The days following CODE's alliance with the Ironclad Company were filled with a sense of momentum. With the Dwarves, Elves, and now the most powerful mercenary faction on the third floor allied with them, CODE's influence was spreading rapidly. But with every victory came the unmistakable feeling that K was watching, biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike back.
Alex stood on the balcony of CODE's expanding guild hall, the wind whipping through the open space. Below him, the bustling headquarters was alive with activity—guild members training, shades working under Alex's command, and traders coming and going with supplies from the Dwarven forges. From a distance, everything seemed perfect. But Alex knew better.
He turned, his gaze meeting Betsy's as she approached. Her expression was serious, her eyes scanning the horizon as if expecting trouble at any moment.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Alex asked quietly.
Betsy nodded, folding her arms. "K's not going to sit back and let us build this empire. We've pushed him into a corner, and now we're going to see just how dangerous he can be when he strikes back."
Alex frowned. "I don't like waiting for him to make the first move. We've been on the offensive, taking down his agents, building alliances—but I know he's planning something."
"And whatever it is," Betsy added, "it's going to hit us hard."
Signs of Trouble
The first sign of K's retaliation came in the form of disappearances. Smaller guilds that had pledged their loyalty to CODE started losing members overnight. Entire outposts were found abandoned, with no signs of struggle—just the eerie presence of K's symbols etched into the walls.
Alex gathered his core team in the war room, their expressions grim as they reviewed the latest reports.
"This is the third guild this week," Rogan said, tossing a map onto the table. "They vanished without a trace. No combat logs, no signs of a fight. It's like they just… disappeared."
"More like they were taken," Betsy muttered, her eyes narrowing at the thought.
Drax leaned forward, his arms crossed. "This has K's mark all over it. He's targeting the smaller guilds, the ones who just joined us. He's trying to scare them—make them think they can't rely on us for protection."
Alex nodded. "He's trying to fracture us. He knows we've built something strong, and now he's trying to make it seem like we can't hold it together."
Luke, standing silently at the edge of the room, spoke softly. "Verum."
Alex looked up. "You're right, Luke. The truth is, K is testing us—probing for weaknesses. But we can't let him get into our heads."
Rogan smirked. "The guy's good, I'll give him that. He's playing the long game, trying to erode our support from the inside. But we've come too far to back down now."
Betsy tapped her fingers on the map, her mind clearly working through the options. "We need to take action. If we wait for K to pick us apart, we'll be too weak to stop him when he finally shows himself."
"We won't let that happen," Alex said, his voice firm. "We're going to strike back, but we need to be smart about it. K's agents are working in the shadows. We need to draw them out into the open."
The Counterattack
In the days that followed, Alex and his team devised a plan to bait K's agents into revealing themselves. They spread rumors through the smaller guilds and factions, planting the idea that CODE was moving a significant portion of their resources to a remote outpost near the edge of the Dwarven lands. The goal was simple: lure K's forces into an ambush.
The outpost was a fortified trade hub, built into the side of a mountain and equipped with both Dwarven and Elven defenses. Alex had stationed only a skeleton crew there, mostly shades and trusted guild members, with the real strike force lying in wait nearby. If K's agents took the bait, CODE would be ready.
As night fell, Alex and the core team—Betsy, Drax, Luke, and Rogan—positioned themselves in the shadows, watching the outpost from a distance. The air was still, the only sound the occasional rustling of the wind through the trees.
"They'll come," Alex said, his voice low but filled with certainty. "K's too smart to let an opportunity like this slip by."
"And when they do," Betsy added, notching an arrow in her bow, "we'll be ready."
Hours passed, and just when it seemed like nothing would happen, Rogan, who had been watching from a higher vantage point, gave a subtle signal.
"They're here," he whispered. "At least a dozen of them—moving in from the south."
Alex tensed, his heart pounding as he scanned the darkness. Sure enough, figures were moving silently toward the outpost, their movements swift and calculated. These weren't ordinary players—they moved with the precision of trained assassins, their forms cloaked in shadow.
"K's elite," Alex muttered. "He's not holding back."
