Suddenly, the beast jumped. Plunging down like a falling anvil. Our hearts shook with terror.

"EVERYONE SPREAD!!!" Brian heard someone shout. Oh, it's Fetter.

"DON'T LET HIM CATCH YOU!!!"

The beast smashed unto the ground. The dirt thumped. But the abomination was completely fine. As the others began running for their lives, Brian just stared.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING CHARLIE?!?" Crocker screamed, "RUUUUNNNN!!!"

"HWEEIIIIIIIIGGGHHH!!!"

Brian's face was as white as snow. The beast was glaring at him with streaked red eyes. Hot steam rushing out of his nostrils as it tensed all it's fists.

"FIREBALL!!!"

Something yellow hit the back of it's face and exploded. The beast shrieked in pain. Its head, searing with fire. The beast spun around in rage. Appearing like it was bout to rip someone to shreds.

"YOUR OPPONENT IS ME!!!" Making thumps against the shield with his sword, flimsy-looking redhead wearing a boar hood challenged the best, "NO ONE INTERFERE!!!"

"HWEEEOOOOORRRGGHHH!!!" The boar shrieked in fury upon looking at Fetter.

[ Issueing Quest: Festival of The Boars! ]

[ Dun. Dun. Dun! You have butchered families in their sleep! Slaughtered their young! And burned their old! You sick psychopath! You have angered The Boarmaster. In frustration, it has been stress-eating on the survivors for quite some time. Now, it sees you wearing the cape of his youngling, and it will not stop until it tears you to pieces! ]

[ Survive his rage! ]

The white screen of text floated above Fetter. It spoke with a strange theatric-like accent and articulated the situation strangely. As if it was mocking them but speaking the truth at the same time.

The Boarmaster seethed in rage as it ran towards the human. Disregarding the other one.

Brian dropped down to his knees, gagging for air. His whole body was covered in cold sweat. If Fetter hadn't done anything, he could have been ripped apart by that thing.

In spite of that, he finally understood why that Boarmaster was so angry. It's because Fetter had killed his family!

"B—But this makes no absolute sense though!!!"

Wobbly, Brian looked up. He saw Fetter taking The Boarmaster alone. But running. And casting fireballs while he was at it. Everyone watched in dismay. Even Donny— Fetter's closest aide— wouldn't do anything about it.

Say what you want. They weren't here to fight a three-meter high bodybuilder with six arms called The Boarmaster. This was a fight no sound 16-year old would gamble with.

Brian shook his head frantically as he pulled himself together. Those two were running around the dome, playing cat and mouse.

Horrified, the students scrambled. Not the lest desiring to get in the way. Brian was also determined not to get trampled.

"HWEEEEEEIIIIIII!!!"

The Boarmaster was only chasing after Fetter. Fuming and frustrated. As Brian was bout to get back up, he saw his spear rolling down the ground. It fell into the red lake.

"Shit!" He swore. It didn't matter anyway, everybody was screaming.

He scampered towards the red lake, aiming to get his spear back. Once he was there, he saw bits of flesh swimming round. Staring agape, a scorched pig's ear floated innocently into view.

Suddenly, he knew where the other pigs who had been stress-eaten had gone (He still didn't know why they were here though...).

Brian looked at Fetter and The Boarmaster. He knew there wasn't much time left before they came here. He reached his hand into the lake but found that it was actually deeper than it seemed.

"Oh! For Christ's sake!" He pulled his arm out and ran for his life.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!!!" Someone screamed as he was swatted away by the beast.

"BIBIII!!! NOOOO!!!" Fetter's face was grave, "FIREBAAALL!!!!!!"

The flame shot towards the best and missed.

The brute's body had burnt spots all over its gargantuan chest. A part of its mouth was even missing, and you could see its tongue dangling round.

And that was the only thing worth mentioning. None of Fetter's other shots had caught the best. Even if they did, it wasn't slowing it down either.

As he glanced at Fetter, Brian saw that he was growing exhausted. If this was a battle of attrition, then it looked like Fetter wasn't going to last much longer.

"...Huh?" Brian's eyes opened in surprise as he saw Donny, quietly leading several students up the floating stairs. He took what little he could.

Just as Brian was about to run to them, the stairs retracted, ascending along with Donny and the others. A student managed to catch the steps before it was too high enough to reach. Donny caught glimpse of Brian, and for a moment, the two stared at each other.

He looked regretful— yet relieved— as he looked at Brian.

"FUCK!!!" Brian's mind was going haywire all over the place. Struggling to find a solution to his miserable situation.

Although he did feel bad for leaving Fetter like that, it was no time to play knight (in shining armor). Everybody should be worried about their own lives first.

"NO!!! COME ON YOU HAVE TO FOCUS!!!" He ran like a mad man. Some

The memories of today shuffled towards him. How he put staves and rocks inside his bag. How there were red grasses everywhere. How that long-necked monster appeared and ate one of Fetter's Fireballs. How his spear fell into the red lake and...

"WAIT, THAT'S IT!!!" Brian's eyes shone. There was hope after all. He quickly ran to the corner of the exit, just next to the lake. Then, he waited for the beast to turn his back and—

He quietly slumped into the lake. It was only leg-deep, but he pulled himself deeper. All until was left of him was just his nose. He closed his eyes and prayed to whatever higher being that could hear his prayers.

Except for the screams, he couldn't hear anything anymore.

"..." Thus Brian waited.

"..." The lake stank.

"..." He could feel something touching his cheek.

"..." He was standing on something mushy. "Blbupubupbup..."

Whatever it was, Brian gave it his all to resist the urge to jump.

And slowly, the screams died down. He could hear people being battered, smashed, and swatted. But some people were still alive. It wasn't over yet.

