CHAPTER 5: THE DRAGON’S VAULT

TIME: 22:30 HOURS.

LOCATION: THE TIER 2 LOBBY (CUSTOMIZED).

MOOD: EUPHORIC.

"Check this out! Look at the particle effects! I’m literally glowing!"

Tank was spinning in circles in the center of the Lobby, which was currently skinned to look like a floating dojo in a sea of neon clouds. His massive, terrifying grey enforcement armor was gone. In its place, he wore the newly released "Golden Paladin" skin.

It was ridiculous. It was glorious. The armor was polished gold with glowing blue runic etchings. Massive pauldrons shaped like lion heads sat on his shoulders, breathing digital steam. Every time he moved, little sparkles of light trailed behind him like fairy dust.

"You look like a disco ball had a baby with a tank," Jinx laughed. She was sitting on the edge of the holographic table, her avatar swinging its legs. She was wearing her new "Shadow-Stalker" set—sleek, violet leather with a hood that trailed smoke and a mask that displayed a shifting 8-bit emote. Currently, it was a xD face.

"How much did that cost you, Leo?" Jinx teased, inspecting Tank’s shiny new cape. "That’s a Legendary skin. That’s gotta be at least two thousand credits."

"Two thousand five hundred," Tank grinned, his voice booming through the comms with unbridled joy. "But read the stats, Jinx! It has a +15% Intimidation Aura. And when I reload, it plays a choir sound effect. It’s totally worth it."

Ren sat in the Captain’s Chair, watching them. He leaned back, feeling a warm, rare glow in his chest. This was the good part. This was why they did it. It wasn't just about the money anymore; it was about this. The camaraderie. The escape.

"You earned it, Tank," Ren said, his voice relaxed. His own avatar, Wraith, was leaning against a pillar, cleaning the lens of his spectral sniper rifle. "How’s the real world treating you? Is the skin just for show, or are you celebrating?"

Tank stopped spinning. The giant golden avatar gave a thumbs-up. "Celebrating, boss. The doctor cleared my dad for light exercise today. He walked a full mile around the ward without getting winded. I bought him a real steak dinner to celebrate. He... he cried, man. He said he felt twenty years younger."

Ren smiled behind his mask. "That’s what I like to hear."

"And you, Jinx?" Ren asked. "How’s the engineering grind?"

"Boring," Jinx sighed, hopping off the table. She twirled a glowing purple dagger between her fingers. "My professors are stuck in the last century. They’re teaching us combustion engine repair. Combustion engines! Meanwhile, I’m in here hacking quantum firewalls. I feel like I’m sitting in kindergarten. I just want to finish the degree so I can get a piece of paper that says I’m smart."

"Well," Ren said, standing up. "Tonight, you don't have to be bored. Tonight, we aren't students or sons. We're legends."

Ren walked to the mission board. The Admin had posted a new Quest.

Unlike the grim, dossier-style contracts of the assassination missions, this one was styled like a high-fantasy raid. The interface was bright, colorful, and pulsed with adventure.

QUEST: THE HOARD OF THE CLOCKWORK KING

TARGET: Grand Treasurer Midas (Mechanical Golem).

LOCATION: The Iron Citadel (Dungeon Instance).

OBJECTIVE: Defeat the Golem. Loot the Vault. Escape.

REWARD: 20,000 Gold (Credits).

DIFFICULTY: Expert (Level 30+ Required).

"Ooh, a dungeon raid," Tank rubbed his metal hands together. The sound of grinding gold filled the audio channel. "I love hitting robots. They crunch nice. And 'The Iron Citadel'? Sounds tanky."

Ren read the lore text aloud.

"Grand Treasurer Midas, a corrupted machine spirit, has hoarded the realm's wealth within his impenetrable vault. While the villagers of the Lowlands starve, Midas sits upon a mountain of stolen gold. Break his defenses, slay the tyrant, and redistribute the wealth."

It was perfect game logic. Kill the greedy monster, save the villagers, get rich. Simple. Heroic.

Ren pushed aside the nagging thought—who is Midas in the real world?—and focused on the fun. The lore made it okay. They were the good guys. Robin Hood with high-caliber rifles.

"Alright, team," Ren said, equipping his Spectral Rifle. "Loadout check. Tank, you're on aggro. Keep Midas busy. Jinx, you're on crowd control and trap disarming. I'll focus on DPS and weak points. Let's go get that loot."

THE MISSION: THE IRON CITADEL

The world loaded in a flash of pixelated white light.

When vision returned, they weren't in a dirty Aethelgard alleyway. They were standing on a suspended brass bridge, high above a sea of clouds.

The aesthetic was breathtaking steampunk fantasy. Giant brass gears the size of buildings turned slowly in the sky. Steam vented from golden pipes with a melodious whistle. The floor was polished obsidian, reflecting the stars above.

"Graphics settings on Ultra," Jinx whistled, looking over the edge of the bridge. "Look at the draw distance. I can see the gears turning ten miles down."

