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AA 1.54 - At What Cost?
🕑 Added 2025-07-11 13:51:18 +0000 UTCHere's your Friday delivery! Enjoy it while I go write some cyberpunk :)
-Plum
54 – At What Cost?
Rhodes was much faster than it seemed a man his size ought to be. He waved his free arm in a classic martial arts block, knocking Andy’s spear to the side. Without hesitation, he pounced, pushing past Andy’s open guard. When he lifted his sledgehammer, it glowed with an orange halo and seemed to move through the air as if propelled by an inner force. It was all Andy could do to scramble backward and try to throw the butt of his spear up to block the attack.
The hammer narrowly missed his left hand, and when it hit the wood of his spear haft, the jolting shock radiated through the bones in his hands. Growling, Andy kicked out with his sneaker, but Rhodes caught the blow on his knee and grinned savagely as he spun, swinging the hammer in a roundhouse blow that whistled through the air. Andy backpedaled and stabbed his spear out, trying to get the length of his weapon between them again.
When Rhodes’ blow didn’t connect, he laughed. “You should have run. You think I’d climb up here with just those wimps to back me up if I couldn’t kick just about anyone’s ass?” His grin was savage as he jerked his chin to indicate his two companions, still crouching at the center of the trail behind him. Even as he spoke, he took another step, driving that glowing hammer at Andy and pushing him toward the switchback going down.
For the first time, Andy felt some doubt enter his mind. Why hadn’t he just used his advantage to begin with? He’d been hidden in shadow; he could have stabbed Rhodes while he was distracted, bandaging his friend. Was he so full of himself that he thought he could beat anyone in a straight-up fight? Well, maybe he was about to learn a damn good lesson about being a cocky dumbass—
His self-flagellation was interrupted as Rhodes dove at him again, whipping that heavy little hammer toward his spear. It was obvious what he meant to do: knock the weapon aside so he could get inside Andy’s guard. Andy drew the spear back, looping it just slightly to avoid the blow. Then, his training kicked in, and he jabbed it at an upward angle, knowing that the threat to the man’s vitals—his eyes and throat—would make him instinctively flinch back.
He wasn’t disappointed; Rhodes jerked back, and his guard opened enough for Andy to drop the spear and jab it right into the man’s stomach. The shadow-clad spearhead slipped through his leather jacket like it wasn’t there, but something about his flesh felt dense. Andy was surprised when he had to push hard to get the weapon to sink in.
Rhodes was even more surprised. “Goddammit! You shit!” he backed off, clutching his abdomen as dark blood seeped out between his fingers.
Andy knew better than to banter or waste another advantage. He drove forward, stabbing high, then low. Rhodes tried to batter his spear aside again, but Andy was ready for it and he tilted the blade, drawing the spear back and jerking upward. Rhodes cursed again and almost dropped his hammer when the razor-sharp, magical edge sliced deep into his forearm.
Some people, seeing their opponent wounded and struggling, might slow down to assess. Maybe the fight was out of the guy; maybe he wanted to surrender now. Andy wasn’t like that. His killer instinct took over when he saw Rhodes falter, and he pressed the attack even harder. He stabbed him in the shoulder, again noting the toughness of the man’s flesh. When Rhodes stumbled back, Andy dropped the spear tip and drove it into his thigh.
Rhodes screamed—a sound of pure primal rage, and orange light blazed in his eyes. He lifted his hammer, extending his arm high over his head, and then whipped it down, releasing it in a Hail Mary throw. Andy had a tiny fraction of a second to consider a response: block or dodge. It was a magically enhanced sledgehammer; he wasn’t dumb enough to think he could knock it aside, so he dropped.
Like every bone in his body had been turned to water, he simply fell to the ground, and the hammer, trailing a ribbon of sparkling orange light, whistled through the air where his chest had been. Andy sprang to his feet, leading with his spear, and drove the blade right into the center of Rhodes’ chest. Rhodes gasped and grabbed the haft, but his fingers were bloody and weak, and they just sort of flailed and slipped against the wood.
