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A dark smile slowly formed at the corner of Shiro’s mouth.
“Well then…” he began slowly. “You’ll just have to get stronger.”
His gaze drifted once more to the violent battle that was taking place disconcertingly close to their location. “Whether or not you are the strongest of our numbers, you must always hold your head up high. You are a member of Caveat, and nothing will ever change that. I have great plans for you, Eve…and I know you’ll make me proud.” His deep, strong voice seemed to travel directly to Eve’s ears, undisturbed by the roar of the battle, or the strong, hot winds that ripped across the landscape.
A blast of fire exploded near to them and Shiro turned his back to the blaze, shielding Eve with his own body.
“Come, we shall return to the guild hall. We are soon to take action, and there are many preparations to be made.” He lowered her to the ground, and handed her a healing crystal. “Here, use this.” His gate was confident as he began to stride across the battlefield, heading back towards the Town of Beginnings.
- A fiery haired young girl who appeared to be in her mid to late teens leaped back as a torrent of fire overtook the landscape. The massive phoenix before her was begging to wear down, and though hundreds of players had been killed, hundreds more still stood in eager anticipation. Whatever rare drop this monster was to provide was motivation enough for countless throngs of greedy players to risk life and limb to remain a part of the strike force. This creature meant nothing to her, however. She knew that no such item would drop, and that no player would gain the right to join Heaven’s Spire. In truth, she had already won that right. Weeks ago, she had finally been invited to join the prestigious guild, after weeks of doing quests and other tasks to “prove her mettle”. She had been discouraged several times, though her resolute determination had seen her through. Now, she had only one task left – kill 100 distracted players during the event. Her hands ached from grasping her twin swords, but she pressed on none the less. If she failed in this final assignment, it would have all been for not, and she would be expelled from the guild immediately. If she succeeded, however, she would be removed from probationary status, and would be welcomed as a fully-fledged member of the Heaven’s Spire Guild.
“C’mon, Carmen…” she urged herself onward. “Just three more players.” Many of the players that she had killed thus far had never seen her coming. Others had turned on her in terror and done their best to defend themselves, but all had fallen just the same. Now, only a few souls remained. As one of the top guilds on the server, Heaven’s Spire wasn’t going to make it easy for her, though. She had been warned by a sympathetic guild member that there were other acolytes from Heaven’s Spire also thinning the number of players participating in the event. If they saw her, they would attempt to kill her with extreme prejudice. Despite them being her enemies, her heart went out to them. They were in the same situation that she was. If they failed, they would be expelled from the guild. If they succeeded, they would become honorary members. As far as they were concerned, it was a matter of life and death for their characters.
Her reputation was also on the line, and she sliced through two more players with ease.
“Just one more.” She panted with each step as she pressed on through the battle. The Phoenix was wearing down, and with each passing second, it became more desperate. They were undoubtedly in the burn phase now. If they didn’t kill it soon, its AOE attacks would consume the entire battlefield, and they would all perish in flames.
Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for a lone player that would be easy enough to defeat. There! Walking all alone through the smoke was a tall man cloaked in black. His features were completely obscured, and his head appeared to be down. His gate was strange, landing somewhere between a stumble and a stagger, though still controlled enough that he did not appear to be floundering.
Carmen drew her twin blades and braced to pounce. The crimson blades danced through the air as she lunged at the strange man. Twenty feet….ten….five…She was within striking distance now, and with a powerful slash, she threw her whole might into the strike, hoping to end the fight in one blow. Her attack never found purchase. As she neared, the man held out his hand, and for the first time, a dark smile became evident on his twisted features. A cloud of darkness exploded from his oversized sleeve, and hundreds of whisping wraiths erupted from all around them. They poured out of the sky, snaked their way up from the ground, and even seemed to metalize out of thin air.
Like dancing smoke, they twirled and flowed through the air with a horrifying grace. The sudden eruption was enough to deflect Carmen’s attack, and she landed hard on her back. Her expression transitioned instantly from one of surprise to one of horror. The wraiths were not attacking her. They had never been meant for her. Instead, they swarmed the Phoenix, tearing it to bits with long, sharp claws, and needle pointed teeth. The monster screamed in agony, and vacillated in the air, trying its best to remain airborne while also beating back the phantoms. Its efforts were fruitless, however, and it soon crashed to the earth. A cloud of dust, ash and embers soared through the air with such magnitude that any observant passerby within the Town of Beginnings would have found no difficulty in seeing it.
Carmen watched this unfold with disbelief. She couldn’t comprehend how a player had been able to summon a monster at all, let alone so many, and with such great power. Her gaze traveled up to the blackened sky. It was not the ash which billowed upwards, nor the smoke that plumed from still burning fires that dimmed the sky. No, this darkness was caused by something far more sinister. A maelstrom of bodies wreathed endlessly overhead as countless Wraiths swam through the ethereal sea that they seemed to exist within. It spun its way over the field, and directly above the Town of Beginnings.
Carmen rose to her feet, stumbling forwards slightly as players bumped and pushed her, paying little heed to their surroundings in their desperate run through the grassy meadow. Some were heading towards the Town of Beginnings, while others seemed to be pushing deeper into the field. For her part, she had one singular concern. Even among all of this, she still was determined to complete her quest, and with an act that seemed crueler to her than she thought herself capable, she cut down a young girl who was cowering by a stone not far from where the final battle had taken place. Her task completed, she hurried on towards the Town of Beginnings.
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