The tenth floor had a feeling of finality to it as Corvayne crossed the glowing orange stairway. The blinding whites and huge array of colors instead was replaced by a black sky, bits of red clouds washing over it. Corvayne could see in a sea of something dark other pyramidal structures, shooting huge pillars of light into the clouds. White lines against dark browns, reds, blacks. The smell of blood assaulted him as a faint wind stirred. He nearly gagged from the smell, and he could hear the thick lapping of waves at the base of the structure.

He sent his compass out, and it directed him down a flight of steps to a causeway out through the blood. The dark bricks were stained with the fluid and had encrustment that formed scab-spikes, like hands reaching up to claim the walkways that intruded on the blood sea.

“What is wrong with this place?” Nyx asked.

Brines moved next to Corvayne. “Are you sure we can handle this?”

Corvayne glanced over at him. “You went deeper... further up before, didn't you?”

Brines nodded. “It felt like cheating.”

“Worlds on the line.”

Nyxion nodded. “As are our lives, and Bells. Are you sure we can't just take what's following us?”

Corvayne felt his instincts were on that something dangerous was on it's way. “I don't think we'd make it unscathed if we fought.”

“Is it a light golem or something? Fuck. We haven't seen anything.”

Corvayne nodded. “I could be going mad from some sort of light poisoning, it's clearly not good for me.”

He lead the way down the stairs, motioning for Brines and Nyx to go ahead and dragging his spear over the walkway. He infused a [Reap] with shadows, creating a pool behind him. It would only last a few minutes, but it might help find whatever kept him feeling watched.

He turned back and jogged to catch up, eyes now facing forward for some sign of the monsters on the floor. He didn't see anything lurking in the blood, nor did he see anything moving in front of them or behind him, nor any signs of the clouds being disturbed by anything but wind. Two feelings were mingling, the second one certain that this floor was dead, burned out, the result or imprint of something terrible that happened a long time ago... that he was somewhere huge, empty, and sad.

He kept looking back, and saw that his shadow wave had triggered and snapped, not strong enough to hold whatever had passed through it, but he couldn't see anything.

“We need to RUN. Now! Endurance!”

He started sprinting, and felt his movement buoyed by Brines. Nyx touched down to get his boots on the ground. “Corvayne what the hell is it?”

“We can't see it.”

Brines tried to look back while running and nearly stumbled. “It's invisible?”

Corvayne didn't wait, using his spear to lay down another line of shadows while running backwards. The line of black he left boiled out with no sign of being breached, nor did Corvayne see signs of footprints besides their own on the blood that had spilled onto the walkway. He pulled out a shadow hand, and slowed his backwards walk.

“Where is it?”

The hand swayed and pointed to a spot that couldn't have been twenty feet away. Corvayne activated [Storm Thrust] and saw for a moment the slightest hint of something sliding on top of the bloody walkway.

A moment later he felt something huge pass by his face, the whistling telling him it was a heavy weapon.

Corvayne used [Cross Skill: Light Cut] to leave behind afterimages, trying to stop whatever it was from passing. He had the faintest sense of something walking on the crust of blood near the platform, and he switched plans and threw everything into gravity in that direction. A moment later something fell into the crust with a hiss, then a hand thrust out of the blood, covered in dark crimson.

Nyxion didn't wait, snapping his whip out but not even seeming to slow the monster. Brines thrust his daggers out, flame and lightning bathing the form of a woman at least twelve feet tall, but doing little besides boiling blood on it's surface. Corvayne sent shadow hands at her, hoping to drive it, her back. There were places the hand disrupted the blood, but even plunging into her they didn't stop the woman, blood revealing her as nude save for a veil dripping blood. No signs of any damage on her. It was hard to see with her veil, but Corvayne felt overwhelming contempt.

“We see you.” Corvayne said, while backing up, spear ready for the blood covered scythe she was dragging behind her.

“Do you?” She said in a rough growl, then was gone again, blood vanishing.

Corvayne once again thrust out with [ Storm Thrust ] to buy them space, then activated [[Agility]] and [[Unity]]. He turned and saw Nyxion and Brines didn't need additional prompting to run. Corvayne could feel that his compass was not trained on the next island, but he called out. “See if there's a door or choke point!”

