Brad opened the door a crack, but just as quickly slammed it back shut. Alarm was plastered on his face, but no words escaped his lips.
“What’s wrong?!” Brittany insisted.
“We…” Brad sucked in a gasp. “We’ve got company!”
Blondie began loading one of the assault rifles, “More zombies?”
“I don’t think so.” He shoved a spare rifle through the handles to barricade the door. “They looked like more players.”
“What?!” Blondie took a defensive stance, “Did someone else get the Weapons Quest alert?”
“It would appear so.”
A slam against the door. Then another.
“Arm yourselves! Looks like we are gonna have to fight our way out of here!” Brad took aim at the door.
The makeshift barricade didn’t last long. Within minutes, two men stood at the entry. One of them had a bazooka slung over his shoulder.
The players’ character stats appeared in Brittany’s NR enhanced vision. Both were at a Level 9.
“Drop your weapons!” Brad commanded. “You’re outnumbered!”
True, but we’re outskilled!
One of the men spoke with a thick South African accent. “Move aside.”
Blondie nudged Brad and spoke under her breath, “I got this, guys.”
Stepping forward, Blondie made a ridiculous proposal. “Why fight us? Why don’t you boys join us?”
System Alert!
@BlondeWarrior has just extended @DeathSapien and @MageBorne options to join your guild with a +300 XP offer apiece. Each existing guild member will forfeit 100 XP per new member joined.
“What?!” Brittany shrieked, “You can’t do that!”
“On the contrary, I just did.” She winked.
The beastly-looking man called @DeathSapien spoke gruffly, “You can’t buy our loyalty.”
The man holding the bazooka seemed to hesitate as he contemplated the offer. @DeathSapien turned abruptly when his partner didn’t respond.
“Right?”
Silence. Everyone’s muscles tensed.
System Alert!
@MageBorne has accepted an offer to join your guild.
-100 XP
With a loud roar, @DeathSapien attacked his comrade with his bare hands. Brittany reacted quickly, firing off several rounds from her newly acquired assault rifle into the back of the large man’s skull.
-200 HP
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
-200 HP
-200 HP
HeadShot: Difficult
Instant Kill
+190 XP
At least I got all of my lost XP back.
@MageBorne simply stared at her with horror.
“Welcome to the team.”
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An ominous red door stood in their way. It had three wavy markings outside it, like a symbol similar to the weapons storage they just came from.
“Hmm, I wonder what the lines mean?” Brad said out loud.
“Who cares? All I know is that we’re armed to the teeth, so whatever has a swing at us better say their prayers beforehand.” Blondie said confidently.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Brad warned. “We can’t be too cautious.”
Having completed their Weapons Quest, Blondie shared their Ancient Artifact quest with their newest recruit. Jessie was built like a football player, and Blondie had taken an instant liking to him. She had become so distracted by his presence, she barely even acknowledged Brittany.
At least we’re not bickering for once.
“Everyone ready?” Brad’s hand hovered just inches away from the door handle. “There’s no telling what we’ll find inside there.”
Blondie and Jessie nodded their consent. Brittany had her sword at the ready, despite the odd looks she received from the other guild mates.
If the Leviathan is in there, I’m not letting my soul get snatched!
Brad unlatched the door, slowly. As with the freezer room, vapor crept out the entrance and around their legs, giving them a trail into the unknown.
System Alert!
You have reached the Crypt of the Pillars. The artifacts you seek are hidden within one of these twelve crypts. Be wary, for unknown dangers lurk in the shadows.
All four of them became instantly tense at the new information. As they inched into the new room, the darkness seemed to cover them like a blanket. The crypt looked straight out of Dracula, very creepy and not tempting enough to be touched. Three elevated areas on the cover of the crypt could possibly be indicators.
A pure fear of the unknown gripped Brittany’s chest, and she began to hyperventilate.
“Shh!” Blondie hissed. “You’ll give away our location!”
Too late.
Though subtle, Brittany saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She barely had enough time to react. She swung hard and true, and the zombie-like figure crumpled to the ground at her feet.
Decapitate: Easy
Instant Kill
+150 XP
Skill Unlocked: Decapitate
Delivers an Instant Kill when you swing your sword hard and true toward your opponent’s neck. Chances of Instant Kill are 35%. Greater chances for Instant Kill increase with higher levels. Requirements: Level > 7, Strength > 9, Agility > 4, Stamina > 5, Intelligence > 4, Willpower > 4
Blondie whipped around. “What was that?!”
Brittany’s NR enhanced vision suddenly lit up with hundreds of markers.
Skill Unlocked: SoulRadar
The wielder of the Sword of Eli is granted the ability to identify the presence of and hone in on condemned souls while in close proximity and holding the sword aloft in both hands. The wielder is unable to equip any other weapons while using this ability. Requirements: Level > 7, Strength > 9, Agility > 4, Stamina > 5, Intelligence > 4, Willpower > 4
“We’re surrounded!” Brittany panicked. “There’s hundreds of them!”
“Hundreds of what?” Brad scanned the darkness around him. “Where?!”
Brittany took a deep breath as the markers grew ever closer to their location. “When I took this sword into my inventory, a system alert informed me that it had the ability to locate and hone in on condemned souls.”
“That’s a great skill!” Brad said. “Let’s huddle up. Just tell us where to shoot!”
“They’re almost here, and they’ve got us surrounded.”
“You heard her!” Brad instructed. “Huddle together, back to back, firing into the darkness right in front of you. Unless you see something coming at you, don’t fire anywhere else!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Blondie quipped. “I know what you’re hinting at. I’ll try not to shoot anyone this time.”
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