Surviving the Game: The Rat Assassin

Next Dungeon

The day after the final challenge the 13 Guilds awoke and reported to the Shadow Rulers Dining Hall that had been leveled up and expanded to be able to hold and feed them all in one go. All of the members and leaders were there, the leaders standing on the stage while the Masters Council of the Shadow Rulers sat below them.

“Welcome everyone, to another glorious day!” Liora said to a cheer from all of them as the stuffed french toast made by the new Player Master Chef was served to everyone. “You may all be wondering what you are doing here, as we belong to 13 different Guilds. It has however been proposed that the 4,800 of us that make up these 13 Guilds, join together to make one large Guild with 13 different teams. The Hall of each Guild would become a barracks, where each team would be able to sleep under the same roof while also offering protection to the others that would make up our new Guild.

“If we vote to do so, the leader of each Guild would be placed at the Grand Master level, leading the Guild from their position with lifetime appointments. Class Masters would be selected in the way you saw the last few days, however with this many people it may be appropriate for us to expand the Class Masters to the top 3, just so one alone does not become overwhelmed with the responsibility. Profession Masters will still be selected by automated ranking of who is the best the day of the full moon as has already been established in the Shadow Ruler Guild.” Liora explained to them before they voted while they ate breakfast.

Breakfast for everyone appeared all at once, the skill of the Chef incredible as it gave them all a well fed bonus that would last 6 hours of game time as a bonus to certain stats. In the end, 3900 of the 4800 people voted on favor, the closest a smaller Guild in the Coalition having 35 percent of their members vote against it. Liora looked at the results as she stood, each of the 13 Guilds showing in the list as percentage voted in favor for it.

“It seems the Shadow Alliance Guild has come into reality, and with it some changes for the Guilds that make up this Alliance. The member tax is 20 percent of all profits made in the game, which covers meals each day, equipment repairs, profession and class trainers here in headquarters at the very least. We will have to see if at the Team Barracks they are available or if we will have to purchase them at those locations as well. The next full moon will have quite the tournament, as the leadership of the new Guild has already decided that we will be expanding the number of Class Masters from 1 each, to 3. That means 22 openings as Masters within the Guild, the only way to determine who that is, is through combat to find the 3 strongest. Each month and player who wishes to challenge one of them for the position as Class Master, must prove you are indeed better in the class then they are.” Liora said as the newcomers to the style looked at each other with smiles as they looked around and could now see what level the Shadow Rulers actually were. The lowest among them a month into the game sitting at 22. The average was 25 with Liora sitting at the Grand Master position as a level 30. The highest member from the other guilds has been a 21, but most of them were around level 18.

“It seems you all are discovering what has been apparent to me since we began these discussions, the power levels are unbalanced and you newcomers think it will be impossible for you to take over a position as a Master. You however have hope, as there are two ways you can become a Master. The Class Masters are chosen for strength amongst their Class. Profession Masters are determined by who the best in that profession is when the sun sets on the day of the full moon. As the full moon rises each month, the Challenges for Class Master may be issued, as well as the Profession Masters informed that for that evaluation, they are the best.

“For anyone wishing to join the strike teams, we have just located a 40 man Dungeon suggesting level 30. We believe we can assemble 5 30 man teams to clear the Dungeon, or 7 20 man teams with 10 left over to fill out an 8th team. We believe we can carry up to half of the team for 8 teams. That means we have 150 of 320 members already assigned. We need 170 more willing to challenge this Dungeon to improve us all.” She said as they all cheered. “We have 24 days before the next challenges for Class Master and the new Profession Masters will be revealed.

Within 10 minutes the 320 men needed to make eight 40 man teams was finished, all of them quickly assigned with just enough power from 15 men to carry the other 25 than were between levels 18 and 20. Liora was at the front of their team, as they would be the first ones in to determine the difficulty level so they could make adjustments. She was confident she could do enough damage this time, as all of her weapons were coated with a poison that would kill on seconds. So, her team of misfits entered the dungeon together, the dungeon separating them into an instance encounter just like it did with the members of the beginner dungeons. This time it the mine was filled with goblins, their quest to clear the mine so they could get the Mithril Ore.

Liora was amazed that she was the only miner in their group with the ability to mine the pre as she looked at them. “Don’t worry, each of you will get a benefit from this ore of you help me gather it.” She said as she got 6 bars worth of ore from the very first node, she saw three more before they even encountered the first goblin that the Warrior who was the Captain of this team lead the lower levels to kill the lower level goblins that wouldn’t present much of a challenge. Especially as 6 of them were tank specialized classes, and 6 of their party were healers.

