We split into groups as before: Eli and I, Reyna and Viri, and Tenshi and Seraphina. Eli and I headed towards the fortress, a massive structure that seemed to span dozens of floors. The bottom floor had a throne, which must have been where the boss was seated. The floor was covered in burn marks and debris.
"This must be where they held important meetings," I speculated.
"Yeah," Eli agreed. "This would be a good place for whatever guild rebuilds it."
"Holding an entire floor to yourself would be nice," Eli smiled. "But this place will most likely become a city of just players."
"You're right," I said. "Since there's no teleport rune on this floor, NPCs can't come here."
We walked around the broken fortress. The floors seemed completely destroyed, mostly due to Ascend taking whatever they needed. There were paintings of areas that had been left behind, along with pots, Roman-style flower pots, and libraries that were completely torn apart. Books were scattered around. Some with only covers, others with just pages.
On the top floor of the fortress, there was a room with a mattress and a cabinet. We checked the cabinet, but found nothing. No hidden compartments or anything under the bed.
On top of the cabinet was a pamphlet for Floor 7, ripped down the middle, but the seal was completely unbroken.
We decided to move the rubble to see if anything was left inside. As we moved stones and planks of wood, we uncovered a small teddy bear dressed in a suit, which looked important.
"Mana_Scan," I muttered under my breath.
A surge of information flooded my mind, memories rushing in like forgotten fragments. This teddy bear, I realized, belonged to the daughter of the Orc Warlord. She had gone missing years ago, before what players now call "the Merge."
The Warlord had kept the bear as a keepsake, a memento of the daughter he lost. Its worn fabric is a silent testament to the pain and time that had passed.
"Did you find anything?" Eli asked, still pushing through the rubble.
I hid the item, deciding not to show it to her. "No," I replied with a smile.
We left the room, closing the door behind us and making our way down the steps of the fortress. By the time we stopped searching for items, it had grown dark, and we hadn't heard anything from the other G2 members.
Eli decided to meet back at the entrance.
Not wanting to leave her alone, I walked with her to the entrance. The city was eerily dark, and the sounds of birds seemed to drown out my thoughts as Eli clung to my arm while we navigated through the city.
CRUNCH
Someone was following us. The sound of a plank of wood or sticks crunching reached my ears. I quickly whipped my head around. Following behind us were two players.
One of the figures was a man in heavy armor, his face hidden, but the logo on his chest caught my eye. The emblem of the Ten Slayers. It was a gold design made of delicate flowers, symbolizing both strength and fragility.
The woman beside him wore the same logo, their armor gleaming with the same deadly mark. The Ten Slayers weren't just any guild. They were feared, and their symbol made it clear.
Eli jumped in front of me.
Two players walked up to us. One had a build similar to a bodybuilder, towering over us with a helmet that glowed through its purple lenses.
The other player was a female, draped in a purple cape. Purple hair peeked through, and she exuded a mysterious aura. Her eyes were hidden behind the mask, but Eli seemed to recognize her.
"What do you want, Pendant?" Eli yelled, a rare emotion.
"I can't walk in the same city as you," the woman mocked, tilting her head with a cruel smirk.
"Why are you here?" Eli demanded.
"Our guild has many candidates, and we simply wanted to take a walk," Pendant said, smiling. "This is Initiator, one of our most promising recruits. I also came to meet your new members." She laughed softly.
Pendant's boots clicked against the stone path as she walked straight up to me. Her eyes were sharp, yet her smile was disarmingly warm.
"And you must be the infamous new member," she said, offering her hand. "It's nice to meet you."
I hesitated, then shook her hand and immediately felt as if I were gripping a crystal ball. My mana flickered, almost entirely drained in an instant. I stiffened.
"You're nervous," Pendant said, tilting her head. "Good. That means you still want to live."
Eli stepped in front of me, drawing a dagger. "If that's all, it's best you go. You're lucky Viri isn't here."
"I heard about your pitiful fight with the Jester," Pendant said with a scoff. "This guild can't even protect its own friends. Maybe it's time you replaced them."
"What?" I asked, heart pounding.
Pendant turned her attention back to me. "You could live the life you've always wanted. A peaceful one. No danger. No blood. Just silence and safety."
My mouth went dry. "How do you know that?"
She grinned. "Do a mana scan. On me."
"Mana_scan," I whispered.
Nothing.
"Try again," she said softly, her mana dimming just slightly in the air around her.
"Mana_scan."
A chill ran through me as the scan returned data.
'IQ: 900 confirmed. Subject: Pendant. Cognitive Ranking: Highest in Tower.'
"How were you able to block a mana scan?" I asked.
She laughed. "Can't reveal that to them just yet."
She winked. "Told you. It's nice to meet you. Though... I wouldn't get too comfortable."
It didn't provide her name. I thought to myself, trying to process the information.
They walked past us, and I kept my dagger ready in case they tried anything. As they were next to us, the woman spoke in an ethereal voice.
"Tell Rei I said hi, Eleanor Icard." Her words carried a malice that seemed to seep into the very air. A terrifying aura filled the darkness, choking me with its oppressive presence.
Once they were out of sight, Eli let out a huge sigh.
"The Ten Slayers," Eli said, trembling.
"Who are the Ten Slayers?" I asked, trying to comfort her.
"They're a group of 10 players whose only goal is to cause chaos in the tower."
"Why doesn't Sho do something?"
"She can't, they're a top ten guild," she continued. "They have hundreds of candidates for their guild, and once they get strong enough, they plan to fight against Sho."
"Do they have bounties?" I asked, hoping someone might try to deal with them.
"Out of everyone in the tower, these players have the highest bounties. 5 platinum each."
"So they're Red players?" I ask.
"Correct," she replies.
"If the issue is that they can't do anything because they're not Orange, then why is a Red guild allowed to keep operating?"
"It's complicated," she says with a sigh. "The people of this tower believe Sho is some kind of hero. Someone who'll save them from anything."
"But in truth," she continues, her voice colder now, "Sho only cares about herself. She sees herself as a villain, not a savior. The only reason she bothers with Reapers is because one of their members destroyed her base."
"She doesn't care about the Ten Slayers," she adds, voice sharp with contempt. "And that ironically is their greatest victory."
I trembled.
We walked through the desolate city. The only sounds were the occasional chirping of birds. Eli gripped my hand tightly.
When we reached the entrance, Viri ran up to us.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.
Eli didn't answer; she just shook more violently. Reyna came over to see what was going on, and Eli's voice, barely audible, spoke.
"I saw Pendant," she said, her voice trembling.
Reyna looked surprised, but her expression soon turned to rage.
"How do you know her?" I asked Reyna.
Reyna paused, trying to find the right words. "Earth."