Earthdom: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (Ether Collapse Book 3)

by Ryan DeBruyn

  Omega was the likely culprit—his voice had been the loudest during the first exchange. Rocky clicked his earpiece. “Let us handle the golems surrounding the complex first. Stand by as back up. Shoot—over.”

  Epsilon's voice dueled with Omega’s. “Thank goodness—Roger that. Quiet down—I don't…” The ship shook again.

  He turned to Adam and saw the kid smiling up at the ship. Omega could always be relied on to liven up the Knights. Rocky cleared his throat and got the young man's attention. “I am assuming your Minion Golems are up there as well?”

  Adam nodded and held up two fingers. “I still have room for two more. I couldn't capture leaders in Kingston, but I'm hoping that 'Skill Level Insufficient' was because I didn't have five points in Construct Command.”

  Zippo, who had ridden Azoth over the golem's heads, walked over and pointed to a nearby Basalt Golem. “That one there is classified as a leader.”

  Anticipation rose within the group. If Adam could take over a Leader golem, then this would be a much simpler process. Adam stopped and placed his hands in a slightly spherical shape. Rocky hadn't seen Adam use his skill before and watched attentively. Blue energy welled forth from the boy’s fingers, creating a slowly revolving strap, like a dog’s leash. It even read “Rex” on one side.

  “Rex was my dog. He...” said Adam.

  Sorrow tinged his voice. Tears welled in his eyes, and Rocky placed a hand on Adam's shoulder. Sela had done the same, and their hands laid atop each other on the young man's back. His spell faltered slightly, then stabilized.

  Adam released his skill, which expanded and wrapped around the neck of the Basalt Golem. He huffed and said, “This creature has control of too many nearby units to be taken.” He looked away from a blank space in front of him that likely held a notification. “Looks like I can't take Leader golems.”

  “That's not what it said, Adam. Let's kill the units around this one, then try again,” said Sela.

  The tactic of firing from the safety of the school grounds wouldn't work on these golems. Richard explained that when they had tried in the past, the Leader golems sounded a wordless retreat. All of the golems then grouped up into a massive force a few hundred meters away.

  The group strategized and chose to use Azoth to fly over the circular containment and attack from the outside. Rocky hoped that by forcing the groups to go around the schools, his modest attack force wouldn't have to face the one-hundred golems all at once.

  “Selaphelia Ardensai. Be prepared to assist with a bombardment. Over,” Sela said through her radio and received a quick confirmation. “Rockland, if possible, let's try to avoid killing this Leader. However, if not this first one, at least one of the three Basalt Golems.”

  Adam bounced up and down beside him. Sela had to know just as well as he did. Once combat started, it might not go the way they intended. At least they had the Golem Knights, Minion Golems, and a Starship as backup. He couldn’t wait to see what his new toy could do.

  Sela bent down and touched the earth below them. She started to sweat, and there was only one reason for that— she was setting something up below ground.

  Azoth flew overhead, ready to engage the golems and coerce them toward the group. Sela stood up and nodded. Seeing his cue, Azoth dove down and landed on the head and neck of a smaller golem that had probably been someone's home.

  His pet bit into the wood and the soil that covered the creature. Azoth’s head whipped back and forth, and he began beating his mighty wings. The golem flew off of its feet and his pet released it, dropping it to the ground. The other golems reacted in near-perfect unison. The speed and coordinated reaction reminded him all too well of the battle in Pembroke early in the Apocalypse. This fight wasn't going to be easy.

  Azoth hovered over the ground, at about a third-story level. He pumped his wings and backed away slowly as the golems charged him, stringing out and creating a triangle with the Basalt Golem at the peak. Sela chuckled and shook her head at his glance. He assumed Azoth was mentally commenting on the battle, and he wished he could hear his pet.

  Sela and Zippo began to cast skills. Adam summoned another collar. Rocky charged his Dark Blade skill, and engaged Dark Cloak and Stealth. In the daytime, like now, the abilities wouldn't conceal him, but having both active drastically lowered the Ether costs.

