Chapter 411 - Bad to Worse

Robert

Outside East Fort

How did things go so, so wrong, Robert asked himself as he was once again watching the hammer of ice soar through the air. The first time was when it had been thrown high, to start a duel that was already a bad idea.

Now, for the second time, he asked himself that question while watching it shoot across the area with the intent to kill.

If Robert had thought the feat of strength from before was impressive, it was nothing compared to now.

How high is his strength? 6,000? 7,000? That’s theoretically impossible!

The highest rarity Class at H-rank was Common, Rare at G-rank, Legendary at F-rank, and Mythic for E-rank and D-rank. Not to mention that no one had ever reported possessing a grade that high.

Even if you took the highest known ratio of how many points per level were toward one stat, 33%, plus factored in both Class and Profession focusing on the same stat, which Robert knew wasn’t the case, the theoretical maximum, with a level of 127 in Class and 102 in Profession, was around 4400.

Nowhere near the height required to perform the feats Robert was witnessing with his own eyes, and that was assuming two Mythical Classes and Professions.

What kind of stat boosting skills does the man have?! [Rage] is common enough, but that’s only a 10% boost. Even upgrading it to Rare is only 22.5%! Even if he has one of those stat derivative skills, that’s only a 2:1 ratio of a lesser stat.

Robert had done the math during the fight while he’d gotten battered by the man’s monstrous strength firsthand. His newly upgraded Body of Copper was barely holding up, and that was something he hadn’t thought possible by someone lower level than himself.

Even with [Maximum Density] and [Rejection Field] helping, the blows still thundered down. The first helped his Body weather the beating, while the second did its best to push the incoming hammer away from him as best as it could, blunting the blow.

And still, his arms ached like they were filled with microfractures. His knuckles bled from punching his icy armor and defending against blows. His hands stung from the cold, constantly drawing mana to keep the frostbite at bay every time his skin touched the weapon.

All of that ran through his mind as he watched the dangerous weapon home in on the running men. That, and the question he’d been asking himself. Where did it all go so wrong?

Neither man looked back at the weapon headed toward them, and it wouldn’t have mattered if they had. It was moving so fast that foreknowledge wouldn’t have mattered.

It was almost a mercy for one of them that he never got to see his death coming.

Pierre was carrying a screaming Ryan as he clutched at his blacked stump of an arm, and it was he who had his body that was first in the line of fire. The Rogue shielded Ryan from death one last time as the hammer landed spike-first in his back.

The spike drove through his spine and ribcage like his bones were made of paper. His heart was pulverized before he even knew what hit him. After the spike came the rest of the hammer, its force barely diminished. His upper chest exploded in blood, and what was left of his upper and lower halves were thrown from one another.

The only part left above his waist was his head, and even that didn’t come out unscathed, not that it mattered. Dead was dead. He couldn’t get any more dead. Robert wondered if Vernon could have made anything out of what was left. He wasn’t fond of the Necromancer, but he was powerful, which said a lot about the state of the body.

While Pierre may have fatally blocked the worst of it, he didn’t have the resilience or Fortitude to block all of it. It was too much force, and it didn’t help that the weapon was charged with enough mana and lingering Spirit that it danced with an inner glow.

Ryan’s right leg was pulverized in much the same manner as his Guard’s chest had been before he was thrown out of view, his final state unknown.

Within a fraction of a heartbeat of it being thrown, it had killed one and maimed the other. If the mana wasn’t so discoordinated and unstructured, Robert would have assumed it was the work of a powerful skill.

The fact that it wasn’t was even scarier.

A hush had fallen on those remaining. The fighting had all but stopped as soon as the blindingly bright sword was brought out, everyone fearing that they would be on its receiving end.

If the unveiling of the sword hadn’t paused the fighting, the roar of pain that came from the usually stoic Lord of Frost would have. Everyone turned to see what the source of such power was, and if not that, then the source of such anguish.

Michael and Vanessa were off to one side while Zuri, Robert, and Bri were on the other. After Pierre’s sudden appearance and Christopher’s near single-minded chase after them both, the fight had moved with them, leaving all five of them close enough to witness everything that had transpired.

Even if he wished he hadn’t. Watching Ryan’s arm disintegrate in front of him wasn’t a scene that would go away soon. Following that, watching a man’s chest explode like a tank round had been shot through it was another memory Robert didn’t need.

