Amazon Apocalypse 2: Chapter 52

Sakura, Bridget, and I woke up early the following morning. Through great effort and an act of will on my part to give the two of them a stern ‘no’ after four levels each, I managed to get a good night’s sleep.

We woke up early, took out a few monsters, and cut a couple of the surviving ogres down to size. Their old stomping grounds were mostly empty—since my hunt. They certainly weren’t hunting down and eating people with such scarce numbers.

Good. This was right where I wanted the big, ruthless bastards. They’d caused enough trouble for humanity.

We returned to Crownhill to check in with Margaret, so I could be there to send my challenge to Cromwell during her radio show. Instead, I found some of his forces already there, waiting just outside the gates. There were about fifty people blocking the gates, which was quite a crowd.

I didn’t like that they were blocking the road for people visiting the obelisk, so when I saw them I decided to tell them to move. "Step aside, please. You're blocking the road," I said.

"Hey! We're Cromwell's people! Who the hell do you think you are?" one of the bandit thugs demanded.

"Someone who prefers safe, open roads,” I replied. “Now step aside. There are lots of people who come through here every day to buy and sell their goods at the obelisk and I don't want you blocking the path."

I gave the group a hard eye. I wondered which one of them was Cromwell? Surely he wouldn't take my provocations lying down.

I glanced around, trying to see who everyone looked to for leadership. There were a few who stood out. There were two people over level 25, both men and both tough-looking. But neither of them gave me the vibe I was looking for.

I was looking for a powerful mob boss. Someone scary. Someone who'd been scary before the integration, and who was even scarier, now. Nobody fit that description. Perhaps Cromwell hadn't arrived yet.

"Well?" I asked.

Behind me, Bridget and Sakura stood waiting. Between the two of them and Sharky, we had the D-rankers beat—and that wasn’t counting myself. Too bad none of Cromwell’s bandits had survived yesterday’s battle. Otherwise, they would be terrified of Sharky instead of merely nervous.

After some reluctant grumbling, the bandits moved to the side of the road. Bridget, Sakura, and I continued on our way.

"Did they Examine the two of you?" I murmured to Sakura and Bridget.

Sakura nodded. "Yup. I felt at least a dozen tingles."

"Same here," Bridget replied.

"None of them got through to me. That was probably what spooked them." With a shrug, we continued on our way and entered the settlement. It looked like I'd still have to talk to Margaret and the others to arrange for the duel.

“Carter! You’re here. Cromwell is here!” Margaret said as soon as she saw me. “He… he’s got a lot of people out there. I think he really does want to fight you.”

I nodded. “I saw his people. But don’t worry, they’ll be gone soon enough. Mind if I use your radio?”

"Yeah. Sure. Okay..." Margaret glanced up at me nervously. "You... you're really sure you can fight him? It's not too late to back out."

"My challenge has been made. I wasn't going to back out before, and I’m not about to back down now."

Reluctantly, Margaret led me back to her office and the radio. There, I issued my challenge and we waited for a reply. Eventually, one came through on one of the weaker bands, something from a small hand radio.

"Cromwell accepts your challenge… so called Baron of Crownhill. Be prepared to hand your title over to him before your death," came the reply. The person on the other end of the line hung up and static was all that we heard over the channel.

"Melodramatic much?" I chuckled.

"Carter, you're about to fight a duel to the death against an infamous mobster. Can't you at least act like you are a little worried?" Margaret asked.

"This is my worried face." I grinned.

Margaret scowled. "You better not die, my friend.” She pointed out the window. “See everyone out there? They're counting on you."

I nodded. "I know that all too well. But don't worry, if I die I'll just come back. I've done it before."

Walking out of Margaret's office, I discovered the walls were lined with the worried faces of my militia. The crowd around the obelisk was relatively thin. Most people seemed quiet and hesitant.

I sensed many eyes on me. A few people waved, and I smiled and looked confident as I waved back.

Bridget approached as I neared the gates. "Kick his ass, Carter!" She planted a kiss on my cheek.

"Yeah, show him who's boss!" Sakura did the same on my other cheek.

