Ascend Online

by Luke Chmilenko

  Overwhelmed by his strength, I rocked backwards as I tried to use my positioning and weight to drive Razor downwards. Shit! He’s fucking stronger than Drace somehow! I can’t hold him back!

  “Watch this!” I snarled at Graves, eager to put an end to the man. I let go of Razor with one hand, it shooting out to grab Graves by the throat. Clenching viciously, I felt my hands begin to crush his windpipe as I discharged a Shocking Touch deep into his body, forcing it to spasm as the electricity surged through it. No longer pressured by Graves’s unearthly strength I was able to slide my blade down and off of Graves’s blade, I moved quickly with the intention to slice Razor straight across his throat.

  But before I could get my blade into position, I was bodily tackled off of Graves by one of the half-orc guards that had finally recovered from Halcyon’s earlier attack.

  I slammed into the ground shoulder first as the half-orc pinned me to the ground, pushing my free arm down as he straddled me. Damn it! Razor is trapped under me!

  Falling in a convenient pose to see the thundering horde of Graves’s followers closing the gap as they charged towards us, I desperately tried to spin my body to face the half-orc pinning me down. I was able to buy a few precious inches of leverage as I angled my body towards him.

  Craning my head upwards I could see wild anger on his face, his snarl exposing row after row of jagged teeth. He seemed intent on holding me in place long enough for the charging horde to come to his aid.

  Shit! I have to get moving!

  Bucking wildly, I quickly twisted back away from him, planting the balls of my feet on the ground as I faced downwards. Moving as fast and hard as I could, before he adjusted his grip, I pushed off with my legs, pulling myself straight out of the half orc's grip and onto my back. Grabbing Razor as I rolled, I swung it in an arc, chopping it directly into the side of the surprised guard’s head.

  Who says unarmed training is useless?! Yanking the blade free, I quickly stabbed it into the half orc's throat, kicking him off me before I was drenched in blood. I whirled to find Graves, intent on finishing him off if possible before time ran out.

  “Lyr!” Halcyon’s called my name urgently, interrupting my frantic search. “Leave it! We have to go!”

  Stray arrows and flashes of magic began to pepper the ground around me as the charging Adventurers started to find their range. Damn! I’m out of time! I’m as good as dead if I catch half a dozen arrows and magic bolts!

  “Coming!” I shouted, scrambling to my feet. Chancing one quick glance behind me, I spotted Graves being dragged away by his one remaining half-orc guard, pulling him bodily by his armor’s collar to safety. Graves’s face was a complete ruin, covered completely in blood. He seemed to be trying to shout something as his guard dragged him away to safety, but his ruined throat prevented him from making any sound.

  An arrow thudded into the ground beside me. Okay, time to go for real!

  Triggering Blink-Step once again, I instantly sped to Halcyon’s side. “I’m here!”

  “Finally!” the mage shouted as his force shield shimmered into existence, catching a pair of arrows and a poorly aimed fireball.

  “Well, this is shaping up to be a giant clusterfuck!” Caius shouted, indicating the charging horde of Adventurers in front of us.

  “At least they’re not all against us!” Drace said optimistically.

  “Small comfort right now!” Halcyon exclaimed as the Outlaw Adventurers thundered down on top of us.

  “What’s our plan?” Drace asked, looking at me. “We’ll get swarmed if we stay.”

  “Yeah! Back to the bridge!” I shouted. “We’ll hold them off there!”

  “Dropping the shield!” Halcyon called. “Get ready to run!”

  The moment that Halcyon’s shield came down, we all spun, sprinting directly back to Aldford. For the first few yards of our flight, magic bolts and arrows sailed all around us before we managed to outpace the attacks.

  Not pausing for anything, we all charged straight into Aldford, quickly running across the pair of stones that bridged the river. Originally intended as a temporary measure when the villagers had first arrived to settle Alford, the bridge was two roughly cut lengths of slate, each approximately three feet wide, a foot thick, and nine feet long.

  More than enough for people to easily walk over, or a wagon to very carefully drive across. But as a chokepoint to fight over, all the while defenders tried to make your life difficult? It was going to be a nightmare.

  There was no cover anywhere near the bridge on the opposite side of the river, forcing attackers to cross while under fire from the defenders. Even once they made it past the narrow bridge, both ditches filled with Tribuli further extended the chokepoint, funneling the attackers between two earthen berms if they wanted to enter Aldford proper.

  This design allowed us to make the most of our relatively few numbers and to reduce the amount of attackers that we had to deal with at the same time.

  “Incoming!” I shouted out, rather needlessly, as we formed up right between the two earthen berms.

  Once again Drace centered the line with both Aldwin and I on flanking either side. Standing in front of us was Halcyon, hands outstretched as he channeled his Force Shield. I heard shouts behind me calling for Jenkins and Shelia to move to this front.

  “I can’t fucking believe I’m doing this again!” I heard Halcyon yell. “Mages aren’t supposed to be charge breakers!”

  “I told you, we’d make you into a Tank!” Drace barked a short laugh as he tightened the straps on his shield. “Bwahaha!”

