《Priestess Online》 Chapter 1 - Welcome To Priestess Online! [WELCOME TO PRIESTESS ONLINE!] Player, The priestess welcomes you to Zen. You are no longer in the real world. But everything that happens to you here will affect you out there, too. Be sure not to die! You will be given 5 chances for your health points to recharge when it reaches zero and continue playing, surpassing the big boss and challenges at every level. Once you reach the 5 lives limit, you will be sent to the asylum 7X0X and wait for your verdict. The Priestess will reward the five player team who reaches the last level by a hundred million credits. Warning: You are not allowed to cheat your way around the game. Follow the rules and win the prize! The priestess wishes you good fortune! [Rules of the game] -You will start as a four player team. Work together to defeat the big boss. -Every stage has specific challenges to fulfill. -AWOL players will be punished severely. -Be the boss slayer and you will have HP, AP and MP boosts. -You will be provided with weapons which can level up as you progress in the game. -Every Mana Point you gain and increase in level will open up more weapons to you. -Work with your team! A fifth player shall be added to your team as you proceed to stage 2. -Each player will have a system - use it wisely! [Animal Affinity - A guide to your chosen Spirit Animal] The crow - "trickster personality" -helps you see the Mana Flow in an enemy. Once you identify the source, you can manipulate it to your advantage. The Hummingbird - "the peacemaker" -gives access to agility and adaptability to surroundings. -lifts the negative energy amongst teammates. The Hawk - "the observer" -aids in stealth and a keen eye to surroundings. The Owl - "truth seeker" -provides intuitive skills and wisdom. Call your chosen Spirit Animal to you and you will be able to tap on its ability. Requirement: 50 Mana Points for one stage. If you wish to keep using it, another 50 MP will be needed once you proceed to the next stage. [Basic System Commands] -WEAPON/WEAPONRY: opens the array of weapons to choose from. In the first stage, it can be summoned before stepping beyond the veil. For every level, before coming to the next, be sure to make the selection. -MAP: provides access to the whole ZEN. However, when currently in the game, it only provides the view of the current stage and teammates'' location. -PROFILE: provides access to the player''s profile. Only the player itself can access their profile. *The system automatically responds to questions related to the game, such as the current big boss'' profile. A translucent screen shall appear to show the Health Points. For Every attack made, the screen would continue to display the amount of Health Points left for the stage boss. [Levels] -Beginner (Level 1-10) -Advanced (Level 10-30) -Expert (Level 30 - 50) [WELCOME TO ZEN!] ¨C *Modern day: 4050 August 30 Location: Hearth; City: Zion; Population: 2,107,186 Inhabitants. Ping! [Welcome to Priestess Online, the Priestess wishes you good fortune!] "Oy!" Astherielle called out. She was smiling. Her phone''s screen glowed brightly over her face. Her luxurious, wavy hair danced on her shoulders as she jumped off the leather couch she was lying on, which was facing the mounted television on the wall. She paused in front of her friends who were lounging on the couch opposite hers, grinning like she won the lottery, her smile almost reaching the ceiling of Jaspreth''s basement. Time check: it was 2:30 in the morning on a Saturday. The four friends were enjoying the last weekend they have before school starts on Monday. On the main couch, Beatrix glanced at her enthusiastic friend. She narrowed her gaze at what she was trying to show. Lying on her stomach, Zera did the same. While the two girls contemplated Astherielle''s sudden excitement, Jaspreth, the only thorn among the roses, had his mobile device ready. The download page displayed on his phone''s screen, mimicking that of Astherielle''s. Astherielle Mizuni, the only daughter of the current mayor of the city, Vicente Mizuni, rarely makes friends with anyone. With her high profile, she found it difficult to trust people. Most of them wanted nothing but to get close to her because of who her father was. But Jaspreth Harris was different. Being the eldest son of Daniel Harris, the big shot detective in Zion, he treats Astherielle like one of his younger siblings. He doesn''t care about her status. Their common ground? RPG. In fact, RPG was what brought all of them together. Almost. Beatrix Xavier, daughter of Mysie Xavier, current Vice Mayor of the neighboring city: Wayne, crossed paths with the two in an online tournament. The three of them had teamed up and won several games together. It was only later, when the reward was given out, that they learned they were actually from the same school. Beatrix wasn''t supposed to be in Zion. But she wanted to escape her mother''s grasp. Being an only child, her mother gave her no choice, forcing her to follow in her footsteps. But Beatrix wanted to do something else. Politics was never her thing. It was what she and Zera Valentine shared in common. Zera''s father, Alexander Valentine, was Hearth''s current governor. Like Beatrix, Zera was given limited choices. Her father wishes for her to continue his legacy. But unlike Beatrix, Zera was not an only child. Her older sister was already married, while the youngest child was too rebellious for her father to control. That left Zera to shoulder all the responsibility of fulfilling her father''s wishes. For the time being, she was enjoying the freedom her father gave her. Coming to Green Light University, the best uni there was in Zion, allowed her to meet Beatrix during freshman orientation. She easily identified her last name and managed to say hi. That simple gesture brought them to where they were now: at Jaspreth''s basement. "Priestess Online?" Beatrix read aloud. "Sounds suspicious." Zera, who was lying on her stomach, slowly got up. She let out a hearty chuckle. Like Jaspreth, she tapped on her phone and had the download page for the said game ready. Though she initially didn''t have any interest in playing online games, being with her group for three years now, she was unable to resist their insistence in ''trying it out. That trial went beyond its intended usage. "What''s the harm in trying?" Beatrix blew out a long sigh, pulling up the same download page and grinned at her friends. "Fine. But if this turns out to be a crappy game, I''m out." "Yes!" Astherielle cheered, exchanging a high-five with Jaspreth as she joined him on the couch adjacent to where Beatrix and Zera were sitting. Ping! [WELCOME TO PRIESTESS ONLINE!] A mechanical voice chanted from each of their devices simultaneously. The four friends eyed each other, smiling. [Please select your affinity] [Crow: Trickster Magnus - Skill: high flexibility ; Mana usage: high] [Hummingbird: High-spirited Magnus - Skill: speed ; Mana usage: high] [Owl: Wisdom Magnus - Skill: intuitive; Mana usage: high] [Hawk: Candor Magnus - Skill: perceptive ; Mana usage: high] "So, apparently, we need to choose an affinity, our spirit animal." Zera murmured, considering the options presented on her screen. "Crow, Hummingbird, Owl, and Hawk." Astherielle read aloud. "I''ll be the hummingbird." "Crow, man. It''s practically calling out to me. Trickster Magnus." Jaspreth happily chimed, selecting the icon. "I''ll be the owl, then. Intuitive." "Well, that''s settled." Zera clicked the hawk''s icon, which instantly redirected her to a new page, asking for a player name. "I''ll use the same player name. MasterTrickster." Jaspreth happily announced. He clicked okay, drumming his fingers on the armrest of the couch, waiting on his friends. Being the only guy in their midst, some people teased him about it. "Are you gay?" "Dude, what are you doing with these girls? Are you dating all three?" "Playboy!" Those were the few comments he often heard when they first hung out together. Jaspreth couldn''t help but laugh at it. He was no playboy to begin with. Although he didn''t inherit his father''s muscular body, he looked fine. An average guy with an average height and IQ level. To add: he was loyal to his girlfriend. These three girls, they were like his little sisters. He tends to be protective of them. Sometimes. But mostly, his friends could handle themselves. Their appearance screamed; pampered princesses. Yet Jaspreth saw what they could do. With their boredom last year, they enrolled themselves in hand-combat training, which Jaspreth''s uncle was holding. It was Astherielle''s idea when she chanced upon seeing Jaspreth''s shared post. He was only trying to help his uncle. That help turned to something else. "Done!" Astherielle claimed, clicking the submit button. The four friends eyed each other before looking back towards their phone''s screen. [The Priestess welcomes you to the Fortress! Please select an avatar to complete your profile] "Cool," Beatrix murmured, concentrating on the selection. There was a moment of silence as each of them mused over the avatars they were to use. Ping! [You are now ready to enter the gate. Please choose your teammates] "There are five slots, guys. Who''s our fifth?" Zera exchanged glances with each of her friends. Astherielle shrugged, clicking on the player names she knew were that of her circle. They''ve been playing together for so long, she already knew what name they''d use without needing to ask. "We''ve always played a five-man team with just us and some random person online. So, it could be the same case." Beatrix stated in response to Zera. Ping! The four of them stared at their phone screen. Each of their avatars appeared side by side with their player names written below. At the end, they could see their chosen affinity icon. Just a little under that, the start button glowed bright blue. An open slot lay bare beside Jaspreth''s avatar. Each of them shrugged, grinning excitedly. "On the count of three.." Jaspreth stated, his hand hovering on the start button. "Three!" Chapter 2 - The Fortress "Eh?" Jaspreth''s brows knitted together, his disappointment showing vividly in his expression. Astherielle groaned. She almost threw her phone away when it showed nothing but a white screen. "It got us hyped for no reason." Beatrix dropped her phone on her lap, resting her head on the couch, and blew out a sigh. Zera got on her feet, transferring in the tent which they set up in the far corner near the stairs before going up to Jaspreth''s two-story house. "It''s the universe telling us to go to bed." She mumbled, hiding her disappointment as well. Her phone screen lagged after each of them clicked on the start button. Placing it beside her, Zera lay down on the comforter and breathed out a sigh. "Let''s just sleep on it and find a different game later. The software might be having some issues." Beatrix joined her after a few minutes, sulking as she pulled the blanket over her body. Astherielle followed, dragging her feet while Jaspreth clapped his hands, turning the main lights off. The colorful bulbs that hung by the tent''s entrance running across towards the couch they just vacated came to life, illuminating the place. It danced in its rhythmic pattern. Pulling a blanket and pillow from the closet near the door of the bathroom, Jaspreth grimaced. "Are we really going to sleep now?" Zera lifted her head, watching their only male friend carry his pillow and blanket over the couch. "Sorry, Jay." Jaspreth let out an exasperated sigh. "It''s okay. Later then, sleep well girls." "Goodnight!" The three sang in unison, giggling. ¨C Several hours after she fell asleep, Zera found her body shivering against the cold. The first thought that came to her mind was that Jaspreth had put the air conditioning too high. Too lazy to get up and try to fix the problem, she turned on the other side and searched with her hand for the thick blanket she must have kicked a few minutes ago. However, when she touched nothing but her bare skin, her eyes immediately fluttered open, sitting upright. "Oh holy mother of¨C!" Her eyes went animatedly wide, seeing a marbled plane replacing the comforter she was lying on. It elevated in the air, continuously moving upwards like an elevator with colorful dancing walls she wouldn''t even dare to touch. At that moment, Zera concluded she was no longer in the safety of Jaspreth''s basement. The coldness she felt from earlier was no air conditioning. The strong wind had her shoulder-level hair flying around her face. "What the¨C!" Her words were cut off by a translucent screen appearing in front of her. A holographic image of a woman wearing a black veil over her face came into view. There was nothing to describe as Zera cannot see, even just her eye color or the shape of her lips. [Welcome Player Charm!] A robotic female voice echoed in her surroundings. Zera placed a hand over her heart. Thud-thud-thud. ''Calm down, Zera. You''re just dreaming. This is nothing but a dream.'' A loud ping had her gazing back towards the bright screen in front of her. The holographic image of the woman was no longer in sight. Instead, the avatar she remembered picking when they registered for Priestess Online was displayed on the screen. Below it were the following: [Player Name: Charm] [Gender: Female] [Player level: Beginner] [Class: Support] [Affinity: Hawk] [Mana Points: 500] [Attack Damage: 500] [HP: 200] "Huh? What''s this supposed to mean?" [Performing a body scan in zero minutes] The same mechanical voice reverberated in her surroundings. Gripped by an unseen force, Zera found herself motionless. She tried to fight against it, but to no avail. Invisible rope bound her body, tightening its hold on her. Her insides were stretched and squeezed, having her gulped back the tears that threatened to fall from eyes. The pain it was causing was almost unbearable. Zera thought that this must be the end. ''Seriously? I died in my sleep at Jaspreth''s place?'' Despite the situation, Zera found it ridiculous that she died that way. What more, she wondered what her friends would think when they find her cold, lifeless body upon waking up from their sleep. ''Would the¨C'' "Aaaaah!" An intense heat blasted from around her, disrupting her thoughts. It scorched her skin, roasting her flesh like she was inside a human size oven. Ping! [Body scan finished] The invisible bind disappeared, releasing Zera from its tight grip, slamming her against the cold floor. Reeling from both the pain and the heat, Zera glared at the translucent screen. "What the hell! Can somebody tell me what the bloody hell is going on?!" The holographic image of the mysterious woman hiding under a black veil was displayed on it once again. [Welcome to Priestess Online! You are now ready to enter the Fortress. The Priestess wishes you good fortune!] "Wha¨C?" Zera had no time to finish her question as the plane propelled upwards, having her lie flat on the floor and hugging her body tight. ''Please spare me. Please spare me. Please spare me.'' [Please be ready for battle. Opening the gates in 3¡­] [2¡­] [1¡­] Thud! "Oof!" Zera barely had time to regain her senses when she felt a hand grabbing her, dragging her to hide beneath an enormous tower. She had to squint her eyes to properly see the building. Its height was immeasurable, the top disappearing against the purplish sky above. "Holy¨C!" A hand covered her mouth, shushing her in an instant. It took her a minute before she realized who it was. "Jay?" she mumbled, slapping his hand away. Jaspreth''s short hair stood above his head. The tips of it had red highlights. It appeared that the top of his head was madly on fire. Red and white marks spread across his cheek. In all honesty, Zera finds Jaspreth more than just average. He got a nice body going on. It was a result of him accompanying his father on some of his physical training during summer break. He has an attractive face, but she knew that he''d deny it. The three of them accepted his claim that he was only average, even though he was actually way above it. Add his personality in the mix of all the good things about Jaspreth. He makes up what most women would want to have in a guy. Zera eyed him from head to toe. A leather body fit hugged his body, a red vest with several pockets hung over his shoulders. At the bottom, he was wearing khaki cargo shorts and army boots. Tentatively poking him by the arm, Zera breathed out a sigh of relief. "Okay, I''m not dreaming." "Eh? What was that for?" "You look ridiculous." Zera replied, ignoring his remark. Jaspreth eyed her from head to toe, smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Says by one who doesn''t." "What?" It was only at that point when she noticed her attire. A black leather tube covered her chest. Like Jaspreth, a vest came with her upper costume with zippers zigzagging in front of it. Leather pants hugged her from the waist all the way down. She was wearing a uniform boot with Jaspreth except for the laces found on the front of hers. She briefly recalled that her get up resembled that of the avatar she had chosen for the game. "Bloody hell?" Beatrix''s voice echoed behind Zera, catching her attention. She limped a little before adjusting her focus on her two friends. Like Zera and Jaspreth, she was wearing odd apparel: black crop top shirt and gray sweatpants. The top had ruffles on its sleeves, a small tie criss-crossed on her exposed stomach. A purple high-top shoes completed her look. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail with a thick black band. Red and white lines were also evident on her cheeks. "Aaaah!" Astherielle came screaming, landing on top of Beatrix. The two of them were coughing while Zera and Jaspreth helped them get back on their feet. Zera dusted off the dirt that clung to Astherielle''s black short-skirt, which covered most of her thigh. It was a little above her knees. For the upper, she had on a white tank top and a blue leather jacket. Her hair was brushed back, a bandana wrapped around her head, exposing the rest of her beautiful waves behind her. She too had the same mark on her cheeks, which made Zera assume the same mark could be found on her face. Eyeing each other, Jaspreth immediately raised his hands, claiming his innocence before the girls pointed the blame at him. "If you ask me how this was possible, I have no idea." Zera bit down on her lower lip. "Priestess Online," she mumbled.. "I think we''ve been transmigrated." Chapter 3 - Chosen Licking her lips with delight, the woman pulled the black veil off her face. She savored the sweet flavor that teased her tongue. The wide screen in front of her displayed the four children who recently entered her realm. Valentine, Xavier, Mizuni, and Harris. For several millennia, she waited for this perfect moment. "You shall taste my wrath. My vengeance is ripe. It''s ready for harvest." Her laughter echoed around the vast space of her surroundings. ''Enough of this!'' A tiny whisper that came from inside cut her delight short. ''They are children!'' The voice was small but incessant. "Indeed," the woman agreed. "Children of those responsible for your demise!" ''They have nothing to do with what happened to me.'' "Oh, darling. But they do have everything to do with it." The woman insisted. "If not for their ancestors, you wouldn''t be here." ''If not for them, you would have never existed!'' "Their veins have the very same blood as those who wanted you dead. If not for them, you wouldn''t have died!" ¨C A few minutes before they were spiraled into the game¡­ Jaspreth heaved out a sigh. "What happened to making the most of it?" he mumbled, tapping on his phone. The screen had turned white after each of them clicked the start button. Restarting his phone, Jaspreth stared at the ceiling. He glanced at his friends, the three girls whom Green Light University considered as princesses. Even though each of them would look at him funny whenever he tells them that. They would make a face and roll their eyes. So, what was he doing with them? Living in a house full of females, it wasn''t hard for him to get along with the opposite sex. His younger siblings were close to him, and Jaspreth was overprotective of them. He felt like it was his responsibility to keep the bad guys away. And he does his best. Especially with Tate, the one who came after him. She''s going to be a freshman this school year. And Jaspreth could already tell how many guys would try to get her attention. "Off limits, morons!" Jaspreth hissed under his breath, keeping his tone low. He couldn''t afford to wake his friends or he was going to hear an earful of curses and even get smacked with a pillow on the head. "Yikes!" girls could be feisty, he would know. Finally regaining his phone''s proper function, it immediately got bombarded with messages. But he ignored all of it except for one. ''Babe?'' "Oh, crap!" He immediately checked the message, which was sent five minutes ago. The girls almost didn''t believe him when he told them he was dating someone. That was his fault. He always pranked them about having a girlfriend that when it actually happened, they thought he was still lying. He had to show them some of the embarrassing chats and a photo of her for them to know that he was no longer just pranking them. He was dead serious. Sharmaine, her name was Sharmaine, and she was from the same city which Beatrix came from, Wayne. They met once. Jaspreth came to see her and they talked, officiating their relationship. But since it wasn''t easy trying to come over from one city to the next, that was also the last time they had a face to face interaction. He dialed her number, getting up from the couch. She picked up on the third ring. "Babe," Jaspreth noticed the tone of her voice. She sounded like she had been crying. "What happened?" "Can I stay with you for a few days?" The thought thrilled him. He wouldn''t just be talking to his beautiful girlfriend through video call, but they''d be together for real. Yet, before he got way over his head, he needed to know why she suddenly brought it up. "What happened, babe?" "I''ll tell you when I get there." "Okay." Jaspreth scratched the back of his head. "I love you, no matter what. I''ll wait for you to get here. Call me as soon as you do." "Thanks, babe. See you, I love you." Jaspreth stared at his phone. He was worried about Sharmaine and had wanted to pry. But he didn''t want to force her. She will tell him when she''s ready. A few minutes after that call, a message popped on Jaspreth''s phone. [Welcome to Priestess Online] "Eh? This is a weird game." He clicked the pop-up message anyway, which redirected him to another landing page. [Player Name: MasterTrickster] [Gender: Male] [Player level: Beginner] [Class: Fighter] [Affinity: Crow] [Mana Points: 500] [Attack Damage: 500] [HP: 200] "What?" Jaspreth made a face, furrowing his brows. Just when his friends already went to bed, the game decided to work. [Please click proceed if you still wish to play] "Heck dude, I can''t play this by myself." [Analyzing response¡­] [Analyzing complete!] "Eh?" [Click proceed to continue] Jaspreth didn''t see any change. His friends were still asleep. "Maybe I''ll try it out and play one game." Making a decision, he hit the proceed button and instantly witnessed his phone''s screen die. "Man! What the hell?!" He then covered his mouth, his eyes fleeting to the three bulks inside the tent by the staircase. Thinking that his phone broke, he was about to slam it when a powerful force pulled at his body, stretching every piece of him until his vision turned to black. [Welcome Player MasterTrickster!] "Whoa!" Jaspreth expressed, finding himself staring at a translucent screen displaying the same message he heard just now. Colorful lines, like the one appearing in barcodes, danced in his vision, enveloping him in a square wall. It mimicked an elevator with the floor continuously ascending. A holographic image of a woman then appeared. A black veil hovered over her face, concealing it from view. [Thank you for accepting the call, Player. The Priestess has chosen you to be the Whisperer. You are expected to receive commands from the Priestess. You must do everything in your power to follow them. Failure to adhere to her commands will cost you and your team a deduction in Health Points] "Eh? What kind of rule is that?" [Performing a body scan in zero minutes] "Hey! Argh!" Jaspreth tried to move, but it trapped his body. Bound by an invisible rope, he writhed and cursed. Yet, nothing changed. [Body scan finished!] [Welcome to Priestess Online! You are now ready to enter the Fortress. The Priestess wishes you good fortune!] Taking up speed, Jaspreth desperately clung for his life, cursing at whoever could hear him. [Please be ready for battle. Opening the gates in 3¡­] [2¡­] [1¡­] A few minutes before he was pushed off the platform, a distinct laughter echoed in his head. ''Don''t die on me just yet, dear one. That goes for the rest of your friends. You''re all valuable to me.. Very valuable.'' Chapter 4 - The Gate *Modern day: 4050 August 30 Location: Zen; City: Null; Population: XXX "Transmigrated? Isn''t that fictional?" Beatrix stated, matter-of-factly. The four friends stared at each other and shrugged. "Is it possible that we''re all just sharing one dream?" Astherielle suggested. Jaspreth pinched her by the cheek. "Ow!" Astherielle gave Jaspreth a deathly glare. "Okay, not a dream." Jaspreth claimed, smiling serenely towards Astherielle. "We could debate about this all day or night long, whatever the time is, but listen." Zera warned, her face serious. As if on cue, the ground beneath their feet shook, having them hold on to each other. When things settled down, Jaspreth took a peek from the tower, which briefly hid them. The tower seemed to be endless. Each of them believed they came from up there before falling right where they were now standing. Behind them, a colorful wall surrounded the vast area. Several kilometers away from their hiding place stood an enormous golden gate. Cherubim statues were on display on both sides, keeping the gate guarded. Grecian pillars served as its posts and a wide white wall concealed whatever lay beyond the closed gates. Blue flame erupted towards the sky, catching the attention of the four friends, who were still puzzled about what happened. They watch it dissipate into the purplish sky which had no moon nor any stars to indicate what time it was. "I really have no idea what happened or why we''re here, nor where ''here'' is exactly. But, I think that golden gate is our priority." Jaspreth voiced out, his eyes looking from Zera, then towards Beatrix and then Astherielle. "We need to get through it." Zera concluded, catching on what Jaspreth was trying to say. "Easy, we just need to¨C" "Run!" The four friends blinked and stared at each other. None of them had screamed that word. Peeking altogether, they watched as a group of four others in varying odd attires like them were sparring against a gigantic beast. It resembled a grizzly bear. Its fur was matted with yellowish taint. Bravely attacking it with a huge hammer, one of the five was keeping it busy. Another one, a female, aided him, slashing with a sword. The two danced and dodged the beast''s counter attack. It lashed at them blindly. The two others were running ahead. One was firing at the little minions that approached them in the opposite direction. The last one was stealthily attacking the minions with her dagger, slashing and chopping off the head of what appeared to be little versions of the beast chasing after them. Yellowish liquid oozed out of the fallen bodies of the monsters. "Whoa," Jaspreth whistled. "That''s some intense battle. But on top of that, how did they take possession of those weapons?" Ping! [Weaponry Activated] His face glowed as the translucent screen appeared right before him. [Hammer of Death - Damage Points: 150 Requirement: 100 Mana Points] [Sword of Doom - Damage Points: 300 Requirement: 200 Mana Points] [Axe of the gods - Damage Points: 350 Requirement: 250 Mana Points] [Guns of Terror - Damage Points: 500 Requirement: 400 Mana Points] [Monster Daggers - Damage Points: 500 Requirement: 400 Mana Points] A long list of other weapons was on display. However, there was a lock symbol that could be seen beside the weapons succeeding the Monster daggers. Jaspreth immediately understood why. The Mana Points for those were beyond what he has right now. His friends came close and inspected his screen, each of them at least squinting at one weapon in particular. Clicking the axe, Jaspreth watched the translucent screen as it displayed his profile. [Player Name: MasterTrickster] [Gender: Male] [Player level: Beginner] [Class: Fighter] [Affinity: Crow] [Mana Points: 250] [Attack Damage: 850] [Weapon: Axe of the gods lv.1] [HP: 200] "Whoa. Level 1?" He whistled once again. "This means we could upgrade our weapon of choice later in the game!" He excitedly exclaimed. A few seconds later, the screen disappeared. Blue sparks emitted around his hands, slowly taking the shape of an axe. Jaspreth''s mouth dropped open. He swung the axe like it weighed nothing despite its massive head. The edge looked sharp enough to cut through anything. He was careful not to swing it in front of his friends lest he accidentally cut them. "Sweet!" He realized the three girls were frowning in his direction. "What? Don''t tell me you still haven''t moved past the part where we''re already stuck inside a game?" "I don''t understand why you seem so happy. Jay! This is not a dream!" Zera hissed. She had to keep her voice down or she might catch some unwanted attention. "Don''t take this the wrong way, Z. Sharmaine will be coming to stay with me for the next few days. I want to get out of here as much as you all do. And in order for that to happen, we need to play the game." Jaspreth countered, his chest rising and falling. "I mean come on. There''s no other way out. I figured we might as well enjoy it, yeah?" The three girls eyed each other. Beatrix was the first one to release a shaky breath. "Jaspreth''s right. We''re already stuck here. There''s no other way out but to play along with whatever trickery that brought us inside this freaking game." "Well, for starters, I do love our get-up." Astherielle beamed, lifting the somber mood that surrounded them. The three stared at Zera. