Labyrinth to Tartarus: A LitRPG Saga (The Eternal Journey Book 3)
Page 30
He could live with that, however. Being Lord of the Dead was rough, but having Undeath hanging over him in one of his centers of power had been nothing but trouble waiting to happen. Turning the Stronghold into a haven of Order shouldn’t affect the Death or Darkness Temples, and it would improve the mood of the inhabitants of the Domain. But that sort of change often came with a cost. Hawke opened the Stronghold menu to see what it had been.
Most of the facilities remained the same, he noted thankfully. On the other hand, all the Undead minions were no longer available, but he had been expecting that. The flock of Harpies he kept as aerial scouts around the Domain were gone, along with the Structural Mana he had spent summoning them. But there were good news as well. In the Undead critters’ place, new minions were available:
Available Minions:
Basic
Clockwork Defender (2 Mana/day): Level 6 Automaton. Health 120 Mana 60 Endurance n/a. Can be equipped with weapons (Strength 20). Can be made into an Elite (x 3 Characteristics, +100% Damage) for 1 extra Mana per level per day. Level can be increased for 1 extra Mana per day per level, up to level sixteen.
Advanced
Mechanical Golem (6 Mana/day): Level 8 Automaton: Health 240 Mana 160 Endurance n/a. Can attack with fists for (Level x 5) Physical Damage. Or fire an energy beam from its eye for (Level x 4) Order damage (Max. Range: 300 feet). Can be improved as above.
Mechanical Owl (10 Mana/day): Level 8 Automaton: Health 80 Mana 160 Endurance n/a. Flier (Medium Speed). Can cast spells: Repair Automaton (Restores Automatons Health by 5/level, costs 5 Mana), Bolt of Order (1-6 Order damage per level, 8 Mana). Can be improved as above.
Summons Available
Animate Shadow: 6 Mana/day. Effective level: 16. Can be made into an Elite (x 3 Characteristics, +100% Damage) for 1 extra Mana per level per day.
Nature’s Guardian: 12 Mana/day. Effective level: 16. Can be made into an Elite (x 3 Characteristics, +100% Damage) for 2 extra Mana per level per day.
Darkness Guardian: 15 Mana/day per Guardian level (Maximum 16). Elite summon; cannot be improved further.
Along with each description, there was a 3-D picture of the minion in question. The Clockwork defender looked like somebody had built a Dwarf out of whirring bronze gears, pistons, and metal plates, except the head looked like a metallic soccer ball with three glowing yellow eyes and no other features. A look at their detailed stats revealed that the small critters had good armor (20 point-reduction against any attack plus 30% versus Physical and 20% versus Elemental or Force damage), and that the Elite version increased those values by fifty percent, making them surprisingly tough. They were a lot more expensive than zombies but didn’t need a corpse to reanimate, since they were delivered directly from the Realm of Order. Hawke had a warehouse full of ordinary crossbows, spears, and shields, so he could easily outfit a company of robot warriors.
The Mechanical Golem was shaped more like a gorilla, about seven feet tall, with a bucket-shaped head with one oversized eye in the center and two smaller ones below. The hulking minion had higher defenses than its Dwarf-sized cousin and could shoot energy beams from its big eye. And the Owls were tiny and relatively fragile, but they were an improvement over the Harpies, and not just because they didn’t smell like dried-out skunk roadkill. All in all, being a techno-magical version of Skynet was more charming than a Zombie Lord.
Even better, he discovered that as a fifth level Arcane Steward, he could use his Mana towards structural upgrades at a 20-to-1 ratio, or 5-to-1 if he used the Mana Lens in Orom’s Keep. He only had three days before the caravan to Akila left – and that date was final; delays and excuses to push the departure day back had kept cropping up until he put his foot down – but in that time he could begin improving the temples and other structures. Nothing major, since he wanted to leave enough Mana in storage for an emergency. But he wanted to help the Domain prosper.
“You know, I don’t think I can leave this place even after I hit level twenty,” he told Saturnyx. “I want to watch it grow. I wasn’t a huge fan of Civ-like games, but now it’s not a game. It’s a place. A home. Not just for me but everyone else in here.”
“That’s awesome. It never occurred to me that I could keep running this place from other Realms.”
Hawke nodded. He hated to admit it, but the meetings were beginning to grow on him.
Forty-Eight
“I don’t know about this,” Hawke said, fighting the urge to surrender to the pleading, wide-eyed stare Blaze was giving him. Luna was doing the same to Tava.
“And how long does that growth spur normally take?”
“I guess it’s not,” Hawke admitted.
