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  Fort Apocalypse: PvP Battle

  Quinn Dallas

  Published by Knight Press Inc., 2017.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  FORT APOCALYPSE: PVP BATTLE

  First edition. September 26, 2017.

  Copyright © 2017 Quinn Dallas.

  Written by Quinn Dallas.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Story Description:

  FORT APOCALYPSE:

  Epilogue:

  Author Notes:

  About The Author:

  Social Media Links

  Sign up for Quinn Dallas's Mailing List

  Story Description:

  THIS FREE SHORT STORY is a prequel to: Shadow of the Rogue.

  *Trigger Warning: This story contains violence, same-sex relationships, and strong language!*

  It's my last day playing Cybercell, and I've convinced my old crew to enter a PvP zone: Fort Apocalypse! The zone has unique missions that drop ultra-rare loot. We'll sneak in during low population hours, snag the loot, and then get out!

  What could possibly go wrong?

  A group of player killers has us in their sights. Now we've got to fight past them if we want to survive.

  Dammit! There's no way I'm giving up! I've got stealthy Cyber-Ninja skills and bionic claws! Feivel, my Rat-Man buddy, is a Gadgeteer with dual-pistols and a shield generator. While my ex-girlfriend Rachel is a Cyborg Warrior, armed with a nasty ranged surprise! We got this!

  FORT APOCALYPSE:

  "INCOMING!" I SCREAMED, dodging the flaming energy ball as it roared past.

  "Napalm grenades!" Feivel, the Rat-Headed Gadgeteer cursed. “What a noob!” He sprayed foam from his cybernetic arm, extinguishing the flames before they could spread.

  "Remind me why I entered a PvP zone?" Rachel gripped her tech-sword.

  "Because loot!" I answered.

  "I hate PvP," the dark haired warrior hunkered down behind a toppled pillar.

  "Then you did it for little old me?" I wiggled my eyebrows. "I'm flattered!"

  "Cassie!" She continued, "You talk me into the most ridiculous predicaments. We don't even have a medic!"

  "Hey, I can heal!" Feivel interrupted, as his whiskers twitched.

  "You're a glorified DPS with a couple of utility items!" Rachel shot back.

  Feivel fired his energy rifle and a bolt of red lightning arced from it. There was a loud zap when the bolt struck the enemy group.

  "Hey be nice Rach! Or I won't buff you!" The were-rat said with a smirk.

  "So, how in the hell do we get out of this mess?" Rachel called out from behind the pillar. "That other group has us pinned down!"

  "We need to know what we're dealing with!" I answered.

  "They've got heavy-damage ranged weapons!" Feivel responded. "So I'm guessing there's at least two Strikers."

  "I didn't think I'd have to use this," Rachel pressed a button on her metal gauntlet. "But no way I can get close enough to melee.” The air around her shimmered. Soon, a glowing energy bow appeared in her hands.

  I was stunned. Warriors were normally a melee based strength class. Which meant they were restricted close combat weapons like swords. How in the hell was she able to use a ranged item?

  "I bought this a while back," she smirked. "It's called a Bionic Bow!"

  Out of curiosity, I called up my HUD display and read the description:

  ITEM NAME: BIONIC BOW

  WEAPON TYPE: (SPECIAL) RANGED 100FT

  DAMAGE TYPE: ENERGY

  DESCRIPTION: THIS Hi-TECH BOW IS A MARVEL OF SCIENCE. IT CONVERTS A PLAYERS MELEE DAMAGE SCORE INTO RANGED AOE DAMAGE. THE BOW CAN ONLY BE USED ONCE PER TURN.

  "It's slow," she said as she drew the string. "But it might trick them into thinking we have a ranged DPs with us!" She then fired. The glowing arrow sailed through the air. A few seconds later a loud boom sounded. Muttered cries of surprise rang out through the darkness.

  "I'm going in!" I said as I toggled on my invisibility device. The item covered me in a light reflection shield. Which rendered me very hard to see. Other players half-jokingly referred to it as the Predator Effect.

  I gambled the enemy group would be distracted and checking their logs, hoping to figure out what kind of attack had just hit them. Chances were they jumped my small team of three, believing we would be easy pickings.

  So far Feival's ranged attacks had held them back. He'd even managed to erect a damage absorption shield using one of his gadgets. But none of that would hold for long. Rachel's unexpected move might buy a few seconds. Which I planned to take advantage of.

