Even before I could see the contestants, I could hear the stomping and chanting of the crowd. It appeared Hegar the champion had made it to the Semi-Finals, it was also my first chance to see the figure.
Out of one side of the arena stepped a comparatively short man. Maybe a head shorter than I was. What he lacked in height he made up for in girth. The man was like a solid slab of muscle. His bulging arms poked through the sides of his breastplate, being the only part of him unarmored. From head to toe, he was festooned in full enchanted plate mail. It was colored a macabre dark red but seemed to glow with power. At least I hoped it was paint and not blood. Going by the dull grey scratches that cut through the paint I assumed it was mithril.
His opponent turned out to be the large man with the massive hammer, and while he didn’t get as many cheers as the champion did, he got a fair share.
The fight was a clash of monsters as both men charged in and just started swinging. Hegar with a Zweihander and the other man with his hammer.
Blood flowed as the men pounded on each other with zeal, neither one seeming like they wanted to block the attacks. I understood why Hegar refused to do so only a short time after the fight began. A rest mist swirled around the man seeping into his body and causing his already ridiculous muscles to swell even larger.
The giant of a man, not to be outdone, used an ability that caused him to grow another foot of height. I couldn’t even hear the clashing of the weapons as the crowd was roaring so loud it drowned out everything else.
I thought the fight would have gone on this way forever but the giant’s ability ran out and he shrunk back to his normal monstrous size of seven feet. Hegar didn’t even appear winded as he pushed his new advantage, forcing the man slowly back.
I finally got a chance to use Identify on Hegar as their battle pushed its way toward me.
Hegar | Blood Knight/Sanguine Juggernaut | 20/5
He wasn’t as high of a level as Tatiana, but he had also specialized. And while hers was aimed toward magic, it seemed Hegar had built himself around the ability to take damage and endure. It was obvious the two classes he had picked worked well together. I also shivered involuntarily, remembering the last juggernaut I fought, Obidiah Kooth. That man had been terrifyingly powerful for his level, although, watching Hegar, I doubt Obidiah would have beaten him.
Obidiah had gone for early power by dual classing, meaning his later leveling would have been problematic at best.
Hegar kept forcing the other man back until he ran up against an obstacle and stumbled. That was when Hegar made his move. All of the blood that had been floating around Hegar congealed along his blade and gleamed with malicious intent in the lights of the arena. With a bestial yell, Hegar swung the blade that was now three times its original length, straight through the other man’s weapon without it being slowed in the slightest. Had it not been a duel, the man would have been cut in half, from his shoulder across through his pelvis on the other side. Even the pillar behind the man had been cleaved through. I did note that the more material the blood weapon passed through, the shorter it got but that hardly mattered as the fight came to a close, with Hegar easily beating his opponent to go to the finals.
***
A squeaky door opened onto a flat roof filled with air conditioners and ventilation units. The group of men quickly made their way across the roof to the abandoned helicopter pad. It had taken a considerable amount of time, effort, and lives to secure this opportunity and they would not squander it.
“Prepare the hot air balloon and be quick about it,” their leader hissed.
All of the men had abandoned their disguises and now proudly wore their garments. A white tabard decorated with a setting sun. It was a fitting icon for the fall of man and their righteous purpose in this world. As the balloon filled they could hear the cheers of the crowd in the distance. The semi-finals had begun and they needed to hurry.
“Goggles on and prepare the crystal.”
Each member donned special goggles that were specifically built to nullify the effects of the dream crystals. They weren’t the only members of the Sons of Autumn in this cesspool of humanity, but if God willed it, they would be the last survivors. The leader ejected a massive ten-foot crystal from his storage ring. The dream crystals were deceptively light and easy to spot by the rainbow emanations they let off. This was why this one has a tarp wrapped around it to keep any sunlight from activating it just yet.
The hot air balloon was nearly ready and props had been attached to it to help steer it properly. It was more a dirigible at this point than a balloon, not that the acolytes cared for the difference. They hooked the sturdy chain to the bottom of the balloon and double-checked that everything was in place.
The senior acolyte saluted them with a fist over his heart. “Go quickly now and prepare to cull the city.”
“Yes, Senior,” they responded in unison, slapping their fists to their chests as one before they turned and headed back to the casino’s top floor.
