At the bottom of a deep chasm carved inside a deep cavern which was doused in absolute darkness, a lonesome human resided.
The human who was sitting with his back to the rough chasm wall had bleak, hollow eyes and a slumped posture. His wavy black hair which looked largely unkempt were scattered in seams over his ears and partly his eyes. His tan skin shone with an iridescent glow at the light of a furious campfire flame.
The black mantle he donned was slick and tasteful, reminiscent of a leather armor out of the medieval period but beyond its fashionable design, there was something ethereal to its nature...
It seemed like a deeper darkness nestled around the armor but yet it emitted a strange pale glow.
Arresting as it was, the human who donned it was unaffected.
His head which was slumped down at a critical angle reflected the mess of his thoughts.
It seemed as if he was struggling to accept a cruel realization that had just befallen him.
HA... HA....
Before him was a characteristically drawn illustration of a magic circle on a large monster hide.
To his right was a large wooden chest with several books and bizarre instruments around it as well as within it.
To his left was a crudely made campfire which had countless pieces of paper swirling round the flames along with several sticks of meat placed about it. Some seemed to show signs of being overcooked, yet the human couldn't be bothered.
He couldn't care less.
He just sat there, deep in the throes of depression, having realized his predicament.
He was trapped in a cage, with no way out.
No way out...other than death.
"BULLSHIT!"
The lonesome human roared with fury as bolted up to his feet, his breathing was ragged and uneven, his posture was trembling with barely disguised rage.
His eyes burned with a dark light, a familiar light that seemed to consume his despair but...
What did it matter?
Alex jumped onto the walls of the chasm and tried to climb up, he clawed his nails against the walls, trying desperately to lift himself up but it was all futile...
The walls of the deep chasm were vastly incomparable to the waterfall's rough hill.
There were no footholds or edges to grasp, no cave-ins to place one's hands in and no clear climbing path.
These walls simply could not be scaled.
"DON'T FUCK WITH ME! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"
Alex bellowed in anger, as he made repeated attempts to climb the walls but failed miserably each time. Each attempt grew more unhinged and vehement with each passing moment, soon they devolved from trying to climb to violently scratches.
SCREECH! SCREECH!!
"GET ME OUT OF HERE!!", he roared with rage, his eyes turning bloodshot from anger, his nails cracked as he continued to ruthlessly abuse them.
"HRAAAHH!!"
Humans have many fears.
Fear of criticism, fear of poverty, fear of ill-health, fear of failure and many others.
Many fears – Irrational Fears; that have populated this world from modern media. These fears have twisted the minds of the masses and scarred many for life...
But yet, they don't even come close to the horror of humanity's true fears.
The Primal Fears.
Fear of the dark, fear of isolation, fear of heights, fear of predators, and the fear of death.
These fears are said to be innate fears, hardwired into the human brain through the evolution process to ensure humanity's survival.
These Primal Fears are said to be so terrifying that they can change the very personality of a human being when they have been truly witnessed.
They are universal, all humans have the capability to experience them.
Yet, despite these dreadful fears that exist in all humans, there are even much deeper ones that directly claw at one's existential being.
Existential Fears.
With one of them being the fear of the loss of autonomy.
Loss of autonomy.
The vanquishment of independence, the inability to live freely.
The fear of the loss of autonomy.
It was the fear of being trapped in a cage.
The fear of one's freedom stripped away by another higher force.
It was a predicament that Alex hated more than death.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Alex repeatedly banged his fists against the walls, sending several shockwaves through them.
"RRAAAHHH!"
He took a step back and panted heavily. His deranged hands found their way to his messy hair and ruffled them violently, his breathing became ragged and pugnacious.
His movements frightened and dull, his gaze wandered around, and he occasionally jolted as if he had seen something lurking in the dark.
"NO! NO! NO! NO!"
Alex screamed, his hands clutching his head tightly as he reeled his head back.
His eyes were a deeper shade of bloodshot and seemed to reflect his catastrophic state.
The silence of the deep chasm was momentarily disrupted by a loud thumping sound.
It was the sound of his heartbeat.
WHEEZE! WHEEZE!!
Alex panted heavily as he looked up. His retina reflected the endless darkness that enshrouded the top of the chasm but...
What Alex saw above him...
...were the iron rails of a cage.
...
TMP! TMP!
"Ugh...Please no more..."
"Huh...?"
"Please just 5 minutes...."
"What? Why should we take a break? Aren't you the one who's craving Alex's dick?"
Dave who seemed to be on the verge of collapsing, stumbled and fell gracelessly to the grass. He's mouth which was buried in the flora, mumbled in a low voice, "Ugh...you and your vulgar mouth..."
But, of course, I still heard it.
"Get up already, you dimwit, why are you tired? Don't you have Blood Factor?", I said with an annoyed expression.
"Come on Vicki...gimme a break, all you did was carry that damn stick! While you forced me to carry all the fruits and water and a bunch of these stupid plants!", he yelled in exasperation, "I have every right to be tired!"
I clicked my tongue in exasperation, my grip on the long stick I was holding tightened and I opened my mouth wanting to bark back at him but held back my tongue.
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right.
The two of us had been walking for more than two hours; transversing the Wyvern Woods.
Dave in particular, had it harder than me...actually, I made it harder on him.
After learning about Blood Factor, I had taken complete advantage of it.
