“Doors of Muspelheim,” Haldros said hiding inside the shield dome.
Nine rings of fire appeared in a circle ninety feet away. They grew wider and wider, a red and orange curtain of light shining inside each of them. The light disappeared revealing buildings in a forest with a sunlight sky overhead. Black-clad figures began stepping through the portals into the cavern, naked blades in their hands. They formed a half ring around Guinevere as I stepped up next to her putting my back to hers.
A tall man in dark leather armor stepped to the front of the group of nearly sixty assassins.
“Warlord,” he said his voice calm and cool. “What an unexpected meeting, we have no quarrel with you, we are here on a contract for Lady Guinevere, you can leave now through our portals unmolested.”
I looked the man over his face was shrouded in a black cowl a mask hiding his features, but it couldn’t hide the description above his head.
Versu the Undefeated; Gifted- humanoid/human, Exarch, Rank: 1224
“You need to run,” Guinevere said in defeat. “You can’t fight someone like that.”
“Telling me I can’t fight someone is a sure way to get me to do it,” I said turning back to the leader I included my head to him. “I respectfully must decline your offer, I never back down from a fight.”
“Then I hope you are as great as your legend and pride,” Versu said a blade appearing in his hand. It glowed a bloody crimson and he vanished from where he was standing.
I blocked the strike with the haft of my spear as he appeared behind me my Foresight warning me of the attempted surprise attack. I shoved back as Voidra reactivated Black Rage for me my strength surging. I wished I had my helm of the Juggernaut to boost my stats but would have to deal with this with the tools I had for now.
Activating my Ring of Stoneskin I rolled to the side. I held out my hand and threw back Versu with Telekinesis, it was hard to grab living people especially those with power, but I managed to toss him a hundred yards as I turned to Guinevere. She was beset on all sides by the sixty assassins; a quick look at their descriptions showed them all to be Veteran rank luckily there were no Hero ranked officers among them. I reached into my storage pouch and tossed an object at Guinevere.
“Catch!” I shouted.
She rolled and her left arm slid into the straps of my shield. Jumping to her feet she blocked a sword strike on it, the attacker recoiling in pain as the damage he tried to inflict was reflected back on him through his weapon. She hacked and cut about her, my shield helped to protect her vulnerable sections where she was missing armor from where it had been removed or damaged. I had one last thing I could to help her.
“System designate Guinevere as one of my lieutenants,” I said.
You have designated Guinevere the Winter Lady as one of your Lieutenants granting her access to your ability Foresight.
Versu appeared in front of me, and I barely dodged his strike. Unable to help Guinevere anymore than I had I focused on my duel with what had to be one of the most powerful men on the planet. His blade spun and only my Foresight let me block or evade his incredible speed my massive boost in Might thanks to Black Rage let me match his strength with my own, but it wouldn’t last. With every passing second more of my instances of Black Rage were dropping off and soon I’d be back to my regular strength.
“Chain Lightning!” I said and spent the extra cost to exclude Guinevere from the possible targets.
Thunder roared as the lightning forked out from my left hand. Versu rolled but the fork chased him he caught it on his sword grimacing in pain, but he wasn’t slowed. The lighting struck the shield dome around Guinevere’s traitorous party, and it shattered. Arcing through the ranks of assassins it didn’t kill any of them outright, but it did damage and stun a number of them.
Guinevere took advantage of this to skewer one through the heart and slashed open one of her stunned assailant’s throat. Versu charged me again and I let out a bellow activating Voice of the Chasm rocks and bones around me shattered in a cone focused towards Versu. He disappeared at the last second before the sonic wave could hit him, but the fear effect still rattled his underlings and they recoiled away from me.
Guinevere was dealing with the sixty assassins and doing fairly well but even with the shield and the ability I’d just given her access to she couldn’t handle the level of abilities being used on her simultaneously.
Versu was on me again before I could unleash another ability. The two of us disappeared and reappeared at random as we teleported around each other. He was able to dodge or block my attacks thanks to his higher stats and I was able to do the same because of Foresight. As I fought him I got the sense that despite his much higher rank he didn’t have that many abilities he must have directly raised his attributes with rank points to get to his level instead of only spending them on abilities like I had.
“Unyielding Strike!” he shouted slashing at me with a one-handed strike.
Foresight let me know there was no blocking this attack, so I teleported away. He teleported next to me, but I was ready and thrust at him forcing him to duck and roll away. He came back at me again pressuring me backward, he fought a lot like Guinevere but if it were based purely on skill I thought she would beat him… but I wouldn’t. Stumbling backward I was distracted by a scream, Guinevere stumbled backward a gaping gash in her stomach.
