Alexandria

The two warriors, Kaiser and Aaron, had been tasked with hunting down a group of monsters that had been terrorizing nearby villages and were determined to see their mission through to the bitter end. They were the remaining Players who weren't done with their ten kills yet.

It wasn't long before they spotted their first target, a grotesque, snarling creature that towered over them like a giant. Kaiser and Aaron exchanged a glance before charging towards the beast, their weapons glinting in the fading sunlight. Kaiser sheathed his sword while a small knife materialized in Aaron's hand.

As the two fighters engaged in a fierce battle with the monster, tension began to mount between them.

'Tsk! I needed more kills. Why can't he just give me this?' Aaron protested in his head, hiding behind a wall, waiting for his chance to land the killing blow.

"Hey, kid! Distract the monster for me and I'll kill it. I'll kill you if you try something funny," Kaiser shouted, at the opposite side of another abandoned building they my were in.

"No way! I don't trust you! I'm not a fool!" Aaron replied, throwing rocks to deceive the monster about his whereabouts.

Each time the creature let out a roar, Kaiser and Aaron would each try to get the killing blow, arguing over who deserved the honour. Liam, Colleen, and Alexandria, who had been tasked with accompanying the pair on their mission, were growing increasingly frustrated by their bickering.

When the group finally emerged victorious, having slain ten monsters each, Kaiser and Aaron's argument came to a head.

"You fool! We lost more Health Points than we should have because of you. I clearly said follow my lead!" Kaiser confronted the teenager, almost headbutting Aaron in anger.

"You don't look like you're much older than me, why would I follow your lead, huh?" Aaron didn't back down, slowly gaining confidence after he learned how to fight a little.

Liam tried to intervene, but Alexandria quickly pushed him aside, stepping in between the two warriors. "Enough!" she shouted, her voice ringing out through the building. "You two are acting like children. You should be fighting alongside each other, not against each other."

Kaiser and Aaron were taken aback by Alexandria's sudden outburst, both stunned into silence. But the fiery young warrior wasn't done yet. "If you really hate each other that much," she continued, a sly grin spreading across her face, "why don't you settle it in the Red Zone later? You know, mano-a-mano?"

At the mention of the Red Zone, both Kaiser and Aaron baulked. The Red Zone was an infamous area where warriors went to fight to the death. It was a place reserved only for the bravest and most skilled fighters, and neither of them was keen on challenging each other there.

With a hearty laugh, Alexandria saw the fear in their eyes and knew that she had won. "I thought so," she said, smirking. "Now, how about we get back to the task at hand?"

From that moment on, Kaiser and Aaron worked together seamlessly, fighting side by side as they took down each monster they encountered. And though their initial disagreements had caused some tension within the group, Alexandria's intervention had brought them back together once more.

Liam had always been a cautious person, especially when it came to the Draconian race. He had experienced a lot in his previous life and known a lot of people's treachery and cunning behaviour. And Liam was not one to let down his guard around these new friends.

"Our goal here is finished. Let's go, kid," Liam said as he walked towards Aaron, his mind was already racing with plans on how they could both climb the mountain and avoid the Draconians.

Alexandria, on the other hand, had a different idea. "Not so fast, player! I believed that we should all climb the mountain together, as that would increase our chances of survival."

However, Liam was not keen on the idea. He knew that once they left the safety of the Yellow Zone, they would have to navigate through the dangerous Red Zone. In this zone, the forest was full of hidden dangers and it was easy to get ambushed from behind by others. "I don't think so. The Party feature is locked at this stage. We can attack each other in the Red Zone if we're not on the same Party."

"You make it sound like we're a bunch of backstabbers. Don't you remember that we saved your lives? Besides, your point also applied with your lackey. How can you be so sure that he won't stab you in the back?" Alexandria said, her irritation palpable.

Liam seemed amused at the question, smiling back at Alexandria. "Oh him? I can handle him." Liam glanced at the innocent boy beside him.

"You have to understand," Liam said, "you've killed those monsters earlier for your own benefit. You wanted the kills while the monsters' attention was on us, not because you wanted to save me or Aaron."

Alexandria was frustrated with Liam's lack of trust. She already reminded him that they had just saved him and Aaron from the monsters and had nothing to gain by betraying them.

