MMORPG: Rebirth of the Shadow Mage

139 Insanity... (4)

Thump... Thump...

Ava’s heart was pounding wildly in her chest, her pulse racing at breakneck speeds. Desperate for comfort, she buried her face into the soft, black fur of Fenrir. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, clinging to him as if he were her only anchor in a turbulent sea. She felt the warmth of his body against hers, and the steady beat of his heart, and she closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing.

Tap... Tap...

Ava’s heart skipped a beat as she heard the soft, steady sound of footsteps from outside. The sound of someone walking on the stone pavement sent shivers down her spine.

The only thing that kept her calm was the unwavering gaze of the large wolf by her side. She believed that the wolf would inform her if ‘he’ was nearby.

Ava desperately wanted to log off and escape the situation, but she knew that doing so would mean losing her levels and valuable items, because she was in combat.

Ava shook her head as she remembered the terrifying sight of the figure standing on top of the wall, his purple eyes locked onto hers. She couldn’t help but shake her head at the memory, feeling a sense of unease and fear wash over her.

Although she was almost certain it was Leo, the person she knew from the game, the aura surrounding him was vastly different. It was full of malice and a twisted sense of amusement, sending shivers down her spine. She also noticed a strange mask that was adhered to his face, and deduced that it was the effect of an unusual in-game item.

Ava was lost in her thoughts when she felt Fenrir nudge her urgently, signaling her to run.

.....

On this side of the wall, there was a vast ruined city filled with countless buildings and other structures that could provide them with ample cover and hiding spots.

Ava quickly grabbed Fenrir’s fur and followed him as he led her through the winding streets and alleys of the ruined city.

She thought they were safe, but her relief was short-lived as she saw the figure, now identified as Leo, start destroying the surrounding houses with just a flick of his hand. She watched in horror as the buildings crumbled to dust.

Ava knew that if she were to be caught in the destructive path of the figure’s attack, she would die instantly, regardless of her attributes being close to that of a level 40 player. She realized that Leo’s power was beyond anything she had ever encountered before, and the mere thought of being scratched by one of his attacks sent shivers down her spine.

Ava noticed that the figure, Leo, had strange bones protruding out of his body. These bones were sharp and jagged, and looked deadly. The blades that emerged out of his elbows, in particular, looked particularly eerie and menacing.

‘When will he go back to normal?’

Seeing that she was still in combat mode, and the sense of urgency and fear intensified. Ava started biting her bottom lip nervously, as she hoped that this ‘Leo’ wouldn’t be able to find her and Fenrir before he regained control of his body.

Ava peered through a small gap in a stone wall, her eyes locked onto Leo.

Boom...

She saw another house being demolished by his powerful attack, and her frown deepened as she realized that he was getting closer and closer. She could see his silhouette scanning the debris of the destroyed house, searching for any sign of her and Fenrir.

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Ava’s eyes shifted to Fenrir, who was glancing towards the broken door that led to the backyard. She understood his intention and nodded her head in agreement. She started slowly approaching the exit, her heart pounding in her chest.

[???????????? ????~??¨??Y??^?°????o?`??_???u??ˉ???ˉ?????????r??????°?????????? ?ˉ??°??′ˉ`???????????f??°??????????o???????_????o????????????t???????s???¨???t?????????`???e????ˉ??????p?????s??????????_.??′?????.??`ˉ??????????????.????~`????? ??°?????^????????I?????????? ??????????__?????c??ˉ?????a??????????n?????′?????? ??′?????^???????_??h????????e?????????^`?a???????r???????????????? ???′?????_t???????′???h?????`???”?????e????m?ˉ???????????!????????????????? ????????′???????]????????_?

Suddenly, the roof of the house was completely ripped off by a powerful shockwave of an attack. The wall was cut open by one of Leo’s bone blades. Ava’s heart skipped a beat as she realized that they had been discovered.

Ava’s heart was pounding as she tried to make a run for it, but her path was abruptly cut off by a Shadow Protection spell that had been cast on the broken door. She could feel the magic barrier blocking her way, preventing her from leaving the house.

‘...’

Ava slowly turned her body to face Leo, her heart pounding in her chest as she met his gaze. She felt a shiver run down her spine as she saw his eyes filled with malice and sadistic pleasure, reveling in her fear and desperation. The sight of him paralyzed her with fear, as if she was facing an ancient predator. She felt two main emotions circling within her mind: despair and anger.

