Chapter 18: The First Night
… And when I thought things couldn't get worse, a group of Doppelgängers appeared. I thought they would fight the creatures and give me a chance to escape, but… They didn't care, I was the only thing that mattered to them. Their limbs flew away, and they kept their eyes fixed on me.
"I'm dead," I thought, until he appeared.
A 3-meter-tall beast, with a strength of at least level 50. When I blinked my eyes, the knights, the Doppelgängers, they were all gone. I thought I was next, but… He wanted to save me. He likes elves.
I named him Bigfoot, and he promised to get me out of here. I told him I had friends lost in the cave, and he was more than happy to help. He probably thought they were other elves.
We walked through the caves for a while, he always protected me with a smile on his face. But when those Aerion knights appeared… It was like a switch flipping in his head, turning him into a beast as deadly as a hippopotamus.
Eventually, he asked me to wait, saying he would clear the monsters from the path and left. I would have waited without problems until I heard the scream of a certain player…
<…>
"And then you appeared, we know the rest."
The trio was around a campfire in the night of the Lazuli Forest. Sophie recounting her story, Alice listening attentively, Fedora resting on her head, and Solol using [Web Swing] to pull apples from the trees—it was as if her dream had come true.
After leaving the cave, they found the healing stones and finally made 3 healing potions. But they felt no sense of accomplishment, after all, all that journey for 3 potions?
The elf looks down sadly. "I still feel guilty. Maybe Bigfoot was just confused…"
Alice puts a hand on Sophie's shoulder and with a comforting tone says, "Girl. He took 40 HP from me with a kick, I don't think you would have had enough time to make a motivational speech to change his mind instantly. You had no choice."
"Still… I hope he forgives me one day…"
The Necromancer cowboy appears breaking the mood with 2 kilos of apples, "So, what's the next step?"
With a tone of sarcasm, Alice says, "Oh, you're still here."
The elf gives a small slap on her friend's arm, "Hey, be nice! He helped us."
"He tried to kill me, this is the nicest I can be with him."
"Ha ha… Well, I thought I could solo this whole place when I entered the cave, but since they nerfed my class, I realized how trash it is. As much as I hate to admit it, I need help… FOR NOW! Because once I reach level 100, I—"
Alice interrupts: "Sure, sure. You can hang up with us, after all, we're all stuck together here anyway."
This statement brings Sophie and Solol equally down, every adventure they had was just one day stuck in the Beta Test, how many others will they have to go? The elf asks worriedly, "Do you… Think we will make it?"
"…" Solol hesitates to say something.
…
"O-of course we will!", after breaking the silence, Alice stands up hopeful, "After all, this is still Arcadia. Sure it was hard in the beginning, but now people can speedrun to the max level in a few hours. We just have to stick together."
Sophie, even uncertain about the future, feels more hopeful. While Solol seems like he is going to vomit, "Urgh, motivational speeches…"
"Firstly, we need to leave the Lazuli Forest, we've wasted enough time here."
"And then where?" asks the necromancer.
Alice looks at Sophie, sighs as if she was about to suggest a terrible idea: "The Kingdom of Aerion."
Solol responds calmly, "Oh, sure.", while Sophie grabs Alice by the clothes and screams: "ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Did you forget that I'm a national treasure to them?!"
"Oh, I see, you want to sell the elf!"
"NO!", both of them scream at the same time. "I know, crazy idea. BUT, we can get quests with good rewards in that kingdom. You guys remember the 'level 1 to 100' guide, right?"
Like a machine, he responds, "Get level 5, go straight to Hillcrest Kingdom, do all citizens' quests, do Dr. Douglas' quest, unlock the Salamander Dungeon, grind to—"
"Yeah, we remember."
"We can still do generic villager quests, but the real deal is on the 'Kingdom Favors'. Not only will it reward us with a lot of money and EXP, but we will also have a good relationship with that kingdom and have advantages in some events."
Alice continues, "And if we gain their trust, we can get good items—"
Sophie, still apprehensive, points to herself saying: "So, treasure. And before you ask, no, I'm not risking disguising myself and getting close to that kingdom."
"I wasn't thinking of that." she was.
"Sorry, guys, but I just can't…", Sophie's mind was disturbed by the events in the cave, spiders, knights, everything repeated in a loop in her mind.
Alice and Solol exchange a look, both understanding Sophie's delicate situation. Solol, with an unusual understanding, says: "All right, then this is where we part ways, it was nice meeting you—"
An apple is thrown at his head. "Ouch! I was kidding!"
"Honestly… But you are right, Sophie, it's too dangerous for you. But don't worry, we'll figure something out."
She gives a sincere smile, "Thanks…" Aiming to change the conversation's tone, Sophie asks, "So, Solol right? I've heard that name before…"
"Of course you did! The best American Necromancer!"
"Nah, that's ShadowMaker." Alice corrects.
"That guy is not American!"
"Oh, right! You guys were in the same Guild! I never had the chance to directly 1v1 him, is he really that strong?"
"No, he is smart.", Alice clearly remembers her fights against ShadowMaker, a Necromancer who used a build of skills, items, and stats that allowed him to summon an army of 500 soldiers as strong as level 500 players infinitely—she never managed to defeat him in a 1v1. "Way smarter…", but his original skills were so complex that no one was able to replicate them.
He repeats what Alice said, but in a nerd voice, "'Oh He Is JuSt SmArT'! Please, you guys know nothing about Necromancer builds. Mine could've easily destroyed that guy if I had the chance.", his build in Arcadia allowed him to create 3 Undead titans at level 1000 for 5 minutes.
The girls exchange looks and say at the same time: "He would smoke you."
"HUH?!", he stands up furious, "Let it be known that I managed to defeat two members of Vantablack in a 2v1."
"So you were the titan guy raiding our base a few months ago?"
"Of course!"
"The same one that killed two AFK members and then died by stepping on an explosive trap?"
"Yes, that's me.", Solol responds with a victorious smile. "And I didn't die because of that trap, I just… accidentally pressed alt + F4.", he tries to justify himself, but the girls were already laughing.
The trio continues to talk about their old adventures in Arcadia, and for a moment, they manage to forget the situation they are in. For a moment, they feel free again.
…
"But why are elves so valuable that people would throw their lives away to capture them?"
"Probably has some lore…", Alice yawns, "We can plan the rest tomorrow morning."
The trio was getting ready to sleep around the campfire. The flames crackled softly, casting dancing shadows on the surrounding trees. Sophie, Solol, and Alice settled in the best way possible on the forest floor.
Sophie looked at the starry sky, trying to find some peace amidst the chaos. The stars shone brightly, as if they wanted to remind her of when she saw the stars on the beach with her parents. She closed her eyes, trying to push away the dark thoughts.
Solol, on the other hand, was already almost snoring. With the tip of his hat blocking his eyes.
Alice, however, was restless. She had tried to keep morale high, but now that everyone was getting ready to sleep, her own fears and uncertainties began to surface. She closes her eyes trying to rest.
Tears began to stream down her face, and she felt powerless in the face of the situation they were in.
"Will we really be able to get out of here?" she thought.