[Location: ???]
"BAHAHAHAHA!!! OH MY GOD, DID YOU SEE THAT!?"
Someone sits on a throne, a swarm of blue screens hovering in front of them. The largest one is replaying something. A clip of a boy causing a notification to appear, uppercutting another in the face with the screen, before another boy bashes the guy's head in with the same notification. They watch the replay over and over again, giggling to themselves.
"THIS is the kind of gameplay I'm looking for!"
A tall figure stands behind the throne, watching the screen with a look of disappointment. "Disgusting."
The one on the throne sighs, slumping back a little. "Does anything EVER impress you?"
"In all due respect, such crude actions are prime examples as to why humans are so inferior-"
"Don't talk about us like that." Their tone suddenly becomes harsh, coated in authority. The one behind the throne immediately bows their head.
"A-apologies."
The one on the throne stares at them for a while longer, before grinning and turning back to watch the screens, childish grin back on their faces. "All forgiven!"
A thought strikes them and they giggle in excitement. They gaze at the various other screens, taking in the different scenes.
A young woman with long brown hair, wearing a purple shirt and black jeans, comforting another with short hair tied in a ponytail as they huddle in a clearing, the latter in the process of a panic attack. A young man wandering through the forest and into the city, calling out for help. Not that it'd come.
A young adult and a boy of Asian descent working their way through, the adult seemingly enjoying the situation. The boy? Not so much.
Another image shows a boy with curly hair in a black shirt and blue jeans helping a girl dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, the girl keeping close as they wander through. And a long haired girl, thin and of small stature and with glasses, hiding inside the room of an abandoned building. Her clothes are stained with blood.
"Hehehehe, the stage is set! Let's spice things up a little!"
He opens up a menu and taps on a microphone symbol. He grins as a mask slips over his features.
A notification screen pops up in front of everyone out there. Some flinch, others stumble away from it. Some barely even register it.
["HELLO, HELLO, DEAR USERS! YA'LL ENJOYING YOURSELVES!? I'm glad to see the tutorial come along so smoothly. Everyone seems to be getting the hang of the game!"]
A sadistic grin grows on their face.
["So, I've decided to give you all a little reward. Though you've gotta work for it, if you know what I mean. No pain, no gain!"]
The image of him switches to the live feed of two boys, one light-skinned, the other dark. The light-skinned one is helping the black boy along, who's clutching unto his stomach as his shirt slowly turns red.
["These two have just survived a major attack and one of them is now critically injured! This is the perfect time to rwck up some extra points and level up! I mean, look at them! CAN IT BE ANY EASIER!?"]
Their face-mask pops into the screen, resembling that of a certain logo....
["So, to all who want to level up...."]
They point at the two boys.
["RUN ON OVER AND GET YOUR FREE KILLS! SEE YA!!!"]
[TRANSMISSION ENDED_]
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[User HAV0C and CATNIP have a bounty on their heads!]
The two boys stare at the notification in shock. HAV0C steals what Catnip is about to say. "What the fuck-?"
We have a bounty!?
"Is it because we beat up that fErAL guy.....?"
"But that's bullshit, he attacked us first! And we even got rewarded-"
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
The golden notification pops up again.
[Would you like to claim your rewards?]
The two glance at each other, before replying.
"Yes."
[Handing out rewards!]
The notification disappears, and items drops into the boy's hands. For Catnip, a small knife. For HAV0C, a potion.
[(1) Rusty knife, (1) Strength potion!]
"......Are you kidding me?" HAV0C stares down at the red bottle in his hands. A notification pops up about it.
[Potion of Strength(Minor): Temporarily increases your strength for a brief amount of time.]
"I'm bleeding out, what am I gonna use a strength potion for!?"
Catnip studies the knife, noting the rusting and flaking edges. "This thing looks like it'll break in a single hit."
HAV0C grits his teeth. We nearly died, and for what? THIS shit!?
Catnip glances at him, sensing his anger. "It's fine, we're just gonna have to be more careful from now on. Hide a bit more." He nods at the claw marks on HAV0C's stomach. "Are you sure it doesn't hurt that much?"
HAV0C waves a dismissive hand. "I'm fine, I told you already! He just grazed me-"
With a flash, another notification appears. Glowing red, the white text jumping from the screen.
[A debuff effect of fErAL is activated!]
"What-?"
[Bleed!]
His wound throbs, bringing him down to his knees. He coughs, gasping.
What the hell!?
