Focus!

"Damn it! I can't do much against these pill bugs! Their shells are like metal shields!"

It was only a mere six months ago that we were in a cave in the desert wasteland of Absol when the three of us had followed a traveling merchant into a trap. Sandy Pill Beasts sprung from the very sand below our feet, and they attacked. Their spikey maws spewed a toxin that was capable of granting a debuff that lowered their victim's strength. As the first person hit by it, I was the only one affected by it. As such, every punch I landed was severely weaker than normal.

I was in my first week into the game that Mark and Bishop had introduced to me. It was one of the MMORPGs that boasted themselves on their advanced AI system and realistic gameplay. It was one of the newer generation games that allowed the players to experience all five senses in the gameplay.

"C'mon now, bud. You gotta use your character abilities. Since there aren't any controllers, then you must focus and use your heart.", Bishop yelled to me.

Fire erupted from his fingertips and formed a pillar that swept the Sandy Pill Beast that I had engaged in close quarters combat. The heat scorched the insect, causing it to hiss out in defiance. Its twelve legs buried themselves into the sand, and it used its own shell as a shield from his follow-up fireballs. Sand exploded as Bishop's fireball collided with the tough shell of the Pill Beast and initiated a medium-sized area of effect attack.

"The cunning warrior attacks neither body nor mind…"

The words of a small, fox-like creature erupted behind us as it leaped to be vanguard. Its majestic orange tail flickered in the dry breeze as it twirled its spear overhead.

"Mark. What the hell are you talking about now?", Bishop responded.

The creature before was actually Mark. His goatee-like whiskers and thick glasses made him stick out from the rest of his Kitsune brothers, but he was definitely one of them. Without responding, the Kitsune inhaled sharply before…

"Yelp!"

A fox-like bark erupted from his mouth, causing a shockwave to batter the position of the Pill Beast. The impact of his yelp was so powerful that it uprooted the planted Pill Beast with ease.

"You gotta attack the heart. The weakness of the Pill Beast. Without the controller like most games, you gotta focus within your mind and summon the skill from your status screen."

"and your actual heart. You are a fairy, so your strength amplifies the quicker your heart beats! That is your strength!", Mark said.

His ears flickered, and in an instant, the Kitsune male launched himself in order to headbutt the traveling merchant in our charge. One of the thick, pointed legs of a Pill Beast penetrated from the spot that he had come from. While he did cause him a little pain, it was leagues better than being skewered alive.

The Pill Beast dug itself out of the sand, and Bishop clapped his hands together. His eyes lit up a light blue, and his face hardened to stone.

"You gotta do something, bud. Standing around isn't benefiting anyone. I got something to tie it up, but you need to finish it to get the most of the XP. Look within.."

As he spoke, Bonner released the skill that he had been channeling.

Right before my eyes, a bright, blue barrier illuminated with the greenish goo of the Pill Beast caking it. The Pill Beast screeched in outrage before it scurried towards us like a locomotive. The huge beats rammed into Bishop's barrier. The energy of the barrier warbled after repeated strikes of the Pill Beast's mandible.

"The mechanics are there, bud. You just have to envision them. Even if you can not see it, trust that they are there.", Bishop shouts out in encouragement.

It'll take some time to get used to the mechanics of this game, but…

Ba bump. Ba bump. Ba bump.

I felt it… this energy pushing through my bloodstream. It was almost euphoric as if all of my pain and trouble had washed away. My muscles tightened, and in my vision appeared what I had been lacking. My status screen…my ability list.

'Fairy's strength amplifies according to their heart rate…'

A battering screech occurred as Mark had leaped onto the back of the Pill Beast and pushed his spear into its back. The creature jerked back and forth, attempting to throw the small creature off it. To its dismay, Mark remained firmly on its back while the spear that now penetrated it as a handle.

Focus… Look for it. The game reacted to my thoughts and, in my vision, appeared on the status screen. I quickly over viewed the information in sight and then acted on it. For a member of my character's species, their implementation of magic is different from the other species. In order to properly and effectively utilize their skills, I must increase the speed of my heart rate in order to pulse the mana within my body.

Naturally, that meant one thing. As soon as Bishop dropped his shield, I charged the Pill Beast. The crunch of sand transpired every step of the way. That was until I leaped up towards the twisting creature. I was once again reminded of the thrill of playing a game. Fighting and surviving threats just like these.

Except I wasn't alone. It was the thrill of fighting alongside those two, da boyz that filled my heart with such vigor and determination. Seeing Bishop's dead eyes set ablaze by the prospect of danger and hearing Mark's one-liners despite the trouble that we come across. That made the transition all worth it.

I was against it at first. These types of games weren't my ideal vision of entertainment, but within this week, it had grown on me. Focus my strength, harness the mana within my heart. There is an enemy that stands in the way of our progress. One that dares challenge the strength and teamwork of our collective.

Its arrogance must be rewarded, and its life must be reaped. It is only natural that I, the workhorse of da boyz, reap the reward. The wind whipped in a frenzy and then…

"Schelele! You are a tough bastard, but I think I'll end this right now!"

The bold words of Bernard shattered the pounding of flesh of the beat-down that was ensuing. No matter how hard he had hit me and the repetition of his attacks. I remained standing tall. Not a single inch given nor a single breath was wasted. Bernard tightened his grip once more and, in one motion, jerked me away from the ground that I was holding.

