dr doc

by thejarl7166

dr doc

5. Those who Seek Redemption

Those who Seek Redemption

Those who Seek Redemption

Prologue:

What do you desire?

Wealth?

Honor?

Power?

Revenge?

Or

Something that Transcends all others

Whatever you desire…

Is in Here

'If I could do it all over again…'

'I would be the hero.'

…

As I knelt on the ground, I barely felt the mud that seeped into the material of my costume. I was too focused on maintaining awareness and my strength to remain whole…

In order to remain as myself.

I felt my passenger doing… something to me. I was not sure if there were any words that could explain it properly. But I felt the walls of my psyche as they broke down and twisted my consciousness.

I could still see through the insects that were in the domain of my power and control their movements, which was how I could tell she had appeared behind me.

"Contessa," I spoke through the insects, the words a droning hiss as the various bugs emitted their respective sounds to mimic a human voice.

My voice had been one of the first things I lost when I had asked Panacea to break the limiters imposed on my passenger. As time continued, more of my senses had been subsumed by my passenger.

"Khepri," Contessa stated as she stepped through the portal. Either she did not care or ignored the threat I could present. "You killed him. We checked, every trace of Scion has been removed from our world...in every world."

It took a few moments for the words to register, far longer than it would normally have taken, but I gave a small sigh of relief at the news. "Good," I said, the words produced by the buzz and hiss of the insects around me. "Do you know...how many died?"

"Billions," Contessa commented bluntly, which displayed her lack of care for the countless lives lost to stop the entity. "But the alternative would have been complete extinction."

At that information, I allowed myself to despair. 'Billions?' I thought. Billions had already died the first day Scion had gone insane. Billions more were not a surprise, but it still felt like a blow against my chest.

I wanted to cry out in pain at the loss I felt, but instead, I exhaled and pushed the emotions that bubbled up from that news into the swarm. I did not want to break down...not yet. Not here. "And so you're here to finish the job? Get rid of the last monster?" I questioned, but I already knew the answer.

Contessa glanced down at me, her face impossible to read. "Yes. In a manner of speaking." For a moment something flickered past her blank mask, whether that was a faint feeling of regret or something else I could not tell.

Contessa drew a gun from her holster and pointed it at me, a finger held on the trigger but she did not shoot. "Any last words? Requests?" she asked.

For a long moment, I remained still on the ground, thinking back on my life. The mistakes, the pain, the betrayals, and the triumphs. Everything that I had ever done to reach this point.

Was it all worth it?

Those were questions that I was unsure I could...or should answer.

"If I could go back," I started, swallowing to wet my dry mouth, and mustered all the willpower I had left to speak through my mouth. I wanted to say these words myself, not through my power. "I would make things right. I would do better. I would be better. I would be the hero not...not this." I would not be the villain who had sacrificed everyone and everything to stop a greater evil.

I knew...had known for a long time. Ever since I spent those days in therapy with Doctor Yamada, I'd known that I was not a good person. The excuses I told myself, the times I had even lied to make myself feel better about my actions. The people I hurt and cheated to get ahead.

The people I killed.

I was not the hero of this story. I was just a necessary evil that had been required to beat the villain. I wanted to change that...a chance to become the hero I had envisioned on my first night out as Skitter.

My mind pulsed as metaphorical cracks began to weave themselves through my mind, the damage that Panacea had done to give me more power was now threatening to shred the final boundaries between myself and the passenger.

"I want to make things right," I finished, forced to whisper as once again I lose the ability to speak. I wanted to say so much more, apologize to those who I had wronged. Instead, all I could do was bow my head and wait for the final judgment of the cape behind me.

For a long moment, Contessa did not say or do anything. Then, to my surprise, her grip on the pistol went slack and she lowered her arm. "You want to redeem yourself…" she muttered, a contemplative expression on her face.

Finally, she stowed her gun in her holster. "Fine...but I am afraid that you cannot find your redemption here. So I want to give you a choice. Either allow yourself to be depowered and sent to a new dimension. Or keep your powers and be quarantined within a separate reality. You will have your powers and the potential to start fresh. But it will be impossible to return," she offered and gave me a moment to think about her offer.

Either powerless exile or quarantine. I frowned. Neither were great options but in my heart, I knew which one I would take. The only true option among those two.

There was nothing for me in this world anymore. Most of the Undersiders were dead and I had no idea if my father was alive. I was not even sure if Lisa or Rachel had survived through the final battle. I had done all I could to ensure that they would be safe...but who knew if Z-Scion in his final moments had killed them.

I knew from my time as Skitter and Weaver that if I wanted to make a real change, to redeem myself for my past mistakes, that I would need this power. Perhaps I could eventually make a difference unpowered, but it would be insignificant. I could not even ensure that I would survive unpowered for very long before I could make a difference.

'It seems...we are going to stay together for a little longer passenger.' I mused as the frayed walls between myself and the shard grew thinner by the minute. It would not be long before they collapsed completely. When that happened, I was unsure what the result would be...but I would be ready for it. I would not lose myself to my power.

"Well?" Contessa asked, her face blank.

"Exile." The insects around us buzzed, my brief moment of lucidity gone as another wave of pressure from the link to my passenger washed over me, the cracks spreading before they inevitably broke.

Contessa nodded, perhaps she understood my decision, or simply didn't care, but when she called out to Doormaker, a golden portal opened in front of me. Through the portal, I could see a cave...or an entryway filled with murals and statues of unknown heroes and creatures.

"Goodbye Taylor Hebert." With those final words, Contessa pushed me into the portal.

And at that moment, the dam broke in my mind and I knew no more.

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Threadmarks Chapter 1: Headon's Floor

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Jan 26, 2020

#2

AN: A double chapter to celebrate the start of my latest story! I hope you enjoy.

1F: Headon's Floor

1.0

?

I was unsure how long I remained unconscious, but when I finally opened my eyes, it was to my surprise that I felt...normal. The splitting headache and various pains that had wracked my body during the duration of the battle with Zion were gone.

When Panacea had changed the limitations on my power, I had felt the presence of my passenger pressed against my consciousness. I had lost the ability to comprehend others, having to rely on the perspectives of those within my power to interact with others.

But now…

That pressure was gone, and so was the presence of the passenger that I had become so familiar with. 'Either there are no insects around here...or maybe my power has changed again?' I questioned to myself.

Slowly, I curled the fingers of my left hand, where they met the smooth surface of the stone floor. I took a breath and raised the limb up to my vision, examining the segments of the metal plating on my costume. I noticed that the armor had remained intact through the fight.

'Well...may as well see if the rest of my body feels as alright as my head.' Taking a moment to rest the weight of my body on the stump of my right shoulder, I pushed myself upright, where I found that I had little difficulty sitting up despite my injury.

'Did Contessa heal me before she sent me through the portal?' I wondered, rising to my feet as I realized I would not be met with pain. I reached around to my back to feel my flight pack, and with a wince realized the wings and most of the components of it were shattered.

'No point keeping this if it's broken.' I sighed as I unhooked the straps and set it on the ground, careful not to make any noise as I leaned the broken flight pack against the wall. With the weight of the pack off my shoulders, I checked the rest of my gear. I found the nanothorn knife I had taken from Defiant to be in working condition, there was also a bottle of pepper spray as well as an ordinary knife.

I took out the spray and shook the bottle, where I found it to be nearly full. I had packed the weapon out of habit when I had gone off to face Zion but had never found an opportunity to use it.

I stowed the weapons back into their holsters and observed my surroundings. There were murals along the walls depicting different battles. Creatures and humans alike were depicted as fighting in some unknown conflict.

'What is this place?' I wondered as I walked down the passageway, with one hand on my knife in case of an attack.

After I walked for several minutes, soft blue light illuminated the hallway, which prompted me to slow down and take stock of the surroundings. The room was shaped in a half-circle, the far side of the room was comprised of a massive fish tank, where a giant eel-like creature swam lazily through the clear liquid.

At the base of the tank, a bipedal creature stood to observe the creatures within the tank, a large staff with two orbs at the ends in his hands.

'A case 53?' I wondered as I stared at his alien features. The being vaguely resembled a rabbit, with his most distinctive features being long ears and white fur. He was wearing a blue jumpsuit, which left his arms and legs bare.

I took a half step forward, which was enough to alert the creature as he turned to regard me.

"Ah...now this truly is a surprise," he announced, which prompted me to give up the pretense of stealth and enter the room. "Another who has opened the door to this tower and come to test themselves against it." His voice echoed throughout the room as he spread his arms wide. His alien face stretched into a wide grin as he greeted me, the baton in his hands held loose to one side.

'Well...he seems friendly enough. Suspicious...but not hostile,' I decided, stepping further into the pale blue light of the fish tank.

"Who…" I started with a soft voice, but it grew in strength as I realized I could speak with little difficulty. "Who are you? And what is this place?" I needed to figure out what was going on with my body later.

Contessa's power could accomplish nearly anything, but I doubted that even she could fix my broken power without the assistance of other capes.

"Me?" the figure asked, placing a hand upon his chest, and his grin widened further. "I am Headon. The administrator of this Floor. As for where you are...well you are here. On the first floor of the Tower."

"And the Tower is?" I questioned.

The being chuckled. "You opened the door to the Tower without knowing what it is? How unusual. I suppose I can tell you. Whether you are looking for wealth, immortality, absolute power, magic, or mysteries, just head up. All the truth, glory, and happiness in the world...are all up there. That is the Tower."

'Bullshit,' I thought as I considered his words. Contessa had considered an exile, which meant that I had no chance of me returning to my world, or even an alternate of it.

"I see that you do not believe me," the being stated as his demeanor grew serious. "But I assure you that I am speaking only truth. Anything you desire is at the top, but always remember that it is a hard and painful journey to embark on."

I looked away from the being, staring out into the fish tank for a moment as I considered the information. A place that if you climbed to the top you could gain anything you wanted? Was that even possible?

My suspension of disbelief had been eroded in the past few years, but even so, that sounded too good to be true. "And how many who climb make it to the top?"

Headon puts a hand on his chin in a childish thinking pose as he stared up at the ceiling. "One in...hundreds of thousands? Yes, that sounds accurate. You didn't think that wishes could be attained easily did you?"

I gritted my teeth at his nonchalance. "And I don't suppose I have a chance to not climb the Tower?"

The Administrator paused before he turned to stare at me as if I was the alien. "You have no idea just what place you entered, have you?" He began to chuckle once more, his laughs reverberated around the chamber as he continued. "You Irregulars...such a strange breed you are. Did you enter this tower without the desire to climb? How peculiar..."

'Irregular?' I noted the odd term. "It's not like I had a choice."

Headon squinted at me. "We all have a choice, my dear. I am afraid that those who enter the Tower from that way must climb. Though, if you wish to escape the Tower, the answer to that lies further up."

I could tell what was happening here. 'He won't answer anything but basic questions to force me to climb the tower.' I realized. 'I won't get anything more from asking him anything. But one thing I can believe him on is that answers will lie further up this 'Tower.'

"If the answers are above...then how would I climb?" I asked after a moment to ponder my options.

His mouth stretched into a grin at my decision. "Wise choice. To climb this Tower one must pass the test of the Administrator."

"A test?" I questioned.

The Administrator nodded, "Indeed. Each floor has its own system for judging those worthy of traversing further in the Tower. As for me...why don't we play a game?"

'A game?' I wondered. "What type of game?"

"It's quite a simple game," Headon answered as he lifted off from the ground and floated in the air above the aquarium. "A simple game of catch." As he finished speaking, he flicked his wrist to the side and produced a black orb about as large as a baseball. "If you can catch this then I will consider you worthy of moving up the tower." As he spoke, he floated further back, slowly sliding into the water of the fish tank and descended to the center as he tossed the ball up and down.

'I see...that's what his game is.' I concluded, staring up at the gigantic eel as it swims through the tank. For a moment I wondered if I should not take his test and find a different path. 'But.' I grimaced as I realized that without any further information, I could be headed straight into a trap.

'It seems that I don't have a choice.'

I reached into my holster and withdrew the nanothorn knife and flicked it out as I walked into the tank. 'I will only have one shot at this.' I gritted my teeth and turn the knife on, a cloud of microscopic metal extended the blade several feet and sharpened to a needle.

As I entered the tank, I was washed over by the strange sensation of the water-like substance. I could still breathe despite being submerged. 'This is not water...what is this stuff?' I questioned as I moved forward. The substance gave little resistance as I moved closer to the Administrator. The blue liquid acted more like air than any real barrier. But I had little time to examine the fluid since as soon as I entered the tank the eel-like fish circling above us jerked as it turned its head in my direction.

Headon smiled. "I applaud your bravery Irregular. But before we begin, may I ask for the name of my opponent?"

I stared steadfastly into the eyes of the Administrator, recalling the name that Contessa had given me near the end of the fight with Zion. I was no longer Weaver, Skitter, and perhaps not even Taylor anymore. I was something more...or perhaps less than what they had been.

"It's Khepri," I finally decided. Until I found out what was truly going on, I would take the name that Contessa had given me.

"Then welcome Irregular Khepri...to the Tower!" Headon announced with a shout as the eel began its descent, the mouth of the beast far larger than my entire body. With a great heave, the Administrator tossed the ball skyward.

'Not much time.' I grimaced as I darted forward with surprisingly little difficulty. 'I don't know what's going on with my power but don't fail me now!' I shouted internally as the beast barreled forward.

The ball began its descent, slowly falling through the air as the eel converged on my position.

My view of the tank became obscured as the monster approached, prepared to swallow both myself and the ball. De-activating the thorn, I placed it back in its holster and reached out, fingers stretched out to catch the orb.

As I was inches from the orb I felt a strange sense of power well within me and something clicked inside my head.

Eyes glowing bright blue, I roared out my demand "STOP!" My words froze the eel in place. And in an instant, as soon as I clutched the orb in my hand, once again my vision is overtaken by white as I disappear from the fish tank.

…

After the light died, the world unfroze and the White Armored Eel slammed into the ground, cracking it as it's prey disappeared.

Headon himself had paused for a single second at the Irregular's words before he could move again. Perhaps for the first time in a long time, he was truly surprised. 'That...was not Shinshu.' He pondered, recalling the unknown power the girl had exhibited.

It had been something else entirely.

"So another enters the Tower. And this time, neither seek what lies at the top." Headon chuckled to himself, staff in hand as he exits the cage. "This is beyond my predictions...I wonder if they are above his as well?"

The Administrator of the First floor gave a dark grin as he contemplated the future.

"Truly Interesting times lie in our future...Don't they Jahad?"

Prologue: End

...

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Threadmarks Chapter 2: Evankhell's Hell 1.0

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Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Jan 28, 2020

#16

2F: Evankhell's Hell

1.0

The wind blew across a field of grain, the grass waved lazily as the clouds floated through the sky. The temperature was moderate, warm enough to not be sweating but not cold enough to need extra layers either.

'Am I...still in the Tower?' I questioned myself as I stood up from the ground and observed my surroundings. From what I could observe, it was just a field of grain that stretched as far as the eye could see with the grass tall enough that I could not see very far, but I had an unobstructed view of the sky.

'What the hell is that?' I thought in disbelief as I spotted a floating island...or building? The object in the sky appeared to be a bunch of buildings perched atop a floating rock.

"Evankhell's Hell?" I read out the words on the sign that was attached to the rooftop. However, my attention was soon captured by eight lights that shined down from above the clouds...artificial lights.

'No way.' I gaped as my eyes adjusted, and I noticed that the light and blue sky were not, in fact, natural, but rather a ceiling. A ceiling so high that clouds had formed, creating the illusion that we were outside. 'I am still inside the Tower.' I realized.

But the Tower was much, much larger than I had ever thought possible. It was so massive that I was unsure that It would be possible to construct it on a planet without reaching space. 'Headon mentioned floors, so is this just only one of many? Are they all this big?' I questioned internally as I felt one of the stalks of wheat between my fingers, finding them to be real, and not some prop used for aesthetic purposes.

I glanced away from the wheat and to my surprise spot the black orb that Headon had tossed to me during the test. The orb was hovering above the ground, the only adornment being a white C in the center.

'Is this thing important?' I wondered as I pick up the ball. When my fingers came in contact with the ball, letters began to scroll across the orb before the C disappeared, replaced by my name. I blinked at the effect and wondered what had changed. "What is this thing?"

I released the orb and found that It remained in the air, never moving far from my position as I moved further away from it. 'It's attached to me?' I observed. 'It does not seem to be dangerous...but who knows what this thing does.'

"Well. I will just have to ignore it for now...Is there some sort of test here?" I questioned as I turned to face the floating island, "Do I need to make it up there somehow?"

However, before I could come to a decision, an orange box emerged from the building and floated over the field. "Mic test! One, two, three testing! Is this thing on? Oh, it is...alright! Hello everyone! To all the regulars who have made it to the Tower, we sincerely welcome you to the 2nd floor, Evankhell's Floor!" The voice shouts, his words reverberating across the entire field.

"While this floor is called Evankhell's Floor it is also known as the 'Floor of Tests'! Here we carry out the final tests to determine whether or not you are worthy to climb the tower!"

'So there is a test.' It confirmed my suspicions when I had first arrived. It seemed that Headon was correct in that most floors required an exam in order to determine whether or not I could climb.

"The details will be explained later...for now let's start the first test! The first test is super simple! I will explain the rules so listen carefully!" The voice shouted, his tone became excited as he prepared for the grand reveal.

"The Rules are as follows, there are 400 regulars here! Narrow that 400 down to 200! You are permitted to use every available means. The test ends when there are 200 left! You can begin at any time!" The voice trailed off as the announcement ended, leaving a deafened silence in its wake.

'Any available means?' I questioned as I realized the implications behind that statement. The once pleasant field of wheat had become ominous as the statement ended.

'400 contestants. That means they could be anywhere.' I realized. 'I need my power if I am going to survive this.' I would think upon the morality and inhumanity of this test later. For now, I had to ensure I survived.

I had summoned the power of my passenger on the first floor, as I commanded the eel to stop. 'Is my power different?' I analyzed. Already I could tell it was different. Instead of automatically commanding any insect, my head was clear. 'Do I need to activate it manually now?' I thought, pressing a hand to my head.

However, before I could decide, a faint rustle broke me out of my thoughts. I drew the hilt of my weapon and whirled around.

"Aurghl Urgle" A strange creature gurgles as it lunged from cover, a sword outstretched to kill me.

I reacted quickly and used the training I had undergone and sliced the broadsword in two with the nanoparticles of my blade and black handed my opponent with the hilt of my nano-thorn.

'I don't want to kill him.' I decided, having taken the advantage in the fight to knock him out. As he fell to the ground, I still kept a wary eye on the surrounding grass, weapon at the ready as I turned. The thorn vibrated in my hand, the cloud of near invisible metal formed into a needle-like shape.

'It would be a great time for my power to activate.' I directed my thoughts inward as I hoped to spark some reaction from Queen Administrator.

I was about to continue before I pause. 'Wait...Queen Administrator?' That was what Glastig Uaine had called me, but I had assumed that was just mad rambling from the cape. Instead, something inside told me that it was the real name of my passenger.

I paused for a moment and allowed myself to reflect on the strange term. "Queen Administrator…? Is that your name?" Now that I thought about it, there were a lot of strange memories and knowledge that I had no memory of.

I couldn't tell what had changed exactly, but the fact that I no longer felt the presence of my shard and what led up to it gave me a hint to what had transpired. 'Panacea did say anything could happen.'

'But...did I really become one with the shard?' I questioned to myself before I pushed my thoughts of my power aside.

I could not afford to space out. I knew how others perceived me would be the most important advantage I could have in a situation like this during the exam. If they saw me as a target, then they would attack.

I needed to move, but ensure that I project an aura of strength and not space out. I could investigate what had happened later. Already, I could smell the scent of blood in the air as 'Regulars' fought and killed one another.

The sounds of battle echoed across the field as various creatures and humans battled for supremacy and painted the golden field red wherever they went. 'I can't continue like this.' I scowled as I am forced to take another detour as two large monsters locked blades with one another.

'I need my power.' I decided. I had come to rely on the omniscience that Queen Administrator had provided me. If I had really merged with the shard, then that meant I could no longer rely on it to activate by itself.

'Just like with the eel...I will have to do it by myself.' I realized as I crouched down to hide in the grass as a giant with eyes all around its head meandered across my path. 'I had to verbally command that eel to stop...but for some reason I feel like that is not necessary. Will mental commands work?' I thought to myself as I struggled to work through the mess of information and strange memories left behind by the shard.

There was no how-to manual, I would have to learn how to control the powers of the Queen Administrator by myself. 'Shards set parameters for their abilities. My old power was complete control over insects and other related animals.' I recalled. Though I knew that was not the only thing that the shard could do.

'For now, I should focus on my previous power. That is what I know best.' I focused on the memories of me using the power, summoning millions of insects to do my bidding as they became a part of me.

And at that moment, I knew what I had to do.

'Command: Insects' I intoned as I felt a sort of pressure escape my body that flowed into the environment. I waited for a moment, then two, but then relief flooded through me as the first insect entered my power's range. It was strange and unlike any of the insects, I have had under my control. As more fell under my passenger's...no. As more fell under my power, I gained a sudden awareness of my surroundings, the various insects around the field found the locations of dozens of different races and beings.

In seconds, I had every regular in my range in marked and in my sights, which ensured that I could avoid any of my competitors. I knew that I could pass by just remaining hidden, my swarm could sabotage the other contestants until they were whittled down to the required 200.

But…

Despite the experience and knowledge I have gained over the course of my lifetime, I knew that was what a villain would do, not a hero.

'Instead of removing two hundred regulars...I should instead decide who to save.'

…

-2F Administrative Offices-

Far above the field, a figure sat in stanza as he carefully mixed instant coffee into a china cup, the wrapper of the mixture served as his mixer as he carefully swirled the dark liquid.

"Aaah, I do love my coffee." He sighed as he sipped from the cup. His gold-colored irises scanned the monitors that were set up around the room as each displayed a different area of the testing field.

In every monitor, regulars fought and killed one another, a simple exam but quite effective in giving the examiners, and himself, a basis on their strengths and weaknesses. While some of the other testers thought to observe the regulars at this stage was useless, ninety percent of them would fail after all, but he always preferred to get an early start.

You never knew what secrets the kids would show when they thought they were unobserved. Already he had seen several interesting things. 'Who would have thought that two of the Thirteen Month Series would appear on the 2nd floor.' He mused as the cameras zoomed in on a dark-haired boy and a lizard girl. Both were interesting in their own way, the girl for her power and the boy for the mystery. But he could guess the identity of the lizard, that particular scandal had been the talk of the Tower for months.

No...it was the boy that truly caught his attention...how on earth did a child get their hands on the Black March? Last he heard Yuri Jahad had claimed the weapon. Were the two connected in some way? No...he doubted it. No princess of Jahad, much less one as powerful as Yuri would ever give a regular a weapon of that magnitude.

'So...there is something else about the boy.' The Proctor mused. Well, that was something he could find out later.

There were a few other standouts, but they were par for the course of a new crop of regulars. The Khun of this crop was manipulating the rules in his advantage was a point in his favor, but that was just what to expect from that family. Every other Khun that came to this floor had found different ways to manipulate the rules.

Well, two anomalies was not that bad for a test. He was sure that he could handle…

His train of thought trailed off as one of the regulars's energy spiked, the strange energy prickling against his senses. Quickly, he identified the regular and the cameras zoomed in on a dark-haired girl.

'Well well, what do we have here.'

The observer watched as the girl manipulated the Regulars around the field: she disrupted fights, captured the more bloodthirsty fighters and protected the weaker ones all the while remaining out of sight and letting her minions do the heavy lifting. 'An Anima user?' He questioned to himself in disbelief. Anima users were not exactly rare, but for one outside the Ten Families to appear this early was almost unheard of.

'Interesting...very interesting.' He mused. It would seem that he would have to raise the number of anomalies up to three in this exam.

"Now...why don't you three show me what secrets you have?"

…

Last edited: Jan 28, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 3: Evankhell's Hell 1.1

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Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 1, 2020

#36

2F: Evenkhell's Hell

1.1

"Mmmgh! Mmmgh!"

'Good thing these insects have webbing.' I mused to myself, as I ignored the struggling contestant on the ground.

I had not been able to test any of the insect's toxicity, but I had been happy to learn that quite a few of them could produce silk. While I could not tell if it was as strong as what I am used to, in great enough numbers I could still bind people.

'The test can't take too much longer.' It had already gone on for nearly half an hour. I didn't want to think about it, but I doubted it would take too long for the other regulars to disable or kill the other half of the group.

Through the swarm I had gathered, I could detect a few regulars around me, but few were still able or willing to fight.

'But of course, there is always one that wants to continue fighting.' I sighed as a bug spotted another approaching testee. This one was human-sized and shaped like a normal human, but I have come to find out that you could never be certain. Earlier, I had captured what appeared to be a normal girl but had found that she had tentacles for legs under her dress.

"Hoho! My next victim I see!" A voice broke through my thoughts as the regular I had been tracking emerged from the brush.

The speaker was a tall green-skinned man with an elongated head. He did not seem strong at first glance, but I would not underestimate him.

"I will give you one chance to back off," I ordered and activated the nano-thorn.

My opponent grinned and hefted a spear as he prepared to fight "Hoho! But for my revolution I refuse! I, Parakewl do not retreat!"

Tense, I gathered the insects I had been able to gather, prepared to swarm Parakewl at any moment.

"BZZZZT! MIC TEST! Is this thing on? Ow! Alright alright, I got it, it's on! Everyone stay where you are! The First Exam is now over! Any regulars still fighting will be eliminated immediately so stop now! To the remaining regulars, congratulations on staying alive!" The examiner shouted into the microphone.

We froze as the examiner's voice echoed across the field and announced the end of the test. "Well, that's that then," I remarked to Parakewl who looked half relieved and half annoyed that the test was over.

However, looked away with a huff at my words. "It seems like you are lucky!"

"Mmmgh!" The contestant on the ground mumbled angrily as he tried to speak through the spider silk gag.

After a short pause, the speaker continued. "I know you would all like to just relax...but a short 2nd test will be carried out right away!"

"Another one?" Parakewl complains.

'So soon after the first one?' If they wanted to do another deathmatch then I wanted no part in it.

"Don't worry, this one is quick and easy. The challenge is 'Getting Teammates.' There are currently 200 regulars active on the field, From those who remain, find two regulars to be your teammates! For the slow-witted out there that means you must have a team of three by the time the test ends, which by the way is only five minutes! Good luck!" With an ominous click, the field went quiet.

'Only five minutes? Then that means…' I turned to Parakewl and the still tied up regular.

'Them?'

…

-Evenkhell's Mothership-

"You bitch! Who would want to be a teammate with you?!" The now named Dédé Kancho shouted as he paced in front of us in the testing area. "Who uses Geomis to wrap someone in webbing? Seriously who does that?"

'I really hope the next test is not about teamwork.' The minute I had cut the regular loose he complained non-stop. Parakewl was not much better, as he bragged about, what I suspected to be fake, accomplishments.

But there had been little choice. I could have teamed up with a few of my other victims, but they had been bloodthirsty brutes. Despite their flaws, my current team had been the better choice.

"Enough," I ordered as the dark-haired regular continued to grumble. "I don't care that you think I am 'cheap.' I repeated the phrase he had thrown around quite a bit during his tangent. "Just focus on the next test."

Kancho glared at me but stopped his pacing and quieted down.

'I will have to keep an eye on him.' A team founded on an ultimatum never ended well. In addition, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Parakewl had started a conversation with another group of regulars. 'Him too.'

After we had declared ourselves a team, we had been teleported up to the floating island's courtyard, where a stage had been set up. Whether it was for another test or just an announcement remained to be seen.

'Although...for them to be able to transport all these people so quickly.' I scanned the assembled group. Doormaker could accomplish similar feats, but he had been a one in a billion power that could not be replicated. The casual use of such advanced power suggested that it was much more common here.

Information was king and I was entering this competition blind. I would need to learn more about the Tower and those who resided in it if I wanted to accomplish my goals. Whether those goals consisted of finding a way out of the Tower, or something else, I would have to decide later.

"Hello!"

I flinched as a voice called out from the stage. I had not seen anyone coming, nor did I catch anything through my insects. One moment the stage was empty then the next the man had appeared.

'Teleportation...or is he just that fast?' I studied him as a small plume of smoke dispersed from the stage as the speaker was revealed. The examiner was an odd mix of nondescript and flamboyant. While his features were rather ordinary from what I had seen one the 2nd floor, he compensated for that by wearing a long two-tailed magician's coat and baggy pants tucked into pointed shoes.

Many of the people in the room began to whisper amongst themselves, I heard the phrase 'Ranker' thrown around in reverent tones.

'A ranker? Is that some sort of title?' I wondered. The test administrator had called us 'regulars.' So if a regular was a contestant, did that make a ranker an administrator? It was too soon to tell.

"Welcome Regulars! I feel so pleased to see you all here! My name is Lero-Ro, the administrator for this test. Nice to meet chu!" The man simpered with a wide smile, his arms outstretched as if he was prepared to hug the entire crowd, much to the general disgust of the audience.

"But enough about that! Why don't you all come closer, come on now don't be shy!"

'Something's up.' I frowned as the crowd began to gather around the stage, the courtyard was not large enough to need everyone to get closer. 'Ego? Or is it something more?'

I placed myself at the back of the group, far away enough from the stage in case he tried something.

"Now...let's begin the third test." The proctor grinned as he raised a palm towards the group.

'I knew it!' I leaped back as a wave of force crashed into the assembled regulars, pushing everyone back as the man's immense power washed over the group.

As everyone was forced back, a wall of blue energy emerged, which cut the courtyard in half.

'More than one power?' I questioned as I studied the blue wall. He could be a grab bag, or abilities were more common than they were in my past world.

The crowd of regulars grumbled and complained at the rough treatment, but a quick wave of the proctor's hand silenced the crowd. "Sorry about that everyone! But I just wanted to clear the room for the next task. As you can see there is a wall of Shinshu blocking your path. All you need to do is pass through."

'Shinshu?' I made sure to remember that word.

"Umm...Excuse me?"

Broken from my thoughts I raised an eyebrow at the sight of a dark-haired boy standing near the stage. 'He was not pushed?' I realized, but it was the expression of the examiner that interested me more than that.

Pure, blatant shock was plastered across the face of Lero-Ro. In addition, many of the contestants around the room were also focused on the kid.

'Whatever he just did is rare.' It was clear that the examiners were incredibly strong, much too strong for someone to resist naturally. 'So...he has a special power then.'

However, it seemed like the majority of the crowd didn't realize that and began to shout about the unfairness of the test, which prompted Lero-Ro to rebuke them, explaining that many of the tests in the Tower actually required luck to pass.

Kancho approached the wall and pressed his finger against it before he jerked back as the wall emitted sparks of electricity.

"Consider this a sort of...pre-test if you will," Lero-Ro commented from the stage. "In order to be eligible to take the test, every member of your team needs to pass through the wall."

Bam, if I heard correctly, sat next to the ranker as the rest of us approached the wall.

'So this is shinshu...or probably one form of it at least.' The barrier did not seem to be that thick, with it being barely thicker than a piece of paper. But many of the regulars in the courtyard were struggling as they pushed against the faint blue wall.

