Ambush Read online

  This guy is too strong.

  Matt’s back had bent backward, his face contorted as he tried to push back @Killyou40times. All of a sudden, his rival released the pressure and then came at him with a brute force. He staggered and fell to the ground, his collarbone hitting the ground first.

  [-260 Damage]

  Matt groaned as the virtual pain hit him at full force. His lifebar flashed critically low at 40/600. The man was about to finish him off and send him into a sudden in-game death when @doomsday16 dashed into him. A fight ensued between them - a proper sword duel.

  Matt moaned again and stood up, his hold on the shaft of his spear clumsy. Blood trickled down the side of his arm, oozing out without stop. He wiped the warmth away with a swipe of his left hand, the crimson drops marking the ground below.

  Huffing for breath, he strode towards the fight where even his friend seemed to be struggling against the man. Raising his spear, he gave a war cry and leaped into the fray. His friend struck first, then him. Turn by turn, they made him retreat. Now, it was his turn to be hard-pressed as they maintained the attack with renewed vigor.

  Jab.

  Stab.

  [-20 HP]

  Cut.

  [-30 HP]

  Slash.

  [-10 HP]

  Parry.

  Jab.

  And then with a final push, Matt drove the spear right through where his armor had broken asunder, and twisted on withdrawal. Blood trickled out the corner of the man's lips. @Killyou40times groaned and fell to the ground on his knees. The sparkle in his eyes now vanquished.

  StabTwist: Difficult

  Assisted Kill

  [+60 XP]

  Achievement Unlocked: Assisted Kill

  You have taken down an opponent with the assistance of a guild member. You will each receive full XP allocations when using teamwork to take down a foe. This achievement will help with faster leveling as you help to improve your guild's stats.

  Matt kicked the man’s limp avatar and his rival finally met the earth with a loud thud.

  Congratulations!

  You have defeated a Level 12 Boss Mage and all of his minions. In addition to your gained XP, for your bravery and prowess you will be rewarded with the following:

  +5 Strength

  +1 Stamina

  +1 Intelligence

  The system alerts came in rapid succession, and then a chime sounded from the sky.

  LEVEL UP!

  +1 Willpower

  He breathed deep and looked into his friend’s eyes. Even he appeared to be utterly exhausted. Up above, the villagers screamed their bellows of victory. The village had been freed and all the monsters had either fled or killed.

  “So I take it all of those creatures were being controlled by that Boss?” Matt asked.

  “Unfortunately, freaking yes!” @doomsday16 remarked. “When I first arrived in the village, that was my suspicion. Intelligent monsters who could strategize? Unlikely. It would only be possible if they were modified by magic. All this smelled of mages. This one,” he pointed out the corpse, “was our mage. He was controlling these creatures. He was rather adept and much more knowledgeable of this place than either of us.”

  Though it only lasted an hour, the raid was intense. It had taken all of their combined skills to beat the Boss, and the Augmented Reality was so real that Matt could almost smell the blood from their fallen opponent. A prompt suddenly appeared.

  Opportunity Alert

  Do you wish to loot your opponent's inventory?

  ***Disclaimer: only unlocked items are available to loot (item locking is a service only available to Premium Members)***

  Loot Body | Leave Body

  Matt selected Loot Body. A screen displayed showing the content of @Killyou40times’ inventory.

  First and foremost, he attempted to take the sword to replace his measly excuse for a weapon, but he received an error.

  Error!

  This inventory item is locked.

  He then attempted to take the armor, but he received the same error.

  Lame.

  He continued to scroll for any weapon or spell he could find. One of the items housed in the inventory had a question mark instead of an icon like the rest. Confused, he clicked on it. A curious-looking hourglass with ancient runes carved all over it then materialized in the palm of his hand. He held it close to his face, studying it's curious markings.

  “What you got there?”

  “I dunno.” Matt scrunched up his face, “Looks like an ancient artifact of some sort. Do you think it’s worth something?”

