Screams rang in Florence’s ears.

The stream of smoke rose over the hill, engulfing the bloodied clouds.

A silhouette clad in armor emerged from the peak. Now, it wore a string of Natural EXP Crystal around its neck.

The NPCs with skin to the bone scattered in limping steps. The gravel hissed beneath them.

The waves of NPCs shoved Florence on the shoulder. She stumbled back. The nerves in her ankle and knee shrieked, grabbing onto Aisling. But Aisling trembled, sinking her nails into Florence’s forearm covered in scabs, pulling her closer.

Sam hissed, flattening his ears. He clawed up onto Stella’s head.

“Everyone ready your weapon,” Basilisk said. He climbed onto the table with claw marks. The crate, a pile of canned food, and the Natural EXP Crystal clattered.

Still, amongst all of this, Yuze snored.

Florence glanced over her shoulder.

Hundreds of NPCs scrambled away. Even the one sitting around the table a moment ago vanished.

Jack, Holland, and a handful of NPCs grabbed the rifles, developing a steady position and handgrip. They pushed the butt on their shoulder, clenching the pistol grip and pulling their elbows in. The front and rear sight aimed at the silhouette clad in armor.

Bullets whizzed through the air. The lead sparked against the armor.

A firestorm erupted behind the humanoid silhouette clad in armor. The inferno flooded down the hill, melting and burning everything in its path.

Florence wheeled around. She limped away, dragging Aisling and Yuze with her. At the same time, Stella dropped to her bottom, blinking and rubbing her puffy eyes.

The ground tremor. Florence’s ankle ached and shrieked. She fell forward, sliding her chin through the shrilling gravel.

The sharp rocks scratched her skin.

She rolled onto her back.

Behind the flames and the silhouettes clad in armor, a tsunami rippled with gaping, eyeless faces that reached the sky and cast a long shadow.

The humanoid silhouette clad in armor spun around. The flames swirled around it, forming a burning hammer in its palm.

In a swoosh, the waves evaporated. The gaping and eyeless faces ignited into charred husks, and no liquid submerged them.

The ground rumbled.

The gravel sank.

The sky shattered like glass, flooding the land below.

“Everyone, full retreat and regroup,” Basilisk said. “We need to go now.”

The water pouring from above rushed down the hill. It smashed into Florence and everyone around her, soaking their clothes wet. Her skin burned under the dress and apron.

The saltiness tingled her taste buds. She twirled in the rushing fluid as it filled her lungs. She emerged from the surface, gasping for air. Droplets flowed down her hair and face. Then she submerged back under the liquid.

Fingers wrapped around the back of her dress. With a pull, she busted through the waves. She spit the water out of her mouth, glancing over her shoulder.

Basilisk stood knee-deep in the water, clenching onto the back of Florence’s dress.

“Pardon me, what is happening?” Florence asked.

“This haunted place… the ghost. I… I can’t believe it.” Basilisk clutched the metal rod that was stabbed through his stomach. He closed his eyes. “How could it even happen?”

“So, you’re saying that the monster… just exorcized the ghost?”

“I should’ve known… that monster is an Ability User.”

Basilisk reached into his pocket, hand holding a USB. The fluid hurried between and around his legs. He pulled out a leaf, planted it, and put the USB onto Florence’s palm.

“What are you doing?” Florence raised her eyebrows. “Why are you giving this to me?”

“Stop trying to talk for once,” Basilisk said. His bald head glimmered. “I’ve already told you what this is?”

“Since—”

“Just shut it and go. Just think of this as repayment for what you tried to do for me.”

Basilisk twisted his hip. He tossed Florence, Aisling, and Yuze flying into the air over all the other NPCs, limping away.

Florence screamed. She clenched her fist, squeezing the leaf in her palm. Her face splashed across the surf, knocking over the NPCs in her path.

She rolled onto her back with Aisling still holding onto her.

The water bubbled.

