Ch. 18 - Death of a Soul._FVR (Full Virtual Reality)

FVR

Chapter Eighteen.

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The stables Joel had smelled earlier were far worse up close, but nothing compared to the lavatories he had cleaned; his once innocent life as a city boy was becoming increasingly evident to him.

After waiting outside for a few moments, Aurora returned with a sturdy horse, its mane tangled but full. The horse was large and dark, its rich chestnut coat a reddish hue in the evening twilight.

"Get on," she barked.

This time, Joel hesitated. For all his innocence, he had never ridden a horse before. In fact, he couldn't recall ever touching one. But as her eyes glanced down with an unseen glare, Joel felt compelled to not think too much, and awkwardly climbed up, not wanting to insult a person extending a helping hand.

Where do I put my, "whoa!" The horse broke into trot, jerking Joel back slightly. He intuitively grabbed Aurora by the waist for support, then second guessed himself with every slight bounce that threatened to upheave him.

"Halt," the tame voice of a guard said as they approached the front gate. "Who goes t..." The moment the guard saw the unmistakable outline of Aurora, they called into the control room. Joel took the chance to settle himself properly by readjusting his buckler and slotting his feet into the stirrups. Feeling a little more fixed in place, he removed his hands from Auroras waist. A moment passed, followed by metallic creaking and several clinks and rattles, before Aurora took off through the gate and into the valley.

The coolness of the wind in the open countryside calmed Joel's racing heart as the horse sped up into a gallop. The fresh air filled his lungs, carrying with it the scent of fresh grass to replace that of damp earth and sweat, invigorating him with each breath. Moment by moment, the rhythmic pounding of hooves against the worn ground tingled his back and eased his mind. He looked to the wave timer which bounced along with him: 04.47.31, and wondered if he was inadvertently wandering closer to a wave.

"How far is this place?" He asked to no reply.

Surely it can't be five hours away... the thought nagged at him when he recalled how often the timer suddenly dropped to zero, then accepted the fact that he was almost certainly heading into a wave. Yet, a soft expression found its way onto his face as he looked at the cold back of his fellow rider. It's going to be fine, he told himself, feeling safer in the care of Aurora than in the care of anyone else he had met within the game. Actually, this might be the safest I've felt since I got here... He looked up to the back of Aurora's helm and felt as though he had a guardian angel. Though, he did have questions regarding her armor, her red name, and what she looked like.

As the ride became bumpier, however, and his crotch and body continued to slam into one hard surface or the other, the angelic image faded away, and a new disdain for horse-riding replaced it.

***

Time went by as all traces of light from the sun vanished. Joel spent what time he could by focusing on his mana sense, that is, whenever his chair wasn't trying to throw him off. Bit by bit he was increasingly its proficiency, and it was becoming much easier to control multiple beads of mana within his body, even while moving.

The road bent and turned as it rose over hills, leading them towards the imposing mountain range that silhouetted against the nights sky. Joel had seen how large the mountains were from a distance - spreading high into the clouds and out of sight - but the sheer scale of what stood before him was awe inspiring.

As they reached the crest of a hill, a narrow gorge which carved through the mountains suddenly came into view. Flickering flames flanked the passageway about a mile away, illuminating the mournful darkness. Between the flames rose a fortress, smaller than Kyrstil, but with far more towers and walls; it alone stood as a sentinel against what lay beyond

"Is that where we're going?" Joel asked softly.

"No," Aurora replied, "we head past Hel's Breach, south, to the burnt lands."

Wait, "That's Hell's Breach!?" He said to no reply.

The embrace of the evening air grew colder as they continued to ride, and the darkness of the night swallowed them whole. Aurora guided the mount down the steep incline and steered away from the gorge, heading in the direction of the mountainside down a less travelled path. As they passed the gorge, still some distance from the fortress, Joel's gaze was drawn through the gorge to the other end: a swirling fury of crimson flowed like the raging tides, stretching endlessly into the void. The Touched Lands, he realized; a shiver assaulted his spine. Seeing it this close made him realize just how large it was, and just how volatile.

That's what Kyrstil defends against? The magnitude of their duty, and the daunting scale of what Joel had signed up to, weighed heavily on his mind as he imagined what type of creatures could survive such an inhospitable place.

***

As another hour or so of riding flew by, the landscape remaining unchanged, Joel became increasingly confident on the back of a horse, and managed to increase his mana sense even further.

Aurora sighed softly as her shoulders relaxed. She brought the horse back down to a trot, then tilted her head back slightly, "what's your name?" She asked. Her usual commanding tone was softened by the warmth of what Joel assumed to be a young voice. It wasn't delicate, so to speak, but it lacked the roughness of age or the gravel of a tortured life.

