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[From here on, a depiction of murder follows. Who cannot handle subscriptions of murder, please skip this part.]
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I had already waited two in-game hours when the guards who refused to budge finally moved. They took me upwards again, covered my eyes and took an entirely different path again, leading me through the black market that was almost deserted. As I stepped out of the entrance leading to it, I understood why. Daystreak was wrapped in giant clouds of fumes and dust, closely resembling apocalyptic depictures of doom. And it only took two hours!
The way to the city lord's mansion was led by a path of corpses. Sometimes soldiers and a few nobles. Between them were also commoners, men, women, children and elderly, all equally slayn. But I didn't get the chance to even properly look at their faces and was dragged further. The density of the graveyard grew with every step I took until it was unbearable to look ahead. A city filled with corpses and the streets slick with blood that the ground couldn't absorb anymore. But over all the visible destruction hung the thick scent of blood and fear. As if the last emotions of the people spread into the air, making my skin tingle uncomfortably.
It was more than a violent picture painted in the streets that were filled with laughter only hours ago. I suddenly just wanted the slaughter to end, regardless of who would win. The common folk died so easily and it didn't matter to those who killed them brutally. My imagination painted every face as Covens' and heightened the hurt I felt as fresh as an open wound, always being closed with scorching hot iron only to be opened again by dull swords like this.
Finally I was on the huge square, less than five hundred meters apart from the city lord's mansion. If I thought that Daystreak was in a bad condition, then the marketplace brought it all to a new high. Dozens of soldiers were killed or still alive but gravely hurt. Even players laid around, close to death, but were still alive, and forced to stay logged in, because they were tied up. A common measure to deal with revenants who should receive punishment but could avoid it with their death and the following revival at the reincarnation points.
But I only gave this scenario a second to register and refocus - on him. The Lord of the Underworld himself while he was dragging something with him. Or rather, someone. Clothes soaked in blood and a living impersonation of a scared little mouse, the city lord was grabbed by the hair and thrown on the cobblestones. He was barely alive and only moved sluggishly, kelling and wailing: "Please spare me!"
"Too bad." The Lord of the Underworld said, "Your time is long up." With a fluid movement, he grabbed the city lord's throat, raised the man up to his eyes and suffocated him slowly to death.
I was stunned. Unable to speak or do anything I watched the man squirming around, clawing at the oppressor's hand. Until all movement ceased and the city lord of Daystreak was gone.
A dull thud reverberated through the whole square as the corpse fell to the ground, lifeless and utterly broken.
I noticed how the Lord of the Underworld's eyes shifted to me and had to clench my fingers to keep myself from trembling in fear. No matter what, this was only an NPC in a VR game. I would be safe, as soon as I left the game. And even inside, he couldn't harm my real body. Part by part, my bravery returned. I needed answers! And this might be my only chance left!
"You aren't the lord that those of Daybreak revere." His eyes chilled visibly.
"Oh, enlighten me." he asked in a piercing voice and I swallowed before continuing.
"I listened to the people in Daybreak and some knew the man who led the rebellion personally. They described the change he went through and how their leader grew more cruel and vicious as a result of the attack. But how could anyone who was always suppressed and had no chance against the people sent after him survive? And then become somewhat of a mad genius and build a city under their enemies nose and fight off any spy or attacker? And what are those skills that are used to erase and manipulate people's thoughts? No matter how much I tried to fit the puzzle, I always came to the same result: You aren't the man who was rebelling ages ago. You took his place after he died in the tunnels and brought his vision of freedom away from the nobles of this city to another height."
I paused, gauging his reaction. The man started smiling and then laughed.
"You assume I took the role of the protector of the black market? Think what you want. What does it even matter?"
"You started moving recently. This" I spread my arms, showcasing all of the slaughter around me. "you could've started this chaos ages ago. Why did you start moving only now?"
His smile froze, then his features contorted.
"And over all, why did you help me, extending kindness to a stranger? Am I a stranger to you? You said to me that you will let me go. What did you want to imply with this?"
He suddenly moved, I blinked, and he was in front of me. A beam of light hit the place where he just stood and a molten mess of bodies and tiles remained. It looked like the earth itself split apart and lava splattered out. The air smelt burned, heavy and loaded with a searing heat. But above that was the disgustingly nice smell of burned flesh. With the slight difference that human corpses were to blame for the smell.
Still horrified by this absolutely terrifying attack, that made my hair stand in all directions, I looked from where the beam originated, upwards, but a tall back was suddenly blocking my view. The Lord of the Underworld had placed me behind him. As if to protect me.
"You have to run, now! Don't look back. I will come and help you leave. This world isn't real. And I knew they would come if I didn't follow the layout of the storyline of Daystreak. Please, leave, right now!" He roared, his eyes fixated at the skies. The clouds above suddenly started emanating a strange light and a curse later, I was thrown out of the periphery of the second beam of destruction.
What the hell was going on?