Floor 25.

As Rose and the Masked Man single-handedly unlock further floors for the rest of the player-base, the gap between their strength and all other’s steadily increases. A very select few kept pace, though as the red-headed warrior was constantly taking the Bosses for herself and not sharing in any of the spoils, it was becoming much more difficult to stay close in levels and gear alike. It was becoming very distinct which people were supporters of Rose’s campaign against the Bosses and who were clearly against it – Alice and her group of followers being very evidently part of the latter. The first mob she’d formed to face Rose with had since disbanded - their hopes of crushing the red-headed warrior before things got out of hand dashed by her blade. Now, those that followed the Russian were those that understood her unconditional kindness and the reasoning behind her rash actions against Rose. If that woman were not here, Alice most likely would have taken her place as the leader of the player-base – but not holding them in the palm of her hands like mere toys but as companions and friends. What kind of dastardly being put this red-headed creature in the forefront of everyone’s minds and thought it be a good idea?

Not even once had the Masked Man and Rose even joined in on the celebrations taken in the towns unlocked by their efforts – always moving on to the next areas to grind the mobs further and harder than the last. This ever-lasting duty to bring the people their salvation having brought them together in the shape of a cult – their love of the red-head driving them to sing her praises to others as though she were their Goddess. Guilds began to form under the spell of Rose’s cold strength, wishing to protect her from any whom would oppose her ways. These Guilds were beginning to get a little rough with other players, sometimes even killing them for speaking out against their Goddess – earning themselves both fear and respect for their utter faith.

Other Guilds were also becoming more renowned amongst the players; a particularly violent Red guild which has been kidnapping people, extorting others for money and killing anyone as they please. Rose and the Masked Man haven’t had much contact with anyone in a while, meaning they have no idea such a Guild even exists at this point. Another to have popped up is one dedicating its time to training all of the people within and has them grow to levels large enough to take on the bosses and front-lines. Hopefully surpassing Rose in that respect.

In any case, things were starting to get busier and busier for the regular players. The clearing of floors was slowing down, allowing the regulars to catch up in levels and gear soon enough. Jet and Nero were now in their most important phase to date; making a proper name for themselves. Of course, those who enjoyed their work were often calling them in for help – but their deeds were only passed by word of mouth so far. If they were looking for more work, they’d need to get even greater prizes worthy of being talked about.

---

“Would you like to try it? It is a new recipe only unlocked in the more recent levels!” the cook exclaimed, offering a sweet to the silver-haired, stand-offish warrior. His serious expression did little to help his image, though he wasn’t all that bad to look at. He glared at the small piece of food, before taking it almost shyly. Holding it up close, he inspected in thoroughly, causing the chef a little bit of impatience over his verdict. Finally, popping it into his mouth and chewing on it for a good minute or so, he swallowed audibly and hummed in wonder.
“This is…” he began, the chef and some onlookers having gathered and readied themselves for his review.
“A dessert.”
Silence surrounded him for another minute, before he felt someone tugging on his arm. Glancing down to find Yuna, who desperately began dragging him away before someone got extremely cross with him, he merely blinked dumbly at her.
“Oh, Yuna.” She greeted with a firm nod, which looked a bit silly considering she had been dragging him so hard he was currently bent right over, “You are here for the festivities as well?”

Nero likely wore the most simple outfit he had since the first few floors of Aincrad. After the third floor, he had always had some kind of accessory on his jackets or pants which wasn't flashy, but was certainly noticeable, whenever he was strolling about a safe zone. However, unlocking floor 25 was a huge deal, and he merely wanted to enjoy the evening with Yuna. He had a pair of nice black pants and boots with a red shirt. Over the shirt was a fine coat of white with only pockets for his ungloved hands. There was a brilliant golden trip to the coat and he had a black gold hat atop his head. In a word, he looked classy more than anything else while a sole ring adorned his hand, increasing the amount of Col his kills would drop and raising the odds of gaining a rare item, or even two of them, from a drop. Upon the back of his coat was the design of a silhouetted phoenix from the top-down in the same gold that trimmed the coat. It was long with a collar turned down, hanging down to his mid-thigh, nearing his knees. It was rare, however, that he would unequip his sword, though this evening was different. He had no weapon at his hip as he peered through the crowd for Yuna.

As he weaved through the droves of people, all drinking, eating, dancing, or just generally having a good time, he looked for the girl he had only recently asked to be his official girlfriend. It was around the twentieth floor that he had finally asked her to be more than friends, though they'd gotten about as far as holding hands thus far. Finally, he saw her dragging Jet, likely having found him first, and he joined them.

"Well of course we are, Jet," He said with a smile, patting his friend on the back. Since the incident with Rose and the Masked Man, Nero had been gradually coming out of his shell. Not to mention, he was the wealthiest player of Aincrad, and many flocked to him if they recognized him on the street. He was the first player to buy a house, and one of very few to have done so thus far. It was a quaint home which was located on Floor Seventeen, which was one of few that actually closely resembled Japan. The house was a single floor with a single bedroom and a kitchen that was attached to the parlour. It wasn't extravagant because Nero wanted something that felt like home, not a massive empty house that he didn't care to use.

As he turned his head, he noticed the chef who was staring in bewilderment at the silver-haired boy, "It's... dessert... well of course it's a dessert..." He muttered defeatedly. Nero stepped forward with a smile, "Hey, can I try one of those?" He asked and was promptly handed a treat, which he quickly popped into his mouth. The boy closed his eyes and chewed, savouring it for a moment... two moments... three. The chef seemed about to die of anticipation before Nero nodded, "Damn, that's excellent. Add me and shoot me a message if you ever need help collecting any of those ingredients. I'm don't farm ingredients, but I am a farmer of sorts. I'll happily round some up... for a price," He said with a nod. Moments later, he was given a contact request, which he quickly accepted so that the chef could message him at any timed. With that, Nero took Yuna's hand, pausing a moment before speaking quietly, "You look great."

The girl blushed and nodded in thanks; she had put on a dress that she made herself with material from Nero. In fact, it was not just any material, but it came from a beast on a very early floor. From a unique silk worm - the quality was fantastic and she had used it to make a cloak for Nero when she first obtained it. However, with what was left over and that which she could salvage from it when he no longer needed it and made her dress. As it turned out, the material was far ahead of its time, if one was patient, it could be used with a higher skill to make something truly wonderful. The dress would appear white at first glance, but it was actually blue. It had multiple layers of almost-clear blue silk which also seemed to shimmer in the light, It fell to about partway down her shins and she wore a pair of matching gloves with it. Though at first, she didn't like the idea of it, she wore a a silver tiara upon her head, encrusted in sapphire. Nero had obtained it as a very lucky drop and merely asked her to try it on. It just fit right; despite not liking the conspicuousness of it, the appearance grew on Yuna and she found herself putting it on whenever she was in front of the mirror in the morning or evening, but she hadn't worn it otherwise. It made her feel more than beautiful, and she had to admit that she liked it.

The couple held hands and Nero finally looked back to Jet and nodded his head, "Let's walk. We're gonna go see how Jacob and Alice are doing too; I'm almost positive they're around here somewhere. Tonight will be fun, but tomorrow we have to get back to hunting. I also heard that they're trying to take the frontline back on a floor soon, and I'd love to start getting the drops from those bosses. I've been getting maybe four hours of sleep every night trying to keep up with these advancements..." He said with a shake of his head. Yuna merely huffed and looked down, having voiced enough times that she was fairly grateful that Nero couldn't take part on teh frontline. With how much he had already made, he could just sit in his house and pay for meals from NPC restaurants or stores and live fairly well until the game was cleared. Secretly, she wished that he would and invite her, but she liked making weapons and armours and even food for those going out and training every day, though it wasn't the easiest way to make money.

“Hmph. If you’re tired, you should sleep more.” Jet announced, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding to himself in affirmation of his own resolve – completely ignoring the reasoning behind Nero’s lack of sleep. That being said, he was also running on fumes some days himself. Rose was indeed getting bonuses from the Boss battles she took on herself, but at the same time she was also taking on grinding at a level above Nero and Jet’s own. Even if they spent most hours of the day on it, she spent *all* hours of the day on it. Not only that, but it had become apparent that trying to slow her grinding down was an impossible task. Even if you would aggro some of her monsters away from her and attempt to take them out before her, she’d simply kill it before you could get a swing in.

Whipping a few stray strands of his silver hair away from his face, Jet continued after the couple as they progressed towards where they believed Alice and Jacob to be. He hadn’t met either of these people before – rather looking forward to it. Nero had been steadily introducing him to his friends, all of which seemed like nice people and easily ones he could get along with. The trio wandered through the festivities, which were only enhancing in size due to people’s growing abilities when it came to crafting and others becoming merchants. It was most certainly a sight to behold; people growing accustomed to the world they’d become stranded within.

The three found their targets amongst a small group of players, many of whom were a part of their Guild. Jacob had since left his own to join Alice’s cause – but mainly to keep her in check. The blonde Russian was a volcano waiting to erupt at a moment’s notice and it was already very evident that she had the resolve to kill if her logic found it necessary. Now, he was pretty much her counsellor and confidant – using this position to slowly shape her psyche into one where she wouldn’t be so recklessly agitated when it came to speaking of Rose.

