by James Hunter
Suddenly, crystal clear water bubbled out of the can and tumbled down, splashing into the base of the bowl. I pulled up my OTHER tab and noticed I could create and modify various types of items. Just as Phoebe had combined Japanese metallurgy into her sword making process, I fiddled with the fountain, adding custom attribute tags to the marble soda can at the top. Essentially, I was building a modified version of the food harvesters. But this time, instead of wheat going in and bread coming out, crystalline water went in and neon yellow Mountain Dew would bubble down.
At least in theory.
I pressed my eyes shut tight and focused on what needed to happen, tapping the primal power of the Crystal in my hand as Divine Essence flowed from the godstone. My points dropped sharply, and a wave of dizziness washed over me, but I pressed on. Finally, I opened my eyes, and a wide grin stretched from ear to ear. Sweet yellow Dew now flowed from the marble can. I cackled madly at my sheer genius. Using my godlike powers, I had created a soft drink fountain.
Steropia stopped her harvester and rushed over, watching with great interest as the basin filled. Asteria, seeing the sudden commotion, shifted back into her human form and joined us, glancing at the strange new fountain with a combination of interest and uncertainty. Tentatively, the Rune-Caster inched forward, dipped a hand into the carbonated waters, and took a sip. She grimaced immediately, lips pulling back in disgust. “Yuck. How can you stomach this awful sweetness?”
I shrugged, not letting her complaint diminish my victory. “Yeah, not everyone is gonna like it. But me?” I hooked a thumb at my chest. “I love it. And if there is anything that can help me fight evil, it’s Mountain Dew. Thank you, PepsiCo!”
“Is PepsiCo an American god?” Asteria asked, sniffing at the air.
“You bet your sweet ass it is,” I said with a smile.
Asteria giggled. “You think my ass is sweet.” She bent forward, showcasing her ... um, let’s go with assets, and pushed her face into the frothing Mountain Dew. She drank deeply and then pulled away. She gave me an odd look. “You are truly an odd god of war, Jacob Merely.”
“That I am.”
My canteen was in my bag, so I immediately unscrewed the cap, drained the remaining water in a few long gulps, then dipped the container into the basin. Once the canteen was topped off, I slurped down the nectar of the American gods. Yes, Mountain Dew. I finally felt like nothing could stop me.
I stopped by a harvester and plucked a loaf of bread out of the basket near the oven door. Carbs never tasted so good. Freshly baked bread, soft and hot, went down so well.
Phoebe’s voice hit my skull. Jacob, dude, you just used a crazy amount of Essence to create a Mountain Dew fountain. Really? I thought we had a chance with you, but this is totally extravagant and kinda silly.
Phoebe, I countered, this is part of my process. In gaming, you always follow the process.
I’ll take your word for it—but no more screwing around, Boss-man. We’ve got serious stuff to deal with. Have Asteria fly you over my way. I wanna show you some of the new equipment I’ve made. You’re gonna be impressed!
Asteria had been a part of our messaging. She turned back into the azure Pegasus and danced on impatient hooves—ready to whisk me into the air. I climbed onto her back, feeling a little uncertain since there was no saddle or reins, but I trusted the Beastiamancer with my life. Unlike a regular horse, I was pleasantly surprised to find the Pegasus had bony ridges above her wings where I could tuck my legs, which was better than nothing. Asteria nickered softly then snorted as she broke into a steady gallop and launched herself into the air, her magnificent wings pumping.
We rose quickly, the warm breeze caressing my skin as we flew. The potent smell of a working horse filled my nose, not unpleasant necessarily, but strong. The sun was dropping lower, moving closer and closer toward evening, so long shadows filled Lycastia City. We banked north, and I saw Brontia and Steropia using the harvesting machines to get our food ready, and then we soared over the barracks, where Myrina continued to train the Wardens.
Asteria swept me around the top of the temple and past the statue of Ares presiding over the fountain like a vengeful judge ready to pass sentence. The walls of the city were strong and tall, thanks to the repair work I did, but the gates still needed work. I glanced at my combat display and noticed I had less than forty Essence points left. I was glad I’d made the Dew fountain, but I’d used up over seventy points to do so—maybe Phoebe had been right. But what was done was done, and I probably had enough Essence to fix at least one of the two main gates.
