Chapter 118 - One Last Rodeo
Jack quickly inspected his new ability.
Lightning Engine
Ability – [Legendary][Rare]
Fuses condensed lightning mana together to create the Lightning Engine—a mana generator greater than the sum of its parts. Generates Elder Lightning.
*****
A favored force mastered only by the Storm King. Harvested from the heart of the first tempest. An ancient force of supercharged destruction. Bear witness to the fury of the final storm.
A legendary ability. Jack had been aiming to create something powerful, but he hadn’t been expecting something that strong. Sure, it was downgraded to Rare, but it should still be enough to get the job done. Aside from that, the description was simple, if not a little vague. What the hell was Elder Lightning?
He glanced back into his core to inspect the ball of mana. It looked like one of those plasma globe toys from his 3rd grade science class. Interestingly, it was growing. Fast.
In seconds the new power was pressing against his already paltry core and pushing to break free from its cage. Jack grimaced slightly in pain as the cracks expanded, creating new rents in his already fragile core. Curiosity about his new power quickly gave way to panic.
I’ve got to start using this. Now.
Jack pulled on the mana and nodded approvingly. He thought he would have to use the power in its entirety, much like he did his mana drops, but he could simply pull energy from it like everyone else. Jack was never so happy to be normal and immediately started pouring the mana into every inch of his body.
Flush with whatever the hell Elder Lightning was, he felt good in a way he hadn’t since using mana for the first time when he entered the Tower. He fed more of the mana to his body until he felt filled to the brim. Gluttonous with power. He glanced at his core again. The ball of elder lightning had shrunk back down to the size of a golf ball, but it was already pulsing outward like some sort of supernova, growing again at an accelerated rate.
After a satisfying inspection of his new ability, Jack finally looked back to the battlefield. He had been dead to the world around him while he worked through the technique. Dangerous bolts of violet lightning were lashing out at the air around him. When Jack breathed out , his breath evaporated into a white hot steam. A deadly heat radiated off his body, melting the ground around him. He looked down to assess his footing only to see nothing but dead U.F.E. soldiers.
Jack immediately felt sick as the familiar taste of bile started to rise in his throat. Did I do this?
“About time you woke up,” came a demonic, discordant voice.
Jack saw Hannah first. She had three bows hovering in the air all charged with her dangerous explosive arrows. The look on her face was pure fury.
Jack's eyes followed the ready arrows path to where she was aiming.
Rodeo.
The demon stood there, his claws wrapped around Devins neck, holding him like a child might hold their doll. The commander was conscious, if barely. His hands frantically prying at the daggered fingers that pierced the mail at his throat.
Rodeo had managed to grow more grotesque than he did last time Jack had seen him.
How long have I been out?
Rodeo’s torso was replaced by a demonic skull that leaked crimson blood from its open maw. It had its own pair of horns that erupted from Rodeos chest and wrapped precariously around to his back. His arms were a hulking pair of claws and several more horns had grown from his head, or rather, his primary head, wreathed around his skull like a crown.
“Got pretty bored waiting for you, Jackie-boy. Decided to test out some of my new abilities.” Rodeo threw Devin across the room and his body rag dolled across the ground, landing in another pile of soldiers.
“Thought you said you weren’t going to attack anyone if they broke their oaths?”
“I lied,” Rodeo shrugged.
“Careful Jack! He turned into this monster freak after I broke my oath,” Hannah shouted.
Rodeo responded by sending a beam of black energy the size of a tree trunk in her direction. Ever the professional, she had been expecting the attack and managed to narrowly roll out of the way.
“So, I’m the last one huh? Then you’ll be strong enough to brainwash Xinnolath?” Jack asked.
“We reached that point about 15 broken oaths ago. He’s been vegetable stew for a while now,” Rodeo cackled.
“If anything, it’s your fault I kept going,” Rodeo continued. “You're all I want Jackie boy. If you just handed yourself over to me like I asked we could be finished here already. But I had a feeling you would try something stupid. If I didn’t drain every last drop of power from this room, I knew you would find a way to beat me. I can’t wait to see how I transform when you attack me.” Rodeo was leaning forward on his arms, practically drooling from his mouth as he stared down Jack.
