Black Flame in the Barren Steppe: Epic LitRPG (Realm of Arkon, Book 8)

by G. Akella

  Are you ready, Dark One? the goddess' voice sounded in my head, soft yet tense.

  I rose from the log and slowly turned around.

  Everyone was assembled. Kahella was standing fifteen feet behind me, surrounded by four hulking orcs. Clad in a full suit of black iron, she shouldered a striking flamberge with curves spanning two-thirds of the blade's length. Her hair pulled back in a ponytail, with delicate fangs jutting out over her lower lip that only added to her stark beauty, the goddess was the manifestation of every comic-loving teenager's wet dream. A tall burly orc stood several yards behind her, surrounded by five translucent essences. With gray hair, arms that reached almost to his knees, and broad hands clutching a staff with a scowling wolf muzzle for a tip, Dhoresh looked like a mountain gorilla or maybe a rearing grizzly. The level 510 ethereal essences must have been the god's companions. Two of them had humanoid shapes, and the other three resembled varicolored octopuses. The Lord of the Ether was quiet. He was always quiet—the spirits spoke on his behalf. Were I a proper mage, he probably would have buffed me. Alas...

  I nodded to the gods, putting a hand on the hilt on my sword. "Bestower of Will, Lord of the Ether... I am ready."

  "Vill is waiting for us in the valley, two miles south of here."

  The goddess made a subtle gesture in my direction.

  You are endowed with Kahella' Blessing. Duration: 120 minutes.

  20% increase to armor class.

  20% increase to maximum Water Magic resistance.

  20% increase to maximum Air Magic resistance.

  20% increase to maximum Earth Magic resistance.

  20% increase to maximum Fire Magic resistance.

  20% increase to maximum Mental Magic resistance.

  20% increase to maximum Dark Magic resistance.

  20% increase to maximum Nature Magic resistance.

  20% increase to maximum Light Magic resistance.

  Health regeneration equal to 30% of total HP per second.

  My mental and dark magic resistances had already been maxed, and now all of them were. And then there was the most insane regen I had ever seen. It was the mother of all buffs.

  "We will attack the morts right away," Kahella continued. "Try and keep Vill occupied and away from us."

  "I will try."

  "Then let's go!"

  Reality blinked again.

  Framed by steep hills, the valley spanned no more than three hundred yards across. Grass didn't grow here, at least not any longer. Every inch of the ground was coated with gray ash that wouldn't even move under gusts of warm western wind. There were no undead anywhere in sight—they were all off fighting the orcs. But I'm not here for the undead...

  Vill stood about fifty yards away, his hands lowered, and watching us calmly. Now more than ever he reminded me of a grown Draco Malfoy from the latter Harry Potter films. If Draco Malfoy were a twenty-five-foot-tall level 760 giant with thirty billion HP. His health had been two thirds that number the last time we met. Guess you've been eating well, shithead. He wore a black tunic under a black mantle adorned with silver runes. His right hand clutched the hilt of an enormous two-handed sword whose tip rested on the ground before him. The morts were frozen thirty yards behind their master, forming a right triangle that made them ideal targets for our battle plan. The fallen ones looked exactly how I remembered them from our last encounter. Paws that were both like a lion's and like a bird's, with rat tails and dozens of twitching tentacles each. It gave me great satisfaction to note that one of them had barely over thirty percent HP. Everything that happened in Vynnern wasn't for nothing.

  So, Roman, you have come, his voice rustled in my head. And you've brought help. Two gods who are as good as dead, and their servants. I've been waiting for you... Finally, my patience has paid off.

  "Attack!" Kahella commanded curtly. In a fraction of a second, both she and Dhoresh blew up to a height of twenty five feet, and each leaped to their target. The goddess took the right mort, and the Lord of the Ether engaged the wounded one on the left.

  The monsters roared, making the ground around them crack open and disgorge jets of black flame. The companions followed their gods in attacking the morts.

