is content!”
The gun on the steel ship went off again, and a ball of pure steel flew directly into the railing, smashing it apart into millions of splinters.
“They have terrible aim,” Nathan said.
“TERRIBLE AIM?” Chad shouted, his face pale as he angled his System window to capture the destruction. “I was almost turned into meat pulp!” He paused, then leaned closer to his window. “Make sure to follow so my death isn’t in vain. Maybe we’ll trend posthumously.”
Mara finished shoving the cannonball in and pulled out a lighter. The flame reached down to the ignition point, and an instant later, a huge boom echoed as the cannonball shot out, striking the same spot where the first had dented the steel ship. The metal ripped open with a loud groan.
Mara clapped her hands together and grinned. “Perfect shot!”
They were getting closer now. Nathan could make out a few figures on the deck of the enemy ship.
As soon as they came into view, there was the telltale click of a hammer being pulled back. Mara held a six-shot revolver in her right hand. She steadied it and aimed directly at one of the figures.
Thunder cracked in Nathan’s ears as she pulled the trigger, her hand jerking from the recoil. A second later, one of the figures dropped to the deck. The others scrambled like ants whose mound had been disturbed.
This is stupid.
“Nathan!” Chad pushed himself off the railing and ran to one of the cannons. “Help me load this!”
“Pass.”
Nathan pulled out his harpoon and grabbed the rope lying on the deck. He tied a quick knot around the ring at the harpoon’s base, then reared his hand back, waiting until the steel ship was just close enough. The two ships sailed by each other—
And Nathan threw the harpoon as hard as he could. It cut through the air, then, with a sudden burst of energy, water exploded behind it, and it slammed into the steel hull, puncturing a hole.
Nathan handed the other end of the rope to Chad. “Hold on tight to this, please?”
Chad took the rope with a blink. “Wait, what are you going to—”
Nathan ran forward and jumped onto the rope. Chad quickly realized what was happening and pulled back hard, removing the slack. The moment Nathan’s feet touched the taut line, he dashed across, his body leaning at a precarious angle over the churning water.
“NATHAN, ARE YOU INSANE?!”
“Nathan, wait!” Mara shouted, already loading another cannonball. “I’ll cover you!”
The enemy ship grew closer until Nathan could see the crew clearly—eight men, most wielding weapons. One raised a rifle, taking careful aim. Nathan zigzagged along the rope, throwing off the shooter. The bullet whizzed past his ear as he leaped onto the deck, rolling to absorb the impact.
A burly man swung a cutlass at his head. Nathan ducked, the blade slicing through several strands of his hair. As he straightened, a second attacker thrust a boarding pike at his midsection. Nathan twisted sideways, but the pike’s edge caught his shirt, tearing it and grazing his ribs.
A wiry man with a face covered in elaborate scars stepped forward from the group. His eyes were cold, calculating, and his movements precise as he drew a long dagger.
“Your head is mine,” the scarred man said. “Today you perish.”