Somehow, the inferno grew without being doused inside the water. Then, a stream of fire erupted out of it, jetting towards the NPCs with weapons. The vapors rose from the NPCs’ soaked bodies. In a blink, all of them ignited in flames. They shrieked, rolling and splashing around.

“Go now,” Basilisk said. “What’re you do—”

His mouth gaped open. The firestorm engulfed him whole from behind, charring his skin. He dropped to his knees with a splash. A metallic and burnt stench glided through the air from him.

Florence gritted her teeth. She tilted her head down, biting her lips. Her body urged her to dive into the inferno. Although her sister waited for Florence back home, she still needed to save as many lives as possible. Not that she ever wanted to see those charred bodies again…

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Wires shot out from the burning body of Basilisk. It rooted itself into the gravel.

Within the crowd, Jack shoved past the limping NPC. He grabbed Florence on the soaked dress, dragging her away along with Aisling and Yuze.

The wires extended, slithering across the surfaces. The gravel in touch with those cables wheeled itself closer to Basilisk’s body, consuming the flames.

Florence widened her eyes. Her bottom swished across the liquid. “How… is he alive?”

“He ain’t alive,” Jack said. “This is bad. Much worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just keep moving. I can’t hear you anyway.”

The wires wrapped around the bodies of the burning NPCs, inviting them to the fold. The bloodied clouds above their heads morphed and twisted into a bundle of cables. It leashed, stitching the shattered sky. The water pouring in slowed to crawl.

The humanoid silhouette clad in armor descended the hill, trudging through the liquid. The inferno swirled, following behind it despite being drenched in wetness. Once the humanoid silhouette reached the bottom, the cables with gaping maws at the tip pounced on it.

It halted. Its limb budged, melting the binding of the cord into a lump.

Florence stumbled to her feet as Jack pulled her, Aisling, and Yuze.

Their feet dragged deep across the gravel, rippling the water. All the NPCs moved with them, running limping steps away from the humanoid silhouette clad in armor. But Stella and Sam disappeared amongst the crowd.

“Where are they at?” Florence asked. “They were with us a moment ago.”

The ground shook beneath them.

The gravel twirled, forming a spiral depression on the surface. The NPCs slipped. They clawed and swooshed at the wet pebbles, sinking deeper into them. Their screams submerged, fading away under the ground.

Florence bumped into Jack. He screeched to a halt inches away from the ledge.

“This never happened before here,” Jack said.

“How about we try to jump into it?” Florence asked. “Well, it certainly did work the last time I did it. But… I am not saying we should try to jump in now.”

“I can’t actually quite hear you.”

“I wish.”

However, the humanoid silhouettes clad in armor and the inferno twisting around it stomped closer.

“I think… we should probably do it,” Florence said. She leaped into the spiraling sinkhole, pulling Aisling, Yuze, and Jack inside.

The depressed ground splashed beneath their feet, and the current carried them. The gravel rattled under the water, rushing between and around their legs.

Florence tilted her head up.

The humanoid silhouette clad in armor leaned at the edge of the depressed ground.

A jet of fire whizzed. It plunged towards every individual within the sinkhole.

Florence inhaled, sucking up the air into her lungs. Her lungs expanded. Then she dove into the depths, dragging Aisling, Yuze, and Jack along.

Air bubbles escaped from her nostrils and mouth up to the surface. The fluid and gravel smacked her on the side.

A fiery orange glowed above her and zoomed closer. The flames submerged into the water in a splash, burning the NPCs.

The NPCs let out a muffled shriek, flailing their arms. Their skin was charred and blotched, falling off from their body.

The liquid boiled as the blackened epidermis diffused through it.

Florence’s skin swelled. Her nerves shrieked.

A whistle rang in her ears.

Fingers wrapped around her aching ankle.

She tilted her head down. An army of bodies in green uniforms and helmets, with skin peeling off, pulled her into the depths. They sank their nails deeper into her skin. Their eyes glowed red, falling into the abyss beneath them. Their mouths opened and closed, their words and groans muffled.

