Oblivion's Peril

by M. H. Johnson

  A furious exchange of strikes, parries, and voids left the air smelling of ozone as their blades crackled and hissed against one another, each feeling for weakness, seeking to master the bind before lashing out with furious assaults once more.

  And it was all Val could do to keep death at bay as his foe seemed to sense every feint, perfectly counter every attempt to master the bind, effortlessly defending against Val's furious assault before slamming with shield and lunging with his deadly blade at the very instant Val was vulnerable. Val's leg still screamed with pain, leaking blood freely from the shallowest of cuts that could have done far more than effortlessly devour armor and rip through skin.

  It was just like when Val had fought Elise, before he had mastered Shadowmind. She had been able to read him so well no matter his attempts to catch her off guard or pierce her defenses, having a bead upon his very mind. Marcus's vicious smile made it clear that he knew his advantage as well.

  "How does it feel, pathetic wretch? Your Shadowmind pierced, knowing you are only moments away from death!"

  Val said nothing, leaping back, bracing himself for what he knew was to come.

  And still, no matter how fiercely he clenched his will tight, it was all he could do not to black out to what would then become a horrific death as the agony washed over him. Your foe has launched Mind Blade! Natural defenses have collapsed! Attempt to resist by will alone has failed! Save versus sudden death made! You've suffered 75 points of damage to Health, Stamina, and Psions! Maybe dueling Darklords without your favorite crutch isn't a good thing, Val?

  Val ignored the mocking message across his psyche as he desperately forced his suddenly shrieking mind to battle-readiness, hands seemingly moving of their own accord as they embraced ingrained patterns of defense, Val beating off his enemy's suddenly furious barrage of attacks, his foe striking for the kill after striking out with his mind.

  And it was only now, his foe utterly focused on attack, Marcus no doubt readying himself for another psychic assault, all his mental energies focused outward in his attempts to master Val, that he was at all vulnerable.

  Val did not hesitate, embracing the death he could all but taste from the closing blade as his left hand chose that moment to slip free of pommel, hurling a shimmering chrome flask that tumbled through the air and past a suddenly terrified-looking Marcus.

  "Let's die together, bastard!" Valor roared as a panicked Marcus desperately pivoted his forceshield around as if to block the brunt of the explosion sure to shred him from behind, his bloodshot eyes widening at the thought of becoming Val's meat shield and saving the man he hungered to kill even as he furiously charged into Val with a desperate cleaving blow.

  Val did not think, only reacted, his hands and body embracing movements practiced so diligently they were now second nature, pivoting his hips and projecting his weight forward, his blade arcing down with the combined power of his entire body, smacking his opponent's desperate swing wide. Zornhau displaced Oberhau in a single beat, Val's two-handed sword effortlessly sliding past Marcus's blade, and it did not matter how fast and hot the Darklord's mind blazed, there was nothing he could do to counter Val's weapon, blasting through Marcus's neck as he crashed into Val, all but hugging his foe as Val tore his crackling Psiblade completely through Marcus before stepping away, the man now cleaved completely in two from neck to groin.

  The dying Darklord flashed Val one final vindictive smile before his eyes rolled back in death.

  Val frowned before the pain suddenly hit him, collapsing to the ground, gazing down at his torso, cleaved nearly in half as blood and entrails began to pool upon the already bloodstained marbled floor.

  You have been critically hit! You have suffered 100 points of damage and have suffered a critical wound! -5 to all skill checks. Arcane and Psionic skills are now -10! Health will decrease at 5 hp a second until death. You regenerate at 0.5 hp a second. Pain level is now extreme.

  Val's eyes widened as he choked back a scream, feeling death's awful caress even without the taunting message, doing all he could to focus himself, knowing that if he could just cast Season's Mending he would make it.

  Season’s Mending failed! Too much pain, Val.

  Val grimaced, swallowing a suddenly dry throat, knowing he was running out of time, breathing deep, trying desperately to focus, to reach inside his dimensional rift for any of his numerous life-giving potions.