  The ground transformed into a swamp in front of the legs of the Basalt Golem. The creature sunk into the puddle, liquifying and melding into the swamp. Rocky was ecstatic until the marshy ground of Sela's skill paved over, sealing itself. The other golems ran across the swamp as if it had never been there, Even though Zippo's Firestorm skill swirled nearby. The front line of Bio-Enhanced golems stormed forward and ran through the gathering cloud of carbon. The Basalt Golem and a significant number of the back group were caught, but at least ten of the golems made it through.

  Rocky stepped forward and released his three charges in a horizontal swing. The three dark blades buzzed through the air, and it looked like the ten would be struck.

  The lead golems stopped simultaneously. Five of them knelt and placed their hands onto the earth. Sela screamed as the golems stood back up. Thick pillars of sod and stone rose from the earth at the rise of their hands. Rocky’s blades collided with the protective columns and began to screech.

  Adam's collar landed on one of the golems,and it attacked the closest enemies. The remaining four instantly leaped onto the turncoat, pummeling it into the ground without hesitation.

  In the distance, two Basalt Golems led the remaining constructs around the schools. Rocky had to decide right now—retreat, or bring everything they had.

  He clicked his radio. “We need support. Fire at will.”

  The ship’s laser ports slid open and blasts of lasers cratered the ground. Each time a beam struck, soil leaped into the air.

  The golems were unfazed. They blackened in areas where the thick lasers struck. Many of the shots missed entirely, and Rocky couldn’t help but wonder if the new crew member assigned to weapons was just too green.

  The sizable rear bay door retracted and golems dropped from the sky. Omega shouted “Cowabunga, dudes!”

  The creatures landed halfway between Rocky's group and Zippo's Firestorm, each landing accompanied by a boom and a spray of dirt. The Knights braced the impact with their knees, absorbing the brunt of the fall and staying atop the earth’s crust.

  The other golems that Adam had brought sunk anywhere from half to fully into the softer earth beneath them like lawn darts. It would have been comical if the situation wasn't so dire. At least the golems in the Firestorm should be destroyed.

  Asphalt slunk from the Blighted area, and Sela shouted, “They have control of the earth.” The tornado of fire came to an end, and golems rose from the now solid dirt, shaking off the hardened soil that had been a swamp moments before. A few charred and destroyed golem corpses stood like statues in the area of effect.

  Unbelievable. They must have countered Sela’s skill and used the soil as cover.

  The Knights pulled some of the Minions free, which Adam directed to release others.

  Over twenty enemy golems were still alive, and another seventy were coming fast, which made the decision for Rocky. He pressed his radio and shouted, “Rolling retreat! Keep their attention, but don't engage!”

  Friendly golems made their way back to the group as the bombardment from the starship continued.

  “The ship could pick up the survivors as we draw the golems’ attention,” Sela said. She sent the command out on her radio, using proper etiquette. He would have to make that second nature for himself, or larger scale battles would be impossible. The destroyer broke off and flew toward the back of the schools. None of the golems paid it any mind, and the ship had only downed two or three golems with its barrage.

  Perhaps Amelia had given them a castoff ship. Rocky shook the thought from his mind. It wasn’t the time to think about that. He pulled out a plasma grenade and lobbed it between the
heavily scarred defense pillars. It exploded, and the somewhat hidden golems hugged closer for cover. They didn't close the gap, and a shiver flew up his spine.

  They were going to wait for all of the units to mass. The group continued to fire occasional long-ranged spells while conserving Ether. They may need it soon, and they were only attempting to keep the attention of the golems.

  The ship lowered out of sight behind the building, and he hoped the loading of the North Bay survivors would go speedily.

  The two other Basalt Golems joined the first, and their troops spread out into a long row. Another shiver coursed through Rocky’s body at the display of heightened intelligence of the mobs of golems.

  An unspoken command was issued and the seventy-ish golems kicked off the ground in unison. The three leaders melted into puddles and flowed toward them like slithering snakes. Zippo shot a fireball at the approaching line, and one of the Basalt Golems formed a hand from its tube-like body and caught it. The Leader slammed its burning appendage into the ground as it continued its snaking advance.

