Loopshard Novel Chapter One-Hundred-and-Fifty-Nine

< < Optional Stage Objective > >

< Defeat the Necromancer in the Crypt >

Aeran exploded forward with a double-activation of his Cloud Skimr Jacket, slashing his sword through the neck of the first shambling creature trying to push its way out of the crypt, imdiately decapitating it. He carried the montum into a skeleton behind it, cracking its skull into fragnts with a powerful slam of his shield, before coming to a halt when he drove his blade through the neck of a zombie next to it.

As Závi and Sofia ran in after him, Aeran wrenched his sword free, popping off the zombie’s head in the process.

He really likes to show off.

Adam brought up the rear with Luo and Father Mathias. The priest knelt by each of the undead in turn, placing his hand on their bodies and releasing a pulse of holy magic that quickly dispelled the foul-looking purple energy inside them, which was only visible to Adam’s Mana-sight. He tried not to stand too close as Father Mathias cast his cleansing magic, since he worried it might try and cleanse him too if he was within range, and given the way the putrid corpses lost their fullness and dried out, it was unlikely to be healthy for him.

“There’s not really much for us to do,” Luo remarked as they continued through the crypt chamber, following the carnage left in the wake of their vanguard.

The walls, ceiling, and floor of the crypt were entirely made of smooth stone, and there were deep pockets in the wall that held the coffins of those interred within. Many of them had been pulled out and cracked open by soone with a lot of strength, and the priest had a sad look on his face as he surveyed the damage.

The next two chambers were much like the first, except there were more zombies and skeletons, but the fourth and final chamber was larger and in the back was a hunched-over figure in a robe. Aeran, Závi, and Sofia fought a large hulk of a zombie, and its flesh seed extrely durable. Even when they used their Duellist’s Gloves to try and carve through it, they found that they were unable, since the skin didn’t count as armour. It was a weakness that Adam had thought about for a while, since not all defences would be categorised as armour, and in those cases it would just be a hard-hitting attack instead of sothing that cleaved all the way through. It was clearly a realisation that was dawning on them now, as they had to find a different way to defeat the hulk.

Aeran had switched to his rapier, and he was deflecting almost every attack, creating openings for the others to exploit. As Adam watched, he missed a deflect, but then he imdiately blocked the attack with his Potion Belt, since the potions were impervious to damage when slotted within. One of the three Stamina potions was already missing though, and it was clear that his build burnt through Stamina the way Aeran used it.

Závi should be the one handling defence, since her Exploiter daggers and Vigilant Vambrace make a target take more damage after being parried.

However, it was clear Aeran wanted the glory, but it just wasn’t getting them anywhere.

Adam turned his attention to the hunched-over guy in the back. He looked holess, thanks to his tattered and dirty clothes, as well as his unkempt beard and long hair, but there was a malevolent purple glow in his eyes.

We have to kill him first. The brute is clearly a distraction.

From the way his fingers moved and how purple energy suffused them, it was clear he was preparing so kind of spell. Elia hadn’t said anything about the fight, but Adam chalked that up to her having simply one-shotted her way through it like with previous encounters.

He nudged Luo and pointed across the chamber from where they stood near the entrance. “Shoot him with the Shell-Breaker.”

“Is that the necromancer?”

“That’s right,” Adam told him.

Luo activated his skill and pulled out the explosive bolt. It had a long narrow tal spike with an explosive payload hidden within. Before he could fire it, Adam coated so of the lesser bloodfiend blood he’d harvested onto it.

“Aim for his torso,” Adam said.

Luo took aim and fired. Like the previous tis Adam had watched him use the crossbow, he didn’t utilise his Blink Ring and kept his eyes opened wide.

The hulk imdiately changed its attention to him and tried to catch the projectile mid-air, but it wasn’t fast enough. As the bolt was about to hit the necromancer, a wall of bones popped up in front of him from the nearby skeletal corpses on the floor, but it just zipped right through, striking the magician in the chest and exploding before it could go all the way into his body.

The necromancer was knocked against the wall by the attack, clearly sturdier than he looked, but Adam’s blood had been violently forced into several points in his body. Thanks to his increased range, Adam was able to manipulate all of the blood up through the necromancer’s body and into his head. At the sa ti, the hulk was charging right for them, intent on smashing them into a paste.

Adam ignored it. It would perish the mont its master died.

Hopefully.

With a forceful pull of his control sigil mixed with an activation of Blood Crystal, Adam dragged the many tiny globs of blood out through the necromancer’s face while they crystallised his bloodstream in the process. The expansion from the crystallisation was slight, but given how he’d driven it through several blood vessels and the brain, as well as the force with which he’d pulled it out, the result was that the necromancer’s head exploded. Skin, chunks of solidified flesh, and brittle blood crystals struck the floor, breaking into smaller fragnts as they hit the stones with a sound like shattering glass.