He tried to speak—tried to breathe—but his mouth opened and closed like a dying fish’s, and the light slowly faded from his eyes as he slumped to his knees, held up by Andy’s grip on the spear. Andy shifted his gaze over Rhodes’ head and saw his two companions still on the ground, both holding their hands up. Meanwhile, he heard hasty footsteps and shouts from above. How long had the fight taken? A few seconds? In the thick of it, each movement seemed like an eternity, but it couldn’t have been long.
He pushed the corpse back until it was lying on its back, and then Andy drew his spear out, stepping over the body toward the two surviving Hardheads. He must have looked like murder because the guy with the bandaged leg started crying—literal tears—and his hands shook as he begged, “Please, man. Please! We don’t want to fight!”
“Spare me your fucking tears, asshole. My friends are dead down there!” Andy jerked his spear toward the side of the trail. “You were climbing up here to kill people!” His words bolstered his fury, and suddenly Andy was feeling hot enough that he thought he could have stabbed those people, even as they sat there with their hands up. The realization was like a splash of cold water.
“We’re sorry, man! Rhodes said we’re at war! That we had—”
“Stop talking,” Andy growled. “We’ll give you a chance to spill your guts, but right now I don’t want to hear it. Both of you need to get on your stomachs with your hands behind your backs.” He didn’t know why he said that—one too many TV shows about cops, maybe. “I won’t kill you right now, but what happens to you will be up to the community, up to the people you wanted to kill and rape.”
“We didn’t want that, man!” the second guy whined.
“Shut up.” Andy watched them comply, the guy with the burned leg wincing and moaning with every movement. By the time they were on their stomachs, Lucy was running down the trail, her bow loaded and ready. When she stood on the other side of the two captives, Andy waved and said, “I don’t think their reinforcements are coming, but Brian is hurt down there along with some others.”
Lucy nodded. “Bea, Frank, and Marisol are coming. They were tending to Raya and Kayla—they both got hurt when these guys first attacked.”
Andy frowned, trying to remember everyone’s name. He thought Frank was the guy who said he was a medic, and Marisol used to be an EMT. “How’d that happen, anyway? I saw the other bodies.”
Lucy shrugged. “Some people came down to watch for us. I think they felt guilty about not joining us before we left.”
Before Andy could respond, the System finally decided the battle was over and spammed his vision with bright yellow messages:
**Congratulations, Andy! You thwarted an ambush against your party and an assault on your settlement by hostile members of the Hardhead Construction City settlement. In the process, you slew several enemies and wounded others. Moreover, you captured two prisoners and accepted overtures of intent to defect by others. For your efforts, you’ve gained two levels in your Umbral Reaper class and earned experience toward another. As a result, you’ve gained 2 Improvement Points.**
**Congratulations! You have completed the quest: Sabotage the Surveyors. Not only did you discover the enemy scouts, but you uncovered their plot to ambush members of your settlement. You’ve earned enough experience to advance to level 4 in your Umbral Reaper class. You’ve gained an improvement point. A System-generated treasure will be awarded to you when you reach a safe place to rest.**
***Congratulations! As a level four Umbral Reaper, you’ve learned the spell Shadow Cloud – bound: Expending mana, you can manifest a cloud of shadows that erupts with you at the epicenter. The shadows will persist, even in direct sunlight, for 1 second per ten mana spent. Mana cost: minimum 10.***
***Congratulations! You’ve slain an enemy lieutenant. One-time clarification: “Lieutenant” is a System designation for an enemy sub-leader and may not reflect actual ranking structures. Your victory has raised your personal standing in the war between your settlements. You’ve earned experience toward your next level.
**Congratulations! While not enough to provide a breakthrough, your hard-fought battles have improved your understanding of spear combat!**
**Congratulations! Your settlement has won a tremendous victory against Hardhead Construction City tonight. Not only did the enemy suffer many casualties, but the loss of one of their leaders will strike a blow against their morale. Considering their losses tonight, the System estimates them to be 40% defeated.**
**Congratulations, Andy, you’ve earned your first wartime notable distinction: Vanguard Striker. In battle, you struck first—and struck true. Your daring engagement against the enemy has marked you as a combatant of decisive action. Allies will look to your courage; enemies will fear your presence on the field.**
Before he could say anything, Lucy chuckled ruefully, shaking her head. “I got two levels and another notable distinction.”
“Yeah?” Andy looked toward her, noting how both of his captives were still lying face down. Behind her, he could see more people approaching, rounding the switchback.
