"I thought that you would be out for another day." Dargath said with a smile on his face, his hands handing Seryn a sliver of meat well prepped. "I left the simulation early this time. However I can't believe the difficulty of the game. There is now way that I will be able to beat it like this. I don't even know how many floors there are."
With her last death, she had received no form of new message meaning that all she had now was to keep on progressing with the game till she made substantial progress for another notification. Dargath took a long look at her, his head turning with intrigue.
"The more you come out of your game, the more bothered you usually are." Savoring her meal, her eyes burst into rage as she wished to chuck the meat in her hands at him but her state didn't allow her. The fatigue had yet to wash off given that she had already spent two hours resting in the real world.
"Well when those two do nothing more than make sure that you fail I'm sure that you would be as agitated as me. She remarked nearly choking on her steak. "Hahaha! Okay I get it that it's hard but you don't have to play it if it's blatantly against you." His muse seemed to tick her off even more however she held herself back as she took a sip of water.
*Gulp*
"Hah! I have to play the game should I want gold coins. Not to mention it's the only way that I get obedience points." Dargath's face didn't mask his wonder. "Get obedience points? But I thought that you wanted to get rid of them." She let out a sigh, her cup now empty. "It's complicated to explain it all to you at the moment but I won't be bothering with the game from now on."
It felt timed like a joke directed at her.
[{Player will be forced to play the game at a minimum of four times a week}]
Dargath watched her frame rise from her makeshift bed, her silence hinting something more than just calmness. She grabbed her cup, crushed it with her bare fist as she let out a deprecating laugh. "They really do want me to suffer, don't they?" Her murmurs coming off as deranged to Dargath who watched her leave the tent.
"Are you okay?" His tone light ready to see another fiasco from Seryn. "It's..." Her hands raised in the air with her face portraying her rage. "It's fucking fine Dargath! It's just that these two sadistic fucks just want me to die of lunacy!" Her tone growing more restless with each word.
For once Dargath was pleased with his means of getting around it. So far he had managed to slay a couple of bears with his bare hands, the woods once life threatening now a scratch to him. "You have to calm down Seryn or you'll be playing their game as intended." His tone calm and reserved which contrasted greatly with hers.
"You-" She froze mid sentence realizing that he was right. "It's clear that at this point they are doing this to hate me. Treat me like some toy and watch how long I will last till I break!" Nothing but helpless desperation and a trail of tears engulfed slurred her words and tainted her tone. Her frame began to whimper, the two puppeteers above watching her cries fall.
Dargath mad his way and cuddled her, calming her down as he sway her side to side. "She can't be at her limit this quickly , she's still on the first floor." Callista mused, unbothered with the deteriorating state of Seryn's mental state. "A little bit of patience
And besides I'm sure that all she needs is someone like Dargath. Well not like him but a person to share her grief."
"Misery loves company after all." His words cynical yet playful as he savored every tear that came in touch with the ground. "You can't break so soon. There are far more horrors and atrocities that you have to do." In her mind all kinds of games began to formulate. "I think that it would be better to have Clomere here. She could pitch some good ideas for the game."
Jarren gave an acknowledging nod before their words ceased to be in the veils above. "Is that better?" Dargath asked, his face beaming a warm familiar smile. "It's...okay." She mused past her sniffles. "Dargath, is this hell? Did we get consciousness just to experience this purgatory for the rest of eternity at the hands of mad gods?"
She broke leaving Dargath speechless. So far he had only had a so-so experience with the two, none of them forcing him to execute any hard tasks save for the disposition of the mother and daughter corpse. "There's more to it than just torture Seryn and you have to look past that. They may be gods but not dictators of what you wish to be."
The pair could barely mask their laughs that drove gods and horrors alike into madness. "Still, there's so much pain that I have to get through. By the end of it all I'm not sure that I'll be the same. I can already feel myself change to be nothing more than a animal for them to prod."
He cupped her face, his face coming close to hers. "You know that I'm not as strong as you think I am. But I have to make through this as well. And if it gets too hard for you in that game or any other experience you can always come to me for support. And if I'm not around I want you to be strong. You have to prove them wrong."
The sun above her made her tears glimmer like diamonds, her sniffles growing less frequent as she shone a smile. "Thanks Dargath for being with me. However I'm sure that they'll take you away from me as well." As much as she didn't want to admit it, the truth was already in her mind.
"Well if they take you away from me just think what I would tell you." He joked eliciting a chuckle from Seryn. "Hey! Let's not focus on that for now. I want to see just how much I've grown with this abhorrent system." Her tone already turning sour. Dargath too was intrigued with what she had to offer thus the two made their way deeper into the forest.
