Chapter 8: Advent of Wrath

My heart pounded as I raced off toward the city. I couldn’t help but feel tense. I was on a time clock now. In a few hours, every howling damned left existing would be coming right to this city, and if I didn’t stop the big boss from waking up then they would all be slaughtered, myself included.

As my minions and I closed on the walls I told them to circle around to another entrance. While Mane might have been able to scale the side of the wall with his claws, Wuzzy surely couldn’t. They veered off and I kept up my pace as the large stone barrier grew tall over me.

“Oh God, I hope this works,” I whined as I headed straight at the masonry and tried imagining myself as a ghost. That’s hard to do when you're sprinting at full speed with a beating heart. Panic rose as I continued to feel corporeal. The city walls were closing in fast. Fifty feet, forty feet, thirty, twenty. I closed my eyes and screamed as I dove head-first at the barrier. Picturing in my head the complete transformation of the cartoon kid who had basically turned himself into Schrodinger’s Cat.

With my eyes closed I began to feel the cold sensation wash over me. I still felt like my usual self, but it was as if I had stepped into a walk-in freezer. Although the temperature was welcoming. Like I had always belonged in the cold, to begin with. Then a sharp pain drilled its way through my body and I collapsed onto the ground twitching heavily for a minute before I had recovered enough to make sense of my surroundings. I had passed through the barrier but system text hovered before me.

You have entered consecrated ground. All undead are 50% weaker and take 50% increased holy damage. While in consecrated ground undead will continuously take small amounts of damage.

I stared at the text in confusion. If this area was infused with holy power then why didn’t Hythriem tell me about this? For that matter why weren’t my minions feeling the effects? No, I am thinking about this all wrong, I realized, the howling damned can only feel pain. This barrier wouldn't even register. And it's not that my minions aren't feeling the effects, but that I am. Of course, a barrier like this couldn't span the whole city. This meant that there were likely plenty of spots where the barrier would have little effect, while other locations would have increased potency.

It was very likely that my scout team just got lucky. Without having any way to determine which zones were safe and which ones weren’t though it was too much of a risk to keep my deathsworn in the city. I quickly sent out the mental command to all of my minions forcing them to evacuate the city as safely as possible. Except for Talon. He could recover Bandit and Nuts and then return to his perch. It was already provenly safe, and his lookout point should be suitably high enough that he wouldn’t be spotted from the ground.

That being done I paused for just a moment longer to recall the map as I had seen it last. From where I had entered the walls there should be a cluster of only three of the Watchmen Priests within a few city blocks from me. I ran through the streets not daring to use my ghost form again until I managed to hear something beyond my own footfalls. There were a few agitated voices just around the next corner. They were making their way in my direction. I felt a thrill overcome me to hunt, and feast. But I hammered it down. I may have made up my mind about killing them, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t at least try to talk things out first. Turning the corner I came face to face with two women and a man.

“Hello, I am new to town and have lost my way. Can anyone point me in the direction of the church?” I asked, raising my hands. Each one was holding a long spear, but one of the women was noticeably more armed as she had several daggers tucked around a belt. As I scanned the group’s stats, lingering on the more heavily armed woman. My heart hardened to what was inevitably about to follow.

Priestess of the Watcher: Level 5

Race: Human

Class: Holy Militant

Affinity: Hostile (Anti-Trust)

“ Scum - Abomination - Filth” All three managed to insult me in unison as they raised their weapons. Of course, I had tried to do things the more peaceful way, but nope. The system had already thought of that. Hard to be the good guy when authority figures automatically hated me.

“You guys are so rude. Did you ever think you might lure in more flies with honey, than vinegar? If you go around calling people names then who would want to join your church?” I asked as the three priests began charging toward me. I turned back down the alley I came from and started sprinting. I could see another bend in the streets before me and sped up in preparation. Leaping at it I spun my body so that my feet would land on the wall and then I launched myself backward at the priest and priestesses, summoning Abyssal Ruination to my hands as I did so.

As I flew through the air in their direction I tapped into some of my class abilities and caused two things to happen in short order. The first one was that the air around me suddenly grew dark, and tendrils of dark energy protruded from my body. My target's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden change. They quickly tried to bring up their spears attempting to interpose them between us as I dropped down onto them. Of the three the only one who managed to raise their spear in time was the priestess with the daggers, but her efforts were futile. With a wide sweeping motion from my scythe, I caught their spears in its blade and knocked them out of the way as my momentum carried me past them.

“Oh fuck!!” I cried as I skidded to a halt barely making my landing. Note to self. Increased attributes don’t automatically make me a ninja. I scolded myself as I desperately spun around to face my foes. I managed to turn just in time as I saw the priestess with the belt of knives begin to throw two daggers flying at me. Without thinking I spun Abyssal Ruination until my scythe’s heel was against a nearby wall and pushed, using the force as leverage to evade the projectiles. Though they still missed me by a wide margin. “That’s right,” I laughed. “You can’t hit what you can’t see.”

