Teamwork

As the duo made their way out of a small, narrow hole in the side of a otherwise big mountain, they rubbed their eyes to ease the pain from the Floor transition – though it was mostly natural by now for them. Kim is the first to look around, and he quickly noticed that this was a new exit out of Alicia's den – not where they've originally entered through. Although Kim wasn't exactly surprised, he still was annoyed, as this meant he had to memorize their path a second time. Luckily for him, though, this time around it all seemed to be a lot more cleared up – less overall dense.

As Felix finally stops rubbing his eyes and he starts looking around, his gaze is immediately drawn to something nearby – an actual path. He points to it, getting Kim's attention with a "Check that out." at the same time.

Kim looks in the direction Felix pointed at, and nods slightly. He starts walking over to it, yet not quite stepping onto it. First, he scans it for any dangers – which he doesn't find – then he takes a step inward, waiting. After nothing happened, confirming it wasn't a trap, Kim nods Felix along and the two start walking down this path. It wasn't night, yet the path was dark and somewhat foggy – although, Kim couldn't quite put his finger on the reason why. After making more and more way through this crappy path, the two finally stop needing to push branches out of their faces as they make it to a somewhat wider spot of this path – a road, that forked in two different directions. After looking around, both of them decide to play it fair – as Kim wanted to go right and Felix wanted to go left, they decide to play a little game of rock paper scissors to decide.

Right as Felix is about to throw out paper and simply hope for the best, his whole spine suddenly shuddered as his ears buzzed slightly with that annoying static before – though he remembered it as vivid as ever. Afterwards, he could faintly make out a sound somewhere, all the way in the back of his brain, scratching it.

[Rock.]

His brain – as if on autopilot – couldn't help but tighten his fist as hard as he could... beating Kim's scissors. Kim clicked his tongue with an annoyed expression as he turned to the left, walking ahead – he was respecting the bet, but that didn't mean he was going to be happy about it. As he did, Felix staggered slightly, looking down at his hand. On his palms were deep, new wounds, clearly from his fingernails and how deep they dug in his skin. He waved it off, literally, and began going after Kim, catching up soon.

As they walked down this dark road, Felix suddenly felt his foot hit something hard, yet slim. As he looks down, he can't help but raise an eyebrow in confusion as he sees a big random chunk of wood – and now that he's looking better, there's way more than just one. Before Felix even said anything, Kim already crouched down next to one of those wooden pieces, studying it. After looking at the way the splinters were ripped out and the amount of wood scattered on the ground, he came to one conclusion, and one only.

"Brute force. And a lot of it."

"I don't think goblins are tall enough to do this much damage to... whatever these came from, right?"

"No. I don't see any cut marks from any kinds of axes. This was done with something blunt... and big."

"Like what, your ego?"

Kim slightly smirked at that, but he quickly covered it up with his usual stoic expression as he got up and started walking again, speaking as he did, "Watch it, Fox."

The two were now following a trail of all these splinters – both big and small – to wherever, and whatever they may have led to. As they do, in the distance, they can hear some thuds that sounded a bit too eerily like big footsteps. Big, loud footsteps, that weren't exactly far away. They gave each other a glance as they both nodded, then the two started running towards the origin of the noise. And as they were getting closer and closer, the noises were getting louder and louder. Kim unsheathed his sword, now running alongside it, while Felix threw his hand in the air and pulled out a small, red ball from a green, crackling Blank.

As the two ran, the trees around them continue to grow rarer and rarer, until finally they can see some kind of clearing up ahead. Right as they're about to enter it however, a huge green leg – one as tall as Kim – stomping in front of them, as they're met with the lap of whatever owned this leg. Kim jumped out of the way through the giant's legs, while Felix stopped completely and abruptly, looking up and chuckling nervously, "Oh... He— He's a big ass fella..."

Kim barely wastes any time, and as he's still in mid-air, he immediately swings his sword at the ankles of this green giant, unable to get that good of a hit on him because of the bad angle. He clicks his tongue and lands, rolling on the ground for a few feet then immediately getting up, readying himself for combat as he swings the sword in the air, causing the blood of the giant to scatter on the ground. Kim then points the glowing sword at him, smirking as he speaks, "The bigger they are, the easier they are to cut."

"That's not how the saying goes, Kim!"

