The Heart is a Void: Ashes to Ashes

Chapter 50: Fog of War

The sound of swords and spears clashing reverberated from the North.

"Good news," DicingDevil reported to the group around him, reading off a chat between high-level Guild members, "Our forces up North have gained an advantage, and the enemy are attempting to retreat. Our spearmen easily dispatched the enemy swordsmen - these enemies don't seem to have as much open world PvP experience as us. Many enemies have already been killed, or fled and been ambushed by our units in chokepoints. A small group of enemies is fleeing haphazardly in this direction, accompanied by the leader of a small Guild named [Sudeste]. We should prepare to meet them by the bridge in the North, this should be easy."

"Excuse me," a DeathGang player interjected, "Was there much fighting elsewhere, or was it just up North?"

"Ah, yes. Not much fighting, but some sniping from secluded spots and some explosions. While our forces up North are holding their own easily, we are trying to use our familiarity with the terrain to deplete and terrorise the rest of the enemy forces before they can make the long journey North. We also set a few traps."

The group had slowly begun walking North-West, to meet the incoming deserters.

"Our allies, [BlazingPVP], lent us a necromancer named [Greyve]," DicingDevil continued, "Along with our necromancer, they managed to keep a few zombies patrolling the misty abandoned village to make it seem active. After about 40 enemy players swarmed the village, we detonated bombs across the village and killed almost everyone inside. Our archers were stationed on a safe platform at the edge of the village, which can be entered through a building in there, and they got a lot of casualties. The enemy don't know the layout of the village as well as we do, so they took a long time to deal with our archers."

"Are those enemies heading North by now?"

"Gradually, Thayer. They are slowly turning North, after making sure that the village is empty. They wouldn't want to head North and then get attacked from behind. They tried that earlier, but our archers kept attacking with poison arrows."

"Did we take significant losses to the North?" asked Thayer.

"Not in numbers. One of our 'generals,' Brulan, was killed. He was hiding carefully behind the lines, but apparently he was targeted. It's surprising, they didn't seem to recognise or target our other generals."

A loud clatter of low-level iron armour sounded from the North, and Crucis saw a band of level 20 players fleeing confusedly towards the black mist. One level 40 player named [Egril], the leader of the [Sudeste] Guild, stood in the centre and directed the retreat.

"Too easy," moaned DicingDevil. "Alright, surround them."

Crucis joined a line of DeathGang players, that fanned out in a V-shape towards the oncoming weak players. As the retreating players stumbled erratically in the mist, the DeathGang members closed into a ring around them.

The [Sudeste] leader was shocked when she saw DicingDevil's dagger emerge from the mist in front of her, and strike between her neck and shoulder. As she tried to flee, Crucis grabbed her in a [Chokehold], and DicingDevil used a [Silent Stab] to strike the bottom of her throat.

Crucis joined in with a [Panoramic Strike] stab to the back of Egril's throat, around where her neck met the bottom of her head. Blood flowed from her mouth as she gazed lifelessly. Tenacious ambition hung emptily in her eyes.

After a [Dagger Twist] inside Egril's piñata-like throat, DicingDevil easily killed off Egril with a move that Crucis didn't recognise, named [Reversed Slice]. Switching to a reverse grip, he thrust his dagger into the skin around the throat wound he had made, and tore thoroughly across the throat with his blade. Crucis could hear a loud ripping noise as the dagger dented and tore inside Egril's throat. Soon, she collapsed effortlessly to the ground, like a fading shadow of the inspirational leader she had once been.

Looking around, Crucis saw that the DeathGang members were making short work of the remaining enemies. He joined in with a sword, but only got in a few loosely-aimed [Slash] and [Lunge] attacks before the whole enemy group lay dead.

"Well done, guys," DicingDevil said, "but I have been told that the [The Fountain] Guild Leader is nearby. That fight may be difficult, so we should avoid any other conflict and focus on finding this leader."

However, DicingDevil was interrupted by the sound of an arrow landing on the ground between the gathered DeathGang players. A small group of Guildless players fleeing the Northern battle had caught a glimpse of DeathGang during the last fight, and were tentatively preparing an attack.

"Ignore them," said DicingDevil, ushering the DeathGang group Southwards through the black mist. "They won't find us in here. We should look for our target, not waste our time on these guys."