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I''m sorry." "Pfft. It''s fine, Z. Come on, you three take your pick. The faster we make it to that golden gate, the faster we can figure out what to do next." "I''m taking the guns." Beatrix announced, summoning the translucent screen, and instantly chose the said weapon. "But¨C" Zera tried to stop her. "Your Mana Points¡­" Beatrix shrugged, playing with the guns as they fell on her hands. She even made poses with them, putting the tip of one close to her lips as she blew away the imaginary smoke from firing it. "What''s the use of Mana Points if we all die?" She smiled. Zera let out a sigh, choosing her weapon right after. A thin Samurai sword landed on her waiting palms. Intricate patterns swirled around its sheath. "Well, that''s disappointing." Astherielle grimaced, a red warning had flashed on her screen. [Weapon already selected. Please select another] "I wanted the guns too." She whined, pouting her lips. "Sorry, babe. I can lend it to you if the circumstance calls for it." Beatrix winked her way, tossing and catching one gun in her hands. Astherielle grinned and shook her head, selecting the daggers instead. "This should do the trick." "Oh, hell yeah! Are we all set?" Jaspreth eyed the three. Nodding, Zera held out a fist, narrowing her eyes in fixed determination. "No matter what happens, we''ll make it out of this¡­ strange whatever, alive. No one will get left behind.." She caught each of her friend''s gazes. "Are you with me?" Chapter 5 - Chaos Briefly coming up with a strategy, the four friends stepped out of hiding, with Jaspreth leading the way. Boom! A loud eruption had them putting a hand over their heads. They didn''t see it but after crossing the magic barrier; it triggered the beginning of their arduous journey towards the golden gate. "Whoa." Jaspreth followed with his gaze the red flame that shot out towards the purplish sky. With it, their surroundings shifted. They no longer saw the other four who were, minutes ago, dancing and fighting their way towards the golden gate. "Was that some sort of initiatory rite?" Beatrix mused, her eyes appreciating the purplish color of the horizon. However, the warmth touching her skin didn''t delight her. It crawled at her the moment they left the safety behind the tower. Ping! [Warning! Danger ahead. Please equip yourself with a weapon from the Weaponry. A generous gift awaits beyond The Golden Pass. The Priestess wishes you good fortune!] Their translucent screen disappeared unanimously, placing the focus of the four friends on their reddish surroundings. Zera placed a hand over her nose. The heat suffocated her. "Now what?" she mumbled over her covered mouth. The four of them turned and found that even the tower had disappeared from their view. All that lay before them was a vast field with red sand. Across from where they were standing, the Golden Gate stood, shining against the colors that played in each of their visions. To answer her query, a rumble came from their left, causing the four to grip the weapons in their hands, bracing themselves for the worse. Zera felt her heartbeat picking up speed. Among her friends, she knew she was the weakest link. It didn''t surprise her that the game''s system placed her in the support class. It was what she was good at. Jaspreth was always in charge of leading the fight. He was the pro player in their rag tag team. Second to him, Astherielle was unbeatable in stealth and sneaking attacks towards the enemy. Most of their opponents would try to kill her first after figuring out what she was capable of doing. Beatrix may not look like it, but she''s an excellent combination of Jaspreth and Astherielle. It was how they won that tournament too easily. Zera felt useless now. If only this was just some other game. She wouldn''t have her heart in her throat. Still uncertain about how they got inside Priestess Online, her friends were right. Their only ticket out was to play the game itself. Although, knowing how the game works would have been a great heads-up. Like some kind of trial which would allow them to learn what commands to use and which agents or heroes to pick. With the rumbling, the ground beneath their feet shook. It started mildly, bringing Zera''s focus back to the present. Gradually, the terrible shaking had brought the ground to crack, the sand on their feet falling as a small line appeared in the middle of where they were standing. "I hate to repeat what the other team said, but¡­" Astherielle eyed each of her friends. "Run!" Bolting in the opposite direction where the sand was not moving, the four put much effort into making their legs work. Running through the sand was like running with added weights on one''s shoes. They haven''t even made it way halfway through when the four found themselves panting, almost out of breath. "Would taking off our shoes make us run faster?" Astherielle wondered aloud. "Trying to take it off would eat time. We don''t have that!" Jaspreth stressed out. He was trying to keep pace with the three girls, even though he could have run ahead if he chose to. "I''m regretting not coming with your dad when he offered us to train in their camp! I heard they were running in sand dunes!" Zera glanced towards Jaspreth. The latter shrugged. When their school break started, his father offered to take them to the training camp. He was going to teach a few kids some basic fighting techniques before getting swamped with his assignments in their office. "It''s too late for that now!" Beatrix expressed, sweat already broke out from her forehead. EEEEEHH! A loud screech had them looking towards the sky. "What on earth is that? A huge crow?" Jaspreth squinted. Its enormous wings flapped and hovered over them, opening its wide pointed beak. EEEHHHH! The screech intensified, having the four of them cover their ears. "What the hell is that?" Zera repeated Jaspreth''s query, merely glancing at the gigantic bird whose beady eyes scanned the ground, probably looking for them. [VenX Gen2300; HP: 50,000] Bang! EEEEHHHH! The creature flew a little way off, almost losing its balance. But it recovered just as quickly. On its feet, a small screen appeared, showing the same message Zera received on her screen earlier on. [VenX Gen2300; HP: 49,000] "I get it now!" Jaspreth shouted, noticing the change in its health points. He pointed at the flying beast, its flapping wings scattered the surrounding sand. The group had to shield their eyes from the dust, still pushing their tired legs to keep running. "We need to hit it until we depleted its health points!" "Sounds easy!" Beatrix shouted back, firing another bullet and missed. The creature anticipated her attack this time. EEEEEEH! It screeched, slowly folding its wings, aggressively swooping in Beatrix''s direction. Beatrix cursed loudly. Zera''s eyes widened, pushing forward, unsheathing the sword in her hand. "HEY!" she called out, distracting it a little. Beatrix fired her guns unstoppably, hitting and missing the monstrous bird at the same time. [VenX Gen2300; HP: 37,000] Still, the monster lunged for Beatrix. Infuriated, Zera pushed forward. She calculated that if she ran faster, she and the enormous bird would meet halfway. She had time to save Beatrix. But the word ''if'' made her heart thunder against her chest. "Back me up, Z!" Jaspreth called out, gaining momentum. He must be thinking about what Zera had in mind. Nodding, Zera looked at Astherielle. "I''m gonna be on the lookout. Hurry!" "Prepare to taste your death, ugly monster! Rah!" Jaspreth ran with his might. Zera followed behind. Against the ground continuously cracking and chasing after them, the wind gathered with dust particles from the sand and the threat of Beatrix''s life, the four stood their ground. "Die you ugly bird!" Chapter 6 - The Fifth Player [VenX Gen2300; HP: 10,000] Zera and her friends watched the enormous beast with its almost depleted health points. Its wings angled in a different direction. EEEEEEEEEEH! Fueled by this outcome, Beatrix fired her guns. The bullets were in an endless attack on the monstrous creature. Yet, her effort was in vain, as the wise thing put up a shield, dodging the rain of bullets that would have ended its life sooner than they anticipated. "Why wouldn''t it just die?!" EEEEEEEEEEEEEEH! It flapped its wings, going in a direction opposite where the friends were running to. "Well, we wouldn''t know for sure. But, right now, I think we need to head for the gate!" Jaspreth barked, his eyes never leaving the lingering monster that continued to screech. It wasn''t flying away from them much as he wanted it to. The sound it was making reminded him of a group call some animal would make. Muttering a curse, Jaspreth pushed forward, running with his might despite the sand, making it difficult for him to move. "Um, guys?" Astherielle sounded nervous. She was looking in the same direction as they were and noticed a red dot from afar. Soon that single red dot multiplied. As if with the ground moving and the crack continuously chasing after them wasn''t enough, there was a horde of the same beast that was only moments ago, was hell bent on killing Beatrix, coming speedily towards them. They all resembled the creature in perfect essence, except for its size. Miniature versions of it came flying from nowhere. Though the larger beasts didn''t regain its health points, it would take them a little while in getting through the small version of itself before they can finally take down the monstrous creature. "I hate to repeat what has been said, but at this point we have no better choice but to run!" Zera shouted, willing with all her might to make her tired legs work. ''Was this some sort of punishment? For what?'' She tried to think of anything she''d done recently. There was nothing to consider. She''d been trying to do her best to make her father proud. What else could she have done to offend whoever brought them into the game? EEEEEEEEEEEH! The unified screech of the small creatures had the four friends to cover their ears. It was proving to be difficult the more they made it towards the gate. ''Was this how that other group felt while we watched them earlier?'' Zera couldn''t help but wonder. In her head, it was also just the beginning. They haven''t even made it halfway through the stupid game and yet, they already faced such threats in their lives. But, in line with that thinking, a thought crossed Zera''s mind. What would happen if, hopefully not going to happen, one of them actually dies? Were they capable of dying in the current state they were in? The idea made her shiver. She couldn''t even imagine what to do if that actually happened. One thing was certain: things would never be the same. Worse; each of them might drift away, abandoning the bond they shared. Curling her hands into fist, Zera clutched the sword in her hand. She was determined to kill the beast and move on to the next round. The faster they get to the last level, the better. "We can''t run forever! We need to do something!" Beatrix belted out, firing the guns in rapid succession. The one upside of the weapon in her hand was that it had unlimited shots. Zera exchanged glances with Jaspreth and Astherielle. They were the strategists in every game-play they had. Right now, they badly need their heads to work on a plan. "You keep firing that gun, Beatrix! We''ll think of some other way to lure the beast out. Once it is depleted of health points, it can die and maybe, maybe!" Japreth heavily put the emphasis on ''maybe''. "This would all be over and we could cross the gate!" He huffed. His speech slowed his pace a little as he tried to catch some breath. Talking and running at the same time was not good for each of their health. "You know!" Astherielle chimed in. "I''ve been wondering about that fifth spot! The other team before us had only four people, too. When do we meet the fifth?" Zera pondered on that too, now that Astherielle mentioned it. Who was the fifth player? EEEEEEEEEEEEH! "Z! Duck!" Beatrix called out. Zera lowered her head in time before one of the monstrous beast''s minions could scathe her. She wasn''t certain if she''ll bleed crimson red or if they could even bleed at this rate. Some role-playing games don''t show it. Zera had to shrug the idea away. There were far more pressing matters they needed to deal with as of the moment. One of which was not to die. "Who knows?! The fifth player might be from some other team or¡­" Jaspreth trailed off, shielding his face from inhaling the thick sand that sprayed over them. "Holy¨C!" Zera did the same. The momentary assault had them stopping in their tracks. EEEEEEEEEEH! The flying creatures sounded close. Zera didn''t even want to turn around and check, afraid that she''d be frozen in place if she sees the beast about to outrun them. Coughing and waving his hand around his face like he was swatting a fly, Jaspreth reached out to help whoever was closest to him. The ground had stopped shaking underneath their feet, which was a temporary relief. However, the winged monsters had taken advantage of them falling to the ground, the bloodthirsty monsters encircled their small crew. Flapping their wings simultaneously above them, the four huddled together, uncertain how to move forward. "If this is my last day to be alive, I''m grateful to have spent it with you all. I wouldn''t have asked for a better company." Beatrix breathed, her voice a little shaky. No one contradicted her claim, each of them moving closer as they watched the little birds wait for their leader. The surrounding temperature had turned cold as the friends awaited their demise. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH! It was a triumphant screech. Zera closed her eyes. She couldn''t bear to look at what was about to happen next. EEEEEEE¨C! The noise the creature made had Zera opening her eyes once more and her mouth hanging open. Black feathers rained in the sky and a glowing message from the system blared on top of them. [VenX Gen2300; HP: 0] Ping! [Congratulations! You have slain the Stage Boss! You have gained additional damage points] The four friends looked at each other. None of them understood what just happened. It wasn''t until a silhouette landed from the sky. A glowing samurai sword was in the stranger''s hands. The sharp blade had reddish liquid oozing down on it, dripping onto the sand. Her back was facing them, but Zera was certain that it was a woman, dressed like a ninja. Her long hair was braided behind her, a black ribbon tied on its tip. When she turned to the four, she gestured a polite bow. Most of her face was covered except for her eyes. She had the richest bluish eyes Zera has ever seen. "Who are you?" "Profile." [Accessing Profile¡­] [Player Name: Nayowmi] [Gender: Female] [Player level: Advanced] [Class: Fighter] [Affinity: Hawk] [Mana Points: 3000] [Attack Damage: 5000] [Weapon: Samurai sky lv.5] [HP: 3000] Chapter 7 - Nayowmi "Any last words, Nayowmi?" The tip of the gun was pointed point blank on Nayowmi''s forehead. She was sprawled on the cold ground, a gust of wind blew past, its icy breath leaving her to shudder. Nevertheless, she glared at Xenon, the smirk on his lips was inevitable. "Go to hell!" She spat. Bang! Nayowmi felt the ground spiraling beneath her. Her eyes were closed, and she didn''t want to open them, afraid of what she would see upon regaining her vision. She anticipated feeling the pain of the gunshot from Xenon''s level five sharp shooter. However, instead of the numbing pain, she felt cold. Images of her fallen comrades flashed before her mind''s eye. It had her to sob for a while before she gathered herself and finally had the courage to see where she was. Her surroundings were pitch black, a single light illuminated from the top of her head and she couldn''t decipher if she was dead or simply floating in the in-between. The familiar translucent screen came before her, surprising Nayowmi. Displayed on the screen was the veiled woman who welcomed her when she first came there. Squinting, Nayowmi gasped when the image on the screen parted the veil that covered her face, revealing a beautiful woman. "Prie¡ª" "Shh." The woman immediately cut her off. Surprised that it wasn''t the usual mechanical voice she heard, Nayowmi put a hand over her lips. "Please don''t mention her name." "But¡­ okay." Nayowmi uttered, uncertainty making her nervous. "Am I dead?" "No, Nayowmi. Inside this game, no one really dies." "What does that mean?" The beautiful lady sighed. She stared at Nayowmi. "Listen, I''ll tell you all about that next time. Right now, I don''t have much time." "Who are you?" Nayowmi asked, staring at the lady over the screen. She somehow looked familiar, but with her lips painted blue, she couldn''t really tell if she met the woman before or not. "My name is Avalon, Nayowmi. And I need you to do something for me." -- [Welcome to the Golden Gate players!] Zera couldn''t keep her eyes off of Naywomi despite hearing the mechanical voice announcing their arrival at the gate. Her friends huddled together and only Naywomi was confidently walking towards a circular platform. It glowed bright blue upon Nayowmi stepping foot on the circular sphere. Compared to the purplish sky from where they had left, inside the Golden Gate, the sky went back to its normal hue. But like the previous place, it was just them who were there and no one else. The circular platform dominated the place. Their surroundings didn''t show any buildings. Zera was actually counting to see some castle and meet a king or whoever it was who would welcome them properly and explain things. She got disappointed when none of that happened. Beatrix had inched closer to Zera. "Where do you think did she come from?" she whispered to which Zera shrugged at. She had no idea how things work inside the game. She clearly had no clue where Nayowmi came from. What was so surprising about her was that her points were way above theirs. Nayowmi was like the pro player among them, but Zera couldn''t quite understand how that happened. She was brimming with so many questions, but she cannot even push herself to ask Nayowmi and from the looks of it, neither did her friends feel confident to ask her. They all watched her walk across the bluish platform. When she reached the middle, it immediately glowed even brighter. "Weaponry." [Weaponry activated] Like a powerful gust of wind, a variety of weapons appeared all around her. It filled the enormous circle. Nayowmi clutched the samurai sword she was holding, her eyes wandering around the set of weapons. "Whoa." Jaspreth whistled. "That''s so cool. Would we have the same privilege if we stepped onto that platform?" "Yes." Nayowmi replied. Her voice echoing. She dropped the samurai sword and grabbed the big rifle in front of her. [Weapon selected] The four friends watched the samurai sword disappear into nothingness and, slowly, so did the weapons displayed before Nayowmi. She walked back towards them. "If you have questions, I suggest you ask them now. Once you each choose if you want a weapon upgrade or not, we would immediately be sent to the next stage." "Have you played this game before? You seem to know a lot." Beatrix went ahead, eyeing Nayowmi. Nayowmi turned to her. "Yes. I have." "What happened? I mean, shouldn''t you be with your own team?" Astherielle followed, her eyes going animatedly wide as she covered the gasp from escaping her mouth. "Did¡­ they die?" The four friends exchanged nervous glances. Nayowmi looked at each of them. "I cannot answer that. But at some point, we got defeated. Hence, we lost our progress. They might have been sent to aid a new group, just like I was." "That explains your advanced level. So cool." Jaspreth expressed, the awe in his voice was evident. It had Zera rolling her eyes. "You mean to say, if we don''t win the next round, we would be disbanded and become a fifth player for another team?" Astherielle asked. Nayowmi only nodded. "I think so." "You think so?" Zera muttered. "Look, I know you don''t trust me and you don''t have to. But there''s only one way to get ourselves out of this. If we don''t reach the final stage, we''ll be stuck here forever. Fighting non-stop and being in battles we didn''t even wish to." Zera knew Nayowmi was right. She couldn''t even begin to imagine what that would be like. Fighting with monsters such as the one they have faced for the rest of her life. It already made her feel exhausted. "Ugh," Beatrix complained. "I''d rather hear my mother''s non-stop scolding than be stuck in here for good." "Me too. I promise to do better in school if we make it out of here. I''d be a better person, I swear." "Not if, when. When we make it out of here, let''s promise to do better." Zera eyed her friends. "Yes. So, what are we waiting for? Let''s go! On to stage 2!" Chapter 8 - Priestess *Year: 2770 Location: Calix Studio, City: Zion In the mirror''s reflection, Avalon smiled at herself. The woman standing beside her did so too, clapping her hands together as she exclaimed her joy at seeing Avalon look so happy. "You are the most beautiful bride I have ever worked on! Thank you for trusting me, Miss Haze. Or should I go ahead and call you first lady?" Avalon chuckled and shook her head. "Oh gosh. Not you too Erza. I already have other people calling me madam. Please be the one who keeps the Avalon." Erza chuckled. Her caramel colored eyes lit up as she caught Avalon''s gaze on the mirror. "But let''s face it, you''ll be the wife of the future governor of Hearth. That nickname comes with it. So you better get used to it." Avalon let out a sigh, her hands landing on her abdomen. "People think I''m marrying him for his title and money." "Hush. They know nothing about you. And him? Everyone knows him as a public figure. But they don''t know what happens behind the camera. Who was he without his title? Only you can answer that, Avalon." Avalon smiled at her friend. Erza has been with her since college until they started working. She knew how she met her soon to be husband, the father of her growing child inside her belly. "Oh, by the way, have you told him yet?" Avalon shook her head. "I''m planning to tell him a few minutes before the wedding. I''m scared though." Erza pulled the strands of hair that splayed over her shoulders. She gently arranged them behind Avalon. "There''s nothing to be scared of." "I tried to convince myself of that, ever since I found out. But I can''t help it. The wedding is so close." "He loves you just as you do, Avalon. Believe me, he''d be the happiest man, knowing you two will be expecting a child soon." Avalon took a deep breath. She stared at Erza and nodded. "Alright. I''ll see him before I lose confidence." She got up. Erza hesitated to stop her. "But¡­" she trailed off as the sliding doors automatically closed in Avalon''s wake. "He isn''t supposed to see you before the wedding ceremony." ¨C Avalon''s chest heaved in and out. She was left uncertain to pursue telling him about the baby. She''d been trying to brace herself for weeks when she learned that she was pregnant. But Erza was right. There was nothing to be scared of. Pressing the automatic doors of the room she knew he had occupied for today''s event, it surprised Avalon to find the lights weren''t on. "Liam?" From behind her, the sliding doors opened, and she was surprised to find Liam just stepping inside. She immediately wrapped herself around him, her heart in her throat. "Did you miss me already, Ava?" Avalon nodded. Liam''s chest moved as he chuckled, stroking her hair. "You know, I''m not even supposed to see you." Liam patted her back, he savored her scent and rocked them sideways. "Don''t look at my face, then. Close your eyes." Avalon whispered. "I have something to tell you." This had him to chuckle once again. Ever since he met this woman, he has been smiling more often. If not her, he can''t imagine standing beside anyone else. "You do? What is it?" "I¡­" Avalon trailed off. Liam slowly dragged her into the spacious room. Clapping his hands to turn on the lights. There was an enormous bed in one corner and a magnificent view of the city outside from the big window. It could be the perfect honeymoon suite for tonight. Liam could barely contain his excitement but kept the thoughts to himself. Avalon continued to cling on Liam. He kissed the top of her head. "Go on, love. The wedding will start in about ten minutes. People will start looking for us." "I love you." Avalon whispered. She felt deflated. Her confidence from earlier with Erza had ebbed away. Now she was no longer certain if it was wise to tell Liam about her pregnancy. What if he would be disappointed? She should have been more careful. Liam chuckled once more in time for the sliding doors to open. Avalon didn''t have time to see who came in as Liam protectively turned around, his body convulsing as if someone was hitting him on repeat from behind. When his hold on Avalon slackened, her hands trembled as she watched him fall, his blood covering the front of her dress. Looking up, she only saw the tip of a silencer, men with black masks surrounding her. They fired it before she could blink, sending her sprawled beside Liam. With her vision fading, she reached out to him, holding his hands fiercely as her consciousness slowly ebbed away. ¨C "Do you wish to live, Avalon?" With trembling hands, Avalon tried to reach out to the silhouette that kept on fading in and out in her vision. She lost track of how long it had been. She lost track of how she was even still half alive after losing so much blood. "He-help me." She managed, but wasn''t entirely sure the man heard her. It was so soft, nothing above that of a whisper. "Do you wish to live, Avalon?" the man repeated. His face was a blur in her fading consciousness. "Y-yes. For¡­" she paused to inhale a sharp breath. "My baby¡­ my-my baby." "Very well," the silhouette went on. "But there are some conditions you must meet." "I''ll do¡­" she coughed, spurting out blood to trickle down the side of her face from her mouth. "I''ll do anything." She watched the silhouette cross the distance which separated them. But even as he crouched to touch her forehead, she couldn''t make out his face. A black fedora hat was on top of his head. He wore a black mask and even hid his eyes with tinted sunglasses. "You shall live on, Avalon Haze." The man said. "But from now on, you shall no longer be known as Avalon. She died right here and right now.. From here and onwards, your name shall be Priestess." Chapter 9 - Stage 2 [Welcome Players! Congratulations on passing through the gate! Your rewards have been added automatically! The Priestess wishes you good fortune!] Simultaneously, the translucent screen disappeared in front of them. The mechanical voice still ringing in their ears. The gate disappeared from their view and the four friends with Nayowmi found themselves standing in the middle of a snow covered land. Zera immediately wished she had better clothing as her teeth chattered in the chilly atmosphere. Pine trees surrounded them, flanking each side of the vast place. A small path was opened in the middle, leading to an unknown end. Those trees were also covered in thick blankets of snow. On each end, from where they were standing, the north and south, they cannot see anything but broad whiteness. Zera wanted to close her eyes. The white surroundings was a pain to look at. But one thing she was grateful for; there was no wind. If there was, that would certainly freeze them all to death. "Can they offer a change of clothes next time? Or at least warn us what the setting on the next stage would be? It''s freezing out here. Dang!" Beatrix exclaimed, rubbing her hands together. Both Astherielle and Zera shared the same sentiments. Their avatar of choice were all poorly dressed for such setting. "It doesn''t work that way." Nayowmi muttered. She turned to the four friends. "Brace yourselves, this isn''t like the first stage where you only have to fight off the big boss." Jaspreth held Nayowmi''s gaze. "What happens in stage 2?" Hearing some movements from somewhere on their left, the group stood still. Nayowmi stared at the pine trees. Her eyes were narrowed, and she was clutching the rifle in her hand. She raised it with a shooting aim, her eyes focusing on the scope, finding its target. Beatrix followed, pointing her guns from left to right while the rest of them braced for impact. They don''t even have protective vests, and surely their clothes weren''t bulletproof. "In stage 2," Nayowmi said softly, making sure only their small crew could hear what she had to say. "We compete with another set of players. We have to fight our way to get to the next stage." "You mean," Zera suddenly felt her heart skip a beat. "We need to defeat another team in order to proceed to the next level?" Nayowmi nodded. She refused to be reminded of the friends she had lost along the way. "The next stages would be similar to this. Stage 1 is basically nothing but practice. Stage 2 and onwards, the elimination begins." "What the hell? Does this make us murderers if we happen to win every round? Does each player really die, or is this just a game?" Beatrix stared at Nayowmi. Nayowmi took a deep breath, her eyes fleeting on the left side where she sensed someone was watching them. "I have no answer. But I''m here with you right now. So, treat this as my response to your query." "You know what, guys? Please, don''t die. Let''s stick together until the end. I can''t imagine being separated from any of you. Just thinking about it already breaks my heart." Astherielle lamented. "Hey, let''s not talk about that. The good news out of all this is that we can''t really die. We can still finish the game and get out. Right Nayowmi? It wouldn''t matter if we can''t get to the end together?" "I don''t know. I haven''t made it close enough to the end to have an appropriate response. You and I have been dragged inside this game with zero clue about it. If we happen to¨C" "Duck!" Beatrix screamed, saving all of them from an oncoming snowball. Nayowmi muttered a curse, firing her rifle at the movement she saw out of the corner of her eye. "Take cover behind the trees. Go!" she encouraged, pushing the crew to move behind a tree, one for each of them. A whistle was heard from afar, and a rain of snowballs followed it. However, instead of plain ice erupting after it hit the ground or the side of the bark of the tree, it burst like a bomb would, creating splinters in the trees and a crack on the ground. "A snowball cannon? How feisty." Jaspreth whistled. "I''m beginning to hate your jolly attitude, too, Jay." Beatrix rolled her eyes. "Focus! We need to find the other players and start decreasing their numbers before they beat us." Nayowmi reminded them, shushing the group of friends. Zera squinted at their surroundings, keeping her senses open. "We need to be serious now. No more games." Zera noted how they have Nayowmi and Beatrix. They each held long-range weapons, which would be helpful in their current situation. She and Jaspreth with Astherielle needed a close range fight. Though Astherielle can throw the daggers too but she can''t guarantee they would automatically come back in her hands. Or would it? "Hey, A-" "Use your player names from here on out. It''s dangerous when someone learns your real identity." Nayowmi snapped before Zera could call out to Astherielle. "Astrid." Zera went on, her eyes fleeting towards Nayowmi for a moment. Astherielle turned to Zera and smiled. "Dang, it''s the first time I heard you call me by my player name. It feels weird." Zera shrugged. "Better be safe than sorry. Anyway, have you tried throwing those daggers of yours?" Astherielle stared at the weapon in her hands and shook her head. "Nope, not yet. Why?" "I was wondering if it could do long range and magically come back to you." Astherielle''s eyes widened. "I never thought of that. Wanna test it now?" "Um¡ª" but before she could stop her, Astherielle threw one dagger towards a tree that innocently stood across from her. It wasn''t so far, but it wasn''t within five inches from her, either. The dagger remained stuck on the tree for a minute before it disappeared and reappeared in Astherielle''s hands. "Oh, EE, I don''t need your guns. These daggers are so cool." "EE?" Nayowmi''s brows furrowed. "Evil Enchantress. I''m lazy, sorry." Nayowmi nodded at Astherielle''s response. "Evil Enchantress, Astrid. Who else?" "Charm." Zera clarified. "Master Trickster at your service, madam!" Jaspreth perked up. Nayowmi took the time to catch each of their gazes, seeming to memorize who was who. "Alright, now we need a plan. The stage boss has yet to come out. But while it''s taking its time, we can eliminate the other players first." "Agreed, and the first step we can do is to locate them. You and EE can take charge in long-range shots. Astrid can join you too. The three of you can spearhead the locating thing with your weapons. Me and the trickster can work out some sneak attacks once they are located." "Not bad. We need bait to make them come out, though" Zera looked at her companions, clearing her throat after several seconds of still silence. "I''ll be the bait." Chapter 10 - Bait "Please, Zera. Do this for me." Zera stared at her father. His expression was indescribable as he went down on his knees while Zera sat on her bed. She now understood why her father was so adamant that she wear a white dress, one that would represent purity, innocence. It was something her father wanted for people to see. Zera looked at the crisp clean suit that got crinkled as her father knelt before her. His eyes were apologetic. While there was an ongoing party downstairs to celebrate her younger brother''s birthday, Zera had run to her room when her father introduced her to his friends, proudly claiming that they were looking at his prot¨¦g¨¦, someone who will follow in his footsteps when the right time comes. "Get up, dad." Zera replied. He was the governor of Hearth and yet he was in his daughter''s room, begging on his knees. He wanted Zera to accept his hopes and dreams for her and in return she wanted to scream at him: Why me? But instead of shouting and rebelling against her father, Zera looked at the floor. She didn''t want to look her father in the eye. "Alright. I''ll do it. But, you have to do me this one favor too," Zera cleared her throat. This time, she let her gaze fall on her father, staring at him in the eye. "Let me go to the high school I want. Give me this freedom and I''ll do everything you ask of me after this phase. That''s a promise." ¨C Zera remembered her promise to her father. She had no plans of dying inside some game. She was her father''s hope. And even when she wished it wasn''t the case, her father was desperate. At her young age, she has yet to understand what real desperation was like. But right now, she could understand how it feels. Brandishing the sword in her hand, Zera stepped out from the tree she was hiding. She looked at her surroundings. "Hey! Whoever you guys are, can we at least be civil for a minute?" She let her voice echo, the frost getting to her. She found it weird listening to the echo of her voice. It reminded her of a time when she recorded herself singing a high tone song after she and Beatrix lost to Astherielle and Jaspreth in a dual game and cringe upon hearing them playing it over and over again. Raising her hand to show that she meant no harm, Zera was trying her best not to show her fear when in truth, her hands were already trembling. "You know," she started, buying her friends some time to get into position and locate where the other team was. "We can actually work together to defeat the big boss before fighting each other. Don''t you agree?" Zera knew she just sounded like an idiot. Who would believe what she was saying? But she wasn''t there to convince them. She was just there to stall and have the attention of the enemy on her. "Umm, I don''t want to be the only one talking here. It''s free¨C" Woosh! Zera had to duck before an arrow could catch her. It missed her by mere inches and she had to glance at it, afraid that it would sail back to her in a matter of minutes. "Okay! No more noisy Charm! Bye!" She made a dash for the nearest tree, placing a hand over her heart. Narrowing her gaze towards the other side where there was a set of trees too, Zera blew out a determined sigh. Unsheathing the sword, she dashed towards the next tree. There were no other movements from her friends, either. If she was to be honest, she didn''t even know where they had gone. "Don''t panic," Zera muttered. "Don''t panic. You have to keep your focus on the task at hand. Okay?" