Amazon Apocalypse 6: Chapter 15

Taking out the Dark Sorceress quietly would be easy. Doing so without killing her was considerably more difficult. I considered the various tools in my arsenal and eventually decided to just grab her and pull her into the shadow realm. It had worked on one of Vayly Vaust’s B-Grade subordinates, so it ought to work on her.

“Damn crazy bastards... there they go, killing everyone again. Honestly, this leveling thing is nothing but a poison...” the Dark Sorceress let out an exasperated sigh as she muttered to herself.

“It has its ups and downs,” I replied.

She whirled at my sudden appearance, and her staff was already blazing with power. Before she could conjure a spell of any sort, I grabbed her staff in my hand and dragged her into the shadow realm.

She tried to cast, but I was far more used to this strange space than she was. I twisted reality so that the bolt of fire she threw in my direction wove around me and spiraled harmlessly into the distance.

She dropped her staff, jumped back, and reached for a pouch at her side where she drew a sword and a wand. She held the sword in a defensive position while gathering mana at the tip of the wand. I stood with my arms folded, studying her magic and mana flow carefully. She was definitely using a few cultivator tricks to bolster her abilities given by the System.

But even with both powers combined, she was only a mid B-Grade. I’d defeated dozens of people like her back on Ladwick even when I was only mid B-Grade myself. Now that I was on the cusp of A-Grade, I felt no threat at all from this young woman.

“As much as I hate to get involved in whatever you and that city back there have going on, I’m afraid you’re a little too close to my own city for my liking,” I said.

“Who are you?” she demanded, though she wisely refrained from another futile attack.

“Carter, from the world known as Earth. My planet was integrated recently. I’m sure you’re familiar with the process.”

“You’re one of the savage tribals we’ve been encountering?” she asked.

I chuckled. “We encountered a few such civilizations ourselves. But rest assured, those easy integrations are behind us. Now that I’ve answered a few of your questions, I have a few of my own. Who are you? And what is the nature of the conflict between you and the city you’re attacking?”

“That’s between us and them!” the Dark Sorceress said, scowling and charging another spell.

I sighed. “We can do this the hard way, if you like.”

What followed could hardly be considered a fight. The Dark Sorceress I was up against fought more like a C-Grade than her current B-Grade level. That was probably where she’d been as a cultivator before a large and recent influx of power from the System.

She was a lousy fighter by the standards of the Black Beast Sect cultivators I’d gotten used to fighting. The flow of mana through her body was sloppy and slow. The way she integrated System abilities was haphazard and poorly practiced.

“Take this!” she shouted, flinging another fireball at me. I twisted space again, letting it pass harmlessly by me while simultaneously appearing in her face and snatching her wand from her hand.

She struggled against it, but I slapped her aside with one hand. She tried to cut me with her sword, but I fired a simple bundle of mana at her to throw her off for just a moment. The attack was something hastily thrown together with Mana Arsenal, but it looked bright and showy, so she thought it was a powerful spell and raced to raise a barrier to guard against it.

While she struggled with that, I snatched the sword from her hand. Soon, I had both her weapons and was standing behind her. I planted my boot against her back and knocked her off her feet, where she sprawled face-first on the ground.

“You know, I got kind of worked up sensing another B-Grade here. Truthfully, I thought you’d put up more of a fight...” I said. Then, as I had with so many other cultivators, I poked a few holes in her cultivation, draining away her energy.

Unlike with Mimiko and the other cultivators I’d done this trick to, this wouldn’t weaken her completely thanks to her levels through the System. But it would make her easier to manage.

“W-who are you?” the Dark Sorceress demanded. She spoke with as much energy as before, but beneath the mask of fury, her face was turning pale.

She moved to stand, but I planted a boot on the back of her head, keeping her pinned to the ground while I examined her weapons.

“Stay down. This staff is alright, I suppose. It’s got a creative design. I’m acquainted with a young man by the name of Borelius from the Limstave family of Glacia, famous for making some of the most impressive staffs in the Arcadia Multiverse. Yours is on about the same level, though you weren’t using it properly. The same is true of your wand and sword.”

I examined all three weapons, then took them for myself. I was tempted to take her robes too, which were also enchanted and of similar quality. Unfortunately, boob windows didn’t exactly fit my usual style. There wasn’t nearly enough fabric to tailor something else from the garment, so I left her with it despite its worth. I supposed I could have swiped it for one of my women, but one downside of having a harem was that if I wanted to bring gifts home I needed enough for everyone.

“Hey, give those back!” the Dark Sorceress protested, though her voice was weak now.

“Be a good girl for me and I just might return these to you after I take them apart a few times. That means answering some questions and helping me figure out what the hell is going on here. Now, I’ll be back soon. I’ve got some people to chat with. Don’t mind my shadow. It’s there to keep you safe.”

