Joe forced a smile. It sharpened the dull throb blooming behind his eyes, but he ignored it. It was easier than suppressing the sickening guilt gnawing at him over Johnny.

  Dawn’s voice echoed in his mind, her words from earlier replaying like a lifeline: "I’ve got a pin drop on Nick’s location—it’s a red shirt near a couple of orange ascenders. He’s got to be fine, Joe. He’ll make it."

  Her reassurance had been meant to calm him, but it hadn’t helped much. Like Johnny, the image of Brian— vulnerable at such a low QRL—lingered like a bad aftertaste. Joe knew better than to believe anyone in this tower was truly safe. Not anymore.

  As he stepped into the orange zone common room, Dawn whipped her head around, her worried look cluing TJ and Rose to his return. There were plenty of free booths, but they hung around like a LAN party waiting for the last guy to log in. All of them were on edge, especially TJ, his aura enough to make other ascenders give them a wide berth on their way to the food and drink station.

  “Cheer up, chump. Your smile’s tighter than a bard’s pants after buffet day,” Halcyon snarked, his voice a smug whisper in Joe’s mind.

  Joe hesitated at the entrance, his eyes narrowing. “Not now, Halcyon.” He bit back a more caustic reply. He sensed the ghost dragon that had hijacked his soul was trying to lighten the mood.

  “Gah, stop with the pity party. No one forced Johnny to join Andras in the battlebox. The rat let himself get charmed because he was desperate for security. There are no saviors in this tower, that includes you. I thought I’d gotten through that thick skull of yours—no matter what world you’re in, chump…You. Cannot. Save. Everyone…”

  Joe swallowed hard, grief rising like a wave, his sister’s face flashing in his mind. But the weight of it wasn’t just his. Halcyon’s raw emotion had bled through, thinly veiled in his words. The barrier between them was shrinking, and Joe couldn’t help but wonder—what would happen when it completely disappeared? The irony wasn’t lost on him; Halcyon was just as hungry for control.

  Fear and frustration bubbled to the surface, his vision going white-hot as he stomped his foot. “Don’t lecture me, you hypocrite!”

  Realizing he had an audience, Joe quickly rolled his shoulders back, forcing his tight smile into a cocky, shit-eating grin. He took a deep breath, like he was about to dive into an abyss, and stepped into the room.

  Dawn didn’t waste a second, slinging her arm around him and pulling him close. She urgently whispered in his ear. “I’m not gonna ask if you’re okay ‘cause I can see you’re not, and I don’t want some canned bullshit response to make me feel better. We all feel like shit about Johnny, but beating ourselves up about it here won’t help.”

  For a moment, Joe let the tension melt, softening into the warmth of her embrace. But he pulled back quicker than he’d like, feeling the weight of everyone’s eyes on him.

  “Eh...thanks for the concern, but I’m fine.” The lie rolled off his tongue with ease.

  Rose raised an eyebrow, while TJ leaned in, beckoning Joe closer. “A wise bard from my world used to say ‘fine’ is short for ‘Fucked up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional.’ So yeah, you’re not fooling me, mate.”

  Joe narrowed his eyes. Did bards travel between worlds? He was sure he’d heard that line before, but there was no time to dwell on it now, not with the blinking message from the Time Hacker sitting at the edge of his vision.

  “Not me.” He adjusted his backpack. “And I think we’ve got bigger fish to fry.” He shot TJ a meaningful look. The last thing he wanted was pity over Johnny. If the Time Hacker puts his plan in motion before Brian catches up… nope, not going there. He’ll be fine.

  Doh!

  Joe pulled up the alliance party chat, encrypted using quantum threads so only his party and those in alliance could access it.

  Joe: Hey Brian, what’s your monster kill count?

  TJ: Anything less than 10 and I’ll be disappointed.

  Rose shot Dawn an astonished look, mouthing the word virus. Joe knew they were both rereading the Time Hacker’s warning. His jaw clenched as he switched his attention between the room and the chat, waiting for Brian’s response. Why the silence? Dread twisted in his gut.

  Joe: Hey Nick, Luna. You guys good?

  No reply.

  “I don’t like this.” Joe tugged on a cord of his hoodie. “We should get out there, back on Floor 4.”

  Dawn tossed him a mana pellet—one of Brian’s concoctions that tasted like a cross between battery acid and a Fisherman’s Friend lozenge. “Not so fast. You look like death warmed up. When was the last time you slept or ate?”

  Joe shrugged.

  TJ jumped in, trying to keep it light. “Brian’s too busy hacking monsters to check his messages. Nick and Luna? They’re like a mommy bird, mushing up monsters into paste to feed Brian for the final kill. They’ve got their hands full.”

