《Rise of the Last Star - A LitRPG Adventure》Origin (2)
Advertisement
Alexander Jern was a powerful man. That was an unquestionable truth.
From the day he was born until before the System descended on Earth, the number of times he’d failed at all could be counted in one hand. Born in an influential and wealthy family, he’d had the right to pursue his interests freely from a young age. It was at the age of seven that he picked up a sword for the first time; it was also at that moment that he decided he would devote his entire life to it. He trained until exhaustion every day, for decades. His wit developed alongside his swordsmanship, making the man extremely popular in many different social circles. His eccentric pursuit of an ancient martial art was also romantically interesting enough to women and men alike.
Alexander Jern had lived a good life. One with very few roadblocks and little trouble, completely smooth-sailing. Even after the System’s descent, that did not change. His effort over decades was rewarded with one of the most powerful Personal Attributes of humanity, and for a good while, he was also the species’ strongest warrior. From the start of the Tutorial until its end, the only time he’d been seriously injured was in the fight against the Golem Sword King, Deknir Saxum. It was the only close encounter with death in his entire life.
That was why he couldn’t understand. No, it would be more accurate to say that he refused to believe it.
He refused to believe that he was as powerless as he currently felt.
Alexander opened his eyes. Bloody mist assaulted his vision, the screams of the dying turning into a harrowing sound that dug into his ears. The earth he stood on was scorched and cracked, as dry as it was lifeless. Broken buildings surrounded him, carrying faint traces of the stronghold they used to be part of, now deprived of all of their previous majesty and imposing fierceness. Walls made of otherworldly stone lay destroyed on the ground in great chunks, covering part of his line of sight. The skies were red, as if they were on fire.
Yet, Alexander stared only at a single thing. It was the battlefield two kilometers in front of him, at the very heart of the destroyed stronghold. Drakkhan filled his sight, fighting against a multitude of different species and monsters belonging to the Kingdom of Luweth. With impeccable coordination, the lizardmen systematically cornered and slaughtered the desperate enemies, but their casualties had also been incredibly high.
Advertisement
The Sword Saint gripped the hilt of his sword even harder. This was what he had been reduced to. A mere spectator of the main battlefield, unable to even approach it without dying. His duty was to help the Drakkhan in case something went wrong, not lead the battle as he was used to. It was almost unthinkable.
“Are you alright?”
A worried voice reached him. He blinked a turned his head to the side, looking at the blonde, blue-eyed woman who had spoken to him.
“I’m fine, Olivia. Don’t worry.”
A smile that did not quite reach his eyes made its way onto his face. The woman nodded with a worried expression and turned her gaze to the battlefield ahead. She spoke.
“I feel so useless.”
Alexander closed his eyes momentarily.
“Me too.”
He understood her feelings well. It wasn’t the desire to help the Drakkhan or leap into the fray mindlessly. It was simply that they were now forced to acknowledge their own weakness. Accepting one’s powerlessness was a difficult task, especially for those who were used to being the strongest. He understood that he was but a frog in a well back in the Tutorial, but he never expected the difference between him and the other warriors in the Convergence to be so large.
Opening his eyes once more, Alexander looked around. Humans surrounded him, both men and women of different ages and figures. The one thing they had in common was that they all bore fearful expressions. The inability to dispel his kind’s fears and lead them to victory was the one thing eating away at Alexander the most. A few Drakkhan were spread out among them, in much lesser number. They fidgeted in place, clearly anxious to go help their comrades on the battlefield.
“Do you think Liam could fight in there already?”
Olivia spoke to him. The man thought silently for a few seconds, contemplating her question.
“I don’t know, but probably not. He’s strong, however…”
With a defeated sigh, Alexander answered her question. Liam’s attribute wasn’t particularly geared towards battle from what he had said about it. The enemy soldiers were much more powerful than anything in the Tutorial, meaning that Liam would likely have little room to grow, only being able to tackle them one at a time. This was without mentioning the difference in experience and Skills. In fact, Alexander thought it would be a wonder if the young man hadn’t already been killed by either the Empire or the Kingdom’s soldiers.
Advertisement
“I disagree.”
A new voice came from behind Alexander and Olivia. Both of them turned around, meeting the gaze of a red-haired youth, who continued to speak.
