War of the Ashes: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (Ashen Realm Book 6), page 1
War of the Ashes
S.D. McKittrick
Copyright ©2024 by S.D. McKittrick
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact S.D. McKittrick.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
Book Cover by Muhammed Kaleem
Contents
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 12
13. Chapter 13
14. Chapter 14
15. Chapter 15
16. Chapter 16
17. Chapter 17
18. Chapter 18
19. Chapter 19
20. Chapter 20
21. Chapter 21
22. Chapter 22
23. Chapter 23
24. Chapter 24
25. Chapter 25
26. Chapter 26
27. Chapter 27
28. Chapter 28
29. Chapter 29
30. Chapter 30
31. Chapter 31
32. Chapter 32
33. Chapter 33
34. Chapter 34
35. Chapter 35
36. Chapter 36
37. Chapter 37
38. Chapter 38
39. Chapter 39
40. Chapter 40
41. Chapter 41
42. Chapter 42
43. Chapter 43
44. Chapter 44
45. Chapter 45
46. Chapter 46
47. Chapter 47
48. Epilogue
49. Bonus Chapter
Afterword
About the author
Also by
Chapter 1
Staring up at the mana rich sky, I watch as ash rains down around me. The portal flickers nearby, sending its mana around the area, mixing with the white shreds of grass and stones from the crater.
The angels and beastkin are walking through the rift, leaving the rest of us to recover on our own time. Everyone is exhausted and yet my party is content to sit on the ground.
Looking towards the crater, I marvel at the destruction that I caused. I haven’t fully inspected it yet, but from the way the Chimera was standing in it, I can only imagine that it is over two stories deep. The sheer width of the hole stretches for over a hundred meters. All of it caused from one spell.
We only survived thanks to Poe’s bravery and her sacrifice. My heart still aches, knowing that she gave her life to defend us. Even though she was reborn afterwards.
Her much smaller size will remind me that she is a hero.
Ashe continues to nuzzle his phoenix friend, filling the air with yips while Poe caws in appreciation. Leasha is resting her legs over mine, as she stretches out. Her ribs are still broken, but soon I’ll have enough mana to fix her.
Sora is resting with her back against mine. The angel pushed herself to her limits to keep me safe while I was casting my spell. In fact, they all did. But despite nearly breaking her back, literally, she’s trying to act tough by supporting me from falling over.
Briar is the only one that faired halfway decently. The demon used up his strength to fight back the Chimera, but he relied on his ranged weapons to deal damage. We quickly learned they didn’t have much effect. He was out of danger most of the time, but still distracted the Chimera from killing Leasha on more than one occasion.
In the end, we all came together to push the Chimera back. No matter how much we threw at it, the beast simply left. I couldn’t kill it. I’ve always been able to finish my targets…
The realization that something that strong is in the world is startling. I was growing used to being the strongest in the world. Even the Ashen natives would die in the end. But now. Now there are ancient beasts that predate the fall of the world. I need to get stronger. We all do.
A layer of ash slowly builds up on my armor before I decide to move. Leasha removes her legs and jumps up, protesting with a hiss of pain. Still, she holds out her hand and helps pull me up. My legs are numb from the overuse of my mana veins, and with the little bit that I’ve recovered, I start to heal my team.
First, I touch Leasha’s ribs and fix the damage. Next, I focus on Sora and make sure she isn’t going to fall over. Lastly, I touch the sore muscles of Briar and let him stand tall and proud.
Leasha grabs my hand, leaning into my side as we stare at the portal. Sora rests her arm on my shoulder, joining us. Briar doesn’t hesitate to walk through.
“I need a shower,” Sora mumbles.
“Ole is going to join us,” Leasha states.
“I am?” I ask.
Both of the girls elbow me.
“We all deserve a reward,” Leasha starts. “And my reward is you washing my back and pampering me in the shower.”
“I want a massage,” Sora adds.
Frowning, I look between the girls. “What do I get out of this?”
Leasha perks up. “You get to touch my naked body for the first time!”
Sora snorts, earning a glare from the foxkin.
“Well! He does!”
I pretend to roll my eyes. Ever since I admitted to Leasha that we were in an arranged marriage, she has been flirty and pushing me to the edge. And yet…
Leaning in, I claim her lips, teasing her as much as giving her pleasure. Her face darkens to a deep orange, and she stammers, “W-w-what?!”
…Yeah. She’s still embarrassed every time we kiss. She can’t get used to it. I guess I’ll have to keep torturing her until she gives in and gets used to it.
Sora smirks. “He wants to do more than kiss you, you know.”
Somehow Leasha’s blush deepens. “N-no! I-I can’t handle this!”
Breaking away from me, she jumps through the portal, leaving me with Sora and my companions.
