Darling of Fate 3: A LitRPG Apocalypse Adventure, page 16
His nose furled, a low growl coming from his throat. “No one is in my head, meat. I am Kneer Ungr, Prime of the Jree, Chosen by the gods to lead my—”
I laughed. Couldn’t help myself, really. So many damn times, I’d seen this guy bluster and self-aggrandize that it was hard to take him seriously.
Kneer’s eyes narrowed, the slightest tell before he lunged for me with his Mantle-Blades. They bounced off an invisible forcefield right at the door’s threshold.
“Put those things away before you hurt yourself,” I said gruffly. “Unless you wanna settle this right now?” I pointed at the arena in the center of the Hall, my limbs vibrating with adrenaline. With a smile, I remembered his words from so long ago. “You have my permission to scan me.”
His eyes were on fire, his legs bent and ready to lunge. But Craig stepped in front of him, a calming hand on his shoulder.
“Remember what we discussed,” Craig said in a chiding tone, like an adult telling little Kneer to share his toys with his friends. “An alliance between the two races can only strengthen your rule.”
I waited for Kneer to brush him aside or tell him off with his usual arrogance.
To my utter shock, the Jree simply took a deep breath and nodded. When Craig turned back, he had a smug look in his eye. And I couldn’t blame him—the motherfucker had actually managed to tame Kneer Ungr, Prime of the Jree, pain in my ass.
If Frank confirmed there was no mind-fuckery at play…then I’d really have to give it to the guy; 200 plus Charisma was one hell of a diplomatic tool.
“Kneer doesn’t wish for the eradication of humanity, Dirk.”
“Coulda fooled me,” I replied, crossing my arms. “In fact, I’m fairly certain he’s said that exact thing to me.”
Craig pursed his lips. “In one of the alternate timelines, you mean?”
There was no point denying it since Craig had his memories from the redos, and I was certain that had been a point of leverage in worming his way into the Jree army. But there was also no point in confirming it—especially in front of Kneer.
Craig nodded as if he had expected my silence.
“Kneer and I have both said and done some things that we regret. We’ve come to you to turn over a new leaf—”
“You killed Nikki, Craig.” The words made me angry all over again. Even though she was alive, the scars on her psyche were still very much present. “You don’t get to just gloss over that fact.”
He sighed, then nodded. “You’re right.”
I examined his face, looking for the signs of his mask, waiting for the ‘but’ to follow.
“I regret that, Dirk,” he continued. “More than you could possibly know. I was scared and I lashed out at her in an unforgivable way.” His voice hitched and I had to resist rolling my eyes. “I-I’m so sorry. For what I did to her, to you, to everyone.” An actual, Goddamned tear rolled down his cheek. I wanted to stab him in his fucking eye. “But you, me, Kneer—we’re the three strongest Climbers in this Tower.” His tone swapped on a dime, filled with passion and fire. It would have worked on most people. “If we truly hope to see our people survive this Apocalypse and make it out of this Tower, we must work together.” He looked into my eyes, a moist sheen across his pupils. “You see that…don’t you?”
My heart was pounding in my temple, my fingers clenched tight in my palms. Red quivered across my body, aching to stab into Craig’s neck with a flick of her material. On my shoulder, Lex had remained quiet, but I could feel his loathing and his nervousness. He was afraid that I’d act impulsively and reignite the feud that Craig was offering to squash.
Dirk from a few days ago would have spit in both of their eyes, then slammed the door. No, he would have burst into the Hall and challenged them both to a duel.
But I wasn’t that Dirk anymore. I had people counting on me, a team to watch my back, and all of Earth hanging on my decisions. I had to be mature and make prudent choices, even if it brought bile to the back of my throat.
That said, it didn’t mean I had to be fucking nice about it.
“You wanna work together?” My tone was steel, my eyes boring into him. “You wanna bring humanity through the other side of this hell?” I stepped forward, right on the edge of the Hall of Heroes threshold. “Then get the Jree to stand the fuck down!”
