Took me a while to write, but here's Part 2. Just a hint of warning, it's only the first draft, and therefore subject to a lot of change. I think Randomleech was right when he said that chapter 13 was a cursed chapter; I'm not quite happy with how it turned out.
Nevertheless, I hope that you enjoy reading this part. Let me know what you think.
*****
“Ah, I’m bored…”
Saying this, Gordon parried another blow from the skeleton giant’s great sword. So far, the two combatants were evenly matched, but Gordon’s relentless assault had begun to steadily force the skeleton back, beating aside each of the skeleton’s attack with the ruthlessness of a tyrant while still having a half-dazed look on his face.
Nevertheless, the skeleton persevered. The undead truly did not fear death (the Undead already being dead from the beginning), and this colossal warrior was no different. Nevertheless, it was an indisputable fact that Gordon was overpowering the skeleton, holy light pouring out and wrapping itself around him like a protective cloak. It was truly an awe-inspiring sight.
All around him, morale was high as the main force fought with renewed vigor, effortlessly destroying the undead creatures and Orc warriors; a testament to the immense charisma that this man carried despite his lax nature.
Hammer and sword clashed once more, as undead and holy warrior sought to break through the other’s defenses and deal a decisive blow. They broke apart again, and were about to come in for another blow when suddenly, a voice cried out.
“Look out!!”
Surprised, Gordon still managed to quickly disengaged from the fight and took a step back. A second later, a soldier from the Vanguard flew over, landing heavily on the spot that Gordon previously occupied.
“Good grief, man, what’s happening over there?” Gordon asked.
“One fighter suddenly went bananas and started attacking people!! And then when the others tried to stop him, that guy sent them all flying with a swing of his stick!!”
“A stick?”
“Well, it seems like a quarterstaff anyway. He also sent me flying over here as well. And suddenly people started fighting one another, saying that they want a whack at that guy!! You have to get over there, it’s getting chaotic!!”
Gordon raised his head high to scan the battlefield. In the distance he could see a previously coherent force in disarray, fighting Orcs, undead, and each other. What was once an orderly engagement between two forces has now dissolved from a bloody chaotic melee to an all-out, no holds barred, winner-take-all battle royale where only the strongest will be the last one standing.
His puzzled expression quickly gave way to a wide grin, the holy light around him starting to glow red as bloodlust took over.
“WHY THE HELL DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THIS EARLIER!! I GOTTA GET OVER THERE RIGHT NOW!!!!”
Turning excitedly to speak to the soldier, he managed to catch a glimpse of that soldier collapsing limply before disappearing in a grey flash. The giant skeleton, having dealt the final blow to the now-fallen soldier by stepping on him, raised his great sword for another attack. Gordon’s half-crazed smile dimmed a little as he coolly considered the rather intimidating sight.
“You are in the way.” Gordon said coldly, and his hammer lashed out with a speed that couldn’t be followed by an average human.
As the skeleton giant fell to pieces, its body blown clean through by the strike, Gordon could be seen dashing over to the artificial Hell on Earth, leaving a pile of corpses behind with every swing of his hammer.
******
The golden path seemed to stretch on forever, at least as far I could make out within the fog. Regardless, I kept walking, my steps slowly but surely getting me to my destination, wherever that was.
However, it seemed that I had found a companion. While I could not see him, he was constantly channelling his thoughts via telepathy, his excited blabber comparable to that of a child.
ARE WE THERE YET?
“No, we will get there where we get there!!” I shouted back angrily.
GEEZ. THERE’S NO NEED TO GET MAD, came the sheepish reply.
“Only because you have been asking me this question for the past 10 minutes!!”
I CAN’T HELP IT, I’M BORED…
Even the kid was better behaved than this . For a guy with a voice that sounded like it was all in capital letters, the things he said were rather immature in comparison.
“You like games?” I asked.
HATE ‘EM.
There goes the plan to distract him with a game…
“Mind if I ask you a question?”
ASK AWAY, came the reply.
“Where am I?”
I SAID I DON’T KNOW, DIDN’T I?
“Ah, but hear me out anyway. By right, the capsule used by the game works by interacting with the player’s senses, but it shouldn’t be able to access my memories right?”
WELL, IT SEEMS TO BE THAT WAY. I WOULDN’T KNOW, BUT LET THIS ONE HERE THEORIZE A LITTLE.
