“Keep this,” he said. “And don't die.”
None of them talked about the fact that I had technically agreed to avoid the giant monster. They all knew I would engage it, whether to try and fight it somehow or even just buy Guineve a few more moments of time to gather power. But they had all sacrificed a little piece of themselves to try and help me have a better chance in my fight against a demigod. They said no more, giving me a nod as they walked off.
Another large piece of stonework tumbled down the stairs. I wondered why the Raw-Mawed Wolf didn't just magic his way down or something. Either way, his choice gave Guineve a few more moments to keep healing or drawing in more power.
As I turned toward the tunnel my deific enemy was trying to break into, Virtus walked next to me.
“You sure you should be the one to do this?” the skeleton asked in his deep voice.
“Yeah, unfortunately,” I replied with a glum nod. “Unless your magic stone sword can do something to the monster. Or you're still strong enough to throw me around the floor.”
The hoplite shook his skull and bronze helmet.
“The sword works great at cutting through magic, but Icons are a level just beyond it. If I can keep Rising that will one day change, but for now, no. It wouldn't be any better than your own gear. And I can probably still fight circles around you, but you've somehow closed the gap between us. With the magic the others have just given you, you surpass me for sure.”
“And I'm not quite out of tricks, which leaves me the best choice for fighting this thing outside of Guineve. There isn't another person strong enough for me to delegate this task to, and I'm this thing's primary objective. I have to fight him, or at least back up Guineve, or else we're going to have a lot of collateral damage.”
Slam. More rocks fell.
“I mean a lot more collateral damage,” I corrected.
“You're right,” Virtus said. “And it proves Avalon was right when it picked you for becoming a lord. Whatever happens, it has been an honor. And thank you even for the opportunity to have honor again.”
The ancient hoplite clapped me on the shoulder and walked away.
A message from my mind-screen told me I had taken another step on the Path of Kings. It had no immediate benefits for the upcoming fight, so I dismissed the notice.
I took another step to look my temporary bonuses, looking only at the changed portion of my Status:
Wes Malcolm
Strength: 114 + Temporary Bonuses [16 (Earth Bones)+ 20 (Shaper Magic)+ 16 (Wood Magic)] = 166
Dexterity: 100 + Temporary Bonuses [16 (Wind Magic)+ 20 (Song Magic)+ 20 (Fairy Blessing)] = 156
Constitution: 114 + Temporary Bonuses [16 (Earth Bones)+ 16 (Water Magic)+ 20 (Shaper Magic)+ 16 (Wood Magic)] = 182
Intelligence: 100 [99+1 (natural growth)] + Temporary Bonuses [16 (Water Magic)+ 20 (Script Magic) + 20 (Fair Folk’s Blessing)] = 156
Wisdom: 100 [99+1 (natural growth)] + Temporary Bonuses [16 (Fire Magic) + 20 (Script Magic) + 20 (Fairy Special Bond-blessing)] = 156
Charisma: 114 + Temporary Bonuses [16 (Fire Magic)+ 20 (Song Magic)+ 20 (Fairy Blessing)]= 170
Speed: 125(179)
Deftness: 121(176)
Wits: 111(168)
Will: 152(209)
Wow, Dragon-Me said inside, impressed. Those are huge increases. I can actually work with those. This is a lot more doable now.
Really? I asked hopefully. Are you serious about me having a shot with this thing?
A small one, Teeth clarified, but yeah, it's officially doable now. Those guys must really care about you to spend that much of their power on this. I don't understand how you keep getting people to do stuff for you. Are you just not as much of a loser out there, as you are in here?
Well that certainly keeps us from bonding too fast, I said ironically. Just get back on task and help me plan before he finishes renovating my front door.
Another tumbling chunk of masonry highlighted the urgency of my statement. It now looked like the Raw-Mawed Wolf could get both his head and a paw into the tunnel.
Yikes, Teeth acknowledged. Right, right. Go ahead and activate your Battleform.
How do you know about my Battleform? I asked, curious.
Evil Dad keeps whimpering about it when he sleeps. Don't tell him I saw. But do you know how you're activating it?
A large block of doorframe-shaped stonework tumbled down into my increasingly cluttered hallway.
I think we're out of time, I shouted. Give me the dummy-note version now!
“AT LAST! I COME FOR YOU, TRAITOR-PRINCE!”
Shit, Teeth swore. Okay, just try and think about something that makes you very angry...
Wait, I asked. What do you mean 'try?' Can I just stop trying NOT to be angry all the time, or do I have to focus on a single or specific event?
What? No, Teeth snorted. I heard a massive paw slam onto the stairs, and they creaked under its weight. Just try and be angry. It can be about anythi—
Done, I interrupted, and a split-second later an irate roar tore out of my throat.
