Beastmaster: Omnicide: A LitRPG science fantasy adventure (Beastmasters Book 2) Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  Afterword

  About the author

  BEASTMASTER:

  OMNICIDE

  KORY SHEN

  Beastmasters: Omnicide is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 Kory Shen

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  CHAPTER 1

  "You kids stay here and watch," Drake Ember said. Our instructor stood at the lip of the roof, his hulking silhouette contrasting sharply with the abandoned city's jagged skyline. He stepped into the open air. A birdlike creature on his shoulder squawked as they both plummeted out of view.

  A moment later, a silver dragon the size of a small plane rose into the air before us, beating its wings furiously. I had to crouch to brace myself against the rush of air. The dragon roared, then raced off into the sky, leaving the rest of us on the high rooftop in the middle of the urban ruins.

  Nikki cried out in dismay as she tried to untangle the long blue hair that had whipped around her from the sudden wind. Her rabbit, Bun-Bun, shivered in the safety of her arms. Claire moved behind Nikki to help pick apart the twisted strands of hair.

  "Show off," Julie muttered, neatening her own shoulder-length brown hair. She walked to the edge of the rooftop and scanned the rubble of the concrete jungle before us.

  We were on a live training run. It was strictly a watch and learn deal. The Beastmasters were shorthanded, more so than usual these days. Even though Drake had taken over our teaching duties, he would be called away to deal with patrol activities now and then. We would tag along for the occasional low-risk mission for educational purposes.

  Stella, Kayla, and Mia moved to join Julie's side at the rooftop's edge. I stayed behind with Claire and Nikki.

  Enjoy the view? Zoe asked.

  You know I hate heights.

  Zoe glanced meaningfully at the four girls in tight combat suits standing with their backs to me.

  And you know that's not what I meant. Zoe padded over to join the four girls, leaping to sit on the short wall lining the roof. The wall was about a foot tall where it wasn't broken, hardly enough to keep someone from toppling over.

  Zoe stuck her head over the side of the building, staring straight at the ground beneath. An image of the fifty-story drop flashed in my mind.

  I wobbled briefly from the sight.

  Zoe! Not funny.

  Zoe sent a mental chuckle, then proceeded to gaze about the landscape. Headquarters had sent Drake here to deal with a Grade D Mekanic sighting, only twenty miles from the edge of Third York. Mekanic sightings near population centers had been increasing lately. They weren't outright attacks, more like foraging missions, as if the Mekanics were searching for something.

  Found it. Look. Zoe sent a picture of the horizon.

  Don't do that here. I don't want to risk tripping from this height. I made my way closer to the edge of the roof. Where?

  Zoe shifted her head, directing her nose at a cluster of fallen skyscrapers. There.

  I stared but couldn't see anything at first. Then, something shifted, the glint of sunlight reflecting off metal.

  "Over there," I said to the others, pointing. "Movement."

  "You've got sharp eyes," Julie said. "I can barely make anything out at that distance."

  Zoe purred.

  I heard Claire and Nikki join us from behind.

  "I see them," Claire said. "Two Mekanics."

  "Show off," I muttered.

  Julie chuckled.

  "My Raptor's Sight," Claire said, tapping the side of her head. "I notice everything, Dustin. Like how you were staring at Stella's—"

  I coughed loudly. "So how long do you think Drake will take? I say five minutes, tops."

  I caught Stella glancing over at me, a slight smirk on her face. Her ferret, Miney, wound about her shoulders and made chittering noises at me.

  "Five?" Julie snorted. "The asshole likes to showboat. At least fifteen."

  Drake had seemed cool when he first arrived, but his attitude and training style had worn out his welcome soon afterward. Julie, in particular, had butted heads with him on more than one occasion.

  "Ten," Mia said. "He'll draw out the fight to let us analyze Mekanic tactics." That was Mia, tactful as usual.

  "But we can't even see anything from here," Nikki whined. "Except for Claire and Dustin."

  "Pick a number, Nikki," I said.

  "Okay. Six," Nikki said.

  "Nine," Claire added, nudging Nikki with her elbow.

  Nikki looked at her with a confused expression.

  "Six. Nine. Sixty-nine," Claire said out loud.

  "Oh…" Nikki giggled.

  I shook my head. "Stella? What do you think?"

  "I think we should focus on the mission," Stella said, still scanning the horizon.

  "Boring," Claire called out.

  "One minute," Kayla said in an icy tone. "That type of guy — all smoke and no fire? They can never last more than a minute."

  Some of the others made hooting noises. Zoe sent a mental whistle.

  Ouch.

  It was no secret that Kayla didn't like our new instructor, either. Given her recent history, I didn't blame her.

  "Keep it down," Stella said. "We're still on a mission."

  I could barely make out Drake's dragon form circling in the sky high above the Mekanics. The others silently turned to watch.

  The Mekanics must have spotted Drake. The sky lit up with blasts of bright energy beams as they attacked. Rather than dodging the attacks, Drake dove straight for their source.

