“I understand.” She shut her eyes. “If he couldn’t do that, you’d squash him like a bug.” Her lips curled into a smile. “That pleases me. Find your skill, Arthur.”
“Right, okay.” I turned back to her tree and spent the four hundred thousand experience to learn Enhanced Defense because out of the three I saw, it’d be the one most likely to help us in the case of the next invasion.
It also unlocked two new skills, which had been kind of the whole point. The first was pretty obvious, building off the previous skill.
Stalwart Defense
Skill: Unlearned
Decreases the effectiveness of enemy abilities within the leader’s territory, reducing the effectiveness of skills and abilities performed against a leader’s subjects by 5% (additive) for every skill level.
Do you want to learn Stalwart Defense? Base cost: 500,000 Experience.
As my eyes fell on the next skill, I sighed but was also pleased at the same time because it required learning Enhanced Offense to unlock.
The Best Defense…
Skill: Unlearned
Requirement: Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Offense
Combines the skill level of Enhanced Defense and Enhanced Offense.
“Hot damn, that’s pretty cool.” I was tempted to take it, but I was pretty sure I needed to keep moving down the tree, which meant I should take Stalwart Defense. Worse, to get The Best Defense… I would have to buy Enhanced Offense for four hundred thousand experience.
“What have you found?” Lucifer asked, her fingers tapping her thigh anxiously.
“A skill that lets points in one skill count for points in another skill.” I waved off the comment. “Just give me a second. It will be easier to explain when I’m done.
She nodded as I went back to her skill tree and purchased Enhanced Offense causing Stalwart Offense to appear. Only, instead of looking at it yet, I went ahead and grabbed The Best Defense… As I did, the one next to Enhanced Offense and Enhanced Defense glowed for a second before the white one turned into a blue two, signifying it was acting as a level two skill. If that didn’t make it obvious enough, the effects of both skills had increased as well, so both were now two percent effective.
Better still, like before a new skill appeared beneath The Best Defense…
A Good Offense…
Skill: Unlearned
Requirement: Stalwart Defense, Stalwart Offense
Combines the skill level of Stalwart Defense and Stalwart Offense.
Unfortunately, as I looked at the tree, I realized no other skills had appeared. I stared at the tree for a moment. It was entirely possible what I wanted wasn’t here, or I was going about it the wrong way, but I didn’t think so.
The General’s power seemed to be based upon his worshippers, and if that hadn’t been the case, he would never have stepped through the breach, let alone left his territory to fight me. There had to be a way to take that power with you.
“Fuck it,” I mumbled to myself and purchased Stalwart Defense. Unfortunately, the only thing that happened was that the line between the skill and A Good Offense… began to glow, letting me know I’d succeeded in almost unlocking the skill, but no others appeared.
I then spent another half a million experience to purchase Stalwart Offense which unlocked A Good Offense… but nothing more.
Do you want to learn A Good Offense…? Base cost: 1,000,000 Experience.
Taking a deep breath, I learned the skill. This time two new skills appeared under it, and I nearly cried out in relief.
Wayward Son
Skill: Unlearned
The user's offensive leadership abilities will continue to affect subjects outside of the leader's territory, as long as the leader is present, at reduced effectiveness (10% of the base ability per skill level).
Prodigal Son
Skill: Unlearned
The user's defensive leadership abilities will continue to affect subjects outside of the leader's territory, as long as the leader is present, at reduced effectiveness (10% of the base ability per skill level).
Selecting Prodigal Son, I nearly gasped.
Do you want to learn Prodigal Son? Base cost: 10,000,000 Experience.
I swallowed hard. It was a good thing Lucifer had been around so long. Otherwise, it would be impossible to gain these skills without a ton of hard work and effort. Then again, it made sense. Having a skill like this leveled would make everyone stronger.
“Well, here goes nothing,” I said, spending the twenty million experience to learn both skills, and this time two more abilities appeared. I’ll admit, I was surprised because I had figured I was at the end of the tree, but there it was.
