Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse
Chapter 123: The Captain’s Burden

The people of Amethyst Mountain were stony, composed individuals. When immortals started fighting near their planet, leading to an explosion of fireworks, they only looked up to admire the view.

However, when a space shuttle barreled through the planet’s atmosphere, heading directly for the town, even they had to frown. The shuttle was burning red like a comet. Its surface was ignited by friction with the atmosphere, and its course was jagged, rigidly shifting to one side or the other. The two metallic surfaces that were supposed to slow its descent were somehow facing the wrong way.

It was out of control.

People screamed and ran away, using F- and E-Grade powers to jump down from the skyscraper docks, leap over food carts and slower people, or jump to the rooftops and keep running there.

Jack saw all that from a tiny window. They were falling from outer space like a rock, without parachutes or anything of the sort. The one slowing device they had, Gan Salin had managed to fumble it so hard that it spun the wrong way and wouldn’t come around.

“You said you knew how to drive!” Jack screamed to be heard over the wind.

“I do! I just never practiced!” Gan shouted back, wrestling with the helm.

The metal walls of the shuttle were made to diffuse the heat, so they weren’t boiling, but the temperature still resembled a mid-summer heat wave, and the cramped, stuffy space didn’t help. Due to his fur, Brock was especially hot. He was sweating buckets.

“Do something!” Jack shouted with rising panic. The ground was fast approaching, and they weren’t slowing down.

“I’m trying!” With a final pull, Gan Salin ripped the helm from its base. He stared at it, then at the ground, then back at it. “Whoops.”

“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!”

“Ha, joke’s on you. Looks like I’ll kill us first.”

A hard poop splashed into Salin’s face, making him retch. Brock waved his fist through the air, screaming obscenities in monkey. Jack gritted his teeth.

I refuse to go down like this, he thought. I refuse!

He had survived the Forest of the Strong. He had triumphed in the Integration Tournament. He had escaped the pursuit of a constellation-spanning space kingdom. He had overcome insurmountable odds again and again. If he died because of an amateurish crash-landing, that would be the world’s stupidest joke.

He wrung his brain dry, but nothing came to mind. If he went out right now, he would burn to death in seconds. The shuttle’s helm had broken. They had already tried all the buttons, but nothing happened.

“I hate you, Gan Salin!” Jack screamed in the canine’s ears.

The town was now so close they could easily make out the running people. Suddenly, green clouds rose from below. They formed into shiny green platforms in front of the shuttle—they looked like glass.

The shuttle rammed into a platform and shattered it, only to find another behind. It shattered that one as well. A long series of platforms stretched between the shuttle and the town below, with every collision slowing it down a bit, cushioning the fall. Jack, Brock, and Gan Salin were smacked up and down with every crush. They felt like ragdolls. The shuttle was now spinning, too.

In the middle of all this movement, Jack caught a glimpse of a furious-looking, half-dressed, green woman floating in the middle of the sky.

When he looked ahead again, he saw the ground. “Brock!” he screamed, grabbing the brorilla and hugging him tight. He pulled in his limbs. Then, they crashed.

Everything in the shuttle shattered. Buttons and broken glass flew everywhere. Jack, Brock, and Gan Salin were plastered to the front as the shuttle dug a trench through the soil and two buildings—empty ones, thankfully.

When everything came to a stop, Jack was alive. His chest felt like he’d been hit by a cannonball, his head swam, and he felt like puking, but Brock looked fine. Jack heaved a huge sigh of relief. He was so glad.

“All things considered,” Gan Salin said, standing and dusting himself off, “I’d say this went pretty well!”

“I’ll fucking murder you.”

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!?” A furious voice washed over them, shaking Jack to his core. He thought back to the floating woman. An immortal.

“Oh, crap. Quick!” Gan Salin said. “Put these on!”

He fished a pair of steel manacles from his jacket—a neat, dark blue leather—and tossed them to Jack. Jack looked between the manacles and the canine.

