by James Hunter
My Rune-Caster nodded and drew Myrina over to the orb. “Look, sister, you have leveled three times.” With a flick of her wrist and a twirl of her fingers she brought up Myrina’s character sheet. “You have thirty Attribute Points you can use to improve yourself—to make you better, stronger, faster, smarter—as well as three Ability Points which can make you far more deadly and effective in combat. But for these points to take effect, Jacob must first distribute them through this gaming interface.”
“No,” I said sternly. “Myrina can choose. Listen, unless you want my advice, I need all the Amazons to be responsible for this aspect of the game. We are a team, dammit, and I trust you to know yourselves and your abilities better than I do. And with that orb, you can access the interface without me. From here on out, I want all Amazons to get a tutorial on how to level up properly.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to micromanage our stats, Jacob?” Phoebe asked. “I mean, I’m okay with it, but Ares never would’ve allowed us that much independence.”
“Yeah I’m sure. Hell, pretty soon there will be so many of you that I won’t be able to keep up. If I need to manually adjust stats for every Amazon every time they level up, I won’t ever do anything else. It’s just too inefficient. Seriously. I trust you guys to make the right choices. So,” I continued, stealing a look at my ever-grumpy Battle Warden, “how are you going to divide up your points?”
Myrina swallowed hard, restlessly running one hand over the pommel of the xiphos at her hip. “I should put all of my points to Strength,” she said at once. “After all, I was created to fight, to kill …” She faltered. Hesitated. “But I wish to understand this game you are playing,” she finished after a time. “So, would you approve if I increased my Intelligence?”
“It’s up to you,” I said softly. “It’s your life.”
Tears stood out in Myrina’s eyes. “My life.” The ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. “Very well. Then I will increase my Intelligence to thirty-five, and my Strength to eighty-eight. Then I will add one Ability Point to Iron Skin, one to Durability, and one to Rapid Regen. I will become harder to hurt, more durable, and I will heal faster.”
She added the points, then eyed her character sheet carefully, inspecting the changes:
She’d gone from being a tank to being a super tank with a sword.
Phoebe laughed and threw up her hands. “I’m next!” Her face glowed with excitement. “I know exactly what I want. I’ve been hoping you would let us adjust our own stats eventually. It was a bit of a pipe dream, but here we are. Okay, so I want to add eighteen points to Intelligence, six to Willpower, and six to Fortune, since an inventor can never be too lucky. And then? Then I will upgrade all my Rune-Casting abilities by one. I’m gonna be a force to be reckoned with—one part Rambo, one part Tony Stark.”
“This Rambo,” Myrina said, “you have mentioned him twice now. He is a great hero like our Achilles, no?”
“Yeah,” I replied, “except with PTSD and more guns. But there are definitely worse people to look up to.”
Just like with Myrina, Phoebe examined her sheet once she’d made her adjustments:
Phoebe dismissed her sheet and threw her arms around me, hugging me close. Now that I’m smarter, she sent through the messaging link, you have to be funnier. Promise?
I held her tight, and she felt so right in my arms. Yeah. I promise.
Myrina approached and put a hand on us both. “I will bring our sisters in so they can undergo the tutorial and upgrade themselves. They will need the gaming orb to access their character sheets.” She said it with confidence. Her improved intelligence was already paying off.
“Got it in one,” I replied with a wide smile. “Get ’em working. And while you do that, Phoebe and I will get started on forging more Amazons.”
FOUR
Amazons and Minotaurs
Phoebe and I got busy creating ’Zons. But, we weren’t rolling up characters, we were forging actual women. We focused on Battle Wardens first since they were the cheapest and easiest to make. I was so glad I had the level-one Craftsman ability activated. It made every warrior we created twenty percent cheaper. Even so, we were burning through the sacred clay. Another worry to add to the ever-growing list.
There was nothing I could about it at the moment, however, so I pushed it from mind.
