The beast in front of Rain towered over him. Its entire body was covered in a thick coat of fur, and its tail swayed back and forth. Its thick coat was the color of snow, and its eyes were the color of ruby.
The beast growled at Rain as slobber dripped from its open mouth.
"E-easy there…"
The beast simply continued to growl, getting closer and closer to Rain. It was so close he could smell its rancid breath. Just when the beast was about to close its mouth over his head, a small whistle echoed throughout the forest. The next moment, the beast slowly took a blue hue until it fully assimilated with the world.
"Are ya okay, kiddo?" a voice behind Rain asked.
"Huh?" Rain looked behind him at the origin of the voice. A woman that towered over him was there. Her colorless hair and devil-red eyes stared at him with both curiosity and intrigue.
"Ain't you somethin. What's your name, dear?"
Rain didn't even entertain the idea of lying or staying silent in front of her. For some reason, he felt like a small bunny in front of a wolf, helpless and powerless.
"R-rain…"
"Rain, eh? Well, I guess you don't seem like anything I should worry about. You can go now." The woman started to leave once she finished checking Rain out. He felt that oppressive feeling leave, and he watched as she slowly walked away. Just when he thought he could leave, his mouth moved by itself and yelled,
"W-wait!"
"Hmm?" She turned back and tilted her head slightly. "Did ya need somethin, dear?" she asked.
"N-no, y-yes, can y-you explain what's happening?"
"Ah? You mean the whole situation?"
"Mhm."
"Hmm, no, I don't really feel like it."
"P-please… anything would help."
"Hmm, hehe, but what can you do for little ol' me?"
Rain bit his lip as he was still sitting on the forest floor. He had nothing to offer her, but he knew she had more information about this situation than anyone else he could get access to.
"Hehe, if you sell yourself to me, then maybe, who knows, I might help you out."
"I'm not doing that," Rain resolutely responded to her.
"Ooo, a man with values, eh? Well, I didn't mean in a slave kind of way; I mean in a more servant-and-master kind of way."
"Still not doing that."
"Aww, why not? I would make for a good master, you know." The woman in front of Rain looked at him for a second before smiling slyly. She then softly declared, "If you become my servant, I might fulfill a few of your fantasies." As she was talking, she placed her hands in the air, stretching and highlighting the large curves of her body.
Rain looked at the woman in front of him with a mix of emotions. He started to wonder if she had a screw loose in that brain of hers.
"No thank you." Rain sighed as he shook his head. Her body seemed to freeze for a few seconds in the middle of her stretch. Her face twitched slightly before she started to laugh like a deranged person.
"Ha. Haha! Ahahaha! T-that was a test, mhm, a test."
Rain stared at the woman with an obvious lack of confidence and trust.
"W-what? I'm telling the truth, alright! Ahem! A-nyway, how about I give you somethin that will answer your questions, and you help with somethin."
"And? What is this somethin?"
"Nuh-uh, I won't tell until you agree," she said while shaking her finger in Rain's face.
"First off, who even are you?"
"Ah! Forgot I hadn't introduced myself… Ahem! I'm Hecate. Don't get a crush on me, okay?"
"Yeah, that won't happen," Rain responded immediately and without any mercy.
"Guh! H-haa." Hecate slumped down and started to draw circles in the dirt. As she sat there slumped, she mumbled something quiet that Rain could barely hear, "Y-you didn't have to answer so fast…"
Rain looked slightly guilty about her grim mood and asked, "What did you even want my help with? I doubt I could help you with anything."
"I need you to kill someone for me; simple, really."
"K-kill someone!? Uhm, y-you might be on your own."
"They're not strong if that's what you're worried about. I-I just can't kill him as I'm not a native to this planet; being a fugitive of a single kingdom and the entire alliance is vastly different."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry about it. Anyway, the person you need to kill is about as strong as you. Really, it won't be that hard."
Rain looked at Hecate closely and noticed the lack of emotion in her talk of killing someone in cold blood.
"D-does this person deserve it? Did he do something that warrants death?"
"Who knows? All I know is that I want him dead." Hecate responded with a matter-of-fact tone. Rain looked at her with clear discomfort, and his mind immediately rejected her proposal. He couldn't bring himself to stain his hands with someone's blood for his own personal benefit. Rain quickly shook his head and adamantly refused Hecate's offer, much to her displeasure.
"Are you sure? You won't get somethin like this for a while," she asked as she shook a thin black bracelet in her hands. The bracelet was made up of multiple small black marbles that were joined together; however, one marble was different as it resembled a snake's head that connected the bracelet all together.
"What is it?"
"Oh yeah, a country bumpkin like you wouldn't even know what it is. It's an OS bracelet, a piece of technology that everyone in the Alliance uses and has. Although instead of the old generation ones, this baby here is a 7th gen! Eh Eh, feeling tempted now?"
"Uh, no, not really. So it's a fancy bracelet, so what?"
Hecate looked at Rain with widened eyes and started to yell at him, "This piece of technology is worth 5 million EC, and you need connections to even be able to purchase it! Moreover, it has the capability of handling a 50 cubic meter storage card and even offline connection, so even a country bumpkin like you who's on a planet with no connection could enter into the UIR!"
"The what now?"
"Oh yeah, well, hmm how do I put this. Uh, the UIR is a Universal Immersive Reality that is controlled and generated by the Queen AI. It's like the best place ever and is used by the Alliance for everythin. It has 100% realism with the known universe and can be accessed by an OS bracelet; as for the rest, just ask the Queen AI whenever you get the chance."
Rain looked at the flushed expression of Hecate and wondered if this UIR was really that great. He had heard of virtual reality before, but he didn't care much about it. While he wanted to at least try it out once, that would mean he would have to kill someone—someone that didn't deserve death's cold embrace, supposedly. However, Rain might try to be morally correct, conforming to societal norms, but he's still human at heart.
"C-can I at least know this person I might have to kill?"
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A/N
I know! I know! Everyone must have missed me, don't worry I missed you all too! On a serious note, how's everyone's day or night? Also how are you enjoying this series so far?