King Arthur dragged Guinevere behind him, and she was unable to resist his higher ranked strength.
“You traitor!” he snarled at her. “You brought our enemy into the heart of our kingdom!”
“It was not me that was the traitor first,” Guinevere said defiantly.
His fist caught her across the face. “My son lies dying because of you!” he shouted. “Speak out like that again and you will not like what I force you to do.”
“You’re the one who forced me to do this!” Guinevere said, swinging her own hand at him.
Her hand froze as the oaths binding her locked her body in place.
“You will obey,” King Arthur said his voice growling with his rage as he pushed it down. “You will tell us all you can about the Warlord and any weaknesses he has, and you will marry Prince Arthur this very day and put these thoughts of rebellion behind you.”
Guinevere felt her neck constrict as she spoke not of her own volition. “Yes, my lord.”
King Arthur dragged her after him and into a medical ward. Prince Arthur lay on a bed Lionor at his side holding his hand as his chest rose and fell unsteadily. King Arthur looked relieved at his son’s relatively stable looking condition.
“Merlin open portals and evacuate the palace,” the King commanded. “Take us to Castle Lanerva and send for a priest. Send Lionor and my grandson to Castle Blackwall for safety along with the rest of our staff.”
Guinevere reached for the ring on her finger. She needed to summon Mordred now this was all spiraling out of control. Her father noticed her actions and caught her hand; he held it up examining the ring upon it.
“Where did you get this?” he asked.
Guinevere bit her tongue and didn’t answer.
“Answer him,” the King commanded.
“From Mordred,” Guinevere answered.
“And what does it do?” Merlin asked.
“It lets me call Mordred to my side,” she said.
Merlin smiled and tried to pull the ring off but it wouldn’t budge.
“Take it off,” he commanded her.
Guinevere reached for it but pulled back her hand blood running from the corners of her eyes and nose and she resisted the order.
“Do as your father tells you,” the king commanded.
“No,” Guinevere said spitting up blood as her mana began to attack her for breaking her oaths.
Merlin sighed. “Then we will do this the hard way.”
Before anyone could say anything else he pushed her hand down on a nearby table and drew a knife and cut off her finger just behind the ring.
Guinevere screamed as blood sprayed out. Merlin grabbed her finger and pulled the ring off the lifeless finger. He examined it smiling and placed it into a pouch at his belt.
“I believe you have just given us the key to trapping and destroying the Warlord,” he said. “Well done daughter, I believe we will wait to have this wedding until the guest of honor arrives; I would hate for him to miss it.”
“Stop,” Arthur said weakly from the bed.
“This is not your concern prince,” Merlin said. “Until the two of you are married my daughter is my responsibility.”
The king clenched his jaw but nodded. “After today our agreement will be completed brother, I will expect you to fulfill your side of the deal.”
“Of course,” Merlin agreed easily.
---
Scarlet lightning rained from the sky above as I soared above the armies of Camelot. I roared in wrathful triumph unleashing shockwaves blasting their ranks apart. A shriek sounded above me and I rolled through the air as a gryphon swept through the air where I had just been.
An armored knight rode its back and another gryphon dove down behind me. More and more gryphons could be seen and lances of elemental attacks or the golden radiance of holy light flashed at me. I rolled and ducked out of the way but my airspace was getting really crowded.
“Ares I’m going to start ranking up all my abilities,” I said. “Your in charge of making the decisions for their upgrade paths.”
You sure? Ares asked. Its not like you can change these later.
“Power is all that matters right now,” I said. “System, upgrade Dark Guardian, Brutal Spite and Bloody Riposte to rank twenty.”
Ignoring the notifications that began to scroll past the corner of my vision I teleported forwards and cleaved through the neck of a gryphon with Clarent. The burning headless corpse of a gryphon fell to the ground its rider screaming as they plunged several hundred feet to the ground.
I blocked the lance of purple cursed flames and struck back with Janus spearing the rider off the gryphon’s back. Each of the gryphons was larger than a warhorse, their feathers a collage of gold, oranges and reds making them look like fire birds.
A net of golden light hit me from below and I suddenly felt my weight increase ten times and my body dragged back to the earth. I cut myself free but had to roll as Lancelot and Kay rushed me Mira behind them. I snarled but met their attacks blocking and spinning between them as the midnight aura of Black Rage surrounded me; my Might nearly maxed out from the number of kills I’d gotten. Lancelot tried to shield bash me again, but I sidestepped at just the right moment.
I grabbed the edge of his shield and yanked him forwards, his arm going taught as I flung him over my back. I might have looked like I was the same, but I had an extra eight-hundred pounds of weight putting everyone out of my weight class.
“I’ve already beat you twice,” I said to Lancelot my voice rumbling like a landslide. “And this isn’t a duel anymore, it looks like my competition among the champions is going to significantly drop after today.”
