Death's Revenge: A LitRPG Sci-Fi Adventure (Venus Online 5) Page 13

  Part of him shuddered at the thought of going into the black pit staring back at him. He didn't like heights, and this felt like trying to climb down a mountain with his eyes closed. Yet he didn't have much choice.

  He uncoiled the rope he had taken from the armory. "Okay, we'll have to climb down. How far do we need to go?"

  Magott turned on her flashlight. "Three decks down."

  They all uncoiled their ropes and found places to tie them onto before throwing the loose end down the shaft. Magott went down her rope first, slowly shifting her feet as she held on with both hands. Byron went next.

  The air smelled of machine oil as he slid down the rope. He held on with one hand while keeping his rifle out in the other. He decided to use his rifle because it held more ammo and it would be hard to reload while dangling from a rope.

  As he moved out of the light of the open doorway, darkness surrounded him except for his flashlight. Dust outlined the thin beam as he shone it below him, but didn't help. He couldn't see the elevator car above or below him, and silently prayed it wouldn't start moving.

  He looked up to see Misty sliding down her rope, followed by Scarlett. The others poked their heads out, watching and waiting for their turn.

  He looked down at Magott who moved quickly and easily, and his voice echoed off the walls. "How far?"

  "It'll be a while," she called up. "We haven't even reached the next deck."

  As she spoke, light shone out below him. One of the elevator doors rumbled open.

  A Death Trooper's head stuck out into the elevator shaft.

  Magott swung her rifle down and fired. The rifle's screech became deafening in the cramped space. The Death Trooper jerked as the bolts pounded him, and tumbled out into the shaft. His scream faded away quickly.

  Byron braced his feet on a pipe over the doorway. "They know we're here!"

  More Death Troopers came out of the open door, this time aiming rifles up at them. Their guns fired.

  Laser bolts pounded all around them. Magott swung herself to one side, avoiding the fire. Instead, the lasers hit Misty, who screamed and let go.

  "Byron," she screamed.

  He watched her fall as if in slow motion while panic surged through him. He couldn't lose her. The only real player left, and the one he felt closest to with her shyness, couldn't just drop out of his life.

  As she fell past him, Byron reached out to her. His hand came to hers as her wide eyes met his. He saw the desperation in them, and the same longing he felt in himself. But her hand slipped past him and she vanished into the shadows below, leaving only a shriek that ended too soon.

  He felt his gut sink at the knowledge that, somewhere in the real world, Misty lay in a pod and dead. He couldn't save her. All the power and weapons he'd gained, and he couldn't save her.

  "No!" Byron swung his rifle down to riddle the soldiers. Two of them were hit and fell while the others retreated into the doorway.

  +500 XP

  +500 XP

  "Keep going," Magott yelled. "While we're in here, we're sitting ducks!"

  She slid down the rope past the doorway and out of the light.

  Byron knew she was right. In these cramped quarters and moving straight down, they didn't have anywhere to hide or change direction. He followed her lead, sliding as quickly as he could. He wished he had brought gloves as the friction of the rope burned his palms.

  When he slid past the open doorway, he looked into a white hallway with several Death Troopers hunched and waiting. He fired into them, remembering one of them had killed Misty. The soldiers scattering and falling while twisting in agony to the ground made him feel a little better.

  +500 XP

  +500 XP

  He felt some relief as he passed the elevator doorway, but looked up to see the other prisoners sliding past as well. They all fired into the hallway as they passed, keeping the soldiers from coming out after them. Some of them needed to reload and empty magazines rained down.

  As they descended further, another elevator door came into view. Magott moved past it, and it remained closed to Byron's relief. But as he slid up to it, the elevator doors rattled open.

  Another Death Trooper leaned out.

  The soldier's head was right by his foot, and Byron tried to shoot, but his rifle showed empty. Byron swung on his rope and kicked the soldier in the head. The Death Trooper crashed into the side of the doorframe, and fell into the abyss in silence.

  +500 XP

  Laser bolts flew across the shaft and slammed into the opposite wall. The soldiers didn't dare come into view, but just made a gauntlet of gunfire he would have to go through to keep going.

