Genres: Fantasy, Adventure
Tags: Female Lead, GameLit, High & Low Fantasy, LitRPG, Magic, Progression, Strong Lead
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Ting-a-ling-ding
Drifting into the quiet reception, through the just-about open doorway, and past the still hand of the room’s intruder, small flakes of snow made their way towards the floor; a sudden gust of wind pushing them further than they had any right to go.
A bell? Cute.
“Be out in a sec,” a voice yelled from a nearby room.
Shaken from their reverie, the intruder slipped their way inside, their slim figure managing to drag only a little snow with them.
“Quick,” the same voice spoke, closer, but more hurried than before, “close it quick, it’s freezing!”
The door was already half closed at this point, and was all but slammed shut a moment later. And if their foggy breath was anything to go by, the outsider was in complete agreement with the mystery voice.
In front of the outsider was a wooden counter, real wood, she noted, though it had clearly seen better days. Plenty of scratches and dents peeked out from beneath a green and gold embroidered runner, the cloth itself home to several coffee and other stains. It was small as far as counters went, but still big enough to fit one person comfortably. Atop the counter, a pen and well-scribbled-in notepad lay covered in a messy pile of multi-coloured post-its.
To the discomfort of her squinting eyes, the room wasn’t all that well lit. A lone floor lamp stood in the corner of the room, giving off a light just dim enough to be useless, without being turned off completely. Most of the light came from outside, through a single, albeit very large, window on the same wall as her glass entrance. But behind the glass was possibly the dreariest late morning the woman had ever known, so overcast and foggy she’d relied on the street lights to find her way.
Behind the counter, part of the wall seemed to shift as the low-light played tricks on her eyes, only to realise it was a moving curtain when a humanoid form made their way out from behind.
“Hi,” managed the strange being while they struggled with the fabric, “ack! What the f—”
Standing prim and proper, a young woman in her late teens removed herself from the treacherous curtain, wearing a somewhat strained but well-practiced smile. For a moment, she frowned in the darkness, before flicking a switch to her right. “Hi there, got an appointment?”
Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh.
In an effort to avoid her gaze, the outsider glanced around the room, finally settling on the countertop notepad, the light from above morphing the list of scribbles into a legible list of appointments.
“Actually, no, I don’t. Well, it’s kind of a long shot, but do you do walk-ins?”
“Sorry, appointment only,” she blindly gestured toward the pile of post-its. “It’s not a big town, but Mum insists on keeping organized, you see.”
“Yeah… I can see that.”
Confused, the young woman followed the others’ gaze toward the post-its, and blushed. As she moved to stealthily tidy the pile of doodles, another teen, almost identical to the first, walked out from behind the curtain, “Mary, my half— Oh, hey, a customer! Are you my 10:30? But didn’t you just cancel? Did you want to go anyway? Why did you—”
“Liz!” the first woman cheered, “You said your 10:30 cancelled?”
“Yessy! She’s just after ringing, but looks like she came anyway. Weird.”
Mary turned from her sister, and toward the outsider, “Looks like you’re in luck, miss. Liz can take you now, if you’d like?”
“So you’re not my 10:30?”
“No,” the outsider answered, “I mean, yes! Please. I’d like that, I mean. The appointment.”
Mary smiled at the woman’s awkward response, but Liz just looked a little lost, “Okay… weird, but sure, okay. Let’s go. Follow me!” Liz then turned and walked back through the curtained divide, and into the hallway beyond.
“Sorry, she’s a little dopey, but don’t let that take away from her skill. By the way, I didn’t get your name, I’m Mary, if you didn’t catch it already. And that was my sister, Liz.”
“Nice to meet you, Mary, I’m Cass. Is it just the two of you here?”
“Mum runs the show normally, but she’s watching Lucas play football today. It’s the semi-finals, so she wanted to support him.” At that, Mary snickered, “Even though he’s really embarrassed about her showing up.”
“Lucas?”
“Oh, sorry. Lucas is my little brother, he turns 16 next month.”
“Right.”
Both women stared at each other for a few seconds, though to Cass, it felt like an eternity.
“Would you—” “Should I—”
“You fir—” “You go—”
Finally, from the hallway behind them, Liz joined the conversation, “What the hell are you two doing? Come on, hurry hurry, my 12 hasn’t cancelled yet, y’know?”