  “I doubt it.” he scoffed, “I’ve learned that most things in the game that aren’t obviously a weapon are items that have been infused with some freaky dark magic. I’d stay away from it, if I were you.”

  But Matt felt drawn to the curious artifact, “Thanks for the advice, but I think I’ll keep it.”

  “Suit yourself. It’s your funeral.” he shook his head in disapproval, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Matt ignored him, and tucked the hourglass away in his own inventory.

  Congratulations!

  The Temporal Artifact you now have in your possession offers unique insight to foresee the outcomes of future scenarios. Do you wish to activate this skill?

  Yes | No

  Intrigued, he pressed Yes, but nothing happened.

  Okay, that was random.

  After looting everything they could from the avatar's corpse, they wound their way up the slope. In front of them smoke rose from inside the village and its denizens were busy frolicking around with flaming brands that they had acquired out of nowhere. Rotting, burning carcasses of the cross-breeds lay sprawled across the fields. In the eastern sky, the sun began to shower its light, a part of its curve smiling above the horizon. Dawn had come and Matt sat himself on a huge rock.

  “I'm glad this fight is finally over.” he sighed as he absently scrolled through his HUD and eyed his friend @doomsday16’s Level 20 with envy.

  How did he achieve that level?!

  DarkForce had only been released a week ago, and Matt had downloaded it at midnight the instant it became available. He vividly remembered facing the wrath of his wife the next morning. She was absolutely livid when she learned that not only had he spent $69.96 from their tight budget without asking her about it, but that he had been up all night trying to Level Up in the game.

  “Dude!” he couldn’t resist, “How did you Level Up so quickly?”

  A wry grin fell across @doomsday16’s virtual face as he shook the blood off of his sword before sheathing it.

  “Seriously, man? How did you do it?”

  “Nothing really.” his friend smiled, “Just playing at night.”

  “You’re not fooling anyone.” Matt’s cynical facial expression was mirrored on his avatar’s, “Seriously. What’s your secret?”

  “Dude, I’m exhausted. We’ll talk tomorrow. I really need to log out and get some sleep.” @doomsday16 said, “And don't forget, we're both on duty early tomorrow.”

  Matt nodded. He gave him a knowing look, and reached up to his right temple and pressed firmly. After a brief moment of static, his eyes adjusted to the dim light of his backyard. It was nearing midnight, and no doubt his wife and kids were already asleep.

  During that brief few seconds of static however, a strange illusion caught his eye. A large blue box sitting in the middle of his yard faded in and out of his vision accompanied by a strange revving sound. The silhouette looked somewhat like a phone booth perhaps? But as he shook the static out of his mind, his yard was completely empty.

  That was weird.

  His breath turned into fog and his body started to shiver from the cold night air. No matter how many times he played, coming out of augmented reality was always a bit shocking to the system. The game creator CyberBolt had established several massive arenas in every major city in order to enhance user experience and also to lessen the risks of shock to bodily system
s. But to play in these arenas was extremely costly. Although he was recently promoted to detective, his salary at the local police precinct was meager at best.

  As he attempted to turn the doorknob of his patio door however, he was surprised to find it locked. With numb fingers he fumbled in his pockets for his keys, only to discover that he had left them inside.

  “Tiffany must have locked up before she went to bed...” he mumbled to himself absently.

  His stomach growled as he looked up at their bedroom window.

  Great. I promised her I’d come in before dark... I better not wake her.

  He rubbed his hands together in an effort to warm them as he walked around the side of the yard. He wasn’t prepared for the sight he beheld when he opened the gate. Piled in the center of his driveway was a mountain of his clothes.

  “What?!”

  In an instant his blood was boiling. He marched over to the front door and began pounding. After several minutes making a scene of himself, he could hear Tiffany’s voice from the other side of the door.

  “It’s over Matt.” she spoke sternly, “Take your clothes and go find yourself somewhere else to sleep tonight.”

