As we approached the Hotel-Bar, I took a second to look inside.
Before Yakou could step inside, I grabbed his hand, stopping him in his tracks.
"Stop."
He looked at me, confused. "What happened?"
I clenched my teeth. "Fuck, I should have known!" I cursed internally.
"This place is rigged. We were too late. I should have realized it sooner."
Yakou's expression hardened. "Then what shall we do?"
"First, we should probably stop standing by the door. They've noticed we caught on."
We quickly slipped into a nearby alley, taking a moment to reassess our plan. The air was thick with tension as we prepared our next move until suddenly, a woman came sprinting toward us, fear plastered across her face.
Ducking into the shadows, watching as three men pursued a lone woman. We didn't know their intent, but we both understood whatever it was, it was a sin. One so vile that even I couldn't turn a blind eye.
Stepping out of the darkness, I adjusted my shades, tapping my cane against the ground. Blind as a bat, moving aimlessly or so they thought.
The woman, desperate, darted behind me, trembling. The men barely acknowledged me, seeing nothing but another piece of prey. Because that's what I was.
Or at least, that's what they believed.
"Excuse me," I spoke calmly, tilting my head. "Could someone help me find my ring?"
One of them sneered.
"Move out of the FUCKING WAY! Or we'll KILL YOU TOO!"
They took a step forward.
And in that moment the second shadow, hidden within my own, moved.
Yakou appeared standing still, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his blade. The air tensed, the men barely having time to react before *shffft!* his sword flashed in a single, fluid motion. A dull crack echoed as the flat of his blade struck one of them clean across the temple, sending him crumpling to the ground. Before the others could even register what had happened, the sword was already back in its sheath, as if it had never left.
"It's giving me chills... Luckily, I'm on the side of that crazy swordsman now."
The woman's fear vanished as Yakou swiftly knocked out the other two men.
I turned toward her. "Are you okay, m'lady?"
She hesitated before answering. "Um… you're facing the wall."
Adjusting myself, I finally met her gaze. She was beautiful, but something felt… off. I couldn't quite place it.
"I'm blind, you see," I admitted casually. "Anyway, since we helped you, mind returning the favor? We need to get familiar with this place before the ceremony starts, and you seem to know your way around."
"Seriously? You came here without knowing anything?" she scoffed. "Irvine City comes from the word 'divine,' but there's nothing divine about this place. It's a living hell torn apart by seven major gangs, all formed by the people who spawned here. There are only ten hours until the ceremony! You have no chance of surviving! I mean, maybe your friend does, but you? You can't even see!"
I sighed. "Ugh, you're so stingy… Just tell us about the city. How much more could we possibly ask? And why do you even care what happens to us?"
She crossed her arms, clearly frustrated, but after a moment, she relented.
"Fine," she muttered. "I'll tell you what you need to know… and what really happened here."
"Thirteen days ago, the initial wave of players spawned into this world. Irvine City had the highest concentration of players by a long shot. By the third day, some had migrated elsewhere, but around 200 players remained. That's when it all began the formation of the first gang.
The Black Bears.
Their creation was simple: a group of strong but not particularly intelligent players who lacked money and wanted control. About 20 members formed the original gang, and on the fourth day, they began terrorizing the city. This, in turn, led to the rise of the second gang.
Seven Deuce.
They were the resistance the ones who stood up against the mighty Black Bears. By the start of the fifth day, another clash seemed inevitable, but two other groups saw an opportunity and formed their own gangs.
KZ and Spliced.
When the fight between the Black Bears and Seven Deuce broke out, Seven Deuce emerged victorious, using superior strategy and resources. But their triumph was short-lived. KZ and Spliced, having secretly formed an alliance, struck that same day, taking down Seven Deuce.
For the next two days, KZ and Spliced controlled the city. But everything changed on the eighth day. A new wave of players spawned in Irvine, and with them came another gang.
Echo.
Echo challenged KZ and Spliced for the throne. In a shocking betrayal, KZ turned against Spliced, forcing them into hiding. KZ then faced Echo head-on, but instead of an all-out war, they reached a truce merging into a new gang:
KZE.
With the combined strength of two former gangs, KZE had complete control over Irvine. They seemed unstoppable. But then, out of nowhere, a small group just eight people rose up to challenge them.
The Hustlers.
No one expected them to succeed, but they did. It became known as The Upset of the Tenth Day. KZE was forced to disband, splitting into two new gangs:
KZ2 and Chamber.
And then came the last gang The Outsiders.
Unlike the others, they weren't part of Irvine's initial chaos. They were people who had migrated here.
By the twelfth day, tensions were at their peak. Then, everything exploded.
KZ2 launched an attack on the Hustlers, seeking revenge. The Outsiders sided with KZ2 in the assault. But in an unexpected twist, Chamber turned against KZ2, despite their past alliance.
And just when things couldn't get worse, The Black Bears and Seven Deuce returned.
They had one goal to wipe everyone out and reclaim their former dominance. The battlefield was pure chaos. Every gang fought, and by the time the dust settled, all sides were too exhausted to continue.
That's when Spliced came out of hiding.
They declared themselves the new rulers of Irvine. Instead of finishing off the weakened gangs, they granted everyone a temporary truce until the ceremony.
But make no mistake… the tension is suffocating. The truce is hanging by a thread, and it won't last. Not even until the ceremony.
That's the story of Irvine."
"Well, that's a lot to take in. I'm guessing I've already run into some of the gangs. I saw the Hustlers near the gate, a group playing games, and a lot of people gathered in a hotel-bar. As for the ones who attacked us, I'm assuming they were from KZ2 they had hoodies with 'KZ2' printed on them."
"Yes. The Hustlers control the area near the gate. The ones playing games were likely the Black Bears. And the people at the hotel-bar? You should stay far away from them. That's Chamber."
"What about Seven Deuce, KZ2, and Spliced?"
"Seven Deuce is based at the Factory. KZ2 is close by their main area is the huge mall with the parking lot. As for Spliced, their location is still unknown, but everyone's assuming they're hiding out in the market area, where most of the Outsiders are. It's rumored they've formed a secret alliance..."
"Well, thanks for the info. And what about you? Which gang are you from? I'm assuming you're part of one."
"I'm not in any gang. I'm neutral. Actually, there are a lot of us people who stay out of the gang wars. I was originally in the Black Bears because I was forced to join, but after their defeat by Seven Deuce, I broke away and stayed neutral. Now, KZ2's been trying to recruit me, thinking I was planning something against them while still being with the Black Bears."
"Okay, I understand. So… Yakou, we have about 9 and a half hours to what? Unify all seven gangs to control this place? I mean, I'm assuming that's how it works. You see, I didn't meddle with gangs back in my world it was more about mafias."
"Unifying all seven gangs? You've got no chance of doing that in such a short amount of time."
"Is that so? Why don't we gamble on it?"
"Huh?"
"I'll unify all seven gangs in under five hours. How about that?"
"You're crazy! If you actually manage to pull that off, I'll give you 500,000 coins. How about that?" she said, an arrogant grin on her face.
Blood trickled down my nose, the thrill of the bet surging through me. I stood up, a smile creeping across my face. "You're on."