Chapter 3: The Taunting of the Sentinel

Smoke stains the peaceful hue given by the vast blue skies. It's burnt shade leaves an aweful mess just like an oil based paint spilling over some masterpiece.

To grown men, it's nothing but a mere consequence in their persuit for temporary peace. Another model made only to be broken and replaced. But to children, mere seconds on being in this world. It meant learning all the harsh truths that will cost them their innocence.

Through a broken window, Gabe went out of the vehicle. Trodding down the asphalt marked with rubber, she lifts her gun aiming it to a man who is now crawling out of a now burning vehicle.

The man was crawling with his right arm. Pixelated blood was all over him, his left arm useless and was laying underneath him.

She proceeds to approach the man with caution. This time her finger was now placed on the trigger, unsteady red lines then started appearing from the muzzle of her gun all pointing towards the crawling man.

The man finched, he was afraid ones he noticed the lines and looked up to his captor. A woman in a white hoodie with neon pink and apple green splashes all over was pointing an MP5 that has a customized paint-job. A thin anti-physical armament protected her torso. A small handgun was then hanging on her waist which serves as her side arm.

Without a second to loose he immediately raised his hand, a clear sign of him surrendering but was met by a rather unexpected response. Yotsuzuki shot a finger off thinking that the man was gonna pull a gun or something.

"Please don't shoot me!" the man pleaded shaking his hand and yet again was met by another shot, this time, a hole was now visible in his wrist causing him to recieve the status effect 'Bleed'.

Gabe gave him a look, a look that tells Yotsuzuki he's gone too far. He leaned to the side to ask Nate but he also was alredy making the face.

"You're too serious, man" Nate patted his shoulders as he turns to yell at Gabe. "All yours captain!" he exclaimed waving his hand telling her there is nothing more to worry about.

Gabe sighed in relief, she walked up to the crawling man and pointed the gun straight on the forehead. An unbearable air started to emit from her, it was as if though that she was already threathening to shoot.

"Bullets" she said, demanding the man for ammo.

"But my guns ammunition isn't for-" he was vut off with a gunshot. Fresh holes could be seen a few inches away from his face now showing a look of terror.

"Then give me your gun too" she demanded once again, the wind blowing away a bit of her hair. "Then log off" she added as she shakes her gun imitating the firing process and the recoil.

She did this a couple more times before the man spoke.

"Okay, okay, here it is" he said in terror as he tried to roll over to get his hand gun but instead of handing it over he tried to shoot her with all his strenght. The sound of a gunshot echoed through the air, but not even one of them mafe the shot. The man dropped dead with a shot on his head, dropping his gun on the dirt.

Gabe turned around, looking for the gunman. Her eyes turned from left to right but only the wide canopy of leaves were the only thing she could see.

Knife on his hand, Nate walked slowly towards the pistol and picked it up. He then aimed it at the trees and pulled the trigger three times.

Rustling could be heard from the trees. A mocking laughter started to reverberate through the forest followed by a loud thud and a grunt. A man with a strangely designed cape stood up and approaced them, smirking in astonishment while leaves are still sticking on his hair.

Lifting his eyepatch, he looked at the both of them with astonishment. "Ah, you never failed to suprise me" he applauded as he stops on the other side of the road, facing the two of them.

He wore a maroon pirate robe and a lether tunic. In his wands were a pair of flintlocks.

Too much silence filled the air that the pressure building up between them. None dared to speak, all the three of them knew was that this guy was an enemy.

Gabe aimed for the man's chest and pulled the trigger but none managed to land a hit on him. Yotsuzuki tried to shoot him but he was light on his feet, quickly changing directions in a random yet calculated succession as if he was a dozen steps ahead of them, which gave him the opportunity to throw a smoke grenade, furter limiting their team's movements.

Unable to shoot, Gabe patted Nate's shoulder. A sign that it was now his time to shine.

Knives on hand, he charges into the fray. A stage in curtains of smoke. He slowly moved trying to feel his opponents presence. Closing his eyes he listens carefully to his surroundings.

A vision appeared before him. He had pin-pointed his allies with the sound of their breathing. With that done he proceeds to listening more carefully. The rumbling of pebbles the flapping of the cape. He had found his target.

A sudden movement through the the smoke confirmed his theory. An axe was already sent flying towards him but fell short as he threw his knives at it in response.

With his hands free of the knives he draws the hand gun he picked up and looked or rather listened for his opponent.

BANG!

BANG!

A rolling sound was heard, an obscene laughter can be heard afterwards as the smoke screen starts to disperse and fade away.

"Bravo! You truly are the better one among the two of us!" the man claimed clapping like he was giving a standing ovation. "Bestfriend!" he shouted as he tries to stand up, his arms wide open.

'Bestfriend?!' Gabe asked herself as Nate gave the man a seemingly strong punch in the head.

