by Wolfe Locke
Kurt knew size hardly mattered in the digital world of "Seven Cities Online." It was a cosmetic selection, just like any other. It wasn't an indicator of strength, endurance, or health. Probably some punk kid playing at being a tough guy. Well, he'll get his chance today. Kurt couldn't help but smirk at the thought. It looks like he's got a full Tier 7 Vanguard set though, not terrible by any means. Judging by the quality of his gear, Kurt guessed the guard's level to be in the low 100's. For many, that alone would be a deterrent against starting anything, but Kurt wasn't most people.
In "Seven Cities Online," your level wasn't displayed for everyone to see. Actually, almost nothing was available to pick up about other players unless you had an active scan ability or you were at an interface to check stats, gear, loadouts, etc. It was a level of privacy that Kurt preferred, and to be honest, there was something distracting and annoying about too many pop-up notifications in a full immersion video game.
As he walked through the gate, Kurt gave the guard a respectful head nod. While Kurt still had every intention of killing the man and taking his gear, he didn't need to be completely rude about it, not until it was time to start. It also helped to get a closer look, and Kurt saw the man had a patch on his shoulder of three black slashes through a skull. Interesting, Kurt thought. I'm unfamiliar with this one.
As he passed under the gate and into the main courtyard, Kurt was surprised by how packed the place was even after seeing the density on his minimap. Almost covering an entire wall was a large sign that read in white and blue lettering on the side of the wall reading "Blue Dutchman Trading Group." He actually had to squeeze by and through the other players because of how crowded it was as he worked on casing the player market and pretended to check out the various shop wares.
"Ah fuck it." Kurt thought as he got into a routine of enjoying the player market. He freely admitted it was a pretty cool setup. While he still owned pretty much everything there was for sale, it was still a refreshing environment. More than once, some of the players came up to him, thinking his casual attire marked him as a gear mule. As politely as he could, Kurt refuted the point and made a habit of moving about as he gave warm, casual greetings to random players.
Kurt ended up adopting an eccentric flair about him. He started buying bits and pieces of items and cosmetics as he went. It helped that at least in the game, Kurt was rich and could do and buy whatever he wanted. As soon as the cash started to flow, other players gave him a bit more leeway and let him browse relatively unmolested, almost as if awed by him flaunting his wealth. All in all, as Kurt worked, he confirmed 3 guards and a system in place for an emergency lockdown. Though Kurt didn't dismiss the possibility of plain-clothed hidden security.
It was a possibility, but overall, Kurt doubted it was to be the case. He just made a point to consider it as an option. By trying to keep options on the table, Kurt was able to control for threats and was less likely to be taken unawares. He really didn't think it was needed here, though. The bazaar was made up of mostly lower level players. The 2nd guard Kurt spotted was likely in the upper double digits level-wise, and the 3rd guard Kurt was able to spot he shine on the man's rifle was posted atop the building's rooftop, scanning the surrounding valley for threats through the lens of the rifle. Amateur. Even has a cloak ability to keep him off my radar but didn't bother to use any camouflage.
He'll go first, thought Kurt as he qualified the threat. Not wanting to draw more attention to himself, Kurt headed to the shop nearest the ladder that led up to the rooftop and adopted a different tactic. When under surveillance, when being watched, be boring. Be casual, bore people to look away. A little bit of knowledge he picked up from a counter-surveillance course he attended while still doing wet work for the military.
As Kurt looked through the shop's wares, he took his time to make his next round of purchase by being the perfectly engaged and boring shopper. He saw a number of caltrops, barbed wire, Concertina wire, and other items meant for defending a player home or a position. Kurt had the perfect spot for them in mind for what was to come. He bought them all, sending the newly acquired items to his inventory. The thankful vendor turned his attention to the rest of the players who had been waiting for their turn. Kurt made a show of further examining the items until he absolutely sure he was no longer being watched before deciding to walk away.
Go time, Kurt thought as he tucked his Cricket Bat away, triggering a secondary effect of the outfit he was using. No longer considered armed by the game's system, the built-in invisibility function of the outfit kicked in, allowing him to easily hide in plain sight. Without a word, he crouched over and carefully snuck past the players and the vendors, heading straight towards the ladder and the sniper above. He would use the invisibility function of his outfit to remain hidden in place sight and look for the perfect opportunity to climb up the ladder, gaining roof access, and getting rid of the sniper. Three to one odds were always best when one of the three died early.
Chapter 6: First Blood
Kurt carefully climbed up the ladder, making sure to thoroughly abuse the invisibility capabilities of his outfit. This part was a helpful bug, not a feature. A bug that Kurt had discovered years ago and never reported. The items itself that allowed for the bug were in limited rotation so Kurt had always figured that if anyone else had found out about it, they hadn't reported it either as it had never been patched.
