Apocalypse game, p.14
Apocalypse Game, page 14
He has so much freaking health!
“Well, you’ve trapped me here. What now, ugly?” I asked, my rifle raised.
A deep, guttural laugh came from the king, and he inclined his head towards me. “From one king to another, I bid you welcome, Demon Lord Killian.”
Oh fuck. It talks.
Which was the second biggest concern I had.
It knew who I was. What I was.
“You know me?”
“Of course, our god told all his creations of your acceptance of the mantle. Though, I did not expect to see you here in my domain, killing my subjects.”
I walked forward a bit, which gave me a second to consider his words.
I wasn’t expecting human intelligence.
“Your domain? This city is my home, which makes it my domain. And your subjects have had no qualms about attacking me and mine. I came here to kill them for their transgressions.”
The king seemed to ponder that for a moment, rubbing his chin like a human would if he were lost in thought.
That’s it, bluff your ass off!
“We were not told of your location, Demon Lord, just that you had arisen. I do not wish for conflict between us. If this land falls under your holdings, then I must apologize. T’was not my intention to interfere with your great work.”
Okay, he seems amenable to conversation. Let’s keep him talking, see if he’ll be more loose-lipped than Callisto.
“I accept your apology, though I need some information. It’s of little significance and something I don’t wish to trouble our god with.”
He inclined his head in a low bow. “I would be honored to assist the Demon Lord in whatever manner he wishes.”
Think, what information do you need most right now?
I kept my rifle cradled in my arms, finger off the trigger while I paced in front of the king. I didn’t think he would attack me, and I needed to gather my thoughts in order.
What I need right now is a goal. We have a loose idea to grind levels, but that’s it. I need a concrete plan in mind because mopping up monsters around Grissom isn’t going to cut it for what I have to do.
I need to get strong and quickly. I need to go to where the highest concentration of monsters are and start power leveling.
I stopped pacing and faced the king. “Where is the largest cluster of Callisto’s chosen at this moment?”
“The bulk of his forces are east, along the coast. Where most of the human population for this continent resides.”
That matches what Adeline told me. She said New York was overrun.
It makes sense too. Callisto wouldn’t drop the majority of his monsters in Montana. So, New York, Boston, and the surrounding states. Most will have converged there and then spread out as they slaughtered the population. If most of the monsters are there, we should start working our way to them, getting stronger the closer we get.
“Thank you for your help, King,” I said, keeping a close eye on his mana bar.
“But of course, Lord Killian. It is my deepest wish that you succeed in your goal. Since you have claimed this territory under your domain, I will gather my subjects and depart. There is a nearby unclaimed town of Colburn. I will head there with my brood.”
Can’t let you do that, fugly. I won’t let you or any of your kind take another human life.
It was nearly empty, and any second now, the barrier would fall. “You have been most helpful, but there is one last matter to discuss.”
”And what would that be?”
I flipped the safety selector to automatic and rested my finger on the trigger.
Three. Two. One. Now!
”Your imminent destruction, you walking STD.”
I raised my M4 and held down the trigger. The barrier dropped with a pop. I peppered his face and torso with thirty rounds in four seconds as he bellowed in rage, throwing his clawed hands up to protect his head.
My gun clicked empty, and I hit the mag release and backed the hell away from the king, stopping in the middle of the room.
Finn and Adeline jogged up next to me, guns blazing. They kept up their fire as I reloaded.
The king dropped low to the ground and rushed me.
”Finn, throw your grenade at my feet, now!”
He hesitated for a millisecond but recovered quickly and primed it in his hand before he lobbed it right at me.
I had only seconds to get this right, and if I was too slow, well, there wouldn’t be much of me left to care one way or the other.
As the king got closer, I unloaded into him again, going for his eyes and hoping he would take the bait. My bullets angered him, and he did exactly what I hoped and stopped to cover his face.
The king halted, and I sprinted to cover as the Phantom Grenade went off.
My world went white as a wave of intense pressure and heat swept over me. The shock wave lifted me off the ground and slammed me hard against the crumbling brick wall.
Pain became my world as my bones snapped like cardboard. The side of my face met brick, and then there was nothing.
When I woke up, my body throbbed and ached like it’d been shoved through a meat grinder. Everything hurt, hurt so bad I should’ve been unconscious from the pain alone, but I wasn’t.
Blood ran in rivulets down my face, and I couldn’t properly work my jaw or neck.
Ailment: Critically Wounded
-75 HP per Minute
Trying to stand or do anything was excruciating, but I lifted myself enough to roll over on my back as I stared at the ceiling. I did my best to tilt my neck, and what awaited me was surprising.
I gaped at the spectacle before me. Time had stopped. The explosion was still going off in the center of the room. The Phantom Grenade did its job perfectly and detonated right under the first one Finn had thrown.
The already cracked and weakened ceiling could not stand against another explosion and had caved in under the blast, sending a ton of debris and chunks of wooden beams and brick tumbling down onto the Charade King. Time stopped right before the entire mass crushed the king flat.
My plan worked…for the most part. I just wasn’t fast enough to get out of the way in time, even with my increased Agility.
