ChronoTemplar 2: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG Adventure, page 1
Table of Contents
Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 04
Chapter 05
Chapter 06
Chapter 07
Chapter 08
Chapter 09
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
ChronoTemplar 2
A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG Adventure
Written by Burt Wrenlaw
Copyright © 2022 Burt Wrenlaw. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, yada yada yada…
Chapter 01
Justin Thyme whistled a tune, leaning on a wall as he did so. He watched the convoy of Confederated States Army vehicles weave their way through the abandoned parts of Santa Paraiso from atop his perch. The white flag behind him flapped lazily in the afternoon breeze, the shoddy spray-painted blue circle a friendly sign to the approaching CS forces.
He opened his mouth in a wide yawn, one leg lazily swinging in the breeze even as the lead Humvee parked a couple dozen feet away, its wary occupants disembarking while keeping their eyes peeled for threats. That lead hummer was followed by three trucks and another hummer rounding up the rear—all banged up, with spears and axes still sticking out their frames.
There was a time when people would have laughed you off if you said sharpened wooden sticks would lance through military-grade steel. Composite alloy compounds designed to resist high-caliber bullets, being so easily penetrated by crude, stone-age era tools? Hah!
Except nobody’s laughing anymore, not since the System rewrote the laws of physics on Earth.
That System now dictated how reality worked, what with humanity being chosen as the ‘honored’ hosts of the nine thousand, nine-hundred and forty-seventh Pan-Universal Gladiatorial Games. It forced people to fight in a low-tech ‘swords-and-sorcery’ environment.
Bombs, bullets, lasers, nukes—all rendered moot by the System. Even cheap polyurethane plastic was graded more protective than synthetic fibers or composite alloys.
Justin fought back a frown as one of the soldiers trained a mounted ballista his way. The gunner didn’t actually aim at him, but it was raised just high enough to tell him that the gunner was more than ready to put that bolt through him if necessary.
Not that it would do the nervous grunt any good. Justin had more than enough health to survive the initial strike. That’s all the justification he’d need to go down there and wipe the floor with their faces.
But that’s not what he wanted to happen this time around.
Justin inhaled deeply, silently chastising himself for the first thought to pop into his head. He reminded himself that he was trying to get on the good side of these people. Or at the very least not present himself as a dangerous foe.
This is why he simply raised his hands in false surrender, showing the troops that he was no threat. Four other soldiers chose that moment to approach him, one of them discreetly talking into his radio. The hostile gunner narrowed his eyes before lowering the ballista.
“Identify yourself,” grunted the lead officer in a clipped tone, not quite aiming at Justin with his handheld crossbow.
“Justin Thyme, one of Chief Jameson’s men. He said ahm s’posed to guide y’all back to the mall.”
Lieutenant Waters nodded tersely, still scanning his surroundings. A low groan sounded off from one of the trucks, causing Justin to look over the officer’s shoulders.
“Yah got injured? The Chief chose me cuz ahm one of them Templars that gots a healin’ skill. He figgered y’all might be havin’ summun with a boo-boo or two. Wan’ me tah takes a look-see?”
Waters stared at Justin for a few moments, frowning and very clearly trying to slog through Justin’s intentionally thickened drawl.
It took the good lieutenant a few seconds, but he eventually pieced it all together.
“That… would be appreciated.”
Justin grinned at the non-committal response, leaping from his perch and landing with a thump. No armor forged by System-approved Smiths, no universal-resistance enchantments from System-approved Enchanters. He didn’t even have a decent sword and shield to work with.
No, he was back to crappy salvaged armor—and it wasn’t even as good as his previous timeline. He let Chief Jameson distribute the ‘good stuff’ to the others who actually needed the extra protection. All he got was an aluminum pot over his head, a thick jacket with some steel wires he threaded into the material, and a couple of steel-toed boots that he took for himself.
He did, however, manage to nick a sturdy machete for himself along with a cheap buckler dropped by one of the goblin snotlings. It wasn’t a good fit for fighting, balanced more as an axe than a proper dueling sword. Still, it had enough weight and edge to serve his purposes.
Justin dusted himself off, ignoring the side-long looks the soldiers were giving him. The lieutenant extended his right hand forward, which Justin clasped firmly enough to show strength yet softly enough to show respect.
“Matthew Waters, Second Lieutenant, Confederate States Army.”
“Justin Thyme, Santa Paraiso militia.”
Justin’s response earned him a raised brow from the professional soldier. Justin chuckled softly as he let go of the lieutenant’s hand.
“That’s what the Chief has us calling ourselves, so don’t shoot me fer treason or sedition or anythin’ like that. Far as ah know, we’re still loyal citizens of the good ol’ CS of A!”
The officer simply nodded at Justin’s explanation, motioning for Justin to follow.
“Hey, did y’all hear what Chief Jameson said ‘bout getting’ a Class? Lemme tell ya sir, it’s mighty useful ever since things have gone to hell!”
