Unranked ascension a lit.., p.16
Unranked Ascension: A LitRPG Adventure, page 16
As he rounded the building, he came up to the large black wooden doors at the entrance. The doors were unusually large and rounded at the top like archways. Large brass knockers rested slightly above the middle of the two double doors, with intricate handles at the center where the doors came together. The handles were decorated with flourishes of fancy lines pressed into the metal. Lucius reached out and grabbed the left handle. He tried to twist it open, but the handle wouldn’t budge, prompting the young man to tighten his grip and put his superhuman strength on display. “Really?” Lucius questioned, raising an eyebrow when he saw that the handle still refused to turn. Eyes narrowing and nostrils flaring, he put his full strength into his grip. The incredible force caused the metal door handle to groan and bend before it broke apart completely in his hand. Lucius looked down with narrowed eyes as the shattered metal disappeared in a wave of golden sparks.
Chapter 34
The Pilgrim
Lucius watched as the wave of magic spread out and disappeared into the air. The building appeared to be some sort of magical construct, that at least explained the odd inconsistencies of its existence. He looked back at the doors before him and decided to try a different approach. Reaching up, he wrapped his fingers around the cold metal of the large door knocker and knocked three times: thunk, thunk, thunk. As he knocked for the third time, he felt the weight of the door shift under his hand as it slowly creaked open. Lucius pushed the door the rest of the way with the butt of his sword and cast his gaze into the church for the first time.
Rows of broken pews lined both sides of the building, and soft candlelight flickered off the walls from the candlesticks sitting in front of each window. It was just one more thing that didn’t make sense—he should have seen the lights from outside, but had only seen darkness. Taking a deep breath, he slowly stepped into the building, walking along the center aisle toward the front of the church, where row after row of candles burned silently. As Lucius reached the lectern at the front of the building, a loud slamming entered his ears. Turning like a startled cat, he looked back the way he had come to find that the door had closed. The next moment, the light of the candles slowly dimmed and the figure of a man appeared behind the lectern, only a few paces away from himself. Lucius stumbled backward a half step at the sudden appearance, glaring up at the figure warily.
The man wore a round black hat with a wide brim that circled his head. The hat sat atop a head of long, curly gray hair that framed the thin, stern-looking face of a man in his forties. He wore black, flowing clothes; the only other color on his body was the white circle of fabric that appeared around his neck. He had shiny black leather boots on his feet and a black cane with a round metal handle at the top.
“Good evening to you, traveler. Might I inquire from you the current year and month of our Lord?” The man spoke in a hushed whisper, but in the silence of the church it was easy enough to hear.
Lucius stared back at the man for a long time before he responded. His nerves had been pulled taut by the eeriness of the situation, and the man’s sudden appearance had sent buckets of adrenaline shooting through his veins.
“The year... is 2024. I couldn’t tell you the day,” Lucius replied flatly, not lowering his sword, he continued watching the man carefully for any signs of danger.
“By God... I am four hundred years a dead man.” The man looked down at his hands as he spoke. “The Book of Revelations did promise that the dead would rise on Judgment Day, but why have I risen alone?”
The man began mumbling something under his breath that was difficult to hear, seeming to ignore Lucius’ presence for a moment. Lucius took the opportunity to get a better look at his surroundings. There was a slight smell of iron lingering in the air, and he was well enough acquainted with the scent to know it was blood. Taking a few slow steps backward, he glanced between the pews to his left and saw the body of a small white rabbit, noting the two small, bloody holes on its neck. Looking away from the dead animal, he returned his gaze to the strange man as he continued speaking.
“I have seen the foul demonic beasts that stalk these forests. The Day of Judgment truly has come. The Devil’s hordes have been unleashed upon humanity, and the righteous have no doubt been whisked away to heaven in glorious beams of holy light, as was promised.”
The man’s voice grew louder and more animated as he spoke. When he finished his sentence, he looked at Lucius with a crazed smile stretching across his teeth, exposing the sharp canines hiding there.
