26.

Sammus and Foy were beside the broken gates, the interior hallway broken and shattered from the battle, gaping open like a sore on the wall. A pair of tanks sat there, massive and broad, the red light of fires reflecting off their silver carapaces. A thick tube emerged from the center of the squat vehicles, brutal and utilitarian. Soldiers were clustering up behind the vehicles, armed with casters and blades.

“Erak! Good work on sealing that breach! Many of those monstrosities came upon us, but we stood firm and battled them like real warriors. With artillery!” The prince’s words rang out across the grounds as Erak came to stand next to him.

“Prince Sammus is correct. We destroyed over a dozen of their war machines and were able to salvage six of the prime cores. Enough for these two tanks. We are breaking the encirclement and making toward Colonel Gressen. Your assistance would be appreciated.”

Erak nodded and flashed a signal that he needed a moment. He sat down to the side and brought up the screen again and looked at what it had revealed to him. Hitting level ten had brought enough words that it had made his head swim, but he had found what he needed to in the mountains of text.

Level 10 Title Earned

Invincible

Your foes have struck you, clawed you, bit you, and shot you, yet you remain. For one second of every day you can become invincible.

Skill Available: 1

Spear Strike

Shield Bash

Aura of Inevitability

Aura of Immutability

Erak had to look at that for a moment, the difference in the aura abilities had changed since the last time he had options. In the same vein but more refined. The events of the past few hours stopped him from making the easy pick. That feeling of being overwhelmed by the bloodlust, of wanting to continue the fight past the point of it being smart. Of the desire to keep spilling blood overwhelming his oaths.

Spear Strike

Essence empowered strike.

Cost: One Essence

Erak took it. He had felt it in the last fight, with the sword dancer. The demon had been doing something with his sword, something that had threatened to tip the scale. He needed that same edge.

Spear Strike Acquired

Advisement: Improve Essence Core

Advisement: Improve Essence Potency

Advisement: Improve Essence Channeling

Erak sank a single point into each of the stats, bringing every one of the stats up to two. He closed the menus and then waited for the euphoria to hit, wondering what the Essence growth would feel like.

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Pain. Intense and overwhelming. A fire that burned in his chest. Blood turning to acid. The breath was stolen from him as his vision whited out. The center of his chest tightened, compressing in a weight like a cannonball, then bursting out. Stretching his bones and skin, he felt like he was about to pop.

Then it was gone and the loss made him a hollow pit.

Erak staggered two steps forward. His vision darkened and he could make out shapes. Soldiers staring at him and he realized he had screamed. The strangled sound of his tortured vocal cords no more than a harsh, wheezing gasp.

“Erak!” Sammus said, concern spreading across his fair face as he lunged for him. Nevia beat him, her small form wedging under his shoulder and offering him enough stability so he could continue standing. Julius and Rutledge appeared like vultures while Foy simply turned back to organizing the attack force.

“What happened?” Julius asked, the others were simply quiet, looking at him with concern.

“Essence.Bigger.” Erak signed awkwardly with one hand while using the other to hold on to Nevia.

“Ahhh…interesting,” Rutledge eyes unfocused as she stared at him and Erak looked at her, realizing she had reached the fifth level of being an Imperial Sage.

“What’s interesting, Professor?” Sammus asked.

“I can see truths. Or at least pieces of them. It’s an interesting ability that I find to be very distracting. And illuminating.”

“How vague. It seems time has not changed you at all Professor,” Sammus said with a hint of a smile. Rutledge didn’t acknowledge him.

“Erak, I would advise you not to continue on growing your Essence at the moment. It seems that there are some…obstacles with that route. How frustrating.” The last part was no more than a whisper of her own irritation.

Erak felt his strength return slowly. He had never felt this weak before. Limbs were rubbery, flopping about as he was held up only by Nevia’s strength. Each pulsing heartbeat filled him with more and more strength, limbs becoming strong and firm. He stood straight and grabbed his spear and walked slowly to where the assault force was gathering.

“Six hundred men. They’re all fresh and have fully charged casters. Four shots before they have to use their own. Every spare piece of personal armor we can find, knives, axes, and single use munitions. This is the last of what we have, Lord Bloodsworn. If this fails, the Armory will fall and Colonel Gressen will be overrun.” Foy was staring straight ahead through the widened out gates.

Erak nodded and grabbed a piece of protruding armor on the tank and hoisted himself up so he stood above everyone else. Eyes turned to look at him, thousands of eyes, most who had been concerned moments ago. He raised his spear above his head and shook his fist, spear wagging in the air. There was a silence for a horrible moment, and then a roar. It shook the air and men and women streamed forward as the tanks lurched forward in silence.

Nevia ran behind the lead tank, her squad tucked close to her as Prince Sammus leapt onto the back of the second tank. Rutledge’s sharp eyes never broke away from him, peering out from under her withered brow as Erak passed under the melted stone gates and into the smoky haze of the chaos outside.

Erak’s eyes watered instantly, the harsh sting of smoke burning through the slit of his visor. The world had changed in the last few hours, the thin ring of buildings broken down to nothing more than piles of rubble. Corpses decorated the ground, covering the hillside and down to the demon’s fortifications.

There was a whirring in the tank’s turret, the long barrel depressing to aim down at the thickest knot of siege weapons. From here Erak could see the wild scramble of demons, grabbing their human sacrifices and hurrying them to the bleeding tables.

The cannon fired, air distorting from the heat as a meter thick bolt of pure energy raced down the hillside and struck the center of the fortifications. Rubble exploded, blown apart in a wave, bodies thrown in ragdoll heaps out across the field. A second lance of energy flashed overhead as Erak’s tank raced forward, gathering steam as Erak held on for dear life with one hand. He lifted his shield, to protect himself as stray bursts of demon caster fire splashed around him.

More explosions rippled out as the cannons on the top of the Armory fired. The entire knot of defenses dissolved in a wave of fire and smoke. Then they were plunging into the thickest of the smoke, blinding him in a black haze.