Matia received everyone but Lith’s upgrade token, as he had left the upgrade token in its box after using his skill token. With their new skills sorted the family took the day to relax and go over their plans for the next floors. The goal of the tower, and possibly the system as a whole, was to create their own path in their new world. They were the first to enter the tower. The first to enter the portal and clear a combat floor. The first on their world to break through thresholds. Depending on how the rest of the climb of the tower played out, and the ongoing events in the world outside of the tower, they might be relied upon heavily in the future.


    “Anthropo.” called Lith once their family meeting had come to an end. The kids had either returned to their rooms to rest or gone out into the yard to practice with their Allum.


    “Yes Master Lith?”


    “Get in touch with Bas’set. See if Marcell wants to come over here or if he would rather have me go to him. I should talk to him about the tower before we go for another climb.”


    “What are you going to tell him?” Fayde asked.


    “Just about what we experienced so far in the tower. Anything referring to our unique situation will stay out of the conversation.”


    “You plan on giving them your token, don’t you?”


    “Yeah.” He said with a smile. “There was a young man, Julius, I believe was his name. Marcell had him heal my hand before I came back to the house.”


    “You’re taking advantage of the fact that each level will reward you with an upgrade token to sow seeds of good will with Marcell’s group.” She pressed.


    “That I am.”


    “And if that doesn’t go the way you expect?”


    “Then I can say I at least tried and not feel too bad about it. Your ring”


    “Noesis.” Fayde interjected.


    “Noesis, sorry, is giving us a huge advantage over everyone. If I didn’t do something to give everyone else a chance at climbing the tower, I don’t think I could sleep well at night.”


    “You have a good heart my love.” Fayde said as she wrapped him in a hug. She tried standing on her tip toes to reach him on a more even level, but her arched his back and came down to her as he returned her embrace. “What if we fall behind?”


    “We just have to work hard enough to make sure we don’t.”


    “Sometimes being a masochist is a bad thing.”


    Lith laughed before he kissed the top of her head. “You like it, my domineering goddess. Hey! Ow!”


    She had grabbed a pinch of his goatee and was pulling his face down to hers. He looked into her silver blue-green eyes which held passionate violence. They both smiled before sharing a deep, passionate kiss.


    “Master Lith.” Anthropo chimed in, interrupting their first romantic moment since the initiation. “Bas’set has relayed that his Master Marcell will host you in his residence for a meeting.”


    “Wish me luck.” Lith said with a wink before sharing one more kiss.


    Stepping out of the gate to their house, Lith and Anthropo were met with a perverse view. Directly in front of there house were only a few people who were quickly walking away from what was practically a mob. A line of men in full plate armor stood from the high gate of the portal pavilion to the corner of the gate surrounding their house. Lith staired in bewilderment. What the hell was going on? Determined to get an answer to that exact question, Lith approached the line of men, their backs facing him.


    “What the fuck is this?” He demanded.


    “Don’t worry sir.” One of the men started. “You’re safe on this side of us. We apologize for the unsightly situation. Mr. Jackson has entrusted up with keeping the peace. Please, go about your day.”


    The bastard didn’t even turn around to address Lith. He just stood there, shield in hand and shoulder to shoulder with the men next to him, talking all the while like he was some kind of authority figure. It was pissing Lith off. Then Lith noticed something that made his blood boil. All of the people in the would be mob were people of color. Black people, Asians, Latinos, Indigenous Americans, and Pacific Islanders. Everyone forming the wall was white, or primarily white looking. Looking back at all the people behind him, who had made it past the cordon of would be police, confirmed his suspicions. Everyone on his side of the wall of people were white. Lith was about to activate Rake and tear the wall of men apart limb from limb before Anthropo grabbed his wrist.


    “Fighting is not allowed here Master Lith.” Anthropo told him through their mental connection.


    “This is outrageous!” Lith said as he wrenched his hand free of his Allum’s grasp.


    “Again, I apologize sir. Hopefully the crowd will disperse soon.” The man said, trying to reassure him while misunderstanding what Lith meant. Anthropo added no comment.


    “I need to get through.” Lith said as he tried to stare a hole in the back of the man’s head.


    “If you need to access the portal please use the gate in the other direction.”


    “No,” Lith said drawing out the word with clear annoyance. “I need to get to that side of the city.”


    This made the man turn and look at him for the first time, confusion on his face. Then his eyes widened as he took in Lith. His face soured and became cold.


