《The Tower of Emnu》


 Prologue - Live by the Sword

    Aaron Plane sighed when he saw the Guard leering at him through the tiny slit in his high security door. He sat with his back to the wall on his bed, trying to meditate. But of course they would not let him enjoy peace.


    There was always something they wanted from him. To parade him around, to drag him to talk to psychologists. To a journalist writing a piece.


    Angry family members of victims coming to spit him in his face, promising him he would die and they would watch. Which was obvious, since he was on death row. But somehow most people did not get it, the finality of it.


    Nor his calm in the face of death.


    Today would probably be no different.


    "Plane, hands on your head, face the wall, then kneel. Now." The Guard, Hendrickson, said coldly.


    Aaron sighed deeply and got up, stretched lazily and made the guard wait a bit before he followed his instructions. Three other guards came with Hendrickson into the cell and made sure he did not try anything.


    Why they bothered was a mystery to Aaron, he had never attacked anyone in prison unprovoked.


    Why bother? He knew he was not getting out by attacking guards. The guard made sure his cuffs were tight and they even cuffed his legs as well.


    So he was having a visitor. Lovely.


    "Who is it this time? The Times? Another hapless victim, too stupid to see the fault of their family members?"


    "Shut up Plane, you will see."


    Aaron shut up, he had nothing to prove and the guards would not touch him, because they were secretly afraid of him. They had good reason to be. Because he had killed a bit over 120 people in his career as a hitman. Adding a couple of guards to the list would give him no nightmares. Not that he would do it without good cause of course.


    Despite what many believed, Aaron was not a monster.


    A Psychopath or Sociopath maybe. Although it was not really what he was. Aaron knew he had empathy. He actually had lot of empathy for a great many people, but he, like many other soldiers had learned to compartmentalize. Once he had a target and he had judged it guilty according to his parameters he had no qualms to kill them.


    Just like any solider would have no problem killing an enemy combatant or dropping a bomb on a house with a terrorist in it.


    It was just that Aaron¡¯s work had far less collateral damage compared to the army.


    He had never used bombs and the few people who had died because they had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, he could count on one hand. These were the kills that still haunted him. Not his targets.


    They left the maximum security part of the prison and Aaron ignored the jeers and mad howls of the other prisoners. That they needed entertainment before their death he could understand, but he would never understand their depravity.


    Although most people thought he was worse than most of them.


    Aaron sighed once more when they chained him to a metal chair bolted in the floor in a visitors room.


    Relaxed he leaned back and watched the guards leave. Then he waited.


    He was good at waiting, he had patience. A quality most people dismiss in a killer, but a necessary one.


    His patience and planning had made him this good, had given him an edge.


    Aaron had never enjoyed killing, well had never enjoyed killing anyone but one man. He closed his eyes and remembered his first kill like it was yesterday. How it all began.


    Because he believed that some people deserved death and the man he had killed so long ago now, he had deserved it.


    <hr>


    It was a rainy night, the shabby motel Aaron was watching from the cover of darkness looked like the last place anyone wanted to be. Rooms for the desperate or the poor. Rooms mostly used for sex or drug deals, or any other thing people fled the city for.


    Impassively he watched the door on the second floor, room 205 and waited. Aaron was patient even then when he was just 17. He held back his feelings, his wrath, his burning desire, his hurt. He fought all those things down until he was once more cold and reached tranquility. The rain cooled him down and filled the world with soft noise.


    He was standing in the forest, underneath a fir tree. A black raincoat hid his weapons, a knife, a Glock he had stolen the night before and 3 magazines.


    His boots were 2 sizes too large and stolen as well. From a Russian gangster who had some dealings with the scumbag in Nr. 205. He would be Aaron¡¯s scapegoat and he made sure the mark of them would survive the rain.


    There was other evidence, DNA samples of hair and other things that were in a pouch at his belt.


    Everything was part of the plan.


    Eventually, after what seemed like hours the door of room Nr. 205 opened and a woman left. Quick, hurried, looking around desperately. For a moment Aaron¡¯s heart clenched and he thought it was his mother.


    But no, he had made sure she was not here tonight.


    She had been a few days ago though. Probably looking the same as the woman who left quickly in an SUV.


    Aaron waited another 5 minutes and then walked across the street and climbed the outside stairs of the motel. The security camera would only catch his figure in a rain coat. He had padded it so that he looked more like the massive Russian idiot he stole the boots and gun from.


    Aaron stopped in front of the door, reading 205 and knocked softly.


    "Yeah?" a gruff voice asked.


    "Sir, my name is Jameyson, I''m here because you said the AC is not working?" It wasn''t. Aaron had made sure of it.


    Many would have ignored that, but not this man behind the door. A weakness Aaron made sure to exploit.


    "Ah yes." The man opened the door.


    He was tall, the stature of a solider with black graying hair that was cut short. Blue hard eyes looked at Aaron and he could not help but stare at the mans square jaw and mouth pressed tightly to a single line.


    Former Lt. Col. Francis Brewer. Ex-CIA, Ex-Black Force. Now retired scumbag.


    Brewer did not recognize Aaron, how could he? Last time they had met he was still just a kid. But Aaron had seen him many times, had made it his mission to stalk him.


    Aaron smiled and pointed at the toolbox in his right hand. Another prop easily stolen from the motel itself.


    "Sorry for the inconvenience, sir, I hope I can fix it quickly."


    Brewer just nodded and waved him in. He accurately dismissed Aaron as a threat.


    Aaron wasn''t an impressive man. Even in the padded raincoat he was shorter than Brewer, with dark short cropped hair and a thin physique. But he had delicate fingers and the gray eyes of his mother. With another thin smile he set the tool box down on the table in the motel room and then dragged a chair over to have a look at the AC. Brewer kept an eye on Aaron and for a while Aaron did nothing more but repair the AC.


    Since he had busted it, he knew how to fix it. It was not too complicated.


    "Okay, would you mind testing it, sir?" Aaron asked after a while and Brewer nodded and walked over to the wall where the AC control was.


    For the first time Aaron had entered the room Brewer had his back to Aaron.


    In a smooth and trained motion Aaron pulled out the Glock out of his coat. The patting had concealed the weapon even to the trained killer that Brewer was. Slowly and unhurriedly he aimed at the back of the mans head.


    Then he squeezed the trigger.


    There was no hesitation, he had trained this motion so many times it was more muscle memory than anything else.


    Brewers brain splattered the wall, his body slumping down like the sack of meat he was now.


    Slowly Aaron stepped off the chair and shot him twice in the back for good measure. The angle of the shots would indicate that he had been shot while kneeling, an execution shot. Silently he placed the chair where he had taken it before and opened his evidence pouch. A few hairs. Not too many and not too few to fall through the analysis.


    Aaron looked at the scene, stepped around the corpse to look into Brewers face. He was really dead. Finally.


    His blue eyes were blank and in a state of blissful ignorance.


    A better death than he deserved.


    Aaron had to fight back a sob, a cry of joy, his emotions bubbling over in furious elation but he kept control over himself and took a last long look at the room, making sure he had not missed anything.


    Right, the toolbox. Quickly he gathered it and then he walked out into the rain.


    He threw the Glock into a garbage bin at the end of the stairs and brought the tool box back to the shed he had gotten it from in the first place. He never removed his gloves and he left no traces this time with his boots. From the shed he jumped over a small fence towards the road and then slowly walked along the road away from the motel, vanishing in the darkness.


    <hr>


    Aaron had never been caught for that first kill, just like he had never been caught for a hundred more after that.


    But now that he had been caught, now that he was facing his own demise he felt no fear. In long sessions with people who wanted to understand him, how he could do such cruel and gruesome things, he had instead found why he did what he did back then. Why it had felt so good to pull that trigger.


    Why the memory was still so fresh years later.


    It was because of his parents of course, an answer that the psychologists loved to hear, but it was true nonetheless.


    Aaron¡¯s father, James Plane, had been with Brewer in the army. They had both been special forces. But they were both good, very good at what they did and so the government made sure to give them the "right" jobs.


    They did black ops together, murder for hire for the government. Something that was beyond hilarious to Aaron now. But when Aaron was only 5 years old his father died on one of those black op missions.


    Officially it was a training accident and his mother got the measly pension for it, barely a quarter of what they had gotten before, while James was somewhere in the world killing people.


    Aaron had no memory of his father and even if it was Brewers fault that he died, Aaron had no way of finding out.


    No, that was not the reason he had killed Brewer, the real reason was the money he was the custodian for, to make sure the Planes were taken care off. A fund from black ops themselves for those eventualities.


    Unofficial money to take care of the families.


    Problem was Brewer did not just pay out the money.


    In his retirement the old spy and killer had made certain he had all the power over those left behind. And so he blackmailed the widows, who were vulnerable and had nobody to turn to like Aaron¡¯s mother.


    Sex for money they were entitled to.


    The sad thing was that Gloria, his mother, was doing it for him, because he had wanted to go to college. That was how it had started. His grades had been good enough to go to any renowned university, but the money was not there.


    So Gloria had reached out to James army buddies, to see if they could pitch in.


    His mom was not very highly educated, she had lived a hard life and was devastated when Aaron¡¯s father died. She had worked two jobs to support both of them, a fact Aaron was always grateful for.


    When she first came home after meeting Brewer she had been acting strange. Something was off, even though his mother tried to mime being happy for his sake, she was anything but.


    He heard her crying in her room that night and knew something had gone wrong. Something needed to change. So while he went and got admitted to college, he followed her. Back then they met in a hotel, not a broke down piece of shit motel in which Brewer had died.


    Aaron was careful, patient and meticulous. He was not seen and after the "meeting", when both Brewer and his mother had left, he told one of the maids a sob story and got into the room they had been in.


    The smell told him everything he needed to know.


    From that moment he stalked Brewer.


    While other kids played games on their PC, or went to parties. Aaron learned how to hack into security systems, by learning how to program them himself. He worked out and took lessons with some of the veterans that had visited them frequently before.


    Some people would have asked for the police or his fathers friends for help.


    But Aaron soon found out that it was pointless.


    Brewer knew too much shit and even after his official retirement he had strong ties to organized crime. Undoubtedly he made sure they kept the bottom line, while lining his own pockets.


    Aaron got his bank statements, got to know everything about the man.


    What he found was that the guy was the worst kind of man imaginable. He did what he did not only to his mother, but to quite a few women over the years. He raped them and when they went to the cops, they would not take their statements.


    Imagine that, he had the local and even federal law enforcement so deep in his pockets the man was basically untouchable.


    So Aaron planned to kill him.


    From that day, when he pulled that trigger without any hesitation, he knew he was different.


    Some people can''t hurt other people. He could.


    But back then he had never planned on doing it ever again, his meticulous setup was so that he would never be caught.


    Everything he had done was for his mother who never knew what he did.


    When she heard about Brewers death she seemed so happy, so liberated and she celebrated him getting into college with Aaron by going out for dinner. To this day Aaron can still see her radiant smile while eating an expensive steak with him.


    It still is one of his favorite memories of her. Life was good.


    But of course life had different plans. The money for college was not coming. Apparently the internal black ops fund had been entirely siphoned by Brewer and there was nothing left. As such few of the veterans made a fuss, most just cursed his name and apologized.


    It was at that time his mother fell ill. She had worked for a decade or more in a Pan factory and apparently the fumes had given her cancer. They joined a class action lawsuit against the company, but of course the money from that would come too late, if ever, to help her.


    Aaron looked desperately for a job, so he could finance his moms hospital bills.


    That was when he met a certain Russian gangster.


    The brother of the man Aaron had brought into jail by killing Brewer. Now Vassily was not an idiot like his brother Vlad. He looked into Brewer, who had always been an advisor to the Russian Brotherhood and where cops stopped looking, Vassily began. Eventually he had narrowed it down to people with a motive alone and then he went to pay every single one of them a visit.


    Aaron was working 3 jobs at the time to try and pay the bills, to take some loans for his mom, who was wasting away.


    Then suddenly Vassily stood in front of him outside of a burger Joint. Aaron froze and Vassily grinned.


    "So you are the guy who put my brother in jail." the tall man said with a grin and an audible Russian accent.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about." Aaron said lamely, while his brain was working at top speed to get out of the situation.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Ah, you see, if a nobody sees someone like me in an abandoned alley grinning at them, they usually blanch and flee. But you froze, you recognized me, or rather my brother, right?"


    "What? Sorry sir, I really don''t know what you are talking about. I have to go back to work."


    "You call that a job?" the gangster snorted disgusted.


    "Listen you little shit, I know it was you. I have checked everyone else who had a motive and you are the only one who reacted and fits the motive. So now you have a choice to make."


    Aaron swallowed hard and stared at the hulking man defiantly. He knew there was a security camera in this back alley. And his coworkers would hear him if he screamed.


    "What choice?"


    "You see, there are few people like us left in a ''civilized'' society like this. Killers. I read up about you and your father. He was a very good solider, right? He killed people for his country, for money. Well I do the same." the man grinned.


    "Just for my own profit and not for Uncle Sam. So here is the deal. You owe me for bringing my little brother into jail. I don''t mind as much, he is an idiot, maybe he will smarten up after this. So I want you to do something for me."


    "What?"


    "Kill a man. Show me you are a killer and I will not only forgive you for my brother, but also make sure you will earn a thousand times what you could make in this shitty job of yours in one day."


    And that was it.


    Yes, Vassily forced Aaron to do the first job for him, but really back then Aaron had felt suffocated by the tedious work, by his stupid coworkers, by the world itself. Why his mother had to suffer for no reason but greed.


    He hated it all and he fondly remembered how it had felt to kill Brewer.


    Squeezing that trigger had felt better than sex and if he was honest Aaron accepted because he wanted to experience the feeling again.


    The job itself was almost comically easy. Time consuming but easy. Vassily texted him a name an address and a photograph of a Latino, living on the other side of town. So Aaron stalked the guy.


    He looked at his social media imprint, read his comments, looked at the guys twitter. Then he went to his house and hacked first the guys WiFi and then his phone. It was almost too easy.


    On the mans phone he found some pictures of him posing with guns and some incriminating conversations. He could also see if the man was alone and where he was. So he planned another hit.


    One afternoon he simply showed up on the guys door and knocked.


    "Hey man, Chico sent me, there is trouble with the 56ers. You are Rodriguez right?" he asked him lamely and visibly nervous.


    The latter he did not even have to mime.


    "Who the fuck are you?" Rodriguez asked suspiciously, while staring at him through the peeper.


    "I''m Aaron, Sal¡¯s cousin, you don''t remember? We met at his party last month."


    "You''re Sal¡¯s cousin?"


    "Yeah man, but Chico will be pissed if you don''t hurry. Come on."


    "I don''t remember you." he said, but his voice did not sound so sure anymore.


    "You were kinda high at the time or drunk." Aaron shrugged and looked around uncomfortably.


    "Well its not my problem if you piss off Chico, I''ll see you around."


    Rodriguez thought for a moment, but he opened the door and smiled at Aaron.


    "Ah no. I''ll do it man, come in, grab yourself a gun and we''ll be over there in a flash."


    Aaron nodded and went into the room, grabbed one of the man''s guns and shot Rodriguez in the head.


    It was that easy, the Latino had not even noticed, as he had been busy loading through his AK.


    Once people were armed they turned stupid. A handgun was as lethal as an assault rifle if you shot first and did not miss.


    Aaron kept the gun and threw it in the nearby river afterwards, nobody had seen him and the police chalked it up to gang crimes or something along those lines.


    From then Aaron¡¯s life as a hitman began.


    From Vassily he got names, addresses and photographs sent to a burner phone. Whenever the mobster wanted someone killed, Aaron got a message and went to work. It usually followed the same pattern.


    Information gathering, Preparation and Execution.


    He got to know everything there was to know about his target first, chose a specific time and location for the deed and then killed them.


    With the first paycheck Aaron got his mother into the best hospital and cancer treatment program money could buy.


    He told his mother that he had found a job and that they would sponsor his college and their treatment on the condition he worked for them for 10 years at least after graduation. It was not the most usual story, but Aaron simply forged the documents he showed his mom and that was that.


    For the next few years he went to college, was a normal guy, partied and killed people every few weeks.


    Aaron trained himself, took lessons in martial arts, took combat training and he spent an insane amount on the shooting ranges all around the city he studied in. He flew and traveled all over the country on his "missions".


    He was meticulous and he was ruthless. If someone witnessed his kills they would die as well. He had no problems with that. Although he prepared and planned so it was not necessary.


    He still had a code.


    He did not kill children, nor would he torture people. He simply executed them.


    He had no problem with women, in his mind why should the sex of a person determine if they were a scumbag or not?


    Women could be as horrible and stupid as anyone and just because they tended to be weaker than men, did not mean anything to Aaron. Any sensibilities to women that way were just misogyny speaking in his mind.


    With time he perfected his method and usually abducted his victims first, before killing them somewhere unpopulated and then getting rid of the body. It was simply easier to do than to always make sure he was not implicated at the crime scene.


    Making people his scapegoats was something he still did quite often, but as a service, not because he wanted to.


    It was messy and the innocent people in jail often tenacious.


    Aaron lost count of the people he killed. Once they were dead and their bodies dissolved or buried or both, he would delete them from his life. There were no trophies, no evidence at all and Aaron felt good about it.


    It never was the same as killing Brewer, but when he killed some of Vasily¡¯s rivals, vile fuckers who were untouchable, he felt the same tingle of elation. But he quite quickly stopped hunting that thrill and killing became his job. He was quite frankly doing the same thing his father had done, the same any soldier was doing.


    Killing because he was told to and because he did not want to die. Sure soldiers will tell you they do it for their country.


    They will tell you they do it to protect freedom and democracy. But in the end they go where someone else tells them to and they kill the people there and they get paid for it.


    No matter what they tell themselves, they are no better than him, just paid worse.


    Of course Aaron got infamous in time and quite a few people knew of him, but not him. Only Vassily did and he kept him with that knowledge in check. Although Aaron started to say no to the more unsavory requests he got.


    Torture people? Rape a woman? No thank you.


    He would kill them of course, which was hypocritical in a sense, as death was considered worse. But Aaron was never that kind of killer. He did not need to rape women to get their attention.


    His trained physique and easy confidence did that on their own. He had many girlfriends in those years in college.


    But it never worked out because Aaron never opened up to them. Because he was never there for them, since his job would take him all around the country.


    He ended their relationship once Aaron was sick of repeating the same lies so they would stop asking where he went and what he was doing. Why he would never introduce them to his parents. But he could never do that.


    Once they knew his mother was sick and fighting with cancer, they would wonder where the money came from.


    Of course he tried it a few times, said he had inherited it from his dads side or something. But it never worked out regardless in the end.


    The problems started when Vassily got more and more ambitious and ruthless. When the hits were not on people in the mobsters way, but on people he wanted to torture or punish. Kill the wife of a subordinate that had failed the man.


    More and more unsavory things popped up in Aaron¡¯s searches of his victims and besides the normal scumbags more and more decent people ended up as targets as well.


    Good cops and prosecutors. Murders Aaron committed, but not really liked doing.


    It started gnawing on him, the people who had never done anything wrong, who were by all accounts good people. But it all paled in comparison to his mother, who slowly wasted away.


    The chemo did not help, the cancer had spread and was growing again.


    Aaron had millions by that time, he was by all accounts filthy rich, but he could not help his mother.


    The helplessness he felt when visiting her was suffocating. It was grueling and she was such a strong woman. Tried to tough it out, tried to make him find a girl and settle down finally. But it was all for naught.


    She died on a cold winter day and Aaron was unable to do anything, no matter what he did he could not change the fate of the one person in his life he loved the most.


    When he left the hospital that day, Aaron felt alone, truly alone for the first time in his life.


    Like a sleepwalker he continued what he was doing until he was finally sick of it. Instead of killing good people one day he simply killed Vassily. It was easy, he used a pretty common poison and made sure to put it into the mans morning coffee.


    That was it.


    Ending a life was so easy, sometimes it was surprising. Other times people could survive things you would not believe.


    Aaron left the new boss of the Russian mob a message how to contact him and then just drove through the city and out of it. He quit college, or rather put in a gap year or two or three. He did not know at the time.


    He felt lost, untethered from reality until he came by an army recruitment center.


    Aaron still remembered his Dads old friends, the old soldiers camaraderie, how they went hunting with him instead of his Dad. Taught him how to shoot, how to handle a weapon.


    On impulse alone he joined the army and followed his fathers footsteps.


    The basic training was so easy, Aaron finished it with best note. Tactics? Shooting? He could have given that course himself. But he also learned a lot and he went on to become part of the Special forces.


    There, in the army was also the first time a shrink poked around in his head. They told him he was depressed because of his mother, duh, and that he had used the army as a coping mechanism.


    All true, he lived the army, spent all his time on it and when he had free time, he hung out with the other guys, drinking, being part of the team. The Comradeship was what he had missed the most and it filled the Void in his chest.


    Aaron deployed, went on missions, killed and covered his buddies.


    For three years he was an army man, through and through until he got an invite to Black Ops. Aaron did not accept, it had been just too much. He felt like he was his father, felt like he would repeat the same cycle, find a wife, have a son and then die.


    Aaron just could not do it.


    So he quit the army and went on to become a freelance killer for a few years.


    He set up a website where someone could order a hit, like you would order a burger. He did not take most of the requests he got from the site, but he fulfilled enough to live a comfortable life.


    But he also fulfilled enough, that he got the wrong kind of attention.


    The Russian criminal empire had crumbled during his stay in the army without Aaron¡¯s murders holding it up, but Aaron himself had suddenly a problem with the law. More people who would look at his doing, where before they closed their eyes on account of the Brotherhood.


    Luckily most of his hits were marked as disappearances and as such only the few cases that went wrong or were frame jobs made noise. He moved around a lot during that time, just another ex military guy on the lookout for jobs.


    He even went back to college at last.


    But the equilibrium did not last.


    The new top dog of the underworld food chain were the cartels and they were ten times as bad as the Russians.


    The Russians at least wanted a good life here, up north, but to the cartel people it was all just a game, all just "business", they were just here to sell and murder, while they lived down south.


    So they contacted Aaron, made him an exclusive offer.


    But he declined, as he did not want to go back to killing good people. At least as a freelancer he could pick who to kill. It made far less money, but money was not really a problem anymore.


    Aaron did what he did, because he was good at it. Because what else was he going to do? Settle down? How?


    He just felt empty inside and his depression got worse as time went on.


    He barely slept and often he drove through the night in endless circles so his mind would not wander back to his mother.


    But the cartel did not like people saying no to them. Especially not someone who had done hits on their people as well and so they decided to liquidate Aaron. Which was easier said than done, since they did not know who he was. For a while at least.


    Until the Russians sold him out. They had been doing their own research on Aaron and had found Vassily''s dead mans chest.


    In it was his identity and other important information and blackmail material.


    Instead of taking Aaron back into the fold they burned him.


    One day he was just another student finishing his masters in political science, the next, hit teams swarmed his location. He killed them all, but it was dirty, it was loud and it was brutal.


    They caught him leaving his flat. Drive by with AKs, killing innocent bystanders and wounding Aaron, who managed to get to cover. Then he was chased by some guys on foot.


    He killed them, which was probably his first and only real mistake. But its not like they show you in the movies.


    When someone shoots at you, comes after you, you either kill them or they get you eventually. Running away is a good way to get shot in the back if the guys after you know what they are doing and the cartel guys were good.


    Not as good as Aaron but good.


    What followed was a wild ride through town and out of it, where Aaron left bodies in his wake. Still he managed to flee to one of his safe-houses, payed under a different name. A doomsday preppers cabin in the wilds surrounded by miles of private property.


    But unfortunately the bodies he dropped caught the attention of the FBI and his real identity was busted. They came after him for the killings of the hitmen sent after him.


    Say what you want about the FBI, but they caught Aaron two weeks later as he was about to flee the country.


    How? Because of his second mistake. Revenge. Aaron had decided to get vengeance on the cartels and ended up killing the guy behind his own assassination order.


    But it was all a trap laid by the feds.


    He did kill the idiot who made him his enemy, but the FBI also left him in checkmate. Surrounded by more tactical police than he could kill. Aaron had considered going out with a blast, but instead surrendered.


    Aaron opened his eyes. Finally. He sat here for an hour at least by now and the metal chair they had chained him to was really uncomfortable. Sadly even though the FBI put at least 4 tactial units on him, it had never made a splash in the media.


    Nobody knew about him and nobody cared.


    He had been sentenced to death for killing at least 20 people. That most of them were technically self defense since they shot and hunted him had made no difference to the judge or jury. That most of the guys Aaron had killed were wanted themselves did not matter either.


    The verdict had been mostly because the FBI had reconstructed partly who he was and his lawyer failed with his motion to prevent that information going to the jury. So there in court they strongly hinted that he was a Serial Killer.


    The Reaper. That had been his cheesy moniker. An underground hitman, who was death himself.


    Aaron had never liked it, but had hoped the story would get some media traction. It had not.


    He was convicted to death for a series of murders that could have been self defense, since they did not have proof beyond a reasonable doubt that he actually was "the Reaper".


    Now Aaron could hear the detective that had hunted him for almost a decade walking down the hall with another guy whose footsteps he did not know. It was funny really, when you had all the time in the world to yourself you noticed the strangest things. How the guards walked, how most of his visitors walked. You could hear a lot about a person if you knew what to listen to. The FBI agent had a slight limp, that was why he was so easy to hear to Aaron.


    "Agent Walter, who is my visitor today? Another journalist? A Psychiatrist?" he said before the two had turned the corner to his room.


    One of the men stopped, but Walter continued and looked through the prison door, before opening it.


    The man was slightly overweight, balding with a blonde mustache that did not fit the man at all and baby blue eyes. He did not look intelligent, but he undoubtedly was, he just hid it very well behind the facade of a fat cop.


    Like always he looked like he was constipated, his face red and his eyes slightly bloodshot.


    "Plane." he said simply, while he opened the door for the second visitor.


    It was a younger man with brown hair and wide brown eyes that looked at him with terror, with anticipation, with wrath. Family of a victim then. He did look kind of familiar, but Aaron could not remember where he had seen the man before.


    After studying the younger man, Aaron looked to Walter and raised an eyebrow.


    "Should I know who that is?"


    "You should, but considering how many people you killed, you probably don''t remember him." the fat cop said while he took a seat across the metal table in front of him.


    "This is Franklin Sawyer." the FBI agent added and Sawyer sat down. He was staring at Aaron full of hatred.


    "Nice to meet you Mr. Sawyer, to what do I owe this meeting?" Aaron said with a slight smirk.


    Riling up people like this was really the only joy he had left in his life. Well. For now at least.


    "You raped and murdered my sister." Sawyer growled, his fury palpable in the air.


    His eyes promising bloody vengeance.


    Aaron sighed and shook his head.


    "James where did you find this clown? We both know my established MO is a quick merciless kill. I have never raped any woman in my life."


    The FBI agent was silent and studied Aaron coolly.


    "You think you are gonna get away with it don''t you?" he asked.


    "I am in death row, I don''t see how that¡¯s getting away with it."


    "Did you think, I would not hear of the appeal? The bullshit technicalities? Killing a dozen Bangers in self defense? If it goes through and it has a good chance it will, then you will be out of death row or set free in a few months, way before your day on the chair."


    Aaron grinned at Walter and he shrugged.


    "I never thought you would not hear about it, but that¡¯s just how the justice system works. The innocent and the guilty both end up in here. Good thing the law finds a way to get the innocent out if you pay enough money."


    "Blood money. That they let you keep that stuff was the biggest mistake the bureau ever made."


    "Stocks I inherited from my mother. I was quite fortunate to make money of the stock market. That is all."


    Walter stood up and looked Aaron in the eyes while he leaned closer.


    "I know you are the Reaper. I know who your first kill was. I stood on the same chair as you. I know that you perfected your method of dissolving bodies into nothing after your first year. The toxic landfills are all over the country. You killed hundreds."


    "I am not any Reaper, I am just a student who had a run-in with some cartel bastards. Luckily I knew how to use a gun, otherwise I would not be here. I have confessed to killing people in self defense, nothing more."


    "Sure and it was just a coincidence that you vanished whenever the Reaper let someone disappear?"


    "You never charged me with anything. I simply like to travel a lot and I like to hunt and fish. That¡¯s all."


    "Yeah you thought you left behind no traces. But Franklin here, he is an eye witness to you murdering his sister."


    Walter grinned broadly.


    "They have managed to filter out some DNA from the toxic sludge you turn bodies into and they match Mary Sawyer, which connects you to all the other Reaper killings. We are still sifting through them, comparing DNA samples."


    Aaron raised his eyebrows and chuckled.


    "Is that so? Then why are you here with him and not my lawyer?"


    The FBI agents grin froze on his face and he glowered at Aaron for a moment, before he leaned in closer and pulled a photograph out of his coat. He placed it in front of Aaron while he whispered.


    "Sadly the kid was underage when he saw you and he was also high at the time. In a few seconds my phone will ring and I will leave the two of you alone. Take a good look at the woman that was your downfall."


    "Downfall? I doubt it. You can''t pin this shit on me. Whoever this Reaper guy is, its not me." Aaron said deadpan.


    Walters phone rang and he answered it. For a few seconds he listened before he ended the call with a short.


    "I will be right there."


    Then Walter stepped out of the room. Before the door closed he gave Aaron a last look, his eyes hard.


    "I hope you rot in hell, Plane." Then the metal door closed.


    Aaron knew this was some kind of setup. But he could not really see what it was. His gaze swept over the room. The camera was still on and he was alone with the kid, Franklin Sawyer.


    Only now he looked down at the picture.


    It was a beautiful Latina, full breasts, wide mouth and smile. But her eyes were what Aaron made him recognize her.


    The kid looked just like her, a male version of the woman who had almost killed him.


    Franklin stood up, in his hands suddenly a gleaming revolver, but his hands shook as he pointed it at Aaron.


    Slowly Aaron raised his manacled hands.


    "I don''t know what you are planning. But whatever you are doing, this will ruin your life. I did not kill your sister. I am not a rapist. Hell I have not even confessed to killing any women. Why the hell do you think it was me?"


    Franklin¡¯s jaw clenched, but he could not seem to bring himself to pull the trigger.


    "I was in the wardrobe, high as fuck when you killed her. I never told anyone. I was not sure it was even real until I saw your picture and that you were on death row."


    "How? It was not me, you are making a mistake. The bastard who did that to your sister is still out there man. Its not me."


    "You choked her...until she stopped moving." Franklin whimpered.


    "I have nothing left. They are all dead. I just want you to die. Then I can join them."


    Shit. It was right, he had choked the woman to death and the kid was obviously suicidal and stupid.


    "If you do this you will be a murderer..."but before he could say anything else the kid pulled the trigger while he screamed.


    Aaron slipped off the chair, but he still felt the hot searing pain of bullets impacting his body, first his side than his back.


    Held up by the restraints he spat out blood, while he watched the kid pull the trigger over and over. The clicking sound was oddly quiet after the deafening shots. The kid was crying, was shaking. Falling to his knees he stared at Aaron''s bloody form.


    The door opened and Walter entered the cell, his service weapon out.


    "Freeze." he shouted, before he shot the kid in the head.


    Franklin Sawyers eyes were wide when the shot yanked his head to the side. He stopped moving, his eyes glassy and dead while they seemingly stared at Aaron. Aaron stared back, pain filling his world. A single tear left Franklin¡¯s eyes. Walter meanwhile took a look at Aaron and gave him a grin.


    "Goodbye Reaper."


    Then he shot Aaron twice in the head.

 1. Died by the Sword

    The last thing Aaron saw was the kid and how much he looked like his sister. Mary had the same curly dark locks and the same wide mouth, as well as the same dark eyes. They had met in a bar and had hooked up. The woman had been eager and Aaron, done with his stakeout for his next hit was only too happy to oblige.


    She was one of those girls you did not say no to. Funny, intelligent, god damn gorgeous and she had only eyes for Aaron. A fact that should have tipped him off to begin with. But he had been horny and she had a hotel room nearby.


    She had literally dragged him kissing, feeling him up, to her room.


    Mary had been amazing in bed, had given Aaron a show and when he had least expected it, she attacked.


    A knife from who knew where while she was kissing him, aimed for his heart.


    A poetic way to kill and stupid. Aaron had caught her hand mid stab and fought with her for only a moment, before he flipped her around, pressed her down with his knees. The knife pushed away, his other hand around her throat.


    She had stared up at him in disbelief while he squeezed the life out of her. He knew how to, even with one hand and Aaron was far stronger than he looked. Afterwards he had sat there panting, looking at the cut in his ribs.


    He had been pretty shocked by the events and had taken her in a princess hold and brought her to his rental car. She had joined others in a nearby pit. Only later he had found out she had been an assassin like him, just far more insidious.


    She killed only men during sex and she did it to pay off her family''s debt.


    Aaron had not known her brother had been in her room, hiding in the wardrobe, spying through the keyhole on it all and he guessed Mary had not known either.


    All of this and more went through his head while he died, or was dead? He did not know. Everything was just black.


    He was drifting through darkness, not moving and yet endlessly falling.


    Darkest oblivion surrounded him and he had no eyes, no body, nothing but his thoughts and memories.


    His thoughts got more and more erratic with the passage of time, his memories jumbled and got more and more incoherent and he knew this was the end. He would join the void. Would just become nothing, an eternal darkness embracing him until he was nothing himself.


    But then he saw the light, it scooped him up and dragged him out of the endless void, it felt warm and wrong at the same time.


    This was not right. Or was this heaven?


    When he woke up he found himself in a giant room made out of dark stone. It looked like the ancient walls of a castle. Ethereal light came from above and almost blinded him as he awoke blinking, disoriented.


    Was he in the hospital? He had been shot just now right? Or not? His memory was hazy.


    But he felt fine, a bit woozy, but that was it. No pain at all.


    He sat up without problems and looked around.


    Aaron was lying in the center of a giant mosaic, illuminated by strange light coming from the ceiling. The stone he was sitting on now was white and intricate lines of dark stone formed a dazzlingly complex pattern together.


    Overall the white stone formed a circle and it seemed almost like writing was interwoven into the dark stone. But it was in no language he had ever seen.


    He was alone in the room and it was the biggest room he had even been in. More lights shone in the distance, forming another circle around him. Aaron soon noticed he was in the center of it all and there was no obvious exit.


    "What the fuck?" he asked into the deafening silence.


    Was this heaven? Or hell?


    Or what? A strange hospital? Alien abduction? Enhanced Interrogation?


    He stood up and noticed he was naked and not cuffed anymore, but even though he was entirely naked he was not cold.


    Okay, strange, more points to Alien abduction?


    He strained his eyes and looked up to the light, but it was no electrical light or anything he had ever seen before, it was like 3 glowing balls of liquid light that slowly rotated above his head.


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    The room was warm, the stone underneath his feet was as well. When he stepped out of the circle, the dark stone felt cool to his bare feet and he noticed that the light...globes? were floating above the stone mosaic.


    "Magic?" he asked himself, but that was nonsense. Maybe he was dreaming? Or he was high?


    Aaron never used any kind of drugs. He liked to be in control and he was not stupid enough to think he would not become an addict. He had seen the empty husks of the junkies and he never wanted to end up like them, not even in his darkest hours.


    Not even when his mother had died.


    Aimlessly he wandered through the giant room. There were dozens more similar round mosaics in a rough circle around the one he had woken up in. Over every white stone circle were these glowing lights illuminating what was underneath them.


    It was the strangest thing he had ever seen in his life.


    When he reached the walls, they were solid to his touch and the room was quite dark besides the floating light globes. Maybe he had not seen the exit because it was too dark to see anything anywhere but underneath the floating lights?


    Aaron should have panicked, should have tried to make sense of it all, but he did not. The silence was somehow calming, or maybe he was just happy to be alive instead of dead. Not that death had scared him when he had been alive. But after experiencing the void he was not so sure anymore.


    He could still feel the bullets impacting him, the pain, the sudden death when Walter ended him.


    And then the Void, losing himself in slow insanity.


    Quickly he pushed those thoughts away.


    Maybe he was dead after all? He did not know, but if this was the afterlife, then it wasn''t so bad, was it?


    Slowly he walked around the room, the wall always to his right. He hoped he would find something, anything.


    Suddenly he noticed a bump in the never changing wall. It was in the darkest part of the room and the closer he came, the more it looked like what? A statue maybe? It was made out of the same smooth gray rock as the entire room besides the mosaics.


    Curiously he stepped closer and jumped back almost immediately.


    Did the Statues head just move?


    "Welcome to the Tower of Emnu." a deep, mechanical voice said.


    Aaron raised his hands, ready to fight, he scanned the giant room once before he entirely focused on the statue. There was nobody here but him and that statue. Slowly he stepped closer, or rather he stepped around the statue trying to see if someone was hiding behind it. But no, it was just a giant gray stone statue. But its head moved and two giant red eyes followed his every step.


    "Step through into the Hall of Illusions and be tested Aspirant."


    The same metallic voice said after a while and with a deep rumble a door opened in between the statues legs. Dim light streamed out of the new opening and Aaron stared at it.


    Hall of Illusions? Aspirant?


    What the fuck was going on?


    "Who are you, why am I here?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.


    "I am Golem, guardian of the Summoning chamber." the deep rumble answered.


    "You are in the Tower of Emnu."


    Surprised Aaron stopped and looked up to the red eyes staring down at him.


    "You can understand me and answer?"


    Silence.


    "Is this all some kind of joke? Like a secret game show for rich folks? With hidden cameras?"


    No Reply.


    "Aliens?" Aaron asked weakly, but Golem did not answer whatsoever, but when Aaron moved, the head followed him still.


    "Who is Emnu?" he asked probing.


    "Emnu is the grand master of magic, the lord of Treyon, one of the 1000 Lords of the Multiverse."


    ''Okay'' Aaron thought. ''This thing is either a robot or it does not want to answer my questions.'' He took a minute to take stock. So he was in the Summoning chamber, in the Tower of Emnu, who was some sort of wizard living in the ''Multiverse''. Yeah this was the strangest thing he had ever heard of in his life.


    "Am I dead?" he asked.


    No reply came.


    "What do I need to do, to get out of here?" he asked, slowly figuring out that the Golem only answered specific questions.


    "Step through into the Hall of Illusions and be tested Aspirant." the metallic rumble said once more.


    Which was probably the door leading into another room in between the statues legs. It was not a comforting thought to step through a robots legs to be tested. Especially if it was in a Hall of Illusions, but well it sounded better than Hallway of Death or something.


    For long Minutes he tried asking questions without gaining any new results. He was still a bit hesitant but eventually sighed and walked into the opening.


    He could not stay here, whatever was going on, he was alive and he needed food and water and clothes. His current theory was that he had indeed died, but had been summoned here with apparently a new body, because he had noticed he had no scars anymore.


    Aaron had a scar or two from knives and a gunshot wound on the shoulder. But the scars were entirely gone here.


    So there was apparently magic here, if the glowing light balls floating in the air were not indicator enough the magical healing of scars made a compelling point. Or maybe it was some sci-fi technology, not that it would make any difference to him.


    It seemed like he was Isekaied here like in some anime he had watched before.


    It just seemed much more ominous than in the cartoons. No princesses to save, no Demon Lord to please. No, if he understood it right he was tested to serve a wizard. He was no hero of ages, had no powers he could find, but he could not complain.


    He was alive at least.


    A lot of people would have frozen, would have despaired. But Aaron was a killer, was a soldier for himself.


    Whatever this new life or afterlife was, he was ready for it.


    He had a goal once, to save his mother. But he had never achieved his goal.


    Now his only goal was to survive, to not feel the sensation of madness again as the void dissolved his self.


    His confident steps led him through a dimly lit tunnel into another room. He did not know what tests lay ahead, but he doubted it would involve much algebra.

 2. The Hall of Illusions

    The next room turned out to be the outside. He found himself on the top of a staircase leading to open grassland. The sun shone brightly above and when he looked up, he could see he stood at the bottom of a tower. A tower made of gray stone reaching into the sky and beyond. It seemed to have no ending.


    But all of this was subtly wrong. The landscape was flat and the grassland didn''t even have wind, everything was quiet and every blade of grass was the same. Slowly he walked down the stairs. Feeling vulnerable being naked.


    What exactly was he being tested on?


    The grass looked real, felt real under his feet, but otherwise he could see nothing but flat expanse all the way to the horizon.


    "This is an illusion." he said. It was obvious and badly done. This looked more like something out of a computer program.


    Maybe that was it, maybe he was in the Matrix or something?


    But apparently his words were some queue as suddenly a light flashed a few dozen meters in front of him and a rabbit literally "spawned" out of nowhere.


    A flash of light and viola, a bunny was born.


    Magic.


    "Now what?" he murmured, his eyes trained on the creature, while taking in his surroundings.


    The bunny looked around, spotted him and its eyes turned red. With huge jumps it charged towards Aaron.


    It squeaked and jumped at his face, but Aaron was always ready.


    He caught the bundle of white fur with both hands easily.


    Aaron stared into the bunnies face, sharp teeth snarled and snapped at him, its haunches scraping at his arms.


    "Fucking killer bunny?" He said, but its claws hurt and Aaron had no patience for this.


    He would not be stopped by a bloody bunny. He grabbed the things neck and broke it with an audible crunch.


    Then he slammed it into the ground and stomped on its head for good measure.


    The bunny broke into light and dissipated. Just turning into motes of light.


    Okay, more points to this being a video game.


    "Victory, Choose your reward." an ethereal female voice said.


    When Aaron looked up, he could see a floating ball of light had come from out of nowhere and it displayed 3 options in front of him. The choices were suspended at chest height in floating bubbles of light.


    Leather clothes on the left, they looked crude and the purple leather it was made out of was like nothing he had ever seen before. Food and Water in the Middle, at least he guessed it was that. The food looked like something similar to hardtack with a waterskin? Problem was the hardtack was purple as well. He really hoped that was not a trend.


    The last option apparently was a knife. A gleaming silver thorn with wicked jagged edges.


    "The knife." he said.


    "You have to grab it to claim your reward." the female voice said with mirth.


    Aaron blinked.


    "Are you a robot as well? Like Golem?" he asked, while carefully grabbing the knife out of the light bubble.


    As soon as his hands had grabbed the Knife all bubbles popped and the other two options vanished into thin air.


    "No" the voice said in disgust. "I am a spirit and should you prevail in your tests, I will answer your questions.


    Good luck."


    Then the ball of light vanished as miraculously as it had come.


    It, she, was replaced with a flash of light.


    A small dog stared at him, growling and snarling, showing him its teeth. Aaron had never had a pet, but this dog looked almost too cute. Sadly it was obvious what was required here.


    ''This is not real, its the Hall of Illusions remember.'' He tried to tell himself while he grabbed the knife.


    It was as long as a combat knife, sharp and with wicked jagged edges.


    "Sorry doggo." he said as he crouched slightly, bend his knees and waited for the dog to attack.


    The mutt jumped him and it was quite a bit faster and stronger than the rabbit. But he was armed this time and stabbed the dog in the chest without hesitation. With a sharp cut he found the yelping dogs heart and it too burst into motes of light.


    Once again it was replaced by the light ball that floated in front of him.


    "Victory, Choose your reward." it said once more.


    "You sure you are no robot?" he said with a smirk and looked at his options. They were pretty much the same. Clothes, a bit sturdier looking this time. Food and drink, a bit more palatable looking as well and a short sword, or gladius? He could not tell.


    Without hesitation he chose the leather clothes when the female "Spirit" as she called herself did not answer.


    Quickly Aaron put on the leather clothes, when they fell out of the sky. He hurried up in case another monster would spawn immediately.


    The clothes fit him perfectly and at least he was not naked anymore. Yay, progress.


    The leather was a bit scratchy, but he would survive it and it was better than wearing nothing. Hell it would probably be good enough to face off against a knife, as thick and hard as the leather was.


    Another flash and a big dog, maybe even a wolf stared at Aaron.


    Yeah, this was some sort of combat test, where his own choices and ability would determine his score.


    It was a game world after all. The Matrix had Aaron, no doubt in his mind as he locked eyes with the canine.


    It had sharp teeth and he really did not want to get between them, even in his new shiny leather armor.


    "What the fuck is this shit, animal death match?" he grumbled, but did not lose concentration.


    The wolfs ears leaned back and its snarl was louder before it circled Aaron and then jumped.


    Aaron ducked smoothly, lashing out with his dagger and scored a hit in its side.


    The wolf was too big to just catch it and kill it instantly. Well, he could do it, but not without the beast having a chance to eat his face and he wanted to avoid that if possible, even if this was all just an illusion or game.


    The beast was bleeding now, but the cut to its side was shallow. It backed off a bit and circled him, then ran around and jumped him once more. But Aaron kept it in his sight and stepped out of the way.


    He kicked the wolf with his new leather boots in the face and then charged and sank his wicked blade into its chest.


    The beast snarled and snapped at him, but was too dazed too find more than the leather of one of his arm protectors.


    Aaron sliced through the beasts flesh with all his might, pushing it to the ground until it too burst into motes of light.


    Breathing heavily and slightly giddy from adrenaline he sat down in the grass, which was now splattered with blood, just like his clothes.


    "Victory, Choose your reward." the female voice said once again.


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    But he ignored it and caught his breath.


    "What good is food if I don''t have the time to eat it." he growled and stared at what looked like ham sandwiches.


    "You have 10 minutes to choose a reward." the female voice said.


    "Great, so I have to win another fight to just eat? Can you give me a timer or something, or is the Matrix not capable of such a feat?"


    The female voice snorted cutely and a timer appeared above the rewards.


    "Ah, there we go, honey. Thank you."


    "Rude human." the spirit said.


    Aaron sat there until there were only 30 seconds left and grabbed the sandwiches out of the air. He placed them and the paper bag they came from behind him and stepped forward, ready for another fight.


    The next beast was a wildcat. A big thing, maybe a puma? It was vicious and it left quite a few claw marks on Aaron before he managed to kill it.


    He started to tire while he ate his sandwiches, trying not to touch them with his bloody hands as he did so.


    The rewards this time were a spear, armor which looked like an ancient breastplate and roasted meat of some kind.


    Idly he drank from the water skin and wondered how he was even tired, thirsty and hungry if this all was an illusion.


    But when he asked the spirit did not answer with anything more than a "Hmph."


    He chose the spear, even though he had 0 experience with it and looked towards his next opponent.


    It was a small humanoid? With green skin and crooked yellow teeth and yellow eyes. It was armed with a toothpick of a dagger, but it looked at Aaron with malice and cunning.


    "A goblin?" he asked nobody in particular and leveled the spear at the thing.


    He inched closer and stabbed at the green thing. But it easily dodged and snarled at him in amusement over his clumsy attempts. It even jumped on top of the spear with all its weight, trying to snap it in half.


    Quickly he withdrew the spear, scowling and stabbing once again.


    But the goblin was way too agile and evaded easily.


    Aaron had expected this and let the spear fall to the ground while he drew his dagger.


    When the goblin was in range he jabbed it with the glinting blade, but it evaded easily. Oh this one would be a challenge.


    Aaron was forced to dodge the toothpick of a dagger himself and they danced around each other.


    Aaron was really glad he had some training with knifes and a bit experience stabbing people as well.


    The goblin snarled and jabbed. But Aaron had the bigger range and it had to dodge more often than not.


    With one step he inched closer to the goblin, a quick jab with the knife got it to duck and he followed up with a quick leg kick.


    It caught the tiny goblin in the chest. Aaron stepped in afterwards, his gleaming dagger coming down. But the goblin evaded again, desperately trying to stick his dagger into Aaron to make him back off.


    With a quick move he grabbed the things arm and raised the humanoid off its feet.


    Then he gutted it like the animal it was.


    The goblin spluttered and snarled as its green blood splattered against Aaron¡¯s armor. Its yellow eyes widening in panic as it died and burst into motes of light once again.


    Aaron breathed deeply and tried to banish the panicked, painful expression from the goblin out of his mind.


    This was no different than anyone else he had killed. In a sense this test was perfect for him. Killing was his specialty after all.


    With a deep breath he centered himself and banished the goblins pain into the void.


    He chose the armor as reward this time, gleaming metal arm and leg protectors that he could use as offensive weapons as well. Still he waited the ten minutes, calming his breath for the next fight.


    The next beast was some sort of dog goblin? He forgot what it was called. It was stronger and bigger than the goblin, but not as fast and died even quicker than its cousin before it.


    Aaron had no remorse anymore for these creatures. It was obviously they or him and he would always choose himself.


    It wasn''t that he liked life, or this new reality. But anything was better than the pain of dying.


    That much he remembered.


    He did not see a reason to switch weapons and picked another armor piece, a metal chest plate that was easily strapped over his leather chest. Wearing this ancient armor made him feel strange. Like a Knight or something.


    He was always on the lookout for some ranged weapons, but all he had seen were some throwing knifes and he had no experience with those.


    When the light flashed the next time, Aaron froze.


    Because his next enemy was human, like him.


    The man was tall, blonde and handsome. He wore cobbled together armor pieces like Aaron did and was armed with a sword.


    But the man was clearly injured, he was holding his left side and red blood had soaked the pants at his left leg as well.


    "Seriously? PvP?" Aaron said and leveled his spear at the man.


    The blonde man was equally surprised and raised his sword.


    "Hello there stranger, might I inquire for your assistance?" he said in something that almost sounded British?


    "I warn you, I am a knight of Seroxa and no easy foe."


    Aaron shrugged, but did not lower his spear.


    "I don''t even know if all of this is real, so why should I not kill you?"


    "A Hall of Illusions indeed. Such wicked sorcery deserves to be banished."


    "Hey wait, you know something about all of this?"


    The mans eyes narrowed and he looked at him in suspicion.


    "You do not know the Tower of Emnu? Where are you from?"


    Aaron blinked, his frown deepening.


    "I am from Earth, where are you from?"


    "Asperia. I know of no place that would call itself dirt. Your people must be primitive and uneducated if you do not know the Tower. Alas it is a curse to be chosen, few ever escape the fiends clutches. But I will not be hindered by the likes of you." The man said and walked closer to Aaron with a confident gait.


    "Yeah, figures I have to kill you." Aaron said with a shrug and threw his spear at the man.


    The knight was surprised by the quick action and barely dodged with his injured leg. It was injured, to confirm that was the purpose of the spear in the first place. Drawing his dagger Aaron charged at the man.


    The sword lashed out, but Aaron just stopped before he was in reach and kicked the man in the shins after the blade had passed. The knight yelped and stumbled, having to put his weight on his injured leg.


    Aaron did not hesitate and charged, grabbing the mans sword arm, pushing it away while he slit the knights throat.


    It was a quick and easy cut, but deep enough to cut the artery, like he had done quite a few times before.


    The Knight gasped wide eyed, blood flooding out of the mans throat.


    With desperate energy he tried to stab Aaron with his sword, but he kept his sword arm at bay and just stabbed him again, the blade piercing the throat almost until it came out on the other side.


    The knight fell to his knees and then sagged to the ground. He was dead. No doubt.


    His eyes were glassy, but unlike everyone else he did not disappear or burst into motes of light.


    "Victory, Choose your reward yourself." the female voice said formally.


    Aaron looked at the floating light displaying a timer only this time. 15 minutes.


    "So what, you want me to loot this man? How much can I take?"


    "To the victor the spoils. You may take everything or nothing." she said evenly.


    "Hmmm, well sorry if I displeased you, little spirit. But better him than me."


    "A lowly creature such as you could never displease or please me." the female voice said haughtily.


    "Sure that¡¯s why you have been pouting the entire time."


    "Hmph." was the only answer and Aaron grinned at the light, before he searched the mans body.


    But he had nothing on him besides a water skin with what tasted like wine, making it a wine skin? And his weapon and armor.


    He upgraded his own armor a bit, but few things were useful. The only thing really was a chain-mail shirt and a better belt.


    Aaron sighed when he was done.


    How long had he been here? Only a few hours right? But it felt much, much longer.


    "How many tests are there?" he asked wearily.


    "As many as you can withstand." the female voice said with some glee.


    "Great." Aaron said and sat down.


    This was all pure madness. He was going crazy, or maybe it was this new world that was crazy. He did not know.


    For a few long minutes he just sat there, with his eyes closed before he got up again and drew the sword he had taken from the knight.


    "Oh well lets get this over with."


    He fought one enemy after the other, most humanoid now. Most of them armed or with some special abilities. One could send weak fireballs, something he was very, very jealous of. Another female squid thing could send ice shards from her tentacles at him. They were surprisingly homing and definitively magical.


    Aaron was exhausted, but he overcame them one after another. The food was slowly replaced by medicines and potions that kept him alive, rested and full of energy, while he upgraded or switched armors.


    The decision to take the first thing that looked like a health potion saved his life almost instantly and Aaron stared in baffled surprise as his injuries faded when he drank the potion.


    Sadly no firearms were given as choice and all he got in the end was a better dagger, something that was enchanted?


    Because this long gleaming length of steel left behind burning wounds and pierced armor easily.


    Every victory was harder to achieve than the last and some fights took ages. Aaron was wounded and healed over and over again using the magical potions he got as rewards. It was all mad and he simply let loose.


    He killed and killed and killed.


    He lost himself in the game, the simple choices, the pain, the fighting and the feeling of killing an enemy that wanted you dead. It was exhilarating. But the longer the fights took, the more difficult and challenging they became, the less room for error there was.


    Aaron¡¯s supply of potions dwindled especially against the magic wielding enemies, or those with ranged capabilities.


    He was still confident until a far bigger flash appeared and he looked up at the giant werewolf in front of him.


    It was more than 3 meters tall, its wolf head snarling. Red eyes flashed with malice and intelligence, its fur was dark and its claws sharp like swords. It stood on its back legs and sniffed the air once before it snarled at him.


    Aaron could not help himself and despaired.


    The thing was twice his size and had wicked sharp claws. Its range was insane, even farther than his spear and it snapped every blade that he tried to block with in half.


    The wounds his enchanted sword or dagger could inflict on its tough hide were healed in seconds as the beast claws, snapped and bit at him.


    "How is this fair." he cried just before the beast crunched down on his arm, severing it.


    With terror and unbelievable pain he watched the beast eat his arm, while a giant paw pinned him to the ground.


    Then the beast bit his head off.

 3. Paths

    Aaron awoke spluttering and coughing and fell to his knees. Terror and panic ran through his veins as he grabbed at his face.


    He had two hands. His arm was still there and he was naked. His armor was gone, his weapons, even his injuries.


    Everything just was gone like it had never been.


    Shaking he looked around and found himself in a small room that looked like a modern artwork. Lines and scriptures ran along every wall, the floor and the ceiling forming circles and ever expanding mysterious formations. They gently thrummed with energy and he was alone in the room besides a floating light in the middle of it all, illuminating everything.


    "Congratulations Aspirant, you have bested 53 foes and are on the top 10 of all humans without abilities of all time on the leader-board of the Hall of Illusions." the female voice of the "Spirit" said with a slight snark.


    "Not bad for a human."


    Aaron swallowed and got to his feet, looking back he could see the opening leading to the Room he had woken up. Had he not moved at all and just stood there in the entrance?


    "That...all of that was an illusion?" he asked with shuddering breath, remembering the teeth that had crushed his skull.


    "Yes, but you did actually kill the Knight, he was another aspirant, but much more boring than you."


    "So I could have died to him."


    "Yes."


    "But not to anyone else in the Illusion."


    "No."


    "Well thanks for telling me that, that makes me feel loads better." he said sarcastically and sat down on the floor.


    "What now?" he asked after a while.


    "Now you get to choose your reward and ask any questions you have. Unlike Golem, I am more than capable to answer any questions you may have."


    Aaron swallowed hard and took a deep breath.


    "Am I dead?"


    "You are alive now, but you died on your world, yes."


    "How? How is that possible?"


    "The void is mysterious, few arch mages ever get in contact with it. But our Lord Emnu is a master of summoning. He is the greatest man to ever live. He was a natural born magical genius and it is an honor for every lesser being like us to serve his every whim." the female voice said with fervent belief and conviction.


    "That did not answer my question." Aaron said carefully.


    "Your soul was summoned into a new body made after the image of your soul. It is very complicated and impossible for anyone but Emnu himself."


    "Okay, why was I summoned, brought back to life?"


    "To serve Emnu of course."


    Aaron frowned. He would serve no man but himself. But he could not really tell that to this fanatical voice now could he? She talked about this Emnu guy like he was a god. And hell maybe he was a god if he could bring back the dead. What exactly was she anyways?


    "What exactly are you and how exactly am I supposed to serve him?" he asked wearily.


    The word serve was not more than a snarl.


    "I am a spirit, mortal, immortal and beautiful, far beyond mortal understanding. You will serve Lord Emnu as a death soldier most likely. You will be trained and once you ascended the tower you will be transported to one of the battlefields to kill his enemies and die in his service."


    Aaron scowled openly now.


    "That does not sound very appealing to me."


    The spirit gasped.


    "How dare you! It is an honor to die for Lord Emnu! But oh well, yes there are other ways. Should you prove yourself worthy and survive long enough you might become a general or even gain your freedom. Such a thing is not unheard of."


    "Okay...how do I do that?"


    She snorted.


    "By being stronger than anyone else in the Tower and then on the battlefield."


    "Who are we even fighting?" Aaron asked, feeling a headache coming. This was all too much. He was supposed to fight like some summoned minion for some half crazy god?


    "The other forces of the Multiverse." she said with audible disgust.


    "The Multiverse?"


    "The Multiverse is the name for any known and unknown dimension and parallel universes. There are hypothetically infinite parallel dimensions so rejoice you will have the chance to conquer no matter how well our Lords conquest goes."


    "Yay." Aaron said tiredly.


    "You should be thankful you know, once the void has you in its grasp your soul disappears forever. This is a chance of a new life and from your state of knowledge, your soul came from a primitive backwater."


    "Yeah, a primitive backwater with m16s and nukes. Keep talking spirit."


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Any novice magician can make a shield that can neutralize a nuclear bomb. Children are born strong enough to shrug one such over sized fireball off in their cradle. You have not the slightest idea how weak you really are.


    Do you think you are strong? You are a human without any abilities. Your only saving grace is that humans can learn, can change, otherwise you would forever be weak and insignificant like an insect." The spirit ranted with fury.


    Aaron raised his hands in defeat. If the spirit said the truth, then all of this was really a world of super humans. Hell he had just fought in a life like illusion for hours. Magic was real, or it was technology so advanced it was basically magic anyways to him.


    "Okay, I understand. So how do I get that strong? How do I climb the tower?"


    "By choosing a path of course. Considering your excellent performance, for a human, you have 3 options."


    The spirit floated over to him and 3 transparent images formed underneath it.


    "The first path, the most common path is the path of augmentation. You will become a Vessel and a spirit will be implanted into you and it will guide and reforge your body, give you access to classes and improve your abilities."


    "A spirit like you?" Aaron asked with a slight smile.


    "Me?! I am far too noble and powerful to bond with a mere human. If you were a Master, maybe, but an Aspirant? Unthinkable.


    You would be given a new born spirit, but considering your exploits it would give you a good class with high attribute gains."


    "Attribute gains, classes? Like in a game?"


    "Yes, some of you humans call it an RPG, but really what is happening on a deeper spiritual level is nothing game like. Your very essence gets improved by a noble spirit." Her light flared and ebbed away when the spirit was emotional. Aaron noticed it just now, but it gave the disembodied light more character.


    "How do you even know about things from my world?" Aaron asked wearily and really hoped it could not read his thoughts.


    The spirit snorted.


    "You are not the first from your World to be summoned and we have intricate dossiers on every world that comes within the spherical alignment between dimensions and is as such eligible for Summoning."


    "Wait I am in a different dimension? And there are other people from earth?"


    "Yes, is that so hard to believe? Your world is one of 15 that have had some contact to the Sub-Dimension this tower resides in."


    Aaron let that sink in. Apparently he was not the first to end up here. But that was not really important now.


    "Okay, that¡¯s one option, whats the other two?" he said.


    "The second option is the path of magic. You will follow in Emnu¡¯s footsteps and embark on a journey of magical prowess. Magic will enable you to do anything imaginable, there are no limits like with augmentation. But it is far more reliant on yourself. Finding the right path to form spells and gather mana to amplify your prowess, it is the most noble path. A path that eventually leads to immortality, should one ascend beyond arch-mage. Then you will be able to channel the very energy of the Multiverse yourself."


    Aaron was impressed, but it seemed far more dangerous to embark on this path. It sounded like a classical magic path, but how that lead to immortality he could not really understand. Still it was enticing, the prospect of creating spells, shooting fire balls from his fingertips... and this tower had been created through magic after all.


    "And the third path?"


    The spirits light flared and she snorted.


    "The path of the enemy. The disgusting dregs who dare to ignore mana, the most pure path to ascension. Instead they try to channel the energy of the Multiverse from the start, in their own bodies. The foolishness. The Gall. They are so weak because they can''t access the mana around them and need to channel it through their bodies. It is inferior, it is the worst path. No sane being should ever pick it."


    Aaron snorted, the visceral disgust was a very human emotion for a being of light that called itself spirit. He carefully thought it through though. Why did she have such a reaction to it?


    Was it to prevent or to goad him into picking this option?


    "The path of the enemy? If it is so weak, then how could they be a challenge to Emnu?" he asked eventually.


    The spirits light dimmed and it almost sounded like she was pouting.


    "Well, channeling the energy of the Multiverse extends their lives from the start and eventually, after centuries they become quite powerful. But before that they are vastly inferior."


    "Mhmmm, then why offer it?"


    "Emnu in his wisdom offers it to the most talented in case he needs some...infiltrators. Not because the path is good. Only the most talented can make something out of themselves with that path.


    Do not pick it, you have no chance with it!"


    Aaron frowned. Her rejection of this path made him weary of her. He actually wanted to pick this path more because of her rejection, it was paradoxical, but maybe she was trying to manipulate him?


    "After choosing a path I can''t pick another?"


    "No, once started on a path they are contradictory to each other."


    "So the first is augmentation through a spirit. Becoming a Vessel.


    The second is Ascension through Magic and the third?"


    "They call it Cultivation. As if they could cultivate the very energy of the cosmos. The height of folly."


    Aaron had read some cultivation stories. He was at least somewhat familiar with the genre. But that it actually existed was beyond his expectation. Then again, magic existed as well. So he thought about his options.


    Cultivation and her vehement denial of the path made him want to pick it, but he was still tempted to pick the first.


    LitRPG powers were usually very powerful in stories and the second path seemed too theoretical for him.


    He did not understand half what the Spirit had said, if he was honest. He had no reference point to begin with. The only hint so far was, that at the highest level of achievement Mages did something similar to what the Cultivators did from the start.


    "So, let me get this straight. Picking Augmentation is the quickest way to power, but it doesn''t change much about you right?"


    "Correct, Augmentation will not turn you into a being that can transcend mortality, but you would gain power quickly and it would help your survive. As well as help the spirit mature."


    "Wait, wait wait. Mature? Are you telling me we are just some sort of incubation chamber for you spirits?


    Vessels, its actually in the name." Aaron grunted in disgust.


    The light of the spirit flickered erratically for a few moments.


    "Of course not, its a genuine path to power. Most soldiers in Lord Emnu''s army are Vessels." but her voice sounded strained.


    Yeah fuck the first path.


    "The second path sounds quite harsh for someone like me who does not even know what mana even is." he probed.


    "Obviously for someone like you, it is impossible to emulate Lord Emnu''s prowess. But the Magicians are the officers, are the generals, they are who change the fortune of war. You might even one day become Lord Emnu''s disciple. A greater honor is impossible to get in the multiverse."


    Aaron nodded gravely, it sounded like a bunch of hogwash, but better than become a host for some spirit.


    "The third path, it would make me an infiltrator?"


    "At best." she said with disdain. "Yes, it will grant you a long lifespan and eventually you will be powerful, but who wants to spend a hundred years to gain power? You will never be an officer in the army as a Cultivator, that much I can promise you."


    Aaron had watched some animes in his time. After all when he was not "working" or studying, he had nothing much to do. He knew more or less what people of earth thought cultivation was. Some eastern kung fu stuff where people could fly and punch through rocks and stuff. It did sound interesting, but if he believed the spirit, magic was far superior. But this spirit was suspicious from the start. It was evasive and way too fanatical in its belief of Emnu. And it did sound like magic only reached what cultivation did at the very pinnacle of the art. Yeah he had decided.


    Even if the spirit was manipulating him, he could only rely on the information he had and that information was clear.


    "Hundreds of years you say? Well If I can serve as an infiltrator to Lord Emnu that would be an honor." he said with a smile.


    The spirit froze.


    ¡°Are you certain? The path of mana and magic is the best, let me promise you. It will be a pleasant path to power. And should you pick augmentation, I will make certain you gain a powerful spirit giving you strength beyond all others. Being a cultivator is folly. You have to embrace the filthy doctrine of the enemy. It will tarnish your soul."


    But the more the spirit tried to dissuade Aaron, the more he was certain it was the right answer.


    If they were the enemy, then gaining their power could make him powerful enough to even stand up to this Emnu, right? If it took a long time, then why not? A long life sounded grand for someone who had died in his mid thirties.


    "I choose the third path. Cultivation." he said seriously.


    The spirit sounded enraged and her light was way too bright for a moment.


    "You will regret this decision. You will die worthlessly, like most cultivators do. Now go to the end of the corridor and choose the right door. I do not feel like answering any more questions, you massive fool."


    Aaron snorted dismissively and walked over to the end of the room where three doors had opened. The left one was grand and imposing, wisps of light fluttering around it, like miniature spirits.


    The one in the middle was even more impressive.


    Streams of liquid power that thrummed in Aaron¡¯s chest flowed around the door made out of gleaming silver and gold.


    The right corridor was simple, made with stone and entirely unadorned. With a smile on his face Aaron entered the unassuming corridor.

 4. The Great Master

    Aaron walked down the long dimly lit corridor, the light fading behind him as his steps led him deeper into darkness. But he was not afraid of the dark. He had always been the worst that could lurk in it and he knew that. He told himself that, because fear would do nobody any good. But he was shivering nonetheless, as this corridor was cold and he was naked again.


    After long minutes in twilight he spotted light from up ahead. He followed it until he entered a prison.


    There was no other way to call it, iron bars and what looked like barriers or shields of energy everywhere. He studied the different prison cells that were all situated in a giant hall. Most cages were empty and the iron or steel bars seemed to be locking in nothing at all. The light surrounding most cages looked like fancy sci-fi barriers or shields. Transparent, but still visible.  Still, most of the light came from deeper into the prison, towards the center of the enormous hall.


    The light guided him past the more mundane prisons, who soon were filled with all sorts of beings, most sitting perfectly still, their eyes closed, their breath even.


    Most were humanoid or humans, but he could also see some who looked like lizard men? And one of the women behind a particularly heavy light Barrier had long pointed ears like an...elf?


    Okay, he was definitively in wonderland now.


    The light illuminating the entire prison originated from two giant lamps, like the ones you would rub and a Djinn would escape it, just that this pair of lamps were the size of small houses. Their blue ghostly light flowed in never ending streams around a single massive prison cell. But it also seemed to feed all of the light screen barriers that made up part of the prison. None of the barriers could hold a candle to the central Prison cell though.


    Behind the massive black metallic bars that formed a complicated almost artistic cage were screens of pure blue light. The energy of it all made the air vibrate and thrum deeply.


    Inside of the massive prison cell made entirely out of ethereal light floated a shadow, a ghost.


    "Welcome young man." an old voice whispered in his ear and the ghost floated closer to the screens of light.


    Aaron looked around and then back up at the floating wisp of mist.


    "Are you...a ghost?" he asked carefully. After what he had just lived through, after seeing the strange alien prisoners, the existence of ghosts was not something inconceivable.


    "No, I am a soul." the voice of the old man said and floated downward until it hovered slightly swaying up and down before Aaron.


    The self proclaimed soul looked like it was made out of fog creating the outline of an old man with a chin beard, but the strange fog was in constant flux, like billowing shadows, like energy that flowed through a mans silhouette came to life. Roiling and boiling, but always keeping the same overall form.


    "I...was told to come here for my...path?" Aaron asked unsure.


    "Ah yes, another one talented and smart enough to see through their ruse." he could feel the old man smiling more than he saw it.


    "Tell me, why did you choose Cultivation over the other easier paths, young man?"


    Aaron hesitated and shrugged, deciding on the spot to tell the truth.


    "I don''t want to be some sort of spirit incubator, magic sounded nice enough, but Cultivation sounded better, especially because the spirit talked so hateful about it. If it is the path of Emnu''s enemies, then it might give me enough strength to survive. A long life also seems nice." Aaron added.


    The old man laughed a wispy ethereal laugh.


    "I see, I see. Let me tell you about cultivation young man, before you decide your fate.


    ¡°You see the universe is not so simple as it looks at first glance. All things in any universe with or without Qi, the essence of the Multiverse, produce Qi. But in most dimensions this energy can''t be retained, it instead floods into other dimensions, into parallel universes.


    This process of assimilation across dimensional borders creates mana, a watered down Qi in direct energy form. That is the basis of magic. It is free, it is easy to use and it is powerful. Qi on the other hand is not, it is the very essence of the Multiverse itself.


    To gather it, to use it, is to wrangle it from the multiverse itself. It is a path doomed to be hard and unforgiving.


    But in return it gives us the power to do feats that are impossible to even the most powerful mages. We channel the very energy of the multiverse through our bodies, turning them into things of such power few beings can contest us. Eventually we are able to channel Qi even outside of our bodies, easily eclipsing the might of any mage. We can even nurture our souls until we truly become eternal and guide with our will the Multiverse itself."


    The old man paused for a moment, his misty appearance blurring, but then the old man sighed.


    "But alas, in our folly we have discarded all other paths as useless. And so Mages like Emnu, or Spirit Lords like Exterion were able to grasp incredible power. Cultivators have always been more interested in fighting ourselves over resources, over petty feuds than face a common enemy. You see when you live thousands of years, many things lose their meaning for you. But some petty feuds remain.


    So much pride, so much folly and the war is unlikely to change things."


    Aaron listened carefully and eventually asked.


    "You were a cultivator?"


    "Yes and much more powerful than Emnu ever was or will be." the old man said with a tired smile. His face visible as a misty imprint for a moment.


    "But I was betrayed, killed by my allies and trapped by Emnu. Ingenious to trap my soul, so I would be unable to reincarnate."


    Aaron raised his eyebrows.


    "Oh yes, reincarnation is real. Did you think the void they pulled you from was the end, boy?" he chuckled softly.


    "No, its the wellspring of souls and you merely lose your personality, your memory remains, hidden but still there in the depths of your soul. Reincarnation washes away sins and past grievances. You are a young soul, like so many. Only those who have ascended in cultivation are capable of remembering their past lives. But my current form gives me the power to see through you easily enough.


    You are not a good man, you kill without mercy or remorse. But it still weighs on you, your inability to help those you love."


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Aaron stared at the old man, his eyes cold. How could he know? Could he actually read his soul? Or his mind?


    "Your ruthlessness will serve you well, but once you step on this path it will eventually be mellowed by time." the man smiled his sad wistful smile.


    "One day you will leave this tower and if you survive you will be sent to a cultivation world. Emnu will find something to chain you to his service. I will not tell you to change, not to be you, to avoid that fate. It is inevitable. But one day you will stand in the rich Qi filled woods of a true world. You will breathe in the very essence of existence, you will feel it in the soil under your feet, in the plants, the animals. Everything alive and dead will be filled with it. You will savor it and you will learn tranquility. It will be an epiphany so beautiful you will weep. Then you will have to decide what sort of world you want to live in. A world filled with magic and slavery? With nothing good but what you make of your own hand? Or the tranquil serenity of a true world?


    Don''t misunderstand me boy, cultivation worlds are wicked and ruled by the strong, but there is so much beauty, so many easy lives for souls to learn, to live, to love, to die. No soul is truly alive without experiencing it at least once.


    Decide then if such a world is worthy to be saved or destroyed." The old man fell silent and Aaron could not help but be moved by the man''s words. He did not believe them, he was not sure of anything, not if he would survive this day or even this moment. But that was nothing new. Survival was never guaranteed and if what the old man said was true, he wanted to see it for himself.


    The other prisoners had woken up while the old man talked, some with tears streaming down their faces. Their eyes glassy in remembrance.


    "But those words will only hold meaning to you, should you decide to embark on the path of cultivation. It will be 10 times worse than anything you can imagine. You can leave the way you came and pick another path young one. Still, should you prevail, should you thrive in this hell for any cultivator." The old man grinned, looking fierce and powerful for a fleeting moment.


    "Then you will gain the power to contest even Emnu himself."


    Aaron hesitated only for a moment, thinking his choice through and then nodded.


    "I''ll become a cultivator. I don''t fear a harder path."


    The old man laughed his ethereal ghastly laugh.


    "Good, good. Courage is a talent often overlooked. But you should know that there will be many, many challenges ahead. There is no Qi in this tower, so you will have to create it to absorb it. It is incredibly inefficient because of the Sorcerers Domain that this tower is build in. Also us prisoners here are the only Cultivators in the tower. Without our guidance you will never survive so you will need to feed us."


    "Feed you?" Aaron asked suspiciously.


    "Every cultivator who is still alive in this prison can live on Qi alone, but we still need Qi. This tower is a barren wasteland. While we can absorb and turn some of the Mana into Qi through our sheer will, it is simply not enough to live. We can survive, but it is not truly life. That means you will have to find enough resources to raise your cultivation and make sure we are fed and paid."


    "Paid?!" Aaron asked incredulously. What the hell was wrong with this old ghost?


    "For Cultivation Techniques, for guidance, for training. Nobody else in the Tower can give you that. Well, there were others before you, but they are undoubtedly dead already. Being a cultivator is a hard path, especially here."


    Aaron scoffed.


    "Why tell me all of this before I decide? Are you not afraid I would leave you to rot?"


    "He has a point there old man." a thin man with thick eyebrows and fierce eyes, said from Aaron¡¯s right. He had a smirk on his face and was leaning against his prison bars like one would lean on a bar table.


    The old ghost laughed.


    "No, I am not afraid, you are not the kind of man who would fail to grasp the chance to become more powerful than anyone else in the multiverse, am I right?"


    Aaron scowled and shrugged. "Maybe, I am sick and tired of being powerless. Of being unable to save those I hold dear. If I can grasp a power like that, I will do anything to get it."


    "Excellent. Now lets set the terms of our agreement."


    "What terms?"


    "You will return to this prison once a month with 13 mana stones. One for each of us. They are commonly used in the Tower as currency. Every technique and skill and for every hour of personal training we will require a beast-core.


    You can get those from most monsters on Level 5 or higher in the tower. They are the best nourishment for us, as it is most efficient to turn beast cores into Qi."


    Aaron did not really know if that was much, or if this was hard to get. But it did not sound like that much.


    "Okay...I don''t see how I have any choice here."


    "You don''t if you want to become a cultivator." the old man said with a smile in his voice.


    "In return we will get you started with knowledge and techniques that will ensure your survival. I will give you the knowledge how to turn Mana into Qi and how to absorb it. I will also grant you the Fiend-god Art, a cultivation technique that should last you till golden core."


    "Hey, old man are you serious?" the man who had talked earlier said with a huge scowl on his face. "You are willing to waste something as good as the Fiend-god Art on him? By my ancestors, its like feeding heavenly pills to a pig."


    "I would appreciate some silence Sylus. It is the best art I can give him that does not entirely rely on Qi, but also his body to function."


    The ghost turned back to Aaron.


    "The Fiend-god Art will determine how you channel your Qi through your body. It is a physical art, meaning it will not require much, if any Qi to work, but it will feed of your body. It is a great healing art and it will help form your body into the equivalent of a Fiend-god, a primordial beast of immense physical prowess."


    Now that sounded much more interesting. "So how strong would I become exactly?"


    The man the ghost called Sylus scoffed.


    "You will be able to crush steel with your bare hands without even using Qi Enhancement. You will be able to regenerate any wound not fatal. It is a tragedy. Great Master give the Art to me instead! You know my path would benefit tremendously from this cultivation art."


    "Sylus." the ghost sighed.


    "You are in the Nascent Soul stage, what good would a technique do that falls off after reaching golden core? We talked about this."


    "You are the great Master, a transcender, don''t tell me you could not make the cultivation art work for me. I am no fool."


    "No but you talk like a fool." a female voice interrupted furiously. "Shut up Sylus and let the master talk."


    Aaron turned around to the speaker and found it came from the elf he had seen earlier. She was hot, like smoking hot, now that he gave her a closer look. Tall, curves for days, with a pretty face and currently a fierce scowl that made her only prettier.


    Even with long pointy ears.


    "Still the same rotten temper, you should really try to live up to the title of fairy, sister Mei." the man said with a grin.


    "Who is your sister?" she snapped back.


    "I would gut you for that comment if we were anywhere but here."


    Sylus laughed and winked to Aaron.


    "She is a fierce one, but sadly you have no chance with her, she can''t get over me. But I''ll tell you she can really do some amazing things with that body, boy."


    "SYLUS!" Mei growled and sent them both a scathing gaze that promised a quick and painful death.


    "Alright children, settle down. Where was I?" The old ghost said and both of them fell silent.


    "Ah yes, besides the Fiend-god art you will also learn the 10 Heavenly Katas of the Artis Clan from Sylus, it is a combat style designed to strengthen the body and grant you some combat ability. It does indeed go very well with the Fiend-god Art, Sylus."


    "Old man, you want me to grant him the biggest secret of my clan? I was just joking, have some mercy for an old prisoner."


    The old ghost ignored Sylus bickering and whining and turned to look at the elf.


    "You will also learn Wind steps from Mei here, it is one of the best lightness techniques that rely on physical prowess."