Smiling, Mary gestured for Cass to head through to the hallway, “Liz, this is Cass. Cass, Liz. If she gives you any trouble, Cass, just give me a call. I’ll tell Mum on her later.”
“Traitor!”
All three laughed as they made their way down the narrow hallway, toward a side door with the name Liz on it, and a bunch of rainbow coloured hearts. While Liz and Cass entered through the doorway, Mary waved goodbye and continued toward the set of stairs at the back.
Upon entering the room, Cass covered her mouth in pleasant surprise, “This is beautiful, Liz! Did you decorate it yourself?” There’s so much character, it’s not like a workplace at all, she thought. The room she found herself in wasn’t too big, maybe 3 or 4 metres squared, but it was brimming with personality, and all too clear how much love had gone into decorating it.
On the back wall, a full-size mural had been painted of what looked to be a mother bird doting on her newborn, while helping her two elder children learn to fly — one being much more successful than the other.
Against the same wall, a small side table, covered by a delicate-looking, white cloth, had been buried in picture frames and small trinkets. To her right, several wall-shelves were in the same state, crowded with pictures, plants, trinkets, and other interesting items to the point of almost falling off.
A small, pale green sofa was placed against the right wall too, a couple of books and magazines littered carelessly between the yellow and ash-grey cushions. Beside the sofa, a person sized bookcase filled with all sorts of books and items leaned against the cream wall. In the corner, between the sofa and the back wall, a large, artificial plant stood tall in its pot on the floor.
To her left, a number of tasteful storage units stood either side of a light-oak table in the middle, with a large, circular mirror attached to the wall above it. Surrounding the mirror were numerous lit bulbs, none too bright, but enough to make a person’s reflection crystal clear. Finally, a spinning, black leather chair was placed in front of the table, secured to the dark wood floor by a heavy-looking, metal base.
Liz turned to Cass with a pleased grin, “Yessy, it was all Lizzy! Thank you for the compliments. I guess, when you spend so much time in one room, you just want to make it your own, y’know?”
“You make it sound like you live here,” Cass joked.
Liz simply laughed in return, “You must be new in town, Cass.”
“Is it that obvious?” she asked, trying hard to hide her surprise.
“Well, I wouldn’t claim to know everyone, but this is a small town. We’re one of two salons, y’know? Everyone who knows anyone, knows us.”
“I get it, makes sense. But, if you don’t mind answering, of course, do you live here?”
“Happy to!” Liz smiled, while gesturing to the leather chair. “Me, Mummy, and Lucas all live upstairs.”
“And Mary?”
“Mary moved out a few months ago when she started Uni. Oh! She doesn’t actually work here, she’s just helping out while Mummy is at the football thingy.”
Cass took the offered seat and spun round to face the mirror.
“I’m just surprised, is all,” she said, “I didn’t expect something so… personal. I’m used to dozens of people in the same room, and big windows showing off my bad hair to strangers.”
While failing to suppress her giggle, Liz responded, “I guess Mummy and me prefer things more personal like this, y’know? In here, it’s all about you and your hair, and isn’t that better? No annoying distractions, y’know?”
Cass smirked, and gave her a small nod.
“But enough about me! This is about you and your hair. So, what would you like? Just a tidy-up, or something new? Your hair’s long enough to do most styles, but I can cut it shorter if you’d like.” Liz paused for a moment, taking the chance to circle her latest customer, “A medium cut would look great on you, bonus points if we make it a bit shaggy, and we could add some waves for fun too. I wouldn’t recommend something too short, I mean, you’ll look good whatever you do, you’re super pretty, y’know? But I think you suit some length.”
Liz continued fiddling with Cass’ hair, showing off different styles and lengths in the mirror, all the while trading thoughts on each of them. “So, what do you think? Any of those interest you, or do you want to keep growing it out? At this rate, it’ll just be another one or two months to reach your mid-back.”
“My boyfriend… ex-boyfriend, liked it long, that’s why I was growing it. Don’t think I want to grow it longer any more.”
A frown, a few blinks, and a smile later, Liz met Cass’ determined gaze with her own, and asked, “All of it?”
“All of it.”
