Sword Pop Culture LitRPG Ch.1

 

Chapter 1 - Better Escape Or Die Trying

 

“Hao Vee you thieving bastard get back here!” Shouted a muscular man with veins popping all over his head.

A slim, sexy woman behind him hollered, “Colgate, don’t let that punk escape! It’ll be our heads on a silver platter if he does!”

“Don’t worry your pretty little ass, Diana. I got that bastard in my sight. He’s going nowhere.” Colgate glanced ahead at the fleeing figure and spoke into his communication device, “Air support, smoke his ass out!”

“Roger that sir!”

“Oh shit! Those imperial hounds are catching up to me and for the love of God this thing won’t even budge!” Hao Vee, the young lad garbed in a dark vestment, became frustrated as he tried to lose his pursuers. What got his mind in a tangle was the glorious weapon of mass destruction he had in his grasp; a weapon that he couldn’t unsheathe no matter how much force he applied.

“Did I just waste my time stealing this precious artefact, an X-Class sword? What’s the point of putting my life in jeopardy if I can’t use it? Oh damn, today isn’t my lucky day.” He muttered.

“Target in sight. Engaging now!” The pilot of the aircraft steadied his position while he began releasing a dreadful storm of high-calibre rounds into the abandoned building complex.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The impact of the deadly bullets was blasting through walls, laying waste to everything in its paths and constantly ricocheting off rigid metals. The fleeing assailant was finding it increasingly difficult to prevent his body from getting penetrated. 

“Now they have chopper on my ass. You’re in deep shit now Vee, deep smelly shit!” He told himself as he skipped over to another building.

With each corner cut and every leap made, Hao Vee's heart pounded in his chest like a drumbeat, echoing through the hollowed buildings of the Wranglers district. The district was neglected, a forgotten part of the city where the imperial authorities turned a blind eye, unless of course, there was an X-Class sword to retrieve. Hao Vee could almost hear the sinister chuckles of the powers-that-be, as they ravaged the area without a second thought.

He berated himself in his mind, "What the bloody hell have I got myself into, eh? I'm Hao Vee, blind Blade Engineer extraordinaire, not some criminal mastermind! But here I am, running from a chopper and the likes of Colgate and Diana!"

“Damn you, Vee!” Colgate sped up his pounce. Nearing the edge of the building, he glimpsed a Sword-Glider pulling up nearby, it belonged to their fleet. It looked like a sleek, metallic stingray, with the handle of the sword doubling as the steering apparatus. Colgate smirked, "Time to give Hao a taste of his own medicine." With a swift movement, he hopped onto the Sword-Glider, leaving Diana to navigate the treacherous paths of the buildings.

While the Sword-Glider soared ahead, Colgate rummaged through the storage compartment on his waist and pulled out several small, spherical bombs. "These little beauties," he thought, "are my special concoction. When they go off, it'll feel like being hit by a thousand swords at once. Good luck getting out of that, Hao!"

“Huh!” Hao Vee's heart skipped a beat as he tripped over an unidentifiable object. Just as he stumbled, a deadly slash whizzed overhead. He narrowly escaped getting his head cut off.

"Diana's handy work, no doubt," he muttered. As he regained his footing, subsequently, Hao finally sensed Colgate closing in on a Sword-Glider. It was just at the edge of his sensory perception range, but it was enough for him to realise the imminent danger.

Cursing under his breath, Hao saw, in his own unique way, the cluster of bombs hurled in his direction. The sound of Colgate's rambunctious laughter rang in his ears also. Hao had to act quickly or face the deadly consequences. And with that, he knew it was time to rely on his trusty weapon.

Whoosh!

With a swift, fluid motion, he reached for the handle of his sword, Vibe Edge. The moment Hao's fingers wrapped around the handle, it felt like a surge of electricity ran through his body, connecting him with the spirit dwelling inside the sword. The sensation was beyond mere touch; it was a bond that transcended the physical world.

The air rumbled with tension as Hao drew Vibe Edge from its scabbard. The sound of the blade sliding out was a buzzing symphony that only Hao could hear. As the sword's edge vibrated with an intensity that resonated deep within his being, the miniature speakers on the sword began to play a rhythmic beat that filled Hao with a sense of power and confidence.

"Well, well," Hao smirked, "looks like the Vibe is about to get crazy."

The moment Vibe Edge revealed its full sharpness to the outside world, Hao's sensing ability increased dramatically. The vibrations emitted by the sword allowed him to perceive everything around him with astonishing clarity, both inside the building and beyond its walls. He could even sense the aircraft moving into position, ready to unleash its deadly barrage at him.

The world as Hao experienced it was a symphony of blue beat tones, each synchronized with a specific rhythm. Vibe Sense calculated the trajectory of the incoming bombs, allowing Hao to time his movements with precision. In the split second before the bombs reached him, he turned his sword towards it.

“Huh!” Colgate noticed Hao's action and smirked coldly, anticipating the explosive surprise that awaited his target. "Impressive, Hao," Colgate scoffed underneath his fresh, minty breath, "but did you really think you could escape unscathed by cutting the bombs? This is the end for you. I can’t wait to trample all over your corpse."

However, Hao had a different plan in mind. Instead of slicing the bomb, he directed the sword inches away from it and slashed at the Sword-Glider, or rather, its driver. The dark slash was anything but simple.

In the split second, a deafening explosion occurred, leaving Colgate and Diana believing that Hao had taken the full force of the blast. The building shook violently, and thick smoke billowed into the sky, obscuring Hao's fate from his pursuers.

"What happened?" Diana shouted, struggling to see through the smoke and debris.

"Doesn't matter," Colgate replied through his communication device. "There's no way he could have survived that." He was sure of this.

But unbeknownst to them, Hao Vee, the blind youth, had a trick up his sleeve that would leave them speechless.