Lightningbreaker

by L. T. Thornhill

  Stepping out of his hiding spot and walking into the open, Matteo shouted as loud as possible. “Looking for me, perhaps?”

  The Shocker instantly pointed his weapon at Matteo. Even though he was some distance away, he could not avoid reacting to the sound of Matteo’s voice.

  When the Shocker realized that he was looking at Godlike, he lowered his weapon, perhaps in genuine surprise. After all, what was one of the greatest players of Axis Mundi doing standing in the open with a Crossbolt in his hands? Matteo watched as the entire army of Shockers raised their weapons, which caused the lone Shocker near the forest to aim at Matteo.

  That was when, out of the corner of his eye, Matteo spotted Shaury’s signal.

  Sixteen bolts of lightning shot out of the forest. One of them struck the lone Shocker right in the side of the head, sending him toppling sideways like a rag doll thrown by a giant hand. Matteo instantly reacted. He dove back into the cover of the trees.

  And it was just in time. Bolts of lightning struck nearby trees, one of them missing Matteo’s face by inches. He heard a shout from Adonis, but he couldn’t make out what the other man was saying. There was constant shooting from the Shocker army, bolts of lightning discharged one after the other. It almost sounded like raindrops pelting the ground, except that these drops were high-energy blasts that could cripple a person. And they were being shot at the speed of sound.

  When Matteo managed to peek out of his hiding spot, he watched with a slight satisfaction as Adonis began to rally his army. The Shockers who were initially planning to reach the forest in a circular formation were all congregating in one spot—right where Adonis was positioned. It was like watching hundreds of bees moving together toward a single hive.

  The Shockers kept firing, more than a hundred bolts released at any given time. Matteo could see the frustration on their faces as they did not know what to hit. Compared to their attacks, only half a dozen or so bolts escaped the safety of the trees. Yet the fact that the Shockers were all grouped together made it easy to get a hit. The Kabakans didn’t have to aim at a single target. They had to shoot at a cluster of people, which gave them a wide berth.

  But the Shockers were not staying idle and letting their numbers diminish. Pretty soon, they had figured out where some of the Kabakans lay and focused their shots at certain spots. At the same time, they began moving forward, inching their way ever so closer to the tree line. Eventually, there were no more bolts released from the Kabakans—they were at the mercy of the Shockers. If nothing happened, the attacking army would soon reach the trees and then that would be it.

  And that was when Matteo spotted the speck in the sky. It looked like a flying object and it was approaching fast from the other side of the forest from where he was positioned.

  Earlier, when Matteo and the initial members of the Kabakans had discussed how best to use the Griffin Claw and who should be in possession of it, Matteo had made the suggestion that Boran would be the best person for the job.

  “Wouldn’t Alonzo be stealthier?” Kenji had asked.

  “Boran knows the layout of the area. Once he attacks, he can then withdraw into town and hide there,” responded Matteo.

  “So can Kabaka.”

  “Kabaka is the leader. He needs to be on the frontline.”

  The speck in the sky had grown closer until it was easy to see that it was indeed a person. Instead flying high, Boran swooped down toward the town, using its buildings to keep him out of view of the Shocker army, should one of them decide to turn around.

  Eventually, Boran burst out into view from the top of a building, diving straight for the Shocker army. When the army was a dozen feet from the forest line, Boran reached them. He came to a stop, hovering in the air behind them. After a few seconds of fidgeting with an object in his hands, he looked up, took aim, and tossed a globe-like object at the Shockers.

  The flash grenade sailed through the air above the Shockers, its five-second timer ticking away. At the last second, it reached the front of the army, reaching a spot in the air a good ten feet off the ground. Only Adonis reacted, looking away in time as the flash hit hundreds of pairs of eyes.

  Instantly, the attack from the Shockers stopped, as though someone had suddenly flipped the off switch. Adonis was looking at where Boran hovered in the sky. Matteo could not imagine what the prince was going through, but there was no way the leader of the Shockers could hide his frustration.

