Moon Guided Dreamers: A Horror Litrpg

Corpses hanging on crosses are an image that every modern person knows. Crucifixion in this day and age has religious connotations. The corpses had their feet and hands nailed to the wooden cross. Blood ran down the wounds, staining the wood like red wine. Frenley grabs Mia’s hand, stopping her fingers from digging into the flesh of her palm. They were not even close to the city, and things weren't looking good.

Risa grabs Mia’s other hand, holding her tightly as the tall woman gathers her thoughts and breaths.

“I am good, loves… I am good.”

“Are you sure, my darling?” Frenley said while looking up at the woman.

“Yes, I am.. I am gonna find whoever did this and fucking kill them.”

Mia said with strength and conviction as she let go of her lover's hands and started to walk. Risa and Frenley followed her, weapons at the ready, as they got closer to the town. With each step they took, the corpses on the crosses grew fresher. Some were still breathing as they came within spitting distance of the city, and the true horror set in.

Hanging from the walls, like flags, were the skins of countless people. Blood dripping from the freshly peeled skin. Skulls of all shapes and sizes hung from the flag poles. To the side of the road were more bodies on crosses. But these ones were fully alive, eyes open, the madness of the sun within them. As the people saw them, their mouths opened as they started to speak. Words of the damn coaded with the fervor of religion.

“Turn back to all that dare enter”

“Heretics of the moon, may the sun consume your soul and enlighten your flesh.”

“Betray no more, enlighten for more.”

The trio ignored the voices as they walked into the city; the city's large double doors were wide open. What greeted them was a filthy city, decaying like the corpses on crosses. Buildings were covered in grime and death. The streets were littered with the decay of civilization, the ever-present sign that humans were here. People were walking around the city, skin tight to their bones, eyes hollowed out, and clothes breaking apart at the hems.

One of the people looked at them, stopping in their tracks, but they did nothing. As they turned to continue their mundane task. The party stares at the scene in front of them with mouths open, making no sense of what they are looking at. So they stayed there, stuck in place, with the words of the still-alive bodies on crosses slowly scratching their minds.

“Betrayers.”

“Heretics.”

“Unenlightened.”

“Let's go a bit deeper into the city.”

Frenley said as he pushed the girls forward. The girls complied as they moved a bit deeper into the city. Into the decaying corpse of civilization. Letting the scent of humanity's innovation consume them, letting the sights burn into their minds, to feel the knowledge that they, too, are human. The people ignored the group as they walked deeper into the city. The sounds of human-like corpses moving around and working enter their ears.

Like the sound of animals in nature, background noise. Animals and bugs in a jungle of wood, stone, flesh, and sin. They stop walking as they look at two guards talking to each other. The guards wore dark, almost black armor. Their helmets were decorated with bright, colorful plumes. One of the guards was holding a spear, while the other one was holding a sword.

The trio looked at the guards, alive, well-fed, with the flame of fire deep within their eyes. The guards felt as if someone were watching them as they turned around and noticed the trio. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds. Unsure of what to do, the guards got on the ready and charged at them. Mia rushed in, using the weight of her large greatsword to swing at the first guard. The sword guard tries to block the attack, but that proves to be futile as the greatsword cuts the guard in half with no problem. Blood didn't even fall and painted the street as the wound became frozen.

Frenley appeared right next to Mia as he pushed away the upcoming spear attack with his sword. Causing the guard to take a step back, Fren pierced the man’s skull with his sword. Blood this time stains the cobblestone street below them, as the corpse falls to the side with a heavy thump. Frenley cleans his sword on the street as he looks at the girls.

“Why do I have the hunch that these are the minions Risa was talking about?”

“Wow, great intuition, Sherlock,” Mia said with a soft giggle as she patted Frenley's head.

The man rolled his eyes at the woman, giggling as well. Risa shook her head at their antics as they continued their walk through the city. As they walked deeper into the city, they saw the population increase. Increased foot traffic. They saw three guards patrolling the streets. Stopping when they saw the trio, two of the guards charged at the trio. The last one, holding a large flagpole with an actual flag this time, stayed behind. The flag guard took out a horn and blew on it. Too fast for Frenley or Risa to do anything about.

The sound of war echoes through the city, and the people walking in the city stop as they all run away. The street is cleared in record time, right as the two guards meet Mia and Fren in combat. Mia, like before, cut through the shield and sword guard. His two halves fell into the street like used trash. The other guard, a woman with dual swords, met her match as Frenley blocked her attacks long enough for Mia to cut her head clean off her shoulder. That left only the flag guard, who charged at them with a small dagger.

