April 2026
A dark musky sky hung high over the Glocken as usual. The clouds dragged themselves across the sky but very little changed; the sky maintained its familiar gloominess and the muggy lights still dotted the cityscape as they always had. Great towers dominated the cityscape, each radiating harsh yellow light. For months, as time ticked by day by day, the virtual world changed little. A paradox, as much had transpired, but, in the end, the days went by as though nothing had happened.
In the darkened slums below, a lone figure traversed its streets. The maze of monolithic grey, that was the Glocken, offered little solace save for streetlamps of fuzzy light. Perpetual night was settling in and she knew better than to loiter. Devils roamed the back streets after all.
She heard a voice behind her. At first a murmur, then a whistle. Unfortunately for her, this street had much more than some dim lights hung above and a hum of traffic in the distance.
"'Ey there, pretty. Nice night, ain't it?" Turning, she saw a masculine figure leaning against a wall. A wild leather vest adorned with spikes made no effort to conceal this male player's barbaric tastes. A wide rag wrapped around his head and through a pair of peepholes His eyes gazed brightly against the darkness, suspiciously. The player was no devil, they at least had corrupted morals to follow.
He rose from the wall and began making his way towards her. "You like the night here? I get this is a game and the sky's always crap, but it's times like this that kinda makes it nice, eh?"
As he advanced, she did not reciprocate. No introductions were needed between fellow players; she already knew that whoever he was, he was bad news. All she could do for now was to keep on moving and hope the safety of the main streets were close.
"W-what do you want?" Her words spluttered out. All she could do was buy time. However, this was time that didn't exist.
Just as her pace quickened, the man grabbed her arm. "Where do you think you're going? I want to have some fun with ya!" He laughed with a smile that could have made zombies run.
"L-let go you bastard!" she could only struggle with futility. Her screams echoed in the barren street to no avail. His strength overpowered hers. "No! Please go away!"
"You're a feisty one, but not for much longer!"
From the shadows, an accomplice emerged in black leather and spiky hair that could pick up radio. The figure remained silent as he approached the woman. His face was hidden under a cloak that flapped in a seemingly invisible wind. A rope was raised. It tightened in his hands. "You're coming with us, young lady" came a deep voice from the figure.
Then, just like that, the screams ended. An uneasy peace returned to the Glocken. The sun continued to set as the night came ever closer. Sky blue became a royal blue. Spotlights sprung into life around the centre, lighting up the gloomy clouds in yellows and oranges. For those that still wondered, nothing changed. It was simply another day in Gun Gale Online.
And to the vigilant figure on the lookout, it was another day of work.
"Some things never change… Sounds like he's found another catch, right as we expected." And with that, he took off, his personal cape fluttering after him. A curious attire, one not suited for his profession, but it was something he had for as long as he could remember; it was who he was. A hero of this story. With a duty to fulfill.
The urban skylines of the Glocken soon gave way to the broken badlands as the band of players swiftly left civilization behind, dragging their captive with them. An endless desert stretched before them, filled with ruins of a forgotten era. The last breaths of light danced between the dunes. Even now as the day quickly faded over the horizon, many still wondered the wasteland. Other vehicles darted past theirs, heading towards or away from the Glocken. All were simply unaware of what lay within. All except one.
Unknowingly, the small convoy of Humvees were being trailed. Another followed from a distance, nearly identical to the others. It trundled behind the rest, silent as the night and as invisible as the wind. He knew he could afford to hang back, it was their time that was running short after all.
Lights flickered upon the half-destroyed highway. The convoy swerved gently around wrecks of various vehicles. Lorries and trucks towered above, creaking in decades of rust. Smaller vehicles were simply smashed through with little effort, leaving behind a stream of metallic breadcrumbs. Miles vanished beneath roaring tyres. Gradually, metre by metre, their destination approached: a giant complex of half-collapsed facilities and long abandoned containers littering the entrance alongside a large tracked vehicle. It dwarfed the Humvees that zoomed past, whatever it was.
