Gang Attempts Round 2

I look around quickly for the gang of idiots that I have to try to protect myself from. I don’t have to look for long, before a gaggle of people, similar to the gang yesterday, comes streaming out of one of the rooms. I ready my knife, using observe on all of them in quick succession.

The levels are a little lower this time, 12-15, but still all threatening to me. I sigh internally. Guerrilla tactics are still my best hope against these guys, I haven’t gotten strong enough to face them in a fair fight. Not that a fair fight was ever on the table with these people to begin with.

“Oh shit! The fuckin bitch has a knife! Th’fuck ya gonna do cunt?” One of them slurs mockingly. My mind flashes back to high school where I was around people like this for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, and I groan internally. No wonder I lost so much faith in the human race, having to listen to that for so long. I figure I have one chance to throw as many spells as I can in hopes of surprising them, before running.

“Put that fuckin tiny thing down mate, and we won’t hurtcha.” Another guy says. I squeeze the handle gently to try to reassure myself, and prepare for a fight. I can’t let myself get taken by one of these groups, with how they’ve been described to me, it would be a long time before I see freedom again, if ever. “I said cunt, put that fuckin thing do-”

That’s as far as he gets before his head explodes. Blood sprays in all directions, and I’m lucky that I’m far enough away that most of it misses me. I look back up at the gored remains of the man’s face, and see what looks like the four-pronged end of a grappling hook sticking out of the gang member’s head, pointing towards me.

The hooks retract, carelessly ripping more flesh from the man’s face, as the weapon is yanked backwards by whoever launched it. The corpse of the once gang member flops backwards lifelessly. It would be a funny sight if it wasn’t so brutal, and I almost feel like I have to throw up.

The rest of the gang turns to look at where the hook came from, and I look past them to see a woman, who catches the hook and holds an identical one in her other hand. She giggles at the stunned faces of both the members of the gang, and me. Waving in an off-puttingly friendly manner compared to the **** she just flaunted, she speaks. “Hi everybody.”

She’s drop-dead gorgeous, which is almost a shame to be saying about somebody who just demonstrated the capacity to end a life with such ease and carelessness. Red hair frames a cheerful, pretty face, with a smile that radiates a cheeky innocence and pureness, which is a terrifying contrast to the previous display of brutality.

She’s wearing a dark red leather jacket, which is unbuttoned and open to reveal a black v-neck top, which shows off a small amount of cleavage, although it’s clear there’s much more she isn’t showing. Black leather pants complete the look and I gulp as I make the connection. I manage to stop myself from using observe. This woman is very clearly extremely dangerous, and if she can detect it the same way Olivia can, pissing her off is not a good idea.

“So, I heard that there was a **** planned. I assume it’s this lovely young lady?” The beautiful redhead says, gesturing to me. At her words, I have no idea what to think. The members look between each other, muttering, seemingly nervously, among themselves. One of them, apparently slightly braver than the rest, speaks to the woman.

“We don’t want any trouble.” He says, holding his hands up in surrender. The woman sighs, and closes her eyes. “You should have considered that before you tried to kidnap an innocent woman, and leave her to who knows what kind of fate.” She opens her eyes, and a red glow envelopes her irises.

What follows happens so quickly that I can barely register it. The woman launches one hook at the man who spoke, striking him in the throat and ripping it apart, blood spraying once more. Pulling the chain back, she jumps at the rest of the gang members, whirling around in the air and cutting down two more with the deadly arcs of those hooks, glinting in the light.

She lands gracefully, twirling once with her momentum, then firing a red ball of energy at one of the men. The groans and screams of pain sicken me to my stomach. The gang members aren’t prepared for the sudden onslaught in the slightest. They mount the little defenses they can, firing blasts of energy, throwing knives, hurling flames, but up against the brutal bombshell, it’s clear they stand about as much chance against her as I do against Olivia.

With more flashes of red energy, the mysterious woman dispatches most of them swiftly, quickly putting the still groaning ones out of their misery. If nothing else, I can appreciate the fact that she doesn’t leave them suffering too long. She comes to rest after slicing the head off of the last man standing. She sheathes the handles of her twin weapons, the chains shrinking slightly and coiling magically.

She turns to the women of the group, who she has left untouched. They look about as pale as I’m sure I do. One of them retches, and another one is crying, while the others just stare. “Run. Don’t come back.” The lethal redhead growls, an almost demonic sounding undertone to her voice.

