The Heart is a Void: Ashes to Ashes

Chapter 151: The Road

[Monsan] hopped over a rock. He and [Nickli] had been separated from their vice-leader Awdimir during a large-scale fight, and were wandering East because they had heard it was safer.

"Everything's so quiet!" Nickli whined from behind him, kicking the rock with his foot. "Where's all the action?"

"This place is totally a wasteland, but at least it's safe," Monsan replied.

"Safe schmaef! We should have gone to the centre, found some real fights, " Nickli spat. "Awdi just spoke in Guild chat, said he survived that big fight. Why'd we run?"

"You high on adrenaline or something? We were divided from the other guys, we didn't have a choice."

Nickli patted his friend on the back. "Well, aren't you the reasonable one? Alright, so what do we do now, man?"

Monsan thought for a moment. "Um... There's a long path up ahead, maybe we'll run into someone there. I can see a few people moving in the distance."

"That's clever, that's what Awdimir would say."

Monsan smiled, despite the situation. Both of these players had a high esteem for their vice-leader, whom they almost treated as a role model.

"But ya know what else Awdimir would say?" Nickli continued, deflating Monsan slightly. "That's boring, it's not a spectacle. But then he'd go and make it a spectacle anyway, am I right? Follow me, I'll show ya."

"Um, anything you say, Nicky."

As they approached the long, sandy path, bordered on each side by high rocks and cliff-like hills, they saw the silhouette of another man walking through from the other end. They hid behind the rocks, letting the man come close before they leapt out to chase him.

"Get him! Take him down!" Nickli shouted, caught up in the thrill of the chase.

He was a player who had grown faster than most in part because he was an adrenaline junkie - he couldn't say no to risky, rewarding quests, nor, more importantly, to the casino-like thrill of throwing money at the game. He wasn't particularly skilful, knowledgeable or clever, but he had still muddled his way to a respectable level of 60, despite only starting to play the game seriously about a day ago when he realised that the bug wasn't going away.

Monsan followed him, taken by his boisterous manner, but was less noisy.

"Why you running away?" Nickli shouted, in a taunting voice. "We're Hashin, we always get what we want!"

"I hate this place, I have no gold for food, I'm weak, what more do you want?" the man in front of them shouted in return, as he sensed Nickli closing in behind him.

"Haha! This guy's so funny!" Nickli said, turning his head towards Monsan. "You know, some people would say 'have compassion.' But I find it hilarious!"

He reached forwards a long hand, and grabbed the man by the hair, before accelerating forwards with [Agile Step] to grab their shoulder.

The man struggled fiercely, but was only level 47, and soon was caught in Nickli's [Chokehold], which pressed uncomfortably upwards on his throat at an odd angle. He began to gag, and his body stuttered from side to side.

"He's trying to take out his sword!" Nickli said boisterously. "Quick, grab him!"

Monsan wasn't sure, it looked like their victim was just shaking his hand erratically due to the pain. However, since Nickli was his senior, he did as he was told and grabbed the victim's arms while kicking him to the ground.

"Why you doing this?" the man whispered, between choked breaths. "I could join you guys, help you out. I have no-one to help me grow, I did it all my way, you know I could help ya."

Despite his precarious situation, this man spoke of his past with a level of rugged serenity that resembled pride.

"Don't be silly!" Nickli replied. "You're not even in the same class as us, you're just a peasant. We're your kings! It's good for us to stamp out worthless peasants like you!"

Monsan was also taken up with the occasion, helping to keep the struggling man down. "You hear that? You're worthless! Not even scum! How dare you try to defy us with your sword!"

He spoke in a disciplinarian tone, and froze in surprise for a moment as he heard his voice and it sounded more like Awdimir's than his own.

"Sword?" the man replied, in a choked whisper. "I don't have a sword any more... It broke a while ago."

Sure enough, his sword was in tatters, and had fallen off at the hilt when he tried to withdraw it at the start of the chase.

"A likely excuse!" Nickli shouted, obliviously. "Nah, you're no innocent. I know lowly men like you, you're murderers! But I'll save us all from your ilk!"

He beheaded the man with a flourish, raising his sword triumphantly into the air. After all the noise, the area became silent for a moment.

Too late, Monsan heard soft footsteps creeping up behind him.

As he turned, a sword slashed down towards him, and he only just managed to deflect it to the side, losing his left hand in the process.

He lunged forwards in a hasty counter-attack, but missed entirely.

"That's totally cowardly, sneaking up like that!" he shouted.

This was rather hypocritical, since he was Hashin, but he was caught up in the adrenaline and anger of the moment.

"Yeah, these guys must be so weak! Ain't that right?" Nickli said, scrambling hastily to his feet.

Crucis rushed up towards him, and briefly replied, "Maybe, but why do you guys talk like teenage girls?"

Nickli fell to his knees warding off a firm downwards strike from Crucis' blade, which nearly reached his head, and then had to twist his body awkwardly to block a circling follow-up strike towards his neck.

However, he was off-balance, and Crucis easily kicked his legs out from under him. As he fell, before he could look up he was already killed by a [Slash] through his torso and up through his chest.

"Don't think you'll get away with this!" Monsan said, grinding his teeth together as he fended off more strikes from Danemy. "Awdimir will get you. We're his most valued soldiers!"

"He has bad priorities, then!" Danemy replied.

