Dark and the others arrive at Demise's HQ. What is Dark's plan and what results will it yield?
Chapter 20 Online.
We walk in and instantly I notice a looming staircase in front of us and a lobby at the bottom, where we were. Their were Demise members all around the lobby and all eyes went to us as we came in.
"The leader will be here in a few minutes." The one that showed us here said "Make yourself at home." He walked away. All 7 of us stayed where we were, in front of the staircase. We waited for about 5 minutes and then we heard footsteps upstairs. We looked up and saw a man, in about his 40's or 50's about 6 4 coming downstairs, he had on a black cape and his eyes were red, he had short dirty blond hair. He got to the landing and looked down at us.
"Welcome my guests, I am the leader of Demise, DoomBringer, but you can just call me Doom. Which one of you is DarkBlade?"
I stepped forward "That would be me."
"So you are the one that killed NightFang, Marks and all the other traitors of Demise?"
"I killed Night and Marks, and many of the traitors, but I didn't kill all of them, my party also helped."
"You're party, was said to be a 4 people and a wolf. There are 7 of you."
"3 are my friends. Sienna, Lea, Doran, Step forward." All three come beside me "This is my party."
"I see." He looks at us "Anyway to the reason I called you here. I wanted to thank you for taking care of the traitors, saving us the trouble of it."
"Is that the only reason?"
"Of course not. I have two choice for you to pick from. You can walk away now and you will have immunity from Demise going after you, or two, you can join and become part of Demise."
Join Demise, yeah right. "I am not joining Demise. I am not a pker."
"I expected that. Then you can go."
I turned to the other 6 and Sienna nodded, I smiled "All of you. I am about to do something stupid. Leave now, unless you're willing to risk your life."
Doom looked at me "What are you doing?"
None of them moved and I turned back to Doom "You are a leader of a large pking guild. I am against anyone that dares commit the crime of pking, so instead I have a different choice. I challenge you to A battle to the death!"
All the Demise members instantly drew their swords, my group wasn't far behind.
Doom had not drawn his sword "You wish to challenge me, the leader of a pking guild to a battle to the death?"
"Are you hard of hearing? That's exactly what I said. If I take you down, Demise also goes down. That's one less pking guild for everyone to worry about."
"You will have no chance against me, do you have any idea what I am capable of? You wouldn't last a minute against me."
I point my sword at him "That doesn't change my mind. If you don't accept, since this isn't in a town, I'll be able to attack you anyway."
"All right then. Me vs you. No interference and as we fight my guild will fight your other members."
I turned to look at the other 6 and they seemed ready "Agreed."
"Then let the fight begin!"
I ran up the stairs, avoiding the Demise members getting ready to fight the others, and swung my sword he drew his in the time it took for mine to come down and he stopped it easily. His sword was a Great sword, a two handed sword, but he was holding it with only one.
"How are you able to hold a two handed sword with one hand?"
"You charge in without knowing anything about your enemy. It's one of my skills if you must know." He pushed back and I stumbled back a few steps almost falling down the stairs.
"How can you push me back so easily as well?" I moved closer and swung my sword again, buy he parried my sword and slashed my arm.
"Because you know nothing about me. My strength, speed ,level it's all a mystery to you."
"It shouldn't be much higher then mine." I say as I spin and try to hit him, but he blocks it.
"That's there you're wrong." He opens his menu as he's holding me back, cocky bastard, and he opens a window "I'll allow people who aren't in my party, or guild see my level, one moment." He taps something in the window and then it disappears. I look up and see his level is above his health. I stare at it in surprise.
"H-How do you have it that high already...that's impossible..."
"It's not impossible, you're seeing it right now." He pushed back really hard and slammed me into the wall hard. His level...was above mine by 45...his was 75...how...did he manage that...There was no way I could win...I'm only level 30...
"H-how..." I say moving from the wall "That's not...even..." I was speechless.
"It's a one of a kind skill given by an item." he rose his hand "This ring gives experience for killing players. I have killed many, so I have gotten a lot of experience."
"You're serious...that's horrible..."
"I'm a leader of a pking guild. My level is much higher then yours" He walked up to me "You have no chance of beating me."
"I have already come to that conclusion."
"You have lost the chance to run. The only way to live is to join Demise."
"I have no choice." I swung my sword hard and fast hitting his sword out of his hand and into the chest of one of the Demise members. I stand up "Now what can you do? No weapon means you can't fight."
He looked annoyed "So it would appear..."
"Now, pay the price for all the people you have killed!" I swung my sword directly at his neck. My sword suddenly stopped and I saw that he had grabbed it. I was stunned.
"Too bad."
"How that hell can you grab my sword?"
