Volume 1 - Chapter 21

A Plan Emerges

Stalvek's smirk widened as he glared at me, the knife inches from my face. He gripped it menacingly, muscles tense as he eyed me like a piece of meat.

"You know, I just hit level three, and I've been waiting for this," he hissed, lips curling. "You're gonna be my first player kill, Ethan Jones!"

His muscles coiled like a spring as he drew the blade back over his shoulder. My breath caught in my throat as I braced for the inevitable impact, eyes squeezing shut in grim anticipation.

But the blow never came.

Seconds ticked by in silence, and when I finally dared to crack an eye open, Stalvek stood frozen mid-swing, face twisted in a rictus of confusion and rage.

The knife stuck in the air just inches from my face like he'd stabbed it into an invisible tree. He struggled to dig it free from that invisible barrier.

It took me a moment to realize what was happening. Of course, the game's anti-grieving mechanics must have prevented him from hitting me. I was still too low level for player combat to be enabled.

A laugh bubbled up from my chest as relief washed over me.

"What's the matter, tough guy?" I said with a taunting smirk.

Understanding dawned across Stalvek's features and he glared at me, then glanced around like he'd been caught off-guard by cameras neither one of us could see.

I pointed around at the same invisible cameras that I knew recorded me as well. "We both need to be level three or higher for that kind of thing, genius."

His face turned an alarming shade of puce as he realized the truth. With an inarticulate roar of fury, Stalvek hurled the knife aside, the clang of metal on concrete reverberating down the alley.

"Stupid! Freaking! GAME!" he raged, spit flying as he stomped back and forth like a spoiled brat. "What's even the point if I can't stab a few people?!"

The shadow goons warped as their leader vented. I leaned back against the wall, arms folded as I enjoyed the show.

I wondered how many streamers watched him throwing his temper tantrum, and I smiled, knowing I was still safe for the time being.

The fury drained from Stalvek's face, replaced by a cool, predatory calm that chilled me to the bone. He was good at changing his personality for entertainment purposes.

He picked up his knife and then stepped closer, the shadow goons parting to let him back through until he towered over me, eyes glinting with malice.

"You think this is funny, punk?" His voice was a guttural growl. "You have no idea what you're doing! I can't believe the stupid game protects casual noobs like you. Just wait! You'll die early, Jones. I promise you that!"

I swallowed hard, my bravado faltering under the intensity of his glare. Stalvek jerked his head towards the big shadow things behind him.

"These boys know what's what. We're Cortez Family, through and through. And we know exactly how we're going to take down The Green Fists. Your time is up no matter what you decide."

"I'm not with The Green Fists."

Stalvek studied me. I had no doubt he was looking through his screens for anything he might have missed.

After a few seconds he laughed. "Whatever, noob. You don't know shit about us, and you're as good as toast. Run away now, before you make me angrier than I already am!"

"Or what?"

"Agh! Nothing, I guess!" he yelled, "just get out of my way, already!"

I smiled, knowing he couldn't do anything to me. He knew it just as well, and that made it all the more enjoyable.

Watching the player pout gave me immense joy, but I knew it wouldn't last forever.

Finally, Stalvek calmed down and he studied me again. His lips curled in a sneer.

"You know, we're onto their sad little plan to hit The Bleeker Building. Fat chance of that happening!" He leaned in. "The Greenies are gonna die as soon as they attack our building. We've been running in and out of that place for weeks, building up the image that it's our headquarters or something. In reality, it's nothing but a trap. Soon as a bunch of Green Fists walk in, BOOM! The whole thing's gonna blow!"

I furrowed my brows but tried not to act super stunned by his villain speech.

"Why are you telling me that?" I asked. "Now I might just go and warn them what your plans are."

He let out a long sigh and glared at me like he'd just made some critical error. Stalvek was one of those types who loved the sound of his own voice. Eventually he recovered.

"Doesn't matter! You're not a Green Fist, what do you care? And they wouldn't believe you anyway!"

His answer made plenty of sense. The only thing that didn't was why he had told me, but that could easily be explained by his loose lips.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"I don't care," I admitted, choosing to be honest. "I wouldn't mind if all the gangs got eliminated."

Stalvek laughed at me. "I believe you, Jones, even though that's never gonna happen. Now get out of my way until you're level three!"

He drew a finger slowly across his throat, grinning wolfishly as he walked away. The big black shadow figures behind him vanished in a puff of smoke.

"You're already dead, kid! You just don't realize it yet."

I relaxed, once again glad I hadn't reached level three yet.

After a minute I hurried away from the alley, Stalvek's cruel laughter still ringing in my ears. My heart pounded a frantic rhythm against my ribs as I retraced my steps towards Samuel Donovan's place.

This time I would have a plan before I went into the detective's office. I thought about it while walking briskly down the sidewalks, and I had plenty of time since it was still several blocks away.

I would tell Donovan the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The only thing I wouldn't mention was the fact it was a trap, and that all The Green Fists who went into the building would get blown up.

It was a gamble, but I was willing to take it. Now that I had a good idea how the basics worked in the game, and I had folders full of knowledge, I had direction. Taking matters into my own hands was starting to work wonders.

I would influence Samuel Donovan to move forward with any plans they had of attacking The Bleeker Building.

The Greenies would take a huge blow, leaving the gang weak. In the power vacuum, The Cortez Family and The Borrell Family would fight for control. They would be too busy dealing with all that to worry about a few random players starting a guild.

