Path of Dragons - A LitRPG Apocalypse (BOOK TWO STUBBING AUGUST 15)

Oscar Ramirez leaped to the side, then slammed his hatchet into the creature’s forehead. It fell, but he knew from experience that it wouldn’t last. Escobar barked, and with each sound came a softball-sized mass of roiling fire that slammed into the fallen creature. The smell of sizzling meat filled the air, mingling with the scent of blood, emptied bowels, and fear.

“Burn them all,” Oscar commanded.

Escobar barked gleefully, and ethera gathered before a giant ball of fire appeared high above. Oscar and his pack knew better than to be there when it fell, so even as it grew, he and the others dashed away. By the time they’d reached the other side of the square, Escobar’s spell had completed.

The meteor fell.

And everything within a hundred feet of the impact was vaporized. Oscar had seen that spell – only available once a week – destroy even the most powerful monsters. And yet, he knew it wouldn’t be enough. The five dead bodies were melted beyond all recognition, but that would not be enough.

He called to his pack, and they retreated through Nexus Town. With Canine Senses, he could smell dozens of people hiding within the surrounding buildings, and he saw with his own eyes the aftermath of hundreds of battles. The once-pristine settlement now played host to more than a hundred dead bodies, and many of the buildings surrounding the square were covered in blood. A few had even been destroyed altogether, leaving only piles of rubble behind.

That was a testament to just how furious the battles had been. Those buildings were far more durable than they would have been back on Earth – at least from what Oscar had seen – so to see them so thoroughly destroyed was quite a shock. Not that he could concern himself with that. Instead, he guided his pack through the settlement, letting Jojo and Digby scout the way ahead.

With Pack Bond, he could communicate with them on the most basic level. They didn’t use words, but rather, did so through mental impressions, scents, and body language. Oscar didn’t know how he interpreted it all so accurately, but he accepted it nonetheless.

Jojo zipped in, letting him know that the way was clear, and together, the pack found sanctuary on the outskirts of town. Once they were safe, Oscar settled down to think. As he did so, he used Pack Mending, and his family was encapsulated by an aura of regeneration. It wasn’t as miraculous as what some of the Healers he’d seen in town manage, but it was enough to push everyone back to good condition.

“They got you too, huh?” came a voice from the door.

Oscar was on his feet in a second, and the pack responded just as quickly. Jackson and Sophie took the lead, while Ray and Maymay sank to the back of the room. Oscar could feel ethera swirling around them both, and he knew that they were preparing to depower the intruder via various spells that would negatively affect the man’s attributes or restrict his movement. At the same time, Digby circled around, already embracing stealth, and Freddy let out a long, low growl as he prepared to pounce.

Finally, Escobar let out a bark, a tendril of smoke curling up from his mouth.

“I come in peace,” said the newcomer, raising his hands. That didn’t assuage Oscar’s suspicion. The man looked disheveled, as if he’d recently been in a fight. His flowing white shirt was ripped in multiple places, and he had blood on his cheek. It made him look like a Hollywood actor who’d just finished an action scene. Just enough damage to tell the audience that he’d been in a fight, but not so much as to mar his looks.

Oscar immediately distrusted the man.

“What do you want?” he growled, using Pack Bond to tell his family not to act prematurely. A fight was still on the table, but not until the man proved he was hostile. When that happened, they would destroy him.

The one thing that truly held Oscar back was that the newcomer didn’t smell like one of the unkillable monsters. Instead, he smelled like something else. Something sickly sweet, with a tinge of sulfur that put Oscar on edge. He didn’t like it. Not one little bit.

“Strength in numbers?” the man suggested with a shrug and a small smile. “I know you’ve been fighting them. So have I. Ruined my favorite shirt, in fact. Why don’t we work together?”

“Why do you smell like that?”

“Like what?” the man asked. He lifted an arm and gave a sniff. “I admit that it’s been a few days since I had the opportunity to shower, but –”

“Like rotten eggs and fruit that’s been left out too long. It’s a deep smell. It’s…part of you.”

“Oh. That.”

“Explain or leave.”

Left unsaid was that Oscar’s pack was more than ready to end the man. It wasn’t a fight Oscar wanted – he tried to avoid killing people if possible – but sometimes it was necessary. And after everything he’d seen over the past two days, he was more willing to trust his nose than his eyes. He didn’t believe the newcomer was one of the monsters-in-human-skin, but he could never be sure, especially when Canine Senses told him to be wary.

“It’s my core. I had an opportunity to take a step forward with my cultivation, and I took it,” the man said, idly running a hand through his black hair. “I was visited by a member of an elder race. He helped me, but in exchange, it changed some of my abilities. I think it might have changed even more than that, but I can’t be sure.”

Oscar didn’t know anything about elder races, but he certainly understood the importance of core cultivation. When he’d taken the first step, it had increased his power by a significant degree, so he couldn’t blame anyone for using whatever methods they had available to do the same. Even if it meant they’d have to deal with the stink.

“What is your name?”

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“Benedict,” the man said. “I was –”

Just then, the wall exploded, sending shards of stone flying in every direction. Oscar had already been keyed up for battle, so he quickly embraced Pack Empowerment. It was a simple spell that would increase his family’s attributes by a few points in every category. But that was only the beginning. He also used Feral Speed, increasing their haste. And finally, he let out a Bestial Howl.