"You ready, Sir?" one of the militia manning the gates asked.

I nodded. "I'm ready. Open the gates."

The gates swung wide open and I strode out to find a black limousine waiting for me. The back seat window was open, revealing the arm of a man holding an unlit cigar. One of Cromwell’s men opened the door for him, and a rough looking man in a suit stepped out of the limo.

His hair was slicked back and, to me, it seemed he appeared roughly as he would have prior to the integration. He was a clean-cut mobster who seemed to be above the affairs of his underlings. This was a man familiar with power. A man who knew his power and was casual about displaying it.

I fought back a grin and bit my tongue to keep from laughing. He knew what power used to be. I knew what power was now.

He made me wait, standing there impatiently as he lit his cigar in a childish display of power. "So...” he finally said, “you're the townie who put together this little place?" He waved his free hand around.

"Not bad. Here we thought the whole world outside our little old prison had turned into a shithole." Cromwell puffed a few times on his cigar. "We didn't think anybody outside the joint had the will to do what needed to be done in this new world.”

He pointed a finger at me. “Turns out someone did."

"I can't take all the credit," I replied. "There are a lot of hard-working people behind me, a lot of hard-won battles we've fought to get here. You see, while you and everyone else in Crownhill County Prison were busy trying to make yourselves kings, we took care of the goblins, the wolfmen, and the ogres. The real threats facing humanity."

Cromwell waved me off. "Just a bunch of monsters. We've killed plenty of monsters. Let me tell you, no monster is as scary as the one that dwells in here," he patted his chest, "in the human heart. The things I've seen and the things I've done would chill an innocent townie like you to the bone."

"Is that so?"

I felt my jaw clench. The integration could have been a clean victory if all of humanity's forces had banded together right from the start. We'd outnumbered every other faction by a wide margin. These guys from the Crownhill County Prison had probably killed more of their fellow humans than any of our enemies had.

"Tell you what, Townie..." Cromwell waved to me casually, like I was just an annoying bug standing in his way.

"Carter. The name's Carter, Cromwell."

"Yeah, I'll bother learning your name someday… if you prove yourself. How about this? You hand over that nifty baron title you've got, and ownership of this settlement—I want them both. You do that, and you can join me. You'll start at the bottom of my new organization, of course, but if you work hard maybe you can work your way up the ladder."

I was surprised to read his face and see that Cromwell actually thought he was offering me a good deal. I snorted to myself—like I'd throw myself at his mercy in the hopes of preserving a tiny bit of wealth and status. Maybe that's what people did when they heard his name back at the prison, but he was in my territory now.

"I have a counteroffer, Cromwell." I stuffed one hand in my pocket as Mana accumulated at my fingertips. "You and your people have done a lot of harm to Crownhill since the integration. Submit yourself and your men to a trial by your peers for your crimes. I swear it will be fair and as close to how things were done before the integration. You’ll get a jury and a chance to justify yourselves. After you serve whatever sentence we give you, you and those of your men who are still around at the end of it can join us as we rebuild civilization together."

Cromwell choked on his cigar. He turned to his men, a wide grin on his face. "Hear that boys? He wants you to surrender… like he's the damn police! Is Terrance with you? I'm going to gut that son of a bitch, but not before I give him a taste of an interrogation of his own.”

Cromwell tossed his cigar to the side. “Boys? Move in and knock down those walls. We're taking over the joint."

"Are you afraid to duel me, Cromwell?" I asked. "I thought that's what you were here for. Or are you a coward?"

A hushed silence fell over Cromwell's men, and the jovial grin fell from Cromwell's lips.

"Boy,” Cromwell growled, “you did not just say what I think you just said."

"Hurry up, Cromwell. I told your men earlier to move. People need to travel on this road to use the Obelisk and you're obstructing traffic."

I had five Mana Bolts in my pocket by now. Soon it would be six. Then seven.

"You stubborn fool..." Cromwell spat.

"As for the rest of you…" I turned to address Cromwell's men. "I know some of you were coerced into joining this clown. That will, of course, be taken into account during your trials. Give yourselves up without a fight and things will go much easier for you."

