The Heart is a Void: Ashes to Ashes

Chapter 41: Blood Eagle, James Blood Eagle

After patrols through the woods reported that it was safe, a few smaller players began to enter. However, as it was night, the woods were still quiet. Cael saw that a few players from [The Fountain] had just wandered away from the patrol to grind or do quests instead, without alerting their Guildmates. It seemed that nobly patrolling an area to keep players safe was one thing, but organising your members was quite another.

Once a patrol had confirmed an area to be safe, typically small players would swarm in to take advantage of the safe zone. This wasn't as pronounced at night, where people were reluctant to enter the dark woods, but Cael still saw a handful of players wandering hesitantly into the woods. Since players who spent too long in the safety of a town were automatically enlisted in that town's reserve army - a measure put in place to encourage players to explore the world and grow stronger - there were many small players who would listen out for any opportunity to leave town safely. Most players weren't aware of how casual Guild members could be with patrols. Cael decided to leave the woods in peace for the moment, so that players could seep in and start grinding, then catch them off guard in about an hour when it was darker. It was just past 1am in-game at the moment, but the game's night-time was programmed to turn progressively darker until 4:30am.

Standing near the centre of Kruxol, Cael switched character to Crucis. Since he had an hour to spare, he figured that he might as well get a start on the [Spy] sub-class.

The most popular Assassin sub-class was the [Assassin Duelist], which used a combination of STR, DEX, and Agility to fight with swords, resembling a warrior, but also had the stealth abilities central to the class. This is because Assassins were well-known to have issues with dungeons and PvE battles, as well as Arenas, since their stealth abilities were less effective in those contexts. The [Assassin Duelist] was one of the most effective in such PvE, and players from this sub-class were more likely to get a chance to join strong parties entering a dungeon. It could also hold its own in Arena. Crucis felt like that sub-class would be turning the Assassin into a warrior-lite, however, and was too much of a Jack-of-all-trades approach.

In his experience, most of the skill in an attack was picking your opponent, approaching them directly but with stealth, and maintaining an element of surprise. The attack itself was only the tip of the iceburg. When a tiger attacks a deer, it isn't typically an epic martial arts display. However, the tiger's camouflage and approach are integral to the hunt. As such, he wished to pick the [Spy] sub-class, as its camouflage and stealth would build on the strength of the Assassin class. He figured that the [Snake Master] sub-class, which was least popular, might be strongest in organised PvP because of its focus on grapples. The [Snake Master] grappled around his opponent like an anaconda, and it was dangerous to get close. However, this was slightly over-specialised, and the [Spy] sub-class was much more versatile rather than primarily focused on combat. [Snake Master] also had a reputation for being terrible against dungeon bosses.

Crucis found the spy trainer, named [James Ariosto], hidden in a small alley in Northern Kruxol. James Ariosto was an old, black-haired man wearing the armour as a guard. Crucis hesitated for a few moments before approaching this NPC, reluctant to risk a run-in with a guard. However, since the NPC was not wearing a helmet, Crucis could tell that it was safe.

"Greetings, Assassin," said James, "Do you wish to follow the path of the spy? We teach the art of the ninja, that of disguise and infiltration."

"Yes," replied Crucis.

"Very well, then. The way of the ninja is complex, for it encompasses many elements. Silence, disguise, concealment, psychological manipulation, social manipulation. People often think that we are teaching them to fight, and they soon pay heavy prices to disappointedly leave our path. People often think we are here just to move elegantly and quietly. No, there are many other aspects. For example, you must learn to manipulate subtle social pressures. Suppose that you are a corrupt bouncer, and a man comes up to you while bringing his girlfriend, but they have no permission to enter. If it was a single man, then you may ask him to pay you for entry, and he may steadfastly refuse. But if it is a couple, then there is social pressure, the fear of letting their partner down if they don't accept your request. Do you see how groups can exert pressure, and this can be exploited by others for their own ends?"

"Yes, it is true."

"Very well. And you notice another subtlety: the type of relationship. If a man brings his boss or girlfriend to see him, usually he finds more pressure than if he was just with a band of casual friends. If the relationship is strained, then you can also take advantage of that. Do you see? We are not an art of hiding, but of opportunities, of taking advantage of the situation."