Jack took a step forward clearing the room in less then a second as he burned the mana coursing through his body. He spartan kicked Rodeo in his dumb skull shaped torso and felt a satisfying crunch as he vented all the mana in his leg, sending out sparks of lightning. The kick launched Rodeo across the room and into the far wall with an impact that shook the entire cavern. Rocks flew into the air and dust filled the room. Jack glanced upwards as the ethereal energy descended from the sky and pierced the dusty cloud, encapsulating Rodeo, and providing him with its final power boost of the fight.
“Jack!” Hannah was running towards him but came up short, unable to make it past the violent lightning storm radiating from his body.
“Cover me?” Jack smirked. Hannah grinned back at him in response, chugged a mana potion, and sent her bows back into the air. She held onto her crystalline bow and began to charge an enormous arrow of orange explosive power.
To Jack’s surprise, Devin limped up to the group. He looked… not great. His armor was battered and thrashed, with claw marks running through its blood smeared surface. His sword was broken in half.
“Holy hell man, I thought Rodeo killed you.”
“We’ve got good healers. How much time can you buy us? I’ve already sent runners to evacuate the city. We’re launching a full retreat.”
“You do whatever you want. I’m going to stay here and kill Rodeo.”
Devin stared at him in the eyes for a long moment, searching for what, Jack didn’t know.
“Ya know, your mom gives me the same look before she jumps my bones. I’m not going to kiss you,” Jack squinted at the man.
“I’m sorry. I should have listened to you,” Devin finally said. With that, he turned and stalked away.
Jack watched the man orchestrate the retreat for a moment before turning back to Rodeo. As the dust settled, he stared at his opponent. Rodeo had transformed into what Jack could only assume was his final form. Gone was his bulky bestial appearance. Now he towered over everyone on the battlefield with long and slender limbs and a lean torso. His skin was jet black and hardened into a seamless armor that covered his entire body. It had a metallic sheen that reflected the flickering lights that filled the room. The armor ran up his head and covered his skull in a formless helm. The only defining feature were two red horns that were sharpened into blades coming out of his forehead. Two small black wings spread out from behind his back at dangerous angles, as if someone had designed the wings to perfectly match the armor that covered his body.
Jack had been constantly warned not to break his soul oath. He knew the Tower had taken a special interest in him, that broken oaths provided unbalanced advantages to the aggrieved, and the results would be disastrous if he did so this time. No matter how he looked at it, the Tower had rebuilt Rodeo for one thing.
Speed.
“Well. Time to find out who’s faster I guess.” Jack launched across the room at a silent Rodeo. The demon hadn’t moved a single inch. Jack pulled at the power radiating through his body and fed it to his arms as he lashed out with his daggers.
Rodeo caught his arms in his clawed hands, stopping the attack as easily as breathing. Jack tried to pull away, but Rodeo’s grip was iron on his arms.
The faceless helmet shimmered, and then began to pull at the mouth, like someone was ripping metal apart. It formed a cruel smile and crimson blood began to leak out of it.
“Jackie boy,” he snarled.
“Eat shit,” Jack grinned back.
For the first time this fight he cast [Lightning Centipede’s Bite].
To Jack’s surprise, it wasn’t the super charged version of the attack he had grown used to. Instead of the normal body destroying, explosive power he had been expecting, what came forth was compact, deadly, precise. His arms bit out like two fangs and easily ripped chunks out of Rodeo’s armor. As soon as he cast the ability, he was free of Rodeo’s grasp.
Rodeo looked down in apparent shock, though it was hard to tell with the demonic helmet obfuscating his face. Jack wasn’t sure if it was because of the change in his attack or the fact that he had managed to actually hurt him. An otherworldly roar rang out from Rodeo, and Jack smiled in return. The real fight started now.
Jack launched himself backwards, and Rodeo launched after him in pursuit, lashing out wildly with his claws. Jack in turn fell deep into storm stance. Curiously, he found himself wreathed in violet lightning that leaked from his body, it produced a dangerous wave of heat that warped the air around him and melted the ground below.
Daggers and claws clashed as a battle of speed took place, their only defense to simply dodge the others attack. Jack kept his strikes simple and clean as he pushed his speed hard, interspersing his attacks with the occasional lightning centipede’s bite.
