The entrance was a grand room, a stairway leading up to the right, a large fireplace surrounded by chairs and a couch on the left, two corridors leading off into the darkness. Wally pointed a finger into the fireplace.

“Sparktouch.” she said, and flames burst into life. Now the group could see the cobwebs and old, creepy paintings displayed on the walls. Theresa shuddered. All the eyes in them seemed to do the thing where they followed you. “Magbolt!” Wally suddenly hurled the sphere of energy at one depicting a fat man in a powdered wig. There was a screech, and the eyes rolled back, becoming a normal painting again. “Got ‘im!” she grinned in satisfaction. “Let those things look at you too long, and every enemy’ll know exactly where you are.”

“D-Do we have to be here?” Jamie whimpered, his legs shaking.

“I’m starting to question that myself.” Lina muttered, hand never straying from her sword.

“There’s the ballroom down the right hall, but the ghosts there don’t really give much XP. The kitchen and garden entrance is to the left, I don’t think he’d be there either. He usually sticks close.” Wally said, chin in hand.

“Then that just leaves…” Max turned his head up at the upper floors.

“Hmm, probably. He did kinda like beating up the vampire in the attic. C’mon, I’ll show you where.” As they headed up the stairs Lina, as the rearguard, saw a transparent woman in a large dress float from the ballroom entrance down the hall. Lina’s eye began to twitch.

“Not happening, not happening.”

They climbed the floors, the next flight of stairs all the way at the other end of the house in a zig-zag. The corridors were a maze of empty studies, bathrooms, bedrooms, game rooms, and a trophy room where the heads and taxidermied monsters came alive when entered. Wally was able to guide them through the rooms easily enough, but ghost and horrors still popped up at them. Through Theresa’s monstrous forms and Max’s concoctions and grenades, they could be dealt with easily enough. Even Jamie and Lina could face them, as they hadn’t encountered a spook beyond level 26. It seemed Diabolis Manor was a good low-to-mid training ground. They pressed on, but Wally paused at a regal-looking door, just before moving to the final set of stairs.

“This’s the chapel. If you kneel at the altar, it refills your HP and MP. He may be in here.” she explained. She used her foot to slowly open the door, harp drawn. Everyone had their weapons ready.

There was a stained-glass window depicting a goddess above the altar, and rows of pews leading up to it. Candles were lit, providing light all across the walls and form the ceiling in a chandelier. There was a figure in black kneeling before it, muttering a prayer in a low voice.

“Alex! Is that you?” Jamie called out, relieved he was all right. Lina wanted to strangle him. The figure rose to his feet, much, much taller and broader than Allocrax. There was a growling sound as the BGM changed from haunting to blood-pumping. The figure turned around to reveal a long snout and purple skin, lips pulled back in a snarl, shedding his cloak to reveal a muscular, furry body. He howled in the air.

“A w-werewolf!” Wally shrieked, and then they saw its’ status bar: level 35, with 290 STR, 180 TGH, and…450 SPD!

“H-Hey, that’s too much!” Lina said, stepping forward brandishing Hellcrusher.

“Look at that SPD! Can we-” Max froze as the werewolf was in front of him, slavering. Lina gasped; she barely saw him twitch!

“Move!” Theresa shoved her froglike boyfriend out of the way, a claw slicing down and taking her health into the red. “Ahh!”

“Teri!”

“Get down!” Lina thrust her sword into the beast, knocking him back. -63, decent damage, but its bar was completely green as it howled, his STR rising to 320.

“Forte Fortification!” Wally cried, strumming her harp. The BGM went from pulse-pounding horrific to pulse-pounding grand, a hard glow enveloping the group, everyone receiving +40 to TGH.

“Thanks!” Lina said, swinging at the werewolf. He snorted and vanished, dodged the blade like it wasn’t even there, now that she lost the surprise. Rrrrg! She just wasn’t fast enough!

“We need help!” Wally screamed.

“I-I know, we’re doing the best we can!” Jamie said, trying to shoot it with holy light and missing as it jumped and leaped. Damn this thing was fast!

“No! Allocrax!”

CRSH!

