"Alright, line up, line up!"
One by one, the players spoke to the NPC and vanished. Shana went last. In an instant, he found himself inside a dark cavern, where the rest of the team was waiting.
"Everyone's here, Shana," Shizuka reported.
"Good. Let's move."
"I have to hand it to you," Sinon said as they walked. "Using a quest flag to bypass the fortifications and infiltrate the fort... that's clever."
"I've done this quest before. Though, to be honest, I probably wouldn't have remembered it if I hadn't made a note on my custom map."
The group navigated the tunnel until it opened into a wide chamber. Ahead of them, a massive horde of monsters materialized.
"There they are..."
"Yeah," Shana explained. "Normally, you wipe them out here to progress. But see that door? It leads to a secret entrance inside the fort. The catch is, if you enter that door, every monster in this room teleports inside the fort with you."
"So the game tries to trap you?"
"It's a defensive event. Once they're active, they attack any player in range indiscriminately. It's meant to be a gauntlet. Well, I cleared it solo once."
"Always have to remind us you're a monster, don't you?" Yamikaze smirked.
Shana shrugged. "It's impossible for us to wipe out the whole Heike Army with our numbers. But these mobs spawn in the center of the fort. If we can trap at least half of the enemy forces in the south gate area where Comike is waiting, we can crush them. We need a runner to bait them."
"I see. There are four gates. If we time it right, we can shut the two central gates simultaneously and divide them."
"Alright, I'm going in," Shana said, stepping forward.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a sec!" Yamikaze grabbed his shoulder.
"What is it?"
"You were going to do the baiting yourself, weren't you? Shana, did you forget? You've got the Genji Army flag over your head. The moment they see you, the cat's out of the bag."
"Ah... damn. I completely forgot about the flag." Shana looked annoyed.
Yamikaze grinned. "This is a job for the Speedster. I made someone else carry the flag for my squad specifically so I could run wild on the front lines. I don't have a marker."
"But..."
"No 'buts.' This is about the right person for the right job. You stay here and lead the infiltration team. I'll do the running."
"...Alright," Shana conceded. "It's in your hands."
Shana opened his comms. "Comike-san, Yamikaze is going to be the decoy. When you see him emerge from the front gate, proceed as planned."
"Copy that. He's perfect for the job. We're ready on this end."
"Thanks. He's heading in now."
Shana patted Yamikaze on the shoulder. "You remember the internal layout? Don't stop moving."
"Please. If I'm running at full tilt, there isn't a soul in this game who can catch me."
Yamikaze flexed his legs confidently. As the team watched, he threw open the door and vanished into the First Fort.
Instantly, the monster horde spawned inside the fort, shrieking as they fell upon the unsuspecting Heike players.
"What?! Where did these mobs come from?!"
"The center is being overrun! Move to the North Gate and intercept them there!"
The scouts on the north side scrambled toward the outer gates, coordinating to thin out the monster wave. Meanwhile, Yamikaze was sprinting through the southern interior, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"THE MOBS ARE SPAWNING IN THE CENTER! SHANA MIGHT BE COMING FROM THE SOUTH! EVERYONE TO THE SOUTH GATE! WIPE OUT THE CENTER MOBS AND PREPARE FOR SHANA!"
Hook, line, and sinker. The Heike players, panicked by the sudden pincer of monsters and the threat of Shana, scrambled to follow the 'orders.' The Heike Army was now effectively split in two, trapped between the two northern gates and the two southern gates.
The center of the fort was now a ghost town. Shana's team slipped inside.
"Quick! Close the two central gates! Fire the signal flare once they're locked!"
Following Shana's lead, the team split up and slammed the heavy central gates shut. The Heike players were so busy fighting off the teleported monsters they didn't even hear the gates locking. Then, a bright red flare streaked into the sky.
"What was that?!"
"Is Shana already here?!"
"Impossible! Just focus on the mobs!"
At the South Gate, Yamikaze saw the flare and shouted again. "I'll handle the scouting! I'll let you know the second I see Shana's team approaching!"
"R-Right! We're counting on you!"
Outside, the moment Comike saw the flare, he floored the accelerator.
"Tommy, you got the rocket launcher ready?"
"Lock and load. Ready when you are."
"Kemoner, burn rubber for the gate! Pick up Yamikaze the second he clears the threshold, then hold the perimeter!"
"On it!"
Yamikaze reached the southernmost gate, hurtling toward the exit. But as he ran, someone recognized him. XeXeeD.
"No way... Hey! You! Stop!"
"Like I'd listen to you!" Yamikaze yelled back. "Try your best to survive, XeXeeD!"
"It is Yamikaze!"
"Job's done! See ya, XeXeeD!"
XeXeeD's eyes went wide as the pieces clicked. "Crap! Yukko, Haruka! It's a trap! Get to the car! We're getting out of here now!"
"Wh-what?!"
"Should we tell the others?!"
"There's no time! Survival is the priority!"
Yamikaze burst through the gate at terminal velocity. He saw Comike's Humvee roaring toward him and waved frantically. Comike turned to Tommy.
"Tommy, take out the gate!"
"Roger! Uh, wait, checking backblast..."
"The area's clear, just shoot!"
"Sir!"
The rocket shrieked across the distance and slammed into the gate's archway. The stone structure groaned and collapsed in a thundering cascade of debris, sealing the exit completely. Just seconds before the collapse, one vehicle—XeXeeD's—screeched through the opening, swerving west to escape into the wasteland.
XeXeeD had escaped by the skin of his teeth. For everyone else, the nightmare was just beginning.
"The gate! It's buried!"
"What is happening?!"
"The central gates are locked! We're trapped!"
"I don't understand! Just... just keep killing the monsters!"
Outside, Yamikaze dove into the Humvee and slumped into the seat, breathing hard.
"Whew... total success."
"Man, you are fast!" Comike said, impressed.
"Pure AGI build, baby. Only in a game, right?"
"Hey," Kemoner pointed. "The flag's up."
High atop the center of the fort, the white flag of the Genji Army rose defiantly into the wind. The Heike Army looked up from the chaos of the monster horde and realized, with sinking hearts, that they had walked right into the slaughterhouse.
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