I snorted and crossed my own arms. “What’s the worst that can happen? Dying?”
“For us, no, but for you, yes.” He snickered. “Remember, we are immortal until the day we have paid off our debts.”
I nodded and activated my headpiece. “Attention all pilots. We will go in hot. Here’s what you need to do.”
I explained it in as much detail as Grawl would provide, which wasn’t much. Still, it was more than we had several minutes ago. At least we knew what was going on down there and how the orcs would greet us once we touched down.
It took us several more minutes to arrive. The chaos below was just that: chaos. Soldiers were fighting, and hunters were doing their best to stop the tide of orcs, but they were helpless against the horde. And it was a horde. Thousands of orcs scattered across the city, most of them in groups no larger than two dozen.
“Where do you want me?” I asked as I readied my greatsword. I needed something with enough punch, but also something that could protect me if need be.
“Over there.” He pointed toward two groups that were converging on what looked like a convoy of vehicles. Several military jeeps and a tank were racing beside the trucks, but seeing the wreckages so far, they wouldn’t be able to do much. “Civilians if you want to save them,” he added, noticing my stare.
“Thanks. Do we push them toward the center?” I asked and turned to meet his eyes one last time before I descended like an avenging god.
“We do, human Viktor. My warriors will smash them!”
“Hey, don’t overdo it. You barely have two thousand soldiers.”
He smirked and shook his head. “Trust me, you’ll see just how powerful they are. Now, before you go, there’s one last thing I need to tell you. I heard someone call our arrival a riftbreak. We’re not the only ones playing this game. Once this is over, you should bolster your defenses. More breaks will occur, but we will be there to help. I promise.”
I gawked at him, unable to believe what he just said. “And you’re telling me that just now? Grawl, we had hours to speak, and you’re just telling me that the danger is far from over?” I demanded.
“Exactly. Now, good luck. I’ll give you a little push so you know where to go.”
He slapped my back with his oversized hand and sent me flying, pushing me out of the bubble and down from the airplane. I closed my eyes just for a second before I focused my Enma around me, creating a parachute of sorts that prevented me from crashing and dying. I steered my drop toward the convoy and was greeted with bullet fire for my trouble. Someone had twitchy fingers, but that was to be expected when they saw you wearing monstrous gear.
I blocked the small-caliber rounds with my sword and gave them the middle finger. Idiots. A barrage of projectiles struck the tank. It exploded as the Bura became volatile and ignited the ammo inside the vehicle. I knew as much, as I could feel the process happen.
“Damn mother—” I was about to curse when an arrow glanced off my left shoulder, and then another.
I put my sword up in defense and steered toward the nearest group of orcs. Now, these bastards were all red but smaller than the ones who had attacked Sylmar. Farz was burning, but I’d give the dead some peace of mind once I was done with them. Before the sun had set, I would make sure they were all dead.
“I don’t know if you can hear me, Grawl, but you’d better count the ones you kill ’cause I’ll make sure my kill count is higher than yours.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
There wasn’t much I had to think about other than to play it safe. With Krajolik’s debuff, I was about the same strength as usual without Melina’s buffs. It was only then that I knew how much I was missing her, but it didn’t matter. Fighting the orcs and trying to get my hands on some Bura was the order of the day.
I dashed out from behind cover and half-ran and half-jumped into the thick of it, swinging my blade and absorbing several blows. My shield held, but I felt the numbers drop pretty quickly. Every single one of them was using a sort of Bura. Some stronger, some weaker. They had one thing in common: it was a violent color red that I could grasp.
I made short work of the first group and stopped to check on the convoy. They had stopped and were turning about for some reason. Idiots. They’d barely escaped death and were now crawling back into the lion’s maw.
I checked for survivors among the orcs, and satisfied all of them were dead, I dropped off the building and landed just as the closest vehicle came around the bend. I put my hand up to stop them, and they did. There was that at least.
“Why are you back?” I yelled as the first driver got out of the truck. He was a short, thin man with twigs for arms and a mane of brown hair.
“We just heard something strange!” he replied with a stern expression on his face. “Four airplanes dropped off another group of orcs who are now engaged with the bastards who attacked us. Is that true?”
I nodded and stashed my sword away. I didn’t want them to be afraid of me, but time was of the essence, so I needed to cut this short. “They’re allies of Sylmar. I forced them into a sort of—let’s call it cooperation. Is there anyone you can call and tell not to attack the green ones?”
“Yes, sir!” he replied and stormed back over to the truck. He stayed there for several seconds as others gathered around to gawk at me in my full battle armor. I didn’t look anything less frightening than the orcs, but at least they could see my face. “Sir! Can you please come? The major wants to talk to you!”
I let out a sigh and hurried over to him. He handed me something that looked like a miniature microphone just as a voice boomed from the truck’s speaker.
“Damn it! Is he there yet?” the voice hissed.
“He is,” I replied. “My name is Viktor, and I’m the owner of Sylmar city. Who am I talking to?”
Now that got him to shut up. Sure, I wasn’t the owner of Sylmar, but if I had to explain things to him, it would take a lot of time. Time was something I didn’t have.