James Ariosto pointed to his armour, and continued, "So if I have guard armour, and can pass for a guard, then how well I can take advantage of that determines what I can actually achieve. The skills of our path are just tools that can be used to take advantage of a situation. They are not magical powers that will make you a god by themselves.

"Why do Assassins use a dagger? Because it is effective from close range, when even a sword may be longer than appropriate. It is similar to the reason why many warriors carry a sidearm. In a fight from range, longer weapons or ranged attackers will hold an advantage over you. Hence, you want to be able to attack your opponents from close range, and the skills of the spy sub-class will help you to infiltrate, approach the enemy or even convince them that you are their ally. Firstly, you will learn to move more quietly - I could hear you as soon as you approached this alley, and that gave me plenty of time to prepare or flee.

"There is a small garden just outside of this alley, attached to a building. Enter the garden, and walk across it without alerting anyone in the house. Do not use [Stealth Cloak]. Activate your [Quickstep] passive instead, to move quietly. There are more advanced ways to move quietly, but this skill is a good start."

Crucis exited the alley, and saw a small house with ruddy bricks, connected to a small garden with poppies planted around the edge. The curtains were drawn, but Crucis saw that there was light shining past the curtains from a couple of rooms near the entrance, meaning that people were probably active in there. He activated [Quickstep], then vaulted over a broken, depressed part of the fence. The front of his feet touched down on the grass of the garden, and he slowly rolled his right foot down until his heel was close to the ground. He shifted weight to his right leg, then carefully felt the ground in front of him with his left toes, before calmly lowering his left foot down. Having adapted to the [Quickstep] skill, he snuck across the garden, and left it through an open gate.

"Good," said James, as Crucis returned to the alley. "Now you should visit [Arachon], East of Kruxol, to learn the art of disguise. He is in the [Arts Building], a large complex filled with trainers. You will find it by heading East and taking a North turn on the path when you are near the abandoned village. It is only a short way from there."

Crucis nodded, then placed his items in Storage and set off Eastwards. He had heard that DeathGang members were gathering in the East, so he would have to be careful on the journey. Walking down the long, straight path East, he eventually saw a distant group of small huts within a high fence, with a rusty gate on the other side from him. This must be the abandoned village. It looked almost like a cage, though its huts had an earthy complexion, and were covered in green thatched roofs. The area around it was covered in a faint, white mist, and the rooves seemed to almost glow in the mist. He glimpsed a few black-clad figures occasionally moving around inside the village. They were probably Assassins using the town as a temporary base. There were a few player corpses beside the straight path leading past the village, so Crucis kept his distance and proceeded along the Northern path instead. Hearing some noise, he activated [Quickstep] and left the path, walking at the edge of the nearby thick, low trees so that he would be less conspicuous.

He froze when he saw two DeathGang members walking down the path. These two were soon joined by another, who walked quickly onto the path. Crucis couldn't see which direction this player had come from, as the trees obscured his view.

The three players had a brief discussion, and Crucis could hear that they were going to Kruxol. He guessed that they were probably going to take a short-cut between the trees. A fierce wind was blowing through the trees, and made it difficult for Crucis to hear most of what the DeathGang members were saying. He used this wind as cover to back away deeper into the trees, moving when the wind was loudest to hide any noise. Glancing back, he saw that the DeathGang members were quite different in level, with one at level 54, one at 50 and the last at only level 20. He couldn't take them all on at once. The level 20 seemed to be fidgeting slightly, feeling slightly out-of-place among these bigger players. He considered making a run for it, but it was night and it would be easy to trip if it turned into a chase. The night would, however, make it more difficult for them to spot him through the mist.

As the DeathGang members began to wade through the trees, Crucis crouched down and remained still. As he had guessed, they were taking a diagonal route towards Kruxol, and he had made sure to keep away from this. As they walked past, he scurried Eastwards and away from them when the wind was blowing, using [Stealth Cloak] and [Figure Blur]. The trees were short enough that their low-hanging leaves and thick trunks kept him mostly concealed. By walking East, he hoped to stay out of their path. He noticed that they would occasionally glance towards his direction, but were deep in conversation and did not notice him.

"Ah should prob'ly be turning back, headin' to tha Arts Buildin'," said the level 20, named [PorkStork], "Ah forgot to return the golden dagger that our gracious leader gave me, i'is quite valuable, ah wouldn' want 'im to think I stole it."