Besides, the little fuzzies already knew the spell and could cast it on each other. The only reason they hadn’t done so already was that they wanted something else that only Hawke could provide. His Monster Trainer Evolve Monster ability.
“You are not monsters, and you aren’t tamed, either,” he said for the third time. Maybe if he repeated the facts enough times, the fur babies would get the message.
“You’re forgetting the ‘minus’ part, kid.”
Hawke glanced at Tava, who looked almost helpless against the pair of little dynamos jumping and yipping in between their telepathic messages. They were bigger than a rottweiler now, not counting their thick tails. Their wingspans were condor-sized, nine, ten feet wide. But their age could be counted in days. She looked back at him with a slightly-worried smile.
They seem so sure that they want this, she told him through Saturnyx. But I do not know if it’s for the best.
She shook her head before continuing out loud. “I now understand how Father felt when I became an Adventurer.”
Hawke knew the feeling. He would rather die than watch the furballs get hurt. On the other hand, they were shockingly tough and dangerous. They could take care of themselves.
I say we go for it, he sent out telepathically. Unless you really object.
I agree. I think we must let them make their own decisions.
That made it unanimous. Hawke cast Growth on the yipping kits as soon as he got them to stand still for a moment. Their forms shimmered so brightly that they became hard to see for several seconds, reminding him of Saturnyx’s transformation when she took over a new sword. He hoped that this bright light would bring about a good outcome. When it dissipated, he took one look and gasped. The Drakofoxes had become the size of horses – full grown horses, not ponies – although not quite as tall. With their tails, they were twelve or thirteen feet long! Longer than Rabbit, although less massive. Their fur now on
ly covered their back, sides and limbs; their bellies had no hair, revealing fine blue-green scales. Their ears and snouts were still foxlike, but their fangs were larger and protruded from their lips.
Flying mount, the gamer side of Hawke realized. A smart, spell-casting, fire-breathing flying mount.
He pictured himself riding Blaze over a battlefield and raining death and terror on his enemies. And then, he imagined said enemies doing their best to bring down his flying buddy. One problem with being high up in the air was that everybody could see you, although most spells couldn’t reach very far or high. Which, of course, was also true of his and Blaze’s spells. He dismissed his practical side; there would be plenty of time for working out tactics. His little buddy was now a flying mount! Besides, he bet Saturnyx had dealt with a bunch of flying mounts.
I’m sure you’ll have plenty of things to say about what we need to do.
There was only one thing left to do. Hawke approached Blaze first, laid his hands on the furball’s now massive head, and concentrated.
You are attempting to Evolve Blaze (Level 14 Drakofox).
Blaze has accepted to be evolved.
Proceed? Y/N
Hoping he wasn’t making a terrible mistake, Hawke went ahead with the process. A torrent of Mana flowed from his hands onto the trusting Blaze. Once again, the Drakofox began to shine with blinding intensity. He didn’t grow bigger, which was a relief, but when the lightshow was over, there were plenty of other changes. Blaze’s coat was now silver-white, and it covered his entire body, including the wings, which were now furry instead of scaly. His eyes were slightly bigger than before, and their purple sheen had been replaced with intense white light. After a few seconds, Hawke realized there was shimmering aura around Blaze; it pulsed rhythmically, on and off. And the aura had a psychic element to it; he could ‘hear’ it buzzing in his mind.
Blaze (Ethereal Drakofox)
Level 14 Ethereal Draconid (Epic Elite)
Health 1,702 Mana 1,467 Endurance 1,510
“Ethereal? What the heck does that mean?”
You’re going to be all the way up inside my head, aren’t you?
Kill me now.
“This is my first time doing this stuff,” Hawke told her as he walked over. “It’s a random change, so there’s no telling what you’ll get.”
“Well, try visualizing what you want while I start,” he suggested. “Can’t hurt, I suppose.”
He repeated the process. Luna came out of the light looking… well, bizarre was one word one might use. Awe-inspiring was another. Her fur had turned a dark crimson, and the scales on her wings and belly were scarlet. Like Blaze, she was surrounded by magical light, except her aura was red and hot enough to remind Hawke of the Infernal Dungeon.
Luna (Fire-Attuned Drakofox)
Level 14 Elemental Draconid (Epic Elite)
Health 1,201 Mana 1,489 Endurance 1,060
“I don’t think you’ll be able to ride her into battle,” Hawke told Tava.
Tava approached the literally red-hot Drakofox and climbed on her back, seemingly unaffected by the heat emanating from the furry beast. Luna beat her wings and began to hover above the ground while Tava held onto the long red fur for dear life. The back of the giant fox was not the best platform to ride on.
