"Argh!"
William threw his fist at the incoming goblins, turning and punching anything that came his way. His fist pained but with his healing ability, the aching subsided as soon as it came. Waves of laughter and snickers could be heard as more and more goblins approached him. William took a deep breath, his fists glowed brighter with a deep blue hue; he could feel them burning up along with his determination to make it through this madness.
William, Samuel, and Sally were in the city's suburban areas, or what used to be. The areas were filled with tall trees, as if forests had spawned in the middle of them all and rearranged their terrains with tree roots and branches puncturing through the houses. Some even lifted the entire house from its foundation and dangled it like Christmas tree ornaments. Vines with thorns hung around, waiting to snatch their clueless prey.
"There are too many of them!" Samuel shouted. He swung his blade aimlessly, feeling it slashing through the flesh of the goblins, their green blood painting the blade itself as time went on.
He then felt a slight change in the atmosphere; five towering figures emerged from the depth of the forest, each of them holding spiked clubs, plastered in chainmail, their march shook the ground as they moved toward him, their murderous aura could be felt from miles away. They were orcs, Samuel widened his eyes, gripping tightly on the hilt of his blade, preparing for a gruesome battle.
In the blink of an eye, the orcs moved with surprising agility, quickly surrounding Samuel. All five of them swung their massive clubs at once. Samuel barely managed to raise his sword in time, bracing for impact. When the clubs struck, the force sent shockwaves through his body, and his feet sank slightly into the ground. Before he could react, one orc swung its club sideways, catching him squarely and sending him flying into a nearby tree.
"Samuel!"
Sally gasped. She kicked away the goblin that had lunged at her and tried to rush to Samuel's aid. But before she could make it far, more goblins surrounded her. Their eyes gleamed with a twisted hunger, their lips curling as they licked them, and they stared at her with vile intent.
"Out of my way, you disgusting pests!"
She stomped her right foot down, activating her skill. A snowflake pattern bloomed from beneath her sole, rapidly expanding until it encompassed all the goblins within its perimeter. With a swift flick of her wrist, icicles began to form. In an instant, they shot upward, skewering the goblins around her.
Samuel let out a loud grunt, forcing himself back to his feet. But before he could fully steady himself, a club slammed into his face, sending him flying once more. He crashed into a nearby house with such force that the entire building crumbled to pieces onto him. Seeing Samuel buried beneath the rubble, the orcs shifted their focus to Sally, who was desperately fending off the horde of goblins swarming her. With blinding speed, the orcs charged through the mass of goblins, stomping and crushing them underfoot as they closed in on her.
Feeling the tremors beneath her, Sally steadied herself, waiting for the right moment while her skill remained active. [Snowflake Domain] enhanced her senses and allowed her to shape the landscape to her abilities. The moment the orcs stepped onto the snowflake pattern, signals shot through Sally's body. She clasped her hands together, and bear traps made from ice materialized beneath their feet, snapping shut with a vicious force. The traps clamped down, severing their feet entirely. Painful roars echoed through the forest as the orcs collapsed, subdued in seconds. Sally glared down at them, then thrust both fists into the air. In an instant, ice pillars erupted from beneath the orcs, precisely where their heads lay, slicing them clean off.
Sally took a deep breath and deactivated [Snowflake Domain] before sprinting toward the rubble where Samuel had been buried. She skidded to a stop and held her breath, straining to hear any sign of life. Her heart eased when a faint groan echoed from within the pile. A few moments later, Samuel crawled out, bruised and battered but unmistakably alive. Groaning as he pulled himself free, he finally collapsed at Sally's feet, flat on his back.
"...Sup..." Samuel looked up at Sally, managing a weak smile.
"Hey there, you looking for something down there?" Sally teased with a giggle.
"Oh, nothing... just wanted to feel the ground a bit," Samuel muttered, still smiling.
He held out his hand, and Sally let out another soft giggle before taking it, helping him to his feet. Once up, Samuel stretched, weary but determined, brushing the dirt and dust from his clothes as he shook off the fatigue.
They both heard panting and heavy breathing approaching from behind. Glancing over their shoulders, they saw William running toward them, his clothes splattered with green blood and a frazzled look on his face.
"I heard a lot of noise, is everyone okay?!" William panted, stopping in front of them, hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath, coughing between gasps. Exhaustion was written all over him.
