Game of the Universe: Zenith

Arthur shook his head, but before he could say anything, the broad-shouldered man rushed in first.

"Zane. Wait a moment. Let’s not be hasty man." His voice cut through the air as he stepped up beside the wiry man and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I’m not sure the three of us can take that thing," he continued.

His tone was surprisingly calm, much calmer than Zane’s when he addressed John, though his eyes still flicked warily toward the distant boss. Then, with a nod toward Arthur and John, he continued,

"If these guys are willing to join us, I say we let them."

The wiry man, Zane, snapped his head around when he heard that, glaring at his teammate.

"Pyth, are you fucking with me? You want to split loot with people we’ve just met? Are you stupid, mate?"

"I want us to stay alive!" Pyth shot back, his voice a bit sharper now.

He turned fully toward Arthur and John and extended a hand as he said,

"I’m Pyth. This is Zane, and that kid over there is Brock. If you’re up for it, we can..."

John stepped forward, like he was ready to clasp the hand, but Zane’s voice cut him down before he could.

"Forget it! It’s not happening, I tell you!" Zane’s stare was like a blade now, this time pointed at Pyth.

"No matter what, I won’t agree to this. I’m not splitting my loot any thinner."

Arthur could see John’s eyes narrowing. His hand dropped back to his side, but he said nothing.

But Zane wasn’t finished. He jabbed a finger at both Arthur and John, his voice rising with each word.

"I don’t know them. You don’t know them. How the hell do we trust they won’t stab us in the back once we kill that thing? Or wait until we’re spent and take everything from us? NO!"

Pyth’s jaw tightened. "Dude, that’s a level 9 rare monster. Are you serious? That’s not the same as the slope..."

"We’ve taken similar odds before!" Zane snapped back.

He squared his shoulders, his spear clutched in one hand. "You and I are both level 8. Brock’s seven. That’s more than enough to take down a boss monster. Didn’t we handle that Goblin boss?"

The younger boy in the distance flinched slightly after hearing his name but said nothing.

Meanwhile, Pyth’s voice dropped a beat.

"It’s not impossible, but it’s too fucking risky. Just look at it, Zane. Look at that thing." Pyth pointed toward the Alpha, whose plated hide shifted faintly with every breath and continued,

"You really think we can brute-force our way through that?"

And yet, Zane’s expression hardened even further.

"Enough. I won’t budge on this. We do this my way, or the highway! If you don’t want in, you can go back down the mountain."

The two locked eyes for a second, neither giving ground.

Arthur watched the exchange in silence before he turned to John.

John’s jaw flexed, his grip on the spear tightening with every word coming out of Zane’s mouth. He looked like he was barely restraining himself.

In the end, Arthur shook his head and stepped forward as he placed a hand on John’s shoulder and said,

"That’s alright. You guys can take on the boss. Since your group was here first, we won’t interfere."

Zane’s lips curled. "Not good enough. You have to leave the peak. Otherwise, how can I trust you won’t jump us once we’re weak?"

That was when John finally snapped. He shot Zane a glare and raised his spear as he said,

"Bastard, I’m going to save the boss some time and send you back to the city myself."

Arthur shook his head, giving Zane an answer before the man could open his mouth again.

"Forget it. We’re not leaving the mountain. The slope below is swarming with level 8 monsters, and I’m not going to fight my way back through them for you. We’ll just stay up here until your fight’s over."

Zane’s eyebrow twitched, his spear-hand clenching as if he meant to raise it.

"Zane, that’s enough!" Pyth suddenly snapped.

Zane glared at him for a moment, then spat to the side and turned away.

"Fine. But if they so much as move wrongly, it’s on you."

"Brock," Zane then barked, jerking his chin. The boy flinched, then hurried after him.

Pyth lingered a moment. He looked back at Arthur and John, his expression mixed with something between frustration and regret as he said,

"I’m sorry. Please stay clear when we pull it."

"We will," Arthur said with a nod.

Pyth’s mouth tightened before he turned around and followed his companions.

Once the three of them had gathered on the other side of the peak, preparing to attack the boss, John turned to Arthur and said in a low voice, his gaze still fixed on Zane’s distant figure.

"That rude little fucker. Maybe I should have sent him packing down the mountain, after all."

Arthur didn’t say anything. His gaze moved past Zane and Brock, lingering on Pyth for a few seconds longer, before settling on the giant boar.

Truth be told, he knew John wasn’t really angry that Zane didn’t trust them.

That part was only natural.

Arthur would probably have done the same in the man’s shoes. They were strangers, and risking your life alongside someone you didn’t know wasn’t really smart.

No. It was the man’s attitude and the way he talked down to everyone that was infuriating.

Even so, Arthur didn’t mind letting Zane’s group have the first shot at the boss.

Honestly, he still didn’t know exactly how ’Zenith’ and its mechanics worked.

Did bosses respawn after being killed, or could they only be killed once? And if they respawned, how long did it take? What about the Mountain Howler? Why hadn’t it shown up again? Had not enough time passed, or had someone else already taken it down?

There were too many questions he still had about the game.

However, one thing was for certain. Pyth’s read on the situation was one Arthur actually agreed with.

He didn’t know how strong Zane’s group really was — they probably weren’t weak, since they’d made it all the way up here — but fighting a boss monster a level or two higher than them and one that looked like an immovable mountain didn’t seem like a smart choice when they didn’t know anything about it.

If they’d scouted it beforehand and had already figured out how it moved as well as its attack patterns, that would be one thing. But without any solid information, it was just as Pyth had said: It was probably not impossible, but way too risky.

So if someone was willing to risk their lives like that, Arthur wasn’t enough of a saint to stop them.

Beside him, John was probably thinking the same, his gaze flickering between Zane and the Alpha.

...

It took nearly half an hour for Zane to come up with a plan, pointing at the giant boar and then at different points along the peak while barking orders at his teammates. Every now and then, he’d throw a glance in Arthur’s and John’s direction, making sure they hadn’t moved.

After a few more minutes, Zane’s group seemed to have finally steeled themselves and decided to commit.

They spread out across the peak, forming a loose triangle around the boss.

Zane took the left flank, with his spear held low, while Pyth hefted his makeshift axe and took the right. Finally Brock circled around to stand behind the boss, clutching his horn. Then, at Zane’s signal, all three slowly stepped forward.