Arka, Banelfsing, and Mikrim was in a muddled state of mind as they saw the bewildering scene in front of them. Along with the dead forest and absent fauna, broken earth with blackened soil manifests in their field of view. Due to the absent light, the party could hardly see through the thick, dead trees of the forest. An illusion—they hoped it would be, though each time the trio bat the lids of their eyes, the look of the world just didn't change.

"Arakar... where are we...?" Mikrim asked Arka in a low, and worried tone.

Arka cautiously turned to the Mikrim, using her voice as her guide. "I-I don't even know, Krim..." she said.

As Arka and Mikrim stood mystified getting a hold of the situation they were in, Banelfsing immediately felt his way through the indistinct, darkness of the forest for his rucksack. After which, he took out the unlit torch and set it ablaze after pouring it with a bottle of wine he kept, and the sparks he ignited from the flint and steel. After being lit, Banelfsing picked it up, and its light swept through the three; illuminating a small radius of the forest among them to see the path ahead.

"Did we come out a different way...?" Banelfsing asked, full of doubts with the scene before him, as he held the torch in one hand.

Upon Arka hearing Banelfsing's question, she also felt her doubts about what she was seeing arise. She took out a map that she reached in her bag after a flap of her leather satchel and unfolded it. She was sure, however, that they indeed exited the right location. It was just clear as ice. The barrow after all only had a one-way of entry, and exit. There was no way she mistook the route she led with her party.

She pinpointed their location on the parchment, and as she compared and contrasted the fine print labeled with the area they stood, she confirmed that they were in the right direction.

"No, we didn't..." Arka said as she began to return the map with an easy flap of her bag, and sliding it swiftly into her leather satchel. "This... This is the only way out of the dungeon after all..." She told Baneflsing.

Banelfsing's troubled expression was visible in the torchlight.

"No worries, we can just teleport out of here, then," Arka said in a calm demeanor. Banelfsing slowly, but surely, made a quiet nod at her in agreement.

However, Mikrim punched a hole into Arka's plans. "I'm sorry," She said. "I'm already out of teleportation crystals." She used her last one a while ago before she came with them on their adventure.

"It's fine," It was Banelfsing who turned to Mikrim. "I have a spare crystal with me in case something like this happens."

He approached Mikrim. "Hold this for me, will ya?" He handed her his torch. Then, he quickly swung his rucksack over to his front. This swinging maneuver Banelfsing made was something he's done many times over, as he's capable of performing this without any extraneous effort. After that, he stuck his hand in one of its side pockets and took out a spare teleportation crystal he had in store.

He then handed it over to her, looking directly in her eyes, as Mikrim focused her gaze on the teleportation crystal. Arka just crossed her arms as she stared keenly at how both of them interact.

After all was said and done, three of them now possess a teleportation crystal in hand. "We should leave now," Arka said. Mikrim nodded attentively at her proposal, and so did Banelfsing.

All three of them broke the crystals in sync by crushing it in one hand. Yellow light covered their avatars instantly like a blanket, but it stopped short as a sudden current of blue electricity traveled through them. This jolt of electricity didn't hurt them.

"D-Did it— it didn't work?" Banelfsing asked, puzzled at what just happened.

Mikrim just stared at Arka, then to Banelfsing, and then at the crushed crystal on the palm of her hand.

Just what's going on here...? Arka thought as she stared at the crushed crystal she held. She titled her hand, dropping the broken crystal fragments on the barren ground beneath her.

Arka turned to Banelfsing and Mikrim. "It looks like we'll have to walk then," she said. "It must be a bug in the system."

"Yeah... this is still the Alpha phase of the game." Banelfsing said. "No surprise for bugs like this to happen." He threw away the broken pieces of his crystal on the ground.

"I'll just be right behind you two, then." Mikrim said.

Arka nodded at Mikrim. "Alright, let's go,"

They walked slowly, still grasping—still digesting, of what was in front of them with their discombobulated thoughts. No matter where they look in their current path however, everywhere they set their eyes to seem apparent of the seeming dead earth. Arka took the first stride to walk in this mirthless, new world, followed by Banelfsing, and Mikrim with the path ahead visible by Banelfsing's bright, torchlight.

