75: The Land of the Dead, Part Two

The Land of the Dead, Part Two

[That's a lot of enemies. Kind of an insane number, actually.] 

Thinking about it logically, it appeared that she forgot one minor detail from her previous visit to this area. 

That being that before, she'd had around 60 or 70 players behind her. Them having been there to distract some of these strange, alien zombies had obscured their numbers. Now, though, she was allowed to perceive the quantity of danger here.

A number she gracefully described in her mind as a fuck-ton.

And yet, Neve couldn't say she felt that scared.

Anxious, for sure. Hopeful that she'd live past this so she could get her revenge, certainly. But, not truly scared. Why was that? The idea of these enemies, as Tamira had told her what she'd be facing, had frightened her more than actually standing before them did. 

Maybe it was because she knew something important.

[All I need is to fight one. That's all. I just want to see one. If I do, then I'll be able to confirm my theory about these things.]

That was probably why she felt so calm right now. 

[Then, well, if shit hits the fan, I can just run the fuck away. Fuck Tamira.]

With that thought going through her mind, Neve focused mainly on the zombie closest to Erin. 

Level 75

MP: 100/100

[... Just one. That's all.]

The zombie engaged Erin as clumsily as Neve remembered it being.

Erin dodged its wild flailing and fought back, slamming her swords into its neck. Her blades struggled to slip past its skin, but the lamia pressed on.

In doing so, she confirmed Neve's suspicions. 

This was a simple enemy. So much so that even though she was over 20 levels behind, and it showed in how her blades nearly could not cut past its skin, Erin managed to make this look easy. Time-consuming, but easy. 

By the time the other enemies had gotten somewhat close to Erin, slowly hobbling toward her like a scene out of a 70s horror movie, Neve had seen most of what she wanted to see and had gotten some EXP out of it. 

EXP Gained: 50

EXP: 460/750

WS Tokens Gained: 100

WS Tokens: 30205

[Right. No more double EXP. I think I might have gotten used to it.] Looking at the other zombies, Neve said:

"Erin, take another one on." 

[That fight took about 30 seconds. I think we have time for one more before this mob reaches us.]

"Understood." 

Taking a few steps back, Neve watched as Erin faced another zombie. Just like the previous fight, Erin dodged away from an attack and countered, though this zombie's flailing was a little quicker, catching both Erin and Neve off-guard. 

The outcome, however, was the same. 

EXP Gained: 50

EXP: 510/750

WS Tokens Gained: 100

WS Tokens: 30305

Erin then disappeared. Neve watched the other zombies approach, their mouths wide open and their eyes fixed on her.

And then, she turned around and sprinted away. 

Not bothering to stop and look at anything else, she kept running all the way to the safe zone. 

As she reached the camp, the zombies arrived a short while later and those who followed her here were halted by an invisible barrier. Ahlakan, thankfully, wasn't outside to see this. Neve didn't want her to get scared. 

The zombies looked at each other, mildly confused, and then just walked away. Presumably, so they could dig themselves back under the sand and wait for their cue to pop back out again.

She sighed, processing what she'd just seen. 

"... Leveling up at all from this point would be a problem," she muttered. "Doesn't matter whether I'm level 75 or 100. Because I don't have much in the way of offense, and Erin doesn't have much Endurance, all I'm doing by gaining EXP from this point on is making things harder, since Erin will stay at level 50 unless I level up my Healing Magic skill. It sucks to think that way, given how much time I just spent grinding levels in the Hall of the Luminous, but that's the truth." 

The other daunting part of this was that Neve assumed the complexity of the enemies she was bound to face was probably set to increase with each floor. 

"In that case, I might just be screwed no matter what." 

Of course, the thought of taking another couple of weeks off to increase Erin's level again did cross her mind, but the issue there was as simple as the zombies the summon had taken down. 

Time. 

"... I wish Tamira had just told me where Thomas is right now. If I knew that, I'd be willing to grind some more levels out with her. But, without knowing that, I might just be letting my chance to kill him slip away."

There were just too many things that she needed right now. She needed time, she needed power, on Erin specifically, and she needed knowledge. Knowledge of the trials ahead. Knowledge of what exactly her enemies could do. 

"What was it that Kelvon said? Being a healer is about making logical choices. But, in order to do that, in order to make smart choices in my future fights, I need to know what my opponents can do. I wish I had a guide or something." 

In the past, before the Unity Trials, Neve had been the type to make guides. Mostly as a subtle way of flexing her superiority over other healers. 

