VRMMORPG: The Other World Online

Cheng Xiu jumped onto the sword handle and stood straight. She smiled in satisfaction.

"It is sturdy!" She said to San Zhe and Yaksha.

San Zhe sweatdropped. "Sister Xiu, I am pretty sure that there are other ways to reach the rest of the targets than this."

Cheng Xiu's eyes sparkled. "Like hidden stairs and rooms?"

San Zhe nodded. "Yes, so please come down."

Cheng Xiu looked towards Yaksha. "Is he right?"

San Zhe looked at the red and white robed girl with hurting eyes. "You don't believe me?"

"You said that you have not played beyond this," Cheng Xiu accused him.

San Zhe ducked his head and blushed. "That is right, but isn't it obvious that there would be stairs? This is a tower after all."

Cheng Xiu hmmed.

She jumped down from the sword handle and made the copies dematerialize.

San Zhe was surprised by her actions. "Why did you deactivate the skill? Wouldn't it be better if there were more swords to protect you?"

Cheng Xiu shook her head. "Why were the rats climbing the walls? Why did the mission want us to stop the rats from climbing the walls?"

San Zhe felt like his thought process could never keep up with that of Sister Xiu. What was she asking now? And why was she asking this? Wasn't the answer to that obvious?

San Zhe for a brief moment forgot that Cheng Xiu was a real noobie player who did not know many things of the game.

"Each floor of the Tower is Level restricted," Yaksha said to Cheng Xiu when he realised that San Zhe was not going to answer her query. Cheng Xiu turned to him with a curious gaze. "The rats are the lowest. They climb the walls to reach the next level of the tower. If they succeed, then their faction will recieve rewards from the Tower, if the players succeed in stopping them, the players would receive the rewards."

Cheng Xiu was surprised by that. "Why is this being done? What is the purpose of these Clock Towers?"

"There are rumours that they keep the Demons away from the cultivation world," Yaksha said to her. "There are also some who would say that that is completely untrue and that this is just like any other Tower game."

Cheng Xiu thought for a moment. Keep away the demons? "Then the purpose of the monsters in the tower is to reach the highest position of the tower so that they can...what? Help the demons? Become demons?"

Yaksha smiled. "Maybe, take the power of the demons."

Cheng Xiu looked at the deep set eyes of Yaksha in suspicion. In was obvious from his words that he knew more about these Towers and their functions. But there was no reason that he should say those things to her. They were passing acquaintances, maybe even a bit of the friendly side, but thhey were not at the place where they would share all their secrets with each other.

Cheng Xiu looked at the area for a moment, her eyes falling on the wall that Yaksha was leaning on. She looked at him in suspicion. "Can I ask you something?"

Yaksha tilted his head. "Sure."

"Up or down?"

"Huh?" San Zhe looked at her in confusion.

"Meaning?" Yaksha asked her, though his eyes held a glint in them.

"Should we go up or down?"

Yaksha spread his hands wide. "Your choice."

"Move aside then," Cheng Xiu said.

Yaksha let out a long suffering sigh and moved away.

Behind him was a small opening on which Cheng Xiu's Guild ID was placed.

San Zhe looked at Yaksha in confusion. "Wouldn't the card only come after she had defeated all her enemies?"

Yaksha hmmed.

Cheng Xiu walked forwards, and pulled the card out. On the blue transparent slab, the number of kills that she did in the tower was calculated.

Cheng Xiu placed the card in the slot again.

A door opened.

There was a spiralling staircase that went up and down.

"There is the stair!" San Zhe said in happiness. "Let's go up!"

Cheng Xiu sighed. "We will go down."

"Eh?" San Zhe looked at her. "What?"

Cheng Xiu shook her head. "Haven't you read strategy books? The fist to go up are the scouts, and foot soldiers. These rats are obviously creatures who think in terms of hierarchy too. They have counsellors and Queens."

San Zhe blinked. He remembered the words that Cheng Xiu had asked Yaksha before.

"There is a King Rat too?"