"I have a skill. Hand To Hand, it should sound familiar, you have it as well. It's not a unique skill. I bet you thought it was, didn't you?"
I ignored the question and tried to get my sword free. He whipped his hand away, tearing the sword from my hands and into a wall. I get ready to fight hand to hand.
"You won't defeat me in physical strength." He swung his fist quickly, hitting me in the stomach. I doubled over in pain. He threw me onto the ground in front of him "I told you."
I was having trouble breathing, he knocked the wind out of me. I struggle to my feet.
"Y-you-" I started to cough a little "You won't defeat me and I won't join Demise!"
He shook his head "Then you can die." He moved in front of me even quicker then Sienna could and punched me hard, sending me through the air and into the wall above the door we came into. I fell from there to the ground. Every part of my body hurt. Somebody was beside me shaking me, that hurt...I turn and see Lea and Sienna beside me.
"Dark, what happened?" Lea asked.
"How are you being beaten." Sienna asked.
I get to my knees "His level...is 75..."
"What?" Sienna asks surprised "That's not even possible!"
"His ring...it gives him a skill that gives him experience from killing players..."
"That's right." He says coming down the stairs.
"Sienna, Lea, move away, he's dangerous." They listened. The fighting stopped as he walked towards me.
"So, out of your party you're the leader?" He asked.
"Yes...out of my party."
He smiled then suddenly grabbed me by the throat and lifted me into the air, my feet off the ground.
"So if I kill you, you're party won't know what to do."
I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
"Let him go!" Sienna shouted.
"What if I don't?"
"Then we'll make you." Doran said.
He slammed me against the wall "Just try it."
Doran and Sienna both ran at him, and as they have attacked him, he blocked them both, still choking me.
"Is this all Dark's party has to offer? You should have known better then to have fought me." He pushed their weapons away then slashed them both across the chests, hitting them back a little.
"Do you see Dark, your recklessness has-" He stops as he sees a blue glow around me "What the-" I swing my fist into his face sending him backwards, releasing my neck at the same time.
He glares at me "What is that energy?"
"My skill. Defender, but this is X2. You hurt two of my comrades so instead of my strength doubling, it's quadrupled!" I pushed off the floor and dash at him, before he can react I punch him in the jaw sending him into the air, then I jump up and kick him in the stomach sending him into the floor, making a crater. I land and the glow around me fades, it only lasts if I'm protecting someone, then it disappears.
Doom stands up "Looks like your energy has worn out now." He walks closer and I take step back.
"Don't endanger my friends and it wouldn't happen at first..."
"It doesn't matter. You die here." He moves quickly and punches me, sending me to the other side of the room and into another wall. I fall to the ground and don't stand this time. My health is at about a quarter left. He walks up and picks me up by the back of my collar.
"You manage to defeat the traitors? I can't believe how weak they must have been." He throws me to the side.
"Dark..." I hear Sienna mutter.
"Dark, get up! You can't lose here!" Doran shouted.
"Don't lose!" Lea shouted to me.
"It's over Dark. After I kill you, I destroy the rest of your team!" He just said the wrong thing. He swung his fist down and I grabbed it.
"You threatened my entire team. X3 Defender actived." My body was once again glowing blue.
"You have got to be kidding-" I punched upwards hitting his jaw again but right after I felt the power fade.
"Dammit..." I looked around and saw my sword in the wall right behind me. I grabbed it and puled it out. Doom hit the ground from my strike. I ran at him and stabbed my sword into his chest.
"You insolent little brat!" He started to pull my sword out of his chest and I pushed down hard but I felt it moving.
"No! I can't let it be pulled out! Dragon's Flame, Flame Whip!" My sword burst into a pillar of flames, covering him and me inside of them. Everyone watched the flames, wondering if either of us would walk out alive.
"You can't kill me!" He shouted "I'm stronger then you!"
"That's true, but I can still kill you!"
"No you cannot!" He kicked out and connected with me, sending me back, still if my blade. The pillar of flames vanished. Luckily the flames had no effect on me, but it had taken him down just under half health. My health was just above 0, one more hit and I was dead. I whole body ached, but I forced myself to stay standing. Doom managed to get to his feet then he grabbed his sword where I sent it flying to. He walked towards me, slowly, mockingly, thinking he had this battle won...it might be true seeing as how I have no potions left...I didn't know it was possible for someone to be level 75 when we are only on floor 22...I made a fatal mistake. A mistake that might cost me my life. No! I can't give up! I have to get back to my family and I have to protect my party!
"Oh, what's this? You eyes lit up with determination. Why is that?"
"Because I won't lose!"
"Oh really? We'll see about that!" He swung his sword at me and I parried it, something I had never done before, and then I point my sword at his head and thrust my sword forward. He managed to move enough so it stabbed into his shoulder.
