Dodging as a desperate gladius rammed for his kidney, his momentum transformed to a backhand blow effortlessly cleaving through even the reinforced armor of the foe behind him.
Slamming down with his shield as he pivoted and struck yet another opponent, the Dominion soldier’s helmet cracking as blade bit brain and bone before tearing free, the man collapsing to the ground in dying spasms before crumpling to perfect loam, heartbeats later.
“Please!” screamed the panicked man Val crashed into an eyeblink later before dropping to the ground, Val’s blade drinking deep of blood and fear as he plunged it through armor that cracked like porcelain before the hideous strength now infusing Val’s limbs.
A snarl and wrench, and his blade was torn free of the foe now spasming upon the ground.
Val turned to glare his hate at the hundreds of soldiers staring back at him in a ragged line of semi-organized troops forming up a good fifty yards back, thick grass and the fallen all that stood between them.
Some held their blasters like make-shift clubs. Others held daggers, and a full third held equipment suitable for charging a line of blasterfire: reflective tower shields, war hammers, and short thrusting swords held in desperate, shaking hands.
And from their depths an officer appeared, gazing at Val with his jaw tightly clenched, waving a white flag of truce.
“You are a Terran adventurer, are you not? That madness, that power, the bizarre equipment you wield… you must be! Why are you here, butchering us? Dominion troops are off limits to your kind!” His eyes widened as he met the gaze of a wolf eyeing its prey. “We have Elementium! Millions of credits worth of ore! A fortune to last you a lifetime in either world! You… you have completed your quest! You have won! Now take your prize and go!”
Willpower check made! You manage to contain your wrath for a few heartbeats at least. Remarkable!
Val’s eyes burned with hate so profound it transcended mere words.
Save one.
Whispered with the blessing of his goddess, grieving for her people.
“Starfall.”
And those final seconds the doomed soldiers would ever enjoy were spent listening to their commander’s nods, a quartet stepping forward with a massive container, placed in the center of the fifty-yard divide between a blood-drenched Val and half a thousand men.
Opening it to reveal the shimmering sparkle of Elementium-infused crystals, sparkling brilliantly in the Haunting Luminescence now shining over all.
And the air suddenly vibrated with the sound of the soldiers’ doom, the officer and all his men jerking their heads up in confusion just an instant before the white-hot meteor tearing through the sky smashed into them with a titanic shrieking wail.
Val smiled as the shockwave washed over him, paying no mind to the damage blasting through the remnants of his Synergized Ward.
Dominion Forces have been hit by Starfall! Because you can cast Mastered Spells even under a berserker’s fury. How delicious! And your goddess is just as happy as you are! Dominion Forces have suffered Titanic Damage, and you have one additional crater to enjoy! Good thing you didn’t try for Meteor Storm!
Saving throw made! You have suffered 10 damage and 1 light wound due to shockwave! Synergized ward and Druidic armor absorbs all shrapnel! Your Synergized Ward has collapsed!
300 soldiers caught inside fatal range of blast!
Kill on, Avatar of Oblivion!
Val smiled, knowing his old commander would have been proud, having managed to hold his berserker fury at bay just long enough to rain utter dissension and terror among his enemy’s ranks before sinking into the red rage once more.
Where once there had been a coherent force just barely willing to fight the demon in their midst in concert, now there were only terrified men and women desperate to save themselves. Their fear doomed them just as readily as the blade he plunged into scores of disoriented and demoralized soldiers unable even to flee in a straight line as the dizzying effects of the Greater Mana Warping took hold.
Val feasted upon their life force, their dying screams, all the furious potency of their lives channeled to feed the ancient grove two hundred dwarven lives now depended upon.
It was then that he turned to the mine entrance, seeing a furious-looking Dimitry and the men under his command gazing upon the battlefield. Their looks of confusion quickly transforming to horror and disbelief.
Dimitry caught Val’s gaze and snarled, crimson orbs widening as he instantly understood.
