Abandoning Guild

"Gurck--!" Blood spilled from Legolas' mouth as he stumbled back, falling on his behind.

He tried fighting Viper Fang with all his strength, but the difference in level was far too much.

"Dieeee!!" Viper Fang leaped into the air with a Kunai in his hand. Diving down, he plunged it towards the elf, but Legolas rolled to his side, dodging the fatal blow.

"Damn you!" Viper Fang recovered from his slip-up and launched the Kunai toward Legolas, but he ducked under it and tackled him to the ground.

"Haaaaghhh!!" Legolas lifted his arm, punching Viper Fang in the face.

One punch after another would diminish their health bar as blood danced in the air.

The ground was smeared in red and Legolas' face was covered in its color.

"You. Fucking. Bastard! Die! Die, die!!!" Legolas was enraged; his fist wouldn't stop beating on the fraud beneath him. "Haaaggh!!!" His eyes were fueled with anger as his body was empowered by adrenaline.

"Guyaaah!" Viper Fang opened his jaw, catching Legolas' fist in his mouth.

"Aaaaaghh!" The elf screamed in pain, feeling his fists being pierced by their fangs.

Poison was injected into Legolas' body, causing him to lose his vision.

He could no longer see.

Everything was blurry.

"W-What's happening to me?" Legolas tried to rub his eyes, but nothing changed.

Viper Fang headbutted the elf off his body, knocking them across the corridor, "Heh heh heh, you made the biggessssssst mistake of your life, elf!"

"I… can't see! I can't see anything!" Legolas tried crawling forward but was pinned to the ground once Viper Fang stepped on his back.

"My fangssssss are laced with venom—even most Debuff magic is child'sss play to its effects!" Viper Fang kicked Legolas over to his backside, stomping on their stomach, "Ever since I created my character, I gave him the appearance of a reptile for a reason; yet you proceeded to attack the head of a snake, are you mad? Keheheh!!"

"The venom… it's slowly draining my life points." Even while blind, he could still see his health and mana bar, "Shit... I have to escape!"

"Escape!? Pwa ha ha, what the hell makessss you think I'll let you escape?!" Viper Fang grasped Legolas' hair, tugging his head backward, "First you ssssummoned the Wraith, and now you're talking about escaping?! What fuckin' nerve!" Viper Fang pulled out another Kunai, gripping it tightly in anger, "I'll slice your throat and watch you bleed!"

"Alice, Jacob, can you hear me?!" Legolas screamed at the top of his lungs, but no one came, "I came here to save you!"

"Save them? Pwa ha ha! Mission failed! Once I'm done killing you, I might as well have a little fun with them. How does that make you feel?!" Viper Fang struck the Kunai at the elf's neck, but was suddenly pushed to the side, "Ghh?!" He stumbled into the wall, realizing it was Pocchi. He was running away. "Pocchi, what the hell are you doing?! Where is everyone?"

"I'm escaping while I have the chance, and I advise you to bring your ugly ass with me."

"Watch it, Mohawk-punk, explain what's going on!"

"Isabella, she's been killed."

"W-What?!" Viper Fang was baffled, glancing at the ground in shock, "Isabella... dead? How did something like this happen?!"

"A lot we don't know is going on—but the guys concluded that ever since we got trapped in the game, mobs and NPCs are obtaining souls, and rational thinking. They act on their own will, ignoring the coding of the game. That's how Isabella was caught off guard." Pocchi faced Viper Fang, angered in his expression. "During our last attack, we were gonna kill that goddamn thing, but…" He gritted his teeth, looking away in regret, "It switched bodies with Isabella, and she was the one who died in its place. So now, she's gone." Pocchi clenched his fist. "Isabella is no longer with us."

Viper Fang felt his heart skip a beat, dropping his Kunai in disbelief.

"Damnit!" Viper Fang turned tail and ran down the corridor—making his way back to the cafeteria.

He left without any more questions, wanting to save his friends while he had the chance.

"I can't see... I'm slowly dying... goddamnit!" Legolas rose to his hands and knees, crying, "I'm gonna lose everything I sacrificed my life for! Is this how it really ends?"

KSSHK!

The sound of glass broke as Legolas was covered in multi-colored liquid.

"..." The elf went silent as his vision slowly returned, along with his body healing itself, "What?" He could see his hands, and the tears on the ground.

"Your friends are upstairs, first door to the right. Hurry while you can, and you might just make it before the Wraith gets to 'em."

"..." Legolas slowly looked up to see Pocchi who towered over him, "You..."

Legolas rose to his feet and delivered a solid blow into their face.

The Mohawk-punk stumbled back, nearly falling over, but he was too resilient for something like that.

Pocchi wiped the blood from his lip, spitting a tooth out, "Hmph, I guess I deserve that, huh?"

"After what you bastards put us through... do you think I'm just gonna let you get away with it?! After what you did to Alice and Jacob... and after what you done to me?!! Do you think I'll just let this slide? No way in hell!!"

"Right, right, I get it. We are pieces of shit, and I'm a piece of shit!" Pocchi lifted his forearms into the air, shrugging, "Hell, most of the players in this goddamn game are pieces of shit!" He sighed, dropping his arms, "But I realized how scary it is."

