The Shining Armor Infection Novels & Stories

skin. It was ridiculous. It was glorious. The armor was polished gold with glowing blue runic etchings. Massive pauldrons shaped like lion heads sat on his shoulders, breathing digital steam. Every time he moved, little sparkles of light trailed behind him like fairy dust. "You look like a disco ball had a baby with a tank," Jinx laughed. She was sitting on the edge of the holographic table, her avatar swinging its legs. She was wearing her new "Shadow-Stalker" set—sleek, violet leather with a hood that trailed smoke and a mask that displayed a shifting 8-bit emote. Currently, it was a xD face.

They jerked and moved in an unnatural way, as if they were phasing slightly in and out of harmony with reality. "They're the tainted!" Dean Wason cried out, meeting the first of the attackers, his sword clashing with their fragile, shadow-tainted blades. "Those infected by the whispers of the Architects!" Sama Arthur saw one of the corrupted humans raise a hand, its fingers twisting into a grotesque gesture, send a concentrated blast of temporal energy at Paul Wason. The young mage cried out, stumbling backward as if struck by an invisible hammer. His shield faltered, on the verge of collapsing entirely.

A great amount of it spilled out of the gash in her armor as well. Rezhathii’s armor was covered in little cuts and nicks, some of which trickled blood. Save for the one large gash, which poured it out instead. Her heart thundered in her chest as the fringes of her vision began to muddy.

Boom. A cloud of crimson mist and dissipating shadow where he’d stood. The force of the backlash knocked me back a step, a wave of profound weakness washing over me. The magnificent armor shimmered, then unlatched itself from my body, hanging in the air before me like a ghost before I willed it back into my inventory.

"Protect the throne! Destroy the beast!" Six guards lunged forward at once. Their steel spears moved in a flash. I wanted to scream, to tell them to stop, but it happened too fast. The spears hit Alaric’s chest, but they didn't pierce him. The metal turned red and began to melt the moment it touched his glowing skin. Alaric didn't even use a weapon. He swung his heavy, glowing arm in a wide circle. The guards were thrown back like dolls. Their armor was melted and ruined.

She pulled back just enough to look at me. “What are you planning now?” There it was. Not if. What. I took a breath. “I’m designing armor,” I said. Her brows rose. “Armor?” “Personal combat armor,” I clarified. “For the Shadows. Lightweight. Flexible. Resistant to silver, wolfsbane, spell penetration. Something that doesn’t slow them down, but doesn’t let them die easily either.” Her hand tightened in my coat. “You’re preparing for casualties.” “I’m preparing to prevent them.”

Out of nowhere, a bone arrow sliced through the air and struck his chest with a sharp hiss. The arrow, upon contact with Jim's blood, glowed a sinister red. His face contorted in pain, and suddenly, his grip failed him as he plummeted from the sky. I dashed forward, my heart racing, and leaped to cover Jim with my body. The Haunts erupted into mocking laughter. "Jim, we've taken apart the bones of the mortal who wanted you dead and crafted them into these arrows. Take one more step and we'll pin you down in front of your own troops!"

Her body was too weak for this kind of power. Laura touched the bite mark on her arm. One of the wolves had gotten through her guard. Its teeth had broken skin. Shadow infection. That's what Kieran meant. She could feel it. A cold spot spreading from the bite. Trying to reach her heart. "No," she said firmly. "I won't let you win." Laura placed her hand over the bite. Called on her purification power. Golden light flowed from her palm. The shadow infection hissed and pulled back. But the effort left her gasping. Sweat poured down her face.

He can control who has access to it and who doesn’t. “Thank you,” I whisper, jumping down from the bed as the bitterness hits me. The bitter feeling of their pain and suffering—I can feel it deeply in me now. “You better watch yourself,” he warns, his voice firm. “I will not take in the problem you create for yourself next time.” I nod, still grateful he helped me. I had thought I wouldn’t get the infection because I heard it’s not possible for healers to get infected that easily. Lucy can walk around these places without the shield she creates and she wouldn’t get a wink of infection.

They could not push the heavy corpse out of the way. "Is that all of them? " Justin panted, leaning heavily against his axe handle. His chest. Fell in deep ragged gasps. He looked at the mountain of flesh blocking my front door then turned his head to look at me. "Tell me that was the big one." "LUS, scan the perimeter " I ordered, my voice trembling as the adrenaline started to leave my blood leaving me cold and weak. "Are there any Tier 3 signatures nearby?" [Scanning... The kinetic shield burst was successful. The remaining smaller infected are being crushed against the barrier. Total enemy count within the yard: Zero. The first major horde has been neutralized.]