Hack, Slash & Burn 2: A LitRPG Fantasy, page 20
Calder couldn’t help but be slighted by the word infancy. Damned politics. “Well, it’s a good thing no such person has emerged.” He gave the man a hard stare.
Ballam raised his head. The two locked eyes. He nodded almost imperceptibly. “Indeed. That is a good thing.”
The Soldier of Light stood. He walked around the broken desk and approached Calder. “I hoped…” He trailed off. “I have met many in my time as a Soldier of Light. I have dined with the elves, broken bread with the gnomes, been welcomed into dwarven mines… not many humans are allowed to do such things, you understand. Once, I sat around a campfire with giants, heard them tell old stories. The giants are the most ancient race among the stars—the most ancient race of magical beings, at least among those that are known. They told stories of their first Avatars of Light, long ago. Of heroism and self-sacrifice. Of only unique souls able to gain such an honour…”
The man sounded and looked as though he were in awe of Calder. He spoke almost reverently, which only made Calder feel uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure how to respond. “They did, did they?”
The Soldier of Light grasped his hand with both his own, his grip tightening. “I am sorry we cannot save your world, Caldor. But the truth is, if you have become… if you are truly Worthy… you do not need the Protectorate’s help. You hold more power within you than you know, and you have the potential for far, far more.”
Calder pulled his hand out of the man’s grasp. “When will the exodus happen?”
“One week from now, on the day the Soldiers of Light leave this world.” Ballam paused. “On the day we abandon it.”
“Which half will you take? How will people be chosen?”
“Representatives of each world on that list will arrive in different cities around Halanor—excepting those lost to the Dark. They will open portals and usher people through, tallying each one by one until they reach their quotas.” Ballam paused. “Then they will close the portals and leave.”
“Just like that?” Calder asked.
“Yes. Just like that.”
“And what of the Touched who remain in Kashan? In other cities in Halanor? The Disciples of Light your people have been training?” Calder thought he knew the answer to this question, but he had to ask.
“They will step through the portals first. Such assets once created, cannot be lost.”
Assets. Like the citizens of this world were simply pawns and not people. To the Protectorate, that is all they are. Should he feel grateful, that they were taking half of Halanor’s population? Should he thank Ballam for this?
What of everyone else left behind? The men, women, children?
They will be mine to defend.
Chapter 22
Calder didn’t return to Berring right away. After they had finished their discussion, and Calder had come to the conclusion—as Luceen had already told him—that there was no changing the Protectorate’s decision, and that informing them that he was an Avatar of Light was not in his best interest, Ballam set up a meeting with the highest-ranking official remaining in Kashan.
Before the empire had betrayed the Soldiers of Light stationed in Dranador, he had secretly recalled many of the nobles and high-ranking military officials that remained in Kashan back to Talna’s capital.
Ballam assumed that because the army meant for Kashan had been destroyed in the Battle of Berring, the emperor did not trust that they would be able to execute a similar plan in that city, and so had consolidated his power in Dranador.
The empire fought so hard to invade and claim our kingdom, then just abandoned it. Calder couldn’t complain about that, especially since General Katan had been the one left in charge of the capital after the war had been lost. Though he wouldn’t mind running into that man—or rather, running his sword through him.
The Soldier of Light took him to the castle. The guards didn’t even question him as he walked Calder through the double doors, up a series of winding staircases and down a maze of halls to the throne room. As they walked, Calder spoke to Graham within his mind, telling the Spirit Construct not to inform the others of the details of his conversation with Ballam.
He wanted to tell them himself.
The man left in charge of the city looked more tired than anyone Calder had ever seen. His hair was streaked with grey and there were dark bags under his eyes. He was some army officer, and not even Touched.
Their conversation did not last very long. He did not care who Calder was, or what he wanted. He had heard of the exodus, and as the current leader of Kashan, he knew where the evacuation of the city would take place.
He planned to be the first to get off this world.
Which meant in one week’s time, the city would be left bereft without leadership.
Calder left soon after that conversation. He headed out of the city, created a portal to the Dark World—to the settlement they had claimed—then Dream Stepped straight to the other side of the walls after nodding at one of the members of Berring Eight’s squad.
He lost himself in thought, heading deeper into the Dark World than they had ever gone. He should have returned to Berring. Should have told the others what was happening.
The sheer magnitude of the situation was overwhelming.
As he travelled through the Dark World, he refused to speak with Graham, blocking him out of his mind.
He had known the Soldiers of Light were abandoning their world, but it hadn’t felt real until he had spoken with Ballam. It hadn’t felt final. He had assumed it would be something he could change.
Calder had barely let it cross his mind what might happen if it wasn’t.
It’s one thing leading a town, another leading a city, let alone the entire bloody world!
He didn’t know where he was going. He Dream Stepped farther and farther. His Proximity Scanner sent him loud dings! wherever he went, but he ignored it. There was a deep anger buried in his chest, one that he had felt before, after the Battle of the Narrow Pass.
An unadulterated rage at the plain injustice of the situation.
The more he learnt about the universe, the less it all made sense.
