Shadow Hunting:LitRPG (Shadow For Hire)

by Adam Drake

  The archer collapsed into a heap. Wiping sweat from my eyes I looked down into the town square.

  It appeared Mudhoof was making an example of the other two warriors. The knight limped away, and pushed through the growing crowds, not wanting any more abuse. There was no more fight in him. Mudhoof parried the viking's sword thrusts with his own battle axe. They seemed to be an even match.

  And there, leaning against a broken fruit stall was Perriwinkle, a hand covering his face, still blinded. As I watched, the other Shadow stood and removed his hand. He blinked and squinted, his vision returning.

  I'd give him something to see.

  With a short run to the edge of the roof, I jumped with my sword pointed downward in both hands. I descended like a bird of prey.

  My shadow fell across Perriwinkle and seeing movement within his darkened vision turned and looked up at me. His sword arm rose.

  “Wha-?” he said.

  Then I landed on him.

  My sword pierced his chest right above his heart and passed straight through him. As I crashed into my confused foe, we both tumbled to the ground.

  I rolled away while wrenching my sword free then I stood and turned, ready for more.

  Perriwinkle did not stand up. Instead, he lay prone on the cobblestone, and let out his last breath.

  Vivian Valesh hits Perriwinkle KillUGood with a critical strike for 1,000 hit points of damage. Perriwinkle KillUGood is dead. Vivian Valesh earns double PvP battle points.

  “Yeah, Vee!” shouted Mudhoof, who was still actively engaged with the viking.

  About to run over and help him finish our last attacker, I paused and looked about. The crowd had grown much larger, forming a living arena around where we fought. Then I noticed several large groups of players push their way through the crowd, their hungry eyes staring at me.

  “Uh oh,” I said. More of these potential bounty hunters were arriving by the second. Word was out. The largest bounty was here in Ingot's Perch. Claim her if you can.

  A cry behind me made me turn in alarm. Mudhoof?!

  The viking fell backwards, his black sword clattering across the cobblestone.

  Mudhoof Hornthruster has killed Knight WhoSaidNee.

  “Piece of cake!” Mudhoof shouted in triumph.

  I ran up to him, my eyes darting over the hostile crowd. “Nice work,” I said.

  Mudhoof looked up at the roof. “You got those ranged bastards? They had it coming.” He saw my nervous expression. “What's wrong?”

  I nodded toward the large crowd and the players looking at us. Looking at me. “We're not out of the woods yet.”

  “Yikes,” Mudhoof said, taking in the situation. This wasn't a small group to deal with, this was a mob. “We got to get you to the Healer's Temple and fast. Once in there we'll come up with a plan.”

  I was about to say something when there was a commotion to our right. A new group of players had arrived and were walking toward me when another group intercepted them.

  “She's ours!” said the leader of the first group.

  “No, she is ours!” said one of the other group.

  Weapons were drawn and spells charged.

  I pulled my gaze away from them. If they wanted to fight amongst themselves then I could afford to ignore them for the moment. What concerned me was the living wall of players who now blocked our way to the Temple steps.

  “Going to have to fight our way through this,” I said. It did not look good. The odds were very much stacked against us. Two against dozens.

  Mudhoof sized things up and nodded. “Yup,” he said with a snort. “But I got a plan,” he said and hefted his battle axe.

  “Plan?” I asked. The crowd now was pushing forward. Their hesitation would not last long. Soon, someone would attack and bring the entire mob down on us.

  Mudhoof leaned close. “Do you trust me?”

  “Uh, yeah. But what does-,” I started to say when Mudhoof pressed something into my free hand.

  “Get to Thorm,” he said.

  I looked at what he gave me. A Teleport Token.

  Before I could ask him anything else, Mudhoof roared and raised his axe over his head. Unperturbed, the other players pressed forward.

  Mudhoof brought the axe down with a mighty downward blow. The blade shattered the cobblestone and huge cracks shot out in all directions from the point of impact. Nearly the entire crowd around us fell or was knocked back into each other. It was a tremendous show of power by Mudhoof. I knew he had been feeding all his skill points received each level into his Knock Back ability, but I hadn't seen the end result until now.

  I looked in surprise at what he had just done. But the players were only temporarily thrown off. They still blocked our way. What was the point of buying us only a few seconds of time?

  Leaving his axe buried in the ground, Mudhoof turned and sprinted a few paces back.

  “Muddie, what the heck-,” I said before Mudhoof spun around, lowered his head down and charged straight at me.

  My eyes widened in shock.

  The steel tips of his long horns scrapped the cobblestone, shooting out a shower of sparks. He was coming at me full speed.

  “Jump!” the minotaur roared as the distance between us became mere feet.

  I realized what he was about to do, but there was nothing I could do but jump as he commanded. There was no stopping this freight train.

