3. The Host and the killer

When i open my eyes, a glowing pair of golden eyes are glaring at me. It startles me that i almost jump out of my skin. I look around to find that I'm no longer in the cave nor am i in the hospital. I'm behind bars.

Kara is in a similar cell, her eyes are glowing but i can see the anger in them. She's sitting with back to the wall, her hair is no longer in the ponytail like she had it when we first met in the cave. She's all ruffled up probably from fighting off Axel earlier. He must be stronger than i thought.

“What are you looking at?“ She asks and i turn my head away from her to take in the rest of my surroundings. I move towards the door of the cell and try to push it open but it doesn't budge. There are no windows and the only way out is through the door, judging by the stairway leading up, Up was not a place I wanted to go.

“Spix” i say and the system tab pops up in front of me.

“You are currently in the dome. A fortress north of Eden central owned by The deep circle” Spix says.

“How do i get out?“

“There are five exits” Spix says and a map pops up.

“Forget it. It's crowded with guards. They don't call it the fortress of doom for nothing” Kara butts in. I turn to see her eyes are no longer glowing.

“Why do they have us here?“

“I know why they want me. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be dead by now?“ I am reminded of how snarky she gets whenever she opens her mouth.

“Why do you keep looking down on me? I might be stronger than you think?“

She scoffs because she doesn't know. No one except Ravena knows— that's if she hasn't told her crew.

“If you're so strong then get us out of here” She says turning her head to the other side. I notice she's injured with a bunch of other scars on her arm.

“You're hurt”

“I'll heal” she replies blankly.

The sounds of descending footsteps draws my attention to the door. I see Axel's face through the glass before the door opens. He steps in with a man. The man walks with an air of confidence and a smug look on his ruffled face. He's goodlooking but he spells trouble. He lays eyes on me first before turning to Kara.

“The mouse finally returns to its' trap. You know you look good behind these bars. Better than out there causing trouble for me”

Do they know each other? Kara's disdainful look at the newcomer tells me she wishes she didn't.

“Go to hell, Dante” she spits.

“In due time. This place is hell enough. I'll just cut right to the chase. Where is Ayra?“ He asks leaning into her cell.

“How am i supposed to know the answer to that? I have no business with demons like you” She replies, glaring up at him from under his eye.

“You see, this is why i like you. You have fiery spirit. However, it should be reserved towards other players and the monsters in this cursed realm. I don't care how close you were with Ayra, you should know better than to talk to a host like that?“

A host? A status bar appears over his head. I don't think anyone else can see it. If they do, they don't say anything. I read the status tab.

“WARNING: LEVEL 3 HOST DETECTED.

Name: Dante

Power: INFERNO

ENERGY LEVEL: 45%

I can feel the heat rays emitting from around him. Suddenly, the air feels hotter and i feel like I'm suffocating. Kara doesn't seem affected but i can see Axel breaking a sweat. He locks eyes with me, giving me a snobbish look before turning back to Kara and Dante.

“Where is Ayra?“

Who is Ayra? I ask to myself.

“None of your business”

“Did she really make it through the gates?“ Axel asks. Kara glares at him like she hated him more than Dante and wished he would cease to exist. She doesn't answer him and i can see a hint of hurt in Axel's eyes.

“That's ridiculous. This world is a set up. No one makes it to the gates because it doesn't exist. A second life?“ Dante scoffs. “What a myth. I know she's lurking somewhere. I can feel her energy lingering in the air. I know she's alive. Keep your secrets, Kara. They will be out in the open eventually” he steps away from her cell and turns back to me.

He smirks at me while looking down on me. “Who's this?“ He asks Axel while looking at me.

“Lady Ravena has requested to keep him locked up until the next tournament.“

“Why? He has no energy and no power”

“I have no idea. She seems to have taken an interest in him?“ Axel replies and Dante's look turns sour.

“Why would she want such a pathetic thing?“ He slurs before walking out the door.

Once Kara and i are left alone again, i hear her laugh. “When i said find a crew. I didn't mean this crew”

“You weren't specific” I joke back.

“What? So you couldn't find a way to be useful other than being Ravena's boy toy? Come on, at least try to level up.“ She asks and i can tell she's being condescending again by her tone.

“Why? Am i not attractive enough to do that?“ I don't know why but i enjoy poking back at her with jokes. Her face reddens and she doesn't answer my question and that's when i realise… i have no idea what i look like.

The silence is awkward so i speak first. “Level up. How do i do that?“

She stares up at me in disbelief. “You really don't know anything do you? Does spix not communicate with you? You should be all caught up by now.“

“She comes and goes.“ I tell her and she looks even more surprised. “Is it not the same for you?“

She shakes her head 'no'. “There's something off about you…”

Should i just tell her that I'm a host. She didn't seem to like them very much. No, i can't do that. She might react worse than Ravena. Kara did not seem as level headed and ready to reconsider..

“So how do i do that?“

“There are two ways for players to level up in Eden Bizarre. The first is tournaments. They happen every chamber you cross. Usually, new players spawn at the bottom chamber and they have to advance their way up. That's how you build your skill level but you say you arrived at the 50th chamber meaning you're 50 levels behind in a den of super powerful players. The next tournament is in 3 days and if you choose to participate, you'll probably die” Once again, she speaks of my death as if it's expected but she's not wrong. If my skills are so low

“The other way?“ I ask, running a hand through my snow white hair.

She narrows her eyes. “Your status tab, what does it say under special abilities”

I bite down on the inside of my cheek and wonder if i should tell her. Would it give away the fact that i am a host? I dismiss the thought and tell her anyway.

“Consumption” i say. Her lips part in surprise and i wonder if she's figured it out.

“Consumption. It's a rare skill and the second way for players to level up fast. You consume the power and energy of other souls and master it. That's also a no for you because everyone on this chamber is stronger than you and will obliterate you if you even think of raising a finger to them. You can take the energy of the dead monsters and gems but that will only have little impact.“

“So what do i do?“

“Continue being Ravena's boy toy and who knows? She might let you have some of her power” she laughs lightly again.

“That guy said the gates don't exist so how do we end the game?“ I ask, changing the topic.

“There are also two ways to break the system and end the game. Maximise your skills, make it to the final level and out the imaginary gates or Kill all the hosts. Those bastards exist to make the game more difficult than it should be. No host? No game. No game? No system.” she says with a mischievous grin on her face.

My face contorts into a blend of shock, fear and terror. Kara looks murderous as she stares into the empty space.

“Have you ever killed a Host?“ I hate to admit but I'm afraid of her answer. My heart speeds up at the thought of thousands of powerful people ready to kill me.

“No” Her answer does not make me feel better.

“Would you ever?“

She looks up and her empty eyes lock with mine.

“In a heartbeat”