Evening Game

Bang.

The sniper roared loudly, sending a bullet traveling at around the speed of sound right through the air. From the gate to the bottom end of Hokisa was a distance of roughly one kilometer, so it took around three seconds for the first bullet to land on Mason. The game had reduced the speed of bullets to allow physical weapons a chance, but Mason was clearly unprepared. The first strike didn’t kill him but threw him to his back. By the time he fell, a second bullet was already unleashed toward him.

The second bullet threw him to the side, while one of the two people that accompanied them brought out an energy sword and stood before him, protecting him from other attacks.

“Ck.”

Chione clicked her tongue and rolled down the bridge, using the bridge’s stone side wall to cover them. They moved from the bridge to a building further up Hokisa, moving into cover. The gate was located on the northeast of Hokisa, while they were in the southwest, probably the furthest point from Mason’s group. Chione’s sniper was too heavy for her to fire while carrying it, so she put it down and slowly moved out of cover. She then cocked her gun, preparing it for her next shot.

Mason had gotten up, the two guards spreading out while guarding their surroundings as Calista helped him up. She pulled the trigger, sending another bullet, but this time the target wasn’t Mason. She took out the guard standing on the east. The one left of him, standing a bit lower and closer to Hokisa, heard their friend’s groan and rushed to help. Chione turned the sniper and fired at the exposed Mason.

But Calista intercepted it, a bright green energy ax appearing in her hand.

“What the…”

Ethan let out a moan. Her movement was fast, as expected of her agility build. The energy ax was lighter as well.

“Let’s go.”

“Roger.”

Chione fired one last shot, managing to hit and kill one of the guards. The guard let out one last angry scream and disappeared into the sky. Calista looked around and pointed toward them, and the remaining three rushed into Hokisa.

“Wait for them to get into the village, then we cross the bridge.”

The three disappeared into Hokisa, their bodies covered by the wooden buildings that formed the village. Ethan and Chione ran back across the bridge. By the time they went to the middle point, they immediately stopped and duck down. They saw one of the guards about to cross. Chione quickly brought her sniper forward and fired.

The shot hits the guard’s head, dealing significant damage. The guard immediately turned into shards and disappeared.

Chione saw bullets heading toward her and ducked down, the bullets flying right above her. The air became silent all of a sudden. They crossed the bridge and hid behind a wooden house. Right after the bridge was an intersection that connected the bridge to the middle and eastern roads.

“I’ll watch the bridge, you watch the roads.”

“Roger.”

Chione swiftly moved back, taking cover behind a wooden house that occupied the southern side of their position. She switched the sniper for her handgun, while Ethan watched the northern bridge for crossers. Similar to the south bridge, the northern one had a small space between the bridge’s side wall that acted as a safety barrier with the next house, giving a small space where Calista and Mason would be exposed had they crossed. The space was too small for Chione to get an accurate shot through. The second she fired they would already be behind cover, so Ethan took the task of watching that side.

Ethan waited for their appearance, but there was nothing. Chione now was hidden behind a different building, unseeable from Ethan’s position. She hadn’t fired a shot yet, meaning they were still far.

There was an entire kilometer separating them, so it should take a while, but even then Ethan felt wary of Calista’s agility build. Like him, she could cover a long distance while needing only a short amount of time. Who knows how long it would take her to reach them. They also didn’t know Mason’s style just yet, so they stayed on guard.

As he waited, Ethan’s mind considered Calista’s build. Despite being a beginner, who knew what Mason and the others taught her. She also seemed to be able to handle her ax just fine. Had he just made a mistake? Should he have asked Chione to attack Calista first?

He heard a weird, very faint whirring sound coming from the northeast, followed by the sound of a heavy machine gun roaring, spouting bullets into the air. The bullets rained on the wooden houses, which were destructible, cutting them down like trees. Entire buildings collapsed, unable to defend against its sheer destructive power. The gun was still far, its user’s steps not yet audible, if not covered by the machine gun’s noise. Ethan looked behind him, founding the building Chione hid behind to still be intact. He would need to take that machine gun out before it reached her. He was about to move forward when he heard tiny, light steps coming straight for him, but from his left.

