Elusive Prey

by Cheek, Jason

“See,” Sarka said, giving Thomas and Kenzie an “I told you so” look as both Devil Dogs rolled their eyes at the warrior woman. While I knew Sarka thought she was making a valid point about my premeditated actions, the Devil Dog players had been the ones actively pushing for the Assassins to be slaughtered in the first place.

  “Can you guys accept that?” I asked, focusing on my team.

  “That works for me,” Unalia amiably agreed along with Yun and Tinyr, as Sarka’s frown deepened. Obviously, she had more that she wanted to say on the subject, but instead of making it an issue, she nodded too.

  “We’ll have to have a long talk about this later,” Sarka gravely said, as her voice took on a severe tone. While that was okay with me, the sudden look of pity from Yun made me wonder what I was in for as his wife crossed her arms over her large chest and added. “But, otherwise, I can accept that.”

  “Great!” I said, meaningfully looking around at the players that made up the raid. “Does that work for everyone else too?” Hearing no dissent amongst my friends, I continued with a hint of exasperation in my voice. “Then, can we please get back to the plan of taking these assholes down and helping my friend evac now?”

  Freaking A, I silently thought, as everyone agreed and began moving out once again. That wasn’t before Sarka gave me a friendly jab in the ribs and Thomas grabbed the back of my neck like he was my older brother to congratulate me for handling the situation well. Hefe gave me a goofy thumbs up as Bonnie shoved him from behind, while Jill and AJ mouthed “fucking noobs” to me as Krystal silently rolled her eyes at the drama. Phoenix gave me a fist bump, while Krishna and Angie gave me reassuring pats on the shoulder as they passed by. With that finished, I called Tengsly to me and gave him a quick message for Mike, explaining everything that had gone down, before sending him flapping away.

  While I appreciated everyone’s support, over the years I’d gotten pretty good at understanding the social dynamics needed to keep the peace amongst a group of dissimilar friends, although it wasn’t usually me being the one to piss everyone off. It did help that I’d been a guild leader in one game or another for over half of my life. Although, after the whole Domenic and Sarka thing back-to-back, I was starting to wonder if I’d used up a little too much of my mojo in one day. I mean seriously, what else could go wrong after this? I flippantly thought, when a familiar voice set off warning signals in my head.

  “This is the first I’ve heard about you torturing other player’s in game,” Rani accusingly said in a tone full of disdain. “And here I thought you were one of the good guys. Maybe the Imprisonment Emergency Hot Fix didn’t go far enough …” Her voice faded away into an angry mutter as I whirled around to face the V-MMORG Admin.

  “Don’t take that superior tone with me,” I snapped at Rani in barely concealed rage. People always wanted to judge you without knowing the entire situation, I harshly thought, savagely swearing under my breath. “Fucking assholes!”

  In my peripheral vision, I saw Neristhana, Ulia, and my other companions taking up aggressive positions around the Royal Investigator with their blades drawn. Further back, Assault Leader Dell had stopped at the edge of the clearing and was signaling the Sub-Leader he’d assigned for the graveyard defense force to keep a watch over the situation, before taking off after the rest of his troopers. While I appreciated the support, I had a feeling that this had to be handled in the right way or it was going to come back and bite me in the ass. Giving them a quick head shake, I silently signaled for everyone to let me handle this as I tried to get a hold of my temper.

  “I never once said I was a hero or even particularly a nice guy,” I evenly said, unapologetically meeting the judgment in her hazel eyes. “I treat the people I meet the way that I like to be treated, I help out where I can, and I watch over my friends, but if people fuck with me, I fuck them back hard.”

  “Do you know what everyone is saying about you on the server,” Rani said in a smug tone, as if she were scoring a point. “They’re all saying-“

  “I don’t particularly care about what everyone is saying about me,” I snarled, cutting her off in mid-sentence. “Do I know any of them? Do they understand the situation I’m dealing with?” I pointed my finger at her accusingly. “No, they’re mostly sheeple going with the flow and judging me by believing whatever they hear just like you?”

