Warbreaker's Rage: A LitRPG Apocalypse Adventure (The Connected System Book 3), page 15
Loch couldn’t see Davis beyond her. The young man had to have retreated deeper into the woods. He took a couple of steps closer, pulling Onyx back, ready to throw.
Harper appeared out of the shadows around the Crone. Energy crackled around her tonfas as she stabbed them straight out. Blades pierced the Crone, the tips piercing out the monster’s other side. Lightning crackled around the entry and exit wounds.
The Crone whipped around, quicker than Harper. Long-fingered hands grasped Harper’s arm, the other reaching for her throat.
“Harper!” Loch yelled, letting Onyx fly.
The axe slammed into the Crone’s shoulder. She shrieked, releasing Harper, who instantly melted into the shadows, disappearing. The Crone looked around, bright yellow eyes wide with anger.
“I will find her and eat her,” the Crone wailed, reaching to pull the axe out of her shoulder.
Fingers grasped nothing. She twisted, trying to see where the axe had gone. Her eyes followed an invisible trail ending on the now enlarged axe in Loch’s hands. Now much closer. Her head turned to the side, Jenny approaching from near the house. Her head snapped to the side, Brian rushing around the pond, large club ready to swing. Davis stepped out of the trees behind her, glowing spear in hand. Harper was next to him, a couple feet between them. The Crone’s dark blood dripped from the tips of the weapons.
The Crone didn’t show fear. She turned and faced Loch, sneering.
“I will eat you all,” she said.
She took a step forward, raising her hand. Loch tensed, lifting Bulwark and shifting the size. She pointed the glowing finger at Loch and turned. A bolt of lightning streaked out, straight for Jenny.
Loch watched, horrified, as the bolt slammed into the woman.
Their weakest.
Somehow the Crone had sensed it.
Jenny screamed. She hadn’t been quick enough to dodge. Didn’t have any Abilities to defend against the attack.
Smoke rose from her chest, bolts of blue-white lightning sparking across her body. Her sword fell to the ground as her body arched, limbs stiff. Her eyes rolled up into her head, her body collapsing to the ground.
Time slowed for Loch. It took just a couple of seconds that felt like hours.
He heard the thud of her body hitting the grass. The sound somehow amplified. Or it was just his imagination.
There was nothing he could do.
They had no healer.
And now they were down a fighter against the Crone. They hadn’t even done any damage to her and they were already at a disadvantage.
Was Jenny still alive?
He didn’t know. Didn’t have time to find out.
“I prefer my meals raw,” the Crone said. “But roasted will be fine.”
“Spread out!” Loch yelled. “Keep moving.”
The Crone laughed, the cackling sound loud. It thrummed in Loch’s ears, the music still flowing around the clearing. The two sounds clashed in his mind. He started to see red. Anger and fear melded together.
Brian roared, racing at the Crone.
She just stood there, watching the large man. He swung the club. The Crone raised a hand. The club slammed into an invisible shield, not even a flash of energy. Loch could see the vibrations across the surface of the Crone’s shield, the only thing that showed its existence.
The force of the swing pushed back at Brian, but the large man, with his Adapted strength, managed to hold his ground. The Crone’s yellow eyes flared in surprise.
For a moment.
She flicked her fingers, the black tendrils shooting out at Brian. They wrapped around his legs, snaking up his chest. He swung the thick club, the tendrils moving out of the way. Smoke rose from his legs, the padding he wore melting away. Brian tried to step back, but the tendrils held him fast.
Loch threw Onyx, the weapon slashing through the inky black substance. The lines retreated, the ends attached to Brian turning to smoke. He roared, charging forward, swinging the club. The Crone took a step back, right into a spear thrust from Davis.
The tip glowed silver, cutting across her back as she twisted. Harper appeared in front of her, bursting from the shadows. The Crone raised a hand, sleeve sliding back to reveal a bone-thin, green-skinned arm to block the swiping tonfa. Blade struck bony arm.
And was deflected.
A bright flash of blood splashed away, but not much.
Not enough.