The stained-glass window shattered, everyone looking up to see a horrible fanged figure screech and dissolve into dust around a sword. The wielder saw the tableau below and adjusted his path by kicking off the chandelier, landing with both boots on the beast, black coat flaring out behind him. The werewolf fell, but before he could howl and get up he got a sword through his cranium, nailing him to the floor. Red eyes glared down at him.

“ALEX!” Jamie and Lina cried.

“Hey there!” Wally waved.

“Hello. Stalagspike!” Alex shouted, raising his hand. A spike of granite materialized under the monster and shot up, making him scream. The sword was torn free and the werewolf rolled to his feet, gnashing his overlong teeth. Going after the new target that humiliated him, he swiped his claws at Alex.

“Nooo-” Jamie called, but the vampire started backflipping, the werewolf unable to swat him, until Alex snatched up his sword. He landed upright, and thrust the blade into the trailing monster’s neck. -34. “-oookay, that was really cool.” Jamie said in wonder.

The monster shook free of the blade, and howled a challenge at Alex, standing in a patch of moonlight from the window. His response was to smirk. The incised beast growled, ready to charge, but two hands fell on his shoulders.

“Hey.” Lina said, she and Theresa in bouldermaw form raising armored fists. WHAM! The werewolf spun around, stunned, as Alex leapt at him.

“Hitcrease! Flametongue!” The sword Allocrax wielded glowed and burst into red-hot flame, slicing and dicing into the creature’s flesh. Each strike only did 15-20 points of damage, but Alex moved so fast the werewolf couldn’t put up a paw to defend itself, each strike masterfully angled juuuust around the blocks. The werewolf howled and dissolved into data, a ding! coming from Allocrax as he levelled up.

“H-Holy crap! That thing was a monster, and you took it down!” Jamie exclaimed.

“Hmph. If you’d looked, you’d have seen the verevolf had only half his HP by the time I arrived. They are tough opponents vith high stats, but they have lower hit points to make it fair. All in the name of balance, I suppose.” he said, sheathing his sword.

“You’re here! Thanks!” Wally said, running up and hugging his waist.

“And you’re back .You did very good vork vith your music, soldier. Now, report!” he barked, and she instantly saluted sharply.

“Sir! Reconnaissance to secure tonight’s dinner failed, sir! However, I’ve stumbled across two of my guildmates and individuals who say they know you, sir! I have led them back to base, sir!” she said, eyes gleaming, face sharp.

“Good vork, soldier. And did you have any trouble vith the monsters?” he asked.

“No sir! I did as you instructed, and they never detected me once, sir! But the civilians were under attack by a big farmer guy and two zombears, sir! I believe those were the two that escaped from your assault, sir!” she said, drawing up to her full height, which wasn’t much.

“Hmm. I despise escaped enemies. Very vell. You did the right thing soldier, good vork. Dismissed!”

“Sir yes sir!” She saluted again, and she spun around and left the chapel.

“Hey, where’re you going?” Theresa said.

“Oh, just to the room we’ve been camping out in. Wanna see? It’s got a big bed with pink sheets’n everything!” she exclaimed.

“Vallendora is more than capable of moving about this manor unaided, but it is alvays advisable to go in teams vhen possible. Vould you escort her, please?”

“S-Sure.” Theresa said uncertainly.

“I vas not talking to you.”

“Sir!” Wally saluted and took Theresa’s bewildered hand. Max raised an eyebrow at Alex.

“What did you do to her? Two days ago she was a sobbing mess!” Alex merely turned up his collar. Lina could see the smugness rolling off him.

“Children are easy. All you must do is give them the proper discipline, the knowledge they are safe, and a demonstration that you can tear enemies apart vith your bare hands. And be that as it may, I must ask: vhy are you here?” he said, glaring at them. Jamie felt a chill run down his spine.

“We came to find out if you were okay or not, dumb*bleep*! You were super agitated after meeting with Mayhew and finding…out about that issue.” she said, glancing at Max. “We were worried about you!”

“Vhy?” Alex said, raising his eyebrow. Lina blinked, taken aback.

“Huh?”

“I am a grown man, even vith my lowered level. I am fully capable of making my own decisions. I vished to handle the situation myself, in the manner I see fit. I vill defeat every enemy in the game myself, if it comes to that.”

“Handle? It sounds to me like you thought we were holding you back.” Lina said, eyes narrowing dangerously.