Probably the southern gate, which led to the spider pigs.
Asteria wheeled left, wings outthrust, and headed toward the forge and barns, but I wasn’t quite ready to be done yet. I’d spent a ton of hours of my life flying, but never out in the open like this—never with such a feeling of freedom. I messaged Asteria, Let’s take another spin around the city, over the ocean, check out the beach, the western wall, and the palace. For like recon purposes.
Asteria responded in her horse mind. Yes, War God. Wings feel good in the air. Sweet grass to eat soon. And much water. Yum.
We soared over the empty clay pits, and I saw ground where I could grow more crops or even add an additional barracks once I got enough Amazons. Then we were over the western wall and floating down to the ocean. We descended until we were only a handful of feet above the salty spray; Asteria let a hoof drag for a minute, kicking up a fine mist. The water was warm, and the salty air felt like medicine in my lungs. Schools of fish raced us just a few feet beneath the surface of the water. Rolling breakers washed up on a white sand beach.
The beach ended in a wall and a gate, fully closed and locked. Asteria banked hard to the right, and I clung to her neck as we hurtled toward the shore. We cruised over the beach wall, which connected to a treacherous set of narrow stairs that zigzagged their way up the cliff face, connecting with the palace terrace above. Higher and higher we climbed until the city was far below us.
A second later, my stomach shot up into my throat as Asteria dove, wings tucked in tight against her sides. We zoomed over the temple, wind slapping against me, before lightly touching down at a gallop on the cobblestones in front of the forge. My heart thudded like mad, and my mouth felt as dry as Texas hardpan. Now that had been a helluva ride. She shape-shifted with me on her, but that woman was so skilled and powerful, she didn’t let me fall. I quickly found myself on my feet, one arm around her shoulder, her naked body pressed into mine.
Dizzy from the wild ride, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Damn, but that was fun!”
Asteria giggled and guided me into the forge. She stole a playful sidelong look at me, then left me to toss on a cloak.
Phoebe limped around several large pieces of war equipment near the big side doors. When she saw me, the Rune-Caster instantly brightened. Instead of speaking, she used the gaming message system. Jacob! You’re looking well. The Mountain Dew must agree with you.
It does. You have no idea. But enough of that. I’m stoked to see what you’ve been working on.
Asteria’s voice broke in. Uh, this sounds like all kinds of boring. I’m going to go back to that sweetgrass by the barn and then I’m gonna drink a ton of water. I’m so hungry, I could eat like a horse.
Phoebe and I shared a look and a knowing grin as Asteria left, her hips swaying as she moved. I had to admit, the more time I spent around the shifter, the more I found myself drawn to her. She was simple in some ways but sweet, and fun, and gorgeous to boot. I tore my gaze away from Asteria’s retreating back as Phoebe hooked her arm through mine and guided me over to an enormous ballista, which was like a giant crossbow on wheels.
Nice work, Phoebe, I sent. I circled the piece of equipment, then pulled up an item description through my helmet interface:
Hmm, the weapon looked incredibly powerful, but all of the added secondary effects were locked until I invested an Ability Point into the Elemental Smithing skill. That was unfortunate—esp
ecially since I needed in invest a point into Aceso’s Blessing first—but it was cool to know what kind of options would be available later on. I closed out of my interface and moved on down the line, surveying each piece of siege equipment in turn. Phoebe had been busy as hell. There were four more ballistae, all lined up and ready to go. After that were a pair of hulking catapults, each with a long wooden arm and a rounded metal bowl for lobbing rocks or burning oil.
A quick glance at those revealed the same thing—they could be drastically upgraded and improved with elemental effects once I beefed up my Path of the Builder Skill Tree.
“Wow,” I said, rubbing my chin. “This is some wickedly cool shit, dudette. I’m seriously impressed that you could build so much in such a short amount of time.”
And this is just the beginning, she replied mentally, offering me a mischievous grin. I’m cooking up plans for some new steam-powered weapons that will really lay the hurtin’ on Hades and his crew. She reached into her bag and pulled out a miniature model of another wheeled war machine. This one looked a little like a Revolutionary-era field cannon, but covered with gears, cogs, and metal tubing. At the heart of the device was some sort of converter box, with a chip of Thymos Crystal at its center. I call it a War Hog. This bad boy draws on primal Thymos energy and transforms it into a powerful blast of pure arcane energy. It’ll be a destructive masterpiece once I figure out how to make it work.
