I helped the doctor carry the boxes of vials onto a waiting horsecart outside of the alchemist school as he locked them down with straps. Midori helped the professor, who still looked very against the situation he'd been placed in.
That wasn't anything a couple of glares couldn't fix, though~
Soon, all of the potions had been loaded up onto the cart and we were ready to move out. Midori helped me up onto the horsecart with the doctor (bless her) before stepping off. God, my heart…
The doctor grasped the reins.
"Are we all good to go, Doctor?" He glanced at me. I was still in my school uniform, but Midori had let me borrow a good black traveling cloak.
I glanced at Midori, who lingered by the cart. "Is there something you want to say, Midori?"
"N-No." she shook her head quietly.
"Okay. Let's go then, doctor. If that professor acts up again, let me know when we get back," I winked. (God, what was I doing? I-I was getting kind of bold, huh... /// Hopefully seeing our relationship bar increase doesn't get all to my head…)
"Right." Midori looked on as the doctor whipped the horse reins with a crack.
"See you!"
As the horses reared, Midori tossed me a small rucksack. She met my eyes and smiled. "Please stay safe, ms. Hiyomi."
!?!?!?
I barely caught the bag as the horses' hooves hit the ground with a clatter. They surged forwards, pulling us after them, the wheels clattering.
I looked backwards, surprised. I half wanted to shout, but all I could do was catch a glimpse of Midori through the dust cloud kicked up by the horsecart, brushing hair out of her eyes before I lost her in the corner of my eye.
The heck was that?
I didn't get to ask as the doctor lashed the reins. "Please sit properly in your seat, doctor. Otherwise, you might fall off. We're going to be taking several shortcuts."
"Y-Yes!"
"Keep your mouth shut too," he added, "or you might bite your tongue."
I slammed my mouth shut and held on tight to the wooden horsecart seat as we cut through the streets. NPC and player citigoers luckily stuck to the sides of the road.
Bump, bump, clack, rattle, shudder, clack…
The horses ran over the uneven cobblestones as I clutched the rucksack Midori had tossed me. The air whipping by caused my hair to blow out around me, surrounding me like a mini tornado. Holding Midori's rucksack between my legs, I tied back my hair with her hair tie.
As the cart rattled down the cobbled streets, I spotted the hospital's red cross flag and shifted to hop off—Wait.
…Are we speeding up?
This isn't one of those shady abduction quests, is it?
"Uh, doctor? Why are we gunning it like this…?"
From my old PC days of Lucidia Online, I remembered Agëmon's layout decently well. Even if I hadn't, the sight of stone towers looming ahead and flags snapping in the wind made it obvious—we were headed for the city walls. Houses thinned into barracks as the doctor cracked the reins, urging the horses faster.
"Sit down," he ordered, jaw tight. "You heard me about the rise in monster attacks?"
"...Y-yeah?"
"We're going to a forward outpost. Soldiers are bleeding out by the dozens. The Royal Hospital can wait."
He was cool-headed. I respected that.
"'Kay," I muttered, settling back.
The cart jolted hard and tugged itself forward as the potion crates clinked behind us. I whipped around—they were still tied down, thank god. Still, my stomach twisted with every bump.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. It was going to be okay. Eventually, we turned onto the main road. Ahead of us, the gate loomed, casting a shadow over us.
Ahead, the iron portcullis loomed, its shadow swallowing us whole. Guards scrambled aside as the doctor bellowed, "Coming through!" Some even saluted as our red-cross canvas covered cart blurred past.
Within seconds, the cart cleared the portbridge and hit the dirt road.
We hurtled forwards for about another thirty minutes without speaking. Outside of Agëmon, the air felt different; heavy, suffocating. As soon as we passed Agëmon's surrounding fields, we sped towards a nearby forest that was alight with flame.
Smoke choked the blue sky as we approached. I could barely make out the shape of wooden stakes and palisades of an outpost in the distance. I could even faintly smell charred flesh.
The doctor spoke to me without turning. He seemed… hesitant.
"Doctor, what's your name?."
"Hiyomi."
"Dr. Hiyomi. I hope that I'm making the right choice by bringing you. As a warning, no matter what medical experience you've had so far… the injuries the soldiers have suffered are…"
He gripped the reins so tightly that his knuckles were white. I could almost hear them popping.
"...probably far worse than anything I've seen?" I finished his sentence.
He nodded solemnly.