  “Knights, phalanx. Form up on Epsilon. Adam, have your golems fill out the sides. Humans to the interior. Steady retreat,” Sela commanded.

  The Knights nodded, and all but Delta ripped a nearby tree out of the ground, opting for distance weapons over their usual ones. Adam’s Minions struggled to mimic the actions of the Knights. The strength difference between the Knights and Adam's controlled constructs was significant. Each one did eventually rip out a small nearby tree, if somewhat clumsily.

  There was strategy in their formation. They could break most of the charge. But there was one glaring flaw. “Sela, I am useless here. Any skill I attempt is likely to hit an ally,” Rocky said.

  “You and Azoth can harry the edges.”

  “Be careful of the Basalt Golems; they can come right through this formation.”

  Sela smiled wickedly. “Oh, I know.”

  Rocky removed his Dark Cloak Skill and left Stealth engaged as he sprinted from the formation. Exiting from beneath Tao's legs, he pumped his legs as fast as he could, attempting to gain the edge of the enemy golem's charge. He wasn't going to make it. He pulled out two more plasma grenades and one gravity grenade, launching the latter first.

  It went off a fair distance away from him and instantly slowed the edge of the approaching golems. He had thrown it a bit too far to disable them. He spat and kicked the ground at his mistake, rapidly tossing his two plasma grenades toward the same edge.

  He dove, barely avoiding the charging Bio-Enhanced golem attempt at trampling him. He charged his Dark Blade and sent it humming at the backs of the five who had nearly run him over.

  His only goal now was to try to break up the charge.

  He withdrew another gravity grenade and launched it at the next group of five. He sighed as it went off and slowed another portion of the force. He took quick stock of his Ether. It was below half. Time to change roles. He checked his first targets and saw three still standing. Another four were missing legs and lying prone.

  Ignoring them and those flattened or destroyed by his Dark Blade skill, he charged back toward the phalanx.

  The Knights slammed the trees into the ground, and braced them with their back foot. The Minions followed the action a moment later and stopped the retreat just in time.

  His ears rang and the ground shook as the remaining enemy golems struck the front of the phalanx in a resounding crash. Rocky prayed for the formation to hold.

  Azoth's side circled back to the unprotected rear pocket of the phalanx triangle. Sela rose from a crouch and made a motion—shouting something, but he was too far away to hear. Zippo dual cast Firestorm and a Firewall. Rocky watched as the kid sunk to one knee from the effort, but he held the spells.

  The Basalt Golems slithered through the legs of the Knights and attempted to form on top of pitfalls. Sela had strategically placed the traps just behind the Knights’ line.

  Rocky slashed through a golem on his way back into the phalanx just as Sela cast her Blight spell down into the pitfalls.

  He ignored the Leader golems and ran to help Zippo. He had to deal with the threat of the circling golems as quickly as possible. The kid panted and paled. Rocky pulled two Ether Draughts from his bag, handing one to the young man and downing the other. Zippo fumbled with the top, and Rocky knelt and assisted him. “When I say release the spell, do it. Okay?”

  He charged his Dark Blade. He stacked six before his Ether ran dry and his knees began to shake. He trusted the allies behind him to hold. He didn’t have a choice—he was about to release everything he had. The twenty Bio-Enhanced golems behind Zippo's spells wouldn't die any other way. He released his skill, praying they wouldn't see the Dark Blades coming through the charcoal smoke. If they saw the strikes and erected earth pylons—the fight was over.

  Just before they entered Zippo's spell, Rocky yelled, “Now!” and the noise, swirling wind, and grit, became grinding stone.

  Rocky fell to his knee after his slash and glanced over his shoulder, rubbing his neck.

  Half of his Territory’s army fired laser rifles and tank turrets as they bore down on the backs of the onslaught of golems. The starship flew above them to provide support against any target that they had a clear line of fire for.

  The end of the battle came swiftly. The fear, anticipation, and anxiety cut off in the blink of an eye. Zippo and Rocky looked at each other. Rocky assumed he looked just as pale and sweaty as the young man as they flopped onto their backs in the grass. His head felt like someone had taken a Louisville Slugger to it.

