Dark Dayz: VR Dawn (Chapter 37)

BIT 37: DEATH BATTLE

     

“Clarissa?” My eyes widened, as the woman fell to one knee, breaking into a coughing fit. When it ceased, she stood, eyes closed, rubbing her neck. With a deep sigh, she popped her shoulders, and stretched out her arms, extending each finger to its full length. 

    “Clarissa X?” I swallowed hard. “Say something.” 

    She kept her eyes closed and whispered, “Why do you keep saying that name? You know who I am.” 

    Chills ran through my soul, followed by a parade of goosebumps. I tightened my grip on Dark Goddess and swallowed my fears. “You hacked her!” 

    His voice stayed calm, “Ding, ding, ding, we have a freaking winner. Oh, this is a weird feeling. She’s angry! Imagine having a voice screaming in your mind. This must be what schizos experience.” 

    I brought my sword before me. “Let her go!” 

    Z tilted his head up and opened Clarissa's eyes. They were no longer a deep blue, but a crimson red, surrounded by orange instead of white. 

    “So, you’re the famous Zycuh?” A grin curled at the corner of his feminine lips. “We meet at last.” 

    “And you’re Z, the asshole hacker!” 

    “Wonderful!” He spread out his arms, bowing. “Then introductions aren’t necessary.” 

    “Awesome, now prepare to get your ass kicked so I can free everyone from this nightmare!” 

    Z grinned. “Even if you somehow defeat me now, I won’t free everyone. This body offers me limitations. Still, it’ll be enough to beat a halfwit Blader. God, you chose the worst class.” 

    I narrowed my eyes. “I’m making do. So why here? Why now?” 

    Z giggled a girly laugh, then snapped his hands over his mouth. “Oops. I can’t quite get the hang of these girly instincts. I had to take a gander at he who claims to be the best gamer; the one who thinks he can beat me!” 

    “You’re not here for a fight? Then get out of Clarissa X’s body and I’ll see you in the final raid.” 

    “Tsk tsk! <pwa data-pwa-id="pwa-E93972D2439F46D7B49C43802FC2BB18" data-pwa-category="style" data-pwa-hint="Readability may be enhanced by using: I" data-pwa-suggestions="I" data-pwa-dictionary-word="Of course, I" class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done">Of course, I</pwa>’m here to fight! I have to test your mettle.” 

    Tingles of fear mixed with excitement hit me all at once. I wanted nothing more than to take the challenge, but I couldn’t even defeat Clarissa X before she became a hacked BYTE. 

    Z drew Avenger and brought Morpher level. “With all of this annoying small talk finished, I must ask, are you ready to die? He he, I <pwa data-pwa-id="pwa-2208B39DE536213BEF2892B4C48F8D6A" data-pwa-category="grammar" data-pwa-hint="Possible missing word" data-pwa-suggestions="mean to" data-pwa-dictionary-word="mean" class="pwa-mark pwa-mark-done">mean</pwa> begin?” 

    I pursed my lips. “If you mean, kick your ass, then yes.” 

    “Oh, and one more thing; don’t hold back because of Clarissa X. A failed Beta tester; she won’t be getting her body back if I win, and I always win.” 

    Volcanic rage erupted within me. “You son of a bitch! Who gives you the right to play God?” 

    Hell Charge. 

    I swung Dark Goddess from the side, bringing in my most powerful attack. With a great clang, Z blocked with Morpher. The resulting boom sent a shock wave in all directions. It struck the hallway columns and chunks shattered. 

    “He he.” Z giggled as he looked over the top of the shield. “You’ve got yourself a Godly Weapon! This is getting exciting!” 

    I set my jaw. “Sorry to tell you, but your excitement won’t last long!” 

    “You’re right. It won’t.” 

    Z roared and shoved me with his shield. The sheer force hurled me into the far wall. I bounced back and charged again. I leaped and Star Cleaved. Akin to a meteorite, I crashed with my gigantic sword. Again, Z blocked. Another shock wave echoed out, denting the walls. 

