Chapter 34
We attacked just as dawn was breaking. Maxwell got things rolling with an ominous song echoing into the valley. I struck quickly and quietly. The guard posted to watch the main street died before they even knew I was there. As they fell, another of the demonlings spotted me as he was moving between his house and a shed attached to it.
Not wanting to lose our element of surprise, I threw my spear like a javelin, pinning the demon to the house. He let out a strangled gasp as one final breath escaped his lungs. Stretching out my hand, I called my blade-staff back, the connection I had to Mercy was much stronger now, making it far easier to do. That was a new ability Id gained only recently, and was one I greatly missed.
Keeping the end of my staff as an incredibly sharp, long and slender blade, I moved with haste, attacking all who I crossed while Maxwells song grew in power. It had taken Maxwell a while to set up to ensure his song would have a wide area of effect. It was why we waited until dawn to buy him time.
A group of demons came around the corner carrying lumber axes, clearly heading out to work. There was a moment of silence during which they were surprised to see me and I had not expected to run into a group.
My incredible speed and agility gave me an edge and I acted first. Charging in, my blade rammed into the chest of one up front. Whipping my blade upward in the savage arc, I split his head in half like a watermelon. Spinning my staff, I caught a down swinging ax on the shaft, deflecting it to the side and savagely maiming the one who attacked me. I spun the blade, lopping off outstretched arms swinging axes in a whirlwind of blood.
Those not taken down outright screamed in pain, alerting the village. I attacked without remorse, my blade felling demon after demon.
The demonlings were quite monstrous. This close, they appeared to be descended of orcs, as many possessed the familiar orc characteristics. However, their orc features were amplified by the corrupting effect, giving them smoldering eyes, large horns, and mouths full of jagged teeth.
That was only a passing thought, for the battle truly began under the tolling sounds of death.
Maxwells initial song completed, its powerful buffing and suppression effect fading. While the music was something I could hear clearly, the residents would have had only have a faint ringing in the back of their minds. Id been faster under the influence of the bards melodyand my opponents minds had been slowed. Their slow thoughts had given me a huge advantage at every starting engagement.
Once the group of axe-wielding demons was finished off, I moved toward the next gathering group. Blade-staff spinning around me, I kept my senses alert for more powerful foes, but detected none.
In the open, the blade-staff was a naturally powerful weapon. Its long reach allowed me to attack many foes at once, while its shaft gave me a solid defensive tool.
There were a few differences among the demons, mainly in their eyes between men and women, but those fell to the wayside as the carnage continued.
When exhaustion started to wear on my resolve, a new song started up from Maxwell, this time closer. A thumping melody that had me moving to the beat. Simultaneously, the demons were pushed away from me. Now having more room, I quit focusing on slaying individual foes and began disabling as many as possible. While a crueler strategy, it was a far more effective way to fight large groups.
The residents surrounded me and rushed to put me down. In a break in the crowd, I saw more villagers streaming out of housesId drawn the attention of the entire village. That hadnt been my intention, but it did fit into one of our contingency plans.
Before the fight, Maxwell explained one of his abilities was a harmonic resonance affect. It was quite powerful, but took time and the right situation to set up. And this was the right situation. I was merely a distraction. I felt the change in music before I even heard it. It was no longer a recognizable song, instead it was a din of different notes. Not tied together into a song, just pure notes.
The first of Maxwells music notes appeared above the crowd. I continued to fight even as more notes built above, the music growing louder and more disharmonious. Some of the demons grasped at their ears, trying to dampen the horrendous sound.
Suddenly, there was a cacophony of sound, and my entire body shuddered under the released shockwave.
In a flash, the villagers clustered around me were flattened to the ground, as one explosive shockwave released in a cone over my head, then another, and another. The first wave knocked the villagers down, the second bounced their bodies off the ground, and the third wave slammed them down, pulverizing them.
Maxwell had been careful of his set up. I only briefly felt the effects of the wave despite being in the eye of the bards musical tempest. The few demons close enough to me to have survived, remained stunned. I recovered quickly and finished them off.
A deafening silence and a ring of gore and blood was all that remained. If I had a stomach, I wouldve been sick. These people hadnt been warriors Nothing about this fight had been fair.
