A Level She Was Never Prepared For

10/10

( Player Pov )

"For the last time Eris, I am not calming down! Now where are you taking me?!" I had tried so hard to get away from them, but nothing was working. Eris and a few others had put me in this carriage, which was headed who knows where. I didn't recognise the other player, but one of them was my dad! He showed me his character for every game world, since they made one in case they needed to go on and check anything in person. Mum was an orc female, Dad was a half elf with a set of scars that was hard to forget. If he was here, that meant they came in to get me out. Those nets they were in though, the glow I saw it wasn't a glow. It was the air glitching like I had seen on the sythe before, which meant it likely stopped them using the controls properly. "Mother please, you are upsetting yourself. We are going to the main arena, Father is waiting for us there. Only he can answer your questions properly" The arena? That didn't sound good, but until I got there I couldn't do anything. Moving away from Eris's hand, feeling more than a little guilty at how it made her look I watched the world go past. 

It was taking far too long to get to the arena, and once we got there once again I was ushered up and away from the main entry to the arena itself. I was sat in the main booth meant for the leader who was overseeing the event. I didn't even get to sit down before I caught sight of my dad again, then my mum. All three of them were chained in metal that was glitching, so I knew they couldn't get out of them. The sight of mum was enough to make my stomach lurch, she was battered and bruised beyond belief. Leaving no doubt in my mind she had been tortured. I tried to leave to go to them, go closer to get a better look but I was kept back and made to sit several times despite my protests. When the trumpets went off I stilled seeing Si entered the arena, his sythe in hand. No, no no he couldn't be planning to... I jolted forward yet again only to be met with Si's eyes. I stopped dead seeing the silent warning. I had never seen him look like that, let alone at me and it was terrifying.

"My people, you are here to witness the fate of these three traitors to the crown" His voice sounded so much deep than before, there was a tone to it I couldn't name but it left a shiver going over my skin. "They have conspired to bring the downfall of our kingdom, committed acts of treason and worst of all conspired to kidnap your queen" Kidnap? They were trying to rescue me! My mouth opened to say something, but all of a sudden I felt a thin layer of something cover my mouth. For a second I panicked, then as my hand met the smooth malleable substance a hand touched my shoulder. "I did not mean to scare you Mother, but Father wishes you to remain still and silent until he returns to you" Horrid slid through me as I shot my eyes back to the arena, where Si was slowly painful drawing his sythe through the air over my parents and third mans back. I couldn't see what it was cutting, I could only guess it was the same 'cord' he said connected us to the game system. Remembering the sensation all too well made it all the harder to see them endure that, all the while the arena full of people were cheering at their pain.

 "Your judgement is final, your punishment clear. For your crimes against our queen, as well as the kingdom I sentence you to death. First however what you know shall be taken from you, so this can never happen again" Taken from them, he couldn't mean... he did. I could just make out his hand as he put it on my fathers head changing, like it was partly sinking into my dad's body as he jolted and shook. I tried screaming and moving, but I was held in place and the covering on my mouth was still sealed forcing me to be silent. Si kept going when my dad went limp, his face blank like he was wasn't even there anymore. Like he was a shell rather than a man. My mum screamed for the first few seconds his hand lay on her head, then she fell silent the awareness draining from her eyes just like it had with my dad before. I couldn't look as he moved to the other man, my heart felt like it was tearing itself apart already. I heard three distant thuds and more cheers, none of it made me move. I already knew what it was, I couldn't look.