Hey guys, sorry for the lag on posts so I made this chapter long for you guys.
A quick shout out to Gandalf da Black for the suggestion of using Shadows of Chernobyl in this chapter.
Enjoy.
In the human world, there was a girl who many thought was perfect. She got good grades, was admired and envied amongst others and respected by her superiors. The girl never caused trouble for anyone. On the outside, she was a normal individual with a promising future.
On the inside, behind closed doors, she was something people least expected her to be, a gamer. In a house that many were familiar with, lived only one occupant. People had always thought that a family lived there, but as it would turn out, it was just the girl.
Victoria's POV
I was standing in the shower with the water running. I still couldn't shake what he said to me some time ago. Calling me a psycho, and for what? I was trying to help him but he didn't what it, and he ignored my previous warning.
What did the players see in that world? If your HP hits zero, that's it. They would rather take that risk than leave that place and live the rest of their lives. I still remember the day she brought there; it's already been four years but the memory was still so clear in my head.
Why didn't I say 'no' then? In the midst of my frustration, I punched the tiles of the shower wall and managed to crack it. Damn it, I can't really blame anyone but myself really, but if I had the chance it'd be Molly. She brought me in at my lowest point, and like a fool I bought into her sales pitch and joined.
Getting out, I dressed in a tank top and some yoga short and walked the empty halls of my house, the only sound I was able to hear were my footsteps and my own breathing. Making it to my room, I was greeted by the same silence, only there was the added sound of my laptop that shined with a screensaver of the U.S. Marine Corps.
My room was somewhat spars; a bed in the corner, a shelf in the other with various books, pictures and awards from previous years. A TV that had a first generation Xbox hooked up to it and some first person shooters. The console wasn't originally mine; it used to belong to my older brother before he joined the service and was stationed in Iraq. I come from a military family as you might have guessed.
He was KIA six months after and it's just been me here. I didn't have the heart to get rid of it so I kept it and started to play some of the games that he had. Next thing I know, I've beaten every Champaign and ranked high on leaderboards. That's how I got Molly's attention, and the rest is history.
Pulling over my chair, I powered on the console, put on my headset and started an online match of Battlefield 4. It was odd really, I play this game often yet I do something almost similar to it. After spending the next hour or so preoccupied with my game, my laptop sounded, telling me that I have a message. Punching my password in, I read the message that was sent from one of my associates who keep me informed on anything that's strange.
'Task, are you busy right now?'
'Not really; what do you have to report?'
'There is something you need to see, I'm uploading you a security video from two weeks ago. It's pretty heavy so bear with it for moment.'
A file was soon uploaded and when I opened it, I watched a video feed from the main server near the Crystal Empire. A player dressed in an Exo-suit, stealth killing the guards and making their way inside the server. They seemed to know what they were doing considering how swiftly they had gone in and out.
I was confused as to what I was seeing. Not everyday someone goes rouge and decided to do something this serious and expect to get away with it. No, it wasn't that, it looks as though they want to be known for doing this.
Were they trying to show that the Princess couldn't stop them, or that they were showing just how strong they were? What was their plan exactly?
'What exactly am I seeing here?'I typed.
'This was footage taken two weeks ago, as far as anyone is concerned we're the only ones who've seen it. You wouldn't believe what it took to get my hands on this much; I had to pay off people with some of my spoils.'
'You did well; this is something that would cause uproar among the populous if it were to be leaked.'
'What do you want to do?'
I thought for a moment; trouble would start if we started a full manhunt on the player who got into the server we would only get other people who weren't involved caught in the crossfire.
'I'll look into this myself. I'll contact you once I've found anything on it. Good job, I owe you one.'
I signed off and got ready. Changing in to dark camo pants, black shirt, and combat boots and tied my hair back. Going into my wallet, I pulled my Ava-card and equipped some hardware from Call of Duty: Ghosts/Black Ops. Before leaving, I went into my desk and pulled a 9mm. Glock.
The rules states that if a real weapon is found on our person it's to be confiscated and destroyed. It was going to be hard to distinguish which one was a real weapon. The reason that I bring this with me is because if there isn't another choice in dealing with this player, I might have to kill them.
Opening my map, I fast traveled to the location that was from the video.
Jake's POV
Some time has passed and I've already made a name for myself, well for Ghost Assassin anyway. That's beside the point, and right now I was in high spirits. I was heading to Carousel Armory; I recently finished a quest and the reward drop was pretty good and I felt like spending a bit of it.
The only thing to do now was to see how much the value on it was. When entering the shop, I saw Rarity talking to someone dressed in a type of western outfit that resembled that from Red Dead Redemption.
"Ahhh, Jake it's good to see you again darling," Rarity said.
The other person who was in the shop turned and I recognized them as Applejack, the farm pony from the show. Her being dress like John Marston kind of made sense for some reason.
"Howdy there partner, so you're the one people been talkin' bout lately. Not to mention some of the guilds are all rowdy since what you said some time ago. Glad to meet a rook who's got some stones," she said.
Checking my HUD, I saw that AJ's level was 46, and she was calling me a rook? She approached and looked me up and down and looked impressed about something.
"Hey, if you got the time, stop by ranch; I can teach ya a thing or two," she said before leaving.
That was…interesting. Shaking it off, I greeted Rarity and got down to business.
"So, what can I do for you today Jake?" she asked.
"I remember that you make custom orders, do you think you can make something for me?" I asked.
She thought for a moment.
"Well, it depends on what request order then there's the concern on the price on material I'll be putting into it, unless you have something to trade of equal value."
"Alright then, let's see what I have here," I said.
Opening my menu, I scrolled through my items list until I found what I was looking for and showed it to her. Rarity looked at it with complete astonishment.
"I'm looking for something of the same quality or better than this," I said.
"Unbelievable, this is the Keyblade Oblivion. This is one of the highest requested weapons on trader's market; how did you get it?" she asked.