Repressed memories of walking in on my father's corpse, of hearing the entire God damned town scorn us over his unjustly earned reputation, finding out about his murder, finding out about the conspiracy against my family and how much the children important to my family had suffered just to make the conspiracy happen, and then...
Least Battleform engaged, my mind-screen said. Proficiency in activation increased. Effectiveness in form increased by one point.
Never mind. It was enough. For now.
Earth and Air and Lightning and Water and now Fire and Blood thundered through all of my Traits, enhancing my personal spells by an amount equal to the ranks in my other Ideals. That meant all of my Traits had increased by another 50 points. I think I got one extra point of improvement from the Battleform itself. It also meant that even my lowest Trait was above 200 now.
I walked a few feet closer, suddenly a lot less insecure about meeting the god of Murdering Wes Malcolm. My spatha started crackling in my hands.
Another massive pawstep sounded out from above. The giant ugly wolf had managed to get a second paw into the shattered opening and was slowly pulling himself forward. It seemed like a perfect time to attack him.
Not yet! Teeth shouted, into my mind. He's expecting it! Give me ten more seconds, and take out all of your weapons!
Um, okay, I replied, summoning all of my personal weapons out of the magic handle. Now what?
Now touch them all and trust me to keep my word.
I didn't have much of a choice. The massive creature was still coming and Guineve was going to need all the help I could give her.
Alright, do your thing, I said as I placed a finger on all five weapons the handle was making float out in front of me. I realized that this was the first time I had gotten it to do that.
As Raw-maw pulled himself forward another inch, the dragon inside of my mind uncoiled and dove talon-first into my heart.
Chapter 17: Rise up and Rage. Round Three.
Raw-maw came down another step. I felt claws grow over my nails. Keep one on your weapons, Dragon-Wes said. That way I can make this work.
My clawed fingers touched the weapons, and then the claws kept growing over them.
What? I asked. What is happening?
Fathers helped me figure it out, my dragon answered. A human's tools are as much a part of them as my claws and scales and horns are part of me. So your weapons are like my claws, your armor like my scales, your shield like my horns. Except that I think I'll just make your shield a really big scale. That's much easier.
A red calcium-like substance flowed down the handles of each of my weapons, skirting along the grips to thicken and sharpen along the business ends of my weapons: my spear gained a sharp, tooth-like point, my sword blades both gleamed red, but with golden handles. Same for my mace, gaining a flanged red ball over its previous head. My cleaver turned into a giant warped talon that looked li
ke it came fresh off a dragon's claw.
That's really cool, I marveled, but I can't exactly hold on to all five of these weapons at once.
You don't need to, Dragon-Me replied. They're claws now. They hold on to you. Just retract or pull them back out as needed.
So it was like my magic handle still, only they would each disappear into an individual finger. Got it.
Red scales flowed down my neck. I felt my teeth make room for more teeth, and my jaw make room for more jaw. Then the scales went both under and over my clothing and armor, reinforcing them, and as I let go of my shield's handle I felt the barrier merge directly to my arm, freeing the use of my hand. Oddly enough the scales covering my armor and shield were golden, not red. I didn't care for the color scheme but now wasn't the time to bring it up.
More growling from above. More rocks fell from the ceiling as a massive form stubbornly forced its way down a narrow corridor. Its whole body was inside of the stairway, despite being several times thicker than the howlers and long enough to reach a window on the second story of a building.
This is probably the perfect time to attack him, I thought, flexing both of my new claws, and I began to step in front of the tunnel.
“No, Wes, don't,” Guineve's voice stopped me. “He's ready for you.”
I stopped to look at the Satellite.
“He's faking,” she said, her eyes still closed, mist streaming from the floor and into her hands. “He can rush forward any moment. He's just trying to trick us into striking early.”
That made sense, I realized. There's no way something like a demigod should have trouble with a flight of stairs.
After a couple more moments, though, Raw-maw decided to drop the act. The giant wolf glowed in a silvery light, and then he rushed forward, tearing his way through the stair tunnel.
I ran to meet him, my militia spear emerging out of my middle finger. A psychic pressure tried to burrow into my mind, but my newly enhanced Will just laughed at it, and I felt the presence draw back in shock.
As the monster came roaring out of the tunnel, scraping the first layer of stones right off of it, I planted my feet, set my spear behind my shield, and thrust at him right as he headed straight for me.
Now, in my defense, massive power increase notwithstanding, I knew I should still be overmatched. I heard enough about previous battles with Dark Icons from Breena to know that I had no business expecting to slay the monster in a single thrust. That never happened. Even for Challengers that had Risen dozens and dozens of times. But I didn't have any business trying to dodge the giant wolf either. There were no good options for battling something that was already at the upper level of Challenges.
