There were about twenty players grouped together around a mounted turret in the center of a large circular platform, about thirty feet in radius. Surrounding it was nothing but pitch black darkness, but Alan knew there were likely hidden pathways as well. Eve calculated the ending destination of the slide, it was about ten feet above this larger platform all the players stood on. Alan watched as the Experimental Warden leapt forward as fast as a speeding bullet, knocking three players down. It darted its two arms forward, piercing its blades into two of the fallen players, then flung them backwards, into the abyss. Each blade was coated with a writhing, black venom that seemed to emerge from the Experimental Warden’s body.

The two players arced through the air and fell to their deaths, but before the Experimental Warden could retreat it was hit by waves of fire emanating from the mounted turret, decreasing its health by 3% to 45%. It then leapt backwards, into the abyss. To the players standing on the platform below, it would look like it had simply disappeared, but Alan could see that it had landed on a hidden platform below.

“God damn it,” a man swore. He wore a black cloak with a red star on the back of it. “That’s the 100th time it’s done that, didn't anyone see where it went?”

“No, it vanished. Shouldn't we retreat? I’m not sure we can defeat this thing; it wasn’t our intention to fight any boss.”

“Ha! Do you want to be the one to return to Lakshi empty handed? Besides, we just need for it to go for the right target…”

“Are you sure this is going to work? All of our kinetic and biological weapons seem to have had no effect on it. The only thing that gets to it is energy attacks.”

“Shut up idiot. Have any of my plans failed before? And don’t speak so loudly, who knows how intelligent it is.”

Should we help them? Alan asked.

Negative. Continue to observe.

Alan did so, waiting; hoping nobody noticed him, least of all the Experimental Warden. He watched as the experiment leapt onto another invisible platform underneath the large platform, disappearing from Alan’s view as well. Shortly after it reemerged on the other side, and slowly crept back onto the main platform.

Before anyone could react, it leapt forward into the group of players again, and stabbed its two blades forward. This time, a blade pierced a player in a robotic suit. Arcs of electricity burst out of the player, enveloping the Experimental Warden and stunning it momentarily. The player turned out to be a miniaturized mech. Before the Experimental Warden could react, three other mechs jumped forward, shooting out restraining grappling hooks and wires that shot out their own waves of electricity. Meanwhile, the mounted cannon kept unloading wave after wave of fire at the boss, slowly etching away at its health. Alan watched as its health decreased, at the rate of around 3% a second.