Awaken Online: Armageddon, page 66
Dom launched off his cube, racing towards the center of that group, only to release a Thunderclap as he slammed his hands together. Individually weak, the casters were no match for the wave of force that blasted out from Dom’s hands. It struck the rock and sent the smaller cubes hurtling away in all directions, blasting apart the mages’ eardrums and sending them falling from their precarious perches.
Hundreds of men and women rained through the air, not even one letting out a cry of terror or pain. They fell in silence before striking the ground far below in a series of dull thuds, their corpses soon buried under several hundred tons of rocky debris.
With Dom distracting Gloria, Jason had used that opening to race up and around the casters’ formation, flying well above them, his body framed by the moon at his back. A grin of his own tugged at his lips as he leaned forward, his wings pulling taut as he dove, the wind whistling around him. He plunged downward like death itself, his arms whipping forward once more. The mages never saw what hit them. Hundreds died in the span of seconds – heads cut cleanly from their shoulders and their blood staining the rock.
The mega-cube beneath them suddenly broke apart as their spells ended, the emerald haze disappearing as another shower of stone rained down upon the excavation site.
However, Gloria had already recovered, her other caster cubes floating away and the mega-cubes rising toward Jason and Dom where they formed a new wall as she shifted around the excavation site. Jason caught Dom from the air, Jason’s dark wings beating at the air as they hovered in place. Despite their minor victory, they were covered in dust and blood, their stamina waning.
They’d killed some, but not all of Gloria’s forces. Not by a long shot.
Not that it mattered. A blaze of ivory light suddenly speared from the ground below as Alexion activated the newly formed sensor array. That energy rippled out across the excavation site in a wave, touching every rock and stone and caster.
And on the heels of that energy, Jason’s UI pinged. A message from Finn. Not that he needed to read the content as a yellow waypoint marker suddenly sprang into existence. Yet Jason’s brow furrowed. That marker didn’t hover in the sky. It came from the ground below. And not just the surface either.
Gloria was underground.
He and Dom turned as one to see the rest of Gloria’s guildmates casting in unison. Jason could see it now, the occasional globe of sapphire energy tucked away inside their formation. She must have been using their cameras to see while she fled deeper into the excavation.
Damn it.
Even as that realization struck him, her voice suddenly rippled through the air, carried on amber-tinged winds. “It’s too late. I’m going to end this for good.”
“What is she…” Jason murmured, trailing off as he saw earth mana flare.
Thousands of stone blocks were rising into the air, the mega-cubes all merging near the casters as they rose, rose, rose, up into the night sky. The smaller blocks were stitching together now. Tens of thousands of them. Forming a cube that soon blotted out the moon. A monstrous creation that loomed overtop the excavation site, the respawn field circling what was left of the structure in glowing, multi-colored relief.
“She’s going to destroy it all,” Dom murmured.
Jason just nodded. He could see Gloria’s plan as well. She was about to drop that cube on the site, destroying the stage, the generator, the array below. She no longer needed any of that infrastructure – not if she had fled deep underground. That would buy her time – enough time to reach whatever she’d been searching for – to end this world.
Jason’s fist clenched. “Not if we stop it,” he ground out.
Dom just stared back. “Are you seriously thinking…”
“We just need to destroy that orb,” Jason interrupted him.
Mad laughter pealed through the night sky as Dom’s chest heaved. “Then let’s do it!”
With that, he peeled Jason’s fingers free and fell, racing toward the ground below. Jason soon followed, his wings pulling close. He used the few seconds he had to pull up his chat log and type out a quick message to his team. They needed to move. Now. Defend the stage and the generator if they could. Protect Silver, Brian, and Jerry.
Jason would just have to hope it would be enough.
Yet he didn’t have time to focus on that now as his wings swept out, blunting his fall and his feet soon touching down on solid ground once more. Dom stood at his side, the pair looking up at the sky where that massive meteor was still forming, emerald energy rippling along its length – its size and weight putting Blaze’s poor imitation to shame. It was the product of the legion of mages that stood atop the cube, the rock held up only by the combined force of thousands of Gravity Wells.
And then, that green energy disappeared. The rock began to descend, the casters holding the block together as they rode it down to their own deaths. Yet none shirked their duty or gave in to their fear. They were merely robots, tools, vacant and empty flesh that existed only to serve Gloria’s wishes – her quest to end everything.
Jason and Dom stood side by side, watching as their death loomed overhead. Then, with a slow and measured movement, Dom raised his fingers and lifted his mask free – only to reveal the insane grin that was painted across his face. He side-eyed Jason, his eyes flashing, no doubt, his luck aura exploding.
Not a word passed between them. They didn’t need to talk right now. The reality of their situation was obvious. They were going to die. They could only hope that before that happened, they could accomplish enough to leave a mark on this world. To protect their allies. The goblins. The other members of
Yet as they both looked up once more, the same smile never left Jason’s face.
