"Your reign of terror ends here! You will face justice or-"
"Keelhaul!"
"Hey! That's cheating! I wasn't don-"
"I'm a villain aren't I?"
- Voice snippet from the 2017 PvP Arena
Chapter 2 - Arch Enemy
3 months ago
Jean Drapeau (Montreal)
Calm down calm down… Phew… Deep breaths…
I felt my heart, that was about to explode out of my chest cavity, slow down to a manageable tempo.
As adventurers screamed and ran around in circles in front of me, I looked around the broken moss infested buildings of Jean Drapeau, Elder Tales version of Post Apocalyptic Montreal, looking for something, anything that could tell me what was going on.
It was Elder Tale that was certain.
My character Madcross had run down it's streets many times, and everything was the same way it had been in the game, except of course more real than ever.
It's not that bad, at least I know where I am.
Let's think through this logically.
Am I dreaming?
No. I usually know if I'm dreaming. No need to pull the generic pinch-my-cheek-ow-it-hurts gag.
Hallucination?
No. Jean wouldn't spike my soda reserves. That was too evil, even for her standards.
Intense graphics?
No. I don't remember putting on a VR headset.
Alright, so I might have been teleported to the world of Elder Tales.
Think of a similar scenario.
The Matrix? No, no something brighter, more manageable... Battle Royal? Damn it brain! I said brighter! That anime with where they all get trapped in a game and… some of them die in real life.
I fall to my hands, my palms tingling from the heat of the patch of sun bleached asphalt below me.
I suck at reassuring myself.
It would be nice if I got an explanation or something about why we're here. A big hooded figure saying, "I AM THE ONE WHO BROUGHT YOU HERE! HERE IS WHAT YOU DO TO LEAVE! MWAHAHAHA!" would've been a bit better. At least I'd know there's a way out no matter how difficult it would be, and I'd know why we were here. If a goddess appeared before me and said, "You choked on a More-ito chip while you were playing and died. But don't worry, because you've lived such a boring life, I'll reincarnate you into your favorite game," I'd be annoyed at her bitchy attitude but still, I'd be happy that I got at least a bit of closure.
But here I was, in a fantasy world, no idea how I got here and no idea what happened to what I left behind.
I guess Jean would have to pay for the dorm by herself from now on.
I should've written a will… I bet she'd throw out all my stuff…
Slowly, I get back up.
First things first, the best thing to do in a situation like this is to separate yourself from strangers and find a safe place to think over your situation. I think I read it in a comic before… Or was it a "Zombie Survival 101" web forum? Either way it seemed like a smart move.
I start walking down a side street following the narrow stone path toward the guildhouse of my guild. While the alley was really sketchy, avoiding people and trying to stay inconspicuous, was a priority, which would be difficult to do walking down the main street in a skintight dark blue flight suit with and a glowing visor over my eyes
I looked like a better color coordinated but way less stealthy batgirl.
Curse you past self! What made you think this was a good idea!
The outfit was called Golem BioSuit and Sync Visor respectively and was popular with golem users for giving a more sci-fi vibe to the fantasy game of Elder Tale. The suit gave boosts to my golem summons and the visor increased my hit rate so I didn't mind much about it being a bit risqué in appearance. Actually, I kind of enjoyed it as it added to RP value. Cool robotic beauty with platinum blond hair, fighting PKs in PvP, it made me feel like Elder Tale's Robocop.
But when I was actually in the suit, walking down the alleys, it was incredibly embarrassing. I felt I would die if someone looked at me for too long, explode in a cloud of shame and self-loathing. I'd cosplay at conventions sure but this... this was a bit too revealing for my taste. And I never was one for self-confidence.
Thankfully, I wasn't alone, and I could see from the side streets that there were people dressed in waaaay worse outfits than me struggling to hide themselves. One was in the middle of the street wearing skimpy bikini armor surrounded by a crowd of spectators.
I felt sorry for her until "she" said,
"Hey, you asshats. Get moving! I'm a guy! What are you gay?!" in the voice of a raging middle age man.
Serves him right.
Give me back my sympathy.
But watching him struggling to get a menu open gave me an idea.
I reach out my hand into the air.
"Menu!" I cried in a confident voice.
Nothing…
And now I feel like an idiot.
"Menu up!"
Still nothing.