He experimented as he fought, feeding more or less mana into the ability, improvising new moves based on the outcomes. He had realized his mistake when first using lightning centipede’s bite with this newfound source of mana. In every previous battle he only needed to feed the ability a singular drop of mana, and that’s what he had done against Rodeo. Now though, he had a seemingly endless supply of mana and could play with the nuance of the power. Like a muscle. Less powerful, but faster bites, sometimes in quick succession. Larger bites that flowed seamlessly into follow up attacks with his fists and feet.
Jack landed another blow on Rodeo, he kept experimenting with his ability, pumping more mana into it in hopes that it would get the explosive charge of his previous mana drops. Unfortunately, this time around, more mana pumped into lightning centipedes bite just meant more of the lightning effect. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The violet lightning crawled around Rodeo, shocking him repeatedly until it gradually dissipated. Still, Jack needed something that could kill Rodeo in one blow, wiping him out completely. Death by a thousand cuts only worked if your target didn’t have a pain kink and near invincible levels of regeneration. Jack grit his teeth and pressed his assault as his mind raced for a plan.
Despite Jack landing a significant amount of blows, it didn’t feel as though he was winning. Rodeo’s broken oath infused body was simply healing any damage, and as far as Jack could tell, Rodeo hadn’t used a single ability yet. Jack knew what was going on. He had watched it happen hundreds of times on missions and at the Rough House. Rodeo was a careful, patient man. He was studying his prey. Observing. Waiting for the perfect moment to kill.
Jack, on the other hand, was a reckless, impatient idiot. He did, however, have the uncanny ability to break through Rodeo’s controlled patience. Annoying people to the point of lashing out had always been one of Jack’s super powers.
“If you aren’t going to take this seriously, Rodeo, then I’m just going to leave.” Jack turned and started walking towards the exit without a second thought. Black spikes erupted out of the ground, cutting off his path.
He quickly turned and dropped to the ground as a violent red beam shot out of Rodeo’s mouth straight at his head.
“That’s more like it,” Jack grinned as he pushed off the ground and back towards Rodeo. This time his assault wasn’t so one sided. Rodeo deflected Jack’s attacks with ease while lashing out with his claws. Jack was only barely able to pull back, turning deep gouges into shallow cuts. He grit his teeth in pain as Rodeo’s claws burned whenever they sliced his skin. Every cut felt like it sent a surge of venom running through his veins. Luckily it seemed that his mana was able to cauterize the wounds and burn away any lingering effects of the corruption as it blazed its way through his body.
Jack launched his daggers at Rodeo’s head, the demon casually blocking them with his forearm. In answer, a black spike shot out of Rodeo’s chest and pierced straight through Jack’s shoulder causing him to stumble back as Rodeo opened his mouth again, ripping apart the metal mask and revealing a blood red orb of power.
“Shit!” Jack shouted, his defenses shattered by Rodeo’s attacks.
He felt the force of the impact before he saw Hannah’s arrow slam into the side of Rodeo’s head, throwing off his aim and redirecting the deadly blast of red energy mere inches from Jack’s head. She gave Jack a smile like a Cheshire cat and a satisfied thumbs up. Immediately she charged another arrow, aiming at Rodeo who was now solely focused on her. Jack quickly chugged a health potion and then launched himself back into the frey.
The demon came to an immediate stop, turning on a dime to meet Jack, sending a volley of black iron spikes the size of spears shooting from his hand. Jack ducked and weaved through the onslaught relying on the mana coursing through his legs as he closed in on Rodeo.
Out of nowhere a black spike slammed into the back of his calf, pinning him to the ground.
Jack screamed in pain as he came to an abrupt stop. His head swam with agony as he stared at the black iron spike piercing his leg, the throbbing causing him to see double. A fierce burning began to spread through his leg as his veins began to turn black from whatever corrupting properties the spike possessed.
Rodeo floated nonchalantly just ahead of him, spinning his finger lazily in the air directing Jack's attention upwards. Jack looked to see a storm of black iron spikes swimming dangerously above them. Rodeo then leveled his finger at Jack, and like a school of hungry piranhas, the spikes launched towards him.