“Yet you remain here on Earth, after the Day of Judgment, no doubt abandoned by God for your wicked deeds. This is the greatest possible proof of your sins!” The man raised his hand and pointed his cane at Lucius. With a tone of finality, he spoke one last sentence. “I am well within my rights to do with you as I please!”
As the man finished speaking, the candles dimmed once again until barely any light was being emitted. Long shadows began rising unnaturally like snakes all around Lucius, swimming through the air toward him. Sense Danger sent a pulse of warning, helping him identify the threat in the darkened room. He wasted no time as he tried to make his escape, the shadows hastily pursuing him, but they quickly blocked his path forward from all directions. With no other choice he jumped into the air, placing the tip of his foot on the edge of the nearest pew and launched himself with great force toward the closest window. He slammed into the glass like a cannonball shoulder first, but the enchanted material barely cracked and did not shatter. After falling back to the ground, Lucius was forced to dodge and run again to avoid the shadows pursuit. A constant flow of shadows continued to rise from the darkness around the room, closing around him like a vice. He would soon be trapped entirely if he didn’t think of a solution.
Looking at the situation he was in, Lucius concluded that his only chance to stop the shadows from swallowing him up was to attack the man directly, but there was no clear path toward his enemy. Thinking quickly, Lucius ran at full-tilt toward the nearest wall, launching himself into the air and running sideways across the window panes for three entire steps out of reach of the shadows. On his last step he jumped down over the lectern where his attacker stood. As he fell he reached back with Matriarch’s Fury to add the strength of his arm to the falling strike. The tip of his sword whistling through the air. However, as soon as the tip of his sword touched the man, his body collapsed into a pool of shadow, which the sword passed harmlessly through. The surprising failure caused Lucius to miss his landing, his body crashing down into the pool of shadows.
The moment the shadows made contact with his flesh, they began piling onto him, wrapping around his limbs from every direction. Lucius struggled with all his might, tearing away the first few shadows, but they managed to force his arms behind his back so he couldn’t leverage his strength, wrapping his hands together like handcuffs while another did the same to his feet. Matriarch’s Fury clinked to the floor as the shadows forced it from his hand. Realizing that he had been bested, Lucius clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his skin, as he glared at the man approaching him. A goblet floated off the row of tables near the lectern into the man’s hand as he approached Lucius. As the man’s hand rose into the air, his fingernails elongated into long black claws. Swiftly stabbing them into Lucius’ chest to draw a steady flow of blood, he pressed the goblet down to collect it.
Lucius could see saliva pooling in the corner of the man’s mouth. The man’s eyes had become bloodshot and he appeared to be completely entranced by the sight of the blood, rapt as he watched Lucius’ blood dripping into the cup. Lucius knew this was his chance. The man’s eyes remained fixed on the blood, missing the dagger with intricate engravings slowly floating up from Lucius’ left boot, stealthily making its way to his hand.
Chapter 35
Counterattack
Jack had recently discovered that he didn’t need to fight to gain more power—he could also grow stronger through crafting, albeit more slowly. He learned this after gaining a level upon crafting his sixth spear. Encouraged by the breakthrough, Jack grew more confident in his choice and redoubled his efforts.
The forge’s storeroom had long since run out of iron ingots, so Jack began salvaging unused metal from around the farm to recycle. He had just finished tearing apart an old tractor, melting down its parts to create fresh material for his work.
The air around him rippled with intense heat; the forge had been burning at full strength ever since it was first discovered. Yet to Jack, it couldn’t have felt more comfortable. The smell of old oil and carbon hung thick in the air, the byproduct of grime burning off the scavenged metal.
Jack had received quite a few complaints that the spears he crafted were too heavy. Carrying them for a short time was manageable, but during long guard shifts, the people griped that their arms ached from the constant weight.
He could have used wood to lower the burden, but upgrading a wooden shaft with his aspect required him to carve it by hand. Reforging all the spearheads would also take a great deal of time—more than he was willing to spare.
