Riftside 3 - Chapter 2

“Fifty percent strength?” I said, once again, barely able to believe it.

“I told you prioritising my breakthrough would be worth it,” Roq said smugly. “It was high time we unveiled my glory to this world, and let the Hive Mind tremble before my new, magnificent form!”

After I checked Roq’s stats, we’d returned home. Knut complained the entire time about not having a soul weapon of his own, and I was just in shock from the boost he gained.

I reached out to grasp Roq where he rested on our dining table in front of me, his runes glowing faintly, and brought up his stats wanting to study them in a bit more of a controlled environment.

NAME: Vannash' Khazeesh (Roq)

WEAPON CLASS: Warhammer

LEVEL: 10

EXPERIENCE: [----------] 0%

WEAPON TYPE: Bludgeoning, Piercing

ATTACK SPEED: Fast

RANGE: Short

SPECIAL:

NAME: Power of the Hammer

TYPE: Passive

DESCRIPTION: +50% Strength

NAME: Impact Amplification

TYPE: Passive

DESCRIPTION: Every attack delivered using this weapon will deal far greater damage than it would ordinarily do.

NAME: Armour Disruption

TYPE: Passive

DESCRIPTION: Armour seems to soften or become brittle under the weapon's repeated strikes.

ABILITIES:

NAME: Blood Forge

TYPE: Active / Self-Heal

DESCRIPTION: Transform stored monster carcasses into energy that amplifies the wielder's natural regeneration.

NAME: Armor Break

TYPE: Active / Attack

DESCRIPTION: Channel a crushing force into the hammer's head and release it on direct impact, delivering a blow that can crack armor and temporarily stun the target.

NAME: Forge Anchor

TYPE: Active / Debuff

DESCRIPTION: Strike the ground and release a mass of steel-husk mana that attacks and roots any target in place.

NAME: Shockwave Slam (NEW)

TYPE: Active

DESCRIPTION: Slam the weapon into the ground to unleash a concussive shockwave, damaging and staggering all enemies in a fan-shaped area of effect.

NAME: Primal Form (NEW)

TYPE: Active

DESCRIPTION: The soul within the weapon manifests into its physical form. The appearance and strength depended on the weapon’s level.

MANA COST: 20 of Wielder’s Mana per minute.

“With your mana regenerated, how about we go look for some Domitius sympathizers?” Roq said. “We can test out my Shockwave Slam and I’d love to see the look on their faces when they feast their eyes on my Primal Form.”

I lifted Roq off the table, and despite him having become significantly larger, he was as easy to swing as ever.

“No,” I said. “We are done with the silver serpents, and the town just suffered the largest loss of its history. I’m not letting another monster loose on its street, even when I know you are perfectly house trained and on your very best behaviour.”

“Pfft,” Roq said as if blowing a raspberry. “We need to have a serious discussion about the rules of our relationship, Ash. You can no longer simply stuff me in your spatial storage when you feel like it. Push me too far and I’ll simply transform there and be damned with the consequences to you.”

“Roq—” I started, but he cut me off.

“No. You listen to me. We need to strike now, before the Hive Mind can recover. It doesn’t know I’ve broken through. It doesn’t know that we know how weak it actually is. This is my, no, our chance at revenge, and I will not let you squander it!”

I swiped Roq into my storage.

“You sure that’s wise?” Pa asked from where he sat nursing one of Knut’s beers.

“No,” I said, “But I’ve got a feeling there is more bark than bite to his threats, and I’d rather call him on it here where maybe you could get a healer in time than have it happen somewhere Riftside where I’d be left bleeding to death.”

“Don’t talk like that!” Ma said. “You’re scaring me.”

“I’m sorry, Ma,” I said with a deep sigh, “But truth be told, this is scaring me too. I didn’t expect him to gain this much…independence so fast. I’m happy for him, for sure. If I was turned into a weapon I’d want to be free as well, but…this also feels like I was grasping a Shardfang by the tail only to suddenly have it turn into Arclight.”

“Arclight insists I tell you she would eat you alive if you grabbed her tail,” Eryn said. “But also that your comparison is apt, and she looks forward to more independence, even if the bow shape is good for a hunter.”

