Grimguy cracked his fingers.
“Now comes the really tough part,” he said, and I knew what he meant. “I tried to fix this puzzle for days but I only got to completing about one-third of it. This is not easy.”
“I am sure it will be easier this time since there are more brains around,” Wiseazz said with some optimism.
Just then there was a sound at the door. I turned to see that it was Nanda. He looked pale… very. He forcefully smiled.
“Hey, what are you all doing?” he asked.
“We are going to defeat Death13,” I said. “Is everything okay with you Nanda?”
Nanda rubbed his sweaty forehead with nervousness.
“Yes, yes,” he said, “I am fine, what could be wrong—”
And then, his face convulsing from emotions, he fell to his knees. All of us got up, not getting his behaviour at all. Nanda began to sob, even as the sound of rapid footsteps reached my ears from the bar below.
“S-sorry!” Nanda wept. “I have betrayed you all! They threatened me they would destroy my inn! I cannot live without it. I am sorry!” I exchanged frightened looks with the others. And right then, a hand appeared behind Nanda and pushed him away from the doorway.
At least ten stout Kartoshi gang members appeared. Three of them had some kind of pipes to their mouths. Before we could react in any way, darts shot out from the pipes. One hit me before I could get out of the way. The tip penetrated my chest and the next moment I felt my legs going limp. Grimguy and Lovebird beside me also fell to the floor.
There was a sound and with the last bit of control over my muscles that was still left in me, I turned my head and saw Wiseazz grab the puzzle box from the floor, even as darts shot past him and got embedded on the walls. One of the darts hit Mastermind’s thigh, and his knee buckled and he fell to the floor with a loud thud. Wiseazz cast us a sorry look, the gang members bursting into our room. Wiseazz kicked on the window with his massive foot so that it gave way. The window was large enough and he jumped out.
It was at this point that I lost the hold over my consciousness and everything went black.
Chapter 29
After a period of endless blackness, I opened my eyes. For a while I struggled to make any sense of my situation. I could see lights around me, orbs of light. I could hear the voices of men, and I could even see a hooded figure standing not far away. Was I in some sort of a dream? I wasn’t sure. It took me at least a few minutes to realise that I was lying on the floor of some kind of a throne room. Saliva drooled out of my mouth. Alongside me, my friends Lovebird, Grimguy and Mastermind too were on the floor. They too had their eyes open but they looked rather dizzy. I sensed strong ropes binding my hands and legs, and felt helpless.
The orbs of light I now knew were actually torches on the walls. As for the hooded figure… to my horror I realised he was none other than Death13 himself. On the throne, about a dozen metres away from me sat a king— one wearing a crown. He seemed like a pretty regular guy in his mid-thirties, east- Asian in appearance, with not much beard or moustache. I wondered if it was exactly how he looked in the real world. Maybe he liked his appearance so much that he had gone with his real world appearance in the game world too.
I focussed on him and got his details. My jaws dropped. So he was the boss, eh? The guy behind everything.
There were others in the room too. Men and women sat on rows of daises. They belonged to many races—human, elf, Raks and Monkey Men. I reckoned these were players and not NPCs and they were the members of the Kartoshi gang.
And then I saw Babaguy, the person who had helped me defeat Kumbhakarna by giving me the Brahmastra, sitting on the dais that was the closest to the boss.
He cast a look at me, realising that I was looking at him. He stared at me indifferently. I wondered if he was going to help me and my friends, or if he would do nothing fearing the boss and Death13.
The boss made a motion with his arm. Immediately soldiers came over and pulled me and my friends up and set us all in a standing position. I struggled to keep my balance with the ropes tying my feet together. My friends were in no better state. If I lost balance and fell, I would lose considerable health, since I would hit the ground face first.
“Find their true identities,” the boss said to Death13 who was standing beside him. Death13 came towards us. Fear soaked my heart at his approach. There had been a time when he had been in my friend list, but now I had done enough things to specify my position as one of his enemies.
