118: Knives in the Dark, Part Seven

Knives in the Dark, Part Seven

Charlotte subtly took out a notepad and a pen. She could write in the System notepad, a holographic app it came with, but she preferred to do this sort of thing the old-fashioned way.  2

The lady standing in front of the microphone began speaking. 

Charlotte listened intently. 

"Greetings. If you are here, it is likely because you heard about us on the forums and are curious, or perhaps someone close to you died at our hands and you're seeking revenge. Maybe you're here because you feel there are people out there who might finally understand how you feel. In any case, welcome. This will not be a particularly long speech, but we hope that upon hearing what we have to say, you might think about the fate of this world just a little more deeply."

The journalist breathed in, trying to remain calm. 

"In this stadium, right now," she opened, "are people from all different walks of life. You can tell at a simple glance, can't you? Young, old, man, woman, rich, poor, etcetera. All of you each have your own stories. All of you have seen many different things over the course of your lives. Some of these events are unique to you. Some of you have experienced beauty and wonder that no one else will. Some of you have experienced the kinds of horrors that would give people nightmares just to contemplate. But, do you know what you all have in common?" 

Crossing her legs, Charlotte narrowed her eyes as the woman said: 

"No matter who you are, we are all subject to the Unity Trials." She spread her arms in a gesture that seemed like she was welcoming someone into a hug. "And, what that means, is we will all die." 

Instantly, Charlotte got a sinking feeling in her gut. 

As a journalist, she'd covered a variety of different stories. What she just said reminded her of a few she'd investigated prior to the Unity Trials. 

[Oh...] She shifted in her seat. [Don't tell me this is a suicide cult.] 

"That is not a choice we have," she continued. "Despite all of the powers and items one can acquire through the Unity Trials, immortality is not one of them. However, what you can choose, is *how* you die." 

[Yeah... This is a suicide cult.] 

"We of the Hidden Blade Guild wish to offer a suggestion as far as that is concerned. A method by which you and your loved ones can go out on your own terms, instead of waiting for the Unity Trials to do you the courtesy of killing you. You may not agree with us on much of what we talk about tonight, but we would guess that if there's one thing you would agree with us on it is this: hope has died." 

The lady's tone turned a little more serious. Charlotte leaned forward slightly. 

"This world has been lost already," she added. "You know it to be true. You see your fellow human beings getting slaughtered out in the streets day in and day out. All we're doing now is waiting for the inevitable to happen. For the world to end officially, so that it can then be restarted in better, superior form. Our offer is that, perhaps, we could speed that process up a little." 

The declaration she was making took a minor turn toward the bloodthirsty. 

"We believe that maybe, upon triggering a forced failure state, maybe, the Forces That Be will leave our world the same way they came in, leaving whoever is left to rebuild. We believe that this failure is inevitable and that it is in our best interest to accelerate it. Oh, but what if the Unity Trials don't end and the Forces That Be don't leave, you might be wondering? Well, simple. I ask you, what would that change?" 

Charlotte snuck a glance at the people nearby. 

They were all staring intently, giving the woman their full attention. Charlotte didn't know what to make of that. 

"There is no victory available here," the lady continued. "There is no future in which humanity overcomes these trials. By now, most of you probably understand that. What this means is the only question we as humanity need to answer is, do we wish to end our suffering now or later? And, we at the Hidden Blade Guild believe the answer is to end it all now." 

[... So, that's it.] Charlotte quickly jotted down most of what she'd just heard. ["The end is nigh, so fuck it, let's end things ourselves." That's their idea?] 

"You may be wondering what killing random people has to do with that and, while we do not expect you to understand our point of view immediately, here are our answers. We kill players so that fewer players can fight back against outbreaks and stall the process of districts being taken over. We kill non-players to destabilize the city and interrupt normalcy. All for the purpose of getting rid of the little amount of hope that the people of our doomed society have left." 

She spoke with the eloquence and matter-of-fact tone of a nature documentary narrator. All the while, Charlotte was gripping her pen so hard she nearly broke it. 

[You killed Jack for no other reason... than to annoy the people who went to his shop regularly?] 

That was it. 

She hadn't been expecting what the lady said to be reasonable, but this was so unreasonable that something inside of Charlotte snapped the instant those words slipped into her ears. 

At this point, she was fully committed to doing whatever she could to bring these people down. 

"Because," that woman kept going, "the sooner this hope fades, the sooner it all ends and the sooner we can truly begin to rebuild." 

It was strange. Strange and creepy, the way that Charlotte could tell the woman was grinning without even having to see her face. 

"As I said, we don't expect you to understand right now," she stated. "But, if you think about it and you do find yourself agreeing with us, then the next step is simple. Though we are a 'guild', there is only one guild activity. And, that guild activity is performed in the following way. First, head into the World Shop." 

Charlotte pulled back. 

Setting her things down, she quickly did as the lady asked. 

"Next, head into the Player Shop section." 

The section she was referring to was a space in which players could sell their own items. Charlotte clicked on that tab. 

"Write ID: 45561981 in the ID Search tab. Here, you will find two things," she stated. "A poison with which you will do your killing and a list of suggested targets. These are, of course, just a suggestion, though. At the end of the day, you can kill whoever you wish. Your next-door neighbor, your family, your friends, the politicians you hate, the business owner from across the street, it does not matter."

Charlotte found both items. They were being given away by an anonymous player for free. As the lady spoke, Charlotte downloaded the list onto her own Inventory. 

"Once you do end someone's life, simply write a note and leave it on their body, saying to contact Yesenia, their girlfriend, and provide the same phone number that led you here. Do this, and you will have served the Hidden Blade Guild. Do this enough times, and you might live to see humanity's rebirth in your own lifetime." 

She took a step back. Pulling out a staff from her inventory, she cast a spell on herself and disappeared. Her voice, however, still reached the microphone. 

"Work at your leisure. But, remember, the sooner you start killing, the sooner it will all be over. Goodbye, initiates." 

Just as she said that, Charlotte opened up the list of targets. 

Looking through the names, she recognized a few of them. Her eyes widened, however, when she saw one of the names listed. 

[Oh.] She thought, as the lights in the stadium began to turn off and the lady gave her farewell. [My name is on this.] 

---

{Neve}

"Are you certain you wish to do this?" Erin asked. "If there truly could be treasures as valuable as what you've found elsewhere so far, would it not be wise to continue searching for them?" 

Neve paced through the 4th Floor's blood-soaked streets in a hurry as she replied: 

"No. We're strong enough anyway. We'll grab anything that's on the way, but I don't have time to just... go around poking at every single thing around us." 

"That is likely true, but one can never be too careful, no? What if you miss something that might be the key to victory in the future?" 

"Yeah, but..." Neve looked back at her briefly. She didn't need to finish her counterargument. 

"You fear they might get away?" 

Neve nodded. 

Tamira's news had shaken her. 

Thomas and his group were either already in, or about to be in, the 8th Floor. Just three more floors stood between them and salvation. Just three more floors stood between them and escaping from Neve's wrath. 

She'd wasted too much time. 

She needed to reach them as quickly as possible. 

"Like I said," Erin told her, "I understand where you are coming from with your desire for vengeance. The gods know that when I was in that cage, I fantasized often about what I'd do to Terralyn if I ever got out. But, Neve," Erin slithered close and put a hand on her shoulder, "you should not let this desire affect your decision-making." 

"I know," Neve said, as she started walking again. 

[... But, I can't just let them make it out unscathed. Unpunished. They have to pay,] she thought, recalling the words she'd told Tamira all the way back on the Second Floor, immediately following the massacre that kicked all of this off. [They *have* to pay.] 

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