I shrugged, "I was doing a quest that other players haven't been doing for a while. I was only doing it to pass the time really and the next thing I know it's there in my inventory. I need to know if it's worth anything and if there something in your shop that's better than or equal to it," I said.
"I may have something, hold on a moment."
Rarity went into the back room and started to rifle through stuff before coming out with a huge goddamn katana.
"Here, this is Masamune, Sephiroth's sword from Final Fantasy. It's only a replica but it's pretty close that you won't know the difference. It's one of the strongest weapons that I have in stock right now," she said.
Taking it from her, I looked over the stats and got a feel for it. The weapon was a little awkward to handle and the length was ridiculous. I wasn't really a fan of the Final Fantasy series, considering how damn confusing they were and it didn't really feel as though they were coherent.
The only one I won't talk down on was Cirrus Core for the PSP, where you get to play as Zack, who was the previous owner of Cloud's Buster Sword, before he died anyway.
"Not bad, gives you some breathing room and some range, nice craftsmanship too," I said.
"Well, I am the best in Ponyville," Rarity said.
Masamune's stats were pretty good, but let's see if it stands a chance against Oblivion. Taking the Keyblade, I held over the edge of the counter and Masamune right above it.
"Wait, what are you doing; I won't be held responsible if you break your Keyblade."
"If it breaks then that's too bad!" I swung Masamune as hard as I could onto Oblivion and the next thing I know, Masamune split in half and flew across the room and shattered into code.
A sound that threatened to shatter my eardrums came from Rarity when she saw that I broke one of her best weapons.
"Guess it wasn't all that strong at all," I said.
I was slightly disappointed, but not overly so like a certain blacksmith who was utterly pissed off right now.
"Do you have any idea how long it took me to craft that weapon? All the raw material I used and the time I spent? You have to reimburse me for that sword, right now!" she shouted.
I was really backed into a corner now. Rarity is my main source of supplies whenever I'm out on quests. If she starts to hate me then there goes my favorite shop.
"Now hold on, it wasn't entirely my fault; maybe we can work something out?" I said.
"How exactly do you expect to do that; are you saying that you can't pay me back?" she asked.
"No, money isn't the issue. I was here hoping that you'd make a custom weapon for me to match with Oblivion since I can't properly use it."
Rarity's anger quickly subsided when she heard me say that and looked confused.
"What do you mean that you can't properly use it?"
"Oblivion is a Keyblade with a darkness element type. I've tried to use before but I can't unlock its full power since my alinement won't shift for some reason, it's kind of why I came here to see if you can help me out with it," I said.
It's true that my alinement hasn't shifted since it's almost been two months since coming to this world. I've asked Molly about it before and she can't seem to make heads or tails of it either, and she personally made my Ava-card.
Seems like no matter what I do, it just won't go left or right.
"Well there is one theory. You might already know this but Oblivion is normally wielded with its sister blade, Oathkeeper, of which is a light element weapon. Both blades, when used together, work in sync. Your alinement must be that of the element or you must be skilled in either light or dark based magic's, if you're using only one," she said.
That made a lot of sense, and since I'm not in any specific fields the weapon doesn't really know what to do when I'm using it. Not a problem, I'll just have to find its sister blade.
"Where exactly do I find Oathkeeper then?" I asked.
She wouldn't meet my eyes and a frustrated look was now on her face.
"If I knew that I would have it in my shop in a display case. Sadly, as far as I know, it is rumored that Oathkeeper cannot be found because it is destroyed."
I just looked at her confused.
"The Keyblade broke a long time ago and its pieces were scattered all over. It was divided into three pieces. I have what I assume to be two of them, though I can't be sure since the stats can't get proper reads on them," she said.
"So where's the third piece then?"
"Well, there is some speculation that it might be somewhere in the mountains. Many players say that there is a hidden boss that guards an unknown item; many have tried to get it but none have succeeded."
This was starting to sound interesting. Odds were that it wasn't actually the finally piece of Oathkeeper, but if it was a rare item then it still sounded appealing to me.
"Alright then, I'll do it. I'll go find this item and bring it back here," I said, rearing to go.
"Wait; if you're going then I will as well," Rarity said, stopping me.
That threw me for a loop
"No offense Rarity, but do you think that's really a good idea?"
For a moment, I thought she was going to hit me for asking that but she just looked at me confidently.
"You seemed to have overlooked something important. I may be a smith but don't think I don't know how to hand anything in here, so I'm going with Jake."
"*sigh* Alright then, but keep up, I don't tolerate slackers," I said.
Meanwhile: Outreaches of Equestria. Victoria's POV
It took most of the morning to I.D. the player in the video feed that I got from my sources. The closes thing that I managed to get would be a location. To think that they would be here of all places was somewhat understandable.
The location I was currently treading through was similar to the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadows of Chernobyl. I played the game briefly and understood that it was a post-apocalyptic Ukraine where a second nuclear explosion occurred and now there are monsters everywhere.
This is where a lot of bad players hang out, in the makeshift houses or warehouses that were stocked to the brim with weapons or armor to survive out here. Not to mention that the players tend to mug others for their supplies, so I had to be careful who I talk to.
I was still wearing my equipment, but that would only draw in those who'd want to seal it, so I decided to wear a black leather trench coat and scarf to cover my face. Currently, I was on my way to the Army Warehouse, a location that is sounds almost exactly as the name implies.
The current faction leader was the leader of Freedom, the daredevils and anarchists who fight for freedom to go in and out of the Zone whenever they please. In actuality they were just a mercs who want to make their jobs easier.
Walking up to the base, the look outs saw me coming and readied their guns. They really thought that would be enough to put me down then they had another thing coming. Someone fired a warning shot that just missed my foot.
I did stop, only to see a group of players make their way over to me. Soon all ten of them circled me and had their fingers on the trigger; I was flattered really.