    “I’m not sure how you got on this side, but if you need access to the other side of the city you need to go though the portal pavilion. We’re here to keep these people out of our side of the city. Breaking the wall to let anyone through will be more of a problem than it’s worth.”


    Lith was about to argue with the shameless racist before turning around and walking to the closest gate of the portal pavilion. Not a minute later, while on his way another man intercepted him.


    “Excuse me,” the skinny man in purple robes and glasses started as he stopped in front of Lith. “Are you Lith of Par Ma’at?”


    Lith paid the man no mind as he walked around him, eager to get away from anyone who was ignoring, being passive towards, or encouraging the injustice that was happening behind him. The man quickly chased after Lith.


    “My name is Jeffery Johnson. I represent Mr. Jackson.” The man continued.


    Lith couldn’t tell if the man was expecting the name Mr. Jackson to make him pause from his prominence or set him off but he continued walking, acting as if he hadn’t heard the man. Of the two options, the name definitely was starting to set Lith off.


    “Mr. Jackson has instructed several of his assistants that if we were to see you, or a member of your family, that we were to extend you an invitation to a meeting with him about opportunities involving our new reality.”


    Greed. Lith thought as he mulled over what he had saw with what this man had said. Opportunities for him but not for the mass of people on the other side of his would be police wall. Jackson wanted to take advantage of what Lith and his family had learned in the tower to benefit his own men. He and his family would be a tool to build Jackson’s machine before being tossed aside when they no longer became useful. That’s how things would have worked in the old world. Why couldn’t Jackson continue that now into this new one? Because Lith wouldn’t have it. He’d follow Jackson into a combat floor and rip him to shreds before that could happen.


    “Not interested.” Lith answered as he continued walking towards the gate.


    “Are you sure?” The man continued. “I think you should reconsider. Mr. Jackson is in the process of establishing.”


    “I said I’m not interested.” Lith said as he turned to look the man in the eyes. He activated his new Predatory Eye skill, channeling all of his anger, frustration, and hatred into it. The sensation of boiling blood and racing heart surging into a pinpoint focus behind his iris before leaving his being. Not even a second had passed before his eyes were covered by cold metallic hands. Regret immediately filled his heart as he deactivated his skill. He didn’t move away from Anthropo’s grasp this time. He staired into the darkness and the words that floated there. Black bordered by a blood red.


    Jeffery Johnson           Human F


    Combat Composer


    A musician. Suddenly the odd note and symbol bespeckled design of the man’s clothes made a bit more sense. Jeffery was someone who enjoyed a spirit of freedom and expression, capable of writing and performing arts that spoke to people’s souls. Music was of the first freedoms that were taken away in the wake of any authoritarian regime, which Jackson so far had proven very much to be like. Hopefully, Jeffery would not stay in line with the group long. Lith’s mood had turned as Anthropo’s hand moved from his eyes. The young man was no longer standing is front of him. Lith adjusted his eyes downward. The man cowered before him, hand clutching his chest and tears in his eyes.


    “I’m sorry.” They both said in a whisper as Lith walked away. Jeffery’s voice was quivering while Lith’s was remorseful, but both men were sincere in their apology.


    A while later they came to a gate leading to a series of apartment building. Getting there Lith had waded through densely packed streets, more so than in any busy city he had been in. It reminded him of when he would walk down the bar riddled Bourbon Street near the heart of New Orleans during Mardi Gras, simply because of the sheer volume of people. Just how many had been sent to this trial with them?


    Calling the buildings they stood in front of apartment buildings was probably an insult as it was really several two story quadruplexes arranged around a large central building. The interior of the complex was filled somewhat less by comparison to the streets outside, although it was still a very busy place. Roughly three dozen people sparing with their Allum in large sandboxes. Everyone seemed to have different weapons, clubs, swords, polearms, daggers, and staffs from a variety of origins. It wasn’t just men either, women were working just as hard at training with their tools of war. Still more people were walking to and from the central building, which was set up as a multi storied office building from the looks of it. Lith looked on in awe of the bustle as he approached the entrance of the complex where an older man wielding a clubbed staff stood with his Allum, almost as if they were on guard duty. Lith stopped in front of the man as he extended a hand.


    “Hi.” Lith said.


    “Can I help you with something?” the man asked, his hands not moving from their position on his weapon and hip.


    Lith scratched the top of his head since it was clear his hand wasn’t going to be shaken. “I was told this is where Marcell stays. Is he available?”