  “They’re mostly sheeple,” Rani exclaimed defensively, upset at my implication that she might be guilty of not fairly looking at the situation. “Even your own people are angry at what you did!” Obviously this conversation wasn’t going the way she thought it should’ve in her head.

  “The Dread Pack enslaves the entire town of Darom, slaughters all of the children, does the same with most of the men, and starves the survivors as they work them to death, and nobody bats an eye on the server, except to complain that losing the city interrupts players’ gameplay. I purposely break one asshole’s legs to get the information I needed to take their group down that’s doing all of this, and I’m suddenly the bad guy?” I said, the outrage clear in my voice as I continued hotly. “The Chaos Storm Alliance terrorizes Telrain and I save as many people as I can before their guild leader blasts the place to smithereens, and the majority of the player base ignorantly demands that I be banned from the game because that same person blamed me for the city’s destruction. Fuck them all!”

  “I get that what those players did was disgusting and that what happened to Telrain and Darom were game breaking, but when it comes right down to it, the people in The World are just ones and zeros. What does any of that matter?” Rani smacked my finger away, shouting right back at me. “You purposely broke a player’s legs!”

  “Purposely broke a player’s legs?” I repeated in justified outrage. “Just ask any of the players here as to what they purposely endured at the hands of these PKing asshats and a pair of broken legs would be nothing in comparison to what most of them went through.”

  “That’s all part of the game that you agreed to play,” Rani defensively backpedaled, repeating the V-MMORG company’s line.

  “I know, so step the fuck off my dick,” I shouted back, pointing in the direction that Sarka and Unalia had headed off in. “The only problem that either one of my friends had with my actions with that asshole I tortured,” I made air quotes, “was because they want me to be better than our enemies.” I shook my head in disgust. “Whatever, the three of us will deal with that issue if it ever becomes an issue again in the future, which is doubtful after the Imprisonment Emergency Hot Fix that was just released.” Leaning forward, I got into her face as I forced my voice to calm down. “And just for the record, I’m going to tell you right now that you’re viewpoint on the people of The World is straight-up wrong!” Rani’s physical flinch at my words told me that I’d hit a nerve.

  “You want to know why my companions are ready to cut you down at a word from me,” I demanded, as the V-MMORG Admin suddenly looked around realizing the compromising position she was in. “Because I treat all of them like I would anyone else I’ve ever met.” I drove on ignoring the look of panic that suddenly came to her eyes.

  “Neristhana, Ulia, Keela, Brenna, and Rayne,” I pointed to my companions as I named each of them off. “They were all born into The World as children. They had parents, a community that raised them, and can feel pain.” I nodded to Brenna and Rayne. “They love, have their own wants and desires, while dreaming for a secure future. You’d think that would mean something, but just like you, most players just treat them like cardboard cutouts placed here for their enjoyment.”

  “You sound like Justin Mayfair,” Rani accusingly said, as she looked at me like I was crazy. “This is just a game and these people,” she hurled the word at me like a curse, “as you say, are just NPCs like in any other MMORPG!”

  “What the fuck ever,” I spat out each word individually, while leaning away from Rani as a look of revulsion swept across my face. It disgusted me at how even an employee of V-MMORG couldn’t se
e what was directly before their eyes. A small part of me questioned if I were crazy and looking at this all wrong, but one look at my companions’ faces told me that I was on the right track. Even if I wasn’t, I couldn’t have acted any differently in light of the trust and friendship my companions had given to me. Knowing I’d completely fucked up this conversation, I expelled the breath I’d been holding, feeling like this was going to be a repeat of my fight with Domenic.

  “This conversation is over,” I said, as my voice turned hard. “You can be disappointed in me for not being one of the good guys, you can think I’m a fool for treating the people of The World as real all you want,” I paused, leaning in to emphasis my next points. “I don’t fucking care! I don’t know you from fucking Adam! You want to have a front row seat to this battle and are asking for my help to do it. No problem, keep your mouth shut and don’t get in the way or I’ll fucking cut you down myself.” Turning around, I called out to my companions. “Let’s go, we’re moving out.”

