Chapter 319

Al-Safa, Syria, 1:34 AM

I took my time inside the pillar of fire that Maahir unleashed. Now that he was dead, its power had dispersed drastically though it was still going in a lasting attempt to avenge him. His body had been brought into my inventory and I had taken everything of value, something that normally would have taken minutes without the mental access I gained through Entwined With The System. After that was finished, I put him back so he could cremate himself.

Ash most certainly could have used the corpse, but I couldn’t do that to Maahir. He had been an ally before and, despite what was happening now, he deserved better. She had enough Angelic materials from me, anyway, not that she would ever agree with that statement.

Without the extra power it had when its master was alive, the attack’s heat barely touched me through my various resistances against the flames. I was actually healing through the damage, though it would take longer than the spell would be active for to reach my max hit points. I had to leave.

My clothes were afire when I emerged floating from the ongoing eruption. Instead of patting myself off with my right arm, since Strings of the Puppeteer hadn’t lasted as long as I had hoped, I pulled them into my inventory and reequipped them from there. They were still damaged, but they’d survive.

My Vambrace of Wires had been moved to my left side again, and the tendrils of metal were working their way around my arm and through my fingers. I wanted some semblance of mobility since I was using Flight for its actual purpose. It didn’t do anything to give me my leg back, but flying negated that, anyway.

“One,” I announced as my burns continued to heal, now at a visible pace.

The fire behind me turned dark as I added my Black Flame Aura to the Tyrant’s Will, and it spread out through the enemy forces. Faarax appeared concerned at the sight of me, and his right hand was in a closed fist above him as a way to tell his men to cease fire. Seeing me emerge, barely the worse for wear, made him pause. That wasn’t like him; whatever foreign memories he had been given, they were clearly causing him to second guess himself.

Ha-Yun was another story. A rocky sphere had been constructed around her, and it was thick enough to block out my awareness aura. Smart, though it was probably more because she thought I could break through rather than a conscious decision to stop me from seeing her.

Her rock worm construct had been patrolling the perimeter of Maahir’s flames. She didn’t seem to have seen what had happened inside, but her unnatural hatred for me wasn’t so strong that the Rubble Rouser would risk her ally with friendly fire. That all changed the moment I stepped out into the open.

The rock worm writhed through the remnants of Maahir’s eruption as it finally waned. It was a highly telegraphed attack, and I started flying upwards. Three more appeared, one would have been in front of me and another on both sides, and they gave chase as well. If I had picked any other direction, I would have been caught. Since up was the only way to go, the moment I had been waiting for came. I Constructed a plate between myself and Faarax.

His cannon went off. The artillery on the warlord’s arm fired as he got his act together, and he only took a single step back from the recoil. I knew him resting on it was to make his enemies think it was unwieldy, but he had more than enough Strength to wield it with casual grace.

If it had been a normal gun, I would have nudged it aside to force a miss, but there was a reason why this cannon was his weapon of choice and the intimidation factor was only a part of it. Nudging it aside would have achieved nothing because it was only vaguely aimed in my direction. Just enough for it to lock on.

The Constructed plate slammed backwards into me as the cannonball struck it, leaving a heavy dent in the mental metal. It sent me on a new flight path, though it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as it looked. Even though my left arm was broken, it didn’t change much and would heal. It wasn’t as though I was using it.

I sped up as Faarax’s men started firing at me. Not just with guns, but spells. Ice, earth, and visible wind attacks meant I had to take evasive maneuvers while the rock worms behind me ground against each other as they jockeyed for position. There were enough of them that I was buffeted by attacks anyway, but I did my best to take the path of least resistance.

Two large, Constructed Drills appeared above Ha-Yun’s stone bunker and started Spinning. Sparks flew as the basalt hardened under her efforts, but I could tell that I would eventually win out. Two of the rock worms immediately broke off to deal with them, whether by attacking or reinforcing. It didn’t matter which, but that dealt with half of them for now.

<<<>>>

[[Patron Quest: Win the Battle Royale!]]

With the addition of new combatants that I can speak on who aren’t also essentially minions, I can now give you a new quest.

The battlefield is starting to become more chaotic, and that’s exactly the kind of environment you thrive in.  A local nest of Magmasaurs has finally taken notice thanks to all the rock grinding and heat that’s been produced. These are going to attack indiscriminately, so make sure to use that to your advantage.

Not only that, but they’re led by a Seismic Plesiosaur. This huge boss monster would put a dent in anyone’s day, and unless you’re flying at a high altitude you may get snatched up. It should be manageable, but keep yourself safe, Ant.

I would also like to mention that, while there are some Patrons here watching the fight, most of them are unattached or belong to people from nearby towns and villages. The events playing out the way they did even though these monsters are well-known to us sponsors is strange to me. I think a guiding light might be missing.

Objective: Be the last man standing.

Reward: 35,000 points.

<<<>>>

“It’s probably for the best that Aaron’s not here, but none of these guys have a Patron?” I asked incredulously.

That didn’t make much sense to me. High-powered players almost always had sponsors. The only reason why they wouldn’t is because they declined them. There were plenty of people like that—the Oracle of Cinders was one of them—but there was usually at least one in a group like this unless they were told not to accept anyone else.

