“Yes, I’m a participant in the demoniclast trial. I’m taking part in the first trial right now,” Freya replied, heart beating fast.

The player named Red Star Lightning scrutinized her up and down. His red armor shone in the sunlight. Despite being the color of rust, his suit of armor was far too shiny to be called tarnished.

Daveth was just here two seconds ago. How could they miss each other? Is he watching us somewhere?

Freya assumed demoniclast players would take any opportunity to kill Earth players. Even if they hadn’t figured out green text boxes meant players, surely Red Star Lightning’s unnaturally bright armor would expose him.

“Are you trying to enter the trials? The registration already ended. Sorry, you’ll have to wait till next year,” Freya informed him. 

Please leave this area quickly, she silently screamed in her mind. I don’t want to see you die, and I don’t want to expose myself trying to save you.

“I’m not looking to enter,” Red Star Lightning said gruffly. “Did you see the murder in town three days ago?”

“... The what?! Murder?”

Freya’s stomach sank. She’d been worried about the lack of players around Corrin. For such a popular event, it was odd no players had attempted to enter the trials. 

“Double murder, to be exact, but never mind, looks like you don’t know.”

He started walking away without another word. Freya reached out to stop him but paused. His rude end to the conversation and lack of follow-up questions signaled to Freya he didn’t know she was a game player. At first, she wasn’t sure if Red Star Lightning had seen through her Misidentify or not, but this confirmed he saw her as an NPC. That worked better for Freya. Even if Daveth was watching them, she had a low chance of being exposed as long as she kept an NPC attitude.

Keeping that in mind, Freya rushed after him. She wanted more information.

“Hold on, murder? Two people were murdered in Corrin?”

Red Star Lightning looked annoyed by her questions but answered, “Yes, two of my guild members. The one that survived said demoniclasts suddenly attacked them.”

Confusion swept over Freya. But after a few seconds, she understood what he meant. Oh, I get it; two players were ‘murdered,’ but only one died for real. The other that ‘survived’ must have had a Life Shard and got resurrected. 

She decided not to comment on the cryptic part an NPC wouldn’t understand. Instead, she warned, “Perhaps the demoniclasts suspected they were demons. They can see everything.”

Freya made a grand, sweeping gesture over her head. She hoped from his perspective she waved her hand through her text box. 

The player narrowed his eyes. Freya smiled, overly innocent.

“Perhaps you can ask one yourself,” she continued. “I bet there are some demoniclasts close by watching over this first trial.”

Legs trembling, she waved goodbye and continued on her way. That’s the best hint I can give without giving myself away. Please think about what I said!

As she made her way away from the player, she held her breath. Stepping lightly over the forest floor, she listened back for any sound. She waited to hear a clang of metal or a cry of pain. But nothing reached her ears. The best-case scenario would be if Red Star Lightning heeded her words, recognized the danger, and fast-traveled away. Worst case, her confusing words made him pause to think, allowing Daveth to assassinate him silently.

The implications of her actions and the news of the murdered game players occupied Freya’s mind until she reached the summit of Mt. Lowena. She chided herself for not slowing down. 

Scanning the landscape, she located the flag that indicated her next destination. It sat on the other side of a ridge to the far southeast. The short flag pole meant it was hard to see from a lower elevation. 

Once again, there were decisions to be made about the route. If one drew a straight line, the quickest way was down the southern cliffside of Mt.Lowena. Freya edged to the dropoff to inspect the possibility but immediately discounted it. Lots of rope or magic would be needed to descend safely, and she had neither. The next obvious way was to go east. Dense woods covered the land between the summit and the flag. However, Freya noticed a zig-zag slit in the forest. It probably indicated a river, and best of all, it led right to the flag. 

The last possibility was going back the way she came and following the flat valley to the far west and then turning east. It could work, but the eastern river route looked best to Freya. As long as she kept following the river, she could keep moving even in the dark. 

After drinking a bit of water, Freya began her descent towards the river. Tall shadows started to creep over as the sun began to set in the west. 

Beep!

[K13: How was the first trial? Are you doing okay?]

[K13: Don’t respond if you’re in a bad position]

Freya smiled at the DM. K13 had messaged her yesterday as well to check-in. Despite his shyness in person, he had no trouble typing fast DMs. She decided to wait till nightfall to answer him; that way, she could type in the cover of darkness. 

She wanted to get some second opinions on the incident today with Red Star Lightning. Perhaps someone else could DM him and tell him to be careful around demoniclasts. 

I would usually ask Bis about things like this, Freya thought. She sheepishly scratched her arm. Initially, she had planned to tell him about entering the demoniclast trials before she left Safka. But she’d kept delaying it. 

Maybe I should finally tell everyone.