Blood dripped down my face and the ring in my head informed me of the wolf's death. I scoffed, like the blood didn't already tell me that.
I pushed the corpse from atop me and stared down the rest. They were angry, yes. Not so much that they would blindly rush to their deaths.
It was annoying. Oh so annoying.
They looked to the other as if to confirm some random plan then leaped into action. Yet they stopped mere moments later. Confused by the smug smirk on my face.
That was when the bloodshed started. Hooves hit the ground with earthquake like force. The other beasts were here.
I had not been blindly running as they must have believed.
The creatures footprints were here, only to cut off near the packs. I spit a glob into the ground, there had to be a reason.
It just so happened that their path was predictable and let me use their momentary distraction to flee to higher grounds.
I crouched down, hands on my knees. I was completely spent. All of that running had finally caught up to me. Though did that really matter?
As I looked down the irons of my sight. Through the vantage point I was able to see the growing brawl. Blood flicked to the ground with savage force and I pulled the trigger several times.
Stealing kills where I could and recovering any stamina that I could.
This was the perfect opportunity to take them all out.
Before my bullets had been mixed in with the deaths of others, the confusion made it so that the wolves and beasts weren't able to see the real threat.
Howls echoed in the sky and roars matched their cadence. Reinforcements.
It meant that I wasn't able to be as subtle as I wanted to be. Yes, it would lead to my death. However I wanted them dead more than I wanted to live.
"It's just a game after all."
Despite that hollow comfort I felt my face. Golden locks brushed to the side a small face who highlighted a savage grin.
A bang rang through the air, and this time there wasn't a death to cover the noise. No, each and every beast looked towards my position with rage.
A signal to those listening of the real threat.
My rifle felt heavy in my hands. My reloading became swifter and swifter.
The beasts couldn't put aside their petty rivalries, even knowing there was an interloper.
It was like I wasn't even there as they fought tooth and nail. I took down one after the other and when reinforcements arrived it was to the massacred graves of both.
They howled and roared. Looking at the other with rage. There must have been thousands of them. Each of them with the power to kill me in a single strike.
A strike they would take. For they split into groups. One - with only ten or so of each - split towards me while the other fought their brutal war.
"Mm~ this must be the end." Despite the tens that dogpiled towards me. The claws and hooves that tried to injure and stop me.
Blood still reigned supreme. For my rifle was swift and my feet swifter. I was a god amongst that small battlefield. Where I went only corpses remained.
Until I was left alone, tired and bereft of any bullets. All I had left was the speared end of the rifle. A final burst of energy towards the one who had plunged me into the ground.
/./
"GAH!"
My shout must have woken my body up as adrenaline surged through it and brought me to my feet. My eyes scoured the immediate surroundings and reached for an item that wasn't there.
I found myself staring at the scruffy form of a teacher's assistant.
The pod had opened and let me out, and apparently my intense reaction had startled her. She clutched her heart before taking a deep breath.
My feet felt wonky and my vision a bit blurred. I clutched at the pod to try and stabilize myself and it worked. Somewhat.
"Hey?" The scruffy assistant called.
"Yeah?" I slurred.
"Are... you okay. I haven't seen such an intense reaction yet so..." She trailed off and I waved her down.
She was starting to spiral and I didn't want us both to be incapacitated.
"Yeah... I'm alright. But more importantly, did I do good? Please tell me I did good."
She helped me down the podium and to a chair. Ms. Scruffy over here pointed to the screen that showed the rankings. I looked it up and down. And at the top...
Gabriel
"I won?" My breath was light before I cocked my arm in a victory pose. "I won!"
"Yeah... you did. Though I wish you got out sooner, we had to delay it because you were taking so long."
"Oh- ah- sorry."
She waved me off with a smile.
"Don't worry about it. It just meant that we could only do one at a time. I mean you took so long that everyone's already gone. I only stayed cause - and don't tell anyone - they promised me even more overtime."
I laughed with her.
Then my brow furrowed.
"Wait a second... What time is it?"
"Quarter to midnight."
At my gaping she just giggled.
"Yep. Took ya long enough."
"I- I gotta get going."
"Alright, the pod will be shipped within the next day, make sure that you're ready to accommodate it." She called out as I rushed out of the room.
I nodded and soon after I was on the streets. The school was long past me and I was currently just walking along an empty road back towards my shitty apartment.
Well, the place wasn't completely empty, but it might as well be with how sparse people made themselves. Not that I wasn't doing the same myself.
When I got back to my apartment I collapsed on my bed. My arm reaching to the sky as a question uttered itself from my lips.
"Seriously... how realistic was that?"
Though before I could go to sleep, I cooked myself something easy. My body needed nutrients, what could I say?
/./
The next day passed by with ease. Probably because it was so busy. First thing in the morning and someone was already at my door.
The school worked fast apparently. I needed to sign for the delivery of my pod. I also needed to let them into my house and help with installation.
There was a whole crew to do that but still... I couldn't go anywhere with them in my room. I decided - screw it - to just make breakfast.
I offered them some but they refused. So I just shrugged and watched them install my new VR pod.
Hey, can't blame a guy for being curious.
Three hours. It took three fucking hours to get the whole thing installed and that was with professional help. My god.
By then it was well passed twelve - no one said I woke up early.
"There - phew - that should do it." The worker wiped sweat from his forehead before looking me up and down.
"Come here."
I obeyed and looked at where the worker was pointing at.
"See that hole there." I nodded. "Good, if you go to any of the stores then there will be nutrition capsules that will allow you to sustain your body during play. Of course that's only if you're actually playing and not just sleeping but even then…"
He trailed off so I just shrugged, I gave empty promises to the safety procedures that he was obligated to tell me and at the products he was also - probably - obligated to mention.
The worker left soon after, happy with my responses. But I was just happy for something else. An important matter.
I needed to register my account.
It wasn't like the beta that I had just come out of the previous day. I couldn't just close the pod and boom I had an account.
No I needed to actually register one.
The pod closed around me, white noise lulling me to sleep. All while a message played in the front of my vision.
[Welcome]