by Dante Doom
"Yikes. Fine, then – whatever," Neil grumbled. He bent down to hoist Van up over his shoulder. "Come on, big guy, time to get you in bed."
As Sang went on to examine a few of the consoles by her bedpost, the door to the command center opened. A man wearing military fatigues and a helmet that read MP entered. She glanced at him and frowned. If this was another military inspection, she was prepared to scream until her voice went out. The military had done nothing but crawl all over the operation, and had refused to provide any real support. The death of their major general had done nothing but complicate the issue even further, as the new general was far less cooperative than the old one had been.
"Sir!" the man said, standing at attention before Neil. "I have been informed to tell you something!"
"And what's that?" Neil asked, grunting a little from carrying Van over his shoulder.
The MP drew a revolver then, and shot Neil in the gut at point blank range. Neil staggered and crashed to the ground, Van tumbling down atop him. It all happened so quickly that it took Sang a moment to register what was going on. The bang of the gunshot echoed through the entire room.
"My God!" Sang screamed. She couldn't react, though – her body was too tired, and she didn't have enough time to move.
The MP looked at her with wide, wild eyes as he aimed the revolver at her. With a wicked grin, though, he whispered, "We are as numerous as grains of sand." Then he placed the revolver against his own temple and pulled the trigger. The gun rang out again and Sang could feel the warm specks of blood splatter across her. The body slumped to the ground and the man gasped for air for a few moments before ceasing to move entirely.
"Ahhhhh, ahhhh, I've been shot!" Neil shouted. "Holy crap, why does this hurt so bad?"
Sang rushed toward Neil and looked at the bright red stain over his stomach. "Hang in there. Medic! I need a doctor!" she shouted as she looked up at the console room. The staff was gone. Van was on the ground, still catatonic.
"Oh, my God, I think I'm going to die. Come on, that… oh, this isn't fair at all. I didn't even get to shoot back," Neil gasped. He began to convulse a little.
"Relax, Neil, relax!" Sang said as she began to put pressure on the wound. Blood was pouring out fast. "It's not nearly as bad as it looks. You're gonna be just fine."
"Sure I am," Neil wheezed. "Sure I am. I mean, people get shot at point blank range by guns and walk away all the time."
Sang pressed down on the wound hard. The doors swung open as O'Hara entered.
"The hell?" the redheaded agent demanded once she realized what had happened. "Neil, you ass, why'd you get shot?"
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Neil wheezed. He was hyperventilating hard. "Oh, I don't think I'm gonna make it."
"Ah crap, you better not die on me!" O'Hara said as she pulled out her phone. "I need a full medical team in the command center right now – an agent has been shot."
"Sang," Neil wheezed, "no matter what happens, you need to remember the mission. Whatever that nerd is fussing about, it doesn’t matter. You've got to make sure he finishes the mission, regardless of the cost."
Sang looked down at him. He was terribly pale, and she could see the pallor of death upon his face. He grabbed her neck hard, pulling her close. She could feel the warm blood on his hands dripping down her throat.
"All men can be corrupted, Sang. Van is… he's no different. If he cracks, it's not going to be a… a mental breakdown. He's not gonna start screaming and crying…" Neil paused for a moment to cough. "He'll betray us. If he does, don't hesitate to kill him."
"Right there!" O'Hara shouted in the background. A team of paramedics arrived and quickly began to work on Neil, pushing Sang aside.
"Don't hesitate, don't feel bad – if he goes down the wrong road, just pull the trigger before… before he can do the same to you," Neil wheezed as the medics shoved an oxygen mask over his mouth.
"Damn it, Neil!" O'Hara shouted as she began to pull on her hair. "If you die, I will not forgive you! You owe me too much money to die! Come on, man, come on!"
The paramedics were quick to put Neil on a gurney and rush him from the room. O'Hara went running after him.