The bug was simple, the invisibility Kurt gained from putting away his weapon was a quick concealment ability, never meant to be more. An invisibility broken by movement. But if he crouched and walked slowly, the invisibility would remain, even as he climbed.
Kurt was being careful to avoid any unwanted attention being directed his way. Not out of fear or anything. But because he loved theatrics, and this was a show he didn't want to start until the stage was properly set. The climb up the ladder was slower than Kurt wanted it to be but due to the constraints of the item set he affectionately had dubbed [The Everymanner] he had to move at a slow pace to avoid the disruption of his personal invisibility. Depending on how well the rest of the attack went, it might be the last time he was ab
Kurt was being careful to avoid any unwanted attention being directed his way. Not out of fear or anything. But because he loved theatrics, and this was a show he didn't want to start until the stage was properly set. The climb up the ladder was slower than Kurt wanted it to be but due to the constraints of the item set he affectionately had dubbed [The Everymanner] he had to move at a slow pace to avoid the disruption of his personal invisibility. Depending on how well the rest of the attack went, it might be the last time he was able to enjoy this particular exploit.
Once Kurt reached the top and pulled himself up onto the roof, he took a second to survey the entirety of the players market and double check the feed put out by his little birds. Afterwards he looked out over the edge, making sure the sheer size and scope of the player market could be seen on his stream. He was awed by it and actually a little surprised by how successful the place seemed to be. It had far more people than he had originally planned for. Call me soft, but this is actually kind of cool, Kurt thought to himself as he considered for the briefest of seconds reconsidering his actions and calling the whole thing off.
He dismissed the dismissal out of hand. One thing Kurt had never been was one to second guess his decisions, and a player market, full of gear to take was not the place to turn over a new leaf. Especially not when this was sure to full the feeds of "Seven Cities Online" and hopefully result in some good tips when the video uploads.
At the end of the rooftop, Kurt spotted the sniper laid out in the prone. The sniper's body was partially obscured from sight on the ground by the slant of the roof but otherwise had no protection. How disappointing, this kids a rank amateur, I was really hoping my assessment was wrong, Kurt shook his head in disapproval. Even though Kurt had estimated the sniper's level to be high or at least marginally higher than most people who played the game he could tell the
sniper was no warrior. However, even with the level boost, it was clear to Kurt the sniper was just another fraud, a tool playing at hired gun.
Kurt, however, was not an amateur and he knew that his invisibility could easily break while walking across the roof, all it would take was a moment of losing his footing. Kurt sank low onto his belly. Moving along on his forearms and his upper things, Kurt snuck across the rooftop by using a commando crawl, making sure to keep his body low pressed to the ground and not make a noise. In the real world it was a physically exhausting, though simple, maneuver that most people would have never considered doing unless they had the training and exposure to the technique.
The process may have seemed to take forever and Kurt was positive those watching his stream would get bored with it, but it didn't actually last more than a minute or two before Kurt managed to reach the sniper. The closer he got, the worse his impression of the sniper became as he noted with a keen judgment that the pretender hadn't even bothered to set up traps, or mines or even the use of a spotter to call out targets or watch his back.
So basically, Kurt thought as he reached into his inventory and felt the grip of his cricket bat in his hand and readied himself. I'm pretty much doing him a favor. This is practically a public service.
With a sudden fierceness of action, Kurt sprang up and in one fluid movement, pulled the cricket bat out of his inventory. He slammed it down in an overhead swing, aiming for the exposed nape of the sniper's neck were the helmet and body armor didn't quite meet. The force of the blow popped the sniper's helmet off and it went flying far into the distance landing far enough away in the tree line that nobody noticed. Obviously, it broke the sniper's neck, killing him instantly.
In "Seven Cities Online" Kurt never took a death for granted, knowing there were plenty of abilities that offered second chances and fake outs. This time he wasn't concerned though, Kurt knew the man was dead by the instant appearance of a satchel full of items next to the body. The bag was full of all the gear the sniper had been using. Not one to waste an opportunity to loot, Kurt went ahead and pocketed most of it while making sure the sniper rifle the dead man had been using remained out.
[Ping] You have gained Tier 7 Tactical Ashen Armor.
[Ping] You have gained a level 140 Sniper Rifle.
[Notification] You have received a message.
[TheClapperx69: Do you know who the fuck you're messing with? You're fucking done bro. Dead. I'm coming for you.
Kurt laughed, muttering "Thanks for reminding me," as he flashed a thumbs up for his streamers and reached into his inventory and pulled out a very special device. [Teleportation Blocker] and threw it down next to the sniper's body. It wouldn't last forever; it didn't need to. Kurt just wanted to make sure that nobody tried to port out of the market.
Knowing that time was not on his side, Kurt went ahead and got down in the prone behind the sniper rifle, grasping it in hands as he scanned for the roaming guard within the bazaar and took him out with a single shot. This was one of the few areas of realism Kurt had always been disappointed with within the game.