“This is Major Stokes. You said you’re the owner of Sylmar? Like a warlord?”
“I don’t have the time right now, Major. Let’s cut it short and have a drink later, alright?”
He didn’t reply right away. It took him several seconds to speak again, and when he did, he sounded deflated. “Yeah, sure thing. What can we do?”
“Stay out of the green orcs’ way and don’t attack them. I won’t give them any shit if they kill your people defending themselves. We’ll be pushing them toward the center, so make sure you don’t go inward.”
“Right, right. Major Stokes out.”
I was surprised by his quick change of heart, but he must have seen the truth of the matter. Grawl’s orcs weren’t attacking the city, or so I hoped.
I turned back toward the truck drivers and several hunters who had gathered around.
“If you want to play hero, make sure the ones in your care are safe first. Then follow after me and help any civilians wherever you see these—” I looked at the dead orcs and frowned. They were slightly orange-tinged and dark gray. “Whatever. Just avoid the orcs allied with Sylmar.”
They just nodded, but none of them said anything, not even the first trucker who had gotten me earlier. Good. They could see the gravity of the situation and hurried to do their part. I could respect a man or a woman who did their all in a given situation, and they seemed just about doing that.
I jumped back up onto the building before I made my way toward the center. I needed a glance at where the nearest enemies were, but then something strange struck me. Bura wasn’t dissipating. It still lingered even after the orcs were dead.
I knelt next to the violent power and reached for the red flickering glow. Enma started to run wild but drew the Bura in and stashed it away just as a strange sensation erupted from within. It wasn’t quite painful, more like an unpleasant and dull toothache. A part of my Enma pool splintered off and emptied itself, the power flowing out of me. I felt a good chunk of it leave my system, at
least about ten percent, but it was quickly replaced by an urge to beat my chest and go rampant.
A second shield layer appeared around my first one and reinforced my body. Not in a way the Enma did, no, more like supporting my body. I felt lighter and as if I could take the whole world on.
“What the hell is this?” I whispered as I pulled out my halberd and swung it in a circle. An afterglow of Bura remained and shredded a nearby metal crate. I stopped and stared with my mouth wide open, then looked around as if searching for someone who might have witnessed what had just happened. But I was alone on the roof.
I shook myself free from whatever it was that just held me bedazzled and stared out at the city. It wasn’t a particularly tall building, so I couldn’t see very well, but what I could do was hear the sounds of battle in the distance. The closest one was to my left and toward the center. I checked myself out one last time, and everything seemed fine. I’d healed the shield up when I killed the orcs earlier and was now ready to go hunt. But in a different setup.
I pulled out my bow and readied an arrow just in case as I hopped from building to building, keeping an eye out for any strands of Bura. If there was any of the red power, then orcs weren’t far away. Still, even when I jumped to the sixth building, I hadn’t caught up with the gunfire. No, that wasn’t right. The gunfire had stopped, I saw as I stopped at the edge of the latest building. A group of orcs stood around and stared at several civilians and soldiers who had been cut into pieces. Damn bastards really liked to get violent; well, I could do that too.
“Shadow Hunter.”
The arrow hit the head of the one orc with a strange-looking bow. The arrow passed through the shield and the skull, exiting at the back. The orcs looked up and growled as they glared at me. I nocked a second arrow and placed it on the chest of another orc, then another, killing him as he was knocked off his feet. Seeing they had no way of getting to me, they must have feared for their life and started running. I shot another arrow at the retreating back of an orc and then exchanged it for my halberd.
“Don’t you even think of running!” I screamed and sprinted off the building, pushing off against the edge and jumping. The seconds between jumping and landing were some of the best in my life. The feeling that crawled up my back and into my chest was exhilarating.
The halberd’s edge dug deep into the first victim and lodged itself into his spine. I let go of the halberd, knowing better than trying to pry it out during combat, and pulled my greatsword out. I swung it twice and another orc fell, and another. And the last.
I was so lost in the feeling of killing the bastards that I didn’t even notice when the last lay dead before my feet. All I could see was the Bura that floated around their bodies. I took it in and grinned as the Bura pool kept filling and filling. Even though I had no idea what I’d be able to do with the stuff, I would keep gathering it. Maybe it could help eventually.
The sound of a truck’s brakes and tires screeching drew my attention. I looked over my shoulders and saw the same trucker at the head of their line. Before I turned back, I put my hand up and waved once, then oriented myself toward the tallest building and started running. They had done it on purpose, I guessed, and if so, then it was a smart move. If you ever got lost, just turn toward the tall spire and you’ll find your way eventually.
Several smaller groups or lone orcs barred my way as I moved, and I was forced to intervene, as several of them were trying to get into a flat, but a lone hunter was keeping them at bay. Barely.
I killed the three before they ever knew what hit them and stared at the young man. He was barely thirty years old, but there was something feral in his eyes. I decided to take a chance and stashed away my blade. It was easy and quick enough that if I had to use it, I just needed to pull it from my subspace.
“Are you protecting someone inside?” I asked and studied his movements. He didn’t do much but dropped his guard slightly.
“Who are you?” he asked weakly. “I don’t remember seeing you around.”
