The girl moved like smoke.
Jonathan barely twisted in time. The scythe whistled past his jaw, slicing a chunk out of the rusted doorframe behind him.
He hit the ground and rolled, heart pounding.
Teshaal barreled in next, twin blades drawn, intercepting her follow-up slash with a metallic screech.
"She's fast!" Teshaal growled. "Don't let her rhythm build!"
The girl didn't answer. Her eyes glowed dimly beneath a cracked visor, and her movements were eerily fluid, like her bones had been loosened.
"Split and flank," Jonathan ordered, catching a glint of metal to his left. "She's a solo controller, probably confident in close-quarters."
Vikka hurled a flash-spike from her belt. The small device detonated midair with a pulse of blue light.
The scythe-wielder staggered, just for a breath.
It was enough.
Liari vaulted up the side wall like a spider and came down with a double kick that sent the girl sprawling.
Jonathan lunged in—not to finish her, but to check her screen.
> Name: [Unknown]
GP: 19
ATTRIBUTE: Symbiote
Status: Active
Emeralds: 0
[Symbiote - Description Available]
(Would you like to view it?)
"Show me," Jonathan said, breath catching.
> Symbiote (Attribute)
Allows the user to bond with an internalized biological construct.
Grants enhanced speed, fluid movement, and reactive muscle memory.
Major weakness: Vulnerable to neurological disruption.
Can be stolen within 5 minutes of player elimination.
Jonathan's fingers hovered. His Retention allowed him to keep it. To stack it. But they needed her eliminated.
"Don't kill her outright," he muttered. "Drop her GP. Strip her down. We'll use the window."
But it was already too late.
A shot rang out behind them—one clean bullet through the girl's forehead.
Her body spasmed, then slumped. A player stood in the stairwell—young, lean, wrapped in a scarf of what looked like digital light.
He lowered his rifle. "You were taking too long."
---
> PLAYER [Unknown] ELIMINATED
ATTRIBUTE: Symbiote Available
Time to Steal: 04:59
Jonathan grit his teeth. "Who the hell are you?"
The boy gave a lazy salute. "Name's Shé. Long-range scout. Former Season Four top-ten."
"Why'd you kill her?" Vikka demanded.
"She was bait. Her team's en route. Didn't you check the floor sensors?"
Teshaal's eyes widened. "They're surrounding the tower."
Shé pointed to the girl's body. "Take her Attribute now, or it's gone."
Jonathan didn't hesitate.
> You have acquired ATTRIBUTE: Symbiote
Due to [Retention], you may keep multiple Attributes.
Active Attributes:
Retention (Unique)
Symbiote
A shiver passed through his veins. Muscles tightened. His limbs felt liquid and coiled, like he was mid-spring even while still.
"...That's new," he muttered.
---
A deep clang echoed through the stairwell.
> ALERT: Tower Control Activated
Current Controller: [Team Drenith]
Bonus GP Activated: +5 per Hour
"Drenith?" Teshaal swore. "We're late. That's the most aggressive team in this region."
Shé smirked. "Lucky for you I'm already in a mood to ruin their day."
Jonathan studied him. "Why help us?"
The boy turned, already heading up the stairs. "Because you're interesting, and because you don't know how deep this game goes yet."
He paused.
"And because you have something the rest of us don't."
Jonathan's fingers twitched—he knew what Shé meant.
Retention.
They climbed.
---
Halfway up, Liari tapped a rusty wall panel, revealing a hidden side passage. "Ventilation shaft. Might give us a clean flank."
Teshaal raised an eyebrow. "You knew this was here?"
"Pre-mapped it during the Intermission," she said. "Didn't trust straight routes."
The team split—Jonathan and Liari crawling into the vents, Vikka, Teshaal, and Shé climbing the main shaft. Sounds of battle grew sharper—plasma fire, blade clashes, someone screaming.
Through a vent grate, Jonathan saw three defenders stationed near the tower control core. Heavy armor. One of them wielded twin energy chains, crackling with red sparks.
"We need to take them out in ten seconds or less," Liari whispered.
He nodded. "On my signal."
---
They dropped in—Jonathan first, rolling and slamming his heel into a guard's neck.
Liari shot a tether into the ceiling, swung wide, and launched a blade into the second one's leg.
The third spun around—only to eat a round from Shé's rifle from the stairwell.
> ALERT: Tower Controller Eliminated
Tower Status: Contested
GP flow paused.
Jonathan moved to the control core and slapped his hand on it.
> You are now the Controller of East Signal Tower
+5 GP per hour (while held)
Defend for full duration to receive Relic Box.
Everyone exhaled—briefly.
---
But only briefly.
Outside the windows, more shadows approached.
Liari leaned against the railing. "We hold this place for 48 hours?"
Shé chuckled. "Not happening. Not without allies."
Teshaal crossed his arms. "Or leverage."
Jonathan's Symbiote stirred under his skin. The tower hummed around him, glowing faintly green.
"We don't need to hold it forever," he said. "We just need to make them think we will."