“You! You’re the Earth boy who dares the throne! This is your doing. All of it! I will have your head for this, maggot. On here and on Earth as well! I will see your entire family butchered for what you have done!”
Dimitry’s body shook with fury, spittle flying from his mouth as he snarled at a rapidly approaching Val, eyes widening with horror as he peered into his foe’s mind.
Val smiled and allowed him to see it all.
The screams of agony, the wails of desperation clawing at Val’s soul. Eyes tormented with the empty stares of an entire beautiful lost tribe butchered close to extinction, the faces of innocent girls stilled forever in death. And all of it, all of it was due to monsters like the one even now backing up, pummeled by the force of Val’s will, hammered by such visceral recollections that the inquisitor was desperate to pull his mind free.
So shaken was Dimitry by the madness and horror Val had pummeled him with, he only then seemed to realize that a furiously charging Val was rapidly closing, wielding a massive killing blade covered with bitter sharp thorns even now blasting forth for Dimitry’s flesh.
Only then did Val pummel Dimitry with final furious thoughts.
Val had played him for a fool. Both at the spaceport, when he had seized the mechs the inquisitor had thought safely secured, and here, distracting him long enough for Val to close before Dimitry could wear him down, blasting his mind from a distance.
“No!” the man screamed, blasting out with his mind in one final desperate surge.
You have been struck by Psionic Blast! Your ward is already down! You have suffered 150 health, stamina, and Psion damage! Saving throw versus death made! Berserker’s Fury negates all stun and disorientation!
Crying out for his men to save him before his breath was expelled in one shuddering wheeze, gazing up at Val in stupefied horror as the blade of thorns pierced his abdomen.
Val’s terrible smile widened as Dimitry wheezed an agonizing sob, Val slowly extracting the blade, spools of entrails hooked by the thorns.
“Captain Luotsi says hi, motherfucker,” Val snarled, before yanking his blade completely free, leaving the inquisitor to spasm and die in hideous wheezing agony as the berserker tore through dozens of panicked men who had been so eager to cut down two hundred helpless dwarves just minutes ago.
And Val showed every one of those desperate men just as much mercy as they had showed to the confused and terrified women and children they had so ruthlessly cut down.
Day bled into a night of terror and fear for all those who had borne jaded witness to the desperate cries of a clan fading to extinction. And not one soldier was spared death’s bitter retribution, no matter how well they hid, no matter how they pleaded or begged or cried out for mercy when that nightmare avatar tore them free of cover with inhuman strength.
For no cover was safe and no shelter sacred, not even the bowers of friendship and love.
Not even when Val spotted the wild-eyed trooper shrieking for mercy amongst his former companions. His desperate pleas meant nothing when Val yanked the man free of the group before ripping out his throat, turning away from Julia and the others without a word as the dying soldier’s blood splashed over them, his former friends fleeing Val’s presence as fast as their feet could take them.
For Phoebe’s crimson trail led unerringly to all those who had stood idly by as her people were butchered. And Val would see them dead at any price.
Final desperate cries pierced the night as one soldier after another e
ndured the awful agony of bitter ash piercing their pleading flesh, thorns of crimson tears taking their due.
Until at last, it was done.
Quest completed! You have fulfilled the terms of your Oath! Reputation with all surviving dwarves and your goddess has improved! Experience earned! The Grove of Knowledge has been successfully stabilized! Perhaps this ancient tribe might yet see a new dawn. Phoebe has granted you 2 bonus Dominion points. You are 5 away from Overlord Rank 8. - Note! Bloodlink is still in play. You sense other parties long since fled these lands who were also responsible for the desecration of this ancient sect of dwarves! Earn additional experience for every culprit found and slain! - Mandatory extension! Phoebe has no doubt that should you encounter any defiler during your travels, you will bring justice swift and merciless upon their heads! Saving throw bonus extended!