  Within seconds, bolts of lightning were launched from the trees, striking more Shockers. Boran landed on the field behind them, a sign that the thirty seconds of flight that the Griffin Claw gave its user were up. He looked up at the army in front of him, determination spread across his face.

  That was when Adonis pointed the Lightningbreaker at Boran, the weapon already charging up and ready to fire. Before he could release the energy, a bolt of lightning bounced off the bronze staff. The result was that the staff’s aim was thrown off its intended target, pointing instead at the army of Shockers. That could only have been Kenji behind the rifle, and Matteo gave a mental shout of celebration at the boy’s accuracy.

  There was nothing Adonis could do. He had already powered up the staff. Before he could take any action, an arc of energy burst out of the weapon, making its way through at least a dozen Shockers. Within seconds, the victims were on the ground, either convulsing in pain or downright knocked out. The look of pure rage on Adonis’s face was frightening. Matteo knew that the man was dangerous when he was angry, but there was no time to think about it now.

  The Shocker army was slowly recovering from the attack.

  Then, Boran released the remaining power of the Griffin Claw. The Wing Blast sent a strong gust of wind barraging toward the cluster of Shockers. While the wind couldn’t capture everyone in its attack zone, it still managed to knock back many. The result left more than half the army disoriented from the blast.

  This time, Adonis tried to look away, an instinctual reaction from avoiding flash grenades. Yet the Wing Blast was a move that affected its victims whether they were looking at it or not. Adonis was thrown off balance, feeling the effects of disorientation. A single shot that was meant for his head struck the head of a Shocker instead, who had unfortunately and unwillingly come between the bolt and its intended target at the last second. Tough luck. Matteo was still proud of Kenji’s skills.

  More bolts shot out of the trees, striking even more Shockers. This time, even Matteo joined in, not afraid to reveal his position.

  The few remaining Shockers who were not affected by the Wing Blast attempted to fire back, but Matteo could see that they were making a half-hearted attempt at retaliation. Fear had spread through the group. They were not used to someone—or some force—standing up to them.

  Matteo had seen it when he had entered the Great Hall and even long before that, as he made his way through the town. The Shockers were complacent, relaxed in the idea that they were supreme. They had others to do their bidding, and that had taken away any edge they might have had in a battle. Plus, the fact that they had chosen the wrong skill for their weapons had definitely not added any advantages to their situation.

  A part of Matteo had felt the presence of doubt slowly creep its way into his brain when he had first revealed his theory to the others back at the stream.

  “You think that the Shockers are not prepared for a battle?” Shaury had asked.

  “I’m saying they are used to facing tough adversaries,” said Matteo.

  “What makes you even imagine that the Shocker army would even be remotely intimidated, let alone be frightened, of us?”

  Matteo had looked at Kenji before speaking. “Because they’re not angry enough.”

  As he watched the Shocker army blindly shooting at the trees, he realized that desperation had taken root in their minds. And with each shot that found no target and showed no result, their desperation slowly metamorphosed into fear. A fear of the unknown. Because while the Shocker army knew who was firing at th
em, they had not seen their opponent’s faces. It was still a blank slate. A faceless enemy.

  Adonis looked to his troops and yelled for them to stand their ground. Matteo could see that the prince’s commands were not having any effect on his troops. His was a leadership that was established on fear, and that quality would not work on people who were already afraid. One cannot put out fire with fire.

  Adonis was no Kabaka. The former weaponized fear, the latter unleashed compassion. Adonis used an iron fist to guide his men. The result was that they vehemently looked to him for guidance, and only him. After watching their numbers diminish quickly and even witnessing their leader accidentally attack his own army, their trust in him was shattered. They had no idea who to latch on to for guidance.

  On the other hand, Kabaka made people trust themselves. He never asked anyone to blindly follow him or obey his orders without question. Instead, he asked people to believe in what they fought for, and he alongside them, during a fight.

  The Shocker army was almost on the verge of scattering. Boran did not give them an opportunity. He used the remaining flash grenade, allowing it to arc over the Shockers.