The three approached the group of festival-goers, offering their greetings and whatnot – introducing Jet to Alice and Jacob soon after. The blonde didn’t seem nearly as hard-headed and people had let on, Jet concluded after their initial greeting. Her stance was that of a confident woman and her expression one of tranquillity. Perhaps people just had the wrong idea of her?
“I hear you two are together now.” Alice began, her smirk growing into a cunning smile, “Wasting no time on the poor masses eh, Yuna?” she jabbed – laughing quietly to herself at her friend’s shy response. The three men had split off for a moment to talk about how things were going in regards to front-line activity. Jacob explained to the two that their guild would also attempt to participate in Boss battles from now onwards, though it would be difficult to deal with Rose’s complete power over when to strike. Aside from talking about Rose’s ridiculously high level and how she got there, Jacob mentioned that he was also in contact with several other Guilds and was thinking of proposing that they come up with a meeting of some kind in which the leaders could get together and make decisions based on the good of the many, rather than the few. Whether or not this system will work is entirely riding upon how selfish teenagers can be.

As they got into the festivities, something caused a rather large disturbance. If the shouting and crowding was any indication, Rose and the Masked Man had arrived on the scene. They had been merely passing through, but some of her devotee followers caught sight of her fiery red hair and approached her in all due haste.
“Rose! Rose! Please, guide us to salvation!”
“My heart is yours, my lady.”
“Your sword is the only sword that can strike down your oppressors Rose!”

Varieties of cheering, pleading and worshipping resounded from the rather large crowd – though they slowly parted to allow her to continue moving through. Alice now stood before her, the once kind expression now twisted into a desperate snarl of rage. Without even a single word of warning, Alice charged at the warrior with her weapon drawn. Of course, there was no damage calculations in towns such as this, so it was ultimately pointless form the start – but this didn’t stop her from attacking, logic having dissolved from her mind entirely. Before she could even swing once, Rose turned just slightly to grip the blade that had just barely begun pulling back to strike. Without hesitation, her fist closed and collided with the Russian’s cheek, knocking her off her feet and causing her to crumble to the floor. Rose’s thighs braced over her midriff, lowering to Alice’s level before beginning to hammer her with strike after strike of her fists – the crowd having gone entirely silent in awe over the scene unfolding before them. Finally, the Masked Man gently gripped Rose’s shoulder – signalling for her to stop. The two left just as quickly as they’d come, leaving Alice alone in the middle of this crowd; her expression still scrunched up into one of anger and despair. There was no fight any more between her and Rose – there was only Alice making a fool of herself every time.

"Oh... Er... Hadn't thought of that, Jet... Thanks," Nero said, trying his best not to make his friend uncomfortable. The other boy was so simple that, when it wasn't frustrating, it was rather charming. However, he dropped the subject of sleep easily as the three sought after their friends. Nero had been a bit on-edge to introduce Jet to Alice and Jacob because, as just as they were, they were certainly intelligent and skilled. Jet was... not so much. Ironically, after he and Jacob had argued over Nero's soloist techniques, Nero had found Rose and The Masked Man to be his new partners. It did not last long, and eventually he found Jet... The other boy wasn't quite skilled at the game, but his company was appreciated. After everybody was introduced, Nero broke away to talk to Jacob while Yuna let go of his hand and brushed hotly, her eyes widening as she stared down.

"Alice, that's... th-that's... No, it's not..." She shook her head as she heard the crowd beginning to part and make a fuss over... something. As Yuna turned her head, she spotted fiery red hair and that mask. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the amount of fanfare involved, but she had forgotten about Alice for the briefest of moments and the girl was already gone. "Alice, no!" She cried out, taking a step forward hopelessly.

"Well, let me know how it goes, keep me posted, because I definitely want to be there if we get into the room before Ro-" His voice was cut off by Yuna's shout and the change in the party's mood. Speak of the devil... "What the hell is she doing here?" He asked as he saw Alice's blonde hair fly behind her in her mad dash for the other woman. Nero half-expected Jacob to spring into action and stop her, but Alice was quick. The scene that appeared before them was gruesome and difficult to watch. Nero sighed as Alice was beaten down over and over again; he would have gone after Rose, but he knew she would wreak much the same havoc on his reputation. Nero was fast, and he had strength, but Rose was almost god-like. It was terrifying, because she could only have so many levels over him, but she would still cut him down in only a few hits if they were to actually fight.

As the group ran to Alice, Yuna was the first by her side, kneeling down low and trying to get a response out of her. It was such a shell-shocking experience, and though Yuna had never been a part of one, she knew that even in safe zones it was horrific to be repeatedly beaten down with the blow-back effect. Nero, on the other hand, strode over calmly and crossed his arms, staring after Rose and her masked companion. His mutterings were audible, though mostly meant for himself, "It seems like that was all she came to do... Make an appearance, and a loud one, just to draw Alice's attention and show off her strength... But why? She has no reason to do that other than to humiliate her... She does nothing but solo, despite how many people are absolutely fawning after her..." He looked to Jacob, "I don't like this. I think we need to hurry up and take this floor; I know it's not been open for too long, but at this rate, she has so many last-hit bonus items that she's unstoppable..." His voice lowered in agitation, "Not to mention the amount of cash she rakes in for selling any old ones that she doesn't use..."

The crowd had formed a circle around the small group, still a bit baffled by what they had just witnessed, but Nero's eyes merely scanned their little audience and his voice was almost a snarl as he spoke, "What are you all looking at?" He still remained standing, refusing to stoop down; Alice was strong and she had acted without thinking yet again. If she was going to get up, he wasn't going to help. She was being childish in these tantrums... Sure, Rose didn't handle anything in the best way due to her violent tendencies, but Alice had hated her since that day on the Fourth Floor. Yet she had no idea, absolutely no idea, the situation that Nero had been in when she acted. At least it was a decision - Alice had sat and watched rather than try to help that same day.

"People are staring, come on guys... Let's go take a breather and find out what to do next," He suggested flatly, wanting to get eyes off of them quickly. He had heard his name muttered in the crowd and was relieved when they were finally getting ready to go.

---

They were really going to do it. They had organized the largest possible raid party of forty-nine and mapped out the final portion of the dungeon before arriving at the fabled Boss door. There was no doubt that this Floor, being the quarter marker, was going to be special... But in all reality, very few of the people there had even experienced any boss fight and none had done so recently. Nero, Jet, and Jacob were at the front of the team, all poised for a battle as Alice put a hand to the door. Were they prepared? It was too late to turn back now. The door opened menacingly and the entire crowd pushed forward, spreading out. The tension in the air was palpable as moments ticked by. Finally, the room began to light up with the torches around the walls as a massive beast rose from the stairs where it had been seated.

"Who's there?" Came a voice which boomed throughout the chamber, pulling a massive weapon from its side.

Another voice rang out, "What's it matter? Let's kill them."

Nero looked around, where was that voice coming from..? Then the giant revealed itself, stepping into the light... It had two god damned heads and it drew a blade from its other hip. Nero looked to Jet, a small smirk on his face. There was going to be a lot of switching today. there was a battle cry as several of the shield users took their place at point. It was going to be a hard battle, and Nero knew he was going to enjoy it. He hadn't felt so excited in his entire life.

Alice’s eyes clenched tight as she lay on the ground, surrounded by her friends and some onlookers. Why was it impossible to even touch that girl? Why was Alice forsaken to forever be powerless against her? Slowly, her fingers gripped tight against the cobblestone path beneath her – pushing her torso up in order to seat herself; blonde lengths of hair whipping about in front of her face momentarily.

“They were most likely making their way to the next area for more grinding. They’ve never used the very first day for that before, though.” Jacob sighed flatly, scratching at the side of his head as the sight of the two disappeared beyond the gates leading out into the dangers beyond. Returning his gaze downwards, to the blonde that sat in a defeated heap at his feet, he shook his head slowly.
“How many times have I told you not to attack her blindly? Are you trying to make everyone hate you?” he squatted at her side, cocking his head some to get a view of her expression. Her gaze lowered, as though she were a child that had just been caught stealing from the cookie jar. With a moment of silence falling over the group, Alice slowly pushed herself to her feet and brushed herself down – taking a moment further to calm herself down completely. It was true; she was being stupid. Next time, she would do her best to view the situation as logically as possible. She inwardly promised herself this, returning her blade to her side and following the others as they wandered off – noting that Jet had been staring at her through the corner of his eye.

“What?” she grunted, raising her head some and furrowing her brow at him. His features softened slightly and he glanced away, pretending not to have been found out.

A month zoomed by, the floor’s boss not even touched by Rose or the Masked Man in the meantime. People had the chance to catch up in levels – or at least, that is what they thought. Rose continued grinding at her usual pace, building up quickly and efficiently. The fact that they had been leaving the boss was leading people to believe that even Rose could not handle it alone – at her level.

The Red guild had been extorting more and more people as time crawled onwards, causing more and more of a panic amongst especially weak players. Alice and her followers had since taken it upon themselves to bring them to justice of their own accord – but were currently unable to find any leads on their whereabouts thus far. In the end, they decided to try and take on the Boss without Rose – hoping to get some good experience and drops from the battle.

The door parted, the crowd of near 50 players slowly making their way inside in groups of 7. They had been careful to use the utmost limit of possible players at once; being sure that Rose could not enter with them. As the two-headed creature stepped forth and raised its weaponry, the sheer enormity of its frame and HP bar dawned upon the players. It had been so long since they’d fought anything beyond a field boss that they’d forgotten how perplexing the situation always ended up being.

“Alright! We all know the drill; switch out constantly, make sure the AI can’t keep up and above all else – stay alive!” Alice roared, turning to face her comrades and raising her sword high. Even if she was childish, impulsive and immature – she certainly had the aura to command morale. Returning her attention to the monster that lunged towards the large group, she braced herself for combat.

To put it as simply as possible, it was a massacre. Most of the players were only barely within the safety margin for this Boss, some others a few levels behind and easily left in the dark when it came to experience in battle. Casualties were granted with one each minute they spent there, the giant picking them off when they got careless or made a mistake. They had been fighting for an hour by the time they’d gotten it down to the last bar of HP – having lost easily half of their fighting force in the process.