The crowd of Cromwell's lackeys laughed.

"Teach him a lesson, boss!"

"Make him beg for death!"

"The cocky bastard's going to get it now! I've never seen the boss this mad!"

Cromwell jammed a finger in my direction. "In all my years, I've never been disrespected by anyone like you. Not by the cops, not by a judge. Nobody,” he snarled.

“You realize what I'm going to do to you for that? You're going to feel like I'm peeling the flesh from your bones. Today, tomorrow, next week... I'll keep you around a good long time so you can experience nothing but agony. Starting right now!"

He gripped his fist, and I felt my world turn to sheer, agonizing pain. The edges of my eyes turned red and bloodshot. The sky overhead seemed to grow dim. Everything became pain—just as Cromwell had promised.

But none of that mattered, because I had the Iron Will skill. And no amount of pain or damage could lessen my faculties in the slightest.

"Give it to him boss! I wanna see him beg!"

"Make him cry!"

"The bastard's going to be miserable!"

Cromwell's lackeys continued to cheer for my death, not realizing that Cromwell had already played his card. And nothing had happened.

Cromwell himself held his fist higher over his head, squeezing his hand like he was wringing my neck. The pain increased, but did nothing to affect my control over my own faculties. The pain was there and I could sense it, but it felt hazy and distant. I knew I could just ignore the pain and all would be well.

Back when I'd gotten my wisdom teeth removed, the dentist had hooked me up to something that had done something like this. But unlike back then, this time I felt fully awake and alert under the effects of Iron Will. I still cared about the world around me, I just didn’t care about the pain.

The voices quieted as Cromwell's lackeys saw their boss starting to grow red in the face. Meanwhile, the man who'd taunted him stood across the street, apparently unharmed and unaffected.

I'd run out of fingers for each of the Mana Bolts in my pockets and gave up on hiding them. They were dancing in the air around my heels now, just waiting for the right moment to be launched at my foe.

The streets went quiet. The raucous cheers of Cromwell's lackeys died. They were soon replaced by a growing anxiety as his people realized their boss hadn't taken me down with one move like all of them expected.

To the contrary, I was standing there, a grin on my face, completely unphased.

Confusion spread across their faces as their jeers and taunts died in their throats. The wisest of them exchanged uneasy glances as they realized they might have misjudged the situation.

Cromwell's face turned a shade redder as several bulging veins started to pulse on his forehead. He put even more force into his grip, though it did nothing to enhance the intensity of his ability.

I took the time to Examine Cromwell for his level and class.

Hector Cromwell (Level 35 - Bandit Overlord)

It was a fitting class, given his current position. But his class had to include more abilities than just this. I stared at my opponent, raking him with my eyes, up and down. Perhaps this was his equivalent of my Disassemble skill. It was largely meant for looting, but I'd been able to turn it into something to finish off weakened foes.

This pain ability was likely something meant to torment disobedient subordinates, but Cromwell had transformed it into an offensive ability that incapacitated his foes through sheer agony. It was great when it worked, but if someone like me had a skill to counter it, then it was useless.

"Are you finished yet? Surely you've got more than one trick—or are you just a one-trick pony? I won't have anyone saying I beat you with a surprise attack,” I called out.

"You... why isn't it working?" Cromwell snarled, his voice laced with disbelief. "You're on the same level as Knuckles. Or Caesar, that crazy bastard..."

"Shit indeed, Cromwell."

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a revolver. It was a high caliber gun, too—a .357 Magnum, from the looks of it. Too bad for him that calibers didn't matter much to Deflect. My always-active defensive spell specialized at knocking aside high-speed, low-mass projectiles.

The bullet was aimed right for my forehead, but it bounced off and smashed into the ground, exploding as it did so. It seemed Cromwell had some sort of exploding bullets skill, similar to Craig’s. But I'd beaten Craig long ago. If I faced him now, he'd be nothing to me. And so was this Cromwell.

"My turn," I replied, and all my Mana Bolts shot forward at once.