"Menu please? Menu dero? Heed my call menu? Go go menu…"
I go through a few calls to no avail.
Maybe the menu feature is broken?
"Try just thinking of the menu appearing," a voice said from behind me.
I quickly spin toward the voice. Arms raised in defense... like the fists of a summoner will do any damage...
"At least that's how it worked for me," said the girl in a bright red pirate coat.
I immediately felt my stomach drop.
It was her, from her smug face, wearing sunglasses with the words I PEWNED U written on the lenses, to her blood splattered flip-flops. She was Assisted Suicide, leader of KillaMeters an infamous PK guild.
"You-" I managed before she glomped me.
"Aww! Mad! How you been! Oh my God this is so cool isn't it?! We're in Elder Tale!"
"G…. Get off of me cr… criminal!" I yelled trying to keep to the RP of my in-game character as much as possible. "You will pay for your crimes against-"
"Criminal?" she interrupted. "Come on Mad! Just cause I lead a PK guild (and beat your face in in the last PvP Arena) doesn't mean we can't be friends right?"
What was that about beating my-!?
"Besides!" she said shaking me back and forth, breaking my train of thought, "I haven't pewned any newbs yet." She let go of me and I fell to the ground, my head still spinning. "Scouts honor." She said solemnly putting her hand over her heart.
Ugh… I feel like throwing up…
"Err… miss?" the large armored figure behind her said. His armor covered him from head to toe and spikes protruded from it at odd angles, his helmet looked like the medieval version of a welder's mask, and on his sides dangled two large notched cleavers that radiated a faint read aura. He seemed almost as if he wandered straight off the set of some horror movie or Mad Max or something.
"Aren't we going to be late for-"
"Oh! Get this, Mad!" Assisted Suicide said grabbing me and hoisting me up on my feet.
Oh, God not again.
"Ripper Joe here, " she said rapping her knuckles against his armor, "you know how he was so quiet over voice chat? I thought he was just RPing you know, like you do? But get this, he's actually-"
"MISS!" Ripper Joe interrupted putting his hand on Assisted Suicide's shoulder.
"A middle-schooler!" finished Assisted Suicide excited.
"MISS!" Ripper Joe said again almost tearfully.
"You should be proud of that Joe!" Assisted Suicide said poking his helmet with her finger, "Not many middle schoolers have the smarts and determination to reach max level in ET."
Ripper Joe's shoulders sagged a bit and for a second, I felt a great deal of pity for him. But there were more important matters at stake.
I pushed Assisted Suicides hand away and focused on making the menu appear.
Imagine the frame…
The hp and mp bars…
The summoner icon that pop… oh cool it's up.
The status screen popped up first.
Madcross
Race / Race of Ritual
Summoner Lv. 90
HP 7045
MP 11218
Guild
Manifest Destiny
Followed by the main menu with Skills, Equipment, Quests and…
"Don't bother logging out." Assisted Suicide said as I reached my finger out at the floating screen, "it won't work, we've already tried."
Of course.
I should've guessed. I mean, that's how all these scenarios go isn't it? Trapped in a game, no escape. Can't make the plot too easy… I guess we all have to work together to defeat some massive threat…
I steal a glance at Assisted Suicide.
She was trying to "cheer up" Ripper Joe. Though I was pretty sure he was crying now under his armor.
What a pain…
Sighing I went to equipment and put on something a little more decent. A navy colored robe with white runes etched into the fabric tied at my neck with a red scarf that billowed in the air even when the wind wasn't blowing, Balthorm's Cloak of Secrets, and a plain bomber jacket and short pants to wear over the Golem BioSuit.
I usually didn't wear the cloak. I didn't need the buffs to phantasmal creatures it gave, as I never used them anyway. Plus it was a bit too flashy but it would have to do for now.
Assisted Suicide whistled.
"Silence." I said keeping up my character.
"I didn't say anything." Assisted Suicide said in a singsong voice, smiling as she poked my scarf that was floating in the air.
I hate her soooo much.
Riiiing riiiiing.
"Call: Grinsalf" flickered in from of me.
Grindalf.
My Guild Master, who maintains the Elder Tale Wiki along with his own blog and holds panels at Pax East about the game.
The man who destroyed a nasty guild by scamming them out of all their money by making a secondary character in their guild, rising to Vice Guild Leader and transferring out all it's funds to the people they hurt.