“Well, if you insist. First time I’m shaving someone bald, but hopefu—”
“Not bald!” Cass yelped, “Not that much,” she laughed.
“Of course.” Liz grinned back, “How’s a little past your chin?”
Cass sighed, “Yeah, that’s good.”
“A shaggy bob then… fringe? No fringe?”
“No fringe, please.”
“You got it, girl.” Liz continued fiddling with Cass’ hair, lifting and pulling it as she measured the lengths in her mind’s eye. Finally, she picked up her scissors and began cutting, lock after lock separated but held tight in her grip. Before long, she lifted her closed fist, displaying her prize to its previous owner.
Cass looked into the mirror and saw almost two years worth of hard work and effort falling effortlessly from Liz’s hand. She looked up a little further, and watched her hairdresser’s cheeky smile turning nervous at her silent stare. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t regret this even a little.
“But it feels good,” she murmured, “feels free.”
“Well,” Liz interrupted, “judging by your smile, I’d say you want me to keep going?”
“Yeah. I like it, thanks.”
For a while, they proceeded in silence, broken only by Liz humming a vaguely familiar song Cass couldn’t quite place. As Liz worked on her hair, Cass watched with wonder as her previously straight hair transformed before her eyes. But it wasn’t long until that wonder, that awe, turned toward Liz herself instead.
Liz was meticulous. Every hair was cut with purpose, and every layer made with love. From the furrow of concentration in her brow, to the small smile she wore throughout, this clearly wasn’t just work to Liz, this was her passion. It was as obvious to Cass as it would be to anyone, hairdressing was an art to Liz, and Cass was her canvas.
Cass wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but it looked like Liz was just finishing up when a knock came from the door. “Yeah?” Liz shouted back.
A second later, the door clicked open and Mary popped her head through, “Sorry to interrupt- Wow, Cass, you look great!”
Cass smiled, amused as she noted the smug look of Liz through the mirror.
“Doesn’t she?” Liz bragged, “One of my best works, I think. Could do with some colouring, though, but we’re out of time. Maybe next time, Cass?”
“Well, about that, Liz.” Mary sighed, “Your 12 cancelled.”
Liz froze. “What? Another one? What does that even leave?”
“Nothing, everyone else cancelled too.”
“Weird. Today is weird.”
“It’s probably the fog,” Cass interjected, “I don’t know if you’ve been outside, but it’s bad. Well, it was bad when I came in. It’s a miracle I even found this place, to be honest.”
“Cass is right,” Mary said, “it’s actually got worse in the past hour.”
The three women grew silent at the revelation, none of them too sure what to do with the news. “Well, it has to clear up at some point, right?” Cass chuckled, her half-smile not quite as confident as her words.
Liz frowned at Cass, then looked to Mary, “Has Mummy rang?”
Eyes wide, Mary stuttered, “N-no, you don’t think something happened, do you?”
“I don’t know, y’know? Maybe the fog is only here?”
“I’ll ring her now,” Mary hurried, as she tapped her phone, “I’ll put it on speaker.”
Once again, silence reigned between the women as they waited for the other line to pick up.
Beep. Beep.
Beep. Beep.
Beep. Beep.
“Why isn’t she picking up?” Mary fretted.
Beep. Beep.
“Mummy normally picks up really quick. Weird.”
Beep. Beep.
Beep. Be—
“Hey Mary!” A voice, a little deep, but distinctly female, called out from the phone, “How’s the shop? You two okay?”
“Mum!” “Mummy!”
“Oh, is Liz there too? Did something happen?”
“No, nothing happened.”
“Mummy, it’s terrible,” Liz cried, “all my clients cancelled!”
“Mary, I thought you said nothing happened? What’s going on?”
“We think people are cancelling because of the fog.”
“The fog? I thought it lifted hours ago.”
“No, it’s really heavy. I looked out front and can’t see anything.”
“That bad, huh?” The woman paused, “Okay, if everyone cancelled, I want you two to lock up. Don’t go outside. Put on a movie or something, and hunker down. Mary, can you make dinner for the two of you? There’s a few things in the fridge, just take whatever you feel like.”
“Aren’t you coming home, Mummy?”