“You must think I’m stupid.”

“Come on! We’ll pretend that I captured you, okay? That’s our only chance.”

“We’re enemies. You’ll just turn me in.”

“If I wanted to turn you in, I would have pointed the Hounds in your direction,” Salin pleaded quickly. “If you don’t put them on, I’ll have to surrender you to the Amethyst Mountain, who will deliver you to the Kingdom in a heartbeat. There’s a bounty on your head—a large one.”

Jack felt like exploding—but what choice did he have?

“Hurry! She could scan us anytime!” Salin urged him.

Jack punched him in the face. “That’s for before!” he shouted, snapping the manacles shut around his wrists. If this was all part of the canine’s plan, Jack had been outsmarted. But then again, if Gan Salin was lying, Jack had already lost the moment his shuttle was spotted.

“Ow!” Gan said, holding his nose. “Why did you do that?”

“Because you almost killed us!”

“Hey, you’re the one that flew a space shuttle without knowing how to drive! They should revoke your license!”

“I DON’T HAVE A LICENSE!”

“And whose fault is that?”

Jack bit back a response. Gan Salin made so little sense that arguing with him was like speaking to a toddler. He was insane—hopefully in a good way.

This guy is a headache, Jack realized, deeply irritated. What did I get myself into… At least it’s better than dying.

“Let’s go! We must hurry!” Gan Salin said, pressing the button next to the door. When nothing happened, he scratched his head. The door was ripped off its hinges and tossed aside as a green-skinned woman hovered before them, her brown eyes glinting furiously. She looked in her thirties, though she was certainly older.

She wore a blue skirt that didn’t sit well on her waist, a white shirt with only one sleeve down, and her hair—also green, just paler—was disheveled. Whatever she was doing before, she had come to stop them in a terrible hurry.

Dryad, Level ??? (D-Grade)

Faction: Amethyst Mountain (D-Grade)

Title: Fifth Ring Conqueror

“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded in a voice that could have been pleasant if it wasn’t angry.

“Apologies, Mountain Lord,” Gan Salin said, bowing deeply. “This criminal brought allies and tried to escape, but we apprehended him. The Hounds are still fighting. I must get him through the teleporter as soon as possible.”

Jack stared at her with the hatred a captured criminal should have. She only threw him a cold glance.

“You damaged my town,” she said.

“The Animal Kingdom will pay you back. But please, Mountain Lord, help us reach the teleporter as soon as possible. And, if possible, you should help the Hounds. They’re fighting a high immortal! I’m afraid for their lives!”

Gan Salin’s voice was filled with urgency and honesty. If Jack didn’t know he was lying, he would have spotted nothing out-of-place. The dryad glared for a moment. Her brows furrowed. However, in the end, she didn’t dare risk the Kingdom’s rage.

For once, Jack was happy that the Animal Kingdom was a heavy-handed dictator.

“Fine,” she said. “Run to the teleporter. I’ll assist the Hounds.”

She turned into a flash of green that took to the sky. Jack realized that the captain was about to be in even bigger trouble. His worry redoubled. There were still fireworks in the sky.

Captain Dordok had said things would be fine, and he had seemed pretty confident… Was he wrong?

Regardless, Jack couldn’t help. All he could do was not get captured. He just had to believe in the captain.

Gan Salin turned to him, his face a cold mask of wrathful arrogance. “Come, you worthless scum,” he ordered, grabbing the chain that hung from Jack’s manacles and pulling. Brock followed from the side, shooting Gan Salin a glare of hatred.

Jack let the chain drag him forward, wearing a look of impotent anger. They hopped off the space shuttle. A crowd had formed around them, full of angry faces, but nobody dared speak to Gan Salin.

The canine may have failed the landing, but at least he’d set them on the right course. They had landed only two blocks away from the teleporter.

