The Ultimation (Play to Live: Book #7)

by D. Rus

  “By the way,” I said, looking at him appraisingly, “you look great. Our cleric’s procedures really did you good. Your HP bar is full. And Zena has generously given you ten personal buffs as well as long-term regeneration. It’ll all wear off after some time, but you will keep some of your strength.”

  The general blushed. He clearly considered it improper to enjoy his new great health during a war. “You won’t believe it, but I haven’t felt like this even when I was 20. I feel like an ancient engine which had been taken apart, then reassembled with all new parts made from space-grade alloys and nano-oil. My body is like that of a gymnast. I’m so strong it’s frightening! I forced an air lock door open with my bare hands. Tore off chunks of meat – the flesh is weak – but everything healed in half an hour! And my brain is working like an ideal mechanism. My mind is clear, and I don’t feel sluggish at all!”

  I smiled, archiving the video I made of him saying all this. It would make an excellent commercial of our healers’ services. I wondered how much an aged oligarch might be willing to pay for a second life. Maybe a fixed price was best; 50% of his assets. A fair deal. Is the Fallen One not fair? He approves.

  “I believe you,” I told the general. “All permas have gone through this phase. You wake up one morning, and realize that nothing hurts, the body’s so nimble that you can scratch your ear with your toes, and the mind’s as clear as ever – write poetry or solve equations in your head. All right, Pyotr Alekseevich, we’re moving out. I’ll accompany one of the columns. Be nice to my emergency squadron, don't pick on the goblins, don’t arm wrestle the ogres. Don’t offer them bullets in exchange for gold and diamonds. Understand that these large and mighty creatures are mostly 15-year-olds and seniors playing war.”

  The general laughed and nodded understandingly – there’s some truth to every joke – and we went to our assigned detachments.

  I had Convoy 4 with extra forces. It had the longest run ahead and consisted of two tanks, a mechanic, a tank truck, and three armored infantry carriers. The machinery had decent characteristics. Not much HP, but excellent armor stats. Minimal possible damage threshold was quite high; the T-90 couldn’t be brought down with a knife.

  The armored cars’ HP equaled 5,000 and had 400 armor. One of them caused concern, however; its HP was down in the orange, its exhaust pipe emitted heavy black smoke, and the vehicle gave odd sounds.

  The tank boasted 16,000 HP and impressive composite and active armor. It was no golem, to be sure, but for flimsy earthly technology it was quite good.

  My convoy rode on the BMP-2 infantry combat vehicle, breaking the regulations. Oh, well, the regulations were written for mortals; we didn’t need to fear landmines nor sudden machine gun fire.

  After an hour riding over gullies and rivers, the column came as close as it could to the target perimeter. I gave the lead officer a high five, cast stealth, and slid off the carrier to continue on foot.

  I spent two hours traveling on Levitation, controlling the rescue operation at the same time. There were a few short skirmishes. We kicked the demons’ backsides, and they retreated in bewilderment.

  My guys flexed their muscles in front of the blushing town girls. The shortage of females in AlterWorld and their surplus on Earth was a huge factor. Marriage contracts were made at first sight. Not everyone was lucky, though; noble humans and beautiful elves made up less than half of my convoy. The rest had gone perma in less attractive forms.

  The snow-covered refuse heaps of rocks indicated that I had reached the correct location. The ancient tin mine had been abandoned back in the rough 21st century. The main tunnel was unguarded. The massive doors had long ago been used for metal.

  I dove inside, stopping for a second, taking in the realm of raw concrete, moldy arches, and rusty iron to allow my night vision to kick in. Heaving a deep sigh and suppressing claustrophobia, I began my long descent.

  Mankind has been endowed with the ability to feel fear for a reason. Had I been an ordinary man, I would have died in those caves at least four times. Twice I had wandered into dead ends and depressions filled with all kinds of things except oxygen. My HP began to drop every time, and I hurriedly got out of the danger zone.

