《Path of the Last Champion [Sci-Fi LitRPG, Ancient System, Party Dynamics]》


 Chapter 1 - All Climbers Go Before the Crystal

    A Sinner Ascends


    Book I of the Path of the Last Champion.


    Part 1 - The Upper Depths


    ¡°Why, Crystal? Why?¡± - Unknown ex-Climber, Intoxicated


    Excerpt from ¡°A Life in the Depths ¨C A Study of the Life Conditions in the Between-Nexus¡±


    Status: Unpublished. Censored under the authority of Truth Legate Alastor Ghabn


    Notation: Level 4 Breach of The Tenets for Scholarly Conduct, Education and Enlightenment


    Scholar Kuon Feeir, KUO274021097334283LDX ¨C 2<sup>nd</sup> strike


    >> <<


    The dead, warm air weighed him down on his way up to the Chapel of the Holy Crystal. Hopefully, it would be the last time Nar was ever forced to make that trek.


    He came up to a gap in between buildings and took a moment to recover his breath.


    Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Nar gazed down.


    It was said that the Nexus was an infinite cube, and that the sprawling Labyrinth, which surrounded it, was even more endless.


    Beneath him, his little cubeplant stretched.


    From where he stood, he could take in his entire home with a single glance. It was a far cry from infinite, and most of it was just empty, absolute darkness.


    On the opposite wall, bright white lights marked the presence of the factories. Neat cubes, stacked high up the walls, the factories covered a full third of the cubeplant. That u-shaped mess of buildings was the brightest spot in the cubeplant, radiating its sterile white light from within.


    From its myriad entrances and exits, crystalights pooled and stretched into the darkness in twin lines of lights.


    The lines swelled into a chaos of crystalights at the midway point in the cubeplant. There, in another cube, cut down into the floor, was the Pile.


    The Pile was an 860-feet deep hole that held an immensity of unending tons of spent aetherium, waiting to be carted off to the factories to be melted, purified and recast, and then sent back to the distant surface once more.


    The lights then reformed once more into lines and continued on from the Pile, into another long journey across the silent dark. Until finally, they arrived at the Homes, where the workers spread throughout the gloom covered chaos of narrow streets, stairs and alleys.


    Always there were two lines of crystalights. One for those headed into work, either in the Pile or the factories, and one for those returning from it.


    The klaxon had sounded as Nar climbed the narrow, crooked steps, filling the air with its shrill, triple blare.


    B shift was being taken over by C shift, which would later on swap out with A shift, and then B again, in an endless loop. Their work never stopped, for their atonement, and for the punishment of failing short on the quota. And it was a punishment no one wanted to face, no matter what cost it extolled from them¡­


    Shaking off the thought, Nar followed the lines back towards the distant white lights.


    He clenched his jaw.


    One way or another, none of this would ever mean anything to him after today.


    They could all rot in that dark, stifling hole for all he cared. But that would not be his fate.


    He turned his back to the tiny, infinitesimal little cube that was all the Nexus he had ever known, and resumed climbing.


    The last few steps to his destination were even more uneven, shaved bare by the endless workers that had come before him, and he held his crystalight above his face, to see where he stepped.


    Footsteps echoed mutely from above him, and on instinct, he pressed himself flat against the wall.


    Making himself small was not an easy thing to do, given his almost 6-foot frame, but at least he was skinny. His labor had never been of the physical kind. As a child, they had forced him straight into the factories, skipping what should¡¯ve been his childhood seasons in the Pile, to operate the cursed machines within.


    They had done many things¡­


    The footsteps got louder, echoing off the cracked walls of the silent stair street, and Nar tried to push himself even further against the wall.


    Then, a boy walked into view.


    A human, like him. And like him, also on his nineteenth Full Season.


    And Nar knew this because of what the other guy carried¡­ No! Hugged. Cradled, against his chest.


    His eyes widened at the sight of it.


    It was a weapon, something granted only to those who had made the choice Nar was about to make.


    A spearman¡­ Nar thought, marveling at the sight of it despite himself. A damage class.


    The spearman froze mid step when he noticed Nar, squeezed against the wall. A brief smile touched his lips, but then he noticed the red stained cloth wrapped around Nar¡¯s right arm. The smile faltered


    Nar looked back down, remembering what he was, and what the other was not. He had seen enough of those kinds of expressions on his way up. He didn¡¯t need to see another.


    Almost¡­ He told himself. It¡¯s almost over.


    ¡°May the Crystal guide you on your Climb.¡±


    Nar looked up, in surprise, as the man brushed past him.


    Brushed.


    Touched.


    ¡°M-May the Crystal guide you too!¡± Nar stammered after him.


    The spearman gave him a wave without turning back, and soon, his footsteps faded around a corner.


    Nar stood where he was, staring at the gap between homes where the guy had disappeared through.


    Maybe it will work after all, he thought.


    Then, he shook his head. He could only hope¡­


    One thing at a time.


    Nar quickly climbed up the last stretch of crooked steps to the tilted, mismatched and windowless chapel.


    His heart raced, both from the long climb and at the prospect of what awaited him within, and he paused briefly to recover his breath, and muster his courage.


    In front of him stood one of the only four doors in the entire cubeplant.


    Nar touched it gingerly, between reverence and apprehension, noting the smooth wear of countless hands across the eons of darkness.


    As a child, he had heard that once there had been doors everywhere, even on their windows. But such things, as well as many others, had all been lost in the Long Dark, the endless, lost period of time that stretched on from when their ancestors had first committed the Original Sin to that very moment, endless and countless shifts since they had been banished from the surface.


    That long forgotten crime against the Holy Crystal had doomed the First Workers and all their future descendants to their labor in the darkness. A labor that would go on until the joyous, distant shift that would be their last. When their sin would be fully atoned for, and they would be welcomed back outside¡­ Until then, they would never know true light, nor respite, again.


    However, the Final Shift had yet to come.


    A Second generation had grown and replaced the First. Then a Third had followed the Second¡­ Eventually, the workers had lost count of the generations that had toiled in the dark before them. They knew only that there were numbers untold of them, spread throughout the Between-Nexus, across only the Crystal knew how many cubeplants just as the one that held them captive.


    They had been born in the dark and they had died in the dark. And there they waited, consigned to the Waiting Dark with all of their forebears, all the way to the very First, waiting for their descendants to complete their punishment. Waiting for their souls to finally be cleansed and welcomed into the Crystal¡¯s Everlasting Bliss.


    But Nar would not die in the dark. At least not this dark. He did not plan to live his entire life as a sinner either¡­


    He pushed, and the tall door swiveled with ease. Silent, over deep carved marks that had been there since he could remember.


    He stepped into the dim within, and allowed the door to close itself behind him.


    The air inside the chapel was even deader than outside, coating him with a fresh wave of sweat.


    Nar had never understood how it could be hotter in the chapel than right next to his machine in the factory. In fact, he had pondered it for every, mandatory, long, dragging sermon, never arriving at an answer¡­ Though today might be the day he finally discovered why.


    ¡°Have you come for the Climb, worker?¡±


    A man stood in front of the second other door in the cubeplant. The tall, broad shouldered altei differed from humans only for his height, stronger frame, and light-colored hair. The priest¡¯s hair happened to be a very light shade of pink, almost white.


    Behind him, almost hiding, was a thin, short door.


    Nar had never seen it open. No one, not even the priest himself, was allowed to enter, unless it was to make the decision that Nar was about to make.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nar replied, his voice barely audible in the heavy silence.


    The priest joined his hands in front of his chest, his fingers forming the representation of the Holy Crystal, and bowed solemnly.


    Nar hurriedly returned the gesture. He joined his middle and index finger, the fourth and pinky finger aligned with them, and touched his thumbs together, pointing downwards to form the shape of the Crystal, his hands standing parallel, showing his palms to the priest.


    ¡°Another Climber is already inside,¡± the altei said. ¡°Please, wait until they¡¯re done.¡±


    Nar nodded and stepped to one side.


    His heartbeat was so fast now, he felt dizzy, the heavy air within the chapel clasped around his throat.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    He took a deep breath and stepped away from the man, looking up to distract himself.


    Once the decision had been forced upon him, he had spent many of his few free hours here, staring up at the haloed icons of the Named Few. These were those who stood closest to the Crystal Almighty Itself. They were the saint guardians and defenders of the Holy Church, who kept the Nexus safe from the horrors of the Endless Labyrinth.


    ¡°Take it as inspiration,¡± his dad had told him, as he shooed him off that first time. ¡°See what weapons they use. What magic they have. What class they took. It might help.¡±


    Help with his choice of class. His choice of path.


    It was said that after the Climb, one could change their class. Even abandon it, choosing to never fight again in their entire lives. But that was after they survived the Climb.


    To Climb, all needed a class and a weapon. And magic, too¡­ But magic had to be earned first. Suffered for.


    The workers could all say that they worked for their atonement, and for that of the ancestors who had toiled and done their share. They could all tell themselves that was the reason they chose to stay. But Nar held a more cynical view of it all.


    The Climb was harsh. Few Climbers made it past the guardians that were said to lurk in the dark corridors of the B-Nex. Or the challenges of faith and atonement that blocked the path upwards.


    You worked for your forgiveness, or you suffered for it. Only those who endured the Wrath of the Crystal were allowed into the true light. And not many did¡­ Or so they said.


    In reality, nobody knew what lay beyond the enormous door that took over a third of the right wall of the cubeplant. The Doors, as they called them, were about 100-feet tall and 160 wide. And nobody wanted them to open, not even him, who would soon leave all of this behind.


    The cubeplant had failed its quota in the past. Once, at least, and as far as they remembered.


    The stories passed down of that failure had plagued the nightmares and scary stories of every following generation.


    A shiver ran down Nar''s spine despite the heat, and he pushed away the sudden dark thoughts. Of what was said to lurk in the eternal dark of the B-Nex¡­


    Instead, he looked up to the tall, dark, vaulted ceilings.


    Here, covering walls and the uneven crooks and crannies of the ceilings, brightened by the lights of dozens of crystalights, were the icons.


    These haloed men and women, and every other gender of boundless species that populated the Nexus, were the most powerful sentients in existence. With the aether granted them by the Crystal Itself, and the magic awarded them by the System for their many battles and victories, they were the goal he strived for. He needed power and magic like that, of the kind and level he couldn¡¯t even understand, if he was ever to succeed in what he needed for his purposes.


    As had become a habit of his, he quickly scanned the numerous icons, long faded of any color, until his eyes came to rest upon the two that mattered the most to him. It was fate that these two should be side by side, sharing a crystalight, for it was them that had finally given him the idea for his class. And the solution to his dilemma.


    On the right hand was Romilt Ghroumvar, the Insurmountable Mountain of Thorns. He had never been able to tell what species or gender Romilt was. Romilt¡¯s heavy bulk was completely encased in thick, spiked looking armor. On its left hand was a massive, bladed and spiked shield, and on its right hand, was a thick, short and plain looking sword. Both of these dripped what he assumed to be blood onto a mountain of sharp, intertwined thorns. Thorns which rose up from the bottom to frame the entirety of the icon. Even his halo was made of thorns, and it too, bled.


    Next to Romilt was Nar, She Who Is One With The Wind. She shared his name, and that had been what had first drawn him to her. Only her face was visible, with the focus being on the cloth that covered her eyes.


    He had always wondered why she had her eyes covered, knowing only that it must mean something to her path and class.


    Covering a portion of her face was a span of narrow, deadly looking blade. It was covered in swirling lines of wind, which he understood to be a stronger version of a breeze, which was the best they ever got down there in the cubeplant, on rare occasions.


    He had no idea how long that blade was, but he liked to imagine that it was very long for some reason. Almost as tall as she herself was.


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± his dad had told him, when he had returned, excited, to tell him of his idea.


    His dad had many reasons against his choice. Logical, all of them, of course. But Nar had persisted on it, refusing to budge. If his dad wanted him to Climb, then he would do it in his own way.


    Besides, he had chosen his path for a reason. He defied tradition because he had no choice. He needed it. Needed the path that would stretch before him, afterwards, if he survived the Climb.


    Though now, standing there, he couldn¡¯t help but tremble in the face of his coming choice.


    A lot could go wrong. And a party might not even accept him. At least not a good party...


    But that was a concern for future Nar, even if that was barely two shifts away from the current moment.


    You¡¯ve made your choice, now stick to it! He chided himself.


    Hastened breathing drew his attention to the priest and the door he guarded.


    A human woman stood there, panting against the closed door. On her hands was a bow.


    No arrows?  Nar thought, frowning.


    ¡°An archer. A ranged damage dealing class. Well done, child. You are a Climber now,¡± the priest said. ¡°You are freed from your toil. May you find atonement on the Climb instead, and live to see true light on the Outside-Nexus, should the Crystal have mercy on you.¡±


    The priest repeated the Crystal''s blessing gesture, and the woman nearly tripped over herself trying to return it and not drop her new weapon.


    She still gasped for air, her eyes stretched wide and showing their whites. She looked around herself as though she could not believe what she saw. Or had seen.


    What in the pile happened in there? Nar wondered, feeling the knot in his stomach tightening.


    The archer noticed Nar standing in the dimness, waiting for his turn in the shadows, and looked away.


    She licked her lips and took a quick breath, little more than a gasp, as though to speak. Her face froze for a moment, then she simply stumbled out of the chapel.


    ¡°You can go in now,¡± the priest said, motioning towards the door. ¡°May you find what you seek.¡±


    Nar swallowed hard, looking from the swaying archer to the door, and stepped forward.


    His heart felt as though it was trying to break free from his chest, and sweat dripped down his face and the back of his neck and back


    He lay a hand against the small door and yelped in surprise and pain.


    It was hot. Almost blisteringly so.


    ¡°Be respectful inside, when you make your request,¡± the priest whispered behind him, startling him. ¡°Some never walk back out.¡±


    Nar knew of this, of course. But those who had been rejected were few and far between. There hadn¡¯t been one in many seasons, not since the times of his long dead grandfather, according to his dad.


    However, that was not to say he had not dreaded that he might become one of those lost ones. It had been one of his recurring nightmares in the past few months¡­ To go in that door and find himself amidst his scornful ancestors in the Waiting Dark.


    Dead.


    But here he was now, and he had no intentions to back out of it.


    Gathering his resolve, Nar took a deep breath and pushed open the door, holding his tongue against the pain that seared his hand, and stepped into darkness.


    It was burning in there.


    The air was so dry and hot, it hurt as it clawed its way down to his lungs. And his sweat began to dry almost instantly.


    He looked around him, feeling around in the sudden empty darkness that surrounded him. The door behind him was gone, and try as he might, he felt no walls around him. In fact, he felt nothing, and as the moments stretched, panic began to well up within him, his breathing accelerating.


    Why was nothing happening? Had he failed? Had he actually been sent straight to the Waiting Dark? Was he¡­


    A weight fell upon him and crushed him to his knees.


    And within the weight, there was a presence.


    ¡°NAR293457741235645XAV,¡± a voice spoke. ¡°YOU WISH TO CLIMB.¡±


    Nar bowed his head lower, pressing it into his chest, straining under the weight.


    What did It call me? A tiny, stray thought asked. Is that my identifier?


    But with rising dread, he pushed the thought away, seeking to bow as low as he could.


    For how else should a sinner address the Creator of All That Was?


    ¡°Yes, Almighty,¡± he replied.


    ¡°WHY?¡± the Crystal asked him.


    Nar hesitated.


    He had expected the question. He had dreaded it. His dad had even made him swear on the Crystal that he would not say anything of his true plans.


    He had sworn nothing. But now, before the Crystal, Nar feared speaking out the words.


    He considered saying something else, even. But only for a moment. He couldn¡¯t imagine lying before the All-Knowing Crystal Itself. Not when already begging for his freedom and forgiveness.


    ¡°I want the strength to save my dad. He¡¯s sick and I want to take him to the healers in the O-Nex. I wish to receive your aether, and gain magic for this reason, oh Almighty Crystal!¡±


    ¡°YOUR FATHER IS NOT A CLIMBER. HE MADE HIS CHOICE.¡±


    Nar bit his lip, weighing his next words. ¡°No, Great Crystal, but I will suffer in his place. If you will allow it, just like he suffered for me¡­¡±


    The weight increased, and the heat rose to a point where it was quickly becoming intolerable, burning him from both within and from outside.


    Had he said the wrong thing after all?


    ¡°TANK, DAMAGE, OR LEADER?¡±


    Nar breathed in as much relief as he could under the strain. His mouth tasted metallic, but at least the Crystal had not rejected him. Hopefully, the rest would go as planned as well.


    ¡°I want a hybrid class, oh Great Crystal. Tank and damage.¡±


    Silence stretched for a long moment.


    ¡°WHY?¡± the Crystal eventually asked.


    Nar didn''t know if he would be asked to justify his choice, but he had prepared for it nonetheless. It was a simple enough answer anyways.


    ¡°I need to be able to deal and take damage, Almighty One, so that I can one day Climb back down on my own to come save my dad. W-With your permission of course, Benevolent Crystal!¡±


    There were only three ways out of the cubeplant. You died, and your body was returned to the Nexus, your soul joining the ancestors in the Waiting Dark. You Climbed, and you left by the smaller exit next to the Doors, guided by the light of the System to the surface. And lastly, you chose exile.


    The door would open for you, but there would be no path to follow. No safe rooms to rest in, or dispensers to give you food.


    No one chose exile. Exiles were those who committed crimes, and were forced to leave, or be executed in punishment.


    But if Nar was strong enough, and well prepared enough, his dad could choose exile and Nar would be there, waiting for him. He would be a powerful, fully fledged Named Few then, ready to guide him safely to the O-Nex. And to the life of color and light they had always dreamed of.


    That was the plan at least, as light on details as it currently stood. Though he could worry about the details when the time actually came, and if he actually survived to reach the O-Nex, free and forgiven.


    ¡°YOU CHOOSE A FOOL¡¯S PATH, NAR293457741235645XAV. A HARSH PATH. A PATH THAT ENDS IN DEATH. CHOOSE ANOTHER.¡±


    Nar''s heart sunk, and he closed his hands into tight fists, almost hyperventilating in the even hotter air and tighter weight.


    He felt as though soon, he would burst into flames.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t!¡± he gasped. ¡°I-I have¡­ To do this! I have to¡­ Repay my¡­ Debt!¡±


    ¡°CHOOSE ANOTHER!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t! I would¡­ Rather be thrown¡­ Into the Waiting¡­ Dark¡­ Than fail¡­ My dad! I want a¡­ Tank/DPS¡­ Hybrid class!¡±


    Silence stretched again, and Nar feared the worst as he collapsed on the invisible floor.


    Did I go too far¡­ he wondered, consciousness fading. Dad¡­


    ¡°REACH OUT YOUR HAND. TAKE YOUR WEAPON.¡±


    Nar gasped as he was suddenly yanked upright.


    The weight faded away, and the heat receded back to more manageable levels.


    ¡°Y-Yes! T-Thank you, Merciful Crystal!¡±


    Stammering praise in an incoherent babble, he felt for the darkness in front of him until his fingers brushed against something soft, and closed around it.


    ¡°CLIMB, NAR293457741235645XAV. EARN THE FORGIVENESS FOR THE SIN THAT STAINS YOUR SOUL. SUFFER, AND YOU MAY YET EARN WHAT YOU SEEK¡­ ¡±


    Then, he found himself outside, gasping, leaning against the door, like the woman before him had.


    What had been previously searing, was now nothing more than a warmth at his back, and Nar panted, his vision slowly focusing once more.


    A heaviness was in his hand, and Nar squinted at it.


    It was a longsword.


    A heavy, solid reality in his hand, the granting of his request to leave. The granting of the chance in which to atone, and one day save his dad.


    Thank you, Crystal. I will¡­Wait! Where¡¯s my shield?


    Dumbfounded, he stared at his empty left hand.


    ¡°A two-handed swordsman. A melee damage dealing class,¡± the priest intoned. ¡°Well done, child. You are a Climber now. You are freed from your toil. May you find atonement on the Climb instead, and live to see the true light on the Outside-Nexus, should the Crystal have mercy on you.¡±


    Nar repeated the gesture back at the priest, still grappling with confusion. He didn¡¯t bother to correct the man. He didn¡¯t want his pity. Or laughter.


    Without a shield, what sort of tanking was he supposed to do?


    He glanced at the door, but doubted he could go back in. Even if he could, what would be the point? The Crystal had heard him loud and clear, and It had given him the longsword in answer to his request. Its decision would likely be final.


    Is this part of my atonement, to tank without a shield? But how am I even going to do that?


    A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, startling him.


    He jolted around, facing the priest. ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    ¡°That thing,¡± the priest said, staring at the cloth wrapped around his right arm. ¡°You don¡¯t need it anymore. You may take it off and give it to me.¡±


    Nar stared at the man for a blank, few heartbeats, still gripped by his encounter with the Holy Crystal Itself, and the lack of a shield in his hand.


    ¡°I¡­ The¡­¡±


    He looked down at the red cloth, his thoughts racing to catch up with what was happening.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± the priest said, smiling at him. ¡°You are a Climber now, not an Unclean. You can remove it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes,¡± Nar mumbled.


    With shaky fingers, Nar reached up to the cloth. He slipped three of them under it and tugged at it helplessly, his mind still in shock.


    The cloth was tied well. Very, very well.


    If it ever fell, and he didn¡¯t notice, and someone recognized him for what he was, he would have been exiled. Or killed on the spot.


    He tugged and pulled on it, struggling against the ingrained wrongness of the gesture.


    The man stopped him gently, resting a hand over his fingers. ¡°May I?¡±


    Nar nodded numbly.


    The priest stepped closer and worked at the tight knots.


    ¡°I took over from my predecessor about five Full Seasons ago,¡± he said. ¡°In that time, I¡¯ve seen many Unclean. You all take the Climb, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We-we are forced to,¡± Nar whispered. ¡°The adults, they¡­ They make us do it.¡±


    The priest nodded. ¡°Makes sense. There¡¯s nothing for you here but pain and grief. Might as well take the Climb. I would have done the same in their place. Or in yours¡­ Ah! There we go.¡±


    As the cloth slipped from his arm, Nar felt a sudden nakedness. He had to fought the urge to snatch back the cloth from the priest. Or to look for hiding¡­


    In fourteen Full Seasons, he had never left his home without that cloth tied around his arm, and without it, the arm he now stared down onto, seemed to belong to someone else.


    ¡°Another five Full Seasons, and I¡¯ll have removed the brand of sin from the last of the Unclean Climbers,¡± the priest said, shaking his head.


    Nar stared at the dark red stained and frayed strip of cloth in the priest''s hands.


    And when all the adults die, and no new children are born, the Unclean will be gone, he thought. And then, we¡¯ll all be forgotten. As if nothing ever happened.


    ¡°Go now,¡± the altei said. ¡°I pray the Crystal delivers you safely to the O-Nex, to magic, to light, and all that awaits you up there, in the City Without End.¡±


    Nar looked up from the cloth.


    What was that, gleaming in the priest¡¯s eyes. Was that envy? Yearning? Jealousy? Sorrow? Pity?


    ¡°I¡­ Thank you.¡±


    The priest nodded. ¡°Go on then. There is not much time left to say your goodbyes.¡±


    Nar nodded and turned his back to him.


    He stumbled towards the exit, much like the other Climber had done before him, and glanced up at icons of Romilt and Nar.


    His request had been granted.


    Now came the hard part.


    Now came the Climb.

 Chapter 2 - Plans Made, Hope For the Best

    Stairs and houses and cracked, leaning walls blurred past him.


    Nar clutched the sword to his chest, like a precious newborn, and walked so fast he almost ran, risking falling and breaking his neck.


    It was like walking in a dream.


    He couldn¡¯t believe that it was actually happening.


    He couldn¡¯t believe that he was actually leaving.


    Workers stared at him as he went by with his little crystalight and sword.


    They stared. They sneered. They spat at his feet.


    Nar never stopped. He was used to it.


    They had hated him all his life for being an Unclean, and now, as a Climber, they hated him even more as a traitor.


    He was abandoning his ancestors in the Waiting Dark. He was leaving the weight of their atonement to those who stayed behind to toil away for the rest of their lives, having to make up for the lost work of those that left.


    But he didn¡¯t care.


    They had wanted him dead as a kid of five Full Seasons old, blamed for something he had never even done, and punishing him ever more harshly for something he had never accepted as his fault.


    They could stay and die in that hole for all he cared.


    He was getting out, and he was only coming back for his dad.


    Besides, he had already worked far more than most of them ever would with his double shifts. He had contributed more than enough to the arrival of the Final Shift¡­


    The moment he stepped onto Unclean territory was jarring.


    The conversations coming out of gaping doors and windows simply disappeared. Children¡¯s laughter fell far behind him. It was utterly dark there, as no one dared to pass the big X¡¯s carved onto the houses that delineated the border between Clean and Unclean. And there were no children there either.


    Here and there he saw a few people out on the dark streets, and faces looking out of windows and doors. Teens and adults. People he knew. People he owed his life to.


    He stopped and spoke a few words with each and every one of them. He said his farewells, with tears and hugs, and promises of doing all in his power to make it to the end and to forget those who stayed behind¡­


    He only swore to do the first half of their requests, and it was a while before he finally made it home, dwindled as their numbers currently were.


    ¡°You did it!¡± his dad shouted, standing up from the table.


    He stomped towards Nar and crushed his son into a fierce hug.


    ¡°Thank the Crystal, you made it!¡±


    Nar laughed and returned the hug just as tightly. ¡°I almost didn¡¯t! The Crystal asked me to change my mind!¡±


    His dad shook him, his face suddenly contorted into anger.


    ¡°I told you not to do it! I¡­¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that! It was my hybrid class!¡± Nar half-lied, half-omitted.


    His dad blinked at him, his mouth held ajar. ¡°Oh¡­ I didn¡¯t expect that.¡±


    Nar shook his head in agreement, and left it at that.


    His dad sighed and passed a hand over his face.


    ¡°I told you not to do that either.¡±


    Nar showed him the sword. ¡°Too late now.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Come on, then. Let¡¯s have a look at it.¡±


    Nar followed him to the table. His dad gently pushed aside the crackers and jell-o packs that everyone had contributed for Nar¡¯s Climb, as well as Nar¡¯s only two other sets of clothes, and Nar lay the sword on the table, gently, as though it might break.


    The two of them pulled on their crystalights, dangling from their belts, and shone their lights above the weapon.


    The blade gleamed with a dull shine under the light of their two crystalights.


    ¡°No shield?¡± his dad asked.


    Nar made a face and shook his head.


    ¡°Crystal have mercy¡­¡± his dad muttered.


    He bent lower to examine the sword.


    The pommel of the weapon was simple, and so was its dark gray lined grip and the gray guard above it. The blade was equally featureless, save for the fact that it was made of a lighter gray material, and that it was slightly shinier.


    By the way he was frowning, his earlier anger slowly building, Nar could tell what his dad was thinking. It was the exact same thing he had, and still was.


    Longer than a single-handed sword, but shorter, and missing the massive bulk and weight of a two-handed weapon, the sword was... Well, a bit lacking.


    The grip had enough space for two hands, so Nar guessed that he could use it both ways at least¡­ And he would probably have to, with no shield and potentially lackluster damage.


    His dad sighed and straightened back up.


    ¡°I know what it looks like,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Oh? And what does it look like?¡±


    ¡°Like I made a mistake¡­¡±


    ¡°No, like you should¡¯ve listened. Either tank or damage would have been fine. Crystal! I told you to forget about me. You don¡¯t owe me anything and it¡¯s not the way things go! I made my choice! Just leave!¡±


    It was Nar¡¯s turn to try and bite down his rising anger.


    ¡°I owe you everything, dad,¡± he breathed through his clenched teeth. ¡°Everything! And like I swore on the Crystal, I will come back for you! And I don¡¯t care what you say, or what is or is not! I¡¯ve made my choice!¡±


    His dad exhaled loudly, and dropped down on one of the only two stools in the room. With the table, that was all they had, other than their ageless, crooked beds.


    Nar took a deep breath and paced around the room.


    ¡°This is happening, dad,¡± Nar said, stopping to stare at his dad. ¡°And I¡¯m not backing out of it.¡±


    His dad opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it.


    His shoulders sagged and he stared at the sword instead.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know much about what¡¯s past that door,¡± he said.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡±


    His dad raised a hand and Nar closed his mouth.


    ¡°We know the guardians are there, whatever they are. We know you need a party, working together, to make it past them and whatever else the Crystal will throw at you,¡± he said. ¡°We know that everyone needs to do their part, and fulfill their role. The tanks keep everyone safe-ish. The leader leads and boosts the party, and the damage deal damage. What does this tell you?¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Nar looked away. ¡°That people need to be good at what they do.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Specialization,¡± his dad said. ¡°But it¡¯s not just that. I told you, again and again, but you refused to listen. To make this path work, you¡¯ll need to do two roles at the same time. You need to take damage and deal damage. Like a tank and like a damage dealer. And can you imagine how hard that¡¯s going to be? There¡¯s a reason you¡¯re told to not go hybrid! There¡¯s a reason to stick to the three roles! And now here you are, stuck with a sword that is barely going to be okay at both and good at neither. And not even a shield!¡±


    His dad covered his face and sighed.


    Nar looked away.


    His dad wasn¡¯t angry. Not really.


    It was far worse.


    He was scared.


    Scared that Nar was headed into certain death.


    As if the Climb wasn¡¯t impossible enough, he had just pushed his chances of success into the infinitesimal.


    But he didn¡¯t care.


    Climbing wasn¡¯t about getting out.


    It was about coming back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it work,¡± Nar whispered.


    ¡°You better!¡± his dad snarled at him. ¡°We force you kids out so that you can have a better life, not so that you can just die out there!¡±


    Nar pressed his lips and looked down.


    ¡°But it¡¯s too late now¡­ The choice is made. Nar? Nar! Look at me!¡±


    Nar lifted his eyes to the angry, scared face of his dad.


    ¡°Promise me you will do everything you can to survive, and that at the first chance you have, you change your class!¡±


    Nar shook his head, unable to look his dad in the eye. ¡°I won''t. If the Crystal Itself couldn¡¯t change my mind, neither will you.¡±


    ¡°Nar¡­¡±


    ¡°I will come back for you!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you die alone in this hole!¡±


    His dad hid his left hand, unconsciously, like he had started doing over the past few months.


    He didn¡¯t want Nar, or anyone else for that matter, to see the bright, shiny blue dot that was even now growing at the tip of his index finger.


    The Wasting had come for him. At best, he had another three or four Full Seasons to live. Five was Nar¡¯s hope, given how stubborn his old man was. His dad had a strong command over the cursed aura they used to power the machines in the factory, but in the end, the Wasting claimed everyone.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming back, and I¡¯m taking you with me,¡± Nar said, in a hushed tone. ¡°I will take and deal damage, just as good as any tank and damage dealer. You don¡¯t have to worry about that. I know what I have to do. You just focus on staying alive till I come back.¡±


    His dad breathed and melted against the chair.


    ¡°You¡¯re just like your mother,¡± his dad said. ¡°How am I supposed to face her if you die like this?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll tell you you¡¯ve done enough. And that it was my choice to make,¡± Nar said, coming around the table to rest a hand over his dad¡¯s shoulder.


    His dad shook his head, but Nar knew the matter was resolved.


    ¡°That¡¯s all we have,¡± his dad said, waving at the food on the table. ¡°Ten crackers and twenty jell-os. You¡¯re going to need to ration them.¡±


    Nar glanced down at the table.


    ¡°That¡¯s more than I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± he whispered.


    His dad nodded.


    ¡°There¡¯s less and less of us to contribute, but there¡¯s also less and less of you kids,¡± he whispered. ¡°It will have to do, until you reach a dispenser.¡±


    Nar picked up a cracker and lifted it to his eyes.


    The dry, hard square was about the size of his palm, and even thicker. A quarter of it was enough to last him days. Sometimes well over a week, when they weren¡¯t given enough food.


    ¡°The other Climbers will have a lot more than you, though,¡± his dad said, his tone imploring. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll share if you ask.¡±


    Nar thought of the spearman that had spoken the Crystal¡¯s blessing to him, but shook his head.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how they¡¯ll react if they realize I¡¯m an Unclean.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not an Unclean. Not anymore,¡± his dad said, nodding towards his arm.


    ¡°Still¡­ I don¡¯t want to get kicked out. I¡¯ll hold on until we get to a dispenser. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    His dad nodded with another drained sigh.


    ¡°I wish there were more of you to Climb together,¡± he said. ¡°At least, you could have formed a party. With only three of you, it¡¯s best to separate you. It will draw less attention and questions. And maybe you¡¯re right in keeping it a secret. I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Nar had been five when it had happened, and had been forced straight into the factory for it. No one was supposed to do aura work until they were at least on their tenth Full Season. The oldest of the kids had managed to survive in greater numbers, but as the seasons went by, less and less of the younger kids made it to nineteen. This time there would only be three Climbers. The previous one had seen six, and they had all Climbed together.


    The faces of the teens from earlier flashed by his mind. And there were still the many who were at work, pouring their auras into their receptors even now.


    He hardly ever prayed. None of them did, really. But still, he prayed that the following seasons would fare better. Maybe the Crystal would have some mercy, and allow a good number of them to survive long enough to leave.


    Doubt it though, Nar thought, bitterly.


    If the Crystal had a shred of a care for them, they wouldn¡¯t have become Unclean in the first place, or suffered as they had.


    ¡°Come on, the others will be here soon,¡± his dad said. ¡°Let¡¯s get this all packed.¡±


    The pack was a bundle of his and his dad''s most ruined clothes. Joined together, his dad had managed to just about make a container of sorts for his provisions and extra clothes, which then Nar could carry over his shoulders.


    In the crystalight, as he adjusted the sleeves around his neck and shoulders, he noticed that his dad¡¯s eyes were shining.


    ¡°It will be alright,¡± Nar said. ¡°I¡¯ll come back.¡±


    His dad snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that! I just want you to be happy! Just go. Climb! Forget about me. Forget about everyone. Live your life up there! Why can¡¯t you just do that like all the other kids?¡±


    ¡°Alone? In the light and color?¡± Nar asked, smiling. Those had always been his favorite stories.


    His dad wiped his eyes, a smile forcing itself onto his lips. ¡°Yes, in the light and in all the colors of the Infinite Nexus.¡±


    Nar grabbed his dad¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Promise me that you¡¯ll wait.¡±


    ¡°Nar¡­¡±


    ¡°Swear it! Swear it on the Crystal! Or I¡¯m not going anywhere!¡±


    His dad closed his eyes with a sigh.


    ¡°I, Bey, swear it on the Crystal Almighty and All Benevolent, to do all I can to wait for my son, Nar, to come back for me. There, you happy?¡±


    Nar felt a tear run down his chin. ¡°Yes. Yes, I am.¡±


    Bey wiped his son¡¯s face.


    ¡°Idiot¡­ Where am I even going to go, uh?¡±


    Nar looked away.


    Growing up, he had caught enough whispers amongst the adults to know what most of them planned on doing, once the last child left them. He just wanted to make sure that his dad wasn¡¯t one of those¡­


    ¡°Five Full Seasons,¡± Nar whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll come back in five Full Seasons.¡±


    His dad tutted. ¡°Don¡¯t risk your life, you idiot. You don¡¯t even know if healers can save me! So just-just get up there first, okay? Figure yourself out. After that, you can see. Alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush, don¡¯t take stupid risks, don¡¯t be proud, and above all else, don¡¯t think you can do it all by yourself. Do you hear me?¡±


    Nar looked away. His dad had been driving that particular point home many a time over the past months.


    ¡°They¡¯re not Clean anymore, Nar. They¡¯re just Climbers! They just want to get up there, just like you! And they¡¯ll be your party,¡± Bey said. ¡°You¡¯ll only make it if you work together. Listen to me, damn it! This is important!¡±


    ¡°I am listening! I know that! I know!¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t! If you treat them like spent aetherium they¡¯ll do the same to you! And if none of you is willing to risk their lives for the others, you will all fail! The guardians will tear you apart! And you know what else is out there! Is that how you want to die? Is that how you want it to end?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Nar whispered.


    ¡°Then be there for them, damn it! Learn to like them. Care for them. Think of them as if they were your own damned family. Crystal knows, they are about to be!¡±


    As if¡­ Nar thought, looking away.


    ¡°Only then, will you be able to trust each other. Just like we do, in the factory. Without trust, it all falls apart.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Team Lead!¡±


    Bey whacked him across the head. ¡°I¡¯m being serious here!¡±


    ¡°Bey?¡±


    A human woman poked her head through the door, shining her crystalight into their empty home.


    ¡°Oh, hi Mer,¡± Bey said. ¡°Are you guys ready?¡±


    Mer nodded.


    ¡°Hab and Der are also here.¡±


    ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll be out in a moment.¡±


    ¡°Take your time.¡±


    Her light receded back to the street and father and son looked back at each other.


    ¡°Just do your best to work with them, Nar,¡± Bey said. ¡°Please. I beg you. If you want me to wait, swear you will at least do this much.¡±


    Nar shook his head, dropping his shoulders.


    ¡°I, Nar, swear by the Crystal, I will work with my party¡­ As long as they work with me, and just as much.¡±


    Bey sighed. ¡°Good enough, I guess.¡±


    Nar nodded and looked around as his dad finished packing.


    A dark room, a broken, leaning table, and two stools. In the dark corridor beyond, hid two bedrooms and two creaking, broken beds. The rest, they had given away through the seasons, to those who had needed it more.


    His throat tightened as he glanced down at the pronounced scratch on the table.


    She had done that, and had tried to blame it on him.


    He scoffed.


    She had always been a jerk. But he owed both of their lives to her.


    I wonder if she made it, he thought, not for the first time, passing his fingers over the scratch.


    She had left two Full Seasons earlier¡­ A shame, as they had both wished to leave together.


    Good and bad. A lot of bad, the memories being what they were, but now that he thought back to it, there had been a surprising amount of good too.


    Even in the bleakness of their existence, the Unclean had come together to support one another, finding solace in their company. Even laughter and love and new families¡­


    He pursed his lips, keeping the tears at bay.


    There had been so many more people there, once. Almost three thousand.


    There were less than two hundred of them now.


    Soon, they would all be gone.


    Nar turned around. He didn¡¯t want to miss the place, and it nearly shattered his heart to think of his dad being left behind here, with less and less Unclean, for the dark seasons yet to come. Until he was all alone, with nothing but silence, darkness and memories of what had once been to keep him company. And that was if the Wasting did not claim him sooner. A lot sooner¡­


    He shook his head, forcing the thoughts out of his mind.


    That won¡¯t happen! He swore to himself. One day we¡¯ll be together again. Above, where the light and colors are real. Forgiven and healthy. And free to finally be happy¡­


    Whatever it took, whatever sacrifice was demanded off him, Nar would gladly pay it.


    And Climbers or not, whatever party he found himself in, he would never forget what they had done. And they would never be as important as his dad.


    He only had one person left in the Nexus. And that was not going to change.

 Chapter 3 - We are the Party

    The six of them crossed the warm, heavy darkness in hushed conversation.


    Around them, other crystalights shone in the dark, marking the other Climbers.


    Some very few traveled in groups. Even less walked with family.


    The majority made the journey alone.


    Few were those who understood a Climber¡¯s decision. Fewer still those who accepted it.


    Once you voiced your decision to Climb, no one could stop you. And no one could hurt you either, though many wanted to.


    Those who disobeyed the Law of the Crystal soon found themselves in deadly accidents or sickness. They didn¡¯t even need to be exiled. The Crystal knew. The Crystal punished.


    ¡°Looks like we''ll have a good showing,¡± Bey said.


    The two of them walked ahead of the other four. The Unclean had harsh quotas to meet, and they could only spare one person per Climber. The others, Mer and her adopted son Faj, Hab and his niece Der, walked behind them, lost in their own conversations, their three globes of light being far enough to grant privacy to each.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Nar said, looking at the gathering of lights ahead of them.


    ¡°Nervous?¡±


    ¡°... yeah.¡±


    His dad squeezed his shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine. You¡¯ll find a good party.¡±


    ¡°I really can¡¯t do it alone, can I?¡±


    ¡°Nar¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ I was just joking.¡±


    Nar stared at the gathering lights in the distance, his stomach churning at the thought of what was to come.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± his dad repeated. ¡°A tank, a leader, some damage dealers¡­ That¡¯s all you need.¡±


    ¡°Easy-peasy¡­¡± Nar muttered.


    It left out the whole part about him having to be accepted in the first place by such a good party.


    How many of them would take a hybrid class? Only the desperate, looking to fill up. And he didn¡¯t want to be one of the desperate. Even if he was.


    Bey stopped him with a hand. ¡°This is far enough.¡±


    The others joined them.


    Bey considered the two other youths. Faj was a tall, skinny human like Nar, and he carried a big two-handed hammer with him. Der was an even taller morsvar, her skin thick and scaly, her head dominated by spines that flowed down her back. She held a small shield, a buckler, and a scepter. She had gone for party leader.


    ¡°This is it,¡± Bey said, his voice taking on a solemn tone. ¡°Your work is over and you are Unclean no longer. Climb. Stay safe. Live a happy life. Forget aura. Forget the cubeplant. Forget us. Go and find your freedom.¡±


    Der sobbed and came in to hug him.


    ¡°Thanks for everything,¡± Faj said, his eyes shining in the dark. ¡°We only made it thanks to you and everyone else.¡±


    Faj lifted his arms and pulled his adoptive mother into a tight hug.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you guys,¡± Bey said, patting Der¡¯s soft back spines. ¡°Now you be safe out there, okay? Everything¡¯s going to be fine. There¡¯ll be spots to rest, there¡¯ll be food, and you¡¯ll earn your magic soon enough. Just find a good party and find a way to trust each other and work together, okay? This is important!¡±


    Der snorted. ¡°Yes, yes. We¡¯ve all heard it a thousand times, Bey! Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll behave.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Bey said, grinning. ¡°Now go on. Make sure you get there early!¡±


    Bey grabbed Nar for one last embrace, leaving the other four to their last goodbyes as well.


    ¡°Remember all I¡¯ve told you,¡± his dad said. ¡°And don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    ¡°I will. And I won¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you,¡± Bey whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too. And I¡¯ll see you again.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Alright. I¡¯ll see you again, son. Be careful, okay? Don¡¯t go into the Waiting Dark before I do. Or ever.¡±


    Nar smiled. ¡°I¡¯m half a tank now, remember? I¡¯m not so easy to damage.¡±


    ¡°Still. Watch yourself out there.¡±


    ¡°¡®I¡¯ll be fine, dad.¡±


    With one last pat on the back, Bey pulled them apart.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Nar whispered, his eyes shining. ¡°For¡­¡±


    ¡°Hush!¡± Bey said. ¡°The past is the past. You just Climb and get out of here, ok?¡±


    Nar nodded.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Bey said, sniffling and rubbing his eyes. ¡°We won¡¯t stay, in case someone spots us. You just keep walking and don¡¯t look back.¡±


    Nar¡¯s throat tightened as his dad turned him around. ¡°Go, son. And keep going until you¡¯re out.¡±


    ¡°I will. I won¡¯t let you down!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    Bey pushed him forward with a gentle, but unyielding force.


    For a moment, Nar¡¯s legs forgot how to walk, and he nearly stopped to look back at his dad. But the others joined him, and he kept on walking, leaving his dad in the darkness.


    I won''t let you down. No matter what happens! No matter what it takes! I swear to the Crystal!


    Tears fell down his cheeks. At his side, the other two silently wept.


    Despite their losses, it was still a large family that they left behind. Gone, in the dark. Never to be seen again.


    None of the adults aspired to leave. They simply wanted an end to their long duty. They yearned for the peace of the Waiting Dark. Nar was the one selfishly forcing his dad to stay, and wait for him as their numbers dwindled and the last children left over the next four Full Seasons. If they even survived to see nineteen. The kids younger than him were sickly. Frail¡­


    But even if his dad had to endure seasons of dark solitude, it would be worth it. One day, they would both walk in the light. Or at least they would meet again in the Waiting Dark, without regrets¡­


    The distance went by quickly, and soon, the sound of the crowd was nearly overwhelming.


    When they reached the edge of the lights, they stopped, hesitating to break apart forever.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t find a good party, come find me,¡± Der said. ¡°I¡¯ll take you both with me and screw what they might think. I¡¯m the party leader.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯ll find someone,¡± Faj said. ¡°One, they might accept. Three, and they¡¯ll think that the Crystal Itself has cursed their Climb.¡±


    Nar nodded in agreement. From there on, they went their separate ways.


    ¡°Good luck out there,¡± Nar said. ¡°And I hope we meet again. Outside.¡±


    The temptation for one last, tight embrace was almost too much. They were cousins. They were brothers and sister. But if they hugged, and someone saw them, how would they explain the fact that they were Climbing separately? Especially with one of them being a party leader? No, it was better to appear alone, like the majority of them were.


    People Climbed for many reasons, almost all of them unpleasant. Nobody would think twice of the three, lone Climbers looking for a party amongst the throng of others like them.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Goodbye!¡± Faj said, and stepped towards the light.


    ¡°See you, Nar,¡± Der said, giving him one last teary-eyed look before she, too, disappeared in the crowd. ¡°Thank you for everything!¡±


    Nar heaved a sigh and pressed his eyes. From there on, he was alone.


    Right. Let¡¯s get this done.


    With his heart in his mouth, Nar walked into the light, and was immediately swallowed by people. The majority of them were Climbers, but there were a few family members as well. Those more open minded, and who loved their kids more than their atonement, tradition and forgotten ancestors.


    Nar looked around, lost in the sudden noise and bustle as he scanned the parties nearby.


    Leader, no tank. Tank, no leader. Oh¡­


    He walked past a loud, boisterous party, filled with nothing but altei and morsvars. Each and every one of the eight tall, muscular men and women carried big two-handed weapons.


    Crystal. All damage? Then again, maybe if the damage is high enough, they won¡¯t need a tank? Or a leader?


    After all, the path was supposed to be straightforward to follow. If not for his dad¡¯s incessant sermons, he wouldn¡¯t have worried about a leader at all.


    Leader! And a tank!


    Nar sped forward, heading straight for the party he had spotted, pushing past people and crystalights.


    As he approached, an altei noticed him and raised his hand. A tank, given his shield and mace.


    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re full,¡± the tank said.


    Nar almost stumbled to a halt.


    ¡°Oh¡­ That-that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, man. Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no worries. You too.¡±


    He fled from the pitiful looks the tank and his party cast at him, and disappeared into the crowd once more.


    Everywhere he looked, the suitable parties already seemed to be full.


    Two leaders? That can¡¯t be good.


    He walked past a split and arguing party, feeling increasingly desperate.


    He was probably running out of time. He was going to have to settle for just a tank, if he managed even that.


    Nar turned around, having spotted the end of the gathering a few feet away from him.


    Damn¡­ It¡¯s okay! I¡¯ll just look again! Maybe I missed someone¡­


    And as he turned, his eyes landed on another party, right by the edge of the assembled hopefuls.


    A tall morsvar woman held a shield and a spiked mace, and beside her, talking animatedly, was an altei with a buckler and scepter, and a mane of very pale-yellow hair.


    One, two, three, four, five, six, seven¡­


    They still had space in their ten-person party. Holy Crystal! He had found a party that still had space!


    But¡­ Why aren¡¯t they full?


    His face fell.


    In the party, there were lengos, and they didn¡¯t even reach the altei¡¯s waist.


    Lengos were always born as a male and female twin pair, and while the sister of this pair held a short staff, marking her as a caster, which was fine, the brother, which was a darker shade of gray than his sister, didn¡¯t seem to be holding any weapons at all. It took Nar a good few moments of hard staring at the bald, small guy to notice the dull gleam of the metal knuckles shining through his fingers.


    A brawler? A lengos brawler?


    He almost laughed. Could he even reach the enemy with those arms?


    Shame bloomed within him.


    That hadn¡¯t been a nice thought. Attributes would soon become everything as they gained levels anyways. Height, weight, gender and everything else would soon become meaningless.


    And who am I to say anything? He¡¯s probably useful at least, he thought, grimacing at his hybrid choice.


    ¡°What are you staring at?¡± the male lengos suddenly said.


    Nar took a step back.


    ¡°Something you want to say?¡±


    ¡°Mul!¡± his sister chided him. ¡°Stop it!¡±


    Like his brother, she too was bald, though unlike him, when she stared at Nar, it was with open kindness.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. He¡¯s the one staring at me!¡± Mul protested.


    ¡°No-I-I¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡± Nar stammered, seasons of life as an Unclean not as easily cast away as a piece of cloth.


    He turned around to beat a hasty retreat, before it turned into a scene. The last thing he wanted was for the other Climbers to regard him as a troublemaker.


    ¡°Wait! Are you looking for a party?¡±


    Nar stopped, and turned back around to stare at the party leader, who had stepped forward after him.


    ¡°I¡­ Yeah. I am.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to join us?¡± the altei asked, smiling.


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know his class yet!¡± Mul shouted.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± a tall, lanky guy said. ¡°The more the merrier!¡±


    He was a trugger, tall and skinny as truggers went, and with thick, coarse, dark hair. Like all truggers, his long, double elbowed arms reached almost to his knees.


    ¡°Yes, it does!¡± Mul retorted.


    The party leader smiled at Nar, ignoring the brawler. ¡°What class are you?¡±


    Nar looked down at his sword and grimaced. Moment of truth.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually a hybrid. Tank and damage.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± the trugger said. ¡°That¡¯s so awesome!¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s fucking retarded! You couldn¡¯t even make up your mind between the two?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°No! I-I chose this. This is my path!¡±


    ¡°You what?¡±


    The trugger laughed. ¡°I like him, can we keep him? Please?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Mul shouted again.


    ¡°Mul, don¡¯t be like that!¡± his sister hissed, glaring at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not being like anything. He doesn¡¯t even have a shield!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll work hard, I swear!¡± Nar said. ¡°Please. You won¡¯t regret it!¡±


    The party leader glanced at his party.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take him!¡± the trugger said, giving Nar the thumbs up. His fingers were also double jointed.


    Next to him, a human spear woman with long dark hair and a very pale, ashen complexion, looked him up and down and shrugged.


    ¡°Do whatever you want,¡± she said, her uninterest clear on her beautiful features.


    It went on to a quam next. She stared at him, with her big, green and blueish compound eyes. Nar stared back.


    There hadn¡¯t been any quam amongst the Unclean in a long time.


    She had four arms, and her skin was a grayish, greenish sheen, half between skin and chitin. She looked as most sentient did, sharing all the characteristics that they all shared, but she had no ears, and above her head, two little antennae poked from her green, almost shoulder length hair.


    She was small, and thin, almost like a starved Unclean, and refused to make eye contact with him. At her back, was a pack much like his, except bulkier.


    Instantly, there was something about her that gave Nar a bad feeling. There were bruises across her arms and neck, and he had seen such avoidant behavior before¡­ There was almost no denying what she was running from.


    Unless she works the Pile, Nar thought. Workers there were always hurt.


    Still, he couldn¡¯t shake the bad feeling that he was right about her.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the quam said, her voice barely audible.


    ¡°Cen?¡± the party leader asked, looking down at the caster.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± Cen said, smiling warmly at Nar. Her eyes were completely black, with a neon like yellow for her iris.


    Nar decided right there and then that he liked Cen.


    The altei grimaced and looked at Mul next. Mul, on the other hand, had red irises.


    Isn¡¯t that meant to be a bad thing for lengos? Nar wondered.


    ¡°Ugh. Fine! Do whatever you want!¡± Mul said, crossing his arms. ¡°You¡¯re the boss, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am. And lastly, Gad?¡±


    Gad, the morsvar tank stared at him with such an intensity that Nar started to sweat harder. She was impressive, even for a morsvar. Her skin, dark gray with mottled specks of different hues of gray and faded browns, looked tough, and she stood a whole two heads taller than him. If he stood right before her, he would have to crane his neck all the way back to look up at her face.


    Her eyes were completely black, and were perched above a nearly flat nose, with slits for nostrils. She had no hair, only rows of increasingly more flexible spikes that he knew descended down the back of her neck.


    Is she¡­ Going to say no? He thought, dread rising within him.


    Instead, Gad nodded.


    ¡°It will be good for us. Give us flexibility.¡±


    The party leader smiled and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I thought! Someone that can double up as a tank or be an extra damage dealer when needed? It¡¯s perfect! Of course we¡¯ll take you!¡±


    Nar gulped. ¡°Are-Are you sure? I might be sort of¡­ Bad. At-at least at the beginning.¡±


    What in the pile are you saying? This isn¡¯t the time for honesty! Not with these Clean anyways!


    The party leader threw his head back and laughed. ¡°I know! I fully expect it. There¡¯s a reason why nobody takes a hybrid class. But I have some ideas and we¡¯ll see, alright? I have a feeling we¡¯ll make it work.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ You won¡¯t kick me out if you don¡¯t¡­¡±


    The laughter died from his face. ¡°I will not be kicking anyone out, Nar. Not unless something incredibly bad forces me to. If you believe in your path¡­¡±


    ¡°I do. I really do!¡±


    ¡°And if you promise that you will work hard for and with the party, then that¡¯s all we need.¡±


    Mul scoffed behind the party leader.


    ¡°So?¡± the altei asked Nar. ¡°You in?¡±


    Nar couldn¡¯t believe his luck. He had done it!


    ¡°Yes! Please! Thank you!¡±


    The party leader laughed and came over to him.


    ¡°Welcome to the party!¡± he said, placing an arm over his shoulder. The party leader was a good head taller than him, and like Nar, his skin was a pale ashen sort of gray with a touch of purple. ¡°My name is Kur. Manager brat and party leader. The tank is Gad. The caster is Cen, and her noisy brother is Mul.¡±


    ¡°Up yours, man.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a good guy deep down, don¡¯t worry. Next, we¡¯ve got Jul. While she¡¯s aiming for a non-combat scout class, her eyes and antennae will make sure nothing surprises us. Then, there¡¯s Viy, spear DPS as you can see. And finally, the joker of the party, Tuk the ring tosser.¡±


    Tuk grinned. ¡°Look at me. I¡¯m already a Named Few.¡±


    Nar found himself returning the smile. He had a feeling he was going to like Tuk as well.


    However¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s a ring tosser?¡± Nar asked.


    Tuk¡¯s smile widened further and he raised a hand. In between his thumb and index, was a slim, hollow disc of metal, presumably the ring.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got ten of these!¡± he said, proudly.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Wow. How-how do you¡­¡±


    ¡°Use them? No idea yet! I¡¯m hoping that once my class unlocks, I¡¯ll know what to do!¡±


    The trugger laughed, ignoring the looks that both Mul and Viy threw his way.


    A lengos brawler. A¡­ Non-combat class? Is that even a thing? And a¡­ Ring tosser that doesn¡¯t know how to toss his rings?


    Had he made a bad choice?


    Then again, what did he know about using a sword?


    ¡°I think this is it,¡± Kur said. ¡°I think everyone has found their party. It should start soon.¡±


    Nar looked around them and failed to spot any more lone, and lost looking Climbers amidst the assembled parties.


    ¡°Attention, Climbers!¡± a loud voice rang out.


    Nar spun round, looking for its source.


    A man and a woman, a quam and an altei, stood casually in the middle of the gathering. The easy air of authority that exuded from their relaxed postures told Nar everything he needed to know about them.


    ¡°Execs,¡± Mul breathed, just short of spitting the word.


    ¡°Shhh!¡± Cen hissed at him.


    ¡°The parties have formed, and the Admin is waiting for you,¡± the quam continued.


    A hushed, excited murmur undulated through the crowd.


    ¡°Me and my colleague will direct one party at a time to her. She will speak with you and offer you one last chance to change your mind. If you do, you will hand in your weapon, or weapons, and return to life as normal. If you don¡¯t, you will hand her your crystalight. Where you¡¯re going, you¡¯ll have no need for it.¡±


    Nar already knew that he wouldn¡¯t be allowed to keep his crystalight. However, the thought of leaving behind the little crystal, which had shone his way since his earliest memories, caused a lump to form in his throat. That, however, was swiftly surpassed by the quickening of his heartbeat as he thought of the darkness beyond.


    Only the path of light would guide them. And he hoped that meant actual light.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start right away. That party there, you go first.¡±


    ¡°Whoop-whoop!¡± Tuk said, in an excited hush. ¡°It¡¯s starting!¡±


    Nar looked past the gathered Climbers, peering over their heads.


    In the distance, he spotted three small crystalights, making their way back home.


    His sight went blurry, and he quickly blinked the tears away.


    I¡¯ll be back, dad. I swear. Just hang on.

 Chapter 4 - The Climb Begins

    They were one of the last ones called.


    That was fine by Nar. Now that he was actually about to leave everything that he had ever known, and he had his class, weapon and party ready, he found that he wasn¡¯t in that much of a hurry to leave.


    He had also started remembering every single scary story he had heard as a child and had himself told younger kids as a teenager.


    Workers liked to make up the weirdest, most horrible things they could think of for what lay beyond their safe confines. It was probably one of their ways of telling themselves they were better off staying inside the cubeplant, and that the choice not to Climb had been the right one.


    ¡°You guys, come on,¡± the woman said, ushering them forward. ¡°Hurry. We don''t have the whole shift!¡±


    There were now only two parties left as they made their way towards the Admin and the open exit beyond her.


    ¡°Behave,¡± Kur whispered.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we?¡± Mul replied.


    Something in his tone of voice led Nar to think that Kur had meant that warning specifically for the brawler, and Mul had obviously picked up on it too.


    The Admin looked up as they approached.


    Her aging face glowed from above the metal cylinder that stood at her feet, her eyes glaring and accusing.


    Light filtered out through a dozen holes on the cylinder¡¯s surface, casting lines across the dark floor. Next to the bright container was another cylinder of the same size, except no light came from this one.


    Nar stared at the gathering of crystalight inside the bright cylinder. It was almost blinding.


    ¡°Who speaks for this party?¡± the Admin asked.


    ¡°I do. I¡¯m Kur,¡± he said, stepping forward.


    ¡°Kur. Do you wish to Climb?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Admin.¡±


    ¡°Do all of your party members wish to Climb as well?¡±


    Kur looked back, searching each of their faces for a last-minute change of heart. However, nobody uttered a word.


    ¡°Yes, Admin. They do.¡±


    ¡°Then you are Climbers all, as worthless as that is,¡± she said with a sigh.


    Nar tensed, but he kept his mouth shut.


    ¡°Hand over your crystalights. They¡¯re for workers only.¡±


    One by one, they pulled out their belts. Nar looked down at his crystalight. He would miss the little crystal tied to his belt by means of a retractable wire. It had been his one true light in a hole of pitch darkness¡­


    Goodbye, he thought, swallowing hard, as he handed the entire belt to the Admin.


    The woman snatched it from his hands, and pulled the crystalight out from its socket. Then she dumped it unceremoniously into the pile, and into the other cylinder, she dropped the belt.


    Nar kept his face neutral at the aggressive display, and stepped back. Between the loss of his belt and no longer having the Unclean cloth tied around his arm, he almost didn¡¯t know who he was anymore.


    ¡°Useless to the end.¡±


    He looked back up. The administrator ripped Viy¡¯s crystalight with hatred, and threw the two components apart.


    Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught Cen grabbing onto Mul¡¯s arm.


    Viy stepped back, the brief glance he caught of her face showing the hurt and pain that the Admin had inflicted.


    There was no need for that. No need for any of this¡­


    He clenched his jaw.


    Soon, they would be out. The Admin could rot in this hole for the rest of her life, as she had always, clutching to her useless power and authority. Despite her position, she was a sinner just like the rest of them.


    The thought of that morphed some of his anger into pity, and Nar simply avoided staring at her.


    After Gad handed over her crystal, not even waiting for the Admin to separate the components before she turned her back to her, the Admin waved them through.


    ¡°Go. The door is open. Go and be forgotten.¡±


    With pleasure, Nar thought. And good riddance.


    With grim expressions, the party stepped forward and around her.


    Up ahead, a line of crystalights guarded the open door, and they headed through the dark in their direction.


    As they approached, Nar considered the featureless opening revealed by the gathered lights.


    It was simply a hexagonal hole, cut into the wall. Other than a little depression on the imposing cube wall, nothing else was remarkable about it. It had no lights. No symbols. No markings whatsoever.


    Walking towards it, Nar ignored the glares from all the workers that guarded the door.


    Neither the Admin, nor the priest, nor anybody else controlled that door. It opened when someone wanted to leave. It was the Crystal''s Will, beyond any perceived power or authority within the cubeplant. And it seemed as though the door would stay open until all the Climbers had left.


    Considering all the stories going around, that was bound to make everyone nervous. There had to be at least fifty workers gathered around the door, and there were more inside. All of them where armed with bits and pieces of broken aetherium.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop,¡± Kur whispered, as they headed in. ¡°And don¡¯t say anything.¡±


    Evenly spaced, weak rectangular lights cast as much shadow as they did light from where the ceiling met the walls on either side of the corridor. Nar stared around him, stunned. If he stretched, he could touch the ceiling and the hexagonal walls. And with the lines of workers guarding the corridor, they were forced to walk in a single file.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°This is it?¡± Mul muttered. ¡°It¡¯s tiny!¡±


    One of the workers snorted.


    ¡°No respect for anything, eh, Climber?¡±


    A smattering of laughter echoed in the tunnel.


    ¡°I wonder if you¡¯ll have the same attitude when you die out there, and have to explain yourself before your ancestors!¡±


    The laughter turned to jeering.


    A woman spat at his foot, and Nar stepped over it.


    The others cowered, hunching down and hiding their faces.


    Not Nar.


    He walked tall.


    Proud.


    He was used to it, and now, there was nothing more these people could do to him. He felt nothing but pity and contempt for these pathetic Clean. A lifetime of fearing and hating them, and now, look at them, stuck forever in their cubeplant.


    Pathetic, Nar thought, keeping his eyes forward. Each and every one of you.


    On the other end of the tunnel, they stopped before what looked like a dead-end. Before any of them could speak, another door closed behind them so fast that they didn¡¯t have time to react.


    The cursing and shouting workers were silenced, gone, left behind in their hole. Forever.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad,¡± Tuk said, though Nar caught the slight tremor in his voice.


    Mul sighed loudly and muttered something under his breath.


    However, Nar had spotted something on the wall that made him forget everything else.


    B0234-19371289.


    Nar¡¯s breath froze in his throat.


    That was the identifier of the cubeplant! It had to be!


    B0234-19371289.


    He read it again, forcing it into memory.


    Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and they were thrown to the side.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Mul shouted.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re moving!¡± Gad said. ¡°Hold on to each other!¡±


    Nar held on to the quiet quam and to Tuk, fighting to keep all three of them upright, while at the same time straining to keep his eyes on the identifier.


    B0234-19371289!


    Force pressed them against the wall for a few seconds, then it was over.


    Nar closed his eyes.


    B0234-19¡­ 37¡­ 12¡­ 8¡­ 9?


    He opened his eyes. He had gotten it right.


    Jul quickly but gently untangled herself from him.


    ¡°Oh, sorry¡­¡± Nar said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she whispered, not looking at him.


    ¡°Thanks, man!¡± Tuk said, from his side.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Nar said.


    He quickly focused on the identifier again. He had to remember it. It was probably his best and only chance of finding his dad ever again.


    The others stood around, looking uncertain at the gray walls.


    ¡°At least we have light,¡± Tuk said. ¡°That would¡¯ve been terrifying in the dark.¡±


    ¡°That was terrifying!¡± Cen said.


    A transparent square of light appeared in front of Nar, making him jump and blocking the identifier on the wall.


    ¡°What in the pile¡­¡± he heard Mul say.


    The square of light followed Nar¡¯s movements, always staying focused at the center of his vision.


    ¡°Everyone see this?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Cen added.


    ¡°Okay. Read through it then.¡±


    Nar frowned and focused on the words in front of him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


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    <td width="602">


    Welcome Climber, to your Climb.


    The Nexus beyond your cubeplant is infinite.


    Pay attention to everything that you are told.


    The System will communicate to you in this manner, by means of windows.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The window blinked off, and was replaced by another.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Your Climb will be dangerous.


    Chances are, you will not survive it.


    This is not done in cruelty.


    Your sin is grave and must be atoned for in a measure equal to its weight.


    So suffer, Climber, and earn your forgiveness.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The second window also disappeared.


    A sigh made him look to his left.


    A new door gently slid open, and a warm yellow glow shone in from outside.


    As one, in silence, the party gathered by the door. Their faces, awed and stunned, shone above the bright yellow arrows on the floor, macabre shadows cast over their features.


    It¡¯s color¡­ Holy Crystal. It¡¯s color. Real color and light!


    Nar followed with his eyes along the direction that the arrows pointed in with a look of pure amazement.


    They pointed to the right, and disappeared in the distant darkness, following along a corridor that was wide enough for four humans to walk side by side. The ceiling was just about 10-feet high.


    ¡°Well, that looks straightforward enough,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°We have light!¡± Tuk whispered, excited. ¡°Thank the Crystal! We¡¯ve got light!¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank the Crystal,¡± Mul muttered. ¡°Not like we could have Climbed in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Please, Mul,¡± Cen whispered, next to him. ¡°We talked about this!¡±


    Nar nodded inwardly. It was best to keep the blasphemy in check from now on. Even if he agreed with the brawler.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Kur said.


    Mul, who had been about to step outside, froze and looked up at him.


    ¡°From now on, our lives will always be in danger, unless we reach a safe room,¡± Kur said. ¡°We will walk in formation, with Gad at the front, then Mul and Viy, then me, Cen, Jul and Tuk at the center. At the end, covering our backs, will be you, Nar.¡±


    Nar nodded slowly. He didn¡¯t like the idea of being away from the front, where the fighting was likely to be, but he saw the logic in Kur¡¯s plan. If anything came at them from behind, it would be up to him to stop it from ravaging the exposed back of the party.


    He almost hoped something would come. After all, you are what you do was the ironclad tenet of the System, and he needed the right gains to build his path the way he envisioned it. Cowering at the back, letting the others handle all the fighting, would only lead him to failure.


    ¡°When we sleep, there will always be someone on watch,¡± Kur continued. ¡°From now on, and until we get out, we can all die at any moment.¡±


    The sound of their shocked but accepting silence was all that answered him.


    ¡°Also, there¡¯s the Pressure,¡± Kur said. ¡°We might get hit with it as soon as we step out.¡±


    ¡°Crystal have mercy,¡± Cen whispered.


    Nar took a deep, slow breath.


    Indeed, there was the Pressure. Another warning against those who sought to leave the safety of the cubeplant behind. Nar had no idea what the Pressure was, only that it would test him. And if he failed to withstand it, it would drive him mad.


    No point being scared now, Nar thought, glancing at the darkness on either side of the yellow lit section of corridor. We¡¯re here now, and we¡¯re going all the way to the end.


    ¡°Alright, Gad. Ready when you are,¡± Kur said.


    Gad nodded and raised her shield.


    Then, she stepped forward.


    They waited a few moments to see if anything would happen, but nothing jumped out at them, and neither did their tank fall to her knees screaming in agony.


    ¡°Quick, after her,¡± Kur whispered.


    One by one, they stepped out onto the yellow lit corridor, the light of the path bathing their figures. Nar looked back one last time, at the identifier on the wall, as the door closed.


    B0234-19371289¡­ Nar read, one last time.


    As the door closed, it pushed out from the wall, and then it was gone. Not even traces of it were left on the featureless, blank, yellow lit wall.


    They were finally out.


    For a long moment, they waited in silence, nervously checking their surroundings. Waiting for something to happen to them.


    Nar stared at the heavy darkness behind him. There were none of the bright, comforting arrows lighting their backs.


    He winced. He didn¡¯t relish the idea of being at the back for his entire Climb with that darkness chasing after him. Crystal knew what could be hiding in it.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Mul asked.


    Kur looked around him one more time. ¡°I guess we just¡­¡±


    A roar suddenly reached them, coming at them from the darkness ahead.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening now?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Be ready for anything!¡±


    The rushing sound grew into a crescendo and then Nar felt a weight crush upon his shoulders.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Cen cried.


    No one replied to her.


    Nar stumbled backwards, against the wall.


    It¡¯s just like when I met the Crystal! he thought.


    Heat built around him in a flash, and the weight compounded it into him. His nostrils burned, even as wet droplets dripped from them.


    A vicious hand clawed into his brain, and another pushed down his throat, crushing his lungs, squeezing his heart, pulverizing his stomach.


    He puked against the wall and his legs failed from under him.


    He fell into brightness.


    Color and light unlike any he had ever witnessed exploded into him in a howling vortex of crushing and burning.


    His very self was peeled away under the unrelenting assault. Thought disappeared and will was erased before that all devouring pain.


    In the maelstrom, Something touched him.


    And he was gone.

 Chapter 5 - System Induction

    Nar came to with a gasp.


    With his pulse beating in his temples, he looked around him.


    Where was he?


    Who were these people, laying on the floor in front of him?


    Slowly, his sense of self pieced itself back together.


    Crystal.


    Goodbye.


    Party.


    Yellow.


    B-Nex.


    Climber¡­


    He sat against the wall. Next to him, a red, glistening dark splatter slowly dripped down its length.


    What in the pile was that?


    He swallowed, still breathing hard, pushing down the all too familiar metallic taste on his tongue.


    Was that the Pressure?


    If it was, Crystal Almighty have mercy on them! He was certain he had been about to die!


    He wiped his mouth and chin and gaped at the mixture of blood, sweat and bile that marred his sleeve.


    Crystal Almighty¡­


    He looked up, searching for the others. They were all still down.


    Are they¡­ No, they can¡¯t be¡­ They can¡¯t¡­


    He forced himself onto his hands and knees and crawled towards the closest person.


    Tuk was drenched in sweat. An inaudible moan escaped his bloodied lips and his face was furrowed in pale ashen pain.


    Alive! Thank the Crystal! Nar thought.


    The whole brush with crushing, burning death was quickly making him very pious.


    He crawled past the trugger and checked on Kur next. He too was breathing. His chin was a bloody mess, but the party leader was alive.


    Cen suddenly sat up, inhaling as if her life depended on it.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Nar gasped, falling backwards in fright.


    She screamed, her hands frozen in front of her face.


    ¡°Are-Are you okay?¡± Nar asked.


    Cen peeked from behind her hand, her fingers stained with dark gray blood.


    ¡°N-Nar?¡±


    Nar gulped. ¡°Yeah. I was¡­ You were¡­ Everyone was down!¡±


    Cen looked around her, taking in the downed party.


    ¡°Mul!¡± she screamed, as soon as she saw her bloodied brother.


    She tried to stand up and tumbled forwards.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine!¡± Nar said, not actually sure if her brother was in fact fine. ¡°Everyone''s fine. I think.¡±


    Thankfully, Mul chose that moment to wake up.


    ¡°Holy fuuuuuuuuck,¡± he breathed.


    ¡°Mul! Are you okay?¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°I-I think so¡­¡±


    One by one, the rest of the party woke up, bloodied and frightened out of their minds. Gad was the last one to come to.


    ¡°I hope that wasn¡¯t the Pressure,¡± Tuk whispered, staring wide eyed at the stains around them and on them. ¡°We just walked out¡­ We haven¡¯t even done anything yet!¡±


    ¡°Nar, keep an eye out behind us,¡± Kur said, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Gad¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m on it!¡± the tank said.


    She forced herself onto her knee, but from her swaying, it was clear she wasn¡¯t going to get up anytime soon.


    ¡°Please, sit down. I only meant for you to keep an eye out,¡± Kur said. ¡°Everyone, just calm down. Let¡¯s just get our breath back for starters.¡±


    Gad grunted and sat back down with a sigh of relief.


    Nar, who had crawled back to his original spot, peered behind him.


    I really don¡¯t like that, he thought, staring at that impenetrable darkness.


    A window popped up in front of him.


    ¡°Gah!¡± he flinched.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


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    <td width="602">


    All checks successfully concluded.


    Update successfully concluded.


    Connection to the System established.


    Connection to the Source established.


    Class Upgrade to Basic 1 complete.


    Appropriate attributes applied.


    Health Points (HP) integrated with lifeline.


    Stamina Points linked to body/mind matrix continuum.


    HP and Stamina fully restored.


    One time only basic proficiency in starter weapon (longsword) awarded.


    You have joined KUR293457741231907XAV¡¯s party.


    Basic induction package downloaded.


    Initiating induction¡­


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    What in the¡­


    The window flickered in and out, and the words changed.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


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    Welcome Climber, to the System!


    You will now be given a basic induction.


    Pay attention. Your life depends on your understanding of the following information.


    You must first understand your HP and Stamina.


    These will be crucial to your survival!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°What in the pile is happening?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°Just read it for now,¡± Kur replied.


    The window flickered again.


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    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    The first thing you need to understand is Health Points, shortened to HP.


    HP is a blessing from the Source.


    It is both a shield and a regeneration system that will work to always restore you to full health.


    Each time you suffer damage, your HP will be depleted instead. You will still be wounded, but the damage will be mitigated. The more HP you have, the more that mitigation will be.


    At the same time, as you get injured, your HP will work to return you back to full health.


    However, if you run out of HP, you will lose that damage mitigation and your injuries will not heal until you recover enough HP again.


    HP does not protect you from death or make you immune to pain.


    If you take too much damage, or suffer critical damage, for example, such as brain damage, you will likely die instantly.


    If your HP reaches 0, any further damage can kill you.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    The less HP you have, the slower you will heal.


    The healing process is not painless, nor does it remove or prevent the consequences of the damage received (loss of limbs, for example, will not be healed).


    Therefore, it is critical for you to keep an eye on your HP at all times, but especially during combat or after any damage was taken.


    The more tired or seriously injured you are, the slower your HP recovery rate will be.


    While in combat, your recovery rate will also be significantly reduced.


    How much HP you have is decided by your [Constitution] attribute. Each point in [Constitution] grants you 10 points of HP.


    Other attributes and variables can and will affect this in the future.


    </td>


    </tr>


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    </table>


    Sweat pooled over his forehead while Nar read the explanation.


    It was a lot to take in, but he found that it was straightforward enough. Keep his HP above zero, don¡¯t get his head smashed in, and everything would be alright. Right?


    But how do I look at it?


    The words changed.


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    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    The second thing you need to understand is Stamina Points, or simply, stamina.


    Stamina is the energy granted to you by the Source.


    It now lives within you, allowing you to go beyond your physical, mental, and other limitations, and strive for greatness under the Benevolence of the Crystal.


    Everything you do that goes beyond what you should normally be able to do, requires stamina.


    You will consume stamina every time you access your attributes or use your skills.


    In the simplest of terms, normal eating will not consume any stamina for example. However, if you swing your sword and borrow the power of your [Strength] attribute to do more damage, your stamina will be consumed.


    Also, a small amount of stamina will always be consumed to support the attributes granted to you, even if you¡¯re not actively using them. In addition, some attributes are not yours to control, and will activate or trigger on their own, consuming further stamina.


    If you run out of stamina, you will fall into a state known as stamina depletion. If this happens you will be forced into sleep to recover your stamina.


    This will happen regardless of what is happening, even if you are in combat.


    You don¡¯t need to worry about using your stamina. It will be automatically spent based on your actions.


    Your skills will consume stamina (other attributes can affect this).


    You can only recover HP from the Source outside of combat. While in combat, a portion of your HP will recover by using your own stamina, albeit at a much, much, reduced rate.


    Stamina can only be replenished from the Source while resting.


    If critically injured, HP recovery will be prioritized by converting the majority of available and recovering stamina into HP instead.


    How much stamina you have is decided by your [Stamina] attribute. Each point in [Stamina] grants you 10 points of stamina.


    Depleting either your HP or stamina is likely to result in death.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°What in the pile¡­¡± he whispered, as he scanned the words.


    Source? Energy? Skills?


    The attributes he knew about. Somehow, he even understood what [Constitution] and [Strength] meant.


    Speaking of swinging his sword however, he suddenly remembered the weapon.


    With rising dread, he felt the floor around him, his eyes still blocked by the window¡¯s text.


    His fingers brushed against something cool to the touch and he gently followed along the blade, down to the sword¡¯s hilt.


    With a breath of relief, he pulled the sword up to his chest, hugging it.


    The window decided that he had enough time to read the information before him and disappeared.


    In its place, another one popped up, together with other, newer things.


    What¡¯s this now?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You now have access to your User Interface, shortened to UI.


    Here, you can visualize all the important elements that will help keep you alive.


    First, on the left corner, you can find two bars.


    The green bar represents your HP. As it depletes, it will change to orange, then red, to let you know, with a quick glimpse, how close you are to depleting your HP.


    The yellow bar represents your stamina. Its color always remains the same.


    Together, your HP and stamina are referred to as your status.


    All beings in the Nexus have status.


    On the right corner of your field of vision, you can see two symbols.


    Focus on the one that looks like a sentient¡¯s head and torso.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar frowned. What do you mean by¡­


    The window blinked off and another one, much narrower, showed up.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    NAR293457741235645XAV


    Basic 1


    Health Points: 100/100


    Stamina: 100/100


    Attributes


    ¡ñ Strength: 10


    ¡ñ Constitution: 10


    ¡ñ Stamina: 10


    ¡ñ Agility: 6


    ¡ñ Speed: 6


    ¡ñ Aura: 21


    ¡ñ ???: 5


    ¡ñ ???: 10


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar was stunned for a moment.


    This is¡­ Me?


    Another window popped up next to it.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    This is called a tab.


    Here you can see your HP and stamina, collectively known as your status.


    Here you can also see your gains, reflected in your attributes.


    This tab is called your stats tab and it represents you.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Both windows disappeared, replaced by another one.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    To avoid overwhelming you, this induction will conclude here.


    However, as you can see, next to the symbol that represents you, there are two more, Skills and Notifications.


    Make sure to check them, especially your Skills tab (preferably before combat).


    If you focus on your HP bar or your HP in your stats tab, you will be able to re-read all the information regarding your HP anytime you want.


    This also applies to your stamina, attributes, skills, gear, weapons, and many others.


    Regarding your UI, you need only think about your intent to either have it be visible, or hidden.


    Your HP and stamina bars will automatically be visible during combat, in a limited version of your UI, and all windows or tabs will be automatically closed.


    It is worth checking everything, if you wish to survive.


    Lastly, as part of your induction, you have received a basic data package.


    This contains information about all the knowledge that will be crucial to your survival and/or basic knowledge about life in the Nexus that has been forgotten in your cubeplant.


    In fact, a lot of this knowledge is already being imparted to you as you read these words. It will fill in the gaps and grant you understanding to every word that your limited living environment did not expose you to.


    Further, it has been detected that your cubeplant has foregone time tracking capabilities.


    This knowledge is critical.


    It will be imparted now.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar felt a sudden rush of warmth deep inside his skull.


    Concepts such as night and day, seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years and others exploded in his mind, and he squinted against the sudden discomfort and pressure.


    When it was over, he understood time like never before.


    My Crystal¡­ How did we forget this?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Clock function unlocked.


    (Only time functionalities currently available, no date functionalities currently allowed).


    The clock will now be visible on the bottom right corner of your UI.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar stared at the shifting numbers.


    12:37:09 PM.


    It made so much sense.


    So much sense!


    How? How had he lived his whole life without knowing about this? How did the workers for that matter? How had everything devolved into A, B and C shifts? Into klaxons that kept track of their shifts, and down to the start and end of seasons being ruled by the Drop and Emptying of the pile?


    We have forgotten everything¡­


    He stared, in shock, at the clock.


    There could be anything waiting for them on the surface. The O-Nex and I-Nex could be anything and absolutely everything at all!


    For the first time since he had accepted the decision that he would be Climbing, he realized just how immense the unknown he was about to journey into was.


    The Infinite Nexus¡­


    He knew nothing about his destination other than that it was bright, more colorful and that it was there. He hoped.


    He knew nothing else.


    Shocked, he considered the new words before him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    This concludes your induction.


    As mentioned, this information can always be accessed, and will be updated as necessary.


    Your Climb begins now.


    Earn your forgiveness.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The window disappeared, and his UI went with it.


    Blank, Nar stared at the others, who reflected back the same looks of shock and confusion.


    ¡°What in the pile was all that?¡± Mul asked, speaking for all of them.


    Nar¡¯s head dropped, heavy. As if weighted by all the new knowledge he had been imparted with.


    Words, time, notions and concepts he would¡¯ve never thought possible mere moments before.


    He understood it all, but at the same time, the knowledge tasted strange in his brain. New. Not quite his. At least not yet.


    ¡°I think we should rest here for today,¡± Gad said.


    She was looking the worse for wear out of all them. She sweated profusely, and her breathing was ragged.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I think so too,¡± Kur said.


    He was only faring a little better than Gad.


    In fact, now that he paid attention to his party, Nar noticed that some people, including himself, seemed to have taken whatever had just happened to them better than others.


    With Gad and Kur, Viy was also panting, and holding the sides of her face, as if to keep it from splitting in half.


    As for the rest of them, they looked wrecked, but nowhere as bad.


    ¡°Are you guys, ok?¡± Cen asked, reaching the same conclusion as Nar.


    Kur nodded and winced, regretting the movement. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just my head¡¯s killing me. You guys are all¡­ Fine?¡±


    Cen looked around.


    ¡°I¡¯m drained,¡± she said, frowning, as if tasting the new word that had just come out of her mouth. ¡°But I¡¯m okay?¡±


    ¡°Same,¡± Tuk said.


    Nar nodded and Jul dipped her head.


    Mul snorted. ¡°Ah! Weaklings!¡±


    Cen shot him a glare and he shrugged.


    ¡°Looks like me, Viy and Gad didn¡¯t take it so well,¡± Kur said. ¡°Would you mind if we rested here for a bit?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Cen shouted, before her brother could say anything.


    ¡°Not so loud¡­¡± Jul whispered.


    The quam stared at the twin darknesses behind and in front of them with an anxious look, her antennae wiggling nervously this way and that way


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Kur said, clearly relieved. ¡°And yes. You¡¯re right. From now on we should be much quieter and more careful.¡±


    Gad dragged herself to a wall and leaned against it. She tugged her shield tightly against her left side, and closed her eyes.


    Viy was already curled up to the side, passed out next to the tank.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I think I¡¯ll do the same,¡± Kur muttered, eyeing them. ¡°Nar, Jul, keep an eye out will you?¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Nar said.


    He wasn¡¯t even sure if Kur had heard him. He had already drifted off.


    The others shared a glance, lost as to what to do now.


    Nar took a deep breath.


    It hadn¡¯t been the start of the Climb he had expected. He had no idea what he had expected to be honest, but it hadn¡¯t been this.


    This had been something else¡­


    Peering into the darkness ahead of them, he wondered what other surprises were waiting for him.


    He was outside everything he had ever known now.


    Everything would be new, surprising and dangerous.


    Yes, definitely dangerous¡­


    Those windows had mentioned pain, damage and death a lot.


    He hugged his sword tighter.


    Oh Crystal, have some mercy.


    He was definitely and quickly coming around on his whole anti-Crystal, Unclean attitude. And he noticed it.


    I¡¯m not Unclean anymore, he told himself, pursing his lips. And he had to stop thinking like one if he wanted to make it.


    Fourteen years of rage and hatred or not, he had to let go of all of it. Make peace with it.


    He tasted bile at the back of his throat again, but he swallowed hard against it.


    I¡¯m a Climber now. The past is in the past¡­ he told himself, staring at the darkness ahead of him.


    The past is the past¡­


    Such is the way of fear.

 Chapter 6 - The Challenges of a Hybrid Class

    While the other three slept, completely passed out, the others chatted in hushed conversation.


    Jul remained quiet, staring from one end of the corridor to the other. Non-stop.


    Nar, while still paying attention, thought it was a good time to get familiar with his UI and the other stuff the induction hadn¡¯t covered.


    He had been warned to do it before combat after all. It would be idiotic of him not to.


    First, he considered his weapon.


    There had been mention of a basic proficiency being given to him.


    Strangely, and surprisingly, the sword didn¡¯t look so unfamiliar anymore.


    From his seated position, he raised the weapon in mock slashes, cuts and stabs.


    A smile spread over his lips.


    Yes. He could definitely see himself using it now.


    He doubted he would be very good. It had always been in his plans to find someone to instruct him in combat, when he reached the O-Nex. But at least now, he had some idea of what to do with the weapon.


    A tab popped into view, startling him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    Climber¡¯s Longsword


    Common


    A simple longsword given to a Climber. It has a longer reach than a sword, but less than a two-handed sword. It offers slightly better protection due to its thicker blade, but it''s also slightly slower in attack because of this.


    Attributes


    ¡ñ DPS: 8-12


    Scales with [Strength], [Agility] and [Speed].


    ¡ñ Damage block: 0-7%


    Scales with [Strength].


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Before he could even register his confusion, a new window appeared next to the tab.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    DPS stands for damage-per-second.


    It is a simple estimate, commonly used to evaluate one¡¯s damage dealing potential.


    It is a measure of theoretical damage that the class holder can deal, roughly, per second during combat, be it with a weapon or by other means.


    It does not mean that the weapon¡¯s wielder simply does X amount of damage-per-second. It is just an aggregate, average, rounded down numerical representation for ease of calculation and comparison.


    Scaling lets you know which, if any, of your attributes affect your DPS, or any other weapon attributes.


    Other variables influence your DPS, such as an enemy''s armor.


    Other variables might influence your weapon¡¯s attributes.


    Because of its importance, DPS is also the term by which all damage focused classes are referred to.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar rubbed his chin, considering the words.


    So, if I gain more [Strength] I¡¯ll be able to block more damage? And deal more damage too?


    But why did the block range start at 0%?


    He looked down the sword''s length.


    Is that because it¡¯s a sword and not a shield?


    That could be why, perhaps.


    It made sense when he thought about it. A shield was a shield, and a sword wasn''t really meant to be used as one, right? All he had to do was compare it to Gad¡¯s bulky, tough looking hunk of metal. It covered her whole torso and even most of her thighs. How could his sword compete with that kind of protection?


    He sighed. Why hadn''t the Crystal given him one?


    As it stood, his sword was slightly longer than usual, which gave him a bit more reach, and slightly wider than usual as well, which was both good and bad. Good, because it offered him some extra minimal protection, as little as that was. And bad, because that came at the cost of reduced speed, which had to mean reduced DPS as well.


    All in all, the longsword was barely okay for a tank/DPS hybrid, but it was good for neither of those roles individually. This had been exactly what he and his dad had feared.


    But too late for regrets now.


    It would work. Somehow, he would make it all work.


    Frowning, he wondered how he could close both windows and they just went away.


    He wasn¡¯t going to admit defeat yet. He couldn¡¯t.


    Instead, he focused on his clothes, but nothing happened.


    Hmm. Guess they¡¯re just clothes¡­


    Undaunted, he moved on.


    Skills.


    Apparently, he would need those for combat, and he hoped they would make up the shortcomings of his [Climber¡¯s Longsword].


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Skills are special abilities gained from one¡¯s connection to the Source. They are interpreted by the System for better ease and effectiveness of use.


    Skills can be upgraded, forgotten, and new ones can be gained.


    Skills have a cost associated with them, as they require an energy source.


    Warning: Using skills without enough resources to satisfy their cost will result in injury, even in death, if the cost is too high.


    Current skills:


    Strong Attack - an attack that does an extra n * 0.35 damage, where n is your current [Strength]. Costs 10 stamina.


    Strong Defense - For three seconds you receive 7% less damage, by means of temporary [???]. Cooldown 30 minutes. Costs 15 stamina.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He stared at the words in front of him, a new and unknown part of his brain effortlessly running the calculations for him.


    The result had to be a mistake.


    He had 10 points in [Strength].


    That meant that [Strong Attack] gave him a grand total of an extra 3 points of damage on top of his meager 8-12 DPS. Now, he hadn¡¯t expected to leave his cubeplant and stumble onto his Name, but he had expected more. A whole lot more.


    And his [Strong Defense] skill was only marginally better!


    What in the pile was the meaning of 7% damage reduction? Did that even do anything? And what was the meaning of that [???]? He focused on it, but nothing happened.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    He frowned. Now that he thought about it, had he not seen two [???] unknown attributes on his stats tab as well?


    His breath froze on his throat as he recalled what else he had seen amongst his attributes list.


    No¡­ No. No. No. No. No...


    Wishing he had seen wrong, he pulled up his stats tab again.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    NAR293457741235645XAV


    Basic 1


    Health Points: 100/100


    Stamina: 100/100


    Attributes


    ¡ñ Strength: 10


    ¡ñ Constitution: 10


    ¡ñ Stamina: 10


    ¡ñ Agility: 6


    ¡ñ Speed: 6


    ¡ñ Aura: 21


    ¡ñ ???: 5


    ¡ñ ???: 10


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    A wave of nausea washed over him.


    He had seen correctly.


    Right there, under [Speed], was [Aura].


    For a moment, he simply stared, his already sore stomach churning away into a spiral of growing doom.


    Not only was there [Aura], when there shouldn¡¯t have been any, it was also his highest attribute by far. By. Far.


    Panic threatened to overcome him.


    His fingers clutched around a receptor he would never have to touch again. A smooth, hot sensation that he would never forget. And something stirred within him¡­ Something that shouldn¡¯t be there anymore.


    Why?


    Why did he have [Aura] outside of the cubeplant?


    Why was it so damned high?


    It didn¡¯t make sense.


    It didn¡¯t make sense at all!


    He understood the lack of the [Aether] attribute. Magic had to be earned and he hadn¡¯t done anything for it yet.


    But this¡­ This disgusting thing¡­


    The floor swayed under him, the walls closing in.


    It was so hot.


    He had made a mistake.


    His class was a mistake.


    It was bad at tanking and bad at DPSing.


    His skills were worthless.


    Two of his attributes were unknown.


    And worst of all, aura had followed him out of the cubeplant and turned into an actual attribute.


    It had chased him all the way out of the factory, and the machine he had operated for almost fourteen years.


    His dad had been right.


    Everybody else had been right.


    The Crystal Itself had warned him about his folly, and he had ignored It!


    He had thought the Crystal merciful. Understanding! Finally giving him something good for once in his miserable life.


    Oh! How wrong he had been!


    The Crystal must have laughed at him.


    It hadn¡¯t been benevolence. It had been punishment! And he had chosen it!


    A sudden, sharp gasp drew his attention away from his spiraling misery.


    Cen, with both hands covering her mouth, stared in abject horror at something he couldn¡¯t see.


    It must be her attributes¡­ Nar thought, numbly. Almost hatefully. Maybe he wasn¡¯t the only screw up. Crystal. He kind of hoped he wasn¡¯t. Why should the Clean fare any better than he?


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Mul asked her.


    For the first time since he had met the lengos, he saw something other than anger, annoyance or irritation on his face. The brawler looked pale, his worry for his sister showing true and absolute on his expression.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± Cen swallowed and licked her lips. ¡°No-no, it¡¯s nothing. I just thought that as a caster I would have magic from the start. But I¡­ I don¡¯t even have [Aether].¡±


    Mul sat back down with a breath of relief. ¡°Even as a caster, I didn¡¯t think you would have it straight away?¡±


    Tuk nodded.


    ¡°Need to earn it like the rest of us,¡± he said. ¡°Unfortunately.¡±


    The trugger looked a little pale as well. A little wild around the eyes. His smile just a tad off.


    Did he also get bad attributes? Nar wondered. Or was he just projecting now? Trying to make himself feel better?


    ¡°I-Yeah. You¡¯re right,¡± Cen mumbled, her eyes still distant, staring at something none of them could see.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be the first one to get it,¡± Mul said, squeezing her shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah¡­ For now, I can just use my staff, I guess. It comes with a ranged attack built into it. Although, it¡­¡±


    Nar looked away from the trio and caught Jul staring at him. Her eyes were slightly bigger than his, and the iridescent green and blue compound eyes were the most prominent feature on her face.


    When she realized she had been caught, she looked away, and pretended nothing had happened.


    Nar ignored her.


    He passed a hand over his sword, and breathed steadily, to combat the dread and nausea that had taken over him. He needed to make himself calm, so that he could think.


    Thankfully, Cen had shaken him out of his downwards spiral.


    He continued to breathe, in and out, deeply, like he used to when powering the machine.


    Slowly, he regained control over his thoughts.


    You are what you do.


    That was the tenet by which all those who lived under the System lived by. It was one of the few pieces of knowledge the workers had held onto, and now, finally connected to the System himself, Nar felt a much deeper understanding of what that meant.


    The tenet was absolute. What one did affected everything. Their gains, their skills, even their class. One¡¯s path was built by one¡¯s choices.


    A coward would have a much different path than one who bravely stood in the face of the challenges before them. A tank would become tougher, the more damage it took (and cheating would not work!). A DPS, as they were apparently called, would become better the more damage they dealt.


    A tenet. A law. Such was the Crystal¡¯s Will.


    Earn your path¡­ Nar remembered the Crystal¡¯s words.


    Like it or not, it slowly made sense to Nar that he had [Aura], and so much of it at that.


    After all, he had used it every single day, in double shifts of eight hours each, for fourteen years. It was surprising to learn that the cursed energy they were forced to use was an attribute, but once he accepted it, everything made perfect sense. It was what he had been doing for most of his life, so of course, it would be there.


    One thing that bothered him still, however, was that focusing on his [Aura] attribute gave him nothing at all. Unlike say [Speed], there was no explanation. Not even a shred of information whatsoever about the attribute.


    With a sigh, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall.


    Nothing to be done about it. It is what it is...


    His shoulders eased, his heart beat steadying once more.


    Right, then. What does all of this mean?


    He was left to look at the disjointed, and somewhat useless pieces that he had on his hands to build the foundations of his path with.


    He considered his attributes again, analyzing them with a much calmer mind.


    [Strength] and [Constitution]. Those will be the main ones. And then [Stamina]... Going to need a lot of that. [Speed] is also very important, I¡¯m guessing. Have to be fast in a fight. And that leaves¡­ [Agility]. Being agile has to be good too, right? Make you move better and all that?


    Nar crossed his arms, leaving the sword atop his crossed legs.


    It¡¯s not that bad. They are good attributes. Other than [Aura], I actually need all of them.


    A hint of a smile peeked on his lips.


    Uh¡­ Maybe I didn¡¯t really screw up. I¡¯ll gain more attributes, and skills can be upgraded. I¡¯m sure that the¡­


    The words ¡°damage modifiers¡± came to him, with the lightest of tickles within his head. It was like someone had dropped a single drop of warm liquid into his mind, and it expanded lazily like jell-o throughout his brain, finding a home for itself.


    Yes, that¡­ I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll give me better numbers as my attributes stack up and the skills upgrade.


    He stretched.


    Come on, Nar. This is just the beginning. We knew it was going to be hard! It just looks a little bit harder than we expected. But we can do this!


    He looked up his skills again.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Current skills:


    Strong Attack - an attack that does an extra n * 0.35 damage, where n is your current [Strength]. Costs 10 stamina.


    Strong Defense - For three seconds you receive 7% less damage, by means of temporary [???]. Cooldown 30 minutes. Costs 15 stamina.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    So, [Strong Attack] for when I need more damage, and [Strong Defense] for when I need more damage absorption. Ah¡­ Absorption. That¡¯s also another one of those new words, isn''t it? But [Strong Defense] has a cooldown of 30 minutes? That seems a lot¡­


    An image of searing Source coursing through his brain and body, liquefying on the spot, flashed to his head and he recoiled from it.


    Ah¡­ So, the cooldown is there to protect me, and is based on how much Source energy, or stamina, I can handle at once, before¡­ Well, that. Hmmm. As long as it gets shorter as I level up, I guess it makes sense¡­


    Crystal. Just how much had the workers been deprived off and forgotten? Even things such as a word like ¡°absorption¡±...


    He clenched his jaw.


    What had the First Workers done that had elicited such a punishment? And not just for them, but for the untold numbers of their descendants as well. They didn¡¯t even remember how long the Long Dark had lasted. They had even forgotten how to keep track of it!


    Just how long had they been down there in the dark? Just how many generations had toiled away to pay for the Original Sin? A sin they had never even committed in the first place! A sin they shouldn¡¯t even be¡­


    Nar caught himself.


    I¡¯m sorry, Almighty Crystal. Forgive me. I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to.


    It would not be so easy to undo years of very¡­ Disrespectful and unkind thoughts and feelings he had nursed and harbored towards the Crystal. But for the sake of his Climb, class and his dad, he had to move beyond it.


    He closed every tab and window and glanced around him.


    The twins seemed to have fallen asleep, holding onto each other.


    A hint of a smile touched his lips at the scene. Maybe, if he didn¡¯t let slip that he was an Unclean, he might actually grow to like these people. Maybe.


    Though if he had to, he was still prepared to drop them.


    Never forget what they did. And remember that your dad is the only thing that matters. The only thing, he told himself.


    Tuk was also nodding off in the soft yellow light, propped against a wall next to the lengos.


    That left only the quam. Jul.


    From the moment they had exited onto that corridor, Nar didn¡¯t think he had seen her relax even once. Even now, she was still staring from one side of the corridor to the other, as if expecting guardians to pounce on them at any moment. Or worse¡­


    Which, I suppose, can actually happen from now on.


    Still.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he called.


    She yelped and nearly jumped to her feet.


    ¡°W-wait!¡± Nar stammered, raising his hands in a placating gesture. ¡°It¡¯s just me!¡±


    The girl flinched again, her eyes going wide at his raised hands. She quickly looked away, hiding her face under a curtain of green hair.


    Heat ignited within Nar.


    Unfortunately, it looked like he may have been right about her after all.


    Workers'' lives were tough. Management was relentless. The quota, unyielding.


    It was enough to drive a worker mad, and some didn¡¯t take it as well as others.


    They took it out where they could. On their spouses. On their kids. On themselves¡­ He had seen it before, even amongst the Unclean, in the early days, while there were still plenty of them.


    The boss had strived to put an end to such behaviors and, later on, fortunately, his dad hadn¡¯t had to carry on with that particular duty. Those who survived came to cherish the little family they still had left above their lives, and the little time they had with their loved ones in between their grueling shifts was all they had to live for.


    He wasn¡¯t exactly sure how it went for the Clean, though. He had a feeling that the same administration that withheld the Unclean¡¯s food on a monthly basis, would just the same turn a blind eye to any such behaviors, as long as the quotas remained unaffected.


    The quotas were all that mattered to them. To everyone, in their endless goal to reach the end of their labor and to keep the Doors shut. No one was going to be exiled for beating up their kids and even other people.


    To Nar, they should be. It was inexcusable. And it was a damned pretty good reason to Climb.


    He felt really sorry for the quam, and what she had been forced to endure.


    ¡°It¡¯s Jul, right?¡± he asked, his tone softening.


    Jul glimpsed at him, from the corner of her eyes. She nodded.


    Nar smiled. ¡°Nice to meet you. My name¡¯s Nar.¡±


    She nodded again.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Well, I was just wondering if you were alright,¡± he said, starting to feel a little awkward. She was a Clean, after all. He had never spoken to any of them like this. Like an equal sentient. Like a person.


    Jul glanced at the darkness behind him, and Nar followed her stare.


    ¡°Kinda scary, isn''t it?¡± he asked.


    She nodded.


    Nar offered her a gentle smile. However, before he could say anything else, she got up and walked a bit further.


    She sat back down a few steps away from him, and resumed her watch.


    Nar sighed.


    Damn¡­ Was I too much?


    Jul looked even more terrified now, which both angered him and made him feel bad.


    Should definitely exile them all, he thought, bitterly.


    Considering what had happened to Jul, he wondered if she was going to be able to Climb at all. Fear was bound to be a constant in their lives now, all the way to the very top. How was she going to handle that?


    Guardians and you know what else¡­ he thought, a shiver running down his spine.


    The darkness behind him seemed all the more foreboding now.


    There was a reason why nobody wanted to fail the quota and have those Doors open. Same reason why there had been so many workers guarding the door when they had left. Guardians didn¡¯t enter cubeplants. But as for the others¡­


    He shook his head, dislodging the thoughts from his mind.


    Wonder how long it will take us to get up there¡­


    How many days, or months, of yellow lit corridors, and guardians, and fear? How much would he have to endure, to suffer, before he earned his forgiveness?


    Only the All-Knowing Crystal knew how long it would take. And he purposefully avoided thinking about one of the new words he had learned. Years.


    A year encompassed four entire work seasons, and those went by slowly. Very, very slowly.


    Yes. He hoped he wouldn¡¯t have to be stuck here, with these people, for years yet to come.


    But surely that wouldn¡¯t happen, right?


    And speaking of people, how long were the others going to sleep for?


    His eyes were suddenly very, very heavy.

 Chapter 7 - Under the Pressure

    The minutes dragged and turned into hours.


    Nar had forced himself to stand, to ensure he didn¡¯t drift off.


    He had gone over all of his skills, his sword, his attributes, the HP and stamina information multiple times.


    He had found he knew a dozen new words like ¡°pierce¡± and ¡°parry¡±.


    Off of his sword alone, he had learned to name every single part of it. Or at least, all the parts the System deemed important enough to tell him about.


    Pommel, hilt, grip, guard, edge and point. He wondered if there were more. His mind cycled back around to that question every couple of minutes. There really wasn¡¯t anything much to keep him distracted in that blank, yellow corridor.


    He hadn''t tried approaching Jul again. He didn¡¯t want to force his company on her.


    Maybe, little by little, she would come to realize that she was safe from whoever had hurt her like that.


    He glanced at her. The quam never looked tired, and remained ever vigilant over the party.


    Nar, without realizing it, decided that he liked Jul as well. She was the third one he liked, along with Cen and Tuk, which was three more over what he had originally expected.


    Maybe, in time, he would grow to like all of them. Even the annoying brawler.


    As for the others¡­


    He snorted. Snob and snobbish were two other new words he had learned. As well as standoffish.


    They had come to him while he thought of Viy, supplied by the System itself. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure how it applied to her just yet, but he hadn¡¯t really thought much of it.


    Gad seemed dependable. In fact, she sort of exuded it. He found himself trusting her almost completely. That both reassured him and worried him. He barely even knew her to be trusting her so much.


    And that left Kur, his party leader. So far, he seemed dependable as well.


    Confident, in control and smart. All qualities he was happy to see in a party leader. However, they hadn¡¯t faced any issues yet. When they did, he would know for certain what Kur was made of, and if he had what it took to lead them through the Climb.


    Nar also spent a lot of time worrying about his own performance.


    The party was his means to the surface, yes, but he didn''t want to disappoint them or just be carried up by them either. Afterall, they had trusted him, accepted him, and he had attributes to gain and a path to build. Besides, it wouldn¡¯t be fair. They were all risking their lives there. They each had to do their own parts at the very minimum.


    He stopped his pacing.


    Ugh¡­ It''s been two hours! Should I just wake them up?


    He was taking well to this new time tracking thing. Seriously, why had they stopped using it? Then again, he had never seen a clock before. One couldn¡¯t really track time without it, unless they did nothing but count seconds.


    Maybe they had just lost all of their clocks, like they had their doors and windows and Crystal knew whatever else.


    He took a deep breath. He was getting tired of his own thoughts.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Jul suddenly shouted. ¡°It¡¯s coming again!¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± he replied, stunned.


    ¡°Wake up!¡± she shouted. ¡°Wake up!¡±


    ¡°What-what¡¯s happening?¡± Kur stammered.


    ¡°Wake up!¡±


    Nar stared into the dark ahead of him. He could hear it now.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming back¡­¡± he whispered, finally understanding. ¡°It¡¯s the same thing! It¡¯s going to hit us again!¡±


    The roar rushed at the frightened, half awakened party.


    Mul and Cen hugged.


    Tuk looked around in confusion.


    Viy looked grumpy that she had been woken up.


    Kur and Jul both stared into the dark, lost as to what to do.


    Gad stumbled up, and raised her shield in front of her.


    Seeing her reminded him of his own sword. It had grown heavy, and he had leaned it against the wall.


    Now, he looked back to where it was. Only a few steps away from him, the distance now seemed to stretch before his eyes.


    He had been stupid.


    In his tiredness and irritation, he had left his weapon behind. Out of reach.


    He ran to it, but the roar got to him first.


    He screamed.


    Noise blared into his mind. Static and howling and roaring. An endless cacophony, blasting through his brain, nerves and every inch of his body.


    The weight pressed him down to his knees, and the rising heat scorched him from within and without.


    He was helpless.


    For the second time after stepping out of the cubeplant, Nar went down.


    ********


    He returned from far, far away.


    His battered body welcomed him back with a chorus of complaints.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Climber, you have taken damage for the first time.


    This will be your last reminder to keep track of your status.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    He groaned and wished the window would throw itself onto the pile.


    In the darkness behind his eyelids, he saw his HP bar flashing green at him. It read 82/100.


    Holy damn¡­ It¡¯s real.


    Everything was real.


    The pain was real. The damage was real. The threats were real.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    His head was splitting, like someone had taken a piece of blunt aetherium to it and bashed him multiple times.


    The simplest of movements ravaged him with nausea, and when he flipped himself onto his back, the floor moved under him.


    And it was so heavy.


    Why was it so heavy?


    And what was that sound?


    Ssssssssssss¡­


    He opened his eyes.


    ¡°Ow¡­¡±


    The light, once warm and welcoming, was now a furious glare against the back of his eyes and everything beyond it.


    Other than that droning static scratching his brain, he heard nothing else. Once again, he seemed to be the first one up.


    He coughed, weakly, tasting metal, and blinked against the slowly diminishing glare of the light.


    Everything felt slow. One second inching towards the other, as he lay there, recovering and trying to make sense of what had happened, and still was happening to him.


    A few moments later, he heard the sounds of the others coming to.


    ¡°What the fuck is happening?¡± Mul croaked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Pressure¡­ It has to be!¡± Cen said.


    Of course, Nar thought. What else could it be?


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ So much worse than I expected,¡± Tuk said.


    Nar couldn¡¯t agree more.


    Groaning, he pushed himself onto his elbows. Then on one hand, and dragged himself until he was finally seated against a wall.


    The party was in disarray.


    Cen and Mul were seated against the wall, like him. They looked pale, and sweat shone on their bald heads. Mul seemed a little worse than Cen, looking like he was or had been close to getting sick.


    Tuk was still floored. He stared at the ceiling with a distant, pained look, his face also gleaming with the sheen of sweat.


    Jul was on all sixes. She shook her head slowly, and Nar could have sworn she was muttering something to herself.


    That left the other three.


    Ah¡­ Damn it.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he tried to shout, his voice coming up raspy. ¡°Hey! Are you guys alright?¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Mul said, following Nar¡¯s stare.


    Nar stumbled to his feet and crashed against the wall.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Cen told him. ¡°I-I think they¡¯re just passed out.¡±


    On the other side of the corridor, Mul had also managed to get himself upright, and the two of them swayed towards Viy, Kur and Gad.


    Mul kneeled next to Gad, unsure of what to do.


    Nar, on the other hand, had seen plenty of downed Unclean. Passed out or in a more final state.


    He felt Kur¡¯s pulse, and listened for his breathing. The pulse was fast and erratic, and the breathing weak and labored, but they were there at least. Viy and Gad turned out the same.


    ¡°They¡¯re alive,¡± Nar said, sitting back. ¡°But they¡¯re not doing great.¡±


    ¡°Thank the Crystal!¡± Cen whispered.


    Tuk sat up with a groan. ¡°What do you think is wrong with them?¡±


    Mul sighed. ¡°They¡¯re just weak to it. Damn it, this is going to slow us down.¡±


    His sister didn¡¯t give out to him this time. After all, Mul was just stating a fact.


    ¡°But why?¡± Nar asked. ¡°Why are they weaker?¡±


    Mul shrugged. ¡°The fuck I know.¡±


    ¡°What do we do though?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°I mean, we need to go, right? After the arrows? Maybe we¡¯re supposed to make it through? With the Pressure on us, I mean.¡±


    Nar grimaced and cast his eyes around them.


    The weight pushed him down. The heat burned his nostrils and throat, scorching his lungs. A weakness touched his muscles and bones. And the low, dull, thumping pain that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once¡­ And yet, there was nothing around them.


    The Pressure, it turned out, was invisible.


    ¡°How long do you think it''s going to last?¡± Cen asked.


    It was anybody''s guess. As long as the Crystal, or the System, wanted to torture them. That was probably the only answer Nar could¡¯ve ventured, but he kept it to himself.


    ¡°I think we need to keep going¡­¡±


    The four of them stared at Jul, and she flinched from their combined stare.


    ¡°I just¡­ I have a feeling¡­¡±


    Nar stared at her with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tuk asked.


    Jul fidget with all four hands, looking at her feet.


    ¡°Please¡­ You have to trust me. I just know¡­¡±


    The four of them exchanged a glance.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Cen said. ¡°I guess you are our scout. Is that the right word?¡±


    Jul nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what it says. Basic Scout 1.¡±


    Nar swallowed the sudden flush of panic.


    Basic Scout? But I¡¯m only Basic! Do they all have better classes than me? Did I¡­


    He shook his head, discreetly.


    His path was different. Harder, and driven by a different need. It didn¡¯t matter where, or how, it started. Only that he made it get him to where he needed to be.


    ¡°Also, we took damage,¡± Tuk said. ¡°I¡¯m down like a third of my HP already. I don¡¯t think we should stay here.¡±


    ¡°Fine. But what do we do with them?¡± Mul asked. ¡°Can any of you carry the tank?¡±


    Nar considered Gad¡¯s strong, muscular bulk.


    ¡°I-Maybe?¡± he said. ¡°I have [Strength]. That has to do something, right? I mean, we¡¯re not just¡­ Workers anymore, right?¡±


    Mul stared at him like he had grown a second head. Then, the pieces fell into place.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Oh! You¡¯re right!¡± he said. ¡°Hmmm. I have [Strength] too, but I¡¯m¡­ You know.¡±


    Nar nodded, avoiding making eye contact. He didn¡¯t want to elicit the guy¡¯s ire again.


    ¡°Tuk?¡± Nar asked. ¡°Can you carry Kur if I take Gad? I think stamina will also help us with it.¡±


    The trugger considered the big man and rubbed his chin.


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll have to, won¡¯t I? What about Viy though?¡±


    Jul raised a hand. ¡°I-I can try. I have a little bit of [Strength] too.¡±


    They stared at one another, unsure of what to do, and waiting for someone else to do it first.


    ¡°Right,¡± Nar said. ¡°Let¡¯s go before it hits us again.¡±


    ¡°I think it comes every two hours and thirty minutes,¡± Jul said, her voice so low Nar barely heard her.


    ¡°What?¡± Mul said. ¡°Speak up! Can¡¯t hear a word you say!¡±


    Nar shot the lengos a baleful look.


    ¡°T-Two hours and thirty minutes!¡± Jul said, forcing her voice to come out louder and cracking.


    ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Well done, Jul!¡± Cen said. ¡°I glanced at the clock earlier, and I think you might be right.¡±


    ¡°Good job,¡± Nar said, smiling at Jul.


    Jul nodded, twisting her hands and looking down at the floor.


    Tuk bent over to try and lift Kur. He grabbed the party leader by the arm and pulled, and Kur went nowhere.


    ¡°Ooof¡­ I think I need some help here. I don¡¯t have any [Strength], you know?¡± Tuk said bashfully.


    ¡°Ugh,¡± Mul said, rolling his eyes. ¡°What good are you then? Without [Strength], those little rings of yours aren¡¯t going to do shit.¡±


    ¡°I have a ton of [Agility], though...¡± Tuk muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± Nar said, quickly, before Mul could continue pestering Tuk. ¡°Turn around. I can lift him onto your back.¡±


    He glanced at Jul. ¡°I¡¯ll help you too.¡±


    ¡°And with Gad? Will you manage alone?¡± Cen asked.


    Nar winced, glancing at their bulky tank. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll see.¡±


    He bent over Kur while Tuk turned around.


    He grabbed onto the party leader¡¯s right hand and pulled him to his feet.


    He felt no surge of power or energy. He felt no warmth, no rush, and no windows popped up. However, Kur came off the ground with much more ease than he had expected. So much so that Nar stumbled backwards.


    ¡°Woah!¡± he said, in surprise, steadying the two of them.


    ¡°Nice!¡± Tuk said, clapping his back.


    Nar nodded, still stunned by how easy it had been.


    Crystal! These attributes¡­ They¡¯re really something.


    ¡°Wait! Your pack!¡± Cen said.


    Nar looked at the bulky pack tied to Tuk¡¯s back. Like him, all the others carried their own provisions in similar makeshift cloth packs. He had expected their packs to be much bulkier than his, but Tuk¡¯s was staggeringly huge.


    How much food is in there? Nar asked aghast. He had never seen so much food in his entire life!


    ¡°Oh, yeah! Hold on!¡±


    Tuk hurriedly untied it from his shoulders and tied it again, this time over his chest.


    ¡°Can you walk like that?¡± Cen asked, looking up at him with concern.


    Tuk gave his pack a shake. ¡°I think so¡­ Should be okay.¡±


    Nar couldn¡¯t help but keep staring at the bulging pack.


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯m ready!¡± Tuk said.


    Nar pried his eyes off of the veritable feast, and gently, and aided by Jul, hoisted the party leader onto Tuk¡¯s back.


    ¡°Damn, he¡¯s heavy!¡± Tuk breathed.


    ¡°Can you do it?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Not forever though. Hopefully this Pressure doesn¡¯t last all the way to the top.¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Mul muttered. ¡°I hope not.¡±


    Nar nodded. Those few minutes under it hadn¡¯t been pleasant.


    Ignoring the weight, the heat and the dull pain, the sensation that something was crawling inside of him was starting to become harder to ignore.


    It was easy to see why Climbers went mad.


    ¡°Come on. Hurry!¡± Mul snapped at them.


    Nar swallowed a retort.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m ready,¡± Jul said, offering him her back.


    Nar noticed how tightly her fists were clenched, and again, that surge of anger boiled within him.


    He lifted Viy up with even more ease than he did Kur, and placed the spear woman on Jul¡¯s back.


    The scout flinched as Viy made contact with her, and she ran from his touch before he was done.


    ¡°Wait! Careful!¡± he said.


    ¡°I-I got it!¡± Jul said, adjusting Viy on her back.


    That left only Gad.


    ¡°Me and Mul will carry the weapons,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Tuk said, grinning at her.


    Nar stared down at Gad. How in the pile am I going to do this?


    ¡°Maybe kneel down? That way I can help you,¡± Mul said.


    Nar stared at the brawler in surprise.


    ¡°What? Hurry up!¡± he said.


    Nar did as he suggested, and grunting, huffing and swearing, the lengos managed to lift Gad high enough for Nar to be able to brute force her arms past his shoulders. Then, he stood up, lifting her up as he went.


    Oh, my Crystal¡­


    He had found the limits of his new found [Strength].


    Mul hastily helped him grab onto Gad¡¯s legs, and that made things better.


    ¡°Can you do it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Think so,¡± Nar said. ¡°Not sure for how long though.¡±


    ¡°Just do your best,¡± Cen said. ¡°All of you.¡±


    ¡°We got this!¡± Tuk said, beaming.


    Crystal. How is this guy so cheerful? Nar thought, staring at the grinning trugger.


    Mul struggled to hold all of Gad¡¯s shield and mace, Kur¡¯s buckler and Nar¡¯s sword, while he held his own knuckledusters in between his fingers. Cen, on the other hand, sweated under the weight of Viy¡¯s spear, Kur¡¯s scepter, and her own staff. She also did not have any [Strength], though that was expected of her Caster class.


    Tuk carried his own rings through his fingers, and Jul, as a non-combat class, had no weapons to speak off.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re ready,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go,¡± Mul said. ¡°Before something else happens.¡±


    Nar cast a glance at the darkness behind him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jul said, not looking at him. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ O-okay. Then, I guess, I¡¯ll go first?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re half a tank, aren¡¯t you?¡± Mul threw at him.


    Nar bit his tongue, the little hope that maybe the brawler wasn¡¯t so bad after all evaporating just like that. Between the Pressure and the brawler, he wasn¡¯t sure which one would drive him over the edge first.


    He re-adjusted Gad on his back one final time, and glanced at the wall where they had come from.


    There was nothing there. He wasn¡¯t even sure if he was staring at the right place.


    B0234-19371289¡­ I¡¯ll be back, dad. You just wait for me, alright?


    Then, with a deep breath, he stepped forward, and led them into the dark unknown.

 Chapter 8 - Not a Great Start

    ¡­ one more step.


    Nar breathed hard.


    He huffed, blowing the tickly sweat drops from his nose.


    He was dying to wipe his face, but the last time he had tried to, he had almost dropped Gad.


    About an hour later since they had started walking, his arms were numb and tired.


    His throat was scratched dry from the heat and his legs shook.


    He swore it smelled burning somewhere, but that could just have been his brain catching fire inside his skull.


    The pain he had initially felt had dimmed somewhat, becoming a constant sore that now only nagged at him.


    He wondered if it was his HP, healing whatever damage the Pressure had and continued to cause him.


    On the concerning side of things however, his stamina bar had already dropped by 19 points out of his grand total of 100 points. It came down a lot faster than he had expected, that was for sure. Meaning, he was probably using a crap ton of his attributes to hold Gad and keep going forward.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how much longer he was going to be able to carry on. He or the others.


    Behind him, there was only the sound of labored breaths under the static Pressure.


    His foot carried him another step forward, and suddenly, he was unburdened.


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    He faltered forward, weightless, trying to regain his suddenly unhindered balance.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Cen asked.


    Nar looked back in disbelief.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Gone¡­¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± Mul grunted.


    ¡°The-The Pressure. It¡¯s gone!¡±


    Before anyone could say anything, Tuk rushed forward, propelling himself with two powerful, long steps.


    He froze as he walked out of the Pressure. Then he threw his head back and laughed.


    The others hurried after him.


    ¡°Oh, my Crystal!¡± Cen said, her voice quivering. ¡°We made it!¡±


    ¡°We made it for now!¡± Mul said, looking around him in suspicion. ¡°It¡¯s been forty minutes already. Maybe it will come again.¡±


    ¡°Forty-four¡­¡± Jul said, correcting him in a hushed tone.


    Mul glared at her and the quam recoiled.


    Seriously, Nar thought. How thick can you be?


    ¡°Hey¡­ Can you let me down?¡±


    Nar startled.


    Around his neck, Gad¡¯s arms were moving, and her legs searched feebly for the floor.


    ¡°Oh-Oh! Yeah of course. Hold on!¡±


    Nar lowered his legs, allowing hers to come into contact with the floor. She leaned heavily against his back for a moment, trying to hold her own weight, then stumbled a half-step backwards. When she found herself steady enough, her hand came off his back.


    Nar stood back up and looked behind him.


    Their tank swayed dangerously on her feet. Her expression was neutral, and her eyes were lost in the darkness ahead of them.


    Behind her, he noticed that both Tuk and Jul had offloaded Kur and Viy.


    Kur was kneeling on the floor, while Viy sat against the wall, breathing hard and holding her head again.


    Or is she covering her ears? Nar wondered. Putting the thought aside, Nar considered Gad again.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Nar asked, not only to Gad but to the other two as well.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Kur asked in reply.


    ¡°The Pressure hit us while we were sleeping,¡± Cen explained. ¡°Jul realized that it came after exactly 2 hours and 30 minutes since the first one, so there was a chance that there was a pattern there. She also felt we should keep going. And since we had taken damage, we all agreed. We had hoped that we would come out of the Pressure, and we just did there. Took us about forty-five minutes.¡±


    ¡°So, that was the Pressure,¡± Kur said. ¡°Crystal. I thought I was going to die.¡±


    ¡°Did you¡­ Carry us?¡± Gad asked.


    She swayed so much, Nar didn¡¯t dare step away from her, in case he had to catch her.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cen said. ¡°It was the only way.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Kur said, looking up at Tuk.


    ¡°No worries, man,¡± the trugger said, patting his shoulder lightly.


    Gad nodded at Nar and he nodded back.


    Viy didn¡¯t say anything, which made Nar frown slightly. Then again, she really didn¡¯t seem well, with her pale, firmly shut eyes and shallow gasps.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if the pattern is right,¡± Cen said. ¡°Not yet. But if it is, it¡¯s going to happen again in¡­¡±


    She looked at Jul.


    ¡°About 1 hour and 50 minutes,¡± Jul said.


    Kur shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not a lot of time.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t,¡± Gad said. ¡°Did we continue taking damage while under the Pressure, or was that just from the first hit?¡±


    Nar checked his HP, realizing that in the effort of keeping one foot in front of the other, he had forgotten to keep track.


    78/100¡­ Holy Crystal!Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Seeing the slow drop in what was effectively the only thing keeping him alive, really hammered in just how much danger they were in.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone down¡­¡± Tuk whispered. ¡°I¡¯m down at 39 already!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡±


    Everyone stared at him, faces drained of blood and drenched in sweat.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Cen asked. ¡°If this keeps happening¡­¡±


    Kur stood up, and took a deep breath.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to keep walking. If we get hit again, maybe we will be closer to getting out of the Pressure next time. Also, I think that as long as we don¡¯t suffer any damage, we will recover our HP.¡±


    Nar frowned. I doubt we¡¯ll recover it that quickly.


    ¡°But I¡¯m open to suggestions,¡± Kur said, looking around. ¡°We''re in unknown territory now.¡±


    Territory.


    That was another new one. It was confusing though. It seemed to imply ownership of a piece of space itself.


    ¡°I think we should keep going¡­¡± Jul said, in her usual low voice.


    Kur considered her for a few seconds.


    ¡°You were right in pushing us to get us out of the Pressure,¡± Kur said. ¡°We would¡¯ve taken a whole lot more damage had we stayed. And there¡¯s no telling if the three of us would¡¯ve even woken up in there. You¡¯re our scout. We¡¯ll do as you say and keep going.¡±


    ¡°It was just a feeling. She could have just been lucky!¡± Mul protested.


    Kur looked down at him.


    ¡°We¡¯re not workers anymore. We are connected to the Source now, whatever that is, and the System. We have attributes and classes and skills. Who knows what changes are about to, or are already happening to us? Her¡¯s is the scout class. If she feels like we should keep going, we¡¯re going to keep going. Unless you have a compelling argument not to?¡±


    Mul tutted and looked away. ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Kur said. ¡°Viy, Gad, can you walk?¡±


    Viy stood up without a word. Her legs shook, but she didn¡¯t look like she wanted to be carried anymore. Or ever again.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± she said. ¡°And I can carry my weapon now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, me too! Thanks again, guys,¡± Kur said, smiling at Cen.


    Cen smiled back as she retrieved Kurs scepter from the pile she and Mul had dropped the weapons in, and handed it to Kur.


    ¡°We¡¯re a party. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she said.


    Kur¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Yes. That we are. But thanks nonetheless, for carrying us and our weapons. And thank you, Jul, for guiding us.¡±


    The scout turned a deeper shade of dark gray-green. ¡°Y-yes. No problem.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be counting on you from now on,¡± Tuk said, beaming at her.


    ¡°O-of course!¡±


    Nar found himself smiling at the quam as well.


    He still found it strange that hers was a non-combat class, but if she was able to act as their guide and sort of path advisor, he would drop any worries and grievances that he might have. She would be the one pulling them all with her, and that more than made up for the lack of another DPS.


    ¡°Alright, then¡± Kur said, when they had all recovered their weapons. ¡°Let¡¯s not waste another second. Remember to take jell-o at regular intervals. Somehow, it¡¯s even hotter out here than in the factories.¡±


    ********


    Nar watched his HP slowly tick back upwards.


    As the minutes passed, bringing the next predicted wave of Pressure closer and closer, the little green bar in his UI slowly filled back up, even as his stamina continued to decrease.


    It had become apparent to him that they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep walking forever, though.


    Without Gad on his back, the stamina drain was much slower, but it was still happening. That had to mean he was more exhausted than he had first thought, and was now tapping into this energy from the Source to keep going.


    It¡¯s crazy¡­. Nar thought, We haven¡¯t even been gone for half a day yet! How can things be this bad already?


    He had been told, again and again, to his face, that he was a sinner and that he was going to suffer as he deserved. But he hadn¡¯t expected it to be so harsh right from the start.


    ¡°It¡¯s about to come again,¡± Kur said. ¡°Five minutes. Get ready everyone.¡±


    The party came to a halt.


    Nar checked his HP again.


    87/100. Guess that will have to do.


    He glanced at the ring tosser. Nar couldn¡¯t see his face but he wondered if he was okay. From what Tuk had said earlier, Nar surmised that the trugger either had less [Constitution] than him, and thus less HP, or that he was more susceptible to the damage. Perhaps, it was even a combination of both.


    Whatever the case was, he hoped Tuk, and everyone else, had recovered enough HP to take the incoming blow. He didn¡¯t fancy waking up to a corridor full of dead people. It would be horrible to be left alone in those dark corridors, slowly losing his mind and HP under the Pressure. Plus¡­ They didn¡¯t seem like bad people. He didn¡¯t want them to die.


    With a sharp inhale, Nar gripped his sword tighter.


    It was not like he could do anything against the all-encompassing and invisible Pressure, but still, it gave him some reassurance.


    Actually, hold on! I can do something!


    He had his skill, [Strong Defense].


    The skill was still pretty much a mystery to him, with its [???], but surely it would help him, if only in its meager 7% damage mitigation, in enduring the Pressure, no?


    But should I use it? 15 points of stamina is a lot of stamina, and I¡¯m already down to 71. With another 15 gone¡­ And there¡¯s no way to know if this skill will even help against the Pressure either.


    He weighed the skill in his mind. Maybe he should ask Kur.


    No. I don¡¯t¡­ Yeah. No.


    He would have to explain the skill to him, and the others would hear. He didn¡¯t want to have to face their pity, disappointment, or, in Mul¡¯s case, anger, at just how bad his class and skills were.


    I won¡¯t use it for now. Let¡¯s just see what happens. If things go bad¡­ Then, then I¡¯ll use it.


    However, what would it mean if things went bad? Could they get wiped out already? On their first day? They weren¡¯t even that far out yet!


    He had expected the Climb to be hard, but not impossible. Maybe he had been wrong.


    ¡°2 minutes!¡± Kur said.


    Nar pushed every thought out of his mind and focused on his clock.


    The seconds dragged by, slowly taking away the minutes with them.


    ¡°10 seconds!¡± Kur announced, uselessly. Everyone was staring at their clocks now.


    Nar watched the shifting seconds, unconsciously tensing his whole body.


    ¡°5 seconds!¡±


    Jul gasped.


    Oh no, Nar thought, staring at the quam. It really is coming!


    The Pressure blew past him like a physical force, forcing him backwards and to kneel.


    How is this even fair? He thought, his willpower blasted to shreds within seconds.


    Then, he was out.


    Sometime later, he was himself again.


    He stared at the ceiling, unchanged since they had started walking. In fact, the whole corridor had remained the exact same featureless, blank yellow.


    Pushing really hard on the sanity there, aren¡¯t You.


    Everything hurt once again, like ten people had gathered to beat him up. And he wasn¡¯t being dramatic about it. He actually knew what that felt like.


    One time, not long after they had their punishment decided for them, a bunch of Clean had ambushed a group of them as they returned home. It had not been pretty.


    He had been left bedridden for days, but a few of the Clean had walked away with his bite marks on them at least.


    It had been a huge deal, and the Clean had threatened to exile them all. Again. As if the whole thing had been their fault.


    Typical¡­


    He swallowed the bitter memory with his pain and forced himself up.


    Again, he was the first one awake.


    I wonder why¡­


    It was clear he had the most resistance to the Pressure out of all of them. He was followed in that regard by Cen, Mul, Tuk and Jul roughly together, then the last three, Kur, Viy and maybe Gad, in that order?


    He wasn¡¯t exactly sure, nor had he been able to figure out why that was the case.


    He probably had a higher [Constitution] than Cen, but that didn¡¯t explain Gad. As a proper tank, she probably had double of what he had, if not more. However, she was one of the weakest against the Pressure.


    None of his other attributes seemed relevant to it, which left him scratching his head. Though there were the two [???] unknown attributes to consider.


    Well. Nothing I can really do about it right now, anyways. I¡¯m sure it will make sense at some point.


    Right as expected, Cen stirred awake first. A few seconds after, Mul followed her, then Tuk and Jul at about the same time.


    ¡°Again?¡± Mul asked, taking in the three members of the party still downed. ¡°Seriously? Are we going to have to carry them all the way up?¡±


    I hope not, Nar thought, considering their prone figures.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll get better at it,¡± Cen said. ¡°Gain more resistance to it or something.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kinda surprising it¡¯s hitting Gad so hard though,¡± Tuk said. ¡°She¡¯s a tank. Shouldn¡¯t she be the best one at taking damage?¡±


    ¡°Maybe this is different,¡± Cen said. ¡°We don¡¯t know, and it doesn''t matter anyway. We should get going. Right, Jul?¡±


    They all turned to the scout and she gave them a nod, not meeting their eyes.


    ¡°Ugh, whatever. Let¡¯s just get it over with,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°Why are you complaining? You¡¯re not even carrying them!¡± Tuk said.


    Nice! You go Tuk! Nar thought.


    He had spoken exactly Nar¡¯s mind. He was carrying Gad for Crystal¡¯s sake. And he wasn¡¯t complaining about it!


    Mul¡¯s face turned a deeper dark gray, and a vein grew on his forehead.


    Cen slapped his shoulder.


    ¡°Drop it!¡± she hissed at him.


    Mul glared at Tuk, but let it go. Instead, he got up and started gathering weapons in silence.


    ¡°The pile is his problem, man?¡± Tuk muttered, loud enough that everyone could hear.


    Cen made a grimace, but she didn¡¯t apologize for her brother¡¯s behavior.


    And neither should she, Nar thought. She¡¯s not responsible for his tantrums. What did he expect? For it to be easy?


    Scoffing in derision, Nar got up and helped Tuk with Kur.


    Soon, they were on the move again.

 Chapter 9 - Gains

    ¡°Thank you. And sorry about that,¡± Gad said. ¡°I¡¯m being a burden.¡±


    Nar kneeled next to her, gulping air like a desperate man.


    ¡°You¡¯re fine,¡± he panted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    She licked her dried lips, and looked like she was going to say more. Instead, she nodded and closed her eyes, and leaned her head against the wall.


    The second and now the third trip through the pressure had been just as long. Always between 40 and 45 minutes, according to Jul. That meant that no matter what they did, the corridor¡¯s length of Pressure would always start wherever they stood.


    They couldn¡¯t head back either, into the darkness.


    Even though the corridor had never once turned or twisted, it made no sense at all to go back. Their only option was to keep going forward, following those yellow arrows till the very end. And as the arrows disappeared behind them, it wasn¡¯t like they could simply wander back into the dark anyways.


    However, after hours under strain, exhaustion was starting to show.


    Viy did not wake up that time around, and both Kur and Gad were looking worse for wear.


    After four rounds of Pressure, which in cubeplant terms meant that he was well into his second shift, Nar was starting to doubt if even he would have enough strength to go on. Attributes or no attributes, that morning he had just been a normal worker. There had to be a limit to what he could do with his meager, initial attributes, and he feared the limit wasn¡¯t far now. Or if it hadn¡¯t already been crossed and left well behind.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go on like this, Kur,¡± Cen said, panting. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much longer I can keep going.¡±


    Nar could tell that Kur kept his eyes open only through sheer force of will.


    ¡°Hang in there, guys,¡± Kur said, his tone drawling with exhaustion. ¡°This is penance, not a death sentence. I¡¯m sure the Crystal will be fair.¡±


    Nar snorted inwardly.


    The Crystal All Benevolent hadn¡¯t been that benevolent to him and the other Unclean for his entire life. Not quite surprising if It wasn¡¯t now either.


    He grimaced at the thought and offered up a quick prayer of apology.


    ¡°I-I hear something!¡± Jul suddenly shouted.


    ¡°The Pressure?¡± Mul asked. ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°No! Something else! Something small¡­ And quick! It¡¯s coming from the front!¡±


    ¡°My shield!¡± Gad boomed, with an energy Nar hadn''t thought she still had in her. ¡°Quick!¡±


    Cen, stunned, grabbed the shield while Gad pushed herself up, aided by Nar.


    ¡°Weapons everyone!¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°Are they coming now?¡± Tuk asked, turning pale. ¡°Really?¡±


    Gad pushed Nar away as she came to her full height. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Grab your sword and stand next to me!¡±


    Nar grabbed Gad¡¯s shield first, taking the massive slab of whatever metal it was made of from the hands of the struggling caster.


    Gad took her heavy shield from him, which was straight at the top, and then, at about two thirds of its length, gently curved down towards a sharp tip.


    Wish I had one of those¡­ Nar though, eyeing the shield with envy.


    ¡°Your sword! Quick!¡± the tank shouted again.


    ¡°Mul, to her left side!¡± Kur said. ¡°Nar, take her right side!¡±


    Nar glanced back, to the still passed out spear woman.


    ¡°What about the back?¡± he asked, as he retrieved his sword.


    He felt a strange but familiar comfort when his fingers wrapped around the sword''s hilt. Like, somehow, he had used the weapon many times before, and had at least some idea of what to do in a fight.


    ¡°I¡¯ll cover the back!¡± Kur said. ¡°If anything comes, Jul will hear it and I can at least slow it down!¡±


    Nar felt a surge of respect for the man. It seemed that he was proving himself under duress after all.


    ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± Jul shouted.


    And having said that, she dropped down and hid behind Viy¡¯s sleeping form.


    Nar caught the sound of something rushing towards them and ran into position.


    ¡°I can hear it!¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Nar asked. The tank hadn¡¯t even grabbed her mace.


    By the way she was swaying on her feet, she was probably doing all she could just to stand and hold the shield in front of her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me! I¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    Nar whipped his eyes forward as sound exploded out of the darkness.


    A ball of black, long limbs, rolled towards them at speed.


    Nar stood where he was, transfixed.


    What the¡­


    Next to him, Gad stepped forward, with her shield pushed out in front of her.


    The two of them collided with a metallic bang that echoed throughout the corridor.


    Nar stared at Gad with his jaw dropped open.


    How did she stop that? He thought.


    The thing had been rolling towards them so fast he was sure that Gad had been about to be blown away!


    Long, narrow limbs that looked like 3-inch-thick tubes, spread out from the black thing, revealing a round, metallic main body. The limbs had circles indented into them, and were entirely flexible. At the end of each, an 8-inch long and very sharp looking blade gleamed in the yellow light that cast the entire thing in a nightmarish glow.


    Nar¡¯s eyes went wide when the limbs exploded outward, banging and screeching against Gad¡¯s shield in cacophony that deafened them all


    ¡°DPS!¡± Kur shouted.


    His command woke Nar up.


    He saw that Mul had jumped into the fight already. The brawler was struggling against the limbs, trying to get through to the thing¡¯s body, a low growl escaping his lips.


    With a short gasp, Nar too, forced his legs to take him into the fight.


    Limbs and blades snapped all around him, and he was forced to use his sword to parry and block the chaos of shining blades.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    He wasn¡¯t very good at it, and hot lines of pain burned across his arms and legs as the blades licked his flesh.


    How am I supposed to check my HP in the middle of this? Nar thought, gritting his teeth at the onslaught.


    ¡°I¡¯m taunting it!¡± Gad shouted


    Suddenly, the pressure melted off him and the knowledge that taunt meant that the tank was doing something to get the full, absolute attention of the enemy, tickled into his brain.


    The thing focused its full attention on Gad, as though he wasn¡¯t even there.


    ¡°Attack, attack!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Ranged, attack too!¡±


    Nar snapped out of his reverie and hacked wildly at the thing.


    Rings flew over his head, ricocheting off the confusion of limbs flailing around the enemy, and little, grayish puffs of something followed them, targeting the gaps around Gad, Mul and Nar, and bursting with little pops against the thing¡¯s metallic limbs.


    Most of Nar¡¯s hits bounced off of limbs as well. It was damn nearly impossible to get in there, but he managed a few solid hits. However, he couldn¡¯t tell if those had done anything at all. Does it have HP? He asked himself, pulling back from a wayward strike that was aimed at Gad¡¯s side, rather than him.


    Was it alive? Was it a machine? Did status apply to it? There was no way to tell.


    ¡°I¡¯m losing it!¡± Gad shouted. ¡°I¡¯m losing taunt!¡±


    A second later, Nar was back in the thick of it again, and too late to get out.


    Even more of the thing¡¯s limbs reached for him now, and he was forced to abandon any and all attempts at attacking to just focus on staying alive. HP or not, he had no doubt that just one of those blades would be enough to kill him if it went inside him in the wrong place.


    So he fought with one hand, parrying, blocking and even dodging as best as he could with his sword, while with the other arm, he covered his neck and head.


    Lines of burning pain cut across him, and the thing hit with such violence it left him reeling, his improvised meat and bone shield quickly going numb. If the enemy hit his head with that kind of force, Nar would be a goner.


    The sword grew steadily heavier in his hand, slowing down. More and more hits were getting through.


    Then, the thing seemed to lose interest in him again.


    ¡°I have it!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°DPS, use your skills if you have enough stamina!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°You¡¯re probably running out of HP! We have to end this!¡±


    We are? Nar thought, feeling rising dread.


    He somehow managed to check it, in between attacks.


    Holy Crystal! 49? Where did it all go?


    Mul grunted, and the thing was suddenly lifted off the floor. It crashed down again, hard, and all its limbs went limp.


    What just¡­


    ¡°Ah! Take that!¡± Mul shouted.


    The brawler jumped onto the thing and started pounding on it.


    Not wanting to be left behind, Nar jumped in too.


    It occurred to him that this was the perfect moment to try and stab the enemy. He switched his grip and held the sword with both hands. With a low snarl, he drove the blade down into the circular body of their attacker.


    There was a split-second of resistance, and then, he was through. His sword buried deep into the thing¡¯s body and Nar, not expecting it, fell flat against it.


    DING!


    A window appeared in front of him, blocking his sight, and Nar scrambled in a mad panic to get away from the thing.


    A heavy hand fell on his shoulder. ¡°Calm down. It''s dead.¡±


    Nar looked up, finding Gad¡¯s face through the translucent window.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dead. It¡¯s over. Read the window,¡± she said.


    Her hand disappeared and Nar focused on the words before him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have defeated one Guardian Worker 1. 84 experience points have been awarded.


    You have leveled up!


    You have gained:


    Constitution 10 -> 11


    Agility 6 -> 7


    Aura 21 -> 23


    Congratulations on your first level!


    Levels are gained when you accrue enough experience points. The higher your level, the more experience it will cost you to continue leveling up.


    Remember, you are what you do. Your gains are attributed accordingly.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Guardian? So that was a¡­ Aura?


    His stomach dropped.


    Aura? But¡­ But why? How? It even says it right there, you are what you do!


    The cubeplant was gone. The machine was gone. He hadn¡¯t used any aura. He hadn''t touched whatever sharp, hacked pieces of it potentially remained within his veins. Not even once had he even attempted to! So how? How?


    ¡°Level up!¡± Mul celebrated. ¡°Here comes the good stuff.¡±


    Nar felt a pang of jealousy and of something worse.


    Is that because I¡¯m Unclean, uh? Was I not punished enough for it?


    Mul raised his hands in the air and walked back in triumph to his sister.


    Nar had to breathe deeply to swallow his anger. It was so unfair! Why was he gaining Aura?


    At this stage, if it keeps happening, I might lose my first modifier!


    He clenched his jaw.


    He had planned for his first attribute modifier to go to his [Aether], so he could gain double the points on it. But if this went on, and with no [Aether] in sight yet, he might just lose the first and most important of the attribute modifiers to his useless [Aura]!


    ¡°Hey, you okay?¡±


    He wished for the window to disappear and looked up to see Gad staring down at him. Rather than her asking him that question, he should be the one to ask her. She could barely stand.


    Nar dropped his sword and rushed to his feet.


    He passed an arm under hers and she dropped her weight onto him, nearly causing his legs to buckle. Her shield clanged against the downed guardian¡¯s sprawled limbs.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said, barely holding on to her shield. ¡°Just tired.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± he told her.


    He helped her return to the party and found Kur sitting on the floor, with Jul staring at him in concern.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Kur asked the morsvar.


    ¡°Just wrecked,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± Kur said. ¡°You hear that? I¡¯m fine Jul.¡±


    The scout nodded and got up. Nar didn¡¯t see where she went, as he helped Gad sit down.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Nar said. ¡°You were amazing. I didn¡¯t think you were going to be able to take that charge.¡±


    Gad chuckled feebly, then she grimaced and held her side.


    ¡°Me neither. At the last moment I used a skill, [Warrior¡¯s Stand]. It increases my [Strength] and gives me a 20% damage mitigation. I think it¡¯s what saved me. Even with it, I almost blacked out from the pain... Don¡¯t think I broke anything at least.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Gad, I didn¡¯t know about your skills. I should¡¯ve asked you. I didn¡¯t even know about taunting,¡± Kur said.


    Gad waved his words off. ¡°Not your fault. We were too busy surviving that Pressure. I¡¯m the one who should have told you. You need to know everything to lead us properly.¡±


    Kur nodded.


    ¡°I suppose. Still, thank you, for taking it,¡± he said.


    ¡°My job, party leader. Or have you forgotten?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess I did,¡± Kur said, with a little chuckle.


    ¡°And thank you too,¡± Gad said, looking at Nar. ¡°You tanked that thing when I lost aggro. Well, at least you kept it off of Mul for the most part.¡±


    New knowledge came to Nar again.


    Aggro, short for aggression, is the level of threat exuded by combat classes while fighting. Typically, the tank needs to be the one with the highest aggro in order to keep the enemy¡¯s attacks off the rest of the party, otherwise, the combat class with the next highest aggro will be attacked instead.


    Nar shook his head. That had been a particularly lengthy piece of new knowledge. He could almost feel it inside him, somewhere deep in his brain. Something that didn¡¯t quite belong. At least not yet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever get used to that,¡± Kur muttered, feeling the same.


    ¡°You did well, without a shield,¡± Gad said, still staring at Nar.


    Nar looked away. ¡°Not sure about that. I lost over half my HP.¡±


    ¡°Which is incredible!¡± Kur said. ¡°You had no idea what that looked like! I thought we were about to have our first death!¡±


    His words dropped a heavy silence over them.


    ¡°I¡­ Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. It¡¯s our reality now. We can die at any moment,¡± Gad said. ¡°And speaking of which, we should get going again, before the Pressure hits.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Yes!¡± Kur said, his face dropping. ¡°Everyone, up! Up! We need to go! Quick, before the Pressure comes again.¡±


    Nar stood up and pulled Gad to her feet.


    ¡°You never did answer my question,¡± she said, staring at him, down from her impressive height. ¡°Is everything okay? You looked like something was wrong just there.¡±


    Nar looked away from her penetrating black eyes.


    It was because of my [Aura] gains, he thought.


    No way he was going to say that, though. He couldn¡¯t have people asking questions and finding out the truth about him. It was bad enough that his hybrid class had an even worse start than he had anticipated, no need to let them know that he was also accumulating a useless attribute somehow.


    ¡°No, it was nothing. Just shocked about my HP loss,¡± he lied.


    Gad stared at him for another few, unconformable seconds. Then, she nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will gain in [Constitution]. We won¡¯t be weak forever. Not even against this damned Pressure. At least, I hope not.¡±


    Nar smiled. ¡°I hope not.¡±


    She offered him her arm and Nar took it, supporting her weight.


    Ahead of him, stepping gingerly around the downed guardian, he saw Cen collecting his dropped sword.


    I need to stop doing that. Going to end up regretting it, he thought with a wince.


    ¡°Nar?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Just so you know, if anything is ever bothering you, or if you want to talk about anything at all, just come to me, okay? I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course! Thank you!¡± Nar said, surprised but managing to keep the lie from showing.


    ¡°No worries. That¡¯s what the party is for. To have each other¡¯s backs.¡±


    Nar nodded, failing to swallow the lump that formed in his throat.


    The lie had come easy.


    Less easy to stomach was the feeling of guilt and shame that followed it. Gad had been genuine, he could tell.


    However, he had no choice. He doubted she would feel the same if she ever found out he was an Unclean.


    All he could do was hope that he didn¡¯t give himself away. And that his first level up would also be the end of his [Aura] gains.


    Though in all seriousness, how had it even happened?

 Chapter 10 - First Night

    ¡°I can¡¯t keep going!¡±


    Everyone stopped and turned to Cen.


    The lengos sat on her knees and gasped hard, holding her throat. ¡°My stamina¡­ I only have 7 points left!¡±


    Oof¡­ I guess she has the lowest stamina out of all of us, Nar thought.


    Tuk leaned his shoulder against the wall. On his back, Viy had never even stirred since the last wave of Pressure. Not even the guardian had woken her up.


