Fear.
Of a monster so terrible he had been buried alive and cast away from humanity that they might be safer for his absence. He saw it etched on their faces and in the way they backed away as he entered. A terror so great he might have been better off cut off from them as well.
Rak barrelled through regardless, pushing his massive bulk through the crowded cafeteria confident that they would part before him. The line parting around him as he reached the counter and ordered food for them both.
Nervously he pushed on from the door himself resting at an empty table. Staring out into a window at a sky that seemed to go on forever. No rock walls in sight as an endless expanse spread across the world. It was too big compared to the small world in which he'd been safe, he didn't understand why Rachel had wanted to see something like it so much.
But she had gone and now he was here chasing after her.
Wreathed in bandages to the point where there was more flesh covered by them than anything else Leesoo dropped into the seat across from him with a smile that quickly turned into a wince. "Ah that hurt."
I didn't mean to. The words stuck on the end of his tongue because in that moment between life and death he hadn't even considered. The moment he'd been caught out on the battlefield it had been decided and so the real choice would be to stay at home in his cave.
But Rachel was no longer there and so that choice didn't even exist.
The words that left his mouth were different. "I'm sorry."
Leesoo looked pensively back for a moment. "I fought for my way in through the wall so it was a risk I knew I was taking. That I lack strength was something I was already aware of." An awkward smile formed. "There were worse ways I could have learnt not to underestimate people, we can both just consider it a glimpse of my hubris in the end."
He gazed out at the other regulars putting their distance between the table the two of them shared. The empty expanse surrounding them made all the more obvious by the crowded tables slowly filling at the other end of the room. "I don't think they agree with you."
Leesoo shrugged and then winced. "Ah that hurt, but then climbing the Tower was always going to be a risky business. That's not a problem with you but with them." He smiled gently. "I mean right now I'm the only person making friends with one of the most powerful regulars hanging around here, and they're all missing that chance. They don't even have an excuse like competing with you now that we're being split into separate classes."
The question hovered on his tongue, would it seem strange to not know what they were at all? He mustered up the courage anyway and asked, "What positions would they be?"
Leesoo blinked. "Just think of it as a recognition of what you're good at. So Anak and you are probably going to be some kind of fighters while I'm hoping there's a fancy name for not good at fighting down in there somewhere."
He nodded along even if he wasn't very good at fighting. The things he was good at were waiting and boardgames, he had enough practice at both of them to last an eternity.
"You are with me," Black March half formed her voice hanging in the air beside him, "so you'll be a fisherman. And that Leesoo kid will make a good scout, he's doing much better at it than you are."
"Black turtle eat, regain your strength." The bowl crashed down in front of him even as Rak crashed down into the seat beside him breaking the illusion. "You must remain strong to keep your status as my prey."
He looked at the strange bowl in front of him and saw other people swallowing the contents. "Thank you." He smiled back at Rak and copied after them.
Rak grunted in response, his head turning and burying his face in his bowl. "Purple Turtle do you bring a message from Green Turtle to have sought us out? Does she still dare to hunt my prey even in front of me?"
Leesoo shrugged. "You brought your superweapon, we brought our one I don't think you can blame her for igniting it once yours came to the field. I'm fine with bygones being bygones but I didn't exactly ask her opinion before I came to speak to you."
"So you're just fishing for information." Rak looked down at him as he raised himself to his full height.
Leesoo met his gaze calmly. "Of course, knowing what's coming is the first step in preparing for it. So I want all the information available for when the next test starts. You seemed to know Anak was strong from the beginning so isn't that the same?"
"Of course." Rak nodded to himself. "When she drew that weapon for the first time and I recognised its presence just as I found Black Turtle in the same way." Rak paused smiling. "It is good to know I judged her right to be the greatest threat."
Leesoo smiled awkwardly. "Ah I didn't see you at that time."
"I do not need to be present to see her." Rak nodded firmly, "She radiates power such that she can be seen wherever you are. She even looked back when I sensed her presence so of course we both knew the other existed."
He nodded in his seat. "The Ranker saw her like that as well."
"You can sense Shinsoo?" Leesoo was looking thoughtfully at both of them as he said it.
"I'm a fisherman." Rak stated it as though it was obvious. "How would I catch fish if I could not find them?"
He patted Rak on the shoulder. "He's just realising you're even more amazing than he thought you were."
Leesoo smiled as well. "Yeah, you're big and strong enough that I thought that enough was a qualification to climb. With brains and brawn aren't you one of the strongest combatants here."
Rak grunted in assent. "Purple turtle you have good eyes, if you were stronger you would be worthy prey as well. Although there are lots of worthy prey in this place especially those two." Raks eyes narrowed. "They were not present on the killing field alongside us, but you should watch for them."
He looked in the direction Rak was eyeing, but there were lots of people. And all of them felt the same.
