Chapter 13: Fate Unknown

[ ] = Main character thoughts

My hand tightened around the crossbow as I faced the two swordsmen. The first one's voice dripped with false sweetness.

"Think with your head," he urged, spreading his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Join us. We have connections everywhere. Those two women with you - the mage and the barbarian - they're precious commodities. Together, they'll fetch an incredible price. People will scramble to buy them. Think of the gold you'll make."

[These pathetic traffickers think they can tempt me with money?]

"Let me tell you something," I replied, my voice cold as steel. "You made a big mistake coming here. This will be your last offer."

The change in their expressions told me they finally understood - I wasn't someone they could manipulate.

The second swordsman's face twisted into an ugly sneer. "Well, well... if you won't do this the easy way, we'll do it the hard way."

In a flash, he hurled his dagger at me. His companion charged forward, sword raised high. Time seemed to slow as I smoothly dodged the dagger, bringing my crossbow up in one fluid motion. The bolt flew true, embedding itself in the charging swordsman's skull with a sickening thud. He crumpled mid-stride, dead before he hit the ground.

"Well, well," I mocked, turning to the remaining swordsman. "All alone now, aren't you? I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to charge someone holding a crossbow at range, but here we are. Your friend learned that lesson the hard way."

"You're making a terrible mistake," he snarled, but I could see the fear in his eyes. "We have connections everywhere. You won't live long."

"We'll see about that."

The second bolt took him in the throat. Quick. Clean. Final.

[Idiots.]

Moving swiftly but silently, I dragged their bodies to a more secluded spot. Lillia and Frenya slept on, unaware. I checked their possessions methodically.

[Low-level thugs, as I thought.]

The search yielded a few void stars, a basic regeneration potion, and the thrown dagger - nothing special, but waste not, want not. Their swords I don't need them.

[If they weren't lying about their connections, I need to be careful. No evidence.]

Making my decision, I hoisted the bodies onto my shoulders. Using my ability, I quickly transported them to the nearest monster-infested area. After removing my bolts, I positioned the bodies to make it look like monster kills, and their swords I threw there beside them. I also killed some monsters so as to make the scene seem more real. The perfect cover.

When I returned, Lillia and Frenya were starting to stir.

"Since you're awake, let's move," I said curtly.

[The sooner we leave this area, the better.]

"What's the rush?" Frenya complained, stretching lazily. "Wait a bit."

"Nobody's waiting for anyone. Move."

"I swear, one of these days I'm going to kill you with my bare hands," she growled.

We gathered our gear and set out. The darkness of this place seemed to press in around us - I hadn't seen sunlight in what felt like three days, though without a timepiece, I couldn't be certain.

"Did anything happen while we slept?" Frenya asked suddenly.

"No."

[I can't tell them I killed more people. They might start asking questions. Strange - I feel nothing when I eliminate threats like those traffickers. Maybe that should worry me. Maybe it doesn't matter.]

"I don't know," I answered Lillia when she asked what to do next.

 "Let's hunt."

Frenya shot me an irritated look. "Hey, you could speak more civilly."

"I am speaking normally."

"Doesn't seem like it."

"Not my problem."

We continued hunting monsters, taking down quite a few. The routine of the hunt was almost hypnotic.

[Good, I've almost completed the mission.]

"How much longer until your mission is complete?" I asked, keeping my tone neutral.

Lillia smiled tiredly. "Just a little more."

"Good. Once it's done, we'll decide whether to stay or leave."

We pressed on through the perpetual darkness. The sun was now a distant memory.

"Please, let's stop," Lillia panted, her voice betraying exhaustion. "I can't go on, I need to rest."

I surveyed the surrounding area. "Alright, we'll rest for a while."

We headed toward what seemed like a relatively safe spot. Lillia collapsed to the ground with a sigh of relief. "Finally, I can rest. I couldn't go on anymore."

