Twenty minutes passed before Sophie said she could finally hear again. It was also the time it took for her health to get back to full. In all likelihood, not a coincidence. While they waited for her hearing plus Maya's small injuries to regenerate, Bee had collected the fifteen credit cards that weren't affected by the explosion. The Drones had burned up, leaving no spare parts, to Bee's great annoyance. Not that he said anything, he knew Sophie and Maya would just glare at him.

Smiling at the thought of both girls’ deathly glares he returned to them, sitting down next to Maya, enjoying the silence. They had come pretty far already. From the first time, they had met up with Sophie until now, killing the flock of drones together. It had been a lot of fun.

Thinking of everything that had happened up to now, the next twenty minutes went by fast. He was so deep in thought even that he hadn't even noticed that the girls had gotten up from their spot. Maya kicked his shoe a little. Looking up in confusion she smiled at him and nodded in the direction of Sophie, who was walking further into the tunnel. Quickly getting up they followed. Sophie taking the lead as she always did.

Bee didn't think she noticed the behavior, but Maya and him certainly did. Not that they minded. It was nice to have someone lead the group, coming up with good ideas and knowing how to operate under pressure. Maya and him had always had a way to communicate with little words, and Sophie was a perfect fit. He was just glad she didn't seem to mind that Maya was entertaining rather than being herself. It would be a though choice if Sophie would ask Maya to quit it. He wasn't all that certain that Maya would.

As they walked further into the darkness of the tunnel their lights caught the end, guarded by two security droids. They looked through but with Sophie there to bash their heads in after the full shot of their plasma guns; it wasn't more than a small bump in the road. The extra twenty credits per person were nice too. The game had not been very forthcoming when it came to giving out credits. He had gotten a space ship that was true but its repairs needed a lot of credits. Something that was not readily available in Ethereal space.

As they shone their lights into the room, stepping over the two security droids that lay dead at their feet, he saw that it was organized like an office of sorts. A small light shone above the desk. A rug lay on the floor. The desk sat in the middle of the rug which placed it in the middle of the room. The desk had nothing on it and was made of steel. The room barely twenty square meters. Behind the desk, the second mini boss of the dungeon. It looked exactly like the security droids but it differed in a few very crucial ways.

First of it didn't have one but two guns. These guns in turn didn't look like the ones they were using but more like machine rifles. If he had to guess it kind of had the design of the M4 but rounder. The barrel bigger, sporting a storage for plasma that ran all the way to a basin right before the trigger. It looked way more impressive than their guns. Did he mention there were two?

The second big difference between this robot and the other security droids was that this one was twice their size. It stood a full two and half meters tall. Its tank tracks beginning where the desk ended. Why there was even a desk he could only imagine as it didn't seem to have any hands that were not occupied with a plasma rifle. As he used his inspect skill Sophie already called it out. "Good quality…"

Security Droid III [Boss mob category I]

Good Quality

Miniature tank, but then without the barrel. Thank god. - review by GoodGirl

How she was always faster than them when it came to inspecting he didn't know, but she was always a second quicker. Weird. Not like the mini boss, nothing weird about that. They probably would not survive this without some very painful experiences.

Sometimes he thought about why people liked the way VR hurt them so much. Then he remembered that one biology class in high school where they had explained how pain triggered the release of endorphins. How pain can alter the sense of pleasure you feel after you succeed a task. It made sense in that light. If there was no pain, then the sense of achievement would go down, so would the sense of realism. Levels of adrenaline would be lower and the experience more boring. Ah, the wonderful world of the human body, odd little creature we were. That was not even considering the effects of cognitive dissonance.

As he was contemplating life, Sophie had already turned around, walking back into the tunnel. They followed her, an automatism that had rooted itself into their behavior in the shortest time possible. She stopped before turning around as they reached her she asked "Anybody got any ideas how to best avoid frontal collision?" Her voice sounded the same as the look on her face. Not hopeful. They all took a moment to think of something other than rush in, start shooting and hope for a small miracle. The longer the silence lasted the higher the chances that that would be the jest of it. The desk was the only thing that stood in the room, except for the mini boss itself. The tunnel was around two and a half meters high but seemed to just about fit the security droid so they couldn't really kite it. Then there were those guns. They would outlast theirs two times over.