  “OPEN THE DOOR!” he bellowed, “YOU KNOW I HAVE A TEN HOUR SHIFT TOMORROW!”

  “That’s not my concern.” she remained stoic, “I’ll leave the door unlocked tomorrow. I’m taking the kids to my mother’s in the morning.”

  His eyes were wide in fury, “JUST OPEN THE DOOR! LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS!”

  “I’m done talking.” he heard her sigh heavily, “I can’t listen to any more of your lame excuses and empty promises.”

  ***

  “Dude, it's past midnight.” his buddy Derek groaned when he finally opened his door.

  “I know.” Matt sighed, “Sorry about this, but can I crash on your couch again?”

  “Let me guess.” He rolled his eyes and motioned him inside, “Tiffany locked you out again?”

  Matt nodded glumly, “I'm afraid it's really over this time.”

  Derek Carter had been his best friend since high school, and they were like brothers. It wasn't very surprising that they both wound up buying homes in the same neighborhood.

  “I'm sure she's just overreacting.” he yawned and opened the fridge, “Here. Have a beer. Clear your mind.”

  “Tempting.” Matt smiled, “But I'm on duty tomorrow. Rain check?”

  Derek took a long draw and then belched loudly, “Suit yourself. Your loss.”

  Chapter Four

  Duty Calls

  As a detective for the Chicago South Police Precinct, Matt was constantly plagued with new cases to investigate. Today things had gotten out of control. He was called to the precinct this morning at 4:00 AM. Having gotten little sleep on his friend’s couch, he wasn’t exactly in a good mood. But… duty calls regardless of sleep deprivation. Considering he had no keys, Officer James Price swung by and picked him up with his squad car.

  “Where’s your uniform?” he stared incredulously at Matt’s disheveled appearance.

  “Long story.” he sighed, “I’ve got a spare at the precinct.”

  “Rough night, eh?” James asked as he stifled a yawn, “You didn't log back in to play more DarkForce after we agreed to call it night, did you?”

  “Don't worry, I didn't.”

  You'd never guess it, but @doomsday16 was a professional and proper person In Real Life (IRL). Not only was James Price his gaming buddy, but he was also his police partner and a great friend.

  “And why did I have to pick you up three blocks away from your home?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it right now.” Matt brushed it off and changed the subject, “Give me the rundown of the case.”

  “Fine, but we need to talk about this later.” James raised an eyebrow.

  “Sure. Whatever.”

  James sighed and launched into the details of the case, “Three men were arrested a few hours ago. Officer Kent pulled them over for speeding, and found them in possession of several kilos of cocaine. Normally their arrest files would have been processed in the morning, however the precinct turned into a beehive the instant their fingerprints were scanned.”

  “Oh?” Matt’s eyebrow furrowed, “Who are they?”

  “About twenty years ago, our precinct was tracking several local drug dealers who were linked to one of the biggest smuggling rings in the nation. In fact, your father was one of the primary officers assigned to the case.”

  “Wait…” Matt stammered, “You mean to tell me these men are linked to my dad’s fabled case that got away?”

  “One and the same.”

  Matt’s mind was filled with memories of the old stories his father had told him as a child. His father had gotten very close to locating the heart of the smuggling ring, when their primary lead was unexpectedly assassinated in a car bomb. As time passed, leads grew slimmer and slimmer. His father’s squad had converged upon every empty warehouse in the city, but the entire case had fallen out of his grasp. At the time he was in line for a large promotion, but losing grasp of this case was a major blow to his police career.

  Matt shook his head in dismay, “That case broke him.”

  “I know.”

  “He lost his badge.”

  “Well… my understanding is that it was kind of his own fault.” Officer Price chided, “The Chief told him to drop it, but he refused to. He was obsessed.”

  “I probably would have been too had my entire career been on the line.” Matt sighed as they pulled into the precinct.