They made it into the structure, and there was no place to try to juke out, though they could run on through. Corvayne left a trail of [ Cross Skill: Light-Cut ] Clones, and saw a few of them burst as whatever it was just strode through.

He forced his compass to find them any exit. It was still locked on the spot they were going.

“Left!” he called, directing them down another causeway over the blood. He felt rather then saw that something was flying at him and used [Cross Skill: Shield Wall] to deflect what must have been the scythe. It still somehow gave him feedback, blasting him with energy that felt hot and dry, but didn't burn. He didn't feel wounded, but instead kept throwing out [ Storm Thrust ], only slowing when he felt like he was flagging in stamina. Brines was further back now, but the aura was still helping him catch his breath even as he would run, pivot, and try to knock the unseen assailant back.

Corvayne heard a shrill scream and turned, seeing Brines fall over as one of his legs was missing.

What happened next felt like slow motion, Corvanye rooted in place. Brines fell onto his face. Nyx moved to cover him, blasting his auras to try to repel the attacker. There was a single sharp note and his shield flared, then the Scythe cut part of his torso away. Nyx spun with the hit, teeth gritted as he smashed a potion into his face and whipped out, snake head catching the woman and causing her to glitch back in, but not stopping her from slashing again, this time taking an arm. Corvayne was running, but he was just too slow, using [Storm Thrust] in a way that crawled forward, hitting the woman from the side, where she stumbled on the edge.

Corvayne heard her splash but pulled Brines to his good foot, putting an arm under him to help him hobble. The added weight from Bell being strapped to him didn. “Healing aura! Brines!”

Corvanye could feel Brines healing start pulsing. It wasn't going to grow a leg back, but he needed to keep himself alive losing blood. “Go! Go! We are almost there!”

They were at the base of the stairs, and Corvayne felt Brines sagging. He grabbed his friends collar and pulled a healing potion out, and forced Brines to down it as he dragged him up the stairs, working Bell free and pulling the unconscious Princess along.

Nyx was breathing heavily. Brines was in shock. Bell was out too. He could see behind him the woman emerging from the blood again, looking up at Corvayne with yellow glowing eyes past her blood soaked veil. Corvayne turned back, trying to get every foot he could and knowing it wasn't enough.

Nyxion stopped climbing. He didn't turn. “See you next time Corvayne.”

Corvayne looked back as he dragged Brines up the steps. Nyxion was blocking the center of the stairs, and this time the huge woman didn't bother hiding, running at Nyxion and swinging the scythe around, this time taking one of his legs and hitting him in the shoulder again on the backswing, so fast that it didn't trip him. Nyx used his one arm to swing his whip at her neck, then pulled what was left of himself at her by shortening it.

“Fall!” Nyxion's perhaps last act was to hit her like a human bowling ball in the face, toppling the woman as she was on the back swing from her huge scythe. She tumbled down the stairs and Corvayne kept pulling, trying to get Brines to safety.

There was a snarl as she pulled herself up, pulling Nyxion off herself and tossing him aside. “Come BACK whelps!” Her voice cracked, madness evident.

Corvayne could hear Brines gasping for breath as they reached the doorway into the pyramid above the blood. They stumbled down the stairs to a central square area, lit by light streaming in from above.

Corvayne set Bell down and did his best to try to focus. He pulled [[Vitality]] and focused on letting his ears try to catch where the woman would attack from next. He moved before he knew what he was doing, his spear getting hit by something that almost jerked it from his hand. A moment later he felt screaming pain in his side. His hand moved and felt hot blood gushing from his side where the invisible scythe had got past his chain armor.

The next hit landed on his armor and he stumbled over Bell, falling to the ground. Corvayne saw the scythe a moment before he felt it bite into the Jam-Jammies, triggering three meteors as he felt it break his leg as the artifact did it's best to protect him.

Corvayne hissed and started elbowing his way up the stair to turn around, and saw the woman appear again, covered in so much blood and clearly amused that he was on the ground.

