Chapter 41: Aura Mastery

Chapter 41: Aura Mastery

James led the way, fire-axe propped over his shoulder, gaze fixed on the empty street ahead. Streets lights came on, burning with a toxic orange light, illuminating the remains of dead demons and the occasional sign of destruction. A car abandoned where it had slammed into a light post. Shattered windows. Splatters of drying blood on the sidewalk.

But nobody was out this close to the hive. Even the amateur levelers seemed to know better than to come too close to a demon sign, its horrific presence bathing the blocks with a subtle purple radiance, gleaming on car windshields, causing pools of ichor to scintillate, tainting the very air with its haze.

There werent any more rogue Nemesis 2s in the area, either. Theyd all reached the hive. Not only that, but theyd immediately gotten to work, and the paste wall of human flesh now extended completely across the street up ahead, two stories tall and crawling with demons who were putting the final finishing touches on their work.

James kept his gaze squarely on their target. Some part of him tried to calculate how many people itd take to make a wall that big. Six inches deep, six or seven yards high.

The answer was simple: it didnt matter. One dead person was already an abomination.

And as he drew closer that feverish desire to fight his way inside from before seemed to center, to grow full and heavy and dense, become a cold and unyielding need to punish the creatures that had done this.

And now, with Iron Aura 1, he could. Hed used his Supplicant 6 points to boost his Stamina to 10; he had to be able to keep his breath if the fighting got thick, and it was time to ensure he didnt get winded when the shit hit the fan.

They moved as a team. Becca and Serenity just a step behind and out wide on his flanks. Sarah in the center, Denzel and Joanna beside her, with Yadriel, Jason, and Bjrn in the back.

It felt surprisingly good to move forward with them as a crew. As if they had been doing this for years. Their movements felt instinctive, purposeful, right.

Was that due to their Arete? Was there really some kind of mystical bond between them now? If he closed his eyes, he felt like hed almost be able to sense them, but he could be just fooling himself.

But they were more than a bunch of strangers. They were a crew indeed, a ka-tet, as Richard had called it, a team of nine united by a single and solitary desire: to defend their home and bring vengeance to the invaders.

Block by block they drew closer. They reached the spot where theyd made a stand last time. Insectile corpses lay thick upon the ground, but they ashed before him, collapsing and crunching underfoot.

James raised the radio. Richard, this is Kelly. Were in position. One block east of the wall. Going in.

Kelly, this is Star Boy. Have fun in there. Over

No need to say what was evident: if they got in trouble, there was nobody on hand to get them out.

And that was just fine.

James rolled his head about his neck, eliciting a series of pops and looked over his shoulder at his crew. We ready?

Affirmative, said Jason.

Yes sir, said Becca, Bushmaster already raised.

Denzel punched one fist into the other. Lets get this done.

Well all right then. Bless red. He glanced at Serenity, who gave him a wink, and he led the way forward.

Each of his stats jumped by +5. It paled compared to that +15 rush, but James still let out a shaky breath of appreciation.

The Nemesis 2s on the wall sensed their slow approach, ceased their ant-like ministrations and turned as one with eerie coordination to gaze at them.

Lets clear that wall, said James.

Both women opened fire.

Their attacks were surgical. Each would have won any marksmanship tournament held in the world. At a distance of half a block they had no trouble hitting the Nemesis 2 masks with perfect accuracy, pouring five or six shots into each, tracking the demons as they reared and jerked aside, only to lose their grip on the wall and fall heavily to the street.

More Nemesis 2s appeared, scuttling silently into view over the top of the wall or along the fleshy surface from the sides.

Weve kicked the ants nest, said James. Im going to move forward. Dont shoot me.

Keep your head down, then, said Serenity, her voice taut with focus.

James laid the fire-axe across his shoulders, held the shaft at one end and just below the head on the other, and strolled forward.

Come on your bastards. His whisper was barely audible even to himself. Come get a taste of me.

The number of Nemesis 2s was starting to overwhelm the ladies ability to drop them. They leaped down onto the street and rushed forward, scythe-arms gleaming in the street-light.

James didnt flinch, didnt drop his hands.

He just kept on walking, lips pursed, gaze focused on the spot hed chosen to tackle.

The Nemesis 2s fell upon him like a breaking wave.

His Iron Aura flared into existence, just an inch away from his skin, ashing the demons over and over again, consuming them greedily, causing them to stumble and trip, to fall on him and immolate or be swept aside by the press of bodies.

The gunfire was constant.

Shields shepherded more and more of the demons to where he strode.

