It was only 11 o’ clock in the morning, but fireworks were launched and burst in the air above the Grand Court Hall. Both the streets and the palatial guildhall itself buzzed with activity, literally everyone decked out in fine robes, suits, dresses, and armor. The invite, messaged to everyone, was open to all though representatives were preferred. But it worked; nearly every player on the server was there, with tons of screens monitoring the city from players around the world. Rumors about getting out were running wild.
“I’m telling you, it’s true!” one partygoer said, shaking the hair out of his face and nearly tearing his suit, stretched to the limit over his muscular frame. “Oops.”
“Don’t get too excited, I told you that suit was too small.” his companion said, her ballgown a perfect fit. He stared at her, exasperated.
“Look Jimmy, I think you’re taking the whole ‘girl’ thing a bit too far.”
“You’re the one who’s taking these ridiculous rumors too far. A secret squad of government agents entering the game with superpowers to save us? Hah! Love it if it were true. If they could do that, they would’ve done it two weeks ago. Face it, we’re stuck here.” ‘she’ said.
“I ain’t giving up hope! They’ve got cheat codes, you’ll see!” They bickered as they waited in line, wrapped three blocks down. Gargoyle butlers and maids kept the line orderly, with force if necessary. Each was level 45, something few players could tangle with and not cause a ruckus, getting thrown out. It’d happened twice already.
All the way at the front of the line, Maulgor presented the butler with her status screen.
“Very good, madame.” he said with an exaggerated accent, beckoning her into the crowded hall.
“Thanks.” she said uncertainly, heading in flanked by the dwarf-like brothers.
“Swanky digs, huh?” Fred said.
“Definitely. Do you think these Victorious Vampires ha’ anything t’do with th’ short short-temp’red fella?” Bill said.
“Can’t say for sure, but wouldn’t be surprised. Those guys’re sons’a *bleep*s, that’s for sure. Crazy *bleep*s pulled your fat from the fire, maybe they can do it for the rest of us.” Fred murmured. The crowd hummed with anticipation, some dancing to the band of player and NPC Bards, some partaking of the refreshments and standing awkwardly, and more than a few had their hands on a sword hilt or wand grip.
Suddenly, trumpets blared and all heads turned to the top of the stairs, where four people had appeared from the east wing. Pop-ups appeared in front of everyone, the short one with blond hair and red eyes beaming at everyone. They were all dressed in black, and looked disjointed and awkward. The female Knight with purple hair slouched sullenly, her arms folded and leaning on the wall with a scowl. The Priest was smiling, or grimacing, it was hard to tell, and waved his arm stiffly in approximation of a wave. The Magus had his hood pulled up over his head, shying away and shaking at the knees. He appeared to be hyperventilating. The Raider was the only one who looked composed.
“Velcome, velcome vun and all! I am Alex, of the Victorious Vampires, the guild that has bought outright this little hall many of you now stand in. Can everyvun hear me? Am I broadcasting to everyvun?”
“You’re good!” someone yelled from the crowd.
“Excellent! Vell, let me velcome you vunce more to our little svoire. It is our housevarming party, of a sort. Please feel free to partake of refreshments, though I doubt you vill tarry here long. For you see, ve’ve had bit of an ulterior motive for inviting you all here. No doubt you’ve heard the rumors. But the truth is far more fantastical, and simple. A terrorist organization by the name of the Radiant Dawn has hijacked the code of Real Fantasy Online, and is using the neurological interface to brainvash the lot of us the longer ve stay here.”
The hall, the city, no, the entire game erupted into guffaws, outrage, and above all shouting. Jamie clapped his hands to his ears, and even Alex flinched.
“Qviet! Qviet, all of you!” he shouted futilely. The wall of noise was a physical presence, vibrating the hall to its’ foundation.
Suddenly, it stopped.
Everyone looked around in confusion. Mayhew stepped up, a screen appearing in front of everyone. He spoke, and while there was no sound, words scrolled past in the pop-ups.
“It’s in the menu screen that there's a mute function. Admin privileges allow us to mass mute people. Hi, Josh Mayhew. I’m one of the devs for RFO. Mind if we talk?”