The good lieutenant frowned at Justin’s attempt to make small-talk. He seemed to tamp down his irritation though, and replied to Justin’s query as coolly as he could. “We have taken his advice into consideration, yes.”
Justin nodded along, jutting his lower lip out in agreement. “Smart man, Chief Jameson. He pulled us all together after this here fustercluck. Told us all to pick our Class, get sum ‘sperience from them critters while pushin’ back the murder-hobos.”
He sighed, shaking his head to emphasize his point. “Little green men jumpin’ outta nowhere, crazies who get all drunk on power, devils rulin’ over tha Earth and changin’ God’s laws… this here’s the end times, mark mah words. Christ is gonna come ridin’ down any day now, gonna rapture the faithful while smitin’ the wicked down real good!”
The lieutenant fought back a grimace, very clearly wanting to say something in rebuttal. Justin made sure to plaster a sad, thoughtful expression on his face—like a devotee truly lamenting the state of the world.
He knew that Waters had a couple of issues with anything related to the big gee. Justin counted on that repulsion to make Lieutenant Waters distance himself from ‘sheeple’ like Justin… which is exactly why he chose those words in the first place.
Justin continued yammering on about divine punishment and the end of days as Waters oh so patiently and professionally kept his mouth shut. Waters then left Justin at the truck holding their wounded, gritting his molars as he excused himself to attend to more pressing matters.
“Oh! Sure thing! God bless ya, Loo-tenant Waters!”
The lieutenant replied with a stiff smile before turning around. Justin grinned at the man’s self-control, remembering that expression from his previous timeline.
The Matthew Waters he knew would vocally complain about having to put up with religious fanatics with that same polite smile. He couldn’t afford to openly air his opinions though, not with his family of career politicians who banked on the Christian conservative vote to beat back the liberal democrats slowly gaining prominence.
Justin banished all these distracting thoughts, setting them aside to focus on the task at hand. One of the soldiers nodded at him, pulling the canvas flap up to let Justin get a better view of the casualty.
A medic was tending to the man, replacing the bloodied bandages over what appeared to be a puncture wound of some kind. The skin around the injury had also blackened from frost.
“Ahm reckonin’ he was hit by some crazy throwing around ice spells, yeah?”
“That… was a surprisingly accurate guess,” replied the skeptical medic as he finished unwrapping the bandages. “You know something about these, uh, ice-slingers?”
“Ah got an inklin’,” drawled Justin before muttering out a Respite, aiming the spell at the wounded soldier. “Chief Jameson told us all ‘bout these crazies castin’ all sortsa witchery ‘round. Even saw a couple of ‘em try tah hit the mall. Course, the Chief and his militia dro
The wounded soldier gasped, his eyes scanning something invisible in front of him even as the injury around his shoulder began knitting itself closed. The medic widened his eyes at the applied magic before staring hungrily at Justin, his eyes burning with curiosity.
“Stranger A used Respite on you…” the now healed soldier murmured under his breath. “…and restoring 10.4 health and stamina per second for 10 seconds.” He chuckled then, shaking his head as he rotated his shoulder to test it out. “Just like a damned video game.”
Justin laughed at that, patting the man’s boot. “Yah can thank Chief Jameson when we get to the mall. He’s the one that got us all together, yessir, and kept us safe from the greens and crazies alike. He even taught us how tah pick our classes and tah work with the System!”
Justin nodded to himself, apparently satisfied with his explanation. “Anywho, got anyone else with a boo-boo? Ah can heal them up nice and easy with this here spell, and ah—”
“EYES UP! ROOF ON MY TEN-O-CLOCK!!!”
The soldiers around the convoy snapped to attention, taking cover and aiming their crossbows in the specified direction. The men around Justin likewise gestured for him to stay down even as they each positioned themselves around the trucks carrying so much precious supplies.
Lieutenant Waters was on his way to check up on the wounded soldier when the call came in. He took cover behind the truck Justin was in, peering up at the sighting.
Justin craned his neck, trying to listen in as the lieutenant’s men reported in.
“What do you see?”
…
“Alpha-One, this is Bravo-One. Confirm eight severed heads mounted on spikes of some kind. Appears to be from five males and three females.”
…
Waters frowned, not liking what he was hearing. “Roger that. Keep an eye out for hostiles.” Waters then froze, eyeing Justin with wariness. “You know anything about those heads?”
Justin would much rather be open with the lieutenant like in the previous timeline, explain what he did and why he did it. This time, however, was not a time for honesty—not with what he had in mind.
This is why Justin pretended to shiver in fear, contorting his face into an expression of disgust and apprehension.
“We rightly don’t know who’s puttin’ those heads up,” came his reply after a few moments of dramatic hesitation. “Chief Jameson thinks it’s a vigilante though. He recognized a couple of those heads. They done belonged to them crazies that ran away when they tried tah hit the mall.”
