"Here they come!" Maun ran towards the newly-arrived arachnai, far more cheerful than he should be.
More sand bulged in nearly a half a dozen places. Severance realized very quickly that if they was going to survive this, then he was going to have to fight. His war fans appeared in his hands.
"Sky Dance!"
He could feel the burst of heat within, like someone had flicked on the power switch and opened the circuits. Electrical energy flared around his hands.
While he didn't really care what happened to him, he didn't want Maun to be melted into a pile of goo. The memory of Wellon being speared through by bones was never too far from his mind. He didn't want to see anyone else get hurt like that.
It's too late for me though. His expression contorted, and feeling of wild recklessness coursed through him. He thrust a closed war fan into the sky.
"Flare!" Thunder rolled in a cloudless sky, and a single bolt of crackling energy dropped onto an arachnai's head just as it emerged from the sand.
One of its eyes exploded. The creature immediately collapsed, taking Severance by surprise. That was easier than he'd thought it'd be.
"Behind you!" A dagger flew past Severance's ear, close enough that the wind of its passing stirred his hair. Whatever it hit made a sickening squelch.
Upon whirling around, Severance's eyes widened. An arachnai staggered barely a yard away. Sand still fell from its body, shaken loose as it violently twitched from the agony of having an eye claimed by a shiny blade.
Not like it's any real loss, he thought hysterically. It had eyeballs to spare. There were dozens, each one a black pit of nightmares.
A second blade sung through the air, flashing over his other shoulder to bury itself in a second eye. The arachnai fell down like a bag of bricks.
Maun calmly walked past Severance's frozen form and reclaimed his weapons. "I suggest you move now, unless you want to enjoy the experience of being dissolved."
Severance somehow moved himself half a dozen yards away in a mere two seconds. Unfortunately, his hasty retreat brought him within reach of several other arachnai. He spun, fans slicing through the air.
"Flare!" Thunder rolled and another arachnai hit the ground. Severance immediately scooted away from his victim, all too wary of that freakish yellow gas. If he got melted, then he wouldn't be able to help Maun very much.
More of the creatures skittered towards him, their many legs making a constant pitter patter that almost sounded like rain. It would have been a calming sound if the source hadn't been so unnerving. He ran, and the horde of arachnai followed him, their huge legs easily overtaking him.
Thankfully Maun was never too far away. He rushed in and targeted the closest ones, downing several in the span of mere moments.
"Quickly," he called, and hurried to a relatively open area a safe distance away.
When Severance caught up, Maun smiled brightly. "Not bad, you're getting the hang of it. Target the ones farther away, and I'll deal with the close ones. Sound good?"
There wasn't a chance for Severance to answer, for the group of arachnai was currently surrounding them on all sides. More yet were still bursting from the sand. In a matter of minutes, the arachnai had gone from a handful to a horde of epic proportions.
This was going to require some serious firepower. Severance didn't know if what he had would do the trick, but it was a good a time as any to see what his new skill, Ionize, could do.
He brought his fans together. "Ionize."
At once, an electric blue glow began to build upon the weapons. Sparks leapt from one fan to the other, tiny little particles of lightning that began to grow brighter with every passing second. Severance could feel the energy building, rapidly increasing to the point it became too bright to look at.
Already he could tell that this skill was significantly more powerful than Flare. It also took almost as long to cast as a Revive.
The arachnai skittered forward. Alarmed, Severance looked to Maun. If he moved, the skill would be canceled.
"Don't worry," Maun said. He flipped one of his blades, switching it to a reverse grip, and then back again, like he was simply practicing for a circus performance. "Do what you need to and leave the rest to me."
Then he was off, sprinting into the horde without a care. The arachnai surged towards him, pressing against each other and getting in each other's way. It very soon became a big jumble of hairy spider legs and sharp chittering.
Severance soon lost sight of him, but could still get a general sense of where the man in black was. The arachnai moved like a storm, constantly shifting around its heart, which churned around Maun for he left destruction wherever he went. Clouds of yellow gas and shining violet sparks followed in his wake.
Severance tried to focus on one arachnai, but it was difficult since they moved so closely together. When he thought he had one pinpointed, he yanked his glowing fans apart.