“I’ll try, honey, but if the fog’s too heavy to drive in, I’ll take Lucas and book a hotel for the night instead. But, listen girls, I have to go, the match is beginning, and I still have to find a more embarrass— I mean, supportive spot for Lucas to see me. Bye!”
“Stay safe!” “Bye, Mummy!”
Liz and Mary both let out a relieved sigh after the phone call, the invisible weight of worry lifted from their shoulders. “Looks like we’re having a movie night, Mary!” Liz grinned, “Have we got popcorn?”
“I think so,” Mary said, a frown forming on her face, “give me a minute to lock up, and I’ll check. Cass, if you’d like, you can stick around for a few hours to see if the fog lifts?”
“Oh, thanks for the offer, but it’s only fog. I live nearby, so I’ll just follow the street lights home.”
“I guess if you’re walking, it shouldn’t be an issue. But let me know if you change your mind. Liz, are you almost done?”
“Yess— Wait!” Liz shouted. “This is perfect, Cass.”
“What is?”
“Since my 12 cancelled, I can colour your hair now, what do you think?”
“Really? That’d be brill, thank you.”
“I’ll leave you two to it then,” Mary jumped in, before closing the door behind her. “Give me a call if you need me,” she shouted.
“So, what do you want? Just highlights, or a totally new look?”
“A new look, huh?” Cass stared wistfully at her reflection, taking in the new shaggy bob she sported, admiring whatever magic Liz had worked to make it so… her. Whether it was her hooded eyes, her in-between cheekbones, or her rounded jawline, Liz had brought out the best qualities in them all, and hid the worst. She couldn’t believe how much the new style suited her, going as far as wiggling her button nose just to make sure it wasn’t somebody else. And if that didn’t give it away, her reflection’s growing blush from Liz laughing at her antics did the trick.
But Liz is right, the highlights I had are all wrong now.
“I’ve tried a few colours before, but nothing really fit.”
“Well, what about pink?”
“Pink?” Cass squeaked.
“Not a fan of pink? What about blue or green? Or something purple, maybe?”
“Do you really think pink would suit me?”
“Fair skin and pastel pink hair are a perfect match,” Liz exclaimed, her enthusiasm almost infectious, “and you’ve even got blue eyes to boot! But if you’re not sure, we can just do some highlights. Or I can blend it out from your natural brown.”
Cass looked at her reflection again, turning her head from side-to-side while trying to imagine her hair in different styles of pink. Screw it. Isn’t something new why I came here?
“Pink it is then,” she said, with only a small frown.
“Highlights or blend?”
“Blend, please.”
Liz grinned, “I was hoping you’d say that. Let me just finish up the cut, and I’ll get colouring.”
Time passed as Liz continued cutting and styling, then contouring and colouring her hair. For the most part, Cass just closed her eyes and relaxed, only opening them every so often to answer Liz’s infrequent questions. She was thankful for the questions, and maybe it was why Liz asked them in the first place, but Cass was sure that without them, she’d have fallen asleep.
It’s just so peaceful in here, with Liz. I have to come again. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get it cut even shorter. Ha! Wouldn’t that be funny? I wonder what Liz would say? Probably just call me weird.
With her eyes still closed, Cass couldn’t see Liz raise a brow at the strange face she was making; a kind of mixture between laughter and constipation. A few seconds later, Liz just shook her head and smiled. “Weirdo,” she murmured.
Some more time passed before Liz put down her tools. “All done,” she leaned in to say, her voice soft, but close enough to Cass’ ear to interrupt her daydreaming.
Opening her eyes, Cass first shot a glance at Liz before moving to her own reflection. She watched as the corners of her lips lifted into a pleased smile, then she turned her head this way and that way, admiring how the colours of her hair reacted so naturally to the light. “I love it,” she said.
“Me too!” Liz beamed. “Actually, do you mind if I take your picture? I wasn’t joking earlier when I said you were one of my best works, y’know? I’m super proud of how your hair turned out.”
“You aren’t planning to blow up my face on a big window display, are you?” Cass asked with a playful smile, eyeing Liz with half-hearted suspicion.
Liz wasn’t looking at Cass, instead, she was warring with her phone to open the camera app, her face scrunched up in frustration. “Stupid button is broke,” she muttered. “No, I just want to show Mummy when she gets back.”
“Well, if that’s all, sure.”
