by N H Paxton
“Did not consider—” I cleared my throat and took a deep drag from my pipe. I closed my eyes to focus; if there was one thing I hated about combat it was casualty statistics. “Expect ten to twenty percent total forces destroyed. Unlikely event of greater amount.” I blew the smoke out of my nose, letting it curl around my head like a great, smoldering dragon.
“That’s a lot.” Concern tinged her voice, and a slight frown had pulled her lips down.
“Is war.” I raised an eyebrow as I took another pull from my pipe. I followed it up with a shrug, trying to act like I was stolid and didn’t care. Underneath, I was concerned that I would lose these warriors here with me. I gave them a hard time about existing as a group of men-at-arms, doing their best to protect me, but they were becoming my friends.
“Are there any primary targets?” Ken had a dagger out and was cleaning his nails with it. Did all Rogues do that?
“Will be considerable resistance. Expect high-level Travelers. Likely will be many directly work for Osmark.” That thought set my blood to boiling. Everything that Osmark stood for was everything that had broken my life in Mother Russia. The greed, the oppression, the earthly gods of mankind. The power had gone to people’s heads on Earth, and now it was spilling over into an all-out war within the very thing intended to keep us alive post-apocalypse.
“Osmark...” Eberand clenched his fists as his face changed to cold anger. The sound of his gauntlets groaning under the pure, unbridled strength of his grip surprised me. It seemed like a few of my Ebenguard had also been oppressed by Osmark.
“Is problem?” I turned my head to Eberand, hoping he would tell us more.
“He, or rather his goons, took my best friend and made him a traitor. He’s in the Imperial Legion now.” The anger on Eberand’s face shifted to a kind of sadness: the loss of the most important thing in one’s life. “We had agreed to come to Eldgard together, even discussed our character names so we wouldn’t get separated. Our plan was to be independent of the factions. We were going to try our hand at making our own way.”
Ken reached out and put a hand on Eberand’s shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
“We started in different places, like everyone starts at random. I immediately messaged him to make sure he had logged in. He told me that he was in New Viridia, he had started in an underground cell. The Imperial soldiers there let him out because he wasn’t on the prisoner roster. He decided it would be of benefit to him to join the Empire.” Eberand struggled to finish the sentence. I saw a tear run down his face. Clearly this friend of Eberand’s meant a great deal to the man for the story to elicit such an intense response. “Osmark took him from me. Well, maybe not directly, but he did. And I won’t forgive him for that.”
“Osmark has taken things from all of us,” whispered Garret. His face was a flurry of emotions, ranging from pure anger to deep sorrow. “That’s why I’m here.” He smacked a fist against the chest plate of his armor, the clang resounding across the building.
“It’s the right place to be.” Anya had leaned against the wall nearby, her face shadowed. She appeared to be deep in thought.
“So you see, Lord V—er, Vlad.” Ken caught himself in the slip. He stepped forward, his hands out, motioning to all of the rest of the Ebenguard. “We’ve got a bone to pick with Osmark. We won’t back down.”
“Is good to see fire in eyes.” I gave them all a half smile as I tapped the bowl of my pipe on the leg of the workbench, stepping on the smoldering, spent tobacco that fell to the floor. “Fire is driving force. Now, go, find position within ranks. Make Vlad proud, yes?”
They left the workshop unified in intense purpose.
“Will crush Empire beneath boot, like bug.” I stood up straight, shifting my back a bit to work out the kinks that had begun to take up residence from my stress. I closed my eyes and leaned against the workbench. There were a lot of things that could go wrong during this assault, and I needed to put them out of my head. I needed to focus on the positive, on the win.
“Everything is gone. All work is dust. Whole world is gone, burned to ash. Who will live in barren land, where water is scarce and food is dead? Vlad. Vlad will rise above. Conquerors have failed. But Vlad remains.” My words rang through my head as I leaned on the bench, eyes closed, breathing steady. Where once I had felt fear, I now felt strength. Where there had once been trepidation, I now had confidence in my abilities and the forces of the Crimson Alliance.