But others appeared to have little to no trouble, as green-skinned lizard girl casually stepped through the wall without any noticeable effort.

'So it's different for each on whether or not you can pass.' Were the ones who passed with ease just stronger than the others? Or were there other factors involved with crossing the wall?

Kancho crossed the wall with some difficulty while Parakewl had to exert a tremendous amount of force to cross before he broke through.

"Hey c'mon! Don't tell me you're scared." Kancho mocked as they turned to see that I had yet to cross.

'Another thing I will have to learn about later.' I pressed a palm against the barrier and felt the strange, almost liquid-like texture of the wall. Most of those who remained appeared to be struggling.

But…

I turned back to look at the wall after I passed through, the barrier had parted with ease as I went through, It had felt more like a thin stream of water than an actual barrier.

"Oh good, you made it. I was about ready to pull you through by force." Kancho snarked as I joined the two near the stage.

Before I could respond a loud voice interrupted from behind the wall. "DAMMIT! This worthless test will not eliminate me! I am the strongest regular here! I don't need no stinkin powers!"

One of the contestants that could not pass through the wall was shouting at the ranker, I recognized the type. Those who were physically fit but lacked in the mental department.

As he continued to shout, I noticed that the test administrator looked pissed as he stood up from his seated position and approached the regular.

"This was your last chance and you didn't get that...how stupid are you?" Gone was the friendly and smiling man. His entire demeanor had changed as a cold and foreboding aura washed over the courtyard. "Fine then...I will teach you the harsh way so that you realize...why you can't go up."

Sparks of blue energy began to radiate off the ranker as he drew upon a source of immense energy. "There is no limit to Shinshu. With Shinshu, you can obtain immortality or god-like powers, there are even rumors that Enryu can create living beings through Shinshu. However, for every one of us...we have our limits."

As Lero-Ro spoke the concentration of energy spiked, forcing the regular to the ground as he began to cry out in pain.

Everyone who had passed the wall was quiet as Lero-Ro eventually finished with the now broken man, the realization of what exactly they had all signed up to began to sink in.

As for me, I began to realize why Contessa had sent me here. This place was not inhospitable or some inescapable wasteland...no it was the people who were the real monsters.

If that level of power was just routine on the 30th floor, then how strong were the people who made it to the top?

I was not dealing with normal gang members or capes anymore.

I could be fighting Endbringers.

…

393

Morgan Arc

Feb 1, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 4: Evankhell's Hell 1.2

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 4, 2020

#63

I really enjoyed writing this chapter. This test was what really hooked me into Tower of God when it just started. I hope I did it justice!

2F: Evankhell's Hell

1.2

After a few more people managed to cross the veil, Lero-Ro called an end to the pre-test and assembled the remaining regulars to a waiting area, with a set of double doors being the only feature that stood out.

'The number of regulars seems to have shrunk considerably.' I observed. I had tracked around two hundred regulars through my bugs in the courtyard, but now there were only sixty left.

'So...20 teams left.' From over four hundred regulars in just two tests. The administrators were efficient in narrowing the field if nothing else.

"Alright Regulars! Those of you who passed please come and form a line! The next test will be a first come first serve basis! I will be your guide for today's exam. The name's Yellowy!" The woman's name certainly fits, as her hair and shirt were both the same shade of yellow.

"Let's go!" Kancho declared, prepared to fight his way to the front of the line before I blocked his path with an arm.

"No. Let a few enter first," I ordered.

"What? Why?" Parakewl asked "You heard the lady! She said first come first serve!"

"For what? To be the first to fail?" I asked. "Let the others go first. Trust me...the more who pass the better chance we have." I had already tagged every regular with several bugs. Already I was gleaning information about the-

"AAAGGH!"

Everyone in the room froze as pained screams erupted from behind the testing area. "I thought the death games were over! What is this shit!" Parakewl squawked as the screams died off.

'What is hurting them?' I could feel through each of the insects that the three that had entered were being dragged somewhere else. How had they failed? One of the contestants had appeared to open a door, but I couldn't tell much else.

I, and everyone else waiting watched as the next team entered through the doors, prepared to hear more screams.

Five minutes...nothing.

'No screams...did they pass?' One of the regulars had gone to the far side of the room and had opened a different door the minute they had entered the room. But once again I could not glean much information on what they were actually doing.

As the minutes tick by ten teams entered the doors and only three did not scream, but I had begun to notice a pattern through my power.

"Let's get in line," I state.

"Huh? What was that about waiting to see what would happen? We got no clues or anything!" Parakewl shrieked as Kancho and I entered the line.

"Don't worry...I think I figured something out." I reassured the zombie.

"Huh? How?" Kancho asked with a raised eyebrow.

I didn't want to reveal my insects, that was a trump card that no one needed to know about, but I already had an explanation. "It's time," I answered as another scream erupted from behind the closed doors.

"Time?" Both of my teammates asked at the same time.

I gestured towards the doors. "Every single scream sounded after five minutes have passed. We can't hear anything else that is going on, so why would they let us hear the screams? Because the screams are the clue to pay attention to the time."

Kancho looked towards the door, "Sounds sketchy...but I guess there is nothing else to go on."

"I think it's ridiculous. But with me here even if you are wrong, we will surely pass!" Parakewl huffed as he adjusted his jacket.

With my teammates assured of my plan, I turned back to the room and focused on the insects I had planted around it. The room was reasonably large, but it was the far wall that was the most interesting. There was a line of ten doors, each without any markings, and so far every team that had "passed" had gone through one of the doors at random. So far I could not find any pattern on which teams passed and which doors had opened. 'So you have to do something in five minutes involving the doors...I guess I cannot be certain until I enter.'

Although, it seemed I was not the only one who had noticed this, as I overheard a strange worm looking guy in a neon yellow plastic bag informing several other teams that the "time" was a clue.

I could not hear their conversation, as the insects I controlled did not have that great of hearing, but from what I could see the white-haired regular didn't seem that receptive of the information.

'Well...if he fails or passes that's on him. I just have to be ready for anything and not be concerned with others.' I decided as the team went through the doors.

'I will just have to wait and see…'

…

After thirty minutes of waiting, we had finally made it to the front of the line, the test room just beyond the double doors.

"Are you ready? Feeling confident?" Yellowy asked, her plastic grin still in place.

I glanced at her before I turned back to the door, not bothered to respond.

"Aww, are you scared?" The test guide taunted. "I am sure you regulars will be fine...well. It will be quick at least."

"Oi! We got this, you just watch!" Kancho retorted as he waved his red needle-like sword around.

"Indeed! Our might knows no bounds, this test is a triviality for one such as I!" Parakewl showboated.

"Just let us in." I sighed, already feeling a headache from this situation. I didn't even want to be here in this messed-up death game.

"Alright, enjoy!" Yellowy chirped as we entered. The doors closed behind us and all sound was cut off, leaving the room in silence.

The interior of the room was completely dark, with the only light coming from the twelve doors against the far wall as well as an ornate wall divider. In front of the divider sat an androgynous man, who wore a blue and gold kimono, his blond hair styled into a top knot.

'The test administrator.' I decided as we walked forward.

"Welcome regulars." He spoke as he ripped open the packet of instant coffee. "My name is Han Sung Yu, the administrator for this test. Most of the time I merely supervise the tests on this floor, but I decided to directly administer this test."

'A supervisor?' I wondered, 'Does that mean this guy has more influence or is stronger than the other administrators?'

"This test is nice and simple, see the doors behind me? Within 10 minutes, find and open the correct door."

"Find the real door? Is it that easy?" Kancho asked.

Hansung gave an indulgent smile "Of course, I wouldn't want to burden fresh regulars with something too difficult. There are twelve doors in total. All you have to do is find the real door and open it within the time limit. If you give up within ten minutes, you fail. However...if you pick the wrong door at ten minutes, you will die."

"Alright then, so give us the hint or test so we can start!" Parakewl requested, his face pale at the thought of dying.

"There aren't any more hints." Hansung stated as he delicately poured water into a small tea cup. "The test begins now by the way…"

"WHAT? No more hints? How the **** do we pass then? This is impossible!" Parakewl and Kancho roared.

'No more hints?' I thought, perplexed. 'If there are no more hints how do we choose the right door? I know the real-time limit is five minutes...wait.'

I paused as I went over the information that the supervisor had given us. 'If we open the wrong door within ten minutes we will be killed...but the previous contestants always screamed after five minutes, while those who passed left before five minutes.

"Hey, Supervisor," I called out, interrupting my teammates and caught Hansung's attention.

"Yes?" He asked as he stirred the mixture of his cup.

"Did every team get the same hints as we did?" I asked.

The blond-haired man raised an eyebrow. "What an odd question. Of course they did. This test is fair to all contestants after all. I wouldn't deliberately sabotage one single team."

"I see…" I trailed off.

'If every team got the same information, and those who passed all chose a door at random within five minutes...does that mean every door is the right door as long as we open it within five minutes?' I guessed.

"Hey what is this clock? This thing must be ancient." Kancho remarked as he pointed to the timepiece above the door.

"What's so strange about it, it's just a clock," I answered, momentarily distracted.

The dark-haired boy gave me a strange look, "Yeah but our pockets can tell the time, see? Pocket visible mode, what is the time?" Beside him the same dark orb that hovered beside me appeared, the time displayed on the dark surface in bold white numbers.

'It can turn invisible?' I realized that the orb was more important than I thought. "Right…pocket invisible mode," I ordered the orb beside me.

"I wondered why you had it visible, did you forget it was on?" Parakewl asked.

"Not the time for questions," I responded, not wanting to admit I knew next to nothing about the orb that Headon had given me.

My teammates fell silent, realizing that we were in the middle of a life or death exam.

With them silent, I observed the clock, noticing that it was separated into five-minute increments. Which only gave more evidence to my theory.

The worm in the neon plastic bag outside agreed with me that whatever the test inside the room was, it must be complete within five minutes.

However, the administrator stated the test was ten minutes, but then mentioned you had to open the correct door within ten minutes. If I added in the fact that every team had the same hints, but passed by going through different doors, then did that shift the "correct" door from a physical one to a timed one?

If in five minutes, every door is correct, and afterward every door is wrong, then that means all you had to do is...

"Alright...I figured it out." I announced to the surprise of my teammates.

"What?" The two asked in tandem.

"Just open a door, any door," I stated as I walked past the supervisor and opened the middle door as my teammates began to protest.

"What, wait!" Kancho shouted, "How do you know that was right?"

"You have doomed us Khepri! Doomed us!" Parakewl wailed dramatically.

The door swung open, bathing the darkroom with light before it revealed a hallway that led to another door. We waited for a few seconds for something to happen before we all flinched as clapping sounded from the center of the room.

"You passed. Well done." Han Sung stated with a pleased smile. "You figured out that you had to open any door within five minutes. Quite honestly I am impressed. That makes two who figured it out on their own."

'Another regular figured it out without my advantage?' I thought, surprised in spite of myself. That was one regular to watch.

"I just followed the hints you gave us," I remarked.

"Impressive, most impressive," Hansung replied as he stood up from his kneeled position. "The time, the clock, and the explanation. Those were the only hints provided to you yet you found more on your own. I must say I eagerly await to see your progress as you proceed through the floor."

"...Thanks." I stated before I turned to leave and follow my teammates, who had already gone ahead the minute Hansung announced we passed.

"Though...Regular Khepri." He trailed off as he stared at me out of the corner of his eye. "Make sure you take all your...things with you. I have a limit to my tolerance for filth."

I paused at the door as I processed that information. 'He knows.' He could somehow tell I had planted insects around the room and on the regulars. Once again I am reminded that this was a whole new world. The rules had changed and I was at a heavy disadvantage.

At least he did not say anything in front of the other regulars. "Right...I will make sure to bring everything." I stated as I recalled all the insects I had scattered across the room back to the hidden pockets on my costume.

"Make sure you do...I would hate to have to do some cleaning. This place can get so messy." He sighed.

I nodded as I entered the doors, knowing the man was giving me a smug grin.

'That sly bastard.'

…

411

Morgan Arc

Feb 4, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 5: The Crown Game 1.0

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Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 5, 2020

#79

Chapter 5:

2F: The Crown Game

1.0

"Whew," I breathed a sigh of relief as I collapsed on a bench. After completing the second exam, we had been told to wait in a new break one, this one fortunately equipped with seating.

'This place is insane.' I glared at nothing on the ceiling. It was hard to believe that I had inadvertently signed myself up for a death tournament. The worst part being that I could not even fight against the people running it.

I was not an idiot nor was I suicidal. I would not rush in and try and fight beings with powers I had little to no understanding of. I was no longer a young girl on her first night out as a cape.

All I could do was play the game and wait for an opportunity.

In the meantime, I enjoyed the small rest, letting myself sit down for the first time in what felt like days.

The rest of the regulars that had passed were in similar states, most of them worn out, either emotionally or physically. I guessed that many of them had never risked their lives before. Much less for something as mediocre as a test.

Regardless, the field of regulars had been reduced drastically. From four hundred a few hours ago to just around thirty.

Although, I made sure to keep an eye on the few that seemed perfectly calm, the lizard girl and her teammates most notably. None of them seemed phased at the challenges or remotely tired.

'They most likely are, or perceive themselves as the strongest here.' I mused. While the obvious weakness of the team was the boy in a purple tracksuit, I would ensure that I do not underestimate them.

In my experience, if a weak-looking person was respected by the strong, then they were not weak.

"So, what do you think the next test will be? I am exhausted." Kancho groaned as he sat heavily next to me, having gone to the bathroom while we waited.

"They can't keep testing us nonstop like this! They must give us some time to rest!" Parakewl whined as he paced in front of the benches.

For a guy who complained about being tired, he sure seemed restless.

"What do you think oh smart one?" Kancho drawled from his prone position, "Any new theories about what we are waiting on?"

For once, I had little to offer in terms of information. Getting bugs on the administrators were proving to be nearly impossible as the insects would be killed the minute they got too close. Not to mention I did not have an infinite number of bugs to waste on experimenting.

"I don't know," I admitted. "They are probably preparing for the next test."

Of course, that being said, we were one of the last teams to take the test and it had already been thirty minutes with no sign or word from the test administrators. I had no perspective if this was normal or not, but it did seem odd considering the previous three tests had been held one after another.

"Ah, you are all here, good!"

Every Regular in the room jerked to attention as the voice of Lero-Ro spoke from the entrance, the man himself walking in with a wide smile. "It is so good to see you all again! I am right pleased that you all managed to pass the second exam! So pleased in fact that I have an offer for all of you!"

'An offer?' I wondered as the ranker was bombarded with questions.

"Yes, yes please calm down. The higher ups have decided to host a bonus game!" Lero-Ro announced with a flourish.

"Sorry but were exhausted, we really don't want to do any more tests, especially if they are optional." The boy in the track suit declined the offer, which reflected the opinion of much of the waiting room.

Lero-Ro had the gall to look genuinely hurt by the refusal. "Now now, don't be like that! This game has no penalty for losing and has an amazing prize!" The man obviously expected a question on what the prize was, but Lero-Ro was left hanging as none of the regulars were nice enough to accommodate him.

However, the excitable administrator was undeterred as he continued on anyway, "The winner of the bonus game gets a free pass to the next floor!"

Now that got everyone's attention.

"What?" Tracksuit shouted, "What about the other tests?"

"It's simple, you don't have to take them and you will receive perfect scores." Lero-Ro smirked.

'That is a good prize...too good.' I thought with a frown, but I did not comment as I followed my team to the bonus game area. None of the teams had done anything particularly noteworthy from my perspective.

'So why give us such an amazing prize?'

…

-2F Administration Offices-

"You want to host a what?" Lero-Ro asked with a raised brow.

Han Sung smirked from his seat, "A bonus game for the regulars. A...situation has come to our attention that needs to be addressed."

"A situation." Lero-Ro asked, "What type of situation?"

The 2nd in command of the floor sighed and pressed two fingers to his forehead, "In one of the other testing zones there was an incident. An Irregular and a new princess of Jahad teamed up and slaughtered the rest of the regulars bar one. If Evankhell found out about it we would be fired, and you know what that would mean.

'An Irregular and a Princess? Two that teamed up nonetheless?" Lero-Ro shivered in disbelief. But what worried him more was the Floor Ruler's reaction. He had worked under the Evankhell before and he had seen them get angry. It had not been pretty for the victims. "And so the bonus game is to...what, push them to the next floor?"

"Correct, the three are too strong for any average regulars anyway. Present it as a free opportunity to skip the exams. Winner gets all."

'With the only team with a chance being the one with the Irregular and Princess.' The ranker mused. It was cruel, but at the same time the easiest solution to get them out of the way of the regulars.

However…

"Are you sure the other teams have no chance?" Lero-Ro questioned.

Han Sung looked surprised at the prospect, "You think normal regulars have a chance against them?"

Lero-Ro recalled the boy, Baam, who had been unaffected by his Shinshoo as well as other notable prospects. "I would not underestimate them, this could backfire on us."

The coffee addict shrugged "Perhaps...but even if they fail to win, it will be good for us."

"Good? How?" Lero-Ro questioned.

"The team doesn't seem the sort to back down...the only way I could see them failing is if they are killed, which I don't see as a bad thing." Hansung stated with a shrug. "Have the bonus game in the arena, it should be entertaining at the very least."

Lero-Ro stared after the head administrator as the golden haired man left the room.

'He considers that a good thing?'

….

-Crown Game Arena-

The next testing location was the largest indoor area I had seen so far in the Tower. The room was very plain, with the only adornments being gold walls and a throne in the center of the cylinder shaped room.

Every team had been instructed to enter different rooms around the arena, each with a clear view of the throne.

High above the floor, Lero-Ro perched himself atop a floating yellow cube and magnified his voice. "Welcome everyone! This is the arena where we will be hosting the Crown Game!"

"The Crown Game is a simple game!" With a leap the ranker landed in the center of the floor and picked up a simple crown from the throne and placed it on his head. "There will be five rounds, each lasting until one team places the crown upon their heads and sits down or until five minutes are up. Please keep in mind that each team will only have one chance to enter the field and must submit their entry before the round starts!"

I glanced at the red button on the wall, the wall around it graffitied with several images of people taunting you to press the button.

"The owner of the Crown must remain seated for the rest of the game. If they are displaced then they are disqualified." With an impressive leap the man returns to his perch on the gold cube.

'So going in the first three or so rounds is useless then.' I nearly snorted at the rules. They were clearly designed to get the weak out of the way first. No one in their right minds would enter the first round.

"CORRECT! Those who enter first are at a clear disadvantage, it is up to you whether or not you want to risk it or not!" Lero-Ro responds to the unasked question.

'Did he just read my mind?' I wondered incredulously.

"But I think that's enough explaining! I believe most of you got the jist of the game, so when you are ready! Go!"

'We won't go in now.' I decided and was about to inform my teammates of that fact when Kancho slammed his hand on the button.

"Hell yeah let's go!" He announced with his needle-like sword.

"****" I sighed out loud, knowing there was nothing else we could do as the metal gate opened.

"Huh? What did you say?" Kancho glared as we walked out of the room.

"You just cost us the entire game. Going out first means we now have to beat everyone else here." I explained with a long suffering sigh.

'Well, It does not matter that much, this game is not penalized for failing.' I internally sighed before I spotted another team approaching us from the opposite end of the room.

'The lizard.' I recognized the green skinned girl and her teammates from the other tests. 'They must be confident if they think they can beat everyone from round one.'

"What's this, another team was stupid enough to exit the first round?" Tracksuit stated as he sunk into a martial arts stance.

'Another Judo practitioner?' I recognized the stance from my own training.

"You two do what you want...I will take them all on." Lizard spoke, stepping forward with her strange green weapon brandished threateningly.

"How insulting! You think you are above us!" Kancho glared as he advanced. .

Parakewl gripped his spear. "How dare you underestimate the mighty Parakewl!"

I drew the nano-thorn from its sheath and eyed the small girl warily. I had made sure to plant microscopic bugs on every regular here, and I could tell she had already tensed her legs, ready to spring forward at any moment. 'Tracksuit is probably the strategist, with the katana wielder and the lizard being the muscle.'

The lizard's muscles' tensed and I swung the nano-thorn, which forced the lizard to leap backwards from the cloud of razor sharp metal.

'Fast!'

The lizard had sprung forward at the speed of a car and slammed her palm into my teammate, sending Kancho flying.

Reading her muscles, I leaned to the side to avoid another palm thrust and retaliated by swinging the nano thorn, the thick cloud of metal slightly nicked the girl's arm as she skidded to a halt.

"I won't let you do what you want!" Parakewl shouted as he leaped forward, only to get brained by the girl's tail, the extra appendage sent the zombie flying to the opposite side of the arena than Kancho.

'Just me it seems.' I grimaced at my situation. One on three against a brute, a swordsman, and a martial artist. 'Looks like I can't save it as a trump card for now.'

While this was a bonus game, I was not going to not give it my all to win. Against the far wall, Kancho was getting up from where he had been pushed. If I managed to distract them, then there was a chance that we could win.

I flicked my wrist, which released all the hidden pockets on my suit, which released the hundreds of insects that I had gathered from the field.

"An Anima user!?" Tracksuit shouted in surprise before I activated a trap I had placed upon every regular here.

'Bite.' I ordered and watched with little satisfaction as Tracksuit and the swordsman seize up as the insects I had strategically placed on their muscles attack as one.

"What?" Tracksuit shouted in shock as he clutched at his legs as he toppled over, the swordsman following soon after as his muscles betrayed him.

The lizard froze for a moment before she growled and drew her weapon. "What did you do?"

'What insane pain tolerance.' I grimaced as I held the nanothorn in front of me. The microscopic bugs I had found in the field were one of the few I had been able to test. While small, the bites sent a powerful shock to the entry point.

It was what I had done with bullet ants as Skitter to control the criminal elements of the city during my time as a warlord. I hated using these tactics, but people in this awful Tower played for keeps, and I could not afford to hold back.

Although...It had been disturbingly easy to place the bugs on every person in the building.

"Sorry, but I don't like losing." I apologized.

"I am going to kill you." Lizard growled as the needle in her hand extended and distorted like a whip.

'It can lengthen?' I noticed as I was forced to rely on the senses of my insects to weave around the whip like strikes of the needle.

I sent numerous insects to either bite or distract the girl as I swung the nanothorn at my opponent, the green needle intercepting as the cloud of gray particles interacted with the weapon.

Time almost seemed to freeze as the green needle and my own weapon approached one another, the cloud of nanoparticles shattering upon impact with the Lizard's weapon, disrupting the weapon that had been effective even against the skin of an endbringer.

With nothing to block the attack, the needle slammed into my midsection, the force of the blow sent me sprawling. Adjusting my momentum in the air I land on my feet and skid several feet further, with only the armor on my costume protecting my ribs from being cracked.

I glanced down at the thorn and watched for a moment as the thin cloud reformed. 'What the hell is that weapon? Is it denser than endbringer skin?'

The girl stalked forward as her weapon weaved through the air like a snake, not bothering to make further conversation as her cold gray eyes bored holes into me.

I deactivated the thorn and stowed it in my gear, if it could not destroy her weapon I was not going to use it. While everyone else in this place seemed to want to jump straight to murder, I would not stoop to that. 'Alright then, I will use that.' I smirked as I drew my dagger.

"You really want to die, don't you? Underestimating me like that." Lizard growled as she noticed that I sheethed my nanothorn, "What will that pathetic little knife do for you?"

"Oh yeah?" I taunted as I flipped the knife into a reverse grip, "How do you know this knife isn't stronger than my thorn? With this weapon I will take you down."

'C'mon, attack me, only focus on me.' I internally chanted as out of the corner of my eye I noticed that Kancho had begun to get up and inch towards the throne.

The Lizard narrowed her eyes, I could not tell if she was more suspicious or just angry as her leg muscles tensed.

'Now!' I internally commanded the insects still attached to her to bite once more, which caused her to flinch mid leap, interrupting her swing just enough for me to drop the knife and flick the real weapon I had planned into my hand.

"What?" Lizard only had time to ask as I pointed the nozzle in her direction and unloaded the pepper spray at point blank range.

"How dare you hurt our Cutie!" Tracksuit roared as he finally recovered from the insect bites, his companion holding off the assault from both Kancho and Parakewl, who had recovered from their injuries.

I ignored the scream of pain and anger from the Lizard and evaded a wild swing from Tracksuit and used the rest of the insects I had on him to bite once again.

It was unfortunate, but while the bugs I had placed on the regulars were painful, they could only bite once or twice before dying.

'I have to get to the crown before the Lizard recovers.' I gritted my teeth and sprinted towards the Throne. My bugs swarmed the team, distracting them as I approached the gold crown.

"You…!" The lizard roared from behind me and a cold shiver went down my spine.

"GREEN APRIL, IGNITE!"

…

Last edited: Feb 5, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 6: The Crown Game 1.1

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 6, 2020

#125

Chapter 6:

2F: The Crown Game

1.1

Lero-Ro watched as one of the regulars he had initially dismissed as fodder went toe to toe with a self-proclaimed princess of Jahad.

He had first noticed the girl when all the regulars had passed the first exam. How could he not? She had been missing an arm and looked like she went through hell to be here. Her hair was matted with sweat, her armor was dirty, but now that he thought about it he should have recognized that look in her eyes.

That determination that he had seen in the mirror during his own time as a regular. The determination to do whatever it took to get ahead. That was the type of willpower that did not come easily, much less from a regular who had not even passed the second floor yet.

'What an interesting girl.' He mused as he watched the Regular, Khepri if he remembered correctly, use her Anima abilities to neutralize most of the Princess' team, utilizing Litzits in a way he had never considered before.

In a way, he was glad that this bonus game was being held, despite the circumstances. It was giving him a much better idea of who to assign to what role once the game ended.

Anak Jahad was a fisherman through and through, with her teammates being prime candidates for the scout position.

As for the other team...well he had not seen much from Kancho or Parakewl yet. But Khepri was an odd one. Her abilities with Anima suggested an affinity for Shinsu, but he hesitated on automatically having her be sorted as a wave controller.

'Yes...maybe a different role would be better suited for her.' He had noticed the grimace on her face as she fought, one he had seen often during his long climb up the tower. He recognized a person who disliked combat when he saw one.

He was the same after all.

Her motivations to climb the tower were her own, but he would not force a combat role on someone who did not want one. Besides, her performance in the previous test and skills displayed now gave her a certain aptitude for the role he had in mind.

As he ticked off the mental box on where he would assign each Regular, he refocused on the game as the near blind Anak, he would have to remember that trick when facing fishermen, finally ignited her thirteen month series weapon.

'Oh dear...that's not good.'

...

A second, that was all the time it took for the now named Green April to extend far past what should have been possible. The small handle in the Lizard's hand almost comical as the weapon expanded and widened into a behemoth.

"DIE!" Anak Jahad cried as she swung the massive whip down, the room deafened by the crack of the weapon as it smashed into the ground. The weapon kicked up a plume of debris as it broke through the tile flooring, the end of the weapon somehow not breaking through the wall into the rooms of the other regulars.

"Did you get her?" Ship Leesoo shouted as the commotion from the weapon died down, him and Hatsu having finally recovered from the insect bites.

'What the hell was that girl? I thought our cutie was the strongest here, but she went toe to toe with her!' Leesoo thought with a grimace as the dust and debris in the air blocked his view of the rest of the arena.

"The insects are not attacking...is the Anima user dead?" Hatsu questioned out loud, his sword now drawn as he examined the area.

'Doubtful, I recognize some of those bugs, they don't fly like that.' Leesoo mused as he examined the Palis as they flew in unfamiliar patterns. "Hey Anak! I think you...Anak?" Leesoo questioned as he turned and found the green powerhouse of the group staring intently at one of the rooms. "What's wrong?"

Within a moment the Lizard tensed her muscles and dashed to the room, smashing through the iron gate, the explosion rocking the room as she blatantly and without care broke the rules of the test

Leesoo could only muster one thought at seeing that.

'WTF?'

...

'Thank god she was still partially blinded.' I sighed from my position behind the throne, the material used to build it somehow withstood the attack from the Lizard's weapon.

'Kancho? Parakewl?' I wondered about the fate of my teammates as I felt throughout the arena, before I closed my eyes. 'No…' They had been annoying and somewhat useless, but we had still been a part of a team.

I spread my awareness throughout the swarm and searched the room before I felt the prone bodies of both Parakewl and Kancho...they were breathing, but they needed medical attention.

It was lucky that the Lizard had been distracted by something, as I was not sure I could continue to evade that monstrous weapon of hers.

'This game is lost, I can't fight everyone by myself.' I frowned as I tried to think of a strategy. My teammates needed medical attention...if this place even bothered to heal regulars. As far as I knew they would just let my teammates die because they got injured.

'But I will likely be attacked if I try to make it back to our room.' The flies I had gathered gave me a rough picture that the opposing team was discussing something while the Lizard, or Anak I believed her name was, watched one of the other regular's rooms intently.

'Ok...I have a little time, new plan.' I glanced up at the throne I was hiding behind and noticed the Crown perched atop the arm rest. The round would end if I grabbed it and sat down on the throne, but that would mean both myself and my teammates would be defenseless for the next round. Already I could feel the insects I had placed on some of the other regulars begin to die as they found the bugs I had planted on them.

"Hey Anak!" Tracksuit shouted as a loud crash reverberated across the arena floor, with bits of metal flying in every direction.

'Did she just attack someone out of bounds?' I wondered incredulously as I peaked my head over the side of the throne.

'Never mind, now!' I leaped from behind the hiding spot and grabbed the crown and placed it on my head, securing our victory for the first round.

"Well this is a mess."

I flinched as Lero-Ro landed beside me, "I assume you wish to surrender?" He stated as he observed Anak try to intimidate silver hair's team.

"Yeah." I sighed. If only Kancho had not pressed the button so soon. "Will my team receive medical attention?"

Lero-Ro looked at me funny, as if I had asked a stupid question, "Of course they will."

'Hypocrite.' I internally sighed before I tossed the crown back on the chair. "I just wanted to confirm you would not just let them die."

I could feel the eyes of the administrator on me as I checked on my teammates, making sure to keep an eye on them as medics carried them away before I returned to my room.

I would have liked to ensure that my teammates were actually being healed...but I could not afford to miss the next rounds. The information I could gain on their abilities would be too good to pass up.

As I reached the bench I collapsed on it and let myself slouch as I watched the remaining rounds.

I was so tired.

…

The remaining rounds of the Crown Game each were interesting in their own way and gave me a much clearer idea on the power that each regular commanded.

One thing that relieved me was that the Lizard, Anak, was an exception, not the rule in terms of power. Many of the other regulars who fought were either pitiful or moderately skilled bar a few exceptions.

The most notable standout was the silver haired guy I had noticed earlier, I think I overheard his name was Khun something. To be honest, for a moment I wondered if Contessa had sent Lisa here as well after watching his performance.

Khun had used a mixture of mind games, lies and strength to dominate the field and secure the throne for three consecutive rounds before his own teammate threw the match to defend another regular.

This teammates were also noteworthy, one being the most physically imposing regular, who had served as the muscle to back up his teammate's schemes.