    The trugger looked just about ready to collapse. His clothes were stained with sweat, and his pale, brown skin was flushed.


    ¡°I¡¯m nearing my limit too,¡± Tuk said, in between breaths. ¡°11 here.¡±


    Mul grunted something, and from the way Gad was nearly bent over, leaning against the wall, she wasn¡¯t going to make it much further either. She didn¡¯t even look up or say anything.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop then,¡± Kur said. ¡°We¡¯re dead either way if we run out of stamina.¡±


    Nar approached Gad and helped her down to the floor.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she managed. She didn¡¯t even open her eyes.


    Looking up from the heavy breathing morsvar, Nar cast a glance around.


    Mul and Cen sat together, leaning on each other for comfort. Cen had her eyes closed, her breathing ragged. Next to her, Mul stared at his feet with an empty expression.


    Kur had helped Tuk lower Viy down, and all three now sat in line, with one passed out and the other two looking barely awake.


    Nar dropped in front of Gad. He wasn¡¯t sure whether he should be staying at the front of the party or at their back. All he could really do is pray that nothing came at them in their current state.


    As promised by the induction, his HP had barely recovered.


    His cuts had closed and the bruises on his arms looked a little bit lighter. It was nothing short of incredulous, to see his injuries heal so quickly. However, tired and hurt, he had only managed to recover back up to 52 points of HP. He felt very uncomfortable thinking how close that was to zero, halfway or not.


    On the other side, his stamina didn¡¯t fare much better either.


    56¡­ Not a lot, but still much better than the others.


    The thought gave him some comfort. He had tanked, and he had killed the guardian. He knew that Mul had probably dealt the most damage with whatever skill he had used at the end, but he hadn¡¯t been totally useless, either as a tank or as DPS.


    However, Viy had been down. Had she been awake and fit for fighting, he probably wouldn¡¯t have been needed. At least not for his limited DPS¡­ Though maybe he might have still been useful for tanking when Gad lost her aggro.


    Either way, he had been battered.


    Gad only looked tired, while his clothes were almost in tatters and stained with blood. And his body looked and felt like it had been dragged down the pile.


    He sighed. Suddenly, he didn¡¯t feel so confident anymore.


    For Crystal¡¯s sake, I didn¡¯t even remember my skills¡­ he suddenly realized, cringing.


    As if they would¡¯ve been useful anyways.


    His first fight had shown him that he was exactly what he had feared from the moment he had looked at his sword. Okay at both tanking and DPSing, but not good at either.


    Hopefully, that would change. And soon.


    And this damned [Aura] too¡­ Just how in the pile did I gain it? And where did it come from?


    ¡°Nar. Jul. How¡¯s your stamina?¡± Kur asked.


    Nar startled at the sound of his name.


    Next to him, Gad snored lightly.


    ¡°I still have over half,¡± Nar said, and Jul nodded, whatever that meant.


    Kur passed a hand over his pale, yellow hair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to go anywhere without rest,¡± the party leader said. ¡°I hate to do this to the both you, but can you keep watch again? We all need to sleep.¡±


    Nar hated it too, even though it was the most logical thing to do. But Kur was barely hanging on. He couldn¡¯t watch even if he wanted to.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Yeah, go on,¡± Nar said.


    Kur grimaced. ¡°Thank you. As soon as we can, I¡¯m letting you guys sleep. I promise.¡±


    Nar nodded and stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take this side,¡± Jul said, pointing towards the rear of the party.


    ¡°Okay. I guess I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    She turned her back to him and walked away.


    Nar pressed his lips, watching her sit down with her back to him.


    That¡¯s fine¡­ Not like we could¡¯ve kept each other awake or anything.


    He rubbed his eyes.


    He might have a load of stamina left, but he wanted nothing more than to sit down and be gone. And just thinking about it startled a huge yawn out of him.


    At his feet, Kur was already nodding off, losing that battle. Cen and Mul were out cold too, and so was Tuk and Viy. And Gad, he knew she was already long gone.


    He took a deep breath. Right, how am I going to keep myself awake now?


    And without his thoughts turning inevitably back to his doubts, worries, concerns, and now, jealousy?


    Unfortunately, it really was inevitable. A couple of minutes later, he found himself staring at the 23 points next to his [Aura], and racking his brain for an answer to that impossibility.


    ********


    He continued to heal, slowly. Gradually but undeniably feeling better and better as time dragged by.


    Watching his wounds and bruises heal in amazement was a big part of how he managed to stay awake while the others slept. Every time he looked back at a specific wound or bruise, it was startling to see his HP¡¯s regeneration at work.


    His stamina, unfortunately, lost another point during his vigil. Whatever he was doing, it was clearly not restful enough.


    Fortunately, the only thing of note that happened during his watch was that Viy stirred in her sleep, mumbling in either dreams or nightmares.


    Nar¡¯s guess was on nightmares. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had had a pleasant dream. And for a worker to take the Climb, their life couldn¡¯t have been the most pleasant either.


    Nar and Jul had stared at the spear woman as she turned her head and frowned and muttered. Nar had wondered if they should wake her up, before she woke the others or got too loud. However, whatever it was, it had soon passed, and Viy had stayed asleep.


    He guessed that out of everyone, she was the weakest in the face of the Pressure.


    That was another mystery that he returned to, again and again, to occupy his mind. What made them stronger, or weaker against the Pressure?


    That, his [Aura] gains, and the smattering of [???] unknown attributes bothered him, and helped him stay awake.


    There were a lot of things, important things he felt, that he just didn¡¯t understand.


    Pushing his [Aura] gains aside, with difficulty, he was especially concerned about the two [???] attributes. He wondered if they were something crucial to his hybrid class that was, as of yet, kept out of his reach. And if they were, how could he make gains on them without even knowing what they were? He could only hope that, maybe as he leveled, or suffered some more, that he would get to know what those attributes were.


    ¡°Nar, it''s almost time,¡± Jul whispered.


    Nar sighed. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s wake them up.¡±


    They divided the task between them, and Nar headed straight for their party leader.


    ¡°Kur?¡±


    He gasped awake. ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    ¡°The Pressure¡¯s coming again.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Oh! Yes. Thank you!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re waking up the others,¡± Nar said, and reached to the left to shake Gad.


    ¡°I¡¯m awake,¡± she said. He could see no tiredness in her pure, black eyes, but there were darker spots etched under them. ¡°Thanks for watching.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thank you,¡± Kur said, rubbing his eyes. ¡°That really helped.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Nar said.


    Inside, he felt bone weary. Only his stamina kept him moving.


    Nar went to wake up the twins next. Both Tuk and Jul were having trouble waking up Viy, and he doubted they would be able to.


    ¡°How long do we have?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°5 minutes,¡± Jul said.


    ¡°What-What do you want?¡± Mul shouted, as Nar shook him.


    Nar frowned at his raised fists.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Sorry. Sorry. I was¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it time?¡± Cen asked, sleepy.


    ¡°5 minutes,¡± Nar said, repeating Jul¡¯s reply.


    Maybe I should start keeping track of the time as well.


    He glanced at his clock, willing his UI to become visible.


    22:25:48. Or almost ten thirty PM. This will be the fourth time we¡¯re hit. Fifth, if we count that first time.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°I recovered some HP but...¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He left the unsaid hang over them.


    Kur had said that this was not a death sentence but, if the Pressure kept coming, without giving them a chance to rest, it would eventually strip them bare of their protective HP and of the stamina that kept them going. And if they had to contend with the guardians at the same time¡­


    ¡°There has to be a limit to these attacks,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°I think so too,¡± Kur said.


    You mean, you believe so. Or you hope so, Nar thought to himself. There was no knowing what the Crystal had planned for them.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­ Happening?¡±


    For a split-second, the voice was so unfamiliar to Nar that he half-turned, expecting to see a new, random Climber amongst them.


    ¡°Viy!¡± Cen said.


    Viy looked up at them, her eyes unfocused, her head dropping.


    Jul and Tuk had succeeded in waking her after all.


    ¡°The Pressure knocked you out,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Gad asked, crawling to her.


    Viy took a shaky breath. ¡°Not good¡­¡±


    Gad lay a reassuring hand over her shoulder. ¡°Listen, we don¡¯t have much time. The Pressure is about to hit us again.¡±


    Viy¡¯s eyes focused with fear. ¡°A-Again?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it will be fine, okay? Right now, you need to do as I say. Look in your UI, what''s your HP and stamina looking like?¡±


    Viy frowned, her brain struggling to interpret Gad¡¯s instructions and to make them happen.


    ¡°54¡­ HP?¡± Viy said, frowning.


    ¡°And the stamina?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost full.¡±


    Gad breathed in relief. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, then.¡±


    Viy nodded, wide eyed.


    ¡°There¡¯s also something flashing¡­ My notifications?¡±


    ¡°Probably the messages from before,¡± Kur said. ¡°That¡¯s what the notifications are. Your first HP damage taken alert and then the level up.¡±


    ¡°Level¡­ Up?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we all leveled up,¡± Gad said. ¡°We fought a guardian.¡±


    ¡°You did what?¡±


    Gad shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything later, for now, just get ready. The Pressure is going to hit us, and you will probably pass out again.¡±


    ¡°Just me?¡±


    ¡°Us too,¡± Kur said, pointing at himself and at Gad. ¡°The others will watch over us, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Viy asked, looking around, looking more and more lost.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t figured it out yet,¡± Cen said. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll take care of you, okay?¡±


    Viy nodded, her face pale.


    Must be overwhelming, Nar thought. Wave after wave, and to be completely powerless before it. Not to mention, entrusting your life to complete strangers.


    It was easy to forget that they had just left the cubeplant. That it was still their first day out in the bowels of the Between-Nexus.


    Nar shook his head. It felt like a long time had passed already, since he had last seen his dad.


    And these new words¡­ Even my thoughts sound different.


    He checked the clock again. 2 minutes to go.


    ¡°Sit down, everyone,¡± Kur said. ¡°We keep falling on our faces here. Might as well sit down and properly wait for it.¡±


    Nar did as Kur suggested, and made himself comfortable.


    This time he made sure to hold the sword in his hands. He briefly wondered if he might hurt himself with it, but he decided that it was better to be prepared, just in case another guardian came at them.


    He couldn¡¯t put it past the Crystal to throw something at them when they were down¡­


    A tendril of something nasty tried to sneak its way out from the confines of his mind, and Nar pushed it down with a strangled gasp.


    No! No! Forgive me, Crystal, I didn''t mean it!


    ¡°Do we just keep walking again, afterwards?¡± Cen asked Kur.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kur said. ¡°We¡¯ll keep going¡­ As long as we can at least. That¡¯s all we can do.¡±


    Cen nodded, looking sorrowful. Mul held her hand and squeezed, though his expression didn¡¯t look much better.


    Looking around, Nar saw that everyone was lost to their own thoughts, none of them happy. Or hopeful.


    I probably look the same, he thought.


    Between the Pressure, the tiredness, the [Aura] and the fear of his impending death, it was hard to remain hopeful. Or to remember the happy daydreams he had harbored, not even a day ago.


    Thinking about his dad only made him feel worse.


    Would he just assume that Nar had forgotten him? Broken his promise? That he was up there, living the amazing life he had promised his dad? That he had abandoned Bey to wither and waste away in the dark?


    He felt pinpricks behind his eyes and frowned hard to keep them to just that.


    In the distance, he heard the sound of the Pressure coming for them, before Jul announced it to the others.


    Nar took a deep, shaky breath, and prepared for it.


    ¡°Hey guys!¡±


    Nar looked up.


    Tuk smiled at him. At everyone.


    ¡°Come on. We got this!¡± he said.


    He raised a double thumbs up. ¡°See you on the other side!¡±


    Nar stared at the trugger completely dumbfounded.


    How was he so optimistic? So energetic? So hopeful?


    I was right. I do like him, Nar thought, feeling a smile creep onto his face despite the rushing sound.


    Alright. See you on the other side.


    He closed his eyes and the Pressure came.


    It weighed down on him, howling, snarling and snapping with static. The noise burst through his ears and onto his mind, body and very soul.


    It invaded him, threatening to erase who he was.


    His bones were smashed and forced back together again.


    His organs were smushed to pulp.


    His eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets.


    Or at least, so it felt to him.


    He opened his mouth to scream, but he didn¡¯t know how to.


    And the heat. Crystal. The heat.


    The little sliver of him that remained begged for everything to end. For him to pass out and be granted reprieve from his torture.


    Somehow, it felt worse and much longer lasting that time around, before he finally succumbed to it.


    Not so long after, he gasped awake.


    Something dripped down his nose. His ears.


    Nar looked around him in confusion. His heartbeat was erratic and painful in his chest, and his throat was coated with something thick and metallic.


    What just happened?


    Something had happened. He was sure of it. He knew it deep within himself that something had been different this time around, but he couldn¡¯t put his finger to it.


    Cen coughed awake.


    ¡°Uuh¡­ What happened?¡± she moaned, holding her head.


    A little line of very dark gray streamed down her nose.


    ¡°Tha-That felt worse,¡± Nar said. ¡°Right?¡±


    Cen nodded slowly, squinting against the pain ravaging through her mind.


    ¡°It was,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked, and pointed at her face.


    She frowned and finally seemed to notice the blood dripping down her nose.


    She touched it and looked at her fingers. ¡°Oh¡­ I thought I felt something. You¡¯re also bleeding by the way.¡±


    Nar nodded. It was a familiar sensation and he had figured as much.


    Mul woke with a startle. ¡°Fuck! Holy¡­ Fuck. What-What happened?¡±


    ¡°I think the Pressure was worse this time,¡± Cen said.


    Mul stared at her in confusion. ¡°Worse? Yeah¡­ I-I guess it was.¡±


    ¡°Also, you¡¯re bleeding.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tuk gasped awake and looked around him with big, wide eyes. Finding the others staring at him, he burst out laughing.


    ¡°I¡¯m alive! Oh, my Crystal, thank you! Thank you!¡±


    Nar snorted, which caused a stab of pain inside his nose.


    ¡°Ow¡­¡± he muttered, closing a hand around it.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°Is everyone alright? Why are you all bleeding?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bleeding too, you fu¡­ Oof!¡±


    Cen elbowed him, just as Jul came to.


    The quam sat up, very straight, and stared at nothing. Bright green blood dripped out of both of her nostrils, and she didn¡¯t look like she was all there yet.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Nar asked her.


    She ignored him. Her antennae shifted left and right, listening for something.


    ¡°Jul?¡± he tried again.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone,¡± the scout finally said. ¡°The Pressure¡¯s gone.¡±


    They froze.


    ¡°Oh, shit¡­¡± Mul whispered, looking round the yellow corridor. ¡°It is gone!¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank the Crystal All Merciful and Kind!¡± Cen said, and sobbed into her hands, her shoulders shaking.


    ¡°See! There was hope! I knew it!¡± Tuk said, raising his fists into the air, still laying on his back.


    Nar half-exhaled, half-laughed three times, his body shaking with each gust of air that escaped his lips.


    Holy Crystal¡­ Is it over? Did we make it?


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°Do we stay? Do we wake them up?¡±


    He looked at Jul.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know!¡± she stammered.


    Mul groaned. ¡°Very useful. Why don¡¯t you wake up the manager brat? He¡¯s the leader after all.¡±


    Gritting his teeth, Nar crawled over to Kur in her place.


    The brawler was starting to get on his nerves, but he was right. Kur was the leader. Let him decide. Not like Nar wanted that responsibility on his hands, anyway.


    He shook Kur gently.


    ¡°Kur? Wake up.¡±


    Kur moaned and moved his head around.


    ¡°Are we¡­ Safe?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know. The Pressure hit hard. Harder than before, but when we woke up, it was gone.¡±


    Kur finally managed to pry his eyes open. ¡°Gone?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Look.¡±


    Kur looked around him, with the face of one who was barely awake.


    ¡°Holy Crystal¡­ It¡¯s gone.¡±


    Nar nodded. ¡°What do we do now? Do we walk? Do we stay?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s stay,¡± Kur said. ¡°I-I can barely stay awake¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay. Rest then. We¡¯ll keep watch.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ And, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    The party leader dropped into sleep again.


    Nar looked at the others. Mul and Tuk watched him expectantly, the sleep evident on their faces. Cen had seemingly already fallen asleep.


    ¡°Rest,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°We¡¯re staying.¡±


    ¡°Nice!¡± Tuk breathed.


    ¡°Good stuff,¡± Mul said, closing his eyes. ¡°Keep an eye out, will you?¡±


    Nar glared at him.


    Don¡¯t hit him¡­ Don¡¯t hit him¡­


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Jul recoiled from the dark expression on his face, and his harsh tone.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, no! I wasn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Jul said, in a hushed tone of voice. ¡°I wanted to say, if you¡¯re tired, you can sleep too. I¡¯ll watch.¡±


    Nar sagged and smiled at her.


    ¡°No, we¡¯ll both watch. It will be less scary like that, right?¡±


    Jul stared at him, completely unmoving, for a few seconds. Then she looked away and gave him a tiny nod.


    Did I just see¡­ A bit of a smile?


    ¡°Okay,¡± she whispered.


    She then made a show of pretending he wasn¡¯t there.


    Nar looked away, smiling.


    Maybe there¡¯s hope for her yet.


    Then his eyes fell upon the rest of the sleeping party.


    Oh, how he envied them.


    He wondered how long they would sleep this time around.


    ********


    The night, as that was clearly what it was, was long.


    Four hours had come and gone.


    Nar brooded. Nar paced. Nar despaired.


    There was no solace in his thoughts, and nothing happened to help distract him from the endless, slow march of seconds.


    He didn¡¯t try to talk with Jul. He didn¡¯t want to scare her, or come off as imposing.


    Those things worked slowly, if they ever worked at all. The quam wasn¡¯t going to get past potential years of only the Crystal knew what had been done to her in a matter of a single day, and he didn¡¯t want to ruin whatever chances she had of overcoming it. So, he left her well alone.


    More than once, he stopped, glaring at the others. They looked comfortable in their sleep, no doubt recovering HP and stamina at a much quicker rate than he was. He himself sat at 68 HP, having recovered from the 37 HP he had found himself in, after the fifth and last Pressure assault.


    It wasn¡¯t too bad, he supposed. His stamina however was a problem. He only had 33 points of it left.


    He didn¡¯t know if the Pressure was done and over with them, after that last hit, or if they were simply being given the mercy of the night, only for it to return in the morning. Either way, he would be in trouble if he didn¡¯t get any rest.


    Even if their time under the Pressure was over, which he doubted, there were still the guardians to worry about and whatever else would be thrown at them next.


    Yes. He doubted very much that things would get any easier from then onwards. He would probably be grappling with his sanity, and fighting for his HP points all the way to the surface if he had to guess.


    If we even make it there¡­


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    Nar turned around slowly.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± Jul whispered.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Uuuhhhh. Why don¡¯t you sleep? I¡¯ll watch.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°We need to sleep. Wake up Kur.¡±


    Nar stared at her for a moment, considering her words.


    She was right. They had to take turns. That had been what Kur had said, and now that he stopped to actually think things through, he had a feeling that Kur wasn¡¯t going to be happy with how long they had stayed up.


    Thinking about it now, he felt silly. He should¡¯ve woken him at least an hour ago.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Nar said. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Nar approached their sleeping leader and kneeled next to him.


    He shook him gently. ¡°Kur? Kur?¡±


    The altei inhaled deeply and opened his eyes.


    ¡°Nar? Something wrong? Is it coming again?¡±


    Nar grimaced. ¡°No, everything¡¯s fine. We¡¯re just tired and we¡¯re wondering if¡­¡±


    Kur¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°Oh, my Crystal! How long has it been?¡±


    ¡°A little over 4 hours.¡±


    ¡°Four¡­ What the fuck, man! Why didn¡¯t you wake me up sooner? You guys need to sleep!¡±


    Nar looked down. Suddenly, all his anger and huffing and puffing and glaring felt silly and shameful.


    ¡°You guys needed it more,¡± Jul said, coming to his rescue.


    ¡°But you need rest too! How much HP do you have? How much stamina are you down to?¡±


    ¡°68 and 33,¡± Nar said, avoiding eye contact.


    ¡°Almost full HP. 18 stamina,¡± he heard Jul say.


    ¡°Oh, for the love of the Crystal! Go to sleep! Now!¡±


    ¡°Will you be okay though?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll wake up Gad. Then I¡¯ll wake up two of the others later on. That¡¯s how it''s supposed to work!¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°You should be!¡± Kur said, his face contorted in anger. ¡°What happens now, if you don¡¯t have enough time to recover and we get hit again?¡±


    Nar stayed silent, taking the chastising he knew was earned. If anything, he only felt more respect for Kur. And relief. It looked like Kur was going to be a good party leader.


    Kur sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This is on me. I should¡¯ve told you guys to wake me up. I¡¯ll make sure to set up the watch from now on, before everyone goes to sleep.¡±


    Nar nodded.


    ¡°Now go on, sleep!¡±


    ¡°What if you can¡¯t hear the Pressure?¡± Jul asked.


    Her concern felt genuine, however, it was impossible to miss her slow, blinking eyelids.


    Kur snorted. ¡°If we can¡¯t hear it, we¡¯ll feel it. Awake or asleep, I don¡¯t think it matters. It comes, it comes. We just need to take it.¡±


    Nar nodded again. That was probably true.


    ¡°Go. Sleep. Don¡¯t worry about anything else. And¡­ Good job you two. Thank you for keeping us safe.¡±


    Nar scratched the back of his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t really do anything to be honest.¡±


    ¡°No, you did plenty. You watched over us, you carried us, you gave us the security of knowing that we could sleep in safety. It was a lot to be demanded of you both, straight out of the cubeplant. And I thank you. I¡­ Honestly, thank you so much.¡±


    Nar looked away. It was awkward, and it weirded him out of his mind to find himself at the receiving end of such feelings of gratitude coming from a Clean.


    ¡°A-Alright. We¡¯ll go to sleep then,¡± he said.


    Nar stood up and walked past Kur and Viy, to sit back at his spot at the end of the party.


    He didn¡¯t like the idea of sleeping next to that dark, but he figured he needed to start building up his courage.


    As a tank, he was meant to stand in the face of death and take the damage meant for the party. Plus, he didn¡¯t know exactly by what basis the System operated yet. ¡°You are what you do¡± was a plenty ambiguous tenet to live one¡¯s life by. And not knowing, Nar couldn¡¯t risk having his path skewed by simply harboring cowardly feelings or thoughts.


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    Nar turned around and found Jul standing a couple steps from him.


    ¡°Can I sleep there?¡± she asked.


    The scout pointed at the space between him and Viy, then at the darkness behind them. ¡°It will be less scary, right?¡±


    ¡°O-Of course!¡± Nar stammered.


    He shimmied himself closer to the darkness, too dumbfounded and worried about doing anything to scare her off, and gave her plenty of space to be comfortable in, with no danger of them accidentally touching in their sleep.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she mumbled, hiding her face behind her hair. ¡°Sleep well.¡±


    ¡°Y-You too!¡±


    What just happened? He asked himself, heart hammering in his chest.


    Was this a sign of her trust for him? Did she feel safe enough sleeping next to him? Was he reading too much into it?


    Whatever the reason might be, he felt a strange touch of warmth inside him. A sort of pride, maybe. With some hope in the mix?


    He smiled as he closed his eyes.


    Maybe she¡¯ll be okay after all.

 Chapter 11 - Humble Beginnings

    He was gently brought back from his sleep, and found Kur squatting in front of him.


    ¡°Hey man, sorry to wake you up so soon, but we need to start walking,¡± he said.


    ¡°Walking?¡± Nar asked, confused.


    Kur smiled and pointed at the yellow arrows at their feet.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Nar sat up straighter. Corridor, yellow arrows, Pressure. Yes.


    ¡°Yeah, we are Climbing after all,¡± Kur said. ¡°I wish I could let you sleep for longer, but I think we should get going.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Yeah¡­ Of course!¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll leave when everyone¡¯s ready. Drink some jell-o, okay? Gotta stay hydrated in this heat.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    Kur patted his shoulder and left him be.


    Nar looked to his side and found the empty spot where Jul had slept. He searched the party and found her talking in hushed whispers with Gad, at the very front of the party.


    Nar reached for his pack, next to him, and carefully pulled out a jell-o, making sure no one could see how little was inside of it. He couldn¡¯t hide that his pack was the smallest of the bunch, but he didn¡¯t want anyone to actually see just how little was within.


    He lifted the hand sized, transparent container to his mouth, and flicked the soft, self-sealing, sipper open with his tongue.


    Ah¡­


    That first sip was divine. He hadn''t realized just how dry his tongue was, nor how parched his throat felt from breathing all that hot, Pressure air.


    He drank another, greedy gulp of the brown, black flaked gel, and forced himself to seal the pack again, before he drank the whole thing.


    Somehow, he felt even thirstier now. However, he had to ration.


    In terms of food, his dad had gone hungry so that Nar could leave with a full stomach, so he should be able to last at least another five to six days before he had to start dipping into his even lower reserves of crackers.


    He squished the jell-o pack around in his hands.


    His dad had sacrificed much for him.


    The Clean controlled their supply of food, and sometimes, they decided to be cruel. To see if they could starve them out, or at least eek even more work out of them. That meant going through long periods of shifts without any food at all. And the adults suffered the most, giving whatever they had to their children, all of them pulling together for each other''s kids.


    Nar frowned.


    Now that he thought of it, with his new knowledge of time, he realized that some of those periods must have gone on for months!


    The crackers were nutritionally dense, made to keep workers satiated and working. However, months was a long, long time.


    Darkness growled within him. Here he was, worrying about these Clean and about their sleep over his, and sacrificing his status to carry them through the Pressure. But after all they had done, who were they to deserve any of his efforts? His sacrifice?


    ¡°Everyone ready?¡± Kur asked.


    Nar stuffed his jell-o back into his pack. The smallest pack in the party, scrunched up by the sacrifice of his dad and others. He tried to keep his expression neutral. He hoped he succeeded. It was not easy.


    ¡°For now, we¡¯ll just walk,¡± Kur said. ¡°We¡¯ll see how things go and decide on what to do as we go.¡±


    It was about seven thirty in the morning when they started walking again. It was the first time they actually moved in their intended, proper formation, following after Gad.


    They were somehow rested, and Nar was completely healed.


    However, the first few minutes were tense.


    They didn¡¯t know if they had been allowed to rest and recover, and if now, the night¡¯s respite was over, and the Pressure would come for them once again. But when nothing happened, hushed conversations slowly broke out amongst the party, and people relaxed.


    Nar kept to himself at the back of the party.


    If not for his apprehension for the darkness that followed him closely, as arrows winked out behind them, he would have strayed even further from them.


    He had unwillingly opened a torrent of dark memories and emotions, and was having trouble putting the lid back over them.


    The hours drifted by.


    Nar felt like he was walking in place.


    The corridor was endless, featureless and unchanging.


    Always the same yellow lit walls and ceiling.


    Always the same yellow glowing arrows at his feet.


    The span of visible corridor in front of them was always the same length. And the same could be said for the little bit behind Nar.


    It¡¯s like it''s meant to make us go crazy, he thought, rubbing his eyes.


    At some point, the conversations died.


    Hours, walls, arrows.


    It all blurred together, and the more he walked, the more his grip on reality slipped through his fingers. As though he walked in a dream, not even sure if he was fully awake.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡± Jul suddenly shouted.


    Nar was startled awake and looked around him. Had he been asleep? But he had been walking¡­


    ¡°It''s twelve thirty now,¡± Kur said. ¡°This was around the time we exited yesterday, right? When we first got hit?¡±


    Nar focused on Kur¡¯s voice, pushing his mind back into a fully awakened state. He just barely managed to catch Jul¡¯s nod.


    ¡°So, does that mean that the whole thing is about to start again?¡± Tuk asked.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out,¡± Kur said. ¡°Everyone down! Quick!¡±


    They dropped to the floor, searching for comfortable positions.


    Nar had just gotten himself seated, with his back propped against the wall, and his sword at his side, when it hit him.


    The noise, the heat, the weight, the pain.


    It engulfed him, just as it had the previous day.


    And like that last hit of the previous day, it felt worse. Much worse.


    Again, it felt like it went on forever before he finally passed out, and like always, he was the first one to wake up once more.


    He felt blood dripping down his nose. He tasted its metallic tang on his tongue. He also noticed that the Pressure was still there, simultaneously crushing and burning.


    For a few seconds, he focused only on breathing and piecing his sense of self back together.


    His head was killing him, threatening to explode with every heartbeat.


    Ringing filled his ears, though it wasn¡¯t enough to mask the hiss of the Pressure. And all over him, he felt all the other plethora of symptoms, pains and sores that he was starting to grow used to.


    A few moments later, Cen woke up.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked him, after she had stabilized herself into a sitting position.


    Nar raised a thumbs up.


    ¡°It¡¯s still here¡­¡± she murmured.


    She looked around her.


    ¡°How long were we out?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Nar said. ¡°I haven¡¯t checked.¡±


    He pulled up his UI.


    ¡°12:37,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°So, about seven minutes for me, and less for you,¡± Cen whispered.


    She licked her dry lips and swallowed her bloody saliva with a grimace. She squinted her eyes, as though the simple effort of thinking was hurting her further. It probably was.


    ¡°Next time, can you try to time it when you wake up?¡± she asked him. ¡°It will help us see if we are doing better or worse. As-As soon as you can, I mean!¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Nar said.


    Her brother mumbled awake next to her, and soon, both Tuk and Jul were up.


    ¡°Ugh, not again,¡± Mul complained, staring at the three sleeping party members.


    Tuk threw him a glare, though this time he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Probably not worth it, Nar thought in agreement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± Nar said, speaking to Tuk.


    ¡°Thanks, man. I appreciate it.¡±


    They repeated the whole process again, of loading up people and weapons, and got on with getting out from under the Pressure.


    ********


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°No worries.¡±


    Nar stretched his back.


    Around him, the party waited in an atmosphere of tired, weary anticipation.


    They had gone through four Pressure hits already, and everyone was hoping that the fifth, and worst one, would be the last for the day.


    However, there had been no guardians attacking them today, which was a break in a pattern they were still trying to grasp at.


    ¡°Everyone, rest!¡± Kur said, almost needlessly. ¡°Nar and Jul, you guys okay to keep going?¡±


    Like before, the two of them had the most stamina out of all the others, and had endured the day better than they had.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jul said, and Nar gave the party leader a nod.


    ¡°Thank you, really guys,¡± Kur said, closing his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you...¡±


    ¡°Just sleep,¡± Nar told him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, man. Will do.¡±


    Kur was barely holding on. Every single one of them looked absolutely destroyed.


    Despite his earlier emotions, he had mellowed out throughout the day. Other than Mul, the others were all kind, and did their best for everyone else.


    Actually, despite his many protests, not even Mul had to be told or forced to carry the weapons, and he always helped him get Gad onto his back of his own volition.


    He had started to wonder, if maybe there was just something there he didn¡¯t know or understood.


    To the Clean, Climbing usually meant to be cast out by your family in hatred. Usually, though not always, it was a great shame for a family to have one of their own turn selfish traitors. Those left behind always had to pick up the slack for those who had taken up the Climb. Afterall, the quota cared not one bit for who stayed or who went. It was, as it always had been, had to be met.


    Also, everyone knew the Climb was deadly. With all the horror stories told around, a worker needed a pretty strong reason to want to leave.


    Nar had his.


    Jul had hers, he thought, with almost certainty by then. He could still be wrong, though he doubted he was, unfortunately¡­ As for all the others, they would have to have had their own reasons as well. Something compelling enough to be worth abandoning their families and risking an agonizing death out there.


    So, he tried to be a little bit more patient with the Clean. Maybe, they had gone through things he could not begin to imagine.


    Mul still got on his nerves though, testing his new found desire for patience and understanding.


    The man complained non-stop. He was rude to Jul, an ass to Tuk and to Nar and, well, basically everybody else except for his sister. Cen tried her best to rein him in, but she was tired, and there was only so much she could do.


    Nar risked a quick glimpse at the lengos. He held a cracker in his hand.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°We ate before we left!¡± she said.


    ¡°That was two days ago!¡±


    ¡°Mul, we need to ration,¡± Kur said.


    The brawler glared at him. ¡°We¡¯ll be given food. Or are you eyeing mine?¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡± Kur said, looking genuinely flabbergasted at the suggestion. ¡°I just don¡¯t want us to run out! We have no idea when we''ll find a dispenser.¡±


    ¡°Mul, put it away!¡± Cen said. Her tone promised violence.


    ¡°Tsk!¡±


    With a kid¡¯s attitude, Mul threw the cracker back into his pack.


    Nar turned around and rolled his eyes. Maybe the lengos was just a brat after all. No reasons needed for that one. Some people were just like that.


    ¡°Everyone, get to sleep!¡± Kur said, annoyed. ¡°We don¡¯t know if the next hit will be the last one again or not, so don¡¯t waste any time!¡±


    Those last words, he delivered straight at Mul.


    The two of them had a bit of a stare off, before Mul conceded and looked away.


    ¡°Wake us up if anything happens,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Thanks guys,¡± Tuk said, sleepily.


    ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± Gad said. ¡°Hopefully this is the last one.¡±


    Soon, everyone slept, and Nar resigned himself to another hour and fifty minutes of endless brooding and pacing.


    Eventually, the time came, and Nar and Jul woke them all up again.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Kur said. ¡°Let¡¯s see what happens.¡±


    As expected, the fifth wave swallowed them. Like the previous day, it was even worse. Far longer and torturous than the four that had preceded it.


    And when Nar came to, he struggled to get his thoughts into enough order to check the clock.


    About six minutes. Just like before¡­ And no Pressure! Thank the Crystal!


    The lack of it was so comforting he almost slipped right back into sleep.


    Despite the pain raging through him, and the blood running down his nose, the relief he felt at not having to carry Gad again, and knowing that rest wouldn¡¯t be far, was indescribable.


    Almost to the second, Cen woke up a minute later.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone,¡± she whispered. ¡°Thank the Crystal!¡±


    She looked at him, a question in her eyes.


    ¡°Same again,¡± he said.


    She nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Nar didn¡¯t keep track of Mul, Tuk, or Jul¡¯s wake up times. He left that to Cen, who seemed way more interested in keeping track than he did.


    The others woke up, spoke briefly, then went back to sleep.


    It had been decided that, if the Pressure was gone and done for the day, that they wouldn¡¯t disturb the others. Kur and Gad would take over from Nar and Jul, and they, in turn, would be replaced by Tuk and Cen.


    Mul would sleep the entire night, and tomorrow he would be on watch, and somebody else would sleep instead.


    As for Viy, the spear woman was having a really bad time of it. She hadn¡¯t woken up once throughout the whole day after that first hit. Gad and Cen had taken turns to attend to her, checking up on her in between Pressure hits to make sure she was somewhat alright. Other than that, there was nothing they could really do for her.


    Nar sipped a tiny gulp from his earlier jell-o. The topic of food was his newest concern.


    How would he justify not eating in front of the others?


    Maybe he could lie, say that he ate during his watches. But Jul, or somebody else, would be with him during those times. Kur had been adamant that two people would always be on watch together, to make sure both keep each other awake and to double the eyes and ears protecting the party.


    That didn¡¯t leave Nar with many other options.


    Best I can do is nibble a bit. Pretend I¡¯m eating¡­ Maybe I can say I¡¯m not hungry. Because¡­ Of¡­ The Pressure! Yes, maybe I can say that.


    Worst case scenario, he would have to eat when they ate, and pray that his own food lasted long enough to make it to that first, promised dispenser.


    Crystal¡­ Those things are real, aren¡¯t they?


    He shook his head. They had to be real.


    They were being allowed to rest. Surely, they would get food as well? And maybe a toilet? He hoped he didn¡¯t have to do his monthly visit in the dark behind the party.


    Crystal. Just the thought of it made his stomach twist into a knot.


    Of course, any thoughts of a blasting were quickly dismissed. They¡¯d be lucky to find a toilet, much less a blaster to get cleaned up.


    He lifted one arm and considered his sleeve.


    I wonder if they¡¯ll give us new clothes too¡­


    He had been shredded in that one fight. His sleeves, especially, were little more than tatters, barely holding on by a few threads.


    With a sigh, he rolled them up. Without a shield, he figured he would probably suffer a lot of hits to his arms. And without knowing whether or not they would be deserving of new clothes, he decided it was best to try and make the current set last as long as possible.


    He only had two other sets of clothes after all, and he knew they hadn¡¯t seen the only and last guardian in their Climb. He didn¡¯t want to have to make the Climb in tatters. Or worse, naked.

 Chapter 12 - The Wrong Gains

    The pattern held.


    The first wave hit them again the next day, at twelve thirty, and the last one at ten thirty at night.


    So it was for the third day, and the fourth¡­ And five entire days passed, forming a week of seven days.


    Then, another week slowly dragged by.


    The corridor, the pattern, the arrows. It was all an endless same.


    One thing that did change was that the Pressure grew increasingly worse. Heavier, hotter and more painful. However, they too changed in response.


    Nar now woke up only two minutes after the Pressure hit, and he was sure that he was able to endure it for longer before passing out.


    This was the same for the others. As for the three that had suffered the worst under it, they too were making progress. They now woke up within the Pressure zone, and were even able to walk by themselves out of it. Even Viy, who suffered the most, was slowly, day by day, getting stronger to the Pressure.


    Another thing that did change as well, was that Mul¡¯s behavior got worse, something Nar hadn¡¯t believed to be possible.


    Right now, as they waited for the final wave of the day, Nar was on the verge of punching him.


    Mul had just suggested that Jul should go scout ahead, see if maybe they were walking in some sort of endless trap.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and check?¡± Tuk exploded, while Nar held himself back.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a scout! I¡¯m a fighter, and she isn¡¯t! She has to do her part!¡± Mul retorted.


    ¡°She is doing her part, you idiot!¡±


    Mul stomped towards the trugger, whose eyes blazed with barely contained anger.


    ¡°Call me id¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Enough!¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough! We don¡¯t have time for this!¡±


    They waited in a sullen silence, no one, not even his own sister, wanting to look at Mul.


    The seconds ticked by.


    Nar vaguely wondered about that expression. It was part of the time tracking knowledge that he had received from the data package, but there had been no explanation to it, nor to the word ¡°ticked¡±. Yet, he somehow understood its meaning.


    The seconds continued to tick by, and then, it was past the time.


    ¡°Where is it?¡± Tuk asked.


    They eyed one another in confusion.


    The pattern had been the same for two weeks. Why had it changed now?


    ¡°Everyone, get up,¡± Kur said. ¡°In formation!¡±


    They quickly rearranged themselves.


    Gad stood at the front. She was much stronger now, and more stable than the last time. She now held both shield and mace at the ready. And Viy, who had been passed out for their first fight, now stood behind Gad, to her left, in the position that Nar had taken before, with her spear pointed at the darkness ahead.


    The others stayed where they were, and that left Nar at the very back, the furthest from any possible action, and the gains he so desperately needed.


    ¡°Do you think it will come?¡± Cen whispered.


    ¡°No idea,¡± Kur said. ¡°But just in case¡­¡±


    They waited in silence.


    Nar¡¯s heartbeat was fast, and his hand was sweaty around the sword''s smooth, soft grip.


    ¡°I hear it!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°It¡¯s a guardian!¡±


    She pointed forward.


    ¡°Gad, get ready!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°DPS, wait for the aggro!¡±


    Kur had refined their strategy earlier on. Getting better and stronger as the days passed, he was able to stay awake for longer periods of time, and to think and strategize.


    Gad would get the aggro on the enemy first, using her taunt skill, [Warrior¡¯s Presence]. Only when she gave the all clear, would the DPS start dishing out the damage.


    Her taunt and aggro management, which was critical to her role as a tank, was yet another stark reminder to Nar that he was only half a tank.


    At least for now, was what he told himself. He was sure he would get his own such critical tanking skills at some point.


    For now, though, he was relegated to the back. He understood the importance of covering the party¡¯s back from ambush, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was missing out on the action.


    The guardian burst from the darkness and into the yellow light. It came in as a fast moving, rolling ball of limbs, just like the first one had.


    Gad stepped forward, looking indestructible in her strength and shield.


    The guardian smashed against the heavy shield, and Gad was pushed back, skidding across the floor. But she held, and her mace rang loud and clear against the guardian¡¯s body.


    ¡°Now!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Melee, get in there!¡± Kur shouted.


    Nar had a great view of the fight from behind, and he watched how Gad, Mul and Viy fulfilled their roles. Maybe by watching them, he could get better himself.


    Gad was a stalwart wall against the chaos of flailing limbs. The guardian pushed and attacked, seeking a way through, or, to at least force her back towards the center of the party, but their tank wasn¡¯t having none of it. Her shield caught most everything that was thrown at her, and whatever it didn¡¯t, she either caught on her mace, or it didn¡¯t seem to faze her.


    Mul, at Gad¡¯s right, fought brutally, as expected of a brawler. The shortcomings from his stature were evident, but as he gained attributes, Nar doubted that his height would hinder him for much longer. As it was, Mul punched the guardian with such ferocity and strength, that Nar, standing all the way at the back, found himself wincing.


    Say what he may about Mul¡¯s attitude, the guy was a good fighter.


    Then, there was Viy.


    Her spear was a blur in her hands, thrusting, stabbing, twirling. It gave her a much longer reach than Mul, and in fact, Nar himself, and she could bring to bear all of her DPS and attributes without being as worried of being in the guardian¡¯s radius of attack.


    Watching the two of them fight, it quickly became apparent to Nar that his own DPS was lackluster in comparison.


    He had ended that last fight, yes, but he hadn¡¯t finished it. It was obvious that the pure DPS, especially Mul¡¯s skill at the end, had played a much greater role than he had, in whittling down the guardian¡¯s HP. He had simply dealt the lucky killing blow.


    And that was a sobering realization.


    ¡°Ranged!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Quick!¡±


    Cen and Tuk got to it.


    They had to be precise in following Kur¡¯s and Gad¡¯s cues. At least that was their understanding of aggro.


    Unfortunately, Gad¡¯s taunt skill had a recharge period, a cooldown, just like his [Strong Defense] skill had. Hers required 3 minutes instead of 30. She couldn¡¯t simply spam it like Nar¡¯s other skill [Strong Attack], and just keep the enemy¡¯s aggro on her.


    Her [Warrior¡¯s Stand] was the same, having a full 30-minute cooldown, just like Nar¡¯s [Strong Defense]. Perhaps that was due to both skills requiring more stamina, or maybe, there was something else at play there that none of them yet understood.


    Whatever the case, the DPS needed to fall back when Gad started to lose aggro, and hold off fighting entirely to ensure the guardian didn¡¯t target their much squishier selves instead.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Gad shouted.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Viy and Mul stepped back, away from the guardian.


    However, several of Tuk¡¯s rings and Cen¡¯s puffs of air, as she had started calling them, still impacted against the guardian.


    Nar seemed to see it happening in slow motion.


    The guardian curled around Gad, its limbs moving so fast that Nar didn¡¯t even understand how it had managed to do it.


    It crushed Viy against the wall, moving her out of the way as though she was merely an afterthought, and burst forward, into the defenseless center of the party.


    It headed straight for Cen.


    Before even realizing what he was doing, Nar was on the move.


    He had no shield with him, and he knew he couldn¡¯t stop the thing with his body and HP either. That left him only one option. Attack, and hope the guardian stopped its charge to defend itself.


    His sword came down on the guardian, just as its limbs were about to reach Cen. The caster had fallen backwards with an expression of absolute terror, looking up as multi-bladed death came down on her.


    The guardian, however, perhaps noticing the danger, shifted at the last moment, limbs twisting to intercept Nar¡¯s sword.


    He knew that he didn¡¯t do any damage, but he didn¡¯t have time to lament it.


    He had the aggro now, and the guardian came at him with a fury he could barely keep up with.


    Blade. Limb. Blade. Limb. Limb. Blade. Limb. Blade. Blade.


    The stabs and blows were merciless and relentless.


    He felt the pain. Felt the cuts. Somehow, he avoided getting stabbed.


    Then, the guardian leaped off from him, and ran straight back into Gad¡¯s shield.


    ¡°Quick!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Nar, go!¡± Kur shouted.


    Instead, gasping, Nar stared at Viy¡¯s limp form on the floor. Blood trickled down her temple, and her spear was discarded at her side, not too far from her outstretched fingers.


    Is she dead? He thought, his eyes wide.


    Had they suffered their first loss?


    One thing was to think about it. To say you were prepared for it. Another completely different thing was to see it happen before your very eyes.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Kur shouted again.


    Nar realized that Kur had kept talking, and that he had missed all of it.


    Around him and above his head, Tuk¡¯s rings and Cen¡¯s air puffs found their way towards the guardian, avoiding anyone in their way.


    Nar forced himself to move forward, and to pry his eyes off of Viy as he ran past her.


    He saw Mul unleash his skill into the guardian¡¯s underbelly, and with Viy down, Nar thought that was a great idea.


    He didn¡¯t stop to ask Kur. Seeing how Mul was doing it, maybe Kur had already ordered it.


    [Strong Attack]!


    It wouldn¡¯t do much, but maybe it would be enough. Besides, he realized he had forgotten his [Strong Defense] skill again, even as this had been the perfect time to actually use it.


    Get it together, Nar! Or it will be you on the floor next time! he berated himself, as his skill connected across the top of the guardian, doing little to no apparent damage.


    The DPS threw everything they had at the guardian.


    Finally, one of Mul¡¯s punches got through. The guardian was flung against the wall, and it crumpled, unmoving, with a massive, circular dent surrounded by cracks visible on its side.


    DING!


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have defeated one Guardian Worker 1. 147 experience points have been awarded.


    You have leveled up!


    You have gained:


    Strength 10 -> 11


    Stamina 10 -> 12


    Speed 6 -> 7


    Aura 23 -> 25


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Nar breathed, heaving in the sudden end of the fight.


    ¡°Nar, you okay?¡±


    He pushed the window away and was met with Gad¡¯s undaunted stare.


    Her breath was mostly under control, and from what he could tell, she didn¡¯t even look hurt. Maybe her [Constitution] was so much higher than his, that such damage was nothing to her, and cuts and scrapes healed even in the midst of battle.


    ¡°I¡­ Yes,¡± he said.


    He had just gained [Aura] again. Again! How was that happening? How?


    ¡°Good! That was a quick reaction!¡± Gad said, and her attention shifted to something behind him.


    Nar turned around, following her eyes.


    Kur and Tuk were kneeling next to Viy¡¯s prone body.


    Nar felt as though a dark, bottomless pit had just opened under him, and he approached them slowly.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Gad asked, her voice somehow still calm and in control.


    ¡°Breathing. I think she just got knocked out,¡± Kur said, pointing at a quickly darkening bruise on the side of her face, where a trickle of blood still ran down from.


    ¡°Will she be okay?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°I think so. Her HP should restore her, but we¡¯ll have to wait and see. For now, let¡¯s just lay her down in a better way.¡±


    Tuk nodded and got up. ¡°I¡¯ll grab my spare clothes. We could put them under her head!¡±


    The word ¡°pillow¡± entered his mind, but Nar was too shocked by what had happened to even realize how strange it was for the workers to have no knowledge of such a thing.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Kur shouted after him. ¡°Cen, are you okay?¡±


    The two lengos siblings were a few feet away.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine,¡± Cen said. Her complexion was a much lighter shade of gray, and her eyes were still open very wide, staring at the downed guardian.


    Mul caught them staring, and nodded at Nar.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said.


    Then he focused back on his sister. Nar stared at his back, dumbfounded, and wondering if he had imagined it.


    ¡°I heard it too,¡± Tuk whispered, as he rejoined them. ¡°I think. Maybe this is all just a nightmare and we¡¯ll wake up soon and hungry¡­ And under the Pressure.¡±


    He bent down, leaving Nar stunned still, and fluffed the bundle of clothes in his hands into a makeshift pillow.


    ¡°There. Try that.¡±


    Kur and Gad gently lowered Viy to the floor, placing her head on the pillow. Meanwhile, Jul stared at both ends of the corridor with a concentrated expression, to make sure that nothing else was coming for them.


    ¡°I think we just need to let her heal,¡± Gad said. ¡°And sleep will make it faster.¡±


    Kur nodded, rubbing his chin.


    ¡°Yeah. Thank the Crystal it didn¡¯t actually try to kill her.¡±


    ¡°It was completely focused on Cen,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Like it didn¡¯t even see the rest of us. And by the way, nice save, Nar! You moved so fast, man! It was like you just came out of nowhere!¡±


    ¡°Yes, well done, Nar,¡± Kur said, smiling at him. ¡°Like I predicted, it¡¯s good to have a hybrid class in the party. Though I hope we won¡¯t be needing saves like that all the time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was too slow to stop it,¡± Gad said, hanging her head.


    Kur raised his hands. ¡°No! No! No! That¡¯s not what I meant! I just meant that we need to be more careful with our aggro management.¡±


    Gad watched him for a moment, then nodded.


    ¡°I should have called it earlier, to give time for the ranged to stop. I can see¡­ And I know the countdown, in my head,¡± she said.


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s amazing! But it''s not your fault. It''s no one¡¯s fault. This is all new to us. We¡¯ll learn and we¡¯ll get better,¡± Kur said.


    Gad opened her mouth, then closed it right away. Whatever she had been about to say, she thought better of it.


    ¡°We will!¡± Tuk said instead. ¡°And look at that! Another guardian down and more gains for us! Whoop-whoop!¡±


    Jul shushed him aggressively. Everyone stared at her. It was the loudest sound she had made in their two weeks together.


    ¡°S-Sorry!¡± she stammered, finding herself under their combined stares. ¡°Just be-be quiet!¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Tuk whispered, though the bright smile on his lips rendered his apology almost moot.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll stay here and let her heal,¡± Kur decided, and glanced at Cen. ¡°She¡¯s also not in a state to go anywhere. Let¡¯s rest here for the night, and see what happens.¡±


    He patted Nar¡¯s leg. ¡°I want you to sleep the whole night today. You¡¯ve done plenty. I can¡¯t imagine how much HP and stamina that took out of you. That everything, us included, have been taking from you. So please, just rest tonight, ok?¡±


    Nar hesitated. A whole night¡¯s worth of sleep?


    He hadn''t had that since they had left the cubeplant. He was always on the watch rotation, due to his higher stamina and resistance to the Pressure. All the others had been rotated in and out at that stage, excepting for Viy who continued to require full nights of sleep.


    It had been one of the sore points that had stuck to him as unfair. However, he had not raised any protests, for he knew it wasn¡¯t really unfair.


    He had quickly learned that Kur was, so far, and to the best of his abilities and circumstances permitting it, a fair and level-headed leader. Perhaps he even genuinely cared for the party, rather than just seeing them as tools for his Climb. Like Nar did.


    It was one of the things that made Nar start to wonder if perhaps he was in the wrong for not considering them as nothing more than a means to an end¡­


    Tuk gave him a thumbs up and Gad nodded at him.


    ¡°Go rest,¡± Gad said. ¡°We¡¯ll watch.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Thank you.¡±


    He walked past Jul, who surprised him yet again, by offering him a shy nod.


    He sat at the back of the party, but despite being tired, sleep didn¡¯t come to him easily.


    The adrenaline of the fight was slowly leaving him, but guilt gnawed at him. He wasn¡¯t even sure why.


    He had done everything in his power to help. He had even risked his own life to save Cen¡¯s. However, his dad¡¯s words kept ringing around his mind. To trust each other. To care for each other¡­


    But a part of him wondered if he had only saved Cen for his own selfish reasons. Was it for gains, seeing his chance to join the fight? Or was it to keep her alive so that she could continue helping him Climb? Somehow, he doubted he had done it for the true fulfillment of a tank¡¯s role and duty.


    He wanted to refute those doubts, however. He had moved before he had even realized what he was doing. That was a good thing, right?


    Yet, it was hard to put his doubts to rest.


    On the other hand, he had gained [Aura] yet again.


    25 points now.


    Another 15 and he would lose his first modifier to that useless, broken attribute.


    It felt like a sick joke from the Crystal, to have that thing following him out of the cubeplant. He could only hope that the Crystal didn¡¯t take the joke too far. It was worrying to see the number grow, especially since he didn¡¯t even know what was causing it, or what he could to stop it once and for all.


    He wasn¡¯t using any [Aura], so the mystery only deepened.


    In fact, without a receptor and a machine, he wasn¡¯t even sure how [Aura] could be used at all. And if it could, then what for?


    Using it felt just slightly better than being under the Pressure. It cut him up from the inside, traveling through his veins in tiny, jagged pieces that he pushed from the center of his chest and through his body, expelling it through his hands and feet, and into the ever-hungry machine encasing him.


    He passed out on a daily basis, and bleeding from his nose, eyes and ears was a common occurrence to him and all the other Unclean. So common that Nar had used his dad¡¯s clothes for the last couple of months, to ensure that his stayed stain free for his Climb.


    The Clean did not bleed like they did, and it would''ve been a dead giveaway of what he was if he showed up in his usual red stained clothes.


    No, he did not care for his [Aura], not even if there might ever be a use for it, which he doubted.


    It was part of their punishment. It was their curse to use aura to power their machines instead of the Crystal¡¯s blessed aether. And there would be no place for it in his path.


    He was earning his forgiveness. He was earning his [Aether] and his magic.


    Perhaps, it was all just a fluke¡­ Or no! Wait!


    Perhaps it was all a test from the Crystal Almighty, to see if he endured in his path? To see if he, an Unclean, could repent his years of blasphemy. To see if his faith could be restored, and his heart turned back to devotion.


    Yes, that has to be it! If I stay strong, then I¡¯m sure it will all be wiped clean! Like my sin!


    Yes. He just had to endure.


    His other attribute gains, [Strength], [Stamina] and [Speed], were all very good and useful, and he was more than happy to gain them.


    Yes. Perhaps things weren¡¯t as bad as he thought.


    The Crystal had told him to earn his path, after all. Not told him that it was impossible. And he would, heart, mind, body and soul, do everything to prove to the Crystal that he was worthy of it.


    He would endure everything and anything.


    Nar closed his eyes and joined his hands in the blessing of the Crystal.


    Then he did something he hadn¡¯t done in a long, long time.


    He offered the Crystal a Prayer of Devotion.


    Oh, Holy Crystal, Who dwellest at the Heart of the Nexus,


    Blessed be Thy Radiance¡­

 Chapter 13 - Safe Room

    The Pressure returned to the same pattern the next day, and once again, days passed.


    Would it be another two weeks before they faced their next enemy? Another two weeks of soul crushing Pressure and of that endless, straight corridor that never seemed to end?


    All they could do was plod on. They were at the full mercy of the Crystal.


    On the 18th day since they had left, four days after their second fight, they found themselves, once more, enduring the first Pressure wave of the day.


    Nar balled his fists as the weight and heat threatened to reduce him to nothing but a smoking smear on the floor. His very body screeched, threatening to be flipped inside out, his organs pulled through his mouth by the merciless claws that dug ever deeper into him.


    His eyes were closed, pressed shut to ensure they stayed where they belonged, and he took small, quick and shallow breaths.


    Come on¡­ Come on! he thought. Today was the day. He could do it!


    After what felt like an eternity, his heart eased. The air did not burn so hot going down his throat anymore. Slowly, his bones relaxed back into their normal positions, his muscles rested, and his tendons eased.


    His breathing slowed and so did his heartbeat.


    The pain, once screaming and near to all consuming, scaled back down to a dull, echoing and raw soreness.


    Nar opened his bloodshot eyes and looked down at his hands in stunned disbelief.


    I did it¡­


    He had been timing his recovery times at Cen¡¯s behest, and it had been coming down dramatically over the last few days. All of theirs had, and they knew it was now only a matter of time till the day came when they would finally overcome it.


    That day had felt so far, but now, here it was.


    A smile spread over his bloodied, cracked lips and a low, half laugh, half sob, escaped him.


    By the Crystal! I did it! I survived the Pressure!


    He would not go mad!


    One obstacle down in his Climb!


    He just had to endure whatever was thrown at him and he would get there, and he would be rewarded for it.


    He caught movement out of the corner of his eyes and saw Cen staring at him, from where she sat with her brother.


    She frowned at the grin plastered over his face.


    Then, she gasped. ¡°You did it?¡±


    Nar nodded, unable to do away with his smile. ¡°I did it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my Crystal! Nar, that¡¯s amazing! That-That means we can do it! We can actually do it!¡± she said, tears shining in her eyes.


    Nar nodded, grinning like a fool.


    In quick succession, Mul, then Tuk and Jul woke up.


    ¡°Holy shit, man! That¡¯s awesome!¡± Tuk said, when he heard. ¡°So what, I¡¯ve been down for two minutes? Ah! I¡¯m almost there!¡±


    ¡°A few more days, and it will be done,¡± Mul said, frowning to himself.


    ¡°And taking less damage too,¡± Tuk said, his eyes unfocused, staring at his own UI.


    ¡°We should still grab the others and go,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°Ah, yeah. For sure!¡± Tuk agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s get going! La-la-la¡­ We¡¯re getting stronger!¡±


    Nar stood up, ignoring the little grumble coming from Mul¡¯s direction as he steadied himself against the wall for a moment. Nothing was going to dampen his mood today, and Tuk seemed to be thinking the same, humming his impromptu melody to himself


    Nar had beat the Pressure and he was sure that he was going to continue to get stronger and stronger against it.


    Maybe he would actually eat today, instead of just pretending as he had so far.


    Have a little celebration! He thought, chuckling to himself.


    Shaking his head at the thought he looked at the trugger.


    ¡°You ready?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yep! Let¡¯s do this!¡± Tuk said, getting into position.


    With practiced ease, they got the three unconscious Climbers loaded and got underway.


    Nar eyed his HP as he carried Gad from under the damage zone.


    The difference wasn¡¯t huge by any means, but it was still significant.


    Where he had once lost an average of 20 HP per Pressure wave, the damage was now closer to 15 or 14 points. And being under the Pressure did not feel as threatening anymore. In fact, by the time he felt Gad stirring awake at his back, only about ten minutes into their trip, he hadn¡¯t suffered a single HP loss.


    ¡°They¡¯re waking up!¡± Nar shouted to the others.


    They stopped and gathered round.


    Mul divested himself of the weapons and helped Nar lower Gad to the floor. After that, Nar helped Tuk and Jul with Kur and Viy.


    By the time they had lowered Viy to the floor, the other two were already fully awake.


    ¡°How long was that?¡± Kur asked. His eyes were still a little distant, but he was taking it much better those days.


    ¡°A little over fourteen minutes,¡± Cen said. ¡°And Nar stayed awake through the whole thing today!¡±


    ¡°By the Crystal, really?¡± Kur asked, beaming at him.


    Nar nodded. Pride welled within him and he awkwardly hoped it wasn¡¯t showing.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing it,¡± Gad said. ¡°It¡¯s slow, but we¡¯re beating the Pressure, bit by bit. Perhaps in another few weeks, we¡¯ll all be able to withstand it.¡±


    ¡°Doubt it¡­¡± Mul muttered under his breath.


    ¡°Stay positive, guys!¡± Tuk said, ignoring the brawler. ¡°We¡¯ll get there! And who knows, maybe once we beat it, we¡¯ll be let out of this corridor.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we will,¡± Kur said, smiling. ¡°Alright, I think I¡¯m good to go.¡±


    Tuk offered him his hands and pulled the big altei to his feet. Kur looked a little unsteady and worse for wear, but he stood on his own, which was a far cry to how they had started their Climb.


    Nar did the same for Gad, then helped load the still unconscious Viy once more unto Jul¡¯s back.


    He had offered to carry the spearwoman, and so had Tuk, but Jul insisted on doing it with a silent but unflinching glare that neither of them had managed to challenge. It was her way of contributing, being a non-combat class and all, and Nar didn¡¯t challenge her.


    With everyone ready, they resumed their walk with a spring on their step, eager to exit the Pressure.


    It felt as though things were finally starting to look up and calm down a little.


    ¡°Maybe that was it,¡± Tuk whispered to Cen at some point. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t feel as bad anymore, so maybe we¡¯re through the hard bit.¡±


    It was an echo of Nar¡¯s own, earlier thoughts, and he nodded in quiet agreement from the back of the party.


    The endless, yellow lit, warm walls and ceiling were still not ideal though.


    Nar still found himself waking up from a sort of strange, walking but sort of sleeping state every once in a while. However, it happened less now, and the mood was definitely lighter over the party.


    The others talked and joked in hushed tones, and even Mul didn¡¯t seem as much of an ass. Either that or Nar was simply less bothered by the brawler''s antics.


    Even the days seemed to go by quicker from then onwards, the Pressure not as heavy, and their steps lighter in that new sense of hope that Nar¡¯s victory over the Pressure had given them.


    One by one, Nar watched them overcome the Pressure, and in time, almost a full month had passed since they had left the cubeplant.


    Nar now leaned against the wall as the Pressure hit them. What had once crushed him to the floor was now but a mere irritation against his skin and a dull pressure on his ears and eyes. It was nothing to him now.


    Instead, relaxed, he wondered how the Crystal, or the System, did it.


    Maybe there¡¯s a machine built into the walls? he wondered, scanning the ever-blank yellow walls around him.


    He stared down at his hands and rubbed his fingers together, searching for anything at all. But as before, there was nothing he could discern.


    His fingers felt only the sensation of skin rubbing against skin and nothing else. And around him, there was no discernible change in the air that could indicate the presence of the Pressure.


    Meanwhile, the others waited for it to end in various states of discomfort. Viy, unfortunately, still suffered the worst, but she was about to finally breakthrough.


    Gad and Cen knelt next to the spearwoman, holding her hands as she endured the pain, whispering words of encouragement.


    Slowly, Nar felt the Pressure ease off of him, and glanced up in time to catch Viy¡¯s sudden look of confusion, as if not believing that it was over.


    ¡°Well done!¡± Gad said, smiling down at her. ¡°You did it!¡±


    Viy, breathing hard, her face and hair coated with sweat, looked up at the tank, her expression still unfocused. ¡°I¡­ Did?¡±


    ¡°¡®Bout time,¡± Mul muttered.


    Just about everyone glared at him, but the lengos refused to make any eye contact.


    ¡°Can you walk?¡± Kur asked Viy.


    She nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah. I¡­ I think so.¡±


    Gad offered her both of her hands and gently lifted Viy up to her feet. The spear woman swayed, but Gad held her firmly in place until she was stable.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Viy said, smiling at Gad. ¡°I did it!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, you did,¡± Gad nodded.


    ¡°Whoop-whoop!¡± Tuk celebrated, in a very toned-down voice. ¡°We¡¯ve done it! We¡¯ve¡­¡±


    He glanced at Jul, to make sure that his volume was appropriate, and to make sure he hadn¡¯t elicited her wrath. Jul, however, stood stiffly at attention, facing the darkness in front of them.


    ¡°Jul?¡± Tuk asked.


    She raised her hands for silence.


    Nar felt a fresh wave of sweat spread over his body, and quickly grabbed his weapon.


    ¡°Weapons!¡± Kur hissed.


    The party scrambled to arm themselves and to get into formation.


    Jul didn¡¯t move as they positioned themselves around her, and now, they waited in a heart thumping silence.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Nar barely dared to breathe, lest he disturb the scout.


    ¡°Jul?¡± Kur whispered.


    Once more, she motioned for silence.


    Nar licked his lips, tasting the tang of sweat from them.


    Why is it so hot all of a sudden? he thought idly.


    The seconds ticked by.


    Nar shifted from one foot to the other. The familiar numbness of standing in the same spot for too long started to spread, inching its way up his calves from the soles of his feet.


    He swapped the sword to his left hand, to give his right arm some respite. Surprised, he had the sudden insight that if pressed, he could fight left-handed, though not as well as with his dominant hand.


    And then, suddenly, the numbness was gone.


    Nar blinked in confusion and stared down at his own body.


    What just happened?


    He felt lighter. He waved his arms, quietly, and discreetly, at the back of the party, and marveled at how smooth everything suddenly felt. It was almost as if it were a different body.


    Wait. Different body?


    It was not the exact same feeling, but the similarities were more than enough. The sudden strangeness reminded him of the external knowledge that filtered into his mind from time to time from the data package. It was the same sort of strange it¡¯s mine/me that at the same time wasn¡¯t really his/him feeling.


    Did I just¡­ Activated? Is that the right word? Activated my attributes?


    It was the likeliest answer to him.


    He had known he was using his [Strength] to lift Kur and carry Gad. He had most definitely used it during their two fights as well. But like the System had told him, it was meant to happen naturally. Automatically. This was the first time he had noticed it so obviously.


    Is something happening? he wondered, gazing at his right arm.


    It was both a startling feeling and a hopeful promise of what he would one day grow into.


    As long as he stayed the path, of course, and made the right gains.


    ¡°Jul? What¡¯s happening?¡± Kur asked again, more insistent this time.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure,¡± she finally answered. ¡°I think it''s just there¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It''s¡­ It¡¯s walking. Back and forth. But it never comes close.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a guardian.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Kur asked.


    Jul nodded.


    ¡°Oh, it''s going back again¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get it!¡± Mul said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Tuk said, shooting the lengos a perplexed look. ¡°That¡¯s your idea? What if it''s just tricking us?¡±


    ¡°Whether it is or not, I¡¯m not sure we have a choice,¡± Kur said, holding his chin. ¡°Some of us still take damage under the Pressure. We can¡¯t just stay here forever.¡±


    Tuk groaned, but he couldn¡¯t contradict Kur.


    ¡°We¡¯ll move,¡± Kur decided. ¡°Gad, slowly. And everyone in formation.¡±


    The party leader stared back at Nar.


    ¡°Keep an eye on our backs. This could really be a trap.¡±


    Nar nodded, a shiver running down his spine.


    A second one? From behind? He gulped. So far, they had barely managed to survive one of them. And how long could he hold off a second guardian by himself?


    And more worryingly, at what cost to his HP? Without a shield¡­


    I need to remember my [Strong Defense]. It¡¯s the best I can do right now.


    He had to hope that, if it came down to it, the skill would prove enough.


    Gad led them forward, and the darkness in front of them was slowly peeled back by the yellow arrows.


    Nar kept his eyes on the dark mouth behind them.


    He walked sideways, to ensure that he never looked away. He probably looked ridiculous, but the thought of it never even occurred to him.


    They walked for a tense few minutes, following the guardian that remained in the darkness ahead of them.


    Where in the pile is it taking us? Nar wondered.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not just imagining it?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s there¡­ I swear,¡± Jul said, with a slight tremor in her voice.


    ¡°Just keep going,¡± Kur said, before the brawler could open his mouth again.


    Crystal, man¡­ How hard is it to just keep your mouth shut?


    Nar barely talked unless he had to. It was an easy thing to do.


    From his spot at the back, he noticed Mul getting more and more restless. He was bound to say something stupid again and just thinking about it, expecting it at any moment, made Nar more and more irritated.


    ¡°It stopped!¡± Jul said.


    They too stopped, staring at each other in confusion.


    ¡°What¡¯s it do¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡± Jul warned.


    The familiar sound of limbs rolling across hard floor reached Nar¡¯s ears, and not three seconds later, the guardian came into the light.


    As before, Gad stopped it in its tracks. The sound of their clash was muted compared to the previous two, and Gad did not concede even a single inch to the guardian¡¯s charge. Their enemy probably hadn¡¯t had enough momentum this time around.


    ¡°It¡¯s taunted!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°Melee first, then ranged!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°And Gad, remember to let us know with more time!¡±


    Gad grunted in reply, too busy under the assault of the guardian.


    Nar turned his back on the fight. He held his sword in front of him and scanned the darkness.


    Would something come at them from behind?


    Yes?


    No?


    He wiped the sweat from his forehead and eyes, blinking against the sting.


    It still felt warmer than usual, but was he just imagining it?


    ¡°Stop!¡± he heard Gad¡¯s warning.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Kur repeated.


    The cacophony of the fight was reduced to just the guardian¡¯s limps scratching and slamming onto Gad¡¯s shield, as well as the occasional counter from her mace.


    ¡°Gad, how long?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Another thirty seconds!¡±


    ¡°Crystal,¡± Tuk murmured. ¡°That¡¯s insane¡­¡±


    Nar risked a glance behind him.


    The guardian was a blur beyond Gad¡¯s shield, and the occasional spark erupted from where blade and limb raked against shield.


    And Gad? She was amazing. She cut an imposing, impressive figure, blocking the guardian with her might. She looked unbeatable.


    It was something Nar couldn¡¯t do.


    If only I had a shield¡­


    The seconds went by surprisingly quick, and soon, Gad had the guardian taunted again, and the DPS piled onto the enemy once more.


    Nar turned back around, to his own role in the fight. He itched to be there, ducking it out with the guardian. He needed those gains.


    Speaking of which, what would happen if nothing came?


    The thought stunned him.


    If nothing came at him, and he didn¡¯t fight, if he just stood there, useless at the back, would he still level up?


    And as Gad got better, and he no longer needed to intercept any stray guardians, did that mean that he would always be relegated to the back? Away from the fray? Doing nothing?


    No¡­ That can¡¯t¡­ I¡­


    No. Just no! He couldn¡¯t allow that.


    He would have to speak to Kur about it. Maybe he and Gad could take turns tanking.


    However, could he do what she so effortlessly seemed to accomplish? He didn¡¯t even have a taunt ability. How was he supposed to tank like her?


    ¡°Mul, not so fast!¡± Kur shouted from behind him. ¡°Watch your stamina!¡±


    ¡°Why. Is it. Not. Dead yet?¡± Mul shouted.


    Nar risked another look.


    The guardian showed no signs of slowing down, or that the DPS was having any effect on it.


    ¡°Maybe it just has more HP,¡± Kur said. ¡°Just keep fighting. Nobody uses any skills from now on until I say so!¡±


    Punches, spear thrusts and slashes, the rings and Cen¡¯s air puffs. They all seemed to simply bounce off the guardian''s black, metallic body and raging limbs. Inevitably, Gad called for them to stop again.


    Breathing hard, Viy and Mul pulled back, and Tuk and Cen held back their next attacks.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Tuk asked, staring at Kur with a frightened look. ¡°Why is it not going down?¡±


    ¡°Maybe guardians can get stronger?¡± Cen said. ¡°Maybe it''s because we managed to beat the Pressure?¡±


    ¡°Or because we¡¯re still inside it?¡± Tuk ventured.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re being punished for winning?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°Climbing is not supposed to be easy,¡± Kur said. ¡°You beat one thing, and another one is thrown at you. That¡¯s the way it''s going to be. Else, everyone would just Climb.¡±


    Nar tried to focus back on his task. He hated the thought of being excluded from the action. Even more than that, he feared the consequences of doing so. However, he had been tasked with keeping their backs safe, and he would carry it out. He could chat with Kur afterwards.


    ¡°Now!¡± Gad called.


    Crystal¡­ She¡¯s amazing! How can she last this long?


    That the shield played a big part in it was undeniable. However, he wondered if there was something else at play.


    Did she have tank attributes he was unaware of? He expected her to have, at least, double that of his [Constitution], not to mention whatever insane [Strength] was required to hold that massive shield single handedly. But maybe there was more to it¡­


    Nar swallowed his worry and frustration. He had to be patient. He had to stay on the path.


    He had to keep praying and praising the Almighty Crystal.


    Endure and have faith. That was the only way.


    Still, that guardian was taking forever. Just how much HP did that thing have?


    ¡°How many of those taunts can she do?¡± Tuk asked Kur, without interrupting his attacks.


    ¡°Three more¡­¡± Kur said.


    Then she runs out of stamina¡­ Nar added internally. Crystal, he did not want to think about that happening.


    As they endured the Pressure better, the party leader had made the rounds, getting a feel for what each of them could do, and at what cost.


    Gad had her two tank skills, [Warrior¡¯s Stand] and [Warrior¡¯s Presence]. Viy and Mul both had a [Strong Attack] like Nar did, though theirs actually meant something and was worth the stamina expenditure.


    Cen had no skills, which had been surprising, while Tuk had a [Focused Fire] skill, which allowed him to toss his rings faster for 3 seconds and to do more damage with them.


    Jul also had no skills, which was a bit less surprising than Cen, but still had Nar scratching his head. How was it possible to have no skills at all? Even him, with his weak ass class, had two of them.


    Still, it had guiltily made him feel slightly better for his own weak skills. However, that had only lasted until it was his turn to divulge them.


    Mul had burst out laughing.


    ¡°How pathetic is that?¡±


    Kur had rolled his eyes. ¡°Ignore him. They¡¯ll get better. Just hang in there, alright?¡±


    Nar had simply nodded at him, refusing to look up from the floor. His cheeks and neck had burned furiously.


    Just thinking of it now made him flush all over again.


    Thinking about it, though¡­ What skills does Kur have?


    He had been so ashamed, and the others so intent on shutting Mul up, that no one had asked Kur about his own skills.


    He has to have them though. Right?


    Party leaders were supposed to boost their party. To strengthen them somehow.


    Maybe Kur was saving it for an emergency, or maybe, he just hadn¡¯t unlocked any skills yet. He found it unlikely that three amongst them had no skills at all, but who knew what was and wasn¡¯t possible out there? And Nar was not the only one who had to earn his atonement and path.


    For example, perhaps Cen, as a caster, was being tested with no skills and low DPS, before her supposedly much stronger magic skills were finally unlocked.


    And Nar waited for that day just as anxiously as Cen did. As a caster class, he fully expected her to get her magic well ahead of any of them. That was more than fine by him. All he wanted was to see it. To be sure that magic was real. And once Cen got it, he was sure it would only be a matter of time before he himself unlocked it as well.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Gad shouted again.


    Crystal¡­


    She was starting to tire. Her breath was coming out more ragged, and the shield was no longer held as upright.


    ¡°Nar,¡± Kur called.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Be ready. I might need you to swap with her.¡±


    Nar blanked in surprise.


    ¡°Is that okay?¡± Kur asked him.


    ¡°I¡­ Yes, of course!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Kur turned back to the fight.


    Nar stared at the clash. He, go and do that?


    Could he even do it?


    A small something gnawed at his stomach, nibbling him insidiously from the inside.


    With a sudden inhale, Nar squashed it down.


    He couldn¡¯t be a coward. Not of thought and not of action.


    Perhaps not having a shield was also part of his test. He was, after all, asking for much more than the others with his hybrid class.


    Yes, that had to be it.


    ¡°DPS, in the next round, we are going to use some skills,¡± Kur said. ¡°Wait for me to call you out!¡±


    The others muttered their yeses. Even the ranged DPS were starting to show signs of tiring.


    ¡°Now!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°Go, go, go!¡± Kur ordered. ¡°Tuk, we¡¯re starting with you. On my command¡­ Now!¡±


    Still feeling shaken at the prospect of what awaited him, Nar watched Tuk activate his skill.


    His already fast rings speed up to the point it was almost impossible for him to keep track of them. The rings impacted with much more audible thunks, and Tuk shot them in a blur of fingers and sleights of hand and elbows, almost dancing in place.


    Soon, too soon, however, it was over, and the guardian still stood.


    ¡°Mul, you next! Just one hit! Now!¡±


    Mul brought his left fist back to add some momentum to his [Strong Attack]. Nar had a split second to be jealous of the lengos¡¯ species inherent ambidexterity, before the punch connected.


    The guardian shifted to the right, and for a moment, its attacks faltered. But then, it recovered and was right back at it.


    ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± Kur said. ¡°Viy, you¡¯re going next!¡±


    Viy dropped out of the fight and ran back. She panted hard as she lowered her spear, taking aim.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    She sprung forward, leading momentum to her charge. Nar wondered if that was part of the skill, or if she was just trying to add extra damage to it. The System had mentioned that DPS was affected by different variables, and momentum definitely looked like it could be one of them.


    Viy shouted with all her might, rushing forward with the sharp tip of the spear held straight in front of her.


    The spear tip touched the guardian¡¯s main body, and went through.


    Not expecting it, Viy tumbled forward, taken by the momentum of her attack.


    Nar winced, remembering himself suffering just the same fate in a previous fight.


    DING!


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have defeated one Guardian Defender 1. 79 experience points have been awarded.


    You have leveled up!


    You have gained:


    Aura 25 -> 28


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar almost dropped his sword.


    Again?


    How much longer and how far would the Crystal test him for? Right till he was at risk of losing his first modifier? To test his faith to the fullest, and ensure that Nar had properly repented his Unclean ways?


    ¡°It was a guardian defender this time!¡± Tuk said. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why it was stronger!¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Kur muttered. ¡°Just how much HP did that thing have?¡±


    Nar ignored them.


    He could care less. He had even gained less experience from the encounter this time. That had to be because he had not been part of the fight.


    The System would not reward him if he didn¡¯t earn it, and his gains, or lack of, reflected that.


    Nar glared at the back of Kur¡¯s head.


    He knew the party leader had been right. The enemy¡¯s movements had been suspicious, and they had to be on guard against an ambush. However, at that moment, all he could think about was the unfairness of it. And the fear of not gaining what he needed, and of never improving.


    What if Kur didn¡¯t let him swap with Gad? Worse. What if he did, and Nar failed?


    He clenched his jaw.


    It didn¡¯t matter, he still had to try. He still had to do it. For his dad. For both of their futures.


    Suddenly, the Pressure evaporated, and a scratching noise interrupted their celebration. Mul, in particular, and ignoring Jul¡¯s glares, had been grating on his nerves with his loud boisterous shouting.


    Now, stunned silent, they watched a rectangular hole slowly appear on the wall on their left. Beyond it, Nar could just glimpse what appeared to be an empty room, with the same blank walls as the corridor.


    ¡°What in the pile¡­¡± Tuk said, in a hushed tone, when the door was fully revealed.


    ¡°Jul?¡± Kur asked.


    Jul stared at the room and a few seconds went by.


    ¡°I-I think it¡¯s okay,¡± she said.


    ¡°You think, or you know?¡± Mul asked.


    Nar gnashed his teeth. He was not in the mood to suffer him. The damn Clean better keep his mouth shut.


    ¡°Let me try,¡± Gad said. ¡°We won¡¯t know until we go inside. Could be a safe room.¡±


    A safe room! Nar thought. That tiny kindling of hope made him forget all about Mul.


    A place to sleep. To get more food! Perhaps even to go to the toilet!


    He had eaten little, even less than usual, so he wasn¡¯t entirely surprised at his lack of need. He had gone long periods of time without a trip to the toilet before, whenever the Clean decided they hadn¡¯t worked hard enough for their sustenance, but it was a relief to know that there might be one at last.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Kur said. ¡°Everyone, form around the door. Mul and Viy on one side. Nar on the other. Keep your eyes open and be ready for anything.¡±


    They moved to fulfill his orders, facing out from the door to keep the corridor under watch, while Gad stood before the door.


    Still breathing hard from the fight, she adjusted her shield, holding her mace under the other arm.


    Then she looked for Kur¡¯s go ahead.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    She stepped forward, and they all held their breath.


    Gad stood in the middle of the room, unmoving.


    ¡°Gad?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a safe room,¡± she said. ¡°Hurry inside! We have a timer!¡±


    ¡°We¡­ What?¡±


    ¡°We only have eight hours. Hurry!¡±


    ¡°Oh. Oooh! Everyone in, now!¡± Kur shouted.


    They rushed through the narrow opening, with Nar coming in last.


    Behind him, the door scratched shut, closing them inside.

 Chapter 14 - Resolve

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have entered a safe room.


    Each safe room provides different amenities. You will know what they are when you enter them.


    You have been granted use of a toilet.


    You may rest here. You are safe.


    Time remaining in safe room:


    07:57:45


    Warning: If you remain in the room when the countdown is over you will be punished. The door will open 5 minutes before the timer ends.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    No food¡­


    There was no food for him.


    Crystal, just how much do you want me to suffer? he asked, dropping his shoulders. He could go on rationing, of course, but not forever.


    Against one of the corners in the room however, there was a familiar looking cylinder.


    There¡¯s at least that, I guess.


    ¡°Cen, do you need to go?¡± Mul asked his sister.


    ¡°Yes, but not right away¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯m first!¡± the brawler said, sprinting for the toilet.


    Nar shook his head as the toilet door slid silently closed.


    ¡°He could have asked the rest of us,¡± Tuk muttered.


    Kur sighed. ¡°Alright, rest everyone. We¡¯ll be safe here. I¡¯ll set the watch later,¡± he said, and raised a hand before anyone could protest. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that we¡¯re safe here, but I don¡¯t want us to sleep through our deadline. There are no shift calls here.¡±


    With that, they were left to their own devices.


    Small squares around the room, where the walls met the ceiling, cast the ceiling in a soft yellow glow.


    Nar took a quiet corner and sat by himself, holding his head in his hands.


    More Aura. No gains. No food.


    What was he to do?


    He snorted.


    Endure, what else? What other options did he have but to wait, to keep praying, to keep begging for forgiveness and for his class¡¯s success?


    Meanwhile, the others took turns using the toilet.


    Nar found that he didn¡¯t really need to go, given how little he had been subsisting on, but given how it had basically been a month, or almost 58 shifts since he had last gone, he figured that he might as well go. Crystal knew when next they would be given the use of a toilet again.


    He went, he returned, and silently sat by his corner again. Brooding.


    Not long after, Jul sat down next to him.


    She avoided looking at him and pretended he didn¡¯t exist.


    Nar, in the grips of his own mix of dark, spiraling thoughts, and prayers and praises that were at times heartfelt, at others fear induced, and yet still at some others entirely apathetic, ignored her.


    Then Tuk came along. And with him, there was no possibility of silence.


    ¡°Crazy stuff today, eh?¡± he said. ¡°I was starting to think that was it. Depleted of stamina and then, wham! Gone!¡±


    Jul nodded with a very serious look, while Nar only offered him a noncommittal grunt.


    ¡°How do you manage to hear them, anyway? And the Pressure too?¡±


    Jul fidget with her hands on her lap.


    ¡°It''s part of my class,¡± she whispered. ¡°I-I have attributes for it.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Tuk breathed, eyes shining. ¡°That¡¯s awesome. A little insane, but awesome!¡±


    He twirled one of his rings in his fingers, seemingly lost in sudden thought.


    ¡°H-how¡­¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    She gulped and pointed at the ring. ¡°How do you¡­¡±


    ¡°Throw them?¡± he asked, smiling.


    She nodded and he chuckled.


    ¡°I just know how to throw them,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Though I guess I should call it tossing I suppose. I am a ring tosser after all!¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    He laughed at himself.


    ¡°So, you just know?¡± Nar asked. For a moment, he regretted speaking, worried that his mood had come out through his tone.


    However, the trugger carried on, unfazed. ¡°Yep. I just know how hard, how much spin, which angle, and a bunch of other stuff, right as I think about throwing it. Of course, I¡¯m still getting the hang of it, but I¡¯m getting better, and faster. There¡¯s probably still a lot to learn, though.¡±


    Nar nodded slowly. ¡°I thought it was amazing that you could toss them without hitting us. And even more that the rings came back to you after hitting the guardian.¡±


    Tuk grinned. ¡°All in my head. Or should I say in the System¡¯s? I¡¯m still not sure who is doing the tossing. To be honest, when I walked out of the chapel with my rings, I had a bit of a panic attack. It''s not like a sword, or some fist weapon, where it''s obvious what you¡¯re supposed to do with it. And I had gone in expecting a bow! What in the Nexus was I supposed to do with those things? Even the priest was at a loss as to what they were. He had never seen a ring tosser before.¡±


    Nar considered his sword, leaning on the wall next to him. The weapon still felt clumsy in his hands, but he couldn¡¯t deny the truth in Tuk¡¯s words. It was a sword. Even not knowing what he was doing, he could still use it, even if poorly. Tuk, however, and perhaps even Cen, now that was a different story.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good with that thing, too,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Gad has her shield, but you? Man, you¡¯re something else, stopping all those limbs with just your sword.¡±


    Nar nodded slowly. ¡°Barely know what I¡¯m doing to be honest. I hope to find someone that can teach me. Afterwards.¡±


    ¡°You plan on continuing fighting, then?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°Keeping your class?¡±


    Nar was suddenly very aware of himself, and when he looked away from his gray blade, he found both Jul and Tuk waiting for an answer.


    Clapping drew their attention to the middle of the room.


    ¡°Alright everyone,¡± Kur said. ¡°It¡¯s been over an hour and we all need to sleep. We¡¯re safe here tonight, so, everyone, sleep easy, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nice!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°However, as I said, we still need to have a watch rotation. Tonight, Gad will be exempt. Viy as well, as she is still recovering from the Pressure. The rotation will be Cen and Mul first. Then Tuk and Jul. Then lastly, me and Nar. Everyone okay with that?¡±


    Everyone was. Even Mul. Kur had probably placed him with Cen so that he wouldn¡¯t have anything to moan about.


    ¡°Alright. Get to sleep people!¡±


    ********


    The lights dimmed as they lay down to sleep.


    Tuk, Jul and Nar claimed that corner for themselves, and Nar found that he didn¡¯t mind the company. In fact, he found some comfort in it, though he tried to deny it.


    He missed his dad and the others, and his heart clenched with loneliness. He wished his dad could be there, to both advise and chastise him. Nar would¡¯ve done anything to hear him say ¡°I told you so!¡± right about then.


    Slowly, he fell asleep remembering faces and names, smiles and laughter.


    Sometime later, he was woken by Tuk.


    ¡°Your turn.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Nar said, rubbing his eyes.


    Jul, curled up next to him, already looked to be asleep, and Tuk lay down next to her, with a bundle of clothes to place under his head. It was a practice they had all quickly adopted to protect their heads from the hard floor and walls. It had been a welcome change from sleep sitting, propped up against a wall.


    Nar looked around as he stuffed his clothes back into his pack.


    On the other side of the room, Kur rose from his spot next to Gad and Viy, and waved at him, beckoning.


    Nar stood up and followed him towards the toilet, around which nobody slept.


    ¡°We can stay here,¡± Kur said. ¡°It''s the furthest from the others, so us talking here won''t bother them.¡±


    They sat, Kur leaning against the side of the toilet and Nar against the wall adjacent to it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to have a chat with you about your class.¡±


    Nar tensed.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be talking with everyone, actually,¡± Kur said, sweeping the sleeping party with his eyes. ¡°As your party leader, making sure that your needs are met is also part of my duties. That includes making sure you gain what you need for your path as well. If things aren¡¯t going as well as they should, I want everyone to come to me about it.¡±


    Nar looked at him in surprise.


    Really? But why bother? It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll stay together after the Climb.


    Kur turned back to him.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll make sure to have a watch alone with everyone, to talk. Then, it''s up to you guys to come to me when things aren¡¯t right or if there¡¯s something you need. I¡¯ll try to check in once in a while though.¡±


    This sort of managerial talk was something Nar had definitely not expected to have in this Climb. However, he found himself grateful for it, and his respect for the man grew even further. He didn¡¯t need to go that far for them.


    Kur smiled. ¡°You¡¯re the first one, so, I hope you¡¯ll be patient with me.¡±


    ¡°O-Of course! No worries! I mean¡­ Thank you.¡±


    Kur nodded, then his smile faded, as he adopted a serious expression.


    ¡°So, your class,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re not in an easy spot.¡±


    Nar looked down at his hands.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Not only are your skills not great, but you also deal less DPS than the others and you don¡¯t have Gad¡¯s taunt skill. Nor a shield either, for that matter.¡±


    Nar nodded.


    It was all true, and he dreaded where the talk was going.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s been 58¡­ Crystal, I need to stop thinking in terms of shifts. Anyways, since it''s been a month already, and we¡¯ve gone through three fights, I was wondering if you had had a change of heart.¡±


    Nar did not reply.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your class can be changed, if you decide to go full DPS instead,¡± Kur pressed.


    Nar had somehow managed to not tell him, or the others listening nearby at the time, that his class was just Basic. Nothing else.


    And now, here, away from family, in that endless corridor, with crappy skills and no shield, it was tempting to say that he regretted it. That he wanted to be a normal DPS. Just take turns with Viy and Mul, battering the enemy while Gad kept it relatively safe for him.


    He sighed. This too, was a test to his faith. And, much more importantly, to how much he wanted to save his dad.


    You¡¯ll have to do worse than this to break me, Nar thought, unable to stop the words from forming in his head. Unable to deny their truth either.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t,¡± he said at last, preparing for Kur¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Nar looked up in surprise.


    ¡°I was hoping that you would keep at it,¡± Kur said, smiling. ¡°But I didn¡¯t want to sway your decision.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ But I thought I was pretty much useless!¡± Nar said, confused. ¡°My skills, and no taunt and¡­¡±


    Kur chuckled.


    ¡°I mean, yeah, you¡¯re a bit crappy right now. But that¡¯s now! And remember, you saved Cen, and you took Viy¡¯s spot twice! And today, I was only able to focus so much on the fight because I knew you had our backs covered. Like I said, and already repeated, you bring something really good to this party. A flexibility that I doubt many other parties will have. And now, I add something else too, a sense of security. A DPS that can step in when the others falter? A tank that can step in when the other tank gets tired or bypassed or is too far away to do anything? This kind of stuff is amazing! Other parties won¡¯t have it, you know?¡±


    Nar stared at Kur, completely floored. The party leader was glad to have him, and his half assed class, in the party?


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been thinking about it,¡± Kur said, rubbing his chin. ¡°How about we call Gad the main tank and you can be the secondary tank? You can cover our backs and step in when needed, for either DPS or tanking. Oh! And don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m not going to keep you stuck to the back forever! I¡¯ll have a chat with Gad about it and see if she¡¯s okay with swapping with you, though I doubt she¡¯ll have any issues with it. And, yeah, you probably won''t last as long as her, of course, seeing as you can only use your sword to defend yourself¡­ And your arm. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice. But! I think you¡¯ll get better. I really do! You just need to hang in there for now. Get through the sucky beginning you know? Before things start looking up¡­¡±


    Nar worked his mouth, but no sounds came out.


    ¡°No good?¡± Kur asked him, suddenly bashful.


    ¡°N-No! It¡¯s perfect! Thank you so much! I swear I¡¯ll get better!¡±


    Kur patted his shoulder. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy but, I really think you can build your path into quite the something.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Yeah. I hope so too¡­ Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No worries, man. We¡¯re all here for each other!¡±


    Nar couldn''t believe the sudden and entirely unexpected turn of events, and could just barely nod in reply. Kur had come to him, before Nar had had to go to him for what he had anticipated to be a difficult conversation? And rightly so, there was no denying the risks to the party that this plan entailed. A lot could go wrong from swapping him with Gad.


    Still¡­


    Thank you, Crystal, for guiding me to this party.


    Maybe, just maybe, it would all work out in the end. And maybe these people really weren¡¯t all that bad after all. Well, excluding Mul of course.

 Chapter 15 - Heavy

    Nar and Kur woke the others with 15 minutes to spare.


    As if on cue, the lights turned back on to full intensity.


    ¡°Up, people. I want everyone ready to go in 5 minutes!¡± Kur said.


    While the others stirred awake, Nar collected his pack. He wrapped it securely around his shoulders, and once he was done, he waited, with sword in hand.


    That¡¯s when it hit him.


    Uh¡­ Something¡¯s off.


    He frowned and looked around.


    Nothing looked out of place. Jul, sitting where she had slept, still looked half asleep and gave no indication of any danger.


    Am I just imagining it or¡­ Oh. Oh!


    It was Mul.


    The brawler was quiet.


    In fact, he hadn¡¯t uttered a single word since being woken up.


    What in the pile? Nar thought, staring at the brawler out of the corner of his eyes.


    Mul was silently packing his things, and once in a while, he shot a glance at his sister.


    Nar had never seen him looking like that.


    There was something almost fearful in his expression. Hurt. Scared.


    Growing curious, Nar glanced at Cen instead.


    She was¡­ Well, she was something. Angry?


    No, not that.


    He didn¡¯t know what it was, but something had clearly happened between the twins. He hadn¡¯t heard anything, so it must have happened while he slept.


    ¡°Come on, come on!¡± Kur shouted.


    Jul struggled to her feet, and continued to come awake, swaying, next to Nar.


    Nar forgot about the twins and searched the walls for the exit, but to no avail. Like the door out of the cubeplant, there was not even a mark on the wall. If not for the presence of the toilet, he would¡¯ve probably forgotten which side they had entered from.


    Really playing it heavy with the messing around with our heads, Nar thought.


    The party got itself put back together, and sleepiness was slowly replaced by excited anxiety, as they formed up by the wall.


    As the timer neared 5 minutes, Nar caught Mul staring at his sister, his expression still lost and confused.


    Cen, for her part, stared at the floor, ignoring him. Ignoring everyone.


    What in the pile happened between those two? Nar wondered once more.


    Had Cen finally lost it and snapped at her brother? Somehow, Nar doubted that was it, however, a scratching sound drew his attention back to reality.


    The same section of the wall dropped, seamlessly, revealing the exit, and a loud, angry, buzzing sound filled the safe room.


    ¡°What in the pile is that?¡± Tuk whispered.


    ¡°Is that the Pressure?¡± Kur asked, leaning forward.


    Eyes turned to Jul and the scout went rigid.


    ¡°I-I yes, I think so!¡± she stammered. ¡°Sounds the same. Just louder¡­ I-I think!¡±


    Nar felt his ire rise. However, the expected, oh so typical, Mul complaint never came. The brawler kept his mouth shut.


    Damn...


    ¡°Nar, can you check it out?¡±


    Nar startled and found Kur staring at him.


    ¡°Me¡­ What?¡±


    ¡°Can you go check it out?¡± Kur asked. ¡°You¡¯re the strongest against the Pressure. Can you see what¡¯s happening out there?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Uh, sure.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, and hurry. We need to get out fast.¡±


    Nar rushed towards the door, and the others made way for him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right here,¡± Gad said.


    Nar gave her a grim nod and faced forward.


    Here, by the door, he could practically feel the heat emanating from the corridor. The buzz was strong and penetrating, and he wasn¡¯t even out there yet.


    What if it killed him?


    He took a deep breath.


    They couldn¡¯t stay in the safe room either. The word ¡°punishment¡± was ominous enough that it was better to just get out and face whatever new challenge that was.


    And so, without any other choice, he stepped outside.


    The Pressure nearly forced him to his knees and he gasped under its weight.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Gad shouted.


    Nar turned, and saw that she was positioned to reach out and pull him back in.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt, but it¡¯s really heavy.¡±


    He inhaled deeply. It was hot, but also not burning.


    He checked his HP. The bar was full, and it looked like it was staying so.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯m taking any damage,¡± Nar said. ¡°It¡¯s just hard to move in.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Gad looked back, seeking Kur¡¯s instructions, and he nodded at her.


    Gad stepped out, sweeping both ends of the corridor with a glance.


    Nar swore at himself.


    Damn it! I forgot to do that!


    A guardian could have been right there, besides the door, and he wouldn¡¯t have seen it. Not before it had been too late anyways.


    Leaving his weapon behind. Getting distracted at the back. Not watching for danger¡­ When was he going to start taking his role seriously?


    ¡°Seems safe,¡± Gad said. Like Nar, her posture was also hunched over under the strain. ¡°But it is heavy.¡±


    One by one, they filed out of the safe room.


    When Kur stepped out at the last, the wall closed itself shut again, leaving no marks.


    ¡°Damn¡­ This is heavy,¡± Kur said.


    Nar wiped his forehead. His forearm came away slick with fresh sweat.


    He twisted his nose. He must have stunk something fierce by now. Probably they all did.


    He had seen the others changing clothes before, and he had been tempted to do the same. However, he only had two spare sets and no one had mentioned anything about new clothes. Food, yes. Facilities, yes. But nothing about clothes. And so he hadn¡¯t changed. He could only hope the others weren¡¯t twisting their noses in disgust at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long forty minutes,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°The sooner we get it done, the better,¡± Kur replied. ¡°Gad, take us forward.¡±


    They got underway, bowed under the weight.


    It was humbling.


    Almost as if they were made to walk with their heads bowed before the Magnificence of the Crystal. Reminded of their place. Of their status as sinners.


    Nar muttered a prayer under his breath, staving off unkind, blasphemous thoughts.


    The going was hard. Each step came down on the floor with a jarring impact, and each foot came up from it with a conscious significant strain.


    ¡°I¡¯m losing stamina,¡± Kur said, about twenty minutes into their trek. ¡°Fast.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°We must be using our attributes,¡± Tuk mused, wiping his forehead


    He had a very dark, wet stain on his shirt, around his bulging pack. They all did, and Nar had no doubt he had one of his own too.


    The heat, at first bearable, now coupled with the physical exertion, was getting to them.


    Tuk grabbed some jell-o and slurped greedily. Nar could only stare in envy. At least he had less to carry.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s keep going,¡± Kur said. ¡°We¡¯re halfway there.¡±


    They plowed on, silent and struggling to breath under the weight that smothered them.


    Can¡¯t believe I thought that was it, Nar thought. So much for the end of the Pressure.


    If the Crystal wanted, they would be on their hands and knees by the time they got to the surface, and they would do nothing but pray and praise Its Glory.


    That particular thought went through without apology. Nar was so focused on keeping one foot going in front of the other, that he didn¡¯t notice the blasphemy.


    And so the minutes dragged, made even longer by the constant, annoying buzzing sound. It was like having many people loudly whispering in his ears. It was louder, and even worse than before they had reached the safe room, and as they walked, the noise gnawed at his sanity. Even covering his ears did nothing to block the constant static that dragged its nails across his brain.


    On and on, they dragged their feet.


    ¡°We¡¯re all sure of the time, right?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jul said. ¡°It''s been almost an hour already.¡±


    Tuk, kneeling down, breathed hard and tried to clear his throat.


    Both of the lengos were down as well, gasping against one of the walls, and Viy leaned heavily on her spear.


    Gad was doubled at the waist, but still standing, and Kur was also struggling to stay on his feet. Next to him, Jul sat, gasping for air, her green hair matted against her shiny forehead.


    Nar exhaled heavily and leaned against the wall, both leaning on and hiding his face in his arms.


    The sound of his breathing echoed in his ears, and his hot breath almost scalded his face.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Gad asked. ¡°My stamina is melting away.¡±


    Nar checked his again.


    A third. Almost half.


    The others had to be faring worse than he was.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep going for another while,¡± Kur said, in a throaty voice. ¡°Another 10 minutes. If we don¡¯t make it out of it, we¡¯ll stop and rest.¡±


    He looked around him, looking every bit like he was exerting every single shred of willpower he had not to join the others on the floor.


    ¡°Come on, people. Let¡¯s keep going. Just another 10 minutes.¡±


    Again, and uncharacteristically so, Mul complied without protest.


    I can¡¯t be the only one seeing this, right? Nar thought, wiping his brow.


    Mul offered a hand to his sister, and while she took it, she let go as soon as she was up.


    She swayed on her feet and Mul panicked, ready to hold onto her. But Cen managed to stay upright by herself, and walked past her brother, never even looking at him.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go,¡± Kur said, once they were all up


    Nar pushed away from the wall, and dragged his feet after them.


    He should probably drink something. It was hotter there than in the factory.


    Just a bit longer, he told himself. I have to ration¡­


    The ten-minute mark came and went.


    Kur exhorted them to walk just a few more minutes, but eventually, he had to call a break.


    The party collapsed, sweating profusely and struggling for air.


    Nar stared up at the yellow lit ceiling. Then, remembering his failing that morning, he forced himself to roll over so that he was, at least, facing the dark behind him. Whether he liked it or not, the role of protecting their backs had fallen to him, and as their secondary tank, he planned on taking it seriously.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait here for a bit,¡± Kur said, panting. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can recover some stamina. Nar, Jul and Tuk, first watch, just in case we fall asleep.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think anyone is going to sleep in this,¡± Tuk muttered.


    Nar couldn¡¯t agree more. Between the weight and the loud buzzing that penetrated his very thoughts, he doubted anyone would fall asleep, no matter how tired they were.


    Turns out, he was very wrong.


    The others were out of it within moments, and he himself barely held on, fighting against his impossibly heavy eyelids.


    Next to him, Tuk¡¯s head bobbed up and down, his battle going much worse than Nar¡¯s.


    ¡°Tuk!¡± he called.


    Tuk gasped awake.


    ¡°Shit. Sorry, man! Sorry!¡±


    ¡°No worries¡­¡±


    Jul looked around, at both sides of the corridor, as she usually did, but the movement was slow, languid. Nar was impressed by her tenacity.


    ¡°Have you gotten any stamina back?¡± Tuk asked.


    Nar shook his head. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long, though.¡±


    However, he doubted that counted as resting. Even sitting against the wall, he felt like he needed his [Strength] just to stay upright. To breathe. To talk. To think, even.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is going to work,¡± Tuk said, echoing Nar¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°We can take turns and sleep,¡± Nar said. ¡°At least we¡¯re not losing any HP.¡±


    Tuk nodded absentmindedly, and their conversation lapsed. Talking took too much effort. As it was, they seemed to have reached a stalemate between stamina recovery and expenditure, so better not risk tipping that balance back into the negative.


    Can¡¯t believe I thought we we¡¯re done with this damn Pressure, Nar though, staring at the ceiling again.


    Maybe now came the real test, or maybe it was just another one in a series of tests they had yet to overcome.


    The buzzing was loud inside his mind, blotting out his thoughts. It grated on him, and knowing that there was nothing he could do about it made it even worse. Like an itch he couldn¡¯t scratch.


    Just endure it, man. Come on, let¡¯s do some praying¡­


    Prayer of Devotion. Prayer of Adoration. Prayer of Exultation¡­ There had to be an endless compendium of them, and there had to be even more in the O-Nex and I-Nex.


    Nar had had to learn to recite about twenty of them by heart. Once a month, the chapel was cleared for Unclean use, and they were forced to march up there to worship. Taking turns inside the stuffy building, they were made to sing and pray, in hopes that the Crystal would cleanse their souls.


    Nar hated having to go, either before, or after his destroying double shifts. But it was one of their conditions for staving off exile. They had to show remorse for their sins to the Crystal, or they would face further repercussions.


    The Unclean didn¡¯t give a pile about it. It was the Clean who were scared. Scared that the Crystal would punish them again, hitting somewhere else in the Homes. And nobody wanted to become Unclean.


    Idiots. The lot of them, stuck in their stupid tiny little hole¡­


    Nar shook his head. He had lapsed into dark thoughts again.


    It was hard not to.


    Every time he looked back to his previous life, barely a month ago, he was filled with a consuming darkness. Anger, and hatred and¡­ But it didn¡¯t bear thinking about it.


    Prayers forgotten, he wondered why that was. He had hated the Clean of course, but never with such a visceral passion as he did now. And the thoughts and emotions had not been so frequent either. Most of the time, he¡¯d just accepted life as it was.


    Maybe it was because now he had an abundance of free time. Time to think, to mull things over in his bored and battered mind, to ponder about everything. He was free of the mind shattering concentration required to focus and push aura out of his body in tune with the machine¡¯s demands.


    He had a lot of time now, just watching over the party, or walking behind them, where he was left to his own thoughts. And it was hard to pray and praise when he had to contend with the memories carved deeply into him.


    You ask a lot of me, Nar thought. But if You let me save my dad, I will do anything You want. Anything.


    And he meant it.

 Chapter 16 - No End in Sight

    When Nar and Tuk woke up the others, their rest hadn¡¯t been as restful as it had looked.


    They woke up sluggish and groggy. Almost more tired now than they had been before they had slept.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Nar whipped his head around, towards the source of the scream.


    Tuk stood over Viy, with his hands raised in a placating gesture. ¡°It-It''s just me, Tuk! We-We have to go.¡±


    Viy had a demented look to her. Like she had been pulled straight out of her worst nightmare, and didn¡¯t know in which reality she stood.


    ¡°Viy? Tuk asked again, in a hushed, gentle voice. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Viy licked her cracked lips and nodded, her eyes still seeing something none of them could.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡±


    She ignored Tuk¡¯s proffered hand and stood, grabbing tightly onto her spear for support. She gave her back to the questioning stares of the party, and no one pressed her.


    It can¡¯t be nice sleeping in this, Nar thought, casting his eyes about the corridor, despite not being able to see the Pressure.


    ¡°Are you guys okay to keep going?¡± Kur asked, rubbing his eyes again. He seemed to be struggling to come fully awake.


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Nar said. ¡°But, I''m down almost to half.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit under half,¡± Tuk said, pulling his eyes away from Viy. He looked shaken from what had just happened.


    Jul just nodded.


    Kur covered a yawn with a fist. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll keep going for another while. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll go far though. Not unless we get out of this.¡±


    Nar helped him to his feet.


    ¡°Tuk, if you get tired, I can carry you,¡± Kur said.


    Tuk offered him a sliver of a smile. ¡°Thanks, boss. Though I think Nar should be the one doing the carrying.¡±


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Kur said, and stared down at Nar.


    For all intents and purposes, Kur ought to be the stronger of the two. He was an altei after all. Not only was he a full head taller than Nar, altei were also much more muscular than humans. And yet, there they were.


    ¡°Attributes, eh?¡± Kur said, shaking his head. ¡°I still can¡¯t fully wrap my head around it. It¡¯s¡­ kinda crazy.¡±


    Nar nodded. Mul himself was probably stronger than Kur by now. Such was their new, strange and wondrous reality under the System.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going,¡± Kur said.


    Once again, they dragged themselves forward, after the yellow arrows that guided them to their freedom.


    Nar felt as though he was still right where he had started. He knew that a month had passed. It was a full 58 shifts, an entire third of a season. But encased in those walls, ceiling and floor, everything continuously melded into one. It was like he was going nowhere.


    There were no signs of anything. An end, a reason, nothing. All there was, were the yellow arrows and the endless corridor. They would get out only when the Crystal allowed it. Whenever that may be.


    The Pressure suddenly tripled on top of him.


    Nar stumbled to one knee, and his sight went blurry.


    His teeth rattled against each other, and he clenched his jaw to keep them from shattering against one another.


    His body vibrated in an all-encompassing hum that climbed up his feet, up his legs, his torso, and liquefied his insides.


    He thought he heard screams from far away.


    Something choked him, and cut his sight. In his blindness, he thrashed and panicked, but soon, he was gone.


    When he opened his eyes again, he found himself laying on his side.


    Around him, the Pressure was back to its annoying state, its low buzz scratching him deeply within his mind.


    Nar made a face and pulled himself to his knees.


    The floor moved under him, and on it, a dark puddle of something glistened in the low light.


    Oh, isn¡¯t that nice?


    He thought he had left the days of puking scarlet behind him, but there was nothing else that it could be.


    He touched his ears and nose and was not disappointed at the crimson stained fingers.


    And you thought it was finished, didn¡¯t you? You idiot....


    He did a quick take of his HP, to check the damage incurred.


    103? Only 7 points of damage?


    He considered the blood on the floor.


    How was that such a low damage?


    He felt raw inside. Like something had been shoved down his throat and used to scrub his insides. His head was heavy and his limbs numb, however, the damage seemed to have been focused on his chest.


    He raised a hand to the middle of his chest and grimaced. It felt so devastated inside him. Not really in a painful way, or a damaged way either. He couldn¡¯t really put it into words.


    Around him, the others stirred, one by one, in the usual order.


    ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± he asked them in a rough rasp.


    Cen ignored him, and so did Mul. The brawler was staring at his sister in shock and concern, as she, in turn, stared at the blood at her feet with a pale gray expression.


    ¡°This is not good,¡± Tuk muttered, staring at his own puddle.


    ¡°Just check your HP for now. It didn¡¯t do a lot of damage to me,¡± Nar said. ¡°And Kur will be up soon. He¡¯ll tell us what to do. Jul? Jul?¡±


    Nar stumbled to his feet and swayed towards the scout, a fresh wave of sweat covering him. The girl hadn¡¯t moved yet.


    ¡°Jul?¡± he tried again.


    Nar¡¯s stomach dropped further with every step he took towards her motionless figure.


    It can¡¯t be¡­


    ¡°Jul!¡± he shouted, dropping down heavily next to her.


    Jul startled and hid her face.


    ¡°W-What?¡± she stammered.


    Nar heaved a sigh. ¡°Damn it¡­ I thought you were hurt.¡±


    He collapsed against the wall, vertigo tugging at him, and covered his eyes.


    Ah, I moved too fast.


    A few seconds later, he heard Jul drag herself towards his side, quietly.


    Blood puking. Nausea. Ravaged chest. It was like he was back at the machine.


    What had been the point of leaving if he was just going to feel as bad as before? Unless this was just the Crystal¡¯s sick way of getting back at¡­


    No. No! Forgive me. I didn¡¯t mean to.


    Or had he? Under the strain, he found that his old self was slowly coming unbound. Released from the forced yolk of a piety that deep down he thought was underserved.


    The sound of soft sobs brought him back.


    Oh, damn it¡­


    Jul was quietly shaking, her face buried in her arms.


    ¡°Jul?¡± he asked softly.


    The scout did not reply.


    ¡°It will be okay. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll get through it.¡±


    The quam lifted her face to him, and Nar faltered under the intense stare of her large, green and blue teary eyes. They drew him in, as though into an endless pit. At the same time, they felt so sharp. So penetrating. Like they could see right through him, and all the truth he kept hidden within.


    His next words died in his throat. Before eyes such as those, how could one lie, even if done in consolation?


    ¡°What happened¡­¡±


    Nar turned to the distraction with guilty relief washing over him.


    ¡°Kur?¡± he asked. ¡°You alright?¡±


    Kur massaged his chest. ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t think I am.¡±


    ¡°Check your HP. I don¡¯t think that did a lot of damage,¡± Nar said.


    Next to the party leader, Gad frowned. ¡°How? We¡¯ve puked blood.¡±


    ¡°I think the bigger question is why we didn¡¯t have any warning about it?¡± Mul asked, glaring at Jul.


    The scout looked away, shriveling into a small ball, trying to hide behind Nar. There was the real Mul.


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t hear anything!¡±


    ¡°We just puked blood, for Crystal¡¯s sake! What good are¡­¡±


    Nar leaned forward, blocking her from Mul¡¯s baleful stare.


    ¡°Even if you knew it was coming, what would you do, uh?¡± Nar shouted at him. ¡°Nothing! You can do nothing! We will suffer here until we have suffered enough! And we haven¡¯t suffered enough yet!¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Nar regretted raising his voice almost immediately. It left his already ravaged chest feeling worse. But at least it seemed to shut up the brawler. In fact, his words seemed to have shut up everyone.


    Nar looked away from Mul¡¯s shocked expression, and an awkward silence covered the party. Nar feared having let out too much of his real feelings and thoughts.


    ¡°We need to keep moving,¡± Gad said, eventually. ¡°We could be hit again. Probably will.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kur said with a sigh. ¡°Jul, was there really no warning?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ There was nothing. Nothing at all, I swear! It just happened!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I believe you,¡± Kur said.


    Nar listened to the words as though they were a conversation that did not concern him. He felt ill, disgusted at himself, and he didn¡¯t even know why.


    ¡°We¡¯ve barely moved today,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Are we¡­ Stuck here?¡±


    Kur shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. This is just the next obstacle we need to surpass. And we will surpass it. Simple as that.¡±


    The party leader looked up, staring at the ceiling above him. Or perhaps, at what might lay beyond it.


    ¡°We might be under this for a while. We can rest and we can recover stamina by sleeping, so I think we can assume that we can recover our HP as well. We¡¯ll just have to power through it.¡±


    He groaned and stood up. ¡°Right. Come on, everyone up. We¡¯ll walk a bit further before we stop to rest again.¡±


    One by one, they hauled themselves back up. Looking to the side, Nar noticed that Mul was staring at his feet, lost.


    With an internal sigh, Nar bent down, swallowing the groan from the soreness he felt, and thrust his hand in Mul¡¯s field of vision.


    The brawler, startled, looked up.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Nar said.


    Mul frowned at him, and for a moment, Nar thought he had screwed up.


    Then, Mul took his hand and Nar pulled him to his feet.


    The brawler stared at him for a moment longer, then gave him a silent nod.


    Nar left him to care for his sister, who still hadn¡¯t spoken a word.


    I should have kept my mouth shut, he thought. What was the point of that?


    On his other side, he caught Jul staring at him.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked.


    She shook her head. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Nar was taken aback by the question.


    ¡°Come on, people, let¡¯s go. We can do this,¡± Kur said.


    Nar waited for the party to walk past him, and then took his usual spot behind them.


    Are you okay?


    In truth, he did not know.


    ********


    Five days passed.


    Five absolutely miserable, ravaging, destroying days.


    The Pressure never let up. And the harsher waves came at them again and again, at any time, without any pattern or reason they could discern.


    It came while they walked, while they ate, while they slept. There was no respite.


    Nar walked as though he was only half awake.


    The stamina recovered.


    The HP recovered.


    But his mind was in tatters, frayed nearly to snapping.


    He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had had a proper sleep.


    Or a full string of coherent thoughts.


    Conversation, too, had died days ago. Not that he ever really joined in on it.


    The only real words he heard now were Kur¡¯s, ever driving them forward. It was impressive, really. Kur was proving himself a true leader, and Nar, in his most lucid moments, thanked his dad for his repeated advice, and the Crystal, for leading him to Kur.


    Mul muttered constantly, probably cursing everyone and everything under his breath.


    Surprisingly, so did Viy. She walked and swatted away at things only she saw, the spear tip dragging across the floor behind her.


    During his watch, he had started seeing her thrashing and mumbling about more and more, gripped by nightmares. Now, it happened every night. Her nightmares never let up, chasing her with the horror of whatever had happened to her in the cubeplant.


    However, neither he, nor anyone else for that matter, said or did anything.


    What little energy he had, he used to keep walking, and to look after his own sanity.


    The endless, featureless, yellow lit corridor stretched on and on, and there were times where Nar almost believed that they truly weren''t moving at all. That the floor under them was just a conveyor belt, rolling, and tricking them. Deceiving them.


    Yes, you are being deceived¡­


    He shook his head. He wasn¡¯t so far gone as to let himself suffer voices in his head. Not yet, at least.


    He knew they were just tricks of the Pressure and of his tiredness. However, for how much longer would he know that? His grip on his sanity was tenuous now. And it kept sliding¡­


    He pushed the thought away with another aggressive head shake.


    Just then, he felt the weight increasing.


    Here it comes¡­ What will it be this time? My eyes? My hands? My legs?


    The first time he had been hit, his chest had been left raw and scrapped. But on the second time, it was his back. On the third, his ears. On the fourth¡­ He had forgotten.


    The Pressure wave came for them multiple times a day. Sometimes ten, sometimes, fifteen. And it always seemed to aim to inflict the most pain it could on a specific part of his body.


    Of course, by now, his entire self-had been targeted. There was not an inch of him that did not feel scrapped raw, broken, or damaged in some way.


    It was like the Pressure was carving him up from the inside, slowly, inch by inch.


    It was hard to pray. Or praise. Or feel grateful and faithful under such strain.


    But he had to. He needed to earn his future. His right to be free.


    Oh, Crystal Almighty¡­ he intoned, feeling his grip on reality slipping into darkness.


    He always passed out from these attacks.


    Sometimes he woke up right away, sometimes he was under for longer periods of time. One time he had woken up to find that a whole hour had gone by. That had been the worst hit so far. He had woken up to a slurry of thoughts that had taken forever to piece together into who he was. He had never felt such an intense pain in his head. It was like someone had shoved his head full of broken aetherium and shook him till his brain had come leaking out of his eyes, ears and nose.


    Even in the factory, bleeding out of his eyes was rare, and that day they had been unable to go on.


    Nar had just barely managed to keep watch that day. He kept imagining that his dad called to him from the darkness. Asking where he was, and why Nar had abandoned him, alone, in their dark home. Nar was sure he had cried. Most likely, he hadn¡¯t been the only one, but his memory of that day was hazy.


    Now, as he came to, he felt every inch of his legs. All of it, from toe to hip. Even his toe nails.


    Crystal¡­ Damn it.


    He croaked, raspy, parched, and forced himself to sit up.


    Yes. He was going nowhere today either. Or maybe he was. Kur would probably push them to keep going.


    A small part of his mind told him that he was fine, that he could walk. But he was tired. He didn¡¯t want to.


    Enough is enough, no? He thought.


    How much more would they languish in that endless corridor?


    The others woke up, one by one, but Nar ignored them.


    Maybe if he pretended to be asleep, Kur would relent and let them rest. And maybe Nar wouldn¡¯t have to take that dreaded first watch either.


    He had come to hate it. First watch was when he was at his most broken and ragged, and it was when his flayed mind had the most difficulty keeping hold of itself.


    ¡°We¡¯ll rest for a few minutes,¡± Kur said, dashing his hopes. ¡°Then we need to keep going. If I can go, so can you all. I¡¯m the weakest here.¡±


    Nar pursed his lips.


    The party leader had a way with words, didn¡¯t he?


    It wasn¡¯t fair of Kur to put it like that. Not when he didn¡¯t have first watch to look forward to.


    And Nar, for his part, shouldn¡¯t be harboring those thoughts either. The Crystal and the System were always watching, and he had already been punished on his previous level up by gaining nothing but more [Aura]. He had to be careful.


    I¡¯ll pray later¡­ he told himself. Right then and there, he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it in any semblance of earnestness.


    ¡°I hear something!¡± Jul suddenly said, her voice sounding just as wretched as Nar¡¯s throat felt.


    Oh, for Crystal¡¯s sake! Now? Nar thought, wiping his head towards the front.


    ¡°You gotta be kidding me!¡± Mul snapped.


    ¡°Get up! Get up!¡± Kur shouted.


    Driven by fear and panic, Nar crawled onto his hands and knees, then pushed himself up, lifting the heavy sword up as he went.


    His legs shook under him, threatening to fail him at any moment.


    Shit! Can Gad tank like this?


    He looked at her, and his mind filled with dread at what he saw. She was even more unsteady than he was, having trouble even lifting her shield.


    ¡°Gad!¡± he shouted.


    It was too late however.


    The guardian rolled mercilessly towards the unprepared party.


    Nar ran forward, knowing he was going to be too late. The Pressure weighed him down, forcing him to fight for every step.


    The guardian smashed into Gad, and their tank went flying backwards.


    Viy screamed and backed away from the flurry of blades that came her way.


    No, Nar! Don¡¯t do it! shouted a small voice inside of him.


    His steps faltered, hesitating in the face of the guardian. Its limbs spread out around it, like a halo of horror, blades gleaming yellow.


    He did not have a shield. What was he trying to do?


    And in that split second of hesitation, the guardian seemed to burst. It wrapped onto Viy and Mul, crushing them against the walls on either side.


    Limbs pressed against throats, and the two melee DPS were silenced.


    ¡°Mul!¡± Cen shouted.


    Nar hadn¡¯t heard her talk in days, and her shrill cry pierced through the murkiness that weighed upon his mind and the static of the Pressure.


    There were people dying right in front of him. He had to do something!


    He jumped towards Viy, who was closest.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get Mul!¡± Kur shouted from behind him.


    Nar raised his sword and brought it down on the coiled limbs.


    The guardian tried to stab him, and he had nothing except his other hand and shoulder to keep him from doing so. As it was, he felt the blades scoring burning lines across his flesh, but Viy was his sole focus.


    Her face was taking on a tinge of blue, and her hands grew weaker over the limbs that deprived her of air.


    Nar slammed his sword down with his left hand, again and again, using it like a hammer.


    The blade bounced against the guardian''s tendrils, looking as though it did no damage at all.


    [Strong Attack]! [Strong Attack]!


    Nar unleashed his skill in a bout of panic.


    Viy¡¯s eyelids were dropping.


    A crack appeared on one of the arms, a glimmer of hope, and Nar threw everything at it.


    [Strong Attack]!


    The limb came apart with a loud crunch, splattering him and Viy both in a hot, brown sludge.


    The guardian recoiled, as if in pain, and Viy crumbled down the wall, coughing violently.


    Out of balance, Nar felt a blade go through his left shoulder, from behind, and a blow to his hip lifted him into the air, spinning wildly.


    He crashed in a tangle of limbs and the sword flew from his grip.


    ¡°I got it!¡± he heard Gad shouting, muffled through the sudden daze that took him.


    Nar blinked slowly, the fighting unfolding beyond his blurry sight.


    A symbol flashed under his stamina bar, but he couldn¡¯t make out what it was.


    His head cleared slowly, and when he came fully to, the battle was still in full swing, and the symbol was gone.


    Gad had taken control of the guardian.


    Viy, next to her, seemed to have recovered. She was screaming at the guardian, unleashing attack after devastating attack.


    Mul, on the other side of the corridor, didn¡¯t seem to have been so lucky.


    Cen bawled, holding his limp form.


    Nar felt dread rising. The brawler had seemed to have made it his life¡¯s mission to grind on everyone¡¯s gears, but Nar hadn¡¯t wanted him dead.


    ¡°Can you stand?¡± Kur shouted, noticing him moving.


    Next to him, Tuk tossed his rings with everything he got, but Jul¡­ Jul was nowhere.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Jul?¡± Nar shouted.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine!¡± Kur replied. ¡°She ran away to hide behind us. Can you stand? We need you!¡±


    Nar glimpsed at the darkness behind them. It didn¡¯t look any safer than the fight unfolding in their midst, but if she was safe, that was all that mattered.


    He threw his good arm up and Kur pulled him to his feet.


    His hip was busted, and he limped on the spot, searching for his sword.


    ¡°Here!¡±


    Kur thrust the weapon into Nar¡¯s chest and pushed him towards the fight.


    ¡°We need that thing dead!¡± he shouted. ¡°Now!¡±


    Nar didn¡¯t bother to reply.


    He dragged himself forward on legs that were even shakier now. He limped, towards the deadly guardian, favoring his left leg. His left arm hung at his side, useless and bleeding, and the stab wound on his left shoulder screamed at him with every step.


    There was no way he could tank like that. In fact, he could barely believe he was still moving. He had just been stabbed, for Crystal¡¯s sake! How was he still moving?


    And yet, he limped forward. He needed to do some damage.


    Luckily, it looked as though someone had managed to score a few crippling hits on the guardian itself. Other than the stump that Nar had smashed through, there were other visible injuries across it. Cracks had formed across its body, and they too bled brown goo. Nar didn¡¯t remember any of the other guardians bleeding before. Was this yet another model? Viy shrieked, pulling his attention, and he watched as another devastating spear blow hammered into the guardian. The spear woman must have blown through her stamina, and it looked like the guardian was already at the edge of destruction.


    Nar checked his own stamina as he approached.


    Worn by the Pressure, and after bursting his skills onto the guardian¡¯s limbs, he was left with only 27 points of stamina.


    He swallowed his fear.


    He had to fight, but he couldn¡¯t use his skills, and his attributes would still deplete him.


    He steeled his resolve and stepped into range of the guardian¡¯s limbs, swinging his sword at it.


    That guardian needed to come down, or he was dead anyways.


    Together, the three of them fought with despair fueling them.


    Tuk¡¯s rings clinked loudly against the enemy¡¯s limbs and body, slowly but surely, helping deplete its HP. Viy thrust and thrust, stabbing in mad rage and fear. Nar, on the other side from her, did as much as he could. And in the middle, holding it all together, was Gad.


    ¡°I¡¯m losing it!¡± she shouted. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°Keep going!¡± Kur replied. ¡°It has to be almost dead!¡±


    His voice came from much closer than Nar had expected, and suddenly, Kur wedged himself in between Gad and Nar, and attacked the guardian with his scepter, his buckler held high to cover his head.


    He probably did even less damage than Nar, in his injured state. A whole lot less, but his presence bolstered Nar somehow. He felt a sliver of hope, a rallying of the last dredges of strength and fighting still left in him.


    Suddenly, Gad jumped onto the guardian, pushing it down with her shield in a move that surprised both their enemy and the rest of them.


    ¡°Gad!¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°Get him! Get him!¡± she cried, as the tendrils slammed against her body from under and around her shield.


    The two DPS and Kur fell on the guardian, stabbing, hacking, slashing and smashing with abandon. Bloody spit flew and hands and fingers were hurt and smashed in the chaos.


    Nar¡¯s sight tunneled until all he could see was the section of the guardian¡¯s body that he hammered again and again, watching the cracks widen.


    DING!


    A window popped up, blocking his sight.


    Nar delivered his final blow, his sword dripping with goo.


    The guardian lay broken, destroyed, at their feet.


    The sound of their gasping, and of Cen¡¯s desperate weeping, reached his ears, muffled as they were by the Pressure still weighing down on them without mercy.


    He flicked away the window, not reading it, and collapsed backwards against the wall, his shoulder protesting loudly with the hit.


    His legs were like jell-o, and he sat onto the guardians'' outstretched limbs.


    Around him, the party crumbled, spent.

 Chapter 17 - Clouded Minds, Clouded Hearts

    ¡°Is he okay?¡± Gad shouted, panting from the floor.


    Cen didn¡¯t answer, unable to in the midst of her grief.


    Kur crawled over to the caster, and checked on Mul.


    ¡°He looks fine, just knocked out. Cen! Do you hear me? He¡¯s going to be fine!¡± he said, trying to calm her.


    Thank the Crystal! Nar thought. He had feared the worst.


    Opposite him, Viy nursed her bruised throat, coughing feebly. The guardian¡¯s striped limbs had been imprinted onto her skin, belaying the strength with which it had strangled her with.


    Their eyes crossed paths and she looked away.


    You¡¯re welcome! Damned Clean¡­ I almost died saving you! The least you could do is¡­


    Wait. Died?


    The thought was like a pileslide inside his battered mind.


    Had he just almost died?


    The dull pain on his hip was nothing to the sharp pain radiating from his shoulder.


    He had been stabbed!


    Dropping his sword, he felt his shoulder with his other hand.


    He scowled in pain and at the red that stained what was left of his shirt.


    I could¡¯ve died¡­


    He had known, of course. He had always known that it was a very real possibility that he faced.


    Death or out. Those were the only two possible endings to his Climb.


    However, staring at the blood on his fingers, not from the Pressure, not from his nose or ears, but from a stab wound¡­ That was more than knowing. That was understanding.


    What are you doing? he asked himself.


    He was a hybrid tank/DPS, so he was always supposed to get a little hurt. But it was supposed to be controlled, glances and scratches, or unlucky hits under or around his shield.


    But he had no shield. He was left fencing for his life, waving his sword around like an idiot, dodging, moving, perhaps even running away. What sort of tank was that?


    Gad, sprawled past his feet, might be tired, but she didn¡¯t look hurt. HP, defensive attributes most likely, tank skills and the shield. All things that he lacked.


    The plan, his plan, had always involved a shield.


    Now, there he was, and had that blade gone into him just a couple of inches more to the right, it would¡¯ve been the end of his Climb. The end of everything.


    Crystal¡­ Not for these people. Not for these Clean¡­


    They didn¡¯t deserve it. They weren¡¯t worthy of it.


    Viy hadn¡¯t even deemed herself to say thank you. In fact, now that he thought about it, she had never even spoken to him, nor him to her. What did he owe her? What did he owe these people?


    The answer was simple. Obvious. The same as it had always been since the very start, over a month ago.


    He owed them nothing. He needed them to Climb. But if they dared to drag him down? Well, he wouldn¡¯t die for their mistakes. He couldn¡¯t risk his dad and their entire future for these strangers.


    No, he had to be more careful.


    From now on, no more of this shit. Tanking, yes, safely and properly, once I get a shield. Until then¡­ I¡¯ll just do what I have to do, to get my gains.


    A hand fell, heavy, over his shin and he flinched.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Gad asked him.


    She was still on the floor, covered in glistening sweat. Now that he looked closely at her, he saw a mesh of scratches and bleeding injuries. However, even as he stared, he could see that the shallowest and smallest of the cuts were already closing, healing under her powerful tank [Constitution].


    And even downed, she still stared at him with that scrutinizing intensity he had come to be wary of.


    ¡°I¡­ Yeah. I¡¯m alright,¡± Nar said, hoping his face hadn¡¯t betrayed anything.


    ¡°You got stabbed,¡± she said, nodding at his shoulder.


    Nar looked at his bloody hand. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°It will heal, don¡¯t worry,¡± Gad said. ¡°It will give you more [Constitution], too.¡±


    Nar stared at her.


    She was right, of course. What else would increase his [Constitution] other than getting hurt?


    However, there had to be a difference between getting hurt and almost killed.


    Gad half turned and pushed with her hands to sit up straight.


    ¡°That took a lot of HP,¡± she said. ¡°But I¡¯ve gained in [Constitution]. In the end, that''s the way it is for a tank.¡±


    Nar nodded slowly. Was she trying to tell him something?


    He heard a soft scraping sound and turned his head.


    Jul emerged from the darkness.


    Her right hands held onto her left arms, and she walked with a downcast expression. Shame? Guilt? Nar wondered if that¡¯s what it was. Had she run away, thinking they were doomed? Had she decided to abandon them, and save herself?


    Their eyes met, and her chin quivered. She quickly sat down, hiding her face.


    Nar heaved a sigh, grimacing at the pain the gesture caused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold it against her,¡± Gad said. ¡°It will take time.¡±


    Nar stared at her. He had known, or at least suspected, that the big tank was a sharp person. But just how sharp, he didn¡¯t know yet. He had to be careful around her, lest she pry open all of his secrets.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I know¡­¡± he said simply.


    Gad motioned towards Cen and Mul, the sister still holding on to her brother with a devastated expression. ¡°Them too. Patience.¡±


    Then she discreetly guided him towards Viy, with her eyes. Nar took a deep breath and held onto his shoulder again. That was a lot of patience she was asking from him.


    ¡°It will be worth it,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ll see. We¡¯ll get stronger. Better. Tighter.¡±


    Nar looked away. He couldn¡¯t even bring himself to nod. Not with the sort of thoughts he harbored.


    Maybe that was why she was talking to him, asking him for patience. Asking him to not leave them behind.


    But then again, even if did want to, could he?


    He stared at the broken guardian upon whose limbs he sat on.


    He couldn¡¯t tank one of those alone. He couldn¡¯t even DPS it alone.


    For better or for worse, he was stuck with these people. And they, in turn, needed him also. Gad may have been able to take that stab and go on fighting, but he doubted any of the others could have. And despite his shortcomings, this was the third time his DPS had come to the rescue.


    However, everything felt like such a mess.


    Crystal¡­ How am I supposed to do this? Have some mercy on me.


    ¡°We¡¯re stopping here for the day,¡± Kur said. ¡°We need to recover our status. Nar, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll heal¡­ I think.¡±


    Kur nodded. ¡°You will. You sleep now, alright? Let your HP recover. You won¡¯t be on watch today. Neither will you, Gad.¡±


    The tank frowned at him. ¡°But there aren¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Kur said. ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out.¡±


    Nar nodded, grateful, and Kur moved on to check on the rest of them.


    Speaking of HP¡­ Uh, 47. That¡¯s more than I had expected.


    What he had expected to see was his HP flashing red at him, nearly depleted after taking the brunt for that stab and crushing blow. To be honest, he had half expected it to see it at zero. However, it looked as though he had taken the damage better than he had thought possible.


    If he could get stabbed and still be roughly at around half of his HP, and this right after the Pressure had tried to flay his legs from him, maybe he wasn¡¯t doing so poorly on his hybrid path after all.


    Even now, the pain on his shoulder was slowly diminishing. If he could get more [Constitution], he might even be able to brush through such hits in the future. However, for that, he needed to suffer through pain and injury.


    A lot of pain and injury.


    Nothing would be given for free.


    If only he had a shield.


    Honestly, he was starting to feel tired of that thought.


    Anyways, speaking of [Constitution]... Where did that window go? Notifications, was it?


    He looked around his UI for a couple seconds before his eyes landed on the notifications symbol next to his status. It was a little gray exclamation mark. In fact, other than his health and stamina bars, everything else in his UI was gray. He briefly wondered if there was a meaning to that.


    He focused on the exclamation mark, and as expected, a tab popped open. It was a list of the notifications he had received so far.


    A window appeared, above the list.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    These are your notifications.


    Any and all communications from the System to you will be stored here.


    Simply focus on the notification you want to access.


    Currently, you can store up to 10 notifications. Any beyond that will be automatically erased, starting with the oldest.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar turned that window off, and focused on the latest notification in the list.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have defeated one Guardian Assailant 1. 210 experience points have been awarded.


    You have leveled up!


    You have gained:


    Constitution 11 -> 12


    Agility 7 -> 8


    Aura 28 -> 32


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    More [Aura], uh?


    He closed his eyes and sighed. He didn¡¯t have the strength to even feel angry, worried, disappointed or anything else other than resignation.


    Fine, Crystal Almighty, I¡¯ll endure and understand your lesson. I will earn Your mercy.


    As for the other gains, [Constitution] was exactly what he had been thinking about, and seeing its increase graced his lips with the shadow of a smile. He just hoped that he didn¡¯t need to get stabbed all the time to earn it. As for [Agility], he would have preferred [Strength], for his skills. However, it was at least still useful to have, especially now while he didn¡¯t have a shield. And even afterwards, [Agility] would always be a useful attribute for a melee fighter. Perhaps, it would even prove critical down the line of his path.


    However, for now, his focus was [Constitution] and [Strength]. One for defense, and the other equally both for defense and also for hitting things.


    He pulled up his attributes list.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    NAR293457741235645XAV


    Basic 5


    Health Points: 47/120


    Stamina: 22/110


    Attributes


    ¡ñ Strength: 11


    ¡ñ Constitution: 12


    ¡ñ Stamina: 11


    ¡ñ Agility: 8


    ¡ñ Speed: 7


    ¡ñ Aura: 32


    ¡ñ ???: 5


    ¡ñ ???: 10


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Level 5 already, and not much better than when I started... It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll build my path slowly if I have to. No matter what happens or whatever it takes. And who knows, maybe one of those [???] attributes will be the breakthrough I need.


    He just had to be patient, repent, and atone. And of course, show that he was willing to work his but off to earn it all.


    ¡°Good gains?¡±


    Nar looked up, and found the trugger towering over him. It was easy to forget how tall the ring tosser was, especially next to Gad and Kur, who were both much more buff than he was. In reality however, the trugger actually stood somewhere in between Kur and Gad in terms of height.


    ¡°I¡­ Yeah. I guess,¡± Nar said. ¡°You?¡±


    Tuk offered him a brief smile. ¡°All good man. All good.¡±


    Nar nodded, suddenly feeling awkward. Was Tuk disappointed at his gains?


    Can¡¯t be more than me. I¡¯m already at 32 points of [Aura]...


    ¡°Here,¡± Tuk said, offering him a hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d want to sleep on top of that.¡±


    Nar frowned and looked down. ¡°Oh¡­ Yeah. No.¡±


    He took Tuk¡¯s hand and the trugger grunted to lift him off the broken guardian.


    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re heavy!¡± Tuk said.


    Nar snorted. ¡°That''s just the Pressure.¡±


    ¡°Nah man, I''m just weak.¡±


    Tuk guided him towards Jul, who flashed him with a brief startled look, then turned her head away. However, she moved to make some space for him to sit next to her.


    Tuk lowered him down, grunting as he attempted to do so gently. ¡°There you go. Now sleep, man. That thing looks nasty.¡±


    Nar nodded. Now that he thought about it, he did feel tired. Really tired.


    The trugger left them alone, and Nar sighed.


    Stabbed, eh? Now that¡¯s something.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Nar turned his head slightly. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jul said. ¡°I won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    Nar considered her for a moment. She wasn¡¯t looking at him, but she had turned her face to him enough that he could just see, peeking from behind her green hair, a hint of green blue eye.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he finally said. ¡°It could be dangerous. You¡¯re safer next to Kur, okay?¡±


    She nodded.


    Nar closed his eyes.


    He couldn¡¯t really blame her, could he? She didn¡¯t even have a combat class, much less a weapon. He did, and he had been terrified.


    In fact, as he fell asleep, an uncomfortable thought slithered into his mind.


    Had he not hesitated, and tanked that guardian as he should have, would Viy and Mul not have been safe? He knew that Gad wasn¡¯t going to be able to stop the guardian as usual. Not with her legs busted up like that by the Pressure.


    And he had moved. He was in the right place and at the right time to stop it.


    But he hadn¡¯t.


    Had it all been his fault in the end? Could he have prevented all of it?


    Had he failed as their secondary tank?


    It was a thought that troubled him deeply.


    If not them, it would have been me¡­ he thought, eventually. And would they have saved me?


    He didn¡¯t know.


    It didn¡¯t matter.


    He had still saved Viy, and taken the hit for it. That was all that mattered.


    ********


    Nar woke up some time later.


    His head pounded, and everything felt wrong.


    A familiar metallic taste coated his tongue, and something wet and warm dripped down his face.


    What¡­ Why¡­ Is¡­


    His thoughts formed slowly.


    He was so tired. Everything was so heavy and his shoulder and hip screamed at him.


    The others were strewn around him, passed out, and the downed guardian was still there, grotesquely lit in the yellow of the arrows.


    The Pressure!


    That was it. It had to be. They must have been hit again while he slept.


    Since he was hurt and exhausted, it must have hit him harder than usual.


    Nearby, he heard the soft sound of clothes dragging across the floor.


    Cen sat up.


    She looked at the downed party around her with an empty stare.


    ¡°Cen¡­¡± Nar called her. His throat felt like he had just swallowed a handful of aetherium, poison and all.


    The caster startled and turned around.


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    ¡°Cen¡­¡±


    He was drifting off again.


    Before he did, however, he swore he heard her sob.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was my fault. It was all my fault,¡± she whispered.


    Then, he was gone.

 Chapter 18 - Blocked

    ¡°Nar? Wake up, Nar.¡±


    He returned from afar, to the sensation of light fingers gently shaking him.


    ¡°Whaaaaat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go,¡± Jul said.


    Nar opened his eyes and frowned at her.


    ¡°Already?¡± he asked.


    She grimaced. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been six hours. Kur says we need to get going.¡±


    Nar stared at her, blinking slowly.


    ¡°I slept for six hours?¡±


    Jul nodded.


    Nar groaned and sat up straighter.


    He had forgotten his pillow, and his head hurt from sleeping against the wall.


    A vague memory slipped in and out of focus, too fast for him to do more than catch a glimpse of it


    ¡°Did we get hit again?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, two times, I think,¡± she said, avoiding his eyes.


    That probably explained why he felt like he had been dragged across the pile.


    ¡°The others?¡± he asked.


    ¡°All good,¡± she said, looking down, her voice dropping.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Mul isn¡¯t happy with me¡­¡±


    Nar swallowed his rising anger. ¡°Because you ran?¡±


    She nodded.


    He sighed, forcing himself to remain calm. He didn¡¯t need this, first thing in the morning.


    ¡°Ignore him. But don¡¯t do it again, you hear me? Or I won¡¯t be happy with you either. It''s too dangerous.¡±


    She looked at him with very big eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now help me up, please. I feel like I didn¡¯t even sleep.¡±


    Jul stood up and offered him all four hands, Nar reached up and she pulled him easily to his feet. She was strong. She had to have some [Strength] in her. Or who knows, maybe she worked the pile and was stronger than her stature promised.


    ¡°I¡­ I can carry you.¡±


    Nar was taken aback by the sudden offer.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Thank you. I¡¯m okay though.¡±


    She nodded, her expression very serious. ¡°If you need, tell me.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Sure. I will. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Also, maybe you should change.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    She pointed at his chest and Nar looked down at himself.


    His chest showed through the gaping holes of his shirt. A dangerous rip, coming down his left shoulder where he had been stabbed, threatened to have the whole thing come undone. All the blood stains and myriad other cuts, tears and holes, completed the look. He was actually surprised the shirt was still held in place.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah, I think I will.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to take the whole morning?¡±


    Jul flinched and Nar glared over her shoulder.


    Mul looked like a dangerous slope of aetherium, ready to turn into a catastrophic pileslide at any moment. Next to him, his sister was a startling opposite. She stared at the floor, her expression blanched of any and all emotion. Her eyes were puffy and dark from too much rubbing or too much crying. Probably both.


    Something tickled his memory again, but this time he got nothing.


    ¡°You ready?¡± Kur asked.


    Nar nodded. ¡°Thanks for letting me sleep.¡±


    ¡°No worries, you needed it. I¡¯m sorry it wasn¡¯t for longer.¡±


    Nar waved his apology away.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Hey, how¡¯s the shoulder?¡± Tuk asked, looking back at Nar.


    ¡°Hurts. But it''s not bleeding anymore.¡±


    ¡°Nice!¡± Tuk said, giving him a thumbs up. ¡°This HP thing is amazing. But watch your back next time, man. That was horrible to see. I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you.¡±


    Nar smiled. ¡°I will, Tuk.¡±


    Tuk nodded at him and faced forward, walking into formation.


    With Jul gone, walking next to Kur, Nar was, once again, left alone at the back of the party.


    Watch my back. Eh! Easier said than done.


    However, he couldn¡¯t deny that there was something to Tuk¡¯s words. As a shieldless tank, and even if he did have a shield, he was a melee, meant to fight up close to the enemy. He needed to pay more attention.


    He had some [Speed] and [Agility]. More than Gad, he assumed. That meant he could move better and faster. And the sword was more versatile in his hands than her bulky, albeit safeguarding shield. But how was he meant to pay attention to so many attacks coming at him all at once? And how could he defend himself from the ones coming from behind him, or his blind spots?


    The only way that occurred to him, where doing so could even become remotely possible, was to pay such a degree of attention, basically look and even hear the enemy so closely, that he could catch all the hints and precursors of an attack.


    But that¡¯s impossible.


    Even with [Speed] and [Agility] attributes, there had to be limits to what he could do. However, maybe that was exactly what he should try.


    I mean, not like I have any other choice. I have to fight with what I got.


    Besides, the gnawing thought from the previous night had returned. And he could not deny it.


    The more he thought about it, the more he came to the realization that he should''ve stepped in when Gad fell. He would''ve at least distracted the guardian, preventing it from taking hold of Viy and Mul. In turn, that would¡¯ve kept them both in the fight, dishing out DPS, and since Mul would¡¯ve been safe, Cen wouldn¡¯t have lost it either.


    He had been crucial as the secondary tank, and he had fumbled it. More than that, his lack of action had almost resulted in their complete wipe.


    He may not care for them, but as a tank, he had the responsibility to keep them safe. Shield or no shield, he had made the choice, and that was the promise he had made to Kur. Twice, now.


    Adding to that, the Crystal was always watching. Cowards weren¡¯t rewarded, and he had acted just as Jul had. He had balked from the challenge. Had he stepped up to it, who knows what gains he would¡¯ve made.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I won¡¯t do it again. I promise, Crystal. I will do my best.


    It was not his responsibility to keep anyone alive if they did something stupid, but in a fight, the DPS counted on him to concentrate on their role. And Kur, as their party leader, could only focus on the flow of the fight if he could trust that the tanks had him covered.


    Next time, I¡¯ll do better. Not for them, but for the path, for the Crystal, and for my dad.


    Staring at the party that he had let down, he couldn¡¯t help but notice Cen.


    She looked so miserable. And Mul¡¯s repeated backward glances at his sister were starting to affect him.


    Maybe things weren¡¯t going well for Cen. They were level 5 now, and the promised magic was nowhere to be found. He doubted that Cen had secretly unlocked [Aether] without telling them. Why would she? It would¡¯ve been something to celebrate in that downright miserable Pressure.


    No, the fact that she hadn''t said anything meant that she still didn¡¯t have any magic.


    Maybe her gains aren¡¯t going well, then. Or her path, Nar thought.


    To be honest, he had been wondering about the usefulness of her little air puffs. And of Tuk¡¯s rings too, though to a lesser degree.


    He had watched the whole of the second fight, and it looked like Viy and Mul had been the ones responsible for the destruction of that guardian.


    Even in their previous fight, Tuk¡¯s rings had zipped in and out of his focus, seemingly doing nothing but bouncing off the guardian.


    He could be wrong though. Now that he had stepped into the Nexus, a sentient¡¯s life, and, evidently, a guardian¡¯s too, was dictated by their HP instead of the rules he had been used to all his life. Maybe Tuk and Cen were doing much more than he noticed to whittle away at the enemy¡¯s protective HP¡­


    Still, he felt for Cen.


    He couldn¡¯t wait to get magic either.


    Fire. Electricity. Wind. Ice. Or something else entirely.


    It was hard to make out what all the options were from the faded squiggles in the icons. He had to trust the priest¡¯s interpretation and passed down knowledge for it.


    It didn¡¯t matter what he got, however, he was happy to take anything, as long as it led him to power, and back to his dad.


    I wonder what it will be. Wind or electricity. Yeah¡­ One of those would be amazing, oh Crystal All Benevolent.


    Soon, the monotony and the Pressure reduced him to his usual blank state of pushing one foot in front of the other. His hip healed, and a couple of days later, his shoulder wound was gone, not even a scar left in its place. It was astounding.


