Down with the Giant Knight
#3 of Aspire
Calder was far from prepared for the Giant Knight. The size alone made his legs quiver and his mind shout for him to run. The massive blade and shield were icing on the cake, and made his own weapon look no more dangerous than a toothpick. Even though he had accepted his death, this was a bit much to take in.
"Shit!" He dove out of the way just as the Giant Knight thrusted. Calder wasn't even aware that he was noticed yet. The digital wall crumbled just like a real one, but in the end there was no lasting damage, "How can I..." He raised his shield just in time for a swipe, and was knocked back far. His vision blinked red, and he saw his own health reduced by half.
Calder opened his inventory as quickly as possible and used a health potion before running behind a pillar. Strangely, the Giant Knight couldn't find him, "I need to get behind it and hit hard. If I get it to come closer, I can charge in. Alright... I can do this."
It took a few seconds, but the massive opponent reverted to his passive mode, and Calder seized the chance. He charged in with his new favorite skill, hitting the leg but doing next to no damage, then he kept activating his multi-hit attacks. The Giant Knight's health didn't decrease at all, but after a minute of attacks and emptying his mana reserve, it tumbled and fell face first.
Without hesitation, he consumed one of the few mana potions he had and ran over to the creature's head. He attacked with everything he had, and it seemed to be working. Slowly but surely, the monster's health was decreasing.
Then things took a turn for the worse. The Giant Knight slowly rose to his feet, but Calder had only lowered its health by a quarter. He was exhausted and knew that he didn't have the supplies to keep it up, but at the very least the Giant Knight wasn't invincible. Calder took cover behind a pillar to wait for his opportunity.
Calder tried to save his mana and used quick hit-and-run tactics, though several times he couldn't get out of the way. His shield absorbed quite a bit of damage, but he wouldn't last two solid hits in a row. Normal attacks were much slower, but at the very least the strategy was working.
"Dammit!" Calder dove out of the way again, but this time it was not from the Giant Knight, it was a spell.
"You there, get back on your side. You have no right to cross the Dead Chapel." A more advanced mage-type character, and of course he was in the Vindicator's guild, "Hm? Already exhausted?" Calder rose his shield and jumped behind a pillar.
"Why the blockade? Do you really think this helps you?"
She chuckled, "You sound just like my brother. Tell me Heavy Dragoon: What do you gain from crossing? Adventure? Respect? Treasure and rewards?"
Calder knew that he couldn't take on both the Giant Knight and this high level person at the same time, "I'm doing it because it's right! You don't have the right to dictate other people's lives!"
"Power is everything in this world. You are either strong, or you are nothing more than a peasant meant to serve. Accept your death like a good little peasant." She waved her hand and muttered something before vanishing in a flash. In her place stood three skeletons, also a higher level than Calder.
"Perfect..." Calder didn't plan this part before hand, but he certainly was happy that the skeletons appeared. From the bags of uncollected loot in the area, he deduced that the Giant Knight had attacked the other enemies, perhaps because of type or location. If he could draw the attention of everything in the room and get them close, there was a possibility that he could hide and they would engage each other, "Time to move!"
Calder saw the newest and best chance he had and wasted no time. He ran directly between his enemies and used his remaining mana to charge behind a pillar. Hopefully, that would have been enough. A second passed, and the clanging sound was like music to his ears. Now, like most games when he was alive, summoned creatures could help, but couldn't seal the deal so to speak. Since the skeletons weren't on his side to begin with, he couldn't openly help them. If they could topple the Giant Knight, he could at least attack the head again.
He dared a glance every few seconds to see what was happening, and was elated that his mana was recovering on its own. The skeletons were holding their ground, but the health of one was nearly empty and the Giant Knight had taken nearly no damage. Then it fell on its back this time, killing one skeleton and almost killing another. Calder jumped out and attacked the head again.
He was able to do about the same amount of damage, and when he did the Giant Knight's armor cracked. This was no common enemy, this was some elite enemy that was meant to be a challenge. When the skeletons changed targets, Calder retreated yet again. As soon as the clanging resumed, he took a peek.
The armor was now doing nothing to protect the Giant Knight, but the monster itself was much faster. The weakened skeleton fell instantly, and Calder thought fast. He had to take this opportunity, while it was distracted, or he might never kill the monster.
Quickly he jumped from behind cover and wailed on the Giant Knight's ankles, relieved that it was doing some damage and, even better, it took less to topple the behemoth. He did his best to land as many attacks on the damaged monster's head, and it was almost defeated, but the skeleton decided that Calder was the more important target. Even for a summoned creature, its level was much too high, so he had to retreat once again.
He was winning. He told himself not to get cocky, but he was actually winning against something that, in all rights, should have destroyed him. It was almost too much to grasp. That, however, was where his streak of luck stopped. The Giant Knight was able to land a solid attack on Calder, and in a moment he felt pain, his vision was blurred, and he could barely stand.
