From: Admin 4 To: Frog (Item 401), Fire (Item 402), Keravnos (Item 404), Octavius (Item 407), Ringo (Item 408), Steel (Item 409) Subject: Attack
Hello,
Beginning at midnight, someone must die each hour. Either kill or risk being killed yourself.
That is all.
Frog closed the message, getting out of bed. He pulled clothes on as he walked to the door, wondering what to do.
Once in the corridor, he knocked on all the "live" player's doors. Steel and Octavius opened their doors immediately, already dressed for battle. Ringo and Kerav came out a few seconds later.
"Your girlfriend coming?" Frog asked Steel.
Steel glanced at the closed door. "She's not- I mean- Probably not."
"Right." Frog looked over the group. "So. How do we lure people out?"
"Will shooting through windows work?" Kerav tried. "Buildings don't burn from the outside, but they might from the inside."
"Ok, step 1: lightning through all the windows," Frog said.
"If I see someone I could try charming them into coming outside," Ringo said.
Frog nodded. "Step 2: we storm the door with the best defenses we've got. Step 3: Ringo charms people out and we kill them."
"Should we capture some?" Steel asked.
"Why?"
Octavius nodded. "One person dies every hour, non-compounding. Keep a couple people as sacrifices so we don't die in our sleep."
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Frog thought it over. "Step 3: Ringo charms people out and we hog-tie them for later. Who will do the hourly killing?"
"Fire can," Steel said. "She's good at staying awake. She… mightaccidentallytorturethem, but she can get the job done."
"Torture?" Kerav echoed, eyebrows raised.
Steel shrugged sheepishly.
"As long as they get dead on time, I don't care," Frog decided. "Step 4: Fire does timed murders. Any notes?"
There were no notes.
"Nice." Frog cracked his knuckles. "We'll wait till midnight and see how it all goes wrong."
*****
It was all going wrong.
The lightning hadn't worked. That was fine.
What wasn’t fine was that the lightning had alerted the hellhound.
Most of group 6 was outside now, encouraging their beloved puppy to eat everyone. They weren’t attacking, just laughing. Which was worse.
Octavius screamed as the hellhound bit into his chest, and the mage vanished. Great.
“Ringo! Charm people!” Frog snapped, blocking the dog’s paw with his buckler. “Steel! Kill the charmed people! Kerav! Help me!”
Everyone moved, responding quickly to his orders. Group 6 also responded quickly, and Frog remembered these weren’t mobs. They were people who could think and adapt. He had to think and adapt, too.
The hellhound yelped as lightning hit it on the nose. Frog jumped up, swinging his greatsword at its neck. The dog saw him too late to back away completely, but soon enough to avoid a lethal blow. It howled as lava-like blood flowed from its neck.
“I got it!” Kerav shouted, sending thunder into its ears.
Frog struck as it backed away, plunging his sword deep into the hellhound’s chest. It gave a howl that turned into a whimper, and collapsed.
Leaving Kerav to finish the monster off, Frog ripped his sword out and ran to join Steel and Ringo.
A crossbow bolt hit him in the stomach, making him stumble back. A smallish person with silver eyes was suddenly in front of him, pushing the tip of a spear into his chest.
“You killed my dog,” the silver-eyed person snarled, and jabbed the spear into Frog’s chest.
“It’s not a dog!” Frog coughed, grabbing the spear’s shaft. “It’s a monster.”
“She wasn’t a monster!” They pulled the spear back, ready to deliver a killing strike.
Frog briefly considered apologizing. And then a fireball hit him in the face.
He blinked, finding himself back in his room.
Well.
That was strange.