by Dawn Chapman
“Loose!” I called to them all and watched as breath on breath, ice and fire spurted forward in a blast wave the length of the continent.
I watched as they did exactly as I asked. I watched as they lay to waste the enemy.
DEATH STATISTICS
ENEMY – 200,005
ALLIES – 17,059
TROMOAL WARRIERS – 2,036
DEMONS – 55,007
Then I watched as the number fell, and we were just in the safe zone. It was one life. One digit. We weren’t anywhere near what could lose us Maicreol.
A blur in the skies as I saw something blaze past, large and flaming. Zurath. He flew in as low as he could and pulled all the flames to him. There would be no forest fires, no more death because of us.
Thank you, Akillia, I reached out to her. Then it was as if I could see her in the distance just ahead of where we were. She was a tiny dot, glowing in my vision. I also saw something else about to unfold, and her attention was gone. She wasn’t concentrating on anything but the war machine, and we’d just wiped them off the face of Maicreol.
I had to take a nose dive. I had to do it.
Hold the line! I said to Dalfol. Whatever you do, do not move, do not give in. Hold.
I won’t. For all I’ve got, for everything we are. We will not falter.
Ahead, the scene unfolded as I saw a shadow slip in behind Akillia. I saw the glint of something sharp in its hands, and I expected the blade to sink any second.
I heard Akillia still talking to someone in the distance. That someone was me. she was talking to me. “Welcome, Maddie. We’re all here, we love Puat…”
“You fucking dare!” I bellowed, and the whole world must have heard it.
I landed hard, reaching with open mouth, snapping down hard at the figure behind her. Akillia spun around and faced me with shock crossing her eyes.
Blood spilt into my mouth once more, and the death toll on the other side flickered.
DEATH STATISTICS
ENEMY – 200,004
ALLIES – 17,009
TROMOAL WARRIERS – 2,036
DEMONS – 49,997
That number moved. Neutral. It was the one… We couldn’t lose anyone else. No one. Or we’d lose the quest. We’d lose the war, and I saw it… up ahead, the mist was growing. The white-grey edges to the world were being tarnished by it.
Dalfol’s worry came over my connection to him as he saw what they were heading toward.
I need you to hold the lines, I said. You must. Don’t be scared.
I felt Akillia reach up and grab on as I was about to launch into the skies once more. “We’re with you!” she said. “All of us.”
I felt it then. Genuine fear. The Tromoal had never seen anything like what lay ahead of them. I saw it through their eyes, and it seemed much larger than before.
For something as big as they were to be suddenly scared of something else. I worried. But I held my own thoughts in. I didn’t project to them. I would not let this thing take what I loved.
As the land beneath me vanished, and I caught up to them, I felt cool against my skin.
Oragor slid in beside me. Kamaal with him. I faltered in my beats, and Oragor chided. Watch thyself, little one.
I laughed. “I’m not so little now.”
He moved in closer to me his wings touching mine, and Kamaal grinned at me from his position. I was shocked at this, but then I heard his thoughts. Their exchange.
I defend my own. We’re all with you, all of us. Those on the ground know nothing, but we see everything, and we will fight. That thing is not staying. We will turn it back. Together.
I wanted to say something, but I didn’t have time. The fog thickened, and I needed the clan to be ready. They had one chance to hit this thing.
I thought for once about what the others would be thinking, feeling.
Then I heard the other voices join us.
The death toll was the same. We were still neutral.
Lila. Dahlia, Jessica, Abel…
Then there were a few more. Ahead of me, I spotted two tiny dots. I felt familiarity, love.
Sakril?
Alex?
I am here with you, Tetsu said.
As am I, Sakril added. You have united all species.
I swallowed, the beats of my wings coming faster, heavier as the pull of the fog seemed to take hold. Tendrils spread upward, trying to touch us, drain us.
“I can do this!” I shouted to the ether. Inside, I twisted the ring, although it wasn’t on my finger anymore, it was with me.
The boost of energy jetted me forward.
The Tromoal ahead of me was massive, and the smaller one I could see flew in direct line with him. The energy they gave off similar. Their auras were more powerful than anything I’d seen.
The voice that came to me was commanding. “Hold.”
I tucked in behind their slipstream and waited as we drew in closer.
As Sakril dipped a wing and started to bank in, we all followed. This was it. There was no going back.
I heard Akillia and felt her standing up on my back. I would give my life to defend those I love, and I freely will, she said. I want to win, but it’s not everything.
I wanted to say ‘no,’ to stop either of them from doing this, but I knew I was about to do the same. A rumble came up from my belly. And I breathed in deep, readying everything I had.
I could switch over quickly and use both fire and ice in quick succession, and I twigged.
Correct. Hit it strong, ice first, then fire, then ice again. Tell the others.
I relayed the message across to the clan. Their energies shifted. They weren’t used to using ice as their weapon first. It was unusual.
Then as we reached that point, the creature let out a deafening scream, piercing everything, and I felt my ears blow out. The pain, it ripped through me, but I held my focus.
HEALTH – 62%
HEALTH – 46%
HEALTH – 21%
I looked at Akillia. She had blood dripping from her nose, eyes, and mouth. But she was grinning.
The command didn’t come from Tetsu or Sakril.
It was Akillia. “For Puatera!”