  At the last possible moment I hopped up a few feet and braced myself as best I could. The steel tips of his horns passed beneath me, and at that exact millisecond, Mudhoof tossed his head upwards.

  The impact of his head knocked the breath out of me, and my view-screen went black for a second.

  When I could see again, I was sailing over surprised players below me. As my body spun around, I caught a glance of Mudhoof surrounded by a mass of angry players who closed in on him.

  Then I hit the top Temple step and bounced hard through the entrance, and across the threshold.

  You have entered a PvP safezone.

  I slammed against the inner foyer wall tearing down a large dove tapestry.

  For a few moments my avatar was disoriented from the impact. Once I got my bearings, I looked out into the town square below.

  Weapons were rising and falling where Mudhoof had been, but I couldn't see him through the mass of players.

  Then, someone raised a twin bladed battle axe up in the air. There was a cheer of triumph from the crowd.

  My body went numb. No, I thought. It can't be!

  I barely registered the mass of players now surging up the steps of the temple. They didn't matter now. Only one thought filled my mind.

  Mudhoof was dead.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Stunned, I could do nothing but sit and stare at the upraised battle axe.

  Mudhoof's axe.

  Then the tide of players crested the top Temple step, and the axe was lost from view.

  He had died to save me. Again.

  This was not the first time, nor did I believe it would be the last. Mudhoof was a true friend and a fellow player I could count on in a pinch. And I had just been in one heck of a pinch.

  I shook my head, trying to get my senses back.

  Players now pushed into the Temple, crowding the inner foyer where I sat slumped against the wall. They loomed over me, shouting and gesticulating wildly. The air filled with FILTERED this and FILTERED that.

  With a hand against the wall, I stood. As if expecting I would be dumb enough to leave the safety of the Temple, some of the players parted so I could exit unimpeded. But I wasn't going outside. Instead, I turned and pushed my way further into the Temple. If someone tried to block me, I simple shoved them aside, and they slid out of my way as if on ice.

  Once in a safezone a player can't be hurt in any manner nor physically blocked, unlike the rest of the gaming world. If that was the case, the griefing of players would be epidemic. I took some small solace that, although they had killed my friend, they could not stop
me from where I wanted to go.

  As I entered the main chamber, the others followed close behind, a cacophony of FILTERED obscenities and gestures. With minimal effort, and avoiding direct eye-contact with my would-be tormentors, I pushed my way to the same little bed I'd vacated only a short while ago.

  As I sat down, the healer appeared.

  “Oh, by the Blessed One herself, you have returned, and so soon,” he said. He examined my wounds and the various arrows that seemed to sprout from my avatar. “Tsk-tsk,” he said. “You need to be more careful. Allow me to heal your wounds.” He seemed unaffected by the horde of people that now jammed his beautiful temple.

  “Yes,” I said over the shouts. “Please do. I would be most grateful.”

  As he attended to me, I looked up at those who crowded around, pressing up against my space. From the myriad of words and phrases thrown at me I came to the following conclusion.

  They thought I was a very bad person. Very, very bad. I needed to die. Now, and preferably quick. I was a FILTERED of a FILTERing FILTERED as well, which I thought was just plain mean to say.

  But I had enough. From an icon at the side of my view-screen I went into my game settings. Then I selected 'MUTE OTHER PLAYERS'. A prompt popped up, 'EXEMPT FRIENDS LIST AND NPCs'? I answered yes.

  To those all around me, the image of a large ear appeared above my head which in turn had a red line slashed across it. Now I didn't have to hear anyone speak, or even receive chat requests.

  The effect was immediate, and my world went blessedly quiet. Players threw themselves around and jumped up and down. This had only enraged them further, but I didn't have to hear any of it.

  Then I selected 'AWAY FROM GAME'.

  Instead of a symbol, a white translucent vector box was drawn around me. My avatar, now encased, went still and my eyes closed.

  I could still see fine. But now the others knew I would not engage them in any way. The possibility now existed I could be away from the game for a long time. What would they do then?

  While I let them ponder that amongst themselves in the civil manner I expected, I pulled up my chat menu and pinged Mudhoof. As I waited my heart was in my chest. What he had done was amazingly selfless.

  And creative, too.

  Mudhoof, for whatever reason, did not answer my chat request. I tried not to read too much into it. Maybe he was tired after the fight and was taking a break, away from the game. Or maybe he was ticked off with me because now he had to level up in the newbie zone, yet again. Something he was famous for.

  I shook my head. He would be in touch when he's ready.

  From my inventory I removed the Teleport Token.

  Get to Thorm, Mudhoof had said.

  Thorm might be the only other true friend I had, besides Mudhoof. We'd all adventured together countless times. All of it fun. Would he be interested in a suicide mission to find and kill Ogden Trite?

