“Come on!” I shouted, leaping to my feet and sprinting towards the lifts. “Get over here, now!”
The bridge shook with every one of my steps. I passed the halfway mark and glanced over my shoulders to see my friends racing towards me, the dragon diving down towards them. It was dark purple, with flecks of silver on its scales. Its tail was thick, long and barbed like a spiked mallet. I didn’t have time to inspect it, but something told me it was probably max level.
I was almost at the lifts, but my group had barely made it onto the bridge, and the dragon was almost on them. It opened its mouth and I saw a swirling twister of flame spinning in the back of its throat. If that hit them, there was no way they’d survive.
“Faster!” I shouted, taking cover in a hollow of the cliff beside the lift. But I could already see they weren’t going to make it. There was nothing I could do. “Sab! Use your portal!”
I saw Sab’s eyes go wide and he quickly aimed his halberd in front of them, then threw an exit portal at the end of the bridge a few feet from me. As the massive winged beast swooped down on them, all three of them hurled themselves forward towards the black circle before them.
Flames spit forth from the dragon’s mouth like a thousand flamethrowers, tearing its way across the ground towards my party. At the very last second, they disappeared into the portal as the fiery torrent engulfed the bridge, setting it on fire.
All three of them were spit out of the exit portal and slammed straight into me, knocking me back. The flames roared towards us and I braced myself, but just as we were about to be engulfed, they stopped and the dragon pulled up, cutting hard to the left to avoid slamming into the cliff face.
“Holy shit!” Curafin exclaimed, pressing a hand to his chest. “What the Hell was that!?”
“Since when are there dragons in Carrethen!?” I cried, hardly able to believe we’d just survived that. I watched as the drake, now barely a shadow against the sky, beat its wings and soared high into the sky, then banked out of sight.
“I wouldn’t even begin to speculate on what’s going on in the Dark World anymore,” Kodiak stammered, obviously a bit shook up. “Because I never saw that thing last time I was here.”
In front of us, the bridge, engulfed in flame, cracked and finally collapsed, spilling into the empty blackness of the chasm, its pieces like a thousand torches disappearing into the unbeatable dark. For a moment, all we could do was stare.
“Well…” Sabotenda muttered. “I guess we won’t be going back that way.”
“Come on,” I said flatly, turning to the equally terrifying lift beside us. “Let’s go before he decides to come back.”
43
The Outer Wall
The lift itself was no more than a few cobbled together wooden planks and a set of chains on either side. No railing, no siding, no nothing. One false step would spell disaster, sending you tumbling into the seemingly bottomless chasm to join the remnants of the fallen bridges.
The only sound was the clinking of the chains as we climbed, seemingly forever, staring down at the Wastes as the rocks grew smaller and smaller beneath us. As we rose, bits of ash began to fill the air around us, wafting through the air like tiny snowflakes.
The lift shuddered to a halt as it reached the top of the cliff, and we all quickly stepped off onto solid ground, finding ourselves on a wide road paved with thick cobblestones that seemed to circle the city. The view from the top of the cliff was even more incredible than the view from below.
“Wow,” I said simply. “What a place.”
The city was like something created by a mad architect, driven insane by boredom or out of his mind on drugs, trying to see just how many twisted lanes, shacks, spires and bridges he could cram into one city without causing the entire thing to collapse.
Ash fell more heavily on the inner city, which lay some distance ahead of us, and soft lights glowed here and there, scattered among the countless windows. I felt as though we’d stepped into a secret, as though the city itself were a mystery that could never be understood. Even the silver glow that slashed across the rooftops had no source.
“How will we ever get through this?” Curafin asked, sounding like he was already beaten. But before any of us could respond, the sound of metal rang out through the air.
I glanced to our left, in the direction of the sound, and saw a lone knight swinging a massive sword, facing off against a mob of attackers wielding shovels and pitchforks. I recognized her immediately.
“Anwi…”
I inspected the group in front of her.
