Han continued on his journey, glancing at the map to see his sister and Grace still at the same spot. He had passed by them after his Jennifer killed many of the monsters blocking his path. It would likely be a while before Grace could convince Jennifer to continue to the next objective which is to hunt down the nest and kill the monster that was birthing them. If they didn't hurry up with the task, then the other team could take advantage of the continuing flow of monsters.

Looking down at his hands, he looked at a crystal object that would help his team in winning the game. Tucking it away into one of his pockets, he said into his com system, "Ruby, I got it. I'm heading towards your position. Did you find that person?"

"Han, I'm sorry but that person spotted me before I could see them. They are preventing me from getting closer, so I'm going to make my way around and see if I can sneak up on them." Ruby said, sounding annoyed by her carelessness.

"Don't worry about it. There's a reason why they do so well against us, and it's not just because of their choice in weapons. Ping me their location, and I'll try and keep them occupied, while you do your part." Han tried to comfort Ruby.

"Roger," was all Ruby said before the com went silent.

Han could understand Ruby's frustration since this opponent had gotten the first initiative more often than she did in previous games.

Leaving behind the jungle, the path returned to the desert scenery that filled the majority of this map. "If that person already got into position, then it might mean the others on their team are getting close to my position." Han thought to himself. "Mom, you better keep an eye out. Ruby has already met her friend." He reached out to his mom, who was guarding the entrance with Harmony and Ivy.

"We got it, honey! Seeing the way Ruby was moving around, we figured that she ran into her favorite player." His mom giggled.

"Jessica, Ivy, and I got this. Just make sure to finish off that player." Harmony chimed into the conversation.

"That's the plan," Han chuckled, thinking of how everything was going to play out.

Looking at the canyon walls, he kept an eye out for Ruby's friend who could have left their position after encountering Ruby. His suit wasn't capable of cloaking, so he stuck out in this environment. Fortunately, there were telltale signs when Ruby and players in her position make when they are moving, so he just needed to keep an eye out for that.

Reaching the fork in the path, Han sighed upon reaching the Maze. Glancing at the map, he could see Ruby making her way around a specific part of the maze. "Ping the last position. I just reached the entrance of the Maze and heading over in your direction." Han said.

On the map was a dot that appeared with what looked like ripples, followed by a chime. It continued for a few seconds before fading away.

Picking up his pace, Han ran to the right and entered the Maze. It would take him a few minutes to reach where he needed to be, but the problem was running into the other team's charger and crowd controllers. They may have given up on entering the nest and rushed towards Han's side of the map. This would explain how Ruby ran into her friend so quickly.

"They aren't one of the best teams in the League for nothing," Han murmured.

As he made his way, he would look down the other paths that branched away from his. The majority of the map was the maze, though there wasn't much need to delve too deeply into it. Unless whatever kept this place updated and led to them being able to compete with other teams inside this thing updated the maze, it just acted as more places for the assassin role to hide and attack before entering the nest.

There was also the problem with groups of monsters moving through the maze. Taking on a group by himself would not only be dangerous but also give the other team time to complete their objectives.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Han noticed movement. Jumping to his right, he tumbled on the ground and heard the sound of ringing noise. Han looked and saw a blackened hole, a sign of the projectile fired at him.

"I guess I've been found," he groaned. Glancing to where Ruby was at, he said to her, "I just made contact. How are things for you?"

"This shit keeps moving after firing, so I'm having a hard time in pinning him down. I'm pretty sure he knows what I'm trying to do, so he's doing a good job at getting away." Ruby snarled.

"That's odd," Han said, thinking about the previous games. It was true that Ruby would have difficulty with this player, but usually, by now it would have been decided. Either Ruby of her friend would be killed, leaving one of the teams in the advantage.

Pulling out his sword, he quickly moved it in front of him just in time to deflect a projectile. It sounded like metal releasing pent-up energy, creating a dull ringing noise as it struck his sword. This was another reason why he preferred the jackknife, the way it was designed allowed him to use it as a shield, especially against teams that used firearms.

