We split up into three teams: Kona with Serenity in the air; Dawn and Elsbeth with Victoria; and Ramona with me. We wait behind some dense shrubbery for the enemy to move between the two ground groups. I whisper to Dawn and Serenity to execute Operation Gold Rush.

Originally, my plan was to use real copper coins scattered on the ground to capture the mercs' attentions, but Victoria produced the rings and insisted we try gold instead. I had to admit that was a much better idea and ask her what else she grabbed. It was mostly extra weapons and the Necklace of Dragon Breath, which everyone agreed for me to wear since I was going after the leaders. I gave it a quick run down and was prompted to choose an element. Not knowing what else to do, I chose the ice element at random and the spell was left on standby.

As they trudge forward, it isn't the first two shield bearing mercenaries who notice the glittering on the ground. Their eyes are fixed ahead, looking for danger, not riches. Those behind, however, in a moment of greedy panic, shouted the word that sent almost all of them sprawling to the ground. One by one they fell to their knees, pushing each other, scrambling to get a little bonus for their efforts. They didn't even think of the absurdity of dozens of gold coins being on the ground in the middle of no where. By then, it would be too late.

The greatsword weilder, who I Analyzed as being Morgan Redbridge, is a level 14 Half-Giant Knight and too slow to give his men proper commands. I observe his eyes as his men dog pile onto each other in the middle of this gods-forsaken forest. Before another word can be uttered an explosion bursts from the center of the pile, blowing arcane wind at him and he shields his face with his five foot sword.

We unleash the entire fury of our patiently waiting, charged skills. Each of the melee fighters tearing the confused and battered pile of men to shreds. I briefly observe three glowing objects flying out of El's bow and hitting three seperate mercs in their throats, dealing massive amounts of damage. I skirt the pile, slashing when I can and run face to face with my targets. The two archers are actually weilding crossbows and the bolts fly out much faster than regular bows due to their higher draw weight capacity. Still, I barely dodge them and they take turns reloading and firing at me as the mage fills in the gap with her own ranged attacks. I can't get any closer to them on foot. I clear my thoughts and focus on one at a time.

Mage first.

Arrows and bolts of arcane energy and lightning fly into the group of four but are stopped by an aura. The arrows bounce harmlessly off while the magic impacts with no effect. Morgan laughs, "No range attacks! Hahaha!" The archers and mage switch targets and fire into the sky. I hear a squeak in my ear and use it as my cue.

Assassinate works just fine and I rend the unsuspecting mage with a Critical Stab and Echo Strike. She lets out a gurgling scream as her HP drops to zero faster than she can react. I pick the archer that's still loading his crossbow, close the distance between us in an instant, and Roundhouse him several yards away with an echoing THWACK. He skids to a stop just far enough out of the aura's range for Kona and Serenity to finish him off. I watch an crossbow bolt counce harmlessly off an Arcane Shield that Kona throws up just in time.

"Serenity! Make sure no one gets to the cave--"

I dodge Morgan's me-sized sword, rolling to the side. He's wielding it like a baseball bat and swinging it as such, trying to deal as much damage as possible with each swing with no regards to accuracy or stamina rationing. I wonder about weapon proficiency and how and when one would actually obtain it. I assume Morgan probably bullied his way to the top of the ranks with his immense raw Strength.

An arrow hits me in the shoulder. I squint my eyes and grit my teeth to keep my focus on the big guy and narrowly avoid two wide swings. I can tell I won't be able to parry any of these attacks so I shoot in when I find an opening.

[Morgan Redbridge kicks you for 25 damage!]

His foot is waiting for me and a kick sends me flying high into the air. He's gonna try to slice me up here! I teleport behind him and use 35 of my 44/84MP to activate Shadow Toxin. I slash his legs from behind and roll to the side, avoiding his mighty sword. I know I did damage, but the debuff isn't working, not even poison! Crap. It must be some racial trait.

Well, if there's one thing I know about much bigger guys, after discussing them with security guards who've had to kick them out of bars, it's their joints and I hope it translates into the game. I climb the nearest tree and access my bracelet.

"Hahaha! No poison for me! Hahaha! Come down now! You killed brother! I rip out guts!" he taunts as he swings and severs my tree from it's roots.

I jump off, jerking my body to dodge another crossbow bolt, and grin at the half-giant.

I run straight for him. He squats and brings his sword to his shoulder like he's waiting for a pitch and I'm the ball. As he swings for my neck I slide under, activating the necklace and blowing a plume of icy breath at him as I slide under him.

[You deal 26 cold damage!]

[You deal 26 cold damage!]