Osmark had been traitorous; he had taken the destruction of the world as a personal opportunity to reign supreme. That was an affront to all of mankind, one he had thought he would get away with.
“One does not spit in face of entire Russia and escape. Russia remembers. Russia does not forgive.” I slammed a fist on the workbench, drawing attention to myself from across the room. Aldwyn came over and leaned with me on the workbench.
“Worried about tonight?” He was a kind soul, it seemed. He didn’t pry, he just leaned.
“Worries are for unprepared. Alliance is ready.” I nodded with confidence, but something was worrying the back of my mind.
“But repercussions are real. Vlad wonders, are people in Alliance ready for them?”
“I am.” Aldwyn stood, then placed a hand on my shoulder. The unexpected touch was comforting. “And I know you are.”
I turned my head and met his gaze. He nodded and turned away, walking off.
“Other preparations to be done.” I took a deep breath, trying to focus on the task ahead.
“Superior planning,” I heard myself say, and I smiled viciously. I heard a ping as I saw a notification flash in my vision. I had a new message.
<<<>>>
Personal Message – AA Missive 004
Vlad, as per your recommendation, soldiers have been dispatched to Gallows, just east of the Great Bridge. Your information, if accurate, will provide the necessary impetus to drive the Crimson Alliance to its knees, securing Eldgard for the Ever-Victorious Viridian Empire.
Should your information prove to be invalid, however, know that judgment will be swift and without mercy. We cannot abide any further failures regarding the destruction of the Crimson Alliance.
Stay strong. Stay wise. Stay Superior.
—Almaz-Antev Weaponeers
<<<>>>
They had taken the bait. I only hoped they would dispatch a considerable number of units out of Rowanheath to deal with the “escaping” Crimson Alliance. A sly smile found its way onto my face, almost of its own accord. Hopefully I had changed history.
Ounce of Preparation
IT WAS NEARLY TIME to meet at the muster point, and I had a few minor things to attend to before leaving. Primarily, I needed to ensure that my Shadow Reaper would actually work in the open air. I stepped outside to find a safe place for a test fire, only to discover that someone had set up a testing range already, behind the Engineering shop.
“Hopefully goes according to plan.” I gripped the Reaper and pulled back a lever on the side, which was a charge diverter. In the off position, it stopped the crystal from accumulating charge, and instead bled it out through the crossbow arms into the surrounding air. I hadn’t found a way to prevent it from gathering energy entirely, but the system I had in place worked fairly well.
The crystal within the weapon glowed a deep violet. I took aim at one of the dummies that were placed a fair distance out and fired off the charge. A bolt of purified shadow energy streaked its way across the open air and exploded on the dummy, annihilating it entirely.
“Oh, is not good.” My eyes were wide as I surveyed the damage I had caused.
“On one hand,” I said as I walked over to the destruction, “works too well.” I kicked at the chunks of wood and the smoldering straw. The straw shouldn’t have been burning like that, as the blast was supposed to be purified shadow energy.
“Needs recalibration.” I pulled the casing off the Reaper’s crystal and noticed that the appearance of the crystal had changed. “Is odd, n
eed further examination.”
I was at my workbench in less than a minute, a magnifying glass in one hand, a thick woolen glove on the other, just in case the crystal decided to purge its energy again.
“Crystal has shade of red.” I turned the Reaper over on the bench, tracing every single facet of the crystal with my magnifying glass. There were no flaws—the crystal was pristine in every way, except for the new streak of red within the gem itself. I decided to take an even closer look, pulling the gem completely out of the housing. I got a notification when I removed it.
