A face peered out from behind a tree, cautiously looking right and left. The greater ghast was gone, the zombears were gone, the murder crows thankfully asleep. The morning had come, grey and drizzling, and Wally retracted her head.

“The coast’s clear. No sign of anything, sir.” she said, looking up as Alex. He nodded wearily.

It had been nearly a full day since any of them slept, and longer since any of them had eaten. They had run through the accursed forest all night, subsisting on Max’s healing droughts. It was fortunate he could make them, but they only healed about thirty hit points a shot. Still, everyone’s bars were green as they stumbled onto the road. My feet hurt, my shoulders hurt, my head hurts.” Lina said tiredly.

“A-At least you don’t have to lug that heavy armor around?” Jamie said cautiously. Lina whirled around.

“Look you…just drop it.” she said, unable to muster up the energy to snap at him. “It’s been a long, hard night. I’m cold and I’m tired and I’m hungry and I just watched a friend try to kill us. Stow it.” Jamie sighed and walked on, defeated.

“I still can’t believe it. Wow. So everyone’s going to turn into…that sooner or later?” Max said, eyes glazed. He was still stunned from what they had told him.

“I think sooner, rather than later. Ve vere varned against such a thing happening, but I vas under the impression the mind vould be separated from the body, and keep playing normally. Apparently that is not the case, they are able to control the avatars as vell. Vhich honestly isn’t surprising if they’re controlling brains.” Alex theorized. After what had happened, they had to let Max and Wally in on what Mayhew had told them, and impressed that secrecy was essential to prevent widespread panic.

“What I don’t understand about this is why we don’t tell everyone and just storm Verringale’s tower. I mean, they can’t get all of us, can they?” Max asked.

“We, ah, don’t know for sure. They’ve been having mobs capture people, then they killed Theresa and reprogrammed her avatar. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’d guess it’s closer to they can than can’t.” Jamie said despondently.

“I have theories, none of them good.” Alex said ominously as they finally, finally made it to the Cashfar Plains proper again.

“W-What are they?” Jamie asked nervously.

“Vell, if they vant to kill avatars to complete their brain programming, then it vould be much easier to capture them first, then kill them over and over until the scanning process vas complete.” Honestly, he’d heard the same argument from dumb or lazy vampires for years. Keep the humans in cages, and take a sip whenever you want! So simple! Alex rolled his eyes. Disregarding the dignity of their dinner, even back in the day there were too many people who’d investigate if they kidnapped citizens, caged humans just tasted worse, it was one of the things Alex could actually engage with, and…the example, the proof of concept they’d demonstrated, just felt creepy. Keeping humans in cages to farm them…nah. Didn’t sit well with Alex.

“That makes disturbing sense. So wait, if they know Theresa was close enough to be assimilated-”

“-then their plan’s becoming complete.” Lina finished grimly. “And we are *bleep*ed.”

“Indeed. Vhich is vhy vhen you all are safe in town, I shall take my leave.” Alex said. And that was what broke Lina’s meter.

“You patronizing *bleep*! What is wrong with you!? You constantly belittle, dismiss, and look down on us! You’re older than us, not better than us!” she snarled, grabbing his shirt.

“Believe vhat you must. I have my reasons, and you vill not change my mind.” the vampire said, unruffled.

“A-Alex, i-it does get kinda old with you talking like this. W-Why don’t you think w-we can help?” Jamie asked. Max pulled Wally to the back of the procession, where they watched nervously. He was not getting in the middle of this.

“It’s…comp0licated. It’s not that you aren’t good players, it’s just that I trust my skills more in this situation. Do not take this personally, I simply vish to solo this. That is how you use the phrase, yes?” he asked, and Wally nodded.

“You…you…” Lina was seeing red. She was also seeing an entire boardroom, laughing as she picked up paper, face burning. “You *bleep*. I’m sick of you and everyone like you looking down at me! You don’t think I’m good enough!” She hauled him up to her eye level, staring at him with cold fury. “Wanna see how true that is?” she hissed.

“Come now, don’t be ridiculous. Ve have precious little time to-” he said indignantly, and she shook him.

“It sounds like you’re a coward who’s afraid to put his money where his mouth is. I’m tired of being jerked around like this. I don’t care if I never see you again, but I will teach an ugly old fart like you the respect that your momma should’ve when you were a kid.”

“Did-did you call me a coward?” he asked.

“So what if I did, little boy?” Lina sneered. Suddenly, his red eyes returned the glare to her purple ones in equal ferocity, and a very, very small trickle of fear she’d never admit to crept down her spine.

“It seems, madame, that I vill be accepting your vorthless challenge.”

“Don’t you call me that!” She snarled and flung him to the ground. They all watched in astonishment as somehow he managed to flip himself around to land on his feet and spring away, to her great surprise.

“My apologies. I called you a voman, instead of the little girl you are.” he said, drawing his sword.

“Rrrrraaaaaahhhhh!” She swung her sword from her back and charged.

“Guys, don’t-!” Jamie’s plea fell on deaf ears, Lina’s Hellcrusher swinging in a slow wave of destruction, Alex darting forward and ducking underneath. She wasn’t wearing her armor and put no points into TGH or SPD, it would be easy to outmaneuver her and force her to surrender. His blade rose as he did, ready to thrust-

WHAK!

Lina winged an elbow into his face, dropping his HP and stopping his assault. He sprang back, rubbing his face. She smirked and dropped into a wide stance, guard up with her other arm holding her sword, waiting to strike like a snake.