    “Marcell is a busy man. Why would he divide his attention to give some to you?” Lith noticed that the man put emphasis on the word ‘you’ but understood that their collective first day in the tower had already seen the resurgence of animosity that came from their previous world.


    “I promised I’d give him some information about the tower once my family and I were done showering and resting.” Lith said with a smile that, he hoped, came off as sincere.


    “And how would you know more about the tower?”


    “My family and I spent a week on the first combat floor before everyone else arrived.”


    “You’re part of that crew?” The man asked as he looked over Lith again.


    “Yeah, I’m part of Par Ma’at.”


    “What do you know about Par Ma’at?” he asked, raising his brow.


    “What, like my family or the meaning of Par Ma’at?” The man didn’t answer, just looking questioningly at Lith waiting for an answer. “There’s my partner, Fayde, my stepson, Enki, my stepdaughter, Trevor, my daughter, Matia, and my grandson, Guidry.” The man was still looking at Lith with a questioning glance. Maybe the man was quizzing Lith on what Par Ma’at meant. “Par Ma’at means House of Ma’at. It is from Khemet, which was what Egypt was called during the time of the Pharos.”


    “Good to know you acknowledge culture. Don''t tell me who you are though.”


    “Oh! I’m Lith.” He said with a chuckle, realizing he forgot to introduce himself.


    “Mhmm.” The man grunted, seemingly displeased.


    Lith stood there with the man for a moment in silence. He was waiting for the man to invite him in, knowing the rules of their houses made invading someone’s abode uninvited impossible. Trying to force his way through would result in him running face first into an invisible wall of force. The man knew why Lith was there now, and who he was. Should he ask to enter? Thankfully the silence was broken by a call from a familiar face.


    “Antoine! Stop giving him a hard time. Marcell has a meeting with him.” The voice came from Julius who was walking out of a house at the center of the compound.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Julius was still wearing white robes from when they had first met at the portal pavilion. Lith, now in more relaxed and comfortable cloth pants and shirt, stood out compared to the mostly armored crowd. A notable amount of sweat could be seen on his face and darkening his robes. Had Julius worked up a sweat by running around or had he participated in practicing with his Allum? There weren’t any noticeable bruises, scratches, or residual sand on him. Out of the corner of his eye, Lith saw the older man, Antoine, move. He had motioned his head for Lith to move on through the gate, his eyes never leaving Lith as he entered the compound.


    “Remember to respect where things come from.” Antoine said as Lith passed through the gates.


    “Yes sir, Mr. Antoine. Always will.” Lith said with a knowing nod.


    “What was that about?” Julius asked as he and Lith met inside the compound.


    “He seems to take his position as guard seriously.” Lith answered as Julius led them towards the building he had just exited. “Just making sure I was the person Marcell was supposed to have a meeting with.”


    “Yeah, Antoine has been standing at the gate since he talked with Marcell a few hours ago. Dante is going to relieve him in a bit.”


    “Dante is one of the guys who escorted me back to my home, right? Him and” He paused for a moment as his mind fetched the name. “Tremel.”


    “That’s right. Did you speak with them on the way?”


    “No, I heard Marcell call for them as I walked away.”


    “You heard that? He didn’t speak that loudly. You should have been out of ear shot by then.” Julius said as his hands moved to a contemplative pose on his chin as they walked.


    “You haven’t noticed any changes since the beginning of this, have you?”


    “Yeah! I used to be two hundred and sixty pounds.” Julius admitted as he patted his stomach. Clearly the young man’s thin and somewhat lanky body was not that of a man that weighed two hundred and sixty pounds. “But the extra weight left me as some weird red mist when I was in the white room.” It took Julius saying that to realize that he had not soon a single overweight person since they came back through the portal. Even the older man Antoine at the gate lacked the telltale belly of age. “Didn''t something similar happen to you and your family?”


    “It did.” Lith admitted with a slight smile. Julius had just given him valuable information. If he was to make it seem like he and his family had gone through the integration like everyone else, he needed to know what they all had experienced. Was it bad to lie, especially to a potential ally? Without a doubt, it was. And it weighed on his conscience. So, he would make reparations, giving back what he earned to those who did not get their unique advantage, even if that meant giving up on his own progression. “I had sciatica before all of this. Love handles and a gut too. The same red mist seemed to have rid my body of the damage causing me debilitating pain.” Lith elbowed Julius on the arm lightly. “And I shaved off a few unwanted pounds as well.” He said with a laugh, tapping his own stomach.