"Well now, don't see many solo players around these parts, well not this bold anyway; usually they know better and form parties before coming all the way out here," one players said.
They were sporting a mec suit from the Fallout. A Python revolver strapped to their side and a shotgun on their back. Seems he was the Alpha in this pack.
"From what my scanner is picking up, it looks like you're packing some serious hardware. Stuff like that would fetch a fine price at one of the Trading Guilds. How about you drop everything you have and we might let you in one piece," they said.
Was he serious right now? They think that just because they have numbers they can intimidate me so easily? Oh man, were they in for a rude awakening.
"How about this instead; I keep my gear and won't have to kick your asses. You can go back to your little fort and be little bitches like before," I said.
I could hear the sudden irritation coming from inside his helmet, not to mention that other were taken by surprise at the remark I just made to them. Next thing I know, I'm staring down the barrel of the Python.
Just to add on to the effect, he cocked the hammer back. "You little cunt, what makes you thing you can talk to us like that?" they asked.
"One: put that away before you shoot your pecker off. Two: I can talk however I want since you aren't anything to be scared of. Hell, you need other players to make you look tough, but in reality you're just a pussy," I said.
That was all it took for them to pull the trigger. Thanks to my heightened reflexes, I dodged the bullet faster than he could fire again and kicked it high into the air. It was enough to draw everyone's attention for me to counter attack.
Flicking my sleeve, a combat knife slid into my hand. I slashed out the chest of the suit like it was made of paper than stabbed the player multiple times, then sweep his leg to bring them down. One took notice and tried to raise their rifle, but was already on them and stabbed them through the throat.
Moving them to use them as a human shield, I tossed the one I just stabbed and rushed two more and cut them down so fast you couldn't see the strike. They were down to six now; this was too easy that it was somewhat sad. Looking at my next target, I saw that they were about to pull the trigger but was stopped short when my knife found its way to their eye.
One tried to get the drop on me from behind but I elbowed them in the face and punched them in the throat. Grabbing my knife, I rushed another but aimed for their leg to bring them down then stabbed them in the back of the head. Another attempted to run me down with a rifle tipped with a bayonet.
When thrusting it, I sidestepped and slashed at their jugular. Keeping my momentum, I stabbed another under the chin. With one left standing, they were shaking in utter fear of what I did in such a short amount of time. Raising my hand, the Python that I kicked into the air was caught and I pointed at them.
"Whoa now, no need for that," said a voice was spoken from a loud speaker.
The gates to the warehouse opened again and a jeep drove up to us. A mounted mini gun was a hooked up in the back and it was already whirling, ready to fire if need be. The one sitting in the passenger seat was the last person I'd expect to see here.
"Well, well, never thought I'd see you all the way out here; always thought we'd see each other soon Taskforce."
The one in question was an old partner of mine back when I started out, Warren; he gave me the rundown of how this world worked. Now he runs this faction and basically acts as an info broker.
"What's the plan the boss?" asked the guy who was on the mini gun. Soon the other players who I cut down were starting to get back.
"Stand down, not like you'll actually kill her. The girl is a one man army; we'll all be dead if we piss her off," he said.
"And she isn't pissed off now?"
Warren got out the jeep and walked passed his lackeys, an impressed looked on his face as he saw the damage that was done by me.
"You've certainly gotten better since the last time we've seen each other. I've noticed that you aren't apart of any guilds, let alone the Elites anymore; what say you join my faction? With a player like you we could keep the warehouse permanently," he said.
"Sorry, but the last thing I want to do is feed your ambition. I'm only here on business," I said.
"Even after all this time; you used to be fun too. Alright guys, this is a friend of mine so let's show them some hospitality."
Time Skip: Merc Occupied Warehouse.
The place was stock to the brim with soldiers and weapons. Some of the players looked eager go, the others passed the time practicing their marksmanship or close-quarter combat skills. It was really painful to watch who bad they were at it.
"Step into my office, can I get you anything Task? You look like you could use something in your belly," Warren said.
"Just drink is fine," I said, taking a seat in front of his desk.
The place was small and littered with paperwork, garbage and scattered weapons. There was even a taxidermy mutant head on the wall. A metal mug was placed in front of me with, what I guessed was either beer or cider. I didn't really care which, just took it.
"So, what can I do for you, my old apprentice," he said.
"I'm here looking for someone, maybe you've seen them pass through this area," I said.
"Lots of players pass through this area Task, it's hard to keep track of them as it is, plus I have to worry about other factions trying to take this area from me."
"Trust me, you can't forget this person."
Pulling out my phone, I uploaded the video my other contact sent me. Warren watched it and looked a little shocked as to what he saw. Slowly handing the phone back to me, he took a shaky breath.
Reaching into a drawer in his desk and pulled out a file and slid it over to me.
"There was one player who came in recently; he said he wanted passage into the reactor. He didn't say why, only that he wanted some escorts to go with him to make sure he was going the right way; I haven't heard from them in sixteen hours and I'm afraid to send out a search party, if this guy was the one responsible. He could still be there," he said.
Finishing my drink, I stood and was ready to leave, but Warren stood and reached across the table to grab my hand. He looked concerned, if not frightened.
"Listened Task, if you're going to go through with this, then atleast let me come with you. If the risk is as bad as in that video then you'd have a better chance taking on this guy with someone watching your back," he said, his grip tightening on my hand.
It's been awhile since I've had someone who is truly concerned for my safety. Warren was my, if not one of few, friends that I have left in this world. We didn't talk much like we used to in the old days, but I'd still want him by my side.
This however wasn't one of those times; if I lost him because my recklessness, I'd never forgive myself for it. Leaning over, I gave him a light kiss on the forehead, catching him off guard.
"Your men need you here to lead them. You must be here in case something was to happen. Thank you for your help Warren, when things settle down a bit, what say we go drinking?" I said.