The crowd went wild silently, suddenly hopeful eyes on the group. There would have been a stampede if it weren’t for the butlers and maids. Screen upon screen appeared, urging them to explain. Mayhew unmuted the hall, and the noise was at a reasonable level.
“Yes, this is true. I understand it may be hard to believe, but it has been verified by this party, the dev, and the Gazelles” Orlin Goldstar said, stepping up. A hush fell over the crowd, followed by uneasy murmuring. An endorsement by the info brokers went a long way. Alex held up his hands.
“Fear not, people! Rejoice, instead! For along vith discovering the threat, ve have also found a solution: the mighty vizard Verringale! To my understanding he is the avatar of the system itself, or some kind of safety program, I’m not the vun to talk to about that! But he currently lies imprisoned in the Vizard’s Tower, and if ve manage to free him, ve free all of us. He vill be able to override their programs and eject us. At last, ve shall go home!”
A cheer went up, people starting to draw weapons and chat excitedly Home! Home was one tower away!
“Wait!” a voice cried out. “Going home sounds wonderful, it really does! But if these guys control the Tower and the game, how’re we going to free the wizard? How’d you get this info? Have the Gazelles really verified everything?”
“Vhat! Who dares impugn my honor! I do not lie in this matter! Who are you!” Alex accused, glaring at the crowd.
“A fellow guildmaster, and someone concerned with the safety of everyone trapped in this game!” The crowd parted, and he stepped forth, flashing a concerned but winning smile, his jet black hair slicked back, flanked by beautiful women. “Lucien, leader of Primrose Boulevard guild.” Every player fell silent save Alex.
“Eh? I’m offering victory and freedom to you practically on a silver platter, and you’re throwing it back in my face?” the vampire said, scowling.
“Not quite. We’ve all very appreciative of your offer. My question is, how can we do it? Can everyone’s safety be guaranteed?” Lucien said, folding his arms. “It’d be nothing short of cruel to fill everyone with false hope.”
The crowd murmured amongst themselves as the two leaders glared at each other, neither moving or backing down. Lucien was right, players did have to be cautious, especially with such an offer just plopped onto their lap, from complete unknowns, and the fact they were so low level yet could afford the Grand Court Hall, and supposedly beat Bleakheart. On the other hand, the offer was too tempting to simply ignore.
Home.
Everyone had been in Real Fantasy Online for a month now. Some had adapted as best they could, some had fallen into a deep despair. Three percent of players had attempted suicide to break free...one way or another. It hadn’t worked of course, which just made the situation worse. But now, there was a way out.
“It vould be terrible indeed to give everyvun a vay out and pull the rug from underneath us. But this’s real. All ve need do is storm the Vizard’s Tower and ve can go home. It is a gamble, of course. But ve are here to play long odds in hope of victory, eh?” He smirked, then turned to the assembled crowd in his ballroom. “Vhat say you, varriors? Are ve merely sheep, content to stand and observe as ve are led to our doom? Or are ve lions, ready to roar defiance at those who vould seek to enslave us?” Alex cried, sweeping his arms out across the assembled people.
There was indecisive muttering through the crowd. It seemed like there was a split, some believing the new guild, some siding with Lucien, some just staying neutral. Then Wally pushed her way to the front and started shouting.
“Let’s go home! Let’s go home! I want my mom and dad! Let’s go home!” Tears were in her eyes as she begged to return. Her lip trembled as all eyes turned to her. Suddenly, there were people stepping up behind her. Bill and Fred flanked her, and Maulgor stood grinning with her arms crossed behind her.
“Ne’er fear, li’el gel! We will nae allow anae harn tae come ta ye! I’m sick’a this game too. I stand with my savior! Let’s go home! Let’s go home!” Bill said, Fred taking up the chant as well.
“Hey, thought I recognized that guy! Hey Alicia, it’s the guy who got us outta those cages! Let’s go home! Let’s go home!” Indeed, the players who Alex had freed from the orc encampment started to chant too.
“Oh yes, I did do that, didn’t I?” Alex muttered as the chant caught on, not taking much to push the crowd towards freedom.
“Let’s go home! Let’s go home! Let’s go home!” shook the rafters, people clapping and stamping their feet. Lina, Jamie, and Mayhew shared an excited glance, and even Alex’s lips twitched into a smile. Lucien looked around, seemingly surprised so many were this desperate to get out. Alex held up his hands for silence.
