She looked at the buildings that began to hem them onto a narrow pathway with caution, alert that at any second she could get ambushed by bandits.
Just then, from up ahead, she heard loud raucous cries.
Threat Detected
A Rabbid horde is approaching. Do you wish to proceed?
Yes | No
The monsters! I found them.
Lily selected 'Yes'.
A large hoard of rabbit-like creatures were coming right for them. She was surprised to see how tiny they were. In fact, they were smaller than the ones she had seen in the previous version of the game she had played.
Was this one of the new ‘features’?
They came in pairs, and they charged at Allan.
He raised his spear and yelled, “Not this time!”
She was impressed as she watched him slash at one, drawing first blood. He slashed at another, killing it instantly. A third he impaled on the end of his spear.
She stood back and watched with admiration as he kept slashing and waving, stabbing and jabbing at whatever came nearby. None of those tiny little creatures ever came close. He heaved, he jumped, and he demonstrated some admirable somersaults.
Okay, now he’s showing off.
Lily suppressed a giggle as she continued to watch her desk-job boyfriend evolve into a hunk of man meat. She had to admit, he looked really hott like this. And that mere loincloth was something she decided she wanted to see in Real Life after she logged out.
The Rabbids were too slow and clumsy to win against Allan. They moved in a group, and most of them got killed before they even reached him. Those that managed to reach him were impaled or slashed by his spear. Yet, despite his efforts, the hordes of Rabbid beasts continued to swarm.
In time, however, she grew bored. She decided to move closer to Allan and acted like she had just stumbled onto the scene. She kept her sword up and pretended to trip. When Allan turned around, she slithered toward him.
I’m not just gonna sit on the sidelines and let him take all the glory!
She joined in on the fight.
Lily swung her sword erratically as she fought alongside him. The tiny monsters were relentless. They came in droves, attacking Allan from every direction. He sliced and stabbed at them as fast as he could, while she fended them off with her rusty sword.
But a moment later, a pain shot through her body. She felt as if she had been stabbed, but she knew better.
[-50 Damage]
She reached down and tore the tiny rabbit-like monster off of her leg and used her sword to behead it.
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Decapitate: Medium
Instant Kill
[+10 XP]
Skill Unlocked: Decapitate
Delivers an Instant Kill when hacking off the head of an opponent. Only works at close range. Greater chances for Instant Kill increase with higher levels. Requirements: Level > 1, Agility > 1, Stamina > 1, Willpower > 1
***Disclaimer: This skill can only be utilized with a large sword***
LEVEL UP!
+1 Strength
The creature’s decapitated body wriggled violently, then went limp. With vigor, she attacked the creatures with her sword.
NeckSlash: Easy
Instant Kill
+10 XP
Stab: Easy
Instant Kill
+10 XP
They were easy targets, and she quickly cleared a path for herself.
The cries of the Rabbid horde grew louder. One of them tried to attack her foot and she kicked it away. She looked around and saw that she had attracted attention. More Rabbids were gathering around her, sniffing and screeching.
This is ridiculous!
More Rabbid beasts rushed towards her, trying to attack her with their mouths full of sharp teeth. She dodged their attacks, but in the process she swung her sword too hard and if flew out of her grasp. The Rabbits took advantage of her moment of weakness and charged at her. The sheer number of them forced her to retreat until she ended up in the middle of a pile of Rabbid bodies.
She armed herself with a large stick she found on the ground, wielding it like a club. She charged at the nearest Rabbid and brought the stick down on its head, but it only served to irritate the creature. Its fur bristled and it charged back at her. She struck it again, and again, but each time it retaliated. She swung the stick wildly, desperately trying to keep it away from her. The Rabbid was persistent, and she soon found herself cornered.
Her pathetic excuse of a weapon was ineffective against these creatures, and she accepted her fate. She braced herself for the inevitable. The Rabbid lunged at her, baring its teeth. She screamed as it sunk its teeth into her forearm.
[-50 Damage]
Before she could tear the creature off, another pounced and sunk its teeth into her leg.
[-75 Damage]
Lily gasped in pain, screaming as she thrashed wildly. The pain felt real.
The Rabbid creatures swarmed and attacked her from all sides, and Lily's limbs flailed uncontrollably. Her screams became guttural grunts.
Blood spurted everywhere as the Rabbid creatures dug deep with its claws, its teeth gnawing at her flesh. A red tinge surrounded her NeuReality vision, alerting her to the fact that her avatar had taken critical damage.
GAME OVER
Cause of Death: Rabbid Horde
Lily could feel her heart beating rapidly as her character died. She opened her eyes, and saw the gleaming logo of Conquest hovering in mid-air with a ten minute lockout penalty countdown.
How embarrassing!
Lily took one more look at the gorgeous virtual landscape before she pressed on her right temple and logged out. Immediately her vision adjusted to the bright lighting inside the Chicago Arena with is teeming hills of green foam. It was like a massive movie set designed for greenscreen effects, except that there weren't any cameramen or boom mics present. In the distance she could see many players who had paid for the premium membership services climbing the hills inside their own virtual adventures in NeuReality.
Lily headed towards the far end towards a small door with the words "Employees Only" emblazoned in red lettering, and scanned her palm for access. A green light blinked on the palm scanner, and the door swung open.
"Hey Henry." She waved at the janitor.
He waved back as she headed towards the small women's locker room that was reserved only for employees.
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