"Oh, for Christ's sake. OK, rush back and get it. Then go South to Somr, that ghost town village we were using as a base. [Dagoi] is there, he'll set off for Kruxol in a bit, you join him," said the level 54 player, coldly, "Maybe he'd understand your dumb British mongrel accent." Crucis saw that this player was a tall male named [Astera].

"But howm'I gonna be safe on the way? Ah stored all of ma stuff, but should give back the gold dagger."

"How are we going to be safe? You kept us standing like sitting ducks in the open for ages last time we went on a walk, do you want us to die? Look, you're a [Spy], so you can turn off your Guild name display and hope that nobody notices you. If they approach you, smile politely and keep walking."

"Go back now, or I'll kill you and tell the leader that you're a thief," interjected the level 50, who had a garbled name. Crucis saw that this player had red hair, and looked slightly Irish. His accent was faintly American, though.

Crucis saw that the level 20 player walked in a huff towards the path to the East. Crucis was also going in that direction. He saw that this player also stayed inside the trees for safety, and seemed nervous about walking around at night.

Crucis watched as the two larger players walked off quickly towards Kruxol, no longer having to wait for the slower level 20 Assassin. He realised that this player must have donated quite a lot, since they had unlocked the [Spy] sub-class at below level 30. The player was walking slowly and carefully. As Crucis walked on with [Quickstep], following the unknowing level 20 through the trees, he saw a leafless, black tree which was almost invisible in the night. Using [Agile Step], he walked into the bark of the tree, and quickly shifted until the front of his body was sticking out of the tree bark, but the rest was inside it. Looking up, he made sure that the overhead display of his name and level were inside the tree, meaning that they would not be visible to others.

He then shouted out towards PorkStork, "Hey, can you help me out? I'm just a level 12, my friend gave me some rare items I don't know how to use. Can you please escort me to the Arts Building safely? He'd hate to lose the items!"

Crucis saw the level 20 player turn around menacingly. Crucis had switched to an [Initiate's Dagger], which he had brought for backup in case he couldn't use his primary dagger, and was waving it around in the air.

Soon, PorkStork approached him, and said, "Bro, this is DeathGang territory! What the hell you think, you c'n just prance in here, carrying goods?" It was effectively a threat.

"What's a Death Gang? Oi, go pick on someone your own size!" said Crucis timidly, putting on a slight British accent to blend in.

"We a Guild tha' owns the place, we fight off all the rivals. We don't hide like Hash'n, we all a gang, we fight to protect our territory. You a threat? 'Cause you won't be when ah take your friend's stuff!"

As Pork Stork jumped at Crucis, looking to strike Crucis with his dagger, he found his chest suddenly impaled on the blade of Crucis' [Black Cursed Draugr Sword] after Crucis used [Lunge]. Crucis' high Agility meant that his movement was much too fast for this low-level Assassin to react, and PorkStork keeled over with blood flowing from his chest. The strike had seemingly snuck through the ribs, and PorkStork looked faint. He was on 20% HP, but looked like he was in worse condition than his HP stat would suggest. While Crucis had intended to use his sword's longer range to keep PorkStork from reaching close enough to attack with daggers, he had been lucky with the thrust and his sword had struck through PorkStork's ribs.

Laughing, Crucis walked out from the tree, and knelt down next to PorkStork. "Can I take your friend's stuff instead?" He saw PorkStork's eyes widen in fear as he heard this, and saw Crucis' much higher level.

Crucis was prepared to kill PorkStork and make a run towards the [Arts Building] if the Assassin screamed and alerted others. However, PorkStork looked like they could barely breathe, and wasn't making a sound. Crucis knelt near the ground and lifted PorkStork's head in a [Chokehold] to further prevent the player from screaming. PorkStork lurched weakly, as if in great pain, as soon as Crucis lifted the player's head.

Drawing out his [Silver Crucifix Dagger], Crucis used [Stunning Dagger] to stab towards the chest wound, and felt his dagger sliding past the ribs. He then used [Dagger Twist], and PorkStork cringed limply in pain and then lay still as if flatlining.

"You should have known that greed is bad," purred Crucis pensively, "Anyway! About your leader's dagger, it will be in better hands soon: mine."

