After lunch, Tobi, Rishi and Silvia left the hotel in search for one of the weaker doors in the city. While having a six-person team allowed them all to clear higher-level doors, the amount of xp split between each teammate would hinder their progress significantly.

That left Alex, Ty and Danny to go search through the city by themselves for the afternoon. While they normally stayed on the same street as the Bellevue, what players had started to call ‘Main Street’ with the Bellevue’s black awning always in sight, the group wanted to explore more of the City Zone.

As far as they could tell, the city was endless. The streets went on and on, disappearing into the horizon. For all they knew, this entire world was one giant city, which made them wonder why the zone was so big if they were only to be teleported away at level ten.

Turning off Main Street at the first intersection, the trio walked down the road, listening for any sounds of the Monster Stampede. Danny had spent her new attribute points on buffing her Agility and now that she was level seven, she was saving for the armor and weapon upgrade from the System Shop.

Ty had begrudgingly spent his entire three attributes on Wisdom, conceding to Danny and Alex that it would only help him to balance his stats. For as much as the red panda griped, he seemed to understand the downside of min-maxing.

They had passed several worn wood doors and a few sturdy wood doors, but they ignored them as they were curious about what lay a few blocks ahead. Just down the street, they saw trees poking out behind one of the buildings. In a place covered in grey concrete and off-white pavement, the vibrant green leaves stood out in stark contrast to the dull surrounding colors.

What they found was a gated off park, hidden between the buildings. The black wrought iron fencing looked ordinary enough and the gate was already opened wide. Beyond the gate, a concrete path led through the trees and grass with a few benches along the way and a beautiful looking fountain at its center.

“Looks wonderful.” Danny said quietly. “I wonder what will try to kill us in there.”

“Or it could be a Safe Zone.” Alex pointed out. “Maybe a way to escape the Monster Stampede?”

“Or!” Ty said. “It’s just a park.”

Alex and Danny snorted at Ty’s ever present smartass comments. Ty grinned, showing is pointed teeth.

“Well, only one way to find out.” Alex said.

“We throw Ty in and see what happens?” Danny asked innocently.

“Ha…ha…ha.” Ty deadpanned. “No, stop, my sides are splitting, bros.”

“I think that Wisdom stat is already kicking in.” Alex laughed.

Ty flipped both them off with his furry black fingers.

Shaking his head, Alex stepped through the gate, his matte black guns in each hand. Danny followed close behind, staff at the ready, with Ty taking up the rear, an arrow already resting on his bow’s string.

Nothing tried to attack them as they cautiously followed the path towards the center of the park. The trees and grass and the trickling of the fountain gave a feeling of peace and calm. It all grated against Alex’s nerves. The park was too normal.

As they approached the fountain, the stone mermaid at the top, holding up a vase that water endless spilled out of, looked almost real. The work was amazingly well done. Even the scales of her lower half were carved in detail, giving off a feeling that she was once alive, only to have been turned to stone.

A hissing sound erupted from the trees and the group turned to find several large snakes dropping from the bright green canopies. Alex almost sighed in relief that the danger had finally revealed itself. Then the sound of the wrought iron gates slamming shut echoed off the walls of the buildings that surrounded the park.

“It’s a damn Event!” Alex shouted as he started shooting the snakes that were quickly approaching them from all sides.

“What’s an Event?” Danny yelled back.

“These things will keep spawning until we kill enough for the Boss to appear!” Alex answered over the thundering sounds of his guns. “The gate won’t open until we kill the Boss!”

“Or until we’re dead!” Ty shouted, shooting his arrows into the increasing swarm of snakes.

“Shut up, Ty!” They both yelled back.

The snakes were a little larger than average but not overly impressive. What was odd was that their eyes were shut tight.

“Why are their eyes shut?” Danny asked, sending another root spell into the growing swarm.

Alex looked back at the stone statue. “Well, I could be wrong, but remember the story about Medusa?”

“The ol’ bitty that had snake dreads and turned people to stone?” Ty asked.

“Yeah.” Alex said, shooting the heads off two more snakes. “Well, if we hear anything weird like a gong or something, shut your eyes.”

“Or we’ll be turned to stone?” Danny asked. “Great. You really know how to show a girl a good time, Alex.”

Alex smirked. “All part of my charm.”

The root spells that Danny cast were extremely effective. The thorns dug into the snakes’ body and slowed them down considerably since they had to slither across them to get to the group at the base of the fountain.

“I have an idea!” Danny shouted. “Everyone on me!”