“We are going to need some sort of harness and saddle setup, I think,” Hawke said. “And a lot of practice. Don’t want to fall off at a thousand feet and hope you guys can catch us before we splatter all over the countryside.”
They would have to scramble to get it done before the caravan left the day after next, but it would be worth it. He and Tava could now be aerial scouts.
And if Kaiser Wrecker and his not-so-merry gang of thugs try to mess with us, they are in for a world of hurt.
The two mutant dragon-foxes looked at him.
“We’re going to need a couple of cows. Maybe a flock of sheep.”
Epilogue
Orelio Decimes, Prefect of the City of Akila, was not used to being rudely awakened in the middle of the night. He was even less used to waking up to find a sword point hovering over his face.
“Good evening,” Kaiser Wrecker told the Imperial governor. “Sorry for the house call, but you left us little choice.”
“How dare you?” Orelio said in a cold voice.
The Prefect was no coward; instead of sputtering or blubbering uselessly, he glanced at the spot where his Pouch of Holding had been. The device contained a number of weapons and magical items, which was why Kaiser had it removed, along with the two mistresses who had been sharing Orelio’s bed. The two women were sleeping off the knockout spell they’d been hit with. They, along with the equally unconscious bodyguards and servants the Nerf Herders had neutralized, had been placed in a nearby room. None had been hurt.
Night raids were tricky. Night raids that didn’t leave behind a body count were even trickier. His team had managed to do both. The whole idea was to make it easy to pretend that nothing had happened at the Prefect’s Palace that night. Having to explain away a bunch of dead servants and soldiers would run counter to that objective.
“You damned outlander. You have brought nothing but chaos and death to Akila since your arrival. And now you threaten me? Your Eternal existence will not save you from our wrath.”
“I was hoping to avoid a violent resolution to our dispute, your excellency. Under the circumstances, you might share that hope. I believe the situation speaks for itself.”
“There is that,” the Prefect admitted, not sounding terribly bothered. Death was always a possible result of playing politics in the Realms. Orelio had sent plenty of competitors to their final reward, and had no illusions he was immortal. “I take it, by the fact my throat hasn’t been slit yet, that you have a proposal for me.”
“Yes. This incident can be easily forgotten. None of your people have been harmed. The same cannot be said of the miscreants who led us to this moment, however.”
“You speak of the Council of the Wise. Those mages want all of you ‘Nerf Herders’ cast out of the city, or, even better, thrown into a burial pit. And not necessarily after you are dead.”
“Indeed. If you’d like, you can walk over to the balcony and see what I mean. I merely ask you not to try to raise an alarm. Anyone who might heed it is already unconscious, but the noise might cause a commotion that neither of us wants.”
Orelio dragged himself out of bed and stepped up to the balcony, noting that Kaiser stayed close enough to put an end to any untoward activity with a quick thrust of his black blade. The Prefect had been an Adventurer in his youth and
had a respectable hundred-plus Health, but without his protective devices, he was utterly helpless against the leader of the Herders. Careful not to make any sudden movements, Orelio looked at his city, and gasped in shock.
Akila wasn’t the dark pit a real medieval town would be. Magic lights and some gas-powered systems created islands of illumination that were the province of the wealthy and powerful. Chief among them was the great blue tower that served as the headquarters of the Council of the Wise, a large if loosely-organized wizard association that had dominated trade in the magical items in the city – at least, it had until the Nerf Herders arrived and started undercutting them. That and a misunderstanding about the guild fees the Council demanded from all spellcasters in town (an old-fashioned union racket with next to zero benefits for its members) had led to a standing feud between the two organizations.
For several seconds, Orelio gaped at the sight. Normally, the Council’s Tower glowed with a faint azure light. That had been replaced by the glare of flames that flickered out from every window in the massive structure.
“The Tower is ablaze!” he finally cried out.
The feud was ending tonight.
“A terrible tragedy,” Kaiser agreed amiably. “One can hope the death toll is not too severe.”
It wouldn’t be. The Tower was occupied by a dozen of the highest-ranking members, a couple dozen live-in administrators, and the usual gaggle of servants, sycophants, and hangers-on. Everyone inside had been dead before the fire started, according to the telepathic report Naruto had sent. The Rogue-slash-Shadow Assassin had improved his skills a great deal. He wasn’t as gifted as Girl-Has No-Name, but he’d gotten the job done, and that was all that counted. The kill-team had been equipped with extremely expensive Epic and Legendary devices and gear, which had made the job easier. The Wise had gotten soft; they had counted on the magical defenses of the Tower to protect them. Big mistake. All the Council members were dead, and with them, so was the organization.