Jack attempted to wrench his leg free but the black spike was firmly lodged in the cavern floor. He pumped mana into his leg, and was at least able to stop the corruption from spreading as the Elder Lightning mana burned through it, seeming to cleanse his body of the corruption. Before he could puzzle out a solution to free himself, though, the spikes began to rain down on him.
Jack re-trained his focus.
He sent the mana to his daggers and deflected the incoming missiles. To anyone watching it might have seemed like a successful defense as Jack diverted the spikes or narrowly dodged them while pinned to the ground, leaving him with only shallow cuts and scrapes.
Jack knew better to think he was winning. Rodeo had a nasty habit of toying with his victims, and this only felt like an opening salvo of what the monster had to offer. Jack glanced over at Hannah for help, but Rodeo easily split his attention, keeping her busy with spikes of her own.
As if in acknowledgement of his distraction, Jack watched a large black spike come careening towards him from the front at a previously unseen speed. Jack buried his free foot into the ground and met the spike head on with a crossed guard from his daggers.
He could feel the crack run through one of his daggers; it mirrored the crack he felt in his confidence. Rodeo let loose another demonic cackle and pounced on the opportunity. That’s when Jack realized Rodeo was never aiming to kill him. He wanted to disarm him. Remove the fangs from his prey.
Jack was left with the bitter decision of deflecting the oncoming spears and losing his daggers completely, or getting run through by a dozen black iron spikes.
The choice was made for him.
Jack panted heavily and gripped tightly onto the handles of his now shattered daggers. He tossed the useless nubs to the ground and reached down towards his void sack to pull out another pair. Rodeo quickly ran another spike through his forearm before he could make it that far, pinning him twice over to the ground. He leveled an angry stare at Rodeo’s formless face, refusing to let the pain overtake his mind.
Rodeo’s mask ripped apart as the Demon began to cackle once more.
“Jackie boy,” came Rodeo’s demonic discordant voice. “I’m disappointed. You said I was holding back, but aren’t you the one who’s been far too reserved?”
“You’re the one who trained me,” Jack spat.
It annoyed Jack to no end that he was doing exactly what he had accused Rodeo of moments ago. They were both experimenting with their new abilities. Both testing each other, neither willing to reveal anymore than absolutely necessary.
They were two sides of the same coin. Hell… they might be the same side of the same coin.
“What do you say we start round 2 of this little… Rodeo,” The monster cackled to himself. “This time we won't hold back. Let’s show those pathetic onlookers just what they’ll be up against when I finally turn you into my dog and sic you on them.”
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Jack took Rodeo’s speech as an opportunity to inspect his form. He had quit paying attention to Rodeo’s speeches years ago, didn’t seem now was a good time to start again. The Elder Lightning mana was still rampaging through his body. It scorched his channels every time he used it, but his berserker mana channels loved the mana and consumed it readily, healing any damage done with an efficiency they had never managed before. His core refilled effortlessly with this new mana anytime he used it up, making Jack grimace. Nothing was for free in the Tower, and Jack couldn’t help but wonder just what sort of price he was paying to use the Lightning Engine.
He found his answer as he inspected his body a little more closely. Cracks shaped like bolts of lightning were starting to run through his skin. His entire body was burning up in a deadly heat, but it was a good kind of burn. One that pushed him harder, moved him forward, kept him alert. It was apparent though that he would be joining Sarah as a pile of ash sooner rather than later if he continued to use the Lightning Engine and the Elder Lightning it generated. As much as the idea appealed to him—he had promises to keep, gods to kill, and a Tower to burn. He needed to end this, and soon.
With his free hand, Jack grabbed the spike piercing his leg and cast [Chain Lightning]. The violet lightning consumed the black spike and turned it into dust, then immediately bounced to the one piercing his arm, doing the same. It shot into the air and burned up three more spikes before dissipating.
Jack fell to the ground as he fed mana to his wounds, cauterizing them almost instantly.
“If it’s a fight you want, then I’m going to need a new pair of daggers,” Jack pumped his mana to his legs and pushed his speed to its absolute limits.
Mastery Upgrade: Dexterity
Apprentice-High 🡪 Adept-High
Perfect timing…
Jack’s foot landed gracefully on Rodeo’s head.
