Glitch Book Two

by Victor Deckard

Both the PKs got stunned. Frozen couldn’t threat me into giving him the rifle and Croc had failed to reason with me as well. They couldn’t think of any other way to persuade me to hand the gun over. Fighting for the rifle seemingly was out of the question. They didn’t believe in their ability to defeat me anymore.

  A few seconds passed. The PKs remained motionless, not knowing what they should do after having gotten my rejection. It made me feel even better. I couldn’t help but throw them a scornful look and make a rude remark.

  “Get the hell outta here before I whoop your asses once again, morons!”

  It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Frozen completely freaked out over my last remark and couldn’t restrain his emotions any longer. Swearing out loud, he charged at me. Having no other choice but to join him in the attack, Croc followed suit.

  Feeling an adrenaline rush, I dashed forward toward the players, having activated the Acceleration. Both my Screamers barked violently, raking the PKs with bullets.

  This time it was much easier for me to deal with the two players. I wore the excellent biker armor and toted two great handguns while the PKs, who had weakened by one level each, had crappy armor on and were armed with pretty worthless guns.

  I applied the same strategy. First of all, I tricked Frozen into a vortex trap. He seemed to be unwilling to be thrown in a vortex of dark energy. He darted from side to side, yet he got into the trap in the end.

  Croc was constantly moving trying to dodge my bullets. No such luck for him. My rounds tore into his body scarcely covered with armor. Most of his bullets went wide, what with my movement speed increased by the activated Acceleration. He once withdrew a stimulator and administered the shot to himself. Still, it didn’t do him much good. He’d just gotten himself a few more seconds of life.

  After dealing with Croc, I turned my full attention to Frozen. To croak him was even easier. He didn’t even bother to change his tactic a bit. He just stood still firing away on me and constantly cursing.

  Finally, both the PKs were taken care of. Unfortunately, this time none of them had dropped anything useful for me. Taking my time, I gathered up all their stuff and carried it over to the vending machine.

  After selling the loot, I walked out into the street and looked for the PKs. They were nowhere in sight. It stood to reason. After I killed them for the second time, they must’ve revived without any armor and weapons. They would surely be trying to avoid encountering me at all costs now.

  I wondered if my nickname had gotten red after I’d killed the PKs. Then it occurred to me that Crayne had covered the topic. According to him, slaying player killers didn’t change the color of one’s nickname a bit.

  I surveyed my surroundings for the last time, my eyes sweeping the street to take stock of any items that might’ve gone unnoticed. Finding none, I turned around and walked off. After some time I went so far away from the police station, in which the vending machine was, that the building was out of sight.

  As I walked down the street, I speculated on my fight against the two PKs. They had higher levels, more powerful weapons, and tougher armor. Nevertheless, I’d actually been able to defeat both of them at the same time. How come?

  I figured that one of the reasons for my successful overcoming the two PKs was my well thought-out tactics. First, my wielding two pistols loaded with the high-velocity bullets and having the quite high Fire Rate attribute, along with my timely using the Acceleration psi-power to increase my movement speed and the Telekinesis skill to bat the enemies’ grenades, really paid off.

  That there was a stubbornness about the PKs was the second reason. They persisted in employing the same tactics no matter what. The PKs would attack a single player, discharging their grenade launchers on him or her over and over again. That was pretty much it.

  Perhaps their tactics had paid off on other players just fine, which probably was why there was no need to amend their strategy. Until they met me. Not sure about Frozen but Croc might now be racking his brain trying to conceive new workable tactics in case they encounter me again. So I should be careful.

  It started to be getting dark. It was time to come up with an idea to get through the next night. After I’d failed the Delivery quest, a thought crossed my mind. I thought of finding some big vehicle, like a derelict school bus or something, and turning it into an armored combat vehicle.

  Designing such a vehicle for the purpose of staying alive at night might be a pretty good idea. Guessed driving an armored car through the streets instead of holing up in some house would make it much easier for me to survive the invasion of the night monsters.