Sang stayed on the ground, staring at the blood on her hands. Neil was a resilient bastard, and she felt sure he'd pull through. He had to. She slowly glanced over at Van next, who had been unconscious for the entire thing. Sure, he was stressed, overloaded and terrified, but he'd never betray them. What the hell was Neil talking about?
2
Van stretched his arms as he walked toward the rendezvous point. The Forlorn Valley seemed extra ominous today. No birds were chirping and the overcast sky made him feel like it was about to start raining at any minute. The reddish grass swayed gently in the breeze, but as quiet and serene as the scene was, he felt far from serene.
Van had slept for nearly twenty-four hours straight, which was a personal record for him. And he was feeling somewhat refreshed, although his dreams had been tumultuous and terrifying. Although he couldn't remember exactly what had been happening in his dreams, he knew that everything had been going to hell around him. No matter how hard he'd tried to stop a disaster from happening, he'd known it would occur anyway.
Van glanced over at Sang. She seemed preoccupied with something, but refused to tell Van about it. It was probably for the best – if it was another major attack by Draco, it would probably just distract him even more. He didn't understand how she could be so calm and collected during this time period. Nothing in the world had prepared him for what he was undertaking, and it was baffling to see her hold herself together.
"There!" Sang said as she pointed to a large stone circle in the center of the valley. The large stones looked similar to Stonehenge, with the exception that they were covered in glowing white runes. They glowed and pulsed gently, indicating that they were fully powered up. If the right quest was completed in this area, a player could receive a very high experience point boost.
Sitting atop one of the stones was a gigantic black dragon. Jet had grown rapidly over the last few weeks, and was now fully mature. He watched them patiently.
"Hey," Van said as he walked up to greet Jet. The dragon bowed his head and snorted a puff of flames out of his nostrils.
"Greetings, Van," Jet replied. "I am glad that you are here. Sang informed me that you were indisposed yesterday. Are you well?"
"Hah, no, no, I'm not," Van said with a chuckle. "I am far from well. But I am functional, so that's good."
"Functional?" Jet repeated. "I do not understand."
While the alien had obtained an excellent understanding of the human language, it didn't particularly understand idioms or expressions.
"It's an expression. I can work. So, what do you have for us?" Van asked. Sang had walked past the both of them and was examining the rest of the area.
"My people have finally managed to connect with me," Jet replied. "They have important data to convey."
"Finally," Van said with a sigh as he sat on a nearby rock, "a break. What's the data?"
"The technology that Draco utilizes is very powerful, as you know. The bio-feedback systems are strong enough to kill anyone using their pods. Yet, the lethality is only restricted to certain areas, or to whenever a pro enables it for another player. Draco is in total control of the settings."
"Tell me something I don't know," Van said.
"Very well. In our study of these haptic systems and how they interact with biology, our side has been able to discern that there is an exploitation that can be used against Draco."
Van stood abruptly. "What?"
Jet nodded and puffed out some more fire from his nostrils as he lowered his head down to get closer to Van. "Indeed. We have found a jumbled code – some kind of kill switch. When activated, it enables total lethality across the entire game."
"That doesn't sound good," Van said.
"Total lethality means all. This includes members of the Draco race."
&nbs
p; Van chewed on that for a moment. As he thought, Sang emerged from behind one of the stones and spoke. "And so, you're suggesting that we activate this universal kill switch and attack Draco itself?"
"With some work, there is a way to localize this switch. That means we can activate it in a single region. Of course, the moment we turn it on, Draco will have all of their operators working furiously to disengage it," Jet replied.
"That leaves us with two problems," Van said. "Identifying members of Draco and figuring out how to kill them."
"They are not hard to identify," Jet said. "For they are the dragons of this land."
"What?" Sang asked. "That doesn’t make any sense. Dragons are just NPCs."
Van didn't respond immediately, thinking about Jet's response. "No… wait… that does make sense. Dragons have the most advanced AI in the game. I've seen them respond to things contextually when no AI should be able to. I mean, one even made a wry comment to me once."