His last teammate, a dark haired boy named Baam, at first seemed to be the weak link of the team before I noticed that he repeatedly manipulated some form of energy to either defend himself or attack.

'A thinker, a brute, and an odd shaker power.' I knew from my time with the PRT that the formation was theoretically one of the best possible team combinations.

'They will be one to watch.' I decided, but certainly not the only ones who were notable, the trio had just been the ones to display most of their hand. The fifth round was where the real heavy hitters had entered.

A bo-staff user had demolished most of the regulars, including her own team, and was only stopped from a team of regulars I had not seen before.

One of the regulars, an effeminate girl who fought in heels of all things had diverted the bo-staff girl's attention while another massive regular, this one in Japanese samurai armor along with a cloaked protected Baam.

It looked like an assured win for silver hair's team until Baam had leaped from the throne to protect the third member of the mystery team.

Thus, the Crown game ended in a draw as the newcomers refused to take the crown, with most of the regulars who had passed the earlier tests either injured, exhausted, or out of the running completely.

Later, I learned that my own teammates were lucky to be alive. Kancho was forced to retire from the competition while Parakewl was likely to make a full recovery and could return to the competition with a penalty.

I would have loved to have a rest, to sleep off the last few horrible hours, but for now, all the surviving teams or individuals had gathered back in the break room, waiting for the next announcement from the administrators.

...

Nearly everyone in the room was silent or conversing quietly among themselves. The last game had been brutal, what had been described as a wonderful opportunity had turned out to be a near death game, with quite a few regulars having paid the price.

I was content to just ignore everyone and focus on the next task, but a voice from Tracksuit interrupted my solitude. "Hey…"

I glanced at the boy before I sighed, I could tell he would not just leave from one glance at his earnest expression. "What?"

"I just wanted to apologize... for Anak I mean. We, I mean me and Hatsu, the guy with the swords over there, didn't think she would flip out like that...are your teammates ok? My name is Ship Leesoo, what is yours?" He rambled with his hand extended for me to shake, his right hand.

I stared at it for a moment with a raised brow before I lifted my remaining arm...my right hand. "It's Khepri...and they will live."

"Oh! Sorry. But that is good to hear," Leesoo blushed before switching to his left hand to shake the offered limb.

I turned away from Leesoo to glance at the lizard, who now held both Green April as well as the black needle that Baam had been carrying.

"So she did all that for a weapon?" I questioned. I had wondered why she had abandoned the match and broke the rules for seemingly no reason.

Leesoo grimaced, "You don't recognize it? That's Black March, a part of the Thirteen Month series. Apparently the princesses of Jahad collect them."

'Princess?' I wondered before I studied the Lizard more closely. 'If she is royalty that could explain her power...but that also raised more questions. "Is it normal for two regulars to be wielding them on the second floor?"

Leesoo released a bark of laughter that contained very little humor. "You obviously don't know the importance of those weapons. No...there should be no way that anyone at our level should get their hands on those things. Last I heard, Jahad had given out each of the series to thirteen of the strongest princesses in the tower."

That made me pause. What were weapons belonging to legitimate royalty doing this far down the tower? Especially if they were supposed to be wielded by some of the strongest.

"I know what you are thinking...but I have no idea." Leesoo sighed. "But just know that me and Hatsu want nothing to do with Anak anymore besides being teammates. I for one don't want to get involved with someone who would abandon their comrades."

He sounded bitter, which I could respect. He clearly had his own principles and lines he would not cross. It was...refreshing to hear that someone else in this place didn't resort to murder as their first option.

"I get it." I sighed. "So...any idea what is next?" I questioned. The boy certainly seemed more informed than I did.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Well...from my research I doubt they will continue to test us like this, especially with our numbers this reduced. But who could say? It depends on the supervisor."

'Hang Sun Yu.' I recalled the smug blond haired man I had met during the second task. That guy had given me the creeps. Knowing that he was in charge here sent a cold shiver down my spine.

I glanced over at the door, one of the bugs I had placed above the door had just died to the intense aura that the Rankers exuded. It was the only method I had found so far that could track the administrators.

Leesoo noticed my attention and turned to the door as well, where Lero-Ro had just entered, for once a pensive expression on his face instead of his usual exuberance.

However, upon spotting us his face split into a wide grin as he placed both hands on his hips "Hello again! I hope you have had a nice rest. I know it was short but I came to bring good news!" He paused, clearly expecting something from us, but was once again disappointed.

Raising a finger in a cliche teaching pose, Lero-Ro continued despite the lack of enthusiasm or response. "The test you all will be taking will be the 'Positioning Test!'

'The what?' I wondered as most of the regulars looked equally confused.

"I assume most of you have some basis that many tests in the tower are performed as a team. You could even say that climbing the tower is more often than not a group effort. A position is the role you play within that team."

'Like power types?' I compared it to the system that I was more familiar with.

"There are a lot of different positions and specializations, but generally they are divided into five different groups." On a screen behind him an image of a girl with an assortment of weapons was shown locked in combat "The 'Fisherman,' Those who disarm the enemy with reel inventory while also being at the heart of battle and performing individual activities."

The next image showed a muscular man who proudly carried a spear. "The 'Spear-bearer,' those who specialize in utilizing spears to target enemies from afar, or finish the fight that the Fisherman starts."

Third, the screen displayed a woman commanding several floating boxes that glowed with an inner light. "'Light-Bearer' the information gatherers and illuminaries that provide both light and information for their teammates."

The image that followed displayed a shadowy figure, equipped with an assortment of weapons and a mechanical eye." And fourth we have the 'Scout,' quick and silent, these warriors live behind enemy lines and assist the fisherman using any advantage they can find."

And last, the image depicted a woman commanding ripples and blasts of energy. "And last, the 'Wave-Controller', those in this position command Shinsu itself and assist in battle by either devastating the enemy or commanding the battlefield."

As a demonstration, Lero-Ro revealed that he was a Light-Bearer by summoning one of his own lights. "There are more, but these are what we will be separating you all into today. You will also be training under a ranker who will teach you about your position over the next month. The regulars with the highest score at the end will form a team that will take the final test to see if you are worthy to pass up to the floors above."

The golden cube in Lero-Ro's hand expanded until it was large enough for everyone to read the words displayed on the surface.

"We have measured each of your abilities and have determined which position you would be best suited for. The number next to the position will also determine how many can pass the final exam. For now, please find your name and respective class."

I glanced over the different positions, noting that they had awarded regulars with a "First Seed" depending on performance. It was no surprise that Anak and the mysterious brown haired girl were the best seeds for fishermen.

It was also surprising that Tracksuit had been selected as best seed for Scout, but it was my own position that obviously interested me the most.

Light-Bearer (2):

(1st Seed) Khun Aguero Agnes

(1st Seed) Khepri

Michelle Light

Leeron 3

ChungChung

Levin

...

Last edited: Feb 6, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 7: The Positioning Test 1.0

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 10, 2020

#203

AN:

Just an FYI, I switched Shinshu to Shinsoo, from what I could find both are technically correct but Shinsoo sounds better.

Chapter 7

2F: The Position Test

1.0

"Mmh."

I grunted as light began to filter through my eyelids. I resisted the natural urge of my body to wake, but the damage had been done and against my will, I slowly returned to consciousness.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, processing the memories that slowly filtered through my mind. It was almost unbelievable that so much had transpired in just a few days.

From the battle at the Oil Rig to the battle with Zion, and then the desperate attempt to unlock the true potential of the Queen Administrator Shard...the events that led to the rise of Khepri.

The events of what exactly had happened after Panacea had destroyed the barrier between my shard and I were blurred and indistinct. One moment I had been with Panacea and the next I had been knelt in the mud in some foreign dimension, with little ability to do much else but feel as the barrier between my passenger and I diminished.

'So...it was not some demented dream.' I thought as I stayed under the covers, unconcerned about getting up from bed just yet. It would have been nice if I had just hallucinated the entire Tower and the death games.

Faced with reality, I took a moment to examine the room I had been provided for the Position Test. I had not had a chance to explore it yesterday; When we had finally been given our rooms, I had only taken a few moments to remove my costume before I collapsed into the bed.

It was a small room, about the size I would expect from a one room apartment. The walls were bare except for necessities, the only decoration being a poster depicting a red haired man advertising some foreign product. But it was the view out the window that captured my attention. As far as the eye could see, a field of grass and wheat stretched on seemingly forever.

'Every time I see it I have trouble believing it.' I thought as I enjoyed the breeze. The sheer scale of the floor was simply staggering. From what I could see, you could fit a city the size of Brockton Bay and Chicago inside the floor and still have more space to fit countless more.

It made me wonder if the Tower itself was not built upon a dimension, but rather the dimension itself was the Tower. I did not want to imagine how unbelievably large the outside world would have to be to hold such a building.

Another thing I noticed was that day and night in the Tower were very different from my home dimension. With a lack of any real 'sky', the time of day was relegated by the artificial lights on the ceiling. At night, all the lights shut off before they slowly come back on when it neared morning hours.

It was just one thing among thousands I would have to get used to as I explored this foreign world.

'The class is at eleven…' I recalled, the clock on the wall showed that I had two hours to get ready.

I recalled the placement I had been given last night, the strange new power I would be learning. 'A Light-bearer…'

Information gathering, directing others into battle, and illuminating dark places were the main tenets of the position... 'Well, whoever decides the positions has a good eye.' I snorted, I had made a career using my cape abilities to gather information and leading teams.

The question was how well those skills translated to a completely foreign profession.

'But first…' I sighed as I finally gathered enough willpower to cast off the covers and approach the sole door of the room, the small room beyond revealed a washroom equipped with a shower and other necessary items.

I had never seen anything more beautiful.

…

An hour later, I exited the bathroom and felt like a new woman. Hours of filth, blood and sweat finally gone.

Unfortunately, I could not say the same for my costume. I had not noticed while wearing it, but the outfit was nearly ruined. Holes littered the material and the thing stank of sweat and grime.

Instead, I had to rely on the facilities clothes, which consisted of sweat pants, a plain T-shirt and a dark green hoodie with the only adornment being an EI3 logo on it.

'So much has changed.' I sighed as I stared into a mirror, hardly able to recognize the face in the mirror. The stress from the past few years had done its work. I could see stress lines underneath my eyes, the now nearly luminescent green eyes peering through a curtain of dark hair.

The eyes had been a surprise when I had first noticed them. My once moss green eyes were now one of the most green shades I had ever seen on a human.

'Strange,' now that I think about it, a lot of people here had a similar shade. 'Khun, Baam, Androssi… and a few others.' I made a note to remember all the people who had brightly colored eyes. I had dismissed it as just a quirk of a new dimension, but now that my own had undergone such a change, I could no longer dismiss it.

'Well...as long as it does not do anything.' I decided as I went through some personal master/stranger protocols in my head.

For now, all I could tell was accept that it was just a cosmetic change and hope it was nothing sinister.

I glanced at the clock again and noticed that I only had thirty minutes before the first class.

'Time to go.'

…

Empty purple space stretched on into a seemingly endless void, where cubes of different sizes whizzed passed for some unknown purpose. In the center of this controlled chaos, I stood in front of a glowing white keyboard and screen. It was a surreal experience, I had operated computers before, but never one this...alien.

From outside the purple void, the voice of Lero-Ro filtered through, explaining the purpose of the lesson. "At the moment, you are inside the Lighthouse. The space you are in has the potential to be the center of the whole battle. Every bit of information that is collected can be processed in this space, dissected, and used to provide valuable insight to your teammates."

I listened to his words before I pressed my hand to the keyboard in front of me. 'So this is a lighthouse? It's much more roomy on the inside.' I mused as I observed the countless purple cubes floating within the area.

"The cubes you can see floating within the space allow you to gather data efficiently. Each Lighthouse is connected to a network of the information Bureau, so you can learn a lot about the tower through simple research!"

I ignored how he droned on about himself being a famous ranker, more interested in that tidbit of information. 'This thing is connected to the internet?' I mused as I called several boxes to myself as I input the commands into the keyboard.

Irregulars

'Irregulars are people from outside the Tower who use their own power to open the doors. These individuals often bring great change or chaos to the Tower due to the fact that all Irregulars have shown tremendous power.' I read through the definition, my eyes narrowed at the final tidbit of information.

'Any Irregular's existence in the tower goes against the will of Jahad as well as the Tower itself.' The page did not say how an Irregular would be punished, but I could extrapolate what that meant.

'Great. A villain just for existing...I didn't even have to rob a bank.' I internally snorted at that. I deleted the search and began a different search on other topics. I searched through the information the network had one regulars, rankers, and other information that had baffled me throughout the floor tests.

Although, I made sure to keep an ear on the lesson, thankfully I still had my shard's ability to multitask, something that made researching and listening a breeze.

From what Lero-Ro was telling the class, A Lighthouse could be used not only as an information hub, but also as a weapon.

'Teleportation, forcefields, Shinsoo fields, and more?' I raised an eyebrow from my search on the different functions on a Lighthouse. If this thing had existed on earth-bet, it would be one of the most versatile tinker creations ever made.

'The question is how do I unlock these abilities.' I wondered as my searches came up empty. There were a few help guides from different Rankers, but they were behind paywalls.

'Looks like I will need to find a way to make money.' I decided as I noticed that many of the more helpful guides and information always had a price.

"Do you all see my profile? In this way you can use the Lighthouse to look up celebrities! And since you found me that means I'm pretty famous!"

I rolled my eyes, but I typed in the name of the administrator to get full marks on the exercise.

Lero-Ro

Class: Ranker

Current Position: 2nd Floor Administrator

Position: Light Bearer

Notable Feats:

Is one of the only contemporaries of the famous Princess, Yuri Jahad.

'Yuri Jahad?' I wondered, noticing the final entry and clicked on the link to the 'Famous Princess.'

Yuri Jahad (Formerly Ha)

Class: High-Ranker

Current Position: Jahad Princess

Position - Fisherman

Notable Feats:

The feets were much, much longer than Lero-Ro, with over twenty pages of different accomplishments. The highlights being that she made it to the top floor in just under 100 years, and that she had been the recipient of the 13 months series weapon Black March…

'Black March?' I wondered as I recalled that Ship Leesoo had mentioned the weapon that Anak had stolen from Baam was called that.

'How did that kid get that kind of weapon from such a powerful ranker?' I wondered in disbelief. Either Baam had connections to one of the most powerful rankers in the Tower or the weapon had been stolen from Yuri somehow.

'Which means...she may be after anyone who has the Black March.' That Lizard had no idea what she had stolen did she?

Well...I was not going to be the one to inform her that she had a High-Ranker after her. She would have to deal with that on her own.

"Well then everyone, it seems I have six new views on my page in Ranker-pedia, so you all passed this little exercise!"

'He used us just to get more views.' I thought with a roll of my eyes as I excited the Light House, the purple cube shrinking to a much more compact shape.

"Remember everyone, while the Light House can manipulate Shinsoo for you, be sure to form a contract with the Floor Administrator before you sleep tonight. I will be testing you tomorrow to make sure you all have permission!" Lero-Ro stated as we began to file out of the classroom.

'That's right.' I mused as the group split up after leaving the classroom. Shinsoo had been one of the biggest surprises I had discovered in my research. Apparently it was not some innate power that few could use, but instead it was everywhere.

When I had looked up the strange energy I had received a laundry list of different methods on how to use it, from mundane uses to the utterly bizarre.

Food was cooked with Shinsoo, machines were operated with Shinsoo, this whole island was floating thanks to shinsoo. The people in the Tower used Shinsoo for nearly everything. It was worse than triggering in a way. Instead of only those who go through trauma getting super powers, everyone here got superpowers.

'For now though, it's good for me.' I still had very little idea on how to control the immense power of Queen Administrator. The shard had been a part of countless cycles, with different powers and years of data compiled on different uses.

I only had access to my old power due to familiarity. If I wanted access to everything, I would need a massive amount of memory processing, much more than what I could do on my...own.

I paused in the hallway before I turned to the small purple boxes that floated behind me.

...Huh.

Last edited: Feb 10, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 8: The Positioning Test 1.1

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Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 11, 2020

#229

Chapter 8:

2F: The Positioning Test

1.1

-?-

I was sinking…

That was the first thing I felt after I used my pocket to make contact with the Administrator. Wherever I was, I was definitely no longer in my room. The space where I had been transported was seemingly endless, filled with some sort of liquid that like the space in Headon's Floor, was perfectly breathable.

But, I could tell I was not alone. The liquid stirred as something massive stirred just below the surface. 'Where is the administrator?' I wondered as I stared into the abyss.

And then...I saw it.

In Earth Bet, the ocean had become something to be feared. The Leviathan had turned the once conquered Ocean into the most inhospitable areas on Earth. Nearly everyone was terrified of meeting the monster while out at Sea.

Stories and movies had been made to dramatize such tales. None of them compared to the being that swam in front of me now.

The being was titanic, so large that I could not see the end to the being as it swam closer. It's head resembled that of a whale, but it's body stretched on line an eel throughout the abyss.

"I am the Administrator of this floor" A deep voice reverberated from the largest fish I had ever seen...or ever even heard of as it swam closer. "Are you here for a contract...or do you wanna fight?" The only eye I could see appeared to look through me, piercing straight through me as it analyzed me from head to toe.

I finally found my voice after a moment, still shocked at the sight"Are…" I speak for a moment as I tried to gather my wits, "Um. Yes I am here for a contract."

"Ugh...no one wants to fight these days." The titanic fish grumbles before he focused back on me. "Fine...let's see if you are qualified to use Shinsoo."

The behemoth goes silent as the Administrator studied me, it's massive eyes not even having to move as it stares through me. "Hmmm, you look...stale."

'Stale?' I blinked, unsure how to respond to that.

The being chuckled, the sound echoing throughout the space,"Yes...once you would have looked delicious. A destiny wrought with turmoil and feats of great strength... but your time has passed." He declared, sounding disappointing, as if he expected a great dish only to find that it had gone cold. "Tell me girl, why does one who has already completed their destiny want to climb the Tower?"

I decided not to dwell on the delicious aspect of his metaphor as I think on the question.

'Why am I climbing?' I wonder, struggling to come up with a satisfactory answer.

The truth was I really did not have any real goal to make it to the top. I had been thrown into this competition with very little idea of what really lied at the top and if it would be worth it or not.

As I thought back to the previous few days, I had just gone through the motions, and just did my best to survive and excel in a foreign environment.

"I…" I paused, did I really want to tell the giant fish that I had no real goal? No ambition? I had already done what I set out to do. Zion was dead and my home was saved. What reason was there for me to go on?

What drove me to continue to climb?

No...lying would not help me here. I would have to just bite the bullet and go with the truth. "I am still looking for one." I admit and braced for the being's reaction.

The Floor Administrator was silent at my answer before once again deep chuckles reverberated throughout the abyss, "For millennia I have guarded this floor." The fish rumbled as he managed to control his voice, "millions of humans have asked me for a contract, each willing to risk everything for their dreams. But you…you have no dreams." The fish almost seemed contemplative as he thought on my answer. "You are different from them." It finally stated.

'Them?' I wondered.

"The other Irregulars." It answered my unspoken question, "They always shined the brightest when they came here. They all looked so delicious, their dreams burnt brighter than all other Regulars. But you...you are a different breed aren't you?"

The Administrator turned so that both eyes now gazed at me, once again revealing just how massive it was. "I will form a contract with you."

At the words the Administrator, light began to shine through the abyss at the agreement of the contract, a bright light began to shine from the darkness, innumerable brightly colored fish washed over me as I placed an arm to block out the harsh light.

'What is this?' I wondered in shock as the Administrator disappeared behind the white overcame my vision.

The last thing I heard before I drifted off was the Administrator giving one last warning, "But know this Dreamless One, this power does not come without a price. For one such as you, this power is not a strength...but are shackles"

"Always Remember this."

…

"Contract Complete!"

I awoke with a start as the pocket in my hand chirped and I found myself back in my room, any sign of the abyss gone.

'That...was much more intense than I imagined.' I breathed out a sigh of relief to be out of that strange area. I had thought that the Leviathan was terrifying, at least the Endbringer was not the size of a city.

I leaned against my bed frame and tossed the pocket back into the air, the black orb fizzling back into invisibility.

'Stale…' I remembered the description the Administer gave to me, it fit in a bizarre way. I no longer had any real purpose anymore. At this point all I was doing was existing.

'How does one even find a new goal?' I wondered. I had single mindedly focused my attention to prevent the end of the world ever since I was fifteen and before that my only goal had been to get to college in order to escape the trio.

I had never been a person who had big dreams.

'Those who reach the top get whatever they desire.' I mused as I recalled the words that Headon said. I had scoffed at the idea, but every person in the Tower seemed to believe it. 'If I make it to the top...what would I even want?'

The obvious answers were money or power, but I had been on both sides of that spectrum. I had been poor and wealthy as well as powerless and powerful. Neither of which made my situation any better.

'I could ask to return to my dimension...if that is even possible.' Contessa had stated that the dimension was inescapable. Unless the power at the top of the tower was blind to the Path to Victory, then it was likely that it was more complicated than that.

With a defeated sigh I pressed my head against the wall.

I let myself just lay there, not doing anything for several moments before a loud knock echoed from my door made me flinch.

'Who…?' I wondered as I pocketed my pepper spray before I opened the door, revealing Ship Leesoo and Hatsu

"Aha...Hey Khepri!" Ship laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head, "We were just wondering...would you like to be friends with us?" The two pull out assignment sheets.

"...What?"

...

"So, for the scout position you have to find ten people to be 'Friends' with?" I questioned as I stared blankly at the test sheet. It even had a place to write one's name and the date.

"Yeah...it's harder than it sounds." Ship Leesoo sighed.

I glanced back down at the empty form. "So… I am just another person to ask?" I stated with a dry tone. I didn't mind doing it, but it felt oddly...cheap compared to the tests I had to take.

"No! No no no, I uh...just thought to ask you since we had that bonding moment after the Crown Game." Tracksuit rejected.

"If you don't want to do it you can just say so." Hatsu sighed, his face emotionless as ever.

"Hatsu!" Ship growled at his partner before murmuring something into his ear.

The swordsman sighed before he dipped his head, "Please sign our paper."

'Not very personable is he?' I gave a wry grin "So what's the point of this? It's not like just declaring us friends will make us teammates or anything." I questioned as I looked back down at the sheet.

"Well…" Tracksuit looked uncomfortable as he answered. "Our teacher...well. He is a ranker!" He made sure to reassure me of the fact even though he didn't ask. "But well, he is kinda...odd?"

"Odd." I repeat as I hold up the ridiculous assignment.

"Stupid." Hatsu corrected before he sighed, "Can you please just sign it." He requested.

I glanced back down at the paper and sighed, "Fine." I accepted, taking a pen and signing my name on both of the forms.

"Thank you so much Khepri!" Ship bowed as he accepted his assignment, "We owe you one!"

"No we don't." Hatsu deadpanned as they walked out.

As they stepped outside Tracksuit turned and gave me a thumbs up, "We will pay you back for sure!"

"No we won't."

"Dammit Hatsu, be nice!"

I gave a small smile as their voices carried on down the hall as they requested other regulars to sign their paper.

'I'm being stupid.' I snorted as I flopped back down on my bed, arms stretched out. I had never needed a concrete objective to move forward.

I had always done whatever it took to protect myself and those I loved. Why did it have to be any different here?

Lisa, Brian, Alec, Rachel, and Aisha are gone now. The Undersiders were no more. But that did not mean that they were forgotten.

'That's right...just because I have no one now, that does not mean I can't find other people.' I smiled.

I had been friendless once, but I had found companionship and through them, a goal. Why would it be so different here? Not everyone was some sort of sociopath. There were some friendly faces here.

'A fresh start...I guess in a way Contessa did fulfill my wish.' I snorted. Even across dimensions Contessa was still terrifying. Had she seen this through her path? I didn't need what the top of the tower offered, I already had what I wanted.

'I was so concerned with something concrete that I missed the obvious.' I mused. I had never really wanted materialistic things anyway.

At the end of the day, what I really wanted was to have a team. A team where friends relied on each other, a team like what the Undersiders had been before Dinah's Prophecy.

'I don't know where you guys are.' I thought to the still living Undersiders, 'But I won't forget you. I will ensure that the name of the Undersiders still lives.'

Standing up from the bed, I affirm my resolve as I step into my Lighthouse, where the thousands of data cubes hurled themselves through the empty space, each carrying bits of information.

'But this time…'

Bugs flowed from the entrance and began to mash themselves upon the stump of my arm, building upon themselves until they formed a rough parody of an arm.

I placed both hands on the keyboard, old memories of coding classes at Winslow rose to the surface of my mind.

'We will be the good guys.'

386

Morgan Arc

Feb 11, 2020

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 12, 2020

#263

Chapter 9:

2F: The Positioning Test

1.2

-Regular Eating Area-

All Food Served Fresh (as possible) Daily!

After my resolution, the days flew past as I studied the ways of the Light Bearer. It was a fascinating subject, if difficult. It reminded me of my old coding classes in Winslow combined with perplexing mental and physical training.

But Lero-Ro knew what he was doing. As the days went by, I figured out how to not only use my Lighthouse, as the name suggests, as a light but in other ways as well. I learned to project images through the cubes and speak from long distances.

I could gather immense amounts of data in a short period of time in a different, yet also in a similar way that I collect information through my Insects. They were two sides of the same coin. The Lighthouse could give me a visual on my target while the insects under my command could acquire information through touch and sound.

It truly made for a formidable combination.

But as the days past, I found myself wandering towards the cafeteria. Everything on this floor ran on test points, you wanted a drink? Half a point. Wanted a meal? That would be a single point off your grade.

It was absolutely ridiculous.

So unless you didn't eat, it was impossible to get a hundred percent on the test. 'At least we're all in the same boat.' I sighed as I entered the eating area. The room reminded me of a school cafeteria, with long eating tables and an assortment of single tables scattered around the room.

The kitchen was operated by a group of giants, the creatures looking more like giant potatoes with limbs than actual humans. Not to mention that they had eight eyes in a perfect circle around their head.

When I had first come here, I had been reminded of how...diverse the population of the tower really is. But regardless of their appearance, they were actually pretty gentle and friendly.

However...one thing I hated about the cafeteria materialized as I approached the counter and examined the menu. 'Once again...what the hell is this menu.' I frowned as I stared up at the numerous options available in the cafeteria. I knew this was a different dimension, but the food options every time I came here left me confused.

'Bibimbap? Bulgogi? Roasted Eel?' I read off some of the options. I had grown up on a largely American diet, we could not afford to experiment with other cuisines.

"Hey...you gunna buy something?" The eight eyed giant asked, the four frontward facing eyes all pointed in my direction.

"I am trying to figure out what I'm buying," I responded as I eyed the omelet, the only thing I had ordered for the past two weeks. I was really getting tired of it.

But, before I could make a decision, a voice spoke up from behind me, "I recommend the roasted eel."

I turned and spotted Khun Aguero behind me, "The Eel?" I questioned. That had been something I had been avoiding.

The silver-haired regular nodded as he gave me a smirk that painfully reminded me of Lisa, "I think it would be the best for someone not used to this type of food. It really just tastes like chicken."

I eye him for a moment before I turned to the giant chef, "Fine, I will take the Eel." I wouldn't know if it tastes good or not until I tried it.

"Would you like to join me?" Khun asked, gesturing towards an empty table.

'What is he planning.' I thought with a frown as I examined the table he had gestured too. It was far away from where the bulk of the regulars often ate. The Regular had proven himself to be very similar to Lisa at her worst for it to be a pure coincidence. It was clear that he wanted to discuss something.

I was unsure if he had a similar power, or was simply that smart on his own, but I would need to be careful, "Fine then. Lead the way." I picked up the dish, trying hard not to picture the gargantuan eel that had almost eaten me on the first floor.

Khun set his own meal down upon the table, some rice dish with an assortment of ingredients while I set mine down opposite him.

The Eel did look appetizing. If anything it just looked like a well-cooked chunk of white fish. But the knowledge that the meat was in fact, eel, still made me a bit squeamish.

"So," I stated as I cut a small bite for myself as Khun began to mix his bowl together. "What do you want?"

The silver-haired boy began to mix up his rice bowl as he responded, "So straight to the point? I figured you would." He set down his cutlery and gave me a steady stare, his electric blue eyes boring into my own, "To be frank...I need your help."

I blinked at that, I had expected a threat or a warning of some sort. "You do realize we are direct competitors right?" I ask with a dry tone as I take my first bite of the eel. It was surprisingly not that bad.

"I realize that." Khun shrugged, "But I know I will not fail the test and I doubt you will either from what I have observed. The thing I need your help with is something different."

He glanced towards the table at the center of the room, where the usual group of Regulars had decided to sit together. "Tomorrow they will hold a test of some sort and probably split us into teams. We will be on separate teams."

'A team challenge?' I thought it over and It made sense. This test was largely an individual challenge, but the point of it was to learn how to be a part of a team. It would be odd if they did not test our teamwork ability. The question was if he was guessing or had some other source of information. "And how do you know this?"

"I have my sources." He smiled infuriatingly, "But the problem is that some parties within the test want to see my friend fail."

'Someone is after Baam?' I thought. I doubted he meant the dinosaur, "And...what, you want me to do what, protect him?" I guessed. I was not averse to it, he seemed like a good kid from my interactions with him. But I still had questions.

"I doubt they will go after him directly." Khun admitted, "There is a much easier way to do so. Baam is climbing the tower to help his friend, you know her as Michelle Light. But her real name is Rachel."

'The blond girl?' I recalled her from the lessons. She had been quiet and standoffish, never really interacting with anyone else, not even the teacher.

"Take a look at this." Khun slid a memo across the table.

I picked up the note and read through it, "I see…" I murmur. The note essentially told the regular to kill Rachel in order to stop Baam from going up the tower.

"So you want me to protect Rachel then." I passed him back the note.

"Yes, my plan requires that Baam does not learn that Rachel is here. She does not want him to know either." He explained.

I took another bite of the eel, "And how many others have you gotten involved with this?" I knew people like Khun. Like Lisa, he would not rely on just one person to get this done.

"I will inform one other person." He admitted, "But their focus will be to keep Baam away from Rachel."

"What I want you to do is protect Rachel from whoever wants to attack her." He finished.

I leaned back on my chair and set my fork down on my empty plate. If we are on the same team, then I had no problem protecting someone from harm, but at the same time I could not afford to look weak here. If I treated this like a negotiation with Lisa, then he would expect me to want something in return.

"Fine...but I do want a small favor," I state, watching as his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

'From my understanding, the Khun family is one of the richest and most well connected in the Tower.' I recalled from my research.

"I would like access to the Tutorial Guide on Lighthouse Combat Programs by Jaina Repellista Jahad," I stated.

Khun's eyebrow rose, "You have done your research haven't you?"

'Of course.' I thought, 'As the only princess to go the path of a light-bearer, her skills are said to be almost unparalleled.'

"And how do you think I can get my hands on such a thing?" Khun sighed.

I snort, "And what makes you think I don't know you already have it?" Sometimes, my power really did pay itself back in spades.

I stand up from the table and pick up my tray. "Make a copy of the training manual and send it to me and I will make sure nothing happens to Rachel," I state before I paused and turned back to Khun.