“Mind If I borrow these?” he bent down and grabbed a surprised Rodeo’s horns at the base.
Jack cast [Storm Step].
The ability was neither big, nor flashy. Jack felt himself turn into a singular bolt of lightning that struck down at the world with an extreme prejudice, punishing whatever was foolish enough to exist between him and the ground. He slammed Rodeo’s head into the ground, sending a massive shockwave through the earth. At the same time, he heaved on Rodeo’s horns with every ounce of strength available to him and wrenched them free of the demon’s head in one fluid move.
Rodeo seemed temporarily shocked into paralysis, his head buried into the earth below with only his lower half sticking up out of the crater in the ground. Jack wasn’t entirely sure if he even still had a head, but also knew that the lack of a skull wasn’t likely to stop Rodeo.
Jack took that moment to inspect the horns.
Soul Forged Horn’s of the Corruptor
Type: Reagent
Tier: Rare
These twisted artifacts bear witness to a forbidden union: the malevolence of Xinnolath's corrupted essence entwined with the sacrificial blood of a saintess. A sinister resonance emanates from these horns, harboring an untapped power that blurs the line between darkness and divinity.
They were a deep crimson color, with a black corruption running through them. They were roughly the size of two short swords with a subtle curve to them. The makeshift blades were sharpened to a diamond point, radiating a dangerous edge. Jack eyed them warily. They felt evil and burned to the touch, but that wasn’t the worst of it. They were horribly balanced, awkwardly shaped, and he didn’t have a good spot to grip them.
Rodeo ripped his head free from the ground and let loose a scream that shook the entire cavern. Blood poured out of the two horn sized holes in his head and sprayed corrupted blood like a fountain. The demon clawed at his face as he slowly healed. His horns didn’t return.
“Give. Those. Back,” Rodeo snarled.
“Sure. These things are going to make shitty daggers anyways,” Jack shrugged, tossing the horns lazily between the two of them. Rodeo launched forward at them, claws stretched wide as he reached desperately for his horns.
Jack cast [storm step] again.
And then again.
And then again.
Without a limit based on how many mana spheres he could control, Jack just kept casting the devastating move. He threw everything he had into the maneuver, striking repeatedly in rapid succession, casting it ten times over.
A storm of violet lightning slammed into Rodeo with each assault, hammering him into the ground like a nail. In the chaos of the Storm, Jack snatched the horns back and began scanning the debris created by his handiwork for signs of the demon.
Two black claws ripped out of the ground from beneath him and latched onto his ankles. Jack swung down with the makeshift daggers and cut at Rodeo’s hands. They released him instantly, and Jack jumped a safe distance away. Black spikes shot out of the ground in pursuit. Rodeo shot up from the ground in front of him and Jack storm stepped away.
Jack cast [storm step] in devastating continuation, finally understanding how game changing a movement technique was as he clashed with Rodeo, ricocheting with reckless abandon across the cavern. It gave him near instantaneous movement speed. Paired with his already ridiculous speed, he should have been uncatchable.
Rodeo, however, was currently on demonic steroids. He flapped the small, streamlined wings at his back and matched Jack’s speed step for step.
The two came to a deadlock as they unloaded everything they had. Rodeo kept up an endless assault of spikes from every direction. Jack cleared them with chain lightning and danced through the cloud of whatever remained.
Jack felt the Elder Lightning burn through his body as he let storm stance consume him. He fell, deep, into the heart of the storm, uncaring for the world around him. He moved like lightning and lashed out at anything that entered his sphere of influence. His abilities flowed seamlessly into one another, chaining attacks together in ways previously impossible. He would cast a lightning centipede’s bite mid storm step, lashing out with two deadly fangs as soon as he landed. For the first time this fight, Rodeo was on the backfoot. Not because of Jack though, but because of the horns.
For reasons Jack couldn’t decipher, Rodeo really didn’t like getting hit with his own horns. He reacted in visceral pain anytime Jack landed a blow with them. Rodeo’s pain only pushed him further as he flooded more mana into his body, pulling from the somehow endless source of power that was consuming him, burning him, turning him into dust.
Jack could feel himself crumbling, cracking, breaking, but he wouldn’t stop.
