Path of Dragons

Using Descending Dragon, Alyssa rocketed toward the bulbous mass of sweaty flesh. It reacted far more quickly than she could have anticipated, and even as she fell, a series of appendages thrust upward, each one tipped with a yellow pustule. They burst, spraying her with a sticky goo that immediately set her armor to smoking. Through some miracle, she avoided getting it into her eyes, but the rest of her body was fair game.

She screamed in mingled agony and anger, but her spear remained steady, tearing into the bulky monster and carving a huge gash into its moist form. The moment she landed, she tried to kick off, intending to use Wings of the Dragon to glide away to safety. However, the monster was too fast, and its multitude of disparate arms whipped out, grabbing at her legs. Caught off balance, she tumbled forward, slamming face-first into the naked flesh.

The thing let out a multitude of screeching laughs, then wrapped its arms around her, hugging her close. The skin split, then the flesh beneath opened as well, trying to swallow her whole. Panicked, Alyssa summoned another Bulwark directly below her, and miraculously, the invisible shield locked into place, preventing the flesh from closing around her.

Activating Enrage, she let loose with Champion’s Shout, flooding her body with Strength even as the latter ability stunned the monster’s grasping limbs. With that small opening, she shoved herself upright and leaped away, sprouting wings a second later.

But her victory was short lived, as a tendril of pure muscle lashed out, smashing against her lower half and sending her off course. Before she could right the proverbial ship, Alyssa crashed into the ground, destroying one of the desks before rolling to a stop against another.

With her vision blurred and her thoughts slowed by a probable concussion, Alyssa struggled to rise. She heard someone shout something, but her sluggish mind couldn’t wrap itself around the meaning. Then, a wave of vitality swept through her. Her thoughts cleared, and her agony faded under Verin’s ministrations.

Shaking her head, she looked up to see that the monster was on fire, with a full quarter of its flesh resembling something with the consistency of melting rubber. The smell of cooking flesh – which was disturbingly like grilled pork – filled the air, but despite the obvious damage wrought by Bryce’s fiery spell, the monster was far from dead.

And it was just as clearly pissed off.

Each of its faces screamed in fury while its various appendages waved in formless anger. It rolled forward, intent on crushing the author of its pain. Bryce tried to run, but he tripped over something Alyssa couldn’t see. Roman shouted something, but he’d dashed away in the opposite direction.

He yelled, casting another spell, but it was the quick-casting variety, and the fireball connected with barely a sizzle before the bulbous monster rolled over him. It quivered in obvious ecstasy as a squelching sound filled the air.

A second later, Alyssa saw the melted flesh begin to reform. Most of it was featureless, but she couldn’t mistake the growing presence of Bryce’s agonized face.

Fury, disgust, and fear coursed through Alyssa’s mind as her Enrage reached new heights. She threw herself to her feet, then raced across the Senate Chamber. The monster turned in her direction, quivering eagerly as it likely contemplated adding yet another body to its mass. When she got close enough, Alyssa activated three abilities, all in quick succession.

First, Champion’s Shout, to briefly stun the monster. Then, Impale, to add a damage-over-time component to her next ability. Finally, she aimed a lancing strike in the direction of the monster’s injured side, shouting a wordless war cry as she unleashed Unstoppable Thrust, sending a concentrated spear of Ethera to tear through its mass.

Blood misted into the air as a layer of flesh was carved from its body. It screamed.

But Alyssa wasn’t finished. Once again, she used Heroic Leap. This time, though, she didn’t go upward. Instead, she used it to send herself into a horizontal Charge. Her spear took the creature in the injured side, slicing deeper than ever before. She landed amidst the bloody muscle with a wet squelch, pulled her spear back and stabbed again.

And again after that.

Vaguely, she recognized Roman’s arrows joining her barrage of spear strikes. With every passing second, she was battered by the creature’s nearest limbs. But none could dislodge her. Over and over, she brought her weapon to bear.

She didn’t escape unscathed, but Verin healed her from a distance. In the meantime, she also activated Recover almost by instinct. Slowly, she carved her way into the monster until, at last, she found something that seemed important.

It was a concentrated ball of dense flesh that looked like a mass of wriggling worms. Was it the brain? Or was it the creature’s original form? Alyssa didn’t care.

She attacked it, using Impale to increase the damage.

Those wriggling worms shot out, but most of them hit her armor. The ones that found skin tried to burrow into her, but with Hardened Skin enhancing her Constitution, they couldn’t find any purchase. She ignored the pain, stabbing and slicing with her spear until, at last, the thing fell still.

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A second later, the flesh lost cohesion and fell apart. Alyssa tumbled to the ground as she was buried beneath hundreds of bodies. She panicked, slicing the cadavers apart, with every ounce of fury she could muster. But they were dead, and as such, they were no match for her blade.

They were heavy, though, and it took her a few minutes to carve her way free. When she finally did, she found Roman and Verin waiting for her.

And they looked almost disappointed.

Or was that sadness? They had lost Bryce, after all. Maybe they felt guilty. She started to say something, but then, something rammed into her back.

Alyssa twisted, but her body failed her.

She flopped to her side, confused as to what had happened. Was there another monster?

