The End of the World has Come

Chapter 6: Golden Chains

It is in my blood Kaelith screamed, ripping at his rusty armor as the golden light poured into his veins.

He was really scared.

Get it out get it out he shouted.

Hold the line you cowards Vane roared, swinging a sword at the air his eyes wide with fear.

It is a system glitch he said.

Do not let it touch you.

The golden light did not care about their screams.

It just kept coming, like a wave of thick heavy liquid.

It moved with a purpose burning away the air and the yellow fog of the Entropy Plague.

Creed watched them from the security monitors in the bunker.

He sat still in his chair his hands on the console.

He was connected to the bunker like he was a part of it.

He could feel the walls and the beams. He could feel the people outside.

They were like broken machines to him. He wanted to fix them.

The visitor who had talked to him earlier was gone.

Creed leaned closer to the monitor.

Out in the courtyard, Silas fell to his knees in the mud.

The golden light wrapped around his swords and he screamed.

But it was not burning him it was fixing him.

It was making his armor stronger and his joints better.

Silas stopped screaming. He looked at his hands.

He had shiny gauntlets on and a golden symbol on his chest.

I feel it Silas whispered, my mana is infinite.

But Vane was scared he was screaming.

He is not healing you he is enslaving you Vane shouted.

He is taking away our classes.

Vane was right.

The system said that the Sovereign Domain was expanding and it was changing the people outside.

It was making them into drones. Taking away their free will.

Creed did not like this it made him feel bad.

He wanted to fix the world. Not, like this.

He did not want to be a tyrant he wanted to be a mechanic.

He wanted to fix the parts not rewrite the soul.

So he used the console to change the system to make it leave the people's minds intact.

The bunker. The golden light pulsed.

Then it settled into a steady glow.

Silas was. He ripped off his helmet.

He was. He looked at his hands.

Then he looked at the bunker. He fell to his knees.

Vane was kneeling too his wrists were healed,. He was sad.

He knew what he was now he was a servant.

Creed breathed a sigh of relief he had drawn the line.

He had kept his humanity even if it meant leaving some things broken.

Then there was a loud scary noise.

It was the Abyssal Behemoth, a monster.

The golden light had tried to fix it. It was not working.

The monster was fighting back. It was making the light turn black.

The system said that the assimilation field had failed and the monster was taking over.

Creed stood up he had to do something.

He could not let the monster win.

First, he had to keep a promise.

He went to the bay, where the little girl he had rescued was sleeping.

He opened the cryo-pod. He lifted her out.

He held her against his chest. He warmed her up.

She. She looked up at him.

Are you the monster she whispered.

No Creed said, I am the handyman.

What is your name he asked.

Elara she whispered.

You are safe now Creed said.

You have to stay in this room it is locked.

There is food and water. You will be okay.

Why are you leaving Elara asked.

Because there is a mess outside Creed said.

I have to go clean it up.

He put his helmet back on. He went to fight the monster.

Creed turned around. Walked out of the med-bay. The doors slid shut and locked with a magnetic lock.

He pulled out his dagger in his left hand and held his heavy staff in his right hand. Creed did not run. He walked slowly and deliberately like a person who's about to carry out a death sentence.

He stepped onto the elevator and it took him straight up to the area behind the big Sovereign Blast Gates.

The area was shaking. The blast gates were groaning because of the pressure from the Behemoths' entropy field.

Open them Creed told the system.

The big steel gates. Slid open.

The bad land outside was making a lot of noise as Creed walked out of the bunker and into the world.

The courtyard was a battlefield where different worlds were fighting. On one side the bunker was sending out a steady gold light. On the other side, the Behemoth was sending out a bad purple light that could destroy the world. In the middle, the Vanguard elites were lying in the mud crying out in pain because of the conflicting energies.

When Creed stepped out the Behemoth stopped sending out energy and looked at him with its many eyes. It knew who Creed was.

The monster jumped at him.

It moved fast covering a lot of ground in one jump. Its big jaw, with spinning teeth closed exactly where Creed had been standing a moment before.

Creed was not there.

He had moved quickly to the side using the power of the mythic core. Creed swung his staff. Hit the monster's jaw.

The impact was very loud. The staff's power sent a shockwave that broke some of the monster's teeth and sent air moving through the courtyard.

The monster moved to the side screaming in anger. It did not fall. It swung its spiked tail at Creed.

Creed did not move. He put his staff on the ground. Raised his left hand.

He used his skill to fix the space around him. The golden light from his hand stopped the monster's tail from moving.

Vane, who was nearby looked at Creed in surprise. A normal person was fighting a monster and winning.

