Monsters and Angels Read online

  Realm Walker

  Monsters and Angels

  Book Two

  Erik Weir

  Realm Walker: Monsters and Angels © copyright 2018 Erik Weir

  All Rights Reserved

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  Cover Design and Artwork

  Germancreative and Version93

  Editing

  Lucid Dream Editing

  “Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we've lived. After all Number One, we're only mortal.”

  ― Jean-Luc Picard

  Realm Walker: Monsters and Angels is book two in the Realm Walker Trilogy. Please read Realm Walker: Blade and Shield to catch up. Thank you.

  One

  Dark gray clouds stretched from horizon to horizon. The air took on an electrical charge as a breeze caressed large green leaves. Amid the thick jungle, two pairs of eyes stared out to a mountain in the distance. Black and gray smoke spiraled into the air, touching the already dark sky. Tall flames danced from bonfires as figures camped, ate and patrolled the area right before the mountain. Tents stood with spears leaning against wooden racks. Three mammoths picked at trees along the edge of camp, their massive trunks coiling and pulling plants before stuffing them in their mouths.

  Victor never blinked as his eyes drank in the scene. The Blade stayed on his knees, information filling the sides of his vision. Nano-drones worked, scanning the camp, counting people who populated it and noting locations. Victor’s senses sharpened as data indicated probabilities of success and creating a small map in his visual display.

  A purple-skinned succubus moved closer to the Blade, hand on his shoulder but red eyes on the camp before the mountain, “How many?”

  Victor continued to stare as he spoke, “So far, about three hundred. There are three mammoths off to the side. The cave entrance is guarded by a dozen big guys and I have no idea how many more are inside the mountain.”

  Lily turned her red eyes to the Blade, “There might be too many. How do you feel about it?”

  Victor blinked and turned his attention to the beautiful demoness, “Pretty positive. They are savages…strong, intelligent savages but I still feel we have an edge.”

  Lily watched as the Blade gave a confident grin before turning her attention to the camp. “This might be too big for us right now.”

  Victor reached over and gave the succubus’s shoulder a light squeeze, “This is the perfect time to get back to the crusade. If I spend another day in Vala’s realm, I think I’m going to go crazy.”

  Lily shook her head, “It’s only been two weeks since Baaldir attacked. Maybe we should take a little more time.”

  Victor looked to the succubus’s tail as it trembled slightly, “Cold tail?”

  Lily’s brow wrinkled, “No, just uneasy. Since we are here and Cassandra…,” the succubus trailed off.

  Victor gave an understanding nod. “I know you feel Vala’s realm might be open to another attack but Vala did show us this place in our dreams. I doubt she wants us to simply wait until Cassandra wakes up. Besides, the acolytes can hold the fort while we’re gone.”

  Lily sat down, head tilted forward and shadows covering her eyes. “Vala has so many enemies.”

  Victor eyed Lily as she sat. It didn’t take a supernatural connection to see the succubus was filled with concern and a touch of uncertainty. The last two weeks were spent in mourning and recovering from the invasion of Vala’s mountain. The Blade knew Lily and Cassandra spent a lot of time together those years before he came along. The Keeper was the closest thing to family the succubus had.

  Victor sat down next to the succubus, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “I know your worried about Cassandra, we all are. She’s going to wake up. The best thing we can do now is bring ourselves that much closer to resurrecting Vala.”

  Lily turned her gaze to Victor’s, seeing a light in his eyes.

  The Blade smiled. “Let’s do our job. I need my Shield, and my partner.”

  The succubus gave a wry smile before nodding slightly. “I’m here for you. So, how do we want to do this?”

  Victor nodded before turning to the mountain camp in the distance. “I can gain a few powers here in the Tempest Realm. Once I activate them, I’ll attack down the middle while you try to distract the mammoths.”

  Lily stared for a moment before speaking, “Mammoth duty? Shouldn’t I be at your side when we attack?”