[You deal 26 cold damage!]

[You inflict the Slow debuff for 8 seconds!]

Just enough time! Using the Great Bite gloves I pummel Morgans knees forcing him into a kneeling position. I watch the damage accumulate as I strike at his head and add the Bleed Debuff. I strike over and over and over as he tries to turn and bring up his arms to defend himself in slow motion but eventually my flurry turns him into a bloody mess and the corpse collapses to the ground.

A bolt still hits me on the top of my shoulder. With Morgan dead, I activate Healing Breeze, probably giving the archer a little HP as well. I stand and turn to face him. He's stumbling to load his crossbow again. I look over at the others and though they're facing greater numbers, they are not faltering in the slightest.

Dawn has a white aura about her and a twenty foot magic circle below her as she Smites someone to a bloody pulp, simultaneously killing and healing at the same time. It's the Sanctuary spell.

A quick scan and I can see that everyone sorely needs the effects of the spell, reducing regen times to near instant. Their armor and shields splintered, weapons broken, all MP and SP spent. The only thing left is a handful of HP and the will to fight.

The archer still isn't ready by the time I look back. I can't show him pity, even though I can see he's an NPC. In fact, all of these people are. Not a single player is among them. I need to finish him and regroup with my friends. I sigh in resignation for what must be done and I make my way toward him.

By now, the sun has hit it's apex. Its bright. It's warm. Its disgusting.

This is the first time we've had to deal with this situation. Normally, the game clean up engine would dispose of all signs of battle before anything can assault the senses. But not when it comes to fighting the NPCs. The battle may be over, but they're still relentlessly assaulting us.

Bitter iron, burning flesh, fear induced vomit. The acrid odors violate the nose, invade past the eyes, and flood the brain. It's nauseating. It coats the skin like grease, leaving one afraid that the smell will stick to your skin forever.

Then, when your eyes regain their focus you see it. You see that there is nothing good about battle like this. There is no honor. No glory. No victory. There is only death and those left to witness it.

"They dragged a bunch of kids out here to fight for them," Dawn whispers, staring at the teenage bodies, their destinies cut short. "Is there anything we can do about this?"

Victoria shakes her head. She has seen this scene many times, "We can bury them. If that's what you want to do."

Dawn jabs my arms to get my attention, "Do that- that bag shovel thing."

I'm staring at a particular body, mangled from a shield strike and partially on fire from a spell. He looks like he was in a car accident. I'm waiting for his eyes to open. His bloody and mangled hand will reach out for me.

He'll croak out, "Everything's going to be alright, Ardacen. Okay? Take care of Mom, big guy. I lo--"

"ARDY! You okay?" Victoria has my face in her hands. "Come back, love. It's okay."

I grab onto her tightly, not knowing what else to do.

After a moment, I calm down and pull myself together. "Let's… get the Crystals and loot first."

She forces a weak smile, "There he is. Come on. Let's keep moving forward, right?" We look around at everyone as they nod in agreement. "Then we'll bury them."

[Raiding Party Eliminated!

[War Party Leader Bonus +20%

[3420XP will be divided among all party members

[You received 489XP]

[Level Up! You have reached Level 12]

[You have 7 stat points to allocate]

[Quest Complete: None shall pass

[Reward: 1000XP, 8*Pawn Chest, 4*Bishop Chest, 1*Jester's Box]

"Okay, stats first. Then Loot. Then Burial. Wait, did anyone actually bring a rucksack?" Everyone sheepishly avoids eye contact with me and I sigh. The system does its thing where it puts a mental bandage on our memories, making them seem less horrifying to remember.

"Okay. Serenity and Kona, please go back and get a couple empty bags while the rest of us wait for Richter and Rachel and pick up everything."

"Aye aye, sir!" Kona gives a mock salute and whispers to Serenity, "I can finally get my First Class tonight! I'm so excited!"

They speed off, giggling to each other.

We give the bloody mess some distance and everyone works on their stats. Ramona hisses in excitement when she sees that she, too, is able to get her First Class tonight. I keep an eye on my radar as I split some points between Dexterity and Arcane, putting them at 45 and 36 respectively. An idea comes to the front of my thoughts, one that's been there for a while, but I still ask the others for permission. Of course, they see no problem with it and I promise them my speedy return.

"Just let me know when they arrive, please."

It's a little selfish, but I run through the forest like a wraith, shredding the Giant Lizards, Cobras, Wolves, and Boars for their loot. I just killed a bunch of people and now I'm hunting a bunch of monsters. It feels like a cigarette would after an intense round with Victoria.