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Shouldn''t there be some sort of a map?" [Accessing map¡­] The familiar mechanical voice rang in her ears, having her snapped her eyes open. Surprisingly, it didn''t cry in the middle of the ice land, alerting everyone of what she was doing. To add, instead of the normal enormous screen they would often see, she had a smaller version of it flashing before her eyes. "Cool." Zera exclaimed. There was a wide platform presented on the mini screen. A lone building stood on the edge and Zera identified it as the tower from before they advanced to stage 2. A few distances from it, the ice land they were on laid bare. Surrounding the white platform, which was covered in ice, red moving dots could be seen. On each dot, there were names on it. She now felt dumb for not thinking about using a map. "Crap. This could have saved us the trouble earlier." But to her dismay, she can only see her friends moving and not the other team. "Stop complaining Zera. Be grateful." She sighed. At least now she knew where her friends were. Jaspreth was able to move to the other side. He was being careful. Beatrix and Nayowmi have scouted on opposite sides while Astherielle followed behind Jaspreth. "Alright. I need to act, too." Zera watched her icy breath as she let out another sigh. The snow was slowly biting through her skin. Raising her sword, she charged on the other side of the trees and lashed at every bush or tree she thought the other team would be hiding. Keeping her senses alert, she ducked upon another arrow flying past her side. She smirked upon knowing where it came from. "Come on, Jay. You got this." Crossing her fingers behind her back, Zera kept on lashing. "Scram!" a voice from her left shouted. It was crisp and clear, like the one who gave the command was used to giving such orders. Perhaps someone from the police force or the military. ''Was that possible?'' Zera wondered. Was it possible for them to come across people as old as their parents or as young as Jaspreth''s youngest sister? The thought made Zera shiver. She almost got hit by an array of bullets if not for someone pushing her to the ground. They rolled off, shivering at the ice particles that clung to their skin. Astherielle caught Zera''s bewildered gaze. "Thanks." "Daydream later, Charm. We are in the middle of chaos." "I wasn''t daydreaming." "Oh well, think about that later." Astherielle got on her feet, dashing forward with a fixed determination in her eyes. Zera caught sight of who her target was. But she managed to get a whiff of the black tail end of its cloth before a figure loomed before her. The first thing she noticed was the scar right above his eyebrow. His shaggy hair was tied with a camouflage band that matched his ripped jacket. The curve of his lips was formed into a devilish smirk as he pulled Zera to her feet, roughly having her back against his chest. A sharp knife was in his hand. He pointed it dangerously close to Zera''s throat. "Nobody moves, or she says bye-bye." Chapter 11 - Buddies "Valentine?" The pretty girl with her super long straight hair that cascaded over her shoulders stared at Zera. Her heart-shaped face and thin lips played in favor with the white top she was wearing. On the V neckline, a checkered black and pink lace criss-crossed on the small holes intended for it, tying on a ribbon at the front. She tucked it in with a high waist skirt that flowed down her thigh. It stopped a few inches above her knee. Matching her white top, she paired it with white sneakers. Zera nodded, extending her right hand towards Mysie Xavier''s daughter. She met her mother a few times when her father tagged her along to get the trope of what he does from time to time. She often heard her mentioning her daughter, but this was the first time she met the said daughter in person. Compared to what she was wearing, Zera suddenly felt conscious. She never paid attention to what she wore before. For the freshmen orientation, she chose her favorite black jumper skirt with a pink rose embroidery on its front pocket by her chest. Since it was the first time she would be liberating from her father''s discriminating eyes, she went on to wear the black ankle boots she bought online a few days before she was to move to Zion for the opening of classes. "Nice to meet you." The pretty girl shook her hand, smiling. "The pleasure is all mine. I''m Beatrix. And please don''t start calling me Xavier. I already have a number of people doing that. It would be great if you don''t belong to them." Zera actually chuckled. "Don''t worry, I won''t, as long as you don''t start calling me Valentine, either. I don''t want a constant reminder of who my father was." Beatrix winked her way, pulling Zera''s arm, interlocking it with hers. "From now on, you and I are gonna be buddies." ¨C Beatrix pointed one of her guns towards Zera''s captor. The other had its tip resting on the forehead of a kid who looked like he was the long-lost son of Tarzan. Golden locks flowed freely over his shoulders. His tan skin and elongated face resembled the cartoon version of it and Beatrix would have found it hilarious if only Zera''s life wasn''t in danger. The son of Tarzan kneeled before her, his axe laid abandoned beside his feet. He had his hands raised in surrender. Fleeting her gaze from the Tarzan boy to Zera''s captor, who resembled a thug with his camouflage attire and the camouflage band tied over his head. The slit of his eyes narrowed at each of them. His steady breathing let them know he was dead serious with his threat. But Beatrix shared the same sentiment. She was going to pull the trigger on both guns if he would put the knife closer to Zera''s throat. "I don''t know about you, but I think my bullets will be faster than your knife. Don''t you think?" Beatrix dared. "You might want to hold that thought." A feminine voice purred somewhere on her right. Turning in that direction, Beatrix found that the owner of the voice blended with what she was wearing, displaying a cat costume minus the tail. In her hands, she was holding a bow and arrow. It was aimed at Beatrix. At the back of her mind, she thought it would have been better if the cat lady chose an amazon type of costume. That would have suited with the weapon of her choice. It was only at that moment that she took a careful assessment of their surroundings. Right before Zera, Astherielle had her daggers ready. A girl dressed in similar black and white sweatpants and camouflage top was in a fight stance in front of her. To her left, Jaspreth was keeping guard, securing the fifth player of the other team. It was a muscular guy and with a few inches of height difference, Beatrix could only assume that if the other guy were to swing the hammer in his hands, he could dice Jaspreth with little effort. Trying not to show her awe, Beatrix wondered where Nayowmi could be and if the other team actually noticed that there were just four of them present. ''Did she run?'' But that was ridiculous. She had nowhere to hide or run. At this, Beatrix tried to think of a possibility where Nayowmi was. She could be hiding and waiting for the perfect opportunity to spring forth. Silently hoping that it was the case, in her mind, Beatrix crossed her fingers and thought about keeping the other group distracted, provided they had yet to ask where their fifth player was. Scoffing, Beatrix let her forefinger hover on the triggers of both guns. She didn''t know what Nayowmi had in mind. She surely should be watching the scene right now. To add, she had a rifle. A long-range shot could be enough to tip the scale in their favor. But that was still dependent if their team would be quick enough to act and finish off their opponent before they were to face the big boss and advance to the next stage. "I could still argue that my bullet would be faster than that arrow." Smirking at the other team, Beatrix caught Zera''s gaze. She was surprisingly calm. But that might have been because of the experiences she had. Her father was the governor. It was not a tremendous surprise if anyone would be pointing a knife at her throat or any form of weapon. With their parents running the finances and other affairs that contribute to Hearth''s well-balanced system, Beatrix had learned at a young age how to remain calm in dire situations. It was no easy feat. But with her mother preparing her for the worst before she would be forced to pass her legacy on to Beatrix, Beatrix was able to master it. She had a better control of her emotions when faced with danger. Her mother used to say that remaining calm allows her to be able to think straight and figure out her next move. Panicking never helps. Catching Zera''s gaze for the second time, the look on her friend''s face greatly confused her. She had her eyes open wide as she stared at the trees across from her. The need to know instantly ate at her. It didn''t take long for Beatrix to give whatever it was that Zera was staring at, a quick glance. At that moment, she too had her eyes going animatedly wide at what she was seeing. Chapter 12 - Much Needed Distraction "No!" Astherielle had screamed. They were losing the game and Beatrix was yet to join them. She said it was only going to take her a few minutes. Those few minutes were closing in on an hour. They were in the hallway, sitting against the wall outside one classroom on the second floor of their campus building. Jaspreth was cursing beside her. "We have crappy teammates. Where''s Beatrix at?" "I don''t know. Ugh. I''m no longer interested in keeping up the fight. This sucks." Putting her phone down, Astherielle looked to her left, where she finally saw Beatrix approaching them. Beside her, a girl in a jumper skirt and boots came along. "Hey, it seems like Beatrix found a new friend." Jaspreth looked up from his phone, his mouth dropping open in an ''O.'' "Holy crap. Don''t you recognize her?" Astherielle gave the girl another look. She had a pixie cut. If she added highlights to her hair, it would have made her look cuter. "Um, should I?" "She''s Governor Valentine''s second daughter." Gasping, Astherielle stared at the girl beside Beatrix, who was now standing right in front of them. Getting on her feet, she immediately extended her hand towards her. "Astherielle Mizuni. Nice to meet you." Zera looked at the other pretty girl who had her wavy hair in two pigtails, sporting some bangs over her forehead. The black shirt and checkered skirt she was wearing were giving off her playful vibes. The guy sitting beside her had almost a uniform shirt. His blue jeans and sneakers fitted him right too. In Zera''s mind, she was thinking supermodels might surround her instead of usual high school students. Shaking Astherielle''s hands, Zera smiled. "Zera." Astherielle beamed. The guy beside her took his turn to shake her hand, grinning at her. "Jaspreth, you can call me Jay." "Nice to meet you, Jay." Zera smiled. Beatrix looked over at their phones and frowned. "You both started a game without me." she folded her arms over her chest. "You were taking so long." Astherielle complained. "And you lost." Beatrix smirked, turning to Zera. "Do you play mobile games?" Zera shook her head. "Are you serious?" Astherielle blinked. "What do you do in your free time?" "Reading." "Oh, dang. You need to level up, girl. Reading is just¡­ ugh." Beatrix clicked her tongue, opening her hands, palms up towards Zera. "Hand your phone over. You need a new hobby." ¨C "DUCK!" Jaspreth screamed at all of them. Beatrix had pulled the trigger, releasing one bullet each for the two members of the other team. She watched as the translucent screen appeared before their heads, showing their lowered health points when her bullets grazed them. For the Tarzan boy, he had clutched his shoulders while Zera''s captor stumbled on his feet. Amid the chaos, Beatrix was relieved that the cat lady forgot to shoot her arrow, running for cover towards the trees as she saw the same thing which Zera was seeing. If she was to shoot a few more bullets, they''d be finished. However, with the command to duck, she had to dive on the ground to avoid being at the receiving end of Nayowmi''s own version of the snowball which only moments ago had been thrown their way. While Zera and her friends were busily facing off with the other team, Nayowmi invaded their lair and used their own weapon against them. This had Zera whistling and appreciating being on the same team as Nayowmi. Otherwise, they might have been the ones suffering the lowered health points. Astherielle had inflicted a minor wound on the other girl player while Jaspreth had successfully evaded the other team player''s hammer. A snowball coming his way saved him from getting smashed to bits, the snow by his feet clearing, splashing it on its surrounding. Running towards the nearest tree, Zera took cover as Nayowmi continued to fire from what Zera could imagine was a cannon. Most of the other team players had dispersed, leaving Zera and her friends alone. The realization brought Zera some relief. However, when she thought it was over, a low rumble from the ground had her looking from her left to right. On the south end, the vast whiteness seemed to move, having Zera gasped upon concluding what it might be. "Guys!" she screamed. "Snow storm!" Her warning had Astherielle, Jaspreth, and Beatrix looking in the same direction. The four of them dashed deeper into the trees, seeking shelter and trying not to panic. "Okay, how are we supposed to hide in these trees? The storm could easily overtake us, no matter how much we try to hide in here." Beatrix lamented. Zera frantically eyed their surroundings, looking for any form of cover. The collection of trees seemed to stretch on forever. Right when she was about to let out a frustrated sigh, a large pine tree had its bottom carved open in a cave like fashion. "There!" Zera pointed towards it, encouraging her friends to run faster despite the rumble on the ground, which grew louder. The space wasn''t massive. The four friends had to huddle, sticking close to each other to fit inside the cave-like opening. "Phew." Jaspreth muttered, hovering close to the opening. He took off his red vest and stretched it on the mouth of their hiding place to keep some of the snow from coming in. Zera leaned against the tree. She eyed her friends and couldn''t be more grateful to have all of them intact. "When this is all over," Astherielle breathed. "Do you guys want to go camping?" "No," Beatrix immediately replied. "I''d rather we just have a movie night and enjoy some popcorn and soda." Zera nodded, agreeing with Beatrix''s comment. "Popcorn and soda¡­" Zera trailed off. "Come to think of it. We have eaten nothing for the last few hours." "Surprisingly, I don''t even feel hungry." Jaspreth eyed Zera. "Me neither." Astherielle seconded, and she was the resident food lover among the four. "Huh." Silence had enveloped them as they waited out the storm with Jaspreth fighting off the shivers as bits of cold air passed through. His outstretched hand was now hurting. Several minutes ticked, Zera counted to five after no longer sensing the rumbles and hearing the wind whistling. Lowering his arms, Jaspreth was the first one to take a peek and gestured with his head that it was safe to come out. Rubbing her arms, Zera immediately came out and stared at the snow that doubled its covering on everything around them, the cold rising to a higher temperature.. "Map." Zera stated, getting the hang of summoning the translucent screen. She summoned the map''s vicinity once more, her eyes scanning for where Nayowmi might be. Engrossed at her discovery, Jaspreth stared at Zera. The other two coming towards her as well. "Whoa, we''ve been so dumb this whole time." He muttered. "We''re new to everything around here, so that''s a given." Zera replied, dismissing his concern. Locating Nayowmi, Zera breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness she''s alright." Astherielle voiced out. "Can we locate the other teams using that map as well?" Zera shrugged at Beatrix. She blew out an exasperated breath. "Probably not. It might be deemed as cheating." Jaspreth snorted. "Ugh, that would at least be advantageous." "Advantageous but not playing fair." Jaspreth retorted. "How do we know they aren''t doing the same?" Beatrix snapped back. "Guys," Zera shook her head. "We don''t have time to argue. We need to make use of having the advantage of our health points being intact." "Great job. We almost lost our heads, though." Jaspreth stated. "Sorry." Zera muttered. "That was my bad." "Eh, Nayowmi saved the day. But where is she?" Beatrix commented. "She might be stuck on the other side." Astherielle pointed at her unmoving dot. "She''s great and knows what she''s doing. So I''m assuming she''s alright, fingers crossed." "We need to divide the task. Two of us should find Nayowmi and the other two should focus on the big boss until we are reunited." Zera caught her friend''s gazes. "Before that, we need to know what we''re facing first." Jaspreth replied. "Of course. But how do we know that?" Zera put a hand on her hip, blowing out a sigh. "Um, guys?" Astherielle pointed towards the south, the same direction where the snowstorm came from, eyeing a moving silhouette which their view of the area allowed them to see. Two red eyes were the first thing they noticed against the white fog which the snowstorm had left. "Ugh, I am not liking this one bit." Beatrix commented. "None of us do." Astherielle turned to her friends, sighing. "Okay. Why don''t EE and Astrid find Nayowmi? You both have long-range weapons. Master Tricks and I will take care of the big boss until you secure her." "Will you two be alright?" Beatrix asked. Zera glanced towards Jaspreth. He nodded, fixed determination in his eyes. "He is our best fighter and I am the best support. I think we can make it out alive. Plus, I''m sure the other team would focus on the monster, as it seemed to have moved towards their turf." Zera''s comment had the rest of her friends follow her gaze. The fog was clearing and they could see an enormous form trudging towards the other side from where they were at. "Okay, it''s time to move." Jaspreth eyed the two. "You can activate the map too, I guess, and follow Nayowmi. Remember, none of us likes our situation, but I want to come back in time to meet with my girl." "If we aren''t in such a mess, I would actually be so proud and find that very sweet, Jay." Beatrix put a hand over her heart. She rolled her eyes right after and gestured for Astherielle to follow her. "We''ll be quick. But for now, good luck!" Astherielle called out, waving as she disappeared with Beatrix, following Nayowmi''s tracks. Zera breathed out a sigh. The icy breath that came out had her wondering if they were doing the right thing. "We''re not really killing them, right?" Jaspreth stared at her. "Are you worried about that?" "You''re not?" Jaspreth shrugged. "It''s a game. I''m uncertain what is real and what is not, but let''s just do what we must. I know that sounded selfish, but Z, if we don''t win, we''d be the ones on the losing end." Biting on her lower lip, Zera stared at Jaspreth for a long time. She glanced towards the approaching beast and then back at him. "I want to go home, too." Zera took a deep breath, releasing a nervous sigh right after. "They''re not real." She muttered. "Nope." Jaspreth agreed.. "But we are." Chapter 13 - Stage Boss *Modern day: 4050 August 31 Location: Hearth; City: Zion; Population: 2,107,257 Inhabitants. Back at Jaspreth''s basement¡­ Switching on the lights in the basement, Mathilde Harris shook her head at her son, still fast asleep on the couch. His phone was on his chest, covered by his hand. He must have been texting before he fell asleep. On the corner beside the stairs, she watched the three girls who were all daughters of big shots whom her husband sometimes disliked. Sighing, she approached her son and tapped him by the shoulders. "It''s late, get up Jay. You and your friends need to eat." There was no response. She tried to shake him. Jaspreth remained unconscious. Mathilde grabbed her son''s hand and checked for a pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief, but began to worry. "Jay!" She shook him harshly now. His phone fell on the floor, but Jaspreth never opened his eyes. Horrified, Mathilde ran towards the tent where the three girls were still fast asleep, too. She checked for pulses and was glad to find that they were alive. However, like her son, none of them had woken to her nudging them. "What''s going on?" She muttered as she got on her feet. Cupping her hands over her mouth, she screamed her husband''s name. The forty-year-old police officer, who was already in his uniform, came rushing upon his wife''s frantic screams. "There''s something wrong with the kids. They''re not waking up. Call the medical staff now." Daniel Harris stared at his wife''s worried face for a moment before pressing the call button on his wristwatch. A translucent screen popped up from its mini screen, providing him with his list of contacts. "Call medics." He prompted. The dialer forwarded him to the medical center''s number. On the second ring, they picked his call. "What may be the matter, sir?" A voice sprung forth from the small speaker of the watch he was wearing. "I need an ambu-car in my house as soon as possible. My children and his friends," he paused and looked at his wife. "I tried to wake them up, but neither of them are responding. They''re alive though. I checked for pulses." "They seem to have fallen into a coma." Daniel Harris walked towards the girls by the tent. He knew each of their parents and he was not liking what was happening. The closest to him was the governor''s daughter, Zera. Her hair had grown over her shoulders. He remembered meeting her for the first time some three years ago when Jaspreth brought the three girls over. She was nothing like her father. "Sending a team of medics in ten minutes, sir." With the call coming to an end, the small translucent screen also disappeared. Daniel Harris crouched and gently took Zera''s hand, putting his index and middle finger over her wrist, verifying that her wife had spoken the truth. "What is going on, Dani?" "We cannot tell yet, but we need to let their parents know." ¨C "Holy crap." Jaspreth muttered, the full size of the stage boss was larger than the previous winged beast they had faced in the former stage and it had taken five of them to finish the stubborn monster off. "It''s a big mama bear." Zera muttered, noting its not so pointed ears, the white fur and its feet and hands resembling that of a bear. Zera stood beside him right where they had been a little while back when they had to face off with the other players. It was only a few feet away from the beast. The monster was busy lashing at the other team to notice them, though. "Plans?" Zera asked. She was trying to make her brain work on how they can defeat the stage boss without dying first. "First off, what the hell is that?" [BorZ Gen4560; HP: 110,000] "What? It has that many health points!? Dang!" Jaspreth knew it would most likely take them forever to take it down if it was just him and Zera trying to tackle the humongous beast. "It''s just stage 2 too. Imagine how big of those health points we''d be needing to deal with in the next rounds." Jaspreth shook his head. "We''re dead." "We can''t die. Under my watch, no one is allowed to die." Jaspreth scoffed. "Alright. Let''s not die, Z. But with our combined attack points, we need to make sure each of them counts. If we missed, we''d be delaying finishing it." Jaspreth paused for a minute, eyeing the big bear up and down. "Or we can let the other team attack it too, finish them later and ta-da, win-win." At that moment, Zera wanted to smack Jaspreth in the head with a hammer. Although his logic wasn''t far off, there was still some danger with that decision. "If we let that happen, they might have already thought of ways to take us down." "Yes. But come to think of it. It would be faster to kill the stage boss if all of us worked together." Zera bit her lower lip. Jaspreth was making a hard case. In the first place, Zera didn''t even want to harm anyone. If she can help it, she''d prefer to fight monsters than their fellow players. "Let''s just focus on figuring out how to deal with the big boss and the other one later." Jaspreth let out a sigh. He stared at the large enemy, who continued to search the trees, throwing a few away from its path like it was paper. Its health points had decreased as the other team retaliated, guns fired and their cannon balls too. "Oh, well. At least. Would you look at that? It''s losing health points. Yay." Jaspreth glanced at Zera. The latter only rolled her eyes. "Come on." They both trudged on their way to the enormous bear, their weapons raised. "I''ve been wondering if we have completely disappeared from our reality or if we just came here as souls. I mean, did our bodies remain in my house''s basement? What we are seeing can be nothing but shells of our souls that were somehow sucked into this game." "Let''s hope the second theory is right. I don''t feel so confident about swinging a sharp sword against anyone we encounter. The thought alone is making me shiver." Without knowing what was on their way, Jaspreth stepped on a stiff branch but for some reason, despite it being under the snow, a sound of it snapping echoed in their surroundings. The beast seemed to have caught on. Its red eyes had turned towards where he and Zera were standing. "Um, should I be scared now?" Zera muttered, her eyes never leaving the beast as it opened its wide mouth and let out an ear-splitting roar. Chapter 14 - Roar When Alexander Valentine received the call regarding Zera, he began to shake uncontrollably. Clearing his entire schedule, he rushed to the medical center where she and her friends had been confined. Startled and shaking his head in disbelief, he clenched his hands into fists as he watched his unconscious daughter lying inside a special room with her friends in it. Mysie Xavier was there too, pacing back and forth, and so was Judge Mizuni. Surprised that his daughter was able to make such friends, he turned to her, seeing part of his reflection against the glass window. The oxygen tank stood on each side of the children''s beds and they were steadily breathing, but according to the report he had received, they haven''t woken up since then. They were isolated, as their case was unknown. They had fallen into a state of coma, but they weren''t seemingly in a fatal condition. Before coming to the medical center the night before, Alexander Valentine had a strange dream. He found himself standing in the middle of a white space. For a minute, it occurred to him that he must have died. But several minutes later, the atmosphere had changed into a bluish hue, giving him the chills as blue smoke arose in his surroundings. Amidst the arising mist, a silhouette of a woman came clear to him. Squinting to take a better look, he thought he saw three horns protruding on top of her head, which were pulled backward. Her long white hair was carefully braided behind her. He had wanted to see what the woman looked like. She was wearing an off shoulder feather dress in gray and it cascaded down her feet. However, she had her back to him. "Hello?" Alexander Valentine tried to call out. He gulped back his fear of the unknown and who the woman might be. "Valentine." Her voice rang loud and clear, echoing in his vast surroundings. Alexander valentine stepped forward tentatively. "Yes? Who am I speaking to? What''s happening?" "I''m the only one allowed to ask questions in this scenario. Aren''t you even more concerned about why you''re here?" "I am. But I want to understand what''s going on before trying to learn why I''m here. This is nothing but a dream." He heard a melodious chuckle. "Is it?" The woman replied. "It could be. However, we''re not here to talk about whether this is a dream or not." "Okay. What do you want then?" "You do not know me. Or maybe you do." He watched as the woman slightly glanced his way. He still couldn''t get a better hold of what she looked like. "What do you mean? What are you even?" There was another chuckle. "I guess they buried it so well. But a wrongful deed shall never go unpunished. You may have escaped my wrath. But I will tell you this. Your children will suffer the consequences of what your ancestors have done. And their suffering is your suffering too." Laughter erupted, echoing all around him. That was the last thing that he remembered before waking up from that strange dream. Staring at Zera''s unconscious form and the unknown cause of her comatose state, he began to feel scared. Stepping away from the crystal window that allowed him to see his daughter''s condition, Alexander Valentine pulled out his phone and dialed a number. He waited for the other end to pick up. On the third ring, he finally heard the person he wished to speak to say hello. "I need to speak with you right now." ¨C "ROOOOOOAAAAR!" The entire ground shook as the enormous beast lunged for Zera and Jaspreth. Pulling her arm, Jaspreth dragged Zera to evade the two large paws which the big bear was about to slam on the ground where they were standing. "I don''t know how we can actually start attacking that thing, but we need to think fast!" Zera declared. Jaspreth nodded, huffing as they jumped and almost lost their footing when the ice residue from the bear''s paws slamming on the ground showered over them. Halting and turning to face their enemy, Zera and Jaspreth raised their weapons. "Well, we''ve faced head-on bigger monsters like this in some games, haven''t we?" Jaspreth chuckled nervously. "Those were unreal, Jay. That," Zera pointed the tip of her samurai sword towards the bear whose size was five times larger than any tall building she had seen. "Is no joke. Plus, we don''t know what will happen if it beat us in losing our health points." "I don''t even want to try any experiment on it." "Neither do I. One thing which I''ll hate the most if ever that happens is that I might end up having to fight you guys." Jaspreth muttered a curse. "I wouldn''t want that either. So let''s do a better job in defeating this beast, as I''m sure the other three will be joining us soon." "How much attack damage do you have again?" Zera looked at Jaspreth, to which he replied with a shrug. "Profile." [Player Name: MasterTrickster] [Gender: Male] [Player level: Beginner] [Class: Fighter] [Affinity: Crow] [Mana Points: 750] [Attack Damage: 1350] [Weapon: Axe of the gods lv.1] [HP: 700] "Oh," Zera bit down on her lip. "So, we got added points if we passed the level. Huh. Profile." [Player Name: Charm] [Gender: Female] [Player level: Beginner] [Class: Support] [Affinity: Hawk] [Mana Points: 800] [Attack Damage: 1300] [Weapon: Sword of doom lv.1] [HP: 700] It was Zera''s turn to mutter an indescribable curse. Combining their attack points, they only have 2650 per one attack they make. The beasts in front of them have a hundred thousand health points left. By the time they beat it, they''d be sore and would need an hour''s sleep before being able to move along to the next level. How would they even make it out alive? "We need a miracle." Jaspreth breathed. "No," Zera contradicted. She watched the bear make a beeline heading towards them. Because of its enormous body, it couldn''t move as swiftly as they could. An arrow flew towards it, barely grazing the bear''s fur as it whisked it away with its paws like swatting a fly. "We need to make the miracle happen, Jay. I think I have an idea." Zera didn''t take her eyes off of the big boss. "Care to explain before it actually reaches us?" "Our weapons won''t do the work. We need something large to make a difference. I''m not sure if this would work, but there''s nothing to lose if we try." "Okay. So, you want us to find something to hit it with? Perhaps a large stake with a sharp edge?" Zera nodded. "The thing is: we don''t have time to make one. However, you have an axe. Let''s make use of that." "Hold on, you want me to start chopping trees? Is that it?" Zera blew out a sigh. "Sort of, yeah. But it needs to be cut unevenly to make the sharp edge." Jaspreth''s eyes widened. "Oh dang! Z, your idea got me fired up." Zera flipped her hair and smiled at Jaspreth. "Of course.. Aside from charm, I can be smart, too." Chapter 15 - Head-on "Argh! Why is this not chopping off?" Jaspreth exclaimed. His arm was getting sore from cutting down a few trees unevenly as planned. Along their way as they try to maintain a suitable distance from the monstrous thing, he was able to cut through a few barks. The ones that were left standing were those that were out of their reach and didn''t have enough time to make the cut. Zera was in charge of clearing the path, so if they managed to fool the bear to run after them further into the trees, there was a chance it would either step or smash on the unevenly cut trees. Grimacing at the thought of its palms passing right through a jagged end, she could only imagine the pain. It made her almost gag. But it was either the monster or them. She had no plans of losing her friends to some unrealistic monster. "If it doesn''t budge, let it be," Jaspreth sighed, leaving the unwilling tree. He moved on to the next. The beast was slowly making its way towards them. "You know, if this was a zombie movie, I think we''d be dead." Jaspreth commented. Zera rolled her eyes at him. "If this was a zombie movie, we''d be running all around, throwing snowballs at every zombie we find. Also, I think I''d prefer to fight them off any day compared to humongous beasts with so many health points." "Right. When we come across such monsters on the next level, I''ll blame you." Zera forced herself to laugh. She heaved and with all her might, cleared their path, pulling away the fallen trees which Jaspreth had successfully cut. Normally, Zera could hardly push a heavy object without aid. However, she realized that their attack points managed to give them some extra strength. But it was still a struggle. Sweat had broken out on her forehead. "I''d finally have a reason to use my weapon, so sure. If they would offer more guns at the next levels, I''d happily switch. It seems more fitting to use on most occasions." Jaspreth snorted. "Imagine if all of us had guns. What about close combat? I mean, we could brawl just fine." Jaspreth cleared his throat, a faint memory of Zera throwing him off after a few practices with his uncle coming to his mind. "You know what? Never mind. Do as you please." Zera shook her head, grinning despite feeling the cold and exhaustion combined. It surprised her how she managed to sweat even when it was freezing in their surroundings. If she was back in reality, she''d be worried. Yet, with them stuck inside the game, the concept of what was real and what wasn''t, mixed in her head. She was treating everything as both real and unreal. The threat between her and her friend''s lives were real. Their surroundings and all else; it can be unreal. Computer-made monsters that spurt out colorful blood, weapons that appear out of thin air, different settings for every stage. Zera could name a few more but decided to end her list there, coming back to reality. "I''m not that good at actual combat, Jay. You saw that earlier. I should have pushed that guy off, disarmed him." Zera breathed out a sigh. "But I just stood there like an idiot." "To be fair, you were taken by surprise." "That''s making an excuse, to be honest." "Ugh," Jaspreth swung his axe and made a huge cut on the current tree he was attacking. "Whatever, Charm. I remember the three of you harassing me for ice cream after each took turns slamming me on the ring." Jaspreth made a face. "Hey, your uncle said you made a bet with him. That wasn''t our fault." Jaspreth snorted once again. He watched the tree fall on the ground with a thud while Zera dragged it away to clear their path once more. She glanced back towards the gigantic bear and sighed. "It''s coming close. We can stop here perhaps and see how we can take turns in lowering its health points." "If there''s some sort of another animal around, I''d gladly use that as bait and have it chase me down here." Zera perked up, but Jaspreth shook his head. "No, don''t say it." "I was going to agree with you." Zera clarified, knowing Jaspreth caught her before she could volunteer to be the bait once more. "This needed to be a different bait. I need you to back me up on the attacks." Sighing, Zera unsheathed her samurai sword and stood beside Jaspreth. "ROOOOAAAAARR!" the beast belted out, shaking the ground with its cry of fury. "We should be panicking," Jaspreth stated, tilting his head as he tightened his grip on the axe he was holding. "Oh yeah? Do you want me to start screaming for effect?" Zera replied, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. Jaspreth nodded. "You should. The calmness is scaring me." "The last time I remembered screaming was when we almost forgot Beatrix''s birthday cake on the way to her place." Jaspreth couldn''t help but chuckle at the memory. It was the first time he saw Zera lose control, screamed once while they were in the elevator to surprise Beatrix. Even Astherielle couldn''t stop but laugh at that when all three of them ran to buy a different birthday cake. The one they had prepared had sat inside Zera''s fridge. Beatrix wouldn''t have minded, but Zera overreacted, as it was her first time trying to surprise a friend. Since both of them were away from their parents, she thought it was a big deal having to have the cake. Beatrix appreciated the gesture, but wished she was there to witness Zera losing her cool. "That was one epic day." "I know." Zera blew out a sigh. She zeroed in on the enormous bear whose footsteps shook the ground. Glancing towards Jaspreth, Zera tilted her head. "Are you ready?" Zera smirked his way. The ground shook even further as the gigantic beast came close. It seemed excited that its target had stopped moving. Jaspreth got into position, turning to face the big boss head-on. "I was born ready, Z." Chapter 16 - On The Count Of Three Jaspreth exchanged glances with Zera. The latter nodded her head and focused on the approaching beast. They watched it run towards them. Its heavy body made it difficult for the beast to move swiftly.. When it first crossed the spiked trees, one of its paws caught on and cut through the sharp edge of the bark they had cut. The enormous monster bellowed, shaking the ground with its painful howl while Jaspreth watched its health points depleting by a thousand. "Holy moly! It actually worked Z!" He exclaimed. The big bear continued to howl in pain, wary of pursuing towards Zera and Jaspreth as of the moment. Pursuing the beast while it took a step back, Jaspreth raised his axe and swung towards the bear''s feet. It let out a deafening cry as he was able to deplete another set of its health points with Zera following him, slicing as much as she can through its thick skin. "Dang." Zera muttered. "We need to lure it further. But now it''s scared of pursuing us. How do we accomplish such a thing?" Just as the question left Zera''s mouth, a tumultuous array of bullets came raining on the still howling big bear. Both Zera and Jaspreth watched as its health points lowered with every bullet that grazed through its skin. Determined to finish the fight with the big boss sooner, they simultaneously attacked it where they could, dancing as it lashed at them angrily only to pierce its other paw in another one of their trap. Zera could imagine how painful the wounds were. A minor cut could almost make her cry when she was little. How much more being pierced by a sharp tip with it cutting right through the skin? She shivered at the thought, reminding herself that it