This game has day-night system. It was a great feature in the sense of gaming achievements. Vision got impaired by the dark, while night time monsters lurked the field, obviously way stronger than normal ones. It gave of a sense of reality, and Ein was sure that she would’ve enjoyed it if not for this situation everyone was in. Suddenly the ‘cool feature’ turned into a death trap. There are some players who could survive in the night; they even used it for strengthening themselves. For most, though, staying out of it was the right thing to do. Ein was with the latter. Only, she still couldn’t bring herself to enter the city yet.

There was some spot around the city wall where monsters couldn’t see you if you hide within the thick bushes. Ein had found them accidentally when running away from monsters. These had been her camping spot at nights. Rough, but at least she survived.

Recently she tried to found some caves. It was warmer and, being technically indoor, felt a bit safer than in the open. Caves in games were screaming for ‘dungeon’. But she knew that in games, the first few meters inside was always safe. The problem was people who came and go into the caves, seeing it was a place to train up and hunt loot. Three of such caves she had found was brimming with people to the point that they bickered about killing distribution. Such carefree attitude toward potential death…then again, Beta players tend to have confidence in their knowledge of the game.

After the meal, she considered it lunch as the sun was already way up high, she took another trek she had never tried before. The area was brimming with low-leveled monsters. Passive ones. They stayed on their own business and Ein hers. It was cute, actually, some form of big, fluffy rabbit-cat hybrids. One of them approached Ein with curious look on its stupid face. She couldn’t help not to touch her hand on the head, petting it while cooing. Big mistake.

For some unknown reason it was registered as an attack, and the rabbit-cat thing hissed at Ein, its face turned into an angry scowl. She immediately took out her beginner oak staff and chanted the usual magic she used to run all the time.

[center][b]Reinforce Armor: Wind[/b][/center]

Wind element gathered on her armor, granting her increase in movement speed. The rabbit-cat attack slipped through the wind as she had already made her retreat along the path. Running forward with eyes half-closed, not paying attention to where she was going. The extra speed made her able to outrun the fast-looking monster. When she finally stopped hearing the monster’s growl, she was already…somewhere.

How far was it anyway from the city? All she could see was forest in the distance. Bad. Bad. BAD. Her body started trembling. If she couldn’t find a way back before night came…

Suddenly she recognized the cave opening near her spot. This was new to her, since it was the first time she had ventured so far. There was no one else inside, only the gaping darkness of the cave going farther and farther ahead. “Hello?” She called. Her voice echoed into the emptiness, but no reply could be heard. Then a few chirps. Sounded like bird’s…or hamster’s. “...Is someone there?” her feet unknowingly took her deeper and deeper into the cave.