The Crone lashed out with her long fingers, the claws barely missing the dancing Harper as she moved out of the way. She got a tonfa up to knock the Crone’s claws away. Sparks flew as claws met metal. The slight shock caused the Crone to step back.
Davis spun his spear, slamming the butt end into the Crone’s back. She staggered to the side, bending out of the way, moving right into a thrown Onyx. The axe slammed into her chest, causing her to fall back.
“Keep up the pressure!” Loch yelled.
That was their only hope. They had to keep the Crone off balance and prevent her from using any of her Abilities. Loch Activated Aura of Attack.
Onyx appeared back in his hands. He used Windstep to cross the short distance, appearing on the blindside of the Crone. He twisted, swinging Onyx, the Crone twisting to the side to miss the axe but into a swing by Harper.
The Crone made her first sound of pain.
A quiet grunt.
Loch swung Onyx, Activating Precision Strike. Very few bright spots appeared around the Crone. Not even in the usual locations. Not the neck, the shoulder joints, or anywhere else. On the Crone, her weak spots were other joints; elbow and knee. Hard to attack areas. With the aid of the Ability, Loch managed it.
The axe head slammed down into the inside elbow joint. Barely and with an awkward swing. It did damage, making the Crone hiss in pain. She turned to him, eyes tight with anger. Growling, the Crone snapped her fingers.
Loch felt a pressure against him, something slamming into his chest. He flew backward, knocked off his feet. He landed hard, sliding across the ground.
Pushing himself up, Loch saw that the others had been knocked back.
The Crone stood alone. She turned, glaring at each of them.
“I will kill you all,” she growled.
Chapter Sixteen
Loch stood up, watching the Crone.
She was glaring at him, eyes bright with fury. Her arms came up. Loch threw Onyx.
The weapon slammed into the invisible shield. Loch suspected it was some kind of manipulated air barrier. He could see the pressure vibrations across its surface.
She turned, Harper’s tonfas slamming into the same barrier.
The Crone turned again, one arm pointing at Davis and the other at Harper. Crackling lightning shot out, slamming into Davis. He dropped, body convulsing. Harper danced away, the edge of a bolt grazing her. She kept moving, the electricity not bothering her.
Loch wondered how high her Resistance was.
He glanced at Davis, glad to see the young man was moving. Obviously very hurt, but moving. He couldn’t see Jenny past the fighting, but there had been no movement from her since the attack.
Brian swung his club down, slamming it into the ground. Shockwaves spread out, the earth shaking. The Crone stumbled, fighting to keep her balance.
Harper appeared in front of her, kicking out, striking the back of the Crone’s knee. She grunted in pain, the Crone’s bones like stones. With a curse, the Crone stumbled, swiping her claws out to get at Harper, who had already Shadow Skipped away.
With the Crone down, Loch used Windstep, swinging Onyx as he Activated the Ability. The axe swung down, the Crone getting an arm up to block. Activating Cleave, Loch watched the glowing edge of the weapon cut deep into the Crone’s bony arm. He had hoped it would cut right through.
It came close, but somehow the bone held.
He lifted the axe, quickly bringing it down again, aiming for the same spot.
The Crone moved her arm.
She lashed out, Loch not getting Bulwark up. Her claws, long and sharp fingernails, sliced through a gap in his armor. He felt flesh tearing, muscle sliced through. It hurt, the wound stinging worse than it should have.
A flashing notification in his vision caught his eye. He didn’t have time to look at it.
Loch stepped back, away from the vicious claws. He could feel his side where the Crone had sliced going numb.
Harper and Brian attacked at the same time. Tonfas going low with club coming in high. The Crone couldn’t avoid both. She ducked below the club, the tonfas scoring solid hits on her back and leg. A hand shot out, a bolt of lightning slamming into Brian.
He staggered back, cracks of energy snapping across his body. He started to spasm, but somehow, the large man started to get himself under control. He set his feet, face grimacing in pain as he fought the spasms.