No…

She had felt the experience from killing the monster. They’d conquered the tower. More, she could see the reward box sitting only a few feet away, gleaming in the ambient light.

She tried to roll over, but her body wouldn’t respond. Recover had faded. So had her passive augmentations.

“W-what…”

Roman crossed his arms, saying, “Again.”

“You got it, chief.”

Another stab, this time in her kidney. Alyssa coughed up blood, but she couldn’t move.

“Damn nice knife, here,” came Trace’s voice as he circled into Alyssa’s field of vision. He looked like he hadn’t even fought in the previous battle. He tossed the Stiletto of Sundering into the air, letting it flip before its hilt fell back into his hand. “Interesting effect. Did you know I have an analysis ability? Part of being a proper Outlaw is recognizing what goods are worth stealing, after all. And this one is a real gem. Doesn’t do much damage. Not really. But it debuffs the shit out of you. Forcefully deactivates self-buffs and decreases attributes. Not by a lot. Really hits the ol’ Constitution hard, though. Just enough that my ability could put you down.”

Roman growled, “Enough with the monologue.”

“Sorry, chief.”

It took all of her Strength, but Alyssa managed to croak, “W-why…”

Roman sighed. “Do you think I don’t see what you’ve done?” he asked. “Always putting yourself out there, taking extra patrols, saving people…and all the while, I’m doing what’s necessary. I’m making the hard decisions, the unpopular choices. And people hate me for it as much as they love you. I can’t have it. I won’t stand for division.”

Alyssa tried to move, to do something, but whatever Trace’s ability was, it robbed her of any control over her own body. She didn’t think it was permanent. It would wear off. So, she just needed to keep Roman talking. She spat, “Is…it…about…Trish…”

Roman’s placid expression changed in an instant, taking on a pained and furious visage. “It’s not about that,” he growled.

“It is…”

She saw his knuckles whiten around the grip of his bow. He took a couple of deep breaths, then looked from Trace, who seemed as calm as if he was on a walk in the park, to Verin, who was clearly uncomfortable. But she seemed stoic. Committed. Alyssa didn’t think she was going to step in to help.

Roman closed his eyes and took yet another deep breath. And when he once again opened his eyes, it was as if his anger had simply washed away. “Believe what you want,” he said. “This isn’t personal.”

If Alyssa could have moved, she would have laughed in his face. She could see it in his expression. He blamed her, whether or not he wanted to admit it aloud.

He sighed. “But it doesn’t matter. You’re going to die here, Alyssa. I wish it hadn’t worked out this way. You’re a good person. One of the best. I know you want to help,” he said. “And believe me, you dying here today – that’ll help Easton more than anything else you could do.”

“I…I don’t…”

“You know it’s true. Your death will make sure we’re all united to face the difficulties to come,” he said, stepping forward. He knelt beside the box, then unlatched it. A notification flashed across Alyssa’s eyes. Everyone froze, clearly reading the same notification Alyssa had just received.

It was an expected message, though Alyssa had to admit that she felt a sense of accomplishment when she saw that the group had been given a higher grade than after the last level. She wasn’t certain what it really meant, but she suspected that the reward’s power was dependent on their grade.

In any case, she moved to the next notification:

“Oh, that’s a good one, chief. Lets you establish the town as an official city with the System. Don’t know what that means, but it’s probably good,” said Trace.

“If you’re going to do it, just do it,” said Verin. “I didn’t agree to this so I could watch her suffer. It’s inhumane.”

“F-fuck you,” Alyssa spat, feeling some of the feeling coming back to her legs. Just a few more moments, and she’d be able to move. And when she regained mobility, she would end all three of them. The Priest would have to go first. Then the Outlaw. She’d save Roman for last, and she intended to take her time with the traitor. “Fuck you all.”

“Best get on with it, chief,” Trace said. “The effect won’t last much longer. She’s already getting feeling back.”

Roman shook his head, pocketing the Seal of Authority. It was a simple item the size and shape of a coin, though she couldn’t see it well enough to recognize more than that. Once he’d put it away, he stepped forward. He held a hand out toward Trace, and the Outlaw responded by handing him one of his swords, hilt first.

“For what it’s worth, I wish I didn’t have to do this. Even with…everything that’s happened, I still consider you a friend.”

Then, Ethera swirled around him as he raised the sword in a two-handed grip. Even as it fell, Alyssa tried to squirm out of the way. She desperately attempted to activate an ability. Hardened Skin. Heroic Leap. Shockwave. Anything. But none of them responded any more than her paralyzed body.

The sword fell, biting deep into her exposed neck. She didn’t even feel it.

Nor did she immediately die. Blood pooled beneath her, and she tried to speak. Nothing came out but a wordless gurgle. Roman raised the sword again, and just like it had the first time, it fell upon her neck.

Still, she lived.

Barely. Darkness had begun to creep around her eyes, which flicked from one person to another. Trace looked unconcerned. Roman was stoic, yet regretful. But Verin – she had tears in her eyes. She didn’t look away, though.

The sword came down again, and at last, her head fell free. It rolled a foot or so away, and for a few seconds, Alyssa’s awareness persisted. But then, finally, her life winked out.

Her last thoughts were of impotent anger and revenge.

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