“I think Liam is much more powerful than we expect right now. Don’t you remember Kallipolis?”
Mikhail walked up to them, standing in the space between the two. He stared at the battlefield in front of them, but his eyes were unfocused. He seemed to be reminiscing. Alexander shook his head slowly.
“Back in Kallipolis, every robot was much weaker than any of us. This time around, not only are the enemy soldiers in greater number, but they’re also individually even stronger than Liam. There’s no way for him to acquire XP and raise his stats.”
Mikhail frowned, seemingly acknowledging that it was true. Alexander believed what he had said, which is why his anxiety only grew. Without Liam’s growth, humanity would be hard-pressed to escape their current situation. Olivia looked at the ground dispiritedly, while asking the two others a question.
“Do you guys think that any of the new people can become comparable to him or even to us?”
Her voice was low, carrying a tinge of hopelessness. Alexander naturally knew why. The more intimate the three of them grew with their Personal Attributes, the more they understood how different they were from the rest of the humans they’d met. It was to the point that they couldn’t even foster the hope of having another leader of humanity appear. Both men remained silent before Mikhail spoke.
“It’s hard to say, but Nikolaos and a few others should reach us in time.”
Alexander shook his head, opening his mouth.
“I doubt it. We’re currently ahead of them by quite a bit and even though their Personal Attributes are passable, they aren’t growing fast enough. Neither are we, for that matter.”
“Nikolaos’ Attribute is more than ‘passable.’ Right now he can only use the first three Labours, but his proficiency will grow in time. Even then, he’s already only a bit weaker than us.”
The Sword Saint blinked in surprise.
“Three? I thought he was only at the second Labour.”
“He unlocked the third a few days ago. I’m telling you, he can do it.”
“There are still nine more to go.”
Mikhail shrugged.
“By the time he gets to the sixth Labour, he’ll already be incomparable to before. What about you? How’s your own advancement going?”
Alexander frowned.
“I’m still ways off from One With The Sword, but it won’t be long now. Once I achieve it, Swordheart will no longer be a problem.”
“Oh, that’s great! What about you, Olivia?”
Both men turned to her, who stared listlessly at space, clearly in deep thought. Without moving her gaze, she replied.
“My training hasn’t been going as smoothly. I’m having trouble using the Mist. At least my ice is getting colder. You?”
“Same here. Virtually no progress in using the Ash, but the fire keeps getting hotter. Fucking Norse Attributes. When do you think I’ll get Surtr’s sword?”
“Around the same time I get Ymir.”
Both of them sighed simultaneously. A slight grin made its way to Alexander’s face. Even though they complained, both of them had been developing steadily for the past six months. Muspelheim and Niflheim were simple Personal Attributes in nature but incredibly complex to use effectively, just like his own Sword Saint Attribute. It was a wonder that both of them had gotten this far already. Rubbing his chin, the old man deliberated on Mikhail’s previous words. Nikolaos was indeed outstanding, but not quite on their level yet. It meant that the three of them could only rely on one another in the near future.
It was then.
As Alexander mused, an explosion was heard. The shockwave hit them an instant afterwards, knocking down many of the humans around them and making the three of them immediately lower their center of gravity in order to steady themselves. They turned to the battlefield ahead of them. A great mushroom cloud spread out from its center, hiding most of the battlefield from view. Mikhail cursed.
“Fuck! They still had some bombs left!”
Before anyone could say anything else, the roars of the nearby Drakkhan reached their ears.
“Attention! We’ve been hit by a surprise attack! Advance and rescue as many of our companions as possible and retreat! Charge!”
Immediately after that, not waiting for the humans to reply, the Drakkhan shot forward into the battlefield, moving so quickly that Alexander was only just barely able to follow them with his senses. Decisively, he unsheathed his sword.
“Let’s go.”
The new, recent scars on his body throbbed with phantom pain. It was time to throw themselves against enemies they couldn’t win against once more.
Alexander forced himself to breathe deeply.