I whistled softly. “I can’t wait to see what you’ll be able to do once we unlock modern weaponry,” I replied, envisioning a legion of Amazons carrying around machine guns, or launching TOW missiles at incoming harpies. “Just wait until you get your hands on some napalm.”
Hold on. Let me see what napalm is. I felt her rifling through my head. Wow. You Americans are crazy and twisted. She paused, giving me a measuring look. I like you guys. It’s going to be a while before we get there, though. Not sure if you checked or not, but to unlock Innovate Level 3, you need to be at level forty, my man. It’s gonna take us a long time to get there, but I understand it. Making those kinda weapons is gonna require some crazy power.
She paused, seesawing her head, lips pressed into a tight line. Still, just because we can’t build those weapons yet doesn’t mean we can’t use the ones that are already here. You know, my dude, I think we need to get to your Harrier. If we could get access to the machine guns, missiles, and napalm on board, we could create some chaos for Hades. I’m thinking a .50 caliber machine gun would give Praxidike such a headache!
“Hell yeah, it would,” I agreed, though I wasn’t sure how any of us could dive down into the ocean to get it. Then I realized we had a shape-shifter on staff. Asteria, as a high-level Beastiamancer, could become an orca or maybe a blue whale. And if Phoebe could jury-rig a tow-harness, we could totally get to my Harrier. Praxidike was tough, no doubt, but not even she could hang against a Sidewinder missile to the face. That could be a real game changer.
“Anything else?” I asked, taking a quick look at the room.
Just one more thing, she sent, hobbling over to a large wooden table with something bulky on top—carefully concealed by a canvas sheet. This is my real work of art. She pulled back the tarp with a flourish, revealing a glassy onyx stone, roughly the size of a basketball. The thing looked heavy as hell. With this bad boy I’ll be able to access the game displays all on my own—
Before she could say more, Loxo sprinted into the forge, dirty, sweaty, and bleeding from a small army of lacerations. Whip marks covered her arms and legs, and a large gash decorated her forehead. Speaking of Praxidike, I could tell her handiwork without much effort.
“Jacob Merely,” Loxo gasped, breathing deeply as she planted hands on hips. “I have urgent news. While scouting the island, I found a large store of Thymos Crystals plus a clay pit with enough clay to build a hundred Amazons, easy. It is near a waterfall on the southern mountain, but the location is heavily guarded.” My new Huntress wobbled on unsteady legs, her eyes rolled up in the back of her head, and she toppled. I moved in a flash, putting my fancy new strength to use as I sprinted forward, catching Loxo before she could face plant on the floor.
Gently, I laid her down, checking her stats to make sure she was okay. Her Health was hovering at just under half, but despite her wounds, she appeared to be stable for the time being. I dismissed the interface and looked up just as Myrina strode through the entryway, her jaw clenched tight. “Jacob Merely, I take it you have heard the news? I hope you have no more plans to nap this day because we have work to do.”
TWENTY-TWO
Recon Report
“Yeah, I’ll get right on it,” I mumbled while bending down to heal Loxo. My Essence wasn’t topped off after my escapade with the Mountain Dew fountain, but I had plenty enough to do this. I pulled up my combat display, laid a palm against Loxo’s clammy shoulder, and triggered Healing Touch. The godstone flared and Essence rushed out of me in a wave and into the unconscious Huntress. I watched as the lacerations disappeared and the cut on her forehead knit itself back together in real time—a reminder that this wasn’t just a video game, no matter what it seemed.
Loxo blinked her eyes in confusion and took a deep breath as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. An uneasy glance seemed to pass between the assembled Amazons, but I ignored it, focusing on Loxo. The Huntress smiled warmly up at me, gently tracing her fingers along her forehead, where the gash had been only moments before. “I thank you, Jacob Merely, for the gift of healing you have given me,” she whispered in a combination of reverence and awe.
I wasn’t a hundred percent sure what was going on here—some kind of cultural misunderstanding, maybe—but I rolled with it.
