Imperious, Chapter 026 - Vayagar Devils 1 (Patreon)

Anna picked her way through the forest, the trees having become far quieter than they were when she first arrived so long ago. She glanced over at the devil woman and wondered if they were hunting in the forest like she had been. She supposed it made sense, though it was a bit bothersome. She still had a quest to complete. Eventually they made it through the trees unmolested, breaking out into the open grass between the forest and her house. Returning took less than a few minutes, everyone present was able to keep a speedy pace.

Finally home, she went through her house quickly, using her new storage space to scoop up all the food she’d squirreled away, the medical supplies, and all of her old clothes. She didn’t leave anything that would be useful to her in the immediate future behind before moving on. She crossed the street and made for Mister Hensley’s house. The coast was fortunately clear though she saw some fresh signs of fighting here and there in the street. Bits of the road were torn up and part of one of the other houses had caught fire at some point.

Deciding to leave Rook and the devil outside she made a beeline to the garage, not even blinking at the taxidermied bodies or the increasingly bad smell. For some reason it didn’t bother her as much as it had last time she’d been in here. Instead she made for the gunsafe and pulled out an unlocking card, charging it with mana and tapping it against the surface. The card dissolved and a click sounded off inside the metal box. She grabbed the lid and pushed it open and wasn’t disappointed. There were several drawers that she could pull out. Inside were rifles, pistols, a few long barrel shotguns and finally something she felt like she could really use.

She picked up the heavy looking weapon, it had a blocky appearance and was shockingly light. She turned it over in her hands, it had two barrels and on close inspection it had the striations of something made with a three-dimensional printer. A custom job? 

Printed Concept Single-Handed Shotgun (Mundane)
This poorly designed weapon was created using materials insufficient for its purpose and while technically functional would better be served as a decoration. It can be fired but the likelihood of backfire and damage to the weapon is very high.

For now, Anna thought with a smirk as she snatched up all of the shotgun shells and shoved them into her storage space. After a moment’s consideration she snatched up all the other guns and ammunition as well, though she doubted she’d be using them. She left the safe, not bothering with it and instead found a surface to set the gun down on before pulling out the uncommon upgrade token. It gave a warning about using it on a mundane weapon and how it might have unusual effects, but she didn’t care as long as the result was better than the garbage in front of her. She cracked the token and let the dust fall.

The reaction was a lot less subtle than her mace. The entire surface of the gun cracked and imploded for a moment, the only metal part; the barrels, the sole survivor as the weapon began to sizzle and smoke. She took a step back and held her arm over her face as what looked like liquid metal poured out of the craters in its surface before slurping back into the body of the weapon with an unsettling hiss. The liquid metal spread throughout the entire body of the weapon, replacing the plastic body before turning dark to match the original coloration and solidifying.

She picked it up and examined it.

Unstable Personal Cannon of Ruthlessness
This once barely functional short-range weapon has been improved by external forces, turning it into a dangerous weapon of war. It can be fired without ammunition at the cost of charging it with mana. Firing it with a shell will empower the shell to deal additional damage. Every shot missed will increase the chance of a backfire, dealing damage to the wielder. Every successful hit will increase the next shot or backfire damage.

Anna turned it over in her hands, “Not terrible, not great, but better than a mundane pistol,” She muttered before dismissing it into her inventory for now. She stepped outside and found Rook standing there, keeping a close eye on the devil woman who’s name she hadn’t even bothered to ask. Instead she just jerked her head towards the street, “Show us to your camp.”

The suburban neighborhood that Anna lived in was about as idyllic as one might expect. White picket fences and green yards as far as the eye could see. It hadn’t been far away from the city but still isolated enough to be considered its own little community. Shops and stores were nonexistent, the homeowners association insisting on it being a purely residential area to increase ‘land values’ as they claimed. The only spaces that differed from the endless carbon-copy houses were the few recreational areas. 

When Anna realized which recreational area they were heading towards, her expression grew darker and darker. The playground. A full acre of land set aside for safe play spaces for the few children that lived in the neighborhood. It existed more for aesthetics, but it was still functional and was considered to be a very safe space. There had probably been children there when the integration happened. She wasn’t sure where people would show up after the tutorial, but if they returned to where they’d left…

Anna let the thoughts die as the playground came into view. A wall made of materials ripped from nearby houses spread around it, reinforced by some kind of black metal ribbon that wrapped the entire perimeter. There was no sign of the playground equipment save for one of the swingsets that had been moved out front next to what looked like a gate. Anna’s expression went cold as she watched the bodies swing from nooses tied to the swingset. All of them were wearing collars. Anna glanced at the gate again and narrowed her eyes.