For each, cautious step they took; the cursed ground crumbled as the clay beneath resounded its cracks.

They've strolled for what seems like an hour, as the results of their travel showed the thick trees begin to lessen in number.

The rust-colored sky doesn't show any stars, although a pale moon was present. It always gets overshadowed by the dark clouds. Mikrim saw this when she looked up in the wider space of the forest they were in.

Soon, they arrived at a crossroads in the dark forest. A wooden signpost stood at the center indicating directions whichever the roads lead. Banelfsing leaned his torch closer to the words etched on the signpost in the darkness, making them visible to their naked eyes. The left board says, PATH TO ILHORR while the right board says PATH TO FELLMORIA.

The group's eyes lit up, expressing a gladdened look with their mouths upturned upon seeing this, with Arka only able to express her changed mood by raising her head evidently with her darkened helmet.

Seeing this signpost meant they're close to civilization. They were, after all, getting weary with the gloomy atmosphere they stood in.

"Looks like we'll be outta here soon," Banelfsing said.

"Yeah." Arka nodded to Banelfsing. "Shouldn't be long now... We'll need information once we get back to the city... Hopefully, we'll find out just what exactly is going on here."

Banelfsing nodded at her. After that, he turned to Mikrim from behind. He saw her looking up at the dark skies. Then, as if feeling like she felt somebody look at her, she looked back toward them. She and Banelfsing looked at each other.

"Mikrim, are you doing okay?" Banelfsing assessed her.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Mikrim said. "Why shouldn't I be? I've got the two, best fighters accompanying me after all, with some magical help from yours truly," Mikrim said teasingly at them, then pointed at herself, implying that she understood the strength of their small party.

Banelfsing and Arka smiled and chuckled at her comment.

"Really, now? I just thought you'd be more worried about this strange occurrence that's happened to us... since you know? You looked pretty worried earlier. That's all," Banelfsing said.

"Oh, is that it?" Mikrim said, placing her fingers on her chin. "Well, I suppose you're right that I'd be worried about that. Although, I’m getting used to this because I enjoy exploring, you see; and it helps calm me down. I've come to realize that it’s actually fun strolling with you two in these dark woods..." Mikrim lowered her hand and touched her fingers with each other. "Just like playing a horror game," She said with an amused tone.

"Like, a walking simulator horror game?" Arka quickly suggested with a raised finger, in between Mikrim and Banelfsing.

Mikrim's eyes lit up at Arka. "Yeah, exactly! So, it's pretty cool," Mikrim said enthusiastically to Arka.

"Did you also play Outlast, then?"

"Isn't that where you use a camera as a flashlight to escape from an asylum?"

"Y-Yeah! That's the one." Arka said.

"Nice! Did you record everything for the collectibles?"

"Yes! It took me a few days to do, even... finding the locations and just saving enough batteries."

"Nice!" Mikrim prolonged her tone on saying this. After that, she offered a high-five to Arka. Arka was startled with the sudden change in body language. It was not every day she received a high-five from just anybody. She raised her hand and gave back the high-five that Mikrim kept hanging. "I can't believe you did it in a few days, I finished my glossary after a few weeks because of school and..."

Banelfsing stared at the two ladies, conversing and seeming not to mind their current circumstance. As he watched both of them talk, it became clear to him now how his friend, Arakar was able to express herself with Mikrim, with the relationship that they both shared in common... which was video games.

It was nice for him to see how they were enjoying themselves despite this dark atmosphere. And he was glad that his friend found someone whom she can relate to. This eased his worries at least a little, with the current state of the game world. In truth, he was the one who was most disturbed about everything that was happening. Just what happened with Helsfate? And do the developers of the game even know what was going on? Do they even play their own game? These sorts of thoughts went through Banelfsing.

Just as Banelfsing passed these worrisome thoughts, trouble finally found them where they least expected it.

