“Are you doing a mission or something?” Isra asked.
“See? I was right,” Archie exclaimed from behind Isra. “Even after turning into a mutant, somehow he can still receive quests to fulfill.”
Isra asked another question, “Did you bring us here because you needed help?”
Jake nodded once more.
“I recall a mission I completed a few days before meeting you guys,” Rick added. “The objective was to reach the top of a high-rise building and take out an elite mutant on the rooftop. I guess he’s doing a similar quest.”
“Is your objective something similar?” Isra inquired.
Jake nodded in response.
“Which floor is it?” she asked.
“I believe it’s the seventh,” one of her companions speculated from behind her.
Jake held up eight fingers to her.
“So, just two more floors to go?” Isra clarified.
“Yeah,” somebody behind Isra said. “I didn’t pay much attention to the building when we followed him inside, but I believe it was a ten-story structure.”
Jake nodded in confirmation.
“Then, after you reach the rooftop and defeat whatever awaits there, your quest will be fulfilled, correct?” Isra asked.
Another nod from Jake.
Looking at him in confusion, Isra said quietly as if simply voicing her thoughts without realizing it, “I wonder why he needed our help, though. He seems capable enough of dispatching all the mutants on his own.”
Jake remained silent.
“Don’t think he can answer that,” Frank grumbled from behind her.
“Maybe there’s a time limit or something?” Archie guessed, hitting the nail on the head. “Perhaps he needs to complete his quest within a certain timeframe, but he can’t do it alone.”
Jake nodded in agreement.
“Do we have a choice, though?” Isra asked, studying him intently.
Pointing at the elevator shaft, she inquired, “Can you manually control the platform?”
Jake shook his head again.
“Could be lying,” Rick suggested.
“Doesn’t matter,” Frank dismissed. “If we’re assisting him, we should expect some kind of reward.”
“What if there’s no reward for us?” Rick asked quietly. “Or worse, what if he doesn’t share it with us?”
“Then I’ll kill him,” Frank replied grimly in a hushed tone that only Archie and Rick could hear. At least, that was what he must have thought. Unbeknownst to the group leader, Jake’s enhanced hearing effortlessly captured every word spoken, despite the distance and the quiet voices of the speakers.
“Are you up to the task, though?” Archie asked and fearing his boss’ possible outburst, immediately added, “I mean, remember how quickly and effortlessly he defeated us all a few minutes ago? If he’d wanted, he could easily have killed us, and there would’ve been nothing we could’ve done to stop him.”
Frank remained silent for a moment. Then he spoke, “You’re right. That’s why I’ll bide my time and strike when he least expects it. I’ll deal with him before he even realizes what is happening.”
After being defeated by Jake, Frank likely felt humiliated. His bold declaration may have been an attempt to reclaim his dominance and earn back respect from his companions. Jake didn’t really care what was on his mind. His primary concern was to resume the tower-climb challenge as quickly as possible. Glancing at Isra, he motioned toward the elevator shaft once more, eager to continue on.
“Guess we don’t have a choice, huh?” she sighed.
“Or are you able to transport us down but choosing not to?”
Jake remained motionless, unsure of how to react.
“Let’s go,” Frank grumbled as he headed toward the elevator shaft. “If there’s a time limit, we shouldn’t waste any time.”
As the group leader passed Jake, he shot him a fierce look, his displeasure evident in his eyes. Frank entered the elevator shaft without a word to him, closely followed by Archie and Rick. Isra stayed put, though, and Jake gestured for her to join them. Her expression changed as if she had remembered or realized something.
“Oh, right,” she remarked. “The platform responds only to you. We all need to be inside because it moves when you step on it, correct?”
Jake nodded in confirmation.
“Yeah,” Frank called from inside. “If he boards without you, the platform will ascend, leaving you stranded on this floor.”
Isra held her gaze on Jake for a moment longer. Despite Frank’s animosity toward Jake, it was clear that he was intrigued to see what lay ahead at the end of this challenge. Rick and Archie always obediently obeyed Frank, following his lead without question. Unlike the three of them, Isra wasn’t keen on going along with all of this. However, realizing she was on the eighth floor, she understood she had no choice in the matter. Frank’s warning about being stranded on this floor if she didn’t enter influenced her decision. With no way to ascend or descend the building, she had no choice but to tag along.
Jake was prepared to coerce Isra into entering the elevator shaft if she refused to join the others. However, it wasn’t necessary as Isra sighed once more and eventually joined her companions inside the elevator shaft. With all the survivors on the platform, Jake turned and stepped inside as well. As soon as his full weight was on the platform, the sigils glowed brighter, and the ascent commenced.
The platform took them one level up. The survivors were ready this time, having learned what to expect from their previous encounter. As the rift gates began to open all around them, the group sprang into action, swiftly engaging the mutants emerging from the magical portals. After fending off the initial wave, they made their way deeper into the ninth floor, searching for a spacious room to make their stand. Their plan was to replicate the successful strategy from their previous encounter.
The four survivors fought off one wave after another, standing in the middle of an empty vast room. Meanwhile, Jake skillfully maneuvered around the area, dealing with powerful mutants like slashers, not letting them get anywhere near the group he was protecting.
Things were progressing smoothly, and Jake started to believe they would get the job done without a hitch. And that was when everything suddenly went to shit.