“I vould not phrase it like that, but yes, that is true.” Alex said simply.

The room was quiet then. Everyone froze at his words.

“Did…did he really just say that?” Max whispered to Jamie. It was common sense, you had to work with your team. In a party or a guild, no matter the size, working together as a unit was a necessity. Even if you didn’t like the people on your side, you still had to work together, and Max had seen these two chase after Alex for a hundred miles, if they’d begun around Apollo City. That never happened, not really Quarrels and guild dissolutions happened; just the nature of the beast when a lot of individual players were gathered together. But he’d never heard of a player so dumb and arrogant as to think he could literally fight an MMORPG by himself. Players split off to join other factions, or form groups of their own. Some did go solo, but in the unknown situation of the game now, that’d be suicide! This was way beyond Leroy Jenkins!

Jamie gulped and nodded. They saw Lina’s face turn splotchy and red. She marched up to him, armor clanking.

“I-I can’t believe you! We waste nearly a week tracking you down, and you brush us off! Like nothing! How dare you! You wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for us, and we wouldn’t if it weren’t for you! I thought you guys’d be the ticket outta here, but you’re just an ungrateful killstealing*bleep* maniac!” she shouted. He sighed.

“It doesn’t matter vhat you say, or vhat you call me. I have been called vorse, I assure you. Unfortunately, I must do vhat I think is right, as must ve all. It’s not that veren’t good company, or good players, it’s just that…I know myself and abilities much better. Look.” He pulled up his stat screen. They all gaped as his level, in a little under a week, had jumped from level 15 to level 25. That was unheard of in RFO. The grind was super difficult, how had he done it!? “Since time is of the essence, I thought it best to accomplish my goals as qvickly as possible.” he said, standing upright and staring straight at her, face completely neutral. Lina was apoplectic.

“You-!”

“If you think me selfish, go ahead. I know the goal, I know how to achieve it, I decided the best vay vas on my own. Ve veren’t friends, after all. Ve vere merely thrown together by an unusual circumstance, and vould have never interacted normally. I thank you for your assistance, but it is time I got down to the business of getting out.”

He knew the hit was coming, he’d dealt with women often enough in the past. He could have dodged, but he’d also learned that it was better for them to let it out.

He’d also forgotten her absurdly high STR stat, and he had no vampiric powers in-game.

WHAK!

The slap sent him through the pews and into the organ, coughing dust, his health bar low yellow.

“Fine! Go off on your own! See if I care when you die!” she shouted and stomped off. Alex removed a broken board form behind his head ruefully.

“Vell. Should have seen that coming.” he muttered. Jamie looked fearfully from him to the angry Lina, exiting the chapel and slamming the door shut.

“Oh jeezohjeezohjeez.” he said, going back and forth. Max stepped back and held his hands up. Jamie groaned, and went to help Alex up.

“You alright?”

“I’ve been better. But praying at the alter vill take care of the hit points.” Alex said, hauling himself to his feet and dusting off.

“S-She’s super angry. Did…did you really mean all that?” Jamie asked, cradling his staff, eyes low.

“But of course. My decision is final. I have evaluated the situation, and have judged accordingly. I’m sorry if its’ not vhat you might have vanted, but I believe going on my own vill be the best chance of success.” Alex stated.

“O-Oh. Ok. That’s…that’s fine.” Jamie said quietly. Alex was examining his gear and sword for damage, not paying attention.

“Yes, although it vill be rough, I vill get out of the game. I’ve been gaining XP here, but I believe I’ve reached the nadir of vhat this manor can provide.” he said absently. He looked up to see Jamie padding to the door, looking dejected and in tears.

“E-Everybody else kicked me out w-when they found out I suck. I…I know you look down on me. I’m, I’m not blind. B-But you and Lina seemed to accept me anyway, and I thought…I thought….I dunno.” he finished, dropping it and leaving, Max giving him a worried glance and following. Alexandru found himself alone in the chapel, dark and silent. He closed his eyes.

It quite reminded him of the day he’d renounced God.

He smiled sadly and chuckled, reminiscing. Of course, the damage wasn’t as extensive as what he’d done with that axe. Ah, to be young again.

