Author´s note:

Hey everyone, apologies for not posting it sooner, but even though we´re on vacations, I have to work; but anyways, here´s the next chapter, hope you enjoy!

Chapter 11

Alliance.

Not exactly the thing I was striving for with the unknown players that saved me more than three months ago, yet, I needed information; a single trace, a single clue of where my wanted killer was.

But since information was very precious, it could also become a double-edged sword; by requesting information about a certain player, information brokers would often try to see which of the two sides gave the most Col, and regardless of who requested the information, there was an immense possibility that the other part might find out about my whereabouts.

However, with the excuse of wanting to thank the party members that saved me on the eighteenth floor, I could be able to locate them and request the information that I truly wanted to know. And with the front line on the forty-sixth floor, there was no better place to seek the information than [Mishe], the thirty-fifth floor's main town.

Plus…I need to stock up on supplies; it's been two weeks since I've been to a town…

Equipped with a dark-gray cloak that covered me completely and an ironclad visor that covered my upper face, I walked into the settlement. With my equipment not bringing the attention of others, I felt relieved; it was a dark and fearful appearance, even for me, and players would usually gaze at an unfamiliar player that stands out, giving the possibility of detection. But it wasn't my choice of clothing this time that caught their attention; it was my companion: Altair.

Admirably covered in bright brown, almost golden feathers, mixed with a few white and silver, it was an eye-catching view. With extraordinary eyesight and hearing, Altair helped me withdraw two skills: [Searching] and [Tracking]. And with its added attack abilities, it was without a doubt of supreme support in battles. But despite that, it was too obvious around crowds, as beast tamers were apparently rare in the game, helping draw in unwanted attention.

But with my luck, it seemed it wasn't too rare to find one, as another tamer was right in front of me; a young girl with a light-blue beast on her shoulders.

Hey? Isn't that the girl the rumor talked about? If it is, I believe I should thank her…

Skraa!

Taking flight from my left hand as if it detected an enemy, Altair shrilled a sharp cry as it closed in to the beast tamer girl.

Damn!

"Altair! Yield!"

Raising my arm, Altair quickly responded and landed. Fortunately and even thought we were inside the Inner Area, it didn't hurt her; as it seemed it was not aiming for her, but for her pet. With small bow, I apologized for the disturbance, as it was clear that the girl was shocked from the sudden attack.

"Forgive me, my pet isn't used to other people…I apologize"

With an innocent laugh, she seemed amused and surprised at the same time.

"It's alright, I wasn't scared…that's a very pretty eagle you have, what's his name?"

"Its name is Altair, and it hasn't been long since I tamed it…by the way, I should thank you, your advice to other players about how to tame served me well…"

With her light-brown hair tied to her sides and delicate appearance, she reminded me of both Ange and K, yet with more innocence. And probably even having the same age, she an even rarer sight, as there were few players of that age.

"Well, I really didn't do anything, but I appreciate it…by the way, this is Pina, she's a Feathery Dragon"

"Yeah, it's a really nice pet…"

Interrupting me were the low talks of other players beginning to gather and gaze at the two of us.

"Whoa! TWO tamers!"

"But who's the mysterious guy? And what type of monster did he tame?"

"I don't know, I've never seen one"

"I…think it's time for me to leave…there are just too many players here…"

"But why? …Well, I understand…maybe we can go somewhere else to talk…maybe Pina and your Altair can get along if…"

"I…I'm sorry, but I can't…there's something…maybe some other time, I would really like that…how about…"

"[Silica]! Hey! How about joining our guild!?"

"Yeah! You could really be of great help! We could protect you!"

Interrupting me once more three players stepped in and offered the girl a place in their guild. Mid-level players, they seemed determined to take her. All of them young, around sixteen, had basic equipment and some mid-level artifacts, but not enough to secure their safety versus any mob their level; let alone this girl, named Silica.

Ok? So…what should I do? …

Turning to look at Silica, I noticed some fear and shyness; clear signs that she didn't want to team up with the three players.

"Hey! Is there a problem here!? Can't you see you interrupted our conversation! …Now! I would advise you to go back wherever it is you came from! And if I ever see any of you near her again, you'll regret it!"

With an anger filled voice, and using my slightly superior figure, I threatened the three carefree players; and in the process even surprising myself of the fear I saw brewing in them. And as soon as they heard me, they didn't hesitate to run off.

"…Hey, thanks, but that wasn't very necessary…"

"Oh, yeah, sorry…it …just came out…even I didn't know I had such a dark sense of humor…Haha…"

"Well, thanks again…I'm Silica by the way…"

"…I'm Christopher… it was a pleasure, but you should excuse me, I need to head off…"

"Do you really have to go?"

"Yes, there's an urgent matter I have to attend…You wouldn't happen to know of any guild run by a masked female player?"

"Well…I only know one…her name is [Rosalia], but she doesn't wear a mask…"

"I see...Can I ask a favor? If you do hear of any guild like that, can you message me? …oh, I forgot, never mind, maybe it'll be better if were friends…so how about it?"

"Friends? Well…Ok…Oh! And I know! Maybe some other time we can go for a delicious cheesecake!"

"Yeah, sounds great…"

Sending her a Friend Request, I prepared to part, having my eyes set for north of the town.

"It was fun…so maybe well go for that dessert another day…and remember, just message if those guys come back…"

"I will…bye!"