  Keeping my eyes locked on Vill, I stepped forward, ripped the scroll from my waist, aimed it at the Twice Cursed God and clenched my fist. The seal broke open with a crunch, and a spark flew out of my hand and at Vill. With a smile on his lips, he stepped forward and raised his sword, the flat of his blade facing out. The spark hit the blade and faded harmlessly as the system log spewed out a message about it being resisted. Hart! That's impossible! No being of this realm could resist the magic of the Overlord. It had said so on the scroll, and Ahriman had confirmed it.

  Did you think I wouldn't foresee this trick of yours? The god's sarcastic voice sounded in my head. The next moment, Vill was behind Dhoresh. He swung and dealt a chopping blow with his monstrous sword.

  Tied up by the mort, the Lord of the Ether could not defend himself. Nearly twenty percent of his HP flew off him in one fell swoop.

  Cursing my tardiness, I Jumped forward forty yards and dashed in the Twice Cursed God's direction. Just then, the mort grabbed the Lord of the Ether with four tentacles and attempted to knock him to the ground, ignoring the attacks of the ethereal beings. Dhoresh kept his footing. It wasn't until Vill delivered another chopping blow that I realized what an idiot I was.

  Spear of Chaos! A brilliantly dark missile shot out of my hand and slammed into Vill's unprotected side.

  "Take that, bitch!" I whispered, popping Dispersion and falling back, hoping that the attack will have distracted the Twice Cursed God from my allies.

  Glimpsing the steel that glinted in the sunlight, I raised my shield just in time. A blow of incredible power knocked me back a dozen feet, taking off a third of my HP. Hart! That was with my shield blocking over eighty percent damage and stopping ninety seven percent inertia of all attacks!

  "I'm getting sick and tired of you, Roman!" Vill spat through clenched teeth as he materialized out of the air. He hefted his sword and stepped toward me.

  Infernal Rage! I rolled forward, ducking under his next attack. I'm not so easy so catch these days, asshole. I landed a crit with Ice Blade, Jumped behind him and followed with Tongue of Flame. Then I rolled left, letting the steel swoosh past to my right. Leaping to my feet, I laughed in the god's face as he turned around.

  "I see you've fattened up. But your aim is as crooked as ever!"

  "Keep laughing, demon..." Vill pointed with the tip of his sword, leaped to the left and twisted into another chopping blow.

  The two-hander struck the ashy ground as I side-stepped, then countered with Ice Blade. Hart! The scumbag had fully recovered his HP. One hundred twenty million in a matter of seconds! Was that his normal regeneration or did he have the same buff as me?

  The morts roared and howled as they were being battered. Massive boulders were raining down from the sky, crashing with thunder and fury against the ground that was beginning to look like the seventh circle of hell, with gaping fissures, fire and smoke. Perfectly black clumps of Primordial Darkness swirled around the Fallen Ones. It was early in the fight, but things were looking good for our side. Dhoresh had about half his HP left while his opponent was down to just over fifteen percent. Kahella had lost a companion and about a quarter of her health, but her mort was already halfway down. Just five more minutes!

  Vill lunged again. I ducked under the blade, blocking it with my shield. Ice Blade—crit! I rolled through his wide-set feet. Tongue of Flame! Due to the great difference in height, all my strikes landed in the shin and knee area. Vill spun around in a sweeping attack—I leaped back, letting the tip of his sword swish past an inch from my chest. Then I Jumped back forty yards and fired off Spear of Chaos. Come on, shithead. We're not done yet.

  The god materialized beside me. I caught the blow with my shield, but the impact still threw me back and took off nearly half my HP this time. I advanced in zi
gzag, landed another Ice Blade, and rolled back. Kahella's buff had me back to full health in no time, alleviating the pain in my back. Vill spun around again, his lips curled in another malicious smile. Tossing his sword into his left hand, he threw up his right sharply.

  Die! his voice sounded in my head.

  The ashy ground below turned black as hostile magic shackled my feet, and my health began to rapidly dwindle. Kahella's buff kept regenerating my HP, steady as ever, but I was still losing about five percent every second. You bitch! Jump, Step through Darkness and Infernal Rage were all on cooldown. Could this really be the end?! Vill wasn't able to move either in maintaining the nasty spell, but what was I to do? I would croak before Jump reset! My health plunged into the yellow as pain shot through my lower back. Seconds later, into the red! A veil of bloody fog went up before my eyes as the rage pumping in my temples washed over me completely. The hilt of my sword was suddenly scorching hot. I struggled for breath and felt the ground come flying from under my feet. Power was coursing through my veins, flushing out the smallest trace of pain and despair, rebounding my HP bar out of the red. The next moment, the Elder Demon's black blade fell with a crunch onto the shoulder of a much-surprised Vill. Crit! Nearly ten percent HP came flying off the flustered god.