Then the hulk slipped and smashed face-first into the stone tiles, cracking them under its heavy weight.

< < Optional Stage Objectives Complete > >

< Defeated the Necromancer >

“That was easy,” Aeran remarked.

“It was about to have been much harder if we hadn’t defeated the necromancer,” Adam remarked. “Have you guys never played a ga before?? You never leave the magic-wielders unattended in the back. Your tactics against the brute clearly weren’t bearing fruit, so you should’ve realised it was a distraction.”

Aeran opened his mouth to reply, but Adam cut him off as he continued. “And you should have let Závi handle the defence. She has better Relics for it than you do. You and Sofia are better suited for offence.”

“He’s right,” Sofia agreed.

“Next ti you can have the honour of going first,” Aeran told Adam, his tone sharp.

“He’s the one who ca up with the ambush strategy for the vampire earlier,” Sofia reminded him. “If not for that, you might never have woken up from your little nap.”

Aeran glared at her. Adam could tell a lot of nasty thoughts were running through his mind from the way his lody beca all garbled and discordant. His mouth twisted and it seed as though he was about to spit out so nasty reply, but then Father Mathias stepped into the chamber, halting him before the argunt could erupt into sothing worse.

Without a word or even acknowledgent of their effort, the priest moved between the corpses, pausing for a long ti when he reached the necromancer. After cleansing all of the bodies, he quietly left the crypt and they all followed, though Adam hung back for a mont to go through the necromancer’s belongings. He had a feeling the guy might carry sothing interesting on him, and he ended up being right, as he found an object hidden inside a pouch within one of the coffin shelves that’d been pilfered for its corpse.

< < Secret Relic Obtained > >

< Twisted Symbol (Rare) — An icon carved to resemble a servant of the First Light, twisted and warped by unholy power >

It was a small figure that looked like an angel with her arms and wings wrapped around a large orb. But whatever magic that cursed it had left behind an oily-looking black magic visible to Adam’s Mana-sight, and it made the silver icon look as though it was covered in rust, even though silver didn’t tarnish in that way. The orb was also completely black.

I’d better not show this to the priest, Adam thought and stuck it in his pocket, before following the others.

Luo was the only one who noticed his brief absence, because Aeran was too busy stomping out of the crypt with Závi on his heels. Sofia stuck to the priest and was asking him about his God.

“Did you find sothing?” he whispered.

Adam briefly showed him the icon.

“What do you think it’s for?” he asked.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Might be sothing for a future Stage,” Adam replied. “Don’t tell Aeran I found it though.”

“Of course not,” he said with a grin.

After they’d all left the crypt, Father Mathias pulled the heavy stone door shut and locked it behind them.

Good thing I grabbed that Relic when I did, but I’m sure there might’ve been other things down there we missed.

< < Quest Complete > >

< Rats in the Crypt >

< Cleansed the church crypt >

< < Optional Stage Objective Complete > >

< Helped Father Mathias with his church >

They went back up the stairwell and when the priest joined them by the altar, he used his holy magic to summon two Relic Chests of white wood that glowed faintly with the power of his Lord.

Adam frowned. Touching those will definitely hurt .

Aeran had already forgotten about their agreent to let Adam open the chests, and imdiately kicked open the first one. Before he could ruin the second, Adam went over and pushed it open. He made sure to cover his hand in a protective layer of blood, and it was a good thing he did, because it imdiately charred black on touch, making it clear it would’ve damaged him.

From the chest Adam opened there were two Epics and two Rares, while the one Aeran had opened only showed two Uncommons and a Common.

< < Relics Available > >

< dium Mana Potion (Common) — Drink to restore 60% Mana. Once consud, the Relic disappears >

< Noble’s Mask (Uncommon) — Increases Movent Speed and Dodge chance by 15% | Reduces Defence by 25% >

< Rat Whistle (Uncommon) — Summon a swarm of rats to obey your commands for 15 seconds. 10-minute cooldown >

That Rat Whistle necklace might actually be kind of useful, depending on what commands they can perform.

Aeran imdiately snatched the mask without anyone getting the chance to say if they wanted sothing else. Before he could grab an item from the chest Adam had opened, Sofia and Luo blocked him. Závi stood nearby, clearly wanting to stop him from torpedoing the team dynamic, but apparently unwilling to actually go against his wishes.

“You agreed to the rules,” Adam told him. “I will make you regret it if you do that again.”