---
Vone crashed into the wall as Exar’kun blocked her attack. He was still in human form, but he was Exarch rank compared to her Veteran.
“Stand down human,” Exar’kun said. “You cannot win this battle.”
Vone pushed herself to her feet and limped forwards. “Maybe not, but I can slow you down, every second I get you to waste here means more innocent lives that are saved.”
“You are selfless, I’ll give you that,” Exar’kun said inkling his head to her. “But sometimes selflessness interferes with self-preservation.”
In the blink of an eye Exar was in front of her. She swung her glaive, but he blocked the strike scales appearing along his forearm. He punched forwards and she just managed to duck the air whistling as his fist impacted the wall behind her smashing a hole through three feet of stone into the street behind it.
Vone counterattacked and he stepped back, then forwards through the hole into the open space of the street. His body began to shift and warp, changing in a few seconds from that of human to a massive dragon with black scales the edges glowing like live coals. Vone charged forwards her glaive glowing with light as she slashed forwards.
Exar’kun’s tail swung in from behind her and hit her in the back slamming her into the ground. His forelimbs pounced down, his claws closing in around her. His wings beat as he took to the air and Vone’s glaive fell from her hands clattering to the stone pavement below.
“Let me go!” Vone screamed as they sped through the air.
A group of gryphon knights charged them in the air, but a blast of fire reduced them to cinders.
“No,” Exar’kun replied. “We may be enemies, but I do respect you human. I won’t let you kill yourself in this battle.”
“The only way you can keep me from fighting you is by killing me,” Vone said.
“Incorrect,” Exar’kun replied. “This won’t kill you but it will keep you away for a few hours.”
His wings snapped forwards as they sped over the ocean. His claws released her and then his tail snapped around hitting her square in her torso and launching her out over the ocean. There was no way a Veteran rank champion wouldn’t find a way to swim back to shore but doing so would take her time, time Camelot did not have.
Swinging his head around Exar’kun flashed forwards rushing the swarm of gryphon knights that spiraled over the city bombing the army of the Warlord. He didn’t hold animosity for these humans, but he had been named as prey for men like this the moment he had hatched and his role in this story had already been written. Now all that was left was for him to play his part.
A roar shattered the glass of the nearby buildings as viper green flames tore from his mouth melting, stone, glass, and steel as he torched the city beneath him.
---
Lancelot moved back into the fight as a healer in their armies ranks restored his shattered arm. My weapons spun deflecting arrows and I grabbed them with telekinesis flinging them back at my attackers. An arrow exploded against my back and I took half stumbling step. Kay lunged forwards then ducked under the strike of my spear and swords narrowly avoiding me impaling him to the earth.
A rune covered rock hit the earth next to me and exploded stone shrapnel bouncing off my skin and flames sticking to and burning against my flesh. The damage from the explosive was easy for me to shrug off as I moved like a steel tornado into the ranks of soldiers.
Lancelot charged me again and I braced my legs this time letting him hit me. I slid back a pace but didn’t go flying this time and struck back with the force of plane crash hearing bones crack again as he was the one to go flying. I moved to pursue and finish him off, but soldiers flooded towards me sacrificing their lives to buy him time.
1527 rank points gained from assorted kills
The shadow raged and growled at being denied its kill and I let it loose as blood sprayed in a fountain around me. I charged forwards blades and weapons ripping through my armored skin, but the damage wasn’t enough for me to be concerned about it. Lancelot was already on his feet again and my vision was red with a heady rage as I backhanded him sending him flying again.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Push towards the Palace!” I commanded Jeriah and my army as they finally finished exiting the portal.
Smoke rose into the sky, and you could barely hear the sound of screams over the constant rolling thunder as lightning sparked between the skyscrapers above us. I smashed men out of my way I broke out of the arena into the streets. Ranks of soldiers began firing weapons and abilities at me.
I held up a hand grabbing not just the physical projectiles but the magical energy of the lightning, fire, ice, holy, curse and every other energy type in between.
“Hell-Dragon’s Armory,” I said with a cruel smile.
The energy and matter began to merge and twist as it crystalized into a boulder the size of a pickup truck. I brought back my hand and made a show of swinging it forward like I was tossing a bowling ball. The round boulder rolled forwards sparking with energy as it crushed and fried anything it came into contact with carving a path through the ranks of men.
“Strike!” I roared with a mad laugh.
I charged into the gap, my weapons spinning about me as I waded headless into danger.
More and more notifications of rank point gains and my abilities ranking up continued to scroll past my vision.
Jericoh’s Fall (Rank 1): Your footsteps disrupt the ground and people and you. Creatures on the ground take Minor damage and structures take Major damage when within 50ft of you while this ability is active.