"Quit it, Lucius. You're embarassing me" cried Nate as he tries to free his leg from Lucius' hug.

The wo continued to quarrel as Gabe walked beside their vehicle picking up an axe that seems to belong to the Lucius guy Nate's talking to.

It had a strange design. The head was a sharp rectangular blade, the handle was straight and devoid of a belly and throat. A light-weight axe that is half as long as an arm.

"They seem to be taking their precious time" impatiently pointed Yotsizuki, who was looking at the two using the scope of his gun. "Shall I shoot the both of them?" he asked in a serious tone.

As the two continued to talk in a love-hate way. She tries to entertain Yotsuzuki, womdering who the hel was this Lucius because neither her or Yotsuzuki knew of his role to Nathan.

/ / /

"BA-BA-BA-BA-BA-BA-BA-BANG!" the woman shouthed in sync of the rattling sound being made by their guns. It was all too loud that Amy, who was now covering her ears, could barely hear anything through all this ruckus.

The red lines that show the bullet's path could barely be seen. An aimless rain of fire showered through the fields preventing her from moving away from the area.

As she tried to crawl on the side, the leader of the group noticed the faint movements of the wheat caused by movement being made by Amy who is crawling away from her position.

"Hold your fire, ladies!" the woman yelled as the group one by one ceased fire. Amy slowly stood up im order to avoid drawing attention and popped up of the blanket of wheat, her eyes barely being able to catch a glimpse of the enemy making camp at the edge of the harbor.

The woman was standing at an elevated portion of the ground, a colossal figure that combines the intimidating figure of The Rock, and the face of some female superhero character. In her hands was the very same gun that Amy uses.

With narrowing eyelids, she looks at Amelia dead in the eye and drops her gun on the ground.

Her comrades tried to stop her but their efforts were in vain. Shoving all five of her teammates. Taking a deep breath, with open arms she yelled out these words;

"Bastards!" she called out barbarically, cupping her hands to her mouth as if to make an on-the-spot microphone. "Come on all out, YOU COWARDLY COCK SUCKING FAGGOTS!!!" she yelled. A look af rage fails to contain her frustration with all the bullets they used.

"Pres!" one of her allies called out for her attention. "Hey, Julie. What did you say?" she asked failing to understand what the woman intended to say.

"Oh, that was nothing" she replied. "Just something to give a more masculine image, like role-play. And besides, it's just in-game"

"Yeah, but if you say it like that you might do it in real life sooner or later" another one from their group pointed out. "Mind doing it in a proper way?"

The big woman sighed, her shoulders expanding as she prepares her message in much simpler manner.

"Good Morning, EVERYONE!!!" she called out once again in a loud but timid voice. "Why would you let such a pretty lady wait instead of just coming over here? Have you no TESTICLES?! " she asked, charmingly making a graceful curtsey.

"I'm not a guy, Pres!!!" Amy replied. A part of her wanted to forget about what just happened. She couldn't believe that the student council president did and wasn't able to brush her thoughts aside.

As she learned about the fatal mistake she made, a panel popped up in front of the woman that was about to pick her gun and shoot her.

In the panel was the icon of an envelope. The big woman opened the mail and clears his throat before reading it's contents.

"Dear Random Player who yelled a while ago,

Please forgive me for the late notice. I was climbing up the tower behind you, alone. Kindly turn around if you wish for a fight, if not, then you only have walk away in two minutes-" she said not reading the rest of the letter as she grabbed her gun, shaking with fury.

Turning around, a red line could be visibly be seen but it wasn't even an inch close to her. With her trigger finger ready, she fires aimlessly at the highest tower that stands before her. The perfect spot for a deadly sniper.

With the group busy with their leader's gunshots, Amy took it as an opportunity and rushed away from them only to be stoped by a bullet that was thought to be a poor aim a little bit earlier, mere inches from hitting her dead on the spot.

"Don't" a distorted mumbly voice spoke to her through their group's comms. "Watch" it said as the red line reappeared and disappeared before the woman firing the gun took a hit dead on the forehead.

"Goddamni-" the other one beside her wasn't even able to finish what she was gonna say as another shot pierced through her throat. The impact was so much that her head even fell off.

In a videogame, one can experience life threatening situations without the fear of death. Yet, somehow, the game managed to strike fear to the heart of a human.

With hands shaking, Amy took out a binocular and used it to look at the person shooting people from the distance.

A silhouette of a man covered with a strange black mist, a fiendish entity, stands at the very roof of the tower. It's figure was an indefinite mess of shifting numbers and pixels, enough to strike fear to the hearts of men it lays its ghoulish eyes on. In it's hand was an unjustifiably large rifle. The barrel was so big that she thought that it will require more than both hands to be able to lift that monster of a gun.

As the group scattered to all direction seeking cover, the man laughed, his voice rumbling with the sound of thunder, a heavy rain was already looming above.