    Julius smiled. “We should save this conversation for Marcell. Little point in saying everything twice.” Julius said as he opened the door into the central building.


    As they walked inside, Lith took note of people the holding each other, some crying and others conversing. Most were adults and their children, with others of adult ages running around with their Allum bringing small plates of food and glasses of water. Other people with clipboards and writing instruments were talking to groups of families. From what Lith could overhear, they were talking about living arrangements and doing their best to keep people calm in spite of being inside of a trial. Hours had passed and yet some people still didn’t have a place to call home.


    With so much space, you would think finding a place to build a home would be easy. Then Lith remembered the wall of white men at the corner of his house and rage rekindle and swell in his heart once more. Racism was alive and well, and he hated it. Lith just wanted to punch ignorant assholes like that wall of men in their faces. People like them and their leaders, like Jackson.


    “Lith?” Julias said as he put a hand on Lith’s shoulder. “You alright man?”


    “Yeah, sorry.” Lith said, putting on a sorrowful smile. “Just seeing the effects of what is happening to all these people here…” He trailed off a moment. “Let me know what I can do to help when we are done with the meeting.”


    “Marcell actually wanted to talk to you about that, I think.” Julius said as he guided them to a room on the second floor.


    “Marcell.” Julius said as he knocked on the double door to the room. “Lith is here.”


    “Come on in.” Marcell said.


    Julius opened the door to the room revealing an unarmored Marcell and his Allum, Bas’set, looking out of the window. He was wearing a red sleeveless turtleneck and black cloth pants. The room had two couches with a table between them. It was rather bare otherwise, but what could you stock in a room when there was nothing really to stock a room with. Marcell didn’t turn around as Lith entered, so Lith walked over to the window. Bas’set moved as he approached, joining Anthropo to the side of the room. They stood there in silence for a moment.


    “What did you see out there?” Marcell asked, his eyes fixated in the distance.


    Lith took a moment to reflect what he had seen on his way here. The line of men verses a once more oppressed mob. Huddled masses who looked equally tired and hungry. Half a city sparsely packed while the other was overcrowded. As Lith observed the ongoings of Marcell’s complex and what lie outside of it, he noticed a group of pale faced men in dark clothing. Their eyes were scanning not only the building surrounding them but the people as well. The group didn’t look intimidating to Lith, but that could have been because he knew he was stronger. And he knew that the Allum would stop any fights from breaking out. And yet, those men represented something to the people inside the compound. To the population at large. Those men represented everything that should have died a long time ago. Bigotry. Hatred. Racism. Classism. Treachery. The system of the old world, which should have died the moment they were initiated into their new reality. Humans truly are flawed creatures.


    “Division.” Lith said as he stared at the group of pale skinned people across the way. Then he remembered the musician, Jeffery. He remembered the faces of the people he had seen on the way here. Not all of them were sad or scared. A good portion of the people had been laughing, hugging, making jokes and small talk as they began forming prospective groups to begin their climb of the tower. He remembered the look of determination on the faces of some men and women as they trained with their Allum. “And Hope.”


    Marcell moved finally, looking directly at Lith. Their eyes met. There was a fire in Marcell’s eyes. Passion. A desire to grow and see his community grow. Lith felt for him. He wanted to see his own family grow. But should it end there? Should all that he cares about be his own family? He already made his decision, however. He would help Marcell, and his community grow. He would not be a cog in the machine from the old world to toil on into their new one.


    “It’s good you can see things clearly, Lith.” Marcell said as he stepped back from the window and moved to one of the couches. Lith followed him and sat on the couch opposite him. “Strange name by the way.” He continued as he took a sip from a glass of water. “Where does it come from?”


    “It’s old Greek. Means stone.” Lith answered as he drank from his own glass.


    “And Anthropo?” Marcell gestured to Lith’s Allum.


    “Same origin. Means human.”


    Marcell laughed. “A human named Stone, and a machine named Human. Man, are you strange.”


    “Do you know what your name means, Marcell?” Lith asked as he set his water on the table.


    “War.” He said, also putting his glass to the table. “Roman, however, to your Greek. It’s a derivative of Mars, God of War.” Marcell smiled. “And Bas’set is just Khemetic inspiration. So far as I know, it has no real meaning aside from being a name.”


    “It’s not a combination of Bast and Seth?” Lith asked “A protector Goddess and a war God.”