They were quiet for a long time. Their faces lightning up as they got ideas but never telling them as they were all shot down at a primitive stage. As Bee was thinking he suddenly thought about the arms that were holding the guns. They didn't seem to strong. He could be wrong, but if someone could get close and hold them down, they might have a chance.

As he told the rest they frowned while thinking about his suggestion. It was better than trying to shoot it down, but he understood the reserved expressions. It was not a solid plan. Maya was first to respond "Can we even get close to it without being blasted away? The lab spider was almost stationary. This one might not plan on standing still." As Bee was about to give his counter argument Sophie chimed in "Where is it going to run? It is not the cavern; it is a small room. The problem is that it might have more tricks than only the guns."

Bee agreed. Wanting to say so he opened his mouth again but got interrupted by his sisters’ counter "Hmm, you are right I suppose. But I think we have little choice. Getting close will be the best tactic against a strong ranged opponent." Bee gave up, just nodding his head. He should be more assertive at these moments. He knew. It was just that most of what they were saying was right. It is hard to argue when your arguments are already in the conversation. He waited for Sophie to say something in return but saw she was back to thinking. Her face scrunched up, nose wiggling a little while her mouth pouted to the left like she was holding a cigarette in it. It looked funny. Never would he say it to her face but it surprised him Maya hadn't.

As nobody spoke, Bee made the decision. Take a little control. He said "It might sound foolish but why don't we send Sophie in as the quickest, she will rush it from the front, and try to hold the fort. We go after her, running towards its back so we don't get hit. Then we start shooting. Rotating the guns we use, from the security guards. If Sophie falls off, I will attempt to take over while Sophie takes my task. After that Maya. How is that?"

They stared at him for a while. It felt a little off. The attention felt like a burning light on his face. While Sophie's stare was one of intrigue, Maya's stare held more surprise. He wasn't one to spill his thoughts like this. Not that he was afraid, but he liked to observe what the others thought before he made his own known. Most of the time they would say what was in his head, making it unnecessary for him to speak up. He liked being in the shade, it suited him.

While it wasn't to uncomfortable, the longer they said nothing the more he felt like his idea might not be suitable. As he was about to state something in those lines, Sophie nodded her head, saying in agreement "I think it's a good idea. I don't like rushing that thing alone but I guess I have the biggest chances I can hold on until we are in position." She stretched out her hand towards him with her gun in it. Smiling, she said "Take good care of it." She turned around, walking in the direction of the mini-boss. Maya smiled at him before following Sophie, grabbing the two plasma guns that lay on the ground. He hurried after them, a small knot of anticipation and nervousness tightening in his belly.

As they reached the entrance again, Sophie looked over her shoulder. The question in her eyes was clear. Were we ready? Bee nodded at the same time Maya did. She smiled, taking off in a sprint. He and his sister waited a moment before running after her. The droid had already woken up as they entered the room, it took aim at Sophie, then fired. She dodged with surprising elegance as shots of plasma seared passed her head. Almost hitting Bee. In a smooth motion, she got up as the other gun had finished its aim she ran passed a hail of plasma shots.

He saw how Sophie lost twenty percent of her health in that one rush but was relieved it wasn't more. If Maya or him had done the same, they would have lost half their life. He really needed to think about getting his physical GENs up. Now was not the time to think of that though.

As he and Maya went to the left and right flank of the machine, Sophie jumped the desk. Using it as a stepping stone she launched herself onto the droid. In that single action, she lost ten percent more health as the point blank shots doubled the damage. She now stood on the ramp that contained its tracks. Bee was fascinated with her athleticism. She had pulled it off! he just didn't have any time to look at what happened next. He needed to get to the other side and open fire.

