Chapter 2: Undead Peek

Lily awoke to the scorching rays of the sun enveloping her and as she opened her eyes she found herself gazing at the expanse of the blue sky accompanied by the pleasant melody of birdsong. Sitting up she scanned her surroundings and was relieved to find the wolf was nowhere in sight and wondered where it had disappeared to and was grateful that her life had been spared. Reminded of the human vessel she now inhabited; she realized the precariousness of her existence here that death would be perilous. Taking stock of herself she observed her body covered in blood the once-white dress now stained crimson.

'Well perhaps I should consider designing clothes with blood patterns someday. Might as well explore this world in style.' She quipped with a hint of dark humor.

Rising to her feet she was surprised to find the pain she felt before losing consciousness had vanished and examining her arm she saw that the wound had miraculously healed prompting wonder at the mysterious forces at play though she chose not to complain. Deciding it best to avoid any confrontation with the wolf again in case it returned with its pack she set off in the opposite direction from where she had encountered the creature.

After a while she stumbled upon a small stream and immersed herself in its refreshing waters though the cold made her shiver causing goosebumps to appear on her skin. Not wanting to wear wet clothes while traversing the unknown terrain she abstained from washing her dress aware that catching a cold would be an unwelcome complication. Satisfied with her brief bath she resumed her journey after wringing the excess water from her dress.

Upon closer inspection she noticed some minor cuts on her legs which she found rather displeasing and deciding to mend them she held her hands over the cuts and uttered, 'Cure.'

Inexplicably a series of soft 'poof' sounds startled her and to her astonishment she found herself surrounded by a group of skeletons, some armed with swords and shields while others carried just swords. Their malevolent, red-eyed gazes sent a chill down her spine for she had a profound aversion to all things related to death and the sight of skeletons embodied her deepest fears.

'Who are you? Has the underworld god sent you?' She inquired attempting to buy herself some time.

A skeleton bearing a sword and shield regarded her and replied, 'Her face is a no-go, but we can accept her body.'

Suddenly their demeanor shifted, and it appeared they were about to attack her causing panic to surge through her.

'What do you want?' She asked nervously.

The skeleton grinned maliciously and retorted, ''Just give us your body. Let us taste and hold it.' With that it began to advance towards her.

Terrified, Lily's heart pounded in her chest as she sprinted away desperate to create a safe distance between herself and the encroaching ring of skeletons.

Glancing back, she could see the eerie sight of an army of skeletons relentlessly pursuing her their sinister motives evident in the words of one skeleton at the forefront, 'Come back. We only wish to bask in the touch of your beautiful skin.'

As she continued her frenzied escape she began to feel the relentless strain on her human body and her breaths grew rapidly, the adrenaline coursing through her veins and her legs ached from the exertion. She couldn't help but be frustrated by the fragility of this mortal form nevertheless she pressed on wondering why the skeletons stubbornly persisted in chasing her. Suddenly she spotted a large group of fifteen people heading in a particular direction seemingly toward the white city she had seen before encountering the pink wolf.

Before she could call out for help a skeleton grabbed her left leg causing her to stumble and fall onto the grass. Panicking she cried out 'Help me!'

The group turned around spotting her under attack by the relentless army of skeletons.

A man in blue mage attire among the group quickly assessed the situation, 'Those are undead. They drop good loot.'

With a sense of urgency, the group rushed to Lily's aid perceiving her valiantly trying to fend off the skeletons. To their horror they witnessed the grotesque spectacle of the skeletons touching and pawing at her skin, each comment more disturbing than the last.

One skeleton remarked, 'Your skin smells so good.'

Another hugging her right leg stated, 'Your skin is soft. Let me rest my bald head on it.'

And yet another boldly suggested, 'You'll have perfect children with me. Let's make them now.' Attempting to burrow between her legs.

Chills ran down Lily's spine as she screamed and struggled desperately trying to fend off the disturbing advances of the skeletal horde.

'Go away! Leave me alone! Find someone else!' She cried out in terror.

'But you are our master; it's only natural for us to be with you.' Retorted the skeleton fixated on having children with her.

Overwhelmed by fear Lily barely registered their words and cried out for help once more 'Help me! I'm an innocent maiden in distress!'

In a stroke of fortune, a barrage of spells and arrows rained down upon the skeletons causing them to retreat momentarily affording her some reprieve and she looked to the group that had come to her aid grateful for their intervention however to the group's surprise a series of error sounds rang out and a message echoed.

This is not a PvP zone. If you continue you will be penalized.

A man clad in resplendent red gladiator-class armor cast a discerning gaze upon Lily and suddenly made a startling realization.

He exclaimed, 'Stop! The skeletons belong to her!'