It was me to whom he first came. I tried not to look into his non-existent face with the hovering red eyes. He extended a hand towards me. For a wild moment I felt like he was going to suck all of my Karma and delete me forever. But he just placed his hand on my chest. After a moment he turned towards the boss.
“Rohan Chaudhury. He is a perma player,” Death13 said and I was surprised that he could speak like a person. I reckoned sucking all the Karma from others was probably behind this. Though he spoke clearly, there was still a very inhuman vibe in his tone and it was accompanied by some static noise. “He first logged in from one of our free capsules.”
“Now that really hurts,” the boss said in a tone of regret. “Despite all our promises to make you wealthy just for playing the game, you rebel against us? You must be a big fool. You could have ruled over the other players along with the Kartoshi gang and seen real-world riches like you have never before. But you chose not to do that. I pity you, for what awaits you is pain, eternal pain.”
Death13 then moved over to Lovebird. He checked her like he had done to me.
“Zara Khan. ,” Death13 said.
“One of our own players?” the boss asked.
“Negative,” Death13 replied.
Next was Grimguy’s turn.
“Michael Alanov,” Death13 said. “Not one of our players.”
Last was Mastermind’s turn. I could see Mastermind flinching. I knew why. He was the one who had created Death13. He was one of the core members of the Kartoshi gang. One who had decided to stand up the gang.
Death13 placed a hand on his chest. And then I heard what was unmistakably a laugh from Death13.
“Nobita Honda,” Death13 said. He made a low sarcastic bow to Mastermind. “My creator.”
A wave of gasps passed over everyone. Mastermind however kept looking defiantly at Death13.
“Mr. Honda?” the boss said, and he sounded shocked. “Then this is betrayal.”
With a glare pasted on his face, Mastermind looked at the boss.
“Betrayal perhaps,” he said. “But to you, not to humanity.”
“Ah,” the boss said, amused. “So now you are showing your true colours, aren’t you? Before you used to speak with much effort to please me.”
“Because I didn’t know about your true intentions,” Mastermind said. “I could have never created the blasted junk code if I had known what you were really up to. It was the greatest wrong doing of my life.”
Death13 suddenly gave Mastermind a push with such force that he tumbled backwards, hitting the floor with his back. He let out a cry of pain.
“You do not speak to my true master like that,” Death13 said. “You might have created the code for me, but it was in the mind of boss that I truly took birth.”
At that moment Babaguy suddenly stood up, he looked like he had had enough.
“Please,” he said to the boss, “please stop this.”
The boss frowned, not seeming to understand him.
“Now what’s up with you? You want to let these bastards go away? What for?”
”Look, Kartoshi, you know that what you are doing is wrong,” Babaguy said. “So many people have been permanently erased already. But you can still stop this insanity.”
“I see that you are beginning to harbour sympathy for my enemies,” the boss said. “It really hurts me, you know.”
“Look Kartoshi, I have sworn to your family,” Babaguy said, “and even you know that the motto of your family
is to commit crimes without necessarily killing people. So why this? If you don’t stop I am afraid I will have to take measures.”
“Measures?” the boss said with a laugh.
“Do not forget that once I received the locations of three Brahmastras through a quest,” Babaguy said, the threat in his voice was obvious. For the first time, I saw the face of the boss pale. I reckoned even the boss was afraid of Brahmastras.
“You are ready to use a Brahmastra on me just for these vermin?” the boss asked Babaguy, gesturing at us.
“I will, if need be,” Babaguy said, “but if you only let them go and if you fix everything that I shall not use it upon you. I have been nodding away at every decision of yours from the very start. Let me just say that some of your decisions have not been very smart. Being a good advisor, one that really cares for your well being, I would ask you to end all the mindless activities you have been carrying out.”