I still have the Party active so the system will wait until the end of all combat to divide the meager XP. I even manage to pick up Herbs here and there. The creatures that used to take up to five minutes for me to fight now take seconds, their loot filling up my bracelet just as fast.

[Adaptibilty Activated! Learned Skill!]

[You Learned Reptile Sense Skill.

[Combination Ability Possible: Would you like to combine Wolf Sense and Reptile Sense Y/N?]

Hell yes! I sure as hell am glad I didn't get Reptile Sense first, sticking my tongue out to know where the enemy is instead of using the ol' sniffer. Aside from that, the two are very similar except instead of night vision, Reptile Sense has a thermal vision. Very cool. Very alien hunter. I wonder if Ramona and the Saurians have this skill… Yes.

[You have lost the skill Wolf Senses!]

What?!

[You earned the Feat Apex Predator!]

Oh. Whew!

[Apex Predator: Zoom III/Enhanced Hearing II/Enhanced Smell II/Dark Vision/Thermal Vision may now be used passively.]

[Zoom III self/zoom in 2-6 times, increases accuracy]

[Enhanced Hearing II self/detect sounds in full circle around you, 100yard radius, in the form of radar. threats will appear as red.]

[Enhanced Smell II self/ range 1 mile. able to locate targets by smell, marked by thin trails in vision. threats will appear as red. people will appear as blue. locations will appear as green. goals for quests will appear as yellow. you may choose which ones appear and which don't.]

Before, I had to find out exactly what Wolf Sense had to offer on my own. Through trial and error I learned what it could do. Now, as a Feat, it plainly showcases each skill and I'm able to discern each one's effects. Ooo! Not only that, but they're all passive! No more activating and reactivating, spending MP only when I am able.

Sure, I was only looking to gather more materials while we waited, but who would pass up an opportunity like this? Most likely it triggered because my level is so much higher than theirs now and the base chance is at 30%. Plus the luck increase from Varient Hunter.

[War Party Leader Bonus +20%

[487 XP will be divided among all party members]

[You received 70XP]

[You received 28*Giant Lizard Scale, 22*Giant Lizard Spine, 18*Wolf Pelt, 19*Wolf Meat, 10*Green Cobra Scale, 19*Green Cobra Fang, 7*Boar Hide, 10*Boar Hide]

[Warning: Storage Bracelet is at 99%]

Dawn's voice comes in nice and clear, "Ardy? Everyone's here. Coming back?"

I give her the affirmative, flickering my new passive skills on and off, watching trails come in and out of view. The ranges are now twice the size they were and my Zoom reaches the abilities of a rifle scope. I furrow my brow when I leave the trail and radar skills on so I can find my way back. There's a red dot in both my vision and radar, about fifty yards from the group.

"Dawn, there might be a hostile fifty yards to the west," I whisper into the ear cuff, "Don't make it obvious."

A moment of silence, "Nope. None of us see anything. You think we missed someone?"

"No. We could only finish the quest if we got everyone. I'm going to head towards you and curve toward it. Keep everyone there and inconspicuous."

"Sure thing."

I run towards the group, but as the hostile and I become the same distance away, it also moved closer to the group so I couldn't intercept it.

"Casually take everyone inside," I command, keeping myself from shouting so the figure, now in my vision, couldn't hear, "or at least in the cave."

Our paths finally meet where the group once stood and I'm suprised to see the looming figure of a Tiger Faunus removing the hood from his head. Orange fur with black stripes are a dead giveaway, but his height is much taller than what he should be, even for a tiger. I can tell by their positions on my radar, the others are hiding and watching us from the mouth of the cave.

>Scan[137/137HP, 24/24MP, 99/99SP

[24Agility, 18Armor, 1Willpower

[Skills: Gank I, Power Strike II, Intimidating Aura, Dash I, Quickdraw]

"Your name looks familiar, do I know you?" I throw the question casually at him. Of course I know him, he's the one who lost to me in my last Deadly Combat tournament, the one the scanner at the assembly so kindly gushed over.

"What's it to you? You forget to put in your name at the character creation?" His response is meant to be an insult, but I know that everyone is playing with their real names and mine will be hidden from him until I introduce myself.

"Rude. Why are you here?"

"I heard from a bunch of lowbies that some dork in a mask thinks he can fight. Imagine my disappointment when all I found were a bunch of chicks and that loser elf. But now-"

As he goes through his prepared speech, I signal the others, signing letters with my hand, "Enjoy the show." I follow with one more word, "Toxin."

My hands start to glow a dim yellow and it shuts him up for a second, "I've got stuff to do, so let's get this over with."

[You received a Duel Challange! Will you accept Y/N?]