Reach
1917 Words
“You are pulling my hamstrings too tight. I can’t breathe,” the airflow in my lungs thinned.
“Oh sorry, I shouldn’t be doing this,” she retracted from me.
“I understand,” I bit my lip.
“Can you stand?” Vampire offered a hand.
“I can handle myself,” I flicked it away from me.
“Let me help you, Keita.”
“I said I can handle myself. Don’t make me say it again.”
Vampire ushered Girly out with him. The pressure on my lungs never left. I clasped my hands together to ease them from shaking. It felt like something crushed my wounded chest. Sharp knives stabbing my back infinitely added to the pain.
I saw their silhouettes from the flap. Girly leaned on Vampire. Then I saw him reach down for her. I stormed out of the room. My vision became blurry and dark. Without warning, I stabbed him in the back. Girly shrieked upon realizing what happened.
“Keita, no! Don’t kill Vampire. I am begging you,” Girly pleaded.
“I-,” My vision suddenly cleared.
“Darn, I should have seen that coming. Are you satisfied now?” Red fluid spilled out of Vampire’s mouth.
I pulled out my sword and walked between two rotting trees. Falling leaves danced above my head as I cleaned and sharpened my sword with them. My mouth rounded into a low whistle. The vision of Kun danced in my eyes.
“Hey, how are you holding up?” Claws touched my shoulder.
“Leave me alone,” I pulled my shoulder away.
“Nothing good ever comes from that.”
“Did anything good ever happen to me?”
“Good point.”
“What is it that you want, Vampire?”
“I was wondering if we could call it a truce, for now. After that, you can do whatever you want with me.”
“My mind is covered in moss, can you clear it up?”
“Sigh. All I am saying is that you can kill me after we are done with the game. Anyway, it is up to you.”
“It’s a deal.”
“Good. Shall we continue with the path?”
One meter distance happened between the three of us as we walked the straight path. A pandemic must have reached the game itself. It affects not only your lungs but also your heart and mind. No face mask or face shield can deflect this virus. Then another fork in the road greeted us.
“Again?” I sighed.
“Let us try the path to the right,” Girly headed that direction.
“It says that we need to reach level thirty and have this item called Artemis’ Deer,” Vampire read the words that barred us from proceeding.
“Monsters it is, then. But where do we get this thing?” I placed a finger under my chin.
“Is this it?” Girly pulled out a deer idol from the bag.
“I think so. The only thing left to do is juice some monsters for experience points.”
“Need some help with that?” Orcana suddenly emerged from the trees.
“How did you find us?” Vampire gasped.
“You know, I am always here and there. Anyway, do you want my help or not?”
“Give it to us already,” I gazed at him.
“Okay, okay, you do not have to rush me. In my hand is the Sapphire of Wisdom, I will let you borrow it for a while,” he held out a shiny deep blue stone.
“Is there a catch to this?”
“No, there is nothing of the sort. You only have to give it back to me unscathed. Can you do that?”
“I will take that,” Vampire snatched it from his hand.
“What does it do?” I asked.
“The Sapphire of Wisdom grants you a slight boost in experience points,” Orcana explained. “May the best of luck fall upon you, heroes.” Then he disappeared behind the trees.
“We should get going, too,” Girly urged us.
We traced our steps back to the straight path. This time, we continued on it until we happened upon Mutated Mandibles. They looked the same as before, only with morphed heads and stinging claws. What on earth happened to these creatures?
The grass they stood upon became dark brown as well as the leaves on trees. The air became thick as misty clouds covered the area. The cries sounded like dogs choking on their collars. Suddenly, darkness blended in the atmosphere.
The ground rumbled, increasing in magnitude. I stabbed the ground with my sword for support. I felt Girly’s arms pull on my weight while Vampire implanted his claws to the ground. Large cracks formed beneath us. Suddenly, a monster jumped out from under us.
The ambush sent us flying towards the center where most of them lingered. Numerous mouths bared their teeth at us. They spun clockwise, then counterclockwise. Suddenly, one of them jumped at us like a bullet ejected from a gun.
I instinctively lunged forward and raised my shield. Girly summoned forth Grumpy. He used Angery Face, which pushed the circle a little further away. Another one of them lunged at us, but Vampire intercepted the attack with his claws. Its tail bit his arm.
“Man, I don’t feel so good,” Vampire wobbled.
“Your face is turning violet. It must be poison damage,” Girly rushed to his side.
“I’m going to be fine. Let’s finish this quickly,” he winced.
The circle tightened on us. Two of them rushed at us. I tried to stab one of them with my sword, but something grabbed my foot. I struck myself in the chest upon falling. I looked at what held my foot. It was one of the fallen enemies.
The other pinned Vampire on his back. Girly launched her missiles at some of them, but her attack made no effect. She used her weapon like a hammer as she stomped them with it. A new skill has been unlocked, Hammer Rush.
Suddenly, something shined bright behind us. Grumpy’s tiny body compressed and decompressed as his body took on another shape. His body stretched like a horse. He had curled horns on both sides of his head. The only thing that remained the same is his face.
