Erin keeps her cool.

As you enter the town, you take a look around. It's not much, really. Nowhere near as big as you'd thought it'd be. A few new players mill about, collecting entry level quests. Nobody seems to pay you much mind.

That is, until feel a sharp rap on your thigh. Pausing, you glance down and see a young, dark-skinned women in half-plate. She's short, but athletically built, with her hair done in thin dreadlocks.

"Erin! I've been waiting foreeeever for you. Was startin' to get worried, you know? You really oughta answer folk's messages, ya know?" She says, smiling energetically. "What was the holdup? You actually have some difficulty with that boss?"

A friend? Erin didn't mention that anyone was waiting for her... And what did she mean by "actually have some difficulty with that boss?" Was she insulting you?

You can feel Erin breaking out in a cold sweat. "O-oh, hey Sunny! Nah, I just got a little, uh, sidetracked. Speaking of which, I-I got something to finish up. I'll meet back up with you in a few!"

Sunny frowns. "Whaaat? You juuust got here. And what's with the armor? It's huge! I thought you were going for mage?"

"It was uh, a rare drop! From the boss!" Erin sputters, unconvincingly. "Seriously Sunny, I gotta go. I'll be back soon, promise."

"Well, okay." Says Sunny, skeptically. "Don't be too long. I got a crap-ton of quests lined up for us."

As you walk away, you feel... angry? Is that what people thought of you? Just some weakling, impossible to lose to? You know you were part of the tutorial, but you HAD taken out your fair share of would-be heroes. Well, you'd show them. Now, it was your time.

Who was that?

"J-just a friend." she replies, pale-faced.

Hmmph. The anger is still fresh in your mind.

As you finally exit the town, you approach a foreboding forest. "H-hey, you can let me out now." Erin chuckles nervously. You don't stop. "H-hey! Are you listening?" Erin protests. You continue marching foreword. "Seriously! Stop" Erin cries. She begins screaming; "Help! Help me!! Someone!" You finally stop, your fury reaching the boiling point.

Shut up!

Erin is silent.

I have lived my ENTIRE life as a ****. I live ONLY to DIE at the hands of adventurers. To train them! But do I get any respect for it? Any reward? NO. After I am killed, my body is collected, and melted down for SCRAP. To claim someone has been defeated by me is treated as some sort of INSULT! You pause.

No more. I will NEVER bow my head to an adventurer again. I will live life without an OUNCE of regret. Do you understand?!

Again, silence.

Clank. You turn as you hear a footstep behind you. Before you stands Sunny, her expression hard, and her sword drawn. "I knew something was up," she coldly remarks. "Sit tight Erin."

You turn towards her, baring your chest. Well? Come on then.

As Sunny charges at you with a valiant battle cry, you activate your Haunting Aura ability. Her first swing connects hard, scraping against your breastplate with a grinding screech. Her second swing connects solidly with your forearm, with a resounding clang. But, on her third stroke, she falters, finally falling to the affects of your aura. You manage to intercept the weak swing, pulling the blade from her hands. What follows is swift and brutal. As she attempts to leap past you to retrieve her sword, you catch her by the neck, and begin squeezing. Hard. You can feel Erin crying.

As Sunny's gasps grow shallower and shallower, she looks up at Erin. "W-when I r-respa-awn, I'll come f-for you. P-promise." With that, she falls limp.

Ding! Level up!

Erin. Tell me your full name. Now.

"E-Erin L-Laufey-y-y..." Erin weeps.

Erin Laufey, you will never be free. You will be treated as you would have treated me, had you defeated me.

Erin Laufey, you belong to me.