“My, my. That was a bold and idiotic plan. Day two, and you nearly blow yourself up. Not inspiring a lot of confidence, my Demon Lord,” a familiar voice spoke from nowhere.
”Well, it was the only plan I could come up with that didn't end up in a straight-up slug match between us.”
”And look where it’s gotten you,” Callisto said, laughter in his voice.
Without my consent, my health bar appeared super-sized in my vision.
Health: 34/385
Callisto materialized in front of me with a smug grin and crossed his arms while he floated just above me. ”If I hadn’t stepped in just now, a large chunk of brick would have been flung out by the blast and crushed your head like a soda can.”
I didn’t even have the strength to be grateful, but I still mumbled my thanks.
“Don’t thank me. This is going to cost you.” He grinned. “One favor for your life seems a worthwhile trade.”
“And if I say no?”
Callisto chuckled. “Then I revert time and you die. Neither of us wants that. So, take the deal.”
“Fine,” I mumbled.
He grinned. “Excellent. That’s one favor out of five. And I know you had a plan, but I still need you to be smarter than this. I can’t save you from Death again. She won’t forgive a second intrusion to her domain.”
”Why go so far for me?” I asked while I attempted to stand. ”Why save me?”
He flashed a saccharine smile. “Lots of reasons. My main one is that I need you alive to do your job. If you die, I have to find your replacement, and you don’t know what I went through finding you. All that does is waste my time, which is so boring.” His smile twisted as he spoke next, becoming dark, infinitely crueler. “I’m also intrigued by you. I want to see how long you’ll manage to keep the balance going. I want to see that moment when you break down from the weight of your responsibilities. I want to see the kind of man you really are.”
Callisto looked me over, a quick up and down tilt of his head. ”Oh, you might want to use your skill point that you ignored earlier, before time starts again. I think you’ll find the abilities useful for you.
“And just as a heads up, if you increase Constitution and Wisdom, they’ll automatically replenish themselves.”
“Thanks for the tip. What’ll it cost me?” I asked as I pulled up my Mantle.
Combat Results!
5 Killed (Charade Beasts): 490 Exp!
Experience Boost (+10%): 49 Exp!
Total Gain: 539 Exp!
AC Earned: 125!
Character Page
Name: Killian Dunn
Class: Demon Lord (King)
Health: 34/350 (385)
Mana: 275/350
Level: 5
Exp: 556/572
Skill Point: 1
Okay, I ignored it earlier, but that might have been a mistake. I shouldn’t have let my exhaustion let laziness take control. I need to figure a way out of this, and quickly. I can’t get hit again.
Now onto my skills.
Skills Page
Skill Upgrade: Demon Claws < Demon Form
New Skill: Grasp of the Abyss
Current Skills
Demon Claws (Rank 1): Elongates hands to wicked points sharp enough to sever bone and steel.
Damage: 50-75 (Clawing) (Scales with Strength)
Cost: 75 Mana
Duration: 3 Minutes
Cooldown: 1 Minute
New Skills
Demon Form (First Form): Grants wielder the first form of the Demon Lord. Boosts Strength, Constitution, Endurance, Perception, Wisdom, and Agility by 20 for the duration. Boosts all spell damage by 20% for the duration.
Cost: 150 Mana
Duration: 5 Minutes
Cooldown: 30 Minutes
Grasp of the Abyss (Rank 1): Allows the user to bind a single target for the spell's duration.
Damage: 10 per Second (Abyssal)
Cost: 50 Mana
Duration: 60 Seconds
Cooldown: Instant (Only 1 active at a time)
Both skills were amazing, but I knew instantly which one I would pick.
”I would choose Demon Form personally. It’s going to end up being your most powerful ability,” Callisto said.
“So now you’re just throwing advice at me. It must be my birthday,” I said, deadpan. “Though it was the one I was going to choose anyway. Grasp of the Abyss doesn’t seem that useful right now.”
“Give it a few ranks, and it’ll be incredibly powerful, but right now, you are correct.”
I scoffed at him and stood up. My injuries were severe, and if I didn’t want to keel over and give up the ghost, I had to take down the Charade King. If I leveled up, I could heal my injuries.
I selected Demon Form, and the name appeared in front of me.
Skill: Demon Form (First Form)
Wonder how I go about unlocking the other forms?
A question for another time as Callisto vanished with a wink and time started to slowly return to normal. Callisto was nice enough to allow me to have enough time to run back to Finn and Adeline before time restarted.
The heavy wooden support beams splintered and cracked from the grenade and couldn’t support the weight of the building. It succumbed to the blast, dropping nearly the entire upper floor of the building and some of the wall.
But even with all the damage, the Charade King was still alive.
Most of the floor landed directly on him, crushing him under its tremendous weight. His pink flesh bled freely from too many gashes, and his tail had nearly been severed from a falling beam. But despite all his injuries, he still attempted to stand.
Using Inspect, I got the gist of his situation.
Health: 232/1200
His health rapidly redlined, but he still wasn’t out of the fight just yet.
I tilted my head to look at my companions. “Both of you stay here,” I told them. “Let me handle this.”