Ashe gives me a knowing look. Without actually talking, I know he’s saying, “You’ve done it now…”
Poe coos in agreement before the two walk through the portal. They will relax in their own way while I prepare to pamper the girls.
Sora takes my arm in hers and starts walking. “We are relaxing for an hour before you start talking to the others.”
I find myself nodding. I’m not against relaxing. “I’ll let you beat Marie off with a stick,” I joke.
Sora growls. “She is not butting into my time with you. We just nearly died, and I need to make sure you can walk.”
Chuckling, we walk together through the portal. Closing down the rift, I look around the city. DuVale, the trade city that I created in joint effort with various leaders.
Lord Auburn runs the city itself, while Venus inputs ideas for the angels. Leasha adds her two cents about the beastkin. Hilda talks for the school and Killian talks for the guild. Marie only adds what she needs when needed. But she is ultimately in charge of my guild.
All the while, I oversee everyone. I’m more of a figurehead, then actually involved, but when needed I veto ideas and secure plans. This city was the first bunker that we took over. It was how Sora and I escaped Earth nearly two years ago.
But now, we have three additional bunkers, and two of them are already developed into towns. Our safe zones are expanding. We have a mine with various metals inside. And the city of Buenos Aires that we are salvaging with the joint effort of the various races.
Everything was perfect. That is until the leaches became a widespread problem. Even now, I can’t fight one alone. They destroy magic and attack with spells that far surpass what I can normally do. More than once I’ve nearly died.
In fact, we had to create a special weapon just to handle them. That’s where Briar comes in. His skill with the rifle is perfect for my team.
After we became distracted by the leaches, the Chimeras entered the picture. We managed to secure a treaty with them after this last battle. They will continue to let us live in peace as long as we help exterminate the leaches once and for all.
There are still eleven leach facilities throughout the world. We will need to put teams together to handle them. My team has our own goals. We need to recruit the Noctis, the black feathered birdkin that rule Africa. We also need to meet the Dryads that live in Europe. They are the most dangerous of the races. They don’t take kindly to humans, nor the other races. I’m struggling for ideas on how to approach them.
But I have a few years to figure it out. We need to spend the next few years focusing on leveling our attributes. I need to finish evolving my strength, dexterity, and mind. After that, I need to evolve all of my attributes a second time and then rebuild them.
Not only do I have to do it, but my entire team does as well. A future of battles and near-death experiences is before us. Furion didn’t give me an exact time frame, but he said within the next few y
That doesn’t give me long to get everyone evolved and back up to snuff.
I’m worried. I’m very worried. Everything feels like it’s closing in, and I somehow have to hold the sun from setting a final time. But the last time I died, I promised myself that I would keep fighting. I would see this through to the end.
From my first meeting with Furion, I came to admit that I still loved Riley, and I’m actively working on bringing her back into my life. I also told Leasha that I wanted to marry her, bringing her in as my second wife.
If the beastkin didn’t force this wedding on me, I’d still be stuck with my human values on culture. In fact, with the way that Leasha and I shamelessly flirted, I’d likely have broken both of our hearts by denying her. In the end, the beastkin deciding for me to take multiple partners worked out.
Speaking of my wife, I come back to attention as Sora guides me into our home. The three-winged manor that I hear is quite attractive in its design. Not that I’ll ever be able to see it truly. But I can still admire my friends’ pleasure of living here.
Before Marie can find us, Sora hurries me up to our room and pushes me inside. Leasha is already down to her underwear and her poofy tail is waving back and forth as she waits for me.
Coming over to my side, she helps pull off my armor, and Sora stores it for me. Within seconds, the two girls get me down to nothing and the once bashful Leasha is looking me up and down greedily.
“Remember, you have to clean my back, tail, and hair. You can’t get water in my ears either. It’s a pain in the ass when that happens.”
I nod at the foxkin before she hurries into the bathroom to get the water started. Sora takes the few seconds reprieve to strip out of her own clothes. Tossing everything into the hamper, she steps up to me before giving me a kiss.
“I’ll make sure she behaves in the shower,” she whispers.
Chuckling, I can already picture Leasha causing all sorts of trouble for me. When she’s confident, she’s a whirlwind of energy that I’ll never be able to tame.
Sadly, that same energy made her life growing up in the villages miserable. She had no friends and even now, there’s only one beastkin that she claims can stand her.
Zaya, the pantherkin. A soldier that guards the third bunker and their shaman, Tessa.
I’ve worked with the pantherkin, and I admit that she’s respectable. She gets the job done and doesn’t fool around.
But for the last two weeks, Leasha has been changing. Despite her over abundance of energy, she has taken charge and led the beastkin and angels on missions. She even orders me around while keeping me safe and secure. I can’t even lift a finger without her permission.
