Rhino’s paranoia exceeded Raine’s expectations. One contract wasn’t nearly enough to settle his nerves. Ultimately, it took three, each more complex than the last. The boy shook his head, “Can’t believe a contract can cut off your arm while increasing the pain high enough to actually kill. ZionLine’s system is intense. How did that make it past the devs?”

  Raine couldn’t blame the boy’s reaction. His was the same when he learned how lethal contracts could be. The day he found a coworker killed by nothing more than a thetadrive headset was the last time he thought of ZionLine as a ‘game.’ This place was just as real as any other reality, and its consequences were equally deadly.

  “If you’re satisfied, sign, and let’s get started. If we delay any longer, Righteous might reposition their people before we catch them with their pants down,” Raine wasn’t willing to negotiate further. The deal he was offering the kid was better than he would get anywhere else.

  “Alright, alright. I heard you the twelfth time. This is a big decision for me; two years is a long time,” Rhino’s lips were pulled back in an ugly cringe as he stared at his interface.

  Raine was at his wit's end. Annoyance crept into his tone, “Then we’ll make it a year, but I’ll cut your benefits in half.”

  “No! That’s… not necessary. I’m fine the way it is. There, I signed. Happy?” Rhino winced, closing one eye and turning away as if expecting a blow.

  Raine’s jaw jutted forward with a sigh, “Seriously?! You still thought it was a trap after all the contingencies and exit clauses we added? It doesn’t matter; you’ll understand eventually. Here, take the flag and stealth to these coordinates. Ping me when you get there. I’ll send a message when it's time to start.”

  Raine first invited Rhino to a party, then activated the flag, marking himself as the leader so it still ‘belonged’ to him before handing it over. He then used an inventory-to-inventory trade and selected over two hundred pieces of basic gear, which Rhino accepted with wide eyes and a disbelieving shake of his head.

  Not waiting around, Raine dashed into the tall grass, heading toward the nearest search party. They weren’t the only ones alerted by his loud approach. Several level seven and eight Shadow Raptors peeked their heads above the grass, spotting him and giving chase with warbling cries. The players shouted as well, gleefully charging his position.

  Raine sprinted low, not bothering with complicated maneuvers to minimize damage as he barreled right through the center of the players’ formation. Since they were spread out, only a few managed to swipe at him as he blurred by, and only one connected. Without being affected by multiple defense-weakening debuffs, the hit failed to penetrate his armor. [-1]

  Confused, the players spun to get a good look at him, “Who?”

  “That’s not-Argh!” The speaker was pounced on from behind by a level eight raptor that sliced his back open.

  Raine Lunged, canceling his forward momentum to spring back into the action. A shield appeared on his arm, and he adjusted his swing to catch the nearest woman with a hook that brought its metallic edge into her jaw. The level-five woman didn’t fly away or even recoil from the hit. After receiving multiple times her health pool in overkill, she burst into a cloud of stardust that produced a pair of gloves wrapped in a bubble of gray light. Humming cheerily, Raine scooped up the loot.

  The next closest player dove at him with bloodshot eyes, “Mariaaaaaaa!”

  A casual sidestep sent the spear’s tip sliding harmlessly under Raine’s arm, the same arm that delivered a devastating shield blow to his face. A pair of boots joined Raine’s growing collection of donations. All but five of the thirty remaining players turned on him, fury clouding their judgment.

  Their leader shouted, spittle flying from his lips, “Kill him!” Raine laughed in their faces, then turned and slowly ran toward the direction of another group he’d spotted from the air. “Groups two and four deal with the raptors. Everyone else, after him!”

  As they gave chase, the nearby search parties received intel on Raine’s location and quickly positioned themselves to surround him. Seeing them take the bait, he changed his course, heading toward the nearby town. By the time he needed to break through another group, over twenty raptors were on his tail, along with several hundred players.

  This time, he singled out their leader—a massively muscled middle-aged man. He was the highest-level player Raine had seen at fourteen and carried a massive greataxe. As Raine heedlessly charged toward the man through rank upon rank of players, a wave of undodgeable debuffs showered him.

  [Negative afflictions received (Armor Down): Baseline Armor reduced. Multiple applications detected. Total physical damage mitigation reduced by 50% (Duration 3.21 seconds)]

  [Negative afflictions received (Resistance Down): Baseline Resistance reduced. Multiple applications detected. Total elemental and divine damage mitigation reduced by 50% (Duration 3.21 seconds)]

  A shower of arrows and blasts flew toward Raine. He crouched, momentarily halting his momentum before jumping with all his Potency. Most of the ranged attacks whiffed as he hurtled forward. A full-power burst of bloodlust caused the melee players around him to jerk back in surprise, some even falling to their knees as unexplainable terror overwhelmed their instincts.

  Raine hadn’t left combat yet, so he still had the shield, its weight pulling him slightly to the side. The leader shrugged off the fear with a grin and repositioned himself to take advantage of Raine’s supposed imbalance.

  His earlier fears of facing a powerful martial with an army at their back became a reality. Utilizing a martial stance Raine recognized all too well, the burly leader front-flipped forward with a burst of Discipline, turning his oversized axe into a whistling cleaver powered with Slash.

