Horrifying Beauty

Mira and Givale continued their exploration at the peninsula. The empty forest seemed to continuously repeat. As night fell Givale kicked a rock at the gravel beach and sighed, "There's nothing here!"

Hearing no comment from Mira Givale turned towards him. His gaze was focused on the sea as if hypnotized by it. The waves and ocean crashing was so soothing. 

Givale tapped his shoulder and he turned towards her with a questioning glance. Inspecting Mira's eyes Givale pursed her lips but didn't say comment on what she saw. Instead she asked, "Should we follow the beach like Akiol said?"

"We're leaving?"

"There's nothing here."

Mira's gaze returned to the ocean, its beauty amplified by the now setting sun. Wishing to stay here for a little longer he made an excuse, "We can make camp for tonight."

It was a reasonable excuse that Givale didn't think much of. She nodded happily and looked about, "Are we staying on the beach or in the forest?"

"I like the beach."

"I'll gather some firewood then!"

Givale skipped off and Mira's gaze remained on the waves. The sound of the ocean steadily became deafening, it was all he could hear. Yet he never snapped out of this daze, rather fell deeper into it.

He could not hear the drumming in his ears. Or the thumping of his heart.

The tide rose and water licked his feet. Yet he still did not flinch. With a forest devoid of life the only sound was the ocean. It surrounded him, threatened to push him even deeper.

Until a slap smacked him out of his daze. Givale moved her hand and gripped Mira's face and forced him to look towards her. He was stunned, unsure what had just happened.

"You're not okay Mira.", Givale said seriously.

Using her control over space she bent the light to reflect Mira's face. A blurry mirror formed. Within his reflection Mira suddenly felt a pit form in his stomach. Crowding half of his face was a series of scales, and one of his eyes turned to the Hydra's.

Having returned to his senses he calmed himself and the visual changes returned to normal. Pressing a hand to his chest he felt his heart thumping at a speed far from normal. It vibrated in his chest from its rapid beating. 

Slowly he returned this to normal as well. After one final slow breath he finally returned, entirely, back to normal. Givale completed her own inspection before letting go of Mira. Under her arm was a stack of wood, "We should stay away from the ocean."

Mira was still unwilling, "I-"

"We're staying away from the ocean.", Givale was adamant.

"Okay."

The two searched the forest using the last moments of light to find a decent spot. Setting up the fire the two warmed themselves in its light. Mira focused on the crackling sound of the wood burning instead of the ocean.

"It's not magical, the ocean isn't affecting me. . .", Givale started her own investigation.

"The ocean wasn't the cause."

"Then what was?"

Mira sighed and moved his legs closer to his torso, "It was just calming. I got distracted, the ocean isn't at fault."

"We're going to stay away from it for a bit longer.", Givale wasn't entirely trusting.

"Okay."

Every time he utilized the Limitation Acupuncture the Hydra seemed to gain a bit more sentience. To think him simply absorbing himself in the sounds of the ocean was enough for it to grip onto his sanity. Mira entirely understood why Givale wasn't very trusting.

Scraping the floor of dirt Mira avoided further conversation. A sizeable hole began to form at his side as he used a finger to dig. First the plants went away, then the roots, and then. . .

His finger touched something hard. Mira believed it to be the root of a nearby tree at first, but after further investigation he felt it was too loose. Fishing it out of the dirt he pulled out the object and dusted it off.

It was a rock. Nothing incredible. Mira still held onto the rock, gently cleaning off its surface from dirt. As it became cleaner Mira noticed a strange peculiarity about the rock. It was oddly shaped, as if broken from something.

A larger chunk of dirt broke off the rock and Mira was able to get a look at its proper shape from the fire's light. Holding it an angle he could properly inspect it he frowned. 

The rock was now looking at him. Almost literally. 

It seemed like somebody broke the eye off a statue.