"Even though using a gun or energy weapon is nice, I still think Becky made the right call to stick with cold weapons," Han thought to himself as he ran towards the enemy assassin.

He could tell by the increase in the firing rate that the player was getting frustrated. A few times, Han had to dive to one side when he felt the projectile being aimed at a location not protected by his weapon. Having seen Ruby lose to this player more than winning made Han want to cheat a little. Using his powers, he made it so that the projectiles light out the path of fire before being shot out of the rifle.

Even though he was able to tell where the weapon was going to strike, Han pretended to just be skilled, only using his sword when it would be hitting his torso or head. When it was being aimed at his legs, Han would roll out of the way. He could have increased his speed, but it was pretty well known the average speed of a player. If he went materially faster than other players, over time, it would likely become suspicious. Dodging could at least be attributed to skills, considering he was highly ranked as a player.

"Found you!" Ruby yelled into the com system, excitement in her voice.

After hearing Ruby's words, there were no longer any projectiles being fired at him. Looking at where the assassin was located, Han saw Ruby jumping towards him and the opposing player firing their close range weapon.

Now that the player was dealing with Ruby, Han took this opportunity to rush towards them. There were still several hundred feet between him and where Ruby was at, but at the rate he was going he should be there in less than a minute. He spun his body when noticing a red line being directed at him, likely the player firing a shot at him now that he was getting close.

With the two of them being high up, the opposing player still had an advantage towards Han, though if the player knew that Han could see the firing path of the short-range laser pistol, Han would be confident the other player would be furious.

"Sorry, but this time I'm going to have Ruby win the round," He thought to himself.

Reaching the base of the cliff wall, he began half-climbing and half-jumping up the wall towards where the two were fighting. Even though Han wasn't doing anything, his presence applied enough pressure to keep the player's focus divided. Ruby was likely having difficulty bridging the gap only able to use her dual blades. It was possible for her to throw one of her weapons at the person, but if she were unable to land a critical blow than she would be down a weapon.

He grunted, lifting himself up one of the rocks. Glancing to the next spot, he pushed off his current position and flew towards his target. Judging his current location and where the two were fighting, he was pretty close.

"Ruby, I'm almost there! Hang on!" He yelled at her, hoping he wasn't distracting her fight with the assassin.

"Han, please hurry up! This guy got a lot better at handling close range fights so I may need to throw one of my daggers at him!" Ruby said. Her voice was higher pitched than usual, due to her heightened anxiety.

Hearing the stress in her voice, he knew that he didn't have a choice and allowed some of his power to leak out to help him quicken his pace. Han didn't want to think about Ruby having to experience both a loss and death, even if the other person was a skilled player.

Ruby may not be happy about getting assistance on getting the kill, but Han was sure that she would prefer not getting shot and killed.

Feeling power enter into his body, he grabbed a nearby rock and pulled himself up. Watching the canyon wall fly past him, he quickly kicked off a cliff face that was sticking out. Reaching the ledge where Ruby and her opponent was fighting, he promptly lifted himself up and saw a large flat area with several boulders that made it a perfect sniping location.

Two figures were jumping and ducking, trying to gain the advantage. One of them had a dagger sticking out of their shoulder, though it was apparent that it wasn't fatal and the player was keeping it in there to prevent the wound from bleeding. The suit had likely taken the brunt of the attack and helped to keep it in place.

Han watched as the person looked towards where he was at before looking back at Ruby. The pistol was in their right hand, but their other hand was holding a sphere like object. It seemed like time slowed down as the player tossed the object towards where Han was located, while also raising up the pistol to fire several shots at Ruby.

Ruby managed to deflect one of the beams from the pistol and jumped out of the way of another. She glanced over at Han and yelled.

Everything

in front of his eyes seemed to turn bright and even protected by the suit, Han could feel the heat tearing through the air. A concussive sound was heard, disrupting his ability to listen to what Ruby was yelling at him.