"Oh and...thanks for the tip about the Eel."

…

-Testing Area Transport-

"Congratulations to all Regulars participating in the Position Test!" Lero-Ro exclaims to us, "All 28 of you gathered here today will form into two teams of 14 and take a test."

"The regular's assigned to each team are listed here!" Lero-Ro revealed a board with all of our faces on it, which showed the separation of the teams.

I eyed team A before I reviewed the regulars on my own team. To be honest, there were not many standouts on team B, the only ones being Androssi, Hatsu, and Rachel. 'Did they deliberately stack team A?' I wondered as I glanced at the list of notable names on the other team.

But what truly damned this test, in my opinion, was the proof that Khun had been right. Rachel, Baam, and Hoh had been put on the same side.

'Looks like I will be getting that training guide after all.' I mused.

Though I did raise my eyebrow at the knowledge that the Dinosaur and Samurai had already passed the test.

"The teams are divided fairly between previous test results. However, we had to divide the Scouts and Lightbearers differently due to an odd number of participants. So team A will have more Lightbearers than Team B. So no complaining about unbalanced teams." Lero-Ro requested.

'Bullshit. Something else is going on here.' I mused. In terms of individuals, the teams were balanced. We had a Princess of Jahad after all, but the other team was primed to be much better organized.

If anything our team was a powder keg waiting to go off. And that was before factoring in the potential betrayal by Hoh. While I had been teammates with Parakewl, I didn't trust him at all, not to mention the rest of the team were either unknown to me or I had already seen break under pressure.

'Our team was designed to fail.' I predicted. The question was why?

"The test will be based on an individual and a team basis. Those with the highest scores on each team will be then formed into a single team to take the final exam of this floor." Lero-Ro finished his explanation.

As if remembering something Lero-Ro spoke up once more "Oh! And just so you know, your position teachers, as well as the supervisor, will be grading your performances. So make sure you make us proud!" He gave a sickly sweet grin.

At the far end of the room, the instructors and Hansung Yu sat at a table, but only the supervisor spoke, "Hi! I am Hansung Yu, you may remember me from the second exam you all took! It's nice to meet you all again" He chirped.

"I will explain the next task for you. It will be a game of 'Hide and Seek.'"

Everyone in the room glanced at each other awkwardly at that announcement.

'Hide and go seek?' I wondered, 'That sounds too simple. There has to be a twist.' That was when I noticed the box next to the supervisor was shaking and began to tear.

"It will not be the Hide and go seek that you are familiar with." Hansung reassured the regulars, "Nor will you be competing against the other team. Each team will play with a seeker that we will designate." He stated before pointing out the window. "We will be holding the game in the area below."

I glanced out the window and my eyes widened at the sheer size of the testing area. It was massive.

"The rules are easy to understand, choose a fisherman on your team to receive a tag, and then that fisherman must exit the arena before being tagged by the seeker. There will be a time limit of three hours and you are allowed to use any method you wish." He held up the tag for everyone to see, "Of course the seeker will also have a tag, should you wish to try and capture the seeker instead of trying to flee."

With a sly grin, the supervisor sweetens the pot "Also, if you catch the seeker, the test ends immediately and every person on your team earns 2000 points."

'That's more points than all the previous tests combined!' I think in shock at that amount.

Ship Leesoo asked the question on everyone's mind "Then...who is the seeker?"

"HAHA! Good question my student, for it is I!" With a sudden jerk, the box explodes as a red-haired man bursts forth, shocking the supervisor into spilling his coffee as he did so. "I am the Seeker!" He shouted with enthusiasm.

"Haha! Don't worry, I will go easy on you all!" He continued to laugh at the stunned crowd.

'You mean…' I thought in disbelief as I stared at the ridiculous man.

'We are competing against a Ranker?!'Chapter 10:

2F: Hide and Seek

1.0

"Man, what the hell is up with this shitty team? What a bunch of weaklings. We got a fuckin corpse, a cripple, and a bunch of wusses" A fisherman, whose name I never bothered to learn, grumbled in the waiting area as team A were about to begin the test.

I internally sighed at the insult, but chose not to display any emotion as the fisherman continued to whine about our team. I was more focused on the screen at the far side of the room that displayed the match between team A and the ranker.

It had been a surprise to learn we would be allowed to watch the match. I would normally have thought that would give us an unfair advantage. But…

'If this attitude keeps up we're doomed.' I decided. Besides a select few I could already tell many in this group had learned little to nothing over the past month about their positions. They were all still too arrogant or were underestimating the ranker.

'Will I have to use everything I learned this early?' I questioned myself as the match started on the screen. I had not been lazy during the past month, but I had wanted to save much of what I learned for the final exam.

But if team A managed to get the full two thousand points, then the only way I could pass would be doing the same. At the moment, Khun Aguero was at the top of the class with myself in second. He could afford the two thousand point differential, me on the other hand…

'I am only fifteen hundred points ahead of the other Lightbearers on team A…' I grimaced. The tests for the Lightbearers were interesting. Many of them involved learning how to hack or disable the opposing Lighthouses, something that Queen Administrator made trivial.

It was hard to beat someone who could type with an insect resting on every key, ready to press when necessary.

Not even Khun could match me in terms of hacking. But, where he made his lead was the other assignments involving strategy and battle simulations.

The silver haired boy was a savant at that area, far surpassing any strategist I had met previously. No matter the strategy I employed and no matter how I tried to outwit him, he could counter it.

'Which is why team A will win.' I decide as Ship Leesoo was revealed on the screen, Khun's lighthouse shining a bright light on him. 'So he's the bait.'

"Ranker spotted!" one of the spear bearers called out, attracting the attention of the entire group to watch tracksuit face off against the red haired ranker.

Everyone watched as the Ranker, Quant, taunted and made a mockery of the ambush that Khun had planned.

It had been a simple plan, everyone grouped up to ambush the Ranker as he took the bait to interact with his student.

'Too simple.' I frowned at the screen. Khun's biggest weakness was the need to showboat. In class, every plan he made had some form of monologue or face to face confrontation to prove how smart he was. He would never plan out such a simple strategy without giving himself any time in the spotlight.

Not to mention, I was certain that he would not underestimate the ranker and fall for his ridiculous attitude.

The other regulars did not share my attitude as they began to cheer and shout for the Ranker to kill all of them.

Well, everyone but the boy who sat beside me. I glanced at Baam out of the corner of my eyes, 'If Khun wants Baam to pass, then he cannot get the tag from the Ranker. Otherwise the wave-controllers on his team will pass automatically. So what is he thinking?'

I had learned over the month that Khun was not an exact clone of Lisa. He was much more devious and manipulative than my teammate had ever been, but he did care about his team.

'The only thing I can count on with him is that he will do anything it takes to accomplish his goals.' I internally snorted as I recalled the first time I had been a part of one of his schemes.

It had been a largely innocent interaction, but I still remembered it.

…

-2 Weeks Earlier-

"Now class, I have an extra assignment for all of you. Every position will be doing this so consider it a good time to socialize and connect with your fellow Regulars." Lero-Ro announced to the gathered Lightbearers.

With a flourish he whipped out a stack of papers, ones that to my horror I recognized.

'He wouldn't.' I internally sighed as I accepted the assignment sheet, the familiar instructions to get ten "friend" signatures written at the top. It was the same sheet that the Scout position had a few days earlier.

When I had signed the two's sheet I had wondered if everyone would get one, and dreaded it. I was never the best at socializing, a trait that had only gotten worse as my cape career progressed.

But, as it turned out, every position had been given the sadistic assignment, which meant at lunch the tables turned into a mess of people trying to either blackmail, convince, bribe, or beg everyone and anyone to sign their papers.

But it was in this chaos, that Khun utilizes his most devastating and most secret weapon. "Umm, Miss Khepri. If you sign this then that means we can become friends! Isn't that great!"

'This is a master effect. It has to be.' I decided as I stared down at the far too innocent and happy expression on The 25th Baam's face.

"It's...alright if you don't want to though. I mean...I won't be offended or hurt at all!" His amber doe-like eyes looked like a wounded puppy as he held up his name sheet.

I gave Khun, who was standing right behind his teammate with the smuggest grin I had ever seen, a death glare. 'You monster, taking advantage of this kid to complete the assignment.'

As if reading my thoughts, somehow the male Lisa-clone's smirk only widened.

"Please?" Baam requested and my god his eyes were even watering.

"Alright! Alright I will sign it." I sighed, accepting his paper and wrote my name down.

"Oh! Can you sign my teammates as well?" Baam stated, offering Khun's sheet as well.

'You son of a bitch, how dare you corrupt him like this.' I glared at Khun when Baam was not looking as I signed his sheet as well. There was no way this kid was that devious on his own.

This Manipulation was brought to you by: Khun

Directed by: Khun

Produced by: Khun

Written by: Khun

Special Effects by: Khun

Featuring: The 25th Baam

…

-Present-

Needless to say, Khun was a very dangerous manipulator and should never be underestimated.

"See? This is me. I am not just a glutton!" I refocused on the conversation to see Androssi chastising Baam for some unknown slight.

'So he got you too huh.' thought in sympathy to my fellow victim of Khun's use of the dangerous power that Baam wielded.

But, as we continued to watch the screen, it was clear that the test was not going well for the team. When their initial ambush failed, it appeared that they shifted strategies to try and let the lizard escape.

But Quant had demolished both teams they had put in place to stop him. Even with the restrictions imposed on the Ranker, he still overwhelmed the regulars with pure physical ability in mere seconds.

The only times when he was slowed down, was when he decided to play around with the defenders...and a rather embarrassing display by Ship Leesoo.

On the screen, The tracksuit wearing regular had grabbed the leg of the Ranker and hung on for dear life, "Trust Khun and run! We will stop the Ranker here while you get to the exit! Run! My cutie! This Daddy trusts you!"

'What. The. Fuck.' I pressed a palm to my face as Androssi began to snigger uncontrollably.

Predictably, the Ranker decided to teach his student a lesson and began to beat him up, flinging him around wildly to get him off his leg.

'It's so hard to tell if that guy is a moron or a genius.' I mused as the Ranker finally removed the scout from his leg and chased after the Lizard. He had embarrassed himself in a way that his reputation would probably never recover, but at the same time he did buy the most amount of time out of his entire team and convinced the stubborn Anak to continue running.

'A scout is someone who makes sacrifices to bring information and stall the enemy for the team.' I recalled from my research on the positions. If Ship Leesoo did not exemplify that, then I was unsure if any of the scouts here did.

And it turned out that sacrifice had been necessary, as when the Ranker caught up, Anak had disappeared and had been replaced by Khun, the two facing off on a suitably dramatic bridge that hung over a steep drop.

'And here is where the show begins.' I recognized the beginning of a signature Khun strategy. He was a master at manipulating people, but team A's success would most likely be determined on if he could successfully do that to a Ranker.

"He's screwed." Androssi finally stated as the Ranker grips his arm, looking as if he was going to throw the Regular off the edge.

'No…' I decided as instead of throwing Khun, Quant instead jumped off with the silver haired Regular.

'This was his plan all along.' I watched in disbelief as Khun's plan unfolded, with a hidden rope keeping him from falling while at the same time pulling Anak backup to the bridge, where she continued to run towards the exit, this time unimpeded by a Ranker.

"No way." Someone in the room stated in disbelief.

'What's the plan Khun, if this works Baam is done.' I thought as the boy himself praised his teammate, perhaps unaware or did not care that he would never pass if it succeeded.

And then, something miraculous happened.

On the screen, Quant somehow managed to catch up to Anak and tagged her, ending the round with the loss of Team A.

'How?' I stared at the screen. That drop was near the size of a cliff! No one, Ranker or no should be able to climb that fast without powers.

'Did he account for this? Did he somehow know the ranker could get back up?' I wondered at the foresight Khun must have had. 'Or is there something else happening?' It was hard to tell. During practice the plans Khun employed often had many layers, you may see one or two then the third gets you.

"Well, that's that then." Androssi murmured as we all stood up, prepared to face our own trial.

I met the eyes of the Princess and nodded, if we wanted to win this then we needed to work together.

'Whether he made it back up on his own or was helped is irrelevant. What matters is beating him.' I could not afford to hold anything back. Any thought of hiding trump cards faded at the thought of competing against such a monster.

'Protecting Rachel is important, but I need to ensure that we pass as well.' I grit my teeth as two sides of me warred against each other.

The practical side demanded I take control and ensure that we won, but the side that wanted to be a hero insisted that I ensure the safety of my teammate.

"Ready Regulars?" Lero-Ro questioned as he entered the room. "You're up!"

I pushed my seat in and followed the Ranker to the flying vehicle that would take us down to the maze-like stadium. Once we all piled in the Test Administrator gave us all a smile as the door shut, "Good luck!"

Everyone in our team was silent as the lift began to move, the windows steadily growing darker as we dropped into the test.

I grit my teeth as the lights disappeared completely and the lift descended into darkness of the testing area.

"Ugh, the Shinsoo here is intense." Parakewl complained.

'I don't feel anything?' I internally questioned as we finally touched down in the center of the Maze and everyone exited the vehicle and gathered together in the center ring.

"So...I guess we have to decide who is the leader and which of us gets the tag." A fisherman in a sweater spoke first.

"Obviously the leader should be me!" Parakewl shouted, interrupting as he puffed his chest out.

"What? No way you fuckin Corpse, I should be the leader." The same Fisherman growls as several other regulars stepped forward, each looking as if they wanted to argue for themselves as well.

'This can't continue. I decided as I released my second Lighthouse and turned the light up to the highest setting down upon the group.

'Take refuge in audacity...even here that advice is still relevant.' I mused as everyone froze at my action.

"Calm down." I ordered, giving each member of the team a death glare.

"I will be the leader."

Last edited: Feb 14, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 11: Hide and Seek 1.1

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Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 16, 2020

#337

Chapter 11

2F: Hide and Seek

1.1

"You?" The fisherman who had complained earlier sneered. "Why would we let a cripple lead?"

I stood tall in the middle of the regulars as everyone focused on me. I could tell they were doubting me, they only saw my stump of an arm.

'These people will never listen to me.' I flexed my fingers as I instinctively knew I could set Litzits on them all and force them to comply before I clenched my fist.

"A Lightbearer needs to lead, otherwise we will all be screwed if the leader is away from the team. We saw what happened to Team A, you really think the judges will care who got to be the leader if we all fail?" I didn't blink when he got in my face and stared him right in the eyes.

I would not force them to accept me, but I would be damned if I let us fail because we argued the entire test.

But, as the brute was about to speak again a surprising voice came to my aid, "Just let her lead."

Everyone turned to see Androssi standing by the wall, staring at her nails. "She said it herself, a Lightbearer should lead. And I don't see Michelle as a leader, no offense."

My fellow Lightbearer merely nodded but did not say anything further.

The Fisherman looked ticked but was smart enough to not argue against the Princess.

I sent a questioning look at the 'Princess of Jahad.' I would have thought she would have tried to lead us. But I would not question it. For now. "Anyone else disagree?" I asked needlessly.

No one spoke up.

"Alright then, I do have a plan," I announce.

'Alright Khun, you did your part, I will do mine.' I decided. "As we saw from team A, running from the Ranker will be useless, plus I know most of us here actually need the points from capturing the tag to pass."

Androssi pursed her lips as several others in the group winced at my blunt assessment.

"And how do you suggest we do that? We already saw that he beat up team A?" One of the scouts asked.

I gave the group a sly grin, one that may not be as devious as one Khun and Lisa could pull off, but I would like to think they would approve. "The previous team made a mistake of underestimating his intelligence and physical ability." I explained, "But that is not his weakness."

"And you, someone not even from the Ten Families knows a Ranker's weakness?" Androssi asked, looking much more interested than before.

My grin widened and I began to explain my plan, much to the shock of the collective group.

"You are insane," Androssi stated in awe.

"That wouldn't work...would it?" one of the Spear Bearers questioned.

Hoh's eye twitched as he stared at me, "No! No, no no! This plan is suicide! You can't do that to a ranker! He will kill all of us!"

"He has a point! How can you be sure that he won't go berserk on us." Parakewl questioned.

"That's because I have been spying on everyone here since the start of the Position test," I answered as everyone twitched in shock at that information. "Quant is dangerous, out of all of the rankers here he is probably the second or third most physically capable, but at the same time I would say he is not the type to jump to murder."

"But say your plan fails and he doesn't care about your strategy. We should have a backup just in case." Androssi spoke up. "I say we have a group move towards an exit while another group moves to enact Khepri's plan. That way we don't have all our eggs in one basket."

"Who do you want to take? You obviously are going to wear the tag." I asked.

The Princess playfully looked around the group before pointing out to a few "Well, I do love my nice strong men. How about I take these two Fisherman and Baam?"

I raised an eyebrow "All three fishermen and a wave controller moving together?"

"If you fail to stop him, we can all split up and try to fool him on who has the tag." Androssi explained, "After all, if your plan works we really do not need the muscle do we?"

I narrowed my eyes as I stared at the princess. I knew what she was planning. She obviously did not trust my plan and wanted an insurance policy to make sure she passed. I didn't like it, but I knew I would not have the support needed if I argued.

Both of the fishermen looked far too pleased to be singled out by the beautiful Princess. 'You can't save everyone Taylor.' I told myself as I sighed, but reluctantly gave my assent. "Fine, we will either end it or buy you enough time to make your escape."

"Alright then, the rest of you will stay with me. However, I want Michelle and Levin to stay within the safe zone and remain in your Light Houses. If I go down we cannot afford to lose all of our lights." I told the two other Lightbearers.

"Shouldn't one of us stay to protect them then?" Hoh asked, "I could stay behind…"

"No," I ordered, cutting him off before he could continue. "The ranker can't get in here so there is no need to protect them."

'I won't let you do what you want.' I thought before summoning my second light to hover above Androssi's group. "Alright, you leave first and we will move to intercept the Ranker."

"Right, we will defend you to the end, dearest Princess!" One of the fishermen simpered as the group left.

"Alright…" I sighed, wondering if I had just sent the two Fishermen off to die. "Let's move out."

"We have ourselves a Ranker to Blackmail."

…

-Team A Waiting Area-

"What is happening? They have been in the starting area for a while." Ship Leesoo questioned as the screen showed the opposing team together in the safe area.

'Come on Khepri.' Khun thought as he stared at the screen, this was the riskiest part of his plan. Deciding to trust the strange woman had been a tough decision, but a necessary one.

From what he had observed, Khepri had a depth of hidden strength and knowledge that far surpassed most of the regulars here.

From the minute he saw her fight during the Crown game, he knew she had seen combat and a lot of it. At the moment, his favorite theory was that she had been a part of the Jahad Outer Tower Militia Corps, and was forced to retire due to her injury. There were many places in such a setting where she could have learned to manipulate insects to the level she displayed.

Not to mention her skill in class, it pained him to admit it, but Khepri was better than him at manipulating the Lighthouse. Almost as if she had previous experience working with or for Light bearers, something that would be highly plausible in a Militia.

But regardless of her history, it was her personality that drove him to bring her into the "keep Baam from Rachel" circle. He recognized the type, he had seen it hundreds of times in the many rankers that he had met at the Khun compound. The look of someone who had fought for their lives only to question what they were fighting for when they got through it.

They were the easiest type of people to manipulate.

And so, with the simple cost of having to copy a training program, he had acquired the help he needed. He knew they would separate himself and her into the different teams seeing as they were the first and second-ranked in the class. With Androssi and Khepri working together, he could be assured that they would keep Rachel safe and Baam unaware.

Now all they had to do was pass the test.

"Hey, are they using our first tactic?" A voice broke Khun out of his thoughts as he focused on the screen, raising an eyebrow as he saw what they were talking about.

Khepri was standing at the top of a staircase, her only visible weapon being a single Lighthouse.

"Is she the bait?" Ship Leesoo questioned, his face passive.

'He knows it too.' Khun mused as he glanced at perhaps the most surprising regular among his team. 'Khepri knows better than to repeat our tactics. She must have something else planned.'

Taking a deep breath, he decided for now just watch and prepare contingency plans for if team B failed.

'I made the ladder for you Baam, come on up.'

…

I took a deep breath and turned on the light, the purple box shined bright and illuminated the staircase I was standing on. From my observations from above, this staircase was a choke point that the Ranker would have to pass. If I wanted a one on one meeting, this was the place to do it.

'There he is.' I felt Quant approach in the darkness, the insects I had positioned in the area dying from the force the ranker exhibited.

"Well, this looks familiar." The Ranker's voice spoke through the darkness, his red eyes the first part of him to appear as he entered the light. "I hope you don't think to copy the first team will lead to a better result."

I swallowed, wetting my suddenly dry mouth, on the surface Quant did not look intimidating, but his presence was insane. It felt like I had a gun to the side of my head at all times.

"No...I am not the bait." I stated and fixed a confident smile on my face, "I am here to negotiate."

"Negotiate." Quant stared in disbelief before he began to cackle loudly, his voice echoing through the stairway. "Are you insane? You think I will just let you pass?"

I let him laugh for a few seconds longer before I interrupted him, "Not without convincing, no."

That ended his laughter, "What do you mean? You honestly intend to try and make me surrender? Let me just tell you now, you would have a better chance attacking me head-on."

I let my grin widen, 'Stay strong Taylor. You must remain in control. You are in control here.' I reassure myself as I lower my Lighthouse, "It's true I doubt you would let us pass, of your own free will."

Quant raised an eyebrow before he looked at the image I projected from the Lighthouse before he paled rapidly.

"No…" He breathed in shock. "How?"

'It's because the password of your personal account was iamthebest!' I thought with a wry grin before I turned off the image.

"How...you bitch. Blackmail? Really? First the White-haired brat and now you? What is with regulars these days?" Quant complained.

I shrugged "I guess we are just a bit more ambitious than most."

Getting blackmail on Quant's had been an...experience. I had first noticed it while trying to find information about the Tower, but Quant was actually something of a celebrity in the Tower, if not for his strength. It turns out he was the face of many product marketing deals. Everything from food products to weapons, this guy had his face on the label.

As someone who had to endure similar things in the past, I knew how strict the contracts were involving these sorts of deals. So on a whim, I investigated and found that our Ranker friend had been double-dealing.

Judging by the dates on different advertisements, Quant had broken several contracts to take advantage of more opportunities.

"You really think you can get away with this?" The seeker growled, his face expressionless.

I shrugged "I figured I would try to use this before trying to take you head-on."

"And you never considered the fact it's the word against a fresh, not even E ranked regular against the word of a Ranker? Please, girl, don't fool yourself. I can just say that you fabricated those pictures and I get off scot-free." He smirked.

"Then what about your word against a Princess of Jahad?"

That killed his smile as he immediately turned serious.

"Our tag is a Jahad princess." I explained, "She is in full support of spreading this information in her name. Even though she is a regular, who do you think they will believe? A ranker not from one of the ten families, or a Princess?"

For a long moment, the ranker remained quiet, before he began to snigger, then cackle as he clutched his stomach.

'I messed up.' I grimaced, I had missed something and the plan was falling through.

"Girl, you are as bold as brass." Quant sighed as he wiped a tear from his eye. "I think this may be a first. But your inexperience shows."

I began to transfer instructions to each member of the team. I did not know where the plan had gone wrong, but it was clear that Quant would not surrender.

"This is Evankhell's Hell girl! Do you think any business would dare enter her domain to try and attack me for expanding my brand? Hell. No." He sneered.

"But I am in a bad mood, a really bad mood. So I think instead of giving you my tag, I will instead release some of my anger here." Quant gave a wide grin as he sunk into a fighting stance.

"So I will beat you, all your little friends hiding above, and then go after the other team you sent in case you failed."

Sweat beads at the top of my forehead, but I steel myself as I drew the Nano-thorn, "It seems we have no choice,"

"We will just have to take that badge by force."

Last edited: Feb 16, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 12: Hide and Seek 1.2

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Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 18, 2020

#362

Chapter 12:

2F: Hide and Seek

1.2

-Testing Area-

"Take it by force?" Quant asked with a savage grin plastered across his face, "You really think you can?"

"We will just have to see." I answer, readying my weapon. 'The Spear-Bearers are above and Hatsu is waiting for a chance to strike...I suppose Androssi is probably almost finished. I just hope she can either make it out or come back to help.'

'Now where…' My eyes widened as Quant rushed forward, fists outstretched.

'I can't rely on my insects, they can't land on him!' I grit my teeth and sent my Lighthouse forward. 'Lighthouse formation: Barrier!' The lighthouse shined bright as I used it as a conduit to manipulate the shinsoo in the air, forming it into a translucent barrier between me and the ranker.

"Oho! You can do that already? Too bad it won't work on me!" Quant mocked as he barrels straight through the shield, the shinsoo barrier proving ineffective against him.

"Now Hatsu!" I called out as Quant enters the courtyard area at the top of the stairs.

"Highest flying sword...lowest flying sword!" Hatsu called out as he used his unique sword style to attack Quant from above and below.

"We will create an opening, prepare to throw the spears!" I called out through the Lighthouse network as I reached out through the shinsoo and grasped my two Lighthouses, 'I only just figured out how to do this, let's see if it works!'

'Lighthouse Shinsoo Control: Flow Control!' The purple cubes in the air began to vibrate, creating an aura of shinsoo that gradually began to expand as the shinsoo rich air began to compress down upon the field.

"Now! Throw the spears!" I roar as Hatsu dodges out of the area as the technique finished, locking the Ranker down in a force field of pressurized Shinsoo.

...

"Impressive! Really impressive! The balls on that one!" Yuga, the Wave Controller instructor jumps in his seat as he watches the battle, "You really have outdone yourself Lero-Ro!"

"I have been blessed by great students." Lero-Ro responded humbly, a small smile on his face.

"Still...when was the last time a regular was able to master Flow control and shielding this early?" Hax, the Fisherman of the position teachers, questioned.

"Mmm, it's not too uncommon, but I have rarely seen a regular outside of the Tu Perie or Khun family be able to do so." Han Sung Yu commented.

"Still, who cares about that? To try and blackmail a ranker? We should give her points just for that." Yuga chuckled.

"I don't like it." Yu Bok-Dol, the position teacher for the Spear bearers, muttered, "This should be a test of strength, not words."

"You think it was a bad plan?" The supervisor asked.

"No...but like the white haired kid I just don't like it." Bok-Dol sighed.

"And of course there's the situation of the other team…" Hax groaned as on another screen, Androssi was currently beating the two other Fishermen within an inch of their lives.

"This entire team is a mess, if it was not for Khepri I wouldn't be surprised if it descended into total anarchy." Lero-Ro commented.

"Although...it does seem that it is heading in that direction anyway." Yuga pointed out, as one of the screens showed the Spear Bearers abandoning their post as they headed to the safe zone.

"Oh my god, what the hell are they doing." Yu Bok-Dol sighed, pressing his face into his hands.

"From what it sounds like." Han Sung Yu stated, barely keeping his mirth under control. "A Spearbearer Revolution."

…

"Now! Throw the spears!" I called out, pushing all the Shinsoo in the area as hard as I could to lock the Ranker in. With the Ranker injured by the spears, that could give Hatsu or I an opening to get the tag.

But…

'Where are they?' I realize with a jolt. I had been so distracted by the battle that I had not checked up on my teammates. 'Where...dammit.' I cursed. I could not sense Hoh either.

"It seems we have been betrayed." I groaned as I was forced to release the Flow Control, allowing the Ranker to escape.

"What?" Hatsu questioned as he held his sword at the ready.

"You figured it out then? I had wondered when you would realize." Quant quipped, a grin on his face. "So, what will you do? Your teammates have fled, leaving only a Scout and Light-bearer." Quant asked.

'Dammit, I should have recognized that most of my insects died because of his aura.' I didn't think about the missing places where my teammates were.' I grimaced. This was the worst possible scenario. Hoh was probably already on her way to Rachel and who knows what Parakewl and the other spear bearer were thinking.

'Which means...we have an almost zero percent chance to pass as we are now.' I had enough points to whether the loss, but I was not about to just lie down and take it.

"Hey, Hatsu." I called out, earning his attention. "Looks like we are on our own."

He gripped his word with both hands and nodded in agreement.

"You are really going to try and take me on?" Quant laughed, "I have been going easy on both of you, but right now I am in a hurry. I have to make sure to pay someone back for humiliating me."

"So…" Quant took a step forward and in a blur of speed dashed forward, "Positioning 101, the Lightbearer should never be on the front lines!"

'He's after me.' I gritted my teeth and sent both Lighthouses forward 'Flow Control!' But, I was not fast enough as Quant barreled through the weak Shinsoo field and lashed out with a kick, the force of which blew me off my feet and careening towards the far wall.

The world blacked out for a moment as the kick sent me sprawling until I collided with the far wall. "Khepri!" I heard Hatsu roar before another meaty thwack marked him going down as well.

"You regulars are so weird. You both practically already passed, why do you care so much? I can't waste time testing either of you." I heard Quant sigh before with a blur of speed, he was gone.

After he left, I just laid on the ground, letting my body recover from the Ranker's attack. 'I underestimated him. I told myself I wasn't but I still did.' Throughout that entire match he had let himself fall into my traps and plans. I doubted even with the Spear-Bearers and Hoh we still would have lost miserably.

I knew Rankers were something else, the research I had done over the past month on the Lighthouse network had described powers on the level of Scion, much less the Triumvirate. But I had gotten cocky.

With a groan, I finally managed to stop my head from spinning and focus on the field and saw that Hatsu had been taken down, a small crater where the force of the blow knocked him out.

'He's not getting up from that.' I winced at the thought of how much force it took to break the wall.

'There is still time.' I noticed that not much time had passed, meaning the test was still ongoing.

Not to mention Hoh…I had told Rachel to stay inside her Lighthouse, but I was still worried.

'I need to get back to the safe zone…'

…

"I never really believed things would end happily."

As I entered into the circular room that marked the safe zone, I was met with a scene of tragedy. 'Hoh…' I saw the long blond haired boy had stabbed himself in the heart. Off to the side, Baam was holding Rachel in his arms, the girl either injured or unconscious.

I also noticed the knocked out bodies of the absent Spear-Bearers along with the rest of the regulars. With a glance to the side, I saw that Androssi had arrived near the safety zone the same time I did.

"That's right, there were two more." Quant sighed.

"Ms. Androssi...Ms. Khepri." Baam murmured, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"You...bitch!" The sole remaining scout roared from her position on the ground, "Where the hell were you? Where are the other Fishermen?"

"Them?" Androssi stated almost mockingly, "I ate them all...well not literally. I just injured them enough so that they would not be able to take the next tests."

'I knew it.' I sighed, I had hoped that Androssi was sincere in her desire to have a plan B.

I focused on the Ranker as Androssi finished speaking with Baam, "If you beat the Ranker here you and Rachel can continue to climb the tower together. Or you could help the ranker and leave the Tower, but forfeit her dream...whatever you decide. It's your choice."

"You ready for this?" She asked as she hefted a broadsword.

I nodded, "I will back you up. Keep him off of me."

"Of course, he would be a fool to look elsewhere." Androssi joked as she approached the ranker.

"A Princess of Jahad." Quant stated as she approached, "It's my first time fighting one of you."