"Joel," he paused, remembering he shouldn't know her name yet, "yours?"

"They call me Aurora," she replied, rolling her neck and stretching her arms.

They veered off what little track remained, away from the mountainside and through a thicket of charred trees - their blackened trunks and skeletal branches were an eerie sight in the dead of night. Beyond their burned husks sat an abandoned stable, unharmed by whatever fires scorned the area. Aurora pulled on the reins, and guided the horse to a gentle stop. With a deft and practiced motion, she dismounted, then led the horse inside and secured it in place.

"We walk from here," she said.

Joel awkwardly swung a leg around and dismounted, but left one foot still caught in the stirrup. He hobbled while freeing it, then looked up to meet the unamused gaze of Aurora. She shook her head, then turned and ventured back through the trees and towards the track - Joel jogged to catch up, then followed close behind.

"What happened here?" Joel asked as the crunch of charred twigs cracked under his feet.

"It is common practice to burn these lands, to prevent The Touch from spreading," Aurora replied, suddenly more talkative.

"The Touch?" Joel asked. Aurora gave him another unamused look, then continued walking.

The beaten path from before had given way to the dead wilderness of what was once a small forest, now clad in the coffin of the mountain range before it. The area was unnaturally quiet, even for it being so late in the night; the usual nocturnal symphony of chirping crickets and piercing hoots of owls were absent, replaced by the occasional distant grunt or scream that echoed through the darkness. Joel slowed his stride and walked with his dash ready to fall off his lips. With alert eyes and itchy feet, he gripped the hilt of his sword while waiting for the sudden drop of the wave timer to indicated impending danger.

"You won't need that yet," Aurora said, gesturing to Joel's sword, "but you will need your mana shield up."

He tentatively removed his hand. Mana shield? Shit. "Um, I can't use that yet," he replied honestly.

She turned, her golden eyes were like a torch on the backdrop of the dark and charred woodland. "Truly?" She asked, a hint of scepticism in her voice. Joel coyly looked away. "Then stay close to me," she said, slowing her pace. "Mine shall have to protect us both." Joel felt something light and ephemeral pass through him, similar to what Dalton had done, but without the forcefulness.

"Where're we going?" Joel asked, matching his pace with hers.

"To find a Touched One," Aurora replied, scanning the surroundings. While the dead forest offered very little in the way of obscuring her vision, Joel felt that there must have been other - unseen - threats that loomed close by.

"So... What's a Touched One?" Joel asked.

Aurora glanced back at him, he knew it was another stupid question by her look, but she answered regardless. "Touched Ones are those corrupted by the vismana that floods The Touched Lands."

"Vismana?" He asked, his breathing heavy as he walked up an embankment.

"Dense mana. So dense it becomes visible, even to those without the sense." She was moving completely silently, which Joel assumed to be a similar trick Ali had shown him earlier.

They reached the peak of an embankment, which opened up into a denser part of the woods. "You mean the red stuff in the sky beyond these mountains is all mana?" Joel paused for a second, remembering the day it appeared. "It used to be gold too, right? Why'd it change?" His words left his mouth before he could think of what he was saying.

She glanced sideways at him, "I've never known it to be gold. Where did you hear this?" She asked, half distracted.

Shit. I should keep my mouth shut at this point, I keep putting my foot in it. "Couldn't say, really, just one of those things you know?"

She stopped and looked back, "no, I do not know?" She lingered in place for the answer - but it was a conversation that Joel would rather move on from.

"Right... so, this vismana, it's dangerous?" He asked, trying to distract her. He increased his pace and took the lead; Aurora followed closely.

"Very, Vismana does not fade over time." She answered.

It doesn't fade? "It lasts forever? Surely that's a good thing?" He said, wondering if he could get his hands on some.

"No. Using it means death. Vismana that enters the body of a living thing corrupts it."

So this place being near The Touched Lands gets burned to keep the vismana from corrupting the wildlife? His thoughts pondered as they walked deeper, he was so engrossed in the conversation that he had completely relaxed. "What do you mean by corrupts?" He asked, his breath becoming slightly haggard with the rough terrain.

"You'll see soon enough."

***

The two of them walked for several minutes until Aurora stopped them, saying there was one in the distance and that they needed to be silent; no matter how hard Joel tried, however, all he saw was darkness, and assumed she was using mana sense to peer ahead. A few more minutes passed and the more they walked the more Joel realized just how far ahead mana sense could see. I really need to max this...