Although, when no one is looking she collapses in on herself, spent from all the attention.
All the same, she’s strong. She’s respectable. And she has earned the respect of the soldiers.
Sora has too in her own way. The angel is ruthless and dives in headfirst with the soldiers. With her mace and shield, she protects and guides the battles. Together the two work well as a team and our missions have been completed with ease.
I’m looking forward to the promising future of when we attack the Ashen realm. Having leaders, I can count on will do wonders for our morale.
Sora pulls me to the shower, and I find Leasha already rinsing off in the steam. My angel happily pushes me under the water before closing the door behind us.
True to my word, I wash Leasha down without teasing her. But I’ll be the first to admit that seeing her tail a soggy mess is a turn off. Nothing so fluffy and amazing should ever be turned into saggy, wet hair.
Leasha of course notices my sadness and promises that she’ll blow dry it as soon as we get out. Just as much as I enjoy her tail, she loves pampering me with it. That’s what started us down our spiral into being more than friends. She’s a tease at heart, and I’ll never change that about her.
And true to her word, Sora makes sure that Leasha doesn’t touch me inappropriately. We aren’t married yet, so the angel is setting boundaries.
Sora rules the house with an iron fist. She’ll be the one to make sure Leasha and Riley get along and don’t cause me problems. She is my first wife and the most important in my life. Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to survive five years in hell. And I’ll always put her before everyone else.
Sadly, the shower doesn’t last long enough. Once we are out, the girls work on drying their hair while I’m stuck listening to Marie knocking on my door. Knowing what’s coming next, I prepare to indulge her and share the fight that we just finished. Hopefully it doesn’t take all afternoon. I’m on vacation dammit.
Chapter 2
Riley
My work is almost done. Weeks of research and studying my targets have all led to this moment. My agents are spread around the Crane guild and ready to act. The shadows are alive if you look close enough, and my magic keeps me hidden as I watch from the pillar above the tavern.
I’m ready to return to Ole. I want to feel his hands hold me as I tell him that I avenged his parents. I want his breathe to tickle my neck as he plants kisses along my nape. I’m shivering just thinking about it. But first, I need to attend to this matter at hand.
Swinging myself up, I attach myself to the beams that hold up the ceiling. The guild is in the midst of celebrations. Apparently, they closed the most gold portals this month and the Commander and Guild Master wanted to reward everyone. This is perfect. Everyone is in one central place.
The food has already been poisoned. The drinks have been spiked, and my agents are all waiting for the effects to take place.
If you were to only eat, or only drink, you would only get a stomach ache, but I know that most of them will indulge. The two poisons will mix in their systems and spell death to all those at this party. But I have something special planned for the Commander and Guild Master.
Attaching my rope to the ceiling, I start lowering myself towards the ground. If anyone was to look up, they wouldn’t spot me in the darkness of the night and the flickering torches. My control over the shadows has improved to the point that not even my friends would find me. Apart from Ole. He’s a freak and will see right through me.
I reach the first floor and hover above the tables. The Commander is raising his glass to toast to the success of the guild. Their Guild Master is a crone of a woman that is far stronger than her age would have you think. But they are still not strong enough to resist what I have in store for them.
With his glass raised, I drop the pellet I’ve been concealing into his ale. It permeates the drink in a second and he will never detect what I’ve done. Now I simply have to wait for the Guild Master to raise hers. In the meantime, I listen to the toast.
“To all of our champions! We have taken the spot as the top guild and will push our heights to new levels! The Dragons are no longer the pinnacle of this world! Now the Crane will rule!”
Cheers fill the air, making me want to laugh. They have no idea what’s coming.
“Tonight, we celebrate! Tomorrow, we march! We will take over the council and push changes in our favor! We will never give up our position at the top!”
Smirking, I watch everyone raise their glasses. Moving quickly I drop my second pellet into the Guild Masters ale, and pull myself back up. The drinks are drained, and the cheering intensifies as I watch the party progress. It’s only a matter of time now.
Before I know it, an hour has passed, and I step off the railing. I touch the floor without so much as a sound. Walking down the stairs, I drop my invisibility, the signal for all my agents.
Four of them block the entrance to the tavern, appearing from the shadows with their weapons drawn. Another three dozen walk away from the walls, encircling the guild members and their leaders. But it’s not until I step into the tavern and reveal myself that the Commander reacts.
As predicted, he yells, “You?! What are you doing here?!”
My timing is perfect as the guild members all start to collapse, spilling their stomach on the ground before falling still. Hundreds of high leveled individuals succumb to the poisoning, and I finally let myself smile.
“You took something that didn’t belong to you,” I tell the Commander calmly.
His eyes are wide as his hand starts to shake. He realizes something is wrong. “What are you talking about?!”
