When I came to, everything was red. Under the moonlight finally peaking in, multiple lanterns and torches, I climbed myself out of a chair I was smashed into.
I coughed hard, throat burning with the taste of gunpowder and wine, and tried to push off the shattered beam pinning my leg as my ears rung.
She was half-buried under what used to be a table, gargling blood, struggling to move.
I shoved debris away and dragged her out as her hands was scraping against broken glass and blood. Hailie’s hair was streaked with ash even visible despite its natural white color, her white robes smeared in soot and red.
"Are you... are you okay? Talk to me, Hailie!" I asked, voice cracking from smoke.
"Oh... Oh my..." She nodded weakly, blinking hard. "I think so."
Then another explosion hit.
The shockwave rolled through the room, and I saw the world flash white for half a heartbeat before the noise came, like thunder shattering a cathedral. We hit the floor again, shielding our heads as flaming debris rained down.
Absolute chaos erupted as mankind once more lay proven that godhood was merely a facade.
Swords clashed in every direction, I looked up to see two men cutting through each other’s neck, then one of them being electrocuted by bolts of lightning arced from wall to wall, hitting at least 5 people. Then the mage casted the lightning got her head pierced with an arrow slicing through the air, the horrifying sight was the fact that she didn’t die, even when the arrow flew straight through her brain and smashed into a wall.
Someone screamed as a fireball exploded near the bar, setting the spilled wine ablaze. Liquid flame spreading across the floor like they were fighting in an area of volcanoes.
The tavern people had been using for meet ups, party finding, jokes and petty arguments in had turned into a battlefield.
The New Destiny hideout was no more.
I didn’t even have a second to assess our surrounding when a figure came rushing toward us with his blade raised.
I swung, the edge of my war scythe carved clean through his chest, the weight and recoil jolting my arms. He fell, probably down from pain, but not dead.
My breathing was ragged and loud in my ears were my own pulses.
"Hailie, hide in the cellar!" I shouted, grabbing her shoulder. "Now!"
"Cory... I- I can’t!" She shook her head violently, eyes wide but fierce. "No! My friends are still out there! People are still out there! I have to help them!"
"God damn it..." I hesitated only a second before swearing under my breath. "Then at least stay behind me, got it?"
I flicked my wrist, pulling up the guild map. It glitched from the signal interference, lagging as data streamed in from every direction... Red dots, blue dots, a storm of chaos. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱
Two clusters were seen... Proving that there were two areas that people were fighting to contest.
One at the tavern, with at least a hundred people fighting. Another up near the summit, where the hideout’s mana core and barrier nexus were located... With barely twenty people total.
The one up top had Pearl, Mei, Marc, Rina... a like three other at best.
Then, a blinking chat feed from Pearl sending into the guild chat popped into the corner of my vision:
"The hideout’s barrier was disabled from the inside! We are rebooting the nexus, need immediately backup."
I clenched my jaw as realization hit... So that’s how they got in. Someone inside opened the door for them.
"Most of the fight’s here," I told Hailie, scanning the map. "But Pearl’s group is at the top of the mountain trying to bring the barrier back up. We’re going to head up there... Let’s go, I’ll cover you."
Hailie’s eyes widened, torn between fear and duty, but she nodded.
The moment she broke into a sprint, I followed.
"FUCK OFF, PEASANTS!"
My scythe flashing in tight arcs as we dashed through the battlefield, and I had to awkwardly use it as a defensive weapon for peeling my teammate.
Enemies and allies were tangled together, shouting, bleeding, casting spells, tripping over broken furniture. It was impossible to tell who was winning.
Along the path were screams that no one would want to hear.
"Why are you here?!!"
A lot of people needed me, yet, I could only care so little.
"MOVE! CLEAR A PATH!" I shouted, swinging wide, sparks flying as I parried a halberd aimed at Hailie’s head. I kicked the attacker square in the chest, sending him crashing through a flaming table, and looked away as he screamed when his skin tore from the flame.
Then, another arrow came straight at her forehead, she seemed to saw it and dodged, but I still got mad, so I picked up a chair with my free hand and threw it towards the archer... I didn’t know if that did anything, because I didn’t look back as we were approaching the door.
Soon, I felt something on top, a hail of arrows was coming down on me, so I temporary dashed to hide under the table while Hailie continued to run.
Only a few seconds later, the hail stopped, and I got out to try and keep up with the girl.
We were halfway to the said entrance when another explosion tore through the ceiling. A shower of debris rained down with splinters and plaster as an entire chandelier that shattered right between us.
I threw my arms over my face and pushed through the smoke.
"I’m okay!" she called back, stumbling through the doorway, the mountain wind whipping at her cloak. "I’ll help Pearl!"
"I’ll be right behind you!" I said with confidence.
She started climbing the rocky slope, and for a brief moment, I thought maybe things were going to be well. She could stay dumb and honest like that as I kill everyone on that mountain tip, then, we could just finish up the barrier and I’ll convince her to just log out now that her friends are safe.
I guess I spoke too soon, as the moment right after, I saw two randoms try blocking my path.
Then pain tore through my stomach.
It was sharp and cold, the taste of metal, as if the air had frozen solid into steel and pierced straight through me.
I looked down, disbelieving, at the blade jutting from my abdomen was a broadsword, glinting dull red in the firelight.
I gasped, because I actually didn’t feel pain, due to the Konami exploit I mentioned earlier, but more or less due to the fact that I was in shock as I saw how low my HP got.
This was a really strong player that hit me without me knowing.
The sword slid out with a single pull, and I stumbled forward, twisting around.
Bad idea, because blood was flowing and I was feeling dazed.
She was standing there.
Even without seeing her face through the hood, I knew.
The way she moved, rough yet graceful, an acrobatic maniac, the woman was almost lazy in her confidence... And her presence was one I didn’t need right now. It was the woman from Rina’s livestream.
"Lady_Valerie..." I breathed, voice cracking with disbelief.
The woman who tried to assassinate Pearl, then killed Hailie and Marc instead. A god damn mercenary was behind this.
Her broadsword clattered to the ground beside me, its blade stained with my blood. I kicked it away so that she couldn’t pick it up.
She raised her hands instead, flexing her fingers, knuckles cracking in the firelight.
"I can not let you up there, CJS69, it is my duty." she said, "Though... It is a pleasant surprise that you are..."
"A woman?" I cut her off, "Yeah, fuck you, I’ve always hate players who build off meta just to fit their aesthetic like you, god damn Paladin maxxing Strength."
She smirked, so I added.
"You could’ve been among the greatest in the game if you were to play a rogue or something!"
With that said... She mentioned me specifically, which meant someone knew I was here today.
I tightened my grip on my weapon, blood dripping from my side, and squared my stance, as I kept half an eye on the two guys at the entrance while still facing her.
"They won’t interfere." She said, "Professional ethics."
"A company of mercenaries?" I frowned in disbelief
She didn’t answer, yet noises still filled my ears as the world around us roared.
Fire, screaming, steel, but in that moment, it all felt distant.
Just me, her, and the sound of my heart pounding in my ears.
Her hands lifted as she put one leg forward, ready for a fight, my hands tightened around the haft of my war scythe.
"We only fought in VR twice during Early Access, hope you didn’t get rusty." I commented.
And as the next explosion shook the mountain, we dashed at each other.