Warbreaker's Risk: A LitRPG Apocalypse Adventure (The Connected System Book 2), page 13
If they survived.
He braced himself for the bird’s attack, Onyx held in two hands, flat side toward the diving bird.
It got dark around him, the sun disappearing, shadow laying across the ground. Loch felt something behind him, something dark and looming. The Phoenix tried to pull up out of its dive, unable to as another bird slammed into it over Loch’s head.
Black met shades of red, the two colors clashing as two birds spiraled into the sky, clawing and bashing at each other. There was no detail to the black bird, just the basic shape. Not hawk or eagle, not anything Loch recognized. It was a bird. Just the style and raw shape. The two circled, flying higher and higher, bits of flame and shadow ripped away, falling to the ground. The shadow disappeared into small wafts of smoke that faded quickly. The flames struck the pavement, small explosions of fire.
“What kind of bird is that?” Harper asked.
“I don’t know,” Piper answered. “I just drew a bird.”
She sounded disappointed, apologetic.
“It’s a beautiful bird,” Loch said.
And it was.
The inkbird was holding its own against the Phoenix.
The other Phoenix screeched as it started its dive. Bursts of silver energy shot out, another spear of light streaking toward it. Loch held his arm back, waiting. It spun, avoiding one silver burst. A great flap of wings, pulling it up to avoid another. It drifted to the side, the light spear missing. The Phoenix adjusted its angle, closing the distance.
Onyx slammed into its head.
The hammer struck, and the bird’s dive came to a complete stop. It hovered in the air, frozen, then it dropped, hitting the ground in a small explosion of flames and dirt. It landed in the grass between the parking lot and the road. The Phoenix struggled to rise, pushing itself up, shaking its yellow-colored head.
Harper appeared behind it with tonfas slashing out.
Trails of lightning followed the blades as she slashed into the Phoenix’s wings. Flames erupted as the blades ripped through, leaving long gashes filled with crackling bolts of lightning. The bird turned, lashing out with a wing, trying to strike at Harper, who was no longer there.
She appeared on the other side, ducking low and swinging up with her blades. She cut deep into the wing. The Phoenix whipped its head around, snapping at her. Harper melted back into the shadows.
Hopping around, wings spread, one of them in tatters, the Phoenix looked for Harper. Its eyes glowed red, looking like small fires. A burst of silver slammed into it, staggering the large bird.
Davis rushed at it, spear thrusting forward, the tip glowing bright white. It struck the Phoenix in the shoulder, penetrating deep, white flaring out around the edges of the wound. The Phoenix turned, slamming a wing into Davis. He fell to the ground, tearing the spear out.
It thrust its head at Davis, beak open to bite. Harper appeared to the side, tonfas stabbing into its neck. The head twisted, giving Davis the opening he needed.
His spear thrust up into the Phoenix’s neck.
Up and out. The fire in the bird’s eyes flared.
“Get back!” Loch yelled, remembering what Cerie had said about Phoenix.
They did, Harper melting into shadows, Davis scrambling away on hands and knees. He got up, fell, got up, and fell again in his mad scramble. Landing, he curled up into a ball, back to the Phoenix.
The eyes flared as the body started to flicker. The edges of the bird lost detail, becoming lines of crackling fire that burst out as the Phoenix exploded in a wave of heat and flame. Davis screamed, flames searing his back from the small explosion.
Smoke curled up from the small spots of fire in the grass, Davis rolling around to put out the small flames in his clothes. Harper appeared next to him, patting his shoulders. He was in obvious pain but handling it well. Nothing was left of the Phoenix.
Another scream, louder and full of pain, echoed through the battle.
Loch turned, seeing Peter Millman falling to the ground, the other Phoenix flying back into the sky.
Chapter Fifteen
They had been so distracted by the death of the first Phoenix that they’d forgotten the second.
Wisps of black shadow drifted through the sky, fading away as the Spirit returned to the Core. The Phoenix was a mess. Tears covered its body and barely enough of its wings remained to keep it flying. It had won against the inkbird, but at a great cost.
