Novels2Search

Chapter 21

Jake gasped as the paw struck him, the Alpha having charged at him once again, giving the man no time to react as it shot forwards. He skidded across the ground, going to grab his Health Potion, when he was forced to roll away, the Alpha slamming its paw down on the ground where he’d just been. Swearing under his breath, Jake jumped to his feet, barely managing to dodge a second swipe, before he darted forwards, slashing his Dagger across the Alpha’s snout, the wolf yelping in surprise at the sudden retaliation.

The Alpha staggered back, sneezing even as the black blood hardened, sealing the wound, before it glared at Jake. It snarled menacingly as Jake used the brief pause to gulp down another charge of Health Potion, feeling his aching body heal, even as the pain didn’t fade completely. Hooking the bottle back to his belt, he took on a defensive stance, even as the Alpha stalked towards him, barely dodging the tail as it whipped overhead, slamming into the ground just beside him.

Jake grimaced as the strike threw up dirt and stone, forcing him to close his eyes to avoid being blinded. He jumped back instinctively as the massive paw slammed down, cratering the ground beneath it as he stumbled back, wiping the grime off his face. Jake gasped as he fell backwards, the tail of the Alpha slashing through the air, suddenly changing directions to slam down directly on top of him. He rolled, avoiding the blow, scrambling to his feet as he spun to face the wolf again.

The Alpha growled, taking a step forward, before it staggered, looking around in confusion for a moment, before it suddenly coughed, black ooze dripping from its mouth. Jake blinked, just as surprised by the sudden change as the Alpha, before darting forwards, around the side of the beast and stabbing his Dagger into its side, twisting the blade as he wrenched it out, a spray of black blood and gore pouring out before the wound sealed shut.

The Alpha tried to snap at him, its feet stumbling as it turned, sending the beast staggering sideways before it was able to catch itself. It coughed again, this time throwing up a mouthful of the thick black goo, staring at it in confusion and fury, before turning its gaze back to Jake, blinking as it didn’t see him. A sharp pain in its side made it turn, almost tripping on itself again as it spotted its opponent, the man jumping back even as the Alpha lashed its tail at him, striking the ground.

Jake panted as he backed away from the staggering wolf, watching as it tried to follow him, one of its legs giving out as it suddenly crashed to the ground, laying there as it panted heavily, coughing up more of the foul-smelling sludge. Carefully, Jake approached, the familiar smell of the Death Bringer Poison reaching his nose as he sighed, checking the Alpha’s Status.

Shadow Wolf Alpha

Beast World Boss

Level: ??

Corrupted, Badly Poisoned

“I see,” Jake sighed, standing back as he watched the wolf shudder as it coughed again, more black sludge pouring from its nose and mouth, “It’s the poison, isn’t it?”

The Alpha only glared at him with its remaining eye, struggling to stand, even as its body gave out on it. Shaking his head, Jake approached the beast, flipping his Dagger into a reverse grip as he prepared to end the Alpha’s life. The body slammed into him, knocking Jake back to the ground as the jaws snapped at his face. Jake was forced to block with his left arm, sharp teeth trying to pierce through the Leatherwood Bark as the wolf bit down on him, cracking the bones sewn into the armour as it snarled and thrashed, apparently trying to rip his arm off.

“What?” Jake gasped, looking up at the smaller wolf, feeling its heavy weight on top of him as its eyes swam with darkness, “Wait…no!”

Jake struggled against the wolf, managing to force it off him as it continued to try tear his arm apart, bringing the handle of his Dagger up to strike it on the nose, forcing it back with a yelp. Scrambling to his feet, Jake stared at the pregnant wolf as it stood between him and the dying Alpha, its eyes wide in rage as it snarled and barked at him. Jake flinched as the wolf stepped forwards, readying his blade as he prepared for yet another fight.

“It…it’s too late. He’s already dead,” Jake said softly, circling around the wolf as she stood guard over the Alpha, not knowing why he was talking to the enraged wolf, “He’s badly poisoned, and will die in only a few minutes. I…I have no idea what it must feel like. Losing someone like that, but…”

The female wolf barked, snapping at him as Jake tried to take a step forwards, forcing him back as she stuck to the Alpha’s side. A low growl caught their attention, the female turning to yip excitedly at the Alpha as it raised its head, eyes still completely black. Jake gasped as the jaws closed around the female’s neck, suddenly biting down, and hurling her across the clearing, sending her slamming into a tree. The Alpha let out a strangled howl as it staggered to its feet, saliva, blood, and poison pouring from its maw in equal parts as it blindly thrashed around, forcing Jake to duck and dive as it slammed its paws and tail into the earth.

