CHAPTER 1
BATTLE ROYALE
The player Demon Mage's head popped like a balloon full of ketchup.
Critical Hit
Inflicted 123 damage (Explosive Shot)
Enemy player killed.
+300xp
Robbie fired a second explosive arrow, this time at the Martial Warrior charging him from across the grassy field to avenge the death of her companion. The arrow missed and disappeared when it reached its maximum range.
Crouching behind the broken wooden fence, Robbie sent his pet worg, Cleopatra forward to attack the other player. As he changed out ammo and went for his standard arrows, he noticed the vague outline of a human form coming at the warrior from behind. Abby, his stealthed Rogue companion.
As Robbie had expected, the Martial Warrior burned her Ferocious Charge ability to close the distance between him and her, flying past Cleopatra.
But the fence blocked the warrior’s charge, stunning her for a few precious seconds. Robbie stepped back and fired an arrow into her armored chest.
Inflicted 56 damage
By the time he’d reloaded, the warrior came out of her stun and slashed at him with her sword. He leapt back, the blade passing within an inch of his flesh.
Then Abby unstealthed, and plunged her twin daggers into the warrior's back. The woman screamed, falling to her knees.
Companion inflicted 133 damage (Back Stab)
Blood trickled out of the female warrior's mouth, as her eyes widened. She stared up at Robbie, then fell sideways and died.
Shared kill +150xp
Abby wiped the blood off her daggers on the dead warrior's hair and let out a victorious, "meow.” She turned to him, as she finished cleaning her dagger. “Purr. How many times have I saved you now?"
Robbie frowned. "I could have killed her." Cleopatra returned to his side, resting on her haunches. Notching another arrow to his bow, he scanned for another enemy player.
An invisible gong rang to mark the halftime mark of the PVP battleground. They had half an hour left to kill the remaining player team.
"Let's heal up, then head over to that abandoned fort and climb up on the walls and see if we can see where they're at." Robbie drank a special PVP battleground health pot, then tossed the empty vial on the ground, shattering it to pieces. "Damn, I hate that stuff."
Robbie Owleye
HP: 205/225 (BASE: 180+45 from equipment)
After they’d both drank their pots, they headed toward the tower at a crouch run. Cleopatra lumbered beside them, her black fur covered in dried blood.
A number in Robbie’s mind’s eye flashed. There were only two other players beyond him and Abby left alive in the battleground. Team Saber. His own team, Team Kitty Claw, had been named by Abby. She had a thing for cats. Some might say, an obsession with them…
He grinned at the fluffy tail attached to her leather belt. It made her look cute. But she was anything but cute right then. Covered in splattered blood, her blades dripping poison, she’d killed four players this day. They weren’t permanently dead, nor did they lose one of their three lives. The PVP Battleground was a relic of the old times when Visaria Online had only been a game for nerds, geeks, and other assorted basement dwelling lifeforms.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
An instanced zone, the PVP battleground existed outside of the main Visarian world and was on a strict one-hour timer. After an hour, everyone would be booted out. And somehow, us free people of the Independent Cities have managed to keep it our dirty little secret, Robbie thought as they approached the broken fortress gate.
As they entered, they made their way toward the central tower, scanning the ruined building for signs of movement. They’d been there before, in earlier team Battle Royale matches, so they made their way to the battlements without issue.
Approaching the wall, Robbie went to stand between to crenels while Cleopatra and Abby kept watch. He used his level 6 ability Long Sight to scan the distant wooded hills. He zoomed in on one location then the next, using his extended sight to pick out small signs of movement in the undergrowth. Rabbits, a fox, and… a wild boar. Beyond the menagerie of wildlife, loomed the pale blue wall that marked the ever closing edge of the map. Eventually, the blue wall would enclose the PVP zone into a tiny area, forcing the players to confront one another. Right now, Robbie judged it to be a mile distant.
He sighed. “I don’t see anyone. I frigging hope they’re not sticking to the edge of the map.” Some players did that, hoping everyone else would fight it out and weaken themselves, so they could swoop in at the end and pick off any survivors. A valid tactic. But a boring one and one anyone with any skill (or honor)frowned upon.
But worse than them were the campers…
A bullet struck Robbie in the back, propelling him forward, and almost over the wall.
-67hp (Sniper Shot)
“Damn, a Steampunk,” he muttered, racing for the cover of the nearby doorway leading back into the tower.
Abby was beside him. “Hiss.” She glared behind them as she ran. “I don’t see them.” A bullet tore into her arm.
Companion suffered -35 damage
She hissed again, as they got to cover. Breathing heavily, they stood on either side of the doorway, peering outside, trying to find the Steampunk sniper. Robbie used his magnified vision to scan the surrounding walls and broken towers. Nothing. He moved so he could see some of the buildings below the wall. Scanning them, he saw a puff of smoke from inside a broken window. Leaping back, he narrowly avoided a shot to the side of the head.
“I saw them. In the two-story building against the wall opposite to us.” Robbie notched an explosive arrow. “I’ll stay here.” He commanded his pet to remain where she was.
“Meow, I will sneak up on them, and see if I can find where their partner is.” Abby crouched walked, like a stalking cat, and started heading down the stairs. As she reached the top step, she faded as she activated her stealth ability.
Cleopatra went to guard the top of the stairs, her gray eyes glittering in the light flooding in through the doorway. Robbie turned his attention back to scanning for the enemy Steampunk. Glancing around the edge of the wall, he zoomed on the window where he’d last seen them. A puff of smoke erupted from the window beside it, and a bullet tore into his ear.
-34hp
Gritting his teeth in pain, Robbie cursed under his breath, feeling his ear for damage. The shot had torn off his earlobe, and blood trickled down onto his shoulder. Thank god, these wounds are temporary. He’d hate to imagine himself with half an ear. Once they left the PVP battleground, they’d be restored to normal.
Bringing up his bow, he pressed his back against the wall. He considered where to shoot. There were only two windows in his line of sight, which meant the Steampunk could only fire at him from one or the other. Would they have shifted position back to their last location, or remained where they were?
Taking a deep breath, Robbie steeped around the edge of the doorway and fired at the first window. He didn’t even see if his arrow flew through the opening. Instead, he got back into cover just as there came a loud boom.
Inflicted 18 damage (Explosive Shot)
Robbie has clearly missed the Steampunk, but the arrow had exploded close enough to them to inflict splash damage. Cleopatra raised her ears and let out a low growl. The worg’s thoughts and feeling filled Robbie’s mind. His pet had heard something down the bottom of the tower and whatever was down there, was coming up the stairs.