  Still, I didn’t know either where to find a derelict school bus and how to upgrade it or if the plan was even realizable. So I had to seek shelter in some building suitable for surviving tomorrow night.

  I kept walking down the street, constantly looking around. One house caught my attention. It was pretty spacious building that stood two stories high. I started for the house.

  Close inspection sowed a seed of doubt in my mind for two reasons. First, all the windows were boarded up. But it wasn’t just decrepit, decaying planks like that of all the other buildings I’d passed by but thick and tough-looking metal plates with long thin openings for viewing or discharging weapons. Second, the entrance door, which was metal too and looked reinforced, was shut tight.

  Sensing danger, I started to retreat. Yet it was too late. I’d been spied. The door flung open and two guys burst out of the house. They looked seventeen or eighteen years old. One of them pointed his shotgun at me. I felt my body tighten as I prepared to defend myself if the need arose.

  But the second player motioned for the first one to lower his weapon. He obeyed, yet he still held the shotgun in his hands instead of putting it into the scabbard behind his back. He eyed me suspiciously. As I watched him, information popped up in my HUD.

  > Name: Guard

  > Level: 8

  “Don’t freak out, bud,” The first player said. I shifted my gaze toward him to see a piece of info appear in my HUD.

  > Name: Stan

  > Level: 7

  “We ain’t gonna shoot you,” He declared.

  “Yeah? That’s good. Won’t have to whoop your asses then.”

  Guard couldn’t help but chuckle. Guessed he wouldn’t have chuckled had he gotten to watch me have dealt with Croc and Frozen.

  “Do you happen to play the Warlock class?” Stan asked. Perhaps he was uncertain because of the assault rifle hung by the strap over my shoulder.

  “That’s right. Why?”

  “Good,” He nodded. “Listen, we’ve worked out a plan for surviving tomorrow night.”

  “What’s the drill?”

  He gestured toward the building behind him, “We’re gonna hole up in there for the night. See? We’ve already reinforced the building. But we’d be better off with one more player joining up with our group. We’d love a Warlock to team up with us.”

  Suddenly a thin, girlish voice came from the building, “We don’t need another Warlock! How many times do I have to tell you this?”

  Stan grinned lopsidedly. Before I could say something, he explained, “There three of us on the team, actually. I play as a Soldier, Ward’s an Engineer, and Melissa, who you’ve just heard, is a Warlock.”

  “What do you need me for if you’ve already got Melissa?”

  “According to our plan, each of us has his or her respective task to carry out,” He said. “The problem is that Melissa gotta deal with the most difficult one. She says she can handle it, but Guard and myself reckon we need one more Warlock on the team.”

  “So what are you guys planning on doing?”

  The players looked at each other. Then Stan said, “So do you agree to team up with us? If so, let’s go inside and we’ll fill you in on the details. We've recently heard gunshots in the distance. Looks like some sniper amuses themselves with killing novices. This street seemed to be
out of their line of sight. But we’d better not take this chance.”

  They turned around and started for the house casually. I remained immobile, still in doubt. I got suspicious again. What if it were just a trap? What if they planned to trick me into the building only to get me killed and relieved of all my stuff? Their nicknames were white-colored, which meant they hadn’t iced another player yet.

  But it meant nothing by itself. I didn’t know what the level of Melissa’s character was. Neither was I aware of the color of her nickname. For all I knew, there might be more players with higher levels than mine was, lying low inside the home. They might’ve just had Stan and Guard, two players with white nicknames, get outside to trick me inside the house.

  Nevertheless, I was certain, somehow, that it was no trap. Stan seemed nice and open, which was why I started to take to him. Even Guard, who appeared silent and somewhat somber, didn’t give the impression of an out-and-out player killer. Speaking of Melissa, her soft girlish voice made it hard for me to make her as an aggressive PK.

  But this game had taught me to be always vigilant. Hence, I didn’t follow the players. Stan glanced back and asked, “You coming?”