"I saw an elite from GildedKnights also retreating from up North, no name but I think it's the guy named Byron," said Akshel with a hint of frustration.

"Oh, did you? That seems like a valuable target, we shouldn't give him the chance to regroup. He does a lot of the GildedKnights planning here, since their leader is quite far from Kruxol, and without Byron that Guild will probably be forced to bow out. Let's try and dodge the other deserters, so that we can take him out."

The group sent out a scout to monitor Byron, and carefully maneouevred West towards the trees while avoiding any conflict. There was a small group accompanying Byron, mostly from GildedKnights. Crucis and a handful of DeathGang members crouched on the ground ahead of Byron's path, and prepared to attack.

Byron was riding a [Small Zebra] Mount, a step up from the more common donkeys, and the Mount made a loud noise as it scrappily crossed the rocky ground. This allowed the DeathGang members to pin-point Byron's location, and quietly creep towards the zebra's sound to prepare an attack.

A few of Byron's comrades passed by without noticing, due to the thick fog.

However, as soon as Byron passed by, Crucis saw DicingDevil send a message in the party chat: "go go go."

A couple of warriors with spears sat up, and assaulted Byron and the Mount. Ignoring the players accompanying Byron, DicingDevil leapt towards the mounted Byron with sword in hand. Crucis followed along, but the DeathGang spearmen left him little room to get an attack on Byron in. Instead, Crucis used a [Lunge] to the zebra's flank, which tore a gash and caused the Mount to shake wildly from side to side. Since it was designated a 'non-combat' Mount, Crucis knew that it would not retaliate. Few players had combat Mounts yet, and even those were primitive and slow.

The assault of the spearman caused Byron to teeter to the side, and DicingDevil's [Chokehold] and fierce grappling was enough to throw Byron to the ground beside the Mount.

Soon, however, Byron's allies nearby began to defend him, and in response the DeathGang group piled in to create a larger brawl. A few GildedKnights players closed in around the DeathGang spearmen, and swung swords frantically. This isolated the spearmen from the fight with Byron.

To make up for this, Crucis darted towards where he had seen Byron fall, ignoring a few light cuts from the strikes of Byron's allies who tried to delay him. However, he was surprised when Byron's sword rose in front of him, after Byron had wrestled DicingDevil away and left him to an ally.

Stepping slightly backwards, Crucis used [Warding], and prepared a [Rising thrust]. He held his sword diagonally towards the ground in front of him, making it difficult to see because the mist was thick down there. As Byron attempted a straight thrust with his sword, Crucis' sword flared upwards to [Parry] the thrust, shoving Byron's sword off-centre.

Crucis used a straight [Lunge] of his own, but Byron's quick footwork meant that he side-stepped left and took the blow on the flank. Crucis' thrust caused a light cut in Byron's right side and then glanced off, but Crucis had to raise the hilt of his blade sharply to block Byron's counter-attacking horizontal [Slash]. The impact forced Crucis to step backwards.

Resourcefully, Byron used his left hand to punch Crucis' hands to the side, and prepared an [Overhead Slash] with his sword-wielding right hand. However, as Byron's sword descended towards Crucis, Crucis used [Dodge Step] to backstep out of range, and Byron's strike swept through the empty air.

As Byron bore down on Crucis, however, Akshel shook off a GildedKnight player and ran up behind Byron to begin a fierce grappling attempt around the head. Crucis saw that Akshel was a rare [Snake] sub-class member, and hence very well-suited to this occasion. As Byron tried to shove Akshel off with punches and strikes around the shoulder, Akshel used the momentum of Byron's own flailing strikes to wrap himself around Byron's body in a firm grapple.

Drawing out a dagger, Akshel began to stab harshly at the area around Byron's throat, drawing blood and causing Byron to cry out in pain. As Byron tried to twist his sword in order to strike Akshel, Crucis used a swift [Slash] at Byron's right arm to disarm the warrior.

Akshel was taking heavy abuse from Byron's allies, though two armoured DeathGang spearmen with shields were trying to protect him. Nonetheless, Akshel single-mindedly clung on to Byron and continued stabbing harshly. Soon, Byron was down to 30% HP and bleeding profusely.