The group of women trip over each other, trying to sprint away as quickly as they can. The retching one stumbles away, the sobs of the crying one echoing down the hallway. The mysterious woman watches them go, and I take that as my cue to start edging along the wall to try to get away from this person.

It’s not like I could escape if she wanted me dead, but there’s a primal fear been ignited inside me from seeing her slaughter so many people. It screams at me to get as far away from this woman as possible. It’s the kind of fear that feels like it should be all consuming, paralysing. Yet, although I feel it, it does not stop me from acting. A side effect of Gamer’s Spirit? Or possibly the new points in Wisdom?

The woman turns quickly and smiles at me, the seemingly innocent charm taking me off guard once more. “Who are you?” I ask, unable to stop the question from escaping my lips. Her smile widens, as if she was waiting for me to ask that question.

“I am Belle. I pride myself on being a **** for justice, in this lawless country of ours. I obliterate those who would do the innocent harm. Slavers, murderers, rapists, the scum of this world. You, my fabulously dressed friend, are so far, innocent. Do not become like them, or you will have me to answer to.” She warns, the subtle demon-like undertone back for the last sentence, before she immediately smiles again.

“Your outfit being indicative of your appreciation for good music, I think you have the sense to do the right thing, generally speaking. You are The Gamer, yes?” I nod, unsure of how else to react or what to make of this woman. “Good. Run along now.” “Thank you for saving me.” I say in earnest. Smirking slightly in a satisfied way and without a word, Belle turns around and walks away. I breathe a sigh of relief. I raise my hand and exit the barrier, walking quickly to find Mia.

“And she did all of that alone?” Mia asks. “I don’t know how powerful she is but if I had to guess, it would be at least as powerful as Olivia.” I reply. Mia whistles softly. “Scary stuff.” “Tell me about it, I was there. The level of brutality…” I shake my head. “I’d never seen a person die before today, let alone the blood and gore.” Trailing off, my eyes rest on the surface of the metal table. “Hey.” Mia says, in a kind and soft voice. I look back up at her.

“You’re alive, you’re still fighting. That’s what matters. Unfortunately, this is life in the abyss. It can be horrible but there’s no use dwelling on it. All we can do is get stronger.” She gently comforts me, looking into my eyes, her own a gentle blue colour. I smile faintly. “I’m sorry for not being there to help you. If I had’ve known, I would have-” “It’s okay.” I interrupt. “Like you said, I’m still alive. We do the best we can.” She nods. “Still. I’m going to be more vigilant.”

“That’s twice now in two days. Are kidnap attempts normally this common?” I ask. Mia shakes her head. “Not normally, but you’re a special case. Latebloomers attract a special kind of attention. Stuff goes through the grapevine real fast, gangs talk to each other and all, if you follow.”

“I thought everybody was constantly at each other’s throats?” I ask in confusion. “Sort of? I don’t really know, I don’t know much about it, or pay much attention to it. I’m left alone because of my family, so it doesn’t really affect me.” I nod, reconsidering my question. “I guess constant war and rumours aren’t mutually exclusive. There’s probably a network of alliances and such that’s pretty complicated.” Mia giggles, a sound like music to my ears. “You’ve already thought about it more than I have.”

The bell sounds for the next period of class. Mia and I each walk to separate classrooms. On the way to my next class, I spot the person I’ve been waiting to see: Skylar. Before I can think of what to say, my legs are already working. I rack my brain quickly. I clear my throat and she turns around. “Hi, I’m-” “The Gamer. Yes I’ve heard about you. Rumour has it that you have some powerful friends.”

“I’ve been lucky so far. Hopefully I’m skilled enough to handle myself once my luck runs out. I didn’t catch your name sorry?” I say in a relatively cheerful tone, using the question to mask the fact that I already know her name. A ghost of a smile touches the corners of her lips. “I’m Skylar. Be careful Gamer.” With that, she turns and walks away. I’m left standing there, unsure of exactly how that interaction went.

Quest completed!

Make another friend

Reward: 100xp

Well that at least confirms my suspicion that she is part of the abyss too. I decide to Observe her, reasoning that if she didn’t spot it last time, it should be safe to use it again.

Skylar Whitley

Lvl 12, student

Apprentice of Shadow

20 years old

Single

Relationship: +3

Emotions: Curious, passive, reserved

Well those aren’t exactly emotions, but it’s giving me a pretty good idea of her mental state. At least I didn’t fuck up the interaction majorly. I mentally kick myself anyway. I need to start trying to be more assertive and confident.