Breaking Bad
Skill: Unlearned
Any debuff or curse successfully resisted by the leader increases the likelihood a subject will resist the same debuff by 5% per skill level.
Better Call
Skill: Unlearned
5% of the leader’s stats will be passed on to their subjects per skill level.
I swallowed hard. That was it. The game changer.
I barely had to think about spending the twenty million experience to learn Breaking Bad. With that skill, every Hell-based person would gain the ability to resist the General’s terror debuff, assuming Lucifer could resist it herself. The thing was, Michelle had resisted the debuff with one hundred intelligence, and Lucifer’s cap was two hundred.
Turning to her Intelligence, I selected it.
Current Level: 100/200. Experience Cost to increase Intelligence is 1,100,000. Would you like to upgrade? Yes/No.
I upgraded her intelligence to one hundred and one and sighed when the next upgrade came up.
Current Level: 101/200. Experience Cost to increase Intelligence is 2,200,000. Would you like to upgrade? Yes/No.
“Prepare to get awesome,” I said, meeting Lucifer’s eyes right before I spent twenty-eight billion experience to bring every one of her stats to two hundred. As the glow faded around her, I spent another two billion and a half or so experience to max out Wayward Son, Prodigal Son, Breaking Bad, Better Call, Enhanced Defense & Offense, and Stalwart Defense & Offense.
The truly sad thing was that by the time I was finished, she still had over four hundred and thirty billion experience left.
“I feel fucking amazing,” Lucifer said, taking a deep breath as the last of the glow faded around her.
“Not as amazing as you’re about to feel,” I said as I selected the final skill that had appeared once I’d learned both Breaking Bad and Better Call.
Lead From The Front
Skill: Unlearned
The user’s strength will increase by 1% (additive) for every subject unit on the battlefield.
23
It took another six hours to get the rest of the Hellion Archangels with exorbitant experience pools up to the level of Lucifer, and another hour after that to increase Michelle’s leadership tree to match Lucifer’s own, but by the end of it, I was feeling pretty fucking good about this.
“Ready to kick some ass?” I asked, glancing from Lucifer on my left to Michelle on my right.
“Yes.” Lucifer smiled at me as the whole of Heaven and Hell stood behind us. I wasn’t exactly sure how many it was, but I was guessing we had something like a thousand people. Sure, most weren’t warriors, but that hardly mattered. Their purpose was simple. To not die. As long as they managed that, I’d increase in strength from their buffs as would Lucifer and Michelle.
And, if I’d calculated everything correctly, through their strength and abilities, they should be able to ignore the General’s fear debuff. Sure, there were a lot of ifs in that statement, but as I stepped back into the breach, I had a good feeling.
“You’re back,” Dred said as I appeared on the other side.
“Yes, and this time I brought an army.” I smiled, my gaze flicking between him and Jophiel as Lucifer, Micelle, and the rest of the archangels stepped through.
“What are you d
oing?” Jophiel cried, fear filling her eyes as wave upon wave of angels and demons stepped in after them, filling the plains of the darkness with my warriors.
“See, I figured something out.” I touched my chest. “Their strength is mine, and mine is theirs.” Even as I spoke, I felt the power of their numbers wash over me, increasing my strength by over ten thousand percent.
“I bet I could flick you to death right now,” Michelle said, taking a step forward and quite simply appearing before Dred in a way that let me know he hadn’t seen her at all. It was a bit insane because she’d seemed slow to me.
“And she’s half as strong as me,” Lucifer grinned, a predatory edge in her voice.
“So, this is where we both ask,” Michelle and Lucifer exchanged a glance as they spoke in near-unison, “why we need you at all, Dred?”
“For the same reason I cannot give Arthur my mark.” Jophiel stepped forward, pushing herself between Michelle and Dred before the guy could even open his mouth. “If Arthur gains the Pinnacle of Heaven achievement, Dred won’t be able to use Excalibur anymore nor will he be able to use his ability to absorb the power of those he defeats. Both of those powers will transfer to Arthur.”