Ooo, his speech suddenly became rather erudite.
WELL, I AM AN ENTITY GIVEN SHAPE BY THIS SYSTEM AFTER ALL. FIRST OFF, THIS ONE HERE MUST ASK. HOW DID YOU ARRIVE HERE, AT THIS TIME, AT THIS PLACE?
“Well…”
I gave him a succinct summary of what had transpired thus far. There was a quick silence as the shadow mulled over the details. Although I could not see him (and hence make out his or her features) in this fog, I could somehow picture an old man fingering his mustache.
I’M NOT THAT OLD.
“Excuse me.”
I forgot that he could seemingly read minds.
NO, YOUR EMOTIONS ARE PLAIN ON YOUR FACE. ANYWAYS, THIS IS PURELY THEORETICAL FROM THIS POINT ON. YOU ARE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A POWERFUL SKILL THAT GIVES YOU INCREDIBLE POWER AT THE COST OF YOUR FREE LOCOMOTION. AM I RIGHT?
“Hang on, let me check. Skill Window!!”
Berserk Impulse
Lose control of your actions for a massive increase in power and hp regeneration. Activated automatically when your HP falls to a set level. Your actions are automatically set to offensive movements, attacking indiscriminately with no regard for defense. Pain is dulled and bleeding is stopped when the skill is active.
Beginner Level 3 (84%): +30% STR, +20% Fighting Spirit, HP Regeneration boosted by 100% when HP falls below 23%. Completely unable to control one's actions when skill is active.
“Yeah, seems that way.” He actually got it down pat.
NOW THAT I HAVE SATISFIED THIS PREMISE, ALLOW ME TO ASK: WHERE DOES YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS GO WHILE YOU ARE IN THAT STATE?
*******
WARNING: slight bit of 4th WALL BREAKING AHEAD. Readers who dislike that sort of stuff should skip ahead to the next portion. Apologies to you in advance, I couldn’t think of a way to write out this part.
“HOLD YOUR GROUND!!! HE CAN’T KEEP THIS UP FOREVER!!”
“But Sir, his wounds, they are healing up at an incredible pace!!!”
Several of the best fighters from the Vanguard unit were taking turns to engage the young man who , until recently, fought alongside them. His fighting style was free-flowing like water, the spear shaft he wielded an extension of his arm. Weapons clashed as he engaged in a bloody dance of death. However, against multiple skilled opponents, it was surely a losing fight, and naturally he got wounded.
That’s where the horror began. Whenever he got struck, steam would rise from his wounds, and a few seconds later his body would be whole again, as though nothing had happened. And then he would proceed to smash the surprised warrior in the face.
“This guy…”
“What manner (a bit too... refined for a battlefield? ‘kind’ would fit, no? It would, but I thought that it will be funny...Well, it’s up to you.) of sorcery is this?!”
Frustration for a fight that should have ended in mere minutes!!
Around them, the other soldiers were holding back the undead that were menacing them at every turn. At the same time, some of them were even fighting one another!!
“I’ll handle this.”
“No, I shall be the one to take him down!!”
“Take this!!”
“Die already!!”
“That punk’s mine!!”
“Hasta la vista, Baby!!”
From an outsider’s point of view, it looked like they were fighting over something actually desirable!! In this extremely realistic environment, where their fantasies were enacted, people couldn’t resist using extremely clichéd phrases as they fought!! Many undead fell, but more undead rose up to take their place!! Also, why am I using so many exclamation marks?!
Anyways… take a deep breath now, Narrator…
*Takes a deep breath… Breathes out slowly.*
Much better. Now back to the story on hand. This was clearly not an attempt to buff up my word count. It most certainly was not.
Most of the undead were suddenly blown away by a powerful attack as Gordon entered the fray. However, his posture was not the relaxed pose that people were accustomed to seeing. It was… more feral, resembling a bloodthirsty beast which had pinpointed his prey from among the herd.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“Ah… are you the little troublemaker who created this wonderful scene?”
Gordon spoke in an oddly calm voice that did not fit his current posture. In his presence, all manner of fighting within a 5 metre radius quickly came to a halt. The undead within that same radius had all been wiped out, and the rest of the Vanguard in that area also created a defensive circle that kept out the rest of them.
