The Trial of The Lambs Part 2

It’s the first time I got to see Helios in my own leisure without fearing a bullet to my back. But at this point, my instincts were sharpened to the point where I was able to know precisely what was around me and what was happening without conscious effort. On the rare occasion where I walk around Shibuya City, whether it used to be after school or team outings, it was a flood of emotions. It was a busy life, but it used to be a happy life. The stampedes of the main crossing used to have an innocent whisper of joy and laughter of a random group of kids in the background, and it gave way to quite long walkways when we walked home with the sound of me and Tadashi just talking and laughing about everything and nothing. Helios, on the other hand, was a mosh pit of everything that you would not find on a busy day in Shibuya.

Droves of people and sparks, afraid for their lives, vary of each other while keeping their distance from anyone and everything. The faint echoes of screams heard falling on deaf ears, forming a community where the weak or unlucky have no hope. The massive stone roads are dominated by patrolling groups, who look as if they are willing to brutalize anyone that even looks at them wrong but are unable to hide their aura of weakness behind their own cowardly gazes. The reality of this god-forsaken game world that feeds into the twisted vision of primal human nature is just revolting in its own way

Cyber Energy powered personal gear, also known as CyberGear , cannot harm its owner, preventing many from taking the easy way out. Each player also has a thin layer of Cyber Energy shielding, that also prevents them from taking their own lives using other objects. The only way to reliably die is by the hand of another player. Many have also resorted to jumping off tall structures, but taking that leap isn’t as easy as it seems. As I knew from personal experience.

“I guess life goes on even when hope is bleak” I muttered to myself as I boarded the train to the Upper Sector of Helios as I was instructed to, which also had a similar feeling of dread emanating from its interior. I wanted to appreciate Helios’ photorealism and top tier design, but with all I am seeing and hearing elsewhere, I cannot do anything of the sort.

The Upper Sector wasn’t any different, the aura of desperation hung in the air without even a glimmer of hope to be found anywhere. The only thing that was glimmering instead was the barrier at the gate to the next layer which can only be opened by a player or clan who has reached Silver Rank. In normal circumstances, achieving Silver Rank isn’t overly difficult if you understand the basics of the game. But the difference here is that there are a lot of former high rank players also in this rank, hence causing a continuous cycle of wins and losses in PvP which we usually call Elo Hell. The most reliable way to rank up is through world quests, but with Isaac’s clan gatekeeping the quests and trickling RP to the other players, they are ensuring that all stays in Bronze Rank for as long as possible. Makes sense that he wants to be the King of this castle for as long as possible.

While I was walking calmly to my destination, a screaming group turned the corner and bumped into me. It’s a mother with a kid holding her hand behind her.

“…h..HELP!” she said feebly before collapsing in front of me. The kid knelt down to try wake her mom up but I had no time to assess the situation fully

I assumed something was going on up ahead. I ran ahead into the building and saw a man being forced a cleaver to his throat by another on top of him

“Why don’t you pick on someone at your own level” I said and drew my blade.

I glimpsed the downed man, and he matched the photo Yamori showed me of the client.

“And who the hell are you supposed to be?” The assailant asked

“Let’s just say I’m hired protection ” I answered

“You are with The Sheriff?” asked the client sounding relieved even though he was helpless on the ground.

“Tsk, of course he would hire help, but you are one against three, and that stooge back there is nothing but a pushover, what can you do”

“Why don’t we find out?” I said while scanning my surroundings, spotting the positions of all my opponents and any possible ambush spots.

