Hell to Pay (Ascend Online Book 2)

by Luke Chmilenko

  “They certainly sprang their trap at an opportune time,” Molly commented with a grimace.

  “Be that as it may, we can reminisce about the battle later, if there is a later,” Isabella cut in, before turning her head to address Sable. “How quickly can we get everyone moving again? Every second that we spend standing here blights another inch of the city.”

  “They’re ready to move now,” Sable replied with a grimace crossing her face. “The healers should have finished healing everyone who is able to be healed by now, and I’ve already told those who have lost limbs to stay behind at the entrance here and send any late arrivals forward.”

  “Good,” Isabella stated, just as Eris momentarily poked free from the clouds above before vanishing again.

  Reflexively, we all glanced upwards towards the hidden moon, feeling a sense of impending doom looming over us as we watched the shifting clouds. In the distance, a clear patch of nighttime sky was slowly drifting towards us, Eris’s crimson light brightly illuminating its edge.

  “We’re running out of cloud cover,” Smiling Jade said tonelessly as she looked away and back towards us. A hairline crack ran down the left side of her mask, along with a small chip missing, something having hit her hard during the battle. “We must go, now.”

  “I agree,” Isabella grunted as she moved to step out of the circle. “Gather your forces, we’re moving out in two minutes.”

  Echoing their assent, the other Thief Lords all stepped out of the circle as they moved towards the various groups of thieves, who had all instinctively huddled together based on their guild affiliation. Hanging back for a moment, Isabella glanced towards the distant group of Grim Shadows members, before turning her head back towards us.

  “If there’s anything else that you need to sort out before we get going, do it now,” Isabella whispered. “I don’t think we’re going to have another chance to take a break until we take down Dorian, assuming that’s where everything ends tonight.”

  “We’ll be ready,” I replied to Isabella, seeing Molly nod out of the corner of my eye as well.

  “Good.” She breathed a low sigh of a relief before completing her turn and starting to walk towards the waiting guild members. “I knew I could count on you all.”

  “Hang on,” Sawyer asked in a hushed voice after Isabella and the other Thief Lords were firmly out of earshot. “What did she mean by ‘assuming that’s where everything ends tonight’? That sounded strange to my ears.”

  “She’s worried that once Dorian is out of the way, the other Thief Lords may betray us,” Molly explained to Sawyer as she motioned for us to walk towards the still waiting bag of loot. “There have been…trust issues lately.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?!” Sawyer hissed under his breath in disbelief. “After all this, we still need to worry about betrayal?! I thought trust among the Hunters was bad, but this is completely on another level!”

  “Welcome to the Underworld, the society where paranoia is a survival trait and alliances last for as long as they’re convenient,” Quinn told Sawyer with a fatalistic shrug as the four of us gathered around the bag of loot. “That’s simply the way life is here.”

  “So I see,” Sawyer replied with an uncomfortable expression on his face. “Should I be expecting the same thing once this is all over?”

  Sawyer’s question caused both Molly and Quinn to slowly turn their heads towards me, their expression going completely blank.

  “You’re a good person, Sawyer,” I stated simply before bending down and opening the loot bag that the Devourer had dropped. “And you’ve helped us quite a bit today…despite what happened earlier in the day.”

  “Uh, thanks?” the red-armored warrior replied, sounding confused. “But I’m not sure that answered my question.”

  “Didn’t it?” I asked, looking up to meet the man’s eyes.

  Sawyer paused for a moment as he replayed my reply in his head, understanding slowly crossing his face. “Oh…thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it,” I replied, a thin smile crossing my face before it faded. “Seriously, don’t. It might get us killed and ruin our reputation.”

  “Sure…” Sawyer said uneasily as he glanced between the three of us, seeing the serious expressions on each of our faces. “What do you say about taking a look inside that bag? Before everyone starts moving and rushes us?”

  “That sounds like a great idea,” I replied, reaching into the bag, watching their descriptions appear as I pulled them out and handed them to the rest of the party.