  This time, when the grenade let out its flash, there were no more shots fired from the trees.

  The Kabakans were unleashed. With a roar, they emerged from the trees, like warriors from some ancient battle. It was almost like witnessing the Spartans standing up against the Persian army, a cry of battle on their lips as they charged toward the enemy. Their number may have been small, but the power behind the attack was ferocious. No one faltered. Not a single Kabakan halted in their tracks from doubt or fear. Their rage had consumed them.

  Each Kabakan held a Spearex, crafted by Shaury from the many Crossbolts they had procured from the unconscious hands of Shockers. Since the Kabakans attacked from different sections of the forest, they converged on the group. This sent a fresh wave of fear into the Shockers, each of them looking in different directions, trying to find out where the voices were actually coming from.

  Kabaka was at the head of the charge, Shaury and Alonzo beside him. He reached the Shockers first. With a single wave of his Spearex, he sent four Shockers flying through the air. The move sent others scrambling away from him, trying to avoid his next attack.

  One Shocker managed to fire a bolt into Kabaka’s chest, but the big man simply looked at the impact point before facing the shooter, a smile on his lips. The Shocker dropped his weapon and fled, but his progress was impeded by his teammates, who were all clustered together. Another swing of the Spearex tossed a few more Shockers in the air.

  Matteo had charged right into the battlefield alongside the rest. Instead of aiming for anyone at random, he ran straight at the leader himself: Adonis. The prince had already spotted Godlike charging at him, but made no attempt to raise his Lightningbreaker, perhaps knowing full well that there was a sharpshooter in the forest ready to break his aim.

  Adonis sent his two loyal followers forward, pointing his staff at Matteo. Brontes and Basilia stepped forward, each holding a Spearex out in front of them. Perhaps they remembered the last time they had faced off against Matteo, back in the game world, when they had experienced an embarrassing defeat. There was no doubt that the remnants of that battle might have flashed through their minds at least once.

  Matteo braced for their attack, his Spearex held in front of him. There was no flash grenade to stop his opponents. He knew, deep down, that he was no match for them both. There was also the matter of his skill. While everyone had chosen an offensive skill to specialize in, Matteo had chosen the one used by all pacifists: Reasoner.

  When Brontes and Basilia were close to him, he noticed that their hands began to spark. The gift of Zeus himself, a shocking blast that could knock back enemies. This time, they would have no reason to miss their target.

  Faster than Matteo could blink, Alonzo had appeared behind Brontes, his dagger held out in front of him. Without waiting for a command or opportunity, he unleashed a flurry of attacks on the blonde boy’s back, taking full advantage of the fact that attacking from behind increases damage considerably.

  Basilia aimed her hand at Alonzo, lighting swirling around her hands like an electrical ivy plant. Lightning discharge erupted from her fingertips. Her attack did not reach Alonzo, who had used his Quick Step power to appear at Basilia’s back. Another flurry of attacks, but he was stopped by Brontes, whose lightning discharge caught Alonzo square in the chest.

  The blonde twins turned to face the fallen man, hoping that they now had the advantage of numbers on their hands. Instead, Shaury had appeared in front of the twins, a grin appearing on her face. There was no time to react. She instantly unleashed her Quick Strikes ability, throwing five attacks in a span of three seconds.

  And Shaury had thought one step ahead. She had intentionally positioned herself in front of the twins in such a way that she was in their center. When she launched her attack, she alternated the strikes between each twin, striking one twin and then the other, and continued on until all five strikes were delivered.

  Once her attack was complete, she launched at the boy, swinging her spear out in front of her and catching Brontes in the side of the face. The strike sent the boy spinning on his feet, and Shaury was instantly upon him. Perhaps she understood how the blonde woman reacted. Before Basilia could launch another lightning strike from her hands, Shaury had run up to the boy and wrapped her arm around him, using him as a human shield. Basilia held back her power.

  And that was all the opportunity Alonzo needed. Using the same move as he had on the Griffin, he leaped in the air, knife held above his head in a two-handed grip. Basilia must have sensed something. She whirled around, her arms already powering up.