But he had them, and now he, along with Zuri, Bri, Vanessa, and Michael, all stood around the panting Viscount at a loss for words.

Blood flowed from Christopher and turned the snow beneath his feet red as he turned to face the five of them. The dagger to his side was being held together with a thin veil of ice, while his eyes and nose steadily leaked blood. Whatever the sword had done wasn’t light, for the tank to bleed like he was.

His helmet didn’t have a full face plate, leaving the red streaks visible, along with his expression of wrath incarnate.

___

Chris

Everything in me wanted to run off toward Ryan and finish the job, but my feet wouldn’t move. I’d put everything into that last throw, even exacerbating whatever of a mess my Spirit was in, and it was refusing to tear itself further apart.

My demand for movement resulted in nothing. Even my call for my hammer to return was left unanswered.

Something was very wrong, and I dreaded finding out by how much. I’d never felt such pain before, and my Spirit had never been so strained and burned. I felt weak in ways I hadn’t in a long, long time. Like I was a level 0 Human facing down a horned rabbit again.

There had been chimes during the fight, and notifications blinked in my vision, but I could barely stand, let alone care about those right now.

Jonathan had torn his Spirit before, and this felt worse than that. My Spirit, which was usually so unyielding and resilient, teetered on collapse. I knew what would happen if it did. Like a candle going out, I’d move on to be with the rest of my family.

It was a surprise that such a wound could threaten my life so easily, but I figured it wasn’t just the blow that had done it. [Tyr’s Judgment] demanded death, and no one who had participated in it was dead.

By the way it was worded, the skill should have killed me. Being forcibly interrupted had nearly done it, but here I was, alive and kicking. Bri and Ryan as well, unfortunately. The only one to die was someone I hadn’t used it on.

I finally turned away from the direction Ryan had fled, looking back at what I’d thought would be the rest of them actively fighting. Instead, everyone was just standing still, looking at me.

I rallied what energy I could to prepare, but Bri laid down her sword and put up her hands in surrender before I could muster anything up. “I didn’t even want to be here in the first place.”

Robert took a step back, “I only tried to stop the fighting.”

Zuri, having lost her two allies one right after the other, lowered her staff, “I won’t die in an unwinnable battle. I yield.”

Indignation blazed inside me at their surrender. Even with my ability to fight nearly bottomed out, my fury demanded release. The fight certainly didn’t feel over to me, but it was out of my hands. I wasn’t about to beat down on someone who’d already given up unless it was justified.

No one remaining had done anything to justify it. The one who had wasn’t here.

I turned to Vanessa, and she seemed to be in a similar position as I was. She obviously wanted the battle to continue, but was also unwilling to force it.

Seeing the avenues for my fury close, I turned on Bri angrily, “You. Why did you interfere?”

She snarled angrily and waved a hand toward the east, “That bastard told me to. He used some kind of contract magic to force me, even though I didn’t want to. As I said, I didn’t even want to be here.”

“Is that why you didn’t fight to your fullest. I know you have a Bloodline and can use more than shields.” I demanded.

She nodded, “It tried to force me, but I didn’t let it. It was already forcing me to fight, I wasn’t going to let it force me to go all out.”

That sounds familiar…

“What kind of contract was it?” I asked, my voice still firm but easing off from before.

“I don’t know, I’m not a Contract Lawyer.” She shrugged, “Ryan drew it up and made us sign with fancy ink. It was the only way he’d agree, and I didn’t think anything of it. I didn’t know he’d bend it like he had to force my hand or that such a thing was even possible. Other contracts are like a light tug, but this was a forceful shove.”

No way. There’s no way he’d use that after fighting off demons and giving out those Formations. That doesn’t make any sense. Why-

My thoughts were interrupted by a confused Michael.

“What happens now?” He’d whispered it, but Perception was enough to hear it. Even mine.

Bri looked to Zuri, Zuri looked to Robert, Robert looked to me, I looked to Vanessa, and she was looking back at me. Michael, who’d bought it up, was ignored.

Fine, I thought.