  Raine clicked his tongue, dipping into his precious resources to Parry the dangerous attack. An ear-cracking pang resounded as the man’s rotational force turned against him. His trajectory was jarringly altered. He flew to the side, cleaving through two players before crashing into the ground.

  “General!” A concerned woman shouted, sending a ball of green light zipping through the air to heal the fallen man.

  The general was already back on his feet by the time her Mend uselessly splashed across his chest, “Fool woman! How many times have I told you to check my health before wasting your CP?” With a growl, he pointed at Raine’s retreating back, “After him! 1st and 3rd regiments, block him before he reaches town!”

  Since a regiment could contain up to five thousand players, Raine knew he had their attention. No longer limiting his speed, he tore across the plains toward Shadow Springs Town.

  General? This guy is no joke. A peak class four expert, maybe even class five master. At least by today's standards. How am I not familiar with him? He’s using Torune’s techniques, so he can’t be an outside professional. Who is this guy?

  Marco Salvatore

  - 1st General of Righteous -

  After issuing several commands, Marco punched in an Ncode, sending a message marked as urgent, and then called the same recipient. She picked up on the first ring, an annoyed twist to her lips. Seeing the much younger, thin-lipped woman, Marco smiled broadly. The anticipation of claiming her caused his heart to clench and heady emotions to leak into his voice, “Wife, I’ve caught the little fly who embarrassed you so severely.”

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Don’t call me that!” Vaneese snarled, “I’m already watching your vodcast. The only thing you’ve caught is a face-full of mud.”

  Marco shivered, his desire only ratcheting higher the more she resisted the inevitable, “Wife, you’ll soon learn that everything I set my eyes upon eventually becomes mine.”

  “Keep dreaming, disgusting pig. Why are you even pretending to fight one of yours in the first place? You’ve already achieved your goal with this farce. Don’t tell me you betrayed him after getting what you wanted? How classic of you and master. I look forward to watching him kill you. Then, I’ll relish watching my forces finish him off.”

  Utterly confused, Marco shook his head, “What nonsense are you spewing? Well, it hardly matters what fanciful ideas are rolling around in your pretty little head. I’ll let it slide since you were kind enough to send your husband reinforcements. It’s nice to know you care despite your sharp tongue,” Marco’s smile was back, his legs pumping to catch up with the slippery player.

  They both knew her 5th Division was en route. The delayed arrival of her twenty-five thousand players was the only reason they hadn’t re-distributed their forces yet after calling an end to the war. When they did arrive in a few minutes, their total on-hand players would exceed a hundred thousand: a full fifth of Righteous's borrowed manpower—from Morok The Viper. It was more than enough to snuff out one insignificant player, no matter how stubborn he might be about dying.

  Vaneese’s upper lip pulled back in disgust. Unable to bear Marco’s voice and his stubborn denials of using the mysterious disciple to betray her, she ended the call.

  Raine KongRu

  Over the next several minutes, Raine broke through multiple spread-out lines of players arrayed to trap him. He took a circuitous route, giving Rhino time to get in position. When he received the ping that everything was prepared, Raine angled directly toward the front gates of the town. Several thousand fighters, rangers, and casters blocked his way. More piled out from the safety of the walls with each passing second.

  Eager to begin, Raine dashed straight toward their ranks. The sky darkened, filled with arrows just before blossoming with multi-colored brilliance as the casters unleashed their salvos. There was too much incoming fire for a mere sidestep or Lunge to save him. Debuffs coated him before the attacks landed, ensuring more than enough damage would be dealt to kill him.

  Raine altered his approach angle by fifty degrees, sprinting to the side. Most of the attacks would now miss, but the players were far from done. A second wave of projectiles and spells was launched, then a third in the opposite direction, cutting off all avenues of escape. He didn't change directions again, instead flowing into a complex series of shuffle-steps that made it impossible to tell how far away he was. The fourth wave of missiles were loosed right as the second showered down around him.

  Just before they struck, a heavy mace materialized in Raine’s right hand, and a brown sheen of energy flowed from the ground to slither across his armor.

  [Guardians Embrace: (Novice) Buff an ally within 10 meters for 5 minutes. Increases Defense by 50 + 10% maximum CP (Cost: 40 CP) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

  [Immaculate Damascus 2-H Mace: (Lustrous Blue - LVL 15) (Attack Power +78) (Attack Speed -.25) (Defense +22) (PTC +14) (PHY +16) (CNC +15) (Durability 200/200)]

  Due to the debuffs on him, Raine only received half the bonus Defense from his expensive skill, which was a not-insignificant 32. Unfortunately, many of the players he faced were elites who managed to stay alive through the war. Any above level ten were unaffected by the law of five, meaning their damage was unmitigated by the level disparity. Regardless, few had the attributes necessary to break through Raine’s 157 Defense.