The man who reached the top 10 of the group PvP Brawl four years in a row.
A wave of emotions overtook me.
Maybe things would be all right.
There's a way out.
At least someone I'm friendly with is here.
I clicked accept.
And tried to sound composed but it came out something like,
"GrindalfOhthankGodIseveryonefineHowmanypeoplearehereWhereareyouguysAnyideawhy-" I asked all the questions I had in quick succession, just relieved someone could answer them, even if it was just with "I don't know."
"First," came Grindlaf's voice echoing through my head, "You don't need to speak out the words, just think them and they'll reach me. Wouldn't want you to look like you're talking to yourself, I know how sensitive you are about keeping up that stoic type RP you're fond of." I heard a smirk on the other end and Assisted Suicide was laughing at me.
Too late.
"Second," Grindalf said, "I need to apologize for not messaging you sooner. I decided that we needed to prioritize contact with the members outside Jean Drapeau first to navigate them to safehouses and gather information. Though we did know you were approaching the guildhouse and kept track of you from the friendslist."
"Understood." I thought back to him struggling to get back into character after my last outburst.
"I'm glad you seem ok." Grindalf sighed. "We were worried when you stopped moving for a while."
"If you see anyone you recognize alone," he added "reach out to them. We have more than enough space at the guildhouse and honestly, we need more people to work out what's happening."
"Third," he said "Sergeant Senior, Lord Grey and I probably won't be at the guildhouse when you arrive. We're rendezvousing with KillaMeters and BNI at the guildhall."
"KillaMeters?" I asked, looking at Assisted Suicide in front of me.
She waved.
"I know you don't like Sue", Grindalf said reassuringly, "but she's not all that bad if you're in a non-combat zone. The guards still seem to be functioning so this might be a good opportunity to collaborate."
"Is she on your friends list?" I though to him.
Grindalf paused for a bit "Oh", he said finally, "So that's what's stopped you. Alright then just follow her, you'll be the third representative at the hall and I'll just tell Lord Grey to stay back at HQ and organize things".
"Will he be ok with that?" I asked.
Lord Grey never really liked work and always complained when more was thrown his way. While his second name was "The Vault Keeper" some of us in the guild, took to calling him "Lazy Bones".
Grindalf laughed "He literally begged me not to leave you behind cause he was afraid you'd declare war on another guild "for justice" or something."
"Hey!" I forcefully thought/yelled at him.
"Anyway" Grindalf said "I'll meet you at the hall."
"So?" asked Assisted Suicide expectantly after the call ended.
"I don't know what you are planning." I said in my most menacing voice, "But know this, I Madcross will keep my eye on-"
I didn't get much farther because once again, Assisted Suicide had me caught in her glomp of death, her I PEWNED U sunglasses biting into my cheek.
"YES! We have so much to talk about! Like that time at the raid two years ago! What happened to your golem? It stopped moving for a few seconds and we lost! I've always won-"
"It was nothing!" I yelled in a slightly higher octave than I wanted.
"I- I mean… The state of my golem does not concern you. Our bond is one you will never unde-"
"Grindalf told me you spilled More-ito chips ove-"
"He's lying! That man is a pathological liar!" I yelled.
THAT RAT! WHY DID I EXPECT ANYTHING GOOD WOULD COME FROM-
I suddenly realized I was breathing heavily and Assisted Suicide and Ripper Joe were looking at me worried.
Assisted Suicide stopped glomping me and put her hand on my shoulder reassuringly.
"It's ok Mad," she said sweetly, "we all make mistakes sometimes, even when it comes to doing a simple job like protecting your backline en-"
The color rose in my cheeks.
"NUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
My screams of embarrassment rose into the blue cloudless sky of Wen as we made our way to the Guildhall.
Hey! Jinseino here with the new chapter.
Yes we're back to prologue mecha girl again!
We'll be jumping from the starting months of the Apocalypse to the Railroad from chapter to chapter because I have a plan in mind! (I swear it's not because I thought it would be cool to add somethings to the start that would be difficult to explain with flashbacks... really... *fingers crossed*)
Also cut the prologue a bit short because honestly, the first second prologue is better as a flash back and the 3rd just felt like a short and boring rip off of the round table :(
Thanks for reading as always!