Tense Plaza

Raven walked calmly through the crowded plaza, scanning his surroundings.

The plaza was bustling with activity. Civilians fled to here from all throughout the town, seeking to escape the deadly flames. Dozens of tents had been set up, with the town's healers treating the wounded. The militia's presence was strong, organizing the people and sending out groups to combat the fire.

The sky was filled with dark smoke, and the heat and stench was overwhelming.

So far, Raven had identified two of the players. In the center of the plaza, two people were relaxing. One was a short, ripped girl with short pink hair and horns. Raven noticed how she seemed to draw stares from the militia near her. They did not seem to have a high opinion of her.

'Yeah, it was definitely a good idea not to go overboard with my character creation...'

Next to her was a tall, limber man with wavy blue hair. He held a bow in his hands, and wore a camouflaged cloak.

Positioned all around the pair, keeping their distance, were members of the town's militia, who looked at them nervously.

This made sense, considering the area around them was littered with corpses. It looked like five of the bodies were from players.

For now, Raven stayed away from them, but kept the pair in his peripheral vision.

'There was a fight over there, and yet the town is making no move to arrest those players? Curious. So, is it because the town doesn't think they can handle them, or is it because fighting them wouldn't be worth the cost?'

Raven glanced at the militia surrounding the players, inspecting them.

'That guy who interrupted my fight... why didn't he chase after me? He was aware of the battle royale, but uncertain of the specifics. He didn't even break a sweat while destroying that large bastard, so he must be powerful. I am guessing that would make him an important figure?'

A portion of Raven's mind focused on his surroundings, trying to locate the other two players who hadn't appeared yet. Another portion focused on examining all the information he had.

'Taking a step back, what would be a worst-case scenario? For those two players, let's assume the militia is staying back because they are immensely powerful. So powerful they could easily destroy dozens of militia men. In that case, I will need to be careful. My only chance would be a one hit kill.'

'Next, that powerful NPC knows about the Battle Royale. The worst-case scenario would probably be that he is an influential figure, and knows, or learns soon, that players respawn. A powerful enemy with resources and connections... how would he plan on dealing with an enemy that cannot die?'

Raven frowned. 'Yeah, the only plan I have for that NPC is to not get caught. If he decides to interfere with this Battle Royale, all I can do is run. In that case, it would be like running from a bear.'

'You trip another poor bastard who was trying to escape with you, and hope the bear takes long enough eating them for you to escape.'

***

A few minutes passed, and Raven finally noticed another player. They were not wearing any starter gear, so it had been difficult to find him. Raven only figured it out because he would occasionally stare off into the distance, and it looked like he was reading words in front of his face.

Raven had also discovered two new things: The NPC was called the 'Prefect of the Praetorian Guard', and his quest screen now said that leaving the plaza would result in disqualification from the Battle Royale.

The player in civilian clothing was exceptionally good at blending into the crowd, and Keeping track of that player, while still keeping tabs on the two other players, was quite difficult.

That task became even more difficult once the 'Prefect' arrived.

***

Raven watched as a man dressed in blue walked with his hands clasped behind his back. Once he arrived, he was swarmed by several important looking people. They clumped together, and talked quietly.

Raven kept close to the player he discovered; in case he needed a sacrifice for his escape.

However, that proved to be unnecessary.

Raven watched intently as a shadowy figure appeared behind the Prefect.

He was draped in black, and cloaked in wispy cloth that covered all his skin. It was hard to look at him, and Raven had to concentrate to remain focused on him.

Those around the prefect jumped back, looking terrified. Meanwhile, the Prefect remained calm, and the two proceeded to talk in hushed tones.

After talking for a moment, the Prefect decapitated the figure with his bare hands. While wiping off the blood with a rag, the Prefect said something to the people around him.

Soon after, the plaza became hectic as the militia scurried around. Everyone was ordered to leave, and the militia forcibly relocated the civilians.

Raven's mind raced, trying to piece together a plan.

'If I leave with the civilians, I lose this quest. If I stay, will I have to fight the Prefect?'

Raven grimaced. 'Yeah, I don't have a choice, I have to stay! Worst case scenario, the remaining players will have to team up. Best case, the 'Shadow Guild' gets involved...'

Quickly, the plaza became deserted. Militia members had tried to get Raven and the other players to leave, but they had just ignored them. The militia had decided not to force the issue, and soon only a few people remained in the plaza.

A duo sat near the center, relaxing against a statue. One was a short, muscular girl with no equipment besides her fists. Next to her, a tall man held a bow in his hand as he cautiously watched the others in the plaza.

A tall girl stared down the Prefect, holding a spear in her hand. Nearby, a player in civilian clothes was hiding behind a collapsed tent, with daggers in his hand.

Raven stood near the edge of the plaza. He was just close enough to be able to teleport with [Blindside] into a nearby building. Raven frowned, as his [Blindside] senses noticed several sets of eyes nearby.

Finally, there was the Prefect. He stood with perfect posture, hands behind his back. He was an imposing figure, dressed in a thick, dark blue coat with a matching pair of gloves. His face was pale and clean-shaven, and his eyes were a deep, icy blue. Slowly he looked at each of the players, his expression neutral.

When he looked at the muscular girl, she smiled and waved.

"Hey! I see you must have reconsidered my offer, right? Hah, I knew you would!"

The Prefect ignored her.

When the Prefect looked at Raven, for a brief moment his face looked grim.

Raven's eyes widened. 'His reaction, and his power... he explained it weird, but he does have some way of communicating with the dead. Does that mean he knows what I have done? If so, I seriously doubt he is going to be a huge fan of mine...'

The air was tense, as the players and the Prefect stared each other down.

Eventually, the Prefect sighed. "It would be nice, if dealing with you was a simple matter. It always irks me, staring down monsters in situations like this..."

As he said this, several figures draped in black entered the plaza.

Raven froze, as a figure suddenly appeared behind him, and patted him on the shoulder. Raven smiled weakly. 'Yeah, this is a weird Battle Royale...'