Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 4: Rats & Thieves

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13th Zelyr 1091.

A rat scurried across the dirtied floors of a deserted dungeon, nose twitching in anticipation. Many had died, becoming both food and shelter for the furry little animal, and it knew many more of the giant creatures would soon perish. It made its way into one of the cells where a daeben was sprawled across the floor, dark hair covering his face.

The little creature cautiously approached its potential meal, pausing to stand on its hind legs every few steps to check for a reaction. The daeben, however, did not seem to react to its movements. It took a few steps closer, listening for signs of life, but it could not pick up any heartbeat from the body. Yes, the daeben was definitely dead. The rat inched closer to the corpse until it was only a whisker away from his target's head. Cautious as ever, it once again paused and sniffed the daeben's hair, but the corpse remained motionless.

The rat finally relaxed and prepared to take a bite of the delicious flesh, but it soon regretted its decision. The mass of hair moved too fast for the rat to react and sharp teeth bit down on its tail as it tried to flee.

The daeben sat up and pushed his hair out of his face to reveal a triumphant Kashi glaring at the squealing animal. He snapped the rat's neck with his thumb, then let out a sigh. The creature exploded into a myriad of shining light, leaving its bones on his palm. This was an effect of the 'curse' placed on all Summoned. The bodies of any creature they killed would return to the circle, leaving only a few randomized body parts behind. In this case, the bones were exactly the drop Kashi had wanted.

"That was close," Kashi remarked as he let out a breath. "I could not have held my breath a moment longer."

"Good work," a voice called from the cell next to his. "Now hand me those bones."

Kashi obediently dropped the bones through a small hole in the wall. Although there was a chance his newfound ally would betray him, Kashi had no choice but to bank on the other man's integrity. It had already been a few hours since he woke up in this cell after the brief battle that ended in the daebens' decisive defeat.

Kashi and the other soldiers had fought valiantly against the coalition, Kashi in particular, swiftly gaining prestige as he slew the coalition's commanders. Unfortunately, the numbers were against the daeben army as far too many Summoned had sided with the coalition, compared to the measly dozen or so that picked the daebens.

After the death of their commander, Kashi's squad could do nothing but wait to be routed by the enemy. Kashi was quite satisfied with his loss. At the very least, he and the remnants of the last company had been able to give the coalition hell before they ultimately perished. As a Summoned, he was protected from death during that mini-event. Instead, he blacked out and later awoke in this cell.

The man in the cell next to his was named Leon, a Thief who had been arrested when he tried to steal from the king. Unlike most of the other prisoners, he was human and did not participate in the war. Leon had offered his assistance, saying he could create a skeleton key but needed the bones of a small animal.

The rat could not have appeared at a better time.

While Kashi waited for Leon to finish with the bone key, he examined a pair of system prompts.These prompts showed up as little windows in front of him. If he wanted, hecould make them visible to others or not. Currently, it was set to private.