A thunderous boom cracked the air, just as a jagged bolt shot up from the ground in the midst of the arachnai. A second one streaked down to meet it. When they met, they flashed blindingly white, burning their shape into Severance's retina.
When it faded, a single arachnai had turned into a charred skeleton dripping slime. All of its eyes had burst.
+1 Intelligence
Congratulations, Severance! You have reached Level 25.
You have unassigned skills.
Severance blinked away the spots in his vision. He didn't care, because his thoughts were entirely on how ridiculous that skill just was.
That had been shocking. For the arachnai. Literally. But for all the skill's power, it still only took out one. Considering the lengthy cast time, it was better if he stuck to Flares.
Unless... he glanced at the fading text. Unassigned skills?
Some of the arachnai split off from the rest and came skittering towards him. There was no sight of Maun—he was still in the center of the horde. Severance grimaced and began to jog away, buying himself some time.
"System, Skills."
When the window appeared, he slid it to the side so it wouldn't obscure his vision as much. He quickly skimmed through the options.
Unassigned Skills
Level 25 Skills – Choose one
Flare2 – call down two bolts from the sky. Cooldown: 9* sec
Ionize2 - call forth the power of lightning to strike an area. Cooldown: 29* sec
*Because you have ≥20 wisdom, cooldown times are slightly decreased.
Flare2 just added an extra bolt to the attack, which essentially doubled its damage. That was great, but didn't really help him at the moment. But Ionize2...
Severance didn't hesitate. The second he saw the word area, he jabbed down with his finger. The System window vanished, and a new notification chimed.
You have learned the skill: Ionize2
He turned back to the arachnai. Where several had been scuttling after him a few moments ago, there was only one. A dark figure chased after it, easily gaining.
Maun. Relief surged in Severance's heart. The man in black wasn't just going on a killing spree; he was also keeping them from getting too close to Severance. That gave him the time he needed.
He planted his feet and brought his fans together once more. "Ionize."
Again, the skill built like before, showing no real difference in how the energy built. Maun ran to and fro across the area at an almost relaxed pace, the very picture of calm in the midst of a nightmare. Even though arachnai kept popping up from the ground, he managed to flow through and around them like water, never staying in a single place long enough for them to strike.
Severance watched through narrowed eyes, trying to figure out the best place to unleash his skill. He didn't want Maun to get caught up in it. He finally decided on a cluster of arachnai that lagged behind the Veiled man.
He drew apart his fans. The skies instantly darkened, a shadow falling across the entire area. Thunder rumbled, and several forks of light snaked up towards the sky. An instant later, jagged lines of sheer power burst out of the clouds to meet them.
The world pulsed white. Terrific claps of thunder rocked the very earth beneath Severance's feet. The scent of ozone permeated the air.
When Severance could see again, all he saw was a pile of smoking skeletons wreathed in yellow gas. The area affected wasn't very big, maybe a few dozen feet across, but everything in that space was completely eradicated.
A tremor ran through him. That was... amazing.
Maun waved at him, and Severance caught a flash of teeth. The man in black clearly approved.
And from that moment on, the two of them laid waste to the entire arachnai nest. Maun worked at controlling the flow of arachnai, keeping them away from Severance and gathering them into groups. Severance rained down lightning, again and again.
It was a mindless slaughter and Severance didn't have time to think. He didn't have to remember. All he had to do was destroy whatever lay before him.
He poured himself into it, and let the waves of grief roar through him. If he yelled, the thunder drowned him out. And if he cried, though no tears wet his cheeks, there was no one to see. There was only the arachnai and the thousands of violet stars rising up from their charred skeletons.
Severance lost count of how many arachnai he and Maun slew. They'd gone from nest to nest in a mindless slog, fighting, killing, running, healing.
At any other time, he would have quickly grown bored of the repetition and would have left to do something else. Now, however, it was exactly what he needed. The routine established was easy to fall into, and for a while, he was able to shut down his thoughts save for that which concerned his and Maun's immediate survival.
Eventually, he and Maun stood back at a safe distance and watched a giant arachnai the size of a house disintegrate, her terrifying form surrounded by a cloud of yellow mist. As her flesh melted, a few sparks of violet began to lift. Her bones would remain for a while, oddly enough, before they too would eventually dissolve into death sparkles.