They all rushed me down, but they were barely covering their openings. All of them were in melee range and weren't using any guns at range which benefitted me. They looked to be experienced in real brawls but not when the laws of this world came into play. Their movement is predictable, so the moment the first one got close to me, I ducked down and swept clean through his ankles. He fell to his knees, and I whacked him in the back of the head with my blade hilt, stunning him. I regain my footing, evade the second’s strike, and put his arm in a grapple, locking up his entire shoulder. The third tries to retaliate, swinging his baseball bat at me, but I duck down, covering myself with his friend and he takes the blow which was meant for me. The third gets dazed for a second for striking his friend and I punch him straight in the face with my kunai gauntlet, knocking him down. All of them were still conscious, and they got up one by one

“Damn, this guy is good” the leader of the group said

“Yeah well, plenty more where that came from” I retorted while slowing catching my breath

The leader took one good look at me and realized I wasn’t kidding. He called the other two to fall back, and after a moment, they disappeared out of sight. I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that I am in the all clear and turn towards my client

“You came in quite clutch, a few seconds late and my head might’ve been across the room” said the client

“Yeah sorry about that, if I knew it was this serious, I would’ve come a lot quicker”

“Don’t worry about it, thanks for the save” said the client

“I’m Tadano, Kenma Tadano” he continued while extending his hand

“Nakamura” I said, meeting his hand as well.

I deliberately didn’t mention my first name as I didn’t want him to know he could cash in a quick buck after the job is done by submitting my head.

“Nakamura-san, I am sure you are aware of why you were hired?”

“I was told it’s a protection job. Keep you and your family safe until Nishigaki-san secures a safehouse for you guys”

“That is a bit more than even I knew but I guess that sums it up” he said

“Tadano-san. Who were those guys?” I inquired

“The guys I wanted protecting from. Used to be my wife’s close friend, now he is out for our blood for some reason. Butchered our youngest in an alleyway, I caught him in the act, but I was too late by then. He gathered a couple of his friends and is now trying to finish the job”

“I’m sorry for your loss, but from what I see, you don’t seem too fazed about it.” I asked

“As a father would, I am more devastated than you think. But what would happen to my wife and child if I broke down in front of them too? I’m the only line of protection they have, and letting that wall down right now isn’t something I can do” he said while showing a slight stammer in his words, as if I struck where his wall was weak and he is trying to patch that up

“Wanting to keep a strong front to not worry the people closest to you, I can understand that. Now that we got the pleasantries out of the way, you mind letting me know what the hell you guys are doing here?”

“Well you took your time getting here, our place got attacked and we had no choice but to run. Caught up to us right here, and I demanded my family to leave me behind. I knew I had no chance, but I guess I’m getting my money’s worth. If you don’t mind me asking, how the hell did you win that fight? That was 4 people against just you”

“Hm?...Oh, I am not entirely sure, but if I had to guess, it’s because the weapons they were using were bought with Rels”.

I unsheathed my wakizashi to prove my point “Mine is my CyberGear, and I pretty much have learned the in’s and out’s of it back in the day”.

For a moment there, it was as if Tadano-san was mesmerized by the appearance of my blade. I could feel his gaze scanning its glossy black look and along the dark red stripe right above the sharp side of the blade.

“A wakizashi CyberGear user, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any player with one in person”. Said Tadano-san

His point is valid though. Even as a pro player who has seen the good, the bad, the ugly and now the horror of this game, there are only less than a handful of players I’ve seen using a wakizashi. A part of them were one’s who were eager to follow my path, and the others were one’s who either chose it as a mistake or preferred to play according to their personal preferences. My choice of blade is mostly unpopular as it is one of the two that is classified as a primary weapon but isn’t any more effective than a regular combat knife. Hence, many who run a melee weapon always has one chosen as their secondary, as how the meta of this game defines it, a player lives and dies by their choice of primary weapon, and it is heavily discouraged to use one than makes the game significantly harder for you.

I faked a cough to break his fixation “Aren’t we forgetting something?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, sorry. Just zoned out all of a sudden” said Tadano-san, recovering from his daze.

We left the building knowing it was all clear and rushed to where I last saw the woman and child, and for our luck, they were still there mostly unharmed.

“Aya-san!” screamed Tadano-san darting past me

“Tada-chan!” she replied back while slowly buckling her way towards Tadano-san

The moment she called him that, it stunned me in place for a second as my memory of the past clashed with my current reality. I remembered the time I once called Tadashi and he got extremely mad…. It was what his mom used to call him and considering what both of them went through in the past, I respected his wish for that exclusivity.