“Congratulations! Bridge Guardian (Grumpy Troll) has evolved to Arched Steward. His stats have slightly increased,” a message jumped above us.
Three of them rushed towards us now. I slipped under one of them, then ran my sword through. It bathed me with violet blood. Grumpy rammed some of them using his new skill, Rampede. Another one rushed at him and he pinned it on its back, trampling on its torso.
Girly plowed through the rest of the horde. She sent them flying to the rotting trees. As she approached one of them, I heard a loud thud. When I looked back at her, claws grabbed her feet from the ground. I rushed to her side, then sliced them repeatedly.
“Thank you,” her hands reached mine.
“You better watch your back. I am not always here to save you,” I pulled my hands away.
A garbled howl came out from one of them. Soon, more of them appeared from the mist. Another circle has started. I have already used up all my skills. My mana thinned to a hairline that matched my health. At this rate, we will eventually die.
“Keita, Girly, come here,” Vampire motioned to us.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Let’s hold hands together.”
“I don’t have time for games.”
“Don’t be stupid, you are already playing in it.”
“It won’t take a second for my sword to wipe your neck clean.”
“Just do it. It might just work.”
“I hope you are right, whatever it is you are planning.”
“I’m in,” Girly placed her hand on him.
“Okay,” I placed mine on top of theirs.
A ray of light burst from our hands. It vanished afterwards, revealing a spinning prismatic shape. It expanded until it filled the space we occupied. The layers deconstructed, then sanctioned the enemies. They shrunk and vanished into thin air. A new trinity skill has been unlocked, Tetra Edge.
“Congratulations! You have reached level thirty. A new area has been unlocked, Artemian Planas,” a message floated above us.
“Great, we can finally enter that forsaken place,” Vampire dropped to his knees.
“But first, we need to get out of here. Where was the exit again?” Girly squinted through the fog.
“I think this is a trap. We were set up. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him,” I pulled at my hair.
“Uhm, we can try one of the openings.”
“It might lead us back here again. Drop one of your missiles here.”
“What do you have in mind, man?” Vampire stabled him footing.
“You will see,” I sighed.
We tried the north path. The missile was still there. We tried the other paths, but they led us back to where we started. Vampire’s breath labored harder the more time we wasted. Finally, we laid on the dead grass, looking up at the luminescent night sky.
“Do you think Kun can see us from up there?” I asked.
“Yeah, he sees you,” Vampire answered.
“I wonder where he is or how he is holding up.”
“I’m sure he is probably fine.”
“Well, I can’t be so sure. Honestly, I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Girly, help me out here.”
“Hmmm? What was that?” She replied.
“He says he doesn’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Oh, that,” she deeply sighed. “Well… If you cannot believe in anything, at least believe in yourself.”
“Do you believe in yourself, Girly?” I looked at her.
She exhaled slowly, “I am not so sure myself.”
Suddenly, Girly’s net slithered out from her pocket. It glowed violently and flashed at us. Bugseye revealed himself to us. He flew freely like a fish from the sea. Then he decelerated his wings at the mist, uncovering the real path.
“Good job, Bugseye,” I patted him.
“Bugseye wants to learn Wing Beats, but he does not have enough skill slots for it. Want to purchase a slot for 300 Garnets?” A pop-up message suggested.
“Eh, why not?” Vampire inserted the needed amount.
“Bugseye has learned Wing Beats! Do you want to unlock more skill slots?”
“No thanks.”
We laid side by side on the dead grass. I breathed in the cool night air that I could never experience back home. I raised my hands and traced the stars. I formed Kun’s face on one side and Girly’s face on the other. I added my mom and sister between them.
“What are you drawing?” Girly asked.
“Sigh. A bunch of scribbles,” I instantly replied.
“You know, there is a story that my foster parents used to tell about me the stars,” she paused for a response.
She continued when I didn’t respond, “There were once tribes born under the stars. It was said that the star goddess gave them some blessings. One of which was a vast land rich with lavender and other crops. Then a war broke, which killed dozens of their families.
“After realizing the amount of bloodshed for the ownership of lands, they forged a treaty. It rained for days, as if the sky mourned with them. The goddess decided to placate the fallen among the heavens. One day, some anomaly disturbed this tribute.
“Luckily, a group of heroes appeared out of nowhere and offered their help. A tribe agreed to tell their story, and their mission began. The heroes reached for the stars and brought them back home to their constellations. This incredulous feat was told for generations, and the heroes returned home safely.”
“I saw a star once,” I cut in. “Unlike the heroes from your story, I cannot reach mine. Maybe I am not fit to be a hero at all.”
“What are you saying? I am sure that we can beat this game.”
“Yeah, like the heroes in your story, we can return home,” Vampire added.
“I think we have rested enough. We should continue to the unlocked path,” I sprang up.
“I will help you up, Girly,” Vampire held a hand out to her.
“Thank you, Vampire,” Girly smiled.
We walked out of the forest. With my heavy heart, I already accepted that I do not belong in her constellation.
- Writer