“Alice! Get back into position! You’re going to aggro it!” Jacob barked, shoving past Jet and Nero to get closer to the blonde who was practically trembling in fear. The fear of losing more of her friends to this monstrosity that Rose probably could have handled without casualties. His club came crashing against her side, swiping the poor girl into the air and sending her hurling into the nearby wall – a small crack appearing in the surface of the solid structure. She crumbled to the ground in a heap with a cry of pain, curling up a little as she nursed at her wound; her HP bar dropping dangerously low.
“Shit!” Jacob cursed, turning and ushering in the remainder of their forces, “We have no choice! It’s do or die here!”

The ogre stopped dead in its tracks as the sound of its domain’s doors creaked open slowly. Rose and the Masked Man slowly stepped inside, the doors slamming shut behind them. The male gazed up at the giant for a moment, humming in wonder to himself as he slowly crossed either arm over his chest.
“Looks like we’re late to the show… Rose, go ahead and show them why they should be waiting for you.” He sighed aloud, slowly leaning back against the door. The red-headed warrior nodded slowly, before striding towards the battle, drawing her blade quickly and tossing the sheath upon the floor. It was only when she had moved a few steps farther did she stop before Jet, whom had intercepted her and blocked off the route to the boss monster.

“Sorry, Flower.” He grimaced quietly, slowly raising his blade before her and taking on a defensive stance, “These guys have been sweating tears of blood to kill this thing. I can’t let you take this away from them.”

Jacob hurried people into once again charging the Boss, hoping that Nero would take on the Boss too to kill it more efficiently in the now waning time remaining before Rose could get to it – while he himself went and checked on Alice, sprinting over to her crumpled form. She had been in the process of healing up slowly. Dragging her to her feet, he sent her off to fight the Boss again – as her hp had filled up enough to take on another couple of hits. It was all up to whether or not Jet could hold Rose off long enough for them to dish out the final damage.

Rose charged first, her sword jabbing forth with a strength known only to those of her level – crashing against Jet’s own blade, causing him to stumble back with the strike. Without hesitation, she followed through with a sideways swipe – her movements slowing as she evidently lowered the amount of effort she put in for him. He grunted aloud, blocking the strike too and using its momentum to carry him through a roll – throwing a leg out and swiping it beneath hers, knocking her from her feet. The sight of her being tricked by someone much weaker than her had caused the Masked Man some concern, leading him to slowly begin walking forwards – drawing his knife.

“Just a little longer Jet!” Alice called, roaring loudly as she struck at the Giant’s side with her sword, deflecting one of his weapons quickly and backing off to let others have a go – turning to watch the duel happening in the sidelines.

Rose slowly got back to her feet, her expression having changed from uncaring, emotionless stoicism to an irate version. Her brow had furrowed and her lips distorted into a scowl. Wings slowly spread form her ankles, revealing that her shoe’s ability was coming into play. She suddenly burst forwards, landing just behind him in an instant – a cut slowly appearing along his chest and through to the other side. His hp, which had been full, dropped down to yellow immediately – Rose having gone easy on him seeing as she didn’t need to kill him. She turned slowly, wishing to inspect his resolve – before nimbly dodging a thrown dagger, readying her weapon again and charging at Jet once more – her sword clashing against his own as he anticipated the strike, utilising the single second of delay he caused with the thrown weapon. Rose grit her teeth as the irritation grew, her sword coming back to strike in again with a stab – only to have Jet spin about and knock it aside from an odd angle, the weirdness of his movements causing her a single moment of flinch – his sword carrying through all the way until it scratched against her cheek; a small, red line streaming along it to indicate damage being taken.

“W-… He just… Landed a hit?” Alice muttered to herself, breath having left her almost entirely at that point. She started his way to try and help, thoughts of beating the red-headed warrior now flooding her mind once she knew of Jet’s potential. But before she could get there, Jet cried out in pain – a knife dug in through the gap between his shoulder blades. He dropped to his knees, HP boiling down to a deep red. The Masked Man stood behind him, slowly sheathing his weapon and hiding it in his sleeve again, sighing to himself.

“Please don’t get ahead of yourself.” He stated firmly, leaning down and over his shoulder to whisper through his mask and into Jet’s ear directly, “Else you’ll find yourself somewhere other than the world of the living.” The silver-haired male whom had just gone toe-to-toe with the best fighter in the game and then taken a sneaky blow from the most secretive man in the game, trembled visibly. But what they took for fear was actually sheer excitement. Rose and the Masked Man left him there in his knelt position, moving on towards the Boss whom as they approached suddenly exploded into beautifully turquoise particles of data – having been defeated by Nero and the others. The two stood in silence, watching as the particles slowly cascaded down around the material hunter, Nikolai humming in wonder once more.
“So there are some capable people here after all.” He chuckled softly, gently patting Rose on the shoulder, “Let’s go. We aren’t needed here.”

The two left as quickly as they’d come, oblivious to how much of an impact they’d had if any at all – returning to their grinding and whatever else it was they did while nobody was watching. Alice rushed over to Jet’s knelt form, bracing his shoulder and back and checking his status to be sure he wouldn’t die from the damage he’d taken. Apparently, the blade he’d been stung with from behind was laced with a poison that inflicted paralysis. Just who was that man? And how did he get his hands on something so deadly?
“Jet, you fool.” She grunted, biting her lower lip. The sight of someone actually making a hit land on Rose was almost salvation to the blonde Russian, her eyes beginning to shimmer with the moisture that clung to them, “You could have died…!” she was the worst person to be saying this, though. Resting her forehead on his shoulder, thanking him silently for not dying and for showing that Rose was not a Goddess in disguise, she wept quietly.

Nero's gaze snapped to the side as Alice was swept away and he watched Jacob take after her. He burst from the floor toward the beast to get its attention after her, his sword flashed a menacingly sharp yellow as he brought the blade upward from his hip, launching him into the air, the sword skill taking control of his movements as he spun with the attack, adding a horizontal slash in the same direction. His blade flicked and was torn the other way quickly after, before he started to fall in a downward slash, dealing significant damage. It was a four-hit skill that he'd recently unlocked particularly for use on opponents that were about twice the size of the user or more. So, while the ability to use it was limited, the punch it packed was quite formidable, especially so early on. Nero may not have had Rose's ability or level or... whatever it was that made her so godlike, but he did have a surprisingly high one-handed curved sword skill from his continuous hunting, and thus he had quite a few Sword Skills up his sleeve. The beast let out a roar and turned to Nero, swinging his club as the boy landed. However, another figure joined his side, clad in heavy armour and with a large shield. The club connected with the block and Nero smirked at the absolutely perfect timing of Marius' arrival. The weapon was thrown back as Marius had to retreat in order to recover, having been the only shield-user blocking, but Nero took to the fight as the remaining fighting force mobilized once more.

However, something off-sides seemed to have caught the attention of a few of the players, and Nero turned to see Jet facing off with Rose. He wanted to stop his friend, but... Well, if nobody stood against her, then they would lose this boss, and they couldn't. He seemed somehow confident of his ability to stall the woman, and so Nero turned back to the boss and continued the fight. That last health bar was hellish, to put it lightly, but they finally took it down; they had actually accomplished it... All of them were officially a quarter of the way through Aincrad. It didn't matter how many bosses Rose had taken down - all that it showed was that she couldn't possibly stop them from progressing selfishly. At the very last strike, Nero had charged the front with Marius, who blocked another attack and allowed for a final switch. The material hunter opted for a basic skill called Vertical Square - four hits, enough for the boss to stumble back, freeze, and shatter into countless shining fragments. Nero slashed an infinity sign into the air and sheathed his dao as a menu popped up. The bonus item made him grin - the things he could do with it...

Several players looked at him as he scrolled through the spoils on his end, they were all quite nice, as he'd contributed heftily to the battle. But the bonus item was undeniably "The Viper's Cloak." The most distinguishable feature was the fact that the name had a The at the start, making it a unique drop. Nero smiled at the simple Col he'd received, but decided to read the effect on the cloak. The speed boost wasn't a solid number - it was affected by a player's level as well as their Dexterity attribute; the higher the attribute, the more it would add. It had an exponential effect... It was preposterous how overpowered such an item could be. He wanted desperately to keep it, but then he heard Alice cry out for Jet, almost tackling him as Nero snapped from his reverie. He saw Jet on his knees with a little paralysis indicator by his health bar. The man with the mask had stabbed him; but that means... Nero glanced to the stairs as the pair were nearing the top and he shook his head. At least they hadn't killed the other boy - if only he'd been able to see how Jet was able to fight her off for so long, he silently lamented. He materialized a white, slightly tattered cloak/muffler combination and approached his friend.

"Excuse me, Alice," He spoke flatly, using his menu to materialize first a crystal, holding it out, "Cure user: Jet." The object shattered and the tiny fragments all moved to Jet, who would quickly find himself without paralysis as Nero then handed him a potion and smiled to him. "I don't know how you did it, Jet, but... If not for you, we wouldn't even have earned this... It's called The Viper's Cloak, and you deserve more than any of us," He stated, handing it over before slowly explaining the cloak's attribute. Of course the boss on the 25th floor would drop something so incredible, but it was still hard for the boy to hand it over. "Great work," He finally stated, placing a hand on his shoulder before looking to Alice. "Alice, I think opening the next floor should be your honour - after all, you kind of lead us all here, right?" Despite the fact that Rose and The Masked Man had stolen the moment of being the first on the next floor, Alice could still take the responsibility for having allowed it to happen and be the first person to earn it.

