Paul took a moment to bask in his kill, the XP finally throwing him all the way to level 30. An Upgrade notification appeared, disrupting his thoughts.
Notice: You are the first human to reach level 30. The world you inhabit is operating under condition X45993i—Closed Beta—and all progress is capped at level 30 at this time. As your world progresses, the level cap will be raised in increments appropriate to your world’s needs. Since you are the first human to reach the level cap you will be granted a five-level bonus once the level cap is raised. Also, you have been awarded a legendary item suitable to your class of Slayer.
Item Received: Slayer’s Treads. The slayer’s treads allow the slayer to pass unnoticed. When activated, these boots will prevent any sound and hide any footprints the slayer might have left behind. In addition to this active ability, the slayer’s treads have a passive ability that prevents anyone from scrying upon or locating the slayer. This passive protection against detection is good against any skills up to level 55.
Quest reward received: $1000 cash.
Paul looked down at the pair of boots. They were rugged things that a construction worker or a soldier would wear, not something commonly worn outside of those circles. Still, the bonus was a lifesaver and would allow him to operate undetected. When he ditched his current shoes and placed the new ones on, he noticed he could change their style with a thought. These shoes could be anything from combat boots, to high-end dress shoes. Not a bad bonus feature, but benefits like this were to be expected from a legendary item.
Making his way back up the stairs, Paul saw where the stirges had broken the windows to get at them once the lights had gone out. For now, the lights would keep them away, but Paul would have to wait until morning to leave the area. He closed the door to the basement and raided the kitchen for something to eat.
After his meal, he found a little money and some prepaid credit cards among his victim’s things. He grabbed the cash but left the cards, better safe than sorry and he didn’t want a string of card purchases to lead police to him. Sure, the boots claimed they would prevent scrying, but what did that encompass? Only Upgrade abilities? Or did the boots also prevent normal human surveillance technology? No, he would play it safe as he should have done since his release.
He had messed up only a week after his mass kill and the framing of his manager for the crime. Something about the taste of freedom had left him with a reckless need to kill. While walking to work—he had quickly found employment with another caterer—he stepped onto the crosswalk only to be nearly hit by a car.
The near-collision and aggressive driver shouting at him caused him to lose control. He had walked up to the driver’s window which was down to allow the shouting driver to spout more profanities in his direction. Paul unrolled his chef knives and selected the butcher’s knife, thrusting it into the shouting fool. The man looked shocked as the sharpened steel sliced his throat. The man was a measly level five office drone of some sort and gave no experience, but the urge to kill the man had been one he couldn’t resist.
Looking about, he saw there were far too many witnesses to hope to eliminate them all, so he went on the run. All that time planning an early release from prison wasted on a cheap kill with zero XP. He had hunted sporadically after that, making his way out of the city, and choosing targets that had enough cash or valuable items on them that could sustain his flight for a while longer.
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He had wound up in the small town of Lavelle’s Landing, planning to lay low in the out of the way location when he spotted her. His skills had grown, and he now received a notice whenever a high-value target showed itself in his line of sight. He was enjoying a meal in the local diner when she showed up.
Naomi Cartwright. Secret Service Agent Level 12, Fugitive Level 8, Presidential Assassin Level 1.
The first person with an assassin class he had met and the Upgrade rewarded his diligence, crafting a quest for him.
Quest Issued: Takes a killer to kill a killer. Kill an assassin class character. Reward includes bonus XP, $1000 cash.
He used every skill he possessed to follow her around that day, eventually seeing her leave on her bike. Following the old dirt trail that she had ridden off on, he found the cabin where she was hiding out. The place was remote and offered several observation points to begin his surveillance of the target.
That’s what this Naomi was to him now, a target that would give strong XP and some much-needed cash. He took his time since he gained an increased chance of success on a kill by stalking his prey. He began to learn her routines, preparing for the kill.
One wrinkle in his plans was the stirges that he had discovered during his first night of observation. He had found a half dozen of them feasting on a deer, causing him to flee the area. There was no way he could observe her in the daytime without being noticed and the night was now too dangerous. Paul went back to town to watch for her return, confident she would be back for supplies at some point.
His patience had been rewarded when he spotted her back in town. He resumed his surveillance and made the decision that today would be the day of the kill. She had looked right at him in the supermarket but didn’t react to his presence. Her secret service skills were either not being used or weren’t powerful enough to penetrate his Obfuscation rating.
Paul knew where she would be going, so he used the electric scooter he had purchased with his dwindling cash to beat her back to the cabin. He entered the cabin through an unlatched window and hid in the basement, waiting for nightfall. Soon enough he heard his target going through her evening routine. Long after night had fallen, he had crept from his hiding place and flipped the circuit breaker. His victim had come down as expected and he had made his kill, narrowly avoiding the stirges.
Feeling a bit exhausted after the long day and coming down from the adrenalin spike that a big kill gave him, Paul slept on the couch until morning. When leaving the next day, he was surprised to find the bodies of five men near the cabin. All the men were drained of fluids, the work of the stirges, and a good reminder that he needed to be long gone before nightfall.
***
That’s all I could find for you, my dear readers. The RPG killer’s movements since he killed Naomi Cartwright are a mystery. There have been several suspicious murders over the last few years that might be attributed to him, but with the man’s uncanny means of avoiding detection, nobody can be sure.
Unfortunately, Paul Westman has never been recaptured. Many believe he perished in one Upgrade related event or another, but I don’t think so. He was so far above the level curve that I doubt he could be stopped that easily. That leads us to my next dilemma dear readers.
I am now a marked man.
That’s right, Paul Westman knows who I am, and now that I have put his story out there. I don’t know…
***
Publisher’s Note:
The author of this novel has been missing since publication. The last, draft copy of this work, including his half-finished message is all we have to go on. If you turn up anything about his whereabouts, or even if you come across proof of his demise, please notify the publisher immediately. We have posted a 5000 GOLD reward and a 1000XP bonus to the finder of the author.
To my friend, the author, if you’re out there and you can read this, we haven’t given up, and we will keep looking for you.