It wasn't long before the pair came across a Hollow Mane. The beast with it's rabid facial features of a mandrill and elongated limbs, it's hide a blend of hazel nut and obsidian looked at the two with great concern before letting out a holler.
*Whoosh-Whoosh-Whoosh*
A family immediately swarmed the two however none had looks of worry, Dargath had his axe stationed on his back and Seryn brandished her knife.
*Zoom*
One threw a rock at her hoping to knock her off guard and as she had anticipated she managed to dodge it. However unbeknownst to her another was thrown at her back which managed to hit her head.
"Hahahaha!!" A collective laugh escaped from the family mocking her lack of agility. "Do you want to do this or leave it to me?" Dargath whispered in her ears however she remained determined. "I'll take care of this myself." Her tone resolute as her eyes burnt with a new resolve.
"Dargath was forced to watch but intervene should the situation get out of hand." Seryn made a move on one of the Hollow Manes to which as expected dodged to the side. Another came to her side however with a twirl she managed to kick it back. A rock sent at her hand to knock her off balance left a tinge of pain on her wrist as she grit her teeth.
Dargath had a look of concern on his face however he didn't bother making a move, waiting till it got a bit too out of hand for Seryn. "Facing wild beasts isn't the same as elves." Seryn clicked as she managed to claim the life of one of the Hollow Manes. Without delay a waterfall of grunts filled the air, the other Hollow Manes displeased with the death of their fallen comrade.
Unlike before they all charged forward and so did Dargath. "I got this!" Seryn shouted, her face certain with her decision. Dargath who had his hands ready faltered pausing however the Hollow Manes attacked him regardless forcing him to engage.
*Bam-Bam-Bam*
His movements refined and quick, each of his punch ending the life of a Hollow Mane which would cry out in anguish. The more he persisted, the more he hesitated as his mind fell into thought. Seryn who was overwhelmed with a horde didn't notice this as she tried to make slices left and right however she was pelted with rocks.
Once small pebbles were now as big as her head which forced her to dart all over the scene. 'There has been no increase whatsoever. As if anything I think that I lost some of my skills by playing that damned game!' She cursed, her figure dodging rocks of which some would land on her figure staggering her slightly.
Aware that the situation would the same akin to the rats in the game, she chose to call for reinforcements. "Dargath! I'm going to need some help!" Her voice throwing him out of his trance. "Of course!" He mused blankly grabbing his axe and hacking away. With Callista's obsidian axe, the Hollow Manes were easy to dive through.
With her towering figure and brutish strength, the morale of the Hollow Manes began to fade. A few more minutes and they all chose to leave. Dargath looked at Seryn, her frame evident with marks of rocks and a sour look on her face. "I guess I haven't learnt much." She joked stretching an arm.
A crack forced her to stop and let out a light shrill. "Are you okay?" Dargath asked, his eyes gauging where she would be mostly injured. With his one out in the wild, his experience with hordes had grown significantly however his brute strength made it far easier to deal with the problems head on.
"You don't have to ask whether I'm okay every second Dargath, I can fend for myself some times." Her words eliciting a laugh from Dargath. "Because what you did back there was handling it. You could have died had I not intervened!" She shrugged it off. "What? I would have revived." With the strange glances Dargath gave her, she immediately realized her problem.
"I mean I'm sure that the two above wouldn't let us die so easily." His face eased up as the two began to make their way back to their camp. "Do you think that we should move elsewhere? With the elves close by, it's only a matter of time before they become a problem for us to deal with. After all not all of them won't be unawakened like those we faced."
She knew he had a point and moving, preferably away from Jarren pleased her. "I'm sure that we could move somewhere more...comfortable rather than in Caerthalas. However with the take over of the abominations, it'll be hard to find any safe place for us to stay at." Seryn posed as she felt the pain build up with each step.
*Crack*
Testing her arm resulting with a crack forcing her to come to a stop. "Fuck my shoulder!" Her cries drawing concern from Dargath which probed her arm. "Looks like you broke a bone with the Hollow Manes. Really seeing your handling in full effect paying off!"
His tone laced with sarcasm that irked her. "Okay fine I was in the wrong about handling it, it was clear that I needed some help and I'm grateful that you were there." Her tone soft that brought a smile to Dargath. "Finally some genuine appreciation and not some sass or condescendance." A click was his response as the two made their way to their camp.
Not far from where they had chosen to settle they had a great view over the town and much to their surprise, a new carriage could be seen arrive at the now ghost town. "Who are those and why are they here?" Dargath mumbled to himself watching the crew begin their work without delay.