***********************
The dead body of a young man was lying the bed
"Father"
The girl ran to her father and tried to wake him up. She faced Sean and said
"I thought you said he went somewhere far to call someone that can save us"
The girl kept trying to wake her father and keiran was wondering why the girl haven't give up that
'can't she see the blood on her father's body?'
Wait! Sean went closer to the corpse and saw that there is no wound, no blood or anything that can prove that the man was killed.
'whose blood is the one outside?'
Sean told the girl that her father is dead and they need to get out of the house. Sean took with him a dagger, a kitchen knife and a map. Sean choose a place on the map; one of those that are not circled with red ink, he thinks the place must be at least safer than this house where two people already died
Sean and the girl hit the streets, their destination is a few kilometers away from the and they will have to trek it. After walking for a few minutes Sean stopped suddenly, he heard something that sounded like a monster's growl. Sean took out the dagger, he checked the dagger to see how sharp it is but rather, the information about the dagger appeared in his vision
[Name: Dagger]
[Type: Sharp Weapon]
[Rarity: Damaged]
[Attack: Weak]
[Attributes: None]
[Effect: None]
[Able to take as loot: Yes]
[Remark: Kept for a long time, you can try sharpening it]
Sean was surprised with how the attributes popped up in his face. He took the knife and stare at it
[Name: Kitchen Knife]
[Type: Cooking Equipment]
[Rarity: Damaged]
[Attack: Weak
[Attributes: None]
[Effects: None]
[Able to take as loot: Yes]
[Remark: Works best when slicing]
Sean stare at the map too, he thinks maybe the system might have some informations about the places
[Name: Map of Agra City]
[Type: Affairs]
[Rarity: Damaged]
[Attributes: None]
[Effects: None]
[Able to take as loot: No]
[Remark: Marked places are currently dominated by the devils, safety is not guaranteed in the unmarked places]
The system does help in clarifying his doubts but it doesn't make any changes to their safety. Sean does know one thing, in this city, you can't survive if you stay in one place. After walking for more minutes, keiran felt thirsty
"Hey girl, you know what we forget to bring from home?"
"Food and water, you were at rush and didn't remember"
"You're smart, I like that"
"One of the advantages of trying to survive in hell for months"
"What's your name and age?"
"My name, Nissa. Age, 9"
"You can fight?"
"No, but I can run, hide and kill"
"I love that"
"You haven't tell me your name and where we are going"
"My bas. My name is Sean and we are going to some place called benirr. I'm only following the map, I don't know where it is"
"Benirr, that is where dad and I am supposed to go tomorrow but we were attacked"
"I under…"
"Help…help…help"
Sean was interrupted by the scream of someone and the growl that follows it. Sean and the girl halted, they could hear running footsteps approaching them from behind. They looked back and the man who was running to them shouted
"Run, the devils are coming, Run"
******************
He is a damn gigolo. Trina is not surprised
"Why not just kill her?" She demands, not understanding the need to seduce a woman before lopping off her head.
He laughs, like she just asked the most stupid question on the planet. "Because your kind can't die! If I chop off your head, it'll grow back by tomorrow morning. But you can lose your powers, if you are no longer pure, which makes you vulnerable."
Trina lowers the wine. Do she make a joke about it being too late to be pure and risk him beheading her to prove a point, or do she play along and hope she never challenged to prove she is a pure priest
'You wake up. That's what you do' she closes her eyes and will herself out of this mess.
"They say if an ordinary man even kisses a pure priest, his man parts will fall off. I have a certain immunity to such a fate," he adds.
Are these wacky rules made up by the game developer? Because they don't make much sense. Have these people ever chopped off the head of an alleged pure priest to test their theory?
Opening her eyes, Trina is not surprised to see she hasn't been magically transported back home. She started eating again. She is guessing sleeping with the fine specimen of a man before her is off the table as well, though she'd rather not sleep with a man-whore in the first place
Unless he really knew what he was doing in bed, à la Christian Grey and unlike Trina
"The guards said you appeared last night," the Fox Lord says and leans forward, as if he doesn't want anyone to hear his words. "You were not there and suddenly you were. From whence came you?"
Trina sip her wine, once again at a loss as to how much she should say. The fox lord is waiting patiently, his friendly, open features encouraging her. He's not giving her the vibe she is used to, that she is about to be judged or made fun of.