<<<>>>
Shadow Reaper has been dismantled. It will no longer function until it is repaired
<<<>>>
I turned the gem over in my hand, watching the now pulsing red slowly creep through the crystal like a poison. It took over half the crystal, then stopped unexpectedly. The crystal flashed blindingly. When my vision cleared, what I held in my hand was different than before. The gem had changed shape and was like a yin-yang symbol, half of it red, the other half purple. I held it between my forefinger and thumb, turning it in the light. I got a new notification when I had examined the whole of it.
<<<>>>
Crystal of Purified Chaos – Legendary Component
Very rarely, a crystal with a purified element will be infused with another element, either through force or latent absorption, and will become something entirely different. Chaos elemental energy, in this case, is the fusion of fire and shadow elemental energy, creating an abundance of varying effects.
<<<>>>
I didn’t quite understand. The crystal I had put into the Shadow Reaper to begin with was pure shadow elemental. According to the description of this new crystal, exposing the shadow gem to the elemental energies of the mortal realm and forcing said energy through it, had modified and changed it to the current piece of crystallized energy.
“Fascinating.” I needed to collect more data, I had to have more information, but that would have to wait. I was running out of time to prepare for the upcoming battle. That took precedence.
I rehoused my newly acquired Crystal of Purified Chaos in the place where the old shadow crystal had once sat. I popped on the dampener dome and immediately received yet another notification.
<<<>>>
Through the Manipulation of Energies, your Shadow Reaper has evolved and taken on a new form: It is now the Reaper of Chaos!
Reaper of Chaos
Weapon Type: Engineered; Chargebow
Class: Legendary, Two-handed
Base Damage: 52
Primary Effects:
+20 points shadow damage + (0.3 x character level)
+20 points fire damage + (0.3 x character level)
Intelligence bonus: 0.5 x character level
Spirit bonus: 0.5 x character level
Secondary Effects:
Charges explode on impact, dealing AOE damage in a small area around the site of impact.
Living Weapon
(Chargebows do not consume ammunition)
Where once was constancy, Chaos now reigns. Where once was solidarity, Madness. Where once there was one, now there are Legion.
<<<>>>
“Derr’mo,” I swore under my breath as the entire weapon shifted and changed in my hands. The crossbow limbs folded into the stock, then spread out. They hollowed and changed to look like heat vents. The body of the weapon as a whole took on a burnt coloration as the frame altered itself.
I stood shaking, unsure of what was going on. The wood of the stock became a crystalline black, while the steel shifted to a deep red color, developing a slight heat. The crystal housing I had kept the energy source in sank into the stock and disappeared entirely. The trigger mechanism was no longer a mess of wires and a flange of metal, but was an actual trigger, similar to that of a rifle or pistol from Earth. All of the exterior components were consumed by the change, leaving the entire weapon as a single, smooth piece of equipment.
When it finally stopped changing, the heat vents on the sides of the weapon let out a slight hiss as steam vented on either side, shunted away from where my hands would hold it. A notification splashed across my vision as I stared, bewildered.
<<<>>>
Congratulations! You have crafted a Living Weapon!
As the creator of such, you will receive the benefit of having created a World First!
Living Weapons are existent creations that form bonds with their creators over time, almost like a psychic connection. They are incredibly rare and are symbiotic with the creator. Living Weapons absorb a fraction of the XP gained by the creator and are capable of leveling up. Congratulations on this life-changing discovery!
Gained 10,000 XP for creating a World First!
<<<>>>
x4 Level Up!
You have (20) undistributed attribute points!
You have gained (4) proficiency points!
You have (7) undistributed proficiency points!
<<<>>>
I was suddenly awash in notifications. I had gained several levels from the creation, and I received a new buff without a timer on it.
<<<>>>
Buff Added
Living Weapon’s Knowledge: All Living Weapons have an attribute they are bound to. The Reaper of Chaos is bound to Intelligence. As a result, you will benefit from a +10 Intelligence bonus at all times, so long as you are equipped with it. This enhancement improves as the Living Weapon levels up. Duration; endless.