  “This isn’t funny!” Halcyon shouted back.

  “They aren’t stopping! What the fuck did you do to them, Lyrian?!” I heard Sierra’s voice call out, followed by a twang of her bow.

  “You know me, Sierra. Just being my charming self!” I turned my head to see a flash of red hair near the top of the berm. Sure glad she made it back in time!

  “We can break them!” Aldwin shouted. “Look at them! They are hardly more than a mob right now! They will shatter at the first sign of things turning against them!”

  True to Aldwin’s words, I saw that the charging Adventurers had descended into complete chaos as they chased us, a booming voice egging them onwards. I had no way of knowing just how much Graves had shared about his quest or plan to monetize his feed with his followers. Judging from their rage and complete lack of strategy as they stormed towards Aldford, I felt that they knew something.

  Either way, time was up.

  “Here we go!” Halcyon shouted as he leaned his body forward, preparing to receive their charge and pushing his Force Shield just a little bit further forward.

  Having never seen the magic that Halcyon was channeling before, the attacking Adventurers simply didn’t know what to make of the slight distortion that was Halcyon’s Force Shield. Nor did they stop to question why we conceded the bridge to them without a fight. Instead they dug in their heels, and sprinted directly at us, intent on crashing right through our ranks and into Aldford.

  Halfway through their stride, the front ranks of the Outlaw Adventurers suddenly slammed into the shield with a massive crunch of bone and flesh. The first few rows were flatted against the barrier, as the weight of those behind them drove them forward.

  With nowhere else to go, those unfortunate enough to follow in the fourth and fifth ranks of the charge found themselves tripping over their companions and falling directly into the nearby ditches of Tribuli.

  Screams of pain and terror quickly broke out as a handful of Adventurers found wicked stakes of wood protruding through body parts, their cries quickly silenced as the weight of other falling Adventurers fell atop them, driving them deeper into the ditch, and onto even more of the sharpened stakes. A handful of slower, luckier, Adventurers were fortunate enough to avert their fall, choosing to tumble straight into the river instead.

  The impact had Halcyon’s feet skidding across the ground as he tried to keep himself standing until
the charge abated. With a snap of his hands, he canceled the Force Shield, sending the pinned Adventurers crashing to the ground in a heap, the faintly shimmering distortion vanishing instantly with a faint popping sound.

  “Go! Go! Go!” Halcyon shouted as he ducked between Drace and me, detonating a Pyroclap right on top of the Adventurer’s front line as he passed.

  “Forward!” I ordered, stepping forward into the chaos while activating my True Sight. The narrow battlefield suddenly lighting up, banishing the long shadows the setting sun cast across the berm.

  Smashing into the line of fallen adventurers with little mercy, the first few seconds of the melee was completely in our favor. Nearly a dozen of Outlaws had fallen over one another after abruptly colliding with Halcyon’s Force Shield, leaving them tangled in a massive heap of limbs and weaponry, struggling to stand.

  Wasting no time, Drace launched himself forward, his wicked Bladefang sweeping through the tangle of Adventurers mercilessly, leaving vicious wounds everywhere it passed. Following closely, Aldwin and I anchored Drace’s flank, our weapons slashing at any within our reach.

  We held nothing back as we began to scythe through the tangled pile of Adventurers.

  I ruthlessly thrust Razor into an Adventurer’s exposed throat, instantly wiping seven days of travel away, as they respawned in the distant Kingdom of Eberia.

  Nearby I saw Aldwin brutally chop his ax directly into the side of an Adventurer’s skull, quickly kicking him free and doing the exact same to another Adventurer following too closely behind.

  Arrows flew through the air like deadly wasps, Sierra and Natasha focusing their efforts on any Adventurers that dared to cast a spell.

  A kaleidoscope of colors and echoing thunder fell upon the densely packed Adventurers as Caius, Donovan and Halcyon burned through their mana with reckless abandon.

  Watching the death pile up around me, my stomach roiled as I tried to figure out what Graves promised to these Adventurers for them to go along with his plan.

  Maybe he promised to share the money he earns from his game feed? I slapped aside an inept sword thrust, rewarding the Adventurer with a bleeding cut across the forehead before I kicked him into the Tribuli filled ditch. Perhaps they’ll see the error of their ways after they realize they’ve wasted a week for nothing.

  Seeing nearly a dozen of their friends fall, the Outlaws redoubled their efforts, scrambling to press forward and fill the gaps of the fallen or wounded.

  Arrows and magic bolts quickly lost their threat as the crowd pressed in around us, the distant Outlaws across the river unable to find a clear shot at us in the melee. The fight dissolved into sheer butchery, blood spraying everywhere as Drace, Aldwin and I battled with our attackers. Before long Constantine, Jenkins and a handful of the Militia had joined our ranks giving us much needed support as the Outlaws pressed us harder.

  With little room to maneuver and sheer numbers pressing down on us, we all accumulated countless wounds, Shelia’s healing efforts being all that kept us from crossing over Death’s Door.