  Dawn nudged Joe. “Let’s figure out what game the Time Hacker’s playing.”

  A message flashed in the chat.

  Poke_Master: I don’t play games—that’s the Lich’s ideal hobby, not mine.

  Dawn: We know the Lich is a scum villain, but the jury’s still out on you. How do we know you’re not just using us to get to him? I’ve seen it before in my homeland—it caused a civil war. Is that what you want, chaos inside this tower?

  Poke_Master: I want freedom, like everyone else. As long as the Lich holds power, that’s impossible. He sits on a throne of lies. The price of freedom is bloodshed, and I won’t guarantee it won’t be yours. Everyone’s fate is their own—what you do with the information I give is up to you.

  Dawn’s face hardened, her eyes narrowing.

  Dawn: I’ve lived long enough to know that men who claim to fight for freedom often leave ruin in their wake. I value truth like the rare gem it is. But you—are you giving us a grain of truth wrapped in false promises? Or do you think we’re too blind to see the price you’re so quick to make us pay?

  Joe backed her up.

  Joe: You want trust? Show us more of your cards, and we’ll decide if the price is worth paying.

  A pause. Then the Time Hacker responded.

  Poke_Master: You may question why I do what I do. Some might see it as evil, but that’s the limited view of mortals.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Joe raised an eyebrow.

  Joe: What? You’ve lived a long time, then?

  The familiar heat of Halcyon’s presence bubbled in his chest. His voice slipped into his thoughts. “He’s not as old as me,” Halcyon sneered. “Twisting information to his advantage. Ask him again—about the Touch of Madness.”

  Joe steadied his breath.

  Joe: You’ve shown you can hack the system—the hollow cams. Were you behind the Touch of Madness?

  The pause stretched, giving Joe a sense of what was coming next.

  Poke_Master: What if I was? What difference would it make? Save one versus save many. If you had someone you cared about, and the only way to save them was to release a plague on others, would you?

  Joe’s throat tightened.

  Joe: No. I wouldn’t.

  Poke_Master: Really? If you were trapped in a quarantine zone about to be destroyed, you wouldn’t try to escape with your loved ones, even if it meant risking the spread of disease?

  Joe’s mind raced. Every zombie movie ever. The part where someone breaks quarantine to save their family and, in doing so, dooms the rest of the world. Except this wasn’t a movie. If it was real, if it was someone he cared about... What would he do?

  His silence gave the Time Hacker more room to push.

  Poke_Master: This isn’t a movie, Joe. It’s reality. And reality doesn’t care about your morals. It demands sacrifice.

  Halcyon’s laugh echoed with bitterness. “See how he dances around the truth? Playing you like a fiddle. Don’t let him throw that “greater good” garbage at you like it’s some noble high ground.”

  Joe clenched his fists.

  Joe: I get the stakes. But spreading madness to take down the Lich? That’s not saving anyone—that’s destruction. There’s always another way.

  Poke_Master: What if I told you it wasn’t just me? What if others had a hand in it? What if the Lich was involved, too?

  Joe shot a glance at Dawn, gauging her reaction.

  Dawn’s gaze was steady.

  Dawn: You’re twisting this to suit your own agenda. So tell me—did you release the Touch of Madness? Or is this just another manipulation? It’s about control, isn’t it? Deciding who lives and who dies.

  Rose crossed her arms before jumping into the chat.

  Rose: Who in their right mind would release a plague that guarantees death like that? And what’s worse—what if the cure’s more horrific than the disease?”

  Poke_Master: You should know better than to fool yourselves about what it takes to survive here. By the time you reach the top of this tower, you’ll have climbed over a pile of bodies. If you can’t cross a line, you may as well give up now and let the rising tide of mana take you.

  TJ shook his head, disgusted.

  TJ: You sound like the Lich—two sides of the same rotten coin.

  Halcyon stirred again, his presence flickering in Joe’s thoughts. “No. More like Brothers in arms…only to find themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield.”

  A ripple of something like anger flickered in Joe’s chest. Why was Halcyon so riled?

  Poke_Master: I never claimed to be good or evil. Only that I’m necessary.

  Dawn sighed, her frustration spilling over.

  Dawn: This is how it starts. Good people justifying ‘necessary’ actions, until they’ve crossed so many lines they don’t even know where they stand anymore. One sacrifice turns into ten, then a hundred. Next thing you know, you’re no better than the ones you’re fighting. That’s how dictators justify tyranny—by claiming bloodshed is the only way forward. But we still have a choice.

  TJ crossed his arms.

  TJ: A choice? Against enemies who’ll kill us without hesitation? We don’t have the luxury of playing it safe. Every time we hesitate, we’re putting ourselves in danger.