“Now then, I believe the players’ feelings have been made clear.” he said when the noise had died down. “As for a guarantee of safety, that I cannot do. No vun can ever be truly safe, or have it guaranteed in such dire circumstances. But I know ve are completely screwed if ve remain here and do nothing. Time is of the essence, and ve can use all the help ve can get. Vill you join us? Ve are forming a var council to storm the Tower. You’re supposedly the best player in the game. Care to prove it?” Alex held out his gloved hand to Lucien. The ace hesitated, looking doubtful. He cast a glance at Marie.
“Go on, Lucien. This could be our only chance.” she said encouragingly, and the rest of Primrose Boulevard smiled at him too. Lucien sighed and smiled back, giving in.
“Oh, all right. I’m in, I’ll help any way I can. Everyone’ll stay as safe as I can make it, I’ll let no harm come to any of you.” Lucien grinned determinedly, shaking Alex’s hand. “My guild, and my services, are at your disposal.” A great cheer went up through the crowd. Lucien glanced at the frantic messages from Randal, and coolly replied with ‘infiltration mission.’ Now that he was here, especially on the war council, he could spring a trap at any time.
“Would all guild leaders please join us in the adjourning room! We need to be quick, we attack tomorrow! Please let all your guildmates know and prepare for battle!” Lina announced, stepping forward.
“Tomorrow? Isn’t that too short notice? I know people are out questing.” Lucien asked with a raised eyebrow. He subtly activated a special call function Radiant Dawn had added to his menu, sending telepathically whatever he heard straight to Randal’s menu. Hansen was worth his weight in gold. Actually more, as he wasn’t a large man.
“Indeed. Ve must convene and attack immediately, as I’m sure the Dawn people vill have noticed our gathering by now. Ve cannot give them time to interfere.” Alex said.
“Wow. Never did this before. But that makes sense.” Lucien said. It took everything he had not to burst out laughing. “Girls, go back to the inn. We shouldn’t be here too long.”
“Kay!” Katie said, steering her wolf to the crowd of people starting to leave.
“See ya later then.” Shannon said, leading the rest of them away. “C’mon, let’s do some shopping! Blow everything we got! I’ve been needing some new armor, and this might be the last chance we get to do it!”
Lucien smiled at them and turned to Alex and Orlin, shaking his head helplessly.
‘Jesus kid, don’t scare me like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack.’ Randal said in his head. Lucien turned and caught a glimpse of the Archer and Hansen squished over by the wall, waiting for the crush of people to trickle out.
‘Sorry. But it was the only thing I could do at the time.’ he responded.
‘Don’t worry ‘bout it. Was surprised these idiots knew so much about us, but then they go ahead and put my top agent in on their war plans!’ Randal mentally cackled, a grin forming on his avatar’s face. ‘Make sure you save a recording of their faces. Alright, I’ll leave you to it. We gotta get ready to counter whatever the morons come up with. God*bleep* this’ll be fun! *Bleep* it, can’t even talk right in my head! Gah!’
‘I’ll keep you posted.’ Lucien thought and closed the connection. He stepped into the back room, guild leaders seated around the table. The doors swung shut.
“Forgive the abruptness, ladies and gentlemen. But you know of the dangers ve face.” Alex began.
“Right. Tower’s about ten miles away, eh? What’s the plan?” a burly avatar said. Alex opened his mouth to answer when an alert screen popped up, from someone on his...friend...list? It was Maxamillion.
“Excuse me, I should see vhat this’s about. It’s not my plan anyvay, it’s Jamie’s. Go on, explain.” Alex said, putting the Magus on the spot.
“W-Whu-!? M-Me?” Jamie said in panic.
“Yes! There’s only a dozen people, you can’t have stage fright that badly! Go!” Alex barked, and Jamie took a stiff step forward. Alex slipped into the corner of the room.
“Ah, r-r-right. Vell, er, ugh.” He coughed. then started over, beet-red. “Well, the p-plan’s n-not too different from any other raid dungeon. We’ll split up into teams of tanks, DPS, support like usual…”
“What’s up?” Lina asked, slipping away to Alex from the meeting proper. She was never much for the formal strategy powwows. She knew what she had to do, she would do it.