    The waves hit, again and again, and he grit his teeth, and clenched his fists, holding on with all he had.


    Walk, watch and sleep. Sometimes, eat and drink.


    Days and days of it.


    On their eighth day following the attack that had almost ended them, Jul warned them of another incoming attack.


    Fortunately for them, this time they were well prepared for it. Gad took its charge with nary a grunt, clearly having had received some pretty good gains from their previous fight, and both Mul and Viy moved in for the kill.


    Tuk and Cen fired upon the enemy from the back, and Kur coordinated them flawlessly, calling them back or sending them in, and calling the skills in the best order.


    Eventually, Mul, the insufferable brawler, put the guardian out of its misery.


    Surprisingly, however, he was not happy.


    ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± the brawler shouted. ¡°Where¡¯s my level up?¡±


    Nar re-read the single sentence in front of him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have defeated one Guardian Defender 1. 131 experience points have been awarded.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    No level up. No gains.


    ¡°No one leveled up?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Nothing here,¡± Gad replied.


    ¡°Did we do something wrong?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Kur repeated, staring at the broken guardian. ¡°What could we have done wrong? And how?¡±


    ¡°There was nothing wrong!¡± Mul shouted, shaking a fist at the ceiling. ¡°We killed it, fair and square!¡±


    Who¡¯s he shouting at? The Crystal? Nar thought. Has he lost it? Shouting at the Crystal¡­


    Nar shook his head


    ¡°Maybe we just didn¡¯t get enough experience,¡± Gad said. ¡°It did say that we would need more of it as we leveled up.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I remember that,¡± Kur said, nodding. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s got to be that!¡±


    That seemed about right to Nar, they were at level 5 now. He couldn¡¯t expect to continue leveling up after each fight forever. That would¡¯ve been too easy.


    Easy? He caught himself.


    It had been anything but!


    Although, I really didn¡¯t do anything this time around. Again.


    However, he was willing to trust Kur. The party leader had proved himself exemplary thus far, especially by joining the fray when things looked sure to end badly. He had earned Nar''s trust and patience, so Nar swallowed the meager experience points he had gained and said nothing of it.


    After a longer two-hour break, they got underway again.


    Not even an hour later, Jul sounded the alarm once more. ¡°Incoming!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kur asked, perplexed.


    Gad, amazing as she was, was ready for it. However, the guardian¡¯s rolling charge managed to push her back this time.


    ¡°Nar, be ready to swap out with her,¡± Kur said, after all the DPS had begun their assault.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Nar said.


    He licked his lips and gripped his sword tighter.


    This time he was ready for it. He was scared, yes, but he wasn¡¯t going to let that stop him again.


    ¡°Gad, we¡¯ll go through one more taunt, then you swap with Nar.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡±


    Gad soon shouted for the end of the current taunt, and the DPS moved back before Kur had to say anything. When she gave the all clear again, half a minute later, Kur sent them back in, and Nar approached the middle of the party, ready for his chance, while still keeping an eye behind him.


    His heart beat fast and anxious. Gad was impressive. Stunning even, in how she kept the thing away from them. He could only hope that he could perform at least half as good as her.


    ¡°Losing it!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°Back! Everyone back! Nar, go!¡± Kur shouted.


    Nar dashed forward before any doubts could stop him again.


    He was past Kur, Jul, Tuk and Cen in a flash, and in another blink, he was past Viy and Mul.


    Gad moved slightly to the right, giving him an opening.


    Nar lent his momentum to a downward strike and hit the guardian full on its body.


    ¡°You can do it!¡± Gad shouted, retreating.


    The guardian seemed almost dazed by Nar¡¯s sudden attack, but soon, it was lashing at him with its usual ferocity.


    Pay attention. Pay. Attention.


    The strikes came from everywhere, and Nar did what he could. The sword was still clumsy in his hands, and he was forced to take a lot of damage on his left arm, using it as a makeshift shield. However, somehow, he seemed to be doing it.


    ¡°Ranged first!¡± Kur shouted from the back.


    The distraction caused by following one of Tuk¡¯s rings almost got him run through. He only managed to get his sword in the way of that blade at the last split-second.


    Focus, Nar! Focus!


    The hits and blades blurred into one, long, continuous assault. The guardian never seemed to tire.


    At some point, he became aware of Viy¡¯s spear darting in and out of the corner of his left eye, and caught Mul trying to get under the guardian, to attack him from below.


    Crystal!


    Annoying shit that he was, the brawler sure was brave! He couldn¡¯t deny that.


    Nar did his best to keep up, receiving bruises and cuts all over him.


    However, he did not let up, nor did he cry for Gad to come and replace him.


    It was just like the machine. The shift either ended, or he passed out. The quota was unforgiving, and so was the guardian.


    Thankfully, it seemed happy to focus on him, with only the occasional attack aimed at Viy or Mul.


    ¡°Nar, what''s your HP?¡± Kur shouted.


    Nar woke up from the trance he had fallen into, and risked a quick glance at his health bar.


    ¡°87!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Alright. Looks good! Everyone, let¡¯s finish it! Mul, skill!¡±


    Now that he was looking again, he noticed that the guardian was bleeding goo from multiple wounds. It was also going at him at a much more sedated pace. It wasn¡¯t easy. Not in any way, but it was more manageable.


    Mul¡¯s punch rocked the guardian, and for a split second, Nar saw an opening.


    However, before he could take it, Viy¡¯s spear plunged into it, piercing through the remainder of the guardian¡¯s HP.


    The spear went in, and out, spraying light brown in its wake.


    A last feeble swipe at Nar, which he parried with ease, and the guardian dropped, and moved no more.


    Holy Crystal. I did it! Nar thought, staring at the destroyed machine at his feet with wide eyes. I did it! Even without a shield!


    He had managed to parry and weave himself around most of the damage. Ignoring the window in front of him, he checked his HP.


    The final count stood at 71/120 HP, meaning 49 points of damage taken. That couldn¡¯t be too bad right? He still relied too much on his left arm to act as a shield though. That was something he needed to work on.


    From his left, Mul exhaled in an exasperated, dramatic way.


    ¡°No level. Again!¡± he shouted, kicking the dead guardian.


    ¡°What?¡± Nar said.


    Confused, he read the window. Again, a single sentence awaited him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have defeated one Guardian Assailant 1. 367 experience points have been awarded.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    367?


    That was the highest he had received so far!


    And yet, no level up?


    Together with his previous 120 something experience points, that should have been enough, no? More than enough, if calculations and memory served him right.


    He closed off the window, his victory and success forgotten, and looked at Kur for answers.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get anything either,¡± the party leader said.


    ¡°Do we just need even more?¡± Gad asked. However, she didn¡¯t sound very confident in that theory.


    ¡°I think it should¡¯ve been enough,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake¡­¡± Mul muttered.


    The brawler stomped off to go check on his sister, who still remained quiet. As he approached, she offered him a weak smile, and they had a hushed conversation.


    Nar was starting to get worried about her. And Viy was another who had started down the silent route.


    What in the Nexus was wrong with them? Was it just their gains? The lack of magic? The unyielding Pressure? Something else entirely?


    Viy had her nightmares, probably caused by something from back in the cubeplant. But Cen though? He couldn¡¯t even begin to guess at what was bothering her. But there had to be something. That was not the Cen he had first met, all those weeks ago.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just take a break for now,¡± Kur said. ¡°More important than the lack of levels, is that we were attacked twice in the same day, and we don¡¯t know if this is the last of it. So, everyone, rest for now. Gad and Nar, you take priority, just in case.¡±


    Nar scanned the darkness ahead of him, past the broken guardian sprawled at his feet.


    Victory had felt good, a validation of sorts, that he was capable of tanking. Even without a shield, a tank¡¯s [Constitution] or their skills.


    However, that sensation was quickly replaced by one of rising unease.


    What else was about to be thrown at them? And where was the end of that damned corridor?

 Chapter 19 - The Light We Follow

    Mercifully, nothing else happened that night, and everyone was able to get their share of Pressure sleep.


    However, sleeping meant nothing.


    His muscles grew heavier.


    His eyes were always sore and gritty.


    His bones felt as though they belonged in someone else¡¯s body.


    Nothing in him was right anymore.


    HP or no HP, the Pressure was slowly sapping the life from him.


    He croaked, wordlessly, as he got back up on his feet, and leaned against the wall, waiting for the corridor, that damned endless corridor, to stop spinning.


    Please, let me sleep, oh Great Crystal. I don¡¯t know how much more I can take.


    He didn¡¯t ask for food. Or a toilet. Or a blaster. Or new clothes.


    Just sleep. A real, proper sleep.


    Please, I just want to sleep.


    Pressure, corridor, and maybe now, a stream of guardians. He almost burst out laughing. It was hard not to, but he feared what that laughter would have come out sounding like.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Jul shouted, making him look up


    A guardian rolled towards them, though not too fast.


    A quick glance told him that Gad was still seated, and his battered mind triggered before he even realized what was happening.


    He and the guardian clashed.


    Now, at least, he was fully awake.


    Nar was forced back, a hand against the flat of the blade. The guardian, still rolling, forced him backwards, step by step, its blades raising sparks against the floor and his sword. The noise was an attack of its own, a high-pitched scream of metal on metal on floor.


    I¡¯m too weak!


    His back bumped against something hard and solid, and he finally held.


    ¡°Good job!¡± Gad said, above his head. ¡°I¡¯ll taunt it!¡±


    The guardian unraveled itself, his rolling attack having lost all momentum.


    Nar stepped aside, ducking under her right arm, and let Gad taunt it.


    ¡°Move!¡± Mul shouted, from behind him.


    Nar flinched out of the way and the brawler bumped against his leg, almost sending him careening to the floor.


    Ah, you fuc¡­


    ¡°Nar, get back!¡± Kur called him.


    Fuming, Nar stepped back from the frontline.


    ¡°That was amazing, man!¡± Kur said, slapping his shoulder. ¡°You saved us!¡±


    Nar nodded, his chest raising up and down. His sight blurred in and out of focus in tandem with his heartbeat.


    ¡°Ranged!¡± Kur shouted, then he patted his shoulder again. ¡°Nar, get back behind us.¡±


    Nar stumbled back to his spot, letting the others handle the guardian.


    The fight proved uneventful.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have defeated one Guardian Defender 1. 201 experience points have been awarded.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°No levels again,¡± Kur said.


    Mul glared at the broken enemy, but otherwise, kept his mouth shut. It was something for which Nar, and everyone else for that matter, was grateful.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°I think something¡¯s wrong,¡± Gad said, wiping the sweat from her eyes and forehead. ¡°We definitely have enough experience by now. More than enough.¡±


    Kur nodded, rubbing his chin. ¡°I think we¡¯re not being allowed to level.¡±


    Nar lowered his sword to the floor and leaned on it.


    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± Mul asked. ¡°Just stay here and take it?¡±


    Kur glared at him.


    ¡°As opposed to what?¡± he asked.


    ¡°There has to be something we can do!¡± Mul shouted. ¡°Why don¡¯t you send her to look for a way out? She¡¯s our scout, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°She has a name. It¡¯s Jul, and no, I¡¯m not sending anyone to die out there.¡±


    Mul scoffed. ¡°Fucking cowards¡­ All of you. I¡¯ll go then!¡±


    ¡°No! You can¡¯t!¡± Jul shouted.


    ¡°Watch me!¡±


    Ah, just let him, Nar thought. Doubt he¡¯s going far.


    ¡°Mul, stop!¡± Cen said. ¡°Let¡¯s just talk about this!¡±


    It was almost strange hearing her speaking again.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about.¡±


    The tone, and the look on Mul¡¯s face, startled Nar. There was no bravado. No arrogance. It was¡­ Whatever it was, it was not the face of a man in control.


    ¡°Mul, it will be alright,¡± Tuk said. ¡°We¡¯ve gotten through everything so far. We can do this, man, alright?¡±


    Mul¡¯s breathing was coming up shallow and quick, and his eyes shifted from one person to another.


    Nar straightened up. Is he¡­ Getting a panic attack?


    ¡°Mul, it will be alright,¡± Kur said, half raising his hands. ¡°Everything is going to be alright, okay?¡±


    Mul licked his lips and shook his head. ¡°No¡­ You don¡¯t understand! I have to¡­¡±


    He turned and sprinted towards the darkness.


    ¡°Mul, no!¡± Cen screamed, taking off after him.


    Before any of them could take a step, Jul stopped them. ¡°No! It won¡¯t work. He can¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kur asked. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just wait,¡± Jul said, defeated. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±


    The twins ran towards the darkness ahead of them. Cen shouted after her brother, but Mul, sprinting like a mad man, as if his life depended on it, ignored her


    Then, he came to a screeching halt.


    Two seconds later, so did Cen.


    The two of them stood at the edge of the impenetrable darkness, as though unable to take another step.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Tuk whispered.


    Nar stared in shock. ¡°The path didn¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°What in the pile¡­ Did you know about this?¡± Kur asked the scout.


    She squirmed, shifting from foot to foot. ¡°Yes¡­ The path will only follow you.¡±


    ¡°It¡­ What?¡±


    ¡°Walk,¡± Jul said, pointing forward.


    Stunned, Kur took a few steps forward.


    Ahead of them, arrows sprung into being, just like they always did.


    Behind him, out of the corner of his eyes, Nar noticed the darkness encroaching upon him.


    ¡°My Crystal,¡± Kur whispered. ¡°It follows me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But only forward,¡± Jul whispered. ¡°We can¡¯t go back¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°The party leader,¡± Gad said, nodding gravely. ¡°It makes sense.¡±


    Nar clenched the sword¡¯s grip.


    If he still held any thoughts of leaving this party behind, he could let go of them now. This tied him to Kur, and Kur would never leave the others. He was stuck with them, for better or for worse, till the very end.


    Crystal damn it¡­


    Crystal damn it all. This made it all so much worse. It effectively tied them all to Kur¡­ And to each other.


    ¡°So, without you, we can¡¯t Climb?¡± Tuk asked, reaching the same conclusion as Nar.


    Kur looked as though he had been punched.


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know!¡± he stammered. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! I swear!¡±


    ¡°Relax,¡± Gad said. ¡°No one here suspects you of anything. It¡¯s just the way things are. And the plan was always for us to Climb together anyway, so what does it matter?¡±


    It matters because if he dies, we all die! Nar thought, just barely holding his tongue.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I had no idea,¡± Kur said.


    Beyond them, Mul stared back at Kur with a drained expression. Defeated.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡± Kur asked Jul.


    She looked down. ¡°I didn¡¯t know if it was a bad thing¡­¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t matter, Jul! It was something we had to know!¡± Kur said. ¡°You have to tell us everything from now on, okay? Let us decide, all of us, together!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I will.¡±


    Kur held his forehead. ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°We have to keep going,¡± Jul said. ¡°Or else something bad will happen to us.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tuk asked.


    Jul pressed her lips, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. ¡°I can¡­ Feel things. Bad things. Before they happen.¡±


    ¡°No way¡­¡± Tuk said, his jaw drooping.


    ¡°Really?¡± Gad asked.


    Jul nodded. ¡°It was weak at first, and I thought it was just in my head. But it''s stronger now. I think it¡¯s one of my unknown attributes. There¡¯s a lot of points in it¡­¡±


    She took a deep breath, having almost ran out by the end of her sentence. It was probably the longest she had spoken so far.


    So, she has those unknown attributes too? It¡¯s not just me? Nar thought, caught between relief and incredulity at her revelation.


    ¡°Could be a scout thing,¡± Kur said. ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s amazing. And something else you should¡¯ve told us.¡±


    She bowed her head, hiding her face behind her hair.


    Kur sighed. ¡°It¡¯s fine, as long as you don¡¯t do it again. And Mul, Cen, get back over here, or are you trying to get yourselves killed?¡±


    Mutely, the two lengos walked back to the party.


    Kur stared at them until they came to a halt before him.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s rough,¡± he said, waving at the Pressure that hung over them. ¡°But neither panicking nor rushing is going to get us out of here any faster. We need to be patient, we need to keep our pace and our stamina, and we need to win the fights the Crystal sets for us. That is the only way. You need to be patient. You need to take it. Do you understand?¡±


    The twins nodded. Mul only barely so. Begrudgingly.


    ¡°Good. So, if everyone¡¯s status is okay, we will continue. If anyone is tired, depleted or hurt, we will stop and rest. It will take as long as it needs to. Is that clear to everyone?¡±


    Nar nodded alongside the others, staring down at his sword.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how long this Climb is meant to be. The Nexus is supposed to be infinite. It could take us months. It could take us years. We could be walking in circles. Shit, we could even be going down. It doesn¡¯t matter. The Crystal¡¯s Will be done, and we¡¯ll endure It. Is that clear? Good, now let¡¯s walk for another bit. Calmly, and patiently, so we don¡¯t spend too much stamina.¡±


    Silently, the chastised party fell back into formation, and stepped forward.


    Nar lifted his sword and leaned it against his shoulder.


    He had to change his plan. He needed Kur. He wasn¡¯t disposable after all. None of them were.


    Being left to slowly die in that forever darkness was not an option.


    Maybe if Kur died, another one amongst them would be chosen to continue the path. However, was that a risk he was willing to take? Who amongst them could lead them as effectively as Kur had, being a manager brat? Maybe Gad¡­ But all the same, he didn¡¯t want to see it happen.


    Which meant that, from now on, Nar would have to do his damnedest to make sure the party leader stayed alive.


    Else, bye-bye path, and bye-bye light.

 Chapter 20 - They Will Die WIthout Us

    Nar considered the half-eaten square of cracker between his fingers.


    It was the last half of his fourth cracker.


    He wasn¡¯t supposed to have finished two of them, let alone be finishing his fourth.


    He wanted to blame the others. They ate every two or three days, lacking his discipline and need. And there was only so much pretending he could do before someone noticed it.


    However, the blame didn¡¯t rest solely with the party.


    Truth was, when they were hungry, so was he. Perhaps with the exception of Mul.


    Cen, slowly making a recovery from whatever it was that had been bothering her, had started talking again. And she had her hands full and her patience tested on the daily, having to keep Mul from plowing through his rations in the name of his new found gluttony.


    However, if he was to speak honestly, which he would never do, he understood the brawler. Nar was hungry. So hungry.


    He was hungry almost every two days, sometimes, every day and a half.


    Unlike the lengos however, he couldn¡¯t simply give in to his stomach. After this meal, he would be down to only six crackers. If things continued at the same pace, he would be out of food in less than ten weeks.


    Two months and half, he thought.


    He turned the half-munched piece in his hands.


    Will that be enough?


    There had to be a dispenser somewhere, at some point. Right? They had been promised that there would be.


    Nar pondered his options, staring at the piece of food.


    Should he set a limit? Try to go hungry once he reached four or perhaps three crackers? Say that his stomach hurt, or something?


    He grimaced. Could he do it, though, even if he had to?


    He was no stranger to hunger, but this was something else. The pain in his stomach grew with each passing day. At last, at max three days after his last meal, he had to succumb to it, and eat, or he felt too weak to keep going.


    He didn¡¯t understand it, and this had been yet another unanswered question added to his growing list. Whatever the reason, his body was demanding more food, and he didn¡¯t know yet how large that demand would grow to become.


    He sighed and popped the whole thing into his mouth. It was tough, and rubbery, an exercise to his jaws. Briefly, he wondered what food would be like in the O-Nex.


    Better. That was all that the workers remembered.


    Real food, they called it. Whatever that meant to a people who had forgotten what day and night was.


    He snorted.


    It was not relevant for his current predicament. For now, he would continue to eat. Hopefully, there would be a dispenser soon. If not, well, he would decide then.


    The others were strewn around their small Nexus of light, huddled together in little clusters.


    Their third encounter of the day had finally exhausted the little energy and willpower they had woken with, and Kur had ordered a break.


    He and Tuk now talked in a hushed conversation, a few feet away.


    They had called him over, but Nar had politely declined to join them. He had felt too tired for chatter.


    Next to him, Jul had fallen asleep. Her brow was marred by a deep frown, and she was drenched in sweat.


    Another one with nightmares, Nar thought.


    Beyond her, Viy muttered and whimpered in her sleep, tossing and turning.


    Nar scratched the side of his jaw, considering the pale spear woman.


    While Cen was seemingly making a slow, but steady, comeback, Viy looked to be spiraling in the opposite direction. She barely spoke now, and only to Gad. Her sleep was plagued by nightmares, and her eyes had adopted a permanent red tint, with huge dark bags forming underneath them.


    Unlike Mul, the ever annoyance, Viy never complained. She went to sleep, she got up, she walked, she fought, she ate.


    While he still felt somewhat slighted at her lack of gratitude to anyone who helped her, especially him and Jul, more and more he felt sorry for her. He was starting to dread whatever had pushed her out of the cubeplant.


    Memories sighed by his mind. Time had faded the details, probably made it less bad than he remembered it, but he hadn''t forgotten. And he would never be able to.


    He clenched his jaw and shook his head, driving the images from his mind.


    The feelings.


    The sensations.


    Whatever had happened to Viy, Nar hoped it wasn¡¯t as bad as he feared.


    He shook his head harder, twisting his face in disgust. The more he thought about the past, the sharper the memories became.


    ¡°Ouch¡­¡± he muttered.


    The movement sent waves of pain rocking from his left side.


    He had tanked that last, third guardian of the day, and the thing had managed to land a solid hit under his left arm.


    No matter how much he struggled, how much he tried to see and catch every hint of the guardians¡¯ movements, there were always surprises.


    Blows coming at him from blind spots. Blades appearing where he least expected¡­


    Sometimes he convinced himself that he was getting better. His sword was faster, less clumsy and better positioned to block the damage. At others, it felt that he was attempting the impossible. Either he was trying to react faster than the enemy could hit him, or he was trying to predict what it would do next. Either way, neither seemed realistic.


    He leaned his head on his hand, his elbow propped against his knee.


    He still lamented the lack of a shield, but he had grown tired of whining about it, even if just to himself. All he had was the longsword for now, and so, he had to do the best he could with it. And he wondered if he was being too harsh on himself.


    After all, barely a month and a half ago, he had never even touched a sword before.


    It was impossible to expect himself to pick it up and become a sword master in the blink of an eye. It would come with time. With experience. With errors and mistakes. And, unfortunately, with plenty of injury too. But it would come.


    Eventually.


    With nothing better to do, Nar checked his stats.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    NAR293457741235645XAV


    Basic 5


    Health Points: 83/120


    Stamina: 74/110


    Attributes


    ¡ñ Strength: 11


    ¡ñ Constitution: 12


    ¡ñ Stamina: 11


    ¡ñ Agility: 8


    ¡ñ Speed: 7


    ¡ñ Aura: 32


    ¡ñ ???: 5


    ¡ñ ???: 10


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    No changes and no gains.


    Even a week after they¡¯d left the safe room, there were still no level ups in sight.


    The guardians accosted them two or three times a day, forcing them into slow battles of attrition and aggro.


    Kur never allowed them to use their skills, a fact that Mul complained constantly about. However, the party leader was worried about surprises, and he was firm in his stance that they needed to conserve their stamina.


    It was a good, logical and prudent argument, but it did make all their fights last much longer, and be more prone to injury. Case in point, the last fight.


    Nar had gotten tired. Sloppy. He slowed down and the guardian had scored its hit.


    He grimaced at the pain that shot up from his ribs, and adjusted his position against the wall, looking to be more comfortable.


    Ugh. Why does this HP not take away the pain?


    As if summoned by the thought of pain, the Pressure spiked around him.


    Oh, for the love of¡­


    He grunted through his teeth.


    The Pressure rose quickly to a crescendo of noise, and forced his chin to his chest.


    The pain ground his stomach this time. It was a slow, wrenching, fistful of jagged aetherium slowly twisting inside him.


    The Pressure also exacerbated the pain from his bruised ribs.


    Nar plunged into a blindness of pain, heat, and crushing, merciless weight.


    When it was over, Nar pushed himself forward and puked.


    ¡°Crystal dammit¡­¡± he muttered, in between spitting crimson stickiness.


    He leaned back again, breathing sorely.


    His body was broken. Abused. He had gone beyond what was physically possible. Perhaps even beyond what the Source allowed him as well.


    He wanted to curl into a little hole and weep.


    Was this not enough yet? He had bled. He had cried. He had suffered. What more did the Crystal want? For how much longer did It want to see him suffer and writhe in agony?


    He clenched his fists, digging his nails into his flesh.


    His hands shook. He felt no pain from his nails. There was barely any strength to his grip. However, his emotions boiled within him.


    It was only with every last remaining shred of willpower that he pushed them down.


    Whatever You want to do, just do it. As long as You give me what I want.


    If the Crystal did not, however¡­ No. He couldn¡¯t even consider the thought of it.


    The others woke, one by one. Around them, the floor was soon too disgusting to look at, and the stench of it filled their nostrils.


    ¡°Let-Let¡¯s go somewhere else,¡± Kur said, wiping his mouth with his forearm. ¡°Not too far¡­ Just-just enough.¡±


    Swallowing his pain, Nar got to his feet.


    They walked as if with a foot already in the recycler.


    Mul and Cen supported each other. Tuk swayed from one side of the corridor to the other, zigzagging erratically after Kur and Jul. The two of them took their steps slowly, measured, as if to make sure their next step was indeed capable of supporting them. And at the front, Gad carried Viy forward.


    The spear dragged behind them, and Viy¡¯s head lolled with each of Gad¡¯s ponderous steps. Nar couldn¡¯t even tell if she was awake or not.


    They had reached their limits long ago. Yet, the Crystal had remained deaf to his prayers and begging, and Nar doubted he was the only praying.


    Ignoring their silent cries, however, the Crystal continued their atonement. Or should he say torment?This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    HP recovered after each encounter and Pressure hit. Stamina recovered after each restless sleep. But the constant buzz never stopped. The weight and heat never let up.


    Slowly, they reached the end of the third week since they had left the safe room, though he wasn¡¯t sure if he was keeping proper track of the time. Without the date feature of his clock, of which he only understood vaguely, it was hard to keep track of the passage of days in their corridor of madness.


    And there was no respite at all.


    Nar couldn¡¯t even remember what silence sounded like anymore.


    Oftentimes he found himself yearning for his home, in the Unclean¡¯s little ring of empty houses. Coming home, from that loud, noisy factory, was always such a bliss¡­


    But here there was no bliss to be found, and thinking about it only made him feel worse.


    With a startle, he spun, raising his sword to block¡­ Nothing.


    What in the pile? he thought, swaying from the sudden explosion of movement and crashing into the wall.


    He was¡­ Something had¡­But he had been¡­


    Dread spread through him, shivers bursting across his body.


    Am I¡­ Am I going crazy? Did I just imagine it?


    He had been so sure that he had¡­ What? Felt something?


    A sudden, splitting headache forced him to his knees.


    ¡°Nar? Are you okay?¡± Kur asked.


    Nar opened his mouth and let out a silent scream.


    Something dug into his mind with fingers made out of blades.


    ¡°Stop! Something¡¯s wrong! Stay in formation!¡±


    Nausea washed over Nar, and blood poured down his nose and ears.


    He felt careful, gentle hands on his back.


    ¡°What''s happening?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! Nar, can you hear me?¡± Kur asked.


    He could. By the Crystal, how he could! Why was he shouting so loudly right next to his ears?


    Jul¡¯s gasp was like a slap to his mind, and her shout, like a punch.


    ¡°Something¡¯s coming!¡± she shouted.


    Scratching reached him. It was faint, and buried under the Pressure, but it was there.


    Whatever was happening, pushed harder into his brain, and he crumbled to the floor, contorting in pain. His eyes screamed as though they were being stabbed repeatedly, and something drilled into his ears.


    ¡°Gad, tank it! I¡¯m staying here with him!¡± Kur shouted, sending another spike of pain reverberating through his ears and into his brain.


    The sound of the guardian smashing into Gad¡¯s shield nearly drove him over the edge of sanity, and he thrashed wildly.


    ¡°Crystal!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Hold him down!¡±


    Hands pushed down onto him.


    ¡°Nar! Nar!¡± Jul cried.


    A searing blindness exploded in his head, and Nar screamed wordlessly once again, a hollow rasp that seemed to never end.


    ¡°Shit¡­ Hold on, stay with him!¡± Kur said. ¡°Melee, what are you doing?¡±


    The sounds of the fighting were continuous blows to his head. The Nexus was pain. All was pain. And it was consuming him.


    ¡°Nar, what¡¯s happening?¡± Jul asked, screaming it in his ear. ¡°Tell me!¡±


    She shook him, relentless and Nar grit his teeth.


    ¡°So¡­ Loud¡­¡±


    ¡°L-Loud?¡± Jul asked, frowning. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Loud¡­ So loud!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Jul said, her fingers brushing against his face. ¡°What¡¯s happening? How did it happen?¡±


    ¡°Behind me¡­ Something!¡±


    ¡°Behind you? What do you¡­ Oh. Oh no!¡±


    She held him with two hands, and with the other two she gripped his face, forcing him to face her.


    ¡°What did you feel! Tell me!¡± she shouted.


    Nar tried to escape her, but the pain had locked away his [Strength], and her grip was unyielding.


    ¡°Tell me!¡± she said, shaking him. ¡°Was it something bad? Something scary? What was it?¡±


    Hot, burning tears streamed down the sides of his face.


    He was going to die. The pain was going to kill him.


    ¡°It was¡­ An attack¡­¡± he breathed, pushing the words out with the last of his strength.


    Jul hugged him tightly.


    ¡°Kur! There¡¯s something behind us!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something behind us!¡±


    The pain, suddenly, was gone. Nar hung limp in Jul¡¯s arms.


    Darkness descended on him, coming to embrace him.


    But he heard it.


    ¡°Crystal have mercy¡­¡± Kur said. ¡°There¡¯s another one behind us!¡±


    The guardian¡¯s approaching limbs pounded towards them. Calmly, as though it knew the party was about to meet its end.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Tuk shouted.


    ¡°Stay focused on the first one!¡± Kur replied. ¡°I¡¯ll try to distract it!¡±


    ¡°No! You can¡¯t even fight! ¡°Mul shouted. ¡°If you die, we¡¯re all dead!¡±


    Nar heard someone rush past him.


    He couldn¡¯t go to sleep. Not yet. Not now. When something was happening. Something that felt important. Crucial, to him, and all that he wanted in life.


    ¡°Jul¡­¡± he croaked. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± she said, holding him tighter.


    He pushed against her grip. ¡°Tell me¡­¡±


    She ignored him, and tried to hold him down.


    Somewhere behind Nar, Kur shouted a battle cry.


    ¡°Jul, if he dies, we all die with him,¡± Nar breathed. ¡°We have to help him¡­¡±


    That finally got through to her, and her grip slackened.


    Nar rolled backwards, ignoring pain, nausea and his very body threatening to break apart. That was it. Whatever had just happened to him, it had been the last piece of aetherium pulled from under the unstable pile. Everything was tethering now, about to come crashing down.


    Through teary eyes he found Kur standing before the guardian.


    With his tiny bucker, he shouted and swatted at the enemy, trying to keep it from plowing into the defenseless back of the party. And end them.


    He¡¯s going to get himself killed¡­ And then, we¡¯re all going to die. Here, in the darkness, shred to bits by those things.


    He closed his eyes and struggled to get his elbows under him. Then a knee.


    Move, damn it! Move!


    He punched his leg into place under him, and then, pulling on the last of willpower, got to his feet.


    ¡°My sword¡± he rasped, reaching his hand out. He didn¡¯t trust himself to turn and look for it.


    ¡°But you¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Jul sobbed but he ignored her, his trembling hand still waiting.


    The guardian was moving in, limbs spread out menacingly, ready to tear Kur limb from limb.


    ¡°Jul!¡±


    Finally, something came into contact with his palm, and he curled his fingers around it.


    The blade¡¯s weight nearly pulled him back down, but he held.


    He breathed deeply and stepped forward.


    His leg buckled, and almost brought him down.


    Snarling, he tried again.


    The second time, it held.


    ¡°Kur, get back!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Stay away, Nar!¡± his leader replied. ¡°You can¡¯t do it! Not like that!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t tank! Get back here!¡± Nar shouted at him.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Nar bared his teeth at the party leader¡¯s stubbornness, and forced his legs forward. To carry him towards the edge of light and darkness where the two of them faced off.


    The guardian suddenly lunged, the blade leaving a trail of bright yellow.


    Somehow, Kur managed to get his little buckler in the right place to keep him from being skewered through the heart. However, the thrust pushed him back.


    The party leader took three steps and fell on his ass, staring up in abject horror.


    The guardian grew upon him, ready to end his life. And all of theirs with it.


    ¡°Noooo!¡± Nar shouted.


    Attributes roared to life.


    Blades speared down towards Kur¡¯s horrified face.


    The moment seemed to drag, death slowly coming for him.


    Silence descended upon Nar except for his loud heartbeat. It drummed, steadily, in his ears, as he ran towards the frozen party leader.


    It couldn¡¯t end here.


    Not like that.


    Nar was not going to let it happen.


    He swung, jumping above Kur, and his sword pushed away all the blades coming down on him.


    Time returned to normal, and Nar crashed into the guardian, sending the two of them tumbling backwards in a tangled mess.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Kur shouted.


    Nar backpedaled, desperately waving his sword against the flurry of attacks that came his way. The guardian had recovered much faster and easier from their collision than him.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Kur shouted again.


    Suddenly, hands grabbed Nar from behind and dragged him away.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Kur asked, hoisting him to his feet.


    ¡°Get back!¡± Nar replied, pushing the party leader away.


    ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯re hurt!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the secondary tank! Not you!¡± Nar threw at him, parrying through another series of attacks. ¡°You¡¯re the leader, so lead! What do we do?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on!¡±


    Kur straightened up. ¡°Alright! Hang on, then! We¡¯ll deal with the other one first!¡±


    ¡°Just do it!¡±


    ¡°Jul, focus! We need to know if there¡¯s any more of them. Tuk, Cen¡­¡±


    Kur¡¯s orders faded into the background.


    To Nar, his whole Nexus shrunk to the blades and limbs raging all around him, threatening to swallow him.


    The guardian was relentless and tireless made of unyielding metal and Crystal knew what else.


    He, on the other hand, was pushing his frail flesh and bone body past the point where he felt like simply breaking down. Hot wetness dripped down his face, jaw and neck, and he wasn¡¯t sure if it was just sweat. The taste in his mouth told him it wasn¡¯t.


    He didn¡¯t even bother checking his HP and stamina. There was no point anymore.


    Nobody would swap with him because nobody could. He was on his own until the others finished the fight behind him, and he had to hold on.


    A glazing blade scored a line up his left forearm and he grunted.


    He was finding it impossible to concentrate.


    Things kept drawing his attention away from the fight.


    The sound of the guardian¡¯s limbs coiling to attack.


    The sharp glint of blades that were not yet a threat.


    Something suddenly screamed in his brain, almost blinding him.


    A feeling? A sensation? A fear?


    Nar reacted to it without realizing it, lifting his sword. He was right on time to block a blow aimed at the side of his head, coming at him from a blind spot.


    What the¡­


    More and more of the strange sensations spread out around him.


    Nar tried to ignore them as they nearly overwhelmed him.


    As it was, he was still blinded by them, and a series of hits landed against his left arm, torso and leg, drawing arches of blood that colored the walls in something other than yellow.


    Nar stumbled backwards, waving his sword in front of him in a panic.


    ¡°Nar, don¡¯t fight it!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°Trust it! Trust what you¡¯re feeling!¡±


    Nar landed on his bottom, just as Kur had. The sensation exploded above him, and he raised his sword, barely in time to stop the combined blow of three arms coming down to cave his face in.


    ¡°Yes! Trust them!¡±


    Trust them¡­ Trust what?


    Another sensation flared up to his left, and he got his arm up just in time to protect his head.


    His brain rattled against the blow.


    ¡°Just trust them Nar! You know what the guardian is going to do next!¡±


    I know what the¡­ The pile is she on about?


    One more warning, and he opened his legs, avoiding the falling blade that crashed loudly against the floor.


    This¡­. This is¡­


    Sensations flared all around him, and Nar rolled, ducked and parried, backing away desperately, following the warnings.


    I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­


    He had no idea what, or how he was doing it. Only that he was. And that it was probably the only reason he didn¡¯t end up in several bits.


    Suddenly, rings clanged against the guardian. The sudden offensive distracted it enough to allow for Jul to rush in and drag him to his feet.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± he gasped.


    Nar risked a glance behind them.


    The first guardian was down.


    Gad breathed heavily, but she was making her way towards him with a determined, unshakable resolve.


    It would all be over soon.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°There¡¯s another one, coming from the front!¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me!¡± Mul shouted.


    ¡°Gad, tank it! Nar, hold on! All DPS, focus on Nar¡¯s guardian!¡±


    Nar pushed away from Jul and jumped back into the thick of things.


    The sensations were chaotic. A mess he could barely respond to.


    Most of the time, he failed.


    His eyes told him one thing, and his brain had to contend between them and the strange new sensations.


    ¡°Just trust in it!¡± Jul insisted.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Nar muttered under his breath.


    It was easier said than done.


    The guardian was a blur, and the warnings came to him just as quickly.


    He was neither fast enough nor agile enough to respond to it all.


    ¡°Hang in there!¡± Mul suddenly shouted, as both he and Viy arrived, bringing the DPS Nar so desperately needed. ¡°We¡¯re going to finish it!¡±


    Encouragement? From Mul?


    Crystal, that must truly be the end.


    Around Nar, Cen¡¯s and Tuk¡¯s attacks found their mark, coming in with pinpoint accuracy, distracting the guardian.


    How they were doing it, he had no idea. The projectiles just curved around any obstacles in their path, guided by the System. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t any more far-fetched than him suddenly being able to predict the enemy¡¯s movements.


    Aided by whatever it was however, Nar managed to keep the guardian focused on him, and himself alive. On either side of him, Mul and Viy panted, grunted and shouted, dishing out DPS as fast as they could.


    Behind them, Nar hoped that Gad was doing alright with her second guardian.


    ¡°Mul, use one skill! Just one!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°We can¡¯t drag this on forever!¡±


    Mul shouted and punched the guardian with all the [Strength] that he had.


    His hit landed just to the side of where the guardian¡¯s face should be, if it even had one, and the thing stumbled and crashed against the wall in front of Viy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it up!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Ranged, focus on Gad¡¯s guardian!¡±


    The three of them, Nar, Viy and Mul, fell onto the guardian with savagery and death in their eyes.


    In the confusion that followed, Nar barely kept track of the guardian¡¯s feeble attempts to fight back. Mul¡¯s punch had clearly done a number on it, and its movements were sluggish and slow. It was still deadly, but Nar had an easier time protecting himself and the other two.


    However, Crystal be merciful, the end was inevitable.


    Viy¡¯s spear and Mul¡¯s knuckles connected at the same time, and the guardian broke apart in an explosion of brown, clear, oily goo. Flying pieces of machinery, wires, circuits, and other parts blasted them, and the guardian¡¯s limbs dropped around it.


    Nar fell down to one knee, breathing hard and leaning his face against the pommel of his sword. At his left, Viy propped herself against the wall, her spear tip leaning against the floor. And to his right, Mul stood, with his face turned upwards. Sweat drenched his features, and his mouth hung, desperately swallowing air.


    Nar breathed, or cried.


    He wanted to go down.


    He so desperately wanted to go down and close his eyes. But the fight wasn¡¯t over yet.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Come on, we have one more! Jul are there any others?¡±


    Mul exhaled forcibly, and turned himself around, towards the other fight. Viy followed after him, dragging her spear behind her. Neither of them even bothered to reply to the party leader. It would¡¯ve been a waste of precious air.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Jul said. ¡°Just that one.¡±


    ¡°Thank the Crystal¡­¡± Kur muttered.


    A pounding headache descended upon Nar, pushing him closer to the welcoming floor.


    However, he knew he couldn¡¯t stay down forever. Gad might need help. Most likely, she did.


    He pushed down on the sword, raising once more.


    If this isn¡¯t earning my path, I don¡¯t know what is, Nar thought.


    ¡°Are you okay to keep going?¡± Kur asked, when Nar stopped at his side.


    Nar nodded, not trusting his voice not to say otherwise.


    ¡°Good. She¡¯s had to tank two of them without any breaks,¡± Kur said. Then he tutted. ¡°If only I could see you guy¡¯s statuses.¡±


    Gad, in front of them, held strong and tall.


    Her shield might not be as high anymore, but she gave no indication of backing down.


    Her figure burned into Nar¡¯s retinas.


    This was what a tank was.


    Never back down.


    Never give up.


    A tank had to stand, forever the stalwart protector of the party, no matter what it faced.


    Nar could only hope that one day his back could inspire such trust and belief as hers did.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Gad commanded.


    ¡°Back!¡± Kur added.


    Mul and Viy stumbled away from the fight, and Tuk and Cen halted their offense.


    ¡°Gad, do you need to swap?¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°Not yet!¡± she replied, nearly breathless. ¡°One more!¡±


    ¡°I can swap with the DPS,¡± Nar offered, eyeing the two panting, wheezing melee.


    Kur shook his head. ¡°They can rest if they have to. You and her can¡¯t.¡±


    Nar nodded and stayed where he was.


    ¡°Hang in there!¡± Tuk shouted.


    ¡°You can do it, Gad!¡± Cen added.


    Gad grunted and kept it up.


    Nar clenched his jaw. He now understood how hard it was to tank alone, without the reassuring presence of the DPS next to him. And yet, she did it again and again, managing her aggro, controlling the flow of battle. She was truly amazing.


    ¡°Almost!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°Get ready!¡± Kur said.


    The DPS pushed themselves away from walls or stood back up, ready to start once more.


    Nar had to confess. He was impressed. This party was something else.


    Clean or not, a means to an end or not, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his spirit rallying alongside theirs.


    He felt like he was one of them. Like they were truly coming together, as one.


    ¡°Now!¡± she shouted.


    Instead, the guardian fled.


    ¡°What in the pile?¡± Kur said, stunned.


    ¡°Is it¡­ Running away?¡± Tuk asked.


    Good, Nar thought. Let it!


    Gad looked back at Kur, confused.


    ¡°But¡­ I taunted it¡­¡±


    ¡°Let it go!¡± Kur said. ¡°It could be a trap.¡±


    Nar followed the fleeing guardian with his eyes.


    And don¡¯t come back, he thought.


    The guardian kept going, and going and going.


    Nar¡¯s frown deepened by the second.


    ¡°No way,¡± he breathed.


    ¡°The arrows!¡± Jul shouted.


    ¡°The path is stretching!¡± Tuk said. ¡°Is this the end?¡±


    ¡°It''s the end!¡± Mul shouted, raising his fists. ¡°We can¡¯t let it run away!¡±


    And before anyone could say anything, he sprinted after the fleeing guardian.


    ¡°No, stop!¡± Kur shouted.


    But it fell on deaf ears. Suddenly, Viy dashed after Mul.


    ¡°Noooo!¡± Cen cried, taking off after her brother.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tuk shouted. ¡°Come back!¡±


    ¡°Crystal damn those idiots! Come on, we¡¯re going after them!¡± Kur said.


    ¡°We are?¡± Tuk asked, his eyes very wide.


    We are? Nar thought as well. Why?


    They were the ones running headfirst into the obvious trap. Why should the rest of them go down as well?


    ¡°Yes! We are!¡± Gad shouted. ¡°Now come on!¡±


    Gad, Tuk and Kur ran after the other three, who were slowly getting smaller and smaller in the distance.


    Nar stayed where he was.


    This again, he thought.


    However, this time, it had nothing to do with tanking. This was just pure stupidity. A headfirst charge into an obvious trap. Why did he have to follow them into it?


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    Startled, he turned to his right.


    Jul was still there, staring at him with those big green and blue eyes of hers.


    The arrows behind them slowly went out, the darkness encroaching on them as Kur ran down the corridor.


    What did she see in him?


    Fear? Or caution?


    Cowardice? Or logic?


    Shame? Or that he was right?


    And did it matter?


    ¡°They¡¯ll die without us,¡± she said, almost whispering it.


    They probably would.


    The Crystal must have quite the something prepared for them, if this was indeed the end of that damned corridor.


    They would need their secondary tank and their scout, now more than ever, to push through that final obstacle.


    ¡°Nar, we will die without them,¡± she said.


    She was right. He knew that. And there was no way he was going to abandon them.


    Or was there?


    Would he ever be able to live with that? Knowing what he had done? Living with what he had become?


    His dad would never accept it.


    He himself would never accept such a version of himself.


    In the end, there wasn¡¯t really a choice to be made.


    A sigh escaped his lips. They were getting too far.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 21 - The Way Up

    Nar and Jul sprinted down the corridor, chasing after the others.


    With each step forward, the lighter his steps flew off the corridor¡¯s floor. His very brain seemed to relax inside his skull.


    ¡°Jul? Are you feeling this?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± she panted. ¡°The Pressure is lifting!¡±


    ¡°Thank the Crystal!¡± Nar muttered.


    In the distance, he could just about make Gad, Kur and Tuk. Beyond them, there was a tall, slender opening.


    ¡°I see the end!¡± she shouted.


    The other three disappeared into the darkness beyond, and Nar and Jul sped up to try and catch up to them.


    The closer they got to the exit, the more the Pressure lifted, and the more he felt like himself again. Stronger. Alive.


    Tiredness seemed to melt off of him, and energy surged through his limbs, propelling him forward almost effortlessly.


    Crystal¡­ Was that all just the Pressure? he wondered, as the weight lifted, and the temperature dropped.


    Was this at last, the end of the Pressure? He didn''t allow himself to hope so. He had been tricked before.


    ¡°I hear fighting!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening, so just stay close to me!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    They crossed into the exit.


    For a moment, there was nothing but darkness and silence. The absence of everything was jarring, and Nar lost all control and track of direction, sense, time and of his very body. For a moment, he simply was. A disjointed being, an untethered soul lost in the void.


    Then, his sight rushed back, growing from two small dots of light.


    Sound roared into his ears.


    ¡°Watch out, they¡¯re coming up from the sides!¡± Tuk shouted.


    Nar stood on a bridge, which stretched across an absolute void.


    It was about 10-feet wide and warm air blew from the depths below, ruffling his hair. And from everywhere, crawled a tide of small, mini versions of the guardians they had faced in the corridor.


    ¡°By the Crystal¡­¡± Nar whispered, taking in the moving mass of tiny guardians.


    They were everywhere, blotting out the light of the yellow arrows at their feet. He searched for the normal sized guardian they had chased here, but it was nowhere to be found. Not that they didn¡¯t have enough on their hands with the bridge fully covered in the black masses of the tiny guardians.


    Nar stepped back, taking in the sight, and his back bumped against something hard.


    The way was shut. They were trapped.


    ¡°The-The door!¡± he stammered to the others.


    ¡°Forget it! Keep an eye on our backs!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Jul get in here!¡±


    Kur reached to her and pulled her into the middle of the party, where she promptly dropped to her knees, covering her eyes and antennae.


    Nar didn¡¯t blame her. This was so much worse than anything he had ever expected.


    There had to be hundreds, if not thousands, of the baby guardians crawling up to and on that bridge already.


    ¡°Stay close!¡± Kur said, above the chattering, metallic noise of thousands of tiny limbs.


    They had fallen into a slightly different formation. Gad stood at the head of the party as usual, and Mul covered the right while Viy guarded the left behind Gad. But with the swarming guardians crawling up the sides of the bridge, both Tuk and Cen had found themselves suddenly at the frontlines, leaving Kur and Jul in the middle, and Nar to close the gap behind them.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to die!¡± Viy cried.


    ¡°No one is going to die!¡± Kur replied. ¡°We¡¯re going to get across!¡±


    Nar hacked down at his feet, slashing and smashing through the things as they tried to climb up his legs.


    The clicking sounds set his hairs on edge, and his mind recoiled at the dark promise of what would happen if the guardians managed to get a hold of him¡­ If he went down into that living pile of blackness, he doubted he was getting back up.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°They¡¯re everywhere!¡±


    ¡°We need to go!¡± Jul shouted from her curled up position.


    ¡°Yes, we do! And the only way is forward!¡± Kur said.


    Nar spared a look towards forward. ¡°That¡¯s so far away!¡±


    ¡°Not like we have another choice! Gad, go!¡±


    Without hesitation, Gad waded into the shifting, skittering piles that were rising before her. With a grunt, she blew them apart with her shield, dispersing the piles into dozens of black dots that went flying in all directions. With the way somewhat cleared, she marched forward, crunching guardians under her mighty feet.


    ¡°Move! After her!¡± Kur ordered.


    The party lurched forward after the tank.


    Nar twisted his face at the living blackness through which the yellow arrows shone through. Every step, every movement even, seemed to elicit a warning from his new strange sense, effectively rendering the thing useless. From all around him, the sensations screamed at him, and for a moment, he hesitated, unsure of what to do.


    ¡°Come on, Nar!¡±


    Startled, he found that ahead of him Kur had hauled Jul to her feet and was dragging her after him. Between them, piles of guardians formed, threatening to separate him from the others.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Nar swung his sword in wide arcs, dispersing the little guardians, and jumped over the half-formed piles.


    ¡°Stay close everyone!¡± Kur said again. ¡°Don¡¯t let them separate us, or get into the middle!¡±


    The party bunched closer together, attempting to seal all the gaps into the center of the party, where Kur and Jul stood. That done, they proceeded towards the exit across the bridge.


    It was maybe over 300-feet towards the other side. 300-feet of an undulating, deadly, chittering mass of guardians.


    ¡°Are they going to eat us?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re machines, you idiot!¡± Kur snapped back. ¡°And if they do, it''s all your fault!¡±


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Tuk shouted. ¡°It bit me! Oh, my Crystal¡­¡±


    ¡°Fucks sake! They¡¯re not going to eat you!¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that! My leg¡­ It hurts! I-I think the pain is spreading from where it bit me!¡±


    ¡°Crystal! It¡¯s poison!¡± Gad shouted, just as knowledge filtered into Nar¡¯s mind, bringing with it a whole new reality of horror.


    ¡°Damn it! Everyone, be careful!¡± Kur bellowed. ¡°Tuk, can you walk?¡±


    ¡°For now!¡± he said. ¡°Also, my rings aren¡¯t great against these things!¡±


    ¡°Swap with me then! My scepter is more useful for this!¡±


    ¡°But you¡­¡±


    ¡°Now!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°And keep Jul walking!¡±


    Nar¡¯s heart dropped when Kur joined the fray. For a moment, he considered telling him to swap back, that he was placing them all in danger. But he kept it inside. Kur was right, he would fare much better against those things than Tuk.


    Nar stepped on a guardian clicking too close to his foot, and the thing crunched into a broken, brown smear. The things probably didn¡¯t even have HP, or if they did, it was a negligent amount.


    There¡¯s a lot of them, but they¡¯re weak. Hopefully, he¡¯ll be alright, Nar thought, worried about the party leader.


    The altei alternated between smashing down with his scepter and simply just stomping around with his large feet. And for the moment, he looked like he would be alright.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    Nar looked down and found a guardian latched onto his angle.


    With a yelp, he flung his leg about, and the guardian went flying out into the darkness.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Tuk asked him.


    ¡°It bit me!¡± Nar shouted.


    The poison burned, spreading around the bite mark. Other than pain, it didn¡¯t seem to do much else. However, if more of those things got to him it might just become a different story.


    ¡°Be careful, and keep going!¡± Kur shouted.


    Their progress was slow, and Nar¡¯s legs accumulated more and more bites.


    They swelled and darkened with poison, a stain that slowly climbed up towards his knees, visible through his shredded pants. Rather than limbs, like its bigger brethren, the baby guardians had razor sharp legs instead. They pierced into his flesh in their attempts to climb him, though he barely noticed it anymore. Anything below his knees had gone pretty much numb.


    Crystal! Where¡¯s that damned exit?


    Nar looked up, searching for it, stomping down to make sure nothing got onto him while he looked away.


    We¡¯re only halfway there? He thought in shocked panic.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    A guardian had taken a chance with his distraction and had jumped up to bite him on the inside of his thigh, just above his right knee.


    Nar yelled and ripped the thing from his skin, and threw it into the void.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop! We¡¯re halfway there!¡± Kur said, trying to rally the demoralized party.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even feel my legs anymore!¡± Mul cried.


    Nar blinked at the lengos. Much shorter than he was, both Cen and Mul were at much higher risk than the rest of them.


    Maybe Tuk should swap out with Mul? he thought.


    They were in this mess because of him. Well, arguably because of him. They would¡¯ve had to cross that bridge regardless. And as annoying as he was, Nar didn¡¯t want to see him go down, covered in tiny, poisonous guardians. However, before he could voice his concerns, Jul let out a blood curdling scream.


    ¡°What now?¡± Kur shouted.


    The scout pointed at the darkness to their right.


    A vibration filled the air, setting Nar¡¯s teeth rattling against one another.


    The guardians halted their assault, and a loud skreeeeee filled the air.


    Crystal¡­ Is this not enough? What else have You got?


    In the darkness, in the middle of the void, orange lights came into being.


    Nar stopped counting when they passed ten, and still, more and more of them kept popping up. The orbs of light moved across the darkness in a massive circumference, drawing trails of orange in quick, jittery dashes.


    BADUM!


    A shockwave of sound hit them and the bridge quaked under their feet.


    BADUM!


    ¡°Run! Run!¡± Jul screamed.


    BADUM!


    Nar¡¯s mind blanked as he stared at the lights in the distance.


    No. Those aren¡¯t lights¡­


    ¡°Keep going!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°If that thing catches us, we¡¯re done for!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s eyes!¡± Mul shouted, in a tone devoid of sanity. ¡°Those are eyes!¡±


    ¡°Shut up and keep going!¡± Gad threw at him.


    Nar redoubled his efforts, but it seemed as though there were even more of the things now.


    For every one he killed, two more took its place, and the deafening clicking and chittering coming up from the sides of the bridge promised that even more were on their way.


    BADUM!


    The same vibration hit them again, shaking him to his core. Nar didn¡¯t have words to describe the sound. It was clearly metallic in nature, but there was a guttural undertone to it. It gave him the impression that whatever it was, it was more than just a machine.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    BADUM!


    Whatever it was, it was getting closer and closer to them, the orange orbs streaking across the darkness in endless orbits, popping in and out of sight.


    Nar looked from the giant thing and searched for the exit. It was impossibly far, still a good 100-feet of guardian infested bridge away from them.


    He yelped again, as two more guardians bit into him, above the knee on his right leg.


    ¡°Why the right one again?¡± he swore, crushing the guardians in his left hand.


    ¡°Mind your HP!¡± Kur warned them.


    HP? Shit! I forgot! How much do I¡­


    He gasped.


    57?


    The poison was much more damaging than he had realized. Either that, or he had taken a lot more damage from the previous fight than he had thought.


    BADUM!


    ¡°They¡¯re eating through my HP!¡± Gad shouted, in the same predicament. ¡°I¡¯m too slow!¡±


    Cen suddenly screamed.


    Nar watched in horror as a mass of black covered her. The caster must have tripped and she had fallen face first into them.


    ¡°Noooooo!¡± Mul shouted, his voice lost with despair.


    He dropped his post and ran towards his sister.


    ¡°Get off her! Get off her!¡±


    The brawler swatted the guardians away, disregarding his own safety.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Tuk shouted.


    The trugger stepped into the gap left by Mul, and kicked and cursed at a black spot of growing guardians. They had been about to fall onto Mul¡¯s unprotected back.


    ¡°Help me!¡± the brawler cried, tears streaking down his face.


    Jul stared at Cen.


    Her eyes were so wide, Nar caught a glimpse of red at their edges. If not for the fact that they were surrounded with nowhere to go, Nar was sure that she would¡¯ve bolted by now.


    BADUM!


    ¡°Please!¡± Mul begged, sobbing.


    ¡°Jul! Help him!¡± Nar roared at her. ¡°You said they needed us, so help him!¡±


    She opened her mouth and stared at him. Nar swung his sword with renewed anger, barely even feeling his legs anymore.


    ¡°I-I¡­ Yes!¡±


    She kneeled next to Mul and started to pry off the guardians from Cen, using her bare hands.


    ¡°We can¡¯t stay here!¡± Nar shouted at Kur. ¡°We need to push through! There¡¯s too many of them and that thing is still coming!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± Kur yelled, not stopping his own bashing. ¡°Once Cen is okay, we¡¯ll make a run for it!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s barely breathing!¡± Mul shouted. ¡°And she¡¯s not moving!¡±


    Nar glimpsed the rigid form of the caster.


    Her dark gray skin was almost black, and her veins bulged full with the invasive liquid. Her mouth was wide open, foaming, and it didn¡¯t look like there was any movement on her chest.


    BADUM!


    ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m going to use my boon!¡± Kur shouted.


    Your what? Nar thought, thinking he had misheard it.


    A sudden surge of warmth and energy filled him. He slowly regained feeling in his legs, and the poison was reduced to a distant tingling.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°My only skill, [Healing Boon]!¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us about it? Actually, why have you never used it? My HP is going up so fast!¡± Tuk shouted.


    Nar glanced at his own bar and saw that the ring tosser was right. It was blazing past the 60s already, and despite the guardians at his feet and up his legs, it was still filling up fast.


    ¡°I can only use it every two days!¡± Kur replied. ¡°I had to save it for an emergency!¡±


    ¡°And there was none before this?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°You know what I mean!¡± Kur retorted. ¡°Jul, you¡¯re carrying Cen. Quickly now! And Mul, I need you back in your place. Everyone, we have to get out of here. Gad, can you just blow past them?¡±


    ¡°I can, but we will take damage!¡±


    ¡°My boon is going to last another 14 seconds, just smash through! Jul, you ready?¡±


    Jul stood up, cradling Cen in her arms. ¡°I-I got her!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Gad, go! Go! Everyone, just run for it!¡±


    Nar ran after them.


    BADUM!


    The eyes were getting closer and bigger, but he had no sense of distance there at all.


    Was the thing close to them, or still far, and just that gigantic?


    Guardians jumped at them, latching onto their feet and legs as they sprinted towards the exit.


    Nar did his best to swat them aside, but for the most part, he just ran for it, trusting that Kur¡¯s boon and his HP together would soak up all that damage. He felt every bite though.


    Up ahead, Kur tripped and waved his arms, tip toeing towards the abyss.


    Nar jumped forward and pulled him back by his buckler.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Keep running!¡± Nar shouted, pushing him forward.


    That moment''s distraction broke the formation and split them into two.


    The others speed forward, in the wake of Gad¡¯s unstoppable charge. But Kur didn¡¯t have her destructiveness.


    ¡°Let me go first!¡± Nar shouted.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Nar dashed forward, using his sword like a club, badgering and smashing his way through, and Kur followed close on his heels.


    Guardian. Guardian. Guardian.


    All he saw were guardians, blocking out the shine from the yellow arrows underneath them.


    His sword blurred in his hands but it was still not enough.


    Two walls of guardians grew on either side of the bridge, and black dots began falling on top of them. Ahead, Nar could just about hear Viy and Jul¡¯s screams amidst the deafening chittering.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Kur cried, uselessly.


    There were too many of them now, and there was nothing more that Nar could do. Guardians latched onto his arms. His torso. At best, he focused on keeping his neck, head and chest as clear as possible. Even with Kur¡¯s boon, he doubted he would last long with poison pumped directly into his critical areas.


    Despite his efforts, one of them briefly managed to get to his neck. Nar ripped it away from him before it could deliver its poison, but the guardian¡¯s claw-like limbs left streaks of burning red on his skin.


    BADUM!


    That was so close! Is it here? Nar thought, through the terror that filled him.


    The vibration sounded again, harder, shaking the bridge under their feet. Hundreds of guardians came loose from the living walls, coating them.


    Crystal, please! Nar begged, searching across the falling guardians for the end of that bridge. Please!


    It lay just ahead. Barely a few feet away.


    ¡°Keep going!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡±


    BADUM!


    The vibration rose to a crescendo, and Nar felt something like fingers caressing the side of his neck, inching towards his ear, closing around the back of his head.


    Whatever it was, it filled him with a mindless, brainless horror, and he ran the last few steps with a [Speed] he didn¡¯t know he possessed.


    Then the darkness, and the sound of a wall closing behind him, plunging them into relative silence.


    Cries sounded in the dark, but thankfully, yellow arrows came to life at their feet.


    ¡°Kill them!¡± he heard Gad shout. ¡°Kill them!¡±


    Nar quickly realized he wasn¡¯t safe just yet. They had carried dozens of guardians in with them.


    They spent the next few seconds frantically clearing the spiders off of each other and stomping on them, with the occasional yelp of pain coming up here and there in the dim yellow light.


    ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°It¡¯s over! They¡¯re all dead!¡±


    Nar stopped stomping down on the crushed guardians under his feet, and leaned back against the closed wall, struggling to catch his breath.


    ¡°We did it!¡± Tuk shouted. ¡°By the Crystal we¡¯re¡­¡±


    Kur¡¯s snarl interrupted him.


    The big altei leaned down and lifted Mul up with both hands, slamming him against the wall.


    ¡°Are you happy now?¡± he shouted in his face. ¡°All your moaning, and complaining and your little tantrums! Are you happy now that you almost got your sister killed? We could have all died because of you!¡±


    Gad swiftly approached them and lay a hand over Kur¡¯s.


    ¡°Let him go. Come on,¡± she said.


    Kur dropped the brawler with a grunt.


    ¡°Look at her! LOOK. AT. HER!¡± he shouted.


    In the low light, Nar could see the tears running down Mul¡¯s face. The brawler beheld the prone figure of his sister, in Jul¡¯s arms, and Nar feared the worst.


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t mean for any of this to happen! I just wanted to get her out!¡± Mul shouted. ¡°She¡¯s Climbing because of me! Me!¡±


    What? Nar thought.


    Kur paced the small enclosed space, his feet crunching on broken guardians.


    As far as Nar could see, they were trapped where they were.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± the party leader groaned, passing his hands through his hair.


    His scepter and buckler lay forgotten on the floor, amongst the bits and pieces that littered the floor.


    ¡°From day one. From day one! You¡¯ve done nothing but destabilize this party,¡± Kur shouted. ¡°You have been rude. You have been cruel. You have complained, and now? Now you disobeyed me! I¡¯m your party leader! I told you to stop! Not to run headfirst into the obvious trap!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I just-I just¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you wanted! It matters what you did! And I¡¯ve had it with you! If you don¡¯t want to Climb properly like the rest of us, then we don¡¯t have to put up with you either!¡±


    Mul stared at Kur, eyes wide with fear. ¡°Wait! Please, don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°You leave me no choice, Mul! You¡¯re ex¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± said a weak, husk of a voice.


    ¡°Cen!¡± Mul cried, and rushed to her side.


    Jul kicked guardians away to make some room, and gently lowered the caster to the floor. Mul took his sister¡¯s hand in his, and bawled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said, with a weak smile. ¡°Kur¡¯s boon saved me.¡±


    ¡°You heard that?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°I did¡­ And Kur, you can¡¯t kick my brother out. He¡¯ll die in the dark.¡±


    Kur deflated and dropped against the wall, covering his eyes.


    ¡°Crystal knows I don¡¯t want to kick him out. But he almost got us killed! Enough has to be enough!¡±


    ¡°He did¡­ And it has to be,¡± Cen said. ¡°I know this is a lot to ask of you, of all you, but please forgive him. He¡¯s just angry, and scared for me. Our family¡­ They were never good to him, and they are the reason for him to Climb. He just wants to escape, to go somewhere where he can be treated like an actual person.¡±


    Kur sighed but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°But you¡¯re wrong, Mul. Our family is not the only reason we¡¯re Climbing.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mul asked, sniffing hard.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should¡¯ve told you,¡± Cen said. ¡°Truth is, I was stagnating as an operator¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mul cried in shock. ¡°But you were the pride and joy of the family! The one who was going to lift us all into the management tracks! I thought you just came to help me Climb.¡±


    Cen shook her head. ¡°I was reaching my limit. I couldn¡¯t push any more aura than what I already did. It¡­ I was not good enough. And rather than let our family down, I decided to Climb with you. I thought, I¡¯m smart and hardworking, maybe I¡¯ll have better luck with magic. Above. On the surface¡­ In fact, I became obsessed with it¡­ If I can¡¯t succeed with aura, then I will with aether.¡±


    Nar looked up to the dim yellow ceiling above their heads, as he listened to their story.


    Aether. Magic.


    Was the need, the desire, the same for all of them? Nar had expected all of them to just lay down their weapons and paths as soon as they reached the surface. Now, it seemed he was not the only one obsessed with aether. Or with building his path.


    ¡°I-I wanted to be strong. To wield electricity, or fire, or ice. To find a new place for us. And a new goal for me to strive towards¡­ And magic, and-and the Labyrinth, and all the opportunities of the O-Nex. I just wanted it all so much! I¡¯m sorry, I should¡¯ve told you. I didn¡¯t Climb just for you Mul. I¡¯m much more selfish than that. Much, much more. You have no idea¡­¡±


    Tears streamed down the sides of her face and Mul kissed her hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Cen. It¡¯s all fine. We¡¯ll find your magic, okay? You¡¯ll be the best caster in the whole Nexus!¡±


    Cen chuckled. ¡°Too much, Mul. That¡¯s too much. I just want to prove to myself that I can be good at something. And to bring you somewhere where you can finally be happy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Cen¡­¡± Mul whispered, closing his eyes against her hand.


    The caster turned her head and looked at Kur.


    ¡°Please, let him stay,¡± she begged him. ¡°He has a good heart. Our family just trampled all over it. And he was worried about me. He wanted to get me out. I wasn¡¯t doing so well under the Pressure...¡±


    Kur rubbed his forehead. ¡°It¡¯s not just my decision, Cen. What he did, it impacted the whole¡­¡±


    ¡°He stays!¡± Gad cut in.


    ¡°He¡¯s like aetherium dust in your eyes, but¡­ He should stay,¡± Tuk said, grinning at the brawler.


    Jul nodded, giving her silent but firm consent.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± Viy said. ¡°I also¡­ I panicked and¡­¡±


    Kur waved at her and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s all fine. Nar?¡±


    Nar stared down at the lengos.


    He was just as Tuk described him. He complained, and moaned, and was rude and he had almost gotten them all killed by rushing headfirst into the trap and dragging the rest of them, unprepared, into the worst fight of their Climb so far. There was no telling if the lengos would panic and do it again.


    Mul must have read something of Nar¡¯s thoughts on his dark expression, and lowered his face, defeated.


    Nar sighed.


    Despite all that, Mul had never really let them down, other than the current situation of course.


    Surprisingly, Nar did find the brawler to be quite reliable. The same as everyone else in the party. The brawler had always pulled his own weight, and helped where he could. He muttered and complained about it, sure, but he always lent a hand without being prodded and without having to be asked for it.


    We all have our reasons to Climb. We¡¯re all here to escape something and for the hope of a much better life, Nar thought. It¡¯s a second chance for all of us.


    And thus, who was he to deny Mul of his?


    ¡°Stay,¡± he finally said. ¡°Of course he stays.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tuk shouted, bumping his fists into the air.


    ¡°But please, less complaining. Okay?¡± Nar told the lengos.


    ¡°And no more being rude!¡± Tuk added, waving a finger at him.


    Mul nodded vigorously. ¡°I-I will¡­ I¡¯ll do better! I promise!¡±


    ¡°Then fine, you stay,¡± Kur said.


    Mul looked at Jul, who stood above him, still half holding onto Cen.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I was the biggest asshat to you. It won¡¯t happen again, I promise,¡± he whispered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, and thank you for guiding us this far.¡±


    Jul looked away, flushing a darker green. ¡°It¡¯s okay! I-I didn¡¯t do anything! It was just straight¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course you did! You made sure none of those guardians managed to surprise us!¡± Gad said. ¡°We all did our part. Together. And that is how we made it. See, no more Pressure?¡±


    Nar grinned and closed his eyes.


    Yes, that feels good, he thought. The silence was punctured by a heavy tinnitus, but it was better than anything, after the weeks under that mind raking Pressure.


    Bitten more times than he could count, his body wrecked and ravaged and now swollen, his soul nearly crushed and his mind almost shattered, there, and then, at last he felt calm. More. He felt like he belonged.


    Somewhat, at least¡­


    ¡°What now?¡± Mul asked, hesitantly.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Where are we?¡± Tuk said, looking around them. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s just another corridor again.¡±


    For all intents and purposes, that seemed to be exactly the case. Other than the fact that there was nowhere to go, the small section of corridor they now found themselves in looked exactly the same as the previous one.


    Almost two months. Almost 116 shifts¡­ Two thirds of a whole season.


    Nar wondered what his dad was doing at that exact moment. Probably working, and even harder than before, to make up for Nar¡¯s departure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Kur said. ¡°I feel like that bridge was the end of it. It has to be.¡±


    The words had barely left his mouth when the sound of an opening forming made them all turn.


    Ahead of them, a mouth of darkness opened.


    ¡°Well, there it is,¡± Tuk whispered. ¡°But why does it look so¡­¡±


    ¡°Terrifying?¡± Kur ventured.


    ¡°Yeah. That.¡±


    Nar squinted at the opening, which lay directly across from him, at the end of the short 30-feet corridor. Try as he might, he couldn¡¯t discern anything within it. It was as though the yellow light simply stopped at the entrance, blocked from going further.


    A window popped up, startling him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Congratulations, Climber!


    You have cleared the Tutorial!


    Your Climb may now begin in earnest.


    You are safe now.


    Step through and claim your rewards.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    A quick flood of information seeped into his brain.


    ¡°A tutorial?¡± Mul said. ¡°You¡¯ve got to¡­¡±


    He shut his mouth, closing it with both hands, and looked about him.


    Nar almost laughed out loud. The ridiculousness of Mul¡¯s sudden attempt at being well behaved, coupled with learning that the past two months had been nothing but a learning experience for the real thing, was almost too much.


    Kur burst out in a maniac laughing.


    ¡°Are you serious? That wasn¡¯t even the proper Climb?¡± Tuk asked, incredulous.


    ¡°This is insane,¡± Gad said, staring at her own window. ¡°What was all of that for, then?¡±


    ¡°To prepare us for the real Climb, it seems,¡± Tuk said, sarcasm dripping from his every syllable.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± Cen whispered. ¡°This can¡¯t be real¡­¡±


    Me neither, Nar thought.


    Somehow, it all felt quite bitter in his mouth.


    They had almost died. They had suffered and endured all of that, and for what? Just to get their feet under them for the real Climb? If that was the case, what in the pile was out there, waiting for them?


    ¡°Do we go in?¡± Viy asked. ¡°What if it closes?¡±


    Kur wiped his eyes. ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ We go in. Of course we do! Look at the arrows! What else can we do but follow them?¡±


    Nar looked down.


    ¡°Always forward¡­¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Always forward,¡± Kur said, nodding. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Me first?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think the System would lie to us.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Kur sighed. ¡°Okay, one at a time, let¡¯s just get this over with.¡±


    Regardless if it was safe or not, Gad stood ahead of them and so she went first.


    Then Viy, after her, and then Tuk. Jul glanced back at Nar before she too, was swallowed by the darkness.


    ¡°I can take you, Cen, if you want?¡± Kur asked, kneeling next to her.


    ¡°Yes, please. I don¡¯t think I can walk just yet,¡± she said. ¡°And thank you. For letting Mul stay.¡±


    Kur stared at Mul and snorted. ¡°No one was going to let me kick you out. Crystal. I wasn¡¯t going to let me kick you out. I was going to say the words, and then regret them. You were never going to be left behind.¡±


    ¡°I deserved it,¡± Mul said, looking down. ¡°I-I really did. I¡­ Thank you. I won¡¯t let you down again.¡±


    Kur sighed. ¡°I know, man. I know.¡±


    ¡°Also, thanks for healing me,¡± Cen said. ¡°You were right in not using your boon. I felt myself drifting away back there. If you hadn¡¯t saved it¡­¡±


    A shiver ran down Nar¡¯s back.


    ¡°Some tutorial, eh?¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Crystal have mercy on us,¡± Kur said, shaking his head. ¡°And no worries. It¡¯s my duty. Now come on, let¡¯s get you through.¡±


    Kur lifted her up, gently, and stared at the two of them. ¡°You guys come in after us, alright?¡±


    Nar and Mul both nodded, and Kur took Cen through.


    ¡°You first,¡± Mul said.


    Nar smiled at him. ¡°Nah, you first. My place is at the back of the party.¡±


    Mul nodded and walked towards the darkness.


    ¡°You know,¡± he suddenly said. ¡°I had my doubts, but¡­ Well done. I don¡¯t think we would¡¯ve made it without your hybrid class.¡±


    And with that, he stepped through, leaving Nar alone.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Nar whispered to himself. ¡°Coming from him, that actually means a lot.¡±


    In the end, he hadn¡¯t been so bad, had he?


    He had struggled to find his footing, failing and flailing as he went. But there and at that moment, things didn''t seem so bad. Especially not with that new warning ability that he seemed to have unlocked.


    Maybe his path was not doomed to end in death after all¡­


    With a last glance at the corridor that had held them captive for so long, Nar too, hurried after the others.


    As he stepped through the opening, darkness and silence engulfed him.


    In the void, another window appeared before him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have entered a safe room.


    You have done well, Climber.


    Your gains are being calculated.


    Rest now


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 22 - Interlude

    What does light look like to those who have lived their whole life in the darkness?


    What does real, true color mean, to those who cannot even imagine it?


    Real color. Real light.


    How can a worker know that all that surrounds them is but a faded memory, a mockery of what they have lost?


    It is but an idea, preserved through the Long Dark, as all else faded.


    Food. Drink. Fun. Levels. Life¡­


    A multitude of a billion choices available at one''s fingertips.


    All gone. All forgotten.


    Light and color, and an Infinite Nexus of plenty for the blessed, the faithful Children of the Crystal. An Infinite Nexus they would never see, smell, touch or enjoy.


    From Long Dark to Waiting Dark, and finally, one day, to the Eternal Everlasting Light of the Crystal to which all souls return, to be one with the Almighty from which all come from.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    But if all come from the Crystal, and to the Crystal they return, where was the choice in their sin?


    With what right were the many born blessed and the few born guilty? With what right are they shackled with the sins of their ancestors? People whose names and sins have long, long ago been forgotten?


    The man, who should have been a boy, floated in light.


    The body was easily repaired and soothed, and it quickly forgot the trauma it had been subjected to.


    The mind was much less so easily fixed.


    And to touch the soul was not permitted.


    In truth, there was very little It could do for him.


    Or the countless, countless others now floating in the light.


    Gains were heavily monitored, and every attribute and skill granted had to be earned and justified.


    Some more than others. And of those, there was a tiny, tiny subset that always drew the heaviest of scrutiny¡­


    But such was It¡¯s need.


    And such was Nar¡¯s request.


    ********


    Nar came to with the feeling of a far-off sadness.


    The memory of it formed a lump in his throat. A tightening of his heart.


    But that memory faded as Nar fully came to.


    For a long while, he stared at the dimly lit ceiling above him.


    Along the wall, at regular intervals, squares of light, aimed upwards, provided a soft, very gentle, yellow light.


    In the gloom, in the cozy warm, he could hear the others.


    Soft breaths, a touch of a snore. They all slept. Safe.


    Safe.


    It was the first time in a very long while that Nar had felt like that.


    Not yet.


    His eyelids grew heavy again, as heavy as his immobilized body, and Nar drifted off once more.

 Chapter 23 - Tutorial Gains & Rewards

    When next he opened his eyes, the lights were still dimmed.


    Nar blinked, staring up at the featureless square of ceiling above him. It was low enough that if he stretched, he could touch it.


    ¡°You alright?¡±


    Nar turned his neck, slowly.


    The movement felt off. Like there had been a split-second of a disconnect between him wanting to move and his body actually responding to his orders. It was as though he was inside someone else¡¯s body.


    ¡°Slowly,¡± Kur whispered, smiling at him. ¡°It was the same for everyone else. But it goes away quickly.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Nar asked, in the same hushed tone.


    Kur shrugged. ¡°We think it''s just all the sudden gains. Maybe it just takes a while for us to get used to them. But who knows?¡±


    Nar¡¯s eyebrows shot up and Kur chuckled.


    ¡°Yes, gains. And a lot of it,¡± the party leader told him. ¡°And there¡¯s also a lot of new stuff to go through as well. When you check your notifications, it will trigger all of it.¡±


    Nar nodded slowly.


    ¡°And once you¡¯re done, I recommend the blaster. You¡¯ll feel a lot better afterwards.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a blaster?¡± Nar asked, his eyes going wide.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. There¡¯s loads of stuff,¡± Kur said. ¡°Just read through it all, okay? I¡¯ll come check on you afterwards. See how you¡¯re doing and how you feel about those gains.¡±


    A knot formed in Nar¡¯s stomach, and a pall of unease covered his mind.


    ¡°Relax. Check it first,¡± Kur said, reading his obvious emotions. ¡°Everyone was happy with what they got, and I¡¯m sure it will be the same for you.¡±


    Nar nodded slowly. ¡°Alright. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No worries. Take it easy. We have time. And if you need me, just call.¡±


    With that, Kur got to his feet and silently stepped away.


    It was quiet.


    Almost unbelievably so after all those weeks under the Pressure.


    Around him, he heard the tell-tale sounds of the others still asleep, and for a few moments, he simply marveled at the silence of it all. Especially within his own mind.


    However, he couldn¡¯t ignore the growing anxiety that gnawed at his stomach.


    Right, Nar thought, when he could delay it no longer. I might as well check it.


    He made his UI visible, and focused on the flashing notifications icon.


    Instead of the expected list of notifications, a window popped up.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    The Tutorial has been completed!


    You have learned the basics of combat and that you must work together as a party to succeed.


    Your Climb may now proceed.


    Rewards:


    1. You have been granted a 72-hour rest period in this safe room. Cleaning facilities and toilets are available. A dispenser is available.


    2. You have been awarded new gear. Collect it from the dispenser. You may discard your old clothes.


    3. You have been awarded a [Climber¡¯s Storage Ring]. Collect it from the dispenser.


    4. You have been awarded one level, and gains based on your performance in the Tutorial.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The text changed before Nar even had time to celebrate. Clothes! Food? And a blaster! By the Crystal, had he even read it properly?


    The new text focused before his eyes, and Nar kept reading.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have been awarded enough experience to level up.


    You have leveled up!


    You have gained:


    Strength 11 -> 13


    Constitution 12 -> 16


    Stamina 11 -> 14


    Agility 8 -> 9


    Speed 7 -> 9


    Aura 32 -> 38


    [???] 5 -> 6


    [???] 10 -> 13


    Attributes unlocked:


    Endurance


    Might


    Instinct


    Reflex


    Hearing


    Sight


    You have gained:


    Might 0 -> 4


    Endurance 0 -> 6


    Instinct 0 -> 10


    Reflex 0 ->10


    Hearing 0 -> 6


    Sight 0 -> 5


    Gains threshold exceeded!


    Attribute points will be applied during sleep!


    (Attribute points already applied)


    Skill [Strong Attack] was upgraded to [Strong Attack 2].


    Skill [Increased Defense] was upgraded to [Quickening].


    Congratulations on your Tutorial gains!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    For a moment, he stared blankly at the words.


    New attributes?


    Upgraded skills?


    And yet again, more [Aura]?


    He was just two points shy of gaining his modifier now.


    But everything else¡­ [Strength] gains. A whooping 4-point increase to his [Constitution]? And 3 points to [Stamina]? It was mind blowing! And there were even gains to [Agility] and [Speed].


    These were all amazing.


    Points to his [???] unknown attributes? He would take them, of course, though he still had no idea what they were, and what he had done to earn them.


    But that [Aura]¡­


    It was all just too much to take in at once, and several seconds ticked by while he re-read through everything.


    Right¡­ [Aura], okay, I guess. I will still believe in you Crystal. My faith will remain strong. As for the rest of it¡­


    It was actually pretty darned good. It was amazing even. The most attributes he had gained in one go.


    [Strength], [Constitution] and [Stamina], in particular, were exactly what his path needed. And [Agility] and [Speed] were always welcome additions.


    But what''s up with all these new ones? he wondered.


    A new window suddenly appeared above his gains.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Might - Your power to push through all obstacles and reach what you seek. Grants a bonus percentage to all attacks (currently at 1%).


    Endurance - Your capacity to withstand, to outlast, to endure and sustain all that is thrown at you. Grants a bonus to damage resistance against all forms and types of damage (currently at 1.5%).


    Instinct - Before the mind knows, before the logic asserts, before the rationale is formed, you feel it. In your gut, and in your soul. Ignore your instinct at your own peril.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Reflex - It is the intersection between body and mind. Practice and repetition paving the way to increased reaction speed and ingrained action. You consciously think less, but act faster and better.


    Hearing - One of a Sentient¡¯s five main sensory skills. You can hear from further away and can decipher sound more clearly, even inferring additional information from it.


    Sight - One of a Sentient¡¯s five main sensory skills. You can see both further and closer. You notice more, process the information from your eyes faster and more accurately.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    What in the Crystal¡¯s name¡­ he thought, stunned.


    Nar read and re-read the information before him. Then he re-read it a fourth time, to make sure he wasn¡¯t dreaming.


    This can¡¯t be real¡­ Hear better? See better? [Instinct]?


    His mind buckled under the impossibility of it all. However, the strange sensations he had felt during his last fight, the warnings, could he not explain them with that new, unlocked [Instinct] attribute?


    So that means I was¡­ That I can now sense danger?


    He knew that it was something like that. He understood it, not fully, but with a certainty that brokered no doubts or debate. However, believing it was a different story.


    So, can I really predict how I¡¯m going to be hit?


    Part of him laughed and roared in joy. It was amazing! It was beyond amazing! It was a gift and a blessing beyond any measure!


    The other part of him was still stunned silent.


    It may only (only!) be applicable to danger, but, it was still something akin to glimpsing into the future.


    Right? Maybe? A little bit?


    Or was it just like having a new extra sense, one attuned to danger, rather than sight or hearing or smell?


    He passed a hand over his hair. It was confusing to say the least.


    He decided to set it aside for the time being and considered the other unlocked attributes.


    [Might] and [Endurance]. These are perfect! Crystal Almighty, Blessed be your Everlasting Brilliance! Thank you! Thank you so much!


    Stronger DPS and damage mitigation?


    It was confirmation that perhaps his path wasn¡¯t as bad a decision as he had thought. Granted, it wasn¡¯t a lot, but as he gained more points in both of those attributes? He could become invincible!


    Here was the reward for his persistence and devotion. And he would remain loyal and faithful through his [Aura] test as well. For what else could it be, but the Crystal seeking to correct his ways, and pave the path for greater rewards?


    Nar offered a quick Prayer of Gratitude.


    Then there was [Reflex].


    To make me fight better¡­ Without a shield?


    To parry better. To dodge and move faster. Potentially to help him react better to his [Instinct] warnings as well.


    It was¡­ Good. It was great even, he couldn¡¯t deny that. However, it wasn¡¯t very tanky.


    He couldn¡¯t imagine Gad, or Romilt Ghroumvar, the Insurmountable Mountain of Thorns for that matter, weaving in and out of attacks, parrying and dodging the enemy. They were unmovable in the face of damage, and shrugged it off with their attributes, armor, skills and shields. That was what he was after.


    He had only parried and dodged around like he did because he had had no other choice. Because he had no attributes, or armor, or skills or a shield.


    He sighed.


    You are what you do. And I did what I had to.


    Looking at the attribute¡¯s description, he also knew that he would continue to do so. He had no choice for now, and [Reflex] would help keep him alive.


    So be it.


    It was both a happy development and a bit of let down, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was being a little ungrateful. However, it was not what he had conceived for his path.


    Lastly, [Hearing] and [Sight].


    These have to be the attributes that Jul has. It¡¯s crazy¡­ I never even thought about my senses getting better. But, aren¡¯t these scout attributes? Or do we all get them?


    He didn¡¯t complain, of course. How could he?


    [Hearing] and [Sight] were as useful to him as [Agility] and [Speed]. In a pinch, they would even prove crucial.


    However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that his path¡¯s direction had shifted somewhat. He had expected it to be straightforward, a mix between Romilt Ghroumvar, the Insurmountable Mountain of Thorns and Nar, Who Is One With The Wind. The image in his mind had been simple, yes, a big shield and a strong weapon, but it was what he was going for. Now, he felt with a sinking sensation that he was veering off course, heading perhaps a bit closer towards Nar¡¯s side now. And he wasn¡¯t sure if there was anything he could do to prevent it.


    The replacement of his skill, [Strong Defense], with [Quickening], only compounded that feeling.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Current skills:


    Strong Attack 2 - an attack that does an extra n * 0.45 damage, where n is your current [Strength]. Costs 12 stamina.


    Quickening - for three seconds, your [Reflex], [Agility] and [Speed] increase by (n + m) * 0.15, where n is half your [Agility] and m is half of your [Speed]. Cost 15 stamina.


    (All resulting numbers are rounded down)


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    [Strong Attack 2] was just a straightforward, slightly more expensive, upgrade to his [Strong Attack]. With a higher damage modifier of 0.45 instead of 0.35, plus his increased [Strength], it was obvious that he had been right from the start. The skill started out weak, but would progressively get better and better. It still wasn¡¯t much, but he could see the payoff coming as he leveled up.


    [Quickening] however¡­


    Faster, more agile and better reaction speed, he surmised.


    That was basically what it was, and the bonuses granted to him were nothing to sniff at. Whenever he used [Quickening], he gained a full 8 extra temporary points to his [Reflex], [Agility], and [Speed].


    If anything, it was nothing short of mind blowingly amazing. In fact, he didn¡¯t yet fully comprehend just how much the skill would accelerate him by, other than by ¡°a lot¡±.


    However, it did somewhat confirm his concerns that his path was changing into something else. Something he didn¡¯t quite understand. Nor want.


    All this, just from not having a shield? But what else was I supposed to do? He asked himself.


    Rather than stronger and sturdier, the original goals, due to his forced, more agile and desperate fighting style, the System was adding faster and more agile into the mix instead, and Nar didn¡¯t know what to make of it. Or how to feel about it.


    He sat up.


    It was all a bit much.


    Maybe he could do with a blasting, like Kur had mentioned. Clear his mind, and clean himself up a bit.


    Now that he thought about it, he suddenly felt disgusting. He couldn¡¯t take being in that filth that coated him anymore.


    He scanned his surroundings and finally got to look at the safe room.


    Two familiar tubes and an unknown metal rectangle were set against one of the walls. The first was the toilet, the second, the blaster, which meant that the last one had to be the dispenser.


    Oh, thank the Crystal!


    He had no idea how much food he was being granted, but he had a feeling it would be enough to last him until the next dispenser, at the very least.


    The sight of it eased his shoulders, and untensed a bit of the knot that had formed in his stomach, concerning his gains and path.


    At least he wouldn¡¯t starve now. He had made it, and it was one less thing to worry about. A vital, crucial one at that.


    The door of the blaster slid open, and Tuk stepped out. The trugger looked very happy and pleased with himself, and quickly noticed Nar staring at him.


    The ring tosser beamed at him from across the room and made his way towards him.


    ¡°Hey, man! Glad to see you¡¯re finally awake!¡± Tuk whispered as he joined him. ¡°That was some sleep.¡±


    Nar looked around the room in confusion. Other than Kur and Mul, who were talking quietly in one of the corners of the room, Tuk and now Nar, the remaining three were still asleep.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s been in and out of it,¡± Tuk explained, squatting next to him. ¡°Not much to do here, you know, once you¡¯ve gotten yourself sorted. You¡¯re the last one actually up.¡±


    Nar nodded, now understanding what the trugger meant. Then, he froze.


    ¡°What is that?¡± he said, pointing at Tuk¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Aha!¡±


    Tuk stood up and did a little twirl.


    ¡°It¡¯s the new gear! Do you like it?¡±


    Nar gaped at the sleek looking, tight fitting, gray clothes. A hexagonal pattern of darker gray ran across its entire length, all the way down to the shoes.


    ¡°Shoes too?¡± Nar breathed.


    Tuk chuckled. ¡°Yep. And you get five of each! Five shirts. Five pants. Five pairs of shoes!¡±


    ¡°Five!¡± Nar nearly shouted.


    That was more clothes than he had ever owned at once!


    ¡°And they feel better than anything I¡¯ve ever worn,¡± Tuk said, feeling the material over his stomach. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure about the tightness¡­ I hope this isn¡¯t what people wear up there. A little revealing for my tastes¡­¡±


    Nar nodded, still trying to come to terms with his sudden turn of fortunes.


    ¡°By the way, get the new gear first, man. I went in the blaster first and then I had to walk out in my old clothes,¡± Tuk said, shaking his head. ¡°I had to blast again. No way I was getting dressed in the new stuff like that¡­ Everything I brought out of that cubeplant just felt nasty. I got rid of it all.¡±


    Nar¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°You what?¡±


    Tuk nodded.


    ¡°Once you get your new gear, you¡¯ll understand. We¡¯re never going back to those old, tattered things, man. That¡¯s all in the past.¡±


    A sudden yawn took the trugger by surprise.


    ¡°Damn! You see what I mean? Not that I mind though. Have a lot to make up for.¡±


    Nar nodded. Again, he was shocked. To throw away all your perfectly good clothes because they were a little dirty? It was nothing the blaster couldn¡¯t fix!


    ¡°Anyways, do as I say, and get your stuff first. You¡¯ll thank me for it. Oh! And having the ring will help a bunch.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­.¡±


    Tuk laughed at Nar¡¯s uncertain expression. ¡°Enjoy yourself, man. It¡¯s going to be fun!¡±


    ¡°Uhm, thanks?¡± Nar said.


    With a last grin, Tuk left in search of a spot to lay down in.


    As for Nar, the ring tosser had stoked his curiosity.


    He got up to his feet and paused, staring down the length of his body.


    The movement had been so¡­ Effortless.


    He had forgotten what it meant to be well rested. And out of the Pressure.


    Marveling at how light and easily his steps carried him forward, Nar made his way to the dispenser.


    So, how does this work? He thought, standing in front of the metal panel.


    That dispenser was a completely smooth sheet of metal. No buttons. No holes or drawers. Nor even a display was visible on it. It was just a bare sheet of metal, built into the wall.


    Thankfully, a window appeared.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have been granted a storage ring.


    A storage ring allows you to store almost anything in your possession in a safe and convenient manner.


    Each storage device contains a set number of slots and a weight limit on how much it can carry.


    You can only store stackable, exact same types of objects in a slot. Your current slots limit you to 99 items per slot.


    Your ring will be supplied to you already containing all of your other rewards.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The window blinked off, and a small, thin section of the dispenser slid outwards.


    Nar reached forward and closed his fingers around a simple looking, matt, dull gray ring.


    It was smooth and cool to the touch, and not a single blemish was visible across its surface.


    Hesitating, Nar slid it into the middle finger on his left hand. He had no idea if that was the right place for it, but at a glance, it seemed to be the likeliest candidate. He didn¡¯t know if the ring was going to interfere with his fighting, so that ruled out his dominant hand, and the middle finger seemed the safest option.


    The ring slid in easily, and he startled when it suddenly tightened around his finger.


    Nar shook his hand. It didn¡¯t hurt, nor did the ring budge from where it was. The band of metal had simply adjusted itself to the size of Nar¡¯s finger. That meant that maybe he could wear it on a different finger, and it would always be safe. However, he still thought the middle finger was the safest option.


    A tab popped up, interrupting his examination of the metal band.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    Climber¡¯s Storage Ring


    Uncommon


    The Climber¡¯s Storage Ring allows its wearer to store and retrieve items from within, in what is called an Inventory. Items must be inanimate objects.


    To store, touch the item to the ring and think ¡°Store¡±.


    To see a list of items stored, focus on the ring and think ¡°Inventory¡±.


    To retrieve an item, focus on the ring and think of the item you want to retrieve, as well as the quantity, like so, ¡°Take X Item¡±, where X is the quantity desired.


    Small items will appear in the user''s ring bearing hand. Larger items will appear on a sufficiently clear and spacious surface, in the vicinity of the ring wearer. If there is no space available, the retrieval operation will be canceled without consequence.


    Storage


    ¡ñ Six slots of stackable items (must be of the exact same item type).


    ¡ñ Limit set to 50 lbs in weight across all items.


    Note


    ¡ñ Special modifications have been made to this ring. Crackers and jell-o will always count as one unit, no matter their state, and the unfinished crackers and jell-o will always be retrieved first.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar''s jaw dropped.


    A smaller, narrower tab appeared above his ring. In it, the six slots were evident, and he instinctively knew what all the small icons within it meant, as well as their quantities.


    5 shoes. 5 shirts. 5 pants. 50 crackers¡­ 80 jell-os! My Crystal¡­


    He almost shouted in joy!


    Even going at his new accelerated rate of eating, the food within the ring would still last him for well over a year!


    Four seasons¡­ Four whole seasons. No, even longer! With this I can¡­ I could¡­


    The smile died on his lips.


    Many of the adults, including his dad, had starved for weeks at a time, to give the three Unclean Climbers the ten crackers each.


    Starved.


    Yet, now, here he was, with enough food to give a quarter each to two hundred people. All of it within that one tiny ring. And that was ignoring the jell-os.


    Was there really that much food to go around?


    The Unclean starved, yes, but the other workers weren¡¯t that much better off either. Food and drink had always been, if not downright scarce, at least treated with the utmost respect. However¡­


    He glanced at the others.


    There were eight of them in Kur¡¯s party, and each of them had been given fifty crackers. At least he assumed so, and he had no reason to think otherwise. And that being the case, just how much was there, concentrated in their hands, in that tiny room?


    His new brain¡¯s capabilities spat out the answer for him.


    400 crackers, at least. 1600 quarters¡­ My Crystal. Was there always this much to go around? Why did we all starve then?


    He covered his mouth.


    Why did his dad and other Unclean starve still?


    He stared down at the ring on his finger, and felt bile at the back of his throat.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Kur whispered.


    Nar startled and looked behind him. Kur and Mul had apparently finished their conversation, and while Mul had headed back to check on his sister, Kur had come to check on him.


    ¡°Everything okay with your ring?¡± Kur asked. ¡°If you¡¯re wondering about the empty slot, don¡¯t worry. We figured it was meant for our weapons.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Uh, yeah,¡± Nar said, looking down at his ring, hoping to mask his expression. ¡°B-But Gad has her shield too. You as well.¡±


    ¡°She has seven slots,¡± Kur said. ¡°Same as me. Two of them are empty. Or were.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see. That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s nice.¡±


    While the others starved, down in their hole, he could eat like¡­ Like¡­ He didn¡¯t even have the words for it. And for once, the System did not supply any new ones to him. Nar felt that it should have. Not even the knowledge of time tracking had shaken him as much as the obscene quantities of food he now held within that ring.


    ¡°It will be awesome to not have to lug those things around anymore,¡± Kur said, carrying on, oblivious to Nar¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Though I reckon it will take some practice getting used to the ring. Especially for weapons. We need to get those out fast, you know?¡±


    Nar nodded slowly.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Kur asked, frowning.


    ¡°What? Yeah. Yeah! I just¡­ Need a good blasting, I think.¡±


    Kur nodded sagely. ¡°Go on then. It¡¯s awesome. Better than anything back home.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t wait¡­¡± Nar muttered.


    ¡°Oh, also, there¡¯s a little drawer that you can open. You can throw all of your old clothes in there. They won¡¯t fit in the ring anyways.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll just keep them in my pack!¡± Nar said, the words bubbling out of him.


    Kur shook his head. ¡°Jul¡¯s insisting on keeping hers too, for some reason.¡±


    He chuckled at Nar¡¯s expression.


    ¡°I thought the same when I read the notification. Why would I ever want to get rid of my clothes, right? They¡¯re just a little dirty¡­ But wait till you check out the new gear. That will change your mind pretty quick. It did for me.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Nar made, non-committedly.


    ¡°Go on, see for yourself. And after you blast, make sure to eat something, then go back to sleep. We need all the rest we can get. If this was just the Tutorial, then I don¡¯t even want to think about what waits for us out there, in the real thing.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± Nar said, grimacing.

 Chapter 24 - The Path is Changing

    Nar stepped into the blaster, and the door closed behind him, gently and on its own.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Nar whispered, staring at the closed door.


    He passed a finger over the smooth, slightly reflective gray metal. Not even a speck of rust on it. The thing looked brand new.


    With his head spinning at so much display of abundance and quality, he dropped his clothes in a bundle on the floor, and looked for the buttons to turn on the blaster.


    Suddenly, it activated on its own, blasting him with near invisible tiny grits.


    He hurriedly closed his eyes and pressed his mouth shut.


    However, the blaster only hit his body, leaving his face clear from the gritty currents that scraped him clean.


    Crystal. This is insane¡­ But the pressure¡¯s actually not the best. It could be a little bit m¡­


    Nar yelped.


    The pressure had suddenly increased, and the grit now scoured him harder, exactly as he had wanted it.


    Does it hear my thoughts? Off!


    It turned off.


    By the Crystal¡­


    He turned the blaster back on, and stood frozen in the sore, cleansing current.


    Why don¡¯t we have blasters like this?


    Why did he have to force the jammed doors shut? Or open?


    Why did he have to hold his breath and close his eyes, and wash in short bursts? And why was there so much food? And clothes, too?


    The food, the ring, and now the blaster¡­ Just what kind of Nexus awaited him up there. And why was there so little of it down in the cubeplant?


    Was it all just part of their punishment?


    Nar lowered his head into the grit, letting it scour the layers of dirty sweat and blood caked within his hair and upon his brow.


    The sound of scratching against his scalp silenced the blasphemous thoughts that threatened to spill from their confines.


    Crystal, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m trying, but I just¡­ I just can¡¯t understand why.


    Maybe once on the surface he would finally learn what the Original Sin had been. Maybe then it would all make sense.


    Maybe he would even learn that it was deserved. Maybe.


    Nar bent down and felt for his clothes. There was no way he was leaving them behind. He might, begrudgingly, throw away his bloody, ripped first shirt. That one was beyond salvaging. But the others? They just need a good blasting.


    He held the clothes up to the stream and stepped out of it.


    He willed the blaster to go stronger, strong enough to fray the material, but at least, it still scrubbed off most of the filth encrusted into it.


    Once done, Nar stared at the bundle in his hands.


    At the cubeplant, he got to blast once a week, and he had always relished that clean feeling of clean cloth against his skin. Now though, staring at the bundle in his hands, all he could see was how filthy they looked. How old. How ragged.


    There were stains in them that would never leave. Stains that had been in them long before the previous owner had passed them onto his dad¡¯s hands.


    And looking at them now, it was a wonder no one had asked him why his clothes looked so reddish. Had they not made the connection to what he was? Or maybe they had, and they had just not cared that he was an Unclean¡­


    For a moment, he considered what that meant for him. Then he shrugged. It didn¡¯t really mean anything, he supposed. At least not until someone made a problem out of it.


    Right, uh¡­ Let¡¯s just check those new clothes.


    Both Kur and Tuk had piqued his curiosity, and his heartbeat sped lightly with anticipation.


    He lifted the ring to his face.


    So¡­ Inventory? Aaaaand take one¡­ [Climber¡¯s Shirt]?


    There was no sound. No light. One moment he stared at his ring, the next, there was a piece of cloth in his clenched hand.


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    His hand was even closed around it!


    He dropped his old clothes as though they were a mere afterthought, and unfurled the new shirt.


    So soft¡­


    And clean. And it looked like it was made from such a higher-level material too.


    He felt his fingers through it, marveling at both its soft touch and ingrained durability.


    A tab popped up.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    Climber¡¯s Shirt


    Uncommon


    A shirt made from a flexible yet durable material. Offers a very small bonus to defense.


    Stats


    ¡ñ Absorbs 0.5% of damage taken.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°No way¡­¡± he breathed. ¡°It absorbs damage? So that¡¯s why!¡±


    No wonder the others had gotten rid of their old clothes!


    He had to be an idiot not to wear the new shirt. 0.5% may not look like a lot, but under Pressure, or when being shredded to bits by a guardian, every HP counted. And 0.5% could be the difference between life and death!


    He brought out a set of the new pants and shoes as well.


    The pants were just the same as the shirt, but the shoes were made of something harder, though still flexible and comfortable to the touch.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    Climber¡¯s Pants


    Uncommon


    Pants made from a flexible yet durable material. Offers a very small bonus to defense.


    Stats


    ¡ñ Absorbs 0.5% of damage taken.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    Climber¡¯s ShoesSupport the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Uncommon


    Shoes made from a flexible yet tough material.


    No stats


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    No stats?


    It was a bit of a letdown, but it didn¡¯t really matter.


    His feet revolted at the idea of going back into the old, dirty and stinking mess that were his old shoes. He would gladly throw them out. Gladly!


    He paused, realizing the decision that had been so easily made.


    Yes. He would throw it all out. He was a Climber now, with Climber gear. He had no use for dirty old rags anymore.


    Dirty old rags, he thought, staring at his old clothes at his feet.


    Compared to the new clothes in his hand, no, the gear in his hands, with its softness, quality and newness, dirty old rags was exactly what those things at his feet were.


    Why¡­


    He shook his head. Enough was enough.


    He had been rewarded for his faith and loyalty. Whatever was in the cubeplant, it was none of his concern. Not anymore.


    Only getting his dad out mattered. That was all.


    He quickly got dressed.


    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the gentleness of the material. No, there was truly no way in the Infinite Nexus that he was ever going back to his old clothes.


    Dressed, he set about looking for the drawer that Kur had mentioned.


    As expected, it opened on its own, in response to his thoughts.


    Nar scooped up his old clothes and held them over the drawer.


    Destroyed or not, they tied him home, and to his dad. They were a reminder of what he still endured in the cubeplant.


    Would the Nexus above, the Outside-Nexus, with all of its unknown wonders and sights, blind him to his promise? Would it make him forget? Would it make him want to forget? To put down the sword, and just enjoy a life of plenty as his dad had wanted him to?


    Nar dropped the clothes.


    They were just that. Clothes.


    He would never forget his dad, or his promise. No matter what awaited him in the O-Nex, he would come back.


    Nar stepped out of the blaster, leaving his clothes behind to be gone forever, and feeling like he had been born anew.


    He would throw away the other two sets as well. No point in birding himself with useless things.


    And once I store everything into the ring, I¡¯ll get rid of that pack too.


    He felt a lump in his throat. His dad had made it for him, and he had been damned proud of his achievement too. Nar hadn¡¯t even asked him out of what it was made.


    Probably from his own limited number of clothes. Or maybe from someone¡¯s generous donation.


    Nar shook his head.


    It¡¯s in the way of fighting. It has to go.


    He had no need for sentimentality. And neither did his dad.


    He needed levels and attributes and skills, and the advantages of his new gear and ring, if he was to survive the real Climb about to begin.


    That was all there was to it.


    ********


    As Tuk had told him, once he¡¯d cleaned himself up, moved his leftover food into his ring and got rid of his old clothes and pack, there wasn¡¯t really much to do.


    He spent some time getting used to his inventory, taking and storing the sword out of his ring. It seemed to know that he was right-handed, and the sword always appeared on his dominant hand, even mid swing.


    It was surprisingly easy to get the hang of it, though Nar couldn¡¯t tell whether that was due to him or some knowledge unknowingly imparted into his brain.


    Other than that, he ate. He used the toilet. He even jumped in the blaster again for the fun of it. After all, why not? If it was there, there was nothing preventing him from using it. He was pretty sure that Tuk went in and out of the thing at least 5 times, his skin looking red and raw from it.


    For the most part however, he slept. They all did. It was like they just couldn¡¯t get enough of it, or like their bodies and minds demanded that they make up for all the loss they had endured during the nearly two-month long Tutorial.


    On the few occasions where they all found themselves awake, they chatted and roared with laughter. Cen and Viy seemed to have made a comeback from whatever it was that had weighed them down, and Mul behaved like a new man.


    He was still rather grumpy and stiff, but nothing rude ever came spewing out from his mouth again. Nor complaints either. Though, there was really nothing to complain about in that safe room¡­ They had to wait and see how deep his change of heart and behavior went, once they left the comfort of the safe room.


    Tuk, for his part, found it hilarious to see just how far he could push him, and Mul¡¯s forced politeness and patience were quite something to see.


    Both Kur and Cen, however, made sure to stop the trugger whenever he pushed too hard. Everybody was much happier with the new, calmer Mul, and didn¡¯t want to see a return to the old one.


    Whatever anger he carried with him, from whatever had been done to him by his family, he truly seemed to be wanting to leave it all behind him.


    Of the enormous, gigantic thing with the orange flaming eyes that had nearly ended their Climb, they spoke off only once, briefly, and in hushed tones.


    ¡°What do you think that was?¡± Tuk had asked, after a lull in the conversation.


    Nar knew immediately what Tuk was talking about.


    A shiver ran down his spine, remembering the heavy, booming steps and the guttural vibrations that had shaken the bridge.


    ¡°It had to be a guardian,¡± Kur said, his eyes vacant. ¡°What else could it be?¡±


    Gad nodded slowly next to him. ¡°There are tiny guardians, so it¡¯s not that strange that there would be huge ones too.¡±


    A giant guardian, Nar thought, considering Gad¡¯s words.


    After all, why not? The Nexus was infinite, an immensity beyond his comprehension. Tiny guardians, huge guardians. Poison guardians. Who knew what was in the dark, in the quiet places of the Nexus, that they had yet to tread and disturb? And just how far were they still from reaching the surface? How many more yellow arrows had they yet to follow?


    Thinking about all of that vastness above his head, and all around him, made him feel small. Tiny. Insignificant. And to dread the darkness at his back even more¡­


    The others had lapsed into their own, dark introspections, and after a long silence, Tuk pulled the party towards happier topics of conversation.


    Once in a while, however, Nar¡¯s thoughts returned to the orange eyes, and to how narrowly they had escaped them. And to how much stronger he had to become, if he ever truly hoped of Climbing back down, by himself, to rescue his dad.


    All in all, the party slowly recovered from the duress of the first leg of their journey, and time passed in a restful boredom.


    When at last the night before the deadline arrived, Kur came and sat by Nar.


    Nar often sat by himself, still finding it hard to socialize and mingle with the Clean. It would probably be another good while before he stopped being surprised whenever one of them smiled at him.


    ¡°So, I wanted to talk about your gains,¡± Kur said, pleasantries out of the way. ¡°How did it go in the end?¡±


    Nar rubbed his chin.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ To be honest, I¡¯m still not sure.¡±


    Kur¡¯s face fell. ¡°Oh, no! Was it bad?¡±


    ¡°What? No! I mean. I don¡¯t think so?¡±


    Nar told him everything.


    It was only fair. He had heard the others talk about their new skills and attributes. Mul and Viy had actually gotten skills somewhat similar to his [Quickening]. However, theirs were more like Tuk¡¯s now upgraded [Focused Fire 2], in the sense that they increased their DPS. In comparison, Nar¡¯s new skill seemed to focus more on keeping him alive by making him better at defending himself.


    Jul had surprised everyone by revealing she had unlocked [Instinct]. Except for Nar. It had made perfect sense since Jul had been the one to guide him when the attribute had first manifested itself. However, no one knew about that yet.


    ¡°I¡­ Me too, I also have it!¡± he had stammered.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Mul had said. ¡°You can also see the future?¡±


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that simple. And the confusion they felt was the exact same he did.


    However, Jul¡¯s [Instinct] seemed to be a more advanced version than his. He sensed direct danger. Whether only to himself or to others as well, it was something that he, as of yet, did not know.


    Jul¡¯s [Instinct] however, seemed to carry with it a much stronger sense for bad things in general. Like, for example, how she had known that they had to keep moving during their Tutorial, when the Pressure had first knocked them all out.


    However, other than that one revelation, Nar hadn¡¯t shared much with the others yet, still trying to understand what all the changes meant for his path.


    Now, as Kur listened to him, a frown formed over his features. By the end of it however, he seemed to just barely be containing his laughter.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny about it?¡± Nar asked, irritated, when he was finally done.


    Kur took a deep breath.


    ¡°Hold on, let me get this straight,¡± he said, and had to take another deep breath to keep from bursting into laughter. ¡°You are faster, stronger, have more HP, and have the ability to know how the enemy is going to attack you before it does. You deal more damage and take less, and your most useless skill has been replaced by something that not only is much more useful for you, it can also grow to become something ridiculously incredible. And¡­ I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m missing something else in there, but do you see where I¡¯m going with this?¡±


    Nar nodded, looking down bashfully. ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was bad¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know what it means for my path.¡±


    ¡°Your path?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I was thinking it would be more like hers.¡±


    ¡°Hers?¡± Kur asked, and followed the direction of his eyes. ¡°You mean Gad?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You mean with a shield and all that?¡±


    ¡°And taunts, and the [Constitution] and the attributes. She even unlocked [Toughness]!¡±


    Kur stared at him with an incredulous look.


    ¡°And all that, with the DPS part too?¡± he asked.


    Nar nodded, though he was unable to meet Kur¡¯s eyes.


    Kur finally burst out laughing.


    ¡°W-What?¡± Nar asked, suddenly self-conscious of the looks they were attracting.


    ¡°You! That¡¯s what!¡± Kur said.


    He wiped his tears, his body still quietly shaking.


    ¡°Ah, man¡­ Thanks. I needed that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Nar said, feeling slightly offended. He had confided in the party leader. What was all that laughter for?


    Kur stood up and stretched.


    ¡°It¡¯s not up to me to say anything. You¡¯ll figure it out soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Figure out what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±


    And annoyingly, Kur had left it at that, leaving Nar scratching his head and trying to figure out what in the pile he had meant.


    Was he missing something? The party leader seemed to hint that yes, there was something about his path, gains and new skill that he was not seeing. However, nothing came to mind.


    That night, Nar lay awake, pondering Kur¡¯s words. Turning them around in his mind and coming up empty. What was he not seeing?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    NAR293457741235645XAV


    Basic 6


    Health Points: 160/160


    Stamina: 140/140


    Attributes


    ¡ñ Strength: 13


    ¡ñ Constitution: 16


    ¡ñ Stamina: 14


    ¡ñ Agility: 9


    ¡ñ Speed: 9


    ¡ñ Aura: 38


    ¡ñ ???: 6


    ¡ñ ???: 13


    ¡ñ Might: 4


    ¡ñ Endurance: 6


    ¡ñ Instinct: 10


    ¡ñ Reflex: 10


    ¡ñ Hearing: 6


    ¡ñ Sight: 5


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    His attributes list had grown considerably, and his status was looking much better now than when he had first unlocked his Basic class. However, he did not see what Kur seemed to be alluding to. He doubted the man was simply messing with him. There had to be something he was missing¡­


    The hours passed, the timer slowly running out, counting down to the end of their peaceful days.


    This is getting me nowhere. I¡¯ll think about it tomorrow. For now, I should sleep.


    In the morning, they would be out again. And the real Climb would finally begin.


    He wondered what in the Nexus they would find next.


    He would take anything¡­ As long as it was not that damned corridor again.

 Chapter 25 - From Now On, Its The Real Deal

    Despite the late night, Nar woke up ahead of Kur and Tuk¡¯s wake up call. For their last night, Kur had reinstated the watch to make sure they didn¡¯t sleep through the deadline.


    Now, Nar sat alone, drumming his fingers against the grip of his sword, waiting for the door to open. Around the room, the others were in different stages of preparedness and nervousness. It was time to finally see what the real Climb had in stock for them.


    As the timer hit the 15-minute mark, they were all surprised by a low rumble. The exit was opening.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too early?¡± Tuk asked.


    Kur, frowning at the opening entrance, shook his head. ¡°There was no mention of when it would open this time around. I assumed it would be 5 minutes like last time, but I guess it doesn¡¯t have to.¡±


    The exit fully revealed itself, and the party gathered around it. Beyond the threshold of the opening, there was only a deep, impenetrable darkness.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the path?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Maybe we need to step out first?¡± Cen ventured.


    Gad hoisted her shield and stood in front of the entrance, blocking it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like this,¡± she said. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t the path¡­¡±


    Beyond them, the now familiar yellow arrows sprung into being.


    One by one, leading away from the door, the arrows stretched until they disappeared into darkness. Around the path, there was nothing at all except for a few feet of unremarkable floor.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Where¡¯s the corridor?¡± Tuk asked, looking over Gad¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there!¡±


    ¡°Stay back!¡± Gad told him. ¡°Kur?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Into formation everyone!¡±


    They quickly rearranged themselves behind Gad.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Kur asked Jul, as they assembled. ¡°Can you hear or see anything? Or sense anything wrong?¡±


    Jul closed her eyes and concentrated, her antennae angled towards the exit.


    At the back of the party, Nar flexed his grip on the sword. His heartbeat drummed against his ears, and a new layer of sweat was spreading over him, as the warmer air from the outside slowly raised the temperature in the room.


    That darkness made him uneasy, and evoked thoughts of giant, silent machines staring down at him from invisible heights.


    The door had only just opened, and already things looked complicated and dangerous. There could be anything in that unknown space. Anything at all.


    He caught Tuk taking a deep breath out of the corner of his eyes. The trugger spun his rings in little circles on his right hand, while the other he kept in a fist, rings poking out in between fingers and ready to be spun. On the other side, past Kur and Jul, Cen gripped her staff so tightly that the whites of her knuckles were visible.


    The melee DPS stood at the ready behind Gad, mimicking her half-bent knee stance, similarly ready for anything.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jul finally said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Nothing to be sorry about,¡± Kur said, with an easy smile. ¡°It¡¯s probably a good thing there¡¯s nothing there.¡±


    ¡°Should we go?¡± Gad asked. ¡°The timer is going to run out.¡±


    ¡°We still have 12 minutes, but yes, I think we should just go. Is everyone ready? Good. Then Gad, whenever you want, take us forward.¡±


    Gad nodded and lifted her shield. Then, she stepped into the unknown.


    Jul¡¯s gasp was all the warning the others had.


    As for Nar, his brand new [Instinct] screamed at him, and he jumped to the left.


    A darkness collided into Gad, sending her flying into the room, exactly where Nar had stood.


    Jul had managed to get out of the way, but Kur had no chance to dodge.


    Gad flew into him, driving him back into the safe room. The two of them crashed and rolled across the floor, Kur under Gad, and above her, a spreading, lashing darkness.


    The guardian unfurled like a living nightmare, and attacked the two Climbers underneath it.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Mul whispered


    Gad grit her teeth, holding her shield up against the flurry of blows and blades. Under her, Kur didn¡¯t move.


    The party started in a frozen shook.


    No¡­ Not him. Please, no! Nar thought, staring at the prone figure.


    ¡°There¡¯s one more!¡± Jul shouted.


    Nar pried his eyes from the downed party leader and stared at the gaping darkness.


    If another Guardian made it inside the room, with their tank already taken out of commission, it would be the end of them. At the same time, Nar knew he would never be able to tank a hit like that. It would kill him.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡± Jul said, dropping into a ball and covering her eyes and antennae.


    The others all looked lost. Without Kur, nobody knew what to do.


    ¡°MOVE!¡± Gad bellowed.


    Her booming voice echoed across the safe room, shattering the party¡¯s indecision. The DPS turned towards the guardian already inside the room, while Nar¡¯s feet took him forward.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tank the other one!¡± he said.


    ¡°And we¡¯ll deal with that one first!¡± Mul shouted in reply.


    A loud voice within him screamed for him to stop, to realize the folly of what he was doing, but Nar didn¡¯t stop. He had failed once already. He wouldn¡¯t let his fears stop him again.


    The exit and the darkness seemed to elongate before him, and there was a momentary tinnitus in his ears. For a split-second, a wave of noise rattled in his ears, then, all sounds faded to a much lower level.


    What in the pile¡­


    From beyond, he heard the sound of sharp metal on hard floor, growing louder in quick cadence.


    Tik! Tik! Tik! Tik! Tik!


    What the fuck is wrong now? he thought, stumbling towards the exit.


    His sight snapped back to normal, and he suddenly caught the glint of yellow on fast moving blades.


    Wait! That¡¯s¡­ I can see it! I can hear it!


    That strangeness had to be his new heightened senses coming to life for the first time. It was incredible! He could hear the guardian rushing at him from the darkness, its blades sounding clearly against the floor. The background of chaos within the room had lowered to a much lower profile, but he could still perfectly hear everything that was going on.


    Crystal. These attributes¡­ It¡¯s insane!


    However, he didn¡¯t have long to marvel at his new, enhanced senses. The guardian ran towards the opening, seemingly intent on mowing past him.


    With seconds before the impact, Nar thrust his sword forward, holding it with both hands. He lowered his center of gravity, and tensed his body, ready to receive the collision.


    If you want to get through me, then get through this first! Nar thought, clenching his jaw.


    Sword and Guardian met, and Nar bared his teeth as he fought to hold his ground, the sword gradually being pushed back against his chest. The Guardian, encountering resistance, slammed down all of its legs and pushed, something within it making a high pitched whine.


    Though it felt like his arms were going to snap right off him, Nar managed to hold the thing in place.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Realizing that it couldn¡¯t get past him, the Guardian pulled back and spun in a tangle of limbs and blades, and speared towards Nar¡¯s legs.


    Caught off guard and balance, he could barely react to his [Instinct]¡¯s warning.


    He half jumped half stumbled backwards, pushing his sword haphazardly to block the worst of the hits.


    The guardian blurred, and Nar¡¯s eyes went wide when he suddenly found himself surrounded by blades. With a split second to react to the warnings, he jerked back his head before the blades turned inwards in a deadly embrace.


    A burning line cut across his check, and the blades lunged forward again. Surrounded once more, he raised his left arm to shield his head, and back tracked madly, sword countering blades with everything he had.


    There was no technique, no expertise. He used his sword like a club, and did what he could to stay alive in the flurry of glistening blades, blows and warnings.


    Any concept of time and space evaporated. There was only the next blade, the next dodge, and parry, and the next warning.


    His arms ached. His body stung from a dozen cuts. His lungs screamed for respite, but the guardian was unrelenting.


    Twice he misplaced his footing, twice he nearly got skewered to death. But he managed to hold on. He twisted out of the way, or blocked just in time, or sacrificed something less vital instead.


    He fell, he got up, and he endured. However, under that relentless assault, not even once was he able to attack back.


    In what felt like hours later, a voice brought him back to reality.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Viy shouted. ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far! I can¡¯t see you!¡±


    Risking a quick glimpse in the direction of her voice, he found her in the doorway, framed by the light of the safe room. Behind her, he caught glimpses of the first guardian still raging about.


    ¡°You have to come back!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°It¡¯s too fast!¡±


    Just that quick chat was enough to distract him, and he grunted as a line of pain cut vertically up his left arm.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Viy shouted, horrified. ¡°Hold on! I¡¯m coming to you!¡±


    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t!¡±


    But two seconds later he heard her voice right next to him. ¡°I can barely see it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s right in front of me!¡±


    He hadn¡¯t even finished speaking and already her spear lunged forward, a few inches from his side. The guardian parried it with ease, but its momentary distraction gave Nar the breathing room he needed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back!¡± he told her. ¡°Slowly!¡±


    Together, he covering them, and Viy distracting the guardian, the two of them slowly retread back towards the light.


    The sounds of the fighting behind them grew louder and louder, until finally, Nar was within the light¡¯s comforting presence once more, the guardian revealed by the light of the room and of the arrows under them.


    ¡°Viy, you got him!¡±


    It was Kur. Thank the Crystal he was safe!


    ¡°Nar, can you hold it off while Viy helps finish this one?¡± Kur asked.


    Nar risked a quick glance behind him.


    Kur was propped against the wall, with a line of blood running down the side of his face. Meanwhile, the others threw everything they had at the first guardian, which Gad kept focused on her, and trapped against a corner of the room. The guardian itself looked to be on its last efforts.


    Nar turned back to his own tanking. His left arm radiated pain, and the sword felt unbelievably heavy on his other arm. However, he was still well enough to move. He could do it. He knew he could.


    ¡°Do it!¡± he said.


    ¡°Okay! Viy, go!¡±


    ¡°On it!¡±


    The guardian tried to chase Viy deeper into the room, maybe due to her higher DPS she held its aggro, but Nar denied it entry. His sword flashed in all directions and impossible angles, and he foiled every attempt by the guardian to step into that room.


    The two of them fell back into their deadly dance, the guardian pushing, and Nar defending.


    However, Nar was starting to get a little bit more used to his [Instinct]. He was getting faster, though not a lot, by any means. The change was almost imperceptible, but coupled with being back under the light of the safe room, and knowing that he was no longer alone, it was enough to keep him going.


    An eternity later, there was a loud crash from behind him.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Kur said. ¡°To Nar!¡±


    ¡°Nar, let me tank it!¡± Gad shouted.


    Suddenly she was right next to him, and blades sought out her shield instead of his body. She took his spot, pushing him out of the fight. He had no qualms with it, and let himself be pushed out of the way.


    ¡°Good! Now fall back, Nar,¡± Kur said.


    Nar took a few uneven steps back, and collapsed against the wall next to the exit.


    I did it, he thought, struggling for air.


    He had not been able to attack even once, but he had done it. He had kept the guardian away from the others.


    Wait¡­ I forgot my skills, he realized.


    He almost laughed out loud. It was ridiculous how easily the guardian had overpowered him. He had also forgotten to look at his HP and stamina.


    Next time, he told himself. Next time I¡¯ll do better. One step at a time.


    He lifted his hand, still holding the sword, to his left bicep. Blood flowed freely from a large gash, staining his new gear. His sleeves were completely shredded to bits. In the end, the [Climber¡¯s Shirt], even with its damage absorption, was not armor.


    Maybe I¡¯ll just roll my sleeves. Or will that affect the damage absorption? Nar considered, his mind going numb as adrenaline faded.


    ¡°Nar, do you need healing?¡±


    Kur kneeled next to him, dropping heavily on his right knee.


    Nar shook his head. His arm stung, but it was probably already healing. He had lost 42 HP, but that still left plenty to fix him back up.


    ¡°You did great!¡± Kur said, shouting in his ears to be heard above the racket made by the others. ¡°We couldn¡¯t have done it without you!¡±


    Nar nodded. ¡°How are you?¡±


    Kur wiped away the blood staining the side of his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s not bleeding anymore, but I can¡¯t stand yet. Can you help me? We need to get out. The timer is still counting down!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit!¡±


    Nar pushed himself upright and stored the sword in his inventory. Already, he was seeing how valuable the ring was.


    He passed his right arm under Kur¡¯s left, raised arm, and hoisted the party leader to his feet.


    ¡°Gad, we need to get out! The timer¡¯s gonna run out!¡±


    Gad roared at the guardian and pushed with her shield. The thing barely budged, but it was enough for her to scrape through the narrow opening, and the guardian, still taunted, followed after her.


    ¡°Out! Out!¡± Kur shouted.


    The party rushed outside, and the entrance closed immediately behind them, plunging them into relative darkness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop! Finish that thing!¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°Crystal. How long did we have left?¡± Nar asked, looking back to the now seamless wall.


    ¡°Less than ten seconds,¡± Kur whispered.


    He looked pale and sickly in the low glow of the yellow arrows, and his eyes were inlaid with deep shadows.


    ¡°Crystal¡­ We almost didn¡¯t make it,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    In front of them, Jul stood with a focused, tense expression, a pair of hands firmly clapped around her temples. A hint of a smile touched Nar¡¯s lips, seeing her not curled up into a ball anymore.


    Beyond her, the others fought the guardian, and his eyes fell upon Viy, savagely, madly, yet somewhat mesmerizingly, wielding her spear in long thrust and twirls that caught the light of the arrows.


    ¡°Did you send Viy for me?¡± he asked, looking down at Kur.


    ¡°I did. Jul said you were getting farther and farther away from the room. We had to bring you back.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s not a tank! There could¡¯ve been another one!¡±


    Kur looked up at him. His stare held Nar¡¯s, unflinching.


    ¡°We cover for each other, Nar. She had to come get you, just like you had to risk your life to stop that guardian. Did you stop to think about it? If it came down at you like the other one, could you have tanked it like Gad did?¡±


    Nar looked away.


    ¡°You did what you had to do, and so did she. And so do we all.¡±


    Nar pursed his lips, and Kur focused back on the fight. Out here, and with just one of them, the fight turned into just another straightforward encounter.


    Gad skillfully blocked the guardian, while Mul and Viy went in from behind her to attack any gaps. Behind them, Cen and Tuk rained down damage non-stop from their safe distance. And finally, at their backs, Kur stood to give orders and Jul to be their eyes and ears, keeping them safe from further ambush.


    They all played their role. They all did what they had to do.


    And Nar was in turmoil.


    That he was the tank, even the secondary one, and had to put his life on the line for the others, he had already accepted. Or at least, he had thought so. However, had it been Viy out there in the dark, and not him, would he have risked everything to go and get her?


    More than that, he had been a fool. He had allowed himself to get distracted, and had gotten too far from the safe room and the party.


    Kur had ordered Viy to come get him, but what if she hadn¡¯t wanted to? She could barely see in that darkness! What if she had refused to risk her life for his? And how much longer would he have lasted out there on his own?


    He thought of the consequences from that time he had hesitated. He thought of the bridge. This time he had marched forward, without hesitation. He had jumped right into the face of danger, not knowing what was coming at him. Had that been a mistake? But had he not, the guardian would¡¯ve burst into that room, and they would all be probably dead by now.


    What was I supposed to do? he wondered.


    He did not want to be a coward, hiding behind his party, taking only the easy, under control fights. He wanted to grow stronger and better. He wanted to pull his own weight, to be useful. But just how much was he prepared to risk against his dad¡¯s life? Their future? All for these Clean, who had most likely been amongst those spitting at and clamoring for his death and that of other Unclean.


    And Clean or not, could he even trust them? He had seen what happened when people panicked. It had been imprinted onto his mind¡­


    When push came to shove, would these Climbers have his back? Or would they throw him away as bait, and run for their own lives?


    He didn¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t know at all.


    Ahead, the fight was nearly finished. The guardian smoked and sparked from a dozen different smashed cracks and gashes, and with a cry, Viy thrust her spear forward, fast and hard.


    The weapon penetrated through, and hit whatever vital mechanism still kept the guardian in that fight. It came crashing down with a loud echoing cacophony that reverberated through the sudden silence around them, making Nar wince and glance around him at the impenetrable dark.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have defeated one Guardian Soldier 1. 276 experience points have been awarded.


    You have defeated one Guardian Soldier 1. 551 experience points have been awarded.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The party stood, panting, looking between their downed enemy and the silence around them.


    ¡°Jul?¡± Kur asked.


    The scout shook her head.


    ¡°Good. But keep an eye out. Everyone, come back towards us. Let¡¯s rest by the wall where we can see.¡±


    The others dragged themselves back to the now closed wall, and collapsed in a semi-formation.


    ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Mul said, holding his right shoulder. ¡°Was It expecting us to survive that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was aimed at me,¡± Gad said. ¡°I think it wanted to take you out, Kur.¡±


    ¡°To end our path,¡± Kur said, staring at the stains on his hand.


    ¡°Is that fair?¡± Tuk asked, in a hushed tone. He looked around with a fearful look, as if dreading a swift and immediate reprisal.


    Nar kept from the conversation, his mind still a turmoil of uncertainty, worry and guilt. Yes. He felt guilt too. In his mind, he was weighing how much their lives were worth risking for.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Kur said. ¡°As long as everyone does their part, and we cover each other. And speaking of, thank you, Nar, for taking that second guardian, and thank you, Viy, for going out there to bring him back. As long as we protect each other like this, everything will be okay. No matter what comes at us.¡±


    Nar nodded silently alongside the others.


    Kur¡¯s words belayed the truth. They even echoed his dad¡¯s own words. However, something had snapped free inside him, and Nar wasn¡¯t sure how to handle it.


    It was not the fear of death, or not feeling like the party was worthy of his protection. It was just the thought of his dad, alone in the dark, slowly decaying and waiting for a son who would never return¡­


    Nar closed his eyes. The image of his dad, frail and coughing blood, alone in that broken house... It was too much.


    He couldn¡¯t.


    He just couldn¡¯t fail.

 Chapter 26 - Sense Attributes

    They waited, anxious, for something to happen, but after 10 minutes of nearly absolute silence, Kur spoke up again.


    ¡°It looks like that was it,¡± Kur said.


    Tuk sighed, and leaned back on his hands. ¡°That was some welcome.¡±


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°We need to rest,¡± Kur said. ¡°I¡¯m slowly getting better, but Nar is still injured. At the very least, we should all heal a bit. But just in case, it''s better to keep our weapons out.¡±


    At his words, Nar took his sword back out, and dropped it over his knees. He had managed to push the image of his dad out of his mind. And slowly, and with difficulty, he was coming back to himself, from the edges of fear and panic.


    I did the right thing. I know I did the right thing, he told himself, not even needing to convince himself of it. However, the shadow of the price for his failure still gnawed at him, and he couldn¡¯t shake it.


    Tuk, ever the most light hearted person that Nar had ever known, was the first to relax. ¡°Anything not a tank would¡¯ve died from that,¡± he said, spinning his rings in a casual display of dexterity. ¡°That was crazy, Gad! You were so awesome! You are so awesome.¡±


    The tank shook her head. ¡°I failed. I shouldn¡¯t have let into the room.¡±


    ¡°Ah, come on!¡± Cen said. ¡°What else could you have done?¡±


    Gad only shook her head again.


    ¡°Jul, was there no warning at all?¡± Kur asked. ¡°And don¡¯t apologize! It¡¯s fine. I just want to know everything that happened, so we can be better prepared next time.¡±


    The scout nodded slowly, her eyes wide.


    ¡°There was nothing at all, until suddenly, it was there,¡± she whispered. ¡°It-It probably came from outside my range¡­ I couldn¡¯t sense it until it was too late.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so there are limits then?¡± Tuk asked.


    Jul nodded.


    Kur waved at the darkness around him. ¡°And in this? How far can you see?¡±


    Jul looked around them.


    ¡°Maybe 30-feet? A-Around the arrows I mean.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Mul said. ¡°I can¡¯t see for shit.¡±


    ¡°Are there any walls?¡± Cen asked. ¡°A ceiling?¡±


    Jul shook her head. ¡°Not that I can see.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Kur said, feeling the side of his head gingerly. ¡°30-feet is not a lot, but it''s much better than what I got. What about you, Nar?¡±


    Nar startled at the mention of his name. He had only been half listening to the party.


    ¡°M-Me?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes, you told me you have [Hearing] and [Sight] as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Mul whispered.


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s so cool!¡± Tuk said, beaming at Nar.


    ¡°That¡¯s really good for us,¡± Gad said, looking out into the dark. ¡°I won¡¯t be of much use in this.¡±


    Nar nodded slowly. ¡°I do. I, uh¡­ Maybe 10-feet? Definitely less than Jul. Also, my [Instinct] didn¡¯t trigger until the very last moment. I think Jul detected it before me.¡±


    ¡°You were right behind me,¡± Kur said. ¡°You would¡¯ve been hit too.¡±


    Nar nodded.


    ¡°Definitely a much more personal sense of danger than Jul¡¯s [Instinct],¡± the party leader mused. ¡°Regardless, you two will have to be our eyes and ears until we can get out of this place.¡±


    Nar glanced around them, fighting to keep a shiver from running down his spine. The deep silence smothering them somehow managed to be more unsettling than the deafening Pressure had been.


    ¡°It¡¯s so dark,¡± Cen whispered, with a shudder. ¡°It¡¯s like it''s eating the light from the arrows.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it is,¡± Gad said. ¡°We never know. We know nothing of the Nexus. Of what is possible and impossible.¡±


    ¡°Like predicting the future!¡± Tuk said, grinning at Jul.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­¡± Jul said, looking away. ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling.¡±


    ¡°A feeling I wish I had,¡± Mul said gruffly. ¡°What would have happened if none of us had sense attributes?¡±


    ¡°What would have happened if we didn¡¯t have a tank,¡± Gad countered. ¡°Or in our case, two.¡±


    The lengos frowned at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Think about it,¡± she said. ¡°What would have happened if none of us was a tank?¡±


    The words hung heavy over the party. The implication was obvious.


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Cen said. ¡°We would¡¯ve died.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s if we had even managed to survive the tutorial,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°But then¡­ But, not all parties had tanks!¡± Tuk said, horrified. ¡°What happens to them?¡±


    Nar remembered the all, two-handed heavy weapon, DPS party that he had seen back in the cubeplant.


    Around him, nobody answered Tuk.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just mean that they¡¯ll die!¡± Tuk shouted.


    ¡°Shhhhh!¡± Jul threw at him.


    Tuk looked at her, still in shock.


    ¡°Without a good party, you can¡¯t make it,¡± Gad said. ¡°You need the tank¡¯s sturdiness, and the party leader¡¯s guidance and boons. And then you need enough DPS to bring down the enemy. If even a single one of these is missing, a Climb will most likely end up in failure.¡±


    Kur nodded. ¡°They did tell us that tanks and party leaders were important.¡±


    ¡°But there weren¡¯t enough to go around,¡± Tuk whispered. ¡°And they only accepted the Climbers that looked strong.¡±


    Nar considered the trugger''s wide-eyed expression.


    Considering his class of ring tosser, Nar wondered how many parties had turned him down before he finally stumbled upon Kur. And it had probably been the same for Jul, Mul and Cen. Counting himself, they were an unlikely party. Besides Gad and Kur, Viy was the only one that had probably had no problem finding a party, as both human, and a spear wielder.


    Which begged the question, why was she with them?


    Nar stared at the spear woman, who had thus far remained quiet. Why had she decided to join them? Why not go for one of the proper looking parties?


    Oh! I haven¡¯t even thanked her yet, Nar realized with a start. He had behaved in the exact same way that he had criticized her for! He would have to thank her afterwards. He needed to make it right.


    ¡°So, are you saying that we were just lucky?¡± Tuk asked.


    Gad shook her head. ¡°All I meant to say is that it is what it is. There are two tanks here, a leader and enough DPS. We also happen to have a scout. Luck, or fate, or the Crystal¡¯s Mercy, who knows what brought us together. Maybe, it was just because Kur didn¡¯t discriminate, and saw what we could become, and didn¡¯t turn away a quam without a combat class, a lengos brawler, a ring tosser, or a crazy with a hybrid class.¡±


    Kur chuckled nervously as they turned their eyes to him.


    ¡°I just wanted to make a good party,¡± he said. ¡°That was all.¡±


    ¡°And are we, a good party?¡± Viy asked.


    Kur snorted. ¡°Remains to be seen, doesn¡¯t it? We survived the tutorial, but now, we¡¯re facing the real deal.¡±


    He stared at them all, in turn, holding them with the strength of his gaze.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what we have or lack, and it doesn¡¯t matter what happens to other Climbers. The people here, in this party, are all that matters. We will do the best with what we have, we will grow stronger, and we will survive whatever is required of us. No one is going to be left behind, and no one is going to be a burden. We do what we can, individually, and together, that will be enough.¡±


    Gad nodded gravely.


    ¡°We will need to be even more careful from now on,¡± she said. ¡°The time for straightforward and single guardian fights is over. We won¡¯t have a tight tunnel to cover our sides here, or keep the enemy in front of us. Or from surrounding us. This was an intelligent attack, with two guardians, meant to end us. We could¡¯ve been facing three, four, five or Crystal knows how many more. From now on, anything is possible. And it will only get harder.¡±


    Tuk sighed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t exactly easy.¡±


    ¡°It was fucked up, and now it¡¯s even more fucked up,¡± Mul said, rubbing his chin. ¡°And it will only get more fucked as we go.¡±


    It was crudely put, but Nar couldn¡¯t have said it better. His mind was still churning, and all that talking wasn¡¯t helping him. He would think about it all later, for now, there were more pressing issues than straightening out his thoughts, or continuing that conversation, which dangerously bordered on blasphemous.


    ¡°Do you think we should go?¡± Nar asked. ¡°Before we get hit again? I mean, we could, right?¡±


    Kur looked at him in surprise. ¡°Are you well enough to move?¡±


    Nar glanced down at his bleeding arm and shrugged. It already looked a little bit better. ¡°I should be fine. I still have two thirds of my HP left.¡±


    Tuk let out a low whistle.


    ¡°Those were some good [Constitution] gains,¡± Gad said, nodding approvingly.


    ¡°I-Yeah, I guess,¡± Nar said, looking down awkwardly.


    ¡°Well, if you think you can move, then maybe we should,¡± Kur said, squinting into the darkness. ¡°We are, after all, still in the same place. Another guardian could come crashing down on us at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Lovely,¡± Mul muttered. ¡°Can you guys stand?¡±


    The party, as one, turned to him.


    ¡°What?¡± he said, looking down. ¡°I promised.¡±


    Kur chuckled and shook his head.


    ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m fine. Nar?¡±


    In response, Nar stood up. Other than his arm, everything seemed to be in working order.


    ¡°Nice,¡± Kur said. ¡°For now, Gad you will tank, okay? Once Nar is fully healed, we can start swapping again. Especially since Nar can see better in this.¡±


    Both Gad and Nar nodded at him.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Kur said, standing up. ¡°We¡¯ve stayed here long enough.¡±


    Mul helped his sister back up, and she offered him a grateful smile. Gad helped Viy, and Kur pulled up Tuk. Nar had to admit it. Despite his fears and worries, he was very happy to have come to this party. Which only made it all the harder on him. He felt as though he was stuck, forced between choosing his dad, and his new companions. And he didn¡¯t know which way he would choose yet.


    Someone poked his arm and he half-jumped, which in turn made Jul half-jump too.


    ¡°Wha-what?¡± he said.


    She leaned in to him.


    ¡°I-I just¡­ I was thinking. Should we tell them? That we can hear them, I mean?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­What?¡± he said, caught off guard.


    ¡°The [Hearing]... Isn¡¯t it rude?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hmmm. I-I can¡¯t hear them.¡±


    Her face fell.


    ¡°B-But maybe I will, once I gain more points on it,¡± Nar added quickly. ¡°I thought that you couldn¡¯t hear unless you used your attributes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m using mine all the time,¡± she said, frowning. ¡°And you should too! But watch your stamina!¡±


    ¡°Oh, hmm, yes! You¡¯re right, I should! And yes, I will!¡±


    He took a deep breath, then held it there. How in the pile was he supposed to do it?


    ¡°Just think about it,¡± Jul said. ¡°And it will happen.¡±


    Nar frowned, but did as she said. Suddenly he heard them.


    ¡°Crystal, but this darkness is something,¡± Tuk whispered.


    Nar turned around. The trugger was a few feet away from him, and was clearly muttering to himself.


    ¡°You see?¡± Jul asked him. ¡°I mean¡­ Hear?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Now I do.¡±


    ¡°I will protect you, no matter what!¡± Mul said.


    ¡°Oh, Mul. Just be careful. Please!¡±


    Nar made a face, staring at the two lengos whispering to each other.


    ¡°Oookay. Maybe we should tell them.¡±


    ¡°Later?¡±


    ¡°Yes! For sure!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°You tell them!¡±


    ¡°I tell them! Wait, why me? You hear them better!¡±


    She frowned at him. ¡°You tell them!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Okay. I¡¯ll tell them¡­¡±


    And with that, she turned his back on him.


    Nar, on the other hand, stared at her with his mouth half opened. That was the longest he had talked to her. It could actually be considered a full, functioning conversation. And she had initiated it.


    Uh¡­ Well, I mean, I¡¯m happy for her. This means she¡¯s getting better. But, how in the pile am I going to tell the others can we basically hear everything they say.


    ¡°My dear sister¡­¡±


    Alright, that¡¯s it! I¡¯ll definitely tell them!


    ¡°Everyone ready?¡± Kur asked, his voice sounding as though he was standing right next to Nar. ¡°Good, then let¡¯s go. The sooner we get out of this darkness, the better.¡±

 Chapter 27 - Secret Guilt

    Nar had never experienced a darkness like that. The light of the arrows seemed to stretch a few feet away from them, and suddenly disappear, as if swallowed.


    Even sounds, which he had so clearly heard before, now seemed muted somehow, as though he walked with his hands covering his ears.


    He had the impression that they were walking in a room of massive proportions, however, where the light ended, it felt as though existence itself ended there with it.


    It was a perfect, absolute void.


    He felt warm, sharp fingers caress the back of his neck and snapped to look back.


    Behind him, the safe room¡¯s wall had long been swallowed in the darkness, and there was nothing but an absolute sensory void all around them now.


    His racing heart was the loudest thing he could hear, drumming against his ears, as he scanned the darkness. His senses, including his strange new [Instinct], picked up on nothing.


    Walking while he looked backwards, he tripped. He couldn¡¯t even tell on what. It was as though the floor itself had tilted under him.


    He quickly faced forward again, searching for the comforting presence of the others and the rooting bright line of yellow at his feet. It was as though the void made him forget even how to walk.


    A few steps later, he felt it again. Those fingers reaching out to him.


    He clenched and unclenched his sword, his arms drawn tight against his body, and resisted the urge to look back.


    There¡¯s nothing there. Relax. It¡¯s just in your head¡­


    The hand closed around his neck.


    He jumped, his gasp loud in the silence, sword at the ready. Jul, who had decided to walk so close to him that they sometimes bumped, let out a muffled cry.


    ¡°Nar?¡± Kur asked.


    The other¡¯s had stopped to look at him.


    Nar, with his injured left arm still hanging uselessly at his side, scanned the darkness beyond his sword¡¯s tip.


    Nothing.


    Again.


    ¡°I¡­ Sorry,¡± Nar said, his breath quickened. ¡°I just¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it''s getting on my nerves too,¡± Kur said, rubbing the back of his neck.


    ¡°You feel it too?¡± Nar asked in surprise.


    Kur nodded, grimacing.


    ¡°It¡¯s like there¡¯s something here with us,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Or somethings.¡±


    Cen whimpered. ¡°Please don¡¯t say that.¡±


    Mul glared at the trugger.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Tuk said, with a regretful expression.


    Kur gave Nar a sympathetic smile. ¡°It must be really hard being there at the back. Just try to think of something else. This place is just messing with our heads.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jul said, looking up at him, with her big eyes. ¡°I will tell you if something comes.¡±


    How are you the one consoling me? Nar thought.


    She walked on trembling legs that threatened to buckle with every step, and he was surprised she hadn¡¯t injured herself yet, given how fast she spun her head to look in all directions. Regardless, he appreciated it. And it did make him feel better.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She nodded, and resumed her sentinel mode as the party started walking again.


    Nar observed her out of the corner of his eyes.


    Tremble and quiver as she did, Jul still carried out her job admirably well. Knowing that he was covered by her senses helped him take this whole dark experience much better than he would have otherwise.


    However¡­ Something had begun to nag at him. A little seed of doubt.


    His eyes narrowed at the bulky pack that still hung from her shoulders. They had all turned in their old packs and clothes at the safe room. However, despite changing into her new gear, and her [Climber¡¯s Storage Ring] glinting in dull yellow on her left hand, she had still insisted on carrying her pack.


    Nar had been on her side until he had examined his gear and received his ring. But afterwards, with everything neatly packed away into his ring, there was no way of justifying the need to still physically carry anything. Not even their weapons, unless they needed them, such as now. Plus, only now that the pack was gone, did he realize how much of a hindrance the thing had been.


    So then, why? What was Jul still carrying in her pack?


    Her family, being what they were, would¡¯ve probably not allowed her to leave with anything of value. If they even had such a thing.


    The notion of ¡°value¡± was another of those new tidbits of knowledge granted to him by the system, and he was still having trouble wrapping his head around it. As far as he could tell, from what he understood, the workers had nothing of value, a realization that had both puzzled and angered him, causing him to pray for forgiveness yet once again.


    So, with nothing of value, and doubting Jul would ever wear her old clothes again, the continued presence of the pack was a mystery.


    He thought about asking about it. However, he had eventually decided against it.


    It might spook her. Besides¡­ Why do I even care?


    Yes. Why indeed?


    His earlier thoughts still rumbled at the back of his mind, unresolved, and Nar grimaced to keep them from breaking free again. He would think about them again, but later, away from that void that made it all so¡­ Confusing. Worse.


    Just then, he felt the fingers again.


    Awesome¡­ Just what I wanted.


    In this manner, they walked and walked for hours.


    Nar¡¯s eyelids eventually grew heavy, his eyes gritty and dry from the still heat of the place. The arrows swam under him. Or was it above?


    Up ahead, Tuk yawned again. And again, it triggered a cascading effect throughout the whole party.


    ¡°Okay, everyone,¡± Kur said. ¡°I think we need to call it.¡±


    They stopped in their tracks and stared at him.