"Yeah, yeah, we're fine," Samuel replied with a smirk. "Just a scratch or two. Deep breath, man!"
Sally eyed William with concern. "We should be the ones worrying about you—you look pale..."
"I'm good... I'm good," William panted, wiping some of the green blood off his face. "Just used a bit too much energy... those goblins were relentless!" He tried to sound annoyed, though his breathless tone betrayed his exhaustion.
Samuel's expression turned serious as he glanced at Sally. "What happened here, Sally? You said these areas were safe."
"They were!" she shot back, her frustration clear. "I don't know what changed while I was away, but I can tell you the base will be fine, even with all this!"
William, catching his breath, frowned. "How can you be so sure?"
Sally smirked. "Let's just say we've got... interesting individuals keeping watch. Now come on!" She gestured for them to follow, then took off deeper into the forest, effortlessly weaving between the vines as the two men hurried after her.
The forest thickened as they ventured deeper, branches twisting and crowding the space above, fighting for every inch. Roots broke through the earth, tangled and entwined with each other, creating an uneven path. The damp smell of moss and mold grew stronger with each step. All around them, shriveled corpses of animals and monsters lay scattered at the base of trees, their bodies bound by thorn-covered vines. The thorns plunged deep into their flesh, draining the last remnants of life force from the forms.
"This is gnarly as hell…" Samuel shivered as he gazed at the hanging, shriveled corpses.
"Tell me about it… Let's do our best not to end up like one of those… even if we have more than one life to spare," William replied, dodging a vine that reached for his neck.
"Stop…" Sally whispered, raising her hand to signal for them to halt. "Do you guys hear that?"
The two men exchanged confused glances; silence surrounded them. Suddenly, a whistling sound pierced the air, and arrows shot toward them. With remarkable reflexes, Samuel drew his blade and sliced through the incoming arrows, shattering them all.
William and Sally quickly turned, standing back to back with Samuel, each adopting their fighting stances. Something surrounded them, shrewdly utilizing the darkness of the forest to launch attacks from afar.
"Who goes there?!" a female voice called from the shadows cast by the trees.
"Who are you?!" Sally yelled, anger etched in her voice.
The sound of a bowstring being drawn echoed through the air as a small figure emerged from the darkness, bow aimed at the trio. She stood slightly shorter than Sally, with a round face dotted with freckles and short blonde hair. Though her clothing was a tad oversized, hinting at a bulkier build, the strength in her stance suggested she was formidable—perhaps even stronger than Samuel.
As she stepped out of the shadows, Sally let out a sigh, lowering her guard and smiling at the girl.
"Oh gosh, it's just you, Elene."
"Sally? Where have you been?! The Dark Dojo has been worried sick! They kept pestering me and my scout team to look for you!" Elene exclaimed, her voice soft yet unmistakably filled with frustration.
"I've been looking for other survivors, and look! I found two!" Sally exclaimed, excitement oozing out of her as she pointed at both William and Samuel.
Elene raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing both of them from head to toe. She sighed, putting away her bow before extending her hand.
"I'm Elene. Nice to meet you two."
Samuel nodded, sheathing his blade as he reached out to shake her hand, a bright smile on his face. "Likewise, I'm Samuel, and that's William!" William merely nodded at Elene, his expression emotionless.
"A talkative one paired with a 'cold' person. What a cliché," Elene remarked with a hint of amusement, studying William for a moment before turning back to Sally.
"A lot has happened while you were away, Sally. Well, looking around, you can see for yourself."
"Anything specific?"
"You'll learn more once we get back to the base. This so-called 'game' we're in has more layers than it seems."
"Where is the base, anyway? I couldn't find the usual path."
"Oh right. After this entire forest spawned, the development team made a few adjustments to hide the base from… potential monsters lurking here."
Elene held up her hand and tapped the silver ring she was wearing. Suddenly, the air grew colder, and fog began to spread throughout the forest, enveloping all four of them. William squinted his eyes; the chill made it difficult to open them fully. A few moments later, as the fog began to fade, it felt as if they had teleported out of the forest. They found themselves standing in front of a futuristic gate, its walls stretching for miles. Steel and titanium clad the surface, with spikes protruding menacingly. Sparks of electricity danced between the tips of the spikes. At the gate, stood two groups of guards, each holding a different weapon. Elene, took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the lingering cold air before turning to William and Samuel.
"Welcome to Hope City."