Eli's Perspective:
"What?" I jolt upward. "What do you mean, Sera?"
The snow shifts. "We need him. We need to go to the Tenth Floor."
"That makes no sense. What do you mean?"
Sho looks off into the distance.
"I guess you're lucky I'm here."
Sho snaps her fingers. A red rune appears under me, harsh and burning. It feels different from Rei's magic. This mana is raw and heavy, the kind I'm not used to. Mr. Sato looks surprised. Selene seems calm, like this has happened a hundred times before.
"Sho, are you sure?" he asks.
"What's going on?" I say, my voice rising.
"If what she said is true," Sho begins, "then you need to be sent to the next floor. I don't want anyone teleporting there by accident. I'll send you to Adrian. Tell him I sent you."
"What about Tenshi?" I yell.
"We'll find her. Now go." Viri yells back.
The red rune starts pulsing outward.
Selene stands up, a small smile on her face. She hands me a watch.
"You'll need this," she says, stuffing it into my hand.
A red flash.
~~~~~~~~~~
CRACK
A bright light fills my vision. My eyes adjust slowly. I don't know what floor I'm on. I don't even know where I am. Trees surround me. A forest.
SHOVE.
I hit the ground hard. Shino lands on top of me.
"What are you doing?" she whispers. Her voice barely above a breath.
"I need to speak with Adrian. It's urgent."
She stands up and brushes herself off. "Why are you in Sho's rune? What could be so urgent?"
"The boss killed itself."
Her expression shifts from annoyance to shock. She grabs my arm. "You'll need to be quiet."
Shino leads me through the forest. Most of the forest is untouched. The parts that aren't have been stripped bare by players. I haven't been on this floor in a long time.
The ground is covered in holes and ash. After the goblin boss here was defeated, players hunted down the rest until they were nearly extinct.
They dug up treasure. They dug up gold. Anything they could find. A tragedy.
Some guilds even tried to buy the floor. I always thought that was stupid. Floors shouldn't belong to a single guild. No matter how powerful.
It prevents guild wars, even if it means not everyone gets a say.
Shino suddenly pushes me down again.
"What the hell?" I start to yell, but she covers my mouth.
"Quiet," she whispers, laughing softly before pulling her hand away.
"Why did Sho summon me so far from him?" I ask.
"His mana signature is blocked. It's harder to reach him directly. She sent you to me instead."
"That makes no sense. I can't sense anything from you."
"Thanks for the compliment," she smiles. "That's the goal of a ninja."
"Then why do you keep pushing me down? I don't see anything. Couldn't you just teleport? You're in the same guild."
"I expected you to be smarter," she says. "This deep into the floor, you only find bandits."
"There you are."
Shino darts forward, gripping my arm again as I follow close behind.
In the distance, I see him. Adrian. His familiar brown hair and golden eyes catch the light through the trees. He wears his red helmet, his focus sharp, his hand on his sword. He's watching someone.
A woman.
She moves slowly through the forest. Her movements are like a dance. Her dark hair flows like the shadows around her. She wears a gown made of living web strands. It shifts and weaves as spiders crawl across her skin.
She kneels down. Spiders from all around gather to her.
She speaks with them.
"Shino," Adrian says before we can say anything. "Why aren't you watching the rear?"
"We have a change of plans," Shino says.
I stare at the woman. I'm almost mesmerized by her.
"Who is she?" I ask.
"She's an avatar," Adrian says. "A mass murderer."
"An avatar?" I ask.
"I can't tell the type, but she doesn't seem in control."
I step back. "And what do you plan to do, kid?"
"Kill it," Adrian asks, voice flat.
"Isn't she human?"
"She isn't aware of anything, she's as good as dead."
He says it so calmly that it knocks the breath out of me.
"Who is she?" I repeat.
"It calls itself the Widow of Treachery."
I try not to laugh. "I've never heard of her."
"How often are you in the capital or outside your base, lady?"
"Isn't there something else you could do?"
"She's murdered hundreds on the lower levels," Adrian says.
"Still, justice demands …" I start.
"Don't lecture me on justice." Adrian snaps. He's barely louder than a whisper. "Youve killed someone as well."
"I…" I have no response.
"You're just like Sho," I sigh.
"I agree with her in some ways. Player killers deserve death."
"Well, we need your help. We can't do this later."
"Why?" he says. "I told your guild I needed more time."
"Can't this wait?"
"If you knew what we know, you'd understand," Shino answers.
Adrian tightens his grip on his sword like he's already decided. Footsteps come from the trees. Others in armor step forward. I count seven, but I don't bother asking names.
"We're ready," a girl says.
A tower of a man pushes forward and asks in a gravel voice, "What is she doing here?"
"She shouldn't be," Shino says. "They need our help."
The big man sighs and grips his axe. "What is it?"
"The tenth floor. The boss was killed."
Adrian's eyes widened.
"That's unfortunate," another says. "But all our effort will go in vain if .."
Adrian looks at me, then at Shino. His gaze is steady but unreadable. He turns toward the woman before finally glancing back at his guild.
He exhales and loosens his hand on the sword. The others rally around him.
"I wanted our guilds to get used to each other," he murmurs. "Where's Ania?" he asks one of them.
"She went back to the base," the man replies.
"Calder, are you sure you want to come?" Adrian asks.
"No. I'm here to be at your side," Calder says. "Your left hand."
"What about you, Iso and Maki?" Adrian asks.
"Same as Calder," the girl says.
The others stay silent, their silence enough to show they agree.
"What about you, Han? You're not a fighter."
"I want to be there for her," Han says.
Adrian smiles. "Alright. Let's go." He straightens up, ready to move.
"Hey, you didn't ask me, boss," the last one laughs.
Adrian smirks. "I already know your answer, Yuto."
"I can't promise we will all survive."," Adrian says.
They look at each other for a beat, then steel themselves.
I snap my fingers and a blue rune blooms under our feet.
"Floor_10(Guild:G2)," I say. The runes charge like a heartbeat.
The Widow watches with a sad look in her eyes. Her emotion shifted. A mocking smile slides across her face.
Adrian meets her gaze. His eyes narrow.
She laughs.
I expected better from you, Dewgold.
Shino bursts out laughing. "I still can't get over that name they gave you."
Maki mocks Adrian's voice. "I am the Dewgold Falcon of Diligence!"
"Falcon of Diligence?" I ask.
"I wanted it to be the Ant of Diligence, but they wouldn't let me."
The magic builds around us, humming.
A blue flash.