A chill ran down her spine. She froze as her muscles tensed. Her eyes widened. The air forced its way up her airway, escaping her lungs.

The light dimmed until the darkness consumed everything around her.

The surroundings flipped upside down.

Her stomach twisted.

Suddenly, this liquid around her dissipated. She plummeted, hitting her back on the concrete. Wait… since when did the ground become concrete? The rough surface poked her back.

She blinked, wrapping her arms around her abdomen.

A spiral staircase ascended to an opening in the ceiling. Red eyes dotted across the wall, their pupils dilated, stared at her.

She placed her palm on the floor, pushing herself into a sitting position.

Aisling still gripped Florence’s forearm, covered in scabs.

Around them, Yuze, Stella, Sam, Feno, Jack, and Holland scattered across this circular room, resting on the floor. A red crystal-like glow illuminated through the soaked fibers in the pocket of Stella’s blouse. But, still, the other NPCs couldn’t be found anywhere here.

“How is it only us that makes it out of there?” Florence asked.

Jack wheezed, rubbing his lower back and television head. Dripplets trickled down his screen, splashing onto the concrete.

“Where is Basilisk?” Holland spun around, scanning the surrounding area. Her hooves pounded on the concrete. “What happened to him?”

“I mean… I don’t know where… I should begin,” Stella said.

Florence relaxed her fist, showing Holland the USB and a leaf.

“Why do you have this?” Holland bleated, arching her body. “Tell me.”

“I don’t know… where I should begin,” Florence said.

Holland stomped her hooves, charging forward. She rammed into Florence’s forehead.

Florence’s skull cracked. Her head jerked back, slanting her spine, slamming onto the concrete. Blood trickled down her face. A metallic smacked on her tongue as some sipped between her lips.

“You killed him, didn’t you,” Holland said. She snatched the USB from Florence’s palm.

Florence wiped the blood off her face. “Look, I know how you are feeling right now.”

“Did you just insult me, Player?”

“Calm down.”

Holland smashed on Florence’s nose with a crack.

Florence bled from her nostrils, covering it up. She groaned, gritting her teeth.

A long shadow cast over her. She glanced up.

Holland lifted her hooves up into the air right above Florence’s head.

Jack leaped in, wrapping his arms around Holland and pulling her back.

“Let me go. Those Players murdered him.” Holland swung her hands. The USB twirled through the air, clattering on the brick wall.

“It ain’t them,” Jack said. “It’s the monster that did it.”

“Why are you siding with them?”

“I ain’t saying that. I’m telling you the truth.”

Holland jostled her elbow in Jack’s stomach.

A static played on Jack’s screen in his television head. He clenched onto Holland, wrinkling her clothes and whitening his fist. In a blur, he slammed her against the wall with a thud.

“Everyone, let’s be civil here.” Feno leaned against the handrail. She pulled out a lily under her hair, sniffing the anthers.

“I’m going to skewer you with my horn, Jack,” Holland said.

Aisling relaxed her grip around Florence’s forearm, which was covered in scabs. Then Aisling pressed her palm and forehead on the floor. She slowed down, her chest rising and falling. Her arm trembled, changing to a shiver.

“Come on, let me do it. Are you seriously going to stop here for those Players?” Holland bleated. “So, what about your daughter? Do you even care about her?”

“Don’t get her involved here,” Jack said.

“This is bad,” Aisling said.

Florence rubbed the back of her head. “Is it the red eyes?”

Aisling leaned closer to Florence’s ear.

“Those eyes… are like they are everywhere,” Florence said. “And that gray pawn back there… how did it get killed by that thing in the haunted area of Wellor Tower?”

“I actually can’t really hear you in your current state.” Aisling nodded. “Anyways, who is even behind this ghost domain? In other words… I think… we never left the Wellor Tower.”