"Focus," Ren said, though he was smiling. "Enemy patrol ahead. Clockwork Knights."

At the end of the bridge, a squad of six robots marched in formation. They looked like medieval knights, but made of copper and clockwork, with glowing red eyes and swords for arms.

"I got 'em!" Tank yelled. "LEEROY JENKINS!"

He didn't wait for a plan. He charged forward, his golden armor shining like a beacon. His minigun spun up with a high-pitched whine. BRRRRRT.

Blue laser fire erupted from his arm. The heavy rounds slammed into the Clockwork Knights.

It wasn't gory. There was no blood. The robots shattered into satisfying showers of gears, springs, and oil that looked like confetti.

Numbers popped up over their heads in bright orange text: CRITICAL HIT! -500 HP! SMASH!

"Nice aggro," Jinx laughed. She dashed forward, activating her Phase Shift. She turned into a blur of purple smoke, reappearing behind a straggler robot. Her twin blades flashed. SHING.

The robot fell apart in neat slices.

"Combo x4!" Jinx cheered. "This build is broken! I love it!"

Ren stayed back, watching the chaos through his scope. He felt relaxed. This wasn't murder. This was just clicking heads.

He lined up a shot on a sniper-bot perched on a high gear.

Pew.

A beam of spectral energy crossed the map. The bot’s head popped off.

+100 XP.

"Clear," Ren called out. "Move up. The Vault is inside the central tower."

THE TRAP ROOM

They breached the main doors of the Citadel. The hallway inside was lined with statues of gold.

"Hold up," Jinx warned, holding out a hand. "My passive skill is tingling. Trap detection."

She pointed to the floor. The tiles were marked with faint, glowing runes.

"Laser grid," she said. "If we touch the red tiles, the turrets in the wall activate and toast us."

"So we jump?" Tank asked.

"No, you big lump, you're too heavy," Jinx teased. "I have to hack the console."

She ran to a panel on the wall. A mini-game popped up on her screen—a complex puzzle of matching symbols and rerouting power flow.

"Cover me," Jinx said. "Spiders incoming."

From the ceiling vents, mechanical spiders dropped down. They were small, fast, and exploded on contact.

"I hate spiders!" Tank roared. He deployed his Riot Shield, creating a dome of blue energy around Jinx.

The spiders swarmed the shield, exploding in puffs of green smoke. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Ren picked them off from the back, his rifle snapping between targets with aim-bot precision.

"Two left... one left... clear!" Ren shouted.

"And... got it!" Jinx yelled. The console turned green. The laser grid on the floor deactivated with a power-down whoosh.

"Nice hacking, nerd," Tank said, slapping her on the back.

"Nice shooting, meat-shield," she retorted.

Ren laughed. "Come on. Boss room ahead."

THE BOSS FIGHT

They reached the massive golden doors of the Inner Sanctum.

Ren checked his ammo counters. "This is it. Grand Treasurer Midas. He’s a Level 35 Elite. Watch out for his 'Gold Coin Shower' attack—it does massive Area of Effect damage."

"Ready?" Ren asked.

"Born ready," Tank said, reloading his minigun.

"Let's rob this guy," Jinx grinned.

They pushed the doors open.

Inside, the room was a cavern of wealth. Piles of gold bars stacked to the ceiling. Chests overflowing with jewels. And in the center, sitting on a throne of solid platinum, was the boss.

He was twenty feet tall. A golem made of polished brass and gold plate. His eyes were burning furnaces.

BOSS: GRAND TREASURER MIDAS.

"INTRUDERS!" the boss roared, its voice a metallic screech that shook the virtual room. "MY GOLD IS MINE ALONE! THE POOR DESERVE TO STARVE!"

"Not anymore, tin can!" Tank shouted. "Aggro engaged!"

He fired a flare at the boss's face. Midas roared and stepped off the throne, the floor shaking with every step.

"DESTROY THE THIEVES!"

Midas raised a massive golden hammer and swung it at Tank.

CLANG.

Tank caught the hammer with his shield. Sparks flew.

"He hits hard!" Tank yelled over comms. "Healer drone deployed!" A small green drone hovered over Tank, repairing his armor in real-time.

"Jinx, flank him!" Ren ordered. "Hit the cooling vents on his back!"

Jinx wall-ran up the side of the throne room, flipping over the boss's head. She slashed at the glowing blue vents on his spine.

CRIT! CRIT! CRIT!

Midas roared in pain, spinning around to swat at Jinx.

"Oh no you don't!" Ren whispered from his sniper nest on a pile of gold coins.

He activated his special ability: Dead Eye.

The world turned grey. Time slowed down. A red target appeared on the boss’s knee joint.

Bang.

Ren shattered the knee gear. Midas stumbled, falling to one knee.

"DAMAGE PHASE!" Ren shouted. "Pour it on!"

Tank unleashed his full magazine. Jinx threw plasma grenades. Ren fired round after round into the boss's faceplate.

