Chapter 45: Floor 5
Floor 5 of Valhalla's Colosseum: hand to hand combat with ninjas. North, south, east, and west fleets of stairs, that was the arrangement of the floors, sectioned off so the multitude of players wouldn't intermingle. Portals that were given a wide platform, twenty feet across, then a single step to reach the next floor. The first ten floors were in the south.
Regardless, Dasha was confident he could defeat any enemy.
Paul was not.
He cowered behind him, panicking and wanting to leave. But he couldn't. A mere glance put him in place. Behind them, players and former players headed to the higher floors, taking that small step with ease. They were heading to the Floor 10. Everyone was, it seemed, though it came as no surprise given the nature of Floor 10.
The angel guarding the portal glanced between Dasha and Paul. Tall and bald, she was a woman that would have received strange looks regardless of her otherworldly wings. "A party member?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Remember," the angel began, "you cannot equip physical weapons. No knives, no swords, no gauntlets. Otherwise, the portal will reject you."
A specific condition of the floor. Dasha nodded. "Understood."
Behind him, Paul hurriedly did as such, shoving his knives into his inventory. Once he was done, the angel nodded and unhooked the tape that had been guarding the portal. For a moment, there was a flicker, the magical barrier turning off and allowing true entry.
Whoosh!
The world changed to white.