  "Be careful Cassie!" Rachel whispered as I faded from sight. The two of us had a complicated relationship. We'd never met IRL, but had dated on and off again in-game. Finally, we'd agreed to just stay friends with benefits.

  When I told her I was leaving Cybercell to start playing Odyssey Online, she'd been furious! But I still managed to talk her into going on one last PvP run with me.

  "This should have been a piece of cake!" I whispered as I stalked through the battle torn terrain. Fort Apocalypse, was a PvP zone set in the midst of a war torn battlefield. However, there was valuable loot to be farmed here, if you could avoid the player killers. Which is why we snuck in so late in the evening. This zone was normally dead during this time. Our clandestine run should've been without incident. But we'd run into this gang of nasty ambushers!

  The bastards managed to pin my team down under heavy fire. Now, I had no option but to sneak in and take out their most dangerous member. Luckily, playing stealthy types was my specialty. And I'd spent over a year leveling up my Cyber-Ninja. My signature move being the Assassin's Strike! A powerful melee attack that could only be used from stealth. It obliterated single player targets almost instantly.

  As I neared the area from which the attacks had come, I crouched low. Then I summoned my character sheet for one last check:

  NAME: CASSANDRA SEVEN

  ARCHETYPE: CYBERNETIC NINJA

  LEVEL: 50 HIT POINTS: 300

  PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: DEXTERITY +4

  SECONDARY ATTRIBUTE: STRENGTH +2

  SIGNATURE ATTACK: ASSASSIN’S STRIKE

  PRIMARY WEAPON: CYBERNETIC CLAWS (+SPECIAL)

  FIGHTING SCORE: +3

  My stats looked fine. Cybercell didn't have a tiered levelling system. Instead, points were earned and players assigned those points into both attributes and equipment. Playing stealthy characters with high dexterity was my specialty. So most of the points went into my primary stat and invisibility shield. The remaining points were dumped into my strength attribute. Which gave my melee damage a boost.

  Of course, this meant I was very squishy for a melee based toon. Getting in, hitting hard, and then running was always the best choice for me. And dammit, I was good at it.

  As I approached the enemy's position, I summoned my targeting display. Carefully, I scanned my opponents looking for information. The Cybernetic Targeting Mod had cost me a fortune and came with some serious restrictions. For one thing, the range was limited. It also required a skill point spend for each use. But the information it gave about this four man group was worth it.

  The first enemy team member was standing behind a floating field generator. I spent several points and waited for the Intel to come in:

  NAME: BUFFKIPZ

  ARCHETYPE: GADGETEER

  LEVEL: 51 HIT POINTS: 250

  PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: INTELLIGENCE +4

  SECONDARY ATTRIBUTE: PSYCHE +2

  SIGN
ATURE ABILITY: NANITE GENERATOR

  PRIMARY WEAPON: ENERGY RIFLE

  FIGHTING SCORE: +2

  So they had a Gadgeteer with them! That didn't surprise me. The device he was operating was more than likely the Nanite Generator. As I recalled, it buffed a teams healing and outgoing damage. Which meant Buffkipz might just be my primary target.

  However, I wanted to be thorough in my surveillance. I toggled to the next target:

  NAME: S00PERFR34K

  ARCHETYPE: WARRIOR TANK

  LEVEL: 51 HIT POINTS: 450

  PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: STRENGTH +4

  SECONDARY ATTRIBUTE: HEALTH +2

  SIGNATURE ATTACK: CYBERNETIC SMASH

  PRIMARY WEAPON: ZWEIHANDER MACH IV

  FIGHTING SCORE: +4

  Jesus! The tank was dangerous up close, but not much of a threat ranged. Which meant he was just waiting for his chance. If they'd perceived us as a more dangerous group, chances were they would have deployed S00PERFR34K to hold our aggro. While he was a nasty piece of work, he wasn't an immediate problem.

  There were two more targets. Both armed with heavy ranged weapons. It was these two that were firing continuously on my trapped team.