“Is this it?” Anna asked.

The devil nodded once.

“Where are the guards?” Anna asked.

The devil tensed and for a moment the scent of burning flesh filled Anna’s nostrils. She glanced in the devil’s direction. She was gritting her teeth, sweat beading on her brow before she let out a gasp and capitulated, “Too early in the integration, night attacks are unlikely. No faction wants to risk direct attacks against one another right now. Better served waiting until the third month when our levels begin to return. The guards stand behind the door and watch the slaves during night work.” Now that she spoke more than a few words, Anna noticed how mechanical her voice sounded, like it was pushed through a digital translator. 

Anna pursed her lips, “So thats what the numbers in parentheses mean,” She commented, getting a shocked look from the devil. She ignored it, “How many of you are there?”

“A maximum of ten per local area team, though one slot can be sacrificed to bring ten slaves, we brought forty slaves as decreed by our leaders.” The devil explained sourly.

“Can the slaves fight?” Anna asked only to get a snort in response. Her lip twitched and she shrugged,  “Alright, works for me.”

CRRNCH-SPLAT

Anna swung her mace with all of her might, bringing the full weight of the weapon to bare against the undefended head of the devil. 

You have slain Vaygar Devil, Level 9 (45)
Experience gained based on enemy True Level
45 Iron Credits Gained

Level up! You have reached Level 9 in your class, Caster.
+1 Int, +2 Wil, +3 Pre, +1 Ins, +1 Awa, +9 Free Points

Huh, so the real experience in this thing comes from fighting the invaders and not the local monsters. Good to know, Anna thought, surprised at the sudden level up. She dropped some points into strength, vitality, and presence as the body dropped to the ground. She barely glanced at it and kicked it to see if she could loot it. No notifications popped up so she left it there for now, she’d come back and take any valuables off later. It didn’t let me loot the skeleton champion without directly touching its gear either. Must be an intelligent race thing.

She shrugged and made her way towards the gates, mace slung over her shoulder. Pixel floated away from her and flickered as it took up a position over the body, keeping its distance.

New Quest Alert!

The Vayagar Devils

The Vayagar Devils are one of the factions present in this local area. In order to lay claim to this territory one option is to chase out or exterminate the other factions. Deal with your enemies.

Vayagar Devils defeated (1/5)
Vayagar Chainmaster Defeated (0/1)

Rewards: Experience, 1000 Iron Coins, Access to the Local Area Conquest Quest

“Thanks,” Anna grunted and stopped at the door. “Rook?”

The golem approached her from behind while she pulled out her personal cannon, she popped it open and put in a pair of shells before snapping it shut and returning it to her vault. Rook was already mid swing as a small confused murmur rose on the other side. They probably heard Rook’s footsteps. 

“Caustia?” One voice called.

BANG!

The head of the axe connected with the gate as Rook completed his swing, the doors crashing open with tremendous force. A pair of shouts rang out on the other side accompanied by the sounds of thuds. She strode into the playground, the rubberized ‘gravel’ crunching beneath her feet. The first thing she spotted were the remains of the playground equipment, bent and twisted and repurposed into cages for the Devil’s ‘cattle’. She turned to the right and gestured to the left, Rook understanding and doing as he was told.

Anna rounded the door to see a red-skinned male scrambling out with a sword in his hand, blood on his forehead and his teeth bared. He blinked as his eyes flittered about, trying to settle on Anna’s body before he lunged, flames erupting around his fingers as he reached for her.

Vaygar Devil, Level 8 (40)

Anna stepped to the side and swung down with her mace just as the arc of his weapon neared the ground. A noisy crunch sounded when the weapon collided with the flesh and bone of his hand. The devil let out a scream of pain and turned to try to grapple her with whatever spell he was casting. He found himself staring down the barrels of her new gun. She pulled the trigger.

BOOM!

You have slain Vaygar Devil, Level 8 (40)
Experience gained based on enemy True Level
40 Iron Credits Gained

Level up! You have reached Level 10 in your class, Caster.
+1 Int, +2 Wil, +3 Pre, +1 Ins, +1 Awa, +9 Free Points, A new round of skill selection is available.

