by Dante Doom
"Friends? Speak for yourself, but I’m not going to try and endear myself to some Draco pro in the hopes of getting the crumbs of victory. I'm going for the whole piece of bread," the woman said back.
"Yeah, at level 15? Good luck."
"That's the thing," the girl said, whispering a little. "I heard a rumor. Don't know if it's real or not, but the rumor said that Draco's not just testing to see who has the best gear or not. They say that this tournament is going to be as realistic as possible."
"What does that mean?" the gruff man said back. "This game is already as realistic as possible."
"I'm not sure, but there were a few people who were adamant about… about this tournament being really different from all the other ones. I know we have a shot at greatness."
Different. What did that mean? Van grimaced as he thought back to his time in the Designated Reality Zone. Levels weren't nearly as important in those places as fighting ability was. Would this entire tournament be a DRZ? If so… that meant everyone in the tourney would be killable. Everyone would die except for five.
"There you are!" Sang said as she walked over and clapped Van on the shoulder, breaking his concentration. His invisibility spell had worn off without him noticing. "I cannot believe we pulled this off! Come on, we've got to go register."
"Yeah," Van said as he followed after his companion. If the tournament came down to kill or be killed, what would he do? For a moment, he felt envy for Sang's beliefs. But, that sensation quickly left his head as he saw a group of players walk past him. They were all laughing and shoving each other, telling jokes and bragging about how they were going to win. They had no clue that the game they were playing was meant to obliterate mankind. They were so innocent and ignorant.
"There!" Sang said as she pointed to a large tent with the word Registration hovering above it. The line wasn't too long. This was probably because the entire tournament had been moved up without any kind of major warning.
Kylian, Fredlin, and Sahara were already in line. They waved Van and Sang over.
"That went amazingly well!" Sahara said as Van joined her in line.
"Yeah, you had a really good idea," Van replied. "But let's try not to brag about it too much."
"Yes, sir!" Sahara said cheerfully. She gently leaned her head back, pressing against Van's chest. Van very slowly took half a step back to get away from her. He figured she had some kind of a crush on him, but he really didn't want to focus on that right now. The only thing that mattered was winning this tournament.
"Kylian!" Van said, waving to his ally. "A word?"
"What's up, boss?" Kylian asked as he switched positions in line with Sahara.
"I've been hearing some rumors about the tournament being ultra-realistic," Van whispered. "I'm thinking this means that the tourney is going to be a Designated Reality Zone."
"That ain't good," Kylian said. "That's gonna be a lot of dead players... I don't know about that, though. It... it wouldn't make much sense for them to do that."
"I'm just saying we need to be extra certain that we're all on the same team," Van said. "And that we're extra careful if we end up on opposite sides."
"Good point," Kylian said. "Well, let's just do what we can."
"Should we tell Sahara?" Van asked. "I don't think she's equipped to risk her life for the cause."
Kylian shook his head. "She's stuck around so far. You've told every recruit that they're risking their lives to defeat Draco. She's had every opportunity to leave, like the rest of us. If we're risking our lives in this stupid tournament, then it's no different than if we were rushing one of Draco's DRZs."
"Good point," Van said as the line began to move forward again. "I'm just nervous."
"I think we all are," Kylian said. "I think we all are."
The team idly chatted as they made progress through the line. After an hour, they were finally able to reach the front of the line. There was a single NPC sitting beneath the tent; he was an Orc with the words Registrar Level 44.
'Next in line," the Orc called.
Van walked up and pressed the clipboard on the table. An interface popped up in front of him.
Welcome to the End of Ages Tournament
Register as an individual
Register as a team (five max)
Rules
Van selected the rules section. The section quickly expanded in front of him.
Welcome to the End of Ages Tournament! This tournament can be undertaken as an individual or as a team! If you play as an individual, you will be randomly placed in a team for group events. There are five events total:
The Gauntlet: Conquer a deadly gauntlet and earn points by killing monsters, evading traps, and completing the event quickly!