"Heh, what was it again? I made one that went something like, 'How to Make the Enemy Team Flame Their Support, by xxhealsl0txx'. People liked that one."

Even though the guides she made were mainly just the product of her ego, Neve did make them extremely comprehensive, diving into every minor detail and explaining complex mechanics. For what was, essentially, a self-congratulatory endeavor, she put more effort into it than what one may have considered appropriate. 

"Why did I do that, actually?" 

A small amount of introspection made one potential answer rise quicker than the rest. 

"... Probably because I liked it."

It felt good, diving into the way the games she played worked. It felt good to dissect different parts of them, in hopes of gaining advantages and then relaying the information to others. And, most importantly...

"I felt useful." 

That was mostly it. That was what it came down to. 

"I wish I could find a guide on this place. If the Final Challenge was a game, I swear, it would be the type that's almost impossible to beat without a walkthrough." 

She wondered what that might look like. A comprehensive, step-by-step guide on how to pass each floor. 

And it was as she pondered that, that she thought to herself:

[Maybe I should make it.] Sighing, Neve shook her head. [Not like I'd be able to share it with anyone, though.] 

At that point, perhaps having heard Neve muttering to herself like a drunken fool, Ahlakan walked out of the tent she'd been in.  1

"You're back already?" The woman asked, approaching the spot where Neve sat on the dirt. 

"Yeah. I was just taking a look." 

"Ah, right. And? What are your thoughts?" 

The nulin woman sat down next to her and Neve gave her a bitter smile. 

"Well, I just learned that I've gotten *too* strong recently. I'm not joking, by the way. That's actually a problem I'm dealing with." 

"How could that be a problem?" 

"Uh... Let's just say that when the world knows you're strong, things tend to try harder to kill you." 

"Scary." 

"A-Anyway, what did you do?" 

"What could I do?" Ahlakan countered light-heartedly. "Same as I've always been doing. Painting, looking around, and walking along this little camp. It..." She giggled, before delivering words that felt like a bucket of cold water had just been thrown over Neve's head. "I do not mean to sound ungrateful, but it seems as though not much has changed for me. Though, the change in scenery is incredible." 

Thrown from one issue to another, Neve looked away, unable to bear the brief hint of loneliness that appeared on Ahlakan's face. 

And revelation struck, forcing a thought into Neve's heart. 

[What the hell am I doing with her?] 

Ahlakan had been brought back by the Forces That Be and, up until now, all Neve had done was keep her locked up in two tiny camps. All when she had it in her to provide her with the freedom she'd yearned for her whole life.

[... And Erin, too. When I met her, she'd literally been in a cage, and all I've done since freeing her is drag her around from one fight to another. She may as well still be in one.] 

Focusing on getting stronger and trying to achieve the vengeance she wanted was essential. Necessary. But, could Neve really not spare a moment to help these two find some happiness? 

[But...] She'd been about to tell herself the same thing she'd been saying all this time. That they were just NPCs, placed along her path specifically for her so that the Forces That Be could laugh, gawk, and watch as she interacted with them. 

However, she couldn't use that excuse anymore. 

As she'd told Tamira before, it didn't matter whether they were real or not. 

That left her with nothing to do but say:

"I'm sorry," she told Ahlakan, who looked back at her with surprise. "I've been busy with... stuff. It's a little complicated, getting you out of here but, I promise, I'll show you as much of the world as I can." 

"I understand that you've got duties," Ahlakan replied. "As much as I'd like to believe you saved Rorvan out of nothing but kindness, I imagine there was more to it than that. But... It would be fun to stretch my legs every now and then. And, also..." She shifted a little closer to Neve, then. "This." 

[Oh, right. This.] 

Ahlakan laughed a little as the shoulder she leaned on got warmer from the touch. 

"Now that I'm not in Rorvan anymore, there are some rules I no longer need to follow. Some sinful things I'd like to do. I'd like it if we could do more of it." 

Neve swallowed, nodding eagerly. 

"Anytime." 

"Heh," Ahlakan grinned, leaning in and whispering, "you shouldn't make that kind of offer if you can't keep your word. Do you mean it?"

Neve, wondering just how red she must have been as her face felt like it was on fire, nodded again. 

"Yeah. I mean it." 

And, upon hearing that, Ahlakan stood up, yanked on Neve's hand, and tried to pull her to her feet. 

"Now would be a good time to start, then." 

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