  They both chuckled, but Rocky stopped abruptly as he remembered the Basalt Golems. He forced himself to roll over and took a swig of another Ether Draught, handing one to Zippo.

  “What's wrong, Rock?”

  Rocky waved his hand dismissively at his friend, conveying that it wasn't serious. Just an Ether Headache. He ambled slowly and unsteadily to stand beside Sela, who was staring down into the muddy pit.

  “I think they are stuck for now,” said Sela.

  Adam bounced over. “Let me see if I can capture them now.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The military met up with Rocky's group and issued quick reports. Only half of the accompanying force would remain, and Victoria was in charge. The other half climbed back aboard the starship to oversee the remaining escort quests.

  When Rocky pulled up his quest tab, and checked how many Escort quests the ship had to fulfill, he was elated. Twenty-five shared quests in total. Through the Guild, these quests were shared with all members. If they gave out the Etherience he was expecting, most of his populace would gain quite a few levels.

  As soon as Adam had leashed all three Basalt Golems, a notification for North Bay’s quest popped up, along with a twenty-sixth escort quest. Rocky quickly shared it through the guild functions.

  Congratulations, you have completed a Chain Quest!

  Preservation of Champion Life Quest

  Chain Party Quest – Atlantean Net Generated

  Save the North Bay Survivors I

  ● Champions in North Bay are starving. While the golems are protecting them, they haven’t been able to hunt for food. Bring them food and find a way to handle the situation.

  Rewards:

  2,253,000 (+337,950 Knight’s Quest) Etherience

  Survivors want to join your Territory

  Atlantean Statutes, Preservation of Life, Section XII

  --

  You have been offered a 2nd part in a Chain Quest!

  Preservation of Champion Life Quest

  Chain Quest – Atlantean Net Generated - Escort

  Save the North Bay Survivors II

  ● Escort 90% of the survivors successfully back to your Territory. Adjustment to quest difficulty due to the quest group’s access to a starship.

  Rewards:

  Etherience

  New members of your Territory.

  Atlantean Statutes, Preservation of Life, Se
ction XII

  Chain Quest (Change as per AC - 7.1f)

  He did the math and assumed there were two thousand two hundred and fifty-three survivors in North Bay. Most survival quests had offered one thousand per individual Rocky rescued. He couldn’t wait till the ship brought everyone to the Territory from the surrounding towns later today.

  That quest alone had brought him halfway to level nine. Rocky smiled, hoping by the end of today, he would be at level ten and looking at his newest skills.

  Adam had been standing and reading for too long, and Rocky tapped him on the shoulder. “Everything okay?”

  The young man started and his Basalt Golems rippled. Rocky thought they might attack, but Adam's smile relaxed him. “I am good. I have a notification that I am trying to understand. Any idea what bonus hierarchy means?”

  Rocky and Smith had recently looked into that very issue. Shortly after Smith's return, Rocky had promoted him to the highest rank he could, and had given him the pseudo-leadership role of the Military. Strategist level three hadn’t opened new ranks, but it had revealed some hidden features. Rocky had taken his entire Leader page and transcribed it onto Smith's Knowledge Tablet. Together, they had figured out the dynamics of bonus hierarchy. Smith was likely still fiddling with the complexities of it.

  Rocky asked to see Adam’s screens to understand the teenage boy’s question. By the looks of things, Adam’s Leader Golems had upgraded his skill.

  “From what I can tell, each person—or in your case, golem—has unique traits. For example—” Rocky pointed to Zippo, who had walked up, “—if a Mage based in Intelligence leads troops, they will likely boost those troops' spells.” Rocky oscillated his hand to show it wasn't that simple. “They may also boost those troops’ intelligence, or if they are a poor fit with the people under them, create debuffs.”

  Sela had been standing nearby, talking to Victoria. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her motion for Victoria to stop. They walked over to join the conversation as he continued, “My guess is that you can now promote different types of golems to Leaders. They will then boost the golems under them in different ways.”