Teleporting over to her I blocked a strike to her chest that would have finished her but a thrown dagger hit her in the chest and she collapsed to the ground black lines radiating out from the wound as the poison spread through her veins.
“Chain Lighting,” I said blasting the assassin’s point blank.
Stunned by the electric assault the twin tips of my spear spun about cutting open several throats. Two of them had died outright from the lighting already wounded by Guinevere and its prior attack. I watched as Kira ran through one of the portals the rest of her companions were dead their bodies cut to ribbons. Guinevere had taken revenge for their betrayal, but she wouldn’t get to finish the job.
Versu ran at me and I couldn’t dodge away this time. The memory of this happening and my impending death that I had foreseen flashed through my mind. If I stood here and tried to protect her, I would die, even if I didn’t, I would likely still be killed by this man.
I didn’t move. The sword came down and I blocked my strength had faded and the much more powerful man sent me to my knees my arms vibrating with the force I had just absorbed knocking my spear from my hands. The sword came at me again too fast for me to react to and buried in my leg only stopping went it hit my bone the metal structure keeping it from just taking my leg clear off. I collapsed on top of Guinevere shielding her with my body.
“Comet Strike,” Versu said coldly as he raised his sword again the red blade beginning to shine like the sun.
The blade came down again and I brought up my club in my left hand to block. The club shattered in my hands and the bones along my forearm shattered from the amount of force inflicted upon it. My Neman Club, the weapon that had endured so much and been enhanced by one of my abilities was unable to withstand the might of this attack. The blade had only been slowed slightly and buried into my collar bone crippling my right arm. I lay over Guinevere knowing the outcome already but helpless to prevent it my body still at least a minute from being able to regenerate enough to fight again.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Versu raised the blade pointing straight down and stabbed downwards at Guinevere’s chest. A hand of pure darkness lashed out and gripped the blade. I was as shocked as Versu as I looked upon a third arm emerging from my Torso. Another hand emerged from my other side and grabbed my spear thrusting up at Versu. He jerked his head to the side avoiding the strike.
Ability Gained, Spirit Collective, (Rank: Error): You have created a symbiotic instead of parasitic relationship with the spirits inhabiting you. Through manipulation of your mana and stamina, they have created a third type of energy and can use it to manifest through your body and interact with the world.
Cost: 1 Ethereal point per second of use.
This ability should not exist and cannot be upgraded. As punishment for bypassing the system to gain abilities, all current unspent Rank points will be spent to purchase this ability.
Slashing down he buried his sword into the unarmored thigh of my other leg. I growled in frustration and the discomfort from the small amount of pain I could feel through my rage. He tried pulling his blade out and I was nearly dragged into the air as it became lodged in my leg bone. Growling in frustration I reached out with my mostly repaired left arm and grabbed the blade.
“Hell Dragon’s Armory,” I snarled.
Error! This is an Artifact Weapon and can only be destroyed by a deity.
“Fuck that,” I growled my fingers bleeding as Versu yanked me around by my leg trying to get his weapon free. “Hell Dragon’s Armory!”
I wasn’t even thinking, blinded by maddening rage and helplessness I threw every point of mana I had into the attempt forcing it through my hand. Another hand, this one made of brilliant crimson light instead of void black reached out and grabbed the blade. Together we poured mana into the blade, the weapon began to shine bright as it had before, but Versu wasn’t the one causing it this time.
Fragmentation lines appeared across the blade until, with an explosion that tossed back Versu and nearly tore my leg off the blade shattered. Breaking into hundreds of pieces the shards went flying like a frag grenade luckily missing me and scattering throughout the cavern.
You have completed a hidden objective and earned a title. Objective destroy an artifact made by an enemy deity.
Reward: title, Artifact Breaker.
*Artifact Breaker: Defying the very rules of this world you have broken an Artifact while still a mortal. You can alter the fragments of broken artifacts. Artifacts broken by you gain a pseudo sentience and will follow the will of their creator and seek revenge on you for their destruction. Seriously cut this out.
Troll Hide fixed my other leg enough for me to hobble to my feet. All around me were the dead bodies of assassins, their bodies shredded by the destroyed artifact or slain by Guinevere or me. Versu limped forward one arm limp at his side his face exposed now although one side was skinned to the skull.
“That blade was in my family for generations!” he roared. “how did a creature like you destroy it?”
“Get good scrub,” I said my spear snapping into my functioning left arm my left still hanging uselessly.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the red fragments float up and orient themselves on me. They darted towards me in the same manner as my stone spearheads worked. I teleported to the right and then swerved reversing directions to follow me. Versu had forgotten about Guinevere and was now intent on slaying me. He rushed after me drawing a dagger from his belt.
