Tower of Avarice: A LitRPG story

Chapter 158 – Floor 15: Part 4

When Mathew was young, he had gone to the Central Park Zoo on a school trip. He remembered the sea lions and the penguins, but the grizzly bears made him appreciate the size and power of those wild animals.

The Ancestral Beast of the Bearfolk lumbered out of the forest, and Mathew once again felt awe. It was enormous, as large as a house, with thick brown fur that had a white streak from its forehead all the way along its back.

It had antlers, a great, branching mass that protruded from its head and formed a crown around it. There was a shimmer of mana throughout its horns, and they appeared to be made of a material similar to crystalized Aether, only these were pitch black.

Mathew drew in a sharp breath at the oppressive atmosphere that pressed down upon him. No one was spared; the humans were forced to their knees, and even the Bearfolk could barely move as their ancestors revealed their power.

Alfred collapsed beside him; his loud coughing and gasping for air immediately drew Mathew’s attention. Thankfully, Enalious seemed to be strong enough to still function and took it upon himself to begin treating Alfred.

“You need to hurry, Prince Aiden.” Enalious said from where he was hunched over the sickly prince. Mathew nodded and urged ‘Midnight,’ his magical horse, forward a few steps before dismounting. Midnight was a fine horse, but it wasn’t suited for combat.

“Alter Self – Augmented Strength.” Mathew felt his muscles bulge before compacting once again, becoming denser and heavier. A new vitality flowed through him as his mana supplemented his physical abilities. He drew about ten percent more from his mana reserves as he pushed his transmuted muscles to their limits.

“Alter Self – Iron Bones.” His skeleton increased in mass, hardening and gaining mass. His boots sunk deeper into the island’s soft grass. There were a series of cracks and snaps from his body as he grew accustomed to the changes before they settled.

Mathew wasn’t done yet, so he took a deep breath. He slightly dreaded using his next blessing. But he could feel the ‘Buzz’ pulsating at the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine.

The Ancestral Beast in front of him was a challenge that he couldn’t afford to underestimate; he would need every ability he possessed to defeat it.

“Subjugation Aura of the Righteous.” Mathew felt another ten percent of his mana flow out from him. It gathered in the air a few inches away from his body. A light seemed to collect around him, a glow that emanated far above him and shone down like a spotlight.

The oppressive feeling from the Ancestral Beast vanished, and a new aura replaced it. One of righteousness and dominance, of supreme ownership of all within sight that demanded obedience and subservience.

As the Ancestral Beast’s power waned, Mathew’s grew. He felt more strength gather inside his body, his connection to whatever plane or realm the gods inhabited fortified, his thoughts flowed more swiftly, and his perception of his surroundings increased.

Time slowed for Mathew; he was aware of himself and those around him to a degree he had never felt before. He knew that if the Ancestral Beast attacked him, he would be able to defend himself better with the Aura than without it.

Mathew’s final preparation was to draw the Wrathful Blade from his inventory. To the observers behind him, it seemed as if Prince Aiden had reached into a void and gripped something. With visible effort, he slowly drew the sword from nothingness; his hand shook from the weight.

When it was finally free, the flat front edge of the sword fell onto the ground and dug deeply into the soil. To those who were watching, the feeling of confusion that came with seeing their Prince pull out a rusty sword that lacked a point was wiped away as a new tyrannical power exploded around them.

To everyone around Mathew, it felt as if the edge of that Executioner’s Sword was pressed up against their necks, ready to end their lives in an instant.

Mathew strained to raise the Wrathful Blade and settle it on his shoulder. The weight of the sword was incredible, and he swore that it was even heavier now that he was using the Aura along with his other Blessings.

The sword gave him the impression that the stronger he grew, the weightier it would become.

“Alright, let’s get this over with.” Mathew muttered as he sized up his opponent. The Ancestral Beast had walked out onto the field, leaving the other Bearfolk behind. They could not move as the Ancestral Beast's power was too much for them to approach.

This was a battle that only Mathew and it could participate in.

Mathew charged across the distance; his every step weighed down by the sword in his hands. But his movement was increased by his Blessings and Aura; he travelled faster than even Midnight could manage.

With a roar, the Ancestral Beast lashed out with its colossal paw; its claws raked through the ground and left trenches wider than Mathew’s body in its wake.