Very few travelled in this direction. Little to no monsters roamed the dunes here, loot was even harder to come by. A perfect place to hide from the playerbase what was actually going on. Thus, as the stars above burst into life, the small convoy grinded to a halt. The highway hid behind the giant red tracked vehicle, even the road did not want to know what occurred in the complex. All players within the Humvees climbed out in countless ways before heading into the facility, their captive dragged behind kicking but to no avail. A metallic door slammed shut. Silence at last.
Like a victorious warband, the marauders marched into the courtyard surrounded by skeletons of long-dead buildings, their husks stripped of any semblance of the past as part of the virtual worldbuilding. Open campfires lit the darkened facility but that was all the comfort that awaited the victim as she was thrown to the ground. She scrambled up only to find their boss standing over her. It was the same face from earlier.
"You…!" Before she could make any moves, she found her arms locked once more in the grips of two masked henchmen, their movements suggesting practice and with repeat experience. One even brandished a combat knife and held the tip close to her arm. "No funny business, or we might have to hurt ya," he growled.
Their leader, the one whose mask was a mere wide rag around his eyes, took the time to down a swig of alcohol. All the luxuries of a good taste and adulthood without the repercussions, all thanks to modern technology. His domineering gaze met that of the victim.
"J-just what do you want?" she demanded. "If you want items, just name them. Rare drops, credits-"
"Oh, no no no, young lady. Ya misunderstand. I just want some fun, y'know? Something I simply need. Unfortunately, doing it in real life would make others frown; can't get real intimate with the gals without society's expectations lookin' down on us. But here, where nothin', hell not even our face, is real, I have freedom! The experience here is as real as it gets, and that's what I like about this game! So please, come with me. I promise we will have an excellent time together!"
Just like that, he grabbed her by the hand, forcing her within the facility. She still kicked and shouted to still no avail. Only thing she got back was ignorance and smiles directly from hell. Quickly, the two vanished behind metallic doors protected by a single guardian with muscles to match his M2 Browning LMG. Voices dimmed, silence returned once more as other members of the group settled down for the night.
Meanwhile, atop a shadowed dune, the same caped figure observed through a pair of binoculars. They were exactly as the reports suggested. All he had sought was their hideout, some "Trekker Compound" as it was labelled, and to catch them in the act. He had seen all he needed. Now it was time to take the bastards down.
As he lowered his binoculars - revealing a mismatched pair of brown and green eyes - he raised his radio. "This is Sabretooth. Mission is a go, there's no time to waste. Everyone in position?"
"When am I not? Ready when you are chief. Just say the word and let's tag-n-bag these suckers."
"Almost. I think I found a good place to provide covering fire. On your command, sir."
"Yes, I am in position. Time is money and I won't get any richer waiting for you people. Let's do this."
"I still can't believe I have to work with this asshole..."
Sabretooth smirked. "Well, sounds like we're all ready. Start the clock." And with that, he dashed towards the complex.
Two sat on the edge of the camp, upon a metallic log. They chatted as a small fire danced in the darkening evening. Others walked about slowly, carefully glancing at the shadows before moving on. Lights flickered from multiple small fires set across the camp. For the players, it was simply another day.
"Hey, I've been thinking…" began one, "Are we the bad guys?"
The other turned to him, chuckling quietly, "Don't be so silly, we aren't the bad guys. Our boss, perhaps, but definitely not us. We get paid to give him some info, then just make sure no one interrupts him. How could we possibly be the bad guys if we don't do the bad deeds?"
"We do, well, kidnap people though… Like the group as a whole, even if we aren't doing it. So, I guess us two aren't?"
"Yeah, I'll drink to that." He raised a small flask, "To us, not bad guys!"
Unfortunately for the two of them, bullets don't care about who's on whoever's side. A shot rang out from the dunes, striking the guy with the flask in the back of the head. A perfect shot. He fell forwards, beside the fire.
"Help! Sni-"
Another shot, and the second fell dead where he sat. Two cracks that rang like thunder and the camp was immediately swarmed with guards, weapons in hand, alarm in their mind, and their aim directed at the direction of the shots. The campfire two of their own once were continued to burn lightly, casting warm light that barely pierced the darkness. The pair's bodies dissipated into red pixels as they all awaited the mysterious attacker.