That was why he didn’t wish to speak to Graham. That man… he had created the Weapon Stones. He had been there at the inception of the Soldiers of Light. Of the Protectorate. And Calder couldn’t help but feel anger toward the ghost, even if it was misplaced.
He knew he couldn’t return to Berring feeling this way. Knew he wouldn’t be able to be the leader he needed to in this condition. He had to get this rage out. Had to let it go so he could think clearly.
And the only way he knew how to do that was by fighting.
As he Dream Stepped for the twentieth time, he found himself standing in the snow at the bottom of a tall mountain. He hadn’t even noticed the scenery pass him by. Looking at his Proximity Scanner, he found it to be riddled with blinking red dots, the dinging registering in his mind. He muted the sound and headed toward the closest one.
He had assumed the farther he travelled, the more signs of orc civilisation he would find, but this area felt just as wild as the forest they had appeared in when they had first travelled to this world.
Calder crept up the mountain on quiet feet. After all the Agility he had accumulated he could run just as quietly as he could walk. He leapt from one rocky outcrop to another, ducking under branches and using roots to kick off from. He drew his sword and took his shield off his back. He had too many thoughts in his head.
Train well, human. If you do, maybe one day we will meet as equals.
You hold more power within you than you know, and you have the potential for far, far more.
Maybe Calder wasn’t a leader. Maybe he didn’t know how to bring the entire damned world together like he had Berring.
But he was a fighter. That he knew how to do. And he could inspire others with his fighting. He had done that once before, at the Battle of Berring, when he had attained level 30 and gone Berserk for the first time.
It didn’t take him long to spot the monster he had been tracking with his mini-map. His eyes widened when he saw it. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was tall—not as tall as a high-level orc, but still twice Calder’s height—and its fur was completely white. As white as the snow beneath its feet.
Though it looked humanoid in the way it walked, its face showed it was all beast. It had teeth as sharp as razor blades and as long as daggers and its eyes were blood red.
It was feasting on something. Ripping flesh from bones. Teeth crunching, mouth slurping.
Calder didn’t recognize the Darktouched creature on the ground. It looked like a cross between a goat and a lion. An odd combination. The large, white beast was gnawing on the other creature’s leg.
He scanned the beast.
Ice Yeti
Level 100
Classification: Beast Elemental
Attributes
Strength: 170
Agility: 65
Magic: 70
Stamina: 170
Perception: 30
Calder couldn’t help but smile when he saw the Ice Yeti’s attributes. No wonder it didn’t hear me. It had terrible Perception for its level. And though its Strength and Stamina were rather inflated, it had an oddly small amount of Magic.
Its Agility, too, was fairly… well, crap, especially compared with Calder’s.
Calder activated Tough Skin and Strong Stance. Though he didn’t expect to get hit by the beast, the last thing he wanted was to go in unprepared. Just because he would be much faster than it, didn’t mean it would be impossible for him to be struck.
Calder, are you sure this is wise? The others are waiting for you. They are eager to know what has happened in Kashan, Graham said in his mind. It is their world too. I think they have a right to know.
Calder gritted his teeth, holding back a growl. I thought I told you to leave me alone? He had blocked out the damned ghost for the time being, but apparently that hadn’t been enough.
The ghost sighed and appeared in front of him. Though he still spoke within Calder’s mind. Spirit Constructs might only be able to communicate telepathically with those they were connected to, but Calder was sure that, unlike non-Touched humans, any magical being could see the ghost. I know what you’re going through is difficult, but that doesn’t mean you have to go through it alone.
Calder slashed his sword straight through the ghost’s body. I’m here to fight, not talk. Suddenly he wasn’t quite so sure why he had wanted the damned Spirit Construct back in the first place. He had all but forgotten the fact that it would never bloody leave him alone, when all he wanted was some damned quiet.
The beast must have heard his slash in the air, as it turned, gaze snapping on him. It snarled, opening its giant maw wide, blood dripping down its white fur. The jaw seemed to… unhinge. It grew wider than Calder had ever thought possible, resembling some sort of creature from nightmare.
Gods, this was an ugly one.
Calder didn’t wait for it to rush him. Instead, he Dream Stepped straight behind the big bastard beast. Activating Charge and Berserk, Calder’s speed was effectively tripled. He hit the Ice Yeti with three strikes, one after the other. Power Strike dug straight into its shoulder, opening a massive gash. Eviscerate tore through its spine. Crippling strike severed an important tendon in one of its legs.
Finally, the beast turned around. It swung one of its arms at Calder. Calder raised his shield lazily. The beast may have been almost twice his level, but it was slow and lumbering compared to Calder.
What Calder hadn’t been expecting was the sheer force of that strike. He had come into the fight too angry, then when he had activated Berserk, he had stopped thinking straight completely.
He should have dodged the damned strike.
The Ice Yeti had some sort of physical attack similar to Power Strike, which it had used to hit him with. Despite having Strong Stance activated and over 200 strength with Berserk, which should have kept him both rooted to the ground and standing upright, Calder was thrown across the side of the mountain until he slammed straight into a massive boulder.