Despite the grievous losses they all experienced in the fight, the celebration on the twenty-sixth floor that same night would be a blow-out. Even for those that they lost, it was a victory, for they'd shown that they could beat Rose and even, thanks to Jet, fight back against her. A group of some of the players who had taken up the rarely chosen skill of a Musical Instrument had gotten together in the middle of the first city's plaza, playing loud music for everybody to enjoy. Nero kept his armour on today, however, with his weapon at his side as tribute to those they lost. Yuna, however, showed up in the same dress she'd worn to the last party, having taken quite a liking to it as she proudly pranced about on his arm. She was not outspoken or arrogant by any means, but that didn't mean she couldn't be proud, and absolutely relieved, when Nero had messaged her that they had made it. It showed on her face how excited she was as they took part, however, at some point, somebody bumped into Nero, eliciting a slight growl and a few obscenities from him. The two had been separated for but a moment, and he moved to recover the girl, but... where'd she gone? The crowd had suddenly thickened around him as he pushed between players and looked for her, calling out her name.

After a few moments without hearing her call back, he turned to his Tracking skill. Her footprints were everywhere, as if she'd been getting bumped by the crowd and forced to stumble through them without any kind of harassment alert. He tried to follow it, but he kept confusing the direction was going for where she was coming from and his movements became more aggressive as he shoved people out of his way to no avail. He looked around frantically for anybody before finally seeing a familiar head of golden hair and he sprinted toward her, having to slam his boots into the ground a few feet early to skid to a halt, "Alice!" He started quickly, interrupting whatever she had been talking about as he continued craning his neck and looking around, "I lost Yuna in the crowd... And normally we'd be fine, but... I can't even track her, her prints are all over the ground and they twist and turn and I'm almost certain the guy that bumped into me and separated us did it deliberately," He tried his best to get the message out with speed, but had to sacrifice some of it to avoid stumbling over his words too much. Nero never became frantic... Over anything. There were moments he had frozen in shock, though rare, but he was never out of sorts like this.

Jet winced gently as the paralysis crystal took effect – relieving the block that had set between his nervous system and brain. Slowly getting to his feet, shrugging off some of the ache that still lingered between his shoulder blades from the stab, he turned to face the others reaching back to rub the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly. The fact that so many people were giving him praise for standing up to the red-headed monster was a little surprising – he didn’t do all that much more than surprise her with a couple of strikes. As the cloak was placed in his other hand, he glanced down at it curiously – before nodding slowly at the explanation as to why it now belonged to him. The fact that nobody was discussing the point was a little concerning to say the least, but in the end he didn’t mind all that much – knowing that Nero had a better head on his shoulders than Jet himself did. After inspecting it quickly and noting the boost to the DEX stat dependant on its own level, he immediately realised why it was considered powerful. The fast became faster – purely because they were fast. If Rose had gotten her hands on this… He glanced up at the two that disappeared through the portal moments later, swallowing hard. If he had this – he may have a chance against her in the future.

Alice squeaked slightly in shock at being addressed so firmly, straightening up and acknowledging him as if she were in the army. She blinked dumbly at the boy that stood before her, cocking her head some at his words.
“R-… Really?” she stammered quietly, her blue hues slipping to the floor for a moment in shame. If she were really the person to lead everyone here, wouldn’t that make her responsible for those that perished in the fight just now? It took a moment for her courage to return after these thoughts, turning to face the parties that entered – some already weeping over the loss of their friends. Calling them together, she faced them with a strong expression.
“We lost too many today to call this victory… But it was a step in the right direction! We can beat Rose and her master at their game! We will solidify our defences, strengthen our levels and fight the Bosses one after another until they all lay slain at our boots!” she boomed, revealing that forceful charisma of hers once again. The crowd regained some of their composure, the concept that they must move on each time one of their comrades falls daunting but within reach. The blonde led them up the stairs to the portal, taking the first step herself and appearing within the next town – catching sight of the first two as they rounded a corner.

The festivities for this floor were probably the largest they’d had since the opening of the second floor. Rumours of Jet’s prowess in combat spread like wildfire amongst the players that were scared of Rose – many of them clinging to the hope that he might slay the monster that takes lives like they’re nothing. But none seemed to realise that it was mere fluke that he’d bested her in a single strike. There was no hope of him winning that duel in the first place – he could sense it. The praise that was loaded on to him each second felt like more and more weight upon each shoulder, forcing him to hunch over a little out of depression. How could he explain his failure to these bright faces?
“Alright, give him some room. He’s here to relax too, y’know. Stop bugging him.” Alice pushed through the crowd, taking his arm and dragging him away for his own benefit – releasing him a block or so away, closer to the markets.

“Thank you, Alice.” He sighed quietly, rubbing a hand through his spiked hair idly.

“Don’t mention it. I’d do it for anyone.” She replied with a wave of her hand, before turning to leave – bumping into Jacob with the movement. Rubbing her nose after having mashed it into his chest, she glanced up at him with a pout.
“Why weren’t you at the boss battle?” she questioned gruffly, crossing her arms.

He smiled gently, before glancing away to hide from her glare.
“I was looking for something, sorry. I’ll definitely be there in the next one.” He reassured her, petting her head as though she were a child – the blonde slapping his hand with a practiced huff. Apparently they did this often. Just as they were about to continue on to another topic, Nero had sprinted up to them – spouting something about Yuna disappearing from sight. The idea was believable, considering how many players were here. Jacob’s expression hardened as he came up with a conclusion immediately, turning and briskly walking away in order to get another man’s attention.
“Fan out and look for a girl being led away by the arm. Hurry!” the male nodded, before giving out orders to others – the small group dashing off to find others with haste. Jacob himself also moved on, going to search for her himself while leaving Alice to deal with Nero.

“Don’t you think she might have just gotten lost?” she blinked at his desperate expression, having never seen him like this before, “Maybe she even went to get some food for you?” She had not heard about the Red guild yet – as people thought she might do something rash if she did, which was probably true.

Nero watched as Jacob took his leave rather quickly. What did he know..? He furrowed his brow at Alice's question and shook his head, "That's what I was trying to explain. We were holding hands one minute, a guy separated us, and the crowd seemed to swallow her whole. It felt... eerily methodical... Not to mention I should have been able to trace her foot prints if she'd just wandered in the wrong direction." Jacob was giving instructions to anybody he could find and Nero's eyes widened; did he think..? It would explain how the group would be able to get around his ability to track, but there was no way they'd taken her. He stopped speaking and opened his menu, looking at the obscene number beside the Col symbol in his inventory. Is that what they wanted? His fortune? His entire safety net? Even with his house, several crystals of each type, large potions, and materials yet to be sold, he had a very hefty sum of money. But then, they could easily be after her as Alice's friend... Though there was no way that guild had anything to do with Rose. The boy shook his head in disbelief, his fist clenching and unclenching at his side different parts of his body flashed. His combat gear had replaced the casual clothing within moments and he shut down his menu.

"We brought food with us," He explained a bit darkly, "She's a better cook than the NPCs at quite a few of hte restaurants." The boy rubbed the back of his neck before looking at her in shock, "Wait... you didn't know?" There was a pause and a sigh from him, "Guess that makes sense... Lately, a guild has become rather... infamous for their methods of getting ahead in the game. They've found that the best way to amass experience and loot is through player killings and ransoms... I haven't taken them seriously or been listening to the rumours about them too seriously. I don't know why nobody told you about them, but I think Jacob knows more than he's letting on," He noted, turning his head to find other man who had already begun a swift search throughout the area. At that moment, Marius approached the pair - it was always strange to see him without extremely bulky, heavy armour on, despite how refreshing it was.

"Hey, guys, what's going on? I've seen a few people from the Guild in their armour sifting through the crowd. Did somebody lose something?" He asked, tilting his head in curiosity. Nero quickly explained the situation yet again before taking a few deep breaths.

"C'mon, I don't want to waste any more time... Jacob's already been looking for a few minutes, let's go find him." Since finding Alice, the white-haired boy had calmed down greatly; not because he had stopped losing his mind, but because he'd become focused. It was very easy for him to drop everything around him, pick one objective, and concentrate on nothing else. He was detached more than anything. His irises flashed to a green colour as he looked around and finally found the trail that Jacob had left behind as he dashed away. "C'mon, he went this way," He said, taking off at a light jog after the man who was now several minutes ahead of them.

The blonde was visibly shaken by the news of the Red Guild, which nobody had given her information about to date. The fact that they were an issue people were talking about and word of it hadn’t reached her sooner rather than later, meant that some people didn’t trust her to react responsibly to it. The only person who knew her well enough to think that way and also handle the amount of information she received was the same man who was also running around like a headless chicken, searching for Yuna. Clicking her tongue in irritation, she glanced back at Nero in order to give him her response – but they were interrupted by Marius once he’d approached. Even through his second explanation, Alice seemed to only get fiercer in her desire to lead the search party herself. If Nero was the type to think things out better the longer he spent on the subject, Alice was the opposite. Her first answer was usually the best in her case – but further thought would almost always eventually lead to a less-than-perfect solution.

Turning quickly, she followed Nero as he led the way towards where Jacob had gone – wanting to have words with him almost as much as she wanted to save Yuna from a potentially deadly fate. The trio soon found Jacob, who was standing right at the edge of the town – a gate leading out into the wilderness standing just in front of him. Two other guild members were there, serious expressions upon their faces. As they approached him, they could discern the words ‘taken’ and ‘alive’.
“Have you found them?” Alice questioned brutishly, frowning harshly at the taller male – who turned slowly to stare at her. His expression was not one of eagerness.

“No. They left through this gate then threatened to kill her if she didn’t use a teleport crystal to move to their base.” Jacob explained, crossing his arms slowly. Alice ground her teeth together audibly, before stepping forwards.

