Legendary Weapons

by Andrew Bardsley

  The king moved in a blurring pattern around the defenders, cutting a head off here, stabbing someone else in chest there. Within a brief second, the macabre dance of death was over as it had all been too quick for Ceras to follow.

  Ceras allowed his vaporizing energy sphere to disperse, and started to shoot off white-hot fireballs at people who were running into the hall to engage in the fight. Each shot entered the victim's body and exploded, spraying a red mist in the surrounding area. It did not take long for the king and Ceras to clear the room of guards, allowing them access to the stairway at the back.

  The king ran at full tilt toward the stairway, climbing two steps at a time with Ceras following closely behind. The path up the spiral staircase to the top of the tower was empty of anybody trying to prevent their ascent to where Ceras had detected the staff.

  Passing several doors to different stories, they eventually reached the top of the tower, where they were faced with a small wooden door blocking their way into the room at the top. Before Ceras could blast it with a spell, the king shot several fireballs through the door, smashing it into smithereens. Kicking the remainder of the door in, he entered the circular room at the top of the tower.

  The room was bare except for a few pieces of wooden furniture that were on fire from the fireball spells that had entered the room. Against one of the walls of the room was Moryam, the Duke of Riverwind, bound by hand and leg cuffs which were chained to the wall with thick metal links.

  Beside him was a wizard with Ceras’ staff in his hand. The tip of the staff was glowing red as if it was hot metal. The duke’s body was covered with burns - the wizard had evidently been using the staff to torture him. The duke glanced toward the king and Ceras as they entered. Ceras saw that his previous arrogance was long gone and had been replaced by despair.

  Looking at the king with pleading eyes that had burns around the eyelids, no doubt from the wizard’s torturous treatment of him, the duke mouthed the word, ‘Please’.

  The wizard moved back with a demented cry, sounding like a child prevented from playing with his favorite toy. Taking cover at the back of the room, he placed a thick blue shield in front of his body and started to blast fireballs at the king and Ceras. The fireballs were all deflected by the magic that Ceras had in place, and the flames crested like waves over his shield.

  The barrage of fireballs kept coming from the wizard's staff, requiring Ceras to pull more energy from his own legendary staff to keep his shield from falling. Then both the king and Ceras, as if as one, started to fire their own burning hot fireballs at the wizard, who was now backing into a corner. The wizard’s face turned to fear - he was like a cornered animal, realizing he was trapped.

  “He deserved everything that I could inflict on him!” screamed the wizard in a panicked shout. “With this staff I could put right all the wrongs he has ever done to this province, if you’d only allow me!”

  As the terrified wizard shouted these words, he increased the flow of fireballs spraying across the room toward the king and Ceras behind their protective shield, that fortunately continued to hold. In return, the king and Ceras concentrated on increasing their protection and fireballs to match the wizard.

  At his side, Ceras saw the king’s sword’s flame extinguish as it ran out of magical power. The king then ran forward, hitting at the wizard’s shield with mighty blows of the sword, the sounds reverberating around the tower room.

  The stalemate continued for a few more minutes as the pair continued to attack the frantic wizard, whose face now displayed only desperation. Suddenly, as if a tap had been turned off, the wizard's shield fell as fireballs stopped shooting out from his staff. The king simply pressed forward and beheaded the man, causing the staff to drop as the wizard’s body fell to the ground.

  Stepping forward, the king picked up the staff and threw it to Ceras for safekeeping. With a look of mercy in his large face, the king walked over to the burned and bruised body of the duke and said, “We have fought many battles, and were good friends once. Maybe we can be friends again.”

  With that, he thrust his sword into the duke's throat, killing him instantly and giving him a clean death.

  Epilogue

  The king looked at Ceras with a grim smile and said, “Well, we managed to do it, my boy.”

  He threw his legendary sword across the room for Ceras to catch. His smile was sad. “I would like you to destroy all of the legendary weapons. You have seen how much trouble they can bring upon a kingdom. Next time it could be much worse.”