“Not good,” he muttered as he dodged a tail swipe, glancing over at the apparently unconscious female as the Alpha let out an unnatural roar, “I have to stop this!”

Swallowing, Jake ducked under a paw as it slashed at the air, charging forwards as he gripped his Dagger, the Alpha’s remaining eye seeming to lock onto him as he drew close. Jake flinched as the maw opened above him, razor sharp teeth closing down as he thrust his arm forwards. Teeth pierced through the Leatherwood Bark material of his armour, straight into his flesh, black blood and bile from the wolf mixing with his own crimson red.

The sound faded from the clearing, only the soft panting of the man able to be heard as he tried to prise the Alpha’s jaw open with his free hand. Pain rocked through him, almost blinding him as flashes of white clouded his vision. Jake gasped as he dug his fingers into the gums of the wolf, looking up to see the Alpha’s eye one last time. Gone was the darkness, the shadows that had been swimming through it vanished, leaving only a look of relief and regret before the eye slowly closed.

Suddenly, the jaw opened, releasing Jake as he fell to the ground, cradling his arm, staring at the notification that had appeared in front of him in horror.

You have been afflicted with [Lesser Corruption]

WARNING! Corruption is a Unique Negative Status Effect of Kalagash the Corrupter.

If you become fully [Corrupted] you will be under his control.

Remove the Corruption from your body as soon as possible!

“Oh,” he managed to gasp, “Fuck.”

------

Andy grunted as the Goblin Lord’s iron mace slammed down on his shield, denting the already damaged bronze object, and sending pain shooting up his arm. He retaliated immediately, stabbing at the heavily armoured torso, his sword skittering across the rusty iron plate mail as the monster laughed. The mace came down again, forcing Andy to his knees under the force of the blow, before a bolt of flame shot over his head and slammed into the monster’s face, making it stagger backwards slightly. Energy flooded through Andy a moment later, the Defender glancing back to see Holi and Sophie standing side by side as they cast spell after spell.

Turning back to his foe, the Goblin Lord having managed to brush the flames off his face, Andy stood, letting out a roar as he charged forwards, slamming his shield into the goblin’s chest and knocking it backwards. The Goblin Lord snorted as it regained its footing, about to charge right back at the exhausted man when a sharp pain shot up its side, looking down at the small darkly skinned Rogue that had just stabbed it.

“Where do you think you’re looking?!” Andy shouted, bringing his sword down in an overhead arc, the Goblin Lord barely managing to lift its mace in time to block the strike, “Your opponent is me!”

The Goblin Lord scoffed, pushing back powerfully against Andy’s sword, sending the man staggering back as it charged towards him, weapon raised.

“Fuck,” Andy grunted as his heel caught on a raised part of the cave floor, sending him tumbling onto his back, “Not yet!”

The mace slammed down onto his shield again, crumpling the bronze as the monster laughed, lifting its weapon above his head again, ignoring the bolts of fire that were splashing against its armoured chest. Andy snarled as the monster grinned down at him, slamming its mace down on him again and again, each strike sending a shockwave of pain up his arm as he desperately held on. Suddenly, the monster froze, blinking in surprise as the point of the bronze dagger pierced through the front of its throat.

“Gotcha bitch,” Shadow panted as he pulled the blade out of the back of the Goblin Lord’s neck, sending a spray of blood against the back wall as he collapsed to the floor, clutching his ribs.

“Are you okay?” Holi asked as the two casters ran up to them, the corpse of the Goblin Lord collapsing to the ground with a loud crash.

“Nope,” Shadow groaned, “I think that lucky hit he got on me broke a couple of ribs. Fuck, that hurts.”

“I’ll heal you now,” Holi nodded as she began chanting, the soft glow of her staff lighting up the area around them.

“What took you so long, Shadow?” Andy chuckled as he sat up slowly, Sophie helping him, “I thought you said you would be faster?”

“And I’ve never had to try fighting with broken ribs before,” the shorter man huffed, sitting up as Holi’s spell took hold, “But yeah, I should have been quicker. And I will be next time.”

“If there is a next time,” Sophie huffed.

“Don’t say that,” Andy sighed, “Look, it didn’t go exactly as planned, but what ever does? I think we did pretty well for beating a World Boss with only four people.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the blonde muttered, “Now hurry up and loot the damn thing so we can get out of this cave.”

“Right,” Andy chuckled, getting up and touching the corpse, everyone’s eyes going wide at what they saw.

“And Iron Mace?” Shadow breathed, “And an Iron Breastplate, plus some other stuff! Mirri will be so happy about this! These will be the first Iron items she’s worked on in GNW!”