  Joe stood back to let an ascender with a large tray filled with food and drinks pass. The savory smell of jerky reminded his stomach of how hungry he was. With a quick nod to the food and drinks station he signaled to his friends he was heading over there. He kept an eye on the chat as he walked.

  Joe: We can play smart without turning into bloodthirsty fiends. We’ve already used our brains when we made our deal with you, Time Hacker. We both need each other. So in a way, your fate’s in our hands, too.

  Poke_Master: Time will tell. I won’t forget our arrangement. I’m not your enemy. When the tower falls, you’ll all understand.

  Joe rubbed his temples, trying to ease the pounding in his head. What if we’re just walking into a bigger trap? Taking down one tyrant only to crown another?

  He grabbed a tray and filled it with snacks and drinks for his group. With a grateful nod they all helped themselves when he returned. He paced with his drink while the others took a seat in a free booth.

  Minutes passed without any new messages from the Time Hacker, leaving Joe uneasy. How much could he trust him? He glanced back at the Titan Slayers. TJ's scrunched face meant he was likely still grumbling about the messages, caught in a heated argument with Dawn.

  Joe drained the last of his lemonade, the sourness matching his mood. He leaned back against the pulsing wall, listening to the chatter of the other groups around him.

  "Where is the Lich? Why didn’t he step in when that mouthy horn blasted for an uprising?" A grumpy guy shoved his hands in his pockets.

  A dwarf shook his head, scratching his tangled beard. “He’s too busy hiding his phylactery, I reckon.”

  A kobold nearby slammed his fists together, like a boxer psyching up before a match. “Is he even real? None of us have ever seen him face-to-face. Probably some little piss-ant kid playing at being a grown-up inside necro-daddy’s tower.”

  The dwarf chuckled, his beard catching on his shoulder as he looked around. “Yah! I call bullshit too. Like is it really that dangerous outside the tower? I’d dig my way out with a spoon if I had enough time.”

  The kobold grabbed a wet tea-spoon from the dwarf’s bowl and gave it to him. They both laughed.

  The thin man beside him shrugged, glancing down at his feet, his voice softening. “We all felt his presence through the screen, though. I nearly shat myself—the power from those hollowed eyes was...intense.”

  The kobold smacked the thin guy’s back with a laugh, nearly sending him stumbling. “Yeah, you insulted his manhood. Never do that, even when they’re dead.”

  The grumpy guy glared. He dug his hands so deep in his pockets they were about to bust through. “Joke all you want, but you can’t tell me you wouldn’t march to the Lich Master’s tune if it meant getting out of here.”

  Joe took a deep breath, surveying the restless crowd. Ascenders argued over the Lich’s tyranny—some defended him, driven by dreams of reaching the top; others were stirred up by the Bruiser Battalion’s message, ready to fight back. Tension rippled through the room, rising faster than the mana tides.

  Taking a seat at the Titan Slayers booth, Joe spotted Rose dismissively waving. “Byyyyeee, Felicia!”

  He couldn’t help but chuckle as a copper-scaled kobold turned around, her face flushed with anger. “My name is Fedelma!”

  Taz tugged the kobold’s hood, dragging her toward the floor exit.

  Upon rejoining them, Joe gave Rose a questioning look. “What was that all about?”

  Rose shrugged, a smirk playing on her lips. “Just some sore losers. Turns out Andras and Otto are still lapping it up in the green zone, and those two are real bitter about it all.”

  TJ and Dawn seemed to have cooled off from their argument. TJ let out a laugh. “Well, you know what they say—every party’s got to have a couple of losers who drink all the mana and complain too much.”

  Dawn’s gaze settled on Joe. “Did you get some rest?”

  Joe patted his belly, trying to keep the mood light. “Enough to perk up my spirits.” He hesitated, not wanting to bring up the unresolved issue with the blue flame or the Time Hacker. “Still no word from Brian.”

  TJ shook his head, a casual smile on his face. “He hasn’t respawned back to the common room. He’s probably fine—everyone’s having a grand time spilling blood.”

  Dawn flicked TJ’s ear.

  “Ow!” He winced, rubbing the sore spot.

  She tilted her head toward Joe, her expression serious. “We wouldn’t see him respawn. We’ve moved up a zone. Unless he found time crystals, he’s still stuck in the red zone until we transfer the winnings.”

  Joe’s pulse quickened at the thought—Brian was red-zoned and still at a low QRL. He squared his shoulders. “There’s no point in waiting. Let’s help them take down some monsters.”

  A message flashed in his vision, the alliance chat lighting up with a new notification.

  Nick: Brian’s fine. It’s Luna—she’s missing.