“I had assumed someone gunning to restart the pilgrimage after this long would be... more formidable.”

Corvayne kept his hand on his spear, watching her as she squatted near him, giving him a view of her blood soaked unmentionables. He waited for her to keep talking, as Brines auras were still going even if it looked like he was passed out.

She smiled, blood soaked veil hiding most of the rest of herself. “I will take you back to the master. I want to know who put you up to this, and why you forced me to hasten my plans.”

It was likely the same woman who had been at the dungeon, with less clothes. Did that factor into her invisibility? He could feel a flash of boredom, and so he laughed before she decided to start using her scythe again.

Corvayne forced himself to talk like how he imagined villains sounded when they should be beaten. Buy time, for healing, for backup, or to just get a plan together. Or an opening to strike. “You think you've won, don't you? That you've accounted for everything, and with Diamond you'll be able to destroy the gateway once and for all.”

The woman stood up, hands outstretched. “I could have done it myself, but I want the Watchers to serve the master. Do you know how long they chained him up? Me up? Eons, hunting empty corridors. Eons, with... not... a... whisper of my BELOVED. I've been waiting for EONS in the in-between. Then, the doors opened again! I can continue his work! I can feel his power again! I'll return to my place at his side, his most beloved bride!”

“Did whoever your master is get you a ring?” He asked.

This was not perhaps a question she wanted to hear, as for a moment he felt rage. “A FOOLISH question! The Magus promised me! When I completed... the task... I'd be first of his women! The Bride of Brides!!! Our wedding is soon... I can HEAR the bells!”

The scythe dug into the ground a few times as the huge woman ground her teeth. Ring was a touchy point. No need to ask the naked woman if she had a dress yet then either. Still, the mad woman was giving him info and time. Corvayne could see the work of the Magus at the very least included not disposing of dangerous loose ends, if her state wasn't intentional.

“And of course, you've taken all the people Diamond is going to flatten as necessary sacrifices for your white wedding... correct?” Corvayne was slowly bringing Argyle's staff into his hand. He would have one chance to try to hit her with [Mass Driver] in the neck. He was pretty sure if she did have several hundred levels then aside from decapitation he couldn't reliably disable her. Even then, it might not kill her.

“I hardly care which name they gave to which Watchers, but the main body will replace the pitiful empire that has forgotten their work of ages keeping this gate closed.” The woman made a dismissive gesture. “The last use of this one was tracking you down. Using the princess as my guide, I found you before you could do... before you could...”

Her eyes got hazy. Her hand started scratching her head. “What are you trying to do?”

Corvayne snapped his voice to go cold. He smiled. “It's too late. Diamond is already breaking control. You have delivered to us the perfect agent to open the gates forever. Hail Watchers.”

“No! Lies! The Magus's works are PERFECT!!!” Her scythe darted out and Corvayne felt the tip go through his ankle.

He howled, pain threatening to overwhelm him. He didn't move his hand that had a death grip on Argyle's staff. Yet the woman didn't follow through to finish him off or chop the foot all the way off, instead pulling her scythe back. Corvayne forced himself to grit his teeth, to sit back up. What was the story? What could make the woman go away?

“She's... Diamond was going to use the portals to...” He wasn't good at this. He wished he had spent more time practicing acting. “... to try to woo the Magus.”

As it turned out, the insane woman clearly didn't notice. He reaction was to stand and start pacing. “He would NEVER consort with a filthy Watcher...”

Corvayne just laughed. “You... are... too late. We were a decoy.”

“LIES!” She roared, swinging her scythe in random patterns, getting dangerously close to hitting Bell or Brines.

Corvayne had no more time left. He drew Argyle's staff and hefted it light a lightning bolt, throwing everything he had into [[Strength]].

He aimed for her neck and launched a [Mass Driver], the staff spinning and blasting off as it left his hand, but missing her neck and instead clipping her shoulder.

Her eyes narrowed in rage and she swapped the scythe from her damaged side to her offhand. Corvayne did his best to give her a middle finger as he saw her lift the scythe, aiming no doubt for his head this time.