Cheng Xiu frowned. "Why do you sound so surprised? Isn't that how all dungeons work? You have the foot soldiers, the kinghts, the mini Boss, the Big Boss, and some times the Hidden Boss."

San Zhe sweatdropped. "But there have been no missions issued to kill any bosses though."

Cheng Xiu frowned. "How do the missions reach the Quest Pillars?"

San Zhe blinked. "The Tower issues those. When the amount of a faction of creatures increases in number, and start becoming pests, the Tower issues a Quest through the System to eradicate them."

Cheng Xiu tilted her head. "But if the Tower rewards the creatures and the players, that means..."

San Zhe had a bad premonition. "That means?"

"The Tower is luring in the Cultivators to feed these creatures? Or Feed itself? Does the Tower retain its power by killing things in it?"

Yaksha sighed. "There are rats coming."

Cheng Xiu created a sword copy, and killed the one that came up. "A Tower must have a dungeon. My guess is, that is where our targets are. Let us go!"

Cheng Xiu ran straight in.

San Zhe wanted to cry. What had happened to the cautious and careful Cheng Xiu? Why did going into Deep Dive actually make her more risky!

"Relax," Yaksha said to San Zhe. "If it really gets too much for her, I will help."

San Zhe looked at the Expert with grateful eyes. "It is not easy trying to protect Sister Xiu!"

Yaksha looked back at him. "She doesn't need protection, Mr San. She just needs you to do your job as her friend and not betray her."

With those words, Yaksha ran down the flight of stairs.

San Zhe scrambled after him, his mind on Yaksha's words. Did he seem like the betraying type? Why was the expert always warning him of that?

San Zhe could not think of a reason, and so decided to shelf the matter for later. When he had a bit more leisure time, he would examine his own actions that would have given that kind of impression.

The stairs echoed as he ran after the two.

San Zhe was surprised to find the trails of rat bodies all around himself as he descended. And he knew it was Sister Xiu who had done the deed.

He heard sounds of metals clashing as he neared the edge.

He saw sparks flying and Cheng Xiu flying backwards, falling at the foot of the stairs.

Yaksha stood leaning against the railing, watching as Cheng Xiu fought against a shadowed creature.

San Zhe looked down in curiousity and nearly retched.

A humanoid rat stood on its hind legs, holding a pickaxe that was twice its height. The rat was burly and muscular. Its eyes glowed an eerie red, and saliva frothed from its mouth.

San Zhe took a step back in horror.

The creature swung its axe towards Cheng Xiu's fallen figure.

Cheng Xiu crouched low and dashed forwards, using the sword in her hand as a shield.

Just as San Zhe thought she would use it to block the incoming weapon, Cheng Xiu changed the trajectory of her body so that the sword changed where it was aimed.

He watched in daze as the hand that held the pickaxe was torn of the body of the rat.

Cheng Xiu kneed the creature in the guts and then beheaded it.

San Zhe was shocked even more. Wasn't this too graphic?

Sure, he could only barely see the blood that was coming from the corpse but he felt that Cheng Xiu's methods had somehow become ruthless.

"It's Heart detachment," Yaksha said in a low voice to San Zhe.

San Zhe eyes widened. Heart detachment...it was like going into a trance, but the thing that you were detached from was the emotional connections that you had. But this should only happen to those who were put under a witch's curse!

San Zhe looked at Yaksha.

The Expert nodded.

"What do we do?" San Zhe asked in fear.

"You take care of Little Sela, I will take care of the witch," Yaksha said and disappeared.

San Zhe blinked. Take care of Cheng Xiu?

He looked down where Cheng Xiu was engaged in a fight with another humanoid Rat with a pickaxe. She beheaded this one without engaging it in too many close fights.

San Zhe wanted to cry. They were not in the same league, okay! Lord Yaksha, how could you!

Cheng Xiu's eyes were glazed over and red, glowing with killing intent as she looked for her next opponent.

She heard movements up the stairs.

Cheng Xiu looked up and her eyes caught sight of a hidden figure.

A ruthless smile graced her lips.