The young man finished off another one of his attackers, and appraised his new opponent, sizing him up. Strangely, he said nothing, and kept a blank expression on his face.
“Yes, that’s a good look you have on your face. Looking good there, boy. Ah… let me think, you were the Spearman that came with the Flag Bearer… Oh well, it doesn’t matter. Let us have a good fight that can only happen in this game.”
And with that incredibly cheesy line that you’ll probably see in RPG games (one of them anyway, here’s a hint: it’s got little animals fighting each other), the battle between the two commenced.
********
Some distance away, aforementioned Flag Bearer was in a troublesome spot. Since every other member from the Vanguard was preoccupied with the fight that was brewing in the middle of the defensive circle as well as holding off the undead that surrounded them…
“DAMMIT, WHY DID THEY LEAVE ME ALL THOSE UNDEAD MOBS TO KILL?! SPIRIT SOLDIERS, ADVANCE!!”
Jeanne (AKA Combatante) screamed while giving orders, the flag on her spear stained red with blood (as if that flag couldn’t get any redder already).
Of course, she now had to deal with far more undead than she could easily handle. If it weren’t for her Stalwart Spirit Soldiers that held the line against the undead, she would have been sent up to join the recount her many great deeds to the great ancestors a long time ago (either that or just be logged out, but the former just sounds more epic.).
A zombie managed to break through the defensive line and ran pell-mell at Jeanne, at a surprisingly fast speed for a shambling corpse. It soon got inside the reach of her spear, where the spear wouldn’t be able inflict any harm. It pounced at her…
Only to have Jeanne slam the pommel of her short sword onto its head, an improvised move that made up for the shortcomings of the spear. The zombie staggered back, and she finished it by lopping its head off with her sword.
“That’s one down, only 499 more to go. Sorry Howard, looks like I won’t be able to help you this time. If you survive that, I’ll beat you up for being so reckless myself!”
Even while she said this, at this time, at this place, the only thing that Jeanne could do in her position… Against insurmountable odds, she could only take up her spear and sword, and defend desperately, or take the offensive in a last ditch effort to break through. She chose the latter, and slammed the blunt end of her spear shaft on the ground.
“Spirit Soldiers, your pride shall be an impenetrable iron defense!! Take up shields and defend to the last man!! Advance steadily against all odds, O formation of the Half-Century!!”
With that chant, all the Spirit Soldiers materialized and equipped sturdy-looking tower shields. Slamming them together, they created an impassable barrier. At the same time, each Soldier also equipped himself with a short spear measuring about 1.5 metres long. With Jeanne in the centre, they created another defensive formation comprising of about 7 men per row.
Reminiscent of the Roman Legions from ancient times, the defensive tortoise formation comprising a half-century of 50 soldiers was created!! Stabbing and heckling the undead that surrounded them with their short spears, the formation steadily advanced, forcing back the disorganized undead creatures with quick thrusts of their spears through the gaps between the shields.
Slowly, but surely, the Spirit Soldier troops made their way towards the Vanguard unit, where the action took place.
*******
“Now that you mention it, I couldn’t remember what happened the last two times Berserk Impulse became active…”
THAT IS EXACTLY MY POINT. YOUR CONSCIOUS MIND IS SENT TO THIS FOGGY WORLD THE LAST TWO TIMES THIS OCCURRED. I HAD TRIED TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU THOSE TWO TIMES, BUT YOU DID NOT RESPOND. THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME I HAVE RECEIVED A REPLY FROM YOU.
So I have already been to this foggy world before… I just didn’t remember this.
DURING THAT TIME, YOUR EARTHLY SHELL IS LEFT BACK THERE, WHERE THE BODY MOVES WITHOUT SUPERVISION, ACTING SOLELY ON MUSCLE MEMORY AND INSTINCT. AT THIS POINT WHATEVER PRIMAL INSTINCTS THAT HAVE BEEN HELD BACK BY THE RATIONAL CONSCIOUS MIND SURGES FORWARD, LEADING YOUR BODY INTO BATTLE.
That just sounds so bad ass… No wait, I’m not supposed to be impressed, it is clearly a bad thing.
“Is there any way out of this world then?”
