Three months later…
I sped downwards threw the air, heedless of any potential for failure. My goal was straight ahead of me, too large to miss. My daggers were like great talons, ready to rip and tear my prey like I was a hunting eagle. Best of all, Illfang would never see me co-
In a flash I shifted from sleeping to a low crouch. My fingers curled like claws, ready to rip and tear whatever it was that had awakened me. Tension coiled in my legs as I prepared to lunge but I stopped abruptly upon seeing the shine of their breastplates. I hadn't seen monsters with such shiny armor before.
"..." one said, words little more than a confusing jumble of noise to me. Equally confusing was the fact that it was speaking at all. Monsters weren't supposed to speak and I hadn't talked to an npc in longer than I could remember. This world wasn't real and talking to them like they were people would only confuse me.
"Are you in need of help?"
I understood the words this time. It was a familiar phrase, one I'd used plenty of times during another life. No, not another life. The Beta. It was a phrase that usually elicited a quest from npcs that were showing signs of distress.
"I think it's broken," said another of their group. They were gathered closer to me than I felt comfortable with, their half-lowered weapons not helping matters. I could tell they were weak though, even without seeing their levels.
"Maybe we used the wrong phrase?" said a female. That made the rest males. Men. Words felt… fuzzy. It felt like a lifetime since I'd had any use for them. Before it started glitching, the game clock claimed it had only been a few weeks. I wasn't so sure though, it had felt to me like three seconds passed for every tick of the clock.
She drew something from her inventory. It was a fluffy golden disk with a creamy white in the middle that smelled tantalizingly sweet. She extended it towards me slowly. I wasn't sure the speed was intentional since everything the group did was slow. Talking, moving, it was all at such a languid pace that it put me on edge. I was used to the higher floors where mobs moved at a far faster pace, though still not as fast as I could.
"Be careful Sachi, it looks dangerous."
"I'll be fine," she replied. "This is a safe zone, right? And she doesn't look dangerous, she looks cute to me."
"Let her try it Keita," said a blond-haired boy. "See those ears? She might even be tameable. If we're lucky she might even be better than that pixie that grants speed buffs."
My ears twitched before laying flat against the top of my head. The exact meaning of the word tame escaped me, buried among a barrel of other memories that I had no desire to recall. Still, it sounded somewhat insulting. I relented though after a few seconds of her waving the food in front of my face.
I snatched it from her hand faster than she could blink and ate it nearly as fast. It was so sweet that I could barely stand it, but it was very tasty. My ears twitched again as I licked my fingers. 'Danish,' I remembered. 'Cheese danish.'
"Do you want to come with us?" asked Sachi.
It was an unexpected question and one that I had no quick answer to. The last time someone asked me to go with them was-
I closed my eyes, forcing the memory away. I could do this, couldn't I? For a little while at least. It had been so long since I'd heard real human voices like this and it was surprising how nice it felt. Thanks to my wolf ears the game was never silent but for now the skittering movements of creatures in the woods was largely covered up by the chatter of the boys in the back.
Hesitantly I nodded my assent. I was only on this lower floor to search for a gem that would unlock the next boss dungeon. There was no reason why I couldn't search for it while in their vicinity. With luck they'd even keep the mobs from bothering me while I searched.
"Awesome!" Sachi jumped up and down, hands clasped between her breasts. "Come on then everyone, let's get back to work."
Skills:
Sprint lvl 435 (+31% top run speed)
Martial Arts lvl 378
Dagger Mastery lvl 350
Throwing lvl 260
Acrobatics lvl 371
Items:
Blue-steel throwing needles
Random daggers
Leather armor
Fenrir's Cloak
Overall level: 43
Agility: 168
Strength: 43
Health: 47 (530 HP, +1.7/second (+5.5/sec while resting))
End chap 13.
Sachi a little ooc here but it's earlier in the game and some different things have happened. Some of her canon personality will shine through soon.