The senior acolyte undid the tarp from around the crystal and it immediately began spewing its bewitching light across the roof. A smaller crystal would have been easier to acquire but they turned to dust after usually a day of constant use by only ten people. It was a quirk of the crystals, the more people that viewed the light the quicker the crystals faded. Calculations had determined this massive crystal should be able to enrapture ten thousand souls for twelve hours. At twenty thousand souls, it would last for only seven hours. The Sons of Autumn only needed it to last an hour, during that time their members would butcher anyone caught in the effect. It would be a glorious day for their cause.
The senior acolyte jumped aboard the basket and cut the ropes that held it to the roof. After severing a few bags of sand the basket lifted off the ground and began to lift the crystal.
He heard some shouting coming from the doorway as some of the casino’s hired goons burst out on the roof. The senior acolyte smiled as their faces went slack and they rushed to get close to the light of the crystal. The crystal lifted out of their reach but they still followed along like lemmings as the balloon soared past the roof. Each man fell off the roof without a peep, only trying to rotate their bodies to continue staring at the light.
Their deaths had an unintended advantage as people on the ground looked up with curiosity, only to be sucked into the same fate. The senior acolyte smiled as he steered the ballon toward the colosseum.
***
I watched as the two finalists faced off from across the arena. I got a distinct impression that the two knew each other. You usually didn’t get that sort of look from a woman unless you personally offended her.
Tatiana had fewer floating spears of ice this time around, I assumed it had to do with the lack of water but that didn’t seem to hamper her much as I spotted snow falling around her. I realized she was condensing water directly out of the air to power her magic.
Hegar wasn’t idle though as he stomped forward, cutting large gashes across his arms. The bloodletting seemed to power his attacks as his blood floated around him in a haze, waiting to be called upon. Seeing as how Tatiana wasn’t attacking him with her ice spears it made sense that he would have to use his own blood to power the attacks.
As Hegar neared Tatiana, I could see his mist of blood start to freeze and fall to the ground. He used some ability to counteract this as steam rose from his body, keeping the area within a foot of him free of ice. Then his sword clashed with Tatiana’s ice shield with a titanic crack.
The snow around him was whipped away by the force of the blow but Tatiana remained where she was as more snow started to pile up. Even from where I watched, I could hear the grunt of annoyance from Hegar as he slammed his sword against the ice barrier again and again.
The wall cracked with each blow but Tatiana filled in the cracks with the falling snow to reinforce it.
She tried to capture Hegar the same way she dealt with me but whatever ability he was using to stave off the cold prevented the ice from forming fast enough to trap him. It did keep him moving though, so he was aware of the danger of being caught.
Tatiana didn’t use any attacks against Hegar that broke the skin or drew blood. It made sense that she didn’t want to empower him any more than he already was, but it was still going to be a struggle to take him down without slicing him apart. But she was patient and her aura only grew as she chilled the area around her, causing more and more snow to fall. Hegar wasn’t out yet though. He let out a bestial scream that caused a shockwave to knock away all of the snow around him and actually managed to stagger Tatiana for a moment. I could see the gleam in his eye as he was about to go in for the kill before a horn from above pierced through the roars of the crowd. Everything paused as the collective looked up.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
I looked up as well, curious as to what caused the sound, only to stare in horror at what was floating over the stadium.
A hot air balloon towing a giant dream crystal below it floated lazily over, and nobody was spared from its effect, even me. I could feel the tug on my mind and through sheer will, I managed to close my eyes long enough to break the line of sight with the crystal.
Congratulations you have broken free of the dream! New title acquired Awoken
Awoken: You are no longer influenced by the dream. A wise man knows when to dream and when to take action! Wisdom +1
I shook my head as my thoughts were still foggy. It took me a minute to recover from the short exposure to the bewitching light of the crystal. With trepidation, I looked again. I still saw pretty lights, but it no longer held any sway over me. The only other person I saw that was partially unaffected was Tatiana. I say partially because she had reacted quickly enough to encase herself in her ice prison. Everyone else in the arena was tripping over each other to try to get closer to the light. Some had already fallen to the arena floor. Some had not survived that drop.