“Well,” Pa said. “How long are you going to leave him there?”

I rose.

“I’ll be right back. I need to have a moment. If you hear me scream in pain, go get a healer,” I said, winked to my girlfriend, and headed upstairs to my bedroom to lay on the bed.

With Roq’s breakthrough, our relationship had changed. He wasn’t a bloodthirsty hammer acting like a child, now he was a past king infuriated and driven mad with the burning need for revenge. I couldn’t imagine Roq, even this new version, being a king. He could be lying, but I’d seen what the Hive Mind showed. No. He was probably telling the truth.

Will he continue evolving with every new breakthrough? Maybe this isn’t even his final form.

But how should I deal with him?

Back when he had tried to force me into attacking Quarris, after…nudging me to fight the Platemaw, Ma had given some advice that seemed to work. Negotiate with him. Find out what he wanted and then align our goals. That was what had stopped our fighting. Not me threatening to swipe him into storage forever and ever.

I swiped him out and held him above me on the bed.

He didn’t say a word, but I could feel his mental presence as if he was glaring at me. This was way more intimidating than if he’d just screamed at me. I could genuinely feel his anger.

“Are you able to adjust your volume or range so the others can’t hear our conversation, or would I need to leave the house for us to get some privacy?”

“I can,” Roq replied, his words clipped.

“Good. Would you please do so?” I asked, my voice low, so only he could hear it. “We need to talk.”

“Yes,” he said. “And yes, we do.”

“Mind if I go first?” I asked.

“No.”

“We need to work together, Roq. You are my friend, and we need to be able to trust each other. So, first, I’m sorry for swiping you into my storage suddenly, but if you were to just burst out of me and potentially kill me, I’d rather it happen here, close to healers, than Riftside far from any help.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“You said I couldn’t stuff you in my storage or you’d burst out and damned be the consequences.”

“I did not say that.”

“You kind of did.”

A moment of silence passed.

“Maybe I did,” he said, and he just sounded tired. “I knew I loathed the Hive Mind. I believed it when it said it had doomed my world. But I didn’t expect to have my memories returned so fully, and with it the fury. It burns inside me, Ash. I am doing my best to hold it back now. You are my ally, and friend. I know this. But every part of me yearns to charge screaming Riftside and cut down every last monster there. Make them pay for what they did to Lorixa, my brothers and sister, our broodlings, my…”

“Lorixa?”

“My mate. My Eryn.”

“Oh.” I swallowed and glanced away from my hammer. No. Warhammer.

What’d I do if the Hive Mind killed Eryn? Probably the same thing as he wanted to.

Anger roiled inside me at the thought.

“Exactly.”

“I am sorry, Roq. Or…should I call you Vannesh now?”

“Vannash’,” he said, correcting my pronunciation. “But…no. I think not. I am not yet who I was. Roq is the proper name for my current form. It was given to me by my best friend, and I will carry it with honor until my final breakthrough.”

“Understood.” I licked my lips and took a slow breath, trying to think of how best to approach this.

“Gems on the table,” Roq said.

“What?”

“That was how I negotiated, or communicated,” he said. “No games or secrets or tricks. We just put our gems on the table and go from there. If it makes sense for us to work together, then good. And if it doesn’t, then we talk of what that would mean.”

I chuckled.

“It is so weird talking to you like an adult.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve kind of been acting like a child, and then a petulant teenager. Now you speak like a grownup, and sometimes a smart one at that.”

“Sometimes?”

“Oh, definitely sometimes. You did threaten to kill me downstairs if you didn’t get your way. You’ve definitely got some issues still, but!” I said, forestalling him. “Considering your background and what the Hive Mind has done, it is very understandable.”

“Fine.”

“And sure. Let’s put our gems on the table. You first.”

“I am killing the Hive Mind. Not just the one here, but the original one. Nothing else will do, Ash. It must pay for what it has done. For the millions it has killed. I have to find it and breathe my fire down its neck, burning it until nothing but ash remains!” Roq growled, gaining volume and intensity as he talked.

