Chapter 2

A frozen tundra, cold, vast, empty. It was hard to imagine any living thing could even survive in such a place.

And yet, at this very moment, something large and sturdy, blue and hairy, lonesome and dangerous, was walking about. The snow crunched under the weight of its heel. The creature which left such impressive prints was a blue troll, as tall as three adult men, the rest of its body was just as impressive. Its head is as wide as two watermelons, and its tusks, which protruded from its mouth, were as long as a full grown man.

The troll was currently munching on the hind leg of its latest prey, the rest of it carried over the troll's shoulders.

The unforgiving winds were picking up. Any hope to see your way through was all but a fool's dream. Though for such a creature, it may not be so much of a problem for its eyes were as white as the snow on the ground.

A glint appeared from the distance.

The troll stopped in its path and an arrow struck right in front of him. It paused, dropping the caracas from its shoulder but still holding on to it by the other hindleg. The Troll spun a full 360 degrees before releasing the carcass towards the direction where the arrow came from.

BOOM!

The snow blasted away in that area through the impact of the thrown carcass, revealing a lone figure in a cloak. In their hands was a cross bow.

The troll roared out, charging straight for the cloaked figure. Every step echoed out, heavy and powerful.

The figure moved. With every six steps the figure took, the troll managed to cover that distance in one and was quickly catching up.

Suddenly, the figure stopped. A ravine which stretched beyond the horizon lay before him. The depths were impossible to see.

The troll stared at the figure, grumbling at first before twisting into a smile. This wasn’t their first meeting but it would be their last for the figure was finally trapped. It moved quickly, swiping its arm to catch the figure.

However, the figure leapt upwards, an impressive jump which allowed the figure to completely leap over the troll’s massive arm. While in the air, the hood of the clock was jostled back, revealing the man known as David.

David landed on the troll's arm and dashed straight, landing a straight kick against the troll’s head.

The Troll immediately drew its hand, attempting to swat the human like the bug it was. However, when it looked at its hand, David was nowhere to be seen.

“Emily, now!”

Hidden in a pile of snow, Emily emerged, a weapon in hand. She fired out and a type of bola rope flew through the air. It spun through the air and wrapped around the troll’s upper body.

The troll roared in a maddened rage, causing snow to kick up.

“It’s do or die, now!” David yelled out to give him courage.

David charged it, barely being missed by the troll’s random movements. He managed to grab onto the hair of the troll and scale up. He drew out a bone dagger and immediately struck one of the eyes.

Blood gushed out and the troll cried out in pain.

With a burst of strength, the troll managed to break free and slammed against the ground several times with a ferocious roar, almost causing their ears to burst. The troll began to roll on the ground violently, attempting to squish the pest dead.

Despite the sickening crunch of one of David’s legs, he hung on by the edge of the troll’s tusk. He grit his teeth and swung wide, catching the troll’s other eye.

The Troll screamed in pain, jumping up as it panicked, striking its face over and over as it tried to find Daniel who had already relocated to the Troll’s back side.

While the troll had long grown beyond the use of its eyes, the pain from having them destroyed was excruciating. However, as its movements grew desperate, it failed to realize it was taking a step back with every hit.

Daniel watched with bated breaths as they inched closer to the bottomless ravine.

C’mon, almost there.

The troll suddenly stopped right at the edge. It had stopped hitting itself and instead turned its head ever so slightly so as to stare right at Daniel, almost in a mocking way. Its eyes, which had been deflated by being stabbed before, were already healing. The bloody trait of the trolls which had caused all previous of their attempts to slay the troll in vain.

“What the hell are you smiling about?” Daniel blasted. “You think we didn’t think of a back up plan for this?”

With his declaration, he pulled on a ripcord which was wrapped around his thumb. A parachute, sewn by many types of blankets and covers, unfurled from his backpack. It dropped straight down, only to then get swept up by the wind which expanded the parachute fully.

He quickly gripped the hairs of the troll with everything he had, determined to not let go. His entire body was pulled in the direction of the wind. The troll was pulled back as well. It immediately dropped to all fours, holding to whatever it could grab as it struggled to hold itself in place.