“Although I vasn’t qvite a spring chicken, even then. Ah vell.” He gathered himself and knelt to regain his HP, and only that. The scorn and rants of mortals didn’t hurt at all. After all, mortals came, and mortals went. Stick around them too long, and screaming eventually happened, no matter the cause. After his bars had filled, he strode to the door. Yes, it was far better to distance himself now, rather than have them hang around. After all, even if they accepted him as a vampire, and a select few mortals did, the best case scenario was they’d grow old and die in sixty to seventy years. To a vampire, that was a blink of an eye. He’d still be kicking.

And that was if they accepted him. When the handful of mortals he’d known did discover his condition, some immediately went for the stakes and garlic. Some said they were fine with it, but they were ultimately not. He could still recall with perfect clarity Madeline Thatcher, a comely lass of twenty-three summers hanging from the rafters, her eyes bulging and her tongue swollen. She’d left a note, in the shaky writing he’d managed to teach her, that after learning his true disposition, she feared him. The knowledge that others like him stalked the nights weighed too heavily on her soul, and she had to release it from the world.

“‘The afearsome might ye possess tears at me heart like a pain. I’d risk Hellfire rather than have ye see me as a starving man hath glances at bread.’” he muttered, thoughts dark, frowning. He walked quickly to the door. Churches were nothing but traps for the past.

“AAAAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!” His head immediately whipped up. He hadn’t expected the screams to start now!

“Wally! Theresa!” Max yelled, waddling down the hall towards the scream. Lina was approaching from the other side, followed by Jamie. They were closer, but Alex was faster on the draw. He threw open the door, flanked by everyone else, to see a masked, hooded figure swing a sword through Theresa’s torso like a scythe. She froze in shock, everyone watching her HP bar drop to yellow, red…then empty.

“N-No…” She dissolved into particles of light, dropping her gear to the floor. Wally huddled in the corner, terrified.

“TERI!” Max cried.

“You-!” Alex raised his sword. The figure cocked his head, then raised his own. They stood there for a heartbeat, no one daring to make a move.

Then everything happened at once.

Alex snarled like a wolf and leapt forward, blade gleaming like a fang. The assailant cut him off in midair, clashing sword against sword. Alex dropped and tried to press him, but the assailant was too fast. Each time Alex cut, the blackened sword of his foe intercepted him. Over and over, his blade created a wall Alex couldn’t breach.

Max slid forward, grabbing Theresa’s stuff, staring blankly at the spot where she’d disappeared. He reached a hand out, as if trying to touch her, but the last wisps of data winked out.

Lina rushed forward, screaming a barbaric cry. Too much, this was all too much. There wasn’t enough room to use her oversized sword, but her STR was strong and her fist encased in metal. While the masked assailant’s sword was busy with Alex, she rounded on him on the other side and started throwing wild hooks.

Clang! Clang! Clclclclclclclclclclclclclaaaaangggg!

Both her eyes and Alex’s widened as the assailant parried her punched with his sword…while blocking the vampire’s blade too.

“N-No wayyyyyaaaaaah!” Lina shrieked and covered her face as the assailant turned that speed on her, hammering with the sword, not even bothering to aim. Her health fell into the yellow, and she heard a creaking, crackling sound. She gasped as her purple armor fell away, broken beyond repair.

“Nnng!” Alex tried to capitalize on the opening, but the assailant lifted up a leg like a mule and kicked him in the ribs. The next thing Alex knew, he was embedded in the wall, looking at the scene through the hole in the other wall he’d been kicked through. “Guh.”

The assailant kicked Lina away, glancing around the room. His mask fell on his trembling quarry, Wally, unable to breathe. He strode up to her and raised his sword, striking like a black guillotine.

“YOWAAA!” Jamie screamed in terror and pain as he pushed the small Bard away, the blade sinking into his arm. “Wha-!” He froze and stared at his HP bar. The stats said it was merely a good-quality sword, minimal bonuses to SPD. And he knew he wasn’t the toughest character around, but he was shocked to see it had hit in a non-vital area, on a level 28 character, and he had 4 hit points left. The music in his head swelled and shifted to a faster pace, not helping his nerves.

The sword was retracted, raised again. None of them had the HP to take another hit. It was game over…then the air in front of Max burst into light, Theresa respawning instantly. All eyes went to her as she blinked n confusion.

“What? How long was I out?”