As the figures approached the outpost, Alex gave the signal. The trap was set. With a single motion, the shades stationed at the outpost activated, their dark forms rising from the ground like smoke, surrounding the intruders before they could even react.
The ambush was swift and brutal. Betsy's arrows flew through the air, striking down the enemies before they even knew what hit them. Drax charged in, his hammer glowing with magical energy as he shattered the defenses of those who tried to fight back. Rogan darted between the shadows, taking down targets with silent precision, while Luke's healing magic kept them all on their feet.
But as the battle raged on, Alex felt something off. The enemies were strong—too strong. They fought with a ferocity that seemed almost desperate, as if they were willing to die just to accomplish their mission.
"K's not just testing us," Alex realized, his mind racing. "He's sacrificing them."
Before he could process the thought, a sudden surge of dark magic erupted from the center of the outpost. One of K's agents, a sorcerer, stood in the middle of the chaos, his eyes glowing with unnatural light. The symbols of K were etched into his skin, pulsing with power.
"This is just the beginning," the sorcerer hissed, his voice filled with malice. "K's power grows with every sacrifice. You can't stop him. None of you can."
Alex's blood ran cold as he realized what was happening. K wasn't just sending agents to fight CODE—he was using them as sacrifices, fueling some dark ritual that would increase his power even further.
"Take him down!" Alex shouted, but before anyone could move, the sorcerer raised his hands, and the dark magic consumed him, imploding in a burst of energy that sent shockwaves through the outpost.
The ground shook, and for a moment, everything was chaos. When the dust settled, the sorcerer was gone, and the outpost lay in ruins. The few remaining enemies had been wiped out by the explosion, but the damage was done.
Alex stood amidst the wreckage, his heart pounding. This wasn't just a battle anymore. K was playing a different game, one that was far more dangerous than they had anticipated.
"We're dealing with something bigger than we thought," Betsy said quietly, her voice filled with a mixture of anger and fear. "This isn't just about power. K's building toward something—something dark."
Alex nodded, his mind racing. "He's using these sacrifices to fuel his magic, to gain more control over the third floor. We need to figure out what he's planning, and fast."
Drax, still recovering from the blast, wiped the dust from his armor and grinned. "Well, whatever it is, we'll smash it."
But Alex wasn't so sure. K had shown his hand, and what they had seen was more terrifying than anything they had faced before. The balance of power on the third floor was shifting, and K was gaining the upper hand.
They needed to act, and they needed to act fast.
Rising Tensions
Back at CODE's headquarters, the mood was tense. The battle at the outpost had shaken the guild to its core, and the realization that K was using dark magic and sacrifices to fuel his power had left them all on edge.
Alex stood at the center of the war room, surrounded by his core team. The map of the third floor lay before them, but it felt like the ground was shifting beneath their feet.
"K's playing a long game," Alex said, his voice low and filled with frustration. "He's been manipulating guilds and kingdoms, spreading his influence, but now he's moved to something darker. He's using people as fuel for his magic, and if we don't stop him, he's going to turn this entire floor into his playground."
Betsy nodded. "We need to start thinking bigger. It's not just about guilds and alliances anymore—it's about stopping K before he can complete whatever ritual he's working on."
Rogan, always the strategist, tapped the map. "We've tracked the movements of K's agents, and they're converging on the ancient ruins at the center of the third floor. It's a place of power, one that predates even the Elves and Dwarves. If K's planning to perform a ritual, that's where he'll do it."
Drax slammed his fist into the table. "Then let's go there and end this!"
Alex shook his head. "It's not that simple. K's got his agents everywhere, and the ruins are heavily fortified. We'll need more than brute force to break through."
Luke, standing quietly in the corner, spoke softly. "Verum."
Alex looked at him, understanding the weight of his words. The truth was clear—they were running out of time. K's power was growing, and every moment they waited, he came closer to completing his plan.
"We'll need to gather every ally we've made," Alex said, his voice filled with determination. "The Dwarves, the Elves, the Ironclad Company—everyone. We're going to hit K hard, but we'll need to be smart about it."
Betsy nodded. "Then let's start preparing. The battle for the third floor is about to begin."