"Come on, let's eat something," Frenya suggested, pulling out provisions.

As we ate in silence, Lillia watched me curiously. "Doruuk?"

"Yes?"

"Since we've been traveling together, we haven't talked much. We've just been hunting continuously... could you tell us something about yourself?"

"There's nothing interesting to know about me. You'd be bored."

[But there is something I'm curious about...]

"Lillia, Frenya," I asked suddenly, "do you two have abilities?"

They looked at me intently before answering in unison: "You mean Luminousa?"

"No, I mean abilities."

"What are you talking about? What abilities?"

[Wait a minute... My 'escape' ability can't come from Luminousa. When I arrived here, there was no indication of obtaining a Luminousa - it would have been marked in the Luminousa bar. There's something deeper behind my ability. AHH! myself for skipping so many parts of the game... who knows what else I don't know.]

"The ones you rarely receive from monsters," I specified, trying not to betray my thoughts.

Frenya perked up slightly. "Oh yes, that's called Luminousa. We don't have any yet, but I'd like to have at least one."

"I see."

Lillia leaned forward slightly. "Come on, Doruuk, tell us about yourself. Let's do this: I'll go first, then you. Okay?"

"Fine," I conceded reluctantly, "but I don't have much to say."

"It doesn't matter, it'll be a pleasure to hear anything you want to share," Lillia smiled. "Well... as you know, I come from a wealthy family. You're probably wondering why, being rich, I come here to hunt, risking my life. When I was little, I read many stories about heroes who fought monsters without fear, how they were kind to people and helped them in every possible way. From there, I decided that when I grew up, I would become a warrior, to experience those feelings. I don't want to stay locked up studying only magic, that's why I came with Frenya to try, at least..."

Silence fell heavily between us.

"Know this," I said finally, my voice hard but not cruel. "Real life isn't a fairy tale."

"I know," Lillia replied with determination in her eyes, "but I don't want to stay still doing nothing out of fear."

"Good."

"Now tell us about yourself."

[What can I say? I don't know anything about myself either...]

"Well, I arriv-"

A blood-curdling scream split the air, interrupting me. We jumped to our feet, and our eyes widened in horror: the black sky was mutating into a luminescent blood red, as if it were about to collapse upon us.

"What! is this thing?" Frenya's voice trembled.

[No! No! NO!]

[This can't be happening!] Terror froze the blood in my veins, my mind beginning to spin frantically.

"What's happening?" asked Lillia, panic evident in her voice.

"This can't be happening!" the words came out as a desperate growl.

"What do you mean?" Frenya grabbed my shoulders. "Do you know something?"

"We need to prepare. Death is now above our heads."

Lillia, trembling, moved closer. "What do you mean? Explain what you know, Doruuk!"

I took a deep breath, trying to control the tremor in my voice. "A deadly event called 'The Ruby Annihilation' is about to begin. In ten minutes, portals will start appearing, and monsters will pour out in impossible numbers. They won't be as strong as the ones we've faced so far, but they'll come in devastating quantities, and the portals will open everywhere. The current monsters will disappear, leaving only those from the event. And it gets worse: each level will be more difficult than the last, and the portals to return to the city will be deactivated. It doesn't matter if you've completed your mission - we're trapped. This event should only occur in higher-level worlds... the fact that it's happening here means only one thing: certain death for us."

"There must be a way out!" Frenya's voice was laden with desperation.

"There are two," I replied grimly. "The first is to survive until the end of the event, but it's practically impossible. We're not strong enough to survive that long against endless hordes of monsters, not to mention the final boss. The second is the 'immediate recall.' You know about that?"

"Yes," Frenya nodded, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "If our family suspects something has happened to us, they can have us recalled to the city through the guild, by paying a fee."

The sky above us continued to pulse with an increasingly intense red, like a diseased heart ready to explode. Time was running out, and with it, our chances of survival.

[This could be our last battle...]

Chapter-End.