As the two finally got a good glance at the creature's face, they can make out its features – this giant had sharp fangs on his bottom jaw, some loose materials around his private parts, and he was very green, from head to toe. He was also quite round in the stomach area, and it was wielding a literal tree, one without any leaves. It wasn't that big of a tree, but still... a tree. The creature was sitting at a quite big sixteen feet tall – or maybe even more – which was quite intimidating for poor little Felix, who was barely scratching 5'8". That didn't stop him from gripping the red ball in his fist with all his might, though. As the duo was in a showdown, staring this creature in his big, red eyes, a "Ding!" echoed in their heads and a shared Blank opened up somewhere above the giant.

[Mini Boss – Orc, Protector Of Zahana

Frenzied Orc - Lvl 10.

Class - ×

Affinity - Beast

—

HP - 929/970

ATK - 174/174

ACN - 0/0

LUC - 0/0

AGL - 21/21

STM - 130/130

DEF - 87/87

DEX - 14/14

Skills - Big And Scary But Dumb; Tree Throw.]

Kim chuckled as his grip tightened on the handle of his sword, bringing it closer to his body as he changed his stance and spoke, "That's a pretty big jump in stats from Alicia..."

"Yeah, but uh, why's his name just... Orc?"

As soon as Felix finished talking, Orc looked up into the air and let out a thunderous growl, causing all of the birds in the area to fly away as fast as their wings let them. As it echoed all the way through the forest and it looped back around to the orc, the two felt their spines shake as they each got a Blank somewhere next to them. And this time, except for the colors, they were the exact same – [Orc's {Big And Scary But Dumb} skill is activated! Orc's DEX temporarily decreased by 4 Stat Points! Liners' ATK and AGL are temporarily decreased by 2 Stat Points!]

Kim snapped out of it and jumped back, annoyed that his stats got reduced. As he did, Felix soon followed suit, but from where he was standing, he only stepped deeper back where they came from – the forest. Fortunately, from that angle, he was clearly able to see what was most probably their goal. A big, damaged carriage, turned upside down – and Felix had a feeling he knew why it was overrun. As he was about to yell out to Kim to let him know, a Blank did it for him, as they both received this Floor's Plot.

{Plot - Save The Hostage.

Requirements - Save the trapped person from the terrorizing orc! Who knows, maybe they'll even reward you with something if you do... Good luck!

Punishment Upon Failure - ???

Reward - ???}

[Plot - Save The Hostage.

Requirements - Save Lycyl Van D'Aliexander from Orc and obtain your invitation to the Queen's Ball from him. Godspeed!

Punishment Upon Failure - Termination.

Reward - An invitation to the Queen's Ball.]

After they both read their Blanks, they threw one single look at one another. After once again nodding, Kim threw his sword high in the air – high enough to get Orc's attention. As the sword lost momentum and fell, the orc let out an annoyed sound – a mix between a growl and a grunt – and he immediately swung the big and heavy tree at where Kim was. Was. By the time the orc managed to actually swing the huge thing around, both Kim and the sword were long gone within the shadows. Orc once again started letting out grunts as he looked around for him, only to feel a sharp object dig deep in his leg's flesh. He raised his foot and started stomping randomly, soon basically jumping frantically, crushing the ground beneath him and causing a mini-earthquake.

Kim jumped out of the way and he couldn't help but laugh at how mad he managed to get Orc, as he landed on his feet a reasonable distance away, somewhere safe from the orc's stomping. He held his sword high, making it overwhelmed with his own mana – causing it to shine an even brighter blue than before. This managed to get the orc's attention once again, and he started walking towards Kim, the ground shaking as he did. As Orc got closer and closer, he felt something hit the back of his head, and he turned around yelling at the top of his lungs. Behind him, sitting idly on a tall rock, sat Felix, who was juggling some rocks around and throwing them at Orc whenever he felt like it. He chuckled as he threw one in the air and caught it with his other hand, chuckling as he did so, "Heh, did I scare ya' or what?"

Orc once again became enraged, changing courses and now stomping his way over to Felix, ready to swing the tree at him as well. As he did, Felix leaned back like a scuba diver getting out of a boat, falling from the rock and fully out of view as he yelled out, "I'll leave him to you, you maniac!"

"Aye aye, sir."