He passed through the doorway out into the hall, pale walls and brightly lit enough to want him to huddle back into his bed and never leave it. But he couldn't remain inside forever on his own. She had left him behind and that was even more terrifying.
She was there right in his personal space, half a step in front of him staring deeply at him even as she smiled. "Are you staring because I'm too pretty?"
She was pretty beyond belief with flawless skin and wide eyes brimming with kindness. Like some fairy-tale princess from one of Rachels stories descending to join the masses. "Well…" he struggled with the words.
"Androssi Zahard." She said the name as though it held meaning and smiled wider as she leaned in. "You were able to ignite Black March so I can't say I'm not interested as well. I mean most people would be killed by my sister before they could even lay their hands on it. How did you take it from her in the first place?"
He stepped back at the accusation. "I promised to give it back to Yuri." It sounded like a weak excuse.
Laughter answered. "I know I know, there's no way a regular could take it by force anyway. Even if you had my sister doesn't need me to clean up after her, she's a real monster you know."
He nodded quietly. "She introduced herself by falling from ceiling and kicking me in the face."
She winked back. "All the members of my family are a bit violent like that. Yuri is, Anak you've met but then we can back it up so its fine. Although it was weird she'd just let you borrow it… ah but it's not like you could lie about that."
"She gave it to me only so I could help find my friend. But I was taken away to the killing fields before I could hand it back."
She stared at that. "Great bunny ears himself. That explains a lot its not like anyone could refuse him, even Yuri would have to bow her head for a moment if he made a move. Well, I'll put in a good word for you when she turns up as an accident, or maybe I can even get someone close to the family to return it to her before she even turns up."
The needle at his side burned in response to the words. A half-formed phantom pulling itself into existence beside him.
He ignored her. Because he had promised to return it to Yuri directly. "I can't give it to anyone other than Yuri even if you are her sister." Something caught between approval and distaste passed through from the needle itself. "Wouldn't giving it to you be a disaster itself?"
If he did that it would be lying, and if he lied to a girl the ceiling would collapse.
Rachel had told him so.
Androssi frowned at those words. "Really? If you know what it is then you should know that just having it will get you in trouble. If she had given it to another princess that would be bad, but for a chosen princess to offer it to a man? People will wonder if you tried on something from the kings showcase."
Yuri had helped him. "She said it was okay and I'm going to trust her." No one else present had objected when Headon had asked her to give it to him. Surely if it would get Yuri into trouble they would have mentioned it. "She gave it to me to help me find my friend."
She met his gaze unflinchingly, and then her frowned disappeared into a smile. "You don't even understand why do you? How can you get your hands on one of the Thirteen Months without knowing what it is?" She stepped forward inside his guard and.
The room froze, as Black March stepped down fully as her spectral form touched existence once again. Lightly pressing on the world for a moment as she looked down at the girl across from him. "So what? Does a little girl think she can make a choice in this matter? Does having a little hairpin give you strength princess. Do you think your father will support you declaring yourself chosen?"
Androssi stepped back looking up at the power flowing around Black March and stepped away. "It really does like you doesn't it? Even though it's not supposed to work for anyone by us." She turned away and walked down the corridor, turning back with a cute flair and winsome smile. "I guess that means your pretty reliable then, I hope I get the chance to see it in the next test."
It was just the two of them again. Even as her form slowly faded away in moments. "Is it actually going to cause trouble for Yuri that I took you?"
Her hands closed around in his face, even as she smiled widely. "No harm will come to my chosen one, that I can promise you."
Even as the needle hung at his waist the spectral form of the girl hovered watching him. Tracing an arc before his eyes as the world seemed to move around her.
The faintest of breezes flowed along the corridor, so light he could barely feel its caress. A gentle flow passing through the corridor tugging at the edge of his senses. "Follow it."
At the other end hidden in an alcove of the corridor was a pile of sheets swamped around one of the other regulars. Vaguely he remembered him as one of the first to pass through the wall. "Are you okay?"
The blankets shuffled as a lazy expression peered out from the depths. Lidded eyes still cloaked with sleep as he looked up. "Perhaps I'm just testing my limits." His voice trailed off as the man turned to stare at the ceiling.
He wanted to ask what limits they were. He didn't want to be seen as not knowing something so obvious when he was already so out of place.
"And finding them wanting. I guess Rankers don't make mistakes." He spoke again even as he rested leaning back into his sheets. "Talent can be a scary thing, can't it?" A hand extended. "Phonsekal Laure."
"Baam." He took it even as Black March laughed at them both. Her eyes caught between mirth and something darker as she looked down on them. Even as the shimmering wind she'd touched returned to Laure in its entirety.
Laure spun it back into a ball, a gentle floating light sitting weightlessly on the world as it hovered above the palm of his hand. "Are you well versed in using Shinsoo?" The orb drew closer to him as it hung weightlessly in the world.
