Starbreak (Rise to Omniscience Book 2)

by Aaron Oster

  The man had a dry, raspy voice that put Morgan’s nerves on edge.

  “And don’t even bother trying to use your abilities. So long as we have our blocker here, you won’t be getting access to them.”

  He chuckled then and walked back to the fire, sitting down across another assassin.

  Morgan’s eyes quickly flicked around the camp. It hadn’t escaped his notice that there were only two of them.

  Where had the rest gone?

  “Can you see any more other than the two at the fire?” he asked in a low voice.

  He felt Sarah shifting around a bit and after a moment, she replied.

  “No, just the two. But how are we going to get out of here? I’ve already tried using my skills, but none of them are working!” she said in a slightly panicked tone.

  “Don’t worry about that. I have a plan,” he replied in as calming a voice as he could manage.

  The assassins wouldn’t know this, but they were only partially suppressing his ability. Even now he could feel his strength returning bit by bit. He guessed that his supermage status protected him from whatever they were using.

  He gave one of his hands a quick jerk while activating heavy impact. The ropes didn’t snap, but they came just loose enough for him to slip his hand free.

  “How are you planning on getting us out?” she asked.

  He picked his hand up and wiggled his fingers near her face.

  “You’re free?!” she exclaimed.

  “Not entirely, but all I needed was a hand,” he replied, already reaching into his armor for Katherine’s pendant.

  He could, of course, free them both and try to fight, but he didn’t know if there were others waiting nearby and he didn’t want to take that kind of risk. They would only get one chance to escape and if he messed it up there wouldn’t be another.

  Pulling the pendant from under his shirt, he pressed both buttons at once.

  “Katherine, we need you!” he whispered, hoping that the assassins near the fire wouldn’t hear him.

  He held his breath, waiting for her to reply or for a portal to open near him. As the seconds ticked by, he felt his hope dwindling.

  Whatever they were doing to block their abilities must be interfering with the pendant’s enchantment as well.

  Morgan frantically tried to come up with another plan, but ultimately decided that their best option now would be to make a run for it. He tensed his arm in preparation to break the rope when four more assassins walked into the camp.

  “Shit!”

  Morgan craned his neck back and saw what had caused Sarah’s outburst.

  He could now see that there weren’t only six assassins, but over twenty. There was no way they would make it away from this many.

  Morgan’s mind whirled as he tried to come up with a solution.

  “Morgan, if you have a plan, I’d like to hear it!” Sarah hissed.

  “I’ve already tried to contact Katherine, but the pendant isn’t working. Do you have any ideas?” His voice had a bit of an edge to it.

  He didn’t like being cornered with no way out.

  “Actually, I do,” Sarah replied after a few seconds.

  Morgan, who had been prepared to give an angry retort, stopped himself just in time.

  “You do?” he asked in a hopeful voice.

  “Yes, but we’ll have to hurry, so listen closely.”

  He felt her shift around behind him for a few seconds.

  “Can you reach back with your free hand and touch me?” she asked.

  It was an odd question, but Morgan did as she asked. Keeping an eye on the assassins milling about, he slowly slid his free hand back until he felt his fingers brush over her.

  “Good. They didn’t search us when we were captured, so the bag is still inside the compartment in my armor. I need you to pull it out and fetch one of the Beast Zone keys.”

  “Sarah, you’re a genius!” Morgan said, grinning widely.

  He never would have thought to escape through a Beast Zone.

  “I know. Now hurry up before they come back over here!” she hissed.

  Morgan kept his eyes on the assassins as he slowly inched his hand up Sarah’s side. The angle was very awkward and he had to lean to one side and hunch over when his arm wouldn’t go any further. Finally, he felt the bare skin of her arm and moved his hand to the opening on the side.

  “Hurry up,” she said, shivering lightly as his fingers traced over her bare skin.

  “Just a second,” he said, pulling the fabric away near her shoulder and sliding his hands into the secret compartment.

  Sarah froze when he did this and his hand scrabbled around for a few seconds, trying to find the small leather pouch. The cloth separating Sarah’s chest from the compartment was thin, and Morgan could clearly feel Sarah’s heart pounding through the material. That alone made him try to work even faster.

  He hadn’t realized she was so afraid.

  His hand brushed against something soft and Sarah let out a light gasp, then his fingers curled around the hard leather of the bag.

  “I’ve got it,” he whispered, removing the bag from her armor and bringing it back around.

  “Good,” Sarah replied, sounding a little breathless. “Now get a key out and open the portal underneath us. We should both fall in without any risk of being stopped.”

  “Alright,” he replied, sticking his arm into the bag and fishing around until he found the small pouch with the keys.

  Did it matter which one he used? He didn’t really think so, as he would call Katherine as soon as they were inside. She would find the area where they’d left, then clear it of assassins and contact him when it was safe to emerge.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  Morgan’s head whipped up as one of the assassins seemingly noticed him.

  “How did you get free?!”

  “Shit!” Sarah yelled, and he plunged his hand into the bag and removed the first key his fingers closed on.

