“It’s you.” I instinctively lower my weapon.
I hear the screech of a griffin overhead. One glance up and I see, clear in the early morning light, that a griffin is descending from the sky.
“There isn’t much time,” the Obelisk says, her voice that of a million whirring insects.
“I don’t know if it worked,” I tell her, my heart heavier than it’s ever been. With both Sam and Lothar gone, I’m completely alone, again.
“It has worked, Oric, you’ve done it.”
I bow my head, my hair falling into my face. “I don’t know what I’ve done.”
“You’ve made it possible for this world to continue in another place, a stronger world, Tritania, a location that has ample space for the citizens of Unigaea. Now I need you to fly, I need you to save as many people as you can.”
“And Wolf?”
“You can meet him there, in the next world.”
I whistle and Wolf comes running. My hand goes on his head, and I scratch him behind the ear. It’s hard to look at him, hard to accept what it is I’m about to do.
“You ready, boy?” I ask, entirely afraid of what happens next.
My voice quivers as I say his name once more, as I tell him how good of a dog he is, as I let him know that no matter what, no matter how, we will be reunited again. “You’re my best friend,” I tell him, tears streaming down my face.
He pants as he takes me in, his blue-green eyes filled with love for me.
I lift the scepter and the portal grows in size.
Wolf whines; I refuse to look down at him, knowing all too well that this could be the last time I’ll see him.
Who really knows? A new world, new rules, new location – there’s no telling what the future will hold, and if that future actually includes a reunion with Wolf.
“How will I find him?” I ask the Obelisk, who stands beside me now.
“You will find him, Oric; your souls are connected, and no matter the size of the Proxima world, souls as tethered as yours always find each other.”
“Get in,” I tell him, my hands trembling.
Wolf barks and drops into a playful stance.
“Get in, dammit, I’m serious, Wolf. I have some people to save.”
I fall to one knee and he joins me immediately, licking the tears from my face.
“I’m serious, Wolf, get in the damn portal!” I laugh through my tears. “My god! There’s something I thought I’d never say to you.”
He barks again and again as the griffin circles above.
“Wolf, I’ll find you. First thing I do. Now get in, dammit!” I choke back a sob and get back to my feet. “Go on, boy, you can do it.”
As the griffin flaps its wings, Wolf takes a few steps closer to the vortex.
“Do it, Wolf, dammit, do it now!”
The big Tagvornin canine, the best companion I’ve ever had, takes one last look at me and trots into the portal.
He’s gone in a flash.
A sinking feeling in my chest nearly brings me back to my knees.
“You’ll find him, Oric,” the Obelisk assures me.
A cold wind blasts against my face as the griffin lands behind me. The majestic lion eagle snaps its beak and whips its tail at the ground as its wings settle.
“And this is my ride?” I ask the Obelisk.
“It is.”
I take a deep breath. “And what about you?”
“Do not worry about saving me, Oric. An NVA Seed must remain with its world. If I leave, all of Unigaea will implode.”
“I’ll fly to each city getting as many people as I can. I’ll start with the Tagvornin camp, Drachma, Metica, Tael, Tin Ingot, Mohar, Karuna, Stater, Solidus. Any place I can get, I’ll go.” I sniff, steel myself, and look the Obelisk square in the eyes. “You have my word.”
She looks down at the bodies of Florin Talonas, Sam Raid, and the two Drachma Killers. “I’ve given all NPCs free will. Some may go, others will stay.”
“That’s fine,” I say as I place my hand on the griffin’s feathered neck. The beast is instantly calmed by my touch. With a single eye locked on me, it lowers its body and I mount up, the First Artifact now at my side.
“Good luck, Oric, and thank you.”
“Good luck to you,” I say as the wave of emotion I just experienced is replaced by the will to succeed.
The griffin lifts into the air; the bodies below grow smaller with each flap of its wings.
I’ve never felt surer of something in my life. I’ve also never felt more frightened. One look over my shoulder and I see the Red Plague moving on the horizon, a wall of utter annihilation put here to destroy Unigaea.
But circumstance put me here to save it.
Predestined randomness.
I can’t help but laugh bitterly at the thought as the griffin flies higher into the sky.
Thanks again, Oric.
You’re welcome, Obelisk.
The end.
More about Last Warrior
Reader,
Firstly, please review this box set. It was an incredible fun journey, at least writing-wise, and the more reviews it has, the more people will take the journey.