Orc could once again physically feel something digging into his flesh again and again, cutting endlessly and without missing a beat. Orc could only look into the sky and scream in annoyance and pain, only to realize – his feet were failing him. As he fell down to his knees, Orc realized his ankles have been cut way beyond repair, making him unable to stand up or walk any longer. He growled again, turning his upper body around and throwing the tree in the direction of Kim, who simply did a soldier salute at Orc and dissipated into the shadows below him.

As he reappeared in front of him, with Felix soon joining him, Orc couldn't do anything but look up into the sky once again, and let out the same terrible scream he did the first time. As he did, the two both received another Blank informing them of the debuff, but as they read it the two couldn't help but laugh at both it and the orc. After calming down, Felix tapped Kim on the shoulder as he took a few steps back, as Kim immediately got where he exactly was hinting at. He once again unsheathed his sword, but held it low this time, ready to execute Felix's plan.

As Felix kept stepping back, something in his hand started emitting a strong red glow. After finally backing away enough, he started running towards Kim at full speed, his palm still glowing and his will committed to this. Orc couldn't do anything but watch amazed and scared, with his red eyes wide open, as Kim dropped to one knee while holding the sword and putting it high above his head, followed by Felix jumping on said sword. Kim then launched him upwards even more as Felix used the stone as an extra step, making his way towards the orc's head in the air, as the red glow in Felix's hand finally started to take on a more long, solid form.

For a split second, as he landed right on Orcs' two fangs and held onto his skin with one hand, he could see – or rather, he could stare into Felix's eyes, and notice just how devoid of life they were. How merciless they happened to look, and how much killer intent was in them. Orc saw it all. All of this, locked behind a huge green wall – and yet, the wall was thin. And Orc knew that once that wall crumbled, everything would be in danger. Not just his forest, Zahana, but the whole kingdom. It all... would've been at the mercy of...

"Do it, Fox."

"Copy that."

As Felix dug his red blood spear into the orc's skull, all of the light from Orc's eyes faded away, and he started falling forward, never to rise again – but not before both Kim and Felix jumped away to safety. As Felix retracted his spear, turning it back into a small sphere and throwing it in his inventory, and Kim put his sword back in its scabbard, the two once again looked at each other then proceeded to high-five after a second of silence. Behind them ensued a huge thud, accompanied by a small earthquake – yet the duo seemed quite unaffected by it. Their attention instead shifted to the small cries coming from what was left of a once beautiful and big carriage, now abandoned and destroyed. The two start walking towards it, with Kim holding his hand steady on his sword's handle.

As they take small, unsure steps towards it with Kim leading, Felix extends his hand and stops him in his tracks. As Kim's about to face him and question the meaning of it, Felix shushes him by putting a finger on his own mouth. He then leans in slightly closer as he whispers, "This is the first actual person we're gonna be seeing on The Line... So, try not to cut his neck... immediately, at least."

Kim paused, clicking his tongue, and sighing when letting go of his sword. Felix started walking again, and as Kim closes his eyes and nods in approval, he freezes. Slowly, Kim opens his eyes and his gaze floats towards Felix, soon glaring at him. Kim then speaks with the same stoic yet annoyed expression he always has on his face, now multiplied by five, "How'd you know it was a he?"

Felix stops dead in his tracks, yet he doesn't bother fully turning his head to face Kim. He only does so halfway, as he looks at him with the corner of his eye. Kim can see a slight smoke with a green hint emitting from it, but as soon as Felix blinks, it's gone as fast as it appeared. He then speaks in a monotone and lifeless tone, "I don't. Lucky guess, maybe."

Felix resumes walking, with Kim remaining still for a second more. He continues staring at Felix's back with his face unchanged, then he too starts walking towards the carriage while saying nothing else. As they finally get to the big pile of wood which was once a beautiful creation, the two can hear some sobs and grunts of what they only assumed was the man trapped inside. Felix looked at the door of it and sighed – no way to open it, especially since the carriage was turned upside down. As his eyes wandered to where the front of it once was, he could clearly see the point of impact alongside blood from what he could only assume were horses at one point. Felix looks around a bit more, for any possible exits, but finally just facepalms and points at the door as he says, "Your turn, Kim."