    The party leader raised his hands in a placating gesture. ¡°I know. I know.¡±


    He sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep here either, but we don¡¯t know for how long we¡¯re going to be stuck in this, and tiring ourselves out will only make it more dangerous,¡± he said. ¡°So we¡¯ll stop here. Only for a few hours! Jul and I will take the first watch. Then Nar and Gad. I¡¯m sorry, I know you¡¯re injured, but I think it would be best to have someone with sense attributes on the watch. Plus, I¡¯ll pair you with Gad. If anything happens, you can let her handle it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Nar said, as Gad nodded at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    He doubted he would be able to sleep anyways, what with those imaginary fingers tracing the back of his skull every other minute.


    As soon as his head touched his makeshift pillow of [Climber¡¯s Shirt]s, the softness and coolness of the material enveloped his head in a comfort he had never tasted before. He was out before any of the others.


    It felt like it was only a few moments later when Kur shook him awake.


    ¡°Your turn. I let you sleep a bit more,¡± he said. ¡°You were out before all of us, and I know that fight took a lot of you. But Jul needs to sleep, and we need someone who can actually see or hear something in this darkness.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Of course!¡± Nar said, trying to shake off the sleep fugues. ¡°And thank you.¡±


    Kur shook his head. ¡°It was earned and deserved. Like I told Gad, wake us up at 04:00.¡±


    He stumbled off, dodging the sleeping forms of the others.


    Nar sat up and stretched out of habit.


    ¡°Ouch¡­¡± he muttered, in a low tone.


    His wounded arm looked an aggressive red, instead of its usual ashen gray purple color, but, underneath the crusted, dried blood, he could tell that the wound had closed.


    He passed his hands over the scar, marveling once more at the miraculous powers of his HP.


    ¡°Pssst.¡±


    He looked up, and found Gad sitting a few steps to his left. The tank beckoned him to join her and Nar, after a brief pause of hesitation, got up to do so.


    The last, and first, time they had spoken alone, Nar had left that conversation with a sense of unease. The uncanny insight she had demonstrated had worried him. He feared that she would be able to gleam the Unclean in him, but he couldn¡¯t really avoid her either. That would definitely rouse even more suspicions if anything.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Better. It¡¯s closed already.¡±


    She moved her shield to give him space to sit next to her, so they could talk without being too loud. Plus, being close with someone else was grounding, there, where there was nothing around them but that small strip of arrows in a floor that even looked black.


    ¡°Tanking can really wear on you, can''t it?¡± she said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The messy, throbbing scar that the wound had turned into, would disappear in the next day or two. But Nar knew she wasn¡¯t just talking about the injury. Or the wounds he had suffered thus far.


    To stand in front of a guardian, almost twice the size of you, if you considered its limbs, which of course one did, with nothing but a sword or even a shield? That was a mental load that drained him more than the actual physical fighting did sometimes. He wondered if he would ever grow used to it.


    ¡°Thank you, by the way,¡± she said.


    Nar looked up at her in surprise. ¡°What for?¡±


    Her thanks reminded him of his own fumbling thank you to Viy, earlier in the day. The spear woman¡¯s eyes had seemed to glaze over him, as if he wasn¡¯t there, but, in the end, she had blinded him with a surprisingly dazzling smile.


    ¡°No worries,¡± she had said. ¡°Any time.¡±


    Her reaction had left him stunned for hours. He still didn¡¯t know what to make of Viy.


    He shifted, uncomfortable at the memory. He had felt so awkward, but at least, he had said his thanks. He didn¡¯t want to appear ungrateful towards someone who had, very likely, saved his life at the risk of their own.


    At his side, Gad crossed her arms and sighed.


    ¡°For tanking that second guardian,¡± she clarified. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we would have died if you hadn''t kept it outside the room.¡±


    Nar considered his reply for a few moments.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s my duty,¡± he said, and the honesty in his words surprised him.


    Gad shook her head. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have been.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have taken the two of them!¡± Nar said. ¡°Or¡­ Could you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ But you couldn¡¯t have taken that second one either, if it had come flying at you like the first. At least not yet.¡±


    Nar nodded.


    No. Not yet.


    ¡°It was a brave thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Was it?¡± Nar wondered, considering the truth of his thoughts and doubts. ¡°I¡­ It was scary.¡±


    He swore at himself as the words came out of his mouth. Something about Gad had made him want to say it. Maybe it was to seek the solace of another tank. Their understanding. Maybe even to confirm that he wasn¡¯t a coward¡­ Or maybe it was just the way Gad was, inspiring in him a confidence he still didn¡¯t understand.


    Gad took her time before she replied, and Nar felt his cheeks burning hotter and hotter.


    ¡°That hit took half my HP,¡± she eventually said. ¡°And it landed on my shield.¡±


    ¡°It did?¡± Nar asked, sucking in breath.


    ¡°Yeah. Pretty sure I blacked out for a second there too. The only thing I knew was that there was this weight on me and that I needed to keep my shield up.¡±


    ¡°Crystal,¡± Nar muttered, remembering the scene. It had rendered him motionless, the sight of that guardian on top of her and Kur.


    ¡°Yeah, if not for the shield, things would have gone pretty badly,¡± she said.


    Her lips parted and she smiled at him with her very white, very sharp teeth.


    ¡°What I mean is, I understand. You have no shield. I would have been scared too. A hit like that, with no shield, would have killed me, much less you.¡±


    Nar looked away. ¡°A tank shouldn¡¯t be scared.¡±


    ¡°And why not?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re never scared,¡± Nar whispered.


    She snorted. ¡°Of course I am. It¡¯s just none of you can see my face!¡±


    Gad chuckled at his incredulous expression.


    ¡°Besides, now that I know I can get hit like that, I will be a lot more scared. The shield might not always be there.¡±


    Then, she turned to him. Her black, pupilless eyes bored down into him, and he looked away from their intensity.


    ¡°Nar, can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he said. In his chest, his heartbeat sped.


    ¡°Why do you want to be a hybrid tank/DPS? Wait. I have a feeling you won¡¯t answer that. And that¡¯s fair. Instead, tell me this. What do you think a tank does?¡±


    Nar frowned. The conversation had taken a turn he had not expected. He had been worried she was about to ask him if he was Unclean. As such, it took him a while to formulate his answer, as short as it was.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t a tank just take damage for the party?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No. A tank¡¯s job is to protect the party.¡±


    ¡°Is that not the¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same thing. Not at all.¡±


    She hoisted her shield and the both of them stared at it in silence.


    ¡°It¡¯s been bothering me that there is a secondary tank in the party,¡± she said. Her eyes never left the shield, and her expression betrayed nothing of her emotions. ¡°It made me feel like I wasn¡¯t enough. Like I wasn¡¯t fulfilling my role properly. I stand at the front and I stop the enemy from getting through to the rest of you. But, a lot of times, that¡¯s not enough. The guardians do get through, or they come from behind, or, like the last two times, there¡¯s more than one, and I can only aggro one of them at a time. They go past me, and there¡¯s nothing I can do. I¡¯m too slow to chase them. To turn. To move. Slow like all morsvar are¡­¡±


    She raised her eyes to meet his.


    ¡°When that happens, there is nothing I can do, except hope that you will stop them.¡±


    Gad heaved a deep sigh and put down her shield.


    ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s been bothering me. I¡¯ve realized that we need you. That I need you. Today, when I was pinned under that guardian, knowing that you were there gave me the strength I needed to keep fighting. To not give up. Because I knew we still had a chance. I thought, ¡°Ah! Nar will stop the other one! I just need to get back up and everything will be okay!¡± and you did. And everything was okay. You protected us, and at a massive risk to you, no less. And that¡¯s the only reason we survived. So, thank you. Really. Thank you. And for everything that¡¯s yet to come ahead of us, thank you as well.¡±


    Nar scratched his neck.


    ¡°I¡­ Thank you too. You have done the majority of the protecting. What you do is beyond me. I only ever step in when¡­¡±


    ¡°I fail?¡±


    ¡°No! That¡¯s not what I was going to say!¡±


    She laughed. ¡°I¡¯m joking, Nar. Relax. You only step in when it¡¯s needed. And this party needs us both to protect it. So, I¡¯m sorry for my bad faith. I felt threatened. Especially when Kur tried to rotate us. Man, I was pissed. I needed those gains!¡±


    It was Nar¡¯s turn to muffle his laughter.


    ¡°Yeah. Gains are everything. Especially [Constitution].¡±


    ¡°That helps, but what I really need is [Speed],¡± Gad said, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m so slow¡­¡±


    They both muffled their laughter.


    ¡°You¡¯re tough, though. Wish I had unlocked [Toughness] too. My new gear is already red,¡± Nar lamented, looking down at what had just earlier that day been a pristine shirt.


    ¡°Oh!!¡± she said, grabbing his shoulder. ¡°Speaking of unlocking attributes, and in the spirit of the transparency that I hope we can have, going forward, I wanted to ask you. Did you unlock [Endurance]?¡±


    Nar nodded. ¡°I did. But it¡¯s only 1.5%.¡±


    ¡°1.5?¡± she said, loud enough to startle the both of them.


    She covered her mouth. The both of them looked around them for a few tense moments, but everyone else was too exhausted to wake up and nothing stirred out of the darkness to come and kill them.


    She leaned in closer. ¡°1.5? That¡¯s huge! I only have 0.5!¡±


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    Gad stared at her shield.


    ¡°Maybe I need to ditch the shield. Take more damage¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I know you want one.¡±


    ¡°More than anything,¡± he said, making her laugh. ¡°Seriously. I envy you so much for it. And the skills. And the attributes¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t have it both ways though,¡± she told him. ¡°Be pretty unfair if you had that massive sword and a shield to go along with it. I¡¯d probably just give up tanking.¡±


    Nar just shook his head.


    ¡°Oh, something else I have been meaning to ask. How much experience did you get from that second guardian?¡± Gad asked him.


    ¡°Hmm. I think it was around 500 and something?¡±


    ¡°That definitely confirms it, then. I got 300ish from the second, but almost 600 from the first one. And I always earn less when you¡¯re the one tanking.¡±


    Nar frowned, pondering over the discrepancy. ¡°Is that because we¡¯re not fighting when that happens?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it,¡± she said, rubbing her chin. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t explain the difference between the others. And there are differences between the DPS¡­ But that still leaves out Kur and Jul. They don¡¯t tank, and they don¡¯t DPS either. How do they level up, then?¡±


    Nar shook his head. He had actually never stopped to think about how it worked for the others. He had been too preoccupied by his own leveling. Again, he felt his guilt, his selfishness, rearing its head at him.


    ¡°No. I think it''s something else,¡± Gad said. ¡°My thinking is that the System is measuring your contribution to the fight. How much of an effect you have on it decides how much experience you earn from it.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Nar said, his eyebrows raised. ¡°That could be it...¡±


    It explained why he still gained experience, even when he didn¡¯t fight. As Kur had said, he was protecting the back of the party, and that gave them all the security to focus completely on the enemy in front of them. That was a form of contribution to the fight. And when he provided DPS, directly contributing to the fight, he gained more experience, but since his DPS was so low, it was nowhere as much as he gained as when he tanked.


    ¡°I think so. We think so. It was a joint idea with Cen and Kur,¡± Gad said, smiling. ¡°But, as a tank, we did notice that I seem to get a little bit more experience than the others.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not by a lot, mind, but it¡¯s still nice, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°For getting shredded and battered to bits?¡± Nar asked. ¡°Kinda seems fair.¡±


    ¡°I totally agree.¡±


    Gad picked under her long dark nails for a few moments.


    ¡°You know, getting back to what I said. It¡¯s hard to put it into words¡­¡± she said, whilst closely examining her sharp index nail. ¡°But I do think there is a big difference between taking damage for the party, and protecting the party. I think you¡¯ll get it too, eventually. Besides, if for nothing else, taking damage is something that is done to you. While protecting others is something that you do. Something you act on. Something you choose.¡±


    She looked at him. ¡°Do you really want to define yourself by something that is passive to you? Wouldn¡¯t you prefer it was something you actively did, by your choice and actions?¡±


    Nar returned her gaze, too stunned to even consider a reply.


    ¡°Just promise me you will think about it. I think eventually you¡¯ll get it. The difference between the two.¡±


    Nar looked down at his hands, resting over his crossed legs.


    Take damage. Deal damage.


    That was the plan. And it was already in enough jeopardy by his confused feelings and emotions.


    Some small part of him understood what she was getting at. But that part was small. It could do little against the giant rally the other part of him brought up, in the shape of his sick dad, waiting for him back in what he now knew to be a decrepit thing that could barely count as a house.


    I do not deserve them, Nar realized with a startling clarity.


    They had a right to more from him. More trust. More commitment. More of everything.


    To be treated as more than just tools for his Climb. To be valued. Just like he did his dad.


    But how could he ever reconcile the two?

 Chapter 28 - Poison

    The walk in the dark proved uneventful in the end.


    After a few more short breaks, Jul called out something in the dark.


    ¡°I-I see something,¡± she said, alerting the others. ¡°I think it¡¯s a wall.¡±


    ¡°A wall?¡± Kur asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Like-Like a wall? The arrows stop at a wall.¡±


    ¡°Like a dead end?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Yes. It looks like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get there first,¡± Kur said, before anyone could speak. ¡°And be ready for anything.¡±


    A few, tense seconds later, Nar¡¯s [Sight] was able to discern the wall in the dark as well.


    It looked just like the wall from the safe room. In fact, it looked just like the walls of the tutorial corridor as well. Blank and featureless, without a blemish or signs of age. That wall could have been built yesterday for all he knew. And the arrows led undeniably into it.


    However, before he could tell the others that he too, had spotted the wall, a rectangle of darkness formed on it, and the by now familiar sound of an opening appearing reached their ears.


    ¡°Is that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nar said, answering Tuk. ¡°There''s an exit.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank the Crystal,¡± Cen murmured.


    They quickly covered the last few feet to the exit, and after a quick, but cautious investigation, both Jul and Gad declared it safe. Or at least, as safe as it appeared to them.


    Inside, a staircase led them up to a cramped room with an open door, past which was a regular corridor.


    ¡°I think we should rest here,¡± Kur said, after the opening down to the staircase closed behind them. ¡°It should be a bit safer than sleeping out in the open.¡±


    The party didn¡¯t have to be told twice, and the unanimous decision was taken to stop there.


    Both Nar and Gad were granted a full night¡¯s rest and on the next day, Nar¡¯s scar was nothing but a fine line going down the length of his arm. There was still a very slight tightness when he bent his elbow, but other than that, he was good as new. Ready for another fight.


    They wasted no time in getting ready, and the opening to the room closed once they exited it.


    Once again, days dragged by.


    Fortunately, it was not an endless corridor that awaited them once more.


    Winding stairs. Tall walkways. Circular rooms with dozens of corridors radiating out from them. The B-Nex revealed itself to the party, in all its silent, dark wonder.


    They even found another safe room, though this one was only equipped with a toilet, like their first one had been.


    The arrows guided them without hesitation through that strange, yellow lit and silent world.


    Though Nar kept it to himself, he couldn''t help but find it all fascinating. He never knew what they would find next. Bottomless void? Endless stairwell? Zigzagging corridor? There was no predicting it.


    Tuk, however, was much more open about his sense of marvel.


    ¡°Are you seriously telling me you¡¯re not curious about what''s down there?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°Not even a little bit?¡±


    Mul grunted at him. ¡°Can you walk slower? Your stupid long legs are shaking the whole thing!¡±


    Nar looked down at the metal walkway underneath them, and found it as solid and stable as it had been for the past three days. However, by now, he had come to realize that in the lengos¡¯ long list of dislikes and annoyances, heights ranked pretty damn high.


    ¡°Come on! Where is your sense of adventure? Your curiosity?¡± the ring tosser insisted.


    ¡°What do you think is down there?¡± Cen said, joining the conversation before Tuk could further antagonize her brother.


    Tuk looked happy that finally, someone was asking. ¡°Well, since you ask, I think it''s obviously some kind of machinery.¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Mul muttered.


    Obviously, Nar echoed in his mind at the same time.


    The sounds of massive machines were easily recognizable to him, having spent his entire life deafened by them. Often, he even heard them inside his own dreams. That slow, rhythmic thumping, interspersed with the occasional clanking and grinding noise was something that he would never forget¡­


    But looking down, into the impenetrable darkness, he couldn¡¯t see anything.


    Though as to what it actually is, who knows? Could be anything down there, he thought.


    ¡°Though as to what it actually is, who knows?¡± Tuk said, also looking down. ¡°It could be anything.¡±


    Crystal, Nar thought with a grimace. I¡¯m spending too much time with these people.


    ¡°Any guesses though?¡± Cen asked.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Tuk made a thoughtful sound. ¡°Well, the one thing that came to mind first, was that it''s probably related to aetherium.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Cen said, surprised. ¡°That actually makes sense?¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Tuk said, grinning. ¡°All that aetherium we recycle needs to come to the Plant somehow. And somehow, it then needs to get back up to the O-Nex. It must take a lot of machines and pipes and-and stuff to make it happen!¡±


    ¡°And the second thing?¡± Mul asked. Despite the gruffness of the tone, Nar knew the lengos was actually pretty invested in the conversation. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve just ignored the trugger.


    ¡°Well¡­ There¡¯s a lot of guardians, right?¡± Tuk said, his tone dropping. ¡°They have to be built somewhere, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Cen made, looking down at the small gaps at her feet.


    Mul grumbled something, clearly regretting everything.


    Tuk turned back to look at him and Jul. ¡°What about you guys? Can you see anything?¡±


    The trugger had lowered his voice as he addressed them.


    A few days back, Nar had been reminded by Jul that he had forgotten to let the others know about the unintentional eavesdropping that came with their new senses.


    As he had expected, nobody made a big deal out of it. Everyone was just happy that Jul, and to a lesser degree Nar, was on the lookout. But Tuk was Tuk.


    Two days later, he was still at it. He had a blast trying to figure out just how low he could speak and still be heard.


    To be fair, it¡¯s not like there was a lot they could do to entertain themselves. And Tuk, in particular, liked being entertained. Between his endless curiosity at even the smallest change in their surroundings, to messing with him and Jul, and harassing Mul, his options were limited. And both Cen and Kur were on the lookout for the latter. They nipped it when things got too intense, to the silent gratitude of the rest of the party. However, so far, Mul had stuck to his promise. He was indeed like a changed man, and once in a while, Nar found himself wondering about their family, and whatever way they had wronged the brawler. Though of course, he never actually saw himself asking about it.


    ¡°Can¡¯t see anything,¡± Nar replied.


    Tuk looked expectantly at Jul.


    ¡°N-No. Sorry!¡±


    He sighed. ¡°That¡¯s alright. Just one more mystery to add to the list.¡±


    Tuk wasn¡¯t one to be defeated though, and soon found himself a new topic of conversation. Mul being, once again, at the receiving end of it.


    Nar tuned them out, and let his body carry him forward on auto-pilot.


    An undetermined time later, Jul grabbed his arm. ¡°Do you hear that?¡±


    He immediately stopped and focused on his surroundings.


    The machines clanged and thumped distantly beneath them, as they had for the last few days. Tuk and Mul bickered away, a few steps from him. Kur was talking to Viy, and Gad¡¯s heavy footsteps echoed metallically from up ahead.


    He quieted his own breathing and the two of them fell behind, eyes closed. Jul¡¯s senses were better than his and her [Instinct] much farther reaching and encompassing. He trusted her, which meant that there had to be something that he was missing.


    Something small, maybe.


    Something like¡­


    That!


    He opened his eyes. Once he caught it, it was impossible to miss it. It was like a sigh, or a rustle. Like the brushing sound of clothes¡­ Of many, many clothes.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Nar whispered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s been like that for a few minutes,¡± Jul replied, even lower.


    Wait! ¡°Is it¡­ Getting louder?¡± he asked.


    Her eyes went wide. ¡°Now it is!¡±


    ¡°Incoming!¡± Nar said. ¡°Above us!¡±


    Everyone grabbed their weapons and looked up.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Kur said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know. It¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a tiny thing,¡± Jul said, looking straight up. ¡°It has legs and something moving fast on its back. It also has¡­ It has¡­ A big butt?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mul said. ¡°Is it dangerous?¡±


    Suddenly, the darkness above them came alive with thousands of tiny pulsating lights, in a bright, sickly sort of green. At the same time, Nar¡¯s [Instinct] screamed at him to move.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Nar said. ¡°Run!¡±


    The group didn¡¯t need to hear it twice, and they sprinted along the walkway.


    ¡°What are they?¡± Viy asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it''s bad!¡± Nar replied.


    ¡°Bad!¡± Jul said, echoing him.


    They ran with all they had, and around them, more and more lights began pulsating in the darkness. Nar traced the wave of lights with his eyes. It formed above them, as more and more of them revealed themselves, and his stomach dropped as he realized they were forming a tunnel around the walkway.


    ¡°Are they poisonous?¡± Cen asked. ¡°That green! I think there¡¯s something about it in that information package!¡±


    ¡°There is?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming down!¡± Gad said. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°Keep running! There¡¯s too many for us to fight!¡± Kur shouted.


    The tank raised her shield and plowed head first into a group of stragglers that had flown into the walkway.


    They exploded on contact, in a bright green goo. And where they dropped, a fine green mist trailed from their broken bodies.


    Gad yelped.


    ¡°Gad!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay! But it burns!¡± she said, not slowing down.


    Above them, more of the things exploded, and green rained down on the party. Nar raised his arms to protect his head, feeling the goo corrode through his clothes and attack his skin. His HP started to tick down as it kept him from melting.


    ¡°Gad, watch out!¡± Jul said.


    Gad barely had time to spin and cover her right flank with her shield before a big clump of them exploded in her face. Fortunately, the shield seemed to have taken the brunt of the green, but a cloud of its mist surrounded her.


    She hacked and coughed, fanning the shield to disperse it.


    ¡°Gad!¡± Viy shouted, rushing to her.


    ¡°Careful! It¡¯s also poisonous!¡± Gad said, fanning harder to disperse the mist around her. ¡°Hold your breath when you go through the green stuff!¡±


    ¡°Can you continue?¡± Kur said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! My constitution is high!¡±


    ¡°Keep running!¡± Jul said, looking up with eyes wide with fear.


    Nar looked up and saw thousands and thousands more lights come alive. If they all decided to explode above them¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s stairs! The arrows go down them!¡± Viy suddenly shouted.


    ¡°Then go!¡± Kur said. ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡±


    The party turned down the stairs just as the things initiated a chain explosion, filling the air with pops and green. Some of the goo splattered Nar across the shoulder and he hissed in pain, hurrying to climb down the last few steps to the relative safety of having the walkway between him and those poisonous things.


    Their enemies began to maneuver to follow them, but they were slow and the party managed to gain some distance. Unfortunately, the walkway had holes in it and the goo dripped down with fierceness, forcing them to keep their arms above their heads.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Mul shouted. ¡°Fuck! Why can¡¯t we just catch a break?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll get to see what those machines are?¡± Tuk said. His sleeves were already completely corroded, and rivulets of green were dripping down his arms. Despite all that, he somehow still managed to sound like an excited child.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Mul asked him.


    ¡°Guys, not now!¡± Cen threw at them.


    Seeing that they couldn¡¯t catch up to them, the living bombs set off another mass explosion. Their corpses fell much faster than they could climb down the stairs, and soon the air began to turn green.


    ¡°Cover your mouths!¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Mouths! Head! Eyes! I only have two arms!¡± Mul shouted.


    Nar took a quick glimpse down, to see how far the stairs went. To his horror, they disappeared down into the darkness, with no ending in sight. His HP continued to slowly drain as he quickly got covered in the thick, burning liquid, and it had to be worse for the others.


    ¡°Nar, faster!¡± Jul said. ¡°The poison!¡±


    The poison was hot on their heels. Already it was chasing four steps behind him. If that goo did that much damage just from touching him, he didn¡¯t care to imagine what the poison would do from the inside.


    ¡°There¡¯s an exit!¡± Gad said, her distant shout reaching up to Nar. ¡°Do I¡­¡±


    ¡°Just go!¡± Kur said.


    ¡°We¡¯re dead here anyways!¡± Mul added.


    Nar could feel the poison gaining on him. He sensed the amorphous mass of it, like a big thing of no-no in his [Instinct].


    It was right behind him when he reached the exit, and followed him into the corridor.


    ¡°Keep running!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°It¡¯s following us!¡±

 Chapter 29 - Invisible Trial

    Their labored breaths echoed through the tight, stuffy corridor. Nar saw green out of the corner of his eyes, and that fueled him to run even faster.


    Unfortunately, up ahead, Cen was slowing the back half of the party down, and unless he kicked and shoved the others out of the way, he was stuck behind them.


    The green mist reached out to him like tendrils, enveloping him from behind. He covered his mouth and stuck to Jul as much as possible.


    ¡°There¡¯s something ahead!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°Guardians! Two! Both sides!¡±


    ¡°Gad, right! Nar, left!¡±, Kur said. ¡°DPS, right!¡±


    With a breath of relief, Nar pushed ahead, and the others made space for him to squeeze through.


    ¡°Good. Have. You!¡± Gad said, panting. Somehow, she still managed a smile for him.


    Her smile lifted her cheeks, and her eyes beamed at him. She had never been rude to him or anything of the sort, but after their chat, she had been much more proactive in approaching him. Nar had come to enjoy their chats, and her encouragement in his fledgling, and oftentimes flailing, tanking and DPS attempts. However, that only made him worry more that she would one day read the truth of who he was, his plans, and of his thoughts.


    Also, he couldn¡¯t help but suffer from his growing guilt.


    How could she have so much faith in him? So much trust? That she would grin at him as they ran for their lives, happy to have him by her side?


    Even as the thought of kicking down his own party members to escape occurred to him?


    He would never do it of course, not even to save his own dad. That much he knew, but that the thought had even occurred to him¡­ It shamed him to no end.


    Despite promising himself that he would resolve his messy feelings and thoughts, Nar had yet to do so. He still had found no resolution for the two opposing needs¡­


    ¡°Almost there!¡± Jul said.


    Nar roared mentally inside his own head, trying to drive everything except the thought of the incoming fight away from him.


    He gripped his sword in a vice with both hands, and as soon as they exited the tight corridor, he spun to the left, shouting at the top of his lungs.


    The guardian cast his blades like a net around him, and Nar jumped madly into its embrace.


    His sword rose and fell, and Nar hacked and slashed into the enemy.


    His sight blurred, seeing nothing but the flashes of his swords, and the machine¡¯s blades and limbs surrounding him.


    Why? Why? WHY?


    He threw his weight against the guardian and pushed it back from the door¡¯s entrance to give space to the others.


    WHY? WHY?


    Blades snapped and cut around him, but his feet danced madly under the onslaught. His voice grew hoarse with shouting and he pounded the guardian, again and again.


    It was hard not to use his skills. Kur had made them all promise to wait for his command, or a true emergency, before they spent any of their precious stamina, and so far, weeks later, Nar was still yet to try his new [Quickening] skill.


    Not that it mattered. The machine quivered and sputtered under his fury.


    Why does she trust me? Why does she protect us?


    Nar drew heavy and dumb arcs with his sword, ripping out legs and blowing junks of the guardian¡¯s main body.


    Why doesn¡¯t she care about her own damn life?


    His mouth tasted of salt.


    Someone patted his back.


    Suddenly, the guardian vanished, replaced instead by a group of workers. They surrounded him. They laughed at him. One of them grabbed him from behind. But Nar wasn¡¯t weak anymore.


    Stepping low and twisting free of that grasping hand, his sword swung, thirsty and vengeful.


    ¡°Nar!¡±


    He stopped dead.


    The workers disappeared and the yellow lit corridor faded back into view. Jul held her hands up to him, her eyes wide. His sword had stopped just inches from her wrist and past it, her neck.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s dead, Nar,¡± Jul said, in a very small but steady voice.


    Nar didn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t even breathe.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said.


    The horror of what he had almost done seized him, and he took a step back, tripping over the broken guardian.


    ¡°No, listen, it¡¯s okay. Really,¡± she said, chasing him.


    She gently lowered his weapon, her eyes never leaving his.


    Something inside him cracked, and his chest seized as an unfamiliar pain spread through him. Hot streaks of shame and fear ran down his face.


    She raised her hands to him and quickly, but gently, wiped away his tears.


    ¡°Shhhh, it¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°Turn around, now. The others will see.¡±


    Nar allowed himself to be turned, and clutched his chest. It was like something was trying to explode out of him.


    ¡°Crystal, man!¡± Tuk said. ¡°You killed it by yourself?¡±


    Nar discreetly wiped the remainder of his tears, pretending it was sweat. Then, he looked beyond Jul and found the party staring at him.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Mul mouthed, staring at the broken guardian.


    ¡°Did you get hurt?¡± Cen asked him.


    ¡°No¡­ Yes!¡± he said, letting go of his chest, and hiding the pain that still ravaged him. ¡°But it''s fine! More importantly, the poison¡­¡±


    But the tight corridor they had come from was gone. There was just a blank wall in its place.


    ¡°Looks like we survived,¡± Kur said, frowning at the wall. ¡°It really goes to show that anything can happen.¡±


    ¡°Exploding poisonous guardians,¡± Gad said, shaking her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s some creativity,¡± Tuk muttered.


    The hollow sound of something popping open made them all jump.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Cen asked.


    Nar looked behind him, down at the guardian. Something was flashing orange within it.


    With a start, he realized that he hadn¡¯t received an experience gain notification.


    A shrill sound reverberated around them, coming from the two broken, but still very much functioning guardians.


    ¡°Shut it up!¡± Kur shouted, eyes wide.


    Nar swung down his sword at the broken machine until the noise was silenced with a strangled squeak. Gad did the same for the other one.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have defeated one Guardian Lookout 1. 178 experience points have been awarded.


    You have defeated one Guardian Lookout 1. 37 experience points have been awarded.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    No level up, and only meager gains. However, that was not the crucial bit.


    Lookout? Nar thought, with growing dread.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Mul asked. ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Hush!¡± Kur said. ¡°You know exactly what it was!¡±


    An identical sound echoed from the darkness behind Nar. And then another, from the front. It grew into a roaring assault that pounded them from both sides.


    ¡°We need to get out of here!¡± Kur said, shouting at the top of his lungs. ¡°Jul? Which way?¡±


    The girl had all four of her hands pushed against her antennae, but at his question, she pointed to the right side of the corridor, where the path led to, with a shaky finger.


    ¡°Ok! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Nar started running, but soon noticed that Jul had fallen behind. She was crumpled against the wall, breathing hard and still covering her antennae.


    The noise. Is it getting to her? Or is she just scared?


    At the same time, even under assault by the shrill alarm klaxons, he became aware of a rhythmic tic-tic-tic sound quickly approaching them.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    He lunged at her, pushing his shoulder into her chest, and hoisted her up. Then he spun, and dashed after the rest of the party.


    The sounds of pursuit grew behind him, and his [Instinct] screamed an incoherent mass of somethings he couldn¡¯t make sense of.


    ¡°They must have been scouts!¡± Tuk shouted. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why they went down so easily!¡±


    ¡°And here I thought we were just getting better or something,¡± Mul said. ¡°Fuck my life, eh?¡±


    They reached a triple fork in the road and came to a crashing halt.


    ¡°What now?¡± Kur said, looking back at him.


    Nar stared behind them, one arm holding on to Jul, the other, his sword. ¡°She¡¯s out of it!¡±


    So far, he didn¡¯t see any guardians yet, but they were gaining on them.


    ¡°But which way?¡± Kur pressed.


    ¡°You fucking decide!¡± Nar said, glaring at him. He looked past him to the path that turned to the left. ¡°Are we going to run in the fucking dark or what?¡±


    The noise was starting to get to him too. Maybe his [Hearing] wasn¡¯t as perfect as he had thought it was. And his [Instinct] was going mental.


    It made no sense. There was nothing attacking him at that exact moment.


    ¡°This way!¡± Gad said, making the decision for everyone.


    She stomped to the left and followed along the yellow arrows.


    For the second time that day, they ran for their lives. Up and down stairs, through tight and long corridors.


    Through it all, Nar held onto Jul with a hold that was gentle, but secure. She whimpered and mumbled of things that set his blood to boil, her limp body bobbing up and down in tune with his steps.


    ¡°You¡¯re okay!¡± he kept saying. ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be okay!¡±


    Soon, the sounds of pursuit got as loud as the sirens.


    Nar couldn¡¯t be sure of it, but he felt the ground shaking underneath him.


    Tuk looked back at Nar, with a face drained of blood. ¡°They¡¯re getting closer!¡±


    Nar knew he shouldn¡¯t, but he couldn¡¯t help resist looking.


    His scream died in his throat.


    The darkness behind them was no longer the mere absence of light. It was a living, pulsing mass of tangled limbs and flashing blades. From floor to ceiling, it was all guardians. A dark current about to shred them to pieces.


    ¡°Nar¡­ Nar¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I got you!¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you safe!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Ahead!¡±


    Ahead?


    The walls disappeared and they ran through an immense darkness.


    He looked around him, stunned at the sudden change, but he saw nothing dangerous around them.


    Behind him, the sounds multiplied and he knew without looking that the guardians were flooding out of the corridor, expanding like a pileslide about to engulf them.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Jul said. ¡°In front of us!¡±


    Maybe it was her warning, maybe it was his [Instinct].


    However, he sensed it.


    ¡°Stop¡±, he said. ¡°STOP!¡±


    But it was too late.


    Gad charged head first into it, and only managed a few steps before she dropped to the floor.


    She did not move again.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Kur asked, coming to a halt.


    ¡°Grab her feet!¡± Nar said. ¡°Pull her out!¡±


    ¡°Out of what?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Nar groaned.


    He didn¡¯t have time to explain.


    Still holding onto Jul, he stored his sword, and bent down to drag the tank back to him. The heat burned his face, and he pulled with all his [Strength]. Thankfully, Viy snapped out of it, and helped him get Gad back to safety.


    He lowered Jul to the floor, as the others flocked to Gad.


    The scout clung to his leg, looking catatonic.


    ¡°It¡¯s Pressure!¡± he explained. ¡°There¡¯s a wall of it!¡±


    Even now, the guardians rushed them.


    ¡°How do we get past it?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Nar said. ¡°I can¡¯t sense any openings!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± Mul shouted.


    He stepped in front of the party, his knuckles ready.


    Viy too, took position next to him.


    Crystal¡­ There¡¯s no way we¡¯re fighting that, Nar thought, staring at the dark tide that grew beyond Mul and Viy.


    He kneeled and gently patted Jul¡¯s head.


    ¡°Jul, can you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Kur, help me!¡± Tuk said. ¡°I¡¯m not strong enough to lift her!¡±


    ¡°Jul?¡± Nar said, focusing only on her. ¡°We¡¯re trapped. There¡¯s a wall of Pressure and I can¡¯t sense a way through. We need your help.¡±


    ¡°Anytime now!¡± Mul said.


    ¡°Lift her up!¡± Kur grunted at Tuk.


    ¡°Jul? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here for you. And I¡¯m going to take you with me. I¡¯m not leaving you behind.¡±


    Her big eyes latched onto his, and for a moment, she just stared at him. The strangest, softest of touches tickled him at his core.


    ¡°Jul?¡±


    ¡°That way,¡± she said, pointing to the right. ¡°You will sense it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    He scooped her into his arms.


    ¡°Come on! Follow me!¡±


    He ran along the wall of Pressure, and the heat emanating from the invisible trap burned the left side of his body.


    ¡°There!¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s a gap! But¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it¡­¡± Jul managed.


    Nar examined the hole with his senses again. They could go in, alright. But there was no way out. The hole was open on one side only. They would die in there, trapped between the Pressure and the Guardians.


    ¡°Trust me!¡± Jul suddenly shouted.


    Here goes nothing!


    Not like there was anything else he could do.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting too far from the light!¡± Cen warned, from behind him. ¡°We can¡¯t see like you!¡±


    Damn it!


    Nar looked from the gap in the Pressure wall, to Cen¡¯s vague outline in the darkness. Her hands were stretched in front of her, grasping in blind panic.


    The others were barely visible as outlines. Even to his [Sight], the darkness was too much.


    ¡°Just follow the sound of my voice. Walk straight! I¡¯ll tell you when¡­ Stop! Cen, turn to the left and walk ten steps! Kur, Tuk, just five steps for you!¡±


    He searched the darkness around him for Mul and Viy, and found them with their backs to the party, covering them with weapons at the ready. Beyond them, the glistening tide of guardians was about to sweep them.


    ¡°Guys! Come on!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°You first!¡± Mul said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that!¡± Nar said, stepping back. ¡°I¡¯m already inside. Just get over here!¡±


    The two DPS made a run for it.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Kur asked, once they had joined them.


    ¡°Just wait,¡± Jul said.


    The quam seemed to have returned to her senses somewhat, and so Nar lowered her to the floor, and stared at the incoming tide.


    In the darkness, he couldn¡¯t make more than the vague outlines and flashes of their twisting limbs and blades. And he knew that what he saw, was only a tiny portion of the guardians he heard.


    The floor rumbled and though he felt his hammering heartbeat, its sound was drowned by the rush of grinding metal and pounding limbs.


    ¡°Jul?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Just wait,¡± Nar replied instead of her. If she said to wait, they would wait.


    He trusted the girl that held onto him, clutching onto his leg with all four arms as though he was her lifeline in the dark.


    It was strange, how quickly she had gone from the strong Jul consoling him, to the terrified Jul seeking his safety.


    He balled his hands into fists.


    He had almost hurt her. Maybe even worse.


    He had to sort out the mess in his head, before he ended up doing something he regretted¡­


    The noise grew so loud, that it reminded him of the Drop, at the beginning of every season.


    It grew until it drowned even his thoughts, for which he was grateful.


    He was sick of them.


    He just wanted to Climb and build a path that was strong enough to save his dad. Why did everything have to be so complicated?


    Suddenly, he both felt and sensed the change.


    The sweltering heat at his back vanished, moving to in front of him instead.


    His [Instinct] confirmed to him that the way they had come in from was now blocked, and the way behind, opened.


    There were no words in the warnings. Just sensations. Or maybe promises. Of his skin peeling back. His flesh melting off his bones, and of his bones cracking and blackening, until his skeleton broke and collapsed. His whole being would be reduced to nothing in under a minute inside that wall of Pressure.


    He gasped at the promise of his death.


    He couldn¡¯t tell whether his brain had come up with the images and sensations, or if it had been his [Instinct]. So far, he had never experienced a warning as vivid as that.


    Suddenly, beyond the Pressure, the guardians came to a halt.


    It was not a screeching, banging, chaotic mess of a halt. But a complete and absolute immediate stillness.


    Nar looked up.


    A wall of guardians rose beyond what he could see, high, high above his head. Their limbs were frozen in place, blades glistening and pointing at them.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Mul whispered, in the sudden silence.


    Just how many guardians were there?


    Hundreds?


    Thousands?


    More?


    All of them frozen in a perfect synchrony, in a darkness that belayed an enormous space around them.


    What am I doing here? Nar suddenly thought.


    This was no place for sentients. No place that his eyes should have ever seen.


    Was their sin truly that grave, that enormous, that it warranted all of this?


    Was all this just to test them, to ensure they paid for their sins in full, and that their faith was real?


    Or did the Crystal just hate them that much?


    Somehow, he couldn¡¯t bear to believe any of those things¡­ And yet, the sight before him defied explanations. Or any plausible justification for its mind shattering scale.


    Jul¡¯s grip tightened around his leg.


    Her gaze was locked somewhere above them. Somewhere much further than his own senses and [Instinct] could go. Her eyebrows were pushed apart, and her mouth was a small o in her face.


    She looked so small down there, clutching him.


    They all looked so small beneath that wall of guardians.


    It was a while before Nar noticed that it was brighter. That the light reflecting off the guardians was coming from a single, bright yellow arrow in the middle of that Pressure square.


    It cast deep, shadowed expressions on their faces.


    ¡°The arrow. Do we follow it?¡± Kur asked Jul.


    She nodded.


    ¡°Through the Pressure walls?¡±


    She nodded again.


    Kur turned his back to the guardians and regarded the endless darkness before them.


    ¡°Alright. Through the Pressure we go, then.¡±

 Chapter 30 - Mistake

    Sweat pooled under him, on the sweltering hot floor.


    On all sides, walls of Pressure rose to the endless darkness above them, confining the party to a tight space.


    There wasn¡¯t enough room for all of them to lay down in, and they had to take turns so that half of them could try to sleep while the other half sat.


    At his side, Viy stuck to him, her body a furnace that he had no way of escaping, and on his other side, Tuk had his back glued to him.


    Nar took a deep breath, the heat burning his mouth, throat and lungs. By the way the two of them squirmed, he knew they weren''t asleep either.


    He resisted the urge to get up and swap places with one of the others. But however bad he felt, laying down was still somewhat more decent than sitting. And his body was so terribly heavy.


    Besides, he needed to at least try and sleep.


    Out of boredom, he ordered his UI to turn visible. Like all the previous attempts, nothing happened. Their UI was still gone.


    Cen had noticed it first. The UI was blinking and faltering, fizzing in and out within ten minutes of them stepping into the Pressure field. A few minutes later, it had disappeared entirely, robbing them of their HP and stamina displays.


    Nar gave up trying to get it to work, and tried to shift into a more comfortable position. However, Viy¡¯s elbow was wedged into his armpit, and Tuk was so close he would have had to roll him over before he could move.


    He sighed.


    He should just get up, and give up his spot to someone else instead.


    Just then, his senses alerted him to one of the Pressure walls disappearing.


    ¡°The way is open again,¡± Jul said, even as Nar pushed through the others to sit up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then,¡± Kur said.


    He got up, and helped Tuk to his feet. Behind him, Gad did the same for Viy.


    In silence, they crossed into the adjacent square and waited.


    The arrow behind them blinked out, and at their feet, another single yellow arrow shone, doing little to dispel the darkness that surrounded them.


    Around him, everyone looked like they were wearing bad masks of their own faces, with hollow eyes and sunken, sweat soaked expressions.


    For Nar, more than the heat and the darkness, and the tightness of the space they shared, it was the wait that did it for him.


    Nobody talked.


    Nobody did anything.


    They stared blankly into the darkness around them, trapped by the invisible, burning walls.


    Every time they stepped into a new square, they had to wait for the other wall to be lowered.


    Sometimes the wait was short, sometimes it was longer.


    The one they had just been in, had been the longest so far, and all four sides had closed in around them. They had stood for a full half an hour, in incomprehensible heat, before Kur had decided that they should try and sleep.


    I wonder how many it¡¯s been by now, he thought, shifting his weight to his left foot.


    He regretted having stopped counting the squares. He had gone up to the thirtieth, and found that he couldn¡¯t be bothered to keep counting. He wished he hadn¡¯t stopped. It would have at least provided him with some distraction.


    Maybe one of the others kept count? he wondered. It sounded like something that Cen or Jul would do.


    However, he never asked the question.


    The Pressure pressed in from all sides, stifling any desire for conversation, interaction or pretty much anything else.


    Sweat rolled down his face and neck, in fat, tickling beads. Nar wiped his face in annoyance, irritating his already over rubbed and peeling brow even further. The fact that it constantly kept healing only made it itch worse.


    Where was all this sweat even coming from? And how could he be so drenched, yet so dry on the inside? He tasted metal and salt, and the sweat he swallowed cracked and scratched down his parched throat.


    For lack of a better thing to do, he cast his eyes about him, looking at the others.


    Everyone stood, or sat, whichever way was least uncomfortable for them, all semblance of a formation having long been abandoned.


    Viy was still right next to him, and every time her sweltering skin touched his, he had to resist the urge to shout at her. Jul was on his other side, and just as close. But Jul¡­ Well, Jul, he tolerated.


    Behind them, Kur stared unblinkingly at the yellow arrow at their feet, and Mul and Cen were sitting beside his feet.


    Mul watched over his sister with a deep frown. Cen wasn¡¯t looking good. She was gulping air like she was suffocating, and she held the neck of her shirt away from her throat.


    In between shallow, desperate gasps, she mumbled something he couldn¡¯t understand, but that made Mul lean in to whisper something in her ear. Cen seemed to ignore him and continued to stare blankly at her own feet.


    On the other side of their messed-up circle, Tuk and Gad stood together, seemingly taking solace in each other¡¯s company. Nar felt a pang of jealousy looking at them. Even here, they looked as though nothing could truly shake them. He was pretty sure that Tuk was even whispering jokes at Gad, who was trying and failing to hold back a smirk.


    Was he just being weak?


    At his side, Jul¡¯s skin came into contact with his again, and came away with an irritating, sticky feeling. Nar was beginning to regret rolling up his sleeves.


    He glanced at her. The scout swayed on her feet, still recovering from the sensory assault from earlier.


    Even after all this time, Nar¡¯s own ears were still ringing, and everything was muted around him. It had to be even worse for her, with her higher [Hearing] attributes. Plus, quam¡¯s antennae were supposedly very sensitive. Much better than a human¡¯s ears.


    Maybe I should say something¡­ he considered.


    Kur had asked them to drop their senses, to conserve stamina and recover. But while Nar had accepted it, considering the possibility of having to fight, Jul had insisted on continuing to watch over the party. Even now, hours later, she was still at it.


    Just then, she looked up to the ceiling and frowned.


    Nar looked up too, quickly calling upon his own senses.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°Something¡­¡± Jul said. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Get ready,¡± Kur said. ¡°In formation. Now!¡±


    ¡°What formation?¡± Mul asked. ¡°Which way?¡±


    Nar pulled his sword from his inventory, and continued to scan the darkness around them. The others, despite Kur¡¯s order, stood where they were, blinking into the dark, and shifting from side to side, waiting for an attack.


    ¡°Kur?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    A spasm went through Kur¡¯s face.


    ¡°Backs to each other,¡± he said. ¡°Make a circle. Gad and Nar, stay on opposite sides until we know what''s happening.¡±


    They rushed to obey him, bumping and pushing into each other and each other''s weapons in the tight space allowed by the Pressure walls.


    ¡°Stay in this square!¡± Kur warned. ¡°If the walls shift, we¡¯ll get separated. And we don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be able to get back together!¡±


    Nar jerked back, pushing against Viy and Tuk.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± he said, when Viy shot him a dark glare.


    ¡°All good man, you¡¯re all good,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Do you see anything?¡±


    Nar shook his head.


    He licked his cracked lips, alternating between looking above and in front of him.


    He was caught completely by surprise when heat exploded in his face, and he fell backwards with a cry.


    ¡°Nar! Are you okay?¡±


    He groaned, holding on to his face. Voices sounded muffled around him, and he could only hear snippets through the high-pitched tinnitus that took his ears.


    ¡°...happened?¡±


    ¡°...wall¡­¡±


    ¡°...to be¡­¡±


    The Pressure!


    He had been too close to the damn wall!


    How had he missed it?


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± he said, pushing hands away from him. ¡°I said I¡¯m fine!¡±


    He stood, blinking away tears, as furious pain flared in tandem with his heart beat.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    He lifted a hand to his face, but the previously clear outlines of his fingers were now just a half-formed blur.


    ¡°Are your eyes ok?¡± Kur asked.


    Nar snapped towards him.


    ¡°Do they¡­¡±


    Tuk gripped his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s alright, we got you. Looks like you burned your face¡­¡±


    Nar blinked at him, his anger knocked away by Tuk¡¯s kind tone.


    ¡°I¡­¡± he swallowed, feeling suddenly awkward. ¡°It¡¯s all blurry.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we put him in the middle?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°While he recovers?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds good,¡± Kur said.


    Hands helped him up, and gently guided him to the center of the party. The others quickly closed ranks around him again, protecting him on all sides.


    ¡°I can fight,¡± Nar said, taking his sword from someone¡¯s hands.


    ¡°If you can still see, it will probably heal soon,¡± Kur said. ¡°So just stay there until then. You hear me?¡±


    Nar nodded slowly.


    He scanned the blurry outlines of the party, but no one said anything. There was no backtalk. No accusation. No anger. No mockery at his blunder.


    He had messed up, not paying attention to where he stood, and now he was out of commission for whatever was coming. And yet, the others had just done their best to cover him.


    Nar swallowed the lump that formed on his throat.


    Was he just being stupid after all? Blinded by his fear of letting down his dad? By his distrust of them, for being Clean and his past experiences?


    ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± Jul said.


    Nar looked up, but all he could see was a mass of something descending on them. He lifted his sword to cover himself, but Kur pushed it down.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, don¡¯t worry!¡± he said.


    All Nar could make was Kur¡¯s back darting about, scepter rising and falling to attack small specs of quick moving things.


    Something landed on him, and he jerked in fear. It crawled down to his neck, stabbing into his skin with its many sharp legs. He swatted himself in panic, but before he could get rid of it, the thing was wrenched from his neck, scoring long lines of stinging pain.


    ¡°I got it!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Where is it?¡± Nar asked, looking around frantically.


    ¡°I threw it away. Oh! Mul just killed it.¡±


    Nar looked up again, covering his head with his arms and searching for more enemies.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more of the tiny guardians,¡± Jul said. ¡°They¡¯re coming down on wires!¡±


    ¡°How many are they?¡±


    ¡°Too many!¡±


    Cen screamed from somewhere nearby.


    ¡°Cen!¡± Mul shouted.


    In the chaos, all that Nar could see was his form bent over something, working furiously.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Nar asked Jul.


    But she was too busy kneeling next to Mul, working just as desperately.


    ¡°Get them off!¡± Cen screeched. ¡°Get them off!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Shit!¡± Gad said. ¡°It bit me! I can¡¯t move my arm! Don¡¯t let them bite her! Their poison paralyzes you!¡±


    Things rained down on them, and the party bumped and knocked into each other in panic. All semblance of order was lost. All that Nar could do was stand there, hiding under his arms, with the sword held tight between his legs and torso, watching blurs move by.


    Another guardian landed on him, this time on his arm. Nar flicked his arm up and down, but the thing had dug deep into his skin.


    ¡°Stop moving and reach out your arm!¡± Viy shouted.


    Nar pushed his arm out, far from him, and he heard the swish of her spear. Nar yelped as she smacked him, but the guardian fell in pieces.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± he said, pulling his arm back.


    But she had already moved on, back into the chaos.


    Nar covered his head again and looked around him. He was only being protected and being a burden.


    Stupid¡­ Stupid!


    Why hadn''t he noticed how close he had been standing to that wall?


    However, it didn¡¯t matter now. There had to be something he could do. The fight didn¡¯t sound like it was going too well and he needed to lend a hand.


    He tried his UI first, but to no avail.


    Ok, nothing there, and I¡¯m blind. What now? What else do I have? [Instinct]?


    He tried to focus on his enigmatic new sense, but everything was a mass of danger and warnings. From his feet, to the air above him. There were even splashes of it on the others.


    Jul screamed somewhere. Somehow, she had gotten away from him, and he couldn¡¯t find her in the chaos.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I got you!¡± Tuk told him. ¡°Just stay there!¡±


    The sound of Tuk¡¯s voice was a momentary relief in the chaos of the fight. As far as he could hear, at least it didn¡¯t seem like anyone had been seriously injured yet.


    Oh! [Hearing]! Nar suddenly realized.


    He closed his useless eyes and focused, not yet sure what he was trying to achieve.


    With a rush, the noise gained depth and clarity, and morphed into sound.


    ¡°Move! I can¡¯t fight like this!¡± Viy shouted.


    ¡°Where do you want me to go?¡± Mul retorted.


    Nar frowned and focused harder. What he wanted was something else, something much lower, hidden within the chaos.


    Come on. Come on¡­


    Blood rushed to his head, his heartbeat sounding like a giant, thumping machine, drowning out everything.


    Maybe what he wanted wasn''t possible.


    He wasn¡¯t ready to give up yet, though. He took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, willing his [Hearing] to give him more.


    The sounds got louder and louder, but somehow, also clearer and clearer. He clenched his jaw against the piercing pain that drilled into his ears, towards his brain.


    Come on, you can do this!


    The sounds roared to a crescendo and then, with a high-pitched explosion, he was plunged into silence.


    He could feel his heart running wild in his chest. He could feel the hot air passing by his tongue. But there was no sound.


    It was a silence more absolute than any he had ever heard.


    Crystal. What have I done?


    However, before the panic could settle in, he heard what he had been looking for.


    Tic-tic-tic-tic.


    Little legs, pitter-pattering around him.


    One of the sets of sound approached his foot, and borrowing from his [Speed], Nar prepared to strike. The guardian didn¡¯t even have time to react before it was crushed under the foot it had been about to latch on to.


    A smile crept onto Nar¡¯s face.


    There were many more such sets of sounds around him, and now that he knew what to look for, he willed his [Hearing] to let some sound filter back in, so he could hear the rest of the fight as well.


    The screams and shouts came rushing back, but he never lost the sound of the tiny guardians.


    He grabbed his sword.


    Right. Let¡¯s try not to kill anyone.


    Using the weapon like it was a club, he brought it down on a guardian scuttling towards him. The thing crunched with a satisfying sound, and Nar¡¯s grin grew wider.


    Soon, he had cleared the immediate vicinity around him, and crawled up to his knees, to reach for the guardians in between the party¡¯s legs.


    He had the [Speed] and the [Reflex] to dart in and around the others, and soon, his efforts were noticed.


    ¡°How¡¯s he doing that?¡± Mul asked. ¡°His eyes are closed!¡±


    Jul shushed at him.


    ¡°Let him do the floor,¡± Kur said. ¡°Mul, you help him. Viy, you focus above us instead. Hit them in the air with Tuk and Cen. Gad, you and I will help wherever!¡±


    The chorus of yeses momentarily drowned the little guardian¡¯s steps.


    ¡°Come on, people! We got this!¡± Tuk shouted, making it worse.


    Nar focused again, and soon, he was back at it, continuing his blind contribution to the fight. The little guardians rarely managed to dodge his sword or feet, and Nar¡¯s smile never left his face, as he heard the crunching sound of each one of his destroyed enemies.


    Still, it was Mul, with his fist weapons and functioning eyes, that made short work of most of the things scuttling around them. And with the danger at their feet being managed, the others turned their attention above, from where the guardians were still gliding down towards them on near invisible wires.


    At some point, a guardian landed on Nar again, but Kur grabbed it before he could even react. His trust bolstered by the knowledge that he was covered, Nar continued the job, sweat trickling down the tip of his nose.


    Eventually, he heard nothing but the sound of the party¡¯s labored breaths.


    ¡°Are they gone?¡±, he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t sense anymore,¡± Jul breathed.


    One of the Pressure walls collapsed.


    ¡°There¡¯s our chance!¡± Kur said. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Someone hooked a hand under Nar¡¯s arm and guided him to the next square. Once there, he scanned his surroundings again, with both [Hearing] and [Instinct], but found nothing.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re ok,¡± Jul said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound too certain, though?¡± Kur asked.


    Jul didn''t reply for a few seconds. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It just feels like there is something else, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it dangerous?¡± Kur pressed.


    Again, she hesitated.


    ¡°Jul?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ My [Instinct] is clear,¡± she said. ¡°I just¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, then,¡± Kur said. ¡°It¡¯s okay if it''s not a threat to us. Stay alert everyone. But take a breather.¡±


    Nar finally opened his eyes, letting go of his [Hearing]. He felt almost deaf in comparison, though he was relieved to find that, during the fight, his eyes had healed almost back to normal.


    The faces of the others were still distorted and blurred, but at least he could see enough to tell where he stood.


    ¡°Hey, you alright?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Nar said, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Almost back to normal.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Nice.¡±


    Nar blinked and looked down at the lengos.


    ¡°That was good work back there,¡± the brawler said.


    Nar smiled bashfully and Mul.


    ¡°Thanks. You too.¡±


    After a moment of awkwardness, Mul nodded at him, and Nar nodded at Mul, and the brawler went to check on his sister.


    Nar¡¯s smile died when his eyes landed on Cen. Even blurry, the caster¡¯s shape didn¡¯t look right. She was sitting, hugging her knees, and probably doing that unblinking stare into nothing again, muttering to herself.


    Mul hugged her with one arm and pushed her face into his chest. That seemed to wake her up, and she untangled herself from him. The two of them launched into a whispered conversation, but it was too low for him to hear. That, or he had just strained his ears too much.


    His heartbeat hammered against his ears, and he felt a piercing sore deep within them.


    Whatever. It was worth it, and it will heal.


    Just like he had thought, when he had first unlocked [Hearing] and [Sight], the attribute had proven itself crucial in his moment of need.


    Nar cast a glance back at the square they had just come from, but the arrow there had already turned off, and his eyes were still not good enough to make out the tiny guardians¡¯ broken bodies.


    Maybe for the best, he thought, abandoning the effort. Best he didn¡¯t know how many had assaulted them.


    He glanced up with a shiver. There could be more up there. In fact, he was sure there were. He shook his head at the thought.


    It had been a long day. First the exploding, tiny and poisonous guardians, then, the mob that had almost caught them, followed by this Pressure death room and then, now, the tiny poisonous guardians¡¯ ambush.


    The Crystal¡¯s trying to kill us, he thought. It has too.


    He winced and mumbled a halfhearted prayer.


    His head throbbed and he leaned on his sword.


    Maybe I¡¯ll fall asleep now, he thought. The floor was looking mighty inviting, even with the thought of the others crushing and sweating against him. Yes, that didn¡¯t sound so bad anymore.


    ¡°Are you okay, Gad?¡± Kur asked.


    Nar lifted his eyes.


    Gad was rotating her left arm, and grimacing.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Poison,¡± she said. ¡°I lost all feeling in my arm.¡±


    Tuk made a face. ¡°Is it better now?¡±


    ¡°It feels like there¡¯s fire running under my skin. But at least, I can move it now.¡±


    ¡°Must have been a status effect,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°A what?¡± Tuk asked. Cen¡¯s words had been a barely audible mumble.


    ¡°A status effect,¡± she said again, louder.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to explain it,¡± Cen said, and sighed. ¡°I got the notification for it, after the bridge. I think there was so much poison inside me that it triggered it.¡±


    Nar grimaced, remembering how her skin had darkened with all the poison running in her veins.


    ¡°A status effect is basically something that affects you. It''s probably easier to explain using the examples the System gave me. [Dazed] is a pretty obvious one. While it lasts, you will feel lost and confused, not knowing what¡¯s happening. Not being able to think or move properly.¡±


    ¡°I think that might have been what happened to us, when that guardian hit us in the safe room,¡± Kur said, rubbing her chin and glancing at Gad.


    Cen nodded. ¡°Could be¡­ And [Poison] is another kind of status effect. The notification didn¡¯t explain much, just that there are different types of poisons, and that each can have a different effect on you.¡±


    ¡°Like me, not feeling my arm,¡± Gad said, clenching and unclenching her fingers. ¡°I thought that poison just burned, like the aetherium in the pile. But by the looks of it, it¡¯s much more complicated than that.¡±


    Kur nodded, still rubbing the underside of his jaw. ¡°We¡¯ll need to be on the lookout for poison from now on. If you¡¯d gotten bitten somewhere else, or enough times, you would have passed out. Or worse.¡±


    Crystal¡­ Nar thought. Maybe the Crystal really was out for their blood. Everything was tallying up to be a bit much, just to make a bunch of workers suffer.


    ¡°Poison, Pressure, darkness,¡± Gad listed. ¡°And tiredness. We need to be very careful here. Very patient too, with each other.¡±


    ¡°Any wrong step¡­¡± Kur muttered, and his eyes fell upon Nar.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Nar said, looking downcast. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I was so close to it.¡±


    ¡°What? No! No!¡± Kur said, shaking his hands. ¡°I was just wondering about your eyes!¡±


    Nar made a face. ¡°Still, I should have paid more attention.¡±


    ¡°To what, to the invisible walls that your sixth sense warns you about?¡± Mul asked.


    Well, if you put it like that¡­


    ¡°Mul¡¯s right, man,¡± Tuk said, slapping his back. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re just happy you¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°Plus, somehow, you still got back into that fight,¡± Kur said, shaking his head. ¡°[Instinct] is something else.¡±


    It was Nar¡¯s turn to shake his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t [Instinct]. There was too much going on for that. Danger was basically everywhere. It was [Hearing] this time.¡±


    ¡°You were listening for them?¡± Mul gasped. ¡°What in the pile¡­¡±


    ¡°Insanity. Everything¡¯s insane and nothing makes sense anymore¡± Kur said, shaking his head again.


    ¡°I want senses attributes too,¡± Tuk said, looking down at Jul pleadingly. ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know! It-It just happened!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop messing with her,¡± Gad grunted at Tuk.


    The ring tosser chuckled darkly at Jul, as she tried to hide behind her hair


    Nar sensed the walls shifting around them, and the path to the next square opened.


    ¡°It¡¯s open,¡± he told the others.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s keep going,¡± Kur said.

 Chapter 31 - Survive, If You Can

    The silence was crushing.


    Nar dragged his feet into yet another square. Another, identical, few feet of dark floor, with a single dim yellow arrow at its center. Around them, nothing. Not even the Pressure was visible, or made a single sound.


    How many squares was this now? No idea.


    How much time had passed? No idea.


    It was impossible to tell without access to his UI¡¯s clock.


    The party stood in silence, only grunting at each other whenever blistering hot skin came into contact.


    Nar dazed off, staring at the floor.


    It swayed under him.


    Or he did.


    He didn¡¯t care about it. Only that the floor looked so inviting.


    Good job! Come and rest now! You deserve it! It seemed to say.


    Nar nodded at it. He did deserve it, didn''t he?


    The problem was, every time even one of them fell asleep, the tiny guardians swooped down on them in the hundreds. They had caught on to it, eventually, but it was impossible for people not to fall asleep.


    Kur had prohibited anyone from sitting down, but people still managed to drift off on their feet. That¡¯s how tired they all were.


    They only persisted thanks to their stamina, but the yellow bar wasn¡¯t infinite, and they couldn¡¯t even tell how much they had left.


    They were caught, trapped in the Pressure, and without a chance to rest. Best they could do was hope they could get out before it was too late.


    ¡°What?¡± Mul grunted.


    Nar blinked awake. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Nar said, his voice raspy.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Mul rubbed his eyes. The red neon color of his pupils looked faded, a clear sign of exhaustion in a lengos. And on his other side, Cen¡¯s head bobbed up and down, in and out of sleep.


    ¡°Come on, you can¡¯t sleep,¡± Mul whispered to her, shaking her lightly.


    Cen took a shaky breath and looked around, disoriented.


    Her pupils were even more faded, barely any purple left on them, and she had her mouth ajar, as though she had meant to say something at some point and had forgotten about it.


    Something¡¯s wrong with that one, Nar though. Something¡¯s definitely going on.


    He caught a glance of Viy slurping some jell-o, and decided to do the same. He was still flush from the safe room, and he was pouring non-stop sweat in that heat.


    Jul suddenly gasped. ¡°Above us!¡±


    Nar choked on his jell-o, and coughed, sputtering it down his chin, trying to both breath and find his sword, which had fallen at his side.


    Except, nothing happened.


    ¡°Jul?¡± Kur asked.


    She stared upwards.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand¡­ I sensed it.¡±


    Kur smiled at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re all tired.¡±


    She pursed her lips and looked down.


    Nar cleaned his mouth, having finally managed to grab his sword and stop coughing, and considered the scout.


    Things were looking bad for them, but, at the same time, Jul had never been wrong before.


    He glanced upwards.


    If they had sense attributes and [Instinct], so would many other Climbers. He very much doubted that he and Jul were unique. Quite the opposite, there had to be a pile ton of other Climbers with those same attributes. Which meant, more than likely, that there was a chance that guardians had ways to counter those attributes. Right?


    A shiver spread through his body.


    Imagine¡­ he wondered, slightly terrified at the prospect.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    He shook his head, trying to escape the grasping fingers of dread that clenched around his stomach. However, he didn¡¯t quite manage to.


    Another section of the wall opened, and they dutifully walked into the next square.


    The squares blurred and meshed into each other, and after a while, Nar was back in his lulled half-awake state.


    ¡°Incoming!¡± Jul cried.


    Nar snapped back to reality with a gasp and lifted his shaking sword.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Tuk said, sounded like he too, had fallen asleep.


    ¡°Where is it?¡± Kur asked. ¡°Jul?¡±


    The girl looked crestfallen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening,¡± she whispered, sounding like she was on the verge of tears.


    Kur sighed and rubbed his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re just tired, that¡¯s all. Same as us.¡±


    ¡°I know what I sensed¡­¡±, she said, in a very small voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just make sure first next time.¡±


    Sometime later however, the same happened again.


    ¡°I made sure!¡± she protested.


    ¡°Jul, I don¡¯t think you can trust your senses anymore,¡± Kur said.


    He wasn¡¯t glaring at her, but he certainly didn¡¯t look happy either. Even their stalwart leader was starting to fray.


    ¡°No! I swear there¡¯s something there.¡±


    But Kur shook his head and turned his back to her.


    ¡°You believe me, right?¡± she asked, turning to Nar.


    Nar withstood the pressure from those big eyes.


    On one hand, her senses had saved their lives multiple times, and she had never been wrong. There was no doubt in his mind that, even with two tanks, or a tank and a half, without her warnings, they wouldn¡¯t have even made it past the tutorial, let alone this far. But on the other hand¡­ He wasn¡¯t sure his own senses were to be trusted at that stage. Plus, she had been taken out of action by the alarms earlier. She could still be damaged somehow.


    However, he just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there could be something out there that knew how to counter their senses. And the more he thought about it, the more convinced he became.


    Also, her eyes pleaded at him.


    He sighed.


    What did that thing say? Ignore your instinct at your own danger or something like that.


    Jul hadn¡¯t said she had heard something, or that she had seen it.


    She had sensed it, which meant [Instinct]. Which meant she had known something was wrong through a sense that was beyond mind and body. Something that supposedly touched their very soul.


    And could a soul get tired, Nar wondered. Could it be tricked? Could the System, for that matter, being the One that governed their attributes? And this was an attribute they were talking about, not their own fallible eyes, ears or, in Jul¡¯s case, her antennae.


    Can [Instinct] be tricked? But she¡¯s never failed before¡­ Somehow, I can¡¯t believe that she¡¯s wrong now.


    He groaned mentally. He almost wished she was, considering what it meant for her to be right.


    ¡°I believe you,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready, okay?¡±


    Her lips quivered as she breathed in relief. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He managed a smile for her.


    They continued walking in the same oppressive silence as before, one square after the other. Waiting. Sweating.


    Nar had to fight just to keep his eyes open, and the darkness around him danced and morphed, taking on shapes. Of people and memories, of things he had never managed to forget, no matter how much he¡¯d wanted to.


    Jul grabbed his arm and Nar startled back to reality.


    ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± she whispered.


    He glanced up, but found nothing. However, he didn¡¯t dismiss her. She grabbed onto his arm so tightly that it hurt. She wasn¡¯t even looking up.


    He opened his mouth to shout a warning, and instead, found his party in a complete state. Mul and Cen were passed out on the floor. Viy and Tuk were sitting, the both of them staring at the floor in a trance. And Kur, the party leader, had his back to the rest of them, his head bent into his hands.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gad asked.


    In all of this, she was the only one still standing, the heavy shield never leaving her hand.


    Nar beckoned her with a discreet gesture.


    ¡°There¡¯s something here,¡± he said. ¡°I just don¡¯t know why it isn¡¯t attacking us.¡±


    Gad nodded, looking down at Jul.


    ¡°I thought so too,¡± she said. ¡°Jul¡¯s never been wrong. I think it¡¯s waiting to catch us off guard.¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting closer¡­¡± Jul whimpered.


    ¡°We have no choice,¡± Gad said. ¡°Stand up! Incoming!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just give us a break!¡± Kur snapped. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there!¡±


    Jul hid behind Nar, and the lengos twins woke up in fright.


    Nar suddenly felt hotter.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that! We should be ready!¡±


    ¡°Nar, we¡¯re all tired,¡± Kur said. ¡°Just give it a rest.¡±


    Nar frowned at him. ¡°Her senses have kept us safe since day one. Why are you doubting her now?¡±


    Kur exhaled and stood. He looked like a mad man. ¡°We¡¯re all exhausted and hearing things. And seeing things! Just let it go!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the same! [Instinct] is different. There¡¯s no sound! No sight! It just is!¡± Nar threw at him, hoping that he was right in his understanding of the mysterious attribute.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± Kur shouted back at him.


    Gad stopped Nar¡¯s retort with her shield.


    ¡°No point in arguing like this,¡± she said. ¡°Tuk, throw a ring.¡±


    The trugger lifted his head at the mention of his name, and stared at her in confusion.


    ¡°Throw it,¡± she said again, motioning up with a discreet nod.


    The ring tosser went pale.


    ¡°Now?¡± he asked, playing with a ring between his thumb and index finger.


    ¡°Yes. Just be ready, everyone.¡±


    Perhaps it was her tone of voice, her demeanor, but hands reached slowly for weapons, and even Kur seemed to wake up from whatever stupor had enthralled him.


    Nar considered all of Jul¡¯s warnings.


    It¡¯s always been there. Probably from the very start, when we ran in. It¡¯s just been waiting for us to get tired or distracted.


    Every time Jul had sounded the alarm and they¡¯d gotten ready for it, it had just withdrawn, biding its time. If not for Jul, they would have never known until it was too late, and it came for them in their sleep¡­


    Tuk suddenly flung a ring upwards, straight above his head.


    For a split-second, Nar thought that they had been wrong after all. He almost felt relief¡­


    TING!


    The ring bounced off something, with a clear metallic sound.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Mul muttered.


    A low mechanical sound reverberated from above them.


    Bright green lights flared to life, highlighting a huge bulbous body, and long, thick and winding limbs that spread into the darkness.


    Things scuttled along the mass of its body, and it took Nar a couple of seconds to realize that those were guardians. Normal sized guardians.


    The Pressure wall trembled, then returned with an even fiercer heat


    The sound echoed again, stronger this time, and little dots of darkness fell towards them.


    ¡°Incoming!¡± Gad shouted.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have encountered The Sentry ?? (Boss).


    Survive.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Crystal¡­ Nar thought, as the window blinked away.


    All he could do was stare at the green nightmare descending upon them.

 Chapter 32 - Powerless

    ¡°Kur!¡± Gad shouted. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    Nar stared up, frozen in place.


    From the green lights that shone from the Sentry, a nightmare of moving limbs and blades descended upon them.


    This is not real¡­ He thought. There was no way it could be.


    Around them, on all four sides, the Pressure walls had them trapped. There was nowhere to run.


    Fighting was impossible and there was nowhere to run to¡­


    ¡°Kur!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± the party leader worked his mouth, but no orders came from it.


    ¡°Kur!¡± Gad shouted again. ¡°Get it together!¡±


    Kur clenched his jaw and exhaled through his teeth.


    ¡°Okay! Okay!¡±


    He shook his shoulders and head.


    ¡°Look at me! Everyone, look at me!¡±


    Nar pried his eyes off the incoming tiny guardians, and found his leader standing tall, a resolute expression on his face.


    ¡°We¡¯re facing death!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°And if we¡¯re dead already, we might as well fight without fear!¡±


    He scanned the party, his steady eyes holding their fearful stares.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of them, but I think those guardians are smaller than the ones we¡¯ve been fighting so far! Like those weaker lookouts. So, Cen and Tuk, focus on those, they might be weaker than we think! Don¡¯t hit the boss yet! Let¡¯s get some breathing room first!¡±


    ¡°On it!¡± Tuk shouted.


    He spun his rings in both hands, and the rings started shooting upwards, leaving bright glinting trails as they sought out the guardians walking across the Sentry.


    ¡°Cen!¡± Mul shouted, shaking her. ¡°Come on! We have to fight!¡±


    Nar looked from Tuk to Cen. Their caster was sitting down, looking dazed at the staff in her hands.


    ¡°Leave her!¡± Kur said. ¡°Mul and Jul, you guys focus on getting the small ones as they come down! Viy, use your reach and try to get some of those bigger ones as they come down too! Again, they look smaller than normal, so I think these will be weaker than what we¡¯ve faced so far!¡±


    Nar was starting to feel the fire lighting within, his heartbeat steady and ready in his chest. Around him, faces before ruled by despair, now took on ready grimaces.


    Kur was right. If they were already dead, what was there left to be afraid of?


    His dad? Out of his hands now.


    His doubts? Inconsequential.


    His dreams? Not within his reach.


    There was just him, his sword, and his party now.


    ¡°Gad, you need to keep your eyes on the boss. It¡¯s big, so I assume it might be slow. But just one of those legs is enough to crush the rest of us to death. You¡¯ll have to stop that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will,¡± Gad said.


    She triggered her taunt and the boss bellowed, a guttural, mechanical low reverberation that rumbled in Nar¡¯s chest. However, it did not attack her.


    ¡°Nar!¡±


    The two of them locked eyes.


    ¡°Do what you can, please,¡± Kur said. ¡°This is not the end of the line. I refuse to believe that.¡±


    Nar pressed his lips, and nodded.


    ¡°I refuse to believe that too,¡± he said.


    He raised his word and tracked the descending enemies. Amongst the tiny guardians, the bigger ones were now coming down too. Those that made it past Tuk¡¯s rings and Viy¡¯s spear would be his target. He wouldn¡¯t let this party go down. And he wouldn''t go down either!


    You are not the end of me! You are not the end of my dad or our dreams! Nar thought, casting a hateful gaze at the boss.


    ¡°Jul! Keep those small ones off of me,¡± he said.


    ¡°I will!¡±


    Her shoulders shook, her chin trembled, but her words sounded firm and true.


    Crystal! She¡¯s so brave! Nar thought, pride welling within him. You will overcome it! I swear I¡¯ll see you break the hold they had over you! You will be free!


    The thoughts had come unbidden, but Nar knew them to be true. And not just for her. He wanted them all to survive this. He wanted to keep Climbing with all of them. And not just because he needed them. Deep down, he knew that. He just wasn¡¯t ready to accept it yet.


    ¡°Here they come!¡± Kur warned.


    The baby guardians dropped.


    Nar swatted away one of the things, which had been targeting his face, but otherwise ignored them. He tensed his legs, staring at his first target.


    The guardian slid down on a thick wire that came out of the top of its body. In the chaos of falling enemies, both Tuk and Viy had missed it, and it was about to land, ready to wreak havoc amidst the party.


    Missed, or left for me? Because they trust me to cover them?


    Nar lowered his blade over his shoulder, down until it was almost touching his back.


    It all felt so simple now.


    Give it your all. Trust the others will do the same.


    Was that it?


    Was it that simple?If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The walls around them faded for a split second, then they burned back to life, forming a much wider square.


    ¡°The walls moved!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°There¡¯s more space now! It''s about 30-feet from side to side!¡±


    ¡°It must be able to control them!¡± Kur shouted, taking in the falling guardians. ¡°It¡¯s making room for the guardians! Get ready everyone!¡±


    Nar never took his eyes off his target, and when it dropped from its wire, falling the last few feet, Nar lashed forward.


    The sword whistled through the air, with all of his [Strength] behind it.


    The guardian never even saw it coming.


    The blow caved into its body, crumbling the black metal as though it was nothing. The guardian was lifted off its feet, and went flying away from the party.


    Nar stared in disbelief as it landed in a heap of broken limbs and rolling parts, quickly catching fire when it reached the Pressure.


    ¡°What in the pile¡­¡± he muttered.


    Just like that?


    Laughter bubbled out of his chest. It had been so easy! Kur was right!


    He looked up, searching for his next prey.


    His laughter died in his throat.


    Ten. Twenty. Thirty.


    Guardians kept leaping off the boss, their limbs grotesque dark shadows under that eerie green light.


    So many¡­


    ¡°Watch out! Here they come!¡± Kur shouted.


    Here came the real attack. The boss had first needed to make enough room for all of the guardians to land around them. To surround them.


    Perhaps, their Climb was about to end there.


    Perhaps, they didn¡¯t have it in them to atone, and this was their limit.


    Nar gripped his sword tighter, and clenched his jaw.


    I¡¯m not done yet. I¡¯m not ready to give up yet.


    The image of his dad, dying alone in the dark, had plagued him for days. He had done his best to bury it, to keep it away from his thoughts, but now, he recalled it. He called it forth in all its heart shattering detail. He called it to remind him of what was at stake.


    I promised. And I will keep my promise.


    Guardians dropped in successive thuds around the party and Nar raised his sword.


    ¡°Kur, I need to use my skills!¡± he shouted.


    Kur stared at him, frozen by indecision, then he nodded.


    ¡°Do it! But try to limit it,¡± he said. ¡°And that goes for everyone as well! Use your skills, but mind that we can¡¯t see our stamina! It has to be low already!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Tuk shouted, grinning madly.


    Nar took a deep breath.


    Here we go¡­ [Quickening]!


    Pain spiked inside his head, and his body jolted, his spine contracting as energy flooded him.


    He grit his teeth, not sure of what was happening. Was this happening because he had never used the skill before? He hoped that that was the case, as wave after wave of energy rocked his body, radiating from the center of his chest.


    Then, it was done.


    3 seconds.


    He allowed his torso to lean forward, then pushed against the floor.


    In a blink, he was there, his sword coming down on the unsuspecting guardian, smashing through without resistance.


    He spun, searching with sight and [Hearing], and jumped at the next guardian.


    One down. Two down. Three down.


    The energy coursing through him evaporated, and his movements slowed down. His 3 seconds were up.


    For a moment, Nar stared, stunned, at the trail of destruction behind him.


    For those 3 seconds, he had felt¡­ He had felt¡­ He didn''t even know how to describe it.


    He had seriously underestimated that [Quickening] skill. And the skill was only at its base level. Once it got upgraded¡­


    ¡°Nar! They¡¯re coming at us!¡±


    Kur¡¯s shout woke him from his dazed incredulity.


    More guardians had reached the floor, and now dozens of them were scuttling towards the party.


    ¡°Viy, change to the ones on the floor! Cen? Cen! We need you!¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°Cen! Come on!¡± Mul shouted at his catatonic sister.


    If even one of us doesn¡¯t do their part¡­ Nar thought, grimly, staring at the frozen caster.


    He shook his head. It was not for him to solve. It was for Kur and Mul to get her into the fight. His job was to make sure they didn¡¯t get crushed from all sides.


    Resolving to conserve his stamina for now, having given the party some breathing room, Nar ran at the closest guardian.


    As if the big ones weren¡¯t enough, more and more of the tiny guardians fell on their heads as well.


    One of them latched onto his shoulder, making him cry out in pain and surprise. Jul ripped it off from him, trailing blood in its wake, and threw it on the floor, stomping on it.


    ¡°Get that one!¡± she said, pointing at another guardian. ¡°It¡¯s going for Tuk!¡±


    Nar didn¡¯t reply. He just acted.


    Tuk noticed the incoming attack, the blades shining green as they sped towards his back.


    Nar thrust his sword into the guardian¡¯s back instead, and gripping the weapon in both hands, lifted the twitching killing machine above his head, and threw it away from the party.


    ¡°Thanks, man!¡± Tuk shouted, his eyes never leaving the enemy, his rings never stopping.


    ¡°Over there!¡± Jul shouted, directing him again.


    Nar mentally thanked her for her instructions, and ran at the guardian threatening Kur.


    Together, she focusing on the tiny guardians, and he following her instructions to kill the bigger ones before they could hurt anyone, they somehow managed to hold on. Gad weaved in and out of the fight, lending a hand here and there. However, her main focus was on the boss, which had yet to make its move.


    We can do this! Nar thought, elated. We can do this!


    Jul moved with speed and efficiency, crushing tiny guardians before they had a chance to cause any serious injury. Her earlier fear seemed to have blown away, and there was no hesitation in her actions.


    There is hope for you yet, Jul! Nar thought, smiling despite the situation.


    However, it felt as though no matter how many of the things they killed, more and more kept coming down at the party.


    He risked a quick glance up, as his latest enemy twitched at his feet.


    Nar had first assumed that the guardians had been coming out of the boss¡¯ large body, but there was no way that all of those things could have fit inside it. And if that meant they were coming from somewhere else, then that also meant their numbers could very well be endless.


    The boss could simply stay where it was, hanging over them, and let their numbers exhaust the party, ending them without having to actually do anything.


    ¡°Kur!¡± he called. ¡°There¡¯s no end to these things!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± the party leader shouted back. ¡°We need to attack the boss!¡±


    ¡°How? We can¡¯t even reach it!¡±


    Kur considered Cen, still looking lost.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to do the best we can!¡± he said. ¡°Tuk?¡±


    ¡°I hear you, boss!¡± the trugger replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s on you now! And Gad, get ready in case it decides to attack us!¡±


    Nar watched expectantly as Tuk shifted his focus to the enormous, green lit enemy. The rings blurred upwards, bouncing against the large body of the boss. Since it was so much bigger than normal guardians, its movements slower and more ponderous, it was much easier for the trugger to hit.


    His rings found their mark in non-stop, rapid succession, and Tuk kept up the assault for a solid ten seconds before the boss took notice.


    The enormous machine roared, and one of its legs moved ominously over the party.


    ¡°Here it comes!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Tuk don¡¯t stop!¡±


    Nar paled as the shadow covered them. That thing had to be at least 10-feet in diameter!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I got this!¡± Gad shouted, lifting up her shield with both hands.


    Nar gaped, frozen, as the massive limb came down on them.


    It made contact with Gad¡¯s shield, and their tank yelled, throwing everything she had to keep it from coming down any lower.


    ¡°Nar, cover her!¡± Kur shouted.


    Nar woke up from his stupor. Kur was right. The guardians were already heading for Gad. If they got to her, if they brought her down¡­


    He ran to her.


    No, I won¡¯t let them!


    He weaved and spun madly around the tank, keeping his head tucked low so as to not hit the boss¡¯ limb.


    Viy spear¡¯s thrust in, from time to time, at the corner of his eyes, catching those guardians that Nar didn¡¯t have time to stop, but for the most part, she tried to put as much damage as she could onto that limb, while it was still within reach.


    Mul was now the one covering for the party, even as Nar protected Gad. The job of keeping the tiny, scurrying guardians under control was still in Jul¡¯s hands, and Kur had joined her in the effort.


    Gad groaned under the strain of the boss¡¯s might, her body shaking.


    ¡°Hang in there!¡± Nar told her. ¡°You can do it!


    Tuk¡¯s assault was unrelenting, but Crystal knew how much HP that damned thing had to have.


    Suddenly, the weight lifted, and Gad tumbled forward, gasping.


    As the shadow cleared, a much brighter green shone from above them.


    Nar looked up.


    The green circles across the boss¡¯ bulbous end were emitting a bright, green mist.


    ¡°Poison!¡± Kur cried. ¡°Watch out!¡±


    You¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡­ Nar thought.


    The mist spread to engulf the entirety of the boss, bathing it in an even more nightmarish light, which slowly descended towards them.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Mul shouted. ¡°There¡¯s nowhere to go!¡±


    If that poison was the paralyzing one, they were screwed. If it was the damaging type instead, they were still screwed. There was no way to avoid it. Not with the walls of Pressure, and not with the guardians running amok in their midst.


    The poison would fall, and they would breathe it in. It would eat through their HP in a matter of seconds, and consume them from within.


    The boss leaned closer, rumbling his roar at them, and two ponderous limbs moved to crash down on them.


    This was it.


    This was the end.


    Nar watched it coming, powerless. There was nothing they could do.

 Chapter 33 - Power

    Blurs moved around her.


    Distant sounds echoed, muted.


    She heard words.


    She heard pain and fighting.


    But it was all so far. Her Nexus was but a blur of dark and green that held no meaning.


    Cen knelt on the floor, her staff forgotten in her hands.


    Her mind replayed the same thoughts in an unbreakable spiral that pulled her deeper and deeper, and farther from the outside.


    The secret she had carried had been weightless at first.


    It had been easy to justify, and she had held tightly to it, binding it in strings of logic and good reasons.


    Her intentions had been pure and her heart, in the right place.


    To keep it hidden was a betrayal, yes. But only for now. Once on the surface, bathed in the light of the Crystal and the abundant aether that all could freely tap into, it would all be worth it.


    Mul would understand.


    He would be grateful of the hard decision she had made for the both of them. For their future. For the power she would accumulate, and the life she would ensure for them, with the endless bounty of the Labyrinth.


    But she had underestimated just how much the Crystal reviled them. Just how much it wanted them to suffer.


    She had expected hardship, not torture. Not this unfairness, impossibility of guardians, Pressure, darkness and poison! It was all too much. The Crystal demanded way too much out of her. Of them all.


    Through it all, she knew she was being useless. She had not downed a single guardian. Those little, useless puffs of air did close to nothing. And the reason for that, was her secret.


    The secret that had gotten heavier and heavier, especially after Mul had almost died. After she had almost let her own brother die, in sacrifice of her secret. No. Of her greed.


    Day by day, the secret burdened her, growing heavier.


    She could have made all their lives so much easier, and their Climb that much faster. And safer.


    However, the more she held onto her secret, the more she had to double down. She dreaded the repercussions of coming clean, and the more she hid it, the worse they would be. And the more the guilt ate at her.


    How had things turned out like this?


    Cen had been born exceptional.


    Everyone around her told her so, and she had come to believe it.


    That is not to say the words were without merit. She put in the hours, and the extra shifts. She pushed aura till near exhaustion, until her peers forced her to stop. To rest.


    She would fight it, and they would insist on it. And, oh! The compliments they gave her, and the way they looked at her¡­ With pride, with envy. She was an example. The example! And the harder she worked, the more they loved and envied her.


    Even Mul¡¯s shadow over the family served only to make her light shine brighter. While she consoled him with all her heart and truly hated the way their family treated her brother, some perverse part of her enjoyed being the good sister. The pride of the family, the one that got all of the attention.


    She was on fast-track to become the youngest Main Operator in memory. And beyond that, her family had set their eyes on pushing her onto the management tracks. It was hard, but not impossible to rise above the masses of workers, and she was sure she could lift herself, her family and her descendants into the management ranks.


    Her family¡¯s hopes for her were as big as her ambition.


    But then, she plateaued.


    Aura became too painful. Too sharp in her veins.


    It felt like pushing broken aetherium through her blood vessels, and it made her ill.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    The more she tried to break through, the worse she felt. And eventually, she had to be honest to herself. She had to face it. She had reached the end of the line.


    This was her peak performance and she would go no further. Not without risking early death, or the Wasting.


    She was used to being the best. To being admired and envied. To being the hope and pride of her entire family. But that was all about to end.


    What would people say now? Would they mock her? Laugh at her? The once rising prodigy would turn out to be just a little bit better than the rest of them, but still, very much, one of them. Just another nameless worker, with nothing but empty aspirations of greatness.


    It was all over.


    And in that darkness, her brother, her beloved brother, the shame of the family, brought her the solution.


    He wanted to Climb. He was sick and done with their family. With everyone. There was nothing but misery in the cubeplant for him, and he would not have it. He would rather risk death than submit to a lifetime of imposed disgrace.


    And, surprising the both of them, when he asked her if she wanted to come with him, she had said yes.


    Mul had been both terrified for her, and overjoyed by her coming. It would be dangerous, yes, but there was a whole Nexus outside of the cubeplant. They could start a whole new life outside. Free. Free of everything.


    Excited, he had taken her to the chapel.


    Cen hadn''t visited the chapel in years. She had little time outside of her overworking. Mul however, had taken her hand, and pointed out the Named Few whose names he had found out.


    They had the Crystal¡¯s aether running through their veins instead of the dirty aura they fed the machines. And that meant they had magic! That they could encase their fists in fire and lightning. That they could make ice blades out of nothing, and cut with invisible swords of air.


    They could be free, he had said. They could be like them. With magic, in a place of light and color. In a place without the suffering of aura, and without their lives being dictated by shifts or quotas.


    To him, it was the means to escape from their overbearing family and its abuse.


    For her, it was the chance at something new. To start the climb towards greatness anew.


    Aether!


    Magic!


    Something she could actually apply her intelligence and hard work into. Nothing like the broken aura she was forced to take into her as a form of punishment.


    Why was she worrying about powering a machine that recycled trash, when she could be up there, wielding power beyond her wildest dreams?


    No. Her true calling was not trapped in that cubeplant.


    It was up there, in the O-Nex, where aether flowed freely!


    And with the Climb just around the corner, she could leave before anyone could realize that she was just another loser. Before they could laugh at her, and tell her she was just another one of them.


    For she refused to hear it, and refused to believe it.


    Receiving the staff had elated her. The Crystal had found her worthy, and granted her the path she wanted. The future would be bright, and it waited for her and her brother outside of the confines of the cubeplant.


    Why care about her family anyways, or any of the others? They just wanted to use her! And they had always been horrible to Mul. She had hated what they did to him, and despite her numerous pleas, they had refused to stop. Instead, they had tried to turn her against him! Against her own twin brother! How could they?


    She had failed to protect him, but now, with aether, and magic, she would take Mul into a better life. A life beyond their wildest dreams, where he could finally find some happiness.


    Yes. Everything was perfect. Everything would be perfect.


    It was only after she set foot outside the cubeplant that she realized how terribly wrong she had been.


    She had expected the initial lack of aether and magic. But she had not expected what had been given to her instead.


    The discovery had shattered everything, and she could not accept it. And she could not tell the others either, not even Mul.


    And so, she kept quiet. But it became harder and harder to do so. In fact, she suspected, in some distant way, that the secret was costing her her sanity.


    But what else was she to do?


    Something collided with her and she fell forward.


    Noise, screams and chaos flooded into her.


    She was in the middle of a fight.


    What¡­ What happened?


    She had been stuck in her past, and in her guilt, seeing the faces she had left behind. They mocked her. They jeered at her. They clamored for her death. For her to be punished for abandoning them.


    It took a few seconds for her memories to slowly return, and they came in fragments. Until finally¡­


    The Sentry! The fight! she remembered.


    She had blanked at the horrendous sight of the boss.


    Around her, the guardians closed in, and the tiny guardians still dropped on them. However, everyone was staring up, including her brother, frozen in place.


    His name died on her throat as she too, looked up, and found death staring at her.


    It was enrobed in bright green mist, and moved enormous limbs to crush her. Her, her brother, and all the others.


    It was the end.


    A tear ran down the side of her face.


    What am I doing? Why am I still holding on?


    She knew the answer, of course. There was a reason for her secret. She wasn¡¯t just a selfish monster. Though now, she wasn¡¯t so sure anymore.


    Above her, the boss leaned down to them, to better spread its poison.


    Whatever type it was, it spelled the end of their Climb.


    A determined frown took her face and she gripped her staff.


    Unbeknownst to the others, Cen stood up and raised her weapon.


    They had all fought with and for her. She had been saved and protected innumerable times. They had trusted and placed their life in her hands, even going so far as to risk their own for hers. And her brother¡­


    Her throat closed in pain and regret.


    Mul had done everything to protect her. To ensure that she was alright. To keep her going, even when the Pressure and her secret made it unbearable.


    No.


    This was not the end for him.


    This was not the end of the Climb for anyone.


    She would not allow it.


    This would be the end of the secret. It was not worth their lives.


    Cen aimed her staff at the boss.


    At its tip, a hazy gray light began to gather.

 Chapter 34 - Faith & Magic?

    Poisoned or crushed.


    The shock of his impending death made him blank.


    Would the poison kill them quickly? Or just weaken them so that the guardians could finish the job? Would the boss wait for it, or would it just crush them to paste by itself.


    And above it all, would it hurt?


    Nar wanted to close his eyes, so as to not see that green monstrosity. Somewhere deep inside his mind, something screamed that this had to be a nightmare, and that he had to wake up.


    However, this was all real.


    This was the end of the line for him.


    All that praying and begging, and believing and praising. What had it all been for, if in the end, the Crystal had already decided that they weren¡¯t worthy of their forgiveness. That their feet would never touch the outside, or their eyes bathe in the light of the O-Nex.


    His path, his future, his dad. None of it had been found worthy of mercy.


    A cold seeped through him, pushing aside the horror of his approaching death.


    I trusted You. Despite everything, I trusted You. I gave You a second chance! To show me that my faith was not misplaced! That the past could be forgotten in exchange for forgiveness. And this is Your answer.


    Nar gripped his sword tightly in his hand, and clenched his jaw so hard his teeth hurt.


    You have no right. You have no right to stop me here!


    He raised his sword. It would not end there. He couldn¡¯t allow it to end there!


    But the sword looked puny, and tiny, before the bulk of the boss, and its brilliant cloud of green poison.


    Damn it¡­ Damn it all. I¡¯m sorry dad, I tried.


    Something whistled through the air.


    There was a flash of light, and an explosion rocked the boss, knocking it sideways, away from them.


    The brief flames consumed most of the poison headed their way, as well as a ton of the baby guardians still dangling above the party.


    The sound of the boss¡¯s thunderous steps reached them, as it sought to right itself, groaning.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Tuk whispered.


    ¡°Cen?¡± Mul asked, the shock clear in his voice. ¡°Was that you?¡±


    Nar turned around, slowly.


    Cen stood in their midst, breathing hard and shaking, with her eyes open very wide.


    Her staff was held upright, aiming at where the boss had been.


    Nar¡¯s breath froze, as he stared at the shining light at the tip of her staff.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Tuk whispered.


    Nar swallowed hard. It could only be one thing.


    Magic.


    It was magic.


    ¡°Quick, cover her!¡± Kur shouted, pulling everyone back into the fight. ¡°Cover her! Now!¡±


    Nar pried his eyes off the light with difficulty, and found what had alarmed Kur so much.


    The guardians were charging in from all sides, heading straight for Cen.


    One of them bumped past him, as though he wasn¡¯t even there.


    Nar smashed down on it before it could go any further.


    She can do it, he thought. She can kill the boss! That¡¯s why they¡¯re trying to stop her!


    His feet were on the move before the thought was even finished. He had to protect her.


    ¡°Cen, what was that?¡± Tuk asked again.


    ¡°Later!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Cen, can you keep doing it?¡±


    Cen regarded her glowing staff for a split-second, then nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much stamina I have left, but I think I can do it a few more times.¡±


    ¡°It will have to do,¡± Kur said, holding back a guardian from penetrating the hasty circle they had formed around the caster.


    The boss roared again and the floor shook as it moved, repositioning itself on top of them.


    Once again, two of its limbs cast them in darkness.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming again!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°New plan! Cen, you¡­¡±


    The heat was suddenly gone, and the caged sense of danger transmitted by his [Instinct] vanished with it. In its place, he heard the rushing sounds of many, many things.


    ¡°The walls are down!¡± Jul said. ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡±


    ¡°Okay, same plan, but faster!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Cen, you are going to bring the boss down. The rest of us are going to protect you.¡±


    ¡°But-I, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m strong enough. Or even if I have enough stamina!¡± Cen cried.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any other way out of this!¡± Kur said. ¡°Our only hope is that this fight ends when the boss dies!¡±


    Hope, Nar repeated. Yes. That was all they had left now. All they ever had.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± Jul shouted again.


    If they were to survive, they needed a decision. And fast.


    ¡°Do it!¡± Mul said, holding Cen¡¯s hand. ¡°I know you can do it.¡±


    Tears shone in her eyes.


    ¡°Mul, I¡­ I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°After,¡± Mul said, offering her a smile. ¡°Right now, we need to survive this. And only you can do it! So do it!¡±


    With that said, Mul faced back out of the circle, ready for the enemy.


    Around them, the guardians had been whipped into a frenzy, and they smashed into the Climbers in a fury of blades and limbs.


    Nar¡¯s sword was a blur in his hands, but no matter how much he destroyed, there was never any clear space in front of him. And from beyond, he could hear the incoming tide yet to join the fray.


    At his side, Jul screamed, covering her face, and fell backwards into the middle of the circle.


    Nar widened his stance, quickly blocking the gap she had left behind.


    ¡°Nar!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Stay there!¡± he replied.


    There was nothing else she could do in the fight now, and he didn¡¯t want her to hurt herself.


    Now at his side, doing much better than him, Tuk¡¯s rings carved out vast swaths of destruction, opening clear lines amongst the enemy.


    ¡°Hold on!¡± he shouted, sweating profusely. ¡°I¡¯ll help you in a sec!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Nar said. ¡°Help the others!¡±


    Between his [Speed], [Agility] and [Reflex], he found that he could hold his ground. Barely, but he could. Surprisingly, those three attributes were proving much more important to him than his [Strength]. Or even his [Constitution]. It was somewhat of a startling realization, though now was not the time to ponder it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, man!¡± Tuk shouted back, grinning. ¡°I¡¯ve got enough for everyone!¡±


    Nar didn¡¯t doubt it. The rings drew wide, deadly arcs through the enemy. He felt like he should apologize to Tuk, for ever doubting their usefulness.


    ¡°Cen?¡± he heard Kur shout.


    ¡°I¡¯m charging up my skill!¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s stronger the more I put into it!¡±


    Nar risked a quick glance behind him.


    Cen held her staff, its tip aimed at the boss, which had already re-aligned its bulk above them.


    A hazy, blinding gray light was gathering at the tip of the staff, forming a shifting ball of light, and casting her face in swirling grays.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Crystal¡­ It really is magic! It¡¯s real! It¡¯s all real!


    ¡°Almost there!¡± she shouted.


    Nar focused back on the fight.


    His vision was filled with glistening blades and limbs, the guardians piled in a tangled mess, trying to get past him. However, that was not what he saw in his mind. It was the bright light of Cen¡¯s staff.


    Aether.


    Magic.


    He had begun to doubt if it was even real, or if the Crystal would actually grant it to them. But now, there it was. Perhaps he had been too hasty in his judgment of the Crystal.


    Crystal¡­ I¡­


    It was not time to be begging for forgiveness. He would do it later, if they survived. Things still looked bleak for them, and there was no guarantee that Cen had enough stamina to finish the boss.


    ¡°Here it comes!¡± she shouted.


    Then, he was lifted off his feet, and thrown against the guardians.


    A bright light shone behind Nar¡¯s eyelids, and his ears went momentarily deaf with a high-pitched tinnitus.


    Gasping, Nar scampered to his feet.


    The boss had been thrown to the right of the party, and its limbs were collapsing around it, shaking the floor under Nar.


    Behind him, and all around, guardians spasmed and thrashed on the floor, beating and stabbing each other in their madness.


    Nar stared at the boss again.


    In its fall, it had crushed a hundred guardians.


    Its legs were half sprawled around it, half still hanging on to whatever was above them. However, his eyes were drawn to the large gaping hole that had been blown in its side.


    Within, its insides were exposed, and from where he stood, Nar could see sporadic orange sparks, as well as rising smoke coming from the wound. The closest limb to the hole, thrashed furiously, smashing out of control onto immobilized guardians.


    As for the party, Cen was using her staff to prop herself up. Next to her, Jul was down, but moving. To his side, Mul was up, and pulled a stunned Viy back to her feet. And beyond Cen, Gad and Kur were on their knees with their backs to him, staring at the devastation wrought by Cen¡¯s magic.


    ¡°My rings¡­ I lost my rings.¡±


    The words reached Nar from far away, muffled, but Nar heard them.


    On his hands and knees, Tuk looked out over the expanse of broken and spasming guardians.


    ¡°Tuk!¡± Nar shouted, placing a hand on his back.


    ¡°I lost my rings!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find them,¡± Nar said, pulling him back up. ¡°But not now! They¡¯re still alive!¡±


    The floor shook under them again, and Nar watched in horror as the boss lifted itself back up.


    ¡°Crystal¡­ How¡¯s it still alive after that?¡± Tuk breathed, eyes wide as the smoking, sparking enemy monstrosity pushed itself up on unsteady limbs.


    If the boss was still in the fight, that meant the guardians would soon recover as well.


    ¡°Cen!¡±


    The lengos looked at Kur.


    ¡°Finish it! Quickly! Before it stands back up! Aim at that hole!¡±


    Cen squared her feet on the floor and aimed the staff at the boss once more.


    Nar held his breath.


    Did they have enough time for her to charge up her skill again?


    The distance between him and the boss was blocked by recovering guardians. Even with his [Quickening], he knew he would never make it. There were just too many of them blocking his path.


    And scanning their surroundings, he considered the temporarily disabled mass of hundreds of guardians about to come back to their senses.


    He couldn¡¯t reach the boss, and he couldn¡¯t protect her from those numbers either.


    He had to do something, though. He needed to buy her time. But what? And how?


    The darkness lit up.


    Yelling, Cen unleashed a barrage of bright projectiles at the boss.


    Nar stared in awe, his face lit up by her magic.


    ¡°Holy Crystal,¡± Tuk whispered. ¡°Holy Crystal¡­¡±


    The explosions were smaller than the charged skill, but they blanketed the boss by their sheer number.


    Some bounced off its shell, and exploded amongst the guardians. However, enough of them found their mark, destroying the boss from its exposed insides.


    As for the rest of the party, they could only stare, as Cen single handedly destroyed the boss that had caused them all so much trouble.


    So this is magic¡­ Nar thought.


    The boss gurgled in metallic agony, and lost all control of its limbs. The ones still holding onto the invisible ceiling above, came crashing down with thunderous roars.


    Orange flames roared from inside the machine, and suddenly, an explosion of green and orange blasted away the darkness. The shockwave flattened them and all the guardians around.


    From the floor, surrounded by now dead guardians, Nar stared at the towering flames roaring high above the battleground. The heat coming off of them burned his face, even from that distance.


    A window appeared before his shocked eyes.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    The Sentry?? (Boss) is down.


    Congratulations!


    You have survived.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Survived? If we had been anywhere near that thing we would have died!


    Was that why the boss had insisted on being on top of them? To take them down with it, in one final surprise, just on the off chance that they managed to destroy it?


    He couldn¡¯t believe that was the case. It had to be for the poison, right? Not for this!


    Cr¡­ This is messed up. This is¡­ I¡­


    He had no words for it.


    Even snatching victory by their fingernails, there had been one more contingency plan to take them all down.


    It was beyond ridiculous. It went beyond unfair. This wasn¡¯t just atonement. This was something else. Something that both terrified and angered Nar in equal measure.


    DING!


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have defeated The Sentry ?? (Boss).


    Enough experience points have been awarded to level up.


    You have leveled up!


    You have gained:


    Stamina 14 -> 15


    Aura 38 -> 42


    ??? 6 -> 8


    ??? 13 -> 14


    Instinct 10 -> 12


    Reflex 10 -> 11


    Hearing 6 -> 7


    Sight 5 -> 7


    Gains threshold exceeded!


    Attribute points will be applied during sleep!


    Congratulations!


    You have gained your first attribute modifier.


    [Aura] has become [Aura*]. From now on, each point gained in [Aura*] will yield an additional bonus point.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar¡¯s head spun as he dismissed the prompt.


    [Aura*].


    It had happened.


    It had actually happened.


    A tiny sigh escaped his lips. It was more of an exhalation, his chest barely moving.


    But it carried with it a Nexus of emotion, confusion, anger, betrayal and despair.


    Had there ever been a test of faith, or had he just told himself that in consolation? In hope, trying to find meaning to the revolting thing happening to him, and which he could neither explain nor do anything about.


    42 points.


    He clenched his fists.


    The Crystal had made no such promise after all. It had all been him. His weak, feeble, pathetic self, trying to make himself feel better. Trying to hope that at last, the Crystal would show him some damned love!


    What had he done to deserve being born a worker? What had he done to deserve being labeled an Unclean? What had he done to¡­


    ¡°Nar? Are you okay?¡±


    Nar composed his features and sat up.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m okay,¡± he said, his tone devoid of emotion.


    Tuk considered him for a few heartbeats, then nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you when you¡¯re tired, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. What do you need?¡± Nar asked.


    His voice was unrecognizable, even to himself.


    Tuk licked his cracked, bloodied lips and looked out at the devastation around them. After the Sentry¡¯s destruction, all the guardians had stopped moving.


    ¡°It¡¯s my rings. I lost them, and I can¡¯t find them in this dark.¡±


    Even with the light from the roaring orange flames, it was probably impossible for him, without [Sight], to find anything amongst the debris. Least of all, not tiny discs of metal.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± Nar said, looking around him.


    He doubted that even him, with his enhanced [Sight], would be able to find anything in that mess.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Tuk said, offering him a ghost of a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve unlocked [Sight] just there, but I think I need to sleep first, before I can use it.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Nar said, standing up. ¡°Not sure how much help mine will be in this, but we''ll find them.¡±


    Yes, they would. And Nar didn¡¯t care how long it would take. He needed to focus his energy, as little as it was, into something. Or else, he might just explode.


    Anger.


    Rage.


    Despair.


    Fear.


    Sadness.


    And something else, something darker and deeper within, reared its ugly head. Something that had been growing within him, ever since that fateful day, when he had been but a child of five, watching it all unfold before him¡­


    At his sides, his hands balled into fists, and trembled. They shook so hard, he was sure his whole body was shaking.


    He needed to distract himself with something. Anything.


    Tuk stood up, and considered the expanse of broken-down guardians before them. Luckily, he didn¡¯t seem to notice anything off with Nar.


    ¡°I hate looking at it,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Into it.¡±


    ¡°The darkness?¡± Nar asked, forcing his fingers to open, and to stop the shaking.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I always feel like there¡¯s something in it, staring back at me. That¡¯s why I always keep my eyes on what I can see. And probably why I only got 3 points in [Sight].¡±


    Three? That was less than Nar¡¯s initial five. However, he wasn¡¯t quite in the mood to be supportive. Tuk would soon gain more points anyways. He was a ranged fighter, [Sight] had to play a crucial component in his path.


    ¡°So, any idea where they might be?¡± Nar asked.


    Tuk grinned at him. ¡°I can do you one better. Follow me!¡±


    With his mind raging in all directions, from magic, to the Crystal, to his lost attribute modifier, to the fight they had just had, Nar followed Tuk into the broken mess of guardians.


    They walked in silence for a few steps, leaving the party behind.


    ¡°Here!¡± Tuk announced, drawing a small circle at his feet with a finger. ¡°Look somewhere here.¡±


    Nar frowned at his confidence, but he had no brain power to spare to ask him about it.


    He bent down, and carefully searched through the sharp, broken debris, focusing his [Sight]. To his surprise, he caught the glint of something round and differently colored amidst the mess, and lifted it to his eyes, staring at the small ring in disbelief.


    ¡°It worked!¡± Tuk celebrated. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve never actually tried it before.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Nar asked, passing him the ring.


    Tuk beckoned for Nar to follow him to the next one.


    He opened his hands and showed him four rings.


    ¡°The rings come with an ability. It lets me know where I¡¯ve dropped the rings that I¡¯m not holding. It¡¯s only a vague impression, but it¡¯s accurate enough. Here. There should be another one around here somewhere.¡±


    He drew a circle at his feet again, and Nar bent down to search.


    ¡°If it had been brighter, I could¡¯ve done it myself. But like this? I can barely see where I¡¯m walking. Thanks again, man.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Nar said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    The search helped him take his mind off things. To cool off, to let things settle, before he said, or decided anything that he could come to regret. Besides, Tuk¡¯s presence helped him stay in the outside world, away from his turbulent, raging thoughts.


    ¡°Found it!¡± Nar said, giving him the ring.


    ¡°Ooooh, man! You¡¯re the best!¡±


    Nar shook his head. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go get the next one.¡±


    Following Tuk, listening to him prattle on about how awesome their fight had been, and just how amazing everyone had been, Nar himself receiving no small share of compliments for his own part, helped him detach himself from his thoughts. It put some distance between him, and what was threatening to spill over within his mind.


    He never told the ring tosser, but he was happy for his company, and that he had lost his rings in the violence of Cen¡¯s magic. It gave him some time apart from the others, and something to do with himself. It helped him get back under control.


    Nar felt something under his fingers and grabbed it.


    ¡°Think this is the last one,¡± he said, showing it to Tuk.


    The trugger squinted at his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hard to¡­ Oh! That¡¯s it! Thank you!¡±


    He reached it and took the ring.


    ¡°You¡¯re the best, man! Thank you! Seriously, thank you so much,¡± Tuk said, looking adoringly at the rings in his hands.


    Nar smiled as Tuk counted his full set of rings. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Come on, let¡¯s get back to the others. I don¡¯t want anything to surprise us out here.¡±


    Tuk frowned and considered the darkness that surrounded them.


    ¡°We just fought that thing.¡±


    Nar shrugged. ¡°Who knows. Anything can happen.¡±


    But the trugger shook his head. ¡°I doubt it. It would be too cruel.¡±


    Would it? Nar thought, looking at the furious flames in the distance, consuming the Sentry¡¯s body.


    If their atonement had warranted all that, anything was possible.

 Chapter 35 - A Secret Revealed

    When they made it back to the others, it quickly became apparent that all was not well.


    Kur, Gad and Viy stood to one side. Opposite, Cen had her back turned to them.


    Mul had a blank expression on his face, and he was sitting a few feet away from his sister.


    In the middle of the party, wringing her hands and shifting her eyes from one side to the other, stood Jul, looking scared.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Nar asked.


    Jul looked up at them, and dashed to hide behind him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tuk asked her, frowning.


    ¡°What do you think is wrong?¡± Viy threw at them, her words heavy with sarcasm.


    Tuk took a step back in surprise.


    ¡°Woah¡­ What¡¯s happening here?¡±


    ¡°Ask her,¡± Viy said.


    Nar stared at the spear woman in confusion. What in the pile was wrong now?


    Kur passed a hand over his face. ¡°She has magic, guys. And she didn¡¯t tell anyone. The last time we leveled up was at the end of the Tutorial. So she either didn¡¯t tell us then, or she¡¯s had it since Crystal knows how long. Whatever the case, she kept it from us.¡±


    The weight of his words hit Nar with more violence than those Sentry¡¯s giant limbs ever could have.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kur said, reading his expression accurately. ¡°She¡¯s had all that power all along. It could¡¯ve made things so much easier for all of us. And so much safer, too.¡±


    Nar stared at Cen in confusion. Why hadn¡¯t she said anything? It made no sense to hide it!


    Gad heaved a sigh.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us, Cen?¡± she asked, her voice low, but carrying no accusation. ¡°You are so strong. A real caster. Why use those little puffs of air, when you could have easily destroyed anything in our path?¡±


    Cen¡¯s shoulders shook, and she said something that Nar didn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t hear what you said,¡± Gad said gently.


    Cen spun around.


    ¡°I said, IT¡¯S NOT MAGIC!¡±


    Silence descended upon the party, only the Sentry¡¯s flames crackling in the distance.


    What¡­ Did she say?


    If that light and explosions hadn¡¯t been magic, then what in the pile were they?


    Nar found himself almost shouting the question at Cen. What else was that if not fire magic!


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°I saw it. It was bright and-and the explosions¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not magic.¡±


    Tears fell down her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s [Aura].¡±


    Nar covered his face.


    He didn¡¯t care what the others thought.


    Right now¡­ Right now, he had to cover his face.


    He didn¡¯t trust what sort of expression he was making.


    [Aura]? [Aura]?


    It had not been magic that had saved them, but [Aura]?


    That dirty, disgusting, torturous punishment was what had saved them?


    ¡°No, it can¡¯t be true,¡± Kur whispered.


    She threw him a mockery of a smile and shrugged.


    ¡°I wish I was lying. But I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be,¡± Tuk said. ¡°No. No!¡±


    Cen¡¯s expression twisted and she lifted her staff. A ball of gray light erupted from it, and shot into the darkness.


    The caster had aimed high, and Nar followed its trajectory with his eyes.


    The projectile of light curved at its zenith, and angled back down. A few seconds later, it impacted in the distance, exploding, and revealing just how massive the number of guardians surrounding them had been.


    It also showed everyone just how tremendous a range the skill had.


    ¡°It¡¯s a skill,¡± she said, to the stunned party. ¡°It¡¯s called [Aura Projectile], and it¡¯s at level 2. I¡¯ll even tell you the description if you don¡¯t believe me!¡±


    ¡°Our UIs are gone,¡± Viy said, in a hushed tone.


    Cen threw her a look of contempt.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read it more times than I can count. I¡¯ve memorized it. Here, listen. It says¡­¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Aura Projectile 2 - channel aura through your staff and then release a projectile of aura that causes 2 * n on impact, where n is your [Aura]. On impact, the projectile will also cause 0.75 * n damage to anything within a 5-foot radius, where n is your [Aura].


    Can be charged to further increase impact and explosion damage modifiers by 0.25 per second of charging, up to a total of a 30 second charging time. Explosion damage radius will also be increased.


    Completely charging the projectile adds a flat plus 2 to the modifier.


    Cost, 2 stamina.


    Charged version costs an additional 2 points of stamina per additional charged second.


    Successive projectiles deal 0.25 less damage per cast. A 3 second break, or charging the skill, resets the damage.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    She finished reciting and stared at them, daring anyone to doubt her.


    It was shocking. Both in that it truly wasn¡¯t magic, and in the crazy damage that those numbers implied.


    Nar¡¯s own [Heavy Attack 2] paled in comparison. It was laughable to even put them side by side.


    ¡°But¡­ Even so¡±, Viy said, finding her voice. ¡°The numbers in that skill¡­¡±


    Her voice trailed, as comprehension hit her. Nar understood it too, and he was sure everyone else had as well.


    ¡°You are what you do,¡± he whispered.


    Cen, stared at him, tears flowing down her face again.


    ¡°You see? That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t use it,¡± she said. She sounded so broken it made his heart clench. ¡°If you take damage, you gain [Constitution]. If you deal damage, you gain [Strength] or whatever it is. But if you use [Aura]...¡±


    ¡°You gain [Aura],¡± Tuk breathed. ¡°But [Aura] is our punishment¡­¡±


    Damn¡­ That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s so wrong, Nar though. It¡¯s all so wrong!


    That skill was repulsive. He would¡¯ve never used it, unless he had no other choice. Just like Cen had done.


    ¡°How long have you had it?¡± Mul suddenly asked.


    Cen sobbed and looked at her feet.


    ¡°How long, Cen?¡±


    She heaved a shaky breath. ¡°From the beginning¡­¡±


    ¡°So, when I asked you back then¡­¡± Kur said.


    Cen nodded.


    Mul stared at his sister in disbelief.


    ¡°And you thought that magic was more important than our lives?¡± he asked, his tone dangerously low.


    His face had turned a deeper shade of gray. It was so dark it was almost black, and a large, angry vein had become prominent at the side of his foreheadIf you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Gad and Kur almost died in that room,¡± he whispered. ¡°Nar almost died stopping that second guardian. Viy almost died and I almost died with her! Me, your brother!¡±


    Cen sobbed into her hands.


    Gad approached Mul.


    ¡°No!¡± he shouted at her. ¡°There is no excuse for this!¡±


    Gad nodded.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t right, but¡­¡±


    Cen whipped her head at Gad''s words, her face contorted in anger.


    ¡°And what do you know?¡± she spat. ¡°You¡¯re a trolley pusher! You¡¯re not an operator! You didn¡¯t have to use aura every single day of your life! You don¡¯t know how it feels to use it! How can you stand there, with your perfect attributes and skills, and judge me? Do you know what it feels like? Do you know how painful those projectiles were?¡±


    She licked her mouth and spat on her hand.


    ¡°Come! Come and see what that did to me!¡± she said, raising her hand.


    Nar closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t have to look, to know that there would be blood on her hand.


    He could still see them clearly. The fresh, wet patches on his clothes, after every double shift. The smooth, hot, feel of the aura receiver as he grasped it. He would push and push aura into it, never even allowing himself a break to get some relief for his numb fingers. The Unclean had a separate quota. One that was much more demanding, and there was no time for breaks for them. Any slight excuse, and the Clean would withhold their food from them.


    A sharp intake of air brought him back to the present.


    He saw something he thought he would never see.


    Gad was angry.


    ¡°We are talking about life, and you¡¯re talking about pain?¡± Gad rumbled. ¡°Are you serious? What do you think a tank is? You have no idea of the pain I endure to keep you safe!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about pain!¡± Cen snapped. ¡°I suffered in that machine for nine years! Nine years! Every day, for longer than all the others! You¡¯ve been tanking for less than three months! You think I¡¯m scared of a little pain now?¡±


    An unmistakable tang spread over Nar¡¯s mouth.


    He had to push against the memory of it, remind himself that the machine had stayed behind, in the cubeplant. That he would never have to touch that receptor again. But he could still taste the blood. Every day, there had been blood. Everyday.


    So yes, he understood Cen. He understood her very well.


    ¡°Then why?¡± Gad whispered.


    Cen deflated.


    ¡°For the future, why else?¡± she said. ¡°This Climb will end, and our whole lives will be out there¡­ I can¡¯t bring this pain with me. This disgusting thing has to stay down here! I need magic! I need a future to look forward to!¡±


    She looked at her brother, and he stared back. It was impossible to tell what was going through his mind at that stage.


    ¡°I risked your life, Mul, but I risked mine too. What point is there in reaching the top if we are too weak? If we can¡¯t do anything? Without fire and ice and lightning, how can we survive up there?¡± she pleaded with him. ¡°We don¡¯t even know what¡¯s up there, for Crystal¡¯s sake! But I want to be strong for it! And I can be strong for us! We can both learn magic. We¡¯re smart, we¡¯re hardworking! We¡¯ll be powerful! We¡¯ll be the best and we¡¯ll have everything we want! Do whatever we want! We¡¯ll finally be free to make our own choices! But without it¡­ We¡¯ll be nothing.¡±


    Nar mouthed her words.


    We¡¯ll be nothing.


    The workers had forgotten much. Nar was sure he was only touching the tip of what he didn¡¯t know about the Infinite Nexus above their heads. However, there was one thing that they had never forgotten.


    The Nexus was a place of aether, and magic. It is the blessing of the Crystal for all Its children. Without it, one cannot live outside. It is impossible. Not that it was needed for classes. Not that it was crucial for paths. But that it was impossible to even live without it.


    Because of the Original Sin, the workers had been stripped of it, forced to use aura instead to power their machines. It was the heaviest punishment that the Crystal could have imposed upon them.


    ¡°But, couldn¡¯t you just use [Aura] now, and get [Aether] later?¡± Mul asked, in a very small voice.


    ¡°No!¡± Cen nearly shrieked. ¡°I will lose the first attribute modifier to [Aura] if I keep using it. I¡¯m already at 27 points, and I haven¡¯t used it once! The damn thing just keeps growing on its own!¡±


    What? Nar thought, stunned. It was happening to her too? But¡­ But she wasn¡¯t an Unclean!


    ¡°Imagine what would happen if I started to actually use it?¡± Cen continued. ¡°And aura is our punishment, what if it affects my chances of getting aether? The two of them are supposed to be opposites! One is a blessing, the other is a curse!¡±


    ¡°Are you close to any of the others?¡± Mul asked. ¡°Attributes, I mean.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ What? No. Only [Aura].¡±


    ¡°Then couldn¡¯t you just let this one go? The second modifier is not bad!¡±


    ¡°Are you even listening to me?¡± she screamed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have [Aura] inside me anymore!¡±


    ¡°I am listening!¡± Mul shouted back. ¡°I am listening to you saying how magic is more important than my own life! If it was me, I would¡¯ve used it from the start, and fuck aether, fuck magic and fuck the Crystal! I would¡¯ve gotten you up there, and then figured things out!¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Tuk whispered, next to Nar. ¡°Forgive him, he doesn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    Oh yes he does, Nar thought.


    ¡°You can¡¯t survive up there without it!¡± Cen shouted, desperately.


    ¡°How the fuck do we even know that?¡± Mul asked. ¡°We don¡¯t know anything about the O-Nex! We didn¡¯t even know what time was, for fucks sake! We¡¯ve been down here for so long we didn¡¯t even know what a fucking pillow was! How have you not realized it yet? Everything we thought we knew is shit! It''s useless! We don¡¯t know squat!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that!¡± Cen said. ¡°We still know some things that are¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you do it for you, or did you do it for us? Just answer me that!¡± Mul cut her.


    Cen¡¯s voice died, and she took a step back.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of this,¡± Mul said. ¡°Just tell me. Did you do it for us, or for you?¡±


    Nar sighed and rubbed his forehead.


    What a fucking mess¡­


    Mul was right. How could he trust anything that the workers had ¡°known¡±? How could he even tell if magic was even real? All they had were the icons, and those damned drawings could mean anything. Fuck! Some priest down the line could have just interpreted it that way, trusting divine inspiration! Or mercy, or some other pileshit. And the lie had then been perpetuated down the line of his successors for Crystal knew how long!


    Nar shook his head.


    Was he seriously doubting the existence of magic now?


    Come to think of it, while the priest had mentioned magic, the System had never once mentioned the word.


    Crystal¡­ Was that all a lie?


    It couldn¡¯t be. He refused to believe it.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Mul said, simply, when Cen couldn¡¯t¡¯ reply. When she couldn¡¯t lie to his face.


    ¡°Wait, no! It¡¯s not¡­¡±


    Bright yellow light suddenly flared in the middle of the party, silencing whatever she had been about to say.


    ¡°What now?¡± Tuk asked.


    The floor shook underneath them, and the light turned into a beam that shot up into the infinite darkness above them.


    Jul gasped. ¡°Quick, get close to it!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Quick, or you¡¯ll be left behind!¡±


    The party stared at her as she ran towards the beam.


    When she got there, she looked around and realized that nobody had moved.


    ¡°Hurry! Do you want to die?¡± she shouted.


    That, finally, got a reaction out of them. Also, the beam had started to flash ominously on and off.


    Nar ran towards her, and next to him, Tuk did the same.


    As they all got together, the light vanished, and the floor moved under them.


    Nar would¡¯ve sworn that it was rising.


    ¡°Hold on to each other!¡± Kur shouted.


    Nar reached out and grabbed Tuk by the arm.


    ¡°Is that you, Nar?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± he said. ¡°Jul? Jul?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±


    Desperate hands felt for him, and she latched onto his arm.


    ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°We''re all here!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Us too!¡± Mul replied.


    ¡°Jul, any idea what¡¯s¡­¡±


    A window appeared, interrupting the party leader.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Warning!


    Anomaly¡­


    Emergency ¡­ been issued.


    ¡­ location and stats ¡­ acceptable...


    Quest, Follow the arrows, ¡­


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The window buzzed with static, flicking on and off.


    He had barely finished reading, and the words had already changed.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Follow the¡­


    Uncommon


    <u>Reward</u>: ???


    Follow ¡­ arrows.


    You ¡­ decline ¡­ quest.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    This second strange window also disappeared and the floor underneath them began to shake harder.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Viy shouted.


    ¡°And what in the pile is a quest?¡± Tuk asked.


    However, as soon as his words left his mouth, the knowledge filtered into Nar¡¯s brain.


    At its basic, a quest is an objective, or series of objectives, that you must complete. Usually, carried out at the behest of the System, their completion involves rewards. Failing a quest may also imply undesirable consequences.


    ¡°What in the pile?¡± Nar muttered. What did that even mean?


    Suddenly, Nar¡¯s stomach lurched, and he felt his weight increase, pushing down to the floor.


    ¡°We¡¯re going up!¡± Gad said. ¡°Hold on!¡±


    The weight pinning him down increased and soon the high-pitched sound of air rushing by, at an enormous speed, deafened him.


    The three of them huddled together in that dark ascent.


    The force exerted upon him made Nar¡¯s already exhausted body shake and tremble, but he stayed upright, supporting the other two with his [Strength].


    His UI flickered to life behind his closed eyes, flashing on and off. Without his say so, his stats tab opened.


    Without anything better to do, but hold and wait for it to be over, he read it.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    NAR293457741235645XAV


    Basic 7


    Health Points: 74/160


    Stamina: 23/150


    Attributes


    ¡ñ Strength: 13


    ¡ñ Constitution: 16


    ¡ñ Stamina: 15


    ¡ñ Agility: 9


    ¡ñ Speed: 9


    ¡ñ Aura*: 42


    ¡ñ ???: 8


    ¡ñ ???: 14


    ¡ñ Might: 4


    ¡ñ Endurance: 6


    ¡ñ Instinct: 12


    ¡ñ Reflex: 11


    ¡ñ Hearing: 7


    ¡ñ Sight: 7


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Damn¡­ I was almost out of stamina, he realized.


    He had made gains in all of his sense attributes and [Reflex], but had made little progress elsewhere. And the modifier symbol by his [Aura] was like a fist closing around his heart.


    In the end, he had lost it. His first, and most important modifier.


    And as he stared at it, something even more appalling occurred to him.


    Cen had used [Aura] to fight.


    It was such an insane realization that he struggled to understand the implications of what that meant.


    Cen used [Aura] to fight¡­


    Aura could be used for more than just powering the machines.


    That meant aura could be used even now, outside of the factory¡­


    He also had aura. Or [Aura], whatever it now was.


    In fact, he had a whole lot more than even Cen did.


    What if¡­ What if he would one day also be forced to use his?


    What if he gained a skill that used [Aura]?


    Like Cen had said, aura and aether were opposites. One a blessing from the Crystal to his children, the other a curse used for punishing sinners. If he ended up using it, what would happen to him, and to his chances of unlocking [Aether]?


    He already had so much [Aura]¡­ Would it affect his chances of gaining magic, like Cen had said?


    Was the Crystal punishing him with it, and the more he gained, the lesser his chance of unlocking [Aether]?


    He didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t know. The workers knew nothing! He knew nothing!


    Nothing makes sense anymore. Nothing makes sense at all! Nar thought.


    Another window popped up, behind his closed eyes. It still flickered a little, static distorting the letters here and there, but it looked more stable this time.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Warning!


    Quest participant¡¯s HP/Stamina points are too low.


    Checking protocols¡­


    Complete.


    Requesting permission¡­


    Complete.


    Initiating emergency recovery!


    Initiating forced application of gains!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Something seized Nar by his feet, and before he could so much as utter a sound, it had climbed up his legs, torso, arms, neck and head.


    He managed a half gasp half groan, before his body spasmed out of control.


    Heat flooded him, quickly increasing past the point of being unbearable.


    It grew and grew in intensity, until it looked like it was going to reduce him to nothing but smoldering ashes. Then, with a loud bang that left his ears ringing, Nar was gone.

 Chapter 36 - Sudden Quest

    Nar came to slowly, air still roaring past him.


    He had fallen to the floor, and had lost the others.


    ¡°Jul?¡± he croaked, tasting blood.


    ¡°H-Here¡­¡±


    ¡°Tuk?¡±


    ¡°Also¡­ Here.¡±


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Quest participant¡¯s HP/Stamina points restored.


    Quest participant¡¯s pending gains have been applied.


    Quest, Follow the arrows, will proceed.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Crystal,¡± Tuk muttered. ¡°My eyes¡­¡±


    His [Sight] must have been unblocked. Nar still remembered his own [Sight] unlocking. It had felt like someone had repeatedly stabbed his eyes, over and over again.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked the trugger.


    ¡°I¡­ Yes. I think so.¡±


    Whatever they were on top off, started to slow down, and Nar was able to get up to one knee.


    ¡°Is everyone still here?¡± Kur¡¯s voice asked, from somewhere to their left. ¡°Everyone reply!¡±


    ¡°Here!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Here,¡± Jul said.


    Nar, Mul, Gad and Viy, all replied back. But a voice was missing.


    ¡°Cen? Cen!¡± Mul shouted.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Fucking¡­ Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Is anybody hurt?¡± Kur asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like it, and we just got that emergency whatever, but asking just in case.¡±


    There was a chorus of negatives, with Cen¡¯s trailing last.


    ¡°What now?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°I mean, I guess we need to wait until we stop,¡± Kur said. ¡°Jul, anything?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, sorry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s just wait for now then.¡±


    Their ascent continued to slow, until finally, with a heavy clunk, they stopped.


    Around them, there was nothing but absolute pitch darkness, and silence lay heavy over the party.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this great,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°Shhh¡­ Please?¡± Jul whimpered.


    Tuk shifted next to Nar. ¡°It says to follow the arrows, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Just wait,¡± Kur said.


    A long stretch of silence passed by.


    ¡°For how long?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just wait. And be quiet.¡±


    However, the silence just went on, and nothing happened.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Eventually, Kur sighed.


    ¡°Fine. Jul, Nar? Do you guys sense anything?¡±


    Nar shook his head. Then realized that the party leader couldn¡¯t see him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything. It¡¯s too dark,¡± he said.


    ¡°I-I think I see something,¡± Jul said. ¡°Walls, maybe. Like a corridor.¡±


    Tuk breathed in relief. ¡°At least we¡¯re not out in the open anymore.¡±


    ¡°Are there any holes at our feet?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Not that I can see. But I can¡¯t really see much.¡±


    The sound of someone hyperventilating reached Nar¡¯s ears.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s Viy,¡± Gad said. ¡°Viy, calm down. It will be okay.¡±


    ¡°I-I can see¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, none of us can. It will be alright.¡±


    ¡°No! I can see. I can see them!¡±


    A shiver ran down Nar''s spine.


    ¡°What the fuck is she on about?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°Shhh,¡± Kur said, silencing the brawler. ¡°Viy, everything will be alright, okay?¡±


    The spear woman didn¡¯t reply, but her panicked gasping didn¡¯t slow down either.


    ¡°I think I see something!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°I think there¡¯s light¡­¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°In the direction behind Kur. I can barely see it, but I think it''s there.¡±


    Nar still didn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡°It must be really far then,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Do we go?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably better than staying here. Nothing has happened so far. No arrows, no nothing,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°I think we should go,¡± Jul told them.


    Mul groaned. ¡°I hate when you say that. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m being mean! It¡¯s just that it usually means bad things.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ It-It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean it¡¯s a bad thing?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Only that we should go,¡± Jul said.


    Kur drew out a long exhale. ¡°That¡¯s enough reason for me. I doubted your senses down there, and look what happened. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll apologize properly once we''re somewhere safer.¡±


    ¡°It-It¡¯s alright!¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Anyways, for now, let¡¯s just go. What''s the floor looking like?¡±


    ¡°For now, it¡¯s clear. I¡¯ll guide you.¡±


    Following her instructions, the party slowly moved in the direction of the light she saw.


    It was a long while before Nar managed to just about notice a difference in the darkness. And a while later, he was sure that he could see it too.


    ¡°I see it,¡± he whispered to the others.


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s keep going,¡± Kur said, in the same tone.


    They continued for another while, along that long corridor.


    Little by little, Nar started to discern the walls around them. They were in a nondescript 10 by 10-feet corridor, like many they had walked through before.


    However, as they approached the light, he started to get the feeling that something was different.


    Jul suddenly cried out, muffling it with her hands


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I heard it¡­¡± she breathed, her voice quivering.


    ¡°Heard what?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Them. They¡¯re real¡­¡±


    Nar¡¯s breath caught on his throat.


    No¡­ It can¡¯t be!


    ¡°We need to run,¡± she said, crying now. ¡°We need to hurry!¡±


    ¡°Is it bad now?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°Yes! We need to run!¡±


    They burst into a jog, speeding down the corridor towards the light.


    The closer they got, the surer Nar became, until he was certain.


    ¡°That light is not yellow. It¡¯s purple.¡±


    ¡°What? What does that mean?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out once we get there. In formation!¡±


    Nar¡¯s sword was on his hand with barely a thought.


    The light grew and grew, and suddenly, they burst out of the darkness, and the party came to a halt.


    ¡°Well, we found the arrows¡­¡± Tuk whispered.


    The corridor they were in was another 10 by 10-feet square. However, almost every inch of it was covered in arrows.


    Purple arrows.


    They all pointed towards the right, somewhat. They were thrown together in a haphazard way, their angles shifting up and down, none of them actually pointing straight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Gad said. ¡°I don¡¯t know why. But I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°No. Me neither,¡± Kur said.


    Their faces glowed eerily under that purple light, as they looked around them.


    Jul cried again, and covered her antennae.


    This time, Nar caught a bit of it too.


    ¡°I heard something,¡± he said, pushing his [Hearing] to the limits.


    ¡°What was it?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ It was very far.¡±


    ¡°Should we follow the arrows?¡± Gad asked.


    Kur shook his head, shrugging. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. Something about this doesn¡¯t feel right. What happened to our yellow path?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think we¡¯ve gone off the path, do you?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Mul muttered.


    There was a sudden moan and they all jumped.


    ¡°Viy?¡±


    Viy was by the wall. She moved her hands over the arrows, as if to caress them, making that strange moaning and croaking sound.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gad asked, approaching her.


    ¡°I see them¡­¡± Viy whispered. ¡°I see them!¡±


    She banged her head against the wall, screaming.


    ¡°I see them! I see them! I see them! I see¡­¡±


    Cen screamed too, but Gad had already pulled Viy back from the wall.


    Kur crossed the distance in two long steps, and tried to help Gad with Viy.


    ¡°Viy, calm down!¡± he shouted. ¡°Everything''s okay!¡±


    ¡°I see them! I see them!¡±


    Nar stared in horror at Viy¡¯s mad expression, as she struggled against their hold.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Mul whispered.


    Then, just as suddenly as it had started, she stopped, and dropped in Gad¡¯s arms, breathing hard. A bruise was already forming on her forehead.


    ¡°Viy?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t let them catch me. Tell them I didn¡¯t know¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Then she passed out.


    ¡°Almighty Crystal above!¡± Tuk whispered. ¡°What in the pile was that?¡±


    Sound reached Nar¡¯s ears again. But this time, they all heard it.


    ¡°Crystal have mercy!¡± Cen murmured.


    The echoing sound was loud and clear this time. And closer.


    There was no mistaking it for anything else.


    ¡°We need to go,¡± Nar said, grabbing one of Jul¡¯s hands before she could curl into a ball. ¡°We need to go now, before it¡¯s too late!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes!¡± Kur said. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°After the arrows! Where else?¡±


    Gad scooped Viy into her arms and ran without a word. The rest of the party followed after her, running after the strange mismatched purple arrows.


    Jul cried behind him, tugging at his hand to break free, but Nar didn¡¯t let go.


    Unbidden, the stories he used to hear as a child came to him now.


    Beware, beware, the laughter in the dark¡­


    Behind them, the corridor echoed, full with the sound of laughter.

 Chapter 37 - The Fallen

    The purple lit corridor faded in and out of focus.


    Nar held Jul¡¯s hand in an unyielding grip, and dragged the crying scout behind him.


    His lungs screamed for him to stop and his heart beat painfully, barely hanging on. But his brain commanded him to run, and the noises now coming from every dark mouth they ran past only made him run faster.


    On either side of the fleeing party, purple paths converged into theirs, though they never spared them more than a glancing look.


    Stairs and bends, corridors and walkways flashed by, seemingly never ending.


    At some point, Kur picked up Cen, startling a cry out of her.


    ¡°Save your stamina!¡± he told her in between breaths. ¡°We¡¯ll need it!¡±


    The caster didn¡¯t utter a word.


    A few minutes later, Nar picked up on the sound of people running towards them.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s coming!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Gad!¡± Kur said.


    The big tank flung Viy¡¯s limp body over her right shoulder, and equipped her shield.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there? Are you Climbers?¡± a voice shouted.


    The unexpected questions brought them to a crashing halt, and they formed up behind Gad, panting, but ready to face the people that had emerged in front of them from a side corridor.


    There were seven of them, looking just as out of breath as they were.


    ¡°We¡¯re Climbers!¡± Kur replied. ¡°And you?¡±


    ¡°Thank the Crystal!¡± one of them said, a human who also carried a scepter and a buckler. ¡°Us too! We just want to pass through. We don¡¯t want any trouble!¡±


    Trouble? Nar thought. What¡¯s he talking about?


    ¡°We just want to get through as well,¡± Kur said, Cen looking on from his shoulders.


    ¡°Then you stay there, and we¡¯ll go through you first!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kur asked, taken aback. ¡°But you¡¯re going the wrong way!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not dying for anyone!¡± another voice said. ¡°Just let us through!¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? They¡¯ll find you!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°You do what you want! We¡¯re not going!¡± the other party leader said.


    And with that, the other party of Climbers marched towards them.


    Nar, surprised by their animosity, lowered into stance.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Kur said. ¡°Let them through!¡±


    When the first of the Climbers reached Gad, she moved slowly to the side, her eyes never leaving them. The rest of the party hesitantly did the same, letting the other Climbers go through their midst.


    Nar watched them pass through with narrowed eyes.


    There were three altei, two morsvar and two humans.


    The altei carried a mix of weaponry. One, a thick two-handed sword, the other, a spear like Viy, and the last, a pair of axes. The two morsvar carried identical massive looking hammers. And of the humans, one had a staff like Cen¡¯s, and the last one was their party leader.


    Nar¡¯s sword was lowered at his side, but ready to lash at the first sign of¡­


    Of what? He asked himself, startled by the thought.


    He didn¡¯t know. But there had been something in that party leader¡¯s tone of voice that he hadn¡¯t liked.


    The parties separated once more, and the other Climbers picked up speed again. They soon disappeared around a bend.


    ¡°Idiots,¡± Mul said, shaking his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s their choice,¡± Kur said. ¡°Come on, we need to keep going!¡±


    They continued running after the arrows.


    Nar had an idea of what awaited them. Or at least he thought he did, if the stories really were true.


    Mul¡¯s words had cast doubt over everything he thought he knew, and it was hard to know what was, and wasn¡¯t, real at that point. However, it was hard not to expect the worst.


    As they drew nearer to their destination, the sounds coming off from the surrounding corridors intensified and changed. Mixed in with the shouts and the laughter, they now heard blood curdling screaming. Lots and lots of screaming.


    ¡°Remember,¡± Kur said. ¡°It''s you or them! Don¡¯t hesitate! And don¡¯t stop to help anyone either!¡±


    Nar swallowed hard.


    Behind him, Jul had stopped crying and trying to get free of his hold. She now held onto his hand with a grip that hurt, and he squeezed back just as hard.


    ¡°Up-up ahead! They¡¯re there!¡± Jul shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop for anything!¡± Kur said again.


    Then, their corridor merged into another, much bigger one.


    ¡°My Crystal!¡± Tuk shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± Kur yelled.


    In the purple light, downed Climbers begged for their lives.


    Alteis, humans, morsvar, truggers, lengos and many other races that Nar had never seen before, filled the corridor. And they were attacking the Climbers.


    ¡°Please, no!¡± a morsvar shouted, as a trio of attackers fell on him. ¡°Ple¡­¡±


    His scream was cut short as one of the enemies bit into his throat, a gush of blood erupting onto her face.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Mul shouted.


    ¡°Just keeping going!¡± ¡°Kur said.


    Gad suddenly stored her shield, and brought out her mace instead. In front of them, the path was blocked by a human. He looked dementedly at them, his eyes glowing in the purple light.


    ¡°Gad!¡± Kur shouted.


    Their tank did not hesitate.


    Her mace went up and then came down, and blood splattered her and Viy. She pushed the human out of her way with nary a glance, and moved on to the next bloodied enemy.


    Jul screamed at the sight of the man''s caved in face, and fought against Nar¡¯s pull, but he was stronger, and dragged her past the corpse, and into the unfolding nightmare.


    Sentients were bowed over each other, and wet sounds and screaming filled the air.


    ¡°Please! Please!¡± a trugger begged at a pair of humans that stood over him, crude looking yellow daggers shining in their hands. ¡°Pleaseeeee!¡±


    They dropped onto him, going for his neck and stomach.


    ¡°Keep going!¡± Kur shouted.


    Nar clenched his jaw at the trugger¡¯s screams, and dragged Jul past them.


    At their sides, corridors opened into the bigger one they now ran through, and more and more panicked Climbers joined them.


    Soon, Nar and Jul were lost in a swelling of hot, stinking and screaming Climbers.


    The Climbers pressed onto the middle of the corridor, and from the sides, hands, teeth and crude weapons lashed into the crowd of Climbers, dragging out victims.


    Nar pulled Jul closer to him, draping an arm over her shoulders to make sure they didn¡¯t get separated. And steadily, the mob carried them forward, towards the end of the corridor.


    And finally, they arrived at their destination.


    ¡°Crystal¡­ What is this?¡± he whispered.


    The massive room they now found themselves in was brightly lit by a mad purple that shone from arrows covering nearly every inch of the circular room before them.


    The floor was sticky under him.


    The Climbers, with their proper weapons and party formations, slaughtered the other sentients. But they were far too outnumbered, and they were dropping by the second, pulled down into the disgusting mess of bodies, blood and remains that littered the floor. And once downed, they rarely stood back up.


    At the far end of the massive room, as he had expected to find, a pair of enormous doors stood open.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The Doors!


    A window popped up in front of him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Quest, Follow the arrows, has been completed.


    Quest, The Defense of B0271-10456673, has begun.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    My Crystal! It¡¯s really happening! It¡¯s all true!


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    The Defense of B0271-10456673


    Uncommon


    <u>Reward</u>: ???


    Cubeplant B0271-10456673 has failed their quota.


    The Doors have been opened and cannibals are swarming the cubeplant.


    Aid the workers in protecting their home.


    You cannot decline this quest.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar was floored.


    The stories were real.


    All the scare mongering had been real!


    Nar had feared, but he had never fully believed that the dark corridors of the B-Nex were actually filled with cannibals¡­ Now, there was no denying the horror that unfolded before his eyes.


    ¡°Nar! Nar!¡±


    He closed the window and searched for the source of the call.


    ¡°Nar!¡±


    Was that Tuk? Kur? It was impossible to tell in the chaos.


    ¡°Nar¡­¡± Jul cried, hiding her face behind her hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! We¡¯ll be okay!¡±


    Nar abandoned his search for the party. It could¡¯ve been anyone, calling for any other Nar.


    Their only option was to get to the Doors. The longer they stayed where they were, the longer they risked getting killed.


    Hands reached out for him, scratching his neck as they sought to grip him by the collar of his shirt.


    Nar yelled in fright, and his sword lashed out without mercy.


    An arm flew, and blood sprayed his shocked face.


    The human screamed, clutching his wound and Nar stared at the gushing blood, his eyes wide and his breath out of control.


    What had he just done?


    ¡°Nar!¡± Jul cried again.


    He forced himself to pull his eyes from the screaming man, and dragged Jul towards the door.


    More and more cannibals blocked their path, and Nar was forced to cut and slash his way.


    It¡¯s alright! It¡¯s alright! You have no choice! He told himself.


    The blade cut and stabbed, maiming and killing with impunity. Climbers and cannibals jostled them, more than once threatening to send them tumbling down into the mess under their feet.


    Suddenly, Jul screamed and was pulled from his grasp.


    A cannibal had her hair in a fist, and he laughed at the screaming scout. The sight made something snap inside of Nar.


    He pushed the sword into the man¡¯s neck, past Jul¡¯s shoulder, and back out, spraying the scout with blood. The cannibal let go of her, gurgling feebly, and tumbled to his knees.


    Nar grabbed Jul into a vice-like hold and pushed her forward, towards the Doors.


    After that he saw many more atrocities being done. And from there onwards, he felt no more remorse.


    His sword¡¯s grip grew slick with blood, and the whole thing turned a dark brownish color, a mix of the many different kinds of blood that it drank from.


    His [Instinct] screamed again and again, as the screaming, howling cannibals tried to get a hold of him. Nar downed them one after the other, his expression growing darker and darker with every one of them he slaughtered.


    ¡°Nar! Nar!¡±


    Nar heard his name, but he was too busy shielding Jul from a snarling altei with a dagger.


    The cannibal went left, and to Nar¡¯s [Reflex], it was as though the man was barely moving. Nar cut him from shoulder to hip, and he went down.


    ¡°Nar, over here!¡±


    A hand tapped his shoulder and he swirled, sword ready.


    Instead, he found Tuk.


    His face was splattered with blood, and bits of something were stuck to his shirt, but at least the ring tosser seemed to be fine.


    ¡°Come on, this way!¡±


    Nar dragged Jul after the ring tosser, and soon, they found a line of Climbers, formed against the cannibals.


    Crystal! How many are there?


    There had to be hundreds! And there were probably hundreds more amidst the chaos they had just left behind. And Nar had seen more cannibals than Climbers¡­ A lot more.


    ¡°Let us through!¡± Tuk shouted, raising his hands. ¡°We¡¯re Climbers!¡±


    And he pushed into the line, forcing an opening. Nar tripped and stumbled after him, still dragging Jul.


    Ahead of them, he heard a commotion.


    ¡°You have to let us in!¡±


    ¡°No one is coming inside!¡±


    ¡°Traitors stay out!¡±


    ¡°This is your fault! You failed your damned quota!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you failures!¡±


    ¡°Why do we need to die for you?¡±


    At the Doors entrance, a line of workers had formed to block the way into the cubeplant. They had armed themselves with all sorts of broken and sharp aetherium bits, of all sizes and shapes, in a poor mimicry of the Climbers¡¯ weapons.


    However, there were thousands of them, forming an impassable blockage in between the massive Doors.


    In front of them, a group of Climbers shouted at them.


    Amongst them, was their party.


    ¡°Nar! Jul! Thank the Crystal!¡± Kur said. ¡°Tuk said he saw you guys, and went to grab you!¡±


    Nar nodded at the trugger. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Even there, bloodied, Tuk still managed to grin at him. ¡°Anytime, man!¡±


    Kur pulled Nar in closer.