Capture the Flag: Steal the opposing team's flag before they can steal yours!
Meanest Mother: A team versus team brawl with an old twist!
Escape the Room: Can you escape from a dungeon room before it implodes?
Survival Quest: Only those with the greatest endurance can survive this one!
Van tried to find additional information, but those descriptions were the only descriptions available. He looked around the display system a little longer, but to no avail. Those vague offerings were the only rules that were available. With a sigh, he brought up the Register as a team display. He quickly filled out all of the information and muttered a quick prayer to whatever deity would be listening right now. They were going to need all of the help they could get.
"Welcome to the tournament," the Orc grunted as he pointed to the door behind him. "Please enter, as the tournament begins in twenty minutes."
"Man, these times keep jumping around," Van mumbled as he waved his team on. "Let's go!"
They walked up to the door that was jutting out of the back of the tent. The words Zone: End of Ages floated above it.
"Of course, it's going to be its own special zone," Fredlin grumbled. "They're gonna have total control in there."
"They have total control everywhere," Sang said as she walked up and put her hand on the doorknob. "But that doesn't change the plan one bit. You guys ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," Van said. "Let's do this. Let's win this tournament!"
"Or, at the very least, survive it," Kylian quipped.
Chapter Five
Sang squinted as the bright lights blinded her for a moment. Pushing through the door into the new zone had led them to a large iron gate. Hordes of other players were crowded around the gate and Sang could barely count the sheer number of players.
"Man, what a place!" Van whispered as he pointed at a gigantic castle located behind the steel gate. The sky was blood red and lightning was constantly flashing across the landscape.
"Greetings, adventurers!" came a voice from above the crowd. Everyone craned their necks to look upwards. A large red dragon was slowly gliding down to the top of the iron gate. It perched atop the gate and beat its wings a few times before leaning its head down toward the crowd. "You are here because you wish to join Draco! This is such a noble goal, but be warned, for it is a quest fraught with peril and danger! The Gauntlet is the first test!"
"That's really a Draco operative?" Sahara whispered.
"Shhh, it might hear you!" Fredlin growled back.
"The rules here are simple. You must enter this castle through the dungeon and get to the throne room. In doing so, you will encounter traps, monsters, and maybe even a puzzle! Every time you achieve any kind of victory, you or your team will receive points! Those who continuously die or incur injuries will lose points. At the end of this round, only those with 500 points or more will be able to continue to the next part of the journey. The faster you finish this round, the more bonus points you will receive. Are you ready? Begin!"
The doors to the gates swung open wide and players began to pour through. As soon as a player would cross through the gate, they would vanish. This meant the dungeon would be an instance, which was a specifically generated area just fo
r Sang and their team. No one would have to interact with other players yet, so this at least was a good sign.
"Charge!" Van shouted at the top of his lungs as he drew his warhammer out and ran toward the gate. His team followed after him, all of them shouting out battle cries. As soon as they crossed through the gate, they were transported to an underground area.
"Whoa!" Sang said as the floor beneath her shifted. "Where are we now?"
"From the looks of it, I believe we're in a dungeon," Kylian said. "But that's just a hunch based on what the dragon told us earlier."
"You don't need to be so sarcastic," Sang replied as she examined the area. They were in a large room with a few torches dimly providing light. The stench was unbearable.
"There are no doors here," Van said. "Kylian, start searching for secret doors, and the rest of you, get ready for a fight."
Sang nodded and grabbed her bow, nocking an arrow on it. A timer could be seen in the corner of her HUD – it read 00:00:30. It was counting up, which meant that this was how it would track their time. On the left-hand corner of her screen was a large display that read Tournament Points: 0.
As Kylian walked along the walls, pressing his hands and searching for a secret door, a loud hissing sound came from above them.
"Crap!" Van shouted as he pointed upwards. "Murder holes!" He was pointing at a few small holes in the ceiling.