“I’ll just have to smite you in the shadows then!” She growled in rage before sprinting towards me, drawing two more daggers from her belt. My tendrils whipped out attempting to intertwine my foes but were easily rebuffed by some sort of magical defenses and in seconds the fast priestess had closed the distance between us. As she plunged into the dark aura surrounding me I finally reacted to her attack. I quickly twisted Abyssal Ruination until the blade was at my feet and then I kicked the back of its head hard, launching my scythe upwards with blinding speed. She stumbled for a fraction of a moment and then her body fell in twain, neatly bisected.

I froze in shock as I watched her body crumple, spilling intestines, brains, and other organs across the street. The foul stench of bile and other contents turned my increased perception into a curse as opposed to a blessing. A wave of severe nausea caused me to double over and dry heave. Reminding me that I hadn’t really eaten anything since my arrival. Still, my lack of composure cost me valuable time. Fortunately, for me, the other priest and priestess in the alley were equally as shaken at seeing their comrade slain which allowed me enough time to recover.

Pushing down my nausea I once again rushed forward. While the priest once more attempted to raise his weapon, the other priestess instead dropped hers and lifted her hands in the air. As I dodged the priest's spear, swinging my scythe furiously a large white light erupted into the air like a flare. The beacon died out as my blade carved cleanly through both of their necks, but it was too little too late. Already my increased hearing could pick up shouts throughout the city.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Shit,” I mumbled as I looked down at the corpses around me. I was hoping to pick off at least the few groups that were in between me and their holy sanctum without raising the general alarm. I had hoped to level up a bit more before facing the Watchmen’s top dogs, it was safe to say that accomplishing that task was now out the window. While my initial goal had been thrown out the window, I still couldn’t complain about the amount of experience I gained. I was now just shy of level three. I took a few steps away from the bodies as I prepared to leave towards the Watcher’s Sanctum again when I paused.

My mind raced with a new plan. A logical part of my brain tried to convince me it wasn’t a good plan. I ignored that part of my brain. I was relieved by that. I was secretly worried that my increased stats might start changing my personality and behavior too much. Do you mean killing others brutally is your typical behavior? My inner voice asked with a wry humor and I chuckled to myself. That probably didn’t say anything good about my sanity, but I overlooked it.

I didn't bother trying to hide as I walked to a wall and leaned against it. If the priestess was kind enough to summon her friends here then I would take that time to catch my breath before the next bout. While my racial traits gave me better stamina, it had still dropped to 60% and every second recovering would be needed with the fights still ahead of me. I managed to recover some stamina before I began to hear the collective patter of several groups closing in on my location. My muscles tensed in anticipation and I pushed myself off from the wall, and then my stomach growled.

“Damn it! Not the time.” I hissed as my stomach rumbled again. A scent wafted to my nose and I knew what was causing the problem. I eyed the bloody lumps of the priestess who had attacked me with her daggers. “I don’t have time to be reliving someone else’s life right now.” My enemies were only a couple of minutes away now, but another gurgling compelled me. Ah hell. I thought as I strode over to the mess of a woman. I felt repulsion and longing in equal measure as I stared down hungrily at her. With a quick swipe from Abyssal Ruination, I amputated her arm.

Bending over I picked up the limb and held it up to my mouth, but something about it felt wrong. Not morally wrong, but it wasn’t like with the other men. Something else from her was compelling my desire. I began tracking the scent using my blade to push her spilled organs out of the way. Her allies were now less than a minute away, but I was entranced. I found what was drawing my attention. It was her heart. I picked it up in my hands, not caring about the gore that was now running down my fingers, and raised it to my face. The priests and priestesses who were approaching were now less than thirty seconds away. I took a bite and drank from its juices before swallowing. Ten seconds away.

A surge of power washed over me that shook my body bringing me to my knees. The priests entered the street and shouts of alarm and dismay rang out, but that didn’t matter to me anymore. My blood was rushing through me as my mind raced. Time seemed to slow down around me as I regained composure and I was greeted by a new line of text.

New Skill Obtained

Skill: Vanguard Specialist

Skill Rank: E (Upgradable)

Skill Description: Elevates proficiency in weapons used in close-quarters combat. Passive Effect - Increases affinity with weapons when used in combat. Active Effect - Consuming Stamina increases the rate of affinity growth.

Why did I get a skill this time? For that matter, why did I want the heart? I wondered. The last time I had feasted on the flesh of the priests all I had gained were their memories. Each question answered the other. I had gained a skill because I had eaten the heart. The system seemed to guide by intent and need. When I was on the beach I lacked guidance, and my hunger brought me to the memories I had needed to forge a path forward. This time I wanted the power to destroy my enemies, and my hunger led me to the solution. Oh god, this going to be awesome, I chuckled, before turning my hungry gaze to the Watchmen that had entered the street. Watching as both fury and horror washed across their faces. I responded with a blood-filled smile.