PorkStork twitched slightly. Crucis guessed that the DeathGang member had been highly nervous about the danger of his leader calling him a thief, and was still sensitive about it. PorkStork had a sense of indignation flaring up in his eyes.

Sensing that PorkStork was trying to reply, Crucis drew his [Skeleton Dagger, level 0] and used a [Black Spot] to slit PorkStork's throat. While blood poured lightly from the wound, PorkStork's HP did not decline from the attack, and Crucis saw that the strike had not inflicted any [Bleeding] status effect. Clearly, this weapon was bugged and counted as completely harmless by the game, perhaps due to the bug which reset it to level 0 when removed from the replica cottage. Crucis saw that PorkStork's HP was declining very slowly, and guessed that the player had high Constitution. Keeping the chokehold tight, Crucis slashed with [The Ripper] into the gaping chest wound when he saw PorkStork reach 10% HP.

Since PorkStork was on 10% HP, [The Ripper] had become a slower, more precise, deeper cut. It was quite different from the quick, wild slash of [Ripper] before the Skill Mastery upgrade. Crucis felt like PorkStork's body had almost stopped functioning, but PorkStork violently and weakly spasmed across the ground as Crucis cut methodically into the wound and tried to rupture anything his blade came into contact with. Crucis ended with a dagger twist, and felt blood pooling in the wound. He maintained the chokehold and knelt there for a minute as PorkStork lay trying to move, until the DeathGang member's HP ran out.

Crucis didn't have any major quarrel with [DeathGang], in fact he was thankful to them because he could use them as a scapegoat for his own killings. Their catchy name helped with that. However, he sensed that they were the kind of Guild to pick a fight with other ganking Guilds, and fancied themselves as good 'honest' fighters rather than cunning 'cheaters' of Hashin. Honesty kills gankers more surely than curiosity kills a cat. Striking their level 20 player was neither brave, nor strong, nor honest, but he felt like it showed a killer instinct which DeathGang could learn from. Besides, he got a shiny thing from the kill. Shiny things are nice.

Since the dead PorkStork had nothing in their inventory except for the [Golden Dagger of Satuor], Crucis had received it as a drop. He decided that he could inspect it after he reached the [Arts Building]. It was probably not meant as a dagger for combat, but might have some other importance. Since he had heard that the DeathGang Guild leader was there as well, he figured that it would be more thrilling to inspect the golden dagger right under the nose of its original owner. However, he would have to take care in order to do this unobserved.

The [Arts Building] was a large square plaza with two floors, and had large entrances on all four sides. Tall, pyramidal walls rose from the corners of the plaza, and met above the centre. It looked slightly like a platform on the Eiffel Tower. The floor was wooden, with occasional patterns made from hard marble. Since it could be entered from all sides, Crucis slowly circled it as he drew near, to find the entrance which was least crowded. He saw that the inside of the building aas

As he carefully approached the building, he thought about the current situation around Kruxol. While players were leaving for Kaxil, there was still a lot of anger towards ganking Guilds, and Crucis had been accused multiple times of belonging to these Guilds. While the Hashin were elusive, the territorial behaviour of DeathGang, along with their gangster bravado and willingness to tussle with other ganking Guilds, meant that DeathGang's location was generally not difficult to find. This would make them easy targets. He suspected that known DeathGang hang-outs would soon be swept by groups of strong players, and he had seen a few arriving in Kruxol as he walked around the borders. This would give players a morale boost in the fight against gankers, and would encourage further aggression against ganking Guilds nearby. He suspected that DeathGang might already be feeling the pressure, and this might be why the leader was distributing items from the Guild Storage to lower-level members: an attempt to get their players up to speed so that they could have more hands on deck.

However, he knew that big Guilds were having a difficult time organising and motivating their players, as he had seen from the haphazard patrols South of Kruxol. If there were no major victories to report, and some casualties, then Guilds would have a difficult time selling their players on going out to fight painful battles against the most brutal Guilds in the area. A fall in morale would mean that Guilds' anti-ganking measures would probably stall temporarily. Crucis sighed. Perhaps he would have to give DeathGang a bit of help, to nudge them in the right direction. He had just killed one of their members and stolen an item from their leader, but what they didn't know couldn't hurt them, right?