The Crone turned to face Harper, who kept moving. She ducked low, avoiding a swipe of the claws. Jumped high over another swipe. Kicked out, foot connecting with elbow and knocking an attack off course. She kept moving, away from the Crone.
Black tendrils snaked out at Harper. She shifted and danced, dodged and weaved, avoiding most of the tendrils. One wrapped around her ankle, smoke rising, the smell of burning flesh filling the clearing. Harper screamed as she fell.
The Crone took a step toward her, the other hand raised, glowing blue.
Loch roared in rage.
The Crone turned to him, growling.
He swiped Onyx low, aiming for her waist. The axe slammed into the invisible barrier, ripples moving across its surface. The Crone took a step back from the force of the blow. Stepping to the side, Loch made to swing Onyx again. The Crone braced herself.
The swing went straight down, cutting through the black tendrils. Harper Shadow Skipped away, melting into the shadows.
Loch angled his upswing, driving the hammer head of Onyx toward the Crone. He felt the vibrations through the haft, into his arms, as the weapon slammed into the Crone’s shield. The numbness in his side was spreading, the vibrations somehow helping it.
Gritting his teeth against the strange feeling through his arms, he shifted and leaned low, swinging the hammer head of Onyx. It passed the line where the barrier was, slamming into the Crone’s knee. There was a loud crack of bone as the Crone shrieked.
She stumbled back, flicking a hand at Loch.
He felt a wave of pressure slam into him, knocking him off balance. As he fell, he saw Harper appear out of the shadows, slamming the crackling tips of her tonfas into the Crone, barely penetrating the skin but enough to send snapping tendrils of electricity around the Crone. The monster staggered back, hissing at Harper, who was already disappearing.
Brian’s club slammed into the Crone’s back, pushing her forward. Loch was there, Onyx swinging to catch her. The Crone and axe head met, the sharp edge slicing deep into her.
Davis was up, sending an energy spear into the Crone. It struck her in the side, bright white light erupting on impact, smoke rising from her burning flesh. She twisted, fingers pointed at Davis. He dove to the side, lightning just missing. It slammed into the ground, causing an explosion of earth and rock.
Her hand snapped back, palm up, facing Loch. He felt the wave of pressure again. He pushed against it, holding his ground.
Barely.
Smoke flowed out of the cauldron, over the top and down the sides, spreading out along the ground. Loch and the others were ankle deep, more and more spreading out through the clearing but not the entire space, just around the Crone and the fighting. He’d thought nothing of it, just smoke, but now it started to creep up his legs. Over his ankles, above his calves, almost to his knees.
Loch paused, looking down at the smoke.
It had been thinner, still able to see the ground through it. Fog more than smoke. Now it was denser. He couldn’t see the grass or the rocks underfoot. He couldn’t see his feet.
He looked at the Crone. She had her arms out straight, hands palm out. Ripples spread out across her shield as Brian and Davis attacked. Harper was off to the side, waiting for an opening. The smoke, growing more and more dense, crept up their legs.
Loch couldn’t hear the singing anymore.
The Crone saw him looking. With her arms out, defending against the attacks, the Crone smiled. She didn’t look worried. If anything, she looked smug.
The cauldron started glowing, pulsing a sickly green. It spread through the smoke. Loch could see it flickering through the dense smoke like lightning.
The fight wasn’t easy. They’d been keeping the pressure on the Crone, scoring more hits than she did. They were slowly taking her down. A tough fight, mostly because of her strength, not the damage she could do.
Loch should have known it had been going too well.
The light flickering through the fog pulsed quicker, growing stronger and darker.
Loch cursed.
The Crone cackled.
He felt the current, a sharp pain at first.
Then it struck.
Loch growled as energy, pushing way past his resistances, passed into his body. The pain was intense, his nerves on fire. His body arched as the current pulsed. He saw Brian drop to the ground on his knees, struggling to get up. Davis fell back, unable to move. Harper was at the edge of the smoke, stretching out, trying to escape the pulsing energy. Her body spasmed, falling to the ground and not moving.
The energy through the smoke pulsed, timed with the energy spikes in his body.
