RB Chapter 17 Cowardice

It is 2:30pm, Elec and Eric are in the room each lost in their own thoughts after the luncheon.

'My master, a person I would label as...I lack the word, but he's basically lazy and has no goal. Even his current goal of getting stronger to appear more pleasing to girls is something I think he will eventually abandon in the long run. It all boils down to his personality, he lacks motivation...he has never desired something in this world seriously, everything is just passing clouds to him! If some day he comes up with something, the next day he might abandon it...' Such thoughts were running through Eric's head as he laid down on his bed.

He was simply staring at the ceiling while his master was playing around with his touch screen device.

"Eric, let's go to the wilderness...nonono, I mean the virtual one!" Elec said.

Eric had started looking at him weirdly the moment he said wilderness, causing him to correct himself.

Even though Eric could read Elec's thoughts, he sometimes screened off the ability since nothing constructive ever went on in Elec's head.

He sat up and silently walked towards a virtual pod.

"You have to make sure that you guard me! No harm must come to me and if you see any weak creature, let me fight it!" Excitement was thick in Elec's voice as he followed behind.

"Master! The wilderness is dangerous, so you must stay by my side at all times! He said as he turned side ways to look at him with one of his eyes.

"Okay okay!" He nodded.

Each entered their own pods which were lined up side by side.

After exiting the Masanyalaze virtual building...

"Master! Which direction would you like to take?" Eric asked.

"The north! I heard that the forest is beautiful!" He said before trying to go off.

"We need weapons first. Something compatible with us." Eric suggested as he pulled Elec's arm back.

The both of them were also clad in black symors.

Elec proceeded to summon a virtual panel in front of himself.

"Any type of weapon owned by the Masanyalaze clan is replicated in the virtual city...except the secret ones." Elec explained upon seeing Eric's curiosity. He was bending over and looking at what Elec was browsing.

Due to his mature demeanor, sometimes Elec almost forgot that they were of the same age.

Elec scrolled through a bunch of weapons before choosing two, which materialised and floated in front of them.

They were two long swords, a meter each resting in their scabbards. They were black and resembled those held by medieval knights. They even had a belt which could be wrapped around the waist.

"These swords work on the principle of electromagnetic repulsion...basically, you charge them with electricity causing the scabbard to repel the sword. Its like quick draw except you have to have the speed and strength to be capable of controlling the direction of the blade or your arm could be torn off!" Elec delivered the lengthy explanation.

Eric grasped the hilt and inspected the sword. A few arcs of electricity danced along the scabbard as he injected it.

His eyes had brightened up! He had fallen in love with the sword.

"Don't look so lovestruck! Its just a simple weapon." Elec managed to make him regain his stoic expression.

"Let's go!" Elec said as he led the way north. He was in high spirits like he was about to go adventuring.

Eric sighed exasperately upon seeing his attitude but he followed behind the idiot.

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But the moment they reached the forest, Elec was practically hanging on Eric's arm every time he heard a rustle of leaves, a twig snapping, buzzing of insects and more!

And his voice, it was like he was trying to tell every predator that he was here! Waiting to be eaten!

Eric was grasping the hilt of the blade tightly while leading the way. He was constantly on alert! Tuning out Elec's sounds and occasionally even increased the processing power of his brain to miss nothing in the surroundings!

That's how it had been until he walked into a tiny clearing and caught sight of Leah.

She was clad in a dark green symor which appeared almost black to the normal eye except that his heightened senses could see its true color.

Her beautiful green hair and pupils also caught his eye. The curves, fully displayed by the suit caused him to raise an eyebrow.

'She truly has a tempting body!' Even he was a normal boy. Such thoughts abruptly appeared in his mind.

'Hmmm!? Where are her arms?' He saw that there were to stumps where they were supposed to be.

"Ohhh!"

Elec bumped into him and cried out. It seemed his nose had become the casualty in his idiotic absentmindedness.

"Hey why did you stop...Leah!" Elec caught sight of Leah when he was about to complain.

He tried to race towards her but, Eric pulled him and placed him behind himself.

All the complaints, which had been about to come out of his mouth, where stifled the moment something abruptly appeared on her head.

It was a white rabbit like creature with claws stained with blood.

'It must be the one!'

Eric understood it the moment he saw the creature. Those emotionless double pupiled eyes alone terrified him.

"Master! If we attack, we die! What's the plan? Do we save her or leave this place and hope the creature doesn't follow?" Eric asked Elec, who was behind his back without turning his head.

"Ar-r-re you an idi-ot!? Of course we run!" His voice trembled. His legs were shaking and he was trying not to look at the creature.

Leah's eyes widened when she heard him, Eric even saw tears shimmering in them.

"You understand too! Don't you! We can't save you! We will also die! Would you want us to die with you?" Elec tried to justify his actions.

'This is right! We can't save her! She has to understand! That monster is scary!'

Eric sighed when he read his master's thoughts, but he couldn't disobey his master's order.

"Forgive me but the orders of my master take higher priority." Eric apologised as he started to back away slowly.

His knuckles wrapped around the hilt of his sword had turned white but he was tightly holding it. His eyes weren't leaving the beast and he was doing all he could not to blink.

His palms were sweaty, his heart beating rapidly and he even thanked god in his mind that the armor was porous, not letting the sweat make him uncomfortable.

'I would have saved you, but my master's orders take precedence. I will find a way to make it up to you!' He thought when he saw tears running down her face as he backed away.

Elec was hiding his face behind Eric to prevent the beast from catching sight of it...possibly Leah too. The decision he had just made was too cruel! Even though this world was virtual, he cared too much about his life.

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'Weren't we friends, Elec! Even when my mother tried to tell me about your character, and dissuaded our friendship! I always believed you were better than this! You don't even dare to look me in the eyes as you leave me to die?'

Leah felt her heart breaking! She felt like something she had been clinging on had vanished.

She didn't blame Eric because she knew of the circumstances surrounding him. She even saw it in his eyes that he would have saved her if it wasn't for Elec.

'Now's not the time to think about the other's intentions! I will show this monster that I am not an easy bone to swallow!' She thought as Eric and Elec once again vanished into the undergrowth.

The clearing had become quiet with only the girl with the rabbit standing on top her head. If it wasn't for the tense atmosphere, it would have been a pleasant scene.

Leah's tears had stopped. She was going to break her shackles and go out with a bang!

The monster seemed to have felt it, as it jumped away from her and stood in front to look at her curiously.

"Aaaaaaaaaah!" A piercing scream releasing all her pent up feelings was released as she started transforming!

Her long hair looked like it was pulled into her head and vanished. Her heartbeat accelerated, scales rose from her neck to cover her entire head, the neck enlarged to the same size as the head, the ears vanished into the skin and the mouth elongated.

After the transformation, a snake 50cm wide and three meters long was left in the place. It was emerald green and its head was raised as it beheld the rabbit, its tongue flicking in and out!

Even the scream had been reduced to a hiss.

Deadly venom was dripping out of the fangs onto the ground. Sizzling sounds arose where it was making contact.

'If I die! I will die at my strongest!'

That was Leah's last thought before flinging her snake head towards the rabbit, 1.5 meters away!

The rabbit thought that the distance was long enough but, that was a mistake! For some reason, the neck elongated and the snake mouth widened and bit down on the rabbit monster's head!

[Full beast transformation can be triggered by the owners of the bloodline, but in exchange, your intelligence drops to that of a base beast!]