Advertisement
Done For [Billy Hargrove]
"Two damaged people trying to heal each other is love." He mumbled.In which a boy that came from an abusive home fell in love with a girl who felt like home.#1 in Billy Hargrove (4/10/20)#1 in Netflix (6/1/20)#1 in Stranger Things (6/6/20)#1 in FanFiction (6/19/22)Started: July 26, 2019Completed: August 20, 2020Word Count: 43,126
8 172The Kodoku Game
In Japanese folklore, there once existed an ancient technique among alchemists for harvesting the strongest poison known to man. A poison so vicious, so horrendous, that a single drop could incapacitate an entire nation of humans, several times over. A poison so intense that a single drop could turn the tides of a war on its head. As potent as it appeared however, this poison could be harvested from the blood of a single insect alone- an insect the alchemist’s called the ‘Kodoku’. As lucrative as was attaining this poison however, the problem lied in identifying this insect- its appearance, shape and size changed from region to region and from continent to continent. Sometimes it took the appearance of a ladybug and other times a horned-beetle. In order to determine the identity of this special insect the alchemists came up with an ingenious method. They created an impregnable jar of clay out of the best sandstone they could find and placed hundreds of different insects into the same jar. The jar was made with such great mastery that it allowed no insects to escape and allowed no objects to enter. The laws of nature dictated that the insects would remain together in the jar forever. However, it turned out that as time went on, the insects’ hunger for food and power caused them to turn against each other- one insect ate another until only one remained. This sole insect contained a poison that far surpassed that of all the others and became stronger as it ate more and more insects. The alchemists at this point had succeeded in identifying the Kodoku and could extract it’s poison as long as they continued to feed it regularly. Although this folklore ends here, the actual story does not. One day, as the alchemists cheered in joy of having identified the Kodoku they so eagerly wanted, they forgot to close the lid on the very jar that was considered to be completely impregnable. This small gap was just large enough for the Kodoku inside to crawl out. Famished from not having been fed for weeks, the Kodoku ended up eating the very alchemists that nourished its growth until not even the bones remained. Yet, the Kodoku’s hunger didn’t seem to subside in the slightest. So it traveled to the next village and began eating whatever it could find there. Its poison made it unparalleled in strength and slowly but surely it began to dwindle down the population of the entire city. Yet its hunger only continued to grow. So it traveled to the next city over and ate all it could there. Very soon, the Kodoku couldn’t find any more food to eat. There was no one left to eat and no one left to spectate. So it stood there, by itself pondering what possibly was left to eat that could satiate its hunger. But there was one thing left that Kodoku realized it had never eaten. Itself.
8 104In Darkness
Li, a boy who was found unconscious in a field by a local farmer, has no memory of who he is or where he came from and strives to find the answers to the countless questions he has. Enjoy Li's journey as he undergoes new experiences and struggles as he tries to find the light of truth in order to unlock his memories that have been shrouded in darkness. This is my first fan fiction so bear with me. I hope to improve my writing throughout this story and i hope you enjoy the journey along with me.Warning: Tagged 18+ Strong Language, Sexual Scenes, Violence and Gore
8 111Vincent's Trials (Placeholder Name)
The story follows Vincent as he experiences the highs and lows of what life, love, and duty have to offer along with everything else along the way. Notice: The image used as the bookcover is not my own, nor is it a picture I have commissioned. It was found on Imgur in a D&D image dump an a reverse image search has shown that Square Enix bears some ownership. Should the original author of the image or Square Enix wish for me to take the image down, I shall so without hesitation. As such the image a place holder and will be subject to change. Thank you.
8 170The Daughter Of A Prime
This Story Is About A Cyber-Wolf name SilverWing. She's The Last Of Her Kind. She's Also Optimus Prime Daughter. She Want's To Join The Wreckers But Her Father Optimus Does Not Allow Her. What Will Happen Whe She Disobeys Her Father's Orders.READ TO FIND OUT MORE
8 165Be There | A Dwayne Robertson Fanfic ✔️
*Based on D2: The Mighty Ducks*"I just want to know that I can rely on you. I just want to know that you won't leave me. I just want to know that you will be there."*** Meghan Portman. Sister of Dean Portman and a force to be reckoned with. When the two siblings are invited to join Team USA, they leave behind their rocky life and end up in Minnesota. With a tough exterior, Meg hides her past from everyone. However, a Texan cowboy shows an interest in her, and Meg can't hide from her past forever.***The Original/First Dwayne Robertson FanfictionWarnings: a bit of language
8 99