wasn''t real. What she was seeing was a trick of the eye, an illusion. "It''s not real." She muttered, convincing herself as she joined Jaspreth in continuously trying to blow an attack on the beast. The rain of bullets only doubled. [BorZ Gen4560; HP: 70,000] "We''re halfway there!" Jaspreth shouted. At the moment, he didn''t even know who he was aiming that announcement for. It seems the other team had joined them in taking down the enormous monster, the array of bullets coming from both sides of where they had a brief stand-off with the other team earlier. "Come on!" Zera heard the other team''s leader screaming. Briefly, she looked at her surroundings and tried to assess what was happening. Beatrix and Astherielle, together with Nayowmi, were attacking the big boss. The other team who had guns were doing the same. Those who weren''t had mimicked what Jaspreth and Zera were doing. With all of their attack points combined, they were making a vast difference on the beast''s health points. It was decreasing at the expense of each of them getting more and more exhausted with every attack. [BorZ Gen4560; HP: 35,000] Zera wanted to dance for joy, but she knew it was still too early to celebrate. She would cheer with victory once the big boss had fallen on its death, its health bar turning to 0. "Taunt it towards us, Z! Let''s go!" Jaspreth screamed at Zera, his voice almost impossible to hear amidst the howls of pain and the firing of bullets. She made a face, but knew what Jaspreth was thinking. They need to be the ones to kill the big boss. From the other games they have played, Zera learned that being the one who defeats the stage boss gives the dealer more points. She had yet to confirm this theory, but she was sure it should work the same way, too. "Hey!" Zera called out, brandishing her sword towards the big bear, trying to get its attention but her efforts were in vain, the monstrous bear lashing at its other pursuers. "HEY!" she screamed even louder. This time, the beasts turned its full attention on Zera, its red eyes narrowing towards her. "Uh-oh, time to run." she muttered, heading towards the small maze of sharp edges she and Jaspreth had made. "Okay! Mission accomplished!" She was close to singing, joining Jaspreth as they watched the beast pull out it''s caught paw, sprinkling crimson blood against the snow. It zeroed in on Zera, its glare murderous. "I''m going to be honest. I think I made the big mama so mad now." Jaspreth wanted to laugh at her comment, but he couldn''t. Zera was right. The monstrous boss had turned super angry that even its face had turned fury red. "Crap." They both muttered, the beast howling for the last time before it trudged towards them. From time to time, its feet would get caught in one of the sharp trees, but unlike before, it walked on, ignoring the blood which had scattered more evenly on its path, coming closer towards the two. "Um," Zera started. "I think this is the part where we start screaming." She gulped nervously, regretting part of the decision of calling out the beast towards them. However, looking at the health points depleting, Zera crossed her fingers with her heart thundering against her chest. [BorZ Gen4560; HP: 7,000] There were exactly ten sharp edges of the trees in front of her and Jaspreth. If the beast stepped on all of it, the big boss would have died before it could even reach them. At the back of Zera''s mind, she was hoping that it was what would happen. [BorZ Gen4560; HP: 6,000] Muttering a curse, Zera felt like she was waiting for a death sentence. The others had watched from their standpoint, their attacks seeming to have no effect, as the red-faced monster must have activated some sort of a shield. "Dumb." Zera wanted to retort. It should have activated its shield from earlier. But that would be a challenge on their part. If it had chosen to activate its shield, they would have had a hard time trying to finish the beast. [BorZ Gen4560; HP: 4,000] With no certainty, Jaspreth held his axe ready. Following his move, Zera gripped her sword as well. They stood side by side; the beast moving at a speed they could still consider moderately slow. [BorZ Gen4560; HP: 2,000] Eyeing each other, Zera and Jaspreth knew it was now or never. "On the count of three." Jaspreth took a deep breath.. He fixed Zera with a determined gaze. "Three!" Chapter 17 - Fighting For A Cause "Raaah¡­" Jaspreth''s battle cry slowly died on his lips as he and Zera watched the beast coming to its end, the health points flashing on the screen decreasing until it showed a lone number: 0. There was deafening silence, both teams staring at the disappearing form of the big boss, its pixels vanishing into thin air before them instead of falling with a loud thud on the ground. Jaspreth and Zera exchanged glances, immediately catching the smirk from the hammer guy whom Jaspreth had the chance to face off with from earlier standing a few feet away from where the big boss used to be, holding a cannon head in his hand, a small essence of white smoke still visible from it. Zera wanted to scream at the guy that it was supposed to be their kill. However, she gradually accepted that the guy was a kill stealer. Those are the kind of players whom Zera hated. But now that the big boss had disappeared, each player raised their weapons, aiming it towards the opponents of the other team. The still silence surrounded them while she and Jaspreth had stood back to back. Nayowmi was pointing her rifle towards the cat girl. Beatrix had her guns readily aimed at the leader and the other girl while Astherielle had locked her gaze towards the boy who reminded Zera so much of Tarzan. Nobody dared to move. Each waiting for anyone to begin. Zera could only imagine how things would play out before them. None of them would win. But would anyone be willing to listen if she was to say what was on her mind? A few minutes after nothing happened, Zera raised her hands, calling out a truce as she slowly sheathed her sword. Jaspreth glanced her way, frowning. "What are you doing?" "Shh," Zera replied, her eyes wandering at each of those present around her. "Look, I know each of us wanted nothing but to get to the next level and in order for that to happen, we need to fight each other off." She pushed, catching the gaze of the guy in the camouflage outfit. It only occurred to Zera that they were almost the same age, if she was only to base this on his physique. His eyes bore into Zera, a smirk on his lips, but he made no attempt to disrupt her speech. "However, can''t you see? I don''t think any of us will win. To add, you have fewer health points than we do." A chuckle came for the cat lady, instantly having Zera turn towards her. She held her bow and arrow in hand which was aimed towards Nayowmi, but her gaze was trained on Zera. "If at least one player from our team survived, we can easily redeem our health points in the next levels." Zara pinched the bridge of her nose. "That''s not my point." Zera narrowed her gaze at the cat lady. "The thing is, you''ll leave this game and move on to the other level with a bare minimum of what you will gain by the added points in each category. How would you fare with the other team? They can be more ruthless than us." Zera blew out an exasperated sigh. "I''m not saying this to you alone. I''m saying this for my team, too." Zera eyed her friends, even Nayowmi, who didn''t seem to budge. She held Zera''s gaze but she couldn''t read any reaction from her, her rifle still readily aimed at the lady dressed in a cat costume. "What then?" the familiar voice whom Zera remembered had barked out orders earlier turned her attention to the owner, the camouflage guy. "What do you propose we do? Our only way out of this stage is to defeat you. And vice versa. Or are you proposing that we rig it?" Cat lady scoffed. "How do we even manage to do that? Hello? There was no instruction manual about this thing. If not for the money, I wouldn''t even have tried this game out." "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up," Beatrix suddenly felt confused. "What money?" The cat lady scoffed, rolling her eyes upon catching Beatrix''s astounded expression. "Didn''t you all download the game and wanted to try it out for the hundred million credits reward when you and your team win?" Zera exchanged glances with her friends. She tried to recall any part of the gameplay where it might have been written, but they missed it out for a reason. However, she pulled nothing but a blank. "No. We never saw such a thing." Zera contemplated, her mind working on something. She was trying to grasp this revelation. Searching for an answer, her eyes landed on Nayowmi. "Did you know about this?" Zera tried not to sound accusatory. She couldn''t tell if this was a trick to get them to fight amongst each other and be taken down by the other team or if this was the truth. If it was the truth, Zera could only draw one conclusion from it: they were dragged into the game for a reason. Nayowmi held Zera''s gaze once again, the small slit of her eyes not wavering. Zera waited for her response, the cold biting through her skin once more. "Yes." The one worded reply had Zera clenching her hands into fists. She was mad and at the same time confused, not knowing what to make of what she had figured out. The anger was burning inside her chest. "That doesn''t make sense." Jaspreth scratched the back of his head. "The entire game doesn''t make sense." Beatrix muttered. Zera wanted to scream. She wanted to be mad at someone. But she didn''t know who to let her anger out on. Hence, she dropped her weapon on the snow, looking towards the skies, smirking despite the rage of emotions swirling inside her chest. "Whoever you are," Zera seethed. "Whatever game you are playing, keep me and my friends out of it. We stop here." She narrowed her gaze, challenging anyone who was watching them. Her anger was boiling within her. She had to clench and unclench her hands to keep herself calm. The unfairness of their situation clashed with her logic. Jaspreth lay a hand on Zera''s shoulder. "Enough, Z. It won''t do us any good." Zera glared at Jaspreth, sitting on the snow and folding her arms over her chest. "Unless I get a response, I''m no longer taking part in this stupid game." Chapter 18 - Puzzle Pieces With Zera refusing to do anything, the rest of their opponents secured their weapons towards them. Jaspreth was left to crouch and try to make Zera understand their situation. "Z," he whispered, watching her defiant gaze remain on the vast whiteness ahead of them. Her arms were folded over her chest. "I understand how you feel. I too want to be mad about our situation, but this is not the time for you to act like this." Sharply turning her attention towards Jaspreth, Zera glared at him. She made sure to level her tone with his, briefly glancing at her surroundings. She noticed the other team looking at her and Jaspreth. Part of her felt relieved that they didn''t take advantage of her sudden outburst. "Act like what?" she countered. "Don''t you see Jay? All other players know something we didn''t. They are all here for the money." Jaspreth let out an exasperated sigh. He mimicked Zera, eyeing their opponent one by one. Each of them seemed to be waiting for Zera and Jaspreth to finish talking, like waiting for the verdict coming from Zera. Either that or they may be curious what happens if the game maker would actually give Zera a response. Truth be told? Jaspreth was actually counting on it, too. "I know that. I''m beginning to understand that this game might have been rigged right from the start." Zera locked gazes with Jaspreth. He shook his head at Zera, letting her know he cannot speak further than what he already said. He had no death wish just yet. Scoffing, Zera rolled her eyes. She looked at each player around them. She still didn''t understand why she and her friends were specifically chosen. But for the time being, she wanted to figure out a way for all of them to make it to the next level. She refused to follow the game. It was her way of rebelling. Not bothering to pick up her sword, she tapped Jaspreth on the shoulders, using him as her support to get back on her feet. "Alright. I still won''t play as they want me to. But, as you have said," Zera looked at the cat lady, letting her gaze linger on her. "You all joined because of the money. But that''s not the same case for us." Zera paused, tilting her head to the side while she considered Nayowmi. "At least for me and my friends." The cat lady snorted. She finally dropped her aim and folded her hands over her chest, eyeing Zera up and down. "What are you? The governor''s daughter?" "Actually¡­" Astherielle trailed off, her eyes fleeting towards Zera. Zera shook her head, warning her not to say it. Their identities would be revealed if she told the cat lady that she wasn''t actually wrong with her guess. "Actually, we''re just regular kids who might be well-off, partly. But that''s about it." Beatrix spoke, finishing what Astherielle started. Among their circle it was she and Zera who could relate the most when it comes to being careful about revealing their identities to people who do not know them. "And who happens to like playing online games." Jaspreth added. The other team players exchanged glances. Zera focused her attention on the camouflage guy, his gaze seeming to linger on her, too. Eyeing his crew, he dropped his dagger on the ground just as Zera did, pocketing his hands right after. "If I call out a truce, how do you plan to get us to the next level without having to fight each other?" Zera''s heart thundered inside her chest. She actually had no idea how to proceed. There was no plan. But it was all a risk, a trial. "We search for a loophole, anything that could be hidden around the game." The other girl from the other team stated. She glanced at Zera and then back at her team leader. "Before I play any game, I try to find a guide," she stopped short, realizing what she was telling them, but knew it was too late to take it back. "I know, it''s like cheating, but hey, I always want to win." "No judgments. Go on." Zera interfered before anyone could say something mean towards her. "Anyway, I almost came up with a blank regarding this game. I know it''s new but I''m pretty sure the game developers at least left some notes or whatever in some article. I don''t know why they didn''t include it in the brief welcome message. But I picked something up. They did not directly relate it to Priestess Online, yet there was a mention of a challenge within a challenge." "And you''re only telling us about this right now?" Cat lady snapped. She was obviously not happy that she had withheld this kind of information until then. The other girl glared at her for only a few seconds before she turned back to Zera and the camouflage guy. "What if there''s a hidden challenge in every stage, which is like a bonus? If we happen to find it, then we might actually have a way to cheat on this level. Our way out." "There''s a lot of what ifs there." Jaspreth stated, his voice getting a little deep. Zera eyed him, noticing a soft bluish aura emanating from his body. Squinting, but not wanting to suspect her friend, Zera turned to the other girl from the other team. "I agree with¡­" Zera paused and cleared her throat, almost calling out Jaspreth''s nickname. "I agree with the Trickster. That''s him, by the way." She pointed a finger towards Jaspreth. "The only thing I remembered written in the welcome message was that we need to pass each level by defeating the big boss. Ultimately, the team that survives until the end reaps the reward. Considering that it''s an online game, and a five-man team, I knew we''d be competing with other players." Tarzan boy spoke, his voice resonating with the nickname Zera already thought of him. "Well, none of us thought about physically playing it though, isekai''d into the game like in some fantasy movie or novel, or was that part of the message which all of you received but not us?" Beatrix didn''t even try to hide her annoyance. She had folded her arms over her chest, her brows furrowed. Zera caught her friend''s gaze. Beatrix only shrugged. She knew someone had to say it at some point. Everyone else had read the same message, one that explained parts of the game and what awaited at the end. But for her and the rest of her friends, they were merely curious players who stumbled upon it. Or was that really just a coincidence? Chapter 19 - Warning "En¨C" the lady in the cat costume stopped short. She was on the verge of screaming enough, but a sudden blare stopped her from finishing her sentence. Each player looked up towards the sky, turning red, the vast whiteness slowly being replaced by the crimson taint. "Um," Astherielle crossed towards Jaspreth and Zera. Beatrix mimicked her, joining the rest of them as well. The four friends stick together as the blaring reaches a new volume. Each player had to cover their ears, afraid that the annoying sound would break their eardrums. "This is why we should abide by the rules!" the cat lady finally shouted, her eyes blazing with fury towards Zera. Zera didn''t care. They were all there because of the reward, but for her and her friends, they didn''t even know why they were there. "You know what I''m afraid of?" Beatrix whispered, straining to let her voice only be available for her small circle. "These people will be too greedy, too desperate that they would be willing to do anything just to get to the end." Zera shared the same sentiment with her. It was the same line of thought that had run through her head earlier on but refused to let everyone hear¡ªespecially Nayowmi. "But you know what would be funny?" Jaspreth mimicked Beatrix gratefully; the blaring hindered the rest of the players not to hear their whispered conversation. "If it has been decided that our group will be the one to make it to the last stage, just imagine their disappointment." ''That''s not funny." Zera expressed. "Everyone would hate us when they realized they had been used as pawns for this game. Because if you think about it, what if Jaspreth said some truth? Why did the person behind this game put up an enticing reward, calling all of these other players to enter the game?" The blaring of their surroundings continued. The four friends had turned to silently musing what they had been talking about. In the midst of it, a wide translucent screen flashed before them, catching everyone''s attention. [Warning: Players, you are advised to go on with the game. If not, conse-sequences w-would foll-low] The system''s mechanical voice echoed, distorting on the last part as the screen began to glitch. With it, a sudden gust of wind blew around them, causing the snow residues to scatter. The players stood, watching as the snow on the ground had all gathered, rising to form a wall around them. Astherielle inched a little closer to her friends, her eyes wandering around. The other players had huddled together, too, except for Nayowmi, who bravely watched her surroundings, refusing to meet anyone''s stare. "What''s happening?" Astherielle whispered. Zera grabbed the hand closest to her, squeezing it gently to assure Astherielle that they''d be fine. She was trusting in the fact that whoever got them there, surely, they had a better plan than getting rid of them almost immediately. "I don''t know, but don''t worry. We''re not going down with--aahhhh!" Zera and the rest of her friends ended up screaming, a black hole suddenly appearing beneath their feet, plummeting them towards immense darkness. Their screams were the only assurance each of them knew that they weren''t falling into an abyss alone. They were still together. "HOLY¨C! I LOVE YOU GUYS!" Jaspreth shouted at the top of his lung, his heart pounding inside his chest. The inevitable situation they were suddenly in manifested fear inside of him. Was this the end? Were they going to die? But it wasn''t only him who had suddenly felt scared of the unknown as they continued to plummet into whatever it was they were falling into. The constant pull of gravity had Jaspreth clutching his chest. It was getting a little difficult to breathe. "Don''t you dare, Jay!" Zera shouted in response. "As we have all agreed from the start, no one is allowed to die! No one!" ¨C "Babe," Jaspreth could feel someone tickling him on the side and poking his nose. He dreamily smiled as he imagined Sharmaine, her voice echoing in his hearing. Slowly opening his eyes, he gazed upwards and found her beautiful smiling face hovering above him. Her long straight hair fell around her face, lightly brushing against his cheek, tickling him too. It made Jaspreth want to pull her to him and kiss her passionately. He smiled back lazily, reaching out to touch her soft cheek. But just as he was about to, Sharmaien''s beautiful smiling face suddenly turned into a frown, her eyes narrowing at him. "Get up!" She shouted, sounding indifferent. Jaspreth blinked, his hand being swatted away, and slowly Beatrix''s face was the one hovering above him. "What the hell?!" Jaspreth exclaimed, his eyes adjusting to the surroundings they were in. There was white light all over, almost bringing him back to the stage with the big bear. However, instead of snow, the light came from the ceiling. Gradually getting to his feet, Jaspreth found Zera and Astehrielle looking at him with a smirk on their face. "Babe," Astherielle cooed, while Zera cracked up laughing which was then followed by Beatrix. Jaspreth put a hand over his face, shaking his head. "I hate you three. You are all devils." "Okay, enough," Zera called out, sighing afterward. "The good news is: we are still alive, and I just tried if the system still functioned here. It worked. But the map was off." Jaspreth let his eyes wander around for a bit. Unlike the previous stages where they had been thrown in the middle of open space, with different colored skies, right now, they were encased in a cube. The fluorescent lights surrounded the edges of the cube. Jasporeth was tempted to touch the crystal-like walls. The surface looked smooth and fragile, reflecting a white fog outside, concealing them of the view of whatever was out there. It also prohibited them from learning where they may be really at as of the moment. He was afraid to make any contact with anything, triggering something he might regret. Turning towards Zera, Jaspreth traced his fingers over his invisible beard as if he was in deep thought. "What''s the bad news?" "The bad news is: I think we''re stuck here for a while." Chapter 20 - Asylum 7X0X *Modern day Location: Zen; ASYLUM 7X0X The four friends sat in a circle, each thinking of what they could do to get out of the place they were currently in. "Is this some prison? Does this mean the other crew made it? What of Nayowmi?" Everyone stared at Astherielle. Her deduction was actually what every one of them had been thinking but refused to voice out loud. "I don''t know. She might be with another team by now. Back to the first stage." Zera replied, her eyes wandering on each of her friends. She had been too grateful that the four of them made it. It didn''t occur to her to look for Nayowmi until Astherielle said something about it. "I''m sure she''s fine, right?" Jaspreth sounded worried. And they should be too. After all, even when she had known about the reward, how was she to know that they didn''t? "She should be." Beatrix eyed her friends. "This can''t be the end for us." Zera nodded. She agreed with Beatrix. This was far from being the end for them. She couldn''t accept it even if someone told them otherwise. This was not how they were going to end the game. Getting on her feet, Zera neared one side of the glass wall. She could hardly see anything beyond the fog from outside. It was too thick and unmoving. The chance of her catching a glimpse of anything was impossible. "There are always loopholes," she muttered, reciting what the other girl from the opponent team had mentioned before they were spiraled into the prison they were at. "We just need to find them." "Yeah, but how?" Jaspreth immediately countered. He didn''t want to sound like the hopeless guy but seeing they were inside some crystal box, they could only wait for a miracle. This was the part where they actually needed one. Zera turned to him, a determined look on her face. "That''s what we have to find out. Are you willing to go down like this? We might not be fighting any monster right now, but we are also stuck. The chance of us getting out of this stupid game has come close to zero." "You were the one who refused to follow the rules." Jaspreth coughed. He looked away, pretending to have choked on something. "I''m not going to say sorry for that," Zera claimed, her eyes fleeting towards Astherielle and Beatrix. "I may not like having to follow my father''s legacy, but for some reason, I can''t help but voice out what I find as unjust and act on it, even if it may seem childish. Should we just blindly follow the game without fighting for our right to know what''s really going on?" Beatrix put her hands on both sides, slowly pushing herself to stand. When she was back on her feet, she eyed Zera, folding her arms over her chest. "I can see and understand where you are coming from, but Z, look where it got us. We''re not in our realm. I''m beginning to understand that now. We have no control over here. See?" She gestured at their prison, her gaze never leaving Zera. "We''re trapped because you wanted to fight for our cause. Thank you, but how do we get out now?" Suddenly, tension arose among them as Zera and Beatrix stared at each other; neither was willing to back down. Astherielle stood up as well. She stood between the two, eyeing her friends. She felt disappointed that they had come to this, and they were only at the beginning of the game. They have yet to reach the middle. "Guys," she said softly, fist looking at Zera then towards Beatrix. "Can''t you see what''s going on? Are you two willing to argue over something we can no longer change? Could we all just move forward and figure out how to get going from here?" she paused and turned to Zera. "Challenging the authorities of this game can only bring us harm, Z. I''m sorry. I''m not trying to take Bea''s side, but indeed, look where your rebellion got us." Zera didn''t say anything. She just held Astehrielle''s gaze until the latter broke eye contact and focused on Beatrix next. "Yes, you''re right, Bee; we are in this mess because Zera wanted to understand why we''re here and what''s really happening. I know we all shared that bewilderment and wanting to know at the start. But, this isn''t the time to start pointing fingers. We can''t let something like this come between us. Do you hear me?" Like Zera, Beatrix also didn''t say anything. Her eyes glanced towards Zera. The resounding silence that followed had Jaspreth clearing his throat. He eyed the three girls. "Power hug?" He encouraged them, smiling sheepishly as he caught their stares. Zera took a deep breath, catching Beatrix''s uncertain gaze. "Fine," Zera breathed. "I''m sorry. This was my fault. I didn''t mean for it to happen." Blowing a sigh, Beatrix crossed the space, separating her and Zera. She then pulled her into a hug. "I''m sorry, Z. You know how I am when I get frustrated." Zera chuckled. "How could I forget? Fin Collins will forever be scared of you. He''s never going to get over that." Beatrix chuckled, causing the tension that had started from before to dissipate. Fin Collins was an unfortunate lamb sacrificed to Beatrix''s frustration. It only happened once, but Zera witnessed how the poor guy couldn''t even look at Beatrix after that incident. Astherielle clapped her hands. She was about to run towards her friends when a golden mist had sprung from her feet. It slowly encased her in a golden circle, the warmth of it almost suffocating her. "Um, guys," she gulped, her body slowly absorbing the golden energy that had her hair flying all around her face as well, her feet being lifted off the ground, leaving her no choice but to spread her arms to keep her balance. "Please tell me this is something normal." Zera, Beatrix, and Jaspreth watched as Astherielle glowed goldenly; even her eyes were shining in gold. She was bathed in it. Zera stepped forward, but Beatrix held her in place, pointing above Astherielle''s head. She followed it with her gaze. A silhouette of a bird had formed above Astherielle, spreading its wings. In its wake, a mellow hum resonated in their prison, gradually echoing loudly like a singer belting out a high pitch song, which had created a small crack on one of the walls. Beatrix noticed it too, inching closer towards Zera and whispering in her ears. "Is this the part where we need to brace ourselves for what happens next?" Chapter 21 - Stage 3 The glass prison had ultimately shattered, leaving the friends to cover their heads and shield their eyes while the broken fragments showered around them. A brief hissing sound followed, which changed the temperature of their surroundings in an instant. Zera risked taking a look. She gasped upon analyzing that their surroundings had shifted and Astherielle had finally stopped glowing. She had expected to see what lay beyond their glass prison, the place which the thick fog had covered from their view. Instead of that, though, what she was seeing was an enormous metal gate. With it, a surrounding wall of the same grayish color stretched on both left and right. The sky displayed a reddish hue, but the temperature that whiffed around them was cold. Zera let her gaze fall back towards the big metal gate. It wasn''t just ordinary metal but hard and solid. If she tried punching, surely her bones would break. A series of numbers and letters were painted in red on the top right corner of the said gate. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Beatrix lamented, staring towards the horizon, her skin prickling with bad omen. "I second that." Jaspreth butted in. He, too, was exploring their surroundings with his eyes. "I feel funny." Astherielle blurted out, which had three pairs of eyes gazing towards her. She looked at each one of her friends. "Whatever that golden thing was, I feel hyper." She giggled. "Oh, was it a drug?" Zera narrowed her gaze. Astehrielle immediately shook her head. "My father will kill me if he finds out I did something that heinous. Even if I had no control over it." Astherielle paused, shrugging. "I don''t know how to explain. But, yeah. That golden whatever is making me jumpy." "Let''s take it as good news for now." Zera smiled towards Astherielle. She grinned widely back, turning to face the enormous gate. Behind them was nothing but a wasteland, dry and lifeless with no trees visible. "Well, now what?" Beatrix put a hand on her hips. As soon as the words left her lips, a vast translucent screen appeared on the surface of the wide gate. It was followed by the familiar mechanical voice they had often heard. [Welcome back, Players! A few reminders: Please make sure to abide by the rules. A second violation would entail a more extended stay in the Asylum 7X0X] "Eh? That was an asylum?" Beatrix scoffed, folding her arms over her chest, staring at the screen incredulously. [Welcome to The Lair! Your goal for this round is to survive without getting infected and kill as many enemies as possible! The Priestess wishes you good fortune!] The widescreen disappeared, and with it vanishing from their sight, each of their systems pinged. [Player, For this round, you will be provided with a selection of weapons. Only for this level will you be able to use any of your choosing. Please keep in mind that you would be facing more than one enemy. Consider taking long-range weapons. But also have at least one for short ranges. You can have a maximum of three weapons to aid you in this stage. Choose wisely!] Ping! [Player. Please consider upgrading your avatar] Zera blinked, her mind trying to absorb the instructions she had just read. "Uh, is it just me, or was this supposed to have been the case right from the start?" Zera turned to her friends. "I think your little rebellion worked." Jaspreth brandished a smile towards his friend. "Huh," Zera mused, turning away to summon the weaponry. "Weaponry." A gentle wind swirled around Zera. She watched as the ground beneath her glowed bright blue. An array of weapons appeared right before her in a circle. The bluish platform resembled that same platform Nayowmi had stepped into before entering the second stage. Eyeing her options, Zera just realized that she and her friends had been weaponless while they were inside the glass prison. She scoffed, belatedly recognizing this minor detail. "Long-range," Zera muttered, catching sight of a small handgun. It looked normal, but she knew it was no ordinary one with unlimited bullets. She reached for it, securing a firm hold around the grip. [Weapon selected] Along with the appearance and disappearance of the translucent screen, Zera felt a gentle pressure around her waist. A black belt attached itself to her waist. With it came a holster on the right side. "Sweet." Zera whistled, tucking in the weapon. Wanting to finish the selection, Zera focused on the short-range weapons. She had the option to pick from the dagger or the sword. Squinting her eyes, she grabbed a pair of daggers for convenience. Zera was surprised at how easily that felt in her hands. [Weapon selected] Zera did not want to waste the chance to have three at her disposal; hence, she turned to the explosives. With a smirk, she caught sight of the grenade. [Weapon selected] Ping! [Player, is your selection final?] "Yes." Zera immediately replied, hiding the grenade inside the small bag which appeared on the other side of the belt by her waist. The array of weapons slowly vanished from Zera''s peripheral view. Ping! [Player, you can now access the Wardrobe. Please consider changing] Zera pursed her lips. "Took you long enough to offer. Wardrobe?" Replacing the array of weapons, Zera found herself surrounded by a set of clothes she wouldn''t even dare try if she was back in the real world. "My father will surely have a heart attack," she muttered. Biting on her lower lip, Zera spotted a black leather suit covering her upper body. The sleeves would fit her arms up to the wrist. A golden zipper could be found in the front. It was a one-piece ensemble. The bottom part happened to be cut into a short that covered at least one-half of her thighs in Zera''s estimate. Her eyes roamed towards the shoe section and caught sight of similar army boots she had on. Only this time, it was knee-length. Whistling, Zera touched the apparel and watched it glow bluish, disappearing before her eyes. With a gasp, cold energy passed through Zera''s body while the clothes she had on disappeared and were slowly being replaced by her newly selected ones. "Whoa," Zera muttered, feeling the cold energy crawling up to her hair. From the corner of her eye, she watched as purplish strands fell perfectly over her shoulders. "So, in the end, my little rebellion turned out to be needed.. Huh." Chapter 22 - Watchers *Modern day Location; Realm of the Watchers When Avalon Haze was on the brink of death, a mysterious man approached her and gave her a second chance to live. But in order for that to happen, Avalon Haze needed to die, and hence, the Priestess was born. A woman''s stilettos echoed in the great halls of the white castle that floated above the universes. The white shoes matched her white dress as she approached the double doors of the council chamber where an emergency meeting had been called for. Everything