Androssi gave the man a savage grin, "Be honored. Later on you won't be able to even stare me in the eyes."

"The badge?" He began to question before I raised my Lighthouses.

'No time to hold back.' I thought as I gathered the shinsoo in the air "I will try to slow him down as much as I can Androssi!"

'Lighthouse Shinsoo Control: Flow Control!'

"Good, keep him grounded!" The princess replied as she leaped forward, the broadsword in her hands exploding into blue fire as she swung it downward, creating an explosion of debris as it landed.

"Shesh, an Ignition weapon? You brought a rough toy there." Quant muttered.

"You sure have one tough body there Mr. Ranker." Androssi quipped.

The red haired man snorted "It seems I don't have to hold back at this level…"

"You really shouldn't, your life is in danger after all." The princess replied.

"So is yours!" Quant roared as they attacked each other.

'I need something more!' I grimaced as neither of the two were affected at all by the Flow Control technique. 'Something more…' I felt the knowledge locked inside of me, the data that Queen administrator had gathered for centuries, all buried within me.

'Bug control does not work...I need something better…'

"Stop."

I blinked and refocused on the fight as Baam manipulated the Shinsoo in the air to freeze the Ranker in place, allowing Androssi to get a free hit on him.

'What the hell?' I thought.

"Was...that you Baam?" Androssi asked.

"How the hell did he pick that up so fast? What is that monster?" Quant complained as he emerged from the clouds of dust that had kicked up from the fight.

'Even Baam is more useful.' I thought, cursing my weakness.

"From now on, I am using my full power." Quant declared.

'I need to do more.' I glanced at the hovering Lighthouses, the vibrations keeping the shinsoo dense enough to inhibit the ranker. 'I need a power that I can use against him…' I lowered a lighthouse to my level and placed a hand on it and connected myself to the network.

Images began to filter through my mind, alien thoughts and memories of lives I never lived and powers I never wielded flashed by.

'I can't understand this...I need to focus it.' I decided, before I recalled the true power behind the Queen Administrator.

The Shard exemplified control and organization, and it had a millennium to craft powers under those conditions. Everything from Brute powers to Blaster, the shard had discovered hundreds of ways to manipulate it's data into different powers.

'I need...that one.' I finally decide, as a drip of blood flowed down from my nose as thousands of years of data passed through my mind.

'Destination...Trajectory...Agreement…' Those words unconsciously flowed through my mind as I decided on a power.

'Self-Administration.'

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Threadmarks Chapter 13: Hide and Seek 1.3

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Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 20, 2020

#407

Chapter 13

2F: Hide and Seek

1.3

Jeffrey Stevens was a man obsessed with self image. He dedicated his life to perfecting his body and lifestyle, as his dream was to become the best football player of all time.

Straight out of college, he had his shot as he was picked to start on a premier NFL team, his dream was within his grasp.

That was...until he was diagnosed with an incurable case of Multiple sclerosis and was forced to watch as his entire life fell apart.

He had spent his entire life improving himself and his craft; only to see it fall apart with one diagnosis. Afterwards, he tried everything to save himself and spent everything he had earned, but nothing worked.

He lost his job, his image, his fame, and his lifestyle. Once his money ran out, he had truly hit rock bottom. But, as he was minutes away from committing suicide, he triggered as that cycle's host for Queen Administrator.

Suddenly, like a miracle, his disease was gone and he could manipulate his own physique on a whim. In seconds his atrophied muscles were restored and better than ever! He was stronger and faster than he had been before his disease.

Delighted and with thoughts of a fresh start, he returned to his old team, only to be kicked out and banned from the NFL forever because of his new power.

He had been saved only to be stripped from his dream forever. That was when the man disappeared and a villain took his place. Jeffrey took his power to the extremes and turned himself into a raging mass of muscle and power.

Donning the name The Giant, he plagued the South of the United States for years until he was eventually stopped by a team of heroes.

I was forced to watch through these memories, experience what he felt, and see what he saw as the Giant's power flowed through me.

'Self-Administration, Queen Administrator's first attempt to craft itself into a shaper and brute power.' I reflected as I went to work. It's previous owner had turned himself into a hulking brute, a two bit villain who was more monster than human at the end.

I would not end the same way, I would not let the power control me.

In mere moments, muscles were streamlined and perfected, neural systems improved, and my organs were reinforced. 'I will only have one shot at this before he adapts.' I strategize, bending my knees and enforcing them as much as possible with my new power.

The more I focused, the more my body adjusted to the environment and even began to draw in the ambient Shinsoo to reinforce myself further.

"Baam! Freeze him!" Androssi roared as the dark haired regular outstretched his arm, the light of his power shining bright from his palm.

'Now!' I decided as I launched myself forward, the room around me blurring as I outstretched my arm, taking the tag just as the ranker ripped the coat from Androssi.

"What?" Quant asked in shock as I skidded to a halt, the target in hand.

"Woah." Androssi exclaimed as she adjusted to no longer having a jacket.

The battlefield paused as both parties realized that both tags had been claimed at the same time, with no clear victor. Taking a deep breath before I stood up, "Who won…?"

"Sorry everyone, I got there slightly faster." Quant remarked as he held up the ripped material in his hand...a material that was clearly not the tag, "Wait…" He muttered as he inspected the red cloth in his hand.

I blinked at the sight of the...questionable garment, 'What the…'

"Hey Ranker~" Androssi called, lifting her skirt provocatively.

"What...Red panties? Oh...no...NO!" Quant groaned as the Princess revealed the real tag underneath her skirt, to the shock of everyone in the room.

'She didn't' I thought in disbelief before I began to snicker uncontrollably as Baam just stared on, confused. The princess just grinned without any shame as a buzzer went off, announcing the end of the challenge.

It had not been pretty, or decent, but it was our victory.

…

"Well...that's that." Hax remarked as the video cut out as the test ended.

The rest of the administrators merely nodded in a sort of stunned silence. "That was...certainly remarkable." Lero-Ro commented.

"Remarkable? How about nearly unprecedented. I never thought the regulars would actually get the tag. Much less for both teams to get so close" Yuga remarked.

"So Baam was the regular you were so certain was the lottery Yuga?" Yu Dok-Bol asked.

"Yep! Kid's a genius of geniuses! He already can form an external bang! In two weeks!" The ranker in a sheep skin costume bounced in his seat excitedly.

"Now that is unprecedented." Lero-Ro remarked with a raised brow.

"Not necessarily." Han Sung Yu remarked, "But rare...very, very rare."

"While Baam's performance was certainly praiseworthy, should we discuss the other standouts?" Hax asked.

"Most of the other regulars were useless, or worse...especially the spear-bearers." Dok-Bol groaned.

"Besides the obvious two, I will say that Hatsu did well. His swordsmanship is remarkable." Hax noted.

"Since Quant is not here to remark on him...I think we will just put him down as passing for now, he does have the second highest points in the Scout position." Han Sung Yu noted before speaking again, "That just leaves the other standouts...Androssi Jahad and Khepri."

"Well...we don't really have a choice but to pass Androssi." Hax sighed.

"I don't like it, the girl betrayed her teammates, but she did save them all in the end." Dok-Bol grimaced.

"Since there are only four fishermen left in the running, they pass." The supervisor wrote down before he turned to the other administrators, "So that just leaves Khepri."

"Yeah...what have you been teaching her Lero-Ro? Near the end there I am not even sure what she did." Hax asked.

"I only taught her the basics." Lero-Ro murmured, "I never taught her any of those formations...she must have figured them out herself."

"So self taught then." Yuga began bouncing again, "Incredible! Two geniuses not from the 10 families in one test!"

"Do you recognize what she did at the end? It almost seemed as if the ambient Shinsoo was absorbed into her." Hax asked the Wave-Controllers of the group. "It was not normal reinforcement."

"Mmmm, I am not sure, It was definitely not shinsoo reinforcement…but it had similar results" Yuga murmured.

The group was silent for a few moments before the Supervisor spoke up, "I have heard of something similar." He commented, a small smirk on his face. "Urek Mazino is said to be able to draw in the Shinsoo from the air and strengthen himself."

Lero-Ro raised an eyebrow "But he is an Irregular..." He trailed off as he realized what the supervisor was implying. "No...she has displayed no signs that she is an Irregular. We would have noticed something earlier. Her inherent skill is noteworthy, but not to that level."

All the other administrators focus on the conversation between the two. "It is...unlikely." Yuga commented. "She is not even in the same realm as Mazino or any of the others for that matter."

"But we already have a deviant Irregular in this test." Hax commented. "Michelle Light is very different from the others. In fact, it is likely that she is going to fail."

"There are exceptions for everything. But that does not mean just because we found a weak Irregular, that suddenly every odd Regular we come across is an Irregular." Dok-Bal added.

"We have no evidence, nor has she shown the monstrous power we have seen from the Irregulars. Just because the source of her strength is unknown, does not mean she is an Irregular." Lero-Ro spoke, earning collective nods from the other administrators.

"I am just making an observation...that is all." Han Sung Yu replied, a sly smile on his face as he eyed the others in the room.

…

The aftermath of the test was...messy.

With several Regulars critically injured, or dead, the remnants of Team B had been gathered, congratulated, but quickly dismissed to attend to the fallen. I was surprised that a funeral was held for Hoh. I would have figured they would just toss him off the floating island to lay among the hundreds of other corpses that were hidden by the endless wheat field.

I guess Regulars were actually treated like people if they made it this far. But I had gone, out of respect if not familiarity.

He had betrayed us and injured a teammate enough that it was rumored that she would never walk again. But I didn't know his story, nor his motivations. But I knew what it was like to be driven to desperation. I would not judge him.

Despite the injured and the dead, I was alive, and stronger than ever. I had returned to my original power, but the changes I had undergone using Self-Administration still persisted. Even now, I was still absorbing Shinsoo from the air at a slow, but steady rate. I was not sure what it was doing exactly, but I felt myself growing stronger.

I would keep a wary eye on the process, but I would not stop it just yet. From what I had seen from even the weakest of the Rankers, I would need this power. I had never truly desired to be the strongest, but I knew from experience that I could not afford to hold anything back. If this powered offered a supposedly free way to do so, I would take it.

And After all...I had always wanted brute powers.

...

"Greetings Regulars!" The cheery voice of Lero-Ro echoed throughout the walls of the testing area, "I just wanted to say a few words of congratulations to all of you who have made it this far! Since the tests are done, feel free to eat or drink as much as you want! It's all free! Although most of the food here tastes awful…But make sure you come to the auditorium by six for the Test results!"

I sighed as I took another bite of my rice bowl with beef bulgogi. Even now it tasted strange, but I had gotten over my squeamishness once I realized the foods I knew had cost more points. By now I was eating this out of habit more than anything.

"There is no need to be angry at me you know." I set down my fork and eyed the white haired Khun, who had seated himself opposite me.

He glared, "You promised you would protect Rachel."

"I did, but she left the safety zone to meet with Hoh, even after you warned her not to trust him. I can't control her every action to ensure her safety." I retorted. To be honest I was not pleased with the girl. If she had remained in her lighthouse, none of this would have happened.

"Besides...only two Lightbearers can pass the test anyway. And unless you plan to forfeit your spot she wouldn't have passed anyway." I sighed, "Look, I feel bad for her, I really do, but there is nothing I could have done."

For a long moment we stared at each other, the Khun clearly frustrated but unsure of who to direct it at. "Fine. Here is the program I promised." Khun tossed a blue disc on the table as he stood up. "But I was a fool to trust you and Androssi. You ruined everything."

I watched as he walked out of the cafeteria, my lips pursed as I thought on his words. 'There was nothing I could do.'

I picked up the copy of the training manual. 'You can't save everyone. Sometimes you have to focus on yourself before others.' I had given Rachel every chance I could, but I would not sacrifice myself for others to succeed.

Not again.

…

"Hello? Yes it's me sir! Sorry for reporting so late, too many eyes and ears."

The speaker listened for a few moments to the voice on the other side of the call, "Yup, the test is over, only the final exam is left. But if it goes as expected the target will pass."

"I will retrieve the Green April and Black March during the last test don't worry...oh and about the boy we discussed earlier...they do have remarkable talent. Perhaps even enough to receive the symbol of the triple eye, once he becomes a Ranker at least."

Yuga was about to say more, but paused as he listened to his superior, "What? New orders...from who?! What's so important about...? Fine. I will do it. But I will still retrieve the Green April and Black March while fulfilling these new parameters. I will contact you when my task is complete."

With a click the symbol of Jahad disappeared from the pocket, leaving the spy alone. 'Why would he get involved with this?'

"What are you doing Mr. Yuga?"

Yuga jolted in shock before he whirled around to see Han Sung Yu as he stepped out of the shadows. "I told you not to come here. Did you not hear me through that thick fur of yours...No. 67 Jahad Assassination unit Ren?"

Ren stared at the ranker, the mouth of his fur suit partially opened to reveal two glowing green eyes.

…

"Good afternoon Regulars. As you know, I am Lero-Ro." The man in question stated from atop a podium. The Auditorium was filled with the surviving Regulars, with everyone seated on one of the eight rows. "Starting now, I will announce the Regulars who passed the Final Position Test."

Next to him, a project lit up and displayed the results to the excited audience.

Passing Regulars:

Fishermen - Androssi Jahad, Cheonwha Hong, Death Ryan (Failed), Blarouse, Anak Jahad

Spear-Bearer: Ghost, Rak Wraithraiser, Parakewl, Alexay Amigocharz

Scout: Ship Leesoo, Hatsu, Narae Seonwoo

Light-Bearer: Khun Agero Agnis, Khepri, Michelle Light (Failed), Rebin (Failed)

Wave-Controller: Bam, Pon Secal Lauroe

I gave a small sigh of relief. I had passed. Intellectually I knew I had, but it was still nice to see it confirmed. 'But…' I glanced down to see Baam, who was seated on the second row, give a look of despair at the test results.

Once again, I felt a pang of regret. 'There was nothing I could do.' I repeated to myself. If I wanted to change, then I would have to learn when to pick my battles. I could not just throw myself into everyone's problems.

If I wanted to find a new goal for myself and live a life my friends would have wanted, then I needed to go up.

So, with a heavy heart but my mind made up, I looked away from Baam and refocused on the stage, where one of the failed regulars was being beaten an inch of his life after he protested the Supervisor's decision.

"So...anyone else want to change the results of the test?" Han Sung Yu asked the dead silent auditorium.

But to my surprise, and most likely the surprise of everyone else, Khun raised his hand, "Supervisor, I also disagree with the results of the test."

Han Sung Yu stared at the Regular for a long moment before he sighed "Well then. "Come up here please."

'What is he doing.' I frowned as I watched as Khun confronted the supervisor and presented his case to let Rachel take the test.

"I, along with my teammates will take the Floor Administrator's test." Khun explained.

'A test...from that thing?' I recalled the massive sea serpent and the overwhelming power I had felt from it.

"I am sorry Mr. Khun." Han Sung Yu remarked, "But there is another reason that you cannot take the test. Only an Irregular like Jahad or Urek Mazino are allowed to ask the Floor Administrator for a test. I apologize, but your plan has failed."

'Only an Irregular…?' I questioned myself. 'Should I reveal myself to help them?' I had worked so hard to prevent anyone from knowing that I was not from the tower, as everything I read revealed that Irregulars were either feared or hated within the tower.

Previous Irregulars had been responsible for great tragedy and strife, meaning that if I was discovered, I would be a target.

'But...I can help him.' I recalled the look of despair on Baam's face as he realized his friend would not pass. 'How can I hope to be a hero, if I let something like this happen?' I prepared to announce myself when Baam unexpectedly leaped to his feet.

"I will ask the Floor Administrator for a test! Because I…"

"I am an Irregular!"

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Feb 20, 2020

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Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 21, 2020

#486

Chapter 14

2F: Divergence

1.0

"That...was unexpected."

The regulars who passed had gathered on the floor of the auditorium stage after it was announced that Baam would meet with the Administrator for a test.

"I knew there was something strange with Baam...but I didn't think he was an Irregular." Khun murmured, a conflicted look on his face.

'Another Irregular.' I thought, I had recalled that Headon had mentioned that another Irregular had entered the Tower. I had thought that just meant the previous Irregulars that were renowned throughout the Tower. 'Did Contessa plan this? Or is it just a coincidence?'

But it was fortunate for me, if Baam drew all the attention to himself, then I doubted that the rankers would pay attention to me. All I needed to do was take the regular test and I would be free of the intense scrutiny of this floor.

'I am sure he will be fine, he has Khun, Rak, and the rest of his friends.' I mused, they didn't need me. I could take the rest of the regulars who did not want to help and clear the test pretty easily.

"But you heard what the supervisor said. We should make a decision now." Ship Leesoo stated to the group, "Do we take the regular test or help Baam?"

"Um...what's so bad anyway about being an Irregular? And...is it such a big problem?" Narae Seonwoo, the only scout I was largely unfamiliar with who had passed asked.

"Well...I am not sure if there is anything inherently bad about being an Irregular, but they go against the rules of the Tower." Leesoo explained, "Not to mention every Irregular in the past has brought great chaos to the Tower. People in Central fear them because of this."

"Well, he said we will always be remembered as the regulars who helped an Irregular...so what should we do?" Narae asked after considering his words. "I don't really want to be a criminal…"

"Of-of course we don't!" Parakewl yelped, "Why should we ruin our lives just to help some injured girl climb the tower? Besides...w-what has he done for us anyway?"

"Of course we are going to help Baam." Hatsu retorted, his arms crossed in defiance of the rules. "We only passed the test because of Baam, we owe him."

'That is true.' I mused, without Baam's sudden brilliance as a Wave-Controller, it was likely that Androssi and I would have been overwhelmed. But at the same time, if I publicly helped Baam, that could draw unwanted attention to the fact that I am an Irregular as well.

"Well...yeah he did help us but who cares? Think of the consequences!" Parakewl protested.

Many in the group looked to protest as well before another spoke up.

"Yeah...I agree."

We all looked in surprise as the most unexpected voice of the group agreed with the zombie. Khun, the biggest supporter of Baam so far, looked conflicted but resolved as he declared he would not help his friend. "I feel sorry for him, I really do...but I can't help an Irregular."

'Khun?' I thought in shock, the guy that sacrificed his own team and points to see Baam passed would not help him?

"What! You...earrings! How can you say that?" Hatsu asked, a disgusted expression on his face.

"I don't like it either!" Khun shouted, his hair covering his eyes as he looked down at the ground in shame, "But I don't have a choice! If people found out I helped an Irregular I could be kicked out of the family!"

"You…" Hatsu was about to strike at the regular before another interfered, Rak Wraithraiser smashed his head into Khun and knocked him to the ground.

Everyone stopped to stare at the sole other member of Baam's team. "You stupid Turtles...cowering in your shells in fear...you all disgust me." Rak growled."That's why you are all just turtles. Never daring to lift your heads and risk being caught."

Turning, the now much smaller Rak began to leave. "I will follow him. I'm not afraid of the consequences, nor do I want to lose my prey. You all stay here and live with your heads stuck in your shells."

For a long moment everyone was silent as they considered the crocodile's words.

"I'm going too." Anak unexpectedly declared as she stood up. "I don't really care about him. But I think it is better than staying here and cowering like a traitor." She sneered down at Khun.

"Huh, looks like we agree on something." Hatsu declared as he began to follow Anak, with Ship Leesoo dragged along by the lizard.

"Yeah...that's right!"

The group sentiment wavered at the sight of one of the strongest regulars and her team left.

"Ugh such a pain. I guess I will go as well. I am too cool not too." Androssi sighed as she stood up to follow her rival.

"What!?" Narae yelped before she began to follow as well, "I-I am coming too!"

That seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back as the rest of the regulars shared Narae's sentiment as they began to filter out one by one, eventually just leaving Khun and I in the auditorium.

'Dammit.' I cursed. I had expected half, maybe a bit more than half of the group to follow Baam, but everyone? Once again Khun had proven his brilliance, they had all been played.

I took a deep breath and exhaled, "Nice acting." I commented.

"...Thanks." Khun muttered as he stood up, wiping at the trail of blood on his chin and adjusted his shirt, looking completely unconcerned that he had sabotaged his own reputation. "So, what will you do?"

It was obvious what he meant. He most likely suspected, or already knew that I did not want to draw attention to myself. It's exactly what Lisa would have done.

"I am not sure yet." I finally answered.

"You think you can take on the coffee addict's test alone?" Khun smirked. "But I understand why you are hesitant to not help Baam."

I eyed the silver haired regular with a critical eye. "Do you?"

"I can guess." He shrugged, "But you're going to have to pick a side...well, not really a side. We have all the regulars now." He smirked at that, "You can either take the normal test alone, and fail. Or take the Administrator's test with us."

Again I cursed the smirking regular, I knew that there was very little chance to pass the final exam without a team. But at the same time I wanted to protect my identity.

I clenched my fist as I realized the Khun had me trapped. 'It seems I have no choice.'

"Oh, you two are still here?"

We both turned in surprise to see the Wave-Controller administrator, Yuga, at the entrance to the auditorium.

The supervisor in my opinion was the oddest of the rankers here. Instead of wearing normal clothes, the ranker was clad in a thick wool cover with ram horns on the side and a disturbingly large smile stitched on.

"Ah... supervisor we were just discussing the upcoming exam." Khun spoke after taking a moment to get over his surprise.

"Oh, so you decided to participate after all? That is good!" Yuga chirped as he made his way down the steps. "Baam is my favorite student after all, he won me a bet!"

'That's why you like him?' I thought before Khun spoke, "I am surprised a ranker would support Baam, since he was outed as an Irregular."

Yuga just chuckled at his words, "Oh shush! Baam is a good kid. He wouldn't hurt anyone! I like to judge people by who they are, not what they are!"

With a quick hop the wave-controller leaped from the stairs to the stage, nearly skipping as he walked towards us.

"I see...that's good. It's nice to hear that we have an ally among the administrators." Khun smiled.

"No problem! I support my students after all! But while that's all well and good I do have something to talk about with Khepri here...so could you give us a moment Khun?" Yuga asked as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

'What does he want with me?' I wondered as Khun looked equally as confused.

"...Of course, I have to organize our strategy with the rest of the group." Khun eyed the both of us before he gave a quick bow as he departed, leaving me alone with the ranker.

'Something is up.' The ranker looked ridiculous and had been nothing but kind during the past month, but regardless of all of that, a shiver traveled up my spine, my instincts screaming that I was in danger.

"So! I have been hoping to talk to you alone for sometime now Khepri." Yuga stated as he turned to face me once the other regular had left.

"I see…" I stated as I prepared to summon my Lighthouses and draw the nano-thorn from where I had stashed it.

"But I think we should clear the air a bit before we continue." His voice changed from the high pitched chipper tone to a much more sinister tone. He leaned in, as if he was sharing a juicy rumor, "To be honest. I am not Yuga."

My instincts screamed at me as I backed up, my two Lighthouses turned visible as I sunk into a stance. "Then...who are you?"

Somehow the once ridiculous sheepskin outfit now looked incredibly sinister in the soft light of the auditorium. "Me?" he questioned playfully, "Well I suppose I can tell you...my name is Lo Po Bia Ren...a member of the Jahad family."

'Jahad?' I questioned internally, everything I had researched told me that Jahad was the ultimate authority in the tower. Serving as both its king and as a sort of deity.

But before I could think more on that information, he spoke again, "Tell me, what is your dream? What do you wish for atop the tower?"

"Why…?" I was about to question before the mouth of the ranker's costume opened and revealed two glowing green eyes, the sight of which froze me in place as a sudden and overwhelming sense of terror pervaded from the position teacher.

"Please answer the question, regular Khepri." The now named Ren spoke, his voice distorted by some unknown ability.

'This is dangerous.' I realized, I had very little idea of what his plan was, or what he wanted. But I knew if I said the wrong thing then I could be in for the fight of my life.

I looked away from the creepy Ranker to stare at the mural on the walls of the auditorium, 'If I lie he may just kill me, I should just answer truthfully.'

"I am not sure yet." I finally admitted aloud to the ranker.

The answer seemed to surprise him, as the dangerous aura that surrounded the man disappeared as he considered the answer, "You...don't know?"

I frowned, "I know what it sounds like, but I am climbing to find out what I want." I was not ashamed of my goal. I had focused my entire life on sacrificing myself for others in pursuit of saving the world, being able to move forward without a clear objective was a refreshing experience.

For a long moment I waited for the ranker's judgement, I did not know what his objective by asking that question, but I knew it must have been important.

Unexpectedly, instead of outright attacking or further questions, the ranker just laughed, "Irregulars...they really do surprise don't they?" Ren mused aloud.

'Shit.' I inwardly cursed, again it seemed I underestimated the Rankers. I wondered how long they knew. From how Han Sung Yu reacted earlier, he had not been surprised at all that Baam was an Irregular.

It only made sense that they would know that I was one as well.

"When I came here, I expected to find my only objectives to reclaim some lost items." He began to monologue, "Get in, get out, easy peasy right?" He asked me rhetorically.

"But then I found Baam. The cute kid has no idea how bad he is hiding things." The ranker sighed dramatically, "Which then led me right to Michelle, or rather Rachel, also being an Irregular."

"Two Irregulars, at the same time, could you believe it? My superiors certainly didn't." He chuckled. "So imagine my surprise, when I learned that not one, not two, but three Irregulars were here at the same time. THREE!" He exclaimed and if his hands were not covered, I imagine he would have tossed them up in frustration.

"That, Khepri." He turned back to me, "Attracts attention. The attention of people far, far above my station. Some of whom I wouldn't even want to be interested in me."

"And I assume they ordered you to get rid of us then?" I questioned, seconds away from drawing the thorn.

"No." The ranker sighed heavily, the oppressive aura unexpectedly disappeared as the ranker slumped in disappointment. "They ordered me not to do that… for one of you anyway"

'You don't have to sound so sad about that.' I internally sighed in relief. "And so...what did they order you to do?"

The eerily glowing eyes refocused on me, "Well, they wanted me to evaluate the three Irregulars and decide which one was the least dangerous to the tower, and who was the most worthy."

I knew he wanted me to ask, either to add drama or some form of ego, but I let him win and spoke, "Worthy for what?"

The large mouth somehow seemed to stretch wider as a tongue far too large for the person within stretched out of the mouth, a black orb perched atop of it.

A black orb with a stylized three eyes emblazoned upon it.

The ranker visibly vibrated in excitement as he dramatically revealed his orders.

"An Irregular worthy enough to be given the opportunity to attain the symbol of the triple eye."

...

Last edited: Feb 21, 2020

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Feb 21, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 15: Divergence 1.1

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 24, 2020

#545

Chapter 15:

2F: Divergence

1.1

"Psst, hey Khun?"

Khun glanced over at Ship Leesoo, as the two were standing next to each other as they waited. It was the day of the final exam and all the Regulars bar one had gathered in the same transport that had taken them to the Hide and Seek test.

"What?" He muttered back.

"Where is Khepri? I thought you said you would convince her." Ship Leesoo whispered transport began to dock, the doors opening to admit the group.

Khun sighed as he glared at nothing, "She is not coming."

"Wait what? She is going to take the supervisor's test alone?" Leesoo gaped at the silver haired regular, "Is she insane?"

The Light-bearer grit his teeth in frustration, "No...she passed it already."

"Huh?" Tracksuit looked flabbergasted by that information, "How? We have not even begun our test yet."

"Well…" Khun sighed, "You could say that she betrayed us."

-One Week Earlier-

Outside of the Atrium, Khun Aguero leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets as he waited for Khepri to finish her discussion with the Ranker.

'What was that about.' He wondered, dissecting everything he knew about the Wave-Controller instructor and the regular. Khun knew he was playing a dangerous game with Khepri. It had become quite clear that she was hiding something, whether it was criminal or not, he really did not care.

For the best chance to beat the test, he wanted every possible regular in the test. If he had to blackmail every single one of them, he would. 'I almost had her back there. Once she is done talking I will secure her help.'

Even if it only increased the odds of success by 1%, he would take it, no matter the cost.

After waiting for nearly twenty minutes, he heard footsteps approach the door. 'Finally.' He sighed as he prepared to push the issue once more, but paused as Khepri excited the room.

Her expression was perfectly blank, he could not detect an ounce of emotion as he stood up from the wall.

"Khepri?" He questioned, only to get no response as she seemed to be in her own world for a few moments. "Khepri?" He asked again, this time getting a reaction.

"Ah, Khun." She spoke, as if she just noticed him.

"What happened?" He asked, knowing that her reaction was not normal. 'Something must have happened? What did that damn sheep tell her?'

Khepri paused before she turned to look at him, her nearly glowing green eyes peered through a curtain of dark curled hair, "Khun, you are a member of the 10 families."

"Of course." He answered automatically. "But…what does tha-" However, before he could continue she shifted to face him and his eyes widened.

Above her heart, a new pin was attached to her clothes, a very familiar red pin.

"I am curious." Khepri continued, "Did you know what your family...and all the others are doing in the Tower?"

'What we have…?' For the first time he felt flustered as he talked to the girl.

"What do you mean? You are talking nonsense. More importantly why are you wearing-!" He spluttered.

"I see...so you don't know. I guess that makes sense." She mused before she continued to walk down the hallway.

"W-wait! We still need to talk about the final exam!" He called out.

She paused, "Oh...that's right." She turned to face him, "I am sorry, but I have already earned the right to move to the next floor."

His eyes widened in shock at that information.

"I guess there is no real point in hiding it." He heard her mutter before she turned to look at him, the triple red eye pin gleamed in the faint light of the hallway, "I have been recruited as a Cadet Candidate for the Jahad Army. As such, that automatically qualifies me as a Regular. Making the next test pointless for me to take." She gave a wry smile at his expression.

"Don't worry. I am sure you and the rest will be fine without me…" She stated as she turned away to leave.

Confusion turned to anger as he realized that somehow, someway, he had been played. Played by a party in this game that he had not even been aware existed. "So what, you are just going to abandon Baam and all of us to the test without even helping? You are just running away like a coward? I thought better of you."

Khepri paused at the far end of the hallway, "Take care of yourself Khun. For what it's worth I do hope you pass the test."

"I am not sure how much the words of someone who would abandon their companions and friends is worth." He called out as she reached the door.

He got no response as she left, leaving him alone for a few moments before the voice of Yuga spoke from behind him. "You should not judge her too harshly."

Khun passed a hand through his hair as he turned to glare at the ranker, "...I don't care. We will pass without her anyway."

"That's a good attitude." Yuga giggled as he began to skip away, "But I will give you a bit of advice…"

The sheep skinned ranker's stitched on grin seemed to grow as he turned, "You should really hope you never see Khepri again...she is not your friend anymore. In fact, you will certainly be enemies if you ever meet again."

Aguero Khun stared after the ranker as he exited, leaving the him alone. 'What the hell is going on?'

-Present-

"A cadet candidate?" Leesoo asked with a raised brow, "I have never heard of that."

"I have not heard of it either, and that is the problem." Khun answered as he clenched a fist, "Something is going on with this test, even more than what the coffee machine is planning...something bigger."