"....?" Legolas lifted his brow in question.

"It's scary looking death right in the fucking face." Pocchi clenched his fists, nervously smiling, "Can you believe that shit? Death. It's fucking real, man! That Wraith was the incarnation of it—in physical form." Pocchi could feel shivers trail up his spine. "What a world we live in, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Legolas.

"I mean what I mean. Simple as that. That mob isn't some fucking mindless coding that acts like it was programmed! It's something more!" He frowned. "It's actually alive! It has its own rationality, and its own desires! It's like the sentient artificial intelligence shit that we feared back in the real world, but more complex."

"Are you saying that mobs in the game started acting on the Will of their own?"

"Yeah... that's exactly what I'm saying." Pocchi turned around, walking down the hallway, "And that's why I'm leaving."

"So, you're abandoning your friends, because you're scared? Is that it?" Questioned Legolas, facing the Mohawk-punk.

"Yeah..." Pocchi glanced down, "That's it. I'm running away—I'm done with this shitty lifestyle—and I'm also done with risking my own life for some stupid reputation."

"You still need to pay for your sins." Legolas approached Pocchi from behind, "After all you've done, don't think that life is gonna treat you fairly. You can continue to run, but I'm certain that even the gods of this world will bring karma upon you, and you'll regret everything up till now."

"Hmph, right." Pocchi continued walking down the corridor, "If that's how my life will be, then so be it. I would rather live in poverty and suffering than deal with death itself."

"..."

Legolas watched Pocchi run down the hallway after their talk, leaving the Guild Headquarters for good.

KABOOM!

The sounds of magical explosions ignited within the cafeteria, shaking the entire Guild.

"I have no time to be sitting around! I have to find my friends!" Legolas took off, running the opposite way of Pocchi.

+

"Bertram, no!!!" Honora yelled, watching her friend being launched away by the flames of heaven.

"Huaaaghh!"

Bertram crashed into the wall, screaming his lungs out.

The flames incinerated his flesh, down to his bones.

Bertram felt his body spasm in pain until the flames subsided, eventually falling flat on his face, dropping his halberd.

Honora ran towards Bertram, trying to touch his body, but it was far too hot, "Stay with us... don't go!" Honora was on her knees, hesitant to make contact.

"How pitiful." Said the spirit. "Bertram, was it? He was a strong fighter, however, he was no match for me— huh?!" The Wraith's words were cut short as the dark-skinned man rose to his feet, picking up his halberd, "But how?! Your soul was supposed to be destroyed!!"

"Bertram, are you okay?" Honora grasped his arm, wincing in pain from the heat.

"I'm fine...." Bertram's armor was melted away with third-degree burns all over his body, "Honora... I'm sure you know this by now... but we stand no chance."

"Yes... I know." Honora closed her eyes, whimpering, "But... even if that is true, we can't just give up!"

"I'm only alive from my intrinsic ability." Said Bertram, stern in his expression. "I'll die in a few minutes or less."

"W-What?" Honora looked up at Bertram, tears forming in her eyes, "You can't die... not you too!"

Bertram's intrinsic ability, as a barbarian class, was known as "Devotement"; allowing him to fight his enemy, even if he ran out of Life points.

But the downside was that it lasted for a few minutes at most.

It's an all-or-nothing ability, but it would come in handy for situations like these.

The barbarian gripped his halberd with both hands, grinning at the spirit, "We've always been a team. We completed raids together and even destroyed guilds for loot and GP (Guild Power). But most importantly; we loved one another." He closed his eyes, remembering the good times. "The only thing I regret is how we treated people outside our guild—but it's not our fault. This was Belial's plan from the start."

"Belial's... plan?" Asked Honora.

"Yeah. This bastard planned all of this! I've always had a bad feeling about that guy, but now I see the truth."

"But... how?" Asked Honora, "How did he plan this? Where are you getting this information from?"

"He told Isabella."

"Huh?"

"Isabella told me that he said she would die, sooner or later, if she didn't live up to his expectations." Bertram scowled. "As you may know, Belial is a modder; he can ignore the rules of the game and tamper with fate, or whatever he sees fit. That's probably why we're in this situation!"

Honora cried, facing her friend, "Why didn't you tell us this sooner, Bertram? Why keep all of this hidden?"

"I was mistaken and underestimated Belial's narcissism. He doesn't care about anyone other than himself."

"I refuse to let you die!" Honora gripped his arm, crying into his bicep, "I can't let you dieee!!" She wailed in miserable agony, saddening the barbarian greatly.

"I'm sorry, my friends." He closed his eyes, lowering his head. "I'm sorry for not telling you all sooner, and being naive. Most of this is my fault, but…" He would lift his eyelids, frowning in his expression. "If you all manage to survive; then find Belial and avenge me and Isabella's death. That bastard planned our demise! A monster like him must be killed." Bertram stepped forward, leaving his crying friend. "Do not worry, Isabella, I'll use everything I got and destroy your body, so this spirit can be sent back to the otherworld!"

"How impudent." Muttered the Wraith.

"It's time for an exorcism!!" Shouted Bertram.