"Sounds like a plan Task, see you later and try not to die."
I won't, trust me.
Meanwhile: Jake's POV Mountains
It was an eventful tread up the path; monsters, bandits and players blocked the path at almost every turn. Nothing I couldn't handle, plus the EXP. was pretty good, the only down side was that Rarity kept needing my help with almost anything. Mind you, I did say that I didn't want her to come with me on the quest, and she had plenty of chances to turn back.
The only thing she was good at was being so damn stubborn and not listening to my advice. Right now, we were still walking but had to put up with some strong winds that threatened to knock us off the mountain if we weren't careful how we stepped.
"Jake, could you please slow down a bit?" Rarity complained.
"I told you that I didn't want you to come along with me on this; I could've easily done it without you," I said.
Turning around, I saw that Rarity was trying to save off the cold as best she could, but it didn't seem to be working and shock violently. Opening my menu, I pulled out some snow gear from Lost Planet and gave it to her.
"Don't you need this?" she asked. "All you're wearing is that hood of yours."
"I'll manage, now come one let's get moving," I said.
After a little more time passed and covered more ground, we made it to a spot that was truly amazing. The area was cover with what looked like huge gems of assorted colors and quality; there might not be enough space in my wallet.
The smith was having a field day herself, not doubt thinking of all the possibilities that she had with all this raw material. In that moment, my instincts went into overdrive and my body started to tense up. Going up to Rarity, I pulled her around.
"Listen to me okay, something is coming; any luck and it's this hidden monster. When it appears, I want you to get behind something and don't come out until I give you the signal," I said.
Rarity face took on one of annoyance. "Look Jake, I told you before that I can handle myself; I'm not some damsel in—"
"LISTEN TO WHAT I SAY!" I shouted, making her speechless.
I'm not sure what face I was making, but it was enough to scare the smith. The only thing she was able to do was nod her head lightly.
"Good girl, now go hide and wait," I said, patting her head lightly.
'This won't be like last time, it can't be'.
When she was in cover, I drew opened my menu and drew Oblivion. I know its full power couldn't be unlocked without the right parameters, but it was still a strong weapon regardless. The crystals erupted and a gust of wind shot dust into the air; through it, a shadow loomed in the air of a large creature with enormous wings.
When I got a clear sight of the monster, I saw one of the most annoying monsters I've ever fought in a video game; the fucking dragon that you have to fight in near the end of Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings. The damn thing took forever to kill.
If you didn't have the right enchantments for your weapons, potions to make sure to don't die too soon, or a powerful Quen Sign, it was fucking complicated, but this was going to be different; I'm gonna kick this lizard's ass. When it spotted me, it started to attack; inhaling a massive breath, its stomach started glow until it released a steam of fire.
Before it could hit me, I raised Oblivion swiped the flames off the side like they were nothing at all. When realizing that it wasn't enough it tried again; seeing that as my opening, I jumped towards it, slashing through its scaly hide with powerful strikes.
That only seemed to agitate it more until it lunged forward. I had managed to dodge the strike, but before could do so again; I lopped off its right arm, taking a good chunk of HP with it.
"Jake, stop messing around; you have it on the ropes, just finish it now," Rarity shouted.
"Shit; don't come out just yet!" I shouted back, but it was already too late.
The dragon had already seen her and was out of reach to attack again before it flapped its wings and sent her flying. When it was over, Rarity had noticed that she was hovering over a pit, one that she soon plummeted into.
Bolting in after her, I had managed to grab her while in freefall. "Grab on Rarity!"
And she did, all the while shrieking at the top of her lungs as we descended in into the dark abyss.
Meanwhile: Chernobyl Reactor Facility. Victory's POV
When leaving Warren's outpost, I managed to haggle with one of his men for a lift to the location that was given to me. I had to give up one of my automatic rifles and a med kit in order for them to drive out this far into the Zone. I really liked that rifle too.
Who was the one that swindled me out of a good piece of hardware for a rocky ride in a busted jeep through a nuclear wasteland you might be wondering. It was none other than Strelok, or as you're more familiar with, the Marked One. The main character of S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadows of Chernobyl as well as the other series, though here he was just a simple MPC.
"I don't know why you'd want to come all the way out here; the place is crawling with mutants and god knows what else," he said.
"There's something I need to check out, someone I need to find," I said.
"Is it your lover or something?" he asked.
I looked at him like was stupid; MPC's tended to say things that make most players want to kill them. No wonder there are more evil players than there are good.
"No, more like a target and a suspect in a crime that threatens everyone. I need to find them before it gets out of hand."
Well, that was easier said than done. If this person could breach one of this world's servers like it wasn't a big deal, then this player knew what they were doing, and were skilled. The sudden stopped of the jeep snapped me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see the ruined facility before me.
Guess this was my stop then. Getting out, was ready to head in, but when I saw Strelok getting out as well, I was confused as to what he was doing.
"I'm not letting a young one like you go along; there is some crazy shit in there. Best to have someone watching your back who is experienced," he said.
I only signed as I proceeded to open my menu and search for something might of some use to us down there. Tapping an item called 'Price', a dog with a service vest on and a wolf skin pack appeared. You all know this dog from Call of Duty: Ghosts. I liked that game because it incorporated a service dog.
The dog in the game, Riley, was the reason why I got a service dog as my companion; he was loyal, and well trained. I should know; I worked on his skills for a while until they were maxed out. I named him after one of the best guerilla warfare soldiers in Call of Duty; Captain John Price of Taskforce 141.
"Alright Strelok, stick close and try not to draw any attention to us. If anything happens, I want you get out as fast as you can back to Warren," I said.
"Not happening; I'm going to fight with you Task. I didn't come all this way to not help you with this," he said.
"Fine, do as you wish. Price, you're on point; lead us in."