  “You know I want you at my side but I can’t see myself fighting the mammoths. They are just too cool to hurt and…I would feel bad. If you distract them until I reach the cave entrance, we can meet up and I’ll close the entrance behind us.”

  “There could be an army in the mountain. You feel confident we can take them all on?”

  A dreamy memory touched the Blade’s mind, seeing four faces in anguish as they were whipped. They cried out as their torturers delighted in their suffering. Victor and Lily were in each other’s arms as the dreams crawled into their minds, the pair waking up as images of whips came down again and again. Victor knew it was Vala, guiding what they had to do. When they entered the mists, they arrived not far from where they currently were hiding. The goddess gave them their time to mourn but the crusade must continue, for all their sakes.

  “It’s better that we try. We don’t know how long the prisoners will last and I’m tired of sitting on my hands. Let’s kick some ass in Vala’s name.”

  A tiny flame ignited in the succubus and she nodded in agreement.

  Victor looked to the mammoths and the camp, “How long do you think it will take you to reach the mammoths?”

  Lily followed the Blade’s gaze, “Ten minutes, I think.”

  “Okay, start making your way down and if I run into trouble…” the demoness cut him off.

  “I’m not leaving you behind,” Lily said with a scowl.

  Victor smiled. “I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to say do everything you can to rescue me. They threatened to eat me last time and I don’t feel like being anyone’s meal.”

  Lily gave the Blade an evil smirk, “That’s right, you’re my meat.”

  The couple’s smiles grew broader. Victor looked to the demoness as she kissed his cheek. Getting to her feet and staying low, Lily gave Victor a wink before darting into the thick jungle. The Blade watched as she was swallowed up by the trees and was gone from sight.

  Victor closed his eyes for a moment, spreading out his senses and calming his heart. Despite his confidence, the young man couldn’t deny his own reservations. An enemy god walked into Vala’s realm and tried to kill everyone there. Victor opened his eyes and looked away, the images of Hisk, Anita, and Abby still fresh in his heart and their remains buried in a small cemetery. Lamenting on their deaths would only slow them down. He needed to focus on the tasks at hand if they were going to be that much closer to bringing Vala back.

  Victor pulled up his stats in his vision. His gaze caught sight of the line where he had three powers he could unlock. The time he spent in the Xull realm was too short. Had he stayed just a little longer, he could have acquired three powers from that realm. The Blade knew he had to more careful since the battle in Vala’s realm nearly killed him as well. Since he was here in the Tempest Realm, this was the best time to try and max out one of his Spheres of Influence. Taking a deep breath, he mentally tapped at the Powers to be Unlocked.

  Energy surged into his body as he sat, chest pushing out and eyes wide. Power crawled into his heart and snaked out to his limbs. Three points of inner light slid open and the Blade
let out a long exhale as his alerts and stat sheet changed.

  You have unlocked the Jump ability!

  You have unlocked the Animal Shapeshift ability!

  You have unlocked the War Form ability!

  Victor Hobbs

  Acolytes Unlocked- 17/77

  Divine Orbs- 1

  Powers to Unlock-0

  Spheres of Influence

  Str (Gaia)- 5

  Con (Nano)- 4

  Int (Abyss)- 3

  Will (Holy)- 3

  Wis (Mind)- 4

  Cha (Shadow)- 3

  Swords

  Iron Sword

  Elemental Sword

  Gun Blade

  Sphere Abilities/Powers

  Mind

  Speak/Read/Write Languages

  Gaia

  Increased Strength/Speed

  Animal Tongues

  Jump

  Animal Shapeshift

  War Form

  Nano

  Heightened Senses Upgrade

  Shadow

  Holy

  Abyss

  Impulse Control Touch

  Victor studied his stats. Each sphere of influence has six powers he had to unlock. Looking to the Gaia Sphere, he saw that he now had five out of six. The Blade was that much closer to becoming a force to be reckoned with, but he knew he still had a long way to go. With six realms and six powers from each, he had to make sure he was gaining each ability as quickly as he could.

