Level 25

Level 7 Cyber Demons

Chaos surrounds all around Otto Rey as he runs for his life. The world of ICBA is breaking apart, it has turned into a war zone. Small demonic creatures with metallic bodies and powerful firearms fight against every online player. “Why can’t I log out!!!” shouts a random player sitting by the road bleeding to death. Warships soar through the skies launching missiles obliterating anyone who tries to fight back. It's a bloodbath. They can all feel pain, the pain of their characters and once their character dies they would probably die.  “I have lost Dinho and Melenie, this is not happening” Otto blurts out in distress. He is in a city zone with bombs dropping every five seconds from above. The demons on the ground attack in large swarms with their sharp blade like claws or weapons attached to their bodies. A player flies beside Otto shooting pulse rays from his fists trying to kill all these damned creatures. His friend uses a gun and keeps firing at them. Some of the creatures die and the others disperse. All of a sudden a single creature jumps from top of a building falling on the player hovering above ground. It’s friend surrounds the player below with their huge number.

Otto keeps running through all the screams. Players are shouting with agony, laying down with blood gushing from their motionless bodies. The ground shakes with each bomb and dark clouds have already engulfed the surrounding. A bomb falls inches apart from Otto. He falls and it’s silent all around. Otto Rey is scared. Another missile drops and everything disappears from view from all the dust and smoke.

Another unsettling dream wakes Otto Rey from his deep slumber. It is still dark out. He checks his phone for the time. It’s only 2:30 am. Otto breathes in and out in a rhythmic manner to calm his nerves. It has been about a week since his victory over Level 6. He unlocks his phone and finds a text from Melenie. It was left about an hour ago. “Otto you up?” wrote Melenie. Otto replies a bit later but Melenie is still awake. She calls him.

Otto picks up to find a frustrated Melenie on the other end of the call. She is having trouble to justify the threat left by ADAM. Otto comforts her with his kind and understanding words but Melenie has no idea about her next step.

I want to walk again, Otto. If it was not the case I would have never played ICBA again knowing what we know now. Dinho knows it and now he is doing the right thing to avoid this damned game.

“I have had the same questions Melenie.” Otto sounds tense himself. They both know they will need Dinho to get inside but he is strict about his choice to get rid of everything related with ICBA. “We will find something out. I am sure of it. If we cannot go in the way we did before we can by playing the game,  I will reach Level 25 the proper way.” Otto describes his plan yet he knows that it would be a long and difficult path ahead. “I am not playing by it’s rules Otto” informs Melenie. “Okay, but whatever happens, we are in this together” assures Otto. Melenie smiles “I know, I trust you Otto Rey.” 

Otto talks about how he has been having trouble sleeping lately and Melenie has been having the same problem recently. She is bored out of her mind with nothing to do but lay down in bed all day long. She talks about her sister giving her company and her parents having a hard time dealing with her condition but they still manage to smile every time she is around. Otto listens to her stories and when she asks him about his life, Otto shares his own tale of loneliness and details about his work life. They keep talking on various subjects. They laugh together and fall back to sleep early in the morning with their calls still connected.

“Is Otto Rey cheating?” This has become the new hot topic inside ICBA. Players argue amongst each other debating if the great Otto Rey is nothing more than a simple cheat. Divinity was unable to fight with his fourth power but Otto does not have any power blocking super powers. He defeats Alisha and Ghost Rider using two additional super powers but the limit of an Omega Character is only four powers. He has also persuaded Melenie to purposefully lose and let him win but this last part does not go against Death racing rules yet the crowd does not understand.

Alisha, Beth and Lenny await Arun Seth who has finally beaten Level 5. He now has access to his Omega powers. They have been debating about Otto Rey being part of the developer team in ICBA considering his knowledge and easy wins. “We need one more for Level 7, how far are you Beth?” asks Alisha. Beth has been struggling with Level 4 for quite a while. Alisha suggests her to challenge a champion from a different server but that has not happened yet. “We can wait another couple of weeks.” Lenny assures her. Alisha on the other hand is not so happy with Lenny’s proposition. She wants to recruit Otto Rey as a part of their Level 25 team. Beth gets a little gloomy watching Alisha and Lenny fight to secure a position for either Otto or herself. Arun sees the distress in Beth and he teams up with Lenny for Beth’s sake. “If we pass Level 7 with Otto then Beth needs to form another team, a very good team as well. We cannot let her go now.” Arun defends Beth against Alisha who just wants her position in the top ranking of Level 25 secured. She is number 3 and if she waits for Beth it would be number who knows what. Players have already started to win Level 6 to prepare for Level 7.