‘I’ll so, cut your payment...’

Ava thought to herself, her determination and anger slowly overtaking her fear.

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‘Leo’ murmured something under his breath before disappearing from his position and reappearing in front of Ava in the blink of an eye.

Swish...

With a swift movement, his bone blades slashed towards Ava’s neck, intending to end her in one swift hit. Ava’s eyes widened as she realized the danger she was in, but she quickly reacted and managed to cast ‘Lightning step’ and dodge the attack just in time.

The house trembled with the pure pressure of the strike, causing the floor where Ava previously stood to split and crack, making the already ruined house even more damaged. Ava could feel the force of the attack, and she knew that if she hadn’t managed to dodge it, it would have ended her life in an instant.

Ava’s eyes locked with ‘Leo’s’ and she could see that he was staring at her with a slight hint of curiosity.

Growl...

Before Leo could launch his second attack Fenrir leapt at him, his eyes glinting in the room dimly lit by the run sun.

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Leo met Fenrir with his blades, while his eyes were still fixed on Ava. He seemed to have already written off the black wolf as dead and was now fully focused on Ava.

Leo was about to dash towards Ava when he suddenly sensed something amiss. He realized that he should be feeling the weight of the wolf impaled on his bone blades by now, but he didn’t.

Thud...

Suddenly, a heavy weight forced Leo to the ground, completely immobilizing him.

His eyes filled with surprise, shifted towards the black wolf, who was pressing him against the ground with his heavy body. He realized that this wolf was not just an ordinary animal, but the original owner’s pet and it couldn’t be damaged by Leo.

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Leo tried to lift Fenrir off of him, but his hands were crushed under the weight of the beast, preventing him from moving them.

‘...’

Ava stood there, her eyes wide open as she watched the events unfold. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing, as she never thought that Leo, with all his power and abilities, could be subdued by the weight of Fenrir.

Ava walked up to Leo, who was desperately trying to throw Fenrir off his body, but to no avail. She could see the anger and frustration in his eyes as he struggled against the fat wolf.

Bonk... Bonk...

She reached out and knocked on the mask that covered his face, as if it were a door, with a smile on her face.

“Leo, are you there?”

The purple eyes that met hers were filled with anger and hatred, but Ava didn’t let it intimidate her. She continued to knock on the mask, annoying the purple eyed-Leo.

Soon, a growl escaped from his throat as he couldn’t handle this level of shame.

[????? ?????ˉ?????????D????????????o????~???n??ˉ`????????’?~??ˉ???????t????`??????? ?????_t??¨ˉ′????e???~???_???_????m?′?????p????????t??′???`′`??? ????°????????????m?????????????????e?¨??????????????? ???????′?w???~???^??????????o????????_?m???????a?~???`???ˉ???n?`ˉ°???????????????.????????.???????.??????????? ?~°???????????????I???????????_?? ?′?????c??????¨??????a???????¨??^?????????n?°°`????? ????????`???t???′????w?”?????ˉ????i?????ˉ??????????s?”?????t?????????????? ???¨?^???????????y?`′??”???????????o??¨????????u???????????_????????r?????????????? ?????????n???~????????e?????`?????????c??????k?????????? ??`??????????w?¨???”?h?????????????????e????????ˉ??n?????????e??ˉ~~?_v??`???_???????e?`???????????r?~?¨ˉ?°????????_? ?????????????I?^???? ??????????w?~????ˉ????a??¨??n???????′^?^????????t????.??”????????????????.???′??????????.????? ????????????]????¨????????????????

Ava ignored Leo’s threat and kept messing with his mask, poking it, covering his eyes or knocking. Her eyes moved upwards and she noticed his smooth horns sprouting backwards. Their surface looked polished and smooth, almost as if they were made of glass.

‘I wonder how they feel...’

Ava reached her hands towards Leo’s horns, and as her fingers touched them, his body froze. She could see the surprise and confusion in his eyes as he realized what she was doing.

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Ava could hear him stuttering, which made her even more interested in the demon’s horns. She looked at Leo’s eyes trying to see any of his emotions, but all she saw was anger, embarrassment and... a hint of pleasure?

Ava suddenly became curious and started poking Leo’s head to determine if his horns were the only sensitive area on his body.

Leo squirmed trying to escape from Ava’s nimble hands, but was unable to due to the wolf laying on top of him. The only thing he could do was to glare at Ava with intense anger and curse her under his breath.