Ty and Alex jumped over to the Druid as she started casting her root spell again. The low chanting started to build and a stream of green light flew from her staff, sinking into the ground. Thorn tipped vines started erupting from the grass and as Danny slowly turned in a circle, the vines kept growing around them, creating a low wall of that would slow the mobs’ approach.

“Very nice!” Alex said. “That spell modifier you bought was worth its weight in gold!”

“Dude. Modifiers don’t have weight.” Ty laughed.

“Said the red panda to the ninja cowboy.” Danny said once her spell was finished.

The snakes continued to move towards the group but were getting slowed down significantly due to the modified root spell.

“Can you make the wall thicker?” Alex asked.

“I think so, but it’s going to take a shit ton of mana. Don’t expect me to be casting too many heals.” Danny said, starting another round of chanting.

Alex and Ty kept firing into the snakes that were trying to make it through the wall. It was almost overkill since the snakes stuck in the wall were covered in cuts and bleeding profusely.

Alex had to conserve his shots. He didn’t have a lot of Soul Points to draw from and shooting into the swarm of snakes with his new and improved Soul bullets was a waste. With an idea that was half pragmatic and half insane, he told Ty to keep it up as he holstered his guns and started stomping down on the snakes that made it past the wall of thorns. It was messy but effective.

The snakes suddenly stopped their advance as a shrieking cry came from the fountain. Alex and Ty both shouted at once.

“Close your eyes!”

Any semi-experienced gamer knows that mechanics in a Boss fight are the key to victory. There is usually some small hint to tell a raid what will happen. Whether that’s the ground shaking before rocks start falling or a flash of light the lets people know to spread out, there is usually some instance in fights where something will take people out if they don’t pay attention. The people who ignore those signs, trying to pump up their dps or finish off their spells, always seem to die during those moments. For Ty and Alex, that cry was an obvious indicator that something was about to happen.

There was a flash of light and Alex could feel his skin crawl as the spell washed over him, but it didn’t latch on. When the light faded, he peaked open his eyes to see that the snakes’ eyes were closed and were once again, moving forward.

“Clear!” Alex yelled.

They went back to work clearing the swarm. Danny saved her mana so that she could keep the wall of thorns up and Ty shot arrow after endless arrow while Alex stomped down on the snakes that made it past the wall.

The shrieking cry went off two more times and each time, they closed their eyes, letting the spell wash over them. Danny had to use her Minor Mana Pill trying to keep the wall up and Ty finally switched to his sword, slicing through the necks of the snakes.

“I’m sick of these motherfu-”

“Ty, you don’t get to quote Samuel L. Jackson on one of the worst movies ever made!” Alex yelled.

“Aw, c’mon man.” Ty yelled back. “It’s the perfect line for this event.”

“Even I agree with him, Ty.” Danny said. “That movie sucked.”

The snakes finally thinned out and the sounds of shattering stone behind them had them turning towards the fountain. The mermaid, once looking like a perfectly made statue, was now free from the confines of her stone prison. Her upper, more human like body was tinted a light shade of purple and her lower half was made up of gold and green scales that shimmered in the sunlight.

“Bro!” Ty whispered to Alex.

Alex shook his head. “Don’t say it, Ty. You will go from zero to creeper status as soon as you do.”

Ty stood quiet for a moment and then grinned. “…boobs.”

Alex sighed and Danny smacked the back of Ty’s head.

The mermaid was indeed nude as she sat atop the fountain, looking down at them. She opened her mouth and Alex tried to ignore that her lips were full and her large eyes were almost entrancing to look at. Then the mermaid sneered at the team, wearing a look of disgust. She opened her mouth wider than should have been possible and a wail was shouted down at them, causing the trio to fall to their knees while covering their ears.

The mermaid kept up her sonic attack as she raised her hand in the air. A spear made entirely of water formed in her hand and she aimed it directly at Alex.

He was trapped. Her scream was so loud that he felt like his ear drums were about to burst. He watched helplessly as the once serene looking mermaid pulled back her spear, ready to throw it through his chest.

“You…are…not…in…CONTROL!” Shouted Ty.

Alex could barely hear him but he looked over to see Ty holding his bow, a long black arrow already drawn back. Alex winced as he noticed the blood next to his red furry ears. The mermaid’s attack must have blown out Ty’s sensitive eardrums within the first few seconds.