    ¡°They¡¯re not letting us in!¡± he shouted in Nar¡¯s ear. ¡°They want us to stay outside and fight!¡±


    ¡°Can we?¡± Nar asked, looking back at the ranks of the Climbers.


    There must be two or three hundred of them in that loose line. They weren¡¯t Named Few, but by the Crystal, there were hundreds of them! Even if the cannibals were far greater in number, Nar had lost count of how many he had downed just by himself.


    The cannibals were weak.


    If the stories were to be believed, they were fallen Climbers who had been taken over by madness, unable to withstand the Pressure. The System had withdrawn from them, taking away their classes and attributes with It, reverting them to being just normal sentients. And if that was true, and Nar had no reason to doubt what he had seen and done, then the crazed crowds were no match for the Climbers. Not if they fought together at least.


    However, Kur shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t know how many there are! And for now, they¡¯re still distracted by the Climbers still out there! But once they¡¯re done with them¡­ There could be thousands and thousands of cannibals. And they¡¯ll all come for the cubeplant!¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Nar muttered, going pale.


    ¡°Without the safety of the Doors on either side of us, they will eventually overrun us! And we need the workers to add to our numbers, even if they are weaker than us!¡±


    ¡°But how?¡± Tuk asked, leaning in. ¡°They won¡¯t even listen to us!¡±


    ¡°They will!¡± Kur said. ¡°We were just waiting for you guys. Cen, do it!¡±


    Only then did Nar realize that Cen had switched onto Gad¡¯s shoulders.


    At their feet, Viy seemed to have come to, and Mul was keeping watch over her with a weary look. He had a hand on her back, and the other hold her spear.


    Atop Gad¡¯s massive shoulders, the comparatively diminutive caster lifted her staff and started channeling her [Aura].


    The effect was immediate.


    The arguments died, and all eyes turned to look at the hazy gray light.


    ¡°By the Crystal, it¡¯s magic!¡± someone shouted


    It¡¯s not, but it will do, Nar thought, realizing Kur¡¯s intentions.


    The whispers and shouts continued to spread throughout the gathered workers and Climbers.


    Cen gathered a bit more [Aura], then fired her [Aura Projectile] above the gathered heads.


    It whistled upwards, dragging everyone¡¯s eyes with it, bathing everything in its gray light. Then it exploded against the ceiling in a mighty, loud, gray explosion, high above everyone¡¯s heads.


    In the relative silence that followed, Kur stepped forward, pushing past the other Climbers. ¡°My name is Kur, I¡¯m a party leader!¡± he shouted to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°As you¡¯ve seen, my caster, and my party, are strong, but out here, their numbers will overwhelm us!¡±


    ¡°What do you want, then?¡± said a bent, old looking man. ¡°To come inside and hide behind my workers? You¡¯re Climbers, you made your choice! And you¡¯re here to die for us!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to come inside!¡± Kur shouted, silencing the angry cries that arose from both sides.


    ¡°What then?¡±


    ¡°We just want to fight alongside you! Together, in a line in between the Doors!¡± he said.


    ¡°What difference will that make?¡± the old man asked.


    Kur walked up to him, and Nar followed after him still dragging Jul under his arm.


    ¡°There are too many of them. Maybe even thousands and thousands,¡± the party leader said. ¡°Out here, us Climbers will die. We¡¯ll kill many, yes! But we¡¯ll eventually be overwhelmed by their numbers, and when we die, you and your workers will be next. You won''t be able to hold the Doors on your own! You don¡¯t have classes! And when you¡¯re dead, the cannibals will eat everyone inside the cubeplant. Is that what you want?¡±


    The old man held Kur¡¯s gaze. However, his hands, clenched at his sides, trembled.


    ¡°And you will not hide behind us? You won¡¯t use us?¡±


    ¡°I cannot speak for all the Climbers,¡± Kur said. ¡°But my party will fight. Our only chance is to hold them here, at the Doors. If we let them inside, we¡¯re all dead.¡±


    Kur turned and looked at the gathered people. ¡°Only together will we survive this! Do you want to be eaten, or do you want to fight and protect your workers and your parties?¡±


    A morsvar stepped forward. He held a shield and a mace, just the same as Gad¡¯s.


    ¡°Let us fight with you, Admin,¡± he said. ¡°None of us want to die. Together, we might survive.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± the old man cast a brief glance at the workers behind him. Their fear was easy to read in their eyes, in their trembling chins and makeshift weapons. Alone, they stood no chance. And they had to know that.


    The old man turned back to Kur. ¡°Alright! Alright¡­ As long as you don¡¯t come inside, you can join us between the Doors.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Kur said.


    The Admin turned to his people, and gestured for them to back away.


    ¡°Let the Climbers join us! But don¡¯t let them into the cubeplant!¡±


    There were shouts of protest, but they were few and far in between, and the workers moved to obey their Admin.


    Gaps formed in the lines of workers, and the Climbers rushed in to fill them, and to have the relative safety of the two enormous Doors around them.


    ¡°Our parties should stay together,¡± the morsvar told Kur. ¡°Me and your tank can hold the middle. And your caster can alleviate the pressure when it looks like they are going to break through.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Kur said. ¡°The line has to hold. Whatever happens, it must hold!¡±


    The morsvar nodded and gestured for his own party to join him.


    ¡°If the line fails, we¡¯ll all die,¡± he said, and looked at Cen, still perched atop Gad¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I hope your magic will be enough.¡±


    Cen swallowed. ¡°I hope so too¡­¡±


    No one told him that there was no magic there. That it was [Aura] he had seen.


    There was no point in spreading anymore chaos and confusion by letting loose the multitude of feelings that the revelation was sure to cause. Besides, the knowledge that they had magic on their side would serve to bolster their spirits. Taking it away would be foolish.


    So, they kept quiet about it.


    The two tanks took position, shoulder to shoulder, impressive in their combined bulk, shields out and ready. Kur lifted Cen up to his shoulders again, so that she could have a clear line of sight and fire.


    ¡°I¡¯ll watch over her,¡± Kur said, extending a hand towards Jul. She took it and went to him without a word, staring back at Nar with big, fearful eyes. ¡°You do what you do best, Nar. Watch over us. Keep our party safe!¡±


    Nar swallowed hard, but he nodded.


    Tuk and Mul took position together next to Gad. Tuk stood behind the brawler, ready to dish out his incredible ranged DPS, and Mul stood in front of him, to cover him from anyone that got too close.


    Viy was next, and Nar took position after her, on the frontline.


    He cast her a critical eye.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± she sniffed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    Nar¡¯s eyebrows shot up, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    She looked pale, with an ugly bruise darkening on her forehead. The spear shook ever so slightly in her hands.


    I hope you are¡­ Nar thought. Whatever had happened to her back there, he hoped wouldn¡¯t happen again during the battle. Or ever again for that matter. It had freaked him out more than he cared to admit.


    Kur¡¯s voice rang over the noise.


    ¡°Hold the line!¡± he shouted. ¡°Whatever you do, you must hold the line! Pass the message to those behind you! Those in the front, fight! Those in the back, push! Do not let the line break! I repeat! Do not let the line break!¡±


    Nar couldn¡¯t help feeling slightly relieved.


    Kur sounded like the perfect Team Lead he had been groomed to be. Manager class through and through, his message made its way through the ranks, as people repeated his words to those in the back and to the sides.


    Thank the Crystal I joined this party, Nar though. It was not the first time he thought of it, and it wouldn¡¯t be the last.


    However, thanking the Crystal, while standing in that mess, tasted bitter and ironic.


    It had been the Crystal who had opened those Doors, to punish the workers within. And they had all been caught up in it.


    However, blasphemy would do him no good now. No good at all.


    ¡°Together, we will succeed! Hold the line, and may the Crystal protect us all!¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°May the Crystal protect us all!¡± Nar yelled into the chorus that replied to Kur¡¯s battle cry.


    Ahead of them, the last of the surviving Climbers emerged from the frenzy.


    Directly in front of him, a woman was pulled back by her hair, and the cannibals jumped on her. Nar grimaced, and looked away, sparing himself the sight.


    Clusters of cannibals had formed. They hissed and snarled at each other, fighting over those who hadn¡¯t made it to the Doors.


    ¡°Crystal have mercy on us,¡± he whispered.


    They were barely like sentients anymore, driven by hunger, lust and madness.


    The thought of eating his own¡­ Of doing the things he had seen being done, to another person?


    He had to swallow hard at the bile that rose at the back of his throat.


    He would rather die than suffer such a fate.

 Chapter 38 - The Defense of B0271-10456673

    The cannibals left the defenders well alone.


    There was enough to distract them in the middle of that massive room, and the occasional scream still reached Nar.


    The thought of being out there, surrounded by cannibals, with no hope of escape¡­ He gripped his sword tighter. There would definitely be no hesitation in his sword.


    The enemy¡¯s numbers continued to swell.


    Nar shifted his weight to his other leg, and wiped his eyes yet again.


    He pressed them closed and opened them, but the relief was brief. They stung and itched from his over wiping.


    His hair was slick with sweat, and other things he didn¡¯t want to dwell on, and his shirt was dark with wetness.


    At his side, Viy burned against him, pressing against his left arm.


    He readjusted his sword, which he rested against the floor, and the movement unglued him from Viy and the worker to his left.


    His restlessness sent a ripple through the packed defenders that eventually made its way back to him, and the two of them, Viy and worker, stuck to him once more.


    The woman behind him placed a hand on his back to steady herself, and her breath seared his neck. He flinched and her hand was gone. It would be back soon.


    He growled and wiped his eyes again.


    Why were the cannibals taking so long?


    The screams of their victims had long fallen silent. So what were they waiting for? Or had the Climber¡¯s and workers¡¯ combined show of force been enough to dissuade them from attacking?


    A loud, guttural yowl pierced the cannibal''s hubbub.


    Nar lifted his sword in fright.


    Similar calls rang out over the purple lit masses, and the cannibals began to move, slowly facing towards the defenders.


    Guess we don¡¯t look scary enough, Nar thought, blowing sweat from the tip of his nose.


    Silence descended over their multitudes.


    Nar¡¯s heart hammered in his chest.


    Purple eyes shone in the dim light, hungry in the expectation of the feast to come.


    Nar tried and failed to keep his sword arm from shaking. Either out of fear, revulsion, or anger, he couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°Hold the line!¡± Kur¡¯s voice sounded again. ¡°The Crystal is with us today!¡±


    A few people shouted encouragements alongside Kur, but it was a failure compared to their earlier rally.


    Nar was not amongst those who shouted. Before that mass of purple hunger, he didn¡¯t find the voice to do so.


    ¡°The Crystal is with us,¡± the woman whispered behind him. ¡°The Crystal is with us¡­¡±


    The Crystal opened these damned Doors! Nar thought.


    How could one pray to the very same Crystal that had doomed them?


    Before that assembled mass of cannibals, fear of blasphemy or not, Nar was finding it hard to reach out for the Crystal¡¯s aid.


    He doubted It was even listening.


    A clump of something dripped down his face. It must have been stuck to his hair and he hadn''t noticed it.


    He flinched at the sticky, clumpy thought of it, and a stray memory hit him, resurrected from the depths of his past.


    Hot. Searing. Blinding.


    He bared his teeth in a snarl and pushed against the memory.


    But his burning eyes and wet face made it impossible.


    He remembered how he had gotten covered in it.


    He and his dad had left that house, and never returned to it¡­


    His sword now shook for a different reason.


    Yes. How could he pray?


    How had he been praying all this time? How could he have begged and praised?


    After all that had happened? How could he forget? How could he forgive?


    A wet series of growls and groans dragged him back to the current nightmare.


    They rang out sharp and brief and the masses screamed and yipped.


    They beat their chests and threw their hands up.


    The sounds of their unholy celebration drawled over to the defenders.


    It felt like a wet, slimy tongue licking his ears, and Nar flinched. He scratched his ears on his shoulders, growling in disgust and hatred.


    Opposite him, laughter and hollering burst out amongst the cannibals.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Nar¡¯s sword went deadly still.


    Something spread from the center of his chest. Not quite painful. More like an itch.


    It spread down his legs. Down his arms. Up his neck, reaching for his mind¡­


    It reached for the hand that held the sword, and firmed his grip around it.


    Nar¡¯s heart slowed.


    Vision darkened at the edges.


    A pressure settled over his chest, and he found it hard to breathe.


    His palms itched, and his feet shifted over pinpricks.


    His heart beat faster and faster, his sight coming in and out of focus at the ungodliness before him.


    His chest hurt, like something was trying to claw its way out of him.


    His sight darkened and darkened at all that death and suffering.


    Those had been people. Climbers like him, fleeing for the O-Nex with hopes and dreams, and asking nothing more than to be treated like people. To be accepted like the Crystal¡¯s other children. To live freely in the light and the color and the abundance of the Infinite Nexus.


    Instead, this had been their gruesome end.


    Nar clenched his jaw so hard, he felt something crack.


    They all need to¡­


    Something hit him across the head


    The world exploded back into noise and purple light.


    ¡°Come on, Viy!¡± Tuk said. ¡°It¡¯s me, Tuk!¡±


    Nar looked to his left, still dazed at the sudden return to reality, the side of his face throbbing with pain.


    Viy was slapped her ears with heavy and desperate blows.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want it!¡± she shouted. ¡°I didn¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is wrong with her?¡± Mul said, from the other side. His voice was low with fear, rather than anger.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Tuk shouted back.


    The trugger tried to grab her arms but Viy pushed him away with her superior [Strength]. She lashed out at him and Nar dodged out of the way to avoid her stray elbow.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it!¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t want it! Why won¡¯t you listen to me?¡±


    The absurdity of the moment left him blank.


    On one side, thousands of cannibals celebrated, viewing to devour them all. On the other, Viy was having some kind of mental breakdown right by his side.


    You hate me, don¡¯t You? Nar thought.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on there?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Tuk shouted. ¡°She¡¯s going crazy! Grab her spear!¡±


    Mul picked up Viy¡¯s weapon and wrenched it from her.


    ¡°Fucking Crystal, why can¡¯t I catch a break!¡± he shouted. He held the weapon against his chest, and looked wide eyed at Viy.


    ¡°Calm her down!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m trying to do?¡± Tuk snapped.


    The cannibals suddenly shouted as one, drawing all eyes back to the front.


    Then, they charged the defenders in a chaotic mass.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Mul said, scrambling with the spear. ¡°Shit! What do we do?¡±


    Viy answered for him.


    She snapped her weapon back from the brawler, and lowered into position, her deadly weapon pointing forwards.


    Mul, Tuk and Nar exchanged looks.


    Mul opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it and closed it again.


    By silent agreement, the three of them decided to just let her be, and not say anything that could trigger her again, hoping she would be if not fine, at least in fighting shape.


    When Nar looked forward again, a screaming cannibal was almost on top of him.


    He backed in panic, but those behind him kept him in place.


    With a split-second to do something, Nar mimicked Viy and extended his sword forward, lifting it with both hands.


    The man didn¡¯t even stop.


    Sword and flesh met, and joined.


    The cannibal crashed against him, their heads meeting with a sickening thud, and the Nexus exploded in pain.


    Dimly, Nar felt another impact and his sword grew heavier.


    Blinded by the pain on his nose and by rising fear, he twisted his blade down and up, then sideways, trying to get it free. Too late did he realize his mistake. He didn¡¯t have a spear. He had a sword, and now he couldn¡¯t swing it.


    Hands reached from behind the dead cannibals and scratched at his face and neck.


    His sight was still blurry from the impact, and all he could do was free one of his hands to swat at them. But they were insistent, and a finger made it into his shirt, under his jaw.


    He was yanked forward.


    More hands grabbed onto him, and he fought to keep from being lifted up into that hungry mass.


    Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and Nar was blasted back against the worker behind him.


    Dazed, he worked his sword back and forward and finally managed to get it back.


    Gasping for air, he looked up.


    Cen¡¯s [Aura Projectile] had cleared a 30-feet hole in the frenzied mass of cannibals, and Tuk was doing his best to keep it from closing again.


    The trugger looked grim, but his rings flew without hesitation. Long, graceful arcs of glistening purple trailed behind his lethal weapons, and for a moment, he held the gap.


    That moment was all that Nar needed. He found that his nose was still intact, though bloodied, and his sword was now freed and ready.


    We¡¯re good. We¡¯re good! he thought, and spat out a glob of blood.


    He raised his sword, using both hands again, and held it above his head.


    Cut down. We gotta cut them down, he told himself, his thoughts running wild with adrenaline. We can do this. Cut! Cut!


    The cannibals surged through once more. Tuk still downed them by the score, but the sheer numbers spilled through, barely even slowed down.


    Nar stepped forwards into the tide and brought his arms down.


    The first cannibal wend down, but Nar had already turned his attention to the one howling behind it.


    Cut.


    Cut.


    Cut.


    He cut three times more before the bodies pressed on him again, and crushed him against the lines once more.


    He shouted against the press of bodies and thrust his sword forward, ramming through Crystal knows how many.


    He didn¡¯t wait for it to get stuck again, and pulled his sword back out immediately. He stabbed it back and forth, already forgetting all about his decision to not use his weapon like a spear in the press of bodies.


    However, his mad thrusts gained him some breathing room, and the worker¡¯s hands on his back managed to push him forward again.


    Hardly knowing what he was doing or what was happening, he slashed his sword sideways, feeling it cut through and smash bone with ease.


    More than once he felt the sword slipping out of his grip, so slick it was. But he never stopped.


    He was alone, with just the beating of his heart for company in this world of screams, snarling faces and grasping hands.


    A long time later, someone crashed into him from the side.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°Viy, it''s just me!¡±


    Viy swung her spear wildly with one hand, and with the other she wrestled with Tuk.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Nar asked, in a hoarse voice.


    ¡°She¡¯s fucking lost it again!¡± Mul said.


    He had stepped out a bit further to cover for Tuk and Viy both, and Gad was trying to hold both hers and the brawler''s spot.


    Behind her, Kur was shouting in her ear, and Cen held the staff up. It glowed, ready with the promise of more devastation.


    ¡°I have nothing to give you!¡± Viy shouted at Tuk. ¡°Leave me alone!¡±


    She swiped her spear in his direction and he ducked under the weapon.


    That was enough for Viy to finally wrench her arm free.


    She turned, and walked into the cannibals.


    Nar watched her go, stunned stupid, and rooted in place.


    She scythed through the crowd, as easily as if they weren¡¯t there, pressing deeper and deeper.


    ¡°Stop her!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°She¡¯s going to get herself killed!¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Mul asked. He had his hands full with a large altei that was trying to force him down.


    Tuk grabbed Nar¡¯s arm and pulled him close.


    ¡°You need to go!¡± he shouted in his ear. ¡°You have to get her back!¡±


    Nar stared at him.


    Had he lost his mind?


    The trugger wanted him to go into that?


    ¡°Please, Nar! I can¡¯t do it!¡± Tuk begged him. ¡°Has to be you!¡±


    Nar looked back at Viy.


    She was getting farther and farther from the frontline, and the path behind her was starting to close again.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Tuk shouted, shaking him.


    ¡°Nar, get her back!¡± Kur shouted.


    This is¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I¡­


    The path was closing. Soon she would be lost.


    But¡­ My dad! I can¡¯t¡­ Not for a Clean¡­ Not for¡­


    The cannibals closed the way behind Viy.


    Her gleaming spear rose and fell one last time, and disappeared in the mess of hungry faces.


    I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t do it! I can¡¯ just risk everything for a¡­ Oh! Crystal damn it!


    Growling, Nar leaped forward after her. Into the madness.

 Chapter 39 - Purple

    Flashes of purple.


    Screams.


    Grasping hands tearing at his clothes and blocking his sight.


    Bodies pressing in on him from all sides.


    Rotting breath nearly blinding him¡­


    In the distance, seemingly so far away, the spear still danced, glinting purple above the press of heads.


    Someone grabbed his hair and his head was jerked back.


    Kicks landed against his shins, trying to bring him down.


    No¡­ I can¡¯t! I¡­ NO!


    Nar roared with his entire being.


    The sword came alive.


    Back, forwards, sideways, he cleared the space around him in a whirlwind of death.


    There was no room for thoughts. Only the simple goal of catching up to Viy and making it back out alive.


    He was surrounded, and needed all of his attention and brain power to focus on his [Instinct].


    The sense was a screaming mass of danger that warned him from all sides. However, in the chaos, there were subtle spikes. Touches. Sighs.


    He couldn¡¯t put it into words, nor fully understand their meaning. He only had a vague sense of priorities, of things that needed his attention first and of those that were concerns for later.


    His senses flared around him, and Nar let go.


    His sword left nothing but carnage in his wake.


    More than once he had to wipe his eyes in panic, blinded from the blood of his enemies. But his sword arm never stopped.


    Far away, he could just barely make the whooshing sound of the spear and the distinctive cries of pain and death that it wrought upon the enemy.


    Nar adjusted his course.


    The cannibals, as long as he kept them from him, were no match for his attribute enhanced body. And so he cut, and slashed, and hacked.


    His anger lost its fire in the chaos and death, and everything grew distant.


    Things were happening far, far away. As though it was someone else that held the sword. Someone else that killed with such ease and impunity.


    The sword parted flesh and shattered bone, and caused horrific damaged¡­


    Someone was effortlessly killing through countless sentient, and Nar was just following along. Numb to it all.


    Without realizing it, he caught up with Viy, and the two spheres of death merged into one.


    ¡°Viy!¡± he shouted, bursting back to reality.


    Sound rushed back into him and his vision cleared.


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    She was surrounded by corpses, and covered in dark blood from head to toe. The cannibals seemed weary of her, and of the piles of corpses that surrounded her testified as to why.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Nar asked.


    He held up his sword, daring any of them to get close and chance it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening!¡± she shouted, with a haunted look. ¡°I-I was just at the line¡­ And then¡­ And then¡­¡±


    A cannibal seemed to marshal his courage and stepped forward. All he managed to achieve was get a spear through his throat as reward for his lack of temerity.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now! We need to get back to the line!¡± Nar shouted.


    ¡°Of course it matters! I¡¯m losing my mind!¡± she shrieked, raising a hand to her temple.


    Another cannibal reached for her weapon and she screamed and pushed back into the cannibals once more.


    ¡°That''s the wrong way! Ah, for the love of¡­¡±


    Nar ran after her. ¡°Viy!¡±


    She sobbed and screamed, a deadly vortex surrounding her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening! Leave me alone!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Viy!¡±


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°To get you back to the line!¡± Nar shouted in frustration.


    A cluster of cannibals tried to jump him, and Nar was forced to let her go and defend himself.


    He beat them without care. His sword might as well have been a club, bashing and mushing skulls under it.


    The shifting masses dragged him back and forward in their rhythm, and for a moment he lost her.


    ¡°Nar? Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here! Viy? Viy!¡±


    ¡°Here!¡±


    Nar cut towards the sound of her voice.


    ¡°Nar!¡±


    Before he could reach her, her spear cut in a wide arc, slaying half a dozen of them in a single slash.


    Then, she leaped into his arms.


    Nar stumbled back, pressing her against her chest.


    ¡°I got you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± she breathed against his chest. ¡°My stamina¡¯s¡­¡±


    She turned to dead weight mid-sentence, and Nar almost went down with her.


    ¡°Viy? Viy?¡± he shouted, dread filling him. ¡°No! Crystal! No!¡±


    Something collapsed against his back, snarling in his ears.


    Nar whirled with a cry and swung his sword out, cutting through anything and everything. He was forced to drop Viy in the chaos that surged for him.


    No. No. NO!


    He cut and stabbed.


    He drew circles with his sword above Viy¡¯s prone figure, and he managed to keep them away from her.


    The cannibals, for their part, gave him the room. They watched him with shining purple eyes. They licked their lips and chuckled, biding their time.


    Viy had burned through her stamina, throwing her skills around with abandon in her frenzy. Now, she was exhausted, gone from the fight. And the cannibals around him seemed to know that it would only be a matter of time until Nar too, exhausted himself trying to protect the both of them.


    Nar¡¯s breath seized on his throat. Wherever he looked, he saw only sharp grins.


    No¡­ No¡­


    One of them lashed forward and Nar jerked in fright, cutting air with his sword.


    The cannibal laughed, and the circle jeered and whistled, closing in around them.


    Leave! I gotta leave!


    He spun round and round. Only teeth and mocking smiles all around him.


    Where are the Doors? Where are the DOORS?


    He panted, turning his sword right and left.


    The circle grew tighter, coming in and out of focus in tandem with his panicked heartbeat.


    No¡­ No¡­ Please, Crystal!


    As he spun, his eyes caught sight of his status.


    He was down to 76 points of stamina.


    Damn it!


    He had not used any skills, unlike Viy, fearful for his stamina. But the fighting alone had demanded everything out of his attributes, and the cost was evident.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Even if his HP still stood, mostly intact, he was bound to run out of stamina. And then, he would be at the mercy of the enemy¡­


    Sensing that their prey was distracted, the cannibals jumped him.


    With a strangled cry, Nar swung his sword blindly, cutting down anything that approached him.


    Hands latched onto him, across his back and neck, and he screamed.


    An intense, sharp pain bloomed from his left shoulder, and his scream turned into a roar of rage and pain.


    At his ear, someone snarled and bit into him.


    [Quickening]!


    The thought came to him from nowhere, and as energy filled him, he shook off the hands and the cannibal latched onto his shoulder.


    It came away from him in a spray of blood and raging pain.


    It was as though Nar blinked, and the Nexus changed.


    One moment he was surrounded by cannibals, the next, he was surrounded by a dark mist, corpses maimed and slashed and deformed all around him.


    Nar panted for air, his chest rising and falling with violence.


    Around him, the cannibals howled and yipped, but none dared to move.


    He felt something at his foot, and jumped in fright.


    A cannibal looked up to him. He had Viy¡¯s foot in his hands.


    Anger contorted Nar¡¯s features.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch her!¡± he growled, his voice barely human.


    He leaned forward, reaching for the thing.


    His sword brained the cannibal and Nar spun around, splattering the others in the blood of their comrade.


    ¡°What are you scared of?¡± he shouted. ¡°Come on! Come on!¡±


    He glanced at his stamina. He was down to an exact 60 points now, after using his skill and that bout of furious fighting.


    His vision blurred with blood, and he blinked furiously, wiping his eyes.


    He was lost. Surrounded by thousands of cannibals, and weighed down by Viy.


    Exhausted as she was, there was no telling how long she would sleep for until she recovered.


    Nar was learning the hard way that, just as he had been warned, once you ran out of stamina, you shut down.


    No matter where you were or what was happening around you, the System put you down for your own safety. The ridiculousness of it almost made him laugh!


    If he kept going, he would soon join Viy on the floor. And then, the cannibals would have their fill.


    He cast his eyes to the spearwoman. She rested on the blood on the floor, her pale, but serene expression a stark contrast to what surrounded her.


    I need to get out of here! Nar thought. I did my part! I came for her! It¡¯s not my fault she blew through her stamina! It¡¯s not my fault she went crazy!


    The cannibals attacked again, snarling at him. Again, he repelled them.


    She¡¯s not well!


    That¡¯s not our problem!


    Yes, it is!


    No, it¡¯s not! Leave her! We don¡¯t care about her! We don¡¯t care about any of them!


    Nar clenched his jaw, slashing with his sword in a wide, horizontal arc, more meant to scare than to hurt.


    A silence seemed to have descended onto him. Even the chaos of battle was muted.


    He looked down at Viy.


    If he left her there, those things would do anything and everything to her.


    Did he really not care about that?


    Was he really so cold that he was willing to sacrifice her to that fate, Clean or not?


    Did she truly mean nothing to him? After all this time?


    He felt as though he wavered on the edge of a great chasm, swaying towards the dark, bottomless pit whispering to him.


    Her face blurred and swam before him.


    Do you really not care what happens to her?


    Her face suddenly grew into sharp focus, her long dark hair soaking into the blood.


    He remembered the horror in her eyes, as sanity slipped through her grasp.


    He remembered the pleading in them as she jumped to him, her stamina running out.


    He leaned on his sword, and a slow breath escaped his lips.


    I can¡¯t do it¡­ he realized. No one deserves that. Nothing is worth that¡­


    Viy had even come for him, before, in the dark. Risking her life for his, stepping out into a place she couldn¡¯t even see in. She must have been terrified, but she had still done it. She had come and she had saved his life.


    And now, she had entrusted hers to him.


    Trust each other and support each other. That¡¯s the only way.


    That¡¯s what his dad had told him. Again, and again.


    He took a deep breath.


    No.


    He couldn¡¯t abandon her, even if that meant the end of the line for him and his dad.


    Even if that meant being eaten alive¡­ He just couldn¡¯t leave her. He wouldn¡¯t.


    Arms grabbed him from behind.


    [Quickening]! he thought in panic.


    He spun and lashed out, decapitating the cannibal that had dared to touch him.


    I need to get us out of here.


    He looked for the Doors again, but they tried to swipe Viy in his distraction.


    With a cry, Nar leaned down and grabbed her arm. The cannibals holding Viy¡¯s feet snarled at him, but Nar was stronger, and he pulled Viy out of their grip.


    He rose and held her tightly against his chest, and swung at the two cannibals for their daring.


    A heavy hand landed on him and pushed him down before he could chase after them.


    Fear rushed through him as something slurped right next to his ear.


    [Quickening]!


    He jumped up and his sword got stuck on something hard.


    Nar screamed when his eyes focused on this new enemy.


    It had been an altei once. Now it was a bloated, lipless face.


    Sharp teeth lined a circular mouth, and a long, slimy tongue dropped from it, reaching to its bulging chest.


    The abomination swatted at him with a big, meaty hand, and Nar ducked under it.


    He pushed against the sword with both hands.


    [Heavy Attack]! he thought, yelling in its face.


    The blade cut wetly through the muscular, gray-purple skinned cannibal, and the thing went down, still slurping.


    In a panic he looked for Viy and saw that two cannibals had gotten hold of her again. They laughed as they jostled her in between them, pulling on her hair.


    Nar was on them in a flash.


    He cut them and cut them, and kept cutting until there was nothing but bloody bits.


    He roared, swinging his sword to keep them at bay.


    18 stamina! 18 left!


    Where were those Doors? Where?


    We have to get out of here!


    Viy lay face down in the blood and he pulled her up, holding her against him. He hugged her tightly, and swung his blade around, daring anything to come out at him.


    There! The Doors!


    His stomach fell.


    He had come too far.


    The Doors loomed in the distance, and in between him and them, he knew that there were thousands of cannibals. Hungry. Mad. Ready to tear them limb from limb.


    Nar heaved, gasping for air. His mouth tasted metallic.


    He felt Viy slipping from his grasp and re-adjusted his hold on her.


    A loud, angry slurp forced Nar to look behind him.


    Two abominations pushed past their smaller brethren and considered him.


    Run, Nar. Run. Drop her and run!


    He pointed his sword at them.


    I¡¯m not leaving her behind! I¡¯m not like that! I will never be like that!


    The pair slurped at each other, then they separated and walked around Nar, circling him.


    Around the combatants, the cannibals cheered and hooted, enjoying the spectacle.


    Nar followed the two abominations with his eyes. He could already tell what was going to happen.


    The two massive things took slow, measured steps.


    Another altei, and a morsvar, from the looks of it, the two abominations stepped lightly around him, revealing an agility and control over their limbs that Nar had not expected from something of their bulk.


    A fat drop of red sweat slid down his face and down his neck.


    I need to attack first. It¡¯s my only chance, he decided. Down one, then the other!


    One of them was almost behind him.


    Wait for it¡­


    Nar moved in sync with them, but he was holding Viy and the two cannibals easily kept him in between them. Around him, the cheering cannibals nearly downed out his very thoughts.


    Not yet.


    He had enough stamina for one more [Heavy Attack ] or [Quickening]. However, if he used either, he would be left almost emptied of stamina.


    No. I need to save it.


    However, if he did exhaust himself, at least he might not feel whatever they were about to do to him. The thought was almost tempting¡­


    One of the hulking cannibals, the morsvar, the one that had gotten behind him, lifted its foot¡­


    Now!


    Nar slashed backwards, catching the thing unawares. His sword sliced shallowly across its chest, cutting the thing¡¯s long tongue off.


    He kept spinning, not waiting to see the result of his surprise attack.


    His [Instinct] screamed at him, warning him of the threat coming at him from behind. Nar kept spinning, hoping to get the sword between them and the abomination.


    A clawed hand closed over the back of his head, stopping him dead with a grunt.


    The thing slurped angrily at his ear, and threw them down as if they weighed nothing.


    Nar exhaled forcefully, letting go of Viy, as air was pushed out of his chest.


    Whatever that thing was, that strength was beyond what a normal sentient should have been capable of. It was probably on par with his own!


    The abomination raised its arms above its head, its tongue slurping viciously, and the circle of cannibals roared in approval, inching closer for the finale.


    Their prey was down. It was time for the fun!


    Nar searched the mess that coated the floor for his sword. He patted blindly around him, his eyes never leaving the abomination above him.


    The thing looked at him with black, lidless and pupilless, dark purple eyes.


    Damn it¡­


    A light shone on the thing¡¯s eyes.


    It looked up, straightening, all of its attention on whatever that light was.


    Nar looked down and finally found his sword.


    His fingers closed around the hilt and he shot upwards, thrusting the sword up through the abomination''s jaw.


    It shook, surprised, and something whistled above their heads.


    Abandoning the sword, Nar only had time to look up to see what it was. Then jumped on top of Viy, closing his eyes tightly.


    The shockwave sent bodies flying past them.


    Groaning and deaf, Nar risked looking up.


    [Aura Projectiles] shone above the battle.


    They seemed to almost glide, gracefully, almost stopping mid-air.


    Nar stared at them, not believing his eyes.


    So many¡­ Just how much stamina does that caster have?


    The balls of bright aura reached the peak of their trajectory and angled down.


    White, explosive death fell upon the cannibals.


    Nar covered Viy with his body, and closed his eyes again, as more and more of them came crashing down.


    Cannibals disintegrated or were blown to pieces by the furious aura.


    The shockwaves hit him again and again.


    His ears screamed for relief, and his back hurt from the repeated impacts, but he held tightly to Viy.


    When the Nexus stopped shaking around him, Nar risked looking up.


    In the high-pitched silence, he saw cannibals running for their lives.


    Around them, thousands had been reduced to ash and charred bits.


    Nar could only stare, shocked, at the mighty display of aura.


    This¡­ How?


    He was lost for words.


    How could aura be so powerful?


    How could it be this¡­ This effective and useful in combat?


    Aura was their punishment. The only way to power their machines since they had been deprived of aether¡­


    To use aura was to suffer, to endure a thousand slicing cuts of agony within your veins. It was atonement for the Original Sin.


    So how? How could a curse be this powerful? How could it be used like this?


    And why was it that disgusting thing, and not aether, that was saving his life for the second time that day?


    Nar sat back, and pulled Viy over his legs, away from the mess on the floor.


    Shocked, he watched the cannibals¡¯ silent retreat.


    The [Aura Projectile]s had been more than what they had been willing to pay for their meal, and hot on their trail, Climbers rushed past Nar, screaming in silent rage.


    The battle had shifted.


    The cannibals were now the prey and the Climbers were hungry for revenge.


    Something collapsed against his back.


    Tuk came into view, with tears in his eyes. He shouted something, shaking him.


    Mul and Gad stepped into his field of sight too. The tank said something, but Nar shook his head.


    He pointed at his ears and she understood.


    Instead, she motioned to the floor where he sat on and pointed at it insistently. Nar nodded in reply.


    With that settled, she motioned for the other two, and they turned to join the chase.


    Tuk looked back, flashing him with a concerned look, then they were gone in the unleashed wrath of hundreds of Climbers.


    Now left alone, Nar closed his eyes and grimaced.


    His chest hurt.


    Everything hurt.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    His eyes snapped open.


    In front of him, in the ringing silence, a cannibal struggled for air.


    Nar stared at him, his sight blurry, and coming in and out of focus.


    The ringing still blocked all sound from the Nexus, so why could he hear the man so clearly?


    The cannibal coughed, blood flying from his mouth.


    He had a gash through his chest that bled profusely, and he leaned against a pile of corpses. Nar wondered idly if he had been the one to cause that wound.


    His enemy seemed to sense eyes on him, and their eyes met.


    The man¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t reflect the purple light as brightly anymore.


    They didn¡¯t inspire fear. Not even disgust or hatred.


    Nar stared at him blankly, his sight coming and going out of focus on his face.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Nar blinked, slowly.


    ¡°Why?¡± the fallen Climber asked again.


    Then he seized, and choked on his blood. His eyes never left Nar¡¯s.


    ¡°Why what?¡± Nar found himself asking.


    But the eyes at last, were just dark, and empty. And they held no answers for him.


    Nar held onto Viy and closed his eyes. And waited for it all to end.

 Chapter 40 - Sinners

    Sound slowly returned to him as his ears healed.


    The cries of the injured and the dying filled the air, and the Climbers who hadn¡¯t followed the fleeing cannibals now roamed the massive room, putting an end to any cannibal that still drew breath.


    Nar watched them with a weariness that threatened to bring him under.


    His arms had long ago gone numb, and despite still having stamina, he found that he couldn¡¯t move, not even to better adjust Viy on his arms. At the very least, he would make sure her head stayed off the inch thick layer of filth that covered the floor.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Quest, The Defense of B0271-10456673, has been completed!


    Well done, you have saved the cubeplant and all those who live within.


    Rewards:


    1. You have been granted a 12-hour rest period within the cubeplant. You are allowed access to the facilities, but not the dispensers.


    Warning: If you remain in the cubeplant after this time period you will be punished.


    Warning: The cubeplant is a no-combat zone. Any combat will be punished.


    Warning: Any ill intent towards the workers will be punished.


    2. Gains are being calculated. They will be awarded during the rest period.


    3. The path of the Climb will be revealed again.


    4. Minor Bead of Hunger.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar read that last line twice.


    A minor what?


    A whispering sounded around him.


    Nar searched for its source and his eyes widened as the blood around him started to bubble and foam. The whispering grew to a rushing, and streams of blood, dark and dirty, pooled together.


    What in the¡­


    He yelped in surprise. A sphere of bubbling blood formed at his eye level.


    It was supported by a spiraling pedestal of blood, and continued to coalesce before his stunned face.


    Two spheres were being shaped. Any debris or gunk melted away with angry hisses, the heat of the spheres warming up his face.


    The pedestal itself grew thinner and thinner, until a few seconds later, it was gone. Behind, it left two smooth looking spheres.


    Nar was startled again when they dropped atop Viy¡¯s stomach.


    What in the pile is this, now?


    Slightly unsure, Nar reached a hand towards one of them, and flicked it with a fingernail.


    The little ball moved up Viy¡¯s belly, then settled back down with a dull clink against the other one.


    Frowning, he picked one of them up, and lifted it to his face.


    The sphere was roughly the size of an eyeball. It was smooth, and as he felt it with his fingers, its colors shifted in different metallic, dark iridescent hues. Red, blue, green, gray. The predominant color, however, was a vibrant, deep assortment of various purples.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have gained a Minor Bead of Hunger.


    Congratulations!


    You have encountered your first Armament Upgrade Component (AUC).


    As the name implies, you can use this AUC to increase the stats of your weapons.


    Upgrading your weapons allows them to evolve and grow, just like you do. It is a great way to compliment your path.


    To use it, simply touch the AUC to the weapon you wish to upgrade.


    Warning: AUCs are single use only, and using one will consume it. Should you wish to change weapons later, you will not be able to retrieve and re-use this AUC.


    Warning: This AUC is not bound. Anyone can use it on any weapon.


    Warning: You cannot store this AUC in your inventory.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The words shifted in and out of focus, as he struggled to force his brain to read through the window.


    For some reason, his eyes kept returning to the second warning in the list.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but there was something about it that nagged at him. He had the vague impression of having felt something similar earlier in the day, but he couldn¡¯t recall it through the haze that dominated his mind.


    Well, whatever. I¡¯ll just hold on to them. Kur will figure it out.


    He didn¡¯t have enough will to give it any harder or deeper thinking. All he knew was that one of them belonged to him, and the other to Viy. And for now, he didn¡¯t really care about it.


    He looked down at the floor, and the darkness soaking his pants.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    His face twisted in disgust.


    It was either sitting on the red floor, or on top of a pile of dead cannibals. He didn¡¯t have the energy in him to drag Viy back to the Doors, and he couldn¡¯t care less about a bunch of dead cannibals¡­


    Still, he had never thought the day would come, where he would find himself scanning through different piles of corpses, in search for the least disgusting one to sit on.


    However, his arms were tired. He was tired. And the blood was starting to seep through his pants. He didn¡¯t want to sit in it anymore.


    That one. It looks alright, he decided at last.


    Groaning, he stood up, and walked towards his chosen pile.


    Not too bad¡­ This will do.


    He lowered Viy gently onto the bodies.


    There. At least your out of that shit, he thought grimly.


    He looked around him, fighting a wave of diziness.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to spot the abomination, and his sword, which was still lodged through the thing¡¯s jaw.


    His feet splotched as he approached it, and he tried not to think about the state of his clothes. After all, he had been sitting on that stuff for a good, solid few minutes while he pieced together his sense of self.


    His fingers closed around the slippery hilt of the sword, and he pulled it free.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± he said, twisting his face at the feeling of the grip and the bits that came with the sword.


    Without hesitation, he stored the blade away. Maybe it would come back out clean and spotless. Somehow, he doubted it, but it was a problem for another day.


    He groaned and dropped onto the bodies next to Viy.


    Macabre, it made him question his sanity, but it was dry.


    His legs were still shaky, and he didn¡¯t want to sit in that disgusting layer of sentient bits and juices while he waited for the others. The bodies¡­ Were just fine.


    Memories flashed through his mind. Of cuts and slashes. Of spraying blood and broken bones. Of snarling and slurping.


    A swirling madness of thoughts, memories and impressions spun unceasing, to the rhythm of his pounding head. He was powerless to stop it.


    How many did I kill? More than twenty. Thirty? No¡­ More. It has to be more. A lot more¡­


    He lowered his head to his hands, and allowed the memories to ravage through him.


    A while later, he heard voices approaching and lifted his head.


    Climbers were starting to filter back to the Doors.


    Carried and injured. Hale and carrying. Or just alone, they passed him by.


    They stared at him on his pile of bodies and looked away with horrified expressions.


    Nar didn¡¯t mind them. He was too tired to give a shit. Let any of them do what he had just done. He doubted any of them could.


    However, some of them took in his exhausted state, and Viy sleeping at his side, and their eyes lingered instead on the two AUCs gleaming atop her stomach. Those Climbers he did mind.


    After another group of passing Climbers went by, slowing down to look at him and their quest rewards, Nar hid the AUCs under his shirt.


    It had taken his battered mind a while to understand what had bothered him about that second warning, but now, he had remembered.


    Earlier on, when they had met that party heading in the wrong direction, their party leader¡¯s words had bothered him. No, it had been the undertone of them. The promise of violence that they carried.


    They wouldn¡¯t take them from me, though, would they? I mean, we¡¯re all Climbers here¡­


    Yes. Climbers.


    Desperate and willing to face anything to reach the surface and a new life.


    What made him think they wouldn¡¯t steal from him, if it meant increasing their odds of survival? What made him think they wouldn¡¯t hurt them, or worse, if it meant they got to live?


    Nar felt a shiver run down his spine. Another group of Climbers were staring at him, walking slowly in a hushed conversation.


    Nar¡¯s heartbeat sped. Had they noticed him hiding the AUCs?


    ¡°Nar!¡±


    Relief flooded him, and he turned back, gathering enough energy to wave at Gad and the others.


    ¡°Here!¡± he said, loudly.


    The group of Climbers glared at him, and reluctantly, they moved on.


    Nar dropped his shoulders.


    That was not nice.


    Was he going to have to be wary of Climbers as well from now on? Were guardians and cannibals not enough?


    It was also their first time encountering any other Climbers, and they had just fought against thousands of cannibals together! How could they even consider hurting their own people?


    And so soon, he thought, considering the corpses around him. Did it not bother them?


    Nar stared across the massive battlefield. There had to be thousands and thousands of dead people in there.


    He frowned. Does it not bother me?


    He was sitting on a pile of dead people after all.


    He heard the heavy breathing that announced the party¡¯s arrival, and two seconds later they were around him, doubled over to regain their breath.


    ¡°You guys okay?¡± Gad asked in between gasps.


    ¡°Why are you sitting on a¡­¡±


    Tuk turned his back to them and got down on his knees. He retched loudly and added his own personal touch to the aggregation of fluids and people bits. Maybe sitting on the bodies had been a tad too much after all.


    Surprising himself, Nar chuckled once, without a shred of humor.


    ¡°First time?¡± he asked the pale trugger.


    ¡°What?¡± Gad asked.


    Nar looked away, cursing his battered mind.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    He felt her stare on him.


    ¡°Can you walk?¡± Mul asked.


    Nar looked at the lengos, but before he could answer, he noticed a very obvious bulge under his shirt.


    ¡°Things have gone nasty,¡± he said, noticing Nar¡¯s stare. ¡°Some people figured the AUCs were up for grabs.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s disgusting,¡± Gad said. ¡°We were all fighting for our lives just minutes ago! Together!¡±


    Mul shrugged. ¡°Eh¡­ That¡¯s people for you. They always find ways to disappoint you.¡±


    Nar couldn¡¯t agree more. However, he had already let loose something he regretted. He didn¡¯t want Gad to get suspicious about him.


    That was stupid¡­ But then again, I think I''ve earned a pass for that one.


    His eyelids were starting to feel heavy, and his head lolled forward.


    ¡°Hey! Woah, stay awake!¡± Mul shouted.


    ¡°We should go,¡± Tuk said, in a feeble voice.


    He stood up, wiping his mouth and looked around them. He gagged again.


    ¡°We¡¯re waiting for you!¡± Mul said. ¡°Keep it together, man!¡±


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll take her,¡± Gad said.


    She put away her weapons and lifted the spearwoman.


    ¡°Give me your AUCs. I¡¯ll carry them,¡± Mul said, stretching a hand towards Nar.


    Nar happily handed them over, and Mul quickly pushed them under his clothes, staring around them through semi-closed eyes.


    ¡°Can you stand?¡± he asked Nar, still scanning their surroundings.


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°How much stamina do you have left?¡±


    ¡°17.¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Tuk whispered. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Tuk approached him and Nar gratefully reached out to him, and allowed himself to be lifted. To his credit, this time the trugger managed to lift Nar without so much as a groan. Maybe Tuk had made some [Strength] gains at some point.


    ¡°All good?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Tuk muttered.


    They made slow progress towards the Doors, their feet squelching with every step.


    The air was warm and it stank. Poor Tuk kept gagging every few steps, though he managed to keep it in.


    Nar noticed that some people were walking in the opposite direction. He frowned and followed them with his eyes. Here and there, people were lifting up the dead and carrying them back to the Doors.


    Realization hit him.


    ¡°This was a blessing in disguise for them,¡± Mul said. ¡°From starving to stuffing themselves.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll need it,¡± Gad said. ¡°They¡¯ve lost people and they will need to work extra hard to meet the quota when the Doors close. The extra food will help.¡±


    Tuk covered his mouth and swallowed hard.


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t open again, right?¡± he asked, looking up at the massive slabs of metal. ¡°I mean, they were already punished for it.¡±


    Mul grumbled something under his breath, and none of the others answered Tuk¡¯s questions. Nar had a feeling that the trugger regretted even asking it.


    Nar watched the workers carry their gruesome loads back into the plant. He wondered idly if the recyclers would accept the bodies of the cannibals, being as they didn¡¯t belong to the cubeplant. But then again, bodies were bodies. How would the recyclers tell between them. They would probably just think they were deceased workers and offer their usual bereavement offerings¡­


    At least, I hope they do¡­ Nar thought. There had been enough suffering already. Let at least something good come out of that mess.


    ¡°Over here!¡± Kur shouted.


    They plodded towards Kur. Jul stood next to him and waved at Nar, while Cen hid behind Kur¡¯s legs.


    ¡°Thank the Crystal you¡¯re all safe!¡± Kur breathed. ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°Out of stamina,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°We found them sitting on a pile of bodies,¡± Mul said, grinning at Nar. ¡°He probably killed them all.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Oof!¡±


    Kur hugged him. Hard.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he whispered. ¡°For protecting her!¡±


    Nar nodded against his shoulder and slapped his back awkwardly.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Fine. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Gad squeezed his shoulder and smiled at him.


    ¡°That was crazy,¡± Tuk muttered, looking queasy. ¡°When you went in like that¡­ I thought, well¡­¡±


    Nar nodded.


    He himself could scarcely believe that he was still alive after all that. It had been suicide to follow Viy into that mass of cannibals, and yet, somehow, here he was. Safe and somewhat sound.


    Might even get some good gains out of that, he thought, numb to the bleakness of such a thought.


    Kur let go, leaving his ribs sore. ¡°Thank you! Thank you! I know what I asked you to do¡­ I¡­ Really, thank you...¡±


    Nar nodded again. He didn¡¯t really know what to say.


    ¡°We should go in,¡± Tuk said, eyeing the large numbers of Climbers still making their way back.


    Kur followed his gaze and his expression hardened. ¡°I knew it was going to be a problem. As soon as I read that damned warning, I knew this was going to happen. I just didn¡¯t expect it to be this bad.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was bad,¡± Gad said, her tone flat. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen it. We were in a smaller corridor, and a bunch of them started swinging right away. We had to make a run for it.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe them,¡± Tuk said, his expression twisted in disgust. ¡°These are people we¡¯re talking about.¡±


    A party of Climbers walked past them, then. They had their weapons drawn and they eyed everyone warily. There were fresh patches of wetness on some of their weapons and gray tutorial gear.


    ¡°This is not how I expected our first meeting with other Climbers to go like,¡± Kur said, following them with his eyes. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ll be safe inside... And I¡¯m tired of all this shit.¡±

 Chapter 41 - Good Person

    Of the things that Nar had expected the Climb to involve, fighting for the survival of, and then actually going inside another cubeplant, had not been on the list. Now that he thought about it, what had he expected?


    He snorted.


    It wasn¡¯t this for sure.


    Walking in that familiar, warm and stuffy darkness, guided by the even more familiar white glow of a crystalight, he couldn¡¯t quite believe that he wasn¡¯t dreaming. Or was stuck in a nightmare.


    Tuk still helped him walk, and Gad was to his left, also still carrying Viy. The others walked behind them. None of them carried their weapons. The System had declared the cubeplant a no-combat zone, and they all trusted in It with their safety.


    Still, after the day¡¯s events, it was nerve wracking walking in such a crowd of Climbers.


    ¡°We are reaching the facilities,¡± one of their guides said. Probably management, given his tone. ¡°Behave yourselves. We are under no restrictions from the System, and we¡¯ll not tolerate any harm done to our people.¡±


    He didn¡¯t wait for replies, but paused long enough until he felt that his message had sunk in.


    The workers hadn¡¯t been happy with the System¡¯s decision to allow them in. They had been quick to accuse the Climbers of lying, but there had been nothing they could do when the Admin himself received the notification. Apparently, Kur had been there to see it, and the old man¡¯s face had been quite something when he saw the little window pop in front of him.


    ¡°It will probably keep the Admin post in his family for another ten generations,¡± Kur had mused, shaking his head. ¡°Definitely saved his own job, too. A direct message from the System Itself, plus all the food they¡¯re about to get? They¡¯ll forgive him everything. In the end, they failed the quota and were rewarded for it. Well¡­ Minus the workers who died of course.¡±


    And, also of course, everything could have gone terribly wrong. If not enough Climbers had joined the defense of the cubeplant, or if there had been more cannibals¡­ Or if Cen¡¯s aura hadn¡¯t saved them all at the end, things would have gone much, much, different.


    Nar shuddered at the thought of the cannibals running amok inside the cubeplant. Man, woman, children¡­ They would¡¯ve taken everything.


    Speaking of Cen though, I still need to thank her.


    Her timely intervention was the only reason he was still alive, and even now, stealing a glance at the caster, he felt awe at the power she had demonstrated. Aura or no aura.


    And on the topic of aura¡­


    No.


    He shook his head. He was too tired to think about it. All he wanted to do was blast off his skin and sleep for the next few days. He could think about things later.


    But what¡¯s there to even think about?


    He shook his head again.


    Soon, they were walking through the streets. From the rooftops, and windows and doors, and wherever they found space, the workers of the cubeplant had crowded to see their guests come get cleaned and relieve themselves.


    The whole experience felt surreal.


    It was like a homecoming, but not. Like being a stranger in his own home. Everything looked different, but at the same time, it all looked disgustingly similar to his own cubeplant.


    I''d almost rather sleep outside.


    It was a foolish thought, he knew. It was neither safe nor clean out there. And by the Crystal, how he wanted to get clean¡­ His stench was revolting. Everything was sticky and slimy and drying on him. He was going to go in that blaster and turn it to the max. And those tatters he wore were never touching his skin ever again, gear or no gear.


    ¡°Food and entertainment,¡± Mul said, as he waved to an excited group of kids, up on a rooftop. ¡°Us being the entertainment, of course. It¡¯s like a banquet.¡±


    ¡°Mul!¡± Kur breathed.


    ¡°What? They don¡¯t even know what that means,¡± Mul said.


    Nar felt the lukewarm dripple of knowledge inside his brain, and his eyebrows shot up as learned the word¡¯s meaning.


    Wow. The O-Nex must be some place¡­ Banquets, eh?


    The very notion of the word seemed impossible to him. It spoke of a level of wealth and abundance he knew was possible, thanks to the data package, but that he could not fathom. It was simply beyond him to understand the obscene amounts involved in such a thing.


    ¡°How did you know that word?¡± Jul asked.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, I was thinking about being surrounded by a lot of food and being very happy, one of these nights. Suddenly, the data thingy showed me this bunch of words and their meanings. Banquet was one of them,¡± Mul explained, shrugging.


    Kur glared at him and Mul shook his head.


    ¡°We have it rough down here. That¡¯s all I¡¯m saying,¡± the brawler said.


    Nar saw a cluster of young people around his age. He wondered how many of them would have been inspired to leave their cubeplant. And how many had been dissuaded by the horrors that waited for them outside. After all, for them, stories about cannibals were no longer just stories.


    Their guide took them to a squat, long building that was at once very familiar.


    ¡°Blasters first, toilets after,¡± he told the Climbers. ¡°When you are done, come back out. We will take you to the place where you¡¯ll rest.¡±


    The party went inside.


    Workers milled about, using their crystalights to give the Climbers light for their needs.


    Kur took the lead and guided them farther in, to the back, where the queues were smaller.


    ¡°Gather around,¡± he said. ¡°There is no combat, but I don¡¯t know what counts as combat. As far as we know, stealing could be fine. So Mul, Tuk, Cen and Jul, you¡¯re going to look after the AUCs first, while the rest of us clean up. Then we swap. Gad?¡±


    ¡°I can clean her up,¡± Gad said, looking down at Viy, still asleep in her arms.


    ¡°Thank you. Get clean everyone, but make it quick.¡±


    Tuk looked at Nar.


    ¡°Can you stand, man?¡±


    Nar stood up on his own in reply. He was feeling much better now, away from that room.


    ¡°Think so,¡± he said. ¡°Thanks, man. That really helped.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it.¡±


    Nar, Kur and Gad, who carried Viy, joined the queues first. The others huddled together, discreetly out of the way with their hoard of AUCs, but still in sight of the first group.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°You go in first,¡± Kur said, tapping Nar on the shoulder. ¡°You need it. And¡­ Take a bit longer if you have to. That stuff back there¡­ That must have been rough.¡±


    Nar nodded.


    When it was his turn, he went into the blaster, and the door rattled and screeched as Kur pushed it closed behind him. And then, silence.


    Nar leaned back against the door and closed his eyes.


    A shaky breath escaped his lips and he let himself slide to a seating position.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    He lowered his head onto his hands. They were sticky, and the sight of them would¡¯ve made anyone gag. Those hands had reaped many lives that day.


    His body ached and burned from blows and scratches, and Nar forced one breath after the other.


    In. Out.


    In.


    Out.


    Memories, images, feelings and sensations flashed past his closed eyelids. The past reared its ugly head at him, mingling in with the present, and Nar pressed his hands against his head.


    The faces, hands, eyes. Mouths.


    The grabbing and choking. The splatter of brain matter. Of limbs flying.


    The long tongues slurping out of serrated, lipless mouths.


    Old mixed with new and Nar clenched his jaw, as blinding pain burst inside his head.


    He saw them anew. Felt them anew.


    Their burning hands on his skin.


    Their hot blood blinding him.


    The stench of their breath.


    The giant hand on the back of his neck.


    The cannibals holding Viy. Laughing.


    Laughing!


    He hit the wall with his fist. And hit it again. And again.


    He shouted.


    He screamed with his whole being, still punching that wall.


    Why?


    It was a question that he had never had answered in all those years.


    Why?


    The same question the cannibal had asked him, looking like a normal person at the end.


    WHY?


    To pay towards the crimes he was born into. His many, many sins. Of which he knew none.


    That was always the answer he was given. Because he deserved it. Because they all deserved it.


    His knuckles dripped blood from a fresh wound.


    Nar stared at it. He could not see it in the dark, but he could feel it.


    How was any of that alright?


    He covered his eyes with his other hand, and let the other bleed while his HP healed it.


    There was no good in blasphemy.


    All he had to do was Climb and all would be forgiven.


    However, he wondered if it would ever be forgotten.


    ********


    When Nar finally stepped out of the blaster, things seemed to be much quieter.


    There were no queues left, and other than Kur, the rest of their party was also gone.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Nar said. ¡°I took forever.¡±


    He had blasted himself until he could no longer stand it. To the point where it had turned to actual HP damage. He had wanted to rip out his own skin, if that meant he would feel clean again. As it was, he still didn¡¯t feel entirely cleansed.


    In his left hand, he gingerly held the shredded remains of his first set of [Climber¡¯s Shirt] [Climber¡¯s Pants], and [Climber''s Shoes]. He wore a completely brand-new set, and noticed that Kur did the same.


    As for his sword, Nar had found it spotless, which had been both a surprise and a welcomed relief. He didn¡¯t fancy having to clean it, once he himself had cleansed his body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. You were in a bit of a state¡± Kur said. ¡°And you saved Viy, Nar. You did the impossible. If anything, I¡¯m the one who should apologize. I asked you to go. No. I demanded that you follow her.¡±


    ¡°Someone had to,¡± Nar said, shrugging. ¡°I was the best choice.¡±


    Kur nodded. ¡°You were the only choice. But I asked you. I sent you into that nightmare, knowing that you might not come back out¡­ Almost expecting it.¡±


    Nar sighed and clasped the party leader¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°It was my choice,¡± he told him. ¡°Not yours.¡±


    ¡°I know, and I¡¯ll never take that away from you. It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m the party leader, but I¡¯m the most useless of us. I can¡¯t do anything on my own.¡±


    Nar stepped out of the blaster, fighting the urge to head back in.


    ¡°The brain can¡¯t do anything without hands, feet, or a body,¡± he said. ¡°And a body won¡¯t move without a brain. That¡¯s your job, and only you can do that.¡±


    A weak smile touched Kur¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Is your party member done?¡±


    A light shone in their faces.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Kur told the worker. ¡°He¡¯s done now!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. Come on, then.¡±


    The worker guided them towards the toilets.


    ¡°Quick,¡± Kur whispered to Nar. ¡°The others have gone on ahead. We were drawing too much attention here. They are going to use their AUCs and get it done with, before something happens.¡±


    They rushed through the toilets and joined the last of the Climbers filtering outside the building.


    ¡°Leave your old gear there,¡± Kur said, pointing towards a tall mess of bloody rags. ¡°The workers have asked for them, if we aren¡¯t going to use them anyway.¡±


    Nar nodded and did as he was told.


    For him, the clothes were disgusting and ruined, something he would never wear again. For the workers, something of that quality, they would make damn sure to salvage as much as they could out of it.


    It was bound to become a new symbol of status, to wear patched up Climber gear, by the top execs and managers. Nar could just imagine it, scores of Team Leads strutting about in their worn-out Climber gear.


    He wasn¡¯t sure whether to laugh at the image, or to grind his teeth at it.


    ¡°That¡¯s the last of them!¡± called the worker that had escorted them.


    ¡°Ok! Climbers, follow me!¡±


    They were guided back through a much emptier and quieter Homes. Workers had to work and sleep, after all, and there was a wealth of food to be salvaged from outside. They had no time to watch the traitors all night long.


    Shift long, Nar thought, correcting himself. This would be C shift¡¯s time.


    It was funny how easily he had adapted to, and adopted, the new day and night cycle.


    No. It¡¯s not funny at all, Nar thought frowning.


    No time. No real clothes. No pillows.


    There was nothing funny about it.


    Soon, they left the Homes behind, and walked into the big empty gap in the cubeplant. They were being taken back to the still open Doors, through which the diffuse purple light of the battlefield still shone through.


    The Climbers spread out, creating space in between the groups, so they could be alone, and talk in hushed tones.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Kur asked him.


    Tired. Angry. Sad. I don¡¯t even know¡­


    Instead, Nar replied with a question.


    ¡°What are you going to do about Cen?¡±


    It was almost impossible to believe that the Sentry boss fight, and that massive cannibal battle, had all occurred within the same day. Add to it the revelation of Cen¡¯s non-magical secret, and Crystal, what a pile of a day it had been.


    ¡°What can I do about her?¡± Kur said.


    ¡°You can¡­ You know,¡± Nar said, shrugging.


    ¡°Kick her out?¡±


    Nar shrugged again.


    ¡°Do you want me to?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Nar replied immediately.


    Kur glanced at him. ¡°Why? Because it feels wrong, or because she¡¯s useful?¡±


    ¡°Both.¡±


    ¡°Honest,¡± Kur said, nodding. ¡°I like that. What would you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d keep her, of course.¡±


    Kur snorted, then sighed. ¡°Yeah, I guess I would too. But it''s not just my decision. I doubt Tuk or Jul will mind much. But Gad and Mul were pretty shaken.¡±


    ¡°Mul¡¯s her brother. He¡¯s not going to leave her behind. And Gad¡­ Gad is Gad. She won¡¯t leave anyone behind.¡±


    They walked in silence, each lost to their own thoughts, not knowing how similar they were.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be right,¡± Nar said, eventually. ¡°I can¡¯t and I won¡¯t accept it.¡±


    ¡°Me neither. But she has broken our trust,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°She saved our lives. Twice. She could¡¯ve just kept her secret.¡±


    Kur passed a hand over his hair.


    ¡°I know she''s a good person. You don¡¯t need to make her case. But good people make bad decisions when they¡¯re scared, or when they really need something,¡± Kur said, lowering his tone.


    He waved around him.


    ¡°We fought together. We died together! You saw the horror, but I saw the ugly. People pushed others into the cannibals to survive. They stabbed people that called them by name, so that they would let go of them, and not drag them into the cannibals! I saw it happen right in front of my eyes! And this was all when we needed each other. The moment the battle was over, we turned on each other over those damned AUCs! Like, like¡­¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t.¡±


    Nar held Kur with his stare.


    ¡°We''re not like that. You¡¯re not like that. Don¡¯t let it get to you.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ I know,¡± Kur whispered. ¡°But my eyes are open now. I¡¯m not going to go out of our way to harm others, but our party is all that matters. All that we can trust in. Rely on. And you know where I¡¯m going with this, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Cen.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And are you not angry at her? Not even the slightest? How?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no.¡±


    ¡°Do you agree with her?¡±


    Yes, Nar thought.


    ¡°I understand why she did it,¡± Nar said instead. ¡°I want magic too.¡±


    ¡°I figured. But is that reason enough to risk all of our lives for?¡±


    ¡°In the end, it wasn¡¯t,¡± Nar said. ¡°She used it. And I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll gain a pile of [Aura] for it.¡±


    ¡°Still!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what''s up there!¡± Nar said. ¡°If she gets stuck with her [Aura], and that means she can¡¯t do anything else for the rest of her life, will you be there for her? Will you protect her, and sustain her for the rest of your life? Because that¡¯s the kind of debt we''re talking about here, if we ask her to keep using it.¡±


    Kur looked away.


    ¡°We lean on each other. Yes. We need each other. Yes?¡± Nar said. ¡°But at the end of the Climb, what¡¯s going to happen? Are people going to drop their classes? Are people going to continue their paths? Are there dispensers there, are we going to be given food and clothing, and a place to live in? We don¡¯t know! We don¡¯t know anything! And to give up magic is¡­¡±


    ¡°We still need to survive the Climb!¡± Kur said. ¡°What does it matter if we get up there with no magic or broken paths? We¡¯ll be alive! We can figure it out then! And yes, I will look after her. I will look after all of us, no matter what!¡±


    Nar rubbed his forehead. What was he, someone who measured the party against his dad¡¯s life on the regular, even saying.


    ¡°Then you are a good person, Kur,¡± he said simply. ¡°And I¡¯m happy you¡¯re my leader.¡±


    ¡°You are a good person too, Nar. Else, you wouldn¡¯t have chased Viy into that.¡±


    It was Nar¡¯s turn to go quiet. Was he?


    Luckily, the end of the conversation arrived just then. Up ahead, to the left of the Doors, there was a circle of crystalights surrounding the Climber parties.

 Chapter 42 - Weapon Upgrade

    ¡°These are the last ones,¡± said one of their guides.


    The person he addressed turned their way, and Nar saw that it was the Admin himself.


    ¡°Good, thank you. You guys report to the Doors,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes, Admin.¡±


    ¡°As for you, Climbers, this is where you¡¯ll rest. You have used the facilities and will not be leaving this place unless it is to leave my cubeplant. Go ahead, and join your peers.¡±


    Kur and Nar waded into the gathering of Climbers.


    Contrary to his expectations, the place was a frenzy of activity.


    ¡°A lot of Climbers died. Parties need to cover their losses,¡± Kur explained. ¡°Some parties were even wiped out, and only one or two people survived. They¡¯ll need to join a new party, if they are to have any hope of Climbing. It¡¯s also just a good, and perhaps the only, opportunity to leave a party you don¡¯t agree with.¡±


    They weaved their separate ways through a loud group of people, all seemingly clamoring to be allowed into a particularly popular party.


    ¡°It started at the blasters, while people were still covered in blood,¡± Kur continued, as they joined back together. ¡°I don¡¯t know where they¡¯re getting the energy for it. Probably despair.¡±


    Probably, Nar agreed.


    Kur looked like he was going to say more, but chose not to.


    ¡°Are we taking anyone in?¡± Nar asked instead.


    ¡°I thought about it, but we¡¯re all alive. And we already have enough trust issues. I told the others to just say we¡¯re full, and leave it at that. I don¡¯t want to deal with any of these people.¡±


    Nar considered the party leader. His tone was venomous, hateful even. What had he seen in those frontlines, to spark such a vicious response from him? It was out of character for Kur.


    It must have been bad¡­ Nar mused.


    It took them a good while to find their party in the loud chaos, but eventually, Nar caught Mul¡¯s voice through the hubbub, and was able to guide them there.


    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± Gad said.


    She got up and walked to them. For a moment, it looked as though she was about to hug Nar, but she pulled out of it at the last second.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked him instead.


    She had asked him that a lot. Even after they¡¯d entered the cubeplant. And even while they queued for the blaster. She had to be wrecked too. She had held the center of that line, and left to continue fighting, and had carried and cleaned Viy all by herself. And yet, she still cared for him.


    Nar gave her the most genuine smile he¡¯d managed in weeks.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Gad. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Of course I worry! But speaking of, come on, you two. You need to use your AUCs. Now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please. I can¡¯t rest with those things still around,¡± Tuk said, in a hushed tone.


    The ring tosser cast a wary glance at the Climbers surrounding them, and Nar found himself doing the same.


    ¡°Are they even that good?¡± Kur whispered.


    What he had probably meant to ask was whether or not the AUCs were worthy enough for Climbers to risk conflict, and the punishment of the System.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Sit in the middle,¡± Tuk told them, pointing to where Viy was sleeping. ¡°We¡¯ll surround you.¡±


    Nar and Kur did as he suggested, careful not to disturb Viy, and the party shifted to surround them as best as they could.


    Mul too, cast a long look around them, before he pulled the last two remaining spheres from under him.


    ¡°Why are they there?¡± Kur asked, frowning.


    ¡°Shut up, and get it done,¡± Mul said.


    Nar took the warm sphere from Mul and looked at it. The fact that it had gotten warm surprised him. He had expected the iridescent metal to remain cool to the touch.


    He felt the AUC in his hands, absentmindedly marveling at its smoothness. It was hard to connect that perfect sphere to its origins.


    ¡°I said get it done,¡± Mul grunted. ¡°Not make love to it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry!¡±


    He quickly took his sword from his inventory and laid it on the floor. He held the AUC with three fingers and hesitantly touched it to the weapon.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    AUC detected: Minor Bead of Hunger.


    Using this AUC will upgrade your weapon.


    Your [Climber¡¯s Longsword] will become [Climber¡¯s Longsword of Hunger] (Rank 1).


    Upgrade?


    Yes / No


    Warning: AUCs are single use only. Using one will consume it. Should you wish to change weapons later, you will not be able to retrieve and re-use this AUC.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I can worry about that later, Nar thought. Ranks too, whatever they were. Yes.


    Both he and Kur yelped and jerked their hands back.


    Mul chuckled. ¡°Ooops. Should¡¯ve told you.¡±


    Nar and Kur, nursing their burnt fingers, threw him a dirty glare. But he was more interested in what was happening than Mul¡¯s antics.


    The sphere glowed, and melted onto his blade. A low sizzle escaped it, along with several pops, and Nar leaned back from the hot, stinking gas that escaped from it. Belaying its small size, the sphere melted into a bright, hot purple and red liquid that engulfed his weapon from blade tip to hilt bottom.


    Nar leaned in, his eyes shining in the molten glow. Soft bubbles popped, and some crackling and hissing escaped the sword.


    Next to his weapon, Kur¡¯s scepter underwent the same procedure. Around them, the party tensed, ready for anything.


    Eventually, the noises and heat died down, and they were plunged back into relative purple dimness.


    ¡°It¡¯s done. You can touch them now,¡± Mul said.


    Nar and Kur stared at him.


    ¡°Sheesh! It was just a bit of fun. I got burned too!¡± Mul said, throwing up his hands. ¡°But it¡¯s fine now. I swear!¡±


    Pursing his lips, Nar reached for the sword and flicked the grip with a fingernail.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s just hurtful,¡± Mul said.


    Nar tapped the sword with his fingertip, then rested all five fingers on the smooth soft material. Finally, he closed his hands over the grip and lifted his sword.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Congratulations!


    Your [Climber¡¯s Longsword] has become [Climber¡¯s Longsword of Hunger] (Rank 1).


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Unable to hold back the sudden excitement, Nar called up his weapon stats tab.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    Climber¡¯s Longsword of Hunger


    Uncommon


    Rank 1


    A simple longsword given to a Climber. It has a longer reach than a sword and offers better protection due to its slightly thicker blade. But it''s slower in attack due to this.


    This longsword has been upgraded with the minor power of Hunger.


    Attributes


    ¡ñ DPS: 14-20


    Scales with [Strength], [Agility] and [Speed].


    ¡ñ Damage block: 0-15%


    Scales primarily with [Strength], and slightly from [Agility].


    ¡ñ Minor Hunger


    0.5 to 1% of damage dealt will be absorbed by the wielder as HP, up to their maximum HP. Effect can only trigger once every 3 seconds.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°It''s good, uh?¡± Mul asked.


    Nar¡¯s face said it all.


    ¡°Maybe this is my call to start hitting things,¡± Kur muttered.


    ¡°You should,¡± Mul said. ¡°It would do you some good.¡±


    ¡°What in the pile is that supposed to mean?¡±


    A low chortle resounded throughout the party.


    Nar re-read the information in front of him.


    The healing aspect the weapon had gained was phenomenal. As was the massive DPS boost. However, he couldn¡¯t help but notice the sudden appearance of [Speed] and [Agility] amongst the weapon''s scaling. Where once it had been solely based on [Strength], his weapon too now seemed to be starting down the same unexpected path as Nar did.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    It was yet another sign that perhaps his original path was slipping through his fingers, morphing into something else entirely. And he still didn¡¯t know what that was, or what it meant for him.


    ¡°How does it feel?¡± Tuk asked, oblivious to Nar¡¯s thoughts.


    With the AUCs used, the others relaxed and sat down. There wasn¡¯t much point in stealing weapons one couldn¡¯t use, and Climbers had limited slots in their storage rings.


    ¡°Pretty much the same,¡± Kur said, putting away his weapon. ¡°Did you all get the [Minor Hunger]? 0.5 to 1% HP regen?¡±


    Nar also stored his weapon, as the others replied affirmatively.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, then,¡± Kur said, after a sigh. ¡°This will make things a little bit easier for us.¡±


    Nar nodded at him and that''s when his eyes fell upon Cen.


    The caster sat, half-hidden, behind Tuk. In the dark, he couldn¡¯t make her expression.


    ¡°Cen!¡±


    The lengos startled.


    ¡°Oh! Hi¡­ I-I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re okay,¡± she said. She averted her gaze, and squirmed, as though she was trying to hide even further behind Tuk.


    ¡°All thanks to you!¡± Nar said. ¡°Two of those slurping things were about to kill us when your first attack landed. I¡¯m pretty sure it killed everything around us.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I needed to hit close enough,¡± Cen said. ¡°Thank the Crystal I didn¡¯t hit you, though.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be! You saved our lives! And all those projectiles¡­¡± Nar shook his head in amazement. ¡°Just how much stamina do you have?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Cen asked, her tone startled. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Tuk burst out laughing. ¡°He thinks you did all of that!¡±


    ¡°What? No! That wasn¡¯t all me! I can¡¯t do that! There were like a hundred of those projectiles!¡±


    It was Nar¡¯s turn to be confused. ¡°What do you mean? I saw¡­¡±


    ¡°It was the others,¡± she said. ¡°The other casters, I mean! Crystal! Sorry. I¡¯m making a mess of it¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­ The other casters¡­ Shouldn¡¯t they¡­¡±


    Cen looked away and the rest of the sentence died in Nar¡¯s throat.


    ¡°The other casters used [Aura Projectile]s as well,¡± Gad said, in the silence that followed Nar¡¯s words.


    ¡°All of them?¡± Nar asked, his voice small.


    ¡°That¡¯s the other thing keeping everyone up,¡± Kur said. ¡°That there is no magic.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Not a whisper. Not a shout.¡±


    ¡°No one has unlocked magic,¡± Gad said. ¡°All the casters were like Cen. The barrage at the end was probably started by Cen¡¯s [Aura Projectile]s. Better to use aura, than to be eaten alive.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and that was what turned the battle in the end,¡± Kur said, rubbing his chin. ¡°We were losing. Badly. There were way too many of them. We were just trying to get you guys back, so we could decide on our next move¡­ Instead, we got lucky. Cen inspired everyone to just let loose.¡±


    Nar was too stunned to speak.


    It was one thing to think that their party had just not been able to get magic. To be worthy of it yet, for some inexplicable reason. But for nobody else to have it either? And for every other caster to also be using [Aura]? That made no sense. It made no sense at all.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he whispered.


    Kur sighed. ¡°We don¡¯t know. Nobody knows. If they do, no one¡¯s telling.¡±


    ¡°But all of the casters? All of them?¡±


    ¡°There was a¡­ Meeting.¡±


    Nar stared at Cen.


    ¡°The casters got together,¡± she said.


    ¡°It got heated,¡± Mul added. ¡°We could all hear it.¡±


    ¡°People were angry,¡± Cen said. ¡°They accused each other of lying. Of hiding their magic. I had to show my [Aura Projectile]. Everyone had to. We went around in a circle¡­ There was no way to hide if you had magic in you. Or at least, we assumed nobody can have both aura and aether.¡±


    ¡°Someone could have just not gone to that meeting,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°There were thirty-eight of us there. And what use is there in hiding magic from the rest of us? It''s not like you can steal it out of someone,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be right¡­¡± Nar whispered.


    No one has it?


    He just couldn¡¯t believe it. But like Cen had just said, why would anyone hide it?


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re all here, and since we are on the topic,¡± Kur said. ¡°We need to talk about you, Cen.¡±


    The caster looked down. ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°This is not an easy talk, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Mul said. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡±


    ¡°No, you wait. Let me finish for fucks sake,¡± Kur said. ¡°Like I said, this isn¡¯t an easy talk¡­ Obviously, I have no intention of kicking you out, Cen. Me and Nar talked about it on the way here, and we¡¯ll fight to keep you on. But I need to know how the others feel about it. It¡¯s only fair.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s staying!¡± Mul shouted. ¡°What''s there to even talk about?¡±


    Cen sniffled. ¡°Mul¡­¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgiven you, Cen!¡± Mul shouted. ¡°But I¡¯m not leaving you behind either. You¡¯re my sister! If you go, I¡¯ll go too!¡±


    Gad tutted.


    ¡°She isn¡¯t going anywhere, Mul,¡± she said. ¡°You think any of us are heartless enough to do that? Or that we actually want to do it?¡±


    Mul looked up at her. ¡°Then¡­¡±


    Kur groaned.


    ¡°I¡­ I lost my temper before,¡± he said. ¡°At the end of the tutorial. And I regret it. I want all of us to Climb and get out of this together. No one in this party is under the threat of being kicked out. I want everyone to understand that.¡±


    ¡°Unless you do something really bad,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Yes. But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen,¡± Kur said, looking around at the party. ¡°We¡¯ve been through a lot, and by now, I think we all have each other''s measure. And it¡¯s pretty damn good! I wouldn¡¯t want anyone else in this party.¡±


    Cen shook with big, silent sobs, and Tuk patted her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of us. There¡¯s no way we¡¯re leaving you behind,¡± he told the caster.


    Cen nodded, rubbing her eyes.


    ¡°That is not to say that you haven¡¯t hurt our trust,¡± Kur said. ¡°Or feelings. If we are to get out alive, all of us, together, then we need to be able to rely and trust in each other.¡±


    ¡°I swear, I¡¯m not hiding anything else!¡± Cen cried. ¡°That [Aura Projectile] is my only skill!¡±


    ¡°If you say so, I trust you. I¡¯m willing to trust you again,¡± Kur said. ¡°With my life, do you understand?¡±


    Cen sobbed openly now, and she nodded furiously.


    ¡°We¡¯re all people, and we all make mistakes,¡± Tuk said. ¡°All is good. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think so.¡± Kur said.


    And around the party, surrounding Viy¡¯s sleeping form, the sentiment was shared.


    ¡°Besides, you¡¯re the most powerful here, Cen!¡± Tuk said. ¡°We can¡¯t risk angering you!¡±


    Cen laughed through the tears. ¡°Oh! Stop it! As if I ever would! And also, I promise to use my [Aura] to keep us all safe from now on!¡±


    Nar glanced at Kur, and the party leader caught the meaning in his eyes.


    ¡°Erhm¡­ About that,¡± he started, rubbing the back of his neck. ¡°I mean, that is great. I won¡¯t lie. But you don¡¯t have to do it, Cen. In fact, I want it to be very clear that I¡¯m not demanding you to use your [Aura] as a condition for you to stay in the party. As Nar correctly reminded me on the way here, we all need to be worried about what''s going to happen after we get out. And I want you all to know that I¡¯m not abandoning you. If something happens during our Climb, be it [Aura] or anything else that will impact your futures, I¡¯m going to be there for you. After. You hear?¡±


    He looked each and every one of them in the eye.


    ¡°I am, and will always be, here for you,¡± Kur said. ¡°So, Cen. You don¡¯t have to use your [Aura]. Not unless someone is going to die or lose an arm. In that case, I¡¯d really appreciate it. That¡¯s all I ask.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Cen said, and turned to Nar. ¡°Thank you. I promise I won¡¯t let anyone die. I swear it on the Crystal!¡±


    Nar smiled down at her.


    ¡°Welcome back,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m glad to have you covering my ass.¡±


    She laughed at his dumb joke. They all did.


    Mul stepped forward and hugged her. He whispered in her ear, and Cen cried and nodded, holding tightly onto him.


    Nar knew that the siblings would be okay. Eventually.


    DING!


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Gains from the completion of the quest, The Defense of B0271-10456673, have been calculated!


    You have leveled up!


    You have leveled up!


    You have gained:


    Strength 13 -> 14


    Stamina 15 -> 18


    Agility 9 -> 12


    Speed 8 -> 10


    ??? 8 -> 9


    ??? 14 -> 15


    Instinct 12 -> 13


    Reflex 11 -> 12


    Gains threshold exceeded!


    Attribute points will be applied during sleep!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    What? No [Aura] this time?


    Nar didn¡¯t know what to make of it. What was the point now? He had already lost his first modifier. And why in the Nexus was he, for the first time ever, not gaining in [Aura]? In all the other level ups, he had made gains on the damn thing, so what was different now?


    He took a deep breath.


    He didn¡¯t want to see the others'' reactions to their gains. Nor to let them see his.


    And once again, I¡¯m being pushed in a different direction.


    He pulled up his stats tab.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    NAR293457741235645XAV


    Basic 9


    Health Points: 119/160


    Stamina: 16/180


    Stats


    ¡ñ Strength: 14


    ¡ñ Constitution: 16


    ¡ñ Stamina: 18


    ¡ñ Agility: 12


    ¡ñ Speed: 10


    ¡ñ Aura*: 42


    ¡ñ ???: 9


    ¡ñ ???: 15


    ¡ñ Might: 4


    ¡ñ Endurance: 6


    ¡ñ Instinct: 13


    ¡ñ Reflex: 12


    ¡ñ Hearing: 7


    ¡ñ Sight: 7


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    [Quickening] will be even faster from now on.


    The skill had already been amazing, and it had saved his life amongst the cannibals. However¡­


    He sighed.


    Kur had hinted that Nar was missing something, but in the weeks following their departure from the tutorial safe room, Nar hadn¡¯t been able to figure it out. Perhaps it was time to go and ask the party leader. However, for some reason, Nar had a feeling Kur wouldn¡¯t tell him anything, wanting Nar to figure it out.


    He closed his stats tab with an angry blink.


    A path that was slipping out of his control.


    A massive amount of [Aura] that was, at the best, useless, and at the very worst, useful in some way that Nar didn¡¯t yet know.


    If it somehow turned out that he could use his [Aura], it would be another headache to deal with. It was already hard enough dealing with his mixed feelings for the others, imagine what it would feel like to hide [Aura] skills as well.


    Around him, the others discussed their gains.


    ¡°I got 19 in [Strength]!¡± Mul said. ¡°Behold, the Fists of Destruction!¡±


    Nar rolled his eyes at his antics.


    However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous of the brawler. In comparison, what was he? Better at running around?


    He felt a tiny poke on his arm.


    Ah¡­ Damn it.


    He pretended he hadn¡¯t felt it.


    Poke-poke.


    He inhaled deeply and smiled at Jul.


    She didn¡¯t say anything. She just stared at him with those big eyes of hers.


    What now?


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± he asked her, maybe a bit more aggressively than he had meant it.


    ¡°It will be okay,¡± she replied.


    A knot formed in his stomach. Just like that, she had broken through. And Nar didn¡¯t bother to question it anymore.


    ¡°Will it?¡±


    That barrage of light was imprinted on his mind.


    It had been beautiful.


    It had been powerful beyond doubt and reason.


    But it hadn¡¯t been magic.


    Thirty-eight casters. And not a single point of [Aether] in between them.


    Like Cen had said, he doubted that anyone was hiding it. Why would they? He wouldn¡¯t. Why should he? If he could cover his sword in flames and burn a dozen cannibals with every swing, he would have. He would¡¯ve burned the whole place down, instead of playing ¡°tire me out and eat me!¡± with the cannibals.


    No.


    Nobody had it. And that meant not just the casters, but all the other hundreds of Climbers gathered there now. Not one of them had magic.


    Where was it?


    What did he have to do to get it?


    What did he have to sacrifice to earn it?


    How much more did he have yet to suffer to pay for it?


    Nar deflated, and closed his eyes.


    Jul patted his shoulder. Once. Twice.


    ¡°It will be ok. You just wait.¡±


    How do you know that? How? Tell me, please! Because none of this looks okay! Nar wanted to shout at her.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± she said. ¡°I promise.¡±


    Her voice was full of certainty, and her stare was unwavering.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right,¡± Nar whispered.


    ¡°Everyone!¡± Kur called, getting their attention. ¡°We need to rest now, but there¡¯s one last thing I wanted to talk about. And I want everyone to be honest with me, now.¡±


    He looked around at the party, making sure everyone understood that he was not messing around.


    ¡°Who here cares about unlocking magic? And by that, I don¡¯t mean for anything vague like we need magic to survive up there. Like Mul said, things have changed, and we¡¯ve learned just how much the workers back home have forgotten or just straight up made up,¡± Kur said. ¡°So, no, I don¡¯t care about some vague warning about not being able to live outside without magic. What I want to hear from all of you, is something much more solid and real. What I want to know is who among us wants to continue to fight, onwards into the Labyrinth or wherever, and therefore needs magic for their paths, and who among us will put down their weapons as soon as we get out.¡±


    Nar stared at Kur in surprise. He hadn¡¯t expected the leader to drag it out into the open like that.


    Cen raised her hand. ¡°I still want it. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. No need to be,¡± Kur said. ¡°We all Climb for our own reasons and dreams. We¡¯re not here to judge anyone for their goals. Anyone else?¡±


    ¡°I would like to have it too,¡± Tuk said, grinning. ¡°Me and my rings are going to go everywhere, and see everything there is to see.¡±


    Nar couldn¡¯t help a small smile. Somehow, he had expected nothing else from Tuk.


    ¡°I am a tank, and I¡¯ll always be one,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°And I will follow Cen wherever she goes,¡± Mul said, smiling at his sister.


    ¡°Oh, Mul¡­¡± she murmured, her eyes glistening.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know if scouts get magic!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°But if they do, I-I-I want it too!¡±


    Kur chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s fair. I¡¯ll ask Viy when she wakes up. And as for me, yes, I want magic as well. I left the cubeplant to be a party leader, and so far, I have found no reason to quit being one.¡±


    And at last, all eyes turned to Nar.


    ¡°I-I need it,¡± Nar said, under their combined stare.


    ¡°I know,¡± Kur said. ¡°We all do. There was never any doubt that you wanted to be a fighter.¡±


    Nar nodded.


    ¡°Alright, that settles it then. We all want magic and we all want to build our paths for our futures. I will keep that in mind from now on, and do my best to make sure you guys can build the best paths possible. However, Cen¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°Between my path and your lives, there is no question. I just wish I had realized it sooner. I¡¯m sorry, everyone, I swear on the Crystal that I won¡¯t hold back my [Aura] if it is to save you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Kur said. ¡°That¡¯s all I can ask for. If it does end up affecting your path, know that whatever happens, I will always be there for you. My whole life if I have too. I will never forget this debt to you.¡±


    ¡°Me neither,¡± Nar said, and he knew he spoke true.


    ¡°Thank you, Cen, I¡¯ll never forget this,¡± Gad said. ¡°And I won¡¯t leave you either.¡±


    ¡°Me neither!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°And I¡¯m your brother,¡± Mul said, and left it at that.


    Cen bit her lip, trying and failing to hold back the tears.


    ¡°Thank you, and I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    She burst into tears again, and Mul hugged her.


    Nar couldn¡¯t help a bigger, proper smile from brightening his expression, as the others consoled the caster.


    Should he have mentioned that he too, had amassed an enormous amount of [Aura]? And that he had actually lost his first modifier to it?


    In the end, he chose to remain silent.


    It wasn¡¯t as though he could use his [Aura]. It was useless.


    No, for now, there was no reason to speak of it.


    However, what would he do if it turned out there really was a use for the disgusting thing inside him?


    He sighed.


    He didn¡¯t know.


    All he could do was hope that he didn¡¯t gain any more of it.


    He wasn¡¯t stupid enough to keep blindly believing that the Crystal would remove the attribute from him, either. No, he had to face reality. Something had happened, and he had lost his first modifier. But he couldn¡¯t continue to whine about it, or feel sorry for himself. There was only so much self-pity he could tolerate.


    No, the first modifier was gone, and he wasn¡¯t about to keep begging or praying anymore either. And whether [Aura] would turn into something else, or not, down the line, he would find out. And deal with it when the time came. If the time came¡­


    For now, he would focus on what he could actually do. On what he had set out to do from the very start.


    Deal damage and tank damage.


    That was all he could do.


    That was all that mattered.

 Part 2 - Chapter 43 - Early Leave

    <h2>Part 2 - The Mid-Levels</h2>


    ¡°You don¡¯t know darkness, little man. Not like we do.¡± - Anonymous delver morsvar tank, ex-Climber, The Goliath, S739DAF88L46Y, popular drinking establishment for ex-Climber tanks


    Excerpt from ¡°Life in the Depths ¨C A Study of the Life Conditions in the Between-Nexus¡±


    Status: Unpublished. Censored by the authority of Truth Praetor Alastor Ghabn


    Notation: Level 4 Breach of The Tenets for Scholarly Conduct, Education and Enlightenment


    Scholar Kuon Feeir, KUO274021097334283LDX ¨C 2<sup>nd</sup> strike


    <h3 style="text-align: center">>> <<


    Someone shook him awake.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Kur said. ¡°Get ready. We¡¯re leaving soon.¡±


    Nar checked the timer.


    ¡°We still have 5 hours?¡±


    ¡°I want to go before the rest of them,¡± Kur said. ¡°I want to put this crowd well behind us.¡±


    Nar blinked at Kur. He knew there was meaning to his words, but his thoughts were like jell-o, slowly dripping down the table¡¯s edge.


    Drip.


    Drip.


    Before the rest¡­ Behind us¡­


    Drip.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Are you okay? Are you awake?¡± Kur asked him.


    ¡°Yeah. Yes. Sorry. Just tired.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll catch a better sleep somewhere out there,¡± Kur said. ¡°Come on, eat something for now.¡±


    Eat? Didn¡¯t I just eat last night?


    Nar¡¯s stomach growled. In the near silence of soft snores and low sighs, his stomach was like a roaring Sentry.


    ¡°See?¡± Kur asked, smiling. ¡°Eat something. We leave as soon as everyone¡¯s ready.¡±


    Kur walked away and left Nar to sort out his heavy brain.


    It had been a long night.


    No one, it seemed, had wanted to sleep.


    Someone ran past them almost every five minutes. Running where, going where, Nar had no idea, but the Climbers had been in a frenzy of activity well into the late hours of the night.


    Climbers had come to ask to join their party. Beg for it, really, by the dozen, waking him every time he was close to drifting off into sleep. And casters had come to chat with Cen.


    Around them, everyone talked and talked, no silence to be found.


    There was the begging.


    ¡°Please take me in. I¡¯ll work for it!¡±


    ¡°The problem is not you. It''s us. We¡¯ve known each other since childhood and ¡­¡±


    There was the disgusting.


    ¡°We should see if we can get some women, man. There¡¯s only guys in our¡­¡±


    And then there were the ones that hit close to home.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe no one has magic! Someone¡¯s got to be lying¡­¡±


    ¡°Lying for what? Why would anyone hide it?¡±


    And especially this one.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost 10 already¡­ This [Aura Projectile] is still my only skill. I¡¯m starting to think I made a mistake picking the caster class.¡±


    ¡°Man, you¡¯re probably the strongest Climber here. Just¡­ Just wait a bit more. It has to be soon! It has to!¡±


    That conversation had left him staring at the darkness above him for a long time.


    It had only been when the Climbers finally ran out energy and quieted down, that Nar had managed to slip into oblivion. That had been only three hours ago.


    Now, he was looking for the previous night¡¯s half-finished cracker. He couldn¡¯t find it. No matter how many times he stored the intact cracker and withdrew another one from his ring, the half-eaten one refused to come out.


    ¡°You alright, man?¡± Tuk asked.


    He was munching on his own cracker, and had been staring at Nar for almost a full two minutes now.


    ¡°I¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m looking for my cracker. It¡¯s not coming out for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you finish it?¡± Tuk asked him.


    Nar stopped, holding the new intact cracker.


    ¡°No? It was a new one.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. Yeah, pretty sure you did. Looked like you were very hungry. It was a very¡­ Passionate display.¡±


    Nar frowned at Tuk, who chuckled at him and ended up in a fit of cough as he choked on his food.


    ¡°He¡¯s right, you ate it,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Okay. Thanks.¡±


    He had no recollection of it. However, he didn¡¯t remember much after their talk about magic and paths and their future. His brain hadn¡¯t been at its best condition by then.


    ¡°No¡­ Problem¡­¡± Tuk wheezed.


    Gad slapped his back with a stoic expression.


    ¡°Wait! Not¡­ Too¡­ Strong¡­¡± Tuk coughed. ¡°You¡¯re going to¡­ Break me!¡±


    Nar considered the new cracker.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Gad asked him, still slapping the ring tosser¡¯s back.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Just a bit out of it.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t tell why, but there was something nibbling at the edges of his memory. Something to do with crackers?


    Nar took a tentative bite, munching slowly.


    It was that bite that finally sparked his memory.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Shhhh!¡± Kur hissed at him. ¡°We¡¯re trying to sneak out!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you finally remembered!¡± Tuk said, in between deep breaths.


    ¡°I ate the whole thing?¡± Nar asked, going pale. ¡°I ate the whole thing!¡±


    ¡°I said be quiet!¡±


    Tuk laughed.


    ¡°How could I eat the whole thing?¡± Nar said, mortified. ¡°It¡¯s enough for a whole month!¡±


    ¡°Not anymore, it isn¡¯t,¡± Mul grunted. ¡°I had three quarters yesterday, and I¡¯m starving!¡±


    As if on cue, Nar¡¯s stomach rumbled loudly again.


    Kur simply sighed.


    ¡°But-But how?¡± Nar asked, staring down at his stomach, as though he didn¡¯t recognize it as part of himself.


    Mul plopped the surviving quarter from last night¡¯s meal in his mouth, and took out a new cracker.


    ¡°Mul!¡± Cen said, horrified. ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯m hungry. I¡¯m not even messing this time around. I¡¯m starving!¡± Mul said.


    Nar gaped at him, too stunned to speak.


    ¡°Maybe it''s our levels? We gained two yesterday, and a good chunk of attributes with them,¡± Gad mused. ¡°Maybe our bodies need more food now. I¡¯ve also been eating more.¡±


    ¡°Ah! See!¡± Mul said, pointing at Gad. ¡°I¡¯m not just making it up.¡±


    ¡°I know that. I¡¯ve also been eating more. But still¡­¡± Cen said.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean you get to stuff yourself,¡± Kur warned the brawler. ¡°We still need to ration. Gad, can you come give me a hand with Viy, please?¡±


    That, seemingly, put an end to their cracker conversation.


    Nar found himself holding his breath, as Gad gently shook Viy awake, with both Kur and Jul sitting nearby.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ What?¡± Viy mumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s Gad. It¡¯s time to get up, Viy.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ O-Okay.¡±


    Gad and Kur helped her sit up and Viy stared blankly at her legs.


    ¡°What do you think happened?¡± Tuk whispered.


    ¡°Panic?¡± Mul suggested.Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°She ran into the cannibals, not away from them,¡± Tuk said. ¡°And she was, you know, banging her head against the wall and saying all of that crazy stuff!¡±


    ¡°Then I don¡¯t know,¡± Mul whispered. ¡°I just hope she¡¯s okay. That stuff was terrifying.¡±


    Cen shushed them.


    ¡°Stop talking!¡± she hissed, glaring at them.


    Nar suddenly found his cracker very interesting, and pretended he hadn¡¯t been a part of that conversation, even though he hadn¡¯t uttered a word. It looked like Cen was back to her normal self, and he didn''t want to be a target of her wrath.


    ¡°Do you remember what happened?¡± Gad asked, in a gentle tone.


    The tank had Viy¡¯s hand in hers, and with the other, she gently rubbed the spear woman¡¯s back.


    ¡°I remember the arrows¡­ The cannibals¡­ And then... And then¡­¡±.


    Viy whimpered.


    ¡°My head¡­¡±


    Gad hushed at her gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. Everything¡¯s fine now.¡±


    ¡°I just remember the cannibals¡­ They were everywhere.¡±


    She gasped. ¡°Nar! Where¡¯s Nar?¡±


    ¡°Nar¡¯s over there. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s fine,¡± Gad said. ¡°He and the others are over there, talking about why we¡¯re eating so much now.¡±


    Man, that cracker sure was interesting.


    Nar broke out in sweat just from the awkwardness. And likewise, Mul and Tuk pretend they hadn¡¯t heard a thing.


    ¡°Oh... Are we?¡± Viy asked, confused.


    ¡°Maybe. But it''s nothing to worry about for now,¡± Gad told her. ¡°Listen, some stuff happened, and we need to leave now. Before that though, I have something for you. Here. It¡¯s part of your quest reward.¡±


    ¡°There are notifications¡­¡±


    ¡°Just ignore them for now. We¡¯ll explain everything on the way.¡±


    ¡°Are we in trouble?¡± Viy asked.


    ¡°Not if we hurry,¡± Gad said.


    The tank reached for Viy¡¯s spear, which had slept next to the unconscious spear woman, and placed it on the floor between them.


    ¡°For now, you just need to touch that thing to your spear. Once you get the prompt, let go of it though. It will burn your fingers if you¡¯re still holding on to it when you accept it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, ok.¡±


    Nar plopped the last piece of cracker into his mouth, and heard the sizzles and pops of the AUC doing its thing.


    ¡°It¡¯s safe now. You can store it away,¡± Gad said when the procedure was done. ¡°And you should eat something now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can eat on the way.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s best to do it now,¡± Kur said. ¡°You might lose your appetite on the way out.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just trust us on this,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She bit into her cracker and made a low sound of delight.


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m so hungry!¡± she said.


    Nar rubbed his empty hands.


    ¡°I could go for another,¡± Mul muttered.


    ¡°Mul!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just, there¡¯s a little something¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing!¡± Cen said. ¡°And you¡¯re not eating anything for two days!¡±


    ¡°What? But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts! We need to ration!¡±


    Nar grimaced at his empty hands.


    There really is a little something, he thought.


    He sighed.


    What in the pile is wrong with me? I just ate a whole month¡¯s worth of food. How is that not enough?


    ¡°You okay there, big boy?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°Feeling the urge?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I don¡¯t know what''s happening,¡± Mul said, between flabbergasted and terrified. ¡°And watching her eat is making it worse! I want more food!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Nar said, surprising even himself. ¡°Me too!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like I don¡¯t know what to do with my hands, but I want to do something!¡± Mul said.


    ¡°To grab something¡­ To put it in my mouth!¡± Nar added. ¡°To chew!¡±


    ¡°To taste it!¡±


    ¡°Are you guys okay?¡± Tuk asked.


    Nar¡¯s checks burned, as he became self-aware.


    ¡°You don¡¯t feel it?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Tuk said, still staring at them.


    ¡°Oh. Is it just us then?¡± Mul muttered.


    ¡°Are you just hungry?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that.¡±


    Internally, Nar nodded furiously. Externally, he just wanted to take back every word of what he had just said.


    To put it in my¡­ Ugh, for the love of¡­


    ¡°If you guys are done talking about eating,¡± Kur said. ¡°We need to get going.¡±


    Nar swore he could hear the smile in his tone, and his face grew even hotter.


    Keeping his mouth firmly shut, he got up with the others.


    They hadn''t been trying to be quiet, as evidenced by the whole food debacle. But now, stepping around sleeping parties, Nar found himself stepping lightly, and holding his breath.


    The party headed to the edge of the circle of crystalights, skirting around the sleeping Climbers.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± a worker shouted, startled as they suddenly emerged from the dark.


    Two other workers came running at the sound.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening over here?¡± one of them asked.


    ¡°Go back! You can¡¯t use the facilities again!¡±


    Kur raised his hands and gestured slowly. ¡°Hi. We don¡¯t want to use the facilities. We want to leave.¡±


    The three workers stared at each other, then back at him.


    ¡°Leave?¡±


    ¡°Leave where?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, outside. Beyond the Doors,¡± Kur said, and pointed at them.


    ¡°Oh. There.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you early, though?¡±


    ¡°We want to get an early start,¡± Kur said, still in the same patient tone.


    The workers looked at each other.


    ¡°Should be ok, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess? They just want to leave. I can take them. The Admin can decide.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. You do that!¡±


    The worker that had offered to guide them shone her crystalight in their faces, making them look away from the sudden blinding light.


    She was a trugger, about the same height as Tuk.


    ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± she said, lowering the light. ¡°Follow me, I¡¯ll take you to the Admin. He¡¯s by the Doors.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Kur told her.


    The eight of them followed after the solitary light. Ahead of them, the massive bulk of the Doors still stood open, letting in that nightmarish light.


    ¡°It still looks very purple,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the path will be there,¡± Kur said. ¡°Somewhere.¡±


    They walked the rest of the way in silence. In the distance, lines of lights stretched from the Doors to the Homes.


    They¡¯re still at it, Nar realized. It wasn¡¯t really surprising. There were thousands of corpses outside. And each of them represented potential jell-os and crackers of bereavement.


    As they got closer, Nar made out the highlighted figures of workers coming in and out, under the watchful gaze of the giant slabs that were the Doors. Considering the flurry of activity, there were probably hundreds of workers on corpse reclamation duty.


    Nar curled his nose as the stench, wafting in from the outside, grew stronger.


    Their guide took them away from the workers, to a gathering of people by the left Door.


    ¡°Admin!¡± she called out.


    The old man was in the midst of an argument with a group of people, probably senior management. The shout interrupted him mid-sentence and he searched for its source, his brow furrowing deeply.


    ¡°I already said¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I bring Climbers!¡± their guide stammered.


    The old man paused.


    ¡°What do they want?¡±


    He looked past his worker. ¡°It''s you. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°We just want to leave,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Is it time already?¡± the Admin asked, surprised.


    Behind him, upper management erupted in panicked whispers.


    ¡°No, no, no! There¡¯s still¡­ Hmm, there¡¯s lots of time!¡± Kur said, narrowly avoiding using hours. ¡°We just want to leave early.¡±


    The Admin considered his words.


    ¡°You want to put some distance between you and the rest of them.¡±


    It was not a question, and after a split moment¡¯s hesitation, Kur nodded.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wise. Your party is¡­ Alright, for Climbers. But some of the others¡­¡±


    The Admin scratched his chin.


    ¡°That morsvar with the shield. His party wasn¡¯t great.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It was not,¡± Kur said.


    The morsvar with the shield? Are they talking about the other guy, the one that stood with Gad?


    ¡°Thrown away by his own party. Disgusting,¡± the Admin said, twisting his face. ¡°And there were some issues, right? With those spheres you got¡­ Climbers.¡±


    He spat that last word, and shook his head.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d be leaving early too.¡±


    He nodded towards the exit.


    ¡°Go on, then,¡± he said. ¡°And thank you, for your part in our redemption.¡±


    And blessing, Nar thought, eyeing the dead bodies being carried in. The recyclers had to be catching fire by now.


    ¡°Thank you, Admin,¡± Kur said. ¡°Crystal¡¯s blessing to you and yours.¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡¯s blessings to you and yours.¡±


    They bowed to each other, forming the Crystal¡¯s blessing with their hands, then Kur motioned for them to follow him, and they walked around the cluster of upper management.


    Nar grimaced as they approached the outside, in expectation of what lay ahead of them.


    Speaking of which¡­


    ¡°Uhm, Viy¡­¡±


    ¡°Ye-Yes?¡±


    Nar startled at her startle.


    ¡°I¡­ Uh. Maybe you should¡­ Uh, close your eyes?¡±


    She glared at him, and Nar took an involuntary step back.


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s not a bad idea,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Why? I know what¡¯s there,¡± Viy said, and walked past them.


    Gad shared a look with Nar, then ran after her. ¡°Viy, hold on!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡±


    Should¡¯ve minded my own receptor, Nar though, with a sigh.


    Tuk patted him on the back.


    ¡°It was a good idea,¡± he said. ¡°I was worried too.¡±


    ¡°I was actually thinking the same,¡± Mul said. ¡°Something in there is not right.¡±


    ¡°Mul!¡± Cen warned him.


    He shrugged at his sister. ¡°You saw it, I saw it, we all saw it.¡±


    Nar and Tuk both nodded.


    ¡°Still! She could hear you. Don¡¯t mention it again! We don¡¯t know what happened,¡± Cen told him.


    ¡°You mean, what''s happening?¡± Mul countered.


    Cen just glared at him.


    ¡°Fine. Fine!¡± Mul said. ¡°I won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    The four of them followed after the others, and crossed the Doors.


    Kur was at the front with Jul. Viy stood a few steps from them, staring out at the room, with Gad silently looking at her.


    Tuk retched, and covered his mouth.


    ¡°Maybe you should close your eyes,¡± Viy said, without looking at them.


    Nar kept a blank expression.


    I¡¯m not saying anything ever again. Ever. Again.


    Instead, he looked out at the large room as well.


    Out here, the stench was like a physical blow, and mounds of corpses stretched towards the far side of the wall.


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Cen whispered.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s something,¡± Mul said.


    He looked down at his feet and scowled at the gore that already coated his brand new [Climber¡¯s Shoes].


    ¡°I don¡¯t see the path,¡± the brawler said. ¡°If it''s there, it''s buried under all this shit.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll cross to the other side for now,¡± Kur said. ¡°And look where the floor is clear.¡±


    In a single file, they followed after Gad.


    Nar walked behind Tuk, at the back of the line, trying and failing to keep his shoes clean. Similarly, the trugger was being very measured with his steps, and he retched on occasion.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Nar asked, after maybe the eighth time.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Tuk muttered, through his fingers.


    Nar patted his back, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do.


    He took in the scenery around him.


    There were guts spread on the floor, limbs without owners, brains and tongues spilling from holes in heads. It all blurred into one purple mess in Nar¡¯s eyes.


    In the distance, he watched a group of workers sifting through a particularly tall mountain of corpses. The thing must¡¯ve been over 10-feet tall.


    How did that even happen? he wondered.


    It clearly hadn¡¯t been a result of the battle, and he doubted the workers would waste time pilling up bodies. That only left the cannibals. But why would they be doing that in the middle of fighting?


    Who knows how they think, Nar thought, remembering the cannibal that had asked him ¡°why¡± as it died.


    He let his feet follow after Tuk and kept watching the workers. Their shouts and voices traveled easily across the muted silence that hung heavy over the battlefield.


    ¡°Found something!¡± one of the workers shouted.


    Nar watched him lean into the pile. Like, head and shoulders deep, into the mountain of corpses.


    Damn¡­


    The worker crawled back out, pulling a big arm with him. He tugged and pulled, swearing and sweating, and slowly, the arm¡¯s owner slid from under the bodies. It was a morsvar, and she looked relatively intact from this far away.


    The worker, still holding on to his prize, called out to another guy. The other worker dropped the quam he was dragging, and came over to help him.


    The two of them grabbed an arm each and pulled, almost bending backward with the effort.


    Oh? Isn¡¯t that going to¡­


    One of the other workers spotted the danger as well, and cried out an alert. But it was too late. The morsvar popped free from the pile and unto the two workers, taking them down.


    Nar watched the whole thing tip sideways. The workers shouted, just as the first bodies came loose. They scattered in all directions. Unfortunately, the two workers responsible for the incident didn¡¯t manage to escape on time.


    ¡°Whatever you do,¡± Nar said. ¡°Don¡¯t look to your left, Tuk.¡±


    The trugger swallowed hard. ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    Similar scenes played out everywhere, though not as dramatic. The workers were well organized. They combed the room for the biggest and most well-preserved corpses, to ensure they would get the most crackers and jell-o out of the recyclers. Once they found a suitable body, two of them would carry it to the Doors, where it was then handed over to another pair of workers, who carried the body into the cubeplant. And Nar expected that similar arrangements ought to be in place by the recyclers.


    The Admin, or whatever committee was overseeing the efforts, had established a simple and efficient food production line. It wasn¡¯t that surprising. It was only slightly different from what they dealt with every day.


    Nar found it impossible to look away from the ongoing operation.


    ¡°We''re here,¡± Kur said.


    Nar turned his face forward, and found himself at the mouth of one of the corridors that had led both Climbers and Cannibals to the cubeplant.


    Kur pointed down, and they gathered to see what it was.


    Amidst the confusion of purple arrows that crisscrossed every surface of the corridor, there was a straight line of yellow arrows. Their glow drowned the purple surrounding it, and it defiantly pointed in the opposite direction to the purple arrows.


    ¡°Is there one in every corridor?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Kur said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think it matters. In the end, they all point towards the same thing.¡±


    Gad rubbed her chin for a moment, then nodded.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Kur said. ¡°Into formation, and let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    Nar looked back.


    What would his dad say when he told him the story of how he had fought to save a cubeplant from an army of cannibals?


    Stories actually, he corrected himself.


    He had many to tell already. And unfortunately, he was sure he would accumulate many more before he reached the surface.


    With one last glance, he took in the corpses, the workers, the Doors and the purple. For some reason, it felt important to remember what had happened here.


    Then, he turned his back to a place he would never see again, and followed the others into the corridor.


    They¡¯d seen and been through a lot already.


    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder at what else lay in wait for him, as he followed the yellow path to the surface.

 Chapter 44 - Weak Enemy

    Nar skewered the guardian from side to side. He pushed with all his [Strength] and dragged the creature the three steps to the wall, where he pinned it.


    The guardian spasmed and thrashed, and Nar covered his face with his arm. The guardian¡¯s wild blades drew shallow stinging lines across his skin, but they barely touched his HP.


    ¡°Nar!¡±


    He twisted to the side, and Viy¡¯s spear slid into the guardian.


    It spasmed once, and went still.


    Nar let it fall down the wall, with both his sword and Viy¡¯s spear still embedded into it.


    He glanced at his HP.


    <ol start="151">


    <li> New best!</li>


    </ol>


    Viy grabbed the shaft of her spear with both hands and placed one foot on the guardian. She grunted and ripped the weapon free.


    ¡°Nice one!¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    She walked away without even a glance.


    Nar sighed behind her.


    Alright¡­ Have it your way, then. Not like I almost died for you or anything.


    Nar pulled his own sword free with more force than was needed and examined it.


    The blade was as immaculate as when he had first received the sword. However, ever since he had merged the [Minor Bead of Hunger] AUC to it, it had gained a new sheen. The whole thing, even the soft material that made the grip, now lightly shone in a cascade of muted colors. The most predominant of them were various hues and shades of purple, but there were reds, greens, blues, grays and all the blends in between, in its new iridescent look.


    Not for the first time, Nar wondered if his sword would always look like that. A forever reminder of the madness that had gone down in that large purple room.


    Not that I regret using it, he thought, admiring the shifting colors across the deadly blade.


    The sword now hit harder, blocked a little better, and its [Minor Hunger] upgrade was a small but significant boost to his tanking capabilities¡­ All in all, it was a very welcome upgrade.


    ¡°Did anyone gain a level?¡± Kur asked.


    Nar stored away the sword.


    They were in a nondescript corridor, a smooth rectangle of about 12-feet wide by 16-feet tall.


    The cubeplant, and the last of the purple arrows, had been left behind almost two weeks ago.


    Compared to all that they had been through that day, the last two weeks had been, for a lack of a better word, almost boring.


    ¡°Not me,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Mul replied. ¡°Again.¡±


    Ever since leaving the cubeplant, they had been attacked every day without fail. Today¡¯s attackers lay broken at their feet. Two guardians were by Gad¡¯s feet, and the other one was beside him. However, like at the end of the tutorial, no one had made any levels since.


    Nar bent down and shifted the guardian''s limbs to have a better glimpse of its confusing interior of circuitry, pistons and all its other unknown parts. A light brown fluid leaked from its wounds, and on occasion, orange sparks snapped within the machine.


    This was a new found temerity.


    ¡°Look there, Tuk. Do you see?¡± Cen said, drawing his attention.


    Like him, she too kneeled by one of the dead guardians.


    ¡°Hard to miss it,¡± Tuk said, standing over her. ¡°My rings used to hardly leave a scratch. I only ever dreamed of dealing damage like this.¡±


    Nar approached them to look at their guardian. He saw what they were talking about straight away. It was a smooth line that had nearly split the guardian across its right side. It had to be the killing blow that had ended it.


    Besides that slash, he counted six telltale thumb-sized dents that indicated the impacts from Cen¡¯s non-[Aura] attacks. Before the cannibal battle, her staff¡¯s built-in puffs of air had been mostly harmless. Cen herself had brought it up. However, now it was a different story.


    ¡°I almost broke through here,¡± Cen said, pointing to the deepest of the dents, two small cracks spreading from the impact center.


    ¡°No fucking idea,¡± Mul said, shrugging. ¡°I''ve given up on anything making sense...¡±


    Nar looked back to the guardian he had fought. Viy¡¯s help had been welcome, but it had only ended the fight faster. In truth, he hadn¡¯t needed her help. He had finished a few guardians by himself by now. However, rather than feeling elated at his prowess, instead, his stomach only knotted further with growing anxiousness.


    He wiped his forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡±


    ¡°Is that [Instinct]?¡± Tuk asked.


    Nar shook his head. ¡°I just don¡¯t like it. It¡¯s too easy. Something¡¯s bound to happen.¡±


    ¡°A surprise¡­¡± Tuk mused, rubbing his chin.


    ¡°Like that Sentry dangling over us?¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Something like that,¡± Nar said. ¡°Plus, no levels. That¡¯s what happened at the end of the tutorial. Before that¡­ Thing on the bridge.¡±


    ¡°No levels. Now that makes me worried,¡± Mul muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about? And not that the System has decided to take it easy on us all of sudden?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°It could be related,¡± Cen said. ¡°Easy enemies to lower our guard, no levels, no gains, and then¡­ Something big, like at the end of the tutorial.¡±


    ¡°Crystal, I hope not,¡± Tuk murmured.


    ¡°It could be anything,¡± Nar said. ¡°I just don¡¯t trust it. Why would it be so easy all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Kindness?¡± Tuk offered.


    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± Mul said, under his breath.


    ¡°I¡­ What?¡± Nar said, stopping when he noticed Tuk¡¯s intense stare.


    Tuk grinned at him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed,¡± he said. ¡°I like it. You¡¯ve opened up to us.¡±


    Mul hmphed. ¡°Was starting to think he was just an ass.¡±


    ¡°What? No! I¡­¡±


    Tuk slapped his shoulder.


    ¡°Nah. He¡¯s just one of those quiet, loner types. It looks intimidating, but I think it¡¯s a sucky way to live, man. This is way better,¡± the ring tosser said.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to scare him away like that,¡± Cen chided.


    Nar stared at Cen in surprise. ¡°You too?¡±


    She blushed a deep dark gray.


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t think you were an ass, but I am glad you¡¯re opening up to us. You were a bit unapproachable.¡±


    ¡°Me? But I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming,¡± Jul said.


    The four of them looked in her direction.


    Jul was standing with Kur, a few feet away from Gad and Viy. She stared straight down the corridor, in the direction of the yellow arrows.


    Nar tilted his head and concentrated. From deep down the corridor, he caught the rushing, incoming static.


    ¡°Get ready,¡± Kur said.


    The buzzing grew towards them, and Nar thought he spotted its approach in the darkness.


    ¡°I hear it!¡± Tuk whispered.


    ¡°Why are you so happy about that?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°I want to unlock [Hearing] too!¡±


    ¡°Focus!¡± Kur snapped at them.


    Nar took a deep breath and spread his feet further apart. He half bent his knees, and tucked in his stomach so as to better receive the blow. The others tensed into similar positions, and Mul and Cen held hands.


    The raging static grew to a roaring crescendo, and Nar held his breath.


    A curtain of orange burst from the darkness and rushed at him, and Nar closed his eyes at the last moment.


    The blow pushed him back two steps.


    The air heated up to sweltering in a matter of seconds, and the temperature continued to increase. His nostrils burned, despite holding his breath, and he pressed his mouth shut harder.


    Nar willed his UI visible and watched his HP soak up the damage.


    A body slammed into him. Tall and wiry, and flailing, Tuk almost knocked them both down. For a couple of seconds, Nar grasped about in blind panic until he got both him and Tuk stable again.


    He pulled the trugger to him in a tight embrace and readied for the next part.


    As it had for the past few days, after each encounter with the weak guardians, the Pressure shifted, and bore down on top of them next. Today was no exception.


    There was a momentary sense of vertigo, of loss of any sensory input and direction, and then, the Pressure roared down on them instead.


    Nar¡¯s teeth rattled under the weight, and his eardrums vibrated under the howling downpour. Soon, his whole body shook against Tuk¡¯s.


    He thought he heard the sound of screaming from far away, but his attention was already stretched thin between trying to keep them standing, and his burning lungs.


    A few seconds later, he caved, and gulped a mouthful of fire. He tried to scream, but the Pressure silenced it in his throat.


    His UI flickered violently, his HP bar melting away under the relentless assault.


    Nar pressed his eyes harder, and closed his mouth again, fighting against the burning pain ravaging him from within.


    In about half a minute, the weight changed a smidge. It wasn''t much, but it was enough that he noticed it, and it gave him hope.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Almost!


    Slowly the Pressure eased.


    When the air felt only hot, he took another desperate breath. The worst of it was over.


    He waited a few more seconds to be safe, and finally opened his eyes.


    The corridor, and everything in it, was dyed in static orange.


    Nar lowered Tuk to the floor.


    ¡°Thanks, man,¡± he said, panting. ¡°Sorry about that. And the blood.¡±


    Nar glanced at the dark streaks on his clothes and waved it off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said. ¡°And was that approachable enough?¡±


    Tuk laughed, sending blood droplets flying from his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, man! See, isn''t it so much better?¡±


    Nar shook his head, but he laughed too.


    Blood dripped from his nose, eyes and ears, and mixed into the pouring sweat to make everything even more sticky and disgusting. His whole body thrummed and ached, and his HP had been shredded down to 78 out of 160.


    Tuk must have felt just as bad as he did, if not worse. But even spitting blood with every word, the damn trugger still managed to laugh like an idiot and make him laugh as well.


    Crystal¡­ I got to keep this guy alive, Nar thought, smiling at the laughing ring tosser at his feet.


    ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s okay,¡± Kur said.


    He smiled at Nar while wiping his ears.


    ¡°Just a bit of Pressure,¡± Tuk said, extending his arms wide. ¡°Nothing we can''t take!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know about [Hearing], but [Annoying Positivity] he has in piles,¡± Mul muttered.


    Everyone¡¯s voice sounded simultaneously right next to his ears, and as though Nar had his hands pressed against them. For his own voice, the effect was an even stronger, stranger sort of echo that reverberated inside his mind. It sounded like his own thoughts, except everyone else could hear it.


    ¡°A couple hours of this, now. It¡¯s not so bad,¡± Gad said.


    She moved her hand back and forth through the air, as if the orange color was a physical thing she could feel.


    Nar didn¡¯t really mind it. It was hot, and a bit heavy and noisy, but it was nothing compared to the Pressure they had endured during their tutorial.


    ¡°Ouch! Fuck!¡± Mul shouted.


    Well, there¡¯s that, Nar thought, watching Mul swear under his breath while he rubbed his arm.


    Around them, bright orange sparks materialized seemingly out of nowhere, and for no reason that they could explain. And if you were close enough¡­


    ¡°Yaouch! For fuck¡¯s sake!¡± Mul shouted.


    Tuk looked away, shaking.


    Nar too, pressed his lips, to kill the laughter trying to escape him.


    ¡°It''s so tiring walking in this stuff,¡± Viy said, following Gad¡¯s hand with her eyes.


    Nar mimicked Gad. They had no way to tell if the orange they were seeing was the actual Pressure, however, just like during the tutorial, Nar still felt nothing as he ran his fingers through the air.


    ¡°Jul?¡± Kur asked.


    Nar dropped his hand and looked at the scout. She focused for a few seconds, her antennae pointing this and that way.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she said.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going then,¡± Kur said. ¡°Before Mul gets zapped again.¡±


    Laughing burst across the party, and they got underway again as the brawler muttered under his breath.


    An hour or so later, Nar was awakened from his meandering thoughts by a wet, insistent sound.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°Pressure tastes like little bits left at the bottom of the pile, near the end of the season,¡± Mul said.


    Nar looked at the back of Mul¡¯s head with impressed disgust. That was some creativity. He imagined his expression was much like Cen¡¯s, as she stared at her brother tasting the air.


    ¡°Just stop it,¡± she said, with all the patience of an exhausted parent. ¡°It¡¯s annoying.¡±


    ¡°I was just curious. But I regret it now,¡± Mul said, making more smacking noises. ¡°Oooh! Maybe I should clear it up with a little something¡­¡±


    ¡°Mul! We already ate today!¡±


    ¡°That was hours ago!¡±


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just thought it would help take the mind off things, you know.¡±


    Cen stared at him, aghast. ¡°Mul! You can¡¯t just eat because you¡¯re-you¡¯re bored! What is wrong with you?¡±


    Mul looked down, dejected and Nar smothered his laughter behind his hand.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Slurp some jell-o instead.¡±


    He tutted. ¡°Fine.¡±


    Taking a deep, and shaky breath, Nar consulted his clock.


    Maybe another hour, he thought.


    The orange didn¡¯t simply disappear. The color faded away gradually, until suddenly, it wasn¡¯t there anymore.


    It was a much brighter and more vivid orange than any Nar had ever seen.


    Staring at the way the color interacted with everything, from their skin, to their clothes, and even the walls and yellow arrows, had quickly become Nar¡¯s new favorite pastime. The Pressure made the occasional painful jolt, it was more tiresome, heavy and clunky to walk in, and it made that annoying static noise that seemed to rattle inside his very brain, but at the end of it all, that color made it all worth it. He wished his dad could be there to see it.


    One day he will, he told himself.


    Ahead of him, Jul raised a hand.


    The party closed in, and weapons were pulled from inventories.


    ¡°I hear something,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Front or back?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Front.¡±


    With a start, Nar stared behind him.


    There was only empty, orange darkness.


    When was the last time I checked behind me? he thought, in a new onset of sweat. Damn it.


    Whatever was happening, it was working. He was getting distracted. Comfortable. Lost in the pretty orange, forgetting his life was on the line.


    ¡°Pressure?¡± Kur asked.


    Jul shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s different. Steady. It goes tap, tap, tap¡­¡±


    Kur could only offer her a confused look.


    ¡°Like dripping?¡± Nar asked, from the back.


    ¡°Yes! Like a dripping! Like a dripping¡­ Like back in the¡­¡±


    Her face slowly fell. Kur looked at Nar for an explanation.


    ¡°Like blood dripping. Like after the battle.¡±


    Kur¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°You mean, like someone¡¯s hurt?¡±


    ¡°Or dead?¡± Gad asked.


    Nar shrugged.


    ¡°I mean¡­ It could be something else,¡± he said.


    Jul shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ It sounds the same as back then.¡±


    Nar grimaced. When he had been left behind waiting for Gad, Mul and Tuk to come back for him and Viy, there had been nothing but death surrounding him. And a lot of stuff had been dripping and leaking. Even now, he could still remember the soft, rhythmic tap of blood dripping down a cannibal¡¯s hand, right next to where he had sat.


    ¡°Anything on [Instinct]?¡± Kur asked Jul.


    Again, she shook her head.


    ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s just go check it out, then. In formation.¡±


    Much more alert than before, Nar kept a proper watch over their backs, and a few minutes later, he too heard the sound.


    ¡°Definitely dripping,¡± he said to the party. ¡°And more than one.¡±


    ¡°Could just be some harmless liquid,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°You¡¯re a harmless liquid,¡± Mul muttered.


    ¡°Lame.¡±


    ¡°People, come on,¡± Kur said. ¡°Focus.¡±


    They crept along the corridor.


    Nar¡¯s heart thumped in his chest with anticipation.


    He checked behind his shoulder every few steps. His [Instinct] may be silent, but having a whole new sixth sense was still strange and unfamiliar to him. He didn¡¯t fully trust it yet, despite it saving his life more times than he could count, and was not even quite sure he understood how it actually worked.


    ¡°I see them,¡± Jul said. ¡°Bodies, I think. Maybe twenty of them.¡±


    ¡°[Instinct] still good?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Gad.¡±


    They followed after the tank, covered behind her shield and presence.


    The last couple of feet stretched before them. The orange tinted arrows peeled layer after layer of darkness, until finally, Nar spotted the first foot. Then the leg attached to it. And finally, the body collapsed against the wall.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Mul whispered, when they stood in full view of the scene.


    Nineteen corpses were strewn around the tunnel.


    Blood dripped from the ceiling, onto the pool that soaked the floor in between the dead.


    It was like a repeat of that purple room, after the battle. Except that now the severed limbs, heads and spilled guts were colored orange instead. Nar couldn¡¯t decide which looked worse.


    Gad guided them closer.


    ¡°They¡¯re all bone weapons,¡± she said.


    ¡°So, they¡¯re all cannibals?¡± Viy asked.


    ¡°They look the part,¡± Mul said. ¡°What are they even wearing? Is that skin?¡±


    Tuk breathed out slowly.


    ¡°I¡¯m so tired of this stuff,¡± he said, looking up.


    Nar patted his back.


    ¡°Whoever did this was angry,¡± Kur said.


    He had leaned down to inspect two of the bodies, dropped on top of each other.


    ¡°Look! This guy has barely any face left!¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡±, Cen whispered.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t describe it,¡± Tuk begged.


    ¡°Must have been some pissed off Climbers,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°Why Climbers?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°Who else?¡± the brawler shrugged.


    ¡°The blood is still dripping,¡± the tank said, looking up at the stained ceiling. ¡°That¡¯s telling.¡±


    ¡°Telling of what?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°Also, they¡¯re still warm,¡± Kur informed them.


    Tuk retched.


    ¡°Crystal, why are you touching it?¡± Viy asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s important to know.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Mul pressed, beating Viy to it.


    ¡°Because it means whatever happened, it was recent,¡± Gad said. ¡°And we were the first ones to leave the cubeplant, remember?¡±


    Nobody spoke for several seconds.


    ¡°There are probably a lot more Climbers out there,¡± Mul ventured.


    ¡°Oh, for sure. And we all know by now that these walls can move in every way possible,¡± Kur said. ¡°But the possibility is there, that someone, or most likely something else, did this.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say it like that,¡± Cen said. She was looking at Jul, who was quietly trembling.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Mul sighed. ¡°Well, it was good while it lasted. Shit¡¯s getting interesting again.¡±


    ¡°Can we go now?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Is it worth searching them?¡± Gad asked instead.


    Kur scanned the bodies.


    ¡°If we had space in our storage, I¡¯d say to grab one of those daggers each. It could be handy. But as it stands, our food and gear are more important. And I doubt there¡¯s anything else of worth in them.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go,¡± Kur decided, to Tuk and Jul¡¯s great relief. ¡°No point in staying here.¡±


    They quickly left the bloody scene behind them.


    Long minutes of silence later, Jul stopped them again.


    ¡°I-I hear it again!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°What in the new pile is going on now?¡± Mul muttered.


    They ran forward this time, propelled by both dread and curiosity, and a few minutes later, they stood before another scene of carnage.


    ¡°How many are there?¡± Viy asked.


    The corridor was packed with dead bodies, and at the edge of his [Sight], Nar saw that they continued on into the darkness.


    ¡°There is more,¡± he said. ¡°Beyond.¡±


    Kur bent down and touched the neck of one of the cannibals.


    ¡°By the Crystal!¡± Kur said. ¡°It¡¯s warm too!¡±


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± Gad muttered to herself.


    She was still standing at attention, holding her shield against the darkness. Viy stood behind her, with her spear at the ready. That reminded Nar of his own role, and he turned to face the way they had come from.


    ¡°This looks brutal,¡± Mul said, following a particularly nasty splatter up the wall and into the ceiling.


    ¡°More than the battle?¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°That was a mess,¡± Mul conceded. ¡°But that guy there, I doubt he was still alive when he was gutted like that. And look at his arms. His face. His legs! Everything is shredded to bits! They could have just stabbed him and left it at that. There was no need to slice him up like that!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Crystal¡­¡± Tuk said, covering his mouth.


    There was something morbidly irresistible about the bodies. Nar both wanted to gouge out his eyes to block the stream of images of flesh and blood, but at the same time, he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off of it.


    ¡°We should go,¡± Gad said. ¡°Who or whatever did this may still be around.¡±


    ¡°We don''t know from which direction they came from. Or went,¡± Kur said. ¡°But I agree.¡±


    He patted Jul¡¯s back. Once.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    She swallowed. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We need your senses at their max for this. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. And as always, tell me when you reach half your stamina,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She looked back at Nar, and he gave her a nod. She flashed him a brief smile and closed her eyes.


    Nar took the sword with his left hand and cracked his right wrist, grimacing at the carnage around him.


    Jul gasped.


    ¡°There¡¯s so many¡­¡± she said, staring straight ahead.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to get through them quickly, but carefully,¡± Kur said. ¡°Nar, you save your stamina for now. Jul will cover us. But keep an eye behind us, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Nar said, and pulled back his senses to him.


    The minutes passed, and still more and more corpses were revealed.


    It¡¯s like being back there, Nar thought, unable to keep his eyes off the gore. What could have done something like this?


    He glanced at his sword.


    It¡¯s sharp enough, from what I remember.


    The images of his own cannibal killings would be forever etched into his mind, and he would never forget the sensation of his blade easily parting through flesh and bone.


    However, the way these cannibals had been cut seemed way beyond that.


    I don¡¯t think I could do it. It looks sharper, I think¡­


    Body after body went by.


    There had to be hundreds of them by now. If not more.


    Wait! Is that¡­


    He bent down near a trio of corpses to take a closer look.


    What had drawn his attention was buried under the two other corpses. He swallowed and reached in, to pull out the dead hand of the arm that had drawn his attention.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    More than warm, it was still sweaty.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tuk asked, mortified.


    Nar didn¡¯t need to look at him to know what kind of face he was making.


    ¡°There¡¯s something here,¡± Nar said.


    He tugged on the hand and the bodies jiggled.


    Tuk covered his mouth and looked away.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Come look.¡±


    Kur dropped down next to him, and the whole party gathered around the two of them.


    ¡°Do you see these cuts?¡± Nar asked.


    He pointed at a series of crisscrossing, fine lines of red that covered the cannibal¡¯s forearm.


    ¡°I do. What about them?¡±


    ¡°A guardian did that,¡± Nar revealed.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Kur asked.


    Nar lifted his own arm in front of his face.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a shield!¡± Gad said. ¡°You get cut all the time. It¡¯s why you keep your sleeves up!¡±


    Nar stared at her. It was one thing for her to infer the cuts. She was a tank. Out of everyone in the party, she was the one who best understood what he went through. But to notice the sleeves too?


    What else has she noticed? he wondered, trying to keep his face neutral.


    ¡°Not to doubt you, but are you sure?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been getting cut exactly like this for months now. I¡¯m sure,¡± Nar said, looking away from Gad.


    ¡°So, the guardians are the ones killing the cannibals?¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°Cleaning up?¡± Mul suggested. ¡°I mean, we all know they are Climbers who failed, the ones who go mad from the Pressure. Maybe the System cleans them up, once in a while.¡±


    ¡°The System opens the Doors when a cubeplant fails their quota,¡± Nar said. ¡°The cannibals are the Crystal¡¯s punishment. Why would the guardians clean them up?¡±


    Mul shrugged. ¡°Maybe there were too many?¡±


    Nar let go of the arm, and it plopped uselessly on the floor.


    He wasn¡¯t convinced. The Climb was all about suffering, and the opening of the Doors was about punishment. Why would the Crystal remove something that was a crucial source of both? And why would it even care to do so? What did it matter to the Crystal, that hordes of cannibals roamed the darkness of the B-Nex?


    No, that made no sense.


    ¡°This could explain why the guardians have been so weak,¡± Tuk said, suddenly. His voice was low and hoarse, and almost blended in with the constant static around them.


    ¡°Crystal! You¡¯re right!¡± Gad said. ¡°They¡¯re meant for the cannibals! Not us!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°We killed them so easily,¡± Cen said in a thoughtful tone. ¡°But for these cannibals, they¡¯re enough. Maybe we just got caught in the middle of it. The question is, how much longer will this last, and how, and if, it''s affecting our path.¡±


    ¡°You mean it could be moving us around it?¡± Kur asked. ¡°Taking a longer path around?¡±


    ¡°That, or it could be taking us right into it. We¡¯d be the perfect tools for the job, as we saw in that battle for the cubeplant,¡± Cen said. ¡°Cannibals have the numbers, but we have the System.¡±


    ¡°We would kill them all,¡± Mul said, his eyes set deep. ¡°Easily. Vomit guy alone would be enough. His rings would kill them all before they even reached us, in a corridor like this.¡±


    Nar considered the pile of bodies again. He would never forget just how easy it had been to cut them down by the dozen.


    ¡°But then,¡± Cen said, frowning. ¡°If these guardians aren¡¯t meant for us, where are the ones that are?¡±

 Chapter 45 - Are we doing it?

    Soon, they found another batch of corpses. And another, right after it.


    The Pressure had long faded away, taking its orange, weight and heat with it, but they were still finding more dead cannibals.


    They walked well into the night, past what had to be at least a couple thousand corpses.


    Kur kept them going, hoping that at some point they would hit clear corridors again.


    Instead, he eventually had to give up.


    Jul, now only using her full range of senses in short bursts, informed him that there were more bodies coming up ahead. Beyond that, she couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you. I think we need to give up. Here¡¯s as good as anywhere.¡±


    They settled down for the night, in that small stretch in between corpses. There was no smell, somehow, and the darkness covered the horrors they had been walking through all day.


    Nobody ate that night. Not even Mul.


    However, there was no killing the spark of joy in Tuk.


    ¡°Are we doing it?¡± Tuk asked.


    He and Cen were sitting together, and his eyes shone with anticipation.


    Can¡¯t put a damper on that man, Nar though, with a small smile.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t doing anything,¡± Cen said, trying and failing not to smile. ¡°I am. You¡¯re just watching. And yes, I¡¯m doing it. How can I say no to those eyes?¡±


    ¡°Yay! Go on then!¡± Tuk urged her.


    Cen grabbed her staff and propped it between her legs.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m starting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be quiet!¡±


    Nar, despite himself, watched her closely.


    She closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath.


    She continued to breathe deeply, still holding her staff upright.


    After about a minute or two, she frowned.


    At the tip of her staff, a small, hazy light came into being.


    Tuk mouthed a ¡°wow¡± and looked around.


    The light was smaller than the nail on his pinky, but Nar couldn¡¯t look directly at it. It seared his retinas, leaving a burning impression after it.


    The darkness on either side of the corridor receded, and faint circular shapes danced slowly across the walls and ceiling.


    Cen cracked an eye open and laughed at Tuk¡¯s marveled expression.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen it so many times already!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Tuk breathed. ¡°I can never have enough of it¡­¡±


    It is beautiful. And powerful. A light that burns my eyes. If only it was magic, Nar thought.


    Cen grinned at Tuk and closed her eye again.


    She resumed her measured breaths, and slowly, the light atop the staff grew.


    By now, the rest of the party was also staring at the lights playing across the walls and ceiling.


    Cen had surprised them two days after the battle for the cubeplant, by announcing she wanted to practice her [Aura]. Not her skill, [Aura Projectile], but her [Aura] itself. She had asked Kur¡¯s permission to do it, and for the party¡¯s trust. She wanted to figure something out, but she couldn¡¯t tell them yet. Partly because, as she put it herself, she had no idea exactly what she was looking for, only that she felt something in her gut.


    ¡°I won¡¯t stop you,¡± Kur had said. ¡°But are you sure you want to do it? If it''s for us¡­¡±


    ¡°No, this is for me,¡± Cen replied. ¡°And yes, I¡¯m sure. I just need to check something.¡±


    ¡°Then, go ahead. Be careful though,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°I will!¡±


    Nar had wanted to stop her. In fact, the words had almost left his mouth.


    The more she messed with it, the worse she ruined her future chances of getting magic and real power. He understood the temptation. [Aura] was right there, and right now. It was real, and it had kept them alive, and they would for sure need it again.


    However, a part of him was happy that it was Cen, and not him that was the sacrifice. The thought shamed him, and it dredged up unresolved and buried feelings.


    He had not forgotten how he had risked his life for Viy during the battle. That had not been the first time he had placed himself in danger for the party, but it had been by far the worst. And he hadn''t done it as a tank.


    He couldn¡¯t deny that he didn¡¯t regret saving Viy. Neither could he lie to himself any longer, that he had growing feelings for the party. However, he was still not able to put to rest his dilemma. The party, or his dad, if push came to shove, which one did he need to prioritize?


    As the Climb continued, as they faced death and struggled side by side, the more the lines blurred between Climbers and something more. And he did not want Cen to sacrifice herself for him. He wanted her to find the magic she dreamed of, just like him. However, there was no denying that they needed her [Aura]. So what should he do?


    He had already decided that like Kur, should anything happen to Cen¡¯s path, he too would watch over her for the rest of his life. He would pay his debt to her, for opening their way to the surface.


    However, that resolution had not gone down right with him. It didn¡¯t feel right to sacrifice anyone, for anybody else. Why should Cen have to do it, why should she let go of her dreams, for theirs?


    And now this? Why? Why was she doing it? Was it out of duty for the part? Was it out of guilt, for keeping it a secret?


    In the end, Mul was the only one that had tried to dissuade his sister, but Cen had refused to budge.


    ¡°Please trust me,¡± she had asked him. ¡°I need to do this.¡±


    And so she had.


    That first night, when Cen first tried it, nothing had happened. Neither did anything happen on the second night, or the third. But on the fourth, she succeeded, her light waking them to varying states of confusion and fright.


    From then on, she had managed to summon her [Aura] every night. And every night, Tuk and Nar watched her practice. One with open wonder in his eyes, the other, keeping it within, and burning with shame and guilt.


    Now, she could call the light at will. She could make it bigger or smaller. And for the most part, that was all she did for her practice.


    ¡°How does it feel?¡± Tuk whispered.


    ¡°Still like I¡¯m going to be sick,¡± Cen said, with a strained voice. ¡°It hurts so bad.¡±


    Nar pressed his lips, and pried his eyes from the display of light dancing across the ceiling, looking at the caster instead.


    Beads of sweat ran down her pale complexion, and the staff shook in her hands.


    It¡¯s impossible, Nar thought. It¡¯s a curse, and that¡¯s what it will always be.


    Both he and Tuk, and by now the rest of the party, had guessed at her goal. Cen wanted to figure out a way to use her [Aura] without all the punishment that came with it.


    When pressed about it, she had refused to explain her reasoning, or her logic.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    It made no sense. Why did she even think it was possible to turn their curse into¡­ Into what? Nar didn¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t understand. Why was she going to the trouble? Through the pain?


    Why? he thought, staring at Cen. What is the point of doing this to yourself? Just use it when it''s needed, and don¡¯t touch it! Why do you risk your magic for this¡­ This thing?


    And yet, she insisted on it. No matter what they said, no matter how much Mul begged her to stop, she kept going. It made no sense at all.


    ¡°Maybe stop here for tonight?¡± Tuk asked, grimacing at the thin line of blood that had leaked out of her nostril. ¡°You can try again tomorrow?¡±


    Cen shook her head and wiped her nose. The trugger fell silent, respecting her will and endurance.


    Nar shook his head, and looked away, unable to watch her suffer.


    The minutes dragged by, slowly, just like the shifting shapes of light on the ceiling and walls.


    Looking away from Cen, but hearing her struggle, Nar couldn¡¯t help but ball his hands into tight, trembling fists.


    Why was she doing this?


    And why was he not stopping her?


    ********


    Nar woke up tired.


    His night had been filled by dreams of hordes of cannibals and massive gray explosions. Amidst it all, Cen had been crying, sobbing, as blood poured from her eyes, ears and nose.


    He sat up, and sighed, covering his eyes with his hand for a moment.


    What am I supposed to do?


    He shook his head, and rubbed his eyes.


    It was still early, and he returned the wave Gad gave him, from where she and Mul were sitting on watch. There was still an hour to go before wake up time, and he doubted he would be able to fall asleep again. So instead, he offered to take one of their spots on the last watch before the day started.


    Mul insisted that Gad go rest, and she hadn¡¯t managed to put up much resistance to it.


    Nar didn¡¯t move from his spot as she lay down, and Mul didn¡¯t ask him to join him. Each of them brooded their own separate thoughts.


    That hour felt endless, and Nar was already standing by the time Kur started waking up people.


    He heard stomachs gurgling with their newfound and still shocking hunger, but nobody ate. And they were quickly on their way.


    The day was filled with more corpses, further darkening his mood.


    Now that he knew it was there, Nar saw the signature forearm slashes everywhere. The cannibals, with their little daggers, hadn''t stood a chance against the guardians.


    A few hours later, the Pressure took them by surprise. They had not been attacked yet.


    ¡°It changed!¡± Tuk said, in his muted voice.


    The party stood in the orange, confused by the sudden change in the pattern.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming now!¡± Jul suddenly shouted. ¡°From the front!¡±


    Nar enhanced his ears and heard them straightaway through the static.


    ¡°I''m down to 40 HP!¡± Viy said, her eyes wide.


    But there was no time. Two guardians emerged from the darkness.


    And there they stood.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t they attacking?¡± Mul whispered.


    ¡°Kur?¡± Gad asked, standing between them and the party.


    ¡°Wait! I want to see what they do.¡±


    It was impossible to tell their intentions. The things didn¡¯t even have eyes.


    Suddenly, a spasm went through them. They crumbled into balls and rolled backwards at speed.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Kur said. ¡°After them!¡±


    They scrambled after the two fleeing guardians. The two rolling tangles of limbs kept just within sight, but the party wasn''t fast enough to catch up to them.


    They are leading us somewhere! Nar thought.


    ¡°Kur!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°I know! But what else can we do?¡± Kur replied


    Nar clenched his jaw and didn¡¯t reply. Kur was right. The path pointed only one way, and if they left those things unchecked, there was no telling what could happen. The best they could do was be ready for anything.


    ¡°More bodies!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°And something else. Something big!¡±


    ¡°Formation!¡± Kur yelled.


    The bodies came into sight a minute later. With them, was something else.


    Its body alone was twice the size of Nar¡¯s torso. It was covered with circular metallic plates, and its thick limbs were spread from ceiling to walls to floor, blocking their passage.


    The two smaller guardians rolled right under it.


    The new, massive guardian, however, remained motionless.


    ¡°What in the pile is that thing?¡± Mul shouted.


    They slowed to a halt a few steps from it.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look weak,¡± Gad said. ¡°Look at all that armor.¡±


    ¡°And look at those things!¡± Mul cried. ¡°They¡¯re thicker than my legs!¡±


    Gad approached the guardian, her shield covering her body. Still, it didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Kur?¡± she asked.


    The party leader shook his head. ¡°The path points forward¡­¡±


    Gad nodded.


    Nar licked his lips and looked behind him. Was this it? Was this the trap? The obstacle they needed to overcome before they could level up again?


    That guardian was unlike any they had faced. There was no doubt in his mind that this guardian was the real deal. Nothing like the weak guardians they had been mowing through with impunity over the past two weeks.


    Gad took another step forward, her shield raised high to cover her.


    Tuk swallowed hard. ¡°Why is it not¡­¡±


    Nar heard the whistling, but it was too late. Something thumped into Tuk, forcing him a few steps back.


    ¡°Ow?¡± Tuk mumbled.


    The something protruded from his left shoulder, and he pulled it out with a grimace. The word ¡°bolt¡± flashed through Nar¡¯s mind.


    ¡°What in the pile?¡± Tuk whispered.


    His eyes rolled up and he collapsed on top of the bodies.


    Nar was there before anyone else.


    He checked that Tuk was still breathing, then lifted his hand to see what had hit him. It was a projectile of some kind, that new bolt thing. It was a muted dark gray and it was longer than his hand, ending in a wicked sharp tip.


    From that tip, something glistened. A dark, almost black, viscosity of some kind.


    ¡°It¡¯s poison!¡± he shouted.


    In a sudden whip of arms and blades, the big guardian lashed at Gad¡¯s shield with booming viciousness. The blows forced the tank to step back through the treacherous corpse filled floor.


    Nar heard more whistles fly from the darkness behind the big guardian.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± he shouted.


    The bolts missed Gad and Viy by a hair''s breadth. Mul and Cen, with their height, were safe, and so was Nar, kneeling over Tuk. As for Kur, Jul had pulled him down before Nar had even opened his mouth.


