They ran upward through high level Hollows. The most common types worked together as a mean duo. One defensive with four shields. One offensive with an oversized spear. One blue. One red.

The monsters landed more hits than usual. The outsiders rushing forward, fleeing the apocalyptic sounds of the melting main tower.

“Stop,” said Enoch. His hand went up, imposing order.

The remaining Hollows actually stopped for half a second. Their scripts loading for an answer to the weird behavior.

Head extended to attention, the four outsiders looked strange. Still in a room full metal scrap. Anticipation on their face.

The floor tilted with a screech then the physic engine went wild. A shockwave threw them to the ceiling, then back to the floor and twice again. Anton’s green bubble absorbed parts of the impact. Not enough for Enoch’s taste.

The sound loud beyond belief. Their ears bled. Switched to the prolonged buzz of the deaf debuff.

The shockwaves died down to a simple rumble. Enoch found a window. A cloud of dust covered the plain below. Nothing else visible at that angle. He hopped to another room, and there, saw the disaster in all its glory.

The whole tower had toppled. Crashed to absolute destruction. Art Delvers joined him. Their face disbelieving, as did the chat.

“Of all the mess I ever saw, this one is the best. By far.” Tip | 15$

“This doesn’t beat the floating island sabotage of the World Cup two years ago.”

“Granted. Still impressive.”

Tetsuo said something. The particle effects of leveling up swirled around him. The deaf debuff prevented Enoch from understanding what the mage said. Probably got a sweet achievement out of this one.

***

A pause. Finally. Up there by an ominous door. Most likely the real boss. Food and beer passed around. All on their second stack of Fatigue. The deaf debuff gone, replaced by the half-deaf one.

Tetsuo rolled the guilty wand in his fingers. Discarded it with a shrug.

Enoch said, too loud even if his companions didn’t notice, “Let me guess. Raging Volcano. Siege class.”

Tetsuo shrugged. Smiled. The expression held for a fleeting instant, then left as his eyes focused on Enoch’s orange marker.

He looked at Anton, then at Ally, then Anton again.

Enoch raised his hand, asking for peace.

“I get it. Consider the pact over. You’ve been more than fair.”

“Great job,” said Anton. The two others approved with a nod.

No point in mentioning the recent looted Artifacts. He was the Scout. Had received plenty already.

So just like that. Without drama. Even less than for Turner’s death. Enoch left.

“But I liked to group with them.”

Enoch ignored his Bonded Artifact. Not in the mood. Too busy surviving the rooms that led him away from the main boss. Legendary difficulty. Made for a high-level group. Practically impossible for a Solo Player.

The new patch saved him. The balance still wonky. He ended up kiting most room, circling his Tower Golem while Choo complained of boredom. No more cool friends and the monsters were so boring to kill. Annoying little bugger.

***

The tubes led him here. They glowed with Mana, neon pink. There was something special in that tower. It was written in bold line in the design. Isolated from the main canopy. It hanged from the cavern’s ceiling as a stalactite. At least three hundred feet away. Impossible to reach with out flight. Almost.

“Animate the shield half-way there.”

“But it’s all broken up.”

“Probably a good thing for what I’m about to do. Can’t say I’ll miss the serrated edges.”

Enoch cut the wall under the window to turn it into a door. Took two steps back. The chat cheered him on. Most of it.

“This place his giving me vertigo.”

“My palms are sweaty.”

“I can’t watch this.”

Enoch simply went for it. A short leap while he held the door frame with his right hand. Used it to pivot. His omnilegs braced against the outer wall. A half a mile drop under him. He jumped up, legs and arms finding ridiculously small holds. The magic of high-level skills.

Up at the corner where the wall met the cavern, Enoch dashed and, impossibly, walked upside down. Made it surprisingly far before he fell with a long jump. Tumbled back to the right side of gravity with his double jump. Glided on the animated shield as it wobbled down. Jumped again, with out much force, picked up real power with his refreshed Double Jump. Held the pause for an instant in mid-air. Blinked to the lone tower.

Tubes lined the room. Converged to a safe, heavily fortified. A Mini Boss laid inactive over it. Twenty feet tall. Ten strong arms with wicked pincers. Art Delvers must have killed the Final Boss. Good on them. And good on him. The one before him would have been hard solo. Or straight up impossible.

Enoch’s sword once again proved its worth. The overbuilt hinges felt down with a loud clank. Relief and gratitude washed over Enoch, radiated by two Drone Cores.

“Craft me a bucket Choo. Extra strong. Around this big.”

“With what?”

Enoch pointed.

“Oh, easy.”

The golem core went for the Mini Boss, purple Mana already working on a joint.

“And make it fast.”