Crucis was attacked from behind by a GildedKnights member, but saw that member flee into the trees when Crucis turned around and revealed a black-void-like face and blood-stained reptilian skin around it which flexed like teeth. Crucis let them go, and turned back to Byron.

However, Crucis saw that the blows from Byron's allies had begun to weaken Akshel's hold, and Byron was starting to shove the Assassin off. Kneeling down, Crucis quickly withdrew [Vile Toxin Gas] and sprayed it across the back of Byron's wounded neck. Byron instantly convulsed in pain along the ground, allowing Akshel to tighten his grip and use [The Ripper] across the side of Byron's neck, reducing the warrior to 10% HP.

However, Byron desperately flicked up some dust towards Akshel's eyes, and Akshel's grip loosened. Byron elbowed Akshel away, and kicked at the warrior. One of Byron's allies, a level 45 GildedKnights Ranger named [GaryL], stabbed at Akshel furiously with a sword. Though haphazard, this was enough to kill Akshel.

However, as Byron proudly began rising to his feet, he was felled again as Crucis used [Agile Step] to strike with a sword [Slash] which bluntly smashed into Byron's helmet and dizzied him. This gave Crucis an opening to crouch down, using [Half-swording], and stab Byron through the bottom of the neck until he died coughing blood.

DicingDevil had got caught up in a fight with another high-ranking GildedKnights member, and decided to leave Byron to Akshel and Crucis. After DicingDevil won his fight, only about six GildedKnights members remained, since most had either fled or been cut down. The DeathGang group had taken only three casualties from the exchange. The GildedKnights group was mostly lower-level deserters, and DeathGang were happy to let these fleeing players flee if it made it easier to kill the important targets.

As the remaining GildedKnights members were cut down, Crucis stood up and looked for GaryL, the player who had killed Akshel. Crucis saw that GaryL was trying to make a run for it towards the trees, but was being pursued by two reckless level 40 DeathGang members who had reduced him to 40% HP. Crucis sprinted towards the fight, but not in time to prevent GaryA from coldly slashing one of the DeathGang members to death. As he neared the fight, Crucis slowed down slightly to prepare.

"What the Hell is that? Some necromancy monster?" shouted GaryL as he saw Crucis approach.

"I don't know, go to a graveyard and check." replied Crucis in a slightly mechanical voice.

As Crucis reached the fight, he drew his sword. Due to GaryL already having to hold off one DeathGang member, Crucis managed to close in undisturbed. As Crucis used [Slash] to strike high at GaryL's left side, GaryL comfortably parried. However, Crucis used [Parry grapple] immediately, to move GaryL's weapon to the side and allow for a [Lunge] at GaryL's exposed face. This formed a bleeding gash near the nose, and allowed Crucis' DeathGang ally time to [Slash] fiercely at GaryL's neck.

In the meantime, Crucis used [Sword hold] to firmly grip GaryL's sword by the centre and prevent counter-attacks. The level 40 DeathGang member began to grapple GaryL towards the ground. While GaryL tried frantically to strike at Crucis, he couldn't get his sword to budge, and Crucis easily walked up and used [Forceful Kick] to send GaryL toppling to the ground.

"Oi, stop holdin' the sword. You cheat!" GaryL began to cry out. The level 40 DeathGang member took a bundle of sticks, gathered quickly from the ground, and shoved it into GaryL's mouth to shut him up. GaryL's cries subsided into muted squeaks.

"Be quiet, reprobate," replied Crucis calmly, as he used [Lunge] to stab GaryL below the ribs. This cut a deep wound, and was enough to kill GaryL.

"Thanks," Crucis told the level 40 DeathGang member next to him, "What's your name?"

"PrisonNation. Yeah, weird name, I know."

"Hamletian. Anyway, let's go back, Dicing seems to be moody."

As Crucis jogged back towards the rest of the DeathGang group, he saw that DicingDevil was lecturing the rest of the group.

"We need to get more people focused on the important targets. If we just try to have a large brawl when attacking [The Fountain]'s leader, then he will be defended tooth-and-nail by his Guild and we won't be able to kill him. We have to rush the important targets, then kill them to start with!" DicingDevil was fuming. "We got lucky this time because most of the enemies fled, but if we attack a Guild Leader, you better be sure that his followers won't just stand by and watch."