So planted spear it was.
And God or Invictus help me, it worked.
The charging, snarling, mythic wolf slowed his charge as he took in my new appearance, pulling his head back to avoid my red-taloned spear. Then he slammed a torso-sized paw at me, punching at my body in an experimental forward swat. I ducked further behind my shield and stabbed at his paw.
I had gritted my teeth as the blow came down. I remembered the time I had tried to take Cavus' attack on my shield long ago. The impact had destroyed both my shield and the use of that arm. This impact...
Stung horribly, and knocked me back several feet.
That was it.
My blow in return, had left a long tear in the monster's fur where my spear had grazed him.
Holy... I didn't even know what to think. I was surprised to even be alive, much less come away pretty well in that exchange.
You shouldn't be, the dragon part of me said smugly. You're going up against the least of the so-called gods with the flesh and soul of two of the greatest dragons. In a few decades at most, this thing won’t even be worthy of being our mount.
That completely contradicts the level of urgency you were projecting not ninety seconds ago, I retorted, regaining my feet to face my foe.
“NOW?” the Raw-Mawed Wolf boomed at me, several yards away. In spite of the proximity, the noise wasn't nearly as damaging to me anymore. “YOU TAKE UP THE POWER NOW? NOW THAT YOUR WRIT HAS BEEN ISSUED?”
The massive thing cocked his head at me, utterly confused, and somehow offended.
Yeah, Dragon-Wes continued. But that was before I knew he sucked. And I'm not sure how long we can hold this form together. Hurry up and kick his ass.
Fair enough.
“DO YOU SEEK TO MOCK ME?” Raw-maw boomed, his hairless red jaw quivering. “DO YOU SEEK TO—”
“No,” I interrupted quietly, hot air leaving my nostrils as I spoke. “Don't.” I began pacing forward and around the giant beast.
He arched his back and stepped backwards, eyeing me warily.
“WHAT ARE YOU—”
“I mean don't act like we have a grudge, or a rivalry,” I replied. “You and I have no history. No real beef. Not compared to Cavus. He and I already have history, though most of that is still based on what he did to my friend. I have a grudge against Barnes, and what he did to my faith. I have a grudge against Dalfrey, for torturing me and being the one who kidnapped me to begin with. And I have the mother of all grudges against Warren Rhodes. I don't even know where to begin with that one, but I know it will be a lot more meaningful for me when I kill him as opposed to you. You're not a rival. You're just a surprise enemy, a random encounter. A guy that came up to my door and tried to sell me car insurance. So let's hurry this up, so that you can die and I can get back to things that matter.”
“YOU,” he growled.
And then he didn't finish.
Because I stuck a spear in his face.
My new speed surprised me. The fact of the matter was that I had been the strongest I had ever been right when I activated my Battleform a few moments ago, even stronger than when Avalon had augmented me to fight Cavus. And my dragonform had doubled that same power. Doubled that same potential for magic. Doubled that same speed.
So the not-yet-mythic beast barely had time to turn his head before my spear scoured the raw flesh along his face.
I had aimed for his nose, but he had saved it at the last second. Instead I just slashed another line into him, running along his upper jaw. It was still a sensitive place for the massive beast, one that his transition into Iconhood had not yet erased.
Raw-maw sounded out another howl, nearly going mad with rage, and tried to snap his massive maw at me. His jaw clipped my shield and sent shockwaves of pain all along my arm. I continued to move forward, ducking under the opposite side of his maw, and as I thrust my spear into his other shoulder the weapon suddenly erupted into a storm of raging elements.
There we go, my dragon said as he finally got the elements from my Battleform working. Fire and Water and Lightning and Earth and Wind and even raging Blood magic tore into the Dark Icon's shoulder, and the howl of pain sent echoes all along the tunnel.
Still can't believe you were able to figure all of those magics out, my dragon said. But back to kicking his ass before we run out of time.
I continued to stab my weapon deeper into the monster's shoulder, and a raging sea of power nearly took the limb off. The Horde Icon glowed again, swung his head around and knocked me clear against the wall. Pain exploded into my back at the same time cracks exploded into the stone wall. When I shook my head clear, I realized I had lost my spear. It currently remained embedded in the Icon's shoulder, a long red blade that I was no longer able to recall with my new dragon magic.
“DO NOT MOCK ME!” the giant wolf roared. “MY POWER IS TESTAMENT TO MY HATRED OF YOU!”
Follow my lead with him, my inner dragon.
What do you mean? I asked.
I mean he's a giant predator, and dragons have been killing and eating those things for aeons. You performed a good bite. Now draw your shorter claw and let's go for his belly. And hurry!
Brace For the Wolves Page 60