That might have been one of Aaron’s commands, now that I was thinking about it. Patrons could be quite opinionated and, depending on who they were, they could easily choose to give orders that contradicted the Fallen’s. It would be another avenue to stop them, at least, if Sara or I went straight to negotiating with their boss.

There was no response, but my wife couldn’t talk about the Half-Angels anyway so that didn’t surprise me.

I activated Shield as I flew through a spread of bullets from a few enemies aiming in my path. Diving closer to the ground, I could finally see what was ascending to the surface to find a free meal. I silently thanked them for their intervention as it meant Sara could give me a quest that wasn’t just mopping up the small fries under Faarax’s command.

Magmasaurs, which were twelve foot long reptiles, started to swim along the rocks on the surface. They had wedge-shaped heads along with powerful spiked fins to help them move through the earth.  These were the bastardization of marine reptiles of a time long passed, and their throats were coated with molten rock. Their sharp fangs were illuminated by the light coming from inside of them.

The swarm was larger than I expected, and I dove to the left as one of Ha-Yun’s rock worms burst into the air. One of the Magmasaurs was caught by the attack, and it was launched towards me in an attempt to take me by surprise. Luckily, their stat totals weren’t even close to mine, which made them prime targets for the five item bonus of my Warmongering Mystic set.

I used Orbit on the monster while regaining some of my altitude. It was flung off to the side, hissing angrily, as I avoided the third rock worm. My drills were still working on Ha-Yun’s shell, but she was pushing back against them admirably. She was using her enhanced capabilities as a Half-Angel well. Despite that, it was only a matter of time before she would need to divert her attention.

The sound of screams reached my ears moments before the wall of projectiles I was dodging became more manageable. The Magmasaur swarm had emerged from underneath where I was flying, but they went after everyone else. Several were blasted away as a cannonball struck the front of the pack, but there were more on the way.

“Men, shore up!” Faarax commanded as he reached into his inventory and retrieved a metal baton. The top half was covered in a dark liquid that never got close to the warlord’s hand. A single drop fell from the tip, and it destroyed the ground it landed on and the small area around it without a sound.

His words, enhanced by his class, counteracted Tyrant’s Will and his followers immediately followed orders. They closed ranks around their leader and those in the front switched targets to the Magmasaurs while the ones in the continued to attack me.

Even though Ha-Yun was currently immobile and alone, I knew it would take me more time than I’d want to break through her rocky barrier. Her worms would have a chance to attack, and I would be in a bad spot. It wouldn’t be an issue if I used Dragon’s Breath, which was the closest attack to a bunker buster I had, but these Fallen style Half-Angels would probably just eat it.

Making the decision in a split second, I abruptly turned towards Faarax’s formation. One of the rock worms turned at the same moment, likely to go and help, and it was put in the perfect place to attack me. The front end twisted and turned into a circular maw of rotating teeth, and pounced.

I threw up a Force Field first, blocking it for all of a second before it tore through the psychic barrier. That had given me enough time to activate Cheetah Sprint and surge forward at double my speed. The rock worms were left behind, and they faltered for a moment before turning and heading back towards Ha-Yun.

It seemed as though her bigger problem just arrived. I let the Constructed drills disappear, but her rock worms didn’t return. Ha-Yun was going to be busy for a while.

Surprise colored the enemy’s auras as I approached, but I was too fast for any of them to shout a warning. I flew over their formation and headed straight for the warlord himself. There was some fear in his eyes, but he managed to stay composed as he held his baton up in front of him like a shield.

There was no way I was going to let that touch me, and I started to spin towards his left, where the cannon was strapped to him. It was unwieldy this close up, and he swung his arm. The weapon was sucked into his inventory. Faarax was ready for melee combat as he retrieved a round metal shield.

The warlord had prepared quickly and his instincts were good, but a chaotic battlefield was my domain first and foremost. I juked the other way, avoiding his baton by inches. His wings rose, each black feather sharp like a razor’s edge, and it looked like I was going to fly through that curtain before I twisted and suddenly flew sideways at dizzying speeds.

Crash Test allowed me to smash into Faarax with force far higher than I could usually muster, and we were flung to the edge of his ring of men. My right hand grabbed his wrist and while my left, aided by the Cable Conglomerate, took hold of his head. I slammed him so he was face down in the stone. His baton ate away at the basalt, erasing it as if it never existed.

Those closest to us looked upon the sight with wide eyes, but they recovered quickly. The back line raised their guns at me with every intent to fire. My plan to sow chaos was already in motion by the time the first bullets started firing.

Four men were distracted as I Constructed earth augers at their feet. They Spun and started digging to collapse the ground beneath them. Their distraction led to their undoing as the Magmasaurs circling the formation for meat reached them first.

I decided to help along seven of the beasts as I Lifted and Pulled them over the front line. They came at me with their maws wide, ready to sink their teeth into something new, and then I sent them away. Each one smashed into a soldier, knocking them over and starting a new fight for their life.

The remainder continued to fire at me, but Shield was still going and I threw up a couple of fresh Force Fields just in case. After all, I was still in a fight with their boss.