"The hell is a murder hole?" Sang asked. Arrows answered her question as dozens of arrows began to fire out of the holes toward the team.
"Get behind me!" Fredlin yelled as he raised his staff high and muttered a few arcane words. A powerful field of energy wrapped around the team and the words Arrow Resistance hovered above them.
Sang could hear footsteps above them now, as well as the grunting of Orcs. She aimed her bow and fired through one of the holes. The words Hit 350 damage clipped through the wall. She heard the sound of a thump, and the words Kill +10 points came onto her screen.
"Come on, Kylian!" Van shouted. "Find us something." Arrows were flying down hard, but they were bouncing off of the energy field that Fredlin had created. Fredlin's staff was still high in the air as he continued to chant.
"My spell won't last much longer!" Fredlin called out.
"I'm looking as hard as I can," Kylian said, "but I’m not finding anything."
"Enough standing around!" Van said as he grabbed Sahara. "Give me a boost!" he ordered, and she knelt down. He rushed up to her and, with her assistance, leapt up to the ceiling, swinging his massive warhammer into one of the murder holes. The ceiling cracked apart and began to crumble. A few dozen Orcs spilled out from the opening.
The words Alternate Route Found +15 points appeared in Sang's HUD. The Orcs were scrambling to stand up, but Sahara was hacking away at them already, dealing loads of damage to them.
Sang fired off a few more arrows, killing two of the Orcs and gaining more points along the way. Her experience bar was beginning to fill, as well. If they kept this up, she'd be able to level up in a matter of hours.
"Nice work, team!" Van said once they finished killing the ambushing Orcs.
"We gotta move," Kylian said as he threw a rope with a grappling hook up the shattered ceiling hole. "Time's a'wasting!"
They all scurried up the rope and into the next room. The walls of this area were different, as they were made of pure steel. And as soon as the last member of the group climbed onto the new floor, the hole sealed itself up completely.
"That ain't good," Fredlin said as he pointed to where their entrance hole had been. There was a loud click followed by a grinding noise.
"That doubly ain't good," Kylian retorted as he pointed to the steel walls that were now slowly beginning to close in on them.
"Okay, think fast – how do we get out of here?" Sang asked as she scanned the area, looking for some way of escape. The ceiling was made of steel, just like the walls, and the two big walls on opposite sides of them were the ones that were starting to move.
"Let's try to smash a wall!" Van said as he rushed to the non-moving wall and slammed his hammer against it as hard as he could. The hammer bounced back off of the wall and the word Resist flashed against the steel. "Fredlin, can you enchant my hammer? Make it stronger!" Van ordered.
Fredlin shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't have the magic points for that. Using that arrow defense spell was expensive, so it'll be a few minutes before I can recharge."
"I wonder if we have a few minutes," Sahara said as the walls continued to press in on them.
"There's gotta be some mechanism powering this thing," Kylian said as he ran up to the walls and began to search for a secret compartment. "But I’m just not finding anything."
"Maybe it's not a trap," Sang said. "What if it's some kind of puzzle?"
"That's unlikely," Van said. "Normally, puzzles have some kind of indication that they're a puzzle."
The walls were getting very close now, and the team was beginning to huddle together. "We're gonna have to push back!" Van said. "Everyone, back to back!"
Van and Sahara stood back to back and pressed their hands against the opposing walls. They grunted and wheezed, but were able to stop the walls for the time being.
"My stamina is dropping!" Van wheezed. The green bar above his head was rapidly beginning to decrease. "Can't hold this for long!"
"I got it!" Kylian said. "The mechanism is in the moving wall itself! Look at that panel!" He pointed to a panel that was towards the top of the room, only slightly sticking out of the side of a wall. The seams of the panel were hard to see, but Kylian's pointing at it caused the outline to glow bright red. Kylian turned his short body to the side and pressed his hands against the walls, giving him enough of a foothold to start climbing between the walls.