Maxwell stood stock-still in the street, an ashen look on his face. One I was sure mirrored my own.
Im not sure how I feel about this Maxwell said.
I know, but they were demonlings descended from orcs, I shrugged. It was generally agreed that orcs were typically evil. Being combined with demons just made them more evil.
Yea yea It just felt wrong, Maxwell said.
I wholeheartedly agreed, but at the same time, players were doing far worse things in the name of good in this world.
Best not to dwell on it We should make sure the job is done.
There was nothing to loot in the village, and going house to house confirmed they were all empty. The one exception was a small house a little farther out from the village. When I approached the door, I heard movement from the inside.
I looked at Maxwell to see if hed noticedhe had. With my blade-staff in one hand, I pushed the door open. The cabin was dark, but that was no hinderance to me. There was a family, two larger demons standing in front of three smaller ones. They were afraid. I found myself unable to move. I was supposed to kill them, but every fiber of my being screamed it was wrong.
Shaking my head, I stepped back. I cant do it, Max, I might damn myself to hell in this world, but I cant do it.
Guess if youre bound for hell for not killing a family, Im going with you.
We left the village. Looking back, I saw the male demon watching us. I felt sick. This place had been full of families like that and wed exterminated them. I understood the demons would harm the land and were a threat to the village I called home, but surely there couldve been a different way.
***
Marissa watched Ezekiel intently as he recalled that village. It was clearly heavy on his mind. Im sorry to have brought up such bad memories.
No, it is okay, Ezekiel said. This part of the journey is likely the most important for you to understand what it takes to become a true Immortal.
Why is that? Marissa asked.
Just keep listening, Ezekiel said. Youre smart. Im sure youll put it together on your own.
***
Maxwell and I left that valley and hiked up into the mountains on our way home.
That first day we traveled mostly in silence. Too much on both of our minds to talk about it. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the broken bodies of the smaller demons within the horde.
I remember deciding right then and there, if the price of redeeming my soul was to continue doing that, then it was a price I wasnt willing to pay. That shift in perspective changed more than I realized at the time. What I did know was I was no longer willing to blindly follow what Olattee, or its followers, told me to do.
So, Max, I said that night over the fire. You plan on staying in Omark?
I dont know, Zeke, he said thoughtfully, poking at the burning logs. I like you, and I know youre here as a form of penance, same for me, though mine was forced on me by Olattee I just I wonder if its worth it.
What other choice do you have? I asked.
I could try and leave, but I like it here, Maxwell said. Even if the stuffy church is a pain in my ass, I dont really want to leave.
He was shaken up by what happened in the village, much as I was. But with him being a player, hed pull through. It was more or less widely accepted now that the game soothed much of the trauma players endured. When this had first been discovered there were outcries of anger.
Then it began to be seen as a good thing. Stories started coming out of people who suffered trauma in the real world being healed in the game, and when people really thought about it, no one wanted the traumatic memories of combat to haunt them. They wanted the adrenaline rush and the fun to be what they remembered, not the horror.
Even the Immortals benefited from that system, though to a lesser degree. Unfortunately for me, I no longer did by any stretch of the imagination. I wasnt a player.
Well, I appreciate having you around, I said. Its nice to have somebody who knows what I am.
Maxwell smiled. Thats the other reason why I stay. I want to make sure youre okay. I can only imagine what your life is like right now Speaking of that, do you want me to reach out to your sister?
I dont know Id been thinking about that for a while. Letting her know I was still alive but stuck in the game could be tricky. What if she didnt accept it and thought you were lying to her? What if she did accept it and came here? Ignoring the repercussions my existence would have, what would seeing me like this be like for her? I need to think about this more.
Understandable, Maxwell nodded. Let me know what you decide. He stretched and yawned.
While it might seem weird that players need to sleep in the game since so little time was passing in comparison, it was an important part for the mental break.
As Maxwell fell asleep, I focused on my meditation, though I kept myself aware of my surroundings. When Max woke to take watch, I let myself slip into deeper meditation and entered my mindscape. I decided it was probably a good time to visit. I just had to keep in mind I couldnt be in there long.
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