Liora spent most of the first few minutes collecting pre when she spotted the first group of goblins that had 3 level 25s. Just as the tanks got their attention she surprised the highest levels with a pair of daggers to the kidneys before she dropped another 6 before the party killed the other 6 almost at once as Liora began plucking her equipment put of the corpses.

“Are you always this crazy?” Patrick asked shaking his head making Porcia laugh.

“No, normally she is way worse. Given a few more seconds she probably would have killed all 12 of them before they would have even reacted.” Porcia said as he looked at her a little amazed as Liora shrugged and disappeared into the shadows as she didn’t have any more ore to mine for the moment. She had already mined 45 bars worth of Mithril Ore,

She showed the newcomers what they meant when they said Liora was crazy good as she went on a killing spree of goblins. The Tanks walking up to corpses that she had taken the money off of already and left sitting there for them to finish looting as there was nothing she wanted. They knew that she was laying in waiting for them when they came up on large groups, the tanks acting as much as a distraction as anything else, the mages, wizards, Sorceress and Rangers using ranged spells and weapons to attack them before her throwing knives and stars made a major impact as she usually took out the strongest target as well.

“Holy s**t you are crazy.” Patrick said when they finished killing the last of a group of 30 before she went over and mined the mithril ore in the mine shafts.

“That is what they say.” Liora replied making several of them laugh as they looted the corpses of what they all had killed. Her count being 12 of the 28 total in the area. Just as they finished their task, she finished mining the last of the ore in this area. “Okay everyone, if you want a Mithril blade of your choice, you have to take your share of the ore from me.” She said as it was putting her near her max weight. Each of them would need 3 bars of Mithril which was the equivalent of 6 pounds of ore for each one. None of them argued as she transferred the ore to them one at a time, each of them getting exactly 6 pounds so she would be able to carry more later. Patrick was amazed as it was 234 pounds of ore she had distributed among all of them.

She however went right back to killing exactly how she had been, pausing just long enough to coat the weapons she was using in poison if she didn’t have the enchanted emerald, or to mine more ore once she killed the goblins in the corridors. The last one however they found her looking at the chamber curiously standing in the shadows right in the middle of the doorway.

“What’s up boss?” Dietrich asked her as she looked around.

“I have a feeling this could get a little dicey with this team. However we need to split into two teams. We need half the tanks as well as any warriors that have the gear and skills to act as tanks to do so, half the healers or anyone that can do so to go with them over here and kill that group of goblins while the other half of healers and tanks take the best of the DPS to engage the Goblin King and his group.” She said as they looked at what she meant.

Until the high damage group could kill the King, the second group would have to keep healing the tanks as they fought Elite Captain of the Guards and his two minions that were all level 30. The King was a level 32 and Liora looked up as she looked at the high damage team. “Ben, you know what the signal is to come in and attack is. Everyone wear the masks I gave you earlier, remember to breathe normally through them. Once you see the signal, run in and engage with everything you have. Team 2, let them attack you and take it defensively. It may seem counterintuitive, trust me though, the healers will get you through this.

“Healers, if you have the opportunity and Mana to attack offensively, do so. The priority however is healing, as it could take us several minutes to kill the 5 elites over here.” She said as she jumped into the rafters and made her way behind the King.

Minutes later they watched as she dropped gas and smoke bombs into their ranks, just before she dropped down at the now alerted King and sunk her daggers into his neck before sliding down as she began throwing the poisoned throwing knives into the other ones necks as well.

Just as she feared, the elites had a slight immunity to the poison, although her attack had nearly decapitated the King in one stroke. He was stumbling around as his lungs filled with blood, smoke and gas before he collapsed dead as her team came in and roasted the other 4 far quicker than they thought as they were only slightly immune. Instead of just a few seconds, they had 15 before they collapsed dead and she was throwing more of them at the other Elites that the other team was facing before she went and mined the Mithril Pre from the Throne room before she realized that the entire throne was refined Mithril Ore that she could put in her inventory as an entire piece.

The newcomers on the team looked around as they timed it, 38 minutes inside the dungeon, most of them increasing at least 4 levels, Liora only getting three because of the gap in experience needed for her to go up a level.

“Is it always this crazy with you?” Patrick asked as the others laughed.

“Normally she is worse. Kill the monsters, loot the gold and walk on leaving us behind. This time she was slowed down by mining the Mithril which only like 4 of our miners can do so far.” Porcia said pointing out everything she had mined inside the throne room alone. Her pack fit to burst carrying another 300 pounds of ore. The Mithril Throne an inventory item that’s weight wasn’t as important as what it was.

“We seriously are going to get a Mithril Weapon just for carrying 6 pounds of ore out for her?” he asked as Porcia nodded.

“She will honor what she said, especially as you held up your end and are carrying the amount she asked you to.” Porcia said as the all used their Teleport crystals to return to the Guild Hall.