  “God, you’re such an asshole!” Rani screeched after my retreating back. Without slowing down, I spun around and gave her a cocky grin.

  “Never said I wasn’t!” I shouted back, before spinning around and taking off into the forest as Rani’s “Fuck you!” echoed around the graveyard.

  Chapter Six

  (First Assault Group: Dangas, Dmitry, and Arcturus’ attack group. Outside of Domenic’s fortress in the Gauntlet.)

  “Ain’t this the shit?” Dangas called out excitedly to Dmitry as they raced across the valley towards the mouth of the gauntlet at an all-out sprint. “How are we supposed to fall back with a force like this?”

  “Da, Star not know nightmare he create,” Dmitry heartily agreed, as his arms pumped to keep up with the horde of monsters racing ahead of them. “We crush enemy like bugs with force this size!”

  Ahead of them, the Krasnyy Volki’s Great Saber-Fang pack bound ahead across the bottom of the valley, heading towards the mouth of the gauntlet where the enemy were conducting their siege. Packed in around the large, fanged wolves were groups of undead clumped together in groups of seven and eight. That was because only a single zombie in each group were actually being controlled by the players in group one. The rest of the undead pets had been set to guard those individual zombies by the rest of the raid, before heading off on their own mission.

  Star had warned them all that this would drastically reduce the combat abilities of their undead force and that they’d quickly lose control over the additional zombies once battle commenced. While each of their guildmates had understood that intellectually, it was hard to believe when you were following behind the packed mass of undead pets that were set to ambush an unsuspecting enemy. The massive force made you feel like you were unstoppable, especially when the running corpses trampled over and through everything in their path.

  A great example of that had been when the zombies were making their way through the thick forest to the bottom of the valley. The press of their Dark magic driven bodies had shattered the small trees in their path and destroyed the thick underbrush in their passing. Nothing seemed to hurt them. Gaping wounds and torn flesh left the undead creatures unfazed. Hitting the bottom of the valley, the size of their combined force literally shook the ground and created a constant, low rumble that sounded like the approach of a major thunderstorm that could be felt deep in your chest.

  The zombies themselves were a sight to behold. Glowing red eyes, bones showing through the ravaged holes in their skin, and their preternatural movements subconsciously triggered an almost primeval level of fear in many of their handlers. While that reaction was bad enough one-on-one, with their force of undead numbering nearly three thousand strong, it was almost impossible not to get the heebie-jeebies when you saw them moving together in an unstoppable mass. Less than a thousand were made up of demi-humans. Although the level 36 and level 38 Elite Orc Scouts, Warriors, and Shamans were said to be great pets due to their high resistance to elemental magic, they were essentially naked and unarmored with only bony claws, short tusks, and fangs for use as weapons.

  The true nightmarish horrors that made up the mass of undead were the monstrous Elite Fanged Tarpan Striders, Elite Large Rock Wolves, and Elite Crown-Bladed Eurasian Elk that ranged from level 35 to level 40. These zombie monstrosities possessed the same natural weapons and stone-like armor that they’d possessed when alive. On top of that, they moved with an unnatural stride and quickness that was even more pronounced with their odd four-legged gait. Watching them move across the terrain at speed sent shivers down your spine.

  Even more outrageous than that, three hundred and sixty of those monstrous zombies were made up of the same level 65 Elite Earth Shock Wolves and Elite Molten Flow Striders that their raid had taken out together on the plains the night before. A fifth of which somehow had their special magical attacks available to use. Those massive beasts were truly a terrifying sight to behold and were what led the zombie horde. The plan was to use the higher-level undead pets to break any resistance that might be raised like shock troopers in a siege.

  None of the Russian and Aussie players had expected to be given such a powerful and impressive force for their part of this attack. While most of their guild members thought this was out of pure respect for their important part of the mission, Dangas and Dmitry both understood this was nearly every soul stone that Star and his people had left after fighting their way across the breadth of the Kingdom of Kader. Meaning that this was a last ditch attack that had to accomplish what it was intended to do or Star’s raid were all going to get their asses handed to them.

