Chapter 15: A Drop of Crimson

Two large, black, feathery wings blocked the sunlight. I felt the coldness in my chest grow. I watched, frozen in place, as a claw-like hand extended towards me.

"You've walked right into such an obvious trap." His dry voice sent a chill down my spine. I tried to move away, but his hand grabbed my throat. His long fingers were cold, it felt as if they belonged to a corpse. I grabbed them and tried to pry his fingers open in an attempt to breathe.

"Weak." He whispered as he pushed my long hair aside. His glowing purple eyes were terrifying to look at. They reminded me of a beast, playing with its prey. I could feel my life slowly being sapped away – was it his power?

My vision began to fade. I couldn't think properly. I couldn't breathe. I gasped for air, but his firm grasp didn't loosen. If only I had a weapon, then I'd be able to defend myself. I'd at least be able to escape.

I heard the sound of a pair of large, feathery wings as something landed behind me. "Now, what do we have here?" It was a clear, beautiful voice. Barely holding on to my consciousness, the first person I thought of was my sister. What was she even doing in this place?

"Let go of him, Delthur." I felt a hand touch my left shoulder as the man's grip on my throat loosed just enough to let me breathe.

"My Lady," He nodded. "He understands us. Be aware of your words, please." His purple eyes focused on mine. Still holding on to his wrist, all I could do was gasp for ait and look away. I felt powerless.

"Of course he does." She circled around me, finally entering my vision. She was taller than me, had the same pale blueish skin as Delthur. I could see some markings on her left arm, but her right arm was hidden under her black cloak. She had dark blue wings that were even larger than Delthur's. She was slim and beautiful. Her purple eyes reflected the sunlight. She had an air of dignity around her.

"What's your name, hatchling?" She asked, leaning forward. She was close enough that I could smell her. She smelled like hyacinth and… blood. I could see the drops of blood on her grey dress.

"He's shaking." Delthur's voice was filled with ridicule. He was mocking me. He wasn't wrong, though. I was shaking, their presences were overwhelming, and I could barely breathe. I was pathetic compared to them. If this were any other game, I might have not been so terrified but now that we had no idea what death really meant, I was petrified. Just looking at them was hard enough.

"He doesn't want to die." She leaned forward, even closer. "I don't blame him." Her voice was weirdly soothing, yet terrifying at the same time. "But" I felt the grip on my shoulder tighten. "I asked you a question. I will not repeat it." Her eyes glowed with magic. I felt a rumble beneath me. Something sprouted from the ground behind me.

"Lady Vixia, is this really a good idea?" Delthur asked with some uncertainty in his voice. "We may be found out if you keep using your magic like this."

The woman sighed as her eyes returned to normal and the rumbling disappeared. "I'll just do this, then." I felt something wind around my feet and knees. "Now then, your name." She said with a demanding voice.

After a moment's hesitation, I weakly spoke. "Kai."

"A simple name," Was that a smile I saw on her lips just now? "I like it." She let go of my shoulder. "We're leaving. He's not worth our time yet." She extended her wings, then suddenly turned around and glared at me. "But first," Her hand moved faster than I could see as I felt a sting on my cheek. "I'll be taking some of this." With those words, she flew off.

The hand around my neck finally loosened and let go. "You're lucky, Kai." Delthur said with a grin. "You'll get to live your pitiable life just a bit more." He also flew off, leaving me alone, tired and scared on this windy peak.

Only after they became tiny dots in the far away sky did I dare move. I touched my throat; I could still feel Delthur's tight grasp around it. His claw-like nails had scratched my neck. Though, considering everything that could have happened, it was a very cheap price to pay for my life. I was indeed very lucky.

I looked behind me to see what she had done. A large tree had sprouted from the ground. It's lush green leaves and large, bright blue flowers were beautiful. How she did this in such a short time, I had no idea. I also had no time to spare thinking about it. The sun had started to approach the mountains. I couldn't survive outside during the night if creatures like Vixia and Delthur roamed around then.

I had to go back, quickly. However, Vixia seemed to disagree with that sentiment as she'd trapped me here – some of the roots of the tree were wrapped around my legs. I couldn't move my lower body at all. If she wanted to kill me, she could have done it rather easily. This, however, felt like she was toying with me. I couldn't help but feel some resentment against Erik's father. Why would they add someone like that to this game?

I summoned my inventory and took my staff out. I lodged it between the roots and my leg and tried to pry them apart to no avail. "Damn it." I whispered. It was getting darker. I summoned my stats panel and used Fallen Grace. As some power rushed into me, I tried to pry the roots apart again. At first, it seemed impossible, they were as thick as my legs and really sturdy. As the sun inched closer to the horizon, I finally felt one of the roots budge just a little.

"Finally!" I shouted as I kept working. Despite my happiness, it took a long time to loosen the roots enough to move my lower body. As the sun finally reached the horizon, my legs were freed. Exhausted, I stood up. My steps were wobbly and uneven as my legs were numb. I held on to the tree for support as I looked towards the camp. It was so far away.

"Damn it." I whispered. I'd never make it in time. Even if it were light out, it'd take at least an hour to get there. Now, with little visibility and the dangers of the night, I'd be lucky to make it in three hours. Hesitant, I weighed my options; I'd either stay here and use my height advantage to fend off anything that approached me, or I could make a run for it and hope for the best.

I glanced at my shaky legs. I'd never make it back. I'd collapse before I could even reach the halfway point. I sank into the ground. I was pathetic. Getting myself caught like this, I was stupid. But… How did they even know I'd be here? How could they have possibly set up a trap if the crystals kept them at bay?

I summoned my interface and looked over the quests tab. Now, all three quests were completed. Besides them, a small notice was written in pale blue text: 'Collect your rewards from the crystal.'

Somehow, I was lured into a trap by these… demons. Had they used the system the Erdrin had created to send me on a quest? No, that was impossible. None of that made any sense. And the weirdest of all, why was I the one getting ambushed like that? This was an MMO, wasn't it? There were two thousand players playing this game. Why was I the one getting caught up in things like this?

I leaned by back on the tree. Exhaustion had set in; I could barely keep my eyes open. I couldn't fall asleep here – it was too dangerous. Despite my efforts to stay awake, the sweet darkness of sleep dragged me in without mercy.