Brian kept waiting.

An eternity had passed. He didn't know how long he'd been there, but he knew he was in there for a long time. His body was aching, and especially his neck. He'd been in the same awkward posture for— possibly— hours.

A lot of things happened. Too long for him to explain in detail, but everything was quiet now. And it'd been like that for some time.

But just in case, he waited for another 5 minutes. Well, what felt like 5 minutes anyway. He didn't have a watch with him, after all.

"..." He inhaled one last time— afraid that this was his last breath— and slowly poke his head out. Only a small portion of his face could be seen over the grass. They were both red.

"..."

The whole place was a mess. Blood was splattered everywhere. Bodies were twisted and contorted in ill ways. People were ripped into two, spreading intestines every—

"Hahh..." Brian wheezed as he looked away from the sight. The Boarmaster had killed them all. It was too disgusting. Shame crept into his heart. But it was for the best.

He lived.

It was a strange sight seeing people you just met die in this fashion, just like what happened with his class. He definitely had enough for today.

After vomiting the remains of his breakfast, he looked back up again. He didn't notice it before, but there was definitely a corpse with six appendages there. Eerily, it was missing its head. Brian didn't even want to know how it went missing.

Though what he saw in its arms shook him even more.

"FETTEEER!!" Brian got out of the lake and ran towards him. Blood still dripping from his clothes.

"CHARLIE IS THAT YOU?!?" He heard someone screaming from above, "IS HE ALIVE?!? IS FETTER ALIVE???"

Brian ignored him and kept running.

Fetter was clasped between the beast's arms. But he was still breathing. Brian tugged restlessly on its hands. The beast's muscles were as stiff as stone. Fuck! What kind of a monster would you be to not let go of someone after you're dead?!

Brian snapped its fingers open. He did that with all of its limbs until it could finally let go. Fetter fell to the ground with a thud.

He was in a sorry state. His face was covered in dirt. But no matter how much he felt this was wrong, Fetter's twisted left arm seemed better to look at.

"Shit!" He panicked, "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! Oh my god!!!"

"Fetter! A—Are you, alright?!" Brian collapsed into his knees beside Fetter. He held his head up.

"C—Charlie..." Fetter coughed weakly, "Is that... really you?..."

"Yes! It's me! I'm here for you, man!" He did his best to ignore the bloody scene.

"..." Tears fell out of Fetter's eyes, including the third one on his forehead, "Thank... God... You're alive..."

"Donny's alive too! He's—He's up there with the others!" Brian stammered as he felt tears down his own cheek.

"I'm so... tired... Charlie..." He could barely keep his eyes open any longer, "I think... I... have to... sleep..."

"No no no no! Don't!!! Stay awake Fetter!!! You can't sleep!!! Not right now, ok?!" Brian shook his Fetter's body.

"I'm... so... tired..." His voice began to diminish.

"Oh! T—Think about your family, man!" Brian started crying, "T—They're waiting for you, right? You have someone waiting for you at home Fetter!"

"Colette..." Fetter smiled faintly.

"R—Right! That's right! You have Colette waiting for you! She'd be sad if you don't go home, right?"

"It's... my brother..." Fetter snickered as he coughed again, "Uughh..."

"Don't move too much now, Fetter." Brian hurriedly took his bag out. Searching for whatever could save Fetter's life.

"This..." He found a vial filled with red liquid.

Brian didn't know what it was, but it might just be one of those... potions they had in SAO. As for where he got it, it came with the armor (It was from the chest under the tree).

It was a gamble. But he was going to die anyway, might as well take the chance.

"Here, Fetter." Brian opened the red vial, "Drink."

He slowly poured the vial to Fetter's mouth. The redhead didn't hesitate to drink it.

"Aaaah..." The small cuts on Fetter's body started healing on its own. Looks like it was—

"AAAAAAAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!" Fetter started screaming in torture. He jumped up and hugged his twisted left arm. Something was wrong.

"FETTER!!! ARE YOU OK?!?" The voice from above shouted in panic, "BASTARD!!! WHAT'RE YOU DOING TO HIM!!!"

Brian held him with worry. It didn't take long for Fetter to faint. Maybe the pain was too much. The others above were still screaming down at us. Who could blame them though, they think I killed him.

"Thank god..."

He was still breathing.

[ Congratulations on completing the Quest: Festival of The Boars! ]

[ Issuing rewards... ]

[ You have 3 Attribute Points! ]

Fetter opened his eyes groggily as his vision adjusted.

'Where am I?' He thought. But quickly his mind was flooded by the scenes of his companions being killed. He remembered everything. All the details. Those memories would definitely haunt him.

That Boarmaster was Lvl.5. Just a level higher. If only he had picked a different tunnel, maybe he could've avoided all this. It was unsettling, to say the least.

The part that shook him the most, however, was when that voice said that he killed the children and the elderly. So that's why those boars were furious at the first look of me...

He couldn't save them. They're dead because of him.

—His stomach growled in hunger.

"Fet, You're finally awake!" Donny cried in relief, "Goddamnit! Do you know how fucking stubborn you can be?! Why the fuck would you mess with those pigs in the first place..."

Donny kept ranting and complaining. Though Fetter was just glad that he's ok.

"Where's Charlie..." He stood up and sat only to suddenly gawk at his left arm that was still bent the wrong way. It didn't hurt that much but he couldn't move it.

Fetter's eyes dimmed as he stared at his still crippled arm.

"You're arm's uh... we couldn't do anything about it."

"Charlie says that he needs some time alone," Now that he'd noticed, Donny seemed paler, "He didn't look so well..."

"How long have I been out?" Fetter asked.

"Uhm... A few hours," Donny said as his face turned serious, "But there's something I gotta tell you."