“What’s the matter? The big, strong Alex afraid of a little girl?” She narrowed her eyes coldly. “I’ve been taking martial arts since I was a kid. You gotta know how to take care of yourself.”

Alex wiped his face, then grinned savagely, staring at her with eyes like the Devil.

“Ah ha ha hah! Then I see no reason, since you want it, to hold back! Prepare yourself, little girl!” He sprinted at her, waving his hand. “Stalagspike!” She raised her word in time to glance off the stone, no damage. She turned back to see aswordathereye-

“Waah!” Her flailing arm knocked it aside, grazing her head as she bowed out of the way. She felt a thud and saw a -17, Alex hooking a fist into her ribs. “You dirty-” She slammed her forehead into his, -10. “Huh?” She felt him give, lessening her blow. -12 as a knee met her gut, Alex grinning and pressing his attack as he bobbed and weaved, always shifting juuuust away from her strikes.

“You are qvite competent, a true varrior. I salute your skill!” he cried as he laid into her, fists, knees, elbows expertly landing with precision. She had a human shape. Against such opponents, his body was designed and trained to hunt them down and murder them with efficiency. White numbers flickered in front of Lina; had she not had a level advantage over him, and anything other than a Knight, it would have been over already. Only her stats kept her in the fight, and Alex was closing the gap. “But I am truer still! There is no dishonor in loss, but to continue in this manner vould be foolish! It speaks less of you! Simply…!” Lina grit her teeth and plowed through the hits, knocking him off-balance and grabbing him in that one instant with both hands. “Uh-oh.”

“You’re *bleep*ing right.” she growled, and with a yell picked him up and slammed him into the ground. A breakfall kept his HP in the yellow; her rising leg would bring him to the red or worse.

He desperately sprang up as her foot cratered the ground, and her other leg immediately arced at his head. Only time to-

“Drop!” He let gravity pull him down to his hands as her kick went over him, and lifted into a handstand, spreading his legs as his arms churned in a circle before her astonished eyes.

“Holy…a, a Spinning Bird Kick!” Jamie cried as Alex kicked Lina’s face, -8! -6! -6!

Lina shook it off and grabbed her sword as Alex got to his feet, dizzy. She narrowed her eyes, noticing.

“Groundquake!” She shoved her sword into the earth, making it shake in a 60-foot radius, knocking the vampire down again. She marched over to smash him in one final blow, raising Hellcrusher. She was unprepared for him to recoil off the ground, springing boots into her gut, knocking her health into the red and back. Alex on the other hand, whimpered as she unconsciously dropped her gigantic sword-onto him.

PWAM!

Both combatants were lying on the ground, sweating and panting, both with red health bars. Jamie winced at how much HP they had left.

“’M gonna…kick your *bleep*…” Lina muttered, struggling to her knees.

“I’d like to see you try, your punches are softer than a baby’s.” Alex tried to glower, in a crouch and unable to move form that. They both raised their arms, but as they looked into the other’s eyes, the fight was gone.

“F-Flamejet!” A gout of fire shot between them, making Lina squawk and Alex fall over.

They turned to see Jamie holding out his staff in trembling hands, red-faced but determined to put his foot down.

“T-That’s enough! I-I w-won’t let y-you guys f-fight anym-more! This isn’t r-right! We’re, we’re supposed to be t-teammates, and this isn’t s-supposed…this isn’t supposed to be how teammates act!” he said in a rush of breath. His chest was heaving, trying to pull in air, but he pressed on. “Beating each other to a p-pulp doesn’t solve anything! I know you’re tired of this! I know you’re frustrated! I am t-too! B-But I don’t take it out on any of you, so you shouldn’t be at each other’s throats either! Y-You’re both older than me, s-so you shouldn’t be acting like kids! N-No offense, Wally.” he apologized to the little girl.”

“’S good.” she said, giving him thumbs-up. Lina and Alex looked from him to each other, then down at the ground sheepishly.

“I suppose I’ve been acting somevhat…standoffish, and childish, I suppose.” Alex admitted.

“I’m feeling better now, that I’ve gotten it outta my system. Sorry Jamie, Alex. There’s a lotta stress going around, I don’t have to add to it. Least now we’ve worked some of that off.” Lina said, cracking her neck and stretching. She looked at the other members of her party, and frowned. “But you’re right, and before we try to fix the game, I say we gotta fix us. When we get to town, we should have a serious chat about this, about us. Y’know, like…a team-building exercise, or something.” Alex stared at her flatly.

“If you ask us to do trust falls, I vill let you hit the ground.” he said.

“No, not like-” she scowled, shaking her head. “Just…get to know each other, where we’re coming from, a bit. So this kinda thing doesn’t happen again. Three’s stronger than one, right?” Lina said, staring at Alex, who shifted uncomfortably. Throwing back his words at him wasn’t fair. He glanced at Jamie, looking back at him hopefully. He glanced at Lina, looking at him expectantly. He’d gotten much stronger over the last few days, but that masked assailant…he sighed. The only reason none of them were finished now was because there were three of them.

“Oh, very vell. I suppose it vould not kill me.” he said at last. In this virtual world, he added mentally, composing his standard cover story in his head. Besides, they were mortals. If need be, he could eliminate them when they got out. He got to his feet, then blanched as he remembered his health bar. “Ah, Maximillian. Could I trouble you for another healing potion?”