    ¡°Is he alive?¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°He¡¯s breathing!¡±


    ¡°Do I use my skill?¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°Not yet!¡± Kur said. ¡°Nar, can you stop those things?¡±


    Can I stop¡­ Why don¡¯t you just let her blast the damn things?


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I can try?¡± he ventured.


    ¡°Good! If it''s safe, get behind the big guardian and stop those things, then!¡± Kur told him.


    ¡°I have aggro!¡± Gad shouted.


    Ahhh! Crystal damn it!


    What was the point of having Cen¡¯s skill if not for situations such as those?


    However, he got up, and sprinted over the corpses, tripping three times on his way to Gad.


    His [Instinct] flared and he was just in time to lift his sword to cover his face. He felt and heard the impact rather than saw it. With their dark color, the bolts blended in perfectly with the darkness.


    Still, he had managed to block it.


    Uh. Maybe I can stop them.


    ¡°On your right!¡± he shouted.


    Mul pulled back, jumping behind Gad, and left him an opening through which Nar sprinted through.


    He held his sword and forearm up to cover his face and ran through the flurry of limbs pounding down on Gad''s shield.


    Pain exploded on his left elbow, and he cried out. The guardian had accidentally clipped him.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± he grunted.


    Not.


    He tucked his arm against his chest and sucked in air. He wasn¡¯t getting any use out of it for the remainder of that fight.


    A quick glance told him his HP, already battered by the Pressure, stood at 83. How much had that glancing blow taken from his HP?


    Nar watched the raging guardian wearily.


    He didn''t dare get too far from the party, as there were still at least two guardians hiding in the dark. But this close to that big thing, if it suddenly decided to attack him, he might not be able to do anything about it. His head, neck and back, all critical damage areas, would be wide open. And if a glancing blow had incapacitated his entire arm, he dreaded to think what a full on, intentional, direct hit would do to him.


    He sensed another volley, and a split second later he heard it.


    He reacted on instinct, and got out of the way.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Kur shouted, as they got pelted.


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t ready! You come here and do it!


    Marshaling his resolve, Nar stepped back into the middle of the corridor. He glanced at the big guardian behind him again, and decided he would have to just leave it to Gad. Hope she kept that thing¡¯s aggro on her.


    Should have just let Cen do it¡­


    He shook the thought away with an angry grunt.


    Stop it! Enough of that!


    He needed to fight and earn his own damn gains. Not hide behind Cen¡¯s sacrifice.


    He lifted his sword and pushed all thoughts away.


    A few seconds later, he sensed the attack again. Multiple poisonous bolts flew towards him and the party.


    Uh¡­


    He twisted his wrist at the last minute, adjusting the sword a smudged to the right and angling it a few degrees further. One after the other, he was rewarded by the clear ring that two of the bolts made against his blade. But beyond that, he had simply stood there like an idiot, and the rest of the volley had gone on towards the party, unimpeded.


    There were multiple projectiles! And coming at different times! How was he supposed to block them all?


    First of all, he had a sword, not a shield. His weapon was thicker and longer than a normal sword, but it still didn¡¯t offer the coverage of a shield.


    Another volley shot his way, and again he stood glued in place. He blocked the single bolt aimed at him, but all the others flew past him.


    Behind him, Gad grunted. In pain or surprise, he couldn¡¯t tell.


    Focus, Nar, focus!


    He spaced out his feet further apart and tried to loosen his shoulders.


    What am I missing? I have a sword, but what I need is a shield!


    Another volley. This time he blocked two again. From behind, he heard Jul warning the others of the incoming attack.


    Come on, think! Think! Think! Think! I have a sword. I need a shield. Think!


    Those two thoughts seemed important. He held onto them. Juggled them. Threw them and bounced them around his head.


    Sword. Shield. Sword. Shield.


    Another volley came towards him. This time, there were no bolts directly headed for him. He stepped to the side and swung down his sword, managing to clip one of them out of control. It clanged harmlessly against the wall and the floor.


    That¡¯s it! It¡¯s the same thing again. I don¡¯t have a spear. I don¡¯t have a shield. I have a sword!


    He took a deep breath.


    I¡¯m not a tank like Gad. She stays still, she braces for impact and takes it on her shield. I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m not a normal tank. I have a sword. A sword needs to move. Otherwise, it''s just a useless lump of metal. I can¡¯t block the attacks. I need to get to them! I need to attack them!


    He changed his stance at the last minute. A volley was already in the air.


    In that moment between heartbeats, he sensed the danger and swung his sword. It was a diagonal rising slash.


    He hit two, but more went by. He spun on his heel and brought the sword down on the other side, aiming at another. However, his sword bit only air.


    Damn it!


    But it felt like progress. Now he just needed to get better. Try again. It felt like he was onto something.


    Is this it? Is this what I¡¯ve been doing wrong all this time? Is this what Kur meant?


    [Instinct] roared from behind him.


    It was too late. Nar was in between steps. All he could do was twist his torso.


    The blow caught him on the shoulder instead of his spine. It lifted him off his feet and crashed him against the wall.


    Everything went orange, and a high-pitched tinnitus stole the sound from the world.


    Lights flashed before his eyes, dispelling the orange with gray, but everything was blurry.


    Shockwaves rocked his body, and he tumbled onto the embracing softness of oblivion.

 Chapter 46 - Limits Reached

    Voices floated around him.


    ¡°Nar!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over¡­


    ¡°We need to¡­¡±


    Nar groaned and opened his eyes.


    His shoulder screamed and a whimper escaped his lips.


    ¡°Nar?¡± a voice asked. ¡°Nar¡¯s awake!¡±


    Nar¡­


    Nar¡¯s¡­


    Awake¡­


    The words rattled around his brain, like loose shards of aetherium, and he squinted hard against the raging pain.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look good,¡± the voice said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good sign he¡¯s awake though, right?¡±


    ¡°I hope so. May the Crystal have mercy on us.¡±


    ¡°I hear them coming again!¡±


    ¡°Cen!¡±


    The world disappeared in a bright gray flash.


    *********


    The man¡¯s breath stank. He tried to get away, to escape from the vice-like grip he had on his collar. All he managed was to wriggle pathetically.


    The man laughed and pulled him by the hair, forcing him to look up into those searing eyes¡­


    Nar gasped awake.


    ¡°Nar!¡±


    A hand landed on his shoulder, and he flinched.


    ¡°Shhh. It¡¯s just me,¡± Cen said. ¡°Calm down. Everything¡¯s okay.¡±


    The remnants of his nightmare blurred Cen¡¯s face. He could still smell the man¡¯s breath on his face.


    ¡°Cen?¡±


    His heartbeat pounded in his chest, loud in the silence that surrounded him. Her name had come to the fore of the labyrinthine, shattered haziness that was his mind, but he still saw another face over hers.


    ¡­ you know what you gotta do.


    ¡°Cen?¡± he asked again.


    A line of warmth ran down his cheek.


    Small, tender arms closed around his head. She made a gentle hushing that gently enveloped his scattered thoughts. She rocked him back and forth, combing his hair. Slowly, the nightmare that still clung to his consciousness faded to the back of his mind, and he pieced together the sense of who he was. And where.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Cen,¡± he whispered.


    She let go of him slowly. Carefully.


    ¡°That was some nightmare,¡± she said. ¡°Nightmares. You¡¯ve been having them non-stop.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°And you always talk, but I can¡¯t really understand any of it.¡±


    Thank the Crystal¡­


    ¡°Do you¡­ Want to talk about it?¡± she asked him.


    Nar closed his eyes and shook his head.


    Never.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here if you ever want to, you know, talk.¡±


    Nar looked at her, and his throat tightened. How could he allow her to sacrifice herself for him? For his dad? It didn¡¯t feel right. Debt or not debt, Clean or Unclean, it just didn¡¯t feel right.


    She smiled at him, not knowing the thoughts running rampant through his mind, nor the guilt tightening around his heart.


    ¡°How are you feeling? Do you remember what happened?¡± she asked him.


    Nar looked away.


    ¡°Bits. I remember the poisoned bolts, and then I got hit. I tried to dodge, but it was too late.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That was horrible to see,¡± she said, her eyes glistening. ¡°I thought you were dead.¡±


    Nar nodded.


    ¡°And then¡­ You used your skill, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I had to,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Was it bad?¡±


    ¡°We almost got wiped,¡± she said. ¡°Tuk stayed down. Viy was hit on her stomach and passed out. Kur tried to take her place as DPS, and told me to charge my skill. But he was hit before he even made it there, and that same volley got Gad too. It was only a scratch, but it was enough to get the poison in her¡­ It made her slower, and the big guardian whacked her on the face. Then, it got to you. By then, it was only me, Mul and Jul left. I just¡­ I had to end it.¡±


    Nar groaned and closed his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was my fault. They were so fast¡­¡± he said. ¡°I was starting to get somewhere in the end, but¡­ I failed. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry you had to use it!¡±


    She touched a hand to his cheek.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± she said. ¡°We always ask the impossible of you, and you always get it done. I need to contribute something as well.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do shit! And Cen, you have to stop! You can¡¯t keep using your [Aura] like that! Your magic¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhh. That¡¯s my choice.¡±


    ¡°No! You¡¯re sacrificing everything for us! It¡¯s not right!¡±


    She covered his mouth with a tiny hand, silencing him.


    ¡°Nar, it¡¯s my choice,¡± she said. ¡°Mine, and mine alone. It¡¯s not for you to decide what I do. And I am doing this for myself, not for you guys. You don¡¯t need to feel bad about it.¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    Tears shone in his eyes. ¡°But I do¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I¡¯m doing this for myself.¡±


    ¡°But why? Why are you risking your magic?¡±


    She pursed her lips. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you yet. I hope I can soon. Just don¡¯t worry about it, okay?¡±


    Nar took a deep shaky breath.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try again. I¡¯ll get better,¡± he whispered. ¡°I won¡¯t rely on you. I won¡¯t force you to use it.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°I know you can do it. And don¡¯t beat yourself up over it either. It was your first time, and to be fair, it sounds like something impossible to even attempt. But if anyone can do it, I know you can.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you down again.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Nar! You never did. And let go of your guilt. Using [Aura] is my choice, alright?¡± she said.


    Nar looked away.


    His mind swirled in chaos. He didn¡¯t know what was happening anymore, what he was feeling or saying anymore. He just felt like a failure, and he couldn¡¯t let Cen sacrifice herself anymore.


    ¡°Nar, I¡¯m doing this for myself,¡± she said. ¡°It might help you. In fact, I really hope it will, but it''s for myself that I¡¯m doing this, okay? So don¡¯t feel bad.¡±


    Nar nodded slowly. His thoughts were blown to bits. He didn¡¯t know what to think anymore.


    ¡°Come on, you should sleep some more. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re fully healed yet.¡±


    He allowed her to gently lay him back down, and she rearranged the bundle of clothes under his head.


    ¡°What happened to the others?¡± he suddenly remembered. For some reason, he didn¡¯t remember seeing anything of their surroundings.


    The floor underneath him swayed, and Cen¡¯s head blurred above him.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let anything happen to any of you.¡±


    ¡°But Cen¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhhhh.¡±


    She passed a hand over his hair, and soon, despite his best effort, the Nexus spiraled back into oblivion.


    ********


    When next he came to, it was peacefully, without any nightmares chasing after him.


    Cen¡¯s head poked above his, and she smiled at him.


    ¡°You look better,¡± she said.


    Nar nodded, breathing deeply. ¡°I feel better. Thank you, for everything. I remember¡­¡±


    She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Nar tightened his hands into fists, then let go.


    ¡°Do you really want to do it? Is it really for yourself?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°I do. And yes, it is.¡±


    Nar sighed.


    ¡°Okay¡­ I won¡¯t say anything then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    And that was that. He had said his piece. Now, it was up to her and her own decision. He could not force her hand, nor build her path for her. All he could do was not hide behind her, and do his best so that she would not be forced to use her [Aura] due to his failings.


    Nar passed a hand over his hair, and looked around him.


    There were no corpses in sight, which meant that the party had moved, dragging him along with them. But as for their surroundings, it looked like it was still the same corridor.


    ¡°How¡¯s everyone?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Getting there, I think,¡± Cen said.


    Tuk was asleep next to him, and past him, Mul stood watch over Kur. Their leader shifted in an uneasy slumber, moaning and muttering, and his brow glistened in the soft glow of the yellow arrows.


    ¡°Glad to have you back,¡± Mul said. ¡°How¡¯s the shoulder?¡±


    Nar raised his right arm gently, and gave it a few rotations.


    ¡°Sore. Stiff. Kinda numb. But it''s still there,¡± he said with a grimace. ¡°How is he?¡±


    ¡°As well as he can be, after getting a hole stabbed through his chest,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    And all because he hadn¡¯t stopped those bolts.


    ¡°You can see it¡¯s closed off. But that fucker was an inch thick! Crystal knows how much damage is still under there¡­¡± Mul said.


    Above his shoulder, Nar saw Gad¡¯s back. Viy¡¯s legs poked out from behind Mul, and Jul''s hair was just visible past Gad¡¯s shoulder.


    He could hear Gad whispering something, probably to Viy, but he couldn¡¯t see how the spear wielder was doing.


    ¡°Am I the first one up?¡±


    Mul nodded. ¡°No surprise there. You got whacked hard, but it¡¯s not the same as being stabbed with whatever this stuff is.¡±


    ¡°Mul!¡±


    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t mean anything by it! I was just saying it was not as bad!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Nar said, patting Cen¡¯s back. ¡°He¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I know I am! Plus, you got that tank [Constitution]! How much is it by now?¡± Mul asked him.


    Nar grimaced. ¡°16.¡±


    ¡°16?¡± Mul shouted. ¡°I got 8. 8!¡±


    ¡°I only have 6,¡± Cen whispered.


    ¡°Maybe that blow was harder than I thought,¡± Mul said, eyeing Nar. ¡°How¡¯s your HP doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t checked.¡±


    Nar pulled up his UI.


    ¡°46. But my stamina¡­ It¡¯s at 15?¡±


    ¡°Still? From healing you?¡± Mul asked. ¡°You¡¯ve been sleeping for three days already.¡±


    ¡°Three days? And we didn¡¯t get attacked?¡±


    ¡°We did,¡± Cen said.


    Mul squeezed her shoulder. ¡°Cen took care of it.¡±


    Nar pursed his lips.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. The party needs me, now. And I need to survive too, you know?¡± Cen told him.


    Nar nodded. It was hard to take, no matter how right she was.


    He noticed his notifications icon flashing.


    ¡°Did we level up?¡± he asked.


    Mul shook his head. ¡°Still nothing.¡±


    ¡°So that wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s been more of those armored guardians. They¡¯re soldiers, like the ones we fought before, but these are rank 2. And the ones that shoot the poisoned bolts are called poisoners. They show up every day, in different combinations. But there¡¯s always at least one soldier and one poisoner.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Nar breathed. ¡°Every day? Shit. Oh! What about the Pressure?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gone,¡± Mul said with a shrug. ¡°It hasn¡¯t happened ever since that first fight.¡±


    Nar sagged. ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s good.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to imagine what would have happened to them, injured as they were, if the Pressure had continued to happen. More than likely, it would have killed them.


    ¡°Go on, rest for now,¡± Cen said. ¡°Eat. We¡¯re on the lookout, and you won¡¯t have to fight for now. We decided that I would deal with it until everyone is back on their feet. No use in risking our lives.¡±


    Nar clenched his jaw, and nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The two of them left him be, and Nar checked his notifications.


    As expected, most of them were just detailing his experience gains, and he learned that there had been a third type of guardians, called attendants.


    Are those the ones that ran away? he mused. What even is an attendant?


    Like Mul had told him, there were no level ups. However, the last notification froze his breath in his throat.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Warning!


    You have accrued critical damage!


    Your HP is at 0!


    You are not covered!


    Exit combat immediately!


    Any further damage may lead to death!


    Prioritizing HP recovery.


    Re-routing all stamina into HP.


    Re-routing all stamina recovery into HP.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Crystal!¡± he couldn¡¯t help muttering.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°My HP¡­ It went down to zero!¡±


    Mul dropped his jaw.


    ¡°It what? How much was it at? Do you remember?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°It was at more than half!¡±


    ¡°More than¡­ Are-are you sure? That¡¯s-that¡¯s¡­¡±


    The brawler looked shocked.


    ¡°That would¡¯ve killed me,¡± he whispered. ¡°I-I¡­ I couldn¡¯t have taken a hit like that¡­¡±


    Nar passed a hand over his hair, looking just as shocked as the lengos.


    Zero?


    He had almost died. He hadn¡¯t been covered. If that thing had hit him again¡­ That would¡¯ve been the end.


    And all because he had failed to stop those bolts.


    He couldn¡¯t blame Kur for choosing not to let Cen use her skill. It wasn¡¯t fair on her, and they couldn¡¯t just Climb like that, hiding behind her.


    No. It had been his fault.


    Once again, he had been central to the party¡¯s strategy and fight, and he had let them down.


    It was pathetic.


    He had done nothing but been shot at and hit.


    He¡¯d been absolutely outdone by the guardians this time.


    Helpless and powerless, he had been rendered vulnerable to death. Anything could have happened! The Pressure could¡¯ve killed him. Cen could¡¯ve been too late. The attendants, whatever they were, could have rushed him when he was down. Or the poisoner could have shot him.


    Beyond that, anything could¡¯ve happened while he was passed out for three whole days!


    The others had protected him, but it was luck that had saved him.


    It was pathetic.


    He had been completely outclassed.


    Had he made a mistake after all? He had no shield, but was expected to tank as if he had. He didn¡¯t have enough [Strength], but was expected to deal damage as if he did.


    No. No¡­ Stop.


    He shook his head and took a deep breath.


    Not this again. Not this. I made this choice. Me. For a reason, for my dad, and knowing it would be hard.


    The Climb was not for the weak. And wallowing in self-pity and doubting his decision wasn¡¯t going to make him stronger. The decision was done, and he stood behind it.


    It had worked well. Many times, in fact. He couldn¡¯t keep doubting himself and backtracking every time he suffered a setback.


    No.


    His performance had been pathetic, but he could change. He could work on it. He could figure something out.


    Cen believed in him, and he wasn¡¯t about to let her sacrifice everything to carry them up, no matter what her decision was.


    There has to be a way. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not the only one, throughout the entirety of the Infinite Nexus, that has tried to build a hybrid path before. And I¡¯m sure that someone must have made it work. This can¡¯t be impossible!


    Tank and DPS, there had to be a way.


    He needed to figure out both halves of his path, but for now, figuring out the tanking side of things was the most pressing. He would focus on that first, so he could do something about those bolts and protect the party from them.


    There has to be a way! There has to!


    He just had to find it.

 Chapter 47 - I Talk, Dont I?

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    Nar glanced up.


    ¡°Gad?¡±


    ¡°Who else?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I was thinking.¡±


    She snorted.


    ¡°I know! It¡¯s been three hours,¡± she said. ¡°I thought I¡¯d come check on you, before you melted what little brain you have.¡±


    Nar frowned at her.


    ¡°I¡¯m messing with you. What are you thinking so hard about?¡±


    Nar sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve realized that I can¡¯t tank. Not like you anyways.¡±


    Gad sat down next to him. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t agree?¡±


    ¡°I would like to understand why you said that,¡± she said instead.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Nar lifted his sword, which rested over his knees.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure where to start. Everything is still just a big jumble of ideas and ifs and maybes. But¡­¡±


    He passed the sword to Gad. She was taken aback, but accepted the weapon into her hands, holding it with a care she didn¡¯t use for her own weapons.


    ¡°Might as well start with this sword, I guess¡± Nar said, eyeing the weapon in her hands. ¡°The most important thing in all of this, is that I have no idea how to use it. I don¡¯t know how to hold it properly. I don¡¯t know how to wield it in the most efficient way. Most of the time, I use it like a club, or a hammer.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Gad said, nodding. ¡°But I¡¯d argue that it¡¯s the same for all of us. I¡¯m sure there''s much more I can do with my shield and mace, both individually and together. We will all need actual teaching after the Climb.¡±


    ¡°I know that. But your weapons are, or at least, they feel more straightforward when you combine them with your role,¡± Nar said. ¡°You¡¯re a tank. You stand your ground and you let the enemy come to you. Your shield absorbs their hits, and you use your mace to get in quick damage in between their attacks. Right? And the same goes for Viy¡¯s spear, or Mul¡¯s knuckles. I¡¯m sure there are ways to use them defensively, but for what we know, they stab, thrust or punch stuff. The basics are there, and they¡¯re solid. Tuk¡¯s rings are the same.¡±


    Gad handed the sword back. ¡°You¡¯re leaving out Cen¡¯s staff and Kur¡¯s scepter, because they don¡¯t fit that idea. We still don¡¯t know what they do yet.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±


    She raised her hand and stopped him.


    ¡°Maybe Cen¡¯s staff is nothing but a focus for her [Aura], since she has no magic yet. And yes, Kur¡¯s scepter is, honestly, beyond me. But I argue that there is still much more to Tuk¡¯s rings, and to all of our weapons in fact, than what you think.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that. All I meant was that they were suitable for their roles,¡± Nar said. He tapped his sword. ¡°This though, is not a shield. I can block with it, but I always end up using my arms for cover. And if it''s for DPS, I don¡¯t have the stats for it. I¡¯m right in the middle, I have less [Constitution] than you and less [Strength] than Mul. And I lack your tank and his DPS skills.¡±


    Gad leaned back, resting her hands on the floor behind her.


    She peered at him through half-closed eyes.


    ¡°If this is some weird way of asking me how much [Constitution] I have...¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡±


    She chuckled.


    ¡°Again, I¡¯m just messing with you. And I have no problem telling you. I have 27 points of [Constitution] and 16 in [Strength]. But!¡± she raised a finger. ¡°But¡­ And I will let you continue.¡±


    Nar frowned at her. ¡°Why do I have the feeling that you already know what I¡¯m going to say?¡±


    ¡°Keep talking and you¡¯ll find out.¡±


    Nar snorted.


    ¡°Fine¡­ So, not to be offensive¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just a statement of facts.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Well, I¡¯m faster than you.¡±


    She laughed. ¡°Yes, and by a lot. There¡¯s no need to root around the pile if you already know what you¡¯re going to grab. It¡¯s okay Nar, you¡¯re amongst your party. Just say it.¡±


    Nar scratched his head, refusing to make eye contact with her.


    ¡°And look at me,¡± Gad said. ¡°Crystal. Tuk is right, man. We need to do some work on you.¡±


    Nar shook his head. He had never had problems with people. Only with the Clean, which they all were. It was still a struggle for him, to push past years of abuse. But he was getting there.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± he said, throwing up his hand. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m a lot faster than you. I probably have a lot more [Agility] as well. Not to mention, I have [Reflex] at 12 points.¡±


    ¡°Mine¡¯s at 3. [Speed] and [Agility] are better, but I won¡¯t kid myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes. So, if I add in my senses, my [Hearing], [Sight] and [Instinct], to my [Speed], [Agility] and [Reflex], it means that I¡¯m not only very fast, but that I can also move very well, and react very well, while also being fast. Also¡­ Wait, what''s your stamina like?¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°18.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the same as mine.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°Really? Are all your stats into sense and movement attributes?¡±


    Nar knew she could read the lie from his face if he didn¡¯t come up with something good. At the same time, his nervous swallow, shifty gaze and hesitation, gave her everything she needed.


    She rolled her eyes with a sigh.


    ¡°Forget I asked. I¡¯m happy enough you¡¯re talking to me like this.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not that bad, am I?¡± he asked, half seriously, half to deflect her away from what he had refused to say.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°You tell me? This is what, the second proper conversation that I¡¯ve gotten out of you in like three months?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ We¡¯ve talked!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve exchanged pleasantries! Talked a little bit about tanking! The only time we ever actually talked was after the tutorial!¡±


    She sighed in exasperation.


    ¡°You don¡¯t talk, Nar,¡± she said, her eyes boring into his. ¡°And that is part of the problem! I got tired of waiting for you to realize that you needed help, and came to force it on you!¡±


    Nar was taken aback.


    ¡°Can you deny it?¡± she asked. ¡°I know that Kur told you you were missing something, all the way back then.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡±


    ¡°Of course! That room was tiny! Everybody heard it!¡±


    Nar¡¯s face fell.


    ¡°And it¡¯s alright,¡± she said. ¡°Yes, he wanted you to try and figure it out, but if you couldn¡¯t, you were supposed to ask for help. Not just agonize about it inside your own dumb head!¡±


    Nar lowered his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°And you should be! Ugh!¡±


    She scratched furiously in between the spines of her scalp, and glared at him when he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t stop now! You¡¯re finally talking! So keep talking! What did you finally figure out?¡±


    Nar sagged before her fury. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Talk!¡±


    Nar swallowed and looked at his sword.


    ¡°I-I¡­ Okay. Okay.¡±


    He took a deep breath.


    ¡°I need to use my sword better. I need to use my movement stats better. And I need to use my senses better. When I put it all together, I realized that I can''t tank like you. I need to go to the damage. I need to chase it. Anticipate it. I can¡¯t aggro it, or block it. But I can deflect it. I can dodge it. I can parry it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm-hmm,¡± she made, telling him to continue.


    ¡°It sounds like a good idea. It sounds like it could really work,¡± Nar said, grasping for his thoughts. ¡°I mean. It bothers me, not being able to tank. And I worry about my attributes and what kind of path this will build¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°But, right now, it''s what makes sense. For what I can do, and for the party. You are the main tank, our center holding everything together. While I can run around us, getting to the damage before it becomes a problem. I¡­ N-No?¡±


    Gad¡¯s face didn¡¯t even twitch.


    Nar shifted his weight, and stretched his leg, unsure of what to do under that deep, black stare.


    She sighed. ¡°About time.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Was it that obvious?¡± he asked.


    She shook her head, and incredulous laughter escaped her lips.


    ¡°It was to me. And to Kur. I don''t know about the others.¡±


    ¡°But how? It¡¯s nothing like what I expected tanking to be!¡± he said.


    ¡°Ah, Nar. Do you remember when I asked you what a tank¡¯s job was?¡± she asked him.


    Nar frowned. ¡°Yes. You said it wasn¡¯t to take damage, but to protect the party.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And what difference is there, between protecting the party with a shield, or with your sword, against a volley of poisonous bolts? Aren¡¯t they both protecting the party, even if in different ways? One blocking, the other parrying them in the air? The important bit is that nobody gets hit!¡±


    Nar worked his mouth, but no words came out.


    ¡°I think what happened was that you confused tanking with durability,¡± she said. ¡°Yes, I can take a lot more punishment than you, but I don¡¯t have your [Quickening], nor the DPS that comes with it. And yes, I said DPS. Speed gives you damage, Nar. More than that, it gives you protection. The ability to be where you need to be, moving freely, without being caught, without getting hit, protecting us, and dishing out DPS as you want to. Is that not the definition of a true hybrid class? Is that not the best of both roles, even if in different ways?¡±


    Nar stared at her, stunned, his mind working furiously.


    ¡°But¡­ I get hit.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°And you couldn¡¯t stop those bolts either. Not yet. Just get better, Nar. Get more attributes, embrace your senses¡­ Eventually, you¡¯ll get there.¡±


    Nar exhaled slowly. ¡°And what happens when there¡¯s something I can¡¯t run away from? What if I can¡¯t dodge it, or parry it, or block it. What then?¡±


    Gad leaned into him, her dark eyes taking his entire field of vision.


    ¡°Then you cut it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°You cut it,¡± she repeated.


    She leaned away from him and crossed her arms.


    ¡°Tanking is tanking. It doesn¡¯t matter if you block it with your shield, if you parry it with your sword or if you take it to the face. As long as the damage is not getting to the party, it''s tanking,¡± Gad said. ¡°And if you can''t do anything else, why not just cut through whatever it is? That¡¯s the other half of your path, the DPS, is it not? You¡¯re not supposed to just tank, remember?¡±


    Nar stared at her for a few long seconds, then he burst out laughing.


    ¡°So, what am I supposed to do then, damage tanking?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Gad said. ¡°Although what me and Kur came up with was speed tanking.¡±


    ¡°You guys already talked about this?¡± he asked, incredulous.


    ¡°People talk, Nar. Learn from this and talk!¡±


    He closed his eyes and passed a hand over his hair.


    ¡°Anyways, speed tanking made sense to us,¡± Gad continued. ¡°You have the speed and all the other stuff needed to be an incredibly fast and agile fighter. You don¡¯t have my level of [Constitution] but you have enough to suffer the occasional mistake and survive. That blow would have killed Mul. Or Cen. Or any of them, except us two. I can take them on my shield, no problem. But you, you can take it once or twice on your HP when you mess up. And, when you manage to sort out the DPS half of things, you won¡¯t just be running around as you say, but actively cutting down the enemy before they can even hit you, or us. You will be both shield and sword, something none of us can ever hope to achieve.¡±


    Nar held his head in hands. It hurt. It pounded with all the sense that Gad had beaten into him.


    How did I miss it?


    How had he failed to see it? How had he not noticed it, from his gains, and from his [Quickening]? He couldn¡¯t tank like Gad, but a different path had been right there, opening for him, staring him in the face. It was not what he had wanted, but damn, how could he say no to something like that?


    However, was it even possible to reach what she suggested? It sounded too good to be true.


    ¡°Your path does not sound so bad, now, does it?¡± she asked him. ¡°Honestly? It sounds terrifying. If you can make it work, I wouldn¡¯t want to fight you.¡±


    Nar shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful dream, I can¡¯t deny that.¡±


    ¡°Is it that far-fetched?¡± she asked, getting up. Viy was muttering in her sleep again, and was twisting harder than Jul could hope to hold her down. ¡°You have the attributes to start it, an endless stream of difficult enemies to practice on and get gains, and, most importantly, a party willing to do anything to support you, as you build this path. So, what''s stopping you?¡±


    Her shadow covered him, and her eyes glinted in the yellow light, daring him to answer negatively.


    She believes it¡­ That if I just work hard enough, I can actually do this? She¡¯s insane¡­ he thought.


    ¡°Think about it,¡± she said. ¡°But don¡¯t think too hard. It¡¯s not that complicated. The only thing complicating it is you. You wanted this path, and now, it''s right here, in front of you. You just need the courage to build it now. So what will it be?¡±


    And with that question, she left to go help Jul.


    She didn¡¯t look behind her to check if he was staring at her, or what his face looked like. Her steps didn¡¯t falter. She didn¡¯t trip. She had come to say what she needed to say, and now, she was moving on to the next person in need.


    Always charging forward. Slow and heavy, yes. But never clumsy. No. She was ever confident. Measured. Unbreakable.


    Gad was a true tank. The mighty core that kept the party standing, and walking, day after day, closer to their freedom. And she had opened his eyes.


    She had shown him the path to success. To the O-Nex, and perhaps even back to his dad.


    He knew that there was only one answer to her question.


    He had to make it happen.

 Chapter 48 - Practice

    He gazed at his weapon for a long time after Gad left.


    The colors swirled and shifted across the blade. Hypnotic.


    Gad¡¯s words burned in his mind, roaring like the Pressure, shredding all doubt and hesitation.


    Even her steps taught him about the kind of person she was. The kind of person he aspired to be.


    It was enviable.


    Unlike him, she didn¡¯t doubt herself.


    No, that doesn¡¯t sound right.


    They were all sentient here. All subject to the same failings and weaknesses.


    So, what is it then?


    What kept her going? What kept Gad standing at the front of the party, ready to receive the enemy and block it with her shield and body? She was never certain of what came her way from the darkness. In fact, most of the time, it was a complete surprise.


    That blow after the tutorial had been beyond anyone¡¯s imagination. Yet, while he had hesitated after he knew what was coming, she hadn¡¯t hesitated while not knowing. He had run out to meet the guardian only after his [Hearing] had told him what it was. For Gad, Jul had simply said ¡°Incoming!¡± and Gad had stepped up. No hesitation. No questions.


    Did she have doubts then? She must have.


    How about when she stood right under the Sentry, blocking those massive limbs, even as poison fell on her? She stood her ground, but what went through her mind then? Was she scared? Did she want to run away? Did she think it was unfair? Did she regret her choices?


    It didn¡¯t matter. She held her ground.


    Maybe, it''s not that she doesn¡¯t doubt herself¡­ He thought. Maybe, she just doesn¡¯t doubt what she needs to do. She knows it and she doesn¡¯t run from it.


    He moved the blade and watched it glimmer in a hundred different hues and tones.


    That''s my problem. I forgot why I¡¯m here and I have been running from it.


    He was there to Climb, and to get stronger, so that one day, he could return and save his dad.


    But for that, I need to Climb first. And for that, I need this party. I need to stop looking at them like something I can throw away¡­ Because I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t do any of this on my own, and I could never trust any other Climbers, he realized. These people are not dead weight. And putting my life on the line for them is not a stupid risk. It''s a need. I need to keep them alive, and I need to get stronger. Being a tank is a risk. Not just here, but up there too. If I run away now, I will always run away. I¡¯ll always think it''s just too risky. That my dad is more important. That staying safe is more important. And if I do that¡­ If I do that¡­


    A lump formed in his throat.


    Then, I¡¯ll really be a failure.


    He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall.


    Enough running. I need to fight. If I¡¯m not risking death with every fight, then I¡¯ll never be a Named Few. I¡¯ll just be a coward. A weakling. And I¡¯ll never be able to do anything, much less save my dad.


    Gad was right. He had wanted a path that allowed him to be both tank and DPS. A path that would one day let him stand on his own, and apart from all others, as a Named Few. Real might. Real power. The kind that would allow him to do anything. Anything!


    ¡°Enough is enough,¡± Nar muttered. ¡°No more running.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Enough is enough.¡±


    ¡°Tuk!¡± Nar gasped. ¡°Crystal, man. You¡¯re awake?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alive, man,¡± he said. ¡°You better get good at stopping those things. I¡¯ve never had such fucked up nightmares in my whole life.¡±


    Nar nodded. ¡°I will. I really will. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I was messing¡­¡±


    His eyes rolled up and his eyelids slid down.


    ¡°Ugh! No!¡± he grunted. He bit his jaw and forced his eyes wide open. ¡°No more sleep damn it. Sick of that shit.¡±


    Nar squeezed his shoulder.


    ¡°You hang in there, man. I¡¯ll call someone over. Cen! Cen! Tuk¡¯s awake!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, get Cen here,¡± Tuk said. ¡°I need her.¡±


    ¡°Is he awake?¡± Cen asked.


    She and Mul rushed over.


    ¡°I¡¯m awake¡­¡± Tuk muttered.


    ¡°Oh, thank the Crystal!¡± Cen said, kneeling next to him. ¡°It¡¯s been three-ah!¡±


    Quick as a guardian, Tuk had reached out and grabbed her wrist.


    ¡°Cen, I need to ask you something,¡± he said, suddenly breathing hard. ¡°I need to¡­ I thought about it, and I think I really need to do it. I¡­ You¡­¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing to my sister!¡± Mul yelled.


    Cen worked her mouth furiously, but it only made empty sounds.


    ¡°Cen, I need to ask you¡­ Can you teach me how to use my [Aura]?¡±


    Silence.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s still asleep,¡± Mul finally said.


    He leaned down to touch his forehead but the trugger let go of Cen and swatted him away.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious! I¡¯ve thought about it! How much [Aura] do you have now, Cen?¡±


    ¡°I-I have 29 points.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have 21.¡±


    Cen gasped. ¡°By the Crystal! You have what?¡±


    Tuk chuckled without humor.


    ¡°Surprise,¡± he said. ¡°I also have it. I¡¯ve always had it. It¡¯s my highest stat. My highest and most useless stat. Just like me. I¡¯m the worst in the party.¡±


    Nar gaped at the trugger.


    You also have [Aura]? And from the very start? But then¡­ You¡¯re just like me!


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± Cen said, still looking shocked.


    ¡°No, Cen. It¡¯s the truth. My rings don¡¯t do shit! And my [Aura] just keeps growing and growing. I can¡¯t afford to ignore it anymore. There has to be a way to use it! Cen, you are so strong. If you could teach me¡­ I was an operator too, damn it! Maybe I can put it in my rings. Or cover them in [Aura], like magic,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But enough is enough. I¡¯m sick of it. I want to be useful, not hide behind you!¡±


    Silence lay heavy over them.


    Use it like magic?


    The prospect of it terrified Nar.


    ¡°Is-Is that even possible?¡± Mul asked Cen.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know!¡± Cen whispered.


    ¡°We won¡¯t know until we try,¡± Tuk said, smiling.


    ¡°But, man,¡± Mul said. ¡°Even if it¡¯s possible, you will be risking your chances at magic later. And your first modifier! And-and, the attributes you would¡¯ve¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that, man. It''s a problem for ex-Climber me,¡± Tuk said. ¡°I left home so I could see the Nexus. So I could live, and taste and experience all that¡¯s out there¡­ And so that I could make my own future, outside of that box and those quotas.¡±


    ¡°Even so¡­ Your path,¡± Nar whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make my own path,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Through my own actions and decisions. Not by running away and doing nothing. Cen, please, I don¡¯t know if it''s possible or not, but will you help me? To the best you can?¡±


    Her eyes shone in the dark, and Tuk reached for her shoulder.


    ¡°Please? I need this.¡±


    They stared at each other.


    Nar wanted to shake him.


    What are you doing?


    He was throwing everything away! He could fill his rings with fire, or ice, or lightning, or light or anything! Anything! Why [Aura]? Why choose that dead-end?


    He lifted his hand to touch him. To stop him¡­


    Enough is enough.


    His outstretched hand hovered in the air, inches away from the trugger¡¯s arm.


    Actions and decisions.


    Was he not the same? Facing the reality of what he couldn¡¯t do and changing towards what he could do?


    His overblown [Aura] peeked at him from the pile, but it wasn¡¯t a piece he was ready to pull out just yet. Not until he understood fully what was about to happen. Not until he knew with certainty that aura, like aether, could be used just as well, like Tuk seemed to believe it could.


    ¡°O-Okay. I¡¯ll try, Tuk,¡± Cen told him, placing a hand over his.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tuk grinned.


    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee I¡¯ll be able to teach you!¡±


    ¡°Or that you can even do it,¡± Mul said. He shook his head. ¡°You''re a crazy man, and all of this sounds insane.¡±


    Tuk laughed. ¡°Always have been, man. Always will be!¡±


    Nar retracted his hand.


    Tuk was right. They were here, and now, getting their asses kicked by those guardians. He had almost died. And he could still die. Things would only get harder and harsher the higher they Climbed.


    Tanking first, then DPS. I¡¯m gonna sort them out. And then¡­ Then I''ll see.


    It all depended on whether Tuk could learn to use [Aura] or not. If he couldn¡¯t, no use worrying in vain. If he managed to learn it and become as strong as Cen had, and if they found a way to not make it hurt and feel so disgusting inside him, then¡­ Then that would be another story, and a whole new set of questions.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Why was the system forcing points into his, Cen¡¯s and Tuk¡¯s [Aura]?


    What was he going to do about it, if there even was anything he could do?


    And, more importantly, when the time came, would he even have a choice in the matter, between using it, or not?


    He leaned back against the wall, while the other three carried on.


    He had left his cubeplant expecting a tough, but straightforward Climb. And oh, how wrong he had been.


    ********


    Bolts whistled at him from the darkness.


    Their number was unknown, their trajectories too quick to understand and plan for. All he could do was react.


    His shoulder protested the sudden burst of energy, and the sword cut empty space.


    Nar stood still. His eyes followed up along the blade and past it, to where the yellow lights ended, and from where his imaginary enemy attacked from.


    The sword spasmed. Even after another night¡¯s rest, the damage to his shoulder and surrounding area was still yet to completely heal.


    Still, he held his position, and kept his eyes on the pitch-black square that abruptly ended the corridor behind the party.


    Attacking from within that darkness, Nar could not see where the guardian aimed.


    He could not see it move or fire. And however the guardian was doing it, he couldn¡¯t even hear it shooting the bolts. He could catch the sound they made as they approached him, quietly whistling through the warm, dead air. But by then it would be too late, the bolts would be right on top of him.


    A bead of sweat dropped from under his arm, and slid down his side.


    How am I supposed to stop these things?


    Even though he believed he had the speed to move that fast, he didn¡¯t have the mental capacity to react at that same speed.


    He twisted his blade and brought it back to him, covering his face.


    I can¡¯t see it and I can¡¯t hear it.


    He stepped forward, casting a wide slash from side to side of the corridor. He stepped again and brought down his sword, twisted his wrist and snapped his elbow, thrusting his sword up in a long cut. His shoulder groaned at the movement, but he committed to it.


    That only leaves one thing. [Instinct].


    Another step, and he turned the sword and brought it back down again. He made the sword zig-zag, forcing his wrist to bend and twist the weapon in his hand to realize the complicated pattern in his head.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    Something gave in his wrist and he dropped the sword.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    His shoulder flared with white hot pain and he sucked in his breath.


    He had woken that morning to find that his HP had climbed up to 74, and to his relief, his stamina had also recovered to 59 points. That had meant he was out of emergency recovery, and both his HP and stamina would now recover as normal. However, he was not fully healed yet.


    He brought his wrist against his chest and slowly rotated his shoulder. He grimaced, but kept the movement going, hoping it would do something to alleviate his discomfort.


    Another few days maybe¡­ he thought. He wasn¡¯t worried about his shoulder. He had been stabbed before, and not even a scar remained from that incident. So he had no doubts that he would make a full recovery. However, the wait was frustrating.


    Following his conversation with Gad, he had decided to give this new path a chance. His injured shoulder only served to delay his practice, and compound his annoyance. He had been at it for hours, and still didn¡¯t really know what he was supposed to be doing, or how he was going to get better.


    He bent down and picked up his sword with his left hand. Already, he could feel the pain on his wrist fading to a dull ache.


    He raised his wrist to his eyes, and bent and twisted it carefully.


    Guess this kind of thing fixes itself fast.


    ¡°You okay there?¡±


    Nar looked behind him.


    ¡°Tuk? Shouldn¡¯t you be resting?¡±


    ¡°Bah! I¡¯ve had enough of that,¡± the trugger said.


    He stepped towards him, using his good arm to lean against the wall.


    ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve been watching you. What in the pile are you doing?¡±


    Nar looked at his sword. ¡°Uhh¡­ Trying to catch some bolts, I guess? That¡¯s probably the short answer.¡±


    ¡°And the long one?¡±


    Nar thought about it for a moment, debating whether or not to tell the ring tosser. In the end, it was the memory of Gad¡¯s angry words that made him decide to do it.


    Besides, having decided that he needed to give his all to the party from now on, he should probably be more open. And talk more.


    ¡°I¡¯m rethinking my whole approach to tanking,¡± he said. ¡°I have no shield and not enough [Constitution] to just swallow damage. On the other hand, I have loads of points in senses and movement attributes, and a sword with a long reach¡­ So, hmmm.¡±


    Tuk scratched his chin, while Nar hesitated, considering how best to explain it.


    ¡°So¡­ Go to the damage, instead of waiting for it?¡± Tuk asked.


    Nar¡¯s eyebrows shot up.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s basically it¡­ Damn it. Is it that obvious for everyone else?¡±


    ¡°Always easier looking in than out, my mom says.¡±


    ¡°Uh.¡±


    Nar practiced a few more steps and moves, and Tuk watched him intently. It didn¡¯t help.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work,¡± Tuk said.


    Nar slashed down with both hands, clenching his jaw against the pain. ¡°Oh, yeah? How come?¡±


    ¡°Not sure if anyone has ever gotten stronger fighting empty air.¡±


    Damn. I¡¯m doing my best here, man¡­


    ¡°Not to say that what you¡¯re doing is a bad idea, though. You just need real targets,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Kinda risky messing about with a live guardian, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only way to get stronger,¡± Tuk said. ¡°But no, I meant something a bit less deadly than that.¡±


    Nar looked around, confused.


    ¡°I meant me,¡± Tuk said. ¡°I can help you. I can toss my rings at you and you do your thing. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m faster than those poisoners anyways.¡±


    Nar rested the sword on the floor and leaned on it.


    ¡°What, no good?¡± Tuk asked him.


    ¡°No. No. I actually think it''s a good idea,¡± Nar said. ¡°Really good, actually. Would¡­ Would you mind?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    ¡°And you won¡¯t kill me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Not sure about that one. Up to you, if you''re willing to take the risk.¡±


    Nar tried to read the emotion on Tuk¡¯s face.


    What¡¯s with everyone trying to push me over the edge all of a sudden?


    Unbidden, Gad¡¯s words lit up his mind again.


    ¡­and, most importantly, a party willing to do anything to support you.


    Nar took a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it, if you¡¯re up for it?¡± he asked the ring tosser.


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, man!¡± Tuk said, coming away from the wall he had been leaning on. ¡°Now, shoo! Shoo!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too close. Get back,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re doing it now?¡±


    ¡°Why not? Aren¡¯t you practicing?¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re still hurt!¡±


    Tuk smiled. His skin was pale and clammy, and he couldn¡¯t even stand tall, but his eyes shone with mirth.


    ¡°So are you,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m only using one ring. That¡¯s easy enough for me, and I doubt you¡¯ll be able to get it anyways.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... fair.¡±


    Nar took a few steps away from Tuk. ¡°Here¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°We can start like that,¡± he said, with a nod. ¡°And then, depending on how it goes, we can do closer or farther.¡±


    He pulled one ring from his inventory and showed it to Nar.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go as slow as I can, and I¡¯ll just aim at your feet for now. Uh¡­ Be careful though, I might hit something else by mistake.¡±


    ¡°What do you¡­¡±


    [Instinct] screamed at him and Nar jumped back. A fast glint dashed where his leg had just been, then it curved back to Tuk.


    ¡°No dodging!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t ready!¡± Nar protested, taking a stance again.


    ¡°Is anyone ever? Here!¡±


    This time Nar was ready for it.


    He saw Tuk flick the small ring at him this time. He knew where it was heading, and he traced its graceful glide through the air.


    He swung at the incoming projectile.


    A line of red-hot fire burned across his ankle.


    ¡°Gah!¡±


    ¡°Ooops!¡± Tuk said. He received the ring and flung it back at him.


    ¡°Ow!¡± Nar shouted as he was cut again. ¡°You need to give me time!¡±


    Tuk paused. ¡°Uh. Do I?¡±


    Nar blew a long, exasperated sigh.


    ¡°No. You¡¯re doing great. It¡¯s exactly what I need. The problem is me. I¡¯m thinking too much. Come on, do it again!¡±


    ¡°Alright. Here it goes!¡±


    Nar focused as the projectile left Tuk¡¯s hands again. He followed it with his eyes, as it dashed towards him, glimmering with a faint yellow trail. He moved, shifting his sword to the left to intercept the ring. Another line of red scored his leg, just above his ankle.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Tuk said. ¡°Maybe this was a bad idea after all.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not!¡± Nar shouted, before Tuk could withdraw his offer. ¡°I just¡­ I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing wrong.¡±


    Tuk smiled at him. ¡°It¡¯s alright, we¡¯ll try again. For now, I think I need to sit down.¡±


    And having said so, he collapsed against the wall.


    ¡°Tuk!¡±


    Nar ran towards him and got there on time to stop him from falling down.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°It hit me out of nowhere,¡± Tuk said, grimacing. ¡°That poison¡¯s really something.¡±


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll help you get back.¡±


    Nar hooked his good arm under Tuk¡¯s, and gently lifted both of them. Together, they hobbled away from the semi-darkness at the edge of the yellow lights, and back into the bright center of the path where the rest of the party had taken residence to recover.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Cen stomped towards them.


    ¡°I was just stretching my legs a bit¡­¡± Tuk said, looking away from her.


    ¡°And you?¡±


    ¡°Uh? Me-Me? Just doing a bit of practicing¡­¡± Nar said.


    Cen covered her face and tapped her foot. ¡°Let me guess, he decided to help you! Even though I told him he needs to rest!¡±


    ¡°I need to move!¡± Tuk said. ¡°Everything¡¯s still numb from that damn poison. Besides, I only hit Nar three times.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡±


    Tuk looked pointedly at Nar.


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± Nar said, taking the cue. ¡°I needed something to practice with. And he went easy on me. Aimed at my legs¡­¡±


    Cen twisted her mouth in displeasure. ¡°I can see that. There¡¯s blood running down your ankles!¡±


    ¡°I just need to get better!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Once you¡¯re healed! Your shoulder is not fixed yet!¡± she said, throwing her hands in the air. ¡°Now go sit down! The both of you!¡±


    ¡°Can you teach me about [Aura]?¡± Tuk asked, his eyes sparkling.


    ¡°No! Rest! Now!¡±


    With heads hung low, they walked the rest of the way to where the party recovered.


    Nar¡¯s cheeks burned something fierce, and Mul¡¯s quiet chuckle made it all the worse. He felt like he had stuck his face in that Pressure wall again. But he felt like he was maybe on the right track to something¡­ If Tuk didn¡¯t slice him to ribbons first.


    ********


    ¡°Guardians!¡±


    ¡°Coming!¡±


    The shouts startled him awake, and he sat upright. Brain fog and blurry eyes clouded everything, and all he saw was a shape run past him.


    ¡°Stay where you are!¡± Gad shouted at him. ¡°We got this!¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    Something massive emerged from the shadows, sauntering towards them leisurely. At the same time, he heard the sound that had become imprinted in his mind. Bolts flew above his head.


    ¡°Holy Crystal!¡± he shouted, coming fully awake.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Tuk asked, in a groggy voice.


    ¡°Guardians!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    A bright light flooded the corridor, forcing the darkness back.


    Nar covered his eyes and tried to pierce through the brilliant gray light, but it only grew brighter, forcing him to look away.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± Cen shouted.


    ¡°Do it!¡±


    The light dashed forward. A second later, an explosion reverberated back at them, pushing a wall of displaced hot air into his eyes.


    ¡°Good! Now the big guy!¡±


    Nar¡¯s brain struggled to keep up with what was happening. The sheer, raw power that Cen had just casually displayed left him stunned.


    ¡°Crystal. She killed that poison thing,¡± Tuk mumbled. ¡°Just like that.¡±


    Just like that? With just one skill? Nar thought, looking away from the caster, who was charging her skill again.


    Beyond the blinding light, Gad kept the big guardian, the Soldier Guardian 2, occupied and aggroed. Jul stood a few steps away from the two of them. She had her back to them, but Nar could just picture it frowning in concentration, sensing out for danger.


    ¡°They¡¯re amazing,¡± Nar whispered.


    ¡°The best,¡± Tuk said. ¡°And that [Aura Projectile]? Crystal, man! I really hope I can use my [Aura] like that.¡±


    Nar didn¡¯t reply but that was only because he was afraid to verbalize his thoughts.


    It¡¯s so¡­ Strong. I just don¡¯t understand how that¡¯s possible.


    How could something used to power the machines at the cubeplant, also be used with such devastation in combat? How could something meant to curse and torture them be so powerful?


    And me, with my 42 points¡­


    He shook his head, pushing the thought away, before he could think of the possibilities. Before he could be tempted by them¡­


    ¡°Ready!¡± Cen shouted again.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Gad shouted back.


    She shifted her feet and shrunk her body behind the shield.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Cen shot her [Aura Projectile] at the guardian.


    Nar gasped. Gad was too close. She was going to get hurt!


    The projectile smashed into the guardian, in an explosion that enveloped it and pushed it back. The blend of smoke and light was focused forward, and only a bit bled back to Gad.


    The tank took it on her shield, and still hiding behind it, she stepped back from the guardian.


    ¡°Do it!¡±


    With the tank out of the way, Cen raised her staff once more, and without giving the guardian a chance to recover, blasted it with a series of quick projectiles.


    Nar¡¯s face flashed with the projectiles and explosions, his mouth dropped in a silent ¡°o¡±.


    The teamwork. The coordination. The perfect execution of their roles. And the power at Cen¡¯s disposal¡­ It was a sight to behold.


    The guardian growled a hollow, desperate sound, but Cen didn¡¯t let up.


    A few seconds later, it was over. The guardian exploded in great chunks of flying circuitry, armor plates, tubes and other unknown parts. Limbs were blasted clear of its body, ripped apart and blown to pieces. The same limbs that had nearly killed him, now seemed so frail before Cen¡¯s fury.


    Cen didn¡¯t let up until Gad raised a hand.


    Nar¡¯s heart thundered in his chest, even though he hadn''t done anything. He looked from one, to the next, while the three of them waited in a tense silence to see if the fight was over.


    ¡°I got the notification!¡± Cen said.


    ¡°I got it too,¡± Jul added.


    Gad lowered her shield and beamed at the two of them.


    ¡°Well done!¡± Gad said. ¡°That was the smoothest one so far.¡±


    ¡°It was all your coordination,¡± Cen said, twirling her staff in her hands awkwardly.


    Gad shook her head. ¡°It was all you, Cen, I just kept it in place. And you too, Jul! You¡¯re sensing them from farther and farther out! I don¡¯t know what we would do without you.¡±


    Jul adjusted her shirt with all four hands at once and looked away, stepping from foot to foot.


    ¡°We need to get our shit together,¡± Tuk whispered. ¡°We¡¯re being useless here.¡±


    Nar could only nod with gritted teeth.


    He knew he was still recovering but, damn it, he hadn''t even thought to pull out his sword and cover their rear. He had blanked. He had sat there, like the dead weight he was.


    With a frown, he pushed away the experience gains without looking at them. He hadn¡¯t deserved a single point of experience from that fight.


    Just a few days ago, he had wanted Cen to use her [Aura] to make their Climb easier. Now, faced with that very reality, he couldn¡¯t help but worry whether or not he was even still needed. Between the three of them, they had handled it perfectly.


    ¡°Seriously man,¡± Tuk said. ¡°The three of us need to get our shit together.¡±


    The three? Nar asked, still reeling from that fight.


    That¡¯s when he noticed Mul, standing to the side, next to his sister, with his arms crossed.


    Nar had been so focused on Gad, Jul and Cen, that he had completely missed him.


    Mul was staring at the three victorious Climbers, as they came together to discuss their fight.


    Nar sighed and leaned back against the wall.


    I need to do better. I need to earn my place here.


    He had seen the error of his ways, and he was already working to fix them. However, Gad, Jul and Cen had ignited a fire in him.


    He was going to show everyone what he could do.


    And himself.

 Chapter 49 - Am I Just Dumb?

    He felt the cut. It stung and shrieked against all the others that he had accumulated across his ankles and shins.


    ¡°Again!¡±


    The cuts would heal. They didn¡¯t matter.


    Tuk spun his ring and flicked it at Nar once more.


    Nar swung his sword, slashing in a diagonal cut.


    A hair¡¯s breadth. For a moment, he had seen it. He had felt it. In his heart. In his mind. On his grip. Not too tight, and not too loose. Just certain. He believed that he was going to make it, and held on to that belief as he cut down.


    Another line burned above his ankle.


    ¡°Again!¡±


    Tuk reached out with his stretched finger and received the spinning ring. He flicked his hand and again the ring flew at Nar.


    Another slash. Another cut.


    ¡°I know you can do it,¡± Tuk said, before Nar called out again. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. I know it. But maybe there¡¯s something you¡¯re doing wrong. Something you¡¯re missing.¡±


    Nar bit down the retort that formed in his throat.


    He¡¯s helping me. And attitude is not what I need.


    ¡°Any ideas?¡± he asked instead, lowering his sword.


    Tuk stopped spinning his ring and crossed his arms. He regarded Nar through semi-closed eyes, looking him up and down.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    Tuk scratched his chin and rubbed his mouth.


    He took a step back, and his knee shook.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, man. I think we need to take a break.¡±


    Nar was on him in an instant.


    ¡°I got you!¡± he said, holding on to Tuk¡¯s arm. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll take you back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright. I just need to sit down for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Nah! You¡¯ve been helping me the whole morning. You need some time with Cen. I mean¡­ If you still want to learn and all that¡­ Y-You know?¡±


    Tuk chuckled.


    ¡°That awkwardness breaks my heart, man,¡± he said. ¡°And yes, I still want to learn it. I need to see if Cen will teach it to me, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your choice. Even Kur said so. I don¡¯t think she won¡¯t.¡±


    Together, they return to the party. Tuk walked on his own, and Nar watched him closely, ready to catch him. The trugger¡¯s legs trembled, and his knees scared them both every couple steps, but they made it back without incident.


    Tuk headed straight for Cen. She had seen them return, and was now bombarding Tuk with the deepest frown she could muster. Tuk, for his part, walked on, undaunted.


    Nar left them to it, and instead, sat next to Kur.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± their leader asked.


    ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to wake you.¡±


    Kur grimaced at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I was awake.¡±


    On the night of the day when Gad, Jul and Cen had dispatched the guardians, Kur and Viy had finally woken up. Viy had regained consciousness first. She had scared them all by bolting upright, screaming at the top of her lungs. It had taken Gad and Cen the better part of an hour to calm her down, and she had succumbed back to sleep eventually.


    A bit later, Kur had woken. He did it quietly, without alerting anyone. After a few minutes, he called out to whoever was on watch duty. Gad had rushed over and Kur had asked her about the party¡¯s status. Together, they had decided not to use his [Healing Boon], as everyone seemed to be slowly getting back to full health.


    After that, Kur fell asleep again, and it wasn¡¯t until the morning that Nar found out he had been awake. Both Viy and Kur had then spent the day between napping or sitting around, still too weak to move or talk much.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, man. Whatever that stuff was, it was no joke,¡± Tuk had told him. ¡°Everything¡¯s still numb!¡±


    And now, looking down at Kur¡¯s pale and sweaty face, hardened Nar¡¯s resolve to stop those bolts even more.


    ¡°Tuk¡¯s a great help. The problem¡¯s me,¡± Nar said. ¡°He says I¡¯m missing something, but I don¡¯t know what it is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get it. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. I know I asked you to do it, but I also know I pretty much asked the impossible of you. You¡¯ve never even done this stuff before.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Still. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible. I just need to figure it out.¡±


    ¡°You will.¡±


    Kur groaned and lifted his arms, pushing them forward to help him hoist his torso up. Nar reached forward to help him.


    ¡°No, I got it!¡± Kur said, between gritted teeth.


    He managed to sit up and then, groaning again, and closing his eyes with the effort, slid his butt against the wall. He leaned on it, breathing hard, with fresh sweat shining on his forehead.


    ¡°That poison is something,¡± he said, panting. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve been meaning to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Kur massaged his neck with visible relief. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, but Gad told me about the talk you two had. About your tanking, and the changes you decided to make.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve realized that it''s not something I should hide from the party. And that I should talk more,¡± he said with a grimace. ¡°Also, I¡¯m sorry, I should¡¯ve come to you when I couldn¡¯t figure it out.¡±


    ¡°I mean, it might have sped things along, but, at the end of the day, it¡¯s your path,¡± Kur said. ¡°Only you can build it, and only you can make the decisions you think are best. At the very least, though, I don¡¯t think you need to hide it. We¡¯re all in this together, and making each other stronger and better is something that helps all of us. We¡¯re not in a competition against each other.¡±


    Nar nodded. ¡°I know that. And that¡¯s not why. I just¡­¡±


    You¡¯re Clean, and I spent my whole life being spat on by you people. I worked more than any of you, threatened by starvation and death. It¡¯s not easy to just start trusting you now¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Nar,¡± Kur said, unaware of his thoughts. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just know that we¡¯re all here for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Nar said, looking down.


    ¡°Now, what I wanted to talk with you about, was how you feel about the changes you¡¯re making, and how it impacts your path. Are you happy about it? Do you feel forced into it? Is this what you want?¡±


    Nar smiled at the party leader.


    ¡°I appreciate you asking, Kur, but don¡¯t worry. This is my decision. Gad just helped me put it into words and action, and open my eyes to what was right in front of me.¡±


    Kur nodded.


    ¡°Gad would die for us without hesitation, and her mind is quite something. But that being said, only you yourself know what''s best for you. Gad, or me, or anyone else, always remember that, and that it¡¯s your path you¡¯re building.¡±


    ¡°I know. Gad didn¡¯t convince me,¡± Nar said. ¡°I already knew, deep down, that I was going about it all wrong. It just took some time to realize that I was being stubborn. Holding on to an idea and an imagination from when I was still in the cubeplant¡­ Reality is different, and I needed to adapt.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m happy to make these changes. It¡¯s what I need and what the party needs. If I regret it, I can always make changes when I get out,¡± Nar said, grinning. ¡°I like these attributes, and I¡¯m not worried about them. They will always be useful. Plus, I¡¯m honestly interested in the possibilities. I think this path is good. At least for now, and if I can make it work.¡±


    Kur nodded along, slowly, and smiled as Nar concluded.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I thought so as well,¡± Kur said. ¡°But I wanted to hear your opinion first, without swaying you with mine. For what¡¯s worth, I think that you¡¯ve stepped into a crazy great path. More than you can imagine right now. That [Constitution], skill, and movement and senses attributes? It¡¯s like if you got the best out of Gad, Jul and Viy and merged it together into one crazy path.¡±


    Nar snorted.


    ¡°They¡¯re still much better at what they do than me,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Yes, they are, but you¡¯re not trying to do the same thing, are you?¡± Kur said, and gestured at his bloodied legs. ¡°You¡¯re doing something else entirely. It looks like you¡¯re trying to do what they do, but I truly think that this is something completely different. And every time you fail, and stumble where they succeed, you need to remember that. You¡¯re making your own path, beyond the traditional roles. So hang in there, and keep going. And remember, whatever this is that you¡¯re building, there is a place for it in the party. A role only you can do, and have been doing all this time.¡±


    Nar swallowed against the sudden lump that formed in his throat.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you. I¡¯m really happy you came to our party. And any party would love to have you. They can¡¯t have you, though. You¡¯re ours!¡± Kur said.


    Nar laughed and blinked away some moisture. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere, man.¡±


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s what I wanted to hear,¡± Kur said. Then he frowned. ¡°That¡¯s one down. Now, I just need to figure out why that damned lengos is running back and forth like that.¡±


    ********


    Days dragged by.


    Gad, Jul and Cen protected them. Through their work and sacrifice, they gave the party the chance they needed to rest and recover.


    For Nar, Tuk and Mul, it was also the chance to get better.


    At the back of the party, where Nar and Tuk practiced, Mul had arranged a makeshift obstacle course with the pieces of the guardians that Cen blew apart. In the murky yellow darkness, he now spent most of his days running, jumping, punching, rolling and dodging through the small maze he had built for himself. Nar had even caught him doing kicks as well, something he had never seen the brawler do.


    Mostly, Mul kept to himself, and left Tuk and Nar to it. Sometimes he would watch them, and he would snicker every time Nar got cut. After watching it a couple of times, he would then return to his own training.


    Nar supposed that there were worse things he could be doing than serving as Mul¡¯s entertainment and stress relief, so he never said anything.


    Whenever they got tired, Nar and Tuk headed back to the group. There, Tuk would beg Cen to once again try the impossible task of teaching him how to use his [Aura].


    ¡°Come on, Cen, I¡¯m so close! I can feel it!¡± Tuk, predictively, begged her as soon as they sat down.


    ¡°You were an operator. Of course you can feel it!¡± she threw at him.


    ¡°No, it really does feel different. Like it''s right there, at the tip of my fingers. I just need that final push!¡±


    ¡°Ugh! What you need to do is wait for your damn magic!¡±


    Still, she sat down with them and grabbed his hand. Nar only half watched, and yawned. He should be thinking about his own problems, but he was sick of it. He had spun and spun his brain in circles, thinking of senses, and attributes and how to use his sword differently. But he kept coming up empty.


    Now, he just wanted to space out for a moment. Just for five minutes, have some peace and quiet inside his head. Surely that wasn¡¯t a bad thing?


    ¡°Oh! I do feel it!¡± Cen shouted.


    ¡°See, I told you! I just need to push it out somehow¡­¡±


    He held a ring in his outstretched palm and tightened his shoulder, as though his [Aura] was something physical he was trying to push out of him.


    Well, that¡¯s basically how it goes with the receptor, Nar thought, staring at the trugger, shaking with effort. But that¡¯s a ring. How do we even know it can take in aura like a staff does?


    To be fair, none of them understood how Cen¡¯s staff did it either.


    A few minutes later, Tuk relaxed and hunched forward, breathing hard.


    ¡°Why is it not working?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Cen said, with a shrug. ¡°All I do is push. It¡¯s basically the same as with the receptor.¡±


    She brought out her staff and demonstrated for him.


    ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t have enough [Aura] yet?¡± Tuk asked. The raw desire in his eyes as he stared at the gathered [Aura] was unmissable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ But I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ve had the skill from the start, and my [Aura] was much less then, a lot less than yours is now.¡±


    Tuk sighed. ¡°Then what am I missing?¡±


    He got into position again and concentrated on the ring in his hand. Nar watched him out of the corner of his eyes, his mind only half following along with what the two of them were doing.


    ¡°Try to push harder,¡± Cen whispered. ¡°Imagine it¡¯s the receptor.¡±


    ¡°Hghn!¡±


    Tuk gripped his wrist with his other hand and bent down towards the ring.


    ¡°You can do it!¡± Cen said.


    But Tuk collapsed, breathing hard, and covered his mouth.


    ¡°Oh, no! Too much?¡± Cen asked.


    Tuk raised a hand to ask for time, and downed big gulps of air.


    Nar patted his back gently. Aura sickness was something all operators bonded over.


    ¡°Why is it not coming out?¡± Tuk muttered. ¡°I push and push, and nothing.¡±


    ¡°Tuk¡­¡± Cen said, grimacing in sympathy. ¡°Maybe it just can¡¯t be done. And that¡¯s probably a good thing.¡±


    ¡°No. I know it''s possible. I feel it. The System wouldn¡¯t give me something I can¡¯t use. There has to be a way!¡±


    Nar pursed his lips.


    Tuk had been saying that a lot, and he didn¡¯t like that idea at all. He much preferred to think that it was a useless attribute, a sadistic punishment, rather than consider that the System was giving him [Aura] with the intention of him having to use it.


    He pushed the thought away, and as he did, something clicked.


    ¡°Show me again, please, how you push it,¡± Tuk said, leaning forward to get a closer look at her staff.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s it,¡± Nar muttered.


    ¡°What is?¡±


    Nar blinked and found the two of them staring at him.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, if you have an idea, out with it,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°I, well, I just thought that maybe you should do it differently,¡± Nar said. He pointed at Cen¡¯s staff. ¡°Cen pushes her [Aura] into that, and it builds up at the tip. We used to push it into the receptor, because it received aura from our bodies. But you have those rings. You do that¡­¡±


    Nar raised his hand and half spun, half wiggled his index finger.


    ¡°...weird thing with your fingers.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not weird. It¡¯s just how you spin and toss them,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Exactly! Why don¡¯t you spin them? Or spin your [Aura] into them. You know, like you do the weird thing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do a weird thing,¡± Tuk said, but his attention had shifted to the ring in his hand.


    ¡°It makes sense?¡± Cen said. She too stared at the ring. ¡°I mean, it sounds crazy, but it''s a crazy that somehow sounds logical?¡±


    Tuk covered his mouth and thought about it.


    ¡°Do I spin the ring, or the [Aura]?¡±


    Nar¡¯s eyes widened at the question.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know? Both? Maybe if they are in sync that¡¯s when it works?¡±


    Tuk ran the ring through his finger and spun it. Slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed, until the ring was nothing more than a blurry line of faint shining yellow around his finger. He brought his hand closer to his face, and half-closed his eyes, focusing.


    Nar and Cen waited in silence, their hearts beating strangely quickly.


    A faint glimmer of gray spread over the ring.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡±


    Cen¡¯s shout startled the two of them.


    Tuk lost control over his ring, and it shot out past Nar¡¯s face.


    It ricocheted against the walls with a loud, clear, metallic ting, ting, ting, and punched into Mul¡¯s training ground.


    ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± they heard him shout.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Gad asked.


    Everyone came running towards them.


    ¡°He did it!¡± Nar shouted, not believing what he had just seen. ¡°He used his [Aura]!¡±


    Tuk pumped his fist into the air.


    ¡°Yes! I did it!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Kur asked. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°I-I saw it!¡± Cen said, her eyes wide. ¡°It shone. The ring shone!¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Gad whispered. ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Kur said.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. And it was all thanks to Nar!¡± Tuk said, slapping his back.


    ¡°I just blurted something out!¡± Nar said in shock.


    Tuk stood up.


    ¡°Always easier looking in, man! Come on! Your turn!¡±


    ¡°I-What?¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Tuk said, looking at him. ¡°I¡¯m going to help you! I have an idea too!¡±


    ¡°What? You just figured the [Aura] thing out!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°Come back! Try again before you forget!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, come on! Quick!¡±


    At his insistence, and under the stunned eyes of Cen, Gad, Kur and Jul, Nar stood up.


    ¡°Alright. Alright! At least watch where you are walking!¡±


    The corridor at the back of the party was strewn with guardian bits and parts. Blades, legs, and wires were all jutting out from haphazard piles and tangles, from which Mul continually expanded and improved his training area.


    Tuk turned to flash him a grin and show him a thumbs up. Just as Nar had predicted, he tripped.


    Nar caught him as he was about to kiss the floor.


    ¡°See! Come on! Relax! Just go do your thing!¡± Nar said.


    Tuk sat down and grinned at him. Like a happy child that had just pulled a prank on someone.


    ¡°Did you see what just happened there?¡± he asked Nar.


    ¡°Yeah, I caught you before you damaged your brains even further!¡±


    Tuk laughed and looked behind him.


    ¡°Did you all see it?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Nar asked, growing in confusion.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to get it,¡± Tuk said, and stood up.


    Kur pointed at the floor right in front of him. ¡°Nar, you were right here. How did you get over there so fast?¡±


    Nar blinked.


    ¡°I always move fast.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Tuk said. ¡°Gad, take it from here!¡±


    Gad gave him a thumbs up.


    ¡°Nar, you¡¯re fast. Probably the fastest in the party. And you have the quickest reaction too, thanks to your high [Reflex],¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s how you stop things before they hit us. It¡¯s how you run circles around the party, being everywhere you need to be. You¡¯re using your attributes.¡±


    Nar made a face.


    ¡°Think about it, in all these days of training, how¡¯s your stamina been?¡±


    His face dropped. The flash of insight and knowledge hit him like that guardian had.


    ¡°It''s full,¡± Nar whispered. ¡°Or not anymore, because I¡¯ve just used some of it. I used it to power my [Speed]. I haven¡¯t been using my attributes!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been as slow as Mul, man,¡± Tuk said, laughing.


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m working on it!¡± Mul grunted.


    ¡°But attributes are not something you use. It just happens. You want to hit harder, and your [Strength] just does it...¡± Nar said.


    ¡°I told you. You¡¯re thinking too much,¡± Gad said. ¡°You just need to let it happen. Come on, once and for all, just do it! Tuk, shoot him!¡±


    ¡°With pleasure!¡± he said. ¡°Come on, go over there.¡±


    Still unsure and frozen by the sudden realization, Tuk had to gently turn him and push him along.


    Nar had only taken a few steps when his [Instinct] shouted in alarm.


    The sword was in his hand, and he twisted, slashing at the incoming danger before he could even think about it.


    Ting!


    The sword and ring met and the little flying disc shot off against the wall, where it bounced, and returned to Tuk¡¯s hand.


    The trugger smiled at Nar, who was frozen in his stance.


    He hadn''t even thought about pulling the sword from storage. He hadn''t even thought about how he was going to move, or how he was going to swing his sword. He had just done it. Just like that.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been doing this since the beginning,¡± Tuk said. ¡°You are what you do. The System just made you better at it. You walked into an army of cannibals for Crystal¡¯s sake! How do you think you came out alive?¡±


    ¡°I used my [Instinct]...¡±


    ¡°And [Speed]. And [Agility]. And [Reflex]. And [Strength],¡± Gad said, raising a finger for each. ¡°[Hearing]. [Sight]. And most important of all, your experience. It''s been months, Nar. Months.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been rough for all of us, but I think you take the bonus,¡± Tuk said.


    Nar started from one to another.


    ¡°That¡¯s it? I was thinking too hard?¡±


    ¡°Looking in man, looking in,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how much damage you can do, when you get stuck in your own head,¡± Gad said.


    Kur nodded. ¡°Gotta agree with that.¡±


    ¡°All that flailing about, and doing that weird stuff with your wrists. Now that was weird,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Thinking too hard? Just thinking¡­¡±


    Nar stared at his sword. His mind had gone blank.


    ¡°I think our hybrid boy is going to need a moment,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Cen, want to help me again?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Get your ass over here before you forget how you did it!¡±


    Tuk laughed and walked away, leaving Nar stuck in the same position, looking into the colorful depths of his blade.


    His brain stuttered and tried to resume functioning, but it took several tries. Eventually, the first thought managed to finally form.


    Am I just dumb?

 Chapter 50 - Growing

    ¡°Cen, hold back for now,¡± Kur said. ¡°Let¡¯s see how we do first!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Gad had stopped the soldier guardian¡¯s charge, and Viy and Mul moved in.


    Nar shifted his foot a smidge forward. His legs were bent and his back leaned forward. And on his hand, supported by a fully healed shoulder, was his sword.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Kur shouted.


    He shot forward.


    Within a second, he was at the soldier. The legs and blades thrashed wildly around it, but Nar plunged head first into them. He felt a sting on his cheek and another on his left side, but he twisted and bent out of the way, avoiding almost all of it, and was through.


    From the darkness ahead, he sensed them coming.


    The momentum carried him forward, and he swung.


    He didn''t care about what it looked like. He didn¡¯t try any fancy moves with his wrists. It didn¡¯t matter if he wasn¡¯t using his sword properly. What mattered was that he used it however he could.


    His feet stomped down, hard, and from it, he pivoted his entire body to set the follow up cut.


    Ting! Ting! Ting-ting!


    The sword extended to his right, slashing in a vertical upwards cut.


    Ting! Ting!


    And he spun once more, changing the follow up downwards cut into a rising horizontal swing. It wasn¡¯t a sword then. It was a club. A dumb, blunt club. And it was all it needed to be.


    Unfortunately, he was too slow.


    Shit! he thought, as his sword met only air.


    ¡°Incoming!¡± Jul shouted.


    Nar saw the party take cover where they could.


    ¡°We¡¯re okay, Nar!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°You¡¯re doing great! Just do your best!¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t overthink it!¡± Tuk added.


    They¡¯re never going to let that go, Nar thought, with a mental sigh.


    But already, more bolts were coming his way, and Nar moved to stop them.


    The fight wore on. The sounds of violent battle rang from behind him, but he barely paid them any attention. He trusted Gad and the others, and he trusted his [Instinct] and attributes to either take the blow or dodge it, if it ever came like last time.


    Time lost all meaning in that dim yellow section of the corridor, and Nar intercepted bolt after bolt.


    He didn¡¯t catch them all. In fact, he missed quite a few, and he messed up a lot. Tuk¡¯s training had done wonders, but it was still his first time.


    More often than not, he tripped on his own feet, and banged the sword against his own shins. But it was progress, and he grinned like an idiot all throughout it.


    It was a long time afterwards when he emerged from his battle haze.


    His [Instinct] warned him about the danger from behind and he dropped down, flat, without a thought. The soldier''s limb swooshed above his head, and Nar rolled out of the way of its incoming attacks.


    The guardian stopped mid attack and forgot about him, turning back to Gad.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± she shouted, grunting against the guardian''s blows. ¡°It did something! It shook my aggro off!¡±


    Bolts came from behind him, and Nar had to move.


    Crystal! How many bolts does that thing have?


    He glanced at his stamina. A third down, just on stopping those bolts. And from the glimpses he had caught of the soldier, it didn¡¯t look like the others had had much luck with it.


    ¡°Kur!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°Down a third of stamina!¡±


    Their leader swore.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°Let me try!¡± Tuk asked.


    Even with his back to him, with a massive guardian in between them, and with bolts flying at him, Nar could still hear the excitement and eagerness in Tuk¡¯s voice.


    ¡°No! Too soon! You haven¡¯t been able to shoot it properly yet,¡± Kur said, shutting him down. ¡°Cen, I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I got it!¡±


    She lifted her staff and light began to gather at its tip.


    ¡°Gad! Nar! Get ready!¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°Okay!¡± they replied together.


    The light grew at his back, stretching Nar¡¯s shadow towards the darkness ahead. No bolts flew at him, and when Cen shouted, Nar threw himself down.


    The [Aura Projectile] shone through the corridor, and Nar looked ahead. He wanted to see the source of his frustrations and pain get wrecked.


    The light revealed the poisoner, and in that blink of an eye between light and explosion, Nar caught something else.


    Was that¡­


    But he didn¡¯t have time to think. Cen was about to obliterate the soldier next, and he needed to get away from it.


    On cue, light shone bright again, and Nar rolled to his feet, and ran towards where the poisoner now lay in pieces. He kept his sword ready for any surprises, but none came.


    ¡°He¡¯s clear!¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°Do it!¡± Gad yelled.


    Cen let it fly. The soldier was thrown back a few steps from the force of the explosion, and Nar ran back a few steps more.


    Cen peppered the guardian with the smaller, instant versions of her skill, and soon enough, the guardian was blown apart.


    Damn¡­


    Regardless of what he thought of [Aura], he couldn¡¯t hide the respect he felt for it. Maybe even some jealousy.


    DING!


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have defeated one Guardian Soldier 2. 574 experience points have been awarded.


    You have defeated one Guardian Poisoner 1. 2391 experience points have been awarded.


    You have defeated one Guardian Attendant. 39 experience points have been awarded.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar inhaled sharply.


    2391? How?


    That was the most experience points he had ever gotten from a single enemy!


    ¡°Finally! A level up!¡± Mul shouted, laughing.


    Nar pulled his eyes off the massive experience point gains and saw that he was correct.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have leveled up!


    You have gained:


    Speed 10 -> 11


    Aura* 42 -> 43 (+1 Mod.)


    Instinct 13 -> 14


    Reflex 12 -> 13


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Yes! he thought, throwing his fist in the air.


    It was funny, not gaining [Strength] or [Constitution] used to bring him down, and now, he barely even registered his [Aura] gains. He had done it! He had stopped those bolts. Not all, but that would come with practice and more gains. Gains such as those!


    It was perfect!


    He didn¡¯t know what his path was going to look like in the future, or what corrections he would have to make once he got out. But here, and now, it was working. It was proving his hypothesis, and Gad¡¯s and everyone else''s, right.


    If only my dad could see me now, he thought, smiling to himself. Trusting and confiding in this party, and proving that my path was not a total mistake.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    He looked back, to where his party celebrated in high spirits.


    ¡°Thank you, Cen,¡± Kur said. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯ll get better.¡±


    Cen beamed at the party leader. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Kur, don¡¯t worry about it. And I¡¯m still in everyone¡¯s debt, for my behavior from before.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Forgot about that!¡± Tuk said.


    While the party conversed and joked and laughed away merrily in victory, Nar squinted at the darkness in front of them.


    He stepped forward, pushing his [Sight] to its limits, remembering what he had seen in that brief moment before Cen¡¯s [Aura Projectile] had exploded. However, he still couldn¡¯t really make more than a mess of broken lines on the floor before him.


    Here, there was no light, and unfortunately, his [Sight] wasn¡¯t strong enough to make sense of the jumble of broken outlines that littered the floor.


    ¡°Can you guys walk over here?¡± he asked. ¡°I need some light.¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Kur said.


    ¡°I think I found something.¡±


    The others rushed to him, and as the light moved forward, Nar realized that he had seen correctly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Look.¡±


    They looked where he was pointing, somewhere at the mess in front of them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned¡­¡± Mul said. ¡°Are those bolts?¡±


    ¡°There are so many!¡± Cen said.


    ¡°I was wondering why the poisoner never stopped,¡± Gad said, taking in the dozens of bolts littering the floor alongside the broken guardian. ¡°But where was it keeping them?¡±


    ¡°There was another guardian, a smaller one. I don¡¯t know where it was getting them from, but I think it was bringing bolts to the poisoner.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mul said.


    ¡°Yeah. I saw it right before Cen¡¯s projectile hit,¡± Nar said. ¡°The little guy was carrying a bunch of bolts, and was handing them to the poisoner! He was reloading it!¡±


    ¡°So he never runs out!¡± Kur said. ¡°Damn it! All this time, I was thinking we could just wait it out, focus on the soldier!¡±


    ¡°There were two of them,¡± Jul said, in a hushed tone. ¡°Of those small guardians. I heard them coming and going¡­¡±


    Kur passed a hand over his hair.


    ¡°So we can¡¯t ever wait for it to run out of bolts. That means that no matter how long we keep the big guy busy, the poisoner will always be shooting us.¡±


    Gad nodded. ¡°The soldier is just there to protect the poisoner. To keep us from going after it. The real threat are those bolts.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Not saying the soldier¡¯s not dangerous, but the real threat are those bolts, and that poison,¡± Kur said, considering the bolts strewn at their feet. ¡°Just one hit of that, and we¡¯re down for days. And that¡¯s if we even survive it. I don¡¯t think any of us would survive a bolt to the face, or to the heart.¡±


    Nar stared somberly at the bolts. His job in keeping them off the party weighed heavily over his shoulders.


    I need to get better¡­ I will get better, he told himself.


    ¡°So, from now on, we need to hit the poisoner first?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Or the small guys,¡± Mul said. ¡°The attendants.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re so fast though,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Can we even catch them? Or the poisoner, for that matter?¡±


    Eyes turned to Nar.


    ¡°I-I can try¡­¡±


    Kur groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°We¡¯ll think about it. For now, let¡¯s just be happy that we managed to survive that, without needing two weeks of recovery.¡±


    ¡°Whoop! Whoop!¡± Tuk shouted.


    ¡°And well done, Nar,¡± Kur said. ¡°That helped a lot. Honestly!¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop them all.¡±


    ¡°Soon, man,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Soon. You¡¯ll get there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can do it!¡± Jul breathed, barely audibly.


    She swallowed and smiled, only half hiding behind her hair.


    The encouragement made him smile.


    ¡°Thanks Jul. And thanks guys. I promise I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    Tuk did a little dance, but Kur tapped him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get going. And don¡¯t forget that it was still Cen that killed the guardians. We all need to get better. Thankfully, it looks like we¡¯re making gains again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Mul said, scratching his chin. ¡°I wonder what happened there? Why did we start leveling again all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that we just didn¡¯t have enough experience?¡± Gad asked.


    Cen tapped her lip, thinking. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ve made so many gains. By my calculations, we should¡¯ve leveled at least three times by now.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. As always, things happen, and we are in the dark,¡± Kur said. ¡°Anyways, for now, let¡¯s just go. We¡¯ve already been delayed for long enough. I wouldn¡¯t put it past Them to penalize us for taking too long.¡±


    ¡°Crystal,¡± Tuk muttered. ¡°Really?¡±


    Kur shrugged.


    Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t put anything past the System, or the Crystal, at this stage.


    His new found piety and faithfulness to the Crystal, had slowly faded in the weeks following the defense of the cubeplant, now almost a whole month back.


    First, he had lost his attribute modifier to his [Aura]. Despite all his praying, praising and begging, in the end, it had still happened. Nar had had to come to the realization that he had not been promised anything by the Crystal. It had all been in his own mind, a way to keep him from despairing at the growing attribute.


    However, he could fool himself no longer. He was gaining [Aura], and so was Cen, and now apparently, Tuk too. He didn¡¯t know why it was happening, only that it was, and that there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing, not even begging the Crystal to make it stop, as he had, had achieved anything. And so, he had stopped begging. He would deal with it himself, when the day came, or, hopefully, when the reason why the three of them were still gaining [Aura] was revealed.


    Secondly, and perhaps much more impactful, had been the battle itself. How could he keep praying to the Crystal, knowing that It found it acceptable to punish almost fifty thousand helpless people, with a horde of cannibals? It just made no sense to him. Whatever the Original Sin was, nothing could justify that room filled with blood and gore. There were kids in that cubeplant, who hadn''t even started working! Who had nothing to do with the failed quota! How was it possible for him to just accept it? Especially with everything he himself had gone through, as a so-called Unclean?


    No. His faith had by now pretty much returned to its original state. The Crystal was still the Supreme Administrator of the System, and the One Who Granted Aether. But Nar didn¡¯t really want anything to do with It, other than get Its magic. Something that had to happen at some point. He refused to believe otherwise, and doubted his attitude to the Crystal truly mattered. All It seemed to ask of Nar, was that he suffered, and earned his forgiveness. That was all.


    ¡°Did you gain more [Aura]?¡± Tuk asked, as the party got underway.


    Cen nodded, with a pensive look. ¡°I did. You?¡±


    ¡°Yup. At 23, now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tuk,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°Why? Not your fault. It is what it is. And at least, I think I can make use of it. And soon, right?¡±


    Cen rolled her eyes and refused to reply.


    As they walked, Nar¡¯s thoughts turned back to his middling successes at stopping those bolts.


    I didn¡¯t overthink it, and I didn¡¯t overcomplicate it. If I need to use my sword like a club, then so be it. I¡¯ll find someone to teach me when I get up there. Or maybe I¡¯ll just get better with time. Slowly. Cut, slash, thrust. Parry, dodge and even block, when it''s right. One step at a time.


    Ahead of him, Tuk slowed down to let Nar catch up to him.


    ¡°Well done, man. How did that feel?¡±


    Nar grinned like an idiot and Tuk chuckled.


    ¡°That good, eh?¡± he asked. ¡°You were impressive. You moved so fast. It was like a blur sometimes. Even knowing you¡¯ve gotten better against my rings, that was still stunning to see.¡±


    Nar rubbed the back of his neck. He was embarrassed, but he couldn¡¯t stop smiling.


    ¡°Thanks, man,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see your [Aura] rings too.¡±


    It was Tuk¡¯s turn to grin.


    He raised a finger, with a spinning ring on it, and with just a little frown of concentration, he made the ring brighten and dim with [Aura], showing off his recently gained and increasing control.


    Nar had to give it to him. He had gotten faster and better than Cen had. His struggle now was with controlling the actual shooting part. The delicate moment where he spun the ring up his finger and threw it was already hard enough to even wrap one¡¯s head around, Nar couldn¡¯t even begin to guess how difficult it was to do so while spinning his own [Aura] in sync with the ring at the same time.


    ¡°Soon,¡± he said. ¡°Just need to figure that last bit out.¡±


    Nar shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how you do it.¡±


    Tuk burst into laughter.


    ¡°Same way you stop bolts midair, and Gad stops those massive things!¡± he said. ¡°We all have our talents. And that¡¯s what makes us, us!¡±


    Nar snorted.


    ¡°Come on, man! That was touching!¡± Tuk said. ¡°Admit it! Admit it! You¡¯re talking now! The next step is to get into touch with your emotions!¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Not that again!¡±


    ¡°Feel it, Nar. Come on, just open your heart!¡±


    Ahead of them, the party laughed at Tuk¡¯s antics.


    All in all, it was a good day.


    That night, while the others rested, Nar, Tuk and Jul, stood a few steps behind the party.


    ¡°Thanks guys, I really appreciate you always doing this,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You helped me, now I help you. And for some reason, Jul just seems to like our company.¡±


    Jul smiled and nodded effusively. She was one that was also, slowly, but steadily, opening more and more to the party. It warmed Nar¡¯s heart to see her progress, and slowly overcome whatever her damned parents, or whoever it was, had done to her.


    ¡°You guys are the best,¡± she said.


    ¡°Ooof! A compliment from Jul,¡± Tuk said, raising a hand to his chest. ¡°Am I hearing right, Nar?¡±


    Nar chuckled and shook his head.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get started,¡± Nar said.


    Tuk spun up one ring, lit it up with [Aura] and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Here goes.¡±


    Nar followed the ring up his finger with his eyes, and suddenly it was gone.


    It rang clear against the ceiling, then the floor, then it disappeared in the darkness. It did not come back.


    Tuk winced.


    ¡°Keep going, Tuk,¡± Jul said. ¡°You¡¯ll get it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Tuk did just that, flinging rings in all directions except the one he wanted the rings to go. Once he had thrown all but one of his rings, the three of them wandered into the dark to recover the others. Tuk, sensing where the rings had ended up through his weapons'' special skill, guided them. Despite what he had said, they needed Jul there. She was the one with the eyes to actually find the rings in the dark. And Nar, he was just there as a precaution, in case anything surprised them.


    Once they had all ten rings back, they returned to the edge of the yellow arrows, and repeated the same process. Tuk tried to stay relaxed and upbeat about his failures, and Nar and Jul did their best to cheer him on.


    ¡°Wow!¡± Nar shouted.


    ¡°Did you see it?¡± Tuk asked, his eyes brimming with victory. ¡°It flew straight!¡±


    ¡°It did!¡± Jul said. ¡°Well done!¡±


    The ring shot from Tuk¡¯s finger in an almost straight line. It had deviated off course and bounced against the wall, but it was the best effort so far.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting the hang of it,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°I think so. Come on, let¡¯s go grab them. It¡¯s getting late. I want to finish with this feeling of success!¡±


    Nar shook his head, smiling. The three of them went and recovered the rings for the final time that night, and then returned to the party to sleep.


    Nar passed by Gad and Viy, talking in hushed, hurried whispers. Viy had her legs up, and was resting her elbows on them, covering her ears.


    Her eyes were wide. Haunted. And she was breathing in fast and shallow breaths.


    Another panic attack, Nar thought.


    They had started while the party was still stuck, recovering from their wounds.


    Viy had suddenly dropped in the middle of her spear practice, curling into a ball on the floor, hyperventilating. Kur, Gad and Cen had rushed to her, and slowly, they had managed to calm her down. However, the attacks had continued from then onwards.


    Something is not right with her. Something feels really bad about her.


    Nar had seen workers have panic attacks all throughout his life, and once they started, it was very hard to recover from it.


    Not for the first time, Nar found himself wondering what had happened to Viy. What could have forced her to take the almost certain death of the Climb? Nar just hoped it wasn¡¯t as bad as he thought. The workers tolerated almost anything, anything, as long as it didn¡¯t impact the quota. And Nar had seen, and lived, through some pretty gruesome things.


    He swallowed and walked on past them. Joining them would only make things worse. He could only hope that Gad, Cen and Kur, could eventually manage to help her. Both for her sake and the party¡¯s. Nar didn¡¯t want to run after her into an army of cannibals ever again.


    Though if I have to¡­


    He let the thought hang. He had changed his mind on the whole using the party, and was looking to actively protect and cover them now. But what had happened that day, it had been something else, and he was still trying to sort his thoughts and feelings about it.


    The three of them sat together and shared a quiet meal. Nar got through his cracker and slurped on some jell-o.


    He sighed.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Tuk said. ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel like Mul. I¡¯m not hungry, but I¡¯m not full either.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll just keep eating more and more?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°Maybe. Who knows? There¡¯s a lot that we still don¡¯t know.¡±


    A few minutes later, Kur ordered them all to sleep, keeping Jul and himself for the first watch.


    ¡°You want to talk some more about it?¡± Jul asked, offering the party leader a smile.


    ¡°Yes, if that¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    While they had all practiced in their own various ways while they recovered, there hadn¡¯t been much that Kur could do, except watch over them and offer advice where he could. But, one day, he pulled Jul aside and asked her if she could tell him about her sense stats, especially [Instinct].


    His reasoning was that, as the party leader, he needed to be able to react faster. To anticipate, and see or hear, the danger faster, so that he could better direct the party.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to teach you. Not like Cen,¡± Jul had said.


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m not expecting that. It¡¯s just that I think I can feel something, sometimes.¡±


    She gasped. ¡°Really?¡±


    Kur nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not like what you and Nar have, I think. It¡¯s more a sensation in my gut. Inside. At the back of my head. Ugh. I don¡¯t know how to describe it.¡±


    Jul nodded eagerly. ¡°It could be [Instinct]. Or something else like it...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s my hope. It would really help in leading the party.¡±


    ¡°Hmm! So, how can I help?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping that if you can describe to me how your senses work, that maybe it will help me unlock the attribute. I would really appreciate it, if you could help me, in any way you can.¡±


    Jul thought about it for a moment.


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll help you the best I can,¡± she said. ¡°But it might not be much help.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just want to try.¡±


    And with that, whenever there was a spare moment like now, either resting or walking, Kur asked Jul questions, and she would do the best she could to answer them. Then, Kur would try to sense.


    So far, his efforts had been met without success, but Kur showed no signs of frustration or of giving up.


    Nar lay down to sleep, and turning his back to them, left them to their conversation.

 Chapter 51 - Guardian Slayer

    Nar was starting to get the hang of it.


    He was letting less and less bolts pass him by, and was even considering rushing the poisoner to attack the little guardians supplying it.


    A few fights and a couple of gains later, he was now even faster, and his [Reflex] higher. Soon, he would be able to stop all of the bolts. And this was no longer just a hope of his. It was soon to be reality.


    Almost time, he thought.


    That fight had dragged on longer than the others. By unanimous decision, everyone had decided to try and let it go a bit further, to see if the DPS could find a way to kill the soldier guardian without Cen¡¯s help. There had to be a weakness somewhere, on the heavily plated guardian, but so far, they hadn''t found one, if it even existed.


    Even examining their broken corpses had revealed nothing, except how thick the main body was underneath all that armor.


    ¡°How am I supposed to punch through all that?¡± Mul had said.


    Nar had nodded along. If Mul with his much higher [Strength] couldn¡¯t do it, he certainly couldn''t either. However, he didn¡¯t let that discourage him. His current focus was on stopping those bolts, getting better and faster. He would eventually worry about, and solve, his lacking DPS problem.


    ¡°Okay! That¡¯s enough!¡± Kur shouted, from behind him. ¡°We can¡¯t keep dragging this on. It¡¯s time to end it!¡±


    ¡°On it!¡± Cen said.


    The now familiar light of her [Aura] grew behind Nar¡¯s back.


    Nar¡¯s [Hearing] let him know that the next volley was ready. He had learned that the poisoner could shoot eight bolts at once, and with his improved [Hearing] he had begun counting the distinct, even if incredibly faint, click that the bolts made as they were loaded, and was prepared for when it fired.


    Gad had been so proud of him when he had told her about his findings. One would think it had been her own achievement, from how happy it had made her. That was just how Gad was.


    ¡°Ready!¡± Cen shouted.


    Nar heard the final click.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°Wait!¡± he yelled in horror.


    But it was too late. The poisoner let loose, and Nar had no other option but to try and intercept them as usual.


    At the same time, behind him, he heard and felt the explosion.


    It knocked him off course, and the last bolt flew past him.


    Nar crashed against the wall, and looked behind him.


    Cen had shot her [Aura Projectile]. But with Nar still in the way, she had been forced to fire it in a different direction. It looked like she had tried to let her [Aura Projectile] loose behind the party, but hadn''t been able to turn fast enough.


    The wall looked as it always did. But the shockwave had knocked the party into disarray.


    Tuk was getting back up. Kur was looking up from behind his buckler, with Jul hiding under it still. Mul was down too, though Nar had no idea what had happened to him. And in that exact moment, maybe sensing its chance, the Guardian shivered, triggering his anti-aggro skill, and got loose.


    Gad jumped in to cover Viy, but Nar was left to fend for himself. And from behind him, he heard the clicks.


    He had not been counting.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s just [Dazed],¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Mul¡¯s down!¡± Gad shouted, from under the onslaught of legs and blades.


    ¡°Can you aggro it again? Nar is getting hit!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t! It¡¯s not ready yet!¡±


    Nar weaved and flowed between the soldier''s limbs, its blades swishing through the air less than an inch from his face.


    ¡°I can do it!¡± Tuk shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡±


    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t!¡± Kur cried.


    But it was too late.


    Nar sensed the danger and got out of the way of the bright disc of light that burst out of the guardian''s back.


    The deadly ring of light turned gracefully, like it was meant to, and Nar jumped out of its way as it returned to Tuk. The ring pierced through the guardian again, on its way back, and less than a second later, Nar heard Tuk cry out in pain.


    ¡°Tuk!¡±


    The familiar warmth of Kur¡¯s [Healing Boon] flooded him.


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Nar whispered as he got back up.


    Whatever had happened, it was bad enough that Kur had decided to immediately trigger his boon. But he didn¡¯t have time to look. The poisoner was attacking and he had split seconds to react.


    He caught some, and suddenly, Gad was there by his side, stopping the rest with her shield.


    ¡°The soldier!¡± Nar shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s dead! Tuk got him, and he¡¯s fine! But we need to finish this. Us four!¡±


    Nar looked to his other side and saw that Viy was there, grim faced and pale, but her spear was held right and stable.


    ¡°I¡¯m here too!¡± Jul said, from behind him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on the poisoner,¡± Gad said. ¡°If the little guys run, let them!¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡±


    Together, they sprinted forward.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡± Nar shouted.


    ¡°Cover yourself and Viy. I¡¯ll be fine!¡± Gad said.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Nar did as she said, and they continued on, unharmed. Soon, they penetrated the darkness, and now, only Nar and Jul could see.


    ¡°It¡¯s right in front of you Gad!¡± Nar shouted.


    Gad bashed her shield forward and managed to hit the guardian as it was turning to flee. Surprisingly, that was enough to crush it against the wall.


    ¡°It¡¯s weak! Viy, help me!¡± Gad shouted. ¡°Nar, take care of the little ones!¡±


    While Gad and Viy struggled against the tangled, squirming guardian in the dark, he focused on the little guardians.


    They had dropped the bolts they carried, and were trying to help the poisoner.


    No, you don¡¯t!


    With a step, Nar was there, blocking them from attacking Viy, and with two short, but brutal, downward swings, he crushed the two attendants to bits.


    ¡°I got them!¡±


    ¡°Help us!¡± Gad shouted.


    She was hammering the guardian without mercy, but Viy was having trouble hitting the thing in the dark.


    Nar joined in on the beat down, and a few seconds later, the guardian was broken on the floor, leaking brown goo while the three of them gasped over it.


    ¡°Jul?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t sense anything else.¡±


    The experience gains window covered his field of vision.


    ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± he gasped, flicking it away so he could see.


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Gad said, in between breaths. ¡°That could have gone very badly.¡±


    Nar nodded in the dark, forgetting the tank couldn¡¯t see him.


    ¡°Come on, let''s get back,¡± she said.


    As they walked back, Nar pulled his latest notification. He had gotten into the habit of ignoring them until Jul declared that they were safe.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have defeated one Guardian Soldier 2. 426 experience points have been awarded.


    You have defeated one Guardian Poisoner 1. 3514 experience points have been awarded.


    You have defeated one Guardian Attendant. 217 experience points have been awarded.


    You have defeated one Guardian Attendant. 209 experience points have been awarded.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The sheer quantity of experience points made him go blank for a couple steps.


    That''s huge! And it wasn¡¯t enough to level up?


    This was their seventh fight since they had started Climbing again. In all that time, he had only leveled two more times. And he was gaining experience like crazy.


    3514, and it was still not enough¡­ Damn, the experience needed is getting out of hand.


    He had known that he would need more and more experience to keep leveling, but he hadn¡¯t expected that requirement to grow so large and so quickly.


    He pulled his stats tab open and had a quick check.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    NAR293457741235645XAV


    Basic 12


    Health Points: 149/170


    Stamina: 139/200


    Attributes


    ¡ñ Strength: 14


    ¡ñ Constitution: 17


    ¡ñ Stamina: 20


    ¡ñ Agility: 13


    ¡ñ Speed: 12


    ¡ñ Aura*: 45 (+3 Mod.)


    ¡ñ ???: 10


    ¡ñ ???: 16


    ¡ñ Might: 4


    ¡ñ Endurance: 6


    ¡ñ Instinct: 14


    ¡ñ Reflex: 14


    ¡ñ Hearing: 8


    ¡ñ Sight: 8


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    In the past three levels, he had gained no [Strength], and only a single valuable point in [Constitution]. In comparison, he was still making steady gains on the attributes that composed his new chosen path. He now had as much [Instinct] and [Reflex] as he did [Strength], and he had no doubt that they would soon surpass it. Same with his [Agility] and [Speed]. He still did not know what that meant for his DPS, but he had decided to not regret his choice before he had given it a proper chance to manifest the potential that Kur and Gad were convinced was there.


    He had not made any more gains on [Might] or [Endurance], but he had the strange feeling that those attributes were a grade above the rest. He doubted he would make any gains in them, unless under very, very strenuous conditions. And of his two [???] unknown attributes? He had long given up on trying to figure them out. They would reveal themselves in time, and worrying about them did nothing for him.


    He closed the tab as they rejoined the others.


    Mul was sitting against the wall. He was shaking his head and tapping his ears.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he grunted. ¡°The explosion pushed me into the guardian and I got hit. ¡°


    Nar gasped.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Mul said, though his tone was softer this time. ¡°It was just a brush. It took a third of my HP and [Dazed] me, but I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Nar nodded. His heart had nearly jumped out of his mouth. Mul didn¡¯t have the [Constitution] to be taking hits from a Soldier Guardian 2!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°It was not your fault,¡± Jul said. ¡°The poisoner and Cen shot at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what happened. Yeah. Bad timing, then¡± Mul said. ¡°No one¡¯s fault.¡±


    ¡°It was bound to happen at some point,¡± Gad said. ¡°I should have thought about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no one¡¯s fault,¡± Kur said. ¡°It¡¯s just another lesson that we¡¯ve learned. Next time we¡¯ll include it in the shooting preparations, and we¡¯ll communicate it better.¡±


    Tuk raised a bloody thumbs up.


    ¡°And what happened to you?¡± Nar asked, approaching him.


    He saw in passing that Cen was still out, but since neither Kur nor Mul seemed worried, she must have been fine.


    Tuk on the other hand, was a different story.


    His arm and right side were completely covered in murky dark red grayish blood. He pressed his left hand against the wound, just below his shoulder, but blood was still leaking from under his fingers. Above the wound, a shirt had been tied to reduce the blood pumping out of his arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± he said, smiling.


    ¡°Shut it!¡± Kur said, snapping at him. ¡°Not a word! Not a sound! You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re not dead! Even with my boon, you can still die with that [Bleeding]!¡±


    ¡°My HP is getting better. It''s not going down as fast,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°It¡¯s still going down!¡± Kur yelled. ¡°And I said shut up! Nar, tie another shirt around this idiot¡¯s arm. And use all of your [Strength]!¡±


    ¡°No! You¡¯re gonna break my arm, man!¡±


    ¡°I swear to the Crystal! Another word and I¡¯ll kill you myself!¡± Kur hissed at him.


    Nar got out one of his new shirts and quickly kneeled next to Tuk. He twisted the shirt into a long, tight cord, and carefully tied it above Kur¡¯s shirt.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Gad asked again. ¡°I saw the shining ring go into the guardian.¡±


    ¡°It almost took my head off,¡± Nar said. ¡°Twice!¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Tuk said, looking down. ¡°I just wanted to help.¡±


    ¡°And you did, Crystal damn it! But look at you!¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°Did it hit you on the way back?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I tried to grab it, you know, like usual, but it was too fast,¡± Tuk mumbled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that. I thought the [Aura] was only going to boost its damage. Give it some humph, like I need it to, you know? But it made it go faster too. A lot faster. I barely managed to get out of the way.¡±


    ¡°It could have gone through your head! Or your heart! You could¡¯ve died Tuk!¡± Kur yelled.


    ¡°I know...¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡±


    Gad approached Kur and squeezed his shoulder.


    ¡°Come on, calm down. He¡¯s okay, Cen¡¯s okay and Mul¡¯s okay. We¡¯re all okay.¡±


    ¡°It could¡¯ve¡­¡±


    ¡°But it didn¡¯t. And hey, Tuk saved us all. Nar was about to get hit from behind and that guardian wasn¡¯t letting him go.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Thanks, man,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Though I¡¯m sorry I almost killed you.¡±


    ¡°Twice.¡±


    Tuk sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m just messing, man,¡± Nar said, smiling at the ring tosser.


    ¡°Oh. Wow. You got me.¡±


    Kur however, needed several deep breaths before he could even look at Tuk again.


    He¡¯s not really angry. He¡¯s just scared, Nar thought, Scared that Tuk almost died. That we all almost died¡­ Even after all that prep work, an accident is all it takes¡­


    Maybe he should say something, but Gad leaned in and whispered in Kur¡¯s ear. Finally, Kur nodded, and deflated, sagging his shoulders.


    ¡°Look,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you, you saved our lives. Especially Nar¡¯s. Even as you almost killed him twice. But next time, just be more careful, alright?¡±


    Tuk perked up at those words.


    ¡°Next time?¡±


    Kur nodded. ¡°You were awesome. You killed that soldier, something that only Cen could do so far. And you¡¯ve worked hard for it. It¡¯s not my choice, nor my right to stop you. But as your party leader, I¡¯m telling you, you need to be more careful. You need to practice more. And you need to be aware of where the rest of the party is.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Yes. I got it. I¡¯ll be more careful next time,¡± Tuk said. ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t expect it to go like that, and break through the guardian¡­ But I¡¯ll know for next time, and I¡¯ll also wait for your say so!¡±


    Kur shook his head. ¡°No. You need to judge the situation yourself. Sometimes it will all go according to plan, and I will tell you when to go. Other times, the pile¡¯s gonna come crashing down on us, and you¡¯ll need to make the call yourself. Like you rightfully did just there.¡±


    Tuk nodded silently.


    Kur heaved a heavy sigh.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here today and let the wounded rest.¡±


    Nar sat down next to Tuk, to keep an eye on him and give him some company.


    ¡°Could¡¯ve gone better, but damn!¡± he said. ¡°You punched right through all that armor!¡±


    Tuk chuckled, and then winced in pain.


    ¡°Right? It was¡­ Well, way more than I thought it was going to be.¡±


    ¡°Tuk, Guardian Slayer,¡± Nar said, grinning.


    ¡°Eh! I like that. I really do.¡±

 Chapter 52 - Bonds

    When Cen came to, she made Kur¡¯s anger look like an amicable disagreement between two team leads.


    Nar hadn¡¯t known she could be so loud.


    She had Tuk almost in tears, apologizing. She made him swear that he was going to be training every single night into the AMs, and informed him that from now on, she would be personally supervising him. This was pending his full recovery, and she would be the one to deem him ready to start practicing again.


    Eventually though, she relented, and congratulated him on his success.


    Fortunately, after only a day, Kur and Cen both agreed that Tuk was well enough for their party to keep going. But he was, under no circumstances, allowed to join in on any of the fights.


    ¡°And if I even see the shine of a ring, I¡¯m taking them!¡± Cen threatened.


    An outsider might have found the scene funny. The tall, lanky trugger nodding and swearing of his good behavior, while the small lengos waved a tiny finger at him.


    Not Nar though.


    He felt for Tuk. The new Cen was terrifying, and he¡¯d do anything to stay in line.


    And so did Tuk.


    For the next two fights, he stayed put, and not a sound came out of him.


    He was rewarded by Cen deciding that he was well enough to start practicing again, a few days later. And so, Tuk, Jul, Nar, and now Cen, spent their nights after dinner helping the trugger master his new [Aura] attack.


    Slowly, he got it to fly right every time, and then, even more carefully, he got the hang of catching the ring. And then, of throwing it back out again in the smooth, continuous way that he usually did.


    Nar celebrated his success with him and the others. One, because it thoroughly made him happy to see Tuk succeed, and two, because Tuk¡¯s good cheer was just impossible to resist. It spread across the party like a virus. Even Mul, taciturn, grumbling, in a permanent bad mood Mul, found himself roaring with laughter and slapping the trugger¡¯s back with more intensity than Tuk was comfortable with.


    However, at the back of his mind, Nar was worried.


    The worry that had begun when Cen had first revealed her [Aura Projectile], and had afterwards fed greedily on the fact that none of the casters present at the battle had unlocked magic, was now becoming something that was near impossible to ignore. With Tuk¡¯s new [Aura] attack, that worry had fully rooted itself in his brain. It was like a gnarly piece of wiring that no matter how much he pulled and cleared, still managed to get caught on to something else and stay firmly stuck to the pile.


    No matter how much he rationalized it, or tried to logic his way into bullying the thought into submission, he couldn¡¯t. He simply couldn¡¯t let go of the vague idea that something was not right. That the whole [Aura] attribute nonsense was a surprise waiting to pileslide over his head, and smother him.


    Why were they gaining [Aura], if not to use it? Why had Cen only become an effective caster after she had embraced her [Aura]? And Tuk was now heading for the same result. His ring had punched straight through the 4-inch armored shell of the soldier guardian. Not only on the way in, when the ring was supposedly at its strongest, but on way the back as well, when it was at its weakest part of the flight.


    If both Cen and Tuk had received an immense power boost by embracing their [Aura]s, who was to say it wouldn¡¯t happen for him?


    But the worst was yet to come.


    ¡°Hmm, everyone,¡± Kur called, one night, as they ate. ¡°I have something that I need to tell you.¡±


    ¡°What did you do now?¡± Mul asked. ¡°Finally caved and ate that second cracker?¡±


    Kur glared at the brawler, but then he sighed, and shook his head.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s something else. Something I¡¯ve kept hidden from the rest of you.¡±


    Nar sat up straighter at that.


    ¡°The truth is, and, this may not come as much as a surprise to the any of you, but the truth is, I too, have [Aura]. And I have a lot of it.¡±


    Nar stared at him. Kur was right, he didn¡¯t know if he was surprised at the revelation or not.


    ¡°I think that, by now, it would probably be better, if we all came clean with it,¡± Kur said, looking around. ¡°I very much doubt that me, Cen and Tuk, are the only ones that have it.¡±


    Silence descended upon the party, and for a moment, nobody spoke.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Mul grunted. ¡°I have it too.¡±


    ¡°Me as well,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Viy said, simply, not lifting her face to look up.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Jul said.


    Kur looked at Nar, and after a deep breath, Nar nodded too.


    That was it. Just like that, one secret was out.


    ¡°You¡¯ve all had it?¡± Cen asked.


    Nar grimaced. They had piled on her for keeping it secret, and yet, they had all done the same.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cen,¡± Kur said. ¡°It took me some time to get to grips with it. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same for everyone. After all, we all do want magic, and are worried what having [Aura] means for us.¡±


    Cen frowned, but gave him a stiff nod.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying this now, because Tuk can use his [Aura], right?¡± she asked the party leader.


    Kur nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not fair on you to be the only one using [Aura], risking your path. Before, I figured there was no reason, or point in saying it. But now that we could all potentially learn to use it, I think it¡¯s time to come clean.¡±


    ¡°I think the same,¡± Gad said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cen. I should¡¯ve come clean sooner.¡±


    Cen crossed her arms, and considered the revelation.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said eventually. ¡°We didn¡¯t know if it could be used. And even now, that we know, I don¡¯t think anyone should be forced to do it. Like I said, I''m doing it for my own reasons.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Kur said. ¡°For now, this is just a coming clean. An end to the secrecy. I won¡¯t touch on this topic for a bit, and just see how things go, and what everyone decides to do about it. And whether to learn it, or not. But I thought that in the spirit of fairness, now that we know it''s possible, that I should come clean. Is that okay by you, Cen?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± she said.


    ¡°Tuk?¡±


    The trugger snorted. ¡°I¡¯m like Cen, I¡¯m doing this because I want to. I never meant for it to become something that everyone has to do.¡±


    But in the end, I think that¡¯s exactly what¡¯s going to happen, Nar thought.


    How could they just rely on the two of them? Hide behind them? Also, did they even have a choice?


    They had yet to bring down one of the enhanced soldier guardians by themselves, without Cen¡¯s, or now Tuk¡¯s, [Aura]. What if the enemies would just keep on getting stronger, and the only way through was by embracing their curse?


    Or worse. What if there was no magic awaiting him after all?


    What if [Aura] was all that he would ever get?


    Sickening, painful, disgusting [Aura]?


    To be fair, he still did not know the extent of his pardon. Would they be welcomed by the Crystal with open arms, or merely tolerated? The ones that had escaped their proper punishment in the cubeplants? They had no way of knowing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll also not ask how much [Aura] everyone has,¡± Kur said. ¡°That¡¯s for people to reveal, or not, depending on whatever they decide. And for now, we¡¯ll leave it at that.¡±


    That was a small relief to Nar. He wondered how the others would have reacted, had they known just how much [Aura] he had, and how he had come about it.


    However, he would probably have to come clean about it at some point. And then, what argument could he use to refuse using his [Aura]? Especially when it was, probably, the most ready and easiest solution to his weak DPS?


    Why are we even gaining it? Nar wondered. It still made no sense to him.


    It flew in the face of ¡°you are what you do¡±. Everything else, as evidenced by his new path, seemed to be properly governed by that tenet, so why was [Aura] the only exception. Why was it still being forced down their throats?


    He didn¡¯t know, but the question kept him up late that night.


    From there, the Climb had continued with no more surprises.


    On their twentieth fight since their forced break, according to Kur, who was keeping track, Nar managed to stop all the bolts for the first time. Every single one of the potentially hundred bolts that had been flung his way.


    He had felt a sense of elation like no other, as he spun and danced, catching every single one of them. He had been so in control, so in tune with his senses and his attributes. For a moment, he had glimpsed the promise that Gad and Kur believed for his path, and it had been beyond words. He had felt so strong. So capable. Like he could truly contribute to the party, and one day come back down, even stronger, on his own.


    That was also the fight where Kur let Tuk use his [Aura] again for the first time. And it went splendidly. Tuk¡¯s ring flew gracefully over the soldier guardian and managed to catch the poisoner in the dark with its wide, flying arc. It had even caught one of the adjutant guardians and the soldier itself on its way back.


    One hit, and he had ended the fight! Just like that. The second adjutant had run away, but no one had cared.


    Tuk roared his triumph, and Nar ran to him and the two of them melted in a happy embrace. Jul hovered nearby, wiping her eyes, and Tuk dragged her in, and the three of them jumped and shouted while holding hands. Three crazzy, happy Climbers.


    Cen wiped tears also. Mul grinned like a fool. And Kur and Gad looked on with solemn, but proud expressions, like parents, whose children had just done them proud.


    Only Viy held back, but she faded from Nar¡¯s mind as they celebrated. And celebrate they did, and for that night, at least, Nar forgot all about his [Aura].


    For the first time, to both himself, and everyone¡¯s delight, awe and horror, Nar and Mul ate two whole crackers. He felt delirious as he devoured it, spurred on by the cheering of the others. He enjoyed every bite, craved the moment he could swallow his food and chuck another piece of cracker into his mouth. The pleasure, the taste of it, was sublime. The act of eating had never felt so good in his entire life. But the moment he swallowed the last piece, the guilt and shock that followed were like a punch to the gut.


    How could he have just eaten two months¡¯ worth of food in less than a minute?


    He felt sick.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it!¡± Tuk shouted, reading the angst in his expression. ¡°It¡¯s all part of it! We get stronger and we need more food to support it!¡±


    Mul belched. ¡°I stand by that! How else am I supposed to carry all that [Aura] around?¡±


    That brought their laughter to a sudden stop. But only for a moment. It soon returned, even louder.


    Yes, it definitely is heavy! Nar thought, as he laughed with the others, out of disbelief, confusion, and a little despair too. However, the night was too good for down cast spirits, and Tuk¡¯s good cheer kept them going well into the night.


    The moment Tuk had first used his [Aura] attack, and had nearly killed Nar twice, made the rounds again and again, to everyone¡¯s roaring delight. The moment, which had been harrowing only a few days before, was now immortalized in the party¡¯s history, with cheer and camaraderie.


    More than that, it was a bond. One more, in a growing series of them. Each of them, ever so slightly, pushing forward the process of turning them from strangers, into a true party, and perhaps, even something more.

 Chapter 53 - Hey You!

    ¡°Up! Up! Up!¡± Kur shouted the next morning. ¡°I warned you guys that there would be no sleeping in.¡±


    A chorus of groans and half-woken mutters met his words.


    ¡°Come on, come on!¡± Kur said. ¡°We¡¯ve got another amazing day of walking through these same corridors we¡¯ve been in for the past month, and fighting some more crazy, deadly guardians that will kill us at the slightest slip up!¡±


    Ugh¡­ Really? That¡¯s your way of getting us up?


    Nar pushed himself up into a seating position.


    His heart pounded on his temples, and he watched Kur shaking Tuk with an evil grin, as though it was someone else watching the scene.


    ¡°Five more minutes?¡± Jul asked, from next to him.


    Kur heard her and stalked over. For a moment, his devious smile faltered.


    Jul had laughed and talked quite a bit during the previous night¡¯s celebrations. She had still been the quietest, not considering Viy, but the difference between her now and a few months past was astonishing.


    ¡°No, sorry Jul, up we go,¡± Kur said, leaning down to gently tap her forehead.


    ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯m getting up!¡± she said, swatting his hand away.


    Kur chuckled and moved along. A couple seconds later, Mul swore and threatened Kur with pushing his fist up where the yellow arrows didn¡¯t shine. Knuckle dusters and everything.


    Nar closed his eyes and considered laying back down. The extra minute or two he might get before Kur came around sounded worth it. Regardless of what Kur might do to him.


    ¡°Up!¡± Jul shouted, a grumpy look to her half-open eyes. ¡°Up!¡±


    Nar frowned at her.


    ¡°Alright. Alright. Damn. How¡¯d you change sides so fast? Brown nose.¡±


    She kicked him.


    ¡°No! Guardians!¡±


    He went from shocked and mildly amused that she had actually found it in herself to kick him, to bolting upright, sword in hand, in the space of a heartbeat.


    ¡°Guardians!¡± he shouted, louder than her. ¡°Get up!¡±


    That got everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Which way?¡± Nar asked her. His heartbeat galloped in his chest, blowing away the last vestiges of sleep.


    ¡°From the front!¡±


    Nar dashed forward. He passed by Gad, who was still getting up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a second!¡± she shouted.


    But they didn¡¯t have a second.


    Bolts flew at the party, and Nar jumped into them. He parried, and twisted, and reached, but he missed a good number of them. More than usual.


    What in the pile? he thought, finding it strange.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Jul cried in warning.


    The party, who had been in the middle of getting up, flattened back down out of force of habit.


    ¡°Nar?¡± Kur asked.


    But Nar didn¡¯t have time to reply. Another volley came at him and he dashed to stop it. Again, he missed a good number.


    Hold on, how many was that?


    ¡°Nar? We can¡¯t get up!¡± Kur shouted again.


    Another volley whistled from the darkness, barely a second of difference from the previous one. That solidified his suspicion.


    ¡°There''s more than one!¡± he shouted. ¡°There¡¯s too many bolts!¡±


    ¡°Cen!¡± Kur shouted.


    Cen didn¡¯t reply. She got up, risking a bolt through the head, and focused. Kur crawled to her, and lifted his shield to give her some cover.


    More bolts flew at them, and Nar did his best. He moved even faster than he had before, faster than he had thought possible, pushed by necessity and the images of the entire party being put under by the endless stream of bolts.


    ¡°Nar, cover me! I¡¯ll join you!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°No! Too many! Even with the shield!¡± he shouted back.


    They couldn¡¯t risk Gad, of all people, going down in the middle of a fight.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± Cen shouted.


    ¡°Nar, on the count of three you drop!¡±


    Nar didn¡¯t reply. The bolts were relentless and it felt like there were even more of them now.


    ¡°One!¡±


    Nar spun and twisted like a madman, throwing his sword right and left, up and down. No finesse, no technique. Just pure desperation, [Instinct] and [Reflex].


    ¡°Two!¡±


    The [Speed] at which he was going was beyond what he had ever gone. His own sword was a blur to his own eyes, but somehow, it was a blur that made sense to him.


    ¡°Three!¡±


    Bolts whistled above his head as Nar dropped.


    Cen¡¯s [Aura Projectile] shone past him and Nar followed it to see what in the Nexus was attacking them.


    That split-second of light before the explosion made his stomach twist.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Kur shouted, once the explosion shockwaves had passed them. ¡°What did you see?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a soldier blocking the way!¡± he shouted. ¡°It was covering the poisoners behind it.¡±


    ¡°So I only hit the soldier?¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°I think so!¡±


    If only the damn notifications told me the kills as they happened!


    Bolts flew over him, ending any doubts.


    ¡°They looked bigger too,¡± Nar continued. ¡°They shoot more and faster! And there¡¯s lots of the little guys! The whole floor was covered with them!¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Kur muttered.


    ¡°Fucking figures!¡± Mul shouted. ¡°Just when we¡¯d gotten the hang of things, the fucking System needs to be an asshole!¡±


    ¡°Mul!¡± Cen shouted. ¡°Not helping!¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Nar asked.


    The bolts kept coming, and he had no doubt that soon the poisoners would aim at the floor and hit them.


    ¡°Tuk, you¡¯re up!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Gad, cover him! And be careful! Nar, stop as many as you can!¡±


    Nar bolted upright in the slim space between volleys, and was ready to get to work on the one following behind it.


    He didn¡¯t know if the bolts were faster, or if it was just the continuous pace and increased numbers that made parrying them more difficult. He tried to not overthink it, and it wasn¡¯t hard. He barely had time to catch a breath in between volleys, before he was on the move again to face the next.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Without warning, Tuk¡¯s ring silently glided past him. Nar held onto his focus and ignored it, and two seconds later, the sound of breaking metal reached his ears.


    ¡°You got one!¡± Jul shouted.


    But before they could celebrate, Nar heard the sound of a lot of legs. A sound that grew dimmer.


    ¡°They¡¯re running away!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Quick! After them!¡± Kur ordered. ¡°We can¡¯t let them join up with another group!¡±


    ¡°Behind us!¡± Jul shouted.


    Luckily, Gad was already up, otherwise the rolling soldier would¡¯ve pulverized the entire party.


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    She pushed the shield against the rolling guardian, matching her [Strength] against the machine¡¯s.


    [Instinct] prickled the back of his neck and Nar spun to parry the volley that came at them. It was a lot of bolts to stop. Too many.


    ¡°Another one has joined in!¡± Nar shouted. It was the only explanation. And they were shooting from even farther than before.


    The party was trapped.


    ¡°We need to get out of here!¡± Kur said.


    With so much happening, it was only a matter of time before someone got hit. And that soldier guardian would wait for the perfect moment to trigger its anti-aggro ability. So far, they hadn¡¯t come up with a good solution for it, especially with Nar, their secondary tank, tied up with the bolts.


    ¡°Nar, you need to stop those poisoners. Take Jul and Tuk with you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have no senses!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have the arrows! They won¡¯t be able to see anything without you!¡±


    Nar heard Tuk come up to him.


    ¡°Right behind you. Where do you need me?¡±


    ¡°Just shoot and stay right behind me!¡± Nar shouted, parrying more bolts. ¡°Aim low! You¡¯ll hit something!¡±


    Tuk bent down and threw his ring knee high. The disc of light flew into the darkness and Nar heard the sound of things breaking above that of the frenzy of the adjutants reloading and the poisoners shooting.


    ¡°You hit something! Keep it up!¡±


    But the guardians ran back again.


    ¡°It¡¯s too far!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Jul?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±


    ¡°We have to get in there!¡± Nar shouted, pointing at the darkness with his sword.


    ¡°Just go! I''ll guide you!¡± she said.


    Nar ran forward, followed closely by the other two. For a few seconds, they ran unimpeded, and the darkness swallowed them.


    It didn¡¯t last long though, and his [Instinct] let him know that the guardians had taken up a new position and were resuming their attack.


    ¡°Get behind me!¡±


    If he only needed to cover a smaller area, he was confident that he could stop every bolt that mattered, even as his [Sight] faded away, and he was forced to rely on his [Hearing] and [Instinct] to sustain his [Reflex].


    Behind him, Jul blasted Tuk with instructions, and soon, his ring was flying again, shining down the corridor. This time, the breaking sounds were lower and lesser. The bolts kept coming, which meant he had missed.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°It moved at the last second!¡± Jul told him. ¡°Do it again, a bit more to the left!¡±


    The ring hit true this time, and once again the guardians withdrew.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tuk shouted.


    ¡°No, wait!¡± Nar said.


    He looked behind him. The light of the path was just a vague impression behind them, the sounds of the others fighting reaching them from afar.


    ¡°If we go too far, we could lose them!¡± Nar warned.


    ¡°Shit! What do we do?¡± Tuk asked.


    The guardians shot them again.


    ¡°Damn it! No choice!¡± Nar said.


    The trio dashed through the darkness.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Jul said. ¡°Broken bits!¡±


    Both Nar and Tuk tripped and almost went down, but somehow, they managed to keep going, and Nar managed to keep them alive.


    This time, the guardians didn¡¯t wait for Tuk to shoot back. They turned and ran for it just as they were getting into range again.


    ¡°They¡¯re dragging us farther and farther!¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Maybe we should go back?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°They could get behind us and attack the others!¡±


    Nar gasped. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that!¡±


    Jul gripped his arm and stopped him from turning back.


    ¡°Wait! I sense something¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Nar asked.


    His heart hammered and his feet itched to run. Tuk had been absolutely right. Splitting the party could¡¯ve been the guardians¡¯ plan all along. Poisoners might be attacking the others right at that very moment. Or a soldier guardian could be waiting in the dark, silently, to surprise them, as they got farther and farther from the others.


    And he knew he couldn¡¯t hold back one of those big guardians like Gad did. Not yet.


    He tried to break free from her grip, but she held him tight.


    ¡°Jul¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait! Wait! It¡¯s important!¡± she hissed at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡±


    The accusation cooled his panic, and some rational thought managed to take hold.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I was just¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, me too! But this is something really important,¡± she said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tuk asked, out of breath.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just have this strong feeling that we need to keep going. No! I¡¯m sure of it!¡±


    Her grip grew tighter on Nar¡¯s arm, hurting him.


    ¡°There¡¯s something up ahead, and we need to get there! We can¡¯t let the guardians stop us, or it''s all over!¡±


    The strength of her conviction and all the times she had guided them true, made the decision easy for him.


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°What about the others?¡±


    ¡°Every time we ignore Jul, shit happens,¡± Nar said. ¡°We¡¯re going!¡±


    He patted her hand to make her let go.


    ¡°I trust you! Come on!¡±


    ¡°My Crystal, have mercy on us!¡± Tuk said, as he ran after the two of them.


    The poisoners kept shooting them. They would stop, fire, then run again.


    Tuk threw his ring at them, again and again, but he had no luck. It was harder for him to attack while running, and he couldn¡¯t get a good read on the guardians¡¯ movements in that pitch darkness, even with Jul¡¯s guidance. Plus, he couldn¡¯t channel his [Aura] as well while on the move either.


    Suddenly, the bolts flying at Nar increased.


    ¡°There¡¯s more!¡± Jul shouted before he could. ¡°Two more!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t keep this up forever!¡± Nar said, in between gritted teeth.


    ¡°Tuk, shoot! They¡¯re hanging from the ceiling too! You¡¯ll hit something!¡± Jul said.


    Tuk filled his ring with [Aura] and launched it again. Nar didn¡¯t know what he did, or how he threw the ring, but this time, a lot of things broke.


    ¡°You got two! One on the floor and one on the ceiling!¡± Jul said. ¡°And a lot of the little guys!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tuk shouted.


    Jul slapped Nar¡¯s back.


    ¡°Come on, keep going! We¡¯re almost there!¡±


    Nar ran at the confused mass of guardians. The bolts had stopped coming, and he assumed that their broken comrades dropping on top of them had caught them by surprise.


    He leaped the rest of the way, his sword raised far behind him. He heard the quick panicked sounds of metal scraping on metal, of things falling and tumbling.


    His [Instinct] remained silent.


    He took the gamble.


    He pulled the sword back in, on a wide arc, pouring all of his [Strength] into it. His left foot crunched on something, and [Instinct] blared. He was committed now, however. He twisted his front foot, and the one in the back lifted off the floor as his weight shifted. His torso caught the movement of his legs and he spun with it, transferring the momentum of his charge into his arm.


    The sword sliced hard and fast, from one end of the corridor to the other. He barely registered any resistance. It felt like cutting through a cracker.


    ¡°You-You got them!¡± Jul shouted, her tone astonished.


    But Nar still heard the adjutants scuttling around him. He shouted and bashed them with the sword. The adjutants were bigger than the baby guardians had been, so he couldn¡¯t just stomp on them. However, he easily made quick work of them with his sword, hammering down on them without pause.


    At some point, he found himself screaming at the top of his lungs, as things broke around him, splattering him in hot goo.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°Stop! They¡¯re running away! Come on! We¡¯re almost there!¡±


    The sound of their hard breathing filled the corridor, together with the scuttle of the small guardians fleeing before them.


    Suddenly more bolts flew at them.


    ¡°Argh! When is this going to end!¡± Nar shouted after the volley.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± Jul said. ¡°I can see the light!¡±


    Light?


    How was that possible?


    The question spurred Nar to run even faster, headlong into the bolts flying non-stop at them.


    He gasped.


    I see it too!


    It was vague, but it was growing.


    Soon, the light had formed a bright square that beckoned them out of the darkness.


    ¡°I see them!¡± Tuk said, as the silhouettes of the poisoners became visible in the light. ¡°Let me shoot them!¡±


    They stopped and Tuk charged his ring. His charging time was much faster than Cen¡¯s, and in a second, the ring flew out ahead of them. It went through one of the poisoners first, and then, after curving gracefully backwards, it went through the other.


    Tuk grabbed it from the air, slipping it straight onto his finger, never stopping the spinning motion of it. He did it with a confidence that had been hard earned.


    ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s see what¡¯s ahead!¡± he said.


    They ran the last few hundred feet.


    The light grew and grew, forcing Nar to half-close his eyes.


    Sounds roared down the corridor to them. Sounds that Nar recognized.


    ¡°Is that a fight?¡± Tuk asked.


    A prompt appeared.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have found an in-progress quest!


    You have joined the quest, Cross the Chasm.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    They burst into the light, and the fight that raged within it.


    It was a big and almost completely circular room. On the circular wall, twenty equal looking corridors opened onto the room, and on the smaller, flat side, a line of maybe three dozen people stood against five soldier guardians.


    Behind the soldiers, with their backs to Nar, was a mass of poisoners and adjutants, firing into the front line. Above them was a tube. It was maybe 10-feet in diameter, and looked to be made of the same material as the walls.


    ¡°By the Crystal!¡± Tuk shouted, ¡°Those are Climbers!¡±


    The window went away, and another one replaced it.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Cross the Chasm


    Common


    <u>Reward</u>: Access to the Mid-Levels of the Between Nexus


    You¡¯ve made it past the gauntlet!


    Only the chasm blocks your progress from the Upper Depths and into the Mid-Levels of the Between Nexus.


    Join the other Climbers and cross the bridge! You will be one step closer to your goal!


    This is the only way up!


    You cannot decline this quest.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar sucked in his breath.


    The Mid-Levels! This is¡­


    Explosions filled the air.


    Flames rose behind the line of Climbers, and desperate, pain-filled screams reached them, hinting at the presence of many more Climbers, hidden from view.


    ¡°What in the pile is going on back there?¡± Tuk whispered.


    ¡°Hey, you there! You three!¡±


    A voice called out from the defenders and Nar searched for its source.


    A woman, a human, with dull light red hair, waved her scepter at them.


    ¡°Yes! You!¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there! Do something about those poisoners!¡±


    Nar blinked.


    ¡°Is-Is she talking to us?¡± he asked the others.


    ¡°I¡­ Think so?¡± Tuk asked, just as stunned as he was.


    ¡°Hey! Can¡¯t you hear me?¡± she shouted again.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Jul asked.


    Nar shook his head. ¡°I have no idea¡­¡±

 Chapter 54 - Row

    Seeing how her words were not having any effect, the woman swore and turned to talk with a big morsvar. The guy held a shield and a mace, just like Gad.


    Why is she so close to the guardians, though? That¡¯s so dangerous, Nar thought.


    She should be more at the back, as he deduced, based on the scepter and buckler in her hands, that she was a party leader, like Kur.


    ¡°Should we head back?¡± Tuk asked.


    Nar tutted.


    ¡°I want to, but I don¡¯t think we should,¡± he said. ¡°Jul brought us here for a reason.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know the reason!¡± she said, alarmed.


    ¡°I meant, whatever it was you sensed, it wanted us here. It has to be important.¡±


    He passed a hand over his mouth.


    ¡°I think we should help them,¡± Nar decided.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Tuk said.


    Nar waved at the whole scene with his sword.


    ¡°Five soldiers, twelve poisoners, and a pile ton of those little guys. And that¡¯s all without knowing what those explosions just now were, or what¡¯s behind that line. We don¡¯t know what this bridge looks like, or what we need to do to cross it. But with everything that we¡¯ve been through, and the fact that we share the quest with those Climbers, I¡¯m willing to bet that the whole point of this is that it¡¯s not something that we can do on our own.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Tuk made, considering his words.


    ¡°Also, if those people die, the guardians are going to turn on us instead.¡±


    Tuk let out a long, drawn-out exhale.


    ¡°I guess we have no choice then. What do you suggest?¡±


    Nar pointed at the poisoners.


    ¡°They seem to be fine with the soldiers, but those bolts can end this in a blink if we get unlucky. Let¡¯s hit them first.¡±


    ¡°And by that, you mean I¡¯m hitting them and you¡¯re covering us,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Yes. And Jul will keep an eye out for any surprises.¡±


    ¡°Alright, your call. That¡¯s a lot of guardians, though.¡±


    ¡°I have faith in you,¡± Nar said.


    More than in the Crystal, anyways.


    ¡°That¡¯s great¡­¡± Tuk muttered. ¡°On the count of three?¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    Tuk drew a deep breath and smirked. His right hand came up, and the ring that spun on his index finger turned bright gray.


    Nar stepped in front of the other two and got ready to cover them. The poisoners were bound to change their attention to them, as the most obvious threat.


    ¡°Here goes nothing!¡± Tuk shouted.


    He threw his ring into the mass of poisoners, just as they readied to unleash another massive volley at the trapped Climbers.


    Even Nar did not anticipate the destruction that followed.


    Tuk had thrown his ring in a wide arc, meant to hit the closest poisoner, and then fly back to him. But maybe because of the distance, and due to still not being used to the effects of his [Aura], his throw went wider than he expected. The ring slashed through the four poisoners closest to them, and they went down mid volley, never knowing what had hit them.


    ¡°Was that on purpose?¡± Nar asked.


    Tuk received his ring, and considered it.


    ¡°I think I wanted it to go farther and it took more [Aura] than I expected,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Wow. So [Aura] can make them go further too¡­ Crystal, what can¡¯t it do?¡±


    The adjutants erupted in a panicked clicking and the other poisoners took notice of the danger at their backs.


    ¡°Your turn,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Well don¡¯t stop now!¡± Nar shouted.


    The volley of bolts was unlike any Nar had faced before. Knowing that both Tuk and Jul were largely hiding behind him, meant that he only had to focus on a narrow area around him. However, that still meant a lot of bolts.


    Maybe this was a bad idea¡­


    It was all he could think of, before he submerged himself in his [Reflex], and the sword became a blur in his hands.


    Over the course of the last couple weeks, Nar had gotten a better understanding of how his [Reflex] worked. He wasn¡¯t just turning off his brain and letting the attribute take over everything. If only.


    No, what he needed to do was much harder. He had to know where the bolts were going to be and he had to be the one initiating the parry and the movement. All his [Reflex] did was help him by making him react faster to the input his senses gave him.


    [Speed] made him move faster, and [Agility] helped him move better. [Reflex] just made his brain react faster in response to what he saw, heard and the danger he sensed. It was like [Speed], except for his brain and nerves.


    His sword met the bolts head on, a blur almost as effective as any shield. He let his body and reactions do the work, doing his best to keep any conscious thought from disrupting the still delicate process.


    He cut, and slashed, and hit, and the volley was done, and they were still standing.


    Tuk was at his side even before all the bolts had passed them by, and he got to work.


    Now that he discovered he could use his [Aura] to hit further, and that it looked like these guardians were no match to his [Aura] attack, Tuk went wild. He threw long arcs straight into the middle of poisoners, and devastated their ranks.


    The following volley was much easier to handle, and after that, Tuk finished them off, ignoring the crowd of adjutants that panicked without purpose, their little limbs trembling and shaking up in the air.


    ¡°The soldiers?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°Might as well¡­¡±


    Nar thought about it. ¡°Hmmm¡­. Sure. One at a time though. If they rush us, we¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Tuk hit the closest soldier.


    The Climbers shouted in fright as the bright disk exploded out and back into the guardian. The soldier went down and didn¡¯t move again, and Tuk chuckled under his breath, at the stunned and frightened reactions of the Climbers.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve ever seen an [Aura] attack,¡± Nar said.


    The Climbers were shouting incoherently at each other, and the red-haired woman tried to get them back under control.


    Tuk targeted the next soldier, and again, it went down.


    The red-haired party leader finally realized what was happening, and started waving and shouting at them, but Nar couldn¡¯t hear her over the noise the other Climbers were making.


    ¡°What¡¯s she saying?¡± he asked Jul.


    ¡°She¡¯s saying don¡¯t stop,¡± the scout said.


    ¡°Aaah. Makes sense.¡±


    Tuk dropped the other three soldiers one after the other. It was effortless, graceful, and it shut up the rioting Climbers.


    The silence that followed Tuk¡¯s display was only broken by the screams and explosions coming from whatever it was that lay behind that line of Climbers.


    ¡°Crystal, what in the pile is going on over there?¡± Tuk asked, as the sounds reached them louder and more clearly. Whatever it was, it involved a lot of explosions, and a lot of pain.


    Jul suddenly pointed at the tube.


    ¡°There¡¯s more coming down!¡±


    ¡°And she¡¯s coming too!¡± Tuk said.


    Nar looked from the tube to the Climbers, and saw that the red-haired human and the morsvar tank were running towards them.


    ¡°Hi!¡± she said, gasping, when she stopped in front of them. ¡°Please help us!¡±


    Nar stepped up to stand in between the two of them and Jul and Tuk.


    The morsvar grunted and stepped forward too, raising his shield.


    ¡°Woah! Woah! Woah!¡±


    The leader grabbed the tank and raised a hand towards Nar.


    ¡°Calm down! We don¡¯t want to fight!¡± she shouted, surprised by the sudden reaction.


    ¡°Neither do we,¡± Nar said. But he didn¡¯t put the sword away.


    The last time they had interacted with other Climbers had left a bitter taste in their mouths, and they hadn¡¯t forgotten it.


    ¡°Okay, look. My name is Row, party leader¡± she said. ¡°This is Tun, our tank.¡±


    ¡°Is that all your party?¡± Nar asked, motioning to the line with his head.


    ¡°What? No! We found these people here, and we got stuck with them. There¡¯s a few steps that lead down to the actual bridge, and shit there is crazy,¡± she said.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Jul shouted.


    Nar stepped forward, faster than the other tank could react, and intercepted the flurry of bolts that came their way.


    Guardians were spilling out of the tube, and while some of the poisoners had targeted them, fortunately, the soldiers only seemed interested in the line of Climbers guarding the stairs down to the bridge.


    Tuk quickly dispatched the poisoners that were focused on them, and Nar was able to turn his attention back to Row.


    She eyed him with a mixture of awe and bewilderment.


    ¡°What are you?¡± she breathed. ¡°A tank? I¡¯ve never seen a tank like you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the secondary tank,¡± Nar said, before he realized he was doing it.


    ¡°Secondary¡­ Is that a thing? Wait, so who¡¯s the actual tank?¡±


    She looked at Jul and Tuk.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t all of us,¡± Tuk said. ¡°We got separated. The rest will be here soon, though.¡±


    We hope! Nar thought.


    Nar sensed another volley and went through the same motions.


    ¡°And what are you?¡± Row asked Tuk.


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m a ring tosser.¡±


    ¡°I know that, I¡¯ve seen one of you before, a trugger as well. But her rings didn¡¯t shine!¡±


    ¡°Oh, that! I¡¯m just putting my [Aura] into it!¡±


    ¡°Your what?¡± Tun asked, speaking for the first time, in a deep voice.


    Row stared at Tuk, too shocked to speak at the revelation.


    For his part, Tuk spun his shining ring, and sent it off, to destroy more poisoners.


    ¡°It¡¯s cool, uh?¡± Tuk asked, grinning proudly.


    ¡°How is that even possible?¡± Row asked. ¡°How? And you, with the sword! How are you doing that?¡±


    Nar sensed the incoming projectiles and slashed without looking.


    ¡°Oops!¡± Tuk said. ¡°Missed one! You¡¯re getting really good at that.¡±


    He threw out his ring again, to destroy the guardians he had missed.


    ¡°How did you do that? You didn¡¯t even look¡­¡±


    The red-haired leader looked like she was about to pass out. She looked at Jul, a question clearly at the tip of her tongue. Jul squirmed and shifted, and hid behind Tuk.


    ¡°Hey, leave her alone!¡± Nar said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Row protested. ¡°I just thought she was the one with the senses!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± Nar said. ¡°Can that line hold without your tank?¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit! I forgot!¡±


    She looked at Tuk and joined her hands in pleading.


    ¡°Can you clear them out again?¡± she asked. ¡°Please?¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Watch your stamina,¡± Nar warned him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m barely down a quarter.¡±


    ¡°Still, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    However, they both knew they needed those Climbers alive. Besides, they couldn¡¯t just turn their backs on them.


    What had happened at the battle with the cannibals had both shocked and hardened their hearts. But they were still sentients. They couldn¡¯t just let people die.


    So Tuk got to it, and Nar looked back at Row.


    ¡°We got the quest to cross the bridge,¡± he said. ¡°And we¡¯ll probably end up fighting together. But our party leader¡¯s the one who¡¯ll make that choice.¡±


    She blinked at him. ¡°You¡¯re not the leader?¡±


    Nar scoffed. ¡°No! Kur¡¯s our leader.¡±


    ¡°And he just let you guys go? His strongest fighters?¡±


    Tuk burst out laughing.


    ¡°You hear that? The strongest fighters?¡±


    Nar chuckled.


    ¡°We¡¯ll tell our caster you said that.¡±


    ¡°You have a caster too?¡± Row breathed.


    ¡°Crystal have mercy¡­¡± Tun whispered.


    He looked nervously at the corridor behind them.


    ¡°Maybe we should go back,¡± he said to Row.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to fight you,¡± Nar said, frowning. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t fight us.¡±


    Tuk nodded vigorously. ¡°We¡¯ve never bothered anyone.¡±


    Row dropped her shoulders in relief. Tun however, was still not convinced.


    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± Jul shouted.


    ¡°Oh, thank the Crystal!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Maybe you should step away,¡± Nar said. ¡°We¡¯ve had issues before, and don¡¯t want any misunderstandings.¡±


    Row nodded. ¡°Tun!¡±


    The two of them took a few steps away from Nar, and Tun turned their back to them, to cover the two of them against any bolts.


    Nar faced the corridor.


    It had probably only been twenty to thirty minutes, since they¡¯d left the others behind. But a hole and a worry he hadn''t noticed until now, had grown in his chest. The relief he felt, knowing that they were coming, surprised him. Especially as he realized that he was relieved to know that they were safe, just for the sake of being safe. It had nothing to do with needing them to Climb.


    Getting close, Nar¡­


    He shook his head.


    Yes. I am. And that¡¯s fine.


    He trusted these people. This party. He knew he could leave his life in their hands, and that they would rather die than let anything happen to him.


    It was funny, how quickly he had changed his mind. Or, perhaps, the feelings and the trust had been there for a while now, only Nar had held them back, with his doubts and uncertainty.


    He pushed the thoughts away, to avoid getting distracted in the middle of a fight, and waited for the others to arrive. Hopefully, they were indeed all safe and sound.


    The first into the light was Gad. She stomped forward with her shield and took in the whole scene with a quick glare.


    She didn¡¯t halt her charge, aiming straight at Row and Tun, and Nar had to raise his hands to stop her.


    ¡°Wait! They just want our help!¡± he shouted. ¡°And we need theirs!¡±


    She halted her heavy steps and stopped next to Nar. She kept her shield up, and Row and Tun shifted nervously. Stuck between an unknown party filled with powerful Climbers, and the guardians, was not an enjoyable place to find oneself in.


    ¡°It¡¯s all clear!¡± Gad shouted.


    The others filtered out from the corridor.


    Mul, Viy, Cen and Kur. They walked on their own, and seemed fine. The worst injury was a black spot across Mul¡¯s cheek and eye.


    Oh, thank the¡­ Nar stopped himself short. He was happy they were safe, but that had nothing to do with the Crystal.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Mul warned, staring at Tuk.


    ¡°Eh!¡± Tuk chuckled, but he bit his tongue.


    ¡°Thank the Crystal you¡¯re safe!¡± Kur said, approaching Nar.


    ¡°You too. But we don¡¯t have time! Did you get the quest?¡±


    ¡°Yes! We can cross into the Mid-Levels!¡±


    Nar shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not going to be that easy.¡±


    Explosions and screams sounded on cue and Kur grimaced, and sighed.