Craig’s expression was frozen as I spoke, but now, he pursed his lips and nodded.
“I can do that.”
My brain malfunctioned for a split second. I tried to think about how to respond to that, but nothing diplomatic came to mind.
“Oh…” I eventually said. It felt stupid, but my thoughts felt slippery with shock.
“We’re not the bad guys,” Craig said. “I know we’ve done bad things, but Kneer and I have both had our backs against the wall and reacted poorly. We lashed out around us rather than think through our actions. We’re done with that, Dirk. That’s why we came to you—to reconcile and move forward united.”
He looked to the ceiling, his voice shaking with passion. “The real bad guys—the ones responsible for all this death and heartbreak—are those that created this Tower, and millions like it.” He looked back at me, his eyes focused and clear. “Those above think of us as ants. They’ve put us in a little formicarium to watch us bleed and struggle and kill! The only way we win, Dirk, is to team up. If we stop fighting each other, they lose.”
He was breathing heavy now, his cheeks slightly quivering as he struggled to catch his breath. I couldn’t tell if I wanted to clap or punch the fucker in the face.
Probably both.
On my shoulder, Lex was less impressed. I could feel him itching to lash out and give Craig a verbal berating that would put him in his place. I sent him a calming thought and stroked his wing softly. He felt my own mood and understood that we had to play it smart. But inside, he was fuming. And to be honest, I was, too. As impressive as Craig’s performance and words were, that he had the gall to try and brush Nikki’s murder under the rug with some tears and an impassioned cry for solidarity made my blood boil.
But this was the new, smarter Dirk. The only way to turn the tables on Kneer and Craig was to play along and stab them in the back without warning.
Not that I had to be all sickly-sweet about it, though.
So, I studied Craig for a moment and crafted a response that was just Dirk-like enough that he wouldn’t be suspicious, but also with enough diplomacy that we could form an alliance of sorts until it was convenient for us to go back on it.
“The tears were a nice touch, Craig. But if you think I’m gonna just forget the shit you pulled in the Hall on the first day, the Co’xatl rebellion you formed, Nikki’s coldblooded murder, or your most recent attempt on Amos, it’s gonna take a bit more than an Oscar performance.”
He pursed his lips and sighed. “I get it, Dirk. I really do. Just…give us a chance. You won’t regret it.”
My eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them. Kneer was calmer now, but I could see his open distaste for me in the tension around his eyes and how his Mantle-Blades vibrated under his skin. Craig had an open expression, inviting and conciliatory.
I pretended to go through an internal struggle when, really, I was counting to fifteen in my head. When I was done counting, I gave a terse nod.
“I won’t promise anything,” I said. “But I also won’t break the peace first.”
Craig nodded, reaching out his hand. “That’s all I ask.”
I examined it for a moment, then shook my head. It wasn’t spite—okay, maybe it was a little spite—but mostly, it was precautionary. That fucker wasn’t gonna touch me or mine ever again.
“Sorry, Craig. But I’m not shaking hands with the mind controller.”
He reluctantly pulled it back, giving me an understanding nod. “Baby steps,” he said with a charming smile. “I get it.”
“Anything else?” I asked tersely, examining the two of them.
“That’s it,” he replied. “Anything to add, Kneer?”
Kneer spun on his heels without another word and Craig gave an apologetic look.
“I’ll spread the word that you and the other humans aren’t to be touched,” he said with a final nod before turning to go.
“Oh, Craig?” He turned with his brows raised in question. “The Co’xatl are off-limits as well.”
He hesitated a beat, then nodded. I closed the door before he could say anything else.
Without waiting, I turned to Frank, who had remained absolutely silent during the whole exchange.
“Well?”
He squinted in thought. “There was something…but no direct control as far as I could see. But their threads were so interwoven, I couldn’t really separate them.”
“What’s that mean in Karmic terms?”
He shrugged. “I’m sorry, Dirk. Th-this is still new to me.”