Bated breaths were made as they stared into the blackness and eventually, it answered back. "Nice night, ain't it?" Gazes and barrels instantly swung over to a figure that materialised into the campfire light. This player, whoever he was, was unlike what most had seen: dressed in black but with platinum blonde hair that waved to his right in the wind. A red cape was fashioned onto his back, framing his silhouette like blood.
It all meant that whoever he was, he wasn't one of them.
Guns held tighter as they all aimed at the newcomer. Yet rather than intimidate him, he smiled. "Sorry for dropping in unannounced (as well as capping those two guys). Saw what I thought was a friendly party going on. You take newcomers?"
The gunmen all glanced at each other, unsure of what to make of their first impression. But one among them seized the initiative to reply. "This ain't a party, bud. And we don't take newcomers either."
The stranger shrugged. "A pity. Thought I could hang out from my long trip; was quite a day, you see. But if this isn't a party like you said, then what're you really doing?"
The de facto gang leader narrowed his eyes into a dangerous squint. "... It's none of your business. Now get lost."
"Oh I'm afraid I can't. Because now I'm interested. Why would a full-sized squadron be doing out here in this time of day?... Or do you prefer if I called you guys a 'gang'? Or would that be too incriminating for you fellas?"
The sound of racking slide echoed. "You're stickin' your nose where you're gonna regret."
"Funny, because sticking my nose into other peoples' business is what I do for a living. And it looks like I've caught a real bad scent. And before you all try to kill me, let me just say that the last guy who thought the same was a little fella named Death Gun months ago."
The gunman's eyes widened. "Death…? Holy shit you're-"
A gunshot rang out, and the gunman fell dead in a limp courtesy of a G36 that was now in the stranger's hands. Likewise, a wide smirk now rested over his face. "That's right. Sabretooth! One and only!"
Everyone flinched and shot into action at the gunshot but by the time the thugs could react Sabretooth had ducked behind a log. But they knew where he was and so a hail of bullets quickly followed. A storm of lead pelted his surroundings, throwing up sparks and dust around him as his cover held precariously firm. To pop up for even a second was to catch some rounds to the face, and there were easier ways of committing suicide.
And yet, Sabretooth couldn't help but grin at the situation. He had counted at least twenty contacts with that stunt of his (made even easier thanks to bullet line indicators). And now all eyes were focused on him. Everything was going according to plan.
"I got their full attention. Show's all yours Ricochet!"
"Well ahead of ya boss!"
On top of a single story building, behind a sign half broken, a female avatar swung a grappling hook at the sign and begun her sudden dissent towards the ground. One hand held the rope while the other blasted away full-auto with a MAC-10. One guy beneath her stood no chance. One burst is all it took. All they would have seen before their inevitable demise was a flash of red and a smile ear to ear. The sudden deaths of their comrades yanked the attention of the others below as her momentum brought her into a swinging motion. But it wasn't long before she jumped, inertia carrying her onto the walls where she became a proverbial blur along them. Tracers followed after her but to no avail as she outran their aim, and all this time she continued to pour fire on her targets below. "Looks like they've finally noticed us, the idiots."
"Good, now wipe them off the face of the Earth!"
The remaining players moved to more defensible positions, behind concrete blocks, around corners of buildings etc. They now held their ground, money was at stake. Yet, all were unprepared. Another ear piercing shot ran from the dunes. Another fell to the ground, dead. Desperately, the defenders scanned the dunes. Once spotted, every shot would have the bullet line. Essential to their survival. Yet, it was all futile. Their efforts proved in aim. The sniper was simply invisible. Although, it did not help they were under constant gunfire from multiple directions. The cloaked figure to the west fired extremely well aimed bursts at the defenders. Luck saved them more times than none. A red hoolgian jumped about within the complex, always too fast to hit and appearing from nowhere. To the north, between a wrecked 6x6 vehicle and a lampost, 7.92mm rounds tore through anyone that dared to peak over their cover. Before a player could react, a dozen bullets had their name scratched onto them. More shots came from the roof tops, another assault rifle. This one was a little more trigger happy, but still accurate enough.
The shooter, clad in faded green and gray and wearing a helmet of German origins, swivelled her FG-42 on its bipod mount only for it to abruptly answer back with hollow clicks. She hastily ducked back behind cover as red laser-like lines began swinging in her direction, trying not to fumble the magazine release lever or her bulky mags. "Reloading! Cover me!"