  "Well, asshole, ready to play?" I roared with laughter, not recognizing my own voice.

  Vill's HP was restored by the next tick. Returning the sword back to his right hand, he leaped into an attack, but this time I blocked the blow with my shield without difficulty. All of my icons had disappeared after shifting forms, leaving only raw power and the sword that had jumped in levels alongside me. I would reflect on what was happening later—for now, I had a bastard god to kill! My next attack took off five percent. The Twice Cursed One parried with his sword, jumped back forty yards, and threw up a hand—the left one this time. A gray fog blanketed the valley some fifty yards behind him, out of which a century of level 400 death knights emerged a second later. Followed by a second century, and then a third one. The astonishment on Vill's face turned to triumph.

  "That bitch can't save you now! You've surprised me, Roman, but you're not getting out of this alive!"

  As he dropped his hand, nearly four legions of death knights lowered their pikes and broke into a gallop.

  Step through Darkness and Jump were both on cooldown, and I had no area-of-effect spells. My wife had simply granted me her power and life as an Elder Demon. Still, I had no intention of dying here today. I stuck out my shield and held my sword sideways.

  "Come at me, you scum..."

  "Close your lines! Rows three and six, pikes in front! Back rows support front rows!"

  A familiar legion appeared out of nowhere in the path of the accelerating death knights. Just like that time in the Saakum Gorge, only this time it wasn't the demons attacking. You will see them again, Dark One, those had been Gunbrand's words from a month ago. And indeed, here they were...

  The valley shook from the impact of steel against steel. The dwarven formation bent but didn't break. Riderless bone horses skidded along the blood-soaked ground.

  Enthralled by the spectacle, I missed Vill appearing on my right and landing a blow with his two-hander.

  "Bastard!"

  According to the System's laws, neither he nor I could leave the field of battle. Changing forms had given me more health but removed Kahella's buff. I had about three-quarters HP left, and couldn't afford to miss any more attacks. And I wouldn't. I just hoped the dwarves would hold out.

  Blocking the two-hander with my shield, I countered with a blow that took off ten percent of Vill's HP, which was restored by the next heartbeat. How do you beat that crazy regen...

  An mounted orc appeared on the hill to my right. His black-as-night warg threw up its head and howled, the sound drowning out even the din of battle down in the valley. Karrosh an Ghort raised his axe overhead and bellowed something, sending forth a legion of wolf-riders beyond the ridge and toward the left flank of the undead army fighting the dwarves. Yet again, Providence was evening the odds, which meant that my entire path hadn't been traveled for naught. I parried another attack, side-stepped and countered. Vill's mantle was ridden with holes, but his health was stubbornly holding the one hundred percent mark. Another block, another side-step, another counter... Strangely, he wasn't attempting any spells aside from the one that had nearly killed me and to summon the death knights. Perhaps even the gods were subject to rules they couldn't break. And that was good! In terms of swordsmanship, he was nowhere near my equal.

  We're here, Dark One! I heard Kahella's weary voice in my head.

  A lightning bolt struck at Vill's chest just as an arrow plunged into it. Ruination followed with a sweeping blow that pushed the Twice Cursed God's health to eighty five percent. But the next second the HP was back to full. Hart!

  "Lowly worms! Nothing you do can hurt me!" Vill growled, then leaped at Dhoresh and dealt him a crushing blow.

  His health down to eleven percent, the Lord of the Ether staggered, the staff slipping out of his hands, and collapsed to the ground. In this world, even the gods could feel pain. Kahella came to Dhoresh's rescue just in time, kicking Vill away from the dying god with great force. Two massive two-handers clashed in midair. As I ran up next, the goddess shifted to give me space, the sword in her hands morphing into a curved bone bow. Block, side-step, counter. When will you die already?!