In the real world, he used to be aggressive when things looked like he would die in a game. A last effort in a way, and if he did lose he could try again. In this case, failure wasn't an option, but he didn't have the strength to run and hide. He gripped his spear as tightly as he could and charged in, attacking as much as he could. Calder didn't even notice that the skeleton had be destroyed in the crossfire, but then again, he didn't notice much other than a gray and red blur. He couldn't give up now, because in that scenario defeat was a sure thing.
A death groan, and the Giant Knight finally fell, leaving behind a large bag of loot. Calder collapsed onto the floor as his health slowly recovered on its own and the world became clearer. In a few moments in time, he had won. As the monster completely faded, the experience points hit him like a direct injection of caffeine. His health shot up to maximum and his level skyrocketed. Calder stood up as though nothing had happened and claimed the treasure for himself, and making sure to collect the piece of metal that the masked man wanted, "Just a few upgrades would help..." He strategized to make himself more durable and stronger, with a few new abilities to round everything off.
He re-entered the chamber before the room, "Here, I have that metal." Calder gifted the metal to the masked man.
Mary was ecstatic, "How did you... you survived!" She hugged Calder, "Don't do anything stupid again!"
Within moments, the masked man gifted Calder a new shield, one larger than Calder and adorned with demonic designs and a large gargoyle face, and a Guild Pass, necessary to create a guild. Calder wanted to ask more questions, but the man was gone, "Well..." He equipped the shield and the new spear he found, and was surprised that he was able to carry them without too much effort, "Hey, Mary... want to start a guild?"
"Really? I mean, I don't have objections, but what would we do? Mercenaries? Hunters?"
"No, a guild for everyone, new and experienced. A guild that supports people and tries to keep the peace around the world, you know? Unlike the Vindicators, we won't force people to join for protection, we'll protect everyone, even those in other guilds. Plus sell things at reasonable rates."
"I like it, but there is a teenie tiny major problem. The Vindicators. If you want to be peace keepers, then they have to at least be crippled."
Calder and Mary began the trip back to the city, all the while thinking about what they could do. Neither of them really cared for killing, but it was an inevitability, "Let's ask some of the guilds about the Vindicators, see if there is anything that might help. After all, they haven't made many friends out there. We'll hit them where we can, recruit those that want to join, and work with that."
Mary nodded, paused, then, "No complaints here I guess. Shall we?"
.....................................
The young man stepped forth from the tutorial room, ready to make his mark on the world. The Soldier class was chosen for him, certainly nothing special, but at least it was strong and durable. His iron sword, wooden shield, and wooden crossbow would be more than enough to handle most situations. Armor would come soon, most likely a cheap set could be found in the first city.
Almost immediately, two other players from the Vindicator guild approached, "Hey, newbie, where do you think you're going?"
"Yeah, you didn't even agree to join our guild yet. It would be a shame if something were to happen to you..." They were much better equipped than the young man.
"I thought that choosing a guild was a choice, not a necessity."
They laughed to each other, "Get a load of this moron, I'm surprised he hasn't died yet. Listen up, we're the biggest and strongest guild in the game, you join us, you live. You don't and... well... I can't say that we'll be the ones to kill you."
The new Soldier knew that they couldn't attack without his consent, but they did spam his vision with dueling requests, "I just started! What's wrong with you two!"
"Good question." A woman in rather skimpy black armor, complete with steel spikes all around, walked up to the two, "This isn't your territory." She was in a completely different guild, The Watchers.
A flaming whip cracked between the new Soldier and the two Vindicators, making them flee all while shouting obscenities. The Soldier thanked the attractive woman, "Thank you! Hey, you're kinda pretty..."
"Just avoid the Vindicators for now, they're already running scared." She looked around, "Glad my shift is almost over. The town is just down that road. Try not to die so fast." Her name was Marie, "Really? Well, that is good news, I better hurry." With that, she ran down the only road.
The Soldier was a bit perplexed, but if people like that existed around the game, perhaps it wasn't so scary after all. He marched down the road, killing the weak enemies along the path to gain some money and experience, and finally reached the city.
A gathering of some of the friendliest people in the world, people were chatting in the streets, sharing food and items, planning adventures, and having a good time in general. The warnings given before he was integrated into the world seemed to be exaggerations, but only time would tell. He decided to first get some basic armor, because even if the people were nice, the monsters would be less kind.
A player-owned stall near the default store seemed welcoming enough, "Hello, I need some really cheap armor..."
"Cheap eh? Well, I mostly deal in mid-level stuff. Try The Watchers stall, just over there. They usually have some good stuff for beginners."
The Soldier wandered over, "How can I help you?"
"I... uh... need some armor..."
"Alright, how much do you have? I don't want to leave you penniless and unable to get food." The young girl was eyeing up the Soldier.
"I have 120 gold."
"Alright. Well, I'll let you either get the iron chestplate or both iron gauntlets and iron boots. That'll only cost you 80 gold depending on what you pick. If you want my opinion, go for the breastplate for now and save up." The Soldier nodded and bought the armor, "Alrighty, stay safe out there."
"Say... The Watchers, do you think they'd consider me as a member?"
"Ha!" The girl laughed, "They'd accept you and your shadow, best damn guild ever made! Just be nice and you're in, the halls are in that corner of the city."