Ikara squeaked in panic. Across the alley, Kaidu tensed. His eyes narrowed and a pair of scissors appeared in his hand, but he didn’t move.

Rowan lifted his lip. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”

Jude shrugged. “I’m not one to walk away from a free meal.”

“We promised!” Jenna shouted, backing away.

Lancelot chased after her, one step at a time. Slowly, she raised the lance.

“Until the end of the fight. Fight’s over,” Jude replied smilingly.

Katy glanced left and right, then vanished into the air.

Jude turned to watch her go and laughed. Looking down, he tipped his head at Rowan. “So much for honor amongst thieves. Alright, Rowan. Which will it be?”

“Fuck you,” Rowan replied, and then Katy dropped out of the sky onto Jude’s head.

Jude jumped back. As Jude jumped, Rowan blindly grabbed a handful of vials from his pouch. Pain bit across his throat, cold digging deep. Hot blood rushed out, soaking his soaked shirt. Ikara and Kaidu ran at him, Kaidu silent, Ikara screaming.

His HP bar plunged, faster than it had ever plunged before.

Level 13.Level 1Level 15. Please select a skill.

There was no time to look. Rowan yanked open all three vials at once and poured them down his throat. Swallowing burned. The potions stung and ran down his chest, pouring out his slit throat. Some got through to his stomach to ache there, swirling, almost fighting one another.

His HP stabilized. It jittered, then began to recover. He felt his throat stitch shut and coughed, sucked in a breath, coughed again. Blood splattered on the stone inches in front of him. When did I fall?

Thunder crackled. Lancelot staggered back, hands crossed in front of her. Morgan raised his hand and gestured. An invisible plate of force pushed Jenna back, but then Katy smashed him to the ground. The force dissipated. Jenna spun and jabbed the pole out again. Lightning arced to Lancelot. She fell back, winded. Katy bent and jumped, vanishing into the sky. Lancelot looked up and missed as the steel pole hit her in the jaw. She staggered back. A last blast of lightning finished the job.

Steel clashed. Gills, bored, fended off Terry’s attacks with lazy, backhanded blows. He caught Terry’s blade between his axes and twisted. Terry’s sword flew through the air and struck the wall, sinking into the stone with a twanggg.

“I’m disappointed. Is this all a Hero amounts to?” Gills asked, shaking his head.

Terry’s eyes flashed with rage. He raised a hand, summoning his sword back to him, but Gills got there first. The butt of an axe met Terry’s temple, and he crumpled like a wet paper bag.

Gills sighed. “I’d kill you if Hero wasn’t such a good class, but maybe in another dozen levels you’ll be a decent fight.”

“Hey! I surrender! I surrender, hey! Stop!” Jude shouted.

Rowan turned. Kaidu chased as Jude backstepped, barely deflecting blows with his scalpels. Ikara darted around in the background, thread darting out and back, searching for an opening to ensnare Jude.

Hero’s Team defeated! Three parties participated in the battle. Points will be split three ways.

+150 points!

Total points: 589

In the time it took for the popups from the System to clear, Jude turned and ran, speeding into the rain and out of sight. Kaidu glared after him, then shook his head and stomped back to Rowan’s side.

Gills cleared his throat. “I cede my points from both battles to Support Team.”

+419 points!

Total points: 1008

Rowan blinked at him. “Gills…”

Gills grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. “I don’t do well in groups, you know? More of a lone wolf. Besides…” he swung his axes, slicing through the rain. “Still plenty of strong people to fight, trapped in this Scenario with me.”

White faded in around them, washing out the streets to pale. Katy waved from the border. “Goodbye! Good luck!”

“Bye! Good luck to you, too!” Rowan shouted back.

“See you later, Katy!” Ikara replied.

Gills gave Kaidu a salute. “Keep getting stronger, friend.”

Kaidu narrowed his eyes at Gills and turned away, flipping his ponytail over his shoulder.

Gills laughed.

White.

Rowan breathed out. He pressed a hand to his throat. A raised lump met his fingers. Yet another scar. But… I’m level 15 now.

Wait, I didn’t have to be poisoned! Rowan grinned. Clears that up, I guess.

Kaidu nodded at Rowan. “Did you level?”

“Up to fifteen!” Rowan replied, enthused.

“You caught up!” Ikara said, thumping him on the back. “Well. To almost where I was before we trained, and before we did the whole Scenario…”

Rowan pulled a face.

“Levels get harder after fifteen. Take more EXP,” Kaidu offered.

“Still, fifteen is nothing to shake a stick at,” Rowan said. And I have three new skills to pick. Argh, which way to go, though? Get more tool proficiency? More plant affinity? Try and invest enough points in plant identification to finally identify whatever’s in my Garden Box?

Frustrated, he shook his head. I’ll have to take my time and pick the best skills once we get back.

Congratulations! Floor Two, Pass! +2000 credits. +2000 EXP.

Continue to Third Floor? Yes/No.

“Ugh, I need a nap. No, make that a full night’s sleep,” Rowan groaned.

Kaidu pressed his lips together thoughtfully. “There’s a good chance the next floor will be relatively restful. It should be a Scene.”

“Scenarios… games, Stages… big open maps, Scenes… that’s the constructed scenarios we have to solve one, right?” Ikara guessed.

Kaidu nodded. “There will be no immediate threat to us.”

Rowan glanced around the three of them. “Should we choose yes, then?”

Yes flashed on the prompt.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, I didn’t choose that!” Rowan said, backing up.

“You have to be careful in the System’s white rooms,” Kaidu said, a tired note to his voice.

“Hey, we were going to chose yes anyways, right? No harm, no foul,” Ikara said, trying to sound upbeat.

Rowan sighed.

Proceeding directly to Third Floor.