Liz grinned, then lifted her phone in front of the now-posing Cass. “Perfect!” she chirped. The flash was on, which surprised Cass, but Liz seemed delighted with how the photo turned out, even if she wouldn’t let Cass see it.
Cass pulled her own phone from her pocket and noted the time was close to 1pm. No wonder I’m so hungry, she thought, I didn’t even get breakfast this morning.
“Okay, Liz, I should get going now. Thank you so much for everything, I absolutely love my hair, and you can bet I’ll back for more.”
Liz lit up at Cass’ compliment, grinning from ear to ear as she led Cass back out to the front reception. Soon, their conversation moved away from hair care tips to their favourite movies, her excitement for movie night with Mary rearing its head. Eventually, they passed through the curtained divide, and into the unlit reception area. By the time they found the light switch on the wall, Mary had joined them, squeezing herself behind the counter. While she searched for the payment machine, she gushed over Cass’ hair, swearing she’d never seen such a natural pink. “Seriously, Cass, you really suit it. And, Liz, great job, I can’t believe how much you’ve improved these past few months.”
While waiting for the card reader to load up, Cass moved to the window and tried to take a peek outside, only to find the fog was even thicker than before. “It hasn’t lifted at all, has it?”
“No,” Mary said, “I’ve been keeping an eye on it from upstairs, but I can’t tell if it’s stayed the same or got even worse.”
“Worse? I can’t see a thing out there. How could it be worse?”
Mary placed the card reader on the countertop, and gestured to Cass, “No idea, all I can say is that it hasn’t got any better.”
“Weird.”
“Liz is right, it’s weird. Are you sure you don’t want to stay a little longer?”
Cass swiped her card in the reader and entered her pin. “Thanks, but I’ll feel better when I’m in my own home. Besides, I still have a bunch of boxes from moving to work through, and today seems like the perfect day for that.”
“Alright, if you’re sure. Let me get the door for you.”
After confirming the payment went through, Cass waved goodbye to the two women. She shuffled through the door, the cold wind and flakes of snow enough to restrict her normal gait.
“B-bloody hell, it’s cold.”
Cass wrapped her arms around herself, encasing her body in as much material as she could, before looking for the nearest street light. Squinting her eyes, she could see two floating balls of light in the distance, but failed to find the lamppost supporting them, the thick fog obscuring anything substantial. In a way, it looks like magic, she thought. Orbs of enchanting light, floating whimsically within a deep fog; winter faeries waiting to lead me astray.
Well, fuck that last part, now it’s creepy, she thought; shivers running up her spine, either from the cold or the implications.
Barely able to make out her own feet, Cass sighed, then began trudging her way through the ankle-thick layer of snow she felt, and heard, crunching beneath her feet. It was an endless expanse of white all around, where even her footprints were devoured by the bleak void behind her, a couple blurry lights the only proof of her progress through the fog.
Finally, she reached the fated lamppost; its surface covered in an unnaturally thick layer of frost. That’s new, she thought. Cass couldn’t see the full thing now, but she remembered the Victorian lamppost being distinctly frost-free not even three hours ago. She looked up, the undersides of the lamps just about visible to her eyes, and judged about a metre’s worth of visibility. Crazy, she thought, shouldn’t there have been warnings for fog this heavy?
Glancing ahead, Cass noted the next set of lights in the distance, and restarted her march home. Gotta be careful I don’t go over the curb, she warned herself, at least I’m wearing trainers; some silver lining that is.
Step after step, she took, while her eyes remained dead-set on the fuzzy lights ahead. Step after step, she took, and then another. And Another. An— Cass stopped. She turned, bewildered. “Where the fuck are the lights from before?” she demanded the fog, “And why aren’t the next ones getting closer?”
Cass balled her fists, her eyes a little teary as the anxiety inside her spiked. “What’s with this fog?” she muttered, her voice every bit as shaky as the rest of her. Worried, she turned back to the only remaining pair— “Why are there three?” she yelled. Panicking, Cass wanted to run; it didn’t matter where to, she just had to get away, but her feet were stuck, frozen not from the cold, but from her fear. She watched in terror as the three lights split apart and granted her earlier wish, creeping ever closer to her through the fog. “Hello?” she cried, though she knew it to be useless, “Liz? Mary? Please, if you can hear me, anyone, say something, please!”
