"Alright Bill, I have an idea."

"Go on."

"We make a magical game right? And in that game, everything in it seems like real life heh?"

"Okay, that seems like it'd be interesting."

"But hear me out... once you enter the game... you can't leave."

"The game would never get past the review board."

"Yeah but..."

"No buts, we would be buried in magical prison so fast that we'd never see the light of day. You can't just hide that you're making a hugely successful game. Heck, the dragons would probably get involved."

"But the scandal would draw sales!"

"The scandal would get us murdered by angry parents."

--Conversation between two [Artificers], Creators of "Saber [Skill] Interactive." AC 1637.

I see Luna stumble in from her doorway, her body torn from an explosion. She lifts her body up to look at me before passing out. I rush over to her, checking her for shrapnel, checking her for any visible indications of what might have injured her. It's only as I assess the ragged lump of flesh where her leg previously was that I realize she must have blown off her leg while it was still attached.

As I consider her unconscious form, I see her slowly start to recover. Her healing factor must be incredible, as the torn flesh begins to mend itself before my eyes. Determining that she would be okay, I take a look around to see if we are in any immediate danger.

The respective exits that we both ventured out of lead into a wide open square. Tiles cross an expansive reach that must measure... at least one hundred crabby lengths. There are no markings on the tiles and no evident creatures that I could detect. On the other side, an obvious lever rests near a door which appears to be the exit. Deeming that we're safe for the moment, I take a seat, waiting for Luna to recover.

'Time Passes.

Eventually she wakes up, and her first words are blearily pronounced,

"Huh?"

I huddle over her, remembering my exposure to shock induced trauma and speak quietly. "Hey, you're okay. You just had a bad time of it. We're safe for right now."

She rouses herself and regains a semblance of coherence before asking me.

"So what now?"

I indicate the tile floor, then let her know that I'd already tried [mana sense], but didn't see anything wrong with it. Still, a wide open tiled expanse with nothing in sight? It seems pretty suspicious.

She says,

"Okay... so I guess we need to test it right? Let me try first." She grabs a leg from her spatial ring and throws it out onto the floor. As it lands, it overlaps two tiles. One of the tiles glow for a moment before two spikes emerge from the ceiling and floor, meeting in the middle. Her leg is impaled between them.

*gulp*

I gather some sand from the floor and compress it into a rock. I send it forward with [Water Manipulation] keeping it centered between the floor and ceiling and not touching either. It only makes it several tiles in before the spikes shoot out and destroy it. Repeated testing of floating rocks don't reveal any pattern of distinction. No matter where the rock went, eventually the spikes would meet and rend it asunder. The results are disheartening and we both sit down and think about how to solve the puzzle.

Eventually Luna, with some trepidation in her words says, "I think... I think you're going to have to throw me."

I look at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

She rushes through what I could tell was a carefully prepared speech. She says, "Look, I... when I use [LEG SUBSTITUTION] I conserve momentum right? Which means that if you toss me out into the area, then as the spikes come down I can use my skill to dodge and get further to the safe area. It looks like I can make it in... three, maybe four jumps?"

I immediately start waving my claws no. "That's too risky Luna, there has to be another way. There's no guarantee that you'll be fast enough to miss them, and if you get hit even once that's it. The spears are too fast."

The more I say the more resolute she appears to become. Eventually she cuts me off with a sharp wave of her arm. "I can do this! I'm not scared! Unless you see another method?"

I look across the distance, trying to figure it out. I haven't been able to figure out the way to solve it. I also don't see any particular pattern. Finally, I cave in, deciding to give Luna's idea a shot.

"Alright, if you're sure..." I begin, only for Luna to speak over me. "Yes, I'm sure. I can do this!"

We line up in our throwing configuration and I grasp her arms. I begin a countdown. "On three! One... two... THREE!!" Spinning my body I throw her over the trapped area. She makes it over three tiles before the spikes begin to appear. She's spinning ahead and just before they hit I hear, [LEG SUBSTITUTION], as she dodges the first one!

Her speed is sustained as she flies through the water, spikes dropping faster in an effort to pierce her hide. She let's out several cries and the growing distance between us and the density of the water blends her speech together. As she makes several jumps ahead I hear, [LEG], [LEG], [LEG SUBSTITUTION]....

AND SHE MAKES IT!

I see her collapsing on the other side. Her mana and stamina is probably bottomed out from the succession of jumps. Speaking of jumps, I'm jumping right now, racing around the clear area on my side and waving my claws in the air. She made it!!

Finally, after she recovers, she gets to her feet and makes her way over to the lever next to the door. As she pulls it, all the traps on the tiled floor and ceiling activate at once, leading to a dense forest of spikes between me and her. I see a narrow passageway, a winding path through the obstacles and take it, joining Luna on the other side of the hall. As I join her, I pat her arm, and say. "That was awesome! I knew you could do it!"

She turns to me with a bit of skepticism in her voice, "You didn't sound like it."

I wring my claws a bit nervously and reply, "Well, I was just kind of scared for you. I didn't want you to risk yourself and all that. We're a team after all."

My words seem to reassure her and she places an arm on my claws. "Yes, you're right Crabby. We are a team. Now, let's see what's through this door."

As she reaches out to touch the door, I quickly grab her arm and stop her. I remember what had happened the last time she touched a door first. As she turns her body to me in confusion I say,

"Hey! Remember the last time we tried this? How about we open the door together."

She climbs up onto my back and once she's situated, claw and arm reach out as one. As our limbs make contact, the door slowly opens.

To reveal a staircase leading below.

We enter and the door slowly closes behind us as a token pedestal rises from the earth.

"Onward then... to level five."