“Your shadow? Huh? What?” the Dark Sorceress asked. But I was already fading away back into the real world. The last thing I heard from her was a terrified scream as the darkness in my wake coalesced into an enormous dragon.

I was reasonably sure it wouldn’t eat her. Well, maybe not entirely sure, but at least somewhat sure?

My bloodline gave me a bad feeling as soon as I had the thought. Perhaps I was just a tiny bit sure then? My stomach rumbled again, and I was pretty sure it wasn’t the Glacian street food. I’d probably need to check in on the Dark Sorceress soon if I wanted her in one piece.

I was just beginning to think that went well when I glanced at my hands. Dragon scales were forming on the backs of my fingers again. Damn. I was hoping that had been a onetime thing. What was causing it?

Thankfully, the moment I concentrated on them, the scales faded away, and my hands were healthy again. I checked myself with a small mirror for scales, and once I’d confirmed I was fully human, I rejoined Frank, who was already being celebrated as a hero after defeating dozens of Dark Knights and sending all the rest fleeing for their lives.

“All set?” I asked Frank, who was surrounded by a crowd, many of whom were women wearing surprisingly short skirts, given the prudish nature of this town. Perhaps the Whores Guild issued licenses for short skirts. After all, they could be a dangerous weapon on certain ladies.

“The knight guys are taken care of. The ladies here mentioned something about a reward,” Frank gestured to the crowd around him. He wore a wide smile on his face as he glanced at the crowd of ladies surrounding him.

They pushed plump breasts up against him, and four of them were wrestling to hold his arms. I knew how he felt. Amazonian women could be even pushier for much less.

Nonetheless, Frank seemed intent on ridding himself of a few hangers-on.

“And there’s Carter! Look, he’s way more awesome than me!” Frank pointed in my direction.

“No, no, guild leader Frank is the man who saved the day. I unfortunately arrived too late to do anything.” I waved the crowd off. A few tried to grab me, but I dodged and weaved with the experience of an expert and slipped through. I gave Frank a single pat on the back before departing. “Let me know what you find out. I’ll get your guildmates home and come back for you tomorrow. I suspect you’ll have a busy night.”

I begged my leave and soon departed, much to Frank’s protests.

***

I rounded up Frank’s guildmates, then once we were clear of the city, extracted my prisoner from the Shadow Realm. She had a few teeth marks on her, but only a few drops of blood. Those enchanted robes I’d been admiring were little more than tatters, but she was still able to walk.

Thankfully, Frank’s guildmates were perfectly willing to donate the burlap sacks the townsfolk had given them for the sake of modesty once we were free and clear. The Dark Sorceress begrudgingly accepted them so she wouldn't have to walk around holding on to the scraps of her underwear with either hand.

I felt a bit bad about my shadow gnawing on her. I liked to think I usually treated prisoners of war fairly well by Arcadia Multiverse standards, and we weren’t at all-out war with her faction. Still, at least the experience had her suddenly doing everything she could to cooperate with us.

Since the Black Knights had been defeated and dispersed by Frank, she would be assumed dead or missing. We could keep her as a guest in Crownhill until the time to release her was right. Hopefully, this would conceal my involvement until I could tell which way the wind was blowing and side with whoever would be best for Crownhill.

“Carter does it again! Another beauty for his imperial harem!” Terrance joked as I arrived at Crownhill’s dungeon. Crownhill County Prison was looking refurbished after the whole Lisette incident.

Terrance was a lean man, still wearing his signature cowboy hat. He’d gained a lot of levels since I’d last seen him, and he was a sizable way into B-Grade. He looked a bit taller than before now that he’d had a racial upgrade, but that only made him look like more of a human-shaped stick.

“Oh, please. This one’s a guest. Just keep an eye on her. If she’s cooperative, give her better quarters.”

“Not penal legion for her? A shame. I’ve had to start letting people go now that the lesser offenders have served their time. Some of these criminals did a lot of good during their service term.” Terrance shook his head.

With the Dark Sorceress dropped off to stew awhile until she was ready to answer some questions, I dropped off Frank’s guildmates in Crownhill.

***

I returned home shortly thereafter, where I told Sakura and Bridget about what happened.

I had a nice quiet night in with Bridget and Sakura, then was off again the following morning to rendezvous with Frank again.

I arrived to find the city much the way I left it, though this time I entered through the front gate. The shield over the walls was still down, so I could have easily flown in, but I wanted to test the guards and see if they were still welcoming fully dressed outsiders like myself.

“Hi there. I’m a friend of Frank’s coming to check in on him,” I told the guards.

“Ah, Frank the hero! You’ll find him at the Whores Guild headquarters. I’m not sure if he’s awake yet,” the guard said, waving me inside without asking for payment or to search me.

I hunted down the Whores Guild, which was looked to be the fanciest building in town. A woman with highly exposed ankles greeted me, though overall, she was wearing a dress anyone in Crownhill would consider modest.

