War Aeternus 2: Sacrifices Read online

  I have to buy a chest piece, but he doesn’t even have to wear one? That’s nonsense. What kind of system is this? It’s too bad-- Lee had started to complain about this scenario and why he didn’t have a weapon when an idea struck him. With that, he sprinted toward where he had lost his glass weapon and shield, reaching down and grabbing the stone hilt and tiny shard of glass that was still hooked on the hilt before running to a second location. It’s too bad indeed. Lee smiled as he thought of his plan. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be the first one to put a dent in his undefeated record.

  Lee got to the location he wanted before Silinus even left the gate on his side, but when the Leprechaun stepped into the arena, he took his time, something that Lee was grateful for. Every second that passed was one more he could use recovering his mana and spirit.

  “People of Kirshtein!” Silinus called out as he left the gate. “I implore you to give this fiend a weapon. Let this filthy Human scum know that, no matter what the case, he will never be as good as his superior counterparts. No matter how many monsters he slays, nor how great his blade may be, he will never be able to reach me with it!”

  That’s it, buddy. Keep talking. Keep bragging and let me build back up my mana. He was so happy with his idea, sure of his victory, but that didn’t remove the insecurity that came along with a low mana bar.

  “Well, it seems they won’t hear my request.” The Leprechaun extended his blade, pointing it at Lee, and his high-and-mighty, greater-than-all attitude soaked through his pompous voice. “But I must kill you nonetheless. Just know that your death was certain, and their lack of kindness on these sands changed nothing! Your defeat was written in stone, and your destiny is to die before me. Let the world know that you shall become the three hundred and forty-fifth man to die on these sands by my hand!”

  “Come on now, extra. Don’t ruin your first gig by overacting,” Lee taunted, using a line he knew the gladiator wouldn’t understand. “Why don’t you just come over here so I can save the camera getting ham grease all over it. You’re a terrible tough guy, way too clichéd.”

  “Camera? Acting? What are you talking about? I’m here to kill you! I’m here to bath these sands in your blood!” Silinus shouted every word so that no one in the audience would be unable to hear him. “Give your meaningless life the glory of dying by my hands! You should be honored because, even if you lived a hundred years, this is still the highest honor your kind would ever be able to attain.”

  “You this. Your kind that. I’m really getting tired of hearing all of this stuff. Why don’t you just come on over and accept your death? Why must you shout such boring lines to the audience? Are you trying to put them to sleep before the show?” Lee wasn’t great at insulting people, but he still tried his best at repeating some things he had heard on the Internet during his days gaming. If only most of the people throwing insults had been over the age of fourteen, maybe they would have given me better material, Lee mused to himself. Even if he didn’t spar as well verbally as he did with an actual blade, however, his toying with Silinus still did its job. During all the banter, Lee had meandered from the exploded imp over to the charred remains of another and started to casually do a little poking around with his foot, keeping one eye on the blowhard Leprechaun who was inadvertently giving Lee more than enough time for his plan.

  “Fine. You disrespect me, but I shall still honor you with a good death at my hands. Now, come at me! Show me what a blessed man can do before he dies!” Silinus shouted, stopping forty feet from Lee.

  “I need you to move closer. Could you charge at me or something? Really put your effort into killing me?” Lee was completely honest as he stared at Silinus. “It’s not that I can’t kill you there, but I just . . . I didn’t get much sleep, and I’m feeling lazy at the moment. Please come closer so that I can kill you with minimal effort.”

  “You . . . you stupid, pretentious moron! I am trying to give you a decent and honorable death, and you insist on looking like a clown before the executioner’s axe? Well, then fine!” Silinus yelled even louder, hoisting his sword in the air and charging straight at Lee.

