Chapter 29

  All Hell Breaks Loose,

  Endgame, Part 2

  “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! If that blast wave hits me, I'm dead! Even though this alien metal's clearly built to withstand incidental contact with Set's breath weapon, the heat and radiation from these blasts is taking a heavy toll. Sucking up the air ahead to prevent compressive heating melting the ship to slag, keeping the fuel tanks for these fusion engines full, and keeping the ship from falling apart is taking everything I have in terms of concentration and MP usage! I can't fly or accelerate in anything but a damn straight line here!”

  “Alert. Approaching maximum attainable speed for atmospheric conditions before drag coefficient and other factors result in structural integrity is fully compromised.”

  “Ship. Please adjust thrust to maintain speed.”

  “Acknowledged. Alert. At current speed, we will impact those mountains in approximately 352.31459 seconds. Observed phenomenon of matter consumption at the front of the ship is insufficient to mitigate impact forces. Resulting collision will result in severe structural damage and being wedged deep in the earth before the explosive wave chasing us collides with us from behind, resulting in total destruction of this ship. Recommend an immediate start to gaining altitude until the obstacle is cleared.”

  “Very well. Initiate immediate ascent until the mountains are cleared.”

  “Understood. Calculating ideal angle of ascension to maximize velocity and clearance.... Calculations complete. Beginning ascent.”

  The ship manipulates some wing flaps to slowly point its nose upwards, 1, then 5, then 10, and finally 15 degrees to the ground and begins rapidly climbing upward to avoid colliding with the rapidly approaching mountains while not slowing down in the face of the pursuing explosive shockwave.

  Through the flames, it is seen that while the explosive shockwave is still radiating outward from ground zero, Set herself, the vacuum caused by the original explosion is pulling back all the matter that isn't still being pushed away, greatly increasing the damage done. The leading edge of the shockwave still carries an insane amount of heat, scorching any living thing that gets close, melting the ground into a glass-like substance, and igniting wildfires as it approaches the forests which are then quickly snuffed out when the wave hits and instantly depletes the oxygen in the area.

  “Thank whatever god(dess) is watching over us! The shockwave is finally beginning to run out of explosive force. If we can get over the crest of the mountains, we should be safe.... YEGADS! The clouds have spit directly over the epicenter. That means at least a gigaton of explosive force! Now that the ship's handling the fine maneuvers, perhaps it's a good time to check my System messages.”

  You have been awarded the title BUTCHER for killing over 100 sapient beings with a single attack. Beings of the same race as the victims will look at you with deep suspicion. Effective Charisma reactions at -5

  You have been awarded the title MADMAN for killing over 1000 sapient beings with a single attack. Beings of the same race as the victims will look at you with disgust and hatred. Effective Charisma reactions at -10

  You have been awarded the title LUNATIC for killing over 10,000 sapient beings with a single attack. Beings of the same race as the victims will look at you with sheer terror.

  You have been awarded the title OMNICIDAL MANIAC for killing over 100,000 sapient beings with a single attack. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! This title was generated as a bit of a joke when The System was installed on the planet. No spell or combination of spells can have an AOE big enough nor do enough damage, and triggering a natural disaster, like a wildfire or landslide, is considered collateral damage! No special effects except for bragging rights.

  For killing an invading god without being a god yourself, you have been awarded the title GODSLAYER. You gain massive bonuses in combat and diplomacy towards gods and their divine agents. High-ranking religious leaders are more likely to consider your very existence blasphemy and may seek your death at all costs. Be advised.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  You have reached the maximum level as a dungeon core.

  For your outstanding achievements, you have been provided an equally outstanding reward.

  Blueprint Acquired: Dungeon Avatar

  Pertinent details:

  Race: Draconian Humanoid

  Gender: Hermaphrodite (both genders)

  Known racial features from external observation: Hollow fangs with venom sacs, quickly deploy-able chitin armor, draconian wings, bipedal, green skin, horns, five-digit hands, teeth indicating an omnivore diet, detachable jaw. Organ sub-blueprints appear similar to a human's.

  Blueprints available for 24 hours, can only be used once and are irreversible. You are locked at max level dungeon core. After the 24 hours, the blueprints will be changed to a random humanoid in your blueprints history.

  “Hmm. Okay. I'm definitely going to use that blueprint ASAP, but first, I need to get this ship out of danger, grab my two lovely dungeon bosses and find somewhere safe where I can learn more about my new body... Let's stop that thought there. No way to elaborate without coming across as a huge perv.”