  Byron couldn't wait forever, so he waved to Scarlett above him and pointed. "Grenade!"

  "Fire in the motherfucking hole!" Scarlett pulled out her grenade and threw it at the wall behind him.

  It shocked him so much he almost let go of the rope until the bomb bounced off and into the open doorway beneath them.

  The blast knocked Byron up and into the wall in front of him. His health bar dropped as pain ripped at him. Pieces of metal and smoke gushed into the elevator shaft. He lost his grip on the rope, and had to fling his hands out to hold onto it tighter with his burning fingers, and held on while the impact faded, dropping him back down with a snap.

  Nothing came out of the doorway except clouds of smoke, so Byron let go to slide down. He passed the elevator doors to find them twisted like pretzels, and a collapsed hallway on the other side.

  Only one more floor to go.

  Magott stopped her descent below him at the next entrance. She swung her rifle off her arm onto her shoulder, freeing up a hand so she could reach for the emergency release.

  A grenade bounced down the shaft, but it wasn't Scarlett's. This one came from the first elevator doors they had climbed out of. The Imperial soldiers had decided that was the best way to deal with them, and he didn't blame them.

  "Look out," Byron yelled, but it was too late.

  The grenade exploded next to Xin above them, who screamed as the eruption blew him up against the wall. Flames engulfed him as he let go of his rope, and dropped.

  Xin screamed as she fell past Byron, "Noooo!"

  Byron reached out to her, determined not to lose another. This time, their hands met and he caught Xin's arm just before she fell into the blackness below. Xin looked up at him with grateful eyes as she groped for and held onto the rope next to Byron.

  She didn't say thanks, but Byron wasn't surprised. It seemed like Xin had a serious ego problem.

  Magott finished opening the doors and swung herself inside. "Come on!"

  Byron grit his teeth and let his palm get scorched sliding down the rope until Magott caught Xin's leg to pull them into the open elevator doors.

  They stood in an identical hallway as before, right down to the boxes lying along the walls. No Death Troopers waited for them, just another door blocking the exit.

  As Magott pulled Byron to safety, and his feet touched into solid ground, she leaned in and kissed him. The kiss seemed almost an afterthought and she turned away as quickly as it came.

  He waited a moment for an explanation or even a look of desire, but she just went back to the shaft as if he didn't exist. He decided to follow her lead and pretend it never happened, but silently savored the touch of her lips.

  He turned back to the elevator and reached out to grab the ropes dangling in the shaft. Pulling them closer, Scarlett scrambled down to join him. With her help, they brought the others to safety. The whole time, he sweated, waiting for another grenade to fall, but it never came.

  OBJECTIVE COMPLETED

  +2,500 XP

  +20,000 CREDITS

  When Xana made it in with them, Scarlett started laughing.

  "Holy fuck." She pretended to wipe her forehead. "That was pretty rough, huh? Didn't think we were gonna make it."

  The ping of metal could be heard in the shaft behind her, followed by a small object bouncing in from
the open elevator doors. It rolled to a halt next to Chetaara's feet.

  It was a grenade.

  "No!" Scarlett threw herself on top of the grenade.

  The explosion threw Byron and the others back up against the walls, but he saw the moment when the blast tore the robot to pieces. Scarlett's arms and legs bounced off the walls while pieces of metal showered him.

  When the thunder died away, it left nothing but a pile of twisted chrome and Scarlett's severed head, staring up at Byron with dead eyes.

  Chapter 15

  PANIC GRIPPED Byron's whole body. He ran over to Scarlett's severed head, shouting, "No, no, no!"

  He picked up the head with both hands, waiting to see if it would talk to him. Instead, the blue light in her eyes melted away, leaving black spheres instead.

  The other women all gathered around the shattered body in the center of a huge black scar.

  Chetaara pressed her hands to her cheeks as tears rolled down them. "She gave her life to save mine."

  Byron shoved the metal skull into Xana's arms. "Tell me you can fix her."