The walls began to move a little more as Van shouted out in pain. Sang had tried to press her arms against the walls, too, but as someone of the ranger class, her strength was far too low to really prevent the wall from moving.
"Just hold on!" Sang said. "We're almost there, so just hang on!"
Kylian scrambled up between the walls and was able to position himself so that he could fiddle with the panel. He opened it up and began to disable the trap. After a few seconds of clicking, the words Trap Disabled +50 points appeared on everyone's screen.
"Whew!' Van said as he slid down to catch his breath.
"There's no time for resting," Fredlin said as he pointed at a small door that had suddenly opened up in the side of the right moving wall. "We gotta run!"
Van sighed, but leapt to his feet. "Come on!" he shouted as he led the team through this new door. The small door led them upwards to another level.
"What fresh hell is this?" Sahara asked as she pointed at a large pile of bones in the middle of the room. They had emerged from the trapdoor that was on the ground, and it appeared as if they were in some kind of a cave.
"Are we still in the castle?" Sang asked.
"Probably," Van said. "This might just be where the king keeps his pet monster until he needs it."
"Great," Sang said as she scanned the area for life. Her Spotting skill was extremely high, but she didn't see any signs of life.
"Over there, a door!" Fredlin said as he pointed at a large wooden door. "And we didn't have to almost die in order to find it!"
"Truly, we are moving up in the world," Kylian said as they hurried toward the apparent exit. As they reached the door, though, they heard a loud snarling sound. Sang glanced behind them to see that a gigantic weasel-like creature with red fur and huge fangs had climbed atop the pile of bones and was snarling at them. The beast didn't have any eyes, and greenish liquid dripped down from the creature's mouth, indicating that it was poisonous. The words Feralice Level 75 hovered above the beast.
"What do we do about that thing?" Sang asked.
"Leave it behind; the door's unlocked, "Kylian replied as he swung the door open. "We don't have time to play around."
"Or do we?" Van asked. "A mon
ster that big and optional? If we killed it, we'd get a lot of points. Maybe even enough to pass the minimum requirements."
"It's risky," Fredlin said. "The timer's still running."
"Okay, so here's the plan," Van said. "Kylian and Sahara, you two hit the next room and figure out what it looks like. If you can engage in a fight and win, do it. Sang, Fredlin, and I will stick around here and fight this thing. We'll divide our times."
"That seems unnecessarily risky," Kylian said.
"If points matter in this tournament," Van explained, "then we're going to want to get as many as we can at the start. The bigger a lead we have, the better. I think it's worth the risk."
"Sounds good to me," Sang said.
"Worst case scenario, we just bail," Fredlin agreed.
"Fine," Kylian said. "You guys fight it and we'll check the next room. Stay in touch through private messaging, okay?"
"Fair enough," Van said as he turned around to face the creature. "It's on!"
The Feralice shrieked a terrible noise and raised its long, spindly arms up high. It bared its fangs at them and prepared for battle. The word Enraged appeared above its head.
"Watch out for those fangs," Fredlin shouted as he scrambled far away from the creature. "My Beast Master skill indicates that a single bite from either fang can poison you heavily. And we don't have a cleric."
"Yeah, why didn't we bring a healer?" Sang asked as she aimed her bow and fired two flaming arrows at the monster. The arrows sailed through the air and struck the coat of the creature, but the words Insufficient Piercing hovered above it.
"Clerics pretty much cap out in their usefulness after level 40!" Van explained as he gripped his warhammer and readied for a charge. The Feralice growled and slowly paced around the bones. It had its back arched like a cat, and Sang could see that it was trying to judge when to strike.
"Well, don't tell Bidane that," Sang said as she pulled out a Potion of Armor Piercing from her satchel. This potion would increase her Pierce rating by +50%, meaning that there'd be a higher chance of her weapons bypassing the natural armor of the Feralice.
