Eyeball Chat - 00

Peeking out from my cover, all I could see were bodies rushing toward each other, fireballs flying through the air, and a massive hulking demon swinging its tree trunk-sized arms at the seemingly prepared warriors who had come to fight it. Honestly, I didn’t think any amount of preparation could have helped in a situation like this, and unfortunately... it didn’t. The moment that demon’s arm made contact with the first unfortunate warrior, a wave of devastation followed in its path, and just like that, our front line was gone.

I dropped back into cover to look at the rest of the back line, expecting to see them getting ready to flee. Instead, they were ready to fight; they wanted that demon dead. Watching them switch to offensive stances and readying their weapons, I gave them a simple nod, unsheathed my blade, raised it high, and pointed it at the demon. What followed was a second glorious charge toward the creature.

However brave we were, it was nothing compared to its might. It swung its fist down at us like a star falling from the sky. The impact of its fist hitting the ground sent most of us flying several meters away—only to meet our end.

Yet somehow—against all odds—I survived. But not without consequence. Pain lanced through me as I tried to move; my leg was mangled beyond use. Through narrowed eyes, I spotted my severed hand resting grotesquely on the back of a fallen comrade. Before I could fully grasp the horror of my situation, the beast that had annihilated both our strike teams loomed over the battlefield. It paused, surveying its handiwork with cold precision, before its gaze locked onto me. Slowly, it repositioned itself, towering with deliberate menace. Its massive arms rose, hands clasping together to forge a brutal, singular weapon—a fist of pure destruction aimed squarely at me.

It stopped and stared at me, and I swear it was laughing. I must’ve looked pathetic, but I wasn’t going down as a coward. My eyes darted left and right, searching for any gear within reach. That’s when I spotted it—a blade, lying just inches from the tips of my remaining hand. I scurried forward, grabbed it, and held it up toward my would-be killer.

Badly injured and barely able to grip the blade, I did the only thing I could—I screamed. The demon reacted immediately, raising its enormous fists high before slamming them down with the intent to obliterate me. I could feel the air itself rippling in waves as its attack came closer and closer. When it was mere inches from my face, I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself, clenching every muscle as if that would somehow shield me from the inevitable.

It felt like hours—though it was only a few seconds—but nothing happened. I was still there, still screaming, still clenching. Confused, I hesitantly opened my eyes. There it was: the demon’s massive, clasped fists, frozen mere inches from my face.

And then they moved—but not toward me. Slowly, its hands began to pull apart, spreading wide, and that’s when I saw her. My savior. She stood there, arm plunged into the demon’s chest, holding its heart like a trophy.

I could barely process what I was seeing, and in my excitement, I nearly slammed my head into my keyboard. But before my face hit the keys, I caught a glimpse of her username: MoonStack™.

“And that,” I say to my buddy Lou, flabbergasted beside me at the bar, “is how I met her while playing World Seed Online.”