They both nodded, staring at the gruesome scene in front of us. The king grabbed handfuls of the earth as he attempted to drag himself free from the prison I’d dropped on him. I climbed through the wall and limped towards him, activating my Demon Form for the first time.
My mana drained as it kicked on. The blue bar in the corner of my vision fell by a hundred and fifty points. Instead of spreading to just my hands, the flow of energy coursed throughout my entire body. It was unparalleled. Strength flooded through me as the lingering pain vanished, my sight cleared, and each step I took was now self-assured, confident.
I strode to the former Charade King, who was now at my mercy.
The skin above my eyes itched furiously, and I absentmindedly scratched to find small protrusions rising from my skull. They were smooth and curved, about two inches wide and double that tall, ending in points near the top of my head.
Horns! I have horns!
Though they weren’t the only new addition.
When I held my hand up, my fingers were normal, but I also had a version of Demon Claws in this form. My fingernails were long, like claws, but black as night and deadly sharp.
So, horns and talons. Bet I look like a freak right now.
I stood before the king, just out of reach from his claws.
“Damn you!” he shouted, spitting fury and blood at me. “Why? Why did you betray me?”
He swiped at me with his pincer but missed, and I kicked his outstretched arm. I was much stronger than I expected as his carapace crunched under my heel. The king howled in pain but could no longer support himself on only his one hand and fell to the ground.
“You want the truth?” I asked as I sunk my claws into the back of his neck. “It’s because you’re a monster,” I said and pulled with all my strength.
The Charade King’s head came free with a sickening tear. Blood, sinew, and muscle clung to his twisted spine as I ripped his head from his shoulders amid a whole mess of blood.
Combat Results!
1 Killed (Charade King): 487 Exp!
Experience Boost (+10%): 48 Exp!
Total Gain: 535 Exp!
AC Earned: 200!
Level Up!
System Notice: Grissom City threat level has decreased!
Grissom City Threat Level: 5
System Notice: The Charade King has been defeated!
Beast Skill Available: Barrier
Barrier (Rank 1): Creates a force field in front of the user ten feet wide. Impervious to all physical and magical damage for the duration.
Cost: 200 Mana (2 Mana per Second)
Duration: Until canceled or user runs out of mana
Cooldown: 1 Hour
What’s this? A Beast skill? I can get skills from the kings I kill?
That line of thought was tantalizing, but I waved the screen aside. I had much more important things to worry about at the minute. Though the stat boost added by Demon Form had given me some extra health and mana, I was still suffering under the critically wounded ailment.
Okay, let's deal with my rapidly redlining health before I die.
Character Page
Name: Killian Dunn
Race: Human
Class: Demon Lord (King)
Health: 159/350 (605)
Mana: 325/350 (550)
Level: 6
Exp: 519/688
15 Stat Points Available!
I took Callisto’s advice and quickly put points into Constitution, bringing it to twenty. I added five points to Strength and Agility since they seemed the most useful at the moment, bringing Strength to twenty-five and Agility to fifteen.
Stat Page
Strength: 25
Constitution: 20
Perception: 10
Endurance: 0
Agility: 15
Wisdom: 15
Charisma: 10
My health soared as it adjusted to my new stats. I now had four hundred health, which was boosted to four-forty with the Well-Fed bonus, even more so with Demon Form active, but I didn’t count it towards my true health.
So, each point brings it up by ten. That’s good to know.
When I was finished and not in danger of dying, I dropped the head of the deceased Charade King to the ground and turned back to the others with a grin, thrilled to be alive.
“Anyone got any good crab jokes left? I know there’s got to be one about sushi that we haven’t made yet.”
Neither of them laughed. Adeline stared with mild confusion, but Finn looked like I’d just killed his puppy in front of him.
“You guys okay?”
“Killian…you have horns…and your eyes…what are you?”
I turned to Adeline. “What’s up with my eyes?”
“They’re solid black. It’s kind of freaky.”
Finn turned to Adeline, mouth agape and hands in the air. “How are you not freaking out right now? Killian, answer my question. You owe me that much!”
He had a point. I did owe him. And that fact overshadowed the voice in my head, telling me to keep my secret to myself.
But I can’t. Finn’s gone through hell with us. We’ve fought side by side together. He’s proven himself trustworthy, and he at least deserves the truth. What happens after that…well, we’ll just have to see.
I sighed, running a hand over my horns as I walked back to them. Finn took an involuntary step back and looked like he was ready to flee down the tunnel in fear.
“You’re right, Finn. I do owe you the truth,” I said, meeting his frightened eyes. “I’m the Demon Lord.”
Chapter 11- Fate and Fear
Finn’s face went ashen as he comprehended what I’d told him. From disbelief to crushing realization when he put it together that I wasn’t lying to him.
He backed away from me, scraping the side of the concrete tunnel, and was half a second from fleeing when I dropped my Demon Form.
“It’s just a class, Finn. Just because I’m the Demon Lord doesn’t mean I’m a bad person.”
“Bullshit! Killian, you’re going to destroy the world! No good person could ever do something like that. I trusted you,” he nearly shouted as he glanced from me to Adeline. “I trusted both of you.”