~ ~ ~

The large plates of food was finished in record time. Rue was so satisfied she slumped in her chair and sighed contentedly. Since Rue cooked the food Akiol took it upon himself to clean the dishes. As he scrubbed about he asked, "How is A World's Legacy treating you?"

"The illusion?"

"Yes."

Rue licked her teeth as she recalled her experience, "A battle hungry world I must say."

"Really?"

"You make it seem like it's not supposed to be."

Akiol recalled his first time playing A World's Legacy and shrugged, "I wouldn't say battle hungry. Battle enthusiast maybe."

"Enthusiasm does not reach the level of terror those people showcased."

"Terror?"

Akiol put down a dish and looked towards Rue, "What exactly are you dealing with?"

Rue began to tell Akiol of her experience in A World's Legacy. Her beginning introduction to the Rave Guild and how the beginner villages were being raided. This was before she obtained a headset of her own of course. 

Once she explained her introduction, she moved onto her second logged in experience. 

-<>-

The smell of smoldering wood and ash assaulted Rue's senses. The ruins of a beginner village surrounded her, the bodies of fallen NPCs joining the ashen floor. 

"Find the respawn crystal! Once we take this village off the map we can move on towards the next."

"Please leave us alone, you guys are higher level why are you bullying us?"

Rue's attention moved towards the voices and she spotted a number of players surrounding a sole individual. Twirling her glaive she moved towards the group.

"Yeah yeah we've heard it before. It's nothing personal don't worry.", the higher leveled player swung downwards with their axe.

Zzzt-!

Demonic gray energy crackled as the glaive was thrown forward. It impaled the high level player and their eyes widened in shock as their HP dropped dramatically.

Rue smiled, "You guys are so good at surviving. It's so great!"

"It's-It's her! She's the one who killed Randy!"

"What? She's level one! Randy is First Stage! How did that idiot manage to fall to her?"

"I don't know man! She's weirdly strong!"

Leaping forward her palm stretched with demonic energy and beheaded the injured player. Retrieving her glaive she eyed the fallen axe and picked that up too. Tossing it in her hand she smiled, "Wonderful."

"Well kill her you morons!", the commanding player shouted.

Rue threw the axe towards an incoming player. As they went to dodge the axe crackled with demonic energy and the player paused out of fear. This instinctual action interrupted their dodge and the axe embedded itself into their forehead.

Clashing her glaive against a sword she rapidly disarmed the player and carved through them. With a spin of her glaive she deflected incoming arrows towards the ground. A giggle began to escape her lips before turning into laughter.

The first thought of the players was how beautiful the laughter sounded, which rapidly followed with chills flowing through their spine. This force, how terrifying!

"Tsk Randy was an idiot, I'll show you the real might of a First Stage!", the player cracked their knuckles and approached.

"A pugilist?", Rue's laughter subsided.

"So you've done your research. What are you? A wiped player?"

Rue tilted her head which dazzled some players. Yet as a smile appeared on her face it snapped them out of their daze. The pugilist player charged forward, a thin mimicry of a charging tiger began to form.

Seeing the mana make such weird movements Rue inspected the skill for as long as possible. Then with a flicker of her glaive she severed the Pugilist's hands, "You fall way too short as a pugilist. I've faced someone far above your level."

In utter shock the pugilist stepped back, "This. . . what?"

Rue had already absorbed countless players to temporarily boost the might of her Demonic Energy. Her current strength rose above that of your typical First Stage. However such might was rapidly dwindling. This Demonic Energy wasn't of her own strength, but a temporary fuel that was running out.

Flickering about Rue carved several wounds into the pugilist player and they fell to the ground. Crouching at the body she spoke, "First Stage? Like that one delectable individual?"

Gray energy cracked as she placed a palm onto the body. Power surged as she replenished her dwindling strength. A smile formed on her lips, "Yes. . . bring me more First Stages!"

The Rave Guild members began to flee in the face of Rue's might. She did not chase them down. When they informed their stronger members more of these "First Stages" would come for her. Perhaps then they'd put up a proper fight!

She was really looking forward to it!