“Closed for the day as we tend to Frank the hero before his big journey to the capital,” said the woman at the door.

“Actually, I’m not a customer. I’m a friend of Frank’s looking to check in with him. I want to make sure he hasn’t been sucked dry or anything.” I grinned.

“Oh, you! I remember you. The hero’s traveling companion from yesterday. Join us for breakfast, please," the woman replied.

A few minutes later I was nibbling at breakfast. I had already eaten something Bridget made, but I ate again to be polite.

Frank arrived with messy hair and looked like he hadn’t slept a wink. He flopped down in the chair across from me and sighed.

“I don’t know how you do it...” Frank groaned.

I laughed and tipped my glass of water against his in cheers. “Practice, plus a little magic. Anyway, what have you learned?”

“There’s a civil war going on between a faction called the Sages and a faction called the Sorcerers. The Sages were wise men who looked after some rusty old sword as part of some ancient prophecy that would reveal their true king. I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept. The Sorcerers are a splinter faction of former sages who made contact with people from beyond the stars. The Sorcerers declared that their path was the true one, and I’m sure you can guess the rest.”

“So an extra magical religious schism then.” I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

A few of the pieces were starting to fall into place from what I’d seen. My current guess was that these people were some disillusioned Architect group that set out on their own. Isolated from the rest of their people and without proper leadership, they lost their advanced technology and magic, except for a small order of sages trying desperately to preserve what they knew.

The trouble was it was awfully difficult to keep up with the sword of magic and technology a civilization might need with the abilities of mere mortals. I couldn’t have even wrapped my head around most of my early aethersmithing projects without having thousands of points in intelligence. And the vastly extended lifespans at higher grades likely also helped with preserving expertise in the Arcadia Multiverse.

An isolated faction without access to either of those would find themselves in trouble. If they couldn’t cast the spells they were supposed to copy or understand the ancient text they were supposed to read and translate, they’d have little chance at preserving their ancestral knowledge.

Things could probably tick along anyway as the civilization slowly grew more primitive, but that would all change if powerful outsiders arrived with knowledge equal to the sages’ ancestral archives. Any cultivator faction would do, though I suspected the culprit was more akin to the Black Beast Sect than the Eternal Spring Sect.

A cultivator with outside knowledge could easily point out mistranslations in the ancient texts and then show the correct interpretation, along with proof in the form of magical firepower.

“Anyway,” Frank said, breaking me free from my contemplations. “I was talking to the mayor last night. Apparently, she already sent word of what happened to the capital. She wants me to take a trip there to look at the big rusty sword and receive some formal reward.”

“Sounds like a perfect opportunity for you to figure out what’s going on. While you chat up the sages, I’ll look into these sorcerers.” I made to stand, but Frank’s hand was on my shoulder.

“Woah there, don’t leave me high and dry, pal!” He leaned in close and whispered. “These ladies nearly sucked me dry! If you leave me alone with them for another night, I’ll be a mummy by the time I get back to Crownhill.”

I chuckled. “More likely, they want to poach you. I think these guys are badly outmatched and are pulling on the only lifeline they’ve found. I doubt they have many B-Grades.”

Even an early B-Grade like Frank would turn the tides in most wars just about anywhere in the Arcadia Multiverse. The fact that he had progressed so far was impressive, but I knew he'd had plenty of his own adventures while I was gone. And he'd been with me fighting against long odds battling everything from the Chaos Lycans to the Torchdragon.

He'd earned his levels, and on most other shards he'd probably be running the whole place by now. I was proud of my once-antisocial programmer friend. He was an impressive guy, even if he didn't look it.

“What if they lock me in a bedroom somewhere?” Frank asked nervously.

“Break out,” I suggested.

“What if they bar the walls with a bunch of ladies? You know it’s bad to hit a lady.”

I rolled my eyes while Frank swirled his water like it was wine and gulped it down. I knew for a fact that he’d battled and slain plenty of women of various races. But I could tell what was troubling them.

“You don’t want to be the guy to awkwardly tell a whole kingdom pleading for your help that you’ve got better things to do, huh?”

Frank nodded, hanging his head.

I chuckled. “You know, I didn’t get to be Sakura’s knight in shining armor. You’re not nearly as pretty, but I guess you’ll have to do. I’ll come with you to this capital city.”

<Note>

I think I might have to give the Dark Sorceress a name. I don't want her to feel too similar to Mimiko, but it might turn out that way. She isn't intended as a harem member, though I know some will want that.

Truthfully, I had intended for Carter to learn what he is going to from her through sleuth work, but as things happened I couldn't see him not interrogating her, given it's worked for him in the past. Sometimes these characters have a mind of their own!

I'm not actually a huge fan of interrogation scenes, and I especially like to avoid having to write any sort of torture scene, but it's tough to justify characters not exploiting an obvious source of information. I'll probably have Carter win her over like he did Mimiko, just have it off-screen, since we've seen that once already.