"From another world, this place used to be the game I'm used to playing" she replied honestly. "I don't know how, I am supposed to play this game and then, I met myself in a forest, the game"
"Someone sent you here," he guesses.
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"Let's just say you're not the first who's been sent." He's frowning, his eyes moving to stare at some point in the distance.
Is it possible the people of this world are aware of mine? How crazy would that be?
"My head hurts so bad." Trina said unable to entertain such a deep thought.
He's too distracted. "This world, is it magical?"
A glance around reminds Trina these people don't know what electricity is let alone the Internet. "You can say that."
He sits back, pensive.
Trina eats quietly, uncertain what's bothering him. The cheese is awesome, much better than the bread and wine. She is not a fan of jerky and quit after choking down one piece.
"What is your name, girl?" he asks finally.
"Trina."
"Trina." A flicker of surprise crosses his features. He shifts forward again. "You must not tell others of this magical world from whence you came or the person who sent you or even your name."
"Why not?"
"A pure priest, such as you are, is expected to have knowledge of the unknown and magic. But another world?" He shakes his head gravely. "You will be flogged or worse, put to death, for even mentioning it. And . . ." He pauses, as if not sure he should continue, before he does. "I'm going to track down the person who sent you. I don't need others getting in my way."
Ummm . . . yeah, right. No NPC can find the game developers because they aren't real.
Listening and growing more confused, Trina is surprised by the severity of his expression and the sudden way he's looking at her as if he wants to feed her to a fox man after all.
It hits her then that this man, the fox lord, is a warrior, one trained to lead men into battle and kill, even if his kingdom is at peace. It's not like he's a Starbucks barista or coworker at the library. He's armed with a sword and knife and friendly - but dangerous. If he wants to track the game developer down, she doubts it's to thank him or her for creating his world.
"That person, tell him or her to send me home," Trina replies finally.
"I shall," he said. "In the meantime, listen to me carefully. When asked, pure priests always say they are from the edge of the world. You and I know differently. No one else can know."
"I'm sorry." It seems like the right thing to say. "I didn't know. I won't say anything to anyone." Trina wants to ask him if he knows he's just a fictional character. By the look on his face, it's not a good time to point that out.
"And if you are asked by anyone, you are to tell them you were found on my side of the river. Do you understand?" His gaze is piercing, his face stony.
"I think so."
"You must know so. I will ensure you never return home if you admit the truth to anyone."
Things just got real a little too fast for her. She nodded and then found her voice. "I understand." Her heart is slamming into her chest, adrenaline racing through her as her instincts warn her of danger. It's hard to keep in mind that none of this is real when he looks like he's ready to stab her with a knife.
The intensity around him fades and the smile returns. "I have never found a new pure priest, I am eager to learn how well you use your powers"
"Yeah. My head is feeling better from the food. My appetite has fled. Me, too." It seems like the only safe answer and Trina starts to retreat into her shell, the way she does around anyone else in the real world. She knows the world of this game is dangerous. She is starting to think it's dangerous to her. "Um, do you know how I'm supposed to use my powers?" She ventures.
"My last priest would look at her hand. When there were things to share, she shared."
Trina glances down instinctively at her hands. To her surprise, there's something on her right palm, written sloppily in a maroon Sharpie.
"Can you see it?" She asks, holding out her palm to him.
"I cannot. What does it say?"
Maybe I am truly a pure priest. How weird would that be? Squinting, she studies the writing. It appears to be moving, scrolling like the ticker at the bottom of a news station. Beneath it is a digital clock marking days, hours, minutes, and seconds.
"There's some sort of countdown," She said, watching the seconds tick down. "What happens in about ten days?"
"The end of this game world" he replies.
"Is that good or bad?"
"It should be neither." He's rubbing his jaw, gaze growing distant. The tension is back in his frame, a sign I take as bad. "There is only one thing bound to happen"
"What is it?"
"The system of this game caught a virus and is going to shut down in ten days. You are one of our best players and we cannot afford to lose you".
Trina looked at the fox lord again to confirm if he is the one speaking "what are you saying?"
"I'm an NPC and this is what I'm programmed to tell you. You will be transmigrated from this game world to a virtual game called The Apocalypse System"
"I'm never gonna play that suicidal game"
"You just ain't got no choice, you will start the new game in 30 seconds"
A countdown appeared on Trina's palm and when it reached zero, bright light covered Trina, almost blinded her and when the lights are finally gone, words appeared in her vision
[Welcome to The Apocalypse System]