Justin sniffed, rubbing his chin as if he were deep in thought. “Same story with others seekin’ shelter in the mall. They recognized the other heads as belonging to crazies that hit ‘em and their own. One of the womenfolk even went and tossed a fireball at one of them heads, screamin’ somethin’ bout murderin’ bitches gettin’ what they deserve.”
Lieutenant Waters glanced at his men, thinning his lips in worry. “That’s… disturbin.’ Uh, I meant disturbing.” Waters paused, frowned, and shook his head. “Right. Well then, Mister Thyme. If you would be so kind as to guide us to your enclave?”
“Sure thing, sar!” came the smart reply accompanied by a sloppy salute. One of the men behind Waters rolled his eyes, unable to keep the distaste out of his face. Justin grinned at that soldier, laughed, and accompanied Lieutenant Waters to the lead vehicle.
Your Faith warns you of an imminent threat! It automatically activates Foresee! 1.7 Tempo consumed!
Something sharp drives into his neck. Not enough to kill him, no, but enough to register a System-enforced Stun. He collapses into a boneless heap as shouts begin sounding off around him. He lands sideways, his temples slamming into the concrete, just in time to see murderers begin swarming out of the shadows. Lieutenant Waters falls, screaming as two arrows puncture his—
“AMBUSH!” Justin yelled as he snapped out of the vision, pulling Waters down with him. An arrow zipped through the air previously occupied by his neck.
“Diamond Bulwark,” Justin hissed in a low whisper.
Diamond Bulwark (42.5 mana, 60 second duration, 300 second cooldown)
Protective spell that improves physical damage resistance by 80. Also provides 20 points of resistance to true physical damage.
Templar bonus effect: improves magical damage resistance by 80. Also provides 20 points of resistance to true magical damage.
Justin didn’t feel any different, but he knew that the System had just layered him with a good chunk of protection against most sources of direct damage. It would only last for sixty seconds, so he scrambled up and searched for the nearest murderer.
He spotted his quarry, a screaming woman holding up a makeshift maul composed of twisted rebar. She ran ahead of a pack of six other melee attackers, supported by one Archer and two Casters atop an elevated position.
Justin did not hesitate, immediately activating Charge to close the gap.
Charge IV (20 Stamina, 30 second cooldown)
Basic melee skill that allows the attacker to close in on an unobstructed target up to 32 meters away, dealing 40-50 blunt damage with a chance to stagger. Costs 35 stamina (increased by 2x if wearing medium armor; 5x if wearing heavy armor) and can only be used when further than 3 meters from the target.
Templar bonus effect from charging with a shield: increases magnitude of stagger based on the weight of the shield.
Justin rushed forward to meet the lead murderer, throwing his full weight into the attack. He felt his strength drain as the Skill consumed some of his Stamina. That strength was then transformed by the System into an unnatural force that propelled him forward, steering him toward his opponent.
The murderer—a two-hander Warrior sub-class like a Marauder or Destroyer, Justin guessed—answered his Charge with a Charge of her own. She screeched with fury, her arm and abdominal muscles bulging with enough System-enhanced power to overwhelm even the mightiest defenses.
Not Justin’s Diamond Bulwark, though.
Justin and the woman—which Justin tagged as Murderer A—came together in a titanic clash. Justin continued barreling forward while the Destroyer bounced sideways, her fury dissipating into confusion.
Murderer A used Charge on you! You take 0 slash damage + 0 blunt damage [24 slash damage resisted + 18 blunt damage resisted]
“Freeze,” Justin whispered to himself, and reality obeyed.
Freeze activated! Halting time.
Justin lashed out with his machete, directing it to catch the stumbling murderer in the neck.
Justin released his power after half a second, causing reality to reassert itself. To the casual observer who wasn’t too busy fighting back the ambushing murderers, all they would see is Justin redirecting his blade.
No disappearing limbs, no teleporting weirdness—just a slight adjustment of the wrist to capitalize on an opportunity.
Justin’s sharp blade sliced through the woman’s unprotected nape…and simply glanced off.
Justin clicked his tongue. This murderer wasn’t like most other hopped-up newbies focusing exclusively on fancy attacks and splashy abilities. She picked a boring old defensive skill similar to his own Bulwark to cover her as she rushed headlong into battle.
He hated fighting against smart opponents, especially since he needed to spend more time putting them down.
Realizing the threat Justin presented, Murderer A immediately rolled away as she crashed into the ground. The other melee-subtypes following her all converged upon Justin, intent on taking him down before moving on to the rest of the soldiers.
Justin did not disengage, however. He didn’t even raise his buckler to hold his ground. No, he pushed forward into the midst of the advancing murderers, confusing them with his aggressiveness.
Murderer C used Charge on you! You take 0 slash damage + 0 blunt damage! [9 slash damage resisted + 12 blunt damage resisted]
Murderer D used Savage on you! You take 0 slash damage! [8 + 9 + 10 + 8 slash damage resisted]