The Last Warrior of Unigaea is related to my other works, which I will detail in the section below. For starters, you should know the timeline of my series (all links go to Amazon):
Year 2058 – The Feedback Loop series
Year 2069 – The Last Warrior of Unigaea
Year 2075 – Fantasy Online series
Year 2083 – Life is a Beautiful Thing (cyberpunk series)
Year 2090 – Monster Hunt NYC
The Proxima Galaxy
Like all galaxies, the Proxima Galaxy expands with this book. The Proxima Galaxy is the name for the galaxy that holds all the Proxima worlds, worlds like Unigaea. In this book, I mention Tritania, a JRPG fantasy world used in the Feedback Loop and the Fantasy Online series; Cyber Noir, a gritty futuristic noir world used in The Feedback Loop; and Steam, a rules-heavy steampunk world used in The Feedback Loop and in a work I’ll publish next year starring Sam Raid.
As I will continue to say, most of my books are connected through the Proxima Galaxy in some way. Regardless of the order in which you read them, I have written these series in a way that I hope doesn’t require too much knowledge of what has been written in the past. That said, reading the other books will greatly expand your personal knowledge of the connections and the little tidbits that make this kind of world-building so much fun!
Direct connections between this book and my other series
Oric is briefly mentioned in Fantasy Online Hyperborea, which is out now. This mention comes in chapter 22, in which the main characters of that book meet Arun and Chantrea, the gnomes Oric met in chapter nine of this book.
Oric and Wolf also appear in the second through fourth book of that series.You’ll definitely want to see what has become of them (Remember, this is 6 years later), so be sure to get started on Fantasy Online Hyperborea!
Sam Raid, is mentioned in The Feedback Loop book seven, Proxima Riven. Through her smuggling and general badassery, Sam is responsible for helping the main characters of that book retrieve Steamsuits, which are steam-based mech/exoskeleton suits.
Facts about Unigaea
Every city in Unigaea is named after an old world currency. So Tin Ingot, Karuna, Ducat, etc., are all world currencies that have been used in the past.
The idea of an online world in which death is final came to me after playing the intro to Nier Automata. In this game, you aren’t able to save until about an hour or more into the action. If you die, you start over completely. I hated/loved this, especially after dying three times, and thought it’d make a great structure for a Proxima World.
The concept of a “Solar Mage” came from author Eric Nylund, who is the first to my knowledge to use the Solar Mage class in his great book, Hero of Thera. I took inspiration from that, added a little Jubilee from X-Men, 2B from Neir Automata,
and ran with it to create Deathdale.
As a visual thing, this series shares the “Critical Hit!” and “Instakill!” with Fantasy Online Hyperborea. I did this because the two series are related, and it adds a dash of color to reading the book on an e-reader.
Thank you again for taking the time to read my work, and please review it once you get a chance.
--Harmon Cooper, Summer 2018
[email protected]
Join the Proxima Galaxy Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/340842693023697
Other Books by Harmon Cooper
The best-selling Superhero Harem Adventure about a sci-fi writer and the superpowered women who are trying to kill him. Fun content, adult read!
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BGZHXV7
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07BGZHXV7
Audible: https://adbl.co/2uR0voP
DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07BGZHXV7
AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07BGZHXV7
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07BGZHXV7
A fantasy harem adventure inspired by Pokemon Go!, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and the Persona family of video games. Check out this Amazon best-seller!
USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZM2MT6
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CZM2MT6
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07CZM2MT6
AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07CZM2MT6
DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07CZM2MT6
Tokyo, Japan meets online fantasy gaming and South Park-styled humor. Yakuza, goblins, action, intrigue - add this book to your inventory list!
(Also featuring Wolf and Oric from Last Warrior.)
US - http://amzn.to/2pKN8zM
Audible - https://adbl.co/2vqSzY3
UK - http://amzn.to/2lDlfMa
Canada - http://amzn.to/2iRellt
Australia - http://amzn.to/2A7KhGA
Germany - http://amzn.to/2xIUc3u
What if Ready Player One was a multi-part epic? Gritty LitRPG action, gamer humor, fantastic fantasy worlds, and a killer MC.
(This one is related to Monster Hunt NYC)
US - http://amzn.to/2sdhfnF
Audible - http://adbl.co/2scOs2q
UK - http://amzn.to/2lCxkRH
Canada - http://amzn.to/2za1VeP
Australia - http://amzn.to/2h2bi9H
Germany - http://amzn.to/2z9Ad1v
A drunk Texan. A day-tripping yogi. A world on fire. Post-apocalyptic political satire with urban fantasy elements. Only after 2016 would this make any sense.
US - https://amzn.to/2vdF3uk
UK - https://amzn.to/2HBdSw6
Australia - https://amzn.to/2ISMEAs
Germany - https://amzn.to/2qvAK84
Canada - https://amzn.to/2Hn3Jp6
Get connected with other LitRPG/GameLit readers
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The Last Warrior of Unigaea Box Set: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure Page 56