"Bigger than an Irregular? I may not be that knowledgeable about Tower politics but this test has been anything but normal Khun." Leesoo whispered as the Rankers began to file into the transport. "Two princesses of Jahad, two Irregulars, and now a Floor Administrator test. Nothing about this has been normal."

"Yeah...but I am starting to think that the unnaturalness of this test may not be as much of a coincidence as we thought." He answered, "I would have heard of a program like that long before it started. That means someone in a high position decided to do this without going through any of the official channels."

"But who would have the power to do that?" Leesoo wondered aloud as the transport began to move.

Khun frowned as he racked his brains on the lessons had had been taught while in the Khun compound. "For someone to implement an entirely new program without having to inform the Tower first...well they would have to be someone incredibly important…"

He glanced up and stared up at the artificial lights of the floor, "They would need to be a High Ranker at the very least…"

…

-92nd Floor-

Out of the mists, a titanic shape formed out of the darkness and single red orb glowed in the center of the structure as it slowly glided through the air. It was a massive warship, a ship so large that it required a building sized block of float stone to keep it afloat.

The warship alone would be seen as a sign of the owner being one of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the Tower, the cost of the materials to build the ship would be more than most rankers would see in their lifetimes. But, as if to reinforce this knowledge in the minds of any observer, a fleet of ships, not equal to the size or grandeur of the first, but together formed an awe inspiring sight.

It was a show of power and wealth that few in the Tower could ever hope to command.

"All hail!" A voice roared from the landing bay of the Flagship as soldiers and staff lined up to welcome the master of the grand fleet.

"All welcome the Princess of the 13 month series, Maschenny Jahad!" The orator continued as a transport landed.

"Salute to Maschenny Jahad!" He roared as everyone raised their hands to their forehead in a unified salute, "Salute to the Eternal Glory of Jahad!"

"For the Eternal-"

"Oh shut up you fanatics!" A voice interrupted the speaker as the princess herself exited the smaller ship.

Khun Maschenny Jahad strode down the exit of her transport, her flowing blue dress and cape billowed behind her as she made her way through the throng of people. "How many times have I told you that this is unnecessary! Get back to your stations!" She ordered, scattering the assembled people as they rushed off to avoid her annoyance.

Only one stayed and turned to follow her as they entered the ship. "My Lady, the program that you requested we fund and develop has been implemented. The Irregular that was brought to your attention has agreed to join as a Cadet Candidate. As we speak, scouts are surveying the lower floors for other potential regulars that meet your standards. Here are some of the files we have gathered.

The assistant handed Maschenny the folder as they continued to move at a brisk pace through the halls of the Flagship.

"Good, so that horrible assassin did something right after all." The princess commented as she began to read through the files, not bothered to slow down.

"However, your actions have drawn attention from others amongst the ranks. They are requesting a word with you on this new program."

"That is fine, I expected as much. I will speak with them later." She replied.

"My lady...I suggest you do not keep this one waiting." The assistant mumbled as she fiddled with her uniform in distress.

Maschenny paused and turned to stare at her assistant, "And who asks for my attention?"

With a gulp, the assistant to the Princess took a deep breath before speaking, nearly quaking under the full might of her superior's stare, "Uhm, Princess Andori Jahad has requested, er, demanded a word with you Princess."

The High ranker blinked at that information before she sighed, "Ugh, I guess I can't put that meeting off then." With a groan, she changed course for communications.

Upon arrival, several communication specialists glanced in her direction before they began to manipulate the Shinsoo in the room to establish a connection with the desired target.

Maschenny stood in the center of the room as a screen blinked into existence.

The woman who appeared on the screen was a familiar sight to the Princess, very few in the Tower had not heard of the great Andori Jahad. Known as the strongest Princess in the Tower, she commanded Jahad's Army with an iron fist as it's Commander in Chief.

"You have much to explain Maschenny." The woman in the screen accused, her face somehow just as, if not more stunning than the Khun Princess.

"Sister, surely I do not have to explain myself. I imagine you have already guessed my motives?" Maschenny grinned unrepentantly.

Andori Jahad, commander in chief of Jahad's army and the strongest princess in the tower narrowed her eyes at her 'sister,' "Oh? Then maybe you can explain it after hearing what I have guessed." She stressed the last word with a slight growl. "Because what I have guessed is that you took permission to read classified documents from a field operative and then directly interfered with his mission to relay new orders and then had the audacity to form a new division within the Army. All. Without. My. Permission?"

A bead of sweat rolled down Maschenny's neck, but she kept her cool in the face of the older Princess' wrath, "Your operative was too short sighted. He did not realize the potential of what he discovered. Three Irregulars, at the same time, each of them weak but with great potential for growth. An easily malleable and influenced Irregular."

"So you decide to, without any oversight, to recruit an Irregular whose mere existence is against the rules of the Tower." The Jahad Commander growled, but the sheer force of her anger had abated somewhat as she considered the merits of Khun's words.

Maschenny waved her hand, "Rules put in place due to the actions of Irregulars against Irregulars. These three are of a different breed than what we have seen with the rest. They are naive, moldable, but with just as much potential. Imagine it, a soldier with the potential to grow as strong as Urek Mazino."

Andori Jahad did seem to be considering it as she leaned back in her seat, "That does sound tempting…But you said three Irregulars, I assume you gave our operative free reign on what to do with the other two?"

Maschenny shrugged, "Obviously." She only cared about the one the assassin deemed the most suited to their needs. "You simply do not lose here sister, your operative retrieves the Black March and Green April, kills two Irregulars before they become a threat, and acquire perhaps the strongest investment Jahad's army has ever received. Tell me, are you still mad I had the foresight to do this?"

The strongest princess frowned, "I do not approve of you doing this behind my back, but I will approve of this... Cadet Candidate program for now. But if your Irregular pet acts out of line I will take action. Not to mention I will not allow you to oversee this. You may be a Princess, but you are not officially one of my soldiers. You have interfered enough. I will assign one of my own to oversee this...project." Andori Jahad decided.

Maschenny chuckled and gave an innocent smile, "That is fine, I merely wanted to see the project come to life, I was going to hand it over to you anyway."

"Do not interfere with my domain again Maschenny. You may be a high ranker, but the army is mine to command. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Maschenny replied as the screen disappeared, the elder Princess dismissing her without a word.

For a moment everyone in the room was still as they adjusted to not being in the presence of a living legend.

"...Leave me." She demanded as the assembled workforce fled the room at her word. It was only when alone did she allow the satisfied smirk to spread across her face.

"Ahh I do so love it when things like this fall into my lap." She shivered in excitement. 'I can't even begin to imagine it, a tale of two Irregulars, one fighting at the side of the enemy, and one under me, hating each other so fiercely until one triumphs…'

"Ahh...I cannot wait for the chaos to come!"

324

Morgan Arc

Feb 24, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 16: Mercy's Heaven 1.0

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 25, 2020

#622

Chapter 16:

3F: Mercy's Heaven

1.0

"I must say I am surprised it turned out this way." Han Sung Yu commented as we walked through the halls of the floating island, headed towards the room that would take me to the next floor.

The day after my discussion with the Jahad spy, I had given myself a long time to think about my decision. I felt guilty about abandoning the rest of the Regulars, but In truth, I had not made many attempts to befriend them. Perhaps out of some misguided belief that the next few tests would all be death traps like the first two I had kept my distance.

I didn't want to see friends die again, not so soon. But that had ended up making my decision easier in the end. The things I had learned from that discussion…

Even if the regulars believed I betrayed them, I wanted to take this opportunity. It almost felt like the start of my hero career all over again. I had mistrusted the government before, with good reason. And I didn't fully trust this one either. But I had learned from my experiences. I was not some naive girl who believed everyone was against me.

It was likely that there were corrupt elements of the Jahad forces, but there were likely good people as well. I would just have to stay true to myself and try to help as much as I could.

It was going to be my job after all.

"I would have figured you planned all of this." I finally answered as I glanced at the effeminate Ranker.

Han Sung Yu chuckled, "I am not boastful enough to say that I could have foreseen or predicted all of this. When I learned there were Irregulars among us, I knew the examination would be interesting. To be honest, when I learned how weak you three were I had thought to just kill you all and be done with it." The supervisor shrugged.

"I am glad you decided differently then." I answered.

"I am sure." He smirked. "But to leave your friends behind to benefit yourself...I would have thought the young Khun would be the one to do that, not you. I may have misjudged you." He snickered.

"I was not as close to them as some others." I shrugged, "Besides, they will be fine without me." I gave a confident smile to the Ranker, "Something tells me they are too stubborn to die."

He gave me an undecipherable look, "If you say so." He replied, clearly humoring me.

Eventually, we arrived in a room with a large circular platform, surrounded with strange technology. It looked like something that a Tinker would come up with. "Just step inside the platform to be sent to the next floor." Han Sung Yu instructed.

I stepped onto the platform and turned around to look at the supervisor, "I am curious though...how long did you know that I am an Irregular?"

He gave me a sly smirk, "A white rabbit told me."

'That son of a-' I thought before the platform flashed white.

…

-Bitch'

The first sensation I experienced after landing on my feet from the sudden teleportation, was something that I was intimately familiar with, 'Is that the Ocean?' I could smell the salty brine of the Sea and felt the salty air wafting from the other side of the exit.

'Where…?' I was about to question as my eyes adjusted to see an identical room to the one on the second floor.

I had to say I much preferred Doormakers version of teleportation to whatever technique they used within the Tower. Doormaker's portals felt like stepping through a thin film of water, the ones here felt like the aftermath to the worst jump scare possible. 'So this is the third floor? I smell the ocean, but I wonder how different it is…' I thought as I opened the door, freezing in place at the sight.

The artificial lights of the ceiling shined bright down upon me as I stepped out onto a lush and grassy hill, a trail leading down to the ground below. The floor looked like the most perfect and scenic ocean I had ever seen. Pristine blue waves crashed onto golden beaches as far as the eye could see. Instead of one single stretch, I could see different islands, each with their own little slice of paradise.

On each beach, I could see people of all types and races as they enjoyed the sea.

"What in the world…?" I questioned before I flinched as a loud voice that spoke next to me.

"Welcome to Mercy's Heaven! Haven to all Regulars and Rankers who wish to experience the best vacation spot the Tower has to offer!" A chirpy voice shouted as a necklace of pink flowers were placed over my neck. "Congratulations for passing the Floor of Tests! I am so happy to have you here."

The speaker was a tall, woman with dark skin and honey colored hair dressed in a red one piece swimsuit. If it was not for the small glowing white wings that sprouted from her back, she would have been the model example of a classic lifeguard.

"Thank...you?" I questioned as I looked down from the cliff we were perched on. "What is this place?"

"Didn't I just tell you?" She looked confused, "This is Mercy's Heaven! The finest vacation resort in the entire Tower!"

"...I see." I stated, still confused. "But what about the test? How do I get to the next floor?"

"Well that depends on you! Due to the inherent difficulty of the previous floor, we offer all Regulars who come through as much time as they need before they take the floor test!" She answered.

Oh. Well, that was nice of them I supposed.

"Mmmh, let's see here." The woman muttered as she pulled a clipboard from...somewhere. "You are Khepri correct? Ah that's right! I have you listed here as an early pass, good for you!" She complimented me as she ticked my name off. "I also have it here that you are to meet with a representative from the Army who will be arriving soon. Fancy yourself as a future soldier then? Neat! But make sure to enjoy a few days of vacation!" She cheered.

"Right..." I answered. I had been told to wait for someone from Jahad's army to meet with me, but it was nice to know that I had a moment to rest after the insanity of the previous floor.

"I will do that." I gave a small smile to the peppy greeter, "Thank you."

"No problem! It is my duty to make sure everyone is welcome on my floor! If you need anything, you can contact me at my office!" She chirped as she leaped off the cliff face, her wings carrying her off into the distance.

'Wait...her Floor?' I wondered as I began to make my way down the trail.

…

That night, after I spent a few hours exploring the Floor, I found myself on a bench, staring out at the sea as other people enjoyed the night life of the small city I had found myself in.

The entire island seemed to be dedicated to enjoying the beach, with tourist shops, seafood restaurants and all sorts of attractions to lure the Beach goers away from the pristine waves. But what I was most interested in was the boardwalk, the wooden pier stretched across the stunning beaches. It was so different from what I knew of in Brockton, there was no pollution and litter or the sight of wrecked ships in the bay, but I enjoyed the nostalgia.

'So much is different.' I thought as I gazed at the triple red eye pin that represented Jahad and his military. It was incredible to think that it had only been a month since the battle with Zion, and only a few years since I was just a normal girl in High school.

Now, I signed up for a candidate program for a supernatural military under the command of what most of the people here thought of as a god. What scared me shitless was after seeing the power that some of the ranker's commanded, I had very little doubt that someone who stood so far above them could be considered one.

'What is my life.' I sighed as I rubbed my forehead. To be honest, the conversation I had with Lo Po Bia Ren still dominated my thoughts. I could not get what he and his mysterious superior had revealed.

Thinking back, I go through the conversation again...

…

-1 Day Previous-

I stared down at the black orb and the symbol that glowed from within, "The red eyes?" I questioned as the freakishly large tongue retracted back into the sheepskin cover the now named Ren wore.

"Correct. I can't believe how lucky you are." He chuckled, "Do you know how many are given this opportunity? I will give you a hint, very very few. Much less someone who is not yet a Ranker."

"...I thought being an Irregular is against the rules of the Tower?" I questioned, "Why would I be given this opportunity?"

Ren shrugged, "I am just the messenger here, I have no idea what they are thinking. But you should realize how big an opportunity this is!" He chirped, "I didn't get an offer like this until I was a ranker!"

'So some big shot up the Tower want's to recruit me then?' I questioned as I began to realize how little I had been able to hide during the floor of Tests. How much had been seen when I thought I was alone? 'No matter what they know, I need to move forward with the idea that only my identity has been compromised.' I thought, I did not want to give them any more ammunition on things they may or may not know.

"And...if I refuse?" I questioned.

"Hm? Well...you are declared a criminal due to your Irregular status and hunted down." He stated nonchalantly.

"Even though I have not done anything?" I questioned.

"Merely being an Irregular-" He was about to speak before he was cut off and a voice spoke from the still hovering pocket, "Enough assassin, I will speak to her from here."

Ren flinched as he recognized the voice. "Princess!"

"I said enough." She ordered, "I will convince our Irregular friend here of the necessity of this offer." The voice continued, her tone ringing with authority.

'Princess?' I recognized the title from the many conversations between Anak and Androssi and my own research. As an adopted daughter of Jahad, the ruler of the tower, they all commanded immense respect and power.

The orb, still displaying the symbol of the triple eye turned to me, "Hello Irregular, my name is Princess Maschenny Jahad. I am speaking to you now because I believe a lighter touch is necessary here."

"...Hello." I respond, "It's an honor to meet you." Some flattery couldn't hurt. If the speaker was anything like Androssi, she probably appreciated differential treatment.

"None of that." The voice responded, "Forgive me, but I would like to get straight to the point. Tell me Khepri, do you know why Irregulars have been banned from the tower?"

I thought back to my research in the Lighthouse network, I had spent several hours trying to find why Irregulars were so hated, but could not find much. I found vague references and the names of notable Irregulars, but not why they were so hated. "No...I have looked but couldn't find much." I answered.

"Of course you couldn't because the Government does everything it can to make sure that the disasters that Irregulars cause in their wake do not terrify the residents of the Tower." She announced ominously, "The first Irregular to enter the tower killed a Floor Administrator and everyone else on the floor at the time." Maschenny explained. "There were no survivors and the floor to this day is a realm of the dead. This was just the first disaster that an Irregular caused."

'An entire floor?' I thought in shock, 'that many people died...from one Irregular?'

"The next Irregular to appear stormed Jahad's castle on the highest floor and slaughtered everyone inside and was only stopped by Jahad himself, many of the Tower's greatest Rankers died that day for no purpose or reason. He is most responsible for the fear and hatred most have for Irregulars" She explained further.

"Then there is arguably the worst of the lot." She sneered and I could hear the hatred in her voice as she described the last Irregular, "Urek Mazino does anything he wishes with no one being able to control him. Imagine it Khepri, a man with the ego the size of the Tower itself uncontrolled and acting on his own petty whims. Does that sound like something the Tower would want? No. Irregulars have brought nothing but chaos and strife to the Tower." She concluded.

"But I am nothing like that." I replied, slightly stunned at the true reason Irregulars were hated. It was like hearing about the Endbringers all over again and the hatred that accompanied them. "I have no desire to kill or destroy the order of the Tower."

"Of course you don't." The Princess replied, "But I am afraid the damage has been done by others who do. It would take a shining example of an Irregular to prove that not all newcomers are the monsters that we have seen. An example that you could provide."

'She's good.' I mused at that answer. It was clear she was trying to appeal to my own sense of heroics. It was exactly what the many manipulators I had known on Earth Bet would do. What I hated was that it worked even though I knew what she was doing. I would like to try and improve the image that Irregulars had.

"And what of the other Irregulars on this floor." I asked, "Will they be given the same opportunity?"

"That is not up to me to decide." Maschenny stated, "If the Floor Supervisor deems their wishes to be a danger to the tower, like those of their predecessors then they will be eliminated."

'Then they should be safe shouldn't they?' I mused, Baam was too nice of a kid to want wanton destruction. And while I did not really know Rachel enough to get a good read on her, I doubted she would either.

"I am not saying I will agree just yet, but what would I have to do if I joined?" I asked.

Maschenny's voice seemed far more pleased than it should be as she spoke, "Your role will be to climb the Tower and perform missions that Rankers are not able to do themselves. As you must have learned by now, Rankers are limited in their interactions with Regulars as imposed by Floor rulers and Administrators. Certain factions in the Tower have taken advantage of this and use it to hide their corrupt or criminal activities. Most of them are in positions of power with the Ten families and give us a bad name and must be removed from the Tower."

For the first time since Maschenny began to speak, Ren spoke up, "It has been quite the dilemma for some time now. There are many factions who engage in human trafficking, bribery, and worse things that we cannot touch due to these rules. Plus most of them have the backing of Nobles, we could not just send random regulars."

"I imagine it would do wonders for the reputations of Irregulars in general if you were to eradicate these criminals." Maschenny agreed with the operative. "It may even make it so that other Irregulars currently in the tower would not be targeted as much." She stated and I could almost see the smirk on her face as she dropped that bait.

'So join us and we won't touch Baam and Rachel for now.' I mused. It sounded like a good offer, almost too good. I wanted to be a hero and working to eradicate gangs in the Tower sounded like a great way to do so.

"If you agree, we will give you as much information as you need on these criminal factions. A word of caution, it will not be a fun read." She finished and gave me a moment to think.

I took the offered silence gratefully as I considered my options, as few of them there were. If I refused, it was likely that I would be targeted on every floor as the administrators wanted to remove the "Irregular."

The position seemed the best way to help out as much as possible while avoiding the backlash of being an Irregular, but I knew the offer was being served with honey. I had no doubt that if it was deemed necessary, the deal could turn sour at the drop of a hat.

They were negotiating from a position of power, they would only play nice if I cooperated. 'I don't really have a choice here. I just need to accept it.' I released a large breath of air. I had been in this situation before. I had survived Coil, the PRT and Cauldron, I could survive this too.

I felt like I was signing myself over to the devil, but my voice did not waver as I spoke, "Alright...I will join."

…

-Present-

After I agreed to join, I had been handed the pin I still wore and also been given some time to look over some of the files that Ren had given me. As Princess Maschenny had said, it had not been easy to read. The stuff that had been contained in those pages still sickened me.

Organ farms, enforced slavery, literal identity theft, sex trafficking and forced recruitment were just a few of the crimes I had read. The problems that plagued the Tower made the gangs in Brockton Bay look like boy scouts.

What's worse, almost all of it was conducted by the Ten Families and often times they did not even try to hide it since Ranker's couldn't interfere. The rules enforced to protect regulars were instead being abused by those in power to take advantage of them.

It had been overwhelming, but also served to light a fire within me. For the first time since arriving here in the Tower, I felt like I had a goal, a goal that I could be proud to accomplish and strive for.

I could help people and truly make a difference. I did not trust the Army and I certainly did not trust Maschenny Jahad, but if they let me do what I could to stop these people, then I would not mind working with them.

As I sat on the boardwalk and watched the waves roll in, for the first time in a long time, I looked forward to what the future would bring.

335

Morgan Arc

Feb 25, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 17: Mercy's Heaven 1.1

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Feb 27, 2020

#680

Chapter 17:

3F: Mercy's Heaven

1.1

The lack of noise was what I noticed most about the shuttle that took me to my destination. Back on Earth Bet, flight was a tricky subject. With the Simurgh taking up residence in the stratosphere, any plane had to plan their routes to avoid the false Angel. But like ocean travel, the fear of meeting an Endbringer had all but killed the market, leaving most people landlocked, so I had few experiences with air travel.

But even those limited experiences were nothing like this. The flight was smooth, with no turbulence or any discomfort as we soared through the air as we approached our destination.

"I hope you are ready for this regular. I must tell ya, you causin lots of waves you know what I mean?" The pilot asked from the cockpit, a toothpick stuck between his teeth as he spoke.

'How is he speaking in a Boston accent without a Boston?' I wondered as I reminisced about why I was on the ship in the first place.

After a few days spent on the beach, I had finally been summoned to meet with the representative of Jahad's Army. It had been an odd few days. I was not used to just doing...anything I wanted for days on end.

Ever since I began my career, I had hit the ground running and had not stopped since. There were no days off or sick days when the end of the world was near. So just relaxing and sitting on the beach or walking the Boardwalk for hours felt...strange and almost foreign to me. It was almost a relief when I got a call on my Pocket to inform me that the representative from the Army had arrived.

What I had not expected was for seconds later a massive ship straight out of a Sci-fi movie to flash into existence above the city. And neither did I expect for me to be brought a transport to take me to said massive ship.

'I suppose this shouldn't surprise me after seeing the floating island on the second floor…' I mused, but one never truly got used to tinkertech. At least this time I knew how it worked, float stone was certainly an amazing mineral.

"It's a habit of mine." I snark as I attempted to calm the nerves that plagued the pit of my stomach.

"Bad habit to have if you ask me." He muttered, "We will be arriving soon, get ready." The pilot stated as we neared the much bigger ship.

I merely nod as he docked the ship, landing the vehicle on a small landing port.

"Any advice?" I ask as we touched down.

The pilot glanced at me before he refocused on the controls in front of him, "Be respectful, she is pretty pissed at having to be here. And let me tell ya, when the boss is pissed you don't want to be the person who did the deed."

'Lovely.' I sighed as the back of the transport opened into a ramp, admitting me into the ship.

…

My first impression of the chosen representative of Jahad's Empire was how...unique she looked. Out of everyone I had met so far in the Tower, she was certainly one of the most memorable.

The sheer aura of power and authority that she emitted was far beyond anyone I had met. Even Alexandria had not radiated as much authority as the woman in front of me. "So, you are the baby Irregular that has been foisted upon me." She declared as she closed her left eye, examining me critically with the other.

She looked like someone out of a Hindu myth, as her paper-white skin and exotic makeup were styled to look like some sort of Indian god.

"Yes, sir," I answer. This was not the time to speak out or try to express myself, I was the low woman on the totem pole here, both position-wise and in terms of power. Even with my recent upgrades, I doubted I would be able to so much as scratch the ranker.

The glare did not waver at my respect, "When I heard that the Commander in Chief decided to form a Regular division and appoint an Irregular of all things to lead it I was shocked. Then I was informed that it would be my responsibility to manage it. Then I was angry."

I didn't respond, it was clear that she was frustrated at this perceived slight. It would be best to let her vent before speaking.

"I have spent over a thousand years as a loyal soldier. I fought in wars and bled from countless wounds in unwavering service. My reward? Promotion to the second in command of the Fourth Squadron of Jahad's Army and a placement as a High Ranker. But then I am assigned to this." She nearly growled.

For a moment I tensed, prepared to defend myself in case of an attack as her aura spiked, but surprisingly the woman kept her cool as she reigned herself in.

"But I imagine that means very little to you." She sighed as she reeled in her immense aura and anger. When she re-opened her eyes they were clear of the near burning anger that had previously occupied them, "Regardless of either of our wishes, orders are orders and I will make sure that this...experiment is successful." She declared.

"I would like that," I state, relieved that she appeared to be the soldier type and not the Director Tagg type. Getting in the way of the career of a high ranking member of the Government had screwed me over before. I did not want a repeat experience.

"I imagine so." She stated, "But first, introductions. As I stated before, I am the 2nd in Command of the 4th division, Ha Cheonhee."

"Khepri." I introduced myself, not having any fancy titles or accomplishments to my name. Not in this world at least.

"No titles or meaningless boasts, I like that," Cheonhee remarked at my introduction. "For now the only title you can hold is that of a Cadet Candidate. But know that for now, that is a meaningless distinction. Only at the end of your journey can you hold such a title with pride, as titles are built upon accomplishments, not because you are given a pin and authority."

"I understand." I felt my respect for the woman rise as I began to get the impression that we were similar people despite our differences.

"Good, I am glad we understand each other." She declared before she moved to a table, where numerous files and papers were carefully organized. "I am sure it was explained to you that the main purpose of this program will be to serve as a private ops team to deal with threats and problems in areas of the Tower that Rankers cannot access?" She questioned.

I nod as I study the files, reading the names of numerous people and areas within the Tower "Yes, Princess Maschenny mentioned that during my recruitment."

"Good, so you have a broad understanding of your mission. But this is not a mission that you can accomplish alone. Irregular or not. No matter your experiences outside the Tower, you are still a fresh Regular on the Third Floor. As such for the next few years I will be working with you, both to help sort out Regulars on higher floors for recruitment, but also to train you." She revealed.

"Train me?" I questioned, intrigued by the prospect. Most of my skills were self-taught aside from my martial arts training. Parahuman powers, aside from Tinker abilities, could not be taught, it was often up to the user to maximize the potential of their power. But it was different here, powers could be taught and mastered without ever triggering. It was a fascinating prospect.

"Yes, you are to be the face of this program and an example to all future Irregulars. We cannot have you be just an ordinary Regular. We need you to be the best!" Cheonhee declared with a clenched fist. "I will not accept anything else but perfection. If this succeeds, we both benefit."

"That sounds perfect." I agreed. "I hope to be a good student."

Cheonhee, for the first time I had met her, gave a wry grin, "Let's see if you say that after a day into my training. You may have left Evankhell's Hell Khepri, but you better prepare yourself for my own slice of it."

"I am prepared," I announce, ready to face whatever challenges the High Ranker had in store.

"Good. Then before we start you better give me 100 push-ups, 100 situps, 100 squats, 100 Shinsoo exercises and run around the ship 1000 times!" She barked, a near demonic aura sprouted from her as she began the training regime from her own twisted form of hell.

I paled but quickly began to run as the death-like aura of the Ranker pervaded the room until I got out of range. 'I was wrong, she is still pissed at having to do this.' I decide as I ignored the many snickers from the crew as they watched me run past.

And thus, the Cadet Candidate program of Jahad's empire was born, but that was not the only faction amongst the Regulars created that day. In the near future, the lower floors of the Tower would undergo a revolution as the most promising Regulars seen in years would rise and take the Tower by storm.

…

-2F: Break Room-

The atmosphere of the Second floor was stifled and dark as the Regulars gathered in the waiting area, everyone sitting listlessly on benches.

"...I am pretty sure the Supervisor said that all the regulars should be here." Khun spoke in a monotone as he observed the room, noticing the absences of several members. Most notably Rak Wraithraiser and the two princesses were absent. "How come this is it?"

Nare, the last remaining female scout, grimaced, "Well Endorsi and Rak are…"

I know, I don't care about them. They never participate." Khun interrupted the girl.

"How can you say that?" She cried, "Try to understand how they feel!"

Aguero sighed and leaned forward, "Sorry...but I'm not in the mood to understand anyone else.

"Both of you stop." Ship Leesoo admonished, "What's important is the future, and what we will do moving forward."

"Um, before that." Parakewl raised his hand, "But...did we pass?"

Hatsu glared at the green spear-bearer and drew his sword, "How can you ask that? Baam is not dead! We should focus on finding him before we ask anything like that?"

Before the scout could skewer him, Lero-Ro entered, prompting all the regulars to focus on him.

"I told you during the break to stop fighting." He declared as Hatsu hastily sheathed his sword, "I am here to explain to you all the results of the test."

All the regulars focused on him as he took a deep breath, "Thanks to Baam's last wishes...you all passed."

"What?" Khun surged up from his seat, "Does that mean…?"

Lero-Ro closed his eyes, "Yes...it is unfortunate but the Irregular 25th Baam lost his life during the previous test."

Everyone in the room froze in shock, before Rachel pitched over in her seat in a dead faint.

"RACHEL!"

…

-Several Hours Later-

"What do you mean Rachel lied to us?" Ship Leesoo gaped at Khun as they sat together. "Don't say stupid things like that? Why would she lie?! What are you talking about?"

Khun stared for a long moment before he glanced away, "I spoke to Lero-Ro before he left...he told me that the doctors said Rachel's legs are fine. She just got a small cut."

"What...why would she pretend her legs are hurt?" Leesoo asked, hopelessly confused.

"...I don't know." He admitted, "She could be blackmailed, or made a deal with someone. Or perhaps she is just sick in the head." He sighed.

Leesoo's wide eyes slowly narrowed as he considered the situation, "What do we do? The team just formed because Rachel cannot walk. If they learn about this…"

Khun considered for a long while as the lights outside began to dim, "I...will form a new team with Rachel. For now, let's keep this between us. It's Baam's death that brought us together. I don't want to ruin the team that he wanted to protect."

"Khun…" Leesoo muttered.

"Leesoo. I want you to take the team and climb the tower. You need to find the truth from someone else. The only person we could ask for more information." Aguero ordered.

"You mean Khepri?" Leesoo asked.

"Yeah...last I saw her she was talking with that Jahad Assassin posing as the Wave-controller instructor. If there was a plot to kill Baam, then she would know something."

"...Yeah, I can do that." The tracksuit wearing regular muttered, "But you will take Rachel with you alone?"

Khun sighed and closed his eyes, "It has to be me. It's too cruel to force any of the others into thinking that Rachel killed Baam. Only the cruelest amongst us should carry that burden." He clenched a fist, "Khepri and Rachel...they are the only clues Baam's killers left behind that we can reach. We can't let either of them get away. When the time comes, we will split up and form our own teams."

With cold eyes, Khun turned to his only remaining friend amongst the Regulars, "And if what we fear is true…

"Then we will kill both Rachel and Khepri."

...

Arc 1:

End

330

Morgan Arc

Feb 27, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 18: Rumors 1.0

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Mar 2, 2020

#745

Chapter 18

27F: Rumors

1.0

-5 Years Later-

"I have eyes on the target. He is moving north in a black hover-vehicle, I am blocking off all exit points in his predicted path. Scout, make sure to keep civilians out of the fight." A voice spoke from the earpiece that the runner wore as he dashed through the streets of the city.

"Got it, an incredibly slow target is moving in slow motion and waiting for me to save the day!" He retorted and grinned wide as he passed cars and moved shocked pedestrians out of the way of the speeding car.

"Your target is a notorious drug runner, be more serious." The voice reprimanded and he could just hear the exasperation in the boss's voice.