“That vas Max, also known as Krugmek. It vas an emergency reqvest to use our Telepad.” he said, puzzled.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yes. I presume he’s on his vay here-”
KA-BOOM!
The room shook and dust was knocked loose as a massive explosion rocked the mansion. There was screaming and the sounds of shouting and weapons from the main hall. Everyone at the table instantly rose and rushed out, drawing their own weapons.
They came out to find the girls of Primrose Boulevard being menaced by a short, squat, green, angry man throwing magical grenades at anyone who tried to get in his way.
“Get away from her! Away! Let me see her!” he shrieked, waving a crossbow. The girls had clustered together for safety.
“Look man, don’t know what your problem is, but-” Shannon started, but yelped and ducked as he threw a bomb over her head.
“Shut up! Let me see her! Give her back! Now!” Max hollered, pulling out another grenade as he marched on them. Players in the crowd tried to swarm him, but without hesitation or even turning he lobbed the explosive behind him and replaced it with another. “Give her back!”
“Give who back?” Marie said, stepping forward protectively. She saw Izumi slip away out of the corner of her vision, and mentally relaxed. She could cover them.
“My girlfriend! Teri!” he shouted, pointing at the blonde girl near the back of the group. All eyes turned to her.
“Is this true, Theresa?” Sherry asked.
“I have never seen this man before.” she said dully, her face neutral.
“A twisted admirer?” Aggie said, subtly pulling a wand out. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quiet enough.
“Something’s twisted around here!” Max bellowed. “Her brain! She’s been taken over by those *bleep* Dawn guys! And your brain’s twisted if you think you’re gonna stop me!” He dropped the crossbow and pulled out a bright red spell crystal. The pop ups in their eyes identified it as a Summon Grand Basilisk, level 40.
“NO!” Jamie cried out in terror. That thing could kill any player up to level 60 if they looked at it too long!
Max held it up, but Alex and Lucien appeared in a swirl of their long coats, restraining him. Lucien plucked the crystal and crushed it in his hand.
“Yeah, that’s not happening. May I ask who you are, and why you decided to threaten the lives of the players here, and my friends?” His tone was colder than Bleakheart’s ice. Jamie and Lina both froze, and he wasn’t even turned at them. A trickle of cold sweat went down Jamie’s back. He was instantly reminded why Lucien was the best player in RFO, and had the highest level. He checked out the crowd, comparing it to Lucien’s 93. Lucien outclassed the next highest by over ten. It was insane.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“And vhy did you decide to try and blow up my guild hall?” Alex said sternly.
“That’s what you’re concerned about?” Mayhew cried.
“It may be virtual, but it vas expensive and ve just got it!” he retorted.
“It’s her! Teri! I found her! She’s right there! I saw it on the broadcast!” Max howled, thrashing against them.
“I have never seen this man before in my life.” Teri repeated. The Primrose guild girls stepped in front of her, closing rank.
“Look creep, I don’t know why you’re obsessed with her, and I don’t care. You ain’t ever getting close to her!” Shannon growled, glaring,
“Yeah, she’s one’a us! We’ll protect her!” Katie added, riding her wolf. Dultina fluttered angrily next to her, chattering.
“You don’t understand! She’s-!” Lucien’s grip tightened like a vice and Max cried out in pain, -57.
“Chill dude. You heard her, she doesn’t know you. And coming onto a girl so strong doesn’t really work out you know. Why don’t you go outside and cool down?” He smiled, but his grip got even tighter.
“But-”
“Okay?” Lucien said sternly, still smiling. Max stared at him in abject horror. This was Lucien. He’d been the best since day one. There was nothing he could do. This was the man who killed the Prince of Abaddon! And now all that power was focused on shooting him down. He hung his head in defeat, tears prickling his eyes.
“That’s better.” Alex said soothingly. “Are you sure she doesn’t know who he is? He’s obviously insistent.” he said to the girls.
“Never seen him before.” Teri insisted.
“Very vell. How long have you known her?” Alex asked curiously, beginning to escort Max out with Lucien.
“About a week. Poor girl was lost, she doesn’t have a guild. Think she might’ve been traumatized by something, she doesn’t talk much. Or emote, really. Wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with you, would it?” Lucien said smoothly, threatening a nearly catatonic Max. He shook his head weakly.
