It was a boring two days. Webster was compliant, especially with Killa constantly urging him with repeated prodding. “The longer you take to get us to the next floor, the longer this hurts,” was her favorite threat to whisper in his ear.

Shadara ran out of water and was trying to remain calm, but I could see she was starting to look a little more ragged. The ocean water we were sailing was predictably salt water.

“Ye can quit twistin’ the knife, lass.” Webster’s voice barely made it over the sounds of the rolling waves.

He sounded almost as bad as he looked. Killa dissolved all of his skin, one arm, all of his toes, and I don’t know how many bones below the muscles she intentionally left. I doubted whether he’d survive after we left him. Not that it mattered to me.

“There be yer way out.”

I looked to where the former demon frog captain stared. An island stood in the distance. A massive whirlpool surrounded the island in the center. There was no way we’d get past it. All the water was blood red.

“What is that?” I asked him.

Webster gave a dry chuckle. “That there be the Bloody Maelstrom. It’ll suck ye down if ye be too close. But, drownin’ is the least of yer worries. The island be protected by the most ferocious of terrifying sea beasts. Ye can’t kill them all.”

Shadara slumped her shoulders. “There’s got to be a way past it.”

Webster’s lips curled into a crooked smile. “Aye, that be yer problem to solve. I’ve done me part leadin’ ye.”

I glared at him. “You’re not done until we’re all safely on land.”

The frog shook his head. “Ye can’t make me go through that maelstrom. And ye can’t make me go to that island. So, I ain’t goin’.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Killa hissed in his ear. “Besides, you won’t have to worry about anything when I’m done with you.”

Webster focused his eye on Kila’s head next to his. “Ye’ve killed me. Me only last pleasure is watching ye lasses feedin’ the fishes before me.”

Several dozen options ran through my head. Then one I didn’t, which I was even considering, quickly became the most successful option. My speed was fast enough to allow me to run across the water if I enhanced it with my magic, despite my extra density.

“Let’s not give him the satisfaction.” I grabbed the front of the boat and jumped out of it.

As I did, I pulled Shadara out with me. She shrieked as she latched onto me. The moment my feet touched the water, I poured my magic into my tendons. My quickness attribute spiked, and I rushed across the water like it was solid ground. I was warned that if I tried to do the same with Killa at the same time, I’d no longer be able to succeed.

My feet churned as I skipped across the water. I needed to run against the current of the swirling water. As I looked down at the water, I saw a wall of fish just below the surface. They tried to swim up and bite at me, but they were always five steps behind.

I skidded to a stop on the sand and lowered Shadara onto the ground. We turned and looked at the whirlpool.

Shadara glared at me as she put her hands on her hips. “Why didn’t you tell us you could do that?”

I held up my hands. “I didn’t know that I could. Being able to run on water never seemed like a possibility. Besides, it wouldn’t work for you and Killa at the same time. Killa has a much higher density than I do.”

“So you picked me to help first,” Shadara said. “You going back for Killa?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

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The beast woman sighed. “Good luck.”

I sprinted back across the water. It wasn’t as hard the second time. The whirlpool’s current was stronger as I ran back to the boat. When I reached it, I grabbed it and hopped back in.

Killa just stared. “You can run on water?”

“Yeah, it’s something I discovered recently,” I replied, still amazed by my newfound ability. Killa’s eyes widened, clearly trying to process what she had just witnessed.

“But how?” she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

I scratched the back of my head, trying to find the right words to explain the unexplainable. “I’m not sure, to be honest. There’s a very long list of math involved that I don’t understand, but my computer brain can solve it. It’s really complicated. I don’t try to think about it.”

Killa hummed. “Well, this changes everything. With your ability, we can accomplish so much more.”

I pursed my lips. “Although you weigh a lot, I don’t know if I can carry you. Weight is an important factor in whether I can do this at all.”

Killa grinned. “We’ll let’s remove some dead weight then, shall we?”