Mathew leapt over the paw, raised his sword and slammed it down on the Ancestral Beast's furred arm with all of his strength. The blade bit deeply, and blood spurted, covering Mathew’s body and the ground around them in crimson liquid.

The Ancestral Beast bellowed in pain and reared upright, away from Mathew’s reach. It swung its other hand at Mathew, only to have the agile human dodge it and strike again. Having received two attacks by Mathew and its flesh cut by the rusty blade in his hands, the Ancestral Beast retreated.

“You’re not that tough.” Mathew spat out as he wiped the blood from his face and raised his sword again. He would have held his comment to himself if he had his time back.

The Ancestral Beast raised its body up onto two legs, and mana gathered around it in a vortex. With a loud howl, the sky darkened, and Mathew felt the ground shake in response. It slammed its front paws onto the ground, forming cracks in the earth.

Lightning crackled between its antlers, arcing and flickering between its prongs. Mathew could feel the ‘Buzz’ growing stronger, warning him of the danger. But he didn’t have time to react. The creature's speed had increased dramatically, and Mathew couldn’t keep up with it.

It charged toward him like a streak of light, its body a blur. By the time Mathew was aware of what was happening, the Ancestral Beast was practically on top of him. A swipe of its front claw sent Mathew flying; the impact cracked his magical armour and what felt like all of his ribs.

Mathew landed on the ground and rolled dozens of feet before he crashed into a boulder, shattering it into pieces. He coughed and spat out blood. His vision wavered, and, for a moment, Mathew thought he would pass out. His hands were empty, and he had no idea what had happened to the Vengeful Blade.

The Ancestral Beast wasn’t finished; it leapt toward him with its mouth wide open in preparation to devour him whole.

Mathew raised a shaky hand and pointed at the monster. His hand faltered, and his strength was leaving him. His Subjugation Aura flickered and failed. His body began to revert back to its regular form, and the alterations to his strength and bones deteriorated.

The pain grew as his Blessings weakened; he could feel the splinters of bone puncturing his skin. Hissing through teeth broken from the impact, Mathew whispered a Word of Power.

“Burn.” He muttered as he focused all of his being onto the rapidly approaching Ancestral Beast. Using the Word of Power was one of the strangest experiences he had ever felt, and if he weren’t so close to death, Mathew would have explored the feeling further.

As it was, Mathew felt something in his mind unlock, accessing knowledge that a human should not possess. There were secrets to the universe, information on its creations and manipulation that, even now, Mathew couldn’t understand.

But he could tap into it, some lingering essence of those long-forgotten and dead Celestials through the Blessing granted to him by Arthur.

The world shifted; up was suddenly down, the day became night, and everything had a sense of wrongness. Suddenly, fire engulfed the Ancestral Beast.

It fell to the ground, writhing in pain as white flames covered its body. Clinging stubbornly to its fur, the flames refused to smother no matter how much the creature rolled around. It screamed in agony, and Mathew joined it in crying out.

Pain like he had never experienced before flooded his body. It felt like his own flesh was burning, and sharp needles were poking through his eyes and into his mind. The sense of wrongness intensified, and Mathew gripped his head in an attempt to block the sensation.

Closing his eyes, he swore he could feel someone watching him. In the darkness behind his eyelids, there were crimson eyes creatures staring at him, judging him for tapping into knowledge that did not belong to him.

The souls of the Celestials were now aware of him through his use of the Word of Power, and they were displeased.

The pain continued for long moments before it finally subsided. When Mathew opened his eyes, Alfred was next to him, feeding him a healing potion that Mathew had given to the sickly youth. The liquid warmed his chest as he swallowed it and waited for the relief it brought.

Capable of finally moving, he pulled several more of from his inventory, popping the corks and downing them as the Ancestral Beast continued to flail around in the distance. When Mathew regained his feet, the flames died, and the creature lay weakly on the ground.

He dragged his still battered body to where the Vengeful Blade was buried in the soil; the weight of the weapon was nearly beyond him. Hauling the sword with both hands, leaving a trench in its wake as he did so, Mathew approached the Ancestral Beast.

When it was finally dead, its body turned into specks of light. The only thing that remained was a small piece of crystallized Aether in the shape of a heart. Picking it up, Mathew tossed it to Alfred. Behind them, the army was preparing to charge forward and defeat the remaining Bearfolk.

“Here, hold onto this for me. It’s probably safer with you.” With that, Mathew collapsed into darkness.