“I see. Such a shame.” Alex shook his head sadly. “She has no friends, no vun in her contact list?”
“None that she shared with us. And her list was empty. Don’t know what happened. At least she’s got us now, I guess. She seems happy enough. I think?” Lucien said, pleasantly quizzical.
“Has anyvun seen her list?” Alex called back to the girls.
“What? No, why?”Marie asked.
“Because Teri seemed like such a lively and vibrant girl before she vas killed, brainvashed, and abducted. And it seems very unlikely to me that any of the Radiant Dawn vould simply just let her go.” Alex said sternly. It was at that point Lucien noticed that Alex had subtly steered them not to the door, but to the middle of the crowd of adventurers, letting Max go.
“Huh? What?” Lucien said, surprised as day.
“I’m saying it is qvite suspicious. I saw that voman’s avatar over there turned against my party and now she shows up here fine and dandy. Vould any of you please check her friend’s list?” Alex called to the girls, eyes never leaving Lucien. He squinted. The build was right…
“What’s he talkin’ about?” Shannon demanded angrily, but Marie quietly pulled up an unresisting Teri’s friend list. Aggie, Katie, Izumi...Max. She turned to stare at the froglike player.
“Hey! Krugmek! What’s your real name again?” she called out again.
“Maxamillion!”
“What does that have to do with-” Lucien turned to see his guild staring at Teri.
“I’ve never seen him before.” she repeated dully.
“Uh Teri? Then how come he’s in your contact list?” Katie asked uncertainly.
“Never seen him, don’t know him.” she insisted.
“Maybe they have a bad history together?” Lucien supplied, smooth as silk. He really, truly sounded innocent.
“I know for a fact that is false. Vhere did you say you found her?” Alex asked.
“Near the Empyrean Fields.” he said.
“Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm. Lina, Jamie, vould you say this avatar is about the same size as our friend in the mask?” Alex said, pointing at Lucien.
“Now wait’a minute!” Shannon angrily picked the vampire up by the lapel, his short legs dangling. “Where do you get off-”
“Easy, easy.” Lucien said, laying a gentle hand on her arm.
‘Boy! You’re compromised! Kill ‘em all!’ rang telepathically in his head.
‘Let me handle this.’ Lucien responded, and opened his mouth to say “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this. Is there any proof to your accusation?”
“Jamie, is it possible for vun person to parry two people at vunce in this game? Normally?” Alex asked the Magus.
“C’mon, that’s-” Lina began, but Jamie looked doubtful.
“I mean, no, no matter how fast someone is, even in-game, that’d be really hard to do. The only one who could pull it off, assuming he wasn’t cheating, would be…” They all stared at Lucien expectantly.
“Look, I know I’m pretty good, but that’s a little much, don’tcha think?” he said, holding his hands up.
“All ve vant to know is...stop that.” Alex said, glaring at Katie. She was kicking his shins for -3 a shot.
“No! You leave Lucien alone! He’s the kindest, strongest, best guy in the game! I won’t let a meanie like you talk bad about him!” she said, glaring back.
“She’s right. No one accuses the leader of Primrose Boulevard and gets away with it.” Shannon said ominously, grinning savagely, her hand drifting to her katana's crimson hilt.
“Really? You’ve known this man for how long?” Alex asked.
“Over three weeks! And...and, I, I trust him with my life.” Her face was red as she said it, but she forced the words out. “He saved me time and again, I’ll bet anything on him.” Alex had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.
It was often brought up in vampire fiction that vampires had psychic powers, that ancient and powerful nosferatu could plumb the depths of the soul and read minds. It was false, of course, but there was in fact a kernel of truth there. Vampires had acute senses, able to hear heartbeats thirty feet away or more. They were designed to hunt humans, and had thus spent a great deal of time observing them in all states. Combined with mundane intuition and cold reading skill, an experienced vampire could give the impression of an unliving lie detector. It was something picked up over the centuries. While Alex was no great student of it, and they were currently lacking many biological signs in virtual reality, but when he cared to pay attention the subtle hints in body language and manner were clues enough.