It was like walking through a nightmare, a bad dream filled with phantasms that dissipated before his touch. For all their speed and power they simply couldnt hurt him, and he strode through the whirlwind of blades without flinching, glancing aside, or even noticing them.

Ash blew across him, but nothing else.

Your rank is now Supplicant 7

You have 5 unspent points.



James felt a jolt of satisfaction and almost he put the points into Aura again. But he was down to one Aeviternum, and he might need it for an empowered strike against the queen.

Maybe it wasnt optimal, but it felt right.

James set the 5 points aside so he could bring his total up to four at the next level.

Nemesis 2s were screeching around him, flailing, swiping, hurling themselves over and over upon his aura, and dying. He could barely see the wall now, just a maelstrom of black chitin and nacreous masks, but he walked on, indomitable, unstoppable, until at last their numbers parted and the wall arose before him, baleful in the orange light.

Only now did James unshoulder his fire-axe and draw it back. Still ignoring the demons, he took a deep breath, infused the axe with Smite, and swung.

It was like hewing at the surface of an icy lake.

The wall shattered, huge plates of pink spalding right off the deeper layers, his blade sinking all the way in.

James hauled it out, took another breath, and again brought it crashing down.

The gunfire only stopped when each lady reloaded. Theyd stopped perhaps twenty yards behind him, held back by the sheer number of Nemesis 2s that filled the area and swarmed around him.

He felt like a drain hole around which black ink swirled and was endlessly drained.

Your rank is now Supplicant 9

You have 5 unspent points.



James frowned. What should he focus on? He studied his sheet:

Name: James Kelly

Class: None

Rank: Supplicant 9

Title: Vanguard

Virtues: None

Benedictions: Smite, Sacred Strike

First Miracle: None

Second Miracle: None

Third Miracle: None

Aura: Iron

Aura Strength: 1

Aeviternum Points: 4



Strength: 11 (Bless+6: 17)

Stamina: 10 (Bless+6: 16)

Speed: 6 (Bless+6: 12)

Agility: 5 (Bless+6: 11)

Power: 10 (Bless+6: 16)

Arete: 55



Unspent Points: 6



Hed been kicking an unspent point down the road since Supplicant 1. And while it was handy to have his physical stats raised by the constant Bless of his team, he couldnt help but wonder if he shouldnt bump them up again himself. Smite and Sacred Strike ran off the Power/Strength combo, but his Speed and Agility were what really let him hit in the first place.

The way things went, Iron Aura wouldnt be as effective against Nemesis 3, meaning hed have to take it down with his attacks. If he couldnt land a blow, or if his Smite wasnt strong enough, hed be screwed.

Four points into Strength would give him a +2 Synergy to Power, leaving him with two points to dump in Speed, which was closer than Agility to one day achieving a synergy of its own.

James frowned. Aeviternum and Arete were the sexy plays, but he couldnt let his base stats remain so poor for much longer. If he was ever separated from his team hed be screwed.

James assigned the points, boosting his Strength, Power, and Speed.

With the +6 Bless that brought him to:

Strength: 15 (Bless+6: 21)

Stamina: 10 (Bless+6: 11)

Speed: 8 (Bless+6: 14)

Agility: 5 (Bless+6: 11)

Power: 10(12) (Bless+6: 18)



He fought the twinge of dissatisfaction. He was nowhere close to Serenitys boosted Agility of 31, or whatever it was now. 40? More?

James resolved to ensure everyone kept track of their stats in Richards system when they got back.

A final wave of Nemesis 2s threw itself at them and perished.

There, said James as the gunfire momentarily fell silent. The way into the fortress is open. You all want to go in?

Wouldnt miss it, grinned Jason, clearly elated. His Iron Aura spiked a few times more from his palms, then rippled up his arms to form a dozen spikes emerging from his shoulders before disappearing altogether.

Weve got your back, my friend, said Bjrn. And Im pleased to say my wager has proven a smart one. Ive hit Supplicant 7.

Same here, the rest chorused, except for Sarah.

James raised an eyebrow at her.

Supplicant 8. Feels good, she allowed.

Good. James scanned his crew one last time. Everybody met his gaze with steady confidence.

Gimme one sec, said Serenity. She crouched, unslung her backpack, drew out an ammo can, and set to reloading the mags shed stashed in her army vest pockets faster than James could believe.

It took her about ten seconds to load each one, and a minute or so later she tossed the now empty can and stood. Ready.

Whats your Agility at? James asked incredulously.

She winked at him. Buy me a drink and Ill tell you.

James snorted. Deal. He turned and unslung his axe. Weve a queen to dethrone. Lets do it.