Chapter One
Ambrose Severen fell from a portal of fire he had opened above a giant made of red flesh, brimstone and lava. Like a falling star, Ambrose’s axe of hellfire cut through the giant, parting him down the middle like a ripe fruit.
The two halves of the fire giant collided with the black earth, and shining stone that covered the land as far as the eye could see. Guts covered in slimy green ichor splooshed out of the now dead giant. Ambrose stood up, scanning the area for any more threats.
Off in the distance a beam of crimson light could be seen. It’s like an alien tractor beam or something he mused to himself. Ambrose had been working on closing this Incursion for weeks now. The problem was the fire giant stronghold. It was carved with extensive wards. He couldn’t teleport in, and the shield covering it prevented him from climbing it.
The average fire giant was only level one-hundred and twenty so the experience gain was minimal. It made the whole process of coming out here very frustrating. He wanted to go after Eric. He needed to visit Eric’s town, ransack his office or find his merchant and figure out which world portal stone he bought.
Once he did that, he could easily buy the portal stone himself and give chase to the psychopathic bastard. Noelle sent him a feeling of eagerness. He smiled, the arcane white tiger wanted to go after him almost as much as he did, if only to give him peace.
The problem was that he had an obligation to Avalon. He couldn’t leave them with the Incursions on their own, which got out of hand by the day. It was all he could do to keep them at bay. Even the forerunners, of which Ambrose knew of two, were having trouble.
The fire giants had ventured far afield from their fortress, destroying any settlements that cropped up, slaughtering people by the score, and taking resources too. Whenever he got close to the fortress, sounds of mining could be heard.
These invaders were stripping the newly integrated planet of all it was worth, including hunting down its treasures.
In the beginning, Ambrose wouldn’t have cared. He had one goal, and everything else was secondary. In some ways, that was still true, but his responsibilities now went beyond that one goal. He needed to consider how to accomplish that goal as well, and rushing in blindly with no resources would just get him killed.
The System gave people a way to grow in strength, to seize power. Eric was an old hand at such things before the System ever landed, and he had been given a huge advantage by being the first forerunner, integrated into the System before anyone else.
Ambrose felt sure that he could kill the fucker if he saw him, but now he was off in another world, doing who knew what and gaining power every day. When he faced Eric, he wanted to crush him. There would be no challenge, just annihilation.
That meant being patient about it. It meant building his resources.
It meant killing stupid fire giants over and over again. His hope was that the Incursion leader would come out of the fortress and face him if he killed enough of his people. He had tried slashing away at the shield, but the monster's shield was high D-Grade at least, and it held. Maybe if Ambrose brought all of the Knights of Avalon here he could do it.
That was an option he was considering. Full blown assault.
Darren’s wrapped and burning corpse flashed through his mind’s eye. Ambrose winced, his hands tightening and he blew out a breath.
Only if I have to will I do that.
Seeing no other fire giants, and tiring of waiting, Ambrose opened a portal to Avalon with a wave of his hand as he tapped [Hellfire Manipulation]. His mythic skill was beyond useful for getting around, and other things, too.
The trail of fire was like some infernal zipper on reality being pulled down, opening up a doorward for Ambrose to step through.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
In the weeks since what everyone was now calling the Battle of Avalon, the island had undergone a dramatic change. It now looked like someone had taken an arthurian medevil city, smooshed it together with a touch of modern luxury and added a dash of edge lord gothiness to it all.
Alice would have loved it.
His wife had always liked all things nerd, and the whole town was ripped right of a D&D campaign. It had also grown in population. Ambrose had never considered it before, but he could bring up the state of the town with a thought, just like his status page. Perks of having a seed.
He did so now as he walked,
[Town: Avalon
Shield: D-Grade
Population: 300[Max 5000]
Taxes: N/A
Town Manager: Andrea Pender]
In order to upgrade the town to a city he would need to close the Incursions. That was part of why he wanted to close them. Having a city would allow him more people, and thus more professions, resources, SC, etc.
He had a few different stops to make. He would need to go by Troy’s, Darren’s Hall, and then finally the school. Bum bum, his heart sped up a beat. Jenny would be there. Seeing her was always a hard reminder of his failure.
Off on the western shore, Ambrose could see more people departing from boats, the Knights of Avalon escorting them to processing. He would have to visit the barracks too.
Every day his responsibilities grew and every day Ambrose worried he would lose sight of what was truly important.
Killing Eric Delrosa.
His knuckles popped. He needed to wrap up these Incursions. Then he could go after Eric.
Troy was a person Ambrose would rather see dead, preferably by his own hand. The man looked more like a southern country singer than a merchant, with his denim over flannel, dark shades and jeans. His shop was on the western side of Avalon, what Ambrose was considering to be downtown.
When Ambrose entered, Troy looked up from a book he was reading. He moved his feet from atop the wooden counter, his throat bobbing up and down as he swallowed.
“Oh, hey Mr. Severen…uh…can I help you?”
Troy rubbed a hand on his jeans. He was right o be nervous, Ambrose sometimes beat the shit out of him on principle.
“Hey there, trash. I have things to sell.”
A small flash of fire over Ambrose’s raised hand and he held a pulsating heart with black veins and ashen light in the center. Troy glanced at it.
“More fire giant hearts? I can give you two hundred SC a piece.”
Ambrose narrowed his one eye, his mouth setting into a dangerous line.
Troy raised his hands,
“Look man, I’m running a business here I-”
Ambrose slammed his other hand on the counter, a boom echoing throughout the small shop.
“You’re a slaver piece of fucking shit is what you are. Never forget that. You sold children, you bastard. I don’t care about your bottom line. Eight hundred SC, and that will keep me from breaking your jaw again.”
Troy swallowed again, his hand shook as he took the heart.
Then something happened Ambrose had not expected. His jaw clenched, his gaze hardened.
Slowly, the shopkeeper put the giant heart on the counter. His voice was soft, and surprisingly devoid of fear.
“I felt every ounce of that pain I caused when you put me in that crystal. I know what a horrible person I am, Ambrose. I know it to my soul, thanks to you. But I am trying to be better. Who supplies your profession books? Who funds that school of yours with his profits?”
He tapped his chest.
“I do. Does that earn me forgiveness? No, maybe not. I don’t think I will ever deserve it. I certainly will never forgive myself. But what else am I supposed to do? You won’t let me end my life. All I can do is keep working, even if it takes all my days, to be a better man. What else do you want from me, huh Ambrose?”
Troy spread he hands,
“I’m not asking for your respect. I’m just asking for you to stop coming in here and taking me for all I’m worth because of my past. You punished me, and I am suffering for it, I promise. Let that be enough. I will give you four hundred for this, and trust me, what little I make off you will likely go back into Avalon anyway.”
His eyes were pleading, but there was a determined tick in his jaw.
Ambrose blinked, and stepped back. An angry rush was in his ears, and he got that way every time he saw the merchant. Maybe it was time to let a little bit of that go.
He sighed, rubbing the side of his face.
“Fine, four hundred.”
Troy nodded, completing the transaction.
Ambrose left the shop.
It was time to get the school visit over with. Like ripping off a bandaid.