  “I’d trust Star’s read on this,” the taciturn Arcturus said, as he easily loped next to the pair while his eyes watched the mouth of the gauntlet. “There!” The Wolf-Kin growled, as his gauntleted hand shot out to point a clawed finger at an enemy group that took off running to sound the alarm. “They’ve seen our approach!”

  Dangas and Dmitry traded an amused look at the expense of the newest addition to their group. Even though they were still nearly two hundred yards out, with the size of the force they had on hand, neither one of them were greatly concerned about carrying the attack to the Chaos Storm Alliance players that were held up inside the gauntlet. Even if the enemy was double their number, there was no way they’d be able to handle the crushing anvil of undead heading for them. And, while Star and his people had greatly impressed them both by the number of troops he’d brought to the table, how they’d conducted themselves during their first introductions, and the proceeding battle they’d fought together, Mike and the Norwegian were unknown elements to them.

  Mike’s part in all of this wasn’t in question. The Dark Elf had an impressive force of nearly three hundred NPC assassins of his own and was basically doing the same thing he’d been doing all along since they’d arrived, which was spawn camping the graveyards and harrying the enemy as they tried to rejoin the siege. The Norwegians, on the other hand, were a new and unknown element with only thirty-two players in total. Even though both Mike and Star respected the new arrivals and treated them like experienced players, neither one of the two guild leaders knew enough about the reticent newcomers to make a solid decision on how they felt about them one way or another. If anything, the armored Norwegian guild leader came across as overly cautious.

  “We use simple fix, Arcturus,” Dmitry dismissively said, giving a wink to Dangas. “We send zombies ahead now to attack.”

  “It’s better than giving them time to set up defenses,” Arcturus agreed, as a deep frown came to his black lips.

  “Sounds like a plan?” Dangas excitedly agreed, obviously looking forward to the coming battle.

  As each guild leader began passing orders to their people, the horde of zombies immediately began surging ahead. The higher-level and four-legged zombies easily out pacing the rest as the tightly packed formation began to spread out. Instead of charging ahead with the undead pets, the Saber-Fang pack fell back and spread out to either s
ide of the players’ formation as a scout screen.

  The Elite Earth Shock Wolves and Elite Molten Flow Striders were already rushing into the mouth of the gauntlet while the players were still fifty yards away. They were followed a minute later by a nearly constant stream of Elite Fanged Tarpan Striders, Elite Large Rock Wolves, and Elite Crown-Bladed Eurasian Elk. The screams of dying players and the clash of weapons sounded ahead of them as brilliant, scintillating blasts of white lightning and flames began coruscating from the mouth of the gauntlet. The player portion of the raid was just fifteen yards away when the Orc zombies began rushing into the gap, when Dmitry thrust his longbow into the air above his head.

  “Krasnyy Volki,” the large Russian cried out, as he threw his head back and bellowed. “Urra!”

  “Urra … Urra … Urra!” The rest of the guild chanted as the Norwegians took up their own battle cry.

  “Til Valhall!” Arcturus yelled out, as the entire guild repeated after him, “Til Valhall!” before finishing together with a deep throated “Oorah!”

  “Rrraaawww!” Dangas and the rest of the Aussies wordlessly shouted so as not to be outdone, as they drowned out both other guilds by the weight of their numbers and enthusiasm alone.

  With that, the three guild leaders led their people into the mouth of the gauntlet at a sprint. Immediately, the entire raid slowed to a slow jog at the destruction that they were confronted with. At first, it was simply the trampled remains of bedding, firepits, cooking pots, clothing, and other paraphernalia you’d expect to find in a long-term camp. The items were scattered everywhere from the zombies passing. But, as they approached the base of the first defensive wall, that all changed to a scene straight out of hell as the ground was littered with unidentifiable chunks of viscera, mangled corpses, hunks of flesh, and blood … lots and lots of blood. Every inch of the ground and walls were either splattered, streaked, or covered in pools of blood.