Taking a steady breath, they stepped into the dark forest with caution.
Elizabeth and Rianne navigated the thick forest with care. Their boots snapped on twigs and crunched on dry leaves.
Deeper in the forest, tall trees closed in around them. Shadows danced and changed. The sun fought to shine through the thick leaves, showing just a hint of light. Everything was quiet around them. Only the rustling leaves and distant bird tweets broke the silence. An eerie ambiance traveled through the air, sending delightful chills down their spines.
"Where are the monsters?" Elizabeth asked; her voice was low but no longer trembling. The earlier tension that gripped them had begun to fade, replaced by a dull curiosity.
Although they had been walking for a while, Elizabeth had seen no signs of life, no monsters, animals nor landmarks... it was an endless maze of trees.
"We should have encountered one by now," Rianne said, scanning the trees with a furrowed brow. "The streamer I watched ran into five goblins just five minutes after entering the forest, then... she died in less than ten seconds."
Elizabeth shot her a sharp look.
"Shouldn't you have told me that earlier?"
"It's fine," Rianne waved it off. "They said you'll only feel about thirty percent of the real pain. And if we die, we'll respawn in the nearest human settlement within a minute."
A sudden rustle in the bushes interrupted Elizabeth just as she was about to respond.
Though her body was still, her senses were on edge. She gripped her hammer tighter, her heart beginning to race. It pounded loud and steady. The sound was defeaning, was it fear, or... excitement? Elizabeth doesn't know.
Her eyes flitted around, scanning the rustling bushes for movement. Every sound sent prickles of alertness rippling through her.
The forest, with an unsettling stillness, seemed to descend into a deeper silence.
Then... another rustle.
Elizabeth's eyes flicked between the swaying bushes.
This time, to the left.
Her instinct told her that something was wrong.
"Rianne…" she whispered, not taking her eyes off the undergrowth. "Did you hear that?"
"Ye..." Rianne started, but the bushes in front of them burst open without warning. A goblin jumped out, screeching as it charged at them. It cut her off before she could reply.
The goblin stood petite—just shy of Elizabeth's waist. Its green skin glistened with grime, a testament to its mischief. A wicked grin stretched across its face, sharp fangs on full display. In one hand, it brandished a rusty dagger. The other hung limply at its waist. Small, sinister red eyes sparkled with malice, eager for mayhem as it charged forward.
Without warning, the goblin hurled its dagger with startling speed... straight at Rianne's heart.
"Rianne, watch out!" Elizabeth cried.
The blade whistled through the air. Rianne flinched, her reaction a split second too slow.
She twisted away just in time to avoid a fatal strike.
The dagger's edge grazed her shoulder, then sank deep. Pain flared as blood spilled from the wound, warm and fast.
Rianne let out a blood-curdling scream, "Ahhh!! It hurts!!!"
She screamed and stumbled back, the dagger's force hitting her hard. Her face twisted in pain. The blood flowed in a steady stream, staining her clothes and the ground.
"Who said thirty percent of pain wouldn't hurt?! It hurts like hell, thirty percent, my ass!!"
Raised in a life of luxury, pampered and protected, Rianne had never known real pain; she cried on the ground. It felt like the dagger lodged in her shoulder was ripping her apart.
Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat. It was the first time she had seen so much blood like that... virtual or not, it looked far too real.
Does it really hurt, or is she overreacting? Elizabeth couldn't tell.
But the goblin did not give her much time to think about it, as it had already begun charging again. Drawing its second dagger as it snarled with feral hunger.
Elizabeth's eyes snapped to the creature, rage boiling over fear.
"Rianne!! Heal!! Use your heal!" Elizabeth shouted as she clenched her hammer and locked eyes with the goblin.
"R-right… let me try!!" Rianne stammered, clutching her tome with trembling hands. She flipped through the glowing pages, her fingers shaky from pain and panic.
At the same time, Elizabeth rushed forward. Out of nowhere, knowledge of how to swing a hammer came flooding into her mind. Swing angles, grip strength, footwork. It was just as Lumiere said.
Still, Elizabeth isn't certain she can hold the goblin off with this knowledge. But she'll do her best to ensure that Rianne has time to heal herself.
The goblin lunged with its dagger aimed at Elizabeth's leg.
Without fear, Elizabeth faced the goblin. Her right foot came to a complete stop, pressing against the ground. "Eat this!!!" she raised her hammer above her head.
Then she swung.
"Eeekk!" the goblin screeched. Feeling the danger in the air, it twisted its tiny frame to the side at the last second. With its small body, it dodged the massive hammer that was heading toward its head by a slim margin.
BANG!!!
