Rewind: A Grimdark LitRPG Series (Pyresouls Apocalypse, Book 1) by James Callum (reading tree .txt) 📕

Jacob twisted, pivoted on the balls of one foot, and came down hard in a heavy overhand chop.

Abyss Swallows All cleaved the Burgon Beast’s head in half right down the middle. His sword kept going until it sank into the stone, creating a thin cut in it that wedged the blade tight.

Jacob dismissed the blade and summoned it into his waiting palm, watching it nearly depleted Stamina recover. Was it over? The Burgon Beast was slumped to the stone floor, its head split down to the neck. Nothing could survive that.

A quick brace of the [Duskblade] at the faintest flicker of movement saved Jacob’s life. Barring the Gate turned the wide blade into an impromptu shield and deflected the harpooning tendril that shot out of what was once the Burgon Beast’s head.

Slithering black tentacles crawled out from the mangled mess like black vines dripping oil. They grabbed both pieces of the Burgon Beast’s bisected skull and pulled it together.

The result was a Frankensteinian creation that didn’t quite match up right. Black vines reformed the beast’s lower jaws, and gleaming silvery teeth erupted from the tendrils reforming the mouth.

Swallowing the bile that rose in the back of his throat, Jacob came on again. The Burgon Beast was faster now, whipping black vines cracked in the air as they erupted from its many wounds.

It seemed all that was holding the Burgon Beast together was some kind of… parasite. The beast lunged at him, and Jacob dove forward to the right in a roll. He took a stinging hit that drew blood on his cheek from a passing black vine but avoided the worst of it thanks to his faster speed.

Jacob came up in a rush, twisting and lunging after the beast’s hindquarters with Dove Takes Flight. The Burgon Beast let out a strangled yelp as the arcing slice lopped off its tail.

Separated from the main body, the tail melted into a black oily goo.

In place of its tail, a coiling segment of black tendrils erupted from the wound. Tipped with a gleaming silver stinger dripping caustic purple poison, it waved the new appendage menacingly in the air.

“You just don’t know when to quit, do you?” he groaned.

Sheltering Rain fended off a stinging blow from its new tail just as the Burgon Beast rushed at him. Dodging to the side, Jacob twisted and carved a long wound in the Burgon Beast’s flank with Stag Rushes Through the Field.

Through the gaping wound Jacob saw writhing black worms, they screeched an impossibly high pitch well out of human’s typical hearing - but not his Fae-touched - that had him reeling.

His next few motions were purely instinctual. Leaf Circles the Whirlpool transitioned into Souldrinker at the 12 o’clock point, suddenly stabbing down into the shoulder of the Burgon Beast’s charging form.

Jacob crashed into the ground with the Burgon Beast atop him, but he never let go of the blade or stopped its burning flames or the Soul siphoning ability.

The lashing wounds of the tentacles were punctuated with the deep acidic burn of its poison-tipped tail burrowing into his stomach through a gap in his armor. Even as his Health drained away, Jacob held on and let the sword do its work.

Have to… weaken it.

You Died.

You never get used to death.

Jacob came awake suddenly and started to swing at the air, only to remember he was safe. For the time being.

The Steps of Penance Pyre wasn’t terribly far from the Desecrated Catacombs, considering how fast the Burgon Beast was able to travel between Pyres so far. The only shorter path was from the Steps of Penance to the Razor Pass.

As Jacob reached into the Pyre to will himself to the Steps of Penance, the Fire Oppa opened his tired eyes. The Pyre was barely more than glowing coals at that point. A sneeze could snuff it out, and the Fire Oppa too.

Jacob’s stomach twisted, noticing how thin and frail the Fire Oppa looked.

As the Fire Oppa shakily rose on all fours, it gingerly padded through the ash to Jacob. Quick to relieve Fenris of his burden, Jacob scooped him up and held him close to his chest. Near one of the holes in his armor where he hoped the Fire Oppa might feel some of Jacob’s warmth.

“Do not… go,” said the Fire Oppa breathlessly. Jacob didn’t have the heart to argue, but he also knew that doing nothing would doom the Fire Oppa to a fate he couldn’t bear to let him suffer.

“I have to,” Jacob said as softly as he could, looking down at the weak ferret-like creature. His fur barely glowed. He couldn’t even feel his warmth anymore.

“Too fast… never make it… weak. So weak…”

“How can I help?”

“Take me… away.”

Jacob scrunched up his face. “Where?”

“Village… go now. Beast is coming.” And with that, the Fire Oppa suddenly stilled. Jacob’s heart stuttered in his chest, his throat closed up.

Then he saw the faintest rise in the Fire Oppa’s chest and knew he had only passed out. Without any idea of what the Fire Oppa’s real plan was, Jacob set him down in his lap and summoned Flame Blade one last time.

That done, he gingerly lifted the Fire Oppa and set him securely in the crook of his left arm. Holding the Fire Oppa there, Jacob stood and held out his flaming [Duskblade] ahead of him as he left the Pyre.

This was no place to fight the Burgon Beast. With sheer drops all about and tight quarters, it would have an advantage with all its newfound whipping tendrils.

The few Vacant that still littered the trail were quickly and easily dispatched, particularly since he came across the archers first before they saw him.

Nobody ever went back to the Shrouded Village.

From time to time, the Fire Oppa whined and whimpered, pressing himself closer to Jacob. The glow of his fur went completely out as Jacob came into the Shrouded Village. True to its name, a thin fog hung in the air all about.

Falling Rain and Sunflower Faces the