“Hold on,” Sophie interrupted, pointing to Andy, “Don’t think you’re just going to get those, I think both should go to Goldrun, because he was the one who managed to keep the Goblin Lord focused on him. Plus, his equipment is looking rather sad.”

Andy looked down at his scratched and dented armour, letting out a tired sigh as he nodded.

“Well duh,” Shadow pouted, “But they’re all rusty. I’m sure Miri could clean them up before Goldy used them.”

“Okay, calm down you two,” Holi said sternly, “No need to argue about it. How are we going to divide the rest of the loot up, though?”

“Equal shares,” Andy hummed as he organised the loot, sending each to the other party members inventories, “It’s only fair.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Only fair, he says,” Sophie huffed, “When he did most of the work.”

“Hey! I got the killing blow!” Shadow pouted.

“Because Goldrun was keeping its attention!”

“But he couldn’t do enough damage to kill it on his own!”

“And there they go again,” Andy groaned as the party started to leave the cave, the Rogue and Mage bickering as they went.

“Children,” Holi chuckled, “They’re always like this.”

“You’d think they’d be happier with the Achievement and Title we just earned,” Andy chuckled back.

------

Darkness hung around him. It had come before he could react, swallowing his vision and plunging Jake into the shadows that now surrounded him. He had no idea where he was, all sense of gravity gone, his senses failing, Jake only able to feel himself and the cloying darkness, and the sensation of falling. He began to panic, grasping at the air around him, desperate to find some sort of purchase as he seemed to hover and fall at the same time. Suddenly, laughter echoed around him, cruel and harsh, and Jake felt the ground form beneath him.

“Pathetic,” a disturbingly familiar voice said as Jake collapsed to the floor, scrambling to get back to his feet as the pressure of the darkness weighed down on him, only able to rise to his knees, “Absolutely pathetic.”

“Who?” Jake managed to choke out, eyes going wide as the figure formed from the shadows in front of him, “Who are you?”

“Me?” the figure laughed in its oddly familiar voice. It was dressed in ragged looking leathers, black and grey with trimmings of limp obsidian fur. At its hips sat a pair of blades, each about two or three feet long and held in place by a black leather belt. A sense of power radiated from it, one that kept Jake pressed to the ground almost as heavily as the shadows themselves. Slowly, it lifted its arms, pulling back the hood that shadowed its face, making Jake gasp at what he saw, “I am you.”

“How?” Jake asked, staring back into his own black eyes, seeing the shadows dancing in the pupils as the figure laughed again.

“Simple, I chose power,” the copy of him said, “I chose to follow the true ruler of this pathetic scrap of twigs and moss. I chose Kalagash.”

“Kalagash?” Jake blinked, something sparking in the back of his mind, he’d heard that name before, something about it being dangerous.

“Of course he’s dangerous,” the copy laughed, “All with true power are dangerous. But Kalagash is willing to share. With me. With you.”

“Me?” Jake coughed, the pressure growing as he began to feel weak, his body still not responding to him as he was pressed further into the apparent ground beneath him, “Why?”

“Why?” the copy chuckled, “Simple. Because you need power. You need strength. You need Kalagash.”

“I do?” Jake blinked, staring at his double in confusion, “Why?”

“So many questions,” the copy growled, shaking its head as he stepped towards Jake, the pressure building to an almost unbearable degree as it approached, “Simple. To rule. This pathetic wood, the town to the south, the plains around them. Everything. You will have them all, all you need do is accept his gift.”

“But-,” Jake was cut off as the copy snarled, glaring at him with obsidian eyes.

“Enough,” it growled, before its features, his features, softened, and it held out a hand, “Do you accept? Trust me, it is for the best, I gained power, and so will you. Power beyond your imagination.”

“I…” Jake managed to gasp, his hand moving of its own accord as it reached for the double, “I…”

A familiar weight at his hip made him blink, a soft pulse of green light catching his eye as he looked down, staring at the Ritual Dagger of the Wilds. Or a version of it. It was little more than an outline of green light, dim patterns like the rings of a tree pulsing within. Jake stared at it in amazement, marvelling at the dull beauty of the blade.

“What?” the copy snarled again, “How did you…Ah, soulbound. We shall have to fix that.”

“What?” Jake asked, looking back up, startled to see that the copy had stepped forwards again, now almost directly in front of him.

“Never mind that,” the copy snorted, “Just take my hand. Strike an accord with my master, and we shall become one, and you shall have all the power you’ve ever wished for.”

