Game On

Chapter Twenty-Three: Priceless

Sean wanted to stay wrapped up in Mark's arms and lost in his kiss. Laying over him, he lightly teased Mark by grinding against him. Mark's breaths turned deep and heavy, giving Sean goosebumps as his heart sped up. Reluctantly breaking the kiss to sit up enough to grab his vest, he started to shrug it off but stopped when a voice called out from beyond the window. "IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO GAME MASTER? A single Valkyrie? I'm insulted!" Slipping off Mark, Sean stumbled in his rush to the window. Where outside the hooded skeletal figure stood in the square, standing over the dead body of the N.P.C. Valkyrie, chuckling out to the people cowering around the town. "Here's the deal. My people will let you the players live. IF... you allow us to establish a guild here. Pay us ten percent of your earnings and in addition to my generous offer. I want to hunt someone that will bring me one step closer to my collection... So, give me your strongest Light Elf." The human players looked around confused.

The few Light Elf players were little more than young girls. A burly human warrior player snatched a cowering elf girl from her friends, dragging her to the skeleton as he yelled out. "Here! Take it and be done with this raid!" The elf screamed, while her friends cried out her name. Other players followed the man's example. Snatching light elf party members from groups to of the skeleton. Sean turned to run out of the room, but Mark grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving, his eyes on the figure outside. The hooded skeleton raised his boney hand and stated over the frightened party members. "No. They aren't worthy of becoming a trophy. I need a prize. Someone special like... JackSepticEye?" Some people looked confused. Others scoffed with sarcasm. Among the crowd, a slender Aesir woman with bright red hair purred out. "JackSepticEye? The youtuber? He's here in town?" The younger kids gasped, glancing around at the faces of people expectantly.

The hooded skeleton turned to look at the Aesir woman lazily, answering coolly. "Yes. The very same. He arrived just last night and defeated the boss." A group of men in the crowd suddenly snapped out. "What a surprise! Another Gamer stealing all the glory and sucking the fun out of the game for the rest of us!" A young girl quickly shot back. "You're wrong! Jack doesn't do that! He's-" She became drowned out by a woman snapping out bitterly. "Bet he got the game early and already knew how to defeat the boss! I bet he took out that boss on purpose to snatch a cool item for his collection! Asshole!" A dwarven man snapped out to the group. "If you wanted the item than YOU should have fought the boss!" The woman stopped her heel, sneering out. "I WOULD HAVE! But the Gamers are forming parties and depleting spawning zones! I can't level up if THEY are hoarding all the good hunting areas for themselves and killing lesser players to boost themselves up faster!"

Another man in mage robes, quickly intervened by saying. "Guys, stop! We all want to win the game. Doesn't really matter who does it? Soon the other levels will open up and the spawning zones will be accessible again." Another burly Aesir woman shoved the human mage to the ground, snapping out. "Fuck off! This isn't about just winning the game! It's about WHO is going to win this game! You want some spoiled Gamer with an I.Q. of nothing to win and brag about how he single-handily won an easy game! Not caring how many lives he killed to achieve that! Or how sick it is that they think this is a game in the first place!!! They don't fucking deserve it!" Mark pushed Sean back from the window as the hooded skeleton shrugged out. "Sooo? You'll bring me JackSepticEye then?" All eyes returned to the skeleton who added menacingly. "The person or party who does will get their pick of the legendary items or spells that I have found. Hell... Bring me my prey 'Alive' and I can hack them up a few levels. If you prefer?"

An unseen man in the crowd, yelled out. "Where did you see him?!" Sean gasped as he watched the skeleton point right to their window. All eyes in the square eerily turned to look and Mark quickly pushed Sean back more as he moved out of sight. Sean's voice shuddered from him in a whisper when he asked. "Mark...?" Mark's face was hard and unreadable. Whirling around, Mark tugged his arm, commanding seriously. "Stay behind right behind me." Sean winced from Mark's tight grip that bruised his arm, but he ignored the pain. Rushing out into the tavern, Mark skidded to a stop as players burst through the door. They pushed and shoved, shouting and yelling in a mass of sharp sounds. Sean couldn't believe how frightening a mob was. He'd been in many, but none like this. These people were almost wild and feral. Mark quickly wrapped his arms around Sean and rolled over the bar counter. Pushing Sean to run toward the back door as people fought each other in attempts to grab them.