MMORPG: Surviving a Death Game with a Glitched System

Ash let his gaze drift to the snarling wolf, which now stood directly in front of Demitra.

"Ah... Let me phrase it like this... I don’t exactly care about your situation, but I will help you to serve my own cause. So, tell me, what is your goal?"

’Since accomplishing your goal is probably the task of this instance...’

That was Ash’s best guess.

Trying once more to lift her blade, Demitra’s knees buckled under the weight of the hefty broadsword.

"Monster, you make... no sense."

Blinking languidly, Ash sighed and shook his head as he glanced down at his tattered outfit. A moment later, he unsummoned the pike.

"I see... you find it hard to trust a stranger dressed so out of place in this environment. Nor do you seem to have met a Dragonkin before... or at least a friendly one."

Demitra spun the sword and shoved its tip into the ground, using it to force herself back to her feet as she sternly demanded:

"Drop the act... it’s truly pathetic."

Ash took a deep breath.

’It’s to complete the instance...’

’It’s to complete the instance.’

After a lengthy exhale, Ash said:

"Let me try once again... You seem to be in quite the predicament. And, as you can see, I’m in a troublesome one as well..."

"You think I’m dumb...? That I’ll listen to those hollow words? You’re here. Who else could you be but another one of his dogs?"

"I serve no one... Nor do I even know who you are talking about. All I know about you is your name."

"How can..."

All of a sudden, Demitra keeled over mid-sentence, passing out from extreme exhaustion, blood loss, hypothermia, or all three.

’Uh...’

"Hello? You alive?"

Ash took a step toward the fallen woman, only for the gigantic wolf to step toward him, its snarl intensifying. However...

It began sniffing the air, then tilted its head and stopped growling. It was almost like...

"You smell her scent on me, don’t you?"

’That makes this easier.’

Ash took another step toward the fallen woman while keeping his eyes locked on the wolf’s glowing ones.

"I have no idea if you can understand me, wolf. But your master isn’t in the best of shape. To save her, we need to find somewhere warm to rest and recuperate."

’But it seems night will fall within the hour...’

Thankfully, Demitra seemed to possess some healing factor or she’d be dead alread.

After entirely closing the distance, Ash stood directly before the wolf. Some of the beast’s hostility returned the moment he attempted to take another step.

"Wolf, your master will likely die without my interference."

’Does it understand me...?’

Or perhaps it simply understood his intent, as the wolf eventually lowered its head, tucked its tail between its legs, and shuffled aside with a small whimper.

’It really isn’t leaving any prints behind.’

Stepping forward and crouching, Ash studied Demitra’s body. His eyes were immediately drawn to the deep lacerations across her right shoulder and arms, visible through the torn sections of her metal armor.

"What did this to her?"

Turning to the wolf, Ash said:

"I’m afraid I can’t transport her, but I can lift her onto your back."

Looking somewhat downtrodden, the wolf lowered its head even further and looked away.

’Hmm...’

"Is there a problem with that?"

The wolf sat on its hind legs, then held out a paw toward Ash with a sad whimper.

Seeing as there wasn’t much malice behind the slow movement, Ash didn’t care to scamper away or react at all. He only watched as the paw drifted closer and closer until the soft pads and fur between them pressed against his chest.

"What the..."

Ash looked down, and the wolf leapt away in surprise.

"You touched me?"

’But I definitely...’

Bending down, Ash slid his arms beneath Demitra’s neck and knees, trying to pick her up. As expected, his hands phased straight through her.

Looking toward the wolf, Ash noticed fear mingling with the curiosity in its gaze.

"Oh... You weren’t supposed to be able to touch me either, were you?"

Meaning, it probably couldn’t touch her either.

’Well, ain’t this a doozy.’

Sighing, Ash stood and crossed his arms.

"There’s not much we can do then, is there?"

Whimpering again, the wolf looked at Demitra, then back at Ash. After a long pause, it rose onto all fours and trotted over, stopping only when it stood eye-to-eye with him.

’It really is quite big.’

For half a minute, the wolf did nothing but stare. Then, a series of loud, warped noises rang through Ash’s ears — a grating choir speaking through feeling. The synthesized feelings attempted to describe themselves, eventually morphing into something coherent — a dread-filled plea:

"You promise to save her?"

Ash didn’t entirely understand what had just happened — or how it had happened — but the wolf had spoken to him. Or rather, he’d understood it.

Looking down at the bloodstained, silver-haired woman, Ash fell silent for a moment before whispering back:

"Yes, I’ll save her."

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, the wolf bared its teeth.

"Very well. I entrust you with my love."

In the next instant, the wolf began dissolving into a vortex of blue streams of light, which floated through the air and swirled much like those he had seen in the Fold of Existence.

All at once, after the wolf’s entire body had dissipated, the streams changed course and curled around Ash’s arm.

While he didn’t understand what was happening, nor did a system window pop up to assist him, Ash felt an intrinsic choice rising from deep within.

A choice his unconscious mind made, guided by his promise to save Demitra.

The blue light disappeared, sinking into Ash’s body. The only remnant of its existence was a tattoo of two glowing blue wolf eyes on his shoulder.

The eyes pulsed, and the blue light began to reverse the process it had just completed. Blue streams flowed out of the tattoo and coalesced in the air before him, forming a figure within the dazzling light show.

The wolf had reappeared, albeit slightly smaller.

"What just happened?"

Then, it opened its maw and spoke aloud:

"I made a temporary contract with you and summoned myself."

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