“Oh, is that a promise?” Aeran taunted him.

Adam t his eyes. “It is.”

He held his gaze until Aeran looked away.

“Whatever,” he said and backed off. Behind his annoyed expression was a storm of negative emotions, waiting to go off like a bomb at any mont.

I may have to ensure he can’t hurt us, since it seems like he’s just on the verge of blowing up.

He finally looked at the options that’d appeared from the chest he’d opened: the first was a bracelet with gold, silver, and purple strings intertwined and three misty-blue gemstones attached to it equidistant from each other; next was a glove that was clearly just a hollowed out pale and monstrous hand with talons instead of nails and black veins visible beneath its skin; then a mask made of black blue-striped wood; and lastly, a pair of black tallic pauldrons with silver embellishnts of rams and curling silver horns protruding from them.

< < Relics Available > >

< Drear’s Charm (Epic) — Mark a target during the day as your nesis. At night, when both of you are asleep, you will invade their dreams. If you kill them, they will perish in their sleep. 1-day cooldown | Beco immune to dream invasions >

< Shapeshifter’s Claw (Epic) — Perform a transforming attack with the hand wearing this Relic, doubling Impact and Damage inflicted. 20-second cooldown | Successful attacks inflict Lethargy, slowing target’s Movent Speed by 50% for 5 seconds >

< Illusionist’s Mask (Rare) — Transform the mask into any face you know, allowing you to mimic their identity and voice. The effect breaks if soone calls you by your true na. 12-hour cooldown >

< Vanguard’s Charging Pauldrons (Rare) — Charging attacks deal 25% more damage and are 50% faster | While not in the middle of a charging attack, Movent Speed is reduced by 50% >

Drear’s Charm raises new fears… It seems almost tailor-made for Player-killing.

Illusionist’s Mask is another that seems like it would have the most utility when used against other Players, though I suppose it can be used to trick NPCs in so scenarios, possibly helping expedite quests.

The Shapeshifter’s Claw might be a really good Relic to start with. I currently have the Chimaera Core in my Relic Saving Chest, but if I could bring the claw back instead, then I could probably make a Fool run work by just boosting my damage and punching everything to death.

“I’d like the Shapeshifter’s Claw,” Sofia said.

“I could also use it,” Závi added.

“Do you think it would work with my crossbow?” Luo asked.

“It might,” Adam considered. “Though I was also thinking I could use the claw to be honest. It may work with my blood sigils.”

Before they could decide, a terrifying high-pitched scream rolled across the district, sounding like a hyena and a bat mixed together.

“I will seal the entrance,” Father Mathias said.

Just then, Adam and the others realised that Aeran was gone. He had slipped out while they were busy looking at the Relic Chest.

His lody was already quite far away from the church, and it was full of indignation and defiance. It was clear he wanted to show that he was much stronger than them.

Adam went over to the doorway to try and spot Aeran, but he had already been completely swallowed by darkness. If not for the prominent song of his blood, Adam wouldn’t even know where he’d gone. Further off, many powerful and hungry lodies were coming towards them, like a flowing tide of evil.

Závi tried to run out of the doorway to follow Aeran, but Adam grabbed her arm, stopping her and pushing her back inside. “You’ll die if you follow that idiot,” he said.

She had a desperate look in her eyes. “I will die if I do not,” she whispered.

Father Mathias moved past then, and with a loud clunk that echoed through the church, he shut the door, turned the lock, and slamd a locking bar across it, preventing any normal person from breaking in.

“No one should venture outside when the bloodfiends roam,” he said. “I am afraid we cannot let your friend back in until after the sun has risen.”

Závi’s legs gave out from under her, and Adam had to strain to keep her from collapsing.

Sofia imdiately ca over.

“What did he do to you?” she asked, sensing sothing that not even Adam could pick up.

Tears started rolling down Závi’s face.

As monstrous and inhuman screams and screeches filled the dark night outside, they consoled Závi who wouldn’t stop crying. Her lody was a ss of relief and hope, but also fear, anxiety, and sorrow.

“My real na is Kate??ina,” Závi said once she’d finally cald down a lot. “He made

change my na to ‘Závislost’ when we entered this evil ga. It ans ‘addiction’ or ‘dependence’ in my mother-tongue. His real na also is not Aeran, it is Pétr.”

I had a feeling his na was made-up, but man that’s fucked-up to do to soone else.

“Before we ca here, there were other girls like . Girls he took care of and made dependent on him. He would find out our weaknesses and turn them against us, using them to control us and na us.”

Adam suddenly realised sothing horrible.

“Is he the reason why you were able to worship the All-Mother?” he asked. “Did she show up for you because of sothing he did?”