"My middle name is serious, seriously fast that is!" He shouted as he was forced to run up a building to avoid a busy intersection.

Across the city, an androgynous figure sat atop one of the skyscrapers, all their focus centered on the scope of a massive rifle as they scanned the city. "I have eyes on the target, prepared to intervene at any moment." They spoke in monotone into their own microphone.

"Hold on that Wave-Controller. We can try to end this without disturbing the public." The voice ordered.

"Heard." They sighed but kept a finger firmly on the trigger as they spotted another figure through the scope. "...It seems Fisherman is jumping the gun Lighthouse."

"...Of course, she is, don't worry I am already on the move to keep damage to a minimum." I spoke into my mic as I watched the criminal through hundreds of small screens. My fingers were a blur as I typed on the keyboard, not bothered to look at the keys as I control the many Lighthouses as they move in on the target.

The car that the drug runner was moving in was a sleek looking vehicle, I was no expert but the expensive model made it easy to pick out amongst the more mundane cars. Sending commands both manually and through Shinsoo, I direct the softly glowing cubes to form a violet barrier around the car, effectively locking it in and preventing any civilians from entering the crossfire.

"I have locked them in, we can take him now," I announced as the final member of my team decided to enter the fray. Up in the sky above the city, a massive flag unraveled, the triple eye symbol of Jahad waved in the wind as a figure crashed down to the ground and impaled the front of the car with a flagpole.

*Crash!*

The regular hit the car with the force of a rocket, completely crushing the front of the car and sending waves of cracks through the concrete, "Halt fuck face! You shall go no further!" The girl roared, her red cape billowed out behind her as she struck a heroic pose from atop the vehicle.

At the same time, multiple civilians were carried away by the scout, his form a blur as he blinked between people to take them out of the barricade. "Everyone is out Boss!" He called out as he carried the last bystander out of harm's way.

"You fuckers! Do you know who I am? Do you know who my boss is!" The drug runner screamed as Scout finished clearing the area.

With no one to take as a hostage and any bystanders out of the way, I give the final orders, "Wave-controller, take him down." I ordered as our target continued to shout as he drew his own gun.

Several blocks away, a flash of light shone before the target was struck by a mass of shinsoo, the condensed energy acting like a sticky substance that bound the man to the ground. "Target contained." The sharpshooter stated through the mic.

"Thank you, I will be sending transport to the site shortly," I spoke, moving through several more keystrokes to enlarge a Lighthouse near the group as well as for the wave-controller.

Several more keystrokes and the task was complete, "Alright, take our prisoner and return to the base, we can process him along with the rest for the authorities." Behind me, fifty people in similar positions to the drug runner squirmed on the ground.

The runner was the last member of their organization active on the floor. The raid today was to eliminate their last stronghold.

"Man, that was a thing." The scout of the group sighed as they walked into the Lighthouse and instantly appeared back in the Cadet Candidate's temporary base, "Who knew a drug den would have so many people in it…"

"Don't complain, Scout, this is our fucking duty to the glory of Jahad." The Fisherman retorted.

The scout glared down at the red-haired girl but did not comment as I turned to face them, "Good work...and you can drop the code names now." To be honest it had not even been my idea to call ourselves by our positions during operations. This was not Earth Bet, there was little use for code names here.

The runner grinned unrepentantly, "But it's fun, it's like were spies or something."

'Of course.' I internally sighed before speaking, "Regardless...Alys. good shooting, you did well." The Wave-controller merely nodded, with their hood lowered, I could see their pale features and near platinum blond hair cut artistically to leave half their head bald while the other side curled down to their neck.

"Jin." I spoke next to the Scout, his towering frame at odds with his prodigal speed and agility. He wore a white sleeveless shirt and sweatpants, leaving his heavily muscled arms on display. His features were rather plain, with a military buzz cut and dark brown eyes, but he was the best scout I had been able to find. "You did well to get the civilians out of the way, but remember, there is no need to boast on a mission."

As expected all I got in return was a cocky grin and a pair of folded arms.

Finally, I turned to the last member of my team, "Freya, you did well but you did not follow orders. Next time wait for all the civilians to be cleared from the area before jumping in."

Birgitte huffed, "How shall I spread the glory of Lord Jahad if there is no one to fucking witness it? As the messengers of god, the masses must see us crush bad guys!"

I deadpan at the strange girl. If she was not so skilled…, "There were errors but most of them were minor. Today, two month's worth of effort and planning has paid off. Take the rest of today and tomorrow off. We can finally move on from this floor and take the test. Dismissed"

That earned smiles and cheers from all members of the team as they dispersed into the apartment.

"And now for you all." I commented to the crowd of men and women all tied up with the same sticky shinsoo. "I will be sending you to the proper authorities." I summoned three Lighthouses and sent them over the group, ignoring the groans and muffled shouts as they try to curse at me.

'Triple Lighthouse Formation: Mass Transport.' I used a trick that I had learned over the years to send the criminals off. I had thought naming techniques to be a stupid idea, why give the opponent an idea of what you were going to do?

But according to Chanhee, it was actually a mental trick that made using abilities much easier. To use shinsoo, you needed a clear idea of what you wanted from it, meaning that one's mental image of the technique had to be perfect. Through the name, one could focus the mind on the exact purpose of the move.

And so, with a flash of light, the drug peddlers disappeared, transported across the city for the Police to take care of.

'If only getting rid of the Merchants had been so easy.' I sighed. I did not know what it said about the gangs in the Tower that a bunch of unpowered crackheads were harder to track down and eradicate than a Ten Families supported drug operation.

'At least we don't have to stay here anymore.' I mused, looking out at the city through the window. The floor we were on, also known as the Floor of Meccas, was the largest city in the Inner Tower and home to many of the failed regulars who had stopped climbing.

Due to the large population, the Floor Ruler had decreed that no Rankers could enter the Regular dominated areas of the city, which proved attractive to the Ha family, who recruited many of the dropouts to make and sell drugs.

Normally this wouldn't be that much of an issue, drug laws here were much less strict than in the States, but the group was notorious for roping in fresh customers by forcing them on narcotics.

But what was important was that the Ha family could not reinstate the program, at least for now.

*Bzzzt….Bzzzt*

Breaking myself out of my thoughts, I noticed that my Lighthouse was vibrating, which signaled an incoming call. "Receive call." I call out as the Lighthouse widens and transformed into a screen and with a flicker, projected the image of my mentor, Ha Chanhee.

"Sir." I spoke folding my hands together, the smooth texture of the one glove I wore pressed against my hand.

"Khepri, I just heard about your success on the 27th floor, congratulations." She offered some praise, but her face remained stony, which warned me that this call was not just a message to an old student.

"Thank you. Is something wrong?" I questioned as I sat on the couch. I could read my micro expressions that my former teacher made, despite her face being a blank mask, I knew she was stressed.

"Yes, something is quite wrong." She nearly growled, her anger palpable, "Rumors have begun to spread from the lower floors that a new Slayer Candidate has emerged from the woodwork."

I blinked at that news, shocked. I knew about FUG and their Slayers of course. The stories depicted them as monsters whose powers rivaled the strongest High Rankers. If the rumors were even partially accurate, if a Slayer appeared amongst regulars…

Well, I could only assume the worst. "What is the death count? Is there anything we could do to help stop the damage?" I questioned.

Chanhee just sighed and rubbed her forehead, "No one has died. Yet. It seems FUG decided that our Cadet program needed a response of their own."

I paused at that information, "Wait, the Slayer Candidate is a Regular?" I spoke in disbelief. "An E-Ranked Regular?"

"Correct, we do not have much information on this...Slayer Candidate, but judging on the name and the fact that he is a Regular, I can only assume that his goal will be to go after you and your team." The High Ranker announced. "But what I can tell you is to be careful. You are protected by your Regular status, but that protection also extends to the Slayer."

"And I suppose that is our next mission?" I questioned, "To find and eliminate this candidate?"

"No." I was surprised at her refusal, "You cannot act directly against FUG in such a manner. They are simply too widespread and influential to take out their latest candidate on a whim." She stated."But, that does not mean we cannot act against them in other ways."

On the screen, her face disappeared and was replaced by a massive ship, "This is the Archimedes, one of the flagships of the Workshop. Later this year, they hold a tournament on this ship, with the winner receiving a new weapon that they have developed."

I studied the details of the ship and noted the vague similarities between it and the cruise ships that used to sail on Earth Bet, "And our Slayer Candidate friend will be taking part in this event?" I speculated.

"Undoubtedly." She confirmed, "FUG has always sent regulars to this tournament and we believe they will not miss this opportunity to test their Slayer Candidate against the best E-rank regulars."

'Leesoo and Khun's teams.' I mused at that information. The tension between them and my team was still strong, even five years after Baam died during the test. They had caught up to me on the 15th floor, only to discover that the Irregular's death was as much of a shock to me as it was to them.

"We cannot act agains't the Slayer Candidate directly, but no one will argue if a Regular dies during the Battles. Your mission is to make it to the 30th floor before the Tournament begins and eliminate this Slayer Candidate and his team." Chanhee ordered.

"Yes, Sir." I gave a salute as I stood up from my seat, "The Slayer Candidate will be eliminated."

Chanhee nodded, but before she left, she had one last comment, "I also notice that you still do not have a Spearbearer in your group. You still haven't found a better candidate than the last one?"

I sighed and rubbed my face, "No, Novick was poached by Khun Aguero and his team. I have yet to find anyone who would fit."

"Find one soon Khepri, the Candidate will undoubtedly form a team with the best remaining class E regulars, you must do the same."

I nod, "My team will be ready, even without a position we are still strong."

"I know, that is what we are counting on." Chanhee stated before the screen flickered off, leaving me alone in the room.

'A Slayer Candidate.' I thought about what my mentor had revealed. The stories of the atrocities the Slayers had committed rivaled what the Slaughterhouse 9 and Endbringers had done combined.

If FUG believed that a Regular was worthy of joining them, then that meant he must be monstrously strong. Who knew what atrocities he had already committed as he climbed? No, he needed to be stopped, no matter his reasons for joining the terrorist organization.

The Workshop battle would be held on the 30th floor in one year, which meant they had to hurry if they wanted to reach the floor in time. 'No more missions then.' I decide. We had spent much longer than most on each floor to clear them of criminal elements, but that would have to stop.

At least for now.

'Tomorrow we will take the test. Then we can prepare for the next floors.' I planned. I would not let a monster like the nine hurt any more Regulars.

'I won't let you do what you want, Slayer Candidate.'

AN:

And the start of the second arc begins! I hope you are all looking forward to what I have planned next! Also, what do you think of my OCs? I worked a long time on their character designs.

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Mar 2, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 19: The Elevator Maze 1.0

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Mar 5, 2020

#772

Chapter 19:

27F: The Elevator Maze

1.0

The Floor of Meccas was largely unique among the different floors I had visited in the Tower. As the entire space was dominated by a city, it left little room to conduct official tests for passing Regulars. The natural destruction and danger inherent in Floor tests meant that we could not have the test inside the city, instead, the administrators had decided on a different location than most.

"So, we just climb a building?" Jin asked, a fist on his chin as he leaned against the side of the car we were riding in. "Sounds easy enough."

I nod, my eyes glued to the screen of the lighthouse as I research the upcoming test, "Yes. The test is held in the Ettol Tower, the tallest building in the city. From what I understand, is that all the teams who wish to climb the tower will make their way up the Skyscraper through different means. Some easier than others. The first three teams to make it to the top are given the right to head to the next floor." I note.

"And how is that difficult?" Freya asked as she adjusted her tunic and red cape, "We just choose the correct path and race to the top?"

I continued to type, rapidly going through different screens to find hints and tips on the upcoming trial, all floor tests were different each time they are held, to increase the difficulty or to keep the Rankers from getting bored. But the limited location of this floor meant that it always followed a similar theme, a race to the top.

But I doubted it was that easy, "There will most likely be traps and other teams to deal with. Perhaps even a Ranker or two to try and slow us down."

Alys ticked their head to the side, "You think they would have Rankers in a test like this?"

I shrugged, "They will not be going all out obviously, but I imagine if we are unlucky, then they could try and slow us down." The memory of Hide and Seek with a ranker was still fresh in my memory five years later. The sheer strength and agility Quant displayed without the use of Shinsoo was monstrous.

"I would love to test my speed against that of a Rankers. It would be a great fight." Jin grinned at the thought.

"Hopefully it won't come to that. But it is always good to be prepared." I spoke. It was an unspoken fact in the Tower that the national pastime of most Rankers was messing with Regulars. I had doubted that this test would be any different.

The car descended into a tense silence as we approached the testing area, with the Ettol tower dominating the skyline. The building was so large that the peak of it was attached to the ceiling. It looked more like a pillar with a building inside of it than the Skyscrapers I was used to.

"Well, here we are," I muttered as our car stopped at the base of the testing area where teams were already gathered outside, waiting for the event to begin.

"Let's get the party started." Jin grinned as he threw open the door of their car and stepped out, quickly followed by Freya, both of them preening under the attention of the other Regulars.

Alys just shook their head, "extroverts." They muttered mutinously as we followed the Fisherman and Scout out of the vehicle.

'I hate public events like this.' I was fully on the side of the Wave-controller, but I had long since learned to endure PR events. As soon as I stepped from the car, the familiar habits that the PRT's PR department had drilled into me kicked in. I straightened my back and lengthened my strides, overtaking Jin as I adjusted the collar of my purple buttoned-up shirt.

Normally I would have found the best armor I could afford in the Tower, but I had discovered that when it came to the powers inside the Tower, wearing armor was often more of a hindrance than a help. An expensive hindrance. With Shinsoo reinforcement, there was very little need for added protection.

Not to mention, my days as a costumed hero were behind me, so instead of crafting a new costume, I had instead decided to weave normal clothes out of silk. I had even made a small business of it and sold my clothes through the Lighthouse Network.

"Is that them? The Jahad team?" As we approached, I overheard that many of the other teams were glancing in our direction, or perhaps more accurately the three-eyed pins that were attached to our shirts.

The Tower rumor mill was a powerful thing, not too long after I had departed from the second floor, did the word of the Cadet program begin to spread. Many of the tests up the tower, I had to endure Regulars and other teams who wanted to test themselves.

"Hey lookie here, some big shots showed up today boys!" One of the other Regulars shouted as he laughed along with his team. "Gonna be a fun huntin time today!" The foursome began to laugh amongst themselves, obviously overconfident in their own ability.

"How dare they fucking insult the chosen of God." She muttered mutinously as she gave a death glare to the surrounding Regulars.

"Ignore them." I instruct my teammates as Freya looked about ready to attack the hecklers, "They can challenge us in the test if they wish." The brief lull in conversation when we arrived ended as the other teams trickled into the square in front of the Ettol Tower, by the time the clock hit ten, the square was filled with teams.

Just when I was about to wonder when the test would start, a loud voice echoed above the commotion, "Howdy Regulars! Welcome to the 27th Floor test!"

Everyone turned to the entrance to the Skyscraper, where a man in a business suit and the most ridiculous mullet haircut I had ever seen was standing atop the stairs.

"It is so good to see such a large crowd today!" The Ranker announced with a wide grin, "We can do a great test with this!" He clapped his hands together and rubbed them eagerly. "Alright, to get started I say we go the whole hog, everyone come inside!"

Pushing through the crowd, we entered the massive building's Lobby, where against each wall were lines of Elevators, each one them identical.

"Alright alrighty then! We should get started, wouldn't want the test to go too far into the day would we?" The Ranker drawled as he hopped onto the reception desk, "My name is Ezekial Dent and I will be your Administrator this fine morning! Y'all ready to have some fun?" He gave a winning grin to the room, only to find mostly blank stares and stony looks in return.

Coughing at the tense atmosphere his grin returns full force, "Well then, I see y'all are dying to get the show on the road, I understand no worries. So, let's get to business." His jovial tone turned cold as he focused on the test, "As y'all have probably seen already, every wall of this here Lobby has elevators. Obviously this will be the focus of the test. When I say go, everyone will enter an elevator to be taken to the next floor. Each elevator moves up a different number of floors. If you are lucky, you could skip several floors and if yer unlucky...well I will leave that up to you to find out. Once you reach a floor, you will need to continuously find new elevators to continue up the Tower. Each floor will contain different obstacles, from a direct one vs one battle between you and other teams to puzzles, to other barriers." He gave a wide grin at the last one.

"But the objective is simple, make it to the top." He announced as he pointed to the ceiling.

"Get ready to move," I whispered to the group and discreetly summoned my lighthouses. I had noticed something about the room as the man talked.

The lobby was filled with teams, but there were only so many elevators. 'The test has already started, this is just a show before everyone is told.' With a glance I send a Lighthouse, shrunk to the size of one of my insects, to hover in front of one of the lifts, ready at any moment to move.

The rest of my team looked confused for a moment before a few meaningful glances let them into the secret.

"Alrighty everybody, let's get started! You can enter any Lil' elevator of your choice. Though I wouldn't get too picky, not too many to go around." The Ranker drawled.

Most Regulars in the room froze at those words as they realized the test had begun, but that was already enough time for most to capitalize on that weakness. "Mass Transport," I muttered to myself as the five members of our team disappeared in a brief burst of light.

In a blink we appeared in front of an open elevator and entered, Jin and Freya holding the door as they kick stampeding regulars away from the entrance.

The lift only had one button, which I pressed immediately upon entry, sealing the door from the chaos that had descended upon the Lobby. "Rankers." I sighed in disgust. The tests to ascend floors were almost never fair. The administrators would do everything in their power to ensure that few, if any, teams passed the test. I would not be surprised if from that one stunt, that the groups would be reduced by half.

"Bunch of rookies." Jin huffed, "Didn't even notice the elevators."

"You did not notice them either," Alys commented as they crossed their arms and gave the scout an unimpressed glare..

The giant of a man looked abashed as he rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah...but Khepri did. That means we as a team noticed it! Still counts!" He argued.

"Sure it does." They rolled their eyes.

I just sighed as the two began to bicker, they had never gotten along that well. But soon my focus was back at the task at hand, 'We should have a headstart on most of the other Regulars, but I doubt that will last long. We will have to act fast to ensure we keep our lead.'

*Ding!*

I estimated it was about half a minute before the lift came to a stop and the doors opened, revealing the interior of the floor. The space was empty, without any furniture or decorations, which left just blank white walls and a tiled floor.

"Welcome regulars to the 5th Floor! Lucky you!" A voice spoke from the walls, "But unlucky for you this is an obstacle floor! Be careful! The only rule to pass is that Shinsoo is not allowed! No shinsoo for you!"

"Obstacles? Where?" Freya questioned as she glanced warily around the room.

"Invisible...or they require actions." I muttered, "Don't leave the elevator just yet." I closed my eyes for a moment and data flashes through my mind, an infinite archive of possibilities, but I was interested in only one.

Earth was not the only world with technology, from my exploration of Queen Administrator's previous hosts, I had found different cultures and species that stretched across the cosmos.

The shard I had chosen once belonged to a race of small human-like creatures. Much like my own species, they had been a technologically driven race and had centered their entire culture around technology.

The owner of the shard had triggered after it failed several times to become an inventor. Depressed, he eventually triggered the ability to control the machines of his rivals, which he used with vindictive pleasure to destroy their careers.

'Machine Administration.'

As the power slotted into my mind, my awareness expanded as every electronic in a mile radius slotted into my awareness. "It's a pressure plate-based trap," I announce as I scan the floor. The tiles and walls were all carefully placed so that one wrong step and you could be facing a serious injury.

"What do you see?" Alys asked. I had informed my team of the bare bones of my power, as far as they knew I could just sense anything I wanted within a limited range.

"Flamethrowers, chain saws, pitfalls, the works," I explained as I kneeled down and pressed on a piece of the floor, sending a large burst of flame from one of the walls.

"So how do we get through?" Jin asked, "There are still elevators everywhere."

The Scout was correct, across the room there were different lifts scattered across the walls. But, thanks to my ability, I was able to peer through the walls and tell where each went. "We need the third from the left." I stated as I stood from my crouched position, "It goes up another ten floors."

'I can't just fry the entire electronics of the traps, that could trip up the entire electrical system in the building.' I mused as I took a step on one of the safe tiles, "Follow me, and watch your step." I warned my team as we slowly maneuvered around the many traps in the room.

"As fucking expected of God's chosen," Freya muttered to herself as we made it to the elevator.

"This test is gunna be a breeze!" Jin smirked as he pressed the button to the elevator.

Alys turned to glare at him, "You just jinxed it."

I just stared up at the ceiling as once again the elevator descended into an argument. 'No, this test is only just starting. The one thing that pisses of Rankers the most is someone passing their exams. This is just the grace period.'

The question was, when would the Rankers appear?

... Chapter 20:

27F: The Elevator Maze

1.1

The exact number of floors within the Tower was a carefully hidden secret among the Administrators, but from a rough glance from outside the Tower, I estimated that there could not be more than a hundred or so floors.

This meant, as we entered the elevator for the 70th floor, that we were reaching the end of the test. Thanks to the Queen Administrator's power, we had been able to skip most of the obstacles, but there had still been non-mechanical traps that we had to bypass.

'Clever of them...sometimes the best elevator is not always the best option.' I mused, at first I had only picked the elevators that went up the most number of floors, only to discover that some of them were red herrings and were designed to make us backtrack or suffer through much longer obstacles.

It was obvious that I was not the first with the ability to navigate the test so easily. I could not help but respect the fact that they had adapted the Tower over the countless tests to make it a fair challenge.

"How many teams do you think are still in the running?" Jin asked as we listened to crappy elevator music.

"It depends on how many got into the elevators on the bottom floor, and who have the skills to bypass the traps," I respond. Quite a few teams were probably repeating testers and had some idea of what to expect.

They were the ones to watch out for.

*Ding!*

With a slight hiss, the doors opened, admitting us into a room the size of a basketball court, this one with only three elevators. The one we just exited, the one against the far wall, and one to the side.

"Welcome Regulars to the 71st Floor! But uh oh! Too bad, You landed on an unlucky floor!" The voice from the speakers announced with a chirpy voice, not sounding upset in the slightest for us. "That means you have to face a punishment game!"

"A fucking punishment? Seriously?" Freya asked as we prepared for anything.

"Let's see~, as a punishment, you will have to fight a random team of Regulars on a lower floor of the Tower!"

'That's it?' I mused. While a normal team may have found that to be a serious problem, but for us…

At the far end of the arena, the elevator dinged, revealing the same team that had heckled us in the courtyard.

"Oho? What do we have here? Triggered a punishment game have we?" The lead Regular jeered. The regular looked the perfect image of a classic punk or delinquent. Dyed red hair styled into a mohawk and piercings in nearly every available piece of skin, the image completed with black leather.

The quartet looked more like a motorcycle gang than an actual team.

"I guess we'll just be the people doin the punishing then." He sang as he stuck his tongue out, his forked tongue pierced at both tips. His teammates all laughed stupidly and cracked their knuckles.

"You all seem very excited~!" The voice returned, "But we will have to decide how this battle will go! Doing a death match would just be sooo boring. How about we add some rules to the mix?"

"What type of rules." I questioned.

"Well~...How about this! Instead of a boring four vs four, we spice it up! Each team will decide how many players will fight against each other until everyone has fought once! Team with the most wins obviously wins~!"

"So we could just do a four vs four anyway?" I asked, skeptical of the rules. I could immediately think of several ways to manipulate those rules in our favor.

"If you wanna be boooring~! Booo~!" The voice whined.

'If the voice is a ranker...we should probably play along.' I mused, when dealing with god-like beings with little to no sense, then it was usually best to just go with the flow.

"Alright… how about we do this." I state to both groups, "To make it easy, let's just do a series of one versus one matches."

The lead goon raised an eyebrow, "Sounds fine to me, but what if we tie?"

I glanced towards the speaker, the ranker more than likely left it to our own devices, "If we tie then we fight each other for the right to the elevator. I doubt the Ranker would protest after getting her fun."

"No problems from me~!" The voice chirped in reply.

The punk gave a wide smirk at that, "Alrighty then, I am fine with that." He gave a jerk of his head towards two one his mooks, "Get in there and beat em up."

The mook who stepped forward was a slightly fat Regular in the same punk attire as his boss.

Jin stepped forward to meet him. With a crack of his knuckles and a wide smile on his face, the scout sunk into a stance.

"Ready~?" The voice asked from above, "Go~!"

"Try to last longer than five seconds!" Jin roared as he surged forward, cracking the floor as he went. With a burst of speed he appeared in front of the stout Regular striking his midsection.

However, to my surprise, the blow did not seem to have any effect as the mook smirked, "Heh, I may not look like much but my defense is no joke! My reinforcement is top-notch amongst E-rank Regulars, that's why they call me the Tank!"

"I see!" Jin retorted, appearing behind the smaller Regular and assaulted him with a blinding array of punches, each one landing with a meaty thwack.

"That tickles jackass!" Tank retorted, returning the myriad of blows he received with some of his own.

"Idiots, they both are just beating each other up." Alys sighed.

"It's fun to watch though." Freya joked, "It's like a fucking manga, what was that one where they hit each other a lot?"

I ignore my two teammates rambling as I focus on the fight, 'A strong defense will not stop Jin.' I mused as I watched the two fighters from the sidelines, my arms crossed. Jin was special for a scout, despite not being from a ten families bloodline, his brother was still a High ranker, who had shared several of his techniques with his younger brother.

Truthfully he had been placed in the program due to his connection, but to his credit, he was strong enough to have been selected on his own merits.

The first thing his brother had imparted was his speed technique, which had enabled Jin to move as fast as people half his size, but that was not all of it.

"I see, your defensive Shinsoo is impressive!" Jin complimented as he backed off a bit, his smile faded as he grew serious, "But my awesomeness cannot be stopped!" Nearly disappearing with how fast he moved, Jin extended one finger and with a series of pokes, pushed the smaller man back, but delt no visible damage.

"Hangul Secret Art, One Inch Separation!" He shouted to the room, one finger pointed to the ceiling.

"What a fucking chuuni." Freya muttered.

The punk felt himself down as he blinked at the fact the move did not appear to do anything. "What was that supposed to do?" He taunted as he took a step forward to retaliate.

*Crack!**Crack!*

"Aaaaagh?!"

The scream echoed throughout the room as Tank's legs gave out from under him, two bulges in his legs suggested that his bones were pressed against his skin.

"What the fuck did you do to me?" He shouted through the pain, fat tears traveled in rivets down his cheeks.

Extending an arm, the Regular tried to force himself up.

*Crack!*

"AUUGH!"

With a sickening crack that echoed throughout the room, Tank's arm bent at an unnatural angle as he fell back to the ground.

'That was acupuncture.' I grimaced at the grisly display of Jin's true talent. His brother had taught him the art before he had even become a Regular. It was the same technique that had brought the elder Hangul into the top 1000 of Rankers.

Many had underestimated the Scout, thinking him an arrogant brute who relied on physical force or speed to fight, but his greatest weapon was in fact his knowledge.

Strength, speed, and knowledge, Jin strived to perfect himself in all ways, creating a monster of a Regular.

"I...surrender!" Tank wept as he lay on the ground, unable to move due to the pain.

"Victory!" Jin cheered, a fist pumped in the air.

The opposing team leader ground his teeth together as the other regulars dragged the downed Tank off the field.

"That's one for us it seems." I smiled at the opposing Team leader, who gave a glare in return.

"Heh, that guy was useless anyway." He shrugged, "but how about we speed things up a little? Instead of another boring one versus one, how about we make this next one more interesting? You are so confident in your strength, how about you take us three on? Miss second strongest E-rank Regular."

"Ohhh, that sounds fun~!" The voice shouted over the intercom. "Do it, do it, do it~!"

'That would speed things up. We are on a timer after all.' I mused before I stepped forward, "That's fine with me."

The opposing team leader smirked, "How arrogant of you. You may be ranked number two, but you are still just a Light Bearer. Right now we have a fisherman, spear-bearer and a wave-controller. The worst possible match for you."

I don't respond, merely sending flea sized Lighthouses around the room.

"Reaaaady? Go~!" The voice cried.

With a leap into the air, the three opposing Regulars charged, weapons at the ready to strike.

Time seemed to slow as the eight Lighthouses I had placed around the room began to glow brighter.

'Irregular Lighthouse Maneuver: Zone Administration.'

…

"Woah~! Did you see that?"

Seated behind an array of screens, a girl grinned as she watched the action in front of her, stuffing her mouth with popcorn and sweets. "Did you see!? That was awesome!"

"Well I'll be damned, never saw a technique like that before." Ezekial whistled as he leaned against the wall of the room.

Bouncing on her seat, the girl's grin stretched wider to an unnatural degree, "But the opponents were boring. They sucked. Although they were the best I could find in the Tower right now…" She groaned.

On the 70th floor, the team they had chosen to slow down the Cadet Candidates were on the ground, unmoving, each of them having been struck down nearly instantaneously.

"What do you think boss?" The ranker asked, "By the looks of it they will complete the challenge with ease. Hurt's your pride doesn't it? In fact, they look bored."

"...Shut up."

Ezekial flinched, the room suddenly freezing as the silver haired girl glared from around her chair.

"My Tower is never boring." There was no grin or song to her voice as she growled.

"Of course, of course!" He hastily corrected his language, "I am not saying they're bored at all! They be having a blast out there. Just don't you reckon they could add a bit more spice to their life?"

The feeling of death in the air lessened as she considered his words, "Spice?"

"Yeah, them Regulars be the best of the best out there, I even hear that they are in the same leagues as that team that came up through here a year ago." The mulleted Ranker commented, a sly grin on his face as he watched his boss break a lollipop in half as she clenched her teeth.

"What are you proposing then?" The diminutive supervisor turned to look at her subordinate, her slitted blue eyes narrowed in thought.

"Well, why don't you let me have a crack at em? Not in a fight of course, but I could give a nice show if I do say so myself." He drawled.

The supervisor was silent for a long moment before she grinned, "Alright then, 'Devil's Luck' Ezekiel, let's see how well you do in a normal game against a Regular. You have my permission."

Ezekial nodded, barely able to hide his excitement, "Mighty kind of you Boss, I do love a good game with the kids."

"Just get out, I want to see if anyone else is interesting." She turned back to the screens, a clear dismissal.

Ezekial left the room and headed to the elevators, a wide grin of his own on his face. 'Mighty kind of you boss.' He thought again as he took out a deck of cards, each one emblazoned with a single red eye.

'Mighty Kind of you…'

253

Morgan Arc

Mar 9, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 21: The Elevator Maze 1.2

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Mar 21, 2020

#819

Chapter 21:

27F: The Elevator Maze

1.2

*Ding!*

'98th Floor.' I mentally took note as we stepped out of the elevator, only to find an empty room, with a lone elevator on the far side.

"Another invisible trap room?" Jin asked.

I scanned the room with my power, but found nothing, "No...if I had to guess it's just a break room before the final floor."

"Kinda fucking Anti-climactic then…" Freya muttered.

'This is too easy...no the final floor will be hard enough.' While my prediction of Ranker interference had not come to pass yet, I was still worried that we were not out of the woods yet. From my experience, Rankers had a need for dramatics, they would not appear until the last floor.

