Chapter Two: The Status Penalties

[???’s POV Continues…]

A small red pond spreads outwards on a floor dirty with disposable plastic, and at its center is a teenage girl.

Hands clasped in front of her, and rope bound to never leave that position. Her vacant eyes glued to the not-sky.

A black waterfall of colors seeping out of the popcorn in the apartment. Conversing forward yo make this one last near death illusion.

Black long hair spread around out in a halo lifts slightly as a hand cups the back of her neck.

“Save that passage for the obituary, why don’t you?” Separate from the chaos of the natural world, the harkened figment of death whispers in her ear. Shattered reality falling like snow behind her to dissipate into nothing once it reaches the blood.

”Is this really my fault? Isn't there something I could’ve said that could have prevented this?” My mouth opens even though I don’t want it to. Physically it doesn’t bug in the back of my mind, the part of me that’s always found it hardest to be quiet forced me to to talk to her.

“…”

Unable to speak to the fault of the matter, the ooze doesn’t respond. Doesn’t say anything at all. Just pushes my head upwards to slide her ‘knees’ underneath the nape of my neck.

Another hand reaches for something behind her and I turn my gaze towards the other one in the room. He’s practically gone silent but I know he’s still yelling.

The bothersome girl had been right. Screaming like that doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s unlikely anyone would hear us. The sour smell of defeat tastes rancid in my throat. Am I really worth it?

Still…she could have done something. Something. Dark eyes filled with hatred. Anything but trust those…leeches. Of course, he didn’t come idiot.

“Say it!”

A kick to her side pulls attention away from the depressing end-of-life monologue Grace is serving.

Nerve endings deaden, and it stops momentarily.

The floor feels warm underneath her but it feels cold. Sticky and cold. How could you feel warm when the life is leaving you? Shivering from the utter lack I’m experiencing, I turned to the dark figure still with us.

Her features are forming something more humanoid now, real hands made of the tar reach for something soft.

Square and plush. Uncontrollable shivers spread from my head down to fingers—twitching and taking on a pretty shade of egg blue.

My entire body quakes, sensing the little death I’m about to experience, little droplets spread further away from me.

Plush meets shivering and the first few minutes are unbearable—I can’t move. Can’t scream. Can’t claw at the pillow as I struggle to breathe.

Downy feathers blocks my nostrils and I scream as hard as I can. It’s nothing. Nothing but fairy dust.

The longer it goes on, the more pain I feel but I can’t stop breathing, I can’t stop. The darkness descends and my entire body is engulfed in the pillow.

Outside the body I’ve been trapped inside for a lifetime is abruptly relaxing as my fingers lose feeling.

Inside the pillow. My rib cage shudders violently, and I hear his shouts clearly for the first time. His frantic pacing.

He’s scared. He’s just a scared kid who didn’t know what he was doing. Seriously? Planning your defense already?

A heartless laugh I could pull out from the depths of my being christens the pillow. The being pauses not expecting the peals of hysteria.

He leans over me, and I scream his cowardice at him. Blood trickles down my throat, and I cough it up in his face.

He retches and turns away to throw up. Sorry.

“This is all your fault! Love me! Look at me! That was all I asked…” He slams his hand down next to my face. It’s covered in me.

Dripping red overrides black and the two share my vision. One a vision of cold ending and the other a disgusting reddish color standing my life.

Don’t. “I gave you everything!”

“How could you…?” He rambles to himself, and my eyes slowly rake over this house. Don’t close your eyes Grace. Don’t close them.

This is it. This is the last thing I will ever see. I want to see. I want to see everything.

Beige popcorn walls covered in photos of me.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He chants over my body and collects me in his arms.

He hugs me and brushes my hair so tenderly, I want to pull the knife out and slit his throat so I can bathe in it. “You asked me! You asked me with your glances!”

He bellowed stirring up a racket sure to call attention to the gruesome truth of it all. “You did this to me!”