Ty released the arrow and it shot forward, taking the mermaid right in the eye. The arrow went all the way through her head, the fletching barely visible in her bloody eye socket. She suddenly stilled; her sonic attack abruptly ending, only the faint ring in their ears remained. Alex looked back in time to watch as the mermaid fell back into the water of the fountain, an orb appearing above the water.

Alex pulled out a Minor Healing Pill and downed it. He could feel the damage to his ears being repaired as he stood up on wobbly legs. Danny and Ty also took a Minor Healing Pill and then Danny added some of her own healing to Ty who had taken more damage than the rest of them.

“Ty,” Alex said, holding up his fist. “The Negotiator? Nice choice.”

Ty accepted the fist bump with a smile. “Went old school.”

“If you dorks are done, we have a Boss to loot.” Danny said, heading towards the golden orb floating above the water.

Alex reached out and touched the orb.

Experience: 2,000 (6,000xp per Fish-Bitch Boss /3)

Souls: 1,000 (3,000 Souls per Fish-Bitch Boss /3)

Loot (Event): One free spin of the Wheel O’ Mazing! (Please see Jeffrey to claim your prize!)

Congratulations! You have survived your very first Event! For this Accomplishment you receive a specialized item pertaining to your individual Class.

You have received the Magical Prozac Pill.

Magical Prozac Pill: You might not be a middle age, stay at home Mom, but this pill can definitely help you out! Relive a tragic memory from your life and learn the truth! Turn that frown upside down! WARNING! Only take this pill before bed and on a full stomach!

Side effects might include: Nausea, headaches, uncontrollable bowel movement, anal leakage, crying like a little girl…

Alex stopped reading the description. The System was either an asshole or was trying to be funny. Alex was leaning towards asshole.

“What did you guys get?” Ty asked excitedly.

“A free spin and a pot of fertilizer.” Danny said.

“For Willow?” Alex asked.

Danny nodded, tickling her companion. “That’s what I was thinking. Probably for my room when we sleep.”

“I got the free spin as well as these!” Ty said, holding out three small black spheres.

“What are they?” Alex asked.

“They’re like little bombs, bro!” Ty said. “This pouch on my belt holds three at a time and they even replenish but it takes an hour per bomb.”

“Not bad.” Alex grinned, “A little AOE would be helpful.”

“AOE?” Danny asked.

“Area of Effect.” Alex said.

“What did you get?” Ty asked.

Alex told them to which they busted up laughing.

“Laugh it up, chuckleheads.” Alex said, rolling his eyes. “Just remember to spend your xp before we do the free spin.”

“Yeah, don’t want to pull an Alex!” Ty exclaimed, to which Alex flipped him off.

They headed back to the Bellevue quickly, excited to see what they would get. Before talking to Jeffrey, they each looked over the System Shop.

Alex had 5,400xp after the Event and the Nazi mobs they took out earlier that day. Not wanting to get another Immediate Ding from the Wheel O’ Mazing while so close to leveling, he decided to buy the armor upgrade for 5,000xp. He also replenished his Minor Healing Pills, leaving him at 300xp total.

The armor upgrade from Tier 0 to Tier 1 didn’t change his gear by much. The steel plates on his cuirass became a little thicker and his leather vambraces now sported a few steel plates as well. He was hoping for some head gear, gloves or leg armor, but he figured that would come later. It still meant more armor and that’s what he needed.

Danny and Ty both replenished their Minor Pills and Danny bought a new spell called Nature’s Boon that increased Health, Mana and Soul Regeneration for a limited amount of time. Ty picked up a specialized Ronin Modifier called Double Shot which allowed him to shoot two arrows at once with a small penalty to time and accuracy.

“Imagine that proccing with Baby Maker, dude!” Ty exclaimed. “Four arrows at once!”

When they approached Jeffrey, he had already pulled up the back wall behind the concierge desk and had the red button waiting for them.

“Congratulations on completing your very first Event!” Jeffrey said to them. “I hear that mermaids are particularly unpleasant creatures.”

Alex smirked when he saw Danny’s eye twitch.

“And hot, bro!” Ty said, elbowing Alex.

They all ignored the comment as Danny stepped up to the counter and pressed the button. The wheel spun around dizzily and suddenly stopped, the arrow pointing out her prize.

“Upgrade Weapon!” Jeffrey exclaimed. “While you may not realize it, Miss Daniella, your staff directly relates to your spells. The more you upgrade your staff, the stronger and faster your spells will be. In your case, even healing spells will be given a boost.

Danny thanked him as she stepped aside and watched her staff change from a living branch to a more realistic looking staff, becoming thicker and darker.

