Guinevere and I lay next to each other as we rested from the emotional drain of the trial. Slowly her breathing steadied as she drifted off to sleep, her head resting against my shoulder. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep but couldn’t. The vision of the blood-stained version of me hung in the back of my mind like a specter.
Mordred, the god of Blood & Slaughter, while this wasn’t a future set-in stone it did give me pause. I’d been so focused on achieving victory I’d never stopped to think what victory would mean or what I would become as a result of it. This wasn’t a question any of my life experiences had prepared me for, what kind of god would I be? Did I even have choice on what I could become, or would I just be assigned something by the system? Questions that hadn’t seemed important when I started down this path now loomed over me.
Once again, I briefly wondered if I had made the right choice taking Kalesa’s deal. I turned my head and looked at Guinevere sleeping beside me. Yes, I had. Whatever else becoming her champion entailed I never would have met Guinevere without it. That alone was worth the price.
I still wasn’t sure what kind of god I might become but I wanted to be one that Guinevere would admire. Closing my eyes, I slowly drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
---
Slowly my eyes opened; a warm presence beside me told me Guinevere was still sleeping. I slowly shifted, letting her fall gently back into the blankets and keep sleeping. I knelt on the ground and began strapping on my armor as I began my meditation. Whatever peace I’d found here it hadn’t changed how I meditated. My anger was now just a pure thing, no longer clouded by memories or guilt, if anger was the devil’s cocaine than I was using Heisenberg’s shit now.
My eyes snapped open as I detected movement. I rose to my feet, my fur cloak falling down from my shoulders to flow out behind me.
“Ready?” I asked Guinevere.
“I am,” Guinevere said. “Are you alright?”
“I’m just anticipating a fight,” I said. “I haven’t had a real one in almost a year.”
“What about our sparring?” Guinevere asked, crossing her arms.
“Your not actually trying to kill me,” I said. “It’s been good practice, but I’ve missed the adrenaline rush from putting my life on the line.”
“You think there’s something in there still after all this time?” Guinevere asked looking up at the tower.
“I’d bet my life on it,” I said. “Which is handy because that’s what’s going to happen anyway.”
--
Guinevere and I stood before the doors to the tower, we were contrast to eachother, I had almost two feet of height on her and weighed at least a hundred pounds more than her. While I wore barely any amor she was armored up to her neck only missing a helmet, her hair was plaited back to keep it from getting in her face in the middle of a fight.
I’d half expected the barrier to still be up like some cruel joke, but we reached the doors with no interference. I pulled open the double doors, they were heavy and open slowly with a grinding of ancient dusty hinges. It seemed the magi had so much faith in their barrier they hadn’t even bothered to lock the door when they left. I stepped into the tower and looked around. It was as dry as a tomb despite the humidity of the cavern outside, dust filtered down through the air. There was nothing left here the only magic I could smell was from where the trail to the system block led.
I walked to the center of the tower and looked up. There were at least twenty floors to the tower that opened up into a shaft that extended down to the ground floor. An intricate series of circles that had gold poured into them decorated the tower floor. At the very center was a ring embedded into the floor.
Hooking a finger into the ring I popped it out and strained as I pulled up. It was slow at first but gradually it began to rise. After it had gone up about a foot it stopped needing my effort to pull it up. I stumbled back as the ground shifted under me. I stepped back next to Guinevere and watched as a column rose from the floor. There was an archway in the middle of the column from which a brilliant light shone. The light disappeared as something stepped in front of it.
Once I recovered from the momentarily blindness my eyes settled on a tall man in dark red robes with a scarlet red breastplate. Curved crossed swords hung on the back of his belt and he had long swept back black hair. His eyes were like fresh blood with slit pupils and his ears were long and flared like a bats. Chalk pale skin unmarked by scars contrasted with his crimson eyes and midnight hair.
“Who are you?” the man growled in a voice that maintained its eloquence despite the malevolence carried in it.
“I’m Mordred,” I said. “Who are you?”
“I am Narces the Red Wizard,” he said haughtily, his chin turning up as he looked me over. “Whom do you serve Mordred?”