  A quick scan of my short (but distinguished) friends list showed Thorm was currently online. Selecting his name brought up more detailed information on what he was up too.

  Questing in Farewell Falls on planet Orkrin.

  Even on his own quest I knew Thorm would drop everything to come help me. Did I want to impose on him with something this big? Add to this that I did not want to see yet another one of my friends end up re-rolling because of me.

  But did I have a choice?

  From the safety of the Away From Game vector box I spied on the surrounding players. There were so many now they filled the chamber from wall to wall, and even out the main entrance. The town would now be packed with bounty hunters all hoping to be the one who would claim the bounty on my head.

  I wasn't going anywhere. Logging out was not an option. Such a tactic was beneath my code of gamer-ethics. I would not hide from a fight by leaving the game then returning much later to see if anyone was still around. The very thought was repugnant. Why even bother playing the game if you would stoop to such cowardly tactics?

  But, even though I wouldn't hide from a fight, didn't mean I wouldn't run from one.

  I thumbed the Token in my hand.

  Might as well just ask Thorm if he was interested. Couldn't hurt.

  I sent him a chat request.

  While I waited I noticed a group of players moving aggressively around the Temple chamber. It was obvious several groups where arguing over me, but couldn't hurt each other here. Instead, they yelled and screamed. To me it all played out like a silent movie.

  There was little doubt that fights were going on outside in the square. And all over who would have the honor of killing me.

  Sighing, I watched as the players slid around each other in pathetic attempts of intimidation. I don't mind being popular, but this was ridiculous. Removing this bounty once and for all was my only hope.

  A chat acceptance sound brought me out of my gloomy thoughts. I opened the chat screen in front of me. Thankfully, the vector box masked my activities.

  The face of Thorm filled my view. Human, and handsome, with a bristly blond mustache which covered his mouth, Thorm embodied the very best of character customization. I will admit I found his avatar attractive, even though I hadn't a clue what Thorm, the player, looked like in real life.

  “Miss Valesh,” Thorm rumbled, his voice was low and deep. “Always a pleasure.” Although I could not see any details of his surroundings, it looked as if he was resting against a tree.

  “And to you as well,” I said. “You're questing now? Am I bothering you?”

  “Ah, on the verge of completing the last quest in a chain,” he said and his avatar winced in pain. “But the final boss has proven a tad ornery. Refuses to die. Quite rude of him. Wiped my entire party out, except for me.”

  “You're hurt!” I said, alarmed. “I'll come to you, just hang on.”

  Thorm shook his head, sunlight reflecting off his silver helmet. “Do not bother, Vivian. I'm down to my last sliver of health, and the end boss is off somewhere regenerating his. It's only a matter of time before he comes back to finish the job.”

  “Not gonna happen, Thorm,” I said while holding up the Teleport Token for him to see. “I have a one-way ticket, and I'm going to use it. Besides, I need your help, too. Maybe we can trade?” The last was said in a teasing manner. Thorm didn't trade favors with friends, he simply helped them.

  Thorm was about to respond when a shout off-screen snagged his attention. I could not make out the words, but it sounded Orcish.

  “Well, Vivian,” Thorm said. “If you wanted to visit, now would be a good time to do so.”

  Not needing any more encouragement, I closed the chat screen. The healer had finished attending to my wounds and stood close by. I stood up.

  My 'Away From Game' vector box vanished, and several dozen players turned from their arguments to look in my direction.

  To the healer I said, “I'll take a stack of five Health Boosts, too, please.”

  After paying him, along with a little extra for his healing, I turned my attention to the idiot show around me.

  I made a point of holding the Token up for all of them to see. This elicited a torrent of muted rage, of which I could only imagine how creative the insults became. How dare I teleport away from overwhelming odds and a certain death. Ha!

  With the Token keyed in on Thorm, I grinned at the angry players around me. With a wave goodbye, I pinched the Token hard, activating it.

  My vision of the Temple's chamber shimmered, and in the next moment, it was gone.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Teleport Tokens key in on other people, with their permission; players and NPCs alike. So when the shimmering on my view-screen stopped I found myself standing next to Thorm.

  I was in a forest not far from a cave entrance in a hill. Thorm sat on the ground, leaning up against a huge oak tree. He smiled at my arrival.

  “Welcome to the fun zone,” the Holy Knight said. His brilliantly shiny silver armor was heavily tarnished with dirt and blood. Several dents told o
f intense combat. A large white kite shield was propped up next to him, its surface gashed.

  Hastily, I squatted next to him. “Looks like you've had enough fun for one day,” I said. His health was down to twenty percent. I pulled out a Health Boost and tried to hand it to him.

  He waved it away. “I used one a short while ago,” he said by way of explanation. “All my boosts are on a global cool down.”