MM - Chapter 64 - ONE AT A TIME

Four scattered players were frozen, shocked to their core by Raine’s casual execution of their comrades. They weren’t hardened warriors, or even martials, just people who excelled at bullying those weaker than them. Overwhelmed by terror, one turned to flee. His head was pulverized before he took the first step.

The question marks above Raine’s head that would normally show his class and health turned a shade of light pink. When a player killed another when it wasn’t self defense, they would be flagged as PVPers. The more they killed, the darker red their information became. There was no penalty for killing ‘red’ players in towns, and if they were red enough, they would even drop additional equipment upon death. 

Previously, Raine had targeted the fortifications with Rupture, and the players only happened to be in the way, so they didn’t count. Of course, that subtlety only worked because the fortifications were blocking an official roadway created by the kingdom, which was a violation of the law.

Raine swept his gaze across the last three, then released another burst of bloodlust, “Don’t do pointless things. I have a use for you. Fulfill it, and I’ll let you live.” He jerked his head toward Mel and Celeste who were just as stunned as everyone else on the road, “Fight these two. They’re both level zero. If you manage to kill one of them, you can leave.”

One of the survivors shook like a leaf in a hurricane, “B-but the protections.”

Raine ignored him, walking in a circle and tapping each dropped piece of loot with his boot to place them in his inventory, “Pick your targets and send the duel request.”

The girls nodded to each other, then tapped at their interfaces. Raine’s senses were tuned toward the players in the thin woods on either side of the road. They were too spread out to easily chase down and doing so would have allowed the three at what was left of the barricade to escape.

Really taking their sweet time. They should have attacked immediately before my skill’s cooldown finished.

The same player who spoke earlier took a fearful step back, looking between Mel and Celeste, “B-both of you?”

“Nobody said it had to be one-on-one!” Celeste spat, her staff in her hands. 

Raine nodded, impressed they figured out the trick to his task. Mel went wide, attempting to flank the man. His spear swiveled from one to the other, fear still overwhelming his decision making. When Celeste leaned forward and lunged, his level five Potency easily batted the blow aside with the bladed tip of his weapon. Her arm was sent to the side and she jumped back a step.

The terror gripping the man’s guts faded instantly as he realized that she wasn’t the same kind of monster Raine was. With growing confidence, he jumped toward her in a straightforward Pierce. Celeste barely twisted her torso and bent her back in time. Mel tried to take advantage but was too slow to close the distance, leaving Celeste to deal with the butt of his spear coming around in a wicked-fast arc.

She ducked, throwing herself onto her ass and sliding away from him. The fear in her expression made it clear she had severely underestimated the power and speed granted by five levels of attributes. Instead of chasing Celeste, he rounded on Mel. 

After swinging the butt of his weapon at Celeste, its point was now facing Mel. Her eyes widened seeing the sharp tip darting toward her head. Surprise ruined her ability to access Discipline, and lacking Celeste’s honed reflexes, she failed to dodge. The spear cut deeply into the side of her exposed neck, releasing a spray of blood.

Her dagger fell from fingers that clamped around the wound. Large, panicked eyes watched in disbelief as the spear jerked back for another stab. A small ball of fire crashed into the man’s back and he stumbled forward with a startled shout. Celeste was on him as quickly as she could move, the bottom of her staff whipping toward his face. Thanks to significantly higher Finesse, he managed to turn and get the center of his spear in the way to block. 

The butt of his spear once more sent Celeste reeling. He charged as she was falling. Impressively, she managed to release another Blast just before hitting the ground. The man flexed every muscle in his body, throwing himself to the side with only one planted foot. Still, he nearly collided with the imperfectly aimed bolt that would have missed him had he maintained his attack.

Off balance, he wasn’t at all prepared for Mel when she slammed into his side. Her dagger was driven deep into the soft flesh beneath his ribcage. She followed him down, blood staining her basic tunic. Pinned down, his spear was useless. He tried to wrest the dagger from her but a blow to his chin by the recovered Celeste rattled his brain. Five more attacks finished the job and he fell limp before bursting into a shower of sparking lights.

Mel healed herself again and the nasty, half-closed gash on her neck sealed into soft scar tissue.

She needs a third Mend to fully recover? Must have been a crit. She’s lucky that didn’t kill her. Both of them are.

While the last two survivors stood nervously, unsure of their fates, Raine approached the girls to whisper, “Out of ten fights against that guy, you would lose nine. The only reason you won is circumstances and luck. But that’s exactly what a true battlefield is. Emotions, unexpected events, misfortune, and a thousand other random things can heavily influence a fight. Taking advantage of even one of them is often the difference between survival and death. That said, what will you do better on the next one?”