Ty stepped up next and excitedly pressed the button.

“Plus one to each of your attributes!” Jeffrey said happily, “It is good to see that you are growing smarter and wiser, Mr. Tyler.”

Ty mumbled something about the racist System again, earning a chuckle from his two friends.

Alex stepped forward and pressed the red button. This time, if he received the Immediate Ding, he would be ready. At least from what he had a chance to see, everything looked pretty, well, O’ Mazing. When the wheel stopped, Alex looked at the wheel in confusion.

“What the hell is Onomatopoeia?”

Jeffrey smiled wide. “This is a Modifier Mr. Alex and a very useful one at that since you have already condensed your Soul. You may have noticed that your Soul bullets are stronger than before. Now, when shooting your bullets, saying the word ‘Boom’ will cause your Soul bullets to explode. There are a number of different ways to use this Modifier which I believe you will find very helpful.”

Alex looked over his new Modifier description in his Interface.

Onomatopoeia: This Modifier links the use of the Soul to the actions of the wielder. Do you want to add a little impact? Yell BOOM! Your enemies will hate the fireworks! Want to add a little spice to your enemy’s life? Yell SIZZLE! And they will burn with envy! WARNING! Onomatopoeia uses Soul Points for this O’ MAZING effect! Be aware that the more you use them, the faster you will run out of juice! Soul Juice, that is!

So, it was a double-edged sword. He could create effects with his Soul bullets but at the cost of burning through his stored-up Souls. Thankfully, the Mermaid Boss gave him a good chunk of Soul Points to work with and even if it doubled the cost of his Soul bullets, it would only amount to six Soul Points per shot and he wasn’t planning to use it for every shot. He could just imagine how stupid he would look shouting, “BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!” during a fight.

“How many words are there that would work for this?” Alex thought aloud.

“Uh, a lot?” Danny answered. “I’m not even sure what some of them would do. Like ding-dong or rattle or boing.”

“Killer at parties, bro.” Ty said as they walked into the dining room.

The dining room was filled but Alex looked around, not seeing Toby and his team. He moved over to one of the more crowded tables.

“Hey guys, have any of you seen Toby, Rishi or Silvia?”

They all shook their heads. Alex frowned as he sat down at his own table.

“What’s up?” Ty asked.

“Toby, Rishi and Silvia aren’t back yet.” Alex said. “Or at least, no one has seen them.”

“You don’t think they…you know?” Danny asked worriedly, looking at the dining room entrance.

“Dude, no way!” Ty said, his face dropping at the thought.

“We don’t know yet.” Alex said. “They could be in their rooms or just got held up.”

They waited until the end of dinner but their friends never showed. Alex and Danny had to hold Ty back when he tried to go back out into the City Zone to search for them. They had no idea if the monsters came out into the streets after dark. It was too risky. After a long discussion, they all agreed that they would look for them first thing in the morning.

Alex sat on his bed staring at the Magical Prozac Pill. He had been able to use his handguns for the past week without issue but it seemed the System still knew that he was having trouble facing his past. With a long, drawn-out sigh, he swallowed the pill and turned off the lights, unsure of what nightmares he would be facing soon.

“Common Alex, let’s go! We only get an hour at the range and I still have homework!”

Alex looked up to see his friend Michael urging him into his father’s car. Alex watched as his friend pulled a much younger Alex into the blue sedan, a rifle case slung over his shoulder.

A sting of pain hit his chest as he realized that this was the week before the shooting competition. The week before…

“I’m coming, jerk!” The younger Alex laughed. “Let me put this in the trunk.”

Michael had always been on the chubby side. A lot of kids tried to pick on him because of that, but Michael would always end up befriending the would-be bullies. Alex never understood how his friend did it. Michael just seemed like he was one of those naturally likable people.

Both of their dads traveled to shooting competitions all over the US. That’s how they became such close friends. Michael’s dad would teach them how to shoot shotguns while Alex’s dad taught them how to shoot pistols and rifles.

Alex watched the entire car ride as the memory played out. He and Michael sat in the back seat, talking about the latest movies coming out, anime’s they had seen or a new gun that was being used at the latest competition. They were an odd pair, part dork and part gun enthusiast. Alex could feel the crushing weight of loss coming back to haunt him.

Turning around, they were suddenly at the gun range. The outdoor range wasn’t very special, just a hundred meters of empty space with a large berm built up at the back. Picknick tables were set up behind the firing line and the only people there were Michael, his dad and Alex.

