Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master

Chapter Forty-Three: Payback

A tendril of green light flashed, striking the Shapeshifter and constricting its limbs like a writhing serpent. Although the body of the little spellcaster was stiff and unmoving on the ground in front of it, the killer had no time to savor the sweet taste of revenge as it fell under the effects of the deeply uncomfortable [Bogwarp] magic.

“Gah! Not this damn spell again!” it hissed in anger, trying to adjust to the miserable creaking and twisting of its bones.

As a creature which enjoyed an unnatural amount of control over its own body and form, the Shapeshifter more than most was thrown off balance when it suffered the debuff. Although it could resist a portion of the speed reducing effects, the sudden loss of its equilibrium caught it off guard. Gobthnora’s final spell left it vulnerable to the whirling war axe that was flung towards its head.

It was Anastasia’s [Thrown Weapon] skill. Even though the axe wasn’t designed to be thrown in the first place, it still enjoyed the benefits of the woman’s [Adaptability] class feature. The weapon connected with the Shapeshifter, causing it to stumble forward in surprise. There wasn’t much damage done, but the mental blow was enough to distract it momentarily.

“What is-” before it could speak, it was struck again.

The princess made full use of her [Unarmed Mastery] as she threw a punch at the Shapeshifter’s face just as it managed to turn around. The petite fist smashed into the warped visage of what had once been Guard Captain Alaine’s jaw. Although she wasn’t trained in any true hand to hand combat, she fearlessly jumped onto the monster and started raining blows on every exposed spot she could find.

“Bitch!” although Anastasia’s sudden attack was enough to momentarily stun the Shapeshifter, she couldn’t overwhelm the much stronger opponent.

The creature swept out with a heavy arm, trying to knock the girl away, but the blow never connected. The princess ducked out of the way, rolling backwards now that she had lost the element of surprise. A trickle of blood fell from the Shapeshifter’s lip, causing it to taste the stinging sensation of humiliation. This weakling had actually made it bleed!

Still slowed by the [Bogwarp] debuff, the Shapeshifter turned and ran after the woman, brandishing its claws which still dripped with the Goblin’s blood. Before it could properly close the distance, its prey picked up a spear from one of the fallen mercenaries and hurled it overhand like a javelin. The Shapeshifter swung its claws downward, knocking the projectile out of the way and sending it crashing into the rocks. At that moment, something else clanged against its chest and it looked down at a dagger that was sticking out of the armor it had stolen from the guard captain.

The creature leapt forward.

Anastasia was a Soldier, and this battlefield was her home ground! She quickly pried a wooden round shield from a random body and held it over her head just in time to block the Shapeshifter’s wrath filled lunging attack. The claws sunk into tightly packed boards, but were promptly turned aside by the woman’s practiced [Block] skill. Since the level difference was too high, Anastasia took some shock damage, but she had more than enough HP to ignore it.

An [Adaptability] buffed [Shield Bash] slammed into her foe’s chest, followed by another fist. Unaffected by the skill’s knockback effect, the gruesome claw managed to reach out and catch the woman’s hand in midair. The Shapeshifter remained faster than its opponent even when slowed, but the princess was like a rabid beast as she slapped the shield against the creature’s exposed face.

“Agh! Dammit, you dare to attack my face again!?” the Shapeshifter roared and stabbed the claws at the woman.

It was a clean blow, but attacking the woman’s unnaturally durable body felt like striking the trunk of a thick tree. Even with the claws piercing into her chest, Anastasia didn’t bat an eyelid, instead taking advantage of the force of the strike to break free from the Shapeshifter’s grasp. As she slid over the blood-slicked ground, the various lessons from her Master overflowed in her head. [Combat Tactics] was working overtime to process all of the information he had drilled her on day after day.

“You…” a hoarse voice croaked from the ground, “What are you all standing around for? Help her!” the steward, Bertram, called weakly.

The guards who had been watching the fight unfold snapped out of their confusion. Realizing they had fallen into the imposter’s trap, the trained men didn’t hesitate, charging forward and fighting back against the Shapeshifter. Though there were only a handful of them left standing, they fearlessly jumped in to defend the woman who was still fighting bravely. Their indecision and foolishness had cost them dearly, and their attacks were fueled by a righteous fury.

“Trash!” the Shapeshifter scowled as it easily dodged or withstood the blows, seeking to claim a life with every sweep of its claws.