The boss’s eyes bulged. Was he going to ask Death13 to attack Babaguy? That wouldn’t be very wise on his part, since that would give Babaguy the opportunity to use his Brahmastra, since the supreme weapon only activated when an opponent attacked. At the same time, I wasn’t sure if a Brahmastra would be enough to end a being like Death13. The AI of the game world wouldn’t have come with a completely new quest involving awakening Ravana, if a Brahmastra was all that was needed to do away with Death13.
“Send a message to the person in the game world who is at the nearest location to Babaguy’s capsule,” the boss commanded Death13.
Strangely, Death13 flinched.
“Is it not possible?” the boss asked.
“It is,” Death13 answered in his voice crackling with static noise, “but I have never done it before—”
Babaguy threw a ball of fire at the boss. The boss jumped away from his throne, and the ball of fire hit the top of the throne, destroying the top part completely. The other gang members stood up. They seemed very unsure as to what they should do. They seemed to fear that if they attacked Babaguy, he would be able to activate his Brahmastra.
The boss however didn’t attack back.
“Stop it!” he ordered Babaguy.
“As if I will,” Babaguy said. He threw another ball of fire at the boss. The boss tried to jump away, but the ball of fire hit him right on the chest, such that he was thrown back by a dozen metres and he hit the wall. He slumped down from the wall.
“Stop this,” the voice of Death13 said. He was standing not far from Lovebird and I was afraid that he might try to stop Babaguy by threatening to delete Lovebird, which would be really bad.
Babaguy didn’t stop.
As the boss was slowly getting back to his feet, a wince on his face and his chest quite charred, Babaguy threw a third ball of fire. The boss was too slow and the ball of fire hit him once again on the chest, throwing him against the wall behind, chunks of which fell and broke off due to the intensity of the force.
I focused on him and saw that his health was falling fast.
“Don’t you know?” the boss croaked, and this time Babguy let him speak, “After what you have done, you-you will be done for in the real world?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Babaguy answered defiantly, “but I am getting to hit you again and again now, which is what I have always dreamed of. I have been weak until now, bowing to your every reckless command, but I shall be weak no more.”
And saying this Babaguy threw his fourth ball of fire. This time just before the ball of fire could hit the boss, the boss leapt out of the way and the ball went on to hit the wall, so that a hole was created in it , which directly led out into the blackness of the night. Chunks of the wall flew away from the hole everywhere.
And then, Death13 let out a bone chilling cry and he approached Babaguy.
“No!” the boss yelled, obviously not knowing what might happen if a Brahmastra was used against Death13.
But Death13 didn’t heed the boss. Death13 lifted his hand, a bolt of lightning went towards Babaguy. Babaguy smiled and he muttered a strange word, one filled with numbers.
Babaguy repeated this word thrice fast. And immediately a spear gilded with diamonds formed in his hand. Before Death13 could suck him completely of Karma and delete him forever, Babaguy threw the spear at Death13. The moment seemed to freeze. And then, the supreme weapon hit Death13. The moment it did so there was a blinding flash of light, such that I couldn’t help but close my eyes.
The light lasted for how long I didn’t know. It could have been minutes or mere split seconds. When I opened my eyes again, there was a giant crater in the centre of the throne room. There were countless lines of force all about the throne room’s floor and also on its walls that originated from the crater. However, nothing else happened.
Death13 kept hovering above the crater, not even a little harmed by the supreme weapon that the Brahmastra was. There was a look of surprise on Babaguy’s face.
I heard a laugh come from the boss.
“I guess Brahmastras aren’t so useful against Death13, eh?”
And then, oddly, even Babaguy joined the laughter.
“A fine creation he is, isn’t he?” And saying thus, Babaguy didn’t waste a moment in throwing another ball of fire at the boss. It hit him, having caught him unawares in the midst of laughing. Death13 approached Babaguy fast, intending to suck off all his Karma.
“You forget one thing, Death,” Babaguy said as he ran towards the fallen boss, “I am not a perma player. Even if you suck off all my Karma, you cannot kill me. I will merely be logged out.”