“And where is their base?”

“I don’t know. I don’t plan on following them, either.”

“Why not!?” Alice boomed, placing her hand down upon the hilt of her blade – though Jacob didn’t seem phased in the slightest.

“Because if we show that we’re on to their movements, they may very well kill her to cover their tracks. Are you willing to let them kill Yuna purely because of your impatience?” he questioned logically, which caused Alice to falter for a second.

“We can take that chance! If we leave her with them, they could kill her anyway!”

“The chances of that happening are much lower if we don’t act rashly!”

Alice drew her sword, parting her teeth to shout some more – before meeting Jacob’s fist, her frame slinging back and into the dirt with a thud. Grunting beneath his breath, he stepped towards her, before squatting at her side. “It is time for you to stop being a child. Grow up and use your head for once.”

He stood, before glancing towards Nero.
“I will look for their base tomorrow – to avoid suspicion. If they send you a ransom message, you should let me know.”

Nero's gaze fell darkly to the gate as it stretched out of the safe zone... She was out there now and he still hadn't received anything signaling a ransom or anything of the sort. The malice of his scowl gradually grew with each passing question of Alice. She was irrational, childish, and absolutely infuriating to him; especially at a time like this, he found his fist trembling at his side as he heard her blade being drawn. As soon as Jacob stopped speaking, he turned to her with a hateful snarl, even though she'd just been struck by his friend, he couldn't contain himself.

"That's why nobody told you about the guild. That's why you don't stand a snowball's chance in Hell against Rose. That's why your tiny following is falling apart with every passing day in favour of her. Stop thinking you can brandish a weapon which you don't even understand outside of a fucking video game just to get your way you spoiled little brat." His breaths were sharp as he seethed, "You don't know shit... You think you do - you think you know everything and you think you know everyone, Alice."

As he finished, he looked to Jacob, "You'll be the first one I contact if I get anything. I've work to do," He stated, turning on his heel and walking away briskly. He opened his menu and navigated straight to his friends, selecting the name Sasayuka from the list and sending her a message. The reply was prompt and he found the information broker in the plaza, right where they agreed to meet. Their voices were low as they began to walk side-by-side. Nero was one of very few to have figured out Sasayuka's identity as a young girl; she did such an amazing job making her voice ambiguous and covering herself to a point of unisexuality. He had discovered it when they met on the sixth floor and she had been blackmailed for information in the woods. Her hood had fallen off during the commotion, but he had promised not to tell anybody to help retain her anonymity. She was the best information broker in Aincrad and had earned the title when she attended the beta testing. Very few knew anything about her or where she got her details, but she was the most expensive and knowledgeable player in existence.

"Tell me everyth-" He started sharply, but she cut him off by raising a hand.

"They took her and you want information on that new red guild that's been causing problems recently, yes?" She asked, her gaze remaining steadfast ahead of them. Nero sighed in return, giving her the affirmative; there was nothing that this girl didn't find out within minutes. "I'm sorry, Nero, I don't really know a whole lot about them... They're very good at hiding and they're very dangerous - I'm strong, but if I'd rather survive this death trap... I'd recommend you just wait for the ransom, Nero, they don't tend to blindly kill players. I'm sure you understand how important money and resource is to surviving this ga-" As they had turned down an alley to remain out of earshot of others, the conversation had turned dark. The girl was thrown against the wall with a pair of piercing eyes staring straight through her.

"Don't you ever. I'll kill you where you stand if I ever hear you compare me to them - I'd never take away everything from others for profit. I've done a lot of things to get ahead, but I've not killed, I've not stolen, and I've not cheated. This was hard work - not ransom," He snarled. A small window appeared in front of Sasayuka and she coldly declined it - it had been an offer to send Nero straight to jail for harassment, but she understood. In fact, she was absolutely emotionless toward it as he released her and she simply brushed herself off.

"Fine. Is there anything else I can do? You know as much as I do about them right now," She said blankly.

There was a pause; the answer was yes, but he wasn't sure if she could help him with it. Not to mention that he was hesitant to take this route, though it seemed the only one left. "Where is he?" He asked, staring at her.

"Who?"

"You know exactly who, Sasayuka."

"Oh... You know how expensive information on them is."

"And you know how much I have to spend. Spill it."

"Are you sure about this, Nero?"

"Stop it and just fucking tell me," He snapped, opening his menu and materializing a hefty sum of Col and handing it over. As it disappeared into her inventory, the girl shrugged and divulged the location of Nikolai - The Masked Man - as it was last known. She knew precisely where they had gone after the party, having made it a priority to always keep a tab on the pair of mysterious figures who had amassed an impressive following.

Nero turned on his heel and left, his hand on the hilt of his blade as he walked away, a soft voice disappearing in the wind. "Be careful, Nero..." He had ignored her, finally making the decision to ask them for help - he had to get her back... Even if it meant asking Rose and Nikolai for aid.

And in the end Alice was left by herself. The only person that had ever tried to reassure her when things went this sour was Yuna herself – but she was now nowhere to be found, in utter danger and the rest were making their own efforts to find her. Perhaps it was time to stop using her sword to fight – but her voice instead. The only thing she’d ever done right was make people believe that they were doing the right thing – raise their spirits. Slowly getting back to her feet, she sheathed her sword and curled either arm around the other meekly before making her way back to the festival to think on what it is she could do to help them in their endeavour.

Jacob on the other hand seemed unnaturally calm – though the unnatural nature of that feeling was merely due to his maturity. He understood that there was no way to safely rescue Yuna without proper information beforehand. This meant that he needed to mobilize his guild in such a manner as to get as much information as possible in the smallest amount of time. Hopefully, with some luck, he’d be able to find their hideout and perform a rescue mission before long.

It did not take Nero too long to find his way to Nikolai’s and Rose’s location, as they were currently clearing the majority of the areas in the newly opened up danger zones on the current level. They did this every time a new floor opened, checking to see which monster would give them the most efficient exp gain of them all. As soon as Nero had entered the area, the two stopped what they were doing and faced him – their awareness skill levels apparently growing very high indeed. Rose sheathed her weapon and crossed her arms with a silent sigh, waiting for the silver-haired boy to approach.

“Can we help you, Nero?” Nikolai asked from a few paces behind Rose, his arms hidden behind his long, flappy sleeves. Even his equipment seemed to be changing for the better – although nobody had ever seen him grind monsters before. In fact, not many knew of his weapon of choice either; the single dagger that remained hidden beyond his sleeve.

Nero looked to the pair emotionlessly; despite appearing so strong-willed, he felt as though he was falling apart inside. "I believe you can, yes. You fancy yourselves a pair of bounty hunters, I imagine? Or Rose does..." He took a slow breath to steady his own words, keeping himself mentally under control as he continued, "Anyway, I have little doubt you've heard about the new red guild which has been causing quite a problem recently?" He asked, looking to Nikolai - the clear businessman of the pair.

“Bounty hunters kill for money.” Rose retorted, her expression showing off the fact that she didn’t enjoy his interruption of their work. Nikolai shook his head gently, before nodding towards Nero – hoping he’d ignore the red-head.

“I’ve heard of them in name only. I am not aware of their deeds. Nobody has seen fit to describe them to us just yet.” He answered honestly, slowly lifting one arm to rub gently at the very base of his mask. His next word was the most powerful – people’s understatement of his very aura now coming into focus.

“Why?” the tone of his voice alone would give anyone pause – as though they were dealing with a higher being and pleading for a favour.

Nero looked to Rose flatly and nearly rebutted but stopped himself, remembering that the man in the mask was in charge more so. He held his blade pointed downward beside him - it was curious that they had not yet heard much of the guild, but the basic idea was quite simple.

"They've been taking players and ransoming them in exchange for not killing them. A few have been killed, some have been paid for... You two are perhaps the most efficient and well-versed in Aincrad. I was hoping that by bringing this to your attention, you might be able to aid us in finding them."

The three were surrounded in a silence not befitting that of a group’s interaction – Nikolai having looked away and begun gently stroking the underside of his mask. Rose, having known Nikolai for long enough now to notice his habits, knew he was intrigued by the news. And when something caught his attention, it would almost always be resolved within the next day. There were very few who had the same abilities in problem solving as he did – his gears churning out answers in seconds. It was all a matter of finding the best solution.

After what would have felt like an eternity, Nikolai hummed to himself gently, before turning to face Nero again.

“I’ll find them.” He assured the boy, before gesturing for Rose to follow him. The two brushed by without another word – as though the favour he’d just gotten from this otherworldly being was not a favour at all, but an event that would come to pass no matter what interference came about. Nero would never be able to shake the feeling that he’d made a mistake – putting his trust in such a mysterious and cold individual.

Hours turned into days and Nero heard absolutely nothing from that guild or from Rose and Nikolai... A week passed and he had begun simply to throw himself into combat, dropping his emotion. Yuna's name had been grey in his friend's list since that night, as she had been taken into the dungeon, and that meant that she was still not in a safe zone. Had they not found the guild yet..? He assumed that Jacob's name had also been grey because he was spending all of his time hunting and returned for short periods to sleep or resupply. However, after so many days, Nero had begun to truly question why he had yet to hear from anybody since Yuna was taken. The sun was low over that same floor and it was nearly nightfall as he stepped onto the teleport platform.

"Teleport..." He started the command, nearly calling out the city in which his house was located. However, he surprised himself when he finished it, "Black Iron Palace."