“Teri!” Wally cried, grabbing her leg desperately. Before any of them knew what was happening, the masked assailant was behind her, slapping her head with his hand.

“Ah! Hey, w-”

OVERRIDE COMPLETE.

A mechanical voice sounded in their ears, the letters appearing in angry red above her head. “The *bleep*-”

Her claw-equipped fist swung into Wally, dropping her health bar. “W-What!”

“No!” Max yelled, grabbing her as Theresa kneed her in the face.

“No! I-I can’t control my body! Help! I-” Theresa shrieked.

“Silence.” the assailant commanded, and Theresa’s mouth shut involuntarily. “Shift to bouldermaw form, eliminate them all.”

“Acknowledged. Bouldermaw Shift!” She struck her hands together, the rock coating her body, glaring at them with a dull red cyclopean eye. She raised her foot to stomp Max and Wally while the assailant moved to finish off Lina.

“S-Stalagspike!” A granite spike shot up from the floor, hitting Theresa’s raised foot and knocking her into the masked man. Alex grunted, rolling into the room. He took one look at the scene, then grabbed a quilt form the bed and threw it over the man and Theresa.

“Seriously?” the assailant muttered from under the blanket.

“Jamie! Burn it!” Alex barked imperiously, so authoritative Jamie didn’t even second-guess it.

“Trapped underneath the quilt, and more specifically Theresa’s heavy, thrashing body, neither she nor the assailant could get free in time. The fire erupted in a column, Alex snatching up a sheet, leaping to the window, and stabbing the sheet into the frame with a knife.

“C’mon!” he howled, handing Lina the other end of the sheet.

“What the-”

“Don’t let go!” He threw her from the window, screaming bloody murder, threw Jamie over his back, and picked up Max, holding onto Wally for dear life. “Nggh! Heavy!” Staggering, he tipped out the window, Lina dangling and screaming fifteen feet from the ground. There was a shredding noise as the sheet began to tear.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Lina bellowed.

“Prepare for landing!” Alex roared. “Use your skills!”

“YOU *BLEEP*! Resolvenforcement!” Lina glowed and her TGH jumped by 50 points. Bleeping like a clown car, she let go.

“Roll! Stalagspike!” Alex summoned another sharp stone pillar. It hit Lina on her unbreakable sword, and she flipped onto the ground face-first. She groaned, and got to her knees on the grass, HP in the red but still alive. Alex looked at the small green man in his arm. “You have full HP.”

“Huh?” Max felt himself flung at the Knight, screaming, air rushing until he slammed into her chest as she caught him, knocking them both over.

“Ow.” Lina said flatly.

Alex looked at their precarious position, very aware the sheet was ripping, and the fire was now out. His heart drummed in his chest as he quickly considered the options.

“Can’t you reach the spike up further!?!?” Jamie pleaded desperately.

“No, it doesn’t vork like that, I-” Alex suddenly froze. While there was no method of increasing the length of the stalagmite, the only limitation of where it could be summoned was solid ground. There was no forming it on the surface of a pond, but the spike could form on the floor below. If that was the case…

The sheet ripped.

“Stalagspike!” Alex shouted, and from the side of the wall erupted a stone stalagmite, just beneath his feet. It was round, so he couldn’t keep balance, but he had just enough respite to call out another one. He hopped lower to the ground until his boots hit the grass, letting Wally and Jamie down gently as he collapsed, spent. “Let’s…let’s not do that again.” he gasped out. He saw the assailant lean out the window. Alex was on his feet at once, urging the others into the forest. The assailant watched them go.

Theresa bounded up to the window to jump, but he held his hand out.

“No. Let them go for now. We don’t want to draw too much attention to us for now. Besides, I’m receiving new orders.” he said, staring at a menu. Theresa nodded.

“Understood. Standing by for assignment.” she said emotionlessly, returning back to normal with a blank look on her face. Or at least her avatar did.

Theresa looked out form her eyes in horror, completely unable to affect her virtual body. She was forced to watch as her own fists and powers were brought to bear against her friends, helpless to do anything about it. The masked man bid her to follow him, and though every fiber of her being screamed against it, she was not in control. She marched off with him, trying to howl, curse, speak, anything. But no matter how she tried, railed against it, she ... couldn't.