The hammer connected to the ground with a thunderous crack. Dust flew off in the air everywhere, masking the scene for a heartbeat.
"No!!" Elizabeth hissed through clenched teeth. She had missed.
The goblin rolled into the ground and ate some dust stirred by her hammer. But with renewed vigor, it recovered and pushed its feet off the ground with speed. Snarling the chance it spotted.
Elizabeth's hammer was stuck... jammed deep into the earth, showing her inexperience in fighting.
With a fierce howl, the goblin sprang forward.
"Raaagh!!"
The dagger penetrated Elizabeth's left thigh, leaving a deep wound.
"Ahhh!!" Elizabeth cried out, pain shooting up her leg like fire as the dagger went deeper into her thigh.
She looked down...
Blood welled around the blade, and the goblin was right there, grinning wickedly up at her.
"Arrrgh!!" she roared, yanking the hammer free with raw, desperate strength. The impact thudded in her arms as it came loose from the dirt.
"Scram!"
With a surge of fury, Elizabeth swung the weapon sideways.
But the goblin scoffed at her. Having already torn its dagger free, it leapt backward in one fluid motion. Avoiding Elizabeth's slow and clumsy, rage-fueled strike with ease.
Swoosh!!
Elizabeth's hammer smashed through nothing but air.
She stepped back, her chest rising and falling in quick succession.
Her eyes dropped to her leg.
Blood flowed down her thigh, soaking her clothes and dripping onto the forest floor. But, in a surprising manner, the pain changed. The searing sting from earlier had faded to a heavy pulsing throb...
Instead of a stab wound, it now feels more like someone has punched her thigh hard.
I knew it! Rianne was overreacting...
Elizabeth thought, scowling despite the blood loss.
She turned her head just in time to see Rianne sitting on the forest floor. A soft, holy glow surrounded her shoulders. The light pulsed around her shoulders, mending the torn flesh. While the dagger that injured her rested on the ground, stained with blood.
Looks like she's okay...
Elizabeth breathes a sigh of relief.
Then she turned back to the goblin once more.
It snarls at her, its eyes narrowed, body low and tense while circling around her. It watches her every move with predatory caution.
"Go, Liz!! I'll heal you in five seconds once the cooldown for heal is up," Rianne cheered. "Beat him into a pulp."
"..."
Elizabeth chuckled. "Easy for you to say." Her legs were throbbing, but it doesn't look like it will hinder her movement. After all, this is indeed a virtual reality.
She raised her hammer. "Come!" With a sharp breath, she then pushed her feet off the ground.
"Raaaghh!!" the goblin growled, then charged at her.
This time, Elizabeth altered her plan. She did not raise her hammer above her to smash the goblin. She gritted her teeth and swung it in a wide horizontal arc... aimed straight at the goblin's face.
Swoosh!!
But the goblin planted his feet on the ground, coming to a dead stop inches away from the hammer's swing.
"One more!!!" Elizabeth shouted, planting her foot forward and swinging again from the opposite side. This time, faster and stronger with the help of the earlier swing's momentum.
Swoosh!!
Tsk...
She missed again.
Despite using her full force behind the strike, the goblin simply hopped back... it dodged her hammer blow with infuriating ease.
Still, Elizabeth refused to back down. "Come here you little shit!!!" She gave chase, swinging her hammer from side to side with great force. Yet, each strike smashed through the empty air.
The goblin was always a step ahead of her. Ducking, leaping, and weaving around her strikes with maddening speed.
"Kekeke!!" the goblin cackled, circling her with glee.
It could see her, breathing heavily, her form showing signs of fatigue, and her swing diminishing in speed. It wasn't afraid it was simply waiting... waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Elizabeth paused, gasping for air.
She couldn't land a single blow.
This guy's too fast...
No...
I am slow...
And the wound in her thigh has been throbbing harder and harder, now slowing her movements down more.
Wait... Where's my heal?
She had definitely been swinging her hammer for more than five seconds now.
Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder.
Rianne's wide eyes met hers. "Ahhh! Hehehe—sorry!" she stammered, fumbling to open her tome. She chanted with urgency, "O Holy Goddess of Light, grant me your blessing, mend thy wounds—Small Heal!!"!" With a wave of her hand, a soft, golden glow enveloped Elizabeth's thigh.
Warmth flowed through Elizabeth. The pulsing light eased her pain, helping the torn flesh heal.
"Go!! Go! Don't worry, I got you!" Rianne cheered. As if she hadn't gotten caught watching Elizabeth trying her hardest in a long time.
She couldn't help it, she was just happy... The mission to bring some color to Elizabeth's life is on its way to a huge SUCCESS!!