The moment Sophie stood on top of the droid she put her arms underneath the machines and groaned, trying to move them upwards. As Sophie was arm wrestling the machine, he and Maya opened fire on its back. As the first plasma blob landed on its body, it turned around and opened fire, its aim slightly above their heads due to Sophie pushing its arms up. Sophie groaned again as the machine tried to adjust. To Bee's surprise the arms didn't move. With the arms locked in place it kept shooting while Sophie shouted "Aim for its tracks!" They went to the side and to work. The moment the first gun was emptied on the steel tracks of the security droid it did something we had half expected. Something other than shooting.

Sophie was still struggling to hold its arms when something at the height of her abdomen detonated, sending her flying through the air. Bee couldn't make sure she was all right as it was his turn to hold on to it. He dropped his gun into the dirt while his feet were already crossing the three meters between him and the machine. The machine however didn't like his plan, aiming both its guns at Bee. He thought about dodging but he was to close. Making the jump he was shot five times in the chest. "Mother of dragons!!! That fucking hurts!!" His chest burning with the plasma, he had lost forty percent health. Grimacing, he bit through the pain, desperately trying to hold on to the arms like Sophie had done. It was incredibly heavy. The chair he had bought for Sophie was light in comparison.

He grunted, trying to hold on. His grunt changing into a scream as his muscles filled themselves with lactic acid. How the hell had she held on for so long? He had barely been there ten seconds. To distract himself he watched how the rest was doing health wise. Maya was still one hundred percent, which was good. Sophie on the other hand went from thirty percent to fifty percent, using the injector. While the plasma fire never ceased on Maya's side, it now also restarted on Bee's former place. He needed to hold on, he couldn't let go to soon. He had to hold on.

Thirty seconds passed, as he screamed and grunted it helped him to ignore the pain, to keep going. The moment he felt the machine went sideways to the left he knew Maya had succeeded in destroying its tracks. It was also the moment he knew how Sophie had felt when she was blown off. An explosion shocked his body as he felt an object hitting his belly. It felt like a ball. He flew. The feeling of relief in his arms washed away by the agony in his belly. He felt the vague feeling of a body passing him by and it drew his blurred gaze towards Maya's rush towards the machine. Getting shot just like twenty centimeters. He wondered how the ball had not torn through his body, but figured it was because its weight held down its speed. Blunt force. If it had been smaller, it would have been a lot nastier. Contemplating, he got to his feet, struggling his way towards the place where Maya had left her guns. As he arrived, he heard Maya scream "Hurry, you little shits!" He smiled, his sister always had an odd way of showing her love. Then he scurried over towards Sophie and opened fire. The last track was destroyed.

It was unfortunate that the security robot only began to smoke but was not yet defeated. Maybe it would have been to easy like that but he couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed. Keeping the robot under plasma fire he observed as Maya was shot off. She screamed, while Sophie rushed the droid again. She only had fifty percent health, she wouldn't survive another shot in the gut. His face scrunched up in determination as he sprinted towards the other side of the droid opening fire on its main body again. As Sophie held down the arms from turning their way, literally hanging on them with all her weight so they wouldn't turn one hundred and eighty degrees, Maya joined him in their assault. She wore a pained expression, her health a bit above twenty percent. Only at that point he noticed. So was his. They needed to finish it now. They kept shooting until the last battery went dead. It was quiet for a moment.

Bee yelled "Sophie we are out." he heard a muffled sound preceding a low grumble "Dammit, then slam the freaking thing!" he grabbed the barrel of the gun and sprinted towards the droid. Jamming the bud of his gun into its damaged steel. A small dent grew as he repeated the process. Maya joining him. After a while they heard the machines` insides jamming as Sophie had taken the opportunity to slam her fist into its eye. Breaking the glass and tearing out handfuls of wires. The arms slacked, the machine died down, and they all slummed to the ground. Exhausted.

They all breathed heavily, leaning their backs against the machine a small ticking sound making its way into Bee's ears. Listening carefully, his previously closed eyes shot open, going wide. Getting up, he shouted "Run!" Not waiting around to find out if they followed, he took the lead out of the room and into the tunnel. Looking over his shoulder he saw Maya close by and Sophie in last place. Reaching the tunnel, the room filled itself with an explosion that rivalled the last one and they were all thrown forward. Bringing their health down yet again, tearing their suits to oblivion. Sophie had suffered the most but also had a bit more room in her health pool so while she took on most of the blow her health stopped dropping at ten percent. Dangerously low but not dead yet.

