“So,” Adrian starts, “who exactly are you?”
“Welll… I’m a lot of things. Charming, smart, brilliant, strong. Which part are you really asking about?” Ji-a says, grinning.
“The part where you have too much information for your age. And the part where you knew about yesterday’s attack before anyone else.”
“Ah, well… unfortunately I can’t tell you about the former, yet. Maybe someday. It’s a little difficult to say it here in the Tower.” Adrian raises an eyebrow at that, as she continues, “I’m curious why you think that I knew about the attack?”
“Well I don’t see any reason why you were drinking yesterday, and the ritual for your ability upgrade turns out to be exactly that. Unless you were going to kill me, gonna go find someone else to kill, or just thinking of being perpetually drunk to find an enemy, I don’t see any other answer,” Adrian shrugs.
“Hmm hmm, apt conjunctures. Well, since you’ve already caught me, then there’s no reason for me to lie and spin a tale,” She puts her hand above her head and with a sly smile, says, “Please go easy on me officer. I’m very ticklish,”
Adrian sighs. “I’m not gonna imprison you or anything. And did you- did you just make that pun based on my class?”
“All yours warden. Go easy on my tiny body. As you know, I’m a bit ticklish,” She winks and starts laughing.
“Nevermind your tickles. How did you know about the attack? No one saw it coming,” Adrian ignores her remarks and asks.
“Well… let’s just say that some connections and some of my irregular information base helped me make some conjectures. If not yesterday, it would have happened in a few days anyway. I was planning on drinking there for a few days, but thankfully it happened yesterday.”
“But how…?”
“Adrian,” She stops walking and looks at him, “I trust you, but the walls here have ears. Maybe if someday I get the chance, I’ll tell you about it. Just know that when a High Ranker moves, then there are always signs. And the one who did it, shook quite a lot of organisations while making its way here.”
“Do you mean the church? Or something else…” Adrian says, lost in his own thoughts.
“Think about it.” She says and walks ahead. Adrian catches up to her mindlessly, lost in his own thoughts. What organisations are on this floor except the church?
The answer reveals itself almost immediately. The revolutionaries.
He looks at her in a new light, and drops the topic entirely. If it really is them, then this is most certainly not something they can talk about here.
“I’m assuming you also knew the church was gonna come here?” He asks.
“Gonna? They’ve always been here, Ad,” Her voice drops to a bare minimum, such that without his Mind he wouldn’t even be able to hear her, “Have you seen any black hole ever since you woke up? Where did they all go, Adrian?”
Adrian’s heart jumps. In yesterday’s panic, and today’s talk, he had forgotten about them. But now that he thinks about it, he has indeed not seen any of them. Even after walking all this time, not a sign. No panic, no mumbling from people around him.
“Maybe they were destroyed by the people who were fighting here yesterday. Who would even have the time to look for one in all that chaos, you know?” Adrian says.
“Oh yea. Look there,” She says as she points at the three giant trees, all of them completely healed and brought back to their pre-fire magnificence– “People have been working along the trees, building houses and inns. Shopkeepers are busy repairing their shops. It has been going on for hours, how many of them do you think have found a black hole yet?”
The answer is zero. Adrian knows it without her saying it outloud. If any had been found, people would’ve said something. There will be rumours, talks of distress, investigation. But nothing.
“Surely not…” Adrian stops himself there. Why is he trying to delude himself into thinking that the church won’t do something like this? The religion which follows the Tower’s teaching the most closely. Why would they not be bloody when everything in the Tower is so?
“The white robes don’t make them clean, Ad.” Ji-a says.
Adrian sighs in exhaustion. “So the people last night?”
“Most probably mercenaries. So that nothing can tie them back,” Ji-a shrugs.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
“This is such a mess.”
“Oh you don’t even know the start of it. Just wait and see what happens in a while. I’m almost sure the church will be starting the sermons soon,” Ji-a says, pointing towards the main tent of the church.
The church members have established a much bigger tent, and many smaller ones around it for its members. There exists a huge gap between the church’s tents and those for others, where people are currently busy making a platform.
Given climbers are physically strong creatures, with special abilities, the job is done in just a short while. Very quickly, the platform is decorated under the growing audience below it.
Adrian and Ji-a too walk there in anticipation, standing beside dozens and dozens of climbers. The number slowly grows as the church members start to fill the stage. From dozens, the number slowly reaches hundreds, until almost every one who can walk is in the audience.
There is no pushing or pulling in the audience. Everyone takes their respective places with a quiet attitude. Under the reverence of the church, and the fear of the High Ranker, everyone waits in anticipation of the start of the event.
