KIERAN
He moved faster than should be possible. His sword cut through three demon players before they could even scream. Their bodies dissolved into [PLAYER DELETED] messages. The others tried to run but he was already among them, killing with ease.
Ten players died in thirty seconds.
The girl next to me grabbed my arm. "We have to go. Now."
We ran deeper into the canyon. Behind us the sound of slaughter continued. I heard The Enforcer speaking between kills, his tone never changing from that horrible calm to victory.
"Seventeen deleted. Scanning for remaining demon class entities."
We ran until my lungs burned and my legs shook. The girl pulled me into a cave hidden behind a lava fall and we collapsed against the back wall.
"This can't be happening." She was crying now. "I have a daughter. I have a real life. I can't die in a video game."
I checked my menu. The logout button was still grayed out. Emergency disconnect failed. The contact GM button did nothing.
We were trapped.
A notification appeared.
"Demon players: You have no designated respawn point. Death is permanent. Survival is your only option."
The girl read it and started sobbing harder. I felt numb. This morning my biggest problem was rent money. Now I was hiding in a cave while an NPC executioner systematically deleted players from existence.
My health bar caught my eye. It was still at full. 150/150 HP. But there was something new below it. A second bar that had not been there before. It was dark purple and mostly empty with just a sliver of color at the edge.
Corruption: 5%
What did that mean?
Then I heard footsteps echoing from outside the cave. Multiple sets. From the way they moved I could tell that they were human, not NPC guards.
Then their voices drifted in.
"The demon went this way. I saw him duck behind the lava fall."
"You sure? That's a 500 gold bounty. Split three ways, that's enough to buy starter gear upgrades and survive until the glitch is fixed."
"Dead or alive. Quest says dead or alive."
Players. Other beta testers were hunting us for in-game currency while we were all trapped here. While people were actually dying.
The girl looked at me with wide terrified eyes. I put a finger to my lips signalling that she shoud be quiet and looked around the cave for anything I could use as a weapon. My spells had cooldowns. Hellfire Barrage would not be ready for another minute.
I found a broken stalactite, sharp at one end and gripped it tight.
My health bar pulsed. 23/150. When had I lost health? The running. The panic. Something was draining me.
This was so not what i needed right now.
The footsteps got closer.
A new notification appeared.
"Shadow Strike skill unlocked. Cooldown: 15 seconds. Effect: Teleport behind target enemy. Bonus damage on first strike."
The corruption meter ticked up to 6%.
What is this and how am i making it go up?
The cave entrance darkened as three players stepped inside.
The lead hunter was a mage type with expensive looking robes and a staff that glowed blue. He smiled when he saw us huddled in the back of the cave.
"There you are. Man, you demons are making this too easy."
His two friends spread out to block the exit. A rogue with dual daggers and a warrior carrying a massive axe. All of them were Level 3 or 4 based on their gear. They had been grinding while I was running for my life.
The girl next to me started crying harder. "Please. Please just let us go. We didn't do anything."
"Nothing personal." The mage shrugged. "But 500 gold is 500 gold. Game's game, right?"
"People are actually dying out there." I kept my voice steady even though my hands were shaking. "You saw the deleted messages. This isn't a game anymore."
The warrior laughed. "Even better. Imagine the loot when we get out of here. First players to farm demons? We'll be rich."
They had no idea. They thought this was still just a VR experience gone wrong. They had not accepted that the pain was real, that the deaths were permanent. Or maybe they had accepted it and just did not care.
The mage raised his staff. "Last chance. You can die fast or die slow. Your choice."
I stood up slowly, keeping the broken stalactite behind my back. My mind was racing through options. Three versus one. They had better gear, higher levels and the smart play was surrender.
But I had never been good at smart plays.
"Okay." I raised my free hand. "Okay you win. Just let her go. She has a kid."
The mage looked at his friends. "You hear that? He's negotiating. Like he has leverage."
They all laughed. Good. Overconfident opponents made mistakes.
I took a step forward and stumbled, catching myself against the cave wall. The movement put me closer to the lava fall entrance closer to the heat and the orange glow reflecting off the wet rocks.
"Careful there, demon." The rogue grinned. "Don't want you dying before we get our reward."
I took another stumbling step. Then another. Leading them deeper into the cave where the ceiling was lower and the ground was slick from volcanic moisture. The warrior had to duck to avoid hitting his head. The mage kept his staff raised but had to watch his footing.
"What are you doing?" The girl whispered.
"Trust me." I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt.
The mage was getting impatient. "Enough stalling. Lightning Bolt!"
Blue light filled the cave as the spell launched. I dove to the side and it struck the wall behind me, sending rock fragments flying. The explosion was deafening in the enclosed space.
"You missed." The warrior shoved the mage. "How did you miss from ten feet away?"
"He moved! I didn't think he would actually dodge."