He hit the boulder hard. Something in his back cracked and blood flooded his mouth. He came back to his feet quickly and spat the blood to the ground. Baring his reddened teeth at the Ice Yeti, he released a fighting roar, clashing his sword against his shield.
Graham appeared, a single eyebrow raised. He leant against a nearby tree. “Was that roar entirely necessary?”
Calder ignored the ghost and sprinted forward. Dream Step was still on its cooldown. Fifty seconds was a long time. Too damned long for a fight like this.
The Ice Yeti, despite the three powerful strikes Calder had hit it with, seemed barely injured except for a small limp. It straightened to its full height and slammed its fists against its chest, giving a roar in response to his own that ruffled the snow from the tree branches, making it fall upon Calder’s head.
“Huh, looks like you’re just pissing it off,” Graham said. “According to your Proximity Scanner, that wasn’t just a roar. It was a call for assistance. The Ice Yeti has alerted its brethren. They’re making their way here.”
Calder leapt into the air. The Ice Yeti’s arms came up to strike him, but he slammed a Shield Bash into its fists, hoping to break the beast’s fingers. He heard several satisfying cracks but was still knocked backward by the force of the enemy’s hit.
He landed on the ground, skidding backward a few feet through the snow. His back spasmed slightly, but whatever had been hurt in his back was healing fast thanks to his Stamina. He couldn’t help but recall the fact he gained an extra 10% in all his attributes wherever he was in this world.
“Let them come,” Calder said, spitting another mouthful of blood, reddening the snow at his feet. He was stronger than this beast, especially with Berserk active. He could take it.
He could take all of them.
Calder flooded his blade with enchantments, casting Lightning Bolt and Fireball into it. I need more Mage spells. He didn’t feel as though he took full advantage of his secondary class, but that would change in the future.
He couldn’t help but remember how powerful that Orc Mana Archer’s attacks had been, and the seemingly hybrid spells it had cast. If Calder were able to somehow learn a hybrid Warrior and Mage spell, would he be able to… infuse his strikes with mana, not just enchant his sword with elemental damage?
There wasn’t time to think on that. He could hear the stamp of the other massive Ice Yetis heading toward him. He wasn’t sure how far away they were, as his hearing was quite acute, but he doubted they would take long to reach him.
Graham appeared to be inspecting his nails. “You could always cast World Step and be home in less than a second. Quite a powerful spell you acquired, that.”
Calder gritted his teeth. He dodged under another of the Ice Yeti’s strikes and slashed its belly with Bleeding Strike. His blade sunk into the enemy quite deeply. Electricity made the Ice Yeti shudder and shake violently. The flames singed its white fur, and Bleeding Strike left a deep wound that bled profusely—a strike that would steadily eat at the enemy’s mana.
He then slipped behind the beast with ease. Power Strike had already reached its cooldown. Though the Ice Yeti still held strong, something told him it must be weakening.
Calder jumped up so he could strike it straight in the neck. He felt his Adrenaline draining fast—down to half—as he had used quite a few of his Warrior spells at this point.
The strike hit true, digging straight into the Ice Yeti’s neck. The massive beast became limp. Calder rode it to the ground as Proficiency flooded into him.
All his spells refreshed their cooldown.
Chapter 23
As the massive Ice Yeti crashed into the snow, Calder leapt off it, landing on the soft ground.
A white light enveloped him.
You have reached level 56!
Your health, mana and adrenaline are now restored in full.
You have 10 attribute points to apply.
Calder wasn’t sure he had ever received so much Proficiency at once. He let out a long breath as it continued to hit him. Even when they had slayed the Orc Destroyer, he hadn’t felt such an influx. Then again, that had been split between several people—every single Touched in Berring.
Then when he had taken down those Quake Mammoths with Peter, it had been split in two. The same with the Orc Mana Archer he had taken down with Yesna’s help.
But all the Proficiency from this enemy? It was solely for Calder. How many levels will I be able to gain, fighting these things?
The sound of the other Ice Yetis approaching grew louder. Calder quickly allocated his attributes. Continuing the same trend of wanting to up his Magic as quickly as possible, he threw all ten points into that, bringing four of his five attributes over 100.
Magic increased from 98 → 108!
He looked down at his sword, still enchanted with Lightning Bolt and Fireball. Each point in Magic not only reduced the cooldown of his Dream Step spell, which he wouldn’t be able to check until the next time he used it, it also improved the strength of his enchantments, making every single one of his strikes more deadly. It wasn’t a hybrid spell, like he was hoping to one day get, but it would do for now.
As the enemies neared, he wondered if he should have perhaps added some points to Strength. He was trying to reduce his Killstreak for Berserk, after all. Then again, he doubted that would make any difference in the upcoming fight. He couldn’t kill nine of these beasts in less than a minute, and even if he could, he would gain a level before the Killstreak, which would be even better.
He also could have thrown a few points into Stamina. Not only to help his healing and strengthen his health, but to improve his adrenaline reserve, as he had found Stamina and Strength were intrinsically linked to it, just as Magic was linked to his mana reserve.
But there was no point doubting himself. Besides, if he was right about the amount of Proficiency he could gain from these beasts, it wouldn’t be long before he got some more.