Banelfsing suddenly heard a rustle in the forest's shrubs. He turned to the sound, and immediately looked where it came from.

"Guys," Arka and Mikrim both turned to Banelfsing as he called them. "Something's amiss..." He drew his dagger and readied his torch in hand. Arka and Mikrim drew their weapons in turn, assuming their positions.

The rustling in the forest slowly grew louder and multiplied to more of the thick shrubs in the darkness; then it stopped. Silence flooded the air of their surroundings.

It didn't take long though until this silence was broken with Mikrim's sudden yell. Both Arka and Banelfsing turned around to see her, startled with her sudden cry.

Mikrim fell to the ground backward as a large shadowy figure pinned her down in the darkness. It violently attempted to bite at her face, as Mikrim blocked the beast's jaws with her bow.

Crap...! We forgot to change our formation!? Arka realized their party's mistake.

Banelfsing immediately pointed his torch in the direction where he heard Mikrim was caught and saw the creature pinning her down.

At first glance, it resembled a wolf. Although, it possessed three, black eyes with reddish pupils on both sides of its skull. It stood on all fours, with its frontal limbs, thick with muscle while its hind limbs, being much smaller. It wept tears of blood on both of its center eyes. Its snout gruesomely splits into four, down to its mouth, showing the four rows of sharp teeth. Saliva drools uncontrollably as it opens this, as it attempts to bite at Mikrim. It stood almost furless, with its remaining clumps of black fur shedding off from varying places showing its black, muscular, skin dripping with blood coming from its bloody, weeping eyes.

As they saw the creature at that instant with the dim lighting, Arka and Banelfsing rushed toward Mikrim. However, three more of these wolf-like creatures pounced at them hidden in the shrubs. Banelfsing saw the creatures coming at the corner of his eye and evaded their ambush by ducking and sprinting forward. Arka also seeing this, quickly swung her sword horizontally at one of the pouncing, giant wolves knocking it away from her, hitting the thick guard of her sword and her iron fist. Part of her blade only scraped the creature, drawing some blood from its body.

"I'll be fine! Get to her!" Arka yelled to Banelfsing, as she prepared to fight the three wolves that ambushed them. Banelfsing quickly moved forward to the wolf pinning Mikrim.

Mikrim quickly drew the steel hatchet she has strapped on her leg and struck down with it aiming at this creature in the face. Her hatchet successfully connected, as an echoing blow was heard, injuring the beast.

However, her hatchet didn't dig deep enough as the beast's mouth opened wide in a four-way split, catching her hand and enduring the bash it took face-first. It only left the beast dazed, biting down on her further. Mikrim's swing just didn't have enough centrifugal force, being pinned on the ground.

Mikrim's hand was immediately torn away like paper, leaving violent shreds of skin, muscle, and bone on her avatar as her blood spurt out on her face partly blinding her. Along with it, her hatchet dropped with a clang on the ground next to her. Her HP dropped a large chunk to 44% as this happened.

With only one hand left to support her bow in blocking the beast's jaws, Mikrim started shouting due to the horror, and rapid succession of events she was suddenly experiencing.

And then, the wolf pinning her suddenly flew a few paces away. This left Mikrim a confused look whether if she was finally safe. She quickly looked to her left, with her eyes widened and mouth agape showing this apparent, surprised expression.

It was Banelfsing who kicked the wolf brutally away from Mikrim, evident on his bloody, steel-toed boot. The wolf rolled on the forest's dead ground and immediately recovered its footing, facing its attacker. The monstrous wolf began showing trouble in its breathing due to Banelfsing's kick.

"Come here, ugly! I'll make sure you find out what real iron tastes like!" Banelfsing provoked the creature, luring it away from Mikrim. He pointed his torch at the creature at an angle just enough for Arka to have enough lighting to see in her fight with the wolf-like monsters.