    ¡°Yeah, I gathered. Who¡¯s that?¡±


    Nar gestured for the two Climbers to approach. ¡°This is Row, party leader. And this is Tun, their tank.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure to meet you,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°You too. You got quite the party,¡± she said, laughing.


    She managed to sound only a little bit nervous, as they fanned out behind Kur.


    At that, Kur arched an eyebrow at Nar.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. She guessed most of it,¡± Nar said, with a shrug. ¡°And Tuk was Tuk.¡±


    Kur shifted his stare to the ring tosser.


    ¡°She thought Nar was the party leader, and that we were the strongest in the party,¡± Tuk said. ¡°We told her about you, Cen.¡±


    ¡°What? No! I¡¯m not the strongest!¡± the caster protested.


    ¡°Hush people! Come on,¡± Kur said.


    He eyed the red-haired human, and Gad, next to him, eyed the morsvar that was every bit her mirror.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that whatever¡¯s beyond those Climbers, is not something a single party can handle,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not. By the Crystal, it¡¯s not. And with every explosion, the more Climbers are dying! We need to work together, or we¡¯re all dying here!¡± Row said.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    Her expression darkened and she took a step back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t care?¡± she whispered.


    ¡°What? Of course I care! What do you take us for?¡± Kur asked her, frowning.


    ¡°Well! What are you hesitating for!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve seen Climbers at their worst,¡± Gad stepped in. ¡°We¡¯re just being careful.¡±


    The words and Gad¡¯s tone made Row pause.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen Climbers fight?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen Climbers turn on each other for a quest reward. Right after fighting side by side,¡± Gad said in a dark tone. ¡°They killed almost as many as our enemies did.¡±


    ¡°Disgusting,¡± Mul muttered.


    Row went pale. ¡°Crystal¡­ I¡¯ve never¡­ We¡¯ve had disagreements, but¡­ Actual killing?¡±


    ¡°Incoming!¡± Jul shouted.


    Nar was already on the way, and met the bolts a fraction of a second ahead of the two tanks. Together, the three of them covered the party and Row. Once it was clear, Tuk attacked the poisoners, sending his ring back and forth.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice, Kur,¡± Nar said.


    The party leader sighed. ¡°I know, I know. Row, is it? Look, I¡¯m sorry, Row. Just tell us what we can do, so that we can all get out of this mess. And as long as your people have no ill intentions towards us, we won¡¯t either.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you! And of course not! We would never do anything like that!¡± she said, and she stepped forward to shake Kur¡¯s hand before he could react. ¡°Now come! It will be easier to show you!¡±

 Chapter 55 - This Is Not Going To Be Easy

    Row urged them to follow her to the line, before another wave of guardians descended from the tube.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    A quam called out to Row, waving at her with four short swords.


    Crystal¡¯s mercy! Four blades? How¡¯s that fair? Nar thought, staring at the four bladed DPS.


    Jul used no weapons, and for some reason, Nar had never considered what she might look like if she ever did. Now he knew.


    ¡°Do you fancy getting some swords, Jul?¡± Tuk asked under his breath. His thoughts had been the exact same as Nar¡¯s.


    ¡°No!¡± she said, horrified.


    ¡°Look at him though! Look at all that DPS!¡±


    ¡°Quality over quantity,¡± Mul muttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re just jealous, man!¡±


    Row took them straight to their party, who held the middle of the line.


    ¡°Move, move! No time for chit-chat!¡± she said, waving them off.


    The Climbers opened a hole for them to go through and closed it behind them. Tun stayed with them.


    ¡°Jaz!¡± Row shouted.


    That got the attention of a short human. His skin was ashen gray like Nar¡¯s, with a touch of brown, but where his hair was a dark gray, Jaz¡¯s was a muted shaggy blond.


    ¡°Boss! About time!¡± Jaz said, casting a cursory glance at the newcomers. ¡°Guessing it worked out.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is Kur and his party. How¡¯re things here?¡±


    Jaz tutted and grimaced.


    ¡°Not good. Two more died in that last bunch of explosions.¡±


    ¡°Damn it! That makes fourteen!¡± Row said, her expression souring.


    ¡°Fourteen Climbers dead?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Since we¡¯ve gotten here,¡± Jaz said.


    ¡°We¡¯ve made it better,¡± Row said. ¡°And more have been joining. I¡¯ve gotten us to form this line, and that takes care of our back. But the front¡­¡±


    ¡°What is happening here?¡± Gad said. ¡°And what do you need our help with?¡±


    Nar looked down at the trial that awaited them.


    About ten, wide steps led down onto a platform that hung over a deep, dark, impenetrable chasm. A gaggle of maybe thirty Climbers were pressed against each other on that overhang. They shouted incoherently at one another, amongst cries of pain and shouts of warning when someone got pushed too close to the edge.


    In front of them, was the actual bridge. It fit maybe five people standing comfortably shoulder to shoulder, and it extended across the dark for a long, long aways, before it reached the mirrored open platform and stairs on the far opposite side.


    Light beamed down from evenly spaced circular openings, and they revealed that the bridge was a solid wall cutting across the chasm. It went all the way down, as far as the lights could reach in the dark.


    The air coming up at him stung his eyes. Nar blinked some moisture back into them. It was like standing near the furnace back at the plant.


    When Nar breathed in, the hot air burned down into his lungs, and very quickly his shirt got drenched in sweat.


    Also¡­ He inhaled a few discrete breaths through his nose.


    What¡¯s that smell? he wondered. He had never encountered it¡¯s like before.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like any of this,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Those holes where the light comes from. They look like that tube.¡±


    ¡°And the bridge goes down¡­¡± Nar said. ¡°Remember the little guardians crawling up, during the tutorial?¡±


    ¡°How could I ever forget that?¡± Mul muttered.


    The bridge was littered with guardian debris. And here and there, there was something else.


    ¡°Are those¡­¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jaz said. ¡°It¡¯s mostly the explosions doing them in. And they just stay there, burning.¡±


    Nar grimaced at the charred, smoking corpses. One of them was still encased in flames.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like any of this,¡± Kur said, rubbing his chin. ¡°So, what happens if we try to cross? I doubt it¡¯s just an easy stroll across.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming any second now,¡± Row said. ¡°It will be easier to explain after you¡¯ve seen it.¡±


    Nar crossed his arms and scanned the crowd, while the others spread out around Row and Jaz to have a better view.


    Morsvar, humans, lengos, altei, truggers and quam. Just like them.


    Thinking back to the big battle at the cubeplant, other than amongst the cannibals, he didn¡¯t remember seeing any other races of sentients amongst the Climbers.


    I wonder why that is? Nar thought. There were supposed to be an almost infinite number of species across the Nexus. There had only ever been six races in their cubeplant, but he had expected to encounter many more by now. Instead, it was always a combination of the same six. Where were the rest?


    ¡°It¡¯s starting!¡± Row shouted, drawing his attention. ¡°Look, from the other side!¡±


    Nar looked to the far side, and saw a stream of guardians pouring down the stairs and rushing towards the Climbers. They looked like normal guardians, neither armored up like the Soldier 2, nor equipped with the shooting appendages that the poisoners had been harassing them with for weeks now.


    ¡°Crystal¡­ I missed those guys,¡± he muttered.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying that.¡±


    ¡°They look less scary now,¡± Jul whispered.


    Nar glanced at her. She was frowning at the incoming guardians, as if to try and understand something that didn¡¯t quite make sense.


    Nar smiled lightly and faced back forward.


    From their side, the Climbers shouted at each other, and pushed and shoved into something meant to resemble some sort of a battle formation. Five tanks filtered to the front of their ranks, and they stepped onto the bridge, locking their shields together.


    ¡°Watch,¡± Row said, leaning into Kur.


    The tanks marched onwards, against the incoming guardians. The rest of the Climbers filed in a disorderly mob after them.


    ¡°How are they going to DPS like that?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°Just wait for it,¡± Jaz said. His face was twisted in a grimace. He was half-turned, like he didn¡¯t want to see what was happening, but at the same time couldn¡¯t help but watch.


    On the bridge, the two fronts collided. Guardians gurgled metallic, and Climbers shouted themselves hoarse.


    The Climbers behind the tanks gathered at their backs, and placed their hands on them.


    ¡°Why are they pushing the tanks?¡± Cen asked. ¡°Why aren¡¯t they fighting back? Those tanks are getting attacked!¡±


    ¡°Wait. Just wait,¡± Row said.


    The Climbers bunched up together and lent their [Strength] to the tanks. Slowly, they managed to push back the guardians.


    ¡°Is the point of this to push the guardians back to the other side?¡± Kur asked.


    But the words had barely left his mouth when things changed. The guardians, who had been piling up at the front of their line, had reached enough height to surpass the tanks.


    Their blades came down on them and on the Climbers behind them. Shields were raised, and a second line of tanks was revealed. But soon, guardians climbed over that second line as well, and tumbled onto the Climbers behind it.


    Panicked chaos erupted.


    Climbers ran back to the platform on this side, while others, not having the choice, stood their ground and fought.


    ¡°About time,¡± Mul said, when the first guardian was killed.


    Row shook her head. ¡°Here it comes.¡±


    Guardians streamed out of the light circles. Most of them, Nar had no trouble recognizing.


    ¡°Poisoners!¡±


    ¡°And worse,¡± Jaz said. ¡°Watch those ones with the long tubes!¡±


    Nar searched the ceiling until he found a guardian matching the description. It was the same size as the poisoners, and at first glance, it looked the same. But whereas the poisoners had eight small tubes attached to smaller legs, from which they fired their bolts, these new guardians had a single, long tube attached to their main bodies.


    ¡°What in the pile are those?¡± Tuk asked, squinting.


    From behind them came the sudden sound of battle. Guardians had come down from the tube on their side as well, and the line they had first seen was being attacked again.


    ¡°We¡¯re surrounded!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ve kept people on the stairs!¡±


    Down on the bridge, bolts began raining on the Climbers.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Tuk shouted, as the Climbers below were pelted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! These bolts only make you slower. And they only last for about ten seconds,¡± Row said. ¡°They won¡¯t put you down for days.¡±


    Jaz sighed. ¡°They still do a pile ton of damage, though.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Row conceded. ¡°But the bolts aren''t the problem. It¡¯s that. Look!¡±


    As soon as she spoke, explosions rang across the bridge. More tanks and even Climbers with big flat two-handed swords and axes tried to block the sudden onset of small orange looking balls coming down on them, but they could only hold for so long under the attack.


    Orders were shouted on the bridge, and ranged DPS began firing at the guardians on the ceiling.


    Nar followed the attacks up, and searched for one of the new explosive guardians. He found one, amongst the mass of poisoners. It aimed its tube at the bridge, and orange light shone within, from whatever mechanism gathered energy to fire the explosive round. DPS attacks rained around it, but the poisoners covered it, protecting it by sacrificing themselves. Nar opened his mouth to shout a warning, but he was not part of the action, and he was too far. Instead, he watched the guardian spit an orange ball, recoiling from the force of the blast.


    He only caught sight of the explosive round for a split second, as it shot out of the tube, and there were so many explosions raging across the bridge, that he had no idea which one he had just seen being shot.


    ¡°It¡¯s shooting little balls¡­¡± Nar muttered. ¡°It was so fast!¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s almost impossible to catch them unless you¡¯re really paying attention, and they¡¯re aimed somewhat your way,¡± Jaz said.


    ¡°You were down there?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Row shouted, above the explosions. ¡°We joined the push once, but I couldn¡¯t keep my people there! There was no way to cross like that! I tried telling them that we needed more people, but they wouldn¡¯t listen. All they read was Mid-Levels and nothing else matters.¡±


    ¡°Crystal,¡± Kur said, rubbing his chin. ¡°Though I can understand.¡±


    He sighed.


    ¡°How bad are those explosions? Damage wise?¡±


    ¡°Tun got hit twice,¡± Row said. ¡°The initial explosion deals the majority of the damage, but there is still some splash damage, as well.¡±


    ¡°Luckily, the AOE is small,¡± Jaz said.


    A brief look of confusion passed by Kur¡¯s eyes, and Jaz grimaced.


    ¡°Oh, yes. AOE. That¡¯s a new one.¡±


    Nar considered the new piece of information that he had just received.


    AOE, short for Area of Effect. So it¡¯s damage that hits everyone within a radius! I mean, it''s an explosion, so that¡¯s kind of obvious, no?


    ¡°So, what happens now?¡± Gad asked.


    The ranged were decimating the guardians on the ceiling, and the melee were doing the same to the ones that had broken through the line of guardians, down on the bridge. It seemed like they had the upper hand, but instead, everyone was retreating back to the overhang on their side.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t they keep going?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Because more and more guardians are going to keep coming from both sides and above, until every Climber gets off the bridge,¡± Row explained. ¡°Once they do, the guardians stop coming from above, and the whole thing starts over again. If we just press on, eventually, there will be too many guardians for us to be able to handle. The ceiling gets completely covered in hundreds of guardians, the bridge gets overrun, and the line covering our backs gets pushed till the breaking point!¡±


    ¡°Damn,¡± Mul said, eyeing the retread with a frown.


    ¡°Yeah. So, to circle back to the beginning, the reason why we can¡¯t fight the guardians on the bridge is because if we do, as soon as we kill one of them, it triggers the guardians from above and behind to show up. And we have to retreat, and start over, or we just get overrun from both sides and above! And that¡¯s with us still not knowing if anything can climb up the sides of that damn bridge!¡±


    ¡°Crystal, what a mess!¡± Kur said. ¡°Did we miss something on that quest prompt?¡±


    ¡°No. It was all just trial and error,¡± Row said, her expression darkening.


    ¡°That¡¯s just cruel,¡± Jul whispered from behind Nar.


    Kur passed a hand over his hair. ¡°So, we can¡¯t fight the guardians on the bridge, only push them back¡­ But at some point, they manage to break through regardless. Once they do, we have no choice but to fight them, which will then trigger the ranged guardians on the ceiling and the ones behind us. And then what? We can¡¯t just keep retreating, right? It looks to me that when that happens, we do actually need to push forward.¡±


    ¡°Yes! But we were missing something,¡± Row said. ¡°The ranged DPS have enough firepower to sort of handle the guardians pouring out of the ceiling. They are actually very weak, despite their high DPS. However, with the tanks holding the front, there isn¡¯t enough damage there to make that push when we need it. So¡­¡±


    She glanced at Tuk, but even before that, Kur was already nodding in understanding.


    ¡°Ah, I see. You need Tuk,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°The ring tosser, yes! He can throw his rings around the tanks and clear the way for us. Especially with that crazy [Aura] attack of his!¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Tuk made. ¡°I hate to break it to you, but so far, I can only use my [Aura] with one ring.¡±


    Row grinned at him. ¡°From what I saw, that¡¯ll be more than enough.¡±


    Kur looked over towards the bridge. Most of the Climbers were back at the platform, and all the guardians on the bridge were dead. The ceiling was still crawling with guardians, but the ranged DPS seemed to have it well in hand.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it, of course. We have no other option,¡± Kur said, glancing back at his party. ¡°But I want my people at the front, and your party with us.¡±


    Row burst out laughing. ¡°Deal!¡±


    ¡°Just like that? Won¡¯t the others oppose it?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Nobody wants to go first!¡± Row said, shaking her head. ¡°And they can sort out who goes last. It won¡¯t be our concern.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re happy with me calling the shots?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s not suicidal or moronic, I have no issues with it whatsoever.¡±


    Moronic! There¡¯s another management brat¡­ Nar thought, eying the red-haired party leader.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Kur said. ¡°And as long as your people behave and do their part, both our parties will get across.¡±


    Row stretched her hand to Kur.


    ¡°Our party is the strongest here. We¡¯ll pull our weight, and we won¡¯t leave you behind. I swear by the Crystal!¡±


    Kur took her hand. ¡°Then we have an agreement, and I swear by the Crystal we¡¯ll give our all to get your party across safely.¡±


    They shook on it.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I can ask for,¡± Row said. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡±

 Chapter 56 - Cruelty

    A tank stepped out from the gathering of Climbers and stood in their way as they walked down the stairs. He was an altei, and his back was so straight it almost bent backwards.


    Nar disliked him on sight.


    ¡°Finally moving your ass?¡± he asked Row. ¡°We¡¯re getting shredded down here!¡±


    Row shook her head. ¡°I told you to stay put. We weren¡¯t ready.¡±


    ¡°And now you are? What changed?¡± he asked, and glanced at Kur¡¯s party. ¡°Another caster? We have plenty of those!¡±


    ¡°Not her, him,¡± Row said, and pointed at Tuk.


    Tuk waved at him.


    The tank caught sight of the rings on Tuk¡¯s fingers and sneered.


    ¡°A ring tosser? Are you crazy?¡±


    Tuk grinned and spun one ring, filling it with [Aura].


    Nar almost laughed as the tank¡¯s face fell at the sight. He actually even took a step back, slipping on the steps.


    ¡°M-Magic!¡± he stammered, raising a hand to his face, as though Tuk¡¯s ring was dangerous.


    Which, Nar supposed, it actually was. After all, it had almost punched a hole through his face. Twice.


    ¡°Nope, sorry man. It¡¯s [Aura]. But it¡¯ll do.¡±


    The shock on the guy¡¯s face switched to confusion.


    ¡°You can imbue [Aura] into your weapon?¡± he asked.


    Oh! Another manager brat, Nar thought, idly.


    Considering the part Nar was about to play on this mad endeavor, he should¡¯ve been nervous. Maybe even worried. Instead, he found that he didn¡¯t really feel much. Perhaps that would all change once he found himself on that bridge, standing at the frontline of it all.


    ¡°I can indeed,¡± Tuk said, grinning.


    Row stepped towards the tank and forced the still reeling altei to step back and out of the way.


    ¡°We¡¯re taking the front, Sil,¡± she told him. ¡°And I advise you to stay right behind us, if you want to make it through.¡±


    Sil stammered something, but they walked past him without even a glance. From behind, Nar heard him swear and call out to his party.


    As Row had said, no one wanted to go first. They made it to the front by simply asking people to let them through, and they were more than happy to oblige.


    Sil¡¯s party followed right behind them too however, and that¡¯s where the commotion started. The Climbers could feel that there was a plan. That things were about to be set in motion for real. Everyone wanted to join in, and nobody wanted to be last, and risk being left behind.


    But, just like Row had said, that wasn¡¯t any of their concern.


    ¡°Everyone knows the plan, right?¡± Kur asked. ¡°Last chance for questions.¡±


    He stared from Gad to Tun, Tuk, Cen, Nar and a human woman with short, dull gray cropped hair. The plan hinged on the six of them the most.


    ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± Gad said. ¡°We have no choice, and we¡¯ll get it done.¡±


    Nar nodded.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Kur said. He looked at Cen. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cen said, nodding grimly.


    The human woman next to Kur had introduced herself as Cor, Row¡¯s caster. And as Kur lifted Cen up to his shoulders, she stared in open jealousy.


    ¡°I wish I had someone to carry me. I¡¯m so useless in these kinds of fights, having to stay still to channel my [Aura Projectile]s¡±, she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we need both charged and quick shots,¡± Cen said, smiling down at her from Kur¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°We do,¡± Kur said, eyeing the bridge. ¡°Okay. We¡¯re all ready. Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡±


    Row turned back and shouted at the anxious Climbers, who were even now, still jostling and arguing to get better spots.


    ¡°Climbers! We¡¯re going! We¡¯ll be hit and we¡¯ll fight back! This is it! We¡¯re pushing through! Do your best to survive and keep killing those things! And may the Crystal be with us!¡±


    She got a few cheers and shouts, but mostly, the Climbers just bickered harder.


    ¡°That was a weak showing,¡± Jaz said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Shut it! Or you¡¯ll get to see what¡¯s down there. Kur?¡±


    Kur nodded.


    ¡°Into positions!¡±


    Gad and Tun stepped forward, and Nar right after them.


    Now that he stood at the edge of the bridge, the run looked impossibly long, and his previously nonchalance was shattered by his quickly rising heartbeat.


    Nar exhaled slowly, trying to keep it under control.


    ¡°You alright there?¡± Tuk asked him.


    Nar glanced back at the ring tosser, who stood just two steps behind him.


    ¡°Just like always,¡± Tuk said, grinning. ¡°A fight to the death with impossible odds. You¡¯ve got to be used to them by now!¡±


    Nar snorted.


    ¡°Of course, Tuk. Of course.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my boy. I leave my life in your capable hands.¡±


    Nar took a deep breath, and gave his sword a few trial swings.


    Don¡¯t overthink it. It¡¯s just the same thing you¡¯ve been doing so far, he told himself, swallowing hard.


    ¡°Cen, start charging,¡± Kur said. ¡°Cor, as mentioned, hold off until I say so.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Cor said with a nod, gripping her staff tightly in front of her.


    Nar had sort of expected that staffs actually changed size, according to whoever held them, but, as it turned out, they did not. They were the exact same in every aspect, and the staff that was almost as tall as Cen, was just short when compared to Cor¡¯s human height.


    The light of an [Aura Projectile] charging drew his attention, and that of the other Climbers. Silence spread backwards into the gathered Climbers, and people resigned themselves to whatever spots they had managed to secure.


    Nar took a deep breath. In seconds, he would be in the chaos.


    Kur swept everything and everyone with one last look, then nodded to himself.


    ¡°Go! Everyone go!¡±


    Kur¡¯s voice echoed in the whispering silence, and Gad and Tun charged forward. Nar sprinted right after them, and he heard Tuk following closely behind.


    After him came Viy and the quam with the four short swords, and after them came the two parties¡¯ melee and ranged, surrounding Cor, Row, Jul and Kur, who carried Cen on his shoulders.


    Behind them, Sil¡¯s party covered their backs, and beyond, all the other Climbers followed them into battle. There were nearly two hundred of them in total, packed tight into the bridge, trying not to fall off of it.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± Jul warned.


    Gad and Tun kept going, leading the rest of them forward.


    Nar¡¯s pulse thundered in his ears.


    The small gap in between Gad and Tun stretched on for what seemed like forever. Sil had tried to fill that gap, not knowing all the details of the plan, but Kur had shot him down. That gap was Nar¡¯s, and his alone.


    The sound of four hundred feet muffled everything as he ran. The air was hot, burning, as it went down in fast gulps. His eyes ached and scratched, dried of all moisture. He was glad to be at the front. The bridge would soon be slippery with all of their sweat and blood and guardian goo.


    ¡°Here they come!¡± Tun shouted.


    The guardians rolled towards them, a tide of black charging against the light gray of the Climbers¡¯ gear.


    ¡°Tuk, whenever you want!¡± Kur shouted from behind.


    Tuk spun his ring of gray, hazy light, and waited for the guardians to come into range. Even if his [Aura] made the ring reach them, the farther it went, the harder it was to be accurate and keep the ring under control.


    The guardians, for their part, kept rolling towards them, intending on overwhelming them with their momentum. Their plan remained the same, and they didn¡¯t seem to care about the changed formation.


    Come to think of it, they are machines. I wonder how they work?


    That stray thought was gone before he could even chastise himself for its inopportune timing, and just then, Tuk¡¯s ring flew above his shoulder.


    The spinning light devoured the distance between them and the guardians. The ring cut through them as though they weren¡¯t made of metal. Nar couldn¡¯t see how many had gone down, but the guardian''s charge broke, with only a few of them still rolling towards them.


    Here we go, Nar though glancing up at the ceiling.


    On cue, guardians began pouring out immediately, crawling upside down onto the ceiling.


    ¡°Ranged! Bring them down!¡± Row shouted, not waiting for them to get into position to rain death upon the bridge.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Guardians continued to pour out of the lights in the ceiling, and to their credit, the ranged DPS assaulted them as they came out, not giving them time to do anything.


    Unfortunately, soon there were guardians coming out of the ceiling ahead of them, where they weren¡¯t yet covered.


    However, their party leader had accounted for that.


    ¡°Cen, do it!¡± Kur shouted.


    The [Aura Projectile] shone over Nar¡¯s head and exploded in a large haze of light, smoke, and aura. Six guardians were caught in the gray blast, and they tumbled silently into the darkness.


    But more were coming out.


    ¡°Cor, Jaz, Lim!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Your turn!¡±


    Cor fired her [Aura Projectile]s in quick bursts, with Jaz¡¯s arrows whistling through the air in between her attacks. Lim, another human, who was Row¡¯s second archer, shot in tandem with Jaz, with quick draw and release motions. The arrows appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and Nar gathered that the archers must be pulling them out straight from their inventories.


    However, despite the trio¡¯s best efforts, the ceiling ahead of them darkened, and not even Cen¡¯s charged [Aura Projectile]s seemed to do much. The holes she blasted onto the mass of guardians were quickly filled again. They were endless.


    Nar looked up at the confusion of limbs above him, as he sensed the first warnings from his [Instinct].


    Here we go!


    ¡°Stay close!¡± he shouted to Tuk. ¡°Or I won¡¯t be able to cover you!¡±


    The poisoners shot first. Gad and Tun looked out for themselves as best as they could, hiding behind their shields and potentially praying that their extremities were safe. Nar¡¯s job was just to protect Tuk, who was critical to their success. Well, that was half of it at least.


    He deflected the bolts aimed at him and Tuk with a precision and calm that surprised even him. His [Instinct] covered him, and since they were so close, it sort of covered Tuk as well. Though, he needed his [Sight] and [Hearing] raised to the max to catch the bolts that were not directly aimed at him.


    Tuk, from the relative safety that Nar provided him, kept his ring flying, making sure that nothing got too close to the tanks. That allowed them to focus on just charging forward, taking bolts and the brunt of the explosive rounds aimed at the front of the column. And from the safety of the center of the two parties, the ranged DPS did their best to ensure they weren¡¯t overwhelmed, though it was a losing battle.


    After what felt like only seconds, a klaxon blared, deafening Nar. He had not been expecting it, and for a split-second he panicked, losing track of the [Hearing] input being fed into him and his [Reflex].


    ¡°What was that?¡± Tuk asked, as Nar tripped and stumbled around him to keep him alive from the flurry of bolts he had nearly let through in the fright.


    Guardians exploded onto the ceiling, and in the distance, the tube from where the normal guardians came out of, turned into a tap of black.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming up from the sides too,¡± Kur shouted, no doubt warned by Jul. ¡°They¡¯re climbing up from the sides!¡±


    ¡°It was going too easy!¡± Tuk shouted to Nar.


    But Nar couldn¡¯t reply. The sheer amount of bolts thrown his way was maddening. The guardians must have identified correctly, that their whole strategy hinged on Tuk, and that he was the one making sure that the guardians coming from the other side of the bridge never reached them. Due to this, their surround and smother in numbers strategy was failing. And so, it felt as though more and more guardians were turning their sights on Tuk.


    Nar spun. He slashed. He reached. He pulled. He hit. Powered by his attributes, he was a never stopping blur. He was a whirlwind, stopping the hundreds of bolts flying at Tuk.


    The few glimpses he caught of the fight was of Tuk throwing his ring so fast, back and forth, that it looked like two rings instead of one.


    For a moment, it looked as though they would hold. As though it would work.


    Then, the adjutants poured in from the sides. The little guardians climbed up and ambushed them.


    Nar heard Kur and Row shouting orders, but he couldn¡¯t make them out.


    This was where the second half of his already impossible work began. He had to cover himself, Tuk and the two tanks'' backs from the little guardians.


    His world was a cacophony of [Instinct], [Sight] and [Hearing], that threatened to drown him.


    He pulled on his attributes more, not knowing if there was more to pull from. But he needed it. More [Speed], more [Agility] and [Reflex] and everything else. Still, he was not enough. He couldn¡¯t keep himself, Gad and Tun¡¯s backs, and Tuk, safe from that relentless assault.


    Lines of fire scored his body, as the fight went past the threshold of his capabilities. The little blades didn¡¯t look dangerous, but they were razor sharp. And a single one of those adjutants was enough to end him, or any of the others, if it managed a hit on a critical spot.


    Damn¡­ There¡¯s too many! he thought, as panic welled within him. He couldn¡¯t keep them safe anymore.


    Just as things seemed lost, a spear burst into his field of vision.


    The weapon was blur, thrusting back and forth, slashing and smashing through the crowd of adjutants that surrounded Nar and Tuk.


    ¡°Move!¡± Viy shouted. ¡°We need to help them!¡±


    Nar glanced at the two tanks. They were being beset by the enemy. The gap in between the two of them was supposed to have been left for Nar, so that he could help them, in case some of the guardians coming from the other side ever reached the tanks.


    However, they had clearly underestimated the numbers that the Crystal and the System were about to throw at them, and he had his hands full just on those bolts and adjutants coming up the sides of the bridge. He briefly had a moment to consider himself lucky that no explosive rounds had made his way yet. The ranged must be doing a great job, hunting them out of the mass above him.


    He spun and cleared the way for her to come through. She dashed past him like an illusion in a world of bolts and gleaming blades. All he could do was keep her back safe as well, while she helped the two tanks keep going.


    Tuk¡¯s ring kept flashing in and out of Nar¡¯s peripheral vision. It was moving at an unimaginable speed, though more than once, when Tuk flung the ring back out, Nar felt tiny splatters land on him, across his face and the back of his neck.


    But he didn¡¯t have time to think about it. Even in that madness he was in, he could feel that they were slowing down. He couldn¡¯t even spare the attention to look at his HP or stamina, but he knew he couldn¡¯t maintain this level of tanking forever. Perhaps, not even for much longer.


    An [Aura Projectile] flew above his head, mere inches from him, and he saw it exploding against the guardians on the bridge. Suddenly, they were on the move again.


    Tuk kept shooting and more [Aura Projectile]s followed the first. He couldn¡¯t tell whether they were Cen¡¯s or Cor¡¯s anymore, but the result was undeniable. It was also undeniably dangerous. In their desperation to not get stuck on that bridge, they were risking those projectiles exploding on the two tanks'' and Viy¡¯s faces.


    Plus, with the two of them redirecting their focus, it meant that more bolts and explosive rounds flew at them from the front.


    Predictably, Viy was forced to fall back behind Gad by the violence of the explosions, and Nar feared for their tank. How many had she taken? How many more could and would she take before this was all over?


    But there was nothing they could do but keep going.


    Not even praying would do them any good. They were in this mess because the Crystal willed it so. And with every drop of sweat, stamina, blood, and pain, they paid for their sins.


    Nar grit his teeth against the dark clouds threatening to form in his mind. It didn¡¯t seem fair. It felt so beyond anything he felt justifiable, and bit by bit, he lost the battle in his mind.


    His sword slashed and cut and crushed. A viciousness took over his movements, leant an edge and speed that was beyond what his attributes could give him.


    They advanced and advanced. And they advanced some more. Slowly, the thousands of feet became hundreds, and the hundreds became a hundred. And then the chasm was gone.


    No more bolts fell on Nar, and no more little guardians attacked him. In front of him, there were only the normal guardians left.


    Crazy, how months back, a single one of them had almost meant the end of their entire party. Now, Nar left Tuk behind and waded into them as if they were nothing. Nothings that still hit and cut at him, melting his HP¡­ But his sword! Crystal, his sword!


    The weapon burst them apart like old, crumbly aetherium. He cut, slashed and swung his sword without a single hint of swordsmanship in his movements. But it didn¡¯t matter.


    The Crystal wanted him to pay for his sins, and he was paying for them. Guardian after guardian. Point of HP after point of HP.


    He eradicated anything that came in sight, and the others climbed up the stairs in the wake of his rage.


    Sometime later, he heard a voice calling out to him.


    ¡°Nar! Nar!¡±


    The voice came from far away and it sounded as though it had been calling him for a good while now.


    ¡°Nar! Get back!¡±


    Kur¡¯s order finally breached through the haze that had overtaken his mind, and he saw that he had gone too far into the guardians. The line of Climbers was a good 30-feet behind him, and he could see Cen¡¯s and Cor¡¯s staffs shining to the point of blinding him. They were ready to erase the remaining guardians and end it, but Nar was in the way.


    He quickly cut his way back to the line, dodging and pushing back guardians.


    ¡°Now!¡± Kur shouted, just as Nar reached the Climber line.


    The two casters held nothing back. After those initial charged projectiles, they unleashed streams of the small, quicker ones, and along the line, more and more casters joined them, pouring their anger and desperation into massacring the last guardians blocking their path forward.


    The battle was soon over. The one-sided aura offense obliterated the guardians crowding the near full-circle room that mirrored the one they had departed from. And eventually, new ones stopped coming down from the tube.


    Nar stood, shaking, and breathing hard.


    His lungs and throat were raw from the hot air, and his entire body was wet. His hand gripped the sword so strongly that it hurt, his arm spasming out of control.


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± someone whispered next to him.


    Nar turned his head and found Row¡¯s quam staring at him. He looked at him with such an intensity that it was almost hostile, and for a moment, Nar¡¯s pulse surged. Ready.


    ¡°Keep going!¡± Row shouted, breaking their staring. ¡°We need to let the others come up. They¡¯re still fighting at the back!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± Tuk volunteered.


    ¡°Only one ring, Tuk!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see it!¡±


    Tuk grimaced but he nodded, and pushed backwards against the crowd to reach the stairs. Without hesitating, Nar chased after him, wanting to make sure that he was safe, and he noticed that Cor followed after him.


    She and Tuk added their attacks to all the other ranged DPS still stuck on the bridge, and slowly, more and more of the ranged DPS that had managed to cross over joined them, shooting destruction from their higher position of advantage.


    With the added cover, the Climbers continued to make it out of the bridge.


    Not all of them made it, but most did. The unlucky ones were mostly those that brought up the rear. There, soldiers ravaged with almost impunity, and explosive rounds wrecked the poor Climbers.


    ¡°Crystal!¡± Tuk shouted, his eyes brimming with fury.


    At his side, Nar clenched his jaw. The people at the back were being massacred. It was like the guardians had realized that the end was coming, and they wanted to make sure that they brought down as many Climbers as they still could.


    Nar felt bile rise at the back of his throat.


    It was disgusting!


    It was enough!


    How could They be so heartless!


    What kind of atonement was this? In what kind of way were they supposed to show their faith and loyalty, when they were presented with such a sight?


    Tuk screamed in powerless rage, and disobeying Kur, he pulled out a second ring.


    Watching the two lights zip back and forth, Nar finally realized that Tuk had, at some point in the fight, started using a second ring. Nar almost told him to stop. He was risking injury and worse. However, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say it. Climbers were being killed with impunity right before their very eyes.


    Word must have reached the Climbers that had made it to safety, and more and more ranged DPS kept showing up, swelling, unleashing their fury on the guardians still coating the ceiling, and on the ones chasing the Climbers from the back.


    Between that, and the Climbers killing the adjutants by the score in their despair, it rained guardians.


    Tuk screamed a strangled cry. He had shifted his aim at the last moment, elbowing Nar as he did so, throwing his second ring just as soon as it came back. But as Nar followed it to its target, he saw that it would be too late. The guardian shot its explosive round, and below it, a Climber was blasted on the face, and burst into flames.


    She was dead before she even hit the floor of the bridge.


    A morsvar screamed so loudly at the sight that even Nar heard him, all the way from where he stood, and across the chaos of the battlefield. The sound of it tore his heart into two.


    At his side, Tuk screamed.


    ¡°Tuk!¡± Nar shouted.


    It hadn¡¯t been his fault. Nar wasn¡¯t sure what had happened, but Tuk must have spotted another guardian about to shoot, and hadn¡¯t made it in time.


    At his other side, Cor, with tears streaking down her face, unleashed her [Aura Projectile]s with abandon.


    Nar clenched his fists.


    This was wrong. This was all so wrong.


    It should¡¯ve been their moment of victory. Of celebration! Instead, they were being slaughtered.


    Eventually, the last of the Climbers made it off the bridge. She was crying and screaming, as two others dragged her forward. Her hand was stretched out onto the bridge, and she cried out something that must have been someone¡¯s name. However, on that bridge, only the orange flames moved.


    Nar covered his eyes from the sight.


    At least thirty people had died in those last few minutes. Maybe more. It had been so cruel. So unnecessary.


    What atonement was that? Death?


    He felt Tuk silently shaking next to him.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back,¡± he told him.


    In the aftermath of the battle, with his frayed senses finally dialed back down to normal, everything sounded muted around him, even his own voice.


    Tuk didn¡¯t reply and Nar stored his sword, and passed a hand over his shoulders, guiding Tuk away from the grief and the burning and broken bodies that littered the end of that bridge.


    He remembered Cor, and reached out a hand to her.


    The weeping caster silently took his hand, gripping it tightly, and Nar guided the two of them back to their parties.


    Around him, all he heard were the muffled sounds of crying, and of moans and screams from the wounded.


    It all felt so distant in the stifling hot air they all shared, as Nar bumped and was jostled on his way back to their parties.


    Inside of him, everything was silent.


    Dead and spent.


    And because he had let go of his enhanced senses, everything blurred around him, as though it wasn¡¯t real.


    Over there, a Climber had lost an arm. And there, one was bleeding from the hollows where his eyes had been. Someone cried and wailed over a corpse, while someone else laughed hysterically, tears streaking down their face.


    Nar kept going, dragging the other two with him.


    He should¡¯ve cried, he thought, in the silence that had taken his mind.


    But as he walked, and the more he saw, and the more he replayed those last minutes on the bridge, the more the silence was driven back. Inside him, a low scream grew and grew and grew, until it was all that he could hear.


    Inside, he screamed and screamed.


    He couldn¡¯t stop.

 Chapter 57 - Bitter Victory

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Quest, Cross the Chasm, completed!


    Congratulations, you have made it to the Mid-Levels!


    You are closer to atonement.


    Other rewards:


    1. You have been granted a 10-hour rest period within this safe space. There are no facilities or dispensers.


    You may leave whenever you want.


    Warning: This area is now a no-combat zone.


    2. Experience and attribute gains are being calculated. They will be awarded during the rest period.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°No blasters. No toilets. Not even food,¡± Mul muttered.


    ¡°It''s not that bad,¡± Cen said. ¡°We had a toilet just a few days ago. Don¡¯t tell me you need to go again already?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Mul grumbled. ¡°But I¡¯d love a blasting¡­¡±


    Cen sighed in sympathy. ¡°Don¡¯t get too used to those things. We didn¡¯t really used to do it that often.¡±


    ¡°We had it once a week! And the whole point of leaving that hole was to live better! Not to keep rationing, or going a month without washing myself!¡±


    ¡°Mul¡­¡±


    Nar flicked off the rewards window.


    They were seated to the left of the circular area, where it met with the flat part of the stairs. After the battle, once things had calmed down, Kur had guided them backwards to that spot. It meant that they had that little corner for themselves, a bit away from the other Climbers, and there was an exit right there, if they needed to leave in a hurry. Although, given the rewards from the quest, it didn¡¯t look like it was going to be a problem, like last time they had fought alongside other Climbers. Regardless, Kur had warned them to keep their purple weapons out of sight, so as to not spark any questions or jealousies.


    Jul sat to his left, and he was oblivious to her intense stare. Tuk was to his right, hunched down so low it was as if he had no strength left to hold himself upright. He held his bloody hands together, and stared lifelessly at them.


    Viy sat at Tuk¡¯s right, her eyes glassy, staring not at the bridge, but at the impenetrable chasm itself.


    Gad and Kur were off with Row, doing the Crystal knew what. And that left only Mul and Cen, sitting together, with their backs to the others.


    Nar felt emptied. Of what, he could not say. Only that there was a hole inside of him, a void as deep and absolute as the one that stretched before him.


    He felt no hunger, no thirst.


    He felt nothing.


    His limbs spasmed sporadically, both reminder and consequence for his reckless actions. Somehow, he had made it through with a solid third of his stamina intact, probably because he hadn¡¯t used any of his skills. They had been forgotten in the chaos. But his HP was another story. Even with his sword¡¯s [Minor Hunger] periodically restoring a drop of his HP, he was still down 37 points.


    To be honest, he didn¡¯t even remember being hit that much, or that badly, to merit such an HP drain. However, the last bit of the battle was pretty much a dark haze.


    Why had he done that? Why had he lost himself and plowed on into the guardians by himself?


    All he remembered was feeling such anger. Such hatred. Everything about that bridge had felt wrong. As though it had been designed to kill the most number of Climbers, or even to prevent them from crossing altogether. And near the end, surrounded, he had just felt such¡­ Such darkness inside him. He had just wanted to destroy every single guardian in front of him, and get the party to safety. But the more guardians he destroyed, the angrier he got¡­ He wondered what would¡¯ve happened to him, had Kur not called him back when he did.


    He did not want to think about it. He rather preferred to be empty. Exhausted from everything.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Mul said, after a period of silence. ¡°I just-I don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Cen took his hand in hers, and looked down at the bridge.


    Nar, seeing her movement, did the same.


    The bridge was littered with the debris of a hundred guardians, the few who had not been pushed down as they were destroyed. Here and there, amidst the wreckage of the guardians, a charred hand stretched up to the ceiling, as if as a last desperate reach for the goal that would never be seen.


    Bodies were thrown and twisted and slashed across the length of the bridge. And those were the ones who had simply not fallen over, vanished, gone forever into the dark below.


    ¡°Just¡­ This¡­ This whole thing!¡± Mul said. ¡°Was this necessary? Was it even fair? If we hadn¡¯t been here¡­ If Tuk, Nar, you and that other caster¡­ If our parties had not been here, all of these Climbers would¡¯ve died. Especially without Tuk and Nar. One who uses [Aura] to fight and the other who is some kind of crazy hybrid tank/DPS!¡±


    Neither Nar nor Tuk spoke at the mention of their names.


    ¡°Without the two of them, and us, and Row¡¯s party, they would have all died. Without you and Tuk, we would¡¯ve died. And without Row¡¯s party, we would¡¯ve died.¡±


    He scoffed. ¡°Without you, we wouldn''t even have made it here!¡±


    Cen pursed her lips and looked down.


    ¡°Mul¡­,¡± she whispered. But what was there for her to say?


    Mul waved at the bridge.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see it? It was just luck and sacrifice that got us through. Yours, Tuk¡¯s and that of all the other casters throwing their chances at gaining magic into the pile! It wasn¡¯t our skill! Or our strength! Or our attributes, or weapons! We were just lucky!¡±


    His voice choked at the end, and he covered his face. Cen hugged him.


    A loud bang resounded across the chasm and silenced the gathered Climbers. With a mighty groan, the bridge they had crossed shook and trembled.


    People ran, either backing away from the bridge or towards it, to see what was happening.


    Slowly, the bridge lowered into the darkness, leaving them trapped at the entrance of the Mid Levels.


    ¡°Did anything even matter?¡± Mul asked, watching the bridge going down. ¡°Does anything?¡±


    Of all the Climbers gathered to watch, Nar spotted one in particular. A morsvar with the exact same type of spear as Viy.


    He held it tightly in front of him, as if at any moment he could collapse without it. His face was a mask of tears and snot. A sorrow the likes of which Nar hadn¡¯t seen in a long while.


    He recognized him, he had been the one to scream, near the end, when Tuk hadn¡¯t managed to kill that explosive rounds guardian in time.


    Nar looked from the crying Climber to the broken, burned corpses strewn across the bridge. Most of them were gathered at their side, near the end.


    There was no need for that, Nar though, balling his hands into trembling fists.


    What had been the point? They had already been exiting the bridge. Why just hurt them needlessly at the end of it? He just couldn¡¯t understand it, or justify it.


    Next to him, he heard Tuk cry soft, silent sobs that rocked him.


    Nar wondered if he blamed himself for what had happened.


    Perhaps nobody else had seen it, other than Nar.


    But Tuk knew. He knew he had been too late. He would always know she had died because of his choice.


    Nar should have said something then. Tell him it wasn¡¯t his fault. That he had gone above and beyond what could¡¯ve been expected and asked of him, and that all those who had made it owed their lives to him and his reckless, untrained, [Aura] rings.


    But Nar was still lost to his own emptiness. He found no words within him that he could say to comfort another.


    ********


    Sounds and feeling returned slowly to Nar, in the hours after the bridge was lowered into the darkness.


    The worst of the wounded slept and healed, while the others simply healed.


    In hushed conversations at first, with some tears, slowly, building to a crescendo, the living remembered they were still alive. Excitement, sorrow, laughter and crying. Emotions raged. Unbridled. Unfettered.


    It got louder and louder, and at some point, food was taken out, and a celebration had begun. The dead were honored and respected. Remembered for their deeds and stories, and the living celebrated that they were alive, sharing the guilt or the joy they felt that it hadn¡¯t been them. That their Climb continued, and that at long last they had received a sign, proof, that they were making progress.


    That there really was an end to the endless corridors and hordes of guardians.


    That now they were in the Mid Levels.


    That they had a real chance of getting out someday¡­


    Even the air seemed less hot, the temperature lowering to a more comfortable and cozy warmth.


    Nar, Kur and Row sat together, talking, by the edge of the room.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°That¡¯s insane,¡± Row said. ¡°That whole thing is insane. And I see why you were so cautious with us.¡±


    Kur nodded. ¡°You would be too.¡±


    ¡°I would. I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve confided in me,¡± Row said, nodding vigorously. ¡°I¡¯ll be much more careful of other Climbers from now on. But please, don¡¯t show those weapons of yours around. Me and mine would never take them, but I can¡¯t deny the jealousy I feel. Even resentment. I wish my people had those weapons.¡±


    She shook her head, slowly, and looked around her, locating her party members. The two parties had mingled into smaller pockets of friendly conversation. Arranged in a small semi-circle of their own, they were practically apart from the rest of the Climbers.


    Tuk, Jaz and Row¡¯s other archer, Lim, roared with laughter. Jul, seated next to Tuk, stared aghast at Jaz from under Tuk¡¯s waving arms. Gad, with Viy silently sitting beside her, was engaged in a deep and focused conversation with Tun. He had his shield out, and seemed to be demonstrating something by angling the shield and making a sweeping gesture with his hand that followed that angle.


    Nearby, Mul, still brooding, sat with Cen, Cor and Raf, a human who wielded a big two-handed ax. Cen and Cor discussed [Aura] with broad gestures and wide sweeps of their staffs, and Raf, eyes tiny with sleep, nodded along beatifically. Once in a while, he stole a glance towards Tuk.


    That left only the last and eighth member of Row''s party. The four bladed quam, who sat by himself, and was still staring daggers at Nar.


    Nar took a deep breath, and looked away. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the quam.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wish we were there, though, with those cannibals,¡± Row said at last, and with a small shudder. ¡°I want the reward but not the hardship. Crazy, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Kur nodded sagely, a small smile gracing his own lips.


    Nar breathed through his gritted teeth.


    ¡°Row,¡± he called, trying to keep his voice level.


    The red-haired leader tensed.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Nar motioned towards the quam with his head.


    ¡°Does your guy want to fight with me?¡±


    Row swiveled her head so fast she must have given herself whiplash.


    ¡°Teb! I swear to the fucking Crystal! Enough! Go take a walk!¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Now, damn it! I¡¯ve had it with you!¡±


    The quam, Teb, glared at her and Nar both, and stormed off, kicking his feet.


    ¡°Fucking child,¡± Row said, glaring after him. ¡°Always making a nuisance of himself. Crystal! The shit I need to put up with!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s his problem?¡± Kur asked, watching Teb disappear into the crowd.


    Row blew air in exasperation, and passed both hands over her hair and down the back of her neck.


    ¡°Teb¡¯s fast. Really fast. He¡¯s our best DPS and he¡¯s got the ego to match it. But Nar hurt his pride.¡±


    ¡°Me? I didn¡¯t even talk to him!¡±


    ¡°I think she means your [Speed],¡± Kur said.


    Row made a gesture that encompassed all of Nar.


    ¡°I meant all of you,¡± she said. ¡°The crazy way you move. The way you handle your sword. The way you stopped those fucking bolts and those tiny guardians coming up from the sides!¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, Tuk¡¯s amazing, and we wouldn¡¯t have made it without him. But we wouldn¡¯t have been able to cover Tuk like you did, nor the tanks¡¯ back without you.¡±


    Nar looked away. ¡°I¡¯m sure you would¡¯ve found a way.¡±


    ¡°Would we?¡± she asked. ¡°Our ranged were busy clearing the ceiling. Teb was busy covering Tuk¡¯s back and the ranged. Viy was helping him, but she had to move up to help the tanks. Raf was taking care of the other side and Mul kept those tiny spiders off of us. Kur was Cen¡¯s legs and I was trying my best to do a lot of nothing!¡±


    Kur chuckled.


    ¡°Yeah, we would¡¯ve been screwed without you, Nar,¡± he said, slapping his back. ¡°I¡¯m really glad we have you in the team.¡±


    Nar¡¯s mouth worded words but made none


    ¡°I wish I had one of you in my team,¡± Row said, eyeing him.


    ¡°Hey! No poaching my people!¡± Kur said.


    Row grinned at him and pretended to wipe some drool off her mouth. ¡°Your ring tosser and your caster too. Actually, I wish I could take your whole team and merge it into mine!¡±


    She cackled at Kur¡¯s mock affronted expression. At least, Nar thought it was mocked.


    ¡°In all seriousness, though. I¡¯m mind blown that whatever it is you¡¯re doing is working so well,¡± Row said. ¡°The first thing our priest told us was to be really clear and focused on what role we wanted to receive.¡±


    ¡°Same with ours,¡± Kur said. ¡°He warned that if we hesitated or wavered between roles, we would get something that was good at neither. A hybrid class. A point in between. Useless.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! No offense Nar, but I honestly can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still alive and have made it this far.¡±


    ¡°There were close calls,¡± Nar said. ¡°And many times where I regretted my choice. But Kur and the others¡­ It¡¯s thanks to them.¡±


    ¡°I bet!¡± Row said. ¡°You must have sucked ass at the start!¡±


    ¡°... I did.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done things I still can¡¯t believe you did,¡± Kur said, shaking his head. ¡°Even though I watched it with my own two eyes¡­ It was rough, really rough. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re in a much better spot now.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Nar thought. ¡°This is all still pretty new to me.¡±


    ¡°I can see that,¡± Row said. ¡°And that¡¯s what makes me so jealous. What if I had done the same?¡±


    ¡°A leader something hybrid?¡± Kur asked, awe spreading over his face.


    ¡°Yes! A leader and caster hybrid role! Can you imagine?¡±


    Rows eyes sparkled.


    ¡°I could have my boon and Cor¡¯s [Aura Projectile]! It would be much weaker than hers, I¡¯m sure, but damn! The possibilities! The strategies! The value added by sacrificing a bit from both roles!¡±


    ¡°Crystal, I never thought of that,¡± Kur said. ¡°I could have been a hybrid leader/DPS. Or even a tank! The amount of times that guardians got through the front, or surprised us from the back! And all those times we¡¯ve been surrounded!¡±


    Nar squirmed uncomfortably, unsure of what to say.


    Sure, it looks like it''s something now. But when it started? When I had just left? I was trash. Useless.


    It was hard to believe that that day, months ago, when he had first looked upon his two new weak skills and attributes, had been real. That from that despair, fear and doubt, he had managed to build something that might actually become something one day. A true path. And one that would one day bring him back to his dad.


    He shook his head. If the day does come, it will be years. Years and years.


    The Wasting sickness was slow, and his dad was young. But would he find him alive when he actually came back?


    Only the Crystal knew¡­ And there was no sense in thinking about it now.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Tuk called. ¡°What are you doing with the manager brats? Come join the fun!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, man!¡± Jaz added. ¡°Your ears are gonna rot, and you¡¯ll start using words like ascertain and enunciate and stuff!¡±


    ¡°Those are normal words!¡± Row said, in an exasperated tone that spoke of an entire history of bickering.


    Kur chuckled and nudged Nar with his arm. ¡°Go on. Go have some fun. Relax.¡±


    With the quam taking a walk and Row heaping praise on him, Nar didn¡¯t have to be told twice, and sprung to his feet.


    ¡°You¡¯ve created quite something there, Kur,¡± Row said, watching Nar join the much louder and raucous group.


    ¡°Me?¡± he asked, taken by surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. It was all him. I wasn¡¯t lying when I said I can¡¯t believe all the crazy shit he¡¯s gone through.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not saying Nar hasn¡¯t worked hard for it. But he didn¡¯t act alone. Not only did he have a party willing to support him at his weakest, and also willing to put up with his nonsense idea, he had you,¡± she said, staring at him intently. ¡°You enabled it. Allowed it. You probably even encouraged him.¡±


    Kur shook his head. ¡°I told him I saw promise in his path. But I never pushed him into it, and I would¡¯ve respected his decision had he wanted to change his path.¡±


    ¡°Okay. But at least you heard him, and thought about how best he could fit in with the party.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Kur said. ¡°He brought us so much flexibility. So much potential to respond in so many different ways to so many different scenarios. And we have, all thanks to him being what he is.¡±


    ¡°Now, maybe,¡± Row said, shrugging. ¡°But back then, though? I wouldn¡¯t have allowed it. It pains me but, we would¡¯ve done better with either a full tank or a full DPS. Probably the latter, considering his sword. Our lives are at risk here¡­ I can¡¯t risk the entire party for the sake of one Climber¡¯s foolish aspirations. After all, there¡¯s a reason why hybrids fail, and all the other parties do just fine when everyone sticks to their role as they should.¡±


    Kur frowned. ¡°Are you saying I made a mistake? That I was a bad leader for not stopping him?¡±


    She shrugged.


    ¡°Now, I can answer no and no. Nar saved our lives today¡­ Would we have crossed that bridge without him? Or without Tuk? Sure, eventually. With triple or quadruple the casualties, or more. All I¡¯m saying is that while Nar is responsible for his part in making his own path, you are also responsible for it. We don¡¯t just shout orders and make decisions. It¡¯s our responsibility to do what¡¯s best for the party, both as a whole, and individually. Hopefully, they align. But sometimes they don¡¯t. I just can¡¯t help but wonder, what went through your mind, when you decided that Nar¡¯s choice was both the best for him and for the party. It can¡¯t have been an easy decision.¡±


    Kur looked away from her, and stared at Nar, laughing with the others. The hybrid swordsman had come a long way from that shy, nervous guy that had approached them in the dark to ask to join his party. Thinking about it made him smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± Kur said. ¡°From the moment he introduced himself and said that he was a hybrid tank/DPS, I never doubted him. There was something about the way he said it. The way he looked at me. He had made his choice, and wasn¡¯t going to let anyone sway him either way. He was sure of what he wanted. Maybe not the how, but he¡¯s always had a goal in mind. It¡¯s a goal I still don¡¯t know nor understand, but it drives him. He has doubts, sure, and I can see that something is bothering him. That there is more to him than what I¡¯ve managed to glimpse. But he has remained true. And he has never let me, or anyone else, down. Maybe other parties don¡¯t need someone like Nar, but ours does. And we wouldn¡¯t have made it this far without him. Without all of us, for that matter, contributing in our own special ways.¡±


    Kur stretched his back and leaned onto his hands.


    ¡°We have two lengos, one of which is a brawler, a trugger ring tosser, a scout that can¡¯t fight, an unreliable spear woman with mental issues, a hybrid tank/DPS, the best tank I could¡¯ve ever hoped for, and me. I knew what the other party leaders thought at the time. I know what even you might be thinking right now. And yet, here we are, and you, your party, and every Climber here needed us today.¡±


    Row swallowed drily and looked away.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to offend.¡±


    Kur scratched his head.


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to come off as aggressive as that. All I meant to say is, no matter how unlikely they look, I believe in every single one of them. With my whole being. I believe in their potential and I believe we are going to make it out of here. All of us. Together.¡±


    Row was too stunned to speak, and Kur laughed to fill in the silence.


    ¡°That¡¯s not to say they¡¯re not a handful!¡±


    The woman shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re a handful too. Fit for your party.¡±


    ¡°I guess so!¡±


    ¡°And, I apologize if my words were¡­ Unnecessary. However, I¡¯ll say one more thing,¡± she said, her tone dropping. ¡°You¡¯re right Nar is keeping something close to his heart. I don¡¯t know what it is, but I think I caught a glimpse of it today¡­¡±


    She glanced towards the swordsman, and a shadow passed over her eyes.


    ¡°At the end, when things were looking bad¡­ It was like he found a second bar of stamina, or his attributes jumped. He moved even faster than before. Better. Got us moving again. But his sword¡­ The way it moved¡­ I don¡¯t even know how to describe it. It gave me the chills.¡±


    She pursed her lips, considering her words. ¡°Like I said, the two of you are making something amazing. I shudder to imagine how strong he¡¯s going to be a year from now. But that thing¡­ Whatever it was, that deadness in his eyes. That viciousness of his sword. You need to be careful with it. You need to make sure that it doesn¡¯t take him in the end, or your party, when you most need him.¡±


    Row turned back to Kur, who was watching Nar. His eyes shone with intent, with thoughts both intelligent and bordering the insane. It occurred to her that as much as she had warned him about Nar, what should she say of the man that had put together such a party? Such an unlikely and yet incredibly powerful party?


    Nothing. For she knew nothing of him. And he had let nothing slip. In the face of surprise, pressure and death, Kur had kept composed, leading them onwards to success.


    She was as drawn towards him and his party, as she was just as uneasy.


    We all have our reasons to Climb, she thought.


    Perhaps the problem lay with that. She knew why everyone of her party members had decided to Climb. She knew their attributes, their skills, their strengths and weaknesses. Hers was the right way. The only way.


    But here was Kur. She had a feeling, no, a certainty, that Kur did not know why his party members had chosen to leave their cubeplant. That he did not know the full extent of their skills and attributes either. That a veil of secrecy and privacy had been maintained in the party somehow, throughout all this time they had been Climbing together.


    To her, that meant only one thing. Kur had not asked, so that he would not be asked the same question in return. A manager brat like her, and a skilled one for all intents and purposes, with a bright and clear progression path ahead of him? Why was he even there?


    She had been open with her group. She had demanded truth and honesty and she had given it first. Her path had been blocked by a sick man with sick tastes, and no one to stand up to him or for her except Tun. The only reason she would¡¯ve kept it quiet was if she was ashamed, embarrassed, or guilty. And she was none of those. Some nobody with an overinflated ego would neither dim nor block her brilliance and potential, and she had turned her back on it all to forge herself a new path.


    She left behind friends who had failed her, family who had betrayed her, and a place that had spit on all her effort and hard work. Only Tun had followed her¡­


    So no, she was not ashamed, embarrassed, or guilty. And she had made everyone in her party know that neither were they.


    But Kur?


    He didn¡¯t look like the type to be embarrassed. Which left the other two.


    Shame or guilt, which one was it? Maybe it was both. Afterall, they commonly came walking hand in hand.


    The more she talked with him and his party, the more she looked at him, the more and more she was certain that there were several things very wrong with their party. There were secrets, there were things hidden from one another that should have been known to all. And yet, it worked. Somehow, it all worked.


    Despite all the cons she saw, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that she and her people would be safe with Kur¡¯s party. That she could trust them with her life. That they would pull through, no matter the situation, no matter the odds


    It was like they stood in defiance of the Crystal Itself, people who should not have come this far, but had, and who would go on till the very end.


    And beyond¡­


    The words tumbled out of her mouth before she even realized what she was saying.


    ¡°Do you want to Climb together?¡±


    He stared at her, too stunned to speak. Her face turned redder than her hair.


    ¡°I meant, our parties, together, we would be so strong! We worked really well together, and it would really make it easier for the rest of the way up. Think about it. Sleep on it. Ask your party. Just¡­ Just think about it.¡±


    Kur regarded the red-haired leader in front of him. He didn¡¯t want to say or show just how tempting that offer was. And yet¡­


    He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll think of it. I¡¯ll see what the others think as well.¡±


    Row nodded furiously.


    ¡°Good. Good! Now, there was something else I was curious about, if you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­¡±

 Chapter 58 - No Change

    ¡°... and then, I thought, I have nine more, why not use just a second one?¡± Tuk said.


    Gasps erupted around him.


    ¡°Fucking pile, man. You¡¯re insane!¡± Jaz shouted.


    ¡°I thought you were just going really fast,¡± Nar said. ¡°But now that I think about it, I could feel your blood on my face every time you tossed your rings!¡±


    ¡°Ew!¡± Lim said, tears streaming down his red cheeks.


    ¡°I never allowed this!¡± Cen said, enraged. ¡°You could¡¯ve lost your fingers.¡±


    Tuk wiggled his fingers at her. The lines etched into his flesh were healing quickly, but were still oozing a clear, grayish liquid.


    ¡°Almost did!¡±


    ¡°Tuk!¡±


    She punched him from the side.


    ¡°At first! At first!¡± Tuk said, flinching from the hits. ¡°I got the hand of it really quickly. Got it, the hand of it?¡±


    Jaz, Raf, Lim and Mul howled in laughter. Both Cor and Nar traded a look and shook their heads at each other.


    ¡°You could¡¯ve killed yourself,¡± Cen said, not ready to just let it go. ¡°You almost died the first time you tried it, and you almost killed Nar too!¡±


    ¡°Twice,¡± Mul said, sniggering.


    ¡°That was the same one time!¡± Tuk said. ¡°It went one way, then it came back.¡±


    ¡°I had to dodge it twice so it counts as two!¡± Nar shouted.


    The other party roared with laughter.


    ¡°Crystal! This sounds like a whole other story!¡± Raf said. ¡°What in the pile did you do?¡±


    Raf had finally managed to muster his courage, or make his decision, and head over to Tuk to ask him how he had done it. How did he use his [Aura] to power his attacks? He wanted to do the same thing with his ax. Putting the danger to his magic aside, Nar had to admit, the thought of the heavy, massive ax, shining bright with destructive light gave him pause. The images of unstoppable destruction that flooded his mind had certainly been the reason why Raf had decided to give [Aura] a shot too.


    And, as it turned out, he wasn¡¯t the only one either. Many Climbers came to see Tuk, asking him how he¡¯d gotten his magic. The vast majority had turned away, repulsed, when Tuk told them it was just [Aura], but among those groups of Climbers, there was always at least one that stayed behind. Intrigued and dazzled by the prospect of harnessing their [Aura], they would talk in hushed tones with Tuk and Cen, and they would explain everything to them, as best as they could.


    As Nar came to know, it seemed as though everybody shared a high [Aura] attribute. He wasn¡¯t sure whether to feel worried or relieved about that.


    However, Tuk¡¯s performance had made a compelling case for making use of it.


    So he had taught and taught. No one had actually managed to manifest their [Aura] in their weapons like Tuk did his rings, but together with Cen, Tuk had taught them everything he knew and how he did it and how he had figured it out.


    ¡°It was this guy, really¡­¡± he said, again and again, grabbing onto Nar.


    Whether those Climbers learned it or not, it would be up to them. Nar had no reason to think the [Aura] attack was exclusive to ring tossers. However, he didn¡¯t know what to feel, considering that it had been his suggestion that had unblocked Tuk in the end.


    It had certainly saved their lives, that much was undeniable. However, now that that knowledge was spreading to other Climbers and other parties, Nar didn¡¯t know what to make of it.


    Tuk laughed at Raf, slapping his knee.


    ¡°Okay! That one was insane. I¡¯ll give you that!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Why is it always insane?¡± Cor asked.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Cen said in reply.


    Tuk rubbed his hands, tenderly, but with visible excitement.


    ¡°So, we were¡­¡±


    DING!


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Gains from the completion of the quest, Cross the Chasm, have been calculated!


    You have leveled up!


    You have leveled up!


    You have leveled up!


    You have gained:


    Strength 14 -> 15


    Constitution 17 -> 18


    Stamina 20 -> 21


    Agility 13 -> 15


    Speed 12 -> 15


    ??? 10 -> 12


    ??? 16 -> 17


    Might 4 -> 5


    Instinct 14 -> 15


    Reflex 14 -> 16


    Hearing 8 -> 9


    Sight 8 -> 10


    Gains threshold exceeded!


    Attribute points will be applied during sleep!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar¡¯s mind swam as he took in the numbers.


    ¡°Holy Crystal¡­¡±


    He had no idea who had talked, but damn. What in the pile was that? Not only had he gained three levels at once, the sheer amount of gains was hard to wrap his head around.


    Before he had a chance to say anything, the words changed.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have made it to level 15!


    Congratulations!


    An extra reward is available for you to choose!


    See reward options now?


    Yes / No


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Guys! Get together!¡±


    Row¡¯s voice snapped him out of his stunned daze.


    More rewards? And I can choose?If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Row¡¯s party quickly excused themselves and huddled together in a tight circle.


    ¡°Gather up, people,¡± Kur said, motioning for them to come to him.


    One by one, and looking every bit as stunned as Nar, the party converged around Kur.


    ¡°From your looks, I think everyone has gotten a bunch of gains plus this nice surprise,¡± Kur said, smiling around. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but like always, I¡¯m here to talk about it if you guys want to. We have another 6 hours and 27 minutes before we need to go. Like last time, I want to go a couple hours earlier, so that doesn¡¯t leave us much time to rest, but we¡¯ll stop earlier tomorrow. Also, Row has asked us if we would like to join her party, and Climb together.¡±


    Surprised, Nar pushed away the window, without replying, and focused on Kur.


    ¡°No way¡­¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Yeah, she did. To be fair, we did work really well together,¡± Kur said, with a slight shrug. ¡°Anyways, I need to give her an answer tomorrow, so have a think about that too, alright? Okay, go on. Make your choices, and then try and get some sleep too, if you can.¡±


    They muttered their replies and spread out a bit, though not too far from each other.


    Nar, somewhat still confused, as he hadn¡¯t looked up the rewards yet, sat by the edge of the stairs, and pulled up the window from his notifications.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have made it to level 15!


    Congratulations!


    An extra reward is available for you to choose!


    See reward options now?


    Yes / No


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Yes!


    The words flickered and the text in it changed.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Your reward is a class change!


    Warning: A class change means you will start from level 1 again, but you will not lose any of your attributes. Levels correlate only to progression within a class.


    Choose from the following options:


    Basic Warrior (Longsword)


    You¡¯ve had a tough start, but through your failures and successes, you have persisted and improved. You feel like the longsword was made for you. A flexible weapon that allows for both one-handed or two-handed combat, paired with your movement stats and senses, you could become a veritable master of this weapon, a true sight to behold.


    Follow this path deeper and see where mastery of the longsword might one day take you.


    (DPS Role)


    Basic Warrior (Two-Handed)


    You¡¯ve had a tough start, but through your failures and successes, you have persisted and improved. You feel like the longsword was made for you, but at the same time, you can¡¯t help but notice that it falls short on occasion. The life of a melee DPS is within you, and you could fulfill your true potential with a proper, two-handed heavy weapon. Imagine yourself with a swift and long reaching spear. Or with a mighty and devastating two-handed sword, or a heavy and crushing two-handed hammer or ax.


    Follow this path deeper into the mastery of a two-handed melee weapon. You will be granted a new weapon at the earliest possible opportunity, and you¡¯ll be able to pick from a range of two-handed weapons.


    (DPS Role)


    Warning: You must hand in your weapon in exchange for a new one.


    No Change


    Continue as you are.


    (???)


    Which do you choose?


    Longsword / Two-Handed / No Change


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Are you fucking with me?¡± Nar shouted. ¡°What the fuck is this?¡±


    DPS. DPS. And nothing. No reward.


    Is this what the System thought he was worth? A chance of fixing his mistake? To re-role into a DPS? Into a proper class?


    What in the pile is this ??? nonsense?


    His hybrid tank/DPS role wasn¡¯t even acknowledged.


    All his effort, all his pain. All the gains, and even his new outlook on his path, and the System basically told him to clean up his act, and role into something proper.


    Nar tightened his fists.


    His breath and pulse quickened.


    The words faded in and out of his sight.


    This¡­


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    A hand lay on his shoulder, gently.


    He flinched and looked back.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Kur asked, with a grimace.


    Nar could only stare at him. He had forgotten how to make words.


    ¡°I guess not,¡± Kur said, and took a seat next to him. ¡°Take your time. We can talk. Just know that, whatever it is, you can talk to me, and we can think of a way through it.¡±


    Nar, shaking, managed to give him a curt nod, and looked away.


    His hands clenched and unclenched. His nostrils flared and his eyes widened.


    Through it all, Kur waited quietly, probably contemplating his own choice. Like he had told Row, he believed in his party. He hoped that everyone picked what worked best for them, and then together, they would figure out a way to make it work as a party. Just like they had been so far.


    And we¡¯ve been doing quite well, if I may say so, Kur thought.


    So no, he was not worried for Nar. Saddened, yes. Disappointed that the System seemed to have let Nar down. But he wasn¡¯t worried. Nar would find his path. He did not doubt his strength or determination.


    A while later, he heard Nar sigh and looked at him. He looked resigned, though not defeated.


    ¡°Did yours go well?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I just made my choice,¡± Kur said. ¡°Next time I wake up, I will be a [Boon Leader 1] and gain a new skill, [Enhancing Boon]. It will let me enhance the party¡¯s skills by 5%. It only lasts 10 seconds, but it has a cool down of only five minutes. It¡¯s gonna be awesome! I¡¯m going to be using it non-stop, just you wait for it!¡±


    Nar stared at him, taken aback by the sudden excitement. Despite his own feelings, he couldn¡¯t help but feel some of Kur¡¯s excitement. ¡°That-That sounds really amazing! But¡­ What were your other options, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±


    ¡°Ah, not at all! And I only had one other option. It was the [Enhanced Senses Leader 1], quite the mouthful. As can you probably tell, it would have given me a big boost and focus on sense attributes. It even mentioned some mysterious new attribute! How cool is that?¡±


    Nar gasped.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you pick that one? It could¡¯ve been [Instinct]!¡±


    Kur chuckled. ¡°It would¡¯ve been awesome, right?¡±


    ¡°It would!¡±


    ¡°It would, but for how long? Our party already has Jul, and I doubt my senses would ever match hers. They might help me here and there, making a decision faster, or be aware of danger better, like you and her. But it would always be subpar to what you guys can already do. Plus, I really do believe that I can earn those attributes on my own,¡± Kur said, smiling. ¡°However, the main reason I didn¡¯t choose it was the way the class was described. It¡¯s just not for me. It¡¯s not what I want. I want to be a leader, I want to support my party with direction and strategy, and these boons make me even better at that. If I can make all of you stronger and harder to kill, then that makes me happy. That is the path for me. And as a bonus, it''s something that only I can do in the party and that will really help us out!¡±


    Kur squeezed Nar¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m sacrificing myself. This is what I want. The other class is just a momentary distraction. Something that looks like easy picking in the pile, but that will make the whole thing fall down on you if you pull at it. I couldn¡¯t be happier, and I can¡¯t wait to get more boons. It¡¯s strength, but in a different way. Both DPS and tanking, and at the same time, neither. It¡¯s perfect.¡±


    Nar hunched down, deflated and still not fully convinced of his words. ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    ¡°I do. Now, your turn. Tell me what you got.¡±


    Nar swallowed hard, and hesitated. But Kur had just told him everything about his options and choice. And Nar had learned his lesson not to keep everything to himself, nor to try and resolve everything without seeking help or others¡¯ opinions. So, he told the party leader the three options that the System had offered him.


    ¡°So?¡± Kur asked, after listening to him. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Nar closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew enough of Kur to know that he wasn¡¯t being obtuse or messing with him.


    ¡°The problem is that I expected some sort of confirmation that I¡¯m not doing so bad with my choices. The System didn¡¯t even offer me a tank role! Just two DPS ones!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there three choices?¡± Kur said, smiling at him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No change, you said. Your third choice. To continue as you are.¡±


    ¡°But that''s just¡­¡±


    ¡°Continue as you are,¡± Kur said again, slower. ¡°No change.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Wait.


    ¡°It has been a tough start for you, Nar. Nobody can deny it. And it''s only recently that you¡¯ve actually formed a sort of plan, and started seeing results. Some results. You still have a long way ahead of you. It¡¯s going to take far more than just stopping a few bolts to build the path you want.¡±


    ¡°A few?¡± Nar asked, still befuddled.


    Kur smiled. ¡°You know what I mean. The way I see it, the System is just taking pity on you. Giving you a way out, if you want it. You¡¯ve tried being a tank. Wait, scrap that! You are a tank, Nar. Not one like Gad or Tun, but you are a tank nonetheless. So think about it, why would the System offer you another tank role, if you¡¯re already one? And I don''t think you want to be a leader, which is a support role, or a caster, or a ranged DPS. You like melee and you are lacking in DPS. So, it¡¯s offering you something you haven¡¯t had yet, but clearly want. It¡¯s just checking to see if you¡¯ve changed your mind, or if you regret your initial decision. Because, let¡¯s be honest here, it really was a bit of a dumb decision that ended up lucking out for you.¡±


    Nar deflated. ¡°If you put it like that¡­¡±


    ¡°It is the only way to put it.¡±


    Nar rolled his eyes, but it was an empty gesture. They both knew Kur was right, even if Kur didn''t know the reason why Nar had decided to go hybrid.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m actually surprised that the System is giving you a way out,¡± Kur said. ¡°I thought it was just an asshole¡­¡±


    No change. Continue as you are, Nar thought.


    Kur stood up.


    ¡°If you decide to switch into DPS, I won¡¯t stop you. We¡¯ve gotten used to having you as a hybrid, but we¡¯ll adapt. If you don¡¯t, then, just continue as you are. See the path you chose to the end, whatever and wherever it might lead you to. Now, let me check on the others who might actually need my help with a real decision.¡±


    ¡°Asshole,¡± Nar muttered, hiding a smile.


    Despite Kur¡¯s mocking, he had actually been very helpful.


    Nar had been so focused on the reward, on the prospect of getting something that might help him further, or show him that he was on the right path, that he had forgotten the obvious. He had a choice of continuing as he was. The System either didn¡¯t care or It thought that maybe he wasn¡¯t screwing up too badly. Either way, it didn¡¯t matter.


    No choice.


    A way out? A test? It didn¡¯t matter.


    His choice had been made months before the Climb, and he had made it before the Almighty Crystal Itself. He wasn''t going to simply abandon it. Especially not now that he was seeing some results.


    It was annoying how right Kur was. How did he keep missing these things?


    Easier to see in, than out¡­


    None of the others had stopped him, or tried to change his mind or point out issues in his logic. Gad had practically guided him to his new approach to tanking. Crystal, she basically held his hand and took him where she wanted to. Kur was playing the snotty, I¡¯m intelligent and you are not, manager brat nonsense, but he was right in every word he said. The two of them would have told him, screamed it at him, if he was making a mistake. And they hadn¡¯t. They just weren¡¯t the kind of people that would let Nar stumble his way down the wrong path. They just weren¡¯t.


    Perhaps, by dumb luck, by hard work, by bleeding and putting his life on the line again and again, he really had stumbled onto the path he had wanted to. Needed to.


    Or at least, so it appeared.


    The only thing he could do now was to keep going, and see where the path took him.


    He could think about it again once he got out, and got his magic. Whatever it might be. But for now¡­


    No change, he replied to the prompt.


    For now, he would see where the path led.

 Chapter 59 - Offer

    ¡°No Change. You are on the best path for you!¡± Tuk said, beaming. ¡°You hear that? Ah! The recognition! The validation!¡±


    ¡°I got the same thing,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°To me, it said I was on the only path that was right for me,¡± Mul said, frowning, clearly unsure about what that meant.


    ¡°I picked no change too,¡± Nar said. He felt light. Like he had made the right decision.


    ¡°I got a new boon that is going to help us in every single fight,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Alright! Alright! You don¡¯t all have to pull my pile at the same time!¡± Tuk said. ¡°Damn! A person can¡¯t even feel validated around here.¡±


    ¡°Well done, Tuk,¡± Jul said.


    Nar stared at her. They all did.


    ¡°Thank you! That¡¯s what I¡¯m¡­ Wait! Was that sarcasm?¡±


    Jul smiled bashfully and looked down at her lap, where all four of her hands twisted and fidgeted.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned,¡± Mul said, grinning. ¡°What a day to be alive!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stare so hard,¡± Cen breathed at him. ¡°You¡¯ll scare her!¡±


    But Jul seemed to be fine. She looked up, and smiled at Nar, and Nar smiled back.


    There really is hope. Crystal, don¡¯t fuck this up. Whatever you do, at least this, don¡¯t take from her.


    Other than Kur, none of the others had so far taken any class changes. Jul hadn¡¯t commented on hers, and no one had asked. Viy had muttered something about ¡°Piece of shit System!¡± and they had all left it at that. That left only Gad.


    Kur had spoken to her, and she had received his advice. Then he had left her to make her decision. Once in a while, Nar caught her glancing at Tun, who was still embroiled in a now heavy discussion amongst his party.


    ¡°I wonder what her options are,¡± Jul said, following Nar¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± he said.


    Nar knew Gad wanted to be a tank. It would have surprised him less if Mul decided to become a support class, than it would if Gad decided she didn¡¯t want to be a tank anymore. What he wondered about was what sort of tank she wanted to be.


    In that exact moment, Gad happened to look his way. She found him staring at him and frowned. But then, her shoulders eased. She shook her head and closed her eyes. Then she got up, and walked towards him.


    ¡°Erm¡­ Hi?¡± Nar said, when the towering figure stopped before him, making him crane his neck back to see her face.


    ¡°Thank you, Nar.¡±


    ¡°I-What? Why?¡±


    ¡°For helping me with my decision.¡±


    ¡°But, I-I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Gad smiled at him. ¡°On the contrary. You¡¯ve done more than enough.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Hmmm, you¡¯re welcome?¡±


    Gad rumbled a low chuckle and looked at the party.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made my choice. I have changed my class. I am now a [Shield Warrior 1]. I¡¯ve also sort of gained three new skills. My [Warrior¡¯s Presence] has been upgraded into [Shield Call]. It¡¯s basically the same thing, but now, it has two charges, so I can use two taunts at once. And the cooldown has been reduced to thirty seconds!¡±


    They gaped at her for a split moment, then, they erupted in cheers.


    ¡°Woah! That¡¯s amazing!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Crystal, that¡¯s really good!¡±


    Gad nodded, and her beaming smile told them how happy and proud she was with her choice.


    ¡°My second skill is actually something called a passive skill,¡± she said, and Nar felt the little drip of a new piece of foreign knowledge spreading through his mind, looking for a spot for itself. ¡°I¡¯m sure you guys got the gist of it. My passive skill is called [Threatening Hits]. It basically just makes my hits cause a small amount of aggro to build up, without me having to do anything. It will drain my stamina every time I fight, stopping if I go below 25%. But it will really help me with keeping my aggro, which you all know it''s been something of a joke.¡±


    A smattering of laughter met her words.


    ¡°And lastly, my [Warrior¡¯s Stand 2] has been upgraded to [Shield Barricade]. It basically just means that I¡¯m tougher for 10 seconds, and can take on way more punishment. It has a 5-minute cooldown though, so I have to use it sparingly.¡±


    Kur nodded at the new information he received.


    ¡°It all sounds amazing,¡± Kur said. ¡°Are you happy with your choice?¡±


    Gad smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just heading deeper into the tank role. Just like I¡¯ve always wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Fucking awesome!¡± Mul said, clapping his hands once. ¡°Happy for you!¡±


    Gad blinked at the lengos, clearly either unsure she had heard correctly or waiting for a punchline.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Thank you, Mul,¡± she said, slowly, when it was clear that Mul had spoken from the heart. ¡°I really appreciate it. And I appreciate all of you putting up with my subpar tanking. From now on, it will be different! I promise!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with your tanking!¡± Nar said, beating everyone else to it.


    His thoughts were still echoed by everyone else, all at once, in a loud jumble. Even Jul voiced her displeasure and disagreement. Even Viy.


    ¡°You¡¯re outstanding, Gad. Never doubt that,¡± Viy said, quietly, after everyone had realized they¡¯d spoken on top of each other.


    Her voice was barely audible, but her eyes seemed more focused than they had in a good while.


    ¡°Thank you. And I won¡¯t.¡±


    Viy nodded once. Then her eyes glazed over and she was gone back inside her own mind.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Kur said, gathering their attention. ¡°Now that everyone has made their decision, and before it gets too late, I have one more thing to tell you all!¡±


    Nar frowned at the grinning party leader.


    ¡°What now?¡± Mul muttered, staring at Kur with suspicion.


    ¡°Oh, come on! Why are you staring at me like that! It¡¯s a good thing! I unlocked our party view!¡±


    Silence met his words, and his smile faltered. He had been clearly expecting a much better reaction.


    ¡°The¡­ Party view?¡± he said again.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kur made, rubbing his chin. ¡°I thought the data package thingy would¡¯ve told you all about it.¡±


    ¡°Nothing here,¡± Gad said.


    Nar shook his head.


    ¡°Hmmm. Ok. I see. Uh, well, it''s pretty simple really, though it''s also incredibly amazing!¡± Kur said, speaking quickly, his eyes sparkling in the dim yellow light. ¡°So, one of my biggest problems managing this party, as I¡¯ve told you many times before, is that I have no idea about you guys'' statuses¡­¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Tuk breathed. ¡°You can see it now?¡±


    Kur grinned. ¡°Even better. From tomorrow onwards, we will all be able to see each other¡¯s statuses!¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡± Mul shouted, glancing at his sister.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Cen said.


    ¡°Whoop-whoop!¡± Tuk said. ¡°That¡¯s insane!¡±


    Nar grinned at Kur, and the party leader¡¯s smile widened even more, threatening to spill from his face.


    ¡°And there¡¯s more!¡±


    ¡°More?¡± Tuk asked, leaning forward.


    ¡°Yes! Besides seeing each other''s HP, stamina and status effects, we will also be able to send signals through the party view!¡±


    ¡°Uh?¡± Mul said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain,¡± Kur said, raising a hand to prevent further questions. ¡°So, from tomorrow onwards, alongside our status display in our UIs, we will also have the ability to display our party view as well. This will display the status of everyone in the party, though you can also choose to filter which party members you want to have visible. Anyways, each party member will be represented by a round image called a portrait, which will have our faces on it.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Jul whispered.


    ¡°Yes. And, we¡¯ll be able to communicate through the party view, by making our own portraits flash.¡±


    ¡°Flash?¡± Mul asked. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Yes! We can make it flash. However, if we assign numbers, or codes to these flashes¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be able to communicate with each other!¡± Gad said, her eyes widening. ¡°Even if we¡¯re not together?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Apparently, it has no distance limitation!¡±


    Nar¡¯s eyebrows reached for his hair, as he considered the implications.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing,¡± Nar said. ¡°We could even talk to each other when we need to be quiet.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Kur said, nodding. ¡°We can¡¯t talk per se, but I can always issue orders, even if for some reason we can¡¯t speak. And if we get separated, we will at least be able to pass messages to each other.¡±


    ¡°And what will those be?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure yet. I have some ideas, but I need to have a proper think about them. Obviously, the more we can say, the better, but I don¡¯t want us getting confused by too many messages. It could be disastrous during an emergency. So, it will have to be a small set of crucial messages, tied to simple signals.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. That makes sense,¡± Gad said. ¡°I agree with that.¡±


    ¡°Yes. So, we¡¯ll slowly start thinking about it, and eventually, we¡¯ll have our set of signals, through which we¡¯ll be able to communicate!¡±


    The party replied to Kur with a chorus of silent nods.


    ¡°Between your boon, Gad¡¯s new skills, and the party view, it looks like our party has really leveled up!¡± Tuk said.


    Kur chuckled. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve come a long way, haven¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that, please,¡± Mul muttered.


    The party burst into laughter.


    ¡°Alright, before we wrap up, let¡¯s talk about Row¡¯s offer. Any thoughts?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°No thoughts or is no the answer?¡± Tuk asked for all of them.


    ¡°No is the answer. Can¡¯t trust them. Can¡¯t trust anybody.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit grim,¡± Tuk said, scratching his head. ¡°But I can¡¯t really argue against it. They¡¯re nice, and I like them. But, you know, they aren¡¯t us¡­¡±


    ¡°We would always worry,¡± Cen said. ¡°Are they really with us, or will they abandon us when things go wrong?¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± Gad said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if our styles would work well together. I¡¯m not even sure if you and her would work well together, for that matter.¡±


    They all sneaked looks at the other party, still arguing about each other¡¯s class options.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought the same to be honest,¡± Kur said. ¡°Everything you¡¯ve just said. It would be easier though. I can¡¯t argue with that. Can you?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, maybe not,¡± Gad said. ¡°The System could simply adjust the difficulty to our increased numbers.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s that too¡­ But I think we¡¯ve made up our minds. We are the party. We¡¯ve been handling it just fine.¡±


    ¡°Just barely, you mean?¡± Mul asked. He was smiling though.


    ¡°Whatever! Anyways, I¡¯ll tell Row tomorrow. We started this with just us, and we will end it with just us.¡±


    ¡°Ugh! That sounds so bad,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Like we¡¯re doomed to fail! Just say we started together and we will finish it together!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡± Kur asked, genuinely confused.


    ¡°No! Not even close!¡±


    Cen raised a hand. ¡°I agree with Tuk.¡±


    Nar raised his hand too, and so did Jul.


    ¡°What? Why are you raising your hands? We¡¯re not discussing this!¡±


    Their laughter was light and easy, just like their decision. Hopefully, they wouldn¡¯t regret it.


    ¡°You guys are way too active! Pipe down and get to sleep! We¡¯re leaving in four hours!¡± Kur shouted.


    A chorus of booos met the announcement.


    ¡°Shut up and go to sleep!¡±


    Still chuckling, Nar took out a pile of [Climber¡¯s Shirt]s to make his usual pillow. Before he leaned down though, he caught Tuk staring out into the void.


    The lights that had shone over the bridge had been turned off. However, for some reason, the lights on the other side had been left on. The way they had come from shone at them through the dark distance, looking as though it was floating in the nothing.


    It made Nar almost doubt he had come from there at all. To think that everything had been a dream, or a nightmare. A very long nightmare.


    Why is it showing us that side? Nar wondered. He doubted that anything was done by accident.


    Was it trying to show them that there was no way back from this point onward? No, that was ridiculous. Once you stepped out of the cubeplant as a Climber, you could never go back. So then, what was it? Was it just trying to evoke some nostalgia for them? Or make them realize just how far they were from everything they had ever known?


    Nar did not know, but at that moment, even thoughts of his dad seemed far. So far away. Rather than the distance, the memories felt like a dream of a different life that wasn¡¯t even his.


    With a sigh, Nar lay down.


    However, as he did, he caught another glimpse of Tuk¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t help but think there was an emptiness in his eyes now.


    He had laughed and joked and been his usual bright self, and Nar had thought that maybe Tuk had bounced off it.


    But had he?


    What had happened had clearly shaken him, and no one had seen it. Only Nar. If anyone was to say anything, it was him.


    But, should he say something? And what could he even say?


    In the end, Tuk lay down to sleep, and Nar let the matter rest.


    He would keep an eye on the trugger, he decided. If he didn¡¯t seem well, then Nar would speak to him.


    Yes¡­ That¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.


    And with that, he put it out of his mind, and closed his eyes.

 Chapter 60 - Into The Mid Levels

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to see you guys go, but I understand.¡±


    Kur and Row shook and held each other''s hands for a moment, neither willing to end the goodbye.


    ¡°Us too,¡± Kur said. ¡°I really hope we can meet again.¡±


    ¡°Outside, or at least, somewhere closer to that damned exit!¡± Row said.


    Kur and Row laughed and nodded at each other.


    It was early. The deadline was still a bit less than two hours away, and the vast majority of the Climbers were still asleep.


    The warm air was still in those early hours, broken only by the moans of the wounded, or the sleep talk and cries of nightmares that broke out here and there.


    The lights on the other side of the chasm had been turned off at some point, forever obscuring their way back, and even the lights above their heads had been dimmed, to give the Climbers an easier respite.


    Tun and Jaz had woken up to see them off, and were now chatting to the side, with Gad and Tuk respectfully. The others had said their goodbyes after their long meeting, which had lasted well into the late hours. Most in Kur¡¯s party had still been awake by then, even though they had laid down to try and sleep hours before.


    Nar stifled a yawn.


    Was that even an hour¡¯s sleep?  he wondered, with a heavy mind.


    He had tossed and turned, but sleep had been elusive after the bridge crossing. His dad, the cannibals, Viy, Tuk, Cen, the Sentry, the bridge, the bolts, the Crystal¡­ Everything and anything had made an appearance, his thoughts rushing from one end of his mind to another, morphing, changing into different thoughts mid-way, multiplying into many splinter thoughts, only to reform into a single, completely new and different one.


    The last thing he remembered thinking about before he fell asleep, was the way the priest had looked at him when he had walked out of the Most Sacred Place.


    No change. Continue as you are.


    The priest had spoken those words, not as encouragement, like Kur had done, but as a reproach. A warning.


    Nar sighed and rubbed his forehead. That part must have definitely been a dream.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Kur said, breaking off first from Row. ¡°We should get going.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re rested enough? You guys barely slept,¡± she asked, frowning.


    Kur half smiled, half grimaced. ¡°Ah! We¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll have an early day. Right now, we just want to get some distance into the path.¡±


    ¡°And away from this lot,¡± Row said, casting a glance at the sleeping Climbers.


    Kur hung his head, but he said nothing to deny the statement.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Row said. ¡°One day, I hope you come to trust others again. Until then, may the Light of the Crystal guide you, to freedom and forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°You too. May the Crystal¡¯s path shine true and lead you outside, free and forgiven.¡±


    She squeezed Kur¡¯s shoulder, and they traded a smile, one manager brat to another.


    ¡°Alright, guys,¡± Kur said, stepping away from her. ¡°Let¡¯s hit the path.¡±


    With a last round of goodbyes, and waving as they walked, Kur led them to the closest exit. He had decided that they had no way of knowing which one was best, so might as well just take the closest one and leave quietly, without alerting any of the other Climbers.


    With the light fading behind him, Nar felt as though he could breathe a little better once more.


    Some of the tension on his shoulders, jaw and forehead uncoiled. With every step he took into the darkness, the easier he felt.


    Row¡¯s party had been incredibly nice, but their previous experience with Climbers would not be so easily forgotten. It was better out here, in the darkness, on their own.


    Soon, the light and the occasional noise fell behind them. Once more, they were in the deep, silent darkness of the corridors of the B-Nex.


    Minutes turned to hours, and hours into days, and two weeks soon passed.


    They met guardians, but they were far between, and easily dispatched. There were no levels gained, and although Mul started grumbling about it by the end of the first week, the others, including Nar, were happy to enjoy the rest. That bridge, and the weeks leading up to it, had taken their toll, both physically, and mentally.


    Sometimes they would face poisoners, and Nar would step up to protect the party from their deadly bolts.


    His gains and accumulated experience now made it much easier for him to stop those bolts. He still missed the odd one out, but for the most part, his sword caught each and every one of them, gliding through the air in an almost effortless way.


    At some point, Gad had even suggested he try it with his eyes closed, to see if it would help him better understand and rely on his [Instinct].


    ¡°That-that¡¯s crazy!¡± he had told her, unsure if she was messing with him.


    ¡°Is it?¡± she asked, frowning. ¡°Didn¡¯t you do it back then, after the tutorial safe room? When your eyes were injured?¡±


    Nar opened his mouth to reply, but left it hanging, no words coming out.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°You forgot, didn¡¯t you?¡± Gad asked him.


    ¡°I¡­ Yes. I did,¡± he said, hanging his head. Somehow, Gad always managed to make him feel like a little kid, being chastised for doing something wrong. To be fair, she was never really wrong. ¡°But still, that was¡­ I had no choice back then. I can¡¯t ignore my eyes. I even have [Sight]!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying to ignore your eyes completely, or your [Hearing], for that matter¡± she said. ¡°Only that you should gain a better understanding of your [Instinct]. It¡¯s an incredible attribute, and one that you barely understand. You have no idea what it can do. Or what it can¡¯t. So why not use this chance, and these easy fights, to try and learn some more? Why not do the best you can do, and see what possibilities it can bring to your path?¡±


    There had really been nothing that Nar could say to that. She was right. She was absolutely right. And the next fight they had, with a poisoner present, Nar had given her suggestion a try.


    After several fights, Nar had discovered a lot more about his [Instinct] than he had first realized was there.


    By focusing on his [Instinct], he had uncovered nuances to the alerts and warnings given by his [Instinct]. It was all still very vague and directional, such as ¡°danger behind you¡±, or ¡°above your head¡±. But when he really focused on it, he started grasping at something more. Numbers. Distances. Precisions. It all slipped from his mind when he tried to hold on to it, but if he simply reacted to it, sometimes he could predict with such clarity that it was almost scary.


    His [Instinct] was still pretty much centered on himself, or even his immediate surroundings, a far cry from Jul¡¯s much more encompassing and far-reaching [Instinct], something for which no one had an explanation as of yet.


    He wasn¡¯t sure whether that meant he was doing something wrong, needed more practice, or that he simply did not have enough points in [Instinct] yet.


    That could explain why Jul¡¯s [Instinct] was so much stronger than his. He hadn¡¯t actually asked the scout about it, but he assumed she had several more points in the attribute than he did, given how much earlier and more strongly she had manifested her [Instinct].


    However, there was also the chance that it could simply be that her [Instinct] manifested in a different way.


    Was that possible? No one knew, but it didn¡¯t seem too far-fetched.


    Mul, Tuk and Viy, all had skills that enhanced them, similar to his own [Quickening]. But each skill worked in a slightly different way.


    Mul had his [Brawler''s Rage], which allowed him to explode into bursts of quick, heavy punches. The veins on his neck thickened, when he activated the skill, and his face grew dark with the effort. From what Mul had described, his [Speed] and [Strength] were enhanced by the skill.


    Viy, on the other hand, had her [Finesse]. It made her faster, her movements smoother, and her spear turned into a blur in her hands. Her feet barely touched the floor, lending her a dizzying speed, and granting her jumps that she couldn¡¯t normally manage. Her [Finesse] skill increased her [Speed] and [Agility], and, to a much lesser degree, her [Strength]. And lastly, Tuk¡¯s [Focused Fire], which allowed him to shoot his rings at a much greater rate of fire, affected his [Speed], [Agility] and, similarly to Nar, a yet to be discovered [???] unknown attribute.


    All this meant was that even if they had the same attributes, and even very similar skills, it all worked out for them in different ways. Ways that were tweaked to match their paths and fighting styles. Point in case, both Tuk and Cen now used [Aura], but did so in very different ways. Cen used it directly, as a caster, while Tuk, as ring tosser, coated his rings with it instead.


    Therefore, it was not entirely implausible that Jul¡¯s [Instinct] worked differently from his, given how she had a scout class, a class that was inherently much more attuned to one¡¯s senses. By comparison, Nar¡¯s was a heavy, frontline, melee focused combat class where he was constantly exposed to damage... It made sense that his [Instinct] was much more focused on keeping him alive.


    Granted, he still didn¡¯t really know why he had unlocked [Instinct], or such high sense attributes for that matter, given how he was not a scout, nor had any such inclinations. But he didn¡¯t dwell much on that.


    What mattered was that he knew his [Instinct] was capable of more, possibly a whole lot more. He still felt blind fighting with his eyes closed, but maybe that was just for now. Like Gad had suggested, maybe there was much more he had yet to discover about his [Instinct]. Perhaps one day it would even become his main sense. A world of dangers and alerts.


    I wonder how that would feel¡­ Wait. Hold on!


    The haloed icon of Nar, Who Is One With the Wind, popped in his mind. In particular, the blindfold that covered her eyes.


    Does that mean she uses [Instinct] as well? he wondered.


    If it did, it meant that not only did she have such a powerful [Instinct], that she had entirely foregone the use of her eyes, but that she had also done it as a Named Few!


    And she also uses a sword like me, he realized, excitement bubbling at the implications. Maybe, I¡¯ve fallen into a path like hers. A path that will lead me to becoming a Named Few as well!


    Of course, he knew he was being ridiculous. He knew nothing about Nar, the woman that shared his name. But still, he couldn¡¯t help the grin that took over his face. Perhaps, he was exactly on the path he needed. If he could continue to develop his [Instinct], as well as his [Reflex] and movement attributes, and if he managed to find a way to boost his lacking DPS, maybe, just maybe, there really was something there. Something that would help him return, by himself, against hordes of guardians and cannibals, and rescue his dad.


    Maybe.


    He could only hope.


    But that meant he had to work harder on his [Instinct]. On understanding it, and realizing the depths within it, yet to be discovered.


    And speaking of [Instinct], it suddenly flared behind him.


    Move forward! It seemed to shout at him. The feelings, or sensations, were always translated into some sort of meaning or instruction in his mind. This one was very simple. And yet, there was no time for Nar to do anything.


    The corridor lit up, and he only had time to see Jul¡¯s eyes widening, shining bright with the light they reflected. She had been sitting with him, talking about [Instinct], and the two of them had lapsed into a comfortable silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts.


    Now, the Nexus exploded with the brilliant gray light he saw reflected in her eyes and face. The shockwave blasted him from his seated position, slamming into his back. He hit the floor and Jul hard, half landing on top of her.


    Ringing deafened him, and the ceiling swam above his head, blurry and obscured by the after images of the explosion. His back and head pulsed painfully.


    ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± he heard, probably Kur.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, hearing the others reply as well.


    He sat up, slowly, getting off Jul¡¯s legs. He searched around him, moving his head carefully. His [Instinct] did not alert him to any more danger, and for some reason, he did not feel concerned about any subsequent attacks. He didn¡¯t understand why, though. His mind was like jell-o.


    Cen breathed hard and was propped on all fours. In front of her, a familiar dark puddle glistened in the yellow light.


    ¡°Cen?¡± he heard himself calling her name. ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Hearing her name made her look back, and she squinted to see who it was.


    ¡°Nar? Is that you? Are you okay?¡± she asked, and pursed her lips tightly, shutting her eyes closed.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± he said. ¡°I think. You?¡±


    He ran a quick check of his HP.


    24 points down?


    His head swam, and he leaned a hand against the wall to steady himself.


    Ugh¡­ Crystal!¡± Cen said. ¡°I¡¯m so so¡­¡±


    A jet of vomit erupted past her lips, and she faced down, expelling more dark liquid.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Kur shouted.


    Nar blinked. His eyes were having trouble focusing, for some reason. He didn¡¯t even have a [Dazed] status effect, so he had no idea what was wrong with him. 20 points of damage shouldn¡¯t have affected him like that.


    He rubbed his chest, not realizing he was doing it. All his brain power was focused on something that seemed very obvious. Something that was right there, at the tip of his tongue.


    Bright gray light. From behind him. Cen puking. Cen behind him.


    Puking.


    Puking blood¡­


    Puking blood!


    ¡°Holy Crystal!¡± he shouted, despite himself. ¡°Cen, that was you!¡±

 Chapter 61 - Aura Caster

    The caster sat back down, hard, and wiped her mouth, breathing hard. She looked around her, unsteadily, her eyes glazed over, looking without seeing.


    Nar realized that the explosion must have momentarily blinded her.


    ¡°Mul? Mul!¡± she shouted.


    In a panic, she patted the floor around her, until she found her brother. He was lying at her side.


    ¡°Mul! Mul!¡± she cried, once she got hold of him.


    ¡°Yes! Yes! I¡¯m fine! Stop shaking me!¡± the brawler grunted.


    ¡°Tuk?¡± she asked, in a strangled voice.


    ¡°Still here. That knocked the pile from under me, though,¡± the trugger said, staring at the ceiling from the floor. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Nar blinked again, trying to adjust his eyes back to the weak light of the yellow arrows.


    Next to him, Jul moaned, clearly still alive, but down for the moment. A quick glance told him that she was probably fine.


    A few steps away from her, Gad was sitting up, rubbing her eyes. Besides her, knocked on their sides, were both Viy and Kur. The three of them seemed to have made it through without too much damage.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re all ok,¡± Gad said.


    Nar matched her voice to that first question. It had been Gad, not Kur who had spoken first. With her tank [Constitution], and seating somewhat further from Cen, she had taken the [Aura] blast better than Nar and the others had.


    She reached out to Kur and pulled him into a seating position. Then, she did the same for Viy, slower, and more gently.


    ¡°Crystal!¡± Kur said, pressing his head. ¡°What happened? Did Nar say it was you, Cen?¡±


    ¡°Yes! That was me!¡± Cen said. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    She looked around her, searching for the direction of Kur¡¯s voice.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°I know it went brighter, but¡­¡±


    She looked blindly in the direction of Tuk¡¯s voice.


    ¡°It was me. I-I tried something, with my [Aura]! I think I lost control of it!¡±


    Kur took a deep breath.


    ¡°Hold on, hold on. Let¡¯s just all calm down first. Okay? I lost HP, is anyone in danger?¡±


    ¡°I dropped like a third, but I¡¯m feeling fine. Ish,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°I think I need to puke,¡± Mul mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Cen said, sounding on the verge of tears. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this to happen! I was just trying to make it feel less bad!¡±


    Like always, when she discussed her [Aura] training, and attempts of making it feel less wrong, Nar felt a sinking in his gut. She had yet to explain why she felt so certain about what she was attempting, but Nar felt uneasy every time she practiced, or talked about it. He didn¡¯t want to have to deal with the reckoning that would come with it, should she prove to be correct¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Cen. Cen! Stop!¡± Kur shouted, silencing her. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m not mad, okay? Let¡¯s just talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself!¡± Mul grunted.


    He groaned and managed to leverage his right arm to flip himself onto his side. The explosion had knocked him flat on his stomach.


    ¡°I¡¯m punching you, Cen. As soon as I can get up. I¡¯m beating the shit out of you. I lost half my HP! Half!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my Crystal!¡± Cen cried, reaching for him. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡­ I-I didn¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Enough! Enough,¡± Kur said. ¡°Crystal, just give me a few minutes! My head¡¯s killing me¡­¡±


    Cen bit her lip and looked miserably around her.


    Nar considered the party leader, breathing tenderly and gently pressing his head. It looked like Kur had been hit harder than he had first thought.


    ¡°Eh! I may have almost killed myself and Nar. Twice, yes, I know!¡± Tuk said. ¡°But you almost got us all killed, Cen! Well done, you have the new record!¡±


    ¡°Tuk!¡± Gad said, glaring at him. ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°What? Just trying to lighten the mood. Get it? Lighten?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny if you have to explain it,¡± Gad said.


    Kur stood up and stumbled towards Cen. He dropped down next to her and patted her shoulder.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s alright,¡± he said, still looking dazed. ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Just tell us what happened. Slowly, and when you can see again!¡±


    She looked up at him, with very wide eyes, and they glistened in the low yellow light.


    ¡°I-I can see¡­ A bit better. I was¡­¡±


    A sob escaped her lips and Kur patted her head.


    ¡°Come on, take a deep breath. Everyone¡¯s fine. It was just an accident. Whatever it was, it won¡¯t happen again, ok?¡±


    ¡°O-Okay. Okay.¡±


    Cen took a few deep breaths to compose herself.


    Meanwhile, Nar, who had managed to recover some semblance of thought, remembered that Jul had been right in front of him.


    He looked behind him, searching for her, and found her staring at him from the floor.


    ¡°A-Are you alright?¡± he asked, louder than he had intended.


    She stared.


    ¡°What? Is something wrong?¡± he asked, concern growing in his expression.


    ¡°You moved, right before the explosion,¡± she whispered. ¡°You tried to cover me.¡±


    ¡°I-I did?¡±


    Nar frowned. Had he?


    Jul nodded slowly. ¡°You did, I saw it. When the [Instinct] warned us, you leaned left and straightened your back, to cover me as best you could.¡±


    ¡°Uhm. Are you sure? I don¡¯t think I¡­¡±


    Her expression stiffened, and her eyebrows almost came together.


    ¡°Nar. I know what I saw! Listen, you have to¡­¡±


    Whatever she was about to say, was shushed by Kur.


    ¡°Go on, Cen,¡± he said. ¡°What were you trying to do?¡±


    Cen looked crestfallen, slumped over and chastised. But she seemed calmer.


    ¡°Alright. Crystal. Where do I even begin¡­¡± she said. ¡°I guess, I¡¯ll just start at the beginning?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea,¡± Kur said.


    She took a deep breath.


    ¡°Okay. So, I think this all started after we fought the cannibals. Back then, after I finally came clean about my [Aura Projectile], it was like my mind cleared up. Like I was me again. Like I could think again. And I started to think a lot about my [Aura].¡±


    Kur nodded. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that it didn¡¯t make sense,¡± she said. ¡°Why was I gaining so much [Aura], even though I wasn¡¯t using it? It went against the tenet of you are what you do, right?¡±


    ¡°Right! I still can¡¯t wrap my head around it either,¡± Tuk said, as he finally sat up.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Gad said. ¡°It does not make any sense.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Cen said, looking around at the party. ¡°Plus, why could it be used for fighting? It was meant to be a curse, a punishment for us sinners. So how come I have [Aura Projectile], a skill that is part of the System Itself? And why, and how, was it so strong? None of this made sense at all! And lastly, why had no one gained magic? Neither at the cubeplant, nor at the bridge, caster or otherwise, no one has unlocked magic yet. There is no reason to hide it, I think, not when our lives are on the line all the time! So that can only mean that no one has it. So where is it? Nobody knows. Instead, we have casters using their [Aura] to devastating effects. And now Tuk, and others who learned from him, can use it too...¡±


    Nobody spoke at the uncomfortable implication in her words. Nar actually looked away from her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m probably not making much sense. All I wanted to say was that, I realized that [Aura] looks like magic.¡±


    What? Nar thought, stunned.


    ¡°Not almost,¡± Tuk said, frowning. ¡°It looks exactly like magic. At the bridge, everybody kept asking me how I¡¯d gotten magic! Nobody thought it was [Aura]!¡±


    ¡°Exactly! To us, who have heard of, but never actually seen magic, [Aura] looks just like what we expect magic to look like!¡± Cen said, her eyes glinting in the low light.


    ¡°We¡¯ve seen it in the icons in the church¡­¡± Nar said, in a hushed tone.


    ¡°Lines and circles and drawings,¡± Cen said. ¡°Never the real thing. And like Mul said, how do we know what¡¯s real, and what¡¯s made up?¡±


    She looked at her brother as she spoke, and Mul rubbed his chin, considering her words.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Kur said. ¡°[Aura] looks like magic. I actually agree with that, but so what?¡±


    ¡°So, what if, right, what if, [Aura] is not the punishment we all think it is?¡± Cen said, almost whispering the words. ¡°What if it¡¯s actually a blessing from the Crystal? What if I could use it directly, myself, just like I did at the machine?¡±


    Nar blanked at her. That was too much to take in, all at once.


    ¡°My Crystal¡­ And it worked?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°You actually managed to¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I did!¡± Cen said, her eyes shining. ¡°I reached to it. I touched it. That was when I lost control!¡±


    ¡°Wait! Wait! Wait!¡± Kur said, staring in shock at Cen. ¡°Did you just say that you think [Aura]¡¯s a blessing? Not a punishment?¡±


    Cen swallowed hard, but she gave him a firm nod.


    ¡°Do you realize what you''re saying?¡± Gad asked, when Kur looked too stunned to speak. ¡°Aura has always been the curse of the workers. I mean, the ones that use it, like you yourself¡­ What made you even consider such a thing? It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s pretty much blasphemy.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She stared back at Gad. ¡°Is it, though? If it''s such a blasphemy to use, then why did the System give me this skill? Why is it still giving all of us [Aura] points?¡±


    Her rebuttal left them all stumped, and for a moment, nobody spoke.


    ¡°Putting that stuff aside for now,¡± Mul suddenly said. ¡°What you¡¯re saying is that you used [Aura] itself, not the skill. Is that what you mean?¡±


    Cen took a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It felt like an [Aura Projectile], but at the same time, it felt different. Like it came from the place where aura used to come from.¡±


    ¡°From here?¡± Mul asked, touching his solar plexus.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tuk asked.


    Cen pursed her lips. ¡°No, not completely sure¡­ But I didn¡¯t use any stamina!¡±


    Nar gasped, and he wasn¡¯t the only one.


    ¡°Cen, are you sure about that?¡± Gad whispered. ¡°That would mean¡­¡±


    The caster nodded. ¡°I am. I was looking at it. It usually goes down, and then it comes back up if I don¡¯t actually use the skill. I never recover all of it, but it¡¯s usually just one or two points of difference. This time, my stamina didn¡¯t change at all.¡±


    ¡°Crystal!¡± Tuk whispered. ¡°Do you realize what you¡¯re saying? That means you could use your [Aura Projectile] without stamina! You¡¯d be unstoppable!¡±


    ¡°There still has to be a limit somewhere,¡± Gad said. ¡°That¡¯s too good to be true.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with you on that,¡± Cen said. ¡°But where is the limit? And what¡¯s going to happen if I use my own [Aura], directly, without needing the System? There¡¯s no bar for it, how do I even know how much I have? And what is it? And where is it coming from? These are the questions that I have been asking myself, and I guess, in the end, it hit me! What if we¡¯re meant to use [Aura]? What if aura is just like aether? What if they both come from the Crystal after all?¡±


    Nar¡¯s head spun. He wasn¡¯t even sure he was following anymore.


    ¡°Are you saying that you want to abandon aether?¡± Kur asked. ¡°For aura instead?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s insane!¡± Nar shouted, unable to contain himself. ¡°Aura feels wrong. It cuts you up from the inside! It feels¡­ It¡¯s like¡­¡±


    His breath was quickened, and his heartbeat pulsed against his temples.


    ¡°What if it''s just a test?¡± he said, even as he remembered his failed faith. ¡°Or¡­ Or¡­ I don¡¯t know, what if it¡¯s just part of the atonement?¡±


    ¡°I thought about that,¡± Cen said, calmly. ¡°It would be the perfect test of faith, wouldn¡¯t it? Offer us Climbers, who are desperate to stay alive, the power to do so, only to reveal that it had all been a test, and that you were never supposed to use it¡­¡±


    Nar nodded furiously.


    What was he even saying? He didn¡¯t know.


    But if they kept heading down this path that Cen was opening before them all, what would they find? What did it mean for him, with his massive [Aura], and for his needs? He didn¡¯t want to be forced to use that damned, cursed thing!


    ¡°But,¡± Cen said, firmly, and raising a finger. ¡°But. What if [Aura] is not a test? What if it¡¯s not a temptation to resist? What if it¡¯s actually the way up? What if it''s even much more than that? What if it''s the core of our paths! Powering us! Enhancing us! Just like magic is supposed to do! Except, it''s right here! Inside of us already. Inside of all of us!¡±


    Cen looked around.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to make you all abandon your dreams of magic! I just want you to consider the possibility with me? That maybe we have [Aura] for a reason. Except for Gad, Kur and Viy, we¡¯ve had it our whole lives, working in those factories! I just want you to open your minds to the possibility that it¡¯s not a test, not a temptation, not even a punishment. But something that we own, and that we¡¯ve grown within us since we were ten or eleven!¡±


    Five, Nar thought bitterly. And if anything, that¡¯s all the more reason to hate it.


    Silence met her words. Nar didn¡¯t know if anyone dared to look at Cen. He himself did not.


    He felt torn.


    He could see where she was coming from. He could see the reason in her words. He had seen the power she commanded. And Crystal dammit, it did look and felt like what he thought magic was supposed to!


    At the same time, what if this was just the cries for help from a desperate caster? One who saw magic getting further and further from her grasp? What if she was just desperately trying to believe that her path had not been corrupted beyond measure? Beyond saving? What if she was trying to drag them all down as well and¡­


    No!


    No.


    He repelled that thought with his entire being.


    Cen¡¯s not like that. Yes, she lied to us. She kept her [Aura Projectile] hidden, but she came clean when we needed her. And she has since. She¡¯s never asked for anything, never shown any hard feelings at all for using it. No¡­ What she wants is to not be ignored. To talk. To consider that this [Aura] might actually mean something bigger than what we think it is¡­ To at least be open to discuss the possibilities¡­


    Nar looked up and Cen¡¯s eyes snapped to him, like someone falling and reaching out for help.


    He sighed.


    How many times had he walked home from work covered in blood? No one had even looked at him, or said a kind word, or stopped to even consider if what they were doing to that small child was right. They had all just accepted it. Just like Nar had always accepted that aura was a punishment. Because his parents had told him. And their parents had told them. But what did they know in the end?


    Not about time.


    Not about pillows.


    Not about banquets¡­


    They knew nothing.


    In the end, the people in the cubeplant knew practically nothing of the wide, Infinite Nexus that surrounded them, but that they themselves were not a part of.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Nar said. ¡°Let¡¯s assume that you¡¯re right. What does that mean?¡±


    Cen¡¯s eyes pleaded at him. ¡°Nar, I swear, I just want to¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I understand,¡± he said. ¡°I know you¡¯re not trying to sway us into using it. That¡¯s not the kind of person you are. You just want to talk about it. And that¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll talk with you. We¡¯ll consider it. After all, what in the pile do we know? But you need to understand that this whole thing¡­ Well, it scares me. I can¡¯t give up on magic. It¡¯s not for me. It¡¯s not for¡­ I just¡­ I-I can¡¯t. If I do, then I won¡¯t be able to¡­¡±


    He forced his mouth shut and looked away. His heart thumped against his chest. His hands had balled into fists.


    Fear. Hope. Guilt. Sorrow. His emotions raged, and he was scared of how close he had come to revealing himself. Of telling the whole truth.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Nar looked up.


    A solitary tear ran down Cen¡¯s face, but she was smiling.


    His words, it seemed, had been enough.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cen¡± Kur said. ¡°I was scared as well. The thought of it, the implications, it terrifies me to be honest.¡±


    ¡°It terrifies me too,¡± Cen whispered.


    ¡°I know we are selfish, to rely on you and Tuk,¡± Kur said. ¡°I know that we are ruining your paths and your chances at magic. I just¡­ I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do if I find myself up there without it.¡±


    Cen shook her head.


    ¡°I know. That was a big reason why I kept quiet about it too¡­ But I don¡¯t want fear to guide me anymore. Am I scared that I am making a mistake? Yes, I am. But at the same time, I just feel it. Deep inside me,¡± she said, touching her chest. ¡°There¡¯s more to [Aura] than what we see and understand. Will it be a harder path? Maybe. I don¡¯t know. All the Named Few in the church use magic after all, there has to be a reason for that. But at least, [Aura] will get me out alive. Whatever comes afterwards, I¡¯ll decide. But right now, I¡¯m tired of being afraid of it¡­ And I never want to be in that position again, knowing that I almost let everyone die for my selfishness and fear¡­¡±


    Damn¡­ She¡¯s so brave, Nar thought.


    She was small, and slow, and physically, she was the weakest amongst them. But by the Crystal, to Nar, she looked like Gad then. Towering. Unyielding. Carving her own path, no matter what.


    If only he could be as brave. If only he could be sure that [Aura] would be strong enough to save his dad, and assure their life in the O-Nex.


    If only¡­


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve heard enough!¡± Mul said.


    Mul stood up and stretched with a mighty groan.


    ¡°Mul, I-I¡­¡±


    Mul slapped his hands on Cen¡¯s shoulders and squeezed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided! Teach me how to use my [Aura]!¡± he said, beaming at her. ¡°I have 25 points in it. If I add it to my 27 points of [Strength], those guardians will be nothing to me!¡±


    Cen gaped at him and Mul¡­ Mul flipped the finger at Tuk.


    ¡°Also, I had the same [Aura] as you when you told us you wanted to try to learn it,¡± Mul said, glaring at Tuk. ¡°I¡¯ll show you ain¡¯t so special.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tuk stammered, taken aback. ¡°But I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Blah, blah. Don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    ¡°But Mul,¡± Cen said. ¡°This is just a feeling I have! You can¡¯t just throw away your chances at magic like that!¡±


    Mul shrugged. ¡°To tell you the truth, I¡¯ve been thinking about it ever since that bridge. Ever since I saw just how useful Mr. Over Inflated Ego here was.¡±


    ¡°Again, what did I do?¡± Tuk said, with an affronted expression.


    Kur shushed him. ¡°Just take it, okay? This is important.¡±


    ¡°You, that caster, Tuk. You guys saved our lives!¡± Mul said. ¡°While me? My punches are barely tickling these things now. How am I supposed to compete with 4-inch armor? Neither my skills or attributes are a match for it. But if I had [Aura]... I know it will be a different story.¡±


    ¡°Still...¡± Cen said, looking uncertain.


    ¡°Also, I like the sound of it. If this [Aura] really is already inside of us, then I prefer to use my own [Aura] than beg the Crystal for Its magic. Especially after what It pulled on us on that bridge.¡±


    ¡°Mul!¡± Cen cried, covering her mouth in horror.


    ¡°No, Cen. Enough,¡± the brawler said, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m sick of being punished for something I don¡¯t even know about! That bridge was meant to end us! You hear me? Do you all hear? End us! And I¡¯m sick of waiting for mercy. If the Crystal had any for me, I wouldn¡¯t be here in the first place! It wouldn¡¯t have made me be born down here as a sinner! So teach me. My [Aura], and my fists, will get us out. Not prayer. Not fear. And certainly not begging!¡±


    Nar had to force the ¡°Yes!¡± from escaping past his lips. He had thought that! Damn but he had thought that exact same way, every single day of his miserable existence at that machine. Bleeding, puking, crying. Suffering beyond any of them ever had. An Unclean. Shunted. Ignored. Starved. Hated!


    Where had the Crystal been? How dare It repay his dad¡¯s selflessness with the Wasting sickness? If Nar didn¡¯t need Its magic¡­ If only he had no need for it! And if only it didn¡¯t feel like dying every time he used his [Aura], then he¡­ Then he¡­


    If only¡­ Damn it! Damn it all!


    He had to swallow it. For his dad, he needed that thrice cursed aether, and it only came from the Crystal. Oh! How he wished he could be like Mul, and learn to use the [Aura]. His [Aura]. The one he already had, and which he had earned, and suffered for nearly fourteen years¡­ If only¡­


    ¡°Damn, man. That was deep,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°And very blasphemous,¡± Gad added. ¡°Can¡¯t argue against it though.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do it again,¡± Cen asked in a tiny voice, looking at the darkness on either side of the corridor, expecting guardians to come swooping in on them.


    Mul grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it to a minimum. If you teach me. Will you?¡±


    Cen pursed her lips and balled her firsts, tightening her whole body.


    ¡°Please?¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Fine! I¡¯ll teach you. And Tuk too! And Nar. He was the one that actually figured it out.¡±


    Nar forced a smile and nodded.


    If only¡­


    ¡°I want to use my [Aura] too,¡± Mul said, casting a questioning look at Kur.


    The party leader heaved a sigh.


    ¡°Look. You do whatever you want,¡± he said. ¡°You know the risks to your path and to yourself. I¡¯m no one to tell you what to do with your life... Just make sure you¡¯re aware of the potential consequences. It¡¯s your decision.¡±


    Mul nodded. ¡°Thank you. And I understand all of that crap, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Kur groaned, and passed a hand over his face. ¡°And Cen, if you¡¯re going to continue what you¡¯re doing, do it far away from now on. That goes for all of you. I don''t want anyone competing for that damned record!¡±


    Tuk tutted.


    ¡°Typical management. Always taking the joy out of everything.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want anyone to die!¡±


    And like that, once again, Tuk managed to elicit laughter where there shouldn¡¯t have been any.


    Nar felt his shoulders ease a bit. [Aura], it seemed, was there to stay, and he had made his position known. And it had been accepted. With that, even though he still carried secrets, he felt like he could finally relax, somewhat. Ease off the guilt a little, at least.


    ¡°I want to try to use my [Aura] too!¡± Tuk said.


    Cen frowned at him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you already doing it? Wait¡­ Now that I think about it¡­ Oh my Crystal! Tuk! What in the pile?¡±


    Everyone stared at the ring tosser.


    ¡°Damn, I think she¡¯s right,¡± Kur said. ¡°Ugh, this is hurting my head.¡±


    Tuk grinned, then burst out laughing.


    ¡°Typical¡­¡± Gad said, shaking her head.


    ¡°Well done, Tuk!¡± Jul said, giving him a smile.


    ¡°Whoop-whoop!¡± Tuk shouted, bumping his fists into the air. ¡°Who¡¯s the best?¡±


    Cen could only stare at Tuk, completely flabbergasted.


    For his part, Nar could only shake his head. All this confusion, and it could¡¯ve probably all been resolved if Cen had been up front with them. Like Kur and Gad had told him.


    He sighed. His head hurt as well.


    And that''s three out of eight... How many more of us will change their minds? Nar wondered, smiling at Tuk¡¯s antics despite himself.


    Had it not been for his dad, and for the need to become a Named Few, Nar would¡¯ve been swayed. He had no doubt of it.


    As it was, he held. He wanted nothing from his 48 points of [Aura], other than to forget that they were there.


    However, it wasn¡¯t that simple, now, was it?


    As they continued Climbing, those 48 points of [Aura] kept whispering to him.


    Was he being selfish for not telling anything? For not learning to use them? What if his decision led them all to their deaths? What if something happened, and they needed his [Aura], but he didn¡¯t know how to use it? What then?


    His peace of mind was short-lived.


    He was back in the position of having to choose between his dad, and their future, and the safety of the party. Was he not doing exactly what Cen had done? Hiding his true capabilities?


    Buckling under the weight of this new found guilt, Nar found himself growing taciturn. Quieter. Retreating back to the person he had been, when he had joined Kur¡¯s party.


    And while he did not notice it, so did the others.


    As Cen, Mul and Tuk grew closer in their shared goal of understanding their [Aura], the others buckled under the weight of their own thoughts and decisions. Were they not all in the wrong? Shouldn¡¯t they all learn it, if it meant an easier and safer Climb for the whole party? And his [Aura]¡¯s incessant whispers only made it worse.


    How much damage can you do with me? I am the answer to the DPS side of your path! Imagine what we could do together? Nothing would stand in our path! I am power! Forget about magic! Forget about begging for it! What has the Crystal ever done for you, except spit on you at every turn and moment of your life? And are you really going to let the three of them sacrifice themselves for you? Are you going to hide behind them? Let them carry you up into your own freedom? What kind of path do you think that is?


    There was no way of shutting it up.


    Nar almost turned back to prayer. Almost. But he did not. Even now, he could not bring himself to do it.


    What had started to fade after the cubeplant¡¯s defense, had died completely after that bridge crossing. Nar doubted he could ever pray again.


    He wondered, however, if in the end, he would be forced to. Forced to forgive the Crystal, just as It forgave him, and accept It, in order to gain his magic¡­


    Only time would tell.


    He just wanted to save his dad.


    But what would he say of his son¡¯s choice?


    Nar didn¡¯t want to think about it.


    DING!


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have leveled up!


    You have gained:


    ??? 12 -> 14


    ??? 17 -> 18


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar stared in confusion at his gains.


    There was no [Aura], which was a bit of a relief. But there was no [Speed], or [Instinct] or [Reflex] either. Not even [Strength] or [Constitution]. Only the two enigmatic [???] attributes.


    He sighed.


    I forgot about them. What even are they? With my luck, and the state of things, it¡¯s probably something else I don¡¯t need.


    And so, in such a state of mind, the party dragged itself forward, not realizing the splinter forming between them. Not realizing the danger in it. And as they walked, the corridors grew darker and darker, the arrows dimmer. But no one noticed the darkness closing in.

 Chapter 62 - Saviors

    Jul patted his arm and Nar halted next to her. He waited in silence, while she sensed whatever it was that had called out to her.


    After a couple of minutes, she leaned towards his ear and he leaned down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± she said, whispering.


    Nar held a gasp.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go back and tell the others,¡± he whispered.


    Slowly, and as silently as possible, they crept back through the darkness, towards the rest of the party.


    Following his bridge crossing gains, Nar was now capable of seeing more or less in the pitch darkness, his vision switching to a world of white lines and outlines in the pitch black.


    He couldn¡¯t see very far, perhaps only about 50-feet around him. It was nowhere as good as Jul¡¯s [Sight], but it did the job.


    About ten minutes later, Nar saw the light of the path, and soon, they stepped into the larger main corridor where the others had been waiting for them.


    ¡°So?¡± Kur asked, looking between the two of them.


    ¡°They¡¯re there,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Cen and Tuk both murmured.


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure they¡¯re alive?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see them,¡± Jul said. ¡°But I heard them. And I smelled them. They¡¯re alive.¡±


    ¡°You have [Smell] too?¡± Mul asked.


    Jul nodded.


    ¡°How many?¡± Kur asked, before anyone could make any further remarks on that.


    ¡°Three Climbers. Around fifteen cannibals. Could be more, could be less. It was hard to tell. They were very¡­ Close to each other.¡±


    ¡°Lovely,¡± Mul said, twisting his lips. ¡°Fucking cannibals. I hoped we¡¯d seen the last of them.¡±


    ¡°Guess not,¡± Kur said. ¡°Question now is, what do we do about this?¡±


    ¡°About them, you mean,¡± Gad said.


    Kur nodded, not avoiding her penetrating gaze.


    ¡°You want us to go save them?¡± Tuk asked her.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Gad said. ¡°How could we just leave them in their hands? You know exactly what they are going to do to them. What they probably already did, if there are only three Climbers left.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯d manage,¡± Mul said. ¡°Besides, we¡¯ve been doing nothing but avoiding Climbers. Just last week, we sneaked past that other party, remember? They were fighting, maybe they needed help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That was different!¡± Gad said, outraged.


    ¡°Was it?¡± the brawler asked her.


    ¡°Mul, do you really mean it?¡± Cen asked. ¡°They are going to be eaten alive!¡±


    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is, let''s not rush into this based on feelings. Let¡¯s use our heads!¡±


    ¡°Says the brawler,¡± Tuk said with a snigger.


    ¡°One day soon, this brawler¡¯s fists will be coated with [Aura],¡± Mul said. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be faster then, too.¡±


    ¡°My rings will always be faster. I¡¯m already up to four too. Can slice you up before you take a step¡­¡±


    ¡°Guys, really?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Tuk said. Mul just grunted.


    Nar was only vaguely aware of the duo¡¯s bickering. He found himself in the past, looking up from behind his father¡¯s legs, at the mob that blocked the street in front of them.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± his father had shouted. ¡°There are children here!¡±


    ¡°It is the will of the Crystal!¡± a voice replied. ¡°Go back to your homes!¡±


    ¡°We have no food!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve done nothing wrong!¡±


    But there had been more of them. Many more. And they had been armed.


    Nar remembered his father scooping him up into his arms. Something warm and liquid dripped down his father¡¯s face and onto his.


    As they ran, his father had adjusted him in his arms, and Nar had looked back. They were beating people with scraps from the pile. They shouted and screamed, but for some reason, to Nar, they looked more afraid than their victims. As if they couldn¡¯t believe what they were doing.


    A few weeks later, that sentiment was gone. They had done those beatings plenty of times by then, and it didn¡¯t bother them anymore. If anything, they now knew they were justified in their actions¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re going,¡± Nar said.


    His voice and tone cut through the argument.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to save them. End of discussion.¡±


    He looked at each and every one of them.


    ¡°Today, it will be hard. We won¡¯t sleep, thinking about what¡¯s going to happen to those Climbers. But tomorrow, we¡¯ll go on. Next time, it will be a little bit easier. After all, they¡¯re not us. Or something like that. The justifications will come easier and easier to us. By the time we get out, we won¡¯t be us anymore,¡± he said, his tone flat. ¡°Don¡¯t take me wrong. I want out. I need to get out. But not like this. Who will we be if we get out like this? How easily will we abandon others when we''re up there? Or even each other, eventually? And we will always remember it. And there will be no turning back.¡±


    His eyes met Cen¡¯s.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take me wrong. I know I¡¯m doing this Climb off the backs and sacrifices of others. My reason doesn¡¯t matter. There is no justification worth speaking. But this? No. I prefer to die than to become that kind of person. And I''ll go alone if I have to.¡±


    In the silence that followed, Mul¡¯s tired sigh sounded like a tide of guardians rushing towards them.


    ¡°Fine, Crystal damn it! We¡¯ll go save them,¡± Mul muttered. ¡°Can¡¯t ever take the easy way up, can we?¡±


    Nar could¡¯ve sworn he caught the hints of a smile on Mul¡¯s sour face. In the end, he doubted the brawler would leave those Climbers behind either¡­


    Tuk came over and slapped Nar on the back. ¡°Good stuff, man! Couldn¡¯t agree more!¡±


    ¡°Seems like we¡¯re all agreed then?¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Just tell us the plan,¡± Mul said. ¡°Not like we weren¡¯t going to do it anyways.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Kur said. ¡°Since Nar feels so passionate about saving these people, he¡¯s the one who¡¯s going to take all the risk. Oh, Tuk and Jul too.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Tuk said.


    I regret this already, Nar thought.


    ********


    The man was reaching his limit.


    As if the moans and grunts weren¡¯t enough, she had the audacity to hold on to his ankle, digging her nails into his flesh.


    He could barely think straight anymore.


    The only thing that kept him from joining in on the fun, was the fact that he was standing watch.


    Still, if he kept really still and quiet, maybe he could at least relieve himself without them noticing. Or with minimal reprimands.


    That was the cannibal¡¯s last thought, before something went through his throat, and his limp body dropped on top of the enthusiastic couple.


    ¡°What the fuck!¡± the woman screamed.


    ¡°You¡¯re on watch!¡± the guy hissed, pushing the dead guy away from him.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this stuff? Did he¡­ Wait. Is this blood?¡±


    Just then, someone ran at them, shouting at the top of their lungs.


    ¡°Climbers!¡± the guy said, getting up. ¡°Wake up!¡±


    In the throngs of lust, he had dropped his weapon somewhere and now he couldn¡¯t find it.


    He was still looking for it when the sword went through his side, dropping him on top of the woman.


    She screeched and tried to untangle herself from the two dead men. By then, all the cannibals had come to, groggy and barely coherent, all they knew was that they were under attack.


    ¡°There¡¯s too many of them,¡± a voice said. ¡°Run!¡±


    Run?


    No one was going to let fresh meat walk away. Especially not after it had embarrassed them like that.


    ¡°After them!¡± one of the cannibals shouted.


    They whooped and whistled after their prey, letting out their joy in anticipation of the fun times that awaited them.


    In the distance, they saw the yellow light of a Climber party and celebrated even louder. There was nowhere for the Climbers to run. What were they going to do? Abandon their path?


    The first cannibal came into the light and straight into Gad¡¯s shield. The blow knocked out teeth and broke his nose, and her mace came down once, and he knew no more.


    ¡°Kill them all!¡± Kur shouted.


    The party didn¡¯t need to be told twice, and unleashed their wrath on the cannibals.


    After the initial surprise though, the cannibals turned on them with a viciousness and strength that they had not anticipated.


    The cannibal that Nar faced actually managed to trade a few, good, solid blows with him, using her dagger, before he eventually increased his [Speed], cut her hand and then her throat.


    Gad was doing her best to keep them from rushing them, but either her taunts didn¡¯t work or the cannibals could not be taunted. To be fair, they had never really stopped to think and talk about how to fight and kill other sentients.


    Viy had recoiled and shrunk behind Kur, and together with Jul, the three of them weren¡¯t much help in the fight. Mul managed to bring one down, and pummel his face in. But the next two simply jumped on him, and he went down in a ball of snarling and spitting, fists, teeth and nails thrown wildly about.


    Cen was too close to use her [Aura Projectile], and Nar was already occupied by the next cannibal.


    In the end, it was Tuk that put an end to it.


    Four bright rings flew out in dazzling circles. In seconds, the cannibals were dead, or dying, on the floor.


    There was only one cannibal left. He had arrived late to fight, and he was now slowly backing up into the dark.


    ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t,¡± Tuk said, his voice low and cold.


    An arrow pierced the cannibal''s throat before Tuk could kill him.


    The cannibal, a human, dropped to his knees, holding his throat. He gurgled words nobody understood, staring into the darkness he had come from, and then, he fell, choking on his own blood.


    A Climber came screaming from the darkness. She jumped on the cannibal, howling like she had lost her mind, and stabbed him with an arrow.


    She stabbed and stabbed. Blood sprayed her face, coating her already blood-stained clothes. The cannibal was already dead, but she kept going.


    Until eventually, she collapsed next to him, sobbing.


    Nar stared at her, stunned.


    Her face was carved with deep wrinkles. Or were they scars? Or burns?


    Her hair was an emaciated dark of some kind, thin, and showing her scalp. And two pale pointy ears peaked from her straight short hair.


    What is she? Nar found himself wondering.


    She was a new race! A new kind of sentient!


    From the darkness, two more Climbers walked towards them. They were both male. The one on the left, was a human with short dark brown hair, carrying the archer¡¯s bow and a spear that must be his actual weapon. The one on the right, was red.


    What in the pile¡­


    His skin was completely red. It was a dull, pale sort of red, but it was red nonetheless. He was also bald, like a lengos, and his eyes were pitch black and had no retina, like Gad¡¯s.


    He held a small buckler and a scepter. He was a party leader.


    ¡°Climbers!¡± he said. ¡°You''re... You''re Climbers...¡±


    Then he collapsed to his knees and he too, wept.


    ********


    They were a sorry looking bunch.


    Never mind whatever had happened to their archer, they all looked worse for wear.


    Their clothes were stained with blood. It was impossible to tell whether it was theirs or that of others, seeing as they were currently not wounded.


    More than that though, was the way they jumped whenever someone talked to them, or moved too fast out of the corner of their eyes. They had a fearful, haunted look to them, and even after they had been given food, they didn¡¯t do much more than just hold it in their hands.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you so much!¡± their party leader said.


    He was making a show of being hungry and chewing.


    Nar winced at the display.


    With only three of them left, it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what had happened to the rest of their party. Nar didn¡¯t want to even imagine the horrors they had seen happen to their party members, or the ones they had themselves suffered at the hands of the cannibals¡­


    His anger simmered, below the surface, and Nar kept having to unclench his jaw and fists. He didn¡¯t want to scare the traumatized Climbers. He wanted them to know that they were safe with them. That he would die before he let anything happen to them! But he couldn¡¯t help feeling so angry.


    With a sigh, he forced his jaw loose and his fists open again.


    How could the Crystal allow such a thing? Such horror. Such suffering. And from Climbers themselves, who had failed the Climb... It was disgusting. It was cruel beyond words.


    ¡°Please, it¡¯s okay,¡± Kur said. ¡°It was our pleasure. We couldn¡¯t leave you there. And we¡¯re happy to have you here, with us.¡±


    The archer started crying again, silently. She hadn¡¯t touched her cracker or jell-o at all. Cen hovered nearby her. Not too close and not touching, but making sure that the archer knew she was there and that she was available and ready to help with whatever the archer might need.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± their leader whispered. ¡°We¡¯ve been with them for a week. They took us by surprise. They were much stronger than the ones we¡¯ve fought before.¡±


    Kur nodded.


    ¡°That surprised us too¡­ And they looked more organized as well. They actually knew how to fight.¡±


    ¡°Fucking shits,¡± Mul muttered.


    One of his eyes was darker than the other, and his lip was split and oozing, though it was slowly healing. He also clutched his right side, and grimaced every time he moved. However, he had not needed Tuk¡¯s help. He had killed those two cannibals by himself. He had choked one to death and the other, he had battered until it had stopped moving.


    He had both shocked and earned respect points from Nar for that.


    ¡°They came during the night,¡± the other leader said, staring at the floor.


    He seemed intent on telling his story, and nobody would stop him. People healed and coped in different ways, and talking about things was one of the most common ones.


    ¡°Rel¡¯s the scout in the party, and I had told her to sleep,¡± he said, briefly glancing at the archer. ¡°Our tank and myself took the first watch. Neither of us have¡­ Have any sense attributes. The cannibals sneaked up on us, and by the time we realized it, it was too late.¡±


    Rel, the archer scout, had stopped crying, but if anything, her eyes looked even emptier now. Lifeless.


    ¡°They killed Jat, our tank. Three of them. Fell on him, stabbing without mercy. Jat¡¯s blood¡­¡±


    He made a half-gesture, half-twitch, meant to point at his clothes.


    ¡°After that, it¡¯s a blur. I think there were maybe fifty of them.¡±


    ¡°Fifty? By the Crystal!¡± Cen murmured.


    ¡°Yeah... All I remember was blood. Blood everywhere. At some point I got swarmed. They beat me until I passed out. By the time I came too, they had us tied up and gagged. I don¡¯t even know why. Who was around to hear us? I think they just liked it. They also loved telling us how it was made from the skin of¡­¡±


    Tuk gagged.


    ¡°Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t be burdening you guys with this,¡± the guy said.


    ¡°No. By all means, we¡¯re listening,¡± Kur said.


    The red man nodded.


    ¡°Thank you. There isn¡¯t much left to the story anyways. They dragged us around, always beating us, so we¡¯d never get enough stamina to fight back. So we would always be stuck healing,¡± he said, with a haunted look. ¡°And more than that, they did¡­ Things. Before they¡­ Ate my people. I couldn¡¯t do anything. Only watch.¡±


    His eyes shone in the low light of the path, gone into memories of darkness and horror. Tears fell down his cheeks. The spearman just stared off into the dark. He hadn¡¯t said a word.


    ¡°In the end, only we survived. And only because you saved us. They had just finished our¡­¡± he breathed, shakily. ¡°Anyway, they would have been hungry again, soon. So, thank you. You saved us.¡±


    Kur nodded. What can someone say to something like that?


    ¡°Thank you,¡± the red leader said again. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you guys risked to save us. Your own Climb. Your own lives. I¡¯ll never forget this. I¡¯ll find a way to repay you, if I ever get out.¡±


    ¡°You will!¡± Kur said. ¡°Get out I mean! You don¡¯t have to repay us, and I know that I speak for all my party when I say that you are welcome to join us, and Climb with us the rest of the way!¡±


    The red leader hid his face in his hands.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I-I¡­¡±


    Kur approached him and squeezed his shoulder. He flinched, but the gesture, meant in consoling and friendliness, broke him down, and he sobbed, hard and true.


    We did a good thing today, Nar thought.


    He had risked his life and his goal. But the thought of leaving these people behind with the cannibals was a haunting one. And it would have haunted him forever.


    It would have been a forever piece of shame and guilt, lodged, pierced, into his soul, that he would never be able to erase. He would¡¯ve been a true sinner then¡­


    Yes, he had done the right thing.

 Chapter 63 - Outsiders

    ¡°I realize we never introduced ourselves,¡± the red leader said.


    It had been a quiet night. The other party had been exhausted after their ordeal, and Kur had ordered them to bed early, so that they wouldn¡¯t disturb their sleep.


    Nar had stayed up late, however, listening to Rel tossing and turning. She mumbled in her sleep, and he managed to catch a few words here and there. They were mostly begging and pleading, and they set his blood to boiling. It reminded him of how Jul used to be.


    The arrival of morning was abrupt and merciless, and Nar nursed a headache as he walked at the tail of the group.


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Kur said. ¡°You guys were¡­¡±


    ¡°Wrecked?¡± the red leader offered.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The guy seemed much better today. Almost unbelievably so, and definitely much better than Nar had expected him to be. Whether he was just hiding his pain, or he was just trying his best to fit into their party as soon as possible, to ensure that he and his party could stay, Nar couldn¡¯t guess.


    ¡°Well, my name is Tas, and the silent guy is Wik. Rel, I introduced yesterday.¡±


    He lapsed into a long silence after that, and Kur didn¡¯t press him.


    I guess he¡¯s just hiding it after all, Nar thought, staring at Tas¡¯ hunched back.


    ¡°Sorry, yes, hmmm,¡± he said, as if waking himself up. ¡°Ah! I know, I bet you were surprised by my appearance, no?¡±


    Tuk nearly leaped at him. ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve been wondering this whole time! You¡¯re not a red human, are you?¡±


    Tas managed a short laugh to match the trugger¡¯s enthusiasm.


    ¡°No, not all. I¡¯m a zeibar, of the zeibari race.¡±


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    ¡°And Rel here, is an alfin. Not sure if you¡¯ve met one of her kind before?¡±


    ¡°Never,¡± Tuk said, breathing the word more than speaking it.


    ¡°And Wik is a human, as you can see.¡±


    Wik the human grunted in acknowledgement.


    Maybe he and Mul can be friends, Nar thought. They seemed to share the same grumpy disposition towards everything.


    ¡°As for you, I¡¯ve seen altei, lengos, morsvar, quam, and humans, of course. But you, Tuk, I¡¯ve never seen one like you before.¡±


    Tuk puffed his chest, swelling with pride and joy. ¡°Well, I am a trugger. Plural is just truggers. Arms are long and double jointed, as you can see, and so are the fingers. Top and bottom.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I can. That¡¯s impressive,¡± Tas said, smiling at the display of fingers at his face.


    ¡°Ours are the fastest and most agile fingers of all. Hence, why I¡¯m such a good ring tosser.¡±


    ¡°Ring tosser?¡±


    Tuk got out his rings and sent them circling around the party in less time than it took Nar to blink.


    ¡°By the¡­ That¡¯s amazing!¡± Tas shouted.


    He followed the flight paths of the rings with wide eyes and a gaping mouth that revealed very dark, but normal looking teeth.


    ¡°The things you see out here¡­¡± he said, marveling.


    ¡°I can make it even more impressive. Watch!¡±


    ¡°Tuk! You¡¯re going to slit someone¡¯s throat. Put them away,¡± Kur said, with a half-smile.


    Tuk tutted. ¡°I was just getting to the best part¡­¡±


    Tas patted his shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get to see it. Hopefully on those¡­ Things.¡±


    Nar couldn¡¯t see Tas¡¯ face, but the tone change was unmistakable. As was the thirst for blood and violence that weighed in his words. It made Nar wonder if Tas was itching to find some more cannibals to exact his revenge upon.


    Well, not like I can blame him for it, Nar thought.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will, man,¡± Tuk said, nodding effusively. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, these fingers were wasted as an operator.¡±


    ¡°Operator?¡±


    Tuk frowned at him. ¡°Yeah, you know, we use our [Aura] and we push it into the machines?¡±


    ¡°Ohhh. We call them conductors where we come from!¡±


    ¡°No way! This is the first time I¡¯ve heard anyone calling it by a different name,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Tas asked, his eyebrows shooting up.


    ¡°Hmm. So far everything¡¯s been pretty similar between Climbers,¡± Tuk said. ¡°We even had to defend a cubeplant that failed their quota! There were hundreds of Climbers there, and we fought against an army of cannibals!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s insane!¡± Tas whispered.


    ¡°Yeah! There were thousands and thousands of them! But in the end, we won! And we even got to stay inside the cubeplant for a night. It was basically the same. The pile and everything.¡±


    ¡°The pile?¡±


    ¡°Tuk, come on, stop bothering Tas,¡± Kur chided him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not, am I?¡± Tuk asked, throwing a pitiful look at Tas.


    ¡°No, of course not! I¡¯m enjoying learning about all these new things. In fact, I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°Guardians!¡± Jul shouted.


    Nar¡¯s sword was in his hand at once, and he rushed forward, dashing through his party. They were well practiced in these encounters by now, and a corridor had been immediately opened to let him run to the front of the party.


    Tas¡¯ hand stopped him dead on his tracks.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked, stunned.


    Just as stunned, Nar stared up from the hand that had so easily blocked his charge, to its owner.


    ¡°The-The bolts! I have to¡­¡±


    ¡°The bolts? What? No! Rel will take care of that.¡±


    As Tas spoke, Nar heard the twang of a bow. Three more followed in quick succession, and all four arrows sailed through the warm air.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Nar could just about catch a glimpse of them, as they pierced into the darkness ahead of them. A split second later, he heard them hit the poisoner in the shadows. No bolts flew at them in retaliation.


    The soldier guardian rolled out from the shadows, and Gad held her ground to stop it.


    ¡°See?¡± Tas asked Nar, letting go of him. ¡°No bolts.¡±


    ¡°H-How?¡± Nar asked, shocked.


    ¡°She shot the little tubes from where they are fired from,¡± Tas said, matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Is that possible?¡± Tuk asked, staring at Rel.


    ¡°It is with her skill, [Quickdraw 3]. It lets her see better, aim better, and draw and shoot faster. Not sure if she can manage it without the skill, though. We haven¡¯t risked it.¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Rel said. ¡°One day.¡±


    It was the first time she spoke. Her voice was raspy, dry. It matched her look perfectly.


    Seriously, what happened to her? Nar asked himself, still stunned by the sudden turn of events.


    Tas smiled at her and nodded. ¡°Yes, one day.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Did you just say 3? For her skill? What level are you guys?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Later!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°We¡¯re still in a fight¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! Sorry!¡±


    ¡°No need to worry!¡± Tas shouted. ¡°Watch. Wik! Crack it open!¡±


    The silent spearman didn¡¯t even bother grunting this time. He bent low and shot forward.


    What the¡­


    Nar¡¯s brain could not make sense of what had just happened. One moment the spearman was behind Viy, then next he was right next to Gad, knee deep into the guardian¡¯s arms. And his spear!