FROM THIS THEORY, WE CAN CONCLUDE THAT YOU WILL LEAVE THIS WORLD ONCE THE SKILL WEARS OFF AND BECOMES DORMANT AGAIN. YOU HAVE ALSO WALKED ON THE SAME PATH THE LAST TWO TIMES YOU WERE HERE AND LEFT AFTER SOME TIME. I THOUGHT YOU WERE A WRAITH… OH, IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE ARRIVED AT MY PLACE OF RESIDENCE.
“It certainly seems that way…”
I could make out a long and thin shadow in the fog as we got closer and closer. It did not look like a house, so I assumed that it was a great tower. The mysterious shadow that accompanied me vanished, only to appear at that particular location.
“You could have teleported me over as well right?”
I DON’T HAVE THAT KIND OF ABILITY. NOW HURRY UP AND GET OVER HERE.
“Fine…”
I could only run up to the spot where the shadow was; as I got closer, it seemed that the tower was not a tower at all. It looked to be a spear shaft.
When I finally got there, my curiosity was finally satisfied. A spear stood tall and proud. The shaft measured about 2.5 metres, and the spear head that was affixed on the end of the shaft was a large arrow-head-like design resembling that of a ballista bolt.
I racked my head through what I had researched about spears, but the design of the spear head was certainly unique. It was a doubled edged arrow head design, so a single edged blade like the guan dao or naginata was out. Come to think of it, Polearms and halberds as well, for that matter. It was also too broad to be a lance…
AS ALWAYS, YOU THINK TOO MUCH. THIS IS MOST DEFINITELY A LANCE.
No, somehow I doubt it. Lances tend to have small and simplistic spear heads that are aimed at penetrating through armors easily. This spear head design is definitely too broad for that purpose.
IT IS MOST ASSUREDLY A LANCE. I GIVE YOU MY GUARANTEE.
Surely not…
IT IS A LANCE.
No it isn’t.
IT IS A LANCE. LOOK, JUST PICK IT UP AND GIVE IT A TRY. IT IS BETTER THAN THOSE NEWLY FANGLED DESIGNS THAT THEY ACTUALLY DARED TO CALL LANCES.
That guy must be bloody ancient to call a medieval design “newly fangled”…
“Well, if you insist…” I was never one to turn down a new weapon anyway, with apologies to my loyal Ash Spear Shaft…
I picked up the “lance” and hefted it. It felt light in my hand despite its heavy looking appearance.
“What’s this “lance” supposed to be made of, Cardboard? It’s so light.”
DO NOT INSULT MY BODY LIKE THAT. IT’S MEANT TO BE LIGHT TO MAKE IT EASY TO WIELD IN COMBAT, YOU SEE? OR I CAN MAKE IT SUPER HEAVY…
“No, that’s fin- Oh gawd!!”
My back suddenly bent over as the lance in my hand suddenly doubled in weight. It felt more like a proper spear now, but my god, was it heavy...
Wait, did he say his body?
YES, I CLEARLY DID. I AM THE SPIRIT THAT RESIDES WITHIN THIS UNNAMED LANCE, O WANDERING SPEARMAN. WILL YOU BE THE ONE TO WIELD ME AND BREAK A PATH THROUGH ALL ODDS, I WONDER?
********
“Hmm, your movements are superb, but your attacks don’t seem to have any… power or emotion or feelings behind them. Are you some sort of NPC?”
The fight between Gordon and the young spear man had been going on for some time. Surprisingly, the latter was able to hold his own in the beginning of the fight, but the overwhelming difference in levels soon began to show, and he was forced to go on the defensive.
Still, it was also a surprise that Gordon was unable to kill him in a single hit, as the young spearman managed to dodge each blow by a hair’s breadth, as if sensing that it would be all over if he got struck even once. Yet, regardless of his dire situation, his expression remained blank.
The spearman dodged the next blow and reassumed his stance, a completely relaxed and natural stance with his arms hanging while holding on to his spear shaft. A harsh light began to emit from the end of the spear shaft, and a broad leaf-shaped spear head suddenly materialized, affixing itself to the end of the shaft.
“Nice… you actually still had something like this up your sleeve? You never cease to amaze me. Should I get serious as well… no, what am I saying? I’m always serious when it comes to a good fight. On your guard, Spearman!!”
Yelling the line that would have suited a certain Captain of the Eleventh Division better, Gordon charged at the Spearman, his hammer raised prepared to destroy the foolish spearman standing in front of him.