‘The question is where should I go from here....help Richard? Be part of the coup? Or steal the dragon blades?’ Weed didn’t bother pondering over the question too long.
He couldn’t steal the dragon blades since he didn’t know where they were. Then why did he bring it up to begin with? He had a hunch but he dismissed it for the time being; there was a time for everything and as long as the blades weren’t moved he could always collect them later.
The next option was to be part of the coup….but Weed wondered if it already wasn’t too late to join and if he did join wouldn’t Arthur take notice? It was a difficult and delicate position to be in. Weed didn’t think the other guild masters would share the spoils of war with him; there existed no kindness in the hearts of those so cruel.
Last but not least, helping Richard, this too was a dead end option however it was the only one which Weed was interested in pursuing. He didn’t know where Richard was and if he had to guess Richard was at the ceremony grounds duking it out with Arthur (like any cliché movie scene). This possibility intrigued him the most since Richard by no means was weak. As per Arthur’s story the Lord of Lavias single-handedly lay waste to entire legions of monsters. Even if his powers were sealed, changed to youth, the question that remained to be answered was exactly how weak was he?
‘I might as well check on Richard, if he can’t be helped then I can pretend to be part of the coup and then steal the blades during the victory rioting.’ Weed concluded. ‘Now all that is left is to get past the sea of nobles trying to get past the insane guild masters…’
Weed found his opportunity soon enough and from the most pleasant corner; the Wind Geomchis provided the much needed cover. Nineteen of them descended on to the other players at lightening speed. They in fact were so fast, anyone would have thought it to be a cheat skill. Weed knew they were the best martial artists under Roi Lee’s care; however what he was witnessing didn’t add up to their skills and levels.
‘They certainly aren’t using elements to move…’ Weed could tell as he watched them run. Those with wind affinity tend to glide more than run when charging towards the enemy. The only thing Weed could tell was that they were using a martial arts technique that appeared to be over clocked.
Unlike Weed, the guild masters and ninja’s didn’t have the advantage of distance to get a view of the charge. They were too preoccupied with killing nobles, soldiers and anyone who wasn’t part of their plan. Most importantly, none of them expected an resistance anymore.
The Geomchis however had waited it out. They had timed their attack to just when the guild masters’ stamina ran low. It wasn’t an easy decision for the Geomchis to follow however their master had specifically instructed them to wait. Roi Lee had enough gaming experience to know his own and his students strengths and weakness.
He knew the Geomchis stood no chance against well polished pro gamer who began playing elementarem vim much before them. They were still new to the game, getting acquainted with the game dynamics and creating their base character. The guild masters on the other hand were in their second year of gaming and were much higher leveled than the Geomchis. The guild masters already mastered the game dynamics and had a better understanding of the mechanism of elements. Their characters were some of the best in Lavias and some were in the top of the tables for the Wind Empire.
There was another reason why Geomchi 5 (Roi Lee) knew they had to wait. Geomchi 5 didn’t spend his time fighting with Emily just to assess how far she as a student had reached. He was continuously relaying the battle to his students. As Emily unraveled every trick up her sleeve, the Geomchi’s were able to better understand the enemy they were dealing with. Did knowing how weak they were in front of a greater power, scare them? No, it had the opposite effect on the disciples knowing these details, they could plan with their master a better counter strategy. Hence, it was decided till the enemy wore out their stamina, the disciples had to wait.
Wait they did. The disciples held back their emotions with every ounce of mental control they had as they watched the massacre unfold.
An average player would find killing NPCs morally wrong but wouldn’t hesitate if he/she had to. An average RREV player who dealth with nobles would find killing NPCs also wrong but killing nobles as acceptable. A pro gamer would see nothing wrong with killing NPCs regardless of whether they are nobles or not. A pro gamer only looked at the end result. The ends justify the means.
Then why was it so hard for the Wind Geomchi’s to hold back? Why was it taking each and every ounce of self control to stop themselves in saving the NPCs? The answer lay in each encounter they had with NPCs in RREV. Unicorn Corp didn’t hold back in detailing the elementarem vim as real as to the real world. Being a newer game, the game was created using the latest technologies and programming possible. Add to the fact each NPC was independent of the other (unlike other games where there existed a master central control) and artificial intelligence. The result? Each NPC was detailed to almost borderline life likeness. Players found it extremely difficult in RREV to distinguish between NPCs and players; most cases leading to misunderstanding.
The Geomchis too were victims to such misunderstandings and confusions; they admitted several NPC students into their training classes in elemtarem vim. The Geomchi’s did realize eventually which new comer was an NPC and which was not; but could they discriminate against one they sworn in as a brother? In the end, the Geomchi’s didn’t care whether it was a player or NPC who joined them for training; what was most important was the fact they had a desire to learn swordsmanship and martial arts. Through these numerous interactions with NPCs during training sessions, the Geomchis (across all four Empires) no longer saw these brothers in arms as NPCs but as people. People who once die would never come back. There in lay the root cause of their rage.