  Ceras looked at the three weapons that he had placed at his feet and thought about what could have happened with just one weapon in the wrong hands for too long.

  Maybe now is not the time for people to have weapons of such power. I can always create them later if there is a need.

  With this resolve, he cast the spell of recreation and each of the weapons started to glow red as the material dissolved, and sped into his bag of holding to be used in the future. The king nodded with a smile of acceptance. “Good choice. Think more carefully in the future when you create any more. Are you coming back with me, Ceras?”

  “No. I think that I am going to follow the warrior's path for a while and see about becoming legendary in two classes.”

  “That’s for the best. You may want to find some quiet place outside the kingdom to do that, as you'll be noticed here.”

  “What are you going to do, Your Majesty?”

  “I need to get back to my army in the quickest way possible - a tactical death, which should give you a chance to escape to the east where the kingdom butts up against an empire. I would advise that you head there for a while.”

  Ceras nodded as the two left the room, his mind filled with thoughts about the future of becoming a real wizard-warrior and everything it would entail.

  Additional book by Andrew Bardsley

  The First Era: The History System Chronicles

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LDZSH9Y/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

  A man is transported to a new world, given magical power, and left to survive. He has a bit of help, from a mysterious system with a none helpful personality. This book contains LitRPG based element as part of the magical system in the world.

  Following is an extract from the Book:

  They were both standing on the platform by the palisade, looking across the plains. As the light began to fade both of them could see a group of creatures walking up the hill in a disorganized crowd. It was the goblins. There seemed to be no organization and even some fighting. When the crowd was about fifty meters from the palisade, one larger goblin started to shouting and hitting others, forming them up into rough ranks. Ahava felt a cold sweat on his brow, but Olga was giving off an air of excitement.

  The large goblin signaled to some goblins with drums. The drums started the beat. “Boom, Boom, Boom...”

  The sound of the drums continued. The goblins were dressed in fur rags, each with a spear with a stone head or clubs. Some of the goblins had blood smeared across their faces in horizontal patterns. The drum sound continued to intensify. At a signal from the leader, the goblins roared and charged forward.

  The battle had begun. The goblins ran, some using their hands like four legs. Soon they were at the ditch with the wooden spikes. Some of them tried to leap across the ditch but fell short and were impaled on the wooden stakes. Ahava could hear the cries of the wounded. Others slowly crawled down into the ditch, avoiding the stakes. Ahava and Olga had a supply of large stones, which they started to throw onto the goblins in the ditch. A lot of the rocks hit the goblins, crushing their heads and bodies. A number of goblins reached the palisade and started to climb up. Some of them were knocked off by the stones. Ahava and Olga ran out of stones to throw.

  Ahava used his spear to stab the goblins while they were climbing up the wooden wall. Olga was moving around in a type of dance, chopping with her ax at any goblins that came over the wall. The speed of the ax was a blur of mo
vement. Ahava saw severed heads flying in all directions from the axes Olga was wielding. There were bits of goblin all around the platform. One goblin managed to bite Ahava on the arm. Ahava pulled out his knife and stabbed the goblin in the eye. It screamed and fell back into the ditch.

  The sheer numbers of the goblins were starting to overwhelm the two on the platform. At a prearranged signal from Olga, both of them withdrew. Navigating the route between small pit traps and through a hole in the thorn wall, they retreated toward the cliffs. Ahava blocked off the hole with thorns.

  Their backs were against a large bonfire. The goblins started to run across the area with the pit traps. Many of the first ones fell into the traps and were skewered on the wooden spikes. The followers managed to avoid the pits. The goblins were now pressing against the barrier of thorns. Ahava and Olga started to throw burning wood at the goblins. This set some of the dry material that had been placed before the thorns alight. Some of the goblins burned from the fire. To Ahava’s amazement, the goblins started to climb over the thorn bushes. They seemed to be in such a rage to get at Ahava and Olga that it did not matter the pain they were in.