  Xana shook her head while lowering Scarlett's head to the floor. "Um, I-I can't fix this. Even if I was back on the Icarus and had the tools, I couldn't fix this."

  Kiki widened her eyes. "Y-you mean, she's dead?"

  Xana bowed her head. "Well, um, she was a robot. But in a way, yes."

  Byron shook his head, feeling the room spinning around him. Scarlett had been there for him since he first appeared in the game, the very first person he met, and fell in love with. He couldn't imagine going on in the game without her. "Th-there has to be something we can do. Anything."

  "Maybe." Xana pulled out the data crystal from the computer room and inserted it into a slot on Scarlett's cracked neck. "There's one chance. I can't fix her body, but I might be able to save her mind. I can download her personality matrix and I can upload it into a new body if we can get one. But we have to get to the Icarus, now more than ever. This crystal wasn't meant to hold that much data, so we only have a few hours before it degrades. If I can copy her matrix onto the ship's computer, that will hold her until we get a body."

  He just nodded, finding it hard to speak. He knew Scarlett was a virtual character and a robotic character at that, but he felt like he had lost his best friend. Considering he didn't have too many friends in the real world, Scarlett really was his closest friend next to his sister.

  He looked around at the small group that remained; himself, Chetaara, Xana, Kiki, Xin, Silica, and Magott. "Seven out of almost twenty prisoners."

  He lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry, guys. I shouldn't have tried to be a leader."

  Chetaara rested her hands on his shoulder and locked eyes with him. "Master, you have done well. You have kept those of us alive who remain. We are honored to have your strength."

  Magott folded her arms. "We don't have time to sit around, feeling sorry for ourselves. We have less than two hours left."

  Byron slung his empty rifle onto his shoulder and switched to the shotgun again. "Then let's go."

  Just as he finished talking, the blast door slowly began to rise.

  Five Death Troopers crouched on the other side, and began firing the moment the door rose enough for them to do so.

  Byron ducked behind a box to get cover while spraying the soldiers with his shotgun. Others alongside him did the same. Some of the Death Troopers fell over as bullets tore their armor apart, but others just found their own cover and fired back.

  Silica took out her grenade and hurled it into the cluster of Death Troopers.

  Before they could scramble away, the grenade blew the soldiers into the air, scattering them like Scarlett had been scattered, and that felt good.

  He reloaded his shotgun as Magott rose to charge down the hallway. "The hangar is this way. We must cut through the ship's cafeteria."

  Chetaara moved to follow, and froze. "Wait."

  They all looked back at her.

  Byron took a step towards her. "What's wrong?"

  "Something is coming." Her ears twitched on the top of her head. "Something large and fierce. Like an animal. But it sounds like it's ripping through metal and stone."

  Magott's face fell as she leaned back. "By the lady, they've sent the Death Dogs."

  He whipped around to glare at her. She had seemed so cool and collected so far that it unnerved him to see her afraid. "What are Death Dogs?"

  Magott began reloading her rifle. "There's a mad scientist named Doctor Morg aboard the ship who creates twisted experiments, and the Death Dogs are one of his worst. Genetically-modified and cybernetically enhanced, they have teeth and claws that can cut through anything, bulletproof skin, and senses so acute they can see, smell, and hear incredible distances. They're designed to be the ultimate hunter-killers. I didn't think they were ready for deployment, but it sounds like General Deth has ordered them to be released."

  As if in agreement, the game's text popped up:

  OBJECTIVE: DEFEAT THE DEATH DOGS

  REWARDS: 15,000 XP, 34,000 CREDITS

  Byron could hear a grinding and crunching sound mingled with a bestial snarl, like a chainsaw carried by rabid wolves. The sound grew louder, way too fast. "How do we get away from them?"

  She fixed her white eyes on him. "You don't understand. You don't get away from them. They're unstoppable."

  "Nothing's unstoppable. Xana, any ideas?"

  The short lizard-girl frowned. "Um, well, if they're like other animals with acute senses, those senses can be distorted or overloaded. Like wearing a strong scent can mask your natural scent."