    "Master." the elf said reverently, but with indignation.


    "The technique is called 10.000 Heavenly Winds of Change."


    "Wind steps suits it better in my eyes" the old man said evenly, before he continued, ignoring the outrage in the elves eyes.


    "It is a movement art that will grant you the ability to escape and move with ease. I am afraid you have no choice in the skills you learn, but I assure you it is to your best interest. These three techniques, a cultivation art, a movement technique and a combat style all reinforce and amplify each other without needing much Qi to fuel them.


    In the past we let Cultivators choose, but considering how few ever made it out of the tower, I believe we need to ensure your survival first."


    Aaron had no idea what any of that was, lightness techniques? Combat Styles? What?


    But it seemed quite beneficial nonetheless. It was clear this world was crazy and had different rules than the one he had lived in before. Locked in some sort of training hell from some crazy magician, even if these cultivators muttered nonsense he would not know.


    But he had decided on his path, if this could grant him strength above anyone else, then he would not hesitate.


    "Okay, how do we start?" he asked and looked at the Ghost.

 5. Breakthrough

    "I will first guide you through the Awakening, and I will require absolute silence." the soul said and Sylus raised his hands and then sat down, looking away from them. Mei, the elf, snorted quietly and then closed her eyes again, her face smoothing and loosing its edges.


    "Sit down before me young one, ah I have never asked your name. Not that it is important, but I suppose since I am taking you as my disciple, I should know that much."


    Aaron sat down on the floor and was once more reminded that he was naked and nobody had even cared. Not even the pretty elf.


    "My name is Aaron Plane." he said.


    "Aaron, what a unique name."


    "Not really, at least not in my world."


    "Hmm, I see. Cross your legs, straighten your back, yes like that."


    Aaron sat down cross legged and straightened his back like he was told. It was uncomfortable, very uncomfortable.


    The ghost writhed and contorted on the other side of the light screen, it roiled and boiled inside of the hazy smoke that made up the visual component of the old cultivator''s soul. It looked like rolling fire, like power building up. Aaron could feel the tension in the air, and he had goosebumps.


    Then suddenly the smoke compressed and with a massive boom the old man slammed against the light screen surrounding his cell. The sound was deafening and it shook Aaron to the core. But the light screen did not budge, for a moment it looked like the attack of the old man had done nothing, but then cracks formed in the light screen, like in glass and a tiny bit shattered, before it rebuilt itself.


    In that instant the old man sent out a tiny spark of fog through the opening. It looked like a firefly as it dodged between the iron bars and stopped in front of Aaron.


    "This, my young disciple is a spark of Qi. It will form the foundation of the Fiendgod art. Swallow it and then close your eyes."


    Aaron opened his mouth and the glowing wisp of fog entered his mouth. It did not taste like anything, but it felt like electricity, like power, like potential. It made him shiver in ways Aaron did not understand. If he had to describe it, it was like it touched his body and his soul. Even though he did not even believe in such a thing like a soul.


    Well apparently Souls were a fact in this strange new world and Aaron felt the energy bead sink inside of his body, could feel it sear through his flesh. It wasn''t entirely painful, it was just...different. It felt so otherworldly and strange, he had nothing to compare it to. It felt like it was transforming him, if he had to guess, because he felt different immediately.


    Eventually the energy settled down in his guts? Somewhere below his navel.


    "Close your eyes boy, then follow the energy. Feel where it settled down."


    Aaron closed his eyes, his mind "feeling" for the energy. It was like concentrating on a specific body part of your body that would focus in your inner eye. It was surprisingly easy, he could feel, could see the energy ball in his inner eye. How a bead of pulsing energy had settled in his flesh, forming a space not really there and yet very real.


    "This is your lower dantian, the foundation. It symbolizes your cultivation, it is the storage of the energy you have ripped away from the universe. It is yours and it will forever be that way. It is your power, once energy settles in your dantian it will always belong to you, never forget that.


    Now feel the energy and let me tell you a story, let me bring you back to Aranack, the first Fiend god."


    The old mans voice was a whisper, it entered his ears easily and it started to sound like chanting, his voice bending and stretching, undulating strangely until Aaron felt his body vanish, his consciousness entering the bead of energy inside of his dantian.


    <hr>


    Aaron was a beast, hurried and beset by a thousand foes. He was bigger than an elephant and ran quickly on four massive paws. He was taller than trees, his steps leaving a trail of destruction. He flattened hills and jumped up mountains. His massive maw snapped at other beasts that pursued him relentlessly. But they were bigger, faster, stronger together. They came to eat him, to devour. They envied his power, his abilities. His blood. But he would not give it to them. They had almost eliminated his kind.


    But he was Aranack, the lion god.


    He could kill any of his thousand foes in battle, but he could not beat them all, before they killed him.


    Aranack, Aaron, roared in indignation and tore his foes apart that tried to bar his way. They would pay, they would die. He would take them all with him, or as many as his prodigious strength would allow.


    The fight was vicious and he was losing, no matter how many beasts he ripped to shreds or bit their necks. There were always more. His flanks were bloody and so he continued to flee and kill those who barred his way.


    He would have died if he had not spotted something odd.


    An anomaly, a rift in space and time.


    These beasts lusted for his flesh, he would deny it to them forever more. With a vicious pounce he leapt into the rift, indignant that this was the end, but satisfied he would not let them win.


    The space twisted him, it changed him, it ripped at his flesh and he healed while he hurtled through time and space. He saw universes die, saw them born, saw stars collide until he finally left the area between universes.


    He was broken, he was dying.


    He took a breath and opened his eyes. But there was no air. No power. Aranack found himself in a barren world. Rocky stone and dusty desert around him. Space was fragile here and a giant star ate clouds of gas so massive, nothing ever could compare to its magnificent beauty. But there was no power, only watered down, flawed wisps of tainted Qi.


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    Aranack despaired. Spacial rifts where everywhere, the airless planet or moon, or whatever he stood on was hell. But he had escaped, he would not die here. So what if this was hell? He would show these beasts the error of their ways and return one day. He changed his mangled body, he twisted himself. Only his prodigious healing ability kept him alive, while he tainted his flesh by absorbing the energy of this hellish world. The energy was so weak.


    But his body was not, his blood was strong. His will was imperious, immovable, unshakable. He bent the tainted Qi to his will, his body absorbing it, purifying it. With a soundless roar he breathed in the formless energy.


    Aranack was hungry, so hungry. He had found a way to gain energy, but at the cost of his own flesh and blood. He needed sustenance. Food.


    But there was nothing, so he ate rocks, but they did not fill his stomach.


    Alas he was lucky, or unlucky, for there were creatures living in the void. Even more twisted than him. They had felt him disturb the rifts they lived in and one after another they crept out of the breaks in space and time. Monsters defying imagination, dark twisted foul creatures. Living off the twisted and impure energy.


    Aranack laughed, the moons surface warping under the sheer force his laughter before he pounced. His first bite of a void beast was disgusting, but it was rich in energy. He savored its flesh, drank its blood while he slaughtered the rest. For he was Aranack. First of the Fiend-gods, and he would devour all.


    <hr>


    Aaron awoke out of his trance, he could still taste the voidbeast on his tongue, felt the Fiend-gods power thrum through him, as his body transformed the tainted Qi into pure energy, his body the catalyst, the origin of his strength.


    Slowly he came back to himself.


    He was not Aranack, he was Aaron, he was a human. And yet he could feel a trace of the might of the Fiend-god.


    It burned in his stomach, its blood flowing in his veins, while a strange energy flowed through his body like liquid heat.


    "Follow the energy, it is Qi, remember where it flows, how it flows. Follow the flow of the energy boy." The voice of the master said and Aaron did just that. It was amazing. The Qi felt so different, so powerful.


    It took complicated paths through his body, but it always started and ended in his dantian. He noticed the bead of energy had melted and was dissipating with every rotation of his Qi.


    "You are now a cultivator Aaron, first level of Qi Refining. Sometimes called Amalgation, Accumulation. To cultivate you have to absorb energy, for most cultivators it has to be Qi, but it does not matter to you. The Fiend-god art lets you absorb any energy, including mana. Once absorbed, this energy then flows into your blood where it is purified and you siphon the purified energy into your dantian afterwards.


    Breathe in deeply, Aaron Plane, feel the tainted Qi, how week how feeble the energy. The same energy as Aranack tasted."


    Aaron breathed in deeply, could feel the weak energy enter his lungs, flood his blood. There something miraculous happened, the energy rose, it fed of his blood, turning more and more into Qi. Then it spread out in his body, flooding his cells, who greedily absorbed it.


    "Feel how your Fiend-god art changes the mana into Qi. This will happen all the time now. With every breath. Any energy you encounter will turn into Qi. It is why this cultivation art is so wanted. But the downside should be apparent as well."


    "What is the downside, master?" Aaron barely noticed that he meant the master.


    In a way that meant teacher, not anything else.


    "It will not improve your cultivation, but your body instead. To use it for cultivation, you need to grasp the energy in your blood and lead it into your dantian. Once it is there, it will be entirely yours. Try it now."


    Aaron breathed in deeply once again, following the breath into his lungs, feeling the mana mingling with his blood and turning it slowly into Qi. Then he tried to move the energy, willed it to follow his commands. But it was hard, so hard. It barely did what he wanted and most of it vanished on the way to his dantian. After multiple failed attempts he finally managed to lead a bit of Qi into his dantian. There the Qi floated around, it felt incorporeal, like a gas, feeble and weak and yet thousands of magnitudes stronger than mana. Automatically it started floating around the center of the dantian, forming a slow revolving mist.


    "Have you managed to make some Qi your own?" the old man asked, patiently.


    "Yes."


    "Good, this is how you accumulate Qi. Once Qi is in your dantian, it is yours to command. To use in techniques or otherwise. In cultivation there are two ways to improve your Qi. By density and by volume. Your Dantian should be tiny, but through control you can enlarge it, can create more space for Qi and raise the total amount you can store. In the Qi refining stage there are 9 distinct stages, they all revolve around enlarging your dantian. Only then we will start and condense the Qi.


    Have you understood this so far boy?"


    "I...think so? How do I enlarge the dantian?"


    "You take the Qi and use it to carve out more space. Its best done when your Dantian is full, as it will be easier then. If this was a cultivation world we would go into far more detail right now, but it is not. For now try to fill your dantian with Qi entirely by the time you return."


    "Okay."


    "I want you to cultivate for at least 3 hours every morning and evening. Not more and not less. The Fiend-god art will continuously improve your body automatically in the meantime by flooding your body with pure Qi. During cultivation I want you to lead Qi into your dantian and then cycle it through the Fiend-god Art."


    "Cycle it?"


    "Yes, remember how the energy first moved through your body? If you do that with your Qi, it will not only purify it even further, but also directly use the Qi in your cells to improve your body. By now you should feel the second downside of the Fiend-god art."


    Aarons stomach grumbled.


    "Hunger." he said softly.


    "Yes, exactly, the Fiend-god art works by using your body''s energy to enhance subpar energy to Qi, turning it usable and improving your body. But that requires a lot of energy. You will have to eat for at least 2 grown men. And that will get worse the further along the path of the Fiend-god Art you progress. It is also the reason why Fiend-gods are so feared and were hunted so fiercely. They would eat anything granting them sustenance and they are very hard to kill."


    Aaron did not think that was that much of a problem, but it might be annoying to find enough food. He hesitated for a moment, remembering being the first Fiend-god, feeling so strong, so imperishable.


    "What happened to Aranack?" he asked.


    "He was killed by a great warrior." the old man said, stroking his beard. His fingers phasing in and out of existence.


    Aaron looked incredulously at the soul.


    "Ah yes, you felt its strength. Certainly, Fiend-gods are strong and very hard to kill. They also can survive almost anywhere. But their prowess pales to the upper ranks of cultivators. You can hardly imagine their power Aaron. Always remember, there is always someone or something stronger."


    Aaron honestly could not imagine anything being stronger than the Fiend-god, but he had no reason to doubt the Masters words. If there really were many people who could kill such a monster, then he was really glad he became a cultivator.


    "Now to finish my first lesson, there is only one way that you can absorb mana stones or beast cores directly Aaron. Never eat them, that would be foolish with your cultivation level. No. the only way for quite a while will be to bleed."


    "To what?" Aaron asked, thinking he had misheard.


    "Your blood has been turned into at least part Fiend-god through the cultivation Art you practice. So once you get something with a high concentration of Mana, you have to cut yourself and then press the core or mana stone into the wound. Your blood will then slowly absorb the mana and turn it into Qi. You have to endure the pain, draw the produced Qi into your dantian and at best cycle your Qi at the same time. It will require much practice to do that, but in the end it is the only way to cultivate quickly enough."


    Aaron was incredulous. He was to wound himself and then press some stones into the wound? That sounded like torture not cultivation. While Aaron did not think he could not handle at least some pain, he was also not really fond of it.


    "Will I not bleed out or something?"


    "Oh no, you will find your wounds will heal extremely quickly. But doing so will make you hungry or cost Qi, if you funnel it to the wound. But I would not recommend that unless in emergencies. Qi is far more precious than food in this wretched tower after all."


    "I...see. I can''t say I look forward to that." Aaron said.


    "Ah, well I think you will get used to it." The master smiled at him. "Now go to Sylus and learn the combat style. You will see why I picked it. It is quite suitable."

 6. Heavenly Kata

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 7. Wind Steps

    Aaron walked over to the cage with the pretty elf in it. It was one of the most fortified Cells in the prison with thick light screens surrounding the inside of an intricate metal bar cage. Sylus sat in a cage without any light screens and Aaron wondered what it meant for this prison to be this fortified.


    When he stepped closer to the cage the elf opened her eyes. She wore strange wide clothes that looked like a dress, but it was in a make he had never seen before. It had incredibly long crimson strips of cloth dangling from seemingly random spots on the golden dress. But he could still see the woman¡¯s curves all to well. Mei¡¯s eyes were a shade of iridescent purple, another difference besides her ears to show him that this was not a human. Or at least not an earth human.


    Suddenly Aaron felt very naked again and could not help but cover himself in front of the scrutiny of those piercing eyes.


    "I see you have finished learning from that buffoon." she said in her melodious voice without smiling.


    "I will teach you, since it is the masters will. But first meditate and cultivate for 3 hours like the master demands."


    She closed her eyes again.


    "If you want to be a student of mine you will follow your teachers commands, so prove your devotion and cultivate."


    Aaron sat down on the ground in front of the Cage.


    "Alright." he said silently and closed his eyes.


    He had no problem with meditation. It was one of the things he did to pass time in prison, to quiet his mind. But even before his time in prison he had meditated to find tranquility in silence, while his conscience tortured him with the things he had done.


    Aaron had long learned that he could do terrible things to his fellow man, but he was not a psychopath. Although the psychiatrists had disagreed with him on that point. He knew what he did to the men and women he had killed. He had always known that it was a terrible thing to do. To kill. But most he had liquidated had been scumbags.


    In a land where justice was dependent on your wallet, his gun had been a judge in its own right. Not that Aaron had any illusions of grandeur or thought he was a vigilante.


    No. He was a hitman, a killer for hire. Still the only thing that made him any different from a black ops solider or a spy was that he did not kill for a government, but for himself.


    That society labeled one as just and the other as a crime was hypocrisy. As if any extralegal killing was any different from a hit just because someone who had been elected authorized it.


    Hell a lot of cops had killed people simply based on their prejudices in his country. He was a lot better than them at least to Aaron¡¯s mind. Still some of his murders haunted him and he had to work through it before.


    Meditation had helped to come to terms with it all, thinking and accepting his fault in his actions and moving on from there.


    Slowly Aaron calmed down, his breath evened out and his mind cleared. His thoughts retreating into the background, coming and going like passengers on a train he conducted. He did not entertain them, he simply let them go on to the next stop.


    But his meditation now felt different than before, his entire body felt different. There was energy in him, power. Not a physical, bodily power, but something else. More ethereal, more energetical. Like he had electricity in his veins and he could feel the tension, the sheer potential of the energy within him.


    Within his even breaths he could feel more than air, he could feel mana, tainted, weak and uncooperative energy. It was entirely different to the magnificent power residing in his body. It felt like a candle compared to the sun.


    Barely noticeable.


    But he still noticed it as he focused on his breath. With every deep inhale he could feel the energy, the mana seep into his blood. Mingle with the greater power of Qi and get absorbed into it. Wrangling the mana was easy, feeling it simple. But trying to siphon off Qi from the maelstrom of his own circulatory system was unlike harder.


    First of all because the Qi in his veins disappeared as soon as it came, seeping into his flesh and bones. Nourishing him and making him more hungry at the same time. He could literally feel how his body burned his meager fat reserves, how it craved sustenance.


    He ignored his hunger pangs and focused on grasping the Qi that was produced with his every breath. Slowly, so incredibly slowly he managed to nudge the Qi, made it move as his mind commanded. As his will ordered.


    Once in his dantian his Qi settled down, a high energy haze slowly rotating around a center within his dantian. With every breath he tried to assimilate the Qi into his dantian. With time he got better at it.


    But in the three hours of meditation he only managed to fill his dantian by a tiny bit, he had not even started to circulate it in the way the Fiend-god art moved Qi.


    "Alright, this will have to do." Mei said and Aaron slowly came out of his deep trance like state.


    He looked at the beauty who stood up and walked closer to the edge of her cage. His mind was still relaxed and comfortable. Free of distractions and still he could not help but think what a beauty she was.


    "Sadly I am unable to replicate the masters feats. I can''t destroy this prison of mine no matter what I do. So I can''t bestow any inheritance upon you, even if I wanted to. Which is why I had you cultivate. You will need a bit of Qi to make the technique work at first. But after that, you will be able to simply sustain it by straining your muscles."


    She studied Aaron who had fully awoken now and stood up as well.


    "The 10.000 Heavenly Winds of Change is the most fundamental technique of my people. But its also one of the most powerful. We learn it while we learn how to walk. Our every step is an expression of this marvelous technique as old as my people. My home world, Esaria is a very mountainous planet with many gulfs and to go anywhere requires us to be able to fly or at least jump very far. Few master the technique to an extent where they can truly fly. But I suppose you will inevitably be one of them, considering your physique will be a product of the Fiend-god art and the heavenly katas of the Artis clan."


    She looked with disgust over to Sylus.


    "It irks me to teach you anything, as you are that mans student, but I suppose it is another small favor to the master." she looked over at the massive cage almost reverently.


    Aaron perked up and tore his gaze away from the bulge of the elf¡¯s bust upwards towards her purple eyes.


    "Fly? I will be able to fly with this technique?"


    "For relatively short distances yes. Think of it more as gliding on the winds, while taking a very, very long jump." Mei said seriously and raised her hands above her head and stretched. Her body tensed and she let out a soft sigh that made Aaron more than a bit conscious of his nudity again.


    "First, we will stretch. The 10.000 Heavenly Winds of Change requires exceptional limberness. What that buffoons clan has never understood is that the body can be trained without any katas or Qi techniques. You are stiff and that will not do."


    Aaron actually blushed at that comment, but he quickly tried to mimic the woman¡¯s stretches. Mei just rolled her eyes.


    "Not stiff like that, although I do not mind you staring or lusting after me. It is only natural for someone from a primitive world to be swayed by physical beauty. But it is a distraction and I will not have any disciple of mine be distracted by beauty of all things."


    "I know how to distract you, sister Mei!" Sylus shouted across the room and Mei¡¯s frown deepened, but she ignored the comment entirely and made Aaron stretch his body. The poses and ways he had to stretch seemed a bit like Yoga and were incredibly painful after the kata, but afterwards he felt so much better. It was almost as good as the relaxation after the rejuvenating fist kata.


    Satisfied with his progress Mei nodded.


    "Good, you will stretch like this every time before you start any martial practice and afterwards as well. To bring honor to the 10.000 Heavenly Winds of Change you will not be a graceless fool, but you will soar above the heads of your enemies, not just jump!"


    Aaron nodded seriously, although he only did it to placate the woman, who really had a temper. Each and every time he had not followed her stretches perfectly, her scathing critique came without pause and left the woman¡¯s frown even deeper. Still she somehow had no wrinkles at all, which was probably some cultivator bullshit, since the elf was probably ancient, although she looked to be in her early twenties for human standards.


    "Now, this is going to be very difficult for someone as primitive as you to understand, so I will only explain it to you once, then you will obey my every order, understood?"


    Her purple eyes pinned him with her stern gaze and Aaron nodded and when her gaze intensified said:


    "Yes."


    "Good. The 10.000 Heavenly Winds of Change is a movement technique that relies on the fundamental principle of Movement inherent in Qi. Qi does not follow the physical laws of the universe and as such Qi may flow upwards, away from gravity or any other physical laws, as Qi itself has no laws, it is the laws itself. Movement through Qi as such is not subject to the same restrictions as other movement within the physical realm of laws. The exact reason for that is not important for now. Just know that Qi in movement follows different rules than Qi that is static. Any movement technique is based on that principle, as is our illustrious technique. But it is still movement and as such subject to the limitations of our bodies. Being as flexible and limber as possible is necessary to have any amount of control over your body during the technique. Got it so far?"


    Aaron blinked and froze up, his mind trying to understand the fast spoken babble that sounded like someone explaining to him aerodynamics, maybe it even was aerodynamics? Fantasy Aerodynamics?


    "Not really."


    "Using a movement Qi technique, means moving through Qi, which means you can move contrary to the natural laws of the universe or space you inhabit, but it depends on your physical bodies abilities and flexibility how far that goes."


    Aaron nodded, although he still found the notion of Moving outside of the realm of physical laws to be... ridiculous.


    Then again, he had so far seen a living Soul, a talking spirit, had fought in an illusion that worked like a strange game and last but not least he had been revived after death.


    So yeah, the physical laws he knew about, most likely did not mean anything at all anymore.


    "So basically I what? Shroud myself in Qi?" Aaron asked.


    Mei smiled, showing her teeth that made Aaron almost flinch. She had sharp teeth that looked vaguely shark like and dispelled any notion of innocent beauty one might have had looking at the pretty woman.


    "Yes, that is an accurate simplification. You shroud your feet in Qi and use that to propel you in ways that are not explicable with natural laws. Usually by making yourself lighter, a lot lighter. But movement is difficult in Qi, devilishly so."


    The elf raised one of her legs and showed him her bare feet. Or rather the sole of her right foot.


    She had a tattoo there, an intricate net of connections centered around a single spot in the center of her foot, a bit closer to her heel actually.


    "This is the spot where you push out Qi out of your body to coat your feet. The most basic application is to connect this Meridian on your right foot with the same on your left foot. It enables basic movement.


    But first we will have to carve a way from your dantian to your feet to properly move the minuscule amount of Qi that is required to start the technique. Eventually your body''s inherent Qi, residing in your flesh, your muscles, will power the technique, even without feeding it Qi actively.


    The Fiend-god art makes this even easier and will probably mean you will not have any limitations on the usage of this skill. My own people have very Qi intensive bodies and as such use our muscles are all that is needed to propel us with this technique."


    Aaron listened intently and tried to focus on the woman¡¯s eyes, looking at her lips made him shudder, as he could now see the sharp shark teeth beyond perfect red lips with every word the woman said.


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    "Carve out a way from my dantian to my feet?" he asked slowly, his mind catching up to the word flood of the elf.


    "Yes, your internal network of Qi is entirely atrophied and as I can not give you an inheritance like the great master, you will have to follow my instructions very, very closely."


    "What happens if I don''t? Worst case scenario?"


    "You may cripple yourself. But more likely is, that you simply create an inefficient path for Qi and as such the technique will be much reduced in potency."


    "Okay... I would not like to be crippled. What exactly do I do?"


    Mei smiled at him sweetly and gestured to the ground.


    "You lie down, flat on your back, close your eyes and follow my words exactly. If you sense any deviation from my instructions you say it immediately."


    Aaron frowned slightly, still conscious of his nudity, before he pushed those thoughts away and laid down in front of the cage. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.


    "Good, now find your dantian, find the center inside of yourself, find the origin of your Qi. Breathe slowly and deeply, relax your body, but sharpen your mind."


    Aaron let his conscious mind feel the thrum of power within himself. Ever since he had gotten the inheritance from the master and had been the Fiend-god Aranack, his blood felt different. Powerful. It flowed through him like a river of boiling power. He could feel the mana he breathed in through his lungs, feel it mingle and change to Qi only to be absorbed by his body that seemed starved.


    He felt his hunger, the slight pang in his stomach that had also never left since he had unlocked the technique.


    But besides that, he could feel his dantian with sudden clarity. The center of his power. All the Qi within was his, forever. The space did not entirely feel real, but he could feel, no actually see it in his inner eye with such clarity like he had a camera in his guts.


    "I can see my dantian." he said, his voice far away like from the other end of a tunnel as he saw the fog of Qi rotating slowly around a center, its energetic purity, its potency so great it felt like looking into the birth of a star.


    "Good." Mei''s voice was clear and soothing, like she was whispering into his ears.


    "Sense the exits your created with your Fiend-god art, feel the Qi veins in your body, feel the path of the Fiend-god art."


    Aaron¡¯s inner eye moved and he found the openings immediately. It was like two open pathways that lead through his body. His mind followed them, like he was moving through a tunnel, there were branching pathways at every step and it felt like a labyrinth. But the only paths that were clear and crisp was the pathway of the Fiend-god art. He followed the circular path, so complicated and mind boggling to the end, until he was back in his dantian and his head throbbed. He could not really understand the path, or what it did.


    "The paths your Fiend-god art travels are through your entire body. Now repeat your journey, but try to sense in which part of the body you are. Sense the surrounding flesh, feel your relaxed body, feel the Meridians that were opened and feel where you can best take purchase."


    Aaron followed her words closely, but it was difficult. Very difficult. Even just following his Qi pathways gave him a headache, now actually sensing where he was in his body, was another added layer of difficulty.


    But he persevered. He was patient and took it slow, while the soft voice of the elf guided and prodded him.


    He answered her questions like in trance and eventually he found the part of the Fiend-god art that had moved into his legs. Then she made him travel back to his dantian and he could sense where he could take a shortcut.


    He told her everything he felt, he saw with his inner eye.


    "Good, Aaron, now take a bit of Qi from your dantian and lead it to the spot you know could be a shortcut. Sense your position in the body, sense your flesh, your blood pulsing. Where are you?"


    "In my hip, I can feel the open path beyond this."


    "Excellent, you are doing well. Now take a strand of Qi from your dantian and gently, gently, push it against the blockade. This will clear the path, but it will make it harder to cycle the Fiend-god art, as you will have to remember not to take this shortcut for it."


    Aaron did like he was told, he pushed against the blockade with his Qi and it was one of the weirdest feelings he had ever had. Slowly the Qi ate through the blockage until he stepped into a new tunnel leading down his leg to where the Fiend-god art had already taken him. One blockage was removed after the other until he finally was at the soles of his feet.


    There he could feel the Meridian Mei wanted him to open and drew once more Qi from his dantian to his inner eye in his foot. Slowly he carved out the blockage until he could feel it give with in inaudible pop. Nothing really changed and he then repeated the same procedure in his other leg. He felt his head hurt, his Qi dwindle as he used it up, until finally he was done.


    Aaron could hear the joy in Meis voice as she complimented him.


    "Very good, Aaron, that was exceptionally sharp for someone who just started on their cultivation journey.


    Now slowly, slowly open your eyes and wake up."


    Aaron found himself blinking up into the darkness of the prison, only illuminated by the blue light of the lamps that created the mana defenses locking the cultivators in. His body felt so relaxed and comfortable, even though he was laying on the stone floor.


    He sat up slowly, feeling drained and hungry. He felt always hungry since he had gotten the Fiend-god art. But now, now the hunger was a hurtful pang in his stomach, pushing away his relaxation.


    Aaron groaned slightly, but stood up nonetheless.


    "How does it feel?" Mei asked and he looked towards her prison cell. She stood close to the light screen and studied him intently.


    "I...don''t know. It does not feel any different."


    "Hmm, it seems the Qi in your body has not reached a high enough concentration to work yet. No matter. Take a bit of Qi from your dantian and lead it to your left foot. To the opened Meridian."


    Aaron nodded and coaxed a bit of the nebulous Qi from his dantian. It was strange. As soon as the Qi had settled down in his core, it followed him much more willingly, not like moving a limb, but more like calling a puppy.


    His will prodded and the Qi miraculously followed. He reached the Meridian in his foot quickly, as the path was simple comparatively to the Fiend-god art.


    "Okay. I am there."


    "Good, now imagine the Qi leaving through this Meridian and entering through its counterpart in your right foot. Establish a connection, finish the cycle."


    Aaron concentrated and let the Qi flow through the meridian out and then sucked it back in on the other leg. It was much diminished, but he still managed to finish the cycle back to his dantian.


    He opened his eyes again and felt into his feet. It felt different this time, like standing on...silk, or something smooth and not quite right. Because the silky feeling had still the texture of the stone underneath his feet.


    It was paradoxical and weird and when Aaron tried to explain, Mei waved his explanation away.


    "How one perceives Qi this way is unique, all that matters is that you feel something has changed.


    Now for a little test. Bend your knees and jump on the spot."


    Aaron frowned crouched down and jumped up. He had expected to maybe jump higher, twice as high maybe. What he did not expect was soaring into the air. He screamed in surprise and watched the ceiling, at least 100 feet above him come closer and closer, before he started to fall down again. Panic filled his veins and desperately he grasped for anything, the prison cage! He grasped for the bars, his hands finding purchase as he fell against the metal construct with a grunt.


    Aarons blood was pumping quickly in his veins and he heard...soft laughter?


    Still afraid for his life he stared down at Mei and tried to ignore Sylus howling laughter that rang out from the cage across from him.


    Mei smirked up to him.


    "You...you planned this." he said accusingly.


    "Ah common, Aaron, a bit of fun. Besides, this was an apt demonstration of the power of your new movement art. It is not a toy."


    "It could have killed me." Aaron protested, making Sylus choke in his laughter and shout at him.


    "No, idiot. Even without the wind steps you would have had at most some bruises."Sylus voice echoed between laughter.


    Aaron stared down and frowned.


    "Really?"


    "Your body is much more resilient because of the Fiend-god art and the 10.000 Heavenly Winds of Change is a lightness technique, if you let go of the cage and let yourself fall you will find yourself falling like a leaf on the wind. Slowly and without harm." Mei said with a smile.


    Aaron frowned, but felt quite embarrassed over his reaction. So he let go of the cage and let himself fall.


    Instead of plummeting down, he...glided. It was like he did not weigh as much as he did and yet his actual weight, or his center of gravity never changed.


    To his surprise he landed on his feet, still feeling silk underneath his toes and in baffled surprise he stared down at his feet. Visions of a long dead god and martial art had been more than enough to hammer home that this cultivation stuff was real. But this, floating like he weighed nothing? That really made it real to him.


    "Good." Mei said with a smile.


    "But this is only the most basic of ways to use the 10.000 Heavenly Winds of Change. While this will allow you to dodge and use the basic lightening part, it is a far cry from the whole technique. But I guess it will take time for you to acclimatize with it. Try walking for example."


    Aaron was cautious this time and took a step. His right foot stepped out and when the left foot pushed against the ground, he shot forward for a few meters, lost his balance and fell face forward to the ground.


    This time Aaron had anticipated accidents and caught himself with his hands.


    "It will take some getting used to, but don''t worry its better to acclimate yourself now than in combat."


    Awkwardly he got back up and snorted, but could not disagree. For the next half an hour he tried walking, skating along the ground like in roller blades and dodging, a lot of wild movements out of the way of some attacks. It worked. But he landed more than once on his face.


    The Wind steps seemed to play with the natural laws of conservation of energy, momentum, weight and acceleration at will. So Aaron could jump to the side, stop himself and then jump with the combined speed of his dodge and his jump upwards. It made little sense, but Mei showed him a few things and let him fail when he did not get it right.


    Nothing hammers home how to move better than getting smacked in the face with the floor or a light screen.


    "Better, but far from competent. You will train to use the 10.000 Heavenly Winds of Change every day, every opportunity you get. Do not forget to stretch before doing the Artis Kata. Should you wish to deactivate the technique, all you have to do is to imagine sucking in the Qi cloud surrounding your feet through your Meridian. I fear at first you will have no other choice but to train the two techniques separately. Eventually I expect you to combine the kata with this movement technique though. I have no doubt to excellent effect. While I do not know the Artis clans Katas, my people have their own martial arts, so let me demonstrate what I mean."


    Mei stood on one leg and pulled back, her foot poised to strike. Then she jumped, a flurry of kicks rippling through the air, the wind blasting against Aaron¡¯s chest while she moved. She danced, jumped, was a flicker of graceful and precise movement while her limbs attacked from all angles, above, below, the sides. There was no defending against it if one did not have a similar movement technique. She was like a shadow, moving in and out of range and the skill she demonstrated was breathtaking. The elf paused and smiled at Aaron, showing her shark teeth.


    "Just some basic martial arts combinations. But this technique can do far more, if you manage to include the 10.000 Heavenly Winds of Change into the Kata I may be convinced to show you how to do this."


    The woman seemed to vanish. It was not speed, but perception that seemed to disappear. Her feet made no noise as she moved with effortless grace. Her form shadowed by the light of the iron cage as she flickered from shadow to shadow. Her passing did not disturb the air, made no sound and her form melted into the twilight.


    "The stealth variant of the technique might be very useful to you. So I expect proper training and an offering of beast cores." The woman smirked and Aaron chuckled and bowed.


    "I can''t promise anything. No idea how to even get beast cores. Or If I can ever combine the two techniques. But I will do my best."


    "You will do more than that, you will put your entire essence into training and studying. No student of mine will disgrace himself, is that understood?"


    "Yes, mam."


    "Are you finished?" The quiet voice of the Master made them both look towards the giant cage and Mei nodded.


    "Good, now young Aaron it is time for you to leave. To your left beyond my Prison you will find a tunnel leading out of this complex towards the first floor of the Tower. There will be food and clothing waiting for you I suspect."


    Aaron¡¯s eyes lit up at the mention of food and even though he had grown more or less comfortable walking around naked, it was still a welcome prospect to wear anything even if they were rags.


    "Remember, we will require 13 mana stones a month or beast cores of equivalent value to sustain ourselves. For that we will help you as much as we can. Here is a bit of advice." The old ghosts voice became serious and Aaron stepped closer and straightened unconsciously.


    "With these two techniques and the Fiend-god art you will be a force to be reckoned with. At least in the lower levels of the tower. Until you master and integrate these techniques I can''t in good conscience recommend going beyond the 5th level. Every 10 levels is a settlement of some sorts. Some are cities, some towns and others mere camps.


    The difficulty of the floor spikes similar every 10 levels. At level 5, 15, 25 and so forth.


    To put your current prowess into perspective. You should have no equals among the new arrivals like yourself. Or even against most of the inhabitants of the Town of Beginnings on the first floor. But know that within a year every single one of those who will enter the first floor with you will eclipse you. They will all be capable of moving to the 10th or even 20th floor. You will not.


    And even low level Vessels or Mages will be able to kill you, if they corner or trap you. You do not posses a way to break magic yet and until you do, you should not go beyond the 5th level, because it would be laughably easy for most mages to kill you beyond that without it."


    Aaron¡¯s elation fell and dampened even his enthusiasm for food. But he did not despair hearing this, he took it as a challenge and felt steely determination settle in.


    "Do not fret, young one. Know the strengths of cultivation. It is time. Already you will live a century longer than most just for stepping on the path of cultivation and should you break through to the second realm you will outlive any who reside in this tower unless you die a violent death.


    Use this time you have, not to progress quickly, but for mastery over your techniques, over your body, mind and soul.


    If you show talent, perseverance and dedication, one day you will ascend this tower with ease. No monster or Aspirant will be able to withstand you. In due time you will shatter the challenges others will be unable to overcome in their lifetimes. Be patient and do not despair if you face odds you cannot overcome.


    Survive, save yourself and live for another day. Eventually all obstacles will melt away as long as you live."


    Aaron bowed his head towards the Master, Sylus and Mei in turn.


    "Thank you all for teaching me. I will try to get you this months mana stones as soon as possible and I will take your warnings seriously. I have no problem fleeing like a coward and biding my time if I have to."


    "Good, good. Now go, my young student. I can hear your stomach grumbling already." the old ghost said and laughed his ghostly laugh.


    Aaron waved to Sylus, who smirked and nodded to him. Mei had already sat down again and had her eyes closed.


    He walked past the giant Prison cage of the master into the murkier part of this prison. There he did indeed find a tunnel in which he vanished without hesitation, letting the darkness swallow him.


    <hr>


    Sylus looked after the young man and scoffed.


    "You think he will survive Great Master?"


    "He is a good seedling. His past life is his strength, but also his curse. Only time can tell what will happen. And what is time for us? The mere passing of a moment or a thousand years. It is inconsequential. If he does not turn out to be the answer we seek, then another one will turn out to be the key to this prison." The Master answered and his ghost vanished into seemingly nothing.


    Sylus nodded and sat down in his cell to start meditating. It was like the Great Master said, in the end it did not matter who would release them from their bonds, it was inevitable that someone would in the end.


    The only question was how tedious and boring it would be until then and at least in that aspect Sylus thought Aaron might alleviate their boredom.

 8. A Welcoming Party

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 9. Lisa

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 10. Cultivator

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    <hr>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0252%">Survive!</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0252%">


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0252%">Reward: +2 Levels; [Survivor] Skill.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 11. Ambush

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 12. Looting

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 13. Aftermath

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 14. Wilderness

bothered him.


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 15. Hunting

    Aaron enjoyed being alone and had always enjoyed hunting because of that. Sitting patiently in a prepared position for hours until his prey would walk up into his line of sight to be shot had always been fun to him.


    Which was why he was cursing himself now. He had only been bow hunting twice in his life before and the second time had been out of stubbornness more than enjoyment.


    Because with a bow you had to get close and animals had sharp senses. First you had to make sure to be upwind of them not to alert them by your smell. Second you had to get close to your prey without them seeing you while staying with the wind in your face.


    And third you had to actually hit what you were aiming at with your bow.


    Aaron cursed as he looked after the small herd of deer that were cantering away from him. With a deep sigh he went out of the underbrush he had hidden in and collected the arrow he had missed with.


    Shooting a bow was not simple, especially not hitting stuff with it correctly. He was tempted to just jump on them and slice them up from above, but honestly with how skittish deer were, that was a pipe dream.


    In the end he chose the method his ancestors had perfected millennia ago. He followed and hunted the deer by harrying them and tiring them out. Its a simple fact that humans are made for this kind of hunting, for long extended treks that leave their prey too tired to fight back. He ran more than he jogged after them, trying to steer them away from the open valley into one of its many narrower ravines with tributaries for the river that formed the valley.


    His feet hit the ground in an even pace as he just continued to disturb the herd, made them scatter and reform, looking for stragglers. But the herd kept together more or less and after half an hour of continuous running, he realized he had to change tactics unless he wanted to spend hours running these deer down.


    Aaron moved around the herd once more after they reformed. He gave them a short shout that echoed in the trees, disturbing them away from him and the open valley. Carefully and always conscious of his surroundings he herded them towards a deep gulf in between some rocks that looked like it had taken the small stream flowing out of them hundreds of years to carve out.


    Only a few of the herd fled through the narrow opening though, but that was fine. Aaron was only interested in one of the animals anyways and he smirked while he followed them into the narrow, tunnel like canyon.


    He dreaded the shot he would have to take once he had caught up to the animals and wondered if this was truly a dead end or if the deer would simply run out on the other side of the canyon instead.


    Then he had an idea, well it was more of an instinct. He activated Wind Steps, his malleable Qi within his dantian jumping to his will and coating his feet. With a deep breath Aaron jumped at the cliff wall to his right, his feet felt clad in silk once more as he stepped with one foot on the rock wall 4 meters above ground, then leapt towards the other face of the cliff and followed the animals from above.


    Aaron¡¯s face split into a grin as he danced between the rocks, almost weightless, unfettered and free. Stepping between the rocks with ease, utterly unconcerned at the moment about anything but the hunt.


    The deer underneath him had stopped, huffing from the exertion and flight, but looking towards the opening in between the rocks, not above.


    Aaron¡¯s grip tightened around his bow and he knocked an arrow as he jumped downwards, falling slowly towards the two does that rested underneath him.


    He clicked his tongue and both heads snapped up, confused. Aaron took aim and let his arrow loose just as the animals exposed their heart to him.


    The arrow thunked home, piercing the white tuft on the left doe''s chest. It shuddered, its legs releasing the jump it had stored in them as it tried to get away. It got only a few steps before it fell and stayed down. The other doe was already half way down the narrow corridor, when Aaron landed easily on his feet.


    His heart was pounding, his grin broad and he pumped his fist in triumph. He felt pure elation as he stepped closer and almost fell on his face as his feet slipped away.


    With a very undignified yelp he caught himself on a nearby rock and quickly deactivated Wind steps, sucking in his diminished Qi back into his dantian.


    ¡°That was awesome.¡± he chuckled and walked closer to the doe. Its breathing was shallow and its tuft was spluttered with dark blood. Aaron had missed the heart, but had done enough damage by hitting one or both of its lungs.


    The doe¡¯s breath was painful and Aaron drew his dagger and knelt next to the dying deer. With a quick and precise stab he ended its suffering and the deer drew its last breath.


    Aaron had never had problems with killing animals, quite the opposite, usually it filled him with a bit of elation, but now it made him only feel a little bit dirty. But what else could he do? Not hunt and eat anything?


    He looked back up to the rocks he had danced in between just moments before and smirked to himself. That had felt like total freedom, like liberation and that and the hunt itself had been much more satisfying than the kill in the end.


    It was strange to think that less than a week ago he had woken in a small cell in death row. He had hoped the appeal of his lawyers would go through, but it had honestly been a 50/50 chance. To taste freedom again was¡­ it was an amazing feeling.


    Which was wrong. Aaron had never yearned for freedom, he had barely been bothered by being locked up. Only his impending doom had been a problem to him. But now the sheer memory of that cell made him shudder.


    Something was wrong with him. Something very strange was happening to him and Aaron had no explanation for it.


    First leaving that mage alive, then the nightmare and now this. It was not like him at all and that made him really uncomfortable.


    With all of his force of will he pushed those thoughts aside and hoisted the cadaver on his shoulders. He had work do to. The doe was a big animal with plenty of meat on it, but to his new and improved physique it was barely a strain.


    Slowly he walked back out of the ravine and made his way back to his camp. On the way he gathered any firewood he could find and stuffed it into the backpack.


    Now all he had to do was let the animal bleed out and then have a feast at night.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Getting firewood was a struggle. Most of the fallen trees were too old, damp and rotten through and he wasn¡¯t about to chop down a tree with a sword or a dagger.


    He should have taken the big axe, but it had been too bulky and he had not thought he would need it. No matter, he would make do with some younger branches he broke off smaller trees, before he cut or broke them into small enough pieces to carry them in the backpack.


    Aaron stopped a good way away from his camp and set up his kill to bleed out. First he skinned the deer as best he could, but it was a struggle with the knives the had. The pelt was basically ruined by his amateurish work, but that was fine, he had no plans of selling this one, but maybe he could dry and use it for the camp. Next he hung the doe up with the only rope he had found in the backpacks and made sure the cut to its throat was accurate. Then he let the blood flow into the snow and was ready to bury the bloody snow afterwards.


    That done he climbed up a nearby rock and leaned against it on a small ledge within its weathered surface while he looked up to the late afternoon sun. Well, late afternoon glow coming from everywhere above him.


    Once again Aaron had time to think, to come to terms with his new situation and he did not like it. Being hunted for having chosen to become a Cultivator made no sense.


    If it had been a legitimate option, then why the hate? Why the hostility right from the start? In the end he was in a terrible position now. If they kept hunting him and send big enough groups he would not be able to handle he would have to constantly flee.


    Which meant less time for training, less time to cultivate and thus slower progress for him, which would apparently be already slower than almost anyone in the tower.


    It felt like he had made a huge mistake choosing cultivator on one hand, but on the other hand there were many benefits to it as well. The memory of total freedom of movement was in the forefront of his mind, then the magical effect of the Rejuvenating Fist Kata and how strong and healthy his body felt because of the Fiend-god art.


    The option of choosing it had been rewarded to him because he had been so successful in the Hall of Illusions.


    So realistically if he had not been an outlier, then everyone who had gotten through the Tests well would get the same options. People with real combat experience and the smarts and savvy to leverage the rewards given by the spirit to their advantage.


    People like him, killers, soldiers, fighters. Why then the hate if the cultivators would be the best of them at fighting?


    Or maybe it was the opposite, only those who were sufficiently brutal and ruthless got even the option to chose becoming a cultivator.


    Maybe the whole hatred was by design, to test and forge any cultivator under the worst circumstances, to teach them how to adapt and to evade capture.


    It seemed like a possibility, but in the end he wasn¡¯t sure. Not all of the Guards had reacted so negatively to him ousting himself as a cultivator.


    Aaron could not see through the social nuances in this new world at all. His first taste of vessels and their skills would have cost his life without the Fiend-god art and the mage had unleashed so much devastation in such a short time, Aaron wasn¡¯t sure if he would have survived at all if he had not taken her out early out of the fight.


    Movement in the corner of his eyes made him look up from his ruminations. He frowned and studied the empty landscape before him.


    The river flowed past him to his left and he had the wall and the more hilly terrain in his back. To his right was the edge of the forest that had enveloped a smooth less rocky elevation with trees and underbrush. The tree where the deer hung was the one closest to the rock he sat on and a good 20 feet away from the actual treeline.


    There, in the treeline, he could spot shapes in the twilight that had fallen over the land. At first he thought he was seeing dogs, but then he realized what they must be. Wolves.


    It had been a good decision to wait here and guard his kill. He would have been inconsolable if he had lost his dinner because he had not factored in predators coming because of the smell of blood. Aaron was already ravenous and he did not want to eat any more of the dried rations if he did not have to.


    Silently he readied his bow and drew an arrow as the first shapes drew closer. There were 4 or 5 of them, but it was difficult to guess their numbers as they walked through the trees, vanishing behind and appearing from behind various obstacles.


    They circled the carcass carefully, sniffing, growling and yet they did not come closer immediately. But eventually one of the beasts trotted closer and Aaron drew back the bow carefully. It was quite a long shot from his position with a bow and he had zero confidence in his bow skills.


    But in the end he figured it must be just like with guns, hold your breath, keep your aim steady and let loose at the right moment.


    Aaron released the arrow just as the wolf had reached the bloody snow where the deer was bleeding out and was sniffing it curiously. He missed spectacularly, the arrow narrowly passing above the wolfs head as he ducked down to sniff. Quickly he drew another arrow and released a second projectile to the startled wolf who had jumped backwards. This time he had more luck and he hit the beast in the hind flank, piercing the dark gray fur.


    The wolf yelped loudly and moved away, limping slightly. The rest of the pack moved forward, scenting the air, one of them howling a long haunting cry into the falling night.


    But Aaron was as safe as he could be, perched up on the rock and even though he was sure the wolves sensed him, they could do nothing. He released another two arrows at any beast that came close to his dinner. But missed both of the moving targets.


    ¡°God damn it.¡± he cursed to himself as some of the wolves left the carcass behind and tried to get up to him on the boulder. He was wasting precious arrows right here and he had no good way of replenishing them.


    Still there was barely any threat to him and in the end only one of the beasts jumped and tried to climb up the boulder to Aaron¡¯s right. He shot the beast and in such close proximity he did not miss.


    With a yelp the wolf tumbled back down, leaving behind bloody smears. That was enough for the rest of the pack and they scampered off and Aaron did not give chase, even though they were leaving with two of his arrows.


    With a sigh and the light dipping ever closer to total night, Aaron left his perch and gathered his missed shots. He had no fear that the pack would come back, they would have no chance against him. But really, he did not want to risk any damage to his clothes nor was he especially keen of eating wolf. Because predators were supposed to taste terrible, full of parasites and the like.


    He found his missed shots relatively quickly and then started to cut himself some dinner from the deer¡¯s carcass.


    With a hunk of slightly bloody leg on his shoulders he returned to his camp, set out the skin of the deer to dry, ignoring the holes and scrapes he had made in it by mistake and set up a camp fire.


    He was really glad he had the fire-starter-set and could scrape the metal over flint to create sparks. The halfway dried leaves he had gathered caught fire and quickly he had a nice little fire going in the cover of a ledge above him.


    The crack in the wall, running through the entire place let out the smoke and yet gave enough cover against snow or rain.


    For the first time today he actually felt warm and Aaron was surprised at how good that felt. He had not minded the cold, but it was still a relief that it was finally gone. He roasted the hunk of meat slowly over the fire, letting it cook while he stretched and made sure everything was set up for the night.


    The smell of the roasting meat was almost too much for Aaron, who was starving, who could feel the hole in his stomach burn. Finally after agonizing wait and his best self discipline he tore into a chunk of sizzling fatty meat.


    It was glorious, even though it had a lot of gaminess, he had no salt or other spices and he longed for some bread or a pan-sauce anything really. It was still delicious.


    Piece after piece he devoured, carving it off the bone.


    In the end he ate the entire huge chunk, gnawing at the bones, splitting them and going after the marrow. And yet the hunger would not subside, would only ever be dampened. Aaron was not sure how long the days were here, if they were uniform or it got dark earlier in the winter, but it was dark out already.


    He hesitated and went for seconds in the end. While the next chunk of the deer was cooking he started training, going through the Rejuvenating Fist Kata over and over until it was time to eat again.


    He had learned from his earlier mistakes while cooking and had sliced off chunks to sear on flat rocks, instead of on the bone. The meat ended up much less overdone or under cooked this way, unlike the previous attempt where depending on where on the bone the meat had sat it had cooked unevenly. In the end an oven or even a proper pan would have made this a whole lot easier, but he had neither.


    After he devoured the rest of the meat he had brought he finally felt more or less satiated. He could still eat more, but the hunger pangs had vanished and his belly was swollen with food.


    Aaron sighed contentedly and sat down to start his meditation. It was a struggle to focus on his task with a full belly, but eventually he got there. Slowly he started to draw out the Qi from his blood and into his dantian. One rotation of the Fiend-god art followed the next and although the task should have been monotonous it wasn¡¯t. Every rotation was another challenge, another puzzle to solve and the only tools he had were his willpower and the mystical knowledge of how to make this power his own.


    Hours later he woke to only glowing coals and crawled into the tent, his sheathed dagger clutched in his hands. Just in case. He yawned and stared out over the coals into the dark sky, where stars glittered. They were not real stars, he knew that but they were still beautiful. Slowly he closed his eyes, listening for any noise in the still winter night. He sighed when silence reigned and he could hear nothing but falling snow. All in all it had been a productive day.

 16. Melissa

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    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


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    th</sup> floor and she would not have even been on the manhunt.


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 17. Exploration

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 18. Stairway

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 19. Merlin

    ¡°I got him!¡±


    Merlin looked up from his perch 30 steps up the stairs to this passage to the second level. Everyone in his team was in position, ready to intercept the Cultivator once the rest of the hunt had found him.


    Everyone but Morris. He had no idea what had possessed him, when he had invited the Archer into his team. No, that was not true and not fair, Morris was an amazing Archer with synergistic skills, enhancing his damage and range by multitudes, making him one of, if not the most potent Vessel damage dealer in his generation. It was just that he was entirely useless when it did not come to shooting stuff from far away really hard. He was also an Earther like him and his kind had no discipline compared to the rest of his team.


    His two Warriors, Atris and Beresix stood both in plate armor like statues at the foot of the stairs, their hands on their weapons. They were always ready and alert, his healer Krathak had his staff out and was crouched behind them in cover. Textbook formation, classic and never wrong. Melia was skulking around to his right somewhere, her skills making her almost invisible in the shadow of the great big trees. But Merlin could sense her clear enough. She still disturbed the magic around her and until she learned a skill or trick to help with that she would never be a real threat to other mages with a modicum of skill.


    Like all Mages, Merlin Aster formed the center of the group, he was their leader, but also the most crucial part of it. Merlin was unlike any other mage climbing the tower for the last 20 years a force mage. Instead of elements he had taken a liking to the most basic and fundamental of spells. How to imbue things with kinetic energy. He had seen the spell books that might await him if he got into a good college in Ambition. Force balls, Force shields and no shortage of different fundamental Force spells which could be manipulated and chained together to make him a monster of a thousand arms, a thousand blades who could hit harder than a tank and could snuff out lives from a hundred paces away with a gesture.


    But Merlin was nowhere close to that level. He had one spell which had broken into intermediary mastery. The spell was colloquially known as push. But in fact he could push and pull with it and it was more a very rudimentary form of telekinesis. That was the reason why his leather armor was adorned with throwing daggers without hilts. His weapons of choice and deadly projectiles. His second spell was a force sling of sort that could lock down or trip enemies, as it was entirely invisible to someone who could not sense mana.


    He set up their kills and besides Morris he was their damage dealer like all mages in Climber Teams. But he was more defensive minded in forming his team than others and had snagged not only some of the best Tower born fighters, but also a rare Healer Vessel who could keep both of them alive. Melia was more of a mercenary, befitting of her [Rogue] class, but she was a masterful scout and absolutely deadly in melee. Her wide range of invisibility and movement skills had made exploration so much easier with her in his team, he would never let her go now.


    But Merlin could not compare to the damage dealers in most Teams based in Ambition. His spells were simply too reliant on his throwing daggers and did not pack enough of a punch to climb beyond the 15<sup>th</sup> level.


    So he and his team were stuck doing low level missions between Ambition and the Town of Beginnings. A thankless job that paid well enough. And money, manastones, were all he wanted right now. With them he could buy better tomes, learn more spells and eventually when he had saved up enough, a spot in one of the Colleges. He could also buy time for his team to progress safely, by joining bigger hunts to kill higher level beasts. That Vessels leveled up from killing things was absolutely unfair compared to what Merlin had to do to ''level up'' so to say as a mage.


    But his parents had named him right. Merlin would have never traded anything for becoming a mage.


    Still sometimes he wondered why he had to study of all things to become stronger and not just kill things. It was so much easier to end lives compared to studying old tomes and actually understanding them.


    Morris the idiot had scrambled down from his high perch on top of a giant fir tree and was running towards him excited like a golden retriever who heard a squeaky toy.


    ¡°I got him, Merlin. I shot him.¡±


    Merlin felt a headache coming and frowned down at the young man. He would have liked to think he was older than him by at least a decade, but the fact was, their bodies were exactly the same age as they had been summoned together two years ago.


    ¡°Who did you shoot this time, Morris?¡± Merlin sighed and rubbed his temples.


    ¡°The Cultivator Merlin, I saw him skulking around towards that way.¡± He pointed to Merlin¡¯s left.


    ¡°Took all my skills to reach him with one of the deathbolt shots, had to layer them twice, can you believe it? I hit him dead in the chest, speared him right through.¡± Morris animatedly mimed his shot, drawing an imaginary bow.


    ¡°Must have been a mile out, a mile Merlin. That was an A grade sniper shot. Movie stuff!¡±


    ¡°Morris¡­¡±


    ¡°I had to use [Eagle Eye] to even see him, can you imagine?¡±


    ¡°Morris!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what? I did good right?¡± Morris asked and looked suddenly a bit unsure by the way the entire group looked at the archer.


    ¡°How do you know that was the cultivator?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How did you know? We don¡¯t know how what he looks like and without Melias identify skill we have no idea who we are hunting, yes? So how did you know it was the Cultivator you shot.¡±


    ¡°But...but...he...he was skulking around. I had a gut feeling Merlin, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°All I know is that this is not the first time you shoot stuff without thinking or identifying the target.¡±


    ¡°What? Come on, that never happens. Hahaha.¡± Morris laughed nervously and looked from Merlin to the others almost pleadingly.


    ¡°How about that camp of Jungle Skulkers you thought looked like the Snakes we had been tasked to kill.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°Or the fellow you shot coming back from the 14<sup>th</sup> level.¡± Atris said smiling dangerously.


    ¡°Well yes, but that was an accident.¡±


    ¡°How can it be an accident? He was a Beast-kin not a monster.¡± Krathak said with a frown.


    ¡°He had fur, anyone could have gotten confused.¡±


    Merlin shook his head and scowled down at the [Sniper].


    ¡°You remember in how much trouble we were back then right?¡±


    ¡°But¡­ but I really shot the Cultivator, you got to believe me!¡±


    Merlin shook his head in disgust.


    ¡°As if you could tell what someone¡¯s class is by looking. Ridiculous. But oh well, you hit someone? Lets see who it was, if its not someone important we might be able to get away with it.¡±


    The two warriors shared a look and Krathak cursed under his breath.¡°He needs to put a muzzle on his rabid dog.¡±


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    Merlin ignored the comment and waved towards his right, before he made the group follow Morris directions.


    Melia appeared in front of them not 20 seconds later and vanished in between the trees, her feet leaving no trace in the snow. They left behind the trees and soon crossed over some open land that made Merlin mildly uncomfortable. But his team was well trained and their formation good, his two Warriors in the front, Merlin in the middle with Krathak behind and Morris keeping their back free. Much to his displeasure.


    ¡°How am I supposed to guide you when I am back here?¡±


    ¡°I would prefer you don¡¯t guide us at all. A direction is more than enough for Melia.¡± Merlin said and Morris humphed dissatisfied.


    Melia appeared before them as soon as they got close to the first giant boulders strewn about like a giants playground. The hills towered above them. Creeks had dug themselves all the way through the rock and left behind deep canyons filled with ice and snow.


    ¡°There is blood, a lot of blood, but I don¡¯t see a corpse.¡± Melia¡¯s short and terse report was as always blunt and to the point.


    ¡°Lets have a look.¡± Merlin said with a frown, hoping for something not to be terribly wrong for his team.


    There were some protective enchantments people could buy for a lot of money that could preserve someones life and teleport them out of their current position. If that was the case then they were in deep shit. If someone could afford a charm like that on the first floor that meant their family were someone either in Ambition or higher up. But that was honestly unlikely to encounter on the first floor of the tower. They would not walk around alone and would already be halfway up the tower with a handpicked team of Towerborn Vessels. No, down here, Merlin¡¯s team were the top dogs and not just a mediocre B rank group. Even in the worst case scenario they might be able to make the body disappear if the guy Morris had shot had been alone.


    Either way they had to check it out.


    Melia led them towards a giant rock that towered like a monolith above them, its deep shadow concealing a narrow canyon leading deeper into the hills. The whole rock was spluttered crimson and Merlin could see someones hand print on the rock, before the blood continued along the creek.


    ¡°Careful, guard formation, be ready.¡± Merlin ordered and readied his force sling, the loop forming above his head, hovering above him like a balloon on a thin string of mana.


    Atris was in front, his blade drawn, his shield up as he inched forward at an even pace. They shifted to a single file guard formation, which meant Melia was behind Atris to spot and guide him. Merlin behind her to intervene and attack. Khatrak close by to heal either of their tanks injuries, Morris behind him, fulfilling the same role as Merlin just towards the back and Beresix with his axe and shield out looking behind them, copying Atris steps almost in perfect unison as his team moved through the Canyon.


    This level of coordination was the reason why their team held together, why they were so effective. If only he had more oomph behind his spells they would have long reached Climbers Rest. To Merlin¡¯s mind this kind of cooperation was the bare minimum he expected.


    But he was far from the norm.


    They followed hurried steps, died crimson and splutters of blood along the canyon that got narrower and narrower. Then the canyon split with another deep gulf and Atris stopped. While Melia peered over his shoulder and under his shield.


    ¡°Puddle of Blood, Arrow, no Corpse.¡± was all she said as she drew her daggers.


    Merlin frowned, absorbing the information. Someone had been hit by Morris double layered Death bolt, had then stumbled away down this canyon with huge steps and then survived ripping out the arrow?


    He had expected none of this. In his mind they were looking for a corpse. Some unlucky hunter who had been shot by his overeager idiot of an Archer. But he had doubts now and the back of his neck prickled with danger. Someone had taken that attack and had walked away.


    ¡°It looks like I have to apologize to you Morris. It seems you really hit the Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°See, See, I told you. I was right! Wait, why was I right?¡±


    ¡°Atris, push forward a bit, I want to see the Arrow.¡±


    With a grunt of acknowledgment the heavily armored warrior stepped through the blood puddle and took up guard towards the seemingly empty canyon that was blocked at the other end. They all filtered into the canyon so they did not expose themselves to the other pathways down the crossroads of canyons.


    Merlin knelt down and studied the blood, the crimson color and coppery smell turned his stomach queasy in an instant. So much blood. He forgot how much of the stuff people had in them sometimes. The blood was fresh, not congealed and the arrow was stained crimson. It was one of Morris giant Deathbolt arrows that looked like they had been shot by a small ballista, not a bow. Someone really had survived the shot.


    ¡°So what do we know about the Cultivator?¡± he asked, raised his hand and fired a bolt of red light into the air. The signal to show the other teams on the manhunt for the cultivator who had barely started their sweep, that they had found their target. It was a futile gesture, they were the cavalry and no other team on this level was close to their prowess. But it did not cost him anything and depending on who came they might even be good distractions for them to kill the guy.


    ¡°Movement Technique, some sort of Lightness skill, very fast, probably melee specialist. No idea what weapon he uses, killed most of his victims with a dagger he stole.¡± Melia said tersely and looked up.


    ¡°Right and he can take one of Morris shots and walk away. So he is tanky as well or he has good regeneration.¡±


    ¡°A Fast tank? Reminds me of something.¡± Beresix said and Merlin paused. Both he and Atris came from ¡°Upstairs¡±, which meant they were born on a level higher than lvl 50 in the tower. They knew a lot, but shared very little. But when they did it was almost always important.


    ¡°Reminds you of what?¡± Morris asked nervously, an arrow knocked, his bow clenched tightly in his hands.


    ¡°The magical beasts on the 15<sup>th</sup>.¡±


    Everyone cursed. Merlin included. They had ran against those beasts time and time again and to their group those beast were seemingly unkillable without dying themselves. They had stuck those beasts with so many throwing daggers and arrows it had frankly been a bit ridiculous.


    ¡°Lets hope this Cultivator is a bit less robust.¡± Merlin said after clearing his throat.


    ¡°There is no way he measures up to the 15<sup>th</sup> level, he has been in the tower for what? A week? No way.¡± Morris said and shook his head frantically.


    ¡°Cultivators work differently than Vessels or Mages. But yes, I don¡¯t think so either. Still very dangerous. We should¡­¡±


    A rumble made all of them look up and they all watched with slight disbelief as a rock, more than two men tall rolled down the cliff directly towards Beresix who brought up their end.


    <hr>


    Aaron had climbed up on a nearby plateau and laid down on his back, feeling cold stone underneath him while he waited. He could have escaped further. But he did not want to. He wanted some payback and if they came into this terrain with him, he would have it. Already he planned a few ways to distract, obstruct and ambush any group coming for him.


    It felt great to lay down and heal, to just rest for a while, but while his body relaxed, his mind was clear and crisp. It felt so good to be just alive. To not feel any pain, to just be.


    Aaron sighed deeply, feeling his lungs inflate so smoothly and every single breath tasted like pure life.


    He had never felt like this before. It was a strange bliss that put his existence in the Tower so far into perspective. He had not chosen to die in his old life, he had not chosen to be resurrected in his new one, but in the moment where he had been so close to death that he had felt the reapers cold touch in the back of his neck, he had chosen to live. Chosen to stay. There was a conviction now in Aaron¡¯s chest. A will to live, to fight, to survive, come what may.


    In his tranquility he still felt a searing, monstrous anger at the people who had wronged him, who were hunting him for no discernible reason. Okay, sure he had killed some of them before, but they had chosen to fight him, chosen to pursue and hunt him. He did not feel guilty about going on the offense in that situation, hell, in his old life he had never felt guilty before.


    That thought stuck in his mind and once again he realized that something had changed in him, something was different with the Aaron right now and the Aaron of the past life.


    His body reacted differently, his mind too. He felt strangely disconnected to his body for a moment right then and he did not like that feeling at all.


    Aaron shook his head and the feeling passed as quickly as it had come over him. He tried to focus on his breathing. Whatever was wrong with him, whatever had changed, it could wait until after he had killed the bastards that had literally shot a ballista sized arrow through his chest.


    With his eyes closed and his breath nice and even he started to feel the mana around him, felt it flow into him, replenishing his bodies diminished supply of Qi. Healing had taken a lot out of him. His body had healed itself, was still healing. The gruesome wound had already closed, probably thanks to the health potion. If he had not been so occupied with getting away he would have probably been able to see how his flesh had knit itself back together. When he touched the spot where the arrow had been, he could feel smooth, if tender skin there.


    He was incredibly gratefully to the great master and his gift. Without his Fiend-god art he would have died twice over, health potion or not, he was sure. In the first ambush and just now. His body had somehow used the Qi stored in his cells, in his very flesh to fuel the regeneration. How that worked he had no clue, but he could feel the difference in the spots where he had healed. They were metaphorically devouring Qi, were little nexuses of greedily absorbing cells. But with every breath he felt himself go back closer to equilibrium.


    Aaron felt their presence before he actually heard them, which was a fundamentally weird feeling. The group that came looking for him felt like blips on a radar to him, like sense impressions that he had no name for. How do you describe the feeling of literally sensing someone through the ambient mana around you?


    It was equal parts the sense of physicality, of feeling them with his body as much as smelling them through the qi or sensing them like heat on his skin. His sense impressions were entirely garbled but he felt them nonetheless.


    There were 6 of them and one was particularly strong in his sense, like a bigger blip on the radar. Damn he would have to train this new sense of his, or he would be unable to use it. He opened his eyes and his sensory garbled radar vanished to almost nothing. It was just a very feint sense of direction now, barely noticeable if he had not already felt it stronger with closed eyes.


    This feeling, these sense impressions had actually been there from the moment ha had awoken in the summoning chamber, he realized. He just had not really noticed or focused on them before.


    Aaron closed his eyes again and felt for the blips on his radar. They were going for the spot where he had ripped the arrow out and Aaron slowly and silently crept in that direction on the plateaus. He took slow deliberate steps and kept to rock not to make any noise stepping into snow. Soon he was close enough so that he could confirm his sense impressions and eavesdrop while he was at it. He could listen to them talk about the 15<sup>th</sup> level and magical beasts and how they were hunting a cultivator after all. The warning of the great master echoed in his mind not to underestimate people who were able to go past the fifth level of the tower until he could break spells.


    Well there was a simple solution to that. Kill the spellcaster before they could cast spells. Aaron looked around and spotted a nice big boulder resting on top of the plateau, not far from here. He took one glance down, seeing the group and decided for a spot, the tunnel entrance. So that the rock would trap them in the narrow canyon. Then he slowly pushed the boulder towards the canyon. He cursed silently as the rock rumbled and scraped on the plateaus surface. Then it started rolling on its own, tumbling over itself and then it fell down with an earsplitting crash and rumble.


    Dust billowed out and although Aaron had only planned on trapping them down there, now he had an opportunity in the dust. He did not hesitate and activated Wind Steps, took one big step and plummeted down towards the mana signature that felt the most dangerous.

 20. Negotiation

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 21. Preparations

    Merlin was fuming when they left the hills behind them, their group all looked down after what could only be called a defeat. Well besides Morris who had his bow back and did not care about anything else.


    ¡°Can we go to town and ask if they have any blacksmiths that can forge me some deadbolts? He has all my ammo.¡±


    ¡°Later Morris, first lets make sure this bastard is going nowhere with our shards.¡±


    ¡°You should not have given him our group funds.¡± Melia said for what felt like the tenth time and Merlin snapped at her, feeling his face heat up in his embarrassment.


    ¡°He saw me hide the pouch, what was I supposed to do? Let Khatrak die?¡±


    ¡°He almost killed him anyways. He broke a leg and a few ribs. We can¡¯t let him get away with this.¡±


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t, we won¡¯t. I know, I know okay?! But we need to adjust our tactics. We can¡¯t be surprised by him, not again, not ever.¡±


    Merlin had grown used to be able to sense his surroundings with his innate manasense, but the cultivator did not disturb the mana at all. It was like he wasn¡¯t even there. He had not sensed him until his bloody boot had hit him almost in the face. The feeling of loss was eerily familiar to him, it felt just like running against the beasts of the 15<sup>th</sup> and coming home with nothing to show for their troubles.


    He saw people move in between the trees in front of him and straightened. He might feel defeated, he might have been defeated and outfoxed, but they did not know that.


    Merlin could sense the group leaders and sought eye contact with them as they came closer to the forest. Obediently they stepped out from their respective groups and bowed. As was proper when facing a senior mage.


    Even though Merlin was only senior to them by a bit.


    ¡°We encountered the Cultivator just 15 minutes ago. He ambushed us, but we were able to fend him off and he fled deeper into the hills towards the wall.¡±


    There were 5 leaders present, all mages like him and Merlin could sense by the depth of their mana reserves and how nervous they seemed, how much experience they had. Most were decent, not high enough to walk past the 5<sup>th</sup>, but almost there. Two of them were quite green and those groups were a problem if his plan was to succeed.


    Merlin didn¡¯t really have a plan in mind yet, just a tactic for now. But as he looked from leader to leader he decided quickly on what to do next.


    ¡°I propose we siege these hills. They are only like what 3-4 miles? How many groups answered the call?¡±


    ¡°34, senior magus.¡± A small man said with a bow and a smile that made Merlin almost squirm in discomfort. He hated sycophants, even if the man was decent strength wise.


    ¡°We¡¯ll cordon off these hills, each group has to stay within sight and have a rotation of ranged combatants stand guard. Make sure they look up, the Cultivator has a strong movement technique and can vault over trees, rocks, you name it. Open ground is your friend. Those groups who have more experience, especially if they have been beyond the 5<sup>th</sup> level should take up positions in the areas where the forest touches the hills.¡±


    The leaders stood there staring at him and Merlin frowned.


    ¡°This is a siege Aspirants, we make sure he can¡¯t run and then we force him to come out, with fire if we have to.¡± Merlin smirked and saw a few of the mages grin back. Every mage loved to blow shit up, especially fire mages.


    ¡°My group will be stationed more or less central and if, no, once he comes out, we will respond and kill him while he tries to get past you. Does anyone have a map?¡±


    One of the men, a fellow with a beard and a fairly deep manapool nodded and pulled out a map of the first floor.


    Merlin held out his hand and the man reluctantly gave it to him. The map was extensive in its topographical display, the 4 passages to the second floor and the Symbol of the summoning chambers were also marked. Merlin nodded and quickly found the hills that stretched a good 4 or 5 miles from this stairway towards the summoning chamber. A small river had its origin in the hills and flowed eventually in the bigger one that crossed through the Town of Beginnings.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly clear where the forest began or not, but Merlin could guess.


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    ¡°Okay, my team will take up position close to the river that runs through the center of these hills. That will be the terrain closest to the forest if I were to guess. Keep line of sight between you and the other teams at all times. Be sure to have a camp with 2 teams of 10 at least.¡± He looked each of the leaders in the eyes to make the point.


    ¡°Why?¡± a woman asked clad a dark robe, while she peered on the map curiously, one of her fingers curled around a short lock of her hair.


    ¡°The cultivator is durable, has high regeneration, but his speed and his ambushes are what get people killed. If we take that away from him, if we force him to fight head on. He will die. Make sure you fight together, never be isolated against him. That might be your death. Fight together as a group. He is just like a magical beast, corner him, smoke him out, overwhelm him with good teamwork and numbers.¡±


    The woman nodded slowly, but by the length of her hair he guessed she wasn¡¯t long enough in the tower yet to have faced the beasts on the 5<sup>th</sup> floor.


    ¡°Questions?¡± he asked and one of the men sneered, his hair was short, his eyes hard and he glowered up to Merlin.


    ¡°I know he is a senior mage and all, but who made him boss? Isn¡¯t it clear? This is a test. We are still being tested by Lord Emnu. The cultivator is in there, we have the quest to kill him. My group will go after him and hunt him down like the dog he is and I¡¯ll claim the bounty for myself, while all of you cowards are waiting around.¡± the man declared sneering at his peers. He even puffed out his chest like a peacock. Merlin sighed. Another idiot.


    ¡°Please, go ahead and try. But I have to warn you right now, my group could not get him and we are based in Ambition, we have killed beasts on the 15<sup>th</sup> floor and we could not kill him before he fled. If you really think you can do it better than us, go ahead. But don¡¯t drag down other teams with you.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you man, so what if you have been here longer¡­¡±


    Merlin sent one of his daggers flying out of it¡¯s sheath and scored a thin red line on the mans cheek. The mage flinched back and raised a hand to summon magic, but Merlin¡¯s dagger returned and hovered in front of the mages eyes like a literal sword of Damocles.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the tower and don¡¯t underestimate this cultivator. I could kill you in the blink of an eye, hell probably all of you. So if I try to tell you something for your own damn good, for your own survival, then you listen.¡± The man had blanched as he stared at the hovering throwing knife that was doing lazy loops around the mans head now and he nodded quickly.


    ¡°Alright man, chill. No need to get angry.¡± he said, but Merlin ignored him and turned to the rest of the leaders. ¡°Go, spread the word. Don¡¯t give him the time to escape.¡±


    Merlin gave the map back to the bearded mage who nodded seriously and jogged of with his team towards the distant forest. Everyone was moving suddenly, shouting for their teams to assemble and Merlin gestured his group to follow him.


    ¡°Khatrak.¡±


    ¡°What is it, boss?¡±


    ¡°Did you see the cultivators face?¡±


    The healer stopped, frowned and then shrugged.


    ¡°I did, not sure if it will help though, why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Can you draw a sketch of him, or better make a sketch with an artist in Town?¡± Khatrak hesitated, he opened and closed his mouth and then frowned at Merlin.


    ¡°You want me to go to the Town while you prepare to get revenge? No way, I want to be there¡­¡± Merlin raised a hand and stopped the protests before they really started.


    ¡°And you will be there, we will need you in the fight to come for sure.¡± He inched closer to the man and whispered.


    ¡°You did use it though, right?¡±


    Khatrak flinched again and avoided Merlin¡¯s gaze, but he nodded eventually. Damn. Khatrak¡¯s rare class was primarily healing and one offensive spell that mostly blinded and did not do much damage. But in return he had gotten what most healers in the tower wanted more than anything else. He had a cheat death skill that would revive him after he basically had died. But there was a caveat, the skill had a 7 day cooldown and required some manastone sacrifices to recharge.


    Merlin gave Khatrak a meaningful gaze and put a hand on the mans shoulder.


    ¡°You know I promised your clan to keep you safe, right? Come on, play it safe for my sake as much as yours.¡± he whispered and Khatrak clicked his tongue, but nodded.


    ¡°If I can¡¯t keep myself safe on the first floor of the tower, then what is the point.¡± he grumbled to himself but Merlin ignored that and turned to the rest of his team.


    ¡°I¡¯ll head to Town with Khatrak, you guys set up a camp from where we can play quick relief force and catch the bastard. Morris you are on watch until I get back.¡±


    The archer nodded and frowned down at his bow.


    ¡°I only have some standard arrows I mooched of one of the archers. I need a new quiver and at best some new deadbolts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, but nor promises, I doubt the smiths here can make them.¡± Merlin straightened and spat out into the snow.


    ¡°You know, the Cultivator was right with one thing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Melia asked tersely, clearly still irritated by the situation they had found themselves in.


    ¡°We are not getting paid enough for our efforts. I think it is time we renegotiate with Aurix and get ourselves a nice chunk of manastones to replace the ones we just lost.¡±


    Atris shook his head and scowled.


    ¡°Men like Aurix are not used to new terms.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. It is worth a try either way. I doubt he wants to be out of town and hunt down the cultivator himself. If he did, he would have done so already.¡±


    Merlin stopped half a mile out from where he guessed was the river and turned to his group.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take chances till I am back with Khatrak. Atris you have lead, if he comes out and tries to flee, just harry him, don¡¯t engage if you don¡¯t have to and never do it alone.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Captain.¡±


    Merlin nodded and turned towards the center of the first floor. He regretted his decision to take the seemingly easy money now. But he would make the best out of it. If his plan succeeded then the cultivator was basically already dead, he just did not know it yet. If not, he would still make sure their team at least would be compensated for their time. But he vowed in his heart that next time he would be ready and he would not underestimate the Cultivator again.

 22. Siege

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 23. Terror

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    ¡°Yes, that. How can you pray? We have all seen what awaits us in the afterlife. The freaking Atheists were right. There is no heaven, there is no god, just eternal nothingness.¡± Alex their groups [Ranger] said angrily while he fiddled with one of the arrows in his quiver.


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    th</sup> attack of the night and Aaron had no plans of stopping. His attacks had mixed results so far. His first shot had hit the man he had aimed at in the leg and not in the torso, as he had wanted to, his second one had missed horribly and his third had only grazed the mage he had targeted because the man had somehow deflected his arrow.


    Once again the night was filled with shouts and the organized chaos spread all along the line. Aaron continued, sending the occasional arrow into the waiting defenders over the next few hours, but as the night progressed there was a shift.

 24. Trap

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 25. The Pursuers

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    th</sup> floor for mining that were organized every few months in Ambition. And that said quite a lot about how well done the siege had been.


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    ¡°th</sup> floor¡­¡± Beresix said with obvious pride before he fell quiet and shrugged. Merlin knew what the gap was of course, it was the colloquial name of the stretch of the Tower between the 20<sup>th</sup> and 50<sup>th</sup> level. There were no habitable floors at all on the 30<sup>th</sup> and 40<sup>th</sup> floors, for different reasons he was not privy to as a simple team leader in Ambition. But he had no concept of what a campaign looked like beyond the 50<sup>th</sup> floor. He was not keen on asking follow up questions either. Beresix and Artis were both notoriously quiet about what was going on upstairs. Like everyone who was born beyond the 50<sup>th</sup> floor.