"Hear me! And listen well!"

/ / /

"Hear me! And listen well!" a deep rasping voice could be heard from all sides. Gabe attentively listened as she looks out of the window fearing that they'll be ambushed.

"This is a game that was designed to serve as the platform where the third war would take place. And as of now, your side is failing" he announced as the group was now about to enter the road towards the heart of the harbor.

A storm was brewing up in the north. Their scanners were barely fuctional due to the strong gusts of winds that had continued to interupt their signal of Amelia's tracker. The only thing visible on the screen was an orange hexagon, an indication of a rare airdrop that is located at the foot of the tower. They continue to drive across the harbor hoping Amelia was just on the other side.

"And this so called BETA Test of yours-" he laughed mockingly.

"Nevermind" he sighed. "Whoever remains shall be be rewarded with the title of this games champion, and whoever kills me, shall win this match without killing all the others" he proclaimed as the group lay in wonder.

"So who exactly are we looking for?" Lucius, who's username is Lucy asked in curiousity. "I mean, what does she look like?" he clarified as Yotsuzuki gave him a threatening glare.

"She's someone who carries a very long gun" he answered as he steers the wheel to the left, parking the vehicle on a dim narrow alley. Opening the door he stepped outside and grabbed his rifle, checking if he had enough ammo. "She'll be easy to spot. She's a moving target. A woman in yellow, unable to blend in her surroundings." he answered as he walks towards the pavement, Nathan gesturing his hands telling them that they should follow.

The area looked like a deserted place fit for a horror movie. The dull atmosphere and the damp air gave them an eerie feeling. Though it was obvious that the air would be damp due to the dark clouds covering the blue skies it was still not convincing as the group recieved a message. It was from Amy.

Yotsuzuki immediately opened the mail and read it's contents. "Do not look at the tower" he said. A '@~@' was displayed at the monitor that serves as the head of Yotsuzuki's robotic avatar. "Which towe-?!" he asked but was cut off when he glanced at the highest structure in the area.

Bolts and an oil like substance scattered on the ground for he was shot in the knee, disassembling his right leg from his body with a very powerful shot.

With one of his legs shattered he crashes to the ground. Loud screeching noises were made as he tries to hide behind one of the containers.

Unable to get there in time, his other leg was cut off with another shot. It was at that moment that the others managed to catch up to him.

Lucy immediately rushed to his aid. His instincts kicking in he knew only a sniper could deal such damage.

Reaching out for the fallen bot, he glances at the highest tower. His instincts telling him that something dangerous was up there.

As he was about to grab Yotsuzuki when his arm was shot and drops to the ground. With no time to cry in pain, he seizes him with his other arm and throws him to safety.

Another shot was fired but luckily it was a bit too late for the gunner. The bullet hits the hard pavement buriying it deep in concrete.

Gabe heaved a sigh of relief. She immediately runs to their aid and materializes a first aid kit through the inventory panel.

Wrapping Lucy's arm, she notices that Nate was having a hard time with Yotsuzuki. The first aid was ineffective though the status ailment 'Bleed' wasn't visible from his health bar.

"What?!" she asked in confusion. "Isn't it supposed to heal him?" she asked looking extremely confused as she curiously stared at he's broken robotic legs.

"The devs gotta be kidding" she mumbled as she stands up to look at the three boys in front of her. One by one, she looks at the three. Intently observing their current status, their weapons, stats, and the distance between them and the tower.

"I've got a plan. We have to split up into two groups. One would distract the one shooting at he tower, while the other one will meet up with Amy. After that we'll rally back here to plan for our-"

"No NEEEEED!!!" the thin voice of a woman shouted. Knowing who it was, Gabe looked araound and was met by Amelia who lept on her for a hug. "Oh, Gaby. I missed you" she exclaimed hugging her even tighter.

"Get off her Amy"

"No Yotsuzuki. I've been lonely ever since the drop"

"That's because you pressed the unfollow button, that's why you were drifted away from us"

"Would my opinion matter here?" Gabe asked as she raises her hand, out of breath.

"Thank you" she thanked Amy after releasing her from her hug, but honestly it's more like she plans to strangle her with how tight she held her.

Clearing her throat, her hands on her hips, she looked at the four of them and speaks.

"Alright people. The five of us will take down that man in the tower. We would be divided into two groups. Yotsuzuki and Nate, then Lucy, Amelia, and me" she explained then turned around to face Nate who, on the looks of it, was about to complain.

"You'll be carrying him to an area that would have a clear view of the tower" she instructed. "Once you do, proceed to following us. We'd probably need another close-quarter combatant like you"

"Then why not bring me along instead of Lucy? He's basically useless" he complains as Lucy gave him the middle hand-gesture, probably because he heard that.

"He won't be able to lift that shortie without his other arm" she said pointing at Yotsuzuki.

"I heard that!"