"So, you're meaning to tell me that those big dragon NPCs who are always running quests are actually members of Draco?" Sang asked as she crossed her arms. "That doesn't make a lick of sense."
"King Lemuel…" Van said. "He wasn't a dragon."
"Perhaps that was what a Draco truly looks like," Jet said. "For those Designated Reality Zones were designed to be more realistic, right?"
"True," Van said. "If this really is true… then we have a real chance of turning the tables on these guys. Think about it! I believe there's around 300 dragons total in the game. Each dragon has a different kind of status and rank. We don't need to kill them all – we just need to kill the highest-ranking ones. The ones who are in charge."
"But don't they operate as a collective?" Sang asked. "What good is killing a few members when they're all united toward the same goal?"
"Even if they are a collective, someone's got to be organizing them. Remember how much they love order? Without structure, they'll collapse," Van said. "Of course! This is just what we've been waiting for. We just need to figure out where the Emperor Dragon is."
"Emperor Dragon? I thought they were all kings," Sang commented as she looked at Van with a puzzled expression.
"They are kings, but there's one dragon known as the Emperor, and he's the one who rules over all of the other dragons. If we take him out, who knows what kind of chaos it will bring?" Van asked with a laugh.
Sang nodded after a moment's thought. "It's worth a shot, but we're going to need to be careful. Even if it's localized, this kill switch means that innocent people could be at risk. Whenever we strike, we need to give sufficient warning."
"But that risk wouldn't stop you, would it?" Van asked quietly.
Sang glared at Van. "No. No, it wouldn't. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do everything we can to minimize causalities."
Van wanted to open his mouth and argue with her about the sanctity of life, but he knew it was a waste of time. They had been arguing endlessly about the idea of acceptable losses over the last few weeks, and neither of them was going to change their minds or positions. Instead, he merely shrugged. "Whatever. It'll be on your conscience. Thanks, Jet."
"Of course. Do you have any other directives for me?" Jet asked as he stretched his wings out. His wingspan was impressive now – nearly 32 feet in length.
"Not yet," Van said. "But stick around here. Once we identify our target, we might need you to get us there."
"Very well," Jet said, "I shall await your return."
Van turned to face Sang. "Alright, let's get moving! This is finally the news we've been waiting for. We've got the numbers for it, so all we need to do is figure out where the Emperor is hiding. Then, we launch the biggest raid that this game has ever seen."
Sang smiled. "It's good to see you so excited," she said. "I've been missing this side of you."
"If we keep moving, we'll be fine," Van said. "Come on, let's go rally up the team. We've got a dragon to hunt.
"You are not going to believe this!" Sahara called out proudly as she rushed into the war room where Van and his allies had gathered. Upon the wall was a large map of the entire realm, marked with possible locations of the Emperor.
Van, who had been sitting at the table and conversing with Kylian and Capello, looked up at her. "What's up?"
"We found the Emperor!" Sahara announced.
"That quickly?" Van asked. "Perfect. Where is he?"
In answer to the question, Sahara pulled out a large envelope and threw it down on the table. "There!" she said.
"That's an interesting seal," Kylian commented as Van grabbed the letter up and began to open it. The purple wax seal showed a multi-headed dragon with flames spewing out of each head.
"Hear ye, hear ye," Van said as he read the letter aloud. Kylian, Sang, Fredlin, Sahara, Capello, and Bidane stood right behind him, reading over his shoulder. "Let it be known to all the world that Draco is no longer hiring professional players. We have worked hard to select the best of the best and, as such, we have recruited as many as we need. However, fret not, noble adventurer, for you still have a chance to join Draco. Within a fortnight, there will be a grand tournament to be known as the End of Ages."
"That sounds ominous as hell," Sang interjected.
"Tell me about it," Van said as he continued to read. "The End of Ages is open to all who have the courage, strength, and desire to earn their rightful place at Draco. Many will play, but only five will earn the right to call themselves a Draco pro. Those who achieve the impossible will be granted a feast with the entire royal court for a night that you will never forget."