  Olga had ordered Ahava to not get in her way if the goblins got to the open area past the thorns. He was told to only kill any that were on the edges. As some of the goblins finished climbing over the thorn bushes, Olga attacked with her ax. To watch this was like seeing a beautiful dance, full of grace and power. Heads and pieces of the goblin's bodies went flying everywhere. Ahava used his spear to stab any goblins that tried to make a getaway from Olga’s dance of death. Soon there were no goblins left except the large one, who was the leader. He had been pushing his goblins forward with kicks and punches.

  The City god: The History System Chronicles

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PT716FY/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

  Second Book in the 'The History System Chronicles'

  This book contains LitRPG based element as part of the magical system in the world.

  Following is an extract from the Book:

  Namzu spoke urgently to the now awoken group of adventurers putting on their armor, “We’ll have to defend the cave from mountain trolls and cyclops, Istar and Etel-Pisha, go now and harass the oncoming enemy while we prepare for the attack. Hurry, you need to buy us enough time to clear the ground for our stand.”

  Istar indicated to Etel-Pisha to follow her to attack the column of monsters, before they reached the cave. They both ran for about ten minutes in the bright moon light, until they could hear the movement of the trolls and cyclops, moving along the path towards the cave. The two took up sheltered positions amongst different outcrops of rock, as soon as the first troll appeared Istar started to shoot her arrows. The first arrow flashed across the intervening distance like a bolt of light, shrieking and then thudding with the impact into the troll's chest, and out the other side. For a few seconds the large troll kept moving, as if nothing had happened, then it fell face first into the road. The troll behind it roared in anger, as moved it forward with no thought for protection. Now Etel-Pisha shot out fireballs, lighting up the area and revealing his position. The fireballs and arrows were hitting the trolls, causing damage as the trolls found themselves alight or with bloody gaping holes from where the arrow had hit. The onslaught of trolls caused the two adventures to retreat, as they could not kill enough to hold their position. Istar and Etel-Pisha ran until they could find another position to attack the oncoming column from. The process of attacking from positions along the trail continued until the two found themselves back the caves entrance. The trolls kept using the same tactic of charging at every attack, ignoring the casualties this caused in their rage. Istar had commented to Etel-Pisha that they were determined but not very bright. The slower cyclops were always behind at the back of the column, and so were not attacked by the arrows and fireball.

  The harrying had brought the required time and as they reached the cave mouth, the rest of the adventurers had formed a shield wall with a killing ground in front of it. Each of the shield men had a bundle of spears taken from the dragon's horde. As the trolls started to charge into the killing ground Namzu ordered the three shield men and one shield minotaur, to throw all at once.

  Co-ordinated, as if through years of long practice, each of them released the spears as one. The four-spears flew across the distance hitting the first four mountain trolls. Each spear impaled a troll and then rammed into the ground behind them keeping the troll bodies standing like grotesque marionettes. The process was repeated again and again as the remaining trolls charged forward. Soon the adventures could see the cyclops at the back moving towards the front. All of them stood taller than Asterion by several feet. On the side of the shield wall, Istar shot off arrows at the cyclops heads to take out their single eyes. Several cyclops were hit in the face, and the arrow ends protruded out of their cheeks, as the tough bone had prevented them entering the skull. Soon the cyclops were in range of the spear throwers, and as the spears hit their bodies, they pierced but did not stop them coming. The first slow-moving cyclops eventually reached the shield wall, spears sticking out of its body with arrows peppering its face. Using its massive club that looked to be a whole tree, the cyclops swept and crashed against Nasha’s shield. If the shield had not been strengthened and Nasha was not stronger, then he would have been thrown backwards from the strike into the cave wall. Gritting his teeth and strengthening his grip, he was able to hold his position, moving back less than a foot in total.

  The Unknown god: The Dark Part of the Soul

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S7YJYCM

  William faces death by execution for a murder he swears he did not commit, while Michael meets his end at the hands of a gang rival in a knife fight. Jane wins her latest legal battle but loses her life in the moments after, as the convicted murderer chokes her to death on the courtroom floor. And Evon? She wants to replace her rival for the affections of a crime boss but feels the sharp pain of death instead.