  Only to cough up great gobs of blood, so dizzy he immediately collapsed prone, unable to access anything.

  Dimensional rift access failed!

  He managed to flash a bitter smile as his gaze landed upon Angelica's brilliant eyes sparkling like jewels, and the truth he had carefully hidden from himself came back to him at last.

  The vial he had thrown had not been catalyzed Silbion. It had been one of his very first healing potions poured into an opaque vial. Marcus had been able to read his mind, for all that avoiding his gaze had made it that much harder.

  He had known Val had thrown a vial of explosives and had rushed Val in a desperate attempt to pivot past him and survive. And his own panic had killed him, Val having used a feint so good it had deceived even himself.

  But Marcus had been no fool. It hadn't been razor-sharp steel he had wielded that would still require a jerk and saw to tear into Val from behind, power his body had instantly been deprived of. Instead, he had wielded a weapon that would tear through any object with the slightest caress, only requiring a dying man's final twitches to do devastating damage. So he had overrun Val and torn into him from behind in the split second he had before Val had all but cleaved him in two.

  And it had worked. The bloody bastard's slicing cut had torn through Val's kidneys even as Marcus died to Val's blade.

  Focus, damn it, focus! Even as he coughed up blood, his vision wavering in and out, he could see the vial that could be his salvation, struggling with all his will to drag his body towards it, refusing to give up, refusing to surrender to the cool darkness even now caressing his soul.

  He caught a flash of Lucius Blackenthorp, face an unreadable mask, gazing at Val with hate, horror, gratitude, and hope, paralyzed by furious indecision.

  He smirked at the ridiculous thought of an enemy bound only by oath helping him after Val threatened to seize everything and crush his dreams, no matter that Val had saved his life.

  He did not expect Angelica's hyper-intent gaze, the way she strode over him almost as if in fury. He choked back blood and bitter laughter as shiny leather boots stopped before him, knowing how easy it would be for her to smash his face in, wondering if he really had the heart to seal her doom if she struck him.

  And even now her eyes gazing so intently into his own could read him, his pathetic hesitation, tormented by the memory of a girl who haunted his vision whenever Angelica looked his way. Knew Val wouldn't strike her dead even if she did betray him. It would do nothing to save his cause, it would only kill a girl he had fought to save.

  An increasingly dizzy Val gazed at incomprehension as tears trickled down the girl's cheeks, eyes widening in surprise as a delicate hand uncorked the vial, bringing the contents to his lips.

  She whispered through her tears. "You could have seized the territory my family had built to greatness over centuries effortlessly! It would have been nothing for you to cut my father down even as I was dying in his arms. Instead, you saved me. You saved me when I had given up all hope. The brilliant blue eyes of a boy who owed me nothing. My clan, so terrified of your patron, would have destroyed you. But all you saw was a desperate girl, and your heart bled for me. Your body bleeds for me even now. How dare you think for a moment I could let you die. Now take this damn potion and live!"

  Val was at an utter loss for words, and when the indescribably wondrous healing potion trickled down his throat, all he could manage was a shudder in the girl's arms before twisting and crying out with rapturous relief so intense it was agony as crucial arteries were instantly repaired, Val still too exhausted to move but fee
ling a brilliant surge of hope burning away the bleak inevitability of death.

  Critical wound stabilized! Though still critically wounded, you are no longer in imminent danger of death. Val flashed an exhausted smile even as Angelica's fingers combed through his hair. He had the sense that his PRM-enhanced regeneration would soon repair the rest of the blood loss, but he had no time to lose and no desire to linger in a weakened state for even a moment longer than necessary.

  He took a deep breath, no longer flooded by agony and the sense of death hovering infinitely close, and tried to access his dimensional rift once more.

  Congratulations. You have successfully accessed your dimensional rift!

  Pulling out several healing potions, taking both a purple and a red, flooded with a sudden sense of well-being and power, though mentally still reeling from all that had occurred.

  Angelica was gazing at him in awe. "Where did those potions come from?"

