To Adil, Seras was like a fellow social outcast. Someone they knew from the old world of Earth. She had met them after moving home and starting up in a new city. They first started hanging out over drinks but they soon grew closer than just that, making small movies together and playing dungeons and dragons. They were as close as childhood friends could be.

The strongest bond they had was in their subtle disagreements with society. They thought everything was in a strange way pointless, the constant social comparisons, the number of random assholes that seemed to appear from nowhere. People trying to make yourself important just to seem that way in another person’s eyes, people bring political to the point of losing their own identity or just the strange idea people had that it was not good to just try and constantly get fucked up. A world they had little respect for or admiration. In that way, they didn’t fit in with society, and in that way Seras understood them. More than anything, it made them enjoy each other’s company.

Seras grabbed a Drink and Swift mindfully kept his eye on his as Adil sipped at water.

“So, how are you finding Snowball?” Seras asked casually.

“Well, we died, got infected by wolves and then found a pub. Which honestly, is pretty much like what happened in Ireland. But you know.. more death, less sheep.”

Seras laughed, her voice like it had always been, it brought Swift and Adil a warm feeling like home.

The small amount of sound she made, had everything feel normal, like whatever they left back in Earth couldn’t match what they brought over.

“You know, the guards said they saw the weirdest sight of some blood-covered half-burnt guys walking up to the front door from the rocky chasm. And then saw one of them passed out in the centre pool.” Seras said.

Swift gave a bit of a smirk up from his drink. Seras chuckled genuinely happy.

“I don’t know why, but I knew it had to be you guys” She added.

The other's in the bar appeared to leave, and the bartender even shut out the lights.

"Last orders have gone, put the glasses on the side when you're finished," the bartender said to Seras getting a thumbs up in return.

When the place was empty of strangers Seras looked at the two with a smile on her face.

“So I guess I'll tell you how I got here,” she said and then space seemed to flicker and change as she started talking. Adil could feel a strange presence emanate from Seras as her words distorted space around them.

Notification

Player: Seras has used a skill 'storytelling'. She can now convey events into your mind through her words.

words forming from Seras mouth appeared to not make sound instead distorting the world further until Adil and Swift were brought into a vision, seeing an image of Seras on the ground in a dark cave, wearing little more than the noob starting clothes.

Seras woke up, the light glow of plants and insects illuminated the area just enough to see. A well was in the centre, an ominous presence felt around it.

As she got to her feet she noticed a small chest, the same chest Adil had seen containing the 'introduction' to the world of snowball.

She was In the dark cave illuminated slightly by glowing insects and fungi. But even in this darkness she still did not struggle to read the note. The note, however, was more confusing than explanative, Unsure what to do she screwed it up and threw it down a well she seemed to have woken next to. After a brief look around was on her path to find the way out.

Past the well was a passageway, the darkness intermittently mixed with the glow of insects and luminous plants dotting the walls. As she walked down the path she came to a dead-end, a small amount of light seemed to leak through a part of the ceiling, through what appeared to be floorboards.

As Seras grew closer, she heard scuffles and banging. Drawing in further, she quickly started hitting the planks and shouting through the cracks.

“Hello!” “Hello?” She shouted.

She heard nothing back, but then soon a banging began to erupt again — this time accompanied by the occasional whine or moaning sound.

She left to look around and came back a bit.

*Enough of this* she thought.

She lifted a rock from the side of the cave and started smashing it into the wood. Splinted flew off and sprayed around the cave, a small hole eventually appeared. She could break away bits of wood until it was big enough to put her hand through and pulled off plank after plank.

Finally, it was large enough to go through.

As she was halfway through, in what looked like a storage room, a man in a robe opened the door.

“Are you ok there?” He asked. He had some well-kept grey beard and an extensive beer gut.

Seras gave the man a confused and annoyed look.

“Can you give me a hand?” She asked.

The man helped and pulled the lady through the hole, into the storage room.

“Well, now I've done that, maybe you could do something for me,” the man said and leaned in for a kiss.

Shocked Seras backed away into a corner “Excuse me?” she asked, her realisation turning into anger.

“I’ve already paid, are you not going to do your job?” the man asked.

Seras was fully taken back and finally paid more attention to the moans and echoes from around the building she was in. Without another word, she pushed the man away, giving him a look that told him to back off. She then quickly moved out of the joint eyes forward, not giving a glance to anything around her until she exited.

A few days went past, and Seras started work with the guards, she went on mission after mission immersing herself in this new world, trying to take advantage of her newfound abilities and skills. She became increasingly aggressive, pushing on far-reaching and extreme quests.

Then one day, Seras died, appearing again in the cave wearing the cotton garments she had before. This she realised was more pain as her only exit was still through the brothel. Coming back in the skimpy cotton clothes would not help. As she rose through the ranks, she eventually grew a reputation of valiantly getting everyone else out and then appearing at the brothel before any of them returned.