It was in the midst of her shouting when Cass noticed it. Or rather, she noticed she’d stopped noticing it— them. The quiet shrieks of the wind down an empty road. Gone. The soft crunch of her feet upon the snow below. Not there. There was no wind. No footsteps. No birds, or other animals. There was nothing. It was just her. Just her voice, alone, within the silence of a suffocating fog. Her cries for help, unanswered. Her grievances, ignored. Her laughter—
She stilled. Laughter? Cass focused on the sound, trying to gauge its direction, but it was as if it came from all around, yet nowhere at all. Before long, the quiet cackle disappeared, and so too did the lights, leaving behind only Cass and the sound of her heavy breathing.
Cass spun around, searching, desperately, for something, anything. Before, there were at least some lights to lead her way, but now there was nothing, even the deafening silence remained. Just… a silent, white void.
No.
No, there was a shadow. Dead ahead of her. It was a fuzzy thing; the small form shrouded by the thick veil of white around her. “H-hello?” Cass whispered, “Hey, I’m over here!” And then it was growing. Not growing, but getting closer. From a small smudge of grey within a world of white, the ball of shadow formed limbs, a head, a—
Cass crashed backwards, her heart hammering a million times a second. Adrenaline pumped through every fibre of her being, as her brain finally registered the deep gash across her upper arm. The world had slowed down just in time for her to dodge, but she could only watch on as it played catch up. First was the pain. Then more pain. From her left arm, where the flying spear had gouged out a piece of her flesh. From her other side, where she’d smacked her elbow and shoulder on the hard, very snowless, ground. And even more from her head, when it followed the others and bounced off of the dry earth in concussive agony.
Dizzy and disorientated, Cass groaned as she gripped her head; the pain from the rest of her wounds throbbing at the movement. She tried to look around, forced herself to focus, even as her headache intensified in the struggle. She knew there was something there. Something trying to harm her. To kill her. And she knew she had to get away. But her eyes failed her, too woozy to see the incoming enemy.
She threw herself to the right, rolling her body over her injured arm. She couldn’t see it, but even over the deafening rush of blood in her ears, she still heard the vile screeching of the creature that attacked her. Mercifully, the sharp pains of her possibly fractured elbow helped clear her head, letting her take in the full form of her aggressor.
In place of where her head had just been, the monster’s clawed hand pierced the ground with its black, talon-like nails. The creature’s leathery skin was wrinkled and dry, a dull green in colour, and covered in warts and scars. Around its waist, the creature wore a simple, dark grey loincloth; the rest of its body exposed to the elements. Its arms were thin and short, attached to a similar torso. Supporting its scrawny figure, two sinewy legs suggested the source of its shocking strength.
"What the fuck are you!" she screamed, more a statement than an actual question.
Goblin, was her first thought.
No. Nononono! It's not a goblin. Can't be. That's just not possible. This isn't the lord of the fucking rings. Can't be. Can't be, no way!
The creature turned its hairless head and snarled at her; spit flying from behind the yellowed fangs of its grotesque maw. Meanwhile, its muscles tensed, exerting all of its strength to free its hooked digits from the dirt.
It's a bloody goblin!
Once more, the goblin lunged at her; its bite ripping through her blouse as she tossed herself to the side. Now on her front, Cass pushed everything to her legs and shot forward, up and away from the goblin. She didn't know where she was running, the ever-present fog still concealing the world, but the goblin was fast on her tail, its hand now free from its earthly prison. So she had to move. Now. It didn't matter where, even if she risked running face-first into a wall, there was no other option.
A surge of relief spread through Cass when she looked back, seeing herself outrunning the enraged shadow of the goblin. It may have been quick, more so than she expected from a creature half her size, but Cass was quicker; just about. I can do this, she thought, as long as I keep running.
Then it screamed.
And she stumbled.
Unable to steady herself, Cass tripped and slammed into the ground. Everything hurt. Her previous injuries worsened from the shock, and new injuries appeared all over her body, as they protested the sudden impact with the ground. Worst of all was her right wrist, which had cracked against something round and sturdy… and loose. In the background, the goblin cackled in glee, a strange and ugly mixture of sounds escaping its mouth while it cheered its coming feast.
