For a moment, Doug watched in awe as the two enormous monsters tore through the town below. His mouth hung open wide as he witnessed the devastation unfolding down below. Buildings collapsed under the weight of the FireBoars' attacks, sending plumes of smoke rising into the sky. Flames consumed everything around them.
Within moments, the town was reduced to ashes. Only the occasional chimney remained standing amid the smoldering rubble.
Suddenly, the female FireBoar leapt into the air once more and dove headfirst into a burning pile of debris. Seconds later, she burst forth from the wreckage, roaring victoriously as she bounded toward its companion. Both beasts paused briefly, surveying the damage, and then turned their attention back to the surrounding area.
Doug snapped out of his moment of stupor, and trailed after his companions. Together, they ran full tilt down the mountainside, heading straight for the FireBoars.
The female FireBoar spotted them first and gave a low growl of warning.
"This is it!" Jenn yelled excitedly. "You guys run ahead while Chad, Kari and I take on the female."
"Don't worry," Kari assured her. "I've got your back, girl."
They sprinted toward the female FireBoar as fast as they could go, closing the gap rapidly.
Doug stumbled after the rest of the group in pursuit of the larger male FireBoar. When he finally closed the distance, however, he slowed considerably. The giant FireBoar loomed ahead of him, easily twice the size of any monster he'd ever fought before.
It was hard not to stare at the creature, mesmerized by its sheer massiveness. Its thick body resembled nothing so much as a gigantic fireball. Thick arms supported a broad chest and powerful legs. Massive shoulders bulged menacingly underneath the flaming pelt covering its torso. Two large tusks protruded from the sides of its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.
Large eyes stared back at him balefully, glowing bright orange against the backdrop of crimson hide that covered every inch of the beast's body. Even though Doug was certain that he would die if he attempted to attack the FireBoar, he felt compelled to do exactly that anyway.
He raised his sword high overhead, preparing to bring it crashing down on the creature's skull. Just before impact, however, the FireBoar sprang backward, narrowly avoiding the strike.
"Come on, come on," Doug muttered angrily as the FireBoar darted past him, racing toward the next closest structure.
Doug glanced behind him at his companions, who were now running alongside him. Then, he spun around and sped after the FireBoar.
His heart pounded furiously as he chased the beast. Despite knowing how futile it was, Doug refused to give up on trying to kill this monstrous beast He still needed to prove his worth to the guild before they’d be willing to accept him.
With tremendous effort, he managed to close the distance between him and the FireBoar, catching up to the monster before it reached its destination. As soon as he was within striking range, Doug brought his weapon down hard on the creature's shoulder.
A loud crack rang out across the plains as the blade sank deep into the FireBoar's skin. The creature roared in pain and swiped at the ground in front of itself. Several pieces of stone flew into the air, showering Doug with pebbles and dirt.
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Unperturbed by the minor setback, Doug lunged forward again, bringing his sword down on the FireBoar's neck. Again, the creature roared in agony, shaking its massive head vigorously. This time, however, it didn't shake free. Instead, the FireBoar lifted its upper body upward slightly off of the ground.
Before Doug could react, the beast slammed its huge hands onto the ground, digging deeply into the soil beneath him. Before he knew what happened, Doug found himself falling backward, sliding several yards down the slope of the hill.
By the time he regained his footing, the FireBoar was already charging forward at him with its massive tusks. Doug rolled aside just in time to avoid the blow, barely managing to keep from taking a direct hit. The FireBoar roared in frustration.
Doug jumped back to his feet and prepared for another charge. Once again, the FireBoar unleashed its fury upon him. A torrent of flames erupted from its mouth as it barreled forward.
Doug dodged the attack yet again, but this time it wasn't enough. The heat from the fire singed his skin as he tried desperately to stay away from the beast.
Again and again, the FireBoar struck, each blow raining fiery destruction down on him. Finally, the FireBoar drove its tusks deep into his armored chest plate. Doug’s HUD flashed red, signaling he had taken severe damage.
Doug staggered backwards, clutching his armor tightly as he fell to his knees. The FireBoar stood triumphantly before him, readying for its final blow.
When it came, it was swift and merciless. The FireBoar charged once , launching a stream of flame straight into Doug's unprotected face.
Instinctively, he shielded his eyes from the searing inferno with both hands as it engulfed him completely.
Game Over
Cause of death: Incineration
Doug was suddenly faced with a ten minute penalty lockout screen.
So much for proving myself to the guild.
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After logging out, Doug sat quietly on the couch in his bunker. His anxiety grew stronger as the seconds ticked away. He needed Conquest as a distraction, but now he had to wait patiently while waiting for his cooldown timer to expire.
Doug groaned loudly, rubbing his temples as he waited. After several minutes passed, his impatience finally got the better of him. He rose slowly to his feet and walked over to his computer desk. There, he opened his email program and logged into his account.
He found a new message from Kyle, and it was dire news.
“Hey Doug. Whoever these killers are, they got to Valerie. She’s dead. I’m headed to the Safehouse, and so are the others. Stay safe!”
Doug froze for a moment as he absorbed the words. No matter how many times he heard about someone else dying during the course of his survivalist training, hearing those same words spoken aloud always affected him profoundly. Now, when they applied directly to him, Doug felt a wave of emotion wash over him. Tears welled up inside of him, threatening to spill forth.
Without thinking, he grabbed a pillow off of his bed and held it tight against his chest. For some reason, holding something soft against him helped ease his emotions. That was all right. Whatever he needed, he would get it. If he died tonight, he wouldn't have regrets because he lived every day to the fullest possible extent.
Then, without warning, anger overtook him.
They killed my friend. They murdered her! How dare they? What did she ever do to deserve such brutality?!
Doug let loose a primal roar as rage coursed through his veins. Without hesitation, he dashed out of his room and headed straight for the steel hatch leading outside. With his mind set on vengeance, he stormed toward the rung ladder, ready to tear apart anyone who dared stand in his path.
Just then, however, his HUD flashed red again. Apparently, the penalty countdown had finally ended.
Decisions, decisions.
He gritted his teeth as he turned back to the safety of his bunker. He slumped dejectedly against the wall as he stared blankly ahead. All the fight had gone out of him.
Why bother going outside anymore? Nothing good ever comes from venturing into the light.
He thought hard about Kyle's latest email. Something told him he should head to the Safehouse where he and his hacker friends who called themselves the Cyber Police had established their headquarters before the Rapture. Maybe, if he went there, he and his friends could learn more about the mysterious killers who had slaughtered everyone he cared about.
Maybe… just maybe, I might be able to stop them before they kill again.
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