In response to his command the group immediately ceased their assault on the skeletal horde.

When Lily noticed the sudden halt she was taken aback and questioned them, 'Why did you stop?'

As the group looked upon her face one woman among them exclaimed in awe, 'Holy Mother.'

Attempting to conceal their prior intentions the man in the blue mage attire offered a false excuse, 'Sorry but we were in a hurry. Have a good day.'

The group swiftly departed from the scene leaving Lily bewildered and confused.

In the wake of their departure, she found herself once again confronted by the wicked laughter of the skeletons.

One of them taunted, 'Heh. Now you can bear all of us children'. As they menacingly closed in on her.

Filled with panic Lily kicked out at them desperately urging them to leave her alone and recalled the mention of the word 'master' by one of the skeletons and attempted to dismiss them repeating the words over and over but to no avail and their fiendish forms seemed impervious to her attempts to fight them off.

Her mind raced searching for a solution and she came upon an idea.

She inquired, 'What else do you demand?'

The skeletons proceeded to list numerous demands resembling actions associated with being in a romantic relationship which only served to deepen her confusion. Realizing that they genuinely wished to have children with her she recalled the words of the oracles 'If you encounter a formidable adversary submission is sometimes the best course of action.'

Drawing upon this insight she proposed, 'What if you can see under my dress? Will you then disappear?'

Taken aback the skeletons paused and huddled together seemingly deliberating amongst themselves and they moved away from her forming a circle and engaged in what appeared to be a meeting and it struck her as rather ludicrous that an army of skeletons required a meeting but she clung to the hope that this approach might be her way out of the predicament.

After a short while they approached her once more and one of them spoke up, 'We have come to an agreement. We can accept that.'

Relieved that her plan seemed to work she lifted her dress and parted her legs, an action that astonished and even dazzled the assembled skeletons.

'Wow.' Exclaimed one of the skeletons and though Lily couldn't believe it, it seemed as though it was blushing despite its lack of skin.

As each skeleton had a look under her dress one of them remarked, 'Heh. We thought you were wearing something, but you showed it all. We'll keep our part of the deal now.'

With that the skeleton turned to its companions and said, 'Let's disappear.' And just like that with a puff they vanished before her eyes.

Lily let out a sigh of relief then lay on her back stretching out her arms as she gazed at the serene blue sky above a smile gracing her lips. The words of the oracles had indeed proven to be her salvation this time but amidst her newfound calm she couldn't help but ponder why the group had initially come to her aid only to abandon her later and the memory of their sudden change of heart triggered by seeing her face resurfaced in her mind. Recalling the interface's censor, she gently touched her mouth and was taken aback by what she felt prompting a small scream of surprise. It was a pair of sharp uneven teeth that she encountered prickling her fingers and wondering how her teeth looked she surmised that the group might have seen them and been frightened. She continued her self-examination and noticed her right eye felt swollen and her lips seemed unusually large. Curiosity piqued about her own appearance she stood up and began walking toward the distant city aware that she could find answers there.

After some time, she passed by a small lake and couldn't resist the urge to take a closer look at herself and sitting on the edge she beheld her own reflection and was utterly shocked by what she saw.

'Holy mother of God' She exclaimed in utter surprise as she beheld her reflection.

Before her was the face of an unrecognizable woman with mulatto skin, dark eyes and long black hair and while she possessed a petite and slender frame her teeth appeared haphazardly placed within her mouth, some even broken creating a distressing appearance. Her right eye bore a painful swollen shade of blue-purple resembling the aftermath of a brutal beating and her lips too were swollen and distended akin to the result of consuming excessive chili or experiencing an allergic reaction. Had the spirit god played a cruel prank on her out of boredom or drunkenness? Her once beautiful average spirit deity body was now replaced with something that seemed grotesque and she felt an overwhelming urge to unleash a furious curse however she knew it would be futile. In that moment she longed for the demon guide she had never received hoping it might offer a solution to alter her appearance in the future. The thought of being stuck in this repugnant form filled her with a profound sense of dread; she would rather stare at a corpse than endure this.

As she continued on her journey towards the city she hoped to reach it before darkness enveloped the land and without a sense of time in this unfamiliar body she relied on her recollection that the interface had provided an introduction to the world upon her arrival.

Curiously she spoke aloud, 'What time is it?'

The time is 2:46 pm.

To her surprise the response sounded as if it came from an external source, but she soon realized it resonated within her own mind and this realization made her ponder why humans allowed themselves to be controlled by such an alien force one that she didn't understand and thus labeled as 'crazy.'

Unbeknownst to her a figure stood hidden under a black hooded cloak observing her from a distance continuously shadowing her every move.