David’s bones creaked and groaned, his arms on the verge of snapping as the force threatened to rip him away.

At the same time, Emily finally arrived, a spear in hand. She stood before the troll who was holding on for dear life. Though it was well aware of Emily’s presence, it could do nothing to her for even moving a single limb would allow it to be swept away.

Emily lifted her spear, her eyes cold. “We’re ending this today!” She thrust forward, straight into the troll’s eye socket.

The troll roared in pain.

Through their experience dealing with the troll, no weapon could deal any significant damage or penetrate deep enough through the troll’s thick skin. The eyes remained its only vulnerable weakness.

Emily yelled out, putting everything she had as she had to push forward. The spear continued forward, inch by inch before finally, the troll could stand no longer. It released its grip and the parachute dragged both Daniel and the troll back.

They slipped past the edge and Daniel finally released his grip.

The troll flailed out its arms, desperate to grab a hold of anything. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be found and the troll disappeared into the endless depths of the ravine.

“Daniel!” Emily called out.

Daniel continued to fly through the air, climbing higher and higher. Without the troll to anchor him down, he was now at the mercy of the winds. He attempted to locate the directional cords which would allow him some semblance of control but the whiplash caused by the winds disoriented his vision and movements.

Suddenly, one of the tethers snapped, and then another.

Emily gasped.

Shit! Daniel quickly analyzed his position. I’m still close enough to the edge. If I fall from here, I may be able to catch myself. No choice now! He grit his teeth, releasing the parachute completely.

He dropped straight down. The ledge was just in reach, he needed only to extend his arm out. And yet, the moment he tried to, his muscle locked up. He couldn’t extend out fully. The strain of holding onto the troll had done irrevocable damage to his arms.

At that moment, Daniel knew that was it.

I guess… This is my end.

And as he dropped past the ledge, he closed his eyes, waiting for the end. Only, it seemed death would need to wait a little longer. When he opened his eyes, he saw Emily looking back straight at him, her hand grabbing hold of his arm.

“You did it, Daniel,” she said with a smile.

Daniel smiled back. “No, we did it.”

With a last burst of strength, she pulled Daniel back up.

Now on safe ground, Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. Motes of light surrounded them, healing their injuries and strengthening their bodies. The troll was truly dead.

He turned to Emily. “Than-”

Before he could give his thanks, Emily immediately embraced him tightly, tears flowing from her eyes. “I thought you were going to die! I told you this plan was too dangerous!”

Daniel's eyes softened. He gently embraced her as well, giving her a gentle brush. “I didn’t worry. I knew you would be there to save me if I was in danger. You’ve always been there to help me.”

In the lonely tundra, the two humans continued in their embrace. No longer strangers, they were all they had.

Suddenly, the snow around them began to thaw, and the winds turned to a light breeze. The grey clouds parted as light peaked through and in the distance, a beam of light descended down from the heavens. However, this one was different from the ones they had experienced in the past. They could both sense it.

“Daniel’s that…”

“Yes, I feel it as well.” He stood up. “Every time we completed a stage, a light would appear to bring us to the next level. We would get a calling from the beam, almost as though it was encouraging us to go home through a familiar sense. But this one… It feels different. It feels like it's our way back home.”

The two turned to each other and Daniel extended out a hand. “Let’s go. Back to our real lives.”

“Right!” She took his hand and the two began to walk towards the light.

***

They walked past the tundra, finding themselves now walking through a forested area. They would reach the beam of light soon.

The forest was quiet but between them, there was no obvious awkward tension like they had on their first day. Their hands interlocked, their passions running deep.

“Hey, Daniel,” Emily said.

“What is it?”

“It’s sort of strange don’t you think? Now that we are so close, I almost don’t even know what to expect anymore. Will we really be able to go home?”

“I don’t know,” he answered, “but whether we awaken in the real world or arrive at another level, we’ll tackle it together!”

Her head suddenly drooped down. “Do you think… we’ll remember each other?”

Daniel paused, turning his head to Emily. “What are you talking about?”