“You can’t speed shoot with that!” The younger Alex yelled. “The trigger takes too much strength to pull back.”

“Well, maybe if you had muscles like me you would be able to.” Michael countered.

Alex scoffed. “What muscle? You got more rolls on you than a donut rolling downhill.”

“That’s power, baby!” Michael crowed, sending both of them into fits of laughter.

“Make sure you both clean those guns properly.” Michael’s dad said from the next table over.

“Yes, sir!” They said at once, laughing again as the ex-army Colonel snorted.

“Are you ready for next week?” Alex asked, taking his 1911 apart.

“Certainly.” Michael said in his best Curly impression. Alex had always thought it was pretty good.

“Just make sure you go through your equipment the night before.” Alex said. “Don’t want to forget your extra mags like I did last time.”

“Classic!” Michael laughed. “I can’t believe you borrowed Jeanie’s pink powder coated mags and then beat her out in the finals. She was so mad.”

Alex winced. “Yeah, she hasn’t spoken to me once at school.”

Alex stepped back from the scene, feeling the tears well up in his eyes. Those were such fun times and he had forgotten all about them. Shoved them away so he wouldn’t remember the pain of losing his best friend.

When he turned away from the two kids, he found himself in Michaels room.

The boy’s room was a mess. Guns and ammo magazines littered the floor and the carpet had several oil stains from cleaning his guns. The only cleared space was a desk where Michael sat, taking apart his handgun.

“One more cleaning and I will be ready for tomorrow.” Michael muttered to himself.

A woman’s voice called from down the hall, startling Michael.

“Michael, you better be asleep or you won’t be going to the competition tomorrow!”

“Crap!” Michael whispered. He hurriedly put his gun together and Alex noticed when he left part of the unseen cleaning rod jammed into his barrel.

“No!” Alex yelled. “The cleaning rod, Michael! Check the barrel!”

It was useless. Michael couldn’t hear or see him. He wasn’t even there. This was just a dream, but Alex continued shouting as Michael put away his things and rushed into bed.

The room faded away and Alex shouted in frustration at the darkness surrounding him. It would have taken an extra few second. Just a moment to check the barrel. Why was he even bothering seeing all of this? There was nothing he could do. It was already done.

But that was the point, wasn’t it? There was nothing he could do. He had pushed it all away. Nine years of memories. Sleepovers and camping trips. Pranks and dumb jokes. He had thrown it all away to try and forget something he had no power over.

He sat alone in the darkness for a long while until he finally found the strength to stand up.

“I’m sorry, Michael.” Alex said to himself as he drifted away into nothingness.

Alex woke up to the notification waiting for him.

Congratulations! You have faced your worst fear! You are one step closer! For this Accomplishment, you have gained x2 to the Souls you currently have!

Name: Alex Donner

Age: 24

Race: Human

Level: 7

EXP: 300/6,000

Class: Soul Survivor

Soul Tier 1: 2,800

HP: 200

MP: 110

Vitality: 16

Strength: 8

Agility: 20(30)

Dexterity: 20(30)

Wisdom: 8

Intelligence: 7

Alex didn’t feel great but he felt his burdens had lifted, if just a little. Then he remembered that they still needed to find Toby, Rishi and Silvia. He jumped out of bed and threw on his gear as he raced for the dining room. Danny and Ty were just sitting down as he entered.

“So, which way did they head when they left the Bellevue?” Alex asked, taking his place at the table.

“I think they turned left.” Danny said. “They would have stayed on Main Street. So far, I think we have been the only ones to venture off of it.”

“It’s a good a place to start as any.” Alex said. “Did anyone talk to Jeffrey or call their rooms?”

“Ty called them all night and no one picked up.” Danny said, pointing to a clearly agitated Ty. “I talked to Jeffrey and he said there was no way to tell if a player had died without seeing it personally.”

“That’s bullshit!” Ty growled. “If he knows everything about us fighting the mermaid yesterday, then he sure as hell knows if they are alive or not!”

“Ty.” Danny said calmly. “We are going to find them or at least, we will do everything we can to find them. We are not giving up.”

Ty nodded. “Yeah. I know. I just, I wasn’t big on friends before. Just a gamer who use to troll a lot. Now I have real friends and they can disappear, just like that.”

“Common.” Alex said. “Let’s go find our friends.”

He had forgotten one friend already. He wasn’t about to forget Toby, Silvia or Rishi. He led his team out into the city, not even bothering to eat.