It had taken advantage of their distraction.
Peter paying the price.
He fell to the ground, not moving, blood pooling around.
“Dad!” Davis yelled.
Harper appeared next to Peter, looking down with wide eyes. She held her weapons, unsure what to do.
“Get a shirt or something, bandages!” Loch yelled. “Stop the bleeding.”
Harper looked at him in a state of shock. Piper was on the ground, looking shocked, sliding away from the trail of blood, her magical sketchbook forgotten at her side.
“Harp!” Loch yelled. “Focus.”
It took her a second, but she nodded, crouching down next to Peter.
Loch threw Onyx, the wounded Phoenix avoiding the hasty throw. Its head tracked the weapon flying past, turning to face the seemingly unarmed Loch. With a screech, it dove.
He activated Offensive Stance, watching the streaking bird. It was a blur of reds, yellows and oranges—more flames than physical creature.
It took seconds that felt like hours as it slowed in Loch’s perception.
He held out his hand, the axe reappearing and growing to full size. Activating Precision Strike, Loch saw bright spots appear across the Phoenix’s neck and shoulder joints. He shifted to the right, adjusting his position.
The Phoenix came closer, unable to pull or adjust its dive.
Pulling Onyx back, Loch prepared to swing.
His arm shot forward as he stepped to the side. The hammerhead of Onyx slammed into the shoulder joint of the Phoenix. There was a loud snap as the wing struck Loch, knocking him to the ground into a roll. He lost his grip on Onyx, jumping up. His ribs hurt from the impact of the wing, scrapes and bruises across his body.
The Phoenix crashed into the ground, tumbling end over end, little wisps of flame falling from its body, leaving small wafts of smoke and burning grass. It came to a stop.
Right in front of Davis.
His spear slammed into the bird’s head. It exploded in flames, forcing the young man back. The Phoenix flared, its body shaking, pulsing with energy.
Loch slammed Onyx down onto the body. Bones snapped, small feathers of fire flying off. The pulsing stopped, the body lying still.
Davis ran past to check on his father.
Loch stepped away from the dying flames of the Phoenix, looking into the Meadows parking lot, not seeing any more birds. He turned, looking across the road at where an old and run-down restaurant had been, the yellow-sided building gone, leaving an open grassy clearing and broken asphalt. It had been many things over the years Loch had lived in town. A breakfast joint, a couple of different Chinese food places. The building had never looked like much, and had probably needed to be torn down and completely replaced.
Now it was gone.
Nothing there to hide whoever had shot the arrow.
Which meant it came from further away. In the woods a hundred feet or so past where the building had come.
An extremely long shot.
Had to be some kind of Archer Class with an Ability.
But who and why?
“Dad!” Harper yelled.
She and Davis knelt over Peter, who was coughing up blood. They pressed a red-stained shirt tight to his chest. She pulled it away, looking at the large wound. The edges were red, not with blood, but burned by the Phoenix. Peter was no longer bleeding. With combat over, the wound was starting to heal. Or it should have been.
Loch leaned closer, seeing a scab forming, but the flesh not closing. The edges were blistered and raw, looking freshly burned.
“Why isn’t he healing?” Davis asked.
“The Phoenix left a burnt debuff,” Cerie explained. “It’s preventing the wound from fully self-healing. If there was a Healer Class available, they could possibly break the debuff.”
“But we don’t have one,” Loch said, stopping the fairy. He could see Davis starting to worry. “What can we do with what we have?”
Cerie didn’t reply.
Loch glared at her. When she looked at him, Loch knew she wasn’t replying because the answer was not something they’d want to hear.
She sighed.
“Wait for the debuff to fade,” she said, her voice low, trying for only Loch to hear. He saw Davis stiffen as she talked, knowing he could hear the fairy. “When it does, the wound will have to be reopened so it can naturally heal.”