  As soon as he saw Silinus get close enough, Lee bent over and snatched up something from the ground at his feet. He said a little prayer, tossed the strange item toward Silinus, and then threw the remaining glass shard on his blade at it while it was still in the air before jumping behind the nearby pillar and shielding his body from the expected aftermath. This was the crux of his whole plan. Of the three Devilkin, two had been blown to pieces, but one had died slowly from fire and bleeding damage away from the other two. While most of its flesh had burned to smithereens, his bones and at least one large fluid-filled sac weren’t. That sack held the kaboom juice from the imps. He had known instantly how it would work: once its fluid was exposed to air, it was only a split second away from igniting in a devastating explosion, much like the one that had nearly ripped him to shreds earlier.

  There were so many ways his plan could go wrong, but before he could even fully get behind the pillar, he could feel a wave of heat and concussive force slam into his side and rip 27 hit points off of him. It wasn’t much, but that was rather impressive considering the fact that he was over forty feet away from the imp sac when it had gone off. Without a shield to block the liquid from dousing his body, and due to the fact that he had caused the explosion--meaning Life in Death wouldn’t save him from damage over time--he immediately dropped to the ground and started rolling. The fluids that soaked his body and threatened to burn through his newly-purchased armor were quickly extinguished.

  You have killed Silinus the Slayer. Your party has been awarded 3457 Experience. Your share of this is 865 Experience.

  You have gained the title Cheat Code Fighter for using a shocking level of trickery and unprecedented guile to overcome an opponent multiple levels higher without sustaining damage. This title permanently confers +2 Intelligence. Current Intelligence: 137.

  Cheat Code Fighter? Lee hated being called a cheater, but the Intelligence boost was always welcome. After all, higher Intelligence meant that he would learn skills faster, and his skills were the one undeniable advantage he had. He might not be a higher level or have better damage or even speed than his opponents, but the skills gave him a decided edge against many foes. Because of his high Intelligence, he had managed to reach proficiency with sword fighting and other skills that most people his level wouldn’t come close to.

  Lee pushed himself up from the sand and walked over to survey the scene. There were dozens of small pieces of the once-mighty Leprechaun, but there were no signs of his sword. His armor was shattered, and bits of it were strewn about along with scraps of the erstwhile champion. Guess that explains why I didn’t get loot? Or maybe fighters here aren’t rewarded with weapon and armor drops? What a mess. “Uhh . . . I think you should have made him wear something with better flash protection too,” Lee said, laughing at the corpse. “That is, if you’re really worried about fighters displaying their goods to the audience.”

  I really shouldn’t laugh at the dead, but he deserved it. Honor me by letting me die by his hands? What type of nonsense is that? Who the heck wants to be one in a long list of names of people who died miserably in front of others for money? What kind of dumb logic is that? That’s almost as bad as the reasoning that says showing a body part half the population is born with is more offensive than murdering someone with an exploding imp gland for everyone to see.

  “Oh, wait, forgot to ask . . .” Lee looked over as he cycled his mana to restore the small fraction of health that he had lost from the explosion. “Does this earn me enough points for a weapon yet?”

  Each of the guards looked like they wanted to say something, but nothing came out. They just stared at him.

  “You said he was undefeated, right? So, he must have been worth a ton of points, right?” Lee asked.

  “H-he,” one of the guards stuttered. “He was worth thirty points.”

  “Excellent! Well, my c
lothes are still intact, so can I please pick a weapon now? Maybe get that lunch break I was promised?”

  The guards and audience just gawked at him incredulously. It was as if no one in the world had anticipated that an unarmed, low-level Human could pull off a stunt that would kill the undefeated champion of the arena in less than a few seconds--and with a makeshift monster bomb at that.

  “You know,” Augustus chimed in, “the only real downside to that victory is that now we’ll have to wait to find out what your little converting liquids into alcohol trick would have done to that imp’s jet-fuel insides. After that slime, I really wanted to go on a multiple-world tour and convert every liquid-based monster into a liquor. What do you say to a father-son-style bonding trip? We can hunt down one of those imps and then see if their napalm turns into something spicy when you hit it with your weird version of my crafting skill.”

  You want to go on a vacation with me? Lee chuckled. Really?