There was no way I could take him on, even with the new ability I had acquired I was beat to shit and he had several hundred points above me in basically every attribute. I couldn’t beat him but there might be a way to cheer him up. I would have to time this perfectly.
Freezing in place I devoted all my attention to Foresight waiting for the perfect moment. My wounds slowly began to close apart from the one to my left leg which remained stubbornly unhealed. Versu charged me and the shards of the artifact shot toward me outpacing him. They had converged and were about to shred me like a swarm of bees when I teleported.
Appearing behind Versu I blocked a slash with his dagger as he whirled to face me. The attack shoved me off balance and he kicked my leg out from under me and was about to finish me off. Then the shards of his own blade went right through him to get to me. Versu looked stunned as he looked down at his shredded and mangled body. He turned to me, and we met eye to eye.
“This isn’t the end of us Warlord,” Versu promised me. “If you survive this we will meet again.” He promised me. “Earthquake!”
A shockwave erupted from him, and the walls, ceiling, and floor began to rattle. His body dissolved into a mist of blood, and he disappeared carried up and away by an unseen wind.
The shards of the artifact seemed to have lost their power after going through Versu and fell lifeless to the ground. With a mental thought, I picked them up with Telekinesis and swept them into my storage pouch. A boulder fell from the ceiling nearly crushing me. The tunnel I’d used to get her collapsed in on itself the age-old construction having finally given way.
Shards of Assurin: Type: Magical Metal, Rarity: Mythic, Hardness: Indestructible (at least they should be). Once part of a mighty sword called Assurin these blades are all that is left a tier III Artifact sword created by Sabre the God of Swords and Blades, they are cursed by him to never create an edged weapon again. These shards use in crafting are unknown, but they still hold immense power and potential even with the curse on them due to the nature of their destruction they have gained the trait Enmity and will give it to whatever item they are used to forge.
*Enmity: Increases the damage dealt or reduces damage taken when the wielder is enraged.
Shards:
250.
Total Weight:
3 lbs.
Teleporting next to Guinevere she was still unconscious, and I didn’t have a way to wake her up. Stuffing Cauter fennel into my leg wound It smoked and smolder but stopped bleeding I poured a healing potion over it and drained another one down my throat to replace my lost blood.
Dragging Guinevere up from the ground I threw her over one shoulder, picked up her sword, and stowed my shield away. I searched for an exit as boulders continued to rain down around us. The tunnels around us had collapsed leaving no obvious exits. I spotted an underground river, its waters rushing down and disappearing into a cave wall.
While drowning to death wasn’t an experience, I wanted to have it was the only way out of this cavern I could see, and I was quickly running out of time. I began moving as fast as I could but when I tried to teleport I couldn’t. That ability was for a single person so I couldn’t do so while carrying Guinevere. A boulder nearly crushed us my Foresight allowing us to step aside in the nick of time. Rocks were bouncing off my helmet and the instability of the cavern was growing with every passing second.
“This is going to hurt,” I said and turned around holding out my hand.
I’d only used this spell once before and it took several attempts to get it right but eventually, a burst of pure white plasma exploded from my hand. The force was so great it carried Guinevere and me up into the air as I had intended. I cradled Guinevere’s neck to protect her from whiplash and the fall. We struck the surface of the water and went down into the darkness.
---
Captain Neman stood at the edge of the town walls. The town population had mostly been pacified and he’d been awarded a permanent post here as a reward for his part in the war. He’d already sent word to his wife and son to come and join him. After a few decades preserving the peace in this new province he’d be able to retire.
Blowing out some smoke from his pipe he smiled, looking up at the golden gryphon on a red background that represented the Kingdom of Camelot. Turning around he was about to continue his rounds examining the defenses when he heard a horn blow from the forest. Whirling around he scanned the forest line four hundred yards away. He was the highest ranking gifted assigned to this town but was only Veteran rank.
A goblin emerged from the forest and his shoulders sagged in relief. A goblin raiding party was something that normal people dreaded but nothing that he and his men couldn’t handle. Then a spined raptor stepped out of the shadows behind it. Captain Neman had fought spined raptors before during his training as a knight of Camelot. They were vicious creatures and more intelligent than wolves but he’d never seen them fight alongside goblins before. The odds of their survival were going down, but he wouldn’t abandon his post without a fight…
Humans on foot and horseback, Myrmidons alongside and riding wolves and bears emerged from the tree line. They did not approach the walls in ranks for files but that did not diminish their threat. More horns blew and howls and war cries began to be taken up.
Captain Neman swallowed heavily. The letter he’d just sent to his wife would likely be the last she ever heard from him.