Yup, keep shouting. Maybe he read the defiance in my eyes. Maybe he was just ramping up this entire time. Something calls him, he reaches back for the knife and I turn to the side for the pillow.

Blinding hot pain exploded whenever his knife exited the hole it had made.

”HAH!” I burned up inside. Every time. To a crisp. Hole after hole.

The pillow just wouldn’t form anymore.

The ooze floated in the air and disappeared into bubbles of nothing. I missed it now that I realized what it was.

My vision darkens, and I can’t even feel his tears anymore. I can hear him. She closed her eyes.

I don’t know anymore. The burning hot lingers as I fight to to move. To do something. Say something!

If he wants it so bad. My miserable body is going to be yours anyway. The very least you could do is take care of it.

Dying is the worst pain in the world. Burning alive in an oven of your regrets. Choices you would make now that you knew what was in store.

I’ve died twice. Twice for a fuck-up. Different ones but it still stings. At least now…I have a chance to make the right choices.

To win.

[Miseria’s POV]

“…can’t leave.”

That revelation had me feeling warmer already. Can’t leave. It already sounds better than won’t leave.

"Who are you?"

The copycat pushed her glasses up and lied through clenched teeth. "Take a guess."

"But that's not possible. I'm-I'm me. There isn't. There can't be another."

"Whatever. Are we done now? Next life?"She says it like we’re about to hop on a bus after missing the eight am.

"Next, what? No. This. This is it. Right?"

"There is no end. There isn't a this is it. We always survive. So get up and stop feeling sorry for yourself." She vanished after that, and I was stunned into a stupor.

Which may have just been hypothermia, but I guess we'll never know.

I pushed up onto my hands and knees. Fresh snow fell on me and I didn't shiver from it anymore. Freezing to death heat tiny pinpricks any day. Especially today.

A valley filled to the brim with snow as far as the eye can see, like a giant's basin.

There has to be someone. Going down a list of people in my head in a last-ditch effort, I called out. "Aja? Mel? Boo—"

A small black cat poofed in front of me and I stopped breathing.

Adorably confused, it yawned and stretched out its paws in the snow. Big black eyes followed my movements and Boo…He ran over to me in an heartbeat and licked my cheeks.

Hot tears and a dry tongue.

I scooped him up and gave him a good squish as the sobs lessened until I was just smothering my face in his fur.

Cats. A girl's best and possibly only friend.

"If you're here…Then I'm not completely alone." Somewhat hopefully, I called out.

"Status?"

My status screen appeared in front of me, and I sobbed gratefully.

“Oh my god. Oh my god.”

[Miseria Noxcissa Duccanes.]

[Level: 20]

[Class: Control Witch]

[Race: Vampiric Elf, ???]

[Age: 1]

[Health: 1950/1950]

[Mental Energy: 800/800]

[Strength: 10]

[Vitality: 13]

[Intelligence: 20]

[Agility: 10]

[SP: 75]

[Skill : Telekinesis]

[Skill: Psychic Perception]

[Skill: Cognitive Overload]

[Skill: Aura Manipulation]

[Skill: Psychic Barrier]

[Skill: Pet Space]

[Skill: Culinary Novice]

[Skill: Novice Gardener]

[Equipment: None]

[Balance : 0 GD]

[Due to a penalty, certain [System Functions] and the previously existing [Balance] have been confiscated temporarily.]

My heart that had finally begun its descent down but that delightful little sidebar slingshots the organ back into my throat.

Confiscated?!!!

[Currently, you have access to the following. [Inspection] [Task Board] [Status] [Inventory] [The Craft Function].]

[Please complete the Dungeon within thirty days or risk being erased. Good luck.]

I sat back on my haunches. A Dungeon?

They want me to complete this? I scoured the landscape for anything threatening but it all came up white. It’s just a valley of white death.

But a Dungeon?

Meaning fight monsters and whatever else is in here?

I can't do that. I can't do anything by myself.

Self-defense classes at my local mall are nothing compared to what's in here. I can't do this.

I'm going to die here.