  “What? It’s been a while since I’ve had a good drinking buddy or tried out a new alcohol I liked. Don't say ‘no’ just yet. Think about it a bit. We’ve got an entire world to convert and a game to win first.”

  Why do I feel like you being nice is always scarier than you being a jerk? But he didn’t say no to the offer. He didn’t know when he’d still need Augustus’s help, and he did know that he wanted to go back to earth even more now than he did last night. If he was going to survive this trip through a prisoner’s worst nightmare, he’d need to brush up on some fighting skills and learn to use his weapons from an actual professional.

  “Stop being so paranoid. We’re family! When I mess with you, it’s because it’s my job to tease you,” Augustus said patronizingly.

  “If you want lunch, fine. I’ll get someone to escort you to your . . . lunch table,” the guard finally answered, bringing Lee out of the quick back and forth with Augustus. “As for the weapon, you can pick a weapon when you get back. We’ll have to up your fights anyway, since your opponents were apparently too easy. Can’t have the audience paying good money to watch one of you cledor rats have an easy go of things.”

  “You want me to take him?” one of the two guards at the other end of the hallway asked.

  “Actually, can you take over my post? I want to make sure he gets the treatment and lunch he deserves after embarrassing me in front of the colosseum personally.”

  Lee cringed. Please tell me I’m not going to get hit again. I’m really tired of getting hit. He wasn’t sure what was waiting for him, but he knew with the way that guard, who had yet to give him an inch of consideration, was smiling at him, he wasn’t in for a great time.

  Chapter 5

  Name: Lee

  Race: Human

  Class: Herald - None

  Level: 17

  Health: 270/270

  EXP: 9352/10500

  Primary Stats:

  Power 27 (28)

  Toughness 27 (28)

  Spirit 27 (28)

  Secondary Stats:

  Charisma 20

  Courage 20

  Deceit 18

  Intelligence 137 (143)

  Honor 5

  Faith 670

  Personal Faith 225

  Skills:

  Unarmed Combat Initiate Level 7

  Swordplay Novice Level 6

  Sneak Novice Level 9

  Cooking Initiate Level 7

  Trap Detection Initiate Level 6

  Knife Combat Initiate Level 8

  Mental Fortitude Initiate Level 1

  Sleight of Hand Initiate Level 2

  Glass Smithing Initiate Level 2

  Divine Skills:

  Golem Sculpting Novice Level 10

  Appreciative Drunk Novice Level 8

  Nectar of the Gods Initiate Level 2

  Faith Healing

  Divinity Powers:

  Life in Death

  Titles:

  Cheat Code Fighter

  After being led out of the arena and along a hallway, up a staircase, and then down another corridor, Lee finally arrived at a destination that was, surprisingly enough, actually above ground. The drab room he ended up in was even more spartan than his original cell, lacking anything on the walls or floor to differentiate it from a solid stone box, and was only slightly more livable than some of the dorm rooms he had occupied during college. Unlike those, however, this was a very large box. There were four light-colored wooden tables, each with four chairs surrounding them, and there were seven Humans sprawled out on the hard stone floor who appeared to be sleeping soundly.

  Rather than the occasional torch that had been used for light in the dungeon below, the room relied on sunlight that filtered in from metal slats placed near the roof. The final two feet of the ten-foot wall contained several of these, and they allowed just enough light in to stop the room from being completely dark.

  “Well, here we are: your new home. See? It’s a bigger room than the last one, just like you wanted,” the guard laughed. “And it’s even got fresh air. I’m sure you’ll fit right in here.” The guard pushed Lee forward, forcing him into the room. “Don’t worry, the bed here is much more comfortable than the one in the cells. You can even sleep on one of the tables if you want.”

  Lee’s face fell as he realized the little victory he had won with his bet in the arena had just landed him in even hotter water. “That’s not what we agreed on,” Lee stated.

  “It’s the best I have for one of you filthy cledor rats and more than you deserve. I shouldn’t have to keep my word to one of your ilk, but putting you here with your own kind is more than charitable and better than you deserve.”