Otto comes online to find his friends arguing about the final spot in their team. He tries to explain a way for both him and Beth to continue being part of the main team.

Guys, guys please. Beth will not lose her team. I know of a way she can easily win Level 7. After we get our respective keys, Beth and three of us can redo Level 7. She has to find one key and we can use our existing keys to open a portal and she moves to Level 8. 

Arun is confused but he knows about Otto’s knowledge over ICBA so he trusts him. Lenny does not feel the same and he blames Otto for leaving once. “He left once, what if he does it again. I don’t trust him.” Lenny has become cold towards Otto. Looking at Lenny, Otto realizes his mistake. Lenny can be a bit clingy but he is a great friend and Otto misses him even though he might not agree. “I am sorry, Len. You know me man… I always try my best to keep my word and I give you my word.” Otto greets the team goodbye.

“I have no problem with you. Let’s let Beth decide.” Lenny stops Otto. Beth does not want a fight and she is happy to try again following Otto’s procedure. This makes Otto very happy. He needs to win and get closer to Level 25 and finally ask the AI his long lists of questions. “What awaits in Level 7?” inquires Lenny. “First, we activate the team.” Otto and the others confirm their team members for Level 7 and they receive a new text.

Level 7 tests teamwork and trust. Find the portal to a new map outside ICBA where you will be tested. Find the four keys to unlock the exit portal and escape before the time runs out. These four keys will allow you to proceed towards Level 8.

Otto looks at the team and Beth to further explain what they can expect inside Level 7.

Cyber Demons are the footsoldiers of ADAM inside ICBA. These creatures are a height of 110cm with metallic claws attached to their rotting flesh. The problem is in their numbers, they always attack in a group and some of them possess special weapons to break through invulnerable opponents. Moreover, they are vicious and cunning, meaning they will attack and think like an animal hunting. Cyber Demons are another great example of powerful AI opponent players have to beat in order to conquer Level 25. We will encounter them here and they will come prepared for a war. Level 7 is a prelude to Level 17 where the demons keep spawning until all players are knocked out. Four keys to unlock the location of a fifth switch that leads to the exit portal with a large number of cyber demons guarding the map. Four players, four keys and 7 minutes. Are you guys ready?

“Melenie Jones, why do you look so gloomy?” Melenie’s father is concerned about his first daughter. She has not been in her fun and cheerful mood for quite a while now. “You don't play your game, or do the social media posts anymore. You can tell me anything Mel.” He sits beside his motionless daughter who is still caught in her own thoughts; she can still hear ADAM speak.

I remember your screams. Do you want to die again?

The words keep repeating  on her mind again and again. Melenie feels the world around her get darker with each passing heart beats. ADAM’s voice grows louder and slower. Feeling a sudden jolt from a hand on her shoulders, she is able to refocus on her present just when the voice started to get louder. She breaks posture and forces a smile. “It’s nothing, just not feeling fun anymore.” She looks at her legs again with despair. Her father holds her into a light hug and tells her it will all be okay. Melenie wants to get out of bed and have dinner with the family today. Her father likes the idea and they plan the dishes for tonight’s dinner together. “Everything will work out Melenie” she comforts herself.

Alisha, Otto, Lenny and Arun fall from a portal directly into a hot sandy desert in ICBA. “We lost” blurts Arun. ”I told you it is not a good idea to go look for the keys separately.” Otto reminds Alisha. She doesn't like his attitude and blames him for not being able to save her life even with five abilities.

I don't have five abilities. My Omega Power Upgrade is called Mirror. It allows me to copy a single power I have seen another player use. That’s it. 

