Erin's head throbbed with pain, and her vision was blurry. She instinctively tried to hold her forehead when she felt that her hands were restrained with thick chains. She was sitting on the floor, her wrists were wrapped around a metal pole. Erin could tell that her lip was busted, had a black eye, and was littered in bruises and cuts. There was no need to look at a system screen to know that she was badly hurt, but she checked anyway.
[HP: 3/20]
Realizing the intensity of the situation, she focused up, and looked around frantically, trying to find out what to do next.
Erin found herself on the assembly hall's stage, but if she wanted to look out to the seats, then she wasn't able to as the giant curtains were drawn. The stage itself had some stuff littered around, boxes, ropes, and more.
Erin's mind was a little cloudy from being so hurt, but she began recalling what happened exactly that led her here.
On her way out of her class, she was going to go train with Quinn, but that was when a few students began trailing her. She tried shaking them off, but they had her surrounded, and she was ganged up on.
'Those douches playing dirty, if it weren't for this stupid system…' Erin thought to herself.
That was when she spotted a tall man with brown hair wrapped in a ponytail step out behind a stack of supplies. He looked down upon her with a mildly disgusted look and had an annoying aura around him.
"You know, you were quite the celebrity amongst us high levels, no one would dare touch the ice queen herself with how rare ice was as an ability," Mono began, before squatting down to Erin's level, "and yet you somehow managed to lose your power. Was it from hanging out with that abilityless idiot?"
"Fuck you," Erin managed to get out before spitting in his face.
Mono, however, easily dodged the spit, and stood up, "Are you sure you should be doing that? If you want to hang out with the worthless of our society, then feel free to, you're a weak level 1 now. However…"
He turned around to face the curtains, "I could just tell the whole school what happened to you, and they'll treat you just like any other level 1."
Erin glared at him with her one good eye, and gritted her teeth, "Yet you had to send a whole gang to attack me, huh? That seems like you're just a pathetic little—"
Mono ran over and kicked Erin in the face, forcing her head to fling back.
[HP: 2/20]
She spat out a little blood from her mouth, and stray strands of her hair fell to her eyes. She breathed heavily trying to regain herself. Not only that, but the hunger in her stomach grew. She already tried to heal earlier, but they just hurt her again and again. There wasn't much she could do now, other than to message someone.
"You should be grateful that holding your secret is beneficial to me now," Mono spat out, before heading out from her vision.
—
As Quinn, Layla and Peter searched for Erin, they got stopped by a couple of second year students. They had levels above that of a 4, and not only that, but other second years were instructing the first years to follow them.
"Come with us, or else…" A boy who was a level 5 told the trio.
"What's going on?" Layla asked the student, only to get no response.
Quinn, Layla and Peter all looked at each other nervously. They knew they didn't have a choice in the matter.
"Let's just go," Peter whispered to her, as he hunched his head down, trying not to make eye contact.
Quinn sighed, before following the student. However, on their way, Quinn got a notification.
[HP: 2/20]
Quinn's heart quickened, and a fear of what would happen if Erin went to 0 HP entered his mind. Did it mean she would die? What would happen to the system? Would it disappear? And what about his connection to her? Even though it hadn't been long, he felt like if he lost that connection to her, he would lose something about himself.
{Erin} Quinn!
His eyes widened, she was conscious, and he exhaled a little. A bit of tension left his shoulders.
{Erin} I… I need help.
{Quinn} Erin!
{Quinn} What did you want me to do?
{Erin} Come find me, I don't know where I am, but I see giant red curtains. I think I'm where the assemblies take place.
Quinn steeled his resolve as not only did he find out where Erin was at, but he could see that they were heading to the assembly room itself. As they passed through the door, and entered the place, a ton of students were there waiting for something to happen, and several of them were murmuring amongst themselves. He looked around for her in the crowd, but the place was too busy.
"Why are there so many people here?" Layla asked the others, "I recognize a lot of them. They're all first years, right?"
It was then that the curtains were drawn, catching everyone's attention, and people began to quiet. Behind the curtains was the second year student, Mono. He had his hands behind him, and a smug smile on his face.
Behind Mono, was the once beautiful blonde haired girl, now beaten and bruised. Blood trailed from her mouth, and she looked upon the crowd, searching for the one person she could trust.
"Quinn…" She breathily muttered.
Quinn saw her clearly, and his heart ached seeing her look so helpless.
"Erin!"