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    ¡°th</sup> floor now and Beresix grandpa is a big-shot. What about our tight lipped femme fatale? A princess maybe?¡±


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    ¡°nd</sup> floor will weaken him until he has no choice but to go down into our waiting arms.¡±


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    ¡°nd</sup> floor. The curse will work against him and as long as we got the Marks he won¡¯t be able to get rid of it if he stays up there. So, if anyone thinks the plan won¡¯t work, or you have a better idea, please go ahead and tell me. I rely on you guys, you know that.¡±


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 26. The Second Floor

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 27. The Door

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 28. Disease

th</sup> repetition of the Rejuvenating Fist and he guessed it had rained for almost 30 minutes, before the rain stopped as suddenly as it had began.


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 29. Barricade

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 30. Boss Fight

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    nd</sup> floor to begin with with the sun shining around the clock. The logical thing to do now was to head straight for the desert Monolith and the giant Scorpion Boss again and try to get the next kill before they came, or steal the tattoo from under their noses.

 31. Leap of Faith

    Aaron sat down and cultivated, because if he had to wait, he could do something productive instead right? His perch was a little underneath the top of the monolith and he had found an indentation in the rock that formed enough space to sit. He even considered putting his tent up. No scorpion would come up here, it was perfectly safe and since the Opening into the arena was on the opposite side the chance someone would see him up here was minuscule. He calmed himself down and did his 3 hour meditation cycle assisted by another manastone. There was a bit higher resistance to fill his already 70% full dantian even further and it grew increasingly difficult to cycle with just the Qi he wanted to refine and make his own. It required more focus, but he could spare some since he had grown increasingly proficient in cultivating. It was easier to pull in free strands of Qi from his bloodstream into his dantian, but harder to cycle them. In the end it meant he cultivated at the same speed, just more efficiently overall. The problem was, if he was correct, that the filled Dantian had its own magnetism of some sort. It drew in Qi to its center mass and the mist thickened there considerably. It was still gaseous, foggy, but a thick, dense fog by now.


    Aaron woke from his deep concentration when he heard voices echo up from the arena. He was sweaty and while cultivating he had entirely ignored his bodily needs. He was so thirsty, his throat and mouth felt wrong. The headache was debilitating too and he frowned up at the light in anguish. He could not help himself and took a few deep swigs of water, to settle his nerves. Because his condition really did not change much when he drank water. After a minute or two of relief the thirst returned and he felt just as bad as he had before.


    Carefully Aaron climbed back up to the edge of the caldera and peered down into the Arena.


    A huge group of Aspirants had occupied the arena. It was a small army almost 50 people strong from his initial headcount. His senses did not really reach down there, but from their clothing he counted at least 5 or more mages and his heart sunk. There was just no way to deal with this. There was no way to sneak into that cave and steal the tattoo before it vanished again either. Just no way. If he tried, there was no other way but to fight all of those people and leave through the Arena entrance. And while the high level group was not here, it made no difference. All they had to do is block the arena entrance and the cave. He would be stuck and everyone else not occupied doing that could murder him. The Arena was actually a bit crowded there were so many of the bastards. No, this was a dead end. He could try to wait it out until the next spawn, but it would be a tight thing, even if he did. Most likely the Snake tattoo would expire before he would be able to find a stairway up.


    He had to try though, did he not? Aaron hesitated, studied the people far underneath him and then discarded the whole notion. He had to break through the barricade on the first floor. That was the only way. There had to be fewer defenders there now that they had committed that many people to beating and camping this boss, right? Aaron climbed down the monolith dejected and walked towards the wall. They had him thoroughly trapped, didn¡¯t they? He felt like he was in Prison again, but unlike back then he felt no ease, was not indifferent to it all. He could not simply rationalize these feelings away.


    Feeling free and powerful had become somewhat the new normal to him. Now when it all seemed like an illusion, like he had never been truly free, he felt terrible. Felt trapped and wronged by this whole world. Aaron was not even sure when the notion of fairness had crept into his thinking but he took a few minutes while he crossed the desert to think about his feelings. Something he had not done much in his previous life since his emotional bandwidth had been much smaller than it suddenly was after his Rebirth. It probably was his new body¡¯s fault again. Still he had to come to terms with it all in the short term.


    He did not like feeling wronged because that implied he deserved better than what he had gotten. That whole notion was absurd to him. But he understood why when he thought about it. He felt wronged because he was specifically targeted not for something he had done, but for choosing to become a cultivator. Sure after he had murdered some people it was understandable that they hunted him. It felt normal to be hunted. Aaron had never really felt bad about being hunted before, in fact he had felt flattered at the amount of resources people had thrown at finding and identifying him in his last life.


    But that had changed coming here. Why?


    Because for whatever reason some part of him had thought it would be better here. That prejudice and corruption were not a universal concept, but just what his old world had to fight against. He was wrong of course, he knew that. People were people and they would try to screw each other if they had the chance. They were selfish, narrow minded fools who often did far worse crimes than he ever did under the guise of profit or the greater good. Aaron had never subscribed to that notion. He knew what he was. He knew why he had done what he had done. He was good at killing and he liked doing it, so he had made a career out of it. No matter its illegality or morality.


    He was not even sure if any of these feelings were his either. His biology, his new body, his new brain had kept playing tricks on him, had influenced and changed some of his behavior so much that he was still unsure what were his thoughts and what were the thoughts his body was at fault for. But Aaron did not give up, he did not fold in on himself at the odds. That was not his way. Whenever there had been a problem in his life he had tried to solve it. Through any means possible. He had the conviction and the will to try and try again, even if he would die trying. Yes, he would try the barricade. He needed to get back to the cultivators. They were the only source of knowledge and power he had in this tower. That was his goal and he steeled his will to go through with it. There was no way he would not try and even if he failed, it was better to die fighting than slowly wasting away of disease or thirst up here.


    Aaron found a stairway down after jogging along the wall for an hour or so, enough time still that the giant group had not even started the scorpion fight. He was careful approaching the stairway, but again nobody waited for him, nothing unexpected happened and he walked down the stairs to the first floor uncontested.


    On the way down he thought about what to do specifically, what his tools were and how he could use them to break through. First and foremost he needed information. He needed to observe the barricade with his mana senses and then plot a route through the traps, before they spotted him. There had to be a way through, they were going up and down the stairs every 12 hours or so after all.


    Then he had to overwhelm and quickly dispatch the closest guards if that was possible and if it was not, then he had to know the way through and out into the first floor already beyond the first barricade. Surprise was his friend and if he had the time he would probably try to wait until nightfall and for the guards to grow tired before he acted. But the giant group would probably return soon and this probably was the closest stairway. No, actually that was not true, if the Monolith and the scorpion boss were in the center of the desert then the stairways should be the same distance away from the center. But he did not know, it was entirely possible they came down here or never used this stairway. So he did not have the luxury to wait. Maybe he could try to lure them out, create a diversion of some sort. But Aaron really did not know how. An arrow shot through one of the gaps in the barricade maybe? It would ruin his element of surprise though and that was a bad idea.


    In the end, Aaron decided to just sneak to the barricade and then improvise. It was a shit plan, but what else could he do?


    He felt the cold of the first floor before he heard the guards talking or could see the different color light illuminate the blue tinged staircase. Once he was sure the barricade was around the next bend of the staircase he leaned against the wall and breathed in slowly. He was slightly cold after the sudden shift in temperature. But at least his thirst and headache had slowly started to wane and get better by the minute, which was a relief. Aaron could feel the cold air, the mana flowing in the wall in his back, in the air, how mana saturated everything in the tower. But not equally. The wall was packed with mana, distinct and even, flowing through it at a moderate pace. The air was more chaotic, the mana flowed here and there, its concentration varied and left local spots of thick or thin mana clouds. In the distance he started to sense the spells, dormant but waiting for a trigger to spring into action. There were so many all over the stairs. In the walls, in the ceiling, on stairs, they saturated a 20 feet section of the staircase at least and at first metaphysical glimpse he could not spot any pattern. But then he slowly worked through it, identifying each individual trap and making it a distinct entity in his head until a picture formed in his mind.


    It was a tiring thing to do, but better than running into a trap head first. The barricade was quiet, someone yawned, another man hummed a tune. But most of the people he sensed were quiet, sitting or just waiting around. There were only around 10 he could sense, which was good news. Maybe he could do this after all. There was a gap in the traps Aaron could feel. He had to start at the leftmost side of the step and then walk diagonally down the staircase each new step slightly further to the right and then once he hit the right wall, he would have to go the same way back towards the center and the entrance.


    Whoever designed this trap knew what he was doing. Competent enemies were a pain, but in the end they were also what made it fun. Aaron smirked to himself. That was more like him. A big obstacle ahead but he was at the moment glad to face someone smart and not some idiot who had left obvious holes in their plans. At least Aaron could not see any. The problem with the pattern of traps was that he basically had to walk through the line of sight of the defenders to get to them and could not use the sides at all without activating some of the traps. Which also meant his initial plan of sneaking up on the barricade would not work. He had to have some sort of distraction and use it to close in on the opening as fast as possible. His plan was to skip all the steps to the right wall diagonally. He marked the spot where exactly where he had to turn and then he would jump directly at the two men standing in the gab between the barricade.


    Aaron did not really have much that he could use as a distraction, he could throw a manastone in there, but that was not really going to make enough noise. So he had to try and get an arrow in there that would spook people and make them raise the alarm. If he timed it right, the guards at the gap would turn around or get distracted by what happened behind them. Aaron took a slow breath and leaned a bit around the curve of the stairway. He spotted an arrow slit in the barricade and took careful aim. His skill with the bow had increased steadily since he had come to the tower and this was a relatively short range shot. But he had to have perfect accuracy. So he took his time, he made sure everything was correct, his arrows fletching nice and even, the bow¡¯s string nice and taut. Then he aimed without drawing back the string, knocked the arrow, drew back and released the arrow in one smooth motion as he exhaled.


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    The arrow flew into the opening, its back end hitting the top of the murder hole and then the arrow was bouncing off the ceiling behind the barricade and then went back down somewhere. Shouts echoed and Aaron drew his dagger, peered around the corner and kept the spot he had to jump to in mind. The guards in the entrance were distracted, both had turned around to see what the commotion was about. With one Wind steps empowered leap Aaron was on the left most stair and then he leapt to the right side just a moment later, hopefully passing all the traps. He was in the air, his body taught and full of murderous intent when he felt something tingle in his perception. It felt like a spring was uncoiling and Aaron stared at one of the traps he thought he would evade as it activated. In the air he shifted his momentum, doing a front flip, evading the invisible projectile before another one uncoiled and this time he was too close to the trap to evade.


    He felt something that felt like a steel band wrap around his arms at chest height and it drove the air out of his lungs. Aaron stumbled and hit the wall he had jumped towards instead of landing on the last step. The invisible band of force tightened for a moment before it stopped. Aaron caught himself on the wall and felt how his arms were constricted, how tight and unforgiving the magical spell bound him. He could barely move his forearms and he had almost stabbed himself in the stomach if he had not been conscious enough of the sharp blade to move his wrist.


    Aaron tried to break free for a moment before he heard someone call the alarm right in front of him. The two melees had turned back around at his very audible collision with the stairways wall and had their shields up, their weapons drawn. There was a commotion behind the barricade but it would not take long for the Defenders to get into position. With a curse Aaron jumped back the way he had come from, landing flawlessly on the top of the step where the gap in the traps started and sped back up the stairway.


    He could not fight with his arms trapped and he had lost the element of surprise, there was no way he could break through without serious injury or death and that was obviously not worth it to Aaron. What the hell had happened? Why had the traps activated? The traps that had gotten him had felt like they had been in a totally different direction and should not have activated at all. But it did not matter how. The fact was the traps had caught him and he had to deal with the consequences now.


    Aaron struggled with the invisible rope and felt it resist his physical strength with ease. It felt as unforgiving and solid as steel. Once it had tightened there was no give at all, it cut a little bit into his flesh, but luckily it was not painfully tight. He had no idea if someone was following him or not, but he did not take any chances. He needed to get out of the stairway and not be trapped here too. Because that would really be the end of him. Aaron flew up the stairs, struggling all the way with the spell, but it would not budge at all. Finally the temperature spiked and he found himself in the desert again. There was nobody here and he heard or felt nothing behind him on the stairs. Cursing up a storm he leaned back against the wall next to the stairs and tried to shrug the spell off like a rope, by pushing it off him. But it would not move, no matter how he tried and he could not break it.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± he cursed and threw back his head in fury, hitting the wall and winced. He struggled a bit more just to vent his rage before he sagged down against the wall. He felt suddenly so helpless it made him physically uncomfortable.


    This was the spell the Leader of the high ranking group had tried to catch him with, right? What was his name again? Merlin?


    If he had caught him with that during their little fight on the first floor he would have died. Aaron had thought he had done well against that group and he had, but really he had gotten lucky. There was no way he would survive if just one of these invisible ropes entangled his legs. He would just be dead instantly. Same would have happened if the ice spell that had frozen his foot had caught both of his legs. He had come so close to death so many times and often he had barely realized the danger he was in. But Aaron knew now, understood the importance of having something that could break spells. He understood now why the Great Master had warned him to climb up too high where these kind of spells were common. They were lethal if used in combination of a group.


    Aaron sat there next to the wall and he knew he should move. But he did not want to at the moment. He just felt like shit. He had no idea how long a spell like this would last and if it would lose any power over time. A part of him wanted to find out, so he could deal with them better in the future. But he was tired, so tired all of a sudden. Tired of being hunted, tired of not having the tools required to deal with his enemies. A handful of grenades and an old M16 with 6 or 7 mags would have been enough to get rid of every single man or woman who had come after him. But he had neither, he was stuck with bow and arrow and daggers against people who threw lightning and fireballs, people who used telekinetic daggers and could summon ice and fire from their fingertips.


    How was any of that remotely fair? If he had even a fraction of their offensive potential he would have killed all of them already.


    But wallowing in despair was not a solution and he would not allow himself the disgusting self pity that he felt. Aaron took a deep breath to calm down, felt the air inflate his lungs as he cleared his head. He felt the mana move around him and got an idea. The spell was in the end mana given form or a task of some sort right? He had no idea how the whole spell casting thing worked, but he could feel it doing something. It was an active thing unlike the tattoo on his hand. But in the end it did not matter how it worked, just that it was still mana in the end. And his body ate mana for breakfast. Literally. So, he could try to absorb the spell and just sort of eat it with his body? His body was used to absorbing mana after all. Aaron concentrated and tried to feel the mana that constricted him, tried to focus on it with his mind and then he tried to coax it to be absorbed, tried everything he could to influence the mana. With absolutely zero success.


    He tried again and again with no reaction at all. It felt like his body was not recognizing the mana at all in the spell, like it was something entirely different than the stuff it had been absorbing all day long.


    Frustrated he focused again, tried to feel around him for anything to grasp, anything to influence with his senses and he paused as he felt something respond. He blinked and concentrated on his back where the feedback had come from and then he felt it again. It was like an electric shock in his sensation. He felt for it, using his mana sense and got nothing. He almost believed he had imagined it all when he felt it again. It felt like fire was running behind him along his spine. It was a familiar feeling.


    Aaron gasped when he realized what he was feeling. He was feeling Qi, outside of his body, flowing¡­.flowing in the wall? He struggled up and looked at the wall suspiciously. There was no Qi in the tower. That had been the Great Masters words and he had no reason to doubt them. What the hell was this then?!


    He leaned his forehead against the wall and felt for the sensation of Qi instead of mana, felt for it where his head touched the wall instead of in his blood saturated with the amazing energy. Soon Aaron could feel the Qi pulse through the wall, felt it steadily run up the tower. It was a bit like very slow Morse code or a heart beat, although so far the rhythm had not changed. He wondered what would happen if he tried to send something back. Aaron hesitated and stood back, studying the wall right next to the staircase intently. But it looked no different from any other spot. He frowned and walked a bit further away from the stairway and tried to sense the Qi again in this part of the wall. But the pulse was gone and when he slowly moved back along the wall to the stairway he started feeling it again until just 2 or 3 meters from the stairs he felt it with the highest intensity.


    Qi was so much denser in energy than mana, it felt like fireballs ran through the wall although it was a minuscule amount of Qi compared to what he had inside of his dantian. Carefully he turned around and pushed the sole of his boots against the wall. He had no real way to use Qi on anything external besides his movement technique. He was not sure if it would work, but he had to try. This was too strange, too curious.


    Aaron pushed some Qi through the sole of his foot resting against the wall, activating Wind steps and suddenly the wall behind him moved back and he almost fell backwards. He caught himself and turned around. With slight disbelief he stared at a secret door leading into a dark tunnel made out of the same stone the wall had been made out of.


    ¡°Holy shit, what the fuck is this?¡± he muttered and looked around suspiciously. He was still tied up and he was not sure he wanted to stay here and explore this mystery while a whole army was probably on their way back here from the Scorpion boss. But in the end he was too curious. A hidden door that could be opened with Qi? What was going on here?


    The tunnel was narrow, barely wider than Aaron, so more or less a meter in width, and a few meters tall. Suspiciously and with the light of the second floor in his back he walked down the tunnel that softly curved around towards the stairway. The light got dimmer the further he followed the tunnel and his steps echoed eerily in the silent, slightly cooler tunnel. The air smelled fresh though, not like he had opened an ancient tomb or something. The further down the tunnel he got, the longer the shadows grew, the deeper the darkness until he could barely see his own hand in front of his eyes. He paused until his eyes acclimated to low light. Then he kept walking a bit deeper. He guessed he was behind the stairs now and Aaron stopped when the darkness widened. He frowned and slowly edged closer to what looked a dark hole in the wall. Aaron could barely make out that the darkness was vaguely round and it looked like a hole, a deep hole in the floor. After a second or two blinking into the darkness he suddenly knew what this reminded him of. An elevator shaft.


    Aaron peered over the edge curiously, but there was nothing to see but thickest darkness. He looked up and could see the shaft stretch upwards as well. It really was some sort of elevator shaft. Or a giant¡¯s garbage shoot. Or if he was unlucky there was a snake as wide as the tunnel waiting for him in the darkness. Aaron frowned and looked back towards the light. He could see that the tunnel curved around the staircase and continued to curve to his right where the tunnel continued into darkness. Curiously he stepped up to the inner wall and followed it into the darkness. He shuffled his feet so that he would not step down another hole or something and he kept the hand that still clutched his dagger in it in front of him. Eventually the blade of his dagger hit a solid wall and he turned a bit and tried to identify the nature of this wall with his fingertips. Was this another hidden door, or just a wall and he had missed a turn?


    Gently he traced the outline of the wall and frowned. But then he felt it again. Qi running through the stone. So it was a door then. He lifted up his foot, stepped back and pushed some Qi into the wall just like he had done before. The wall clicked and swung back, revealing the bright sunlight and scorching heat of the second floor. Aaron stuck his head out of the tunnel and looked around. He was on the other side of the stairway and he could see the opened secret door on the other side. With furrowed brows Aaron tried to think about what that all meant. What he should do now. The elevator shaft beckoned him. It led downwards and if he was lucky then it was another alternative way down to the first floor. If he was unlucky a giant unkillable boss waited for him that he would struggle to fight with his arms bound like this.


    The invisible rope still did not budge and Aaron sighed and made a decision. He could not stay on the 2<sup>nd</sup> floor and if they were coming for him, then he had no time to lose. Theoretically he could jump back up the elevator shaft if he had to with wind steps. It would take a long time and be very Qi intensive, but he had that option will his dantian as full as it was. So there really was no downside, besides sudden death by hidden monster or trap.


    So yeah, it was time to take a leap of faith. But first he had to make sure nobody would follow him. The hidden doors were swinging around a central hinge and so he could step back in and push the door closed. The wall clicked shut and Aaron found himself back in deepest darkness. He blinked the bright spots away and followed carefully the inner wall around the stairway until he was back at the other door. He hesitated only a moment, then he pushed this door shut as well.


    The darkness was so absolute it was uncomfortable for a long moment. Then Aaron closed his eyes and felt for the outer wall of the tunnel. Slowly he walked back until he felt the wall end. So he probably was standing right in front of the giant elevator shaft now. He paused and used all of his senses to feel for anything. His mana senses did not tell him much besides that there was mana around. Yeah, no shit. But there was no living thing using mana in the vicinity. He did not smell or hear anything either. His breath was the loudest thing in the darkness and he held his breath for a moment until his heartbeat was the only thing he could hear. It was absolutely silent. Aaron shrugged, activated Wind steps and stepped into the void.


    He felt himself falling slowly downwards, felt the air brush through his hair and he righted himself, then paused and reactivated the movement technique to regulate his speed.


    Aaron fell into the darkness and he fell for quite a long time.

 32. Questions and Answers I

    nd</sup> floor and that alone was cause for celebration. Nobody knew he had escaped and once the big group had stopped camping the scorpion boss for a day they would probably learn of his attempt to break through and Aaron¡¯s hasty retreat afterwards. So they had to assume he was still on the second floor.


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    ¡°th</sup> floor there usually are institutions to train mages and vessels, but the only place for knowledge and training for cultivators is right here. So the elevator was created to level the playing field. But before you berate me further. Using the elevator to climb costs an absurd amount of resources. Manastones in this case. It is not something I would advocate to someone who has barely been a month in the tower, even if you would have reached Ambition already.¡±


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 34. Starbirth

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 35. The Thirteen

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    ¡° I am still a woman after all and not some flame sprite. I can freeze so pretty sculptures out of people. Its really fun! When they still tried to test our powers I froze a whole battalion of them like a chess board! And when they tried to throw fireballs at me I burned them all to a crisp, not even ashes remained. They were so horrified.¡± she laughed a full belly laugh and grinned brightly at Aaron, who was not sure if it was normal to speak of mass murder with such a happy face. But then again, who was he to judge?


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    "That might be difficult to do¡­¡±


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 36. The Demon

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 37. The Artificer and the Lizardman

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    ¡°th</sup> and to some extent the 30<sup>th</sup> floor to be uninhabitable. But you can ask me about the why and how once you have reached the 25<sup>th</sup> floor.¡± the monk said with another small smile.


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    ¡°th</sup> beast core he had inscribed. Each one looked exactly the same except for the color to Aaron, which was an impressive feat of craftsmanship.


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 38. The Courtesan and the Alchemist

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    ¡°Ah yes, the new cultivator. All brawn and no brains it looks like. Go on, what do you need?¡± he said and glanced back into the back of his cell. Aaron followed his gaze. His whole cell was divided by the same blue curtains and he could see with one glance shelves and even more shelves of all kinds of materials and chemicals in beakers. The most exotic and common sense materials lined the shelves. With one glance he could see iron bars and metals of different colors neatly stacked in rows, spices or different colored powders in neat glasses and a whole array of liquids that could be anything, but some shimmered in all colors of the rainbow or in pure gold, so if he had to guess he thought they might be magical in origin. But that was just a small part of the things he could see, most of the things being hoarded Aaron had no concept for at all. Plants that inverted on themselves, strange rocks that Aaron could swear moved on their own and animal parts that looked like they were still alive even though they were not attached to anything.


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 39. Asura

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    ¡°th</sup> and last part of the memory will unlock.¡±


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 40. The Unceasing Palm Kata I

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 41. The Unceasing Palm Kata II

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 42. Sensory Harmony

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 43. Melissa - Picking up the Pieces

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    th</sup> level and yes that means she tried to climb alone. Did not make it past the third floor.¡±


    th</sup> level, that was a common problem they shared and she sympathized with Vera a lot. She admired the courage she had shown, although she questioned her sanity a bit. Climbing the tower on your own was suicide for almost anyone. But that was not the only thing she liked instantly. She had her own share of run ins with unsavory people lusting after her in the past. Being a woman with super powers did even the odds a bit, but it still did not stop men from being creeps. So she would definitively approach her.


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    ¡°th</sup> level, but their team came back for some reason. Do not ask me why, I don¡¯t know.¡±


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 44. Melissa - Picking up the Pieces II

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 45. Hypersensitive

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 46. Changes

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    He landed on the forests floor, the slushy, muddy and cold floor felt surprisingly good under his feet, but he had to concentrate and not fall for his own sense impressions. He had things to do, goals to reach. He could not always stop to admire the feeling of balance he suddenly had, enhanced by Wind Steps, instead he deactivated the technique and the Qi coat vanished within the fraction of a second.


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 47. Training

    th</sup> stance, a dodge by ducking away in one smooth movement while his hands received the attack. He could feel the feedback as his palms landed on the beast and he guided its charge away, made it bounce against one of its members in the pack. These beasts looked like giant lions, but with very thick fur that shimmered in a dark green luster almost like the shell of a beetle. They did behave like a pack of wolves though, trying to encircle and then attack him from blind spots. Aaron¡¯s reactions were still too slow, many times he was half a step behind and screwing up the timing meant usually he was getting hit, if not killed. His counter attacks, throws and palm strikes were just slower than they needed to be and often he chose the wrong part of the kata to respond with. It was frustrating more than anything, but it also gave him a lot of room for improvement. And to get used to short bursts of pain.


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 48. Soul Catcher

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 49. An Accident in the Dark

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 50. Overcharged

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 51. Melissa - A New Group

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    ¡°I know what it feels like to lose a friend. But I never blamed Lisa for her unwitting role in the ambush. She is just as much a victim of the Cultivator as you are. I know it must have been hard to lose your friend and leader and then be told you could not continue as you are and have someone else lead your group. Its not fair, but I promise you I will listen to you and take your concerns seriously. I am reforming my group not just to climb the tower, but to grow stronger until one day we can hunt down the Cultivator and kill him for his crimes.¡±


    Melissa put as much fervor into her words as she could and then looked each of the 4 potential recruits in the eyes.


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    ¡°I agree, that is my groups purpose and even if you don¡¯t think it can¡¯t be done, what about when we all hit lvl20 or lvl30?¡± Melissa asked and she could see Gloria waver, Marvin looked like he was ready to leave, but he did not move. Jacob looked thoughtful. Only the so far silent member of the group, Rick looked determined and nodded.


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    ¡°That is kind of sensitive information, you know?¡± Marvin said and looked distinctly uncomfortable.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Marvin.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I am a Level 5 [Spirit Guardian], rare class, I have 2 active abilities, [Blessing of Strength] and [Blessing of Speed], they increase your physical attributes related to that stat and I can cast them on up to 10 people for one minute. They are not doing that much yet sadly. I also have [Toughness] that makes me, well tougher. Its equivalent to a Constitution buff, but it actually makes my body tougher I think. Its kinda vague in its description. My stats are¡­.¡± she waved in the air, probably opening her status menu all Vessels had access to and sometimes Melissa envied them for the quick access to information.


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    th</sup> level of the tower.


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 52. Long Term Plans

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 53. The Night Market

    Aaron paused on the roof above the brothel¡¯s attic he had hidden in and scanned his surroundings with all of his senses. He could see just as well in the dark than in daylight and after scanning the roofs once with his sharp gaze he did a once over with his other senses. His sense of smell was almost overwhelmed from the perfumes and chemical smells, from sweat and other bodily fluids, including blood. He paused in his scan and scented the air for the smell of blood. There was a distinct coppery smell coming from one of the casinos and Aaron took the time to concentrate on it. He closed his eyes for a moment and his ears picked up the holler of a crowd, shouts and dull sounds of fists hitting flesh. An arena of some sort? Faintly he heard the voice of a man shouting over the crowd:


    ¡°...Right hook, what a punch by Martinez, Kasatru is reeling. Where is the level difference now? Like I always say, Murs, reach is not amplified by higher levels.¡±


    ¡°You are so right, Mike, but what is amplified is how much you can take. Kasatru is on the defensive, but the big man can take quite a punch. That is what guardians are good for after all. Defensive. Ohhh, head slip into a body shot. Martinez felt that for sure.¡±


    Aaron could not help himself and smirked. Was that actually a boxing match? He idly wondered how he would do in that ring, but it was likely that with his two katas he would wipe the floor with everyone in the entire town and it probably would not even be a contest. Still part of him wanted to go down there and fight right now. He had the sudden irrational urge to join that ring. He even balled his fists, ready to fight. Aaron paused and then took a step back mentally. Where was this coming from? He felt into himself and tried to discern his own feelings. Something he was still very much unfamiliar with. But he figured it out relatively quickly. It was part of the fiend-god art, wanting to prove himself, wanting to show he was the strongest and the will to fight came also from his fist kata. A challenge, but also the need to train and improve himself. How much could he learn if he fought a few matches down there? He had so little experience with fighting with his hands. Aaron decided that those feelings were fine, just not at this moment and he pushed them aside. He excluded the bloody ring from his senses, or at least tried to and finished his sweep of the rooftops.


    He paused as his mana senses picked something up on both sides of the red-light district. He froze on the roof, ducked lower until the wet scent of shingles tingled in his nose. He was not alone on these rooftops. He stretched his mana sense and felt them, faint echos. They were hidden behind a chimney and inside of an alcove he could not see. When he focused hard he could hear the two men breathing. Damn, he had almost missed this. All the noise and scents that were coming from below had masked them even to his senses. Carefully and slowly Aaron crawled over his roof and then jumped over an empty backyard away from the red-light district. He moved slowly, checked everything in the vicinity twice before he kept moving. Aaron did a large circle around the red-light district, jumping from one dark roof to the next until he could see the red-lights districts entrance. A big red vaguely Chinese looking red gate marked the entrance, a fact he had not been able to see from his vantage point on the other end of the cul-de-sac.


    The intersection branched out into 3 other roads coming towards the district and the streets were bustling with activity. Men and women in armor or in plain clothes moved along an impromptu flea market. Trinkets, herbs, ingredients and clothes were sold. And above all else there were street food vendors. Aaron inhaled the scent of hot, freshly brewed tea, sugar and candied fruit, spicy fragrant aromas of sizzling meat and all kinds of dishes he barely had an inkling of. It all blended into an enticing aroma of deliciousness. Suddenly Aaron felt how hungry he was. The lingering stomach pain that was his perpetual hunger reared its ugly head and Aaron could feel himself salivating at the delicious smells. But he could not just go down there right? It was dangerous. He could be spotted...he¡­


    There was a dark alleyway between two houses right in front of him, barely wider than his shoulders were wide and it was quiet in the alley. Only a solitary junkie squatted in the refuse at its end, groaning slightly. His irregular breath and the weird chemical odor made it likely the junkie was higher than a kite at the moment. Aaron could not help himself and was halfway down the building towards the dark alley before he could stop himself. What was he doing? His stomach growled. He controlled himself and stared out into the well lit street, where lamps of magical or common origin banished the encroaching darkness. It was a night market, a bustling place filled with people and delicious food. His whole being urged him to go there and feast. How long had it been since he had a decent meal, since he had some spices? Since he had sugar. He had not eaten anything the entire day and the hole in his stomach felt even deeper and more insatiable than usual. The proximity to the food made it so much harder to resist. Aaron swallowed. There were plenty of good reasons to stay hidden in the dark, but on the other hand, he could just explore while mixing into the crowd. He could listen and more importantly he could ask questions, right?


    His passive approach had not yielded him quite as much as he had hoped and he needed to find someone who knew what he wanted to know and be easily abducted. He could find out some stuff from the customers and the vendors. He¡­ He wanted to try those skewers that smelled simply heavenly. The spices wafted up to Aaron weakening his resolve. Damn it. Aaron let himself fall to the ground silently in the darkness. He checked on the junkie, but the man was totally out of it, as expected, before Aaron straightened and stepped out into the light.


    There was barely a thought in his mind but this heavenly smelling meat. He went straight to the cart with the skewers that were cooking over an open wood fire giving it an enticing aroma of sandalwood and hickory. Aaron swallowed his saliva and looked at the elderly man preparing the skewers with practiced hands.


    ¡°How much for one?¡±


    ¡°3 are one shard.¡± the man said in a language that Aaron knew was not English, but still understood. With trembling fingers he fished out 3 shards from his money bag and handed them to the vendor. The old man grinned a gap toothed smile and handed him 9 piping hot skewers that were all drenched in some sort of fragrant spicy sauce.


    When Aaron bit into the meat he groaned, the spices, the flavor exploded in his mouth, spicy, hot, smokey and delicious. The meat was a bit overcooked and the outside a tad too charred, but it still tasted incredible. Utterly ridiculously tasty. He devoured the first skewer in 3 big bites and was through his second skewer when he really started to appreciate the flavor. The meat was a bit too tough, but not too much for venison. It was just right for skewers and the fatty slightly beefy flavor was complimented by a whole array of spices that Aaron barely cared to discern he was so out of it while enjoying his meal. Aaron ate with big bites and with every bite came back to himself a bit more. He walked away from the cart, his uneaten skewers in one hand, while he devoured one skewer after another with the other. It was so good he felt like crying.


    His enhanced sense of taste was torture and bliss at the same time. He could not think while he ate and he was done with all 9 skewers in the span of a few minutes. Only afterwards when his mouth was on fire from the spices and he felt like he had taken a bath in wood smoke he realized he was standing in the middle of the street, surrounded by people.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯ Some People were staring at him, but most ignored him. Aaron quickly moved on, started walking in a random direction so he would not attract any attention, He really should go back into hiding, but he could not help himself and followed his nose to the next food cart. He bought some filled pastry at the vendor, which were filled with vegetables and sweet and sour sauce. The spice combinations were odd, but they all worked surprisingly well. Too well. With each dish he tried Aaron grew more hungry. After pastries he went back to meat, a mystery meat filled bun that reminded him of Chinese pork buns. It had a slightly garlicky flavor to it and it was piping hot and delicious, the outside crust flaky like a croissant. In short order he tried one dish after another as he walked down the street, his shards vanishing from his pocket as fast as he could walk. He did not care about anything but food in this moment. He stopped in front of a cart that made candied fruits, whose sweet smell had haunted him on his entire food fueled eating binge. The fruits looked suspiciously like apples and without hesitation he got himself one. Aaron bit into the crunchy, sugary outside and was rewarded with a gush of fruit juice that reminded him of a mix of an apple and a pineapple funnily enough. But the sweetness. It took over his whole being for a moment. Never in his life had something sweet tasted so good. It was beyond anything he had expected. His new palate was not used to sweet things. It was too good. Aaron almost cried again as he slowly ate the sugary treat and when he was done he felt emotionally drained. But his stomach was not even half full.


    Still the sudden heady sugar rush brought some self control back to him. He stood at one end of the flea market, staring at the stick where the candied fruit had been and swallowed down his saliva. He shook his head forcefully and scanned the street. He had made a mistake by coming down here, but he had not been able to help himself. Immediately he spotted some enforcers with red armband standing nearby, keeping the peace in the night market. But they did not look at him, they stared instead at an approaching guard patrol in the distance, who took one look at the night market and then turned around. The armbanded enforcers sneered at the guards and there was some taunting, but the guards ignored it and soon vanished. The night market itself was filled with people of all ages. Families bringing their children here for a midnight treat, old men sitting on rickety stools sipping what smelled like beer and eating what looked like a noddle soup. Young couples on a date trying the variety of food offered. A group of young men moving through the crowd laughing and joking as they turned left into the real red-light district probably looking for a good time. Addicts and junkies slinking into the same direction, looking beat down or stressed out. But there was no pick pocketing or mugging here. The enforcers were everywhere, their affiliation clearly marked by the armbands and heavily muscled physique as they stood guard at strategic points for at least one street block in every direction.


    Aaron spotted bars and restaurants that lined the streets along the intersection, even what looked a bit like a disco, just with the sound of live music coming from the cellar. It sounded vaguely like jazz actually and there was a small queue for that club. There was no electricity, no electronic music, no cars, not even horses or carts. It was all just cobblestone streets and depending on the wealth of the establishment or the visitor they used oil lamps or magical lamps that had strange spell impressions in them that glowed a multicolored light. The clothing of the people was also strangely multifaceted. He saw people in simple shirt and trousers, others in tuxedos and he spotted a whole group of women in Victorian ball gowns leaving a building that echoed of classical music. The dresses could look very old fashioned, but he also spotted a few people with ripped jeans, t-shirts and hoodies. It was like someone had mixed different cultures and time periods in one entertainment district that tried its best to offer something to anyone who visited.


    Conscious of the stares he got, Aaron moved to the side, out of the traffic and tried to wrap his head around all the new and different sights he was seeing. His gaze wandered over his immediate surroundings and stopped at the brick wall next to a pub that smelled intensely like spilled beer and alcohol. His blood froze and he would have stumbled if he had not stopped in his tracks. There, at the unassuming wall, someone had hung up wanted posters more than a dozen of them and in the middle of them was a fresh one, whose color had not faded yet. It read:


    ¡®Wanted for Murder:


    The Cultivator.


    Warning: Extremely dangerous, do not approach under level 10 and with a group of less than 10 people.


    Wanted for Mass Murder.


    Reward: Dead or Alive, 50 mid grade Mana stones.¡¯


    In the center of the wanted poster was a drawing of Aaron¡¯s face, rough, but still impossible to mistake for anyone else. Suddenly he saw all the stares he had gotten in a new light. Had they recognized him from this wanted poster? Had someone already alerted the authorities? Aaron listened for metal on metal, listened for a group of vessels surrounding him. But he could sense nothing like that. Everything seemed to be just the same compared to a few minutes ago. Which meant he still had time. There was a possibility that nobody had spotted him of course, but it was better to err on the side of caution. The thugs ensuring security for the district at least did not seem interested in him in the least.


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    Aaron hesitated for one moment and then crossed the street towards the wanted posters, stared a moment at his own face and then, after ensuring nobody was looking, he ripped the poster off the wall and folded it before putting it into his belt pouch. He had never before had a wanted poster made about him. Well technically there had been dozens of wanted posters searching for information about some of his murders, but never about him specifically. Until he had been caught because of his own carelessness and the stupid decision for revenge he had never been on the radar of the police. He had been proud of that. But here his face was known, if not his name. His nature was his new nickname. Still better than ¡®Reaper¡¯, he had seriously considered back then to pay the journalist that had dubbed him so a visit. He never had of course, but he still remembered the man¡¯s name, address and that he had worked in a small town newspaper that had gotten quoted many times because of the man¡¯s sensationalist articles.


    But that past mattered little now and so Aaron pushed those memories aside and tried to focus on his immediate problems. It looked like nobody was looking for him, or at least he had some time until someone noticed and went for the authorities, whoever that might be. The guard or maybe the guild, who knew? So until that happened he was free to peruse and look for someone who could have more information about this criminal organization as well as their leader. Which meant he was free to peruse the night market if he tried to be inconspicuous. Or at least he would probably not do any more damage than he had already done. Aaron let his gaze wander over the different stalls and made a quick plan. He could solve some of his problems right now, starting with his clothes.


    He walked out of the small alleyway between buildings next to the bar and reentered the steady stream of people. He bought himself another treat in the form of a long stuffed pita bread, or something looking like it at least and then stopped in front of a vendor selling clothes, having devoured the treat in less than 10 steps. The rotund woman who strutted around like she owned the shop, which she probably did, gave Aaron a look and walked over to him.


    ¡°You sir need some better clothes. Apologies if I am too forward, but Climbers such as yourself need to be presentable. Come in, come in, we have all the styles you might want. From Earth casual to Asperian formal wear. Here you might find anything your fashion loving heart desires.¡±


    Aaron was surprised by the woman¡¯s sale pitch. He did not look much like customer materials in his rags of an outfit. Her stand had set up cloth changing booths and had even a few mannequins wearing tuxedos and dresses displaying their goods to the whole crowd. It was a fairly concealed location because of all of the cloth dividers put up around the big cart and the multitude of clothing racks. A talkative shop keeper was exactly what he needed right now especially if they could talk more or less in private.


    ¡°Well, I agree, I do need some new clothes. I didn¡¯t have the opportunity to change after the last Climb.¡± Aaron said with a smile and stepped closer into the improvised shop and out of the bustling street. He felt better being hidden from view with all the wanted posters that must be out there.


    ¡°A handsome man like you has probably a date lined up for this beautiful evening no? Don¡¯t you worry, we have what you need!¡±


    ¡°A business date, but yes, how very astute of you, madam.¡±


    The woman smiled at him and did an improvised curtsy, before she showed him to probably the most expensive looking section in her little street side shop.


    ¡°A man of status like yourself needs to look his best, especially for business. These are suits of Asperian and Earth Cut or maybe you would prefer some very fancy dress robes, Tower style, that are all the rage in Ambition? Either way you will wow everyone wearing something like this, let me assure you.¡±


    Aaron played along, felt the fabric and decided to gain some more information while he was at it. He was not interested in tuxedos or suits at all though. Too impractical.


    ¡°Quite the quality, how come a simple roadside shop like yours is able to offer such goods?¡± he asked.


    The woman preened a bit and her eyes were glowing in enthusiasm.¡°My sister and I have a shop on Sekrat street, The Sister¡¯s Threads, do come visit us sometimes. We only sell here on special occasions, yes sir. You are lucky to catch us selling here at all.¡±


    Aaron had a hunch to why they were selling here and he gave her a smirk.¡°Trying to evade guild taxes?¡±


    The woman actually blushed and looked around guiltily.


    ¡°Its perfectly legal to sell here and yes, the districts taxes are quite a bit lower than in the rest of the Town. Its simply good business, nothing more and it allows me to offer you some fabulous prices along with those fabulous clothes. Everyone wins.¡±


    ¡°You are quite the business woman. But...doesn¡¯t it make you uncomfortable to sell here...I mean, the red-light district has a bit of a reputation no?¡± Aaron did not really know much about its reputation, but a woman like this would certainly know about it.


    ¡°The front of the district is perfectly normal and nothing¡­ untoward happens here, I can assure you. And as for the back, well¡­ its not polite conversation to talk about it, but as long as you have shards in your pocket they will welcome anyone. Although you might leave with a lot less shards than you would prefer.¡± she winked at him and Aaron smiled back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I am going to buy a tuxedo today, sorry, I don¡¯t want to stand out too much and make the meeting awkward. Its just in a bar after all.¡±


    ¡°Something more casual then, I understand. Although you would look quite good in this suit.¡± She led Aaron to another rack of clothing. The layout of the shop was reminiscent of any clothing shop he had visited in his last life, the clothes were hung up on wooden bars, were laundered and had price tags. Earth culture seemed to have influenced commerce quite a bit he guessed. The woman pointed him to some very fancy looking pants and a button-down shirt in a dark color.


    ¡°This you might appreciate, 80% spider-silk thread, water resistant, tough, almost like armor and fashionable as well. Perfect for the Climber with discerning taste. Its also stain resistant, which is always welcome in a bar with drunks walking around, no?¡± she gave him another wink and this time Aaron was actually considering it. It was for sure on the pricey side, but spider-silk? He did not know if it was a common material and so after a bit of hesitation he felt the fabric. It felt like silk, but it had a toughness to it when he squeezed the material that kept taught even with his superhuman grip.


    ¡°Spider-silk¡­¡± Aaron wondered and hoped the women would go on about it in more detail.


    ¡°Yes, one of the few privileges we get here in the Town, not only mage robes are made out of it, you know. Spider-silk is apparently an exceptional mana conductor and so much cheaper down here since its harvested on the fourth floor. But I am sure someone as powerful as you has long conquered the fourth floor.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say that I have, I am still quite new to all of this, we barely even made it to the third floor.¡±


    ¡°Ah, apologies, you just have the look of a seasoned Climber and don¡¯t worry, we have warrior physique sizes. Let me assure you I have made even the bulkiest man look smart in my clothes. If you want I can also make custom-tailored pieces if you really want to look your best.¡±


    The fourth floor. How interesting. Giant Spiders were par for the course after giant scorpions and snakes on the second floor, but still it gave him an involuntary shiver down his back. He should probably steer the conversation back to what he really wanted to know, although this was quite interesting.


    ¡°This might still be a bit expensive for me.¡± Aaron said as he peered at the price tag. ¡°And I am not really looking for custom-tailored clothes right now. Although I will keep your establishment in mind. I assume you are a vessel then with a Tailor Class or something like that?¡±


    ¡°Me? Oh goodness no, my sister is the Artisan. A miracle worker with her needle. She is close to journeyman you know. Only the highest quality of goods for our shop. But I understand if you don¡¯t want to splurge on an impulse buy. How about this, 30% spider-silk, fashionable and affordable.¡± she pointed out some jeans and shirts. She looked Aaron over and then picked a few of the clothes and handed them to him, different sizes and color tones, he quickly understood.


    ¡°Go on, try them on, feel the fabric, I am sure we have your size.¡± she pushed Aaron gently towards a changing booth and Aaron complied after a moment of hesitation. Once the cloth curtain was closed he did try the different pants and shirt for size, but he kept talking.


    ¡°So, tell me what gave me away as an Earther? You kept steering me to the Earth style cuts, like these jeans.¡±


    There was a pause while Aaron tried on a jeans that was a bit too tight around the hip. But as he tried the next jeans he heard the woman answer.


    ¡°Apologies but it is fairly simple to tell you apart, most Summoned from Earth are very nice people, especially towards normal people like myself. You are also used to these booths and price tags. Also you do have an accent to me. The Blessing of Language translates your speech in an earth dialect that I have grown accustomed to.¡±


    ¡°Three strikes eh? Well, I hope I don¡¯t give my fellow Earthers a bad name. I have never been to this district, always too busy with climbing or training. Do they treat Summoned people differently here?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, people from Earth are well liked in the whole Tower, your technology is quite incredible especially without magic. People do look down on your mages though. Its inevitable without growing up with magic. The red-light district is very¡­. Tolerant to all kinds of people.¡±


    ¡°I bet, but why do the guilds even allow this? Drugs gambling and so on are all illegal anywhere else.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mean to gossip, but its said the Boss of the red-light district has deep guild contacts.¡± the woman said in a conspiratorial tone. ¡°A guild elders spouse some say, but of course those are only rumors. This little district is tolerated as a necessity. Better to keep the dark side of society in its own corner and let it govern itself. I agree absolutely, although I find the brothels distasteful, its better like this for everyone.¡±


    Aaron had found one pair of jeans that fit well, very well and a shirt to go along with it. Both in dark colors of dark blue and a blackish brown. It was suitable for him and when he stepped out of the changing booth the shopkeeper clapped her hand together.


    ¡°Amazing. Now you look just like the gentleman you are, sir.¡±


    He was fairly sure she would have said no matter what but in the end he still decided to buy them, which set him back 5 low grade manastones. Which was still quite expensive in his eyes. Aaron also did not think he would get anything else out of the woman, who was clearly not in the know. The rumor about deep guild contacts were interesting, but not necessarily true. He needed to know more and he was increasingly sure only one of the red armbanded thugs would do the trick in the end. But they all stood or moved around in small groups, so it did not look like a good target for now. But Aaron had time, he could just have a better look at the night market while he looked for an opportunity.


    He said goodbye to the shopkeeper and promised her to visit her shop another time, before he walked back out into the night market. She had given him a small bag for his old clothes and he had already armed himself again. His belt with potions, his shard pouch and daggers all prominently visible to anyone. The difference in clothes was palpable. He got far less stares with his proper clothes. Which was interesting, but not that surprising. He looked more like a young man out for a stroll than a haggard survivalist. This was the right setting for this.


    The spider silk felt nice and cool on his skin, the inside smooth, the outside slightly rough and the rough surface it shone dimly in the light of the magical lamps. Aaron was close to sighing in contentment just from the change in clothes. His least important sense, sensation was giving him shivers down his back and in an effort to distract himself, Aaron started to saunter towards the intersection, stopping at every food vendor he passed. Every dish was absolutely delicious, not perfectly cooked, his delicate senses picking up bad textures and mostly overcooked meat. But it was still better than unseasoned meat, even when grilled to absolute perfection. During his stroll Aaron kept an eye on the armbanded thugs and tried find someone who would go to relieve himself. But so far he did not have any luck.


    He had just passed the intersection, his nose scenting the air like a hunting dog, taking in a whiff of delicious smells from food he had not tried yet, when he heard quick footsteps coming from behind him. A small man, pot bellied and sweating ran like the devil was behind him, his quick panicked breath loud in Aaron¡¯s ears. A second set of footsteps followed the man, way heavier and Aaron turned slowly to see the running man vanish down the straight road out of the red-light district. Then a huge thug stomped after the man, heavily muscled, tall and with a broken nose. The man¡¯s pig like eyes felt too small for his head and he wore a crimson armband and a small array of weapons and potions. Not necessarily an uncommon sight, but a chase definitively was. People stopped and stared, jumped out of the way as the tall brute ran after the pot-bellied man with huge steps that seemed to carry him further than Aaron had thought possible. The thug roared to his comrades.


    ¡°Stop him!¡± The guards at the end of the road fanned out, drawing steel and Aaron could hear the pot-bellied man gasp, turn and run into a sidestreet. The big man followed with a curse.


    ¡°Useless idiots.¡± he roared at the thugs at the end of the street and one of them, looking even more crestfallen than the others apologized.


    ¡°Sorry, Mahast.¡± But the big man did not even hear the apology as he followed the man into the narrow alleyway.


    Aaron hesitated for a moment, giving the food in front of him one last longing look and then made his way to follow the chase. It looked like his opportunity had just delivered itself to him.

 54. A Conversation in the Dark

    Aaron did not hurry after the two men, instead he sauntered down the road, past the embarrassed guards, who got a lecture by the man who had apologized to the Pursuer.


    ¡°I know its guard duty, I know its boring, but could you take it seriously for once?! Mahast will have my hide after this and you sure believe I ain¡¯t gonna take the fall for all of your incompetence!¡±


    ¡°Oh common, who could have known he was going to go there?¡±


    ¡°After we blocked the road, yeah where would he go? Are you daft?!¡±


    Aaron gave the men just a cursory glance and then was out of the red-light district. In the distance he could still hear the chase, heavy footsteps, shouting and the occasional collision. With a few quick steps Aaron moved out of sight and into a darker alleyway leading into someones backyard. He scanned the surrounding area once thoroughly for any observers and then leapt up into the darkness. Wind Steps carrying him up to the roof in a single bound. His abilities kept increasing and his leap had surprised him. He would need more time between ranks to acclimate to the differences in power. If he miscalculated something like this in an actual fight that might prove fatal. No way he would allow himself to be that careless.


    But the call of power was addicting. He had sensed vessels all night, coming and going, hundreds, thousands of them. The difference between a normal human and a Vessel was minuscule, but there were some distinct differences he had been able to spot. Some people had a too soft step, moved too fluidly, others were too heavy, too strong and tall, wore ridiculously heavy armor, but even with those factors Aaron was sure he had missed more than half of the Vessels. Mages were much easier to identify thanks to his mana sense. Sure Vessels also gave off mana and they absorbed it as well. But so did normal people with their breath.


    Aaron jumped from roof to roof, his thoughts trialing off as he closed in on the chase he was still following easily. The tall thug his colleges had called Mahast was closing the distance and the pot-bellied man was panicking and eventually chose a wrong turn. The backyard he ended up in was surrounded by three sides with brick walls and with a huff and an annoyed grunt Mahast stepped into the last opening and cut the man off.


    ¡°Enough, even if you could outrun me, we would still collect in due time. Why run? Now I have to teach you a lesson as an example.¡± the man said in a deep almost morose voice.


    The pot-bellied man looked around in a panic and then finally gave up, he sat down on his ass panting.


    ¡°Please, I just need a bit more time. I swear I will pay it back. You know I am good for it. My brewery is doing well. I have the liquor in casks! T-they just need a little bit of time and I can sell them for twice as much.¡± the man begged in between huffed breaths.


    ¡°Mhm, right and that is why I found you on the blackjack tables. Because you are good for it. Gambling away our money.¡±


    ¡°I was on a winning streak, I could not just go.¡±


    ¡°Right, right. Of course, a winning streak. Where did the shards come from? You were broke last time we paid you a visit, which is why you got an extension last time. We are not unreasonable people¡± Mahast said in a sweet tone that promised the exact opposite.


    ¡°Its...just a few shards. You can¡¯t mean to take away the money I buy food with, right?¡± the man replied nervously.


    ¡°Yeah, that is not how this works. In light of your...unwise usage of funds we provided to you, I believe it is time to collect.¡±


    ¡°But...please, I don¡¯t have anything on me. I left my last shards on the table.¡±


    ¡°Its simple, instead of paying with shards, you will give us a part of your business. Lets say 70% of your brewery? That might make up for the interest you have accrued.¡±


    Aaron smirked to himself and was actually kinda happy over this little exchange. It proved to him that the red-light district was a criminal organization who did not shy away from forcing people into bad deals. Which meant it was likely they had their hands in all matter of criminal activities. Murder probably one of them. It was always interesting to him how quickly gangs escalated from petty loan sharking or drug dealing to outright killings. A single disagreement, flared tempers and bang one more corpse to bury. And once they had a taste they usually did not shy away to intimidate people with any force they deemed necessary. The more brutal the better. But most of the violence usually came from competition. A rival gang setting up shop. Contesting territory, stuff like that. So far as Aaron could tell that was just not a thing in the Town. Which might be worrying for his plans, but he would see after he got himself some answers.


    With one last sweep of the surroundings and ensuring nobody else was in the vicinity he leapt down and landed quiet as a ghost behind Mahast. The pot-bellied man saw this and his eyes went round and wide, his mouth opening as he pointed. Mahast frowned at the man, who had stopped begging and cajoling.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Aaron said and Mahast snapped around lightning quick. His fists up in a defensive posture. This man was clearly a warrior type Vessel, fairly high level too. He had brass-knuckles on two very big fists and the way he had moved made it clear this man had a lot of experience in fighting with his fists. A pugilist maybe? Aaron had a very very limited understanding of Vessel Classes. But he could see the dried blood on the metal ridges of the brass-knuckles and so he assumed that those were his primary weapons. The build of the man, broad, heavy set and heavily muscled supported this as well.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± the man shouted after he got over his shock of finding someone right behind him.


    ¡°I have a few questions I would like you to answer, Mahast.¡± Aaron said with a smirk.


    ¡°Fuck off, this is red-light district business.¡± The big man eyed Aaron and his fancy new clothes and Aaron was sure he was being underestimated. If he had not showcased his daggers the man would have dismissed him as no threat at all. That was what his body language told him at least. The man relaxed and yet he kept his fists up. Overconfidence maybe? Or this man was genuinely dangerous. Aaron¡¯s smirk broadened, itching for a fight. This would be a good opportunity to test his new kata and stage in combat. This man would not call the guard. So Aaron raised his fists in a mocking of his opponents.


    ¡°No need to be so anxious big guy, all I want is for you to answer some questions, then I¡¯ll be on my way and you can continue to intimidate this brewer.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off, last warning.¡± the man growled and took a half step forward.


    ¡°Or you¡¯ll do what?¡± Aaron taunted and that finally was the straw that broke the camels back. The man¡¯s nostrils flared and he roared, before he came at Aaron with his fists swinging.


    The attack registered for Aaron and time seemed to slow as the Unceasing Palm Kata¡¯s heightened reflexes kicked in. It was just a fraction of a second, but more than enough time to gently push the punch, a straight jab to his face, off path and make the man miss. Aaron stepped in and Mahasts eyes widened in surprise as he tried to push him back with a halfhearted uppercut that Aaron did not need any help to slip aside for. Then Aaron slapped the man and for one moment he thought he had overdone it. Mahasts head snapped to the side and he crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut. He had not even punched him. Nor used any of his fist kata Techniques. What the heck?


    The pot-bellied man stared at Aaron like he was a ghost, his panicked eyes darting from him to the groaning man on the floor.


    ¡°What a disappointment.¡± Aaron said with a shrug. ¡°You better get out of here quick. I don¡¯t think the district will be very understanding of what happened here today.¡±


    The Brewer paused and then got up and ran past Aaron like his life depended on it, looking back at him anxiously. But Aaron did not care about this guy telling anyone about this. Quite the opposite. All part of the plan. If you want sell your prowess, what better opportunity than slapping the man this Brewer had been so afraid of unconscious in an instant? Aaron studied Mahast who was getting up, his eyes glassy, but his fingers went for the potions on his belt. Aaron sighed and gave the man a gentle slap on the top of his head, sending the man¡¯s skull bouncing off the pavement. Damn. Yeah he was not used to his new physical strength. He needed to rectify that as soon as possible. Making sure the man was still alive, he shouldered the man, which felt like trying to shoulder a paper couch, unwieldy but light as a feather. Then he jumped with the man up into the night.


    Aaron debated with himself if he wanted to go back out into the wilderness, but that would not be practical really. He needed a quiet place where he could question this man and have little chance of being interrupted. He did not really know many places like that in the Town yet. Only one. And so Aaron made his way back to the attic he had hidden in and was welcomed with a barrage of smells and sounds of the red-light district at its busiest hour. The moaning and rhythmic sounds were actually quite difficult to ignore, but at least his path around the watchers and to the attic was still clear and the attic itself just like he had left it. Aaron set down the man gently and then closed the shutters as quietly as possible. The noise and smells quieted and the darkness was quite intense. Luckily Mahast carried a lamp on his belt that Aaron ignited after a short search.


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    He placed the lamp next to the man and then took off the man¡¯s weapons, his daggers, his potions and his shard pouch, which was filled with a nice sum that Aaron pocketed. Then he removed the knuckles from the man and checked his pockets. There he found a small list of targets for collection. The brewer on third place. Interesting, so apparently Mahast really had found one of his targets gambling at a table and had then chased them down. After some short deliberation Aaron stripped the leather jacket off the man, as well as the red armband, before he tied the mans arms behind his back. More of a symbolic gesture, with the man¡¯s strength he would rip through leather like paper, but Aaron was confident that he was quick enough to ensure no accidents would occur during his little interrogation. That done he sprinkled some health potion on the man¡¯s face and forehead and watched the liquid seep in, close the laceration on the man¡¯s forehead and then waited until the man woke up.


    Mahast blinked at Aaron with a groan and then he flinched back, eyes widening, arms straining against the leather.


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah. Stop that. I just want to have a chat, if I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead.¡±


    Mahast hesitated for a moment and then relaxed as he looked around, clearly looking for an escape route. The man eyed Aaron¡¯s young face with confusion, suspicion and a hint of fear. Good. But as expected a bully like him fell back on what he knew. Intimidation.


    ¡°You have no idea what you have done, kid. The district won¡¯t stand for this. They will find you, they will find your family and they will gut them in front of your eyes before strangling you with their guts. We do NOT fuck around, kid. I don¡¯t know what skill you used to knock me out, but it won¡¯t help you. But it does not have to be this way, you let me go and we can forget about this incident. What do you say?¡±


    Aaron smiled at him and nodded along his little speech, then he got the wanted poster out of his pocket, unfolded it slowly and meticulously, straightening the edges and then held up the wanted poster right next to his grinning face.


    ¡°You see, a lot of people have tried to kill me since coming to this tower and so far I bested them all.¡±


    Mahasts face grew visibly pale and his whole body tensed.


    ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t make me knock you out again. Like I said I just want to ask some questions.¡±


    ¡°What kind of questions?¡± Mahast asked suspiciously, his bluster visibly reduced as his eyes darted from the bounty of 50 mid grade manastones to Aaron¡¯s face. Oh boy this guy was really a bit too greedy no?


    ¡°Would your people really do that, abduct someones family and murder them in front of that person? And please, be honest. I can tell when you lie.¡±


    Which of course was a lie. Aaron could hear the man¡¯s heart beat, detect changes in his posture his breath, every facial expression, but he did not know the tells of this man. A lie manifests quite differently in different people and some people have no problem lying at all.


    ¡°They have done it before.¡± Mahast said calmly and Aaron narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Really? The whole gut strangling part included?¡±


    Mahast swallowed.


    ¡°Well. Not exactly, but I heard it was bloody. You really don¡¯t want us as enemies¡­.Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°I am just a mid level enforcer, I am not even tasked with taking people out, okay? If you think my strength is that of the district then you are sorely mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? Help me out here, your thugs on the street corner were not really impressive. I assume power comes with position in your organization?¡±


    ¡°Those fuckwits? They are initiates. Useless idiots who are there to be seen, they are not even the tip of the iceberg.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I assume the two rogues on the roof at each side of the district are some of those strong people?¡±


    Mahast paused, frowned and then stared at Aaron for a full 10 seconds before he lowered his eyes.


    ¡°I assume that is a yes and that means, Grisha is even stronger, yes? He your direct Boss?¡±


    Dropping that name gave Mahast a jolt and he could watch the man try to stifle his reactions.


    ¡°If you know all of that then why are you even asking me anything?¡±


    ¡°Because, I want confirmation. Proof. Proof of your organizations power, your influence and if you provide me with that proof I will let you go.¡±


    Mahast gave him a suspicious look and shook his head.


    ¡°I want to make an alliance with your organization, Mahast. This little abductions entire purpose is to show you how much I can find out without anyone noticing. How strong I am and how much of an asset I could be to all of you and Grisha¡¯s Boss. Mars right?¡±


    There was only a twitch but Aaron was learning to read the man¡¯s body, the racing heart, the forced control, the fear, he could smell the man¡¯s fear like a stink in the air. It tainted the man¡¯s sweat and made him easier to read. Yes, Mars was Grisha¡¯s boss.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t like to go to bed with a man I know almost nothing about. An alliance is a delicate relationship. I need to know how much Mars is willing to do for an asset or an ally.¡±


    ¡°I...I don¡¯t know, okay? I have never talked to the man.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, but you know who he is, his influence, how much can he bring to bear for an outlaw like me?¡±


    ¡°Depends what you are worth.¡± Mahast said with a sudden boldness. He had hope to survive this after all, good. He would if everything went according to plan.


    ¡°I can fight an army, but I can¡¯t fight the whole Town, not any time soon at least.¡± Aaron smirked. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much you know about Cultivators but we don¡¯t age, not really. In a hundred years I will look just the same. But I will be a hundred times stronger. I have time to wait everyone out. But maybe there is a better way. Maybe I can become Mars knife. His solution to Problems his organization does not really want to solve with anyone from your ranks. I am also a talented spy and in an ambush nobody defeats me.¡± Aaron said with a broad grin.


    Aaron could hear the shiver run down the man¡¯s back and knew his smile unnerved people. It always had. It had that quality to it, if Aaron was not trying to be charming instead.


    ¡°So tell me, what would Mars be willing to offer me for that?¡±


    ¡°I-I am not the boss, okay. I don¡¯t know. The Alchemist guild does back his plays though.¡±


    ¡°So they say, but would he? Has he done this before? Exonerate a wanted man? Has he even the power to do that?¡±


    ¡°He is the guilds supply elder, of course he could. But...I...I really don¡¯t know if he would or has. You have to believe me. I can¡¯t speak for him. But if you let me go unharmed I will give him your offer.¡±


    Aaron had to calm his own emotions now. The Alchemist guilds supply elder. Which meant he was basically part of the cities ruling elite and an important one it seemed.


    ¡°You told me you have never spoken with the man. How could you convince Grisha you have any pertinent information for the Boss himself?¡±


    That made Mahast pause and Aaron smirked at him, while he focused with all his might to summon Soul catcher and prime his right hand for the technique..


    ¡°I know, I will leave a message on you. One only I can carve into your flesh.¡±


    Mahasts eyes widened and before the man could do anything, Aaron gently tapped his chest, activating Soul Catcher and dragging the man¡¯s heavy soul back with more effort than he had expected. He had to strain his Qi, pull with his power until the spirit came lose. Mahasts eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell backwards, his breath fast and shallow. But like expected the man was still alive.


    What is better to a man with power than a subordinate that can kill for you? A subordinate that will terrify everyone and take away their powers. Most bosses were paranoid and for good reason. Most mob bosses did not die in prison in his old world, but by the hand of a rival or subordinate. Fear was their greatest weapon and what is more terrifying than losing your powers? Death yes, but death is a shallow threat, it is over quickly and its not a great punishment. Which is why so many criminal organizations did mutilation back in the day. The Yakuza only the most famous in pop culture, but it wasn¡¯t unheard of in any organization to resort to this kind of act. In a way if Mars was smart then he would see the opportunity and if he wasn¡¯t he would not be a worthy ally to begin with.


    Aaron grew concerned as the vital signs of the man started to flag and he opened up the stopper of one of the man¡¯s potions and forced it down his choking gullet. Mahasts body convulsed as if the man was having a seizure and so Aaron administered some more healing potion, which seemed to help somewhat. Mahast opened his eyes, gasping for breath heavily, his heart thumping in his chest like a drum suddenly.


    ¡°What have you done to me?¡± he roared, but it came out no more than a whisper.


    ¡°I took away your powers. The spirit that inhabits you, I killed it. Tell Mars this is the kind of Power I have to offer him. I can leave any Vessel powerless. But I am not his enemy and I would like to meet him and talk about an alliance. I will wait for him on a clearing due east of the city. I will mark the spot with this little armband of yours. Understood?¡±


    Mahasts eyes darted back and forth in a panic, clearly looking for something that wasn¡¯t there. Hm. Some sort of interface with a spirit maybe? Gently Aaron raised the man¡¯s head and his eyes focused on him.


    ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes..¡± he said with a sob in his cracking voice. Was he imagining things or had his voice just climbed a whole octave?


    ¡°Where will I meet him?¡±


    ¡°East...marked...with my armband.¡±


    ¡°Good. Good.¡±


    ¡°Why? Why have you done this to me?¡± the man croaked with real anguish and pain.


    ¡°It was the only way to send a message that your Bosses will take seriously. It was just bad luck.¡±


    Aaron said with a shrug and then gently tapped the side of the man¡¯s head, knocking him out. Aaron studied his victim for a moment and administered some healing potion to the man, before putting a full potion in the man¡¯s hand. Better be safe than sorry. He really did not want to do this again. Then he grabbed the man by the cuff and noticed he had grown significantly lighter. Huh, fascinating. Aaron cleaned up the Attic carefully and then climbed out of it onto the roof, closing it gently behind him with one hand. Then he jumped down into one of the brothels backyards. He listened to what was said behind one of the doors nearby and when he found one that was inhabited by a few women chatting, he knocked rapidly on the door a few times and then pushed the unconscious Mahast against the door. That done he jumped back up into the sky. He soared away from the district and only listened for a reaction. It came after he already had 3 streets between him and the district, skirting along the curvature of the Town towards the river. Only after he jumped across the river he paused and concentrated to listen.


    ¡°He is hurt, is this a customer?¡±


    ¡°Its just a druggy, look, he is even clutching a flask. Leave him be.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I know him. That¡¯s Mahast, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh shit, what do we do?! That¡¯s a healing potion he is holding, quickly give it to him!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? What if he got hooked and now we know that habit. You know how Grisha is with drug abuse.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, what if he dies in our backyard? Ever thought about that?¡±


    There was some scuffling and then the weak voice of a man Aaron had never heard before, wait, no that was Mahasts voice, just much higher pitched.


    ¡°The Cultivator, he is here. I...he took...he took my powers. Tell¡­.tell Mars...I¡­¡±


    Only after Aaron had confirmed one of the women sending someone for Grisha did he put even more distance between himself and looked for a place to lie low while he waited for the fog to appear and cover his retreat over the no-mans land in between the Town and its surroundings. It was almost a bit sad his little excursion to the Town had to end, but it was better he was nowhere for the next few days. Aaron had already risked too much. But if this elder Mars was smart, he would parlay with him. For now, it was out of his hands.

 55. An Old Mans Ambitions

    Mars Ventros leaned back in his comfortable chair, the upholstery cushioning his old bones as he tried to distract himself from the problem sitting on his desk. His office was small, not cramped, but only a few square meters short of that. Souvenirs and paintings from Ambition lined the walls and if not for the amount of potions and rare ingredients he had placed prominently at one wall, one could have assumed this was the office of any random clerk.


    Mars was technically the Alchemist Guilds Elder on the first floor, as well as the Alchemist Guilds chief supply officer. Which meant his job was it to make sure health potions and other basic necessities were readily available and were being made, supplied and sold at any store in the Town of Beginnings. But really his job had little to do with the day to day business of the guild at all. No, he had the prestigious position because of who he really was. The boss of the Town of Beginnings only criminal organization. The red-light district. But Mars had not been born down here, he was born in Ambition and like many ambitious through and through. In both meanings of the words. It was his city, his home and his Ambition had always been grand, just like his city.


    Mars parents had been Climbers who had settled down for a bit in the Metropolis, Earthers to be specific and they had both died when he had been young on a climb past the Gap. It was a common story in Climber¡¯s Rest and Ambition as well and the orphans like Mars always lined the streets of the less fortunate districts like vermin.


    In those streets you either survived stealing, robbing and killing or you did not survive at all. The few kids who had a knack for that kind of thing like Mars joined the Gangs. Getting a bit of protection for selling their lives. But most Gangs were small, local and powerless. Only some of the gangs were different. And those organizations had always been his goal, since he had met his first Family man, a made man of the Mob controlling Ambition¡¯s underworld.


    Organized crime was a big part of the undercurrents in Ambition because the trade with illegal substances, enhancements and stolen goods was all too lucrative. If someone can become rich and powerful in Ambition they do it and in doing so they either turn out to be ruthless and vicious enough to defend their claim to money and fame, or they fade away into obscurity. Violently usually. Mars had done everything right as a street kid, had stolen, had even killed to get into a good ¡®Family¡¯ and when he had finally been old enough to take the test to become a Climber he had lucked out. He had been one of the few who had talent to become a Vessel. He had become a Rogue, fast, deadly and usually used as a scout in most teams. Becoming a Vessel had been the thing that made the difference to him, that had changed his life.


    From one day to the next he was not just some street rat anymore, but a valuable resource to any gang. Vessels with backgrounds in organized crime were not as common as one would think and Mars had thrown himself into climbing the ranks. A year after climbing back up to Ambition he had become a made man, part of the Serix Family. Serious people with deep roots in the illegal substance creation and trade. That was where he had learned Alchemy, not by getting a non combat class, but by supervising and learning about the trade the old fashioned way, through real life experience. But he had not just tried to learn the business, he had also climbed the tower as best as he could. Never taking risks, but leveling steadily. He had reached Level 30 shortly after his 30th birthday and he could still remember his joy, the party the family had thrown him.


    Now though, more than 30 years later and in exile, he looked old when he looked into the mirror. His levels had slowed his aging to a crawl, but he still felt his bones creak every day when he got out of bed. He was an old man now, he knew that. He could see it in his slightly graying hair. But he was still fast and powerful down here. Even though his combat potential had shrunk over the years, he could still take anyone on this floor with two exceptions. Aurix, the fat bastard of a mayor who was just as much of an exile than he was and Thresius who was here on his own form of exile, like every high leveled Vessel or Mage down on the first floor.


    ¡°Stop it.¡± he mumbled. He was distracting himself with brooding over old problems that had no answers. He rubbed his temples before he looked down at the problem he was trying to avoid. Hoping for a long moment it did not exist. But that would not solve it. He needed to deal with it. Today.


    Bookkeeping was not really something he had thought of highly before his exile, but now it made up most of his day. Numbers, supply charts, schedules of caravans to Ambition. They all were important because there was a little secret about all of the drugs in circulation in Ambition no matter what it was. From the highly euphoric and addicting Stardust to the Clear Mind Serum that was only illegal because the ruling elite of Ambition did not want more good mages that could rival their offspring. They all depended on resources coming from the lower floors. The second, third and fourth floor especially were treasure troves of ingredients that were low level, easily usable and created cheap to produce base chemicals and potions on which every single potion or drug was based on.


    Even the higher level health potions that made up the bulk of the official trade relied on many basic ingredients to keep the cost down. Few people realized how much infrastructure and effort went into making potions not only available but also affordable in Ambition.


    But all of this was in jeopardy now because of one man.


    The Cultivator.


    Few people realized how delicate the supply lines were and how dependent the whole lower tower was on low level vessels fulfilling quests like gathering herbs or selling monster parts they harvested and brought from their dives. But Mars knew. He could see it black on white. The Alchemist guilds stock of 3 of the key ingredients for health potions and more importantly of crystal dust, which was the main ingredient of Stardust and various other drugs, was almost gone. They were running low and were actually in danger of running out entirely.


    Why? Because Aurix was a paranoid moron and had sent every independent group of Climbers on a wild goose chase after a single bloody Cultivator.


    It would not have been an issue if they had succeeded, but fact was it had been months since the manhunt began and it was just not sustainable anymore. The few groups that still delivered goods to the guilds were entirely unable to meet the demand and already quite a few apprentice Alchemists were twiddling their thumbs instead of synthesizing more drugs.


    So Mars had a problem. Because running out of health potions was the least of his problems, if he ran out of crystal dust. If that happened and he could not meet the demand of the next caravan, the next group coming down here would be arriving with his replacement and a squad of killers who would capture, torture and then slowly chop Mars into tiny pieces. He had seen it happen before, because he had been a replacement once, now 15 years ago.


    Back then the Serix family, he was a part with had suddenly faced an upstart group that challenged their dominance. It had started out as a small regional conflict that slowly but surely turned into a full on gang war. People died every day. Assassinations were a daily occurrence and only after the Serix family had almost been destroyed the Half moon Gang revealed how they were able to do what they had done. They had hired a Cultivator. An invisible killer walking in shadows, killing anyone with a single strike. They had called her the Ghostblade and she had been a terror in Ambition. Nobody had been safe, none could escape her. Mars himself had met her just once, right at the end, where the Half moons attacked the Serix family headquarter. She told them to surrender or perish. Mars had been smart and had surrendered, unlike many of his friends, who had died to the unnatural woman¡¯s blade in an instant. He still remembered her mask, a grim face with sharp teeth spluttered in blood. But she had kept him alive and soon Mars had found himself a captive.


    His knowledge of Alchemy and his actual family had saved his life. With them as hostages the Half moon Gang had all they needed to control them. His wife Grace and his little daughter Dorothea were given a nice home in one of the Gangs core territories and he was sent down to the Town of Beginnings to ensure the drugs kept flowing. God, Dorothea must be close to taking the test to become a Vessel herself now. She was 16 now and had never seen him in her life it felt like. He got pictures of her from Ambition, to ensure his compliance and he had a few of her Letters in the top drawer of his desk. Grace wrote him regularly as did Dorothea, but that had stopped a year ago. A teenage phase Grace had told him and Mars heart had hurt. He was missing her letters so much. And now the lives of the people he cared most about in this world were in jeopardy because of a nameless newbie Cultivator.


    Mars knew how terrible a Cultivator could be, he had seen it with his own eyes, but he also knew that they could die and if he did not solve this problem, then his own daughter and his Wife would feel the consequences of it.


    The current political climate in Ambition¡¯s underworld was tempestuous to say it lightly. An alliance of the old families, who still had deep ties to the Mage families and their powerful offspring had trapped and killed the Ghostblade a year ago. For a time Mars had believed everything would get better, but the opposite was the case. The Half Moon Gang were losing territories and influence and yet they were still the most powerful Gang by a mile. In a year or two that might change, but until then or until someone captured his wife and child, he would have to fulfill every damn request the bastards had of him. If he failed, they would remove him. They could not afford to let disobedience slide right now, even if it was just imaginary disobedience.


    No, Mars had to solve the Cultivator Problem as soon as possible. The Cultivator was according to the information the guilds had a warrior type, not a stealth type. But he fought like a stealth type. Ambushes, night terror, shots out of the dark. Vanishing into thin air. But there also were superhuman regeneration abilities and a prodigious ability with knives. Mars himself knew well how to fight with knives and at the thought of finding and killing the Cultivator, that had given him so many headaches, he felt his fingers twitch to his old daggers he wore at all times.


    Mars had survived the most tumultuous change of Power in Ambition¡¯s underworld in a century and so he was paranoid sometimes, well all the time. But he had good reason to. He knew, realistically that the Cultivator could not be strong enough yet. That the Ghostblade had taken a decade to reach Ambition. But this particular one felt...off. Too strong, too cunning and for a while he thought the man had been hired by the underground Alliance up in Ambition just to disrupt his supply chain.


    He knew it was bullshit. It was that moron¡¯s Aurix overreaction. That Aurix had his own encounter with the Ghostblade before she was powerful and after. At least if his information was correct. Story was he had raped her when she was just a newbie and then 10 years later the woman had looked for him in Ambition and had tortured him for hours. She had left with a souvenir, Aurix balls, if he could believe the story. And so far the story seemed to check out. Aurix had wasted all of his families fortune on the only Mage healer in Ambition, who prided himself in being able to reconstruct any limb lost. A rarity down here in the Tower, much more common beyond the Gap. If it had not been the man¡¯s gonads she for sure had taken something precious from him that potions could not heal.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    This was the whole reason why Aurix had panicked at just seeing a Cultivator, Mars was sure about it. But as it looked soon Mars would have to join the hunt and eradicate the problem himself if he wanted to be able to have enough crystal dust for Ambition. The red-light districts own Climbers were barely enough to keep the district going.


    An old grandfather clock chimed in the corner and released Mars from his hesitation. His compulsive worrying and planning. He loved the mechanical contraption dearly. A bunch of Crafters close to Journeyman had made it for him for his 50th birthday. He was very fond of Earth things, especially things like this. Mechanical. So fascinating. No magic was needed, only someone making sure it was wound up every day. It gave the time with such accuracy it was only rivaled by magical means. Mars was proud of his heritage, although most Tower Born looked down on Earth for not having any magic.


    The clock finished ringing the 8th bell of the morning and on the last chime of the bell his assistant Tex, or rather Textrahk, came in with the daily report, like he did every day. The man did not wince anymore when he called him Tex, some of the Tower Names were just so damn hard to pronounce and Mars was in a Position to dictate anyone¡¯s name if he chose to do so. Tex was a balding man in his late thirties, but looked past 40. His prim suit and shoes were chosen in earth style, like what he had been told a Butler looked. His secretary had never complained about his outfit, but sometimes Mars wondered if he resented him for it.