"And that's the last one," Maun murmured. He wiped his face on an arm, then dug out his water bag. After a short swallow, he pulled it away with a frown. Turning the bag upside down, he gave it a few shakes. Only a few water drops came out. He sighed.
Severance watched silently. They'd been at this for what felt like days. And during that time, Maun had taken a minute here and there to eat something in order to regain lost energy while Severance himself had no such requirements. Maun had to be tired, even if he didn't outwardly show it.
Shifting his attention towards his current game time, Severance blinked in surprise. "Oh."
Time Remaining: 00:29:49
"What is it?" Maun looked over. His empty water bag had been put away.
"I don't have much time left," Severance admitted. He hesitated for just a moment, before taking a deep breath. "Thanks. For... you know."
"Hm?" An easy smile graced Maun's face. He didn't seem surprised by the fact that nearly four hours had passed. "You're welcome. We did good work today. I think we may have made a rather large dent in the arachnai population."
"Yeah," Severance softly said. A wave of loss swelled up, no longer kept at bay by the distraction of a hunt. Somehow, it didn't seem quite as debilitating as before, but it still settled in his chest like a lead weight, a very solid presence that he couldn't escape from.
It reminded him that the real world was never far away. No matter how he tried to escape, it always followed close behind. He exhaled heavily.
"You going to be alright?" Concern laced Maun's voice, although the man in black still made it sound like a casual question.
Severance shrugged. Then he opened his mouth, intending to say everything was just fine, thank you, but something very different blurted forth without his permission.
"My Uncle's dead."
The words felt like a hammer blow to his chest, an explosion of emotions surging up like a giant wave that crushed him beneath it. He abruptly turned away, unwilling to let Maun see how the admission affected him. He immediately regretted speaking, wishing he could take it all back somehow.
When a hand gently squeezed his shoulder, he nearly jumped out of his skin. He tensed, unable to bring himself to move away.
"I'm sorry," Maun said simply.
Severance nodded. How else could he respond when his throat seemed to tighten so much that not even a sound could slip through?
"I can see he meant a lot to you."
Again, Severance nodded. Then he let out a shaky breath, suddenly glad that this body produced no tears. It would have been a huge embarrassment to actually cry in front of Maun.
"Yeah," he finally managed to speak. "He was...he was the only one who..."
"The only one?" Maun asked. "You don't have a family?"
A bitter smile grew upon Severance's face, lasting only a moment before vanishing. "I do, but they're..." he trailed off, shivering, before saying softly, "He was the one who cared."
"It's alright," Maun squeezed his shoulder tightly, almost to the point it would have caused pain if Severance could have felt pain in this world. "You don't have to say anymore. Just know that I'm here, as is the rest of the clan. You're not alone."
Severance turned slightly. It surprised him because Maun's touch was actually comforting and not threatening. He almost leaned into it, but then remembered this was just a game person. None of this was real.
He met the man in black's cobalt gaze for a short moment, his expression pained. "That's—I mean, thanks. I just wish... it would be nice if this was real."
No one was this nice in the real world. Nor would any stranger care this much. But here, in a video game, even the murderers treated him with kindness. How sad was that?
Maun smiled faintly. "It can be as real as you wish, Sev."
"What?" Severance thought he misheard.
Maun's smile morphed into an easy grin. "Ah, nothing really. When you return, we can do some more hunting, if you like. Maybe round up some of the clan and hit the Frozen Flats—now that's a thrilling place, just full of challenging prey. I think you'll find it quite exciting. There's these really interesting birds called the Hollow-Billed Leech, though we just call them Leeches for short. Can you take a guess as to why?"
"Uh..." Severance blanked out, distracted by the terrifying idea of what Maun would consider 'challenging prey.' Terrifying images fluttered into his brain, before he gave his head an abrupt shake. "Right. I'm ah, I'm going to log out now."
"Of course." Maun waved cheerfully.
Severance returned the gesture, though his was much more lackluster. "System, log out."
Everything flashed white, which then faded into a heavy, silent darkness.
Seth Veregin lay on his bed like a stone, the VR headset resting on his face. He made no move to remove it, too tired and drained to even bother with raising an arm. After a long moment, he sighed softly. His cheeks grew damp, even as he forced a broken smile.
Just how pathetic was it when the only people who seemed to care about him were fictional characters in a video game?