Fate is a funny thing. Funny and wicked. - Lilith Encantado
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The maze belonging to the overpowered old monster was timeless, much like its immortal, unaging owner. Mismatched, clearly poisonous glowing fungus adorned the dusty walls, while neon green flowers decorated the, otherwise plain and forgettable, walkway. If one didn't know any better, they would most probably shrug off this place as suspicious and left as fast as they could. The occasional inhumane shrieks and moans that echoed out from within didn't do it much favor either.
But to Lilith, who had spent days stranded in this shit-hole, the mere sight of light made her feel like she had struck gold. And it seemed her sword, Dawnbringer, also shared her joy as it hummed excitedly in the sheath. Not that she could blame it, for she too was sick and tired of killing giant rats and rotting zombies. She had had her fair shares of them while trapped in this maze, enough to last her a lifetime. Peharps now that she had found her way out, she could finally see something other than rotten, reanimated corpses.
Unfortunately, her happiness didn't last long. From behind her, unholy roars were let loose as the zombies who had been lucky enough to be ignored by her got down on all fours and broke into a sprint, instantly reaching the speed of sound. "Ungrateful fools." Lilith muttered in annoyance, she really didn't want to see these rotten idiots ever again. And she had no doubt most people would agree with her. Their obnoxious screaming and smell undoubtedly contributed as to why they were unpopular.
But the real reason they were so hated was because they were unnecessarily hard to get rid off and yet, for some odd reasons, the meager amount of EXP they gave was hardly noticeable at all. Simply speaking, it just wasn't worth it to waste time on them. Especially when there were tons of other weaker monsters that had more uses and gave more loots. If that wasn't bad enough, these assholes always hunted in group... And the few that chased after her were no exception.
Her hands reached to grasp Dawnbringer, which she always kept sheathed around her waist. Her boots stutter-stepped, bringing her away from the claws that sought to tear open her flesh and blood. Her leg lashed forth, enchanted with [Holy Energy], skidding into the knees of the unfortunate bastards; sounds of crushed bones bounced off the stone walls. It was an unpleasant crunch that was soon hidden beneath wails of pain and agony that would no doubt give children nightmares for years to come.
Without hesitation, Lilith moved in for her next attack. The stockier zombie was hunching over, its balance lost after tripping over the immobilized body of its (currently) crippled friend. Having next to no time to react, it was easily dragged towards her once she had managed to grab the collar of its tattered shirt. Usually, she'd knee her opponent in the face, but the unpleasant thoughts of being covered in rotten brain-matter stopped her from doing so. Instead, she threw it down sprawling on the floor, then her slightly raised foot stomped down.
Needless to say, the poor zombie didn't survive. Lilith reckoned dying under the hands, or rather feet of a beautiful woman such as her was in itself rewarding to it. Judging from its ugly face, she doubted it had ever had the chance to touch anything with a pussy before it became this. She might be wrong though, after all prostitution wasn't exactly rare or useen in this universe. If anything, it was probably one of the most popular occupation around, for both male and female.
At this point, the other five remaining zombies had finally caught up only to find their leaders either dead or crippled. Not that they could take their eyes off the tasty meat before them long enough to care anyway. The high-pitched shrieks they let loose weren't that of anger, but pure bloodthirst and bottomless hunger that could not be sated. Lilith made short work of them with [Nether Grasp]. The hand made of [Eldritch Energy] shot towards two of them, clutching, crushing their souls in its bloodied claws.
She felt this itch in her right wrist—The familiar twitching sensation she got when she was in the mood to let Dawnbringer out for some fresh air. Fresh blood and flesh, too. And she gladly gave into that sensation, quickly unsheathing her sword. The three remained were all heavy-armored opponents so their speed was nowhere near their predecessors. Lilith did an upward arc, slashing beneath the zombies' exposed underarm.
But she misjudged the distance and only managed to make contact with the tip of her blade. Still, that was enough to almost sever its entire arm. Then, her blade twisted in an impossible angle as she did another downward slash, this time successfully splitting the zombie in two halves, causing its blood and guts to spill all over. Next, Lilith lunged forth. She didn't cover any real distance but the smaller zombie was being carried by its momentum and flew right into her sword.