In a flash, the white-haired boy found himself in front of the intimidating building... The atmosphere was so cold as he saw the Monument of Life. Those who had passed on would have their names crossed out with a cause, time, and day of death. Something told him to stay away... Go home, go to bed... Nikolai would contact him tomorrow, surely, for an update at the very least. However, his legs moved against his will and his boots made a slow, echoing tap... tap... tap... as he slowly walked into the large hall. He was face to face with the rock and he placed a hand on it... It was so smooth... He paused for a moment, instinctively moving to Jacob's name once he had remembered the order of Romaji characters. His finger froze as he found Jacob's name... There was a perfectly straight line through it... The cause read in absolute clarity, "Player-killed." Nero gasped and held his breath for a moment, visibly beginning to tremble as he fell forward into the wall, his forehead hitting his forearm as he squeezed his eyes shut, taking several deep breaths. How..? He was alive only days ago, not even hesitating to save the girl that Nero had fallen for. A voice rang in his head You don't want to know... it sounded in warning, Don't look for her name... The boy didn't listen to it as he scanned for her name - it was in one of the columns near the end and his fears were confirmed. Same cause of death... minutes later... Where were they? What had happened out in those woods?

Nero pounded his fist against the wall and was met with no more than an 'Immortal Object' window. His teeth ground together and he stared at the ground, the tears welling in his eyes. Now was not the time, he decided before swiping his left hand through the air and sending out a message to Sasayuka once more. He was sure she already knew where the two he had gone to for help were and when they met, he was three times as violent as he had been a week prior.

---

"Where are they?" He snapped offensively, fire in his eyes. They had agreed to meet on the teleport plaza for the final city of the twenty-sixth floor. He'd never lost his cool so readily... This was more Alice's personality than his - he was always so much more calm unless he was frustrated... Today, however, Nero was afraid; he was scared to have lost his best friend and the girl that he loved in the same day.

"..." The girl's expression was dark as she looked down sadly, "I'm sorry, Nero." He stepped back and furrowed his brow at her; Nero had never known his information broker to apologize or feel empathy for anybody.

"What the hell are you talking about?" The boy asked, clenching his fist at his side in aggravation.

"They were going to the boss room the last time I saw them - I expect them to be on the next floor within the hour based on previous start times and Rose's safety margin... Which means you have approximately an hour and a half before they have left the first city on the twenty-seventh," She stated, sighing and turning around. "No charge."

She would say no more apart from a very quiet command, "Teleport..." It began, but Nero could not hear the end of the line. He didn't need it because he had already kicked off after the floor's labyrinth, his blade outstretched at his side. He was going to find out what happened - Rose could kill him, Nikolai could destroy him mentally... But he had to know.

---

"Get your ass back here, you masked son of a bitch!!" His voice boomed as he threw open the doors to the boss room. It was empty and he could hear footsteps... They were climbing the stairs already. Nero pushed himself forward again, bolting up the staircase after them. He appeared directly behind them on the next floor, where he didn't stop his momentum, blasting straight into Nikolai, pinning him to the ground.

"What... Happened?" He asked briskly, his voice a low growl. "You can kill me or do whatever the hell you want - just tell me why Jacob's and Yuna's names both had a line through them on that god forsaken wall! Did you ever try to find the guild? Or do you just not care?"

As the days passed by and Nero kept to himself, Jet was forced to work by himself for a time. Perhaps now would be as good a time as any to begin proper training to one day face off with Rose? Surely, now that he had this cloak he’d be able to keep up with her – right? In any case, he began seeking out other players to duel with – taking the time to learn their movements and compare them with the red-head’s own, finding that nobody seemed to have the same power, speed and finesse as she did. And even more worrying was the fact that he only seemed to be an okay fighter when it came to clashing swords with Rose herself. Any other fighter and Jet was tripping over himself, fumbling with his sword and getting stabbed all over the place. Why?

It took him some time and the aid of a few observers to figure out that his abilities stemmed from the ridiculous nature of his attacks. To the trained eye, his movements were so impossibly obscure and illogical that they caused any professional sword-fighter to lose a second as their mind leapt through the processes to keep up. But, when it came to others who weren’t nearly as well disciplined as Rose was, they could react like normal and easily deal with him. If he was going to be able to fight her on equal grounds, he’d need to expand upon that odd strength and try to minimise the level of weakness to the same ability.

Meanwhile, Alice was busy gathering further supporters for her cause. Of course, the rumours of her constant losses against the ‘Goddess’ Rose were not helping her at all in this. But, with some determination and a few instances where she avoided losing her cool, a few more people were convinced to join her regime to try and stop Rose’s abuse of her strength. The jailing system was not being utilised at all, after all; the duo simply killing any that disrupt their reign. It was around this time that she founded a new group of people dedicated to proper justice – rather than simply rebelling against the Masked Man and Rose.

---

Rose’s gauntlet slammed into the side of Nero’s jaw once he’d pushed Nikolai to the ground, causing the male to suddenly be thrust off of him and roll over the cobblestone floor – the red-head offering her hand to the blonde, helping him back up to his feet. He dusted his robes down slowly, clearing his throat and turning to face the fallen male – chuckling at him quietly, making sure it reached his ears.

“What do you mean? The Guild has been taken care of. I found them, as you requested of me – but I took the initiative and let Rose handle them.” He explained himself casually, tilting his head to one side. His tone of voice was almost mocking; baffled by his question.

“Seems your friends died in the conflict, Nero.” He began again, shaking his head slowly, “Too bad they were around when Rose was on clean-up duty. If I recall, Rose – “ He turned to face her, gesturing for her to be a part of the conversation, “There was a little girl there, right? You told me of her once the job was done.

Rose nodded slowly, before crossing either arm over her chest thoughtfully.
“Yeah. After I’d killed most of the Guild, there was a guy and some of his friends dragging a girl away from the battle. I chased and cut down most of the guys but all she did was cry at me. I asked if she was a prisoner, she didn’t respond – I then asked if she was part of the guild and she started crying louder. So I killed her too.”

Nikolai nodded gently, before turning back about to face their interrogator, placing a hand on his hip gently. “There you have it – they did not inform her of their allegiances and paid the price for being in the wrong place at the wrong time… Or perhaps they were a part of the red guild and didn’t tell you?” he chuckled again, as though it were a game.

Rose stepped forwards, hand on the hilt of her blade and scowl adorned over her features.
“Is there anything else?” she asked not so politely.

Nero numbly rolled over as he was struck, landing square on his ass as he looked up at the two of them in disbelief. His hands balled into fists at his sides as they spoke so coldly, chilling him to the bone. He felt his spine shiver as his breathing became ragged, "You... You bastard..." He said quietly as his voice started to rise in fury, tears welling up in his eyes as he dazedly pulled himself to his feet, swaying as he wiped at his eyes. Of course she cried... She was scared... And he wasn't there. Why did he ask them to go? If he'd just gone on his own, he would have found them and she would still be here. His mind was clouded by visions of Yuna, alone, waiting for him.

Did she say anything? He looked up, thinking to ask the question - but Rose wouldn't care... She would have likely not known or cared to remember, even if Yuna had given her a message. What would she think now? Knowing that he had sent the two most dangerous players in the game, tossing foresight to the wind, would she scold him? No, but far worse... There would be nothing but disappointment. He could feel it; therew as nothing but despair as his hand trembled beside him and he pulled his blade from his hip. "Don't... Ever... Accuse me of associating with that filth... They weren't murderers - you would know that if you cared about even a single person in this world," He said coldly, his closing through choking him every few words as he stared straight at Nikolai.

"I'm going to find something you care about... and... and wrench it away from you with some half-ass excuse," He snarled.

Depression was a feeling that would often dissipate shortly after it had begun to affect Nero, but loss was something he was very minutely familiar with. It turned into rage... Blind fury that burned white with intensity as he looked out of the corner of his eye at Rose, and then Nikolai. These two were invincible... But why? What made them so absolutely powerful? Was there no hope to stop them? No, thinking that way was something he'd been doing since they had become a problem. But the entire world had learned they were not the only force to be reckoned with when they overcame the twenty-fifth floor. But they had to be stopped... By any means possible. This was fact.

Nero felt his lip twitch slightly as he launched forth, his blade flashing in blue as he moved to hit Nikolai. There was no health drop in the safe zone, but the message was there. No matter how his irrational moved turned out, it would be accompanied by a promise. "You'll both be ruined... I don't know how, and I don't care... But I'm going to have a hand in it." He fought the tears, but they still rolled down his face; he managed only to keep the annoyance of actually crying at bay, even as the salty liquid ran over his cheeks and disappeared once they fell from his face.

Moments later, flashes would start to appear around them as players came to see the new floor, some were clearly agitated that it had been done without them. It was likely that the two friends Nero still had would be there quickly to see exactly how his rash action would result.

As Nero’s psyche began to break down around the idea that his girlfriend and friend were murdered over a simple misconception, Rose slowly drew her sword as well once he had, preparing for a fight that wouldn’t go anywhere. If he really wanted to hurt them, why didn’t he try to take them to a danger zone? Nikolai placed his hand on her shoulder, reaffirming her need to stand fast – Nero most likely being the only player in the game capable of harming her in any case.

Flashes of white light began to appear around them as other players ported into the new town to check it out and prepare for their next party, which seemed like a daily routine by now. Only, they were each met with an odd sight upon reaching the town – Nero, the boy they’d heard of who was easily the richest of players and one of the few to own his own home by now, was currently charging at the Masked Man, Rose stepping forwards to take him on instead. As his sword came down, it collided with her own – before being thrust aside and away, her body moving inwards with a single step to stab the end of her blade at his stomach; blowing him back a few steps with the strike.

“It is time, Rose.” Nikolai spoke softly, crossing either arm over his chest and simply watching as she nodded in acknowledgment. She stood upright and raised her blade to call people’s attention, before directing it at the boy before her.