My daze was broken by a hand touching my shoulder in which I reflexively stepped back putting my guard back up

“You doing alright, Nakamura-san? You seemed to be out of it for a second” asked Tadano-san

I brushed it off “Don’t worry about it, I just had my head in the clouds”

He started to look up with an attempt at some low effort humor

“If you are going to tell me that there aren’t any clouds here for my head to be up in, I’m going to knock you out cold” I replied sarcastically

“Alright, fine…. But good to know you are among the land of the living” he replied with a slightly optimistic tone

“Anyways. I couldn’t introduce you to the family-” he continued until I interrupted him

I took control of the group as it was my responsibility for their safety for the next two days.

“Look guys…I would love to get to know you all, but let’s do that once we are safe. Tadano-san, add me to your party so I will be able to keep track of you guys even through crowds, I’ll stick to the high grounds and watch over y'all from there. Hold each other’s hands tightly and whatever you do, don’t get separated and avoid crowds at all costs. If y'all get ambushed or dragged away, act panicked and follow them wherever they lead you, I’ll protect you before they do anything to you” I tell them in a demanding tone to make sure my point gets across…Brings me back to the good old days where I used to do the same to a group of misfits with one collectively shared brain cell. But those days feel like an eternity now.

“Nakamura-san! You are not coming with us?” Tadano asked, stopping me in my tracks.

“If I stay up high, I’ll be able to see any potential attackers coming. And besides, the earlier group saw my face. I don’t want to risk them getting a surprise attack on me” I replied

We all agreed and went our own way. I only told him half of the truth though, the main reason I decided this approach is because I’m still a bounty. And I would rather be in an open area where I could escape, rather than be in a crowd where I could eat a bullet from every possible direction. It was rather selfish of me to prioritize my own life. But right now, there would be no-one to protect this defenseless group if I was snuffed out before I could even do anything.

I pull my hood up and climb up to my view from up high and I get to see two things. The first being the family moving as one, huddled up together giving me a clear line of sight at them. And the second was my realization that the streets I walked on during my trip here were pooled with dried blood…so much so that it was even visible at a distance staining dark colored stone paving. It was quite concerning to me that the crowds walking down on the wide streets have grown completely numb to it….me included. If I do ever get out of here, back to the real world, I was afraid to face what my new normal would be.

Putting my fears and concerns away for the moment, I start to refocus on the task in hand. If anything comes their way, I lack range and anything I do from up here will draw the attention of the people down low. The only advantage I have is my speed and element of surprise and I made the big mistake of not plotting a course ahead of time, which prevents me from scouting ahead for unnecessary surprises. Come on you moron, this is the very basics of competitive gaming 101. Always have a game plan in mind before you do anything….A game….is that what this is still.

But where I fell short in the basics, Tadano-san was smart enough to hand gesture me that they were cutting through an alleyway. This gave me the information I needed as I rushed ahead to scout it out. And unfortunately for us, there was a group of men hanging out in the alleyway. The chance of getting out of that without any fuss was fifty-fifty.

They entered the alleyway and started walking through, and as expected, the group saw them as an easy mark. I held my position out of sight and was on overwatch to see where this interaction would go.

“Well well well, look at the little family of ducks coming our way” said the towering man dressed in red.

That man was the biggest of the group and I assumed that knocking him out would scare the other three…..and ducks?.... Come on man, at least try to sound less pathetic.