Gan Salin started running, dragging Jack along. He pretended to resist for a bit. Two bulky humans—both at the high E-Grade—stepped out of the crowd and picked him up, running after Gan Salin. One punched Jack in the face. A third man joined, grabbing Brock in a headlock.

Jack saw houses made of gems and rainbow windows, but he wasn’t in the mood to sightsee.

They crossed the street in a flash, reaching the teleporter. It was an oven-like building similar to Earth’s, except constructed entirely out of transparent, green glass. They stepped in, and the three men dropped Jack and Brock on the empty, circular platform that served as the actual teleporter.

Two comets hurtled down from the atmosphere at breakneck speed, one green and the other brown. It was the dryad and a Hound. They were onto them.

The three man glanced up at the approaching immortals, then at the teleporter’s guard. They exchanged a look full of meaning. The guard turned to Gan Salin. “Wai—”

He didn’t have time to finish his words. Gan Salin attacked out of nowhere and slashed the guard’s throat open. In the same moment, he activated the teleporter. Green motes of light rose around them, forming swirling ribbons.

The three E-Grade humans stood frozen for a moment. A cry of utter rage flooded the town from above as the Hound swiped a claw, sending a gray column of power directly at the teleporter. It had the width of an entire building and the speed of a bullet. It crossed the sky like lightning. A second cry followed as the dryad tried to stop the attack, but she wasn’t in time.

The Hound’s attack struck the teleporter, evaporating the building and demolishing an entire neighborhood, killing hundreds. Unfortunately, it was too late. Jack, Brock, and Gan Salin were no longer there.

Stars swirled around a tunnel of warping space. Gan Salin tossed a key to Jack. “Untie yourself, quick! This teleport will be fast!” he said. Jack didn’t dare tarry. The manacles fell to his feet, and before he could rub his wrists, space stabilized around them. The air was filled with voices.

They were in a large hub, with a dozen teleporters arrayed around them. Guards were everywhere, supervised by a chubby D-Grade woman, and a long line of E-Grades of all species waited for their turn to teleport.

The moment the three of them materialized, Salin pocketed the manacles and the key, then decisively stepped out of the teleporter.

Jack looked around and noticed more things. They were in a large building that resembled a buzzing, cathedral-shaped train station. Besides the teleporters, there were small starships where people boarded or disembarked. Beyond the station’s open door, he could make out throngs of people walking.

Gan Salin didn’t look around. He headed for the only teleporter that had no line. It was the largest of them all, with its platform encrusted by diamonds and a D-Grade feshkur guard stationed before it. Jack scanned him; he belonged to the Hand of God.

Before they could reach, a level 124 human guard stopped Gan Salin. “Apologies, sir, but the man behind you matches the description of a wanted criminal,” he said, hand at his weapon’s hilt. Said weapon looked like a revolver.

“You’re the tenth person to tell me so,” Gan Salin replied with annoyance. “There are more E-Grades with pet monkeys out there. He is my assistant, and I am a canine of the Animal Kingdom. Let me pass.”

“But his faction—”

“Your head is full of shit. Let me pass, or I’ll make sure you rot in Hell.”

The guard hesitated for a single second before stepping aside. He stared at Jack all the way.

They reached the large teleporter, where the D-Grade stretched a hand to stop them. He didn’t say anything, just looked. Salin turned to Jack. “The tokens,” he said.

Jack reached into his secret pocket—inconveniently located behind his left thigh—and fished the two golden coins. One had been with him since he beat the black wolves in the Forest of the Strong, which seemed like so long ago. The other was one of the tournament rewards.

The guard received the coins, stared at them for a moment, then nodded. “Brace yourselves,” he said, “and good luck. The Hand of God awaits your success.”

Jack, Brock, and Gan Salin stepped into the teleporter. Purple ribbons formed around them, far thicker than the ones in the previous teleporter. Jack felt a lurching sensation, like he was falling. And then, the world erupted in flash so blinding that he yelled.