    ¡°Morning Tex, anything new?¡± he asked as Tex set a stack, a whole bloody stack of papers on his desk.


    ¡°Good Morning, sir. I believe there are multiple things that require your attention immediately.¡±


    Mars brows furrowed at the word immediately, that was not how Tex usually framed his schedule. He gestured his secretary to continue and Tex flipped the first page and indicated a small schedule for him.


    ¡°Considering the lack of supplies, the other Elders have called in an emergency session of the Alchemists conclave for 12 sharp, the Adventurers Guild Elder Lorast wants you to take over the prosecution of some civil servants in his guild who have apparently been bribed by teams to give them better contracts, their first hearing is at 3pm. Grisha has given notice that one of his men has apparently been attacked by the Cultivator and Crafter Guilds Elder Lorraine wants to have dinner at her villa to ask for your opinion about creating a journey man branch of their guild down here on the first floor.¡±


    ¡°Wait...wait one of Grisha¡¯s men was attacked by the Cultivator?¡± Tex mustache quivered in distaste and the man straightened. ¡°So the man says, but there are a few indicators that support his claim.¡±


    ¡°Like what, Tex?¡± Mars asked patiently. The man was infuriating but so damn good at his job. He could have not kept his own schedule without him and although the man despised Grisha he still understood the business and would not lie to him. Tex fished out one of the papers from the bottom and placed it on the top.


    ¡°Apparently the man in question, a mid level Enforcer could see him from close up, the man knocked him out and captured and then interrogated him.¡±


    Mars thoughts turned into a whirlwind of activity. Was the man really not sent by one of the half moon Gangs competitors?


    ¡°He was sure it was the Cultivator because the man showed him his own wanted poster as comparison. Still this could easily have been an illusion or the after effects of a bad drug trip.¡± Tex hesitated and then sighed.


    ¡°Apparently the Cultivator also took the man¡¯s powers. But I think that very unlikely, there is nothing that can take someone¡¯s power in this Tower. Its impossible and to disturb you with nonsense like this is simply preposterous.¡± Tex raged, but Mars only listened to him with half an ear.


    A cold shiver ran down his neck. He had taken the man¡¯s powers from him? He needed to know the truth of it and he needed to know it right now. Mars had spent his life in exile wisely. He had cultivated Information instead of wealth, much of it coming from beyond the Gap. He knew much other people had no idea about. Knew the exact make up of the Gap at every year, who would come down and lead the Expedition. He knew the economic situation in the 50s, knew their political strive and need for Soldiers. But in all of his years of listening and gathering information he had never heard of anyone being capable of taking someones power. But if there was one being that could do such preposterous things like that, then it was the Cultivators. They came irregularly, selected by Emnu¡¯s brutal trials and they warped the Tower around them like natural disasters. Their powers were strange and unheard of. So if anyone could have an ability like that, then it would be a Cultivator.


    ¡°Clear my schedule Tex, I need to speak with this man myself. He is still alive no?¡±


    ¡°Sir? Yes sir, he is very weak and in care by one of our doctors, but still, you can¡¯t actually believe this...this hogwash?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Tex, but I am going to find out.¡± In an instant Mars stood up, not feeling his hurting joints as he walked out of his office, Tex trailing behind him.


    ¡°What am I going to tell the elders?¡±


    ¡°A district crisis took me away, reschedule everything for tomorrow for now.¡± Tex held open a rich fur lined coat for Mars, he slipped into before settling his hands on the pearl handles of his daggers. Mars mind was working overtime as he left the Alchemist guild and jumped onto the next roof. His form blurred as the city around him seemed to slow down, his boots leaving no trace as he skipped from one rooftop to the other. There was only one place where they would bring an injured enforcer, a little clinic close to the red-light district. If other Climbers saw him or rather even noticed his passing they kept a respectful distance. His speed and agility made it clear he was not to be bothered with on pain of death. Mars blood was pumping and like so often he vowed to himself to do this more often. Come out and take a spin around the Town. But the Town of Beginnings was tiny. Barely worth a lap and so Mars quickly arrived at his destination.


    His white coat lined with wolf fur fluttered in the wind as he landed on the street and normal people scattered like rats from the light. Thugs, the lowest ranks of his organization stood guard, their faces blanching at seeing him and they bowed deeply while they opened the door to the little clinic.


    ¡°Thanks boys, keep the clinic empty for now, you can send the rest of the norms to Symbol Street.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Boss.¡±


    Mars walked past the clinic, past beds he ha paid for and potion supplies he provided free of charge. It was good business to keep a benevolent image for the masses. More than most people realized. His criminal activities were accepted here by anyone and they all benefited from his patronage. More guards barred his way and the high levels of the Vessels made it clear an underboss had taken a personal interest.


    Grisha bowed his head to him as Mars entered a small private hospital room illuminated by mage light. The stout man was strong and loyal, but he also possessed the slyness Mars preferred in subordinates. If they were not dangerous enough to keep him on his toes then they would never do a good enough job. He shook Grisha¡¯s hand and pointed to the man lying on the bed, breathing heavily.


    ¡°This the victim?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Boss. He claims to have a message for you.¡±


    ¡°For me?¡±


    ¡°That is what he said and it was one of the reasons I alerted you personally.¡±


    ¡°No worries, this is interesting enough to allow for my personal involvement.¡± Mars stepped next to the man and he recognized the man vaguely as one of the better enforcer and loan sharks he employed. He did not remember the man¡¯s name, but he did remember the face. The man coughed and blinked up at Mars.


    ¡°Boss¡­¡±


    ¡°Settle down man, you are going to be fine. Can you tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°Was out on collection.¡± the man said panting, his lungs seemingly struggling to lift the man¡¯s own rib cage.


    ¡°Cornered the...rat.¡± the man coughed and then looked Mars in the eyes.


    ¡°Someone interrupted. Young, too strong. Knocked me out cold.¡± his breath had an uncomfortably rattling quality, but the man¡¯s eyes were clear. He had a potion drip in his arm, supplying his struggling body with alchemical help.


    ¡°Interrogated me, showed me who he was. Wanted poster...Cultivator. Was him, I swear.¡± Mars nodded and the man continued.


    ¡°He said he wants to work for you, but needed to know if you can even help him. He said he will wait for a meeting on a clearing to the east. Marked with my armband. Then he did something to me...He took my powers.¡± Mars leaned closer, his eyes narrowing as he hung on every word of the man.


    ¡°He touched me and then from one moment to the next I felt so cold...so cold. My menus vanished, I could barely move. I...he said he killed my Spirit. To...to show you what he is capable of Boss.¡±


    Mars studied the sunken eyed, sick looking man and used one of his few utility skills. An identify skill he had earned by venturing deep into the gap. It showed him the power difference between him and his opponent as a colored haze as well as what kind of power they had. What strengths, what weaknesses. This man was so weak he had barely any glow, but decades of use told him that although he looked like a sick mortal, there were hues of his old power there, remnants. In many ways this man was no Vessel anymore, someone had killed the very essence of each Vessel, the spirit inhabiting them. What was left was an empty shell with the potential for a Spirit.


    Many thoughts went through Mars mind, plans and experiments. He needed to see what happened when the man was given another Spirit at the well. Luckily for him the well was literally next door for them and it would be easy. But he knew, somehow Mars knew that the man would not regain his power. That he might work and fight and win it again, but that he had lost his progress forever. A cold shiver ran down Mars spine and for a moment he stood in the Serix Family headquarter again, facing a foe beyond him, utterly outclassed, waiting to die.


    But then he realized the potential, the possibilities. A cultivator. A strong one with the cunning to seek him out? A man who clearly knew how to terrify his victims and even his allies alike. It was like a gift that had landed in his lap. The old Problems in his head suddenly looked different. Looked like they could be solved if he played his cards right. The faces of his wife and daughter, blurry from the years floated to the top of his mind that was boiling over with ideas. An ally with the power to take away a Vessels Spirit? To permanently kill it? The mere presence of him could enable him to conquer Ambition. Mars felt his own hands tighten on the grips of his daggers. If he had been 10 years younger maybe he would have boldly went for that meeting right now, but Mars was an old survivor.


    He took a step back from the possibilities and then gently took the man¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Whats your name Soldier?¡±


    ¡°Mahast, sir.¡±


    ¡°I know you are suffering and the injustice done to you will be paid for. I promise you that and once the doors open to the Spirit Well you will get a new Spirit. It might help you recover your powers. Until then, rest and worry for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you...Boss.¡± There were tears of gratitude in Mahast¡¯s eyes and Mars would keep his word. He knew how to keep the loyalty of his troops and the story of this would be spread, especially if he encouraged it.


    Mars gave the man a kind smile and turned to Grisha, before he waved him to follow him out of the room. Grisha fell to his side as they walked past beds and out into an empty corridor.


    ¡°Can you corroborate the man¡¯s story?¡±


    ¡°More or less, we are still looking for the Brewer that witnessed the fight. But besides that I can vouch for his words. Some of the thugs have seen a man that could have been the Cultivator on the Night Market. But we don¡¯t bounty hunt so¡­¡±


    ¡°That is quite alright, get a statement from the Brewer. But considering that the Cultivator fought a group of Lvl20s from Ambition and walked away to tell the tale I am fairly sure this Cultivator is strong.¡±


    Grisha nodded and then asked after some slight hesitation.


    ¡°What will you do, sir?¡±


    ¡°That depends on if the Cultivator can be reasoned with.¡±


    Grisha nodded quietly and gave him a look that made Mars smirk. The man understood already, this is why it was good to have smart subordinates.


    ¡°I¡¯ll dig a bit deeper into the man and then make contact.¡±


    ¡°Personally?¡±


    ¡°Oh please, this is my Town and he wants an alliance. He will come to me in the end.¡± Grisha nodded again and Mars started down towards the exit of the clinic.


    ¡°Make sure business stays good, this might take a few days.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Boss.¡±


    Mars felt an unexpected spring in his step as he left the clinic. It was time to investigate this Cultivator and then...well then he would see what the man was made out of.

 56. Intelligence Gathering

    When Mars returned to his office Tex was already waiting for him with a folder in his hands. Mars took the folder without slowing his step and entered his office, Tex trailing behind him.


    ¡°All the information we have on the Cultivator is in there.¡± Tex supplied helpfully, but Mars had spent hours reading those reports and he knew even before he sat down and opened the folder that he needed a new approach.


    ¡°Do we have any eye witnesses I could talk to, people who talked to him, fought him?¡±


    ¡°There are very few who had this privilege, the only group I can think of is Merlin¡¯s group that is leading the manhunt. They are still busy leading shifts of teams to block the second floor if I am not mistaken.¡± Mars nodded as his eyes flew over the file and its familiar content. The most interesting part were the tactics employed by the Cultivator, hinting on military training in a previous life. But the man¡¯s brutality made it clear he wasn¡¯t just your average soldier. Also the willingness to work with someone leading a criminal enterprise hinted at a possibility of a criminal past. None of what the reports said did really match up and he was not sure if this Merlin, who was basically a bottom feeder from Ambition could be of any help clarifying things. His eyes stopped on a name in the folder. Melissa.


    ¡°There have been people who survived a fight with the man, yes Tex?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a young mage and an equally young Vessel of the Cultivator¡¯s generation.¡±


    ¡°Both young, female and pretty I assume?¡±


    ¡°I have no direct information about that, sir.¡± Tex said, flipping through his notepad he carried around at all times.


    ¡°Still... one might be coincidence, two might be a pattern.¡± Mars paused and studied the short excerpt of the women¡¯s testimonies.


    ¡°What happened to them after they were rescued?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know they formed a new party together fairly recently with a bunch of misfits and have been doing some very rudimentary missions on the first floor.¡±


    Mars nodded. Independent teams were an important source of information, goods and more. Tex always kept up with any new teams forming or splintering. It was good business to know as much as possible about the independent teams, as a singular group could be worth hundreds of mid grade manastones if they kept doing the right missions. Especially gathering missions into the fourth floor. A sudden impulse almost made Mars stand up and go question the two women right now, but he held himself back and read through the whole dossier on the Cultivator first. Then he made Tex look up when Merlin would be next in Town and only then did he ask about the whereabouts of the two women.


    Tex went to inquire about it and sent word to their informants to keep their eyes open. Mars knew it would take up to an hour until they were found and him storming out and looking for them himself would cost far more time than just letting his information network do its thing. Which meant all he had to do was sit in his comfortable office and wait. But waiting was honestly the last thing he wanted to do right now. He sighed and forced himself to concentrate and use the time well. He needed to make plans and preparations for a fair amount of scenarios.


    If he assumed the Cultivator was worth the risk, his skills and abilities useful to him and his progress fast enough, then he would need to hold his word and help the man. Which probably meant getting rid of the manhunt and giving him shelter, or some breathing room at least. Maybe even a fake identity he could climb with. One of their district climbing groups would probably have no problems climbing with someone like the Cultivator. Mars had thought about how to end the manhunt for a while now. There were no easy solutions, especially if the Cultivator was not found.


    He could fake the Cultivator¡¯s death, which would be a neat solution, but it would not hold up under scrutiny. More than 20 mages had fought the Cultivator and they would be able to identify his magical signature. Preparing a body wasn¡¯t exactly problematic, but the magical signature was a problem. To fake that would cost favors from people in Ambition and they would have to transport a body down. In short it was not a feasible solution. It would have also meant that the Cultivator could not be seen and unless he was good with a disguise he would probably think it a bad solution. Much easier, but also much more expensive was to just call the manhunt off.


    This would rely on Aurix and what the man wanted entirely. Mars knew sending a few young women would not do it this time. Ever since Aurix had encountered the Cultivator he had kept up his shield spell day and night. A feat that honestly scared Mars a bit. That was not a normal shield spell and when he had last seen the man it had not looked weak to his identify skill. Quite the opposite. So Aurix was paranoid and terrified. He also barely left the town hall and its offices, although the man had built himself a luxurious mansion close to the river.


    Mars was sure there was a way to satisfy the fat coward, but he suspected he would have to pay quite a price for it. Maybe enchanting his mansion so it would be a fortress would be enough to appease the man? Still he would have to gather some voices of discontent with the manhunt from the other elders. Which was not difficult, it had always been a deeply unpopular move. But so far Aurix had not shown even a hint that the political pressure was getting to him.


    But even if he was able to stop the manhunt and get all of the independent groups collect crystal dust it would only barely be enough to satisfy the demands coming from Ambition. If the Cultivator was willing to be used by him as the tool of his vengeance, then he needed him to reach Ambition as soon as possible. Mars did not really know how Cultivators progressed, but apparently it was slow and hard. It would not be difficult to shower the man with whatever he desired, especially as payments for services rendered. Mars had already plans and trials he wanted to send the Cultivator on to test his mettle. To find out how much the man could do. A pocket Cultivator he could play when he finally returned to Ambition was nothing short of a dream come true to him. But all of that was just that for now. A dream.


    Mars did not know or trust this Cultivator and it was entirely possible the man was unsuited for his tasks or had a temperament that made him difficult to control. Well Mars preferred the latter for his subordinates, but the man needed to be capable of following orders at the very least. He also needed to have the ability to take out targets without too many issues. Mars caught himself tapping the table in a nervous drum and stopped himself. His old habits broke through whenever he was excited or about to fight. His nervous energy coming from his high class was sometimes difficult to contain, but for the most part he had himself under control. Still on days like this, when the world started to move at ten times the speed, when it had crawled just yesterday at a snails pace, on days like this Mars wanted to move, wanted to fight. He knew many Vessels took on some of their class specific traits and quirks with higher levels. Defensive classes becoming calmer, rogues and fighters more twitchy and aggressive and so on. For him it had always been nervous energy.


    Finally Tex returned and gave Mars a curt bow.


    ¡°You found them?¡±


    ¡°The Mage Melissa is currently training in shooting range D on the Army base and the Ranger Lisa, is undergoing training at obstacle course E under supervision.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Well lets see if I can¡¯t find out something interesting.¡± Mars said and almost bounced out of the room. Only pausing to take another Information dossier about the mage.


    --------


    Melissa concentrated all her willpower into a single point forcing her mana to respond, coalescing it around the long sharp icicle she had summoned out of thin air. Slowly the icicle grew in width, but its point stayed sharp and dangerous. After mind blowing concentration and two separate times she consulted her old spellbook she finally managed to conjure a serviceable ice spear.


    In truth it was far away from a real ice spear. Instantly cast and a single magical signature that ice formed around. This was more what happened if you cast a longform of hailburst and layered it. It was no less destructive as she threw the sharp spike of ice into a target way down range, cutting it in two. In the end the projectile even burst into ice shrapnel taking out two more training dummies. Much to Melissa¡¯s chagrin. She had basically given up on a true crowd control spell for now. It was impossible to create from scratch, simply impossible. Her basic control over ice and fire had increased many fold over her arduous training sessions, but in the end they translated to no increase in power or control over her spells at all. It was infuriating.


    She had been so sure it had been the right path, but nothing she had done seemed to bear any fruits. She felt like she was running in place. Her new group was the only source of hope, of progress. They had bonded during their little training exercises and had even done some simple hunting and gathering missions on the first floor together with many other groups doing the same. It was very safe, since there was a vast bulk of people doing the same thing and they could and would support each other. It wasn¡¯t a real test of their prowess yet, but more of a rehearsal and dress training before the real deal. She had to admit she had underestimated Gloria and Jacob and their unorthodox skills. The first time they both had worked together to speed up the entire group and slow down their enemies it had felt like everyone had grown wings.


    Lisa had basically shot arrows like a machine gun and Marvin had not been far behind. Mercucio had turned out to be even faster than anyone had expected and he had actually scored the majority of the kills during their little training mission. Their front line was solid, Vera more than capable of holding her own and Melissa had been able to just stand back, give some orders and cast spells. The speed up effect was noticeable even to her and her spell casting and it gave her hope. She still wasn¡¯t where she knew she needed to be to beat the fifth level reliably, but if she increased her damage potential, then maybe she would be fine.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The door to the training range opened and Melissa turned around sharply. Icicles circling above her hands.


    ¡°This range is occupied.¡± she called out with a frown and blinked as an old man stepped into the light, wearing expensive looking snow white clothes. He had salt and pepper hair, but he moved with the grace of a Predator. There was no respect in the man¡¯s eyes, only cold calculation as he stopped a few dozen feet away from her. Who was this? An instructor she had never heard about? No, his clothes were much too refined and as she narrowed her eyes she spotted the guild insignia of the Alchemist guild on the man¡¯s chest. A golden pin glittering in the sun.


    Immediately she let the magic she had held evaporate and gave the man a short bow.


    ¡°Apologies Elder, how may I help you?¡± she asked putting as much courtesy into her voice as she could. Guild Elders were in the same league as Aurix and she could really not afford to piss of another such entity. A random Elder appearing out of nowhere was a bad sign, a really bad sign. She could feel sweat pour down her back like a cold river.


    ¡°You are quite astute for the little time you have spent in the Tower. Learned some hard lessons huh?¡± the elder said with a pleasant chuckle and Melissa looked back up to him. Gone was the calculating look, replaced by the gentle smile of a grandfather visiting his favorite granddaughter. If possible that scared her even more and she gave the man another bow.


    ¡°The Tower teaches us all hard lessons, Elder.¡±


    ¡°True. So, tell me Melissa, why do you climb the Tower, after all you have lost?¡± the Elder asked in the same affable tone and yet Melissa felt like she had been slapped. She had asked herself this question so many times after losing Thorgen and the others. It felt like the man had read her heart and it made the whole situation only more uncomfortable. Like this old man had her in the palm of his hand, like his words were there to trap and bind her like a fly. To start with how did this man know her name or what she had lost? Was this common knowledge in guild circles? She was not remotely important enough to garner any attention, mage or not. She was also confused what the man wanted from her, but whatever it was it must be important for him to come personally, even though she could not wrap her head around why. She opened and closed her mouth and then answered truthfully after taking a deep breath.


    ¡°Because I have to get stronger.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    Melissa paused and then looked the man in the eyes.


    ¡°Revenge.¡±


    The elder smiled at that and then chuckled, a deep amused chuckle that made her slightly uncomfortable, but the man¡¯s posture had changed and he studied her with what felt like genuine affection now.


    ¡°Well, Revenge is quite a goal. Most would call it foolish. But not me. I understand the desire all too well.¡±


    ¡°Ah but where are my manners, my apologies I have not introduced myself. My name is Mars Ventros and I am the Alchemist guilds supply elder.¡± Mars said with a short bow and then he continued in the same conversational tone.


    ¡°So who do you want to kill?¡±


    Melissa paused. She had heard of this Elder actually, Rumors had it he was involved with the red-light district. Even more reason to not give him any reason to be angry. The whole situation was weird and the casual question of who she wanted to kill felt natural even though it was totally out of place. Melissa¡¯s throat tightened and she answered after a slight hesitation.


    ¡°The Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Ah, for killing your team I would assume, yes?¡±


    Melissa nodded in return and Mars chuckled again and shook his head.


    ¡°As you are you will never kill that man, not with training like this, not with scrolls like that.¡± Mars dismissed her spell scrolls and personal Grimoire with a dismissive gesture.


    ¡°Are you sure you have thought this through?¡±


    Melissa¡¯s temper flared and she balled her fists.


    ¡°Its not a matter of logic. Its a matter of perseverance. No matter how long it takes, no matter how hard it will be. I will have my vengeance.¡±


    ¡°Because what else have you left, huh?¡± Mars ended her outburst and Melissa stared at him in shock.


    ¡°Tell me, Melissa. Why did he let you live?¡± Mars asked and his gentle tone was gone, replaced with a hardness that commanded her to answer. But Melissa barely saw it anymore. She was blinded by the memory of the man she hated more than anything else in her life looming over her. Putting a dagger to her throat and then she could see the pity in his eyes. She could still taste the health potion that had saved her life being forced down her throat. The terror was so fresh, her own gratefulness, her own weakness overshadowed with the knowledge that he had killed everyone else before taking pity on her. That he butchered and stripped them of their clothes and valuables like livestock. But he had spared her. The knowledge of it was like fire in her chest fueling her hatred. Hatred of her own weakness, of her own gratitude and the deeper the flame of her hatred simmered the more it turned into just hatred of him. Melissa blinked into the light and the eyes of the Elder questioning her. She took a deep breath and shook her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± she said with a slightly trembling voice.


    Mars sighed at her answer and looked up towards the sky for a long moment before he studied her once more.


    ¡°You see I am an old man and I have lived a long life working with some of the vilest people you can ever imagine. I have climbed higher than most ever will and I have earned some skills that give me a good advantage in gauging my opponents. Its not an exact science, but something tells me that was not the whole truth. But I get it. Why should you spill your guts to some random geezer, even if he is a guild Elder with significant influence. So I am going to make you an offer.¡± Mars looked her straight in the eyes.


    ¡°A Grimoire with a spell of your choosing, but from what little I have seen you are in dire need of a Crowd Control spell, Ice Grasp or Land of Winter would probably compliment your build the best. I can get you full learning instructions on either of those spells, notes and detailed spell forms of true masters that leave no vagueness in their writing. That is the price I offer you for a story. A true story about what really happened with the Cultivator. Not a bad deal no?¡±


    Melissa stared at Mars with shock. He had just casually offered her something worth more than 2000 mid grade manastones if anyone would ever sell something like that to begin with. Detailed instructions on spell forms were not just rare, they were among the most sought after texts in the whole Tower. She did not doubt for a moment, someone like him with his influence power and wealth could get something like this, but why was he willing to give it to her so easily? Why did he want to know what had happened so badly?


    ¡°If...if I may, Elder Mars¡­ I have a question myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Please, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Why would you offer me something like that, why be so generous? What would you ever gain from hearing that story?¡±


    ¡°The truth. As simple as that. The Cultivator has become a problem even to the guilds and we are looking into him now. An accurate account of the man might be worth far more than a simple Grimoire in the end.¡±


    Melissa searched for any hint of falseness in the man¡¯s words, but she found none. It just felt honest and that made it even more unbelievable. With one stroke her future would look bright. If she learned a Crowd Control Spell she could move past the 5th floor and climb up to Ambition. There she would be able to join one of the magical colleges and get a proper magical education. This could change her life forever. So Melissa steeled herself and nodded. So what if others knew of her shame? If she could gain power then in the end it would all be worth it to her. Melissa took a deep breath and then closed her eyes.


    ¡°We were just coming back from a mission when we were called for security to the Symbols to guide and protect the new arrivals. There were 5 of us. Sophie, our [Ranger], who was always quiet unless you got her to drink and loosen up a bit. Adrian was a sword master, well he tried to become one. They both came with me to the tower. Same generation and we became really good friends. Adrian always boasted a lot, but he trained hard to back up his boast. He was a kind Soul and always looked after us. Then there were the Tower born who joined my group. Korlat who was a [Defender] and loved to cook. He wanted to climb, but he would have become a cook instead if he had not gotten the chance. He loved to humm when he prepared our meals. And finally...Thorgen. He was the real leader of our party. Born in Ambition proud of it. He wanted to return home so badly, but he chose me as his Leader. He taught me everything I know about the Tower...he¡­¡±


    Melissa felt the tears fall from her eyes, felt the sob in her throat, but once she had begun the story. She could not stop it again. She had to tell it, had to release it.


    ¡°Thorgen said we could make a quick buck defending the newbies. But then everything went wrong. The Cultivator kidnapped someone and we were all on high alert. They told us he had taken a young woman and we followed the Call-to-arms. It was strange to hunt someone, but I honestly did not think we would find him. But we did.¡± Melissa released a deep breath and saw the fight happen before her very eyes as she spoke.


    ¡°He left Lisa, the woman he had kidnapped as bait and ambushed us. He was so fast. He killed Sophie before we all even noticed. He came after me and I just tried to hit him, but he got to me, he moves through the air like a shadow. And he was so strong. He tackled me and then¡­.then he cut my throat.¡± Melissa said and her fingers cradled the spot on her throat, now long healed and gone. But she could still feel the pain.


    ¡°I knew I was dying, but I...I summoned my magic to stem the bleeding. It was all I could do. Freeze the blood to keep myself from bleeding out. I...I did not really notice the fight. I was too busy keeping myself alive. But...I must have felt something. I tried to get away, to crawl into safety. But he caught up to me.¡± Melissa closed her eyes in pain.


    ¡°He put a dagger right here underneath my chin. I felt the metal and I panicked...I¡­.I begged him to spare me.¡± Melissa whispered breathlessly. ¡°I looked him in the eyes and he had pity with me. He...spared me. He made me drink a healing potion. He¡­.he saved my life, after almost killing me and in that moment...In that moment I was so grateful. I was so relieved he had not killed me.¡± Melissa shook slightly and then pushed out a shuddering breath.


    ¡°But when I woke up, Lisa was there and¡­.and everyone else was dead. He had butchered them. Murdered my friends and I...I had been grateful he had let me live. I¡­.¡± Melissa cried and shook as she relived her Trauma once more. But it felt good to talk about it, it felt like her confession had released a burden from her shoulders and she caught herself relatively quickly.


    ¡°We were found not long after.¡± she finished the story and looked back up to the Elder that had listened quietly.


    ¡°There, that is the truth. He spared me and he spared Lisa. Out of pity.¡± Melissa spat out the word pity like it was poisonous.


    ¡°I will never forgive him and I will never forgive myself for only thinking of myself, when my friends...and the man I loved died right next to me.¡±


    Mars studied her for a long Moment and nodded then satisfied. He stepped closer to her and handed her a handkerchief she took gratefully. She wiped her tears away and then straightened.


    ¡°Are you satisfied?¡± she asked with a slight bite in her voice that she could not hide.


    ¡°I am. That was the truth and you will get your reward. But we both know that the Reward far exceeds the value of what you have given me. So I will consider this a favor to you. One day in the future I will ask you to return the favor and you will not ask any questions. Do we have an agreement?¡±


    Melissa felt actually relieved when Mars said that. It meant he was planning on keeping his word. He wanted something more from her than this story. But that was good. She still shook a bit from crying and from reliving that terrible moment and so Mars continued with a smile, taking her silence for hesitation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t make you do anything you do not want to do. That I can swear. So?¡±


    ¡°We have an agreement.¡± Melissa said and held out her hand. Mars smirked and shook her hand firmly.


    ¡°Excellent. You can expect the Grimoire to be delivered to your doorstep tonight. It was a pleasure doing business with you. But before I leave you to your training I want to give you some advice.¡±


    Melissa raised her eyebrows and Mars continued after a slight dramatic pause.


    ¡°First, you should head to Ambition as soon as possible. Don¡¯t waste your potential down here hunting for a ghost. At least not until you can kill him. Trust me when I say Ambition is the best place in the Tower for a young mage to rise in Power.¡± Mars winked at her and then he hesitated before he continued.


    ¡°I would also go to a doctor if I was you. My skill is more art than science, but if I am not mistaken and I usually am not. Then you are pregnant, young lady.¡± Mars smirked at Melissa¡¯s shocked look, turned around and slowly walked out of the training range.


    Melissa stared after the man, feeling tired and confused and¡­ No. It could not be. She had not been with anyone since Thorgen¡¯s death. That had been what? 3-4 months ago? She could not be pregnant. It was impossible. She...she was feeling sick often in the morning. But Melissa had thought that was just her nightmares. No. What did he know? But what if? Melissa¡¯s heart was beating in her chest like a drum and she hurried out of the training range. She had to know. Had to. If she was pregnant then it was his child. Thorgen¡¯s and her child. With hurried steps she walked out of the army base and towards the next doctor that sold pregnancy tests.

 57. Canary

    Mars had a spring in his step as he walked out of the army base. He felt like he had accomplished much with just a few hours of work. The interview with Melissa had been illuminating in more than one way. Her fixation on revenge, her absolute conviction and pure hatred made her absolute perfect for Mars future plans. Because while he planned on using and working with the Cultivator, having a hidden dagger up his sleeve in the form of a Vengeance hungry Mage with that much potential and tenacity? It was a good card to have and Mars would not hesitate to play it if necessary.


    He had no doubt Melissa would leave for Ambition soon and escape his grasp for now. But at least he would keep her alive for the time being until he could play her against the Cultivator if it ever became necessary to do so. Increasing her strength and making her indebted to him was a win-win situation for him. He had learned quickly that Melissa was a fanatic, a fool set in her path and as such easily guided.


    Her story had been fascinating. The Cultivator apparently wasn¡¯t the heartless maniac he portrait himself to everyone. He had a soft spot for pretty young women. Well, Mars could not fault the man for that. Melissa was a strikingly beautiful woman and Mars was sure the other girl was just as pretty. It told him a lot about the Cultivator that he had not just ignored them, but actively saved her from certain death. There was mercy in the man and that was an indicator that he was either easily manipulated or at least was not a completely uncontrollable loose cannon.


    Mars had his doubts that he could learn any more from Merlin or Lisa and so he mentally went to the next step in his plan. He would never go out there into the forest where he could be ambushed and the cards were stacked against him. No, he would send someone in his stead. Someone young, pretty and female. Someone with a lot to loose and even more to win by doing his bidding. She would be his canary and he would send her into danger to see how much the struggle of the Tower had affected the Cultivator.


    The Cultivator¡¯s reaction to his little bird would be most revealing. He would have to think long and hard what he wanted to offer and what he wanted the cultivator to do to prove himself. But if his plan were successful at the end of the day he would have two new assets that hated each other. Melissa and the Cultivator in his debt would be all he needed to plan his return to Ambition.


    Mars still worried about how to best control the Cultivator. But now it looked like he could use his weakness against him and test him and his abilities thoroughly. If he was weak to young pretty women, then the man would be very happy in his employ. He had hundreds of them in total. But if he was not inclined that way his mercy would at least keep him from killing the messenger and maybe he would do his bidding in return for his ¡°help¡±.


    When Mars entered his office Tex was waiting for him again and he did not hesitate to get the next step in his plan going.


    ¡°Tex, bring me a list of all of our prostitutes under the age of 25, pretty, but somehow deeply indebted to us. Debt or in need of a desperate favor from the district would be best.¡±


    ¡°Again, I am not sure how to gauge which of those women are ¡®pretty¡¯, sir.¡±


    ¡°If they are good at their jobs and have a stable clientele or good marks with walk in customers they should be pretty. But don¡¯t include women who are staples in the business. I don¡¯t want to put good work horses in danger if I can use a less useful mare.¡±


    ¡°Understood sir. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You are very welcome.¡± Mars said and closed the door to his office behind him. He sat down and got a wreath of paper out of a drawer and went for his recreation of a ball pen. It was a marvelous writing instrument, miles ahead of a simple feather and quill, even the magical kind that were admittedly very useful.


    ¡°Oh and make sure whoever you select can read.¡± He shouted through the door and could hear a resigned ¡°Yes, sir.¡± on the other side. His ears were still good even in his age and Mars smiled to himself.


    Now. What did he want the cultivator to do for him? A demonstration of his capabilities. Not too hard and not too easy. Mars end goal was to train the man to take over Ambitions underworld for him. Which would require abduction, intel gathering, straight up combat power and a knack to scare the shit out of people. If necessary leave psychological scars that would not heal easily. He would use him as a deterrent, as an option to destroy his enemies leadership. Ideally he would keep it quiet. But he also suspected the cultivator was not ready for Ambition yet. Well he would see.


    The Cultivator had shown all qualities he needed him to have so far, but he had no clear gauge of his abilities. So how to best test him. He wanted him to do something useful, something productive but also difficult enough to test him. He would first and foremost need another example of him taking powers from someone, best under supervision of someone. Then he needed to know how sneaky he really was. How great his ability to gain information was and if he was able to eliminate or better even extract people out of highly fortified locations. Now all Mars had to do was pick some suitable targets for 3 missions. He would pay him for the work of course, depending on the skill displayed and he would offer him to end the manhunt against him as sign of their alliance. He wanted, had to do that either way, so it did not lose anything from offering this to him. Yes, slowly but surely a plan formed in Mars mind and he carefully wrote down instructions on the paper.


    It took a while until Tex knocked and gave him a list of names of young women who were in considerable debt to his organization, almost 15 to Mars surprise. He read through Tex selection and soon dismissed a few who lived beyond their means. He suspected gambling or a drug problem and he ordered Tex to solve their issues by making sure the brothels themselves offered help and if that did not help, forced them to seek help or get fired. It was honestly a sign of neglect. Mars disliked junkies of any kind in his employees. They were unreliable and their loyalty was always more to the drug than him. Which might end up creating problems if a nefarious actor pushed those buttons. No, Mars disregarded them. He read through the others carefully though. Some had sick, chronically sick siblings or were supporting a big family and had gotten into significant debt. Others needed the district to do them some very big favors. Like one women wanted to go to Ambition to be with her family, but did not have remotely the funds to join a caravan or hire a group of climbers from Ambition.


    There were other favors, political favors, but none of those he felt like were severe enough to risk their lives. The most promising ones were those who were in debt for others for sure. Mars paused at a name and his eyebrows rose.


    ¡°This one, Iris. She has accumulated 400 mid grade manastones in debt by buying others spots on caravans?¡± he asked incredulously his second.


    Tex frowned, checked his notes and gave him a small information dossier after a short trip out of his office.


    ¡°Above average employee, stable customer base and highly rated. But a few years ago she started to borrow huge sums of money, first to let her little sister go to Ambition, then other young women. According to the caravan manifests they were all normal people, who had just found out they had no aptitude to become a vessel.¡±


    Mars smirked to himself and looked at the debt. It was enormous. But doable if she kept up her figures and worked hard on her back for a few years. The woman was an idealist or maybe the woman just had a soft spot for young girls like her sister. Either way her actions had indirectly hurt his business a bit. Since a fair share of the young women without class came to work for him in some capacity. Be it as cashiers, waiters or yes as prostitutes. He employed a vast amount of normal people with relatively well paying jobs. But it was also not a secret that a fair amount of the prettier girls would end up working for him on their backs. It was the greed that drove them there in some cases. But for most it was true economic desperation.


    Young men without any prospects as Vessels had it just as hard, but at least some were able to make a living by working for crafters and learning their craft the old fashioned way. They would never be able to compete with Vessels who had crafting classes, but there were options for men. Women on the other hand had it much worse. There were fewer spots open for girls, simply because most employers would rather have a young man who could use their physical strength to help them out, than a girl that was weaker and usually less useful. Mars had his own problems with the state of the Town.


    His parents had insisted to teach him how to read and write when he had been very young and whenever Mars had met Earthers he had heard about their education system and how equal and yet unequal things were for girls in their world. It was better there for normal women for sure. But it only went so far. In many ways the Tower gave women more equality if they were able to become a Vessel or mage. In a way it was the ultimate way to escape their gender inequality. Nobody cared if a Warrior was a woman or a man after all. Their strength would be equivalent depending on their level, build and equipment. There was literally no difference in combat strength. And a mages power was based on knowledge and comprehension and as such was not tied to gender either. So there was this strange dichotomy of women who were mages or vessels being absolutely equal to men and women who had no talent for either being absolutely inferior to men.


    Mars had thought about creating schools and teaching children at least some useful skills, no matter their gender. But there was some push back from the more conservative parts of the Town and it was even worse in Ambition. Normal people were seen as nothing more than an expendable workforce. They were seen as servants in Ambition, their lives worth less than nothing, their existence reduced to being subservient to Mages and in some cases Vessels. The absolute hold of the old mage families in Ambition had always irked Mars. Their wealth was beyond anything he could imagine. They owned the entire city and they held it in a stranglehold. The only reason why there was any chance for anyone to rise up in power and influence was because the old mage families hated and feuded with each other.


    They did not want normal People to be more educated or capable. They wanted to have a persistent status quo and many of the institutions in the Tower were just the same. The guilds were like that in the Town. Held up by old men and women who had lived their entire lives with a societal order that they did not want to change in any way or form.


    But as much as Mars wanted to change that, he was very far away from any of those problems. He just felt bad to put a woman with obvious morals in a bad position. But in the end those women were expendable to him as well. He would not cry over losing any of these women. It would not affect his business in any way. So maybe he was hypocritical about it. Still, Mars believed he was doing his best to change the situation for the better. When he had come here there had be no red-light district. There had been dozens of brothels and competing factions, small gangs and misfits. They had made the streets of The Town dangerous and the supply of any drug tenuous at best and risky for life and limb at the worst. He had swept away those smaller gangs, had cleaned house and leveraged his deeds with the guilds to create the agreement to give him his own city district to concentrate the inevitable dark side of any society.


    Soon he had started supplying the mages of the Town, especially those with political influence with serums and alchemical goods that helped with learning magic. Then he reopened the brothels in the district and turned the whole area into a true entertainment district. He had brought rules, law and order to the chaos and he had made a fortune while doing so. But instead of hoarding his wealth he had leveraged it into influence in Ambition and information networks going even past the gap. But he did not have the power to contest any of the criminal organizations. He had the funds of some of the smaller ones, but he did not have his own army. But if he did this right, he would have something almost as good. A one man army.


    So yes, Mars was willing to sacrifice one of his girls to further his goals. The time for mercy and cooperation was over. It was time to put the chips into the middle and start playing his hand. Mars pen flew over the parchment and he soon had a rough set of questions he wanted the girl to ask and three missions that would tell him more about the cultivator. In return the man would get protection from his people and an end to the manhunt.


    Satisfied with his work he called Tex.


    ¡°Bring this Iris to my office please.¡±


    Tex raised his eyebrows, but then nodded quickly.


    ¡°Of course sir.¡±


    Mars read carefully over his missions and questions and did some edits until he was satisfied. Then he copied the whole thing on a new, fresh page and then he settled down to wait. It was time to see if this Iris really was the little bird he wanted to send on this negotiation.


    <hr>


    Iris looked into her mirror as she did her makeup carefully. It was subtle and simple, not too much and yet enough to hide some of her own imperfections. Once she was done and satisfied she applied a bit of the alchemical solution that would help against smudging her makeup during her work. She would get dirty in one way or the other, but with this little miracle solution she could wash her face and be clean and prepared for the next customer without having to apply a new layer of makeup.


    She used a fair few alchemical solutions and helpers to ensure she looked, smelled and felt the best for her clients. It was encouraged by the brothel and the solutions were cheap since they were all made by district alchemists. It wasn¡¯t like Iris enjoyed her work most of the time or that she wanted to be the best at what she did. But she did need to do a good job. Because Iris knew she was on thin ice.


    Every customer counted. Every single shard was precious because if she did not deliver or attract enough customers and had more than just a bad day, but a bad week? Then she would be in deep, deep trouble. She did not know what they would do with her if she could not come up with the ridiculous amount of manastones she had to pay in interest just so that her debt did not rise, but steadily shrunk. But she suspected it would not include her having her own room in one of the better brothels in the district. Nor would she be able to set her own times or even be able to take a day off. She was sure they would work her day and night if she messed up.


    ¡°So don¡¯t mess up.¡± she said to herself into the mirror. She gently touched a stack of letters she kept next to her mirror on the little table where she kept all her alchemical solutions and cosmetics. Letters from her little sister, working as an apprentice tailor in Ambition. Thanks to her. Her little sister Gwen was just as pretty of a girl as Iris was herself. Just younger and more innocent looking than Iris ever had. She had always seen the effect Gwen had on men. Some wanted to protect her, but most wanted to sully her. She had been able to see it in their eyes, the way they looked at her. But Gwen was not build for a life like this. She was a romantic and naive, so helplessly naive even in the face of all the shit the Tower had thrown at their family.


    When Iris had been 16 the whole world had been alright. Back then her father had a respected Bakery that attracted always huge lines because of his cakes. Her dad had been a Vessel, who had decided to settle down here and just be happy with the trade class he had been given, instead of risking his life by climbing. He had been in love with his mother back when he had started out and they had settled down after they had married. Soon Iris was on the way and they had lived a fairly wealthy life with bread and cake to eat whenever they wanted. Iris had wanted to follow in her fathers footsteps and take over his Bakery. She and her mom had helped him and had learned how to bake from him. But they could never match him and his skills. He just knew the perfect time to bake bread, which was the ideal ratio of flour water and yeast. When Iris had been young she had copied all his recipes religiously. Had wrote them down and had then tried to replicate them. With mediocre success. She was never able to make a perfect loaf of bread and her cakes never looked or tasted like works of art, but she was solid. Just like her mother.


    With 16 she was tested to become a Vessel or even a mage, but Iris, like many others had no talent. She had been heartbroken. But she had still tried her best to make up for it in the Bakery. With ingenuity, new recipes, with heart and blood and sweat. But everything changed when her father suddenly collapsed one morning. A heart attack the doctor had said. He had been dead by the time they had found him. With his father their Bakery lost their status, a majority of their customers and although Iris and her Mother tried their best, they could not compete with Vessels.


    Their bakery went bankrupt 2 years later and suddenly Iris mother had lost their home, their source of income and she had debts. They tried themselves as street vendors, moved to the outer city, but it was all too much for her mom. She became sick and her treatment was expensive. Gwen was still young back then, but she had tried her best to pull her weight. But Iris had been frantic, desperate and she had kept up with three jobs, being a maid for a rich mage in the morning, selling bread in the afternoon and bar tending in the evening. That last job was how she was recruited to more lucrative work. Iris had refused at first, but when the debt to the guilds rose and she saw herself forced to either take out a loan with the district or lose their home, then Iris made a decision.


    She became a prostitute because it was by far the best paying job for a young girl without power. Iris soon found out she was good at it. She had a rebellious phase when her father had still been alive, she had lost her virginity a long time ago and she liked flirting and men in general. Doing it for money had felt weird and disgusting at first, but she got used to it rather quickly. She was good at making men do what she wanted. Knew when to smile, when to act coy and when to take the initiative. She learned quickly from the other more experienced girls and luckily she was blessed with good looks. Her crimson hair, her freckles and her rather large bust had always made her popular.


    She still had those features now, years later. Although she had grown out of her freckles and had to gently apply them to her face now with a special solution, she still looked young, attractive and her curves had matured with her. To her bust she had added a nice behind and poverty had kept her lean, although she was never thin in the classical sense. Probably thanks to all the bread she had eaten growing up. Still, when iris looked at herself in the mirror and smiled, she found herself attractive. Not the prettiest flower in the district, but she was up there. She wore her work clothes. A dark dress that left a deep cleavage and hugged her curves tightly ending in a little bit less than knee high skirt with white seams. She wore thigh highs in the winter and sleeves. The fabric was very stain resistant and washed easily. A necessity in her trade.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Iris sighed as she put on the last finishing touches and then touched the stack of letters again as a good luck charm. When her sister had grown up and found herself just as talent less as herself Iris had feared for her. So instead of risking her falling into the same trap like her, she emptied out her savings and took a debt to send her to Ambition with a recommendation to a renowned tailor that took seamstresses without class. It had cost a small fortune. But it was worth it for her sister. But when she had almost paid off her debt she had met an old school friend of Gwen¡¯s who was a few younger than her. The young woman was in the same shoes as Gwen and Iris and she was pretty, just like a few other women. They had come to her for help and Iris had helped them. Had taken another big loan and had smiled and assured them they could repay her when they were successful in Ambition. So far she had not seen a single shard, but she had gotten letters back. Letters she treasured and that got her through the dark hours of the night when she cursed herself for helping others. But they had nobody else looking out for them. Their parents dead or junkies. Runaways and young girls simply desperate for a better life. It had resonated with Iris.


    But now Iris knew she was in deep shit. She could not even get sick or risk getting the boot from the district. The only reason they had fronted her that sum of money at all had been because she had already paid off a substantial loan and she had been able to demonstrate her skills. It was the most humiliating thing she had ever done, but it had been effective. But Iris doubted she would be able to use that tactic again if she fucked up.


    ¡°So don¡¯t fuck up.¡± she told herself, took a deep breath and put on a genuine smile, thinking of her sister as she went out of her little room and into her ¡°bedroom¡± where she worked. She went out and leaned against the balcony towards the common room of the Brothel. It was custom for ladies of the night like herself to present themselves like this in this establishment. Casually leaning and waiting for a John coming to chat her up. It was meant to give it a casual setting and give place for flirting and for men to find a woman they would like. So Iris smiled down at the common room, already filling with guests.


    Some of the younger girls were down there partying and having a good time if the customer did not want to pay for that kind of service, but instead just wanted to flirt, maybe touch a bit and have a good time while drinking with company. But of course they could also take them upstairs or go upstairs themselves and pick one of the women waiting there. It had been a winning concept and many men had eyes for the pretty women upstairs like Iris smiling and making pretty eyes at the men.


    Iris had her eyes on a well dressed man in his thirties she guessed. A bit portly, but more than wealthy enough looking. Probably an artisan, definitively no Climber. Those she could pick out of a crowd any time. Climbers were notorious for their enhanced physiques, warriors among the most prominent. It meant hard work for a woman as they would almost always have trouble holding back their superhuman strength and so almost anything they would do would at least bruise them. But Climbers were among the richest customers there were and well worth the pain as they usually tipped handsomely. Still tonight there were few here. A Mage flirting with a young thing in a skimpy dress was the only real spot of interest in the room downstairs. Mages were always rich and dangerous. Usually they were just normal men, but if they had a temper they could hurt you with very little consequence. But at least they would not kill you, because in that case the district would hunt that man down. No matter if they were a mage or not.


    Iris had only seen it happen once in her 5 years she had been working here. A Team of Rogues had cut the mage down before he had been able to flee the district and nobody had ever said a word about the man again. So Iris usually did not engage mages. They were too dangerous and haughty for her. But Vessels of any kind were her favorite customers. They simply paid too well to say no to.


    The pudgy man in the fancy clothes had noticed her and Iris gave the man a smile and a small wave that the man returned with a slight blush. She was about to send the man a kiss, when a man interrupted her flirting.


    ¡°Iris, the boss wants to see you.¡±


    She turned around to one of the Enforcers that made sure people were staying on their best behavior in the brothel. His name was Nirx and he was a solid bloke, who did not overly ogle the girls and did his job well. Iris sighed.


    ¡°What does Nefeteria want this time?¡±


    ¡°Not Nefeteria. Her boss wants to see you.¡±


    Iris blinked confused. Nefeteria was the brothels proprietor and she had never had much contact to who she reported to. So she cocked her head in confusion.


    ¡°Who wants to see me Nirx?¡±


    ¡°Dunno, but it comes from high up, you better go quickly. There is a guy outside to bring you to him.¡±


    Iris felt a cold shudder run down her spine and she swallowed hard. She had not missed a payment had she? What was this about? Had they decided to collect early? But the district was not like that. They were tough, ruthless, but fair most of the time. It was why everyone liked working for the district. You got paid well and they did not cheat you, even if they were all criminals and did not shy away from doing all kinds of shady things.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get my jacket.¡± iris said quickly and ran into her room. She was honestly panicking a bit. Bosses were never a good sign for her. It meant trouble. Big trouble. She got her long coat and jacket she draped over herself and stepped into some relatively comfortable shoes. Her heart was beating in her chest and she honestly considered jumping out of the window. But Nirx had followed her into the room and was waiting patiently, with his arms crossed. Damn it.


    So Iris followed Nirx down the back and out of the Brothel down the outer stairs that only employees used. Down at the end of the stairs waited a man she had never seen, wearing a red armband. He nodded to Nirx then to her.


    ¡°Follow me, please.¡± he said and hesitantly Iris followed the man into the approaching night. Lamps were illuminated and she knew business would pick up right about now, when most people came off from work and had time to visit the district.


    ¡°I am going to miss a full day of work.¡± she said in protest. But the man just gave her a look and shrugged. Iris flushed in anger, but she kept herself under control.


    ¡°So who wants to see me? Grisha?¡± she asked, praying to Emnu it was not the case. Grisha was head of the Casinos and the loan sharks. She honestly did not know who had control of all the brothels. She just knew the proprietors who managed the day to day. The man gave her another look and then shook his head.


    ¡°Then who?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± the man said and Iris felt really, really apprehensive now. Had they determined she was of no use to them anymore? But then she would be unable to pay off her debt. It made no sense and the further they walked the less sense it made as they exited the district and walked straight towards the nice part of the Town. The guild headquarters loomed in their full opulence over her, marble pillars, frescoes and statues lined the way and the man led her to her surprise not past the guilds but towards a small side door. There a well dressed man in a suit waited for them, writing on a notepad with a strange pencil. He studied iris for a moment, but Iris was far too nervous to smile back or work her charms. The man nodded to her guide and the man turned back around.


    ¡°Follow me.¡± the man in the suit said and Iris followed and soon figured out who she was meeting. She saw the alchemist guilds crest on the walls and above doors and suddenly knew she was not just meeting a boss. She was meeting the boss. Of the whole district. Mars Ventros himself.


    Iris felt like she was going to be sick. Why would the big boss man want to see her? She did not understand. Could not comprehend what was happening. Maybe the man had a thing for redheads? She had that happen before. Being carted off to a mage who wanted a redhead delivered. It had not been the worst night she had spent, but being reduced to her hair color had been an...experience. But at least she had understood that. This? She had no idea what was happening.


    The man in the suit led her into a very nice office and knocked on a big door.


    ¡°Come in.¡± a man called out in a voice used to be obeyed. A voice full of authority. The man in the suit opened the door and Iris stepped into an even bigger, well furnished office with some of the richest and most luxurious decorations she had ever seen in her life. Behind a big oaken desk underneath a row of crystal clear windows showing part of the night sky sat a man clad in white. He had salt and pepper hair, the gray shining through more than the black, but the man¡¯s face looked far younger than she had expected. The man smiled when he saw her and the deep creases in his face showed his real age. He looked affable and friendly and yet Iris knew he had ruled the criminal underworld with an iron fist since he had come here. She swallowed hard and felt her stomach turn and she felt like she was going to puke.


    ¡°Thank you, Tex. Please sit down Miss.¡± Mars gestured to the soft looking chairs in front of his desk and Iris hesitantly peeled herself out of her thick coat and sat down in her dress. She was nervous, scared to death, but she still knew how to present herself. She crossed her legs over and then looked up at the Boss.


    ¡°So, Miss Baker, how is your mother?¡± Mars asked with a smile while she heard the man in the suit close the door behind them. The sound made her flinch but she recovered and tried to smile. Tried to relax and not let the man show how much this entire invitation unsettled her.


    ¡°She is doing better, thank you for asking.¡±


    ¡°Your grandparents were Climbers, yes? From Earth? Which is why your mother called you Iris? I can call you Iris, I hope?¡± Mars said and smiled his affable smile that made him feel more like an old man just chatting to pass the time than one of the most dangerous men Iris had ever met.


    ¡°Yes, my grandfather was from Earth. I was named after his mother, sir.¡± she eventually said, trying to relax her shoulders and let her natural charms do the work. She was glad she had makeup on and was clad in her dark dress. It was classy, but also sexy and revealing. But if it had any affect on the man, she could not see it.


    ¡°Hah, well Earth had a significant influence on the Tower for the last 100 years. My own parents were from Earth.¡± Mars said with a smile and continued.


    ¡°So, how is your sister faring in Ambition? I hope the gamble to caravan her up there paid off for her.¡±


    Iris broke out into sweat. The man knew seemingly everything about her. She felt like she was naked in front of him. Like she had no secrets. His eyes were dark and they were not smiling as he questioned her. She felt another shiver run down her back.


    ¡°She...is doing well. Thank you, sir.¡±


    ¡°I am glad, its rare to find someone willing to do this much even if it is for a relative, especially if someone is willing to do the same thing for strangers and incur even more debt than before.¡± Mars raised his eyebrows and then he chuckled.


    ¡°Apologies for my nosy questions. But why would you do that for strangers after it took you two years to pay off what it cost for your sister?¡±


    ¡°I...My sister Gwen knew them. They grew up on the same street as us. They did not have any talent and no prospects. I knew I could help them, offer them the chance of a better life.¡± she looked up at Mars in slight defiance.


    ¡°I did not want them to go through the same thing as me. I want them to have a chance to fall in love, to marry. To live a better life.¡±


    Mars smiled at her and nodded along to her explanation.


    ¡°And yet, now they are gone and you are barely able to put food on your families table because of the debt. Even with that, would you do it again?¡±


    Iris looked at the man and somehow felt like this was an important question. She swallowed and then said with all her courage.


    ¡°Without hesitation.¡±


    Mars smiled at her, genuinely smiled and Iris relaxed a bit and smiled back.


    ¡°A remarkable thing, but ultimate stupid. You left yourself no margin for error. What if you hurt yourself? What if you can¡¯t work for a significant amount of time? Even potions can¡¯t heal everything as you know very well. To me it looks like you backed yourself into a corner and you are desperately fighting to get out of it right now.¡±


    Iris did not say anything. She knew it had been stupid. But she had done it anyways. As much as she feared for it, she at least wanted to have some good in her life. She still did not know what this was about, but she had the feeling this was a job interview. He wanted something from her and it was not like she had initially suspected her body.


    Mars stood up and started to pace behind his desk as he looked at her and eventually he put a piece of paper in front of her.


    ¡°You have learned how to read and write, correct?¡±


    Iris nodded.


    ¡°Excellent. Well. As much as I admire you and your tenacity and willingness to sacrifice your own happiness for others, it puts you in a bad spot.¡± Mars nodded to the paper.


    ¡°Do you know that man?¡± he asked her and Iris leaned forward and inspected the piece of paper.


    To her surprise it was a wanted poster, one she had seen around town a couple of times. Bounties were not enforced in the district and so they were kind of useless to her. But she had at least seen it before. It was the face of a young man, grinning and she read it silently. Wanted: Dead or alive The Cultivator. She frowned and looked up at Mars.


    ¡°I have seen the wanted posters before, but I have never met that man, sir.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, but you know who he is, know his reputation?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Its hard to escape the gossip and for a while he was all the Climbers were talking about.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, this man has given the whole town some major headaches, even me. Until yesterday that is.¡± Mars stopped pacing and looked her in the eyes.


    ¡°Yesterday a man matching that description kidnapped one of my enforcers. A man of considerable strength for this floor. He interrogated him and then¡­ He took his powers.¡±


    Iris blinked and knew this was not information she should have. This was information worth manastones. Information people got killed over and the casual way Mars told her the story made her skin crawl and her heart beat faster. Especially at the last sentence.


    ¡°He stole his powers?¡± she asked and scolded herself for asking Mars bloody Ventros anything.


    ¡°Indeed. Specifically he killed the Spirit inside of the Vessel. The very source of power all Vessels posses. But he did it not to anger me or for some sort of revenge. He did it to send me a message. He wishes to talk about an alliance, cooperation between him and my organization.¡± Mars started to once again pace up and down and Iris was really not sure what was happening anymore.


    ¡°Now I am inclined to agree to his request. But I don¡¯t know the man. Nobody does. He is an unknowable variable. I would love to hash out the details and get the measure of the man. But unfortunately the Cultivator has escaped the Town unseen. He has set a meeting spot east of the Town in the wilderness. But as you can imagine this puts me in a bit of a bind.¡± Mars sighed and pointed out at the Town that started to glow like stars as lights were lit and lanterns hung outside.


    ¡°The town has suffered tremendously under the manhunt. We need Climbers to go past the second and third floor up to the fifth so that the economy can recover. It is in my best interest and in the Town''s best interest to end the hostilities and make an agreement. Not in an official capacity of course. The guilds would never work with a criminal. But I, well that is a different matter altogether.¡± Mars looked her straight in the eyes and smiled.


    ¡°But to do that I need to talk to the man, or communicate at least. The problem is I won¡¯t go out there into the wilderness when I can¡¯t trust this Cultivator to hold his word. I can¡¯t send a Vessel out there either. Since he can apparently kill spirits.¡± Mars scoffed and shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°I could send an army of course, but how would that look for a negotiation. The Cultivator would just flee or even worse would slaughter them. So I can¡¯t send anyone important.¡± Mars raised a finger.


    ¡°But the Cultivator has a weakness. He is inclined to show mercy to pretty young women, just like yourself. He has even saved one such maiden before. Well admittedly he almost killed her before that, but still. The fact remains that he is not inclined to kill innocents, like yourself.¡±


    Iris felt cold. She understood what Mars wanted from her. She swallowed and looked up at the man.


    ¡°You want me to go there in your stead.¡± she said softly.


    Mars clapped his hands and nodded.


    ¡°Exactly. Now I will not sugarcoat it. There is a chance that the Cultivator will be unreasonable or furious that I did not show myself and he could decide to kill you.¡± Mars shrugged apologetically.


    ¡°But more likely is that he will listen to you and even negotiates with you. Now I am not an unreasonable man myself. So I have an offer for you.¡± Mars sat back down and twirled his mustache before he looked at her.


    ¡°Your debt including interest. If you do this for me, it will be gone. I will cut it entirely and from tomorrow on you will be debt free. In the unlikely, but possible scenario that you perish while negotiating, I will even promise that your mother will be taken care of. You know my reputation and I hold my word. So In case you die, I will make sure your mother will have everything she needs.¡± Mars said and looked her into the eyes.


    Iris had held her breath, but this was so much more generous than she had expected. She had expected maybe 50 mid grade manastones or no interest for a year. Not the entire debt gone. It was a substantial number. But it was clear Mars was wealthy. He could afford this easily. But still the prospect of being free of the burden she had around her neck for years was...liberating. It was more enticing than she would have liked and yet she was afraid. She studied the wanted poster and thought back to her worst nights. To the biggest creeps and perverts that had paid for her. She had serviced killers before. But this was different. This had a real chance of her death. Was more than just dangerous. It was suicide. She had heard the stories. Heard of the man who killed in ambush, who flew through the air, who hunted in the dark and was almost immortal. A boogie man, but real. He could do things she did not even know were possible. Kill the spirit of a Vessel? That was impossible. And yet, Mars believed it.


    So what should she do? What could she do? Could she even say no? Was that an option? Did she even want to?


    ¡°Now, you do not have to decide right now if you want to do this. Either way I want you to sleep on it, before you make a decision.¡± Mars said gently, before he put some papers in front of her.


    ¡°But in case you want to do this, I want you to read this. These are questions I want you to ask the Cultivator. Questions I want you to bring me the answer to. When you talk to him, if you talk to him. I want you to find out what kind of man he is. Does he look at you often, is he attracted to you? How does he react to your advances. And yes, if you accept I also want you to seduce him. I think for this kind of remuneration those services are included?¡± he asked with a small smile.


    Iris swallowed and then nodded quickly.


    ¡°O-of course.¡± she read the first questions and then looked up to Mars.


    ¡°So...you want me to negotiate with him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this here is what I am willing to offer, what you will be able to offer him.¡± he pointed on a section of the papers.


    ¡°The basics are simple. We will shelter him from prosecution in the district and I will call of the manhunt within a week. Everything else would be on your discretion. I don¡¯t just want a messenger, I want you to negotiate and get a feeling for the man.¡±


    Iris nodded slowly. She was not sure if she could do this, if she wanted to do this, but Mars continued and pointed to the last three pieces of paper.


    ¡°This here is what I expect from the Cultivator. 3 Missions. They are not important because of what he does, but how. It will show me what kind of man he is and what he is capable of. You can read it I do not mind.¡± Mars said with a smile, but then he turned serious.


    ¡°Of course if you tell anyone anything of what you read or heard here¡­then it will not end well for you or your family.¡± Mars said coldly.


    ¡°I would never.¡± Iris said quickly and Mars nodded slowly.


    ¡°Think about it Iris, a fresh start and all it takes is a little conversation and maybe a fuck in the outdoors. It is the best offer you will ever get.¡±


    Iris nodded, but then she hesitated and asked.


    ¡°Why me, sir?¡±


    Mars studied her for a moment and then shrugged.


    ¡°You fit the man¡¯s tastes and quite honestly? You are expendable. Your morals and willingness to do things for others are great attributes to have. You are a brave young woman and I hope he finds you to his liking. But that is basically it. You can do the job and you are not really in a position where saying no is appealing. Of course, if you decide against doing me this favor, I will understand and find someone else. It should be your decision. But I am who I am and so I have stacked the deck against you.¡± Mars said with a sad smile.


    ¡°Now, go home, sleep over it and give me a decision by tomorrow morning.¡±


    Iris felt him dismissing her and she stood up, grabbed her coat and then bowed to him.


    ¡°Thank you for the opportunity sir.¡±


    Mars nodded at her and she left the room feeling like she had been at the job for hours. She was exhausted. In her head she went over everything he had told her. Secret information, damaging information and yet she did not once consider betraying the district. It was suicide she knew. And not like the choice she had to make. It was truly a bad idea to go against the district. She walked out of the alchemist guild hall like she was in a dream. But even before she had left the central district she knew she would accept Mars offer. She would do as the man said and sleep over it. But she knew the opportunity was too good to pass up.

 58. A fat ghost

    Aaron stood on one of the highest branches of a fir tree and looked out over the clearing he had chosen as a meeting spot. It was almost directly to the east of the Town and he could even see some rooftops in the distance. There was a lone tree in the center of the clearing, an old oak, where he had tied the red armband of Mahast to one of the branches. The red fabric fluttered in the wind like a tassel and once Aaron had checked the vicinity he had started to prepare.


    He had multiple escape routes that he had prepared with traps, mostly bringing down trees behind him that he had weakened by cutting into them with his enchanted dagger. One would think a dagger was not a suitable instrument to cut trees, but the enchantment on it turned it into an easy task. Although Aaron worried his useful tool would eventually run out of magic. He did not know or even remotely understand how the Tower¡¯s mages enchanted items, if they recharged themselves or if the enchantments would vanish if not properly cared for.


    Those escape routes prepared Aaron had settled down and had waited. His chest felt heavy from the spirit clinging to him. It was a fat ghost and it dragged down his mood as he waited for a response from the town. Hours passed as he slowly trained his senses and did regular sweeps of the whole area with his sense of smell, hearing and mana sense. But nothing happened on the first day and when dusk set Aaron vanished deeper into the forest to made camp. He searched around for a water and found a small spring he could use as a water source and he mentally prepared himself to absorb the spirit. As useful it would be to run around the town with a warriors spirit hiding him from abilities, it was also tiring and uncomfortable. With the district on high alert and the possibility of them spreading the information to the rest of the town, he was weary of an army coming to kill him. Infiltrating the town did have its upsides though, especially since nobody knew he could not be traced via identify abilities with the spirit stuck to him. But it was also a trump card he did not want to use yet. His face was known and if they found him, but identified him having the same class as Mahast they might figure out what he actually did to the spirit. In the end it was an unnecessary risk and he was more interested in Mars response than anything else. Cooperating with the red-light district would give Aaron a lot more options and would allow him to finally challenge himself by climbing the tower unobstructed. But yeah, he also yearned for the power the spirit could give him, for the easy progression, the feeling of jumping over the hurdles of cultivation.


    So Aaron prepared his camp and decided to absorb the spirit tonight instead of sleeping. He was fairly sure even if they were sending an army they would not come for him during the night. First and foremost because he had always attacked them during the night. They would have picked up on that, he was sure. Second because he would still sense them if they came for him, even if they were planning a night time attack. His new camp was also a fair distance away from the meeting place. He had chosen the clearing himself and even if they found it he was sure this Mars would be wary. Taking the day to think about his offer and be informed by his underlings was to be expected.


    Aaron was also really unhappy with his control over his own strength. He needed to fix that before any fight, or he would be at a significant disadvantage. If he did not know the limits of his power or how to control his strength, many of the more tactical decisions in a fight would disappear. But one thing after the other.


    He settled down in a hidden spot at the small brook he had found, leaving his camp behind. He had not made a fire and his hunger was not as stinging anymore, even though he had not eaten anything today. The memory of his feast of street food made it unpalatable to hunt and cook for himself. Aaron cursed himself for not just buying himself some tools, a pan, some seasoning, some basic necessities for outdoor cooking. But back then Aaron did not want to stick around after he had sent his message. He did not know how territorial or angry this Mars was. Technically he had attacked one of his men after all. Most mob bosses were unreasonable and vengeful to a fault. But if they were successful they usually also were reasonable when it came to business. Well, more or less reasonable. There were always tyrants. But Mars had not made that impression on him. His district had been clean, orderly and even though there had been any illegal entertainment men could think of, it had been a business. A well lead business at that. So Aaron was fairly sure Mars would be reasonable and hear him out.


    He did not expect him to show up himself, unless he was very, very sure of himself. Which in itself would be a sign not to underestimate the man. But honestly Aaron doubted it. People had not seemed especially scared of the red light district, respectful and if they were on their bad side fearful, yes, but this criminal organization did not reign with terror, like so many organizations he was used to.


    Aaron checked his dantian and is was only about half full with Qi. The slowly roiling and boiling fog looked like a placid lake in the early morning. Foggy and its depths hidden. He had a long way to go to break through the fourth minor realm, but the ghost was fat and the man had been powerful. So he took precautions. He stripped out of his newly bought clothes that he was very satisfied with and did not want to sully and then stepped into the nearby brook.


    It was sadly not as deep as he wanted and so he just sat to his waist in the shallow water. It would be enough, he hoped. Sitting naked in the dusk, surrounded by snow and ice, feeling the chill on his body and yet not fearing it, not being cold was a strange and very novel sensation to Aaron. He was not an exhibitionist. He was not used to walk or sit around naked. The cold he felt with his enhanced senses should have frozen him to the core, especially as the temperature dropped as night began. But he was not really cold. His body seemed more or less impervious to these temperatures, but Aaron was not comfortable either, especially while sitting in ice cold water.


    Aaron closed his eyes, listened to the brook flow around him, its water making a calming sound even to his enhanced ears. He calmed down as he felt the chill of the night set in and slowed his breath. He felt the fog it created on his lips and as he inhaled the cold air, it felt like inhaling ice. He could almost taste the mana in the air as he absorbed it into his blood alongside with the oxygen. He sunk slowly into his meditation and cultivation cycle and only once he had acknowledged the thoughts in his head, did he let them go. His worries and plans mattered not for the moment and he felt much calmer and more relaxed once he made them future Aaron¡¯s problem. Now it was time to fill his dantian and absorb the spirit. Aaron was used to the procedure by now, had done it a few times and it started to become easier with practice.


    Slowly Aaron built Soul Catcher with his Qi, formed the technique with his mind, his internal technique as fragile as glass and yet as unbreakable as his will and concentration. Outside noise faded, smells faded, his mouth stopped tasting like anything and finally the cold on his bare skin vanished. His senses vanished as his concentration focused to a single razor sharp point. He did not waver, he did not falter, but he did check over the internal technique carefully before he reached out with it for the spirit.


    Aaron had not been fishing many times, but the few times friends from college or army buddies of his own or his father¡¯s had invited him out to fishing had been quite eye opening. Most of the times it had been just to socialize and drink outdoors, but on occasion they had caught something. Only once Aaron had caught a big one and when Soul Catcher latched on to the spirit, it felt exactly the same. Like he had caught a big one. The Spirit struggled, it bucked and tried to pull away as Aaron¡¯s grip tightened. Then he started to pull, slowly, trying not to overburden the technique, because he felt it was possible for it to snap like a fishing line. But Aaron was patient and he kept at it. Slowly, carefully, meticulously. He pulled and tugged, stopped and then kept going. Inevitably the spirit got sucked into Aaron¡¯s body and was soon surrounded by Qi, an energy magnitudes stronger than anything else in existence. The Spirit burned, it tried to defend itself, but soon it stilled.


    Aaron¡¯s body was filled to the brim with Qi, his flesh that of a fiend-god, a being feared for its toughness. A deluge of Qi poured through Aaron¡¯s Qi veins into his dantian and the spirit had not even reached the dantian. The power surged and clashed with Aaron¡¯s own power. So he paused in his pulling and wrapped his Qi around the new onslaught of Qi, pulled it into the right Qi veins as he cycled the Qi. He felt the fiend-god technique churn as the Qi flowed through it like a river and at the end of the path the Qi was his. His power, part of him like a limb. His dantian filled and slowly but inevitably he pulled the Spirit deeper until it reached his dantian.


    It felt like pulling an island of Qi into his body, while the ocean of Qi churned around it, eroding it, eating away at it. The resistance had ceased and all that was left was power. Ethereal at first, but after cycling it turned into thick fog that filled his dantian rapidly. It was so much Qi, Aaron was not sure if he could have stopped this process to defend himself. It took all his focus to concentrate, to control this power and not let it slip from his grasp. But surrounded by his Qi, the spirit was sealed and consumed. The steady stream of new Qi flowing into the cycling technique rose and turned into a torrent. 60% of his dantian was filled, then 70%, 80% and Aaron knew from how much of the spirit was left that he would need to break through.


    It felt like trying to surf on a tsunami of Qi, while also trying to tame the wave. It felt impossible. But Aaron only hesitated for a moment before he started to compress his Qi. It was difficult. So difficult. All his focus was on guiding the Qi into his cycling pattern, keeping it flowing and then assimilating the new Qi. But he soon found ways to keep this virtuous cycle going. He pulled the spirit deeper into the dantian, submerging it into his Qi entirely. The new Qi moved around its old shell and then contracted and solidified as Aaron pulled it together, compressing it. The core of his dantian was a star, a center of gravity and he pulled, he focused most of his efforts to pull all the Qi in his dantian into the center. The Spirit followed the pull and yet Aaron kept leading the Qi being extracted from it into the cycling pattern. It was multitasking at its finest. Doing two opposite things at the same time, concentrating Qi and leading it away.


    Aaron streamlined the whole thing by forming a solid tube of Qi between the cycling technique and the spirit, letting the free Qi flow there like oil bubbling out of a well. He could feel how full his dantian was, feel it being filled to the top and yet never reaching it as the energy kept being concentrated. The center of his dantian already felt heavy and solid, packed to the brink and yet more and more Qi was focused into it.


    Aaron knew what he had to do, it was instinctual. He could not activate Starburst until all of the Spirit¡¯s Qi had been absorbed, until nothing was left but his Qi. But that meant going beyond the capacity of his dantian. He needed to compress the Qi either way, it was the only way and in his inner eye he felt like he was seeing the birth of a star. Nebula coalescing into a core, swirling like a whirlpool and being absorbed and held by forces of nature. His will was the force, the absolute command. There was nothing else. His mind split and yet determined, he kept at it, kept making space for more and more Qi. It took hours. Or it felt like it at least. The focus required gave him a headache that even hurt through his absolute focus of his senses. It was a metaphysical headache. A pressure in his psyche, in his mind that grew with the overfull dantian of his.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Finally after an eternity the spirit was fully absorbed. The last vestiges of Qi entering the cycling pattern and suddenly the whole dantian contracted as Aaron¡¯s focus narrowed into the only task left. His core felt solid and it had swelled to half the size of his dantian. He could barely hold the power, but he still fueled all free floating Qi into it and then pushed, squished the ball together in the vice of his mind until his mind hurt like hell. He sensed no more Qi being added and then gave it one last push, before releasing the starburst.


    A Wave of energy rushed outwards like an explosion, his mind suddenly relaxed and only focused on burning away the threshold to the fourth realm. The Power was absurd. A wave of Qi so massive it washed away everything. At its peak, Aaron took control of it again and compressed it anew with a mental roar. So much energy spent and yet not barely enough. The first burst followed a second, then a third, each one more controllable, each one more concentrated. Like multiple tsunamis hitting a coast and demolishing everything.


    Aaron felt terrible, his everything hurt, his senses bleeding into his concentration, but he kept going. After the 6th starburst he finally felt spent and let the Qi come to a rest in a new realm and a much, much bigger dantian.


    He opened his eyes and blinked away blood. The distinct stink of a breakthrough clung to him and made him gag. But the coppery scent of blood was mixed in this time. He felt it. He had injured himself, had clenched his body so hard in his concentration he had actually ruptured some blood vessels. But his body, brimming with Qi repaired it just as fast as they had been destroyed, the blood the only evidence anything had happened. That and the leaden tiredness that overcame him. He stank and so he sank back into the ice cold water, let it wash away the gunk and blood as he cleaned himself. He turned around, made sure he was clean all over and then rubbed himself off with a piece of soap, over and over again until he finally did not smell like death incarnate.


    Aaron stumbled over to his clothes, now for once actually feeling slightly cold as he slipped back into his pants and shirt. He moved back to his camp and his bedroll, slipped inside, his teeth chattering for a moment, before he sighed and closed his eyes. He was asleep within a few breaths and not even the fresh snow that fell on him woke him up through the night.


    He awoke in the dark and blinked, before he realized there was a thick layer of snow over him. With a groan he sat up, the snow giving way to him as he blinked into a new morning. Aaron felt better, so much better and he stood up, rolled his shoulders and cocked his head to the side, stretching, feeling his body react. His senses woke up with his body and he heard the silence of snow, the last snow Aaron reckoned, because the fake sun was warm and he could hear the snow melting from everywhere. It was a soft tinkling sound as the snow melted and fell off the trees. It was beautiful and for a few minutes he just looked around, listened and marveled at beauty of the last snow, as the warmth of a new season took slowly hold and took the land from Winter¡¯s grasp.


    Aaron felt into himself, felt the power inside of him and the vast area of his dantian. To his pleasant surprise his dantian was already full to around 30% and the Qi that pooled around his core and the bottom of his dantian was thick and almost viscous. The power in his body felt like it had taken another step forward, his muscles brimmed with energy, his mind was clear and felt sharp. In short he felt fantastic.


    He smiled to himself in contentment. He had never felt anything more satisfying than breaking through in Cultivation. With one leap he was more, more powerful more everything. His whole being had changed, had improved. It felt better than wealth or sex and it felt even better in this moment than the tingle of satisfaction he had chased his whole life. That feeling of pulling the trigger on a monster and watching him die. It was better even than that. It scared him a bit, because he felt like he was getting addicted to it. It was so easy to progress now with Soul Catcher, so much easier. There was no comparison. But there were not just positives.


    Aaron took a deep breath, let the elation flow through him and started his training routine. He stretched slowly, meticulously, searched for the memory core and ensured he was doing everything correctly. He noticed the difference immediately. His body was more flexible, but also stronger. He had more muscle now, had bulked up a bit and so he had to adjust to that. The stretches became harder and harder, but he kept up with Mei¡¯s image more easily. It was not perfect, but it was close and he felt his whole body stretch, felt his tendons and joints protest, his muscles hurt, but when the stretching was finally over he felt like he had grown wings he felt that light.


    The katas followed. The familiar sensation changed slightly as well. His punches had more punch in them, the air snapping louder, his steps had gained some weight, but also were more nimble and light. His stretching ensured that. The relaxation after the first repetition of the Rejuvenating Fist was even more pronounced and his enhanced senses made him aware of how his whole body, every muscle relaxed and he groaned in pleasure. That was the good stuff.


    He switched from simple repetitions to combat exercises, trying to get control over his vastly improved physique and power. Nothing beat a bit of fighting to do that. The shadows of the memory core¡¯s illusion were a challenge like always. But fighting them felt incredible. He switched to the Unceasing Palm kata after ending the fight and trained his reaction time for a few rounds before switching back to the Rejuvenating fist for the instant relaxation and Rejuvenation. At the end of his martial training he felt even better than he had begun. It was fun, the different challenges, fights against beasts and men with different weapons. It was like the best game he had ever played, better even. Only the real thing, a real challenging fight, would come close, he knew. But he had a better understanding of his own power now.


    He settled down for his meditation and cultivation session and it was easy to fall into the familiar mindset, although it felt slightly pointless. The trickle of Qi that came from the cultivation session was barely worth the hassle anymore. But he kept it up, sat and meditated, cultivated for that time, but he also experimented with his Qi to understand it better.