“Please, we got nothing on us…There are people after us, please let us through” Tadano-san pleaded

Tadano-san is doing his part well, and I take the time they are distracted to assess their surroundings and pinpoint what gear they are packing. And at a glance I knew I was at a disadvantage

“Tsk,Tsk,Tsk…. No can do, you see, you come into a nest of hawks, you ought to leave behind some golden eggs. Or how about you leave that little duckling behind, I know a guy who could fetch a good price for him” He says while his crew joins him in his laughter

I heard enough

“Man, you guys would appear more intimidating if you made scary faces instead of that bird act” I say making my entrance after dropping down to the ground and slowly walking towards them under the cover of the shadows

“I’m guessing you have a death wish poking your nose into things that is none of your damn business” The voice of the group said turning his head towards me

He turned back around like I was not worth his time and continued “Unfortunately I’m in the middle of something right now. But I’m sure my crew would love to keep you company”

As he said that, the rest of them were going for their guns. The space here isn’t much, so automatics are out of the equation, all I had to deal with were small arms.

“Heh, I on the other hand don’t enjoy challenging small fry, so if you are sending them against me, I’m guessing you are just bark and no bite” I said to taunt him

“Oh ho ho, the mouth on this guy. You think having a hood on makes you a badass, first I’m going to tear that hood off and then I’m going to rip that mouth out. Get him boys!” he said to sic his dogs on me while shifting his focus towards me

“So you do see me as a threat now. So let me give you one very important lesson when you are going against one. Rule No.1-” I use my speed to bounce off the close walls of the alley to avoid the three goons and find myself inches away from the main man’s face and I continue my lesson “Never take your eyes off your opponent”.

My scare tactic worked as all four of them got caught off guard by my agility and they instantly went into panic mode. Which instantly swung the odds in my favor.

Quick swipe of a kunai across the right eye of the main man, he fell to his knees in pain. I dipped back into the shadows and climbed back up to the roof. I reset my position right back to where I started and waited till the goons went to check up on their boss. I rushed the lost and confused trio from their blind spot and took the wrist off the assailant closest to me with a quick blade slash. I threw a single kunai at the leg of the second goon but my aim slipped up and it ended up going straight into his family jewels.

“Oooooo, sorry about that, my aim was way off” I apologized mid-fight as a fellow man, I indirectly felt what he just felt.

I knocked him unconscious following up his hunched down state with a quick knee strike, but I ended up getting punished for my distraction. The third gets enough time to prepare, and he fires a few rounds of bullets right at me. I deflected the first three shots but the fourth managed to find its way into my left chest. I recoiled back from the pain but I managed to bounce back and threw a trio of kunai right at him. One ends up in his forearm, stopping him from firing while the other hits him in the chest, possibly his lung. I was relieved for a second that it wasn’t strong enough to kill him. I gritted through the pain and rushed him, and his face met a gauntleted left punch strong enough to knock him out clean.

I took a moment to breathe thinking it was over but I made one fatal mistake….I forgot the big guy was down but not out. He grabbed me from the back and lifted me off my feet, and as a show of his brute strength, he threw me into a wall, face first first. I could feel the brick I contacted denting in along with almost every bone in my body. I tried to ignore my daze and get back up on my feet, but the combination of the shock from the impact and the pain from the bones I most probably broke was not making it easy to get back up onto my legs. I try to pick myself up using the wall as a handhold but the moment I looked back at where I came from,

“You should start taking your own lessons to heart, kid. Never take your eyes off your opponent” The man said with his magnum revolver pointed right at my head. I didn’t have any time to gather my thoughts and was seconds away from death.

But to my luck, Tadano-san managed to put a bullet right through his head and the big hulking man collapsed onto the ground like a heavy sack of bricks.

I took the moment I had to use an HP and an SP potion, as I was still bleeding from the gunshot from before and felt like my heart was going to jump up to my mouth since all the adrenaline started to wash away.

“Akio-san, you alright?”