“Yeah, sure, no problem,” I replied with a noncommittal shrug. “Just doing my job as war god.” Again, another round of uneasy glances between my Amazons. “Anyway, now that you’re back in tip-top shape, why don’t you fill us in on what happened?”
She nodded and stood, adjusting her leather armor as she gave us all a rundown. Basically, she’d seen the harpy air force flying around, and she’d tracked them to a series of waterfalls gushing down the south mountain. That’s where she saw the huge deposit of naturally occurring Thymos Crystals plus several clay pits. She’d noted the location on my map using her Cartography skill, then moved on, carefully working her way down to the southern tip of the island, where Hades’ temple lay. From what she’d been able to see, the temple still appeared to be in ruins, and she hadn’t spotted any sign of amassing troops.
That was a stroke of good luck for us, though it didn’t mean Praxidike wasn’t a threat, which was illustrated by the rest of Loxo’s story. Apparently, on Loxo’s way back, Praxidike managed to find her—despite her stealth abilities—and launched a ferocious attack in concert with several of the tough-skinned harpies. My Huntress had gotten away, but only by the skin of her teeth. Suddenly, I felt damned glad I’d leveled her up; otherwise, we’d be down one Amazon—and our only Huntress to boot.
I sighed. “Well, we’d better get moving. Maybe Praxidike doesn’t have an army yet, but it won’t be long, and clearly, she’s still a danger. We need more resources—we’re almost out of Thymos Crystals, and we can’t make more troops until we get more clay—so I say we launch a raid. And just to be on the safe side, I’ll fix the southern gate on our way out. Then hopefully, we’ll meet more monsters, so I can level up.”
“It is a fair plan,” Myrina said, “bold and decisive.”
“Glad you approve,” I replied, taking a sip from my canteen. Man, Mountain Dew was awesome.
Myrina paused, sniffing at the air, eyes narrowing in on my canteen. In a blink, she moved, plucking it from my hands using her super speed. I didn’t even try to fight her. She lifted the bottle to her nose, took another long whiff, then took a long slug, swishing the liquid around in her mouth. She nodded in approval. “So this is your magic elixir. I enjoy the sweet taste, and word among the Amazons is that it gives you additional drive and strengt
h.”
That surprised me. “Dude, you like it? Really?”
Myrina frowned at me. “Yes, I like it. I plan to indulge in your drink for the magical caffeine you keep speaking of.” She took another drink. “Though, admittedly, I enjoy wine more, and am glad to hear you created a vineyard—Brontia and Steropia are filling casks in the cellars of the palace. This is good news for me. Very good news.”
“I can’t picture you drunk,” I said.
Phoebe let out a sharp laugh, but didn’t say anything out loud. In my head, though, she came out loud and clear. Myrina is a weepy, lovey-dovey kind of drunk. By her eighth glass, she’ll be saying how much she loves us all and how great we all are. It’s kind of embarrassing.
I had to chuckle at that. I put it on the list of things I definitely wanted to see.
Myrina noticed my dizzy smile. “What is so humorous?”
I played innocent. “Nothing. Let’s go.”
We left Phoebe to continue her work, but I had a gut suspicion that she was going to go grab some Mountain Dew from the north fountain first. I could just imagine Phoebe all hopped up on the Dew … No way could Hades defeat us with a highly caffeinated Phoebe on our team. She would be a damn near unstoppable force of nature.
“Alright, Myrina”—I turned toward the Battle Warden—“why don’t you go grab Asteria, Antiope, and Euryleia. We’ll take them with us as backup. Leave everyone else here to train and stand watch, just in case Praxidike gets a wild hair up her ass to take a poke at the city while we’re away.” Overall, that seemed unlikely since Loxo hadn’t seen any sign of an attack force, but I wouldn’t put anything past Praxidike—she seemed like a schemer.
The Warden gave me a respectful tightlipped smile, then turned and headed from the forge and into the city. Loxo and I followed, though moving at a much more leisurely pace. We walked down the cobblestone boulevard, the clicking of our feet complemented by the distant crash of ocean waves. Loxo kept stealing sidelong glances at me, but said nothing as we headed toward the dilapidated southern gate. A moment later, a huge blue-furred panther ghosted past us—Asteria.