The guards, more than half dead already, stood no real chance against their opponent, but not a one of them thought of running away. Two men went down in the blink of an eye, but a figure suddenly threw itself in front of them, tackling the monster and driving it back a few steps. Anastasia rammed her head into the Shapeshifter, knocking it off balance before hacking at its neck with a broken sword that she had picked up somewhere.

“Don’t die!” she said briefly to the men, “Get Master!”

“Again, with you? Don’t you know how to stay down!?” the Shapeshifter clawed at the woman’s back, leaving a trail of glistening red marks down the girl’s pristine white flesh.

The Shapeshifter didn’t seem at all perturbed by the jagged blade sticking out of its collarbone, warping Alaine’s face into a distorted version of itself. Jagged teeth grew from its mouth, which quickly widened as it bit down onto the girl’s shoulder. It was still suffering from the fear of Anastasia’s last deathgrip, and wanted to try and break free of the grapple in the shortest amount of time possible. The young woman's face flickered in pain, but her arms were like a steel vice. She returned the favor by biting back into the Shapeshifter’s neck with pearly little teeth.

Unlike the stoic Anastasia, the fake Alaine seemed incredibly protective of its head, and quickly tried to recoil. Without the benefit of her [Blessing of the Stonekin], the princess wasn’t able to hold on, but she had long since learned not to use it unless absolutely necessary. After wrestling for a moment longer, she was kicked away roughly.

A couple of guards stepped forward to attack the Shapeshifter while it was tied down, but one of them quickly barked, “What are you doing? She’s right! The only one who can handle this thing is the adventurer!”

The men froze in indecision.

“We have to find him!”

“How? He was supposed to be at the bandit camp!”

The Shapeshifter leapt away from the disoriented princess, readjusting its blooddrenched maw to speak, “You think that pitiful fool can kill me? I've already put him on death’s door more than once!” it howled.

Anastasia grabbed a nearby sabre and charged forward, cleaving the air in front of her. The nimble monster swiftly danced out of the way, sharpened teeth curving into a grin.

“Master is stronger than you!” the girl asserted as she slashed at the creature again and again.

The monster cackled, “You think he can save you? After I kill him you'll find out what a real Master is like, stupid little girl!”

The two combatants reengaged savagely, as though they had lost all concept of everything except slaughtering their opponent. Blood flew as Anastasia's blade hacked into the monster’s arm, but she was forced back by another swipe before she could latch onto her target again. The Shapeshifter seemed to be taking care not to mortally wound the woman, but the claws mercilessly targeted her arms and legs, seeking to debilitate her.

“What, aren't you going to use your little Bolevolo charm, princess?” the Shapeshifter mocked her, “See what good it will do you after I hand you over to Castle! You'll get to taste the same Hell I did!”

At this late juncture, the creature confidently revealed its true agenda. After their last run in, the news had leaked the moment Anastasia used her [Blessing of the Stonekin]. The most valuable thing Theo had in his possession was the princess herself! With such a slave in their possession, it was only a wonder what kind of sinister plans the criminal organization had in store. Old Man Snake Eyes made his order absolute, they must obtain this priceless pawn at all costs!

The princess didn't seem to react to the taunt at all, falling back only to fling more weapons at the monster. Anything she could get her hands on was a potential projectile, but the higher leveled Shapeshifter fearlessly intercepted the attacks.

[Lunge]

-179

[Hustle] effect cancelled!

A jagged poleaxe descended from the darkness like a falling meteor. [Skullplitter] slammed into the body of the Shapeshifter with the entire weight of the black-clad adventurer behind it, and a lucky hit sent the monster reeling backwards in shock and confusion. As Theo came flying in over the rocky terrain, he twisted his body and swept out with the weapon like a madman, cutting through the air in a wide arc that made the Shapeshifter scramble away in shock.

“You!” it tried to speak, but the man roared over the creature with a thunderous shout.

“Lay another damn finger on my things! I dare you!” Theo’s arrival swept away the Shapeshifter’s momentum and left it staring wide-eyed, mouth agape at the enraged Slave Master.

Theo felt the instant Gobthnora lost her life, as his [Slave Master’s Brand] informed him of the sudden loss in skill proficiency. At that moment, his rage burst to life like a roaring flame, and he charged headlong through the battlefield. His body was covered in scrapes and bruises from the sage terrain, but nothing could slow him down. Although his arrival was far from stealthy, all of the parties involved were too distracted to even notice him. He took the opportunity to leap into the fray, and even while shouting wildly, his weapon never stopped moving.