I got him to carry all the fruits I had plucked along with all the water I had gotten from several plants, alone. I also had him as a human shield against thorny pathways in the Wyvern Woods and even used him as a human test subject for fruits I wasn't sure about.
The skill had proven itself time and time again, leaving me in complete awe.
Every time Dave got hurt or poisoned...probably, Blood Factor will work its magic and he'll be miraculously healed!
It was truly amazing!
I beamed with a sadistic smile, truly fascinated by Dave's Blood Factor.
This is way better than my fantasies about pegging Seba...
At the thought of Seba's name, many terrifying memories resurfaced.
It was the memories of my desperate escape from the clutches of that accursed lake.
I remembered the events clearly.
How I had broken out from the mirror-like surface of the lake's dark depth, I immediately came under heavy ceasefire.
My enthralled classmates lunged at me violently, like I was a dangerous insect that needed to be purged.
I could recall vividly their hollow eyes and alien expressions. The strange shapes that danced wildly in my periphery but vanished whenever I turned to them, and most of all the insatiable bloodthirst that emanated from the lake as it soared and rose to consume me.
I remembered how I fought desperately to survive, using the Empty Dial and my quick-wits to barely contend against the dark waves.
I really should have died there, if not for one slip-up...
If not for a slight hesitation by Seba...
I would have died.
The thought brought dread and extreme fear to my heart each moment it came to mind.
PLIP!
Tears began to stroll down my eyes uncontrollably, without resistance.
They came without warning and without remorse.
I wanted to open my mouth and scream.
But, at that moment, someone embraced me.
"Dave...", I looked up at him with teary eyes.
Yet, he smiled, "So... despite all your bite, you're still a crybaby at heart huh?"
I pouted, "Shut up...my eyes are... just sweating."
I said weakly as I clutched him harder and released a sharp scream.
Minutes later, we had stopped to take a break.
It was getting dark anyway, so we might as well rest here for the night.
Currently, I was resting my back on a Wyvern Tree. It's smooth bark which seemed so unfamiliar had a comforting feeling I couldn't explain.
Well...you don't see trees with smooth barks...everyday...
I thought before speaking, "Stats."
At my command, an interface spawned before my eyes, displaying the following:
[Name:] Vicki
[Epithet:]???
[Level:] 1
[EXP:] 20/100
[Skills:] Saturation, Ease of Learning, Parallel Processing, Seduction, Total Assimilation, Air Affinity, General Knowledge (depreciated)
[Aliases:] Little Devil, Dr. Vicki, Tiny Girl
[Debuffs:] Myopic Vision, Weakness, Naivete, Lolita
[Inventory:] School Uniform, Glasses, Empty Dial
I stared at the EXP counter.
"It's still at 20...", I sighed after muttering.
Ever since that illusion I had in that creepy lake...the EXP counter has not increased...
"I wonder why?"
Dave's ears perked up, and he turned to look at me, "Did you say something?"
I glanced at him.
Maybe he might have an idea...
"Oh, nothing...I was just wondering how to get EXP.", I said in a calm tone, flashing him a pale smile.
I noticed Dave's eyes narrow before he shook his head and said, "Well...other than completing achievements...am not really sure..."
He sat up to a cross-legged position and tilted his head, "Maybe we can get it by completing tasks? You know like in mobile games!"
My face turned dead-pan and I asked, "And... where are these tasks that we are to complete?"
He showed a shaky smile and then scratched his head, "Uhh...I don't know..."
My lips twitched.
So much for having an idea...
My head sunk back on the tree as I let out a disappointed sigh.
Ugh...
I glanced at Dave who was chewing on a fruit, he had collected from the backpack I had woven.
CRUNCH!
I watched as his teeth effortlessly bit through the apple-like fruit, and how he easily swallowed it.
That fruit was one that I couldn't even bite through, talk less of swallow.
I don't know which is to blame...the fact that he leveled up...or Lolita...
I grimaced when I remembered the debuff.
"Hey, Vicki, I think you should sleep. I'll keep watch."
I perked up and raised an eyebrow, "Then what about you? When will you sleep?"
He smiled and pointed a finger at himself, "I don't need it, Blood Factor remember."
My face instantly contorted into a frown and I yelled at him, "No! You go to bed; I'll keep the first watch and then wake you up later. Period."
Dave blinked twice, opened his mouth and then closed it.
He laid himself on the grass and then turned to look away from me.
Soon, I heard snoring from him indicating that he had drifted off to sleep.
I glanced at him with disdain,
Does he think his petty acting can fool me?
"You know I can tell that you're not asleep.", I said blandly.
SHIFF!
Dave rattled on the grass before sitting up, a deep scowl present on his face, "You know it's impossible for me to just leave you and go to sleep."
He huffed and crossed his arms, "We might as well stay awake together then."
My eyes widened for a moment but then returned back to normal. I smiled as I laid on the grass bed, "Thanks, Dave."
"Hmph!", he looked away.
I laid on the ground and turned to look away, but not before teasing him, "Don't do anything naughty while am asleep."
Dave's face contorted into a sneer, "Hehe...too bad am not into Tiny Girls."
My body twitched but I just grinned and bared it, I was too tired to retort.
I'll definitely get back at him tomorrow!
The twilight of dusk had long disappeared, replaced by the darkness of night.
I closed my eyes to drift off to sleep when suddenly I heard a familiar voice.
[Bloodlust detected.]