The boss had recovered. He seemed to have suffered enough at Babaguy’s hands. He snarled and threw a ball of fire at Babaguy. Babaguy dodged it easily, and grinning he said another complex riddled with numbers. He repeated the word thrice and yet another Brahmastra appeared in his hand.
“No please!” the boss cried, realising his folly at attacking Babaguy, “It will destroy my character!”
But Babaguy threw the Brahmastra.
The boss was quick, fuelled by his fear, and he was able to dodge the oncoming Brahmastra, which sailed past him and went out through the hole in the wall that Babaguy had previously created with his ball of fire. After half a minute the sound of a great explosion reached my ears, and I knew that whatever had been hit by the Brahmastra had been totally incinerated by it.
“Damn you,” the boss said. “I am going to deal with you in the real world.”
And he logged out, and disappeared.
“Then it shall be so,” Babaguy said. And he logged out too and disappeared. Once the two had left, a silence came over the throne room. Death13 hovered to the place where his master, the boss, had last been. Death13 then shot us a look. He turned at the gang members who were still present.
“What do you want me to do with them?” he asked, and even as he spoke bits and pieces of debris came flying into the throne room through the hole in the wall, and it floated over to the throne and within moments the throne had been completely repaired and was as good as new. More debris floated in and repaired the giant hole in the floor. Apparently, Death13’s powers were not limited to destruction alone.
“Suck their Karma and delete them!” many of the gang members said together. My heart hammered in my chest. That would be bad. Death13 began to approach us.
“What if once boss returns he becomes furious at not finding them?” one of the gang members said, raising a hand.
None of the gang members wanted to make their boss furious. Eventually they agreed that it was best not to hurry and to keep us alive for at least a while. The gang members decided it was best to put us in the dungeons for the time being.
“Hey,” Mastermind whispered to me, as the soldiers came to take us to the dungeon. “I think it’s time that I log out. The boss would go for my game capsule once he deals with Babaguy.”
I nodded at him. Mastermind had already done a lot for us.
“It’s okay, you can log out,” I whispered back. “I think Wiseazz wo
uld be able to solve the puzzle and then we should be done with the problem of Death13 forever.”
“Let’s hope so,” Mastermind said, “I will try to return if I can. Goodbye.”
And with that final word he disappeared, so that the ropes binding him fell to the floor. Many of the gang members gasped. But there was nothing they could really do, since Mastermind was already out of the game world.
Chapter 30
The soldiers dragged us to the dungeons that were located in the bottom of the fort-like structure.
While the corridors of the dungeons were lit with torches, the cell into which Lovebird, Grimguy and I were shoved into was totally devoid of light. Once the door closed, we were in sheer darkness. There was also no window of any kind. I felt claustrophobic.
“So this is the end of us?” Grimguy said, sounding quite grim.
“No,” Lovebird said, almost angrily, and it cheered me substantially that at least she was determined. “They haven’t killed us yet. This cannot be the end of us because it isn’t.”
The three of us then huddled together in a corner of the cell and discussed in undertones what would be our best course of action. Wiseazz was our first hope. After that came Babaguy and Mastermind. Maybe they would be somehow able to tackle the boss in the real world? It was a far flung hope, since the boss was sure to have many helpers in the real world. While Babaguy and Mastermind would not be able to even use their spells in the real world.
And then like a ray of the sun forcing its way through the clouds, a new possibility arose, as the sound of snoring reached our ears. It was from the guards that were stationed outside our cell. They had probably thought that after taking away our bags from us and locking us in the dungeon we were quite helpless and so they had decided to ditch all worry and gone to sleep.
But we weren’t really helpless…
I had the perfect spell for the situation. The same one that I had received after slaying Kumbhakarna that gave me the ability to make people’s dreams go horribly wrong. I told about this to Grimguy and Lovebird and they were excited.
Rohan's Calling Online Page 35