Her lips quivered as though she was trying to hold something back. “I’ve been thinking. After all these years together, we never remembered who we truly are. What the people who put us in here and wiped our memories can do so when we wake up as well? I don’t want to forget you and the life we lived together!” Tears fell from her eyes.

“Emily…” his hand gently caressed her face before he leaned in and kissed her passionately. Only after a while did they finally part. His eyes were steady and he gazed longingly into hers. “I could never forget you. Be it here or in the real world, the memories we shared can never be destroyed.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I know it, in here…” He took her hand and placed it over his heart. “I’m certain, even if they do erase our memories, some part of me will know to find you. Because without you, my life is incomplete. You know my tendencies. Once I fixate on something I never let it go. So no matter where we end up, just wait for me and I promise I will find you.”

Emily rested her head against his chest. “You better keep your promise. Or I’ll hunt you down myself.”

“Yea. I know better than anyone else than to get on your bad side.” He snickered.

They eventually continued on and soon saw a cave on the other side. The beam of light pointed straight down, inside the cave.

The two shared a look before continuing forth when out of nowhere, a scaly head appeared from above the cave.

“Wait, that's…”

A reptilian-like creature surfaced, vertical slit for eyes and scales which reflected the sun in a hue of green. Two hind legs and wings for arms.

“A wyvern….” Daniel clenched his teeth. The two quickly drew out their weapons as the Wyvren leaped down.

It only took a second to gauge the disparity of strength. Not only was the Wyvren three times as large as the troll, the pressure exerted by it was enough to cause difficulty breathing.

Emily's hands were shaking while Daniel 's eyes darted around. A realization hit him.

“Emily, listen to me. I don’t think we are meant to defeat this thing. It is only trying to protect this area which happens to be where the beam of light is. It can’t fit into the cave. We only need to slip past it. I’ll distract it and you head into the cave first.”

“That’s too dangerous! What about you?” she asked in a panic.

“You think I’m going to die from just this? Listen, I still have a smoke bomb. Once you’re inside, I’ll deploy the bomb and I’ll sneak past it and join you. I already told you. We’ll meet again in the real world. ” He gave her a wink.

Seeing his resolve, she gulped down whatever was holding her back. “If you die on me, I’ll never forgive you!” She proceeded to run to the side.

David turned back to the wyvern with a smile. “You hear that? Now there’s no way I can die.” He charged forward and the two enemies began to battle.

With the Wyvren distracted, Emily managed to slip past the Wyvern and enter into the cave. Inside, she saw the beam of light and her heart skipped a beat. However, she turned, waiting for Daniel to keep his promise.

Outside, Daniel faced Wyvren, a smile on his face, and his spear pointing forward. Only, his left limbs were completely gone and he was facing death right in the face.

“Looks like… I won’t be able to keep our promise. Man… she’s going to kill me.” he chuckled before going into a low chuckle. The Wyvren snapped its jaw wide, ready to consume him whole.

In those last moments, Daniel’s thoughts remained on Emily. “Sorry…I won’t be able to join you. Go back and live happily, Emily.”

The Jaw snapped shut.

Back inside, Emily felt something in her heart told her something went wrong.

“Daniel…”

She took a step towards the entrance but before she could, the beam of light expanded, encapsulating her.

“No!” she cried out.

However, unlike before, she could feel something was off. Her body was breaking down, her essence torn apart. She collapsed to the ground, her legs detached from the upper half. And as the rest of her body continued to break down, Emily could only reach out, calling out to the man she loved.

“Dan…iel….”

***

[FIN]

“Thank you for playing the demo for our interactive simulator. In this demo, a scan of your brain was used to create a realistic display to see how you would survive in a far off land. Your contribution today has allowed our developers to find bugs and ongoing gaps within the story narrative. Before leaving, please ensure to leave any feedback which is always appreciative. If you have any concern with the characters inside the simulator, please do not worry, they are just code meant to simulate your thinking patterns. This is all thanks to the revolutionary technologies of the F.C. Media Technology Group. No sentient characters were harmed in the making of this story. We look forward to seeing you in our next playtest.”