“This boy has just declared to us that he will stop us from freeing you all from this hell. He wants to personally damn you to this place for eternity out of his personal spite for losing his friends in the Red Guild. Is it not his fault for having dealings with those monsters?! Is it not his own undoing that he’s sewn?! Show him what happens to traitorous, dastardly, cold humans like him!” she announced loudly, people slowly moving forwards from the crowd. These were no ordinary players who now surrounded him; they were all devoted followers to the false prophet that was Rose, their minds already encapsulated by the idea that she was a Goddess sent from their world to free them. They would do anything for her at this point.

Before he could react, they had tackled and grabbed at him – pinning him to the floor roughly before each grabbing different parts of his body to hoist him from the ground and begin dragging him away, the silver-haired boy kicking and screaming in defiance as they did so – barking obscenities at the duo as he trailed away into the distance, a thick group of devotees chattering amongst themselves over how to deal with him.

He was forced to his knees, three male players holding his arms and shoulders to keep him from defending himself whilst another stepped in front of him. A morning star raised high, the player checking with the others for confirmation on whether he should actually do it or not – that moment of hesitation enough for the first half of a blade to lurch from within his chest and stick outwards; its red, glowing hue slowly fading as the skill ended. The group flinched at the sight – the man who had been stabbed slowly falling to his knees as the pain sank in, revealing a head of blonde hair atop the attacker’s frame. A red cursor now stood above her, indicating her PK – the man before her slowly sputtering his confusion as his form collapsed to the ground and slowly dissipated into naught but particles of information.

“And you shout at me for being stupid.” She sighed aloud, gazing down at his form with heavy hues. It was clear from the redness just beneath each eye that she’d been crying for some time, though had mustered her strength to attend the new town’s reveal. Indeed, she was a part of the crowd that had been surrounding the incident at the portal – but did not make her move in case the Masked Man had drawn attention to her as well to put her in a tight spot. Without a second’s more hesitation on her behalf, she swung her sword again; knocking two more away and continuing to another strike to further cut her way into the group of lower-leveled players. By this time they’d begun to defend themselves, but it was too late; another few members of her guild had shown up to aid her in the conflict – cutting down the devotees like they were nothing, but each slowly getting themselves a red icon over their heads to indicate their deeds. Before long, there were only one or two left – the ones that had been holding Nero down, which released him to take up arms and defend themselves against the coming attacks. Though they found that Alice and her Guild members did not attack again, instead helping Nero to his feet and silently allowing him to decide what to do with them. As he thought it over, he received a Guild invite from Alice – who was staring at him sternly; not through anger, fear or sadness – but with a determination to live that she had not shown before.

Nero shouted in defiance as he was hoisted away. Why would anybody follow that fiery lunatic? Didn't they realize she was making it harder for them to escape by making them reliant on her? As they pulled him away, he shouted, "Teleport... Taft!" But it didn't work - they stepped off the platform the moment he started speaking and the action was interrupted, having absolutely no effect. He was carried out of the city, thrashing as tears streaked down his face. He was thrust to the ground, no longer surrounded by walls and buildings or on stone streets, but subject to whatever they wanted to do. He hung his head, closing his eyes... To be honest, he could die right now... If he was lucky, there would truly be nothing after death. It sounded so blissful, to be lost to the Void.

"You'll all rot in Hell for the choices you've already made - enjoy your decisions while you can," He sneered, though his breath grew ragged and nervous.

He was willing to release life, but... like this? No pride... No dignity... No, this was what he deserved, the boy was sure. He hadn't been evil, but he had been greedy, taking advantage of his abilities to make coin rather than to simply aide the players with low manufacturing skill levels. Perhaps Rose was right - he was impeding progress, rather than helping. Finally, he felt the men holding him down falter and he looked up to see one fall and shatter to pieces as Alice appeared, her blonde hair falling about her as she looked to the rest of Rose's group of followers and he stared up at her, awestruck as her once-vivid, green indicator turned a menacing blood-red. She was so relaxed, but he could tell where she had mentally been only minutes ago. Yet, the girl had overcome her emotion... Why? To help him, or to take hold of the opportunity to take down some of Rose's misguided cronies? Would he put his reputation on the line, stick his neck out so far for somebody else?

But she didn't stop - one after another, the men fell around them. Reinforcements arrived and Nero dazedly climbed to his feet and the fates of the two who held him down were placed in his hands. A need for vengeance against these two, and more specifically Rose and Nikolai, ate away at him inside. The sound of his blade drawing from his sheath sounded around as he stared at them darkly, stepping forward with it at his side. He opened his mouth, but froze as a notification appeared before him.

"An invitati-" He started before his eyes grew wide and he looked over to Alice. "O-Oh," He stammered, staring at it for several moments. A twinge tugged at his heart - guilds tended to collect its members' cash for the betterment of the guild, which was only fair. It was like paying dues for a club or fees for any other group... But it was something he had never wanted to pay. What was wrong with simple parties? However, as he met her eyes, he knew it was time to stop thinking for himself. He tapped the button to join and he felt absolutely no different when the window disappeared and it was official; Nero was in a guild. And yet, it didn't feel regrettable as he turned to the two men before him again, snarling.

"Fight each other or I'll kill you both myself," He said coldly. "Winner gets to go."

"What? No!"

"I was hoping you'd say so," Nero started, twirling his blade once, the light caughti t as it flashed.

"Wait! WAIT!" The other cried out, causing his weapon to freeze mere centimeters from his neck. It was the one who had not protested before, "We'll do it."

"What?" The other retorted angrily, looking over at him and taking a step back. The will to live was stronger than that to resist killing a comrade to them, clearly, as they drew their weapons: one in defense, the other with a burning desire to live.

Nero stood, retreating slightly to give them room as the weapons glowed all different colours, flashing and clanging loudly as they collided, fear shrouding the expression of one as the other fought to survive. It was clear from the start who would win - the one who actually tried, standing where his 'friend' once had, panting heavily. He looked to Nero, "I won... I won!" He looked like he had won the lottery, and in the next moment, he dissipated into a thousand shimmering shards. Nero stood several meters from where he had started and sheathed his blade, his lip twitching slightly as he looked to Alice. His indicator turned crimson as he joined every other player around him, making it truly official.

"Thank you, Alice," he said, shaking slightly and wiping at his face to hide his emotion. "I can't... I can't believe they're really gone..." He spoke sadly, clearing his throat and shaking his head, "Let's get out of here... In case Rose is hanging around." The boy hesitated, staring down for a moment and rubbing the back of his neck, "You want to stay at my house tonight? Save money on the inn, at least, and... We can talk about your guild," He stated, looking up. Anything... Anything to not be left reveling in his own thoughts, if only for one night.

The rest of the guild members present didn’t bat an eye as the scene unfolded before them – now eerily familiar with the feeling that came with watching a player die. In the end, most of them felt the same way about all of it; it wasn’t their fault that things turned out like this. There were three people to blame for how much they were changing.

Kayaba Akihiko, the Masked Man and Rose.

As soon as one of those three crossed the minds of any of the guild members, their expressions would stiffen as though they were remembering something terrible that happened not too long ago. Of course, Nero was going to become the exact same in that regard – his girlfriend and initial best friend now no longer a part of this world, due to Rose’s actions. The only person he had left was Jet, whom was luckily a little too preoccupied with grinding on the floor beneath to witness what had just transpired on the newly opened floor.

Once Nero asked whether Alice would join him for the night, she found herself smiling gently at him – the smile itself almost too dazzling for words, as she always seemed to look her very best once she’d smile after crying. It was the accenting redness under her eyes that made it look as though she was blushing that completed the look, probably.
“No, you’re coming with us tonight. It won’t do you any good just to talk to me all night – you should speak with everyone here and the others of the Guild about what has happened. I guarantee that you’re not alone in this world.” With that said, she offered him her hand – guiding him away once he’d taken it and the group of players with red icons above their heads slowly disappeared via teleportation; back to a lower floor, where they could buy a few rooms in an Inn together.

The majority of the night was spent in each member explaining what had happened to them during their time in Aincrad. Both the ups and downs; whether they lose a sibling, find a friend, kill to defend themselves or fall in love. Each person had a fairly unique story to tell, but the only person who didn’t participate was Alice. She seemed very much occupied simply listening, offering people consoling words that probably didn’t seem like her, to Nero. But that was the gift she had been born with; to make people smile and feel motivated to move on in life. If only those same words could affect her in the same way.

Days soon turned into weeks. The people that joined the Guild after having lost something due to Rose’s actions were beginning to increase in volume with every passing fortnight. But as time passed, so did the duo’s strength. By now, the player base was almost entirely split in two; those who favoured Rose’s absolute power and her continuous victories and those whom had been burned by the path she was forging. The side in favour had taken up the act of always wearing a red bandana around their arm in show – of course, these red bandanas had actually been given out by the Masked Man to be distributed; what was their importance? It seemed that those that wore them found new comrades all the easier, with their admiration of Rose being a common point to meet on. However, Jet hadn’t told anybody of the unease he felt every time he saw one of those bandanas.

With Alice’s prowess in motivational speeches and Nero’s intellect which he could use once he’d calmed down some, the Guild’s renown grew – people flooding in faster than ever once players began disappearing randomly. Apparently, Rose knew something about these disappearances, but didn’t say anything more than that they were necessary sacrifices one would have to make for the greater good. Of course, these words came from her mouth but were thought up by the man behind her; the one with the mask.