  Val smiled. "Thank you, Angelica. That you found it within you to help me, even after what I did. I'm grateful. Beyond grateful."

  Angelica's gentle gaze turned solemn. "You've captured my city, oathbonded my father and I both, and cut down my uncle. Of course, my uncle was mad with illness and would have died within hours after cutting down the only man who could have saved his life." She gave her uncle's corpse a pitying shake of her head. "So mad for conquest, taking such pride that our clan would dare the Path of Kings..." She squeezed her eyes tight, clenching back tears. "And now we lose everything! Even if you can save fifty of us, there are over half a million people who could be dying of plague right now, right here in the heart of our city! What happens to them?"

  Val took a deep breath, forcing himself to his feet, gazing solemnly at Angelica and Lucius Blackenthorp both. He understood the power of symbolism. He took those final steps, as if underlying a footnote in time, making his way to the throne upon the dais in the heart of the grand chamber, pinning the surviving Blackenthorps with his gaze as he sat upon the throne.

  Much to his surprise, Lucius and Angelica both bowed solemnly before him, slamming fists to hearts, speaking in unison.

  "We honor he who rules our House, he who walks the Path of Kings, he who will one day rule the world entire. May we share in glory and triumph together."

  Congratulations! You have bested your foes by Mercy's Virtue and Trial by Combat both! Blackenthorp Province is available for purchase for a cost of 3 territory points!

  Purchase Blackenthorp Province? Y/N...

  His Dominion Matrix popped up in his mind's eye.

  Yes! Congratulations! Blackenthorp Province is a Greater Territory intimately affecting the destiny and potential of near one million souls, over 500,000 within the capital city itself! You have earned 6 +1 for conquest = 7 Dominion points. Congratulations! You are now a Rank 4 Overlord!

  As a Rank 4 Overlord, you now have 6 additional territory points to spend on upgrading your third territory. (Province must be joined to other provinces by gate or geography to share point pool.) Blackenthorp Province is a Level 7 Greater Territory holding multiple vineyards and farming consortiums that are collectively the equivalent of a Tier 6 agricultural center. The province is home to hundreds of mercantile and manufacturing operations working semi-competitively while sharing technology and portions of profits that in summation counts as a Tier 7 Mercantile Operation and a Tier 6 manufacturing operation with Tier 5 mining rights.

  Val's eyes widened. Christine's Tier 5 lab had been incredible. A Tier 7 Mercantile operation in comparison seemed to summarize the profits of an entire city focused on revenue generation. And a manufacturing hub that was effectively a Tier 6 facility allowed for massive focused production, even if all the various manufacturing facilities normally operated independently according to the needs of the market, being a key cornerstone of the mercantile operation.

  No wonder the city was home to multiple battle-mechs and countless armed troops. Blackenthorp Province was an economic powerhouse for its size.

  Your new territory will automatically enjoy a +5% bonus to research, production, fertility, happiness, and luck per territory level! Your Rank 4 Overlord skill will give you an additional 40% bonus in one category of your choosing.

  You may use the power of Phoebe, mistress of Jordia, to bless your territory in one particular direction per month. Blessings can avert disaster, or give a short-term boost to aforementioned spheres! Additionally, Phoebe has not forgotten your friends' warning to avert disaster, saving her western hemisphere from utter sterilization! Phoebe will grant you 1 greater blessing to be used when you need it most. Whether karma or sentient goddesses are in play, you have no doubt she will keep her word!

  Now that you are Soul-Linked to Blackenthorp Province, you have learned its darkest secret. The people of Blackenthorp are dying! They have been infected by a Tier 5 Plague!

  You have received the mandatory Quest: Red Death I. The Red Death, a mutated virus synthesized using the scientific techniques of two diverging realities, is perhaps the most virulent and lethal infection ever to strike Jordia, and it has hit your city! What will you do to save your people, Val?

  Val sensed other prompts waiting for his attention but abruptly closed them, the weight of those dying souls bearing down on him like never before. He was no longer preoccupied with combat, survival, or losing himself in darkest shadow. He had a city to save, only fifty vials of Cure-all potion available to him, and perhaps a handful of days, at best, before the death toll became catastrophic.