  In the former pumping room, I inhaled harmful chemicals seeping from cracked accumulators. Then, in some tunnel overgrown with whitish moss, I picked up some harmful bacteria which gave me a light yet infinitely long-lasting debuff. An ordinary digger wouldn't have lasted more than three to four years with that debuff. A dangerous hobby these guys have...

  Soon, I left the modern part of the mine behind and entered ancient tunnels. There were no concrete and no rusty railways in there. Rotten wooden supports could be seen under the ceiling. About a mile deep, I injured my foot on a copper nail hidden beneath the water. A healing spell took care of it, and I thanked magic for the umpteenth time. This trap intended for a careless digger got wasted on me.

  At last, I climbed down deep enough. Going deeper was dangerous even for me. If the ceiling caved in, immortality would be useless. No one would ever dig up my grave.

  I found a crack deep enough, then carefully pulled out a gallon-sized vessel containing the blood of the Fallen One. I didn’t need to be that careful as the vessel was extremely strong, but still...

  The Fallen One wanted to leave a way to get to Earth just in case. To accomplish this, I hid the invaluable vessel of crystallized blood in the crack. Looking around furtively, I also stuck a smaller vessel in the crack. This second one contained ruby-colored crumb – my own blood. I was no god, and my trip up the Ladder to Heaven had just begun, but who knew what awaited me in the future? An extra passageway wouldn’t hurt...

  I still didn’t trust this new divine blood technology as it had not yet been fully tested, so I took out a Soul Stone and placed it in the crack as well just to be safe.

  I filled the crack up with small rocks which I then turned into a monolith with the Staff of True Flame. Then, eyeing the rotten supports mistrustfully, I decided to take my chances and summoned a level-370 pet.

  “Guard this place,” I ordered. “For millennia! The emanations of divine blood will give you enough strength.”

  I summoned the Creator’s Spark from the depths of my soul, drawing tremendous power from it, then severed the threads binding my pet to me with a single blow. From that point on, anyone could draw the aggro of this mob capable of crushing an entire tank regimen in an open field. Now imagine what it could do in these narrow tunnels. Poor archeologists!

  My chest burned; the Spark was acting strangely, as if I had given it power, not drawn power from it. The flame grew brighter and almost blinded me from within with the light some distant stars.

  Sungoddammit! And I was planning to push the tunnel walls closer together! I wouldn’t risk it now; it just didn’t feel safe. I could set myself ablaze like a supernova. I had heard of spontaneous combustion, and realized that the Spark could be responsible for such phenomena.

  I backed away from my pet who was shaking his armored head dumbfounded. I was no longer his master, and he could attack. I wasn’t sure I could take him on... He was a warrior, and I a hybrid with unbalanced stats who had been lucky enough to level up fast. Wasn’t worth the risk.

  I entered the neighboring hall, set a crystal trap on the floor. It wouldn’t last more than a week in this magic-deprived desert, but would stop any curious intelligence agents that might follow me.

  I broke the seal on a Personal Gate scroll that our wiz had created just a few hours ago, and was relieved to get back to the airbase in Khabarovsk. Cheating, you say? Envy me, diggers!

  Chapter Seventeen

  The airfield was jam-packed with people. There were a dozen portals open, emaciated civilians continuously pouring from them, wheezing and swearing as they dragged their belongings along with them in trunks. The roar of engines could be heard as army trucks scurried to and fro, salvaging what they could from the warehouses of the towns that would be left for demons to have fu
n with. Individual transport was pushed, not driven; there was a shortage of gas.

  Magic flashed everywhere as my clerics used their skills to grant the people good health and several extra decades of life. A row of ambulances was parked nearby. The doctors crowded around them, stunned. They had never seen a time when their assistance wasn’t needed, and decided that they might as well consider a change of career, seeing that the world of magic had no demand for them.

  The emergency squadron shrank to a third of its initial size; most of its members went to defend the towns Glukharinyy and Kalinka. The demons were running from one location to the next, trying to find a weak spot in our defense lines.

  My heart missed a beat as I looked upon the children huddled up to their pale, haggard mothers, and at the citizen soldiers who were hurriedly taking off their bloody bandages which they no longer needed. Have I saved them, or was I the original cause of their suffering?