Diseased Villager—Level 88.
There were many of them, but Anwi had leveled up to 110 and was handling them with ease. Her health bar was almost full, and each slash of her mighty sword dealt catastrophic damage to the villagers. She didn’t need our help, but even still, I drew my bow and began firing.
Each arrow was enough to almost one-shot the villagers. I continued firing as I walked towards her, cutting them down one by one as though we were plucking weeds from the ground.
Anwi slashed out at the last of them, obliterating its remaining HP with her thick blade, then whirled around to face me, sword at the ready.
“Oh,” she said softly as she recognized me. “It’s you.”
“Hi, Anwi,” I said, coming down a step of stone steps to greet her. She’d been fighting in a small square with a dry fountain at its center. The villagers had apparently come up one of the side streets leading deeper into the city. I could see more of them down there, milling about aimlessly, moving in and out of shadow.
“I appreciate your assistance,” she told me. “But it was not needed. I had them under control.”
“I saw that,” I agreed. “But a little help is never a bad thing.”
Anwi seemed to ponder this a moment as she leaned against her massive sword. I had to admit I was a bit jealous of it. I played an archer, sure, but every gamer was always filled with the immediate desire to reroll a new character once they saw just how cool different classes could look when decked out in high level gear. My bow was fantastic, but Anwi looked like a certifiable badass.
Her plate mail seemed to have been upgraded or replaced in parts. Her spaulders were thicker and more ornate, with intricate vine patterns stamped across them in brighter, silver metal. As we came closer, she removed her helm, revealing her pale hair that seemed to mirror the silvery shimmer of Jahannan. It saddened me to see her expression hadn’t changed since we’d last seen her at the crypt. She was still gripped by loss, but her eyes were fierce with determination.
“Any luck finding Hectar?” I asked timidly. Anwi lowered her eyes and shook her head.
“My love still eludes me,” she replied sadly. “But I will continue searching until I find him.”
“Who is she?” Sabotenda asked quietly from behind me and I realized he and Curafin had not been with us the last time we encountered Anwi.
“Anwi, this is Sabotenda and Curafin,” I said, introducing my companions. “I rescued Curafin from Chilgrave Castle, and Sabotenda is part of the Red Devils, a guild who protects the town of Cara.”
“Yes.” She smiled gently. “I have met this one before.”
Sabotenda nodded and I remembered what Lock had told me about Anwi passing through Cara but refusing to stay.
“You are welcome in Cara any time,” he told her.
“It is a peaceful place.” She nodded. “I would like to return there one day when my journey is over.”
“You are more than welcome,” he replied. “Any friend of Jane is a friend of ours.”
“Anwi is looking for her friend Hectar,” I explained. “He has…gone Sunken.”
“Come with us,” Kodiak interjected. “You don’t have to go off on your own again. We’re looking for one of our friends as well.”
Anwi shook her head. “I will only slow you down. This quest is mine and mine alone.”
“We’re going through the city anyway, Anwi,” I told her. “We�
��re on our way to Targanic.”
“I cannot,” Anwi replied sadly. “Until I search this city, I cannot continue on. Hectar may be lost here, and I will not know until I have explored it fully.”
I looked at Anwi and couldn’t help but feel as though I was looking at another version of myself, a distorted reflection, or a long lost sister perhaps. Just as I was on a quest to save my friends, Anwi was on a quest to find her love, Hectar. Neither of us knew what we were facing, but were willing to put ourselves in danger for our cause. I knew I wouldn’t be able to change her mind.
“I like your sword, Anwi,” I told her simply. For just a moment, I saw a brief flicker of a smile on her lips, but it vanished instantly as though swept away by the wind.
“Thank you,” she replied. “It’s been with me a long time.”
“If you ever want it upgraded,” I told her, “head to Cara and find Gehman. Hopefully he will have his smithing leveled up by then.”
Anwi nodded and I motioned to my group for us to head out. We started down the road into the inner city when Anwi called out behind us.