The Shapeshifter couldn't get a word in edgewise as [Skullsplitter] came screaming towards it like a cannon, but the creature ducked under the blow just in time for the weapon to sweep back around and crash into its arm with a bone-snapping crunching noise.

[Inflict Pain]

-80. Daze resisted!

“Gaahhh!” the Shapeshifter screamed as the attack hit it squarely.

Even though his skill proficiency was a bit low to take on the Shapeshifter, there was a big difference between [Lesser Polearm Master] and [Basic Polearm Master]. Even at level 1, the bonus it provided, combined with the accuracy modifier of his meticulously raised [Inflict Pain] skill, was enough to breach the creature’s MISS chance.

The Shapeshifter raked it's claws across empty space in a fit of rage, but the creature’s eyes widened in horror as the adventurer’s weapon easily met the blow and deflected it.

[Parry]. [Riposte].

The poleaxe kicked up a spray of pebbles as it swept out in a wide arc. Theo took advantage of the guaranteed [Riposte] to chain together with his [Fend] skill!

-93. Knockback!

The body of the Shapeshifter was like a limp doll as the heavy weapon effortlessly tossed it through the air. Theo had always suspected this skill would be especially effective against the monster, considering the need to have a sufficiently low weight to fly the way it did. Its body disappeared from sight as it went careening into the battened door of the lighthouse, shattering the barrier in a cloud of wooden splinters.

Everyone, the princess included, watched in shocked silence at the sudden upturn. Theo took this moment to place a hand on his slave’s bloodied shoulder. The touch sent a surge of heat through the girl’s body, perhaps from the pain, or from something else entirely.

“You did good,” was all the man said before taking off into the building after his prey.

Inside the comfortable, little home that had been fashioned from the bottom floor of the lighthouse, all of the furniture was turned aside. Despite the pitch darkness inside, Theo could make out his surroundings with perfectly clarity, a fact unknown by the Shapeshifter, who tried to leap out of the shadows and land a surprise attack. Theo didn’t flinch as he confidently took the blow, watching his HP drain with a shocking speed.

Just as the creature was hoping to follow up with its assault, thinking it had the advantage, [Skullsplitter] slammed into its claws and pushed them down into the stone floor. A scream of pain echoed in the cramped space as Theo’s [Fend] once again took advantage of the [Riposte] state to launch the Shapeshifter backwards. Although his weapon had a minimal effect, the collision with the stone walls was different. Man made structures could still deal environmental damage, which didn’t give a damn about the difference between their levels.

Still, it wasn’t enough. The Shapeshifter had plenty of HP to spare, and it recovered from the blow just as quickly as Theo could swing his weapon again. The little room was already in chaos, but the destruction only mounted as each struggled to take the advantage. The sharp claws exchanged a number of blows with the poleaxe, but the monster wasn’t foolish enough to let itself fall into Theo’s trap for a third time. Any time Theo successfully parried, it would go on full defense and move back to escape his follow-up attack.

“Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Why are you always such a thorn in my side?” the Shapeshifter spat viciously.

Unlike their previous bouts, Theo was like a monster now that he could properly threaten his opponent. The mere fact he didn’t have to focus purely on defense revealed meant the adventurer could now restrict his attacker. The best defense was a good offense, and it caused the Shapeshifter to deeply regret its inability to finish the man off sooner. With his uncanny ability to dodge even its most furious assaults, how was it supposed to deal with him now that it had to pause to protect its own life?

“Like you’re one to talk!” Theo’s face was painted with cold rage, “I lost one of my slaves to a worthless trash mob!”

The overly proud Shapeshifter snapped at being called trash, but before it could retaliate, [Skullsplitter] tore into its midsection. Waves of searing pain radiated out from the blow.

[Inflict Pain]

-84

The Shapeshifter was suddenly reminded of the man’s face when he ruthlessly tortured it with flames during their first battle. The look in his eyes then was nothing compared to the terrifying glare the Slave Master was using on it now. It realized, Theo had only been posturing before. What it was facing now was the contempt, ferocity, and prowess of something beyond this realm. The creature’s spirit wavered as the sovereignty of the War God bore down like a heavy anchor. [Bogwarp] had long since worn off, but its movements somehow seemed even slower than under the debilitating debuff.

In a blind panic, the Shapeshifter started swinging its claws wildly, “No! No! No! I won’t go back! I won’t go back a failure!”

