Chapter 20: Chapter Twenty

(Whoa! The big 2-0! We’ve reached chapter 20 now, how about that?! Honestly, this is further than I ever thought I’d get, but I’m so, so happy that I’ve managed that! Thanks for all your support, and please continue to do so going forward! Thank you all so much! ^_^)

I dodge another savage swing, Randy’s face twisted in irritation as I use the spines of my Needleboar shield to keep him at bay. “What’s my problem? What d’you think, huh?! I was top dog in a game a couple years back. I had it all. The power, the fame, the best loot. Then that bitch came along and destroyed everything! I lost my place at the top of the arena rankings, I got kicked out of the guild I FOUNDED, and I was mocked and humiliated wherever I went! I thought this was my chance for revenge, since she was weak and new here, and I was level 18, but NO! SHE’S DOING IT AGAIN! And now, there’s you, too… but guess what? I’m level 30 now! And YOU’RE gonna be my first strike against that bitch!”

As I ponder this information, Randy’s attacks grow swifter and fiercer, his arm beating down on my shield like a jackhammer, a few blows glancing off and hitting my armour. Ducking back and adjusting my grip on the straps of my shield, I whirl my mace around, the head crashing into his sword’s blade, causing the sparking threads of lightning running along his cold iron to chain between our weapons for a moment. Breaking apart, I stumble as Randy’s foot catches me in the side, my shield shifting aside as I stagger. Oh no! I’m wide open-!

Sphhhlt.

 

I go cold, a spreading numbness emanating from my stomach. My fingers twitch against my will, and I look down slowly, eyes wide. The handle of Randy’s sword… is sticking out of my belly. When I shift my wingtip, I can feel the other end of the blade spoking out through my back. “You... You ran me through…!”

Randy’s face is pale, but triumphant, with a strange, discomfited undertone.  “Yeah… yeah, I did, didn’t I… it felt… too real…. Sucks t-to be you, huh? Bet it hurts like a motherfucker… especially with the lightning from that Levinite crystal I used...”

I blink sluggishly, my brow furrowing as I cough. There’s a sickening wetness at the corner of my lips, and I can smell my own blood. “Funny, huh….? Sk-Skyborne are… weak to electric attacks, aren’t they…” I sag a little, and Randy steps in, cocking his head as my voice grows quieter.

“Too bad….”I murmur, as the other player leans in, his brow furrowed in a dark mirror to my own. “Too bad… for you….. That I have a passive…. That removes my weakness to lightning!” In a surge of raw strength, I slam my mace into the side of Randy’s face the spikes tearing his skin and flesh badly, activating my new ability. “Imbue Element- LIGHTNING!” He goes crashing back and rolling, crimson stains spattering the ground as he bounces twice.  As the lightning flickers out from the item he’d used to enchant his sword, my own mace-head crackles and whines like an overcharged generator, a massive surge of electrical current churning around the spiked ball.

I tug a healing potion out of me belt-pouch, swallowing the cherry-red contents of the little glass vial. Renewed vigour floods my body, and I prowl towards Randy as he struggles back onto his feet, reaching for something as he glares at me.

Bringing my mace around again, I smash it into his knee with a terrible, wrenching noise. Randy’s head tips back and he screams, a sound like a wounded animal, as I pry the head from the ruin of his joint.  “I don’t care about your vendetta with Astie… I don’t care about why you hate her… but you CHOSE to pick on me!”

I bring the mace down on his hand as he draws a knife, sending the small blade skittering away, accompanied by two of his fingers. “You’re too much a goddamned coward to go after her again, so you tried to make yourself feel better by picking on a weaker girl… and you underestimated me… and, now, I am… extremely… Earth-shatteringly… unreasonably… FUCK-ASS MAD!!”

I drive the mace around in a final, savage uppercut, the ancient, brittle morningstar exploding as the energy overloads. Randy lets out another indignant shriek as he somersaults backwards, several metres of rolling and tumbling filled with further cries, ending up on his back, panting as he glowers in my direction, barely able to even move. I stalk over to him, circling until I’m in line with his chest and kneeling beside him.

Reaching down, I curl my fingers around the hilt of his now slightly-warped sword, easing it out of my abdomen with a pained gasp. Raising the distorted, blackened blade, I let a sinister grin curl across my face, picturing Harvenhaight’s expression when he goes ‘crazy person’ mode. “Here, you left this in my gut. Maybe you should… Have it back!” I position the tip over his chest as his eyes widen. Before he can do more than struggle fruitlessly, I plunge his own sword down, a disgusting, sticky sound breaking the silence as he stiffens, then goes limp, gurgling his last breath as I pant, flopping back onto my butt as the reverberations of running feet approach from where Randy had entered this deadly chamber.

Mur and Ulged are following Asteria, as the Alv sprints into the room, dual-wielding hand-scythes made of ice. “Kettrin! Are you okay, honey?!” she calls, almost abandoning her weapons as she runs straight for me, the two beastmen covering the distance right behind her.

