The fight was still uncomfortably close. Nearly half of the players, mostly those from the retreating party, had also run.
Fifty spears were all raised in the direction of the giant. He wielded a tree-club like the other hobgoblins but had no mace.
At first, there was just a mob of players, but they soon merged into three loose groups. They were actually holding him back. The massive piece of lumber made it difficult for the players to go on the offensive.
Harrison’s group backpedaled when a swing came their way.
The gamers, now facing the beast’s rear, took their chance. Rushing forward a dozen spears pierced it low in the back.
It turned to respond, but Treetop had strapped himself to the hobgoblin’s right leg. Hugging the monster’s same leg at the knee, Scarecrow’s shoulder clamped under the monster’s glute. Multiple spears remained firm against the massive back near either kidney. Both LadyHeadshot and HandshakeDeath intercepted its shoulder with their spears when it tried to turn, keeping it steady. Their fans must have been freaking out. They were known for being rivals.
In a sudden leap, Vector sunk two daggers high on the giant’s back, hanging there.
Like a raging bull pinned down, the hobgoblin twisted in rage, unable to spin fully, but sending Vector for a ride. The creature’s club toppled a player trying to brace the trapped leg from the side.
The leg Treetop had latched himself to rose a few feet off the ground. With a swat of its massive hand, Treetop was brushed aside, but held on with everything he had. Sinking low on the monster’s leg, when the bouldering foot returned to the ground, Treetop’s lower body was caught underneath it.
Victoria’s hand shot to her mouth.
Nausea stirred in my gut.
With unflinching resolve, Treetop didn’t let go.
The other gamers didn’t try anything desperate but continued to hold the hobgoblin in place. Doing anything else would possibly get them all killed. They were professionals.
A moment of calm came as the hulk summoned its strength. Pulling out a blade, Vector heaved himself up on the hobgoblin’s back and buried his blade. In a flurry, he pulled out his other knife then slipped it in the beast's neck over and over again.
The grunted cry proceeded the tree-club whipping Vector from its back.
He made it to his feet after a roll.
The hobgoblin was now off balance, its club flailing wildly above. It fell forward, dropping its club while grabbing at its neck.
Treetop finally let go, shrieking as the pressure from the creature's weight left him.
The giant legs kicked out and spun with the beast as it turned to its back.
As the gamers moved back to keep from getting kicked, Wilson and Harrison’s groups collapsed in on it. Spears bathed it with piercings where it lay.
“Are you okay?” Victoria asked.
I… What could I say? No? “Harrison made me promise to get you out at the first sign of danger we couldn’t handle.”
“I know. Thank you, Lucius. Let’s go help.”
I hesitated before I helped her onto the cart. We ran toward Treetop, who was pushing at the ground with his arms. He wasn’t moving his legs.
Before we reached him, he cried, “Kill me! I’ll respawn! Kill me or I will get up from here and beat you!”
I pulled Victoria to a stop.
When she looked at me to protest, a single shake of my head was all it took for her to understand why.
It was HandshakeDeath that stepped toward him without a word, grabbed him by the collar while taking a knee and turned Treetop’s head to the side revealing the back of his neck. Treetop was shaking but didn’t stop him. With a single thrust from the base of the neck up into the brain, it was over quickly. HandshakeDeath set his comrade down gently. Some skills from other games do transfer to this one.
The gamer assassin stood, his eye never leaving the fallen Treetop. LadyHeadshot joined him, not saying a word. It was two minutes before his body disappeared.
“Should we have killed you?” Victoria asked. Her hand touched my forearm but then drew back. Her eyes were off somewhere else.
“I don’t know.” Sure, part of me thought Treetop had just cheated but was it right to just take someone’s life even if they would respawn? “I don’t know if there is a right answer to that question.”
Chapter 16 – The Hunt
That morning, my chance to talk to Peter never came. The hurried opening of the front door brought with it an announcement. “We leave in ten!”
Kline stopped at the entrance of the living room, arms crossed with his bearded smirk. Lulu, his white-backed pup, ran over and begged Wink to share her bowl.
“So you were pretending to sleep in so that you could steal my breakfast when I wasn’t paying attention, eh? You were too slow, villain! I saw through your deceivery and ate like a caffeinated squirrel!” He bared his teeth and chattered, looking more like a beaver with a cheek-fro.
“I’d pay to see that.” I snorted. “I had trouble sleeping, but even with what, four hours of sleep I feel perfectly rested. I’m not even sore. Isn’t that odd?”
He relaxed his stance, pulling his hands together behind him. “Not really. The government is likely loading us up with a special cocktail. If you forgot, you are actually dangling inside a big black ice cube with mechanical tentacles ready to tickle you at any time they request. Steroids, hormones, protein… they’re giving us all the good stuff.”
“Seriously?”
“They’d be stupid not to. It’s not like it’s dangerous. Gamers might not use them, but such therapies have been allowed in athletics for centuries. You don’t get monthly tonic injections?”
“No. I get a yearly one.”
“Well. It’s better than nothing, but now that you are pushing yourself, a higher end tonic is a must. Unless they are using us as guinea pigs for something new, it’s a good thing.”
“You think they would do something like that? Something new?”
“Not likely. At least not something untested. There are billions of people watching and some of these guys and gals are the most popular people in the world. Helping us with muscle recovery and strength development would be their goal. The more often we can fight the better their ratings.”
“Is that why our stats are going up?”
“That and all the hard physical work we’re doing. The best tonics in the world won’t help much if you aren’t pushing yourself.”
“Gotcha. What are your stats anyways?”
“Eh.” He pulled up his menu and scratched his head. “Oh yeah. Here.”
Character Status
Player Name: Kline
Leveclass="underline" 13
Health Points: 591
Endurance Points: 870
Combat Leveclass="underline" Unknown?
Strength: 78
Dexterity: 55
Endurance: 87
“You are a monster,” I said, coughing.
“Yes. A yummy one.” His jaw dropped, in mock surprise.
Sigh.
Character Status
Player Name: Lucius
Leveclass="underline" 13
Health Points: 243
Endurance Points: 370
Combat Leveclass="underline" Unknown?
Strength: 29
Dexterity: 43
Endurance: 37
Dexterity +1, Endurance +1
My stats had increased again but compared to Kline… The only thing I seemed to have an advantage in was speed even though his Dexterity was higher. Remembering the tutorial, it was probably because I was taller and weighed less. All that muscle made him a little husky. I needed to work harder. Besides the lack of soreness, I still didn’t feel any different. Maybe I had more energy?
Another thing that had been bothering me came to the forefront of my mind. “Do these cocktails affect other things besides sleep and recovery?”
“You mean like manly urges?”
His chest huffed with his laugh when he caught my eyes dart to the ground.
“Yes. It can become difficult to think clearly around the ladies. Kline’s law still stands. You should still mind your manners, whether they like it or not. If they like it, then… run, because ladies are dangerous.”