"The entire royal court?" Van asked. "All of Draco in one spot?"
"End of Ages… no more recruiting…" Sang mumbled. "Van, I'm pretty sure this is the final event in the game."
"Sounds like it," Kylian said. "They're probably gathering together to celebrate the end of the world."
"They can't be that arrogant," Van answered. "Can they?"
"How are we still breathing?" Sang asked. "They've had so many opportunities to kill us, Van. But they haven't. Why? Because these bastards want us to suffer. We might not understand them, but I can guarantee you that they are arrogant beyond all reason."
Van shrugged. "Well, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe we should join this tournament."
"Join it?" Bidane asked. "Don't you mean attack it?"
"Attack it and fight against the hundreds of thousands of players who are going to be there?" Van asked. "If we join the tournament incognito, we'll be able to figure out the details of the feast, earn our way to the top, and then coordinate a big attack. Chances are, since the feast is invite only, it will be at a separate location."
"So, we get into the tournament, find out where the feast is, and then move the Iron Dragons to kill them," Sang said. "Brilliant. But we'll only get one shot at this."
"From the looks of it," Kylian said, "we've got three weeks before everything blows up."
"It seems like a huge risk," Van said as he put the letter down. "But it is easier than searching for the DRZs while Draco continues with their plans. But if we do this, we're putting all of our eggs in one basket. If this fails, that's it. We're done for."
"Not a lot else to go on," Kylian said. "So, it's this or continue stabbing around in the dark, hoping for another big break."
"I say we go kick some dragon ass!" Capello shouted. The rest of the room heartily echoed the sentiment.
"Alright, fine. Let's join this tournament!" Van said. "They said there's five slots, right? That's Sang and I, Kylian, and Sahara and Fredlin."
"Why am I being left out?" Bidane demanded to know.
"Because, we're going to need you to coordinate the Iron Dragons," Van said. "Even if we get eliminated in the tournament or end up in trouble, you'll be able to get them moving."
"And the reason only five of us are going? We should take as many as we can," Bidane said.
"Getting alternate characters is going to be a hassle," Van explained, "p
lus, we can't be sure that Draco isn't going to be using some kind of permadeath system in there, and the last thing I want is for us to be forced to kill one another."
Bidane shrugged. "I guess that makes sense. Fine. Capello and I will ready the troops for action, but I better have an opportunity to kill one of these guys. I will avenge Dolly."
"I suppose we must now turn our attention to getting alternate characters," Kylian said as he walked over to the table and sat on the edge of it. "Any member of the Iron Dragons will immediately be recognized. We're going to need new characters."
"But we're also going to need characters that are of a high enough level to compete in the tournament," Van said. "I mean, we'll be facing levels as high as 80. We don't have enough time to start new characters and rank them up."
"Well, while you guys figure that out, I'll go inform the troops of the plan," Bidane said.
"Don't mention any details about the dragons," Van reminded her.
"Right, right," Bidane said as she grabbed Capello by the arm and pulled him away from the group. "I won't mention a damned thing."
"I have an idea of where we could get some characters," Fredlin said. "But it's not going to be cheap."
Everyone turned to face the ranger. "We're listening," Sang said.
"Well, for those of us who are busy and have more money than time, we tend to employ power levelers to do the hard work for us."
"Power levelers?" Sang asked.
"Professionals who level up characters for money," Van said. "How do you not know that term by this point?"
"You guys have phrases for everything in this world, and I can't keep up," Sang snapped back. Van smiled at the bit of banter. It was nice to bicker with her again, even if just for a moment.
"So, you have a contact?" Kylian asked. "Someone who can get us high level characters?"
"I know a few, yeah, but it's not a cheap deal. Buying characters is super against the rules, and they're well aware of that. Plus, like I said, they're not cheap."
"Don't worry about money, we've got plenty of funds to solve this issue," Sang replied. "Turns out the government is pretty generous when the world might blow up."
