20 From heaven to hell

I was staying there stunned for almost a minute. When I noticed that Maria's father is still looking at me from the window I just bowed my head slightly, turned around and went straight home. During the metro ride, I was remembering that kiss over and over again. It may be just one kiss on the cheek but I felt like I was in heaven. I saw other people riding the metro looking at me like I was some fool. I bet I looked like that with the smile I had on my face.

When I saw my reflection in the window, I also thought why is this fool so happy? Then I realized that this fool is really me. I quickly calmed down and made a smile disappear from my face. But within me, I was still smiling like the biggest fool in the world. Not a bad feeling I would say.

When I came back home my parents and Hope were waiting for me in the living room. Hope would usually already be in bed since she follows a strict regiment regarding her training. But tonight she also waited with my parents. Of course, I knew why they waited. They wanted to know how my date went.

Since I couldn't hide my smile anymore, everything became clear to them as soon as they saw me entering the living room. I could see my father nodding his head in approval, Hope laughing like she already knew how it went and I could even see mother shed one tear of happiness with her bright smile. They soon surrounded me and demanded me to tell them about everything that happened tonight. When I was almost done and arrived at the kiss scene, Hope couldn't manage herself anymore and she shouted.

, And then she kissed him on the cheek!" she said with a big shout. Good thing that our house has good isolation layer, otherwise all the neighbors would hear her. But who knows maybe they will hear tomorrow when my mother starts talking with other ladies from our neighborhood.

, You already talked with Mia, didn't you?" I asked Hope, Why didn't you then already tell mom and dad what happened?"

, Haha, I wanted to wait for you but I couldn't manage it anymore."

, Well done son, very nice." my parents said.

I could just smile and remember that kiss once more. After some more small talk, all of us went to sleep. I, of course, didn't go to sleep but straight into the game. Even if I wanted to sleep now I couldn't from all the excitement.

When I logged into the game I found myself in front of the temple. Since I didn't enter the temple earlier today I first went in for a prayer, went for a meal so that I don't have to worry about my hunger and then started going into the mountain. Since my destination was that hole in the mountain where Rage Beasts were from and the battle will be certain, I prayed to Yarilo this time. I thought that strength and agility should be useful in this fights. During my walk towards the mountain, I could see other players here and there battling some Rage Beasts. There were not as many as they were earlier today, so other players had an easier time. When they saw me going up the mountain they wished me luck and continued the fights they were currently in.

Not long after I arrived at the end of the forest and the clearing which leads to the monster hole. The clearing was empty so I started moving forward. Even though there was no monster in sight at the moment I was still cautious. Who knows if some Rage Beast will jump out of nowhere. While I was walking towards the hole I tried to hear some sounds which could help me anticipate what was to come but I couldn't hear anything.

The silence was deafening. It was very disturbing. If I didn't hear the wind brush by me, I would assume that I am really deaf. I arrived at the hole soon after. I assumed at first that it is some regular hole, but seeing nothing from the entrance I changed my opinion. This could be anything from the monster den or a lair to a monster pit or a cave. The dungeon was the first thing that came to mind but since I didn't get any notification when I made a couple of steps in I judged that it must be something I mentioned before.

Well even if it was a lair, den, pit or a cave it wasn't anything good either way. In Slavic mythology, everyone of this places is connected to the Underworld. And I certainly wouldn't like to go into the Underworld this soon.

Knowing that I had to go in there, chilled the blood in my body. But I couldn't enter just like that. In this darkness, I couldn't see my own hand in front of me. I quickly returned to the forest. I hanged my big bags on one three and put away any unnecessary tools. Since one of them was almost full with bandages I took the other to bring with me. In there I put one wooden box filled with medicine, half a dozen big tree branches and enough bandages to wrap them around branches and in a case I need them myself for wounds. I also took my rope, little knife and some stones from the clearing in front of the pit to help me start a fire.

It took a while to start a fire and make a torch. Putting bandages around the branch was an easy part but setting it on fire was a harder task. After several tries, I somehow managed to get myself a torch and afraid that I will chicken out from the pit if I stared much into it I rushed in with torch in one hand and my staff in the other hand.