He barked before bolting inside the facility. I pulled my M16 with an ACOG scope, M203 Grenade launcher and extended clip. This was one of my favorite rifles and one of the best in my inventory, not counting my 9mm. Glock. I really hope it won't come to that but I can't be held responsible if I have no other choice in the matter.
We swept through the facility as quick as could; Price doing his best to warn us of any mutants that are in the area, or of any traps that are meant to deal with trespassers. God I love this dog; if Molly did one thing right, it was allowing players to have animal companions.
Not sure what scent that Price was following the moment we started, but whatever it was it was getting stronger. It was the familiar smell of fresh blood. I held out my hand to Strelok.
"Somethings wrong here; be ready for anything," I said and he nodded.
Making it to a section of the facility that was much deeper than what our current map says; we managed to make it to what looked like one of the cooling towers for the plant. The smell was strongest here; it was to the point where I pulled my scarf over my face to help stave it off.
"I'll take point; cover my six," Strelok said.
Doing as he said, I covered the rear of our entry until we were inside the tower and I bumped into him. I didn't have to react until her pulled me behind a piece of ruble and told me to stay quiet. Peeking over, I saw what it is he was so cautious about. Quite frankly I didn't blame him.
Hunched over in the center of the tower was cloaked player, who seemed to be holding something. From the sudden sound of loud crunching, it was obvious that they were eating. What that was made my stomach lurch.
Clutched in their grip was another player, but from the looks of it they looked to be already dead. This person was digging their teeth into the deep into their jugular and continued to eat their fill.
"I don't think I've seen someone do something as vile as this. This has to be your target," he said.
Once they were done, their victim shattered into codes and they stood, looking proud and full from their kill.
"Show yourself; I heard you coming in and I could use some desert from that meal," they said so casually.
I was ready to jump out of cover and blast them to bits with my grenade launcher, but Strelok did so instead, moving his hand slightly as a way to tell me to stay down.
"Thought I might've gotten the drop on you while you fed, guess my luck isn't that good after all."
"Don't think I remember the last time I had a taste of an MPC; maybe you'll slake my hunger, but first let's see what you're made of."
It didn't take long for the sound of gunfire to suddenly fill the area, along with the chilling sound of rattling chains and tearing through concrete. I don't know why I was still just sitting here hiding when I should be helping him.
Looking down at my hands, I saw something I never thought I would see again in a long time. My hands were trembling; this was fear that I thought I long since rid myself of since coming here.
When the fighting suddenly went quiet, I couldn't but get up look. Horror set in when I saw that this player had his hand right in the MPC's chest. Strelok managed to look back at me, only smiling lightly before shattering.
Gripped in the players hand was a beating heart, one they proceeded to eat like it wasn't a big deal. When they finished, they locked their red and gold eyes on me like they just noticed I was there.
"Well, well; didn't notice you there. Why don't you run along now; I'm already full and don't have any room left," he said, making a 'shooing' gesture at me.
As he turned his back to leave, I raised my rifle and fired my grenade launcher at him. Just that alone was enough to knock to a level 50 player off their feet, but when the dust cleared, I was shocked to see that he was still standing.
The only thing that seemed to get damaged was his cloak, revealing his red and black armor underneath. He brushed off the dust that gathered on it like it wasn't a big deal that he was just attacked. I was able to get a good look at him; they looked about 18, probably an ongoing player.
Their level was unbelievable; a solid level 73, which means that they must've chosen to stay in this world. I need to watch my back with this one. Avid players tend to be the most dangerous.
"Now that wasn't nice to do; I was going to let you go, but now you've royally pissed me off," he sneered.
A dark blue aura started to form around his body and a rattling could be heard again. Something in his eyes changed; something dark began to surface from within. A mad smile creped its way onto his face.
That's when I knew that I was now looking into the face true madness. He was already too far gone to be saved, let alone be shown reason. There was only one thing I could think of that could stop this.
"Oh, what's with the face girly; you mad all of a sudden because your little grenade launcher didn't work on me?" he asked.
"I'm a bit miffed, yes; but don't assume that it's the only thing in my arsenal. I've got enough to wage an entire war. I'm sure something in there will be enough to be you down," I said, aiming down my scope.
He took his stance and charged me; the only sound that could be heard was the sound of chains rattling and the sound of gunfire.
4 Hours Earlier: Jake's POV. Mountain Area
I can't recall the last few hours after the fight with the dragon, but I do remember bits of what happened during. Rarity came out of cover, even though I specifically remember telling her to stay hidden until it was over, and then she was blow to a pit and I jumped in after her.
Next thing I know, everything just went black and I'm slowly gaining consciousness and there was a growing pain in my back and chest. Shit, what landed on me?
Opening my eyes, my sight started to clear and I could see the top of the pit that we landed in, and when looking down I saw that Rarity was just waking up. Plus she was the something that landed on me and was giving me chest pains. Damn, how much does she weigh?
"Uh…you still alive Rarity?" I managed.
"Yes, I'm fine Jake; just a bit sore is all," she said, sitting up.
Opening my menu, I handed her a Red Potion and downed one myself; I lost a good chunk of HP from that fall. Guess we got lucky.
"Well, this has been one misadventure after another. What do you say we just call it a day and try again some other time?" I suggested.
"I suppose that would a wise course of action," she said, opening her menu and tried to fast travel to Ponyville but soon found that it wasn't working.
"Something isn't right here; I think this place blocks off out connection to fast travel, looks like me might be stuck here for a while," she said.
Looking up, I started to scan the walls to see if there was even a chance to try and get out of this pit. I was not going to be stuck here for the rest of my life; there are still things I need to do before I die, and too many games I still need to play.
"Hold on, I think I have an idea," I said.
"What is it?"
I didn't have time to answer before I jumped and started to run up the wall as fast as I could, covering a good distance before losing my footing and plummeting back into the pit with full force.
"That…didn't seem like a very well thought out plan Jake," she said, kneeling over me.