Like before, Phoebe fashioned miniature clay figurines and added the components needed to bring them to life. For Battle Wardens, we had to create small hearts made of animal fat, iron dust, a pinch of silver, and a shard of bronze. I thought back to when I’d fashioned Myrina. She’d need an extra bit of gold and platinum, but then, she was special in so many ways. A heavy metal badass if ever there was one.
Once we had the figurines ready to go, Phoebe used a peel to thrust them into the heart of the fire, which burned at a merciless two thousand degrees Fahrenheit. Once the statuettes had baked, we took them out and carefully laid them on the anvil, which is when I took up the Hammer of Hephaestus and did my magic.
The hammer was a massive thing of wood and iron and gold, which had once belonged to Hephaestus, god of the forge. One side of the hammerhead sloped into a wedge, while the other ended in a flat square of hardened steel. Etched into the metal were pictures of swords, shields, and armor, which all orbited the faces of two beautiful women: on one side Athena, goddess of wisdom, on the other side Aphrodite, goddess of love.
I stepped up, gripped the leather-wrapped handle, and slammed the hammer’s head onto the little doll Phoebe had fashioned. Instead of exploding into a million pieces like logic demanded, the Amazon grew a foot and became a miniature warrior. It took three strikes to forge the figurines into full-fledged human beings. When we’d first started, I’d handled the first strike before Phoebe took over. Now, I did all three—boom, boom, boom—knocking them out like a pro.
My second strike added two feet to the doll. Half-formed facial features appeared as though by magic. Sometimes after the second blow, the Amazons opened their eyes, which was a little disconcerting. Phoebe had been like that.
After the final strike, a full-grown woman tumbled off the anvil.
Brontia and Steropia were there to catch the newly forged warrior, then cart her off to a bed of hay we’d set up on the far side of the forge. We didn’t let the new Battle Wardens rest for long, however. Antiope and Hippolyta quickly roused the women and led them off to the training grounds, where Myrina would drill them into fighting form. Not twenty minutes old, and they were already training for hardship and death. Such was the life of an Amazon on Lycastia.
Then it was time to create the next one. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Repeatedly, the godstone shined and burned in my chest as Essence Points drained out. After about an hour of hard labor I had to take a breather.
I called Antiope and Hippolyta over to the onyx orb and showed them their upgrades. We had history, those two and I, so it felt right to give them the rundown myself. Both had died in my service as heroes, only to be resurrected. Antiope had kissed me seconds before giving her life to the cause, and Hippolyta had died in my arms after single-handedly saving our city from a deadly surprise attack, courtesy of that nefarious bitch Praxidike.
When Hippolyta’s character sheet materialized in the air above the orb, her eyes grew wide and she clapped her hands in sheer joy. She was a tall, athletic woman with dusky skin and flashing green eyes. Her long dark hair fell down her back in waves. When she divided her points between Strength and Fortune—twenty to Strength, ten to Fortune—Antiope gave her a dark look.
Hippolyta laughed it off. “I have already died once and came back. If that is not lucky, I do not know what is! So I will continue to trust my luck! Let Fortuna favor me, I say.” As for her Ability Points, she increased her Burst Speed, added a point to Rapid-Regen, and dropped a point into the Weapon Master Ability.
She nodded after reviewing the changes. “Perfect. It is my desire to best Myrina in the javelin at the very l
east. I may never be as strong or skilled as she at the sword and spear, but someday I will defeat her—even if only in one weapon form.”
“Good luck with that,” I said. “And just so you understand, when you level up again, you can come back to Phoebe, and she’ll give you access to the orb so you can upgrade yourselves. No more waiting around on me, comprende?” Both nodded. “And Hippolyta”—I paused and leaned in, my lips inches from her ears—“once we find more Thymos Crystals, stop back by and find me. I’ll personally bump up some of your stats—maybe give you a fighting chance against Myrina.” I’d meant the words to be a gesture between friends, but she seemed to take them far more seriously.
“My life to serve, War God.” She threw her arms around me and crushed me in a massive bear hug, lifting my feet from the ground.
My bones popped. “Boy can I feel that upgraded strength,” I wheezed as she put me down, a goofy grin on her face.