  One of the portals blinked as a few AlterWorld dwellers stepped into a crowd of shouting women. At first I thought the Earth dwellers wanted to hang my warriors, judging by their angry yelling and the sticks and sharp steel they waved. But upon a closer look, I realized that Badaboom, covered by two broad-shouldered warriors, was holding a demon.

  It was a real demon. A small one, hanging from Badaboom’s grip like a kitten.

  I shook my head, chuckling. The boys were just showing off their strength and valor. I shook off the dirt from the mines, then approached the growing crowd. The general had already rushed to the scene to see a live demon in person. This was a very rare opportunity for Earth soldiers.

  I came closer, impudently pushing the civilians aside, shook hands with a few people, then squatted next to the helpless, battered demon whom they had affixed to a concrete slab. Badaboom prudently held on to the creature’s tail, clutching it in his fist.

  “Can you understand me?” I asked.

  The yellow eyes with vertical pupils turned to me for a second, then turned away indifferently.

  Some smartass decided to butt in on the interrogation: “Sir, he probably speaks only Eredun.”

  I gave the windbag an angry look. He understood and disappeared back into the crowd.

  “I see you do understand me,” I continued. “I’m a Death Knight. Are you familiar with this object?” I pulled out a Soul Stone. Its light made the crowd take a few steps back in fear – thank Hollywood for clichés.

  The demon glanced at the crystal and spoke reluctantly, “You won’t be able to do that. The soul crystallization process is a random one. The chances are almost zero. My pool is stronger than ever. The astral body won’t be affected.”

  I grinned and reached into my inventory again, taking out the broken-off tail end of my former adamant staff. “Can you read the object’s stats?”

  Empty Soul Prison that has known divine blood.

  It can no longer contain a Higher Being, but the crystal’s walls are strong enough to imprison creatures of a lower rank.

  The demon grew pale, and I dealt the final blow to the infernal creature’s will power, “And now, read the Soul Stone’s description.”

  Scalable Soul Stone. Artifact, indestructible.

  Souls contained: humans: 666,661, titans: 4, archangels: 1.

  The little demon stared at the huge diamond, fascinated. Then he licked his chapped lips with his forked tongue and said, “At your service, Sir.”

  I nodded with satisfaction and rose, “Get him to the headquarters, we’ll talk there. Are you coming, Pyotr Alekseevich?”

  Unfortunately, the demon turned out to be practically useless. He knew very little and never stuck his nose in his superiors’ business. He confirmed that there was a horde. A large one, its forces innumerable. Their lair was a cave, a cold one, and no one had permission to leave, the gates being guarded by one of the Elders. The warriors accessed battle zones via portals only. The little demon had grown almost twice as strong during his stay on Earth. I say “almost” because he had died three times. When asked who were the Elders, he said that they were powerful demons and that he would become one himself someday. The only downside of being an Elder was the long resurrection time. The ones killed during the first battles had respawned just now.

  The little demon looked at me with servility, obediently standing to attention. He didn’t even notice the technician who came up behind him and affixed a small patch to his armor – a radio beacon.

  Catching on, I said to the general, “Well, should we release the little scumbag?”

  The general pretended to think hard, ignoring the nervous clickety-clack of demonic hooves on the floor. Then he waived his hand and called security, “Lead him out of the city and set him free! But be warned, ya little stinker, if we catch you again, it'll be the Soul Stone for you!”

  After the demon was taken away, the general threw open a window, disgusted by the stench of sulfur. “Maybe he’ll actually lead us to their lair? By the way, what’s a Soul Stone? A real diamond? But diamonds like that don’t exist.”

  I shrugged, “Maybe it is a diamond, maybe it isn’t. I’m no jeweler. But a Soul Stone’s value isn’t determined by its purity or size...”

  The general glanced at the security cameras on the ceiling, listened to the speaker implant in his head, and only then asked for clarification: “What does make it valuable then?”