Webster’s head instantly collapsed, and Killa threw his corpse into the swirling whirlpool of bloody water. A moment later, the whirlpool sped up, and we were pulled closer to it.

I jumped out of the boat and grabbed it before it could get pulled further in. Killa wrapped around my shoulders and waist. The added weight of Killa was almost too much for me to run across the water. My quickness attribute was barely high enough that I could maintain my speed across the water.

As we got to the island, I noticed the bloody water was thick. Killa slipped off of me as my feet touched the sand. There was a loud roar from the whirlpool. The water started to churn faster and faster.

“Rina, look!” Shadara shouted and pointed to the other side of the island.

Walking towards us was Nyx. The blood from the water streamed towards her hand and formed an orb. “You’re still alive?” Her expressionless eyes danced over my entire body. “Something’s changed.”

I scowled. “What do you care? We’re done. Everything between us—it’s over.”

She shook her head. “The only thing that matters is power. I’m going to use this power this Soul Nexus forced on me to…tear…it…down!” Her eyes grew wider with each word.

The vampire went from fuming to calm in an instant. “It gave me a means of improving without challenging stronger enemies. I can kill hordes of these pathetic abominations it creates as an obstacle for soul shards. With those shards, I can grow my vampiric powers infinitely. You can do the same, can’t you?”

I froze. “What?”

“I’ve had a lot of time to think,” Nyx said flatly. “All you want to do is live; is that still the truth?” I nodded. “Your destruction, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t what matters. Anything that could create you—that must be destroyed. The Game Master gave you your system, the system the Soul Nexus is attempting to replicate to see if it can fill out a soul.”

Shadara stepped in front of me. “What’s your point? You’ve already given this speech before. Nothing’s changed.”

Nyx kept her eyes locked on me. “Now that I’ve thought about it, The Game Master sent me here, repeatedly. He did so, knowing the Nexus would catch on. He knew it would study you. I know he’s watching everything happening right now. We’re in a game, and we’re nothing more than pawns.”

She held out her hand and made a fist. “I can grant you amnesty. You’ll be able to live your life, however you want, free of everything, just like you want.”

Is it true? Can that really happen for me? I licked my lips. “What do I have to do?”

Nyx sneered. “Help me kill the Soul Nexus. It’s what you were sent here to do.”

She’s delusional. I sighed and slumped my shoulders while shaking my head. “The enemy of my enemy isn’t always my friend. If you’re right, about any of it, that’s not my concern right now. If you want to destroy the Soul Nexus, I won’t stop you.”

I turned to head inland. “But I won’t help you either.”

The vampire tilted her head back. “You don’t get in my way or try to stop me in any way, and I’ll leave you and your friends alone. If I see you in trouble, I won’t extend a hand. At the same time, I won’t expect one in return. We have a deal?”

I nodded. “We have a deal.” I turned to Killa and Shadara. “Come on. Let’s go. Staying here isn’t going to work anymore. We’ll just have to come up with something on the next floor.”

Killa placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’m proud of you. But something tells me she isn’t done trying to convince you to help her. She knows that she can’t take on the Soul Nexus by herself. This isn’t the last we see of her.”

I know. As we headed inland, I spared her one last glance. Nyx turned back to me but didn’t say or do anything.

For your sake, Nyx, I hope you do succeed. This place needs to be brought down. First, it was Bark, then it was Tasha, and now it’s you. There were likely an uncountable number before you, and if you fail, there will be endless more. For the future of others, please succeed.

My feet dragged slightly as I walked.

The three of us found ourselves at a familiar stone archway that we didn’t hesitate to walk through side-by-side.

Everything turned white and stayed white. I found myself standing in an infinitely empty expanse.

“Killa? Shadara?” As I turned around, calling for my sisters, I saw a man. It was a man I wouldn’t have guessed that I’d see anytime soon.

“Hello, Rina,” Mr. Black said. “We don’t have a lot of time to talk, but we need to nonetheless.”