  Two figures in flowing black cloaks appeared on the hill from which the orcs had attacked the death knights.

  I told you that you'll break your teeth against this demon, brother... the familiar voice seemed to be everywhere, both in my head and reverberating over the valley, drowning out all other noises.

  As Celphata raised her hand, a gray haze shrouded the Twice Cursed God's figure. An arrow flew into his shoulder, taking off five percent HP, and a chopping blow from Ruination took off five more. A few seconds passed without the god's health bar being replenished. Celphata had dispelled his regen—this was the end!

  Vill knew he had lost, but he didn't even flinch. Half a minute later, when the god's HP was down to ten billion, strange blue vortexes began swirling around the Twice Cursed God's feet. Five billion... Suddenly he tossed aside his sword, spread his arms wide and bellowed:

  "Finish it!"

  Another arrow to the chest, a strike by Ruination, and the blue vortex shrouded the god from head to toe, swallowing Kahella's next arrow as if it were a fly caught in jelly. There was a clap, and Ruination sliced through thin air where the Twice Cursed God had just stood.

  "Hart! How did that bastard escape?!" the hills themselves seemed to tremble at the rage in my voice.

  He escaped! I'm sorry, Jaelitte, I have failed... A crimson fog flashed before my eyes. The ground came flying toward me, followed by total darkness.

  Sometimes you don't feel like doing anything or even thinking. All you want to do is to lie there and gaze at the sky. Dazzling white clouds floated leisurely in the infinite blue above. The sun had crossed its zenith, and a soft breeze was gently tickling my right cheek. It all seemed so idyllic if not for the heavy load on my heart.

  "You seem distraught, Dark One," came Celphata's soft voice.

  "You can say that again."

  I rose to my feet to greet the goddess, and nodded to Master Diarten behind her.

  Celphata continued. "You have destroyed the morts. It was they that had given Vill his incredible regeneration. It kept working even after the Fallen Ones' demise. But he will not be able to summon anyone else again. The Darkness won't forgive him the deaths of its children. Even if he manages to recover his strength by some miracle, he'll hole up in some remote corner and hide there. He's amassed far too many debts."

  With huge brown eyes, immaculate skin and a mane of thick black hair secured with a silver pin, the goddess looked as flawless as ever. Diarten stood behind her with his head slightly lowered, deep in thought. Vaessa would be happy to learn that her father hadn't perished.r />
  "I needed him, his essence," I said, then motioned at the corpses. "Where is everyone?"

  "The orcish and dwarven forces left after I finished off the surviving death knights. For good this time. Kahella went north with Dhoresh's body to put an end to this battle. She asked that you wait for her return. As for me..." Celphata looked away, then back at me. "You know the story. There is not a creature in this whole realm that I owe a debt as big as I do to you. You may count on my assistance and support in any endeavor. Always."

  "I'm happy to hear it," I smiled, sheathing Ruination which I had been holding up until now.

  Your reputation has increased. Orcs relate to you with reverence.

  Attention! You have garnered the attention of a higher being. Kahella, the Goddess of Will, is friendly to you.

  Attention! You have garnered the attention of a higher being. Dhoresh, the Lord of the Ether and Ethereal Essences, is friendly to you.

  Well, that was the end of that story. The undead never did take the steppe.

  "I'll be going now, Dark One," Celphata put a hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. "Tell the girl that the ring can now be activated. Good luck to you. And goodbye."

  As Celphata vanished in the air, a rider in a red-crested Corinthian helm rode into the gorge on a lizard. Following him was a woman in black leather accompanied by a couple of ten-foot-tall dragons. And five others after her. Kan pulled on the reigns, allowing Vaessa to pass.

  "Father!" the demoness shouted joyously from afar.

  She braked her lizard, hopped off and embraced me.

  "I see you've been busy even without us, dar," she grinned through the tears, gesturing at the blackened mort carcasses. "You'll tell us all about that later. For now..."

  "Go to your father," I smiled, handing her a handkerchief.

  "Yes, of course!" wiping away treacherous tears, Vaessa stuffed the handkerchief in her pocket and headed over to Diarten.