"Yeah, not one of my better moments," I admitted.
For the next few hours we decided to make camp here until we can think of a way to get out of here alive. I already texted my mom and told her that I was staying over a friend's house for the night.
She didn't even seem to question it and just replied to have a good time. Right after that I texted Tim to say that if my parents called to tell them that was over his place. He replied quickly saying that he would and didn't ask anything else.
All was in order so I didn't need to worry about anything. The two of us just lied there in the pit, looking up at the night sky that blazed with millions of stars. I can't recall one game that actually took the time to actually have enough detail to the environment to really captivate the player.
Maybe it was this world's sky instead of from a game, now that I think about it that's just what it was, another world despite what you could do in it.
"You know something Jake, this was actually a rather nice day," Rarity said, breaking me from thoughts.
"What do you mean?" I asked, looking over at her.
"Well, I would have never done something like this all on my own; usually I would just assign a quest to one of the guilds and have them to do it for me, but actually be on a quest with someone else is surprisingly more exhilarating," she said.
"I take it you don't get out much, huh?" I know that was rude to say, but I hadn't meant for it to come out like that.
Rarity's expression changed to a down one, which made me feel bad that I said anything to begin with. It was none of my business so I shouldn't be meddling in it.
"I don't usually go on quest since I prefer to stay in my shop and work on new weapons; it isn't usually a blacksmith's job to go questing. Plus, I never had anyone to accompany me and I doubt I'd make it far on my own."
I didn't know how to respond to that, but then again I've never been in this situation before.
"Though I must be honest, I am glad that you were the one who I got to do this, more than you even know Jake," she said, smiling.
Despite the smile, I could still see that she was scared; we were still stuck in a pit and still unsure as to how to get out.
Reaching over, I took her hand and held it tight. Rarity wasn't expecting it, but soon tightened her hand and we both drifted off into sleep. Waking up was a bit of a start since it was in area I wasn't familiar with.
This is until I remembered I was in a pit with a certain blacksmith who was still sound asleep. When she started shivering, even though the gear I gave her, I took off my hood and put it over her.
Deciding to let her sleep, I walked around the area for a bit to get a better feel. I know we couldn't fast travel out of here since something interfered with it. I even tried to contact Molly for some help, but she didn't seem to hear me.
'No, it couldn't be that obvious…could it?'
I started to remember something from mythology about dragons. There were often symbolized as creatures of greed, it even shows that when Spike turned full dragon in MLP. The item we're looking for is valuable, so does that mean it would take it as well?
Opening my menu, I clicked on a skill that I've been working on, Eagle Vision. My vision turned dark and the only thing I could see was the blue outline of Rarity's body. After looking all over the walls, I found nothing.
My luck soon changed when I saw a yellow patch in the center of the pit; the main target.
"I'm starting to have some slight déjà vu for some reason, hmm," I said to myself before kneeling down to start digging. I guess time seemed to slip me by; Rarity had just started getting up, a trace of drool was on her cheek.
She looked around for a moment before looking over at me. I don't know why she started turning red when she saw me but it got worse when she noticed that I had put my hood and put it over her.
I paid it no mind and just continued my work.
"S-So, what you're up rather early; what are you doing exactly?" she asked, standing next to me.
"Well, while you were sleeping, I decided to take a look around and see if there was a way out but you'll never believe my luck when I saw that were was a hidden item here," I said, pulling out my find.
In my hand was some sort of jagged object. There looked to be something akin to a snowflake or maybe a star one end and the coloration was white, blue and yellow. Rarity, had tapped it and a little screen popped up above it, showing its stats.
When her eyes lit up, I could tell that it was good news. "I'm not for certain this is the piece to Oathkeeper, but it is extremely rare; even if it isn't we'll surely not leave here empty handed," she said.
That in its own right was good news; players pay top coin for rare item. Not to mention that if we use it as a substance for the forge, who knows what we'll get out of it.
Now the only thing to do was find a way out of this damn hole.
"You know, I'm actually a little curious as to why there is a hole near where that dragon spawned; it doesn't make much sense," Rarity said.
"Yeah, it seems almost too convenient if you ask me. I hate that about some games, it ruins the whole plot," I said.
"No, it's not just that," she said, getting a little nervous now. "Aren't dragons supposed to be nocturnal? It's daylight, which means that it might…"
She didn't have time to finish her statement before the sudden sound of a roar shook the place, definitely not a good sign.
"Here comes the scaly bastard now," I said, hoisting Rarity over my shoulder just in time as the dragon could land on us.
Jumping toward the wall and kicking myself off, I equipped Oblivion and plunged it into his back. The dragon didn't take too kindly to that as it started to thrash around before deciding to take off.
The only thing I was able to hear in that moment was Rarity screaming in panic, and the roaring wind in my ears. The instant we made it to the surface, the dragon decided that enough was enough and stopped abruptly, sending the two of us flying.
When the screaming had finally stopped, Rarity looked over at the east horizon. Even I had to admit that it was a sight to behold; again, attention to detail in environment in games is hard to come by these days.
Despite that though, we needed to take this chance and make a break for it before the dragon decides it's not done with us.
"JAKE!" I turned to Rarity, just barely able to hear her voice. She was smiling for some reason, not sure if it was out relief that made it out of there alive.
"What is it?" I shouted back.
"Don't panic, b…I think that I l…yo…"
I could only look at her confused, what she said wasn't comprehendible and I tried to strain my ears to understand her.
"What was that?" I asked, only for her to come closer and wrap her arms around and start laughing.
"Never mind; it's not important right now.
Time Skip: Carousel Armory
It's pretty crazy now that I think about it when getting back, I almost couldn't believe that we made it out of there almost unscathed, but it was going to be worth it if this item turns out to be the last piece of Keyblade.
"All right, a light elemental Keyblade, correct?" Rarity asked, changing back to her Soul Calibur outfit.