"Got it, Jägerin!"
Red bullet lines lit up the courtyard, all pointing roughly where Jägerin was positioned. A few bursts into the darkness followed, all missing. None were even close calls. Instead, the bullet lines followed what they thought was an easier target, Sabretooth dashing from concrete bollard to the next. Sprays of gunfire followed him like a persistent dog. Occasionally the gunfire was directed elsewhere, as Ricochet was on the loose behind their frontlines. Shouts and grunts echoed as their numbers reduced one by one. Sabretooth finally reached an armoured Humvee, suitable protection against small arms fire.
"I count six more outside the building. Their duty will be dishonourably discharged. Oracle, you have sights on these guys?"
"Yeah, yeah, I do. Don't have to tell me twice… Adjusting angle..."
Another shot rang through the dunes. Another foe dropped with a single shot. They cowered in fear, a few attempted to storm the very compound they swore to protect. Some banged on the door, others lay on the ground, one even attempted to flee.
A rip-like burst rang out, felling the fleeing foe. There was to be no escape now. Over on the radio, the unseen shooter spoke up. "Hey, look at that. I did my part. Now can we get this over with already?"
"Oh it's over alright. They just doesn't know it." Strolling through what was once a scene of mayhem, Sabretooth headed straight to the compound, Jägerin by his left, Ricochet by his right. All weapons were on hand, at the ready, and ready for the kill. Seeing them, the survivors herded by the door ran out of sight as fast as their feet could take them. More shots rang out in the night sky.
Sabretooth motioned towards the entrance. "Get ready to breach. Remember: he's got his next victim in there. So watch your fire, no full auto."
Splitting like a trident, the trio assembled by the entrance, a double-door of faded metal, decorated only with weathered smudges and rust of time. No markings or opening pried any secrets or indication, but Sabretooth knew this was it. His sniper's voice hissed in his ear.
"No movement reported from any angle. No direct visual on the target or the victim, so they must be deep inside. If you proceed, I may not be able to assist."
"Oh I'm sure you can," Sabretooth remarked. "Maintain position and keep your aim straight ahead. I'll let you figure out the rest." Assuming the centre, and with quick nods to his partners, Sabretooth kicked the door open.
The crashing sound made him jump. Deep inside, he had heard commotion, voices. Then gunshots - lots of them; some he didn't recognize. And then, silence. And now he found himself almost shit-scared at something that wasn't a gunshot.
In his mind, he knew what was coming, that one day someone would sniff him out, link all the crimes and atrocities back to him. When the doors burst open, spilling nightfire ambience into his eyes, he finally got to see who those "someones" were. They quickly rushed in, a formation of three with weapons drawn. On his left, a redhead; female avatar. He spotted her choice attire of tapered cargo pants with only a mere sleeveless shirt, making out elbow and knee pads. A machine-pistol was clutched in her gloved hand. Everything laid to bare about this one, an aesthetic of unsubtlety. An agility-based build, no doubt. Opposite to her, sweeping his right side, someone else. It took him a moment to realize that this was yet another female avatar, and a very tall one too, towering over the others. He made out her military green trench coat, metal round helmet, and some kind of rifle: a rather uncreative combination with the gift of player expression. It was as if this girl (or woman?) was trying to make the most generic-looking avatar ever seen.
That left the lone figure standing in the middle. Against the backdrop of glowing campfires outside, the player - a male one - stood out like a shadow of hell. His platinum hair that was combed to the right seemingly glowed ethereally and his cape, however tacky it looked, somehow supplemented this player's unnatural - even evil - image. Shivers went down his spine like flowing electricity. He had seen this player before; everyone months before should have. Winner of the previous Battle of Bullets in its first ever draw: Sabretooth.
The three stepped in, their weapons drawn to him as the only human target inside. Well, two technically, as he held his would-be victim in front of him as a shield. She tried to squirm but to no avail. He tightened his grip on his hostage as if afraid to lose his valuable possession. In his other hand, he held his weapon.