“Next one? We have to do that again? I don’t have enough Celestial Power for another Mend!”

Raine didn’t respond to Mel’s complaint as he stared down Celeste. She proved her future reputation wasn’t a fluke, “Mel is too inexperienced to dodge. I have to press the attack so hard they can’t ignore me. That should give her plenty of chances to whittle them down. I didn’t expect him to be so much stronger and faster than me, I won’t get knocked down again!” She growled the last, more to herself than him.

Raine nodded, “Passion isn’t enough to overcome a difference in attributes. Widen your stance and don’t face them square on to narrow your profile. And never forget that the staff is more than a stick. It's a third leg, an arm, a shield.

Mel, don’t focus on anything other than fully experiencing your emotional state. Unlocking Discipline will give you a second resource pool so you’re not solely reliant on CP. Go on then.”

He waved them toward the next player. The woman swallowed hard. She raised her long sword, then tapped her finger in the air to accept the duel. Celeste rushed her and Mel was right behind, moving to the flank once more. Wise to the strategy, the woman put her back to a few spikes slightly off the road.

Her tactic might have worked without Raine's hints. Celeste barreled forward without any signs of slowing. The woman took a hasty swipe at her but Celeste came in low. She planted the bottom end of her staff against the road and jumped forward feet-first like a pole vaulter. Her soft boots slammed into the woman's chest and she stumbled back into the spikes.

Her pained shout was cut short by Celeste's Blast that hit her right in the face. Even her choking didn't last long as Mel's dagger swiped across her throat. Gurgling blood, she lurched forward with a two-handed Slash. Celeste didn't take the blow head on. The tip of her staff smacked into the woman's wrist, redirecting her arms up and over Celeste’s low stance.

The woman Charged, her form blurring to smash into Celeste and send her flying. She turned to face Mel alone, only to find the girl was already clear on the other side of the road after three Discipline-powered sprinting steps. Luckily for Celeste, Charge didn’t do any actual damage, merely bridging the gap to the target and imparting a boosted blast of Force.

The girls shared a glance, then ran at the woman full tilt. Mel, now able to access Discipline, flanked her by the time Celeste arrived. The staff was a blur in her arms as she weaved her torso left and right around powerful sword swings. The distraction was more than enough for Mel to land three quick stabs into her exposed back. She fell dead seconds later.

Raine nodded, “Better. Next.” 

The last man tried to run but Raine was already behind him when he turned around. He stumbled back, raising his hands, “Please, no! Just kill me quick, I don't want to be picked apart by them!”

“Fine,” Raine’s massive mace reduced his head to pulp so quickly the man didn't see him swing. His information was a shade darker as he picked up the dropped piece of gear. He met the girls’ disapproving glares, “What? There's little to learn from a broken opponent.” He walked through the larger gap in the spikes and they dashed to keep up.

They’re doing better than expected. Abysmal footwork, body movement, and overall combat awareness but those can be taught. Their instincts and mental fortitude are off the charts, and those are qualities that can’t be bought.

Taking the time to pick them up wasn’t a waste. With a little polish, they’ll be useful well after the initial guild raid. The two most important parts of any successful guild is its war purse, and its main raid group. When these two mature, and with Fizgore tanking, we’re going to take the Tri-glades by storm. After that little show, I’m even more motivated to push them harder than they would ever push themselves.

Not liking the direction of his thoughts one bit, Celeste tried to divert his attention, “How do you keep vanishing like that? Are your attributes that high? No, that can’t be right. You did it against the ex-champ too. Does that mean it's a martial technique and not a skill?”

“First of all, don’t ever talk about our real world identities while we’re in ZL. Unless you want assassins paying you nightly visits. Second, you can't even use Discipline in a fight yet, but you’re asking about my techniques? I’m clearly being too soft on you if you have time for pointless questions.”

Next training definitely needs to be for their eyes. They're missing everything around them. Focusing so much on only what's in front of you is a great way to get stabbed in the back. I’ll start with expanding their peripheral awareness, then stress their ocular nervous system until they’re begging for mercy.

“W-what about the players we left hiding in the trees back there?”

Celeste’s attempt to get Raine to go easy on her didn’t work in the slightest, “Not worth the time to chase them down. Don't worry, there's plenty more on the road ahead. Now, how many did you notice? I want details: Weapon types, color of their pants, style of armor. Mel first.”