“Just me,” I said.
“A lie!” Narces hissed. “I can smell the stench of the gods about you, you are touched by divinity. A champion of one of the tyrant gods, which of them sacrificed their champion to send them here? Was it Falgest or Sulren?”
“I don’t even know which ones those are,” I said keeping him talking as I analyzed him studying him for weaknesses. “I don’t know how long you’ve been here but there are a few hundred of those guys now.”
“And which of them have you tainted yourself with?” Narces asked.
“Kalesa,” I said.
“The war goddess? Strange that one of them would sacrifice their champions,” Narces said.
“Let’s just say I’ve been on vacation,” I said. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you still here? There is clearly nothing here to protect.”
“Fool!” Narces spat, his lips pulled back for an instant revealing long upper fangs. “You behold the treasure of this place and don’t even recognize it.”
Bending at the waist to look around him I spotted a massive crystal inside the column’s alcove. “That crystal thing?”
“Not the power array! Me!” Narces growled, I had evidently offended him.
“Sorry, you just don’t seem worth all the effort it takes to get into this place,” I said shrugging.
“I tire of your visit,” Narces said. “Sadly for you, I won’t be showing you the door.”
He lunged for me, his body moving almost faster than I could see. Only my Foresight saved me from being impaled on his sword as I moved and let it slide past my chest. My clubs were in my hands and slashed out as thigh. Gliding like a leaf on the wind the wizard evaded my attack. Guinevere stepped in her sword slashing out, the wizard blocked her attack, but Guinevere had already moved into another.
The next few seconds revealed that Guinevere was a much better fighter than the vampire but that it had much higher attributes than either of us. He muttered arcane phrase I couldn’t quite catch and disappeared. Appearing eighty feet away he dropped the sword in his right hand which hovered in the air beside him.
“Inevitable Death,” Narces said.
A javelin or blood red light flew towards me, it didn’t move that fast but Foresight let me know what it would do if that thing even slightly touched me, instant death, there wouldn’t even be a stain on the floor. Teleporting behind the wizard I stabbed forward with Janus. The vampire’s supernatural perception let it dodge my sneak attack, but I managed to rip open the dark red robe and trousers of his thigh and draw a narrow line of blood. The wound immediately disappeared revealing the regeneration ability of the wizard.
Narces turned and began to slash at me. I blocked most of his attacks and managed to get in a few strikes of my own, but I took way more hits than I dealt. Both of us bled on the floor as our wounds closed. I wasn’t sure which of us had the better regeneration, but it would take hours for either of us to kill the other at this rate.
Guinevere joined me flanking the vampire, this helped for a few moments before it disappeared into red mist again.
“Wounds and cuts refuse to close, let your blood flow fast and freely,” Narces chanted.
He wasn’t speaking English, or whatever language they spoke here. Instead, he was using arcane words translated thanks to my title. Immediately after his spell went off the cuts across my body stopped regenerating and began to bleed faster, I looked around, but the vampire was a cunning bastard and had veiled himself from us.
“Blood drawn in battle and spilled on the ground gather and condense,” he chanted.
The blood dripping off my body began to swirl through the air condensing into an orb at the south-west edge of the room. Teleporting next to it I spun about with my double-bladed spear. Its tip caught something and immediately Narces reappeared as I broke his invisibility. Guinevere was next to me a heartbeat later and the two of us unleashed attack after attack against the undead wizard.
“The two of you work very well together,” Narces said. “To well, let’s do something about that. Rifts of the nether plane open!”
A portal appeared next to him, and he kicked out hitting Guinevere in the chest knocking her through it. It closed as soon as she passed through, and he turned to face me.
“I’m going to be busy with your lady friend, but don’t worry I’m a good host, I won’t leave you without entertainment,” he said a cruel smile spreading across his face. “Blood of my enemies take my guise and fight in my stead.”
He disappeared into a cloud of red mist that my spear stabbed through harmlessly as he teleported somewhere. I heard a sound behind me and turned to watch a dripping red figure made of blood fall out of the blood orb in the air. It rose to its feet, it resembled Narces apart from being made entirely of blood it slashed out with a sword of blood. I dodged the attack; the blood clone was fast although not quite as fast as the vampire had been. Another creature dropped out and then a third, this was probably going to get out of hand soon.