  Plunging the key into the ground, Morgan twisted and with a loud humming noise, a portal opened right beneath them.

  He started falling through, then cried out in pain as something impacted against his hand, hard enough to break bones. Then he was tumbling through the portal, emerging a few seconds later on the other side. He groaned as the vertigo hit him, then shivered as an icy blast of wind blew across his body.

  He was still tied to the log and presumably Sarah was as well. He blinked, shaking his head to clear the nausea and looking around the icy landscape of the Beast Zone. Sharp pain from his hand made him look down and he felt an icy chill run through him that had nothing to do with the cold.

  He turned around, getting to his knees and using his heavy impact to free his other hand. Then he stood and moved around the log to Sarah.

  Her eyes flicked up to meet his as he came around and a small smile came to her lips. Her face was all flushed, but she didn’t appear to be angry.

  “You did a good job getting us out of there so fast,” she said, her voice still sounding oddly breathless. “Now hurry up and untie me. We’ll need our winter gear if we’re going to survive in here for a day or two.”

  Morgan quickly bent at the waist and with two quick tugs freed her from the ropes. She got to her feet, then took him by surprise by leaning in and kissing him lightly on the cheek.

  “Guess I owe you again,” she said with a smile. Her eyes flicked down to his hand and look of concern crossed her features.

  “What happened to your hand?” she asked, taking the mangled limb between her fingers and raising it gently.

  Morgan winced as she did this and took a moment before replying.

  “I was attacked right before we fell through.”

  He stopped for a moment, to make sure he had her full attention.

  “Sarah, the key was in that hand.”

  Her eyes widened a bit as the true horror of their situation hit her.

  “Will they be coming in after us?”
she asked, already taking up a fighting stance.

  “No,” Morgan replied. “The key was definitely broken by the attack that did this to my hand.”

  He raised the hand in question.

  Sarah’s expression began to relax at this.

  “We have a bigger problem, though. Without the key, there’s no way out.”

  18

  Arnold cursed to himself as his leg got stuck in another muddy hole. He cursed at his bad luck as he slowly pulled his foot from the sucking mud.

  This was the fourth time in the last hour that he’d gotten stuck in one of these. He was already at least two miles behind Morgan and Sarah, and the light was beginning to fade. It would soon be night and he’d never manage to navigate this bog in the dark.

  Finally working his foot free, he took off at a jog, lifting the small device to make sure he was still heading in the right direction. There was a light squelching sound from up ahead and he instinctively threw himself to the side. A loud crack rang through the forest as one of the trees behind him splintered and cracked. Quickly regaining his feet, Arnold looked around, spotting three figures dressed in black.

  “I see you’ve finally made your move,” he said, pulling a metal rod from his belt and giving it a flick. A loud clicking sound filled the air as the rod extended to its full length of two feet.

  It wasn’t a sword, but it was better than nothing.

  “I’m surprised you spotted us,” the figure before him said.

  A woman, by the sound of her voice.

  “This terrain is a bitch, but at least she seems to be on my side this time,” he replied with a wicked grin.

  If they were here for him, they’d likely set a trap for Sarah and Morgan as well. He couldn’t afford to take too long with them.

  “We had a very hard time finding people of sufficient rank to take you down, mercenary. Feel honored that you will die by our hands!”

  Arnold snorted, then allowed his crimson coating skill to cover the two foot pole.

  It was one of his most powerful skills and would only last for sixty seconds, after which he wouldn’t be able to use it for the next 48 hours.

  All of the assassins converged on him at once and he crouched low, pulling his rod back and swinging it out in a wide arc. Two of the assassins dodged the blast of red energy, but one wasn’t so lucky. Arnold grinned as he was cleaved into two, both halves burning to ash within seconds by roaring crimson flames.

  He ducked a kick from one of the assassins but felt a sharp pain in his lower back as the other opened a wide gash there. He spun, bringing the glowing rod around, but the assassin had already backed off. He tried to turn back as he realized his mistake, then felt his arm go limp as the woman slashed into the tendons near his shoulder.

  The glowing rod dropped from nerveless fingers and he clenched his teeth against the pain.

  They were good. He’d give them that.

  He quickly ducked, feeling the whoosh of air as something passed by overhead. He stuck his leg straight out and spun, scything the assassin’s legs from under him. He then dropped his knee into the assassin’s chest and blew his head off using his concave skill. Blood sprayed out of the man’s body, showering him in gore, but Arnold grinned as he beheld his handy work.

  They were good, but they were also way too predictable.

  He quickly rolled to the side, hearing the wet squelching sound of something hitting the dead assassin’s corpse. He sprang back up to his feet, retrieving the rod in his left hand and faced the remaining assassin.

  “Looks like it’s just you and me, sweetheart,” he said with a bloody grin, allowing the crimson coating to cover the rod once more.

  “Don’t get too cocky, mercenary. I’ve killed more men than you can imagine and they were in far better shape than you!” she hissed, lunging at him with lightning speed.

  Two glowing green knives materialized in her hands and Arnold could detect the strong odor of poison.