Besides, Jack suspected the problem would solve itself once carrying the heavy iron spears earned the guards a few extra strength points. For now, he chose to ignore their complaints.
At least now there were enough weapons for everyone. Jack had moved on from forging spears to addressing the community’s desperate need for defensive equipment. After that, he planned to tackle ranged weapons and perhaps even craft personalized gear for the stronger members of the group.
The red-hot slab of metal before him sparked and flashed with each strike of his hammer. He had already completed the upgrading process with his aspect and moved on to shaping the iron. Carefully, he hammered out a thin bowl of metal, large enough to cover an adult man’s upper body. Once the shaping and cooling were done, he began work on the base.
This time, however, Jack chose to utilize both wood and metal for the shield. Using only iron would likely make it far too heavy for his companions to lift. With a handsaw, he dismantled a table he had found in the attic and began chiseling the wood into shape by hand.
As Jack worked, glowing orbs gathered around his project, his aspect hard at work imbuing the shield with magic. Through trial and error, he had discovered that each material required a different amount of time to upgrade—it was faster to work with wood than with metal, but fastest of all with leather.
Once the item was fully saturated with magic and Jack could no longer force even a single additional drop inside, he allowed the process to finish. He had added four more points to his magic power attribute since unlocking his aspect, one of which he had earned from the system after upgrading so many materials. By now, he could force about twenty percent more magic into any given material during the upgrade process, but he still hadn’t managed to create an item better than [Enhanced].
The wood in his hand darkened slightly as the process completed, and it gave a pleasant sound when he rapped his fingers against it. Jack grabbed the leather straps he had prepared earlier, threaded them through the premade slits in the wood, and then fitted the iron bowl on top. The two parts fit together perfectly. Finally, he secured them with bolts around the rim.
Through effort, you have raised the talent Craftsmanship to level 5.
Jack lifted the newly crafted shield and secured the straps to his arm. Holding his hammer in his free hand, he struck the iron face of the shield, sending a loud bang ringing through the room. The shield held up well against the blow, distributing the force evenly across his arm. With a satisfied smile, Jack nodded to himself and prompted the system to assess his work.
Survivor’s Shield: Iron Shield, Quality [Enhanced]
The first shield forged by a group of survivors. It has been magically enhanced by its creator’s unique aspect.
Strength of the Survivor: Wielder gains +3 Strength while this item is in use.
“Nice!” Jack shouted, pumping his fist in the air. The item was of similar quality to the spears he had crafted earlier, but the real source of his joy was the shield’s additional strength attribute—an incredibly valuable trait in their small community.
He glanced back at his remaining materials, scratching his chin in thought. “I should have enough maple for three more shields. After that, I’ll need to find a new source of wood,” he muttered to himself.
Lucius wrinkled his nose and turned his face sharply away from the man before him. Now that he was so close to his enemy, the stench of rot and death was unmistakable. The sound of the man’s heavy breathing filled the quiet room as he stared at the bleeding wound on Lucius’ chest. The fiend had long since stopped bothering to wipe away the constant flow of saliva dripping from his mouth, and every rapid exhale sent a wave of foul breath into Lucius’ face.
He had already retrieved his backup dagger, clenching it tightly behind his back, but he kept waiting patiently for the right moment to make his counterattack. It was clear to see that the man in front of him was barely able to restrain himself from the blood as the goblet filled, so Lucius planned to strike when his opponent was fully distracted by his meal.
He glanced at Matriarch’s Fury lying on the floor nearby. It was close enough to retrieve with telekinesis, but doing so would reveal to his enemy that he wasn’t quite as helpless as he appeared. Besides, the long blade had failed to harm the man before, and he had been able to escape unharmed into the shadows when it struck him. Lucius was hoping that Patrick’s inscriptions would make the small dagger more effective against the strange abilities of his enemy. It took all the young man’s willpower to remain still and let the creepy bastard continue draining his blood. Thankfully, the discomfort wouldn’t last much longer. The goblet was getting quite full, causing a drip to spill over the edge. The man quickly caught the escaping drop with his hand, licking his fingers clean before lifting the goblet to his lips. A visible shudder of pleasure rippled through body of the black clothed figure as the warm liquid poured into his mouth.