Val crashed to his knees as his madness faded like a furious nightmare of blood he was slowly awakening from. His mind flashed unstintingly upon the scenes of horror and devastation he had witnessed, and the brutal retribution he had delivered. Only then, Psi-sense and stinging eyes sensing not another living soul in sight, did he relieve the awful burden of his heart, soft sobs carrying through the crystal clear night air, a million twinkling stars bearing witness to Val’s tears.
Before stumbling to his feet moments later, wiping away bitter regrets with cold discipline, when all he wanted to do was sink into the ground and sleep the sleep of the dead, knowing his duties were far from over.
They had only just begun.
28
“It is good to see you, king of kings,” declared none other than King Viturlund, gripping Val’s arm with a powerful hand, eyes alight with a fierce sense of pride and hope Val had feared forever lost, after the horrors endured by his tribe.
Val looked around the gate he had just stepped through, eyes wide with relief and awe, gazing at the indescribably beautiful grove now thick and lush all around him, trees grown vibrant and strong. For a moment he thought it a miracle, until he saw the husks of so many trees that had wilted beyond recovery, feeling bitter regret for all the secrets that had no doubt been lost for all time.
“It is a miracle, my liege. And one for which we have you to thank!” declared the powerfully built dwarf even as each and every member of his tribe descended upon Val.
So many brilliant blue eyes shining under the warm crystalline light illuminating the cavern, the dwarves honoring Val with words of reverence and gratitude as two hundred souls bowed before him, and Val’s heart lightened to see at least a few children had made it through.
And a terrible weight of bitter regret upon his heart was eased with the miracle of life, hope, and renewal that he stood in the midst of even now, delighting in the scents of wildflowers, rich loam, and apple blossoms permeating the air.
“Are things truly stable?” Val whispered.
The king smiled. “As much as they can be, Valor.” He chuckled ruefully. “Would that those damn fools hadn’t torn down half our Elementium cavern, we would be right as rain! At least, with the intense arcane radiation now infusing our lands, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about Dominion predators for a very long time.”
“And we will make sure to defend our lands like never before, so no monsters gifted with darkest knowledge on how best to catch us unawares, equipped as they were with exothermics and other forbidden artifacts, showing just how easily our enemies will disregard their own inviolate statutes, should it give them the tiniest speck of advantage in doing so!” declared one of the twelve druids who had once brought Val back from near death.
Val smiled. “May Phoebe's blessings keep you safe, forever more,” he whispered.
The dwarf chuckled softly, donned in soft blue robes they all now wore, and it pleased Val more than he could say, seeing them free of the awful prisoner’s garb they had been forced to wear just hours before. “Those monsters of chrome and steel will make fine shells for golems of leaf and wood. Thus, with our foe’s favored weapons rendered inert by the very mana field that will allow us to raise multiple wood golems, we will enjoy a strength we have been denied for countless centuries!”
Val nodded. “And Haunting Luminescence should make it very hard for any foe to find the mine or the town, let alone fight in any sort of coordinated fashion.”
The king frowned before slowly nodding. “I think I understand the meaning of your words. Yes, the enchantments I feel radiating through our lands should do much to keep our enemies at bay.”
Val flashed a bleak smile. “And should all the bastards involved in your discovery and capture wind up worm food, no one will ever have reason to investigate this mostly abandoned territory anyway.”
The king roared with dark mirth. “Well said, Valor Hunter! The grove herself, blossoming rich and full like I have not seen in centuries, lends credence to your words. Truly, you are your namesake.”
Val shrugged. “Who knows? Perhaps it will turn out that the excavators hadn’t destroyed the mine as much as we had first thought. Perhaps the inert hunks will even collapse in positions so convenient it actually serves to reinforce mine and mountain, limestone deposits no doubt forming quickly after in this high mana environment, until the entire cavern is as strong and sturdy as any dwarf could want.”
Now the king and near half his followers were gazing at Val incredulously as he smiled, accessing his Dominion Matrix.
You have chosen to invest 2 territory points in preserving imperiled resources!
