156: Neve's Reward, Part Four

Neve's Reward, Part Four

Quickly, but cautiously, Neve began to roam the 8th Floor. 

She checked around the Safe Zone first, just to be sure that her target wasn't hiding in plain sight. First up, was that bar right next to it. 

Skyline Bar, it was called. As Neve walked in through the door, she found a few neon signs with glowing, old lights that depicted what appeared to be a plane of some sort. 

There were corpses scattered throughout the area, as one would expect, but these were different from any others Neve had seen thus far in that they were the bodies of robots. Humanoid machines with holes in their titanium skulls and missing limbs carrying exposed wires. 

[So, the main enemies here are androids?] 

She made note of that, understanding that these could be the creatures she faced after killing Thomas, depending on what progress the man had made. 

That was a curious thing to think about. "After" killing Thomas. 

[I guess I should go and try to make it to the end. It would be a waste not to... But, honestly, I don't really care whether I do or not.] 

Shaking her head, she tried to push those thoughts out of her mind. 

What she'd do once Thomas was dead was a matter to think about once the deed was done. Until then, she had to remain focused. 

As she eliminated the bar from the list of potential hiding spots, she walked out to the streets. 

[... There are so many buildings, it would take a lot of hours to make sure Thomas wasn't hiding in any of them. Better safe than sorry, though.] 

With that in mind, she decided it would be worth the effort to go through each and every last one of them. 

There was, after all, the possibility that Thomas already had his eyes set on her. He could have been just around the corner, waiting for the perfect opportunity. 

Erin, however, disagreed. 

"My senses could be failing me, but I don't feel as though there is anything nearby." 

"Really? You don't think he could be hiding in any of these buildings?" 

"He is no archer, right?" 

"Yeah, he uses knives. At least, I don't think his type of fighter can use bows and whatever." 

"Then, no," Erin replied. "I'd like to think my ability to detect danger has gotten better since I joined you. And I don't feel any presence near us." 

[Hm... I mean, it could just be the case that he straight-up doesn't know we're even here. In that case, the right thing to do would be to try to catch up as soon as possible. Take him by surprise.] 

Suddenly, the thought of checking every single building seemed far less appealing. 

[... I should probably at least check the boss arena. If the boss is dead, then he'll be on the 9th Floor... But, if it isn't, then all that means is I didn't look hard enough. Shit. No, no, keep being patient. You'll regret it later if you aren't.] 

"We should still look," Neve decided. "Just in case." 

"Very well." 

And so, the two of them went through the floor with their eyes peeled.

They moved from side to side, sweeping their way across the map. For a while, all they saw were the bodies of androids almost laid out in the form of a trail, like breadcrumbs pointing the way to where Thomas could be. 

And yet, as she followed those crumbs, Neve couldn't help but feel like she was doing something wrong. 

[Should I be trying to look more quickly? Should I be less thorough? Should I be even more patient? I... Agh, I feel like I'm fucking up somehow.] 

"Neve?" The lamia asked, as even she was able to tell that Neve's mind was going in a million different directions at once. 

"I'm fine. It's just... I don't know what to do," Neve admitted to her. 

"In that case, rather than throwing yourself around this city aimlessly, it might be better to take a moment and think about this. Get your bearings. See where exactly you wish to go." 

"But..." 

Neve was about to counter that argument, but the stress she felt made it difficult to even get any words out. 

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Erin gave her a kind smile. 

"Pausing your plan for a few minutes can't hurt. Come on, how about we head back? Besides," she added. "Wasn't that 6th world particularly stressful for you? Reward yourself a little. Take some time off." 

Her words were extremely enticing. Neve's body was weary, after all. She was ignoring it for the sake of her revenge, but it was still true." 

"Alright..." She finally conceded. "Let's head back for a bit." 

And so, the two of them began to make their way back to the safe zone. 

They hadn't explored these highly technological streets much, but Neve hoped that once she got her head cleared up, doing so would be easier. 

That did not occur, however. 

"So, those machines we saw on the ground were... alive?" Erin asked. 

"Yeah. Your fortress had something similar," Neve told her as they were about to enter the Safe Zone. "Is it that unreasonable to you?" 

"Well, no, but those sentries from my home were made of..." 

Erin stopped. 

The expression on her face suddenly. 

"Neve," she quickly said, her tone low and ominous. "I smell blood." 

Neve's eyes widened. 

[In the Safe Zone? But...] 

She realized then that things were a little too quiet. 

Neve had left Ahlakan with that tv she'd bought for her, and her alchemical equipment. But, right now, she couldn't hear any guns firing in old action movies or the sizzling and bubbling that usually accompanied Ahlakan's alchemy. 

There was no sound at all. 

She ran to the tent, a cold wind passing over her heart. 

Sweat rolled down her forehead. 

As she entered the tent, Neve looked from one side to another but did not find her. 

[Where...?] 

She then went behind the tent, and that was where Neve's heart almost stopped. 

She fell to her knees. Unable to move, unable to pry her eyes away from the sight in front of her, Neve just took slow, steady breaths as her heart became the only thing she could hear. 

"Ah...lakan...?" 

Ahlakan was there, right in front of her, but these words went unanswered. 

Pinned to the side of a building by a pair of cheap, iron daggers, Ahlakan hung by her hands. Her torso was cut open and fresh blood was dripping to the floor. 