    The thicker consistence of his Qi was strangely mimicked by any new Qi he added, which was why it felt even more like cultivating was barely a trickle of power. Qi would flow into his cycling technique and come out much diminished in quantity, but as thick and concentrated as the rest of his Qi. He was not sure how that worked or why it worked. But he put it on his list of questions for the great master for when he next visited. He ended his cultivation session slightly dissatisfied with the lack of progress, but he cautioned himself not to only rely on spirits.


    There was one last thing he had to train, before he checked out the meeting spot. Wind Steps. Aaron bent his knees and activated the technique in less than a fraction of a second. He felt the cocoon of silk around him and then he jumped. Up and up and up, beyond the highest treetop and into the sky. Aaron let out a laugh and then anxiously listened and scanned the surroundings for anyone who could have seen or heard him. But he was alone. The meeting spot was still empty and Aaron soared through the sky. He remembered feeling Mei fly and his heart soared with him as he cleared the treetops and left them behind him underneath. He had not even jumped that hard. But he also felt he was far away from what Mei could do. He started falling way too son and landed gracefully on the top of a fir tree. Only the tips of his toes actually touching the tree. With Wind Steps activated he felt less like he had to balance himself. His body was more and more under his control, although the changes had left him shakier than he would have liked.


    So Aaron ran on top of the tree tops, jumping from one to another. Small calculated jumps in perfect balance. He changed direction arbitrarily, jumping backwards, up and down, to the side. There was no rhythm, only control. Slowly but surely he acclimated to his newly improved powers to jump. He suspected his body contributed as much as his denser Qi to the technique and both together multiplied the effect. It felt still really good to move like this and he enjoyed the challenge of it.


    But after an hour or two he jumped back to the meeting spot and settled down to wait. He reached out and scanned the area for anyone coming through with all of his senses and eventually started to check out some of the memories stored in the great masters core for sensory harmony.


    Now the only thing he had to do was wait.


    <hr>


    Iris stood in her kitchen staring into the tea she had just brewed with bleary eyes. She had not gotten a wink of sleep last night. She knew she would accept the offer, but she could not help herself and go through all scenarios. Imagine what could happen to her. She had heard horror stories. Of a monster that stalked the night, killed out of shadows and ripped your heart out of your chest if you were alone. And those were stories told by Vessels to other Vessels in hushed tones, not to children. So she knew there was a kernel of truth in them. But she could not say no to Mars offer. Getting rid of her debt tonight would be a relief, more than she could say. Instead of working for barely enough to buy food for the next decade, until she was too old to be put in the nice brothels, she would be able to make real money tonight.


    It was in equal measures terrifying and exhilarating. Mars had said she could say no, but could she really? Did she even have any choice in the matter? What if Mars decided to up her interest payments as punishment? He could do that and what could Iris do to stop him? Complain to who? She was a normal girl, she had no power and barely any connections. Yes, she knew a few decently powerful men who were her clients and would probably try to help her. Usually. But not against the red-light district. There was too much money, power and influence involved. No she was entirely at the man¡¯s mercy and so she knew she had to do this, come what may.


    But Iris was scared. Terrified. Not just for her, but her mother. She was old and sick and Iris had to take care of her. It was not really a burden. Her mother was fine on most days. Sitting in her armchair, rocking back and forth as she knitted something in a pretty pattern. She sold her work on the market with modest success. She was good and she had told proudly that it was the least she could do when she could not walk around much anymore. It broke Iris heart. She wanted nothing more than to take care of her mother. To care for her and ensure she would be alright.


    To do that she would need better medicine though. Maybe some personalized potions. Those were hideously expensive, but worked wonders. She could afford them if she did what she was asked to do today.


    Iris sighed and drank her tea. When she sat the cup down straightened and stood up. ¡°You can do this.¡± she whispered to herself and then went and then prepared carefully. She took a bath, put on subtle makeup to hide her tired eyes and then picked out one of her work dresses. It was cold and she was going into the wilderness so she picked some thicker fabric. A blouse that made her breasts pop, a long skirt with a slit showcasing her legs and yet keeping her warm. On top of that she chose proper shoes made for mud and snow and a thick woolen cloak. Her work gave her plenty of outfits and clothes to work with. Which was why Iris had a big wardrobe and more than one pair of shoes. She had not paid for any of these clothes of course. But she had been allowed to take them home once she got a new outfit.


    ¡°I¡¯m going ma, there is soup on the stove.¡± she called towards the living room.


    ¡°Have a nice day.¡± she heard her mother¡¯s reply and Iris really hoped she would have.


    She stepped out of her house into the cold morning and shuddered slightly. She wrapped the cloak tighter around herself and then looked around. Leaning against a wall was the tall assistant that had led her to Mars. Tex was it? He wore a very fine suit and bow tie and he scribbled in a notebook, before looking up and spotting her. Iris felt her throat tighten as the man put the notebook away and walked over to her with the stiff grace of someone who served the highest society without effort.


    ¡°What is your answer?¡± he asked short and right to the point.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Iris answered and the man nodded as if he had expected that. He pulled a bundle of paper out of a folder he had kept inside of his suit jacket and handed it to her. The paper looked fresh and Iris half expected the ink to not have dried yet.


    ¡°Instructions are in there. Head out east and then follow the path until you find a red armband, or the Cultivator finds you.¡± Tex said and took a step back.


    ¡°Good luck.¡± he said and then walked away, his long legs carrying him down the run down muddy street with little effort.


    Iris looked down at the papers and hesitated a moment before she read through them. There were a bunch of questions, offers and things she was allowed to concede and offer as well as three missions for the cultivator. The content of which made Iris throat tighten and her heart beat in her chest like a drum. If anyone saw this she would be in big trouble and it would most likely become a scandal. Slowly and with slightly shaking fingers she folded the papers into a more manageable shape and stuck them in one of her coat¡¯s pockets. Then she turned towards the eastern gate of the Town of Beginnings.


    She really hoped it would be a new Beginning for her and not the Beginning of the end.

 59. A pleasant Conversation

    It was a cold morning and Iris felt ice cold and hot at the same time as she left the stinking moat around the Town behind her. At least she had not forgotten to wear her sturdy boots and so the snow wasn¡¯t too bad as she walked east bound. Her hand cradled the papers in her pocket as if they could protect her. But she knew they would not. Beyond the moat and security of the guard a normal person like her was doomed to die in the Tower. She knew that. Any stray animal could have her for a snack. There were huge wolf packs out there that roamed the first level and any single one of them could be her end.


    She knew that, she had been warned about going out of Town on her own since she had been a little girl. But she also knew that animals usually did not wander this close to the town. Carpenters went out to fell trees after all, even if they were normal people like her. But Iris wasn¡¯t really that worried about animals, because she was meeting something much more dangerous. There was a chance the Cultivator would be angry about her coming to the meeting. Or that he would ignore her and let her spend a day in the cold. Or he could capture, rape and murder her. Iris felt incredibly vulnerable as she followed the footpath into the trees and her eyes darted around. She felt like a frightened rabbit ready to run. Even though running from someone that could murder whole groups of Climbers was probably pointless.


    Slowly as she walked deeper into the forest her nervousness grew, but also her worry that she had already passed the meeting place. Going east wasn¡¯t exactly a precise spot. What if she had already passed the spot? She started looking around for any speck of color. But the most she found were some flowers poking their heads through the snow. The temperature was actually not too bad with the sun being warm already. It was a beautiful day and yet Iris could not appreciate it. Her hands were balled into fists and she was sweating, not from physical exertion, but because she felt like her heart was jumping out of her chest.


    In her entire life she had not been that deep into the forest and she was scared, terrified. The forest was thick and besides the small trampled path through the undergrowth it looked sometimes like a wall of snow around her. Like she was trapped in a maze. But then the area opened up and the path led past a clearing. In the center of the clearing was an old oak tree, standing solitary and proud and on the top of one of its branches fluttered a red armband in the wind.


    Iris paused and looked around. But there were no tracks in the snow. It looked unmarred and like nobody had ever been there. But this must be it. Slowly she walked through the knee deep snow, soaking her boots and the bottom of her cloak. The cold was not so bad, because she was sweating under the cloak. Her eyes darted around and yet she did not see anyone. Maybe he was not here yet? It was relatively early in the morning after all. It took her 5 minutes to get to the tree and as she looked up at it she could watch her quickened breath fog up in the air. Nothing moved around her and she felt like she was alone. It was a quiet solitary place and if there had not been the red cloth tied up above her, she would have thought this was not the spot. Slowly she turned around and gave the whole clearing a once over.


    ¡°Are you lost?¡± someone said behind her and Iris yelped and turned around so quickly she almost fell over as her boots slipped on the snow. She leaned against the trunk of the tree as she tried not to fall over. She was panting and tried to recover her breath and yet she felt jittery and the cold shock of fear froze her like a statue.


    Behind her, where she had just looked a moment early stood a man. Taller than her, but not a hulking giant. He wore a dark shirt and pants, but nothing else. No cloak, nothing appropriate for winter. He was muscular and powerfully build, his shoulders stretching the fabric and he had a short beard that looked unkempt, his hair was shoulder length, but she still recognized him instantly. It was the eyes. The cold probing look she had seen before in the hardened killers the district employed. She had not heard him approach, he had not left any trace in the snow behind him and if she had not seen or heard him ask a question she would have doubted he was even there. The Cultivator cocked his head to the side and studied her as she gave no answer. She was still too shaken to get anything out. But the man gave her time, he just stood there patiently and Iris finally noticed that the man was armed. Daggers were sheathed in a thick leather belt as well as some potions, making it clear that this was not a young dandy, but a Climber.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Iris began and then took a deep breath. She took out the papers Tex had given her and tried to give the Cultivator a smile. But she had trouble being seductive right now. Instead she tried to focus on her task. She had to get it over with.


    ¡°Mars...the...the Leader of the red-light district sent me.¡± she finally said and the man nodded.


    ¡°I am not sure if I should be amused or offended that he sent a woman to do his bidding. But I didn¡¯t really expect him to come himself.¡± The cultivator said with a smirk and then waited for her to continue.


    That was the first thing that struck her as odd. The Cultivator was quiet, but confident and he did not rush her. Did not get annoyed or seemed to display any emotion but a slight amusement. Usually powerful men like him were impatient and used to get their way. He did not seem like the type though. He gave her time to calm down and once she realized he was not about to murder her and was not angry at her being here, Iris took heart and looked the man in the eyes.


    ¡°Are you the Cultivator?¡± she asked, because she had to make sure. It was also one of the questions Mars wanted to ask, although it felt a bit redundant to her.


    ¡°I am a Cultivator, yes.¡± the man said with another small smirk. ¡°But you know that already, you recognized me. Probably from those wanted posters.¡±


    Iris nodded and cleared her throat.


    ¡°Mars wants to ask you some questions that he has given me. I...I am here as his representative. He gave me the authority to speak on his behalf. Even to make a deal on his behalf.¡±


    ¡°Did he now? What is your name?¡±


    ¡°My name?¡± Iris asked off balance. She had not expected him to ask her that. ¡°My name is Iris.¡±


    ¡°Well, nice to meet you Iris. You are the first person I have met in the tower since Aurix called for my death that has not tried to kill me or would have if they got the chance at least.¡± the Cultivator said and even gave her a short bow and an actually charming smile.


    ¡°Uh, nice to meet you too.¡± she said and then added feeling a bit more bold. ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°My name is Aaron.¡± he said and smirked, showing white teeth. ¡°And I am happy to answer all of your questions. But before that can I ask you something in return?¡±


    Iris ignored that he already had asked her some questions and nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± she said. She felt weirdly light headed. It felt surreal to have a casual conversation with a man so feared and hated. He seemed to be a perfectly normal guy so far. None of her instincts told her anything. She had developed a good bullshit detector and she usually could guess when a customer would be trouble. But the Cultivator...Aaron was a mystery. She paused and then noticed that he did not move. He stood still in a way that seemed unnatural. He barely moved. Only his chest and his eyes were moving. The rest of him was still and he made no noise nor did he smell of anything. A man living in the wild for months should have some kind of smell at least, right?. But not the Cultivator. It gave her the creeps once she noticed it.


    ¡°What do you do for Mars? How come he has sent you, someone without any powers whatsoever to negotiate for him?¡± Aaron asked and ripped Iris out of her train of thought.


    She noted to herself that he had instantly recognized her as powerless, although her struggling through the snow might have given her away. Iris hesitated for a long moment before she decided to just tell him the truth. So far their conversation had been amiable and she wanted it to stay that way.


    ¡°I...I am a prostitute.¡± She said stiffly. She did not really like to think of herself like that, but in the end it was the truth. Aaron raised his eyebrows but he did not interrupt her and waited for her to continue.


    ¡°I have debts with the district and so...Mars promised me to wipe out all that I owe if I do this for him.¡±


    ¡°So, you are expendable is that it?¡±


    Iris flinched slightly at the word expendable but eventually she nodded. She did not like the way he had said it. Coldly.


    ¡°I see and yet he gave you the power to negotiate on his behalf. Makes me wonder if the best deal you are allowed to offer is the one Mars wants me to take, or if he wants to test you.¡± Aaron stayed silent for a moment and then said with another smirk. ¡°Probably both, huh?¡±


    Iris had the strange feeling that he knew everything already. Aaron had a keen sense of her and she could see in his eyes that he enjoyed showing off his knowledge. Maybe he liked to play or maybe it was a show of power. Most men liked that. She would have mimed being impressed but for once she really was impressed.


    ¡°I think so, yes. Although I can¡¯t think of why.¡±


    ¡°Its simple really. This Mars does not trust you or me. So to see what we are made of he gives us leeway and watches how we react.¡± Aaron said with a grin. ¡°No matter how we react it tells him more about us both. So...tell me Iris. What do you want out of this deal? Maybe if we work together we can both get what we want.¡±


    Iris hesitated and then remembering the other part of the plan, she opened her cloak a bit while she looked pensive. She only gave him a hint of her cleavage but she did notice that he looked. It was the natural thing to do, but it still filled her with a bit of glee. This was her own magic. But she would not push it, because he was making a good point she had never really considered. What did she want out of this deal?


    ¡°Its...simple really. I just want to come back alive and debt free.¡± she said and Aaron nodded.


    ¡°I suppose considering the death toll I have accrued that is a reasonable wish.¡± he said and it struck Iris how carelessly, casually he mentioned the people he had killed. She noted to herself that this man was used to death and killing. Very used to it.


    ¡°If I may ask, how did you get into debt with the district in the first place? You don¡¯t strike me as someone who would live beyond your means.¡±


    Iris felt unexpectedly flattered although she also noticed she had not asked a single question for the last few minutes and he had started to interrogate her instead. But she still felt compelled to answer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. But I took out a loan for my little sister. To get her to Ambition and into an apprenticeship. They take normal people there for some of the easier work.¡±


    Aaron looked surprised and then thoughtful.


    ¡°You took out a loan because you did not want your sister to become like you.¡± he said as a statement more than a question.


    ¡°How interesting. I suppose most prostitutes are normal people?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Iris asked back slightly bitter and Aaron nodded.


    ¡°I saw only a bit of the society in the Town, but from what I have seen normal people are treated like second or even third class citizens. But you tried to change that at least for your family, no?¡±


    Iris hesitated again and nodded.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°I could not just sit still and do nothing. I don¡¯t want any girl to be forced into this trade because they have no other choice.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like your work?¡±


    Iris gave him a look and Aaron raised his hands.


    ¡°Alright, dumb question.¡±


    Iris sighed. She had never really talked about this to anyone, but the words just came out without her being able to stop it.


    ¡°Most of the time its boring and disgusting. Sometimes its fun, but rarely. It is the best paying job a woman without any power or connections can have though and that makes it worth if you have bills to pay.¡±


    ¡°I see, well then, lets make sure you don¡¯t have any bills to pay in the near future. Go ahead ask your questions.¡±


    Iris felt relieved that the man was willing to entertain her and she consciously opened her cloak in the front as she got out the papers. Aaron gave her a once over, peered at the papers with some mild interest and then waited for her to speak as he looked her into the eyes. No lingering gazes to her figure or the pretty dress she wore. That was honestly disappointing. But she caught herself quickly and started to read of the questions.


    ¡°Where are you from in your last life?¡±


    ¡°Earth.¡±


    Iris had suspected that. Most Earthers did not like that normal people were disenfranchised. For most other places it was normal.


    ¡°What occupation did you have in your last life?¡±


    ¡°I was a hit man. A killer for hire.¡± Aaron said casually and Iris actually paused and gave him a look. But the Cultivator seemed to be perfectly serious.


    ¡°Did you leave family behind in your last life?¡±


    ¡°I am not going to answer that, if Mars wants the answer to that he can ask me that in person.¡± Aaron said and for a moment Iris thought he would be angry, but he was calm on the surface. He had stopped smiling though.


    ¡°What is your goal in the Tower?¡±


    ¡°To climb to the top of course. To leave it behind.¡±


    Iris paused and looked at him surprised. Only the most optimistic people even dared to dream of that. But Aaron seemed dead serious.


    ¡°You seem surprised, isn¡¯t that every Climber¡¯s dream?¡±


    ¡°I mean, yes, but most actually don¡¯t believe we can get there.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you or Mars are aware of it, but Cultivators live a very long life. In a century I will not look a day older. I have time to climb the tower at my own pace.¡±


    That was the first time Iris heard about any of that and she was surprised. You just stopped aging if you became a Cultivator? That made her slightly envious. Okay it made her very envious and curious. But she continued on with her list.


    ¡°Are you willing to work for the district?¡±


    ¡°No, I am willing to work with the district. I want an alliance, not a job. Look at me as a sort of contractor that does jobs for you. That is what I am willing to do. The same thing I have done in my last life as well, actually. Be a killer for hire.¡±


    ¡°How many times a day can you take someone¡¯s power?¡±


    Aaron chuckled. ¡°Now we are getting to the interesting questions. I am not sure how many times, that is not how techniques work for me. But so you can understand it there is a significant cool down for it. Once a day is a safe estimate.¡±


    Iris knew this question had to be important, but she continued as if it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Are there any limitations on targets you are willing to...eliminate?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t kill children, I don¡¯t rape and I don¡¯t torture. Other than that I have no problem killing women.¡±


    That last bit made Iris shudder slightly, because there was no shift in emotion in the man. No hesitation. This was his code. She looked up into his eyes and knew that he would kill her if he had a reason to do so, but he would not lay a hand on her otherwise. It was a strange set of rules, but she knew it must be important to him from how he had shifted. He stood straighter and his shoulders had relaxed from the question about his family.


    ¡°How long does it take you to level up?¡± she finally asked.


    Aaron sighed and shook his head.


    ¡°Cultivation does not work that way. You don¡¯t level up. You progress by overcoming hurdles, barriers that stand between you and more power. It might take me a week to go through one of these hurdles or a year. It depends on the hurdle and on my own understanding and resources. Its more like the progression of a mage I believe, my understanding of the world and myself influences my progression.¡±


    ¡°So you could be stuck at the same level for a year?¡±


    Aaron nodded. ¡°Yes, there are smaller and bigger hurdles to overcome. It all depends, but overcoming a hurdle is not like leveling up. My power increases exponentially.¡±


    ¡°Expo...what?¡±


    ¡°It will never cease to increase and it increases more and more the more power I have.¡± Aaron explained patiently and Iris once more was struck with the man¡¯s calm.


    ¡°How fast can you climb up to Ambition and what floor do you have been to so far?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. I guess at least a year. Much will depend on how many resources and missions I get from you guys. Because unlike other cultivators I am slightly different. You know how Vessels gain experience from killing monsters?¡±


    Iris nodded. Everyone knew at least the basics of magic and being a Vessel. Every kid dreamed of becoming one of those after all.


    ¡°I am similar, just that killing monsters gives me barely any experience. Killing Vessels and mages gives me a lot of experience in comparison. So the more people I kill, the easier it is for me to ¡°level up¡±.¡±


    Iris felt a slight chill run down her spine. Aaron had not smiled or smirked this time, he had not shown any emotion but quiet calm. That made her uncomfortable. He was speaking of killing people for experience. Vessels killing each other was not common and most of the time murderers were punished harshly, usually to be killed themselves. That he could kill Vessels to grow in power made him very dangerous and unpredictable. But she also noted that he had not told her to which floor he had been. She was not sure if she should ask the question again, but in the end she decided against it.


    ¡°Last Question. How much would you want for doing a mission for the district?¡±


    ¡°Well, that depends on the mission, its difficulty and the districts financial situation. You are having trouble at the moment so I won¡¯t demand too much. Lets say 10 mid grade mana stones for a mission as a base. I would also like to be on retainer. Which means no matter what I get those 10 mana stones every month, if you use me for a mission or not. The first mission will be free a month. Does that answer your question?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thanks. I hope I can remember all of that.¡± Iris said, but she had a good memory. It was also very difficult for her to forget anything the man had said. Few Vessels had been so open about how their power worked, not to say mages, who always made it seem their powers were given to them by Emnu himself. She knew next to nothing about Cultivators. Just that they were Emnu¡¯s enemies and each and every one of them were monsters. Aaron was a monster as well. A calm, collected killer with a clear code and his own set of twisted morals.


    ¡°Good, now lets talk about what you will do for me.¡± Aaron said, but Iris quickly interrupted him.


    ¡°Actually Mars has given me three missions for you that he wants you to do.¡± Iris handed him a piece of parchment and Aaron took it with raised eyebrows and read through them quickly.


    ¡°Take the powers of a rogue Alchemist to set an example, steal the deed to a piece of land from a well connected Merchant without being seen and finally find out the reason why the guild Elder Lorraine is trying to increase the number of Crafters and their levels in the Town.¡± Aaron said and scoffed.


    ¡°So he wants me to prove that I can repeat my little trick of taking someones power and then wants to test my ability to move undetected and to obtain information.¡± He paused for a long moment and Iris tensed. But then Aaron nodded.


    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll do it. But first tell me what I get in return for answering your questions and doing Mars¡¯s bidding.¡±


    ¡°The district offers you shelter and protection, which means they will hide you whenever you come to one of us, no questions asked. Elder Mars also promised that he would end the manhunt for you, although the bounty on you will most likely stay.¡±


    ¡°Okay, when will the manhunt end? I don¡¯t like doing things around the Town while an army could come and start hunting me again.¡±


    ¡°That I don¡¯t know. It says here it will take some time.¡±


    ¡°You have a month. If by that time the manhunt is still going on I will deem this alliance void.¡±


    ¡°I will tell him, but I don¡¯t know if that is realistic.¡± Iris said cautiously. She finally felt more confident in negotiating. Aaron seemed like a fairly normal and amicable guy on the surface at least. It felt still dangerous to make demands, but her just being a messenger actually shielded her from his wrath or displeasure. Aaron wanted something from the district and Iris thought that Mars could provide that.


    ¡°Mars also offers you a house in the city, where nobody will bother you.¡±


    ¡°No thanks. I don¡¯t think I will ever feel safe in the city when my face is plastered on every second wall for everyone to see. So here is what I want from you. First 50 mid grade mana stones for the 3 tasks that I will do for Mars, second I want pots, pans, spices, flour and all matter of foodstuffs.¡± Aaron paused and frowned. ¡°But I suppose I will have to make a list so you won¡¯t forget anything. I will handle these tasks and then you come back here in a weeks time with my mana stones and something to write down what I want.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Iris asked surprised.


    ¡°Well yeah, I talked to you and I think I know what I can expect from you. If you become the official go between between me and the district that will give you some leverage. Make sure they pay you well.¡± Aaron said with a wink. ¡°And in return you get me what I want. No fuss, no negotiating for everything. I think that is a good deal, no?¡±


    Iris hesitated. She had not thought of doing this ever again. But as Aaron put it, this could become her new job. She might not even have to continue working in the brothel. Iris looked at Aaron and narrowed her eyes. Then she opened her cloak to show him her dress and her figure entirely. She gave him a smile, one she actually felt, but Aaron held up his hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep with you.¡± he said rather bluntly and Iris blushed a bit. Maybe that had been a bit too forward.


    ¡°Its not that I don¡¯t think you are pretty or attractive, but if we want to have a working relationship, then its not a good idea. I don¡¯t want you to become leverage against me. So lets keep our relationship purely platonic.¡± he explained and yet Iris felt kind of hurt for being rejected like this. It made sense though and she sighed.


    ¡°Listen, I want to build myself some shelters out here in the forest. Multiple shelters. I want to equip them so that I can live pleasantly in any of them and I don¡¯t want anyone to know where they are. So you bring me the materials I need out here. Or rather you will have some people load up a cart that you will leave here. But we can talk about that next week.¡± He gave her a long look and Iris looked back.


    ¡°Why do you want me to be the messenger? And I would not mind sleeping with you. Its not like I expect you to become my boyfriend or anything like it.¡± Iris said and puffed out her chest a bit, showing off her curves.


    ¡°I can imagine it was very lonely all those months running and hiding?¡±


    ¡°It was, but I am still not interested, Iris. I want you to be my messenger because I like you. You are open and although you are terrified you asked me all the questions on your little page. I admire that. I also think considering your current job it would be an upgrade and a lot less disgusting work if you were just a messenger.¡± he said with a shrug. Iris could read nothing from his face, but he had given her a smile when he said he liked her. It seemed like a genuine compliment. Still she felt like he was trying to use her. Much the same as Mars had, just a lot more subtle. She studied him for a long moment, not making any sense of his motives and then gave him a shrug.


    ¡°Alright.¡± she said and closed her cloak. ¡°I can become your messenger if you want to, but I doubt Mars will pay me much for this.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well that depends on how you frame it. Tell him I want you and would be angry if you would not come to the next meeting. Tell him you are gonna buy things for me and you would like a cut from it for your work. Since you will have to spend time away from wherever you work to fulfill my requests. Eventually if you make enough you can stop working as a prostitute.¡±


    Iris did not say anything. That was a fairly intricate plan, one that could actually work. It made her weary about what his motives were, but she did not say anything.


    ¡°Well, think about it. Anything else you want to talk to me about?¡± he asked and iris hesitated and then remembered something.


    ¡°If you take the red armband every single member of the district or anyone associated will have to help you and even shelter you if you get into trouble. One of the perks of being in, I mean being allied with the district.¡±


    Aaron looked up and then leapt into the air over her head and Iris flinched back scared. He landed on a branch of the oak tree and undid the armband easily and looked down at her. She had barely heard him make a noise while he leapt and he had leapt up 3 or 4 meters into the air.


    ¡°Do I need to wear the armband?¡± he asked and Iris nodded.


    ¡°They wear it usually on the right arm, but you can keep it covered until you need to use it.¡± Aaron smirked to himself and tied the red armband around his muscular biceps and then let it vanish underneath his shirts sleeve.


    ¡°Anything else?¡± he asked and Iris thought about it and then shook her head.


    ¡°Good, then see you next week Iris.¡± he said and then leapt again. Iris stared wide eyed as he soared through the air like a bird, fast as an arrow and landed on the top of a fir tree at the edge of the clearing and then vanished with another jump into the depth of the forest. She stared in disbelief after him for a long minute before she shook her head. No wonder she had not heard him arrive. He was as silent as a ghost and he could almost fly. During her time working in the brothel she had met dangerous men. Either as customers or as part of the district protecting her. She had seen the physical feats the higher leveled Vessels were capable of, had sometimes even felt them. But never in her life had she seen anything like it. She was not even sure if a mage could replicate that. At least none of the mages down here in the Town could. With a slight shudder Iris wrapped her cloak around her tighter and made her way back across the clearing.


    The entire time back she thought about what she had learned about the Cultivator and what he had told her. That she could become his messenger and make her money that way. It was tempting, too tempting. She felt like she was a pawn between two powerful men and both were trying to use her. She was used to men using her, just not like this. It made her feel what? More important? Like she mattered? Yes in some way, but she also did not really want to do this again, she did not want to have to speak to Mars again. But she realized that it might be her life now. Mars could force her. But that was not likely in the end. Maybe she should take Aaron¡¯s advice and try to make money of this arrangement. He had been much more civil and patient than she had expected, although she had failed in seducing him, utterly failed.


    She would have a week to decide what to do. But for now all she wanted to do was get out of this forest.

 60. An unequivalent Exchange

    Aaron studied the piece of parchment Iris had gave him with interest. He could read the strange handwritten language without issue. There was very little information given about the three tasks. A name and past address for the Alchemist and the merchants home as well as the location of the guild Elders villa. That was it. It should be enough, but he would have to do some investigative work first. Not his first time doing that kind of thing. It was in fact his modus operandi, how he had planned all of his kills in his last life. But in this world there was no internet that gave him unlimited access to people¡¯s personal information. No cameras or trackers he could install. It all depended on him and his enhanced senses. Granted those senses were leagues better than any sensory equipment he had ever had, but it needed his active participation. Which was a huge downside. He could not set up three observations at the same time. But he would make do. He suspected people would be his best source of information going forward.


    Aaron looked out towards the Town as he stood on the top of a tree and thought about how to best tackle this. He had expected to be doing some work for the district, but not this soon. But he had been given assurances. He had allies in this city now. Not that he would rely upon them, but at least he had more options now in case of an emergency. Problem was if it was an emergency he was not sure if the district would actually help him, or at least he did not want to rely on them if possible.


    The tasks themselves were interesting. Designed as tests and yet clearly all of them were created to further the districts interests. Except the last one, the one with the guild elder. But then again Mars himself was an Elder and this might be part of a political strategy Aaron did not understand yet. He knew he was still very ignorant about many things in the Tower. Iris had been interesting in that regard. Illuminating. Normal people, those who had not been selected as Vessels or had talent as a mage, were disenfranchised in ways he had only guessed at before. Still the young woman had been intriguing. She had told him quite a lot about Mars and his methodology. He had sent someone expendable, but someone smart, pretty and innocent. Mars had clearly tried to appeal to him with her and the woman being obviously open to sleep with him had only reinforced that. Any reaction or action Aaron could have taken would have given Mars more information and a better picture about him. The same was also the case in reverse. Mars was shaping up to be one of those mob bosses who were in Power because they were really freaking good at their jobs. Rare to find competence in that position, especially because usually the most brutal monster would take the top spot. Obviously those two were not mutually exclusive.


    So much of this reminded him of his old life, of working for Vassily as a kid. That man had not been as competent as Mars seemed to be, but time would tell. For now Aaron had to make a decision. He could either wait to do these tasks or push forward and do them before Mars could get too many eyes on his new targets. He was sure Mars was already observing the places on the list to watch him. But if this was a trap, then it was a bad one. He would spot any trap from miles away, but then again Mars did not know that yet. Still Aaron doubted Mars actually would set a trap for him. If he waited there would be more eyes, but he would be less predictable and it would reduce the risk he took by quite a bit. Aaron thought about it and then decided to do the easier jobs first and then take his time with the third. He suspected a lot more security around a guild elder than a merchant or a rogue alchemist after all.


    Aaron was confident in his ability to escape or fight and kill most opponents of course. But he wanted to do these missions as quietly as possible. He also tried his best to remind himself that he was in the lowest level of the tower and that Vessels grew in power quickly. That mages could kill him from a distance if they were good enough. The lightning mage and Merlin came to mind. Both had given him some trouble with their magic. Would he be able to win against them as he was now, multiple minor cultivation ranks higher? It would be easier to fight them for sure. But he still did not think he could beat them if they were protected by a group. If he got spotted and hunted in the Town he would not be hunted by one or even just a single group, but dozens, maybe hundreds again. Numbers he could not contest and would probably have problems to fight for a long time. He simply did not have the tools to deal with big groups. Every fight he had taken in the past was one where the advantages were stacked in his favor. Ambushed, harried, whatever he could do to make the enemy less of a threat, Aaron had done it. In an open fight he was not sure how well he would do.


    So it was best to stay out of sight and keep fights to a limited number of people. One day when he had a few major cultivation realms under his belt he was sure he could decimate any army coming after him. But that was in the far future, possibly decades or even centuries. It was difficult to wrap his head around the fact that he already would live longer than anyone he had ever met in this life, except the other cultivators of course. But it was still mad that if he just kept surviving he would outlive anyone in the Town. His perspective and plans had to take that into account. Long term strategies were much more viable if you had time after all. Aaron was decidedly not used to that sort of thinking. He knew he had to change his perspective eventually but for now he was content to race forward and gain as much power as fast as possible.


    Aaron was hungry and eyed the town the same way someone would look at a restaurant when they were starving. Of course he could hunt and cook some Venison, but compared to what he had eaten at the night market his own cooking fell short by a lot. He was sure he would eventually be a better cook than most people simply because he could smell temperature changes in dishes, could taste the most minute changes in flavor if he concentrated his senses. Eventually he would cook perfectly. But even then he would need tools, spices and ingredients other than just meat. He had to swallow his saliva, his thoughts all about food and he grunted in annoyance. If this trait of his would be commonly known then all his pursuers had to do was starve him out and he would be done for. But he could not help himself. He wanted fresh bread, pastries and meat roasted over the fire. He wanted spices, flavor. Each and every dish from the most delicious to the strange at the night market had been a revelation for his enhanced taste buds. His constant hunger made everything taste like the essence of life itself.


    Aaron leapt up into the air, clearing the moat around the Town at a remote spot and then floated down into a nearby alley. Almost everyone living here was out working this time of day and the smell of the moat kept lingering people at bay. Without questioning himself Aaron walked through the poor district and his nose guided him to a bakery at the corner to one of the more commonly traveled roads. He entered the shop and stood in a small line while he marveled at the smell of fresh bread and the enticing loafs and pastries displayed in wooden showcases. It smelled heavenly, like sugar, fruit and freshly baked bread. The people in the store gave him some space as if they could feel that he was not one of them and for a moment Aaron thought they might have recognized him from the wanted posters, but then he realized that everyone in the store was a normal person but him. None of them were armed and his obvious lack of winter attire and array of potions at his belt made it clear that he was most likely a Vessel. Aaron gave the people a reassuring smile he had reserved in his old life for children and old women. Granted with mixed results. Children were often more perceptive than adults and he distinctly remembered once where a young girl had been scared of him, while he had been over at his friends house.


    The memory came out of nowhere and Aaron barely even remembered the ¡°friend¡±. One of the relationships he had nurtured to seem normal in college. But that little girl had seen through him. Had hidden from him behind her mother the entire time. He had attributed it to her being shy at first, but when they had left he had heard the little girl say that Aaron was a bad man. She had been right, but luckily his smile worked on the people in the store. Now that he turned out to be friendly they seemed less tense, especially as Aaron patiently waited in queue.


    He bought a whole loaf of bread, some butter and some pastries. A baguette looking thing and some sweet pastries filled with apples. He thanked the baker and left the store quickly and ate the baguette without anything but a bit of the butter. It was delightfully crunchy on the outside and light and tasty on the inside. The sweet pastries almost burst in his mouth they were so brittle and the apples were sweet and tart. It was so good and Aaron was not even sure if his enhanced senses, his hunger or the pastries themselves were the reason. He went past a butcher shop and bought half a dozen sausages and some cheese and ate them with the bread as he walked through the streets. The sausages were a bit bland, a first in this Town, but Aaron supposed he could not expect everything to taste like gods gift to man.


    As he walked past the busier streets he soon found that street Vendors were common here, extremely common, although by far not as tightly packed and diverse as at the Night market. He snacked on the cheese, finding it remarkably tasty with the freshly baked bread. As he tried to find the spot of his first target, asking some of the street vendors for directions now and then while he bought more food. The purse he had stolen from Mahast was getting emptied at an alarming rate, but Aaron could honestly care less. The food was worth it. Few of the food vendors disappointed him, most of their food tasted great or at least good and when he finally reached his destination Aaron¡¯s hunger had been reduced to merely appetite. The burning hole in his stomach had vanished.


    The street where the Alchemist had lived was relatively prosperous. Crafting classes seemed to do really well for themselves. Their skills somehow helped them with their Craft turning it into a cheat to make money. The address where the Alchemist had stayed was a nice house that looked well kept, even though it was on the older side. Idly Aaron wondered where they got the stone for some of the buildings. This house had a stone foundation and a wooden frame and walls otherwise. Aaron found himself a vendor whose food he liked and settled in. He took sips from the stew the man sold and concentrated his senses on his hearing. He ignored the bustle of the midday streets around him and listened to the house behind him. But it was silent and the more he concentrated the more apparent it was that the house was empty.


    Now that could mean many different things. The alchemist could be out or he had moved on. He could also be dead in there and nobody would be any wiser. Aaron checked with his sense of smell, but besides the lingering smell of chemicals there was nothing in there. Which meant it was as he had suspected. The rogue alchemist had gone somewhere else. Aaron turned to the street vendor who had two big bubbling cauldrons, one of which he was filling with new ingredients.


    ¡°This stew is fantastic, how long do you cook it for?¡± he asked the man, who was old and clearly a normal person.


    ¡°Depends, usually 3-12 hours. The late stew is the best though, you are lucky.¡± the man said with a wink.


    ¡°That I am, the meat basically falls apart. Venison is hard to cook though, no?¡±


    ¡°I cook it with the bone, that is the secret. Keeps the meat from drying up.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. You know what you are doing.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Say, are you here often or does your cart move around?¡±


    ¡°You can usually find me around this area unless someone steals my spot.¡± the old man said with a frown. Clearly that had happened before. Aaron pointed at the building where the alchemist had lived.


    ¡°Say I remember a friend telling me I could buy potions here too, in that house. But its empty now.¡±


    The man studied Aaron closer this time and his attitude changed just a bit as he spotted the daggers in his belt. He was more careful with his words, Aaron noticed.


    ¡°Yeah, an alchemist lived there, but really you should not buy potions from anywhere but the guild.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. But they are expensive. If its made by a real alchemist, a classer, then there should not be too much of a difference no? Except its much cheaper.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡± the man said wearily.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know where the alchemist went by any chance?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± the man said curtly.


    ¡°Oh common, you are here often, you know what is going on on these streets. Help me out here.¡± Aaron said and put shards on the table, a few shards extra than what the meal had cost. The old man eyed the shards and hesitated. Aaron raised an eyebrow and put a few more to the pile.


    ¡°Well...you did not hear this from me. But three days ago the guy left with most of his tools.¡±


    ¡°Right, where did he go?¡±


    ¡°Towards Skutler street. That is all I know.¡± the old man said and pointed towards a direction. Aaron gave the man a grin.


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll be back for that stew, appreciate your help.¡± he said and waved goodbye before walking down the road towards this Skutler street.


    Street signs were a rarity, but he eventually found one leading him to the less affluent buildings closer to the moat. He was basically at the other end of the poor district from where he had entered the Town. Aaron sauntered down the street. He had noticed that there were less or no guards hanging around the streets around the moat. And those he had walked past had not been to keen on watching faces, just looking for trouble. Aaron had kept away from them, but without making it obvious. He was still worried he would be noticed, but for now if he kept to crowds and did not use any of his obvious powers he felt like he would be fine. Unless of course he bumped into someone from the manhunt and was recognized. So Aaron tried his best to stay out of the way of Climbers, just like the normal people on the street.


    Which was easier and easier to do out of the way here closer to the moat. Tanning shops and other ill smelling businesses were doing their business here and Aaron almost gagged from the smell. Not his favorite for sure. He still scented the air for chemicals and after wandering around a bit in said street he finally caught the scent of chemicals. As useful as his enhanced senses were, he still could not help it and feel a bit like a dog while he followed the scent. This was in no way shape or form natural. He doubted even a dog could just follow the smell like he could, too many other smells were in the air. And Aaron too had to change directions twice as he got confused. But eventually he stopped in front of a small run-down building with shuttered windows and barred doors. Aaron walked around a bit and then ducked into a small alley between this building and the next. The backyard was equally dilapidated, an old half broken down cart sat in a corner and some broken boxes and barrels were in the other end. But in between the trash he spotted a cleared path where the snow had melted first. It led to a basement door, which was made out of stone and a door that looked brand new with heavy metal hinges and reinforcements.


    Well it looked like he had found the new laboratory, the smell confirmed that too. Aaron listened for anyone in the basement, but besides some soft bubbling and a fire he heard nothing. No breath, no heartbeat, no movement. So Aaron looked for a place to hide. He walked around a bit until he he in the end pulled some of the broken boxes behind the cart and squatted down there. He sat down on his legs and calmed his mind. While he waited for the Alchemist and some customers he started to cultivate. The mana here was not as abundant as towards the wall of the floor, but any little bit helped. Not that it would really amount to much compared to a spirit. But it was good practice and he had nothing better to do at the moment.


    Aaron did not really know how long he sat there until someone came into the alleyway. A few hours probably? It was past mid day for sure. Quickly Aaron did a full sweep with his senses, noticing anyone around here keeping an eye on him or this place as well as anyone else in range. Which was a lot of people it turned out. The alchemist came around the corner with a heavy set man who wore simple clothing and a big club. The alchemist himself wore better clothes, still simple to blend into the environment, but there were some tells. A nice silver clasp holding the cloak the man wore, an expensive looking belt buckle. Nothing a normal person could not afford if they worked for a year or two, but it was clear to Aaron that this man did not work hard for a living. He had not the muscled look nor did his hands look anything like a workers. He did have some scars on his hands though, burn or acid scars and he smelled like alchemicals even through his perfume which also ousted him as too rich for this place.


    ¡°How long will this take?¡± the man with the club asked.


    ¡°An hour or two. Synthesizing is difficult even with a skill. Is your distribution network ready?¡±


    The man with the club sneered. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get coy with me, I am making us all lots of shards. More than you could ever make with honest work.¡±


    ¡°Sorry...it would just be easier if you did not move every 2 weeks or so.¡±


    ¡°Well easier yes, but then the district would find us and they are not known for their mercy.¡± the alchemist said with a slight shudder and looked around wearily, but Aaron was not visible at all from behind the cart. Then the man pulled out a key and opened the door.


    ¡°Stand guard, I don¡¯t want to be interrupted.¡±


    The man with the club shrugged and shouldered his club with a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t like the smell anyways.¡±


    The door closed behind the alchemist and Aaron listened to him hanging up his cloak and then starting to work. He heard glass clink, powders being filled into something, it sounded like sand, fires being started and heated up. He thought about bursting in there right now, but then he paused. He checked the surrounding area and noticed a breath coming from a roof across the street. Huh, someone had followed him or the alchemist. Interesting. Aaron stood up and walked out form behind the cart casually. The man with the club at first did not notice him because Aaron had made it a habit not to be too loud while walking. His steps were quiet, simply because otherwise it would annoy him. The man flinched when he saw Aaron and he brought his club up.


    ¡°Piss off.¡± he snapped and only then he noticed Aaron¡¯s daggers. Aaron walked closer without hurry and the man backed off slightly.


    ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡± Aaron hesitated and then pulled the red arm band out from under his shirt sleeve and the man blanched. But before he could alert the alchemist, Aaron shot forward and backhanded the man with a resounding slap, sending him to the ground. That was better. He was able to regulate his strength properly again. The man was not unconscious, but he would feel that for a while. Aaron grabbed him by the neck and dragged the groaning man to the door. He pushed it open casually as the alchemist had not locked it behind him and then looked over the lab. It looked like any lab he had been in during high school. Tables with beakers and all kinds of glassware, ingredients in small trays where everywhere. Just the Bunsen burners were missing replaced by a stove with hot coals and open fire. The alchemist frowned as the door opened. He blinked at him and then spotted the red armband. He shrieked and turned around trying to flee.


    Aaron sighed and let the man he was dragging go and leapt after the alchemist who was running to the back of the laboratory. He slammed his knees into his shoulder blades and brought him down with a crash. The alchemist grunted and Aaron shook his head.


    ¡°Did you really think you could escape once we found you?¡±


    He turned the alchemist around and hauled him to his knees. The man had hit his head and was bleeding and Aaron sighed again and looked for a health potion on the man. He found nothing of course so he looked around in the lab, found some red colored potion with health labels and then poured it over the man¡¯s open wound. The man now without his club came to his feet at the door holding his cheek that was getting red and bruised really quick.


    ¡°Alright gentlemen. This little rogue drug lab ends today.¡± Aaron said and unsheathed one of his daggers and held it at the alchemists throat who was still healing and groggy. The man at the door paused and looked like he was thinking of running away.


    ¡°Stop, you were his distributor no? You are part of this, so don¡¯t run or I¡¯ll have to give you a real beating that you won¡¯t forget."


    The man paused and Aaron looked down to see how the alchemist was doing. He was fully there again, his eyes wide as he felt the blade at his throat.


    ¡°The district is displeased with this and they sent me to send you a message. One you won¡¯t forget so quickly. But don¡¯t worry, I am not here to kill you today. Unless you do something stupid and my knife slips of course.¡± Aaron turned to the man standing uneasy at the door.


    ¡°Alright come in and pack up all the finished drugs, potions and ingredients.¡±


    ¡°What...what are you gonna do to us?¡± the alchemist said fearfully.


    ¡°To him? Nothing. He is just a powerless fool trying to make the most out of a shitty situation. You on the other hand are an idiot. You don¡¯t defy the district without having the strength to back it up. So you will pay. Now tell him how to pack up your stuff properly.¡±


    Aaron watched as the alchemist reluctantly told the henchman to pack up the ingredients and finished drugs in different containers. He then made the men put all of the stuff into a big sack that looked to be a leftover from the previous owners of this basement. Aaron scented the air and frowned.


    ¡°Please open the stash near the chimney as well.¡± The alchemist froze and Aaron just chuckled as the man got out a small bag of crystal dust. It sounded like sand, but the smell was distinct enough. Aaron had seen it in the open, it looked like small glassy sand, tiny crystals that were so fine they glittered in the light. Now with all the illicit goods in the sack Aaron smiled at the two men.


    ¡°Now to the punishment. I will take this fools class from him and you will tell everyone what happened here today. Use your ¡°distribution network¡± as this fool calls it to spread the rumor. Tomorrow I want to wake up to fearful whispers of the district being able to take your class away if you cross us.¡±


    The man looked incredulous and the alchemist scoffed.


    ¡°That is impossible.¡± he said and Aaron chuckled and reached out with Soul Catcher. His hand rested on the man¡¯s head as he pulled the spirit off him. It was easy, the spirit weak and it barely struggled at all as he pulled it off his former host. The alchemist cried out and Aaron let him sag to the ground.


    ¡°What...what did you do?¡± the alchemist whimpered.


    ¡°Check your status, your class is gone. Your status is gone. You are now just a normal person with no powers whatsoever. What you are experiencing right now is the backlash of losing your class. You will feel horrible and be bedridden for a few days.¡± Aaron looked at the man without the club who stared at Aaron and the alchemist with wide eyes.


    ¡°Will you spread word about what happened here?¡± Aaron asked and sheathed his dagger. The man nodded rapidly.


    ¡°I want to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will tell everyone.¡±


    ¡°If you cross the district, you lose your class.¡± Aaron repeated and then searched the alchemist for his purse. He found it, took it and opened it. Not a bad haul. He selected one full mana stone and flipped it to the man still just standing there.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t go hungry. But I would suggest finding some honest work or going to the district and asking there, begging for forgiveness.¡± Aaron said and walked over to the sack, took it and shouldered it carefully. Then he walked out of the basement leaving the two sorry fools behind. Aaron walked around the corner of the alley and searched with his ears for the breath on the roof and found it before the man could hold his breath. He was trying to be quiet and Aaron did not see him immediately. But then he spotted him at a second glance up to where he knew the breath was. The man¡¯s eyes widened and Aaron smirked. He walked across the street and he heard the man scramble back. With a leap out of view he jumped up to the roof and heard already quick steps running away.


    ¡°Stop, please don¡¯t run, I have a message for Mars.¡± Aaron shouted after the man, who turned out to be a masked rogue in a dark cloak looking every bit a criminal. But he was silent and quick. Definitively a Vessel. The Rogue stopped and stared at him with wide eyes, but he kept a very respectful distance. Aaron smirked and threw the sack to him casually. The man blinked and caught it with an audible grunt at its weight.


    ¡°Those are the drugs and base materials from the alchemist. I took his class too. Task done.¡± Aaron said, gave the man a wave and jumped back down into the alley. There he made sure his red armband was hidden under his sleeve again before he stepped back out onto the street. He could hear the Rogue following him to the edge of the roof and then pausing there.


    Aaron straightened and walked away. Now with one task done, it was time to see if the merchant was easier to find than the alchemist.

 61. Preparation for a Heist

    Aaron kept his senses sharp as he walked away from the Rogue until he heard the man stop following him. It sounded like he was returning to his post at the corner of the lab. For around 10 minutes while he walked through the streets Aaron did nothing but concentrate on spotting every anomaly he could find. Someone hiding, someone holding their breath, someone following him through the crowd. It was afternoon and the streets had cleared after a small rush to the street vendors at noon. So he did not have as much cover from the guard, but following him would also be much more difficult.


    His next task was to steal a deed of land from a merchant who refused to sell it without him noticing it was gone. Not exactly Aaron¡¯s specialty. He had never really been a thief. An opportunist at most. Well he had looted anything valuable from basically anyone he had ever defeated in the tower so far, but he did not really see it as stealing after killing them. Well fine, it was technically still theft, but Aaron was not really a thief. He did not steal for his living, he killed for a living and he was fairly sure that would not change in the near future.


    The rogue keeping an eye on him was for sure looking for the aftermath of his little demonstration. The henchman should have helped the alchemist to a doctor already and they would probably send someone with an identify skill to see if Aaron had really stole the man¡¯s class. If the rogue had such a skill and had activated it on him he would know that he was not just killing the spirits, but stealing them because right now if anyone identified him the spirit would be first in line. So he would show as being a Vessel, an Alchemist to be specific.


    It made Aaron much more comfortable around the guards because even if they were to stop and question him, Aaron could simply pretend to be an alchemist and as a Cultivator could not be a Vessel it was a good disguise. Still not the best. If they demanded of him to brew a potion he was screwed. Hopefully that would not happen if he was careful.


    Aaron asked another street vendor for directions after buying a delicious looking baked flat bread with meat and cheese on top. There were so many dishes and street vendors selling the most diverse types of food everywhere, it was actually kind of surprising. It seemed to be one of the most common occupations for normal people in the Town. Probably because real cooks with the class were rare and expensive. He seriously doubted any of the food vendors were Vessels. It did seem more like an easy way to make a couple extra shards for normal people. What else was left for them? Most well paying jobs seemed to have been taken over by Vessels with crafting classes.


    He followed the vendor¡¯s direction which led him to one of the nicer parts of the Town. Stone buildings and properly cobbled roads showed off the wealth of the people living here. Carts clattering over the cobbles made quite a racket though, although the giant beetles that pulled the carts seemed unperturbed. Here in the wider streets he saw more of the exotic pack animals than he had in the narrow streets surrounding the moat. To most people living here the beetles must be as common as horses had been on earth. Not to Aaron though, to him the beetles looked strange and out of place. The beetles also had significant drawbacks as far as he could see. Depending on their size they needed quite wide streets for their legs to move properly. Even the smaller ones needed some space and Aaron was not even sure if they could pull anything bigger than a handcart. Still they were ubiquitous and many people moved goods with them from one end of the Town to the other. Aaron idly wondered what they ate when he caught the sight of a pair of beetles being watered and fed big lumps of what looked like firewood. Huh, well wood was certainly not an issue with the whole first floor being basically a giant forest.


    More opulent shops lined the main road and the traffic felt constant if not overwhelming. The clattering steps of insect feet on stone were a constant backdrop to the Towns soundscape. Aaron saw furriers and more expensive looking clothing shops, carpenters and blacksmiths that proudly presented their class level on big advertisements. Some shop had 3 or 4 Crafters above lvl 20, proudly boasting to be the highest leveled in their class. That high level was beyond what Aaron had expected to find. He was not even sure what level the alchemist had been, but it seemed like crafting classes had their own progression system that differed slightly from the traditional combat classes.


    Aaron paused as the door to a restaurant opened while a small group of people left the establishment and he caught a whiff of fragrant, delicious smelling dishes, of meat and vegetables, of hot steaming noodles and curiously he stepped up to the restaurant. It proudly showed having two cooks at lvl 17 and 13 and it was basically a fancy Ramen shop. Which was wild to find in a Town like this with its entirely European looking roofs and bugs drawing carriages. He spotted some people leaping over the rooftops in the distance and wondered idly if they were doing that to look for him. A few meters away a mage was making way in the crowd by casting a flame the size of his head in front of him, making everyone scatter.


    It was time to test his theory that restaurants were simply too expensive for normal people and so street vendors had become popular simply because of that fact. It was not because it had smelled amazing and Aaron was still hungry. Aaron sighed and felt that this hunger plaguing him was truly a bigger downside than he had expected. It made his will weak, eroded his discipline and made him impulsive in the weirdest ways. So he hesitated at the door and asked himself if he could walk away, he could, but he did not want to and he entered the restaurant in the end.


    Inside it did look just like a fancy ramen shop should look like in his mind. A counter and an open kitchen in the back with tables and seats lining the wall across form the counter. It was small, cramped and the smell of broth filled the air. He got a seat and when a waiter came by he ordered whatever their specialty was. It turned out deer bone ramen. Which was not surprising considering the most popular meat in the Town was venison. Aaron had never had a venison ramen in either life and as he studied the prices he was glad to see that they were considerably more expensive. By around 5 or 6 times as much than any street vendor dish he had seen so far. He could watch the cooks assemble his bowl using many different ingredients and he didn¡¯t have to wait more than 5 minutes for his meal to arrive. His bowl was massive, considering he had ordered the extra large ramen.


    The broth was clear and had a golden color like liquid amber. It was topped with chopped up greens he did not know and massive slices of what looked like chashu, but was for sure venison. They gave him a fork, spoon and chopsticks to eat with and Aaron picked the chopsticks. Obviously. He was not a barbarian. He took a sip of the soup and was assaulted by the deepest flavor he had ever experienced in either life. He actually had to take a moment to recover from the assault of flavor. It was rich, beefy, fragrant and slightly spicy. He recognized none of the spices and there was no gaminess from the venison at all. Aaron was taken aback, absolutely shocked by the depth of flavor. His whole world shrunk down to this one bowl as he took another sip of the broth. It was in perfect balance with itself, none of the flavors were overpowering the other. He took some of the noddles and slurped them. Chewy and soaked full of the delicious broth. Aaron felt like he wanted to cry.


    He suddenly knew why normal people could not compete with classes. This was leagues better than anything he had eaten in the Town so far. It was almost too good. The venison chashu was thick, so soft it was almost falling apart and tasted genuinely amazing. The broth was still the star of the show and he inhaled it more than he ate the bowl.


    Aaron could not help himself and ordered two more bowls and quickly started to see that there was an underlying theme. The broth was always amazing and Aaron suspected one of the cooks, the lvl17 to be precise, to have a skill making it better. Somehow improving it or giving him the knowledge of how to perfectly balance flavors. The meat must be prepared by the other cook, because it stood out as well. All other ingredients and side dishes he tried were good, but nowhere close to this level. Including the noodles. Cooks seemed to have specialties they were exceptionally good at. Sensory Harmony went absolutely haywire while he ate. His focus narrowing down as his sense of taste took over completely for long minutes. It was addicting and almost a bit too much after the third bowl. Emotionally drained Aaron paid and quickly left the restaurant behind before he could succumb to his gluttony and order more bowls of soup. The staff had looked at him funny when he ordered his third bowl, because most people were more than satisfied with just one bowl, let alone 3.


    Still Aaron could console himself that he had found some interesting connections between classes and their skills being focused, not broad. No, who was he kidding, he had just indulged himself. Aaron felt weak before food, his hunger and Sensory Harmony combined turned a simple meal into a sensual journey that he could barely compare to anything less than a drug binge. Aaron had never done those, he did not like drugs and the few times he had tried them they had not been ¡°fun¡± like other people told him. He had felt good, but he had been constantly aware why he was feeling good. His lowered inhibitions were usually not a good thing either. He had a lot to hide from other people in his last life and in this life it had not changed much. While he had eaten that bowl of soup a whole army could have walked up to him and he probably would have ignored them in favor of finishing the bowl. It was scary how easily the combination overruled his own professional paranoia and caution.


    Just a few days ago he had never even considered going into the Town out of fear of being discovered and now when he had an excuse because of the tasks Mars wanted him to do, he found himself helpless before his own desires. Since the first time he had lost himself and had joined the Night Market he had continuously taken bigger and bigger risks to eat more delicious food. That was not normal for him at all. Aaron shuddered and tried his best to ignore any smells of food to the best of his ability while he tried to find the merchants compound. He found it after looking for it a bit and he was glad he could focus on something else than his blossoming addiction to food.


    The Merchants name was Merix and he must be quite proud of his establishment, because he plastered his own name in big letters everywhere. Merix Trading Company in this case. Aaron walked into the shop adjacent to the actual trading Company and studied the wares in it with interest. To his pleasant surprise the shop was almost entirely filled with spices and plants imported from Ambition or beyond. It was interesting because Aaron had wondered how they were getting some of the more exotic things. It seemed like this Merix was one of the primary ex- and importers in the Town. Which meant he had a hand in the trade caravans. So he was important and rich. That was clear from the inside of his shop. Intricately carved wooden paneling on the walls, chairs and little niches with upholstered seats while the staff brought different goods to you. There were almost 20 staff members all clad in blue and white colors, 90% female and attractive and besides 6 guards standing around like statues they all were normal people.


    So the service industry might be another thing normal people could do, while the guards were definitively Vessels. Not the strongest he had faced, but not weak either. Aaron sat down and one of the girls came over and bowed.


    ¡°Welcome to Merix Trade Emporium, how may I help you today?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask if I could possibly import some things from Ambition that are not commonly available in shops here in the Town.¡± Aaron said while giving her a smile. He had made that up on the spot, but all he needed was a bit more time. The woman looked a bit taken aback and bowed again.


    ¡°Apologies, but that is not within my expertise. I will call for the manager if that is alright, sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    Aaron smiled again and then concentrated while he leaned back in his seat. His ears picked up everything that happened in the whole shop. In the upper floor someone was counting shards, in another room a couple were going at it, which was unlikely to be of any consequence. From the snippets of hushed conversation he could hear it was two of the employees during their break. But beyond the shop he could hear what was going on in the Compound. Here he could hear men loading carts and someone giving orders. He focused on that man, but soon realized that was not Merix either. Finally he very faintly heard a woman call Merix name in a house across the yard.


    ¡°Yes, darling?¡±


    ¡°Elephia and me are going for some dress shopping.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± the man said a bit tersely, as if he was losing patience.


    ¡°Yes, again. I am not going to wear the same outfit for the wedding.¡±


    ¡°Wedding?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Merix.¡± the woman said sternly and with a hint of exasperation.


    ¡°I told you we were invited to Mage Elder Ormunds daughter marrying Mage Alex. Its the biggest social event this season. We can¡¯t be absent.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Right. Fine, a new dress it is.¡±


    ¡°You should get a new suit as well.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with the ones I already have?¡± Merix said dourly.


    ¡°You already wore those to plenty occasions. What will the people think? That we are too poor to buy a new outfit for such an important occasion?¡±


    ¡°Quite honestly dear, I could not give a damn about what ¡°people¡± think.¡± Merix said sarcastically.


    ¡°And that is why you are not part of the guilds yet even though you are richer than half of them combined!¡±


    Merix scoffed.


    ¡°As if those old scarecrows would invite a normal person to their ranks because he is wealthy. You know damn well that will never happen!¡± there was anger in his voice and Aaron could hear the man pacing up and down.


    ¡°That is not true, there are a few normal people in distinguished positions in the Alchemists guild. You just need to know the right Elders, have their favor and they will vote for your introduction.¡±


    ¡°The Alchemists guild is not exactly fond of me, sweetheart. And besides the amount of manastones we would have to ¡°contribute¡± every month for a guild post would be absolutely ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°As if we could not afford it, Merix. I told you it was a bad idea to buy that house. Its not worth it to offend an entire guild!¡±


    ¡°And I told you it was to garner favor to the other guilds! Where do you think our new contract with the Adventurers guild came from, hm? Thin air?¡±


    ¡°And I disagree. I personally think its good you put a stop to the expansion of that stain upon our Town. But the district will not take this standing down. Now I have to look over my shoulders every time I leave the house.¡±


    Aaron realized the two were having an argument they had plenty of times before and about a house connected to the district? Interesting.


    ¡°Oh please, they would never do anything to you or me, we do have some friends in the other guilds. We are protected!¡±


    ¡°Protected?! We don¡¯t have nearly enough friends to be ¡°protected¡±. We are in a precarious position, we need to get accepted into a guild...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Merix bellowed.


    ¡°I know what I am doing. It will all pay off in the end.¡±


    ¡°I am sure you do, but there was a time we would do things like this together.¡± the woman said frostily and then walked out, slamming the door behind her. Merix growled and stomped around angrily, while Aaron listened to the woman leave the house to go shopping.


    That had been an interesting conversation. This deed of land he had to steal was obviously the one they had been fighting about and since they both at least considered district interference there was a good chance they would have the deed under lock and key somewhere. If they were smart not at their home. Finding the deed would be the real trouble, not necessarily stealing it. This was turning out to be much more difficult than he had at first expected it to be. Someone this rich and connected would have plenty of options to store important documents. What Aaron needed was information. Someone who would tattle about where Merix stored his really important treasures and for now Aaron had no idea how to find someone like that.Stolen story; please report.


    Finally a man approached Aaron in the shop and bowed. He wore a fine suit and had a neatly trimmed mustache.


    ¡°Sir, I am the day manager of this illustrious establishment. I heard you wish to import something from Ambition?¡±


    Aaron focused on the man and nodded. What should he do? He needed to somehow find out more information about the intricacies of the House and where valuables might be stored. But how? Aaron remembered that there had been plenty of staff in the compound and in the main house where Merix lived as well. People underestimated what housekeepers knew and that might be his only in. The Manager cleared his throat and Aaron gave him a thin smile and looked around conspiratorially.


    ¡°Apologies, but it is of personal importance for me that this conversation stays between us.¡±


    ¡°I can assure you sir, we here at Merix Trading Company take confidentiality seriously. No word intended to be told in confidence will leave this house.¡±


    ¡°Well that is good to hear. I...am an Alchemist. Unfortunately I made a mistake recently and my superior has well...suspended my guild privileges. I am in a bit of a bind because unless I can prove myself and gain some more levels and skills to increase my expertise I won¡¯t be able to regain my rightful place and convince his superiors that he made a mistake. The bastard.¡± Aaron grumbled. He was a decent actor, he had played a role every time he had attended any social gatherings since highschool. Still he was glad that the Manager looked interested and not suspicious.


    ¡°So, I need ingredients for potions that I have never made before and I can¡¯t really rely on the guild to provide those materials. The only way I see is to buy those from Ambition. I can assure you though, shards are not an issue. I did well for myself before the...unfortunate mishap that put me in this position.¡± Aaron said and tried his best to look miserable about his situation.


    ¡°Of course sir, we can certainly help you with alchemical ingredients. What are you looking for?¡± Aaron had feared that question and tried to look sheepish.


    ¡°Well as much as I trust your security and sincerity in not telling anyone about this. If my former superior gets wind of my plan he will do his utmost to block it. I can¡¯t take that risk, sorry. So...I might have to obscure what exact potion I am trying to brew. To your benefit of course, since I would be buying more ingredients than I actually need. Its just...do you maybe have a list of ingredients you commonly import?¡±


    ¡°Certainly sir. Please follow me.¡± the manager said and led Aaron to one of the small private rooms. Here he was served tea and given access to a giant leather bound tome that was filled row after row with names of ingredients, prices and quality. It was a dizzying array of numbers and words that made no sense to Aaron whatsoever. The manager stayed with him and Aaron mimed going over at least half a dozen pages before he sighed and looked up to the manager.


    ¡°Apologies again, but I fear I won¡¯t be able to complete my order today. I have to properly make a list of ingredients that I want to add to my original order. This is far more plentiful than I have expected.¡±


    ¡°Only the best here at the Merix Trading Emporium sir.¡± the manager said with actual pride.


    ¡°That I can see clearly. It was a good decision to come here today. But I live across town and I would really not like to make the trip every day. You wouldn¡¯t know any good establishments to stay a night or two in the area?¡±


    This was Aaron¡¯s actual goal in the entire ruse. He needed access to the personnel of the trading company and the easiest way to get that was to find out where they would hang out after hours or during lunch. It was an old social engineering trick, although it would not be as easy as it had been in his old world. There he could have hacked their phones during lunch break or swiped their wallets or keycards. Here he had to find a way to make them talk. Which he guessed would involve plenty of booze and good company. Not his favorite way to gain information by far.


    ¡°Well, there is the Blue Inn just a few streets over, it is where most of our guests from Ambition reside when they stay here in the Town.¡±


    ¡°You have been there yourself? How is the food? The booze?¡± Aaron said with a small wink.


    ¡°I...well its not the sort of establishment a normal person can easily reside in.¡± the manager said stiffly.


    ¡°Oh apologies, I did not want to make you uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Not at all sir.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like a nice enough place, but honestly I would rather spend my shards on improving myself than lodging. Nowhere else you can personally recommend?¡±


    The manager hesitated for a long moment and then opened up.


    ¡°Well there is Greyson¡¯s Bar, they rent out some rooms and their prices are affordable. They have excellent ale and a good amount of spirits too. For food we usually go to the Deer¡¯s Head. They only have a young apprentice cook, but the food is excellent and much more affordable than in other places around here. Their venison stew is fantastic.¡± the man said and smacked his lips.


    ¡°Well that sounds more up my alley. I am looking forward to trying that deer stew.¡± Aaron gave the big book another look and nodded to himself.


    ¡°Yes, I will return with a complete list tomorrow or in a few days at most. You seem to be able to procure most of what I need.¡± He stood up and shook the managers hand.


    ¡°I really appreciate your help and please, not a word to anyone. My former superior is sadly an influential man that would not stop at anything to see me destroyed. It is better to be safe than sorry.¡±


    ¡°Our lips are sealed, I can assure you.¡±


    ¡°Great. If I were to finish my list in the next few days how long would it take for the ingredients to arrive?¡±


    ¡°There are 4 caravans a year, the next one would have to take your order up to Ambition so it would take half a year, I am sorry to say.¡±


    Aaron actually frowned at that. 4 caravans and that was enough to make this man this rich? Most of the spices he had seen on display in the shops were not even that pricey. But it was quite possible Aaron had a warped sense of value since he was spending shards freely and had eaten manastones on the regular before. It was possible he used up more money in a week than most normal people earned in a year. Still he suspected something more going on, but for now that was not as important. He said his goodbyes to the manager and walked out of the trade emporium. Then he started to look for Greyson¡¯s Bar. Aaron really did not want to tempt himself with food again and considering the time of day, late afternoon, it was more likely to meet people working for Merix in the Bar.


    Aaron also had to think about his disguise a bit more. First and foremost he kept his daggers not at the front but behind his back, making himself look less like a Climber and more like just a man with potions on his belt, like a good Alchemist should in his mind. Then he bought himself a simple cloak to hide the daggers sheathed on his back as well as some paper and ink, before he went and searched for the bar. The paper and ink had been expensive, but he wanted to keep up the facade at least and he would be able to take notes about people he met. This might actually take him a few days to find someone of importance that he could booze and chat up.


    Greyson¡¯s Bar looked at a first glance like any other two-story house on the street, but at a second look there were some significant differences. Unlike most other buildings it actually had glass windows on the ground floor instead of only shutters and it had a giant wooden sign proclaiming the Bars name above. A beer mug overflowing with foam was carved in the dark wood, making it clear what kind of establishment this was. It was also at least the size of two other houses on the street. Aaron gave the street a thorough look, but he did not spot anyone suspicious. No rogues hiding on the rooftops, no followers, just normal traffic. Which was almost as suspicious as seeing a dozen tails at once. Aaron frowned and entered the bar.


    The smell of spilled beer, high percentage spirits and pine needles tingled in Aaron¡¯s nose. It was not as dim as some Bars Aaron had frequented before in his other life and the smell, although distinct, was not overwhelming, probably because they did burn pine needles in the hearth and had some scented candles burning in giant chandeliers. A long wooden bar snaked around one side of the big room that was filled with tables, stairs and a few benches. A staircase went up right next to the bar to the second floor. Small booths lined the other walls and were by far the most sought after spots as far as Aaron could see. The leather upholstery and fine tables as well as at least a bit of privacy from the booth¡¯s thin wooden walls made it clear why. Two barmaids made the rounds, both wearing dresses and light blouses even with the snow and winter still knocking at the door. But it was warm in here because of the big fire that roared in a fireplace on top of which some meat was roasting alongside some metal pots with bubbling liquids giving off a meaty aroma. A stern faced man stood behind the bar filling mugs and small shot glasses. All in all it looked almost entirely like a bar or Irish pub he could have found in any major Town in his home country.


    Well there was no electricity and no big TV showing the game, but besides that fact it felt just the same. Aaron had some experience in Bars. They were good spots to gain more information about potential targets. A directional mic or a bug placed at the right spot and Aaron had been able to listen and learn about potential weaknesses in their future plans or their routines. Although quite a few times whoever he was tailing had just left the Bar drunk enough that Aaron had been able to abduct them right there without anyone noticing. Drunk people were far too easy to convince they were in a cab or an Uber and before they knew it they ended up in a vat of chemicals in the forest with a bullet in their heads. But today he had not come here for that. Today he was here to be merry and give out drinks, talk to people, share their grievances and have a good time while subtly asking important questions drunk people thought were just gossip.


    It was not a stereotype that people were much more likely to spill some secrets when drunk or high, it was a simple fact reinforced by many past experiences. When your brain is compromised, thinking about what you should say or not to the nice drinking buddy you found is not a priority. Aaron looked around and then found an empty booth at a window that gave him a look towards the compound. He sat down and pulled out some parchment and the quill and ink he had bought. It was by far the cheapest writing instrument he had found and although he was unfamiliar with it, how hard could it be?


    One of the barmaids came over, a beautiful woman a head smaller than him with long dark hair and warm brown eyes. Her work clothes were intentionally revealing, but Aaron kept his eyes on her face. Better to be a good customer if he wanted to stay here a few days. She gave Aaron a smile that reached her eyes and said:


    ¡°Welcome to Greyson¡¯s Bar, what can I get you?¡±


    ¡°What can you recommend? Its my first time here.¡±


    The barmaid eyed him curiously and then started counting on her fingers.


    ¡°Well, we have 4 different kinds of Beer, a dark Ale, a pale Ale, a pale Lager and you guessed it a dark Lager. Then we have all kinds of fruit liqueurs, Ambition Vodka and Pine Spirits and of course the famous Pine Whiskey. But we also offer cocktails at the bar and some food, but that is just okay, the drinks are by far the best part of this Bar, well except the service.¡± she said and gave him a playful wink.


    Aaron gave her his rendition of a warm smile back, but he noticed to his surprise that acting felt much easier to him than it had before. He wondered why. Either way this friendly barmaid could be an advantage. Maybe he could coopt her into helping him.


    ¡°I am sure the service is excellent.¡± he said and gave her a wink. ¡°I think...I¡¯ll take the pale Lager and hmmm maybe a cocktail? What kind of cocktails do you like?¡± he asked her and the Barmaid looked at him with slightly raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Why? Do you want to buy me a drink?¡±


    ¡°I always liked the custom of buying drinks for the staff of a bar, so yeah, sure.¡± Aaron said and gave her a smirk.


    ¡°Never heard of a custom like that.¡± she said with slightly narrowed eyes, but her smile made it clear she was just teasing.


    ¡°Oh it is a custom in a country from my world.¡±


    Her eyes widened a bit and she leaned forward, clearly excited.


    ¡°Oh, does that mean you are a Summoned?¡±


    ¡°A Summoned? If you mean that I was reborn here in the Tower with a set of memories form my old life, then yes.¡±


    ¡°Which planet are you from?¡±


    ¡°Earth.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that makes sense.¡± she said and smiled broadly.


    ¡°Most Summoned don¡¯t give me the time of the day, but I heard Earthers are different. This isn¡¯t really a Bar for Climbers, so I rarely meet one of you. How does it feel to be chosen by Lord Emnu himself?¡± she asked with a hint of reverence in her voice.


    ¡°It feels like being thrown into a Death Match with the forces of nature themselves. Can¡¯t say I enjoyed it much. I am an alchemist now, much more safe and lucrative.¡± he said with another wink.


    ¡°An Alchemist? Really? I would have thought you were a Warrior type, maybe a Pugilist?¡± she said eyeing his broad shoulders and big hands speculatively, while leaning even closer. But then she caught herself and actually blushed as she straightened.


    ¡°S-sorry about that. Its just rare that a Vessel does not treat me like furniture.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I think. No need to apologize.¡± he looked down on himself and then shrugged. ¡°The benefits of being reborn in a 20 year old body I guess.¡±


    The barmaid looked utterly fascinated at that comment.


    ¡°Does that mean you were older than that? How old are you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a polite question to ask, is it?¡± Aaron asked with a small smile. ¡°But a bit older, yes.¡±


    ¡°You must have seen a lot in your past life then.¡± she said with a hint of longing in her voice.


    ¡°They say on Earth nobody has any Powers, is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Aaron said with a chuckle. ¡°But we found other ways to discriminate against each other. Wealth and influence was our power. That not entirely being the case in the Tower is honestly refreshing.¡±


    ¡°But you were equal? Nobody was stronger than the other, right?¡± she asked with slight confusion.


    ¡°Technically yes. We just discriminated each other because of our social status or because of where we were born. It does not make much sense, but I can¡¯t say Earth is the Utopia you seem to think it is.¡± She seemed actually disappointed by that.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± he added.


    The barmaid shook her head and then straightened.¡°I¡¯ll get your order.¡± she said quickly and then she walked away. But she was clearly feeling a bit down that a world with only normal people was not necessarily better than this one.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget your cocktail.¡± Aaron called after her and she turned back with a smile that put back a bit of pep into her step. Aaron personally thought all worlds were the same as long people stayed the same. If people could gain power over other people they would always do so and viola you had different classes of people with different social statuses. The only people he thought could go beyond this sort of base tribal behavior were the Cultivators. Living for centuries was just something that inevitably shifted your perspective. Aaron himself could barely comprehend it yet. But maybe he would in a century when he would look just the same. It was difficult to understand that time had less of a meaning to him. But in the end being nigh immortal might just exacerbate the problems humans always had. He did not know and honestly besides a mild curiosity he wasn¡¯t too keen to find out for now.


    Aaron let his senses sweep the area, checking the street, listening to everything happening in the bar and the buildings around him. His mana sense checking for any hidden Rogues on the roof, but it was all clear for now. He could hear the Barmaid order his cocktail.


    ¡°Two Peach Dreams and a pale Lager for table 5 please.¡±


    He watched the people coming and going on the street while he waited for his drinks. Being back in civilization felt a bit weird, but not in a bad way. He did not miss the constant hiding, struggling and preparing for the worst that had taken up most of his time. Now he would have more time for other pursuits. Although training and cultivating would still take up a good chunk of his time. But Aaron did not feel like he had hit and kind of ceiling in his martial pursuits yet. He had barely scraped the surface of what the Unceasing Palm Kata could do and the Rejuvenating Fist Kata offered him more insights and different ways to use it every day. Wind Steps also had taken a leap forward with his increased Cultivation, which made sense since it was directly linked to the amount and quality of his Qi. He could not wait to see how it would change in the next major realm.


    The barmaid returned with a small platter with two martini glasses on top filled with a slightly pink liquid and a slice of peach as garnish. In the other hand she carried a mug of beer.


    ¡°There you go.¡± she said and set the platter down. Aaron took the mug of beer and pushed it to the side, before grabbing one of the glasses and taking a good look. It smelled slightly of peach and alcohol and there was no ice in it, just the cocktail itself. He turned to the barmaid and raised the glass with a smile.


    ¡°To new friendships. Cheers.¡± he said and the barmaid smiled and took the other glass.


    ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that.¡±


    They clinked glasses and both took a sip. It was a sweet cocktail to his senses barely balanced, the sweet overpowering the alcohol and the bitter was just some citrus that could barely catch up to the alcohol or the sweet. But it tasted alright, clearly a drink made intentionally sweet.


    ¡°So, whats your name?¡± Aaron asked as he put the glass down.


    ¡°Lesia, what about you?¡±


    ¡°Aaron, nice to meet you.¡± he said with a chuckle.


    Lesia smiled and took another sip of her drink before she hesitated and then seemed to remember something.


    ¡°Oh, you pay for the drinks when they arrive usually.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Aaron said and opened his shard purse and paid. It was not as expensive as he had thought it would be but considering there was no vessel involved the prices were modest even for a higher class establishment as this bar.


    ¡°How would you like to earn yourself a big tip.¡± he said and Lesia raised her eyebrows again and gave him a look.


    ¡°What kind of tip are you offering?¡± she said with a smirk.


    ¡°Nothing like that...for now. I assume a barmaid with such excellent service knows most of the regulars that come here?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Lesia said slightly confused and maybe even a bit let down that he had not flirted back, but Aaron needed to steer the conversation back to his plans. He was not here for fun after all.


    ¡°Do you know some people working in Merix Trade Emporium?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they are right across the street. Quite a few come here after they are done with work.¡±


    ¡°Great! So could you maybe let me know when one of them comes in. Especially if they are like their accountant or something like that.¡±


    Lesia frowned now and looked at him with slight apprehension.


    ¡°The thing is, I want to order a good chunk of the ingredients I am going to use to level up from that Trade Emporium. But from what I have seen they are far too rich to make their shards from 4 caravans a year alone. They feel a bit...shady.¡±


    ¡°Shady?¡± Lesia laughed softly. ¡°Merix Emporium? That is the first time I hear about it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I am just paranoid, but I would love to assuage my fears and I think you can help me with that.¡± He gave her a broad smile.