Catnip is by his side immediately. "HAV0C! Are you okay-?" He pales as he sees HAV0C's wound begin to leak more blood than ever before. What seemed to be a mere graze has become a possible fatal wound. For a brief moment, Catnip sinks into a realm of panic.
What do I do, what do I do-?
HAV0C coughs, blood dripping from his mouth. Catnip closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
"Okay...okay..."
He slips under HAV0C's arm, helping him up. A grim look of determination is on his face. "Hold on HAV0C."
"You aren't dying here today."
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The room smells of blood and decay. Through her cracked lenses the room is distorted, overlapping with itself over and again.
"I guess these are useless now." She takes them off and sets them gently next to her. She shrugs. "Wanted new ones anyway, those were beginning to become way too tacky." She laughs at her attempted joke, curling deeper into herself. Her spine will probably be jutting out like fins on a shark underneath her clothes due to her thin physique. Everything about her screams gentle and fragile. Well, other than the blood stains and spiked bat lying next to her, also red with blood.
She was with friends and family went it happened. Well, she was until she lost them. She'd just spotted them in the distance, about to rush over when-
[Transferring Eclipse to quest area]
When she came to, she found herself unconscious on a smooth surface. She rolled into a side, pushed herself up.
And looked up to be met with the sight of a boy around her age get ripped apart infront of her.
Of course, there came the shock, the confusion. The sudden shift in environment was jarring to say the least. From open to closed, light to dark. Then came the fear upon seeing the situation. People, beating each other to death, a wild, hungry look in their eyes. As the boy fell to the floor, missing his head, as his blood formed red lakes that traveled across the grooves on the floor, she realised that with a sick thud in her chest that their sights were now on her. They advanced, brandishing sticks and other crude weapons.
She scrambled to her feet. Slipped on the blood and fell. Her vision turned into a distorted kaleidoscope. She couldn't see, but she could hear. And she knew that if she didn't do something, if she didn't fight back, then she'll end up just like that boy.
It was them or her.
Her fingers curled around something long and cold. Without thinking she pushed herself up and swung violently as she picked up the sound of approaching footsteps.
What do you think she chose?.
She didn't know when they'd died. A red haze had gone over her vision as she swung for all she was worth, blood splattering unto her clothes. The notification cleared things up for her.
[Congratulations! You have leveled up! Acquired Unique Ability: Light and Darkness!]
She didn't want to believe she'd done that. Brutalized people in such a way. In that moment she thanked whatever God was out there for her broken glasses. Something told her she wouldn't like what she'd see.
And now she's here, after walking through door after door in this building, using her ears and instincts to help herself along, dragging the bat along with her, which now felt heavy. Heavier than ever before.
She didn't want to do it.
But she had to. She had no choice.
They were going to kill her. It was them or her.
Is killing to save your own life such a bad thing?
Tears prick her eyes. She silently begs for forgiveness, but something tells her there's such thing as forgiveness, or mercy. Not here.
A thud causes her head to snap up. She hastily grabs the bat and gets up, listening.
People? Her grip on the bat tightens. She can barely make out the muffled sounds of someone talking.
Her heart begins to race as she figures out what to do.
Strike first. What are you going to do if they barge in here? You have the advantage, the high ground. Get the drop on them and end it. You've done it before.
It's you or them. It's your or them. Itsyouorthemitsyouorthemitsyouorthem...
She kicks the door open with all her strength, swinging at the first person she sees. They yell and duck to the side, just dodging it. She snarls, about to swing again when-
"C-Catnip...?"
She stops, eyes taking in the sight before her on the floor. A dark skinned boy, dressed in black and white trainers and a black jeans and shirt. They weakly clutch their stomach as blood oozes through the fingers, painting the floor red. Their eyes are squeezed shut, pain all over their features as cold sweat runs down their forehead.
Her cold rage melts into compassion. She lowers the bat, the fading adrenaline making it difficult to lift it anymore. She turns to Catnip, who's now brandishing the rusty knife and pointing it at her.
"Who are you-?"
"Mom......?" They both turn to look at HAV0C in confusion. Mom? Why would he call her Mom, there was only one person who'd call her that-
[You've met people from your server! :D Revealing IDs now! :)]
The usernames appear, and tears leap to her eyes. Catnip blinks in shock and lowers the knife. HAV0C weakly grins to himself on the floor. "Kneeewww iittt."
She gazes down at the boy in front of her, recognizing him immediately. An eccentric kid who likes to call her 'Mother'. Loved jokes of the mature kind and loved writing.
"....HAV0C?"