  Helltouched Soul Shard Fragment

  Quantity: 2

  Item Class: Magical

  Item Quality: Fine (+10%)

  Strength: +1 Agility: +1 Constitution: +1 Intelligence: +1 Willpower +1

  Durability: 0/0

  Weight: 0 kg

  Helltouched Iron Axe

  Slot: Main Hand or Offhand

  Item Class: Relic

  Item Quality: Good (+15%)

  Damage: 30-45 (Slashing)

  Strength: +6

  Durability: 140/140

  Base Material: Iron

  Weight: 1.5 kg

  Class: Any Martial

  Level: 13

  Special: Helltouched

  Vial of Devil Blood

  Quantity: 5

  Item Class: Magical

  Item Quality: Average (+0%)

  Durability: 0/0

  Weight: 0.5 kg

  Helltouched Slag

  Quantity: 15

  Item Class: Magical

  Item Quality: Average (+0%)

  Durability: 0/0

  Weight: 15 kg

  “A lot of crafting components this time around,” I commented as I finished handing out the items to the rest of the party, pausing to take a closer look at the [Vial of Devil Blood] and [Helltouched Slag]. With nothing special on their item descriptions, I didn’t have any other idea what they could be used for.

  “The axe is actually pretty decent,” Sawyer commented hopefully as he inspected the very same weapon that the Devourer had wielded in the battle a few minutes earlier. “It may look a little melted, but the balance is surprisingly good and it’s still sharp. Not sure what the ‘Helltouched’ special does, though.”

  “Feel free to take it,” I told the warrior with a shrug. “I don’t think any of us are trained in axes anyway.”

  “Just swords and daggers for me,” Molly affirmed as she held up what appeared to be a broken fragment of a soul shard. “Given what I’ve seen these things do, I’m a little hesitant about having one of these on me, but it does give a pretty wide boost to everything…”

  “I know what you mean,” Quinn said, inspecting a similar fragment. “Looks like a crafting component to me, though; maybe it can be added onto something else.”

  “If that’s the case, you better hold on to it,” Molly replied while holding out her fragment. “You and Lazarus are the only crafters I know.”

  “Fair enough,” Quinn said as he took the soul shard fragment and put it into a pocket along with the one he was holding. “We’ll have to take some time after all this calms down to do some experimenting.”

  “I won’t say no to taking a break.” I nodded at Quinn in agreement while adding the [Devil Blood] and [Helltouched Slag] into my inventory, feeling the strange blackened lumps of iron as being slightly hot to the touch. “Gods know we could use it.”

  “Amen,” added Sawyer as he tested the grip of his new axe.

  “Looks like everyone’s almost ready to move,” Quinn said halfheartedly as he turned away from us and began walking towards the rapidly assembling guilds. “We better catch up.”

  “Go on ahead,” I told the departing mage, seeing Sawyer turn to follow, the warrior taking slow practice swings as he walked. “Just grabbing the rest of the loot.”

  Checking to make sure that I hadn’t forgotten anything inside it, I let go of the now empty loot bag, and it vanished the moment that it touched the ground. Standing fr
om my kneeling position, I felt my sore muscles protest from the movement. It had been a long and brutal day so far with no sign of it ending anytime soon, and the stress and fatigue was starting to take its toll on me. I had no idea how the rest of the night—or week, for that matter—was going to play out, but I was silently considering taking the first opportunity I had to log off for at least a day and do nothing but sleep.

  Sighing softly, I decided to take advantage of the current lull in the action to look over my character sheet, something I had barely even scanned after turning level thirteen.

  Lazarus Cain – Level 13 Bruiser

  Half-Giant/Half-Elf Male

  Statistics:

  HP: 800/800

  Stamina: 800/800

  Mana: 275/275

  Experience to next level: 6136/25200

  Attributes:

  Strength: 79 (92)

  Agility: 65 (73)

  Constitution: 49 (54)

  Intelligence: 10

  Willpower: 10

  Abilities:

  Sneak Attack II (Passive) – Attacks made before the target is aware of you automatically deal weapon damage+35.