The health bar at the top of the screen drained rapidly.

75%... 50%... 25%...

"ENOUGH!" Midas shrieked. "INITIATING SELF-DESTRUCT PROTOCOL!"

The robot began to glow red. A timer appeared in the air: 00:10.

"He's going to blow!" Jinx yelled. "If we're in the blast radius, we wipe!"

"Tank!" Ren shouted. "Bubble shield!"

"On it!" Tank threw his shield generator onto the floor. A golden dome sprang up around the three of them.

They huddled inside as Midas screamed one last time.

KA-BOOM.

The robot exploded. A shockwave of fire and gold coins washed over the shield. The physics engine rendered every piece of shrapnel perfectly.

The dust settled.

Midas was a pile of scrap.

QUEST COMPLETE.

LEVEL UP!

"YES!" Tank cheered, doing a victory dance in the wreckage. "Did you see that? I face-tanked a god!"

"And I gutted him," Jinx grinned, picking up a glowing purple data-crystal from the loot pile. "Legendary drop! 'The Midas Core'. This will fetch a high price on the player market."

Ren walked over to the Vault behind the throne. It opened with a heavy clank.

Inside, there were stacks of encrypted bonds and credits.

OBJECTIVE: SECURE THE ASSETS.

Ren grabbed the loot bag. It felt heavy. It felt victorious.

"Good game, guys," Ren said, feeling the adrenaline buzz in his fingers. "Clean run. Best one yet."

"Same time tomorrow?" Tank asked.

"Wouldn't miss it," Jinx said. "I need to level up my stealth."

LOGGING OUT...

THE REAL WORLD

Ren gasped as he woke up. The transition back to reality was always a little jarring, like stepping off a fast-moving train.

He sat in his silent, expensive office. The steampunk fantasy was gone. The golden gears were gone.

He was just Ren, sitting in a dark room in Sector 4.

But he was smiling. His heart was racing, not from fear, but from the thrill of the win. He stretched his arms, feeling energized.

He checked his phone.

NOTIFICATION: DEPOSIT RECEIVED.

AMOUNT: 6,666 CREDITS. (His share of the 20k).

"Easy," Ren whispered. "Too easy."

He walked to the kitchen to get a drink of water. He was humming the victory music from the game—a heroic orchestral swell.

He poured a glass of chilled water and leaned against the granite counter.

His laptop was open on the kitchen island, displaying the Aethelgard Nightly News feed.

Ren glanced at it idly.

Then he froze.

BREAKING NEWS: HEIST AT FIRST REPUBLIC BANK

A daring cyber-attack and physical robbery occurred tonight at the Central Branch in Sector 1.

Ren felt a cold drop of water slide down the glass and onto his hand. He stepped closer to the screen.

Reports indicate a three-person team breached the bank at 22:45.

Security droids were destroyed by heavy rotary weapons fire.

Ren blinked.

Tank's minigun.

The vault’s laser grid was bypassed by a military-grade decryption algorithm.

Jinx's puzzle.

The Bank Manager, Arthur Pendelton, was found dead in his office. Police say he was killed by a single high-velocity projectile fired from a rooftop across the street.

Ren looked at his hand. He made a trigger motion with his index finger.

Sniper rifle. Midas.

The news anchor continued, her face grave. "Arthur Pendelton was a controversial figure, known for aggressively foreclosing on low-income housing in Sector 7 and seizing assets from the poor. His death has sparked celebration in the lower districts, though police are condemning the violence."

Ren stopped humming.

The water glass felt heavy in his hand.

The "Clockwork King" wasn't a robot. He was a banker.

The "Clockwork Knights" weren't constructs. They were probably private security guards, or police drones.

Ren stared at the screen. He saw the body bag being wheeled out of the bank.

He waited for the guilt to hit him. He waited for the panic.

But then he read the ticker at the bottom of the screen: Pendelton's death stops the eviction of 500 families in Block C.

And he looked at the credit balance on his phone. 6,666 Credits.

That was enough to buy a nursery set. It was enough to buy a safety net for his daughter.

Ren swiped the news story away. He closed the laptop with a snap.

He didn't want to think about the dead manager. He wanted to think about the fun they just had. He wanted to think about Tank laughing about his dad. He wanted to think about the "villagers" they just saved.

"He was a bad guy," Ren muttered to the empty kitchen. "He was a boss monster. We just... cleared the level."

He forced the smile back onto his face. It felt a little stiffer this time, a little more brittle.

He walked into the bedroom. Maya was awake, reading a book by the soft light of the lamp. She looked up and smiled—a pure, innocent smile.

"You look happy," she said. "Good session?"

"The best," Ren said, climbing into bed and pulling the duvet up to his chin. "We beat the boss on the first try."

"I'm glad you're having fun," she said, leaning over to kiss him. "You deserve it, Ren."

Ren closed his eyes.

He tried to see the confetti and the gears.

But for a split second, before sleep took him, all he could see was the blood.