<<<>>>
Everything was happening so quickly that I almost didn’t notice the message notification pop up in the corner of my vision. I opened the message, but what I read was not what I was expecting.
<<<>>>
Personal Message
Vlad,
You have crafted one of the Living Weapons of Eldgard. Those weapons belong to me. I am the Collector of all things. I will have it, one way or another.
Watch your step.
—The Dark Collector
<<<>>>
And apparently I had just made an incredibly powerful enemy. What in this new world wasn’t constantly trying to kill me and take everything I had?
“Destroy?” A voice came from everywhere at once, but also nowhere.
I looked around, searching for the source.
“Who is here?” I pulled up the Reaper of Chaos, turning in a tight circle.
“Destroy?” There it was again, a high-pitched voice. Was it coming from inside my head?
“Is trick.” I shook my head, waiting for a sorcerer or a wizard to come around the corner and into the shop, but nobody came.
“Destroy.” This time, there was no question. It was definitely coming from inside my head somehow. I tried to think about where the voice was coming from, to see if I could pinpoint the problem in my brain.
“No, not destroy,” I said aloud, my eyes squeezed tightly shut, trying to find the source of the voice.
“No destroy?” I could feel it this time, right in front of me. I opened my eyes, and I was staring at the Reaper of Chaos.
“You are talking to Vlad?” I raised an eyebrow at the weapon, sure I was going mad.
“Vlad? Vlad. Vlad.” There was a sense of calm that seemed to come over me, like I had made a connection with some kind of creature. Was this the connection that the prompt about the Living Weapon had alluded to?
“Yes, am Vlad. What is name?” I felt stupid talking to a weapon, but I wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery so I could continue preparations.
“Gamma. Name Gamma.” The Reaper of Chaos was named Gamma? I felt a closeness, a presence, as I held it in my hands.
“Ah, I see. You are living, with personality. But like child.” I remembered the notification had mentioned that the weapon would gain levels as well. I wondered if it would grow in intelligence and mental capacity as it leveled.
“Hungry. Destroy.” There was a sense of urgency with the voice, a slight pulling of my soul. I felt hungry as well, and I felt the need to destroy som
ething.
I took Gamma back outside to the training grounds. Amazingly, someone had either reset the training dummies or the one I destroyed had respawned. I took aim and pulled the trigger. A pulse of Shadow Fire was launched from the barrel of Gamma. It warped space around it as it rocketed through the air. On impact, it collapsed in on itself, then exploded violently outward, spreading black and purple fire in every direction.
“Whoa!” I had to take a step back from the heat of the blast. It was extremely powerful, like experiencing a large propane fire at close range. I shielded my face with one arm and noticed that the weight of the Reaper of Chaos had considerably decreased.
“Destroyed!” The voice chirped in the back of my head, and I felt oddly satisfied as well. I looked at the weapon, with all of its smooth curves and intense coloration and smiled. This weapon would be a powerful ally.
I returned to the Engineering workshop immediately thereafter and began a small project. It would only take a few minutes, but I needed to do it. I started rolling more cigarettes.
I rolled thirty cigarettes in record time, thanks to a workshop crafting buff. I made three batches of ten types. In one, I had laced the tobacco with chopped Hare’s Grass, the Stamina- and movement speed-boosting herb. In another I added crumbled Gorin’s Wheel, a type of herb that allowed me to gain additional XP for 30 minutes. To the final batch I added Elves’ Thread, the Intelligence- and Spirit-boosting herb I had used previously to improve my focus. I popped all of them into rows in the cigarette case I’d picked up in Rowanheath and returned the lot to my inventory.
I took stock of my total supplies, not quite ready for the fight mentally, but trying to make sure I was completely prepared. I nabbed a large chunk of jerky from my pack when I was finished and shoved the entire thing into my mouth at once. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was, and it tasted divine.
Once I had finished chewing the ultimate jerky, I noticed my tobacco stock was running critically low. I would need to purchase more tobacco, and soon.