Chapter 43

The digital readout in Jayce's peripheral vision ticked past eleven at night. He leaned against one of the wooden supports running from the floor to the ceiling behind the bar. These past hours had been some of the longest he could remember. Rose sat at a table near the front of the room with Jemza and Roland. Luna sat at a second table towards the north end of the room by herself. Argo sat atop the bar counter next to Jayce kicking her feet back and forth slowly. The rest of the tavern was empty, all other NPC's had vacated long ago.

"You sure about this Argo? You're valuable to people here." The girl placed her hands on the counter and pushed herself a bit closer so that her shoulder touched his arm.

"I'm what people call a solo player. My line of work tends not to compliment a group style of play very well. Playing solo is dangerous since you must rely purely on yourself to survive. In return you are afforded the freedom to go at your own pace, which tends to be quite fast. A lot of these types of players made up the group that took on the first floor boss." Argo continued to kick her legs as she spoke to Jayce next to her.

"Were you with them? What are they like?" The whiskers on her face twitched in response to his question.

"No, I do not fight on the frontlines. As for what they are like…I don't know all of them. The first floor boss fight went very well at first. A man named Diavel led the assault flawlessly. Through his leadership and direction they brought the boss down into a section where its tactics changed. The change involved the boss switching weapons and was well known from the beta. Unfortunately, the type of weapon the boss switched to was different now than in the beta. Only one player recognized the difference, but he didn't realize it until tragedy struck.

Diavel was cut down and killed before a warning could be issued. The young man who had tried to warn him rallied the rest of the party together and coordinated the final stretch that would lead to the boss's death. The first floor boss claimed only one player's life, but that was only the beginning. It was a solo player who rallied everyone together. After the dust settled people began to question his motives. He was a solo player, and a beta tester. That combination tends to make people think you are greedy and out purely for self gain. Many blamed him for Diavel's death. Why didn't he warn people sooner about the change from beta to the live version?"

"What did he do?" Jayce had never heard anything about the group that cleared the first floor. The fact that Argo was willing to share this amount of information with him without the usual banter about cost was something he was thankful for.

"In that moment the entire population of beta testers were at risk of being blamed for Diavel's death. The vast majority of players aren't beta testers and to be honest a lot of them have already died. Instead of celebrating the victory a headhunt was about to begin on all beta testers. The boy who killed the boss decided to shoulder the burden by himself. He claimed that the beta testers were below him and that he knew about everything all along, but chose to hide it." Jayce looked down at Argo incredulously.

"He lied?" Argo glanced up at him and nodded.

"Yes, to protect the other beta testers he chose to shoulder the weight of judgment."

"Why would he put a target on himself like that? He saved all those people." Jayce couldn't believe that someone would be willing to take such a risk. Not to mention so shortly after surviving the first floor boss battle.

"Because when faced with a choice between those you care about being harmed or your ability to endure it alone a person's true character shows. I now believe that you understand that kind of choice. So, you already know the answer to your question."

"This isn't like that Argo. I could never make a choice like that in the moment." Argo laughed quietly letting her legs relax.

"You just want to save Jemza, I understand that. If it were a blade to my throat, you would let me die?" The girl winked as he pursed his lips in response.

"Of course I wouldn't."

"Would you throw yourself in harm's way just for me?"

"Argo, seriously now is not the time…"

"I'm moments from death Jayce with a sword to my neck. We aren't lovers, family, or anything close so I'm asking you…would you let me die if it meant you would live." Jayce turned his head towards her sharply narrowing his eyes.

"No, I'd try to save you. Is that what you want to hear?" Argo smiled and placed her hand on his.

"I wasn't teasing you this time. I just wanted you to realize that you aren't as weak as you believe. Just because you aren't someone who fights on the front lines doesn't make you weak. Jemza notices that too." Jayce took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Solo player huh? Sounds lonely." Argo shrugged in response and started kicking her legs again.

"Sometimes, but an information broker must be free from sentimental relationships. If not she would be at risk of acting out of emotion rather than logic. Conflict of interest and all that." Jayce blew out a breath of air and slid his hand out from under hers.

"And here I thought we were friends." He put his arm around her shoulder and she chuckled.

"I never said I wasn't prone to breaking the rules." Another long wink followed her words and Jayce playfully pushed her away. Their smiles vanished as the door leading into the tavern slammed open suddenly. Both Jayce and Argo's hands reflexively dropped to their weapons. A man in leather armor strode into the room casually, a sword swaying on his hip. Behind him, six others in black hoods followed fanning out on his right and left.

"Rose Vermilion, you are a hard woman to find!" Kurt laughed while clapping his hands together a few times.

"Kurt Wagner, I see nothing has changed with you. Still hiding behind your friends." Rose spat back at him. Jayce watched as Jemza's hand slowly made its way towards her dagger. Kurt glanced around the room before clicking his tongue and shaking his head.

"This place needs some work. I expected a bit more from you. It looks like you were expecting me which is strange I'll admit, but these were the best you could bring? This doesn't have to get ugly. Why don't you and I take a walk together and catch up on old times." Kurt's teeth showed as he grinned. Jayce could feel his stomach turning with every word the man spoke.

"Over my dead body." Rose pushed herself up out of the chair and stood defiantly. Jemza and Roland did the same waiting for Kurt to make a move. Jayce glanced down at Argo and caught her eye. She gave the briefest of nods and slipped her hands into the folds of her cloak.

"Excuse me then." Jayce whispered and placed his hand on the counter beside her hips. She slowly shifted her weight and allowed his hand in between the counter and her thighs. Once he was ready she lowered herself once more so that she sat on his hand and waited.

"Your friends don't have to die here Rose. Aren't you tired of watching people die?"

"There's still a few people I'd like to watch die." Rose pulled her saber out and leveled it ahead of her body. Kurt sighed and looked at his group of people assembled beside him.

"You should have done what you were told. Things didn't need to be like this." The man gripped his sword and brandished it settling into a stance. The black hooded figures all produced various weapons ranging from daggers to swords. One held a hatchet looking weapon as well.

"Let's pick up where we left off Kurt, and make sure to give my regards to Artemis when you see him." Rose let a smile cross her face and for a brief moment Kurt's face twitched.

"Hmph, so you knew? How troublesome, but in the end all you've done is benefit me. Now, I don't need to pay the man for his services. Kill them all." Kurt took the first step forward and for Jayce, Jemza, and Argo their visions all changed. Three more health bars appeared in their group window. Rose, Luna, and Roland all became part of their group. Red bars of health filled above each of the black hooded figures heads with the name Blackhood Assassin accompanying each.

"Jayce…" Argo's voice trembled slightly as she stared at Kurt stalking forward slowly. Roland and Jemza prepared their weapons and Luna began moving towards them as well.

"What is it?" Kurt's health bar came into view showing two full rows of health. Jayce had never seen an enemy that had more than one bar of health. Under the bars was another oddity he had never seen. Kurt Wagner, Blade of the Blackhoods

"Multiple bars of health and a title. He is a boss level enemy Jayce." She tensed her legs and leaned forward slightly.

"Boss level?"

"Too late now, do it!" Argo threw her arms out of her cloak, a pair of claws extending from her fists. Jayce didn't hesitate on her command and pushed against her rear with all his strength. Argo the Rat was just like Jemza in her stat layout. She prioritized agility and maneuverability over all else. Her body was petite and light. Since she wore no armor it didn't take a lot of strength or effort to launch her forward. While her brown cloak fluttered wildly through the air Jayce pulled the sword Jemza had given him free and jumped the counter charging in behind her.