  NAME: BOMB_DIGGITY

  ARCHETYPE: RANGED STRIKER

  LEVEL: 51 HIT POINTS: 250

  PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: INSIGHT +4

  SECONDARY ATTRIBUTE: INTELLIGENCE +2

  SIGNATURE ATTACK: NAPALM BLAST

  PRIMARY WEAPON: GRENADE LAUNCHER

  FIGHTING SCORE: +3

  ==============================

  NAME: DOUBLE_TAP

  ARCHETYPE: RANGED STRIKER

  LEVEL: 51 HIT POINTS: 200

  PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE: INSIGHT +4

  SECONDARY ATTRIBUTE: INTELLIGENCE +2

  SIGNATURE ATTACK: ENERGY BURST

  PRIMARY WEAPON: KINETIC RIFLE

  FIGHTING SCORE: +3

  It was these two assholes that were the problem! The buffs coming in from their pocket Gadgeteer pushed their damage over the top. So the question remained. Who in the hell should I take out first?

  As if in answer to my question Bomb_Diggity tapped his metal wrist band. A glowing swarm of pixels appeared soon taking on solid shape. The Ranged Striker had summoned some type of device. Curious, I focused my attention pulled up my HUD display. Then, I carefully read the item description:

  ITEM NAME: DESTRUCTIVE MORTAR

  WEAPON TYPE: RANGED AOE

  WEAPON RANGE: 150FT

  DESCRIPTION: THE DESTRUCTIVE MORTAR FIRES A PAYLOAD OF COMBAT NANITES. THESE MICROSCOPIC MACHINES WILL DEVOUR EVERYTHING IN THEIR AOE RANGE. THEY ARE CAPABLE OF COMPLETELY IGNORING ALL TYPES OF ARMOR AND SHIELDS.

  Holy Crap! If Bomb_Diggety managed to fire that weapon, Rachel and Feivel were toast. There was no way in hell I could let that happen! I targeted him and then activated my lunge ability. Which instantly warped me within melee range of my targeted foe. I must attack while I still had the advantage of stealth. I unsheathed my claws and thrust my left hand through the surprised Striker's back.

  He made a gurgling sound as I retracted my claws and pulled my hand free from his chest. Then Bomb_Diggity fell to his knees, clutching the gaping wound left by my surprise attack. Defeated, he collapsed and struck the ground, dissolving into a shower of pixels.

  The Mortar Drone he'd summoned shimmered and then vanished. Success! I'd managed to eliminate a serious threat to my team within seconds. The confirmation system messages scrolled quickly through my HUD overlay:

  YOU HAVE DEALT 600 DAMAGE TO THE BOMB_DIGGITY!

  YOU HAVE DEFEATED BOMB_DIGGITY!

  YOU HAVE DEFEATED MORTAR DRONE!

  YOU HAVE EARNED 30 SKILL POINTS.

  Now, I needed to beat a hasty retreat. But, before I could manage to re-enter stealth Buffkipz had launched a Magnetic Net. The web of energy both surrounded and trapped me in place.

  "Caught her!" He yelled triumphantly.

  "What in the hell!' S00PERFR34K lumbered towards me, his huge two-handed sword held ready.

  "A Cybernetic Assassin!" Double_Tap whirled around and aimed his heavy rifle at me.

  My heart sank! It looked like these bozo's had the upper hand. Buffkipz aimed his rifle at me and screamed, "Take her down!"

  I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable. Suddenly, there was a flash of light. Followed by a thundering boom. The resulting explosion knocked me free of the magnetic trap.

  I peered through the dust and haze to find Rachel perched on a ledge above the player killers. She'd held her Bionic Bow in her hands.

  "Surprise assholes,'" she called out.

  The Player Killers opened fire on her! But their weapons blasts were absorbed by an invisible force shield. That's when I noticed Feivel standing behind Rachel, his floating forcefield drone hovering just above his head.

  The Rat-Man Gadgeteer aimed his dual-pistols and returned fire on the attackers. Rachel summoned her tech-sword and jumped from the ledge. She landed with a thud mere inches from S00PERFR34K!

  The heavy weapons tank let out a battlecry and brought his sword down hard. Rachel blocked with her own weapon and then fell back. The impact from S00PERFR34K's hit sent a resounding ring through the battle field. Rachel managed to land a blow of her own, but it did little damage.

  I scanned the area until my eyes rested on Buffkipz! The little man had summoned two more floating drones. One seemed to be providing a damage shield, while the other broadcast a debuffing beam directly at Rachel!

  So that's what was weakening her attacks!

  Wasting no time, I activated my stealth shield. The air around me stirred, as I shifted into invisibility. I then powered up my lunge, which warped me inches away from Buffkipz. Next, I unsheathed my claws with a satisfying snikt.

  The Gadgeteer turned, but he'd noticed my incoming attack much too late. I struck with both claws, landing a critical hit with a bonus for flanking. Buffkipz and his summoned devices exploded spectacularly and faded into oblivion.