"So you delay your defeat!" He moved so my sword was removed from his shoulder and he swung his sword from the side. I go down and the sword just misses me and I stab upwards into his jaw. He stumbles back, from pain.
"Dammit...I didn't get it deep enough to hit your brain...or it's just too small of a target to hit." I smirked a little to confident.
"That's it! I'm taking you down! Everyone, new orders! Destroy Dark!" I turned to see the Demise members looking at me and come towards me, before I could say anything the other 6 got in their way.
"Dark, finish that guy off!" Doran said.
"You can't let him get the better of you." Kirito agreed.
"He should be jailed...but I'll allow his death." Zero said
"I'd rather kill him myself...but take him down." Crystalesia said.
"I will. Gladly." I say as I ready my sword.
"...Fine, I'll take you down with out help!" He rose his sword and swung at me, I sidestepped his attack and cut his side.
"I just realized...I've been to obsessed with your level to realize your attacks are very slow and very easy to dodge, must be your skill. It lets you hold a heavy weapon in one hand, but it's slower."
"That's correct, Dark." He grips the hilt with both hands "So let's try it like this."
One hit...that's all it takes for me to fall. He swings his sword and I jump back, it's a lot faster.
"You didn't try to fight back that time. Are you afraid Dark?"
"Of you? No. Of death...maybe a little." He runs towards me and I slip, fuck, dead...because of such a small thing...I might have been able to win too...I see the sword come down and I close my eyes. I'm sorry, everyone. I hit the ground but nothing happens. I open my eyes and see Sienna standing over me, back facing Doom. I saw that he had swung in from the side again and Sienna had taken the hit. She fell to her knees over me. Her health fell to half due to her lack of defence.
I saw up "Sienna...why did you take the hit?"
She looked at me and smiled a little "I couldn't let you die...and think of it as returning the favour for when you saved me." I guess I had to be thankful for her taking the hit, otherwise I would be dead by now.
"Is this young love?" Doom asked "Then I'll let you both die together!" He swung his sword down and I grabbed Sienna and rolled to the side.
"Sienna, I have to take him down myself."
"I understand." She stepped back.
"You are still at a disadvantage. I still have more hp then you!"
I look at his bar "Not as much as before." He looked and saw he had a quarter left.
"You did a bit of damage, but not nearly enough!" He walked towards me.
"Like I'll let you get close?" I focused energy and my sword burst into flames "Flaming Edge!" I shot the flaming wave at him and he cut through it easily. An idea came into my mind.
"Is that the best you have? A flaming wave?" He laughed "Then this will end quickly."
"That's not all!" I focus my energy and my sword goes on fire again "Flaming Barrage!" I shot 5 flaming waves at him then quickly moved. He broke the waves.
"That didn't work the first time so-" He stopped as he noticed I was gone. He turned in time to see my sword pointed at him "What are you doing?"
"Dragon's Flame!" I appeared behind him, my sword on fire and through his stomach.
"What the...how?"
"You left your guard down." I watched his health drop and I removed my sword as it reached one final hit, like mine. He fell to his knees "Sienna, I have it here go and help the other fight."
"Right!" She responded as she went back to the others.
"Dark...you have defeated me...I can't fight back now..."
"Today Demise falls."
"No. Demise members know even if the leader is beaten, they must find a new one and they will continue fighting even if it is a sure loss."
"Because if they return, they get killed as punishment."
"Yes...Dark, since you defeated me I have a...reward for you." He threw something at my feet. A ring.
"What is this?"
"It's called Crime Reward. It gives the one of a kind skill I told you I had. Experience Sapper. That's the skill. Depending on the level of the person killed you get a different amount of experience."
"What makes you think I want this?"
"You kill pkers. It works the same for them...take it and do what you will with it. Now deal the final blow."
"Gladly." I step forward "Everyone!" All Demise and my group looks "Remember this day as the day, that Demise has fallen!" I stabbed my sword through Doom's heart and he burst into pixels. I fell to my knees. The building went silent. The Demise members were stunned then they erupted. They tried to push past the other 6, to deal a finishing blow against me. A bottle with a red liquid was thrown at me and I caught it.
"Drink it!" Kirito shouted. I pulled the cap off and drank it. My health recovered. I smile and grabbed the ring that Doom had thrown to me. It had a skull on it. Then I thought if something...if I put it on before I killed Doom...I would have been such a high level...I hated the idea but it would help, I put the ring on and ran into battle. As I joined the battle the Demise members stepped back a little. All battles stopped and my group was on one side and Demise was on the other.
"It's over. You have been defeated. Surrender now!"
One of the members spoke up "We won't surrender! Even if you try to kill us all, some will escape and we will rebuild Demise! We will get a new leader and bring players for him to kill and with the ring, the mark of leadership of Demise, he will rise through the levels!"