“Power?” Jake muttered, his mind still addled by the shadows and pressure, though it seemed to have been lessened by the light of the Dagger, “Why do I need power?”

“To rule!” the copy shouted, obviously getting annoyed by his constant questioned, “To dominate! To bring all under your control!”

“But why?” Jake muttered, “That’s…that’s not what I want…”

“Silence!” the copy roared, thrusting out its hand, “Just take the power! Accept your role in all this and become the person you were always meant to be!”

The words sent a shock through Jake, a memory, long repressed shooting forwards in his mind. Suddenly, he was standing in a fancy office, light streaming in through the large windows as a familiar man stared out of them.

“Enough of this foolishness, Jacob,” the name and voice sent a stab of pain through his chest, “You will accept your role in all this and become the person you were always meant to be. My heir.”

Jake gasped as the vision vanished, suddenly looking up at his double again as he felt his hand rise once more, stretching out to the copy’s offered palm. This is what he was meant always to be…a ruler, a lord, the CEO of one of the largest companies in the world. The thought snapped him back, his hand hovering over the other as he stared at it.

“Come now,” the voice said softly, “Just a little more. You just need to accept your destiny.”

“I…” Jake gasped, a sense of warmth pulsing at his hip, tiny and insignificant, but still there. Once again, he looked down at the form of the Dagger, pulsing gently beside him, its light all but faded to nothing, “I…”

“Take the hand, Jacob,” the voice crooned in his ear, “Take it and become my champion. My hand in the world. My servant.”

Jake blinked at the last word, his hand shaking as he fought against an urge to take the offer, his eyes aching as he stared at the slowly dimming blade at his hip. Was this what he truly wanted? To be powerful? To rule? To answer to some higher power that would dictate his actions? Something inside Jake snapped, and his hand dropped, straight towards the outstretched palm.

“No,” Jake said, swinging his hand to the side and slapping the palm away, “No. That is not who I am. I am a protector. A guardian. Not a ruler. Not a tyrant. And definitely not someone else’s puppet!”

Jake hadn’t remembered standing, but now he was looming over the copy, a deep scowl on its face as it shielded its eyes from the pulsing light at his hip.

“Fine,” the copy growled, its skin starting to flake away, revealing shifting shadows beneath, “Then I suppose I’ll just have to take what is mine!”

The hand shot out, clamping around Jake’s throat before he could react, choking him viciously as it lifted him into the air.

“You dare deny Kalagash the Corrupter?” the voice of the creature laughed, changed from his own, its form falling away to reveal a shadowy monstrosity, a putrid stench filling Jake’s nose and trying to pierce his mind, “Then you shall perish, Traveller! And shall do so again and again until you accept my offer!”

“N-never!” Jake managed to choke out, clawing at the wrist of the hand that was holding him up, his fingernails not able to so much as scratch the blackened skin.

“You shall fall, Traveller,” the voice hummed, “As have many before you. You have no choice.”

“There…” Jake gasped, straining his throat to speak, “There is always…a choice. And I choose…freedom!”

His hand shot down to the pulsing light at his waste, closing around the handle of the brightly glowing Dagger, drawing it in one swift movement as he slashed it across the creature’s wrist. The blade sank into the shadowy flesh with ease, making the monster scream as it severed its entire hand, the appendage still squeezing against Jake’s throat as he fell to the ground.

“You fool!” the creature roared, “I mark you! I claim you as my own! So that all will know that you belong to me!”

The hand at his throat suddenly burst into dark smoke, rushing up into Jake’s mouth and nose, digging into the wounds the fingers had left on his throat, boring its way into his mind and flesh. Jake screamed as the power rushed into him, flooding his body beyond what he thought it could take. Screens flashed across his vision, Jake barely able to process them as the appeared and vanished in the same instant.

[Lesser Corruption] has become [Mild Corruption]

[Mild Corruption] has become [Partial Corruption]

Skill Learned: [Corruption Magic]

[Partial Corruption] has become [Greater Corruption]

Jake screamed again as the screens flashed past, his mind failing him as the darkness seeped through it. He felt the handle of the Dagger begin to slip from his grasp, its brilliant verdant light fading once again. Jake clenched his hand around the Dagger. He wanted this to end. He needed it to end. Even if he had to die, he would prefer that to becoming the toy of this creature before him.

Jake plunged the Dagger into his heart.

[Greater Corruption] has become [Corrupted]

“You fool!” the creature roared in triumph, “You are too late! I have won! You are now my vessel in the mortal world!”

The light of the Dagger flickered out, vanishing from the void as Jake collapsed in a heap to the ground, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The creature just laughed as he struggled to stand, getting shakily to his feet, staring back at it with ebony eyes. It crooned as it reached out to him with its unsevered hand, dragging long claw-like nails across his cheek.