I needed to do something about this threat but my cell was magically locked to keep former contestants from interfering with the matches. I could see some of the closer contestants beating on their walls, trying to get free and follow the light.
They didn’t have a hand mana cannon though.
I activated my hand and aimed it at the closest hinge before I fired.
The magic of the weapon smashed into the enchanted door, shaking the entire room but the hinge held. It was glowing red, but it held. I began recharging the cannon and readied an Annihilator Sphere. When the cannon was full I fired it again and threw out the magic of the sphere.
There was a loud grinding sound as the magic slammed into the corner where the superheated hinge was. My magic won out though and the hinge was vaporized along with a small chunk of wall.
I had two more hinges to go and it was going to cost me almost all my mana to do it.
Nine hundred and twenty-five mana and two mana potions later I managed to free one side of the door. The balloon had already floated over the stadium and people were climbing up the steps and leaping to their death on the far side trying to keep up.
I slammed into the door and it gave way, clattering into the arena. I downed two more mana potions and began running. I wasn’t the first contestant to break free of my room, although, I did spot Ska still raging against his magically enhanced walls. The deep gouges told me that room would not hold him forever, I needed to deal with this crystal before he broke free and got himself killed.
There was one spot in the arena I steered clear from. Hegar was cutting a bloody swath through the crowd and a veritable tidal wave of blood followed in his wake as he mindlessly worked his way toward the floating crystal. His second class level had jumped from five all the way to eight already and if he kept up this pace would hit ten within a few minutes.
I didn’t know the man, but I didn’t think he would relish leveling like this. I jumped on top of people to speed my ascent through the arena, like some twisted form of crowd surfing. The people could forgive me later if they survived.
Finally, I made it to the top of the bleachers and jumped, spreading my wings and activating every speed-boosting ability I possessed. I roared through the air like I was fired from a cannon, Dominion and Destruction appearing in my hand as I flew toward the surprised man in the balloon.
I saw the man start trying to cast a spell and I used Sunder Skill on him. That was enough to interrupt his casting and for me to clear the final distance. I brought the lion's head of my staff down hard on his head.
The weak barrier he had erected crumbled before the onslaught of my weapon, collapsing his head into his shoulders. The man would have fallen over if my blow hadn’t forced his legs through the wicker bottom of the basket. His corpse flopped about while I quickly thought of a way to deal with this crystal. In order to store it in a ring, I first had to cut it free of the balloon. Only the thick steel chain seemed to be welded in place.
I knew what I had to do but it was going to be tricky.
I slid down the outside of the basket and swung my legs until I had enough momentum to land at the top of the crystal as it dangled ten feet below.
My high Agility made the maneuver possible and I grabbed the chain in one hand as I straddled the top of the crystal. In my other hand, I twirled my staff until the dragon head was facing the chain and I Imbued it with Fire and Earth. This would have been faster and easier if I hadn’t been forced to use up all of my casts of Annihilation Sphere to escape.
I gritted in pain as the heat spread down the chain, but I didn’t let go of it. Slowly the links above melted through and the crystal, along with me fell away. I immediately stored the dangerous crystal and waited until I was nearing the ground to activate my wings for a second time. I flapped them hard, hovering for a second before I touched down.
While I was falling I noticed another issue that needed to be dealt with. A group dressed in white and wearing strange goggles was attacking people from the rear of the crowd. With their distinctive emblem, I knew exactly who these assholes were. I had helped exterminate them from Chicago, and now like cockroaches, they had turned up here. I wasn’t about to let the Sons of Autumn kill off thousands of civilians for their sick goals.
Everyone affected by the crystal was lethargic and out of it. And the zealots of the church were cutting them down from the back without mercy.
I pushed my way through the crowd until I came into contact with an acolyte. He tried running me through with a sword but I easily sidestepped the attack and smashed my staff across his head as I kept moving. There was no lack of targets as thousands of the church's members had come out of seemingly nowhere to butcher the civilians.
I smashed through acolyte after acolyte but they seemed never-ending. One blow was usually enough to kill or severely disable the lower leveled goons but there were just so many and more were streaming toward me as I was a threat to their goal.