  Smart guy. He diligently followed his superiors’ orders, yet he always kept reminding me that he was under surveillance. Yes, I understand, Alekseevich, thank you for your honesty. I’ve saved your people, given them back youth and hope. I’m sure that’s a lot more than anything the Moscow generals have ever done for you.

  I decided not to make a big secret out of Soul Stones. Their use weighed heavily on my conscience as I’ve seen the nine-story ziggurat made of human skulls. Besides, I had a good idea how to use this stone for the greater good, no matter how banal that sounded.

  Pensively scratching my scarred right brow, I asked, “General, do you believe in angels?”

  He shrugged, “I do now. If you skim the classified bestiary of all the monsters discovered on Earth, you’ll believe even in sentient slime.”

  I shuddered. I could easily believe in sentient slime, especially after having seen it with my own eyes. Where are you, Tavor?!

  Driving away the thought of the hated creature, I got myself together. I have an eternity; revenge will be mine.

  I said to the general, “Then this will be easy for you.” Raising my voice, I carefully reached for my Spark, not to draw power, but to increase the strength of my call until it was as powerful as a raging flame, “Uriel, guard of Heaven! I call upon you as you are in my debt! Come!”

  What did the archangel say to me? Call me when you need me? Well, I did just that.

  Boom! came a deafening portal clap. We were met with a blinding flash of the purest light, which prevented us from taking a peek at the Seventh Heaven.

  “You have called me, dark friend?” we heard a majestic voice echoing through the domes of a thousand temples.

  After my eyes adjusted with great difficulty, I turned to the voice and squinted. The archangel’s wings glared, making it seem like the sun itself shone behind his back.

  “Uri, I’m glad to hear your voice. Could you shine a little less brightly? I can’t see jack shit.”

  Uriel suppressed a chuckle, then replied, “Remnants of a long-range portal. It’ll go away. Where have you summoned me, mortal? What are these outskirts of the worlds?”

  He sniffed the air, tilting his head to one side and listening. His eyes opened wide in amazement. “Is this... Earth? The ancestral home? I’m... the first! The first in millennia!”

  The mighty, multi-faced archangel fell to his knees and gently passed his hands over the floor. The surveillance cameras on the ceiling hummed loudly as they refocused and hurriedly spun around, trying to capture everything.

  To help Uriel save face and get him off the floor, I stepped forward and helped him rise. �
��It is Earth indeed, Uri. In all its glory and hatred.”

  The angel tossed his head up, giving me an inquisitive look, and I continued, “There has been a breach, Uri. Demons from three different realities have broken through. The victim count is in the billions, two continents have been completely wiped out, and the rest are barely making it. We need the help of Seventh Heaven.”

  The archangel wrinkled his brow and shook his head regretfully, “The hierarchs won't approve a new war. They have already reached the peak of their development and status, and any changes are for the worse in their eyes. Demon Soul Stones are valuable only in times of peace. During a war, we can’t ransom our captured brethren, and further losses are inevitable. Besides, I feel the presence of a powerful dark god. We are no match for him.”

  I was expecting an answer of this sort. Angels are made in man’s image. We created them, unwittingly transferring our own behavioral patterns onto our image of them.

  I nodded and said, “I know. It’s Asmodeus, and I’ll handle him myself. And I have something that will interest the hierarchs.”

  As the archangel eyed me mistrustfully, I pulled out the Scalable Soul Stone. Uri's expression once again changed to one resembling an anime character; his eyes opened wide and shone so brightly that the floor began emitting smoke.

  “Brother Michael... We thought you were disincarnated... Souls... Hundreds of thousands of poor souls... Free them, and the energy of bliss will overflow Seventh Heaven. Our brothers will enter the next level of development. Hundreds of seraphims will join the ranks of the celestial army! Max, this is truly an enormous sacrifice you’re about to make. Do you know what you could achieve using this Soul Stone yourself?”

  I gave him a crooked smile, shaking my head. “This is why they say that the Devil is a fallen archangel. Don’t tempt me, for man is weak! Instead, tell me, will the army of Seventh Heaven fight alongside the humans of Earth to clear the Ancestral Home of the evil that invaded it?”