“Yes,” it hissed, “You are mine!”

“Go to hell,” Jake said firmly as the creature stared at him in surprise, a bright green light erupting from the wound in his chest, verdant patterns growing out of the hole, reaching like vines across Jake’s body filling him with power as the corruption in his blood screamed.

The monster screamed as well, in a mixture of anger and hate, all of it directed at Jake as he stumbled under the sudden onslaught of emotions.

“No!” it howled, “You are already mine! I shall not be out done by that pathetic bitch of a Primal again!”

“No,” Jake said, staring down the beast as he found his feet, stepping forwards as he drew back his fist, a shining blade forming in his hand, “You will be out done by me.”

The blade shot forwards, plunging into the creature’s chest easily as it screamed in pain, the light spreading through it as it started to crack and sizzle. Jake snarled as he felt the blade being pushed back, using all his strength to keep it embedded in the creature’s chest. But it wasn’t enough. The blade was being pushed out slowly but surely, the cracks in the monster closing with each passing second.

Jake pushed harder, reaching into himself for something, anything, that would allow him to defeat the horror in front of him. He felt his eyes close as he delved deep into himself, searching desperately as the blade slowly left the wound. Suddenly, he found himself standing at the edge of a peaceful lake, bright green trees growing all around him, the water crystal clear. Then he saw it. Above him, dark clouds, black as the shadows he had just seemingly escaped from. A single drop of rain fell from them, hitting the pristine water, and sending a pulse of darkness through it.

“No,” Jake gasped, feeling the blade slip more from the creature, “NO!”

He didn’t know what this place was, but he did know that it was important. To him, to who he was, to who he would become.

“GET OUT!”

Jake’s body burned with verdant light, the patterns covering his body spreading out from his feet, feeding into the water and the trees around him. Suddenly, everything burned with green light, the power pulsing up, unregulated as it crashed against the clouds, barely affecting them. Jake gasped as his power was rebuffed, clenching his hands as he tried to regather it, forming it into a tighter column as he tried to punch through the dark clouds.

Again, the power was rebuffed, making Jake cry out as he fell to his knees in agony, his nails digging into his palms as blood began to drip from his skin. Jake forced himself back to his feet, glaring up at the clouds in fury. He had to do this, he had to drive the clouds away, but how? Jake thought back on everything he knew. His work as a Ranger, the intense training he had to go through just to stand a chance at getting the job, his time in university, growing up.

Jake blinked as he settled on an old memory, one that he hadn’t thought on in years. He was maybe nine or ten, watching an ancient documentary about the rainforest before the world had gone to shit. He was enthralled by the greenery and animals, captured by it more so than anything else had ever managed before in his life. Jake knew this memory; it was when he’d made up his mind to become a Ranger. A protector of what little wildlife remained. A guardian against the greed and desire that had brought the world to its knees.

Jake grabbed onto the memory, even as he felt the raindrops begin to fall around him, darkening the world he had found himself in, poisoning it with its corruption. Polluting it with dark power. Jake knew that there was no way he could stop the process now, only that he had to mitigate it. But how? A thousand pieces of information flitted through his mind. About projects started too late to try and turn the tide on climate change. About ancient techniques for purifying water. About plants and trees and their ability to gather and trap pollution in their bodies.

Jake’s eyes hot open, and he flexed his will.

The world around him churned as the trees and lake once again lit up, Jake watching as the shadowy power writhed and fought. He snarled as he forced it into the ground, driving it towards the roots of the trees around him, spreading it out as they hungrily drew it in. Flashes of verdant light fought against endless darkness, suppressing it, feeding it to the world around him. Trapping it. Purifying it into something else. Jake welcomed the rain.

“NO!” the scream echoed from the sky like thunder, the clouds dispersing as he looked up at the brilliant clear blue sky, more vibrant than he’d ever seen it before, “You shall pay for this, Traveller! None may simply take my power for themselves!”

Jake spotted the single dark cloud remaining, focussing his will into a point, the air itself thrumming with power as he drove it up and into the shadows. A pained scream echoed through the forest, shaking the trees, and causing waves upon the lake. Jake blinked as the vision around him vanished, staring once again at the shadowy monster before him, the blade of his Dagger piercing straight through it.

“How?” the creature muttered, “How have I been driven back by a mere mortal?”

“Don’t know,” Jake panted, “Don’t care. Never come back here again.”

With those final words he ripped the blade from the creature’s chest, sending it flying back into the void from which it had emerged. And Jake woke up.