[Parry]. [Riposte]. [Fend]

-95. Knockback!

Trapped with the momentum of Theo’s onslaught, the monster’s body was flung into the nearby stairwell. Cold stone scraped against its armored back as it barreled up the passage. There was no time to stand as the poleaxe fell upon it, and the Shapeshifter was forced to scramble up the stairs on all fours like an animal. Splinters of rock chipped away as the heavy blade connected with the staircase, leaving a clean groove in the masonry.

“Did you really think you were ever a threat to me?” Theo said coldly, “You were always just a minor annoyance. A trash mob like you wants to kill me? The only thing your guts are good for are painting my blade.”

“Shut up!” it screamed “Just shut up!”

The Shapeshifter clambered to its feet, but couldn’t bring itself to strike out for fear of retaliation. It took another few steps back, slowing ascending the staircase into the higher floors of the lighthouse. There was nowhere to go but up.

“I’ll make you pay for what you did to my Goblin.”

Step after step, the Shapeshifter was torn between its desire to fight and flee.

“I’ll make you pay for what you did to my Princess.”

As if hoping to regain some morale, the creature opened its mouth and barked, “Do you really think your puny attacks can do anything to me? They hardly even sting! I’ll get out of this just fine and chase you to the ends of Orpheum! I’ll make it so that you’ll never be able to sleep peacefully again! My Master… Castle will destroy everything you’ve ever cared about!”

Theo’s expression remained unmoved, “I’ll make you pay for what you did to Aleside.”

“You can’t do anything! You can’t do anything!” the Shapeshifter screamed with another step backwards.

“It’s going to hurt…” Theo said, “A lot.”

[Skullsplitter] crashed into the floor and the Shapeshifter skittered backwards, its limbs shifting and distorting as if to more quickly retreat from the monster that was chasing it. Sharp claws tore into the stone walls and propelled it upwards like a spider. The poleaxe was never far from it, homing in like a magnet as mortar and rock began to fill up the stairwell. Theo charged forward, his weapon pushing back the clouds of dust and sending a battering wind at the fleeing Shapeshifter.

The door to the uppermost level was flung open with such force it was almost torn from its hinges. One oblong limb after the other flew into the sanctuary of the open room, where a large glowing crystal was set into a sturdy, salt-rusted metal brace that hung from ceiling. A stiff breeze whipped around the top of the lighthouse in the open night air. Despite the beacon shining brightly, the majority of the light was directed towards the black waters below by some kind of mechanical apparatus.

Having been the first to enter, the Shapeshifter quickly bounded towards the crystal. Its claws scraped against the glassy surface, and it gripped the beacon threateningly as Theo’s calm footsteps soon followed. The man looked at creatures’ pointless actions, but couldn’t bring himself to feel any humor in this situation. He wasn’t in the mood to play anymore. His slave was dead, the city was in shambles, and his friend was waiting for him in the hospital.

“I’ll break it!” the Shapeshifter shouted desperately.

“Too late,” Theo pointed his blade at the Shapeshifter, “We’re beyond that point.”

Realizing it had no way left to salvage the situation, the creature roared and smashed its swollen arm into the crystal. At the very least, it needed to glean at least one victory in this whole debacle. As the glowing gem toppled to the floor with the the groan and creak of twisting metal, the Shapeshifter turned to intercept the inevitable blow from Theo’s poleaxe. So what if it couldn’t kill him now? It wasn’t a meat-headed warrior anyway. It could simply wait for the proper place and time to assassinate the man! There would be time to eliminate the Slave Master and abduct the princess as long as it managed to get out alive!

Only, the blow never came.

Theo’s flung himself at the Shapeshifter, and the pair of bodies tumbled across the room towards the railing lining the lighthouse balcony. It all happened in a moment, as Theo kicked off the ground and easily threw himself and his unwilling captive over the edge. A pair of razor sharp claws tore into the man’s back, trying to make him let go, but Theo only felt a slight tickle from system.

“What are you doing!?” the Shapeshifter screamed, trying in vain to unfold the wings from its back.

The fleshy appendages quickly collapsed under the added weight and were totally unable to gain any purchase in the midst of a free fall. The noise of the wind whistling past as the two picked up speed was deafening, and they cleared the rocky cliff where the lighthouse stood.The jagged shore below seemed to rapidly reach up from the sea to meet them.

The voice that passed into the Shapeshifter’s ears was dull, disinterested even, “Payback.”

The system rang out...

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You have died!