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With a woozy head and murky vision, and left with no other choice, Cass bit down on her tongue. Hard. “Fuck!” she screamed, though it was muffled by the blood pouring from her mouth. Sight restored, she steeled herself and began searching for the item she’d banged her wrist on. Cass knew there was no more time, no more chances. She was facing away from the goblin, but she could tell it was close, only a few metres; seconds from carving her up. She couldn’t dodge any more, maybe once, but with the state her body was in, she was living on borrowed time. All this while, Cass could feel herself weakening, only the adrenaline pushing her this far. There were just too many wounds. On her left side, the goblin’s spear had taken with it much of her upper arm, only missing her bone by a hair’s breadth. On her right side, her wrist was likely sprained, her shoulder surely bruised, and the agony of moving her elbow spoke of fractures. Finally, her head throbbed from multiple visits with the ground, while the rest of her body ached from the most recent. To top it all off, she was exhausted.
But… Have to…
It took a few seconds, more time than she had, but her hands finally knocked against her prize hidden within the fog. Found you! She grabbed a hold of the goblin’s spear, wrapping her arms around the shaft, and, with the last of her strength, hefted it toward the goblin. But, as she turned to meet the monster, Cass despaired. It was so much closer than she’d thought, and, even worse, it was in the air. It must have jumped at some point, making Cass lose track of its footsteps. She’d swung low, aiming for its torso, and now there was no time to adjust. She was going to miss it. And then she was going to die.
Time slowed as the goblin came ever closer to Cass. She saw, in detail, the wrinkled skin on its face stretch as it revealed the contents of its mouth, each of its teeth as pointy and as sharp as any dagger. She watched as it raised its two hands to meet her, preparing to claw through her skin and the flesh below with its piercing nails. And even as she closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate, she noticed the goblin raising its feet, positioning them to land on her, cutting off any chance to escape.
Why? She cried, Why is this happening? What even happened? I don’t… I don’t want to die.
Time had slowed down, but that didn’t mean Cass had stopped feeling anything. In fact, she felt it all in even more agonizing detail than before. From her wrist, her elbow, her shoulder, and her upper arm; her knees, her hips, her back, and her head. It all hurt. It was all too much. Finally, it was just a thought, but it was enough to break her, Even if someone wanted to help me, they wouldn’t find me in this fog. Nobody is even going to know I was here.
First, her right arm drooped, her bones too weak to carry it any more. Then her shoulders sagged as she fell backwards, her strength no longer enough to keep her upright. Lastly, the spear, wrapped in her arms, and too low to hit the goblin, rose up just in time for the monster to impale itself through its chest.
For the last time, Cass crashed onto the earth beneath her; this time managing to avoid bumping her head too hard. Stunned, she observed silently as the spear slid from her arms, and fell forwards with the still-spasming goblin corpse at its end. A thump was all she heard as the body landed on the ground in front of her, the goblin’s howling having stopped almost immediately after it was run through. It took her a few seconds, but she eventually raised her head and stared, wide-eyed, at the fuzzy corpse.
What?
Congratulations Player_6852!
For being the first of your species to survive the Initiation Test,
You have been awarded 1 (ONE) Achievement Point!
Current Achievement Points: 1
For gaining a ‘first of your species’ achievement,
You have been awarded the title, Pioneer.
Please now choose a difficulty mode for your Tutorial:
EASY - MODERATE - HARD - NULL
All of a sudden, a strange, blue menu screen appeared within her vision, immediately causing her headache to intensify. The world around her was blurry, not just because of the fog, but mainly due to her injuries. Between the pain and the blood loss, Cass could feel herself on the brink of passing out. But the menu screen was clear, and the juxtaposition between it and the blurred… everything else, was causing her no small amount of pain. Perhaps strangest of all, despite her bleary eyes and pounding head, she could actually read it, or rather, as she focused on it, she simply knew what it said.
“What the hell is this?” she mumbled, “Null?”
You have chosen the NULL difficulty.
Please wait while you are transferred to your Tutorial.
“Hold on”, she groaned, her injuries worsening now that her focus wasn’t entirely on the goblin, “that’s not what I meant!” But the menu ignored her, disappearing from sight, only to be replaced by a third window a few seconds later.