I thought back to my time at Forest Brooke General Hospital. Honestly, aside from that one time I had operated on a police officer with gunshot wounds from a suspect, I hadn't really seen anything that bad.
Besides, this was just a game… what's the worst they could—
CRASH.
FWOOMPH. FWOOMPH.
The world snapped sideways. I was airborne before I even realized, then slammed hard into dirt and grass, the ground hard and gritty to my skin.
…Ow. Ow, ow, ow. Fuck, ow ow ow ow ow ow. (There was no pain, of course, but I could almost feel it.)
What happened?
I tried to push myself upright. My ears rang and my vision spun. I could see the cart, tilted above me. My brain struggled to register what was happening as I reeled from the impact.
…Huh? Wasn't I just sitting on the cart? What's going on?
The graphics of the game pulsed as I tried to stand, but something entering the side of my vision struck me back down. A foot…? It collided with the side of my head and I was thrown to the ground once more.
"AH—"
My eyes caught on my side HUD.
Oh, fuck.
HP: 20 / 55
I was already well below half-health. In my daze, I heard a laugh. It was strangely familiar. Where had I heard it before?
A dagger plunged into my digital hand as I lay prone. A hand pushed my head into the ground, dragging it through the coarse grass, gritty gravel, and dusty dirt.
HP: 14 / 55
A crooked, smiling face emerged in the side of my vision.
Ah, shit.
I shuddered.
This bastard. Didn't he get banned???
The assassin from earlier sneered down at me just as two fireballs screamed toward the cart. The doctor dove off just in time before they collided, breaking all the vials as the wreaths of flame engulfed the wooden frame in seconds. The horses broke free of the wreckage and ran.
Well, fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck…
My chest grew tight as a tear began to form at the side of my eye. Midori's going to kill me. Plus, those soldiers at the outpost… goddamit.
"Tch." The assassin yanked my hair back, forcing me to meet his grin.
"Well, well, well… What do we have here? Oh, it's that alchemist chick from earlier. Why didn't you join our party~? Your friend isn't here to protect you now…"
I shuddered. "Why are you doing this?"
He chuckled, pinching my cheek like I was some doll, his dagger digging into my hand. "Why kill mobs when you can kill players? Gear's better, and when you die—your stuff drops. Fun, right?"
Jesus Christ, this bastard.
I spat in his face.
His grin twisted. "Tch, you bitch—" He hurled me to the dirt. I landed hard next to the cart, the heat licking at my cloak as the flames swarmed the engulfed flame.
It was hot. So hot. Sweat dripped down my brow as my leggings and clothes were dirtied and torn. I felt so sticky as the heat trembled down my back like a heater.
HP: 10 / 55
My mind scrambled as I tried to claw myself up again, to run, to logout. I fumbled with the menu. How the hell was doing this to other players even allowed?
My hand hovered over the logout button just as the assassin closed in. A window blinked across my vision, answering my own question.
———
Warning: You are currently in PVP Combat. Logging out now will incur a penalty.
———
…Well, that's just fantastic. Just fucking fantastic.
The strength seemed to fade from my limbs. I raised my head barely to see the assassin's party leering, except for the healer girl who was sitting on the ground a couple meters away, cowering.
I felt a pang of anger, but I still couldn't do shit.
Fuck my stupid weak ass arms.
Fuck me not deciding to working out.
This genius is really regretting everything right now.
"Inventory."
My gathering knife slipped into my slick, trembling hand with a sharp ping. The fire's heat pressed against my back, the burning cart painting wild swaths of the crimson and orange glow across my skin. The assassin and his party closed in, surrounding me in a neat little semi-circle.
Ah…
A broken laugh tore itself out of me.
"...Ehe—"
I thought of every scenario. I wouldn't make this one out alive, would I? Some genius I am, to get myself here...
My eyes snagged on the rucksack Midori had given me, next to my feet, and I remembered her words. 'Stay safe.'
…
Had she known that this would happen?
I fumbled with the strap. Three bottles rolled out.
Huh.
"Info," I whispered.
———
Item: Hemlock Vial (Beginner)
Description: A beginner alchemist's poison vial. When broken, creates a pool of poison that inflicts a small amount of poison damage over time.
———
Item: Smoketail Gecko Vial
Description: A beginner alchemist's smoke vial. When broken, emits a small cloud of smoke that obscures vision for a short amount of time.
———
Item: Snapstone Flash Vial (Beginner)
Description: A beginner alchemist's antidote vial. When broken, creates a flash of light that blinds, weakens, and stuns those within its radius for a short amount of time.