--
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Guinevere’s back slammed into a bookshelf, and she rolled to her feet. She was on one of the higher levels of the tower. She looked around, her sword in hand.
“You don’t smell of the gods,” Narces said.
“I don’t serve any of them,” Guinevere said as she looked around for the source of the voice.
“Why not? You have skill they would not doubt reward you for serving them,” Narces said his voice coming from multiple directions.
“Because I don’t trust them,” Guinevere said. “I had the chance to become a champion, I turned it down.”
“Than why stand next to the Warlord?” Narces asked.
“Because I trust him,” Guinevere said.
“Than I am sorry that you must die,” Narces said. “Creeping shadows of the void blind my enemies.”
Guinevere immediately found herself blind. She couldn’t see anything, even her hearing seemed muffled. The complete darkness was something she hadn’t experienced since she was a little girl, her Perception attribute letting her see clearly even on moonless nights. The total blindness reminded her of the cave and her breaths started coming in fast.
“My my,” Narces said his voice the only sound she could hear clearly. “That was very effective, afraid of the dark I presume. Let me check how your friend is doing, don’t go anywhere.” His mocking laughter faded as he left and Guinevere fumbled around blindly for the walls.
--
I rammed my spear through the seventh blood thrall popping it like a balloon. The problem was that the blood just flowed back into the orb and another blood clone appeared. Not only that but more and more were spawning meaning not only was I not diminishing their numbers but that there was increasingly more of them. I was up to twelve right now and an extra one would drop out soon. Luckily Black Rage was increasing quickly with each attack I made.
“You’re doing much better than I expected,” Narces said. “Normally you champions are like feeble babes without your abilities, I see you still have some of your passives. Not being able to block those was always a flaw in our design we never managed to work out.”
“If you’re trying to bore me into committing suicide you’re doing a good job,” I said.
“No appreciation for banter,” Narces sighed. “Very well, let’s see if I can’t speed up your demise. Blood of the old one’s rise up and flood the land.”
A dark black ichor began to seep from the cracks in the marble floor it rose higher and higher until it was about halfway up to my thighs. It sucked at my heels slowing my movements as it tried crawling up my legs but as long as I continued to move it didn’t seem to be able to make any progress.
“Ravenous fangs, and hungry bodies drink your prey dry,” Narces chanted yet another spell.
The black ichor rippled and moved as somethings began swimming through it quickly towards me. I didn’t want to find out what they were and started moving. A leach popped out of the water like a jumping dolphin as it dived for my chest.
“Have fun with those,” Narces said laughing then his laughter cut off as he presumably teleported again.
A scream tore through the air from above me. My head jerked up as I honed in on the source of the sound. I forgot my own problems letting several leaches latch on and a sword of blood slice along my ribs as I searched for Guinevere’s location. Pushing off from the ground I leapt forty feet into the air with supernatural strength. There was a cloud of darkness on one of the tower floors and I teleported up to and dived inside.
As soon as my feet touched the ground I knew where Guinevere and Narces were. I couldn’t see through the magical black fog, but Tremor Soles let me feel where everything was. Guinevere stumbled about as Narces stalked her through darkness. I charged forwards and knocked him across the ground, surprising him with my ability to detect him through the darkness. The air began to grow brighter with every second I was in the fog and with a pop it vanished entirely.
“Curious,” Narces said. “That spell should have lasted several more minutes. Oh well, “rain of burning blood fall down upon us.”
Guinevere was still off balance, and leaned against the wall, her breaths coming in quick and fast, her eyes wide with a deer in the headlights look. Acidic blood spattered down on us, materializing out of the air and falling down like a thunderstorm. It stained Guinevere’s snow-white hair and burned into our exposed skin. Narces strode forward confidently with both his swords in his hands.
“This has been a good way to wake from a millennia old nap, but all fun must come to an end, goodbye fair lady I regret it has to end this way,” Narces said his voice almost sounding genuinely apologetic. “rabid frenzy and bestial might.”