The galaxy was warping around them. Space parted where they passed. Stars only appeared as blinks before disappearing again.

Next to him, hovering in the empty void, Gan Salin took a deep breath and sat down on nothing. “Can’t believe that worked,” he said, smiling. “Feel free to relax. This will take a moment.”

***

Bomn’s heart was filled with helplessness as he looked through the Trampling Ram’s cracked window.

Captain Dordok was floating in the void, unconscious. All three of the Hounds had been injured, but only lightly. The captain had tried his best, but with his exhaustion and injuries of the previous battle against the crocodile, he simply couldn’t beat them.

One of the Hounds held his steel greatclub, admiring the workmanship. The other two approached the ship, still shivering from the tension of battle. Bomn could see their wide grins.

There should have been no reason to fight. The Hounds had no proof, and the captain was a reasonable man. He wouldn’t instigate anything.

They only came to blows because the Hounds were itching for a fight. Because they were insane and completely unfit for any job. But the Animal Kingdom let them be. It wanted the terror they caused.

Bomn’s hatred burned hotter and bitterer.

The Hounds paused. Their faces went from excitement to rage. They must have scanned the starship with their immortal perceptions and noticed the missing escape shuttle.

Of the two, one shot off in a burst of speed, heading for the planet behind them. Bomn could only hope that Jack had managed to escape in time, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

“You colluded with criminals!” the other Hound declared. Her voice was filled with rage and excitement, like she couldn’t wait to punish them, though she should have no right to. Bomn knew the law. They were innocent until proven guilty. As long as they denied everything, they should be fine.

But the Hounds were insane.

“As punishment, your captain will be dragged to Hell, and the Fair Way continent will pay. As for you… You are all guilty. You will be executed on the spot!” the Hound declared. She stretched a claw-like palm, her fingertips glistening like five diamonds of death.

Achilles rushed before her, already wearing his protective helmet. His saber was sheathed, his palms stretched and open. Bomn could see his lips moving without sound. Achilles couldn’t project his voice through space, but the Hound could use her Dao to hear him. He was asking for mercy, declaring their surrender, saying they had injured on board and that they knew nothing. That the law clearly protected them.

His head left his body. Bomn watched it fly away, saw the Hound’s body rock with laughter as Achilles’s froze and shattered in space, leaving nothing behind. A brave man had died, just like that.

“The only law in this constellation,” the Hound declared, “is the Animal Kingdom!”

Bomn’s mind was buried in grief. He had never felt so useless before. This was unfair. He bellowed deeply, with despair, but a scrap of his mind remained. “Vlossana!” he yelled. “Grab the helm. Take us away!”

He couldn’t see her through his tears, but the ship jerked away, accelerating in the spasmodic way that only newbies achieved. The Hound sent a column of gray force at them, tipped with five diamond-like points. The entire ship shook from the impact, but it remained whole.

They darted away at top speed. They couldn’t charge a warp without an immortal on board, but the Trampling Ram was fast. It could outrun most D-Grades.

Bomn looked outside the window again. He saw the captain’s body wrapped in red ribbons. He would be taken to Hell.

Leaving him behind drove a stake of pain through Bomn’s heart, but he knew this was the right call. The captain had explained this long ago. Suicide wasn’t loyalty. Against an impossible fight, it was better to retreat, regroup, and return. Where there was life, there was a way. They would rescue the captain or die trying, but not now. Now, they had to escape.

But it hurt so much.

Bomn bellowed again, shaking everyone in the ship. They were two heavily injured sailors, a non-combat E-Grade, and a non-combat F-Grade. The situation was grim, but they would pull through. He would make sure of that. It was his responsibility now.

From the side, Vashter looked at Bomn. His eyes were full of pain. He said, “I believe in you… Captain.”

Bomn hesitated. He nodded, but his heart was full of grief. The word had never been heavier.