  Lee’s eyes narrowed as he watched his jailor shut the door behind him and lock him in his new cage. “What about my lunch?”

  “Oh, right,” the guard droned derisively, his tone grating on Lee’s ears. The lout reached into a pocket and pulled out a heel of bread about the size of Lee’s fist and shoved it back through the bars after slamming the door shut. “I forgot that His High Holiness needs a proper meal. Eat up, priest. Don’t even bother crying to someone that I shorted you on the meal. I’ll just say you lied, and who’re they gonna believe? Me, a respectable and employed Firbolg? Or you, a convicted, con-artist Human?”

  Lee had mistakenly thought that his miracles on the sand--if they could be called that--would have convinced them to be a little nicer. Unfortunately, it seemed as if all of his efforts and hard work had crumbled.

  Did anything even make headway with them? Lee sat down with the piece of bread and looked up at the rather large openings near the roof. They weren’t big enough for a grown man to fit through, but a small child might make it. Lee guessed that they weren’t worried about anyone trying to break free given the thickness of the steel and the height of the bars.

  “You can’t get through them,” a voice said as if reading his thoughts. It came from a man who looked to be somewhere between fifty and sixty years old with gray hair, gray eyes, a long nose and a thin frame. “Even if you did, there are between ten and twenty guards depending on what time the shift is just outside, and they’re always itching for an excuse to kill you. Don’t do it.”

  “Is that so?” Lee asked without taking his eyes off the slots. Both golems had failed to follow him as they had been spying around the colosseum while he was being escorted to the cell, and he was still trying to figure out exactly where he was through their eyes.

  “Yeah. You can see the box from the center of the sands. We’re on the side facing the prison. The other gladiator arena, where they put the non-Humans, is on the side facing the city walls. It’s much nicer--or that’s what I heard from one of the arena stars before the split anyway.”

  “The split?” Lee raised an eyebrow as he turned to face the man. He was finally able to spot the room through his little golems’ eyes thanks to the man’s description. Got you, he thought, having one of the two flying mice land above between the bars.

  “Yeah, the big split that happened a wh
ile back,” the man explained.

  “What happened then?” Lee asked. “I’m new to town.”

  “You came to this town willingly, as a Human, even though you aren’t from here?” The man shook his head and let out a long, heavy sigh. “That’s a lot of balls, man, a lot of balls. If I had known how bad things would be after the schism, I don’t think you could have even paid me to step foot in this town. Honestly, the fact that Humans still live here at all surprises me. Why haven’t they moved on?”

  “What happened? Come on,” Lee pressed. “Don’t make me keep asking.” He was incredibly confused. Didn’t I see tons of Humans walking around, and haven’t I been to plenty of Human-filled bars here?

  “You really don’t know? Well, I hate being the one to tell you, but . . . This town was originally a pretty stable oligarchy. We had noble families from five of the major races, abundant trade from every port, a thriving economy, and all was well with the world.” The man’s eyes seemed to grow a bit as he talked about the past. “Even I was doing well, tutoring the eldest prince of the elected king of Kirshtein. He was a good man, and so few will ever share the traits that made him great. He would have been a wonderful leader in the future.”

  “Would have . . .” Lee caught the softly spoken words, and he knew what they meant by the man’s long gaze: the boy had been killed.

  “Well, a little over two months ago, one of the ten infamous Firbolg Heralds came to town. He started preaching right outside the main palace every night for all to hear. It was horrendous stuff about how Humans were inferior, how Firbolgs were born stronger, faster and smarter--basically better in every way--and how even the Leprechauns, Dwarves and Aes Sidhe were superior. No one thought much of it the first day or two, but then one of the thirteen ruling factions, a Firbolg family, invited him in. The Tigernach faction members were already elitists to begin with, so when that awful Herald started spewing wicked slander about Humans, no one thought anything about it. They hoped that it meant he wouldn’t be showing up at the palace to annoy us every day.”