Evolving Classes In The Apocalypse-Chapter 28: Astound Stone Thrower

[Granite Field Stone — Roughly Hewn]

[Classification: Natural Object]

[Reclassifying...]

[Classification: Weapon (Improvised — Blunt/Projectile)]

[Weight: 6.3kg — Mass concentrated in the lower half. Top-heavy when gripped from above, bottom-heavy when cradled from below. Grip orientation determines striking arc]

[Balance: Poor — Irregular shape. No symmetry axis. Center of gravity sits 4cm left of geometric center. Will pull left on every swing unless compensated]

[Optimal Grip: Two configurations. For melee — cradle from below with dominant hand, guide with off-hand, swing in upward arcs to work with the weight instead of against it. For throwing — palm flat on widest face, fingers hooked on trailing edge, release at 38 degrees for maximum distance, 15 degrees for shortest lethal range]

[Design Intent: None. This is a geological formation with no intended purpose.]

[Wielder Lethality ceiling: Awakened Mundane — Extreme, Established Mundane — Extreme, Ascended Mundane — High, Transcendent Mundane — Low. Awakened Novice — High, Established Novice — Mid, Ascended Novice — Low, Transcendent Novice — Low, Awakened Adept and above — Ineffective]

[Structural Flaws: Hairline fracture running diagonally from upper left to lower right. Impact above 400 Newtons at the fracture line will split the stone into two pieces. Left fragment — 2.1kg, jagged edge, viable as a cutting tool. Right fragment — 4.2kg, blunt, viable as a reduced bludgeon]

[Fighting Style: Overhead smashing against downed or slower opponents. Short-range throwing against unarmored targets. Single-use on impact against armored targets — will shatter or deform on plate. Best suited to ambush, execution, and improvised defense. Not viable in sustained combat. One to three uses before structural failure or user fatigue]

As the information poured into my head, I drew my hand back.

Galahad was struggling to break free from the solidified liquid that had trapped his feet. It wasn’t working. He grunted with annoyance and threw a glance back at me.

I paused for a moment. Locked in. I first took note of the lethality, because that was what my instinct told me I had to pay attention to.

’Low huh... Axiom, I’d like to spend 5 attribute points.’

[You have lost 20 Definition Essence]

[You have received +5 attribute points]

’Put it to strength.’

[Your Strength attribute has increased]

I gripped the stone tighter and looked at it again. The Lethality had changed, even if only slightly.

[Wielder Lethality ceiling: Awakened Mundane — Extreme, Established Mundane — Extreme, Ascended Mundane — Dangerous, Transcendent Mundane — High. Awakened Novice — High, Established Novice — Mid, Ascended Novice — Low, Transcendent Novice — Low, Awakened Adept and above — Ineffective]

’Tch...’

As expected, the ceiling hadn’t shifted enough to lethally affect an Adept.

I gripped it nonetheless and then saw several red lines trace different directions. There were a few white too. In fact, a lot of white.

But the white lines sat below the red ones, tracing to the lower parts of his body, while the red lines arced towards his head.

I inhaled, gripping the stone tightly, and as I was about to release it the stone crumbled in my hand. Only dust flew forward.

I stopped and hissed with indignation.

But I fretted not and quickly snatched another stone, then threw it.

The stone sailed over the distance between us. Galahad dodged and it whizzed past his face, grazing his nose.

He glared at me and snarled.

"You vermin! You dare... you better not run away!"

"Run away?"

I laughed.

"Retard, I wish to kill you!"

I picked up another stone and let it fly.

It went spinning towards him and he dodged, but I had followed another line, predicting that he would shift again, so the stone deceived him.

While it looked like it was flying towards his head, it twirled as though caught by the wind and slammed into his jaw.

Galahad’s head snapped back but there was no visible injury. He slowly straightened, throwing a vehement glare at me.

"Ha! I wonder how much of this you’ll have to take before you bleed!"

I gripped yet another stone and hurled it. He was locked in place and kept glaring at my hand, but my arm did not stop and stones continued to crack against him.

His head snapped back every time. But there was no visible injury. At some point red scratches appeared across his face, but still no bleeding.

Archer was slowly getting to his feet. He steadied himself for a moment, then fixed his gaze on the man he had trapped and on me, pelting stones at that man while walking closer.

I had thrown over twenty now and each one followed the line, deceiving Galahad with its trajectory. Each one was lethal, but not lethal enough to make him bleed, let alone kill him.

The next one was aimed at his eyes but he caught it before it could land. Another followed without rest and cracked against his forehead, throwing his head back again.

I laughed and scooped up a couple more.

"Ha ha, this is going to be so much fun."

I resumed pelting him while my mind worked on what I actually had to do to kill this retard.

Unless I killed Galahad, there was no way I was going to be free. Not for now, at least.

But then, he was a rank above me.

’I’ve done it before...’

I thought about it... no. Beating a Novice whose class was barely a day old couldn’t be compared in any manner to beating an Adept. An Ascended Adept, for that matter.

Being an Ascended meant that Galahad had been a Drifter for nothing less than twenty years. He did look like he was in his late forties.

In order to go back and find Ysor, I had to kill him. My gaze drifted slightly towards Archer.

’...’

I swung the stone again... and again and again and again.

To the point that Archer, who was watching, began to shift uncomfortably.

The body of an Adept was strong. Galahad caught some stones, but many more followed and cracked against his face. There were several scratches across it now, but not a single point of bleeding.

The ligaments of my elbow were beginning to ache from all the swinging, but I did not stop. Neither did I give the Adept any time to breathe.

I kept throwing stones.