Finally, by the edge of the mountain, where the scorched remnants of trees rested like mournful ghosts, stood a frenzied man, crying alone in the darkness. His form was human, but it was twisted and warped with mottled, discolored skin, and eyes that glowed with a mana-infused golden light. The image reminded him of the Dozrak'een, but the Dozrak'een he had met was conscious, lucid, and could talk; the man in front of him had sporadic movement - jerky and erratic - snapping quickly from one position to another, leading Joel to believe it must have been something else.

Under usual circumstances, Joel would have been ready to run by this point, but having Aurora close by gave Joel a sense of security - like swimming for the first time with a parent, or learning to drive with an instructor.

They stopped behind a blistered tree, its once vibrant leaves reduced to ash, like the rest of the deadland around them.

The man clawed away at the walls, hopelessly scratching away at it like a bird sharpening its beak on a diamond mountain. "Why is he doing that?" Joel asked quietly.

"Vismana is pulled toward other vismana," Aurora replied, looking around them.

That doesn't seem right. If it's pulled to other vismana, how did it leave The Touched Lands? "How is it here?"

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Later," Aurora turned back to face the man, and applied a reassuring grasp on Joel's arm. "Touched Ones vary in strength, but this one appears new. You shall have no problem with it." Her tone spoke as if discussing something trivial and everyday - not the task of taking a life.

〘Wave Four. Clear The Burnt Lands Of Touched Ones〙

〘Touched Ones Remaining: 12/12〙

Shit, it's started! Clear the burnt lands!? Fuck. Alone? "Wait, what do I do!? I don't know how..." He was already having doubts as his body forgot any amount of training he may have had.

"It is simple. You ready your blade, and strike when it approaches."

She made it sound simple, but the situation was not the same as any other: he was being told to hurt, told to kill.

Joel studied its appearance and couldn't help but see the man it once was. He had loose hanging clothes that were made for comfort, boots with shoe laces which he would have learned to tie, and a flimsy hat, likely made out of love by a family member; he was a person, with his own life and his own story. It's a game... Joel had to remind himself, it's just a game. He isn't real. Closing his eyes tight, he tried to separate himself from the sensations around him: the breeze from the air, the smell of burned wood, the cracking of twigs, the rise and fall of his chest. But try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to truly believe it was all a lie. Who was to say it wasn't real, if it felt real?

I don't know what becomes of me if I kill a man in this game. Will it change who I am outside? His heart ached with a sense of sadness and frustration which he hadn't felt in a long time. It was the same feeling he had felt when he cried over the death of his grandparent, or the same anxiousness he had felt waiting for the results from his scan. His arms shook with the uncontrolled nature of a tree caught in a storm, while his damp eyes blurred with the vision of those he had lost in his life. Yet, every fiber of his being managed to hang on, despite the emotions that welled up inside of him, screaming for him to leave, telling him he couldn't do it. He stayed. Resolved.

Aurora nudged him on the back, "it's time. Strike now while it's distracted."

Joel stood slowly, his spaghetti legs finding brittle balance as he etched himself closer. Every fragile step was one that carefully avoided anything that wasn't the hard ground, anything that would snap or crumble.

The man continued to thrash at the mountain, his nails leaving bloody scars against its immovable stone. Joel's mind flashed back to the wolf he killed when he first arrived, and saw no difference between it and the thing in front of him, except for one: this thing was once a person. It still had the appearance of someone Joel would see walking down the street, still had the face of someone who could smile, or cry. Joel stopped, no more than ten feet from the man - easily within striking distance with his dash. But he hesitated. His sword was drawn and his stance was set. But he couldn't do it. I can't, he admitted silently. I can't become a killer. It's... it's not right. His hand lowered slightly as his grip weakened, and both his shield and sword fell by his side.

A rustling noise came from behind him grabbing his attention, he spun - keeping the man in his sights on his left-hand side - to see Aurora on his right, standing without her sword drawn. She turned off her silence? Joel gave her a puzzled look as the man screamed and kicked the ground. It looked to the motionless Joel, then back to the moving Aurora.

"You're seeing it all wrong," she said, walking slowly towards the man. "You're not killing someone. You're saving him, and the countless others he could harm."

The man screamed an ear-ringing cry, jerking forwards as it did in an attempt to scare off its predators. The wave timer dropped to zero, filling Joel with a sense of resignation. He fidgeted with indecision, reminding himself of his words to Roland - that good can come from pain. He shed a tear; this isn't the type of pain I thought I'd have to bear.