This girl, like most of the others in her guild, were screamingly in love with Lucien. He, meanwhile, was one of the greatest actors alive, or a complete sociopath. He was good, real good. But he couldn’t hide the deeper breaths he was taking to remain calm, nor the oh-so-innocent gestures and inflection that came with practiced smoothness, not a reflection of genuine confoundedness. The only question that remained was exposing him while not giving him ammo for plausible deniability.
“Look, I don’t care who you fall for. But your boyfriend’s a suspect, vhether he’s innocent or not. Who vas the vun to find her?” Alex said, pointing a finger.
“He was. Not only that, his habit of going off his own’s gotten worse lately, and he’s been bringing her along with him.” Marie said with a frown. Lucien froze, turning to her with an expression of shock and hurt.
“Marie! You’re not saying you believe this tripe, do you?” he said, sounding wounded.
“Not a word. But I would like to hear it from you.” Marie marched up to him, lip trembling. “Do you have any part in this?”
“That’s ridiculous, I can’t-”
“DO YOU! OR NOT!?” she exploded, the hall going silent as the Bard screamed. She stood there, fists balled, shaking. The rest of his guild came up behind her. “I’ve, I’ve tolerated a lot. But, you’re always so distant! You’re always going off on your own! You say it’s to keep us safe, but from what? I’m tired of not knowing! I’m tired of being left behind! You said it yourself, to me! We’re a team! Aren’t we?” she said, fighting back sobs and failing. She buried her face in her hands, hiccuping. Lucien scratched his head and shuffled his feet awkwardly.
“M-Marie. I don’t know how to say this, but-”
“Oh, ve’re all very interested in this, I assure you.” Alex cut in, red eyes glaring hard at the veteran player. “Vhat exactly have you been up to?”
Lucien opened his mouth, but whatever excuse he would have come up with was lost, as Randal couldn’t take it anymore.
“Forget it, boy! Just kill them! That’s an order!” he bellowed, Hansen aghast. Lucien froze. He turned to his commander, pure murder in his eyes.
“You…” he growled, white-hot fury on his face. Everyone except Alex shivered.
“Uh, Lucien? What’s going on? Who’s he?” Katie asked, tugging on his sleeve. Lucien gathered himself and turned to face them.
“I’m sorry it had to be this way.” All eyes were on him. One moment, he was there. The next, he was not. Katie felt a buzzing in her chest.
She looked down to see Lucien’s sword, the Lightsworn, sticking through her torso.
“But you’ll all see in the end.”
“Wh-” was all Katie got out before she dissolved into data, the sword gleaming and perfect. The damage done had exceeded her total hit points by over a factor of ten. Then the screaming from the Primrose Boulevard guild began.
And was abruptly cut off as Lucien was there, striking down his teammates with expert precision and otherworldly speed. There wasn’t even time to turn their heads as he moved to one-shot every last one of them. Wherever his blade was instant death followed. The last thing Marie saw before the black took her was Lucien’s face, sad yet determined. She tried to get out a “Why?”, but the sword flashed. It happened too fast, everyone was stunned.
The digital forms of Primrose Boulevard began reforming, the girls rejuvenated from death. But as soon as Katie was respawned, Teri slapped a control chip program on her avatar.
“What jus-” OVERRIDE COMPLETE. Katie’s eyes turned red, her face dropping all emotion as similar messages buzzed harshly over the other girls. Both Teri and Lucien were ruthlessly swift.
The rest of the players were trying to scream and run, or drawing weapons and rushing to the fight. The Raider who reached the door first froze, as Lucien stepped into the building from the outside.
“How did-!?” Jamie screeched.
“Unsheathwave.” Lucien said, drawing his sword in a swing. The spell activated, turning it into a shockwave that killed every avatar the strike was slashed across, the sturdy virtual wall cracking as the spell slammed into it.
“Watch it!” Randal howled, ducking for cover.
“Sorry.” Lucien said, grabbing them and disappearing. Lucien reappeared on the balcony, jumping down to stomp a head and flick his blade, destroying every player in the vicinity.
“Vhat!” Alex had never seen anything like it. Not in his entire existence. The boy didn’t seem to move. One second, he was there, the next, across the hall making other-
“Thanks for the party.” was barely the only warning Alex got. He instinctively ducked, the blade half a millimeter from Allocrax’s head. “You are fast.” Lucien let out a low whistle, Alex flinging himself to the side. He rolled on the carpet, drawing his sword and whirling around to face Lucien, the entire motion taking .96 seconds. But Lucien was gone.