inside the white castle, as its name suggests, was bathed in white. One can say that it may be heaven or paradise. But those who reside there can hardly agree with such a claim. The white double doors of the council chamber creaked open at the woman''s approach, the clacking of her stilettos coming to a stop as she joined her fellow Watchers sitting around the long white table. At the head of it, Lemei, a woman of quite extraordinary elegance and grace, with a confident stance and grayish-white hair having a halo on top of her head, eyed each of the Watchers sitting before her. Around the 12 chairs present, two were vacant. "Where is Elixir?" ¨C "We are definitely the coolest kids in the block right now," Jasspreth exclaimed, making poses with the big cannon rifle hanging around his neck. From his previous red hair spikes, his hair had turned golden brown and long, tied behind him with a black tie. A red bandana was wrapped around his head in lieu of the red hair. Displayed on its top was a five-pointed star in gold. To add, a black mask covered his face. Khaki pants and much heavier-looking army boots with a black leather jacket, Zera almost thought he was some goth kid who joined the army. The only thing missing was the heavy eyeliner under his eyes. Like Zera, around Jaspreth''s waist were a pair of handguns, and strapped behind him was a long samurai sword. Beatrix clicked her tongue. Her current attire makes her feel rebellious. She chose a loose black shirt with a skull design among her selection. It was pulled up, revealing part of her belly button and showing where her black cut-off short hung. Her black converse came with black netted socks covering her legs up to her thighs and knee protection, like those worn by skaters. She was also wearing the same for her elbows. The purplish shade of her hair was probably what she loved the most in her new get-up. A uniform red bandana was tied on her left arm. Her favorite handguns were safely tucked by her waist with the holsters. Behind her, a short staff with a sharp knife attached at the end could be seen. In her hands, a short dagger was at the ready. "Agreed." Astherielle smiled. Her hair was tied in two pigtails; brownish strands fell by her shoulders. Her curls were gone, and she was now sporting a straight one. The crop leather top had a zipper on its front and covered most of her arm up to her elbows. Like Beatrix, her belly was also on display. Her fitted top matched the leather pleated skirt that ended on her thigh. She wore a knee-length sock and completed the outfit with fashionable air shoes. Astherielle chose a crossbow as one of her weapons. The bow slung behind her together with the arrows like a backpack. In her hand, a long rifle was in place. She was taking this time to hold a gun finally. Similar to what Zera was thinking, she secured an explosive, the bag hanging by the belt on her waist. On her right wrist, the same red bandana was tied around it. Zera wondered what the mask was for as she gazed at her friends. They were all wearing it. "I''m sorry to say this, but I''m feeling a bit excited with what lay ahead," Astherielle added, the grin on her face evidently matching what she just said. Zera could not deny that she was too. But at the same time, she was bothered by one word in the game instructions. "What do you think that meant?" she voiced out, looking at her friends. "Which?" Jaspreth eyed her. "The instruction said, we shouldn''t get infected. And you know," she pointed at the masks on their faces. "My curiosity has been awakened." Her friends each shrugged in response. Jaspreth eyed the red bandana wrapped loosely around her neck. Though, he can tell Zera might not be aware of its presence there. It was something he came to realize. Each team had been assigned a color. For them, it was red. He noted that when they first arrived and their faces had red markings. To add, reddish smoke soared towards the skies when they had officially started playing in stage 1. Returning to the present, Jaspreth exchanged glances with his friends. "Unless we get inside, we can only speculate what kind of challenge awaits for us inside." The moment those words left Jaspreth''s lips, the four friends heard a hiss, white smoke emanating from the gigantic metal gate in front of them. They watched as it slowly creaked open, the heavy metals groaning with the weight, revealing what lay beyond the gates. Several ruined buildings, some missing their entire floors on top while others sported broken glass windows and cracked parts scattered around the vast surrounding of what used to be a city. Abandoned cars and stalls littered the place as well, giving off the haunted vibe. Smoke could be seen from the top of some buildings and a few from the hood of damaged cars. If there had been dead bodies, Zera might have had to close her eyes and try to erase the image that she would surely think about from time to time. Tentatively taking the first step, Zera took a deep breath. She listened to the silent footsteps of her friends following behind her. When they made it past the gate, it creaked and slowly shut behind them. In the wake of them finally entering the gate, Beatrix gripped the dagger in her hand, an unlikely thought coming to her mind. "Why do I feel like we''ve suddenly been thrown inside a zombie movie?" Chapter 23 - The Lair A horn sounding from a distance had Zera and her friends covering their ears. She looked around and placed a finger over her lips. The four friends eyed each other, each of them looking around and listening intently. Grrr. "Did you hear that?" Zera turned to her left, the sound of growling was faint, but she was sure she heard something. Astherielle inched closer, her confidence from earlier slowly waning. The four of them knew the horn had somehow woken whatever beast awaited them in the current stage. "We should get moving," Beatrix whispered, afraid that using her usual way of speaking would attract unwanted attention. Zera caught her gaze and nodded, slowly stepping forward. "Let''s move as a group," Jaspreth suggested, taking the lead. He exchanged glances with the three, facing the imposing danger ahead. Zera covered the back while Astherielle and Beatrix had their backs against each other, facing outward, covering the opposite sides, guns at the ready. With their fingers on the trigger of their weapons, the four moved as silently as they could, following Jaspreth''s lead. Grrr. Zera heard it again. This time it was louder. She heard Beatrix muttering a curse. "This better not be a zombie apocalypse reenactment or to hell with whoever invented this game." "I think," Astherielle started, her breathing coming a little short like she was having an asthma attack. "I think it''s too late for that, EE." Bang! Astherielle released a bullet, having her friends stare at what she had aimed at. Falling ungracefully towards the ground, a human with torn and rotting flesh confirmed their suspicions. "I hate to say this as it may seem like a bad omen or at least repetitive, but," Jaspreth took a deep breath, pausing as he watched the fallen zombie move its hand, using the ground to get itself back on its feet slowly. Grrr. "Uh¡­" he stalled, taking a step back. "Run!" It was the right call to make. Just as they had sprinted forward, two more zombies leaped out from the damaged cars and would have toppled over them had they not moved away. One of the re-animated dead had its eye sockets empty. Zera made a face upon glancing at them, turning her body as she pointed the gun, aiming to shoot at least one of them through the head. "Headshot, right?" she shouted, not only to ask but also to remind her friends on what needed to be done to keep their pursuers dead once they kill it. "Right!" A uniformed reply from her friends chorused in the now rumbling ground, alerting them of an oncoming horde. Bang! Bang! Bang! Zera wasn''t a perfect shooter. She missed on the first two but blew a sigh of relief upon watching the third shot hit one of the zombies chasing after them right through its forehead, making it stumble and fall on the ground. "We might need to find a place to at least seek shelter! We won''t stand a chance if fifty or so would come at us all at once!" Beatrix exclaimed, pulling the trigger as one zombie came out from the side she was guarding. "I agree! Running and shooting is quite energy draining!" Astherielle added, her gun firing simultaneously as more zombies kept coming their way. Zera turned her head left and right, trying to look for any form of shelter they could at least run to before they could be surrounded. Most of the ruined buildings didn''t look too promising. To add, what if they get trapped? More zombies could be hiding inside. Cursing under her breath, Zera just remembered she could actually scout better using the system map. It was a bit of an adjustment on her part. "Map." Summoning the translucent screen, Zera was multitasking, keeping an eye on the zombies that might appear behind them and at the same time gazing at the vast blueprint of the stage presented before her. "Can you be more useful and help us find a safe place to hide?" [Analyzing¡­] Zera''s eyes grew wide. She watched as her screen zoomed in to a small building to their right. It flashed green, letting Zera know the exact place it would be. "Guys! Veer to the right! I found a safe zone!" she called out, explicitly trying to get Jaspreth to do so. "At what percentage could you be sure, Z?" If she had the luxury to bonk Jaspreth at the moment, Zera would be glad to do so. However, she could only blow out a sigh. "We either head towards it or face the oncoming horde head-on! You pick!" Turning right, Jaspreth immediately knew he had to make a decision. "I blame this on you, Z!" Jaspreth shouted. Zera could only snort in response, carefully watching where they were going through her translucent screen, which she realized could only be seen by her. At the back of her mind, she''d been thinking that the game had somehow improved by a lot. Earlier on, she remembered they could see each other''s screens. Yet now, it appeared she was the only one who had access to it. And that was just one thing. But she could only speculate. Either that or she and her friends had been on trial at the beginning. They were the only ones who didn''t know about the reward. But now that she thought about it, even if they noticed that announcement, none of them would have considered that as their motivation to play. They would have played the game anyway. "Why is it my fault again this time?" Zera inquired, firing five bullets towards the three zombies that had successfully made their way towards them, coming from behind. "Did you forget what you said when we were with the big mama bear?" Zera muttered a curse. "You started that!" She responded in defense. Bang! The green square flashing on Zera''s screen was nearby. She almost felt relieved, wanting to rest her tired legs. "We''re close! It''s the one in the center. A big butterfly is painted on its signage!" She took note before watching the screen disappear. They were so close indeed. However, just a few steps towards it, Jaspreth had to halt, making a U-turn and pushing his friends to run back. "Code red!" Chapter 24 - Clues "Take cover!" Astherielle yelled in the midst of them, trying to run away from a sudden horde that would have overtaken them if not for Jaspreth screaming code red. BOOM! She used the grenade she had picked, causing the four of them to dive and cover their heads; splinters, rotten flesh, and dust fell over their heads. However, before they could even catch their breaths, they heard more growlings coming from all around them. "Let''s go!" Jaspreth shouted, being the first one to get back on his feet. He helped the three get up, running towards the ''safe zone'' that Zera had pointed out earlier. It somehow survived the explosion. But now, the four friends have to figure out how to get inside. Its doors were shut tightly by metal shutters. A large padlock secured it on both sides. Zera used force, pushing her body forward, letting her right shoulder receive the aftereffects. "Raah!" she belted out as she rammed the shutters. But the shutter door didn''t even budge. Beatrix crouched on one of the padlocks, frowning as she lifted it. "These locks are one of those that needed a series of numbers to unlock." She muttered a curse, her eyes wandering around the small building. Dropping the heavy metal padlock, Beatrix risked peeking around, hoping to find a clue. They could sense that a new wave of zombies was coming. The ground was grumbling, and the sound of their growls was proof of that. The bomb that exploded had called forth the attention of all the zombies present. "No wonder we had to wear masks," Jaspreth concluded. He also tried scouting the perimeter. Any clue as to the codes for the two padlocks was a big help. "How did you find this building, Z?" Astherielle asked. She was also on high alert. Zera had come close to one of the locks, the other one that was close to her. She then got back on her feet, looking upwards and gazing at the signage. "The system. I used the map," she replied, pursing her lips as she squinted towards the sign with the butterfly image plastered on it. If it weren''t ruined, the signage would have been lighted, causing the butterfly design to glow and be more visible to anyone looking for the place, whatever it was. "Could it also tell us the codes?" Beatrix stared at Zera. She couldn''t tell if she was being serious or that was her sarcasm kicking in. "I''ll try." Zera turned away, then, clearing her throat. She didn''t really know how it worked, but it occurred to her that the system could respond to questions related to the game. "Can you give us the code to the padlocks?" [Analyzing¡­] [Error command. No data found] A red x flashed before Zera''s screen. She let out a sigh, thinking of giving a different question. "How do we find the clues to retrieve the code?" [Analyzing¡­] Zera watched as images flashed before the translucent screen. It was an image of several buildings that bore some numbers on one side. It included the series of numbers at the front gate. It flashed in a repetitive pattern twice. After which, Zera watched her screen disappear. "Damn." She muttered, her eyes wandering around. "It''s no good. We need to keep moving." "What did you see?" Astherielle asked. She eyed Zera, who was slowly panicking. "Well, it showed me several buildings. I think we''d have to scout each one to see the numbers painted on them, take note of it and finally arrange it to form the right code. But¡­" she gestured towards the vast expanse their surroundings covered. "How are we supposed to cover every one of it? Plus, we can''t tell what''s inside that building. It just flashed green on my screen earlier with no sneak peek of what was inside." "Did you forget who we are, Z?" Jaspreth had the weapons in his hand ready. He eyed each of them, gesturing with his head. "Let''s begin with the ones around here. Whatever lies inside that butterfly building, let''s hope for the best. It could be our ticket to the next level. Who knows? We won''t know unless we try. At least, we won''t be running around in circles around here." "I hate to take Jaspreth''s side, but yep. We need to get going. Let''s find those clues." "Would you be able to identify them if we start searching the entire area?" Astherielle turned to Zera once more, her eyes imploring hers. Zera took the time to look at her friends. She blew out a sigh. "Yes. I can." ¨C From a distance, Nayowmi could hear the sound of water dripping in a constant rhythm. She slowly fluttered her eyes open, adjusting her eyesight to the dim darkness of her surroundings. "Huh?" she murmured, blinking once, twice as she realized she didn''t know where she was. The cold hard ground she had lain wasn''t comfortable at all. The last thing she could remember was falling into the abyss again, as the ground beneath her feet had swallowed them. She couldn''t even think where the others might be. To add, she also couldn''t bring herself to point fingers or get mad. There was no point. Furthermore, did she really have the right to do so? The four were a solid group. Nayowmi was an outcast. "Hello?" Nayomi tried to call out. The weird vibe she was getting was finally sinking into her. Letting her gaze wander about, she tried to look for her weapon but failed to find anything. "Was I pulled out of the game? Was this the Asylum it warned about?" Nayowmi gasped, slowly getting herself to stand. That was when she heard some chains moving from her right. She squinted her eyes to get a better look. Grrr. Hearing the soft growl, Nayowmi stepped back only to leap aside as something tried to grab her from behind. One by one, lights flickered from above her, illuminating the prison she was in and finally letting her see what surrounded her. A good number of zombies were chained against the wall, and some were inside a cell while Nayowmi was standing in the middle of a circle. The only way out was a locked gate to her right. She needed to push past the zombies before she could get there. Not to mention, it was secured by a large padlock. Turning her attention to the zombies, a golden key glinted on the other side of the wall, a part where more of the re-animated dead swarmed. "You gotta be kidding me." Chapter 25 - Distraction "There!" Astherielle whisper-shouted. She pointed towards one of the ruined buildings. A huge number is written on it. They can''t afford to make so much noise. The zombies come in hordes, and it was best to avoid running across them than trying to annihilate half of their population. "Seven," Zera muttered. "1-0-7. We have three numbers down. Just two more, and we''d be able to unlock the padlock." "Hopefully, they work for both padlocks." Beatrix crossed her fingers behind her back, wishing it was really the case. Otherwise, they would have to figure out a different code for the other padlock. That would surely take a while. Tracking the buildings with numbers on them was already eating so much of their time. It was a miracle that there was no time limit, else they might have been panicking by now. "Imagine if a clock was ticking, and we''d have to figure everything out fast. That would be fun, wouldn''t it?" Jaspreth put a finger on his lips, shaking his head at Beatrix''s comment. "Zera and I said something like that previously about zombies. And look at us now." Beatrix rolled her eyes, snorting her response. "If that actually happens in the next stage, I''m going to blame you for it." Jaspreth narrowed his gaze towards Beatrix. "Trust me; it won''t." Beatrix stuck her tongue out towards him. "What do you think would happen if one of us got bitten by a zombie?" Astherielle voiced out they were rounding another corner, looking for the fourth number. Zera turned to her. "I wouldn''t even volunteer to figure that out." Zera shivered at the mental image of turning into a zombie as she had shown in television shows and movies. She made a face, not liking what she was seeing. "I mean, are we going to become a zombie, or would we be sent back to the asylum?" "Neither of those options sounded appealing to me. So I prefer to stay alive and see this game to the end." Beatrix huffed. On the next bend, Jaspreth halted their group, briefly pulling them to hide behind a piece of a ruined building. Out of the corner of his eye, he had spotted three to four zombies loitering in the vicinity. None of them had thought of looking for silencers while they were selecting their weapons. At the far end, he saw ten more others. If they started openly firing at the zombies behind the small wall, they''d be calling the horde, and that was not a good idea. Holding their breaths, the four friends listened intently to any sound that would help them sense where their enemies could be. With a tight grip on their weapons, they stayed quiet, waiting, keeping themselves alert to anything that could pose a danger. Grrr. "Would they even eat us alive? I mean, are they even real?" Astherielle whispered. Her question made Zera wonder if they were indeed real. What would happen if one or two or all of them got bitten? The instructions for this round mentioned that they shouldn''t get infected. But how can they be infected if the zombies weren''t real at all? "We can only speculate. All we could do was play the game. Going back to the asylum keeps us stagnant. If we are to lose this round, what if we get spiraled back but with a different group? We''d end up needing to fight against each other by stage 2." Jaspreth blew out a sigh. He caught sight of Zera staring at him. "We might as well just step out right there, should we?" She hid her irritation. The noise they were making was surely not unheard of. A zombie''s strongest sense was their hearing. "Sorry." Astherielle mouthed, keeping herself glued against the uneven wall of a building. At the back of Zera''s mind, she silently wished for some miracle to happen. Anything would do. Looking towards the reddish horizon, she hoped a helicopter would suddenly appear, rescuing them. Or if not, at least helping them keep the zombies distracted. When she had the chance to gaze by her feet, it was only then that Zera thought of using what was in their surroundings. "Bloody idiot." She muttered, dropping to the ground to pick up a small pebble. She rolled it around her palms, thinking of where she could throw it that could produce a noise that would at least snatch the zombies'' attention. Instantly catching on to what she had meant to do, Jaspreth crouched and picked up a medium-sized rock by his feet. They briefly exchanged glances. Each had a stone in hand. "On the count of three." Jaspreth started. Zera nodded his way, waiting for the signal while Astherielle and Beatrix stood watch, keeping themselves alert. "Three!" Jaspreth managed to belt out without shouting. His voice wasn''t above the minimum volume for a whisper, but it was enough to signal their throw. Zera watched her small pebble land a few feet away from them, momentarily catching the attention of the zombies within the perimeter. It was not enough to allow them to run before a number of the monsters could catch up to them. Jaspreth''s medium stone had a better opportunity. It landed farther away from Zera''s pebble and had created a louder noise. But all the same, they were still not in the position to make a run for it and live. They will need to gun their way through an oncoming horde which will surely overtake them. "I still have one grenade. We could make use of it and proceed with our plan. Once we find the last remaining digits, we could get inside the safe zone or building or whatever that is." "No," Jaspreth immediately countered. "We should reserve that in case of a much more dreadful emergency. Right now, we just need to use our heads." he paused to release a shaky breath before continuing. "If you release that grenade, we''ll have to run like there''s no tomorrow and hope we could find a different building to hide. Otherwise, our survival for this round would be fatal." "Um," Astherielle looked at her friends. "I have a suggestion, but I don''t think any of you would like it." "Say it anyway." Zera encouraged. Astherielle took a deep breath. She clutched the gun in her hand. "The zombies are no fast runners. We can easily outrun them despite their numbers. But our problem is they move in groups." "No way," Beatrix shook her head. She eyed Astherielle, knowing beforehand what she already had in mind. Astherielle cleared her throat, ignoring her side comment for a while. "Listen, I know this is risky, but we need to split up. That way, we would also split the zombies and cover more ground. If you see any other way for us to go about this, then please." Zera gave her nod towards Astherielle. "I am with Astherielle on this one. It''s actually strategic, but yes, very risky. But, it''s the best we got right now." "Ugh.." Beatrix breathed out a sigh. "Fine, so now, who is coming with who?" Chapter 26 - Opposition Zera and Astherielle watched Beatrix and Jaspreth expertly run from one building to the next, hiding behind the ruined remains and trying to be stealthy to avoid any sudden attack from the zombies. When it was just her and Astherielle, the latter inched closer towards her. "Hey, Z," Astherielle whispered beside Zera. "I was on your side the whole time. You know, when you were trying to avoid having to fight the other team." Zera looked at Astherielle. "It''s fine. I knew I was wrong, but I was too stubborn to admit it. So, yeah. Please don''t feel guilty about it or anything. I wouldn''t mind if¡­." Zera trailed off, clamping her mouth shut. She could hear the gurgling of the zombies behind them getting louder. Risking to take a peek, Zera immediately dragged Zera to sprint to the other side of the ruined building. A lone zombie was approaching their way, sniffing the air, her head jerking back a little towards the sky. Her tattered office clothes made Zera want to pity her. If this happened in the real world, she would hope for a cure to be developed. ASAP. When they were safe from being seen, Zera watched the re-animated dead woman slowly investigate their former hiding place. Zera noticed her twisted ankles, causing her to limp, but it hardly hindered her from pursuing Zera and Astherielle. "Okay," Zera muttered. "It''s time for us to move." Astherielle responded with a nod, following Zera''s lead. Opposite of where Jaspreth and Beatrix had disappeared, Zera mimicked their strategy of hiding behind the pieces of ruined buildings that surrounded them. Putting her gun back on the holster, equipping herself with the twin daggers she had chosen for short-range fights, Zera braced herself for the worst. She has watched several apocalyptic zombie movies, which often required the leads to use knives and try to avoid firing their guns if it could be helped. If only they weren''t trying to avoid calling the attention of the entire horde, she and her friends could have taken down the surrounding zombies. She could easily count them in her fingers. Concentrating on the task at hand, Zera stopped midway upon hearing a deep growl. It sounded so close that she and Astherielle had to press themselves against the wall. Picking up two pebbles, Zera threw one of them towards the ground opposite the direction they were headed. She listened to the heavily dragging steps that followed the sound. Throwing the second one, Zera pulled Astherielle to run for the next ruined remains. Grrr. The two of them watched the same zombie lady appear in their line of vision. They both pressed themselves against the wall, clutching each of the weapons in their hands. Zombie lady continued to sniff the air, letting out a gurgling sound, her eyes dilating. She seemed to be calling out for her comrades. "This is not good," Zera whispered, her hold on Astherielle''s hand tightening as she braced to drag her into a full sprint. A uniform growl came from behind where they were hiding. Zera was helping herself not to mutter a series of curses. "I think this is the perfect time for us to¡­." Astherielle trailed off. One of the monsters had climbed over the small piece of the ruined building they were hiding. His feet caused some broken fragments of cement to fall towards the two. Both Zera and Astherielle put a hand over their mouths, halting the cough that was itching from their throats to come out. Astherielle had to shut her eyes close; some of the fallen dust had entered and momentarily irritated her vision. Zera tried to help her out, fanning her hands over her eyes without making so much noise. Grrr. "Damn," Zera grumbled, picking up all the pebbles she could find and hurdling all three. She threw them simultaneously towards the lady in a tattered office uniform, dragging Astherielle to hide behind the other side of the wall, and came face to face with an oncoming trio of zombies. It was Astherielle''s turn to mutter a curse. Zera was done keeping quiet. They were going to get caught if they didn''t do anything. "Run!" she whisper-shouted, putting aside the daggers and pulling her gun from the holster. Bang! She missed hitting one zombie in the head but managed to shoot its leg. Upon hearing the sound, the oncoming zombies turned their way. "Well," Astherielle sprinted ahead. "So much for keeping quiet." Bang! Bang! Bang! Astherielle joined the fray. She was scowling at the zombies. "Die, you monsters!" She covered their back while Zera was covering the sides and the front. If they fail to find someplace else to hide, they might be overtaken any minute now, the zombies coming in from all around them. "Just how many are there? These zombies seem to keep coming in hundreds." Zera shrugged. Bang! Zera shot one zombie getting closer to their left. Bang! Bang! She shot another on the other side. "I don''t know, but we can''t let them overtake us. Real or not, I have no plans to let any of us become zombies." "Me too." Astherielle agreed, firing steadily. "Um, Z! We need to run a bit faster." Zera risked looking behind, her eyes going wide. Previously, the zombies were supposed to be running close to being in slow motion. However, the few zombies chasing after Zera and Astherielle were joined by an upgraded version, resembling a fetus with their heads cleanly shaven. Their clothing was torn like everyone else, but their skin was more bluish than white. Their sockets were empty, but their speed was faster than the regular ones chasing after them. "Great! Do they have different types and classes now?" Zera complained, hitting the rest of those oncoming towards them. Astherielle did the same. "Switch!" Zera shouted. Astherielle took her place, facing forward while Zera ran backward, her eyes zeroing in on the new type of zombie hurtling towards them at almost the same speed as they. "Leave us alone, you monsters!" Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! "Z!" Jaspreth''s voice suddenly echoed from afar. Zera didn''t have time to search where it was coming from. "I''m a little busy, Jay!" She shouted, hoping he could hear her just fine. "Spill it out!" "We found them!" Jaspreth responded. "The last two digits!" Chapter 27 - Madness BOOM! Nayowmi felt the ground beneath her feet shaking with the big explosion that seemed to have come from outside. Even the zombies with her had turned their attention to the sudden sound resonating from outside the walls of the prison they were in. Nayowmi was tempted to scream for help. But she knew it was pointless. The walls were too thick. Her voice won''t even reach outside. She was sure of that. "So, this means I''m still in the game. But, what is this madness?" She squinted at her surroundings. She had nothing with her to at least try and distract the zombies, which she knew weren''t real. But for the time being, it was their reality. Hence, if she gets bitten, she''d turn. That was common knowledge. "So, what am I supposed to do?" Nayowmi grimaced at the monsters that surrounded her. Their snarls and attempts to reach her with their dirty hands were all in vain. They were either locked in jails or chained to a wall. However, Nayowmi wasn''t certain for how long they would stay locked up. For all she knew, they''d suddenly be released. While she was dreading her fate, the familiar-looking translucent screen had appeared before her, catching her attention in an instant. On its display, the veiled woman was present. "Hello, Nayowmi." Nayowmi expected to hear the mechanical voice of the system. However, instead of that pre-recorded one, she was hearing the woman''s voice as if they were talking by phone. "Where am I?" Nayowmi asked, her heart hammering against her chest. "Don''t worry. You will be saved. For now, I need you to listen to me." Nayowmi stared at the Priestess, keeping her mouth shut. "Once you get out of here. I am going to need your help." "What kind of help?" "You will be my voice as you guide the four children to me. Help them make it to the last stage. I need them to get there." Nayowmi furrowed her brows. She was suddenly confused about what the veiled woman was talking about. "I don''t understand." Nayowmi heard the low chuckle before the image of the priestess slowly faded in the background. The image that replaced the veiled woman revealed what Nayowmi would assume was from outside the walls. Ruined remains of the building came into her view, several zombies littered in the surroundings while some fell to the ground as shots were fired. The image zoomed at the four people firing at the zombies. Her mouth almost dropped open after identifying the four she had been with before they fell into the abyss. "No," Nayowmi protested. "I refuse to be their fifth member once more." The veiled woman reappeared. "Are you sure? Because you know, those four aren''t after the reward. If you five make it to the end, you will be savoring the prize without needing to divide it towards them." Nayowmi stared at the Priestess. "Those children are no ordinary children. Else, I wouldn''t have personally picked them." "Why me? Out of all the players desperate to get that reward, why did you choose me?" "Because, Nayowmi, among all the players, only you have the capacity to give me what I want." ¨C "Great!" Zera shouted in response to Jaspreth. She successfully hit one out of the four super zombies gaining momentum. Unfortunately, they weren''t staying dead as she had expected them to. Both she and Astherielle muttered a curse. They watched the one Zera had hit come crawling back on its feet and run like it never fell in the first place. "Are those the unkillable kind?" Astherielle fired another shot towards the same zombie in response to Zera, aiming two consecutive bullets to its forehead. It fell for the second time. They both continued to run and fire at the other zombies, their eyes constantly on the watch for the fallen zombie. "Nothing is unkillable, Z. Remember what the instruction said about this stage? We need to kill them all!" "Damn," Zera muttered, her legs beginning to feel numb. "So, we need to fire on its head twice before it dies. I see." "Yeah. If there''s another type, it would probably take three or more bullets before it would stop coming back to life." "Thank the heavens for unlimited bullets," Zera replied. "Curse it back for the unlimited zombies," Astherielle immediately countered. "Jay!" Zera called out, hearing the sound of bullets from where Beatrix and Jaspreth probably were. "There''s a new type of zombie? We know!" "Not that!" Zera huffed, angrily firing at the super zombie. "What are the last two digits?" "One and seven!" Zera frowned after hearing this. "One and seven. That makes 1-0-7-1-7." Zera muttered. She caught Astherielle''s gaze. "We need to go back to the safe zone somehow!" Astherielle nodded, immediately understanding what must happen. She blew out a sigh, staring towards Zera. "I freaking need speed!" Astherielle blurted out, frustrated that their limbs were nothing but ordinary limbs. It was only her way of expressing herself. However, after those words left her mouth, the translucent screen appeared before her. [Hummingbird Affinity activated. Proceed access? Requirement: 50 Mana Points] Astherielle''s eyes widened. She gasped and smirked right after. "Proceed," she breathed and watched the screen disappear before her. Once again, the same golden light surrounded Astherielle minutes after the system''s screen left her. Zera could only stare at what was happening with her friend. She couldn''t risk taking her eyes off entirely from their enemies. "First things first," Zera commented. "That''s so cool, A! But what the