He delivered a deadly cross slash across Rodeo’s chest, and the demon stumbled backwards in a pained scream. Jack followed up with a kick to the chest, slamming Rodeo back into the cavern wall.
Jack was an inferno. He could feel the blaze of power emanating off him. Violet lightning radiating off his body. The earth cracked and melted beneath his steps as he moved slowly towards Rodeo. Jack drained his core once more, pumping the makeshift daggers full of so much Elder Lightning mana they bulged and began to crack. He poured every ounce he had left into Lightning Centipede’s bite, and thrust the daggers into Rodeo’s chest, pinning him to the wall.
Rodeo howled in pain as the attack made contact. Violet lightning ripped through Rodeo, wrapping around his body, showing no signs of dissipating. Rodeo started to move, his hands shooting up towards the horns that pinned him to the cavern wall, but he soon became rigid, unable to control his body with the surge of lighting that interrupted his electrical signals. Any attempts he made to move only angered the violet lightning that ate at his body.
Jack fell to the ground, completely drained, panting heavily as he focused on filling his core back up.
“How!-“ Rodeo barely screamed through his malformed mouth before lightning locked his jaw shut.
Jack glanced at his ability, a knowing smirk.
Lightning Centipede’s Bite
[Ability, Uncommon] [Novice – Low]
A vicious strike that lashes out with both daggers, eviscerating your target. What it does not kill, it will paralyze.
Lightning Centipede’s Bite had a paralytic effect. Jack had just never seen it because, well, nothing had ever survived when he used it in conjunction with a mana drop. It took his entire core to activate the effect on Rodeo, but it had worked. The lightning paralyzed him, plus whatever the hell his new daggers were doing to him, Rodeo was stuck through and through.
OK. Jack thought to himself. This should buy me just enough time for my next dumb idea.
As Jack watched his core fill back up, he reached towards his void sack, pulling out his trump card, a small book. One he had been holding on to since his first days in this godforsaken place.
“Fuck me, this is gonna hurt,” Jack groaned as he touched the spellbook.
Ability Manual – Core Self Destruct
Type: Ability Manual
Tier: Rare
Prerequisite: Mana Condenser
Description:
Teaches [Core Self Destruct – Ability, Rare], an ability that utilizes hyper-condensed mana from a core mana condenser and creates an explosion inside one’s core.
*****
“Product of Andurian.”
[Use now? Y/N]
Jack selected yes and felt the information flood into his head as the ability imprinted on his core.
“Hmm… Thirty seconds…” Jack said, piecing through the information of his new ability.
“Thirty seconds for what?”
Jack nearly jumped out of his skin as Hannah approached him from behind. She stopped next to Jack and inspected Rodeo, then looked back down at Jack, who was sprawled on the ground in front of him.
“You look like shit,” she muttered.
“I feel like shit.” Jack said with a halfhearted thumbs up. Though it did encourage him to give a quick inspection of his body. His skin was blackened and burned, with deep red cracks running through it. He was all burned up.
“What’s the plan?” Hannah asked, stepping closer to the paralyzed Rodeo. For sheer spite and satisfaction, she launched several arrows at their former tormentor while she waited for Jack to fill her in on whatever crazy thing he was thinking up next. The effects of the lightning were slowly dissipating, but not so quickly that Jack was immediately worried.
“Something reaaallly stupid. You’re probably going to want to get the hell out of here. Even I don’t know what’s about to happen,'' Jack responded.
Hannah stared at him for a long moment, then plopped down next to Jack, a defiant look on her face.
“Suit yourself,” Jack grinned before looking inside at his core. It had almost filled back up with the violet lightning. He watched as it kept expanding and started to push at his core. He glowered in pain as the cracks running through his core deepened, growing brighter, and spreading out as the mana it contained threatened to break free.
Jack cast [Core Self Destruct] and watched as all the mana in his core simply disappeared.
After a tenuous pause, a shockwave rang out from his core.
Hannah was launched back at the sudden burst of energy.
“What the fuck was that?” Hannah yelled angrily as she picked herself up and dusted herself off.
“Err… A timer?” Jack answered, still focusing on his core. Another shockwave rang out a few seconds later. Hannah braced for it just in time.
“A timer for what exactly?”