“The duel as agreed to and witnessed was broken. In doing so, Zuri has forfeited, and all terms agreed to are owed. Cessation of your offensive and a non-aggression pact for a period of ten years. Reparations in gold, skill shards, and Faction Points during the next Assessment. The details of which can be discussed between the two of you.” I said.

Zuri looked upset, but nodded in ascent.

Robert opened his mouth, “I-”

“I’m not done.” I cut him off.

“As the party responsible, I demand that all trade agreements, alliances, or deals made with the Faction New Canada be revoked. All materials, gold, skill shards, or the sale of dungeon access be denied. Any Merchant Company associated with his Faction or that has its headquarters inside New Canada’s borders be refused. Any appointed member of his Faction higher than Guard Captain be barred from entering any City or Pylon Outpost owned, controlled, or administered by any of your Factions.”

I watched their faces change, but I still wasn’t finished. “His citizens may still leave with no restrictions, but anyone affiliated or appointed will have their access revoked.”

Zuri was hesitant, “Not to mention the costs to this, I’m not sure I can guarantee that. Smuggling and tax evasion are already a problem, I won’t be able to control all trade with his faction.”

I was unsympathetic, “You should have thought of that before choosing your allies.”

“I’m not sure I can do that. The Contract I signed probably won’t let me.” Bri was less hesitant.

“We can handle that later. For now, just give your word to carry it out after the contract is broken.” I wasn’t sure if it was the same as what Victor used, but we’d found ways to break whatever contract he created. It was painful, time-consuming, a lot of effort, and Bri’s might not be the same, but we could do it.

I wouldn’t be able to any time soon, but I knew someone who could. Ironically, Jon wasn’t part of the group coming, but that could be changed. With that, I turned to the last one to agree, Robert. Vanessa had already cut Ryan off when he sided against her.

“I can advise the Admiral to restrict some trade and certain materials, but I don’t have the pull to embargo the entire faction.” He defended.

“That’s not enough,” I said plainly, "You didn’t have to jump into the fight, yet you did. I care not for your reasoning, for the choice was already made; now you must deal with the consequences. You will return to Norfolk, convince Fitzwallace to turn away every ship bearing his Faction’s colors seeking his harbor, bar them from moving through your waters, and deny any attempt he makes to get around you. I won’t go so far as to demand you sink his ships or chase him into deep waters, only that you force him there to begin with.

“Frostheim borders his west, Flame Falls his southwest, New Boston and the Empire his South, and the American Faction the East Coast. His only choice will be to brave the Ocean, or use the Lake, but even there, he will be denied. It will take some concessions, but Patrick can make it so the Great Lakes Alliance will be close to him as well. Concessions I will ask that you help pay.”

Patrick may agree purely because it was the five of us asking, but I wasn’t sure, and wanted it known that if there were concessions, they would be on the hook for them. If they didn’t like the price, they shouldn’t have started the war.

Robert’s face had hardened with every demand, but I didn’t relent as I listed them all out.

“And if we don’t?” He said through a tightened jaw.

“If you don’t, I will do the same to you. Frostheim will be closed to you. We will not march in your defense if you call. We will not answer any pleas for aid. If demons knock on your door, you will find no solace from the North. If beasts from the depths threaten your coastline, you will find no one to help you. If aliens from afar arrive and make war upon you, you will stand without my armies.” I laid it out plainly. In every situation where aid would have been sent, it would be denied. The only thing I didn’t threaten was participation in the Assessments. Those mattered more than this, and I wasn’t about to risk losing our protection.

I would not demand the same from Vanessa or Marcus, but I would ask for it. I had a strong suspicion they would agree.

Robert was quiet before he responded, “I will relay your words to Fitzwallace.”

“See that you do,” I said.

“You’re threatening war,” Vanessa said, "The only Faction left will be the Stormlands, and to get there, he will have to go through the waters you border. If you cut him off completely, war will be his only avenue left. "

“I’m not threatening, I’m declaring,” I responded, “That coward wasn’t only the cause of all this, but I’d bet he’s actively working against our best interests. I’m not sure how he came into possession of a sword like that, but I do know it comes with strings attached. It might not be the infernal chains from consorting with demons, but they are the same in purpose and should be treated as such.”

“Are you saying he’s a traitor?” Robert asked.

“I can’t say for certain, but I can say the world would be better off without him,” I answered. “He better hope I don’t find him on my way back.”