He stood his ground, refusing to go down. Each pulse of energy was a stab of pain into his body.
He’d never felt pain as intense. His body wanted to scream, to tear itself apart.
“If not for the planet’s cap,” the Crone said, her voice harsh and grating. “This would have killed you all instantly.”
Wisps of smoke curled up into the sky with each pulse of the energy. The pulses grew stronger, faster. Brian sagged closer to the ground, barely staying up. Loch fell to his knees, a sharp pulse forcing him down. He glared at the Crone. She had been toying with them, just waiting for her power to build.
The Crone cackled.
She turned to look at Harper, then Davis, Brian, and back to Harper.
“Which to kill first?”
Loch struggled to move. He fought against the pulsing energy that kept his body rigid. It was like electricity coursing through him, locking his body up. Each pulse was a flare of pain.
“None,” a deep voice said from the shadows of the wood.
The Crone’s head whipped around, searching for the owner of the voice.
A large figure stepped out of the shadows, having to duck under the low branches. Lost in the shadows, only the size was visible.
“Who are you?” the Crone asked, the pulsing green energy reflected in the yellow of her eyes.
The form stepped closer, staying away from the edge of the pulsing cover of smoke. The moonlight and pulsing green showed a tall, wide figure covered in thick fur.
“Why are you here, Sasquatch?” the Crone growled.
“To help my new friends,” Little River Stone replied.
He started to hum, a heavy sound coming from deep in the earth—a rumbling noise spreading around the clearing.
“Stop that,” the Crone shrieked.
Smoke no longer poured from the cauldron, the glow fading away. The energy flickering through the dissipating smoke stopped. Loch could breathe again. His body was on fire, every breath and movement brought pain.
The Crone looked at the ground, the last of the smoke disappearing from around her. She growled in anger, barely giving the struggling Brian a glance. Harper was crying, curled up on the ground, body still shaking. Davis didn’t move.
“Damn you, Sasquatch!” she cried.
She rushed at Loch. He couldn’t move. He was kneeling, watching her charge him, fighting to stay up, body not convulsing but muscles refusing to unlock. The Crone raised a hand, her long fingernails sliding together, blood dripping from the tips. She came closer, too fast for Loch to avoid.
Little River Stone started to move, still making the deep humming sound. Loch could see the large Sasquatch wasn’t going to be quick enough.
Loch Activated Defiant Rage.
He could barely move, even the Ability having a hard time fighting through the paralysis. Slowly, every movement pain, Loch started to raise Onyx. He tried to Activate Bulwark, the mental commands unable to process as sharp jolts of energy flared in his mind.
A clawed hand swiped down toward him.
The tip of a dagger erupted from the Crone’s neck. She paused her charge, looking down at the bit of steel covered in her blood. The clean parts of the blade caught the moonlight. The Crone reached up, touching it. Fingers pulled away, dark with her own blood.
She turned, taking a staggering step back.
Jenny stood behind her, barely standing, a hand clutching at her side.
“Die, bitch,” Jenny managed to get out, falling to her knees.
The Crone stared at Jenny, confused.
Loch kept swinging Onyx, fighting against the pressure. The axe barely moved as Loch struggled.
The resistance faded.
Loch, with all the momentum that had been trapped, slammed Onyx into the Crone’s stomach. The sharp head cut deep, blood exploding out. Loch stood up, Activating Cleave. Another swing, the axe head glowing, slammed into the Crone’s chest. He pulled the weapon back, swinging again.
And again
And again.
The Crone dropped to her knees, her chest a bloody mess.
Still Loch swung.
Until there was nothing to swing at.
The Crone’s head landed ten feet away, rolling along the ground, coming to rest at the edge of the pond. Her body collapsed in a bloody and beaten mess.
YOU HAVE SLAIN SILVER BARK NIGHT SONG CRONE
Breathing heavily, the extra strength of Defiant Rage leaving him, Loch sank to his knees.
He tried to stand but couldn’t. His side was still numb and Defiant Rage had sapped the last of his strength, but he had to get to Harper. She was still on her side, crying, holding herself.