Eventually, Seras took over part of the brothel, trying to hide her respawn and then went back to immersing herself in her new role as captain of the guards. A strange reputation was growing behind her back. Now a captain, she was a fierce leader that the guards admired and followed.

“What was that?” Adil asked when they seemingly were taken back to reality.

“A skill," she said, broadening her smile.

"Haven't you gotten any yet?" She asked, almost pedantically.

“Ah yeah, I got alcoholism,” Adil said proudly in reply.

“Yeah, you fucking did, and it's no fucking skill” Swift added in a strop.

Adil grew a pout looking at Swift and then ignoring him turned back to Seras.

“Seriously though, like we were killed by the first thing we met, goblins, then nearly died on our way here, and you're a damn captain?” Adil stated.

“Twice,” Swift added.

Adil shuffled in his chair a moment.

"Twice?"

"Nearly died twice."

“The dogs attacked when you slept,”

Adil put a hand over his head and realised what he was talking about. Seeing the new wolf corpses when he woke up.

“Turns out fire attracts monsters at night. I was up for hours trying to fend off the wolves, and they came pretty close to getting me, once.”

Adil thought about what he was saying for a moment; he didn’t realise how much effort Swift had put into keeping them awake that night. And instead just forced him to move as soon as he woke up and forced him to take care of his obnoxious drunkness.

“Thanks, and sorry," he said, taking another sip of his water.

*I'm never going to drink again* he told himself.

"Well I did get us killed by goblins and shoot fire into your open wound," Swift explained.

Seras' eyes went wide, and she rubbed her hand over her face in exasperation.

"What the hell have you guys been up to?" She stated.

Adil looked at her, trying to asses her stats and see how far off he was. They were partied up and so he could look through the interface when everything fizzled together.

Name: Seras Status: Tipsy

Level: 8, Physical average (18) Mental average (9)

Race: Human (Earth)

Title: Captain

Acquired item Effect

Blood bath regeneration when bathing in the blood of your enemies. As they die around you, their blood essence is siphoned out and into your wounds, giving you aid.

Acquired item Effect

Rage: The ability to turn anger into power. You can harness your rage into increased damage at the risk of losing control.

“Killed by the fucking goblins,” she stated glumly. She didn’t sound like she was insulting them more that she had a deep-seated hatred for the creatures.

“Goblins are the worst scum this world has.” She added.

Adil took another sip of water; he didn’t feel that much anger towards them, even though they had killed him, still thinking about it, he could imagine the feeling of the blade cutting into his neck.

”Well, I guess we know what we’re doing tomorrow.” She said, gaining a look of confusion from both Adil and Swift.

“We will get your revenge.” She exclaimed.

“We just got out, and you want to send us back?” Adil asked.

“Not you, all of us. We can go together.” She added, taking a sip from her beer.

Swift and Adil looked at each other and back. The offer was for a job of sustainable work; they didn’t want to have to run into the forest and pick berries every day. Plus, they were used to suffering in search of random jobs.

“I’m game,” Swift said creating a small puff of fire In his right hand. A smile from Seras was illuminated in the fire.

“Yeah, that sounds.. great” Adil replied a half-hearted smile, he wasn’t sure if the killing was what he wanted to do, but if no one else had these abilities he definitely had an advantage in it.

“Great, you can stay at mine, we will sort everything else in the morning.”

Seras took them down the street and into one of the alleyways. They went into a tall building illuminated by candlelight.

They walked in getting a nod from the person at the door and an awkward look from Seras. Fuchsia curtains were scattered overhead and scantily dressed women seemed to greet anyone who came in. For the group, however, they just smiled and nodded at them as Seras lead them through.

As they stepped further in a large man with an unbuttoned shirt was strolling through, his pleased expression quickly grew shocked and fearful when he saw Seras, then he sprinted to run and hide. Seras blew a strand of hair off her face and grimaced at the sight of him. They carried through the surprisingly large area and found a couple of rooms just past a dining hall, seemingly more or less shut off from the rest of the area.

“You can sleep in this room, both of you. I’ll be in the one next to it… But please, have a bath before you go to bed” She pointed to the bath held to the right side of the room.

“See you in the morning,” Swift said giving off his trademark smirk to Seras before she left.

“Rest now, for tomorrow. We hunt!” she announced in some sort of reference, a smile on her face in the doorway before she went to bed. When they finally got into bed they started talking about how the day had gone, then a bang reverberated on the wall from the room next door. The one Seras was trying to sleep in.

“Go to bed” She shouted.

They quietened down until Adil said a final comment prompting a sword to be plunged through the wall, the blade glistening next to his head. After that, it was a silent night.