He waved his AKS-74u in the direction of his enemies. Its underbarreled tube-like grenade launcher and dual magazines, while an impressive display, did his aim no favours as he was reduced to pointing it with incoherent aim. "S-stay back! Don't even think about taking a step closer or… or…!"
"Or what?" Sabretooth taunted. "Delay the fact you're under arrest, for multiple cases of virtual sexual assault, half a dozen kidnapping charges and for making us work overtime? Just give it up and make this an easy arrest for once. After all, in this particular circumstance, resistance is futile. All you have left is fear."
The thug looked at him with an incredulous expression. "Arrested? Y-you can't arrest me in a game idiot! I could just log off, you know! Besides, you don't even know where I live! You don't know my real name!"
"Funny that you mention that," the caped gunslinger replied with a small smile. "Well listen real closely, Khanate. We've had plenty of time tracking you and your merry little band down. Remember how I said there were half a dozen charges? We've all been busy but we've got you to thank for for making quite an easy trail. And we've done our homework too. We know a lot more about you than you think. For example, we know you've been living by yourself away from your family, ever since you presumably got hooked on VRMMOs. We also know you've had some rather shady academic performance by hanging out with some bad crowds. Does this sound about right, Khanate?... Or should I say, Kaito Wakamatsu?"
Khanate held his ground, his grip tightening ever so slightly. But he stood because his legs had been frozen; his jaw tightened; his eyes became wider and more erratic. Inside, his mind was in tatters. How'd they know? What else do they know? Just who were they?
He watched as his predator smirked. He could tell he was taking amusement in this.
Khanate bit his lip, time was running out quickly. What could he do to tip the balance in his favour… "N-none of that m-matters! I've still got a hostage here!" He pressed the AK into the hostage's neck as he stared nervously at Sabretooth. He didn't flinch at all. In fact, he even chuckled a little.
"Huh… That's funny."
Khanate continued to glare at him. "What's so funny?"
Sabretooth continued, tilting his head to the side. "... You ever find it funny how, whenever someone uses a human shield, they conveniently leave their head wide open?" Then he smiled.
"What the hell are you-" And then he noticed a thin red line emanating from right past Sabretooth's ear, leading directly at his-
And that was the last thing he felt, before his whole world slammed to black, his thoughts coming to a screeching halt courtesy of a .300 Winchester magnum round.
Sabretooth watched as both their prey's body and his hostage fall to the floor, the former disappearing into red mist before it even hit the ground. Peering behind him, making out the appearance of a camouflaged sniper with flat brown hair in the far distance, his smile stretched wider.
"Nice shot, Oracle."
"Save your thanks. You had that planned all along, didn't you? You considered my angle and direction, as well as the size of the opening, for me to make that shot, hence why you gave me such orders. Both a needless gamble and an equally needless display of showmanship… As expected of you, Honda-san."
Sabretooth sighed, his smirk having disappeared. "Remember what I said about using real names in an online game?"
"And do you remember what I said about me reporting all of our activities to the Bureau?" Oracle retorted. "It's already embarrassing enough that I have to put up with working with loose cannons and a convict."
"I heard that!" Their fifth member called. "We done here?"
"Has the info been passed on?"
"Of course," Oracle answered impatiently. "I already took care of it when we confirmed his identity. Wakamatsu can expect a visit from the police very shortly."
Sabretooth glanced back to see Ricochet and Jägerin helping up the female player. No medkits would be needed; ingame wounds don't compare to real-life psychological wounds. God knows the amount of creeps inhabiting this game, taking full advantage of the fully-immersive nature to satisfy their depravity. Fortunately, the damage was minimal. "Then yeah, we're done here. Nice work everyone. You too, Clover. Just make sure that what you found about that guy gets kept to yourself. Now let's get the victim someplace safe."
He turned back to leave but not before a voice - the one they rescued - stop him. "Hey. I-I don't know who you are, but… thank you."
He answered with a casual nod. Better to just keep it professional. "Just doing our jobs." Sabretooth was about to take another step before he was asked yet again.
"Can I ask who you guys are?"
Sabretooth considered turning to face her, but decided to simply play it cool. His back to her, he answered back.
"Just a little team that we call the First Virtual Security Division. But I reckon you're more familiar with our other name…
"Gun Shield!"