Antiope was next. She frowned and furrowed her brow. “War God, I am not certain I need your favor. I am fine the way I am.”
“You are absolutely fine, but even the finest of us can be improved.” I checked, and she’d leveled up three times since I’d recreated her. That seemed to be the norm. Three levels meant she had thirty Attribute Points and three Ability Points to divvy up.
“Then you choose, War God,” Antiope said, crossing her arms over her chest, uncertainty etched into the lines of her face. “I trust you, like you trust me.”
For a second, I thought about pushing her, but then decided against it. She was damn near radiating waves of discomfort, and I didn’t want that. “Okay, if you’re sure,” I replied. I dropped twenty points into Strength, four into Intelligence, four into Willpower, and the last two into Fortune. “As for your Ability Points”—I paused, rubbing at my chin as I surveyed her ability pool—“I think we should increase your speed so you’re the fastest Amazon in our army. Then we can drop an extra point into Iron-Skin. What do you think?”
“It is as you wish,” the Battle Warden said curtly. She seemed distant, less huggy than Hippolyta had been. Then again, every one of my Amazons was a bit different. They were living people, after all, not artificially intelligent NPCs.
After I distributed her Ability Points, she sped out of the forge like a heavily caffeinated lightning bolt. Speaking of which, I sucked down a wineskin full of Mountain Dew and got back to work wielding the Hammer of Hephaestus until Euryleia and Toxaris showed up to be leveled. I’d been looking forward to upgrading my Beastiamancers.
Buttercup and Flutterhoney stayed outside along with another Beastiamancer, Ariadne, who had a colossal bull mount named Thunderfoot. Ariadne was a short, thick-waisted woman with honey blonde hair and a very serious demeanor. Her weapon of choice was a battle-ax almost as big as she was. I wasn’t sure why she waited outside, but I got to work showing Euryleia and Toxaris how they could upgrade themselves using the gaming orb.
Toxaris loaded up her combat abilities, increasing her Durability, Rapid-Regen, and Eagle-Eye abilities. As she was my main flying archer, I was thrilled with that. Not only could she scout, but once I unlocked Elemental Smithing, I could craft her a bow that could hit targets at two thousand yards. She’d be the ultimate airborne sniper.
Euryleia was next. She divided her Attribute Points between Strength and Willpower, then dumped her Ability Points into her Animal Summoning and Shift Form skills. I could only imagine what it would be like when the Beastiamancer turned herself into a killer bear while at the same time summoning other bears. I would have a grizzly strike force on my side. Booya. She also added a point to Rapid-Regen, so if she got hit, she’d heal faster. Both Beastiamancers hugged me and took off, eager to practice their new abilities.
Ariadne, though, continued to loiter outside while her bull placidly chewed its cud.
I forged a few more Battle Wardens and then switched to Beastiamancers, creating more eagle riders and Pegasus riders to expand our budding air force.
Eventually, my curiosity finally got the better of me, and I went outside. “Hey, Ariadne, can I help you with something?”
She nodded but couldn’t keep eye contact with me. Clearly, she was nervous. “Greetings, War God. I am new. I am shy. I have heard the stories of Ares and his arrogance, yet my sisters claim you are different. They say if I ask, you might grant a special request … Still, I cannot believe that could be so.”
I smiled and inched forward, taking her hand in mine. “I’m a reasonable guy … er … god of war. What would you like me to do for you?”
She blushed. “Our noble general Asteria says that it is possible to merge with our mounts. I have seen her shift form and it is most impressive to behold …” She faltered and glanced away. I took my hand from her and cupped her chin, drawing her gaze back to mine. “I would like such a skill,” she said softly, “and while others have the points for such an endeavor, I do not. But my sisters have said you can use your Divine power to grants us extra favors, if you so choose. And so, I am here. Asking for your blessing so that I might serve you better.”