hell is going on?" Astherielle savored the warmth the golden light was emanating. She relished in it before it disappeared. Wanting to test it out, Astherielle pumped her legs to run faster. The previous numbing pain was now gone. "Woohoo! Come and catch me, you stinky monsters!" Astherielle ran speedily, her ponytailed hair flying behind her. In Zera''s peripheral view, she was almost like a blur. "Whoa." "Z! Have you figured out the code?!" Beatrix''s voice snapped Zera from mesmerizing at Astherielle''s upgrade or whatever it was she had activated. Zera focused on the task at hand and fired more bullets towards the approaching zombies. "No! But we need to go back there!" "At this rate! We might as well pray to all the gods we know!" Zera could hear Beatrix''s frustration. They fired bullets left and right. The sound was attracting more zombies within the vicinity. It was only a matter of time before they would get surrounded. "You guys head there! I''m going to make myself a bait!" Astherielle whooshed past Zera. "That''s a bad idea, A! I''m staying with you!" "Ugh, fine! But, stay close!" Zera snorted. "Right!" Chapter 28 - Zion Ping! [Welcome to Priestess Online, the Priestess wishes you good fortune!] Sharmaine stared at her screen as she carefully hopped out of the transport train which took her to Zion''s looming gate. The transport train was a structure of miniature elongated capsules attached to each other that extended longer than a huge worm could be. It stopped long enough to release every last person going to Zion. Sharmaine then blew out a sigh, momentarily tearing her gaze from her phone''s screen and looking at the gigantic gate which protected the city''s capital. It had strict laws and order. No unidentified individual can enter as they please. Around it, the entire city was encased inside a giant crystal orb. Mechanical drones fly around the city, an added measure of protection. The crime rate within Zion was lower due to the extra measures taken by the government to maintain the peace in the capital. Sharmaine wished they could do the same for each city. But that was only wishful thinking. There are more pressing concerns a governor faces. She was well aware of that. "Identity confirmed. Please proceed," the mechanical pre-recorded voice announced after a man with a bald head had scanned his visitor''s pass. It was a small chip they needed to acquire if they weren''t from Zion. There was only one place where they could get one for each city, and it was never cheap. Sharmaine spent her savings on buying a visitor''s pass. She desperately needed this escape. Biting on her lower lip, it suddenly came to mind that she had yet to update Jaspreth about her arrival in Zion. He would surely look surprised when she arrived at his door unannounced. Although that would have been a good surprise with his birthday coming up, Sharmaine had no plans to get him in trouble with his parents. Clutching the strap of her backpack, the only luggage she brought, Sharmaine stepped aside from the line that had slowly moved towards the gate. Standing by a secluded corner where she could be sure that no one could hear her conversation, Sharmaine went back to look at her screen, only to knit her brows upon seeing that her screen had turned white, showing nothing but a blank page. "Seriously?" She released a frustrated sigh, clicking the power button to see if her phone was broken or it was a momentary crash from the game she had just downloaded. It promised a generous reward of a hundred million credits. If she would luckily win that much, she wouldn''t even have to go back to Wayne. While she waited for her phone to restart, Sharmaine thought she might as well go back in line. She could make the call before hitching a ride to Jaspreth''s place. However, before she could take a step, the ground shook beneath Sharmaine''s feet, a soft wind brushing her skin. When she looked by her feet, she stumbled, falling on her butt as a black hole appeared a few inches away from where she was standing. And before she could scramble to get up and call for help, Sharmaine was sucked into the black abyss. ¨C "1-0-7-1-7?" Zera muttered, firing another bullet into the super zombie, watching it stumble only to be replaced by another. Astherielle was making use of her agility, firing her gun and throwing arrows with her crossbow to any zombie that would come close to them as they circle back to the safe zone building. All the while, Zera was picking possible combination codes that would make sense. But so far, she couldn''t come up with one. Zera tried to keep pace with Astherielle, coming close to the building, her breathing becoming ragged. "Could you slow down for a minute, A?" Zera huffed, wishing she would somehow acquire the same speed and energy Astherielle had suddenly taken possession of. "Sorry!" Astherielle called out, grunting with effort as she had to swing and hit one average zombie who had managed to leap towards her. She mercilessly crushed its skull using the back of the edge of the crossbow, letting out her frustration for a bit before firing another bullet to an oncoming super zombie. From where they were, Zera could make out Jaspreth and Beatrix fighting off a few zombies by slashing at them instead of using their guns. Zera knew she and Astherielle needed to do the same if they wished to draw less attention to where they were going. "A!" Zera called out. "Yes?" "Let''s circle the block. We need to switch to our less noisy weapon when we reach another block. Copy?" "Oh yeah! We should. Also, the code, Z?" "I''m still trying to think!" Briefly catching sight of the butterfly signage, Zera narrowed her gaze. ''Did it have something to do with it?'' She bit her lower lip. Grrr. "Z!" Diving to the side, Zera grazed her elbow, firing at the super zombie who almost had her. The monster stumbled upon missing to catch hold of Zera, its body reacting violently to the gunshots. "You know what! I think it would be best if the two of us keep them busy while Jay and EE figure out the code!" Astherielle shouted. Zera glanced at the two. Astherielle had a point. They were close. If she and Astherielle tried to join them, they would only attract more zombies. "Alright! Let''s do that then." Zera went back to musing about the code. "0-7-7-1-1?" Shaking her head, she put the gun in the holster taking hold of the daggers, and braced herself for closer combat. ''If plan A doesn''t work, always have a plan B.'' "1-1-0-7-7?" Zera rammed the dagger into the skull of the closest zombie, almost gagging at the cracking sound and the murky green liquid gushing out of the wound. She pulled it out with a grunt, kicking the zombie with her feet. "If I were the store owner, I have two padlocks; what code would I make which I could easily remember?" Feeling frustrated, Zera focused on the monster in front of her. She grimaced upon seeing its eyes twitching from left to right in opposite directions. Its mouth was parched, and the skin on his face was cracked. Zera scoffed, readying herself to slash it by the neck, attempting to break it and, if possible, cut it off from its body entirely. "Say our regards to your fallen comrades, adios!" Chapter 29 - Butterfly [Warning! A horde of zombies is incoming! Warning!] Zera''s screen suddenly flashed a red warning. It came along with a blaring sound that echoed around them. This had momentarily provided Zera and Astherielle a beeline to run towards Jaspreth and Beatrix, with the zombies getting distracted by the siren. The four friends looked at each other, receiving a uniform warning from the system. "Okay, we should remain calm," Beatrix plunged the pointed tip of her weapon towards one of the zombies, piercing it right through the head. Zera pushed it off as Beatrix pulled the pointed end of her staff from its crushed skull. "Gross," the two girls chorused, catching sight of each other''s nauseated expression. "Code? Anyone?" Jaspreth asked, catching his breath. He caught sight of Astherielle and exchanged high-fives. "That''s a super cool upgrade, A." "I know, right. It had something to do with that animal affinity thing. Wait until you guys acquire it. It''s fun." "Here''s to hoping we get it now. We desperately need a miracle." Beatrix lamented, her gaze shifting from left and right, expecting to find a large company of zombies hurtling towards them. "Right," Zera crouched on one of the padlocks. She tried one of the codes she had been thinking of earlier. "Someone else should try different combinations on the other side. While the two will keep watch. Let''s move it! We''re running out of time!" Beatrix positioned herself on the other side, leaving Jaspreth and Astherielle to face off the zombies coming towards them. Astherielle used her crossbow while Jaspreth beheaded the zombies with the samurai sword in his hand. Muttering the codes she had been coming up with earlier, Zera tried each one of them, and still, none of it worked. Frustrated at how things were turning out to be, Zera stared at the butterfly signage. She wished someone could give them a definite clue to help them figure out the padlock code. ''A genie, a witch, a fairy. Anything was welcome.'' Zera thought of all the impossible creatures who might jump out of the blue and hand them something they could go with. The ground had begun to shake. Zera exchanged glances with Beatrix and gulped. "I''m not going to lose my life in this game because of some stupid zombies!" Beatrix belted out, focusing on the padlock in her hands, angrily trying out any combination that came to her mind. Zera stared back at the butterfly sign, tilting her head to the side as she imagined it flapping its wings. In her mind''s eye, she was seeing it coming to life, flying towards her with its gentle wings. It landed on her nose, having Zera blinking as it stayed there for a few seconds before flying away and slowly vanishing into thin air. "1-7-0-7-1" Zera imagined the butterfly and its structure. Suddenly it hit her. "7-1-0-1-7!" Trying out the code, Zera heard the click, the padlock finally opening up. "EE!" She shouted in time for the ground beneath their feet to shake unstoppably. A sound from nearby reminded Zera of an impending stampede from one of the television shows they had watched before. Her eyes had grown animatedly wide while she hurriedly removed the padlock from the metal shutters. She then crossed the other side, catching Beatrix''s bewildered gaze. "You figured it out!" She exclaimed. Zera nodded, taking over the unlocking of the padlock while Beatrix pulled her guns out, firing at the first batch of zombies who must have run at the front lines. Hearing the click, Zera tossed the padlock aside and began pulling at the metal shutters, putting all her might to finally open it and get all of them inside. "A little help here, please! Jay!" Zera called out. Jaspreth could barely hear Zera, the sound of the incoming horde getting louder. "A little busy! Sorry!" Beatrix glanced at her friend, letting out a grunt of frustration before tucking back her guns and helping her pull the shutters up. It was surprisingly very heavy. "At the count of three, we''ll give it everything we got! Ready?" Zera stared at Beatrix; the latter nodded. "One, two, three!" They both grunted, pulling with all their might while the ground beneath their feet shook as the horde of zombies came close. Opening the shutter halfway, Zera and Beatrix felt the cold whiff coming from inside the building. An air conditioning was most likely at work. "Jay! A! Come and get inside!" Beatrix called out, her arms feeling the weight of the metal shutter. Their two friends were busily keeping the zombies at bay. The horde has yet to reach them, but the number of zombies coming in was enough to keep them on their toes. Grunting with effort, Zera slowly lowered her body to take a peek inside. She wanted to make sure they weren''t putting themselves in grave danger once all of them safely entered the building. Red light infiltrated her vision, and she could make out an expansive space with nothing else inside. The coast was, as Zera hoped, clear. Their goal now was to escape the horde and lock themselves inside the building. Slowly dropping to the ground without removing her hold on the metal shutters, Zera gently moved her body to enter the building. Checking all the sides, Zera mentally sighed with relief. "Bee! Get your butt in here, and we need to brainstorm how to help the two." Beatrix slightly let go of her hold on the metal shutter, leaving Zera to put in so much strength to keep it open while she ducked and slipped inside. Beatrix immediately went back on helping Zera to keep the shutter open. Their two friends were still rapidly firing and slashing on the beasts that kept coming. "Hey! You two! Come on!" Zera shouted. Her arms were beginning to stiffen. "EE and I cannot hold this shutter for long! The horde is coming!" "You go ahead, Jay!" Astherielle screamed, kicking one super zombie away from her before firing at it right through its skull. Using the back of the gun she was holding, she hit another one, making it stumble while she fired on another zombie to her left. "No!" Jaspreth immediately dismissed the idea, beheading one zombie and kicking away another before pulling his trigger on it. "Let''s fall back slowly together! I can''t leave you behind!" "Fine! But you seriously need to go ahead! I have super speed!" "Ugh," Jaspreth fired rapidly as a trio came rushing towards him all of a sudden. "Don''t remind me. We need to move now!" Taking a step back, Jaspreth continued to simultaneously fire his gun and use the sword with the other to avoid getting bitten. Astherielle was solely using her gun, but she was handling herself quite well with the added agility. [WARNING! A HORDE OF ZOMBIES AHEAD!] [WARNING! A HORDE OF ZOMBIES AHEAD! Please note that they will come in all directions. The Priestess wishes you good fortune!] "JAY! A!" Zera shouted once more. "We need you two to come here, now!" Chapter 30 - Justice Is Dead Avalon fluttered her eyes open. The first thing she saw was the crystal wall. Her reflection, or rather, the Priestess'' reflection, stared back at her. The horns protruding on top of her head were still bothering her. Not to mention the bluish pale complexion. Even when she was alive, she had been fair-skinned, but this was on another level. Slowly lifting her head, she frowned upon realizing where she was. It was the asylum, a crystal box in the outskirts of the game where the players who reached their five lives limit were sent until further notice. Looking to her left, it became clear what she was doing there. "Elixir," she called out to the man in white pants, white coat, and white in everything, standing on that side with his back facing her. Usually, one would say that only old people have white hair. But for the rest of The Watchers, it was their designated color. The Watchers were what mortals would consider as gods. As their title speaks for itself, they watch over people. They record everything from birth to death. Avalon only learned of this when Elixir showed her a thick book bound by white leather that contained her life''s biography from the day she was born up to the day of her death. They missed not a single detail. "Did you remember why you were renamed as Priestess?" Elixir''s soft but authoritative voice rang inside the small crystal prison, sending shivers through her skin. He spoke without turning to face Avalon, making her wonder what he was looking at. The outside of the crystal box was a fog-covered area, concealing each prison from the others. Avalon blinked. She briefly recalled the things Elixir had told her after she had woken up in the body of the Priestess with a different personality. "I was chosen," Avalon replied meekly. "Yes, you were chosen to be part of the Watcher''s circle for the gentle heart that you had. You were given an allowance of time to heal from the anger, pain, and betrayal you felt after learning the cause of your demise. And you were given the power to do what you wish to obtain justice but never were you given the right to execute vengeance." Avalon looked at the ground. She closed her eyes, feeling a cool sensation inside her chest, and knew Elixir''s reprimand had woken the Priestess. And this was not beyond Elixir''s knowledge. Smirking, the Priestess gathered herself to stand and stared at Elixir with a raised chin. "Justice? Did humans ever honor this so-called justice? In all the years that you have been a Watcher, when did you see it at play? By fair game, that is?" Elixir didn''t respond. He slowly turned and came face to face with the Priestess. The meek Avalon was no longer around. The Priestess scoffed. She let out a sigh and hummed, coming towards Elixir. "So you see," she dusted off invisible specks from his shoulder. "Justice is long dead. Vengeance? This is nothing but a little payback. I''ve been very patient, Elixir. I''ve waited several millennia for this. And now you want to stop me? I''m not going to kill those children." Elixir kept a straight face. "You will keep them alive, and then what? Punish them for something they do not even know about? Is that your definition of justice?" The priestess pursed her lips. "Who said I was looking for justice?" she smiled, gesturing at their surroundings. "I''m merely having my fun." ¨C "HOLY¨C!" Zera muttered. She exchanged glances with Beatrix as a swarm of zombies had arrived, coming from every corner, toppling over each other, and had to stumble and get back on their feet before running towards Jaspreth and Astherielle. Some got trampled on, their skull, hands, or feet getting smashed at the stampede. Zera lost count on how many there were, but she knew she had to do something. "Bee, you need to keep this door open. Do you hear me?" "I''m not sure how long I could hold, but I promise I will try!" Beatrix replied. Zera nodded, looking right into her friend''s eyes. "Hold it for as long as you can." "Okay! But hurry!" Zera took a deep breath. "In three, two, one," Zera left Beatrix to hold the heavy shutters steady. She grunted with effort. "GO!" Zera wasted no time and pulled her gun out, firing at the zombies she could hit, her eyes transfixed on her two friends. "JAY! A! YOU NEED TO GET HERE NOW! FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Amidst the chaos, Jaspreth was able to glance towards Zera. He didn''t miss the frantic expression on her face. He and Astherielle needed to make it towards the safe zone. "A! We need to get going now!" he called out, firing bullets at the horde heading for him and Astherielle. "On your count!" Astherielle replied, firing her gun unstoppably now too. The growls and the scrunching of feet as the zombies toppled all over each other had their surroundings feel hot, and the rotting smell became more noticeable. "No counting! Let''s fall back! We will be overtaken!" "Start moving then!" Astherielle barked, taking a few steps back. Jaspreth positioned himself behind her, facing outward to keep shooting at the swarm of zombies. Zera was keeping the path open for the two. She was just a short distance from the opening, briefly glancing towards Beatrix in case some zombies would chance on getting inside. They can''t have that. Back to back, the two kept the zombies at bay, the sound of rapid-fire becoming music to their ears. Slowly, they were heading towards the safe zone building. "When we make it to the next level, I will demand a thirty-minute nap!" Astherielle shouted. She let out a curse before crying a battle cry, firing at zombies left and right. It seemed that the more they killed, the number of incoming zombies doubled. Jaspreth glanced at the small opening of the metal shutters, catching sight of Beatrix struggling to keep it open while Zera kept the path clear for them. Determined, Jaspreth screamed his battle cry as well, following Astherielle''s rapid-firing as they neared Zera. A loud boom shook the ground when they were only several inches apart. Bluish smoke rose towards the reddish skies. The commotion had confused the zombies for a good second before they proceeded to come after the four. On the one hand, Zera and her friends had lost their aim, causing them to kick and push away some zombies who managed to leap towards either of them. "Guys!" Beatrix called out. Her hold had slipped and had her struggling to keep the metal shutters open a little wider. The sudden eruption had her almost lose her hold on it, her knees shaking at the effort. But the heavyweight of the metal door was slowly draining her. She couldn''t keep it open for long. "It''s either you make it in now or," she let out a grunt. "We''ll have to find another way in!" Chapter 31 - Hurry "Z!" Beatrix pleaded. Zera fired the last two shots before running to aid Beatrix. They managed to pull the metal shutters up, waiting for Jaspreth and Astherielle to make it back to them. But the flood of zombies kept halting them from time to time. They needed to keep them off the surroundings of the building, or they might discover Zera and Beatrix, and everything would have been in vain. "Come on, you two! HURRY!" Zera screamed; her arms were about to give up. Jaspreth and Astherielle were close. Only several inches separated them from where the building stood. "Hurry!" Beatrix pleaded once more. Jaspreth glanced towards Zera and Beatrix. They were both red in the face. "Damn," he muttered, surveying his and Astherielle''s progress. He took a moment to assess how they could hurry and finally rest their bodies from the running and firing. Because of Zera, the path behind them was clear. But one or two zombies would come and approach at one moment before either he or Astherielle would be able to shoot it. "A! We need to run very fast," Jaspreth stated. He caught sight of Astherielle headbanging one of the zombies when they had simultaneously crossed her path. "I can do fast! You need to worry about yourself." "Right," Jaspreth muttered. She had an upgrade. "At the count of three, A! We would be running towards the safe zone. Just running, do you hear me?" "Copy!" "Ready?" "Ready!" "One," Jaspreth fired five bullets in front and two shots to the right. "Two," he had to push one zombie off before firing a bullet through its skull. "Three!" Boom! Another loud eruption shook the ground. It had Jaspreth and Astherielle losing their footing. The ground-shaking caused Zera''s and Beatrix''s hold on the metal shutter to slip, lowering it close to the ground if they weren''t able to catch themselves and pulling it open with all their might. Two zombies to the right, three on their left and ten at the front, running at an average human speed, Jaspreth scrambled to get back on his feet. Astherielle did so too, and before Jaspreth could fire, she already beat him to it. "Run, Jay!" Shaking his head in defiance, Jaspreth tugged Astherielle''s hand, dragging her unwillingly as they neared the opened building. The ground shook once more; this time, it was because of the second stampede approaching. With all his might, Jaspreth pushed Astherielle as they slipped inside the safe zone building, Zera and Beatrix following after them, finally letting go of the heavy metal. Zera hung her head low, her breathing ragged and her arms numb. She sat side by side with Beatrix. They heard and felt the small ripples as zombies threw themselves towards the metal shutter. "Dang," Jaspreth breathed. "That was close." "I can''t feel my arms," Beatrix murmured, her shoulders sagged. "Ditto," Zera added. She eyed her friends. They were all out of breath. "Sadly, this is only a temporary shelter. We still have to figure out how to kill all the zombies around. As per the game instruction." Astherielle wiped at the sweat that had broken out on her forehead. She had one of her legs splayed lazily on the floor while she bent the other to rest her elbows, allowing her to hold her head. Jaspreth muttered a curse. He lay down on the cold marbled floor. His chest heaved in and out heavily. "By the way, Z," Beatrix turned to Zera. "How did you figure out the code?" Jaspreth sat back up, his eyes imploring Zera. Zera took a moment as she realized she had no time to explain to her friends earlier how she came up with the code that unlocked the padlocks. "Well, 7-1-0-1-7," she muttered. "It was a weird experience. You know how I''ve been trying since earlier? And then, while I caught myself staring at the signage with the butterfly on it, it suddenly came alive." She paused and eyed her friends. They were all waiting for her to finish. "When it flew away, I stared at it for a long time. The structure of the butterfly. 7-1-0-1-7. It''s... I don''t know. It was what came to mind," Zera shrugged. "Jeez, things are getting weirder," Beatrix muttered. Just as she had said it, a bluish orb appeared in the middle, slowly descending from the ceiling. The four fiends watched it come down, taking the shape of a small kit with a plus design on top of it. When it landed on the floor, a few inches away from Jaspreth''s shoes, the translucent screen appeared on top of it. [Congratulations on making it inside Building A! You have acquired one health kit. The Priestess wishes you good fortune!] The mechanical female voice echoed in the minimal space of the building. The red lighting overpowered the bluish glow of the box. Since Jaspreth was the closest to it, he immediately reached out and opened the small box. There were four chocolate bars wrapped in silver foils. It bore the name of being a chocolate bar on its font. Jaspreth took the bars one by one and tossed them towards his friends. They still didn''t feel any hunger or thirst. But they could use a good rest after that non-stop gunning down hordes of zombies and needing to run for their lives. It was the only content of the kit. Nothing else. The four silently opened and finished the chocolate bar, each lost in their thoughts. "Now that we have ourselves locked inside, would we be kicked out after a few minutes and faced off with the zombies once more?" Astherielle voiced out. She wasn''t really asking her friends. She was hoping for someone else to respond to her, like the system, perhaps. But it was in vain as the preceding silence echoed around her. She and her friends eyed each other, not having any clue what was happening now. While they were contemplating, from one of the corners, on the left side of where Zera and Beatrix were facing, a bluish line formed around what must be a door. After tracing the shape of two adjacent rectangles, a metal door resembling an elevator appeared before them. Minus the lack of buttons on the side and the digital displays for which floor they''d be at, it could have been mistaken as one. "So," Beatrix drawled. "This means someone is watching over us, right?" Zera got to her feet, her eyes transfixed on the closed metal doors. "Perhaps," Zera replied.. "Else, the choco bars and this door wouldn''t have appeared." Chapter 32 - Here [Please use the Proceed Command if you wish to open the door. The Priestess wishes you good fortune!] "Are you sure about this, Z?" Jaspreth''s voice momentarily jarred Zera from staring at the translucent screen in front of her. He was standing behind Zera. The four of them were now facing the metal door that had suddenly appeared out of the blue. Zera took a deep breath. If she was to be honest with herself, she wasn''t even aware of what she was doing or if this was the right thing to do. What if they walked right into a trap instead of ascending to the next level? Turning to face her friends, Zera eyed each of them. The chocolate bars did their wonders and replenished the energy they had lost while trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. "I don''t know what will be waiting for us on the other side. But it''s better than being trapped here full of uncertainties, right?" "I just want to get out of this level and be done with the stinky zombies," Beatrix grimaced, probably recalling the smashed bodies and the sound of bones cracking coming from the re-animated dead. "Count me in. I would miss the use of the simultaneous weapons, though," Astherielle sighed. She looked at her friends. "But I would rather move onto the next stage with you guys." "Me too," Jaspreth agreed. The three of them turned to Zera with a determined gaze. Zera took a deep breath and heaved out a sigh. Either way, they needed to keep moving forward. Else, They''d be stuck in the building, not knowing how to proceed with them being locked inside. Narrowing her gaze towards the door, Zera opened her mouth. "Proceed." ¨C "Oof!" Nayowmi rubbed her forehead before smashing the zombie''s skull with the back of her shoes. The greenish liquid that oozed out from its head, together with a few of what Nayowmi knew were brain parts, scattered on the floor. She grimaced as she stared at the small crack she managed to open on its skull, muttering a curse. "Ugh," she muttered, blowing her hair away from her face. Some zombies managed to escape their chains because of the bombs going off outside and had shaken the entire building. They now lay unmoving on the ground. Nayowmi wiped away the sweat that trickled down her face. Now, most of the zombies left were locked in the prison cells. The monsters were growling, wanting to get close to Nayowmi. If the metal gates that kept them imprisoned were opened, Nayowmi would have no place to run. The ceiling was too far from her reach. Eyeing her surroundings, Nayowmi tried to see if she could find a way by herself. The system also stopped working for her. All the commands she had learned were all spoken to deaf ears. "A change of clothes would be nice," Nayowmi muttered. If she were to last for another hour or so inside the stinking prison, she might as well just become one of the zombies. "Fairly acceptable outcome. I''d probably end up in the real Asylum." Just as she was feeling bitter about everything, the ground beneath her feet started shaking. The entire building did, actually for reasons she couldn''t even understand. The sudden movement almost had Nayowmi fall on top of the recently dead zombie she had just finished off if she hadn''t caught herself. Her eyes immediately glanced towards the closed cells, her heart beating hard against her chest. She could already imagine what could happen if those prison cells would suddenly slide open, and all of the zombies held inside will come at her all at once. The mental image made her shiver with dread. But to her relief, it wasn''t the case. However, when Nayowmi looked up, she noticed that the ceiling had moved a little farther. A strange object was swinging in the middle. Nayowmi tilted her head to the side, trying to figure out what it was. Squinting, Nayowmi cupped her hands over her eyes to make her see better. "A pendulum?" she muttered, making out two circular balls swinging back and forth. They briefly touched each other, throwing each high enough not to graze the ceiling. The second thing she noticed was a second floor. An array of cages filled it with an area in a circle to overlook her spot below. "What the hell?" Nayowmi wanted to curse at whoever was responsible for adding another floor of zombie prison inside. She was already troubled about what to do with the current set; there was another set she needed to face. Out of the corner of her eye, Nayowmi noticed a glowing bluish line taking shape on the bare wall of the second floor. The other door which she had eyed earlier had begun to disappear. Turning her attention towards the key, which was positioned where most of the chained zombies were gathered, she watched it vanish into thin air as well. "Okay," Nayowmi spoke out loud. "So now the quest has shifted, and I need to get to the second floor somehow?" She was talking to no one in particular, but Nayowmi wanted to believe it was the case. After the Priestess had left her be, she was also left to her thoughts. Apparently, she had no choice but to rejoin those kids. Unless she had some other way to make it out of the game or win it by herself, then she would instead do that. Thinking of the reward, Nayowmi blew out a sigh. As much as she hated her situation, she would hate herself more if she at least didn''t try to win. That was the only thing that made her join the game in the first place. Nayowmi wasn''t one who would often play RPG. She wasn''t the player type, period. But desperate times called for desperate measures. She believed that principle now. She was desperate. And if she successfully wins the reward, her younger sister could receive the operation she needed so she could walk again. "For Lara," Nayowmi murmured, her eyes zeroing in on the now visible metal doors from upstairs. She had it in her sights when it slowly slid open, revealing four silhouettes she immediately recognized, recalling the brief image of them fighting off with zombies as the Priestess had shown. With a sigh, Nayowmi waved her hands in the air. calling for their attention. "In here!" Chapter 33 - Pendulum The rain was pelting from outside, the gloomy weather finally crying itself through the skies. Raindrops pitter-pattered on the glass window beside Alexander Valentine, a steaming cup of coffee was in front of him. As Hearth''s governor, he was expected to always be nicely dressed no matter the occasion. His phone was ringing, vibrating on the table, but he ignored it. Clack, clack, clack. The sound of a woman''s stilettos coming to him made him look towards the automatic door of the VIP section of Ace, the famous restaurant only available in Zion. The woman was of a petite frame. She was wearing a floral dress in white which was formal enough to meet the standard of professional apparel. Despite the absence of the sun, the woman had worn tinted sunglasses and had only lifted them to reveal her curly lashes and golden brown irises, catching Alexander Valentine''s gaze. A small purse was in her hands. It was enough to fit her phone and some essential things a woman always carried. Alexander Valentine gestured with his hand, inviting the lady to join him. "Thank you for coming on such short notice." The woman inclined her head to let Alexander Valentine know she understood. "I heard about what happened. Damien told me." Alexander Valentine nodded. He looked towards the window. The view of the city was visible from the seventh floor of the building. The drones were still flying around, their green light blinking to indicate that everything was in order within the city. ''But was it?'' Alexander Valentine thought. His daughter was still unconscious at the medical center, and no doctor could seem to have an answer for her condition. "Aside from my dead father and grandfather, you and your brother are the only ones who knew about what happened years before my family sat in the government seat." The woman hummed a response. She put her hands on the table and looked Alexander Valentine in the eye. "Yes," she crossed her legs under the table, leaning towards Alexander to whisper her next words. "A secret which should remain as such." ¨C "Holy cow," Jaspreth muttered. He was actually close to saying something worse upon catching sight of Nayowmi. She was standing in the middle of a circular platform. Around her, lifeless zombies lay with each of their skulls crushed in the middle and in the sides. There was still quite a number chained to the wall. From their standpoint, Jaspreth could see more of those re-animated dead were locked inside what appeared to be prison cells. On top of the circular platform, a pendulum was swinging back and forth. It was hardly touching the ceiling but close to it. The two metal balls were color-coordinated, one