  Bleeding Attack I (Passive) – Enemies who take sneak attack damage will continue to bleed for 5 seconds, taking 40% of the sneak attack damage dealt.

  Power Attack II (Active: 50 Stamina) – You slash viciously at the target, putting extra strength behind the blow. Deal weapon damage+25.

  Ambush I (Active: 60 Stamina) – You ambush your target, striking them in a vulnerable location. Deals weapon damage+125. This ability can only be used on a target unaware of you.

  Kick (Active: 20) – You kick your enemy for 10-20 points of damage, and knock them back 1-2 yards. Depending on your Strength/Agility score, you may also knock down the target.

  Shoulder Tackle (Active: 40 Stamina) – Stun enemy for 1-2 seconds with chance to knock enemy down based on Strength and/or Agility attribute.

  Deadly Throw I (Active: 30 Stamina) – Throw a weapon with extra strength behind it. Deals weapon damage+15. This ability has a chance to interrupt spellcasting if thrown at the target’s head, force them to drop their weapon if thrown at target’s hands, or slow their movement if thrown at target’s legs.

  Skills:

  Weapons:

  Unarmed Combat – Level 12 – 51% (Increases knowledge of Hand-to-Hand fighting and improves related Abilities.)

  Swords – Level 13 – 2% (Increases knowledge of Sword fighting and improves related Abilities.)

  Daggers – Level 11 – 47% (Increases knowledge of Dagger fighting and improves related Abilities.)

  Crossbows – Level 12 – 22% (Increases knowledge of Crossbows and improves related Abilities.)

  Throwing – Level 10 – 36% (Increases knowledge of Throwing Weapons and improves related Abilities.)

  Other:

  Stealth – Level 12 – 93% (Decreases chance of being detected while attempting to stay hidden. Improves related Abilities.)

  Lockpicking – Level 12 – 89% (Increases knowledge of lock mechanics, allowing you to pick harder locks.)

  Wordplay – Level 12 – 89% (Increases chance to persuade others, resolve differences, and/or get information.)

  Perception - Level 13 - 8% (You are skilled in spotting hidden creatures and places. Depending on your skill level, hidden creatures and places will be highlighted in red.)

  Tradeskills:

  Blacksmithing – Level 11 – 12%

  Cooking – Level 10 – 34%

  Alchemy – Level 12 – 11%

  Leatherworking – Level 12 – 17%

  Racial Ability:

  Titan’s Might (Giant) (Passive) – Your Giant ancestry has given you the ability to wield large weapons in with exceptional strength. All damage dealt by two-handed weapons is increased by 3%.

  Keen Sight (Elf) (Passive) – Your elven ancestry has given you exceptional eyesight, granting you the ability to see twice as far as normal in all lighting conditions. This ability also grants you Darkvision.

  Darkvision (Elf) (Passive) – You are able to see in daylight conditions up to 100ft in total darkness.

  Traits:

  Sigil of Rage – A magical sigil written in the Primal Tongue has been carved deep into your flesh, causing it to pulse with an unfathomable torrent of energy. When activated, Primeval Rage suffuses your body granting you +10 to Strength and Agility. While this ability is active, you are consumed by burning pain and your body is burned from within, dealing 10 points of damage per second. This ability scales per level.

  Evolving Weapon:

  Dormant Glass-Steel Greatsword

  Total Experience Gained: 2925/50000

  Oh, I gained a level in Swords and Perception! I realized after looking at my character sheet. That last battle was pretty intense, I completely missed seeing the notification for the Swords skill increase, and I can’t even remember when Perception would have leveled.

  “Damn, I’m starting to miss things,” I muttered while rubbing my face and reevaluating just how exhausted I really was. Was it earlier today that we saw William? That seems like it was ages ago.

  “You doing okay?” Molly asked as she stepped close to me, concern written all over her face.

  “Feeling worn out,” I replied as she leaned into me. “Just looked at my character sheet for the first time today; it almost felt like I was looking at someone else’s.”

  “I know what you mean,” Molly said with a sigh. “It feels like it’s been go-go-go ever since the Heist.”