Narces’ face twisted losing any humanity it might have held. His body moved forward in a blur; Guinevere hadn’t recovered so I did the only thing I could. I hit her from the side knocking her a dozen feet across the room interposing myself in front of Narces. His swords swung down in a blow that should have finished me but I was still riding high on Black Rage and slid across the ground my back slamming into the wall as my Might met and matched his.
“Your strength has grown,” Narces growled all the eloquence gone leaving only the monster he truly was behind. “Good your blood will taste all the sweeter for it.”
“Bring it bitch,” I snapped headbutting him as he got in to close.
Narces stumbled back more in surprise than in pain. His monstrous face twisted even further in anger. “Let’s see just how strong you really are, “binding thorns of blood hold my foe in place.”
Twisting red vines grew from the floor and wall around me yanking me back and pinning me to the wall behind me. I struggled but whatever they were made of, even my massive supernatural strength couldn’t break the binds holding me in place.
“So, not that strong after all,” Narces mocked.
A sword nearly took his head off as Guinevere reentered the fight. Narces blocked but Guinevere’s fighting style had changed, she had always been calm and collected in battle before but now she fought the way I did with mad and reckless abandon. The fury of her assault shoved Narces over the edge of the balcony he fell through the air for only a few dozen yards before bat wings swept out from his back and he swooped back up to level with us.
“I grow tired of your struggles, let’s end this,” Narces said raising his hand to point at me. “Inevitable death.”
Guinevere stepped in between me and the orb.
“How beautiful, the lady sacrifices herself for her man,” Narces said laughing and clapping his hands. “Its like a tale from a storybook.”
“Get out of the way,” I hissed struggling against the thorns that still held me pinned to the wall.
“You didn’t leave me to die against assassins when I was at death’s door,” Guinevere said. “I’m never going to leave you.”
“It will kill you!” I shouted at her my struggles growing more frantic.
“Sometimes we can’t stop death,” Guinevere said. “When you dance on the edge of death, sometimes you fall off.”
The orb grew closer and closer. Panic filled me as I realized for certain that Guinevere wouldn’t move out of the way. Fear, rage and love pushed me forward as a roar ripped out of my chest. There was a snapping sound that I realized later was my spine as I ripped myself forward. I didn’t break free of the vines, but I did drag the entire wall with me as I tackled Guinevere to the ground. The rubble of the wall lay around us the vines still tied to the block like ropes to anchors.
The orb still homed in on me as Guinevere struggled to get out from under me.
“Let me go!” Guinevere said the same desperation that had driven me, filling her voice.
“Not a chance,” I snarled.
My death drew in close than something ripped itself from my waist. Spreading its pages open wide the spell struck Mab fully. The tome collapsed back to the ground, the crystal on its cover fading but the spell was gone.
My hand snapped out closing around it, as soon as it connected with the blood dripping from my palm the crystal flared with light again as it drew on my mana stores. The vines holding me in place disappeared as soon as they made contact with my Grimoire. I slowly pushed myself to my feet, my movements stiff and jerky.
“That book!” Narces snarled. “Where did you get that! It was supposed to be destroyed!”
“Don’t you know you can’t destroy an artifact Jackass,” I spat holding up the tome infront of me having the found the perfect counter to the wizard.
“I beg to differ,” Narces said. “I’ve seen it done, and I’ll see it done again. I won’t let my life’s work rest in the hands of champion.”
Narces snapped his wings diving towards me. He likely thought I’d try to dodge so he was extra surprised when I counter charged him. Narces was tall but was rather thin, I had at least hundred pounds of weight on him so when we hit, it didn’t’ go his way.
Both of us went into freefall rolling through the air. I got lucky and ended up on top when we hit the ground driving my fist into his smug monstrous face as we struck the ground. The marble cracked beneath us; Guinevere jumped landing in a roll as she joined us on the ground. In a moment the accumulated blood clones were scattered droplets as she ended them with a cut of her sword.