Dalton's lesson and his words flooded his thoughts, 'the world is not good, just because you want it to be'.

Joel thought about his place in such a world, whether he could truly cross such a line.

As the man thrashed the ground, preparing to run towards Aurora, Joel realized again that the line between right and wrong was nuanced, and that he must be prepared to kill if he is to stay here. Yet, he knew it was his choice to make. The choice between staying and leaving, between what he wanted and what he needed.

Temper your instinct, Joel. This man is already dead. You're just... finalising it.

The Touched One continued to scream as it ran towards Aurora. With its back to Joel, it never saw him coming.

〘+772 Experience Points〙

〘Touched Ones Remaining: 11/12〙

***

Fresh blood dripped from the tip of Joel's blade to the worn and blackened ground. The head of the man lay detached from his body beside him, his flimsy hat drenched in its blood.

"You did well." Aurora turned and continued into the woods.

Joel stayed still, reflecting on the resistance the neck gave as his blade tore through it, and internally remarked how easy it was to cut. A twanging sensation stabbed at his wrist, likely from the jarring force he hit it with, but it wasn't enough to think about. For all his struggle, all his weakness and reluctance, Joel found it surprisingly easy to kill. He dared not look down at what he had done, for the act itself hung heavily on his heart; but the ease of how quick it was gave Joel thought of how flimsy life is treated in this world, and how easy it was to extinguish the flame of a life.

Aurora stopped in her tracks and looked back to Joel who was still motionless. She spoke more stern than before, as if speaking an irrefutable truth. "Taking a life, and saving a life, are not always different things, Joel. Every time you see such a creature, you must understand that by killing it, you are saving someone." She turned back and continued to walk. "For a life corrupted by vismana, it is no life at all."

"Sorry," Joel said under his breath. He sheathed his blade, then followed Aurora with a heavier gait than he had upon entering the woods.

"Your speed is impressive as ever."

"Ah. Yeah." Joel replied, lost in thought at the life he had taken.

Aurora glanced at Joel with a concerned look. "You should be careful not to become reliant on such movement, however." She waited for a reply that didn't come. She stopped, then clicked her fingers to grab Joel's attention. "Do you recall the actions of our duel?"

Joel met her eyes. He was still in a daze - lost in thought. "Huh? Oh, yeah."

"What do you recall of it?"

"Uh, you caught my blade."

"Before that."

Joel thought back and winched when he remembered the pain of being hurtled across the yard and into the wall. "You tossed me like a stone."

"Because your speed caught me off guard," she said honestly. "So, how was I quick enough the second time?"

When she caught the blade? "Because you had already seen my speed..."

"Correct." She continued her walk, talking back as she did, "use your speed sparingly - it is a tool to kill; such tools should not be shown so readily."

***

Not much further in, they found a group of four Touched Ones of varying species: two wolves, a man, and something anthropomorphic that didn't look like anything Joel had ever seen. Its slate-grey skin seemed to swallow what light there was in the shadows, contrasting with the pitch-black and thin strands of wiry hair that cascaded from its head to its back, which swayed with a sickly rhythm as it moved. Its jaw, wide and agape, was lined with rows of large teeth that kept its mouth from closing.

Somewhat prepared, Joel readied his blade, but was stopped by the outstretched hand of Aurora.

"No, stay." She drew her blade and stepped out into the open.

Even before Aurora had moved, the creature's tiny eyes fixated on her. With its disproportionately large hands, it charged along the ground with a speed Joel had never known. A loud booming sound ruptured the air and popped his ears, shattering the delicate charred twigs that still clung on to the nearby trees. It crashed into an invisible wall several feet from Aurora, shook its head, then lifted the dirt around it in a fierce display of magic. The earth shook and rumbled, and was raised high into the sky before crashing over an invisible shield protecting Joel and Aurora. Joel looked up in wonder as the earth blanketed them, warded off by an unseen wall. Amazing... Such an impenetrable force made him feel like he was sat in a house while it rained - completely ignorant of the gusts and downpour outside. But a sliver of doubt pierced his heart as he looked at Aurora, completely certain of her own defense that her hands remained idle, with no twitch of fear in them to react to something she couldn't predict.

Aurora steadied her blade for a piercing strike. Then, with a booming force behind her which took Joel off his feet, she surged into the creature, pushing it back and pinning it into the mountainside with a deafening roar. Debris fell as the ground thundered beneath them. Keeping the sword in place, Aurora swiftly drew a small blade from her side and sliced off its head before it could react. As Joel looked up from the ground, his ears ringing, he saw the heads of the wolves and the man drop to the floor simultaneously.

