To Kill Gods or Die Trying

Chapter 04-Taking Charge

January 7th, 2300

The pretty NPC waitress delivers our beers.

"Let's begin," I say seriously. "We have most of the continental combat playerbase under our leadership." The Obsidian-rank guild leaders nod in unison. "But, we need to combine our forces to get to Gem-rank. That's the only way we can actually win this. Me and my guys, we are the furthest ahead, so we need all the help we can get. Once we reach Gem-rank, we'll help all of you guys get Gem too," I explain.

"You have my support," says a Turquoise-rank middle-aged man, leader of a guild of 2,000.

"As with I," agrees an Obsidian-rank young woman, leader of a guild of 700.

"I'm in," says a Gold-rank teenager, guild leader of 1,500.

All of the 23 Gold through Obsidian-rank guild leaders pledge their support to me and my team. As Vice-Leader, Essej is currently talking to the members of God Killers, and the rest of them are assembling a public meeting for tomorrow, spreading the word.

"I can't guarantee your lives or the lives of your people," I warn grimly. "As we all saw, this guy isn't messing around. At least one—just one out of those 40,000 would have respawned in the last two days by now. Death is real. We've been here for a week; long enough for the human body to take considerable damage. If it was a prank, we'd have been out long ago..."

"We understand," the Obsidian-rank young woman replies. "It doesn't even matter. I am prepared to sacrifice myself in a painless death if it means that everyone else lives. I'm sure all the leaders in this game we can all agree," the woman suggests. We all nod.

***

January 8th, 2300

I told everyone to meet in the village of Yulgir, located in the Desert Region of the Wildlands, two miles outside the Capital walls. I stand on a roof to see tens of thousands of players gathered in the town, all the way to the outskirts. It's a sea of players. I guess at this point, it's up to me to guide them if we're all going to get out of here.

An NPC blacksmith forged me an enchanted megaphone to project my voice far. I press the metal to my mouth.

"PLAYERS! ALL YOU GUYS! LISTEN UP!" I bellow.

Like a full mall with the ambiance of chatter, the town falls silent.

NPC villagers gather.

"This is a call to all Obsidian-rank players. My nine comrades and I need to get to Gem-rank! Many of you know us as the best players in the game or whatever. None of that matters now. Getting to Gem-rank is the only way we can all start making progress. If you help us get to Gem, we will help you get to Gem and you can help get others to Gem. Once we get people trained and ready, we're gonna beat every last boss in this game!

If you would like to participate in quests and raids, then join the army conglomeration we've created with the joint-guilds! You will put everything on the line along with your life that I cannot guarantee, especially to Obsidian-rank players because our training regimen is to fight a raid boss every day to grind to Gemstone-rank. I am willing to put my life on the line so I can see my wife again and be there for my unborn twins, and so that all of you can get out of here. Will you do the same?"

Everyone yells and cheers in agreement. I take the time to lower my tone in preparation for the subject that everyone is thinking about.

"I understand that many of you will not be here with us within the next week. I know that some of you've accepted that, and it's not my position to tell you how to tell you how to spend the last week of your lives, but it would help everyone if you guys could go forth and clear us a path. All of the progress has been reset, so for us to make it through, we all need to clear every path on every continent. All you guys have to do is one trail; the rest of us will finish the job. We need Wood-rank players, Copper players, Silver, Gold, Turquoise, and Obsidian. After that, the rest of us Obsidian-ranks will take over."

"You have my support!" a man with a thick Spanish accent yells from the crowd. "At the end of this week, I'm probably going to die! It's the least I do for everyone here! If you are due to die, you need to help! You don't want to spend the rest of your days cowering! I would know! I would rather die a hero in-battle for a cause than to die a weak man for my own selfishness! Join me!"

"Come up here, man!" I yell.

The man slithers through the crowd and makes his way to the front.

I jump off the roof and meet him eye-to-eye.

"Ben Even," I introduce, sticking out my hand. He shakes it firmly— a Turquoise-rank.

"Daniel Poppins. Officer in The Frost Crusade. People call me D- Pop."

"You wanna take the stage?" I ask. He grins. D-Pop takes the megaphone. "It's settled! If you wish to go out helping everyone else, I'm creating a guild called Our Last Stand. Join or cower!" He passes me the megaphone and disappears into the crowd.

"If we want it, we can beat this, guys! We just need to play our cards right and work together," I say. "Sign-ups are today. D-pop, I want all your guys up by tomorrow! We've got a game to beat!"