Not even as the pair both pulled back their arms – dark mana and muscle surging as they put everything they had into this one final strike. Not as that rocky death loomed large, racing toward them. Not even as they both struck, punching into the stone, force rippling away from the impact. Eventually, their hands gave way as their bones were crushed and began to crumble, and the vessels storing Jason’s Najima burst, one by one.
Jason embraced his death. His end. As the darkness consumed him, one question burned in his heart, gnawing at his soul.
Was this it? Was this as far as he could go? Was this his limit?
And his entire being shouted back one answer.
This wasn’t even close.
System Message
You have died.
Thanks for playing Awaken Online!
Chapter 61 - Pleading
“Good lord,” Frank muttered as Eliza’s vegetation peeled away, revealing what remained of the excavation site.
The area had been destroyed, the former towering stone walls gone. Now it was little more than a field covered in broken stone cubes and fragments of rock – like a spikey uneven graveyard. And yet, there was no crater nor evidence of the impact of that last attack. Jason and Dom had successfully blunted the assault… at the cost of their own lives.
“At least the generator is in one piece,” Tombs grumbled as he phased out of the rock, wiping at the sweat beading on his forehead. “I managed to get it underground in time.”
“One small silver lining,” Jerry grunted as he shook the dust off his hat.
Frank and Silver emerged from the hole behind him, Frank’s body giving up heavy, dense chitin in favor of more pliable skin. Both of them were dusty, dirty, and angry. But they were alive, which was a blessing given the circumstances.
Gone was the stage where Bard had been playing. The Bone Gardens had been blasted apart. Even Jason’s towering skeleton had been unable to withstand the blast fully. Now the stage was little more than broken lumber, rock, and blood – no doubt, the goblins’ loot buried somewhere under that rubble. Yet the multi-colored field still hung overhead, and travelers and goblins continued respawning, the area quickly devolving into a brutal bloodbath.
Even more travelers continued to pour southward, illuminated by the faint moonlight. With little now standing in their way, they would soon be upon the survivors. The blast had only briefly reset the field – giving them a small window in which to regroup.
As the group looked on with bleak expressions, two more rifts soon opened nearby, familiar faces stepping out of those portals. Smiles was once again wearing his immaculate suit, adjusting his cuffs as he stepped smoothly out of the rift. Meanwhile, Jason’s demeanor was… different.
Gone was his hulking skeletal form, wings, and undulating skin. Instead, his body was a gangly skeleton, thin ropes of dark mana barely holding together feeble bones that cracked and creaked as he took each step, leaning on the staff held in his hand. This was the true weakness of his new form. Upon respawn, he came back without his former minion and augments.
Yet Jason wasn’t deterred. With a wave of his hand, dark mana collected around the limb.
Corpses soon rose up around him, stone and debris shifting aside as they floated up into the air. Then, with a snap of his fingers, useless flesh and muscle sloughed from bone, the material fusing to Jason’s frame, his skeletal body thickening in mere moments, the surface turning a darker hue as he absorbed fragments of metal from the ruined bots nearby.
Moments later, Jason’s foot landed more firmly, dark mana thickening around the limb and rippling up across his legs, chest, and head. His movements became smoother, stronger, and more controlled. His staff split into two fragments and was absorbed back into his forearms, ready at a moment’s notice yet no longer in his way. As the transformation completed, Jason’s cloak whipped back into place, covering his body and the skeletal features of his face.
“You certainly make an intimidating entrance now,” Riley offered with a grin as he approached. “Yet it’s still not hot.”
Jason chuckled despite everything he’d just endured – like getting blown apart by a makeshift meteor. “Noted,” he replied, his eyes on the carnage.
He looked to Finn then. “What about Gloria?”
The avatar of flame shook his head. His attention was fixed on the screen flickering before him. “The sensor array picked up her mana signature below us. My guess is that she was fighting that battle remotely from underground and using the travelers’ cameras.”
“She’s more clever than we gave her credit for,” Kyyle offered, adjusting his glasses.
“Just wait… she’s going to get what’s coming to her,” Julia added.
The others nodded somberly.
“What’s the game plan now?” Riley asked Jason.
He turned to watch the remains of the stage where a bloody battle was taking place between the respawning travelers and goblins – clawing, tearing, and even biting at one another in their attempt to escape that endless respawn loop. And the ground trembled as ever more travelers streamed toward their location.
Another tear opened nearby, and Bard stepped out of the rift, eyeing his former stage with slumped shoulders. “It was all going so well,” he murmured, sinking to his knees. “I didn’t even get to play my grand finale.”
The rest of the group ignored him, Jason turning to look at the yellow waypoint marker lingering far beneath their feet. The truth was that this was no longer an easy position to defend. Their defensive formation had been destroyed, and the travelers were now able to circle them from all sides. Not only that, but Gloria had fled underground. Her goal was likely to finish what she’d started – the timer still swiftly approaching zero. With only minutes left, they couldn’t afford to dawdle.
