The situation on planet Meesach had been tenuous for a long time, with wide swaths of territory fallen to the Ravenous Spikers. The monstrous beasts were compelled by base instincts, to feed on the local population and multiply. This relentless force had shaken the very fabric of the world's civilization. And now, many elements of Meesachian civilization have risen from obscurity to take advantage of the unstable social order.
The underbelly of society, that so many had forgotten in the interstellar age, had been roused from its slumber. Criminals of all levels sought to further their ends and kill off the competition. Among the criminal outfits of Meesach was the Midnight Agents organization.
The Midnight Agents operated out of the capital city, Verdan. Their clientele ranged from gangs to religious orders and even tasks assigned by the central government. Largely, the Midnight Agents acted as hitmen. And, due to their occasional government employment, enjoyed a special status in the underworld.
Shadowmaster found his way to the capital city of Verdan in pursuit of rumors leaked to him by the varied dealers he worked with. As an Assassin class player, Shadowmaster was inclined to follow quest lines embracing the shadier sides of Cosmos. But, there had been few quests on Ruun related to death-dealing outside of hunting. The interstellar world had opened new horizons for the assassin to pursue.
Verdan was an opulent city by most standards. Its architecture and transport systems mirrored those of Juniper Station, if lacking the efficiency of the space station.
But, all cities are a mix of excessive wealth and dismal poverty. The political and economically priveleged classes divided the city in two. One side was pristine and futuristic. While the other bore the paint of high civilization even as its bones rotted.
Before the Spiker outbreak, the elites had suppressed the unfortunate and undesirable alike. Their armies of police enforcers prevented situations from getting out of control. Now, however, those armies have been sent to the front to face the hungry beasts and became as so much food for the growing horde.
As Shadowmaster walked out of a teleportation array node and into what could be considered a slum of Verdan City, he noted the more drab colors of the buildings. It was as though the people who'd designed these dwelling places had intended to display this section of the city as somehow less than the rest. The silver sheen of the rich was replaced with brass and tarnished from years of lacking attention.
The people on the street watched the man in dark clothes and armor with wary hearts. Not only was his face hidden by a black bandana, but an aura of death seemed to radiate off of the figure. The player observed the men and women hurry to avert their gaze when he looked their way. But, much as they tried to hide their interest, they continued to observe.
Shadowmaster thought about the information he'd gathered before coming to the city. He knew about the Midnight Agents by name and reputation. It was a faction he wished to pursue. But, finding the illusive agents was going to be a process.
It's not as though he could walk into a bar and start asking questions about the dangerous hitmen. Instead, he would have to get their attention somehow. Fortunately, even without a quest to follow, Shadowmaster had an idea for how to draw the Midnight Agents to him.
The organization, despite the many protections it enjoyed, had enemies of its own.
The Faded Kings was a local criminal organization that'd put hits out on the Midnight Agents. The drug dealing gang viewed the hitmen as a threat to their business, having lost members to the ruthless assassins. These Kings would serve as an offering for Shadowmaster to gift the faction he sought to join.
As he continued to walk through the slums of the city, the player noted the progressively fewer NPCs that walked freely. Those who moved about seemed to be observing him, less with fear and more with hostility. It wasn't long before Shadowmaster knew he'd found the right place.
"Hold it," a massive man threw out a hand into Shadowmaster's chest.
The few other NPCs on the street closed in around the player, blocking any path of retreat.
"The hell do you think you're going?" the burly character demanded as he gripped Shadowmaster's terrestrial-grade chest piece.
The dark figure merely watched with eyes shaded by his hood. His hand was ready to summon [Fallen Light] in a moment.
The gathering of half a dozen gang members was armored with common interstellar pieces. A few were armed with kinetic and energy blasters while the others brandished melee weapons that looked futuristic, yet somehow mundane compared to the weapons Koll Luna prepared.
The massive bruiser leaned in to look deeply into Shadowmaster's eyes. "You're in Kings territory. You don't look like you're lost. So, tell me, what are you doing here, runt?"
Hearing confirmation, the player wasted no words on the enemy.
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[Fallen Light] appeared in his hand as it was equipped. With one fluid motion, Shadowmaster rotated his wrist. The lethal blade of the epic sword, effortlessly, slid through the bruiser's wrist, severing the hand. The action happened in less than a second, causing the gang members to watch stunned as the hand fell, with a cascade of blood, to the ground.
"Ahh!" the man finally cried out as he clutched the bleeding stump.
"Kill this bastard!" someone yelled.
Shadowmaster was already moving, his blade weaving through the NPCs. The cuts he was landing were superficial, only eliciting light bleeding effects wherever he struck. In his offhand, a [Null Variable Crystal] attuned to the wind element began to unleash wind blades that struck at the joints in the enemies' armor.
As the final NPC took a nick from [Fallen Light], Shadowmaster used a foot technique to hop a distance away from the gathered mobsters.
"You can't fucking run!" the gang called after his retreating form.
But, Shadowmaster had no intention to run. Instead, he began to walk, slowly, toward the oncoming gang members.
