Dylak's Revenge (Part 4)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: IF I USED TO NAME THE GLITCH ADMINISTRATOR AS ADRIANO SILVA BEFORE, I HAVE CHANGED HIS NAME TO RICARDO SILVA.
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"Amelia will definitely not like this…" Clara whispered as she stood up.
Count Dylak and his maids seemed more than ready to fight, and the arachnid Professor Spiegel glared at her from a distance.
**If their mission was to train Alan, why are they challenging us now?** Clara looked at the number 15 above Dylak and bit her lower lip. **We outnumber them, and we're stronger. Our lowest level is Bella's 23. What are they thinking? Wait…** Clara tilted her head to one side. **They're just a bunch of mobs. Fighting mindlessly against Users it's on their nature. So what was all that 'gentlemen act' and we're more 'advanced' charade from just minutes ago?**
"Ashley, my dear?" Clara called. "Kill that spider."
The brunette girl behind her followed the order, throwing a concealed knife and hitting Professor Spiegel in the head, killing him easily. That prompted the maids to charge forward. Their bodies glowed purple, showing the 'Creature of the Night' boost was active.
Anastasia clashed with Eliora, overpowering her easily, and Bella struggled to hit the agile Eliza. Meanwhile, Count Dylak remained in his place, smirking.
"Your orders, Miss Clara," Fabio said, bowing.
"Kill him."
"It will be done. Equipping Set C." The fake man strolled forward, ignoring the two battles happening a few feet away from him. A pair of iron knuckles appeared on his fists while he unbuttoned the collar of his black shirt. "I will avenge our Guild Master…"
**Woaaaah! My NPC is so cool! Do it, handsome!**
"You'll try," Count Dylak replied, ripping his clothes and gaining mass by the second.
**He's turning monstrous, just like that Spiegel guy.** Clara glanced at the maids and noticed that their skin had turned blue and her eyes crimson. **But even if he gets into his Second Phase, he's not a match for my sexy--!**
"WHAT'S WITH ALL THIS NOISE!" a girl shouted from the first floor. "I CAN'T SLEEP, DAMMIT! DRAGONBREATH!"
A burst of fire impacted Dylak, killing him instantly.
"R-retreat!" Clara cried to Anastasia and Bella, who jumped back just a second before another fire spell reached the twin maids, annihilating them.
The System turned all the corpses into pixels, erasing any proof of their existence. They could swear it was all a bad dream and no one would question them.
**And yet, our Guild Master is still missing. We were on our path to Barnchester, and we haven't saved since we left New Unus, so he'll surely respawn there.**
She opened her Friend List to corroborate it.
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FRIENDS
STATUS
Alan Warden
(Online)
Unknown Location
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**There he is! Since his level is super low, he respawns super quickly. He's safe and sound in--Oh, crappy pants.**
"Seriously! What are you guys doing?!" Amelia asked from her room's window on the first floor. "Did you aggro some monsters in the middle of the night or something?"
Clara pursed her lips, unable to face her. **Unfortunately, I don't have any friends there to corroborate it.**
"Fabio, can you contact someone from Unus?" she whispered to her NPC.
"I can, ma'am. Should I ask them if they have seen Alan Warden?"
"Yes, please. Discreetly…" When Clara turned around, she found Amelia's face up close.
"Why would he contact New Unus?" the redhead asked, squinting, arms crossed.
"Bestie! Are you feeling well? Does your head hurt?"
"It did, for a minute. It's a good thing that the 'Pain Endurance' Passive Skill exists, right? Better than a painkiller pill. Where is Alan?"
"A-Alan? Why do you ask? Have you checked the bathroom yet?"
"A NU that visited us killed him," Ashley quickly responded, making Amelia's eyes widen.
"A what now?!"
"Non User!" Clara continued, half-smiling. "Now that I remember, that's what the Advanced Slimes called themselves, right?" She giggled for a couple of seconds before Amelia grabbed her by the neck.
"You'll remain quiet for a minute like a well-behaved girl while Ashley explains the situation. Understood, bestie?" Amelia warmly smiled, but Clara knew the true meaning of that expression.
"Y-yes, m-ma'am…"
* * *
**
*
**Oh, god… I can now add 'death by poison' to the top of my 'most painful ways to die' list… Just below 'burned'. That continues to be the—What the…?**
Alan stood up in a hurry, bewildered by what he was seeing. **This is not New Unus Town.**
He admired a double staircase in front of him, a bright red carpet below his feet, a golden lit chandelier above, and a closed door behind him. Two long corridors to his both sides waited for him to explore.
**Where the hell am I?**
He opened his User Interface and consulted the map automatically provided by the System. **Count Dylak's Mansion? You're kidding me…**
Alan slapped his cheeks, expecting to wake up from a dream and see the surroundings of New Unus' Downtown instead, but nothing. **This map doesn't even let me zoom out and check the exterior. It only shows me this place, the lobby. Everything else is blank. Great.**
His second option was to contact Amelia, but before even tapping the Social tab, he heard the sound of heavy footsteps in front of him. Alan quickly drew his bronze-tier handgun and awaited.
From the shadows beneath the double staircase stepped out a big, bulky humanoid, wearing a denim overall, a white but filthy t-shirt, and work boots. Excessive facial hair hid a deformed face, as if his unnatural growth had been part of a sick experiment.
**Housekeeper Bilmur, Level 12,** Alan read the info the System provided him. **With a single foot he could easily flatten my torso, and his thumb and index fingers look strong enough to crush my head like a grape.**
"Alan Warden," the NU said in a tired tone, which reminded him of Ricardo Silva, the Glitch Administrator. "I'm in charge of eliminating any intruders…" he paused, making Alan swallow. "But you are our special guest."
"Y-yes, nice to meet you! Did Count Dylak ask you to welcome me?"
"'Welcome' you?" the large man said, caressing his overgrown beard. "He did not say such a thing. The only thing I know is that you are currently weak…" He gave one step forward, and Alan could see that a nearby flower vase trembled. "...And that we should all help you level up."
**He's saying the same thing…**
"And how would that work out, huh?!" Alan said, stepping back. "My partner is not with me!"
"Forget about your minion, Alan Warden," Count Dylak said from atop the staircase. The black cloak he was wearing made him look as if he was nothing more than a hovering, talking pale head. "You need to strengthen yourself alone, remember?" he continued, giving him a sympathetic look.
**Yeah, although he ordered his other retainer to poison and kill me.**
"I know that you all want to help me, but trust me, I have already tried! If it wasn't for my 'Puppet Master' Active Skill, I wouldn't have been able to reach my last two levels! I'm not good at fighting!"
"Well…" Dylak said, turning around. "You'll have time to learn. Come see me upstairs when you've defeated my retainers."
"Wait!" Alan shouted, but Housekeeper Bilmur blocked the path.
"You are not ready yet, Alan Warden," Bilmur said softly, ready to attack him.
Alan bitterly chuckled before running towards the corridor to his left. **Nope! There's something very wrong with this whole situation!**
He found a double door a few feet away from him and turned back before entering. **He doesn't seem to be following me.** Once inside, he tapped his Social menu to call Amelia, but the system window only showed static. **As if I had no signal… 'No signal' inside a Virtual Reality…**
The sound of paper pages flipping jolted him. Drawing his gun again, Alan aimed it at Professor Spiegel, casually reading a book from a desk in the corner of the room filled with bookcases. **A library?**
"Mister Alan!" the NU greeted him, standing up from his seat. "Are you ready for your second lesson?"