“A bomb…. I think.” Jack pushed up off the ground and looked at Hannah who wore her own confused look.
“Where did you get a bomb?”
“Umm…. around…”
“Jaaaack”
“My core is a bomb.” Jack corrected.
“What? How? You’re going to blow yourself up!?” Hannah’s face went from confusion, to concern, to rage in the span of a second.
Another shockwave rang out from his core, the intervals becoming a little faster.
“I told you I was doing something stupid-“
“You can’t-“ her voice cracked slightly as she cut him off. “You can’t blow yourself up, you stupid idiot. Rodeo isn’t worth throwing away your life. What about getting revenge on Gideon? What about destroying the Tower? What about Sammy? What about me damnit?” Her eyes were pleading with Jack.
Jack glanced over at Rodeo. The demon had realized something was seriously wrong and was now focusing all his efforts on breaking the paralyzing effect. The lightning responded violently, but the supercharged demon was slowly overpowering it. Jack watched as Rodeo was able to land a clawed hand on one of the horns piercing him and began to slowly pull it out inch by painstaking inch.
The shockwaves from Jack’s core picked up speed, ringing out faster and faster.
“Who said anything about blowing myself up?” Jack grinned at Hannah who’s teary eyes sharpened rapidly back to rage.
“Jack. If you’re fucking with me I’m going to kill you.”
“Say’s the woman who started crying when she thought I might die.”
Hannah punched him in the side of the head.
Jack complained inwardly that the only way people seemed to be able to vent their frustrations with him was punching him in the head. That was the third time today.
The shockwaves from Jack’s core had picked up speed and were happening at increasing intervals. He wasn’t a bomb guy but faster usually equaled bad when it came to explosives.
“All I said was I would be doing something stupid. Now shut up and watch.” Jack turned his back to Hannah and hobbled over to Rodeo. Activating [Core Self Destruct] had somehow stopped his core from refilling with mana, and with no mana, he could barely walk, and the constant shockwaves of power made him stumble more than once as he made his way face to face with Rodeo.
“Ya know,” Jack said, stepping up to Rodeo with a grin. “It would be pretty poetic for both of us to die here together.”
Jack began to trace a slow line down his chest with his fingers, stopping just above his navel.
“Unfortunately, I’ve got some unfinished business, so we’ll have to part ways here.”
Rodeo pried open his jaws and uttered some guttural noise. Jack ignored the man as he focused on his core. He placed his hand on his stomach roughly where he thought his core was located inside his body.
He wasn’t sure if this idea would really work. Jack could feel his own core. He could see his core in his mind when he closed his eyes. He could even attack other people’s cores. That didn’t mean it existed in the material realm. The chances that this idea was really stupid and he was about to pointlessly kill himself was much higher then he would have preferred.
Jack grit his teeth, and pushed the tips of his fingers into his abdomen, piercing into his flesh and pushing his hand inwards towards his stomach.
He blacked out almost instantly and woke up a flash of a second later, his hand knuckle deep in his abdomen, blood gushing from his mouth. He closed his eyes and drowned out the world as he focused on his core.
It was beating wildly now, shockwave after shockwave erupting from it as it built towards its final crescendo.
Jack’s hand was warm with his own blood and guts as he wormed his way through his organs. He imagined his core, imagined a hand, his hand, reaching out and grabbing it.
He watched in his mind as his hand slowly came into view and grabbed onto the core.
He felt it.
His core burned hot and instantly scorched his hand, but he didn’t let go. He couldn’t.
Jack let out a pained scream and pulled, ripping his core free from his body, and stumbling forward as a blood filled cry escaped his mouth. He panted heavily, the edges of his consciousness fading away as he stared down at his hand. A deep violet orb was pulsating in his hand as the timer ran out. Pieces of his mana channels were dangling off his core like tree roots.
Somewhere behind him he could here Hannah repeatedly shouting, “What the fuck.”
Jack felt a cruel, victorious smile on his face as he looked up towards Rodeo, who stared back at him in disbelief, his jaw hanging open.
Jack then shoved his core into Rodeo’s mouth.
“Fuck…” Jack hammered a fist into Rodeo’s face, slamming his core deeper into the demons mouth.