I understood their emotions. No doubt anyone would be horrified to walk into a street to see someone eating the heart of a fallen friend. But I had no time to sympathize with them. Already four men from each side of the street rushed toward me, leaving a few behind to cover for them. Once again I unleashed a blanket of darkness around me as they approached. Obscuring my motions. This time I felt bolstered by how many of the enemy were surrounding me, and one by one I began to cast my gaze on the foe and I felt a small tug on my mana as I marked them all for death. The eight men that had rushed into the darkness swung wildly at me, but they were easy to evade as the tendrils that protruded from my body this time easily caught them and started binding their movements.

“Fight fair, you coward!” One priest shouted as he floundered under the onslaught of my powers.

“Your victory here will mean nothing when Father Versyok awakens the High Priest!” Another one cried out. I only laughed as screams began to fill the darkness around me.

“You foul abomination. Evil will not stand against the righteousness of our god!”

They all had something to say but I ignored them and summoned Abyssal Ruination to my hand once more. This time when I grabbed it I felt a buzz of energy pass between my weapon and me, and I immediately felt like I had a deeper connection to my weapon. As it had come to life and formed a bond with me on a spiritual level. It wasn’t so much that it had sentience, but there was an awareness that hadn’t been there before. No doubt this was the affinity the skill had mentioned.

From further down the streetway the two that had been held in reserve looked on in horror as their comrades got swallowed up by my sphere of shadows. One priest seemed to be more logical and he too launched another beacon of light into the air. This time the light did not glow white but an ominous red. That didn’t concern me as much as the other priest who started launching some sort of magic in my direction. I tried to evade, but several of his spells made contact ramming me in my chest. Pain spread throughout my body, but I was gratified to see that the damage was mitigated by dispersing it to my deathsworn. It still hurt like hell and it cleanly took 10% of my health with it.

That pissed me off. It also made me realize that I had been toying around. I might be powerful, but if I wasn’t careful I could slip up in a way I couldn’t recover from. The priest threw another powerful bolt of magic at me and I ducked behind one of his friends who managed to absorb the blast, but it didn’t spare me. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise, my skin crawling, and I tried diving to the side, but just as the other one had, a blast of powerful force slammed into my back bringing me to my knees in pain. Another 10% of my health was knocked down, and through our mental link, I could tell my animal friends were beginning to wear thin.

Without any hesitation, I swung my scythe through the eight men trapped in my net. If I had more time they soon would have become my puppets I knew, but I didn’t have that time with douchebags pelting me with powerful spells. As the men died the two priests managed to hit me one more time each with their magic. More of my health chipped away and my body began to scream in agony. I ignored it though as my Vital Exchange skill activated and a sudden rush of energy passed through my body bringing my health back up to nearly full. A series of notifications popped up and immediately slid into the periphery of my vision. I ignored them, I had more pressing issues.

“I’ll give you one chance to flee!” I yelled, mana infused in every word as my voice came out harsh and almost bestial. It was clear my words did not affect them though as they prepared another round of magical assault. However, the power boost I gained from killing their friends was vibrating my very bones. Abyssal Ruination was almost screaming in my hands for more blood. I would feed it.

I darted at the priest who had first managed to blast me, and even though he once again shot a bolt of light in my direction, this time I easily avoided it. I could sense the hum of energy behind me as I dashed toward my prey, and I spun to the side without slowing my momentum. My scythe made the perfect counterweight for my movements. I realized then that the energy that was passing between my weapon and I was guiding how I used my scythe. When a motion felt right I could feel the affinity grow, but if I incorrectly used the weapon the affinity lessened a bit. So that’s what the skill meant by increased weapon proficiency.

The priest was within striking distance now and his eyes widened in horror as he saw my blades approach, before the life faded from them. I finished the turn, ducking as I did so as another beam of light passed harmlessly over my head. I smiled grimly at the last priest whose mouth opened in shock.

“Your turn!” I called at him and rushed forward. He looked across at all of his fallen allies for one moment and then turned to run. “No, you don’t! I already gave you one chance!” I roared, and I threw Abyssal Ruination at his fleeing back. As it spun through the air my weapon shrunk, turning into its original shape as a hunting knife before plunging deep into the man’s spine. He toppled over shouting in pain. A few seconds later and his pain was over.

I knew more priests would be on their way in moments, and that I was quickly running out of time before Vastein was woken from whatever magical stasis he had been placed in. None of that mattered as I looked at the carnage around me. Once again the hunger was gnawing at me, and it was time to feast.