  YOU HAVE DEALT 500 DAMAGE TO BUFFKIPZ!

  YOU HAVE DEFEATED BUFFKIPZ!

  YOU HAVE DEFEATED DEBUFFING DRONE!

  YOU HAVE DEFEATED SHIELD DRONE!

  YOU HAVE EARNED 30 SKILL POINTS.

  YOU HAVE UNLOCKED THE TOTENKOPF ACHIEVEMENT:

  YOU HAVE DEFEATED FIVE OPPONENTS IN A PVP ZONE IN UNDER TWENTY MINUTES. FELLOW PLAYER’S WHISPER YOUR NAME IN FEAR! WEAR THIS TITLE PROUDLY SO OTHER’S WILL RECOGNIZE YOUR ACHIEVEMENT!

  Five opponents? It was then that I realized my last two targets had summoned pets. So apparently a player and his device pets were counted towards PvP achievement badges? Well that was a cool surprise!

  To my right, Rachel was still engaged with S00PERFR34K. The monster tank landed two heavy hitting attacks on her in rapid succession. The Warrior gritted her teeth and swung her tech-sword in a wide arc. The blade scraped S00PERFR34K's metal breast plate and sent a shower of sparks sailing through the air.

  I wanted to help, but I knew Rachel didn't want any interference. The look of grim determination on her face was enough evidence she desired to finish this fight on her own. Despite my better instincts, I held back and watched.

  S00PERFR34K launched another attack, but this time Rachel was ready. She blocked expertly and then struck. Her blade effortlessly penetrated the Warrior Tank's armor plating. Without his pet Gadgeteer, S00PERFR34K didn't have any shield or healing buffs active. Plus, Rachel's damage was no longer being hindered.

  Her heavy hitting blow sent the huge tank flying back. Pressing her advantage, the woman warrior brought her blade down hard. It sliced through the metal guards on S00PERFR34K's neck. As the blade made a clean slice, I went slack-jawed as the huge tanks head flew from his shoulders.

  Rachel smiled triumphantly as her opponent dissolved into pixels and light!

  I scanned to the left and found Feivel engaged with Double_Tap. The two opponents were exchanging fire. Brightly colored particle beams struck their shields, and sparked. Both ranged fig
hters seemed evenly matched in defense.

  Rachel whipped around and headed towards the battle. I followed close behind on her heels. Feivel tossed a sticky grenade at Double_Tap. The projectile exploded and covered the gunslinger in gooey webbing. Panic spread across his face when he realized his predicament.

  His team mates were defeated and he was clearly outnumbered. The pistol wielding striker tapped his metal wrist band. He soon was covered in aura of energy. While an unfamiliar icon hovered above his head. Curious about what buff he'd activated, I summoned my HUD. Then I read the buff description:

  YOUR OPPONENT HAS ACTIVATED THE EVASION TOGGLE. THIS ITEM WILL BUFF HIS DODGE, AGILITY, AND RUN SPEED BY ???% FOR 30 SECONDS.

  "Crap!" I cried. "He's making a run for it!"

  Feivel responded by unleashing a barrage of gunfire. Double_Tap moved faster than lightning, expertly avoiding any damage. Rachel and I were just feet away when he pulled his next escape move. The ranged striker's jet pack fired up and suddenly propelled him high into the air. Feivel fired after him, but Double_Tap was soon out of range.

  "Good riddance dick wad!" The rat-man spat as he stuck his middle finger upward.

  "Fuck yeah!" Rachel pumped her fist. "We won!"

  "I can't believe it!"' I scratched my head.

  "Not bad for a chick who claims she hates PvP!" Feivel smirked.

  "Shut up rodent!" She slapped him on the shoulder.

  "OK gang," I interrupted. "Now we go and raid that lair."

  "Explain that part to me again," Rachel leaned on her sword.

  Trying my best to ignore how sexy she looked, I explained: "This zone has boss lairs that drop special loot. It's super rare stuff that sells for a lot on the auction market!"

  "And what flavor of rare item are we seeking tonight?" Feivel stroked his whiskers.

  "Lunar Opals!" I grinned wide. "One for each of us."

  "Holy shit," Rachel responded. "You're fucking kidding!"

  "Nope!" I answered. "This boss drops them according to a farmer on the player forums."

  "What are we waiting for?" Feivel holstered his guns. "Let's go get rich!"