    ¡°Well...I do know some of their clerks that frequent this bar quite often and I could send them your way.¡± she started and then gave him a smirk.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t do it for free. So what do you offer?¡± she said and leaned in while she sipped on her drink again, totally ignoring the rest of the room.


    ¡°Well that depends on how useful my conversation with that individual is going to be. Lets do it this way. At the end of the night you come back and I¡¯ll make sure you get your just reward.¡±


    ¡°That sounds suspiciously vague.¡± she said still smirking. ¡°But it does sound interesting.¡±


    ¡°Well I promise you won¡¯t regret it.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, well...fine, but only because you are so devilishly handsome.¡± she said with a wink.


    ¡°Thank you, I could say the same about you, but considering what you are wearing I feel a bit at a disadvantage.¡±


    Lesia stepped back and did a little twirl making her dress flare. ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    Aaron made a show of checking her out and nodded.


    ¡°I love it.¡±


    She smirked and then took a glance back at the rest of the room and the grumpy looking bartender that gave her a cold look. She sighed and then drank the rest of her Peach Dream.


    ¡°I got to get back to work. But I¡¯ll send some of the clerks over if I get the chance.¡± she said.


    ¡°Great, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Oh you won¡¯t be thanking me when I fleece you for all you are worth at the end of the night.¡± she said with a short laugh and walked away, her hips swaying from side to side.


    Aaron smirked back at her and then settled down to wait. Now he only had to make sure to charm whoever Lesia send over. He hoped it was a good idea to make the flirtatious barmaid an ally, but she seemed competent at least. He could also be unlucky and nobody interesting would show up. All he could do for now was sit and wait.

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 63. The Heist

    Aaron awoke at dawn, tensing when he sensed someone right besides him, but then he relaxed. Right, he had fallen asleep right next to Lesia. Carefully he peeled her arm and leg off him and stood up. Aaron had never had problems waking up, but since becoming a cultivator the need for sleep had decreased quite a bit as well. In the end he only needed a few hours a day to be not just fine, but comfortable. It did not matter to him if it was dark or light out, he could see perfectly as long as there was any kind of light source. He looked back to the sleeping woman and wondered at his own tender feelings towards a total stranger. He knew part of it, or rather a majority of it was the mind blowing sex, but then again if that was all it was, then why did he feel the urge, no the need need to cover her with a blanket?


    It was a strange sensation and he hesitated before he followed that impulse and covered her gently with the blanket. As he did so he realized it was a fondness he felt for her and it did not necessarily feel bad. But he also realized it was a weakness others could exploit or this woman could exploit. It was most certainly not love. That would be ridiculous, he did not even know her. Aaron shook his head and got dressed, ensured he had all his things and then turned to leave. But again he hesitated. It felt bad to just leave her to wake up with him gone and so Aaron groaned silently and got out the folded stretch of parchment he had experimented with note taking and set up the quill and ink out of a small pouch at his belt. Then he ripped off a corner of the parchment and wrote:


    ¡®Thank you for the wonderful time.¡± he paused and then continued. ¡®I hope we see each other again. Aaron.¡¯


    Then he placed the piece of parchment on the chest right next to the lamp and silently left.


    It was early morning and Aaron oriented himself and wondered how much time he had until Merix went for his shopping trip. Enough for a training session? He had missed last nights training and was itching to do catch up with it now. He looked for a quiet backyard and found it at the back of a closed down shop. Nobody was in yet. Perfect. Aaron looked around in the twilight and hopped the fence with ease. There, covered from prying eyes he did his morning routine. It felt good to stretch and overall he felt much more...settled. Calm. He was not sure if that was the effect of settling on a goal for himself or if it was because he had gotten laid. Maybe a mixture of both.


    He kept his punches quiet once he switched to the katas, took it as a challenge, made himself work for it. It felt good and once he switched to the Unceasing Palm training he made sure he kept the illusions to barely a meter around him, increasing the difficulty again twofold out of necessity. He got hit a lot that morning by the illusions. But that might have also have been partly because he paused every minute or so to check his surroundings for anyone that could see him mess with illusions in a backyard for training purposes. Aaron smirked and looked at the memory core. He knew the illusion would persist on its own for a few minutes, so if he threw it into the face of someone who spotted him they would find themselves attacked by a plethora of illusory beasts and enemies. Used like this they would be an excellent distraction. But in the end he doubted he would ever use these cores that way. They were too valuable and this kind of distraction would create a lot of upheaval, noise and attention. He did not want that, even with a tentative alliance with the district he would try to be a ghost in the city.


    Once he was done training and had worked up a bit of a sweat he went back out to the streets that by now were filled with people going to work. He fit right in with his cheap cloak. All he had to do now was wait for Merix to get to his appointment at the tailor, follow him and then take the key from him. Moving quietly was not really a problem for Aaron, although to his own ears he was painfully loud, for other people he was a silent as a ghost.


    Aaron walked through the crowd and started to do another kind of training. Pick pocketing. His agile hands slid into pockets as he walked past people, even though his hands felt too big to do the task he managed just fine. In the end people going to work were tired, sleepy and their senses so dull Aaron felt stupefied. Sometimes he screwed up and his victim did not notice it at all. It was always difficult to gauge how silent he was, how quick and easy his fingers were. It took him a lot of practice to feel remotely confident and he put his spoils back into his victims pockets most of the time. He did not really care to steal from a poor normal person, but he did keep the purse of middle aged man with a gaudy tunic and beringed hands. It was not really a code of honor, or him trying to do good. If Aaron needed the few shards in the purses he would take them. But most of the time he relished the challenge of putting the stolen purse back even more than the shards in them.


    As he walked about the streets around the Trading House Aaron scoped out the place thoroughly with almost all senses. He listened to the house until he had found Merix who was still asleep and he made sure to remember the man¡¯s scent. Because Aaron noticed that everyone smelled distinctly different. He noticed that little detail when he could smell Lesia leave her room. His senses pinpointed her in a heartbeat. Her familiar scent was so recognizable, it felt like she was walking down the stairs right in front of him. He could hear her yawn and stretch and in his minds eye he could see her body flex. His instantaneous fixation felt very strange to him and he did pointedly not look into her direction as she walked over to a food stall. A few minutes later her smell vanished in what his scent told him was a pharmacy. It was really difficult not to snoop on her and so he concentrated on his task as best as he could. He felt like a dog as he inhaled the air silently and kept the scent of Merix in his mind, trying desperately to forget Lesia.


    In the end it was his mana sense that gave him the exact location of the magical safe while he walked past the building. It was on the second floor in the second room from the window. The signature felt like a very big magical item. Which was exactly what it was Aaron guessed. It was funny how much more he could gain from that sense after learning sensory harmony. He could feel the magic on his dagger, but also felt it emanating from mages and even from some shops and buildings. Still it was the sense he was least proficient in. He could not pinpoint the key for the safe for example and in range and efficacy it was far below even his sense of touch. Aaron noticed he could feel people walk on the street from the vibrations their steps made. But he quickly pulled back from concentrating on physical sensation.


    His sense of touch was the most dangerous sense he had because it made things hurt so much more and feel that much better. It was the real reason why he wanted to ascend to the Foundation realm and get full control over it. Unbelievable pain was not really something he looked forward to in the future. Partly to distract him from his thoughts he turned from the main road into an alleyway and then climbed to the rooftops out of sight from the main road. From there he planned his exact entrance strategy into Merix house. From what he had seen through the window in Kramius office its lock should be easily opened with his enchanted dagger. It would cut through the lock¡¯s short metal hinge easily if necessary. But he could also open it slower and without leaving a trace, which was the more elegant solution in his mind.


    Opening doors and windows was another thing he should probably train for while he had the time. Going over the rooftops was the easiest part of the plan. He could easily make the jump over the street towards Merix building and Aaron guessed an agility based class could do the same.


    Aaron spent half an hour hanging from the edge of roofs and sitting on windowsills like a gargoyle opening windows with barely any success. His knives were not thin enough to go through most of the gaps in between windows, so in the end he conceded defeat and went to a blacksmiths shop that smelled like coal and iron. He asked the smith if they sold thin metal wire and eventually after some haggling Aaron was the proud owner of a one meter roll of metal wire they used to hold a row of chain in a chainmail originally. It was luckily thin enough that he could slip it through a window and then use it, bent into a hook, to open the window from the outside. It would also make for an excellent garrote. Not a bad tool to have for sure.


    Aaron suddenly froze as he was about to relieve one of the wealthier looking men walking ahead of him of his wallet when Merix scent was on the streets. He quickly followed the smell moving through the crowd like a shadow. In his cloak he was not noticed by many people and with the leisurely pace he set people dismissed him as just another worker. From a distance Aaron followed Merix through the streets until they reached a big tailor shop on one of the busier main streets. In the distance Aaron could see big stone buildings that looked important and were probably government buildings, or rather in the Town of Beginnings: guild buildings.


    Aaron studied the tailors shop and listened to the man being welcomed by the ¡®master¡¯ tailor personally. The sign outside said he was lvl25, which was absurdly high for this town he guessed.


    ¡°Welcome in our humble abode. If you follow me we will take your updated measurements and then fit you.¡±


    The shop did not look like he could simply wander in without an appointment. A burly man eyed him suspiciously as he walked past. Aaron circled around the shop until he found an opening to slip into the shop¡¯s backyard. He hopped over a tall metal fence and then waited at the backdoor of the shop while he listened to the tailor taking measurements and then showing off fabrics and cuts. But Merix just told the tailor to get on with it and use his own best judgment. Only when Merix was told to change clothes did Aaron enter the shop through the back door. He evaded the assistants easily and silently stepped up to the changing booth. Now that he was this close he could pinpoint the key with his mana sense and when Merix was not looking he swiped it from behind the curtain. It was a big metal key with a triangular shape and Aaron pocketed it and then slipped out of the backdoor without anyone being any wiser.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    With one leap he was up on the roof and moved as fast as any rogue he had seen towards Merix home. He was on a time limit now. The clock had started ticking and Aaron was tempted to throw caution into the wind and increase his speed. But that would make him a target for any onlookers and the rooftops were not empty this time of day. A few other cloaked figures ran along the spines of the rooftops and leapt across gaps with superhuman grace. This particular group was actually headed in the same direction as him. Aaron cursed under his breath and changed course to move around the group. But one of the men stopped, stared at him and then called out to his friends:


    ¡°Look at that guy, where is he going off to in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°He is fast, lets not get involved Gerrus.¡±


    ¡°What? And waste a perfect opportunity to cause some mischief? I don¡¯t think so.¡± Gerrus said and to Aaron¡¯s surprise the man¡¯s voice sounded more like a childs in his ears. The whole group hesitated and then followed Gerrus who had sped up. Their speed was impressive for sure, but Aaron would have been able to escape. But he would have to use Wind Steps to do so and considering how often he had used the technique to escape if anyone saw him use it in the Town he might be busted. So Aaron slowed down with a frown and studied the small group that quickly surrounded him.


    Gerrus was a small man with stocky features and when he took of his cowl Aaron raised his eyebrows in surprise. Gerrus was a child. Well an adolescent. But he did not look like he was 15, but his physique told a different story. This child was for sure a Vessel and with that he fell out of the norm. Aaron studied the group and they were all young men, barely old enough to grow beards. But they were all Vessels and from the looks of it quite powerful.


    ¡°Where are you running off to, thief?¡± Gerrus asked with a smirk. His sandy blonde hair was cut short at the sides and tied into a knot on the back of his head and he was clearly armed well. Aaron hesitated only a moment before he pulled the crimson armband out from under his sleeve.


    ¡°District business.¡± he said and it was not even a lie.


    A slightly taller man stepped next to Gerrus and said quietly.¡°Come on Gerrus, we don¡¯t fuck with the district.¡±


    ¡°Why? Marius? Why?! Because they sell us shit? Fuck the district. Come on thief, show us what you got and we might let you leave.¡± Gerrus said, shrugging off his friends arm and taking a step closer to Aaron.


    Aaron was surprised and a bit miffed. He did not have time for a childish spat with some wannabe vessels who were still green behind their ears. So he squared up and with one quick and smooth movement drew his enchanted blade.


    ¡°Move or die.¡± he said calmly and looked the reasonable guy in the eyes that had cautioned Gerrus. The atmosphere changed. Every single one of them changed their stances, their hands moved to their weapons and Aaron was surprised at the speed and coordination of the group as they encircled him and 2 men stepped into his blind spots behind him. This was not a group of amateurs. Even Gerrus had reacted instantly. Aaron could not help himself and smirked as he fell into one of the rejuvenating fists stances, his dagger held in a backhanded grip. These fools were in for a surprise if they really sought trouble. Shifting his position brought both of the men into view again, even though it was only out of the corner of his eyes. Marius, who seemed the most level headed of the group put a hand back on Gerrus arm.


    ¡°You know the rules. We do not fight Climbers unless we have to.¡±


    ¡°I know the rules.¡± Gerrus snapped angrily. ¡°But this Town, this floor. They barely count as Climbers. They are worms, they know nothing and they will never cross the gap. So why should I care? He looks like a good fight.¡±


    ¡°The plan is to have¡­¡±


    ¡°I know the damn plan, Marius. I could recite it since I was 5 years old! Stop fucking lecturing me! We have 3 days of free time while we resupply. Why not have some fun? If he is willing to fight a whole group then he has something valuable or is fleeing from something.¡± Gerrus said with a broad grin and tensed his muscles while Aaron stood still. He did not really want to fight kids. That was one of his golden rules. He did not kill children and adolescents counted. Well until they bought a gun and killed someone for real. This group was strange, really strange. The talk of plans and rules was not typical of the Town and their whole demeanor spoke of training, lots of it. They were still hotheaded kids though. He thought he could scare them off, but there wasn¡¯t really time for this. Aaron sighed and sheathed his dagger. He balled his fists and gave Marius a cold look.


    ¡°Last chance.¡± was all he said and this time Marius grabbed Gerrus and pulled him aside. Gerrus was too surprised and outraged to do anything but struggle weakly. Aaron took one step and was past the two and continued on his way. He did not look back but his senses tracked every single movement of the group. They hesitated, but then stayed where they were. Aaron sped away while he listened to them fight.


    ¡°Are you out of your fucking mind Marius. I am the leader. I have been chosen. You must obey me. How dare you lay your hands on me! My father would flay you alive if he heard of this!¡±


    ¡°Sir. I am your Sergeant. Your father gave me the mission to protect you and that man would have killed us all.¡±


    ¡°What? That man?¡± There was a pause as Gerrus stared at Aaron¡¯s back, then the young man scoffed. ¡°He was a bloody alchemist! They can¡¯t hurt a fly. What the fuck are you talking about? Let me go!¡± Gerrus raged and struggled, but Marius held him tightly and then sighed.


    ¡°An alchemist does not leap over rooftops. That was a guise. Either that or a very, very high level potion. Neither would end well for us. Calm yourself.¡±


    There was a moment of silence and then Gerrus shrugged Marius off entirely and stomped on the roof tiles so hard that they cracked. ¡°Fuck.¡± he shouted.


    After a few moments that Aaron used to bring a few more roofs in between them Gerrus turned to his group.


    ¡°I am sorry. The clash with the 52nds just made me so angry. I should not have lost control like that. I just hate being stuck here following a backup plan.¡±


    Aaron¡¯s frown deepened. This group was strange and at first he thought the 52nd was a gang name or something. But then he remembered that floors had numbers as well. It was just a hunch, but he wondered. Either way now was not the time to follow this new mystery. The whole encounter had cost him valuable time he did not have any time to spare. Aaron finally reached Merix Trade Emporium after another minute of measured speed. Then he had to wait another two or three minutes until nobody looked towards this window. Aaron fell from the roof onto the windowsill with Wind Steps, making no noise and quickly and quietly opened the window before hurrying into the small office.


    It looked more like a library, book shelves lined the walls and a small desk with three ink pots and a whole array of feathers lined the head of the desk. Aaron only took a cursory glance before he moved to the door leading into the hallway. He did not hear anyone close by, only a few men counting shards a few doors down the hallway. Aaron pushed the handle of the door down quietly and then was flabbergasted when the door turned out to be locked. With a silent curse he knelt down and used both ends of the wire to pick the lock. It took him even more valuable time as he struggled to bring his skills from another life back to him. But eventually he managed to get the tumblers in the correct position and the door unlocked. Aaron hurried out of the office and let his mana sense guide him to the safe. The door to the vault was not locked and Aaron was surprised to see a giant block of stone instead of steel. It looked vaguely like marble and the mana emanating from it was thick and heavy. There was an almost invisible keyhole in the smooth rock in a darker part of the marble.


    Aaron pushed the big key into the hole and turned it slowly and smoothly. He could sense the mana shift, felt spells catch and a signature of mana rippled through the vault before the marble parted with an audible grinding of stone.


    Damn, he had not anticipated this. Luckily he had closed the door behind him and now he listened for anyone who had heard the vault open. But the servants were still busy a floor down and the men counting had not lost track. He breathed out a sigh of relief and then saw the next problem. The stone doors that had swung open revealed shelves filled with papers and valuables. Aaron ignored anything but the documents and read through them. He was sure they were meticulously sorted and once he finally found the property deeds he got the whole stack and leafed through it as quickly as he could read the title of the deeds. Finally he found the deed he had come for and double checked it with the notes he had gotten from Iris. Only when he was sure it was the right document he closed the stone doors, which closed on their own once he touched the rim of the doors.


    Aaron turned the key, locking the safe and then removed the key. Now he had a decision to make. Did he have enough time to return and put the key where he had found it or did he not? He had to try and he hurried out of the vault room and into the small corner office. He opened the window and inhaled the aroma of the city searching for Merix and to his dismay he found him, moving quickly down the streets. Too quickly. He definitively had realized he was missing his key. Aaron hesitated and then walked back into the hallway, keeping silent he passed the occupied room and then went one floor up instead of down, making sure none of the servants saw him. He slipped into Merix bedroom and put the key on his nightstand. He knew where his bedroom was because he had heard Merix snoring in here. That done he hurried back to the corner office, while he heard Merix storm into the building. Aaron closed the office door behind him, but could not lock it up quickly, so he left it unlocked. Then he opened the window, scanned the surroundings and stepped on the windowsill. He closed and locked the window and then climbed onto the roof.


    Only once Aaron had jumped off the building and paused to listen to Merix order the house searched and personally search the vault. Five minutes later one of the servants found his key on his nightstand and a very embarrassed Merix called off the search. But not before he checked the safe. The man searched a bit and then grumbled about magical keys while he left now satisfied. Aaron breathed out a sigh of relief. That was the second task done.


    The group of youngsters was gone by now, but he would be capable of trailing their scent. A part of him wanted to follow them and find out what and who they were, another part wanted to give them a nice beating. But he did neither of those things. The next task would involve politics inevitably and he did not really like politics. Too much pretense, too little action. The criminal underworld was much better at actually getting things done than governments in his experience. Both were usually inherently corrupt. He had did not really want to go knee deep into that cesspool of corruption and pettiness. He doubted this world was any different than his old world was in regards to that. Aurix death sentence of him just because Aaron was a cultivator had proven that already.


    The third task was to learn the intentions of a high ranking elder. Which was just impossible if said elder did not actually do anything. Intentions were nebulous and very hard to find out. You could eavesdrop on confidants or themselves of course, but there was no guarantee they would actually talk about what you wanted to find out. The easiest way would be to interrogate them or put them into a position where they wanted to tell you about their plans. Which was harder to do than it sounded and it sounded impossible. But first things first. He had to get eyes on the elder, do some rudimentary digging and then he could formulate a plan. Aaron sent one look into the direction where the group of teenagers had vanished and then put that mystery out of his mind for now. It was time for another bout of reconnaissance.

 64. Spycraft

    Aaron looked at the neatly trimmed garden that belonged to Elder Lorraine. It surrounded a modest villa just a block away from the Crafter guilds headquarters. The garden was still beautiful even in the last days of winter. Flowers started to peak their heads through the snow and a few of them were in bloom. The paths through the garden were perfectly straight and like everything about this elders domicile neat, orderly and artistic. Carvings adorned the house and on one wall was a giant painting depicting different craftsmen at work. Someone was really proud of their position and did not skimp on the decoration. That was sadly all Aaron had found out about this Elder Lorraine. She was a middle aged woman and wore expensive looking clothes and her home was to his annoyance almost entirely built to be soundproof. No, seriously. The craftsmanship displayed in this building was of ridiculously high standards and the walls, the windows and the doors all were somehow as good at hindering his senses as a meter of steel. Maybe even better.


    It had a sort of magical component to it. Enchantments were literally everywhere and some of the carvings were probably made with the enchantments in mind or were the enchantments themselves. The worst part about it was that Aaron seriously doubted this was intentional. To him it looked entirely like a showpiece, like a project to prove to the world how amazing the crafting classes and their guild really were. It did not look like she had anything to hide. Aaron had no problem looking through the windows and observing the woman and to him it seemed like she was just another middle aged woman. She had a cat, which seemed more like a lion cub that she doted on. She liked to drink tea in the morning and that was about it. Without his ears he could not really find out more.


    Guards patrolled the vicinity, again less out of a need for security it seemed, but to showcase master crafted chainmail, helmets and halberds. They were also Vessels and used to guarding the place. They must be well payed for their trouble or maybe they could keep some of the equipment they used. Either way it would be difficult to infiltrate this villa and even if he did, there was no indicator of the woman¡¯s plans at all. She did not work here, for one. She returned to the crafters headquarter to work, which was, in an annoying consistency, build in exactly the same style and with the same enchantments as her villa.


    Aaron had taken a look at the two other guild headquarters out of curiosity while he was at it and had been impressed. While the crafters headquarter was a showcase of craftsmanship, the Adventurers guild was a showcase of money. Taller than the other two, massive and built out of imported marble and not the common dark stone the rest of the Town was built out of, it was basically a bank and fortress combined. Defenses and defensive enchantments were embedded into every nook and cranny but with forethought and strategy in mind. Aaron had been able to feel the enchantments. His mana sense had a deeper connection to spells than Aaron had thought and whenever he concentrated on an active enchantment he could get at least a glimpse of what it did. The Adventurers guild had reinforced walls and a whole array of nasty spells that he had not even the faintest idea of what they did besides being powerful. They were all placed around the obvious weaknesses of the building, so any windows, doors and the giant marble staircase leading into the building itself.


    The alchemist guild headquarters was by comparison a magical hazard. Every single block of stone had an enchantment on it basically and while its style was more subdued, it clearly put more emphasis on functionality as it looked like it had some of the best laboratories in the Town. Multicolored smoke drifted out of a multitude of chimneys at almost all hours of the day giving the surroundings of the guild an acrid stink, that was to Aaron¡¯s senses incredibly disgusting. Once he had gotten a whiff of that he had turned around and put two more blocks of buildings between him and that smell. But in the end besides the deliberate enchantments and defenses of the Adventurers guild it seemed more like the enchantments were there as a sort of status symbol. Like every subsequent generation of elders had made it their purpose to improve upon their predecessors work.


    All of this put Aaron a bit in a bind though. Sure, he could probably break into and infiltrate the elders villa, but since she was not working there from what he had seen it seemed a waste of time. The wording on the task was also vague, too vague for his tastes. Intentions and plans were difficult to discern if they were not already under way. So what could he do? The ¡°easiest¡± way to get at that information would be to find some blackmail material on this elder Lorraine and then just ask her about her plans. Aaron did not torture people, it was really not his style. It also did not work. People said anything to make the pain stop and unless you could confirm what they said it could be what they thought you wanted to hear as much as the truth. No, people were much more honest if they had an incentive to tell the truth. Blackmail worked much better, people still lied of course, but if the material he had on them was bad enough they would be shooting themselves in the foot by lying. Most people decided it was better to be honest at that point, especially if you dangled the destruction of the evidence you had in front of them like a nice carrot. But finding anything worth while could take months and Aaron did not really want to spend that much time getting to know this elder.


    Aaron paused on his rooftop as he got an idea. He smirked to himself. Yeah, that might work. But he would need some props for this. Which meant observing the alchemist guild for a while. Aaron frowned. He could really not stand that smell. But oh well, once he was done with this task he would make it his next target to talk to this Mars personally.


    Aaron returned to a post a fair distance away from the alchemist headquarters and observed the people coming and going. There was a warehouse close by with a lot of traffic, carts coming and going, but most of the people working there were not vessels, but normal people who took care of the beetles that carried the cargo. Aaron moved in the distance, observing stealthily and got a glimpse of some greenhouses that were part of the alchemist guilds compound. They exported what smelled like potions, but also food, wheat and grains. That sort of thing. He also spotted some mages coming and going, which was unique, since mages were exceptionally rare in the other guilds. Across a central square was where the mages were more frequent. The town hall and guards barracks were apparently the meeting places for the mages and Aaron felt distinctly uncomfortable to be within sight of them. So he always kept a few rooftops in between him and those buildings.


    While the alchemist guild felt like a magical hazard the town hall was the true nexus of mana in the area. It was filled with mages and if there were enchantments on the buildings, Aaron could not tell. It was all filled with thick mana being cast or shaped or absorbed. The sensory overload from that direction for his mana sense was another good reason to stay away from there. Aaron focused on the alchemist guildhalls entrance. There he watched the alchemists come and go in shifts. They had different uniforms according to their skill level, although there were one or two mages mixed in that did alchemy as well. No wonder that guild had become independent and powerful. The alchemists had sort of a dress code. Long dark robes were ubiquitous, although most were stained with a plethora of different colors and alchemicals. The more advanced alchemists usually walked around with cleaner robes and used more expensive material. All of them wore an emblem pinned to their chest that considering the different engravings he could discern depicted specialties and rank within the guild. Those were the truly irreplaceable parts of the outfit and what Aaron needed to steal to mime a real alchemist.


    Aaron deliberately chose one of the lower end alchemists and followed him through the streets on ground level. It was late afternoon and it looked like this man was going home. It was difficult to gauge the man¡¯s progress, non combat Vessels showed barely any signs of being vessels at all. Not to his senses at least. Aaron stopped next to the alchemist at a food stand and then swiped the badge like stone without the man noticing. He was biting into a very delicious smelling sandwich filled with meat, chopped greens and sauce. Aaron let the badge vanish in his purse and bought himself one of those sandwiches himself. It was delicious and he enjoyed the different textures and flavors mixed into the sandwich as he walked away without hurry. The next step of the plan was to go to the next best tailor. There he asked for a new alchemists robe and got a cheap one. The vicinity to the guilds meant they had many alchemists as their customers. Aaron changed in the tailor shop and walked out an alchemist, badge pinned to his chest. With the spirit of the unfortunate rogue alchemist still clinging to his sternum this was as good of a disguise as he could manage. Aaron slouched a bit and walked over to elder Lorraine¡¯s compound.


    He looked around guiltily and then quickly walked over to the guard who studied him impassively.


    ¡°I need to talk to Elder Lorraine.¡± Aaron said and looked around again. ¡°Its important.¡±


    The guard scanned him and his badge and then asked stoically:


    ¡°You got an appointment?¡±


    ¡°No! Listen, I really need to talk to her okay? And I would prefer not to stand in the street and being seen talking to one of Elder Lorraine¡¯s guards!¡± Aaron looked around again for emphasis, before he looked back at the guard. ¡°Please.¡±


    The man hesitated for a moment and then sighed. He called for another guard and that man led him into the building. The Vessels did not really feel threatened by him, especially not after the second guard had shown up. That man had nodded his okay after scanning Aaron so he was probably a few levels higher and stronger than the guards at the gate. The guard leading him wore a very elaborate lamellar armor where each of the metal plates was carved to make them look like leaves. So the man had the strange look of a walking hedge to him, but only if you squinted. It was still clearly armor, just very well made. The man unlocked the door to the villa with a key that had at least some magical signature and he locked it behind him as soon as they had both entered. Aaron was led through corridors filled with artwork and up a flight of stairs with carved animals making up the irregular handrail. Wolves and bears were the most common motive followed by stags and deer, but also the occasional stack of squirrels made an appearance and Aaron was once again struck by how needlessly opulent everything was. Opulent but artistic. The guard knocked on a door and opened it instantly for a smidgen. Then the guard told her in a bored voice that an alchemist was here to see her.


    Elder Lorraine was in her office. It was a large room with even larger windows looking out over the garden from the upper floor. The entire room was filled with decorative busts and statues. Some of them miniature depictions of beasts, others looked more like modern art. The woman quickly closed a drawer, but Aaron¡¯s sharp senses told him there were glittering stones in there. He did not have enough time to see more than that, so he did not know if it was glass or gems. Elder Lorraine was clearly surprised to see him, but not overly so as she recovered her poise quickly. She seemed more curious than anything else to Aaron. She waved the guard out, but the man stayed right outside of the door. The inside of the building was not as perfectly built, there were gaps under the doors and so his senses reached further than a few feet. But it still felt constricting to him to be in this building that cut off his senses to abruptly. Not being surrounded by smells and sounds from far away made it feel like Aaron had stepped into a vacuum sealed room.


    ¡°So, who are you?¡± Lorraine asked calmly and Aaron concentrated on her. She was middle aged, had barely concealed wrinkles in the corners of her eyes and mouth and she wore a delicate and expensive looking dress. From up close Aaron sensed far more now. She was truly as calm as she sounded, her heart beating slowly in her chest. It was surreal how easily he could focus on that sound with no sound from the nearby road filtering in.


    ¡°My name is¡­ Thanatos.¡± Aaron answered after giving himself a moment to think and calm down. He chose the name because if he remembered correctly Thanatos was Ancient Greece¡¯s reaper. Fitting in Aaron¡¯s mind as he worked for someone called Mars. Sometimes it was better to embrace ridiculous names instead of making up random ones.


    ¡°I have come here to become your spy.¡± he said simply.


    Lorraine raised her eyebrows in surprise and then scoffed. She seemed genuinely surprised and amused.


    ¡°Okay¡­ What makes you think I need a spy in the alchemist guild, or that I don¡¯t already have some?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. But I have gotten the ungrateful task to find out what you plan to do by increasing the level of the crafters before they leave for Ambition. I don¡¯t see a way to fulfill this request any other way but to give you information in return for you telling me the answer to that question. So, I either become a spy for you or lose my prospects in the alchemists guild.¡±


    Lorraine seemed even more amused and interested as she leaned forward a bit.


    ¡°And why would they give you this impossible task?¡±


    ¡°To get rid of me. Bias and personal grudges don¡¯t just disappear once you get a higher rank.¡±


    ¡°No, they do not.¡± Lorraine said considering his reply carefully but eventually she nodded.


    ¡°Still a fairly risky road to take no?¡±


    ¡°What else could I have done? I can assure you the information I will bring to you will be worth it.¡±


    ¡°Its strange to me that the alchemist guild is so interested in my plans, but then again I understand why.¡± she hesitated and studied Aaron again for a long moment. Now her heartbeat increased and her posture shifted slightly. It was surreal but even before she opened her mouth, Aaron was fairly sure she was lying.


    ¡°Its really not that difficult to understand. I want to make this branch of the guild stronger, increase my prestige and influence over the guild in total and as such get promoted.¡±


    ¡°Promoted?¡±


    ¡°Yes, to leading the branch in Climber¡¯s Rest. The head of the guild there has announced his retirement at the end of the year and there are few others who could be considered for the post up there. So I plan to throw my hat into the ring. Being head of a Crafters guild branch, especially one so high up the tower is much more prestigious, a good step to lead the guild entirely once the spot is up for grabs in Ambition.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Aaron asked, miming his surprise.


    ¡°Not entirely of course. There are plenty of reasons to increase our Crafters level and more than one goal I can achieve by doing it. I won¡¯t give you any specifics, for now. If you want to become my spy I want some information in return.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡± he asked and here was where Aaron¡¯s plan kind of failed. He did not have intricate knowledge of the alchemists guild. He probably could get it through Mars if he asked and if he could get the man¡¯s cooperation. Still it was worth doing this either way. Because slowly but surely Aaron was getting a sense for this woman and she seemed to be far more than she seemed.


    ¡°Who ordered you to spy on me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Elder Ventros.¡±


    ¡°Mars, eh? Of course. This is very much his style.¡±


    Aaron studied the woman intently again and he did not believe a word out of her mouth. From the very start she had been not entirely truthful with him and the longer they talked the clearer it became. There was much, much more behind this. She had confessed far too easily. Aaron was not a specialist in this, not by far. But her body language and heartbeat had been hints to support his gut feelings. That she was a liar. That said, interrogation had never been necessary for his line of work, so he was truly not great at it. He had done Intelligence gathering almost exclusively over the web or through surveillance via cameras or bugs. If he wanted to find out more it looked like he would have to observe her for a while longer to get anything. This direct approach had not really worked to find out what he needed, but it had given him a plethora of information that was helpful.


    There were her physical reactions and then what she had said or hinted at. She had not been surprised that the alchemists guild was against the idea or that they would send someone to spy on her. Why? If the whole scheme was just going for a promotion then that would not hinder the alchemists guild in any way he could see, unless there was something more to the promotion he did not understand yet. No, it felt like there was a lot more to this than Aaron had initially realized. He did not have enough information to find a clue to what was really going on yet. Most or all of what she said could be a lie or a front, in fact he was sure that was the case. But like all truly good lies there was a bit of truth mixed in there to sell the idea. He just did not know yet what was the truth in all of this.


    ¡°So what will you do with the information I have given you?¡± she asked him.


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    ¡°That depends on how much credible, actual information you are willing to give me. If its enough I can go directly to Elder Ventros and give him my report.¡±


    ¡°I see, so you don¡¯t directly deal with the elder?¡±


    ¡°No. I have never met him before personally.¡±


    ¡°Then you must not be that high in the guilds hierarchy. What makes you believe you could obtain anything I would want to know in the first place?¡±


    ¡°If I establish myself as someone who is directly under Elder Ventros then I can leverage that position to gain more influence and information. Which I can directly deliver to you.¡±


    ¡°Hm. A lot depends on my information then. That makes you quite unreliable don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Quite the opposite. With this you have me in your pocket. One word of you and all of the information I gave to the guild is invalid and they would kick me out.¡±


    ¡°Then why risk it?¡±


    Aaron hesitated a moment. The woman was ambitious that much was clear. She would not be an elder otherwise, nor scheme to improve her position. So he would appeal to that side of her. If he showed ambition himself then she would understand his motives he hoped.


    ¡°This town, this guild. Its just a stepping stone to me. If I can level, if I can progress then I don¡¯t really care what bridges I need to burn. I am tired of being ordered around and told to do menial things by people who barely have more than a month seniority or higher skill. So yeah if I can skip all the drudgery and get out from under that miserable cur, then why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Lorraine said and leaned back in her chair, studying him closely. Aaron stayed silent and waited for her next move, which came after a minute of silence or so.


    ¡°Very well. My proposal is probably going to go before the council and while I do believe I have the votes, if Ventros wants to block me he can make my life difficult. If he does though I will make sure to block any of his future proposals. Tell him that.¡±


    ¡°I will, but this still might not be enough.¡±


    ¡°I might have already started. I convinced a few crafters to stay here until the whole manhunt thing is done. Terrible for business that, but it did give me the pretext to convince some of our best to stay and continue their work down here.¡±


    ¡°If you could give me names¡­¡±


    ¡°Grix the smith and Carpenter master Lior are the most prominent names I can give you.¡±


    Aaron let out a sigh of relief and nodded.


    ¡°That should be enough to convince Elder Ventros that I have a good source of information.¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so.¡±


    ¡°In return I will tell you anything about the guild I can find out. So what are you looking for information wise?¡± he asked and this question would reveal more about her intentions than his if she answered it.


    ¡°For now just tell me what Elder Ventros is doing. A bit of an early warning would go a long way.¡±


    Aaron nodded and stood up.¡°I will not disappoint you.¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself, you are in my pocket now. Be sure to remember who you really work for.¡±


    Aaron bowed, but he was sure she would for now just use him to give Mars bad or unhelpful information. That was fine. Either way he had an in into this villa and once he had done a more thorough investigation of her he might find clues to what she really was on about. Either way he doubted it would be done with just this. It was regrettable but in the end assignments like this took time and work. This would still be way faster than searching for blackmail material.


    He shook the Elders hand and was then escorted out of the villa with little fanfare. Once Aaron was back on the street he went straight towards the alchemist guilds headquarters. With his current disguise nobody gave him a second look as Aaron carefully stepped into the guilds lobby.


    It looked like a massive store. Potions were sold at many counters and there were big lists of different potions available to purchase. Ingredients and basic foodstuffs were also on the list along with remedies to most injuries or illnesses that a simple healing potion apparently could not cure. But Aaron did not enter the many rather short queues, but instead followed the stream of alchemists that entered the building proper. Aaron kept his senses sharp and on the lookout for traps and defenses he had to be wary of, but besides some guards there was not really much in that regard he could find. The enchantments on the outside had not repeated inside. It was almost barren here, utilitarian and sterile. It had hospital vibes to him as he entered the guts of the alchemist guild and found a helpful floor plan on a nearby wall at an intersection. It seemed alchemists were just as prone to get lost in this big building complex than anyone else. On the plan he found out that the elders offices were on the third floor and so he walked up a circular staircase and eventually entered a long corridor with plenty of offices and doors plated with golden names.


    Aaron walked down the corridor, checking the offices one by one until he came to a big corner office that had the name Mars Ventros in big golden letters carved into the wooden door. He was sure he had somehow escaped most of the guilds security measures. There had to be one, it was far too easy to get here otherwise. The badge he had stolen had probably something to do with that. But it was still ridiculously easy to get here. It looked like they were not really afraid of an attack or felt it was too unlikely for anyone to come here with ill intentions to have anything but doors standing in his way. Aaron knocked on Mars door and a tall man in a fine suit and with a notepad in his hands opened the door with a frown a moment later.


    ¡°Yes?¡± he asked and Aaron smiled at him.


    ¡°I am looking for Mars, is he here?¡±


    ¡°Elder Ventros is in yes, but who are you?¡±


    ¡°Thanatos, or Aaron, however you like it. I am here to finish the tasks the elder gave me.¡± Aaron said with a smirk.


    The man frowned and then his eyes widened in realization and he took a step back.


    ¡°Very well I will tell him that you are here, wait a moment.¡± he said quickly and closed the door in Aaron¡¯s face.


    <hr>


    Mars Ventros was studying the reports he had gotten over the last few days with interest. It looked like the Cultivator had gone straight to work after Iris had given him the tasks and although there were sightings he seemed to blend well into the urban environment. Too well actually. It almost seemed to be a deliberate move to show himself on the nightmarket now. His plan to have him monitored by sheltering him seemed to have failed entirely. But that was alright, considering what he had learned about the man. His conversation with Iris had been illuminating. The Cultivator¡¯s name was Aaron, he was calm, and stoic. A man with a moral code, but no scruples. A killer after Mars own heart. An intelligent monster and those were the best weapons in the end. Dangerous weapons, yes, but also so effective at what they could do. The little rogue alchemist Mars had chosen had entirely lost his powers and served as another reminder for the people of the Town not to cross the alchemists guild or the district, not to cross him. Aaron had done a commendable job in spreading this news and he could not have done that better himself. He had shown mercy, had not killed anyone.


    It was a clear message reinforcing what Iris had told him. The Cultivator was a man of principle. Murderous principle, but principle nonetheless. He was a far cry from the ravenous monster the stories had made him out to be. Iris herself seemed to have come to a decision and had told him that the Cultivator had made her the official messenger, the go between between him and the district. It was a fascinating development. At first Mars had suspected she had succeeded in seducing him, but she had told him clearly that he had not touched her at all. Which was disappointing. Men who were slaves to lust were so easily manipulated. Sadly it did not seem like the Cultivator was one of them. The demands from Aaron had been expensive, but worth it if he wanted to nurture him to become the dagger he would plunge into his enemies hearts. Wealth was not a problem Mars had, it had not been for a long time. Ever since he had understood the significance of the first floor and its economic place in the grand scheme of the lower Tower.


    Tex knocked on is door and entered instantly, making Mars frown and look up. Tex was as white as a bed sheet and he hurried over to him with quick steps.


    ¡°Tex? What is it?¡±


    Tex leaned in and whispered harshly.


    ¡°The Cultivator. He is here.¡±


    ¡°Here?¡± Mars asked confused.


    ¡°He is right outside. Standing in front of the office.¡±


    ¡°You sure it is him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I recognized him from the wanted posters, although he is in disguise.¡±


    Mars blood froze completely. This was outside of his expectations and made the man a lot more dangerous. He had come to him inside of the alchemist guilds headquarters. Brazen,in broad daylight, in disguise yes, but still. Intelligent monster indeed. Mars straightened and drew his best dagger and placed it on top of the stack of documents in front of him on his desk.


    ¡°Bring him in.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure sir?¡± Tex asked still pale and clearly afraid.


    ¡°Yes, but alert Crassius and Oleg, they should be in the basement guarding the cargo. Tell them to hurry, but that I am not in any danger. Yet. Go.¡±


    Tex nodded quickly and walked stiffly out of the office. Mars meanwhile took a deep breath and loosened his shoulders. He was not defenseless himself, but it was better not to take any chances. He opened a hidden compartment on the desk with a precise tap of his wrist and put his right hand on a small crystal hidden in the secret compartment. The spell activated and Mars knew that if he released the spell it would summon ethereal chains all around the room and bind anything living not connected to the crystal itself. It was an expensive and difficult to create enchantment trap. One of the best he had ever seen and the most expensive item in his office. It had been a favor of an old enchanter from Ambition to install this here and Mars had never been forced to use it. But caution was better than being killed suddenly without any protections in place. Mars swallowed nervously and heard Tex talk to the Cultivator briefly.


    ¡°He is expecting you, just this way.¡±


    Then Mars got his first glimpse of the Cultivator. The man was not as tall as he has expected, dark slightly unkempt hair that was almost shoulder length. Two piercing gray eyes in a totally unremarkable face that seemed forgettable in its plainness. He had a short equally unkempt beard and wore the long robes of an alchemist. A low ranking alchemist to be perfectly accurate, including the rank emblem depicting him as below lvl15 alchemist. An apprentice. He activated his skill that gauged the power of another, a variant of the classic identify and almost lost the grip on the crystal. The man was an alchemist? He blinked, looked again and was sure it was the Cultivator. But his skill did not lie either. It showed that this man was tremendously dangerous. Lethal and coiled like a spring. But it also showed him that he was a lvl13 alchemist, someone who could never in a thousand years hurt Mars, especially not when he had a trap ready. The man studied Mars with interest and then looked up to the ceiling above the door to Mars office. In a surreal moment Mars thought he could see the enchantment somehow, see the magic, but nobody could, not down here in the tower. But then he remembered that this man was a Cultivator, an unknown quantity.


    Aaron stopped right outside of his office and raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Mars Ventros. And here I thought this was too easy. If all offices are equipped with one of those spells I understand why it was this easy to get here.¡± he said and pointed up to the ceiling, much to Mars horror. A trap the enemy knew about was no trap at all. But Mars caught himself and smiled amicably.


    ¡°Welcome Aaron, you understand I have to keep my finger on the trigger so to speak. You are quite a bit too strong for me to underestimate you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, but If I read that mana signature correctly then this spell does not extend too far from your office, so I hope you don¡¯t mind if I stay right here for our chat.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you have come here? To chat?¡± Mars asked anxiously and his other hand idly grasped for his dagger. Aaron did not react to it at all and shook his head with a smile.


    ¡°I have come to finish up my tasks, well the last one with Elder Lorraine will probably take more time, but I brought the deed you wanted and you probably know about the alchemist already.¡± The Cultivator got a scroll out of his purse looked around and then placed it on Tex desk, before he returned to stand before the opened door to Mars office.


    ¡°You have finished that task already?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, although some brats tried to get into my way.¡±


    ¡°Brats?¡±


    ¡°Fairly strong, military trained, moved in a group, look like they are still kids.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Mars nodded. ¡°You met a group from upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Upstairs? Beyond the 50th floor?¡±


    ¡°I see you have found out quite a bit about the Tower.¡± Mars said and relaxed his tense shoulders a bit. ¡°But yes, the nations beyond the 50th floor send their foot soldiers down here to climb. They are trained from birth to succeed and have intricate knowledge about the tower, its layouts and know exactly how to build their classes. They don¡¯t usually interact with people from the lower floors, but sometimes they do.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating. You are a true well of information.¡±


    ¡°Information, Knowledge is the most valuable commodity there is in the tower. With it you can even teach children to climb up to the 20th floor without any help after all.¡±


    ¡°Is that part of what you are willing to offer me for my cooperation? Information?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, that and more. I know much of what is going on in the Tower and besides information I can get you whatever you require to grow stronger.¡±


    Aaron paused and then smiled, changing the topic.


    ¡°What do you think of my disguise?¡±


    ¡°Its¡­ much better than I expected it to be.¡±


    ¡°So you suspect I do more with spirits then just kill them now, am I right?¡±


    ¡°You steal them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I steal spirits and then absorb them and their power. While doing so most skills show just the spirit still clinging to life.¡±


    ¡°So you could theoretically give the spirit back?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I have never tried and I don¡¯t really see a reason to do so. To put it in terms you can understand, imagine absorbing each spirit like gaining a whole level or more. They are valuable morsels of power to me.¡±


    ¡°So if I were to give you a steady supply of Vessels to steal from, you would gain in power quickly?¡±


    ¡°Probably, but why is that important to you?¡±


    Mars paused and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Do you know the history of the tower?¡±


    ¡°Not as much as I would like, so go ahead, enlighten me.¡±


    Mars did not miss the less than subtle sarcasm, but he ignored it and told his story anyways.


    ¡°Your predecessor. The Ghostblade. She was a terror in Ambition. She came one day and took a small local organization of cutthroats and turned them into the predominant power in the vast and dangerous underworld of Ambition. She killed many people and I was in the unfortunate position of being part of one of those organizations she destroyed.¡±


    Aaron raised both eyebrows in surprise, but said nothing, so Mars continued.


    ¡°But the organizations had been well connected with the true powers in Ambition, the old families of mages who own everything. They were displeased to suddenly have someone else to deal with and after a few years of tentative peace they managed to lure the Ghostblade into a trap and killed her. At that time I was already down here in the Town of Beginnings, an outcast and outlier of the organization the Ghostblade belonged to.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me this? Its good to know what happened to her, but that is surely not the point of your story?¡±


    ¡°No, the point is that the Ghostblade was foolish to take over the underworld without actually dealing with the people who controlled the city. I will not be foolish. I have planned my return to Ambition for many years and when I return I will destroy all other crime syndicates in Ambition and unify them just like I have done in this Town.¡±


    ¡°But to do so, you need me. A weapon and a deterrent.¡±


    Mars smiled, not hiding his feelings at all.


    ¡°Exactly. That is why I am interested in nurturing you, you will break the spirits and the bodies of my enemies.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, well remember that I am not your subordinate. I don¡¯t get ordered around. I chose to accept my targets. I always have and I always will. Besides you have not done remotely enough for me to even consider joining your plan.¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but I will. In time you will see the advantages of working with me. Don¡¯t worry, I will not send you to kill children, I will not ask you to rape or torture, but I will ask you to kill for me.¡±


    ¡°Just remember to pay me.¡± Aaron said with a cold smirk.


    ¡°I always do. I can promise you that.¡±


    ¡°Good, I feel like this is the start of a great partnership. But before we can really shake on it, I want the manhunt gone.¡±


    ¡°That is already on the way, tomorrow morning I will speak to Aurix and get the hunt canceled.¡±


    ¡°And he will just do that?¡±


    ¡°I have what he desires and I know how to get him to do what I want. So yes, he will just do that.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I am looking forward to it. In the meantime I have a few questions about the last task you gave me.¡±


    ¡°About Elder Lorraine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is a fairly decent liar, but not good enough. She told me she would bring her proposal before the council soon and warns you to not oppose her unless you want her as an enemy. She is also planning to do much more than just the obvious. She gave me some nonsense about a promotion. I am sure she wants it, but its not the real reason.¡±


    ¡°And what is?¡±


    ¡°I am not certain yet. I need to find out more about her to be able to guess correctly. She is a bit of a mystery.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can tell you what I know about her. She has her own power faction among the elders, she is well liked and one of the highest leveled scribes I have ever heard of. She can inscribe even spells into stone like an enchanter, given that spell is made available by a mage.¡±


    ¡°Wait, she is a scribe that can write on stone? Any stone? What about gems?¡±


    ¡°Gems? I don¡¯t know truthfully, but it should be possible yes, why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I thought she was not working in her home, since she did not have any paper on her desk, not even a pen or a feather. But¡­.Well it looks like I have to go on a late night visit to her tonight. I believe I may have found some hints of her real plans. If not it might take a while, months at worst.¡±


    ¡°That is quite alright. I can stall the council for a while if necessary. So, that means you talked to her?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I introduced myself as Thanatos, an alchemist with a grudge and willing to spy for her. She does not trust me, but she gave plenty of information for free for that little deception. I would appreciate it if you gave this Thanatos some cover on your end if she were to inquire about him.¡±


    ¡°I see. You are quite a bit more versatile than I had even hoped. I will ensure he is on our books and I will even give you access to a badge so you can come and go as you please¡± Mars said with a smile.


    ¡°Thanks, that saves me the trouble of stealing one next time. You can send it along with my pay and supplies with Iris.¡± the Cultivator said and turned away to leave.


    ¡°One more thing.¡± The man paused and turned back to Mars.


    ¡°Why Iris?¡± he asked genuinely interested.


    ¡°Because she was expendable to you.¡± he said with a sly smirk and then left. Mars could not hear his steps or sense his presence after he left his line of sight. The door opened and then closed and Mars was still tense, agitated and delighted. Aaron had been a more interesting candidate for his revenge than he had anticipated. He was quick witted and maybe a bit devious. Iris being expendable to him made her clearly disloyal and more loyal to Aaron. It was cunning to turn the little canary he had sent to his side and Mars did not really have an answer to her. She would probably still spy for Mars if he asked her to, but he could never be sure of her loyalty.


    He also had put his ability to steal spirits into perspective. If he could get a level from each one he stole¡­ It was probably not quite as potent as that, but it was not even a question who was stronger, 100 vessels or a single lvl100 vessel. High level triumphed over everything else. Mars would make that trade any time, but it was most likely not quite as strong or simple. Either way it would be a good thing to nurture him and give him plenty of people to steal from. Already Mars thought about how to best arrange it, the logistics and who he could sacrifice to make this man stronger. So far he had done anything he had asked of him, as long as Mars paid him. A man like that was worth to be nurtured. His self interest made it more likely for him to stay loyal to his missions and in the end that was all he needed him for. At least for the foreseeable future.

 65. The end of the third task

    Aaron left the Alchemists guild headquarters silently and without fuss. From the beginning he had made sure he would be able to escape. There were no defenses set up inside of the building that he could sense and so it was just as easy escaping it, than entering it. Once he had left the big government plaza behind him, he went back to observe Elder Lorraine¡¯s villa. The gems she had hidden when they had entered her office were in his mind and if she was a scribe and could write on anything. Then what better medium than something small, precious and often used as currency?


    He instinctively felt that she had hidden those gems for a reason. So when he climbed on another roof and settled down to wait with a good view of the elders office in her villa, he started planning how to break in. The elder was at work at the moment and he was tempted to go in and get the gems right now, but he did not even know if they really were what he was looking for. He needed to see her handle them and that would require time. But Aaron had time in abundance. Patiently he settled down on the overhang of a rooftop and hid in the shadows. There he cultivated and checked the elders window every ten minutes or so. It was tedious to do, but necessary since he could not sense her inside of her home with his hearing or smell. Well unless she opened a window.


    In the end it was her smell from when she left the crafters guild to walk home, that alerted him and brought him out of his slow and boring cultivation session. It was good that he still cultivated like this, but it was so awfully slow compared to eating spirits. It had turned late afternoon during his observation and the sky was overcast making it seem later in the day than it really was. Aaron followed the elder with his senses until she vanished in her home. Then he waited for her to appear in one of the windows he could see. Half an hour later she finally entered the right room and went over to her desk. There she fished a key out from around her neck and opened the drawer. Even from this distance and through windows Aaron could see the small gemstones clearly. They were cut and pretty, but probably not as valuable in this world than in his last. They were also quite big. The woman then went over to one of the strange modern art looking statues and lit it up like a lamp. It had some mirrors built into it that shone a clear light right from the top of the statues hand and on top of the cut gems, sparkling in the light. Elder Lorraine proceeded to turn the gems slowly and then touched them gently and with precision. It was utterly fascinating to see her work. Aaron could see no difference in the gems themselves, but what did change was the light they reflected and refracted. This was most likely the writing method she used. The question was if she used a method of encryption while doing so, or if his universal translator would simply tell him what it said.


    But he would see that once he got his hands on those gems. Aaron continued to watch her until the woman placed the gems back in the drawer and locked it with the key around her neck. Then she extinguished the lights and went to bed, at least that was what it looked like, since she extinguished any light sources in the building he could spot from his vantage point. In Aaron¡¯s meditative state of cultivation time seemed to pass very quickly and even though he had kept observing her it surprised him that it had turned night. It was time to break in and get those gems, or at least the information on the gems.


    Aaron slid down the roof, landing quietly and then sneaked around the perimeter of the villa. He had long scouted out the guards rotation and he simply jumped over the stone wall with metal spikes on top and landed in a part of the garden that was not patrolled at this time. Then he went over and found the guard that had brought him to the elder. Because he had a key to the building. It wasn¡¯t that Aaron could not have gotten access in a different way, but he suspected there were some enchantments on this house and that breaking in might alert them. Better to do this slowly and meticulously.


    The guard sat in a small shack the guards used as a kitchen and rest room. The man was just sitting there and Aaron waited patiently in a bush. Eventually the man yawned and made himself a cup of tea over the stove. He turned away from the door to the shack while he was doing so and Aaron moved. He slipped into the building, his opening of the door masked by the kettle, his feet making no noise on the wooden floor at least to the guards ears as he sneaked closer and then swiped the man¡¯s keyring from his belt. That done Aaron left without the man noticing. His pick pocketing training really paid of here. He was not sure if he would have been able to do this before his afternoon of training with his new body and new senses, acclimating his skill from his past life. With his keys in hand, Aaron quickly moved over to the door the man had opened for him during his visit and opened it. He had to try a few keys until he found the right one. He then copied the guard and locked the door behind him as soon as he was inside of the building.


    The sudden cut to the outside worlds sense impressions was as glaring as it had been the first time. Aaron made his way through dark corridors that to his enhanced eyes were lit up perfectly and up the staircase with the animal handrail. He found the office easily and slipped inside quietly. He went over to the desk and found it locked tightly. His mana sense told him it was not just locked physically, but magically and Aaron cursed to himself without making any noise of course.


    This complicated things. The only way to open this safely was probably with the elder¡¯s key she had around her neck. It was a very secure way of making sure nobody had access to this desk, even in her patrolled, guarded and locked house. With a frown he thought about what to do, but he really did not see any alternative. He had to steal the key from the sleeping elder.


    This was by far the most dangerous and stupid thing he had done so far. But in the end he decided to still try it. If everything failed, he could knock her out and deal with the problem afterwards. Making her disappear would be problematic he was sure, but in the end that was his specialty, not theft or espionage.


    Aaron quietly moved through the dark and empty building until his sense of smell had led him to her bedroom door. He opened it as quietly as possible and peered inside of the room. The amber eyes of a cat welcomed him that sat in a pillow laden basket on the foot of the elder¡¯s bed. The bed and the bedroom were kept in style, like the entire building. It was carved out of what looked like a singular piece of a giant tree and its sheets had intricate and beautiful patterns on it. Aaron moved quietly into the room, his feet barely making any sound even to his senses and was followed by the amber eyes. Aaron looked for the key he had seen the elder use before, but did not find it at first glance until he studied the elder herself. Aaron suppressed an agonized groan. She had not taken off the key. Great.


    Carefully and slowly he moved closer until he stood right next to her bed, he reached out and lifted the key out of the folds of her blankets. The woman was still asleep, her heart beating evenly, her breath calm and deep. Aaron studied the cord the key was on and knew he could not cut it. He had to make it look like an accident if he did not want to be discovered. So he grasped the cord with both hands and started to pull the cord apart slowly, gently. His superhuman strength made short work of it as he increased the pressure on the cord until it eventually snapped with a small snap that sounded like thunder in Aaron¡¯s ears. His own breath was barely audible to himself as he kept still and waited for any reaction of the sleeping woman. When none came he slipped the key out from the now torn cord and slowly and carefully he made his way out of her bedroom. The cat stood up, stretched in the dark and then followed him.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Aaron frowned at the cat, well it was not really a house cat. It looked more like a smaller lion or mountain lion cub. Its Amber eyes were curious and when Aaron gently nudged it backwards with his foot, the cat let out a small noise between a growl and a meow. Mortified Aaron stopped and peered back into the bedroom. But the woman had not woken up. He let the door open while he walked down the corridor he had come from and went back to her office. The cat followed him curiously until Aaron quickly shut the door in its face. Which of course prompted the cat to start growling again and it even started to scratch at the door until Aaron relented and let the feline in. The cat gave him a look and growl and Aaron let out a mortified sigh, before he accepted his fate.


    The cat walked up to the desk and hopped on top of the seat and settled down there, while giving him a look that said basically. ¡®This is my seat. What are you going to do about it human?¡¯ Aaron decided to do nothing about it, instead he walked over to the statue the elder had used earlier and lit it up, even though he had to search a bit for the small lever unlocking a compartment with a candle inside. The elder had matchsticks funnily enough and Aaron was glad not to have to make sparks to light it. The lamp lit up the room, making Aaron blink as his eyes acclimated to the light. It was almost painfully bright. Quietly he stepped up to the drawer and unlocked it with the elders key. He sensed a similar, if much less complex spellform catch, almost entirely the same as the safe he had opened earlier. It felt like it had been made by the same enchanter, or at least the same company. If there were enchantment companies? It mattered not for now because the drawer opened without a noise.


    Aaron studied the gems in the drawer, standing at the desk, because the cat had of course not budged, just settled down to rest and stare at him. He pulled the lamp closer and pulled one of the gems out from the drawer. He held it up to the light and studied it as the light shone through it. At first it looked like just another normal cut gemstone until Aaron started to turn it under the light. Then suddenly neat letters appeared as refracted spots on the gemstone. It was beautiful and to Aaron¡¯s relief it was written in the tower script and not encrypted in any way. He began to read from the top.


    The gems turned out to be confidential letters, each different gem containing a different letter to an elder in the Town, Ambition or Climber¡¯s Rest. Elder Lorraine was trying to communicate and coordinate an effort that slowly but surely became apparent as Aaron kept reading. The elder wanted to strengthen the Crafter¡¯s guild, but not only in a bid for a promotion, no she wanted to reabsorb and unify with the Alchemists guild. Her plans were cryptic in some ways, but it quickly became clear to Aaron that it was a bid to unify all the guilds, after the Alchemists guild the newly formed guild would be so powerful it would be able to absorb the Adventurers guild as well. Aaron was left feeling disappointed. In the end it was just politics and not really valuable to him. But probably very valuable to Mars. Now he had to decide what to do with this new information.


    Aaron quickly decided to leave the gems here to avoid discovery of his intrusion and just write down all of the names, contacts, dates and plans from each gem. He still had some parchment and writing utensils left in his money pouch and they really came in handy now. It took him all in all 20 minutes to get everything written down. Which was mostly due to the damn feather smearing and being a terrible writing instrument. But he got it done with superhuman patience and a very, very stable hand. That done, Aaron put the gems back how he had found them, put his notes and writing utensils away and then extinguished the lamp. He made sure to put it back at the exact spot he had taken it from. Aaron left the office and to his surprise found the cat had fallen asleep on the chair while he had worked. Well, that suited him fine. He sneaked back into the elders bedroom and placed the key quietly into the folds of her bed sheets, before leaving the room.


    Aaron made his way out of the building, ensuring he did not leave any trace behind, locking up behind him and then dropping the key ring of the guard outside of his hut, before he escaped the villa with a Wind Step empowered jump. Only once he had left the building behind did he breathe out a sigh of relief and allowed himself to revel in a job well done. He stopped, hanging from a slanted roof¡¯s ridge with one hand and looking out over the quiet Town of Beginnings.


    He was free to do whatever now until he was meeting Iris on the clearing in the forest. His mind immediately went to Lesia, the pretty barmaid, but he stopped himself. Too much of a temptation. Instead he skipped over the rooftops until he reached the only place that was open this time of the night in the Town, the red light district. He leapt down into a side street and stepped out into the night market, still bustling with activity, food and people out and about having a good time.


    Aaron relaxed a bit after the tense infiltration missions he had absolved and went to spend way too many shards on food. He basically ate himself through the market once, stopped at where the brothels started and went back towards the other way at the intersection. The food was delicious, but clearly not made by a Vessel most of the times. It was just good, well made food, plentiful, filling and diverse. But it was not made by a Vessel cook, it was never perfect. Aaron was not sure if roasted meat over the fire without any seasonings would do anymore. But he vowed to himself to live on just that for a while. It was not good for his training to stay in the Town. He had missed so many of his training cycles that he itched to start his katas again. Also the longer he stayed in the Town with the manhunt still going on, the higher the chances to be discovered by someone by pure chance. But he tried to mollify himself. Soon he would be able to cook for himself with all the utensils, spices and condiments he planned to make Iris get him.


    He reached the other end of the night market feeling full for once and walked off into the night. Only once he was out of sight he leapt on a rooftop and paused there for a long moment. He had missed civilization more than he cared to admit. It was more than just the food. It was the comfort of not being alone, something he did not really understand, since he liked being alone. But it was a fact that he felt more comfortable in a city than the open country.


    Aaron looked down on the people in the red-light district and had the sudden thought that he would outlive all of them. Unless he died a violent death he would still be there looking like he was now when these people¡¯s grandchildren had put them to rest. It was a sobering and strangely humbling thought. There was suddenly some distance between him and normal mortals. His perspective had to change from what he was used to because in the end he would be alone a lot in his life, simply because he would outlive everyone he knew.


    He turned away from the city, leaping out towards the poorer sector of the city close to the moat and passed it in a giant leap without anyone being any wiser. He landed in the mud and snow and before him was the forest. It was quiet, cold and strangely devoid of the plethora of smells that had been his constant companion in the Town. Aaron closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he leapt into the sky with wind steps. He soared above the trees, touching their tops and propelling himself forward into the quiet darkness of the wilderness. He felt free, unfettered and alone, a strange mixture of empowerment and a nostalgic feeling filled him. But he pushed those feelings aside and looked for his old camp. He found it easily, recovered his sleeping bag and backpack, covered under a thin layer of snow, checked on his supplies and then moved his camp to an empty spot somewhere in the wilderness only a few minutes from the clearing he had met Iris on.


    There in the quiet peaceful forest he did his evening routine, stretched, worked up a sweat doing his katas and then settled down to meditate. Tomorrow he would absorb the spirit clinging to him still and then he would search for spots to create permanent camps on this floor. Only when that was done and the manhunt was gone would he set his eyes on challenging the tower. In the darkness Aaron felt a mixture of anticipation and curiosity about what the Tower had in store for him. It was time to challenge himself again and grow. His next immediate goal was the Foundation Realm. With it he would step into an entirely new realm of power and opportunities. He could hardly wait.

 66. Interlude - A sudden windfall

    Early in the morning Mars met an old friend in a cafe. The man sat straight as a rod on the upholstery. He had long white hair tied into a ponytail, giving him a strangely martial look for a man so opposed to violence. The man was older than Mars by at least a decade and a mage, but his specialty was not evocation, not spells to attack, ensnare and destroy. No, this man was an enchanter. A true mage enchanter and one of the few masters below the 50th floor. He was also indebted to Mars and a good friend. His name was Torus and he smiled when Mars sat down opposite him.


    ¡°Good Morning Mars, come to check up on me after I did your bidding like a common serf?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. People in my station must make sure insignificant cogs in the machinery that is the tower work as intended.¡± Mars said in an intentionally haughty voice, before they both grinned at each other.


    ¡°No, but seriously, how was the work?¡± Mars asked.


    ¡°Easy. Nothing that I have not done a hundred times before. But I hear you have even more work for me?¡±


    ¡°I do pay you, Torus, very well if I remember correctly.¡±


    ¡°You do, but I have other things I need to do.¡± Torus said and turned serious for a moment. His old wrinkled face was taut and tense as he thought of the looming problem in his future. Mars knew what plagued his old friend, leaned closer and looked around, but nobody was looking at them.


    ¡°Did you get what you were looking for?¡±


    ¡°Your information was right on the money as they say.¡± Torus said and paused for a long moment.


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°But it will take a significant amount of my wealth to get my hands on it. I ran the numbers. A year of hard work on my salary.¡± Torus scoffed and gave Mars a helpless shrug.


    ¡°Still worth it though, no?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course it is.¡± Torus said with conviction.


    Mars had given Torus information and access to a terminal and an auction house connected to it that sold an elixir from very high up the tower. Both a terminal and the information about the auction were something almost nobody had access to down here in the lower floors. Said elixir was extremely valuable as it would heal almost any permanent chronic illness. It was not for Torus himself, Mars knew, but for his daughter. When Mars had found out his old friend¡¯s little girl was sick he had helped him without hesitation. But now Torus was more than aware of the debt that he had to him. Which was why he came down to the first floor whenever Mars needed him without asking any questions.


    ¡°So, what else do you have to do for me?¡±


    ¡°Aurix, the mayor and the strongest mage down here has a bit of a paranoia problem. I hear he lost something precious when he had a run in with a Cultivator before and now that a new Cultivator appeared he is basically holding the whole Town hostage with a nonsensical manhunt that blocks the majority of climbers from actually climbing and bringing back loot.¡±


    Torus raised an eyebrow and then sighed.


    ¡°And here I was thinking stupid mages were not your problem on the first floor.¡±


    ¡°Hah, well one of them is more than enough to ruin your day.¡±


    ¡°How do I play into this?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I want you to enchant his villa, good protective enchantments, deployable shield, attack spells, the works.¡±


    ¡°In exchange for him holding the town hostage I guess?¡±


    Mars nodded. Torus seemed to think for a moment and then shrugged.¡°It does not have to be a mage keep, right? Just basic enchantments and a bit extra for some flash to impress the man?¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly. I do not want him to have a proper fortress, but I want him to think he has one.¡±


    ¡°That is doable. If you wanted him to have a copy of your house, it would take me half a year, but just the basics and some pizzazz should be the work of 3 or 4 days.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then follow me.¡±


    ¡°Lets enjoy breakfast first. I really believed for a moment you finally outgrew your impatience.¡±


    ¡°Never. When I can do something, I want to do it myself and I want it done yesterday if possible. But you are right, we do have some time.¡± Mars said and leaned back in his seat.


    ¡°Sometimes you amaze me. I know nobody else who can be so persistent and dedicated, who can work on revenge for a decade, yet is too impatient to sit still.¡±


    ¡°Those are two different things, Torus. One I can do nothing about for now, the other can be done. Its a matter of perspective.¡±


    ¡°Still. What do you recommend in this place?¡± Torus asked and Mars chuckled.


    ¡°This is not Ambition where there is a master cook in every roadside stall. But they do make a good breakfast set here.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll have that then.¡± Torus said and waved for a waitress. They ordered and ate while gossiping about their families. Work, the condition of the tower, the economic situation in Ambition. All things old men talked about. But they steered clear of the difficult topics. Mars did not ask about Torus daughter and Torus did not mention Ambitions underworld gangs. Torus was open, knowledgeable and had deep connections to many of the mage families in Ambition. He was officially a retainer for one of them, since nobody could afford to stay on the sidelines in Ambition without getting killed. But they did not talk about that either. Instead for a few minutes while they ate eggs, bacon, freshly baked bread, they talked only about pleasant things. A beautiful new enchantment that created an almost eternal water fountain out of a bucket of water, a new potion discovered by an alchemist with mercurial properties. Things that were news and important, but would not make either of the two old men uncomfortable.


    When they finished their breakfast, Mars paid for them both and they made their way over to the town hall. The magical and societal nexus of the first floor. Here most mages exchanged notes, learned and studied. And did generally what people did who were on top of the societal hierarchy. They partied, had good food and wine and made decisions that would affect the whole floor on a whim. Even with his alchemist guilds elder status Mars would not be very welcomed here. Only magic could grant you entrance to these halls and many mages that saw themselves as climbers did not bother either. No, here gathered the fools satisfied with their lot, their high status and people fawning over them. In many ways Aurix was one of them. An exile like Mars, vastly more powerful than any other mage down here, but in the end, he too was comfortable and satisfied staying down here and enjoying the perks of his power.


    Torus was greeted with much scraping and bowing. For he was a master and as such the most skilled mage on the floor by far. Many sycophantic men and women of all ages crowded around them once they realized who the tall old man with the white hair was. Mars stood back and let Torus handle them. He was used to this. To the wheedling, scraping and bowing. Mars wanted to vomit inside it was all so blatantly self serving.


    ¡°Master Torus, please will you not take a look at this spellform? It is rare even in Ambition.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but my enchantment repertoire has reached its ceiling for now.¡± Torus said defensively.


    ¡°Oh Master Torus, have you met my daughter? A mage herself of course. Brought up learning magic before she could walk. Such rare talent for enchantment. Will you not give her a minute of your time?¡±


    ¡°Have her come to Ambition and try out at one of the colleges, when she has finished a proper education, she may apply at my company.¡±


    And so on and so forth, they did not stop and even though Torus did his best to fend them off, the closer they got to the real Town hall, the more pleading the cries became. In the end Mars had enough, he pushed his way through the crowd, his high class and strength giving him more than enough authority.


    ¡°We have business with the mayor. Out of the way.¡± he said curtly and moved some young mages aside. Before the men could protest, he gave them a stern look that made them freeze up, then he finally vanished behind the tall oaken doors of the Town hall proper with Torus in tow.


    Aurix sat on a small throne, eating fruit and drinking wine as he looked out through a window, without a care in the world. But every time his hand went back to the bowl of fruit Mars could see the shimmer of a shield his hand moved through. It was honestly impressive. Keeping up any shield for that long was a feat of magic few could replicate. But it also clearly showed how paranoid and fearful the man had to be to keep up the shield at all times. There was a dozen guards spread out all over the hall. They stood guard at the door, the windows and some rested sitting at a table in the corner playing cards. A tall guard in good armor stepped in front of Mars and Torus and held up his hand.


    ¡°Halt, what business do you have with the mayor?¡±


    ¡°We have an appointment with him. Alchemist guild Elder Mars Ventros and Master Enchanter Torus from Ambition.¡±


    The guard straightened a bit and then nodded.


    ¡°Please, go ahead.¡±


    Mars strode confidently across the great hall, its high ceiling and columns made him always remember the drawing of cathedrals from Earth. He had never actually seen a cathedral, but the motive was familiar. It gave the space an awe inspiring, expansive feeling that did not vanish even if you knew it was the seat of power of one of the most close minded and stupid men Mars had ever met.


    Aurix turned towards them in his throne and stood up. His massive fat body billowing the fine spider silk clothes in garish colors. His fingers had a dozen rings on them, glittering like golden ornaments on a pig. His face was slightly reddened and his small set eyes were glinting with an inborn suspicion that was only heightened by the man¡¯s obvious paranoia. Mars knew the reason for the many rings was that most of them were enchanted with some spell he could conjure at a whim. It made him much more dangerous, but Aurix had no relativity to his power. He was as afraid of a normal man than he was of a powerful Vessel, Mars knew. The only thing that could top his normal apprehension was his almost irrational fear of Cultivators.


    Mars bowed, only a small bow of respect for Aurix office and Torus nodded at the man. As a master enchanter there were very few people he had to scrape before in the tower. Aurix saw the obvious disrespect, but although the man flushed, he did not rage instantly. He was politically savvy enough to first assuage someones strength before putting them into their place.


    ¡°Elder Ventros, welcome. I assume you have come to berate me once more on behalf of the guild council.¡± Aurix said contemptuously. ¡°But tell me who is this gentleman you brought with you?¡±


    ¡°This is Master Enchanter Torus from Ambition. An old friend of mine.¡±


    ¡°Master Torus. Of course. I have heard many great things about you and your art. And it is art. One of these rings was made by you, I believe. Marvelous work. Always a pleasure to meet someone so distinguished and proficient in the magical arts.¡±


    ¡°Likewise Mayor Aurix. I see you have an uncommon talent for shield spells. Rare and powerful indeed.¡±


    Mars straightened and looked Aurix in the eyes and started talking before the man could fawn more over Torus.


    ¡°Sadly this is not entirely a social call, mayor.¡±


    ¡°I expected as much. Tell me, what is it now?¡± Aurix said with a theatrical sigh. ¡°Master Torus would you like some wine? I have some really good vintages I order from Ambition.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡± Torus said and Mars had to suppress a smirk at the crestfallen expression of the fat mayor.


    ¡°Mayor Aurix. I have come here today to offer some solutions to some of your problems.¡± Mars began, but Aurix interrupted him with a scoff.


    ¡°Solutions? From the council?¡± Aurix laughed heartily.¡°That would be a first.¡±


    ¡°Well, the solution was devised by me. But I do speak for the council. It is concerning a problem that has severely damaged the economy of the Town over the last few months. The manhunt.¡±


    Aurix amused posture shifted and his face fell.


    ¡°Out of the question.¡± he growled, his emotions creating sparks around the shield that surrounded the man and turned it visible for a moment.


    ¡°Please, at least listen to my proposal. The guild council has repeatedly protested against the manhunt and rightly so. The climbers bring almost 60% of all base materials from their climbs back down to the first floor. Every crafter, alchemist and most mages rely upon those supplies. We are already far behind our expected quota of export goods to Ambition and as you know most of our income comes from those exports, yours included. If this continues your tax income will shrink to about 10% of the previous quarter.¡±


    Aurix scoffed again and took a long swig out of his wine goblet.


    ¡°So what? The vessels are still well paid and they are the driving force of the first floors economy. It is all worth it, if we can get that bastard.¡± Aurix said grimly.


    ¡°But we are not getting him, respectfully, sir. The cultivator has not been seen in months. His last known location was on the second floor. Most people expect him to have found a way off that floor, or to have died. Either way, keeping up the manhunt and the blockades is futile.¡±


    ¡°Dead? Hah. I believe it when I see his severed head! Don¡¯t you understand Ventros? Cultivators pose a significant danger to all of us. They slaughter indiscriminately. Why if he reached the Town the casualties would be in the thousands. Maybe tens of thousands. I cannot in good conscience allow that to happen. As mayor I have been appointed to protect this Town and its people. This is my first and last agenda. The Cultivators death is the only way to achieve that.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Mars knew Aurix would sooner or later come to that point of his. It was true, Aurix was officially the protector of the first floor. Not that he had ever acted that way in his life. But he had used this argument every time someone had criticized him. So Mars had come prepared with an answer to it.


    ¡°I am well aware of your duties and I concur. The Cultivator is a threat that can¡¯t be taken lightly. But in the end he is like a natural disaster. Unless we can find him, which it does look like we cannot. He will come down on us like a storm. So I want to offer you an alternative strategy.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Aurix asked suspiciously.


    ¡°Master Torus here is a master enchanter and more than capable of turning a mundane compound and house into a fortress. He has worked on the magical fortresses of the old mage families in Ambition and he is well versed in things like defensive enchantments. I offer you to enchant a shelter, free of cost to you. This shelter would be equipped with the latest and strongest enchantments. Strong enough to endure even a Cultivators attack. Shield spells, elemental attack traps and wide range extermination spells included. Of course it can¡¯t be just any house. We have looked at the different buildings in the Town and your villa seems to us to be the best candidate for such a magical shelter.¡±


    Aurix seemed genuinely surprised and he studied first Mars, then Torus.


    ¡°That is a very generous offer, Elder Ventros.¡±


    ¡°Of course with such a shelter in place, a manhunt would no longer be necessary. Your duty would be upheld and the town could go back to business as usual.¡±


    Aurix eyes narrowed a bit more and the man shifted his weight as he processed the offer made by Mars.


    ¡°If I may?¡± Torus asked and took out a piece of wood from a pouch at his belt.


    ¡°To demonstrate what we are offering and since you are a master of shield spells yourself. Let me show you what you can expect from my enchantments.¡±


    Mars could not actually see magic, but he could feel it. His high level skills gave him enough insight to see what his old friend was doing. The piece of wood was long and straight, but completely ordinary. Then the old enchanter brushes his fingers over the surface and like a bubble a spell expanded and bloomed into a circular shield that was visible to the naked eye.


    ¡°There will be interlocking shield spells protecting your villa. First a shield projected form the outer walls creating the first external shield. Then reactive shields interspersed with offensive spells like a Chain Lightning spell. As I do with all my enchantments, I add onto the material a spell called Mana Durability, which means its almost impossible to break without exhausting the spells on the piece of the outer wall. Then there will be the actual house that will have a permanent and reactive shields as well and one extermination spell for each side of the villa. Thunderstorm for example.¡± Torus reached out and offered Aurix to inspect the spell on the piece of wood.


    The mayor stepped closer, studying the piece of wood intently, his eyebrows rising higher and higher until he stepped back and nodded, visibly impressed.


    ¡°Two rows of shields? That is...Well¡­¡± Aurix paused and then studied Torus with something akin to greed in his eyes.


    ¡°What about another layer for the most important pieces of the villa, the bedroom and the vault.¡±


    ¡°Of course we can talk about adding a special something for those places to ensure they are absolutely safe.¡± Torus said, a picture of professionalism and poise.


    Aurix hesitated for a long moment and then he turned to Mars.


    ¡°Free of charge? How much does Master Torus usually earn for his marvelous work?¡±


    ¡°Around 200 high grade beast cores a day. On top of what he needs as materials to do his enchanting work. How long would this take in your estimate, Torus?¡±


    ¡°4-5 days depending on the complexity of the enchantments already on the villa.¡±


    Aurix actually blanched and seemed to think for a long moment, before he got a broad sycophantic smile on his face.