“Well, if we leave out the fact that I got shot, thrown into a wall, the broken ribs and bruises… Yeah, I’m all good” I said, breaking out the tension breaking sarcasm

“Wait, how did you know my name?” I asked, looking up at him with my guard up

“Oh, it shows on the party menu…. See” he said showing his party screen on his palm

Shit…. I have got to get a grip, I didn’t have a plan in mind, I lost track of an enemy which almost cost me my life, and now my real identity is known

“You don’t have to worry about me stabbing you in the back or anything. My boss has strictly forbidden us from claiming the bounty on you” he said calmly, but that doesn’t fully reassure me

I would’ve loved to inquire further, but the less time we stay here, the less chance we get ambushed again

“Let’s worry about that later….Is your place still far away?” I inquired

“Actually, it is right around the corner” The wife answered

I looked around the corner to see if the coast was clear and after I was sure that it was, I quickly assessed the surroundings. Place was low-key and hard to find unless, you know where to look for and the large open space in the front would be an ideal spot for me to lure any attackers into due to the abundance of cover. There is also a back door for a quick exit. This place was perfect for me to work with, and due to the lack of long sightlines, I don’t have to worry about any snipers or heavy weapons.

While I was carried away by analyzing, the family went ahead into the building. Knowing that the coast was clear, I followed them in.The interior consisted of 2 corridors with different rooms, a staircase leading upstairs where it was similar and which had the room all of the three entered….I knocked on their main room door and entered and was met with a massive bedroom big enough for 3 people.

“We are good for now” I said while closing the door behind me

All of them huddled up for a group hug while the wife and kid were crying their eyes out in fear…. Can’t blame them.

“Tada-chan, what should we do now?” she asks him

“Don’t worry, we are under the protection of a legend…. I don’t think we could be in safer hands” Tadano-san reassures

“So introductions. This is Akio, once well-known to be one of the best players in the game” he says to introduce me and then looks at me. “Akio-san, this is my wife Aya, and the little one is Yuri”

I look at Tadano-san first “ I don’t remember letting you use my first name”

“Should I not?” he asks

“Yeah, don’t….. You guys already have a group after you, you don’t need random hunters after you too”

I usually won’t mind people that I have only met recently using my first name… But right now, I am still a target for many. I tell him off specifically for his and his family’s own safety, even if it does sound rude.

I act quickly to correct his mistake

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, but please, I would rather prefer you call me by my last name just to ensure your safety” I said

“Please, you don’t need to sound so formal. We are all trying to survive the same after all” said Aya-san trying to get me to relax

The next moment, I feel someone tugging the bottom of my jacket

“I’m Yuri” the smaller one of the group said very softly. From the tone of his voice, I could say that he was one that didn’t talk much to others except the people closest to him…..Kind of reminded me of myself back when I was his age.

I got on one knee lowering myself to his level

“Yuri-kun, you have been very brave so far. I promise that you and your parents will be safe as long as I’m around”

He softly replied “Thank you, Nii-san”

While I involuntarily smirked at that, what I wasn’t expecting was a stream of tears filling up my eyes, which I react to by getting back up and cleaning up looking away. For a brief moment there, I flashed back to the first time my brother ran up to me after I came home from my first tournament and barraged me with how cool I was on the livestream…..All this time, I was sure that I had moved on from what happened to Yuito and Mom, but there is still a part of me that is still in denial. My clear reaction made the family concerned, but I brushed them off insisting I was fine.

Only a few more hours left till the day ended and I insisted the group get some sleep. As from their occasional zone-outs and how small their SP bars are on the party menu, I was certain that they hadn’t had any proper sleep for the last few days. I, on the other hand, took that time to patch myself up properly from that last fight. The HP potion did most of the heavy lifting, but it also healed up the bullet wound I took, with the bullet still inside. I had to reinjure myself. The game’s logic is good enough to allow harming oneself if it is for reasons other than taking their own life, as I knew this from pulling out bullet wounds on my journey from Typhon to Helios.

