"Get him!"
Burning for revenge, Mouse_Is_Duck snatched a loose cobblestone from the ground and charged straight at the stunned Black Tooth.
The other three players drew their longswords and followed close behind.
Heaven help them. Black Tooth's gang was just a bunch of street thugs. They had seen plenty of tough guys in their time, but they had never seen a group of lunatics who couldn't even coordinate a battle cry before charging in to stab people.
As Black Tooth took a rock to the face from the charging dwarf—blooming like a crimson flower—his minions scattered like birds, vanishing into the alleyways before you could blink.
"I logged into this game to have fun! To feel like a god! Dammit, I let my guard down and got played by an NPC! If I don't beat you to death today, I'm uninstalling!"
Mouse_Is_Duck straddled Black Tooth, raining down lefts and rights until the local gang leader was bleeding profusely, his eyes rolling back in his head.
"Whew! Haven't thrown hands like that in years. I feel like I've reclaimed my youth in this game!" Seeing that the man had stopped moving, Mouse finally shook out his hands and stood up.
"Say, does the game really need to be this realistic with NPC damage? Seeing all that blood... kinda makes me queasy." Unlike Mouse's cathartic rage, Serious_Bush_Camper (Zhao Xiaotian) frowned at the gory scene.
"Realism is good! The more real, the better!" FaFo threw an arm around Bush_Camper's shoulder, beaming as he looked at the bloody mess that used to be Black Tooth. "It's just a shame. With a game this realistic, I think I'm gonna have to say goodbye to Los Santos for good."
"Let's go. He's dead as a doornail. Quest definitely complete." Step_Sis_Im_Stuck walked up and kicked the unrecognizable Black Tooth. Confirming no reaction, he sheathed his sword and addressed the group.
everyone nodded. Once Mouse retrieved his starter dagger and a handful of copper coins from Black Tooth's body, the group disappeared from the deserted alley.
[ Quest Complete: Avenge Player Mouse_Is_Duck. Defeated market bully Black Tooth. Reward: 30 Kingdom Coins, 1 Iron Chest. ]
[ Class Quest Complete: Assassin. You retrieved your dagger and 17 copper coins from Black Tooth. Reward: 10 Kingdom Coins, 1 Iron Chest. ]
As soon as they left the market, Mouse, now munching on a piece of bread he'd swiped, received the notification from the System Sprite. Just moments ago, with practiced ease, he had pickpocketed a bag full of loot.
"Man, what a scam! That dagger was mine to begin with. How does retrieving it count as stealing?" Mouse grumbled under his breath, dissatisfied with the System's logic.
"I gotta say, you have some serious skills IRL!" FaFo and the others received their rewards at the same time. Step_Sis looked at Mouse's bulging pockets and teased him.
"A master thief, indeed! I apologize for my disrespect!" Zhao Xiaotian, now warming up to the group, joined in the banter.
"Screw you guys!" Mouse responded with a friendly, internationally recognized hand gesture.
As the saying goes: Players might make a small profit, but Viserys never loses.
While the four players completed their quests, Viserys opened two Bronze Chests. He obtained a Valyrian Steel Dagger and a cask of Arbor Red laced with Tears of Lys.
Watching FaFo smugly equipping a standard Westerlands military steel sword and Step_Sis clutching a rusty old crossbow like it was gold, Viserys couldn't help but sigh.
Ah, my poor little leeks.
Turning around, Viserys immediately listed the poisoned wine on the Player Shop for 800 Kingdom Coins, targeting Assassin players like Mouse.
He had an agreement with the System Sprite: any personal items Viserys listed in the Player Shop yielded 100% profit for the Host.
Night fell quickly. Bun_Immortal, the blacksmith apprentice who had just pulled a rune-etched Arakh from a chest, declined Rondo's offer to stay the night.
In this hyper-realistic world, being away from his fellow players felt too lonely.
Bun_Immortal returned to the "Newbie Village"—the dilapidated shack. As soon as he entered, he spread his arms wide.
"Children! Your Father has returned!"
He was greeted by Daenerys looking at him like he was an idiot, and a chorus of affectionate insults from the other players.
FaFo, now sporting a military iron sword, generously sold his starter weapon to buy a few mugs of dark ale. He dragged everyone to the old wooden table to celebrate their magical day.
"To the Great King, Viserys III!"
Since the System mentioned NPC Affinity, the players sensibly raised their cups to Viserys first.
"To Night City... err, I mean, to Pentos!" Bun_Immortal toasted with a dramatic, movie-trailer voice.
"Wrong script, V!" Zhao Xiaotian adjusted his imaginary glasses, looking stern like a Kingsguard knight.
"And to the incarnation of beauty, our Daenerys! To you, Princess!" Step_Sis always managed to add a simp comment at the end, though everyone knew by now he was just messing around.
Daenerys sat stiffly next to her brother, nodding with a forced smile to acknowledge their kindness.
This day had completely shattered the players' perception of gaming. In the pauses between their enjoyment, they marveled at the technology of the game company.
It also made Daenerys feel like she was in a dream. It had been a long time since she heard someone call her "Princess" with such sincerity—and it wasn't even from her brother.
Perhaps they really are loyalists of House Targaryen. Seven Gods above, finally, people who aren't here to mock Viserys.
If Ser Willem could see this, he would surely say: Blood and Fire are one, the Princess of Dragonstone thought.
Whenever she felt cared for, she thought of Ser Willem Darry. It used to be Viserys too, before he became cruel. Sometimes, she even thought of her mother, Queen Rhaella, whom she had never met.
After downing the dark ale, the players lay down on the floor without complaint, treating the ground as their bed and the roof as their blanket. Under Daenerys's bewildered gaze, they quickly fell asleep.
Hearing the chorus of snores, Viserys knew the players had logged off.
In this state, even if he poked their asses with a knife, they wouldn't jump up screaming, "Seven Hells!"