Jason grimaced. “You all should help secure this position topside, so the travelers don’t interfere,” he instructed, eyeing Eliza, Finn, and Alexion. “You did well holding off Gloria while Finn built and activated the makeshift array. Now you just need to hold the travelers back for a few more minutes.”
“That might be easier said than done,” Eliza murmured, eyeing the oncoming horde of travelers, her hands knotting together in front of her.
Jason’s eyes flicked to where Dom stood nearby. “I have a feeling you’ll be okay. You just need a suitable distraction,” he added meaningfully.
Dom snorted, cracking his knuckles. “I think I might be able to handle that.”
Finn raised an eyebrow, watching Jason. “And you?” he asked archly.
Jason rolled his newfound shoulders, the bones popping and flexing. This body felt weaker than the one he’d had before – the remains of the casters and travelers barely measuring up to the other avatars. But it would be enough. Gloria had used up her trump card. Now she was just a low-leveled old lady on the run.
“I’m going to hunt her down,” Jason growled, dark mana flashing away from his body.
“Then you’re going to need an entrance,” Kyyle offered. He looked to Brock, the earth elemental’s eyes flashing. The pair began to cast with a flare of emerald energy. Blocks of stone lifted from the ground, soon revealing a stone staircase that spiraled down into the darkness.
Jason met Dom’s eyes. “I just need a few minutes. Then your contract is complete.”
“You got it… boss,” Smiles replied with a trace of sarcasm.
Then, without ceremony, Dom stooped down and leaped toward the oncoming army of travelers – sailing over the heads of the goblins and their prey. He landed with a heavy thump, one man against hundreds of thousands. For just a moment, Jason wished he could see Dom with Finn’s eyes – observe his luck aura flaring in the face of certain death.
Watching their leader take point, the other members of
In the meantime, the others were forming a defensive ring around the entrance to the underground tunnel. Panels of light soon began to flicker through the air, and vegetation grew along the ground. Kyyle joined them, forming stone columns that jutted into the air, Finn anchoring a metallic turret to each one – building them on the fly from the broken fragments of his bouncer bots now littering the field.
A metallic shriek soon echoed across the field once more, signaling the start of the second and final round. Either they would win here – save the world. Or they would die trying.
“Be careful,” Riley insisted, gripping Jason’s shoulder. “I don’t trust Gloria.”
“Always,” Jason shot back with a grin of his own.
With that, his staff fragments shifted out of his forearms, Soul Blades arcing from their length. He jumped into the nearby pit, forgoing the stairs and letting his blades cut into the stone wall as he slid down into the darkness. Rocky shrapnel fell around him but bounced harmlessly off his reinforced skeletal frame.
And then there was only darkness once more.
***
Jason landed with a soft thump, his bones creaking but his new form managing to absorb the impact as the fragments of his staff shifted back into his forearms. Darkness loomed around him, but his Night Vision pierced that shadowy veil. He was standing in a large room, the staircase winding overhead, the entrance merely a pinpoint of light far above. Along one wall was an open doorway nearly ten feet tall, the stone showing the same workmanship as the dig site above, the stone cut into tidy blocks.
With only one option, Jason started forward, stalking through the darkness. Every so often, the hall was illuminated by a dull, glowing crystal embedded in the rock – a makeshift light that must have been placed by Gloria or her guildmates.
That tunnel soon ended, and Jason slowed.
On the other side was an enormous cavern. This one hadn’t been cultivated but had been hollowed out naturally by water and time. The ceiling rose high overhead, looming dozens of feet and the darkness becoming impenetrable. The floor of the cave showed signs of wear – the ground smoothed flat with no stalagmites marring the surface.
Jason’s Perception skill triggered – a flash of blue near the floor. He stooped, and his fingers touched the dust. Perhaps someone using Dissolve to finish the tunnel? And more blue outlines were revealed ahead of his positions. Footprints. Fresh. A single set.
It seemed he was right behind Gloria now.
He rose, stepping into the cavern. The front portion of the cave was barren and empty. However, on the other end, there was something more. A hazy outline that Jason couldn’t quite make out at this distance and in this dense darkness.
Yet as he moved forward, it soon came into focus.
The relief of a building had been painstakingly carved into the far wall of the cavern. A massive doorway, framed by towering pillars. The smooth arch of what could have been a roof. The style looked familiar. Possibly Greek or Roman. It reminded Jason of an ancient temple. Yet why was it down here? And as his fingers traced the carved stone, he could feel that the rock was perfectly smooth. There was no erosion. No deterioration in the design. It was perfectly preserved, which should have been impossible.
At least, without the help of magic.
However, Jason pushed those thoughts from his mind as he caught a familiar flicker of light inside the temple, his Listening skill picking out the sound of heavy breathing. He padded softly through the doorway, the dark mana attached to his heels and the pads of his feet rendering his steps almost silent. At the same time, the staff fragments slid free from his forearms once more, and Soul Blades inched away from their surface.
“Stop right there,” Gloria soon spat.
Jason slowed, eyeing the scene before him.