  Guard looked back over his shoulder as well. He fixed his gaze on me and I saw a message appear in my HUD.

  > The player Guard has invited you in a group!

  > (Do you want to join the group: Yes/No)

  Guard spoke up, “Listen, bud. I know what you’re thinking. You reckon that we’re going to lure you into a trap. Rest assured, we are not. So make up your mind. If you don’t trust us so be it. Feel free to leave. If you want to join, then accept the invitation and get inside.”

  He had said nothing special, yet his calm, confident voice somehow dissipated my doubts and convinced me there was no trap. I accepted the invitation. The players’ nicknames instantly turned green.

  Moreover, I saw Melissa through one wall of the building. Or more specifically, I saw the outline of her body. Judging from a position her body was in, the girl was seated in an armchair with her arms lying on the armrests.

  > Name: Melissa

  > Level: 6

  Finally, I said, “All right, I’m in.”

  “There you have it,” Stan exclaimed. “Glad we can count on you.”

  Guard just gave me a nod with the same somber expression on his face. Both the players entered the building, with me tagging along after them.

  Seemed like it was no trap, after all.

  Chapter seven

  After we entered the building, I looked at Melissa. The girl was small, slender, and mousy-looking. No, she wasn’t unattractive. Her features just were bland and forgettable. She looked fourteen or fifteen years old. The girl met my eyes for a half a second, pouted her pink lips, and, with a “hmph”, turned her head away from me, which clearly said, “I don’t like you and got no intention of talking to you.”

  Guard shut the door behind us, walked up to me, and quizzed, “All right, Max, what skills do you have?”

  “Surge, Shield, Disarming,” I started to count out my psi-powers. “All of these are fully upgraded.”

  “Same here,” Melissa declared. “I got all these skills fully upgraded too.”

  Neither Guard nor Stan paid her any attention.

  “What else do you got?”

  “Blow, Acceleration, Flare. Each of these has level 3 as well,” I replied as I looked at Melissa. A smug expression plastered on her face told me she had these skills too.

  “The Blow will come in handy,” Stan observed. “It lifts several foes at once in the air, right? Pretty useful skill. Especially, when there’re a lot of mobs all around you. Melissa got this skill too, by the way.”

  I nodded agreement.

  “What else?” Guard posed a question.

  “Telekinesis, Biokinesis, Vortex trap.”

  “What trap?” Stan inquired. “What is it?”

  I looked at the girl once again. She pursed her lips as she glared at me.

  “You don’t have this skill?”

  I didn’t mean to razz the girl or something. I didn’t mean any harm at all. I was just curious as to why she hadn’t bothered to unlock the Vortex trap, which was, in my humble opinion, such a useful psi-power. Nevertheless, Melissa freaked out over my seemingly innocent question for some weird reason.

  She leaped to her feet and balled her fists in anger. Her face reddened with rage.

  “It’s a useless skill,” She sputtered her reply. “Totally worthless! It can affect only one mob at a time!”

  “Is it so?” Stan asked me.

  “Yep, she’s right,” I admitted. “This skill impacts on one player or mob at the same time.”

  Oddly enough, the girl instantly cooled off. Seeing that I wasn’t going to argue the point, she settled back into the armchair with a smug smile on her face.

  The Vortex trap skill had really aided my attempt to deal with the two PKs. Yet I was well aware that Stan and Guard were looking for skills capable of croaking or at least immobilizing several mobs at the same time since there were a lot of monsters swarming the streets at night. This was why I didn’t tell them how I’d whooped the PK’s asses with the assistance of the Vortex trap skill. It was irrelevant to the matter at hand, so I didn’t say anything about it.

  “That you’ve got the Telekinesis skill is really handy,” Stan said shattering my reverie. “Melissa told us it can affect several foes at once.”