Starfighter's Haladie buzzed up towards Monsan's chest, but as soon as it was deflected Starfighter flicked his wrist and the dagger flew down to stab below Monsan's ribcage. Monsan tried to dodge out of the way, but found it difficult to avoid a strike towards his centre of mass.

As his body shuddered from the pain, Danemy's sword easily swept through his neck, as if to make absolutely sure that he was dead.

His body fell in a heap, next to Nickli's and the man whom he had killed.

The three players standing above them quickly dashed back into a space hidden by a large boulder beside the path, and caught their breaths there.

"Those were Hashin," Starfighter whispered. "Reckon there will be more on the way?"

"Nah, I think the others aren't nearby... In fact, it sounds like they've reached the centre," Crucis said.

A chorus of angry wails and shouts had risen from the central plains, along with the sound of frantic fighting, while Crucis' group remained on the outskirts. He had decided to seek kills on the path where they had seen the Hashin before, since Danemy had read in Guild Chat that the main Hashin force was on the move and would have left this place.

"Yeah, they're probably taking advantage of the long fighting out there," Danemy replied, "most of the groups there will be depleted by now."

"Exactly. But it's probably safer for us out here."

"Yep. I'll check Guild chat, make sure there's no drama on the way."

Danemy spent half a minute flicking through his DeathGang Guild chat messages, while the group crouched down in the space between the boulder and a tall cluster of nearby rocks. Crucis kept one hand on his sword's hilt, preparing for the next attack.

"Group of two from the East," Starfighter whispered, looking carefully out from the boulder they were hiding behind. "Levels 46 and 47, probably recent entries."

"Anyone else nearby?" Crucis replied quietly.

"Nope, clear."

"Alright, let's go."

They leapt out from behind the boulder, onto the long, straight path in front of them. Crucis and Starfighter engaged the enemies directly, while Danemy snuck around to attack from the back.

Starfighter's enemy had issues with the double-bladed Haladie, and was quickly stabbed through the chest by the second blade after deflecting the first.

Crucis fought calmly, with an intense series of high strikes which the opponent stumbled backwards while parrying. This drove his opponent, named [Marscore], helplessly back towards Danemy, who easily slashed through the back of Marscore's torso.

After the fight, the group retreated immediately behind a large mass of what looked like gigantic elephant bones beside the path, concealing themselves behind the tusk and skull. The creature seemed to have been massive, not quite as large as the minotaur-like creatures from the valley, but still much larger than a usual elephant. Moss and vines had grown over the bones, making it seem like it had been dead for a long time.

Starfighter crouched up slightly to survey the path, hearing footsteps approaching.

"Group of five now," he whispered. "From the centre, I think they're retreating. Two are level 70-something, strong group."

"Let them pass," Crucis replied. "We'd be outnumbered, and they're strong enough that they only had to retreat late on despite showing up early. The 70s could easily hold us off while the others flanked us. No point."

"Got it."

They lay low behind the large skeleton, and the group didn't notice them while walking past towards the East.

Soon, a group of three [Stranded] players approached, also fleeing from the centre. They were around levels 50-60, and were cautiously cligning to the right side of the passage rather than walking through the centre.

As they walked past the skeleton, Crucis' group leapt out from right behind them. One of the Stranded players died immediately, struck down by Crucis before she could turn around, but the other two managed to put up more of a fight.

Danemy was on the back foot at first, and had to use [Dodge Step] to avoid a series of driven low strikes. However, Crucis quickly joined the fight, and managed to keep the opponent occupied until Danemy could impale them on his spear.

Starfighter picked up a nasty cut above his left ankle, but still managed to pull off an aggressive barrage of attacks until he finished the fight with a close-range chest stab with his Haladie.

They ran back into the cover of the skeleton, and Danemy began to carefully use healing materials on Starfighter's wound while Crucis helped to dress it. Danemy had been given a few vials of [Kaxil Herbal Broth] by Grisier, a combination of local herbs and spring water which functioned as an anesthetic. He used this around Starfighter's wound, and the pain died down for now.

Starfighter tried tentatively to get up, but his walk was slightly lopsided because he couldn't clearly feel his left foot under the anesthetic. However, he shrugged it off.

"At least I didn't lose my leg," he said.

"We should avoid intense group fights now," Crucis said. "Your leg might be a bit dodgy, no need to strain it too much. We'll do 3v2 at most. The event's nearly over, let's see it out."

"You sound exhausted yourself," Danemy remarked.

"I've been here the whole event, it's been a ride."

"Fair enough. I can make out a couple of groups approaching from the distance, worth a try?"

They ignored the first group from the centre, which had three level 60+ players, and waited for a second group of two level 40-50 [Erasure] players. Slowly, these two players began to walk across the path, looking from side to side timidly. Soon, they had reached near the skeleton.

Danemy and Crucis darted out from cover, while Starfighter hobbled after them.

The Erasure players were caught flat-footed, and Crucis' opponent only just about parried an [Overhead slash] towards the head, before being taken out by a [Lunge] through the throat. Starfighter and Danemy teamed up to take out the remaining player.

The group retreated behind cover again. There were only two minutes of the event remaining.

They managed to take out two more players over the remaining time, but once the elapsed time was up the area froze and faded to greyscale, and they found themselves unable to move.

Two words hovered in large, light-grey text across the horizon:

Event Over