Infinite Realm

"What, what happened?" The injured player from Reeves' camp asked with whispering tone. Despite being alive and well, he didn't feel safe. With his opponent having died in such a mysterious fashion, why would he feel safe? 

"Did he die?"

Even though he had asked the question, he had obviously seen his opponent disintegrate while leaving behind a two pieces of equipment.

"What just happened?" Fudo stared wide eyed. It was just too creepy and confusing. He had just been watching the battle alongside the others and they had all concluded that it was over but the result was shocking. The battle still ended as they predicted but not as they thought. The 'winner' ended up as the loser, even worse was how he had died; it was too eerie without any trace or sign of such happening.

With the death of another teammate, Rolo's squad was left with only two men, resulting in them having a handicap in the battle. The original battle that had an obvious result ended up going in the opposite direction.

But that wasn't the end.

"Arghhhh." 

Turning to look at the origin of the noise, Sato, Fudo and Seiichi were astounded. They noticed that it was Rolo's last teammate who happened to be the one screaming but that wasn't the reason why they were surprised. Rather, it was what happening to the player. Beneath him was a black pool from which white objects slowly rose up. Upon further inspection, these white objects were actually bones! The bones mostly consisted of a complete set of hand bones[1], femurs and tibias[2]. They weren't just bones alone but also complete skeletons, humanoid skeletons. They occupied a 2 metre radius around the player and because they were targeted at him, his opponent(one of Reeves' men) had managed to escape from the area-of-effect.

*Klack* *Klack* *Klack*

These skeletons and skeletal palms grabbed onto the player and pulled at him. The combination of the 'stunning' view and weird grinding sounds from the skeletons joints, formed a really creepy scene that struck everyone present. Even Reeves, Blue Banana and Rolo had stopped their battle.

"What's that?!" Rolo stared in fear.

While Rolo was stunned, Reeves' eyes flashed with a strange glint before a complacent smile took shape on his lips.

"Arghh. Die! Die!" 

Probably because he was scared of dying or something else, the player being attacked had managed to regain a bit of his composure, hacking at the skeletons and bones with his axe. 

The skeletons weren't made of some perversely resilient divine weapon or anything so they easily shattered on contact with the axe. However, even as the player shattered them, more came out from underneath him while the shattered parts slowly reattached themselves. If this went on for a while longer, it wouldn't take long for the player to die.

"Damn it." Rolo cursed as he stared at what went on. He didn't know the origin of the skeletons neither did he know what would happen if he went close to them, so Rolo kept his distance away from the player despite him(the player) being his teammate.

4 seconds had passed by and the bones and skeletons had numbered plenty. Being outnumbered and swarmed by such strange and eerie creatures, the player's mentality wasn't only put to a test but so was his stamina and HP. With their numbers being superior, the skeletons didn't only drag the player down but also stabbed at him with bone poles and their claws, inflicting varying degrees of damage on him. 

Thanks to Infinite Realm's amazing visual resolution that was a lot like reality, this sight could be said to be a very stunning visual feast for the eyes but that wasn't the most 'impressive' feature. The most 'impressive' feature could be said to be the pain sensation effect that was on for 90% of players. Even if one reduced it to its lowest, one would still feel pain. If this pain is singular; resulting from one spot, the effects might not be that great, but if the pain happens to be inflicted from different spots at almost the same time, one would be in for a hell of a ride, exactly like this guy. Even worse was the fact that this guy was almost like the other one, except he toned down the pain sensation effects though not o its lowest.

The bones that stabbed the player, the claws that dragged at him, the skeletons that attacked him with bone weapons and the ones that bite at him, so much 'love and care' was given to the player that he couldn't help but express his thanks in words, or rather sounds.

"Arggghhhhh! Arggghhhhh! Please!!!! help!!! Boss, help me!!!" 

Realising that he can't escape with his meager abilities, the player yelled to his captain, Rolo, begging for help. However this action of his would turn fruitless as Rolo didn't make any move. Even if he wanted to do so, Reeves and Blue Banana wouldn't let him do as he pleased.

4 more seconds passed by and these 4 seconds felt like hell to this player. Finally, the hell had ended as he disintegrated into starlight, dying a miserable and painful death. Following his disappearance was that of the skeletons and bones. As they had arrived, they went back too, dissolving into the weird black pool beneath them. In place of him, a pair of boots were left behind reminding the players that 

"Was that a skill or a trap?" One of Reeves' men, the one who was battling the deceased a while ago, asked, fear and confusion still clear in his tone. 

Unlike the confused look in everyone's eyes, Sato only frowned before glancing at a tree top a few metres away.

"Do You still plan on hiding or what?"

Sato's question was met with silence alongside the strange stares of the other players but he still focused his sights on the branch above.

"You really don't want to come out?" Sato frowned. 

Silence pervaded the entire grounds and just as Rolo was about to ask a question, a melodious voice sounded out.

"Fufu~ You actually noticed my presence?" 

The voice had a strange charm to it that caused the hearts of many to flutter. It was like the chirping of canaries in Spring time, sweet and alluring to the ear like honey is to bees, like sugar is to ants. So intoxicating was the voice that it made some of the players unconsciously relax, befuddling them like alcohol does to the brain.

Following that, a figure appeared from the confines of the tree top, making clear their figure to the players below. Surprisingly, it was a lady. 

The new arrival was garbed in black outfits reticent of what mages would wear, and it gave her a chilling and creepy vibe but her appearance was all but that. She had a stunning figure, such that even world class models would be ashamed of themselves in her presence. Two perky bunnies hid beneath her clothing but because their bust was quite impressive and also her clothing was made to fit, they were easily noticeable at a glance. A slim waist that looked fragile yet perfect, a perky ass that looked firm yet soft and luscious red lips that could wet one's lips from a distance, together with a magnificent red hair that flowed down like a fiery waterfall, this new arrival didn't look like your ordinary beauty. What made this sultry goddess even more appealing was the lovely yet enticing smile she kept on her face as she glanced at Sato. With the way she stared at him while ignoring the rest, it looked as if she was intent ravaging him with her eyes; even Sato found himself a bit uncomfortable under her stare. Surprisingly though, that only added to her appealing charm.

"You've finally made an appearance, cousin." Reeves smiled. The way he addressed her was like a citizen of a medieval empire addressing the King rather than a cousin. There was a lot of humility and respect in his tone as he talked to her.

"I had too, since you couldn't achieve such a simple goal." The lady nonchalantly replied.

"I apologise." Reeves bowed low as he began to sweat profusely on his forehead. Having failed a simple task from her, he knew that he would end up suffering the consequences later. As for now, he planned on obeying her every word and serving her to the best of his abilities after all, her background was too scary.

"It was you…?" Rolo asked unsure of his own words. Unless one was a fool, from the information in Reeves and the mysterious lady's words, the death of Rolo's two men was her doing but he still refused to believe that a player could do such; eliminating them in one move. Even Sato couldn't do such so there was no way Rolo could believe that she did it. No player was that strong.

"What do you think?" The lady smirked when she saw Rolo's shaken composure.

"Don't worry. You will join your men soon."

"You…!" Rolo glared ferociously at her but he still didn't make any move. Even though it was an ambush, the strength she had shown had scared him witless. Rolo knew that he wasn't her match and together with the fact that he was alone, he wouldn't stand a chance against her.

"Back to what I was saying." The lady turned and smiled alluringly at Sato. 

"How did you find me?"