  “We have cleared the mountain tops. Proceeding with orderly descent. Alert. Two unidentified humanoids have been detected within our flight-path. Please recommend our course of action.”

  “Can you show magnify their appearance and show me in some kind of Heads Up Display (HUD)?”

  “Acknowledged.” A picture of the two humanoids, appears in front of Jade. They are Alura and Iluna “Alert! Explosive force has impacted the rear side of the mountain, avalanches and landslides detected. Odds of survival in their path is low to nonexistent.”

  “Ship. Can you bring us as close to the ground as is possible while maintaining a minimum safe distance so we can try rescuing them? The humanoids are allies.”

  “Acknowledged. Locked on to their biometric signatures. Onboard transport systems primed to engage at the moment they enter minimum safe transfer distance. Momentum, orientation, and all other variables will be automatically compensated to allow for safe transfer and secure placemen in the pilots' seats.”

  “FINALLY! Something is going our way.”

  A few moments earlier from Alura's and Ilura's persective...

  “How, just, how did Jade do it?! He's got no arms nor legs, yet he climbed this far? It's been the better part of a half-hour, easily, you and I squirming through this narrow passage, climbing rock after rock, and he rolled upwards, as nothing more than a glowy marble!”-Alura

  “And in the dark no, less. Just how much further do we have to.. MGFFFM!!”-Iluna

  “Now, girlfriend, we beast-kin are pretty open-minded, and I wouldn't mind 'experimenting' a bit, but can we wait until we're on open ground at least?”-Alura

  “PWAH!” Iluna pushes away, using Alura's tail for leverage. “I didn't do that on purpose! I just can't see where I'm going!”

  “And now you're messing about with my tail! Hngg! Do you have any idea what messing about with a beast-kin's tail means?!”-Alura

  “BWA-AGH-ARGH! Are you trying to make me so flustered I'll lose my grip and fall?! Because you're doing a pretty damn good job of it right now!”-Iluna

  “Hadn't thought of it, and if we didn't have to leave your armor behind...”-Alura

  “Don't YOU DARE!!”-Iluna

  “Right, right. You wouldn't survive the fall, even with the weird spiral pattern we've got here. Oh. Looks like we've reached the top, and it's blocked. Jade must have closed up behind himself before going down towards the mine barracks.”-Alura

  “So what now?”-Iluna.

  “We blast our way through, climb out, and then rest on solid ground for a while before we move on?”-Alura.

  “It's either that or climb back down, and I'm not looking forward to that...”-Iluna

  “Okay... AND THERE YOU GO AGAIN!” (Says Alura as Iluna hugs her thighs tight) “I know I'm damn sexy and you're from Gynosdistaff, but there's a time and place for that sort of thing!”

  “Hey! Your soft, smooth thighs are the only thing here that won't rip my smooth, ultra-sexy skin to pieces like a cheese shredder!”-Iluna

  “Touche!” Says Alura as she winds up her most potent wind spell. “Okay then. Hang on tight!”

  Alura blows the loose dirt away allowing them both to crawl out through the new opening, Alura dragging Iluna behind her.

  “Damn, I know we agreed to leave your heavy ass armor behind, but did you really have to strip all the way to your birthday suit?! Not that I'm complaining, mind, it's just... distracting.”-Alura

  “You think I like walking around in the buff?!” Iluna cries out before it hits her that she's talking to a rabbit-eared beast-kin, and Alura at that. “Well. No, I don't! For some strange reason, the 'underwear' was built in to the armor! Don't get me wrong, Jade made it all utterly seamless and it was very, very comfortable, but damn! Didn't he even consider the concept of 'layers' when designing the clothing?!”

  The mountain suddenly shakes, sending them falling unto their butts, and then the landslides and avalanches begin.

  “Quick! Grab your armor and get dressed! We have to go, NOW!” Alura says as she opens a shadow-space portal to where the armor was dropped.

  “Well. I'll say this for the armor, it sure is quick and easy to put on again!” Iluna says as the armor is put back on in a matter of moments before the two start racing down the mountainside, trying to outrun the mass of earth, stone, forest, and snow heading down on them.

  Jade's ship shows up overhead in moments and they find themselves in the cockpit, strapped in as the ship then takes off a bit higher from the ground, leveling off and bleeding off speed, watching the sheer destruction of a significant part of the mountain collapsing on itself.