Everyone froze as an anguished cry exploded over the area. I looked up to see Hegar standing at the top of the colosseum. A tornado of blood was soaking into his body as he leaped from the top to smash into the ground three stories below. Dust rolled away from where he landed but I could see him towering above the crowd. He had grown to be ten feet tall and each swing of his blood-enhanced sword cut acolytes apart like wheat.
That wasn’t the only good news. I watched Tatiana float over the arena wall with a look that could kill as dozens of ice spears shot away from her vicinity, each one spearing one of the Sons of Autumn.
The Sons of Autumn had seriously miscalculated as more and more tournament members poured from the building and tore through their numbers. You would think the idiots would break and try to flee but they were single-minded as they just pushed even harder into the civilians, trying to kill just one more before their pathetic lives were snuffed out. I did my best to protect the people as most were recovering and realizing something was going on. Civilians started to flee but people were getting cut down or trampled by the panicking mob.
I spotted Ska as he ruthlessly tore through the enemy ranks to meet up with me.
“What happened?” he growled as his paw raked across another suicidal member of the church.
“Dream crystal, and these crazy fuckers killing everyone they can.”
He hissed angrily, “kill them all?”
“Yeah, kill every last fucker wearing those white tabards!”
He growled in approval as he sprinted forward to tear through more acolytes. I made sure to buff and heal him before he took off.
The fighting lasted another five minutes before the final member of the church fell to Hegar’s brutal sword.
I had lost count of how many members I had killed, but it had been significant. Enough so that I hit level twenty-one.
The entire area was littered with the dead. I would like to say that the church made up the majority but that would be a lie. A trail of corpses led all the way to the city and at least six thousand civilians had been killed in this nefarious plot.
I could see Hegar sitting on a wall with his helmet off and his head in his hands. Tatiana was over there consoling him. A few of the weaker contestants had fallen during the fighting but most had survived. Almost everyone was at a higher level than any acolyte I had spotted. I hadn’t used Sunder Skill during the main battle as I couldn’t afford the mana cost. Not that I thought any of these low-level idiots would have interesting abilities for me to take. I did check to see what I got from the man in the balloon though.
Silver Tongue: Influence the weak-willed and weak-minded. If your Cha+Level is greater than your target(s) Wis+Level you have a 50% chance to turn them toward your cause. The chance increases by 10% for every point below your Cha+Level they are. Cost 100 mana, Cooldown 2 hours
It was times like this that the System made me physically ill. Why did skills like this need to exist I had to ask myself? Rationally I knew that any skill was possible but it didn’t make me have to like it. I cast it to the Void Lottery along with Resuscitate as I would never be using that skill either.
Brimstone: Conjure a wall of hellfire that deals Int* .3Mod damage to anything it touches. Targets also take 1 Permanent Charisma damage for every ten seconds the fire burns them. Lasts 2 min. Hellfire can only be extinguished with holy water or holy sources. Cost 90 mana, cooldown 30 min
I winced at the skill description, it was certainly good, but extremely dangerous. I would need to be careful with it, and carry a supply of holy water with me to put it out. I also selected my new skill, seeing as I only got one option for level twenty-one it wasn’t much of a decision.
Silence: This word of power creates a wave of silence that ripples out from you. Any spell requiring verbal components cannot be cast within the 10-meter area of effect. Lasts 30 seconds. Cost 10 mana, cooldown 10 min
The spell simply stated AOE, meaning it didn’t exclude allies, it probably also meant I couldn’t cast within the area. The other spell was an automatic boost to Rejuvenate, bumping it up to two hundred health instead of the one seventy-five of the previous level. That was good as my healing spells were starting to lag behind.
Last, I looked at my level.
Paul Fuller | Mantra Enchanter/Maw of the Void | Level 21/15
Strength: 20(+2) modifier x22
Endurance: 20 modifier x40
Agility: 20(+2) modifier x22
Perception: 18 modifier x22
Intelligence: 25 modifier x40
Wisdom: 16 modifier x22
Charisma: 11 modifier x22
Luck: 16 modifier x22
HP: 800(880)
Stamina: 400(440)
Stamina Regen(M): 880
Mana: 1000
Mana Regen(M): 352
It seems I also finally unlocked my second tier of agility. I guess the System thought flying through the air, just shy of supersonic speeds, qualified. I stored my staff and went in search of Ska.