Cost:
5 stamina per second while active
Rank this ability up to increase its damage and range. Each rank increases your Speed by 1.
I smiled all these people were weaker than me but the sheer numbers of them I was killing meant I would at least get some abilities from them.
“System, rank up
Despite the death I dealt out the soldiers of Camelot stood bravely against me forming ranks as they resisted my advance. It was time to put a stop to that.
“Run mortals,” I said my voice reverberating with the myriad of voices within me and projected by Voice of the Chasm. “I am the Warlord.” My voice echoed between the burning skyscrapers. “Cities burn in my wake. Nothing stands in my way whether if flies walks or slithers on the earth, the more you resist me, the more of you who perish trying to stop me the stronger I become.”
The unearthly howl of Helheim’s Scream ripped out after that, and the army broke before me as madness and panic overcame them.
---
Johan had been hiding inside the basement of their apartment building with his family. They had narrowly escaped the lighting scourge as it bounced through their neighbors and now, they huddled in the basement waiting for the storm to pass. His three children and wife all held onto him, and he tried to project strength he didn’t feel.
“Its going to be all right,” he promised them knowing it was a promise he had no power to keep.
“I love you Johan,” his wife Mary whispered in his ear tears running down her cheeks as she clung to him holding their four-year-old son in between them.
Johan’s fingers of his left hand gripped his father’s sword for comfort despite knowing it would do him no good.
They could hear the screams of the dead and dying above them and the voice of a giant proclaiming death to any who stood in its way. Then a sound hit his soul, it was maddening, it was rage and terror blended into one.
Johan’s vision went red as he struck out at the demon that appeared next to him. They reached out clawed hands towards him and he used his father’s sword to cut through them as he fought a desperate battle for survival. He beat them back, his heart pounding with terror. Finally, the terror faded and his vison cleared. Johan fell to his knees as he looked at what he had done.
“No, no, no!” he screamed looking down at bodies of his wife and children.
His body wracked with sobs and wordless screams, he picked up the sword again placing the hilt on the ground and fell on his sword unable to live with the guilt of what he had just done.
---
Lancelot and Kay moved in my wake, but they didn’t just have to contend with me. I was the Warlord, and they were finally forced to deal with my army. Jeriah, Tobias, and his brothers led the advance as we cut our way through the streets towards the palace.
Dark Guardian (Rank 20, Max Rank): You have shown the willingness to sacrifice for others and can sacrifice your flesh and blood to protect those you choose. Allies within 220ft of you heal a Extreme amount for every Minor wound you take.
For every Minor wound you are suffering the damage your allies with 210ft of you would take is reduced by an Extreme amount.
Your allies within 180ft of you gain a bonus to their Toughness equal to 10 per Minor wound you are currently suffering.
You gain a 15% damage reduction to a particular type of elemental damage you are attacked with stacking to max of 75% for every attack you receive from the same damage element. (Can gain resistances to multiple elements at a time).
Anytime someone under your protection would take Lethal damage that damage is instead transferred to you but is reduced by your damage reduction modifiers. (does not trigger healing effect of this ability)
Max Rank Bonus: A guardian is only as good as long as there are people to protect, you reduce damage by an Extreme amount whenever there are at least a hundred allies within 220ft of you.
Cost:
N/A
Upgrade this ability to increase the range and amount of protection you grant to others. Each upgrade increases your Toughness by 1.
I only briefly looked over the final result of my ability and could feel the effect of it already as wounds began appearing across my body as lethal damage was transferred from my vassals to me. While it didn’t activate the healing effect of my ability it did activate the other effects and the damage they took was reduced for each wound as well as increasing their toughness. That wasn’t even including its synergy with my other abilities effects that activated every time I took damage.
I moved forwards my feet sending shockwaves through the ground with each footfall as Jericoh’s Fall ranked up alongside my other abilities. A roar shook the air as Exar’kun passed by overhead his emerald flames torching the army directly in front of me as they were still recovering from the panic, I had inflicted on them.
My head jerked to the side as I caught the sound of a whistling arrow and just moved it in time to dodge one of Mira’s arrows. I ignored the champions for now. Guinevere was my goal, and I would handle them later once I’d ripped Arthur and Merlin to pieces.
Brutal Spite (Rank 20, Max Rank): Even when you have been beaten down, your blood sapped from your body and to the point of death you continue on. For every Minor wound you are currently suffering your stamina and mana regeneration is increased by x6.
You deal x5 damage against a creature who has dealt a Minor wound to you within the last 34 seconds.
Every time a creature deals damage to you they take a fifth of the damage they dealt to you as retributive damage.
Every time a creature hits you they gain a stack of Mark of Vengeance*
Max Rank Bonus: You can store up 10% of the damage you take from each strike the damage you store can be added to an attack in the future (the stored damage drops off by 1% per second).
