2 The Fortress

"Eh?" Jaspreth's brows knitted together, his disappointment showing vividly in his expression.

Astherielle groaned. She almost threw her phone away when it showed nothing but a white screen.

"It got us hyped for no reason." Beatrix dropped her phone on her lap, resting her head on the couch, and blew out a sigh.

Zera got on her feet, transferring in the tent which they set up in the far corner near the stairs before going up to Jaspreth's two-story house.

"It's the universe telling us to go to bed." She mumbled, hiding her disappointment as well. Her phone screen lagged after each of them clicked on the start button.

Placing it beside her, Zera lay down on the comforter and breathed out a sigh.

"Let's just sleep on it and find a different game later. The software might be having some issues."

Beatrix joined her after a few minutes, sulking as she pulled the blanket over her body. Astherielle followed, dragging her feet while Jaspreth clapped his hands, turning the main lights off.

The colorful bulbs that hung by the tent's entrance running across towards the couch they just vacated came to life, illuminating the place. It danced in its rhythmic pattern.

Pulling a blanket and pillow from the closet near the door of the bathroom, Jaspreth grimaced.

"Are we really going to sleep now?"

Zera lifted her head, watching their only male friend carry his pillow and blanket over the couch.

"Sorry, Jay."

Jaspreth let out an exasperated sigh.

"It's okay. Later then, sleep well girls."

"Goodnight!" The three sang in unison, giggling.

–

Several hours after she fell asleep, Zera found her body shivering against the cold. The first thought that came to her mind was that Jaspreth had put the air conditioning too high.

Too lazy to get up and try to fix the problem, she turned on the other side and searched with her hand for the thick blanket she must have kicked a few minutes ago.

However, when she touched nothing but her bare skin, her eyes immediately fluttered open, sitting upright.

"Oh holy mother of–!"

Her eyes went animatedly wide, seeing a marbled plane replacing the comforter she was lying on. It elevated in the air, continuously moving upwards like an elevator with colorful dancing walls she wouldn't even dare to touch.

At that moment, Zera concluded she was no longer in the safety of Jaspreth's basement. The coldness she felt from earlier was no air conditioning.

The strong wind had her shoulder-level hair flying around her face.

"What the–!"

Her words were cut off by a translucent screen appearing in front of her. A holographic image of a woman wearing a black veil over her face came into view.

There was nothing to describe as Zera cannot see, even just her eye color or the shape of her lips.

[Welcome Player Charm!]

A robotic female voice echoed in her surroundings.

Zera placed a hand over her heart.

Thud-thud-thud.

'Calm down, Zera. You're just dreaming. This is nothing but a dream.'

A loud ping had her gazing back towards the bright screen in front of her. The holographic image of the woman was no longer in sight. Instead, the avatar she remembered picking when they registered for Priestess Online was displayed on the screen.

Below it were the following:

[Player Name: Charm]

[Gender: Female]

[Player level: Beginner]

[Class: Support]

[Affinity: Hawk]

[Mana Points: 500]

[Attack Damage: 500]

[HP: 200]

"Huh? What's this supposed to mean?"

[Performing a body scan in zero minutes]

The same mechanical voice reverberated in her surroundings.

Gripped by an unseen force, Zera found herself motionless. She tried to fight against it, but to no avail. Invisible rope bound her body, tightening its hold on her.

Her insides were stretched and squeezed, having her gulped back the tears that threatened to fall from eyes. The pain it was causing was almost unbearable. Zera thought that this must be the end.

'Seriously? I died in my sleep at Jaspreth's place?'

Despite the situation, Zera found it ridiculous that she died that way. What more, she wondered what her friends would think when they find her cold, lifeless body upon waking up from their sleep.

'Would the–'

"Aaaaah!"

An intense heat blasted from around her, disrupting her thoughts. It scorched her skin, roasting her flesh like she was inside a human size oven.

Ping!

[Body scan finished]

The invisible bind disappeared, releasing Zera from its tight grip, slamming her against the cold floor.

Reeling from both the pain and the heat, Zera glared at the translucent screen.

"What the hell! Can somebody tell me what the bloody hell is going on?!"

The holographic image of the mysterious woman hiding under a black veil was displayed on it once again.

[Welcome to Priestess Online! You are now ready to enter the Fortress. The Priestess wishes you good fortune!]

"Wha–?"

Zera had no time to finish her question as the plane propelled upwards, having her lie flat on the floor and hugging her body tight.

'Please spare me. Please spare me. Please spare me.'

[Please be ready for battle. Opening the gates in 3…]

[2…]

[1…]

Thud!

"Oof!" Zera barely had time to regain her senses when she felt a hand grabbing her, dragging her to hide beneath an enormous tower.

She had to squint her eyes to properly see the building. Its height was immeasurable, the top disappearing against the purplish sky above.

"Holy–!"

A hand covered her mouth, shushing her in an instant. It took her a minute before she realized who it was.

"Jay?" she mumbled, slapping his hand away.

Jaspreth's short hair stood above his head. The tips of it had red highlights. It appeared that the top of his head was madly on fire. Red and white marks spread across his cheek.

In all honesty, Zera finds Jaspreth more than just average. He got a nice body going on. It was a result of him accompanying his father on some of his physical training during summer break.

He has an attractive face, but she knew that he'd deny it. The three of them accepted his claim that he was only average, even though he was actually way above it. Add his personality in the mix of all the good things about Jaspreth. He makes up what most women would want to have in a guy.

Zera eyed him from head to toe. A leather body fit hugged his body, a red vest with several pockets hung over his shoulders. At the bottom, he was wearing khaki cargo shorts and army boots.

Tentatively poking him by the arm, Zera breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I'm not dreaming."

"Eh? What was that for?"

"You look ridiculous." Zera replied, ignoring his remark.

Jaspreth eyed her from head to toe, smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Says by one who doesn't."

"What?"

It was only at that point when she noticed her attire. A black leather tube covered her chest. Like Jaspreth, a vest came with her upper costume with zippers zigzagging in front of it. Leather pants hugged her from the waist all the way down.

She was wearing a uniform boot with Jaspreth except for the laces found on the front of hers. She briefly recalled that her get up resembled that of the avatar she had chosen for the game.

"Bloody hell?" Beatrix's voice echoed behind Zera, catching her attention.

She limped a little before adjusting her focus on her two friends. Like Zera and Jaspreth, she was wearing odd apparel: black crop top shirt and gray sweatpants.

The top had ruffles on its sleeves, a small tie criss-crossed on her exposed stomach. A purple high-top shoes completed her look. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail with a thick black band.

Red and white lines were also evident on her cheeks.

"Aaaah!" Astherielle came screaming, landing on top of Beatrix. The two of them were coughing while Zera and Jaspreth helped them get back on their feet.

Zera dusted off the dirt that clung to Astherielle's black short-skirt, which covered most of her thigh. It was a little above her knees. For the upper, she had on a white tank top and a blue leather jacket.

Her hair was brushed back, a bandana wrapped around her head, exposing the rest of her beautiful waves behind her.

She too had the same mark on her cheeks, which made Zera assume the same mark could be found on her face.

Eyeing each other, Jaspreth immediately raised his hands, claiming his innocence before the girls pointed the blame at him.

"If you ask me how this was possible, I have no idea."

Zera bit down on her lower lip.

"Priestess Online," she mumbled. "I think we've been transmigrated."