Humphrey grunted and dismissed the notifications. Down on the sands below, the Players looked confused as the elemental Boss stopped and stood in a passive pose.

“I know that grunt,” Norah said, fanning herself. “You are feeling left out.”

He shuffled on his throne, struggling to accept that she was right. “It seems reckless. What if there is a problem and our very existence is erased?”

“Well…” the Mummy began, tilting her head to look out at the horizon. “If that is the case, then I’ve had a good life and I love you.”

The Death Knight deflated and sighed. “I’m not quite so ready to accept oblivion, especially when it is avoidable. And I love you too.”

“How could you not, when I’m always right?” She smiled and reached out to pat his forearm. “Go see Chuck. I am sure you’ll be called in right away, anyway.”

Humphrey grinned and stood up to his feet. Patting around his belt, he brought out the recently used teleportation stone. “You’re not coming this time?”

“I need a soak. Message me if the world doesn’t end, okay?” She gave him a wink before standing and heading back from the balcony and into their house.

The Death Knight watched her leave, then turned his empty sockets down to the confused Players who had started teleporting away back to safe areas. Whatever the result of this odd plan, it would change their world. Any apprehension he felt fought against the pride that welled up in thinking about what they could achieve.

With the flash of blue, he vanished to appear in the receiving chamber of the Architect’s Tower.

He turned his head to see the figure already sitting there. “Oh? It is a surprise to see you here.”

----------------------------------------

Sally sprinted around in a wide arc as the large club dug through the ground just behind her, spraying a wave of dirt across the flattened grass.

“Shoulda put more points in Stamina!” she gasped, overheating. She slid to a stop and spun her dagger around in her hand to face the giant troll.

“Perhaps it’s just your cardio that is lacking?” Archie said from the sidelines.

“Stuff it furball,” she murmured, narrowing her eyes at the Boss.

She was a zombie. Maybe not a shambling one, sure, but that didn’t mean she was much for sprinting either. Perhaps she had been spoiled with Chuck being able to change her Stats to whatever she wanted or needed for her work. Killing Players was definitely good exercise, but she got most of her cardio when Theo-

The troll attacked again, and she leaped to the side, a plume of dry earth bursting from the ground where the weapon struck. This was going nowhere fast - and she was so close to sealing the deal here. Chuck had been sending her messages, but there was no way to check them without eating the giant club.

[Chain] shot out and struck one of her few remaining zombie orcs, pulling it towards her as the Boss leaned down to grab out - taking the sacrificial pal instead of her. She used the distraction to launch beneath the monster, jabbing her dagger into the back of his ankle to split the tendons.

Sally flicked the dark blood from her blade and twisted back around to face the troll. It stumbled as it tried to face her, surprised at the pain and numbness in their left leg. While they tried to right themselves, her handful of remaining zombies swarmed in to attack the wounded area. Blood frenzy.

They weren’t doing a lot of damage, but they were a fantastic annoyance. As the Boss growled and tried to stomp around with their injured foot, Sally darted in and performed the same action on the right ankle. The back end of the club jabbed backward and almost pinned her to the ground, but she was able to scurry through the cloud of dust as the weapon scraped past.

You had to weaken the big guys. Slow and humble them, and exhaust them. She couldn’t risk taking a full hit from the monster, as it was likely to crush her completely. Not that she would be forever dead… but she’d have lost all the progress made in taking this island for their own.

“Chuck is making preparations. No pressure.”

She clenched her sharp teeth together. “You and I will be having words later, Archie.”

They’d be watching already and could see things were going her way, even if slowly. Would only take one mistake for things to go south, however. Into her offhand she withdrew her second dagger, her arm now functional if not still weak. Without all her normal skills or allies, things were difficult… but she was Sally Danger.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

A zombie caught the eye of the troll. [Chain] grabbed them and brought them toward her. The club went high into the air, and then whooshed down to completely obliterate the shambling dead. From within the cloud of misted blood and unsettled dirt, two red eyes gleamed.

Sally burst forth, hopping up onto the extended weapon and sprinting up it as the Boss slowly picked it up into the air. Shadow crossed her as a wide hand came down to squash her like a bug. A loud slap reverberated through the empty woods as it made contact. The giant monster groaned and withdrew his hand, dark blood running from two dagger wounds.

The zombie herself got up to shaky feet, trying not to fall from the troll. That would be certain death, with the wounds she had just sustained. Legs and arms still worked. That would be enough.

A surprised face turned to glare at her, anger sinking in at seeing the small figure who had hurt his hand. She was already closing in, though. She leaped through the air, daggers catching the light as she dove for the eyes of the Boss.

He opened his mouth, and she landed in there instead.