Loch looked down the road. He could see the hill the town hall had been on and, just beyond, the first of the two churches. So close. Yet so far.
Peter wouldn’t be able to walk. It wasn’t far, but he was in no shape to make it.
The debuff was preventing full healing but was also sapping his Stamina.
And it hurt.
A lot.
Peter was trying not to show it, but Loch could see it in his eyes.
He looked around, not sure what to do. There was no way to carry Peter. He and Davis could try, but that kind of carry would just compound the man’s pain. If there were cars, there would most likely be blankets, and they could form a stretcher. But no cars.
There was a shed in the Meadow’s parking lot. Not that big. Loch had always wondered what was kept in it. The local snowmobile club did a lot of work to the trails, maybe the shed was theirs. He’d never asked. There might be blankets inside.
He looked to the churches.
The solution was simpler. Since the Connection, Loch had been alone with just the girls. No other people for support. Just them. The last couple of days had been with the Millmans. Support and company.
They had been heading for more people. A whole camp of people.
And it was only about a half mile away, if that.
“Davis,” Loch said, having to repeat himself to tear the teen’s attention away from his father. “Run to the camp and bring back something to carry your father.”
“But…”
“It’ll be quicker and easier if you go,” Loch explained, stopping the teen’s protests. “They know you and have been expecting you.”
There was no doubt some people there that knew Loch and the girls. Ed Turner was in charge, and their two families had spent a lot of time together. Most likely, more people. But if Loch or the girls just showed up, there would be questions. Lots of questions.
It would just cause a delay.
If Davis showed up without his dad, the camp would know something was wrong. They’d respond quicker.
Hopefully.
Harper reached out a hand, grabbing Davis’s shoulder. She nodded.
With a curse, Davis stood up. He didn’t even bother to grab his spear, just took off running.
Loch watched him go—a full-speed sprint with no sign of slowing down.
The advantage of an Adapted body.
He looked around, feeling exposed. Facing the woods across the street, Loch searched the trees. He could feel someone out there, someone watching them. He just couldn’t see whomever it was. But someone was there.
Loch thought about pushing the carts off the road, finding some cover. But why bother?
Whoever was watching knew they were there already. If they had intended harm beyond whatever it was with the arrow, they would have shot at Loch and the girls already.
Whoever it was, they were content to watch.
For now.
Not taking his eyes off the woods, Loch scanned the Notifications he had received.
YOU HAVE SLAIN SUNRISE SWARM PHOENIX.
YOU HAVE SLAIN SUNRISE SWARM PHOENIX.
PRECISION STRIKE HAS REACHED RANK 2.
DETERMINE AN OPPONENT’S WEAKNESS AND ATTACK IT. +35% TO CRITICAL ATTACK CHANCE, +15% TO ATTACK, +15% TO DAMAGE. COST: 45 SPIRIT. FREQUENCY: 1 MINUTE.
YOUR SOUL WEAPON, ONYX, HAS REACHED WEAPON LEVEL 6
YOU HAVE LEARNED: HEAT RESISTANCE RANK ONE. PASSIVE SKILL. +10% RESISTANCE TO FIRE AND HEAT DAMAGE.
He dismissed the Notifications, clearing the words from his vision. They didn’t really block it, being mostly translucent but were still annoying when he was trying to study the world around him. It had been a while since he’d looked at his full stats, but that would have to wait.
Loch didn’t feel safe.
The Phoenix were gone, but there was still something out there. Watching him.
He was tempted to walk across the road and yell out, call whatever it was out to face him. But Peter was hurt. And the survivors’ camp was too close.
It wasn’t worth risking either.
He could still feel a tug from whatever was at the former town dump. Some kind of Resource was what Cerie had guessed. What had she called it? A Natural Resource? Something that just grew in areas where Spirit naturally collected. She hadn’t said much more about it, Loch getting the feeling that had been on purpose. She had wanted to tell him more, or more accurately, wanted to tell Piper more. Whatever it was, the fairy wanted it for Piper.