“You’re a real fighter, aren’t you?” Alex’s blood ran cold when he heard Lucien’s voice behind him. He didn’t need to turn. He knew Lucien’s sword was pointed at his back.
“Rrragh!” Orlin Goldstar tackled Lucien, coming up behind him. Alex whipped his head to see the both of them fall over the balcony, Orlin’s arm wrapped around Lucien’s neck. He rushed to the guardrail, but saw only Orlin laying on the floor, a confused look on his face as his arms were empty. He burst into light as Aggerthron, Katie’s wolf, jumped and mauled him.
“Let no one live!” Lucien commanded, the girls fanning out and slaughtering the rest of the players. The average attendee was level 50. Katie, the weakest member of Primrose Boulevard, was 62. The hall flashed into brilliance as the players were digitized, and the doors burst open as the level 100 guards tromped in, triggered by the PVP. Lucien was waiting, and the first wave was cut in half in an instant.
“Here!” Mayhew shoved the rest of the Vampires into the meeting room. “This place’s got a glitch, I remember now!” He pushed Jamie to the corner of the bookshelf, forcing him into it.
“What are yyyyyoooouuuu-” Jamie vibrated and vanished.
“C’mon!” Mayhew did the same, vibrating then popping out of existence. Lina and Alex shrugged and pushed into the corner, the uncomfortable sensation of reality squeezing them into blackness hammering every part of their bodies.
They emerged into a ruined study, tattered books on the floor, scattered papers, scratched walls, clashed curtains, and a bloody, sunken-eyed painting over the blackened fireplace.
“W-What is this place?” Jamie said, drawing his hood up. Clanking and moaning could be heard from down the hall.
“It’s an old room, from when we were first making the house.” Mayhew sagged into a ruined loveseat. “It was originally a dungeon, we were making one right in the middle of the city. But deadlines cut it, and Chris always does a sloppy job. If you stand at the corner for three seconds, you can dip into the Haunted Observatory, in a previous version of the area. It’s basically the same, only Gothic Horror.”
“Yipe!” Jamie ducked as a dark, tattered specter moaned and floated past the window, dangling chains.
“Oh, that’s an enemy we never finished. Don’t worry, it has no capacity to attack. Heck, it can’t even deviate from it’s loop. It just looks spooky.” Mayhew dismissed with a wave of his hand.
“If you say so.” Lina said dubiously, scooting away from the window. “Can’t be any scarier than...what’s out there.”
“Rmph.” Alex plopped down on the rotten loveseat, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. He had to meditate. There was nothing he could do.
The hum of battle still thrilled his veins, aching to go out and slaughter that young upstart. But he saw with his own eyes the power Lucien possessed. If this were the real world, his own powers dwarfed any human’s. But in here, once again he was forced to concede. He ground his fangs in frustration, then forced himself to stop. He needed to come up with a plan.
“I’m guessing, since he didn’t call anything out, that vasn’t a spell. Is that simply the power of a level 93 character?” he asked, eyes still closed.
“Not hardly. Lucien’s a Knight, he’s at a disadvantage compared to Raiders in SPD. And I’ve seen videos of maxxed SPD characters running around, they’re nowhere near that fast.” Jamie said gloomily.
“Hmn.”
“Oh yeah, I know there’s nothing like that in the game. Invisibility was slated to be a spell, but we had to roll it back until the expansion. It kept glitching out.” Mayhew said.
“Hmn.”
“This entire game gets buggier the further we go.” Lina said. Mayhew let out a long-suffering sigh.
“I don’t know what’s going on with his vanishing though. The closest we have to combat teleportation is the Teledash spell, and that only shoots you in a straight line up to sixty feet. He used it way too often, and his MP didn’t decrease.”
“Bugs and cheats aside, it still doesn’t matter though. It was Lucien. Lucien. The top player. He’s level 93, and the Priest tops out at 42. He’s literally faced high-level mobs alone and beat them single-handedly. And now he’s got the backing of those terrorists and a brainwashed guild of upper-level players. We’re doomed.” Lina said, dejected.