He blinked and put his hand into the swirling orb and touching back against the faint pressure held within. Light almost in the same way as when Khun moved, but slowly tugging itself to the centre as the world shifted around it.
"Can you do it too?" He felt her whisper in his ear as Black March watched on. "The world falling into the abyss as you pull."
Both of them were watching him expectantly, so he replicated it. A fragment of the world pulled inwards into a void as existence itself flowed together as one flow until a faintly glowing ball rested lightly on his hand. Quietly humming atop his hand as power coalesced in place. He thought of the tingling feeling from the Rankers own power and twisted the ball in his hand and it flickered with the same pulsating rhythm as it arced between his hands. "Like this?"
Laure opened his eyes fully glimpsing it for a moment. "Lightning did it take you long to learn?" Even so he reached out a finger to touch it himself.
Long to learn? "It's just a copy of what the Ranker did, and even then I don't think I can get anything like the power he put into it." It was only a pale imitation in the same way that the light dancing in his hand was an imitation of Black March drawing in power from the world.
Resting back into his swaddle of clothing the other man sighed. "To be Gustang looking at Eurasia."
He didn't understand what that meant at all. But he didn't want to admit it as he nodded along in fake understanding. Even as he glanced towards Black March for an explanation.
She giggled back. "It means he has eyes."
The board was set, the pieces in place as he sat down to face her. Just like he used to do so with Rachel. A game that could go on for hours if you knew how to play, he moved first and settled back to watch her think.
Black March smiled back and pointed a dainty finger at her own piece, and he moved it for her.
His eyes poured over the board, good moves and bad moves floating through his mind. He played them all, although more bad moves than good ones as it progressed. She didn't seem to pay much attention to the board but had instead fixed her eyes on him. But Rachel hadn't enjoyed it when he won and so he let it progress.
Thirty more moves later and they had progressed no where at all. A few pieces sacrificed here and there, but her smile still preserved as she kept watching.
"Blue turtle hurry up and stop pretending to be asleep already." He took his eyes from the game for a moment only to realise Rak was right this time. Khun was awake and he turned fully in his seat to smile back. "We brought food." A small hamper filled with things picked out as.
Rak had eaten all the food. A single banana skin left sitting by the wayside as he proudly stood over the basket they'd brought with a look of pride. He turned to Khun sheepishly. "Well there was food at least."
Khun laughed. "Well it's not like I'm so poor I can't get a bite to eat myself. Well without the fanfare of applause I'm guessing we're still on the second floor, so can you at least tell me that monster went up instead."
He winced in response.
"Ah so we're still stuck with them as well." Khun tugged at his hair. "I guess it can't be helped how long was I out."
He explained as much as he could, as quickly as he could. And Khun just watched eyeing him quietly the whole time.
"Two Princesses and two of the thirteen months series, what is going wrong with this line up." He drummed his fingers against the table. "Both with a wielder who can ignite them which should be beyond a normal regular."
Black March smiled. "Oh he doesn't know the half of it. What with missing the irregular and Headon's toy." She turned to him calmly. "But as long as I'm here none of them can touch you so keep me close."
He twitched at her words. Because he didn't want to say either of those words to Khun in the first place.
"Can I try talking to her directly?" Khun suddenly interjected and he paused to look back. "Well, if you can in the first place."
"I don't want to he isn't my type at all." She leaned in to him whispering in his ear. "He looks like the kind of guy who doesn't know how to treat girls right. Like he'll just collect thousands of wives and treat them all like so much trash."
Khun didn't look like that at all did he? But after a short prompt he relayed the message over with some relief on his part. If she had been willing would she have outed him as the irregular? He trusted Khun, but not quite that much.
Khun chuckled. "Ah I guess I look just like my father then."
She nodded along. "See he gets it."
It must have been written all over his face as Khuns eyes narrowed. "Ah she actually does know my father… that explains a lot I should have known that in the end I guess."
"It's also nonsense." Rak spoke up from his seat. "Blue turtle will just say he's doing his best when he holds back and does nothing. He needs to learn to commit more."
Khun leaned back to take in the whole room. "If I'd realised she had something like that I would have told you to abandon the fight entirely. Sometimes it's better to just let them head on without us." He sighed and shook his head.
AN: Things go out, even if I'm unhappy with them parts of it due to feeling its too stilted.
Anyway this chapter has lots of setup because I'm introducing plenty of characters, next chapter will have more meat to it when I write it out. I know my ending point for it already and its just writing up to reaching it. Needs more Khun plotting, lots more Khun plotting. Good news Khun is awake now to start doing more Khun plotting.
The answer to why it isn't pulled out has been discovered, its because we lack readers and writers. Ah well I've already finished one full length story for a small number of reader so I'm up for another just as easily. And I'm sure more readers will come when season 2 of the anime starts airing.
+ side this fic stays near the top even if I don't update it for ages.