  That was no ordinary poison. It was the sort of poison that only an ability could produce. He would have to be careful to avoid so much as a scratch from those knives. Otherwise, he would likely end up a corpse himself.

  He dodged back as the assassin rushed in, her daggers flashing in a flurry of attacks. Arnold grinned as the assassin seemed to grow more and more frustrated with her inability to hit him.

  She was so obvious that it was almost laughable.

  “Do you really think I’d fall for such a cheap trick?” he asked, ducking another slash and sweeping the glowing rod in a sweeping arc.

  She nimbly dodged out of the way and the glowing red energy sheared a few nearby trees in half.

  “Oh, saw through my ruse, did you?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

  “If pretending to grow frustrated to make me overconfident is a ruse, then it’s a pretty weak one,” he said, “a good ruse always has a grain of truth to it.”

  His eyes flicked to a spot behind her and a plan quickly formed in his mind. Pulling the rod back, he quickly lashed out at her again, but just as he brought it around, the crimson energy disappeared as his timer ran out.

  But his own ruse had the intended effect. The assassin took an involuntary step back into the sinkhole he’d spotted. With a cry of alarm, she fell backward as her foot was engulfed by the sucking mud. A shadow fell over her and she looked up to see Arnold grinning down at her.

  “Always make a ruse convincing,” he said, bringing the metal rod crashing down on her head.

  He felt the bone give way under the blow and he felt an odd sense of satisfaction, as blood and brain matter flew in all directions.

  Popping the skull was his favorite way to kill. It always felt so satisfying.

  He quickly straightened, flicking the rod to get rid of the worst of the filth. He slammed it into a tree point first, shortening the weapon before clipping it to his belt. He then felt at his other arm to try and guess at the extent of the damage.

  The tendons were completely severed and it would be next to useless until he found a healer.

  Grimacing to himself, he pulled the tracking device from his pocket and checked the needle. He felt his heart sink. The needle was spinning crazily, stopping every few seconds to point in a random direction.

  What the hell was going on?

  He gritted his teeth, shoving the device into his pocket and setting off at a dead run in the direction it had last been pointing.

  Whatever had happened couldn’t be good.

  It was dark by the time he found the assassin’s camp. Barreling in, he didn’t bother asking any questions or being subtle. He was in no mood. Instead, he went on a rampage, slaughtering anyone in his path. These assassins were far weaker than him and fell easily to his attacks, injured or not. At one point the assassins actually began to flee, but he managed to catch one before he escaped.

  “You’re going to tell me what happened to the two people you were sent after,” he growled.

  The assassin was terrified but tried to put on a brave face.

  “I will not betr… Ahhh!”

  The assassin’s noble speech turned into a pained screech as Arnold promptly snapped his left forearm.

  “You can tell me what I want to know or I can torture you for the information,” Arnold said in a calm voice. “Personally, I’d prefer torture.”

  He slid his hand further up the assassin’s broken arm and tightened his grip.

  The assassin couldn’t give the information fast enough after that.

  Arnold listened as the assassin spoke, nodding along with him.

  “Is that all?” he asked when the assassin finally went silent.

  He nodded his head vigorously and Arnold promptly bashed in his head. The feeling of the man’s skull caving in didn’t even give him the slightest amount of pleasure.

  “Damn it!” he yelled, kicking the corpse and sending it flying into the surrounding trees.

  Katherine would be furious. If they were in a Beast Zone and
the key really had been destroyed, he was a dead man.

  Arnold growled and began pacing back and forth, trying to think a way out to get out of this.

  No. He couldn’t think like that. First, he needed to examine the area where they’d been kept. Perhaps there was some sort of clue as to where they ended up.

  Walking over to the circle of bare earth, his eyes immediately caught the glint of metal. Bending down, he picked up the small and mangled Beast Zone key. Carefully brushing away the dirt so as not to damage it further, he brought it closer to his face, squinting as he tried to make out what it said. After another moment, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

  It was a staged zone key. That meant that there were others out there. More importantly, it meant that Katherine wouldn’t kill him.

  Quickly fishing her pendant from his pocket, he pressed the button on the side.

  “Open a portal. Something happened.”

  Just half a minute later, the air next to him warped and a portal winked into existence. Arnold took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself for what was ahead.

  Katherine might not kill him, but she would definitely still be angry that he’d lost them.

  He took one last deep breath, then stepped through the portal.

  ***

  The man sat high up in the trees above the clearing where Arnold had just left. He’d watched the entire show from start to finish. How the assassins had captured Morgan and dragged him back here. Morgan and Sarah’s daring escape into the beast zone and even the fight between Arnold and the rest of the assassins.

  No one had seen him, of course. He was too well hidden to be spotted. Even if they’d looked directly at him, they would have seen only a tree. He stared down at the empty clearing, arms folded over his chest and feeling distinctly uneasy.

  He really wasn’t sure why the goddess had allowed something like this to happen. He couldn’t follow them into the beast zone, which meant that Morgan would have no protection at all. She was taking a big risk and he couldn’t fathom why. Sure, if he survived it would be all well and good, but the zone he’d entered was far above his ability to handle and getting out would be nearly impossible.