It didn't so much as flinch even as Dawnbringer sent its upper-body flying. The last zombie somehow dodged her swing, however Lilith wasn't discouraged by this as she caught it in the neck, her scaly hand broke through its thick skin, ripping out its vocal cords in fast motion. Its head toppled to the floor, mouth agape. Its eyes followed Lilith as she stood above it, expressionless. "You shouldn't have followed me." She mouthed, knowing full-well the rotten bastard probably didn't understand any of what she said.
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Eventually, she brought down her sword. Dawnbringer easily pierced the zombies' hardened skull, ending its suffering.
Congratulation! You've killed 7 zombies...
Blue notification flashed, but Lilith shrugged it off. She didn't have any expectations for these guys anyway. She just didn't want them to follow her and cause a ruckus. While small groups of zombies like this one were easy to handle, it was a completely different story when they started to flock together. That was something she didn't wish to see. Even at her level, high-leveled zombies and their poison could still pose a large threat if not treated carefully.
Done with the zombies, Lilith turned to the path she had just found. It was exactly as described on the forum. The path led to [Father Time], Chronos. No one really knew the actual methods to find it, only that you'd find it in the most unexpected places and time. Many players had died here, trapped unable to find the path, and their corpses now wandered the maze as zombies, skeletons and the likes. The group of zombies she had just finished off was most likely one of the unfortunate explorer groups.
Since [Space Magic] didn't work in the maze, they probably got lost and died, killed by the other undead that roamed the area, given their tattered equipments. Lilith shuddered in fear, thanking her luck. She knew a day ago, she too was not that far off from these guys. Peharps if she hadn't decided to take that turn, she'd also be wandering the place along with the other undeads, spending her unlife trying to eat people's faces by now. If that were to happen, she'd have lost both the bet and her character for literally nothing.
It seemed putting a few points in [Luck] wasn't a waste after all... "Who is laughing now?!" Lilith chuckled, thinking back to her online friends who had dared laugh when she said she wanted to raise her [LUK], which was deemed useless by many. Then again, the stat wasn't that useful since she rarely got the time to use it, meaning the question whether it was worth raising or not was still up to debate. Though considering how stubborn and unyielding she was, Lilith would never admit her loss, at least not directly anyway.
"Focus Lilith, focus!" Finally, after a small internal war about the true worth of [LUK], she noticed she had slowed down considerably, and with not much time left, she couldn't allow herself to be distracted. Thus, in an attempt to pull herself back together, she softly slapped her reddened cheeks. It wasn't a good habit and, for some reasons, was considered rude to do by a few more intelligent races such as [Angel], but it was effective in helping her focus.
Beside, habits die hard...
Dragging her mind back from the land of fantasy, Lilith took her first step into the oddly decorated path. Unbeknownst to her, the moment she set foot on this path, the [Wheel Of Fate] had turned, leading to her [Destiny] being drastically changed and altered. Of course, she didn't know this, not yet. But even if she had known beforehand, she probably would have done it still.
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Chronos sat eyes closed on his throne, his wrinkly old face combined with the deep frown he always seemed to have made him look like a battle-hardened war veteran. And honestly speaking, such descriptions didn't deviate much from the truth. He was a being much older than the current, or rather former Death. He had been here since the beginning, old enough to be the grandfather of the [New Divines]. Thus naturally, he had also participated in many wars.
People often mistook him as the personification of [Time] and he didn't blame them. Given his affinity with it, he might as well be. But he wasn't, and that was why he was now here, sealed in this shit-hole. Usually, he'd spend his time sleeping. Needless to say, there was not much to do in here. But today was different. He wasn't deep in his sleep. The presence of an intruder in his domain had stirred him awake.
This wasn't rare nor was it unseen. Time and time again some idiots would challenge him, hoping to change their fate or make a name for themselves. Of course, most ended up either buried in his personal flower garden or thrown into the end of time. Yet something about this to-be challenger excited him. Igniting emotions he thought he had long forgotten.
His entire body was itching for actions. All the blood inside him was boiling. Had the seal not kept him here, he'd have charged towards the girl already. Alas, he wasn't what he used to be. Breaking this seal proved to be far harder than he initially thought. The only thing he could do was wait for her to come to him. And wait, he did. Waiting a few days more wouldn't hurt, he had all the time in the world after all.