    ¡°Well such a shelter would obviously be immensely beneficial for the Town and in case of a Cultivator attack we would be capable of protecting the people. You are right Elder Ventros, this is truly a marvelous initiative.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, then I look forward to the end of the manhunt. Master Torus will start his work once the announcement is out.¡± Mars said. He did not want to give the man any political wiggle room. Once he had declared the manhunt gone, it would be difficult to reinstate. So it was better to make this a condition before any work was done.


    ¡°In that case, let me make the announcement right now.¡± Aurix said and turned to the guards.¡°Mestrix, go and fetch Rowan. I have an announcement to make. Also send for Merlin and his group.¡±


    The guard saluted and walked off quite quickly. Aurix seemed to be satisfied with that and turned back to Mars and Torus.


    ¡°Truth be told the manhunt did cost me a lot of shards every day. I am glad there is a more permanent solution to it. Although I had hoped for the death of the cultivator, you were right. If we can¡¯t find him, we can¡¯t kill him. It¡¯s ultimately a waste.¡±


    ¡°I am certain the Tower will do what we can not. Challenging the Tower on your own is folly. He will surely perish sooner rather than later.¡±


    ¡°I am not so sure about that.¡± Aurix said and drank another gulp of wine. ¡°Cultivators are different beasts. Vile, corrupt, treacherous and without a sense of compassion. They are as you said walking calamities. All we can do is prepare for the worst.¡±


    Mars bowed his head.


    ¡°Wise words. I just hope the disaster strikes not us, but somewhere else. If you may excuse us, I¡¯ll have master Torus prepare himself for the work ahead.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Excellent. Of course you may go. I¡¯ll look forward to seeing your marvelous work master Torus.¡±


    Mars and Torus left with a bow and as he left the Town hall behind him Mars felt like a weight had lifted from his shoulders. With this he should be able to get enough crystal dust to prepare for the next shipment to Ambition. Which would give him enough time to prepare and solve his immediate problems. Much would depend on the Cultivator and his strength and Mars was tempted to just sacrifice some people to his strange ability to absorb spirits. In the end low ranking Vessels were a dime a dozen. Cultivators were unique and it was unlikely for another one to show up in the next decade. On the other hand Aaron seemed too independent minded, as he had made it clear he was a contractor and ally, not one of his people. Mars needed to tie him closer to his organization until the man would think an attack on Mars would be an attack on him. That would take time, favors and a lot of work. Mars itched to push ahead with his plans, but he knew for now he could do nothing but keep building up his forces and get ready to make his play.


    Torus said his goodbyes to Mars and went to look at Aurix compound to make some plans and give Mars an inventory list he would need to get his enchantments done. Mars looked after the old mage fondly. There was a man who did not let his status and abilities go to his head. Someone who was willing to do almost anything for his family and friends. Such people were rare and Mars thought himself lucky to have such a friend. Sure, he had him in his pocket, but he had not done that out of some sort of malicious intent, but love. That he owed him was besides the point to Mars.


    Tex greeted Mars with a nod and a stack of documents that made Mars sigh internally. Paperwork really was not his favorite past time, but it had to be done. He settled down in his chair when Tex cleared his throat.


    ¡°Sir, one of the groups from upstairs is here, they have been waiting for a while now.¡±


    Mars raised his eyebrows in surprise and then frowned while he let that information sink in.


    ¡°Have they indicated what they want? More supplies...or?¡±


    ¡°They did not say, just that they needed to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Very well, bring them in.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Mars straightened in his seat and then recalled what he knew about the groups currently in his sphere of influence. There were 6 groups currently climbing up to Ambition that he knew were from upstairs. They were easy to spot as they had no mages, did not do any missions in Town and went to him to do their shopping. Ever since Mars had established himself as an information broker with contacts even upstairs he had become the sole source of supplies for the groups doing their preordained routes to climb the tower. It was all part of an agreement he had signed to keep the peace between the different factions upstairs. As far as he knew there were multiple competing kingdoms and nations that had come to this accord in an attempt to prevent him to play favorites. The main contenders were the 51st and 52nd floor nations. Both floor spanning entities that had an historical enmity with each other. Apparently they had been one kingdom once, but then had splintered after a disputed heritage and civil war. Latter conflict had never really ended and the different factions of the 50th floor that formed the Alliance had a vested interest in keeping both nations occupied with each other to prosper themselves.


    So when Mars had taken over the criminal underworld and stretched out his feelers all the way up the tower by supporting some climbing groups and earning himself information in return, the nations had reacted with the treaty. It bound him from not supporting any faction more than the other and had kept the first 10 floors peaceful for the upper floor groups. They typically did not have much contact with normal Climbers, but they did need supplies and items they had to get in the Town. They did not want to submit to the mages tyranny and so they had always found it easier to go through illegal channels. In the end things had calmed down. Mars had become established, important and well informed as a result. Funnily enough Ambition was almost never a stop for these groups from upstairs. Why was difficult to guess. Probably some historical precedent with the old mage families controlling the 10th floor. It had left him in a unique situation that gave him much more influence than anyone below the 50th floor realized.


    Tex came back with two men in tow. Well, men in the most generous meaning. They were boys, barely 15 and clearly still growing. It was not uncommon for people to start climbing at that age. But most tried to train, take it slow and charge ahead at 18 or 20 when they had gotten a grasp on their powers. Not so these groups. Mars knew they had been trained to climb the tower since they were 5 years old and they knew more about the first 20 floors than probably all other normal climbers combined. They had predetermined upgrade paths for their classes to get the class they had wanted or their superiors wanted. In many ways they had perfected what Emnu¡¯s Army was doing. Bringing up many soldiers to a level they desired in a very short time.


    Mars studied the two youths with interest and identified them as people from the 51st floor. The smaller of the two men stepped up and gave Mars a curious, but also respectful look. He had sandy blonde hair and Mars gave him one of his affable grandfather smiles.


    ¡°Welcome young masters from the 51st floor.¡±


    ¡°Mars Ventros. Underworld contact in the Town of Beginnings.¡± the young man said as if he was reciting from a book and he probably was, now that Mars thought about it.


    ¡°We have come in accordance to the treaty to ask for your help.¡±


    ¡°And you shall have it, what do you need, young masters? I believe you already received the supplies allocated to your group?¡±


    ¡°We have, we did not come here for supplies. Not only.¡±


    Mars raised his eyebrows and smiled at them again.


    ¡°Please, go ahead and tell me your wish.¡±


    The blonde haired man hesitated visibly, opened his mouth and then closed it again before looking to the ground. The second man cleared his throat as the first one clearly had difficulties with the next part of the conversation.


    ¡°The treaties state that you are obligated to balance the scales. No group shall gain advantage over another because of your actions or lack of action.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°A few days ago our group was ambushed by a group from the 52nd floor. They lured a horde of monsters to our farming spot and one of us got cut of from the group. He died.¡±


    ¡°My condolences. I did not know that.¡±


    ¡°So you see, that group hindered us, they gained an advantage over us. Now you as guarantor of balance have to even the scales and hinder them.¡±


    ¡°Apologies young master. But that is not how it works. I am guarantor of balance, yes, but that just means I do not take sides. I am a neutral entity. Conflict between your nations is not my concern. No matter what kind of conflict it is. I will neither support nor hinder you or the groups from the 52nd floor.¡±


    ¡°But you must. Its in the treaty!¡± the blonde man called out outraged.


    ¡°What my captain means.¡± the other man quickly interjected. ¡°Is that you would break the treaty if you did not hinder their group because your lack of action would give them an advantage.¡±


    ¡°The advantage comes from your own failures, not mine. I am sorry young masters, but I am not obligated to do anything, quite the opposite. Now I could do something within the confines of the treaty if I wanted to. But so far you have not offered me anything that is worth my time or effort.¡±


    There was a long pause and the two men shared a look.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Information of course. The only thing of value you posses.¡±


    The taller of the two men seemed to have anticipated this and nodded.


    ¡°We are willing to trade information if you hinder their group.¡±


    ¡°Information you are allowed to trade I assume?¡±


    The taller man hesitated and then nodded again.


    ¡°Well, if it is enough, then fine. Go ahead tell me what is it?¡±


    ¡°The location and exact way of entering the lair of two rare monsters on the 3rd and 7th floor. Both either guard or are valuable resources that are extremely rare to find anywhere in the tower.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. But ultimately useless to me. The problem with rare and as such high level resources is that it requires high leveled crafters to process them. I could only sell those resources and while yes, that would probably be a good amount of shards, its not enough. I am risking my neutrality here.¡± Mars said and leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed, showing he was defensive and apprehensive about this whole deal, although internally he was more than willing to trade for any information. He felt he could get a lot more than this though.


    ¡°That is all we can trade for.¡±


    ¡°Then I am sorry, but I can¡¯t help you. My condolences again for your friend. But I am sure you will be able to catch up to that group and have your own revenge in due time.¡± Mars said with a gentle smile. Reminding them of their dead friend and vengeance that they knew just as well as he did they would not get. The other group would eclipse them too soon. Both boys flinched at his words and the blonde one looked like he was furious and about to storm out of the room. But the tall man put a hand on his shoulder and looked Mars in the eyes.


    ¡°We heard rumors that you can take someone¡¯s class? Is that true?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It is.¡± Mars said simply and did not elaborate. Now that was interesting. Had they heard about that rumor and decided to come here afterwards, or was this a coincidence? He guessed the former was more likely and had to stop himself from smiling. Sometimes the most random events could bring you good fortune. Although spreading rumors about his new capabilities had been a deliberate act of propaganda.


    ¡±How?¡± the blonde man asked, his fury gone, replaced by eagerness.


    ¡°Oh I am sorry, I don¡¯t believe you are willing to trade for information in that price range. It would take half of everything you know for me to tell you this.¡±


    ¡°Do the victims survive?¡± the taller man asked, more reserved but no less eager.


    ¡°Yes, the only thing permanently gone from the Vessel is their spirit.¡± Mars conceded.


    ¡°Could they re-implant a spirit?¡±


    ¡°Theoretically. We do have the wellspring of souls here on the first floor. All a Vessel has to do is get there.¡±


    ¡°But all their progress would be gone, even if they were to get a new spirit, yes?¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    The taller man was silent for a moment, while the blond man looked pensive.


    ¡°Can you teach us this method? How many times can you do it?¡±


    ¡°Again, that kind of information is valuable. I am not even certain I want to sell it and even if I did I am not sure you can offer me anything valuable enough for that. Sorry.¡±


    The blonde man seemed crestfallen, but the taller one continued the line of inquiry.


    ¡°Could you take the classes from the group that killed our friend?¡±


    Mars paused and studied the two men with interest. So this was really what they were after and if they were still sitting here than they were willing to trade for more than they were allowed to. Good.


    ¡°Yes, but that would cost you as well.¡±


    ¡°How about a path to Ambition. A secret and safe path?¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Mars said. Safe passage meant probably actually safe for mortals if the information came from upstairs. An emergency route maybe?


    ¡°A caravan capable path.¡± the tall man said stiffly and Mars eyes widened. That was something else entirely. A secret, safe passage to Ambition? That was any smugglers dream.


    ¡°A safe caravan path through the 5th floor?¡± he asked, since the 5th floor was the most dangerous to caravans.


    ¡°Yes.¡± the tall man said firmly.


    ¡°Well now, gentlemen. You have my full attention. If you truly have the information about such a path all the way up to Ambition then we might be able to go into business together. Please, sit down. Do you want something to drink? To eat?¡±


    Both men hesitated and then sat down, before they both said they did not want anything, although the blonde one did stare a bit too long at the liquor collection Mars had assembled at one wall of his office.


    ¡°Now, you have me at a disadvantage. You know me, but I do not know your names.¡±


    ¡°I am Marius son of Geralt, vassal of house Clark. This is Gerrus Clark, youngest son of the illustrious House. He is our captain and I am his sergeant.¡± the tall man said.


    ¡°Well met. The House Clark. If I remember correctly they were hit hard in a border skirmish in the last conflict between floors. But as a noble house I assume young master Gerrus you are a third or fourth son?¡±


    ¡°I am the fourth son, yes.¡± Gerrus said stiffly.


    ¡°Such is the way of those born less fortunate. We have to fight for our rights.¡± Mars said and Gerrus mood seemed to brighten as he nodded.


    ¡°I assume this safe path is secret and you are not allowed to trade it usually?¡±


    ¡°Its a cowards escape. We all learn about it. But those who use it have already lost their way. If you can¡¯t beat the lower floors how can you live through the expedition past the gap?¡± Gerrus said passionately.


    ¡°We...have decided that it is a bit of information that is not important enough to be considered a secret.¡± Marius said with a nod.


    ¡°To my good fortune it seems. Now to the specifics. You want the group that killed your friend to be hindered, to lose their classes and be stranded down here for a while, not to be killed, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Making a trade with you for murder would be akin to a declaration of war. But having them hinder you will be seen as a natural reaction to them luring one of us to his death.¡± Marius explained an argument he clearly had before with his captain who looked like he wanted to say something, but decided otherwise.


    ¡°Alright, that can be done but only if we can find them. Most Climbers never meet one of your groups. You people seem to vanish into the floors like ghosts.¡±


    ¡°We do not know where they are right now, but we do know where they will be, which is much better.¡±


    ¡°It is indeed. What about their combat strength?¡±


    ¡°Around lvl10 to lvl15, but well...very strong lvl15s.¡±


    ¡°Very well. How many?¡±


    ¡°Eight, the 52nd floor always runs a group of 8.¡±


    ¡°That is quite sizable. But it should not be that much of a problem. It will take some time and setup though. We need to confirm your intel and make sure we have everything in place. On which floor will they be?¡±


    ¡°The fourth floor.¡±


    ¡°Well that makes things more interesting. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°You can not kill any of them. No matter what.¡± Marius emphasized.


    ¡°Not to worry young master, Marius. For how long would you like them to be out of commission?¡±


    ¡°They need to miss the next expedition.¡±


    ¡°We can do that, but well, that is months at least, if not a year to be sure. That increases the cost. How about you throw in those two rare spawns as well?¡±


    Marius jaw tensed, but then he said stiffly:


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Now, Tex here will write down what you say exactly. So you will now describe first the location of the enemy team, then the way to Ambition and last but not least the spawns.¡±


    ¡°Only for you to betray us once you have all the information? No way. We will give you the location and the spawns, but not the pathway until the job is done.¡±


    ¡°Give me the path up to the 5th floor so we can verify such a thing even exists. The rest you can tell us after we are done, how about it?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Marius said and looked at Gerrus who hesitated and then nodded.


    Mars listened to the description as both young men recited a path in rhyme form. It was marvelous to listen to and so precise and interesting he was captivated by it. The knowledge he had gotten here today would enable him to speed up his plans by many times. A smuggling path to and better than that from ambition would enable him to undermine his enemies position as soon as he had the information. His revenge could start that day. It looked like Aaron would get another mission and this time on the fourth floor. He would have to talk quite a bit with Iris soon. He wondered if the Cultivator was up for something like this. But then again 8 spirits would be a nice boost for him right? It would also give him an accurate assessment of his combat capabilities. Mars grinned as he listened to information falling into his lap. He had not planned for this, but he just knew this would pay off many times in the end.

 67. A New Mission

    Aaron spent a few quiet days in the forest. He fell back into his routine, training in the morning and the evening. When he had some spare time in between, he scouted the forest to prepare for the next step in his plan. Permanent residences. Or to be more specific bunkers. Doomsday preppers cabins, just underground. He had played with that idea in his last life. The problem back then was that he would have had to buy land and pay taxes for that land. Which meant shell companies or fake identities at least. In short it would have been a monstrous effort for very little gain. Building a bunker and equipping it for his needs was expensive and difficult to do. Also lots of people would know where it was, defeating most of the purpose. In the end he had only a few hideouts he had used. But he thought he could do better this time.


    In this world there was no property law, not even a proper central government, especially not out here in the forest. Out here there were just trees and wilderness. Perfect to hide and vanish into, but uncomfortable and a building of any kind out here would probably stick out like a sore thumb. But a bunker would be invisible. It would be underground and ideally have multiple exits to allow Aaron to have as much safety and concealment as possible.


    So he undertook the time consuming task of mapping out the forest, finding flowing water and natural landmarks he could use to conceal entrances to a bunker. Water was necessary because he did not want to walk for miles with a tub to enjoy a bath. In the end he decided on three locations after 3 days of searching and mapping out the terrain. One was close to the hills he had hid before during the manhunt on this floor. It would ideally be right underneath the edge of the hills, with an exit into the hills and two into the forest. He had vague plans of making those exits impossible to enter for anyone but a cultivator. Since he was the only one active in the tower at the moment, it would be a foolproof way of locking something. But Aaron had no idea how to do that, he just knew it exited since he had seen entrances like that in the tower wall before. He would have to ask Mortag if it was possible to fabricate something he could use. He was sure the man would appreciate the business to alleviate his boredom either way.


    A second bunker would be close to the clearing east of the town, but this one he decided to build just underneath the forest with no visible traces of it. A trapdoor grown over with moss, unable to be discerned from the surrounding forest floor by anyone without his senses. Just as secure as a cultivator activated lock and convenient due to his vicinity to the Town. The third and last bunker he planned somewhere to the north alongside the big river that made its way through the floor. It would complete his plan to have fallback points to regroup, hide and if necessary ambush pursuers anywhere on the first floor. But it would not be easy to do.


    Aaron had many talents, but he did not know how to build anything underground. He did not even have the expertise to build anything more complicated than a rough shelter, so even a log cabin would strain his abilities. Not to say anything about a bunker far enough underground that it would be difficult to detect. There would need be a lot of digging and creating a stable support system for this cellar like bunker. He was sure he could make some builders in the Town understand what he wanted. But it would be difficult to handle them. They would certainly need to build it for weeks if not months even with a team of a dozen people or more without modern excavation equipment. So they would need to come and go from the Town to where the construction site was. In short it would not be secure and concealed at all. Any worker would without a doubt report to Mars where and what they were building.


    So he had to come up with a solution for that or discard the project. His current best working idea was to give the workers the task to dig a tunnel into the earth and then excavate a bunker after they had dug deep and far enough to make it impractical to dig into the bunker from above. Then have branching tunnels until they would not know exactly they were above ground. When they were done he would have to dig and create the entrances himself at random points of the tunnel system and then destroy the entrance tunnel had they made to build the bunker. That way they would know the vicinity, but not the exact location of the bunker and if he concealed the entrances properly it could work. Either way he had to give it a try first before he could be certain it worked as he intended it to work.


    On the second day back in the forest Aaron also absorbed the spirit from the rogue alchemist that was still clinging to him. It had grown incredibly uncomfortable. The demon had said a week was possible, but it was agony. It did not hurt but was more like an itch you could not scratch. Like something was digging into his spirit, trying to take a hold and yet failing to do so. Like dirt clinging to your chest, sticky tar that would not wash away no matter how hard you scrubbed it off. It was always there, always wriggling to break free and it had annoyed the hell out of Aaron.


    So in the end he found a suitable stream and absorbed the spirit. It was relatively big, much to Aaron¡¯s surprise, the man the spirit had belonged to had not been powerful at all. But he suspected crafting classes worked differently to the normal classes he had encountered before. After almost a week of clinging to him the spirit was easy to move. It was weakened, but had not lost any of its potency. Still it would probably not be enough to get him to another breakthrough.


    The fourth minor realm of Qi Refining was larger than he had expected it to be. His dantian filled with Qi as he cycled the spirit, with so much Qi he was amazed, but it barely made a dent in the vast cavern of his dantian. His Qi was thick and had a strange viscosity to it, like it was higher concentrated than before. It was not quite liquid, it was still very much gaseous. But it was like a thick heavy soup of fog that felt like it would be damp to walk through. It was also heavy and sank to the bottom of his dantian. No longer was it wisps of Qi he manipulated, but entire banks of fog. The more concentrated the power was the easier it seemed to be able to move to Aaron¡¯s will. So far he had only one outlet for his power, his movement technique. But Wind Steps was taking less and less Qi so that it felt like he would never run out of Qi, only accumulate more.


    That was a great feeling. Like getting more wealthy by the minute, but in a deeper more metaphysical meaning. He was not getting richer, he was becoming more. It felt like the more Qi he gathered, the more himself he became, the more weight his existence had in this world. He could hardly imagine how it would feel to be as powerful as his teachers were, especially not how powerful the great Master had been when he was alive. Aaron already felt and knew he was superhuman. It was many things that indicated it to him. He was never getting tired anymore. Even when he trained for hours he was never really out of breath. He felt his muscles work, felt the strain when he pushed himself, but it never got to the point where he felt he could not move on. His body was also much more resilient. The cold mattered less and less to him, even though it was getting warmer by the day. The last snow was melting and green moss and pine needles dominated the forest. Slender dark branches of leafless trees broke up the green with brown and bright auburn colored bark.


    He was sure this floor would be beautiful at the start of summer and a sea of color in the autumn. He did suspect it to become fairly hot though. The fake sun already had quite a lot of power this early in spring. When Aaron was done absorbing the spirit he stood up out of the spring, slightly disappointed that he had not gotten his breakthrough to the 5th minor realm with the spirit. But he ended up with an at least 60% full dantian, closer to 70%. It was a vast amount of power and since nothing he did really used it up, he was sure if he continued to find spirits he would not stop pushing through the minor realms. Although he suspected it would take him 2 more spirits to break through to the fifth realm. And who knew how many for the 6th. Exponential growth was terrifying if he looked at it. If each minor realm was bigger than the next exponentially then he would need 32 times what he had to use in Qi to level from the fourth to the fifth just by the 9th realm. He knew the 10th realm would be a new major realm and he had no idea how that would work and what he needed for that. Either way it would take him hundreds of spirits to get there at this rate. A truly mind boggling amount of Qi. No wonder it took that long to cultivate.


    Aaron was sure there was a limit to the concentration and size of the dantian, or he hoped there was at least. Otherwise he would never get to the very top. The amount of Qi he could get would increase by taking higher ranked spirits of course, but still. If he thought about it logically he would need some other, better sources of Qi. He suspected those did not exist in the Tower. Spirits themselves were incredible sources of Qi of course. But he suspected he would hit the upper limit of their usefulness eventually. Either way it looked like it would take years or even decades until he was anywhere close to where spirits would not be enough anymore. He could barely imagine how long it would take to cultivate with just manastones. Sure he would get better at absorbing the mana and turning it into Qi, but that was nothing compared to a spirit. It would take a century to get anywhere with just manastones and that prospect mildly terrified him.


    Still he felt relieved without a spirit clinging to him and he was able to concentrate better during training. Spending hours every day on martial arts would have been a waste of time to the Aaron that had died in prison. But to Aaron right now it felt like every moment he spent training improved himself on a fundamental level. His Qi and the fiend-god art improved his body, his resilience, his muscles, the potency of anything he could do physically. But it did not train him how to use his new strength. The martial arts, the katas did train him to do so though. The stretches for Wind steps were similar in that they made him much much more flexible and turned his martial arts into an expression of flexible might instead of rigid force. When he was fighting shadows from the memory cores he was always disappointed in them. He started to yearn for a real fight, a real challenge and his desire to climb the tower, simply to challenge himself rose.


    Aaron paused as his senses felt something on the edge of his range and he listened and drew in breath to scent the air. Ah, Iris had come with a bunch of people to the clearing. It was already time. Aaron concentrated his senses and reached out towards the group still on the trail towards the clearing. He listened to their footsteps to establish how many they were. A group of five men, no four men and a woman. Although the woman was almost indistinguishable by sound, her smell gave her away. Interesting. What had Iris brought him this time? He had spent some time thinking about what he wanted her to buy and had made a list. Pots, a good quality pan, shovels, picks, a proper woodcutters ax. Foodstuffs like flour and spices. Most of them non perishable if kept in a dry and cool environment. That trail of thought gave him an idea. What if he told Iris he wanted to create a root cellar. It made a strange sort of sense to do this with his supplies, especially at different spots.


    He leapt up into the trees and moved with leisure towards the small group that had just arrived at the clearing. Before they could spot him, Aaron studied the group that had followed Iris. They were clearly with her and they were armed. He found a spot where he could catch a glimpse through the forest and his mana sense told him they had some enchanted gear, but none of them were mages. The way they moved and their weaponry told him that 3 of the group of 5 were rogue types. One of them had an unstrung bow slung around his back, so he was probably a ranger, his footsteps were very soft, especially on the forest path. The other male rogue was armed with a rapier of all things and had a cowl pulled low over his face. He seemed more like a fighter hybrid considering the man¡¯s bulk. The female rogue was the only typically armed rogue with a pair of daggers, but she also had throwing knives strapped to a bandoleer and she had short hair and weary, watchful eyes that checked the vicinity. But Aaron was still too far away to be spotted by the likes of her.


    The two warriors were huge men in heavy armor that did not seem to encumber them much. They had both body plate armor, a metal cuirass at the front and back to be specific, but Aaron could only guess at the extent of all of their armor since they wore long cloaks over them. Both men stomped more through the forest than anything. One of the men had a greatsword strapped to his back, while the other one had an ax at his hip and a broad shield on his back. The group felt relaxed, a bit cautious, but not fearful or ready for a fight.


    Aaron moved a bit closer and realized they all had a piece of red cloth tied to their arms. The woman had it on her wrist like an armband, while the rogues both had their red colored armband hidden underneath their cloaks. He only caught a glimpse of color when they moved. One of the warriors, the one with the ax, had a pauldron with a red painted stripe on it while the other had an armband on the wrong arm, which is why it took Aaron longer to realize it. So they were Mars men, not unexpected, but still a surprise. He doubted it was for Iris protection, but he also doubted they were here to cause him any harm.


    ¡°This is it.¡± Iris said and stopped at the edge of the clearing.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± the greatsword warrior asked.


    ¡°We wait.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we like have to announce ourselves or something?¡± the female rogue asked while her eyes darted around suspiciously.


    ¡°No, he will find us. He probably already has.¡±


    The ranger scoffed, but he did not say anything. The group remained silent for a moment as they looked around. Aaron hesitated only for a moment before he slipped down the tree he stood on and silently walked through the forest until he stood behind a tree almost directly in front of the group. Then he stepped out from behind the tree with a smile and watched the whole group of climbers flinch, while Iris did not seem surprised at all.


    ¡°Hello Iris, nice to see you again. Who are your friends?¡±


    ¡°Hello Aaron.¡± Iris said courteously and she did enjoy the situation as well by the smirk she had on her lips as she glanced over to the group behind her.


    ¡°That is one of the districts Climber groups. They are here because of some new request Mars has for you.¡±


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    Aaron raised his eyebrows and gave the group a glance before he beckoned Iris closer.


    ¡°Well, we will get to that later. Lets take a walk while we talk. You guys can stay here.¡± Aaron said and turned around and walked slowly away. Iris quickly followed him, while the group of Climbers stopped in their tracks and just stared at his back.


    ¡°So that¡¯s him. Does not feel like much.¡± one of the warriors said.


    ¡°Moron. None of us could detect him, like at all. Man makes no sound at all.¡± the female rogue said with a shiver.


    ¡°No wonder the boss wanted him to do it.¡± one of the warriors said with a hint of respect in his voice.


    Aaron walked with Iris in silence until they were out of earshot from the group and almost at the other end of the clearing. He turned to her and Iris stopped.


    ¡°Well I did not expect a climber group to show up, they are here for a task for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Although I do not know what it is. Mars wants you to climb up a few floors and then do ¡®something¡¯. I have a sealed letter for you from him in which he explains everything.¡± Iris got a wax sealed letter from her purse and handed it over to him. Then she put a second, much bigger purse into his other hand.


    ¡°This is your payment for tasks done.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Aaron took a peek and studied the mid grade manastones with interest. He remembered how much mana was in those and was more than satisfied. There should be 40 in there. 10 as a base and 30 for three tasks completed. It was a lot of manastones he guessed, especially since mid grade was basically worth 100 normal mana stones.


    ¡°Is my base fee in there as well?¡±


    ¡°Its 40 mid grade manastones.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡±


    Aaron opened the letter and read through it quickly. He was surprised. Mars told him a group from the 51st floor, the exact group that had ambushed him on the rooftops during his little theft, had hired him to delay another group from upstairs. They were apparently on the 4th floor and there was an intricate map besides the letter giving their exact location. His task was to take out the whole group of 8 without killing anyone. Aaron scoffed. That would make this so much harder. Mars told him to take their spirits though, which was an interesting task in itself. To Aaron it looked like Mars wanted to make him stronger as fast as possible. Not that he was complaining, but still. There were a few problems with the task. He did not know the floors besides the second and he did not really want to rush up to the fourth floor for this task. He did have apparently weeks time to do it, but still. The group of Climbers were supposed to be his guards, were supposed to help him climb quickly and guide him through the dangers of the two unfamiliar floors. Mars told him that it was an urgent task and that he would pay him 100 mid grade manastones if he succeeded. He did state three times not to kill his targets though, so that was important to him.


    After he had read through the letter he looked up to Iris and then over to the waiting group in the distance. He was not sure if he wanted their help. They were probably here to get a feeling of his actual combat strength during climbs and if he accepted their help then he would give that information to Mars. On the other hand they would be useful as guides and they would be a great cover if he encountered anyone. He thought about it as bit and then accepted it as is. It was not too bad of a deal and he did want to climb sooner than later.


    ¡°So the manhunt is over?¡± he asked Iris who nodded.


    ¡°Yesterday the Climbers on blockade duty all came back to the Town. It was quite the spectacle. You were declared officially dead.¡± Iris said and smirked at that last part.


    ¡°They still kept your bounty up for your corpse though.¡±


    ¡°Well then. Mars came through. I am not really surprised, but its good to know that he keeps his word.¡±


    Aaron did not know why but it felt like a heavy weight had lifted of his shoulders. He was not hunted anymore, not really. He could resume being a normal Climber. Well as normal as a Cultivator climbing the Tower could be. It was still a relief.


    ¡°Okay, well then lets get to business. But first how did Mars treat you, are you still¡­?¡±


    ¡°I took your advice and Mars pays me to be his messenger now. Although I felt a bit superfluous when I heard you paid him a visit personally.¡± Iris gave him a mock pout.


    ¡°My debt has been canceled. I don¡¯t know, it felt like I had wings this past week. Like I can finally breathe again.¡±


    ¡°I am glad. But I hope you are willing to do some work for me as my messenger.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Iris said and cocked her hips to the side in a more seductive pose. ¡°I am willing to do anything for you.¡± she said with a wink.


    ¡°Great, then here is my shopping list for the next week.¡± Aaron said and gave her the list he had made. Iris took it, read through it and her eyebrows rose.


    ¡°Are you planning to live out here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, what do you think how much would all of this cost?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Quite a lot. This is basically a whole kitchen and food enough for a whole family for a month.¡±


    ¡°Are 20 mid grade mana stones enough?¡± Aaron asked and started counting the glittering stones out from the purse she had given him.


    ¡°20? Of course, 10 would be enough!¡± she said exasperated. He gave her 20 anyways and continued.


    ¡°That is not all what I want you to find. I need you to find some builders, construction workers and probably an architect if those exist in this world.¡±


    ¡°You want to build something out here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, come on I¡¯ll show you where.¡±


    Aaron led Iris into the woods. Every few steps he showed her a landmark or detail of the forest so she could find her way back to the spot more easily. Then after a few hundred yards he stopped in the middle of the forest. There he had marked the spot with four big sticks he had stuck into the earth. There was a small boulder nearby that hid the spot from view, but in the end that was just fake to make the builders believe he would really use this entrance to his bunker.


    ¡°Do you know what a root cellar is?¡± he asked iris, who nodded.


    ¡°That is an underground storage place for vegetables and stuff like that, no?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I plan to live out here and the first step is to have a place to store all my supplies. So a root cellar.¡±


    Iris nodded but then asked curiously.


    ¡°Why? You could easily live in the Town. It is not that far from here.¡±


    ¡°The Town is great, but it would mean Mars would know about all my movements and it would be much easier to surprise me. Out here is nothing but wilderness. Much harder to sneak up on if they are the only humans in range.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. I can try to find people who can do this, but they won¡¯t be cheap.¡±


    ¡°That is fine, if you need more money, I can always get it for you.¡±


    ¡°Well in that case I will try to come back in a week and start?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. I do not know how long I will be away climbing and doing Mars mission, so I might not be here next week. Just go ahead and start. I want a long tunnel, around a hundred meters long in an angle downwards. I know that makes it basically a tunnel, like a mine entrance, but I want the cellar to be deep enough.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No. If you can get this done over the next few weeks I would be really glad.¡±


    ¡°Can I mark the way here with something? I am not sure I can find my way back here.¡±


    ¡°Of course, go ahead. Just don¡¯t spread this location around too much.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best. Can¡¯t say this is my specialty. Finding people and making them work. Shopping is easy enough though.¡± Iris said contemplative.


    ¡°You can take a commission from whatever you buy. Just don¡¯t be greedy. I will find out eventually if you are.¡±


    Iris paused and then cleared her throat.


    ¡°Aaron.¡± she says seriously. ¡°You do not have to threaten me. I know what kind of man you are. I have no intentions of ever getting on your bad side.¡±


    ¡°It was not meant as a threat, more of a warning. Ah. I suppose that can be seen as a threat.¡± Aaron said and then shrugged.


    ¡°I won¡¯t take a commission unless you tell me how much. It would make me uncomfortable.¡± Iris said to explain.


    ¡°10% then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take five, that is plenty. I hope we can continue work together in the future.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself and yes. Cultivators have very, very long lives. Don¡¯t worry, those who treat me well will be rewarded. You already have seen that. No more working for a brothel, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. I am very grateful for that.¡± Iris said and gave him a coy smile. Aaron was conscious of the way Iris presented herself and the memory of his night with the pretty barmaid came to mind, before he swatted that thought down.


    ¡°Good, that is all I want for the week, find some builders and get started when I am not here next week.¡±


    ¡°I will get everything on that list. Don¡¯t worry. I got this.¡±


    ¡°Great, now lets deal with that group of busybodies.¡±


    ¡°Deal with? Aaron they were sent by Mars and¡­¡±


    ¡°Not like that.¡± Aaron interrupted her as he started walking back towards the group who had settled down to wait. Iris breathed out a sigh of relief and followed after him slowly, probably to remember the way. Aaron did not really know what he wanted to do with the group yet, but in the end he just went with his gut feeling. It would be nice to have some backup but he did not think he would need it. When he appeared before them on the path with Iris in tow the group stood back up and gathered around him.


    ¡°So, are you my babysitters for this mission, or can I send you home?¡±


    One of the Rogues, the one with the unstrung bow clared his throat and stepped forward.


    ¡°You are free to dismiss us at any time of course. We are here as guides and as your team if you want, Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. So what is your mission?¡±


    ¡°Resource gathering.¡± the female rogue said and twirled one of her throwing knives around her finger.


    ¡°Yes. We are here to support you, but if you say no, we go up to the fourth floor on our own to gather Crystal Dust. That is our mission. If you decide to take us with you, then we will be at your disposal of course. Just be aware we are not disposable assets. We all value our lives. Which is why we chose to run with the district and not some mage idiot.¡± the ranger said and spat out to the side at the mention of mages.


    ¡°Is that so? Well I am not a mage and I am not a leader. You can come with me, but I have some conditions.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°First, I do the fighting. You stay back and let me kill shit unless I tell you to intervene.¡±


    ¡°What, just you?¡± The greatsword warrior said with a scoff, before the rapier wearing rogue kicked him in the shin and the man shut up.


    ¡°Second, you pose as my group if anyone comes up to us. Be my cover. I would rather not be identified and hunted again if I can help it.¡± Aaron got immediate nods to that, which told him posing as his group was part of their purpose of being here.


    ¡°Third, you can be my pack mules. You are here to gather resources, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then grab what you can from the beasts I kill or flowers or whatever else you need to grab. I get 50%, you split the rest.¡±


    The group looked at each other and the female rogue grinned.


    ¡°So what we just follow you and pick up the loot?¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    She chuckled and shook her head in disbelief.


    ¡°Easiest Climb of my life. I am Shia. I am usually the scout for us.¡±


    ¡°Hold up, are we all okay with this? I still think you might be underestimating the tower, Cultivator.¡± The ranger said and looked at his group. The greatsword warrior shrugged and nodded. The axe warrior gave Aaron a sneer and nodded as well. The rapier wielding rogue nodded silently. The ranger sighed and then shrugged.


    ¡°Well, we are in agreement then. 50% of what you kill is yours, the rest is ours. We follow you, you kill. We heard we are going to the fourth floor, but that is basically it. What is the mission?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to kidnap a group from upstairs. Eight people from the 52nd floor.¡± Aaron explained and he shrugged. ¡°I will have to take a look at them and at the terrain. But I will probably nab them one by one and have you take care of them. That a problem?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Done hostage stuff before.¡± Most of the group nodded. Only Iris looked positively stunned. Her eyes wide, her mouth slightly open as she listened.


    ¡°My Name is Roger.¡± The ranger said. ¡°I am the team lead, Shia already introduced herself, she is our scout with me. The two warriors are Mortimer.¡± he nodded towards the greatsword wielding man. ¡°and Robin.¡± he pointed at the ax warrior. ¡°That there is Stab. He does not talk much.¡±


    ¡°Stab? Just stab?¡± Aaron asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°Yeah, never told us his name, he just stabs shit with that long rapier of his.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an old custom. We all choose a name or get one when we join the district. Although I kept my name.¡± Shia said with a smirk.


    ¡°Alright then. Mission is supposed to be time sensitive. Unless you have any other plans or the way to the second floor is still barred, we can go right now.¡± Aaron said and looked at Roger.


    ¡°Should be clear now, we would be able to pass either way though. So no worries. We came ready to climb.¡±


    ¡°Good, gimme a few minutes to pack my stuff. Iris, you got any more questions or things to relay to me?¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, no, that was all.¡± Iris said slightly flustered as they all looked at her. Aaron nodded and then leapt up into the forest, which had quite an effect on the group. Mortimer flinched and then looked around in disbelief, while Robin stared after him. Shia laughed in delight and Roger had the stony face of someone who was considering his life choices.


    Only the silent Stab kept following Aaron with his eye for quite a while. Interesting.


    Aaron went back to his small impromptu camp and gathered his things. He was honestly glad to have a proper excuse to climb. There had been some reluctance there. Being trapped on the second floor had not been a nice feeling and going back up into the desert or the jungle had left him with some trepidation. Now that he had made a choice and had jumped at the opportunity, he felt better. He filled his backpack with his manastones and backup potions, strapped his sleeping bag to the backpack and shouldered it. He went over the camp one more time to make sure he had not forgotten anything. Then he leapt back into the trees and landed quietly in front of the group that was still waiting for him.


    ¡°Neat trick.¡± Shia said with a grin.


    ¡°I am ready, lets go.¡± Aaron said and Roger nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way then as well. I wish you...good fortune?¡± Iris said and gave the group a small bow. Aaron nodded towards her and the woman turned away and walked down the path towards the Town. The two warriors ogled at her retreating backside until Roger cleared his throat.


    ¡°Well then, up we go to the second floor.¡± he said and walked down the path into the opposite direction of the Town. His group followed him with little hesitation and Aaron tagged along. It was a strange feeling to move with people, especially as they were not trying to kill him so far... It was a nice change of pace and Aaron wondered if he would get a chance to kill one of the bosses on the second floor. He was itching for a good fight and he looked forward to seeing what the third and fourth floor had in stock for him.

 68. The Third Floor

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    <div>


    Aaron was slightly apprehensive when he saw the staircase towards the second floor. There was the remote chance that this was an ambush, a setup and this group was here to kill him, not to help him. That was why he kept his guard up at all times. He studied how the group moved and he let them go ahead and walk first, while he took the rear. His senses told him that the fortifications, built at the base of the stairs and at the part of the staircase that met the walls, were abandoned. Not a single Vessel was there anymore and some of the fortifications had been dismantled. That was a good sign, but Aaron did not loose his weariness.


    He followed them up the staircase and only once he had the first floor behind him and was climbing the stairs did he feel more confident this was not a setup. The next good spot to ambush him would be at the exit of the staircase. So he readied himself, only to be disappointed when they finally reached the second floor. This entrance lead to the jungle biome and there was not a soul within his senses. More snakes than he could count, but no Vessels. Finally feeling a bit more confident he stepped out into the dusky humid snake infested rain forest.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take over the fighting from here. But you said you would be my guides.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Roger said as he strung his bow up and shifted the quiver of arrows so he had easy access to them. The warriors also got ready, Mortimer putting his greatsword on his broad shoulders and Robin had his axe in his hand. Shia and Stab seemed to be always ready. A trait which Aaron appreciated.


    ¡°Can you tell me where the big snake boss is for this biome?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is not that difficult actually. The Second floor is basically a giant circular floor that is split in half.¡± Roger scratched a circle into the mud with the tip of his boots. ¡°The boss is the same distance from every staircase leading up or down other floors.¡± He added a few marks at equal distances and then cut the circle in half. Finally he indented the mud with his heels at two spots in the center of the half circles.


    ¡°That is where the bosses are. So if you know which staircase you are at you can accurately determine the right direction to go for the boss.¡±


    ¡°Right that makes sense, so where are we?¡± Aaron asked.


    Roger pointed at one of the marks on the circle.


    ¡°Right there.¡± he looked up towards the bright fake sun and then pointed in a direction towards their right.¡°If we keep going in that direction we will get to the Boss.¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done with all the trees and snakes.¡± Shia commented and stabbed a snake that had snuck up on her.


    ¡°Well I could get there easily since you know I can just leap from tree to tree, but you guys can¡¯t, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably not, no.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, lets go then, stay behind me.¡± Aaron said and moved in the direction Roger had indicated. He left his daggers sheathed and readied himself. At first there was little to do as the group moved deeper into the jungle. Aaron moved through the vegetation like water. He slid through the thick undergrowth, his feet always finding solid ground. The group behind him could not replicate that and had Mortimer make them a path with his greatsword he swung like a giant scythe. A few snakes started to appear here and there that Aaron crushed with his boots or caught and killed with his bare hands. Like that they kept moving steadily, the group only had to deal with snakes coming from the sides and if they kept moving nothing really stood in there way.


    ¡°I have seen people use a sort of compass before while moving about this floor.¡± Aaron said conversationally, while he killed a giant boa coming their way with lazy efficiency by crushing its head.


    ¡°Yes, they are not uncommon, but magical in nature. We do not have a mage to replenish the mana inside of the enchanted tool.¡±


    ¡°Huh, you wouldn¡¯t know how they worked, would you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, no idea.¡±


    The deeper they got into the jungle the more snakes there were standing in their way, slithering towards them angrily. Now with his hands full Aaron started to really fight the environment. His fists moved in the familiar patterns of the Rejuvenating Fist kata as he combined each step, each new opponent into a never ceasing and flowing display of martial arts. He ducked under a snake springing at him like a coil, battered it out of the air and stomped on another snake, before he dodged the snake bite of two or three snakes that had come into range. Time seemed to slow down as he reacted with the unceasing Palm kata. His open palm slapped the head of the snake mid bite and tore its head off. Aaron¡¯s strength had increased by a lot since he had last been in this jungle and he waded through snake corpses without getting hit even once. To Aaron this was a brilliant training opportunity, to the group following behind him it looked very different. They gave him plenty of space and all they did was follow slowly, staring at the carnage of beasts and Aaron. They exchanged looks.


    ¡°Well fuck me.¡± Robin murmured and gripped his axe tighter.


    ¡°Have you ever seen anyone fight like this?¡±


    ¡°Rogues at lvl 20 or 30 are that fast.¡±


    ¡°He is not even using a weapon. He punches their heads off. How does that even work?¡± Shia asked and picked up a headless snake with a look of incredulous interest.


    Aaron ignored them and kept going, wading into the jungle and taking any attackers that came for him head on. Most of the time he did not even need to use the unceasing palm kata to defend himself. His anticipation and his senses told him where exactly the snakes were and he punched where they would be. He missed very rarely and more and more he marveled at the ease at which the different stances of the Rejuvenating Fist kata could be combined. It felt natural and his unnaturally limber body was more than capable of feats of acrobatics if necessary. Not that it ever was. But his range was deceptively larger than even the snakes realized and before they could react they were dead most of the time. Some snakes bit extremely fast though and those he needed the unceasing palm kata for. He loved how his reaction speed had already increased and that it was much easier to evade the sudden strikes.


    It took them less than an hour to reach the white tree, its dead branches shimmering like ivory in the intense sun. Aaron really looked forward to fighting that boss, but he was disappointed. The snake boss was not there anymore, only the carving glowed with magical light at the base of the tree.


    ¡°Well, we are lucky, one less boss to kill.¡± Roger said and the group went over to get their magical buff. Aaron had to sneeze once or twice already and he too got himself the snake emblem. With sensory harmony he could feel much more than he had before. He felt the spell form catch and imprint itself on his skin, felt the surrounding magic shift and change. It was utterly fascinating. The curse was still in affect, it must be built into the floor itself Aaron guessed. But he and everyone else with this tattoo like emblem were somehow taken out of the curse. Like an exception in a computer program. To feel the magic surrounding him react was utterly fascinating. But not unexpected.


    Aaron could still see the trampled and cut out path through the jungle the manhunt groups had used. But already the jungle was taking the space back. Lianas had fallen from above, all kinds of overbearing plant life had sprouted forth, but to Aaron it was still obvious which way to go. He turned towards the cut into the forest and started moving into the gap. The group followed silently. Aaron did appreciate that they did not feel the need to chatter all the time. Instead they moved slowly and meticulously. The axe warrior Robin moved on the left side of the group, taking snake bites with his shield and cut through them with his axe. Mortimer was on vegetation clearing duty and looked bored. Since he walked directly behind Aaron no snake ever reached him. The man had a tireless endurance though, swinging his giant blade left and right in an even tempo, cleaving through the vegetation with ease. On the right side of the group Stab covered them, his rapier cut through any offending snake that got close with lethal precision. Aaron had to actually focus on the man to follow his movements. That man was a really high level Vessel no doubt. His sharp weapon pierced scales and heads with equal ease and Aaron¡¯s mana sense told him that the weapon was enchanted. Roger walked in the center, an arrow knocked, but he did not have to shoot even once. Shia walked at the back, more skipping along than walking as she dispatched one or two snakes with her daggers with wickedly quick cuts.


    Aaron could see that they were a team with plenty experience and they worked together well. He had no doubt he could kill them all though if necessary. Well all but Stab. That man was sometimes too fast. He might be a challenge. Roger remained an unknown as well so Aaron kept up his guard. He did not have the luxury of underestimating his opponents or allies.


    They quickly left behind the center of the jungle and eventually came to the border to the desert. Aaron stepped out on to hot sand and stretched. What a good workout that had been. He looked back to the group that was removing snake bits from their clothes.


    ¡°Want to take a break or are we good to go?¡±


    ¡°We are fine, lets go get the second key and head up today.¡± Roger said while he took a sip from a canteen.


    ¡°Will you take the lead again?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I told you. I will do the fighting.¡±


    Roger hesitated and then asked:


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because that is what the Tower was built for. To train us. I won¡¯t make the mistake to not take advantage of it.¡±


    The group looked at each other, but they did not comment other than that. They clearly thought he was mad, or at least strange, but Aaron could really care less.


    The desert was exactly how he remembered it and the first scorpion he faced was obliterated. Aaron had spotted the thing instantly and moved to engage. It had burrowed itself in the sand and it sprung up as Aaron ran at it. Aaron dodged past the stinger, slapped a pincer away with his left and smashed his right fist into the creatures small beady eyed head. The carapace cracked and the creatures head disintegrated. The difference to when he had last faced these beasts was palpable, but then again he was almost four minor realms stronger in Cultivation had two new and improved techniques and months of training more.


    They traveled through the desert with little opposition. The scorpions fell before Aaron easily. But not as easily as the snakes. Their tough bodies made for a more challenging environment and Aaron felt thirsty quickly because of the curse. But in the end they had no problems moving forward. When they reached the desert interior and the giant boulder like mountain that contained the boss arena, Aaron could sense the Bosses presence inside. He had to hide his excitement and took a drink before he turned to the group.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fighting the boss alone as well, you can watch of course, but I don¡¯t think it will be any trouble.¡±


    ¡°Alone? You realize it takes a full group to beat them usually, right?¡± Robin asked, but Roger gave the man a hard look and he shut up.


    They entered the Arena together and Aaron walked forward to the giant white scorpion. The beast gave a screeching roar and charged as soon as Aaron stepped deeper into the arena. Aaron slowed down and took a deep breath as he watched the giant thing barrel down on him. He felt calm, tranquil in this moment and then he started to move. He slipped naturally into the Unceasing Palm kata. He evaded the charge by moving to the left and tapped the pincer trying to shoo him into the opponents clacking mandibles with a palm strike. The force of the palm strike made the attack miss and go above his head. Aaron kept moving and remembered the maxim of the Unceasing Palm kata while he started to dodge and weave around the irate scorpion.


    ¡°A Palm unceasing, unwavering, but never still, like flowing water.¡± he muttered to himself.


    At first his movements were too rapid, too quick and hurried to take full affect, but Aaron was not trying to win this fight instantly, he was trying to train. He slowed down and his movements got smooth, liquid and he stopped hesitating so much. He kept moving, switching between the 36 stances of the kata at demand while he circled around the giant scorpion. Each punch, each attack from its tail or its pincers was evaded and Aaron felt himself get faster as he did so. He kept going for minutes, always aware of his surroundings, never surprised by anything the scorpion did, he moved like water. His calm mind fell into a trance like state as he fought. He had never really had to use the Unceasing Palm kata in a fight. This was the first time and he kept it up. 5 minutes turned into 15, then 30. But the scorpion barely slowed down. It did though eventually. Aaron¡¯s palm strikes were not weak and he bruised and battered the boss until it slowed down finally.


    Aaron let out a sigh of disappointment as his trance broke and the marvelous feeling of being one with the kata vanished. He looked up at the giant monster and filled his right and left arm with Qi. This was another technique he had not used in combat yet. Qi Reinforcement. He filled his arm with Qi and intent. ¡®Reinforce, make it stronger, more resilient.¡¯ he thought intently. His Qi followed his commands and his arms were soon filled to the brim with Qi clinging to his muscles. The Qi was slowly absorbed by his body, like always, but his body was not as ravenous for Qi anymore so he had some time. There was a time limit on this technique though. Aaron activated Wind steps and jumped over the beasts pincers. He dodged the stinger mid air and then balled his right hand into a fist. He instinctively chose a straight punch of the rejuvenating fist and let it loose, combining his momentum and his Qi reinforced punch in a lethal attack on the creatures head.


    Aaron¡¯s fist smashed through the scorpions head like a knife through butter. He was surprised by the force of his own punch and his arm sunk in up to the elbow into the scorpions brains. The creature screeched, convulsed and then collapsed, giving Aaron just enough time to rip his arm out of the beast and leap off. He landed gracefully on the sand of the arena, a picture of martial might. Which he immediately destroyed by cursing as he tried to shake off the brain matter from his arm.


    The group had settled down to watch and were surprised by the sudden end of the fight. Aaron bowed down and rubbed off the gore with sand as the group came to their senses.


    ¡°Did he kill it? I didn¡¯t see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°So...he could have done this from the start?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Stab said making the whole group look at him.


    ¡°He could have killed the boss at any time.¡± Stab clarified and then fell silent again.


    ¡°And here I was thinking the districts training was crazy.¡± Shia said with a chortle and walked past the corpse towards the back of the cave where the scorpion symbol had appeared. Everyone, including Aaron followed her and got their second magical imprint. Aaron sighed when he felt the thirst vanish from him and took a deep sip from his canteen to get the dry feeling out of his mouth.


    ¡°So? Lets go to the third floor.¡± he said with a smirk.


    ¡°Alright, lets go that way.¡± Roger said and pointed to the right as they exited the arena.


    Aaron took the lead again, dispatching scorpions as he went, but it was a ruthless efficient endeavor this time. He was done training with those things. Instead his mind turned to the third floor and he looked back to roger.


    ¡°Tell me, what kind of floor is the third floor?¡±


    ¡°Its an environmental floor just like this one. An ocean floor to be precise.¡±


    ¡°An ocean floor?¡±


    ¡°Yeah with a curse to go with it. But you will see. Its much easier to explain things when we get there.¡± Roger said and Aaron did not inquire further. They crossed the desert quicker now, since the density of the scorpions decreased and Aaron had to kill less and less as they advanced. When they finally reached one of the great doors leading up to the third floor, Aaron slowed down and let the group take the lead. Roger stepped forward and touched the carved symbols of the door with the spell imprints on his body. Aaron watched as the beautifully carved marble door lit up, felt the magic course through the door and then it opened up, the door hinges swinging towards them. Behind the door was not a staircase, like Aaron had expected but a swirling mass of magic. It was a spell, the biggest and most intense spell he had ever seen, but it was static. Aaron was surprised and then he watched as the group strapped down their weapons and readied themselves.


    ¡°What is that exactly?¡± Aaron asked and pointed at the swirling mass of magic.


    ¡°A portal. Technically the staircases are also portals, you just barely realize it.¡±


    ¡°Huh, fascinating. Can mages actually replicate this?¡±


    ¡°No idea, maybe at the higher floors? Not down here that is for sure.¡±


    Roger took a look at them and then nodded.¡°Lets go.¡± he said and the group walked into the portal.


    To Aaron¡¯s senses it was like the spell took a hold of them and then something opened up. In an instant he could sense another place, felt water, smelled salt and then it was gone. He observed this for every member of the group, before he stepped in front of the portal. It was really connecting itself to another place like a wormhole or yes a portal. Utterly fascinating Aaron wished he could replicate that. Portals would be incredibly useful, but he doubted Emnu would allow portals between floors other than the ones he had created. He took a deep breath and then stepped into the portal.


    He felt the magic around him grip him in a tight seal and then the portal opened and deposited him through itself to somewhere else. It was a strange feeling and Aaron could not resist the spell, even if he tried. It was too fast to react to, almost instantaneous. Before he knew it, the hot desert air was gone and he smelled salt water and his hair was tussled by strong winds. Aaron found himself in the air, just a few meters above an ocean. And it was an ocean. Water stretched out towards the horizon, the walls of the tower the only thing restricting the vast mass of water. He activated Wind steps and instead of falling he floated downwards like a leaf while he looked around.


    The first thing he saw was the ocean. For a moment he thought he was falling down at an angle or was somehow turned around, but then he inspected the ocean in front of him. He blinked at the rising ocean turning into a massive mountain of water stretching into the sky. He was confused by what he was seeing and he felt like he was going mad for a moment. But then his mind understood the paradoxical view. What he was seeing was a storm, a giant water whirlwind that stretched from the ocean floor all the way up to the sky. If he squinted he could even see the water dip into the clouds. It looked like an upside down maelstrom, a giant mass of water swirling with great speeds, just that this one did not suck things downwards, but upwards towards the distant ceiling of the floor. Thousands, maybe tens of thousands of meters up into the air. The giant weather phenomenon was literally miles high and Aaron immediately suspected that this was magic at work, probably Emnu¡¯s design. In the end he decided against it being like a whirlwind, but made out of water. The steady circular motion of the water made it clear what it was. Aaron had never seen anything like it and the fake sun that shone down on them seemed to rotate around the center of the maelstrom. Sprays of water like mist rose around the top of the maelstrom and drifted away as clouds. All the wind that blew across the floor was towards the giant madness inducing mass of water.


    Aaron¡¯s feet touched the slightly rocky water surface and found purchase, much to his surprise. Aaron felt himself sink soon after that though and he took a step and then another. He was walking on water he realized and had to chuckle to himself as he walked over the choppy waves of the ocean. The district group had been deposited into the air like him and they were swimming in the ocean all around him, spluttering and Aaron was impressed that the warriors did not sink. Their strong bodies had to move a lot though to keep them up.


    ¡°What the hell, no fair.¡± Shia commented when she saw Aaron walk on water.


    ¡°How the fuck are you doing that?¡±


    ¡°I could try to explain it to you, but I don¡¯t think you would understand.¡± Aaron said with a smirk.


    ¡°Fucking Cultivator bullshit.¡± Shia spat as she got a face full of water from a wave crashing into her.


    Roger pointed towards the wall and shouted:¡°Lets swim to Oceanview.¡±


    ¡°Oceanview?¡± Aaron asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what they call the little village here. Come on guys, this is not our first rodeo. Swim.¡±


    Aaron had to keep moving to stay on top of the water and he quickly spotted what Roger had called a village. Only a few hundred yards away was land, well more like an over sized sandbank with a few wooden buildings on top. The island was nestled against the wall and bare of any vegetation. Just buildings and Aaron¡¯s good eyes quickly told him that there were people there as well. He turned towards the island and then skipped over the waves with wind steps. He was far faster than the others and reached the island in a fraction of the time it took them. He reached the shore and stepped on sand while he looked around with interest.


    The village of Oceanview was made out of wood brought here from lower floors he guessed because he saw mostly wooden log buildings and sand. There was no solid earth here and so most of the buildings were build on stakes, giving it a lagoon like look. There were only 10 or 12 houses here and most of them were boat shops. ¡°Caravan transport¡± ¡°Gerix Boats¡± and ¡°The Long Log¡± to name only the biggest of them. There was also a massive supply shop called ¡°Underwater Goods¡± and a Tavern or Inn called the ¡°Drowned Sailor¡± that together formed around a half circle around a well. But that was not the strangest thing he saw. The people walking around were the weirdest, because most of them wore glass bowls over their heads filled with water. The majority wore what looked like ancient dive suits with a diving bell on top of their head, but there were one or two he saw with just a clear glass bowl over their heads that had a magical seal. He blinked in surprise and turned around as the group finally reached land, panting hard from swimming and swallowing water.


    ¡°I hate swimming in armor.¡± Robin said and flopped on his back at the beach.


    ¡°Why do they wear a water filled bowl on their head?¡± Aaron asked Roger who was inspecting his bow string critically, before he looked up to Aaron.


    ¡°Ah, that is because of the curse on this floor.¡±


    ¡°What curse is that?¡±


    ¡°You might not feel it yet, but there is a persistent curse on the floor that robs you of the ability to breathe air.¡±


    Aaron raised his eyebrows. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but there are other ways to breathe here. Most of this village is under water. Down that well. They grow kelp there. Magical kelp. It allows you to breathe water. I have no idea how it works before you ask. But that is how people live here.¡±


    ¡°If you ask me they are nuts. If you forget to eat kelp for too long you will either drown because of the bubble your head is in or suffocate in the air.¡± Mortimer growled and pointed at the people going on about their business.


    Aaron frowned at the boat shops and then looked back up the giant maelstrom.


    ¡°So...these boat shops are renting out boats to cross that giant maelstrom up to the fourth floor I suppose?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Most groups do that, the third floor is a nightmare if you are not properly trained in underwater fighting. Caravans also take the biggest boats. Its why there are people living here in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, fascinating. So there are fish in this ocean?¡±


    Mortimer scoffed. ¡°Fish? Yeah, but also giant eels, sharks as big as a house and giant krakens that eat them. There is all kinds of monsters down there.¡±


    Aaron chuckled to himself as he studied the ocean.


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t really like this Emnu guy, even though he did bring me back from the dead. But you have to give it to him, he knows how to challenge his soldiers.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean that this whole tower so far has been made to serve as a classic environmental training. First a forest, easy, lots of ways to scavenge for food, to hide, to move, good solid base for your operations. Then a desert and dehydration forcing you to plan ahead, to bring enough water and even if you do, you will fight in a dehydrated state against the scorpions because of the curse. The jungle challenges you to fight while sick and the jungle itself is not called a green hell for nothing. Poison, sickness, sneaky camouflaged snakes as your enemies. All that on a timer. And now this, an ocean level to train you in underwater combat.¡±


    He spread out his arm trying the explain, but then just shrugged. ¡°Seems a waste to just skip it.¡±


    ¡°You really are mad, who needs to be able to fight under water?¡± Shia said with a shake of her head as she squeezed the water out of her short hair.


    ¡°Well few people I guess, but training for it can still be valuable.¡± Aaron said and looked to Roger.


    ¡°We have two weeks to get to the spot where that group from the 52nd floor is, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Roger said and looked at him with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°Then I will train for a week down there.¡± Aaron said with a smirk and pointed at the ocean.


    ¡°Oh come on.¡± Robin grumbled and heaved himself to his feet. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious? We could be at the fourth floor tonight and get on with our mission. Why delay?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, would be a shame to waste the opportunity given to us by our beloved overlord.¡±


    ¡°You should not take Lord Emnu¡¯s name in vain.¡± Mortimer said seriously.


    ¡°Sorry, but I very much doubt he is a god. Either way you don¡¯t have to join me. You can stay here.¡±


    The group looked at each other. They looked reluctant to say the least, but eventually Shia said.


    ¡°You know there is that spot the Boss told us about Roger. The rare spawn?¡±


    Roger groaned and then sighed.


    ¡°Fine, we will come with you, Cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself. So what do we do first?¡±


    ¡°Buy supplies and then go down the well.¡±


    ¡°Well then, my guides, go ahead.¡± Aaron said with a smirk as the group walked into the small village.

 69. Seafood

    The group first entered the giant supply shop called Underwater Goods. They had to walk up a flight of stairs that creaked ominously before they entered what looked like a warehouse stuffed with all kinds of stuff that had only one vague thing in common. The ocean. Right in the center when they went into the shop was a display of different diving bells and suits in different price ranges. From dirt cheap brass bowls with a small glass opening for the eyes to luxurious enchanted glass bowls that promised years of use with just one enchantment charge and free recharge. It was honestly a bit over the top, but it did not even come close to the rest of the store.


    There were different harpoons and spear guns to one side, with an equally absurd amount of different variants. From the cheapest one shot spear gun, to giant multishot shotgun type spear guns with magazines to have more than one shot. That behemoth of a gun looked very much like only a warrior could even carry it. Most of the spear guns were not actually guns, but used a crossbow like mechanism that worked under water from the looks of it.


    On the other side of the shop were walls of different supplies. From clothes for underwater use to diving suits. Underwater stoves that promised to grill your fish even under 100 times pressure like on a grill to survival rations that could be eaten under water. And of course there were boats, kayaks and other sporty looking goods that would have been common in most sporting goods on earth to enchanted underwater vessels with absurd price tags and magical seals against theft. All in all it was a cornucopia of goods all arranged in a maze like structure that Aaron was familiar with. It felt like stepping into a big store back home on earth. There were one or two people working here, clad in dark blue shirts and bowls on their head. The cheapest enchanted kind.


    A girl stepped up to them, her hair drifting in the water around her head like it had a life of its own. She smiled at them and waved, before she talked.


    ¡°Welcome to Underwater Goods, how can I help you today?¡± her voice sounded slightly distorted and she exaggerated some words as she was talking through the water. It was really weird, but also fascinating.


    Roger, who had been here before apparently, said:


    ¡°We need a standard underwater package, rations, kelp, a cheap stove and some simple dive capable clothes for all of us.¡± He pointed towards one of the spear guns.


    ¡°I will also take one of those.¡±


    ¡°Of course, right away.¡± she answered her words slightly warbled by the water.


    ¡°So can you even fight in armor down there?¡± Aaron asked as he inspected some gear promising that it would hold up even against shark bites.


    ¡°Yes, but it really tires you a lot. Have not done much underwater fighting. Its very different.¡± Mortimer said with a shrug.


    ¡°Swords and axes are less useful. My greatsword can still be used to stab stuff, but you can¡¯t really cut with it anymore. Robin¡¯s axe is basically toothless.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a spear or something.¡± Robin said looking miserable as he patted the axe on his belt.


    The employee led them to some changing rooms and they were given water appropriate clothes, which in this case was a sort of wetsuit that was not made out of rubber. The fabric was tight and stretchy, but clearly it was cloth, although distinctly different in texture and quality from most stuff Aaron had seen so far in the tower.


    ¡°What is this?¡± he asked the employee.


    ¡°This is a special mix out of spider silk and coral thread. The best unenchanted alternative there is on a budget.¡±


    ¡°Coral? I thought what they left behind is basically rock?¡±


    ¡°Well it is what gives the fabric its toughness. But I do not know how it is made. It will keep you insulated and warm even in the deep and it won¡¯t rip. Very comfortable.¡±


    ¡°Well, alright then.¡± The whole group started to change into the outfits and Aaron did the same. The suit was made in basically one piece, which meant he had to slip first into the legs, make sure they sat tight and then pull the whole thing up over his body. This would be a pain in the ass to get off. There were some openings sealed by what looked like a zipper so one could answer natures call, but besides that it felt incredibly tight and restrictive. The fabric started to stretch as Aaron closed the front and felt it snugly fit his whole body. The rest of the group seemed equally uncomfortable with the clothes, except Shia who looked just as comfortable as before. She even had her bandolier with throwing knives back around her chest.


    They left the store with three rucksacks of supply, a speargun and a spear, which cost them a fair bit of shards. Aaron did not have to pay anything. Roger took care of it, saying he would be reimbursed once they were back on the first floor. Strangely though Aaron had not seen any flippers to swim better. But maybe they had them below. They walked over to the bar called the Drowned Sailor and asked a surly innkeeper with a bowl on his head for space to keep their belongings they did not want to get wet. It was apparently a common thing and they stored their stuff in what locked like a big locker. Aaron stored most of his belongings in there. None of it was stuff he would really miss. His sleeping bag, his clothes, two daggers, a few potions, his bow. None of which was particularly suited for underwater use. He just left with 6 potions on his belt, his enchanted dagger and his purse with his memory cores and manastones. That was it.


    ¡°I would suggest we acclimate today and tomorrow morning we can do...well whatever you decide to Cultivator.¡± Roger said as the group assembled in the inn.


    ¡°You can call me Aaron, Roger.¡± Aaron said with a small smile. ¡°And that sounds like a great plan.¡±


    Roger nodded stiffly and then pointed at a hole in the middle of the inn.


    ¡°One of the ways down. Half of this inn is underwater. But lets eat some kelp first.¡±


    ¡°Time for some food.¡± Shia said with a grin and sat down at the counter, shouting for a menu. The group settled down around her and Aaron soon had a menu in front of him. The Drunken sailor only offered three dishes, but they had a whole barrage of drinks listed on two pages. Aaron ordered the Kelp soup and a grilled fish baked in kelp, as well as a drink called Siren Song. Their food arrived quickly. With only three menu items there was almost no downtime. Aaron got his soup first, which was a big bowl of what looked like seafood stew with bits of green luminescent kelp swimming in it. The kelp even when cooked had a slight rainbow sheen in the light and Aaron studied the bit of kelp he had on his spoon for a moment, before he shrugged and took a big bite.


    The kelp was chewy and tasted vaguely like...green. Like a leafy vegetable, bitter and slightly sweet, but Aaron thought he could taste the chlorophyll in them as well. The stew itself was made with all matter of seafood and had a deep umami taste with barely any fishy or overly salty notes. It was also decently spicy. Aaron ate with gusto and checked out what the rest of the group had gotten. Shia had chosen the grilled skewers with bits of kelp in between the fish meat. It smelled delicious because it was smothered in some sort of sauce. It had a delightful charred smell that permeated the whole inn. Other than that the two warriors had ordered the baked fish. Which turned out to be 12 inches long and full of flaky white meat. The fish had been baked in kelp itself and the kelp in question looked like green rainbow ribbons wrapped around the fish. It was steamy and was served with three different dipping sauces. Aaron got his own fish soon after. Roger had ordered the skewers and Stab the soup. They gave him a look when the baked fish arrived, but Aaron was almost done with the stew.


    It was made by a chef, the balance of the soup was too good, but it was not that amazing. So probably not particularly high level. Aaron tried the baked fish and found the meat deliciously flaky and juicy. The dipping sauces were an incredibly spicy red one, a salty and slightly lemony one and one that was sweet and sour. It was delicious and Aaron finished the whole fish and soup in the time it took the rest of the group to go through half of their meal. Aaron then ordered the skewers for himself, getting a second look by the surly innkeeper, before he was served. Aaron ate enough for two men, but was still hungry in the end. The skewers were fantastic, the kelp nicely charred alongside with the meat and the sauce it was cooked with over the fire gave the meat a fragrant and spicy flavor.


    ¡°By the lord, you sure have an appetite.¡± Robin commented.


    ¡°I am still growing.¡± Aaron said with a smirk as he finished of the last of the skewers.


    ¡°Right¡­ How long does the kelp take to take affect?¡± Shia asked.


    ¡°Around 15 minutes, so it should start soon.¡± The innkeeper said and served some drinks.


    Aaron¡¯s Siren Song was a mixture out of multiple alcohols and was salty and sweet, with only a hint of bitterness. His body processed the high percentage alcohol almost instantly and so Aaron just got a minute or so high, when the alcohol went to his head, before he was entirely sober again. While they waited he wondered what the kelp actually did. He soon started to feel it. Magic in his stomach.


    It was one of those feelings you can¡¯t really describe unless you had it before. Like something in his guts trying to spread out, only to be restricted by the potent power of his Cultivation. The magic traveled the path of least resistance, back up his throat and Aaron had to burp. While he did so, he felt the magic catch. It was not a spellform, not really. It felt too...primal, too loose and undefined. It was like a natural magic, wild and unconstrained. Like a side effect of the kelp when it reacted to stomach acid. One burp followed another and then Aaron felt something cover his lips. He panicked only for a moment before he discovered that it was a bubble. Like a chewing gum bubble you would blow up, just transparent with a slight rainbow sheen. He opened and closed his mouth, but the bubble stayed. He even poked it with his finger. Then he realized it started to become harder to breathe.


    ¡°You better get below.¡± The innkeeper stated and pointed towards the hole in the middle of the room. Aaron walked over and he noticed the rest of the group had started to burp as well. Not the most appetizing way of getting the power to breathe underwater, but it was probably easier to maintain this way. Aaron took a look down the hole. It looked like a normal well. He held his breath, so he was fine, but he had felt how he could suddenly not breathe normally anymore. It had crept up on him and he wondered how many people had died on this floor before they found the kelp and used it to cross the floor. Either way it was time to test out if this strange bubble actually worked. He vaulted over the small balustrade around the well and fell down into the water.


    Aaron let himself be submerged and opened his eyes under water once he had gotten his bearings. It was murky in the well, but there was light coming from down below and up top. He could feel the bubble now cling to his lips and took a tentative breath. Air streamed into his mouth and into his lungs. He breathed out into the bubble and was fascinated to see no bubbles at all. The spell or whatever it was that created this effect somehow transformed air into water or filtered oxygen out of the water and vice versa. He carefully touched the bubble over his mouth and was able to push through, but the bubble remained. It was even over his nostrils. His eyes and ears were getting the full salt water treatment though. His eyes stung a bit, but he would acclimatize he hoped.


    His senses were going haywire though. His sense of sound was all garbled and he heard...he heard so much. It was like being suddenly inside of a drum. The water transmitting the sound slowly, but all at once. It also changed the frequency of what he was hearing. Below him was noise and beyond it was noise. But his senses were unable to parse through it. It felt like the first time when he had gotten Sensory Harmony. The sense impressions made no sense, it was all just sensory overload.


    With a splash the next member of the group jumped down, Mortimer. He sank down in his armor like a stone and the rest of the group followed suit. The rogues swam, while the warriors sank with the extra weight of their armor. Aaron took a minute to get his senses under control. His sense of smell was entirely gone. But his ability to feel the water currents and movement around him with the hairs on his arms was enhanced. His eyes pierced the water far deeper and further than he had expected, but sound was in the end the real and ultimate sense in the water. Aaron knew how submarines used echolocation and many animals did the same. He doubted he could recreate their feats and send out an echo he could interpret. At least for the time being. But he would be able to decode the sounds he got through his ears like a sonar, he was sure of that. Already he could make out the sounds of the group moving in the water.


    He followed them down the well into a new room. The underwater aesthetic was very different from up above. It felt like Aaron was inside of a coral reef that had been sculpted to look like an inn. There was a bar with people behind it preparing food or drinks, he guessed. The drinks were kept in small capsules the customers put into their bubbles before opening with a small latch. Food was eaten by hand. From what he could see it looked like sashimi and the grilled skewers from above. There were no real chairs, but there were tables. Little cubbies lined the walls, looking like small caves that surrounded a table. Each cubicle had a different colored coral theme and they came in wildly different colors. From crimson red to a deep dark blue over a bright yellow. The Inn was more popular down here and there were 10 or more customers here, drinking or eating. Living plants and underwater growth lined the hall, giving it all an overgrown, sunken look.


    Aaron concentrated only on his surroundings. Let his ears and sense of touch follow the disturbances in the water of the people passing and swimming around him. He listened to them. Their voices were not that hard to understand. The multiversal translator probably helped with that. He would need some time to acclimate though. His group settled down in one of the cubicles and Shia ordered something. Aaron told them he wanted to try the sashimi and the skewers again and then just drifted there. Not really standing or sitting. He was just focusing on his sensory impressions with closed eyes.


    Slowly, over minutes he acclimated and his brain was able to parse through the onslaught of new information. It gave him a headache though and when his food was there he ate silently, trying to only listen to the group.


    ¡°I hate underwater missions, my armor is going to rust so fast. I¡¯ll have to polish it when we are out.¡± Mortimer grumbled.


    ¡°At least you can use your weapon.¡± Robin said and gave the spear, a trident to be specific, a malevolent look.


    ¡°This thing is only an emergency measure.¡±


    ¡°Boys, you forget this is basically a paid vacation.¡± Shia said while she demolished another skewer.


    ¡°We won¡¯t have to fight and will come away with loads of fish and other loot. What is better than that?¡±


    ¡°Dry land?¡± Robin said with disgust.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a sourpuss. The food here is great and cheap.¡±


    ¡°I will get us some rooms here. We can all take a rest. Just don¡¯t forget to eat something with kelp before you go to sleep.¡± Roger said while he drank the last bit of his drink out of a capsule.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Yes, mom.¡± Shia said with a chuckle as Roger swam towards one of the Inns employees.


    Slowly but surely Aaron¡¯s senses could tell him more about his surroundings. But he was glad for the downtime. As always Sensory Harmony was very much a double edged sword. If the group had decided to fight him right here and now, he would have been almost helpless. Nothing indicated he was though and he kept up the ruse. But he was sweating internally. He did not like to be vulnerable and he had to see how well his fighting techniques held up under water. He finished his meal, that was because of the salt water a bit soggy, but not overly salted to his delight. The sashimi he had was juicy and delicious, but he could have done without it being wet. Oh well.


    He swam out of the cubicle and Shia called after him.


    ¡°Where you going, Aaron?¡±


    ¡°Out for a stroll.¡± Aaron said as he turned around to face her.


    ¡°Let me accompany you.¡±


    ¡°What? You gonna be my babysitter now?¡±


    ¡°Yep, can¡¯t let you swim off into the sunset without us knowing.¡±


    ¡°Fine, just don¡¯t disturb me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be like I am not even there.¡± she said as she shot forward through the water like a fish. She had acclimated very quickly and she swam very well. She moved her entire body to swim like a dolphin and was fast and agile. He suspected her class gave her the agility and control over her body necessary to do that. Aaron was a bit miffed that they did not want to leave him out of sight, but he had accepted this kind of thing when they had still been on the first floor. It was obvious that they were here to learn about him just as much as they wanted to help and keep him alive. So if Shia wanted to accompany him, that was fine. He swam out of the inn, with long breast strokes and found himself reminded that he was not the best swimmer. He had never been a marine or a frog man, so this was not really his element. But he would master it, he promised himself.


    Once they were outside, Aaron looked up towards a distant sun shining brilliant rays of light through the water. Schools of small fish swam around like birds in the sky, only sometimes disturbed by bigger fish hunting them. The deep cerulean blue of the ocean was everywhere and if they did not have the walls of the tower in their backs, Aaron would have felt lost in the vastness of the ocean. There were only a few more buildings down here in this village. They were either about fishing or farming kelp. The precious kelp grew everywhere around them and in giant dozen meter high undulating forests of the stuff. The whole village of Oceanview was on top of a natural underwater mountain and coral reef. Many fishes and crustaceans shared the space. All matter of fauna and flora prospered here and it looked relatively safe. There were no guards and quite a few people working here.


    Most of them were swimming around the kelp, while others were carving giant fish into pieces. Some had nets with fish or were picking crustaceans and placing them in baskets. Aaron watched as a group of men demolished what looked like a three meter tall tuna and then stored the meat in strange containers made out of what looked like wood.


    ¡°Can you imagine, once they ship that fish down to the first floor it will be worth its weight in shards. And if they manage to sell it to a caravan that can get to Ambition before the fish goes bad its worth its weight in manastones.¡± Shia said as she drifted next to him. Her voice was clearly audible, but it too was a bit warbled from the water.


    ¡°But fishing is very dangerous, so many see it as an even trade.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, the monsters on this floor are no joke. I hope you know what you are doing.¡±


    ¡°We will see.¡± Aaron said noncommittally and swam upwards to a small ledge in the coral reef that had a nice view over ocenview and its underwater surroundings. There he settled down, sat on his legs and tried to calm down. He still ended time for his senses to acclimate to the new environment, so he decided to cultivate first. It had felt weird to be able to breathe entirely normal under water at first and the pressure of the water all around him had made itself known in his ears and was weighing down his limbs. It was not entirely uncomfortable. It felt more like a weighted blanked when he had closed his eyes. A wet salty weighted blanket.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Shia asked and Aaron located her with his ears to be somewhere to his right.