———
…
I was crying now as broken and hot tears rolled down my face. I smiled.
Jesus, Midori.
You're really a live saver, even when you're not here, huh?
"She's mine." The assassin lunged forwards, his dagger flashing as it headed straight for my chest.
No time.
I broke the Smoketail Gecko vial over my knee and tossed the remnants onto the rough dirt road with the crinkle of glass. A thick grey smoke obscured me from view with a hiss. Given the assassin didn't run straight through the smoke, hopefully he was taking his time…
Ah, fuck.
What do I do now?
I'm probably a… one or two taps? Maybe one good hit?
Eueueueueueueueh… I can't run, not with a warlock just waiting to fireball me. No hiding either—unless I count the burning cart, which, yeah, hard pass. Logging out meant penalties.
That means… I have to fight?
My body shook. My smile cracked wider, hysterical under the sting of smoke and ash. Tears streaked through the grime as my chest hammered.
The assassin burst from the haze, dagger first.
EEEEEEP—no time, no time, no time—
I reached for another vial. I closed my eyes and broke the snapstone potion. An ear-deafening crack rang out from the vial as a glaring flash burst from the glass.
Cringing, I opened my eyes as the flash receded from my ears.
The smoke had cleared. The assassin was clutching his eyes. Same with the two berserkers, and the warlock.
"FUCKKKKKKKK MY EYES YOU BITCH WHAT DID YOU DO????"
Oh. It worked. It fucking worked ohymygod. He was actually blind.
…How long would this vial last?
…Probably not long enough for me to run away.
Fuck.
Well…
Might as well try…
My pained smile contorted as I gripped the gathering knife. My eyes flickered dimly in the firelight.
I tossed the poison vial underhand to the warlock and the two berserkers behind me, but I didn't look back. The excessive swearing told me more than enough. (Suck it, bitches. No, not like that. God, I hate you all.)
I ran straight towards the assassin, the knife in my hand. He was still reeling, blinking, rubbing his eyes. His dagger lay on the rough, scrappy dirt road, forgotten.
I closed the distance, freezing for a heartbeat. I'd never stabbed anyone in my life.
However, I knew the general motion, and his jugular looked pretty tempting right now, after all the shit he'd done.
"...Sorry," I whispered.
The knife sank in.
*Shunk.*
His virtual throat tore open under the blade. I twisted, yanked it free, and stabbed again—again, again—
Jugular.
Carotid.
Subclavian.
My med school kill-list scrawled itself across my vision. Hey, my genius was actually being useful (?) for once in this game...? I drove the blade down where his heart should be, then into his liver, kidneys, femoral artery, the aorta.
Eventually he fell, his HP exhausted as he clutched at me like a drowning man.
"I'm… I'm so sorry…" The words broke out between hysterical laughs and sobs as I kicked him down. (No, I'm not sorry because of the fuckface he is, but after stabbing him...? Yeah, I didn't want to do that again.)
"You were asking for it—but I didn't... see, I didn't want this—ehe~" My grin warped wider, sharp and trembling, firelight catching on my teeth like a feline predator's snarl.
"Y-You bitch…"
The assassin's eyes burned with hatred, then terror, then nothing. His avatar shattered into fragments of blue light, leaving only his gear scattered across the dirt.
A game window chimed.
———
You have killed a player.
You are now a PKer, and your stats have been shared in the [PVP Leaderboard].
EXP has been distributed.
Additional EXP has been distributed (+Self Defence, +Questline Protection).
———
You've Leveled Up!
Attribute Points are Available!
———
I staggered back, my hands slick, trembling. My stomach lurched—oh, fuck, I wanted to vomit. I'm a doctor. You can call me pervert, too. But this is... oh, fuck. What have I done? Even if this is a game, I have to save people. Not—
Ah.
My eyes flicked to the assassin's party, still taking damage from the poison pond, blind and helpless. They hadn't even stepped out of it, taking DOT.
They could hear me. And if I faltered now… What would happen when the blind wore off? Maybe I could scare them off now...
Then I wouldn't have to kill anyone else in this game...
Jeez, some genius I am...
I forced my bangs back with my slick fingers, my laugh trembling out, sick and broken.
God, Midori, please forgive this horrible person of a simp... "Hehe~ well… you really made this difficult for me, huh?"
The gathering knife glinted, my smile splitting wide as I licked the edge, even though my chest screamed with guilt.
"Now then… who's next?"