Chapter 2

The group of 3 had set out for the path to the 20th floor; however they had decided to take a detour in order to cut their time in half.

"Shouldn't we be sticking to the main roads though?" Asked Salzzy pondering the unusual route they had to decide to take

–"It wouldn't matter we need to get you as soon as we can to the 25th floor, I have heard that Raize isn't one care about how others view him. He has supposedly attacked someone the moment they left a town, with a huge crowd there."

"But cause that guy is such a monster I guess they just let the bastard get away with it? Champ said in disapproval.

"Precisely so we need to get there as soon as possible or we run the risk of him finding us."

"I see, since he has such a high level won't his hiding ability outrank our detection skills?" Asked Salzzy again out of concern.

"Well, that is a good point, if he has put all his points into hiding then your absolutely right we won't find him w/ our detection ability. However, he probably has a bit of detection as well so he can locate his targets easier, if that's the case then I should be able to catch him sense I have invested a lot into my detection skills."

-Well there you have it, just leave it to our little hunting hound to catch wind of that beast.

They had continued on for a while longer until suddenly Asa stopped, "Don't move" He whispered.

they noticed a couple yards away a pair of rustling bushes. "

This is it Champ on my signal."

"Don't have to tell me twice lets take this bastard down".

Asa waited for a slight movement, anything that could trigger where there enemy may lie. Suddenly a quick shadow jumped through the bushes.

"Champ now!"

Champ immediately threw a dagger, which was off. "Dammit!,This isn't good we need to get out of here!"

"No way in hell am I letting this bastard get out of my sights"She proclaimed as she threw another dagger. It missed again. "Agh! Why do I use these things…wait…what is that?" Champ looked in a puzzled state as to what had just came out of the bushes, instead of a villainous pk, it looked more like a frightened large cat monster.

"What is that thing? Salzzy said in confusion.

"Oh jeez, it's a stealth beast. That's what we were attacking…this is embarrassing."

"Yeah for you maybe, weren't you suppose to have an amazing detection skill?"champ said with a pout on her face.

"What part of stealth beast don't you get, it gets perfect hiding skill, there is no detection ability that can find that thing, also looks who talking miss I can't hit whats a couple feet in front of me. I mean really that's – Get back!" Asa yelled at the top of his lungs.

A sudden flash had been picked up by Asa's detection skill. Yet, it was so fast he didn't have enough time to properly warn them. He pushed Champ to the side and prepared his sword and shield to intercept. Immediately a large axe could be seen glowing overhead. Asa braced as his shield collided, he had been able to block the attack but the sheer force of the attack had knocked Asa off his feet.

"Champ do it now!" yelled Asa as he fell.

Champ immediately took this opportunity where Raize would be dazed after being blocked to go in close and land a deadly blow. "Take this you bastard!" Champ screamed as she closed the distance between herself and him. She thrusted forward with her dagger using the stabbing dagger sword skill Wasp Bite. She had hit him point blank in the chest and was even able to get a critical hit out of it. But when she checked his health bar despair was shown all over her face. He had only dropped about a tenth of his health, this would have been pretty good for a sword skill attack hitting a higher level player, but considering that it was point blank and a critical none the less it should have in Champ's head given a more serious wound to her opponent.

He chuckled softly " Was that your all game sweetie? I've had worse mosquito bites. But let me return the favor" As he went to raise his axe suddenly it crashed to the ground. Then the rest of his body followed. "What the hell?!" He lashed out violently. Trying to figure out what had happened to him.

The girl smiled and said "What never been under paralysis before? That's quite understanding given that most players won't use poisons unless they are pkers themselves. Though just to let you know my poison preparation skills are top notch." Champ stated to her paralyzed opponent directly to his face.

"Idiot! Get away!"Asa screamed as if life itself had depended on it. Without a moments notice Raize began another preparing another sword skill with his axe. Realizing this just quick enough Champ had avoided a serious blow. "What happened why can he move I have such a high level poison preparation why didn't it last longer?!"Asa. That's cause the type of poison you gave him was too weak, you don't have the right materials to make a poison that will affect this guy. Now Get out of the way!-Champ was then hit hard enough that her hit points had dropped into the yellow zone. Seeing this she started to back up from her enemy to try and widen the distance.

"Ha, good riddens to you girlie you stay right there once I have collected what I came here for I'll be on my way." He then started approaching Random with a face so putrid that even an animal would think that he was a beast.

"I see that you got my message? I guess you did otherwise you wouldn't have tried to get help. Though its a shame that this is all the help you could get. Now hand the EW over to me, its not like you would be able to use it. Besides its an honor to be giving something to the cause. Though its not like I really care about the front lines to be honest, they are all so snobby even to one another, though as long as get what I need I won't complain about it." Raize stated.

"Wait EW…did he say EW?" He looked at Salzzy who looked completely immobilized from fear alone.

"I….I…can't give this to you, not to someone who will use it to hurt other players…ESPECIALLY TO A MURDER LIKE YOU!" Salzzy said in an way that almost sounded as if she herself was trying to believe those words.

Raize stood in silence for a moment, "Let me explain this to you, I need that item and I will do whatever it takes to get it. If it means taking your life then I will be a murder, besides makes it easier to take what I need anyway."

Raize lifted up his axe preparing his sword skill, one hit from Raize would end everything if it hit Salzzy. He swung his axe down with tremendous force which slashed to shreds what would have been Salzzy. Instead he ripped through most of Asa's shield as Asa had once again intercepted him. However his shields durability was at it s limit ready to break at any moment.

"Enough of this! I am going to take that item and if you keep on jumping in the way of my mission then I am gonna kill you!" Raize began to swing his axe in a wild frenzy at Asa.

Asa doing his best to keep his shield up to absorb the blow. Then the sound of shattering glass could be heard and the face of an enraged demon could be seen. Asa's shield had lost all its durability and therefore was destroyed from impact, and without it a few swings from this monster would end him. Asa knew there was no way he could defeat Raize, he knew the best option was to run. But his body moved and with his sword by his side attacked Raize.

"Naïve!" Yelled Raize in rage as he swatted Asa's sword down.

"Its over," That's all Asa could think at that moment as he watched from the dirt as the glow of the axe prepare to end his chances of returning home, to stay alive.

As Asa's final moments could be counted another light reached his eyes. A blue glow could be seen that clashed with the axe dyed in red light stopping it just a few inches from Asa's head. In front of him stood a figure wearing a gray hooded cloak that covered most of his body, with the word MONGOOSE written on the back. A small voice then came from the hooded stranger.

"Man, it's a good thing he didn't do that when you were standing up, otherwise I may not have been able to stop it in time."