The wrath on the enemies' faces turned to confusion as they went from rushing forward to stumbling over their own feet. They couldn't make sense of the change that had come over them.
Shadowmaster, for his part, only approached slowly. The first of the criminals lurched towards him only to receive a decapitating strike, his head sent rolling. The following enemies watched with growing horror as the dark assassin carved his way through the members one by one.
Finally, as Shadowmaster stepped past the next-to-last body, he thought that he should perhaps leave the final enemy for questioning. But, just as the thought struck him, a roar sounded out from the alleyways surrounding the street he was on. An army of Faded Kings was rushing out to meet the player.
The final member of the original gang showed expressions running from fear to relief and finally to terror as Shadowmaster dispassionately dispatched him.
The dark figure's eyes analyzed the onrushing mob. He planned the routes for the enemies and estimated how long it would take to slay each in turn. The chances of success were good.
Shadowmaster rushed to one alleyway and began cutting his enemies down as they popped up. When he couldn't idle any longer, he left a scratch on each enemy and used his foot technique to jump to another end of the street.
As more and more enemies encroached on his territory, Shadowmaster left them dead or crippled. Only to finish the remaining after dealing with priority threats.
The half-dozen dead Faded Kings were joined by several dozen more. And, when the battle closed, Shadowmaster looked down on his dark garb. Crimson blood soaked into his equipment. It made for an ominous sight.
As Shadowmaster began to walk deeper into Faded Kings territory, more gang members met his blade.
A purge had fallen on the capital city of Verdan and, soon, curious eyes came to investigate the ruin of a notorious criminal organization.
As Shadowmaster dispatched the final member of a patrolling gang, a figure dropped gracefully to the street nearby. Looking up, the player only saw high-rise buildings overlooking the figure's landing spot.
Whether this was a lieutenant or a boss, he didn't know. But, he was prepared to face the new threat.
The figure was clad in a black bodysuit with dull gray armor covering the vital points. No weapon could be seen.
The new character looked over Shadowmaster at the bodies that were strewn across the street.
The player raised his sword and prepared his offhand crystal.
"Hahaha," a distinctly feminine laugh carried over the distance between them. "What are you doing?"
The question was lighthearted as if the woman were observing him playing a video game.
Shadowmaster cocked his head to the side, this was the first NPC since he started his massacre to seem anything but wrathful or afraid. Hesitantly, he lowered his sword.
She mirrored him, tilting her head to the side as she analyzed him.
"Did the Kings do something to piss you off?"
Shadowmaster shook his head.
"Hmm," the woman looked at him from over the half mask on her face. "If you didn't have an issue with the Kings, why did you kill so many of them?"
The taciturn Shadowmaster remained silent.
"Perhaps," the woman said with amusement, "it had nothing to do with the Kings?"
The player shrugged.
"Were you hoping to get someone's attention?"
He nodded.
"Who?"
Again, the player maintained his silence.
The woman in dark combat armor walked closer and looked deep into the shadows that hid Shadowmaster's eyes.
"There aren't many who would be impressed by your display. Most would be rather appalled, to be quite honest. But…." she hesitated. "There might be some who'd approve."
Shadowmaster gazed defiantly into the woman's eyes. He could almost see the smile that hid behind her mask.
"No…." she said teasingly. "You couldn't possibly…."
She was playing with him. But, the player merely continued to observe her. He was used to NPCs coming to their own conclusions.
The darkly clad woman looked up, noting the dying light of day.
"You're fun," she said after a moment.
[+1 reputation with Agent Selene]
[+1 reputation with Midnight Agents]
She began to walk off before looking back over her shoulder, "You coming?"
Beneath his bandana mask, a smile came over Shadowmaster's face.
The vertigo of coming out of the Full Dive system came over her. A slight chill clung to her body from long hours spent sedated by the gaming apparatus. But, such sensations she was used to.
Melissa Cho removed the headset and rose from her reclined position. Her eyes looked on the room she called home. It was just a studio apartment that she was able to keep for herself by working a few part-time jobs.
It wasn't bad. But, compared to the worlds of Cosmos, it wasn't hard to determine which she preferred.
She looked at her phone and sighed. She'd missed a few calls. Her mother no doubt.
Still, she was in no hurry to deal with that trouble.
Melissa used her phone to bring up the forums of Cosmos.
[Jeckle: This is ridiculous. My parties keep wiping. Meesach is rediculous.]
[Anonymous: Quit complaining. You Ruun bastards are in space while the rest of us are running around on the starting worlds.]
[Hurricane Rachel: You just don't understand. The Ravenous Spikers are a whole grade above anything you've dealt with on the starting worlds.]
[Errant Squire: Oh boohoo. "Our rares and epics aren't amazing enough." At least you get those dammed rares and epics.]
Melissa is amused as she watches the antics of the players as they flame each other.
She's tempted to open a forum thread of her own, under an anonymous title, to join the fun. But decides not to, this time.
She spends a while playing around on the forums before preparing for work.
Shadowmaster has a day job after all.