The family was sleeping indoors, and I didn’t want to disturb them, so I went outside before treating myself. Any screams that leak outdoors are pretty much ignored, so it won’t be too much of an issue even if I blow my lungs out in pain. I readied one kunai and took it onto my dominant right hand, and readied to plunge it into my shoulder. I took a deep breath and dug deep into the half-healed wound. I didn’t bother using my blade as wedge between my mouth to stop me from biting my tongue off, as the Cyber-Shielding kicking in as it is recognized as a way of suicide. The pain was intense but after doing it so many times, I knew what to expect, but what I also knew is that digging deep into a wound with a sharp object to find a bullet in you is also not easy. After a dozen minutes of searching, relaxing due to the pain and searching again, I was able to pull out the casing from my left chest. I chugged down another HP potion vial for it to heal faster and bandaged my chest up

“You do realize the bleeding stops fast enough that you don’t need bandages right?” said a familiar voice from behind me and towards the building.

I looked back to see who it was…” Tadano-san, I thought you called it a day?”

But before he replied, he noticed the blood building up on my bandages

He looks at it and comments “Wait…you are still bleeding?”

I didn’t want to give away too much of my secrets, so I try to brush it away

“It’s nothing, it’s just the bullet was in deep and had shattered” I said to buy me some time to divert his attention

“What are you doing up? If you are here to tell me to get some rest I’ll-”

“That’s not it” he replied

“One is that I have to head over to work in a bit, and two….I wanted to ask you something” he said while sitting down beside me

I put on my T-shirt and jacket while replying “If it is something personal, my lips are sealed”

“No….no, no, nothing like that, it’s just….can we please keep this between us?” he asks with a concerned look on his face

“Kind of weird that you are asking a guy you’ve only known for a few hours…but alright, I’ll bite. What’s up?” I said while looking at him

He let out a quick smirk which made me curious

“What?” I inquired

“Nah, it’s just seeing you all cheery about this sort of thing makes me forget the kind of weight people like you and I have to carry. Even if it is for a moment….it feels nice”. He said as a heartfelt sentiment

“Sometimes it’s the little moments of joy that makes facing tough situations tolerable”

“You read that from a book?” he inquired

“My dad used to say that…..I used to think it was cheesy but the more I grew older, the more I realized how right he was…. Doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, but sooner or later, you are going to face a situation where you have to do something you don’t want to or a time when you are at your all-time low. But knowing that no matter how hard it gets…there are still moments in life ahead that you are going to cherish for the rest of your life”

“You have a wise dad…. wiser that me at least” he said chuckling at the end

“Alright, enough changing the subject, you wanted to ask me something…. What is it?” I asked getting us back to the point

He takes a deep breath “Without going into details, imagine if you had something in your life that was using up resources you don’t have…. What would you do?”

“What’s this about?” I inquired

“It’s something which my boss had been getting into my head recently. It’s difficult but the more time passed, the more sense he made. I just wanted a second opinion”

The question he raised couldn’t be any vaguer even if it needed to. I started to think for a second…. something in his life that is using up his limited resources which he isn’t willing to share publicly, something noteworthy enough for an employer to get involved in…. a drug addiction?. Is that even possible here? I had no clue about this but judging from how ruthless this world already is, it would a fair assumption that this is the case

“If I did have this kind of an issue, I would do all I could to let it go. It might be different for you since you have a family of your own. But if it was me who fended for himself, I would know that letting go even one step at a time, would just improve my chances of survival significantly.” I answered sounding confident while I was anything but

“Just so you know, I am talking out of my ass right now because neither me nor anyone I knew had that kind of a problem. Just laying out my mind based on the current situation” I also added

“Yeah, I understand. It’s not a problem many would have…. but you are right, I did take the first steps to letting go. It was difficult at first but as time passed I just felt relieved that I didn’t have to worry about it as much anymore. Thanks…this helped a lot”

He got up and stretched his arms “Well, that’s all the time I have. Have to get myself to work before I get…murdered by the boss”

His face went from cheerful to lifeless when he finished that sentence…. Guess that reality check hit hard.

“Is that such a good idea with people gunning for you?” I inquired

“I’ll be fine, they won’t even think twice about messing with me at work. I just want you here to make sure Aya and Yuri is safe” he answered

Tadano-san disappeared into the alleyway leaving me to my long day of work ahead.