"Why are you being so ungrateful?" She replied. The tension between them continued to rise up.

Liam turned to her and smiled. "Not at all, Alexandria. I appreciate what you and your group did for us earlier. But I just can't risk it. I need to focus on getting to the Green Zone in the safest way possible." Liam conceded, thanking Alexandria for her help, but still insisting that he couldn't trust everyone enough to climb the mountain together.

Alexandria hesitated for a moment before nodding her head in surrender. "I understand. But just remember, Liam, we're all in this together. I hope to meet you again in the Tower."

She gritted her teeth in annoyance but didn't say anything more. They continued on in silence until suddenly...

Boom-!!

The departing group was suddenly taken off guard as a giant Swamp Serpent, visibly larger than the other Swamp Serpents, shot up from the water below inside the building.

Alexandria got caught between its jagged, size-mutated mandibles.

"Alexandria!!"

Despite the injuries they suffered, Kaiser and Colleen shouted at the top of their lungs in horror upon seeing their comrade's body thrown into the air.

Everyone looked up and froze in shock, helpless. Even Liam, who was quick to react in these kinds of situations, stood petrified, nothing useful coming to mind to save the Draconian.

Clank!

Terrified, Alexandria turned her body to try to see what had swept her into the air. But she didn't even have the time to react before the massive Swamp Serpent's deadly mandibles contracted, and a gruesome crunch could be heard as her body was split into two.

Fresh, red blood showered down in the air like rain, splattering on the stunned players below.

"No!!! Help me!!! I don't want to die here!"

Alexandria's futile screams for her comrade's help were muffled as her body fell from the mandibles into the serpent's mouth, and there, her shouts faded away as she gave up, realizing that her fate was already sealed the moment she was caught. No players could save her now, and she knew it herself.

"This is insane. Should we just… give up?" Colleen said to herself. Alexandria might not be her real sister but she treated her as one.

"!!!!?"

The sound of bones and flesh crunching gorily jolted the players back to their senses, eyes growing wide. One lurched and clamped a hand over their mouth nauseously, feeling the urge to throw up as others began screaming their heads off until the giant Swamp Serpent silenced them with a glare, not daring to move an inch. They didn't want to become the next to be eaten.

"Oh…shit," Liam whispered.

Liam knew something was amiss since earlier, but he didn't have the time earlier to properly comprehend his thoughts watching Alexandria get…eaten before him.

But this Swamp Serpent had a body that was at least ten times thicker and stronger than the ones before, and seeing its unique, crown-like faceplate, he finally realized it. It was only because of their numbers jumping at them that made them all fail to notice the obvious power disparity between the swamp serpents outside and inside the building they were in.

"We're…inside a nest…," Liam wittingly said, dread slowly crawling into his voice. He didn't break eye contact with the beast as he slowly continued. "Those Swamp Serpents we fought so far inside the building were significantly weaker because they were newly hatched monsters. And this vile creature…is the mother…"

As soon as Liam spoke, everyone turned towards him in shock, realizing that he was right. It was fact none of them could contend with. Were these the wits of a detective?

But still, couldn't there be something good? Why was it bad news after bad news after more?

Their instincts were telling them to quickly run, to escape, to survive and cherish their new lives that had yet to complete… But they could only swallow their dry saliva, frozen stiff, waiting for a miracle to happen as the mother serpent let out an ear-splitting roar, shaking the grounds.

They instinctively shielded their faces from the violent gust and debris, their partly covered vision preventing them from seeing the underdeveloped swamp serpent drive up through the dusts all around them.

"Prepare for combat! We're being ambushed!" Liam shouted at the top of his lungs. But the three other players with him were petrified, mumbling something.

"No, no, no, this can't be happening..." Colleen and Kaiser cried at their loss.

Sequentially, more Underdeveloped Swamp Serpents appeared one by one around them. They hissed threateningly and slowly began advancing towards the group, ready to attack.

Liam quickly prepared his feet, bracing himself for battle. He knew that they had no choice but to fight their way out of this situation. The monsters were not going to go easy on them. And he was the only one who could still move while everyone was in deep shock, especially Kaiser and Colleen.