Two months had passed since Yuna’s death, when the Masked Man called all of Rose’s followers out to the new floor’s opening. The 40th floor’s boss had been defeated promptly, without any help once again – the red-head’s level shooting up exponentially high in a short period of time. It was almost as though something was giving her speed and strength from beyond the game itself. Everyone adorned their red bandanas as they gathered in the new town’s main court, where things seemed eerily quiet considering. No NPCs were around and the store fronts looked deserted. Alice and company had attended the event, hiding away just a few hundred meters to avoid detection and find out what was happening here; something was going to go wrong, she could feel it.

A small creaking sound came from the chair beneath him as Nero pushed against the rail of his porch, a small breeze sweeping over his most recently purchased abode. He'd found a floor that he would likely call home for the remainder of the game... In his opinion, not a single floor was near as beautiful or calming as this one. The home was no more than a small cabin, but it appeared as a very modern American home might; at least he thought so, based on pictures he'd seen from the distant West. The living room was entirely visible, as the walls were made of glass. However, he would close the large blinds if need-be. In the center of the house was an open courtyard; but the most important feature to him was the environment. As he sat on the porch out back, he knew precisely why, despite being one of the smaller homes available, it was the most expensive on the floor. The back-yard had a slight drop to it, leaving the porch on a stilt-like structure as the yard turned into forest a relatively short distance away. The thirty-seventh floor that he now called home was one of the few floors that was was climate-static; that is, it had a rather predictable weather cycle and no seasons. There was a perpetual fall, the leaves dotting paths and roads while many remained on the trees, colouring them in reds, oranges, and browns. It all reminded him of Yuna, and yet... he felt no sadness here; there was nothing save for an endless nostalgia as he rocked back and forth in the chair, caught in a state between napping and awake.

How long had he been there? A few minutes? An hour? Two? He always lost track of time, and in the past week or so it had already proven a problem more than once. So, he had decided to start setting alarms for himself whenever he knew he had to be somewhere. Today, the Guild had found out that Rose was soon to unlock the forty-first floor and that they had missed another chance at taking the boss fight. In the last fifteen, there had been few victories for them, but they fought on and claimed new items for themselves. Nero heard the alarm that it was time to prepare and meet with Alice as they waited for the inevitable advance of the floor. He rose and swept his left hand through the air, equipping his battle-gear before stretching and shoving his hands into his long coat's pockets. At his hip was a falcata with a dazzling white blade. It was really quite a beautiful blade - and the style was rare, as falcata had a concave blade. All of the moves were quite the same, but many found the hold to be awkward and the appearance strange; for Nero, it was simply unique and formidable, as he had acquired it in one of the few boss battles that their guild had managed to take before Rose arrived.

Within minutes, he had met Alice and the others before they rose to the forty-first floor and waited for... something. Nero looked around with a furrowed brow... Why was it deserted? He leaned against a wall in their tucked-away space and flipped a mithril piece of Col off of his thumb before catching it and repeating the process. Just as Rose's level would rise, so would the number beside his Col in his inventory at an extraordinarily high level. His white jacket was gilded in gold and tailored by, in his opinion, the second greatest tailor in Aincrad and its stats were considerably powerful for being of leather-make. There was but one other person he wished he could have received it from, but that was unlikely to happen, seeing as that red-headed monster had brutally murdered her. After his first night with the other guild members, he had stopped showing emotion. There wasn't anything left to cry for - he became the voice of logic after Jacob was killed; however, Alice and he would sometimes have their moments of reminiscence or bonding when the others weren't around despite giving off an all-business air. Now, he stared at the coin that he repeatedly flipped with something between an absolutely numb expression and one of absolute intensity.

As the tension in the air grew, he finally caught the coin and let it disappear back into his inventory before looking to Alice. He didn't say a word, he was just waiting for whatever was going to happen as he drew his falcata from his hip. The crowd that was relatively nearby was absolutely massive; a sea of red bandannas and blind followers... Those strips of cloth may as well be tied around their eyes if they thought that murdering so many of their comrades was right. At home, Nero had many times where he would wonder if there was a timeline somewhere, in a universe without Rose. A world where that wretched girl had never bought this game; ironically, he refused to think of one where he didn't. He would honestly never trade what he had gained through this place, no matter what it took from him. But... Was a there a world with Yuna still in it? Where he lived on blissfully, taking for granted all he'd been given? How, in this world, did they fare with the boss battles? He liked to think that the players were stunning in this other universe, not relying on any other single person to carry them to victory.

As he snapped from the reverie of introspection, Nero looked to each member of their company, wishing that if something was going to happen, that it would. And then it did...

A sudden, loud cheering erupted from the rather large crowd of players – raising their weapons and arms high to complement their shouting and praise. Alice and the slightly smaller audience of fellow guild members slowly stalked closer to the gathering, being sure not to be too conspicuous and remaining below the radar to avoid detection from the devotees. It was as they approached did the demonic duo make their appearance – the Masked Man stepping forwards, on to the stage that had been set up in the town’s square before it had even been unlocked. Things had certainly been getting odder over the past few weeks; certain events coming to pass as though they had been pre-destined to happen. Now, as the masked individual stepped up to address the slowly hushing crowd, the guild quickly darted into the mass of players – concealing themselves amongst the gathering.

“Today is a momentous occasion,” he began, raising a hand slowly to gesture to the crowd, “We’ve once again made yet another step towards our goal of survival, my fellow players.” The cheering resounded once again, the only ones within the large horde not participating were of the Guild Alice and Nero belonged to. Once they’d begun to calm once again, Nikolai chuckled from his perch atop the stage.
“Yes… The idea that we’ll all, one day, be back in the real world with our families again… Doesn’t that excite you? Doesn’t it just make your blood boil?”

Alice snagged Nero’s sleeve, gesturing for him to follow her through the crowd – slowly getting closer to the stage.

“But… For every life saved, a life must be sacrificed.” He began again, sighing to himself softly in what seemed like a very false sense of empathy, “That said – I’ll have every last one of you disappear.”

Alice stopped dead in her tracks, slowly craning her neck upwards to gaze at the male who had just blurted out something so ridiculous. What did he mean by that? Sacrifices and having these people disappear? Before she could even glance at Nero for any sign of logical analysis from his part, a figure suddenly exploded into view behind the stage – his form looming into the sky itself and blocking the sun’s radiance; blinding all those that tried to get a look at the cloaked face.

“Ah.” The voice was booming in volume, uncaring and altogether cold – a familiarity every last one of the players would never forget; the announcement on the first evening of their lives here in Aincrad. “So this is the sacrifices you wish to make to me, for the sake of your own freedom?”

The crowd went deathly silent, as though they had all just been stabbed through the throat and forced to lose all voice in their own fates. Nikolai slowly turned to face the huge figure behind him, taking a single pause before finally giving a single nod of confirmation.
“Indeed. That was the deal; everyone who believes in the false prophet that I create by having Rose do all these things would be here to be purged from the world. Then she and I can leave this place forever.”

It was at this point that many of the people in the large crowd started to shout in refusal and rage, their hopes having been riding on the shoulders of a traitor and back-stabber. Now, with the terms of his apparent deal with the devilish creator of this hell laid out bare for all to witness, they started to revolt and riot. The front lines rushed the stage, clambering atop it and charging at the male to get some answers or beat him until he’d explain himself and apologise – only for every last one of the people wearing the red bandannas to suddenly disappear in a flash of particles; the very same effect that would occur when a player died in-game.

The only players left on this floor were those of the Guild that had been gathered to participate in the crowd for the sake of getting more information on the duo’s movements and the two themselves – who were not surprised at all to see players left over after their sacrificial tribute.

“Oh? I thought you said that you’d offer every last player on this floor to me? I will not grant you freedom until you give me what we agreed upon.” The huge figure demanded, slowly looming forwards to inspect the players that were scattered about the village square.

“I was planning on it from the start. Please, just hold on for a few minutes as we deal with the vermin.” Nikolai gestured for him to simply wait, before giving Rose the signal. The two slowly walked off the edge of the stage, dropping to their feet and beginning to stride towards the group of fifty or so players.

“Positions!” Alice snapped, turning to face the other guild members and start organising their tactics, “Get into line! Draw weapons and ready potions! Anti-effect crystals on quick menu and pay close attention to your party member’s statuses!” she barked almost angrily, having never thought she’d have to deal with these two now of all times. Even the fact that they were about to fight in a zone she’d had expected to be a no-pvp area was completely lost on her at this point, her entire focus narrowed on winning this battle.

“Oh…?” the huge figure hummed aloud, chuckling to himself soon after, “They treat you two as though you’re the Floor Boss. Perhaps we should make it easier on them?” his large arm slowly rose, before descending over what appeared to be his own menu – hitting a few options.

Nikolai and Rose both stopped, their bodies trembling slightly as a change was made to their very programs. Bright green bars began to appear over their heads, before a name popped up above each. >> Masked Man << & >> Goddess <<

The two were now in-game bosses, courtesy of the creator. Nikolai slowly brandished his two daggers, spinning them through his fingers idly as Rose also began to change into her higher-leveled gear in preparations for the coming fight.
“I suppose… It’s time to kill all of these people, right?” she asked softly, glancing Nikolai’s way. He nodded quickly.

“Yeah. Let’s have some fun with it.” He returned.

Suddenly, wings burst forth from Rose’s shoulder blades, spreading wide as a halo slowly formed just over her head of red hair – the game accentuating the player’s images of each Boss now.

Nikolai on the other hand only seemed to grow more obscure; his robes tightened up until they clung to his limbs tightly, darkening to the point of almost being darkness itself and causing each of his daggers to slowly grow more grotesque in design – a small film of poison now dribbling down each blade. His mask remained the same, but his blonde hair curled around it in long golden locks, masking his face even further. Without a second’s hesitation, Rose shot forwards – sword raised and ready for the first strike.