“Hmn.”
“That’s a...g-good point.” Jamie said, his knees shaking. Going up against Lucien? Automatic suicide, and probably more painful. Damn it, why? He punched the ground, -6. Why did they have to fight the best RFO had to offer to get back home? He buried his face in his arms.
“Hmn.”
“Do you have anything useful to say!?” Lina snapped.
“Do ve know vhether he’s left yet?” Alex said evenly, eyes still closed. Every move, every angle of attack was being analyzed and dissected in his mind. It was obvious Lucien was superior to Allocrax. But was his power enough to overcome Alex?
It remained to be seen.
“Well, this place’s got security cameras. We got the passcodes when we bought it.” Mayhew siad.
“We DO?” Alex, Jamie, and Lina said, all staring at him.
“Yeah? Did-did you guys not read all the instructions for the bells and whistles of this place?” Mayhew said. The other Vampires shook their heads. The programmer sighed. “Anyway, we do. Here.” He pulled up a screen. There was a view of the grand ballroom, where Lucien and his girls were gathered.
“Has everyone been dealt with?” he said.
“Yes sir. We searched the rooms, but the owners got away.” Shannon said, voice lifeless. All the girls were unnaturally still, at attention. Unlike a shaking Bard and laughing Archer walking up to them.
“Great! That was great! Good job, boy! Hoo-wee! Did you see their faces? Oh man, they couldn’t even run! You’re a terror, kid!” Randal slapped Lucien on the back.
“Thank you sir.” he said in a low, pensive tone. Hansen pulled up a screen.
“I-It looks like our scan completion of the players is now 42%." he said. Randal’s eyes lit up.
“Nearly half of ‘em? Wow! See, I knew it was a good idea to just start popping ‘em! You guys’re just too wussy to do it. Good thing I’m here t’get your *bleep*s in gear, right!” Randal cawed, throwing his head back uproariously. Lucien ground his teeth together, and the room started to fill with light. “They're respawning, and I’m out of control chips. We should go.”
“Right.” Hansen tapped a screen. “We should reinforce the Tower.” He pressed a button, and they warped away as the players began to come back. There were angry shouts, confused questions, and more than a few people crying.
“Hrmn.” Alex frowned. This...was not good. The players were shocked and vulnerable, the brainwashing program was completing as they watched, and the strongest ally they had turned against them, with unfair cheating abilities that broke all the rules of the game. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Play a videogame. It would be fun. The worst that could happen was he got bored with it again. He dearly wished he had fangs to bear, but Allocrax’s dentistry was lacking. “Ve should go.”
They exited the glitch room to find the guests in a panic. Jamie wanted to bolt, just get away; but no matter where he went, the result would be the same. Lina felt the cold, heavy hand of despair on her shoulder. Even Riezelkhrad’s mighty STR couldn’t lift it. Mayhew was frantically going over screens and menus, examining notes and items, muttering to himself. Through it all, Alex strode forward angrily.
“Hey, it’s you guys. You got away? Guess it doesn’t matter now, though.” Orlin said, plopping down at the top of the stairs. Marlinna was sniffling next to him. “No one has much longer anyway.” Alex leaned down and heaved him up.
“Who said you could sit on my floor!?” he bellowed. “All of you! YOU FOOLS!”
Every eye turned to him, wails of despair and furious shouts drowned out by his furious volume.
“You have VUN HOUR! At that time, report back here! Go! Prepare! Bring forth everything you’ve got! That sick little *bleep* *bleep* *bleep*ing, bobtail, *bleep*ing fussok! That UNLICKED CUB VON’T be the end of me! Of us! That upstart is nothing more than a *bleep*ing *bleep* *bleep* *bleep* SARDING SHABAROON!”
Silence rang in the hall as Alex panted, snarling. No one had understood his tirade.
“Vell? Vhat are you waiting for! Bring as much concentrated force here in an hour as you can! Go!” he shouted.
“W-Where are we going?” Orlin said. Alex glared at him, then grinned. His teeth were far too prominent in that evil smile.
“The only place ve can! Hurry! Ve march on the Vizard’s Tower!” Orlin and the others stared at him incredulously.
“What, right now?”
“YES!”