  Now these four, departed from the world of men, find themselves at a climactic crossroads in a world that is stranger than any fiction, inhabited by armies of orcs and fire-breathing dragons; a world that is ruled by four Gods for their own pleasures.

  But a new God is coming. And this one is intent on restoring the balance to the world and replacing the chaos with order. How will four travellers fare in a land that is beyond death and which holds terrors like nothing they have experienced before?

  Into the Ether: The Ether World Series

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MQC26LX/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

  Chris Smith, a brilliant researcher, is the first person to discover an entirely new branch of magic inscriptions. The four elemental pillars have been used since mankind learned to scribe, but the world is about to change with the realization that space-time can also be affected.

  Chris is ready to lead the charge in making the new world, operating out of a magical start-up with his closest friend. His ideas will be just the beginning. However, when Chris is betrayed, his life is sent spinning in a chaotic downward spiral, leaving him with nothing but his wits.

  Engaging and fast-paced ‘Into the Ether’ spins a story of magic, intrigue, and determination.

  Following is an Extract from the book:

  Chris delayed a few moments longer until he heard the sound of a group of charging footsteps. As Chris looked back, he saw about seven men from the Panther gang running towards the other thugs. The lead fighter of the Panther gang stopped at about two meters distance away from the five thugs and made a sudden movement with his gloved hand. Out of his hand, a bolt of electricity shot out and hit one of the five. The bolt at first, fizzed over some protective clothing without effect and then the thug who was the target started to spasm in pain. The man finally collapsed onto the ground, and the electricity stopped, as the gloved Panther made another hand gesture. With one down the four thugs were attacked using stun rods, two of the thugs that were left a
ctivated the inscriptions on their clothing to flare with the absorption of power but were eventually taken down by the sheer overwhelming force of all seven Panthers. All of the Panthers were well armed and protected by magical devices that glowed with use.

  The conflict between the criminal gangs, was quickly over and the leader of the Panthers pulled out a farseeing device for instruction on what to do with the other gang members. Soon a magical hovering platform arrived, and the rival gang members were loaded on to it. A large sheet was then used to cover them as they were taken away.

  The Inscribed Angle: The Ether World Series

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NHBP8TR/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3

  This is an extract from the book:

  Ross whispered to Freya roughly, “Time for us, well me at least, to start earning the money. I know that Jack has gone through this briefing already but I’m going to repeat it once. Only hit the targets that are indicated in your farseeing goggles, those are connected to the combat net with the plan uploaded into them. It is most important that you limit the effects to the designated areas, as if you injure or kill any of our people it will not go well. I’ll be keeping an eye on you to make sure nothing goes wrong. If you just do what is in the command net, everything will be okay. Got it rookie?”

  Freya gave a quick, “Yes sir,” and put on her farseeing goggles.

  As soon as she put on the goggles, the whole valley lit up, as if it were day. She could see the fire teams moving closer to the compound. As Freya, concentrated on each member, she was able to see detail of the persons health and who they were. The system also lit up the enemy combatants. For the next half an hour, Freya was able to watch the fire team move from cover to cover to the side of the compound. The movement was a fluid motion of one team's movement and the other team covering. As the fire team reached the edge of the compound, one of its members sent out a mist from his hands. This mist slowly dispersed any magical runes or alarms inscribed on the fence, where the teams would be breaching. Freya zoomed in with her goggles and watched the same man use a small flame, from his finger, to cut a hole in the wire fencing. The fire team moved through the hole and started moving toward a building at the back of the compound. In there was the figure of a woman marked in green as the target for extraction. The first fire team went in for the extraction, as the second guarded the exit route. As they went inside the building Freya started to see the enemy combatants being blasted by stun, fire, force and close combat magic. Every now and then, the mercenaries would be hit by a blast on their shield, but none of her team were down yet.