  “The Heist.” I shook my head as I probed the black spot in my memory. “You know, I’d just forgotten that I had forgotten about it?”

  “With everything that’s happened over the last day, I can believe that,” Molly replied sympathetically. “But does it really matter anymore? If we put an end to Dorian and Edith…then missing a day may not matter much at this point.”

  “I think you’re right,” I said with a shrug. “But at the same time, I also want to know what happened, if only to understand how I got the Sigil of Rage.”

  “I guess it’s my turn to forget about things now.” Molly placed her hand on my chest right where the sigil was. “I hadn’t thought twice about it since we left William’s place. Has it been bothering you at all?”

  “Not really, though it felt a little different when I used it this fight,” I said, thinking back to the battle with the Devourer.

  “Oh?” Molly looked up at me with a curious expression. “Different how?”

  “Well, for one, it activated itself this time, right when the Devourer appeared,” I explained, remembering how the sigil’s energy had changed. “And the energy behind it was…cold this time. Normally it’s hot, like my blood is on fire.”

  Molly’s eyes widened as she listened to me speak. “It activated it by itself?! I thought you were completely in control of it.”

  “So did I,” I replied with a shrug. “I’ll have to ask William about it…assuming we survive all of this.”

  “It’ll be our first stop once this is all over,” Molly told me, the tone of her voice telling me that I didn’t have a choice in the matter. “We’ll make sure that there is nothing wrong and figure out what we can do to make sure that you’re truly in control.”

  “No argument from me,” I replied with a smile as I looked into Molly’s eyes.

  For a moment, the world stopped as we stared at one another, the two of us barely having had the chance to catch our breaths since the morning, let alone find a quiet minute together. Placing a hand on the side of my face, Molly pulled me closer, giving me a soft kiss before pulling away.

  Molly looked like she was about to say something, but was interrupted by a sudden part in the clouds above us, Eris’s crimson light shining down from above. The two of us couldn’t help but look up at the burning moon, the moment vanishing as a crushing sense of urgency reasserted itself, punctuated by the slow rumble of shuffling feet as the remaining thieves began to move.

  �
�Once more into the breach,” Molly said with a sigh as she pulled away from me and turned to look towards the departing thieves. “We better catch up.”

  “Yeah,” I replied, my eyes fixed on Eris high above as it vanished behind the final block of clouds, the large gap Isabella had mentioned earlier just minutes away. “Let’s keep moving, and hope we’re not too late.”

  Chapter 25

  Rushing down the abandoned streets, we were forced to pick our way through the wreckage of the battle, stepping over broken bodies and shattered barricades. Traveling in a pocket of relative safety a short distance behind the frontline, the four of us hustled alongside the Thief Lords silently as we made our way towards the Phineas mansion. It didn’t take long for us to pass through the small neighborhood, our eyes picking out the telltale signs of the battle that had preceded us when The Damned had first attacked the Phineas Estate.

  Several windows among the buildings flanking the street were broken, along with countless shattered doors that had obviously been beaten down. There was no sign where any of the inhabitants had gone, or that they had even survived the renegade Thieves Guild’s attack in the first place. As it was, the pitiful few hostages that we had seen before the attack had taken place had accounted for a substantial portion of the devils that The Damned had summoned, the guild choosing to sacrifice as many as possible outside their membership before turning to their own.

  “Gods, what happened here?!” a voice rang out ahead of us, with others of similar sentiment filtering back towards us as we rounded the final bend that led out of the cloistered neighborhood, the tall buildings giving way to a scene out of nightmare.

  “Oh damn,” I breathed, looking ahead at what once was the verdant grounds that surrounded the Phineas mansion, staring in shock at the desolate wasteland before me.

  Gnarled and twisted trees reached up into the clouded sky, their bare branches barely moving in the gentle ocean breeze. Mounds of withered leaves piled themselves amongst the skeletal remains of countless hedges that flanked the brightly illuminated road before us, dozens of mage lamps casting their pale light into the night. Abandoned tables and chairs were visible through the gloom, indicating areas where people once sat and enjoyed the immaculate garden that used to encompass the estate.