I clicked my tongue and nodded. “Okay, no worries. Lex, can you grab the others? I’m gonna tell Lacy and Jerome it’s safe to come out.”
Lex flew off while I knocked on Lacy’s Personal Space door.
It opened slowly, the red and black visor of Jerome’s helmet peering out at me.
“He’s gone.”
Jerome grunted and pulled open the door. Lacy was right behind him, a sheen of sweat on her face.
“How’d it go—”
Another door opened further down the hallway and I looked over in surprise as Nikki peeked her head out. I was immediately struck by the pronounced bags under her eyes, the gauntness to her cheeks, and the frantic look she gave us, her eyes sweeping the hallway like she expected danger.
“Wh-what’s going on?” she asked timidly.
It broke my heart to see this once strong, beautiful woman almost completely broken. The fire in my chest flared hot, though I kept my expression neutral.
“Nothing, Nik’. Nothing to worry—”
Amos barged into the hallway, Lala clutched gingerly in his hands.
“That Craig cunt gone?” he asked loudly.
Nikki flinched at the sudden noise, her shoulders pulling tight to her ears. I shot Amos a look from hell and he immediately cringed.
“Sorry, love,” he said softly. “Didn’t mean to frighten ye.”
Mama G, Byron, and Athena followed with Lex a moment later. Mama saw Nikki cowering behind the door and rushed over, casting Amos a dark look.
“Come here, sweetie. You’re safe.” She wrapped her arm around Nikki and directed her back into the room, closing the door behind her quietly.
I sighed, feeling my heart tear in half at the sight of her suffering and feeling powerless to do anything about it.
Lacy and the others approached, an awkward energy in the hall after Nikki’s appearance.
“Well?” she asked. “How’d it go?”
I snorted. “He’s the slipperiest fuck I’ve ever met in my life. Shit, if he ran for president, even I’d vote for him.”
“What he want?” Jerome asked.
“A fucking alliance. Stood there with Kneer by his side and asked me to forgive him for killing Nik’ in the past redo. Even had some tears rolling down his cheeks. Leaned on our common enemy,” I said with a nod to the ceiling.
“I know he’s a douchebag,” Byron said. “But an alliance is a good thing…right?”
“Only so far as it allows us to catch him unaware. We saw what a head-on assault gets us.” I pointed at Mama G’s Personal Space, where she and Nikki had retreated. “But don’t you guys ever forget that look in her eyes. That is why we can’t ever trust a fuckin’ thing out of his mouth. He’s an abuser, a manipulator, and a murderer, straight down to his core. We’ll play along, use him just like he plans to use us. And the first chance we get,”—Red felt my intention, sliding down my arm and shooting forward like a spear, digging straight into the wall with a thud—“we gut the fucker.”
Craig pulled up beside the Jree Prime, his expression cold and hard. He pulled a handkerchief from his Inventory and dispassionately wiped away the tears on his cheeks. Kneer whirled on the man, his face a mask of unrestrained rage.
“Why do you play these games?” he demanded. “He’s one man, with five imbeciles and a couple of birds as support. We should smash him now before he rallies more behind him!”
Craig regarded the Jree with dead eyes and Kneer was forced to suppress a shiver. Though he was no stranger to the man’s many masks, the true face he rarely showed was more unnerving than any foe he had faced. He knew his blades and body were powerful and he didn’t fear this human in that sense. But he’d also seen the man strip a creature’s will with a single thought, turning one of his most capable soldiers into a puppet.
If he hadn’t seen the potential in such power, he would have slain the man known as Craig within the first minute of their meeting.
“You continue to underestimate him,” Craig said with a flat tone. “I’ve seen him rally the entire Instance behind him. My little birdies tell me Umndirop bent the knee without a single blow exchanged. He opened the portal to the Hold in under an hour—a feat you’ve never managed to accomplish, I might add.”
Kneer bristled but didn’t argue.
Craig closed his eyes and sighed. “Say we do it your way, hm? We kill the worm and his party and anyone that he calls friend. We could probably even do it,” he admitted. “Then what? He resets the clock and we’ve revealed our hand. A forewarned enemy is twice as deadly as the complacent one.”
