The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes , the sense that hit me was that of forest life. We were taken to a swamp environment, wet, spongy land, a low ground saturated with water; soft, wet ground.
"PLAYERS, WELCOME TO THE EVERGREEN..."
"More like a ever b*t*h," I muttered inwardly.
"AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S FULL OF LIFE..."
"Life my ass."
"VIVACITY, SPIRIT AND…"
"And what?" The question came out without me noticing.
"... DEATH!" The voice exclaimed with so much threatening emphasis. It always gives me the creeps and it's getting worse whenever I hear the voice. I bet this new mission or game or whatever you choose to call it would be getting hard as we proceed.
"HERE'S THE RIDDLE. IN THE FIRST GARDEN ARE MANY TREES, BUT AT THE CENTER LURKING THE DOOM. THE WISE THOUGHT THE LIFE CAN SAVE, FOOL SEEK FOR THEIR DOOM." The voice was riddled. This riddle left all of us in total confusion and confusion. "COMPLETE THIS MISSION AND ALSO BEWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDING. GOOD LUCK PLAYERS."
"Seems like this mission entails logic and reasoning instead of strength and power, which makes me look dumb." Pashina murmured. I understood his troubles because we were in the same situation.
So far, we were just wandering around the spongy land for eternity, nothing yet to raise panic alert.
"I bet the human is shitting his pant right now. Haha! I wonder how he managed to survive the first mission, but no denying his luck has run out this time." My hear catched the glimpse of the whispering. As far as I was concerned, I was the only human in this place so far and I'm sure it was me they were whispering about. No hard feeling but I wouldn't let some humanoid filthy creatures talk shit about me. To my ultra astonishment and Shock, it turned out it wasn't me they were susurrating about, but a totally different human who looked 3 years younger than me. It was a miracle!
At that very moment, I felt something different inside of me. I guess I was no longer a lone human outsider in a place full of creeps. Looking at the scared boy, I observed familiarity but I actually couldn't point a finger at it; the player has his back at my view. Then it hit me when he finally turned his front view to me and I was able to tell who he was the entire time.
"Waitaminute! I know that guy!" I exclaimed in disbelief and surprise seeing the face again. Never in a million years I'd dream of crossing paths with this prick.
"Who are you talking about?" Reecer inquired, I guess I shouted earlier without realizing. She does herself the favour of following my fixed gaze and gets who I was talking about. "You mean that scared looking boy over there?"
"Yes. We once cross each other's paths sometimes back… back in the real world. He's a pain in the ass if you ask me."
"I guess he deserves getting his head bashing around in here then. I hate jerks," I heard Reecer say with so much satisfaction in her tone.
"You are also one... Including your brother," I told her the hard truth to swallow. I started to approach him.
Our first encounter might not be a very good one but at least I have someone who was like me, a human. I wouldn't allow his shitty character cloud my own judgment, blinding me and making me fall into an early grave.
What was his name again, I can't remember. I thought as I got closer. "Hey! Hey! Over here," I waved at him to get him to see me easily. We finally stood before each other. He gasped when he also finally installed my appearance on his head.
"I remembered you, you were the guy that bumped into me the other day," Those were the first statements that came out of his mouth and that angered me to the chore. I feel like giving him a backhand at the moment.
"You are still the same dick for brain boy from last time and you have made up your mind to change your rude attitude," I spat. This prick was even more annoying than I remembered. "I really don't like you and now I realized it's an awful idea to approach you in the first place. Since we are both only surviving humans here, I'd suggest we put aside our differences, put our shit together, and lock 'em up. If you disagree with that, sooner or later we will end up as a dinner for whatever monstrosity and hideous shit that inhabit this hellish place," and that very moment I made those statements, the vine ropes began to pop up from nowhere, grabbing anything it came in contact with. "Looks like they have been listening." I said in a low, indistinct sound as we ran Helter skelter like mad animals from a butcher's grasp.
"What is happening?!" Someone shouted. Well, I wouldn't wait for an answer nor be ready to find one either.
The vine ropes get hold of Pashina, binding him hard making it unable to free himself. He grunted in struggle. This distraction endangered me as both of my legs were seized, taking my feet completely off the ground and turning me over like a bat. Reecer managed to fudge the vine ropes that were trying to get attached to her not until she was caught off guard by one that goes for the head and immediately commenced to strangle her.
"SISTER!" Reece yelled on top of his voice when he saw Reecer getting choked by the devilish ropes. He leaped into the air and made a devastating attack on the ropes that were tightened around Reecer's neck, freeing her. She landed on the wet ground swiftly, managed to catch her breath on time before coming for Pashina and I rescue.
I slogged through the knee-deep mire, the Cypress trees towering above like skeleton sentinels. Suddenly, a chorus of guttural growls erupt from within.
"Incoming!" Gabriel exclaimed, alerting us of the approaching swamp monsters emerging from the murk. Their twisted bodies seem to blend with the fog, making them undetectable.
I raise my weapon, firing at a charging monster, but it's faster than me thereby knocking off balance.
"Steven!" Pashina called in a loud voice, rushing to my side, helping me up as the creature closed in again. Pashina swinging his axe in a wide arc, striking and sending the creature crashing into the water.
The group pressed on, but the swamp seemed to shift and writhe around us. Vines snagged at some players, and hidden pitfalls threaten to swallow us whole. Reece goes down, as I paused to help him up, a massive creature rises from the depths, its jaws wide open. Reecer attacked with her tentacles, but the creature barely flinches.
"What the hell?" I muttered - the only hope was to outrun it. We made a desperate dash for the distance of tree lines. The creature gave chase, its roared thundering through the swamp. I could feel the ground shaking beneath my feet.
"There are many, run for your life!" Another player raised the panic alert before getting her head slashed with an unseen sharp Vines, her brain splashing all over. I was not shocked, I couldn't count how many deaths I've seen. Instead of letting that break me, I fight for survival.
As we ran, the sound of the rushing water grown louder, and a glimmer of hope appeared in the distance - a rickety wooden bridge spanning a fast-moving river. But the creatures were closing in, their twisted bodies pouring like a dark, living tide. I have a feeling that the bridge ahead would put a stop to this mad chase.
"Cross the bridge, I think the creatures can't leave the ugly environment to cross over the green garden!" I exclaimed and we dash forward to the bridge, not looking back for once.
As we were about to cross, one of the creatures got hold of Pashina's leg, trying to draw him back.
"Get off me, you vegetable freak!" He screeched. Using his strength to drag the creature with him and the creature immediately get butchered, like there was an invisible cutter that affected them alone. Although it managed to dig a decimated hole with its claws into Pashina's leg. Blood began to gush out but Pashina didn't flinch. "Don't worry about that, I heal faster,"I heard him say, putting me at ease. And before my eyes I could see the wound closing up, healed completely.
After crossing the bridge to the other side, we found ourselves in a greenish beautiful place. There were many trees, flowers, and rays of sunshine - it was like the Garden of Eden.
"Where are we?" Is the question that I asked no one in particular.