“And that’s bad, why?” Michelle asked, and the raw hatred in her voice astounded me. I knew she was mad at Dred, but her anger seemed to rival Samael. That was why she was standing in the back of the forces with Uriel and Mammon.
“When a General is killed, that power has to go somewhere.” Jophiel pointed at me. “If it goes into him, he’ll gain affinity for the Darkness, which will reduce the strength of his powers of Heaven and Hell. Arthur will actually become weaker, which is what we don’t want.”
“Yeah, I’m the sacrificial lamb.” Dred stepped around Jophiel. “It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.” He looked down at himself. “I can already barely use my Heavenly Armaments and powers thanks to my connection being severed with the other angels. Even with Jophiel’s mark sustaining me, it is barely enough for me to use what I have.” He made a fist. “But if you think giving my power to Arthur is the better decision, I will accept it.” He met Michelle’s eyes. “I’ve done everything to save Heaven, even if it doesn’t seem that way.”
While I wasn’t sure if either Jophiel or Dred were telling the truth, what they said sort of made sense. I knew Dred’s powers were based around absorbing his enemies, and while it seemed ridiculous that killing the Generals and taking their powers would make him weaker, I had taken most of his marks. I didn’t want to risk growing weaker, not when I was finally strong enough to get stronger. Besides, the way it stood now, I could kill Dred without breaking a sweat.
I looked at the assembled warriors before settling my gaze on Michelle. “You guys can all kill each other after we defeat the Generals, and I’m guessing they already know we’re here.” I pointed down to the town below. It had been busy before, but now it was a swirl of movement. “Because they are definitely readying their defenses.”
“Know I will rip out your intestines and use them to jump rope while you still live,” Lucifer said, nodding once to Dred before moving to my side to stare down at the camp. “What do we do?”
“Nothing yet,” I said, turning to them. “Stay here unless I call for you.” I glanced at Dred and Jophiel. “And watch them too.”
“And what will you be doing?” Jophiel asked, moving beside us. “You’ve still not told me your plan.”
“Me?” I laughed. “I’m going to bring the hope.”
With those words, I stepped off the cliff. My feet slammed into the hard-packed earth below, throwing up a debris cloud. Only, I could see every last speck of dirt moving around me. No, it was more than that. Not only could I hear the sounds of people scurrying behind the massive stone gates in front of me, but I could also hear their hearts beating in their chests, smell their fear on the air.
I could tell they weren’t afraid of me, could tell they were afraid of what I’d kicked up because inside, I could feel Ten rising within the blackened spire in the center of town. That was the wrench in this plan, and it meant I had to hurry.
“Take heed, I have come to free you,” I called, striding forward across the blackened earth.
As I reached the gate, I reared back and kicked it as hard as I could. The sound of shattered stone and torn steel filled my ears as the massive gates burst inward, tearing clean off the hinges. They bounced across the street beyond, gouging great gouts in the stone before slamming into a guard tower like a bowling ball. The building beyond swayed violently as the wooden legs snapped like kindling, causing the whole thing to collapse forward.
That’s when the scent in the air changed. It was still scared, but now that fear was turned on me. Within the town, I could see hundreds of pairs of eyes, each fixated on me. I could hear others hiding, scrambling away from the gates as I reached out toward the entrance as bits of stone, wood, and steel rained down around me.
As my fingers touched the energy barrier surrounding the town, sparks leaped, and concentric circles of power rippled outward. I winced, expecting it to hurt, only I barely felt it. Sure, there was some tingling, but not a lot more. Crazy.
I pressed on the barrier, causing the sigils across it to flare brightly before exploding like firecrackers on the Fourth of July. As the last one went up, the whole of the shield spell covering the town warbled, turning from clear to violent red. Lightning arced off the surface, smacking into me, but I didn’t feel it. Hell, I barely noticed it.