“There is a man in Jahannan,” she said, a warning tone to her voice. “He will speak sweetly to you and then betray you. Do not trust him.”
“Thank you, Anwi,” I replied with a nod. “We will be careful.”
44
The Huntsman’s Trap
Leaving Anwi behind, we followed the cramped street deeper into the City of Jahannan. Groups of Diseased Villagers lay ahead of us, lurking in the shadows as we pressed forward through the patches of spotted yellow light coming from the windows around us.
The shacks around us were packed so tightly against each other that it looked as though if one of them was removed, they’d all topple over like dominos. Their bricks, once red, were now worn, chipped and faded as though centuries of wear had taken their toll on a once glorious city. It was like stepping into a gothic horror film set. We reached a fallen carriage, its bed filled with naked corpses of villagers. The entire thing was consumed by flames.
Kodiak glanced over at me with concern. I merely raised my eyebrows and stepped around it to the other side. The alley appeared to open up into a square, but a group of Diseased Villagers stood in our path, and in their center was an enormously tall man with a dark wide brimmed hat. He held a massive pitchfork and somehow, his appearance reminded me of a scarecrow—one intent on killing anything in his path. I inspected him.
Night Huntsman—Level 109.
“I don’t like this place,” Curafin whispered as I surveyed the group of enemies blocking our path.
“What’s to like?” Kodiak replied.
“Let’s just take these guys out and keep moving,” I told them. “Curafin, can you Menace the big boy? The other Villagers shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Got it,” he replied.
“You guys just DPS the others down,” I said, drawing back my bow. “I’ll handle the big fella.”
Curafin raised his wand, and as he began to cast, I loosed my arrow. Menace hit him a millisecond before my arrow, and before his health bar had begun to drop, I had another arrow nocked and ready to fly.
The Villagers all turned like an angry mob and began racing toward us. I loosed my second arrow, belting the Huntsman in the chest. My shots were doing good damage, and he was already below 75% as he began to lumber in my direction.
The Villagers cried out as they engaged my group, swinging wildly with their shovels and pitchforks. The sounds of battle rang out around me, but my attention was on the Huntsman, as I knew I was the only one who could deal with him.
His eyes were yellow, without an iris, and he tossed villagers aside as he made his way towards me, scattering them like bowling pins. I peppered him with arrows as fast as I could, getting him well below half by the time he reached me.
He raised his massive pitchfork and I swapped to my daggers, dodging out of the way to avoid his first strike. I came up behind him and used Ambush to hack off a huge chunk of his HP, then followed up with Mutilate and Eviscerate. He cried out as his health dropped and spun, driving the blunt end of his pitchfork into my gut. I gasped and doubled over in pain, but forced myself to roll out of the way of the blow I knew was coming.
The Huntsman’s pitchfork cracked the cobblestones beside me and I struck out, slashing his inner thigh with one of my daggers. He howled in pain and kicked at me, knocking me back with incredible force. I slammed into a door behind me, shattering it, and tumbled into the run down living room of one of the houses. A Villager sat motionless in a chair in the corner, possibly dead, but I was on my feet and racing back out into the alley.
Sabotenda drove his halberd into the Huntsman’s chest as I came crashing out the door and slammed my shoulder into his hips, knocking him to one knee. He slashed out wildly, using some kind of special power attack, and slapped Sabotenda with the flat side of his halberd, knocking him back and chipping away 25% of his health.
But he was getting low, and I activated Rush and followed up with Blade Flurry, slashing him down, while at the same time dealing AoE damage to the other Villagers Kodiak and Curafin were busy fighting.
The Huntsman was below critical. Another few blows would finish him off, but as I raised my dagger to strike, he raised his pitchfork high into the sky and a red light exploded from the barbs, tearing up into the clouds like a laser.
“What the Hell is that!?” Kodiak cried out, slashing down a Villager and driving his dagger into the Huntsman’s stomach.