  Byron thought of it in a moment. "Like Predator."

  Xana squinted at him. "Like what?"

  He already missed Scarlett and her ability to understand pop culture references from the outside world. "It's a movie, a form of entertainment from my world. This soldier needed to hide from an enemy that could see body heat. So he covered himself in mud to keep his skin from showing as hot."

  Xana shook her head. "But that wouldn't work. The mud would start out cool, but heat up once it came in contact with the skin."

  "Never mind that. The point is, we can find ways to throw them off." Byron charged down the hallway. "You said this was the cafeteria, right?"

  Magott followed him. "Yes, but I don't see how that helps us."

  Byron didn't answer. He had a crazy idea that probably wouldn't work, but they didn't have much choice.

  He turned the corner to see rows of tables lined up across a cafeteria. Some men and women in white smocks crossed the floor, carrying trays and buckets of cutlery. The moment they spotted him, they all went running. Some of them dropped their burdens to crash on the floor.

  Byron followed them to a pair of swinging doors, and enter a kitchen. More workers moved through rows of ovens and stoves, tending to pots and pans sizzling and steaming with food. It smelled bland, though, like they just boiled meal and vegetables.

  When they saw Byron, most of the cooks began to run as well. Only one stayed to turn and throw a knife.

  Byron leaned back to let the knife slam into the wall behind him. At the same time, he drew his pistol and shot the cook in the chest.

  As the cook slumped over dead, the other prisoners came in after Byron.

  "All right," Magott said, "what's the plan? Cook the Death Dogs?"

  Byron crossed the kitchen, looking through the pots and pans. Sure enough, it seemed to be mostly a plain white goop and overcooked vegetables. He guessed they just served army food.

  He turned to her. "Not quite. If their senses are that strong, maybe we can drown them out."

  Byron went to a set of shelves against the wall holding dozens of jars and containers. Opening them revealed all sorts of alien spices, dried fruits, and vegetables. They had some pungent smells, so he dumped them one by one onto the floor.

  As the smell thickened in the air, he coughed, "This will help mask our scent."

  He rushed over to a thick metal door
on the wall. When he pulled it open, his hopes came true as it turned out to be a freezer filled with boxes covered in frost. "And this can make it colder in here to mask our body heat. It's pretty cold in the ship, anyway. There's also a lot of places to hide so we can make our stand in here."

  Kiki held up a hand while picking up a bowl with the other. "Oo, I got a totally awesome idea if I do say so myself. When this rhocle root is mixed with oboli powder, it makes a flash."

  She tossed a handful of powder from one bowl into another. It caused a pop of light. "We can use it as a flashbang to blind them."

  Silica shook her head. "This is madness."

  Byron shot her a glare. "You got a better idea?"

  She narrowed her gray eyes. "No, but that does not make your idea good."

  The others looked uncomfortable, but the grinding noise grew louder. They all knew they had no choice.

  They all went to the bottles and jars to pour them out on the floor. The air had grown even colder than the bone-chilling cold they had already experienced.

  When the crunching sound grew too loud to ignore, Byron held up his hands and yelled, "Go!"

  The group all scattered into hiding places.

  Byron dove into a huge oven and closed the door to look through the small window. Behind him, a small sign warned about combustible gas, and he hoped nobody would turn it on while he was inside.

  The wall burst open, driven by paws the size of dinner plates with claws like butcher knives. The paws tore through metal pipes, turning them into jagged spikes that never pierced the legs pushing them aside. The creatures had thick and scaly skin the color of burning coals that reminded him of a komodo dragon.

  A thick head with a long snout forced its way between the paws, and crushed the edges of the hole to widen it. Large pointed ears twisted on the top of its head, above eyes like bloody spheres in its skull.

  Another hole opened up on the wall next to it, and another. Three of the creatures tore their way in with the first, making a total of four.

  The creatures did look like huge dogs but only in the vaguest sense. They reminded him of the dogs from Ghostbusters in that they walked on all fours, and had elongated heads, but also had a disturbingly human feel. The monsters growled and roared, sounding like lions wrestling with wolves.