  Knife struck Basilia squarely on her forehead, golden sparks exploding in a blinding flash. The woman was thrown on her back, a look of disbelief marking her face.

  Brontes had recovered. He charged his hand and pressed it backwards against Shaury’s abdomen, sending a shock that sent her reeling back. Turning around, he was ready to throw another lightning attack, but Alonzo took the opportunity to strike Basilia in the face.

  Brontes must have heard it. Likely expecting that Shaury would be incapacitated for a while longer, he faced Alonzo, shooting the man with another lightning attack. The attack struck Basilia, who was used as a shield by Alonzo, clearly taking inspiration from Shaury.

  Shock displayed itself on Brontes’s face, but it soon gave way to anger. He might have delivered a devastating blow to Alonzo, if he had the chance. His only mistake was that he had turned his back on Shaury, who had snuck up on him, and raised her boots between his legs.

  The blonde boy’s eyes bulged in his sockets as he clutched his privates, but he recovered fast, raising his hands to charge his next move.

  Through all of this, Matteo had spotted Adonis engaged in battle. The prince was fighting Kabaka.

  And Boran.

  And Emiri.

  Kabaka and Boran were throwing strike after strike at him, which he deflected with ease. When Kabaka would aim low, Boran would swing his Spearex higher. Neither would get in a successful stroke. As the men delivered physical blows, Emiri would time her shots and let loose bolts of electricity that Adonis would easily dodge.

  The prince was a one-man army. His skills were honed from the hours he had spent training in the game world. He showed no fear. Instead, his face was a mask of calm concentration. He did not allow the overwhelming numbers to faze him. His tactic seemed to be to focus on one attack after the other.

  At his first opportunity, he launched a bolt of electricity at Emiri. The woman was left staggered, and Boran reacted. Wrong move. The younger brother’s emotions had gotten the best of him and his attacks were uncontrolled. Kabaka tried to make up for it, but he was unable to concentrate his strikes on the prince while trying to avoid hitting his own teammate.

  Matteo was already on the run, his legs carrying him as fast as they could. All he cared about wa
s getting to the Prince.

  Boran struck high at the same time that Kabaka aimed high, as well. That was all the advantage Adonis needed. The prince bent low, using one hand to hold his staff as he sent an arc of energy toward Kabaka, delivering a lightning discharge at Boran with his other hand. Both his attackers were thrown backwards. Within the span of a single beat, he delivered another lightning attack from his hand at Emiri, further disorienting her.

  That was when Adonis did the unthinkable. He began spinning his staff over his head, arcs of lightning shooting out of the bronze weapon. When he had gotten the staff spinning fast enough, he brought it to a stop and struck the ground with the tail end of the weapon.

  A dome of lightning energy expanded outward at frightening speed. It pummeled through allies and opponents alike, throwing them violently through the air. Matteo could barely register a defensive maneuver before the energy field struck him. His vision was as a blur as images went twisting and turning in impossible ways. He wasn’t certain if he was spinning in the air or flailing about uncontrollably. All he knew was that he was seeing a chaotic mess of images before crashing to the ground.

  For a few moments, he lay on the ground, feeling the softness of the grass against his cheek. The world had become nearly muted, like all sounds were being filtered through a medium. He blinked his eyes a few times, trying to discern the shapes in front of him. His blurry vision switched in and out of focus, as though his eyes were a camera that was adjusting its lens.

  Matteo’s mind was rebelling against him to get up. The threat had not passed. Adonis was still alive.

  Planting his palm on the ground, Matteo pushed himself to a sitting position. He was vaguely aware of an approaching figure, and he didn’t need clear vision to know who it was. He thought back to the skill he had chosen.

  Adonis raised his staff, but before he could send out any power, a bolt of lightning struck him in the back. Emiri had made the shot from a crouched position, hardly able to balance the weapon. All around Matteo were fallen, unconscious bodies of both Shockers and Kabakans. The few members of class Zeus who had survived were running for the town, fearing that their leader had turned against them.