Smooth jazz played from above as Saiph contemplated what the challenge would be. One of those tests with the self-driving car that had to make decisions? The elevator stopped and a beep was heard before a robotic voice sounded, "Everything is as real as it should be."
The elevator doors slid open and an empty warehouse filled with cardboard boxes came into view. She gingerly stepped out of the elevator onto the dusty concrete floor of the warehouse. She carefully walked around the warehouse, her knife out.
"Saiph. What are you doing here?"
She whirled around at the sound of the voice, it was the guild master of the Bloody Coin. Saiph was unsurprised that he could sneak up on her since he was also an assassin and had higher cultivation.
"Guildmaster, I would say the same to you."
"You are merely a subordinate, don't talk back to me. Answer my question."
"Why would I have to answer to you? You aren't my guild master."
He chuckled and stepped closer to Saiph, "You haven't left the guild, I am still your guildmaster and subordinate. Now Saiph, What are you doing here?"
"You are not my guild master, you are not even human. Despite the monster he was, the guildmaster was not one literally like you. "
His face was hard, "What do you mean Saiph, doubting my identity?"
She scoffed, "Drop the act."
The guildmaster's stony face stared at her for a few minutes before stretching into an inhuman smile that literally reached his ears," When did you figure it out?"
"Only my footprints are on the floor. When you stepped forward, I heard no noise and there were no footprint's on this dusty floor despite your feet touching the floor."
"Smart. Smart. Very well, off to the next floor for you. You do not have to fight me. The elevator will have a mother button for the next floor."
"But what if I want to fight you?"
Saiph lunged forwards, her silver dagger flashing as it neared the fake guildmaster's neck. The fake guild master grabbed its head and pulled it off its neck, making the dagger miss its target. Saiph quickly brought that dagger down along the spine of the creature. It screeched and arched its back as Saiph dragged her dagger along its neck to its tailbone.
She landed on the ground behind the creature, "Hmm, black blood. How interesting. I'm so curious!"
The creature groaned and backed away, the wound on its back oozing black blood as it slowly closed up.
"How intriguing," said Saiph as she observed grinning, "Is it alright if I dissect you? You'll heal anyways."
She lunged forward towards the stumbling creature and pinned it to the ground, "I'm glad you have his face, I've always wanted to do this to you, boss!"
Saiph tied him up with her jacket before cutting open the creature's shirt and making a V cut from the shoulders all the way to the chest and then cutting straight down so it looked like a Y. She smoothly peeled the skin back.
"How interesting! You have no organs, only bones. It's like you're wearing a costume!"
The creature writhed under her in pain as she began to peel the skin off the skeleton, "Stop! Stop! I'll tell you what I am! I'll tell you everything about my kind! Please! Just stop!"
"Alright... But that ruins all of the fun."
"I am what they call a Filler. I'm technically a skeleton, but I have my skins that can transform. My species are hybrids from a Seelie consummating with a human. We don't die, but our flesh does, and we turn to our Seelie skins. We die by fire or energy exhaustion. We can be turned into powder, but still, regenerate even though it can take up to a year. The strongest of us have reached immortality and had built up resistance to fire. I'm the weakest of my kind."
Saiph caressed her chin, "I suppose that satisfies my curiosity. I'm going up to the next floor. Bye!"
"Bye, I really hope I don't see you again."
Saiph chuckled and released the Filler from her jacket, "And what is your name?"
"I am David."
"Goodbye David."
Saiph tied her jacket around her waist, before walking into the elevator. On the control panel in the elevator, there was a new button for the next floor. She pressed it and waved to David, "Toodles!"
The elevator door slid shut and David gave a sigh of relief, "I pity the person on the next floor."