Chapter Forty-Nine
Ambrose Severen wasn’t sure where this seed was, but he had an idea that it was likely in Annie’s bar. That seemed to be where she was holding court. Before he left, he looked at the other vehicles. There were a few vans, but tucked near the back was a car covered in a dark green tarp.
It was a shape he knew well. It can’t be, Ambrose thought, hope and awe echoing through his mind as he walked towards the tarp. Grabbing a fistful of the material, he ripped it off with a woosh of air and the sound of sliding plastic on metal.
It was his Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye. Painted the precise shade of green that matched his dead wife’s eyes. Ambrose ran his hand over the metal, closing his eye. He smiled as he remembered the day he had bought her.
“Absolutely not.”
Ambrose was grinning like a loon at the car.
“But babe! It matches your eyes!”
Alice placed her balled up fists on her hips.
“It costs almost as much as a house, Ambrose!”
Ambrose held up a finger, eyes shining,
“Does the house move? I don’t think so!”
Alice narrowed her eyes,
“That’s how you’re justifying it? Really?”
Ambrose went to his wife and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head.
“If you don’t want me to have it, that’s okay. All I need is you, anyway.”
Alice melted against him, sighing.
“I know you’re manipulating me, you know.”
Ambrose grinned into her hair,
“Is it working?”
Alice let out a little sound between a sigh and a laugh, shifting under him.
“Maybe.”
Ambrose opened his eye. Then he infused the car with his mana. The hellcat erupted into black, red and bright green flames. The metal became alive with mana, glyphs carving their way into the metal as the car roared like a newborn beast of hades. Flames swirled around the wheels, licking and dancing along the edges of the car.
Ambrose smiled, sliding into the vehicle and wrapping his hands around the wheel of metal and fire. He pumped the gas, green flame roaring out of his exhaust in response. Ambrose tore out the cavern, holding his hand out the window and [Recalling] his axe as he did.
He drove the car directly over the guards at the gate, bursting through into the compound in an explosion of wood, metal, and fire. A bestial bellowing laugh came from the hellcat as Ambrose screeched to a halt in the middle of the compound. He shifted the car into park and got out.
People rushed him as he did.
Ambrose began killing. His axe slashed, hacked, beheaded, and bathed itself in blood. [Infernal Smite] detonated, flashing like a living hungry creature that burned the spirits of those Ambrose struck down. Screams of terror filled the air. Ambrose didn’t care. Anyone here, anyone apart of this place died.
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If they ran, he let them. He couldn’t be sure who knew or didn’t know about the slaves, but anyone who attacked him died horribly. Bloody limbs, like broken, bloody jigsaw pieces littered the area. Ambrose used [Infernal Sanctuary] willing the black flames surrounding the ethereal chains to burn all it touched.
Ambrose saw the merchant, the guitar player trying to flee, but a black chain wrapped around him, yanking him to Ambrose as the merchant screamed in utter horror and agony. Ambrose pulled up until he could grab him around his shirt, lifting him high. Others tried to attack him, so Ambrose manifested Noelle, and the arcane white tiger roared her pleasure, ripping to shreds any who got close in flashes of claw and lightning.
Ambrose ripped the glasses from the man’s face, staring into his brown eyes.
“Hello there, Troy. Just the man I was looking for.”
A building collapsed behind them in a cracking, splintering of wood and a burst of embers.
“Where is the seed, Troy?”
Troy’s eyes shifted, his lip quivered.
“Don’t know what you;re talkin’ about!”
Ambrose narrowed his eyes, and promptly shoved Troy close to the flaming front tire of his hellcat. Troy screamed, a raw, terrible scream as the heat of the fire threatened to sizzle his flesh into burnt crisps.
“It’s behind the bar! In the safe! Oh, God, please!”
The stench of urine wafted into Ambrose’s nose. Troy’s pants looked soaked. Ambrose yanked him back up, ignoring the smell. His voice was a growl,
“You enslaved people. Kids. Sold them like cattle. I should incinerate you. A little at a time, so you feel it all. Then piss on your worthless ashes.”
Ambrose took a breath, leashing the storm. Troy was whimpering now, like a whipped dog.
“Fortunately for you, you have a profession I need. That the people with me, need. You’re coming with me.”
Ambrose flicked his axe into the ground to stick there. Then, with that hand, he reached the bag of holding at his belt and pulled out the rope he had stored earlier. [Infernal Infusion] lit up the rope with black-red fire that Ambrose began to wrap around Troy, binding his legs and feet.
Troy began to scream, howls of utter pain tearing from his throat. It cut off as Ambrose shoved the flaming rope into his mouth, tying it off. His muffled screams still came through, but it was a lot less annoying now. Ambrose opened the trunk of his hellcat, shoving Troy into it. The flames would harm him, and keep doing so, but they wouldn’t kill him.
Ambrose went into the bar, which was one of the only buildings that hadn’t been turned to ash yet. He found the safe behind the bar, a simple metal one, which he tore open easily with his D-Grade strength. A large golden seed lay behind it. Ambrose used [Insight] on it.
[Town Seed]: Town seeds allow a user to establish an area as a System recognized town. Typically these seeds are handed out to forerunners, but can be claimed if the forerunner who is connected to it is slain.]
A notification pulsed in Ambrose’s mind, reminding him that he had indeed slain Annie and needed to see to his progression. He ignored it for now. He picked up the seed and as he did, another notification popped up, this one he read.
[Would you like to establish the surrounding area as a System recognized town? Note, clear your world's Incursions in order to grow your town into a city.
Y/N?]
Ambrose ignored it for now. He didn’t want to establish the town here. Using the chains from Sanctuary, he burned the bar into a heaping pile of ash as he walked out of it. Standing in front of the hellcat, Ambrose brought up his other notification.
[You have defeated Annie. Due to defeating a forerunner, you have received increased experience. Due to defeating an enemy above your level, you have received increased experience. You have advanced to level 110.]
Five levels meant forty points to spend. He brought up his stats with a thought.
[Constitution: 205
Strength: 167
Intellect: 168
Wisdom: 186
Willpower: 224]
He was very tempted to split it between willpower and constitution. That wouldn’t be very balanced, and his other stats were lagging behind. He put ten into intellect, ten into strength, ten into wisdom, and despite the nagging thought that he shouldn’t, ten into willpower. His health pool hadn’t dipped much, but it did surge upward, bringing a fresh wave of power and energy with it.
Ambrose got into the car.
He was going to finally free the slaves below, and then return home.
Troy’s muffled screams of agony brought a smile to his lips. Maybe there wasn’t justice in this new world. But there could be vengeance. If he brought it.