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    Ela dragged Ax past the walls of the city.


    "How far are we? I think I see the ocean; this isn''t an elaborate way to kill me for my money, is it?" Ax asked sarcastically, his legs getting tired.


    "If I wanted you dead, you''d be six feet under by now. Anyway, it''s past the trees next to the riverside," she remarked. She was sick and tired of Ax constantly complaining over his legs getting tired.


    "What am I even looking for? I know we''re almost there, but what does this abode even look like?" Ax kept complaining.


    Ela sighed.


    She picked up the pace and ran past the trees at blistering, inhumane speeds. "Try to keep up!" She screamed as she ran past the trees.


    Ax''s jaw dropped. Was that her oddity? How was she going so fast? He then ran. As he caught up and stood by her side, he was leaning his shoulder on the trees, his body gasping for air.


    Ela raised an eyebrow at his breathlessness. "How far are we...?" he asked her as his eyes were still looking at the ground.


    "Look up," she said.


    Ax looked at her with confusion, but then he looked in front of him. It was a massive castle built by the riverside; his jaw dropped once more. The turrets of the castle pointed towards the sky like drills that would pierce the heavens themselves, all behind castle walls. The gates of the castle were arched and looked heavy, immovable even. The wood looked like a deep brown spruce.


    "Oh my..." Ax was in awe; he had only ever seen this view in video games and movies, never in real life.


    "I guess... we ring like a large... LARGE doorbell, right?" He asked her, his gaze never leaving the doors. Ela just smirked at him, the gaze he held towards the door. She then walked up to the doors and looked up.


    "What are you even doing?" he asked her, confused if the doorbell was dead set on the middle.


    She then looked at the door and took a deep breath and held her hands against both of the doors and started pushing, her body straining.


    "No way you can—"


    Crumble


    The doors creaked open, dust crumbling off, footprints etched onto the ground from her metal greaves. The doors opened just enough to let two people walk in through the crack.


    Ela stopped and groaned; she then waved at him to follow. "Come on in."


    Ax was still at Awe.


    "How strong even is this woman?" he muttered to himself as he followed her in.


    ***


    Ela had walked him through most rooms, the interior, the bathrooms, his bedroom, and the different living quarters the other members lived in. Lastly, she led him to the kitchen to finish the tour.


    "And... this is the kitchen; we usually eat here. This is the smaller kitchen; there''s a larger kitchen under the castle, but this is where the food is usually eaten. No one uses the bigger one. Not that I''m aware of," she explained humbly.


    "How many members do you guys have again?" he asked her, curious as to how big this Order is.


    "Hm? Oh no, I''m not a member, but we have—" Ela stopped halfway through the sentence to look past Ax; a blue door had appeared behind him.


    Ax looked behind him; both looked at the knob turn in pin-drop silence. As the door creaked open, a smell of burnt clothes and charcoal filled the kitchen.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    In walked a man with blond hair, a hockey mask stuck to the side of his face, which was burnt and broken. A charred baseball bat held over his shoulder with one hand, as he was yawning with his other hand over his mouth, blood stains all over his body, his head, and even his bat.


    "What took you so long? Baron?" Ela asked him, her voice showing a tinge of annoyance.


    Baron grabbed under his jacket and pulled out a sack, throwing it on the kitchen counter, making a metallic jingle. "Here''s the guild''s cut of the bounty; this one was a troublesome one," Baron said, and he dropped his bat on the ground and immediately went to grab a fork.


    "Oh, for the love of—don''t just drop your bat on the ground; there''s blood on the tiles now!" Ela went off at him for making a mess in the kitchen.


    Baron looked at her dead in the eye and placed his burnt, bloody mask on the counter.


    "Oh my god, what is wrong with you?" Ela held her forehead as she complained.


    Baron opened the fridge and grabbed a bowl of cold pasta. Pulled out a chair and sat down, placing the bowl of cold spaghetti on the stone counter.


    "He''s... not hurt, is he?" Ax asked Ela, concerned about his injuries.


    "No, this jackass pops apple slices like he''s a goddamn horse," Ela said as she pointed at Baron.


    Slurp


    "...And he''s spilling sauce everywhere. You know what? I give up," Ela said as she walked off.


    Baron''s eyes wandered off to Ax, his eyes squinting.