She hadn’t hidden her feelings from Loch.
As Piper was the holder of her Codex Band, Cerie’s first priority was Piper’s Advancement. Not necessarily her safety, but getting her stronger. Which was a way of protecting her. Not the way Loch would have chosen, but it seemed to be the way of the Connection.
He wasn’t sure what he was going to do.
They had to come back and find out what the Resource was.
Let Piper have it? Would probably depend on what it was.
He also wondered what was deeper into the Meadows. There was a small lake there, which had dried up when a dam had burst. The state had said they’d repair it when they had the funds, but that hadn’t happened yet. Wouldn’t happen now. The dried-up lake seemed like a place where something would have been put there after the Connection. A Dungeon? Monster den? Anything.
More things were added to the list.
Not much time passed, more than Loch would have wanted, though. He saw a small group running down the road from the Town Hall’s hill. Still too far away to make out who it was. He knew it was Davis in front, moving faster than the others. Probably the only person in the camp to have a Class at this point. The extra Stat points that came with the Class made a huge difference, creating a big gap between the one with the Class and those without.
It would be an even bigger gap between the other survivors and Loch and his girls.
That could potentially be a problem.
Loch hated that he thought it. Humans were still humans, even if they were Adapted.
He was strong enough that it wouldn’t be a problem for long.
Besides Davis, there were another three people.
All men.
“Cerie,” Loch said. “Hide for a bit.”
She nodded, flying down and crawling into the backpack that Piper carried. He was worried that her constant glow would give her away, but there was none. She’d either buried herself deep enough or managed to dim the glow.
Would be nice to know if she could do that all the time, Loch thought.
They had used her glow to light their way in parts of the Challenge Dungeon, but it had also been used by the monsters to find them.
The group from the camp got closer, only a couple hundred feet away now. Loch thought he knew two of them. One of them carried what looked to be a long board with slots cut into the sides. Not a stretcher, but one of those solid boards people with back injuries were laid on. Loch didn’t know the name of it. Bright orange.
Had it been in one of the churches?
“Lochlan Brady?” the man carrying the board asked in surprise.
The other two men were staring at the shopping carts filled with food.
They were fifty feet or so away now. Davis was kneeling by his father, easily outpacing the other three. The young man hadn’t even acknowledged Loch, just rushing to his father as he should have.
He waved. The man was Gary Wilson. He lived on the main road behind the churches. His youngest had been a senior at the high school. They’d talked at various school functions over the years.
Gary stopped, breathing heavily from the run. He was not as bad as he would have been before the Connection, but it was obvious he didn’t have a Class yet.
Loch’s height, used to have some extra weight, balding gray hair, a couple of years older, Gary was a good man. Worked sales for some company in Manchester. Loch couldn’t remember which. The last time they had talked, at a softball game, Gary had mentioned that he had been closing in on an early retirement. Had been looking forward to it. His daughter, Jane, had her college all paid for. Gary and his wife had been saving for years. The house was paid off. When Jane left for college, Gary would retire. He and his wife, Loch had forgotten her name, had been looking forward to traveling. That wasn’t going to happen now.
Loch felt another pang of loss.
Even something like early retirement, or just retirement, was lost to the Connection.
How many plans were ruined? Not just lives, but entire futures? Gone.
“Gary,” Loch said. The other two men took the board from Gary, who stepped out of the way. He looked at Harper, who was also moving out of the way, going to stand next to Piper. Gary smiled, seeing the two girls.
“I’m glad to see you and your girls made it,” he said but stopped, eyes widening as he looked around. “Kelly?”
“Don’t know,” Loch answered. He knew Kelly was still alive. Could feel it. Nothing would convince him that she was gone. But it was not something to be brought up. Were Gary’s wife and daughter gone?
Gary nodded.
He looked Loch and the girls over again, noticing the armor and weapons.
“Where did you…” He stopped, shaking his head. “Never mind. Plenty of time for that.”