That was the moment Lucius had been waiting for. Without hesitation, he twisted his wrist, sending the magically empowered dagger slicing through the shadows binding him. A loud hissing sound could be heard as the blade passed through the shadows, destroying the bindings and freeing the young man’s hands. Lucius didn’t stop after cutting the shadows, in one smooth continuous motion he swung the weapon forward, slashing the blade directly through the man’s neck as he drank. Lucius took a swift step backward after the attack and watched on in disgust as a strange black ooze came pouring out of the massive cut in his enemy’s neck, followed by a trail of bright red blood
Chapter 36
Novis Tenebris
The wound should have been fatal, but the man did not collapse. Lucius watched on in disbelief as his enemy appeared to be completely unaware of the large wound on his own neck and continued desperately swallowing the blood. Even while every sip of blood he took came spraying out of the wound on his neck, the man continued to greedily press the goblet to his lips.
Lucius had underestimated just how all-consuming his enemy’s desire would become once he drank. Not willing to let this opportunity slip away, Lucius stabbed forward again with his dagger, this time aiming for the heart. As the blade stabbed down, the man still did not release the goblet from his lips, but perhaps out of instinct he begun dissolving into a pool of shadows to avoid the attack. The moment the enchanted weapon made contact the shadows were dispelled with a loud hiss, allowing the blade to pierce down into the unprotected heart.
The strike finally snapped his opponent out of his ravenous gluttony. The goblet he had been clutching so desperately a moment ago fell to the ground, and a pained grimace overtook his face as he staggered backward, clutching his chest.
“What have you done…” Bubbles of black, oozing liquid sputtered from the man’s mouth and neck, making it difficult to understand his words. The man swung his cane at Lucius, forcing him to duck nimbly out of the way, buying the injured man enough time to retreat. A flood of shadows coalesced around his dark figure, consuming his body before spreading out like a collapsing wave. Lucius rushed forward to try and catch his fleeing foe, but he was a step too slow and lost sight of the man’s form as it blended into the multitude of shadows within the church.
The shadows on the floor started reforming into the same snake-like ropes that had trapped Lucius before. It was only a matter of time before they resumed their pursuit. “Damnit!” Lucius clenched his fists tightly as he cursed, throwing a heavy punch at the cracked window beside him. The crack widened, spreading to the top of the large archway that held the glass pane, creating just enough space to let in a beam of light. The beam landed on the floor a few meters away, and the shadows moving in that direction immediately retreated. Lucius’ eyes widened as he witnessed the shadows’ reaction to the light, turning his head toward the cracked window with a smirk.
Leaping onto the nearest pew and using it to propel himself to the top of the window, the high-pitched sound of metal against metal spread through the room as Lucius stabbed into it forcefully with his dagger. Whatever magic the man was using had also created this church, and it was just as susceptible to the enchantment Patrick had created to fight ghostly magic. The sound of hissing and strange purple sparks came spraying out from around the knife as it passed through the window. It took all of Lucius’ strength, as well as the force of his body, to press the weapon through the magical glass. The material did not behave like anything he had ever encountered.
Looking down at the pooling shadows behind him, Lucius realized that he was running out of time, it would take too long to try and cut through all the glass like this. Taking a leap of faith, he let go of the ledge and hung from the dagger itself, dangling in the air as the blade slowly moved downward from the weight of his body, opening a long slit from the top of the window to the bottom. It didn’t behave like normal glass, refusing to shatter from all the damage he inflicted. After reaching the ground, he forced the dagger sideways, prying the glass apart just enough to fit his fingers through. Gripping tightly around the sharp edge of the material, he pulled.