  Yet the despair of absolute numerical advantage reared its ugly head. Even dealing a single point of damage apiece, Raine was hit enough times that his health quickly dropped below fifty percent. Damage notifications flooded his HUD, which rapidly flashed crimson. Healing Burst kept him alive. [+292]

  [Healing Burst: (Novice) Lay hands upon a target to restore health equal to 200% maximum CP. Additional 200% CP health restored over 120 seconds - stacks 3 times - each stack refreshes timer (Cost: 30 CP) (Cooldown: 60 seconds)]

  Raine’s blood sang with adrenaline as the fourth deadly wave loomed high. A tall, broad-shouldered woman lowered her raised arm, signaling the front rows of players to charge. Before they met, arrows and spells crashed into the ground behind Raine, releasing a thunderous clatter. His repeated martial techniques threw off their aim; combined with a double Lunge, he escaped with only another hundred damage.

  He met the charging players head-on, roaring as he dove into their ranks. Their combined warcries utterly drowned him out. He crashed into raised shields, and his arm snaked out to grasp a man's face. Life Drain brought him down to sixty-one Celestial Power, killing the man and charging Raine’s health. [+292] He only had enough CP for four more uses of the skill, and the battle had yet to start in full.

  The sky once more filled with enough arrows and Blasts to blot out of the sun and simultaneously birth a new one. Snarling, Raine swung and struck the air, releasing a Rupture that popped two dozen players, clearing him a path forward. Shouts too numerous for any individual to be discernible assaulted his ears as the wide gap he’d created was filled in moments. Raine dove into them, his Potency great enough to throw players bodily away from him. Unfortunately, that left them piling up, creating walls of flesh, armor, and iron he couldn’t budge.

  Most of the bombardment fell behind Raine, killing hundreds of players. His eyes were glued to his health. He relied solely on his peripheral vision to dodge while blasting through shields and hasty guards with his oversized club. Men and women fell like flies before him as his health rapidly ticked down. Just before the cooldown on Life Drain reached zero, Raine forced another activation of his Roulette. The cursed item’s vile lightning coursed through his veins, attempting to seize his muscles. [-102]

  He swore at his foul luck when his two-handed mace vanished, only to reappear in his hands again. At the exact moment, Greater Werewolf’s Regeneration and the HOT (Heal Over Time) from Healing Burst activated. [+105] Raine grumbled under his breath that at least the two canceled each other out. Then, he utilized the martial spin-step he’d stolen from SolemnRiver so long ago. His body blurred as he spun, and the heavy weapon crunched through more bodies than he could count. Raine had yet to draw a slashing weapon for Great Divide, and his Celestial Power was already low. He was forced to take a desperate gamble, balancing his health below half to get the most out of Greater Aspect of the Werewolf. With little choice but to accelerate his plans, Raine sent the already-composed message to Rhino; it was time to begin the real battle.

  Idris Iselda AKA Rhino

  Rhino had been holding the precious item in sweaty hands for what felt like hours as players from Righteous charged by to surround his mysterious new boss. Crouching in the tall grass, he could clearly see the innumerable ranged attacks filling the sky in the distance. Shouting and explosions rang loud in his ears while the ground beneath his feet trembled from thousands of boots. His torso was wound so tight with urgency he felt like he was going to piss himself.

  When the message arrived, Rhino’s grin split his face. He slammed the butt end of the item into the ground, activating its effect.

  [Flag of the Bandit King: (Lustrous Blue) For one hour, summons 2 bandits for every piece of sacrificed equipment. Bandit levels are equivalent to sacrificed equipment (Minimum level 5 / maximum level 15)]

  Nothing happened until Rhino started unloading the two hundred-plus pieces of equipment Alaric had given him. The moment the first hit the ground, it vanished. Two misty apparitions formed into men in loose, linen armor. One wielded a curved shortsword and shield, the other a spear and shield. They ignored Rhino and charged the nearest player with a whooping shout. A dozen more bandits were already materializing behind them.

  Taken off guard, the first players died in a second. The others nearby called out in alarm, “W-what?! We’re under attack!”

  “Where are they coming from?”

  “It doesn’t matter; they’re only level five. Kill them!”

  When tens of bandits turned into a hundred, the scattered members of Righteous found themselves outnumbered. One of the many nearby commanders quickly established order, and a hundred players turned away from the battle at the walls to engage the few bandits.

  While not full-on mercenaries with excellent gear, these bandits were nonetheless Vaaterrans capable of displaying the minimum standard of a class three martial. Boosted by attributes equivalent to a player with every attunement unlocked, they cut through the members of Righteous as easily as running through the grass. The hundred players were decimated, and their dropped loot was quickly gathered in dirty hands to spawn even more bandits.

  Raine had included several pieces of level ten and fifteen gear in what he’d given Rhino. The bandits created from them were of a higher level and much better equipped. They took command of the others. Two in particular were created from a level fifteen Lustrous Blue breastplate. They stood head and shoulders above the others, wielding wickedly serrated glaives.

  One charged into battle while the other raised his weapon high, “There’s enough shineys here to make us all kings! Gather the loot and get it back to the flag, boys! Let’s raise an army and show these motherless dogs what a real war looks like!”

  The bandits’ return roar shook the ground, rattling the teeth in Rhino’s ear-to-ear grin.