"You mean this ring?" I say showing them the Crime Reward on my hand.
"You stole it?!"
"No, Doom gave it to me before I dealt the final blow!"
"We will kill you all and then take the ring back!"
I checked the others hp, they were all under half. We might not win...we are outnumbered by 7:200 at least.
"Looks like we don't have a choice. We have to-" I stopped as I noticed my hp was going down. Then I noticed everyone's hp was going down. Kirito seemed to be the only one not surprised. I got it.
"Kirito, did you call for some extra help?"
He smiled "Yes, and it's here." The door opened and standing there was a player wearing a black robe, that covered his face, he carried a scythe in one hand and a large book in the other. It was Grim.
"Kirito." He said walking in "Is this the reason you called me?"
"I thought you could help us take this pking guild out."
"I can do that."
I smiled "Then we attack!"
The attack had gone bad...The Demise members seemed to have more hp then all of us except Zero, myself and Kirito. Grim's Deathly Presence Ability had drained everyone's hp to 1 except mine, since I drank a potion, and the Demise members. The other 6 were back and I was reaching danger levels and Grim was also taking damage from attacks.
"We can't win..." I shouted to Grim.
"There's one way." He opens the book to the middle then he shouts one word "Armageddon!"
"No, Grim! Don't use that!" Kirito shouted, but it was to late. The books pages started to flip around like crazy and ghosts/soul were rising from it. Once the book reached the end Grim had an army of ghost that outnumbered Demise.
"Attack!" Grim commanded the ghosts. They obeyed. As they fought, Grim went over to Kirito.
"Grim...what are you doing? This will kill you!"
"I know...but I can't take the curse of this armor anymore. I'll die happy knowing I saved people instead of killing them."
"So you're okay with dying like this?"
"Yes. It's also taking down a pking guild. This is a good way to die."
-45 minutes later-
Demise had fallen. Each and every member was dead, none had escaped Grim's army of ghosts. The ghosts had started to disappear.
"I will now join these souls." Grim said.
"I thank you for coming to help us." Kirito said
"I would also like to thanks you. For helping us take Demise down...at the cost of your own life." I said.
He nodded "You're welcome. I couldn't ask for a better way to die. Now everyone, go back to town. Repulse!" He slammed his scythe into the ground and I felt a strange feeling, I knew I was being forced back to town. Grim looked at Kirito "Good bye, my friend." He disappeared and we arrived back in town. From here only me and my party stayed together, everyone else separated.
"Let's head home...I'm sure we'll all pretty hurt."
Like usual we all spilt from each other and headed to our rooms. I didn't have much to think about. We took Demise out. The guild that had caused so much trouble was now gone. The only downside was Grim had to sacrifice himself...I'll never forget his sacrifice. A knock on my door.
"Sienna, you don't have to knock you know."
The door opened "It's still polite." she said.
"I understand that." I turn to her and smile.
She comes over to me and starts to kiss me "You almost died today."
"I know...I didn't expect his level to be level 75...I'm surprised I was able to beat him...even when you and Doran tried to help me."
"I took a damaging hit for you...and about that..."She was blushing.
"What?"
"I was wondering if you...could take a look at the cut for me...it's on my back and...I can't see it."
I felt my cheeks go a little red too "I guess I could..."
She sat on my bed looking away from me and then open her equipment and took her shirt off so he back was bare except for her bra strap. The cut was a large one, fatal in real life where you could bleed out but not in this world, it was just a cut that would heal within a day.
"It looks okay. Not to bad..." I say my face still red
"That's good..." She responded.
"You can...put your shirt back on..."
"Oh, right..." I could her face was completely red just from her voice. She put her shirt back on.
"Thanks for saving me by the way." I said changing the subject so she wouldn't get embarrassed more.
"I can't let my boyfriend die." She smiled at me.
I smile back "Good to know I have someone like you to watch my back."
"You always watch mine, I'm returning the favour."
"I can't let my girlfriend die." I say mimicking her words.
"You protected me before we became a couple."
"That's true...but I still liked you the first time I tried to save you...even before that time."
"Yeah...you told me that before."
I lie down on my bed "I know I told you before, that I didn't notice that I liked you until I realized how much danger I put myself in to protect you."
She lies down with me and like last night she puts her head on my chest "Sometimes I think it's a little too much danger though. Even when you aren't protecting me you take on to much...like today for example."
"That was unexpected."
"I know..." She said starting to fall asleep.
I smile as a slowly rub her back, and she starts to breath deeply.
Tomorrow won't be a day of so much worry, because Demise has fallen, and that will make not only mine but my whole party's adventure in this world much, much easier.
Chapter 20 Offline.