----------------------------------------

Theo and Lucius appeared in the receiving room, to find Humphrey seated with his arms crossed.

“Hey pops,” the vampire said, before turning his head to see the woman sitting at a small desk. “Oh, Lana?”

She gave them both a smile and shrugged. “I drew the short straw for reception duty, I guess.”

Previously thinking of herself as nothing more than a clone of the original Lana, the dark-skinned woman with curly brown hair had settled into the comfort that she was Lana, and she was no different from any other Player or Monster that had respawned now. Having her fill of combat, she had joined Chuck in the Architect’s Tower to deal with the day-to-day running of things.

A waving hand appeared beside Lucius. “I take it things are still in motion and we aren’t allowed to interrupt?”

Lana nodded. “Dent is aware that you have arrived, but asks you to sit put and don’t break anything while they focus on this 'super important process'.”

“His words, or yours?” Theo asked, as he walked over to sit beside Humphrey.

“I’m pretty sure the message has the same spirit.” She smiled before sighing heavily. “I only know some of what is going on, just from picking up idle conversation and the status message… but I’ve been offered a place in a Guild?”

The Death Knight tilted his head from side to side. “Far from it for me to give away secrets that aren’t mine to share, but I’m sure you can read between some of the lines.”

Lana pulled a face. “Some kinda bullshit if it involves all of the Outsiders. No offence.”

“We’re just waiting for Sally to return,” Lucius said, a thumbs up emoji beside him. “Then I’m sure Chuck will fill you in on the details.”

“Return from where?” The woman frowned.

Humphrey narrowed his eye sockets at the Shade, red flames from his helmet illuminating the wall behind him.

----------------------------------------

Sally bounced on the dry earth, splattering blood and thick saliva around her impact point. She groaned as she struggled to push herself up, immediately vomiting up everything in her stomach instead.

Behind her, the body of the giant troll slowly tipped over backward, their empty skull also painting the ground that shook as he collapsed dead.

“That was closer than I’d like,” the zombie panted, her eyes closed as her face was covered in gore. With a shaky arm, she tried to wipe it away so that she could see - mostly just smearing it around instead.

"I was preparing to head home empty-handed.” Archie yawned from maybe a dozen or so feet away. “It is to your benefit that he tried to swallow you whole rather than chew you.”

“Oh, no.” Sally shook her head before opening bleary, tear-filled eyes. “He tried to chew.” She gestured down to her right leg, the blood and gore obscuring the fact that it was pretty clearly broken.

“Ah.”

“Good news though.” She slowly laid back on the messy grass and put a hand up to block the sunlight. “The Boss dropped a healing potion and three gold.”

“Three gold,” the cat repeated.

She turned her head towards him and pouted. “Fuck this System. Wah.”

[Congratulations on Completing Story Mode]

[Free Play Mode Activated]

[Level Up!]

“Story Mode?” Sally gnashed her teeth together as she put the one stat point into Damage. “And I only get one skill?”

[Master Thief] [ has Level% increased chance of success.]

She sighed and settled in the sticky puddle of mud dampened by blood and saliva. A bleep from her Universal STAR had her eyes bringing up the Chat windows.

[Chuck: Amazing work, Sally.]

[Chuck: You’ve gained enough power for the attempt.]

[Sally: Cool, now what?]

[Chuck: Choose your skill to make permanent and I’ll bring you back first.]

Sally pursed her lips together. She half expected to have the island moved with her still on it, but returning made a lot more sense - and sounded safer than meeting whatever fate befell the transferred land.

[Sally: [Chain] please]

[Chuck: Done. Hold tight, the process is uncomfortable.]

[Chuck: Lots of spinning plates.]

Archie walked over and sat beside her. “I apologize for my attitude. You’ve done us proud.”

She smiled, but any words were interrupted as darkness enveloped her vision. An odd, twisting vertigo that felt as though it was pulling her apart vibrated through her body for a couple of seconds before suddenly stopping.

The hum of machinery and distant sounds of voices prickled at her senses before her vision returned. She felt her leg click back into place and her wounds heal over, as she focused to see that she was once again in the cage machine in the Architect’s tower.

Her hearing popped and the dim voices came a little clearer, before there was silence.

A shadow loomed over her, the familiar face of Dent as he stood beside the metal cuff that vibrated on her wrist.

“Did it work?” she asked, her tongue slow in her mouth.

“Check your Map,” the swordsman replied, trying to keep a neutral face.

She did so, even if she ached from head to toes. The familiar blue light on her home System burning into her eyes as she switched to Map and then zoomed out from the fifth area where the Tower was located. Scrolled to the side.

And there it was.

Just off the south of the Forest area, a small blob of land.