Narces shoved me back and I slid through the black ichor swamp. Despite my minor victory against the vampire, we needed to end this, and I couldn’t do it was I was.
“Guinevere break the crystal!” I shouted as I rushed forward a club in one hand and Mab in the other.
Narces turned to deal with Guinevere, but I wasn’t going to give him the chance. The claws of my club hit his breastplate drawing sparks and spinning him around. His swords flashed out and struck my club, the force drove me back, but I wouldn’t relent. He swung down with his other sword driving me to my knees. Dropping his left sword, he brought down his right in a twohanded grip I braced my club and blocked. My defenses saved my life, but my club shattered under the assault although cracks also ran through Narces’ sword.
“Impressive workmanship to have lasted that long against me,” Narces said. “Sadly, like you, it was not up to the task.”
The sound of shattering crystal filled the air.
“Try me now,” I snarled as I shot back to my feet.
Quest Completed, Reveal the Unseen: A large section of the underground has been blocked from the system for several millennia, correct this oversight by destroying the source of the block.
Reward: Tier III Artifact to all participants.
Narces whirled around. “Blood lightning scour my enemies,” he chanted.
I was able to finally read his description with the System restored.
Marris the Blood Mage, Abomination- undead/vampire, Exarch*, Rank: Error
He was listed as Abomination instead of Gifted which was new and concerning, also he didn’t have a rank implying he didn’t actually have any abilities. I didn’t have time for this speculation however, so pushed it from my thoughts. Teleporting in front of him I raised Mab absorbing the spell as he unleashed it. “pretty spell,” I said. “Let me show you what a real storm looks like. Chain lighting.”
Arcs of electricity lanced into the vampire and its body spasmed in pain although he still managed to move forward resisting the stun effect. Guinevere teleported behind him and drove her sword forward through his chest. The vampire twisted, taking her sword with her as it launched itself at me. He pinned me to the ground as he landed on top of me.
“Your wounds have made me thirsty let’s see how fat the service of the gods have made you,” he snarled his fangs going for my neck.
“Hell’s Talons,” I snapped dropping Mab to the ground. My fingernails transformed into footlong claws, simultaneously two more sets of arms emerged from my torso, one scarlet red the other so black it absorbed all light around it. Both sets ended in claws as they ripped into the vampire. Desecrate and Mana Rot as well was Curse damage tore into his flesh as their ethereal attacks bypassed the scarlet breastplate he wore.
With the Desecrate condition affecting him Narces could no longer regenerate, and his mana already mostly spent from all the spells he’d been casting was now bottomed out. Guinevere skipped to a stop beside us and her sword swung down. Narces was held fast by my own claws digging into his collar bone and entrails. He tried to struggle free but I’d dealt enough wounds to him that my Might was able to keep him in place. He had an ability to teleport but like mine it required you not be in direct contact with another creature.
“This is not the end of me!” Narces raged. “I will not be killed by the likes of you!”
“This is the end for you,” I said coldly. “I’ve seen death and I don’t think you have what it takes to come back from it.”
Unable to move Guinevere separated his head from his body in a single strike.
You have completed a hidden objective and earned a title. Objective: slay a powerful abomination.
Reward: Abomination Slayer
*Abomination Slayer: Damage stages against abominations increased by two.
The vampire hadn’t had a rank, so we got no rank points for defeating it. That seemed like an oversite on the System’s part but I couldn’t do anything about it.
The acid burns disappeared from me and Guinevere as we healed. I looked down in the crater where the crystal had been.
“What now?” Guinevere asked me.
I bent down and compressed the armor from Marris into a single ingot. Looking it over I read the material’s description.
Blood Gold: Type: Magical Metal, Rarity: Legendary, Hardness: 16; made of a gold that has been infused with magically enriched blood from thousands of creatures. Blood gold enhances regeneration abilities, bleed effects, healing abilities and curses when made into weapons or armor and then enchanted. Due to the nature of its creation many races consider possessing such metal as a crime and will kill its owner.
Quantity:
1
Weight:
6.7
“I start tunneling and we head to the surface,” I said. “I take you back to your fiancé and we work out something from there.”