Since they were unable to use Atrocity again, Maple Tree wound up heading back to
their base aboard Syrup.
They put all their orbs on the pedestal, and then everyone went to sleep.
About an hour later…
Normally, someone would have shown up by this point. But the event was going so
fast, and everyone was worried about their death counts and possible elimination, so
nobody wanted to voluntarily venture into the killing fields.
Despite the pile of orbs waiting here, Maple Tree's base was still, the quietest any
part of the game had been since the event began.
"Sally? Whatcha lookin' at?"
Maple saw Sally with her screen open and came over.
"Mm? Oh, uh… things got really nuts."
"What do you mean?"
Maple leaned in, peeking at Sally's screen. It displayed the current rankings.
The biggest change was how the large guilds were starting to get eliminated.
"Oh, there goes another! Either the Order or Flame Empire has gotta be takin' 'em
out. I think."
"Yeah?"
"My money's on Flame Empire. They were almost at death's door earlier. Probably
won't last the remaining two days at this rate. So… their plan is to murder any
threats in their immediate vicinity and leave the rest to fate."
She had no way of checking with them directly, but anyone Flame Empire eliminated
wouldn't be able to earn any more points, which would theoretically keep the
Empire in the top ten by default.
But they were definitely struggling to hang on, and attacking enemy guilds—
especially large ones—would be a challenge, even if that was the sole way of keeping
their current rank.
They couldn't keep this up for long.
"But the rate they're exterminating the competition is insane. They're going even
faster than you did."
"I can't beat anyone who doesn't get close, so… Then again, if they don't get close, I
don't get hit, either!"
Many players knocked aside by Maple in Atrocity mode didn't actually die from it.
Most who did had been knocked in the wrong direction and were trampled a second
time.
But getting launched through the air by a monster did tend to make people panic.
And while the sight of other players getting tossed around did sow terror and chaos,
actually killing everyone in that crowd would take ages, even if she took full
advantage of her size in monster form.
Maple also had a strong flair for "death by surprise" and had been enjoying this
shock value; a month from now, it would not be so easy.
Meanwhile, Mii's fighting style was rather straightforward—she simply hit everyone
as hard as she could.
Her DPS way far higher than Maple's.
And having learned the self-destruct flight trick from Maple, if she pushed herself,
she could quickly wipe out a whole slew of major guilds.
Maple Tree was all in favor of this strategy.
"Nobody's coming to get these back… and once they score, we're pretty much
guaranteed to be in the top ten."
"So we won't need to head back out?"
"Pretty much."
Maple grinned and sat herself down.
"This is definitely the most work I've ever done," she said. "I'm so tired!"
"Keep Crystal Wall and your armaments on hand, just in case."
"Mm, got it!"
Confident that Maple knew what to do, Sally sat down herself, and the two of them
watched the other guilds die together.
Outside the game, the admins were staring at the list of remaining guilds.
"It's all over, huh?"
"Yup…"
There were now only six guilds still in play.
And all those guilds were ranked.
This meant the top ten guilds were set in stone.
An event planned to last five days had functionally ended on the morning of the
fourth. The total guild number showed no signs of dropping further.
"Is our entire player base this bloodthirsty?!"
"Let's start editing a video of the highlights. Nothing else major's gonna happen after
this point."
He started handing out orders, and the admins around started sifting through the
massive volumes of recordings, picking out the key scenes.
"They're like… half Maple…," he muttered.
"You want us to find good footage she isn't in?" another admin asked incredulously.
"We're already being super picky!"
The lead admin rubbed his temples, leaning back against his chair.
"Maple Tree stirring up the pot is why this event went so off the rails…"
"Flame Empire's ranked tenth—and already eliminated. We had them pegged as a
top contender! You really can't predict these things."
They'd taken out a lot of rivals but pushed themselves too hard in the process and
ultimately succumbed to their wounds.
Still, they'd managed to eke out a tenth-place finish.
"If only Maple was even remotely predictable…"
This was a thought shared by most players on the server.
It was much easier to handle someone if you knew what to prepare for.
"No use wishing for the impossible. More importantly, if we're doing another event
like this, we'll have to reconsider the time span… and completely rethink how we
handle the various guild sizes."
"Yeah, I didn't expect all-out war to break out on day two."
As he pondered the next step, another admin jumped up, speaking loud enough for
everyone to hear.
"Place your bets! What is Maple doing now? Get it right, and I'll pick up your tab
tonight!"
Everyone jumped on that offer.
There were no downsides.
"Recent footage should give us a clue… I've only got clips around their orb, though."
He pulled up a video of the Maple Tree base, from the fourth day.
"So she might not be in their base?"
"Totally possible! That'll make her hard to locate… but why would she leave?"
"Prediction time! Hand's up if you've got an idea!"
Several hands shot up.
The ringleader pointed at each in turn.
"Board games with all guild members!"
"Practicing Machine God flight."
"The twins are using her as a pinball!"
"Trying to get a skill by chewing on weapons Iz spat out!"
"These all sound way too normal."
"Fair…"
Everyone was silent for a minute, trying their best to think like Maple.
And of course, their predictions grew steadily wackier.
"She's made her turtle giant and climbed into its mouth!"
"Sally and her are fighting for… some reason."
"Biting the turtle!"
Everyone had a turn.
When they ran out of ideas and the room fell silent, the ringleader called it.
"Okay… pulling up the live feed."
"Hoo boy."
A moment later, the big screen showed the Maple Tree base…
Maple was covered in a ball of wool, with dozens of weapons poking out of it, and the
twins were carrying her around the base.
Moments later, the admins quietly closed the video.
"…Add that to the highlights?"
"Why not."
The clip was calmly added to the end of the reel, and the staff took a moment to
process a scene that no one could possibly understand.