Kim is quick to unsheathe his blade and cut the door down, causing it to fall to the ground in a dozen pieces. As Kim sheathes it back up, Felix reaches in and pulls out their hostage from the rubble. A man, with a thin beard and an even thinner mustache, somewhere in his fifties and dressed up incredibly nice – or at least that's what the two thought was nice for The Line. The man immediately started screaming bloody murder, like he was still mere seconds away from dying, "Please, please! I'll do anything, anything, don't murder me! My servants are already all dead, spare me, at least me!"

Felix, still holding onto the collar of the screaming man, turned to Kim, only for him to shrug his shoulders. Felix did what he knew best, and after sighing, he slapped the daylights out of the man, causing his hysterics to finally calm down and his breathing to slow. After a while, the man's breathing stopped being so labored, and he seemed to understand – the orc was long dead. He let out a huge sigh of relief as he slumped to the floor, suddenly grabbing tight onto Felix as he did so. Felix, startled, tried getting him off but couldn't, as the man kept mumbling "Thank you, oh, thank you, brave warriors..."

Kim took a step closer and pulled the man up, straightening him. The man cleared his throat as he sat as straight as a tree, with his hands behind his back – like a true noble. Immediately, he bowed down to the two, properly talking, "Thank you, warriors. I sincerely thank you."

Felix scratched his nape, feeling a bit awkward as he spoke, "Hey, man, it's... it's cool..."

"Indeed. As my partner says. It's... uh..."

Kim turned to Felix, whispering angry, "Couldn't you find any other word? Cool, really?!"

Felix whispered back, "Shut up, you think of something then!"

Kim faced back towards the man and he spoke, with a high and mighty yet humble tone, "Worry not. That was quite a tolerable thing for us to do. And the result was satisfactory."

["Someone's putting in extra work for that invitation, huh..."]

The man couldn't help but laugh audibly – as if he wasn't knocking on death's door just five minutes ago – and he shook both of their hands, even if neither of them had extended them. He shook them up and down vigorously, and the man spoke again as he did so, in an excited and cheery tone, "You two are truly brave men! Please, allow me to bestow upon you but a trivial reward, for it is all I can offer currently..."

The man then pulled out two envelopes from his inner jacket pocket, and extended them in the duo's direction, one for each. As their hands touched the envelopes, picking them up, a Blank appeared for each of them – signaling the clearing of the Plot.

{Congratulations on completing the Plot and saving the hostage!}

[Congratulations on completing the Plot and saving Lycyl Van D'Aliexander! Godspeed!]

Immediately after, the man cleared his throat again and soon spoke, "Ah, where are my manners...! My name is Lycyl, Lycyl Van D'Aliexander. I am but a cousin of the great Queen, but she did honor me with two invitations to her upcoming ball... I was planning to go with my beautiful wife, but please, travelers, attend for me!"

Without skipping nor missing a beat, Kim just did a thumbs up as he tucked the invitation in his jacket, "Will do. We thank you."

"You switch up fast, man..."

Lycyl laughed once again, and as he did so, the sounds of galloping could be heard in the distance. The man turned his head in the direction of the sounds, sighing as he speaks, "Ah, looks like my guards are finally here... I shall depart. I thank you once again, brave warriors. I bid you farewell, and safe travels!"

Kim did another thumbs up with his other hand, "Yeah, thanks, you too."

"Just how far are you gonna take this bit, Kim..."

As the man waved at them and walked away towards the sound of horses, the duo remained back. As they looked at each other, nodding yet again, Felix fell to the ground instantly and Kim fell on one knee, both breathing heavily. The two were gripping their chests, trying to calm their breathing down after containing the fatigue for so long. In-between gasps of air, Felix half spoke and half yelled, "Fuck, my stamina's so low...! These Stats suuuck!"

"They haven't went up once since we started... Why...?!"

As they were still half dead from just the exhaustion from that one short fight, Felix's hand slipped and his invitation fell on the ground next to him. The second it hit the grass, a shared Blank opened up above them.

[Fourth Floor, The Ball Invitation, clear! You have received an invitation to the Queen's Ball. Would you like to accept and proceed to the Resting Grounds?

Y/N]

The two glanced at each other, staying in silence for a second or two. Then, after reading the Blank again, they smirked at each other as Felix finally sat up and threw his finger over the [Y] on it as he yelled out as loud as his lungs let him, "Let's go see this Queen, Kim!"