Yael and Celia had traveled around this dry, abandoned desert city in the middle of nowhere.
HOW LONG ARE YOU GONNA WALK? IT'S GETTING BORING Y'KNOW? -ABBADON
"Shut the hell up." Yael snapped. Celia flinched
"What?"
Yael looked at Celia. "No, not you, lil goofball. I was talking to Abbadon.." Celia looked confused but shrugged.
On the way they see some players. "These are real or npc's?" He said while going through the store to find some low level weapons.
OH, THEM? THEY ARE PRETTY POPULAR GANG. THEY HAVE LOTS OF VIEWERS ABOUT 3k?
"Is that so?" A familiar ding was heard, and he had zero papp left. In his right hand was now a dagger, no longer than 5 inches. "Well, i don't really care, i just need money..."
Celia tilted her head, "If they hurt you, brother. I'll boil their teeth." Yael couldn't help but laugh.
TEETH? OMG, THIS KID SURE IS SOMETHING ! -ABADDON
"Alright." He winks at Celia before walking up to the three people. Above their heads were names;
X - A tall figure in dark, streamlined tactical gear, face obscured by a smooth, featureless black helmet. He held a rifle that hummed with restrained energy. He stood perfectly still, observing.
KITSUNE - A smaller, agile-looking avatar with a stylized fox mask. Digital tails of orange light swirled around her legs. She was perched on a broken wall, idly flipping a dagger made of crystalline data.
BOS - A massive figure in heavy, industrial-looking armor covered in welded-on plates and glowing coolant pipes. He had no visible weapon; his fists were large enough to be their own threat. He leaned against a crumbling archway, a picture of bored strength.
Yael didn't flinch. Instead his left hand potions spawned--And he crushed it. His level went from 000 to 008.
X's helmet tilted slightly. A voice, synthesized and filtered, came from him. It was directed not at Yael, but at the air. "New spawn. Low-level gear. One anomalous... pet. Assessment?"
Kitsune hopped down, her movements liquid-smooth. "Cute. Looks lost. The ghost-girl's got weird readings. Could be a rare mob? Or a story trigger." Her voice was light, curious, and utterly mercenary.
Bos just grunted. "Waste of time. No loot indicators."
They were talking about them like objects. Like content.
Abaddon's screen shimmered with excitement.
OOH! FAN FAVORITES! X'S TACTICAL STREAM PULLS 1.5k EASY! KITSUNE'S AGILITY RUNS ARE A HIT WITH THE SPEEDRUN CROWD! AND BOS... WELL, PEOPLE LIKE WATCHING THINGS GET SMASHED! DON'T EMBARRASS YOURSELF, NEWBIE! - ABADDON
"Well...Celia, What do you think about that one?" He said pointing at X. "You know, it'd be more use if I, skinned him and turned him into a lampshade or fashioned him into a high-end luggage?"
Celia smiled "And added it into my collection?" Yael nodded happy to see her playing along.
The silence that followed wasn't just quiet. It was charged. The kind of silence that happens when a small, yapping dog suddenly suggests turning a wolf into a rug.
X's smooth helmet didn't move, but the hum from his rifle dipped for a fraction of a second—a digital tell. Kitsune stopped flipping her dagger. Bos pushed himself off the archway with a low, grinding creak of his armor.
They were used to being feared, respected, or ignored. Not… appraised for their decorative potential.
Abaddon's screen exploded in a fireworks of purple text and emojis.
SKINNED?? LUGGAGE?!? AUDIENCE CONFUSION AT 40%... AMUSEMENT AT 60%... ENGAGEMENT SPIKE DETECTED! MANAGEMENT IS... TAKING NOTES?!?
VIEWS HAVE INCREASED.
ABIGOR HAS JOINED.
BAEL HAS JOINED.
DAEVAS HAS JOINED.
CACUS HAS JOINED.
Kitsune was the first to recover, a sharp, tinny laugh echoing from her fox mask. "A lampshade? Kid, my gear's worth more Papp than your entire existence has generated. You couldn't afford the polish."
Yael shrugged "Who said, your gear? I said skin." He gives a smile.
ABIGOR: FINALLY, SOME ENTERTAINMENT. THE TAX COLLECTOR SCENE WAS ADORABLE.
BAEL: SKIN THE TACTICIAN. I WANT TO SEE HIS REACTION. BET HE SQUEAKS.
DAEVAS: THE GHOST-CHILD INTERESTS ME. HER COHERENCE IS... ARTISANAL.
CACUS: GET ON WITH IT. HURT SOMETHING OR I'M GOING BACK TO WATCHING SOULS UNRAVEL.
Bos finally erupted. A roar of pure, unfiltered rage tore from him, a sound of shearing metal and fractured data. He lunged, not with a weapon, but with a giant, plated fist aimed to swat Yael into a red smear on the digital sand.
Yael, doesn't dodge, instead he steps into it, getting hit. The impact hurt, fracturing his shoulder, but thankfully he was able to plunge his low level dagger which has poison into Bos arm.
Celia stayed in the same place not getting hit at all because she was a ghost and only Yael was able to touch her.
X's rifle snapped up, but Kitsune put a hand on the barrel. "Wait," she said, her fox-mask tilted. "Look at the feed."
The demon chat was exploding.
ABADDON: HE TOOK THE HIT! HE TRADED HEALTH FOR A STATUS EFFECT! THAT'S NOT MIN-MAXING, THAT'S MADNESS!
ABIGOR: THE CALCULATION! HE KNEW HE COULDN'T DODGE, SO HE USED THE IMPACT TO DRIVE THE KNIFE! SAVAGE!
BAEL: THE GHOST IS REACTING TO HIS PAIN! HER SIGNATURE IS FLUTTERING! IS THAT SYMPATHY OR A FEEDBACK LOOP?
DAEVAS: ARTISANAL. I TOLD YOU. THIS IS HANDCRAFTED SUFFERING.
CACUS: FINALLY. SOME CONSEQUENCES.
Bos was lagging.
POISON ACTIVATED. BOS IS NOW IN 400% GLITCH STATE. COUNT TIME: 1.00.00