  He glanced back at the men who had literally died at their stations and grimaced before turning back to Lucius and Angelica. Perhaps he had only hours.

  His voice, when he spoke, was oddly solemn. He was relieved to see the recently healed doctor there as well, catching the man's gaze. "I don't suppose you have access to any equipment suitable for mass producing an arcane potion of Cure-all, doctor?"

  The doctor's cybernetic eyes whirred. He gave a regretful shake of his head. "My most sincere apologies, supreme commander. I fear that any arcane formulation, let alone one of that magnitude, is beyond my discipline."

  Val sighed, then nodded. It never hurt to ask. He turned to the Highlords gazing at him so intently. "Angelica? Lucius? If you have any knowledge of how to do such, or know anyone who can manufacture such, or have any other ideas on how we might save all these people, now would be a great time to share."

  Both of then lowered their heads. Lucius, near the mirror image of the man who had terrorized the Highblood compound, looked lost and defeated. "I fear not, Lord Valor Hunter. I have been working nonstop since the first symptoms to come up with some plan. But all our work, all our struggles have been fruitless."

  Val closed his eyes, having expected nothing else, but knowing the greatest sin of all would be to overlook whatever solutions might be right in front of his face.

  And there were none.

  He took a deep breath, pulling up his Dominion matrix once more though ignoring his personal prompts, focusing only on the city that was now, in some strange way, a part of him. And much to his horror, he could almost feel the deaths. Scattered, but growing as all the hopes, dreams, and potential of countless fragile souls were snuffed out. One by one.

  It pierced Val almost as deeply as the constant reverberating hum, both of them utterly pervasive. Inescapable truths.

  Now having an intuitive sense of how his newest territory ran, he knew his earlier suspicions had been correct. The hum was tied to the force field protecting the city entire, preventing hundreds of thousands from fleeing and cutting off any possible chance of quarantining this plague.

  Val opened his eyes.

  He swallowed, gazing down at his own trembling hands.

  Hope?

  Perhaps. Perhaps there was a way.

  It was the maddest of gambles and made no real sense, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let that stop him now.

  "Angelica!"

  Her eyes widened at the intensity of his voice. "Yes,
my lord?"

  Val smiled. "Val, Angelica. Just Val. This high-pitched hum... it has something to do with the force field, right?"

  She managed a rueful smile. "And makes it very hard for Dauda to Shadowmind us. Yes. We catalyze the shield frequencies from the central hub through the electromana field where it resonates around the city."

  "Can you take me there?"

  She frowned. Then her eyes widened. She exchanged a glance with her father. Without a word they raced down the corridors past numerous dazed and startled-looking servitors and guards, a few symptom-free, most showing signs of serious illness, more than a few dead where they lay.

  Finally, after they had raced down what seemed endless corridors, all traces of what seemed 18th-century opulence finally left behind, the halls now demarcated by cold steel and high tech chrome lit by sourceless pink light. Their pace only increased as they made their way at last to the well-defended power grid deep in the bowels of the city. The guards present were still upright and alert, though more than a few were coughing up blood, their elite mercenary enhancements alone saving them.

  The man who must have been the captain gave a curt salute to Lucius. "Facility secure, sir."

  Lucius nodded. "Has anyone escaped the outer perimeter?"

  A solemn shake of his head. "No, sir. Shields are in full effect. All exit points have been sealed shut. No one is entering or leaving until you say the word."

  Lucius nodded. "Good."

  "After the palace received word of trouble, we initiated emergency lockdown."

  Val nodded. "Smart, Captain. Have we notified Jordian Command of our status?"

  Lucius frowned in consideration. The captain was staring at Val with odd intensity.

  "He's right," Angelica said. "More than just warning our neighbors, this part of Jordia has to be put on lock-down if we don't want to risk our entire planet."

  "Do it," Lucius snapped, the captain saluting and dashing off even as Val was led to the source of that throbbing which only grew in intensity as he approached.