It didn’t matter to the Geomchis whether it was noble or not. NPCs were people. The Wind Geomchi’s had their share of encounters with minor authoritative figures in RREV and few had the chance to assist minor quests handed by nobles. Some had been uneventful, some boring, and some led to new beginnings. Geomchi 2 (Chung Il) for example secured a noble lord’s son, Krug Rosenheim, as a student. None of the Geomchis faced the discriminations the guild masters faced when dealing with nobles because the Geomchis never discriminated between NPCs and players to begin with. The Geomchis never played the game to take advantage of NPCs or players or anyone. They honest and sincere intentions reached the nobles very clearly who in turn never bothered the Geomchis the way they bothered guild masters.
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The Geomchis waited and waited, . Their patience ran dry and anger welled up in their chest. They were thirsty for blood and they were thirst to avenge. They would not let a single persons death here go in vain. They were going to rob the happiness of those cruel guild masters. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and death for the guilty. If VR consoles had a limit to how much rage one is allowed to experience in a game, then the Geomchis' virtual reality console would have snapped long ago. The Wind Geomchis sanity was held in place by their standing instruction of their master to wait till the time was right, to count the sword slashes, to monitor the number of times an element was used and to keep track of the moves they used. The disciples watched with their eyes wide open without blinking. Each one counted each sword slash, each time an elemental attack was used or when an item was used. The memories were ingrained deep within their minds and became knowledge that fueled their strength.
Between twenty guild masters and a handful of ninjas, killing close to two and half thousand NPCs was a huge task. The guild masters knew this and had arranged for back up teams on standby locations. When the culling began those teams responded. Several players died just attempting to break through the Manor’s security. In the end only thirty members made it through. Considering they wiped out the all of Richard’s personal soldiers, it was a feat within itself. Those thirty members provided the much needed extra hands in the massacre.
Not all NPCs were civilians and not all NPCs were idiots when it came to the use of swords. Firstly, there was the army staff. Three hundred officers brandished their rapiers high and provided a high degree of challenge. At one point it seemed the battle favoured them, however the players with great deal of effort were able to suppress them. The army staff was no different from a remote village’s local law enforcement officer. How much of a threat could they possibly possess? They consisted mostly of old dignitaries and a few young officers. The NPCs level averaged 30 and class E. The players considered it a joke that this was the force left in charge to defend Lavias from invasions.
Once the players were done with the army staff, they turned their attention to the aristocrats and the other dignitaries. Everyone in Versailles has had some experience in combat; what the NPCs lacked were the weapons. Even though they picked up weapons of fallen soldiers and comrades it wasn’t enough to turn the tide and overwhelm the players and ninjas who were specifically equipped for this event.
It took over an hour but the players could finally see that the end was near. They had taken quite a hit in the process of the massacre. The thirty players who stepped in as reinforcement had all been killed. Only fifteen guild masters were left once the resistance died. The Ninjas unsurprisingly had taken no casualties; both their divisions stood tall, as they were only going after those civilians who escaped from the players net. The Ninjas on a whole watched from the sidelines. It wasn’t clear whether they had been instructed to do so or whether it was part of a larger plan.
The Geomchis waited and waited for their chance. Their patience ran dry and anger welled up in their chest. They were thirsty for blood and they were thirst to avenge. They would not let a single persons death here go in vain. They were going to rob the happiness of those cruel guild masters. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and death for the guilty. If VR consoles had a limit to how much rage one is allowed to experience in a game, then the Geomchi’s virtual reality console would have snapped long ago.
The Wind Geomchis sanity was held in place by their standing instruction of their master to wait till the time was right, to count the sword slashes, to monitor the number of times an element was used and to keep track of the moves they used. Emily had served as an excellent model to guage the strength and stamina of other guild masters. It was Geomchi 5’s self sacrifice for the win in the longer run that would be a key in defeating the remainder of the enemy forces that remained. The disciples watched with their eyes wide open without blinking. Each one counted each sword slash, each time an elemental attack was used or when an item was used. The memories of the screams and howling were ingrained deep within their minds and became knowledge that fueled their strength.
As their anger grew so did their strength.
The gruesome task depleted the players stamina but smiles began breaking across their faces. They were only left with defenseless NPCs who required minimal effort to murder. That’s when the Geomchis struck, when the guild masters were most vulnerable.
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Authors Note:
1. :) I am especially proud of this chapter, a bit short (20% less words than average) but I love it.
2. To my readers who are my critics and critics who are my readers, one word: touché. You pushed me to write better and pushed me to be more daring, the result is something I am very much pleased of. This chapter is dark and emotional but it is only the darkest before dawn. I could not have written this and what is to unfold without your push.
3. I hope the Geomchi 5 (Roi Lee) is seen upon in better light going forth :)
4. More chappies to come soon!
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