Faarax, in the time it took me to do that, shifted and attempted to pull me down onto the ground with him. All he succeeded in doing was pull himself up. He seemed surprised that my Constitution was so high that he couldn’t move me, but he recovered gracefully. His shield went for my face, and I turned my head.

I took the blow like a champion because I knew he was trying to keep me from seeing what was coming next. He was trying to make me let go of his baton hand because hitting me with that would put a big damper on my ability to fight back. I could take damage if it prevented him from swinging that weapon around.

All six of Faarax’s wings shifted and came at me like lances. The sharp feathers successfully broke through my Shield and cut through my sides, but none of them hit my vitals. Releasing his head, I slammed my open palm into his nose. The cartilage broke, but I didn’t do as much damage as I had hoped; the Cable Conglomerate wasn’t meant to be used like this.

Still, it served its purpose. He closed his eyes and I moved my hand slightly lower. With a twist of my wrist, a scalpel appeared in my fingers and I slit the man’s throat. Blood gushed from the wound as his wings retracted. This time was far more painful, and I had lacerations up and down my whole body.

I let him go and got some distance, but not before stabbing him through the heart with the tool. At the same time, I Pushed more Magmasaurs towards the enemies in the back and summoned the Staff of Raphael into my hand. A quick tap to my chest with Touch of Heaven healed most of the damage I had built up over the course of the battle.

Faarax stood up and wiped the blood from his neck. His wounds had disappeared as three of his men, each of which were winning their fights with their Magmasaurs, suddenly died outright. This put a strain on the others, not just because they could die at any time, but because there were now gaps in their ranks.

“Men, tighten—” he called, but I didn’t give him time to finish that order.

The warlord was forced to block with his shield as I ran forward, still under the effects of Cheetah Sprint, and swung my staff. It collided with the metal. The force sent out a clear note that reverberated through the area. He attempted to touch the baton to my weapon, swinging it so that it would hit me if I didn’t block it.

I sent the Staff of Raphael back into my inventory and stepped inside Faarax’s guard. My hand gripped his forearm as I ducked and pulled. The movement was fast enough that he didn’t react, and the extra force made the baton swing further than he anticipated. It didn’t strike his shield, but it did touch his arm.

On the other side of the formation, a man suddenly lost half of his body starting at the shoulder. Faarax quickly pulled it away from his body, and I noted that the black goop wasn’t nearly as thick as it had been. The Void Baton was an overwhelmingly destructive weapon, but it was limited in use before it became just another stick.

While he was recovering, I flicked my scalpel at close range and sent a beam of light at his neck with Distant Slice. Once again it was sliced open, though it was deeper this time. The same thing happened as the wound disappeared without a trace.

Faarax flapped his wings and clumsily took to the sky, putting some distance between us. It was clear to me that he hadn’t practiced flying, perhaps didn’t have the time for it, and I looked up at him with a hand on my hip. “Feeling a little threatened there, pal?”

“Where’s that fucking rock bitch at?” he shouted, anger masking his fear.

“She’s fighting something else. You’ve just been too busy to notice,” I said, jerking my thumb in her direction. The timing was perfect.

The ground around Ha-Yun’s protective shell flew upwards as two sets of jaws breached the basalt rock. It was quickly consumed as the rest of the monstrous body followed, and I could see how far down she was being swallowed by the bulge in its neck.

It finally showed itself. The Seismic Plesiosaur was the biggest monster in Al-Safa. A raid boss that swam through rock like water, the creature was a downright menace to deal with. It took whole seconds for the neck to stop emerging as the body followed.

Lava-like blood poured out of its joints and holes in its body as if it had been riddled by gunshots, but I knew it was from the Rubble Rouser’s rock worms. The hardy monster’s wounds were a testament to Ha-Yun’s damage output, but it looked like she couldn’t finish the fight.

It roared, and each of those perforations suddenly erupted in fire that matched Maahir’s heat. Ha-Yun’s protective shell seemed to crumble moments before reaching the Seismic Plesiosaur’s body, and the bulbous obstruction in its neck disappeared. I couldn’t see inside its thick, rocky hide, but I wouldn’t count her out just yet; she had her rock armor to fall back on.

Constructing a hammer next to its neck, I used Push to smash the boss monster’s rocky hide. That was just in case Ha-Yun did manage to kill it from within. It was a long shot, but I wanted some credit for the kill if she did.

Faarax stared as the boss roared again in victory, and I Constructed four blades around him now that his remaining men were sufficiently distracted. The first sliced through his spine as the second pierced his skull. Both disappeared as he healed, as they couldn’t exist in his space anymore without killing him again.

By the time he reacted, the second set did the same. Two more of his followers died pointless deaths, which led to a third getting attacked by a Magmasaur from his blind spot.

“Eyes on me, Faarax,” I told him with a snap of my fingers, and he looked down at me. “Don’t get discouraged now. There’s still forty-three— there’s forty-tw— forty-one men left under your command. That should be plenty, no?”

The warlord blanched at my words. Unfortunately for him, it was too late to take me up on my offer of peace.