Frigid air howls through the exposed opening of Kuro’s elderus den, disturbing from a restless sleep. I raise my head, heavy as a cinder block, and shake away the late autumn snow that accumulated on while I slept. As I open my eyes, the scene before cos into focus. Snow drifts have ford at the foot of the den, and icicles are beginning to grow along the charred bark that forms the ceiling. To my left is Kuro, curled into a ball, sleeping softly with her wing draped over my body. I smile, watching her chest rise and fall as she takes shallow breaths. Kuro’s rhythmic sleeping was my only source of comfort as I lay in my bedding, unable to fall asleep, too disturbed by the resurgence of terrible nightmares. Despite my troubling dreams, this would still be a typical morning in Felra.
Except on this morning, sothing feels… wrong. Dreadfully wrong.
I swivel around, searching the den for signs of sothing unusual. Did prey sneak in overnight to hide from the snow? Or have their scents drifted in from outside? We aren’t being attacked, are we? My racing heart slowly calms as I realize none of these are true. But if prey isn’t here, then what’s going on? Why do I feel so unusual?
And then, apropos of absolutely nothing, a screen appears in the air in front of . As my eyes adjust to the sudden, artificial light, the disembodied voice of a woman rings clearly through my head.
“Oh, for crying out loud.”
“Mmmh…” Kuro murmurs peacefully, shifting against her warm bedding. “Asha?” she asks with eyes still closed. “What’s the matter?”
“Kuro,” I command. “Wake up.”
Too upset to rouse her gently, I kick her in the shins.
“OW!!” she cries, instantly sitting up. With a bite to her voice, she scowls, “Asha!! What are you—“
At that instant, the sa transparent screen appears before Kuro’s sleep-deprived face. She winces at the light, and her face turns dour. “…Oh, skunkscent.”
“A nu screen?!” I chide, angling my wing towards the MOTD. “What is this crap? What the hell is going on?! ZANG!!”
As if on cue, the uncomfortably pink head of a scaled drakaina shifts into view at the foot of the den. “Goooood morning, Gars!” the author exclaims with a cheeky forced smile, strutting into view. “Hey, listen, I’m sorry you guys had to find out this way, but the story got canceled.”
“Canceled?!” I shriek.
“They canceled us?!” Kuro nearly doubles backward in shock. “But we’re still in the middle of the novel! A chapter, even! How could they cancel us now?!”
“Well, the unfortunate truth is we just weren’t popular enough,” Zang explains, shaking her head in dismay. “Boilerplate fantasy web novels that don’t adhere to a hot gimmick just aren’t a good way to attract a lot of readers. You gotta have a REALLY good story to stand out, and regrettably, this one ain’t it. If I hadn’t made fundantal changes to the plot, the investors would have backed out. All of us would be out of a job.”
Kuro stares at her, struggling to find words. “So… you’re saying we’re a LitRPG now?”
“With an isekai back story.”
I blink, trying to imagine what strange, far-off world I was transported from and how ham-fisted the explanation would be to account for the story starting at breakfast in the Lordanou Palace instead of having hatch from a spider monster’s egg or sothing else inane.
“This is ridiculous,” Kuro pouts, stamping her talons against the ground. “Nobody is going to continue reading this web novel with a plot change this dramatic!!”
“See, that’s where I think you’re wrong,” Zang quips, starry-eyed and fanning her scaled wings wide in front of her. “I believe it offers a fresh new approach in the world of LitRPGs! Think about it: A web novel frad as a straight fantasy romp with no foreshadowing of what’s to co, only to have its world torn asunder as the nefarious Administrator of The System finally appears in chapter 73! Why did it take them so long to show up? And where was The System in the previous seventy-three chapters? Hoo-hoo, the only way you’ll find out is to keep turning the page, dear reader!”
“You’re insane,” I detest. “I refuse to go along with this!”
“Look, could you at least give it a try? I worked really hard on the magic system, and I promise it’s a lot of fun.”
I release a strained sigh and look to Kuro for advice, but she’s just as uncertain as I am. I can’t say I bla her; this is a heart-wrenching decision. She’s been with on this journey ever since chapter 33, and it really feels like we’ve nurtured sothing worthwhile and relevant. Is this really what all our hard work cos down to? The annihilation of our sensibilities on the love of the craft solely to appease so farcical, groveling capitulation to capitalism?
Zang chis, “If you say ‘no,’ then I need your desks cleared out by five.”
“Alright, fine,” I sigh, throwing my wings up. “I’ll try out your System.”
Zang’s face lights up, and she flutters her wings in delight.
Kuro steps forward to stand at my side. “If she’s doing it, then count in, too.”
I smile in relief and rub my muzzle against Kuro’s neck. Even out of character, I can always count on her to be at my side.
“Oh, wonderful!’ Zang exclaims. “Yes, this is splendid news! The story can continue! Now, if you’ll excuse , I have to janitor the system and make sure it’s working and in tip-top shape for your adventure! Ta-ta~!”
Zang dips her head in parting grace, casts about, and disappears in a puff of plot convenience.
“SSSSIIIGHHHH!!!! Let’s just get this over with,” I grumble, instantiating the MOTD back into existence with a flick of my wing.
“Yeah, yeah, not my first LitRPG,” I dismiss, stepping out of the sanctuary of Kuro’s den and into the chilled morning air. “What do I have to pick first?”
“Alright. What are my options?”
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