To my surprise, the man didn’t even seem out of breath, or was it just me imagining it? He had this energy around him, one that could only be drawn out when protecting someone. I respected him for it, and if it was up to me, even take the man in if we survived all this. Sure, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I didn’t care.
“I’m the owner of Sylmar city and the savior of Farz. I brought my orc allies here to fight your invaders.”
His eyes narrowed on mine, and he put his weapons up again.
“I’m not really following,” was all he said. His tone shifted, and he didn’t sound as neutral anymore.
“If I wanted to, I could have cut you in half with as much difficulty as I did to the orcs, so don’t. The trucks are right behind me, so you can take whoever you’re protecting with you. Once we’re done, look me up. Contact Major Stokes and said I asked for you to join us for a drink.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Nothing but a single word. “Thanks.”
I nodded and turned away, trying to listen for the nearest hotspot. Farz wasn’t nearly as large as Sylmar, but it was still a decent-sized city with probably around half a million citizens. One would think it would be easy to find trouble. Not sensing anything, I absorbed whatever Bura there was nearby and made my way toward the center.
“Talk to you later, stranger!” I yelled over my shoulder as I bolted up the street, right past the trucks.
An explosion drew my attention to the east. Thick black smoke rose from a tall building, and groaning sounds accompanied it. A side of the building suddenly collapsed in on itself and pulled the rest along to the ground. It wasn’t a residential building; no, it looked more like a piece of decoration made from steel.
I jumped up to the closest skyscraper and climbed like a monkey, slamming my hands into the walls so I didn’t fall off. About halfway up, I already had a good enough view to see what was going on to my east. A brown orc and a smaller group were busy battling an overwhelming force of orange and teal-colored orcs. I grinned and nodded to myself. If that was the chief’s brother, I was sure he’d appreciate me more after helping him out.
I lunged off the skyscraper and kept jumping from rooftop to rooftop. It only took me seven jumps until I was close enough to see what was going on. Several greenies had died, while the orange casualties were far greater. At least twenty.
“Need my help?” I yelled from overhead as I readied my bow.
“Stay out of this, human!” the brown yelled. I recognized him by the scar on his neck. “This is my battle!”
I nodded to myself and shrugged. “Alright, I’ll go ahead!” I yelled back and was about to jump when a throwing spear crashed into the edge of the rooftop where I was standing. It passed through the concrete and glanced off my shield. “Motherf—” but I caught myself and peeked over the side. “Who the hell threw that thing?”
A blue-green orc stood on the far side and was surrounded by several browns, while on our side there was a single brown. And then we had me.
“I changed my mind!” he called from below. “I need your help, human!”
I chuckled to myself and nodded. Little browny shat his pants. Good. I could hold that over him and the chief once I had saved him.
“Coming in hot!” I yelled back and readied the best arrow I had, a rank six, nocked it, pulled the arrow back, and targeted.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The arrow flew straight at one of the browns. He put a shield up just in time, but the arrow slammed into the red-glowing dome surrounding him, cracked, and strafed upwards, lodging itself into the brown’s throat.
“Shit,” I muttered. “That was unexpected.”
Damage Notification:
You have inflicted 24,891 damage to Orc Raider Captain.
He stood there for a long second before he dropped on his ass and died. It was one of those kinds of “what the fuck” things where you just couldn’t believe it happened. The most impor
tant thing was that a brown was dead, and all their chief had left, or what I assumed was a chief, was a single brown and the orange and teal-colored orcs. Most of them wore spears or scimitars, while our side was more heavily armed. Half of the group had large shields in their left hand and a spear or sword in the right, while the rest used a mace, an ax, or a double-handed sword. It made for a good mix.
I didn’t think much about it but that the cloth covering their bodies wouldn’t do much to save them from my wrath. I switched the bow out for my greatsword and lunged off the building to screams of anger on one side and laughs on the other.
I switched my boots for the ones with the double-jump skill and propelled myself forward when I was two-thirds down. A dozen arrows and several throwing spears flew my way, but I blocked them with my shield, letting a single arrow through that dinged off my arm. I landed with my feet slamming into the face of a smaller orc with a bow in his hand, swung the blade around, and used Shockwave.
Damage Notification:
You have used << SHOCKWAVE >>
You have used 50 Enma.
You have inflicted 11,142 damage to Orc Raider.
You have inflicted 11,087 damage to Orc Bowman.
You have inflicted 12,335 damage to Orc Bowman.
You have…
Several of the orcs dropped dead ahead of me as the others surged into me like a tidal wave. My allies were already on top of the ones hammering into me, cutting them to shreds with ease. I jumped upwards and then double-jumped out of the way, but at the last moment, a hand grabbed my ankle. It was strong and pulled me back with ease.
I slammed face-first into the hard pavement. The Enma shield absorbed most of the blow, but some passed through and rattled my teeth. I rolled with the blow and into the feet of another orc bowman. He pulled out a dagger to stab me, but an arrow found his eye and lodged itself deep into his skull. I pulled at the mass of Bura floating around. The power was overwhelming and I felt like going berserk on these bastards who attacked Farz.
Crossroads: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Towers & Rifts Book 3) Page 21