  Next to me, Claire yawned. We knew Drake could make short work of a pair of Grade D Mekanics. Further down, I spotted Stella still studiously looking over the scene. I stepped away from the edge to move closer to Stella.

  Dustin!

  I froze at the urgency in Zoe's message.

  What is it?

  Humans. Looks like civilians.

  I rushed back to the edge of the rooftop. Where?

  This time I didn't complain as Zoe sent the mental image. Three figures were hiding in the shadows of what had once been an apartment complex. One of them had longer hair, probably a woman. They had some kind of equipment in their hands, but I couldn't make it out.

  "Heads up," I said, pointing towards the apartment. "There's people over there. Claire, can you tell what they're doing?"

  "Raiders?" Stella asked. W
e had yet to run across any of the scavengers who lived among the ruins.

  "Unlikely," Mia said. "They avoid active Mekanic conflicts."

  Claire's mouth fell open.

  "What is it?" I asked.

  "They're…recording the fight?" Claire said. "It looks like they're using video equipment."

  "Thrill seekers?" I asked.

  "Or wannabe journalists," Julie said.

  The surviving governments had made it a point to control and limit all media surrounding the ongoing War. Whether the trio below were a bunch of college kids or news reporters, what they were doing had to be illegal. Not to mention stupid.

  "Should we save them?" Nikki asked. She turned to me. So did the others.

  I glanced around. "What? Why's everyone looking at me? We're not supposed to interfere."

  Mia nodded. "I'll contact headquarters." She reached over to her turtle, Koopie, which had a small phone strapped to its back. After a few moments of tapping on the phone, she frowned.

  "There's no signal," Mia said.

  Stella stepped next to Mia, peering at her phone. "These are part of the military network. We should get a signal anywhere."

  "Something's happening," Kayla said suddenly. The thick green snake looped around her waist raised its head high and hissed.

  "Squeeze is annoyed." Kayla touched the side of the building. "Vibrations."

  I looked out to Drake's fight in the distance. He was dancing in and out, trading blows with the Mekanics on the ground below him. Something exploded.

  Zoe jumped off the wall and towards me. A digger!

  What?

  An underground Mekanic. That would explain the vibrations.

  I leaned over the wall, ignoring the brief wave of dizziness from that height, and searched for any signs of moving ground.

  Then, the ground about fifty yards from the three civilians collapsed into a sinkhole. Something metallic crawled out of the hole.

  A Mekanic. A big fucking Mekanic.

  CHAPTER 2

  The entire Mekanic had emerged from the ground. It had a long, serpentine body, larger than Kayla's Beastform. The front of the Mekanic had some kind of glowing shell where the head should have been, similar to the plasma fists some Mekanics used.

  There was a light rustling sound to my left. Julie had melded. The others looked around uncertainly.

  "Wait!" I hissed. We had strict orders to observe and not interfere.

  Down below, someone screamed.

  "It's going after them!" Claire cried.

  The Mekanic slowly slithered towards the fleeing civilians.

  What Grade is that, Zoe?

  At least Grade C.

  Shit. We couldn't just sit here and watch a Mekanic slaughter people. Mia seemed to sense my mood. She took a step towards me.

  "We're not supposed to do anything," Mia said. "No matter what. Those were the rules for bringing us into the field."

  "We're Beastmasters. Saving people is our job," Julie growled with a click of her Beastform's pincer mouth. I shivered at the sight of the giant spider.

  "Our job isn't to save people," Stella said. "It's to win the War."

  "It's a Grade C or higher," I said.

  "I…I'm not afraid," Nikki squeaked. "I'm not."

  There were more screams. The Mekanic was moving slowly, almost leisurely, towards the frantically running people, but it was clear that it would catch them soon. If we were going to do something, we had to do it quickly.

  "What's the call?" Kayla looked straight at me as she spoke.

  Zoe? We don't stand a chance against a Grade C. What about Drake?

  At best, he could fight a Grade C to a standstill on his own. This is a bad matchup, though. Flyer versus digger.

  I couldn't let the people die while I watched, but I wasn't about to risk the lives of the squad, either.

  "We're allowed to do one thing," I said to Mia. "Run." I pointed to the fleeing figures. "We'll grab the civilians and run." I looked around at the others. We needed to all be on board.

  Nikki nodded, as did Claire. Julie didn't say anything, but I knew where she stood. Kayla would follow me. That left Stella and Mia.

  Mia shook her head. "It's too risky."

  Stella simply sighed.

  "Stella, Mia," I said. "We grab them and run. No fighting."

  "Okay, hero," Stella said with a roll of her eyes.

  "Mia?"

  "I'm with the team," she said, her mouth tight.

  I nodded. I turned to Claire. She was the best for evacuation, but I needed her to get Drake's attention.

  "Claire, can you signal Drake?" I glanced quickly into the distance. Drake was taking his time dealing with his two Mekanics, like some of the others had predicted. He hadn't noticed the new source of trouble yet.