“Yeah, actually… that jerk from Tillberry, the one you duelled? He set this whole ambush up to kill me so he could get at you again… apparently, you embarrassed him in a different game a while back and he never got over it…”

Asteria drops one of her hand-scythes and places her hand on my forearm. “By the light of the Silver Forest, be healed in mind and body! Mid Grandhealing!” she chants, Naberius coiling up her arm and adding his power to hers, his yellow eyes shining deep amber.

“How could you get so badly hurt?!” Asteria tutted, a strange, panicky edge to her tone, as my wounds started to close. As my eyes regained their ability to focus, I noticed a pop-up window in the corner of my vision, blinking insistently at me. I reach out and tap it. I would probably have fallen over if I wasn’t already on my butt.

“Congratulations, Argonaut. You have achieved a secret quest, unique to you, by defeating an enemy while both under-levelled by comparison and at lower than 15% total HP. As a reward, you have unlocked an Advanced Class upgrade for the Bulwark. Would you like to switch? Your level will remain the same, but your equipment restrictions will change, as well as any skills unique to the Bulwark class. Y/N?”

I bite my lip, and then tap the Y option. Something wells up, a font of warmth and light that spills out, flooding my whole body with incredible energy! I almost catapult myself out of Asteria’s grasp, whooping in excitement as I open my status, obscuring it from my stream. Before my sparkling eyes, I see…

Kettrin ________

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Level 15 Thunder Valkyrie

 

 

 Reaching into my inventory, I select the sword that I’d previously been unable to wield. More of the information is filled in now, and I can’t help but cackle.

NAME: ???????

LEVEL: N/A

EQUIPPABLE BY: Thunder Valkyries, ??????

DESCRIPTION: This blade, from a strange land, is currently shaped like an Eastern katana, made from Levinite. It has an innate affinity for Lightning, and its true power is revealed in the hands of a master swordsman, changing its shape to fit its master’s designs. The sword’s strength increases as it levels up.

I… I can equip it?! I grin and take the handle in both hands. It feels somehow… right, now, as if the blade is satisfied with my touch. Thinking about what the description meant by ‘the weapon changing to fit its master’, I imagine this sword becoming something less… flimsy looking. I’m guessing that my new class is still a front-line tank, so I want a weapon that reflects that. Something weighty and tough, that demands respect from my foes…

Suddenly, my new sword gets heavier. MUCH heavier, but still not enough to inconvenience me. The handle becomes less elegant and more round, the small disk-like guard melding into a chunky, studded band around the top of where the blade joins the handle. The blade is now thicker, longer, and straight, with a single edge. It’s black and silver now, instead of that insipid yellow, with two holes drilled straight through, that look like they could fit something.

The sheath alters to match the weapon, becoming a larger, thicker brace, perfectly meant for a greatsword. It fits snugly on my back, between my wings, my new sword sliding home with a deep, menacing snickt.

As I pirouette to face my stream and Asteria, a wide smile on my face, I let out a delighted peal of laughter. The goth-Alv throws herself into my arms, almost flattening me as she sighs and trembles softly, her slim arms encircling me. “Kettrin, you dummy… I was so worried about you! Don’t scare me like that again, okay?”

I can feel my cheeks going red, and the two others are looking anywhere but at me and Astie. “we’ll, uh… head back the way we came an’ make sure nae mair o’ them daft wee scunners ‘re trying their luck with another ambush,” the Gnoll mutters, clearing his throat and practically dragging the Lizzara out by his tail.

“And, I saw your fight against that guy, Kettrin… I’m in awe of you right now, to be honest. You’re lower level than I am, and yet you still thrashed him, even unlocking an Advanced class to boot… in fact, I think you deserve a little reward, don’t you? Especially since your birthday’s in a few days, yeah?”

 I blink, unsure of what Asteria could possibly have planned. “We’ll talk in a moment. For now, it’s time that WildRoseOfTheWest was heading out! I hope you enjoyed the stream, and don’t forget to like, follow, and obey!” The small orb of light hovering near Asteria’s face blinks out of existence, and I hurriedly do the same, ending my stream with a polite and sincere “thanks so much for watching! I’ll be taking to the skies again real soon, so keep your eyes up!”

I thought Asteria was going to log out, but she’s still waiting. It seems that she really did want to talk, after all. I open my mouth, but she silences me with a single digit, her slim, strong finger pressed gently to my lips.

“Ah, ah, aah! I wanna finish what I was saying, first. If you wanna take the day off from streaming to celebrate your birthday, no-one’ll mind. And, since I don’t know if you’ll be logging in anytime between now and the day after, I wanted to give you this. It’s something I’ve wanted you to have for a while now. Ready? Just nod…”

Slowly, not taking my eyes off of her, I incline my head. Suddenly, her finger is gone, and… she replaces it with her own lips. My eyes widen, the softness of a… another girl’s lips on mine… I can feel the warmth of her body, the scent of her, a rich, forest-y fragrance that doesn’t overpower the senses… after a long, drawn-out moment that doesn’t last nearly as long as I’d like, Asteria breaks our… our kiss… she gently takes my hands in hers, interlocking my fingers through hers as she beams, a slow, sweet, achingly-beautiful smile breaking across her snow-pale face like the edge of dawn.

“Happy birthday, Kettrin. I love you…”

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