A smile crossed my lips as the barrier buckled like a cobweb, shattering into a million effervescent shards that flitted around me like lightning bugs and fireflies. Inside, screams filled my ears, and as I looked around, I saw people were cowering behind everything. Hiding in their dilapidated shops, peering through the windows of the homes. Women clung to their husbands, and children to their mother’s skirts.
It made me feel a little bad or would have if I was an invader. Well, a bad invader anyway.
“I’m here to rescue you,” I said as I stepped into the Darkness and as I did, the whole of the sky above me seemed to roil. I turned my gaze to the sky, wondering what was going to step forth, but nothing did. That was when I saw Ten. He stood at the top of his spire, head cocked to the side like he was listening.
Then, as the sky returned to normal, I felt his gaze upon me.
“You dare come here, Builder?” He touched his side where I’d wounded him with Caliburn, where the mortal wound I’d dealt kept him bleeding. “Do you think me so wounded you can defeat me in my own home?”
“Yeah, pretty much.” I took a step forward, the dirt crackling under my step as I moved. “See, I figured it out. These people fear you.” I gestured around me. “But I can see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice.” I smiled. “You fear me.”
“I do not,” he snarled, leaping down from his glittering black spire. Only instead of really hitting the ground, the second his feet touched the earth, he charged forward.
It was strange because I knew he was moving quickly. I could tell based on how far he’d moved in relation to the dust cloud he’d kicked up when he’d landed. There was just one problem. He may as well have been moving in slow motion to me.
No. Without his fear aura turning my troops into batteries to boost him, he wasn’t even close to strong enough. I, on the other hand, did not have that problem.
I stepped casually to the side, effortlessly dodging the Dark General’s charge, and as he stumbled past me, I flicked him. My index finger smashed into his shoulder, shattering his armor and the bone beneath before sending him flying off into the distance. His body punched through the building to my left in a comet of blood and goo. The building behind that fared no better, and it wasn’t until he struck the stone wall nearly half a mile away with enough force for it to collapse on top of him that his flight stopped.
He fell forward off the wall, his body a broken, bloody thing, and as he did, I grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him into the air.<
br />
“If you fear this thing, you should join me, and I will set you free,” I said as I dragged the General toward the spire. Then I slammed him against it hard enough to crack the obsidian walls.
As I released the General, allowing him to collapse forward onto his knees, I saw the people of the town staring at me, and one by one, I felt their fear start to change. Not dissipate exactly, but they were starting to believe I could win.
I gave the General a contemptuous kick, and even though I hadn’t tried to really hurt him, the blow sent him flying through the wall of the spire before he burst out the other side in a hail of debris.
That’s when I realized I could see people in the streets all around me, their heads bowed as they prostrated themselves before me, and what’s more, they all had emblems above their heads. The same ones that meant they had joined me.
“Tell me,” I said, moving toward the General and placing my foot on his chest, I pressed down, feeling the crack of his ribs as they shattered. “What’s it like to be afraid, Ten?”
“I do not fear you,” he snarled in words laced with pain before launching into a violent coughing fit. Yellow ichor spurted from his lips. “You cannot kill me.” He grinned, his lips peeling back to reveal bloodstained teeth. “That is reserved for the Destroyer.”
“Funny story,” I said, turning on my heel and gesturing toward the cliff. As I did, I saw the shadowy figure of Dred drop to the ground like I had. I knelt down beside the General and pointed toward Dred as he stepped through the busted gates. “Who do you think that is?”
24
Leaving the broken General to Dred, I entered phase two of my plan. Part one had been taking the place, but part two? That would involve holding it while making sure we didn’t get fucked back at home.
“Sathanus,” I called while touching the Mark of Wrath emblazoned on my body. It flared red for a second and a moment later the dwarven archangel appeared in front of me.
“Arthur,” she said, looking past me and staring at the General while Dred drove Excalibur through the creature’s chest. “You know I don’t like being here.”
The Builder's Throne Page 12