December 12, 2023

Never did I think I would find that person so quickly, yet I did; and literally falling from the sky, they stood before me.

Crack!

An elongated weapon came crashing down, striking the ground before me. Having been alerted by Altair, it could've been a disastrous blow. Unsheathing my newly acquired sword; [Sanctified Shard], I prepared for the attack. Lengthy and sharp, it was extraordinary; in a single day, I adjust to its stile, the single edged Falchion. But despite my preparations, it was clear that not knowing who or where the enemy was would end in my defeat; and with that scenario in play, the only option was to proceed and establish communication.

"My name is Christopher, I haven't come to fight…I would like to talk to your leader…it's of most importance…"

With silence, no answer was heard; but just as the tense moment heightened, a figure appeared. Falling to the ground from a tree branch, clothed in black, it was without a doubt the mysterious player that led a group after Erebus, four months ago. Growing closer, the figure revealed itself; equipped with as short cloak covering the upper body, braided hair, and a masked face, it was impossible to know who it was. And with its right hand to its back, it seemed it was also unknown what action the player would take.

Swish!

Once more, its weapon made an assault, but this time, glowing with a bright light, tangled itself onto my sword. Not even seen, it crossed the distance that separated us in a single strike with unbelievable speed.

A Whip!? How is it….?

"You haven't come to fight, yet you still draw your sword…"

With a strong voice, the player replied as my blade was trapped within its whip. But unexpectedly, it wasn't a male voice that sprung up, but a female one.

It's…a girl?

"Excuse my interruption, but you attacked first…I had to draw my weapon…Now, I would like to know if you and your comrades by any chance chased down a group of four players, clothed in black, on the evening of August twenty-fourth…?"

"…So…you're chasing down the [Reapers] as well…So you must be the one he's so interested in…"

"I can't say I am…but looks like we've got something in common…that's why I'm here…I would like to request any information you have about these "Reapers"…I'll pay anything…"

"Seems you really want to get close to them…but I'm afraid you can't…no one can…and even if I had information, I wouldn't give it to you anyway…I mean…how do I know I can trust you? What's with the interest? What are you seeking? …"

What am I seeking…? Well, it's simple…to avenge their deaths…

"Let's just say I have a score to settle…"

My words reaching her, an after a moment, the tension on my weapon vanished. The weaponized cord released my blade, allowing me to sheathe it once more, a sign that things had settled down. But contrary to my thoughts, it seemed she had no intention of letting down her guard; and with a single signal, five other players landed. All with similar attires to the whip user, they were poised for attack.

"Look, I'm not very fond of men, such disgusting beings…But it seems I can use you, as I also need information…"

"Well, ignoring the first words, I can cooperate, but never be used…And to show you we have more in common than you think, you might want to know the probable reason why HE is so interested in me…"

Removing my visor and the cloak, I revealed my identity to the still unknown whip user. Thinking about the probable possibility that we might have this in common, I risked it and to my surprise, I was correct.

"…Well, now I see why…but tell me, why would you risk showing your identity if that is precisely what he is looking for?"

"Ha! Simple….like I said, WE might have more in common than you think; me, a male, one that you despise…So? Was I right?"

Also doing the same, her mask came off, revealing threatening looking dark-brown eyes yet smooth mocha shaded skin. Together with her long black twisted-braided hair, she had a menacing look, yet a sense of slight kindness.

"How did you know?"

"Well, I was told it was a certain skill of mine…Now, may I ask why you're after him as well?"

"Why don't you tell me first…?"

"Fair enough…well, you see…that bastard…he killed two brothers of mine….So, I guess there's no more need to explain…And you?"

"He also killed one of my soldiers…She was a Chinese player, so I figure that's why he did it…"

Another foreigner…

"I see…"

"Now tell me what you know…do you have any clue of his whereabouts?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be here…I only know he runs on lower floor, probably attacking mid-level players and below…but any information about assaults is confirmed to be the work of other Orange Players…"

"Seems like we have the same info…there's not much…I was expecting more…"

"So you expected more, and yet you have the same as I…I guess it's not bad for a male…"

With a smirk, I spoke back, not thinking about the consequences; after all, I was outmatched by strangers.

"Look bastard…"

"No, you look…here's how it's gonna work…any one of us finds anything, and I mean anything about our wanted killer, we report it to each other…I figure it's a fair deal…"

Gambling once more, this time I felt the terms were equal to both parties; yet the decision wasn't in my hands. Everything depended on the anger filled female in front of me. And despite my direct venture, it seemed he was actually considering.

"The names [Scythia]…alright, you have yourself a deal…but tell me, what happens if one of us finds him? I wouldn't be pleased if you had all the fun"

Scythia? Like…where the ancient female warriors were from? Ha! Not bad…

"If I do find him, and I will, I'll save you some of the excitement…"

"Ha! Just the answer I was expecting…Fine by me…however, I wish to see your skills…if I am to have an ally, I must test them…"

Rapidly deploying her window, the strong and fearful girl reached the duel request; and with the request popping up in front of me, I had no option but to accept.

"Ok…I would also like to see your weapon in action as well…I figure it's an Extra Skill…?"

The timer ticking as the sixty second countdown flew by, my chrome green sword materialized as I finished preparing.

"Quite the gamer you are…but lest see how you handle the leader of the [Amazonians]!"

The counter in its final seconds, my grip tightened. Three…two…one…we blasted off, locking into combat.