“Are you alright up there?” Eryn called. “Ma wonders what type of pie Roq would like to eat.”

“Lemon,” Roq said, this time in his lower volume that I understood to mean he was talking only to me.

“Lemon!” I shouted back. “And we’re fine!”

“Thanks, Ma,” Roq yelled, too.

I heard her reply something downstairs, but couldn’t make out what it was exactly.

“So,” I said. “I guess this is why you wanted to become the most powerful weapon in all the worlds?”

“Yes. But I am no longer just a weapon, Ash. My goal is to become the most powerful warrior in all the worlds. A destructive force unlike no other. Fury and justice brought to—” he cut himself off. “Pie. Pie. Pie. Lemon pie.”

“With you being able to change shape, maybe you can actually eat some of it too?”

“Excellent point! This does open us up for so many new experiences. It is time for me, Roq, to taste what this world has to offer!”

“Good. Now, let’s move on to what I want,” I said. “I—”

“Can I guess?”

“Erh… sure? But wasn’t the whole point of this that we just put our gems on the table and go from there?”

“True. But let me guess what gems you have first. It’s more fun that way,” Roq said, seeming to have reverted back to his more playful self.

“Go ahead.”

“Broodlings.”

“What?”

“Babies.”

“Maybe I just tell you?”

“But I got it.”

“I’m not convinced you do.”

“Let me spell it out for you. I have lived for hundreds of years, expanded and maintained a kingdom a dozen times the size of your Tharungia, and—”

“How would you know?”

“What?”

“How would you know it was bigger than Tharungia? Do you know how big it is?”

“No. But there is no way it’s bigger than my kingdom. My kingdom was the best kingdom.”

I rolled my eyes. Roq was still Roq no matter how much more mature he sounded some of the time. That’s exactly what I liked about him, too. He was still in there despite trying to act differently.

“The grandeur of my kingdom aside, you want to defeat the monsters so your world is safe enough for Eryn and you to have babies and live to grow old. That’s why you fight.”

“Huh.”

“Impressed?”

“I mean, kind of, yeah. This might be the first time you’ve managed to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, correctly. I’m not sure I would put it just that way, but on the whole, you’re not wrong.”

“So, you see, we must do anything we can to grow strong. Forge, level up, and kill anyone who stands in our way until we have the power to slay the Hive Minds.”

“Hold up,” I said. “We’re agreeing on the destination. Slay the Hive Minds, making Noros safe. But I’m not killing or endangering random people to do it. You saw what Serona did. What happened when the Hive Mind attacked while the townsfolk were in Sentinel Station. Our job is to stop that from happening while growing stronger.”

“What if taking care of those weaker than you stops us from growing fast enough to beat the Hive Mind? Ever thought of that, Ash? Think about it. If you slay a dozen adventurers to get me to the next breakthrough, that would make us strong enough to kill the Hive Mind. Wouldn’t that in the long run save more than a dozen adventurers?”

“We’re not winning that way,” I said, glaring at Roq.

“You don’t have the luxury of choosing a type of victory when fighting a foe like the Hive Mind. Take it from me. I’ve lost a world to it once. If I could go back and do it all again, I’d burn my world to stop the monsters and protect a thousand eggs.”

“You misunderstand,” I said. “I don’t mean I don’t want to win that way.”

“What then?”

“I mean that if we try to win that way we will lose. Ruthlessness is not my strength, Roq. Nor is it that of Noros. Think of what you have seen here. The sacrifices guards and adventurers make for citizens and each other. What did our friends and family do when we were in trouble? They helped us raise the money and protect us. Victory won’t come from turning our allies against us. Would Eryn, Knut, and Nabeeh help us in slaying adventurers?”

“They already did.”

“You’re not talking of self defence and protecting ourselves. You are talking of hunting our own.”

“Fine. I see your point. They would leave us, and it would make us weaker. Point taken.” Roq sighed. “What if we defeat your king and put you in his place?”

“Isn’t that exactly what you said some tribes did in your world? Attack each other to gain power?”

“Damn it.”

