Tech Mage: The Magitech Chronicles Book 1 by Chris Fox

Author:Chris Fox [Fox, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chris Fox Writes LLC.
Published: 2017-09-19T14:00:00+00:00

31

Make Every Spell Count

The first corpse emerged through the doorway, stepping into the room with a ferocity that made Aran want to take a step backward. A pallid glow came from its eyes, proof of whatever fiendish intelligence had animated the body.

The corpse’s gaze locked on Crewes, and it brought up its rifle smoothly, as it would have in life.

Aran was faster. He lunged, bringing the stock of his rifle down on the corpse’s face.

The blow smashed the corpse to the ground, shattering the left side of its face. The corpse started to rise again, so Aran finished it with a void bolt.

“Inform your men to conserve their spells,” Thalas called, without looking up from the rods he was assembling.

“Are you mentally deficient, wipe?” Crewes bellowed, turning to Aran. “We do not use spells against corpses, unless there is no other choice. Their whole purpose is to bleed our magic away.”

“Sorry, instinct,” Aran said, bending to pick up the soldier’s rifle. Two more corpses came through the doorway, and Aran raised the unfamiliar weapon. The firing mechanism was easy to understand—a simple trigger, very similar to what he’d been given back at the Catalyst. The safety was already disengaged.

The weapon fired a hail of slugs at the first target, making it dance like a puppet as the shots carried it back into the hallway.

Crewes barked out a laugh. “That’s more like it.”

More corpses were coming through. Aran fired again, but the weapon clicked. Empty. He tossed it to the ground as several corpses advanced in his direction.

Crewes waded into the fray, cutting down former Ternus soldiers. The bodies wore standard environmental armor, most without a helmet. The sergeant’s chrome spike punched through easily, pinning his targets long enough for him to dismember them with his gauntlets.

“You either gotta shred these things.” Crewes demonstrated by pulling the arms off another corpse. His elbow shot back, crushing another corpse’s skull. “Or you pulp their brains.”

Aran darted forward, seizing a corpse by the side of the head and slamming it into the deck. He looked away from the gore, convinced the corpse wouldn’t be rising.

More dead soldiers came through, forcing him back from the doorway. Their bodies piled in, one after another. He glanced at the Captain, but thus far none of the corpses had broken through.

Aran darted forward again and yanked one from the mass, then willed open his void pocket, seizing his spellblade and delivering a wicked slash to the corpse. The headless body toppled to the ground, drawing a grim smile.

“I think the blade is actually enjoying this,” Aran said, slicing the legs from under another corpse. The spellblade, its enchanted metal more than a match for whatever composite Ternus used, hummed through the armor. Exhilaration flowed from the blade, up Aran’s arm. Whatever it was felt even better than adrenaline. “You’re right, Sarge. Mixing it up does feel good.”

“Don’t get cocky,” Nara said, a tinge of panic to her voice. She’d fallen back, and was using controlled bursts from a Ternus rifle to discourage the corpses swarming in her direction.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.