    Marcell’s toothy smile grew slightly. “You got me.” He raised his hands as if to say, ‘I give up’. “More versed than I took you for. But enough of names and origins.” His hands came to rest in his lap as he crossed one leg over his knee. “We’re here to exchange information.”


    Lith and Marcell talked about their integrations, Lith prompting Marcell first to make sure the information Julius gave him was accurate. Julius had left out the white, ghost-like entity in the white room that answered a few questions before they were forced to choose a class, but Marcell was gracious enough to include that information first. Lith offered up a similar story, explaining that he held out questions until after the trial was selected, which his own ghost allowed because no questions were asked prior. He had no real explanation for why they showed up seemingly a week early. There were no waves of mass disappearances. Had they gone missing a week early during their dinner? That didn’t make sense to Lith. Sum seemed to absorb the red from their galaxy’s projection at the same time, saving their own for last. Something else must have happened. Time dilation perhaps? What could or couldn’t an all-powerful entity do? Of course, Lith left that theory and any mention of Sum out of the conversation. It would remain a mystery for both of them.


    Lith gave Marcell the details of their weeklong excursion into the first combat floor, detailing their acquiring of skills after their fourth and ninth breakthroughs, but not disclosing what the skills they had received were. Marcell questioned the use of the terms breakthrough and thresholds, which Lith had explained way as the sensation itself. Marcell made suggestion that they refer to them as a level, like in a video game, and Lith agreed to the familiar terminology. Assuming that they all started at level one, breaking through the ninth threshold would make Lith and his family level ten, with new skills gained at levels five and ten. Lith suggested that this would likely be the same for everyone, and that they would gain a skill every five levels. At their current rate of growth, Lith explained that each level took more energy to achieve than the last, and that it would likely continue to grow exponentially. So far the only way they found of progressing through levels was by fighting enemies on the tower floors.


    “There is one more thing.” Lith said as he motioned Anthropo to give Marcell the bronze box containing the upgrade token. “We each received one of these after we completed the floor. Our Allum were waiting with them inside our homes. They came in what the quest reward called a Bronze Box, as you can see. Our Allum explained that we would gain an appropriately themed item after the completion of each floor.”


    “What is it?” Marcell asked as he opened the box revealing the white disc with a wolf insignia inside.


    “It’s an upgrade token. This one in particular is themed after an Alabaster Wolf, a wolf with fur as hard as stone. Anyone should be able to use it on their gear, be it armor, clothing, or weapons as there is no class restriction. Anthropo has told me that using more than one on an item imbued with a similar elemental theme would increase its strength, and that mixing elements too much could make something unstable.” Lith explained like a sales pitch, noting all the merits of the item as well as the warning that Guidry had given them after using his identifying skill on it.


    “You haven’t used it yet?” Marcell asked as he looked it over. Lith shook his head ‘no’. “So why show this to me?”


    “I want you, or someone in your group, to have it.” Lith stated, his eyes meeting with Marcell’s again. They held the stare for a moment, gaging each other’s reactions.


    “Julius.” Marcell called.


    The door opened, revealing Julius who had been standing outside, waiting for them to finish.


    “Yes Marcell.” The young man answered.


    “Use this on your robes.” Marcell said as he tossed the token to him.


    Julius fumbled the token a bit before clasping it tight in his hands.


    “What is it?” the young man asked.


    “A gift from our new friend.” Marcell answered.


    “Oh.” Julius said as he looked it over. “How do I use it?”


    “Place it on your clothes and infuse it with some mental energy. Your Allum has explained how do that right?” Lith advised.


    Julius nodded in the affirmative before he touched the token to his clothes and closed his eyes in focus. They watched as his pure white robes turned slightly grey. The loose sleeves on his arms unthreaded before being reformed into a sleeve of well woven and layered cloth on his left arm. A sturdy looking piece of leather with a styling of a wolf covered the left side of his chest and ran over his shoulder like a pauldron. His right arm remained bare but for a gauntleted bracer of white leather encrusted with alabaster stone knuckles. His plain white cloth skirt turned to pure white fur on his left side as the right gained the embroidered with another wolf motif. There were other changes to the young man’s clothes, but these were the greatest of the changes. With a bit of jealousy in his heart, Lith used the identification feature of Predatory Eye.


    Battle Robes of the Alabaster Wolf


    F Grade           Common


    Robes made from the stone like fur of the Alabaster Wolf. Earth Attuned.