My eyes lit up with Exploit Weakness, and every one of my swarm of Mana Bolts struck Cromwell's vulnerabilities.

His gun exploded in his hands when a Mana Bolt struck it. Two more went for his eyes, while another went straight through his ear. Another shot through his gaping mouth. A dozen more slammed all over his body, striking all at once with the full might of my prodigious proficiency bonuses.

You have scored multiple critical hits!

Your opponent is afflicted with a severe concussion.

Your opponent is afflicted with internal hemorrhaging.

Your opponent is afflicted with a broken spine.

Cromwell staggered, instantly face-planting into the ground with a tiny fraction of his health pool remaining. He hadn't even lasted a single exchange.

"Y-you..." Cromwell managed to gasp.

I shook my head. "Sorry. You missed your chance for last words by making me wait. Goodbye."

I snapped my fingers and detonated my Corrupting Marks. Cromwell exploded into a fountain of red paste. I dusted my hands off, though I hadn't even gotten dirty. This had been much easier than taking care of the ogres.

"Boss!"

"Holy shit, who the hell did we just piss off?"

"Fuck this, I'm getting out of here!"

I turned my gaze to Cromwell’s escaping lackeys. "Hey! Where do you guys think you're going? I told you to surrender... not that you could run away!"

"Fuck no!" someone screamed as he started sprinting away from the gates at top speed.

I shook my head. Some people only learned things the hard way. Fortunately, I’d had someone ready to retrieve them lying in wait this whole time.

The last time I'd brought Sharky into Crownhill, he'd caused something of a scare. I didn't want a repeat, so I'd left him just outside the settlement this time.

In other words, right between the fleeing bandits and their route home.

"Sharky… fetch!" I shouted.

A ferocious voice echoed through the city. "NOM NOM."

I let Mania claim me, taking myself to the first level. But this wasn't for me, it was for Sharky. He grew larger, his mouth tentacles spreading wide. Out of curiosity, I pushed myself to the second level of Mania. After seeing my summons’ new appendages and increased size when using Dissonance, I wondered what Fervor or Blood Frenzy would do.

The world darkened immediately, as shadows grew longer and the light of the sun overhead grew dimmer. Anyone with a brain could tell at a glance that something was very wrong.

Sharky's tendrils lashed out. His form hadn't changed, nor had his size. But there was a greater weight to him now—along with a palpable aura. He opened his maw and air rushed in to fill it. It was like he was sucking everything around him into his belly.

Several bandits lost their footing and were dragged towards him by the suction alone. Those that could resist weren't able to resist for long when Sharky's tentacles reached them. Soon, Cromwell’s fifty bandits were reduced to thirty. Then to twenty. Then to ten.

Your class, Scholar of Forbidden Knowledge, has gained two levels!

Your race, Homo Acceleratus, has gained two levels!

Your One Against Many proficiency has increased to Level 17!

Those that remained soon resorted to begging. "Wait! Wait! I surrender! Please, don't let that thing eat me!" a bandit pleaded.

I frowned in thought for a moment, letting the pleading bandit and his fellows sweat a little. Eventually, I waved Sharky off.

"Sharky, stay. These guys are accepting my offer of a fair trial."

Sharky paused, his mouth tentacles lashing back and forth right in front of the pleading bandit.

I stared them down, hard. "You know, all of you, I would have gone a lot easier on you if you'd surrendered right away. You'll still get a fair trial, but the jury will know you wouldn't have surrendered had I not defeated Cromwell.”

There were a few nervous nods.

"Good. Well, with that in mind, throw your weapons down." I turned my head to nod at the people on the walls behind me.

They'd been watching the whole thing, first in nervous trepidation, than in bewilderment, and now finally with surprise and excitement.

"Yeah! Carter's invincible!" Sakura raised both her arms overhead.

"You showed them who's boss, Carter!" Bridget added.

With the two of them clapping and cheering, the others soon joined in. "Carter! Carter! Carter!" shouted everyone from the walls.

I smiled. Maybe being responsible for everyone here wasn't so bad after all.