In a few minutes, their wait is finally answered. The High Ranker walks out of his tent, his white pristine robes with golden engravings all along the chest and neck much more visible in the light of the afternoon.
The High Ranker is a serious looking middle aged man. At least he looks like one, but with his level and Resistance who can really tell how old he really is.
He walks on the stage in all seriousness, his steps resounding against the pin drop silence of the audience. He doesn’t fly onto the stage. He doesn’t teleport there, or with any flourish. He calmly walks there with heavy steps, like he too is taking part in the grief of so many people here.
He stands in front of hundreds of superhumans, and presses his dominance with his calm voice, “What happened yesterday is one of the saddest things I’ve witnessed. This floor which is said to be a home for so many climbers, a home for so many of us who have gone to other floors yet think about their time here fondly.
“I still remember the inn that I used to stay in when I was but a mere beginner. The places I used to eat food at. The creators I asked to make my early gear, or the markets I travelled to in my free time with my party members.
“Now so much of it lies to waste. Broken and destroyed. The home I once knew feels so foreign and distant. Violated. It makes my blood boil. It makes me wanna hold my sword high in the air, and bring it down on everyone who did this to my home. MY HOME!”
The people around him rouse with those words. Their expressions change, growing a rage which replaces the uncertainty, fear and sadness.
“You may have noticed that many of your brethren and sisters are missing. And yes, they are missing, not dead. We here have a full list of everyone who’s dead,” He points to a man behind him who brings him a notepad, “According to our tally, only 46 people have died. Do you think that’s it? That only 46 people are missing?”
People look around each other, confusion in their eyes. They are not counting, just merely believing in the man no matter what he says.
“The list will be released to the public soon after this. You may go through the names of the dead and ask yourself, ‘Where is my friend?’. Your friend has been kidnapped. They were taken away by the same people who did this. During the chaos of the fight, taken away to be corrupted and used against the very Tower who feeds them.
“We all know who has done this! The Tower warned you long ago, but back then no one would have guessed that the vile creatures who dare to go against the Tower would do something like this! But this is it. Today, right now, we draw a line. From today on, I ask every able-body to help me.
“Come join me in a crusade against the vermin who dare call themselves revolutionaries! Let’s cull these terrorists, and bring peace back to my home, to our home.”
He lets the audience roar in their own rage and indignation. Feets march against the ground, and slowly more and more people join in the rhythm. A thundering boom echoes through the settlement, a burning rage. And the High Ranker nails it perfectly at the right moment.
“From today onwards, I’m going to give a personal bounty. And this is not just applicable to this floor. To every floor you go, find them, cull them, and only then can our hearts be satisfied. Please look at it,” He waves his hand, and suddenly a screen appears in front of him.
Personal Bounty!
Issued by Clarity’s Crusader Aymeric Greene lvl ??
Objective: To kill the terrorists who go by the moniker of ‘The Revolutionaries’. They haunt the second floor and the floors above, terrorizing the Tower and corrupting people to fight for them, and against God.
Rewards:
-
For every kill you will be rewarded with a gold coin.
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For every 10 kills, you will be rewarded with a core or artifact of your choice. 3rd floor and below.
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For every 50 kills, you will be rewarded with personal teachings from someone 50 levels above you.
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For every 100 kills, you will be rewarded personal teaching from Clarity’s Crusader Aymeric Greene himself.
Do you wish to take the bounty? (Y/N)
The bounty has a few more prices in between, but most of them are repetitions of the exact same one, with higher and higher rewards.
The faces now change once again. Greed comes in with rage. A righteous crusade with rewards. This is the most effective strategy the High Ranker could’ve used.
Once again Adrian wonders if he should really try to make contact with the revolutionaries. Before the church, things were calm. The Floor Bounty was there, but with his avatars, it was still a calculated risk.
But now that with this bounty, and the righteous anger coursing through their veins, things have derailed far too much. The cons of making contact with the organisation outweigh the pros, even with his avatars. Perhaps he could try if his avatars could shapeshift, but nothing like this is possible for him right now.
He looks at others who have very quickly taken the bounty, and now a golden mark tattoos on their wrists.
“The tattoo will mark those who have taken the bounty. It is an unfortunate situation, but we know that even currently, many people in the audience sympathise with the terrorists. Perhaps there are some members hidden among us.
“In time, we will fish out those people, but for now, know that anyone without the mark is very likely an enemy. Keep your eyes open, oh terrorists,” For a moment, Adrian feels like he makes eye contact with the High Ranker as his smile broadens, and he says, “We are coming for you.”
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