  Looking across the river, I saw hesitation appearing on the Adventurers faces as they waited to press forward. So far they had lost nearly half of their number and now were having second thoughts of crossing the river.

  “NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” I heard Graves’s hoarse voice bellow from the other side of the river. “YOU IDIOT! You sent them all into prepared defenses! Fall back! FALL BACK!”

  Hearing their leader’s cry, the ragged mass of Outlaws ground to a halt and started to pull away from the edge of the river, those finding themselves stuck on the Aldford side leaping straight into the river, as opposed to waiting for the tiny bridge to clear.

  “They’re retreating!” I screamed, charging forward. “Hit them hard, now!”

  Yelling at the top of my lungs, I shot forward, the rest of the melee fighters not far behind. We thrust forward, abandoning our desperate defense, chasing after the fleeing enemy ranks. I bullied my way forward, intent on causing as much pain as possible.

  We had barely made it to the edge of the bridge before Sierra started to shout loudly towards us. “Heads up! The other Adventurers are moving! Hold on! They seem to be fighting one another!”

  The other Adventurers! My eyes shot open wide as we ground to a halt. I had completely forgotten about the two other groups of Adventurers that Constantine and Natasha had identified. Looking through the crowd of fleeing Outlaws, I could see bursts of magic flaring into the night.

  A sizable group of Adventurers broke off, fleeing towards the east, while even more Adventurers leaped into the water, as they dragged themselves through the river and began to run westwards.

  Shit! The slaves are scattering! What the hell is happening over there?!

  “GRAVES!” A loud feminine voice roared through the air ahead of me. “WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU, GRAVES?!”

  A portion of the enslaved Adventurers split apart from the chaos, all moving directly towards Aldford. My enchanted vision easily pierced through the gloom of the setting sun, giving me clear sight of a tall blonde haired woman leading the group towards us.

  This is just getting more complicated by the moment!

  “GOD DAMN IT!” I heard Graves roar, my eyes quickly turning towards the sound of his voice. I saw him screaming at a nearby subordinate. “THIS IS WHY I TOLD YOU TO STAY BACK! NO MATTER WHAT!”

  I lost whatever else Graves was shouting as a bright crimson aura bloomed around the man. Gone was the bright gleam of the armor he wore, now replaced with glowing red chains that coiled around him.

  What the fuck is that?! I gasped as the rest of the aura coalesced, forming into a ragged crimson spirit that hung over Graves. As it took shape, it assumed a vaguely human form, dressed in similar looking armor to what Graves wore with an ornate crown on its head. Is that a ghost?!

  Somehow detecting my gaze, it turned to look at me with bright scarlet eyes. My heart skipped a beat as a wave of incredible malevolence suddenly washed over me. Staggering back, I saw Graves flinch and turn to look directly at me, rage burning in his gaze.

  Gone was the smooth, pale face that I had first seen when Graves approached Aldford. Now, it was completely covered in blood, with a piece of his lip hanging freely from his mouth, exposing a row of teeth. The two twin wounds on his face continued to bleed freely, turning him into a horrific parody of his uninjured self as blood dripped down onto his armor, marring its once pristine appearance.

  Graves looked at me and spat out a mouthful of blood saying something I couldn’t hear. I saw the spirit raise one of its ethereal hands to point towards me, quickly followed by Graves mimicking the motion. Is that thing controlling him?!

  Before the spirit could finish whatever it had planned, the one remaining half-orc guard grabbed Graves by the shoulder, intent on pulling him away from the battle. At first, Graves resisted, turning to yell at the man, but the guard was insistent and said something to cause Graves to relent, the spirit suddenly fading away as the crimson aura dimmed. They both spun and ran towards the east, all of the Outlaw Adventurers moving to follow, before the rebelling slaves could come into range.

  Running towards the trees, the Outlaws quickly vanished from sight, the rebelling slaves continuing to chase them to the edges of the distant woods.

  It’s over. I looked around the once peaceful field that bordered the southern river of Aldford, finding it now trampled, the ground muddied with blood. I could hear cries of pain, coming from wounded Adventurers that had fallen into the Tribuli filled ditches, begging for someone to come and pull them free.

  “Lyr, are we going to go after them?” Drace asked, blood still dripping from his Bladefang as he indicated the direction that Graves’s group had fled.

  “No.” I shook my head, looking at the scattered groups of Adventurers now loitering around Aldford, all taking furtive glances in our direction. “They likely won’t stop running for a while and I don’t trust having these people on our doorstep while we fuck
around in the woods.”

  “Not to mention only Amaranth, Caius and Lyrian can see in the dark…” Constantine added, panting heavily as he slid up to us. “If we’re running straight through the woods with Light spells shouting where we are, we’re begging to get ambushed. There’s more than enough of them left over to ruin our day still.”

  “…that’s probably a good idea,” Drace conceded, shaking the blood off his weapon. “Fuck, what a mess.”

  I nodded silently in agreement, distantly searching the crowd of Adventurers for the woman that had spoken out earlier. Maybe she’ll have some answers.

  I let out a heavy sigh. Shit just got a lot more complicated.

  Chapter 36