  ***

  Several hours had passed. All of the files regarding the old case that had been collected were stored, and had been categorized as ‘unsolved’ until they were dug out from the basement archives this morning. Matt recognized the faces of all three men from pictures his father had stored in a retired trunk in the attic of his childhood home. Curiously, they didn’t appear to have even aged a single day.

  Although the three men in custody had proved to be impossible to break, they now had a new suspect. Matt sipped at his 5th coffee while he watched the ongoing questioning session through the one-way mirror. His colleague, Officer Melissa Hansen, questioned the teenager.

  “Just leave me alone!” Jack yelled as he struggled to hold back his frustration.

  “Come on Jack. If you cooperate, we can all go home happy.”

  “But I didn’t do anything!” he insisted.

  “If that’s the case, then you have nothing to hide.” she smiled, “Now in your own words, tell me what happened.”

  “Well…” he hesitated, “It was kind of weird to tell you the truth.”

  “Try me.”

  “Like I said earlier,” he rolled his eyes, “I was trying to stay awake during that stupid lecture in Orchestra, and I guess I must’ve dozed off…”

  “Continue please.” Hansen urged after a period of silence.

  Jack flinched, “…I woke up in a dimly-lit room where I was staring at my reflection in a mirror, and then a small door flew open near my feet...”

  “Hold on.” Hansen huffed, “There’s a three-hour gap in this hair-brained story of yours.”

  “Stop interrupting me!” Jack roared with eyes bloodshot, “Will you please listen to me this time?”

  “That depends on whether or not you intend to fill in the rest of the details.” she scoffed.

  “Fine then.” Jack shot a look of utter contempt, I hope you don’t expect to get any more answers out of me.”

  With all the professionalism she could muster, Officer Hansen stood and spoke, “The psychiatrist will be in shortly.”

  “Great.” Jack muttered as she left the room, “Now everyone thinks I’m crazy.”

  ***

  It was nearing noon when the psychiatrist arrived at Matt’s desk to give him a report.

  “I have both good and bad news.” she stated.

  “Let’s hear it.”

  “The good news is,” she paused, “he wasn’t lying
.”

  “That’s impossible.” Matt retorted, “This morning after the break-in I questioned him personally. Are you trying to tell me he was sleepwalking for over an hour?”

  “Well, that’s where the bad news comes in.” she sighed, “My analysis confirms that Jack suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder.”

  “Diss-what?”

  “Also commonly referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder.”

  “You’re kidding.” he retorted.

  “I’m sorry, but you may never find whatever it is that you’re looking for. He can’t answer any of your questions unless he falls back into another lapse, which likely won’t happen again anytime soon. I am recommending him to be monitored for a few weeks at the mental facility downtown.”

  “Thanks.” he replied in frustration.

  Matt thought back to earlier that morning when he dragged the teenager handcuffed to his squad car. Matt had found him in the attic of his father’s home with the retired trunk open at his feet. Matt had intended to seek answers from the trunk himself, and was shocked to find Jack there with old police records scattered at his feet. The boy seemed to be in an utter daze when Matt demanded to know why he was there.

  Jack Timberland was seventeen, had apparently gone truant during the middle of a class, and had taken a winding detour to Matt’s childhood home. His method of travel was still unknown, but considering the distance and the gap of time before he was found, he may have walked there.

  Matt had just finished processing the three suspects they had detained this morning, and had arrived at his father’s home around 11:00 AM. Being very familiar with the contents of the old trunk, Matt knew immediately that several large manila folders were missing. The folders contained pertinent data regarding suspects in the case that his father had collected and stored. An inquisition against his father was now underway for having stored the files at home rather than in the police archives.

  To his defense, his dad insisted that he had forgotten about the old trunk. The Information Security Act was passed in 2002, whereas he had placed the trunk in his attic three years prior in 1999. Regardless, Matt knew he had to retrieve the stolen files as quickly as possible before his father suffered even further for the biggest blunder of his career.