He had no skill in warfare, as Frenley easily cut the head in half. Frenley looked at the three corpses, the empty streets, and then at the girls. He knew where this was going; they knew where this was going; they all knew. The world knew, and it let them know as footsteps entered their ears. War was upon them.

“My bad, babes… I should have shot him in the face when I saw him stay back.”

“Well, can't cry over spilled milk,” Mia said as she rolled her shoulders. “Lest crack some skulls, how bad can this b-”

Before the words left Mia's mouth, all around them. Coming from the alleyways, behind them, on the sides, and in front of them. An army of around a hundred soldiers came to greet them with sword and magic.

“A lot of minions remember?” Risa said to the tall woman as she spun her staff and cracked its butt on the ground.

From around Risa's magic flare, two large transparent wolves appeared next to her. The soldiers started to charge at them. Some soldiers were glowing with magical light.

“Alright, girls! Whoever gets the most kills is the winner!”

“What's the price!?” Mia said, planting her back against Frenley's.

“I don't know! We can figure that out later!”

Frenley said as he charged at the first soldier who got within range. The man jumped forward and cut the soldier’s neck, letting his fresh red blood flow. Frenley dodged backward from the tens of different attacks that came his way. The fey enchanted his sword with magic as he aimed his left hand at the group of soldiers coming to him. He cast his season blast on the soldiers, but noticed it was different. Before, it was multicolored, but now it was pure white, and he easily figured out why.

The winter shard hit one of the poor soldiers, piercing the poor man in the heart like it was nothing. But the shard continued as it pierced two other soldiers before exploding into ice shards that wounded the soldiers in its radius. The fey smiled as he rushed the soldiers once more; his sword clashed against a spear, freezing it with ease. That caused the soldier to drop its spear as Frenley stepped back to dodge a dual attack from two soldiers.

A soldier with a dagger tried to sneak past Frenley to attack him in the back. But before he could do anything, a large wolf jumped at him. It bit his head clean off with no problem. Frenley smiled at the wolf as he slashed his sword to parry two attacks. The weapons froze, causing the wilders to drop them. But just as easily as he disarmed two soldiers, four more took their place, ready to strike the fey down. This was not gonna work. Frenley looked back at Mia to see the woman in the thick of it.

Limbs and bodies fell as she carved her way through the wave of human bodies. Risa, on the other hand, was protected by her two wolves. She sometimes attacked with her shadow spear in large groups of soldiers. Killing a few. Frenley turned back to face the soldiers coming at him. The magic on his sword went away, and he knew what he needed to do. Frenley charged into the group of soldiers as he enchanted his sword once more. Frenley shot an ice shard into the group of soldiers as he entered. The shard pierces three soldiers and explodes into their back line. Frenley started to attack without discrimination or worry. He took hits as swords or spear tips entered his flesh.

His sword freezes weapons and flesh alike. Blood only started to accumulate beneath his feet as he stepped on bodies and squished out the blood like a grape. Frenley cuts the head of a soldier clean off as the enchantment ends. Fren was about to cast his magic again when he felt something hit his side and push him a few steps back. His eyes looked at the glowing soldier, a large hammer in his hands. The soldier didn't get a clean hit on Frenley; the only reason his organs weren't mush and his spine was intact. Frenley smiled as he activated his cloak at the same time, enchanting his sword.

Frenley rushed forward while invisible, grabbing the head of a soldier and pushing it away. The hammer brute scans the surroundings with sharp eyes. He noticed the way Frenley moved a soldier’s head and hit the ground with the head of his hammer. Picking up dust, causing the nearby soldiers to stagger back. But soon the hammer soldier froze up as he feld ice magic hit him from behind. Frenley's invisibility faded as he finished teleporting; he drove his sword into the soldier's neck. Ending his life with coldness. The other soldiers were also somewhat frozen as Frenley cut their heads and bodies apart. Blood drips from Fren’s wounds, slowly sapping away at his strength.

Frenley drank his healing potion, letting his wounds heal as he cut the life of a soldier, and his magic enchantment on his sword died. Frenley emptied his soul points as he shot three shards of ice in different directions. Letting the explosion and the piercing damage kill plenty of soldiers for him, he activated his cloak again and got out of the pile of bodies that was forming around him. He drank his mana potion as he cut a soldier in half, as his invisibility dropped.

Frenley saw a group of soldiers being shrouded by shadow spears as he smiled. He heard, behind him, wolves eating and breaking skin. The sound of Mia swinging her sword and claiming the lives of multiple soldiers at the same time. The sky darkened as rain poured down on them. The bright moon was covered by the clouds of the dark storm. But Frenley and the soldiers could still see.

Frenley's smile grew wider as water cleaned away the blood of the street. His long hair stuck to his face as he charged at the soldiers once more, ready to claim more of their lives in the name of the moon.