“YOU!” Jack channeled every ounce of pent up rage in his heart, slamming his fist into the core again, hammering it down Rodeo’s throat.
Jack stumbled backwards falling to the ground, watching as Rodeo helplessly clawed at his neck. Hannah caught Jack before he landed.
“Run,” Jack sputtered through a mouthful of blood.
Hannah held onto Jack with one hand and clutched her bow with the other. The bow unceremoniously dragged them across the cavern so fast they were practically flying.
Jack watched as Rodeo struggled in vain to free himself. The lightning began to dissipate, and he ripped himself free from the horns that had him pinned.
Shitshitshit.
Jack watched, refusing to let the pain take him before he saw Rodeo die.
Rodeo stumbled across the ground, unable to fully shake off the paralysis. Still, he chased after Jack and Hannah.
“NOW” a voice roared as Jack and Hanah shot through the entrance.
The U.F.E. soldiers had been waiting on the other side and sent a volley of magical abilities at the charging Rodeo. The demon still lacked the capacity to dodge so the attacks rang true and pelted him with a range of magics. Rodeo was blown to the back of the cavernous room tumbling head over heels as he crashed into the wall.
Then the bomb exploded.
Jack has seen his fair share of bombs in his day. But this was different than anything he had experienced. There was no thunderous boom. No fiery explosion.
Jack watched as a miniature sun composed of violet rampaging lightning filled the entirety of the cavern.
The energy then simply disappeared. Leaving nothing but a black void in its wake. The explosion had eaten away at reality itself, obliterating everything in its grasp.
Jack searched the void for Rodeo, but nothing remained inside. He waited impatiently for a kill notification that never came.
“It’s growing,” Hannah said beside him and Jack focused on the edge of the void. It was in fact expanding, reality was breaking down around it and being consumed by the darkness.
[Warning. Tower breach detected.]
[Initiating Andurian Protocol.]
[Requesting celestial aid. Seven percent power requested.]
Jack blanched at the warnings, his eyes narrowing at a familiar name coming back to haunt him once more. Before he could investigate further, the black void began to pull at everyone in the room as a dangerous vacuum began to suck them into the darkness that coalesced, reality shattering around it.
Jack lacked any strength whatsoever. Vengeance and obstinate curiosity were the only things keeping him alive as blood still gushed out of him. A healer had started working their magics on him, which did provide him some reprieve, but the damage seemed far beyond their abilities.
Jack felt a hand clasp onto his arm as he slid back into the cavernous dungeon. He looked up to see Devin holding onto him, his other arm latched onto the edge of the doorway as the void threatened to suck Jack in.
[Request approved.]
[Allocating additional energy for repairs.]
[Beginning repairs.]
Several tendrils of power climbed out of the ceiling and attacked the black hole, stopping it in its tracks as they began to stitch reality back together.
Jack just stared into the void as the black hole began to shrink and the intensity of the vacuum lessened. He narrowed his eyes at a subtle movement within the darkness.
A shroud floated aimlessly through the void. A pale hand reached out to him, only to stop short as a chain pulled at his wrist.
The reaper had finally come for him. Jack knew he was hallucinating, but he couldn’t pull his eyes away from the formless shadow that beckoned to him.
The hole in reality disappeared just as quickly as it came, the tendrils of power sliding back into the ceiling having done their job. Jack half expected Rodeo to be there as well, the Tower having undone all his hard work.
Instead, he got another notification.
You have slain climber Bartholomew “Rodeo” Scolo De’Pendra.
+27,852,785AP
Quest complete: The Dungeon of Xinnolath.
+1 Level.
Proceed to the next floor to receive further rewards.
Jack stared at the notifications in disbelief.
“You mean to tell me,” he muttered through a mouthful of blood, “I’ve been getting my ass tormented my entire life by a guy named… Bart?”
Somewhere behind him, Hannah barked out a laugh.
Jack let his head fall to the ground as he stared up at the ceiling in defiance. He could feel the eyes of something on him. Evaluating him. Judging him.
“I’m coming for you next assholes…”
The pain of what he had done to himself returned with a blazing vengeance. Jack no longer fought against it. He had done what he came here to do.
He let the pain consume him as darkness overtook his vision.