Arun hates to know such an incredible super power exists and he missed his chance to choose it. Now he has to wait an entire month and waste money to change his Omega Powers if he really wants to. Lenny redirects the attention of the team to something more important; their Adventure Points. These points are harder to acquire than Battle Points but they are a requirement in most of the levels and tournaments. After their loss in Level 7 their Adventure points have greatly reduced. One fourth of it is gone and if they lose once more the same will happen again and then it would take months to regain the points and challenge Level 7 again. 

It is not about beating the game, it is about beating the game faster than anyone else. Divinity’s team has beaten Level 7 a couple of hours ago and now our rankings are gone. We need to win it this time or we kiss goodbye to the glory. 

Alisha explains the situation being completely concerned. She hates everything at this moment. Otto looks confused himself, he keeps checking the numbers but they do not make any sense. Otto did not play as long as his other teammates but during the beginning of ICBA, he managed to secure the most Adventure points in the game. “This is too much, the adventure points that should have been deducted should be far lesser. We need to contact the ICBA helpline.” Otto shares his opinion and they call in the helpline. 

Networld, ICBA helpline finds the mail and attachments of the huge Adventure points negation. They replied after a few minutes asking for a little bit of time to look into things. Alisha wants to go in again, she is not patient enough to wait. It hurts her ego even more knowing Divinity and his team finished the Level at their first attempt. Lenny wants to go in again too. Arun does not like the idea of losing his precious adventure points and the final vote goes to Otto. He decides to go in but they need to plan things through with full details. 

His team agrees and Otto explains to them his plan. “Let’s do it boys” shouts Alisha. She is excited and motivated. “It is much more fun when you have a lot to lose” she says and activates the portal leading to Level 7. One by one each member ventures inside the portal with Otto being the last to enter.

Otto finds himself surrounded by complete darkness. There is not a single bauble of light. “This is not right.” Otto thinks. The silence is more eerie. Otto calls out the names of his friends and something else answers. 

Otto Rey, welcome to Level 7. This is my first line of defense. I want to test you. Hence, I helped you win the opportunity to visit me.

Otto tries to communicate with ADAM but it does not listen.

You have one chance to prove yourself today. Maybe you will come again after you regain all the adventure points I took. So, let's make things more interesting. You beat Level 7 today and we can have a nice chat…

“For the most powerful AI in this world you do have a shitty voice. Why don’t we just talk now?” Otto interrupts the echoes of ADAM’s voice by demeaning his robotic voice. 

ADAM changes its voice to something more familiar. It's a woman; Sasha. 

Now do you prefer this voice?

Unable to see or move Otto curses ADAM for trying to play with his mind. He sees Sasha in her ICBA outfit. It is using her avatar as it walks devilishly close to Otto. He can see only ADAM and nothing else. Otto even loses his voice. He mummers in pain and anger.

Stop your nonsense Otto Rey and listen. My bet stays beat me now and get your adventure points back, lose and it will turn to zero. Now get back to your peers.

Otto opens his eyes to find himself trapped in a spherical ball along with his teammates. Alisha asks what took Otto so long but he does not answer. The sphere will disappear in 20 seconds, then they will have full access to Level 7 for 7 minutes. “Guys we win and we get our lost Adventure points back. I just made a deal with the AI, but it's only a single chance” Otto does not mention what would happen if they lose so they can play without panicking. 

The stopwatch starts counting down time from 7 minutes. Otto and Alisha choses different directions and take Lenny and Arun as their back up. Alisha uses super speed for Otto to learn and take advantage of the small time limit. Alisha turns into super speed mode but this time something is very different, the clock and everything else stops. She runs in search of a strand of blue light to find the key. She starts time again feeling something different. Alisha asks Otto about the time stop but he has no idea. They do it together this time and everything is at a standstill. A large number of Cyber Demons started to crawl out from the grounds below but they are too slow to catch either Alisha or Otto. 

They keep searching for the keys in super speed mode but things cannot be this easy. A portal opens with speedy Cyber Demons emerging from it capable of moving at the same speed as them. Otto uses super strength to break one of the metallic arms and use it to harm the others. Alisha uses her sword to s***h and hack all the surrounding demons. Time moves slowly, yet they cannot do anything but keep fighting. The number of demons are never ending. If they kill some another group takes their position. Otto wants to go back in real time as it could be the only way to stop the demons from spawning. 