From the space between the buildings and the riverside.

Ethan peaked, exposing as little of his body as possible. And who he saw was…

Calista!

He quickly pulled his body back in. She skipped above the dirt, using whatever land she could find to propel herself forward, despite being dangerously close to the waters. Ethan knew that he needed to immediately take care of Mason. Mason used a machine gun, and he survived a couple of shots. When he stood back up, he looked heavy, even if Ethan could only see him from a distance.

A strength/defense build.

The fortresses, vanguards, tanks, those who charged forward to protect the ones behind them. Ethan suddenly felt a sense of regret well up in his chest. The easiest way to counter these types of players was to surround and overwhelm them.

In other words, take out their escorts first.

Calista’s agility build limits her defenses, so she should fall immediately with that first strike. He shouldn’t have underestimated her.

Calista’s steps get closer with each every second. Ethan realized that it was too late now. He needed to take care of Mason. He pulled his hood down and prepared himself. Holding his sword in front of him, he turned around and rested his back on the wall behind him. He etched closer to the building’s west edge. He waited for the perfect opportunity. He heard her breathing for a split second and swung his sword to the right.

Two weapons clash.

“Eh!?”

Using all of his power, Ethan pushed Calista out to the waters. Calista managed to stop herself from falling down. She leaped backward and planted her foot onto the ground. She then propelled herself toward the bridge. Her high agility allowed her to land safely on it. Ethan swiftly turned and ran through the middle road, dodging stray bullets that carved holes into the surrounding buildings.

“Mason, your right-”

Calista yelled, followed by the sound of two gunshots.

But those weren’t Mason’s.

Ethan turned his head, finding bullets originating from Chione’s hiding place pushing Calista back. It didn’t hit her, but managed to make her lose her balance and fell into the water. The swirling machine gun stopped, and from behind the remains of countless houses, he saw Mason’s menacing in-game figure turning toward him, smoke coming out from the machine gun’s stopped barrel. It started turning again, and soon spitted out bullets traveling at the speed of sound. The bullets tore through whatever building that remained between them.

Ethan ran as fast as he could, the trail catching up to him. Mason’s rotation speed was slow, but it was still fast enough to catch up with him. As he thought of a way to fight his way through that rain, he heard the sound of gunshots coming from the south. Not the sound of a heavy machine gun, or a light handgun.

But a bolt-action sniper rifle. A sound that represents power and precision. The last two bullets needed to take the fortress out.

Mason collapsed to the ground, turning into shards of white.

But the battle wasn’t done. Ethan made a quick turnaround. To shoot Mason, Chione had been forced to move from her hiding spot, heading east for the eastern road, where she was exposed. She picked up her rifle, which she placed on the ground to allow her to shoot. Behind her, a figure approached her with blistering speed, ax in hand.

The figure glanced at Ethan, but she didn’t react. Instead, she focused on Chione, closing in and bringing her ax down on her. Ethan brought his left hand down, and with a motion he practiced before, albeit only for a while, brought out a revolver. A revolver he dedicated to weapon switch.

The gold-covered weapon reflected the surroundings, its skin shining brilliantly under the sunlight. A weapon that in the game featured more power, but less accuracy. Its recoil was heavy, meaning that the player needed it to be firm in their grip for it to shoot as expected, and if possible, not move. But Ethan didn’t have the time for it. Any second he wasted for aiming or stabilizing was a second of Chione’s in-game life. Using his thumb, he swiftly pulled the hammer backward and pulled the trigger, sending a single bullet flying through the air.

It pierced the afternoon skies, a faint line following behind it as it cut through the air, hurling itself at its target.

And it worked.

It was far off, but it distracted Calista for a second, all the time needed for Chione to turn around. She placed her sniper’s butt on the ground, allowing it to rest itself on the solid pavement. She pulled her legs up, rested the sniper’s bipod on her thighs and aimed at the target right above her. Calista, who had her attention captured by the passing bullet, looked back at Chione, staring down the barrel of Chione’s sniper. She cocked the sniper, putting a fresh bullet into the barrel. She held the sniper in place with her left hand, her right hand quickly moving onto the trigger.

“Chione-”

Chione pulled the trigger.