  Victor focused on the Gaia Sphere. Gaining a power was pretty self-explanatory, but how to use it was another matter. Judging from his own experiences, the extent of his powers was learned through trial and error. The Jump ability seemed obvious, but he didn’t know how far or how long he could jump. The Animal Shapeshift ability seemed very interesting, and again he didn’t know what the limitations were on what animals he could change into. The Blade looked to the War Form ability and wasn’t sure what would happen, and it made him feel uneasy.

  Change into a fly, and buzz into the cave.

  Victor frowned. “And leave Lily out there tackling the Mammoths…no,” the Blade whispered.

  She’s a big girl. She can handle herself.

  “Chill, if you’re not going to be helpful, be quiet,” Victor said in an annoyed tone to the shadow lurking in his heart.

  An invisible smile filled the Blade’s heart.

  I am being helpful. You should use discretion when entering the camp instead of what I know you’re going to do…diplomacy and then bash your way in.

  Victor shook his head. “I don’t think the savages are open to diplomacy.”

  So, aggressive negotiations is your plan?

  Victor looked up to the sky, time ticking away. “I’d rather not kill anyone if I can help it. Maybe a display of power will cause them to run.”

  I think you underestimate the stupidity of the mob. You killed war wolves, and that didn’t slow them down. Face it; they are going to come at you with everything they have.

  “Then this will be the time I show them death isn’t the only answer,” Victor smiled and stood up.

  This is a mistake.

  “Maybe…let’s make it a spectacular one,” Victor laughed.

  Mentally taking hold of his Spheres of Influence, the Blade channeled a point of Strength into his Jump ability. Power surged into his legs as his entire body felt lighter. Victor bent his legs while keeping his eyes on the camp in the distance. A steady pulse of energy coiled into every cell as the Blade readied himself. Taking a deep breath, the energy reached a tipping point and Victor blasted off into the air.

  The Blade’s eyes widened as the ground grew smaller as he launched himself skyward. Wind whipping at his trench coat, Victor looked around with a grin. A quick alert appeared in his vision indicating he was still ascending, reaching a height of two hundred feet in the air. Still climbing, eyes looked down as the lush jungle blurred past. When he reached two hundred and fifty feet, he hit the apex of his jump and almost glided forward before gravity began to pull him down. Falling, his eyes grew to the size of saucers, a thought stabbing into his mind wondering if he would survive the landing.

  The Blade quickly fell and when the ground rose up to meet him, he landed with a cloud of dirt billowing up. Not wanting to slow down, he was low to the ground before launching into the sky once again. Wind touching him again, he savored it as the thrill of almost flying filled his senses. For a brief instant he nearly forgot he was jumping into battle, and when he reached the apex of his jump and began to fall, he looked down to the wide-eyed expressions of the camp as they watched, stunned.

  Victor moved his legs forward as he fell toward the edge of the savage’s camp. When he landed, a cloud of dust and dirt blew up, obscuring him into a dark shadow, slowing standing up. Victor’s senses were dialed to eleven as the dust began to settle, many savages running to spears while others pulled out stone daggers. Muscled bodies quickly surged into a semicircle, a hundred feet from the Blade.

  Victor held up open hands and a small smile on his lips. “I’m not here to fight. I just came for Vala’s acolytes,” Victor projected to the gathering army.

  Scowls and growls greeted him as the large force began to inch closer. A menacing pulse blanketed the area as every able-bodied savage took up arms. The cloudy sky grew darker and a lightning bolt flashed. Victor kept his stance relaxed, watching the mob study him before they gained enough courage to attack.

  “This doesn’t have to get ugly,” Victor said with an even tone.

  A loud whistle halted the advancing savages. Victor stared as the main force parted and a strong woman barely covered in animal skins stepped through. The Blade wondered how she was able to get anything done being almost naked. Firm breasts bounced, barely contained by her animal fur top. Long blonde hair framed her face as thick thighs stepped with power. The fur bikini bottom caused the Blade to redouble his efforts to not stare. When the woman stood before the savage army, spear in hand and stone dagger at her side, she gave the Blade a lingering hard stare.