“Listen, Roq. We do want the same, mostly. We both want to get to level sixty, gaining the power to achieve our goals, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you are in my world now, which means we do things my way. We kill monsters until we are strong enough to take down the Hive Mind. And once we are, we gather our allies and go slay it.”

“And then?”

“For now, you are bound to me. Maybe that will change as you break through. We know how to do it now, so you should be growing faster. Once we have secured Noros, then let’s see.”

“Will you come with me to kill the Hive Mind once your home is saved?”

Would I? Roq wasn’t wrong in what I was fighting for. What drove me wasn’t rage and revenge. Not really. The monsters killing Samuel was what drove me to become an adventurer, but not for revenge. I wanted to protect. Would it be enough to protect my world?

I chuckled.

“You think the destruction of my home, the slaying of my mate, and the destruction of my brood, funny?”

“What?” I said. “Of course not, you idiot. I’m laughing because you’ve got me imagining killing the Hive Minds here and liberating my world as simply a first step. To then take on the mantle of protector of the universe, fighting the Hive Mind on foreign worlds to save other species. It’s insane, Roq.”

“But feasible if we stand together.”

“I’m not sure about the feasible part, or the… I don’t know. How about we support each other in leveling up and save Noros first, and then we see, yeah? Our goals align at least that far,” I said, smiling.

“But who gets to break through to the thirties first?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I will reach nineteen swiftly. This I do not doubt. What then? Will you force me to stay there until you reach twenty-nine?”

“Being able to gain experience from kills is unique, and it does save us a ton of mind gems and time,” I said. “There would be some advantages to doing it that way, like saving the mind gems to trade for a class gem you will need.”

And I don’t want you to be higher level than me. I can’t risk losing control. Especially not after seeing this breakthrough.

Roq pondered for a moment, before saying, “put me on the floor.”

I did.

With a puff of black smoke, Roq transformed into his primal form. He was big, having to hunch down to avoid bumping his head on the ceiling.

“Hi?” I said.

Roq held out one of his bladed arms, and I took it, careful not to cut my hand on the edge.

We shook ‘hands’.

“I will take your offered deal, Ash. You have honor and you delivered on your promise, so I agree. We will hunt together until we liberate your world, and I will allow you to use me to gain experience through kills. But in exchange, I will require your help in dealing with the original Hive Mind,” Roq said, and then went up in a puff of smoke once again, leaving me to pick my warhammer off the floor.

“Agreed,” I said, heading downstairs and briefing my family on what we had agreed.

“Also, Roq managed to transform again. It works fast,” I said. “We should test out Hammer to the Face and then Primal Form.”

“Punishment followed by doom. I like it.”

“What will you do when he’s in his… Primal Form?” Nabeeh asked. “Throw rocks?”

“Of course not!” Roq huffed. “He’ll stand back and admire my handiwork! Obviously!”

“Needs second weapon,” Knut said. “Cannot be weaponless in fight.”

“He’s right,” Pa agreed. “A warrior without a weapon is fodder. We’ll need to forge you something else, Ash. Something…fun. A one-handed axe, perhaps? Or a longsword.”

“Absolutely not!” Roq said, sounding both insulted and betrayed. “Ash is my wielder. He needs no other weapon. It would be an insult to my power. A…a… betrayal of our sacred bond!”

Ma sighed loudly from the kitchen and came to the doorway.

“Roq, dear,” she said, her voice calm and reasonable. “Think of it this way. If Ash has another weapon, he can fight alongside you when you’re in your… other shape. He can protect your back. Help you flank your enemies. Wouldn’t that help you slay more monsters faster, making you stronger?”

Roq was silent for a long, stubborn moment.

“Ma, you speak pie-inspired wisdom,” he finally conceded. “A supporting weapon for my wielder would be… tactically sound. To better assist me in battle. Fine. But it must be a hammer. A smaller, less magnificent hammer, of course. A Mini-Me, if you will.”

“Then a mini-you we shall forge,” Pa said. “But I’d rather singe my beard than send my son out with anything short of epic quality, Roq, and you best know it.”

“I will allow it. No, I will make sure we make a masterful hammer that is just a touch worse than me.”

We all chuckled and settled down to wait for Ma to finish rustling up some night snacks.