"Where's Melissa?" Elayne asked seriously as she approached the girls standing by the main entrance.
"She left with Lindsey and Laura, albeit a bit hesitant..." one of the girls replied.
"Those whores..." Elayne retorted as she walked away, knowing exactly where she'd find them.
Meanwhile, Lindsey and Laura sat Melissa down on a bed as she looked around her uncomfortably.
"Um... You wanted me...?" she asked in a low voice. "You two are biological sisters, correct? Wouldn't this type of act with me feel a little... indecent?"
"That's not why we called you here," Laura corrected with a serious expression and a disappointed sigh that followed right after.
"Yeah. You're not our type," Lindsey added as she crossed her arms.
"No!" Laura shouted and took a deep breath. "Look, we need your help."
Melissa smiled faintly. "Why would you need my help?"
"Nico's been killed, and you know who was responsible, don't you?" Lindsey asked as she approached Melissa.
"We're not accusing you of anything. All we're looking for are answers. You've slept with Genesis, haven't you?" Laura inquired.
Melissa averted her gaze and rubbed her shoulders. "Yeah, but it's not like I had a choice... I had nowhere else to turn to..."
"Boo hoo, save your sob story for later. We know what you can do, as an awakened Dryad. We want you to tell us Genesis's weakness," said Lindsey.
"What? What are you going to be doing with that information?"
Lindsey and Laura exchanged serious glances before nodding at each other. "Alright, we'll be frank with you; you like Nico."
Melissa's face turned beet red as she furrowed her brows. "What?!"
"Sshh!" Laura shushed her.
"We're not teasing you. In fact, I love Nico more than you do," added Laura. "At the very least, you should want to avenge him. You'll be able to live on knowing that we took care of everything."
"... That's not exactly easy... This is Big G we're talking about... One wrong move..."
"And you're dead," Elayne concluded as she stepped inside the room and locked it behind her.
Lindsey took a fighting stance while Laura stood in front of her, extending her arm and signalling to her that she should lower her fists.
Lindsey slowly dropped her arms and glared at Elayne.
'Shit,' Lindsey and Laura thought simultaneously.
"... Mel, Big G forced himself on you...?" Melissa asked in a broken voice.
Melissa turned her head and smiled faintly. "I needed to find a way to watch over you without being worried about you. So... the easiest way to do that was to give him what he wanted..."
'Which would explain why Genesis is so strong...' Lindsey said as she listened to their exchange.
Elayne sighed heavily. "Look..." Then, she approached Melissa and sat beside her, placing her hand on Melissa's.
"... You didn't have to go that far for me. You're not like me; you're a good person with a good heart. So, why did you do that?"
Melissa looked at Elayne and tears fell from her eyes. Then, she quickly wiped them as she continued to smile.
Elayne hugged Melissa and brushed her hair.
"I couldn't let you work beside this man without worrying what he would do to you... That's why... That's why I couldn't leave you alone... I was afraid that he'd try to do the same thing to me or to you..." Melissa admitted.
Elayne felt her heartbreak when she heard this. Then she remembered the day she was sacrificed by Genesis just for him to get a single hit on Nico, who ended up dying because of her.
She knew that Genesis was a bad person deep down within her heart, but refused to accept it.
He had saved her so many times and although he had ill intentions for most of the people who worked with him, Elayne was different.
Or, was she?
Was this so-called loyalty towards Genesis going to save her when he proved that he was willing to sacrifice anything and everything just to keep himself alive?
Elayne's mind was racing as she contemplated on what she had to do.
Because of her selfish reasons, Melissa, her younger cousin, was soiled by the man she had put her faith in.
Not only that, but Genesis had been nothing but a thorn in her side ever since he threw her under the bus.
She was never the same after that incident.
"Mel..." she began in a low voice. "... If you say the word, you and I will leave Genesis, together..."
Melissa stopped sobbing and looked at Elayne. "But... how are we going to keep ourselves alive...? How are we going to survive with him lurking around?" Melissa asked, curious as to how Elayne could assure their survival.
The short answer was she couldn't.
Elayne alone wouldn't be able to take down Genesis-she wasn't strong enough.
Even with the help of Lindsey and Laura, their safety and victory still wouldn't be guaranteed.
"I know someone who can beat Genesis and keep us safe," Lindsey began. "Not only do I trust him with my life, I also love him to a great degree. If anyone can beat Genesis, it's him."
"There's no real way of knowing that what you're saying is the truth," said Elayne as she stood up and faced Lindsey. "Do you think Genesis can be beaten?"
"Nico proved that he could beat him if he wanted to, especially since he had to resort to using you as a decoy," Laura chimed in, making Elayne growl.
"That enough should prove to you how capable he truly is," added Lindsey.
Elayne's eyes widened. "He's... still alive...?" she finally realised.
"And he can help us. All you need to do is give us a helping hand as well. We need to know what Genesis is hiding..."
***
With bloodied hands and corpses lying around him, Victor raised his fists into the air and screamed at the top of his lungs.
His hands then returned to normal and he allowed himself to take a deep sigh of relief. Turning his head back to look at the others, he greeted them with a proud smile on his face.
"Victor... That was incredible!" Jax praised him as he smiled brightly.
"You're a goliath, aren't you?" Sophia queried as she crossed her arms. "I honestly shouldn't be surprised; your height and strength weren't natural at all."
"I actually came to this world looking like this," Victor responded.
"So, you're not a goliath then?"
"I am."
Sophia was now perplexed. Then, Nico stepped in to explain.
"Victor is the way he is because of his mental fortitude. When he came into this world, he had no self-hatred and he had a clear image of who he was. That's why he's so strong."
"The link towards his original character and himself was so thin that the system basically shoved Victor as Victor... I never thought that was possible..." Sophia added as she expressed her genuine amazement.
"It's nice to see someone so true to themselves..." Veronica said as she finally regained consciousness. "Victor... you're incredible..."
Victor chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Nah, not really..."
{ 55/55 Abyssal Revenants have been slain!
- Reward: æ500,000 }
Nico inspected his system screen and looked at the shards he managed to collect from the few abyssal revenants he killed.
{ Acquired 5 Soul Shards }
He clenched his fists in frustration before looking at Victor. 'If he wasn't here, we would've been dead... I need to get stronger... Fast!'
The scenery around them suddenly shifted. What was the end of the path revealed a large opening, gaping itself through the walls of the cave.
The ground shook and the coral leaves quickly began to die and dry out, their bright and beautiful colours receding excessively and returning to dust.
{ Great job on clearing the third floor of the Tower of Poseidon! Lord Poseidon is most pleased with your efforts! Now that the coral leaves are deceased, you will ascend to the fourth floor, where a puzzle awaits you }
Just as the system screen finished displaying its message, Nico received a notification of his own on his screen and it's safe to say he was shocked.
{ You have two new companions! El4yn3 and M3L have joined your party! }
{ Achievement: Growing Crew Pains
- Have 2 players join your party
- Reward: æ20,000 }
'Elayne and... Melissa? How'd they end up joining my party? At the same time, no less?' Nico wondered as he stared at his screen intently.
'What in the world are Lindsey and Laura doing? Nah, scratch that; what the hell is Lindsey doing if Genesis's right-hand man is now my friend?' he added as he squinted his eyes.
'But, it seems like they're hard at work, so I have no real reason to be mad. I think I'm a little relieved.'
Nico sighed and closed his system screen, placing his faith in his friends, mostly Lindsey.
Right as the terrain had stopped shifting, the path ahead seemed to have no water, but a deep opening with luminescent shards lighting up the way.