Ashes of the Fallen

In fact, I felt like a murderer… the brutal nature of the fight left a lingering distaste in my mouth. It was too graphic, too personal, too real… really. Killing in PvP was expected to be harsh, that was the nature of virtual reality.

The fact that they strived for such an advanced realism is what set the game apart. Though, they had turned down the graphical gore so organs and such wouldn't be displayed, there was still the sensation of piercing through someone and the warmth and stickiness of their blood splattering across your face.

Really, it wasn't that much different from stabbing a wolf.

Maybe that was what bothered me… that there was no physical difference between cutting down a virtual beast and a virtual representation of another human being.

Desensitized… perhaps, I was.

The rain had picked up and was now a steady downpour, I was drenched from head to toe and covered in mud but I didn't really care. It washed the blood off, it cleansed my gear… a free bath, is all it was.

"Ah," I muttered to myself. "This is depressing."

Tilting my head back, I stared at the clouds that partially obscured the moon as I pondered how the future would turn out. I tried to get away from the fighting, with the constant struggle between other players and losing my temper. Now, I was right back in it. First, I killed the pugs that were talking shit, now… I killed four guys because they were rude and annoyed me.

I was completely, utterly regressed.

I had fallen back into my old habits, and I wasn't happy with that. Picking up my shield and my axe, I put everything back into their holsters and walked off into the forest. There was a little shame that I had resorted to violence so quickly.

Though that went away rather quickly.

At the end of the day, violence, was sometimes the answer.

Those guys wouldn't have learned anything if I tried to talk it out. Now, they at least knew to watch themselves and their behavior in public. I'm sure they will still misbehave, but fear is a curious thing. Fear will stop someone long before logic will.

Yeah, maybe I had regressed.

Well, it wasn't that bad.

I had a goal anyways, to build a kingdom in the North. Bloodshed would be necessary, as it was to free Selene and Katherine. Fights will happen, as players will come to blows over disagreements. And eventually, power struggles will occur, as this land, this game state known as The Dragon's Wrath, soon becomes a warzone where factions wage war on neighbors, partly for fun, partly for dominance, and maybe just because. Deep down, we all enjoyed it a little.

A guilty pleasure, is what it was.

Yeah, taking out the baddies was a fun thing.

I kind of liked it, really.

Chapter 51: The Big Boss

(Friday, June 25th Game Day / Sunday, February 28th Real Day)

"You're red again Sigurd," yelled out Barik from a distance.

"Yeah," I replied without much care. "Troublemakers, what can I do."

Barik had been standing out in the rain in front of the dungeon portal, waiting for the group to gather. My one hour window to eat and relax was mostly wasted by the four stooges. Well, at least I made it on time.

Now, we could finally get this dungeon run started.

We were all on the fifth quest chain and needed the fifth boss. It was a moment we had been preparing for, for nearly a week now. To finish the dungeon before any other party, to gain the reputation bonus and a potential title to hang above our heads, some fame, some experience, and maybe even some extra coin too.

They were lofty goals, but they were reasonable.

Our party was experienced and our unit cohesion was top notch after days of grinding and experimenting. I was nearing fifty and the others had already passed the first mark nearly three days ago. As far as the leaderboards were concerned, we were in the top one-percent of the player base. We weren't in the top ten, but we were within the top one-hundred. That was good enough for me.

The levels themselves never meant much to us, anyhow.

It was all about proficiency and learned skills.

Barik was an excellent tank, significantly more developed than I. Allen and Ethan both were more proficient in their respective fields as well, so too, was the frost mage without a name. He had one of course, at least I assumed he did. He was a quiet guy, one that didn't talk much, so no one bothered to ask.

They were all well-developed and ready to proceed.

The only one that had lagged behind slightly, was me.

What I lacked in my singular proficiency though, I made up with being adept at multiple roles. I was a red mage as far as one could tell, a hybrid, jack of all trades type of guy. My tanking skills fell behind by a tier, as did my magic, and my bow proficiency was at least two if not three tiers behind a similar leveled player… but my versatility made up for it.

My Ancient Relic made up for it.

To think that scaling a mountain could have proved so fruitful.