My body moved forward, and within seconds, my body was sent off of my feet. Recovering midair was difficult, but I managed to rotate my body enough. Much like a sprawly panther, I landed on my feet. Bernard didn't allow me to catch my breath. The overwhelming power of the Beastman amplified the mighty strikes he lashed out. His claws were grouped together, and air whiffed when they passed by me.

I wasn't a huge fan of being skewered by them, so I weaved my body through them. His large striking radius made the action even easier than before. Despite it, there was little time for me to launch a sensible counterattack. Instead, I merely ducked from position to position, traveling the roadway that was on within seconds. Still, Bernard was persistent. It seemed that the man wasn't going to let up on his attack.

Ba bump. Ba bump. Ba bump.

'Focus… and everything will become clear.'

Ba bump. Ba bump. Ba bump.

My heart began pounding harder and faster in my chest. My arms were clammy, and sweat raced down my temples. My wound proved ineffective when it came to slowing me down. Still, there was one thing that came to my mind at that moment.

'I'll hit this bastard with everything I have! One blow! Just like with Dante, all I need is one good hit to send this bastard flying. If I can't knock out this durable bastard, then I'll send him to Kingdom Come!'

Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump!

Every inch, every nook and cranny of my body grew warm, and blood thickened inside of my body. It burned! My blood was on fire! I love it! This feeling!

"You are a fairy, so your strength amplifies the quicker your heart BEATS! That is your STRENGTH!"

My strength! Bernard leaped forward, and to his dismay, his claws buried themselves deep into the tree behind me. That is what I was waiting for! I took a sharp breath, and my heart called out like a drum set!

Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump! Ba bump!

I couldn't help that deep grin that plastered itself onto my face. I stared into the larger male's eyes, and with a swift thrust, my left palm found itself piercing the armor protecting Bernard's chest. Fragments skyrocketed, slicing into my flesh. Still, that was not enough. My target was the lungs of this Bernstein Bastard and when I hit him, he wheezed like he was having an asthma attack.

Reaching out, I forced the head of the Beastman backward with my right hand. My finger gripped the thick fur that served as protection against my punches earlier. I bolstered my legs, and with two steps, I forced him out of the treeline. My muscles burned and ached. That felt as if magma flowed through every fiber.

"I'll knock you dead on your ass, you stupid, son of a bitch!", I spat towards the man.

Yanking him forward, I pulled my leg knee up to the Beatsman and struck him in his thigh. Even still, Bernard withstood the attack.

"I'm coming, Boss!"

Footsteps thumped across the dirt as the same bastard from earlier attempted to sneak attack me from behind. Unfortunately for him, I am a man that relishes the opportunity to get his get back. My grip tightened around the bear's face before yanking more towards my immediate right.

I kept him just ranged for a follow up, but out of the way to save his subordinate. As soon as the thieving bandit drew near, my body shifted to meet him. The weak, sickly human flinched upon seeing my iris met his own. The shattered remains of his club remained in his hands as he attempted to bash me from behind.

"Now you're going!", I remarked.

My words alone shattered any idea he had for completing his charge. I leaned back, fist formed with the intention to blow this coward away. It was the perfect time to rid myself of such-

"You again?! You protect your underlings well. I'll tell you that!"

My arm never moved forward, but that wasn't my decision. There was a firm resistance to the motion and that came from the tight grip of Bad News Bernard. I turned my head to the winded boss of the bandits with a desperate gleam in his eyes.

"You fool! Back up now!", he growled towards his subordinate, and unsurprisingly he did as ordered.

The man dropped his club and out of self preservation, he began to flee towards the others.

"Charleston! Time that we get out-"

"Nah you started this dance! Ya gotta stay until the song is done!"

I already knew what he was going to call for; retreat.

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! There will be no retreat for you, Bernard. NO escape, NO mercy! So… How about I stop holding back, huh?!"

The air whipped in a frenzy and in one swipe, I removed Bernard's grip from my forearm. Though there was a cost to it. I could not control the momentum, and fist slammed into the ground. A storm of dirt and gravel were kicked up and that presented a new challenge. A challenge that I would answer by just keeping things simple!

"I don't need a damn status bar to tell me that I can kick ass in a fantastical way. I'll decide that!'

With a large, overarching swipe of my own, I cleared the dust cloud by punching the direction that Bernard was last seen. My fist missed its mark, and when I became visible my opponent counterattacked. His large boot stuck out and it was clear that he aimed to kick aside once more.

That time I had it scouted. Using my left leg as a pivot, I twisted at a one hundred eighty degree angle. The air kicked up, and I could feel the power surging throughout my body formulate as a vortex around me. In a mere second my right elbow slammed into the face of the Beastman with tremendous force. The impact alone was enough to cause the man to slide back across the ground, yet that was not all for him.

I pushed forward across the ground like a sprinter coming off of their block. My fists buried into my side as my blood pulsated, and then- One..two…three…four…five…six…seven…ten. My fist slammed into the man over and over to the point that I knocked him airborne, but I wouldn't allow to escape that easily. The fabric of the bandit's pants filled my hand and I whipped the man down onto the ground. His massive frame crossed through the ground leaving a Bernard shaped indentation into the road.

"B-Bernard! Do it! Just do it now!"

The cries of Charleston whipped up after his comrade laid vacant onto the ground. He laid there defeated, conquered even. His strength was bested by my own, or so I thought.