"Yup, let's see if this was all worth the trouble," I said.
Taking a breath, an aura soon enveloped her body and a massive heat soon came off her body and spread throughout the area.
Raising her hand, a familiar rune formed in mid-air, Igni, from the Witcher series. The fragments soon started to glow white, showing that they were heated to high degree, which Rarity took as her opportunity to start working.
I don't know much about blacksmithing, I do know that Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements lets players forge weapons, but you can only use them if you're of a specific class, and if you aren't then you can only take it as a collectable.
What I'm trying to say is that this was an experience that I was lucky enough to see firsthand and I was grateful for that. After one last strike, the three fragments started to shine with a bright light.
It was so intense that I had to turn away as to not get blinded from it.
"Jake, look," Rarity said in awe.
Doing just that, I say the masterpiece that was lying on the anvil; brilliant white metal that was lightly mixed with blue and yellow, a star keychain on the end and an obvious power could be detected from it.
"Go on; give it a try," she said.
Picking it up, I summoned Oblivion and instantly felt the connection between them. Both powers, light and dark, complimented each other so perfectly that I didn't feel off when wielding Oblivion like I did before.
"That feels perfect now. You did a hell of a job making this Rarity, not to mention you get brag to others that you re-forged Oathkeeper. So, what do I owe you for it?" I said.
Rarity came over, thumbs twiddling and her face showing that there was something on her mind. From the looks of it, it was probably serious.
"Well, I was thinking that you can have it free of charge," she said.
"What, why would you just give it to me; don't you still want to be reimbursed for that sword I broke yesterday?" I asked.
Her cheeks went red and she started to look frustrated about something. I don't know what I'm supposed to do here people.
"I-I'm willing to overlook that. Look, Jake, what I'm trying to say is that…from now onward I want to become your personal blacksmith; whenever you're in the area and need repairs, come by and I shall take care of you," she said, face turning redder.
"What you mean by…oh," I couldn't finish my question, now understanding what it was she was implying when she said she wanted to be my personal blacksmith.
In her own way, she was basically telling me that she had feelings for me. This was actually a first for me; I just froze up and didn't say a word. Rarity started to reach over and take my hand, but she stopped when the sudden sound of the door and made us jumped.
"JAKE!" Looking over at the door, I saw a frantic looking Molly who was out of breath in and dressed in Roman armor from Ryse: Son of Rome, not to mention that her gladius was stained with blood.
When she rushed me it felt like I was just hit by a car from the armor, not to mention that her hold threatened to break my spine.
"Thank goodness you're alright; when I didn't a hold of you I started to get worried. When I checked for you location I couldn't find it in anywhere. I glad nothing happened to you," she said, giving me one last look over before smothering me with another hug.
"I'm fine Molly, I was just on a quest and the area I was in blocked out all signals and we couldn't fast travel out there," I explained.
"We?" she looked over at Rarity, who was still in shock at what just happened.
"Oh, hey Rarity. Thanks so much for accompanying Jake on the quest; he says he can handle himself but that doesn't stop me for worrying."
For some reason, I could feel a sudden shift in the room; it was unnerving to say the least, I was afraid a fight might break out.
"Oh, I see now," I heard Rarity mutter.
Molly looked confused for a moment; it didn't look as if she caught what it is she said.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Oh, it was that this young ruffian had broken one of my top swords, makes a dragon blow me into a pit and we get stuck there for a day. You would not believe what he's put me through," she ranted, laughing a bit.
Molly suddenly turned at me with a stern demeanor, like a parent gives to their kid when they fail a math test or something.
"Why would you do something like that; it's one thing to do something reckless but to drag someone else into it completely stupid," she said, poking my chest.
"Hey, don't make me out to be the bad guy here; it's not like I wanted her come along she just did," I said, though I don't know why. Important life lesson kids, even when girls are wrong they're still right. Somehow.
"Please don't concern yourself with it Princess, it just give me another opportunity to re-forge the blade he broke. I will need to get some supplies though; excuse me a moment," Rarity said, taking her leave, but even I'm not that dense to not see what was wrong.
For the next half hour, I looked all over the place for the smith until I found her by the bridge with her arms around her knees.
"You know, that wasn't cool to pin the blame on me back at the shop," I said, keeping my distance from her.
"Why did you follow me Jake; I thought it'd be obvious that I wanted to be alone," she muttered.
"I'm not going to leave you alone knowing that you're upset," I said.
We've been on a crazy ass adventure together; we were as thick as thieve as far as I was concerned. Rarity stood but she kept her back to me; I still feel the tension from earlier coming off of her.
One small misinterpretation could lead to us not being on good terms with each other, and I'd be out of a source of supplies.
"I was so sure of what I was feeling Jake, so certain that you were the answer to what I was feeling that moment we escaped with our lives. But it seems as though there was already someone else you fancy," she said.
Wait, is what she thinks is going on between me and Molly?
"Um…it's not like that," I said but she didn't seem to believe me.
Turning around, a look of determination seemed to gleam in her eyes. "That doesn't mean I'm going to give up though."
I didn't have time to react when she rushed over to me and planted one on my cheek, leaving me stunned and unsure as to what do next.
"But until then, please allow me to still be your blacksmith," she said, a small smile on her face.
This was one of those moments where I don't have control over the situation, I hate that more than anything. Rarity was completely misunderstanding the situation here, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings.
All I was able to do was hold out my hand for a simple handshake to seal the deal, yet at the same time, I couldn't help but be a little happy. Maybe it won't be so bad.
3rd POV: Chernobyl Cooling Towner
The sound gun fire and rattle reverberated throughout the area; mutants and nearby players were almost tempted to see what it was, but decided against it. They weren't that eager to die just yet.
The main source of this chaos originated from two players, ones who were very determined to kill the other. For a moment, all was calm; Victoria was catching her breath while keeping her eyes trained on the rouge player.