*Mark of Vengeance: Targets damage reduction is reduced by 1 stage for 10 seconds.
Cost:
not available
Upgrade this ability to increase the rate of increased stamina regeneration per wound suffered. Each rank of this ability increases your Endurance by 1.
I smiled as I took in the notification and looked at the ability. Every soldier that struck at me now signed their own death as a even a casual strike from me would obliterate them. I pushed forwards the castle in clear sight now as I waded through the blood and guts of my enemies. I could fly and just avoid the army, but I was tired of letting these people’s attacks against me go unanswered.
They wanted a war against me, well we’d see how much they liked it when I brought that war to their own doorstep.
I blasted my way through their ranks with all my AOE attacks. I knew in the back of my head that there were people like Aisha in the buildings around me with no say on the war against me, but it didn’t matter. If their leaders had cared at all about their lives, they would have let Arthur die, now their deaths were on their hands, and I washed myself clean of it. This world was not kind to the weak and I saw no reason to be either.
I knew some of my thinking was influenced by the Shadow, but I just didn’t care. I had tried to play by their rules now they were going to play by mine.
Bloodstained Riposte (Rank 20, Max Rank): Your existence causes pain to those around you in retribution for the pain you experience. When you take damage, your spirit lashes out to inflict bleed damage on the target equal to 5/8th damage taken by you.
The damage of your next attack against a creature that has just damaged you deals Severe Soul damage (fifteen second cooldown)
The damage you deal with your riposte and next physical attack pierces three stages of damage reduction (twenty second cooldown).
Damage dealt by your riposte and next physical attack cannot be healed for the next thirty seconds. (Cooldown twenty-five seconds)
Target become vulnerable to Soul damage after being struck by your riposte. Vulnerability last for ten seconds and increases all Soul damage taken by 50%. (Cooldown thirty seconds).
Max Rank Bonus: Immediately after riposting you gain a damage shield reducing the damage of the next attack you take by six damage stages.
Cost:
70 mana
Cooldown:
3 seconds.
Upgrade this ability to increase the retributive damage you deal with it and reduce its cooldown. Each rank up increases your spirit by 1.
This would have been handy against Arthur in the arena. With a surge of violence, I broke through the army on my way onto the palace grounds. The place was devoid of defenders as I moved into its halls. I looked around but could find no one, not even servants.
A pair of soft foot falls sounded behind me, and I turned to see a man standing before me in simple robes unarmed and looking calm.
“Where is Guinevere?” I snarled.
“They have gone,” the man said. “Open your portals and leave this city, the object of your search is no longer here.”
“Then I will burn it to the ground until she is brought to me,” I snapped striding towards the door.
The man stepped in my way. “I am a man of peace; I have trained Arthur since he was a boy. I will not let you harm him.”
“Odd for a man of peace to create a weapon of war,” I said and looked the man over.
Gilgamesh the Breaker of Sword, Gifted- mountain-elf*/humanoid, Exarch: 698
“Arthur has many failings but his heart is always for his people,” Gilgamesh said. “Unlike you who only has a heart for himself.”
“Don’t pretend to understand me or my motives,” I said. “I was a target of your people long before I ever laid eyes upon Camelot.”
“I will not say your life or choices have been easy,” Gilgamesh said. “But the choices you have made today have only lead to devastation.”
Jericoh’s Fall (Rank 20, Max Rank): Your footsteps disrupt the ground and people and you. Creatures on the ground take Extreme damage and structures take Extreme damage when within 50ft of you while this ability is active.
Increases your movement speed by 15ft per step.
Each of your footsteps sends out a shockwave around 150ft which causes creatures who fail a Speed check to be knocked off their feet.
You can channel your power into an extreme stomp for an extra cost of 40 stamina & 40 mana to deal double damage to structures in a 700 ft cone in front of you.
Rather than knock away your steps are like the pull of a planet, drawing prone creatures on the ground 50ft closer to you with each of your steps.
Max Rank Bonus: Moving seven times around a group of structures destabilizes them causing immediate destruction to all nonmagical structures and Severe damage to all structures in the area.
Cost:
25 stamina per second while active
Rank this ability up to increase its damage and range. Each rank increase your Speed by one.
My newly acquired ability finally finished leveling up.
I didn’t bother responding this time teleporting past him and becoming a blur as I raced outside the palace. My army was locked in battle outside it. Just before I could reach them Lancelot, Kay, Mira and Ammerila all broke through the ranks and faced me. A dome of energy appeared around us locking us in.
Gilgamesh appeared before me again, his arms folded behind his back in a relaxed gesture. “I will not let you take out your anger against this city.”
“If you stand against me than you are my enemy,” I said advancing toward him.”
“I have no enemies,” Gilgamesh replied.
“And by the end of the day, neither will I,” I responded swinging Clarent down towards his neck.