  "Got it," Claire said.

  "Stella, Nikki, and I will each grab one civilian. Split and meet up at the evac zone. Julie, use your webbing to slow down any pursuit."

  I looked at Kayla, then Mia. They were the slowest, and we wanted to avoid any direct engagement with the Mekanic.

  "You two, stay together and stay out of trouble. Claire can pick you both up on her way back."

  Mia caught my eye. She understood. "Got it."

  Kayla opened her mouth as if to protest, then closed it. I nodded at her.

  There was a loud rumbling sound.

  "It's diving into the ground," Stella said.

  The worm-like Mekanic had begun to burrow head first into the ground. A bulging seam of broken concrete followed after the fleeing trio as the Mekanic continued its hunt just beneath the surface.

  Anything else, Zoe?

  Avoid contact with the plasma head.

  Yeah, that's a given.

  And don't get stuck on top of a building. Stay close to the ground.

  What? Sticking to rooftops seemed safer to me.

  Trust me.

  I shrugged. Zoe hadn't let me down before.

  "And stay close to the ground. Don't go climbing," I said.

  "Huh?" Julie asked.

  "Just trust me," I said.

  The others gave me questioning glances. It wasn't quite as effective when I said it.

  There were more screams.

  "We don't have time. Go, go!" I said as I melded and bounded over the short wall on the roof's edge.

  My claws dug into the wall as I ran vertically down the side of the building. I caught a red flash in the sky out of the corner of my eye. That would be Claire.

  By the time I had leaped the rest of the way to the ground, Nikki and Stella's white and blue glowing forms had joined me.

  The three of us raced towards the civilian troublemakers. It didn't take us long to reach the people, but when they spotted us, they froze in terror. The woman pointed at us, screaming. The brunette was well-dressed and had a somewhat familiar look, but I couldn't place her face at the moment.

  "We're here to help!" I shouted.

  One of the men, a young guy around our age, turned to point at the Mekanic emerging from the ground again.

  "Grab them!" I yelled to the others.

  The woman started running to the side, but I scooped her up with my jaws gently and dashed away. Stella and Nikki picked up their packages, then ran off in opposite directions. The Mekanic would only be able to chase one of us.

  I glanced backward while running. The Mekanic raised its bright plasma head into the air, twisting back and forth as if trying to decide where to go.

  Please, not her. Not her.

  Shit. The Mekanic turned to follow Stella's path.

  I skidded to a stop.

  Uh, Dustin? She can take care of herself.

  I know. I'm just slowing it down.

  I lowered the woman carefully to the ground. I turned, ready to send a Sonic Screech at the Mekanic. I double-checked my energy for any damage.

  ENERGY: 600/600

  Nope, I was good. Before I could act, though, sticky webbing shot out, covering the front of t
he Mekanic.

  Julie.

  Yes, trust your team.

  Zoe was right, as usual. I turned back to pick up the woman, but she was running towards a nearby building. She slipped into its broken doorway before I could reach her.

  Damn it!

  I ran to the entrance. I couldn't fit past the doorway in my melded state.

  "We're saving you! We're Beastmasters. Get back here!" I shouted into the doorway.

  All I heard were screams followed by footsteps climbing up the staircase.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  We can leave her behind.

  I hesitated. Would she be safe here? Behind me, I heard the sound of crashing buildings as the Mekanic caused a mini-earthquake in the ruins.

  No, we have to get her.

  I unmelded and ran into the building, cursing some more, with Zoe right behind me.

  Inside, it was dark and dusty.

  "Hey! I'm here to help!" I shouted up the first staircase I reached. I started climbing, taking two steps at a time.

  I did mention we should avoid rooftops.

  I know, I know.

  Maybe I should have left the woman to her fate. But I couldn't quite bring myself to do that.

  I've noticed you have a soft spot for brunettes.

  I know, I know. There was no point lying to Zoe.

  We soon reached the top of the building, where a door leading to the roof was dangling from its hinges. I barged through onto the top of the building.

  The woman was near the edge of the building, her back to me, with a camera. My jaw fell open. For a moment, I simply stared. Then, my temples throbbed in fury.

  "What the fuck are you doing?" I yelled.

  The woman turned backwards and smiled. She had shoulder length brown hair, bright green eyes, and despite the situation, perfect makeup.

  I had seen her on TV. She was a hotshot reporter, Angela something.

  I didn't bother saying anything else. I melded and seized the screaming reporter in my jaws. A loud rumbling grew closer.

  I quickly searched for the Mekanic, but I had lost sight of it.

  Where'd it go?

  Beneath us! Quick! Get out of here!

  The roof underneath us shook violently, like we were in the middle of an earthquake. But the shaking didn't subside. The roof suddenly rocked to the side at an angle. The entire building dropped a good ten feet. I dug my claws into the concrete to avoid tumbling away.