    ¡°Meditation.¡± was all he said, without opening his eyes. He restricted his senses, tried to focus on the inside, but his ears and sense of touch were too overbearing, sharing the constant touch of water and the sound of marine life with him at every second.


    ¡°For how long?¡± Shia asked.


    ¡°An hour.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    There was a long pause and then Shia grunted and settled down behind him and kept quiet. Aaron kept her in mind, focused on her as he calmed his mind. Still alert and very much ready to defend himself, although he did not know yet if he could. But his senses came first. He felt the mana in the water, felt it flow through the entire floor like another hidden and invisible current. But he could not absorb the mana through his breath, when he tried, he felt the bubble move and bulge inwards before he stopped. Well it was magic and he was absorbing magic, of course it would be in danger as well. He would have to focus more not to absorb it too quickly, or at least he would need extra kelp, a lot of extra kelp.


    He decided to absorb a manastone and fished one out of his purse. One of Mars mid grade manastones. He unsheathed his dagger and cut his hand, but almost hissed in pain as the salty water burned in the open wound. Great. He felt the intensity of the pain as if he had driven a burning nail through his palm. With a grunt of dissatisfaction he placed the mid grade manastone into his palm and started to absorb it as his blood turned nipped at the concentrated and solidified magic. A stream of mana entered him and he guided it into his dantian slowly, before he began cycling it. His mind wandering from Shia and what she was doing, to guiding Qi and the pain of his open wound.


    The cut closed in less than a minute and with a grunt Aaron reopened it. This would be torture to do. And for what? Barely any improvement? But that in the end Aaron decided was the cultivator way. He had to just keep at it, to add a little Qi to himself every day to become invincible in the future. Gradual, never ceasing progress. That was his goal.


    Shia curiously swam forward as she noticed Aaron doing something and then flinched. Aaron was pleased he could notice that reaction with just his ears.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡±


    Aaron opened his eyes and looked at her. Shia had a hand on her dagger and was staring at his palm in a mixture of horror and curiosity.


    ¡°Its one way I can absorb mana, through manastones.¡± Aaron said and turned the manastone in the open wound. The bottom of the pyramid shaped stone had been dissolved like he had dipped it into acid. Shia looked utterly fascinated.


    ¡°You absorb manastones like mages?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think mages do this.¡± he said and reopened the closing wound again.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡± she asked and winced as he sliced his hand open again.


    ¡°It hurts like hell in salt water.¡± Aaron said with a smirk.


    ¡°Then...then why?¡±


    ¡°Because it makes me stronger.¡± Aaron said and closed his eyes again.


    Shia just stood there staring at him as Aaron absorbed the whole mid grade manastone. After going through his cycling technique Aaron could barely notice the increase in his power. He remembered when mid grade manastones had been sources of incredible power. But at least he could use them a lot and it did help him. It just looked like if he kept doing this he would need a really good source of income to keep up this cultivation speed.


    The hour passed slowly and Shia had settled down in front of him, staring at his calm motions of dagger, manastones and hand as he cultivated. Once Aaron felt some slight resistance he stopped and opened his eyes. He stored the half dissolved manastone in his purse, swiped the dagger a few times in the surrounding water and then sheathed it.


    ¡°Done?¡± Shia asked.


    ¡°Yes, now I am going to train. Gonna look for some open space.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what about your hand?¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡± Aaron asked and showed her the palm he had sliced open dozens of times in front of her. She stared at the unblemished skin and looked at him strangely.


    ¡°You cultivators are weird, strong, but so weird.¡±


    Aaron smirked to himself and started with Wind Steps. He had not actually tried using it under water and he was curious what would happen. The first thing he noticed was that it cost a bit more Qi to activate the technique than in air. Probably because it was more difficult to shroud himself in Qi. But once he felt silk under his feet he did a small jump.


    His body rocketed forward through the water, leaving trails of bubbles behind as he passed through water as if he had an actual rocket strapped to his back. Aaron changed directions as he felt around him with his new senses. His range with his ears was just as big as it had been in air. But it was so much faster to hear things under water. The main problem had been that he had thought everything was so much closer, so much louder, just because he could hear things from so much further so much clearer. Aaron remembered that sound propagated through water faster than air, so it made sense. But what did not make sense was Wind Steps. Aaron had left behind the cliff he had cultivated on in an instant and was now hundreds of meters away, his speed barely impacted by the water. In fact it seemed to be easier. Aaron experimented and found that water resistance was a big factor in how much speed he got. When he stretched out his arms and legs he would slow down. But only incrementally compared to what a push of his feet against water was doing. It was like there was negative resistance to him. Gravity had barely a hold on him as he counteracted it with his buoyancy. Somehow Wind Steps broke multiple laws of physics by giving him less resistance to movement in water than in air. He suspected that his feet moving through water gave enough push that translated through the technique into a constant never ending jump. If he held entirely still he began to slow down and eventually he started to sink. Very, very slowly.


    Shia was far away now and swimming towards him quickly. Aaron turned towards her and accelerated just once, moving his feet and then holding still. He shot forward and then slowed down again. He moved again and kept moving his feet this time. His speed increased more and more as he left a current of displaced water behind him. He slowed himself down by changing directions with the technique and then stopped suddenly without any warnings. His momentum instantly negated.


    ¡°Well shit. I did not expect it to be that good.¡± Aaron chuckled to himself. His senses had acclimated a bit more during his cultivation session and with Wind Steps he could basically reach ungodly speeds, dodge, weave and stop in the water at will. He was incredibly noisy while doing so though. Displacing water and disturbing fish in a wide area that fled his passing. It was not perfect because of that. Any creature native to this ocean would sense him like a disturbance in the water if he sped up that much. Still he could already think of plenty of ways to utilize this.


    He moved with regulated speed towards Shia and halted in front of her with ease, standing in the water like he would on dry land. Shia was out of breath and stared at him accusingly.


    ¡°What the fuck, Cultivator. Why did you take off like that?¡±


    ¡°It was an experiment, a successful experiment.¡±


    ¡°You mean you did not know that would happen?¡±


    ¡°No, but I think I know enough now. I will continue my training if you want to join me.¡±


    Shia gave him a strange look and then just nodded. Aaron dove downwards with Wind Steps, any direction was as good as another and he looked for the ocean floor. He also noticed that the water pressure was gone while he had Wind Steps activated. No compression sickness at all. His movement technique was better than any submarine could ever be and it was not even made for water. He wondered if Mei knew how effective this technique was underwater? But who was he kidding. She was ancient, multiple thousand years old probably. There was no way she had not had to fight under water during that time. Of course she knew.


    Aaron found a small plateau on the side of the underwater mountain Oceanview was build on and settled down on sand. The water was relatively warm he noticed, too warm actually. He had not thought about it before but the water was bathwater warm, not hot, but still quite high. He wondered if that was to avoid people dying of hypothermia in the water. Probably some magic bullshit again. But at least the various fish seemed to like it. There were many swimming around him that came closer while he stood still on the ocean floor and marveled at the scenery.


    In this depth it was not dark yet, but more like a dim twilight. It was a beautiful landscape to stand in the midst of a giant coral reef mountain that from the looks of it could give the Everest a run for his money. He calmed down and started to stretch his body in the way Mei had taught him. First with Wind Steps activated and then with the water pressure on his shoulders, stretching, limbering and relaxing his muscles until he felt ready to continue.


    He fell into the familiar steps of the Rejuvenating Fist Kata. No matter how beautiful the environment he was not here just to sight see, but to take this unique environment and make the most out of it. The first rendition of the Rejuvenating Fist he absolved with Wind Steps activated. It felt like doing it on land. No Resistance from the water at all. Only his feet felt like they were on wet loose sand. When he felt the familiar relaxation flow through him he deactivated Wind Steps.


    He started the kata again, but this time it was very different. The Water resisted him. Every punch was difficult to do right and so he slowed down until the kata turned into what looked more like tai chi instead of looking slightly like karate. He finished with the set of the kata, feeling rejuvenated again to his amusement, when Shia finally reached the plateau. She had taken 10 or more minutes to finally catch up to him and she looked like she wanted to murder him.


    ¡°You asshole.¡± she shouted. ¡°Do you know how freaking far that was?!¡±


    ¡°No idea. But don¡¯t worry, when we are hunting beasts tomorrow I won¡¯t stray far from you.¡±


    Aaron resumed his training, moving faster this time, forcing his body to execute the Rejuvenating Fist at the same speed as without the water and by doing so he sent out streams of water that tore through the ocean like vengeful ghosts. One even hit an unsuspecting fish and sent the poor thing tumbling through the ocean.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Shia asked still slightly out of breath as she looked down on him, swimming dozens of meters above him.


    ¡°Training.¡± Aaron said and continued. He focused and used his enormous physical strength to force his fists in the right position. It ended up feeling entirely different than the first Rejuvenating Fist he had done and in a way these were variations done for different emphasis. One slow, meticulous, meditative, precise. The other forceful, strong, heavy and mighty. But in the end he received his rejuvenating reward all the same.


    ¡°Is this some sort of fighting art?¡± Shia asked after a while and Aaron sighed.


    ¡°Yes it is and you could make yourself useful, if you are so keen on interrupting me with stupid questions.¡±


    ¡°You can ignore my questions.¡± she said with a scoff he heard from all the way up there. But eventually she clicked her tongue and asked:


    ¡°Useful how?¡±


    ¡°Attack me in any way you wish.¡± he said and smirked up at her.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You heard me. Attack me in any way you want, I will defend myself, but I won¡¯t retaliate.¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid?¡±


    ¡°No, but you seem to think you have any chance against me.¡±


    Shia glared down at him and then unsheathed her two daggers.


    ¡°I mean, you literally asked for it.¡± she said and shrugged, before she catapulted herself downwards, swimming quickly at him. But Aaron just calmly continued the kata, trying to measure his strength and sense for her attacks. She came at him from above and behind and Aaron¡¯s hands turned to palms as he reacted. He accurately felt for the attacks and moved to counter them. The world slowed down for just a fraction of a second before his open palms guided away both attacks and he flung her with ease away. Then he continued with the Rejuvenating Fist.


    Shia spluttered angrily and came at him again, stabbing again and again, jabbing at him and Aaron started to move. His evaded most of her attacks by moving, slow hindered movements sluggish from the water and those he could not dodge, he moved away with his palms. Most of the time he continued punching the water instead of defending himself, because Shia had trouble to keep attacking him under water. Her agility, her precision was there, but she did not have a firm stance. She eventually stepped onto the plateau and tried to fight him while standing, but it had the same result. Aaron countered her slowly, meticulously and no matter how Shia tried to feint or put him in a bad spot, he always was a step ahead of her.


    Shia grew angry, but did not lose control, instead her face turned cold and furious as she tripled her effort to stab him. At first her attacks had been probing, but now she held nothing back. Her dagger suddenly accelerated and Aaron dodged back and launched a palm strike at her to disrupt her. He had to give it to her, that had been a dangerous attack. But Shia was incredulous.


    ¡°Ow. You punched my tits you asshole! You said you would not retaliate?¡±


    ¡°Just a gentle push.¡± Aaron said amused.


    ¡°Fuck, if that¡¯s gentle, I do not want to know what rough is. But fair, who snitched?¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Who told you I had that skill.¡±


    ¡°What skill?¡±


    ¡°Sudden Lunge. Its impossible to dodge unless you know its coming. Who was it? Roger? Robin?¡±


    ¡°I did not know any of your skills and I do not care. You can¡¯t touch me either way, Shia. That was neither my real speed nor serious fighting. This is training. The only one in your group who has a chance to actually wound me is Stab, but that¡¯s because he is like level 30 or something.¡±


    ¡°What? Stab isn¡¯t a 30! He is an old quiet shit.¡±


    Aaron shrugged and resumed his kata. He did not care if Stab had not told them, but it was clear to him that the man was much stronger than the others.


    ¡°Wait wait wait, what makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°He is too fast. Faster than me. None of the rogues your level are even close.¡±


    ¡°Fuck. Fuuuck. That is how he cheats at dice. That old piece of...Ohhh he is so banned from playing with us again.¡± Shia cursed and then shook her head and laughed slightly in disbelief as she stared at Aaron.


    ¡°How the fuck are you so strong?


    ¡°I was lucky being given these techniques and I have had enough time to get stronger. But I am very weak compared to most things in the Tower. Which is why I train. You should try it too sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but like we are told Cultivators take centuries to become strong. You have been what? Less than a year in the Tower?¡±


    ¡°If you continue to level you will become stronger than me eventually. I won¡¯t be able to keep up. At least that is how it was explained to me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine becoming that strong. I am just glad to have a group that takes me.¡± Shia said and then looked away as if she had said something she should not have.


    ¡°You can keep attacking me by the way, it is good training for me and a good workout for you.


    They kept at it for an hour or so. Shia taking frequent brakes while Aaron continued to do his katas. Eventually Shia just collapsed, floating in the Ocean staring towards the sky. Aaron finished his last Rejuvenating Fist kata and felt really good about this training session. Having someone attack him randomly and with as much fury and perseverance as Shia turned out to be really great for training the Unceasing Palm kata. Now that he was done he had only one more thing to test.


    Aaron took aim at a boulder around two or three football fields away and got into the stance of the Rejuvenating Fist. He activated Wind Steps and propelled himself forward, stepping with his feet on the water, making him accelerate. He kept his core tight and went through a simple straight punch as he launched himself at the boulder. With a massive crash his fist pulverized the boulder, kinetic forces clashed and Aaron could feel the rock give way as his bones cracked. He felt his hand break and cursed. A boulder had been a terrible idea. The stabbing pain reminded him for the next 30 seconds of agony why this was a stupid idea for a target, before his body had healed itself and the pain slowly receded. He needed to reinforce himself if he wanted to do this again. Shia had looked up from her prone position and was staring at him and the boulder in awe. Aaron looked for another one and this time he reinforced his arm with Qi. He imagined it like armor around his muscles, before he propelled himself towards that rock again and punched out.


    The boulder exploded into fragments as he crashed fist first through the rubble. His arm, his knuckles especially hurt. But it had worked. He could combine the acceleration from Wind Steps with his kata. Aaron grinned to himself. Now he had the weapon to conquer this floor. Tomorrow he would see what the third floor really had to offer.

 70. Spelunking

    Roger looked up from the small table their group sat around while he downed another capsule of a drink. Shia and the Cultivator came into the inn and the Cultivator nodded towards them before he asked the staff for their rooms. Then he vanished into the back of the Inn. Roger kept his eyes on him, but he could not see through the man yet. His mission had sounded simple at first. Find out anything you can about the Cultivator and assist him in an important matter. Kidnapping people on the fourth floor was novel, but by far not the strangest job her had done for Mars.


    Back when Roger had been just a Climber he had some...attitude problems with his mage bastard of a team leader. The man had been from some noble house from another world and had experience in magic. Which was why he had been incredibly strong. But also incredibly stupid and disgusting. The man thought people who were not mages or rather, people who were not him, were bugs. Not human, expendable. The bastard had led his newbie group up the floors, had made them fight as meat shields while he bombarded any critters from behind them. Until they had reached the fifth floor. There he had met his match. The beasts had been too strong, too cunning and their group had not been prepared. The mage bastard had turned tail and fled at the first sign of real trouble, leaving them behind. Half of them had died. Roger had been furious. When what was left of his group had found the mage again he had acted like nothing had happened. He could still hear him say how weak and useless they all were. That it was their fault. Roger had argued. No tactics had been at fault and him fleeing at the first sight of trouble had not helped. The mage had not been amused. He had flicked his wrists and sent a stream of fire at him, had burned him, trying to kill him. But the mage had barely missed.


    Roger could still feel the searing pain in his side, had still a scar there to remember him. But he remembered with satisfaction how he had stabbed the man in the eye, killing him before he could loose any more spells on him. From that day on he had been an outlaw. Had a bounty on his head. Because the rest of the group had betrayed him as well. As soon as they had returned to the first floor they had snitched to the guild officials. Never mind that they had said it was self defense to him. The only reason Roger had not been hanged was that he had been sitting in one of the districts casinos, drinking away his sorrows. One of Mars lieutenants had come to recruit him there with news of the bounty on his head and Roger had never looked back. Fuck mages, fuck the Towers hierarchy. He had become a group leader himself in the district and his group was good. A true climbing group just made out of Vessels. Criminals all, but damn effective. He had done many disreputable things since then.


    He had stolen, killed, robbed, kidnapped, blackmailed. All the rap sheet you could ask of him, but he had done it in the districts name and he had gotten promoted for it. He was trusted by Mars and the rest of the red light districts leadership. Roger was proud of that and he still wanted to climb the tower, still wanted to grow stronger.


    But the Cultivator did not fit into his world view. At first he had thought of him as just another common criminal, dangerous, very dangerous, but just another criminal. But after what he had seen Aaron do on the second floor he was not so sure anymore.


    Shia came over to them and settled down after ordering a very tall, strong drink.


    ¡°So?¡± Roger asked her.


    Shia gave him the stink eye and then turned serious.


    ¡°He is a monster.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Roger asked slowly and they paused their conversation after Shia¡¯s drinks had arrived.


    ¡°You have not really see him fight at all. I do not know what kind of powers he has, it makes no damn sense to me. But I can tell you he might be even more dangerous underwater than above.¡±


    Roger raised his eyebrows and let her continue.


    ¡°He meditated a bunch, thought he just wanted to get rid of me at first, but afterwards he did something.¡± Shia shrugged and gestured with her hands.


    ¡°He stood up and then shot off like a damn spell. He moved so fast in the water I could barely follow him with my eyes. Fucking freak can turn in the water instantly. He can stop and go instantly. He is like...like¡­¡± Shia was lost for words and Robin chuckled and cut in.


    ¡°Like a mage?¡±


    ¡°No, you idiot. I have never seen any mage do shit like that. He is like a fish in water, just you know...better.¡±


    Roger cleared his throat and Shia kept going with her report.


    ¡°Afterwards he did some martial arts stuff. No idea what. He just punched the water and then he asked me to attack him. Like for real, with my daggers.¡±


    ¡°But you could not touch him.¡± Roger said and Shia actually blushed hard enough for it to be visible through the water.


    ¡°No. He is too fast. Its like he has eyes on the back of his head or he can see into the future. I could not even get close to him.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well that is not a surprise after what he did in the jungle. None of us could have done that.¡± Roger said and looked at Stab for a moment. He could have done that probably. The old man was not originally part of their group, more of an ad hoc addition for some of their missions. Roger knew Stab was different than them. He was here as a contingency in case the Cultivator failed. Stab would do the task Mars had given the Cultivator if necessary. Roger did not really know, but he suspected Stab was one of the Originals. One of the five original members of Mars own group, who had challenged the tower all the way up to the gap and probably beyond. They had come down with him to the Town of Beginnings and had established the red-light district. But he did not share his suspicions with the rest of the group.


    ¡°So he really can challenge the monsters on this floor.¡± Roger summarized.


    ¡°Yeah, but you did not even hear why I called him a monster. When he was done with his martial arts bullshit he stood there for a moment. Then he shot towards a freaking boulder and smashed it into pieces.¡±


    ¡°A boulder?¡±


    ¡°Yep, tall as Mortimer, twice as wide, pulverized it into small pebbles. Twice. When I asked him what that was about he said it was a successful experiment. If he can do that to the monsters, then we will have to buy some drag nets to get all the bounty.¡±


    Roger thought about it for a moment and then shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea actually. If the Cultivator really can challenge this floor with ease we might get a really big haul of fish. We could sell a bunch to the fishmongers here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah...but it will be tedious. We will have a lot of stuff to carry. Bloody stuff most likely. The whole floor will descend on us in a feeding frenzy.¡± Robin cut in.


    ¡°Not our problem. More opportunities to scope out the Cultivators capabilities.¡± Roger said with a smirk.


    Mortimer grunted and then sighed.


    ¡°I remember when being part of the district meant we just had to do some crime. Now look at us, most Climbing teams would not take risks like that.¡±


    ¡°Its not really a risk. We can handle it, or rather he can. And if we fail, we can just leave the bounty behind and let the fish feed on it.¡± Roger said.


    ¡°I mean, it sounds pretty sweet. But how much would we make?¡±


    ¡°A Good amount for sure. Depends on what he kills. Enough to splurge once we go back home, I am certain.¡±


    ¡°Well...fine. I am in.¡± Shia said and the rest of the group gave their okay. Even Stab nodded. The man was clearly just as curious as Roger was about what the Cultivator could do.


    <hr>


    Aaron had not expected to sleep well being under water, but he had surprisingly. The underwater ¡®beds¡¯ in the inn were basically small vats of heated water that flowed from one end of the ¡®bed¡¯ to the other, keeping you afloat and warm. Once Aaron had managed to relax in the strange environment, he had eaten a kelp chip, basically a strip of kelp prepared in vinegar and salted. It was crunchy even eating it wet. There was something disgusting about having some of the salt water he and everyone else swam in stuck to the food. But he got over that. His taste buds were happy about the snack and Aaron closed the bed like vat to shut out any noise, besides the soft sound of flowing water. It was very relaxing in the end and he had a nice rest.


    When he got up in the morning he felt surprisingly good. His skin was wrinkly and clearly not used to the exposure to water at all times and the too tight skin suit had started to chafe a bit, but his natural regeneration took care of all of that without many problems. Since his nose was basically useless and all he could smell was salt water and barely anything else, he saw this as a chance to enhance his other senses. This was good training for sure, if he ever got thrown into a lake or had to fight in a river, instead of above it.


    Aaron was up hours before anyone else, because he simply did not need as much sleep anymore as normal people. So he settled down, did his cultivation session and then left the inn and did his katas after he was done cutting his hand over and over to absorb the mana in the manastones he carried. The training still had not lost its novelty and he played with the water resistance and tried to find the most efficient ways to punch and move under water. Once he was done the rest of the team was up and about, preparing for a day of fishing. Cultivator style. They bought many big nets to fit in things he would kill and had talked to locals if his ears interpreted the sounds correctly. Sometimes he was not entirely sure. Hearing under water was very different than normally after all.


    They had a big breakfast, which consisted of a very nice fish soup in a big capsule you were supposed to drink while eating fish fried under water. The crispy skin of the fish insulated it from the water and when Aaron bit into the fish he got a mouth full of flaky, juicy meat. Not being able to smell the food was a bummer, but his senses were heightened enough that it made almost no difference to Aaron¡¯s enjoyment. He ate enough for two groups himself and then left the inn behind with the group in tow.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Have you asked the locals for any good hunting spots?¡±


    ¡°We have, but its all small stuff. Mostly big tuna who are wickedly fast and need to be caught by driving them into prepared nets. The locals do not really hunt monsters. They warned us of many spots, so I figured you might want to check those out.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan, where is the closest one?¡±


    Roger pointed down the slope like underwater mountain.


    ¡°There is a cave system further down in the mountain with all kinds of giant eels with very sharp teeth.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, not bad, lets check it out.¡± Aaron said and started to skip through the water instead of swimming. He gave himself a short speed boost with Wind Steps and then deactivated the technique to get slowed down by the water resistance. It looked probably quite comical, since he basically hopped dozens of meters at a time. It was still slow enough that the rest of the group could keep up while swimming. Although not all of them were swimming. Mortimer and Robin were both in their armors and walked on the ocean floor like on land. Just slower. The other three members swam above them. Roger was armed with a spear gun with what looked like a crossbow like system to propel a long sharp arrow into a target. The arrow was not really big enough to be called a spear. But it was close. Robin carried his harpoon and Mortimer his greatsword. Shia and Stab had not taken other weapons either.


    They soon left the kelp farms and buildings behind them as they moved down the mountain. There were plenty of smaller fish around. The whole mountain basically was a coral reef so the colorful corals were everywhere. Aaron even spotted some normal sized sharks and a big turtle that was at least a meter tall and broad. But they were not really interested in them. The smaller fish were all the few predators they spotted wanted and they swam away when the group came into their vicinity. In a way they could be called part of the natural ecosystem, not monsters.


    After half an hour or so they reached a gaping hole in the mountain and Aaron swam normally to peer into its depths. Corals and all kinds of bio-luminescent plants were still everywhere. But a lot of the small fish had vanished. They did not go in there it seemed. It was eerily quiet and still inside of the cave, unlike the lively underwater scene they had just left.


    ¡°Yep, there are monsters in there.¡± Aaron said and strained his ears to spot them. He soon heard a bunch of almost completely silent intakes of water as the creatures breathed. They were absolutely still otherwise. He made a mental map of them and then looked back at the group that looked at him as they settled down in the entrance.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go in, kill whatever comes close to us and we go explore the cave for a bit, alright?¡±


    Roger nodded and Aaron turned to swim into the cave. It was treacherous and difficult to overlook terrain with many natural corners and corals that broke line of sight. The first monster was relatively close to the entrance and Aaron activated Wind Steps as he moved into position. Then he moved slowly past the creatures hiding spot, which turned out to be a giant crack in the rock the cave was made out of. Two murky eyes stared balefully out of the darkness of the hole before they shot forward. A snake like monster that looked like a giant moray eel came at Aaron so fast that any normal person would have been unable to react. Aaron knew exactly where the creature was though and almost casually swatted it to the side with the palm of his hand, making the attack miss. Then Aaron balled his fists. Wind Steps gave him leverage even in the water before he punched with all his physical might. His punch made a dent into the eel¡¯s neck and burst it¡¯s scales apart. He had broken the creatures neck from the looks of it. The eel undulated, trying to attack again feebly, unable to bring its big maw and the sharp teeth in it to bear, before Aaron¡¯s second punch broke its skull and killed it entirely.


    Aaron inspected the giant Eel and its giant maw with rows of sharp teeth like a shark mouth. This was definitively an ambush predator. But once you knew where it was you could easily dispatch them. Aaron swam deeper into the cave, battering away one eel after the other, killing them efficiently by punching them in the head and pulverizing their brains inside of their skulls. The eels opened their maws wider than he had expected they could and so he always had to first diverge their charge like attack, before he could finish them off. He did not really want to punch into that maw, especially after he found what looked like hooks in the depths of the creatures maws that would latch onto anything the big eels bit.


    The entire Eco-system of this cave made no sense. The eels were too big and strong and fish too rare that they could feel on them to survive. Aaron suspected magic bullshit behind it just like with the scorpions as they slowly wound their way deeper into the mountain. Because Aaron noticed they were moving downwards, slowly but surely.


    They encountered other monsters on the way, big crabs with giant pincers that moved like spiders on the walls and tried to snip Aaron into pieces. But he simply parried the pincer and punched their lights out, often cracking their shells while doing so. The group that had followed him had ignored the moray eels, but they were taking the claws of the crabs with them in one of their drag nets. They carried them together, Mortimer and Robin acting as a base for the net, while the swimming members of the group closed it above them. That way they shared the weight evenly among each other. The armored melees had the most trouble as they had to awkwardly hop over gaps in the corals and they looked generally really awkward. They could swim if they had to, but it was difficult Aaron noticed as their armor weighed them down too much. Both men were strong, supernaturally so and they were using that strength. Alas they could not defy physics and so they were the most hindered of all of them. The rogues swam relatively gracefully and Robin kept his spear gun ready, but he never had to use it.


    Aaron¡¯s ability to scout ahead for enemies with his senses was unmatched, although he had to pause sometimes to listen. With time Aaron got used to hearing in water and his reactions became faster, his movements surer and he felt more comfortable fighting under water. His sense of touch also helped as he felt currents and water being displaced when something moved. The currents in this cave were quite interesting. They all flowed from above down below, which probably meant that there was an exit at the end of the cave. It felt like this cave and the monsters had been designed and so Aaron had no problem with moving into the depths. Emnu probably had prepared a gauntlet for him to go through. As much as he disliked the mage, he was still impressed by his work. All of this had stood the test of time and although people had found ways of getting around some of his tests, he was sure that was intended as well.


    Boats on this level made sense if you had to move stuff in bulk through this floor. But maybe he gave the mage too much credit.


    The deeper they got the more the cave like tunnel evened out and the only light that found them here in the heart of the mountain was that from the luminescent flora and fauna. Small glowing fish, algae and glowing corals all made this their home. The crabs became more numerous and the net filled as the group gathered the spoils.


    But instead of getting darker as they continued the cave lit up and Aaron frowned as he stepped into the next part of this challenge. Brightly glowing jellyfish filled up a giant hall, illuminating the underwater cave with their strange glow. It was ethereal and surreal to float in the water in a cave deep under water and see a giant school of jellyfish. Or was it a group? Aaron did not know, nor did he care. He could barely see past the drifting tendrils of the jellyfish towards a distant cave entrance and he turned towards the group.


    ¡°Stay back, let me see how these jellyfish behave.¡±


    Aaron activated Wind Steps and shot forward, aiming for the closest jellyfish. His fist burst through the jellyfish without much problem as the soft and squishy thing burst like a bubble. But Aaron found out soon that this had not been a good idea. The leftovers of the jellyfish where everywhere and they were basically acid. An acrid smell got into his nose and he saw his whole wet suit starting to sizzle and burn in the acid. He dove backwards out of the acidic blastzone and shook his hand to get rid of the bits of jellyfish that were burning his skin. Luckily he had not gotten anything in his face, the pain he felt from the acid on his hand was enough to make him pause and let out a breath of anguish.


    His enhanced senses multiplied the pain and he was in agony for a good 30 seconds, while he waved his hand through the water to get rid of the rest of the acid. The horde of jellyfish had barely moved, but they were more agitated than before, their tendrils stretching out, turning this entire room into a giant acidic poisonous spiderweb. Aaron could see how this could be a challenge and even if you popped the jellyfish their remains would block your way. He suspected quite a few teams would have turned around and found another way if many had come here at all after the many moray eels. But to Aaron this was a challenge.


    He shot forward again, but this time he did not plan to burst the jellyfish, instead he gave it a palm strike on its gelatinous body and made it splash against the other jellyfish until they hit the wall and burst there against the rock. The acid was not quite strong enough to melt stone and Aaron¡¯s direct vicinity was acid free. So Aaron thought this was a great outcome.


    He dove into the mass of jellyfish and started to dance among them like a specter. His palms never rested as he dove in between tendrils and smacked the jellyfish against the nearby walls or ceiling. More than once he used too much power and the jellyfish burst into pieces. That forced him to back off and attack another bit of jellyfish. He had to moderate his strength, make room and dodge the many tendrils of the hostile jellyfish. The more he disturbed them the more agitated and the wilder they flailed their tendrils to catch, poison and burn him with acid. But Aaron proved too nimble, he kept out of their reach and used his momentum and precise strikes until he had carved a swath into the mass of them.


    The group of Vessels stood at the entrance watching jellyfish go flying while the Cultivator sped up and slowed down at will in the water, unfettered by water or gravity. He just moved at will. Soon the remains of jellyfish painted the walls in a luminescent tone of light blue that made the picture even more sinister.


    ¡°Look at him go.¡± Mortimer said with a chuckle. ¡°I am glad I don¡¯t have to dive into that.¡±


    ¡°Shame about the Xp though.¡± Robin commented and Mortimer nodded. They continued to watch until Shia got their attention as she frowned and stared against the wall of the tunnel leading to the jellyfish hall.


    ¡°Check your experience bars, I am getting Xp from his kills I think.¡± she said and everyone opened their interface.


    ¡°Well fuck me, you are right.¡± Robin said wide eyed and then he grinned. ¡°This is gonna be a great trip.¡±


    ¡°But how?¡± Roger asked with a deep frown.


    ¡°Area Xp.¡± Stab said and they all turned to him in question.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Shia asked curiously.


    ¡°Its how people level during the Expeditions through the gap. Not everyone kills things, but everyone gets Xp. A little bit at least.¡± Stab said.


    ¡°Huh, so if something dies in the area you get experience for it?¡± Shia asked and Stab nodded.


    ¡°Even if you are not in the same group?¡±


    Stab nodded again. Roger frowned and studied his experience bar and then grunted.


    ¡°Its not a lot though. That is less than killing a snake on the second floor.¡± Stab shrugged and turned away to watch Aaron again.


    ¡°It is better than nothing, Roger. And with all of the things he kills I would not be surprised if we level during this trip.¡± Shia said and did a little twirl in the water.


    ¡°Are those jellyfish on the list of things to harvest?¡±


    ¡°No, I am not even sure many people know about them or how many there are here.¡± Roger said.


    ¡°It still boggles my mind that you memorized that whole list.¡± Robin said with a chuckle


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember all of them, I just refresh my memory for every floor.¡± Roger said with a frown.


    ¡°Want me to collect a sample?¡± Shia asked.


    ¡°Yeah, please do. Although I don¡¯t think anyone will come to harvest this any time soon. Those eels gave me the creeps.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, too fast.¡± Shia said and swam forward and filled a small capsule with the burst acid of one of the jellyfish.


    ¡°If you need a live one, I can send you one over without bursting.¡± Aaron shouted back.


    ¡°No thanks, we are quite alright here.¡± Roger answered immediately.


    Aaron grinned to himself and kept fighting. It was one of the best training areas he had found for the Unceasing Palm kata. He found out that he was not immediately burned by the jellies acid, because his hands were covered in Qi from Wind Steps. Although it was a very thin cocoon of Qi. Either way it enabled him to block the tendrils, slap them away and counter them if necessary. He dove into a thick group of them and then moved to block all of the tendrils while he killed the jellyfish with precise palm strikes that catapulted them and others in the way into the walls where they burst.


    It was very effective. But in the end the whole thing was over way too quick. Before long he had cleared almost half of the jellyfish in the area and with more space the jellyfish started to move around more rapidly, evading him. Which meant he started to chase them until there were only a few left at both sides away from the central hallway.


    Aaron sighed disappointed that the training opportunity had gone, but he felt a lot more comfortable using the palm kata now. There was something right about fluid movements especially in water while defending and killing things.


    ¡°Lets go.¡± he called out towards the waiting group and they walked through the cleared part through the hallway and Aaron only had to batter away a few stragglers trying to reclaim the open space. The ceiling, walls and floor were all spluttered with acid remains and so the group had to swim through the center.


    ¡°I can feel my eyebrows sizzling.¡± Mortimer said almost in jest, but they all felt better once they were out of the jellyfish hall.


    Beyond it was a dark tunnel with almost no life they could see. It was dark, very dark. Aaron did not mind it though, he could still see relatively well, but he was pleasantly surprised when the group got out glowing stones they help up like torches.


    ¡°What are those?¡± He asked them.


    ¡°Glowstones. Simple enchantment on a rock activated by touch. Cheap and indispensable for the fourth floor. I did not expect we had to use them already, but we were prepared for the fourth floor after all.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I suppose the fourth floor is dark?¡±


    Shia snorted in laughter.


    ¡°Yep, whole floor is about light and darkness.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. Well lets continue through this floor first.¡±


    They continued through the tunnel, only occasionally seeing something scuttle away in the dark. Mostly small fish that looked like classic bottom feeder who ate what fell towards the ocean floor. Eventually they reached an opening, but despite Aaron¡¯s expectation there seemed to be no light at all. He looked up and his eyes pierced the water. He was not sure if there was any light. So he accelerated forwards into the darkness leaving the light of the group behind. Only when he had ascended a good distance he looked what he felt was up. There was some light here, but very little. It was not absolutely dark, but might as well have been for most people. He turned around and began to swim back to his group.


    Aaron paused mid swim. His ears had heard something strange. He peered into the darkness, the depths and sheer vastness of the ocean all around him swallowing him up. He was sure he had heard something. They were not alone down here. Something big was moving in the dark and it was moving quietly. Aaron was sure it would come for them. It looked like Emnu had more challenges ahead for him.

 71. Monsters

    Aaron dove down towards the group and said in a hushed tone.


    ¡°Turn down the lights and be quiet. There is something big out there.¡±


    The group did as he asked them, although with some reluctance. They dimmed the lights by extinguishing some and covering the last one up, so that the entire ocean fell into a murky darkness they could barely see through. Aaron shot up into the darkness away from the group and kept still in the water. Waiting, observing. Looking for the thing in the dark. It was quiet besides a rush of water now and then. Something was moving slowly and it was coming closer. It took a minute or two of tense waiting until the creature was close enough. Aaron heard the rush of water and shot forward with Wind Steps.


    He accelerated his speed and concentrated on reinforcing his arms with Qi. His ears guided him and it took all his concentration to accelerate, reinforce and get into the right position to where his senses told him the creature would be. But that also meant he had no capacity left to care for what he was hitting in a few moments. His core straightened and he drew back his fists before he punched at the disturbance in the water.


    The ocean was dark around him, pitch black even for his senses and only a bit of light came from below and above. Only enough to show him the outline of something long and big in the darkness, before they collided.


    Aaron¡¯s fist shot forward carrying all the momentum of his rush with it along with his reinforced Qi and his superhuman bodily strength. The crash was terrible and at the same time much much less violent than he had expected. Aaron shot through the creature like a bullet, blood and viscera spraying around him into the ocean. A deep undulated roar shook the ocean around him, but even without it, Aaron had known he had missed its vitals. The roar hurt his ears more than the crash had to be honest.


    The dark shape in the ocean loomed behind him as he turned in the water, his momentum barely slowed by the terrible collision. But he quickly realized the shape was not just behind him, but around him. Giant limbs descended on him, suction cups as big as his head lashing the water as the creature, the giant kraken to be specific, tried to capture him. Aaron burst into its squishy body with another crash, his fist turning the gray gooey meat into bloody pulp. The tentacles moved around him as the creature pushed out a giant stream of water and ink that turned the surroundings to Aaron not just pitch black but also toxic. He quickly realized the spell over his mouth could not filter oxygen out of the ink filled water and he leapt out of the cloud of ink as quickly as he could.


    Aaron dodged lashing tentacles, but there were too many and the force they carried was too much to parry them. With no other way out, he burst through one tentacle with a measured punch. The crash was like being hit by a car. His whole body ached as he came out on the other side of the tentacle. Luckily his body, especially reinforced with Qi was sturdy enough to get out of that crash with only a few bruises. Not losing any time or momentum in the fight he shot forward towards the base of the tentacles and the body attached to it. He left the disturbed water behind and in the darkness he could barely make out his enemy. The creature was fast, really fast when it moved away. But not fast enough for Aaron¡¯s new way of using his movement technique. Aaron overtook it in a heartbeat and saw a glossy dark eye stare at him with baleful malevolence. He could feel its gaze like a physical touch before Aaron changed direction and burst into the eyeball with all the accumulated momentum carrying him into the creature.


    The kraken was massive and it shook in pain and rage as Aaron found himself inside of the creatures body. The eyeball had burst and he was left behind in a bleeding wound. The cry of the beast shook him to his core, but he did not relent. He used the rejuvenating fist kata as he bashed his way deeper into the creatures eye and even deeper after that following its nerves towards its brain. The creature shook and bucked, the sound of it coming from all around him, but it was luckily muffled so that he was not debilitated by the sound. Aaron had no issue keeping up the assault. His fists were tearing through the meat with almost no resistance, the blunt force acting like small explosions in the creatures body. The sheer kinetic force he put behind each blow carried him forward until he reached its nervous system or brain and the creature finally stopped after Aaron had done enough damage to kill it.


    Aaron shot out of the creatures corpse, following the hole he had made In it and took a deep breath through the spell as he took stock. He had to hold his breath inside of the creature and now that he could breathe again and his ears were had stopped ringing from the creatures bellows he felt much better. The kraken had been much more dangerous than what he had expected for this floor. If it had used its ink and tentacles correctly it could have trapped and suffocated him in there. Hell he was sure it would be able to kill whole groups with that alone.


    But in the end its body had proven too fragile to withstand his assault and he had felt calm and in control the entire time. Which was good, if he had panicked he might have died right here. Aaron reveled in the cold brutal logic that had flowed through him. It was a familiar feeling. Fighting for his life always had that affect on him. The fight had not lasted long, a few minutes at most, but it felt like much longer. He should have felt tired, but the fiend-god art had made him tireless. He felt just as good as when he had started, just a lot dirtier. Aaron tried to get the leftover blood, ink and viscera out of his clothes and hair before he dove towards the light of the group. When he came into the area of light the group flinched and raised their weapons before calming down.


    ¡°What the fuck happened?¡± Shia asked, her eyes wearily scanning first him, covered in dark blood and ink, before she checked out the dark waters behind him.


    ¡°Giant octopus, like house size. It should be floating somewhere over there.¡± Aaron pointed into the direction he had come from.


    ¡°You killed it?¡± Roger asked and Aaron nodded.


    ¡°Are there more of it?¡± he asked next and Aaron paused and listened into the void. He heard silence and maybe in the distance some sound of life, but it was far away and difficult to discern from the rest of the water flowing in underwater currents.


    ¡°Hard to say, probably nothing close.¡±


    ¡°Alright, show us.¡±


    Aaron led the group on the ocean floor towards the direction of the corpse and the group illuminated the darkness with their light spheres. The deep ocean was not as lifeless as he had first expected. There were bottom feeders here, processing all that fell from above and the small fish meant there were bigger fish hunting them. The problem was that Aaron doubted these fish could sustain a kraken like the one he had fought. It would have to kill and eat tens of thousands of these fish. Maybe it went up and hunted in more shallow waters. It had been strong and fast enough to be an apex predator for sure. Still in the end magic was also a possibility.


    They reached the dead kraken after a minute or so and the group paused as one of its giant tentacle came into view. But when Aaron carried on they followed until they reached the giant corpse that was torn into shreds at one side. The water was filled with fish that were feeding on the bloody leftovers of Aaron¡¯s fight. The group stopped as they could see the sheer size of the thing.


    ¡°Lord above, you killed that?!¡± Mortimer exclaimed more like a curse or prayer as he hefted his greatsword in front of him like it could protect him from the monstrous thing.


    ¡°Yes, it was strong and fast, but not very sturdy, you can probably tear into that tentacle right there and cut it to pieces if you so wished.¡±


    Aaron turned to Roger who was as stunned as the rest of the group.


    ¡°Is this normal for this floor? I don¡¯t think this is really a challenge for the third floor. Groups of you guys would die to this thing.¡±


    ¡°No...But¡­¡± Roger cleared his throat and continued calmer.


    ¡°There are reports of giant octopuses and giant sharks or whales or whatever. Big fish with lots of teeth. But none of them get this big. Then again nobody really goes this deep. People stay where they can see things usually when they run the gauntlet.¡±


    ¡°And I would assume few people go the underwater route for this floor in the first place.¡± Aaron mused.


    ¡°Correct. We did, but that is because Mars insists on us being ready for anything and it was good XP at the time to murder some fish while we swam towards the center of the floor.¡± Robin said and carefully poked the tentacle close by with his spear.


    ¡°Most teams just try to fight some of the sharks, fail terribly and then take a boat up the whirlpool to the fourth floor.¡± Shia said with a sneer.


    ¡°It is possible this octopus is what happens when the floor is rarely fought in.¡± Roger said and nodded to himself.


    ¡°This thing is big enough to wipe out most groups, but the army usually goes through the water section. So there must have been some people fighting here. Either way this is not a challenge for the third floor. You are right about that...Aaron.¡±


    ¡°I would have had problems fighting this thing too if I had not turned out to be uniquely suited for fighting under water.¡± Aaron said and then shrugged.


    ¡°Lets continue, unless you want to take some of the octopus with you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we will. Mortimer cut off the tip of that tentacle if you will. Robin you can keep it steady with that spear of yours.¡±


    The two warriors went to work. Mortimer¡¯s sword cutting through the dead flesh with ease, while Robin kept it steady. Then they deposited the monstrous tip of the tentacle into the nets they dragged with them. Aaron looked around and studied the ocean floor. It was flat, sandy and little lived in. Deep sea creatures were everywhere around here because of the feeding frenzy ensuing around the octopus corpse. But it seemed way too little food regardless.


    ¡°So how do you navigate this floor? Feels like we would get lost pretty easily here.¡± he asked as he looked up towards the little light that reached them down here.


    Roger answered while studying the corpse.


    ¡°Usually you follow the currents. Everything drags you towards that giant maelstrom. But I can¡¯t feel any currents down here. When we fought on this floor before we kept almost to the surface so we could take a peek and because the currents are the strongest up there. Less time wasted.¡±


    Aaron frowned. He could probably not just go up and take a look where they were at the moment. The distance to the surface seemed to be quite a lot and finding the group in these dark depths would strain even his senses. So what was he supposed to do? If he was correct and this was part of the ocean was part of the floors design, then there had to be some sort of way to navigate it. Then again the second floor did not have that either besides some vague directions. Aaron followed his senses in the pause in conversation and ignored the sound of Mortimer hacking through the tentacle with more trouble than Aaron would have guessed. He listened to the sound of water and felt into the water with all of his senses. There was nothing moving down here, still, dead water was all there was down here. Enough bottom feeders, true, but no indicator on where to go. But above he could sense the moving water. He reached out with his mana sense and tried to get a different picture of it, when he paused in surprise. The ocean current he could barely make out with his ears he could feel almost instantly with his mana sense. The maelstrom and all under water currents were mostly magical. He sensed the magic flow in one direction which was probably towards the maelstrom itself.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Huh.¡± he said and suddenly knew how to navigate on this floor. Follow the magic. Made sense when you wanted a mage to be the most important thing in the tower.


    ¡°I can sense a current above us flowing that way.¡± he told Roger who raised his eyebrows, but then nodded and took him by his word.


    ¡°So do you plan on traveling to the maelstrom on the ocean floor?¡± Roger asked Aaron.


    ¡°Why not? There might be more monsters lurking in the dark. Its quite a nice change of pace to fight them.¡± Aaron answered.


    ¡°Boss, remember we got that hint for a rare monster from Mars?¡± Shia asked and Roger nodded.


    ¡°A rare monster?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they are stronger than the usual monsters. Like boss monsters. They guard precious resources apparently.¡±


    ¡°Well I would not mind fighting something like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, fine. Lets see if we can find it. In which way does the current flow?¡±


    Aaron pointed in one direction and Roger frowned and then turned slightly to the right from the point where all magic flowed towards.


    ¡°I will have to rely on you to steady our course. But we need to go in that direction for quite a while until we find some under water rock the size of a house.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    They made their way through the absolute darkness of the ocean floor. Aaron floating above and in front while the rest of the group stuck closer to the ocean floor and walked or swam in the safety of their group. But there were no predators down here that threatened them for quite a while. Only small fish in different shapes, some flat, some almost transparent, as well as different kind of crustaceans turning the ocean floor into a buffet for some small predators. Still most creatures living down here ate mostly dead material or scavenged the ocean floor, while other fish hunted them in return. Aaron spotted some angler fish for example suited to hunting in the darkness of the ocean floor. But nothing bigger than that. No sharks, no smaller octopuses. The whole time Aaron kept his senses sharp for any large creatures in the dark, but it was quiet for quite a while.


    Eventually though Aaron felt the difference in the water. Less creatures were openly moving around, life was more subdued here, than in the waters they had just left. Aaron stretched out his senses and finally found something large.


    ¡°I can hear another one.¡± Aaron said to the group and they dimmed their lights immediately and formed up in a protective circle. Their net with the samples was dragged downwards to the ocean floor and then they waited. Aaron shot forward into the darkness and listened for the creature. It was coming this way. It too must have really good senses. Aaron held still in the water, floating without making any noise, his breath slow and even, barely moving a centimeter. Then he spotted the shape, it was another giant kraken, this one smaller than the first one, but still gigantic. It swam head first in slow movements as it eyed the darkness with its giant dark eyes.


    Aaron waited for it to come closer and then moved. He accelerated, his feet pushing and pushing the water behind him as he soared through the water. The octopus flared up, its tentacles spreading out. But Aaron was too fast. He aimed carefully and bashed into the creature with all his might, his fist moving with the full momentum as he burst into the creatures head. It¡¯s roar was deafening and if Aaron had not made himself a hole inside of the octopus he would have stumbled away. Instead he moved to punch again and again. The octopus lashed at him with its tentacles, trying to get him out, but then Aaron was deep enough in its head. After a minute of bloody work he finally killed the kraken with a single strike demolishing its brain.


    When the creature had stopped thrashing he got out of the corpse and went back to the group. He had given up on getting really clean. The water he moved through washed away a lot of the icky stuff he was covered in, but the ink had been terrible. Most of his clothes were still covered in the stuff. Luckily he had not been covered in ink this time. He had exerted less force with his opening attack, instead he had been more precise and once he had punched a hole into the creature he was more than capable of killing it before it could defend itself properly. All in all, he thought this fought had gone significantly better than the last one.


    The group moved on, no less impressed by Aaron¡¯s kill, but also slightly fearful. The existence of two of these giant things meant they were more common than they had hoped for. To Aaron it did not really matter. This was all just training. Fighting giant beasts was going to be very different from anything he had done before. So him getting better at that was a good thing. So far the ¡®tunnel yourself into the creatures head and pulverize its brain.¡¯ strategy had worked well. But that was only the case because they were so damn soft and big. There was a lot of mass and muscle on these things, but they could not withstand any real punishment.


    After swimming for what felt like an hour in the direction Roger led them, interrupted only by his questions where the maelstrom was, they finally spotted their target. A giant lonely rock that was a bit bigger than a house. More like a small skyscraper. Its dark rock looked almost molten and Aaron was not surprised to spot some volcanic geysers spouting lava into the environment. Many creatures lived around the vent that shone some light into the darkness. It was its own little ecosystem, but they were not here for that. They moved around the base of the rock searching for an entrance apparently. Halfway around the rock they found it. A crack in the rock that looked entirely natural.


    ¡°You sure this is it?¡± Aaron asked with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°If I remember the description correctly we were given, yes.¡± Roger answered.


    Aaron peered into the crack, but even to his senses it was dark.


    ¡°Hand me one of those glowstones, please.¡±


    Shia gave him an activated one and he threw it into the crack, illuminating the darkness. It was a thin tunnel leading deeper into the rock that took a turn upwards. It looked barely big enough for Aaron to swim through. Mortimer would have trouble at some parts he thought, although Aaron never really had gone spelunking before. It was not really his thing to go into small caves where you could be buried alive and unable to free yourself. He had lived a dangerous enough life as it was, he did not have to have that kind of danger.


    Aaron gave the group a look, but they were waiting on him. Well that was what he got for wanting to fight everything by himself.


    ¡°And you are sure there is a boss in there?¡±


    ¡°There should be, we don¡¯t know for certain but yes.¡±


    Aaron sighed and then swam into the tunnel, he dove to pick up the glowstone and headed upwards deeper into the cave. It got very narrow immediately and Aaron had serious second thoughts, before he passed through without much issue in the end. It was still a tight and dangerous corridor. He hoped he would not be buried alive as he pushed himself through a particularly narrow gap. A bend in the tunnel came and Aaron frowned. There was another light source down here. He let the glowstone drop to the tunnel floor and swam closer.


    The tunnel widened here a bit and evened out, light shone around a bend in the tunnel and Aaron peeked around it, moving slowly and carefully. Beyond the bend was a cave filled with air, a cave that was illuminated. A bunch of conspiracies came to his mind. The group could have lured him in here. But no, there was no way. He doubted anything could sneak past the two krakens in their domain. So this was some magic bullshit. No doubt about it.


    Aaron surfaced slowly, making sure not to disturb the water too much and peered into the cave. Above him was a stone that glowed with white light, filling the cave with light and it was warm in here. Probably because of the volcanic origins of this rock. Underneath the glowing rock was a mushroom, purple with white edges and it glowed softly in a purple light. In front of it sat a creature. It was vaguely humanoid looking, it had two arms a head, but no legs. Instead it had a long fish tail that hung into the water. It was hideously ugly. Pustules and rivulets of infected flesh covered its body. Its skin was pale and blueish gray and its head was covered in ugly irregular scales. The whole thing was gray and blue and it did not look particularly dangerous. It was only the size of a man and it sat there patiently looking at the mushroom. It looked a bit like a mermaid if it had died and reanimated after being left to rot for a few weeks.


    Aaron activated his mana sense and felt the immense mana concentration in the mushroom and the beast alike. It must be eating that thing to survive. Or maybe it was just another test from the tower. Either way this was for sure the rare monster and it had to die.


    He tensed in the water and reinforced himself with Qi. When he was satisfied he moved silently closer. The cave was not quiet, water dripped down from the walls and there was steam rising from some walls it was that hot in here. Aaron balled his fist and activated Wind Steps. He moved out of the water with a mighty leap, trying to close the distance with the thing and him and smash its head in. The mermaid looking monster turned its head and Aaron stared in huge dark eyes, too huge for human proportions, a misshaped hole for a nose and a mouth with way too many teeth and way too wide. It reminded him strangely of the moray eels, just humanoid.


    The scaly monster opened its mouth and let out a surprised screech. But it was so loud and horrifically discordant it made Aaron stumble mid jump as he barreled into the thing without punching it. He knocked the breath out of the beast and landed on top of it. His ears rang and hurt, but he could still fight. It took a deep breath while its claws tried to rake his face. Aaron barely fended the claws off with his palms, still shocked by the sudden noise. He raised his fist to finally shut the damned thing up. But it was too late the creature finished its breath, opened its horrible, stinking mouth and screamed.


    Aaron felt like someone had shot him in both ears as his eardrums ruptured. Pain so horrible, so absolute, it robbed his mind. His whole world was reduced to a pain that was threatening to squish his brain, to break his mind in half and kill him by pure shock. Aaron instinctively rushed backwards. His dagger thrown in an attempt to fend it off. Blindly and without any thought but to get away and get it away form him. His cultivator body was strong and he was not injured anywhere but his ears. He was just in pain, so much pain. Nothing in his life, not even dying had been this bad.


    His whole sensory input just stopped as he crashed back into the water. The water soothed his bleeding ears and his whole body was still shocked by the sudden sound. The screech like vibrations increased again, even in the water and Aaron tried to get away. Tried to move away from the thing, blind as his eyes gave way to pain, deafened and hurt more completely than ever before. The pain was all consuming and it did not stop. He swam against the closest wall. He could not activate Wind Steps, his whole body contorted in agony. His ears hurt so much.


    ''Make it stop, make it stop, MAKE IT STOP!'' That was the only thought in his mind before blissful oblivion took him and he lost consciousness.


    <hr>


    Roger waited outside of the dark crevasse and looked up into the now again dark tunnel. After a few minutes there was a dull sound, a sort of whump like from an explosion and then the entire rock he was leaning on started to vibrate. Shocked he took a step back and then heard a sound through the water that was more horrible and terrifying than most things he had encountered in his life. Shia screamed and held her hands to her ears as the sound washed over the group.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± he shouted and then a second, even harsher sound washed over him, making him tumble backwards. The fish hiding on and around the rock took flight like a flock of birds being startled and the whole group took a few steps back. Stab was next to Shia and helped her back as she groaned in pain.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Robin called out as the explosion of noise ended and the world became quiet again.


    ¡°No idea. Some sort of sound attack?¡± Roger guessed, but Shia was still cursing. Eventually she uncorked a health potion and poured a bit in both of her ears before she drank a sip.


    ¡°Fuck that hurt.¡± she complained when she had cleared her ears.


    ¡°Enhanced senses are a bit vulnerable to things like that.¡± Roger mused and then looked back to the cave. The Cultivator had better senses than all of them combined and he had been in that cave. He frowned deeply and stepped forward.


    ¡°Lets have a look.¡± he said.


    ¡°Wait what? Are you serious? After that noise you want to go in there?¡± Shia asked and looked actually scared at the entrance of the tunnel.


    ¡°Lets see how the Cultivator is doing. We are here to assist him after all.¡± Roger said.


    ¡°He is right.¡± Mortimer said and shouldered his blade.


    ¡°Fiiine, but the moment we hear that kind of noise again we are out of there, okay?¡±


    The group assembled and Roger lead them into the narrow tunnel. They left glowstones on their path in case the tunnel split and they had to find their way back again, but it turned out not to be necessary. The tunnel was very narrow at some points and Mortimer, who was the widest and largest of them in his armor had some trouble to get through. In the end the reached the bend in the tunnel and spotted the light coming from in front of them. Quietly Roger told them to stay back in sign language. It was an old trick they had perfected and they did not want to give their position away just yet.


    Roger took Robin with his spear with him, followed by Stab and Shia stayed in the back with Mortimer, who would follow after they had assessed the situation.


    Roger slowly swam closer and as soon as he was around the bend he spotted the form of the Cultivator floating still in one corner of the cave. Light came from above, but otherwise it was silent and nothing moved. Quickly Roger swam closer and gestured Robin to cover him. He checked the Cultivator, but he was still breathing and had a strong even pulse. Roger had no idea how cultivator physiques worked, but he guessed this was a good sign. He seemed to be just unconscious. He checked on him and the only thing wrong about him seemed to be his ears that were bleeding. No doubt he had taken the full blast of that noise.


    Roger gave a thumbs-up to signal everything was okay before he surfaced and studied the cave. The first thing he spotted was the glowing stone and the mushroom, but then he saw the prone form of something scaley and still. Carefully, his speargun leveled he moved closer. His group all emerging from the water silently like ghosts. The warriors up front, Roger behind them and Stab and Shia moving around the creature. It was laying on its side and had a fishtail. The humanoid upper body was hideously rotten and deformed.


    Shia let out a gasp and knelt down. Everyone crowded around her, although Robin gave the creature a kick.


    ¡°Its dead.¡± Shia said and pointed at the hilt of a dagger that stuck out of the creatures chest. She removed the dagger and made an appreciative noise.


    ¡°Enchanted too. Aaron¡¯s backup weapon I think.¡±


    ¡°Lets get back to the water, I hate breathing air with this spell on.¡± Robin complained and they all went back to the water and took a deep breath.


    ¡°What do you think happened?¡±


    ¡°No idea, but I believe that mushroom at the other end of the cave is what we came for.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it looks positively magical.¡± Shia joked.


    ¡°What about Aaron?¡±


    ¡°Give him some healing potion. He seems fine, but then again he is different from us.¡±


    Roger studied Aaron¡¯s unconscious form and took note of it. It seemed the Cultivator did have a glaring weakness. His senses were incredibly good, but that also meant any over stimulation could be very dangerous. Mars had asked him to find out the man¡¯s weaknesses and it seemed he found some. But for now they were still on the same side and he would feel much better if he was okay.

 73. Sparring

    Aaron woke up with a blinding headache. He opened his eyes and saw shadows move on the ceiling of the cave he was laying in through the water. It looked like ghosts fighting each other. His hurting brain made up many different shapes of monsters and demonic faces in the flickering shadows. It took him a few moments to come to his senses entirely, to remember what happened. His ears were still ringing and yet other than that and his headache, he felt fine. Then he started to remember. The giant volcanic rock, the strange humanoid. The scream that knocked him out. He shot up out of the water, his fists balled, Wind Steps covering him in an instant, when he spotted the source of the shadows.


    Mortimer and Robin were standing close to the mushroom underneath the glowing rock and were arguing about how to safely remove the thing. Shia knelt next to a prone form, playing with a dagger. Aaron had still trouble making sense of what he was sensing, but all the urgency and tension melted from his body when he realized the prone shape next to Shia was the corpse of the creature. It was dead. He turned his head and spotted Roger, who was in the water. peering down the tunnel they had come in from with his speargun, while Stab drifted by his side. Aaron calmed himself, but his heartbeat was still hammering in his head, echoing the pounding headache he still had.


    The two warriors finally decided how to remove the mushroom and once they had they worked quickly as they removed samples of all things growing in the cave, before going back into the water. The bubble over their mouths was very much a problem here. They could not breath in the air bubble. Shia was studying the monster, or rather what had killed it. It was a chest wound that had done it in. A pool of blood surrounded the creature and Shia had Aaron¡¯s dagger in her hands, testing its sharpness.


    ¡°I hope you plan on giving that back.¡± Aaron said and they all turned to him, too busy to notice him surfacing.


    ¡°Of course. Just...admiring it.¡± Shia said with a smile, but Aaron had seen her eyes shift to the side. She might have stolen that dagger, if he had not woken up so soon.


    Roger turned towards him and asked.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that thing had a sonic attack or something like it. It was not very sturdy, but I am kind of vulnerable to that kind of attack, so it knocked me out.¡± Aaron explained, not holding anything back. It was obvious from his condition after all. He jumped out of the water and got a better look at the creature as he stood over it. Shia handed him his dagger and Aaron sheathed it. He did not tell them that this had been a close thing. The creature could have killed him, if he had not luckily hit it with his dagger. His desperation move had succeeded, but that did not make Aaron much happier.


    If such a situation would have happened back in his old life, a close shave with death, he would have changed his approach and taken precautions to ensure this would not happen again. Now, here in this damned tower, there was not much he could do. He knew this vulnerability of his would persist until he reached the next major realm and got properly powerful. But as he reflected on his failures he could also see that the group might have helped him. Or maybe not. If they had been with him he was certain they would have been hurt much more than he was. His lack of a ranged attack again struck him as the biggest tactical downside to his fighting style. He could have ambushed the creature easily otherwise. This rotten Siren was basically a glass cannon. It could do a lot of damage, but it was weak to being damaged itself. A shot from Rogers speargun would have put it down without much trouble.


    Aaron needed to be more tactical about things. Take less chances. But he had been caught up in the feeling of power he had gotten soaring through the ocean like a rocket. He would need to be more careful going forward. Training was good, but this had been a big mistake. He turned towards the group that had finished harvesting everything useful from the cave, including a bit of the glowing rock and the mushroom the Siren had been guarding. Slowly Aaron walked back towards the water.


    Once he was back under water and had taken a deep breath he said:


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    Roger hesitated and then shook his head.


    ¡°Lets rest up for today. We can continue tomorrow. This cave is ideal to rest after you killed that thing. We will post a guard in shifts and then we should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Oh hell yeah, we can grill some fish without it getting soggy!¡± Shia said happily and went over to Robin, who had the grill strapped to his back.


    Aaron hesitated and then shrugged. If they wanted to rest, that was fine by him. He settled down in a corner and started to meditate, while the rest of the group started to make the cave and its little lagoon more comfortable. They had plenty of stuff in that net they had dragged with them but they decided to fish some more, since they did not want to eat the samples. Roger went out of the cave and came back with 5 relatively big fish that looked fairly appetizing besides their blind eyes and many teeth. They set up the stove in the cave itself and prepared the fish on the grill. Which was basically a portable oven.


    As Aaron¡¯s heart calmed and he felt his cool returning to him, he found the idea to rest up and recuperate a lot better. He did not really like it because it gave him time to ruminate and second guess himself. But the ringing in his ears vanished as he cultivated and that made him feel much better. Less irritated and on edge. His senses being hindered in any way that was out of his control felt like torture and when his ears stopped ringing and he could listen to the lava flow inside of the rock he felt more like himself again. Compared to the ringing in his ear Aaron barely noticed the pain of cutting himself, but the group gave him shocked looks. It was the first time the entire group had witnessed his cultivation method and they all were fairly shocked about him cutting open his hand and absorbing manastones.


    ¡°The guy is literally absorbing money.¡± Mortimer said with a shake of his head.


    ¡°Him cutting himself is more of a concern to me.¡°Roger said under his breath. But Aaron ignored them and continued until it was time to eat and he joined them for a short meal. It was fried fish wrapped in magical kelp and not the worst thing he had ever eaten before. But the meat was not perfectly cooked. It was bad enough that Aaron vowed to make sure their next meal would be prepared by him. He could at least roast something to perfection.


    When he moved over to his training regiment, the whole group watched him as he stretched and then started doing the katas. He decided to make use of the cave and its space filled with air. Aaron was not sure how it could sustain itself, but he suspected the mushroom was responsible for it somehow. Then again, he could not breathe this air either way. So it could be some gas and not air and he would not know. He spent 5 minutes out of the water and then returned. Did one or two rendition of the katas in the water and then went back out again.


    ¡°What exactly is the purpose of this?¡± Mortimer asked with a frown as Aaron went back out to dry land.


    ¡°Not sure.¡± Shia said as she drifted on her belly on the water. She was much more comfortable with Aaron¡¯s quirkiness.


    ¡°He is adapting his fighting style to the environment.¡± Stab said and the group glanced at him, like always when he said something. It was rare after all.


    Aaron had a few repetitions left over when he heard that comment and studied Stab for a moment before he figured asking could not hurt.


    ¡°How about it Stab, care for a sparring match?¡±


    The Rogue looked up out of the water and frowned. His features looked ordinary, if a bit on the older side. But with the hood over his head they could not see if he had gray hairs yet. Either way Stab was the strongest of this group without a doubt.


    ¡°What are the rules?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Nothing much, nothing lethal, you can use real weapons. I will use my fists.¡±


    Stab¡¯s frowned harder before he shrugged and walked out of the water. He stopped a few meters away from him and drew his Rapier with one smooth motion.


    ¡°When do we stop?¡±


    ¡°On surrender I would say is the best idea.¡±


    Stab raised his eyebrows and then his body shifted. From the relaxed stance with the Rapier to the side he turned towards Aaron, his rapier in front, the sharp tip pointing directly at Aaron. His body was taut and ready, but his shoulders still seemed relaxed. There was no indication what he would do next, where he would attack and Aaron appreciated his skill and mastery of the weapon. He had seen a fencing match before, but he had never had any real idea how much skill it required to be good at it. Either way, hitting first while also being allowed to be hit seemed like a very stupid way of fighting, so he had disregarded the whole discipline as useless. Now he was not so sure anymore. Aaron himself was in the stance of the rejuvenating fist, but one of his hands was a palm already, ready to defend and deflect the blade if necessary.


    Aaron moved first, stepped forward without Wind Steps to test the waters and in that instance he felt something pierce his shoulder. The pain was sharp, fresh and instantaneous. Stab had moved, faster than ever before and had stabbed his shoulder with ease. Aaron moved to slap his blade away with the other hand, although the pain was building up and it was becoming pure agony. But before his hand could reach the blade, Stab stepped back, his blade following as it left his body and the man returned to the initial stance as if had nothing happened. Only the blood on the tip of his rapier told of what had really happened.


    Aaron had to laugh as he moved his shoulder, wincing in pain for a moment, before his regeneration could deal with the issue. What an attack. It had been too fast for his eyes to catch. A smooth, perfect motion extending the Rogue¡¯s reach once Aaron had come close enough into his range. It had been masterful and if they had fought for real, Aaron would have died right here and there. If the Rogue had targeted his eyes or his heart, either would have been debilitating and Aaron would not have been able to survive the follow up. Yet another reminder that he was not strong enough yet. Aaron cleared his mind as he resumed his stance. Wind Steps were activated and Aaron turned serious.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Aaron moved first again. But this time he moved through the air in a leap. Stab shifted his blade and stabbed again. But this time the slight shift in his posture had given Aaron enough time to evade the strike mid air. He halted his momentum as the attack went over his head and then Aaron resumed, coming in close. Stab stepped back, brandishing his blade as he made two quick cuts, cutting off Aaron¡¯s path to get inside of the man¡¯s reach. Aaron kept coming. He dodged below a strike and stepped in quick, only for Stab to move just as quickly backwards as he struck. His Rapier moved quick, its thin blade barely visible and Aaron kept dodging it.


    That was all that happened for the next 5 minutes. Aaron kept coming, kept moving, kept evading the strikes without ever actually coming close to the man. But slowly and surely Aaron got used to the speed of the weapon and the man. He started to parry and block strikes with the Unceasing Palm kata. Which turned the cat and mouse game into a real fencing match. The old Rogue¡¯s technique was otherworldly. Each parry or block was an opening for the man to use some technique on Aaron. It felt like the blade had eyes and a life of its own as it sprung up, vanished from his line of sight and attacked him from every conceivable angle.


    But then Stab jumped back twice and raised his hand. Aaron paused and noticed the man was sweating now. Stab walked back into the water and took a deep breath. Oh right. Aaron had barely noticed that he had not been able to breathe. It was quite honestly not much of a detriment to him. But he too went and dunked his head under water to take a few deep breaths.


    ¡°Not bad old man.¡± Aaron said with a smirk.


    Stab snorted, but did not deign his comment with an answer. He just sat down in the water and breathed.


    ¡°What the fuck was that?!¡± Shia asked them both, before she glanced at Roger.


    ¡°Did you see anything that happened?¡±


    ¡°Some.¡± Roger said, looking at Stab with much more respect.


    ¡°That is it! Stab you are banned from playing cards or dice with us! I could barely see a fraction of what you two just did in that fight.¡±


    ¡°How is your shoulder?¡± Stab asked Aaron, ignoring Shia entirely.


    ¡°Good, that was a hell of an attack though. Never seen anything like it.¡±


    Stab nodded.


    ¡°You are better against monsters.¡±


    Meaning that he was exceptional at taking down people. Aaron could see that. This man was a perfect assassin and in a fight he would probably cleave through enemy groups with ease. His speed allowed him to negate a lot of things. Aaron, who had relied on his own speed and maneuverability foresaw that he would never win against the man if he could not get used to his speed. If he could counter the speed somehow he might have a chance to win. But every time he had put the man into a bad position during the short fight his blade had stopped him from getting closer. So in the end he had to be able to neutralize his attacks first, before he could move in and punch. The speed advantage was too much to overcome if he did not play his cards tactically. He guessed a single punch would be enough to knock the man out though. He was unlikely to be very sturdy. But Aaron could not catch him, for now.


    ¡°Want to go for another round?¡± Aaron asked and Stab looked him up and down and then shrugged. He walked out of the water and Aaron followed him.


    The fought for half an hour with frequent brakes to take a breath and Stab seemed to relish the fight just as much as Aaron. At first it was a helpless contest and Aaron took more than one sharp and painful reminder of mistakes he made. But slowly and surely over time Aaron got used to the speed. He dodged less and blocked more with his palms. Training his Unceasing Palm kata like never before. But while Stab was faster than Aaron, he did not have his endurance or regeneration. After the half hour of intense combat Stab stepped back and walked to the water.


    ¡°Enough.¡± he said and Aaron bowed.


    ¡°Thanks for the fight. It was illuminating.¡± Aaron said sincerely. Stab was panting once he was under water again and Aaron could smell his sweat. He was clearly at the end of his rope endurance wise, while Aaron was still fresh. He did not really get tired anymore. Which gave him the edge over time. But once more he had seen what Vessels could do when they had a lot more levels under their belt. Aaron was used to people from the first floor, but he was sure, fighters like Stab were much more common in Ambition.


    Aaron balled his fists as he continued to finish his last Rejuvenating Fist kata, relaxing his muscles and finishing his training for the day. After fighting with Stab he was more determined than ever to become stronger. If he mastered the Unceasing Palm kata, or at least got more proficient in it, he would be able to negate a speed advantage. He doubted there was someone who could overcome him physically otherwise. There might be Vessels who became much stronger than him, but he doubted they would be fast enough to ever come close to actually hurting him. But Rogues focused on speed would always be dangerous.


    With a sigh he settled down on the rocky floor under water and just breathed slowly and calmly for a few moments. The rest of the group had turned to maintenance of their equipment, now that the entertainment of watching Stab and Aaron fight was over. He could still hear them talk among another though.


    ¡°Did you know about Stab?¡± Shia asked Roger, who just shrugged. Shia gave the team leader a scathing glare, before she pouted.


    ¡°I lost a months pay to him in dice. You should have told me.¡±


    ¡°You should always expect people like us to cheat.¡± Roger said with a small smile.


    Robin bit into what looked to Aaron like a piece of jerky and whispered to Mortimer.


    ¡°Now we have two monsters in our group.¡±


    Mortimer held his greatsword out of the water and let a sharpening stone slide along the edges of the blade as he sharpened the weapon.


    ¡°That is good no? Better on our side than against us.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you are right. But its just not natural. Like I get Stab, he is a veteran, probably climbed up to challenge the gap. But the Cultivator? He hasn¡¯t been here for more than a year, right? How does that work?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Robin, why don¡¯t you ask him?¡±


    ¡°Are you mad? He will probably stab me in the face.¡±


    Aaron chuckled.


    ¡°No I won¡¯t, if you have a question, go ahead and ask. Although I can guarantee my answer will satisfy your curiosity.¡± he said loud enough for Robin to hear.


    The warrior flinched and Mortimer chuckled to himself. Robin looked a bit embarrassed and then he turned to Aaron and asked.


    ¡°So how does this cultivation stuff work?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, its difficult to explain. But its basically in the name. Cultivation. It means to help something grow, to take care of something. In my case its power. We call it Qi and its a bit like magic, just...denser I suppose? I grow this power inside of me and it makes me stronger, slowly, but surely.¡±


    ¡°You grow your power? Like literally grow something?¡±


    ¡°I do not actually grow a plant or anything. I...accumulate. I am not sure if you know this, but the entire tower is filled with magic. Its everywhere, it flows through the tower like a big river, never ceasing. Mages become stronger by harnessing that energy, right?¡±


    Robin gave a tentative nod.


    ¡°I think so, that and learning a bunch of spells.¡±


    ¡°Right. So Cultivation is similar. Instead of using the magic all around us, I absorb it, I turn it into Qi and accumulate it. The more I have, the more powerful I become.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but Cultivation is supposed to be slow. You are stronger than anyone I have ever heard of after a year in the tower, no matter what they were.¡±


    ¡°That is because I rely on strong techniques. Hmm imagine them like spells I use and learn. Same concept. The more I master them, the more powerful I become.¡±


    ¡°So the whole stopping mid air and diving through the ocean like a bolt fired from a crossbow is a spell?¡±


    ¡°Like a spell. Works differently, but yeah I guess in principle you are correct.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bloody strong spell then. Where did you get it?¡±


    Aaron smiled and shook his head.


    ¡°That I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    The whole group had listened in on their conversation and Shia asked curiously:


    ¡°So if they are like spells, can people learn to do things like you do?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but they need Qi for most of it and as far as I have understood it, Vessels and Mages are incompatible with Qi. And vice versa. I can¡¯t learn any magic.¡±


    ¡°Well shit, if I could fly like you do I would trade in my rogue class in a heartbeat.¡± Shia said with a smirk.


    ¡°I can take away someones class, but I do not know if you could become a cultivator.¡± Aaron said with a smirk of his own.


    ¡°Its forbidden.¡± Stab said severely.


    ¡°What is?¡± Roger asked, while everyone stared at the old Rogue.


    ¡°Learning Cultivation. The gap is a memorial for what happens if people do.¡± Stab said gravely and Aaron remembered the story of the gap. Who had told him? The great master? They had tried to escape before and had broken the Tower, escaping the ordeal, although many of their fellow prisoners died. It had all started by starting a religion or something? He could barely remember it had been that long ago he had been told that story. So much had happened. But either way the escape went wrong in some horrible way. The gap was what was left over from the disaster. 30 floors of treacherous wilderness. Untamed and uninhabitable.


    ¡°I was just joking.¡± Shia said into the uncomfortable silence.


    ¡°Either way I can¡¯t teach anyone how to become a cultivator. I do not know how.¡± Aaron said with a shrug.


    ¡°But you are a Cultivator.¡± Robin said with a frown.


    ¡°Yeah and mages don¡¯t all know how to turn you into a mage.¡±


    ¡°Well because you can¡¯t just like that, or everyone would be a mage.¡± Robin said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Emnu can do it though.¡± Shia said and Mortimer snorted.


    ¡°Lord Emnu is a god, of course he can turn you into a mage.¡±


    ¡°Oh here we go again.¡± Shia said and rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Lets not argue over religion.¡± Roger said and Mortimer snorted again, but they fell silent.


    ¡°Looks like you had that argument before. How long have you been a group?¡± Aaron asked.


    ¡°A few years. We are one of the districts climber groups, most criminals don¡¯t really want to challenge the tower, we do though.¡± Roger said proudly.


    ¡°Its better than sitting on our asses or being muscle in the casinos.¡± Shia said and floated back to the surface looking down on them.


    ¡°Hmm, you don¡¯t seem that different to the groups I have seen so far. Well except that there is no mage among you.¡±


    ¡°For good reason, right Roger?¡± Shia said with a smirk.


    Roger sighed as Aaron gave him a look.


    ¡°I killed the bastard of a mage that was my team leader. Its why I am with the district. We all are criminals. Shia is a thief. Robbed half the guild elders before she had to stop. Mortimer here got thrown out of Emnu¡¯s army, had a disagreement with his sergeant that ended bloody and Robin, well he can tell you himself.¡±


    Robin snorted.


    ¡°I was trying to pick up this girl in a bar one day, then this big asshole comes in and pushes me aside. We had words, long story short it ended in an honorable duel. I won, he died. But the asshole¡¯s father was a guild elder, so I got branded a murderer and here I am. I don¡¯t know why you guys find it so funny.¡±


    ¡°You literally dueled to the death over a girl and you can¡¯t even remember her name.¡± Shia said with a chuckle.


    ¡°It was 10 years ago!¡±


    ¡°She also ran away when the asshole died so he got nothing.¡± Shia said with a deep chuckle.


    ¡°You got caught because you were wearing a stolen dress Shia. You are one to talk.¡±


    ¡°How could I have known the dress was special?¡±


    Aaron smiled while he listened to the group banter. They clearly were very familiar with each other. It was a strange feeling. Sitting here with this group and being accepted. Tentatively, but still. They were a good group. Experienced and confident. He wondered if things had turned out like this if he had not been isolated right from the get go and hunted. Many things would have been different. But in the end he could not change the past, just move forward. He was not entirely comfortable letting his guard down with these guys yet. He was more than aware that they had been sent with him to keep an eye on him and that they would, no matter how friendly they were. His stomach growled and Aaron stood up.


    ¡°I am gonna hunt me some proper dinner. Those few fish were not enough. Be right back.¡± Roger nodded to him and he dove out through the narrow tunnel until he was back in the open ocean. None of the fish appealed to him down here. Especially in the darkness where only the glow of the magma shone any light into the darkest blue imaginable. Aaron looked up and dove straight upwards with Wind Steps. It was time to find some real dinner.