was silver, and the other was gold. Around them, the same prison cells were present, those with metal bars and padlocks. But compared to the ones present below, it was empty. "Okay," Beatrix started. "Are we supposed to save her?" Zera nodded. She caught Nayowmi''s gaze. Ping! The game''s translucent screen appeared before the four friends. [Special Task Unlocked! One of your teammates is in trouble! Will you be able to save her in time? Say ''Proceed'' if you wish to proceed with the task} "Proceed," Zera replied with no hesitation. [You have chosen to save your teammate! Please note that if you fail to fulfill this task, it won''t affect your progress. You will continue to play with a four-player team until stage seven. You have thirty minutes. The Priestess wishes you good fortune!] The translucent screen didn''t disappear, but it displayed the 30-minute countdown. "Damn," Astherielle muttered. She eyed the circular platform and then at the pendulum swinging on top. "What are we supposed to do? We can''t jump in the den. There are no stairs to get us back." "Is this another puzzle?" Beatrix inquired, too, eyed their surroundings, looking for anything that might give them any clues on how to proceed. "I think so," Zera pointed towards the pendulum. "That must be a key, or it will have no purpose." "How are we supposed to figure out how to save her using that pendulum?" Jaspreth scratched the back of his head. "Just so you know!" Nayowmi called out. "If you can''t save me, no bad feelings!" Zera let out a snort. She looked at Nayowmi. Her former attire had been replaced by a black jumpsuit and checkered black and white inner shirt. She had no weapons around her, and the army boots she had on were the only thing she must have used to fight off the zombies that lay unmoving around her. "We can''t do that," Zera replied. "We need you." Nayowmi looked away. She ducked her head and bit down on her lower lip. She felt like she didn''t deserve their acceptance. From the previous stage, it seemed like she had betrayed them for not telling them about the reward and everything else stated in the preface. But, how would she know that they weren''t aware of it? Still, the thought didn''t fail to make her feel a pang of regret. ''Was it guilt? But she has yet to do anything.'' Nayowmi thought. She had no face to show them now. "Guys!" Astherielle called out. She was staring at the timer. "We wasted five minutes already. We need to think fast!" Zera stared at the pendulum again like an answer would suddenly fall down from it and be handed towards her. They kept on swinging, bumping against each other on a steady rhythm. "What are we missing?" she murmured, drumming her fingers on her thighs. Zera watched the two metal balls, trying to see any form of pattern. "Come on," Zera coaxed. "Z, what are you doing?" Jaspreth stated. Astherielle and Beatrix scouted their perimeter, looking for a staircase or anything else that could lead them towards Nayowmi and help them grab her from there. "There must be something we need to figure out in that pendulum," she let out a sigh, looking at Jaspreth with uncertainty before catching sight of the timer in front of them. 23 minutes. They only have 23 minutes to figure out how to save Nayowmi.. If not, she would inevitably be caught in a zombie fest. Chapter 34 - Pendulum 2 "Twenty minutes!" Astherielle screamed out. The four of them had spread around the second floor. They were all trying to figure out how to solve the pendulum puzzle. "We''re not getting anywhere at this rate," Zera muttered, her eyes fleeting from Nayowmi, the zombies inside the prison cells, and the pendulum swinging above. "Hey, Nayowmi?" Zera called out, a hand on the railing that secured them from falling at the circular platform, and joined Nawyomi helplessly standing there, keeping herself alert in case any of the re-animated dead might be released all of a sudden. "Yeah?" Nayowmi replied. "Was there anything odd when you found yourself in here?" "The fact that I''m here is already odd enough." "Right," Zera muttered, feeling stupid all of a sudden. "I mean other than that and aside from the zombies. The place in general? Was there anything we might have missed to consider?" Nayowmi pursed her lips and stared at their surroundings. Everything was odd. Was this a punishment for them? Or was this stage 3? She was clueless as to what was going on at the moment. Not to mention that she would undoubtedly be sent to the asylum if they failed to solve the puzzle and get out of there. "There''s nothing to note aside from that pendulum and the second floor. When I woke up earlier, it was just this platform and the zombies." Zera gave her response a thought, her eyes fleeting towards the swinging pendulum. Squinting, she tried to focus on it for a while. "Seventeen minutes!" Astherielle shouted, alerting all of them of the time. Zera clenched her hand into a fist. "Is there any clue you could give us to solve this puzzle?" Zera waited for a translucent screen to appear right before her, just as it had when she was just blurting out her frustration from earlier. However, she was left to scoff when none came, keeping her temper in check. ''Okay, Zera. You got this. Don''t panic. Concentrate.'' Zera closed her eyes for a few minutes. Taking a deep breath before she looked up once more. "Fifteen minutes!" Letting her surroundings fall away, Zera concentrated on the swinging objects. Her mind was open to all kinds of possibilities to whatever puzzle she would figure out. It just occurred to her then that she wasn''t really great at mind games. Zera was hardly good at anything in general. But from her upbringing, she was used to always finding solutions to a problem. Unless it was an issue she could not fix, Zera was taught by her father to always be logical. Especially in situations where her life or the lives around her were threatened, she can''t join the frenzy of people screaming and being frantic. Else, she would only add to the chaos. "Twelve minutes!" Clenching her hands once again, Zera was close to losing hope for finding any pattern. She was calculating what perception she should use to find what they were looking for when, with a gasp, she finally saw something. "I found it!" Zera exclaimed, not taking her eyes off the red button that wasn''t visible in plain sight. In between the swinging pendulum, Zera had estimated that at every 5th swing, the two balls would slow their pace like in a slow-motion and allowed them to see the red button, which she has yet to figure out what it entailed. "Where?" Jaspreth asked, his eyes roaming around the ceiling. "Keep your eyes on the pendulum. At every 5th swing, they actually go slow and reveal a red button." Following Zera''s instructions, her friends each gasped. "Seven minutes!" Astherielle noted. "Great job, Z," Jaspreth clapped her on the shoulders. Zera pursed her lips and shook her head at Jaspreth. "Don''t congratulate me yet. We are still stuck inside, and Nayowmi is still down there," Zera turned to her friends. "Now we need to figure out how to hit that button. Any suggestions?" "We have guns. But we need someone with a precise aim to hit it, else the bullet will bounce back and hit any of us in return. We can''t risk losing any health points." Beatrix answered. It was agreed by all of them. "Among the four of us, Jaspreth has a better aim when it comes to shooting," Astherielle stated. Jaspreth scratched the back of his head. He looked at his friends, a sheepish look on his face. "I think you''re all mistaken here," he pulled Astherielle by his side. "Astrid has the best aim among all of us." "What? No. I''m just always lucky," Astherielle immediately made a face. Zera blew out an exasperated sigh. The timer showed that they only had five minutes. "We don''t have time to¨C" A sound of metal groaning had Zera halting from what she was to say. They all looked down as the zombies from below suddenly went active, all of them growling. "I''m fine!" Nayowmi shouted with sarcasm. The metal bars of the prison had moved an inched. Beatrix looked from Astherielle and then at Jaspreth. "Why don''t you two take turns in taking aim? Zera and I will help Nayowmi." Before the two could say their agreement, Zera fired at one of the chained zombies on the wall. She fired on another. [Warning! You only have 3 minutes left!] The system''s mechanical voice rang out. Zera fired at another zombie while Beatrix positioned herself on the other side opposite Zera and did the same. The sound of bullets and the opening of the cells came clashing with the growls from the re-animated dead. They seemed to be too excited to get their hands on Nayowmi. Muttering a curse as the timer was close to two minutes, Zera saw that not only were the metal bars of the prison rising, the chained zombies were beginning to be released as well. "Jay! A! You better hurry on that button. I''m going to help Nawyomni from down there!" "What?!" Before any of her friends could stop her, Zera placed the gun back on the holster by her hips, her hands closing in on the metal railing as she heaved herself up. "Wait!" Beatrix called out, but Zera had already landed beside Nayowmi, standing back to back with her as she gave her the gun while she armed herself with her daggers. "You know this is a stupid idea, right?" Zera scoffed. "The game only said to save you. It didn''t tell us how we should do it," Zera replied. "But you''re right.. I''m a bloody idiot." Chapter 35 - Pendulum 3 "AAAH!" The sound of screaming startled her. Sharmaine landed on the ground with a loud thud. She was surprised that she heard no bones breaking with her fall. It was only then that she realized the person screaming earlier was no other than her. Slowly forcing herself to get up, the first thing she noted was the change of her clothing when she dusted her behind. Instead of seeing the jeans and plain shirt she had on, she found a black plaid skirt and sexy halter top covering her body. A knee-length boot was on her feet, and her hair was pulled back by a tight band. Letting her gaze wander around, she saw an enormous tower looming behind her. She could sense the energy of sorts in her surroundings, almost calling out to her. The sensation pricked on her skin. "Uh, hello?" Sharmaine tried to call out. But there was no response. It was oddly quiet, considering she was in a place she couldn''t seem to recognize. Did she make it inside Zion? Was this some sort of test she needed to fulfill before being fully permitted entrance? "But, why did it seem so weird?" Sharmaine murmured. Taking her first step forward, away from the tower, Sharmaine heard a loud boom, a green smoke coloring the sky from a distance. "That didn''t seem like a good sign." ¨C "Fine!" Astherielle blew out a sigh. "I''ll go first." Positioning herself from where Zera had seen the red button, Astherielle held her gun, aiming for their ticket to saving Nayowmi and completing their five-man team to proceed to the next stage. She took a deep breath, closing her other eye to lock her on her target, aiming the tip of the gun towards the red button. She needed to time it precisely. On every 5th strike, she would be able to see it clearly and take a chance. Sweat broke out from her forehead. Astherielle knew what would happen if she and Jaspreth failed. Zera and Nayowmi were directly engaged with the zombies below while Beatrix aided them from above. It was up to her and Jaspreth to make the shot or else. She wanted to leave it there, not needing to see the mental image of the effect of their failure. Releasing the breath she was holding, Astherielle began to count the swings. When she was close to reaching five, her fingers closed in on the trigger. "Five," Astherielle watched her bullet sail through the ceiling, her hands clenching on the gun she was holding as she held her breath once again. "50 seconds!" Beatrix called out. Gritting her teeth, Astherielle closed her eyes. It was improbable that the bullet would pass through. "Yes!" Jaspreth bellowed. He was looking at the pendulum coming to a stop. The two balls above them slowly halted their swinging. Astherielle opened her eyes and breathed out a sigh of relief. But at that moment, the ground began to shake. The platform where Nayowmi and Zera were standing on, battling the zombies, had started to ascend. That was the good news. The bad news was the prison cells and chains that held the zombies were suddenly starting to unlock. "Oh, hell no," Jaspretth immediately sprang to action. He fired at the zombies closest to advancing on Zera and Nayowmi. Astherielle followed suit. The three of them covered the ground where the two couldn''t. They were both firing and fighting off anyone who would come close while the platform they were standing on slowly made its way upwards. "Can''t this platform go any faster?!" Zera exclaimed, angrily slashing towards the zombies who tried to lunge at her. "Blame the zombies!" Nayowmi replied, mimicking Zera''s stance and battle cry. The two of them were simultaneously switching places to help each other out and confuse the monsters. Glancing at the timer, Zera was relieved to find that it had stopped its countdown at 45 seconds. If Astherielle''s bullet had missed she and Nayowmi would have been thrown in a pit of hungry zombies, fighting their way for survival. They would be clinging on to the hope that they kill all of them unless the game would forcefully spiral them someplace else. They would be on to separate paths, though. Nayowmi would probably have had the same fate as Zera and her friends before, trapped inside the crystal box called asylum. On the one hand, Zera would proceed to the next level with just her friends. They would be a four-man crew until a certain level. The four friends wouldn''t have minded that one bit. But losing Nayowmi was kind of a big deal. She was part of the crew now. Whether Nayowmi liked it or not. "Stupid zombies," Zera muttered. She and Jaspreth were only joking about it in the previous stage. If she had known it would come true, she would have avoided the topic at all costs. "For what it''s worth, I didn''t know you guys were not aware of the reward." Zera snorted. It was becoming clear to her that there must be some foul play behind the game. At least for her and her friends. They had been dragged into it without any knowledge of what they were really getting themselves into. If she was to be honest with herself, Zera wanted to play rebellious the entire game. But seeing what her previous action had led to, she could not pull the same trick for the second time. So instead, she was determined to get to the bottom of this and play the game. She needed to have a word with whoever may be responsible for dragging Zera and her friends inside it. Though, she was more curious as to how that was even possible. ''Was it the work of some divine being?'' Zera could only speculate. She gradually pulled herself away from the thoughts that bothered her. "I think it''s a little late for that. But don''t worry, Nayowmi. We weren''t blaming that on you.. Whoever got us here, that was someone whom we would need to find." Chapter 36 - No One "Phew!" Zera dropped to the ground, her arms were sore, and sweat had broken out from her forehead. She felt Nayowmi doing the same. The platform had elevated high enough for any zombies to reach them. They were all clawing at the moving block of cement, grazing their skins. But since they were already dead, it was hardly making a difference. "It''s not yet over, is it?" Nayowmi murmured. She was clearly exhausted, and Zera felt pity for her. She had been fighting for survival even before Zera and her friends arrived. To add, Nayowmi had nothing with her. She held no weapons. Zera shook her head. "I don''t think it will be over until we reach the last stage." "Well, damn." Rejoining her friends after the platform reached the second floor, Zera got to her feet; turning to Naywomi, Zera extended a hand towards her. Nayowmi looked at Zera, her heart welling up with so much emotion. But the winning one was that of guilt. Nonetheless, she accepted Zera''s offer and pulled herself back on her feet. "From here on, there should be no more secrets among us. We are going to work together to reach the end. And as you have already heard, we aren''t here for the reward. So you can take it home. As for my friends and me, we hope we can count on you, Nayowmi. We need the person responsible for throwing us into this mess to pay." Nayowmi fixed a determined gaze towards Zera. She also considered the other three, eyeing all of them. "I got nothing much to offer but the knowledge from the previous stages. However, I think some changes have been made." Zera nodded. She felt relieved to find that, at least, it wasn''t just her who took note of the various things that seemed to have changed in the game. For her and her friends, there were significant changes. She couldn''t really say the same thing with Nayowmi or for the rest of the players. The thought made Zera feel like she and her friends were a particular case. They had been isolated for a specific reason. Was it because they were all children of people who have a seat in the government? Except for Jaspreth, it was what anyone could say if their backgrounds were to be revealed. That had Zera feeling a little fearful for what lay waiting for her and her friends. She and Beatrix combined were already going to stir so much chaos among Hearth. Add to the mix Astherielle. Could it be possible that this was a political revolution? Only someone in power could create such a discovery and transmigrate them into the game. Or was it all some mind game, and their bodies were still lying unmoving in the real world? While Zera''s thoughts got her distracted, the game''s system had announced their success in completing the particular task. [Congratulations, Players! You will be able to proceed with a 5-player team! You will all be given a 10 percent boost for your Health Points, Mana Points, and Attack Damage as a reward. You also have gained five health bars to aid you in the next stage! The Priestess wishes you good fortune!] Like the previous happenstance, they watched a medicine kit appear and land on the ground, which most likely contained the choco bars they had eaten before coming to save Nayowmi. Jaspreth gave one for each of them. Astherielle accepted it but kept it aside. Almost all of them did the same. Only Nayowmi hungrily opened the choco bar and munched. The four friends understood. They just had their fair share earlier, but for her, it was the first one she had eaten. "Okay, now what?" Beatrix asked, stating the obvious. Just as the question left his lips, the same bluish line had traced another shape of a door on the exact spot where the previous one was before it vanished. The five players watched as it slowly took shape. Compared to the elevator one awhile ago, the new door displayed before them had a knob, and it was just a single one. Its white color somehow made Zera doubt if it was wise to proceed. But seeing as they had no other way out, it was the only way they could continue. "Oh man," Jaspreth complained. He eyed his friends. "We better brace ourselves in case we are tossed back out into the zombie fest." Zera nodded. She had her daggers ready, letting Nayowmi keep her gun. Moving forward, she was thinking of cursing whoever thought it was fun to spiral people into a virtual game and let them experience first-hand what it was like to be faced by monsters you used to imagine and kill in RPGs. That made Zera clutch the weapon on her hand tight. Her friends followed behind her. When they were only a few inches away from the white door, Zera paused for a while. She turned to her team and fixed them with a determined gaze. "No matter what awaits us on the other side, we must persevere," Zera''s heart was actually hammering inside her chest. If she was in the real world, she must be palpitating or close to it like she had an overdose of coffee or something. Though she was never a fan of coffee. It never worked for her when she tried it once to keep herself awake for a school paper due the next day. Instead of making her eyes stay open, she had to fight off falling asleep and pinched herself several times before she finally typed in the last words. After that event, she vowed never to drink coffee and just keep herself hydrated in place of taking anything if she ever had to stay up late once more. "We must," Beatrix agreed, pulling Zera back to where she was going with what she had stated. Nodding her head, Zera eyed her friends, a determined expression plastered on her face. "Here''s to us making it to the end. No one is allowed to give up.. Do you hear me? No one." Chapter 37 - Peace Zera squinted her eyes to get a better look at their surroundings. She and her friends were led to the rooftop of the safe zone building. From the higher ground, they could view the vast entirety of the stage they were in and the number of zombies milling about. Smoke was rising to the skies at the parts Zera believed had been bombed. The sound of growling could be heard even from where they were at, and Zera could only imagine what it would be like if they were to jump right back at the zombies below. Half of the roads in the surrounding area were swarmed by zombies. There were the regular ones who walked slowly and the super zombies who could outrun them if they would stumble. "The game stated that we need to finish off the zombies before we could proceed to the next level," Astherielle commented, her gaze falling on the hordes of zombies below them. "But how do we kill all of them in one go? It''s not like we have a hundred grenades." Zera turned to Astherielle. "I only have one grenade," Zera''s mind was trying to map out possibilities for them to achieve the task of killing all the remaining re-animated dead so they could finally advance to the next stage. "If we could only lure all of them in one place, the grenade could work. We''ll have to aim our guns at all the others remaining." "That''s not a bad idea," Jaspreth joined in. "But our next problem would be how do we gather all of them in one place and where? Where would be the perfect spot?" There was a resounding silence that enveloped the five players, each contemplating on what they could do to make it possible for them to use the grenade and finish off most of the zombies loitering around. "The prison," Nayowmi stated, catching the attention of the four friends. She was looking thoughtful. "What if the platform could be lowered back, and we could gather them there? Once the grenade is dropped, we need to make it out." "The whole building will explode," Beatrix immediately countered. "But that could actually be option number one. We could run as fast as we can and see what happens. After all, if we managed to get them all, we''d be spiraled into the next level, right?" Zera caught each of their gazes. It was actually not a bad idea. They could go with that. But there was a high chance the gate for the next level won''t appear in an instant or at least throw them towards it once the bomb went off. Were they willing to take a risk? Looking at the hordes and hordes of zombies below them, Zera wasn''t even certain if the safe zone building could hold all of them. It was looking more and more likely that they would have a better chance if they hopped down the building and fought the re-animated dead head-on. But the downside would be; they would be fighting for hours, yet those monsters will keep coming at them until the last one is finished off. Who knows how long that would take? The first option they had was doable. But maybe it wasn''t in the same building they were at. "We need to find a wider building, one that would be able to hold the zombies," Zera stated. "What about the zombies inside this building or in every building? How do we make them come out?" Astherielle voiced out. "The game would probably release all of them at some point. We need to strategize." Jaspreth encouraged. "Astrid has the speed upgrade. Zera has the grenade. I think we could make something work with that. Don''t you agree?" Beatrix eyed her teammates, letting her gaze fall last on Zera. "Agreed. First, we need to figure out how to get out of here. Second, we must find the building to gather the zombies. Third, if we want all of them to come out, We must make a very loud noise, calling out to them." Zera paused. "Fourth?" Jaspreth asked. "Strategy?" Zera nodded her response. "We need a strategy, one that can''t fail. We''ll have plan A and plan B. Plan C and plan D for backup. And in order for that to happen, we need to work together." ¨C *Year: 2770 Location: Calix Studio, City: Zion Erza Reinheart''s hands shook uncontrollably as she put a hand to her lips. The scene that lay before her was so horrible that tears began to spill from her eyes. She fell on the floor, her legs losing strength in carrying her weight. Avalon was lying beside Liam Ford, the next in line for the government seat for Hearth. A spool of blood covered the ground beneath them, and neither of them were moving. Erza''s hands continued to tremble even when she had heard footsteps coming towards the room. She got on her feet hastily and crawled under the bed, placing her trembling hands over her mouth. "Are you sure they are dead?" A man''s deep voice echoed inside the room, making Erza''s heart thunder inside her chest. She cannot be exposed, or she might end up having the same fate as her friend. Erza scooted further under the bed, afraid that the man walking towards the lifeless bodies of Avalon and Liam would see a silhouette of her. Her tears were continually streaming down her face, and she had no way to stop them. But she needed to stay quiet. If she wanted to find out who did this to Avalon, Erza must not be caught. "You can check, sir. No pulse," another voice replied to the first. There was an exchange of scoffs. "I''ll trust your judgment. Serves him right. He wasn''t fit to be the governor of Hearth." Erza heard the man cursing, taking his leave with his men trailing after him. When she was alone once more, Erza looked at Avalon''s dead body lying a few inches away from her. The tears came pouring in as she thought she could have saved her from suffering a terrible fate had she made her wait until the wedding was over to tell Liam about the great news. "I''m sorry, Avalon," she whispered. "I promise, I''ll find the ones responsible for your death. Let karma make them pay for what they had done," she sobbed. "May you find peace, Avalon." Chapter 38 - Seizure *Modern day Location: Zion The nurses paraded back and forth, calling the doctors as the patients in the particular room at the medical center in Zion started convulsing. The four children admitted had been relatively unmoving and unresponsive to various tests they had run. The heart monitor alarmingly signaled their heartbeats dropping for each of them. Doctors tended to each child and tried to assess the situation. For the last couple of hours, children of the same age and even adults suffering the same condition as the four had been admitted to various medical centers. There was no explanation if this was a new kind of disease that broke out unknowingly. Relatives of the victims were beginning to worry. Mysie Xavier paced outside the particular room, glancing at what was happening inside. She was close to losing her head without knowing what was happening with Beatrix. This whole situation being a political scheme, had crossed her mind. However, when she caught sight of Governor Valentine earlier, the thought vanished from her head instantly. Even the governor''s daughter was inflicted with this strange condition. Mysie Xavier turned her attention to her daughter, her body showing signs of seizure. "What is going on?" ¨C "Z!" Zera muttered a curse, kicking off a zombie that snapped its teeth at her. Behind her, Beatrix was firing unstoppably. A horde of zombies were running after them. "Let''s hold them off until the others find the building!" It was only after they were out of choices that they found they could actually leap off the buildings and land on their feet without cracking their bones. The gravity pulled them down to a medium speed; hence, they could control their fall. After creating a solid strategy, the five players set off to do each assignment. Beatrix and Zera were to create the distraction and lure the zombies away from their three comrades while they searched for the lone building that could hold most of the zombies before they could set off the grenade. "Switch places!" Beatrix suggested. Zera did, circling to the side to cover Beatrix''s ground as they continued to run, fighting off the zombies along the way to make the noise needed. "Once we get out of this game, I will write a blog regarding this entire experience! Damn these zombies!" Beatrix cursed, shouting her battle cry before firing at the zombies she could hit. "Make sure to tag me when you do!" Zera replied, getting annoyed that the re-animated dead were hardly depleting in number no matter what they did. "Z! Look out!" Beatrix warned, pushing Zera out of the way before a super zombie could overtake her. That caused the two of them to stumble and lose the direction they were going. Zera had dropped her gun. It got whisked away from her hands. "Sorry!" Beatrix apologized, firing at any zombies who would come close while Zera picked herself up. She eyed the gun that lay several inches away from where she was now standing. "I''ll use my daggers, Bee. You take care of the long-range shots." "Copy!" Beatrix replied, feeling guilty for needing to push Zera out of the way. But if she didn''t, Zera might have been bitten. Gripping the only weapon she had, Zera turned aggressive. She lashed out at the zombies, showing no mercy. If she didn''t know how to be mad before, she does now, and it was making her chest burn, fueling her attacks towards the zombies that seemed to multiply with every kill. "Do you think the other team made it to the next stage?" Beatrix asked out of the blue. Zera grunted with effort as she plunged her sharp blade onto a zombie''s expired eyeballs, kicking it away to pull her weapons back. "Probably, if not, we would be the ones who had ascended," Zera replied, then muttered a curse. In all honesty, she couldn''t even spare them a thought as of the moment. She and her friends were in the middle of something. When their paths would cross in a later stage, again, maybe they could learn what happened to the other five. "Right," Beatrix muttered. "Have you wondered why we seemed to have been chosen?" Zera tossed towards Beatrix after realizing that talking kept them both focused and distracted. "Political power move? You know that stupid bullcrap which jealous people pull against our parents?" Beatrix didn''t sound pleased having to say that out loud. Ever since they had pointed out that the four of them had been spiraled into the game without any knowledge of what it was about, nor did they know anything regarding the reward, Beatrix already speculated that this could have something to do with either her, Zera or Astherielle. But she had wanted to keep speculating until she was sure it was the case. However, since Zera had already laid it out, there was no point in keeping it to herself. "I hate how that same theory is running in my mind. But that''s not even all. What happens then if we don''t make it out of this game? If we are being held hostage here, what''s even going on with our parents?" Zera paused to secure her kill, throwing the zombie with one flying kick, breaking its neck. "I might not like having to follow after my father''s footsteps, but I''m worried about him and my siblings," Zera admitted. As they got thrown further into the game, the more she was thinking about what her father was doing right now or if he was even safe. Were her siblings safe too? "Me too, but we can''t afford to worry about the real world for now. If we don''t see this game to the end, our worries would all be for nothing. We''d be stuck in here for good." "When I become the next governor, will I have your support?" Zera turned to Beatrix. The latter gave Zera a smirk. "I thought you didn''t want to be Hearth''s governor?" Zera rolled her eyes. "If, EE. If I become the next governor, will I have your support?" "Do you even have to ask, Z? Absolutely! You better brace yourself to be dragged by me to some random crazy girl''s night out, though! I won''t let you become the boring and lifeless governor!" Chapter 39 - Hush Hush Jaspreth peered from their hiding place. He was leaning securely against the brick wall, afraid that if he stepped out in the open, the array of zombies inside the building would notice them. They scouted half of the buildings close to the safe zone, and none of it was wide enough to hold a large number of zombies. And at the rate they were going, it would take them a while to find one. It made him wonder how Beatrix and Zera were faring. Jaspreth silently prayed that his friends would be able to hold out until they found the perfect spot. He could hear the rapid firing of guns from a distance, which assured him a little but not so much. "How many?" Astherielle whispered. Jaspreth estimated around fifty. But those were the visible ones. The building looked like a factory before it came to ruins. It must have been a meat factory with the various meat processing pieces of equipment left lying around and some reddish slabs of flesh scattered on the ground. Jaspreth knew that it was only part of the virtual animation, but everything looked real since he and his friends were inside that animation. Too real for his liking. The whole scene was grossing him out. But he focused his attention somewhere else. The building seemed wide enough to fit a horde. He let his gaze wander around before pulling himself back. One of the zombies had started to suspect, its head-turning towards Jaspreth''s way. There was a second floor. If he, Astherielle, and Nayowmi could get inside and check the stairs to see where it would lead, this might be the building they were after. They also needed to see if there was a way that led to a rooftop where they could escape once the grenade went off. "Visuals confirmed an estimate of 50. But there might be more lurking further inside. It''s wide enough, though. This could actually work for us." "But?" Astherielle supplied, sensing there was more to it. "But I''m not sure if we could escape from here once we lure them in. I saw the stairs for the second floor. That seemed promising. Still, we''ll have to check it out to be sure." Astherielle gave Nayowmi a sideways glance. The latter looked ready to smash some skulls. She held the gun which Astherielle lent her, replacing that of Zera''s, which she used earlier. "I''m really glad you are on our side." Astherielle commented. Nayowmi snorted. "Don''t go crybaby on me. Enough of that. We need¨C" Grrr¡­ Two zombie heads had poked outside the building. The three players had inched away from the wall closest to the door. That gave them a clear visual of the two zombies who had walked out of the meat factory simultaneously. They sniffed the air. Following what Zera had done previously, Jaspreth crouched and grabbed two pebbles by their feet. He threw it away as far as possible, covering his mouth right after. The zombies sniffed the air again, idly following where the pebbles had fallen. Slowly, the others inside came out and trailed after the two. "Why are zombies so ugly?" Astherielle muttered, lowering her voice so only Jaspreth and Nayowmi could hear. Jaspreth turned to her, looking