Even though she was shy, she had moxie. I liked that. And she was right. It was costly, but I could power-level her or add extra Attribute Points using a combination of Thymos Crystals and Essence Points. From a pouch at my waist, I drew out a quarter-sized chunk of our dwindling Thymos Crystal supply. I had the Essence Points, and I’d been wanting to increase the powers of my shape-shifters.
“Ariadne, it took guts to come and talk to me. You want my blessing, you’ve got it.” I lifted the azure crystal, and it glowed as my Essence filled it with Divine energy. I pressed it to the Amazon’s chest, just above her heart. It shimmered and throbbed, melting into her skin. My head grew light as the raw power surged out of the godstone. Fifty Essence points vanished, and an abrupt wave of nausea swept through me, there then gone.
In my gaming display, I power-leveled her by two and added both Ability Points to her Shift Form stat. Now, she could become a pure bull herself, or merge with Thunderfoot, transforming into a minotaur.
As soon as I finished, Ariadne whirled and threw herself onto Thunderfoot. When she touched him, both of their bodies seemed to liquify, morphing into a quicksilver blob. Their bodies merged, and in seconds, a twelve-foot-tall, bull-headed warrior towered over me. Sunlight gleamed off the short, blue-black fur of the minotaur. She stood on hooves, but she gripped the huge battle-ax in very human hands.
Ariadne lifted her weapon. “Yes, War God! Yes! We will serve you! We will keep the sigil safe, and we will defeat the armies of Hades! Nothing will stop us!”
She transformed again in a flash of shimmering mercury, now a woman atop a bull. She was all smiles, which for Ariadne was a small miracle. She never smiled.
She rode off, Thunderfoot’s hooves clattering on the cobblestones. His thunderous hoof steps were soon joined by hers as Ariadne leapt from his back to become a bull herself. Or would that be a cow? Either way, she had horns and was just as big and just as mean as her mount.
Phoebe leaned against the doorway, ankles crossed, a small grin lingering on her face. She’d seen what I had done. You can’t do that to every Amazon, my dude. We don’t have the Thymos for it.
Not everyone will ask like Ariadne did, I sent back. It pays to be bold enough to know what you want and go after it. Besides, did you see her as a minotaur? She was a beast! Put her and Myrina in the front lines and they’ll tank it up! They can take all the damage, so our spellcasters can lay waste to our enemies!
My Rune-Caster smiled even wider. You’re a good person, Jacob. You have a good heart. Sometimes I don’t understand how you ended up as war god, but I’m glad you did. Now, we need to get busy on fortifying our walls. We don’t have much time left.
I checked the time on my display. Sure enough, in two hours we’d be knee-deep in evil again. We’d been forging and upgrading Amazons for hours. I was regenerating Essence Points, but the constant output had left me tired. Yet, I couldn’t rest.
> I messaged Loxo about her scouting, and she sent back that she hadn’t found any more Thymos Crystals. Still, the trails were all clear—no sign of enemy forces anywhere—which was a small victory. Though, only a very small one, since Lycastia had a million tunnels, dungeons, and caves in the rock under our feet. Some of them were natural, some excavated, and some were the result of rifts eating away at the boundary between our world and the realm of the god of death.
Hades and his armies seemed to know every crack and crevice that could bring them within striking distance of our walls.
I sighed and told Loxo to come back so I could upgrade her before the next tussle.
Will it involve kissing? Loxo messaged me in reply. Because I will only return if you promise to kiss me.
I responded, You’ll have to come back to find out.
She laughed and signed off.
Damn, that woman had a one-track mind. And I seemed to be standing in the middle of the road.
FIVE
World War Amazon
Phoebe headed over to a harvester with the gaming orb while I lugged out our last crate of Thymos Crystals—just under twenty-five pounds worth. The sun was already dipping down toward the horizon, and we had to add to our defenses before the next attack.
The harvester was a big wagon, powered by a combination of clockwork and steam. Cogs, gears, and chains covered the vehicle. It had long arms fashioned out of wood and brass that could cut through wheat and toss the bundles into the wagon bed. A thin stream of smoke drifted into the sky from a soot-blackened pipe.