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ERROR: ARGUMENT_NULL_EXCEPTION (TutorialProfile):
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Value cannot be null.
⠀⠀SOLUTION: RESTART TUTORIAL SELECTION
⠀⠀⠀⠀ERROR: SECURITY_EXCEPTION (Player.Tutorial.Reset):
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀This command requires elevated privileges.
⠀⠀SOLUTION: TRANSFER PLAYER_6852 TO THE NULL ZONE
⠀⠀⠀⠀ERROR: ARGUMENT_NULL_EXCEPTION (Player.Tutorial.Zone):
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Value cannot be null.
⠀⠀SOLUTION: REASSIGN TUTORIAL MODE OF PLAYER_6852
⠀⠀⠀⠀ERROR: SECURITY_EXCEPTION (Player.Tutorial.Reassign):
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀This command requires elevated privileges.
⠀⠀SOLUTION: CONTACT ADMINISTRATOR
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀…
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀…
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀…
⠀⠀⠀⠀ERROR: TIMEOUT_EXCEPTION (System.Error.AlertAdmin)
⠀SOLUTION: ERROR: ARGUMENT_NULL_EXCEPTION (Solution):
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Value cannot be null.
⠀SOLUTION: ERROR: ARGUMENT_NULL_EXCEPTION (Solution):
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Value cannot be null.
⠀SOLUTION: ERROR: ARGUMENT_NULL_EXCEPTION (Solution):
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Value cannot be null.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ERROR: STACK_OVERFLOW_EXCEPTION (System.ErrorHandler):
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Process terminated due to stack overflow.
⠀⠀SOLUTION: INITIATE SYSTEM REBOOT
Seconds passed. Then minutes. Cass soon lost track of time as she lay on her back, staring into the nothingness above, wondering if the menu was just her imagination. She was dying, but she didn’t even feel sad about it. She didn’t really feel anything any more. By this point, the pain had all but disappeared, just a constant numbness all over her body. The cold she experienced was different too. Where before, the cold was like a freezing fire, burning her from the outside, scorching her skin with layers of ice, and spreading chaotically throughout her body; this new cold was much more abstract, it was like a concept rather than a thing, and Cass could understand what it was telling her. It was like a calm lake, serene in its inevitability; it told a story of death, and of destiny. It spread through her body, just like its sister cold, but with order instead. One step at a time, it conquered her body from within at a slow but steady pace, whispering words of encouragement, that everything would be okay, but Cass had a feeling that, once it was finished, so she would be too.
That’s weird, she thought, I could've sworn the fog was… thicker.
In her last moments, Cass watched as the all-invasive fog, the catalyst for her demise, began to fade. She remained silent throughout, just waiting to see what would be revealed, under no illusion that she would be returned to the streets of her new home. She knew this wasn’t a dream; she knew it was real, that she’d been taken somewhere, for some reason, by some... thing. So she continued watching, even as the cold crept closer and closer to her brain, to her end. She kept watching, until, at last, the final remnants of fog faded from her view, revealing an array of glittering stars she’d never seen before.
With the fog gone, and the starlight to aid her vision, Cass was confused when she noted the missing goblin corpse. She turned her head ever so slightly, just enough to cast her eyes to her surroundings, and almost gasped at what she found. An island. She was on an island of charcoal sand, floating amidst the stars.
What… what is this?
Congratulations Player_6852!
For being the first of your species to survive the Initiation Test,
You have been awarded 1 (ONE) Achievement Point!
Current Achievement Points: 2
Please now choose a difficulty mode for your Tutorial:
EASY - MODERATE - HARD - HELL
Once again, the blue menu appeared, though if it was timed or just a coincidence, she wasn’t sure. If she were being honest, she didn’t really care about the choice she was presented with, But, what if…
“Easy,” she croaked. She didn’t know what would happen, but maybe, by some miracle, she’d survive. And if she had to pick anything, she sure as hell wasn’t going to choose hell.
You have chosen the EASY difficulty.
Please wait while you are transferred to your Tutorial.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ERROR: ARGUMENT_EXCEPTION (Player.Tutorial.Assign):
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Target has already been assigned to a Tutorial.
Her heart stopped.
⠀⠀SOLUTION: TRANSFER PLAYER_6852 TO THE HELL ZONE
No!