Arka faced the creatures that surrounded her; an open hand and sword in front. As one of these creatures leaped towards her, Arka quickly ducked and grabbed the wolf on its belly and slammed it down onto the forest’s dead earth with just her bare hand. She knelt on top of the creature with one leg. She didn't mind its twin companions whose eyes appear to be lusting for blood,

Arka felt recklessly confident in the protection of her armor. The two remaining creatures that surrounded her quickly lunged at her while she plunged her sword with both of her hands into the creature that she was restraining. A deep incision was made down their pinned companion. Blood and guts of the creature spilled out of its body dying instantly.

Weephound registered to the index—a small window appeared at the corner of her HUD.

As this window appeared, the two remaining Weephounds vigorously clamped their four-way jaws down aggressively, on the leg and arm of her armored avatar. Their strong jaws held her firmly in place.

Simultaneously, Banelfsing began to rush towards the Weephound he was facing with his dagger, held in a reverse grip in hand. The beast began to leap towards him in response.

Seeing this, he jumped back, making the creature land; avoiding its pounce. As it did, Banelfsing kicked the fragile, dirt on the ground and blinded the Weephound successfully because of its lined-set of arrayed eyes.

Once again, he charged forward, dagger in hand. The beast started to flail its heavy paws as it wildly tried to bite with its four-way jaws. During this moment, Banelfsing sought for an opportunity to land a critical blow.

It didn't take much time to find this opportunity for him, however, as he quickly stabbed his dagger on the creature's thick neck. As he plunged it in, the Weephound knocked him away with its massive paws, staggering him back with a strong blow to his side. His HP dropped to 73%.

This surprised Banelfsing, as the stab wound should have been fatal enough to kill the beast as seen by its instant bleeding. While Banelfsing was still regaining his balance, the beast figured out the location of its prey despite the difficulty in vision and began to pounce at him.

However, this was stopped at the last moment as Mikrim struck her steel hatchet behind the hound, with a look of uncertainty expressed on her bloodied face with a drop jaw and wary eyes.

Being able to bring down the hatchet at a more open space, she was able to pierce through the Weephound’s tough hide on its side.

The Weephound fell on the broken ground. Before it could recover, Banelfsing rushed toward it to finish it off. He drew his second dagger, positioned himself opposite of the creature's massive jaws, and skewered his dagger into the creature's eyes. The beast kept gnawing at him out of reach, as Banelfsing went for a final twist and hoped his skewered dagger was enough to kill.

And it proved to be that it was—as the creature's snarling began to wane, and its strength left its body. In mere moments, all that was left in the scene was the Weephound's still, bloodied corpse; and Banelfsing firmly pinned down with his dagger on top of this creature.

Arka slammed her sword down at the beast that caught her arm. Although, she missed as the creature immediately backed away from her as it saw her raised sword arm. Next, she swung a back fist at the other creature that had its jaws clamped down on her leg. But just like Mikrim, her fist was caught in its grip in the process, and her HP dropped to 83%

Instead of trying to escape from it though, Arka held a firm grip on one of the creature's quadruple jaws, and did a quick stab on its side, burrowing her blade deeply.

As the beast lost its strength, she threw it down onto the ground.

The last Weephound found an opportunity to leap at her for a sure kill. And so, it pounced once more for its prey.

Arka predicted this instant action made by the beast through by quickly withdrawing her sword buried in the stomach of the dead monster on her feet. She then made an expeditious sword swing—slashing deeply into the pouncing creature's chest. It was left airborne and landed brutally into the wooden signpost behind her. The pole broke due to the collision with a creak from the wood, as it fell with a loud thud on the cursed ground.

Someone once asked that if a tree ever falls in a forest, does it make a sound? Perhaps this event could be treated as something similar, serving as an answer for Arka with that age-old question.

She began to stand up and turned to both Mikrim and Banelfsing who were sitting on the ground. She assessed the party, directing her pupils to the small party window on her HUD to which; she saw Mikrim's HP being the lowest among them. This implied she was hurt the most.

Arka looked at Mikrim and saw her covering her severed hand with tears welling up in her eyes. She held a vexed look on the torn hand she hid with Banelfsing accompanying her. Arka quickly jogged to them as she flicked the blood away from her bloodied sword, and sheathed it back on her waist.