  “Luka, you’re looking fit,” Victor said with cool eyes.

  The tall woman kept her intense gaze as she spoke. “Baaldir warned me you may appear. I’m glad we didn’t have to wait too long. I was growing bored.”

  Victor kept his hands up to his chest, “Before we continue, I want to say I’m sorry for what I said in your tent, but to be fair, you were going to have me cooked and eaten. Tensions may have been a little high.”

  Luka’s face remained hard as stone. “No need. I wasn’t as impressed by Vala’s Champion as one would be from the stories told.”

  Victor put a hand over his heart and wrinkled his brow, “Ouch, right in the feels.”

  Luka ignored the Blade and continued, “I thought you would try to sneak into camp. I didn’t expect you to simply appear like some dim-witted fool asking to die.”

  Victor nodded, “I thought would give us all a chance to talk it out before I began beating the hell out of everyone.”

  Luka’s eyes narrowed before they grew tired. “There is nothing to discuss. Baaldir wants you broken and laid before his feet.”

  Victor glanced off to the side, seeing the three mammoths turned in his direction, thick legs shuffling and trunks curling. The mammoths stared at the Blade and Victor could see they wanted to charge. Savages gripped their spears and daggers, bodies tense.

  Head tilting forward, the Blade let his smile slide into a smirk. “I really don’t want to give you, or your people, black eyes. Send out the acolytes and we walk away. I don’t want your tribe to see you defeated.”

  Luka’s thin mouth curled into a sardonic smile. “You’re Vala’s whelp, a weak fool for a long dead goddess. Baaldir is strength incarnate. You have nothing to bargain with.”

  Victor’s smile faded as his hands dropped to his sides. “That’s where you’re wrong. The bargain I offer, if you bring out the acolytes, I leave with them and you stay to rule your tribe in peace. Otherwise, your tribe won
’t survive seeing you defeated, seems pretty fair if you ask me.”

  Luka kept her dark smile, “Bring me his head and cook what’s left. Tonight, we celebrate the death of Vala’s Champion.”

  Victor tilted his head forward and sighed, “Aggressive negotiations it is.”

  Muscled bodies surged into a charge, spear points aimed at the Blade. Victor held out his hand, a tattoo on his forearm sliding forward and a gun blade emerging from his wrist and into his waiting palm. Victor mentally tapped on his Constitution sphere, spending a point. The six-cylinder holes at the hilt of the gun blade glowed with power as the sword was now armed. Not slowing down, two points of Strength powered into Victor’s body. An alert appeared in his vision, showing his upper limit was a thousand pounds.

  Victor aimed his gun blade at the base of the stampeding savages, finger hovering over the trigger. The gleam of the sword shined as lightning flashed across the sky once again. With cool eyes, Victor pulled the trigger. A bolt of energy blasted out along the top part of the sword and hit the ground inches from the incoming wave of bodies. Several savages were thrown back from the explosion and many others slowed their advance, wild eyes on the Blade. Victor moved his arm slightly and fired again. The energy blast sent dirt and debris into the air as the incoming line slowed further and soon stopped. Luka’s smile turned to manic rage as the tribe hesitated to advance.

  Victor held his gun blade over his head. “This is my BOOM SWORD! If any of you savages touch me, you’re going to get the business end of it,” Victor projected his voice.

  The gathered savages looked to their leader and back to the man with the sword.

  Victor took a step forward, “I’m walking into that mountain.”

  The mammoths roared as hairy bodies began their advance. A figure leapt from the trees, staff in hand. Victor looked over to see Lily land on one of the backs of the massive beasts, driving the blunt end into the back of the head of the leading mammoth. It blared out its annoyance as the trunk curled around to grab at the purple skinned demoness. Lily flipped away and landed on the same mammoth, body bending and jumping away from the trunk searching for her. The other two mammoths moved in closer, trunks trying to grab at the nimble succubus.