Chapter 2

She forced a few deep, steadying breaths, willing herself to calm down. A faint sweetness lingered in the air, unexpected amid the salt and dampness of the shoreline, but because of that it allowed her to calm down just a little quicker.

“Okay. Fuck. Fuck,” she muttered, repeating the curse like a mantra. Her heart was still racing, but at least it wasn’t hammering against her ribs like a trapped animal anymore.

With another exhale, she assessed her situation.

“First things first. Looks like I have no equipment.” She looked down at her naked body. The fine grains of sand clung to every inch of her skin, rough and teasing, scraping against even the most sensitive places. “Obviously” she tutted. She shifted uncomfortably, the sensation an odd blend of irritation and something more ... distracting.

However right now she had something else to focus on, because of that she was more annoyed than embarrassed. The wind curled around her bare form, a cool whisper against warm skin, It licked up her thighs, trailed across her stomach, slipped between her breasts like a teasing breath.

Swallowing hard, she forced herself to focus on the screen. “Alright then, Inventory is a bust so what about this Hacienda option...” she backed out of the previous menu, clicking the buttons with her hand but the system seemed to follow her commands with such precision it was definitely connected to her mind somehow.

“Creepy...” she muttered as she pulled up the Hacienda menu.

It was blank. Well almost. It had something in the middle of the intricate background. ‘No Eidras in Formation’. That was all.

She bit her lip for a moment before browning out her breath in frustration. “The fucks an ‘e-dr-uh’!?” A dry laugh escaped her, humorless and hollow. “No items. No ee-druh-whatevers.”

“No items, no eedr’uhs,” a gust of wind licked its way down her back. She shivered, twisting instinctively at the sensation—not entirely unpleasant but far from welcome.

She sighed. “And of course, no clothes, fuck me.”

Frustration curled tight in her chest as she backed out of the menu. “It’s fine. We’re not done yet,” she muttered, more to herself than anything.

She wasn’t even sure what she was looking for—but each time it wasn’t found, a creeping panic pressing against the edges of her control. The panic held at bay only because of this one distracting item that allowed her some semblance of control so with quickened breath she moved on, clicking the next item: P2P.

This one had something in it. A lot of somethings. Even a scroll wheel. Her breath slipped out in a measured exhale—relief, or something close to it. Progress, or the illusion of it. She focused, her gaze tracking the list before her. Rows upon rows of items.

She focused on the list before her. It was full of items and descriptions. But each entry was greyed out, unreachable. Ten items per tier, each a rung on some invisible ladder. The further down she scrolled, the higher the numbers climbed, and the better the items looked—sleek, refined, almost tantalizing in their locked status.

“Technology tree?” she murmured, eyes narrowing. “Would it be like a blueprint, then? Showing you how to make this crap?”

A flick of her finger. A click. Nothing. Again. And again. No response.

Her lips curled in a dry, humorless scoff. “Fucking great,” she muttered. “locked out.”

She pushed the back button with more force than necessary, her irritation bleeding into the motion, then moved on before frustration could sink its teeth too deep. Next.

Monstropedia.

She wasn’t expecting much, but she remained hopeful. A list greeted her, blank but sprawling, the scroll wheel hinting at a vast archive yet to be filled. Or it was just broken. “Heh, probably.” she mused in a sliver of self pity.

Back again. Her fingers hovered over the last option—Guild. if this was also empty...

As she hesitated a chill crawled down her spine. She became aware of the dark, the shadows ineffective against the bright display of the screen, seemingly adapting to the dimming light making her completely unaware that the sun was now gone.

And just like that—

She was painfully aware of how exposed to the elements she was. The warmth of the sun was replaced by the vicious bite of cold, the change so apparent it was like ... well, night and day.

If this was also empty...

As she hesitated, a chill crawled down her spine.

And just like that—

She was painfully aware of how exposed to the elements she was. The warmth of the sun had been replaced by the vicious bite of cold, the change so apparent it was like ... well, night and day.

The night was especially cold, its bite sinking painfully into her skin, scraping down to the bone. The wind lashed at her like an unseen predator, slipping through the cracks of her body’s warmth, teasing where it had no right to touch.

Her skin prickled violently, breath turning shallow and sharp. Her breath was a harsh rasp, lips trembling.

“Fuck,” she hissed, hands clutching her thighs.

The cold had already claimed her, creeping beneath her breasts, her nipples hard, hot against her frozen flesh.