"This is just the prelude. The hardest obstacle is more than likely at the top." I replied as we entered the final Elevator.

We all fell silent as the lift rose, this one mercifully silent of any music as we ascended, until with a single chime, the doors opened to admit us into the final floor.

The floor was luxurious, with floor to ceiling windows that gave a magnificent view of the city below. But the view was just a backdrop to the expensive casino that filled the space. Colorful slot machines, spinning roulette wheels, and tables set up for all types of card games. And in the center sat the largest table in the room. But, the person stood behind it, rather than the decorations that attracted my attention.

"Ah welcome! Was wonderin when one of you would get up here." A chill went down my spine as I heard the heavy southern accent.

Across the room stood Ezekial, the ranker that had introduced the task at the base of the Tower. He casually stood behind a poker table as he shuffled a deck of cards, "Y'all been making some waves in the Tower I've heard. This one and the bigger one." He gave a grin at his joke.

I remained silent, but my teammates were not as silent lipped, "Yeah? What, we break up some drug ring you got your Black Shinsoo from huh?" Freya taunted.

The ranker just chuckled, "Perhaps, but I don't think you quite understand my frustration with you Regulars. Ya see, when I heard the boys upstairs wanting to make some sort of baby scouts program for the Army, I got a little ticked off."

The man's demeanor changed as he spoke, his former, jovial air became cold as he glared at us. "You Regulars don't know how good you have it. Sponsors, fame, equipment, everything ya need because of your little sugar daddies. When I climbed this Tower, we didn't get any of that." Ezekial nearly growled, his formerly brown eyes now a burning red, "Makes a poor man like me mighty unhappy to see so many damn kids running about with silver spoons in their mouths."

I grimaced and flexed my gloved hand as I mentally commanded the pea-sized lighthouses to begin to gather energy. If the Ranker wanted to fight, I would need to do everything in my power just to survive.

"Now, now, there's no need for the light show, You know the rules and so do I, a Ranker cannot fight a Regular as part of a test. But those rules say nothin about playing a little game." The ranker offered.

"A game?" Jin asked as he slowly slid out of his martial arts stance at the lack of battle.

"That's right!" Ezekial grinned as he stopped shuffling, "Now, I can't target you in direct combat, but why don't we do this the old fashioned way, with a game?" He gave a grin as he flicked his hand, the cards in his hand disappeared and sent three dice to roll at my feet.

I reached down and picked up the game pieces, but found no difference from a normal dice. "And the rules?" I questioned.

"It's a game I like to play. You are familiar with the rules of Dice, correct? Instead of fighting until we are dead or exhausted, we will have a point system! We will roll the dice at the start of every round, with the roll determining the strength of our attack."

'A game played out in real life then?' Dice was a game that was popular within the tower. With the many powers and skills attained in the Tower, it was hard for people to play any game of skill with one another without the risk of cheating. As such, Dice became a popular gambling game due to the fact it relied entirely on luck to win.

'I don't like this. Instead of a challenge where we can be assured success, this Ranker wants to leave the test to random chance, the best way to try and make us lose.' I grimaced.

'Not like I can refuse a ranker.' I sighed. "Fine, if we win we are free to pass then?"

"Correct." Ezekial grinned as he held up his own dice, "So, shall we play?"

"Are you sure about this Khepri? This is not normal for a floor test." Alys whispered.

"He is still a ranker if we refuse then who knows what he would do," I responded as I walked forward to the opposite end of the table.

'For some reason he already hates us.' I mused as I tossed the dice in my hand, 'Plus as a Ranker, he would refuse to lose at all costs. Which means he would not challenge me to a game of chance without a 100 percent certainty that he would win.'

Whether he had some sort of skill to load the dice or an even more esoteric ability, it did not matter, he would be rolling whatever he wished in this game. 'Then...I will have to cheat as well.' I decided.

"I suppose I will roll first then?" I spoke as I tossed my dice forward, the cubes expanding until they were large enough to be visible to everyone

The first landed on a 4, while the second stopped on a 3 and at the same time as the last dice rolled to a stop on 2.

"A nine eh? Not bad, not bad." Ezekial commented as he tossed his own dice, which landed on a 3, 5, and 2 respectively. "Ah nice! A ten!"

'One higher than myself.' Above our heads, Shinsoo gathered to form into ten bars, with one of mine disappearing as a point was ticked off.

"Only one damage? Such a shame." Ezekial grinned, "Guess that's just luck I suppose."

I don't respond as I tossed my dice again, this time getting a six.

"Bad roll girl, let's see what I get?" The ranker teased as he ended with a Seven. "Oh too bad, but still one higher again eh?" He chuckled as my points went down to 8.

'You could try to make it less obvious that you are cheating.' I mentally sighed as I tossed my dice, with my health once again dropping by one as the Ranker rolled one higher than me.

This pattern repeated five more times until I was down to only two bars of health while the Ranker sat at 10.

"This is bullshit! You have to be cheating somehow!" Freya roared as she pointed at the Ranker.

"Oh please, everyone knows that you can't cheat at Dice." Ezekial exclaims with a wide grin, "After all, it's the devil's game ya know?"

"Freya, It's fine," I commented to my teammate as I held up my dice. "After all, I can feel myself getting some luck back."

"It does not matter if your fucking lucky or not! This guy is cheating!" She roared, her arm waved dramatically to emphasize her point.

"Well, we will just have to see." I gave a grin as I rolled my dice.

The first bounded to the center of the table before landing on five, with the other landing on four.

"Alrighty then, let's see what I get!" The ranker taunted as he threw his own, "I guess I will get right about one more-" He was about to say before his own dice landed on a four and five.

"A nine?" He questioned.

"It seems we tie," I replied as neither of our health changed.

"I...You are correct!" Ezekial gave a grin, "Guess you were right about that luck earlier!"

"Yeah…" I gave a small grin of my own to match his, "I am actually feeling really lucky."

For the next few minutes, we continued to roll dice, with both of us matching each time. "What the hell is with this game? They both are cheating now?" Freya muttered from the sidelines as both of our health remained stagnant.

As both of our dice rolled to a stop and both of us got perfect twelves, I could tell that Ezekial was reaching the end of his patience.

'Devil's Luck Ezekial, the man who has never lost a game of chance.' I recalled his description from when I had conducted research on the Tower. 'When he climbed, he did so by largely blackmailing and forging connections with stronger Regulars with his incredible luck.'

I knew from the start that if I faced off against him, he would use that luck to his advantage. So I had prepared in advance, in the waiting room I had switched my shard from Machine Administration to Attribute Administration.

It was one of the more straightforward skills that I had found in the massive database of powers that was formerly the Queen Administrator. The gist of the ability was that I could take different "attributes" of myself and shift them around. For example, I could trade intelligence for strength or vice versa.

In this case, I had continuously reduced my strength and dexterity, placing everything into luck. Normally, this power was not too great, but combined with the benefits of Self Administration…

Well, it went without saying that right now I was about as lucky as a Leprechaun.

It had been a gamble that the Ranker would want to draw out the game and gloat, but thankfully my read on his personality was accurate. The main weakness of this ability was that it took time to transfer attributes, which Ezekial had gleefully given me.

'And now for the end game.' My luck was about as high it was going to get.

Ezekial was nearly trembling with rage as he threw another pair of dice, with each landing on a 6, "An Eighteen, the best possible roll. This is the end for you girl!"

I gave a small grin as I rolled my dice, with each landing on a one.

"Ha!" Ezekial roared in triumph, "Finally you ran out of luck!"

"Not exactly." I replied, "Don't you know the rules of your own game? When you get triple 1s, that means you get to reroll."

Ezekial froze as he realized that yes, that was a rule. "Fine then roll again." He grumbled.

Throwing my hand out, I sent the three dice across the table, with each one hitting One again. "Another triple ones, guess I get to roll again then?" I ask as I struggled to contain my grin.

With another toss the dice all land on one.

"What the hell…" Ezekial muttered as the points began to ramp up further as with each consecutive toss my dice landed on ones.

"This is bullshit! You have to be cheating!" He roared, eyes bloodshot as the table cracked under how hard he gripped it.

'It's ironic.' I mused as with another toss my total points shot up to twenty-seven, 'that getting three ones in dice is also known as the Blessing of the Triple Eye.'

With one final toss, the dice all land one, sealing Ezekial's fate as he was hit with 30 points of damage, getting past his own defense of 18 and delt more than enough for his remaining points.

"Woo! Go Khepri!" Jin shouted as Freya grinned.

"Bullshit! You cheated! Youuuuu cheated!" Ezekial roared, his eyes bloodshot and his fingers now resembling claws more than actual hands.

"Get back!" I called out as the pressure in the room tripled. 'Damnit, that was the only way to win the game but it pissed him off enough to ignore the mandates of the Tower?' I thought as the Ranker's near glowing red eyes focus on us.

'I will just have to teleport us all out of here and damn the test.' I resolved as I gathered the necessary Shinsoo to take us out of the Ettol Tower.

"DIIIIE PAWNS OF JAHAD!" Ezekial roared as he lunged forward, a card between each finger to activate some sort of spell or attack.

'Mass Tele-' I thought before another voice interrupted.

"Shut up, brat."

In a flash of light, a broadsword larger than any reasonable person would hold had pierced the chest of the Ranker, splattering the floor with blood.

At the far end of the room, another figure had entered the room, which I quickly identified as the one who had skewered the Ranker. Dressed in a plain white t-shirt and shorts, the second Ranker did not look imposing at all. If it were not for the power that radiated from their figure, I would have never suspected them to be a Ranker.

"S-supervisor," Ezekial growled, the pain having shocked him out of his bloodlust.

The head of the Ettol Tower Test just glared at his subordinate through a curtain of long white hair, "You know the rules Ezekial. No touching Regulars. They beat you at your own game. All you should have done was back down and try to retain some of your dignity. Normally I could forgive you, but you did something inexcusable." The Supervisor stated as another broadsword appeared in his hand, "But no, instead you ruined these kids' victory. Their euphoria as they realize they defeated the Tower that I so lovingly crafted…all ruined."

The pressure in the room broke the floor as the Supervisor took another step forward, "But what really is insulting is that you thought you could hide the fact that you joined up with FUG and I would not notice."

For the first time, I noticed that many of the playing cards that Ezekial had dropped were emblazoned with a single red eye, the trademark of the terrorist organization.

'FUG!?' I thought in disbelief, 'They infiltrated a Floor test?'

The impaled Ranker grimaced and coughed out some blood but gave a bloody grin to his former boss, "My life...to kill Jahad."

"It's a shame...you were entertaining for a while." The Supervisor sighed before every part of Ezekial was impaled by different sized swords.

The five of us stepped back as blood flew everywhere as the Ranker was executed. 'So this is the difference between a Ranker and a High Ranker.' I grimaced as the opponent that was so threatening moments before was effortlessly killed.

After a few moments, the swords disappeared into motes of light and the pressure diminished in the room.

Tense, we all await what the Supervisor would do next as he turned to stare at us. "Oh. right...well congrats I guess? You pass or whatever?" He yawned. "Thanks for giving me a good show."

With his piece said, he left, leaving us alone with the blood and gore of what was once a Ranker scattered about the room.

"What the fuck?" Freya asked as we were left alone in the blood-splattered room.

'Rankers…' I sighed as I recalled my Lighthouse. "Let's...let's just go," I told my team as we walked to the final elevator.

It was unfortunate, but I was definitely going to have to report this in...

...

AN:

Just as a notice, I am now trying to alternate between my stories. So if you follow my stuff, I should be taking A Cape in Konoha off Haiatus soon.

283

Morgan Arc

Mar 21, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 22: Rumors 1.1

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Mar 31, 2020

#837

Chapter: 22

Rumors

1.1

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves as I stood before an expanded Lighthouse, the cube the size of the far wall. Instead of the deep purple that my Lighthouses usually took when dormant, the floating supercomputer was pitch black with the three eyes of Jahad emblazoned in the center.

Dealing with the higher-ups in the hierarchy of Jahad's empire was tricky, depending on who I talked to, it required different angles to ensure that I could actually get the message across.

My former mentor, Ha Cheonhee, was the easiest Ranker to interact with, as her no-nonsense personality made it easy to interact with her, but many of the other members of Jahad's 4th squadron considered it an insult that a Regular was even trying to speak with them.

I was not sure if it was just a form of classism, or if they were just that egotistic that they were offended when someone of "lower" status tried to contact them, but trying to get past them was always a pain.

What made it worse was that nearly every Ranker could be considered an S-rank threat back in my home dimension.

'Well, may as well get started, no use procrastinating.' I sighed before I spoke aloud to the cube, "Agent Khepri, team leader of the Candidate Cadet program calling in to report an incident involving the crime syndicate and terrorist organization designated: FUG."

For a moment the Lighthouse remained dormant, but soon the Triple eye design wavered before a man I had never seen before appeared through the screen. Dressed in the standard blue uniform of the 4th Squadron, his bearing radiated a sense of calm strength. He looked young, as little as that told me, but besides his outfit, the only distinguishing features were that his hairstyle was cut in a military buzz with a gold mohawk down the center of his head.

"Report." He ordered, his blue eyes locked with mine.

'Great, here we go again.' I internally sighed, "I am sorry sir, but this information is sensitive and I need you to give me your ID and rank to make sure that I am reporting to an appropriate official."

That line had drawn numerous reactions from rankers in the past. It was not like I wanted to be obstinate, but I would face a worse penalty if I didn't confirm my contact was above board.

The man's blue eyes narrowed for a brief moment before they relaxed, "ID 10239, Name: Kallavan. My rank... Squadron Commander."

A cold chill went down my spine at the rank and name. 'So this is the infamous Human Hunter.' I had heard of Kallavan of course, very few who were remotely familiar with Jahad's forces did not hear his name thrown about at least once.

He was famous for his forced recruitment of high-rankers into the service of Jahad. There were rumors that he was stronger than the other Squadron Commanders, but did not seek to rise any further due to his desire to remain on the front lines. 'I knew any information about FUG is considered high priority, but I never thought it would be this high priority.'

"Your message stated that you have information about FUG, was that correct?" He asked, breaking the brief silence that had descended from his introduction.

Jolted from my thoughts, I coughed into my hand, "Yes, during the 27th floor Test, my team and I were proceeding as normal until we were stopped by a ranker on the final floor. After a brief confrontation where I passed his test, he decided to attack before he was struck down by the Test Supervisor. On his body, we found this." I present the playing cards, each emblazoned with the signature of FUG.

Kallavan eyed the cards before he closed his eyes in thought, "I see…so FUG has decided to come out of the shadows."

I raised a brow in question, but before I could ask, Kallavan continued, "You did well to bring this information forward, but do not think that FUG would be so easy to uncover, or foolish enough to trust someone so easily angered. They wanted you to find this information."

'They wanted to reveal themselves...why? And why me?' I question myself, thoughts running through my mind on possible motives or reasonings. "Why would they give up an advantage like that just to send a message?"

Kallavan shrugged, "We have long suspected that the group has moles within our ranks, confirmation makes no difference. For now, you will focus on the mission that your superior has given you." He ordered.

I gave a curt nod, "Yes, sir."

Kallavan returned my nod before the screen went dark and returned to it's normal violet hue.

For a moment I just stood in the room with sweat beading my forehead, 'That was...memorable.' Even thousands of miles away, the presence of a top 100 High-Ranker was formidable.

I had been lucky. If Kallavan had been anything like his more classist subordinates…

'No, I can't think like that...they are stronger than you now, but that will change eventually.' I let out the breath I had been unconsciously holding.

I had long since discovered that Lo Po Bia Ren had lied to me and had some hand in the incident on the 2nd floor. That dishonesty had prompted me to look deeper and I had found that the Jahad Empire was certainly not as innocent as they wanted to appear.

The crime syndicates and illegal operations my team and I had shut down were merely the ones that went against Jahad and the Ten Families.

I was still unsure how far it extended throughout the system, but I knew for a fact that something was rotten in the Tower. A rot that had made its way throughout Jahad's Empire as well as many of the residents who fought to reach the top.

I wanted to do something to clear it out, but I was not naive enough to believe that I could without getting more power first. I was still just a small fish in an ocean of Leviathans. Even with five years of training in this strange world, I could not even consider myself the strongest E-Ranked regular, much less as strong as even the weakest of the rankers.

In my mind's eye, I pictured the face of Ezekial, twisted with rage as he charged forward. 'I didn't even think of a possible counter attack, merely a way to run away…' I had decided to specialize my talents with the lighthouse in teleportation due to the fact that I knew I stood no chance against some of the opponents in the Tower.

But at the same time, I knew I needed a power multiplier, something that would even the odds between me and the rankers.

'Everything is just leading to the Workshop battle.' I mused. The winner of the workshop was offered a weapon or device that most benefited their powers. If I won, that could be the first step to closing the massive gap in power.

'This is all getting so complicated, the corruption in the Empire, FUG, and the mysterious Slayer. I can't help but feel that it is all going to come to a head soon…'

But one thing was certain, we needed to get to the Workshop.

…

"Have you heard the rumors?"

"About what?"

"The Slayer Candidate! I heard he defeated a Ranker in battle. Everyone is talking about it man, how could you not have heard about it?"

"Oh, you were not talking about the Cadet Candidate? I heard their team leader beat a Ranker as well!"

"What? Two regulars beat Rankers? They must be insanely powerful!

"I know right, I hope we can see them live someday, that would be epic."

The two continued to chat, their voices carrying over to a different table, where three people were sat listening in.

"So Khepri beat a Ranker?" Ship Leesoo asked out-loud, "Not to mention that Slayer as well…"

Anaak Jahad grunted as she speared another bite of her meal, "I don't care about that traitor, the FUG is what concerns me more. We already know about Khepri, the other is a complete unknown."

Leesoo leaned back in his chair, not noticing as the green-skinned girl stole several pieces of fried chicken from his plate, "True, though even if we know a lot about Khepri, that does not mean she is any less annoying to fight or plan against. For all we know, the Slayer could be weaker than her."

"I doubt it." A new voice spoke up, prompting the two regulars to turn and see Androssi Jahad enter the restaurant, which had already drawn a small crowd outside to observe the Princess. "FUG wouldn't let just any E-ranked Regular become a Slayer Candidate. As an example, the last time they did that was with the current Slayer, Karaka."

Ship Leesoo shivered at that name, the legends about that man alone… "But even so he is still a Regular. That means he is not invincible. He will have weaknesses we can exploit."

Androssi gave a savage grin, "And I will be relying on you to find out those weaknesses. Don't disappoint me Tracksuit."

Leesoo gave an awkward laugh as he felt the glares of every fan outside the restaurant aimed at his direction before he noticed something strange.

"Ah!? Who ate my chicken?"

…

"WHAT?"

The shout reverberated around the room as Wangnan, Prince, Minseng and Goseng all shouted in tandem.

"To think that someone else could take on a Ranker like Viole…" Horyang murmured, surprised at the information.

Slayer Candidate Jyu Viole Grace remained silent at the news as his teammates began to discuss the information, his long bangs hiding his expression.

'Ms. Khepri joined with Jahad? Then that means…' He mused to himself as he observed Hwa Ryun, the red-haired guide that had brought them this information.

"That's right Viole, you probably guessed it, but you have new orders from the higher-ups. They are now demanding that you and your team ascend to the 30th floor to challenge, and kill, the Cadet Candidate Khepri and her team." Ryun gave a sly smile as she saw the shocked and horrified looks of the rest of the team.

"What? We are supposed to beat someone who could take down a Ranker?" Wangnan squawks at that information. "Besides, I thought FUG had decided to leave us alone for now!"

Hwa Ryun shrugged, "That was never the deal. It was just that they were content with you being on Viole's team...for now. This is a separate matter. You recall how Viole tried to pass the 20th exam without any teammates correct? That was a task assigned by FUG. This is similar."

The rest of team Sweet and Sour Pork sat in silence at that announcement. The brief falsehood that they had enjoyed for the past few floors now gone.

"Fine." Arkraptor spoke up as he ignored the protests from the rest of the team, "You all knew what you were signing up for by joining this team. If we are not prepared to do this much we would have called it quits the minute we stepped out of the 20th floor." The albino spear-bearer declared as he stared up at the ceiling.

Wangnan clenched his fist and glanced away. They all remembered his decision when confronting the FUG Ranker. They had all agreed to stick with Viole, no matter what it took. "Then...we really don't have a choice." He muttered.

'I don't want to have to kill Khepri…' Viole thought as the rest of the team began to return to normal. Truthfully, when he first learned that Khepri was not with the rest of the team he had felt relieved. It was one person he would not have to worry about as a hostage.

'I don't believe that she intentionally betrayed anyone. I did not know her that well, but she was not the type of person to leave her friends behind…' However, disobeying the orders of FUG meant that a different friend of his would be killed, so no matter the outcome, one of his old friends would die on this mission.

No matter what, it seemed inevitable that he would have to not only confront Khepri, but his old friends as well.

'Do I...have no choice?' Viole sighed, eyes downcast as he considered the situation.

He did not want to fight his friends, but on the 30th Floor, it seemed like everyone would be gathering for the first time since the Floor of Tests.

'Mr. Khun, Ship Leesoo, Rak, Androssi...everyone. I will do my best to keep you safe.'

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Morgan Arc

Mar 31, 2020

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Threadmarks Chapter 23: The Spearbearer 1.0

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Morgan Arc

Morgan Arc

The Breaker of Tropes

Apr 12, 2020

#897

Chapter 23:

29F: The Spearbearer

1.0

In the distance, the roar of cannons screamed over the barren landscape as artillery fire rained down and away from the reinforced walls of our base.

"They are flanking us, Jin, move to 3B, Alys cover him," I ordered through my lighthouse as I typed into the console.

The 29th test was rather...unique to the tests that we had participated in previously. Instead of a straight-up battle, obstacle course, or puzzle, this floor had decided to go with a capture the base style test.

Just...ramped up to the point where we may as well be in a war.

Cannons the size of buildings fired endlessly from both sides, bombarding the battered fields and opposing bases, each cannonball exploding with the force of a bomb on the surface. Traveling above ground was suicide, which just left the only way to traverse the fields being an interconnected series of trenches, each armed with traps and robotic forces to halt advances.

The only objective of the task was to turn off the enemy's cannons by any means possible.

'Of course, in practice, it's mostly just a team battle.' I mused as I watched through the many screens as my teammates battled with the opposing Regulars.

Freya and Jin were making their way through the legions of robotic mooks while Alys had taken a bird's nest approach by weaving through the tunnels that were built into the trenches.

'It's almost time for me to enter.' I mused as Freya smashed the last robotic minion, piercing it with her shinsoo flags.

Our strategy was basic but easy to execute.

With the stage of the test being so massive, it was impossible for a team to be able to control it all at once. With different trenches and pathways, any scout worth their salt could flank the enemy.

Even if we all separated into a single lane, I had no doubt that we would still miss something, even with the lighthouse network.

Therefore, the best way to win was to do the exact opposite and let the opponents flank you while the majority of the forces rush to the enemies' base as a cohesive unit, while one stays behind and guards the button that would automatically turn off the cannons.

"Aha! I found it!"

I glanced up as one of the opposing team members revealed themselves from the tunnel network. His outfit made him resemble a classic explorer, complete with hardhat and pickaxe.

'The scout, he is the first to find me, as expected.' I decide as I prepare my own defense.

"Prepare yourself!" The Regular roared as he charged, his pickaxe lighting up with shinsoo as he pounced.

'Lighthouse Technique: Force Teleport!' I gave a small grin as the Scout's eyes widened as a Lighthouse became visible in front of him and a circle of shinsoo opened.

"Wh-

'And what better way to defend, than to bring them right back to the start.'

…

-at?" The Regular muttered before he was slammed in the face with a metal pole, which left him no time to reflect upon his abrupt change of place.

"It seems Khepri is doing her job," Freya commented as they dispatched the last of the opposing team. "Ahh, our team leader is really sadistic~. Giving them a glimpse of the finish line before forcing them back to be fucked over by us."

"It is a good strategy. Now, all we have to do is deal with their defenders." Jin agreed with a wide grin.

However, as the two talked, a lighthouse turned visible and deposited another Regular, who was picked off by a burst of light. "Don't get complacent." Alys warned from above them as they unloaded a burnt-out shell from their rifle, "We still have to win this.

Both Jin and Freya nod as they continue through the trenches as they make sure to secure any regular that appears from the lighthouse that floated above them.

With this strategy, it was only a matter of time for the trio to make their way to the opposing team's cannons and press the off button, securing the win for the team.

"Congratulations Team Cadet Candidates! You have secured the right to proceed to the 30th Floor!"

"Ah, it looks like I don't have to send you away then." I smiled at the last remaining Regular on the opposing team, who looked traumatized as she watched her teammates disappear.

'And with that, we made it to the 30th floor.' I gave a small sigh of relief as we were teleported away from the testing area. 'And now...there's one more issue to resolve before the Workshop Battle.'

…

"A spear-bearer?" Jin questioned.

After the 29th Floor's task, we had decided to stay on the floor, for the time being, seeing as the floor we were on had plenty of space to camp out until the battle.

Unlike the testing area, which was a barren wasteland due to the constant battles and cannon fire, the rest of the floor was a lush woodland that reminded me of my home state of New Hampshire.

It was the perfect spot to set up a base of operations away from the prying eyes of potential competitors.

"Right, despite our success up till this point we are still incomplete as a team." I sighed, "Most teams competing on the next floor will have at least one of every role, if not more. We can't simply rely on our talents to carry us through the event. Every powerful E-rank regular will be there after all."

"Mmmh, where will we find someone who is worthy enough to carry the banner of Jahad with us? It's not like we can pick any mook we come across." Freya muttered.

"Most of the high-level spear-bearers are already on teams. Navic, Ran Khun, Aleksai Amigochaz, and Grobin are the only Spear-bearers in the top twenty of E-rank Regulars and each of them is already on their own teams." Alys replied as they sat on the floor, weapon parts scattered around them as they cleaned them with a rag.

"Alys is correct. Currently, all the ranked Regulars allowed in the tournament are taken by other groups. Well...except for one." I trailed off as I realized a potential candidate.

"You know someone?" Jin asked.

"Well...sorta." I shrugged and rubbed my forehead, "It's awkward."

"How awkward? Like you killed their relative awkward or your ex awkward?" Freya asked.

With a wince, I thought back to my first meeting with the spear-bearer since ascending from the 2nd floor.

It had been a surprise that it was not Khun or anyone else from the 2nd floor that had caught up to me, but Rak Wraithraiser.

…

-5 Years Prior-

-4th Floor-

'This test is boring.' I sighed from my perch atop my lighthouse. 'This is the second time a test has just been a straight survival exercise. Maybe they don't want to complicate it much for new Regulars?'

The test was currently taking place in a massive desert, with all the Regulars scattered around the floor with the objective to survive for the duration of the exam.

'At least it's not a deathmatch this time.' I shuddered as I recalled the very first test I experienced on the 2nd floor.

However, as if I had just tempted fate, a large red spear buried itself in the sand inches away from my position.

'Who…?' I turned around, surprised that someone had been able to sneak up on me, only to pause as I recognized the figure.

"Rak Wraithraiser?" I asked the distinctive form of the Alligator-like being from the Floor of Tests.

"Traitor-turtle." He accused, his red eyes boring into mine, "You helped kill him."

"What? Kill who?" I questioned before I was forced to leap from my Light-house to evade the swing of the red lance. "Hey! Fighting does neither of us good here! This is a survival exercise, not a combat one!"

"Enough of your chatter traitor-turtle, you helped to kill my prey. So I must kill you to succeed in my hunt." Rak growled.

'His prey? Baam?' I thought in surprise, "Baam's dead?" I asked.

My question made Rak pause as he examined me with his slitted eyes. "Yes...the black turtle is dead."

'Why was I not told…?' I wondered. The Jahad Army had not told me that Baam had died during the test. 'There is no way they would have deemed Baam a threat to anyone…'

The alligator gripped his spear tightly, "My prey is dead...and so I will hunt down everyone who could be responsible. Save your words turtle, for now, we fight!" Rak rumbled, a tear trailing down his cheek.

…

-Present-

Rak had attacked me for the duration of the entire test and had not given me a moment's rest. I had only evaded the spear-bearer by moving up the floors faster than he could follow me. Eventually, I assumed he gave up or found something else to hunt.

'No...it was foolish to even mention him. He would never team up with me.' I decided before I glanced at the fisherman with a deadpan stare, "He thinks I am partially responsible for killing his dearest friend and refuses to accept any explanation otherwise."

"Oof, that would be awkward," Freya muttered.

"So no go on him then?" Alys asked.

"Is there anyone else?" I asked the room in general. I didn't even have a clue on what to bribe Rak Wraithraiser with to join my team.

Everyone was silent at that. I had done extensive research over the lighthouse network, but none of the candidates available had jumped out at me. I had gone all-in on Navic, a talented Regular who had blazed through the competition, but Khun had poached him right under my nose.

Spear-bearers and Fishermen were the most common positions in the tower, but at the same time very few were talented enough to make it to the top. And most who did had something else in their repertoires besides their spears.

Jin placed a hand on his chin in thought before his eyes lit up, "Oh! I know, we can ask Emily!"

"Emily?" I questioned with a raised brow.

"Yeah, hold on." Jin pulled out a phone-like device from his pocket and typed in a few inputs before he showed us the screen. On the device, we could all see a pink background with a chat function at the bottom.

"A chatroom?" Freya asked out loud.

"Not just any chat room! This thing is incredible! You can ask it questions and it answers them with 100 percent accuracy! People have found people who they thought dead for hundreds of years with this thing!" Jin said with a grin.

'That sounds disturbingly familiar.' I grimaced as Jin described the device. Even after all these years, Dinah was still a sore topic to think about.

But, I was not about to throw away potential help on our search for a spear-bearer, "And you think this thing will be able to find us a spear-bearer?"

"Of course! I have asked Emily many questions myself and it has never steered me wrong! It even found me a protein powder five percent better than the one I was previously using!"

"...Right." I responded as I took the offered device. The icon of "Emily" was a chibi face of a girl with brown pigtails. "It can't hurt I suppose."

I typed in our question and everyone gathered around to see the response.

Khepri: Do you know of any strong Spear-bearer that would be willing to join our team for the workshop battle?

Emily: Hello! Thank you so much for the question! You can find a really strong spear-bearer on the 25th floor at Akiko's Sushi!

"Akiko's?" I muttered.

"I know the place." Alys muttered, "It's famous."

"I know I have heard of it myself," I replied. Akiko's Sushi was a rather famous restaurant in the Tower, it was rumored that some clan heads had even dined there.

"Well then, I guess we have no choice but to check it out then." Freya grinned, "And hey, if we get a bomb ass meal at the same time, who's complainin~!"

I continued to stare at the application as the three other members began to discuss the merits of their favorite sushi.

'How does this thing work? Only an Opera could be able to find out so much about the tower and be able to process that much information...'

I glanced up at Jin and remembered his words that people who had been thought dead had been found by this device. The discussion about Rak had made me slightly nostalgic. While I had not known them that well, I did mourn when I learned that my fellow Irregular had died during his test.

Khepri: Is the 25th Baam Alive?

Emily:...

Emily: He's alive.