    As soon as my feet hit the ground, I pulled back and swung again, and again. He blocked each strike as I picked up momentum. The walls crumbled with each defiant blow. 

    I continued my mad assault. “Die! Die! Die!” 

    But he enjoyed every attack. An ear-splitting grin spread across his face. “Yes, come on, Zycuh! Keep going! Attack with all your might, so I kill you whilst you know you are a noob!” 

    I shook with rage, bringing back the sword and striking dozens of times. 

    “Lightning Jab!” I stabbed straight into the center of Morpher. The shield shattered, leaving a look of surprise on Z’s face. 

    He seized Avenger with both hands and smacked Dark Goddess out wide. My heavy blade off-balanced me, and I fought to keep standing. 

    “You’re more tenacious than I gave you credit for!” Z laughed. “What a shame it ends now!” 

    He swung the sword straight for my side. I couldn’t block! My eyes squeezed shut as I felt the powerful attack connect. The air blasted from my lungs, and I bounced, ricocheting across the hall. I crashed into the wall, and everything went black. 

    A hideous laughter brought me back to my senses. I opened my eyes to find Z walking in my direction, playfully swinging Avenger. 

    The bastard still grinned. “A level nine Blader survived my attack. How amusing!” 

    I trembled, but this time, it came from fear. My HP bar rested at six points from over six hundred. 

    “Here I come,” he sang, spinning the blade. “To kill you!” 

    I snatched a large potion from my inventory and chugged it before getting to my feet. I grabbed another and tilted it to my lips, but Z appeared, snatching it from my hand. He tossed it behind him, and I watched it bounce and roll near the stairs. 

    “Potions,” he spat. “A weakling’s item!” 

    My life had only reached five-forty out of six-fifty. I couldn’t take another direct attack, so I tried to struggle and break free, but Z held on tight. He lifted me, so we were face to face. 

    With those evil eyes, the hacker stared deep into my own. “They say you can read someone by their eyes! Did you know the only physical detail you can’t customize on your character is your eyes? Or did you miss that?” 

    My mind flashed back to the avatar creation screen. His words were right, everything from foot size to the width of your nostrils were customizable, but the eyes—no. 

    “I can see you remember that little fact, now.” He giggled. “So, do you know why?” 

    I shook my head. 

    “Eyes are the windows to the soul. They tell everything there is about a person’s being. The designers of Dark Days tried to replicate human eyes, but even with these exceptional graphical capabilities, they couldn’t make an eye look right. So instead of allowing a fake-looking component, they let the player’s mind bring their own eyes to the character. It’s amazing, isn’t it? All this technology and we can’t replicate eyes? They’re so complex!” 

    “Who gives a damn?” I murmured. 

    “Me. And guess what I see within you!” 

    I stayed silent. 

    “I see a teenage boy who sits at home on his console all day playing video games. Not because he excels at them, or enjoys them, it’s because he wants an escape to his pathetic little life. Who is it you hate at home? Is it your daddy? Your grandma? A brother? Sister? Or is it your mommy dearest?” 

    I winced. 

    “Oh yes, that’s it! I hit the nail on the head, didn’t I? You hate your mother!” 

    “Shut up, you monster!” I whispered. 

    “It’s so true!” he sang and released my wrist, letting me drop to the floor. 

    “You hate she who gave you life!” He turned and kicked me in the gut. “How can you be so cruel! And you think I’m a monster? You’re the monster! You entered this game, leaving behind those who care about you! For what? To die! You knew before even coming you couldn’t defeat me and beat my game!” 

    I grasped my stomach. “Dark Days isn’t your game.” 

    He kicked my shoulder, knocking me flat. Then he leaped atop me and sat on my chest. He poked my nose and giggled. “Little Zycuh, the loser. Can you even beat games on easy mode?” 

    “Shut up, dammit!” 

    He smacked my face side to side. “You can’t even stop a weak, little girl from defeating you.” 

    “Shut the hell up or I'll strangle you!” I growled. 