“I don’t know!” I shouted, finishing him off with Mutilate. He collapsed and I quickly looted a stack of Pareals and his pitchfork to sell later.
“We got this, Jane!” Sabotenda cried out as he drove the staff of his halberd into two Villagers’ faces and finished them off. He spun around triumphantly, then saw the red light, still glowing up into the clouds, and glanced at me with concern.
“What the…?”
Then, an enormous roar rang out through the city, like the entire population had just awoken, called to action by the Huntsman’s call.
“Let’s get out of here!” I called out, spinning around to head back the way we’d came. But to my horror, a torrent of Villagers came spilling into the alley from the Outer City, scrambling over one another like fast zombies, possessed, rabid and intent on reaching us and tearing us to pieces.
“Get them!” one of them screamed in a terrifying tone.
“Outsiders!” another of them cried out.
“Outsiders!” the mob roared in response. Torches flew from the masses, landing all around us. One struck Sabotenda in the chest, spilling ash and ember to the cobblestones at his feet.
“This way!” I screamed, racing down the alley that led deeper into the city.
“Where are you going!?” Curafin shouted after me.
“We have no choice!” I called over my shoulder, leaping over blockade of fallen barrels. I braced myself against a house as I passed, the mouth of the alley in sight.
A Villager lunged from the shadows and drove his knee into mine, knocking me against a wall. He followed up by driving a butcher’s knife into my stomach. It wasn’t much damage, but the pain was real and the angry mob was closing in behind us.
Sabotenda’s halberd speared him, lifted him into the air and tossed him aside as my group rushed to my aid.
“Let’s go!” he shouted, tossing a portal in front of us and another down at the end of the alley. We all piled in and emerged in a circular plaza with an enormous gothic cathedral standing at the center, looming over us like a monstrous hand.
“Which way!?” I shouted to Kodiak, who was glancing around, obviously panicked.
“That one!” He pointed to one of the countless streets splintering off from the plaza. He spun around. “No, that one!”
Another roar rang out through the city and I watched as countless Villagers and Huntsmen raced into the plaza from every direction, flooding in from every street and alleyway we could possibly escape from.
“I don’t think it’s going to matter, Kodiak,” I said grimly as the angry mob closed in on us.
45
Gragorn the Giant
I let my arms slump to my side as I gazed across the screaming, horrible faces of the Villagers surrounding us and closing in. Sure, we could fight, but for how long? There were just too many of them. We’d be overwhelmed, and even low level chip damage would take us down in no time. We’d fallen right into the Huntsman’s trap.
“Well, I guess this is it, fellas,” I said dismally. “Back to square one.”
“At least we’re all bound in Cara,” Kodiak reminded me. “Just don’t let me stay Sunken for long, okay?”
I nodded and smiled, preparing myself for the onslaught, praying it would go quickly and save me from having to endure too much pain. Pitchforks and shovels cut through the air towards me and I closed my eyes, accepting the inevitable.
An enormous explosion shook the ground, sending me toppling over. I heard the cries of Villagers and opened my eyes to see an arrow, impossibly huge, taller than the houses surrounding us, embedded in the cobblestones in front of us.
“What the…?”
A pitchfork slammed into my back. I spun around and struck out, finishing off a Villager who was already below critical.
“What’s happening!?” Curafin screamed as he stumbled to his feet. The horde closed in, and something rang out in the distance. I barely had time to look up before a second arrow obliterated the crowd in front of me, striking them down like a heat seeking missile.
“Who’s firing!?” Kodiak cried out. I looked up, my eyes searching the city for the source of the shots. Something glimmered at the edge of the square atop a tall tower. I heard the unmistakable sound of a bowstring snapping, and watched as a third arrow screamed through the air towards us.
Again, it crashed into the mob of Villagers, wiping out an enormous group and killing even more with the shockwave created from the impact. With three shots, the mystery archer had decimated more than three quarters of the horde.
Lord of the Flame: A LitRPG novel (Call of Carrethen Book 2) Page 20