Tier 5 Elementium mine has been stabilized! It seems that industrial equipment once used to destroy the mine has collapsed in the perfect position to fortify the damaged structure instead. You can all but sense the limestone deposits forming on the rapidly rusting frames of those inert mechanical behemoths, the gentle rain washing away all signs of your bloody frenzy from the land even now! No doubt new Elementium crystals will provide fantastic additional structural support before blossoming into a Tier 8 ore haul unlike anything Falinnlund has ever seen before, as all arcane resources enjoy a permanent increase in potency by 3 tiers, thanks to Greater Mana Warping!
Ancient Faerie refinery restored! - Perhaps those beautiful clockwork refineries and the pristine town adjoining it aren’t quite so doomed as had first appeared. Perhaps there are indeed ancient and powerful faerie magics entwined in their construction, such that entropy’s grip will fade with the first days of spring, restored once more to the pristine state it had always been in, but a glimpse of the eternal seasons the original makers have embraced once more, after tasting mortal folly for too brief a time.
Who knows? Perhaps, sensing the unlimited arcane potential now a part of these lands, as much faerie tale as reality, the faeries will once more feel right at home!
All wonders have been fully restored! Your territory receives Bastion Status! As destiny’s benevolence washes over it, tales of horror will be few and far between! Abominations, Undead, and Horrors will never manifest within these lands unless deliberately summoned, no matter the mana concentrations! The spontaneous formation of arcane sentiences coming into being as woodland spirits—Selkies, Dryads, and Nymphs—are, however, quite likely.
Expect mixed offspring in future generations of man to settle upon these lands, assuming their fay mates and the dwarves themselves don’t kill them first!
Your Territory has become a Bastion of hope and possibility, home to at least one legendary act responsible for altering the course of fate for one race or tribe, or otherwise pleasing to the gods. Your Provinces now have the potential to serve as the catalyst inspiring growth and wonder throughout the land! Significant tracts of territory unclaimed by any saga or destiny abut your domain! Do you wish to claim all adjoining Neutral Territories between your Provinces? Warning, this will only affect neutral territories unbroken by contested regions! Cost: 4 territory points! Y/N
You have chosen yes! Falinnlund has been chosen as the lynchpin!
But there is peril in pitting the force and flow of
your destiny against the universe at large.
Save versus Oblivion! Charisma, Luck, and Willpower modifiers in effect!
Success! You feel Falinnlund’s endless potential fusing with that of forest and field as far as the eye can see! So much of the Southern Continent remains untouched by any save the wildest influences, endless potential at last collapsing into a wave function you alone can sense! Falinnlund is now a Tier 10 Legendary Territory connected to Greengrove and Ormur Provinces. You have earned 1 Dominion Point! 4 more needed to achieve Level 8 Overlord!
Val’s eyes widened with awe, not only from the notifications, but the sense that the true scope of his acquisition stretched far beyond a simple town and priceless mine. Falinnlund’s domain now spread all the way to Greengrove Province, many miles to the Southwest, and Ormur Province, a considerable distance to the Southeast. He could sense that it was the unbroken connections between his territories that had allowed him to perform the feat. As it stood, Val sensed a tiny domain within his lands, now surrounded by what was effectively Falinnlund on all sides. But since it hadn’t blocked the sides of the massive triangle formed by his three minor territories serving as points, Val had been allowed to proceed.
Val shivered as the true scope of his joined territory washed over him, breathless with awe as he communed with the massive forests, fields, lakes, and mountains that were now a part of his domain. He viscerally recalled the hours long Veli-ride and more recent journey by Spirit Mount he and his companions had taken to get here, all of them enjoying the sight of pristine deserts, grasslands, and forests along the way, with almost no trace of human habitation seen during their journey.
Val laughed with wonder. As impressive as it was to feel the forces of fate and destiny controlling that beautiful land flow through him, he knew it was only the tiniest sliver of the Southern continent as a whole. Yet at that moment, he realized he had before him the key to victory.
Oblivion's Crown Page 35