Erin moved past Neve, quickly moving up to where Alakan was and looking for a pulse, but the face she made let the healer know that it was, in fact, too late. 

The alchemist was dead. 

"No..." 

"Neve, I-" Erin said, but couldn't follow that up with anything. 

As Neve knelt in front of Ahlakan's body, her quivering lips struggled to produce the word in her mind. So, she spoke in her thoughts instead. 

[Tamira.]

"Yes?" 

The snake's response was painfully casual, as though Neve wasn't standing in front of the scene of a murder. 

Balling her hands up into fists, Neve asked:

[... Thomas did this. Right?] 

"Yep!" The snake replied happily. 

Taking a moment to breathe, Neve asked: 

[How?] A tear rolled down her cheeks. Her fists were shaking. [I looked all over this place for him. I know I didn't miss any spots. How exactly did he just walk past me and get here?] 

Tamira's answer was almost, almost as enraging as the sight in front of the healer. 

"Oh, simple. I teleported him here." 

Neve inhaled sharply. 

[You did what?] 

"Neve, have you forgotten that I am not *only* your assistant? Thomas saw you coming, saw you walk out of the Safe Zone, and then asked to be teleported here. So, I teleported him here." 

[Tamira, cut the shit already! What the fuck do you mean he saw me coming!?] 

"Oh, you never noticed?" Tamira asked. "Neve, did you think these cameras were just cosmetic?" 

[What?]

The snake appeared in front of her then. Erin flinched but Neve just narrowed her eyes at her. The assistant then helpfully pointed out two objects Neve had missed. 

One camera beside the portal leading into this floor, and one camera by the exit of the Safe Zone. 

"I guess you were in such a hurry, you didn't see them. He bought these from the World Shop! Saw you here, and took action to prevent you from being at your full strength when you fight each other." 

The more Tamira spoke, the more questions Neve had. 

Among them all, one of them stood out. 

See, Tamira had just alluded to something. Something that turned the look Neve was giving her downright murderous. 

[And how exactly does he know I want to fight him?] Neve asked. [How exactly does he know I'm alive at all? How exactly did he know to set up cameras just in case I specifically showed up?] 

The snake, who was still floating in front of Neve, grinned. 

"Because I told him." 

Neve brought her staff out and cast {Fireball} at her. 

The spells went straight through Tamira's body, as though she were just a figment of Neve's imagination. 

[YOU TOLD HIM!?] 

"Hehehe," Tamira giggled. "Didn't I just tell you that I'm his assistant too? I'm pretty sure the information that there is a player still left alive who wants to hunt you down and kill you is fairly important to know, right? Of course, I told him." 

Neve bit the insides of her cheeks so hard they bled. 

[You... You...] 

"AAAAAAAH!" She screamed out of frustration. 

Neve punched the ground twice. Tamira descended, hovering right in front of her. 

"Hm. I gave him some fairly important information, I'll admit," Tamira told her. "So, because I'm so nice, I'll give you some important information now, too." 

She then leaned in, her snake-like mouth almost kissing Neve's left ear. 

"Thomas hasn't beaten the boss of this floor, yet. I told him that if he killed Ahlakan, you'd be too much of an emotional wreck to make any progress. He's trying desperately to make it through to the 9th Floor, now, so he can have more time to prepare himself to fight you." 

She went in front of Neve. 

"You can catch up to him. Right now, actually. You know, take him by surprise~" 

A storm raged within Neve's heart. 

So many different feelings and emotions manifested within her, in the form of her tears flowing freely and her hands clenching so hard her nails were digging into her palms. 

A purple aura began to wrap itself around Neve. 

A series of messages appeared. 

{Hollow Soul Activated!}

Trait Gained: 

Hollow Soul

{Gain 15 Speed and 15 Precision}

Level 56

MP: 1050/1050 (+300)

EXP: 150/560

AP: 3690

IP: 60

WST: 112800

---

Endurance: 50

Speed: 380

Precision: 32

Strength: 15

Arcane: 75

Trait Gained: 

Bloodthirsty

{Gain Focus when attempting to kill another Player} 

Quest Completed!

{Hollow Soul: Activated}

IP Gained: 10

Influence Points: 70

Suddenly, all of those emotions vanished. 

As though she was now in the eye of a hurricane, the tempest that had been thrashing Neve's heart just wasn't there anymore. 

Neve breathed in, Neve breathed out. 

The purple aura around her slowly dissipated, leaving a purple mark over the center of Neve's chest. 

Neve breathed in again and breathed out. 

"Neve?" Erin asked again. "Are you-"

The healer stood up. 

Slowly, she walked over to Ahlakan's body, still pinned to the wall. 

Placing a hand tentatively on the woman's cheek, Neve responded with a voice as cold as ice. 

"Don't worry," she said softly, as one last tear fell to the ground. "I'm fine." 

---

{Charlotte} 

The whole world was holding its breath. 

Charlotte paced around Roxy's house, so excited she could hardly contain herself as a message had reached Charlotte's notifications. 

Using the same code as before, Neve spelled out a few words. Words that were sure to change everything. 

"100K tokens," Charlotte decoded. "IT'S DONE!" She yelled happily. 

The fundraiser was a success. The goal had been met. 

Now, all they had to do was wait. 

Wait for Neve, the woman of the hour, to reach out beyond the Final Challenge. 

"She's not doing it immediately... But, well, we can wait a bit. Come on, ma chérie. I can't wait to talk to you~"

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