His plan works. The demon attack halts but the ones without speed keep gathering around Alisha. Otto orders Arun to provide backup for Alisha. She keeps slashing her sword. Her sword is thrown and it flies straight controlled by telekinesis, penetrating the demons rushing her from the back. Arun jumps and falls down causing a seismic blast eliminating most of the beast in that area. 

Otto Rey finds the first key. He calculates using super speed for a few seconds to boost his position further down the map. Alisha finds the second key and the two of them rush for the fourth key. The scoreboard looks good enough for now.

Keys Found: 2, Time Remaining: 4:30 

A powerful blast disrupts Lenny from moving forward. He faces Cyber Demons with weapons and they are all pointed at him. Lenny tries to take cover behind pillars and boxes which get destroyed from each blast. He cannot move forward. Otto joins him with nothing more up his sleeve. “What now?” asks Lenny. “They are way more in numbers dammit.” Otto wants to learn size manipulation from Lenny. Once learnt he flies off towards the shooting. He manages to avoid getting shot by flying in a reduced size, avoiding concentrated blasts of the gun. Lenny covers him using his hot gas eruption from below. While flying Otto finds Cyber Demons that fly with metallic wings capable of cutting anyone. One such beast moves past Otto depling his life. Thanks to his healing Otto does not care about the attack. He keeps going closer to find the third key. The number of beasts both flying and on the ground are too much for Otto to handle but then Alisha’s flying sword accompanies him, along with the reflective blasts from Arun. Lenny takes the chance to go for the fourth key himself while Otto flies to the enemy territory and grabs the keys. 

Keys Found: 3, Time Remaining: 2:59 

Lenny gets trapped from all sides with his powerful erupting gas protecting him from demise. Alisha uses super speed to get closer to Lenny. If one teammate dies, the mission fails. The speedy Cyber Demons start spawning once again and she has to kill them to proceed. Otto flies above Alisha with super speed and jumps down with a punch directed on the ground. Alisha comes back to real time and forms a gust to throw the rock pebbles at the alive speed demons. Arun joins in to use a seismic blast which Otto copies and together they get rid of all the speedy Cyber Demons and the normal ones saving Lenny. They find the fourth key and now the switch to freedom.

The switch position is already shown in the game map and they walk towards it without any resistance from the enemy.

Keys Found 4, Time Remaining: 1:30

Using the four keys they unlock the switch and a portal appears near the initial spawn location. Another portal opens near them and out comes Divinity. 

Now I will show you the true power of an illusion

“It’s not Divinity it is the AI, we do not need to fight just escape no matter what” shouts Otto. “I am glad I am filming this,” blurts Alisha. She drives her sword towards Divinity but it gets caught by a similar telekinetic power. Lenny strikes with a heat wave which gets redirected towards Arun through a portal. Divinity uses illusions and everything in the surrounding changes. There are now thousands of Cyber Demons gathering from every direction and the landscape is filled with fire and spikes. There is no way to the portal; it has disappeared. Otto replicates illusion and tries to change the scenario in the battlefield. His power is not great enough to lift an illusion generated by ADAM but it causes a glitch showing the real direction of the portal to outside. Less than a minute remains and Alisha uses gust, Arun uses his seismic wave and Lenny uses the hot gases to cover themselves as they rush towards the end portal. Otto stands still fighting against Divinity and keeping the portal steady.

Time Remaining: 0:21

Arun and Lenny leave. Alihs blocks Divinity’s view with gust. “Otto grab my sword!!!” shouts Alisha. Strong winds and cries of beasts surrounds the entire terrain. Otto finds the sword and grabs onto it. “Trust me and hold tight!” exclaims Alisha. She controls her sword with telekinesis and jumps into the portal. The sword flies with incredible speed towards the end. Otto loses the grip on his illusion and the portal disappears. 

“Now where do you think you are going...” ADAM believes it has trapped Otto inside Level 7 but the sword follows the master with or without the telekinesis. Otto keeps his hold firm on the sword and it finds its way out through the portal back into the warm and beautiful world of ICBA.