He stood up, disorientated, his hearing blown to pieces. He heard the same monotone beep as Sophie must have heard only half an hour ago. It felt like hours. He looked around, seeing Maya doing the same he made the thumbs up sign with his hand and she did the same smiling a little. It seemed to hurt, dropping of her face quick.

As they saw Sophie lying in the dirt they walked over in a hurried way. She stirred a little, trying to get up. Her face was a mess. Blood everywhere. Mixed with black soot and brown dirt. Maya smiled at her, saying something he couldn't hear. Neither could Sophie, but the glare told him she could guess. They used up the three-remaining common first aid injections. Resting the rest of the regeneration period.

While they leaned against the wall Sophie typed a message in the group chat. "I got GEN 2 in spatial awareness by flying through the air after the bomb explosion… How cool is that, right? I knew I was close due to all those pesky drones but didn't know I should just blow myself up to get there." They all chuckled at that, even if nobody heard the other, or themselves.

After a while of sitting on the ground they got up and went back to the room. Their hearing had come back while their health was now a little over fifty percent. The room was covered in black and a mist of smoke was still hovering throughout. Sophie walked towards the now dead security droid, picking up a grey credit card. 500 credits. It was nice but not that much that it paid for the effort. Mostly because their suits had become useless again. Only 200 credits profit. When he saw one of the machines` guns laying to the side, he smiled and inspected it.

Plasma rifle II

Uncommon Quality

A great rifle to shoot mid-range with, has a nice kick to it but has no canon mode like the plasma gun. More battery though and more

efficient. - review by Bulletf0rBrains.

Nice! This was worth the effort! He picked it up and was about to say what he had found when he heard Sophie saying the same thing he had in mind "Hey guys I found something awesome." She came walking in their direction with the same rifle he was holding. As she saw this her smile turned even bigger and so did his. High risk, High rewards! He aimed the gun and shot the wall. It made a nice smudge of plasma a little bigger than his gun would have done. The best part though, was that it only took 2% of battery power. This was what they needed!

As he looked up, he saw Maya staring at the gun too. Ah yes, they only have two. He sighed inwardly and said to her "All right we will play rock, paper, scissors for this one. Sophie has Spatial awareness GEN 2, so that has to be better than 1 right?" He glanced at Sophie and she nodded stating "Yeah was kind of weird, normally it says there is more available, now it said my damage output was increased by ten percent. Pretty sure that means I will hit harder too." He nodded at that, before looking towards Maya, saying ”You ready?" She smiled and moved her fist up and down.

He won, in a nine out of ten battle against his sister who kept insisting they should do one more. That was until Sophie had had it with the game and stepped up, declaring him as the winner. He had only smiled. He already knew he would win. His sister had a tell, which meant he almost always won. Which was funny for him but frustrating her to the limits of her patience. The fact she didn't know how he was doing it only made it more fun to do. As he was admiring his new rifle she pouted, going off to search the room once more. Fifteen minutes of fruitless moping later the search was about to come to an end. Sophie and Bee wanted to fix their suits and were about to leave, but just at that moment Maya cried out in triumph. They both looked back as they were already half way into the tunnel, seeing Maya running after them carrying something small.

Badge of recognition

Uncommon Quality

Given by the federation to those that work for them. Gives a 5% discount to all items bought in federation controlled territory - review by TheDevs

Bee whistled, while Sophie looked at the badge with a little greed in her eyes. This was a very good item. Not only now, like the rifles, but also later. Five percent might not be a lot, but end game items were extremely expensive. Five percent on one of those meant you could get rich by reselling them. Sophie slapped her shoulder saying "Nice job we almost forgot the best item!" She smiled, the greed that had been there now gone, replaced by a genuine smile. Bee smiled too, this was a great find!