  “That’s right, you can do it but with one condition,” I clarified the point. “Mana consumption depends on the weight of the object you want to pull with the Telekinesis. The heavier the object, the more Mana you deplete. I’ve never tried to affect several mobs at once, but I’m certain that it would deplete Mana in no time flat. From where I stand, it ain’t very smart to apply the Telekinesis to several mobs at once. It’s too expensive in terms of Mana consumption.”

  As I spoke, Melissa got angry. Seemed like she disagreed with me on everything.

  “If you got enough vigors, you don’t need to worry about Mana,” She declared, her eyes glaring her rage.

  “Which means that you got enough vigors on you?”

  “Yeah, Guard and me have bought her numbers of vigors,” Stan chimed in with the explanation. “So that she won’t sustain a lack of Mana during the impending invasion of night mobs.”

  I turned my head toward Melissa. Seeing that she had such a short fuse, I began, selecting my words very carefully, “You might want to go easy on the Telekinesis tomorrow night lest you use up all your consumables in nothing flat.”

  She was so livid she seemed to be about to take a swing at me. Perhaps she would, had Guard not stepped between us.

  “Knock it off, you two,” He scolded us. “I don’t want to see any more fighting. We’re the ream. If you’re going to fight each other instead of mobs, we’ll never get through tomorrow night. We’ve got to get along with one another in order to survive the impending swarm of mobs.”

  I kept quiet. Melissa clammed up for once. Although I wasn’t looking her way, I could feel her smoldering eyes on me. I had no idea as to why the girl was so angry with me. Either she didn’t like me for some reason or having frequent temper tantrums just was her little, odd ways.

  Seeing that we no longer argue, Guard looked me in the eye and inquired, “All right, do you have any other skills? Or is that all?”

  “Only the Stasis. Fully upgraded as well.”

  “What is this?” Stan quizzed. “How does this Stasis work?”

  “Doesn’t Melissa have it?” I glanced at the girl, sincerely hoping she wouldn’t throw another temper tantrum, on account of my question.

  “Nope,” the girl snapped, replying for herself.

  “She might unlock it later on if it’s worth it,” Guard answered watching the girl in case she charged at me to deliver a haymaker. Still, Melissa remained immobile, tight-lipped. “What does that skill do?”

&nb
sp; I explained the Stasis psi-power in simple terms. Stan instantly perked up. Even the mood of gloomy-looking Guard ratcheted up a few notches.

  “It’s a very nice skill,” Guard said approvingly.

  “See,” Stan addressed Melissa. “It was a good idea to admit another Warlock into the group after all.”

  Muttering something under her breath, the girl walked over to the armchair and plopped into it as if she were exhausted. She turned to glare in the direction of the far wall.

  “All right, it’s time we familiarized you with our plan,” Guard said. “So during the first three waves––”

  Guard fell silent as I gave him a puzzled look.

  “Waves? What is that?”

  “Players fight through waves of mutants attempting to eliminate the players at night. It’s called assault waves. We like to shorten it to waves, for the sake of convenience.”

  Guessed I still looked perplexed since Guard asked me, “How long have you been playing the game? How many nights have you gone through? I’d assume, not too many, right?”

  “Yeah, only one.”

  “And it seems like you didn’t get through it?”

  “Yeah. Got whacked at the very beginning.”

  “Okay, here’s a crash course for you.”

  He told me that the player had to fight through ten waves of mutant-like mobs at night, with each assault wave getting more and more difficult. Each wave lasted around twenty to thirty minutes. Killed mobs would drop ammo, stimulators, vigors, even weapons and armor sometimes, and whatnot.

  Once the wave ended, mobs ceased to spawn and the player had to deal with the remaining monsters.

  In the time between each wave, the player could reinforce the building he or she held out in, patch up themselves, pick up the loot, and get prepared for the next wave. Each break lasted about five minutes.

  The player could try to get through the night on his own or they can team up with other players. During each wave mob constantly spawned all around the player. As assault waves passed, the mob count, which scaled with the number of players in the group, would increase and different mob types would be introduced.