We could get our feet beneath us and gain a little experience without the constant threat of being killed by one of them.

At least, that was what I hoped. It sounded like a fantastic plan in my head, so long as I got what Samuel Donovan had promised me before they all end up dead.

I rounded the corner onto Whitaker and saw the office up ahead. Within a minute I was there.

The detective looked up sharply as I burst through the door, chest heaving. His brow furrowed at my disheveled appearance.

"Jones? What in the hell happened to you?"

I waved away his concern, forcing myself to take a few calming breaths.

"Stalvek… cornered me after I left The Bleeker Building," I panted out between gulps of air. "I'm fine though, the anti-grieving kicked in before they could do anything, since I'm not level three yet."

Donovan's expression darkened at the mention of Stalvek's name. He motioned me to take a seat across from his battered desk.

"Tell me everything. Don't leave out a single detail."

I launched into a full account. The patrols I'd mapped out, and the faces I'd memorized coming and going. Donovan listened intently, scribbling notes as I spoke. When I finished relaying The Cortez Family's rotation patterns, I hesitated.

"There's... one more thing." I wet my lips nervously. "There was this big black shiny roadster that pulled up. Some guy that looked important got out of the vehicle. He went in, and then never came back out. Whatever's happening in that building, it's important. I bet if it gets hit real soon, some big players in The Cortez Family will end up dead."

Donovan's pen stilled, his expression inscrutable. For a long moment, he said nothing, seemingly lost in thought as he processed this new information. Finally, he let out a low sigh, tossing the pen down on the desk.

"I had a feeling that might be the case," he admitted grimly. "Sounds like The Cortez Family are having one of their big meetups. It very well could be an excellent time to attack them. If we can take out even half their leadership, then maybe we can convince them to leave The Grims to us."

His steely gaze bored into me.

"We'll have to be extra cautious from here on out. Can't take any chances until we have more intel, but you did good kid. Now, I'm ready to call it a day."

I shook my head. "What about those extra perks or that bonus you were talking about before?"

Samuel Donovan looked up at me, his face void of any humor.

"Well," he said, "I was hoping you wouldn't remember that part, but I'm loyal to my word, all the same!"

The old detective reached into his desk and pulled out some cash. He counted out a bunch of bills and then slammed them down on the desk with a smirk.

"Don't say I was never honest 'bout payouts, kid. You get my drift?"

I nodded, the weight of the situation settling over me like a heavy blanket. I had mixed feelings about leaving out the part Stalvek Dyomin had told me.

I would feel bad if Donovan was one of the guys blown up, but in the end, he was a bad man in a bad gang, and I had already decided to go against the grain.

"Thank you, sir."

The detective gave me a grunt as I picked up the money and counted it while leaving. He'd given me forty dollars in cash. It still sounded cheap, but then I remembered how cheap everything was in the game.

I suddenly had forty two dollars and fifty five cents in my wallet, and I was about to get my experience from the mission at any second.

Standing outside, I let out a deep breath as the notification popped up.

Mission Complete - Donovan's Errand Boy - Spy on The Bleeker Building and learn more about Stalvek Dyomin and Billy Sadler, then report back to Donovan.

+1,000 XP

You have 2,600 XP total

!! You have leveled up !!

Congratulations! You are now level 2

You need 2,150 more XP to reach level 3

A small thrill of accomplishment ran through me. I had just filled up my wallet and leveled up in the same moment.

Tons of talking and pointless wandering around the city suddenly felt worth it. I had a small high, despite all the grim stories and darkness the city had to offer.

Another notification popped up.

Unlocked Social Functions - You can now connect with all your affiliations, customize your settings with them, send and receive personalized postage, and join and leave custom groups.

+100 XP

You have 2,700 XP total

You need 2,050 more XP to reach level 3

My interface shifted, and a new screen materialized. Curious, I went straight there and was presented with what looked like a basic friends list.

Three player names were displayed under one column, while NPCs under another.

The first player was Jason McArthur with a pending friend invite next to his name. I vividly recalled our meeting earlier and his brash, impulsive demeanor.

Still, having at least one potential ally couldn't hurt. I accepted the request. He was already shaping up to be a roguish assassin type player.

The second name on the list was Mia Haoyu. I furrowed my brow, memories of our brief encounter resurfacing. She'd been brusque but not outright hostile.

A placeholder appeared next to her name giving me the option to send a friend request of my own. After a moment's hesitation, I tapped the affirmative.

No sense going it completely alone in this game, and if she didn't want to be friends, she would let me know.

The third entry on the list made my blood run cold. Stalvek's name, listed in bold red letters with the ominous red asterisk: "Invite not possible. See affiliations screen for more details."

Dread coiled in the pit of my stomach as I quickly navigated to the affiliations menu.

Sure enough, there it was. For whatever reason, I was now considered an enemy of The Cortez Family. I wondered if it had to do with me completing that mission for The Green Fists.

Even though I wasn't one of them, Stalvek knew I was an informant, and I had just provided the intel on their building. I smirked, knowing it would work out in their favor that I ratted the security details.

But that was how the game played. I was their enemy now.

The vicious gang had painted a target on my back. My mouth went dry as I realized the gravity of the situation.

Stalvek and his crew would be gunning for me the second I hit level three and my player-vs-player combat unlocked.

My only chance was to hope like all hell The Greenies fell for the trap, and then the other two gangs got themselves into a war so deep they didn't care about me.

I would need to worry about that later. In the meantime, I was waiting for my next talent point notification.