The All-Mother protects children… but she is also the God of fertility and sustenance, so I think her protection might extend to mothers as well.

Kate??ina lowered her head. “I was pregnant when I entered the Trials. With his child. I did not want it until the ga took it away from . I do not think I will ever see my baby.”

“I thought pregnant won weren’t able to enter the Trials,” Sofia muttered in disgust and anger.

“The cube told

that if I wish to see my baby, I must win,” Kate??ina explained.

That’s so fucking evil…

“It was painful when the little Elphin girl died before the Altar Stage,” she went on. “It brought a lot of bad mories back, but the All-Mother has helped

a lot. She is very kind. If not for her, I do not think I would have made it this far.”

“Why are you doing everything he tells you?” Sofia asked. “You are strong enough to be able to refuse him.”

“I do not think I can live without him,” she said. “I love him, even though I know it is wrong.”

Adam frowned. “He’s still alive out there, but he’s fighting a lot of enemies.”

“We must go help him,” Kate??ina replied desperately.

Adam shook his head. “Soone might die, because many of the bloodfiends can fly, and they are all incredibly fast.”

“Then I will go alone,” she said, trying to stand up.

Sofia put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “Don’t make him decide who you are. If you go after him, even when he’s trying to get himself killed, everything he said about you will be true.”

Kate??ina sat back down and released a shuddering breath.

“I need to ask a serious question,” Adam said. “Did you and Aeran kill all the other Players in your previous Stages?”

Kate??ina nodded. “He wanted

to get as many Points as possible. He helped

survive to get this far.”

“We need to kill him if he survives the night,” Luo interjected. He had a determined expression on his normally-kind face.

Sofia nodded. She’d been prepared for this for a while, Adam could tell.

“You cannot!” Kate??ina exclaid.

Adam cast a glance at Sofia and Luo. They both nodded in return.

Without a word, a pact had been made.

“Don’t worry, we won’t harm him,” Adam lied. “But we do need him to acknowledge what he’s done. He’s a threat to us if we can’t trust him.”

Suddenly Aeran’s lody started coming towards them. It was filled with fear, panic, and pain. Many hungry lodies followed behind him.

Adam stood up. He pulled blood and flesh to his hands, floating it out in front of himself, preparing for a confrontation. The others followed suit, even though they had no idea what he was sensing.

Then suddenly Aeran’s lody went airborne, before he ca crashing through the large window high above the church door. He flew into the church with shards of glass and wrought tal raining down alongside him, then he crashed into one of the pews, breaking it in half with his impact. Blood rapidly spilled out from his missing right arm and shoulder, and he had gashes, cuts, and wounds all over, as well as several distinct bite-marks.

If not for my lighthouse boon, he would’ve already perished I’m sure.

But no one here has any powerful healing potions, so he’s a goner regardless.

Adam looked up to the broken window, but the bloodfiends were staying outside, clearly terrified of the holy magic that perated the interior.

Kate??ina ran over to Aeran’s side, but he was already unconscious. She pulled sothing out of thin air, and Adam realised it was the All-Mother’s Fruit, summoned by the unique boon gifted to her by her patron. She broke it into pieces and made Aeran swallow it, and he quickly healed back to full health, his shoulder and arm growing out of nothing.

Adam put on the Hobgoblin Pendant and snuck so of the second-generation vampire blood into Aeran’s body once he’d consud the last of the fruit and the healing was complete. As soon as Adam’s blood was inside his head, he swapped back to the Blood Mage Choker.

Even though Aeran had fully recovered, he remained unconscious.

I’m sorry Kate??ina, but this is for your own good.

Adam shifted his hand with the control sigil slightly, breaking the glob of blood out of the vessel he’d injected it into and carving holes through Aeran’s brain, continuing until he felt his lody beco quieter.

Blood started to drip out from Aeran’s ear canals as Adam’s Scoundrel’s Glove activated its haemorrhage affliction with the surprise attack. The sight made Kate??ina both panic and fill with relief. It was disturbing to observe, but in a way Adam could understand the complicated emotions she was dealing with. She was secretly hoping he would die and free her in the process, but she also feared losing the only thing she knew, a constant in her life, albeit an abusive one.

Father Mathias ca over to where Aeran lay. He placed a glowing hand on his chest, but then he shook his head. “I cannot cure him,” he said. “The blood of the fiends flows within him, and my gift would only harm him more.”

Kate??ina placed her forehead on Aeran’s chest and wept loudly, her voice echoing through the church. For a mont, the screeching and screaming of the bloodfiends outside went silent.

The strong reaction made Adam feel like a monster.