Then I ran toward the exit. Not away from them but past them, forcing them to turn around. The warrior swung his axe but the ceiling was too low and the blade sparked against stone. I heard him curse.
"Get him!"
They chased me out of the cave and into the ash covered wasteland. Exactly what I wanted. Out here I had room to move and use the environment that was my weapon.
I sprinted toward a cluster of lava pools, the kind I had been avoiding all day. The ground around them was cracked and unstable, glowing with heat from below as steam rose in thick clouds.
The rogue was the fastest. He closed the distance with some kind of speed skill and slashed at my back. The blade caught my shoulder and pain exploded down my arm. Real pain. My health dropped to 15/150.
"Got him!"
I spun and activated Shadow Strike.
The world lurched. One second I was in front of the rogue, the next I was behind him. The skill had teleported me exactly where I needed to be. The rogue's eyes went wide as he realized what happened.
I kicked him as hard as I could.
He stumbled backward toward the lava pool, arms windmilling. For a second I thought he would catch his balance. Then the cracked ground beneath his feet gave way and he dropped into the molten rock.
His scream was brief then his body dissolved into pixels and ash.
[PLAYER DELETED]
The mage and warrior skidded to a stop, staring at the empty space where their friend had been.
"Holy shit." The warrior's voice shook. "He actually killed him. He actually killed Danny."
The mage's face twisted with rage. "You shouldn't have Shadow Strike yet! That's a Level 4 skill!"
"Guess I'm a fast learner."
I had no idea why I had the skill early. Maybe demon class progression was different. Maybe the system was broken in more ways than just trapping us here. Either way, I was not going to question my only advantage.
The warrior charged with a roar. I waited until the last second and dodged left. His axe buried itself in the ground where I had been standing. While he struggled to pull it free I hit him with Hellfire Barrage at point blank range.
Fire erupted across his chest, making his health bar dropped by half. He stumbled back, beating at the flames.
"Fire resistance!" The mage shouted. "Pop your fire resistance potion!"
The warrior fumbled at his belt but I was already moving. Another Shadow Strike put me behind him and I slammed the broken stalactite into the gap between his shoulder plates, landing a critical hit and with that his health bar emptied.
[PLAYER DELETED]
The mage ran.
He made it maybe twenty feet before his ankle turned on the uneven ground and he went down hard. I walked over slowly, stalactite still in hand. My health was at 8/150. My hands were covered in blood that looked too real but i chose not to focus on that. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst.
The mage rolled onto his back and held up his hands. "Wait. Wait please. I'm sorry. I was just trying to survive. We can work together. I have potions. I have gold. Please."
I looked at him. Really looked. He was young, maybe early twenties and looked terrified. He was not an NPC or a monster just a person who had made the same choice I made to log into this game.
I took the potions from his belt and his gold pouch.
"Get out of here."
He stared at me. "What?"
"Get out of here before I change my mind."
He scrambled to his feet and ran without looking back. I watched until he disappeared into the ash clouds.
The girl emerged from the cave. She looked at the two deleted player markers and then at me.
"Thank you. You saved my life."
"Go find other players. Non demons. You'll be safer with them."
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine."
She hesitated then ran in the opposite direction from the mage. I waited until I was alone before letting myself shake. I had just killed two people. Deleted them from existence. They were trying to kill me first but that did not make it feel any better.
I used the stolen potions and watched my health climb back to 67/150. Not great but better than dying. The gold pouch had 200 coins. The warrior had dropped a worn leather vest that was better than my starter gear.
I equipped it and kept moving.
An hour later I found the ruins. An old demon village half buried in ash with buildings that looked like they had been burned centuries ago. Most of it was rubble but one structure still had walls and a roof. I ducked inside and found scattered loot which were basic supplies, a lore book and on a stone pedestal in the back room, a pair of black gauntlets that seemed to pulse with heat.
Infernal Gauntlets. Rare quality. Plus ten percent fire damage. Required level: 1. Demon class only.
I equipped them and felt power flow through my arms. My corruption meter ticked up to 8%.
The lore book was titled "The Celestial Purge: A History." I skimmed the pages. Demons had ruled parts of Elarion centuries ago until the Celestial Order launched a crusade which was a systematic extermination. Entire cities burned and the survivors were driven to the Abyssal Expanse and hunted to near extinction.
The book described it like a righteous war. Like the demons were monsters who deserved death.
I closed the book and set it down.
Suddenly, a roar echoed across the wasteland. I ran to the doorway and looked toward the sound.
On the ridgeline a quarter mile away stood a figure in obsidian armor. Even at this distance I could see the wings spread wide and see the burning sword raised high.
The Enforcer.
He was staring directly at me.
He raised his sword and light blazed from the blade, a pillar of white fire reaching into the red sky. It was a declaration.
I am coming for you.
I ran.