At first, I was going down, then up, then straight, after a couple of minutes I lost my sense of space and I couldn't tell if I was above or below the entrance. Thankfully my torch was made well and its flame made me warm and safe. Until the Rage Beasts showed up. The first two I encountered were level 8 and the one after was level nine.

I first had to somehow place the torch in the cracks of the pit so that I can use both of my hands to fight. I am not skilled yet to wield the staff with one hand. Since the space for walking was narrow I could only fight them one at a time. This was a good thing for me since I knew that the enemies were only in front and not behind me.

Killing this three Rage Beasts made me level 8, just a little bit to level 9. Ten stat points I put into agility stat since every opponent here should be quick on its feet. I didn't want to fall behind in speed.

After them nothing. Next fifteen minutes were the most nerve-wracking I experienced so far in the game. I used two torches so far and the third one was slowly dying out. But just as I thought that I had to make a forth, I could see a small light in front of me. As I was going further and further in the light was getting bigger and brighter.

At first, I couldn't see from the light but quickly my eyes got used to the light and I could see in front of me. There was a little lake in front with very clear water, which was almost shining. With a better look, I noticed that it was actually the ceiling which was shining. The ceiling was covered with a lot of shining rocks. What rocks were they I had no idea? Even if they were precious stones there was no way for me to get them down from the ceiling.

Then I took a better look around. I almost screamed. At both sides of the little lake lied two wolf Rage Beasts, one on each side. Since they didn't see me yet I used Appraisal on them. Both of them were level 9. Not good at all. Thankfully I was still at the entrance, and here only one of them could still attack me.

Before I had I chance to totally relax I heard a small grunt. Following that sound, my eyes reached the other side of the lake. There, a being lied on one protruding rock which looked upon the whole room. This underground room wasn't big or small, just enough for that being to see everything in it.

Fear, that was the only thing I could feel after my eyes lied up on it. And then I knew that my suspicions from before were true.

Rage Nightmare. When I saw it, I didn't need to use Appraisal to know its name. I remember when my grandpa talked about evil mythological beings from Slavic mythology. When he talked about Rage Beasts he mentioned one more evil being. In some beliefs, there is a being who leads the Rage Beasts and controls them. That was Rage Nightmare. Its appearance was somewhere between a vampire and a werewolf, sometimes even similar to them, which made people believe that they are one and the same being.

It could go on both four or two limbs, its claws were as sharp as the sharpest blade, and its eyes could instill fear in whomever it looked into. One more grunt and two Rage Beasts woke up and rushed at me at once. Before they arrived I used that opportunity to appraise the Rage Nightmare. And results:

Rage Nightmare

Level 10 Boss

Health ???

My level was insufficient to see it's health, but I would say that it's health should be three times that of the level 9 Rage Beast if not more. I moved back a little into the dark passage so that I can fight one on one. Both of the Rage Beasts entered the passage but only one of them could fight efficiently. But since they were ordered to kill me they hindered one another, which helped me a lot.

Still, it took me almost half an hour to kill both of them. I just couldn't allow myself to make one mistake. I didn't even notice the level up notification and just put five points into strength and five into agility, and waited for Rage Nightmare to attack me.

But nothing happened. I slowly moved towards the entrance of the cave room and looked into it. Rage Nightmare was still lying down on the rock but as soon as I showed myself it looked at me straight into my eyes. That fear possessed me once again and I quickly moved my glance away.

There was no way that the Rage Nightmare will come at me. It was to smart for that. It knew that I had to kill it to stop Rage Beasts appearing, at least in bigger numbers, and for that, I had to enter inside. And inside was its territory.

I looked around the cave trying to find someplace which I could use strategically but to no success. Walls were smooth and the only exception in the terrain of the cave was that rock on which the Rage Nightmare was on. Looking into the lake I made an even sadder expression. If I somehow fell into it I would be dead for sure. Not because I was a bad swimmer but because I was sure that my strength couldn't match the strength of the Rage Nightmare in the water.

Those facts and the fact that whenever I look into its eyes I would lose courage made me extremely fearful for my chances of victory this time. I could only step out of the dark into the light and try my best. If this already wasn't hell then being killed would certainly bring me there. And just a few hours earlier i was in heaven. What irony.