    “And such a bad temper! A storm is coming, Zycuh. And all the players will die. It’s a pity you won’t be around for it—the storm!” 

    I balled my fists so tight, I lost hit points. My hands shot up, against my will, and grabbed him by his skinny throat. “You asshole, I am the storm!” 

    Z’s eyes widened for a moment, but then he giggled again. “You almost scared me.” 

    My life bar trembled and shook with me. Then a silver sheen covered the normal green color, filling all the way. With an unknown strength, I bucked my legs and sent Z flying. Veins all over my body twitched and pulsed as I stood and turned to find the hacker sitting straight. 

    “What the hell?” he gasped. 

    I stepped in his direction, and he crawled backward. 

    “How is this possible?” He shook his head. “Your life bar! Your stats! They’re all too high for a level nine player! Are you a BYTE? No—Only I can make a BYTE!” 

    I walked towards him. “Maybe I’m not just a weak Blader? What if I represent more? What if, asshole, I represent every single player you murdered? And what if I have help from somewhere outside the game?” 

    “This is some kind of weird glitch.” Z stood. “It looks like you’ve become powerful. In reality, you’re still just a handicapped child.” 

    “Try me.” I held out my hand to the side, and I could sense the power of Dark Goddess—every ounce of the weapon's strength, as if it were alive. I reached out and grasped for my blade. Shock splayed across Z’s face as the weapon shot through the air and flew into my hand. 

    “Humph.” Z grabbed Avenger again and held his hands out wide. “Come at me then. Come face the Grim Reaper!” 

    “Your life is running out, and you're nothing but a parasite.” I nodded. “If I were you, I’d run.” 

    “I’ll never run!” Z charged and swung Avenger. My hand shot out and grabbed the sword by the middle of the blade. 

    Z stared at Avenger. “This isn’t possible!” 

    “This is a game.” I smiled wide. “Anything is possible.” 

    I twisted my wrist and snapped the blade in half. Shards rained to the ground, and Z looked at me, eyes as huge as saucers. 

    He threw a punch, and I tilted my head, dodging the attack. 

    “Fine! Holy Bomb!” Z shoved his hand to my chest, and a timer appeared above my head, counting from thirty. 

    “Do you think it scares me?” 

    “It should. The sheer power of a BYTE’s Holy Bomb will be more than enough to erase you from this game forever.” 

    “Let's find out.” I closed the gap between us. 

    He tried to step back, but I snatched the bastard by his throat and pulled him close enough so that the tips of our noses were touching. 

    I did nothing but stare into his terrified eyes as the counter dropped to ten seconds. “Ten. That’s all you have until you’re blasted to your doom.” 

    “Screw you. You’re only delaying the inevitable!” 

    “Six.” I squeezed him tighter. “Are you sure you want to risk dying?” 

    “I won’t die!” He looked at his life bar. “There's a fail-safe set to send me to my body.” 

    I stared at him and focused in on the BYTE star. “I have a theory. The star is your failsafe.” 

    I pictured the star-shattering, and it did so before our eyes. 

    “Three, two…” 

    The silver bar vanished, and Clarissa X put her hand on my shoulder. “Cancel!” 

    The Holy Bomb timer vanished into thin air. 

    I released the girl, and she fell onto her butt. “Y-You saved me!” 

    My rage tempered, and my health bar flashed silver three times, and then returned to green. I took a deep breath as the unreal power left my veins. 

    “How did you do that?” The restored girl blinked. “How did you become so strong? You were a BYTE! And you took away his star. It’s like you hacked the hack!” 

    I shrugged and put Dark Goddess on my back. “It's possible I have someone up there looking out for me.” 

    “Don’t get religious on me.” She sighed. 

    “Ironic coming from a Priestess.” I chuckled, walking past her and making my way to the stairs. 

    She held out her hand. “Where are you going?” 

    I turned back. “To find my friends and kill Lord Kilo.” 

    “But to what end?” 

    “To start a revolution.”