Creed stopped using his skill and moved forward. He was not trying to wear the monster down. He wanted to take it

He put his dagger into the monster's leg. The dagger went through the monster's skin. Cut the tendons that held its leg together. The monster. Its leg fell to the ground.

The monster was not a normal creature. It did not feel pain like living things. Its leg started to heal away.

The system warned Creed that the monster was healing fast.

Creed knew he had to destroy the monster's core.

He moved forward using the monster's leg as a step and ran up its body toward its chest.

The monster knew what Creed was trying to do. It opened its chest. Not to show its core. Instead, it showed a purple hole that could suck Creed in and crush him.

The pull of the hole was very strong. Creed's feet left the monster's body. He was pulled toward the hole.

Creed did not panic. He looked at the core, a glowing crystal. Raised his staff.

He used all his power to send a blast of energy at the core.

The two energies. Caused a huge explosion.

The monster's core. A big explosion of light came out of its chest. The pull of the hole. Creed was thrown backward.

He flew through the air. Landed hard in the mud. His armor helped him. He was hurt and his vision was blurry.

He looked up. Saw that the monster was frozen. Its chest was open. It was glowing with a golden light. The monster let out a scream and then disappeared into tiny glowing pieces.

Where the monster had been a big crystal was left behind. It was shifting between black and gold.

The system told Creed that he had won. He got a lot of experience points. Leveled up three times. He was now level 16.

Creed slowly got up using his staff to help him. His body was hurting,. He felt better as his level-up regeneration healed him.

He walked toward the crystal. The Vanguard elites were watching him their eyes wide with fear and respect.

Creed reached out. Touched the crystal.

He got an item, a refined Abyssal Heart. It was very rare and powerful.

Creed closed his eyes. Smiled. He had the power source he needed for his bunker. Now he had the factory to make weapons for his army.

The courtyard was quiet. The bad rain had. The air smelled fresh.

Creed turned to face the Vanguard elites.

Vane was kneeling in front of him looking at the ground.

Look at me Creed said.

Vane looked up his eyes empty of arrogance.

You belong to the Sanctuary now Creed said. The system told you to fight and kill.. The system is broken. From now on we will build and repair. We will protect ourselves from the things. If you want to leave you can go into the wasteland. If you stay you will work for me.

No one moved. They had seen what the wasteland was like. Creed was their hope.

Creed tapped his staff on the ground. Get inside. Get ready, for your work.

The elites got up. Moved quickly toward the bunker. Creed watched them go feeling a sense of responsibility. He had an army of men. He had a sanctuary. He had a reason to keep going.

He looked at the Abyssal Heart. Prepared to take it inside the bunker.

Before he could give the order the LitRPG system interface popped up in his vision. It was not the blue or the corrupted red but a harsh flashing crimson.

The global system voice, which had been quiet since the move announcement suddenly boomed in his mind. It echoed with a metallic sound.

GLOBAL SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT.

Warning something is wrong in Sector Seven.

A new place has been made without permission.

The system rules have been broken. The reality anchor is in trouble.

Creed held his staff tight looking at the ruined skyline.

The voice kept going.

Alert, a safe place has been found in Sector One.

A bad place is growing in Sector One.

Connecting a channel...

The system text in Creed's vision. A live audio feed started. The voice was not the cold system voice. It was a voice. It was smooth. Sounded highly educated. The voice was also very arrogant which made Vane seem humble.

The voice said, " Well, well well with noise on the edges. It seems I am not the one who figured out how to break the rules.

Who are you Creed asked in an angry voice.

I am the one in charge of the Eastern Seaboard the voice replied with a laugh. I am the Architect of the East. I saw what you did on the grid Handyman. You made an engine core. That was very smart of you.

Creed did not say anything. He was thinking, trying to figure out the threat. Sector One was over two thousand miles away.

The Architect kept talking. I just wanted to introduce myself. You see this broken world only has materials for one perfect place. Having two leaders is not needed.. I do not like things that are not needed.

Is this a declaration of war Creed asked, looking at the flickering crimson hologram.

War the Architect laughed, the sound cold. War means a struggle, Handyman. This is an order to tear down. I am sending a team to take apart your bunker and bring me that engine core. Enjoy the air while you can.

The transmission stopped with a static noise. The crimson interface disappeared, leaving Creed alone in the courtyard.

He looked at the Abyssal Heart then turned to the eastern horizon, where the sky was still full of violent storms. He had just fought a monster saved a child and controlled a group of strong people. He was very tired.

As he looked at the east a slow dangerous smile appeared on his face under the helmet.

Let them come Creed whispered to the wind. Let them see what happens when they try to break a man who can fix things.

He took the Abyssal Heart. Turned back, to the bunker. The golden gates were open waiting for him. The first part of survival was over. The kingdom was built.

Now he had to protect it.