〘+6210 Shared Experience Points〙

〘+989 Shared Experience Points〙

〘+386 Shared Experience Points〙

Aurora walked back to Joel. "Holy shit," he stammered, "that was amazing," he breathed heavily as he stood, his wide eyes replaying the fight.

"That was wasteful. However, I had to protect us both from the vismana. From now on, stay close. We'll fight as a pair." Her tone was as nonchalant as before, as if her actions were trivial.

Aurora turned and continued into the woods, with Joel following close behind.

"You mean there are more?" He asked, knowing the answer, but being momentarily caught off guard.

"Seven," she replied, "none of the same tier as the Lungrul."

She can tell from here? "Is it normal to find so many?" Joel pressed.

Aurora paused and lowered her head. "No," she replied cautiously. "This is usually a daily duty of those stationed within The Breach. These southern areas must have been neglected due to the war effort. I'll make a report on it when we return."

There's a war? Shit, if I asked about that she'll definitely start to wonder if I'm an idiot. I'll have to save that question for someone else. But a war!? Between The Breach with Touched Ones, and the war - which is worse!? He thought about Roland for a moment, and the battle he never took part in, then wondered if he had simply put off the inevitable. He cleared his mind of the war, and instead thought about the battle against the Lungrul.

"If I understood you right, Touched Ones become more corrupted over time; is that how the thing before was able to use magic?" He had already shown his ignorance on the topic, so he felt confident in showing it further.

Aurora replied without missing a beat. "A Touched One can have various abilities," she said as they continued into the woods. "Accelerated mana absorption, increased mana capacity, shape-shifting, regeneration, and control over the basic elemental magics, to name a few." She turned back and saw Joel's concentrated face. "You'll be taught all of this, you don't have to learn it now," she said with a short, soft laugh. "They won't send you to The Breach until you've learned it."

Joel nodded along while he reflected back on the games he was used to playing, and his casual playstyle that meant he never had to learn too much. Being here, however, felt different. He found himself actively seeking questions, soaking up what little information he could, never knowing what could save his life.

The seven Touched Ones were all spread out, walking around blindly by themselves, or crashing into the mountainside in a deadly attempt to return to The Touched Lands.

Despite what she said about not showing my speed so readily, I really have no other options when it comes to fighting.

The first Touched One to follow was a wolf - reminiscent of the one he killed on his first day in the game.

The wolf stood in the fading moonlight, shrouded by the charcoal remnants of burnt trees. Its fur hung over its body in a damp and tangled mess, glistening with a sheen of blood and sweat. Its yellow eyes, void of meaning or awareness, screamed with a wild intensity reminiscent of the man from before.

When the wolf caught Joel's scent, it charged at him, kicking up ash and charred debris with every step that vanished into the shadows of the night.

The wolf's muscles rippled beneath its ragged coat as it moved with an erratic energy before leaping toward Joel.

Bracing himself for the collision, Joel raised his shield to defend himself against the lunge and the sharpness of its teeth as it crashed down onto him, but was caught off guard by the loose swipe of a sharp claw, which raked across his shoulder and grabbed hold of his body.

Joel winced from the pain but clenched his jaw and roared through the agony, a thought of survival by any means flooded his mind. Summoning strength in his legs, he screamed inwardly, AAARRGGGHHH!! he pushed the wolf back and forced his weight onto it, falling on top of the beast and plunging his sword into its chest.

He quickly jumped to his feet, breathing heavily as he held out his blood-stained weapon and waited for the wolf to rise again. It didn’t.

His eyes and feet were full of energy as they scanned the area around him - his adrenaline and senses on high alert at the sight or sound of every small movement. Quickly, his gaze found Aurora - standing over the corpses of two Touched Ones, and a sigh of relief left his chest.

〘+386 Shared Experience Points〙

Joel and Aurora looked at each other for what felt like several seconds - each one of them reviewing their assessments of the other.

"Your fear will kill you." She said, glancing at the wound on his shoulder.

Joel had no reply, and Aurora didn't look for one.

One by one, the two of them finished the remaining Touched Ones.

One by one, Joel felt it become a little easier to take a life.

When the final creature was killed, Joel received a message he hadn't seen in a few days, followed by the end of the wave and a long list of titles that filled his vision:

〘Level Up!〙

〘Touched Ones Remaining: 0/12〙

〘Congratulations!〙

〘Wave Four. Complete!〙

〘Title Unlocked: Epochs' Silent Witness〙

〘Reward For Title: Five Skill Points〙

〘Title Unlocked: The Passing of Eons〙