The sheer ice launched at the thing below us, striking hard. Its energy plummeted, but not by much.
It faltered just a tad then started to rise once more. Tentacles hit out and struck some of my clan. They ripped apart in mere seconds.
“Fire!” Kamaal screamed, and we all obliged. The furnace that covered it now had it writhing, and its health dropped more.
Fuck! I let out a bellow as my energy fell with my health.
A rising tentacle slashed at my wing, cutting it clean in half. And I started to fall. I tucked in quickly, and it was my turn to scream as I targeted it. “ICE!”
The clan fought hard. All their energy, and then more. If they had anything left but a few percents I would have been shocked. But when I looked closer, I knew they were pulling from the females and the rest of the clan. We had lost no one.
The creature’s health fell to eight percent, and I let out a sigh. There was no way it was getting hold of Puatera.
Never.
But my form was failing me. I wasn’t going to be Tromoal for much longer, and I let it fall from me. That meant Akillia was tumbling with me. I protected her as much as I could by supporting her in the descent. Then she jumped.
As naked as I was, and as bathed in freezing cold energy, I deftly landed in the wasteland that had surrounded it. My nostrils were assaulted by burned flesh, and seared tentacles tried to attach to my skin to push them off.
HEALTH – 14%
I was stronger than it was, and it knew it.
I strode toward it, not having anything left in me to give. I wanted to kill it with my bare hands. If I had to, I knew I would, but it was big.
There was a shout behind me, and I saw something glint my way. Out from beneath her clothes, she pulled them—twin daggers. She threw one to me. “It’s going to tak
e all we have in one strike.”
I caught it, looked into the creatures many eyes as it focused on me and turned. It was going to try to get away, but there was no way.
HEALTH – 5%
I pulled back my arm, and with everything I had, I shouted, “Die!”
The dagger flew straight, and well, not quite as true as I’d hoped, but it hit, and it sank in deep. The creature writhed in pain.
HEALTH – 3%
Akillia’s blade sank in a millisecond behind mine.
HEALTH – 1%
Then….
YOU AND THE PRINCESS OF EARTH LIGHT HAVE SAVED MAICREOL
I collapsed in the goo that surrounded me. I couldn’t do anything else.
Akillia sank with me. “Is it dead, gone forever?”
“I hope so.” I looked into her grinning face. “I never want to do that again.”
Akillia started to laugh. “I never want to do it again, unless I have you by my side.”
I could do nothing but laugh with her, and as shock finally set in, I shivered.
She pulled off her coat and handed it to me. Then a form appeared before us.
“Tibex?” We both said together.
“You did it, both of you,” he said with a grin. “Thank you.”
Akillia looked at me. “Take my body somewhere secure. I need to log off and speak with Simon and Abel to make sure the game’s safe now.”
Tibex held a hand out for me. “It’s safe.” He smiled at her. “Believe me, that was one hell of a show for all those watching the streams from those connected to it. I do believe they got a few extra bird’s eye views too from me.”
Akillia laughed, and her eyes went blank. Gone back to the real world. I wondered if I’d ever see her again, or more to the point, when.
Tibex wrapped his arm around me. “You did it.”
Tears brimmed, and I wiped them away. “But now what?”
“We mourn. We clean up. We live, for those who died for us.”
I looked out to the smoking and bleeding lands. “We will, I promise we all will.”
Then I projected as far as I could, with all the emotion I had left in me. I am coming for you, Tetsu.
The end
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Coming Soon!
Waking up as a young Tromoal with memories of a strange other life… Alex learns that to gain his memories, and his life back, he must quickly level up. Not only becoming fully Tromoal but Tetsu, Clan Leader.
About Dawn
Dawn Chapman has been creating sci-fi and fantasy stories for thirty years. Until 2005 when her life and attention turned to scripts, and she started work on The Secret King, a 13-episode Sci-Fi TV series, with a great passion for this medium.
In 2015, Dawn returned to her first love of prose where she revelled in the world of The Secret King, Letháo and First Contact, as an epic prose space journey over 3 generations.
This year her experience of working with Producers/Directors from the US and AUS has expanded. From Drama, Sci-Fi, Action, to Litrpg. Dawn's built a portfolio of writing, consulting, publishing, and audio proofing.
You can follow on any of her public pages or her website - https://dawnchapmanauthor.com/
And her discord link if you’re wanting to chat in real time is…(word hunting permitting) - https://discord.gg/3tmdnRE
Many Thanks!
Litrpg/Gamelit Links
All things LitRPG, links, groups and chat.
LitRPG Society Facebook group —
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/
LitRPG Books FaceBook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books/
LitRPG Society Discord - https://discord.gg/zH9Gy9u
LitRPG PodCast - http://www.geekbytespodcast.com/
LitRPG Reviews - https://litrpgreviews.blog/
Recommended books
Here’s some of my favourite authors!
Check them out! and if you do, let them know I sent you. :)
Michael Chatfield - Emerilia, Ten Realms and our co-written work in his world - Maurakian Wars
https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Chatfield/e/B00WCAOQME
K.T Hannah - Somnia Online
https://www.amazon.com/K.T.-Hanna/e/B00ZBPYU78
Bonnie L. Price - Deck of Souls
https://www.amazon.com/Bonnie-L.-Price/e/B079QM5LNT