    "Hey, do I know you? Oh wait, you''re one of the guys who"—Baron''s eyes widened as he spoke, but then he winced. His shoulder was still in pain.


    A golden apple came flying towards Baron; he immediately caught it with his other hand. Ax looked back, and Ela had gone to grab two apples.


    Baron bit into it, and he was already feeling better. "As I was saying... where''s the other guy?" he resumed.


    "Oh... you mean Ace; he couldn''t make it," Ax replied.


    "Sorry to hear that. He''s alive, but it must hurt to just not be able to talk to him about, well... this anymore," Baron continued, his voice showing empathy.


    "Now, I want you two to join us," Baron said as he slurped up pasta.


    "But there''s just one of me...?" Ax was confused. Baron then pointed his fork behind him, towards Ela.


    "What...? She''s not a member?" Ax asked, as he was more confused now.


    Baron, looking at this, put the bowl down and cleared his throat.


    "What''s your name?" he asked.


    "I''m Axton A-Axe, but just call me Ax." Ax closed his eyes, trying to hide his embarrassment.


    "Ax...? Okay, so Ax, listen to me close." Ax was now paying full attention.


    "Usually, the captain or head of the specific order can go about and give different seekers an emblem, which, if they accept, signifies that they''ve joined that order. The head usually handpicks their members," Baron explained.


    "Oh okay, so we have to wait for the head to come to select us, right?" Ax asked him.


    "Kind of, but he''s almost always busy with other matters. However... pass the Summit Trials, and the vice captains will be able to pick you as a member, if they consider you worthy, of course," Baron continued.


    "Yeah, and the Summit Trials haven''t started yet. That''s why I''m not an official member yet, even though I live here," Ela interjected herself.


    "The trials start in about a week, however... Ela had enough time to prepare, you however. Might just have to wing it, but that''s fine," Baron added.


    "I''m sorry, what? So basically I have to compete with other summit seekers, right?" Ax asked Baron, growing steadily concerned.


    "Yep," Baron said bluntly.


    "How...? If they''re anything like you two, they will be freakishly strong," Ax complained, as he dreaded the experience.


    "...?", both Baron and Ela were confused; they didn''t consider themselves to be that strong...


    "Ax... do you have doubts?" Ela asked him.


    Baron''s eyes widened.


    "Ax... when did the Codex appear for you?" Baron asked him.


    "Oh... after I cleared the room with the purple door," Ax answered him bluntly, confused.


    Both of Ela and Baron''s eyes widened in shock.


    "What...? So you cleared Floor-0 without having access to the Codex?" Ela asked him. Baron smirking as if he struck gold.


    "Doesn''t the Codex just give you details on your body? Like if you have oddities or not?" Ax asked the both of them.


    "You play video games, right, Ax?" Baron asked him.


    "Yeah?" Ax answered him, confused.


    "The Codex itself is a way to balance the playing fields; it takes off the limits of the body and soul. When the Codex reveals itself in front of you, you can get progressively stronger and stronger, much like a role-playing game. So, if you''re weaker than others, the Codex will appear earlier than others to help you reach an even playing ground," Baron continued to explain.


    Ax''s and Ela''s eyes widened, realizing the implications.


    "For me... the Codex appeared when I cleared my 3rd room," Baron stated.


    "For me... it was the first room," Ela stated, both staring at Ax.


    "So that means... by the time I reached the final room..." Ax started to mumble.


    "You and Ace were as strong since the beginning of the trials as most others were at the end..." Baron stated, as his teeth revealed themselves and dimples formed on his cheeks.


    ***


    After showing Ax his mother''s statue, Valve was now in a visiting room. As a white token with the emblem of a dove carrying a golden olive branch hung from his waist. He sat down in front of the inmate with his hands chained to the table and his mouth muzzled.


    "Careful... this one still likes to bite." A buzzing voice could be heard from the speakers in the white padded room. The inmate was wearing a straightjacket with belt buckles falling down his sleeves, his long red hair obscuring his vision.


    Valve reached over and ripped the muzzle clean off. Throwing it on the ground. Revealing a black and blue collar buzzing with electricity.


    His cracked lips now grinning with mischief. Hair no longer obscuring his scarred and scratched face.


    "Well... Time for your gracious monthly visit... isn''t it? Valve...?" said the inmate, taunting him.


    "My visit is anything but gracious, Loki," Valve grumbled in a voice that showed controlled rage.


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