It was a perfect shot, perfectly lined up and with precise trigger squeeze and breath control. With a shot like that, it should have traveled through the man's septum and out of the back of his head, blowing most of his brains and skull with it. But instead, due to graphic restrictions and maturity filters, a single bullet hole appeared in the man's forehead as he slumped over dead.
The sudden sound of gunshots spooked many of the players in the market. This wasn't Kurt's first rodeo as the saying goes and he leaned out and yelled "Don't worry guys, I got him. It's safe to keep shopping." His reassurances seemed to do the trick. The people were still nervous and didn't quite understand what was going on, but as far they were concerned, the man on the roof was doing his job making sure they were protected, things were just easier this way.
[Notification] You have received a message.
[Moarbloodpours: "You stupid son of bitch. You fucked up faggot. That ass is mine bitch. My boys are all online. You better prep that asshole boy."
Kurt discarded the message and blocked the sender. Literally there was only one thing he couldn't stand with these kids and that was being rude. Well, two things if you counted that most of them were illiterate, and three things if you considered most of these internet tough guys had even been in a fist fight.
Maybe I was a bit premature in the blocking, Kurt thought as he quickly willed all of the newly looted gear except the sniper rifle onto the global player auction, making each item as close to free as he could get and then responded back with a message.
[Notification] You have sent a message.
[TedFromOhio: <3<3<3 Thanks for the gear. Just gave it all away in the auction house.
Kurt wasn't really satisfied with the message; shit talking had never been his strong suit. Killing people had been. But for good measure he went ahead and added a couple of Eggplant emojis for effect.
In the distance, Kurt could hear some of his mines going off as he sent some of those "boys" back to respawn. Below him people shifting nervously, looking up at him for guidance. Once again, Kurt assured them that everything would be ok, even as he located the last guard, hunched over in a corner at the base of the wall on the outskirts of the iron palisade. Effortlessly, Kurt popped off a shot from the Sniper Rifle, killing the man.
"He was a spy," Kurt called out pointing down the field as an idea formed in his mind. "Don't worry guys, just follow my lead and I'll keep you safe, but if you can fight, you might want to get ready. Looks like we've got raiders incoming."
[Notification] You have received a message.
[MeMe2003: Hey, please don't take my stuff. That took a long time to farm.
[Notification] You have sent a message.
[TedFromOhio: Call me a softie, but manners go a long way. When this is over, feel free to come and collect your bags. Good luck to you, and good game.
In the distance, Kurt could hear more of his mines and traps going off, sending more and more of the incoming players to respawn. The people below him shifted about nervously as they looked up at him and then out into the field, a few complaining about how the quick travel option wasn't working anymore.
Once again, he assured them, even as he worked to push the body of the dead sniper over the rooftop, landing with a cracking thud on a sole red dot that had managed to reach the market. "I've got this guys don't worry you're in good hands, I will keep you safe."
Chapter 7: Reality Check
Kurt voiced the secret command he had macroe'd to swap out to his other set of gear. "Beast Mode, Activate!"
It was one of his favorite commands, and his body was briefly outlined in what appeared to be wire mesh as the game's engine swapped out and rebuilt the layout he had chosen. As soon as he felt the weight of the Rat Helmet in his hand, he knew it was go time and put it on, adjusting it slightly to fit better, thankful that it didn't actually interfere with his field of vision like it should have in the real world.
He had four abilities at his disposal, and though his little birds would have benefited him in the coming battle, when it came to ultimate destruction, finesse wasn't required. The explosions had completely stopped and in the distance, he could see shimmers in the air, like hot air over the road, a mirage showing the distortion where somebody was under the effect of invisibility. They've come prepared, he thought guessing they were using single use packs.
Which means they've come for me, he thought with a smile as he prepared to go out and greet them. Kurt flexed his legs and kicked in a heel, for the first time showing off more of his game augmented strength as he tore rivets into the roof and jumped hundreds of feet in a single leap.
As he flew through the air, his great coat trailing a bit in the wind, Kurt counted over 50 player shadows and glimmers in the air, but no players. That's a new one, I've never seen the single uses still leave a shadow, he thought as he pulled back the oversized mallet that complemented his g
ear and began to charge up his first ability, "Gaia's Fist" as the mallet slammed into the ground as he landed in the middle of the group.
Earth and rocks shifted and sprang up in sheer cliffs as a result of the sheer force and devastation Kurt had unleashed. Where he had landed, a crater formed, and all around him black-armored figures came into view as the cause of their invisibility was interrupted.
Much to Kurt's surprise, they all seemed posed to attack, none appeared to have been staggered or stunned like "Gaia's Fist" should have inflicted on them. Whatever, there's other ways to skin a cat, Kurt told himself as he sprinted with an unmatched speed towards the nearest of the armored figures and brought his hammer down to crush the armored figure in one blow.