Vayagar Devils defeated (3/5)

Her lip twitched, got next to nothing for so long, had to claw and scrape for levels but killing these people gives me so much. She ignored the skill selection for now, no time, as she turned away from the corpse and glanced at Rook who had just pulled the head of his axe out of the other guard’s body, the smell of burning flesh and blood stinging her nose. She sent her dark-ringed gaze towards the rest of the playground. The slaves were scattering, screaming in confusion and terror while three figures stepped out of tents set up further inside. Near the tents it looked like several buildings were under construction.

She dismissed her shotgun and strode forward and mace at the ready.

The three devils that approached looked significantly stronger than the two pathetic hunks of meat that now lay near the door. Anna felt the fire in her blood ramp up, eager for a proper battle, a proper contest for domination. She fed it, her breathing coming a bit quicker and her free hand twitching with adrenaline. She stopped about fifty feet away from the three, Rook behind her.

Vaygar Devil, Level 10 (50)
Vaygar Devil, Level 10 (50)
Vaygar Devil Chainmaster, Level 10 (50)

Now there’s some nice experience.

“I assume Caustia is dead?” The chainmaster spoke, his head held high as a pair of chains slid from his sleeves and landed on the ground, his fingers wrapped around their lengths. His voice sounded mechanical to her, just like when the devil woman spoke. 

Anna tilted her head, “Who?”

The chainmaster frowned, “The archer.”

Anna’s lip twitched, “Yeah,” She said.

“Who are you? Your hatred is palpable,” The chainmaster growled.

Anna chose this moment to turn her volume all the way up. She blasted her presence into the area, the will of a conqueror and tyrant roaring to life and sending the two who flanked the chainmaster stumbling for a moment. “A local.”

The Chainmaster’s eyes went wide and he bore his teet, “So this is what Caustia meant! I don’t know how, but an archdevil’s blood marches in your veins! There’s no doubt in my mind!” He laughed, he held his hand out and was about to continue his little speech when Anna tilted her head.

“Really? A ‘we’re not different, join me,’ line?” She spat. “Fuck you. This is my land and you are just a bag of experience.”

The chainmaster shut his mouth, “Fine.” He spat and twisted his wrist around the chain gripped in his hand. Something burst out of the ground beneath Anna’s feet and wrapped around her leg. She glanced down and scowled at the chain gripping her leg up to her thigh. Ahead of her, the two other devils, both women, darted to the left and right to spread out a bit. One of them drew a bow and snarled, her expression carrying something that looked like grief. The other began muttering beneath her breath as flames danced on her fingertips.

Anna drew a flashbang into her hand and charged it, tossing it at the center of the space before raising her hand to protect her eyes. “Rook, the chain!” She barked. Next to her, the Golem turned and brought the axe down on the dirt between her and the chainmaster. There was a loud clank of metal on metal and she felt the grip loosen enough for her to pull her leg free as the loud crack-bang of the consumable filled the space. She darted to the right, heading for the mage as an arrow whizzed past, clipping her ear.

Rook retaliated instantly, throwing the hooked weapon at the archer. The woman rolled out of the way firing off two more arrows in Anna’s direction. Anna glanced at the incoming projectiles and threw up a pair of mana barriers before continuing her charge. The mage blinked several times ahead of her, shaking her head as she completed her spell. A wall of fire erupted from the ground between her and Anna, spreading across the field to separate the two parties. Anna just barreled through it, her arms raised to protect her face from the intense heat. It hurt, but in just a  few steps she was within striking range of the mage.

The sound of clattering chains racing her way from the side was cut off as a similar sound moved to intercept it. She heard the chainmaster snarl just as she bore down on the mage. The female shouted something and clapped her hands together just as Anna threw herself to the right, kicking at the mage’s ankle. A flash of light and heat screamed out from the mage’s palms bursting in all directions. Anna winced, the heat searing at her face and heating up her armor. Somewhere nearby, a bang sounded out. She focused on the mage, blinking away tears before driving her foot forward and into the woman’s side before she could fully right herself.

Anna raised her weapon over her head and brought it down, putting a power strike into it. The resounding double-boom that followed was joined with a scream and the sound of crunching flesh and bone. No kill notification came and Anna blinked through her burning vision to look down at the mage who was rolling away, cradling one of her arms. Snarling, Anna called up her shotgun and pulled the trigger, a cone of pellets pummeling the woman. Most of them rebounded off of her robes but a solid number pierced through. Anna dismissed the weapon and stalked forward, murder in her eyes.

Get back here, I’m not done.