"Krim!" She called out. Mikrim and Banelfsing turned to Arka, as Arka saw her surprised look.

She knelt with them and looked at her severed arm. "Let me see," Arka said.

Mikrim, reluctant as her whole body shook in nervousness; slowly removed her hand on the gruesome severed arm she had. It was violently torn away, showing the graphic muscle, blood, and bone underneath her flesh. Mikrim quickly looked back up at Arka, fearful at the sight.

Arka covered her missing hand and looked at her.

"D-Don't worry, it'll come back..." Arka said. "Ban, did you give her a healing potion?" She looked at him.

"Yeah, splashed some on her, and her wound. Healing should be cut to a few minutes," he said to Arka, as she nodded.

"I'm fine... sorry for worrying you two," Mikrim croaked. Due to this, she cleared her throat wanting to speak soundly. "It's just shocking seeing this happen. It's a strange feeling though that this doesn't hurt..." She looked back on the severed arm Arka covered, as her eyes started to relax.

"Yeah, t-this is just a game after all... I was surprised too when first I had this character's body get severed," Arka said. "You'll get used to it,"

"Arakar's right. It takes time. Just gotta have to experience seeing more of these mobs," Banelfsing told Mikrim, with a nod.

As Banelfsing said this, Mikrim remembered her reason for joining up with the group. She agreed with him, due to the same understanding that what she wants was an adventure to try and fight these monsters with them. "Yeah, you're right, Ban." Mikrim said, nodding and smiling at the both of them.

The whole party began standing up, as Mikrim took Arka's hand, pulling her up. "C'mon, let's keep heading back to the city so we'll finally have a safe zone to log out," Arka said to her, with a firm shake on her severed hand before letting go.

Mikrim nodded in agreement. "Okay!" She said, with her mood uplifted.

Banelfsing then approached Arka and began handing her the torch he held. "Arakar, we should probably fix our formation. I think it might be better with you, in front,"

Out of reflex, she took the torch Banelfsing offered to her. "R-Right. I've been thinking about that too. Our mage is vulnerable from being flanked with no one to protect her."

"Exactly," Banelfsing agreed with her. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on her. With the way you fought, I think you're much better in tanking for us,"

"I suppose so..." Arka held a hand on her chin before merely letting go. "This formation is indeed better for us to venture through this forest."

Banelfsing nodded at Arka before heading next to Mikrim. Arka turned her back to them before their party continued moving on towards the right path of the forest.

Minutes passed as they ventured through the darkness guided by the torch that Arka's held. The party encountered no other monster after that that would cause them any further inconvenience. It was at this time that Mikrim's severed hand finally started its recovery process. She lifted her arm to look at it.

What took the form of her severed hand were thin, gridded shapes shining with a faint, blue light. After outlining the missing hand her avatar was missing, it suddenly reconstructed itself from the base of her severed hand in a digitized form. An immediate, low hum was then heard as her hand finally came back to where it once was.

Mikrim went wide-eyed in surprise along with a sudden jerk of her reconstructed fingers upon seeing this.

"I-It's back!" Mikrim was astonished at the game's recovery process.

"What'd I tell ya? Slow, and painless, right?" Banelfsing told her with a grin.

Finally, the party reached the end of the dark forest, marking the end of their long journey as the large, dead trees were all but a fleeting, experience.

It seems they couldn't unwind, however, as they saw the new, alarming scene in front of them.

Numerous, large columns of thick smoke rise within the broken castle walls of the Grand City of Fellmoria, as a massive scale of monsters appear to invade into the heart of the city. A spiraling, colossal, white light was also visible coming from within the city, firing upwards into the darkened, rust-colored skies.

Knowing that the only way of entering the city was through the eastern farms, the party looked at this location, distances away. They saw that it was also under fire invaded by the monsters that Arka, Banelfsing and Mikrim has been fighting all this time.

With no other choice to enter the city walls, they immediately rushed toward the farms meters away and see just what was going on.

All three of them felt that the longest night in the world of Helamir has only just begun, as each of them prepared themselves for what was to come.