    “Regretting your gift?” Marcell asked as Julius looked over his new clothes.


    “Would be lying if I said no.” Lith admitted. “But I’ll undoubtedly come across something else as we climb. Something more suited to me.”


    “More suited to your path than another set of leather and fur armor? Hmm.” Marcell considered as he looked over Julius. “Ah. I see. This was meant for another member of your family. It’s the affinity right?”


    “Yes.” Lith answered with a nod.


    “I see.” Marcell said with a nod of his own. “There was one other thing from me.”


    “Of course.”


    “You’ve given one of my people a precious gift. If things were like before I would take it and give nothing back, alas I have nothing to give in return at the moment as well. But should I be so inclined as to search for something to repay you. What would you prefer? And let’s keep it to the overall theme of an upgrade token.”


    Lith hesitated for a moment as he thought. What type of upgrade token would he want? The one he gave over to Julius was half themed in his favor, the being the bestial nature of a wolf. It was the aspect of stone that was better suited for Matia over him. Should he ask for something to replace the token he should have given to his daughter? Something stone or earth attuned? Perhaps ice or gravity based to bolter her other skills? It would be fair to ask for something like that. Thinking it over, Lith realized that this was also a test from Marcell. Lith could either ask for something similar to what he had given up to replace what he otherwise would have given to his daughter, or he could ask for something for himself. If he came off as too eager to please others, could he be trusted? Was it not ok be a little selfish once in a while? But what would he want? Something bestial for sure, but what of the secondary attribute? Was there something like a healing element, or something like force to enhance the abilities of his spectral claws. Would that even work? He had only seen that grade, rarity, and description of the robes that Julius wore, not that it said it enhanced anything. What would best suit him? After another moment of contemplation Lith came to a decision.


    “If you happen into something with a nature like attunement, I would appreciate it.” Lith said. “And I would like to propose a trade agreement of sorts going forward.”


    “Oh?” Marcell asked curiously.


    “As we climb the tower, we will likely gather tokens that are not suited to our class or desires. If we encounter tokens that are unsuited to any of our classes, we will offer them up as trade to you for a token more in line with our own, should anyone you know have one they wish to trade away.”


    Marcell was quiet for a moment as he thought. “That’s rather straight forward. A one to one trade of resources that will benefit people directly. I will admit that when you first explained to me that the token was I had thought about this being something to implement in the future, or even implement a bounty system should people need more incentive once things get more settled and things became clearer.” Marcell paused for a moment. “Sure. Sounds like a fair and equitable deal.”


    “Great!” Lith said with a smile.


    Marcell chuckled happily “With that, I believe our business is done.” The men shook hands. “Be sure to come by if you discover anything new. I’ll send messengers if we discover anything as well, and when we find something you might be interested in.”


    “When do you think you’ll enter the portal?” Lith asked as their hands stopped shaking.


    “I plan on taking a group later today. Just waiting on a few people to get back.”


    “Best of luck, Marcell.”


    “Best of luck to you too, Lith.”


    Lith gave Julius a list of elemental themes that his family would like for them to keep a look out for before leaving the complex. He made his way back towards his home through the crowded street before eventually meeting the mob of people still pushing for entry to the rest of the city. Cautiously and politely, he made his way through the crowd until he stood before the who’s back had talked to him when we was leaving his home. Lith stood there, staring at his face with passive disdain before a happy little thought crossed his mind as a happy little smile joined it. He couldn’t attack the wall of people, but with his enhanced strength, who was to stop him from simply going for a walk?


    Lith took a step forward, his foot landing between the shoulder width relaxed stance of the man before him. The look on the man’s face was stuck somewhere between annoyance and confusion. Then Lith took another step, their bodies colliding with the simplicity of the motion. He could feel the man’s body struggle to stay in place as he fought against Lith’s simple action, but it wasn’t enough. Lith pushed just a little harder in his singular stride and the man fell flat on his ass, opening a hole in the wall of pale men in plate. Lith stepped over the man as he walked. A fist was caught by the man’s Allum as he tried to punch at Lith, curses and expletives leaving the man’s lips. And then came the tide. People rushed through the sudden opening that Lith had made, The wall of men were stopped from grabbing them by their Allum, stopping the hole from being plugged. Even the man Lith knocked over was having a hard time as his Allum had to constantly stop him from striking out at the people. The smile never faded from Lith’s face as he walked back into his home.