That night, Lily prepared a meal of fresh seafood for the two of them. The two women talked about their lives as well as the war between the Resistance and the Leviathan.
After Brad's death, Blondie went into shock. Without Brad, Blondie felt lost. He was her everything. He had been the only man who ever truly cared about her. Her heart was broken.
Seeing the pain and confusion in Blondie's eyes, Lily spoke up, “I understand what you’re going through right now. I just lost the love of my life a few days ago too.”
"What happened?" Blondie asked.
"He was killed by Timur Demyan right before my eyes.” a solitary tear streamed down her cheek, “I was completely powerless to stop him.”
"I’m sorry." Blondie said sadly.
"If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you." Lily offered.
Blondie nodded, "I’m just…”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m just so angry!” she sobbed, “Why did she have to kill him? All because he refused to become a nasty zombie creature like her?!”
"Do you mind if I ask why you two were fighting against the Leviathan?" Lily inquired.
"Because he's a monster! He's evil! He's trying to take over the world, and enslave people like you!" Blondie said hotly, "He's a sadistic pig! He wants everyone to worship him as a god! He doesn't deserve any praise!"
Lily smiled. "So you're one of the rebels?"
"You could say that." Blondie said, wiping away her tears, "And I guess I should thank you. If you hadn't come along when you did, I'd probably have died today. I owe you my life."
"I'm glad I was able to help you." Lily said warmly. "How did you get involved with the Leviathan?"
Blondie sighed, "It all started with Sam.”
“Who is Sam?”
“He was a member of our guild. He was a bit of a noob, so he was often the brunt of our jokes. He took a lot of criticism.” Blondie shrugged, “Then the game reset and despite our attempts to gather more guild members, they kept dying off and wouldn’t respawn. I began to fear the worst.”
“The Leviathan was spreading his influence.” she continued, “More and more people were turning into zombies. Everyone thought it was a glitch, but soon enough, most players gave up hope. Some even blamed us for what was happening."
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Blondie paused, "There were rumors that the Leviathan was behind it all. People believed he was using some sort of curse on us. The Leviathan wasn't actually a deity, but a demon. He wanted to enslave everyone and destroy this world."
"Didn't anyone else believe that?" Lily asked.
"Most people were too afraid to speak up. That's why I joined the Resistance. I knew there had to be something wrong with the way the game was designed. It was meant to be fun, not stressful!"
"So what happened to Sam?” Lily asked.
"I accidentally shot him.” Blondie cringed, “Then we saw the Leviathan for the first time. It was terrifying!”
"How did that affect you?" Lily inquired.
"I couldn't sleep for days after the incident. I offered to stand guard most nights. I figured I would be better able to protect others than myself." Blondie said, "Sam was always so nice to me. He never judged me. He loved helping out other people. I wanted to make sure I lived up to his expectations."
Lily nodded.
"I'd like to help defeat the Leviathan too.” Blondie said, "What can I do?”
"Let's start with gathering intelligence." Lily said, "Brittany and her crew of Shadow Walkers are following the Leviathan’s orders. We need to find out what they’re doing and where they’re going. Whatever it is that they’re up to, it’s not good.”
"Okay." Blondie nodded, "I’ll do anything to avenge Brad’s death. I'm going to make Brittany pay. I swear upon my life."
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They spent the next morning flying high above the ocean until they spotted Brittany leading an army of undead soldiers northward, riding on the backs of Voidspawn creatures. Noting their trajectory, Brittany knew that there was a small village near the coast consisting of fishermen and their families who were the descendants of the tribe of Benjamin.
“We have to warn them!” Lily gasped, and guided Tiamat to fly as fast as she could toward the settlement.
For the next hour, Lily's dragon flew as fast as possible towards the fishing village. As they got closer, the townspeople noticed the approaching dragon and began running around in terror. They were too late however, as the massive dragon landed before them.
The people cowered before the beast.
"Please don't be afraid!" Lily quickly dismounted, "We mean you no harm!"
The people slowly gathered around her.
"My name is Lily. I represent the Resistance. We are fighting against the Leviathan!" she told them.
"The Leviathan?" a man asked. "But that creature has never come this far north!”
"That’s why I’m here.” there was an extreme urgency in her voice, “The Leviathan is leading an army of undead soldiers here as we speak. There’s little time! You must evacuate immediately! Get all of your children, and any animals that you can carry, and flee this place!"
They all stood riveted, trying to absorb the information she had just given them.
"Run!" Lily urged them, "it’s not safe here!"
The people didn't waste any time. They scrambled to get their families and livestock loaded on carts and wagons, and then raced eastward as fast as possible.
Lily took to the skies again to oversee the evacuation.
As she flew overhead, she saw a group of Voidspawn being led by Brittany. They were getting close!
She looked down and saw the entire town fleeing at breakneck speed towards the East.
Maybe they'll still make it to safety. Maybe they will be able to escape while they have the chance!
Her stomach churned with anxiety, but she knew she had done the right thing. She had saved hundreds of lives today. This was much more important than personal revenge.
Lily kept Tiamat flying far above as they watched Brittany’s caravan of Shadow Walkers climb onto land. There weren’t any clouds for cover unfortunately, but she was confident that they were far enough away that they wouldn’t be spotted.
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