Maybe I can just let it erase me completely and be done with it all. If they let me. I guess instant death wasn’t enough punishment in their opinion.

Boo yawned into my chest and meowed long and proud.

"..."

Guilt pulled my elongated ears closer to the ground and I squished him further into my chest. I can’t hurt him.

I can’t.

But what can I do? I won’t survive this.

I’m alone in the middle of possibly the worst setting to start a spree killing of monsters.

I have nothing.

“…”

Silver brows come together in worry and a steady stream of blood flows from the tooth sized hole in my lip.

“Ah!” Hissing from the sudden burning sensation. Plus the gross taste. I licked the open wound to help it close.

While I was at it, I maneuvered the purple muscle over the sharper canines. Each one hung low enough to casually puncture my lower lip if I’m not paying attention.

Maybe not nothing…

You gonna bite a sword?

The sooner my hopes rose, the easier the inner voice come true obliterated them again.

But I can't take him with me.

He doesn't deserve that. If something happens to my soul…He'll go away too. I have to do this, or at least I have to try.

What do I have? Maybe a reset button? Deprecating laughter is music to thine own ears as I called for another Hail Mary.

"Inventory."

My entire inventory of about forty transparent boxes appears.

Starting from the top is a couple boxes of fried rice, some vegetables from the garden, seasoning from the system shop, cooking oil, and hair products.

Food but nothing that can cover my back.

Desolate thoughts are close at bay but I didn’t have it in me to go back and forth with them.

I’m either doing this or I’m not. Which is it?

Squishy pink paws played with my fingers and I rocked the little lovebug while rubbing a little finger massage in soothing circles.

The memory of it–I can’t continue down that road. Acid fills my chest and I curl my legs closer to my body.

What else is there? The distraction is welcome as I mentally ran down the list that would’ve been announced to me in an annoyingly smug tone minutes ago.

A bow I couldn't get rid of, arrows, a few knives, health potions, the grimoire, a first aid kit, petfeed, a cauldron, some cloak, shoes, a backpack, a compass, and a ring.

"That's it?” Heaving a small sigh of relief. I thought outloud against the cutting winds to put some noise into the sheer emptiness. “I mean, that's not too bad, I guess, but I'll starve without any real food once I run out of this. Actually, maybe even before that." I still need blood.

Boo meowed back and I grimaced. "At least you have petfeed. What should we do?” I gasped in mock surprise and made of show if summoning them both up. “Wait. I still have the taskboard and my space bag!"

Boo. Ever the patient and enthusiastic audience yowled in encouragement. Kicking his little legs and nibbling on my arm without any teeth to it.

Hastily, I check its contents while juggling him and sigh in relief.

Thankfully, I hadn't emptied it in favor of storing it somewhere else.

Preserved Ichor, tonics, water bottles, lasting snacks, a pile of clothes, a small mountain of gold, blankets, utensils, and other useless luxuries, I’d wanted to sell to my new roommates.

"Harley, you're a lifesaver," I whispered gratefully.

I wish I had packed fresh meat for Boo or grains in here instead, but beggars can't be choosy.

It's not a lot, but I can at least be a little more warm while I’m still conscious enough to appreciate it.

Maybe I can make a tent out of some of these things. Most of the clothes are useless to me now that I'm bigger.

I should check my taskboard before I continue jumping to conclusions. Countless bandaids, solutions, and tools come to mind as I grasp at straws.

Just one more. Just one more.

It pops up in front of me, and I see that every single previous mission, quest, and task has been blurred. I can't see or access anything from the outside or the soul space from in here.

Snot trails down from my nose, and I sneeze involuntarily.

Boo tries to lick it and I angle my face away from the furball.

Gross.

[Conquer The Dungeon]

“…There you are.”

Looking down at the suddenly still dark fuzzball. “Ready, Boo?”

He purred into my ribs and squirmed away to sit perfectly in my lap. Lovable nose pointing straight at the ominous message.

I heard you.

Steeling myself against the inevitable, I zoomed in. “Ready.”