“Yep. Longshot Defender. It’s weird, though. Says things about enemies being cowed when they see a bow in my hand.”
Andy shifted, glaring toward the two men blocking the path. “Get up, but keep your hands on your heads.” As they struggled to comply, he said to Lucy, “I’m going to take these guys up and see that they’re put somewhere they can’t cause any trouble. Will you escort those guys down to the wounded?” He nodded to Frank and the others who were hurrying down the path, medical kits in hand. When he saw Frank, he remembered the guy had said he’d gotten a War Medic class, not just “medic.” Andy hoped that meant he had some magical healing abilities.
As they arrived, Lucy motioned for them to follow her past the two prisoners standing awkwardly against the cliff with their hands on their heads. Bea, sweet old lady that she was, said, “We should take a look at this man’s leg first.”
“He’ll wait,” Andy growled, perhaps more sharply than he intended.
Bea looked at him, her expression a little stunned, but Frank took her elbow and hurried her along. “Come on, Bea, we need to triage; there are people in worse shape down below.” He locked eyes with Andy. “Right?”
“Definitely. Brian’s in bad shape, and some people were unconscious or…worse.”
Marisol, wearing a red backpack, led the way past. Andy wanted to stop her and ask if she had gotten a healing class, but he figured he’d find out when they were done; he hadn’t been lying about people needing urgent help. When Lucy passed, she smiled at him, and the expression made him wonder what his own face looked like; he felt troubled, but it was a vague sort of unease. When she moved out of sight around the switchback and Andy put his eyes back on his prisoners, he understood what was bothering him. What was he supposed to do with prisoners?
Even if they swore up and down that they didn’t mean any harm, that they were just following Rhodes because they had to… Andy shook his head. He couldn’t trust them. He wouldn’t let them join his community. They’d been actively invading, which, to him, was different than that woman who’d run into him in the desert and let him go. He would listen to her and her companions. They’d had him. At least it had seemed that way; they might not have been able to kill him, but they probably thought they could, and they’d let him go. More than that, they hadn’t been trying to join Rhodes in his assault.
“Let’s go.” He gestured with his spear. “Up the path.” As they started walking, Andy tried to stay focused, but he had a lot on his mind, all those System messages for one. He’d gained an interesting new spell, and, if he understood it right, a very powerful one. If he could make an instant cloud of shadow, he could escape all sorts of situations. More than that, he could use it to set up impromptu sneak attacks. It was pretty mana intensive, though… Andy looked at his status sheet, focusing on the mana line:
Mana: 135/160
He’d had 145 maximum mana before his levels, so that meant his new class only gave him five per level, just like Umbral Warden. Still, the points were slowly adding up. One of the men looked over his shoulder, distracting Andy from his contemplations when he asked, “Are you going to kill us?”
“I don’t know. What would your leader have done if he were alive? What would he do to me if he’d caught me?”
“Who? Rhodes? He wasn’t our leader! That’s Brooks! He’s, uh, well, he’s smarter than Rhodes…was. He might make a deal with you.”
Andy remembered hearing the name while he’d been spying. “How many people are in your settlement? Do they have enough to attack us again?”
“Um, dude, there’s like a hundred more—maybe two. Lots of folks came out of the woodwork to join Brooks that first night. Not everyone’s happy, though—”
“All right. Be quiet for now. Let me think.” As they rounded another switchback, Andy pondered the situation. If he could get some of the enemy citizens to defect… but how could he ever trust them? The four who’d let him go, maybe, but if a random group showed up? What if they just wanted to sabotage the trailer park? The paranoid thoughts deepened his scowl, and Andy's mood began to deteriorate, despite the victory. Victory—at what cost, though? He’d seen at least a couple of dead people down there who’d been bright and alive when the night began.
Shaking his head, he growled, “Come on, let’s hurry. I’ve got a lot of shit to do.”
Comments
maximum0428
Ah, I misunderstood! I thought Rhodes was the leader! Turns out he's not and there's more to come! If he was the Lieutenant tho, perhaps he was Brooks' heir? Who knows, but they've made good progress! Can't wait to see what happens next 😁
Nimps
Get them to walk over the trap glyph. If they have ill intent it will fry them