Kneer growled and began pacing the Hall.
“I know you’re right,” he reluctantly said after a full minute. “The dreams are becoming more frequent. I see them even when I’m awake!” He turned to Craig, his teeth bared. “Just promise me this: when the time comes, it is my blade that tastes his blood.”
Craig nodded, looking off toward the human side of the Hall of Heroes, his eyes seeming to bore into the door leading to Dirk’s wing.
When he turned back to Kneer, the cold emptiness in his eyes was gone. In its place, a fire burned hot.
“Trust me, my friend, there will be plenty of blood to go around. But when the time comes, I promise, you will be the one to deal the final blow.”
A frisson of pleasure passed through Kneer’s body at the thought. He had never taken joy in slaying his enemies. He had only ever felt the thrill of overcoming obstacles and bettering himself in his martial pursuits. But now, the thought of the human Prime’s broken body was the only thing in this world that gave him comfort.
He closed his eyes and basked in the image.
If his eyes were open, he might have seen the cold look of disgust cast his way.
Chapter 19
The Capitol Building
With a tenuous alliance in place with both the Co’xatl and the Jree, it was time to switch gears. There were a few pressing things I needed to do—pushing through to Adept one of the bigger tasks. But first, I needed to meet back up with Michelle Waterstone—and by association—Governor Johnson.
I had to remind myself that for every hour wasted, more humans were dying in the various Tower Instances. Even though the Jree shouldn’t be actively hunting us down, that didn’t mean accidents weren’t happening, let alone the wild mobs, traps, and the sheer difficulty of triggering the portal to get out of the First Floor.
With support from Johnson and the U.S. military, we had the potential to save hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people and boost our overall strength come the Second Floor.
We split up into two groups. Lacy, Athena, and I went to the State Capitol building to meet with the governor. Bringing a ten-year-old to an important meeting like this wasn’t my first choice, but I did it anyway because team two had a much more dangerous job.
Amos, Byron, Lex, and Frank, led by Jerome, went to deal with the nearby bandits. I knew that they’d have no problem dealing with those slaving-fucks, but I was still a bit anxious. Jerome was nearly bulletproof in his armor and could make grown men weep and shit themselves with his magnified Intimidation aura—not to mention the new shielding toy he got from Aestus. Amos’ pigeons were deadlier than ever with his new Body Boon and his survivability was pretty good with his boosted Endurance. Byron’s new buffing ability would amplify their fighting synergy and I was sad to miss it in action. Frank had his powerful ice abilities and his Karmic Sight would spot danger before it hit.
And to cap off the team, Lex would be flying high above, scouting out the situation and swooping in to save the day if needed. I’d also be able to watch the fight through his eyes to make sure everything went off without a hitch.
All that said, I was still nervous as fuck. This was the first time I’d trusted them by themselves without a redo in my back pocket. If anything went wrong, the consequences were permanent. But it was Lacy herself who convinced me to trust them.
“You can’t expect them to grow into their new abilities if you’re always holding their hands,” she had said.
Though I agreed with her, that didn’t mean I was happy about it.
As for Lacy, she had insisted on coming with me to meet Johnson because, and I quote:
“You’ll find a way to cock this up.”
Athena had cackled her little ass off and I’d threatened to leave her behind with Mama G. That had straightened her out and we set off together.
Now, as we approached the first security checkpoint leading to the capitol building, I felt butterflies swirling around in my stomach.
Give me a thousand-pound crocodile alien over a professional politician any day of the week.
There were a handful of soldiers at the checkpoint, with one of them manning a .50 cal behind a wall of sandbags. They weren’t shooting the shit or lounging around either. Their eyes were on a swivel and a pile of dead imps had been dragged off to the side. Rolls of barbed wire jutted off either direction, and more than a few dead imps were embroiled in the steel thorns. A pair of humvees were parked behind the checkpoint, and one had another machine gun unmanned on its roof.