She lost her coat and her vest was almost useless. Her arsenal was almost completely depleted of ammo, but through it all, she was able to take a good chuck of HP from him, but he managed to do so as well.
His armor was beginning to chip away but it seemed as though he wasn't even tired yet. What disturbed Victoria the most, was that he was still smiling in that sinister way of his.
"Gotta say, you've really given me a run for my money; can't remember the last time I've had this much fun. Your death will be a quick one; it will be my gift to you," he said.
She was beginning to feel backed into a corner now; with little rescores left, the odds were standing against her at the moment.
Victoria had lost her focus for a moment, but the rouge player took that as his opening and punched her in the stomach, knocking every last bit of air from her body and she dropped to her knees; the contents of her stomach threatening to come up.
"You're strong, just like she was back then."
Victoria was caught off guard by what she heard. Allowing herself to look up, she saw something change in his red and gold eyes. His insanity was changed to something she had assumed was long gone; his humanity.
It seemed wrong of her to what she was about to, but if it meant staying alive, she had no other choice. Rushing at the rouge player as fast as she could, Victoria punched him square in the chest as hard as she could, shattering his armor and hurling him across the cooling tower.
With the little breathing room she had at the moment, she went through inventory and brought her Glock. She knew that it was cruel to do this and wished that there was another option, but convinced herself that this player was too dangerous to let go.
Bolting back toward her, with fury visible on their face was said player, armed with a sinister looking sword. Victoria grabbed her combat knife just in time to parry his blows.
It didn't seem to be enough; with one strong strike, the rouge was able to send it flying from her hand. Thinking it would be easy to kill her, he was sadly mistaken when he saw her raise a gun at him.
He didn't think anything of it; knowing that a pistol wouldn't do much damage given his level but when the sound of gunfire went off, he knew something was off. He's been shot before and this world was pretty good at simulating pain.
It usually didn't last long, but looking down at where the bullets made impact. His armor didn't stand a chance against them. The moment he saw the blood stain begin to grow on his shirt was when it donned on him that it was very much real and begin to scream in agony.
"Don't fight it; at the rate you're bleeding out, you'll be dead in a few minutes," Victoria said, walking over to him and but the barrel of her gun to his head. "But if you like, I can make it quick for you; that's the best I can do in terms of mercy."
"How cute; you think it's all over for me," said the rouge.
From his body exploded a flurry of chains, swiping at anything within their perimeter. Victoria caught the full force of the attack; her HP depleting to the red. Before it hit zero, the attack stopped and she was raised off the ground by her throat.
"What's wrong, where's all that tough talk from a moment ago now that the tables have been turned? I don't know how you managed to sneak a real weapon into this world but it still wasn't enough to put me down, but nice try though."
From their back, a single chain coiled out and was poised to strike like a scorpion tail. Before the chain could make contact, there was a flash of grey and the rouge let go of Victoria.
She was still disoriented but was able to see that what saved her just now was her faithful companion, Price. The service continued to maw at the one who attacked its master but soon punched to the ground.
The rouge player was clutching his neck where he was bitten; in his fury, he made to kill the animal with his chains. Victoria refused to let him. Looking for a weapon, she found her gun and fired blindly.
She saw his body go down, thinking she had managed to finally kill him. After a moment, his body hadn't shattered into codes like the other he had murdered, which means that he was alive.
His body soon burst into a storm of smoke and bats, rapidly heading to the top of the cooling tower and disappearing.
"You got lucky this time girl, but believe me when I saw that when we cross paths again; I will kill."
That was the last thing she heard before everything went dark and then waking up to find herself in a hospital bed, covered in bandages and her faithful friend resting his head at the edge of her bed.
Looking around, she realized that she was back the Merc Operated Warehouse and that Warren had entered the room.
He looked like he hadn't slept in while and there worry lines on his face. "Good to see that you're awake, though I can't say that you're alright," he said lightly.
"What happened; how did I get here?" she asked.
"I got worried so I sent out a team to go look for you; the state you were in was pretty serious, count your blessings that some of the men here actually know first aid instead of just using potions," he said, but the tears welling up was a dead giveaway that he had been worried more than he was letting on.
He opened his menu and pulled the empty Glock that she used to try and kill that rouge player.
"Didn't know you kept after all this time; thought for sure you trashed it after you left the Elites," Warren said, shoving another clip of Hollow Points into it.
"I don't have the right to throw it away, it means that all those I've killed would be forgotten. I need to remember the mistakes I made when I was with them," she said.
Price picked up on his master's distressed and whimpered; licking her hand to try and cheer her up. She knew that he was nothing more than a bunch of 1's and 0's, but to her, he was just as real and sentient as she was.
Warren pulled up a stool and sat next to the bed. He was one of the few people who could read her perfectly and understood what it is she was implying.
"You can't blame what happened back then on yourself; you got played, a lot of players did back them. You're just as much the victim as they were," he said.
"That still doesn't make any less wrong Warren. When I fought that player, I saw myself from back then. How many players did I kill because I got tricked into believing that you don't really die in this world?"
Victoria was startled when Warren suddenly got up from his seat and grabbed her by her shirt forcefully with an apparent anger in his eyes.
"Don't you dare compare yourself to that monster; don't you ever do that again, especially in front of me, you got that?" he practically shouted.
She should've been scared but soon understood that he didn't want her to fall into despair because of something that happened so long ago. Victoria knew she couldn't change the past, but knew she could work for a better future.
"Thanks Warren, I'm okay now," she said sincerely.
"No you're not, because you're not leaving that bed until your wounds are healed," Warren said sternly.
"Okay, you're the boss," she said, getting him to smile a bit.
He turned and headed for the door, but turned for a moment. "I'm glad you're safe; get some rest Task."
He didn't need to tell her twice; easing backing on the bed, she started to relax and drift off into sleep.
Please Review if not that's cool too.