They walked into the tunnel. All happy with what they had gotten out of the last mini-boss. Their suits torn, now covered in big holes and tears, showing the skin underneath. Except for the 18+ parts. Those were still covered. There were places where 18+ activity was allowed. There always were in virtual reality. Not here though, thus those pieces of clothes were indestructible. As they arrived at the giant cavern, they halted again. They knew sixteen drones would come after them. He expected them to run again but this time Sophie came with one of her ideas "So I know I should have thought of this earlier. It would have saved us some pain but I think I know a way to fool the system…"

They both stared at her while she looked guilty. Maya was the first to speak up "We really don't expect you to know or come up with everything you know? So just tell us what you have come up with, no reason to act all shy now. My brother does that better anyway." She winked at him and he glared back. Refocusing on Sophie as she explained "It is simple. What if we leave one of them alive and let it follow us towards the other tunnel." They were silent after that. It was simple. How had they not thought of it before? They tried it out, Maya going out of the tunnel to lure the drones.

As she returned sixteen drones were on her tale, soon there was only one left, their rifles still holding ammo but they left it there. Proceeding to walk into the cavern, the drone followed. It worked, only the drone kept firing, nothing else! This was awesome and frustrating at the same time. They could have leisurely made their way last time. Ten minutes of walking through the pitch-black cavern, buzzing above them. Laser shots interrupted their pain free existence every ten seconds. When they made it to the other tunnel, Sophie turned around and shot the drone out of the sky.

They didn't know what would happen if they left it there. It might stay, or it might do something unpredictable. They rather took their chances with seventeen drones than something unpredictable. As they walked away Maya stayed still, saying "Can't we try to shoot more waves of drones out of the sky from this position? Our suits are already ruined and its close to the machine. I think we should be able to shoot around eighteen or nineteen out of the sky before we have to club them to death again. I don't see the disadvantage now that we know how to go through the cave…" She had a point Bee thought, he wanted to say so but Sophie beat him to it "Yeah sure, I think you are right. How about you Bee?" He smiled at the both of them and nodded his head.

They held on without running out of juice until twenty drones. That should have been eighteen if his calculations were correct. Maya shooting with two plasma guns and Sophie really doing more damage, explained the discrepancy. Three hundred credits per person richer, they played it safe for now. As Maya and Sophie walked away, this time it was Bee who called out "Guys wait up a moment I want to finish my drone!" Maya sighed and Sophie said "Ah yeah totally forgot about that project. Go for it Bee!" She walked back and observed as he looked through the pile of destroyed drones for parts.

They were all there, the parts he needed. He felt really excited about the whole thing. It was easy to fix the drone, but it wasn't too realistic either. if the right part came close to the place it needed to be, it shook a little. Most of it was click-in, sometimes he would need to take out his multi-tool to weld or screw something on. He had always been a little tech savvy. It was the main reason he had loved that the ship he had gotten could be upgraded. Although compared to this drone the ship was like a puzzle with ten thousand pieces and the drone only had a hundred. Nothing special but still very handy.

As he finished the drone several messages appeared in his vision while the drone took flight. It flew but didn't leave his proximity or shot at anyone. Which seemed to be a good sign. Telling Sophie, who was aiming at it not to shoot it down, he browsed through his messages.

Congratulations for recreating a Multi Drone I, it is now your property. Would you like to name it? Y/N

He stared at the message before saying "Yes, Little Drone." Maya laughed at that, saying "Please inspire me more ow creative one." He gave her the finger and read the next message on his screen.

Congratulations for recreating a Multi Drone I. For recreating, something you have earned 200 credits and the title: Ensembler. This title grants the player a ten percent chance that gathered parts will fit on current or already finished projects.

This made him smile even more as it was a great title for someone who wanted to rebuild a space ship! The last message informed him that his Engineer GEN had gone up with 20%. Not staggering but helpful. He told them the bonuses and they congratulate him while they finally walked towards the machine that got their suits fixed. Little drone flying behind Bee, buzzing, it was weird how it now belonged to him. It could become useful, he thought on his way to repair his suit again. How far is this dungeon going? So far it has been quite the experience!