After Celeste won, Raine generously gifted her the tutorial boots that dropped from the woman they killed. Recognizing them, she scowled but wisely didn't complain. As they traveled to the next roadblock, Raine moved through the forest while the girls remained on the road. He practiced constantly with bloodlust, doing his best to grasp the illusive ability.

His obscuring cloak, and years of training with stealth skills, allowed him to remain mostly out of their sight as he randomly chucked rocks at their heads—an activity that filled both their hearts to busting with intense joy. Since he no longer warned them of the beasts that lurked nearby, and often went out of his way to scare them toward the girls with bloodlust, they quickly learned the value of expanding their focus.

- A short time later -

- Shadow Springs Town -

- Righteous central command center -

A powerfully built young man slowly and quietly opened the only door to an unassuming office space. He carefully shut it behind him, just as cautious to not disturb its occupant's focus. The interior had been redesigned by its owner, a lithe woman with slicked back, black hair. She clicked away at the floating schematic of a large tube-like machine that hung suspended in the center of the room.

Taking notice of his intrusion on her own time, she clicked away a few more notes before pinning him with a sharp glare.

The young man snapped a salute, “Ma’am! Master Fist just confirmed it. Froust is being removed from Carter City and won’t be returning to his post in the northeast region, either.”

She spoke for the first time, her voice like the crack of a whip, “Good. That incompetent weakling was never fit for anything beyond looking pretty. Did Master Torune assign replacements?”

Not for the first time, Jerred wondered how his boss came up with her in-game name. Sure, the first half fit her personality perfectly, but the second was never a word he would use to describe her. He shook his head in the negative, knowing she didn't like hearing the word ‘no’ even in these situations.

MeanyMouse pursed her thin lips, “Then he wants me to handle it. Which means dealing with that man…” She pulled up the footage of Froust's embarrassing loss at the Carter City Romaxillions again. She watched the too-gorgeous and mysterious martial dismantle her once-peer with laughable ease and knew she would fare no better. She watched the footage a few moments longer, clicking her tongue in envy at his beautiful companions, “Seduction’s out. We'll try negotiating and bribery first. If that doesn't work… Well, master will be arriving in the city soon enough. Have there been any delays with the construction efforts?”

“The acquisitions of the local shops are complete and demolition is still planned for the morning. Luckily, the deals were signed before Dimitrey's defeat and the new champion either doesn't know or doesn't care.”

“If that changes, I expect an immediate report. Master's accommodations must be complete before he arrives or none of us will enjoy our lives for a long while.”

Jerred snapped another crisp salute, quickly jotting down her command word for word, “Yes, Ma'am!”

MeanyMouse waited for him to finish before continuing, “As for the northeast region, inform Commander Pierke to withdraw from the Crystal Tributaries. Froust's little war with DyingNight was nothing more than a disgusting ego trip. That said, our forces did gain considerable experience with ZionLine's systems, which they can now put to good use. We're far behind the independents in levels, and those are the skilled players we should be focused on recruiting. I want our average level to be fifteen by end of day tomorrow. Three days is plenty of time. Anyone who complains or fails will be demoted to farming.”

“Ma'am!” Jerred once more took rapid notes, wishing all the while he could record the conversation. Unfortunately, MeanyMouse's highly technical project was top secret and recording inside her office would likely result in his death in reality. As he finished, he saw one of his previous notes detailing the second reason he'd needed to see her.

His punishment for failing to report it earlier would suck, but not nearly as much as forgetting completely. He spoke in a rush, not daring to cringe or break eye contact, “Three players recently broke through all our roadblocks leading out of Mirror Lake Town. They were last seen on the road to Dry Canyon Town by a…” Jerred checked his notes, “Warrant Officer Clarkness. After compiling all the reports, it's estimated they've killed over one hundred recruiters and patrollers.”

MeanyMouse's glare was chock-full of fury to the point Jerred was sweating profusely when her words cracked in his ears, “Those losses could cost us several million credits and not one person before you bothered to report it! Send me every relevant VRVod we have on these three, right now!”

Already having the files prepared, Jerred transferred them straight away, “Ma’am, the first reports only came in thirty minutes ago. I prepared the footage for you and brought it straight away!”

“They've killed a hundred people in thirty minutes?! Wait… three people from Mirror Lake Town. That's the Carter City spawning town.” With a suspicious glint in her eyes, MeanyMouse examined the footage in exacting detail, a sinking suspicion churning in her gut.