amused. "Would you rather they look pretty and handsome?" Astherielle shrugged. "Maybe." Jaspreth was about to snort but thought better about making unnecessary noises. Once the visible zombies would clear out, they could actually try scouting the building. If it has a rooftop, their search was over. They can then tell Zera and Beatrix, helping them lure the zombies in there. Astherielle will then be accompanied by Beatrix and Naywomi to make noise, calling to the zombies hiding within the various ruined buildings. "You''re weird," Jaspreth muttered in response to Astherielle. The latter smacked him in the head, and he couldn''t even express himself. "We are all weird," Nayowmi mumbled, moving her body forward to take a closer look at the entrance of the meat factory. "I think most of them already made it out," Nayowmi stated, carefully assessing the truthfulness of her conclusion. "Okay, let''s move." Jaspreth carefully walked towards the entrance, his sword at the ready. Astherielle prepared her crossbow, her eyes shifting from left and right. Nayowmi followed behind them. Unless necessary, she was going to use the butt of the rifle to fight with zombies. "You are the weird one," Astherielle hissed at Jaspreth. "You''ve been carrying that cannon rifle but have just been using your handguns." Jaspreth smirked her way. Rolling his eyes, Jaspreth anticipated that comeback from Astherielle. He was sure all of his friends thought of him as a bloody idiot. But he can''t use the cannon at random. It has a five-minute cooldown, and while he was at it, the thing could be a little hot. It was part of the warning he received when he selected it as a weapon. If he had time to let it cool and detach it from his body, he might have used it earlier. Yet no opportunity presented itself. Jaspreth was thinking of finally using it as his own plan B in case they failed one thing or two. "Enough, you two. We''d be calling forth unwanted attention if you keep teasing each other," Nayowmi said. Astherielle snorted. She tried not to puke at the sight of leftover meat scattered on the floor mixing with the greenish goo from the zombies. "Gross," Astherielle muttered, grateful that it was a virtual world. If she were to think of it in the real sense, she would basically be barfing out her guts. "I''ll never sign up to become one of those medical people," Jaspretth caught on to her mutterings. He chuckled silently. "If you end up becoming one, I''ll be sure to remind you of this moment," "Ssh," Nayowmi warned, her senses alert as they moved further towards the meat factory. Jaspreth could only imagine the temperature on an all-time high for the air conditioning for such a place. They managed to make it towards the spiral staircase that would lead them to the second floor. But now, they were faced with a dilemma that Jaspreth failed to consider earlier. The staircase was made of metal, which would make a loud noise if someone came upstairs or vice versa. In order to make it to the second floor, they will have to go one by one and very, very carefully.. One wrong move, and they would be calling out the entire zombies that just walked out and the ones hiding inside the building. Chapter 40 - Super Mega *Modern day Location: Realm of the Watchers Elixir watched her walk in front of him. A resolute silence was hanging between them as their previous discussion was put behind. The Priestess wasn''t oblivious as to what the senior Watcher was thinking. This has brought a smirk to her face. The trail of her silvery gown followed her graceful movements. Unlike the other Watchers, she has yet to obtain the halo to affirm her ascension as one of them. For the time at hand, Priestess was on a trial period. What she does and how she was handling her taste for vengeance were being monitored to see if she was qualified to become part of the circle. Living as Avalon Haze, she was a mortal with exceptional kindness in her past life. She was meek and honest, always showing compassion to everyone around her despite her status. Avalon Haze was a nobody before she met her husband-to-be, who she didn''t know would become the elected governor for Hearth. But even then, Avalon remained an exemplar to those around her. Despite the criticism she received about using Liam Ford''s interest in her to her advantage, she continued to be nice to everyone she met. When they reached the white double doors of the council chamber, the Priestess came to a halt. She spared Elixir a glance. Smirking for the second time, she raised her right hand, leveling it with her head. "I promise," she whispered. "I''ll be on my best behavior." ¨C Jaspreth just had a thought that they shouldn''t even be emitting perspiration. But beads of sweat had gathered on his forehead, dismissing the idea in his head. The game was becoming more realistic the longer they stayed. The only way they could get out, if they could still get out, was to see it until the end. Jaspreth made it halfway up the metal staircase, balancing his weight before trying to take another step. Astherielle and Nayowmi were the lookouts from below. They had agreed that one of them could scout the second floor, given the staircase''s danger. Although it might actually be beneficial later if they were to use the meat factory to lure the zombies in. While he was in the middle of thinking, Jaspreth thought it might do them a favor to destroy the stairs once all of them made it to the second floor. Or maybe the object itself would give away if several zombies tried to come up all at once. Either way, it was a win-win. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Jaspreth belatedly realized his fatal mistake. He momentarily let his grip relax from the sword on his hand, dropping it in the process. It resulted in a loud clang that echoed around them as it hit the metal staircase. It destroyed the still silence the three of them had worked so hard to maintain for the last minutes. The three players froze in their positions. Jaspreth was caught in the middle of the metal staircase, his legs quivering as he contemplated his two options. One: he could run upstairs and be met by a few zombies or a horde. The chances of him making it through by himself were slim. Option number two: he could run back to his friends and rejoin them. Although they would be chased by a dozen and double dozens of zombies, they have a better chance of survival. "Jay!" Astherielle had flung an arrow towards the first zombie she spotted coming their way. "You better get your ass back here, or I will skin you alive later!" That was the deal-breaker. Flying the steps, no longer caring if it was making so much noise, Jaspreth joined Astherielle and Naywomi running as fast as possible to get out of the meat factory. Staying would be a fatal mistake on their part. The zombies could close in on them, and they had no way to escape unless some miracle happened. "Nice one, Jay!" Astherielle didn''t sound too happy, running ahead while the path was clear. She had her bow at the ready. "We wasted half an hour or more for you to get to the second floor, and then you decide to drop your weapon! Great!" "I didn''t mean to!" Jaspreth replied, firing at the zombies that came after them. They started in a few numbers. Increasing their count by fifties at every advance the three players were making. "Just focus on running for now!" Nayowmi aimed and fired expertly towards the zombies. At the back of Jaspreth''s mind, he was starting to think that Nayowmi must have received some military training. She handled the gun like it was nothing. Her aims were almost always accurate. That made Jaspreth curious as to what her story was. Aside from needing to win the reward, what else was there behind their fifth player? Jaspreth and his friends had known each other back in the real world. With Nayowmi, they might have passed by her, or she might be from Zion too. They haven''t heard her story, though. And Jaspreth wasn''t confident to just come up to her and ask. Grrr¡­! The weird growling sound resembling a gurgling zombie pulled Jaspreth out from swimming in his thoughts. He turned in that direction and gasped. "HOLY¨C!" Jaspreth exclaimed. Something was going on with the zombies running after them. Some of them disappeared, dragged away by fleshy tentacles, which made Jaspreth feel even more afraid. "I thought the game said there was no big boss to defeat!" Astherielle belted out. She was firing unstoppably at the array of zombies that continued to pursue after them. "I don''t think it''s a big boss, though!" Nayowmi briefly stopped running to point at the meat factory. The two others with her also came to a pause and stared at what she was pointing at. More flesh-like tentacles came out from the doors of the meat factory, snatching every zombie it could find. The new development made their pursuers lose direction. From the ones chasing them, they became the ones being hunted. Hence, the groups of zombies had dispersed, running in different directions now that a new threat was after the zombies themselves. A little while later, the ground beneath them began to shake. The three caught each other''s gazes. From a few distances they managed to make, the meat factory was crumbling. Its roof came off, flying like it had been lifted and was thrown away like it weighed light as paper. Slowly, they made out a shape of a head, a green-colored one. There were probably five strands of hair available on top of his head. "Okay, no big boss," Astherielle muttered.. "But that thing is gross." Chapter 41 - Super Mega Point 2 "Whoa!" Beatrix expressed, almost losing her balance after the ground shook beneath her feet. She exchanged glances with Zera who had just pulled her dagger away from the zombie she was fighting with. The reanimated dead fell on the ground with a sickening crunch. Zera eyed the skies and was sure there was no bomb that went off. So whatever had caused the massive earthquake just now, it must be something else. The only thing they needed to worry about was figuring out the ''something'' in that context. "Do you think the others are safe?" Beatrix gently grabbed Zera behind her, firing at the zombie that intended to leap and take a piece of her friend. "Not to day you dumb freak!" She blew her hair off her face, turning only to find Zera engaged in another fight with a different set of zombies. "I''m always grateful we took those combat lessons with Jaspreth''s uncle!" "You know what?" Beatrix held her gun, aiming at the zombies that kept coming their way. "Me too." Bothered by the ground shaking earlier, Zera bit on her lower lip before she turned to Beatrix. "Let''s dent these numbers and kill enough to run away without calling anymore to follow us and find the others, Bee. I''m afraid something happened." "Well, I was getting a little worried here, too. Good call! Let''s go!" Zera fired angrily at the zombies before she switched to the staff she picked to fight with the zombies in hand combat. The sharp blade at one end would be enough to pierce right through the head and snuff the life out of the zombies. Watching each other''s back, the two friends depleted the number of zombies coming their way. With Beatrix halting the use of the gun, it had stopped drawing the others towards them. Greenish stains could be found on their wear and gears. Beatrix was forcing herself not to think about the smear which she knew had somehow spread on her bare skin too. That only made Beatrix wish for a refreshing shower. She wanted nothing but to finally stop running for her life, wash up, and enjoy the soft mattress of her bed. She wouldn''t mind coming home to her mother either. Zera, on the one hand, was struggling to keep her thoughts centered on their current task. She was trying not to think of her father and siblings. She was hoping that they were safe. The last thing she needed was to hear something happening to them while she was inside the stupid game. Anger flashed before Zera''s eyes. She lashed it out on the zombie lunging for her. "I''m partly relieved that we are fighting against zombies instead of the other players," Zera exclaimed to which Beatrix rolled her eyes. "I''d be grateful to be back home instead of having to consistently run for our lives." "Just think of this as a bonus round. One where you can lash out on the zombies crawling our way. But yeah, nothing beats coming back home." The two friends fought their way through the array of zombies until they almost zeroed out the number following them. It was the sign they were waiting for. After exchanging a glance and a nod, Zera and Beatrix run in the direction they believed their friends might be. ¨C Nayowmi leaped out of the way, a zombie''s clawed hand almost scraping her. The chasing game has now become even more exciting with the emergence of what they agreed on was a super mega zombie. It lumbered out of the meat factory. The humongous form of this zombie caused the building to be smashed into pieces before it finally came out. The super mega zombie had two heads attached to a sumo-wrestler''s body which was five times larger than any giant trees one might think of. Both heads gnashed its teeth, snapping at anything it found moving. The horde of zombies running after them had disappeared for two reasons; one the super mega zombie was eating them up. It would scoop a few by human-shaped hands while some were grabbed by the many tentacles coming out of its enormous belly. Even its belly had a wide mouth, its lips forming a line on the monster''s abdomen. It had nothing on except for a tattered pair of pants. Surprisingly, it had a human body. The double head was working so profusely. The other one covered the front and the left side. The second head had the back and the right side covered. Its tentacles had limitless stretchability. It was what Jaspreth felt afraid of. If any of it could get hold of hem, if not helped immediately, it could be goodbye for good. Shaking the thought away, Jaspreth clenched his hands into fists. While they were battling a smaller horde and trying as much as they could not to get entangled with the tentacles, he let his mind work out a plan on how they could try to take out the super mega zombie. Astherielle was the one who named it. With its enormous size, no one argued. "Hey Jay?" Astherielle asked, sinking the tip of the crossbow through a zombie''s skull. He watched it fall on the ground with a loud thud. "Yeah?" Jaspreth whistled, battling with another batch coming at them. "What if we just let the super mega zombie eat all of the zombies present then we set off the grenade on its heart? That would result in our win, right?" "I suppose," Jaspreth replied calmly. Astherielle''s idea was not bad at all. In fact, he was considering it. Once Beatrix and Zera joined them, they could put heir heads together once again to devise a plan on how to take down the super mega zombie. "Alright," Astherielle replied. "Let''s find Z¨C" "Hey!" Before Astherielle could finish her sentence, she felt the tight bind of something slimy around her ankle. She managed to look down and see that a tentacle had escaped their guard. The super mega zombie got hold of her. "Right," Astherielle looked at Nayowmi and Jaspreth. "I should stay calm." "A," Jaspreth raised the samurai sword in his hand. "Stay calm. This should be quick, I promi¨C" Astherielle let out one ''oof'' as she fell on the ground and was suddenly pulled against her will. "Um!" she expressed, fumbling to set herself free, the ground grazing her skin. "Hello! Think fast guys! Come on!" Jaspreth broke into a run while Astherielle kept on trying to break free from the tight hold, lashing at the end of the tentacle with the use of her crossbow. Nayowmi followed behind. Determined not to lose Astherielle, Jaspreth took a deep breath. It was high-time to use the weapon he thought had been a useless choice. Pulling off the strap over his head, Jaspreth put the cannon rifle over his shoulder, tinkering with the power button. [Warning! You are about to use a super turbo which requires a five minute cold down. After usage, the whole machine will heat up before frosting itself to allow player to use it after its cooldown. Are you sure to proceed?] Jaspreth looked at his friend struggling to untangle the hold of the super mega zombie off of her ankle. "Proceed," he propelled forward, sensing he didn''t have the luxury of time before the cannon was ready to take fire. When he was sure he could be close enough, Jaspreth''s finger hovered over the red button which he knew would release a small but very heavy ball made of metal. It''s target was locked towards the super mega zombie. "HEY!" Jaspreth called out to the monster. [1 Divine bullet ready for release. Release bullet?] "Yes please," Jaspreth kept a steady aim towards the monstrous being.. "Release." Chapter 42 - Super Mega Point 3 "Not again!" Beatrix muttered, holding her balance as another earthquake shook the ground. But this time, there was a huge blue light that flared up the skies. Hence, Zera and Beatrix knew it wasn''t one of those ground shaking for distraction that the system releases from time to time. Someone fired something, and it most likely called the other re-animated dead. "Okay, now we know where they are! Come on!" Zera pumped her legs to run faster. If she had an upgrade, she''d wish for more endurance in the running. Beatrix glanced back and spotted a few more zombies running after them. She huffed beside Zera, tapping her shoulders. "We might want to hurry up," she stated, catching Zera''s gaze. The latter glanced behind them and took note of all the open routes. She nodded at Beatrix. "Right now, I wish we had Astrid''s speed upgrade." "Ugh!" Beatrix muttered beside her. "Don''t remind me. I wish we could figure out how to get our own upgrade." "Well, we have time for that later," Zera replied. "Hopefully. But right now, we need to get back to them. Or we''re all screwed." ¨C "Yes!" Jaspreth bellowed, dropping the cannon right after. It left a few singes on his fingers. "Ow, ow ow." Jaspreth danced a little before he heard the snarls coming in all directions. "Uh-oh," "Yes, Jay!" Astherielle angrily called out, pulling the remnants of the super mega zombie''s tentacles from her ankle. "Uh-oh! I mean, what the hell?! Why didn''t you aim for the big dumbo?" "Well, excuse you! I was trying to save your ass!" "HEY!" Nayowmi called out. Both Jaspreth and Astherielle turned towards her. "You can argue all you want later, but we have bigger issues to deal with right now!" Astherielle grunted, glaring towards Jaspreth. "Even if the world falls apart, I will always save my friends first." Astherielle stared after him while Jaspreth flinched when he tried to grab hold of the cannon. The five-minute cool down was yet to be done. She debated whether to apologize or save it for later. The loud snarl beside her helped her make a decision. "Take this, you crappy monster!" Astherielle plunged the edge of her crossbow on the head of a zombie. Pulling it out in time to make it a defense from another one that followed. She was letting out her frustration, and Astherielle had to admit she actually felt better. The thought about apologizing and her feeling guilty. "Hey, Jay!" "Yeah, what?" "I''m sorry!" Jaspreth snorted. "You owe me more than sorry, A!" "When we make it out of this freaking game, I''ll give you an ace card!" "Yes!" Jaspreth replied. "Now we''re talking!" Astehrielle rolled her eyes. An ace card was a rare item in a deck card game she and Jaspreth played. It was when they first met, and Astherielle has always been lucky to win ace cards. Jaspreth loathes them. All throughout the game, each player can give ace cards as gifts. "You guys are weird!" Nayowmi called out. "When we make it out of this game, come play with us sometime, Nayowmi!" Astherielle invited, squashing another zombie''s head. "I''ll think about it!" Nayowmi answered. She wasn''t even sure if they would want to talk to her if they made it to the end. The idea was already eating at Nayowmi inside and out. But she needed to keep in mind that the money she''ll win would be for her sister. That was enough to keep Naywomi going. It was her way of making herself forget what she was supposed to do. Nayowmi just needed to focus on saving her sister. "Oh hell!" Jaspreth exclaimed, his eyes widening as the super mega zombie took his attack personally. Its two-heads had zeroed in on their trio, its tentacles pulling back, and started to group together. Its eyes had turned bloodshot as it opened its mouth, ready to bellow a death-defying scream. "We need to get away from it! A-S-A-P!" Astherielle belted out, running ahead to find a hiding spot. Jaspreth and Nayowmi were left to fend off the remaining zombies that kept throwing themselves along their way. Rounding up to retrieve his cannon, Jaspreth kept glancing at the super mega zombie who was about to let out a loud growl which he knew would gather every other zombie present in the entire game. Covering his ears, Jaspreth urged Nayowmi to run faster. They were closing in on a building. Minutes before the loud, revolting growl, the trio was able to take cover as saliva, and a strong wind had passed by them. "Gross!" Astherielle complained a few feet away. "Okay, now what?" Nayowmi asked. " Hey, big, ugly fella!" Zera''s familiar voice rang out. The trio got out from their hiding place, catching sight of two silhouettes rushing towards the super mega zombie. "Is that all you got?" A fire of bullets rained on the zombies and the tentacles combined to double their size from before. "Guys!" Beatrix called out. "A little help here, please!" "A! I think it''s time!" Jaspreth called out, urging Nayowmi to follow Astherielle while he ran towards Zera and Beatrix. "On it!" Astherielle shouted. "It''s the final showdown! Come on, Nayowmi!" Astherielle started rapidly firing, shouting, and screaming as loud as she could, running in all directions like she was a siren. Nayowmi fired at the zombies that approached them, dodging a few as she slowly followed Astherielle''s trail. "Do those two even know what the new plan is?" Astherielle smirked, glancing at her friends. "Jaspreth will take care of that! To add, Zera and Beatrix pretty much are adept at analyzing situations! If you happen to meet us in the real world, you''ll understand why." While Astherielle and Nayowmi took care of calling out to the remaining zombies hiding in buildings, the other three players were leaping and dancing with the tentacles from the super mega zombie who had stopped chomping on the other zombies. To their dismay, it seemed that attack from Jaspreth had changed its mind about finishing off the rest of its kind. Instead, it made use of them as its minions. "Care to explain what''s going on here?" Beatrix called out upon spotting Jaspreth. "Super mega zombie appeared. Earlier, it chomped on the other zombies, probably for more energy, or I don''t know! It almost got A! I used this kicker weapon to save her, blasting at its tentacle, gripping her ankle. And now, it somehow upgraded its tentacles and is set out to kill me." "The big explosion was the cannon rifle?" Zera asked to which Jaspreth nodded. "Well, damn!" Beatrix replied, shooting at the super mega zombie, which they had no way to tell whether they were making a difference or not. "We''ll need to think of a new strategy and make use of that powerful weapon right under our noses!" Chapter 43 - Super Mega Point 4 Throwing her staff towards the super mega zombie, Beatrix watched the hideous creature swat it away like it was just a fly coming towards it. The weapon landed on the ground several inches away from the supersize monster. "We need to make it eat up more of the other zombies!" Zera stated. Jaspreth looked at her. "How do we even do that?" Zera exchanged glances with Beatrix. The latter shrugged. "Don''t look at me. I don''t know either." Zera looked around them. Astherielle and Nayowmi have successfully called out most of the zombies. There were hordes and hordes of them approaching. The ground beneath their feet had started to shake. [Warning! A horde of zombies are approaching!] "We kinda know!" Beatrix answered the system''s mechanical voice. She was exhausted from all the running and having to fight off flesh-eating monsters. Zera let her gaze fall on the super mega zombie, its tentacles lashing out at them blindly. Despite its double head, it seemed to not have a clear vision. "Uh, this is pretty lame, but I think we actually got this." Beatrix snorted in response to Zera. "Hey, Jay!" Zera called out, despite being uncertain on what to do if the plan she was thinking of failed. "How long was the cool-down for your cannon again?" "5 minutes." Zera counted in her head. They would need to keep the monster distracted for another five minutes after using the cannon before they can fire it again. From a distance, the sound of rapid firing and Astherielle screaming was coming a little closer. They must have begun to fall back. A more enormous horde of zombies were approaching them. This was their only chance to finally finish off the entire zombies and finally be done with the stage. They need to think of moving forward and don''t stop until they make it to the end. Zera wanted nothing but to finally understand who was responsible for throwing them into the game and why. It was that unsettling thought that drove her to keep pushing forward now. "Alright! 5 minutes is all we need. Could you aim and fire it towards the horde following Astherielle and Nayowmi when they managed to rejoin us?" "Of course!" "What happens after that?" Beatrix inquired. "We''ll fight! Throw the horde towards their superior and see if he gobbles them up! If not! Plan B! We just need to draw them close to that big thing!" Zera slashed at the zombies coming their way and leaping away from the lashing tentacles of the super mega zombie. "When we have most of the zombies gathered close to the ultimate zombie, Jaspreth should fire another bullet." "But that''s not going to finish off the super mega zombie!" Jaspreth exclaimed. "Leave it to me," Zera replied, her eyes transfixed on the divider of the two heads sprouting from the neck of the unusual re-animated dead. "That would be gross," Beatrix commented. "I might not be able to eat anything mushy in the next weeks or so after we come back to the land of the living, but as long as it takes us out of here. I''m willing to pay the price." "I''ll be glad when this stage is over. I don''t care what the next stage has in store for us. As long as they aren''t stinking zombies!" Beatrix replied to Zera. "I hate to agree, but yeah, me too!" Jaspreth joined them as more zombies came. Astherielle and Nayowmi had finally made it towards them, almost out of breath as they watched the system''s translucent screen hover above them, flashing red. [Warning! Hordes of zombies approaching!] [WARNING! HORDES OF ZOMBIES APPROACHING!] Standing in a circle, the five players watched as hordes of zombies approached, coming from all sides of the building. A few have stumbled on the way while most made it past, breaking a bone or two. Jaspreth let out a curse. "I hope your plan works, Z!" Zera''s heart pounded inside her chest. "On the count of three, Jay! Focus on what''s right in front of us. We''ll cover the sides!" "Ready when you are!" Jaspreth removed the sling of the cannon, holding it at a steady aim. Zera tucked back her daggers as she pulled the long samurai sword behind Jaspreth. "Let me borrow this!" Jaspreth gave Zera a brief nod. "Are you guys ready?" "I want nothing but to finally be rid of these zombies!" Beatrix stated. "Me too!" Astherielle added. "I''m ready to head to the next level!" Nayowmi spoke. "Okay then!" Zera had her gaze steadied at the super mega zombie, its tentacles weaving their way towards them. "Let''s get this over with! One!" Zera slashed the samurai sword, cutting off the tentacles that had already made their way towards them. The enormous creature wailed loudly upon retracting its wounded flesh. Green liquid oozing from it. It snatched the closest zombies around it by then, gobbling them up like they were candy. Bones cracked, and Zera almost gagged at the sight. "Two!" Zera and her friends danced with the zombies, who managed to make it ahead of the horde. The sound of their bare feet stomping on the ground mixed with the snarls and the cry of the super mega zombie. Taking a deep breath, Zera exchanged glances with Jaspreth. "Three!" Blue flames surrounded the medium-sized bullet coming out of his weapon. Jaspreth immediately dropped the weapon beside him, blowing at his hands. Zera watched the bluish flame spread more expansive on the flying bullet. Before they knew it, it obliterated more than half of the horde that was coming towards them. "Alright, guys! Let''s move it! We have five minutes! Five minutes to lure the rest of the zombies to the super mega one! It''s back to gobbling up the others!" "Well! We need to fall back!" Jaspreth responded. "Let''s go!" While the rest of her friends fired unstoppably to lure the zombies to follow them as they neared the super mega one, Zera kept an eye on the tentacles, anticipating its every attempt to make a grab for one of them. Waiting for Jaspreth''s cannon to cool down, the five players fought off not only with the zombies but with their own exhaustion. "I''m going to move ahead," Zera claimed. "Jay, remember what you''ll do after the five-minute cool down." "Wait," Beatrix glanced in Zera''s direction. "Where are you going exactly?" Zera looked at the monster in front of her. "To finally put an end to all of this." Chapter 44 - The End ''Brave or stupid?'' Zera leaned towards stupid, panting and grunting with effort as she dodged the tentacles that the super mega zombie kept waving towards her and her friends. No matter how many times she chopped off a fleshy tentacle, it regenerated. The whole idea of cutting it into pieces was pointless. But she was not about to give up. Halfway through the path toward the super mega zombie, Zera tried not to gag with a closer look at its enormous body. The tentacles attached to its belly had her grimacing. To fight off nausea, she busied her brain, thinking of a way to be able to plant the grenade in between its heads. She might have no choice but to use the tentacles as leverage. Zera shook her head vehemently. "Gross," she muttered, slicing her way towards the super mega zombie. All the while, she was waiting for Jaspreth to use his cannon. It would obliterate another wave of the horde. She would need that kind of distraction for the super mega zombie. That way, she would be able to explore her options in taking it down. Option number one entailed her setting off the grenade and throwing it toward the enormous creature. Fingers crossed, she would pray to all the divine beings she could for the grenade to make it in between its head. Or, she could risk having it mad, letting its tentacles surround her and pull her just enough for her to make the climb on its somewhat slippery body. There was a ninety-five percent accuracy that she would be able to splatter its brains all over the ground. The remaining five percent was for her failure to do the climb. Option number three was to get its attention and hope it would scoop Zera up with its dirty hands and draw her close to its mouth. She could then throw the grenade before she would be swallowed alive. Option number four involved herself curling into a tight ball while she let the super mega zombie swallow her and set the grenade off inside its belly. Zera crossed out option number four almost immediately. Aside from the gagging at the idea, there was a probability she wouldn''t be swallowed whole. The zombie had jagged teeth. It could easily slice her flesh into bits. When she watched it munch on its minions earlier, the scene before her gave her a mental image of what would happen. "Ew," Zera muttered. Before she could set off the grenade, she might have been nothing but broken bones and diced flesh. "Okay, options 1, 2, and 3 only." Zera swung Jaspreth''s sword, beheading the zombies on the way. The super mega zombie was drawn to the sound of the rapid firing caused by her teammates. The enormous monster was distracted enough, but Zera didn''t want to take her chances. She shouldn''t underestimate it, or it could be a fatal mistake on her part. "Ugh," she mumbled, trying to pick the best option to pursue. Her best chance lies in options number 1 and 2. Option number 3 was very risky. "Damn," Zera muttered. Zeroing in on the monster, Zera glanced back at her friends. They were all very exhausted. Clutching the only weapon she had, Zera was readying to make a choice when the ground beneath her feet shook at random, making her lose her momentum. Not to add, Zera also dropped the sword in her hand. It skittered a few feet away from her. "Nooo!" Zera silently cried. She immediately got herself back on her feet. Shea tried to run for it only to jump back with one yikes when two tentacles came for her. One in front and the other at the side. "No way?" Zera said sarcastically, watching the sword a few distances away from her. "Great," Now she was left with nothing but her daggers. "Z!" Astherielle''s voice echoed from a distance. Zera didn''t have to ask why she was screaming. Behind her, the super mega zombie had risen to its full height. Debris from the building it had emerged from rained by its feet. "JAY!" Zera called out. "It''s now or never!" Finally making up her mind on what to do, Zera crossed her fingers and wished for a miracle. "Alright! At the count of three, Z!" "Just do it!" Zera dodged another aimed attack by the super mega zombie in time to gut the zombies, who made a beeline towards her using the only weapon she had left. It had Zera thinking that this stage had basically given them three options for a weapon because of this specific reason. "For," Zera panted, kicking zombie number one before dancing around to crack zombie number two''s head off. She groaned at the sickly crunch before its head fell to the ground, followed by its body. "Crying out loud! Hyah!" The next set of zombies that came for Zera all fell to the ground, headless. She either plunged the dagger into its neck before breaking it or broke it directly, kicking the head to ensure it won''t suddenly snap its mouth towards her. "Z!" Staring at the super mega zombie, Zera listened to the thunderous boom as Jaspreth let loose another bullet with bluish fire. Taking her chance, Zera ran, dodging zombies and tentacles left and right, and finally did the treacherous climb. Grossed out but clinging to the zombie flesh anyway, Zera used her daggers to make it towards its head, watching for anything the super mega zombie would do to her. Puncturing it simultaneously, Zera was barely holding up. The gravity was pulling her down, and the slippery flesh wasn''t helping. On another note, a tentacle had made its way toward Zera. The super mega zombie had begun squeezing her, wrapping her on its thigh. "HOLY CRAP!" Zera exclaimed, slicing the tentacle off of her. She grunted with effort as she pushed forward. She was covered in sticky goo, and Zera didn''t like it. "Ah, to hell with this!" Zera reached for the grenade safely tucked on her belt. She pulled the pin, plunging her dagger higher, and heaved herself up. Swinging her other hand, which was holding the grenade, Zera aimed for the monster''s head. She took the time to leap away from the monster, covering her face as she rolled to the ground. BOOM! The ground shook beneath her feet.. Despite her arms shielding her face, Zera closed her eyes too and waited for her doom.