    ¡°How did he do that?¡± Mul whispered.


    The spear had stabbed right through the guardian''s armor, where the leg met its body. The guardian garbled mechanically and spasmed, tumbling to one side.


    Wik pulled out his spear with an effortless flick, widening the stab into a gash on the side of the soldier.


    ¡°The soldier¡¯s tough, but there¡¯s a trick to it,¡± Tas explained. ¡°Its limbs are arranged in a circular, hexagonal pattern, and so are the armor plates underneath. However, on either side of it, there are two small holes in the armor, where some circuitry passes through. If you angle your attack correctly, into those two spots, which are guarded by limbs, then you can bypass all that armor. It''s simple really!¡±


    Nar¡¯s jaw hung loose.


    Simple?


    One still had to angle their attack correctly, time it to avoid the limb in question, while still looking for an opening through the mass of frenzied limbs. Add to it that one needed to account for the guardian¡¯s movements, and the whole thing sounded absolutely impossible.


    It was insane!


    ¡°Wik did it by showing off his [Lunge], a new skill he got recently,¡± Tas said, giving the spearman a scolding stare. ¡°But anyone can do it! Although it will probably take more than one hit to get that effect. Or, you know, a few attempts to actually hit the right spot. It¡¯s not that big¡­¡±


    Tas raised his hand, and spaced out his thumb and index to show them.


    ¡°Crystal! That¡¯s smaller than my rings!¡± Tuk said, aghast.


    Mul looked from the red party leader, to the still twitching soldier guardian. His mouth was open, and his face was a mask of complete and utter perplexion.


    The rest of them all shared similar facial expressions. Only Gad kept a neutral face, as she stared down at the broken machine at her feet.


    Wik, pointed at the downed, trashing guardian with his spear.


    ¡°You guys finish it. I¡¯m going to kill the other one.¡±


    With that said, he stalked off into the darkness, from where Nar could hear the sounds of the disrupted poisoner.


    ¡°Hey! Is he going to be okay?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he has some [Sight]. And Rel already took care of the bolts. The rest is easy,¡± Tas said. ¡°Also, I¡¯m sorry. We didn''t mean to come in here and take over.¡±


    ¡°No, by all means!¡± Kur said. ¡°We didn¡¯t even know that¡¯s how you did it. Viy, Mul, finish it.¡±


    While the two DPS moved in to attack the opening that Wik had made, Tas stared at Kur with a frown.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked. ¡°How have you been killing them?¡±


    Kur looked down, a blush tinting his features.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve been relying on Cen¡¯s and Tuk¡¯s [Aura]. We had no idea that¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did you just say [Aura]?¡±


    Kur froze. Tas looked less red and more purple now. Nar watched pain, disbelief, and finally, anger, settle over the other party leader¡¯s face.


    ¡°No! Tell me you haven¡¯t!¡±


    He searched Tuk¡¯s and Cen¡¯s face for any hint that they were lying.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry? It¡¯s true. But¡­¡±


    ¡°No! You need to stop! You need to stop right now!¡± Tas shouted.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯ve been using it fine! We¡¯ve been just fine before you came along!¡± Mul said.


    Behind them, the soldier lay dead, with Viy¡¯s spear buried all the way into it. How much of the work had been done by Wik¡¯s initial attack, and how much had been done by them, Nar had no idea. But he was inclined to think it had been mostly Wik¡¯s damage.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be rude!¡± Tas said, raising his voice further. ¡°I¡¯m trying to save you! Save your paths! Save your magic!¡±


    ¡°There is no magic!¡± Cen said, just as loud as he. ¡°We waited and waited, and it never came. Nobody else we met had magic yet!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because your level¡¯s too low!¡± Tas said, raising his voice even higher. ¡°What level are you now?¡±


    ¡°Fif-fifteen?¡± Cen said, shaken.


    ¡°By the¡­ You guys! Our caster learned magic at level 20! He got fire!¡±


    It was like he slapped everyone in their party, all in one go.


    ¡°He¡­ What?¡± Cen asked.


    She inhaled slowly, and then forgot to exhale back out.


    ¡°[Fire Bolt],¡± Rel said, joining in the conversation. ¡°Hottest, brightest thing I¡¯ve ever seen. It melted the guardians right off. In one hit. Even the soldiers.¡±


    Tas nodded furiously, his expression still a deep shade of purple.


    ¡°Sometimes, when we were feeling lazy, I would just point him at the guardians and let him burn up the whole corridor,¡± he said. ¡°With magic! Real magic, using [Aether]!¡±


    Nar leaned against the wall. The floor had started moving under him.


    ¡°Is that¡­ Is that true?¡± Cen whispered.


    Nar looked at her. She looked shattered. She sounded shattered.


    ¡°There¡¯s magic?¡± she asked, in a tiny little voice.


    Mul came running up to her.


    ¡°Cen, it¡¯s okay. You didn¡¯t know. None of us knew!¡±


    She took her brother''s hand limply, and stared at him.


    Lost, defeated. The regret poured out of her eyes and down her face.


    ¡°What about the non-casters? The DPS, like me?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°I also use [Aura]!¡±


    Tas shook his head. ¡°There was nothing. But maybe it just takes a bit longer for the rest of us. We¡¯re not casters after all.¡±


    Tuk looked at Kur, searching for something. Anything. But Kur just looked pale, and as stunned and speechless as the rest of them.


    ¡°Look, guys. This is not so bad¡­¡± Tas said, grimacing. ¡°You¡¯re level 15. We can fix this. Just stop using [Aura]. Completely! No more from now on, unless there¡¯s really no other way out.¡±


    ¡°But-But the Sentry¡­ The cannibals. The bridge!¡± Kur said. ¡°All the other casters were using [Aura] too!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how that happened. We¡¯ve never met anyone using [Aura],¡± Tas said, his eyes very wide.


    ¡°How did you get through?¡± Nar asked him.


    ¡°Well, the Sentry was tough, but we figured it out. The green lights on its body were all weak spots. Rel and our caster took it out between the two of them. And our caster only ever used his normal staff attack. You know, the little puffs of air? The rest of us kept the other guardians away from them¡­ As for the bridge, I figured out that if we didn¡¯t kill any of the guardians on the bridge, no more would come out. We just let them run all the way to our side, then taunted them and went in behind them. Unfortunately, we still lost two people.¡±


    Kur looked like he was about to faint. ¡°Only two¡­¡±


    ¡°But she has a skill!¡± Mul shouted.


    ¡°A trick!¡± Tas said, growing purple again. ¡°Come on! Look at the shit they¡¯re putting us through in this Climb! Do you honestly believe they would just hand out something that made everything easier? Come on, use your brains!¡±


    It was a test¡­ My Crystal. It was all a test after all¡­ Nar thought.


    He didn¡¯t even know how to react to that revelation¡­ Part of him had slowly started to accept that eventually, he too would be forced to use his [Aura]. But now¡­


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have allowed it!¡± Tas said, yelling at Kur. ¡°Their paths could¡¯ve been broken! Forever! It¡¯s your duty to ensure they build the right paths!¡±


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know!¡± Kur cried, sounding like he was on the verge of tears himself. ¡°I just tried to do what was best for us! I did what I could!¡±


    Tas sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to reign in his temper.


    ¡°Look. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­ I-I just panicked. I don''t want you guys to destroy your paths before they even start.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think of those things¡­¡± Kur said, almost whispering it. ¡°None of them.¡±


    ¡°I know. Look. I¡¯ve always been good at using my head, okay? And my class change, the [Basic Strategist Leader], helps me even more. It gives me some really cool attributes that make everything move faster up here,¡± Tas said, tapping the side of his head. ¡°It helps me see the patterns. Notice the things others miss. Make the connections that much quicker, you know?¡±


    Kur nodded numbly.


    ¡°Look. All I¡¯m saying is, me and my guys know a good deal more than you guys. We¡¯ve been through a lot. We know a lot and we are at a higher level than you. I''m 23, Rel¡¯s at 21, and Wik¡¯s at 27. So, for a bit, just let us take the lead, and help train you guys, ok?¡±


    Kur nodded once more, almost listless.


    Nar looked to the darkness ahead of the party.


    Behind Gad, Wik sauntered back in from the darkness, having apparently finished the poisoner without any problems. As he passed by their tank, who had remained strangely quiet during the whole exchange, Nar noticed that Gad still kept her face neutral. Almost blank. He couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking. Although, pile! He couldn''t even tell what he himself was thinking.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not trying to take your place, or anything. Just watch me and mine for a few days. See how we do things. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll all learn from each other, and come out better and stronger from it,¡± Tas said, squeezing Kur¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Yes¡­ I-Yes, of course,¡± Kur said.


    Tas looked around him, taking in the various stages of shock and grief in Kur¡¯s party. Cen was crying into Mul¡¯s shoulder. Tuk was looking at his rings as if they didn¡¯t belong to him. Viy was silent as always, but the shock at the sudden turn of events had affected even her. Gad moved next to her, protective as always. Jul was looking at the darkness, with her back towards them. And Nar¡­ Well, Nar was just speechless, leaning against the wall as if to keep from falling.


    The zeibar sighed. ¡°Kur. Come on. Let¡¯s go talk over there. I might have been a bit harsh with my words.¡±


    Kur allowed himself to be guided away from the party, and they stood where they were. Lost and confused. Even destroyed.

 Chapter 64 - The Easy Way Up

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it! Viy, stab it!¡±


    Viy shouted and pushed her spear into one of the soldier¡¯s weak spots. It didn¡¯t go in as easily or as deep as Wik¡¯s attacks went, but it still had an effect.


    The soldier roared in anger, but as it shook off Gad¡¯s aggro, the tank hit him with the second charge of her skill. The guardian was forced to forget about Viy and her spear.


    ¡°That skill has a cooldown of 2 minutes, right?¡± Kur asked, talking about the guardian¡¯s anti-aggro effect.


    He and Tas stood in the middle of the formation. Tas gave the commands, and Kur asked questions and listened to him.


    ¡°Exactly! Which will give Gad enough time to recharge her taunt charges. We don¡¯t need to worry about another guardian, because nothing¡¯s getting past that massive thing in this narrow corridor. And worst-case scenario, we have Nar.¡±


    It was their fifth fight.


    Five days had passed since Tas had turned everything upside down with his revelation.


    Kur had explained to him how everything worked in the party, and the role each one played in detail. For the most part, Tas had agreed with everything. Nar had feared what the more experienced party leader would have to say about the choices he had made, but it had been in vain.


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible!¡± Tas had said. ¡°So that''s what you were doing. You can actually stop those bolts!¡±


    ¡°More than that,¡± Kur said with pride. ¡°Nar was critical to crossing that bridge. He kept both the bolts and the guardians away from Tuk. You should¡¯ve seen it!¡±


    Nar shifted awkwardly under the praise, but inside, he was happy that Tas approved of him. Even proud.


    ¡°However, for now, let¡¯s rely on Rel to stop those poisoners,¡± Tas said. ¡°No need to risk your life like this. This is all just the beginning, right? I heard you plan on going into the Labyrinth, so no need to take such risks now, eh?¡±


    And just like that, Nar had returned to his usual position at the back of the party. And he had gone smiling.


    Jul now hung back to stay with him, and so did Rel, as she said it gave her a better view of the fight. Plus, she confessed that she felt safe with Nar covering their back, and he had found no reason to push her away.


    Kur and the others had helped him forge his path. But to receive confirmation, and even admiration, from Tas and Rel? It somehow felt bigger. More important. More real. Like the first true sign that he was doing something right.


    ¡°Should Mul try and hit another leg?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds good. It might speed things up before Wik gets back. Mul, try to hit one of those legs. Trust your fists! You can do it!¡±


    Tas was like the perfect leader. He did everything Kur did, but just that much better. He knew more, and like he had said, he seemed to spot things nobody else did. Things even Nar and Jul missed with their senses.


    Sometimes though, Nar found himself frowning at Kur.


    He had given away his party leader¡¯s position so easily. Nar knew that it was meant to be temporary. But as the days wore on, he felt like more and more, Kur was stepping further and further back, and letting Tas take over.


    ¡°Okay, Mul, step back. Tuk, Cen, hit that spot. Viy, you focus on your own side!¡± Tas said.


    A chorus of yeses sounded around him, and the party scrambled to obey him.


    Nar was split. It was good to learn, but was Kur just learning, or was he discreetly stepping down? It had been five days. Surely Kur had learned enough by now? At least to take back the leadership while still asking Tas whatever questions he had.


    And what if he doesn¡¯t want to? What if he just wants to be taken all the way up? Is that so bad? Nar wondered. Maybe I can do it too? I have the beginnings of my path. My skills are okay, and my attributes are looking as good as they can. I could just let these three guide me up¡­ Then, I just need to find someone who can teach me how to use my sword. From there, I can¡­


    And just like that, any thoughts about Kur evaporated.


    Everyone seemed to be having a much nicer time too. Cen had slowly recovered, and was looking forward to level 20.


    Tas had warned her that her use of [Aura] might have delayed her gaining magic, but he was certain she would still get it. As for Tuk, he was happy to let Tas lead him in making the best out of his rings as they were. Which, in fairness, was a lot.


    The DPS managed to down the guardian before Wik came back, though Tas told them they could do even better.


    ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll go faster! We¡¯ll go harder! I know we can do it!¡±


    More yeses. Even cheering. That being Tuk, of course.


    ¡°Wik!¡± Tas said. ¡°What took you so long?¡±


    ¡°Another one showed up,¡± Wik said, in his usual gruffness. ¡°I took care of it though.¡±


    ¡°Hey! You should have come back and let Rel handle it!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Sorry. That¡¯s all you say. Can¡¯t you use your head a bit?¡±


    ¡°...Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Of for the love of¡­¡±


    The party laughed in good cheer, and when Tuk slapped Wik¡¯s back, he managed to look as unimpressed as Mul.


    ¡°You, spear girl,¡± Wik suddenly said. ¡°You¡¯re okay, but it can be better. Follow me.¡±


    Gad stepped in front of Viy. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t just¡­¡±


    Viy placed a hand on her shoulder, surprising the tank. In fact, surprising everyone else.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I want to learn,¡± Viy said.


    Gad simply stared at her. Nar was as stunned as she was.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°Yes. I should get better. I should be better,¡± Viy said.


    Gad seemed to stare into Viy¡¯s eyes for a moment, then she nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be close.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Viy walked towards Wik, but the spearman stopped her with his spear.


    ¡°What am I doing?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Stopping me?¡± she answered, confused.


    ¡°Yes and no. Watch.¡±


    He moved his spear from side to side, forming a wide semi-circle around him. He walked forward, and Viy was forced to step back.


    ¡°This is an area-of-denial. It¡¯s one of the advantages of two-handed weapons, and the spear makes it easier than most. Once you get more attributes, and become more of a threat, you can even do a sort of tanking like this.¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°I can tank?¡± Viy asked, in a high-pitched tone.


    ¡°She can tank? Gad asked.


    ¡°Not like you,¡± Wik said. ¡°Not like Nar, either. But she can stop the guardians. Keep them away from the party. Deny them passage. You understand?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Viy said.


    Tas smiled. ¡°Come on, guys. We still have a bit of walking to do. Teach her on the way.¡±


    He looked and caught Nar¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we swap for a bit? Nar, walk with me in the front. Do you mind Gad?¡±


    Gad looked at Viy.


    ¡°Go on, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Viy said.


    Gad looked not very enthusiastic about the idea, but she did as she was told.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to walk with Nar for a bit,¡± Tas told Kur. ¡°Keep revising what we¡¯ve been talking about.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°Come on, Nar! Let¡¯s go do a bit of scouting.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Nar looked at Jul, who stared back at him in panic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. These guardians can¡¯t really surprise me anymore. Come on!¡±


    Nar nodded at Jul, trying to ease her obvious discomfort, and ran after Tas.


    The two of them walked until the light of the path dimmed almost to nothing behind them, and Nar had to use his stamina to sense his way forward.


    ¡°How can you walk in the dark?¡± he asked Tas.


    ¡°I have some [Sight] too. You unlock a lot of stuff at level 20. Wait for it, it¡¯s going to be awesome. I promise!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    Tas laughed, and Nar copied him.


    Nar was still not sure what it was about Tas, but he felt so at ease with him. Almost more than with the others even.


    He wondered if it was because Tas was from a different cubeplant, and thus was a stranger to the whole Clean/Unclean situation. Plus, his views on the Crystal seemed to closely match Nar¡¯s own. He had actually noticed that neither Tas, nor the other two for that fact, ever mentioned the Crystal by name. Even alluding to it seemed to evoke dark feelings, and Nar couldn¡¯t agree more with them.


    Also, Tas had more than likely saved his path. He had been growing more and more tempted by the promise of quick power that his [Aura] offered, and the guilt had grown and grown within him, reaching an unbearable weight¡­ He was more than happy to finally shed it.


    It in itself was a guilty thought, but Nar was happy that he had met the red skinned party leader when they had.


    ¡°By the way, the stuff back there, with Jul. It¡¯s nice. She clearly likes you. You¡¯re probably the first one to show her what family actually means,¡± Tas suddenly said.


    ¡°I-What?¡±


    ¡°Family. She probably looks at you like a brother, if I¡¯m not too mistaken.¡±


    Nar stopped abruptly, which forced Tas to stop too.


    A brother? Family? What in the Crystal¡¯s name¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it too often,¡± Tas said. ¡°In the cubeplant. We know what''s happening. We see the signs. The bruises¡­ But we close our eyes. Pretend we don¡¯t see anything. Nothing can disturb the line, am I right?¡±


    He nudged Nar and they started walking again.


    ¡°Even out here, away from those so-called parents, it''s hard to break out of the years of abuse and pain. I¡¯m happy to see Jul the way she is now. I can only imagine she¡¯s much different than she was at the beginning.¡±


    Nar hesitated for a breath, then he nodded. ¡°She barely talked or touched anyone, when we first met her.¡±


    ¡°Wow. That¡¯s an amazing improvement! Keep at it man, you¡¯re clearly having a good influence on her.¡±


    Nar smiled. ¡°It¡¯s mutual.¡±


    ¡°Even better!¡±


    They walked in silence for a few more minutes.


    ¡°You want to ask something,¡± Tas said.


    ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± Nar asked him, surprised.


    ¡°I want to say it¡¯s my amazing mind, but the truth is, you kinda look like Wik when he wants to ask a question. Worried, and slightly dumb.¡±


    ¡°Ouch.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m messing. Go on, ask away.¡±


    Nar looked behind them. They stayed within sight of the line, but maybe they were far enough that they could talk.


    ¡°Well¡­ I just¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t mean to be rude¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Tas said, nodding to himself. ¡°You want to ask about Rel.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Yes. What happened to her?¡±


    Tas scratched his chin.


    ¡°Well, something did happen to her. Though not just her.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nar asked, frowning.


    ¡°Well, the short end of it is that she¡¯s sick,¡± Tas revealed. ¡°It¡¯s a disease that is slowly eating at her. It ages her. Makes her lose her hair, her voice. It even affects her attributes. Not even [Constitution] helps.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Nar whispered.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯s pretty bad, and the sickness affects every alfin, and not just the ones from our cubeplant,¡± Tas said. ¡°There¡¯s no escape, and no exception. It can hit you young, or older. But unless you die in an accident or something, you will get it at some point.¡±


    Tas inhaled sharply.


    ¡°She was beautiful, you know. She could take your breath away with a smile. But out here, the disease progressed much faster than it was supposed to. Her hope was to get out and find help. A healer. A cure. Anything.¡±


    He spoke so intently that he missed Nar¡¯s expression change. The way he pressed his lips together. The way his eyes widened.


    ¡°She¡¯s saved my life so many times already, and I swore to myself I would do everything to get her out! To find the cure and save her. To restore her! You understand?¡±


    Nar nodded. He did. He understood very well. More than Tas could ever know.


    ¡°But we were running out of time. I took risks. I told her to sleep. To skip her watch. She had been sick, you know. Puking her guts out. And I just wanted her to rest¡­¡±


    Nar squeezed his shoulder. ¡°It was not your fault.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how much I want to believe that,¡± Tas whispered. ¡°But we lost six people. Six amazing, most precious people. They didn¡¯t deserve it, Nar! They didn¡¯t!¡±


    Nar shook his head. He didn¡¯t know what he could say in the face of such raw sorrow. Maybe even love.


    His sword was in his hand and swinging just as [Instinct] warned him.


    He parried the arrow that flew straight at his heart.


    ¡°Get back!¡± he shouted, pushing Tas behind him. ¡°Help! Help!¡±


    More arrows flew at them, but Nar parried them as easily as he did the poisoners bolts.


    Arrows, though?


    ¡°Be careful! Those aren¡¯t guardians!¡± Tas shouted. ¡°Help! Cannibals!¡±


    The rest of the party came running in, bringing in the light with them.


    ¡°Careful, it looks like they have Climber weapons!¡± Tas said.


    ¡°At least multiple bows!¡± Nar added, just Gad took an arrow on her shield.


    ¡°Tas, I¡¯m taking over!¡± Kur said.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Jul, how many?¡± Kur asked.


    Jul closed her eyes and focused. ¡°A lot. More than thirty. Forty? No, fifty?¡±


    ¡°Too many,¡± Kur said. ¡°Cen. Tuk. I hate to do this to you, but we can¡¯t let them get close. They¡¯ll destroy us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m ready!¡± Cen said.


    ¡°Me too!¡± Tuk said, spinning his four rings, already shining.


    ¡°No, wait. You can¡¯t!¡± Tas shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± Tuk told him, grinning. ¡°The party needs us!¡±


    The cannibals came running towards them, shouting and howling in a chaos of noise that echoed through the corridors and made Nar¡¯s ears tremble.


    ¡°Tuk. Cen. Don¡¯t let them reach us.¡±


    ¡°Never,¡± Cen said.


    While she charged her [Aura Projectile], Tuk stepped forward and let his rings fly.


    It was a massacre.


    The rings cut through the cannibals as if they weren¡¯t there, and Cen¡¯s [Aura Projectiles] blew them into chunks and bloody, charred bits.


    Up close, they would¡¯ve been a threat. These newer, stronger cannibals could have taken them down with sheer weight and numbers alone, but at range, they were just targets.


    Nar grinned.


    It was a grim sight on his face, illuminated by [Aura] explosions, but he couldn¡¯t deny the satisfaction of seeing those failed, traitorous, Climbers put down. He could forgive them for failing, but not for turning on others and ending their Climbs. And not for everything else they did¡­ It was unforgivable. And with every cannibal dead, less were the chances of some other party suffering the same fate that Tas and his people had suffered.


    In a matter of moments, it was all over. Tuk and Cen still breathed normally. It had been effortless.


    ¡°Well,¡± Tas said in the silence. ¡°I can see why [Aura] is so tempting. That was¡­ Something.¡±


    Tuk smiled at him. ¡°Guess you got to see it after all!¡±


    ¡°I did! It was impressive, I can¡¯t deny that. But think about the magic!¡± Tas cautioned. ¡°For now, we can use your [Aura] when we really need to. Okay?¡±


    ¡°We know,¡± Cen said. ¡°But we will still protect our party.¡±


    Tuk nodded at that.


    ¡°You have a good party, here,¡± Tas said to Kur.


    ¡°You too. You¡¯re one of us now, remember?¡±


    Tas swallowed and looked away.


    ¡°I¡­ Thank you. That means a lot to me...¡±


    They walked for an hour, until the corpses were far enough behind them, and stopped for the night.


    ¡°I have a selfish request to make,¡± Tas said. ¡°Of you, Jul?¡±


    Jul half-hide behind Nar.


    ¡°M-Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. By now you must all suspect that Rel is sick. Every day she gets worse and worse. And it¡¯s affecting her attributes. Especially her senses¡­¡±


    All of them turned to look at the archer. Rel stood at the back of the party, staring at her feet. Her scarred face was impenetrable.


    ¡°I need to ask you to watch over us during the night. The whole night, I meant. I¡¯m scared we¡¯re still surrounded by cannibals, and until we¡¯re sure we¡¯re clear of them, we need someone with good senses to watch over us while we sleep. To make sure we don¡¯t get¡­ Surprised.¡±


    His face was a mask of pain and Nar found himself nodding without hesitation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take turns with her. I¡¯m not as good. But I¡¯m good enough.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry, Nar. But we need you well rested,¡± Tas said. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to start taking those bolts again.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Nar said, glancing at Rel. ¡°Yes. That''s¡­ Okay. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Tas looked at Jul again, and grimaced.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll carry you myself during the day, so you can sleep.¡±


    Jul thought about it for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. But only if Nar carries me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Nar said immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Jul,¡± Kur said. ¡°We appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°I know it''s dangerous, but is that really needed?¡± Gad asked. ¡°She¡¯ll be exhausted! There¡¯s no way she can sleep on someone''s back!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be okay!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Only for a while,¡± Tas pleaded with Gad. ¡°Just until we get away from these corridors. If Jul gets too tired, we¡¯ll stop and rest for the day.¡±


    Gad pursed her lips. She wasn¡¯t happy, and she wanted to fight it. But she knew that the decision was already taken.


    ¡°Fine! But if she gets too tired, we¡¯re stopping. And I¡¯m making that call!¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Tas said. ¡°You know her better than I do.¡±


    Gad muttered something under her breath that to Nar sounded a lot like ¡°Damned right I do!¡±, but the decision was made.


    As they lay down to sleep, Nar patted Jul¡¯s leg. Very briefly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all good. Sleep well. You need to fight tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°And carry you,¡± he said, with a half-smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep you safe so you can sleep.¡±


    ¡°I know. Go on. Sleep.¡±


    Nar sighed and closed his eyes.


    If things keep going like this, maybe the rest of this Climb won¡¯t be so bad. Maybe we can really do this.


    With a bit of a smile, Nar turned to the side, and was soon asleep.

 Chapter 65 - What Is Going On?

    Nar adjusted Jul¡¯s weight on his back. He did it gently, but Jul still muttered something in his ear.


    He tried to hide his grimace. His arms had been sore after the first day of carrying her, and by now, two more days later, they were permanently numb from the moment he picked her up in the morning, to the moment he lay her down at night, and woke her up for her long watch.


    [Constitution] wasn¡¯t doing anything for him. His HP stayed at full, obviously, he did not expect to incur any actual damage. But he had expected the attribute to at least heal, or downright take away his pain and discomfort. Then again, [Constitution] never healed his tiredness either. Nor took away his pain, for that matter.


    Wait, is that even something that can be healed? Tiredness?


    He latched onto this and other such random and generally useless thoughts. Anything to distract him from his protesting arms and from Jul¡¯s boiling, sweaty body, that was glued to his back.


    Nar blew some air into his face, trying to get rid of the tickling drops of sweat that gathered at the tip of his nose.


    Why is it so damn hot? he wondered.


    Their path had, at long last, taken them away from the narrow corridors after the bridge. They now walked in the center of a much wider tunnel, about 50-feet wide. A curved groove cut through the tunnel, making a small depression that was 6-feet deep at its center. Above their heads, the low ceiling mirrored the floor, so it looked as though they were walking on a circular tunnel.


    Nar welcomed the change of scenery, but he didn¡¯t understand why it had to be so damned hot.


    He cast a quick look behind him. The gaping darkness they left behind was a permanent tickle at the back of his neck. This was probably the widest corridor they''d been in so far, and he hated how exposed it made him feel. It was only marginally better than the massive, open voids they had traveled through at some point, after the tutorial.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Rel asked.


    Nar pointed at the fading path behind them with his head.


    ¡°Yes, it gets on my nerves too. I prefer the narrower ones. More cover,¡± Rel said.


    Nar nodded but left it at that.


    Rel walked with them every day.


    She had done so from the very start, even going as far as eating and sleeping with him and Jul. However, he still wasn''t sure what to make of her.


    The archer walked with a slight limp, and every so often, she covered her mouth to smother a fit of coughing. When she slept, she made a low wheezing sound.


    It was obvious to Nar that she was sick. Her forehead was always clammy, and her skin was a sickly yellowish white. The one time he had brushed his fingers against her hand when sharing more crackers from his inventory with her, he had almost cried out in surprise at the raging temperature of her skin.


    And yet, the alfin never complained. Despite what Tas had said, she insisted on fighting and neutralizing the poisoners.


    Was it bravery? Pride? A need to prove her usefulness, or just the fear of allowing herself to succumb to her illness? Nar didn¡¯t know what it was that drove her, but it impressed him.


    One thing he did find extremely odd, was that Rel seemed to be avoiding her party members. She spoke with Tas, but it was always brief, to the point, and seldomly. It rebuffed the fervor that took Tas¡¯ voice whenever he talked about her, and of getting her out and cured. And Wik? Nar had never seen her speak to him. Not even once.


    The archer always hung back with Nar and Jul, and spoke a little with them. But that was rare too. Perhaps speaking sapped too much of her energy. Or it was painful¡­


    ¡°Say, Tas,¡± Tuk spoke up ahead of them. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, but how did you guys get to such high levels? You¡¯re much higher than all of us, especially Wik.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good question. No mystery there, though,¡± Tas said. ¡°We just started lower than you guys did.¡±


    ¡°Lower?¡±


    ¡°You guys started from the Upper Depths, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not sure,¡± Kur pipped in. ¡°All we know was that the bridge took us from the Upper Depths and into here, the Mid Levels.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so it was the Upper Depths then. There¡¯s no missing the transition between the levels,¡± Tas said. ¡°It''s always a bridge. At least it was for the transition from the Lower Depths as well.¡±


    ¡°The Lower Depths,¡± Tuk said, savoring the word. ¡°Crystal. I can¡¯t imagine having to go through a whole other level. It took us almost four months just to get to that bridge.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Four months?¡± Tas asked. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Kur said, slumping his shoulders. ¡°We were stuck in the tutorial for about two months.¡±


    ¡°Two months!¡±


    Rel shushed at him, but it fell on deaf ears.


    ¡°Kur, man,¡± Tas said, shaking his head. ¡°That¡¯s bad.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Why are you apologizing? Nar thought.


    He frowned at Tas¡¯ back.


    Sometimes, he felt like the guy was a bit harsh at Kur. Just because he knew more, and was a bit smarter, it didn¡¯t excuse his behavior. And seeing Kur scratching his head in awkwardness, while Tas chastised him, made Nar want to yell at the guy to shut up.


    Yet, he bit his tongue. The guy had been through a lot, and he was genuinely doing everything to help them as best as he could. To earn his place in the party, and his share of food. Nar just wished he did it better sometimes. Toned down the criticism a little.


    His dad had always said that their Team Lead was a good one. An Unclean like them, he demanded a harsh rhythm, but his dad had always said the man was fair. He did right by his workers. He praised them openly, and chastised and criticized in private.


    ¡°That¡¯s usually a sign of a good leader,¡± Bey said. ¡°You improve in private, and you boast in public.¡±


    And once his dad had taken the spot, he had maintained that practice.


    Tas, however, didn¡¯t seem to be aware of the rule. He bashed Kur every time he found yet another thing that Kur had done wrong. And not just him, but Gad too. He constantly criticized her tanking, whether it was her positioning, the way she used her shield, or the way she used her skills. And the same for all the others. One time he asked Mul if he had any [Sight], because he kept hitting different spots on the guardian, instead of focusing on just one of them. He could have just pointed out that he would be more effective if he focused on one spot only, and preserved his energy and waited for the right opportunities to strike the fast, frenzied soldier instead.


    While there was no denying that he was right in that he was helping them all improve tremendously, the way he did it was starting to grate on Nar¡¯s nerves. And he wasn¡¯t the only one.


    Everyone¡¯s attitudes were taking a jump into the pile. When Tuk now mocked Mul, it was actually hurtful, and the lengos had started to simply shut off and not speak at all, for long periods of time. Cen hated it, and they had even gotten into an argument over it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny, Tuk! Lay off!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a joke. Crystal. You lengos have no sense of humor!¡±


    Nar had stared at him. Tuk had passed a hand over his hair, huffing and tutting at the twins, as if they were the ones at fault. But Nar happened to have his [Sight] on, and caught the slight tremor of Tuk¡¯s hand as it combed through his dense hair.


    They all envied Tuk for how easily he fell asleep. It didn¡¯t matter what they had just faced, the Sentry, cannibal army, or shredded bodies. He gagged and retched, but he was always out as soon as his head hit the [Climber¡¯s Shirt] pillow. Now, before falling asleep, Nar always noticed Tuk still sitting up against the wall, staring off into nothing, playing with a ring in his fingers. And when Nar woke up, Tuk would be in the same position, and he could never tell if the ring tosser had slept or not.


    Nar was pretty much certain he knew what was bothering him, but every time he tried to approach Tuk to talk to him, Tas would be there to stop him.


    ¡°Nar, come on, stay back there. You''re our secondary tank. And don¡¯t move too fast, or you¡¯ll wake up Jul. She really needs her sleep!¡±


    And during the night, when they stopped for a break¡­ ¡°Nar, eat up and go to sleep. Everything depends on you.¡±


    And no one would say anything. Kur would just glare at him, as if to tell him to just go sleep, and get on with his part.


    Thinking about it turned his frown at Tas¡¯ back, into full on glaring.


    That guy is going too far, and Kur needs to wake the fuck up. I¡¯m going to talk to him tonight, and no one¡¯s going to stop me.


    The more he thought about it, the more he realized how wrong things had become over the past few days. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had spoken to Tuk, or Cen or Mul. Or even Gad for that matter. Viy wasn¡¯t surprising, she always kept to herself.


    And speaking off, clear laughter rang up from the front of the group, making Nar twist his lips. Wik must have told her another joke. Another one, in an endless stream of them, and Viy laughed at each and every one of them.


    Fair enough, he was happy that the spear woman seemed to be recovering. Also, he couldn¡¯t deny that what Wik had to teach her was valuable, even enviable. He wished he had a higher leveled Climber sword user to show him what to actually do with his weapon, instead of him just waving it around, and hoping he was at least somewhat correct. But, damn! That didn¡¯t mean that Mul had to be replaced by Wik, and pushed back and out of fights.


    Crystal! That was another thing! At this stage, only Rel, Tas, Wik, Viy and, in a small way, Gad, were doing any fighting. He had welcomed the respite at first. Welcomed the thought of getting an easy Climb out of this deal of saving Tas and the other two.


    But now, something didn¡¯t feel right.


    He didn¡¯t like how Cen walked, staring at her feet, and lifelessly holding on to Mul¡¯s hand. He didn''t like how Mul never quipped back at Tuk or fought back against any of Tas¡¯ decisions. He didn¡¯t like watching Tuk slide into Viy territory, nor the way he only talked and laughed with Tas now. He didn¡¯t like how quiet Gad had become, always watching Viy like a frightened mother, and forgetting about the rest of them. He so did not like how tired Jul was, and how she hadn¡¯t had a single night of sleep in three days.


    And Kur¡­ Crystal.


    He hated the way his party leader stared adoringly at Tas. He drank from his every word, nodding and smiling at his every command.


    The more he thought about these things, the angrier he got, and the more aware he felt.


    Why had they allowed Tas to take over their party so easily? Was it just his higher level? The things he knew?


    Actually, were they even learning anything new from the zeibar anymore?


    He had taught them how to better fight the soldier guardians, but that had just been that, their weak spot. He helped them fight and with tactics, but nothing that Kur couldn¡¯t do. In fact, it felt like Tas did more micro-managing during the fighting than Kur¡¯s crucial battle changing orders. They didn¡¯t need Tas. His inputs were just repetitions now.


    He had fixed Gad¡¯s shield use and positioning on day one, as Gad wasn¡¯t someone who needed to be told something twice¡­ The guy was just nitpicking at her now! And was Wik even teaching Viy anything new anymore?


    Something¡¯s not right here.


    He watched Cen drag her feet on the floor, barely lifting them.


    Something¡¯s really wrong. How did I not notice it? How did Kur, or Gad, not notice this?


    And that''s when he almost missed it.


    In the depths of his mind, in a subconscious part that was still paying attention while these thoughts and realizations came crashing down on him, as booming and quaking as the trash on pile Drop, that small part of his mind perked up. Alert.


    Nar stopped in his tracks and frowned at the darkness behind them.


    What was that?

 Chapter 66 - Almost Missed It

    He swore he heard something. Something dragging across the floor. Or falling. Or a breath.


    Was he imagining things?


    ¡°Nar,¡± Tas called. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t fall¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    The words sliced through the party as if he used his sword and not his mouth.


    Tas frowned at him in surprise. ¡°What?¡±


    Kur inhaled sharply and puffed up his chest. ¡°Nar, what are you¡­¡±


    Nar turned his baleful gaze on the party leader. Though former party leader might have been a more apt description. ¡°I said, shut up. I heard something.¡±


    Tas stepped forward.


    ¡°After everything I¡­¡±


    Kur stopped him with a hand.


    ¡°Wait. Let him listen.¡±


    Nar almost hugged him. For a moment, Kur was Kur again. Standing tall. Serious. In control. Leading.


    Nar closed his eyes and focused.


    He resisted the urge to shout at Wik to stop tapping his foot, and instead, went deeper into his [Hearing].


    He listened for a while, letting the seconds drag by, in tandem with that tapping foot. But he didn¡¯t care. He was going to make sure of what he had, or not had, heard.


    He waited.


    And waited.


    He didn¡¯t hear anything. But he sensed¡­ Something.


    It wasn¡¯t [Instinct]. Or at least, it wasn¡¯t the part of his [Instinct] that he had access to, if that even made any sense. However, the more he focused on that feeling, the less willing he was to let go.


    ¡°Nar?¡± Kur asked.


    Without asking anyone first, Nar gently shook Jul.


    ¡°Jul? Jul, wake up.¡±


    Jul mumbled in his ear.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tas shouted. He pushed past Kur and stomped towards him. ¡°I¡¯ve had it with you!¡±


    ¡°Jul! Wake up! I need you to wake up!¡±


    Her eyes flared open and she gasped.


    ¡°Ca-Cannibals!¡± she breathed.


    ¡°Cannibals!¡± Nar repeated, louder, pointing ahead.


    Weapons were in hands in the blink of an eye.


    Tuk didn¡¯t even wait for a plan or direction.


    A solitary ring shone into the dark ahead of them, and the pile came tumbling loose.


    Cannibals screamed in pain. Some yelled and ran at the party, only to be mowed down by Cen¡¯s [Aura Projectile]s.


    ¡°Formation!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Tuk, don¡¯t stop!¡±


    Nar lowered Jul to the floor and got out his weapon.


    As he did, he noticed that Rel was frozen on the spot. She didn¡¯t even have her bow out. She caught him staring and her eyes widened. She stammered something, trying to speak.


    Nar felt for her, but right now he didn¡¯t have the time to help her.


    However, as he was turning around to check how things were going, Jul grabbed his leg.


    ¡°Wait! They¡¯re running away!¡± she said. ¡°And there¡¯s more behind us!¡±


    Nar whirled to face the back of the party.


    ¡°They¡¯re running away too!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°They¡¯re behind us too!¡± Nar shouted to the others. ¡°But they¡¯re running away! They¡¯re all running away!¡±


    ¡°Tuk, Cen, stop!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Gad walk a bit forward. Nar you do the same! Viy, Wik, behind Gad. Mul, go with Nar. Tuk, forward, Cen, back! Jul, come here!¡±


    They scrambled with a certainty of movement and speed they hadn''t had in days. There was no hesitation, no thinking, no confusion. Kur spoke, and Nar stepped into the dark, not caring what was in it.


    The party leader had spoken.


    Finally, he thought. I missed this.


    Tas tried to get a word in, but Kur simply raised a hand at his face, silencing him with just that gesture.


    ¡°Nar? Jul?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Nothing here,¡± Nar said, scanning the darkness with his full [Sight].


    ¡°They¡¯re gone,¡± Jul confirmed. ¡°They¡¯ve moved beyond my senses.¡±


    ¡°What happened? What did you sense?¡± Kur asked her.


    ¡°There were cannibals in front of us. And behind us. And there were more, on the corridors we¡¯ve just passed. There were a lot of them. So many¡­¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­ I-That¡¯s¡­¡± Kur stammered, then he took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s okay, you did well. They won¡¯t dare come near us, now that we know they¡¯re there. Tuk and Cen won¡¯t allow it.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Damn right, we won¡¯t!¡± Tuk said. His tone was dark and grim though, rather than cheering.


    ¡°And Nar, good job and good call,¡± Kur said. ¡°You¡¯ve just saved us all.¡±


    Nar nodded and stared at Kur. ¡°Look at her, she can barely stand.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡­ See that,¡± Kur said as he reached out a hand to steady the scout. ¡°You¡¯ll have a good night¡¯s sleep today, Jul. I promise.¡±


    Jul managed a weak smile in response and Kur patted her shoulder.


    ¡°What?¡± Tas asked. ¡°We¡¯re clearly being hunted! They were waiting for us! We need her to¡­¡±


    ¡°Tas, we¡¯ll speak later,¡± Kur told him, his tone sharpening.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Later, Tas. I know you¡¯re scared for your party. But we need to keep our heads.¡±


    Tas swallowed hard and stepped back. His shirt was dark with sweat, more than the rest of them in that boiling strange corridor, and the red party leader was panting, and looking about him with wide dark eyes. He looked at Wik, and his face contorted with terror.


    Nar felt a pang of solidarity to the guy. It didn¡¯t erase what Nar felt about him, but it at least shifted the anger he felt for the zeibar into an annoyance at himself, Kur, and the others, for having allowed Tas¡¯ fear to infect and affect them all like it had.


    ¡°Kur, what do we do?¡± Gad asked.


    Nar almost cried with relief. The tank hadn¡¯t spoken in days! It was like she hadn¡¯t even been there. But now, her shield, her mace, her proud stance at the head of the group, protecting them¡­ He felt his jaw unclench. His frown ease. His shoulders drop.


    Maybe, this was the moment they took back control of themselves.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet,¡± Kur said. ¡°But Tas is right. This can¡¯t be a coincidence. The cannibals are trying to get us.¡±


    ¡°Let them fucking try,¡± Mul muttered.


    ¡°I think for now, our best option is to keep going forward,¡± Kur said. ¡°The corridors don¡¯t just follow along with the path. The ones in front of us might still be able to track our path, but we might be able to lose the ones behind us. What do you think?¡±


    He looked at Gad when he asked the question. Not at Tas. And it wasn¡¯t a what should we do question, but what do you think of my plan as a party member type of question.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Gad said. ¡°Seems like our best bet.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do that then,¡± Kur said quickly, before Tas could interject again. ¡°Jul, I¡¯m sorry, I need to ask you to watch over us until we stop for the night. Or until we can have some certainty that we¡¯ve at least lost the ones behind us.¡±


    ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll do it!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Thank you, Jul. I¡¯ll be right next to you and I¡¯ll carry you if you get too tired. Tell me how much stamina you have left?¡±


    Nar entrusted Jul into Kur¡¯s care and faced the darkness behind him.


    A shiver ran down his spine.


    It was good that their party was making a show of getting put back together. But the thought of all those cannibals in the dark. Hungry. Silent. Stalking them and waiting for their chance¡­


    He gripped his sword tighter.


    He had been distracted. It had been by pure chance that he had caught on that soft, barely audible sound.


    How many more sounds like that did I miss? Or that strange feeling? A crowd like that doesn''t move in complete silence! Especially not when they get that close!


    He tightened his jaw and held the sword so tight it shook.


    I was distracted again! Damn it! Just¡­ Damn it all!


    He had sworn he wouldn¡¯t let it happen again, after he had caught himself that one time, days after their big battle to protect the cubeplant. And that was after he had berated himself for allowing it to happen multiple times during the tutorial.


    I need to keep my [Hearing] and [Sight] on at all times. That might be the only way of always paying attention. Not at the max, of course, but just enough to know what¡¯s going on around us. I¡¯ll talk with Kur about it. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll agree that the stamina use is worth it. As for my [Instinct]...


    He had assumed thus far that he didn¡¯t need to do anything about that attribute.


    Before the mind knows, before the logic asserts, before the rationale is formed, you feel it. In your gut and in your soul. Ignore your instinct at your own danger.


    From that, he had thought the attribute to be something apart from him. Something he couldn¡¯t control. He had expected it to grow, to become better and stronger at alerting him of danger. But he hadn¡¯t considered that maybe his [Instinct] was something like his [Sight] and [Hearing]. Something real, tied to his body and mind in the same way as his eyes and ears. Perhaps the connection went even deeper.


    ¡­ and in your soul.


    Perhaps, just like he could focus on his ears and eyes, he could also do the same with his [Instinct]. He just had no idea how.


    Jul might know! She can sense from way beyond what I can, and much, much better too.


    He almost slapped his forehead. To be fair, the attribute - or maybe he should start thinking of it as an ability, a real sense - was cryptic at best. After Gad had told them about passive skills, he had sort of unconsciously thrown his [Instinct] into that pile. Even during the brief stint of blind fighting he had tried, he had simply aimed at better understanding the attribute, not controlling it.


    But now¡­ Now they had almost died.


    Now, they were being hunted.


    He couldn¡¯t afford to get distracted again. And Jul was exhausted after Tas''s disastrous idea. She wouldn¡¯t last long, and it would be up to him to look after the party then.


    He knew Jul was important, but up until that point, he had never actually understood just how reliant they were on Jul. He had never stopped to think about what would happen if they couldn¡¯t rely on her, in great part because she was so reliable and infallible. Plus, he had been so obsessed with his failing tanking and DPS prospects, that he had ignored completely that his senses were meant for more than just fighting.


    There is a big difference between taking damage for the party and protecting the party.


    The words Gad had spoken to him, right after the tutorial¡¯s end, four months back, came to him.


    I should¡¯ve been using my senses to watch over us. To protect our party.


    To take damage meant simply to stand between the party and a guardian, and let it batter him. But to protect the party meant to warn them when they were about to become food.


    And he shouldn¡¯t have allowed a stranger to affect them all like Tas had either.


    Fuck! How do I keep messing up like this? He asked himself.


    Every time he thought he knew the answer, that he was on the right path, he¡¯d just discover that there was something else he had missed. Some other error he was making. And how many chances was he going to get, before his incompetence ended his Climb?


    I need to talk to Kur more. I need to talk to Gad more, and Jul! I¡¯ve been trying to figure this stuff out by myself and I¡¯ve just been making a mess of it. And Tuk! Damn it! I need to talk to Tuk!


    It had gone on long enough. He couldn¡¯t deny that Tuk was still bothered by what had happened on that bridge. He had let it go on for far too long, thinking, no, telling himself that Tuk was fine. That he laughed and joked and nothing was amiss. That he just wasn¡¯t tired because they barely had to fight these days. But it had all been an excuse.


    He had failed Tuk.


    He had seen the signs and had ignored them. Why? Was it for fear of getting too close? He thought he had already overcome that. Was it for having to choose between his dad and the party? It couldn¡¯t be, he had also dealt with that, right? Or, in the end, was it still the old Clean versus Unclean situation? However, he thought he had also resolved that.


    Those thoughts were a thing of the past. He had embraced the party. Become one of them. Fully. And he had decided that they, and they alone, mattered at the moment, and that there was nothing he could do for his dad now, nor for the next few years. He also hadn¡¯t thought of them as Clean for a long while now.


    So why, why had he not spoken to Tuk? Why had he been so quick to trust Tas? How had he allowed himself to be so blinded to what he was, inadvertently, doing to their party?


    Had he just not been as full in as he thought? Was something else still holding him back?


    He closed his eyes and shook his head.


    Maybe he was being too hard on himself. Maybe he had just not spoken to Tuk because he didn¡¯t know what to tell the trugger. Though maybe, as usual, he over complicated it. What Tuk needed was just someone to tell him it was not his fault, and that it was alright. And he should have told him so from the very beginning¡­


    He took a deep breath.


    I¡¯ll talk with Tuk, and knock some sense into Kur, even if it seems like he¡¯s aware of it now. This too is part of my duties to this party. And a way to protect them.


    He exhaled, and turned his neck, loosening the tension that had built up on it.


    He felt a little better.


    He would do better.


    He cared for them. For all of them. There really was no issue in that, and at last, he admitted to himself that he did care for them. A lot.


    He wanted to get out with all of them. What came after the Climb, he didn¡¯t know, but for now, he had to work hard alongside everyone to bring their party back together.

 Chapter 67 - More Victims

    It was painful to watch Jul stumbling forward.


    After three sleepless nights, and three days of barely sleeping while Nar carried her, the scout was unsteady on her feet, as she supported the full capabilities of her senses.


    Not a single sound of discomfort, or a protest, came out of her though.


    Kur watched her with fierceness. Every time she tripped and swayed, he was there to keep her steady. He didn¡¯t fail once. Even Tuk, Cen and Mul had withdrawn closer to the center, to cover her.


    Tas had tried to take over from Kur, as their party leader ordered them away from the center of the room, and closer to the relative cover of the left wall. However, Mul had glared at him, shutting him up before Kur had even had a chance to speak.


    Nar swelled with pride. For Jul, and for the party, which seemed to be coming back together once more.


    Tas tried Tuk next, but the trugger wasn¡¯t having it either. He barely replied to Tas¡¯ questions and prompts. All that the red leader seemed to be able to get out of Tuk were grunts and monosyllabic sounds. And at the front, even Viy seemed to be giving Wik the cold shoulder, replying only with one or two sentences to his incessant pestering.


    By the way Gad kept staring back at him, Nar was sure she was about to snap at him.


    Seeing his party gave him a grim sort of satisfaction. He knew that these people had been through a lot, but the way they had behaved was inexcusable.


    Of the three of them, Rel was the only one that Nar had no issues with. She had kept to herself most of the time, and had done her job flawlessly, not even once complaining, and even going so far as to resist all attempts by Tas to let Nar handle the poisoner bolts.


    As he glanced at her, still limping by his side, he couldn¡¯t deny a certain feeling of respect for the archer.


    She endured her pain in silence. She kept up the pace, and had never asked them to go slower for her. She had never complained or shied away from any fights, despite Tas¡¯ insistence. If anything, given her condition, Nar wished she had actually taken it easy.


    Even now, when it was obvious that her party was no longer enjoying the same welcome, she didn¡¯t even seem fazed by it.


    As he thought this, Tas sped up to walk besides Wik. They didn¡¯t speak, but they had an obvious conversation with their eyes. Wik looked wild, and Nar frowned at the expression that darkened his face. Was that anger?


    Damn¡­ What in the pile is his problem? Nar wondered, even as Wik¡¯s expression quickly turned bland once more.


    Tas quietly retreated back to his original position, with his head hung low.


    Nar looked between the two of them, and Rel. Throughout the whole thing, neither Tas nor Wik had tried to even engage with her. For her part, she had behaved as though neither of them existed. As though nothing wrong was happening at all.


    Something¡¯s not right, Nar realized.


    Nar glanced from Rel to Tas, and back again.


    These people have spent months together¡­ And they¡¯ve just survived and escaped from the worst thing that can happen to a party. Maybe it''s just me, but¡­ Why is she ignoring them? And why are they ignoring her? Something feels weird. Do they not like each other?


    That was a possibility. Back in the cubeplant, after the battle against the cannibals, many people had tried to jump to different parties, not liking the one they had initially picked¡­ But was that it? Somehow, that didn¡¯t seem like it. He just couldn¡¯t shake the sudden feeling of unease that took over him.


    ¡°Jul? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Nar stopped in formation, as they halted.


    Kur held his hands slightly up, at his sides, ready to catch Jul if needed. He had followed her to the mouth of a dark corridor that split from theirs, and watched her as she inhaled deeply, poking her head into the corridor.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Nar left her to it, and turned to face the darkness behind him. He used just the barest of touches from his [Sight], just to ensure that nothing had managed to sneak up on them again. Kur had asked him to keep his senses to a minimum, in case he needed to take over from Jul.


    After a few tense seconds however, he lowered his sword. There was nothing there.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Rel asked him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Will I try mine?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine for now,¡± Nar told her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t strain yourself.¡±


    She stared at him for a moment. As the moment stretched, Nar felt increasingly more awkward, knowing she was staring at him out of the corner of his eyes. Eventually though, she stepped back from him, closer to the middle of the party.


    What was that about? He wondered, resisting the urge to turn his head to look at her.


    ¡°I sense something,¡± Jul said then. ¡°But I can¡¯t be sure.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°It feels like last time¡­ Before we saved them.¡±


    ¡°Crystal!¡± Cen said, covering her mouth.


    ¡°You mean, more Climbers that are¡­¡± Tuk said, and he was unable to finish the sentence.


    Jul nodded.


    ¡°You smelled them?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°I-What? No! I mean, yes? I mean, it¡¯s like a mix of all my¡­¡±


    ¡°Jul,¡± Kur stopped her, gently.


    ¡°I-Yes. Sorry! It¡¯s very faint, but I sense it. And for a moment I swear I heard¡­¡±


    She looked away.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Something bad. And¡­ Crying.¡±


    The words settled like a lump of jagged aetherium inside Nar¡¯s stomach, spreading its toxic waste through his veins. He bared his teeth without even noticing it, and his heartbeat faster.


    ¡°Crystal have mercy,¡± Mul whispered. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re being hunted already,¡± Tas said, in a very low voice.


    ¡°And they¡¯re armed properly,¡± Kur said. ¡°And organized.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it''s a trap?¡± Gad asked. ¡°They know we saved their party. They could be trying to lure us in.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Kur said, staring at the floor.


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Wik said.


    His eyes blazed, and his spear swished at his side.


    ¡°Are we just going to let them be?¡± he asked, glaring at them.


    ¡°Wik,¡± Tas said, half-heartedly.


    ¡°You know exactly what they¡¯re doing!¡± Wik shouted. ¡°You know! You saw it!¡±


    Rel looked down at the floor, and swayed on her feet. Nar moved a bit closer to her, just in case she dropped.


    ¡°We saved you,¡± Kur said, looking at Tas. ¡°We need to save them too.¡±


    ¡°What if it''s a trap?¡± Tas asked. ¡°What if they know you¡¯re going to try and do the same again? It could be revenge! It could be¡­¡±


    ¡°Tas! Enough!¡± Wik shouted.


    ¡°We could all end up like that again!¡± Tas yelled.


    Kur raised his hands and stepped in between the two of them.


    ¡°You¡¯re both right. We need to help, but we need to be careful about it. As it is, we''re not even sure, are we?¡±


    That question was aimed at Jul and she shook her head.


    ¡°It was only for a moment that I¡­ Heard it. I know the cannibals are there. And I still sense something, but it¡¯s not as strong as it was for them,¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Could be further away,¡± Gad ventured. ¡°Or it could be just one Climber.¡±


    ¡°Or they could already be dead,¡± Mul added.


    ¡°Only one way to find out!¡± Wik said, nearly spitting out the words.


    He glared at Nar.


    ¡°Send him! Him and Jul! They can see in the dark. They can sneak up close enough to check!¡±


    Kur and Nar exchanged a glance. It was the best idea. If anything, that had been the unspoken plan from the very beginning.


    ¡°You¡¯d be sending both of our senses away!¡± Gad said. ¡°I should go with Jul!¡±


    Wik frowned at her. ¡°You can¡¯t see. What if they have to run back?¡±


    ¡°Then send me with Nar!¡± she retorted.


    ¡°How¡¯s that different? And isn¡¯t that more dangerous? You would have to get closer!¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t you have [Sight] too?¡± Gad asked, pointedly.


    ¡°I-Well, it¡¯s not as good as theirs,¡± Wik said, babbling. ¡°I still need light! You think I wouldn¡¯t go, if I could?¡±


    The two of them glared at each other. It was rare to see Gad openly angry. In fact, Nar had only ever seen her like that once before, when they had discovered that Cen had been hiding her [Aura Projectile] from them. As it was, she looked ready for a fight, and Nar wasn¡¯t sure if it was with the cannibals.


    ¡°Alright, alright. Calm down,¡± Kur said. ¡°Gad, I hate it too, but I don¡¯t see any other option.¡±


    He looked at Jul.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I understand,¡± she said, standing up straighter.


    She tried to look calm, ready, but it was impossible to miss the little quiver at the end of her sentence.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kur whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be with Nar.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll keep her safe,¡± Nar promised.


    ¡°Keep the both of you safe!¡± Gad said, nearly snarling it. ¡°If you¡¯re not back in 10 minutes I¡¯m going after you! And I don¡¯t care if I need to feel my way to you!¡±


    Nar smiled. ¡°I expect nothing less from you.¡±


    Looking around at the others, Nar saw the same sentiment echoed in each and every one of them. It formed a lump on his throat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the party view either!¡± Kur told him. ¡°Damn, should¡¯ve finished setting up those messages¡­¡±


    Nar smiled. ¡°Flash once for help is about all we¡¯ll need, I think.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Kur said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be fine,¡± Jul said.


    Wik tapped his spear against the floor.


    ¡°Hurry! We don¡¯t want to be too late!¡± he said.


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Tas said. ¡°If you¡¯re doing it¡­ If we are doing it, we might as well be on time to actually save them.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Nar said. ¡°Jul, are you ready?¡±


    The scout offered him a smile, marshaling all of her bravery.


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Be safe!¡± Gad shouted after them, as they stepped into the darkness of the side corridor. ¡°If anything happens, just shout! It will help us find you.¡±


    And all the cannibals too, Nar thought, but her words still meant the Nexus to him.


    ¡°Will do,¡± he said. ¡°Come on, Jul. Just like last time.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    And, stealing their nerves with one last deep breath, they stepped into the darkness and were swallowed.

 Chapter 68 - Searching In The Dark

    The temperature slowly dropped as they left the strange, sweltering corridor behind. And in the tight corridor they now found themselves in, Nar thought that the warmth was almost pleasant.


    If he reached out with both arms, he could almost touch the walls on either side of him. The ceiling however, very quickly turned into an empty, impenetrable void above their heads. The difference was jarring.


    He would have preferred the claustrophobic feeling of having the ceiling touching his head, rather than entertain all the thoughts of everything that could be hiding in that darkness above them.


    ¡°Anything?¡± he whispered to Jul.


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep going then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while already. Gad will come after us.¡±


    Nar stifled a laugh. The thought of the tank feeling her way towards them was quite something.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Kur will let her do it. Come on, let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    They sneaked along the corridor as fast as they could, and Nar breathed in relief when Jul guided them into another corridor. Just as small, but now with a low ceiling covering their heads.


    The two Climbers were completely submerged in pitch black. The comforting light of the yellow arrows had long disappeared behind them, and Nar now walked guided by the strange black and white Nexus of lines that his [Sight] granted him.


    He cast a cursory glance at Jul, who walked just a half step behind him. He couldn''t make out her facial features, or hair, or any such details. The figure beside him was like a much over simplified version of the quam. He saw legs, arms, a torso, and a head, and that was pretty much it.


    I wonder what she can see, Nar thought.


    In that small moment of distraction, his foot landed just a smidge harder than he intended too, and Nar winced at the loud, echoing sound that it caused.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Jul whispered.


    ¡°What? Oh, yes. Yes. Sorry,¡± he whispered back. ¡°I¡¯m just so loud.¡±


    ¡°A little bit,¡± she agreed, and Nar could¡¯ve sworn he heard the laughter in her voice.


    He shook his head.


    ¡°How are you doing it?¡± he asked her.


    Unlike him, Jul was practically non-existent to his [Hearing]. He couldn¡¯t hear her steps, or her breath, or even the sound of her clothes as she moved. If not for his [Sight] telling him that she was there, he would¡¯ve never known the scout was standing right by his arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s a scout thing,¡± she said, with a shrug. ¡°I think we¡¯re supposed to be good at sneaking around.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s nice,¡± Nar said, impressed.


    She raised a hand, and stopped.


    ¡°I heard it again,¡± she whispered. ¡°Someone¡¯s hurting¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn it! Let¡¯s hurry then!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    She took them down the length of the corridor, and a stairwell of twisting metal rose up into the darkness.


    Nar glimpsed at the time as he stepped onto it, and froze.


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been almost fifteen minutes. We¡¯re going much further than the last time,¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Oh. You¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t notice it.¡±


    Nar turned around to face her.


    ¡°We¡¯ve walked a lot already. Do you know if we¡¯re close?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I think I definitely heard someone crying.¡±


    Nar took a deep breath, considering their options. On one hand, he wanted to rescue the poor Climber, and they needed to be sure before they dragged the others into the dark with them. On the other hand, they were getting further and further from the party.


    Despite what Gad had said, Nar had serious doubts about their ability to find them in the dark. Especially if they got captured.


    Jul tapped his arm.


    ¡°Will we¡­¡±


    She tensed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I heard it again. It really sounds like crying. I¡¯m sure of it!¡±


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll keep walking for a while longer then.¡±


    She nodded, and passed a hand over her antennae. ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    Nar squeezed her shoulder briefly. ¡°I know. Me neither. But it will be okay, we¡¯ll save them.¡±


    Together, they climbed the narrow, twisting, stairwell.


    Again, Nar marveled at how quiet Jul was, compared to his loud, echoing, metallic steps. No matter how much he tried to be quiet, how gently he laid down his feet, it still sounded like a pileslide to his ears.


    A few, loud, seconds later, they got off the stairwell. It continued up into the unknown darkness, and they soon left it behind.


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I need to tell you something,¡± she whispered. ¡°Well, maybe I should tell you two somethings.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just, I¡¯m scared you¡¯ll be mad.¡±


    Nar chuckled quietly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t.¡±


    They walked onto a chaotic mess of metal walkways that spread into the darkness. Up, down, right, left, and in all the diagonal variations. Jul pointed to the left walkway, and they walked alongside the wall.


    Again, exposed. Can¡¯t tell what¡¯s up. Can¡¯t tell what''s down. No idea whatsoever what''s around us. Why are there so many corridors and walkways and levels and stuff?


    People always said that the B-Nex was like a maze that housed untold cubeplants, all working to recycle aetherium for the rest of the Nexus. But he hadn¡¯t fully comprehended the meaning of maze back then. And now that he did, he wondered why everything was so big and convoluted as it was.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    It had taken them nearly four whole months just to reach the Mid-Levels. Even the tutorial itself, that endless corridor, had stretched on for nearly two months. The scale of the B-Nex was humbling, and they weren¡¯t even at the exit yet. And that was assuming they were taking a somewhat straightforward path up¡­


    Just how big is this place? And what in the Nexus is down there? He wondered, looking down. What I wouldn¡¯t do for a light. A big, proper light.


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    Oh shit.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Did you forget about me?¡±


    He swallowed hard, and regretted it. He was sure she heard it.


    ¡°You did!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I hate being in open places like this! I got distracted!¡±


    The sigh that came from behind him almost smothered him.


    ¡°So. You were saying?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want to tell you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Come on, Jul! I just got a bit distracted,¡± he pleaded. ¡°You can¡¯t tell me that this stuff doesn¡¯t bother you? There could be anything around us!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re okay. There¡¯s nothing here,¡± she told him. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ You¡¯re messing! Pile! I can¡¯t believe it!¡±


    She laughed through her hands.


    ¡°You deserved it.¡±


    ¡°I did¡­ Anyways, what where you going to say?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    She took a deep breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s just. The others. The new Climbers?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t like them.¡±


    Nar stopped and faced her.


    ¡°Wait. What?¡±


    That was not what he had been expecting.


    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯ve made us go¡­ Bad somehow,¡± she said, struggling for the right words. ¡°Wrong.¡±


    ¡°You mean our party?¡±


    She nodded. He couldn¡¯t see her expression in the dark, but her entire outline fidgeted and squirmed.


    ¡°Everything feels wrong now. It didn¡¯t use to be like this.¡±


    Nar nodded slowly. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t like them much either. Other than Rel, the other two are pretty much rattling my receptor all the time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Rel¡¯s okay!¡± Jul said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for her.¡±


    ¡°Me too. But, look¡­ I think Kur and the others have realized what¡¯s been happening. And I think things are about to get better again. Back to normal.¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± she whispered. ¡°I really don¡¯t like those two. Especially Wik. Sometimes I sense that he¡¯s actually not a nice person at all.¡±


    Nar seized her shoulders. His breath stopped, stuck in his throat.


    ¡°Nar? A-Are you angry?¡± she asked, in a tiny voice.


    Nar¡¯s heart beat so fast it hurt. So fast it made him dizzy.


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry, Jul. I¡¯m scared. I need you to help me now, okay? I need you to focus. Can you do that? This is important!¡±


    She gave him a little nod.


    ¡°Thank you. Just there, what did you say?¡±


    ¡°I-I said I don¡¯t like them. I really don¡¯t like them. Is that bad?¡±


    ¡°It''s not,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t like them either. What I meant was, what did you say after that?¡±


    Dread had broken out in his mind, and slowly spread through the rest of his body. A thought. A single thought. A possibility¡­ He felt like he was about to be sick.


    Was he scaring her? Hurting her? He didn¡¯t want to. That was the last thing he wanted right now! But he needed her to focus.


    ¡°After?¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Yes, after.¡±


    Damn, he had scared her! Crystal damned idiot! She was talking slower and slower. She was about to shut down!


    ¡°After¡­ Well, I said¡­ I don¡¯t remember. You¡¯re scaring me! Did I do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No! No¡­ You didn''t! I completely agree with you. I just want to know what you said about Wik. You know, what you just said.¡±


    ¡°What I just said? Oh! You mean, about how I sometimes sense that¡­¡±


    She gasped, and in that moment, she came back from the brink. And Nar had the confirmation he did not want.


    ¡°Crystal! I sensed!¡± she said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I realize it? Nar! I sensed danger from him! I was too tired! I didn¡¯t think! I-I-I¡­¡±


    He covered her mouth.


    ¡°Jul, we need to be quiet now,¡± he whispered. ¡°I think we¡¯ve been tricked.¡±


    She mouthed ¡°why?¡± against his palm.


    He removed the hand from her mouth and leaned in to whisper in her ear.


    ¡°Jul, can cannibals sense too?¡±


    She didn¡¯t make a sound, but Nar felt her tense. She gripped him, almost hugging him. Around them, the dark was almost suffocating.


    ¡°Maybe not before, but these ones?¡± she whispered. ¡°They¡¯re stronger¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Her grip tightened.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been walking away from us,¡± she whispered. ¡°Taking us farther away from the others.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡±


    ¡°But then, that means Wik is¡­¡±


    He covered her mouth again. She had raised her tone too loud.


    He didn¡¯t know if cannibals had senses. They were ex-Climbers, but they were supposed to have been cut off from the System in their fall to madness. [Hearing], [Sight], [Smell], and even [Instinct] were things they were not supposed to have access to anymore. And yet, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he had arrived at the right conclusion.


    He didn¡¯t know how it was possible, but given how much stronger those cannibals were, it was the only explanation that made sense. Somehow, these had held onto their attributes¡­ And Wik, Tas and even Rel. They had tricked them. They were working with the cannibals!


    But, why? It doesn¡¯t make any sense! He screamed inside his own mind. How would anyone do something like this?


    ¡°Nar, what do we do?¡± Jul whispered.


    ¡°Listen,¡± he said, pulling his thoughts back into order. ¡°We need to be very quiet. We need to go back.¡±


    ¡°Should I pulse back to the group?¡±


    They had never actually used that feature of the party view. To be honest, Nar had pretty much forgotten about the party view itself. It was helpful to Kur to know what was happening with everyone, but in the midst of chaos, the extra portraits and bars were just too much of a distraction for Nar. He had used it once, and forgotten about it. Even just there, after Kur had reminded him about it, just before they had left, he had forgotten about it once more.


    ¡°No,¡± he said, after a brief moment of thought. ¡°It will just scare them. Make them think we are in trouble.¡±


    ¡°But we are in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, we think we are. We could be wrong.¡±


    ¡°Still!¡±


    ¡°I know. But we don¡¯t know what the others will do if we signal them,¡± Nar said. ¡°What if they split up to come help us? That would just make it easier for the other three to attack them! Wik''s level 27! He can probably take two or three of us at once!¡±


    She inhaled shakily. ¡°Okay. Okay¡­ So we walk back, and tell them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s our best option.¡±


    Jul looked towards the direction they had been walking towards.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been stopped for a long time,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯ll be suspicious. I think they¡¯ll chase us once we turn back.¡±


    Nar passed a hand over his mouth and considered Jul.


    Her grip on his clothes was so tight, it probably hurt her fingers. And despite everything that he suspected she had gone through in life, she was now hugging him. Out of fear, yes, but it still warmed his heart that she trusted him that much. That perhaps she could really heal and open up again. At least to the party.


    He could never betray that trust. The damage would be beyond measure. Perhaps even irreparable.


    ¡°Jul,¡± he said.


    He hugged her and she gasped.


    ¡°I need you to trust me now, okay?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to run?¡±


    ¡°We are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°I know. But it will be okay.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t leave me behind?¡±


    ¡°Never. I swear it on my dad¡¯s life. I¡¯ll never leave you behind.¡±


    She hugged him then, properly, for real, and took a shaky breath.


    Nar¡¯s heart beat with abandon now. The fear ran thick in his veins and clouded his mind. Even his [Sight] and [Hearing] flickered on and off.


    They were in a bad spot. Really bad.


    If the other three were really working with the cannibals, and if the cannibals had managed to drag them all the way out here, there was no telling how many were hiding in the dark, or if they had blocked their path back to the party.


    He checked his party view, for perhaps only the third or fourth time since Kur had unlocked it. He could see all of their portraits and status on his UI. Wik, Tas and Rel had never officially joined their party, and now, Nar wondered if that hadn¡¯t been part of the deception. They seem okay for now, Nar thought. He was sure if anything had happened, there would¡¯ve been a fight, and some injuries at least. But everyone¡¯s HP was still full.


    ¡°Everyone looks okay, for now,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Yes, I just checked,¡± she whispered.


    He nodded, still holding on to her.


    Now came the hard part. He had to get back to them, and inform the others of the betrayal.


    Only the Crystal knew how many cannibals now stood in their way, and Jul was already beyond exhausted. Could he carry her while he fought? Could he swing his sword without dropping her? Was he strong enough to bring her back to safety?


    I have to be.


    He checked his stamina.


    90%. Some to carry her, some for my senses. A lot of it to fight.


    It was fortunate that Tas had kept him from seeing any action when he had joined them. And afterwards, Rel had helped with her stubbornness. It had left him nearly full, even with his senses usage.


    Can they really be in on it? He wondered. Wik, I can see. But Tas, he looked so scared. So real! And what about Rel? You can¡¯t fake that kind of sickness!


    He shook his head.


    Now¡¯s not the time. I¡¯ll find out when I get there.


    ¡°Jul. We¡¯re going to walk, okay? Just walk. As quietly as we can.¡±


    ¡°And if they find out?¡±


    ¡°Then we run. And if you can¡¯t run, I¡¯ll carry you.¡±


    She gripped him so hard, he had trouble breathing. How did a scout have so much [Strength] in her?


    ¡°You can¡¯t fight like that,¡± she breathed, shaking in his arms.


    ¡°Of course I can. Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    He pushed her away from him. He had to use some force.


    ¡°We have to go now. Remember, I swear I will never leave you behind,¡± he told her.


    ¡°You swore it on your dad¡¯s name,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°He means more to me than the Crystal.¡±


    He watched her rub her eyes.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go. The others need us,¡± she said, her tone firm.


    Nar stepped to her right and took one of her hands in his left.


    ¡°Come on. Quietly.¡±

 Chapter 69 - Hunted

    Slowly, with his heart in his mouth, Nar guided Jul back towards the stairwell.


    Damn. Why did we walk so far?


    An injured, hurting Climber. The cannibals had tricked them good.


    The seconds trickled by, and the stairs were still not in sight.


    Jul pulled him back.


    ¡°They¡¯re there! In front of us! Blocking the stairs!¡± she whispered.


    Nar¡¯s sword shook.


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°Three! And more coming down!¡±


    He forced his arm to stop shaking. He wasn¡¯t going to let them have Jul.


    ¡°Okay. We don¡¯t have a choice then,¡± his voice sounded flat. Emotionless even. ¡°I¡¯m going in, I''ll surprise them. You come after me.¡±


    She squeezed his hand and then let go.


    ¡°Okay! Be careful!¡±


    ¡°Remember. I promised!¡±


    And with that, he willed his body to be filled with his attributes. [Speed], [Agility], [Reflex], and all the others. Energy flooded him.


    In a flash, he was there.


    He opened the first woman¡¯s stomach before she even realized he was there.


    The second woman went for his throat and he slashed at her. No finesse.


    Blood sprayed his face and mouth, hot and metallic, from her two new stumps and chest. She fell screaming at his feet, waving her ruined arms, and he kicked her out of his way.


    He spun to attack the last one, a guy, a big altei, but he was too late. The guy¡¯s massive, hot hands fell on his shoulders, and blocked his sword. Through his enhanced senses, he could hear Jul running towards him.


    The guy¡¯s rotten breath hit him like a physical blow and he went for Nar¡¯s throat.


    Nar grabbed him by the neck and pushed him back before the cannibal could bite down. The altei spit and snarled at him, and Nar struggled to hold him back. He couldn¡¯t get his sword up, in between them, they were too close.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± Jul shouted.


    Nar did the only thing he could think of. He let the cannibal push him backwards, back out onto the walkways.


    Surprised by the sudden lack of resistance, the cannibal tumbled heavily after him. Nar quickly side stepped him, breaking free from his grip, and pushed him.


    He screamed and ran the guy over the railing.


    The cannibal tried to hold on, but the momentum was on Nar¡¯s side.


    Nar watched the outlines of his body be swallowed by the impenetrable darkness. The guy¡¯s screaming slowly faded, but Nar never heard an impact.


    He stared into the darkness below, panting. His mind reeled from the violence of what he had just done.


    Jul ran into him and shook him.


    ¡°Come on! They¡¯re coming!¡±


    Nar could hear them coming down the stairs, closer now, and he was sure that the others would be chasing them from behind too.


    He grabbed her hand again and dashed to the stairs.


    They ran down, fueled by their fear and the nearing steps echoing from above them. The cannibals knew that their trick was up, and they weren¡¯t being quiet anymore.


    They howled and laughed, and shouted abuse at them from above. Nar pulled on Jul even harder, trying to get more [Speed] out of her.


    When they got to the last step, Jul pulled him back.


    ¡°Nar¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ Breathe!¡±


    Nar got down and pulled her up onto his back without a word. He ran down the corridor with all the [Speed] and [Strength] he could muster.


    ¡°Nar! The others¡­ UI!¡±


    Nar triggered his party view, and saw that Kur¡¯s and Gad¡¯s portraits were flashing repeatedly.


    ¡°Shit! Hang on!¡±


    They ran, the warm air blowing in their faces. Jul hung to him with all her might, probably so Nar could use his arms to fight.


    ¡°Nar! Ahead!¡±


    The real test was here.


    ¡°Hold on tighter!¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    She did, and he didn¡¯t hear her breathing anymore from how hard she struggled to help him. Her efforts were not in vain though. The weight lifted off his left arm and he gained more mobility in his right, sword bearing arm.


    Cannibals ran at them from ahead. And from the back, he heard them coming too. He couldn¡¯t let them surround him. He couldn¡¯t let them hold him either. If they managed to drag him down, it would all be over.


    He had to be fast.


    He had to be brutal.


    He dropped the first cannibal, dead and eyeless. The second one he stabbed through the neck.


    He held the sword in both hands and cut and hacked. He didn¡¯t let them crowd him. He didn¡¯t let himself hesitate. He didn¡¯t kill all of them in a single strike, but he made sure to at least maim with every hit.


    A void filled his mind. He was briefly aware of it. It was the same empty feeling that had made him lose it on the bridge. But then, he was through, covered in blood and gore and leaving behind a trail of dead and dying sentients.


    People. Cannibals. But people.


    ¡°Where to?¡± he growled.


    ¡°To the left! Be careful, there¡¯s more!¡±


    Nar stepped into the corridor without a ceiling and nearly died.


    He ducked under the massive two-handed hammer and dashed under the swing. He flicked his sword out and let it slice into the woman¡¯s stomach and out through her back.


    The dodge and attack cost him though. Another woman was right behind the first, and she had a dagger in her hands. It was small, and it was fast, and cut at his side.


    Nar cried out and sped past the duo.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Jul cried.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Just keep holding on!¡±


    More cannibals came at them, and more chased from behind.


    I need to get to the party. I need to get to the party.


    His own blood drained from his side, and he glimpsed the [Bleeding] status effect under his status. He just hoped it didn¡¯t make the others panic.


    ¡°Nar, you¡¯re [Bleeding]! Oh, my Crystal! Put me down! I¡¯ll fight!¡±


    ¡°With what? Your hands? Just hang on!¡±


    ¡°No! But I¡­¡±


    He went through another group of cannibals, downing them with hatred. It was not enough that they had failed at their own Climb, they had to try and stop theirs too?


    Ah! Let them try!


    The blade was a blur in front of him, drawing wide arcs of blood of many colors. He downed enemies from races he had never even seen before, and the fact that this was his introduction to them, only fueled his rage and hatred for them even more.


    The corridors in front of him shrunk and elongated. Stretching endlessly in a cacophony of screaming, shouting and [Instinct].


    Jul guided him right and left, up and down. The cannibals had done well. Their plan had been perfect. How had Nar allowed them to get so far from the party? He had been distracted, focused and obsessed with saving whoever the cannibals had been torturing. It had been the perfect trick for his bleeding heart. He didn¡¯t even know if there had actually been someone in need of saving or not.


    ¡°Almost there!¡± Jul shouted.


    Almost.


    His stamina had drained at a rate he had never seen before. Had he used his skills? He couldn¡¯t tell. He could barely see in the dark anymore. The outlines were blurred and incomplete. He was getting tired and slower, and the cannibals were scoring hits. His body burned from the dozen bruises and cuts they had managed to inflict upon him, and Jul was getting heavier too. But he would never let go of her.


    Come on. Come on!


    He snarled at their enemies and bashed and hit them. Only enough to run through, to escape the sharp nails that drew blood from his neck and shoulders, and that pulled at his clothes, in attempts to bring him down, where they could swarm him.


    Jul suddenly screamed and he felt her grip loosen.


    He shouted and adjusted his mad dash to account for the weight change, but her arm quickly returned to his neck, wet, and she was steady once more.


    ¡°Are you hurt! Are you bleeding?¡± he panted.


    ¡°It¡¯s not mine! Keep going! We¡¯re almost there!¡±


    And they were. Thank the Crystal they were!


    He could just see the yellow light just up ahead.


    However, he didn¡¯t hear any sounds of fighting and the others had stopped flashing them.


    ¡°Nar, something¡¯s not right! Wait!¡±


    He had a feeling she was right, but they had no other choice. The cannibals behind them were almost on top of them. They had nowhere else to go but forward.


    He burst into the light and saw several things all at once.


    Rel had her bow notched and ready, and aimed at Tuk. She was crying.


    Tas held Cen by the throat, and held a bone dagger to her neck. He was bleeding from his nose and Mul was passed out behind him, under the weight of two cannibals.


    Kur was down and bleeding from his side, and Gad stood over him, defiant, but not moving. Viy sat next to Kur. She pressed down on his wound with an expression of pure shock.


    Nar let go of Jul just as his [Instinct] warned him.


    He blocked the spear and was flung backwards.


    Hands reached at him from behind and he spun and cut with abandon, snarling as fresh blood splattered across his face.


    He squeezed every last bit of everything he had within him, and threw himself at the cannibals that blocked the rear of the party.


    They recoiled from his violence and rage. Cowering. Opening a path.


    ¡°Jul, go!¡± he roared.


    He turned back and stopped the spear thrust that would have killed him.


    Wik glared past him.


    ¡°After her, you fucking idiots! Don¡¯t just stare!¡± he shouted.


    The spear blurred in his hands, and Nar¡¯s sword did the same, as he blocked the blow once more.


    ¡°Gotta give it to you!¡± Wik said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would make it back. And with her, no less. I always knew you were the worst of the bunch!¡±


    He jumped back and grinned savagely at him.


    ¡°Too bad though,¡± he said, pointing the spear at Cen. ¡°Drop it!¡±


    Nar looked at Cen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Nar! Just kill him!¡± she begged, angry, through her tears. ¡°Please! Don¡¯t do it!¡±


    ¡°So brave!¡± Wik said. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can keep it up later on. The nights are always rough on meat!¡±


    Nar stepped forward and Wik pushed the tip of the spear into Cen¡¯s chest.


    The caster screamed in pain.


    ¡°Wait! Wait!¡±


    Nar dropped his sword.


    It clanged loudly in the sudden silence, which was punctuated only by Cen¡¯s sobs and Nar¡¯s heavy breathing.


    Wik tutted at him.


    ¡°Pity. I thought I¡¯d finally found a challenge, but you¡¯re just as pathetic as the rest of them.¡±


    He turned his back on him, and waved his hand. The cannibals jumped onto Nar, bringing him down.


    ¡°Why?¡± Nar asked, fighting against their hold. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Wik turned back around. A mad smile split his face, saliva drooling down his chin. The spearman stared at him with dark purple eyes.


    ¡°Because we¡¯ve gotta eat, silly.¡±


    He lifted the butt of his spear high above his head, and grinned at Nar, as though he was sharing an extremely funny joke with him.


    Nar looked up beyond Wik¡¯s face and strange eyes, to the end of the spear about to come down on him.


    Anyone¡­ Anything¡­ Crystal! Please! Something¡­ There has to be something!


    Wik heaved, tensed and prepared to bring the weapon down on him.


    My Climb¡­ My dad¡­ My magic¡­


    Magic?


    [Aura]!


    He had [Aura]! He had loads of it. 48 points of it! More than Cen. More than Tuk. More than any of them.


    He reached down. Down into the place he had shut off months ago. Into the place of pain, misery and disgust he had run from. If it did anything for Cen, maybe it would do for him now!


    He reached down, down, to that place where it came from. Where his hateful [Aura] had to be. His loathsome, disgusting, torturing [Aura]...


    It was now his only chance. His last hope!


    He grasped nothing.


    It did not come.


    ¡°Anything?¡± Wik asked. ¡°For a second, it looked like you had a plan there. But I guess not? Meh! Boring!¡±


    Wik brought the weapon down on his face, and Nar watched it fall.


    I screwed up again.


    That was his last thought before the darkness.

 Chapter 70 - Prisoners

    Conversations.


    Hunger.


    Madness.


    Screams.


    The splitting pain in his head brought him in and out of it. From senseless to delirium, and into senselessness again.


    At some point, there was bright purple. Purple everywhere. Blinding and painful, and he shut his eyes against it, to keep it out of his dreams.


    And the screams! The screams¡­


    It was too much!


    Then he was somewhere darker. Quieter.


    They threw him down and he gasped awake into the nightmare.


    The ceiling blurred and danced above him. Something dark, and of a dirty white color.


    ¡°Nar? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Tuk?¡± Nar managed.


    ¡°Yeah, man. It¡¯s me. Are you okay? That was a nasty hit.¡±


    Hit?


    Cannibals. Jul. Rel. Tas. Wik.


    He sat upright and pulled his sword from storage, ready to start slashing. Instead, his hand grasped nothing.


    The rest of the memories flooded him, and he stared at his empty fist, breathing hard.


    I failed. I failed again¡­ Maybe for the last time.


    ¡°Nar?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯re not bleeding anymore from all those injuries, but that hit to the head¡­ That was bad. How do you feel?¡±


    His head? What did it matter? Soon it would be split open and cannibals would slurp his brain, trading jokes as they feasted on his flesh.


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    Nar? Another voice, in another place, calling for him.


    Nar grabbed Tuk.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Jul? Is she here?¡±


    ¡°Woah! No, man. Don¡¯t worry. You got her out,¡± Tuk said. ¡°That stuff you did there at the end? You opened a way for her and she managed to slip through.¡±


    Nar¡¯s head swam and he leaned down against Tuk¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Thank Crystal,¡± he whispered. That was some small mercy at least.


    Tuk patted his back. ¡°No, Nar. Thank you. Every time I think you¡¯re done surprising me, you do it again. Can¡¯t believe you carried her back like that.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t enough. I should have done better.¡±


    ¡°Better? Come on, that¡¯s just not possible.¡±


    ¡°I could¡¯ve used my [Aura]. I have so much of it. More than you. More than Cen!¡±


    ¡°What? But-But how?¡±


    Nar gasped and pulled back from Tuk.


    ¡°And you! I should¡¯ve told you!¡± Nar said, the words bubbling out of him. ¡°I know what happened at the bridge. It wasn¡¯t your fault! You didn¡¯t have time!¡±


    Tuk went pale. ¡°You saw?¡±


    ¡°I did! And it was not your fault! There was nothing you could have done!¡±


    ¡°Oh, but there was¡­ You didn¡¯t see the whole thing,¡± Tuk said, looking away.


    ¡°What do you mean? You just missed¡­¡±


    Tuk shook his head.


    ¡°It looked like that, yes. But the real reason was that there was another one¡­ Another guardian. And it was aiming at five people, and the other one was aiming at just one. Don¡¯t ask me how I know it. I¡¯m a ranged DPS, I just did. I could tell the trajectories. And in the moment, I had to choose¡­ Five, or one.¡±


    Nar sat back down, heavily.


    ¡°You had to choose?¡± he repeated.


    ¡°I had. And I did.¡±


    Nar raised his hands to his forehead, stunned at the revelation, his brain quaking in pain within his too tight skull.


    ¡°But-But you choose the right option! You saved more of them!¡± he said.


    ¡°No, Nar. The right option was to save them all,¡± Tuk said. ¡°I just wasn¡¯t strong enough. I could only use two rings back then. If I was able to use just one more, it would¡¯ve been enough to save them all. But I couldn¡¯t do it. Because I wasted weeks thinking about whether or not I should or shouldn¡¯t use [Aura].¡±


    ¡°And you were right! There¡¯s magic, Tuk!¡±


    Tuk scoffed. ¡°That just made me feel worse, man. I sacrificed my chances at magic, and I couldn¡¯t even save her life.¡±


    ¡°You saved all of us!¡±


    ¡°Not all,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Not all.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Tuk smiled thinly at him. ¡°It¡¯s alright Nar. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡±


    He motioned to something behind Nar. With a sinking feeling, Nar remembered where he was, and what had happened. His thoughts finally fell into place. Coherent and doomed.


    He was inside a box of some kind. It was made out of a strangely polished yellow material, reminiscent of the bone daggers the cannibals used. The sides were comprised of bars, arranged in uneven rows to make sure he couldn¡¯t pass through them, but spaced wide enough so that those outside could look in.


    And look in they did.


    Tas and Wik stood in the middle of what appeared to be some sort of mismatched ashen cloth construction, the dominant colors being ashen brown, purple and red. Bits and pieces of guardians were mashed together to form columns of some sort that held the cloth up.


    The floors were covered in more of the mismatched cloth, and a bright purple light shone through the clothed walls.


    Wik, sucking on something white and pinkish, opened his arms wide when Nar looked at him.


    ¡°Hi! Now that everyone¡¯s awake and focused, welcome to the end of the Climb,¡± he said, talking through whatever it was he had in his mouth. ¡°It''s the worst end possible, but, oh well, there have been plenty of others before you, and there will be plenty more after. So don¡¯t feel too bad about it, okay?¡±


    Nar looked around him and found the rest of the party in their own strange boxes. Gad was with Cen. Mul was with Kur, who was propped against the back of their box, breathing hard and pale and clutching at his side. And lastly, Viy sat alone in a smaller box.


    ¡°You¡¯re a cannibal,¡± Kur said. His voice was low, a wisp almost.


    Wik pulled out the thing from his mouth.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°What gave it away?¡± Wik asked, waving it around. ¡°The bone? The eyes?¡±


    As mentioned, his eyes had changed from a human dark brown to a sort of purplish brown.


    Nar thought back to the cannibals they had fought to protect the cubeplant. Their eyes had shined purple, but at the time, he had simply thought it was due to the purple arrows. Now, it seemed he had been wrong.


    ¡°Can you put that thing away?¡± Tas asked.


    Wik sighed and sucked the bone wetly back into his mouth.


    ¡°It''s just a snack, damn it. I¡¯ve had it with those fucking crackers. A person needs meat!¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Come on, Wik! Enough!¡± Tas said.


    Wik made a dramatic expression.


    ¡°Enough, Wik. Enough!¡± he said, mocking the zeibar.


    Tas sighed and looked at Kur.


    ¡°Look, guys. This is nothing personal¡­¡±


    ¡°It''s not? Then why don¡¯t you open this thing and we can chat about it?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. That¡¯s the point I¡¯m trying to make. We got captured too!¡± Tas said. ¡°They tortured and ate all the others, and then the boss gave us a choice. Work with them, or satisfy them. What else were we supposed to do?¡±


    Shocked silence met his words.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought so. Not so easy to judge, is it?¡± Tas asked, looking defeated.


    Wik spat out the bone, and it thudded with a muffled sound on the clothed floor.


    ¡°Fuck, man. You make me sick.¡±


    Fear took over Tas'' face and he took a step back from Wik. ¡°Wait! I¡­¡±


    Wik blurred and punched Tas. Before Tas could fall down, Wik grabbed him by the hair and pulled, offering his bloody face to the party.


    ¡°Look at this guy! He always does this!¡± he snarled.


    He grabbed Tas'' jaw and forced it open and shut.


    ¡°Oh! Look at me. I¡¯m Tas. I¡¯m so innocent! I¡¯m sorry I captured you guys. I had no choice. I don¡¯t eat Climbers. I don¡¯t torture anybody! I¡¯m a good guy!¡±


    Wik let go of his face and punched him hard again.


    Once, twice, thrice.


    He let go of Tas and he crumbled, whimpering at his feet.


    ¡°He always comes in here to apologize. To beg forgiveness and tell our sob story. But what¡¯s that you never tell them, Tas? Hmm?¡±


    Wik kicked him, and Tas curled into a ball, moaning.


    ¡°What he doesn¡¯t tell you, is that two cute cannibals have taken a liking to him. And so did he. He¡¯s gonna go straight from here to them. And you know what? They¡¯re all going to have a great time. All. Night. Long!¡±


    Wik kicked him again and Tas spat out a glob of blood.


    ¡°Well, not tonight you are!¡± Wik said. ¡°If you ask me, you''re the sickest of all of us. Rel at least has a real excuse, and I at least am honest about it. I torture. I fuck. I eat. But you¡­ You still think you¡¯re the better of us. Still think you¡¯re some Climber or something¡­ But how many actual Climbers have you brought in by now, uh? Genuine question, cause there¡¯s so many I¡¯ve lost the count.¡±


    Tas crawled to one of the misshapen pillars and pulled himself up. Without another look or word at any of them, he wheezed and panted his way out.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. They¡¯ll kiss it better!¡± Wik shouted after him. ¡°Careful! They might bite, though!¡±


    He took a deep breath and looked around at the stunned faces that stared wide eyed at him.


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m sorry you had to see that. I just can¡¯t stand him,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be very happy soon. Anyways, now that it¡¯s just us, we can have a proper chat. So ask away! Go on, don¡¯t be shy!¡±


    ¡°Are you insane?¡± Tuk blurted.


    ¡°Good first question! And you know what, I do get that a lot. The answer is¡­¡± he shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Maybe, who knows? I do eat people after all. Anyways, boring question. Next?¡±


    He looked around at them, making a show of being some top-level manager who had come to grace the low-born workers under them with their presence.


    ¡°No? Alright, I¡¯ll just carry on then.¡±


    He sat himself down on the floor, facing them all equally in an easy posture.


    ¡°So, before we start, I¡¯d just like to say that me explaining all this stuff is just for my benefit, okay? I love it. I absolutely love it when after a good haul - that¡¯s what we call it, you know, baiting you suckers - I get to sit down with you and rub in your faces all the signs you missed, all the lies you swallowed, and all the ways in which you now find yourselves here,¡± he said, clapping his hands like a happy child. ¡°I¡¯ve found that it really adds a little something to the activities that are going to be following. That might have to wait for tomorrow though. I made sure no one will touch you until the boss gets here. He¡¯s absolutely going to love you guys. You¡¯re the strongest party we¡¯ve hauled so far and¡­ Oh, man! I can¡¯t wait to tell him how we did it! He does love a good story! Anyways, you guys first.¡±


    Nar watched all this as if from a nightmare. He couldn''t move. He couldn¡¯t speak. He didn¡¯t want to listen to this insane cannibal. But he couldn¡¯t do anything but stare and listen.


    ¡°So. Let''s go back to that first day when you saved us,¡± Wik said. ¡°Funny thing is, you were not supposed to. And you want to know what''s even funnier? We didn¡¯t even know you guys were there! You came to us. In the dark! Now, whose fantastic idea was that? Come on, don¡¯t be shy! Who do we all have to thank for being here tonight?¡±


    Nobody said a word. Nobody even looked at Nar. But Nar betrayed himself by looking at the floor with a shattered expression.


    It¡¯s my fault. It''s all my fault. If we had just ignored them¡­


    Wik laughed out in delight.


    ¡°Nar! Of course it had to be you!¡±


    The cannibal crawled to him and reached into the box. Nar and Tuk backed away to the back of the box, pushing away from Wik¡¯s proffered hand.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be afraid! I just want to thank you! After I hand you to the boss, I¡¯ll finally be promoted. A party leader! No more of this baiting and pretending to be a Climber. I¡¯ll be an Other, true and through! So shake my hand? No? Alright, alright. I¡¯ll check again later. These things take time.¡±


    He crawled back to his spot in the middle of the strange cloth construction.


    Nar, curled with Tuk at the back of the box, watched him with shock filled eyes. His heart hammered at his ears. Wik had moved so fast. It had caught him completely by surprise. How was he doing it? He was supposed to be cut off from the System!


    ¡°Anyways, where was I? Hmmmm¡­ Ah! Yes, so you guys found us, and you saved us,¡± Wik continued. ¡°We hadn¡¯t expected to be attacked out in the dark where we were, and Tuk¡¯s [Aura] rings made things complicated for us. You see, usually, we avoid Climber parties that have learned to use [Aura]. It¡¯s just too much trouble, you know. Not worth the hassle.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Cen asked. ¡°What do you mean by learned to use [Aura]?¡±


    ¡°Ooooooh!¡± Wik said, clapping his hands in delight again. ¡°You¡¯re going to love that one. But be patient! I¡¯m building up to it.¡±


    ¡°What? Just tell¡­¡±


    Wik uncoiled in one, long, sinuous movement. Nar watched, wide eyed, the spearman go from sitting, to jumping at Cen and Gad¡¯s box in less than a second. He landed with a foot on the brown clothed floor and one foot against the bars. Cen screamed as the box tilted backwards and slammed back down.


    Gad scooped up the caster into her arms, where she trembled, too scared to utter a sound.


    ¡°I said be patient. I can¡¯t just skip parts of the story, now, can I? Also, don¡¯t bother Mul. Those boxes, cages we call them, are made to block your connection to the System. No attributes. No skills. Nothing!¡±


    Nar sat up straight. He tried his [Sight]. He tried his [Hearing]. Nothing. Just like Wik had said.


    He pulled up his UI, and again, nothing.


    He tried it again and again, but his status never came up. He could still use his inventory, but his sword was not there.


    Mul groaned and shouted, trying to break through the bars to get at Wik, or his sister.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite something, isn¡¯t it?¡± Wik said, looking at Mul¡¯s dark face. ¡°Why do you think we just dropped your weapons over there? To mess with you? Well, you¡¯re right!¡±


    Wik giggled and walked to the lengos. He flicked one of the bars, above Mul¡¯s angry face.


    ¡°No idea how they make them¡­ But I will, soon. Once I get promoted, I¡¯ll be taken Home. The Home of the Others! Where the Truth will be revealed, and I will take my fate amongst the chosen of the boss!¡±


    Wik laughed and panted, alternating between the need to breath and his maniac laugh.


    ¡°But I¡¯m getting lost. Don¡¯t interrupt me again.¡±


    He sauntered about the place and came to lean on Viy¡¯s box. Gad glared at him. They all did. Nar closed his hand around the hilt of his missing sword.


    ¡°Anyways, you¡¯re making this a mess, and I''m getting bored. You saved us, lots of [Aura], blah blah blah!¡± he said, staring longingly at the spearwoman. ¡°Anyways, the idiots fall for your little plan and run after you. But we three are smarter. We stay put. We think fast... What should we do? Rel wants to run away. Get back here. Get another party. I was inclined to follow her, you know, too much trouble and all that, but Tas though? He thought it was a great opportunity. The [Aura] parties are always the strongest! The boss usually hunts them himself, or he sends a bunch of his top leaders to do it. Usually, you guys would be way too much for us to handle. But!¡± he said, raising a finger in a dramatic pose. ¡°But if we stuck to the plan, changed it a bit, yes, but stuck to it... If you took us in, if you heard our sob story, and if you trusted us¡­ Then, that would be a different story, now, wouldn¡¯t it? We would be able to get close. Just like we always do.¡±


    He drummed his fingers against his chin, lost in his own storytelling.


    ¡°Rel was still against it, you know. She always is. She doesn¡¯t want to hunt. She doesn¡¯t eat. She doesn¡¯t torture. She¡¯s no fun¡­ She¡¯s tried to kill herself a couple of times, but that thing in her head always stops her, you know? Anyways, I¡¯m the strongest. I eat and kill the most out of us. So, whatever I say, goes. Plus, I thought that Tas had come up with a good idea for once.¡±


    Wik grinned and looked down at Kur. ¡°You really fell for it, party leader. Damn! I¡¯ve never seen anyone fall to Tas¡¯ make believe as fast as you did. He told you he was some sort of genius, and that he had come up with all those ideas and strategies, and you really believed it. Truth is, Tas doesn¡¯t know shit! All that stuff about the guardians and the fighting and what not, he learned it from the boss!


    ¡°What?¡± Kur whispered.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Tas didn¡¯t know shit until the boss spent all that time teaching him,¡± Wik revealed. ¡°Easier to enhance someone that is already a party leader, than make one from nothing. But I¡¯ll change that! I have you now! The boss will pay attention to me now, and maybe, I can finally kill him! Ohh! If you knew what Tas is really like!¡±


    Wik hugged himself and got lost in his own head. He muttered to himself, and seemed to have forgotten them.


    Nar glanced at Kur. He could not describe Kur¡¯s expression. He felt like he had been punched. He felt ill.


    He had to look away.


    Nar had never thought he would see his party leader cry.


    ¡°So, Tas got you sucked in. But we still needed to deal with Cen and Tuk,¡± Wik said, suddenly, picking up where he had left. ¡°[Aura] users are the strongest Climbers. We couldn¡¯t just throw Others at you. The boss is trying to build up. Not down. He would¡¯ve been angry. Really angry. And we don¡¯t want to see that¡­¡±


    Wik shook his head violently.


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t want that. So, what do we do? Magic!¡±


    He snapped his fingers and pointed at Cen.


    ¡°What are you doing? There is magic! You are breaking your path!¡± Wik said, in a mockery of Tas¡¯ voice.


    Then he shrugged and grimaced at Cen. ¡°Sorry. Turns out, there¡¯s no magic¡­ Who would¡¯ve thought?¡±

 Chapter 71 - Cages

    ¡°No¡­¡± Tuk whispered, in the silence that fell upon them. ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes! There. Is. No. Magic!¡± Wik roared. ¡°There has never been! And there never will be! We didn¡¯t start from the Lower Depths. We started exactly at the same level you guys did! We know what a pile is! We know what an operator is! Tas has shits for brains, but he¡¯s the best damn liar I¡¯ve ever seen!¡±


    He spat at the floor, twisting his lips in disgust.


    ¡°But you know what I haven¡¯t seen?¡± he asked, staring between Tuk and Cen. ¡°Magic! Not even a shred! Our caster died, useless, with her little puffs of air! She refused to believe that [Aura] was the only way! She refused to try it! We all did! And look where we ended up!¡±


    Tuk covered his face. ¡°No. No. No. No. No.¡±


    Wik stalked towards their cage.


    ¡°It was so easy. The three of you were into it. You had figured it out. But the others?¡±


    He stared at Nar, deep, deep into the place where all his thoughts hid. Shamefully.


    ¡°You guys felt guilty about it,¡± he said, in a hushed tone. ¡°You thought you could Climb on the backs of these three. As soon as Tas said that you had made a mistake, you jumped on it! The relief! By the pile! The fucking relief!¡±


    Wik got up and spun in a circle, looking at each one of them in turn.


    ¡°You should have seen your faces! Especially yours, Kur! Although yours was mostly guilt¡­ Once Tas showed you he knew more than you, and that you had risked your party members¡¯ paths, he had you. Eating out of the palm of his dirty, bloody hand you were. Pile! You people are the greatest idiots we have ever baited! You made us work for it, that¡¯s true. Especially the swordsman here and the scout girl. Shame she got away, but she¡¯ll die alone out there anyways. But in the end, we got you! In the end, you¡¯re in the cages. Just like all the others!¡± he shouted, making them flinch.


    He took a deep breath, and the madness was replaced by a bone chilling stillness.


    ¡°Understand this,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s no way out for you. You¡¯re going to be our play things. We¡¯re going to do anything and everything to you. Your worst nightmares? Just the warm up. And when the boss arrives? You¡¯ll wish you had spent your whole lives in whatever cubeplant you came from. You¡¯ll wish you had never dared to dream. You¡¯ll wish you had taken whatever abuse and misery you thought you had. Because now, you¡¯ll suffer for real. You¡¯ll suffer for a long time. You¡¯ll beg for death, and it will not come.¡±


    A sudden scream pierced through the clothed walls. The anguish, the agony, the sheer desperation that forced a person to make such a sound shook Nar to his core. It crumbled whatever thoughts of hope he had left.


    A loud cheer erupted in the silence that followed it, and Wik rushed out to the entrance. He lifted the flap covering the exit and joined his voice to the chaos.


    After a few moments of screaming, he came back to them, laughing.


    ¡°I guess death does come... Eventually! That was Mes. Poor, reliable, useful Mes. They¡¯ve been using him as bait since before I arrived, and it¡¯s been half a year!" Wik said, raising his eyebrows. "Ah, that guy suffered. He wasn¡¯t willing to join us, you know, but that only made his screams and crying all the more convincing. It fooled Jul after all, right? Or maybe that was just because she was too tired, eh, Kur?¡±


    Wik chuckled to himself. ¡°Anyways, guess they finally got tired of him. I need to go get myself a piece before it¡¯s too late. I¡¯m fucking starving! Those crackers do shit all!¡±


    Tuk bent over and puked through the bars.


    Wik twisted his nose at him. His eyes had taken on that terrifying purple tint again.


    ¡°Yeah, better get it all out,¡± he said. ¡°Makes for better eating.¡±


    Suddenly, he spun and ran towards Viy. He shot his hands into her cage and grabbed hold of her ankles before she could do anything.


    Viy screamed and kicked, but his hold was stronger.


    ¡°Leave her alone!¡± Gad shouted, pounding her fists against the cage.


    Wik didn¡¯t even acknowledge her.


    ¡°Viy, my dear Viy!¡± he said. He pulled one of her legs out of the cage and rested his head on it. ¡°Oh, Viy! You¡¯re so perfect¡­ I¡¯ve wanted you from the moment I saw you!¡±


    Viy sobbed and tried to pull her leg back in. The space in between the bars wasn¡¯t that wide, and Wik had forced her leg out as far as he could.


    ¡°But you know who else will think the same? The boss! He has a thing for pale, dark haired beauties like you. Likes to break them, he does. I¡¯ve seen it. It¡¯s horrible. Even I can barely stomach it.¡±


    Nar crawled to the front of the cage and roared, pulling on the bars. Tuk punched them until blood started flying.


    Ignoring them, Wik kept stroking Viy¡¯s leg. ¡°I don¡¯t want that to happen to you, you know. We could be together! If you join me, if you eat and make your friends scream? Yes! That would do! It would show the boss that you¡¯re one of us!¡±


    He ran his hand up her tight, and into her stomach. Viy slapped and punched it, but Wik only sighed and shivered.


    ¡°Think about it, will you, Viy? I can make you happy. Spear partners! We can be great! We can be strong! One on either side of the boss! And we will see the Truth then, together! No one will ever look down on us again! You hear? No one will look down on you ever again!¡±


    Viy screamed with all that she had and Wik finally let her go.


    She pulled her leg back into the cage, and hugged it, curling to the side and sobbing.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Some pain is needed to be free, Viy. And I can be that pain. You just have to want it. Want me...¡±


    He looked around, at the dark, angry faces. The bloodied bars, the hatred filled eyes. He smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you guys later!¡±


    With that, he whooped and ran outside.


    ¡°Viy! Viy! Are you okay?¡± Gad shouted.


    Nar collapsed against the bars, breathing hard. His head felt as though it might just burst open, and a dozen unhealed cuts and bruises across his body made themselves known.


    ¡°Viy?¡± Kur asked, his voice still frail. ¡°Viy!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± she shouted. ¡°Leave me alone!¡±


    Outside, the shouting and howling grew into a sudden frenzy that drowned that desperate silence that filled the air. And when the sounds began, Nar pushed his hands against his ears. He didn¡¯t want to hear what they were doing to Mes. Nor did he want to hear Viy¡¯s crying.


    He couldn¡¯t escape the accusation in her sobs. He had told them to save Tas¡¯ party. He had kept his huge [Aura] secret, for fear that they would have suggested that he use it. Not forced. Not asked. Suggested.


    He should have at least learned to use it. He could have protected them.


    Now¡­ Now it was too late.


    A silent tear ran down his face.


    Crystal, please have mercy on us. Please!


    But why would the Crystal hear? And if it did, why should it care about what sinners did amongst themselves?


    ********


    The last hours of the day dragged into night.


    Without their UI, Nar had no way of keeping track of time.


    He only assumed it was night because the strange, bright purple light outside had dimmed, leaving them in growing darkness.


    The noise, too, had slowly died off. He would never forget the things he had heard in those hours. The begging, the laughing, the crying¡­ The sounds of the things the cannibals did to the Climbers and to each other. It had nearly driven him to pierce his ears with his own fingers.


    Old memories had stirred. Of laughter and sounds like those.


    Trapped between what was going on outside and what was remembered within his own mind, there had been nowhere to escape to. No relief to be had, like some of the others.


    Tuk had cried himself to sleep, and he hadn¡¯t been the only one. Cen was asleep on Gad¡¯s arms, holding on to them with all of her strength. Viy had cried for a long time, and she too, had eventually passed out into blissful sleep.


    Kur had tried to stay awake, but he was too hurt and had passed out as well. He had been stabbed in the side, in a much worse way than Nar¡¯s shallow cut. To make things worse, the cage blocked their healing as well.


    Nar hoped Kur died in his sleep. At least he would be spared from what was coming.


    He leaned his head against the bars, and looked up.


    The cage glowed in the dark. An eerie purple, gaseous glow ran from the bottom of the cage, up the bars, and onto the top of it. Then it pulsed back down again. It had only become visible once the lights had gone dim enough. Nar had refrained from touching the bars at first, but what was the point?


    He had a feeling that maybe it was that pulsing glow that blocked his access to the System. But there was nothing he could do to avoid it. Nothing at all.


    He had located his sword amongst their discarded pile of weapons. They were abandoned to the side of the strange construction. They were close enough to sustain hope, but far enough that none of them could ever actually reach them. And even if they did, then what?


    The cages sapped them of what made them Climbers. Their attributes. Their skills. Their HP and stamina. They were no better than workers now. Weak, like they had been before¡­


    He glanced at the other cages.


    Nar, Gad and Mul were the only ones still awake.


    They didn¡¯t speak. They didn¡¯t even acknowledge the presence of one another.


    The both of them simply stared off into their own thoughts, and so did Nar.


    He thought of the choices he had made and that had taken him there.


    He thought of the choices he had not made, and that would¡¯ve taken him elsewhere.


    If only he had done so and so, instead of this and that. If only.


    Regret was all that he had left.


    That and fear. Cloying, paralyzing dread and terror of what awaited him, come the morning.


    The flap covering the door was suddenly yanked back, and Nar looked up in fright. His heart jumped to a wild run and he held his breath.


    Was it starting now? Was it all truly over?


    ¡°Hurry!¡±


    ¡°Shhh! Be quiet!¡±


    In the near darkness, Nar could only discern the outlines of two vague figures. Without his [Sight], he was blind.


    The voices seemed to belong to a man and a woman, and when they got closer, he knew he was right.


    ¡°They¡¯re really here!¡± the woman whispered.


    ¡°Wait!¡± the man said.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re getting cold balls now?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Wik said these meat are for the boss! The boss! Maybe we shouldn¡¯t be messing with them.¡±


    The woman chuckled. ¡°They¡¯re messed up already! Look at the big guy, bleeding over there! He''s not gonna make it..."


    "But..."


    "Look at him... Dying," she breathed. "I want him!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°What! Don¡¯t tell me he doesn¡¯t look good!¡±


    ¡°I mean, he does, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Come, just do it through the cage. I want to watch it!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, fine! Just for you, then!¡±


    The figures joined together and the sounds of their passion made Nar¡¯s stomach twist.


    His heart beat fast, making his vision come in and out of focus. Big guy? Bleeding? They were talking about Kur!


    Dying? the word nearly stopped his heart.


    What were they going to do through the bars? Kur looked like he was passed out, and Mul had stayed quiet throughout the whole exchange. Was he asleep?


    The cannibals separated with one last, loud, wet smack, and stalked towards Kur and Mul¡¯s cage.


    Nar could barely breathe.


    I need to do something! I need to wake them up!


    He opened his mouth to scream, to warn the others. A pathetic croak escaped his lips. So low that not even the cannibals heard him.


    Why? Why can¡¯t I talk?


    His vision went on and off faster.


    He couldn¡¯t breathe.


    What was that guy doing?


    He kneeled down next to Kur¡¯s prone form and reached into the cage with one hand. With his other hand, he reached for¡­


    Something broke inside Nar.


    ¡°Kur! Wake up!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°Hey! What are you doing! Leave him alone!¡±


    The man recoiled and fell on his ass. ¡°Shit, they¡¯re awake!¡±


    ¡°So what? Keep going! It makes it even better!¡± she said. Her voice had taken on a low drawl, mellow and unctuous.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to call the others!¡± the man said.


    ¡°If they do, then it just means that they all get it!¡± the woman said. She gasped and looked in Nar¡¯s direction. ¡°Is that what you want? Hmm? To join in? I can take you if you want!¡±


    Nar stared at her in horror. What could he do?


    The man reached back into the cage, and this time, it was Mul who jumped up to protect Kur.


    ¡°Fucking got you!¡± Mul shouted.


    He pulled the man¡¯s arm further into the cage and twisted it, throwing all his hatred into it.


    The man shouted in pain but covered his mouth.


    The woman roared in laughter, stumbling backwards. "He got you! He fucking got you!"


    ¡°Mul!¡± Gad shouted. ¡°Crystal! What do we do?¡±


    Kur woke up with a start. ¡°Wha-What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Be quiet!¡± Mul breathed at him, struggling to keep the cannibal still. ¡°Try and choke him through the bars!¡±


    Nar pressed his face against the bars, straining his eyes to see Mul and Kur struggling with the cannibal in the near darkness.


    What should I do? What can I do?


    ¡°Hey! What¡­¡±


    The woman''s voice ended in an abrupt wet gurgle, and she dropped with a muffled thud.


    Nar turned in time to catch a small shadow dart across the room and leap at the man.


    The shadow stabbed him repeatedly, and Kur reached up to cover the man¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Stop, he¡¯s dead!¡± Kur hissed, seconds later.


    Mul dropped the guy''s arm, and the body fell backwards. The shadow side stepped the dead cannibal, and stood there, watching them and breathing hard.


    What just happened? Nar thought, staring at the figure, stunned at the sudden turn of events.


    He squinted, but that didn¡¯t do anything for him.


    ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± the shadow asked in the stunned silence.


    Nar¡¯s jaw dropped.


    ¡°Jul?¡± Mul asked. ¡°Is that you?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I came back," Jul said. "I-I came back! I came to save you! And I¡¯m not going to leave any of you behind!¡±

 Chapter 72 - You Need Me

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Nar hissed. ¡°I told you to run!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not running!¡± Jul shot back at him.


    ¡°My Crystal! Is that Jul?¡± Tuk asked, sitting up.


    ¡°Everyone be quiet!¡± Kur snapped at them.


    Jul stealthy approached Nar¡¯s cage and he heard her messing with something above his head.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t leave me behind, and I¡¯m not going to leave you either!¡± she said, breathing hard.


    Nar gripped the bars and pushed his head against them, ignoring the pain. Relief and hope warred with the thought of Jul falling into the hands of the cannibals. The images that his mind conjured made him want to scream.


    ¡°Jul! Look where we are! Get out! Run!¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m getting you out!¡± she countered. ¡°I¡¯m getting everyone out! We¡¯re all Climbing together, or no one is!¡±


    ¡°Jul! You¡­¡±


    With a snap, the bars that Nar held onto fell forward and he tumbled down after them, rolling right off the bars.


    Something roared into him, and he lost all control of his limbs.


    His sight blinked to nothing and his UI flickered before him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


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    You have been cut from the Source!


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    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Warning!


    You have been cut from the System!


    </td>


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    </tbody>


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    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


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    Warning!


    HP is unavailable. Stamina is unavailable.


    Regular body functioning cannot be restored.


    Danger of death!


    </td>


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    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


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    Warning!


    All attributes blocked!


    Danger of death!


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    </table>


    The warnings flashed directly into his brain.


    A searing heat ignited deep within his soul. A light, of gold and color, roared in indignation and fury at the affront that had been committed against It.


    Who had dared to take one of Its own from It?


    Nar wanted to scream and run from that all-consuming rage but he had no body. He had no mouth and no voice.


    And Something was there with him.


    It was beyond imagining. Beyond description.


    A light that burned so brightly It blinded his very soul. He was but a tiny speck. A grain of aetherium dust. Less. He was nothing. How was he not burned in the face of such a light? How was he still himself? His soul screamed, a garbled incompressible sound that matched the chaos of light and color that he could not reason with.


    And just as he thought he was about to be erased, he gasped and opened his eyes.


    Someone was dragging him across the floor and a hand was clamped shut over his mouth.


    He muttered and struggled, not even able to control his mouth or thoughts. Sheer panic took over and he flailed weakly.


    ¡°Nar! It¡¯s me! Stop!¡±


    That voice! He knew that voice!


    The hand covering his mouth retreated.


    ¡°Jul?¡± he asked, dropping his arms.


    Jul stopped.


    ¡°Yes! Are you okay now? You went all crazy. I had to cover your mouth!¡±


    Nar took a shaky breath. He looked around him through the marvelous power of his [Sight] and saw everything as though the light filtering in from outside was ten times brighter.


    ¡°I can see!¡± he whispered. ¡°I can see again!¡±


    ¡°That must have been the System connecting with you again!¡± Gad said, still inside her cage. ¡°That means we need to be careful when we get out. We can¡¯t let anyone hear us!¡±


    ¡°Nar, can you stand?¡± Kur asked. He had dragged himself over to this side of the cage, and was breathing hard, holding on to his side. ¡°The weapons! You need to cover us!¡±


    Nar didn¡¯t need to be told twice. He stumbled to his feet and ran to the weapons pile.


    His first few steps were wobbly, but by the time he reached the weapons, he was himself again. Not the weakling he had been at the cubeplant, but the attribute empowered Climber that was not ready to give up just yet after all.


    ¡°We need to get Kur out first. He needs his HP!¡± Nar said.


    ¡°No!¡± said Gad and Kur at the same time.


    ¡°Help Tuk first!¡± Gad said, while Kur grimaced in pain but nodded. ¡°We need [Aura]!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll have it!¡± Tuk said. ¡°You¡¯ll have all of it!¡±


    Nar found his sword and a tremor ran up his arm as he held it. He felt a burning behind his eyes and swallowed hard against it. He had thought he would never hold his sword again.


    The flap suddenly opened again.


    ¡°Jul! What¡¯s the hold up?¡±


    The sword glided through the air, silent and deadly. Almost of its own accord. It would not be separated from its owner again. Ever again!This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Nar, wait!¡± Jul said.


    The sword stopped less than an inch from Rel¡¯s neck.


    ¡°You?¡±


    Her eyes went big and she opened her mouth. Nar leaped forward and slapped his other hand over her mouth and dragged her in.


    ¡°Wait! She¡¯s helping us!¡± Jul said. ¡°Stop!¡±


    Nar could barely comprehend the words.


    In a flash, he had Rel pinned under him. His hand still covered her mouth and his sword was directly above her heart. All he needed was a little pressure, and that traitor would be no more. Unable to deceive and harm anyone ever again!


    Jul jumped on him and pushed him away.


    ¡°Crystal! I said stop!¡±


    ¡°She lied to us! She-She¡­¡±


    ¡°She had no choice then!¡± Jul hissed at him. ¡°But she found me sneaking in. She told me everything! She could have called the others on me! But she didn¡¯t!¡±


    Nar stared at Rel. It took every ounce of his willpower not to jump on her again.


    ¡°It-It¡¯s true!¡± Rel said. ¡°And we have to hurry! It¡¯s almost morning! The boss will be here soon and when he gets here, it will all be over!¡±


    ¡°How can we trust you?¡± Kur asked, straining his voice. ¡°You got us into this!¡±


    ¡°I had no choice! I¡¯ll get you out now, but you have to promise me that you¡¯ll take me with you to the end! To the O-Nex!¡±


    ¡°How the fuck can we trust you?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°You have to promise me,¡± Rel said, her eyes boring into Kur. Pleading. ¡°You have to swear on the Crystal that you will take me! There is no path here! Without me, you¡¯ll never escape!¡±


    ¡°The path always shows up!¡± Tuk said.


    Rel shook her head. ¡°Not here. I don¡¯t know why, but there¡¯s no path here. But there is a way. There¡¯s a barrier, a wall of Pressure. The cannibals can¡¯t go through it because they have lost their [Aura]s. But we Climbers have it, so we can go through!¡±


    ¡°You need [Aura] to pass through?¡± Gad asked, frowning.


    However, before Rel could reply to her, Nar stood above the archer.


    ¡°So you¡¯re not a cannibal then?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°No! I never did anything to anyone. Never. I swear on the Crystal!¡±


    ¡°No, but you still lied and tricked them! Their blood is on your hands!¡±


    ¡°Nar! Enough!¡± Kur said. ¡°Rel, I swear by the Crystal, my path, and all that I am, that if you get us to safety, you will Climb with us! But I¡¯ll only give you one chance! One chance only, you hear me? You betray us again, you¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°Kur!¡± Mul said, horrified. ¡°What have you done?¡±


    ¡°Take responsibility,¡± Kur said. ¡°Like I should have done all along. Rel stand watch! Nar help Tuk reconnect to the System! Come on! Quick, before anyone comes!¡±


    With one more glare at Rel, Nar stored his sword away and walked back to his cage.


    ¡°Tuk, come on, we need your awesomeness!¡± he said, extending a hand towards the trugger.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming, man! It¡¯s coming!¡±


    Tuk held his hand and Nar dragged him out. The change triggered immediately, and some of Tuk¡¯s screams escaped before Nar could cover his mouth.


    ¡°Crystal! Shut him up!¡± Mul hissed at him.


    Nar didn¡¯t bother replying. He struggled with Tuk¡¯s convulsing dead weight and dragged him backwards, away from the purple glow of the cage.


    Crystal Almighty! What in the pile is in that thing? He wondered, staring at the purple glowing construct.


    Tuk¡¯s reconnection was brief, and soon he was tapping frantically on Nar¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Crystal, man, are you trying to kill me?¡± he breathed.


    ¡°You almost woke up the whole damn place!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ That was something,¡± Tuk said.


    Nar pulled him up and helped him stand.


    ¡°Hot big colorful light?¡± he asked him.


    Tuk nodded. ¡°You think that was the Crystal? It felt like back then, in the chapel back home.¡±


    Nar shook his head. ¡°I have no idea. But now¡¯s not the time. Can you go stand watch with¡­ Rel?¡±


    Tuk smiled. ¡°Well, she was always the nicest of them.¡±


    ¡°Really? I thought you preferred Tas.¡±


    The ring tosser sighed. ¡°He was an ass. I just felt alone. And he took advantage of it.¡±


    Nar clapped his back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, man. I should have done something. I was going to talk to you tonight, before, well, everything. But it was too late.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you should have, man. But we all had our own problems, and they used it against us. Go on. Go help the others. I¡¯m gonna go look for my rings.¡±


    Nar watched Tuk stumble towards the pile of weapons. The trugger fell to his knees and searched for his rings. He watched him count them one by one as he found them, and he caught the little tremor that shook his chin when Tuk discovered that all ten of them were accounted for.


    I should have said something, Nar thought, with bitter regret crushing his heart.


    He should have said and done a lot of things. Why did he keep screwing up?


    Maybe that''s the only way.


    Screw up after screw up, learning, understanding, doing better the next time, and not making the same mistakes.


    Four of Tuk¡¯s rings shone bright in the dark. They cast Tuk¡¯s face in deep shadows.


    Not the time to be thinking about this.


    He left Tuk to himself and ran towards Gad¡¯s cage.


    ¡°Cen first!¡± Gad said, helping the lengos get out.


    Nar had learned from his mistake and held Cen¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cover your mouth first, okay?¡±


    Cen nodded. She hadn¡¯t spoken a word since Wik had revealed that the whole magic thing had been a lie. Not even when Jul had showed up...


    Nar covered her mouth and took her in his arms.


    Cen started shaking against his chest as soon as he pulled her out of the cage. Nar kept his hand tight over her mouth and stumbled towards the weapons pile, so that Cen could arm herself as soon as she was ready.


    When she stopped twisting, Nar lowered her to the soft, covered floor.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked her.


    Cen walked over to the pile of weapons and picked up her staff. She felt its length, and a tiny light shone at its tip.


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± she said, her eyes glowing with her [Aura]. ¡°But I will be. We all will. At some point.¡±


    Nar patted her shoulder and went back for Gad.


    ¡°You ready?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°Are you? I saw how you struggled with Tuk and Cen.¡±


    ¡°Very funny.¡±


    She flashed him a smile and turned around, angling her face up so that he could better cover her mouth.


    Despite what he had said, he realized that Gad had been right.


    Her convulsions were much stronger, and he nearly lost his grip over her mouth. She shook and shook for what felt like a lot longer than the others. He dragged her away from the cage¡¯s purple lit door, but just barely, and he didn¡¯t try to go any further. He couldn¡¯t.


    He tripped and crashed on his ass.


    ¡°Damn!¡± he muttered to himself.


    Somehow, he managed to keep her mouth covered, and a few seconds later, it was done.


    ¡°I told you,¡± Gad said, having read their position on the floor correctly.


    ¡°I¡¯m still injured, you know?¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Bah! Those are just scratches to a tank.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    He got up and pulled her to her feet. He half managed to swallow his groan, but Gad caught it, and grinned in the semi-darkness.


    I am hurt, damn it!


    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re hurt,¡± she conceded, almost reading his mind. ¡°I¡¯ll help Viy. You do the other two.¡±


    Nar nodded.


    His head still screamed at him from Wik¡¯s hit, and he was sure he had started bleeding again after all that exertion. But his heart hammered away with more than fear now. There was hope. There was excitement. They were getting away. They were escaping!


    He exhaled, slowly, trying to contain his emotions. He felt like he had been dropped down the pile, and had rolled all the way down through the sharp, poisonous aetherium.


    I¡¯m going to crash after this, he thought, with certainty.


    That reminded him. He glanced at his stamina as he bent down to get to Mul.


    Less than half. Same with HP. I hope we can just sneak away.


    A part of him didn¡¯t want to sneak away though. He didn¡¯t know how many cannibals surrounded them, but he felt a thirst within him... A need to cut his way out and wash his sword in the blood of those that had wanted to torture and kill him and his party. The ones who sought to prevent him from reaching the exit, and one day returning for his dad.


    He inhaled sharply and took Mul into his arms. He was much easier to handle than Gad, and was soon up on his own two feet. He sighed as he grabbed his knuckle dusters, and a dark grin slowly spread across his face.


    Nar bent down and grabbed Kur¡¯s buckler and scepter, since he was already there.


    Gad and Jul were working together to coax Viy out of the cage, so that left only Kur.


    ¡°You¡¯re the last one, Kur,¡± Nar said, laying the weapons down next to the cage. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    Kur smiled and coughed weakly.


    ¡°Not great, man,¡± he said. ¡°But I¡¯ll manage.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Gad can carry you.¡±


    ¡°Crystal!¡± Kur breathed, turning around to offer his back to Nar. ¡°Ha! We¡¯ll see.¡±


    Nar placed his left arm under Kur¡¯s left armpit, and moved his other hand towards the party leader¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°You ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please! Hurry. I need my HP.¡±


    Nar smothered Kur and yanked him backwards. The tall altei began shaking as soon as his head and shoulders cleared the cage door, and as Nar pulled him clear away from the door on the floor, the shaking only got worse.


    Crystal, his wound!


    Nar dropped, hurting himself in a bid to protect Kur. He wrapped his legs around the big guy and tried to hold him as still as possible. His own pain flared across his body, but the wetness he felt on Kur¡¯s side helped him ignore it.


    Please heal up. Please heal up!


    When the shaking stopped, Nar let go of Kur¡¯s mouth, but kept his body tight against his, ready for anything.


    Kur took a deep breath.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Nar asked.


    Kur nodded against his chest.


    ¡°Crystal. That feels so much better,¡± he whispered. ¡°I could go to sleep right now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, man. We¡¯re still surrounded by cannibals.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Funny. Help me up.¡±


    Nar did, carefully. He stood up first then helped Kur stand.


    ¡°Fucking Crystal,¡± he muttered, squinting against the pain.


    Nar tightened his grip on his arm, but Kur patted Nar¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Pass me my weapons, please.¡±


    Nar grabbed them for him and Kur took them into his hands.


    ¡°Come on. I need to get us out of this mess. The mess I created,¡± Kur said.


    Nar swallowed hard. ¡°We all did it, Kur. I¡­ It was my fault. I should¡¯ve ignored them.¡±


    Kur shook his head. ¡°You did good, Nar. Never regret that. The problem was me... But now¡¯s not the time. Help me to the door.¡±


    Nar passed an arm under his. Once Kur was secured, he pulled out his own sword and they ambled to the door.


    ¡°How are things?¡± Kur asked Rel.


    ¡°We¡¯re still okay. But we¡¯re taking too much time,¡± she said.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t promised that you won¡¯t betray us,¡± Nar told her.


    He could barely stomach looking at her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to,¡± she said, looking up at his face. ¡°I would rather die than come back to this. Besides, I don¡¯t think I would be able to, even if I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Wik said something about you,¡± Kur said. ¡°About something inside your head?¡±


    ¡°Of course he did¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°But he¡¯s right though. I¡¯ll tell you all about it if we survive. For now, just know that I¡¯m with you guys till the end. One way or another.¡±


    Kur sighed. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll see. How far is it to this barrier?¡±


    ¡°Half an hour, giving our state.¡±


    ¡°So close?¡± Nar asked.


    Rel gestured around her. For the first time, Nar caught a glimpse of where they were. They were surrounded by more of the cloth constructions. All of them uneven, and all of them of different sizes. They stretched in every direction, and all that Nar could see was mismatched cloth.


    Here and there, purple flames burned slowly out of constructs made of guardian parts, filling the air with a thick, cloying smoke. Nar couldn¡¯t see what it was that they were burning, but it was his first real look at a flame. Something about it didn¡¯t seem right though. It made him feel like he was inside a nightmare. Though, he guessed he really was.


    ¡°Crystal, what is this place?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°They call it bases, their home away from Home. And we¡¯re close to the barrier because a lot of Climbers go through it. Or try to¡­ Many paths lead there, before they fail, so the boss has the whole area guarded, so they can capture the Climbers as they come and get lost.¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Kur whispered.


    ¡°There are many more of these camps. Many, many more. All around us, to cover as wide of an area as possible,¡± Rel said, shaking her head. ¡°There are thousands and thousands of cannibals here, and the barrier itself is guarded at all times. You guys were probably headed for it anyways, so you were always going to get caught¡­¡±


    The revelation made Nar¡¯s head spin harder. The sheer scale of it all¡­ The organization of such large-scale suffering? He could scarcely wrap his head around it.


    ¡°Wait? Thousands?¡± Nar said. ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything about that!¡±


    Rel threw him a glance. ¡°What difference does it make? Would you have stayed in the cage had I told you?¡±


    Nar had no reply to that.

 Chapter 73 - Sneaking Out

    The little flap shifted and Gad poked her head outside.


    ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± she said.


    ¡°And Viy?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be okay,¡± Gad said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on her.¡±


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s the best we can do. Rel, we''re in your hands now. Don¡¯t make me regret this.¡±


    Rel nodded and took a deep breath. ¡°Okay. We¡¯re going to walk. Don¡¯t run. There are cannibals with high sense attributes here.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°If anyone sees us, we need to kill them!¡± Rel said. ¡°Quietly and fast, before they can raise the alarm. That¡¯s mostly on me and Tuk, so make sure you tell him.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Gad said and her head disappeared.


    Rel considered the two of them for a moment.


    ¡°I am sick,¡± she said. ¡°That was not a lie. I can¡¯t sense as well as I used to.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Kur said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±


    Annoyingly, Nar discovered that he felt the same way.


    ¡°I still have some of my [Hearing] and most of my [Sight], but my [Smell] is gone. So, Nar, help me. Please.¡±


    Nar stared at her, too stunned to speak. Kur stepped on his foot.


    ¡°Au! Yes, yes. I¡¯ll help you, of course. We¡¯re all getting away.¡±


    Rel offered him a small smile.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Nar looked away. ¡°Whatever.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now we¡¯re ready,¡± Gad said.


    She pulled the flap open and the others streamed outside.


    ¡°From now on, silence!¡± Rel whispered.


    She started walking, and they fell into an inverted formation behind her, with Nar taking the lead with Kur, and Gad standing at the end of the party with Viy.


    The night, or early morning air of the camp was warm and sticky, and the smoke irritated their throats. There was blood everywhere, as well as the remains of what had once been Climbers. The horror displays were everywhere they looked.


    That could¡¯ve been us. Still can, Nar thought, pursing his lips.


    From inside the cloth constructions, he heard the sounds of breathing and passion. Here and there, he caught the sounds of low whimpering and sobbing, as well as that of worse.


    His eyes burned with more than just the smoke, and he felt Kur¡¯s hand tightening on his side.


    There¡¯s nothing we can do. Nothing.


    He knew that. But it still hurt.


    Tuk was right. The only right option was the one that saved everyone.


    It wasn¡¯t right that the cannibals could do this without punishment. It wasn¡¯t right for all these Climbers to end up in these bases.


    Was it not enough that they had been born in the darkness? Was it not enough that they had to face all those guardians and bridges and sentries on their way up to the surface? Must they also suffer through a seemingly endless horde of cannibals? Must they end up like this? Dying in the most horrible of ways?


    He clenched his jaw. He was too weak. The only thing he could do was run away like a coward.


    I¡¯m never letting this happen again. I swear by the Crystal! I swear it in my dad¡¯s name! I will be strong. I¡¯ll be so strong that I can always help everyone! I¡¯m never leaving anyone behind like this ever again!


    How could he had entertained the thought of abandoning his party at the beginning of his Climb? How had he hesitated between them, and his dad, for so long? How had he not said anything to Tuk? He had been so wrong. So, so wrong, about everything.


    He caught movement from the corners of his eyes and Jul slid past them. Her face was set and grim. On her hands, she brandished four daggers.


    These weren¡¯t the yellow of the bone daggers that the cannibals used. They were honest to the System, Climber weapons. Though they lacked the many purples of the AUC they had received as a reward from the defence of the cubeplant.


    The sight floored him, and as he stared at her, she suddenly vanished into thin air!


    ¡°By the Crystal!¡± Kur whispered. ¡°She¡¯s a rogue!¡±


    A rogue. Master of stealth and sneak attacks. Deadly, close range melee fighters.


    Not a scout. But a rogue¡­


    It all clicked. It all made sense! The way she stepped so quietly. The way her senses were so much better than his. The way she had always been able to see in the dark, even all the way back to the tutorial!


    Nar gasped!


    Was she trying to come clean, right before we got betrayed? Nar asked himself, remembering how she had said she needed to tell him two things.


    He followed numbly after Rel, as she guided them around one of the buildings, and found Jul staring at a dead body at her feet. Blood oozed from his throat. The guy probably hadn¡¯t even seen it coming.


    Nar couldn¡¯t help but gape at Jul, and she pressed her lips into a fine line, avoiding his gaze.


    Rel gestured for them to keep going, and soon, Jul was coming and going, disappearing behind a building and reappearing after another.


    They walked past some of her kills. Sloppy open throats and multiple bleeding backstabs, and Nar wondered how many more the rogue was killing around them, beyond their sight. Protecting them from discovery.


    This was too much for him. The mix of worry, pride and shock that he felt, did not add up well to everything else he had already gone through. He just quietly followed after Rel, supporting Kur, and staring wide eyed at every new dead body that they found on their way.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    In this way they proceeded. That base felt endless, and every second felt like a minute.


    Nar felt like they had been walking for hours already, through that endless labyrinth of brown cloth, smoke and purple fires.


    He feared that at every moment, someone was about to discover them. The cannibals had to wake up at some point. And in their injured and depleted state, he didn''t want to think about their chances in such a fight. Especially not if they were surrounded by many other camps such as that one.


    ¡°Rel?¡±


    They all froze.


    Except Rel.


    She notched an arrow on her bow in the blink of an eye and had it aimed at Tas before anyone could react. The red party leader already looked much better than when he had left them, hours earlier.


    ¡°No, Rel. No,¡± Tas whispered, his eyes wide. ¡°You can¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± Rel said. ¡°I can¡¯t take this anymore!¡±


    Tas raised his hands and took a step forward.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Rel warned him.


    The rest of the party formed a semi-circle of menacing weapons around Tas, but he only had eyes for Rel.


    ¡°Rel, listen,¡± he said, very softly. ¡°I spoke to the boss. He knows how to help you. He can get rid of the Yearning.¡±


    Rel¡¯s bow faltered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I swear I¡¯m not lying. He¡¯s done it before. Many times. You know there¡¯s other alfin here!¡±


    ¡°Yes, and they¡¯re too far gone!¡± Rel said.


    ¡°No, not like that. I meant amongst the party leaders,¡± Tas said. ¡°Healthy! Sane! He can heal you. We just have to hand them over. He will reward us for it! I¡¯m sure!¡±


    Nar moved his sword ever so slightly. The barest of shifts, just an angle adjustment really. But it would be enough to spear the guy through the heart with one quick burst of [Speed].


    Rel¡¯s arrow quivered, and her breath was frantic.


    ¡°Rel, come on. No need to fight it,¡± he said, reaching a hand to her. ¡°Everything will be okay. You can be free.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me before?¡± she whispered.


    Nar swallowed. And feared the worst.


    Tas grimaced. ¡°The boss told me not to.¡±


    Rel closed her eyes, and Nar shifted his weight forward, ready to drop Tas. However, he wasn¡¯t so sure he could do the same to Rel. Despite his animosity towards her earlier, and despite her betrayal, killing her felt wrong somehow.


    Rel flared her nostrils, and glared at Tas.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll never be free here,¡± she whispered. ¡°And I would rather die than become one of these things!¡±


    Tas¡¯ shoulder sank and he closed his eyes.


    ¡°Help! They¡¯re running¡­ Ugh!¡±


    Tas grasped at the arrow jutting from his throat. Blood poured and gurgled out of his mouth as he struggled to breath.


    He and Rel stared at each other in shock.


    Rel looked at the arrow in disbelief, not understanding what it was doing there, lodged in Tas¡¯ throat. And Tas stared back at her, without hate, without blame. Just confusion.


    He crumbled, bleeding. Noises grew around them. Shouts, questions. Sleepy cannibals were getting up in confusion. But they wouldn¡¯t be confused for long.


    ¡°We have to run!¡± Kur said. ¡°Rel, we have to run!¡±


    ¡°I-I, yes! That-No this way!¡±


    She glanced at Tas, dying face down on the dirty floor with empty eyes, and turned around.


    She broke into a sprint and they followed after her.


    Kur quickly disentangled himself from Nar.


    ¡°Kur!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold on!¡± he said. ¡°We need you now, Nar.¡±


    Nar nodded and they ran in silence.


    Luckily, they had been at the edge of that massive base, and in seconds they were sprinting down clear corridors.


    ¡°There are fires burning all the way to the barrier!¡± Rel shouted. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to see!¡±


    ¡°Thank the Crystal!¡± Tuk said.


    Soon though, Nar could hear the sounds of pursuit from behind them. From ahead. And from every corridor they passed.


    ¡°How do they know?¡± Kur asked, when he told him what he heard.


    ¡°The base leaders!¡± Rel panted. ¡°Each camp is run by one, and they can all talk to each other! No matter where they are!¡±


    ¡°How the fuck can they do that?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°The boss is powerful,¡± Rel told them. ¡°More than you can ever imagine. His level is way above ours and he has skills and attributes like you can¡¯t even imagine! And his base and party leaders are all really strong. Stronger than you guys! Our only hope is Cen and Tuk! But if there¡¯s more than one of them blocking us, I don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll do¡­ Turn here!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°There¡¯s cannibals there!¡±


    Rel¡¯s arrows whistled through the air, and the cannibals blocking the corridor ahead of them scattered.


    Nar ran past her and sliced through the few she had missed, spraying the walls with blood. New blood, that shone viciously on the dried and stained walls.


    What the fuck? Did they cover the walls in blood? Crystal¡­ How much blood did that take?


    ¡°There¡¯s more!¡± Jul shouted.


    They could all hear them now. A roar was headed towards them.


    ¡°Nar, swap with Gad!¡± Kur said. ¡°And Gad, don¡¯t let them stop us!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Rel, to the back! Mul, behind Gad. Tuk, you focus on the front. Cen, on the back. Viy, you stay with me and Jul!¡±


    They changed positions, reading to fight for their lives.


    ¡°I can fight!¡± Jul said. ¡°Put me with Mul!¡±


    ¡°Jul¡­ Are you sure?¡± Kur asked her.


    ¡°I am! I¡¯m not hiding anymore. And¡­ You can be angry at me after. You all can,¡± she said, looking down.


    ¡°If you kill the fuckers on our way, I swear I¡¯ll be a very happy lengos!¡± Mul shouted.


    ¡°Alright! To the front then!¡± Kur told her.


    ¡°Yes!¡± she shouted, and took position next to Mul.


    ¡°Do you even know how to fight? Besides cutting throats and backstabbing people?¡±


    The rogue hesitated. ¡°I¡¯ve watched you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Crystal, have mercy!" Mul muttered. "Alright, here¡¯s what you¡¯re going to do¡­¡±


    More shouts came up from the back and Nar looked behind him.


    A horde of frenzied, purple eyed cannibals were chasing right behind them.


    ¡°Crystal!¡± Rel murmured.


    ¡°Having regrets?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°None. I¡¯m either getting out or killing myself.¡±


    ¡°Wik said you couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you kill me then,¡± she said.


    ¡°What? No!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d rather they get me?¡± she asked, staring deeply at him.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Arrows whistled towards them, and Nar followed his [Instinct] to cut them down.


    Rel stared at him.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    She shook her head and said nothing.


    They kept running, and Nar kept the arrows off their backs. From up ahead, a loud bang resounded through the corridor they were in, and was soon followed by screams.


    Gad must have hit the cannibals coming from the front!


    Nar spared a look to the bodies that they now walked by. It didn¡¯t look like they were slowing down. They were mowing through them.


    ¡°Are these weaker?¡± he asked Rel.


    ¡°Must be a new batch,¡± Rel said. ¡°The boss goes around gathering them. But he needs to feed them. That¡¯s how they gain attributes.¡±


    ¡°By eating Climbers?¡± Nar asked. ¡°But we fought cannibals before! They were weaker than us!¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure, I just know that the boss found a way. And Nar, these cannibals eat a lot of Climbers.¡±


    ¡°Crystal. Just how many Climbers are dying in these bases?¡±


    ¡°A lot, Nar. More than you want to know.¡±


    Nar parried the next volley of arrows.


    Crystal! So much suffering! Do You really hate us this much? Why don¡¯t You do anything?


    He knew that the guardians fought the cannibals. He had seen their work. But he expected more from the Crystal, Almighty as It was.


    He thought of the blinding light and heat. Surely, It could do more. It could do anything? No?


    ¡°To the left!¡± Rel shouted.


    Tuk sent his rings ahead of Gad, clearing the path for them, and they turned into a wider corridor. A tall ceiling stood above them, hidden in shadows, and there was enough width for five people to run side by side comfortably.


    ¡°Too open!¡± Nar muttered.


    ¡°I only know the one way!¡± Rel shouted.


    Suddenly, there was a massive bang. The kind that a soldier guardian made against Gad¡¯s shield.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Rel said.


    Nar glanced forward, in between parrying arrows.


    A large altei woman had blocked their path. In her hands, she held a massive two-handed sword.


    Nar¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of it. One hit from that thing, and he would be cleaved in two. And behind her, a mob of cannibals blocked the path, and they were all armed to the teeth with stolen Climber weapons.


    From that quick glance, Nar could tell that these cannibals were the real deal. Especially that altei with the big sword.


    ¡°Is that a party leader?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s Lom,¡± Rel said with a quivering voice. ¡°Oh, my Crystal. Why did it have to be her?¡±


    ¡°Is she strong?¡±


    ¡°One of the strongest! She¡¯s Inner Circle! She''s at the top!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only one!¡± Nar said, turning his back to her, to face the incoming cannibals. ¡°They¡¯ll manage!¡±


    ¡°Viiiiiiiiiiiiiyyyy!¡±


    Nar froze. From the throng of bodies running at them, a man with a spear burst through, sending cannibals tumbling. He ran at a speed that made Nar blink twice.


    Oh no! Not him¡­


    Something bumped against Nar.


    He watched, as though through someone else¡¯s eyes, Viy screech past him, her spear held straight in her hands. She barely sounded human.


    ¡°No! Stop!¡± Rel shouted after her. ¡°Come back! You can¡¯t fight him!¡±


    Viy just kept going, screaming at the top of her lungs.


    ¡°Yes! Come to me, my love!¡± Wik shouted, spreading his arms wide.


    Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!


    Nar ran after her.

 Chapter 74 - Ugly Ending

    ¡°Come to me, Viy!¡± Wik shouted. ¡°I know you want it too!¡±


    Viy yelled in reply.


    The two spears twirled and spun in dizzyingly fast arcs and sweeps, meeting each other in the middle of the corridor.


    The cannibals behind Wik muttered and pointed, bows half drawn, weapons out in restless hands. Behind Viy, Nar couldn¡¯t get through either.


    The two weapons whistled in a deadly display, and to simply jump into the middle of it was to ask to be sliced and stabbed to death.


    ¡°Nar, get out of here!¡± Viy shouted. ¡°This is my problem!¡±


    Wik chuckled, spinning his weapon from hand to hand, meeting all of Viy¡¯s attacks with ease.


    ¡°Yeah, Nar! This is our problem! Don¡¯t you know better than to butt in between a couple?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Viy shouted.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be embarrassed, Viy! This is our fate! This is what we are meant for!¡±


    A cannibal lunged forward, snarling at Viy. Wik flowed around Viy¡¯s spear and blocked him. He flicked his wrist and the guy went tumbling back into the crowd.


    ¡°Woah there, new guy! That¡¯s my Viy you¡¯re trying to hurt, and only I get to do that!¡±


    He grinned at Viy, who was already attacking him again.


    He dodged and stepped between her thrusts and slashes, and he attacked just enough to keep Viy on her back foot, neither able to move forward or back.


    ¡°Viy! We need to fight together!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°He¡¯s too high level!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am!¡± Wik said. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie about my level. I¡¯m proud of it! Do you know how hard I had to work, to go from eating the scraps, to getting my hands on the good stuff? On fresh kill?¡±


    He twirled the spear and stepped forward with a burst of speed Viy didn¡¯t expect. The spearhead cut at her shoulder and Viy screamed and stumbled backwards.


    Nar didn¡¯t wait for an invitation and dashed in.


    Suddenly, he was in the middle of a storm of spears. His [Instinct] screamed from all directions. He moved and twisted, just barely managing to catch the spear before it ended him.


    Hands grabbed onto him and he slashed backwards in fright.


    Wik had guided him into the cannibals!


    ¡°The new guys are always so restless. Why don¡¯t you play with them for a bit?¡± he asked Nar. ¡°I need to knock some sense into my beautiful Viy!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not yours!¡± she grunted, holding on to her bleeding shoulder.


    Nar grit his teeth in frustration, he had no way back now! He was stuck between this wall of teeth and nails and bone daggers, and the two spear fighters going at it behind him. And there was no telling if Wik would try and stab him from behind.


    A hand reached for his neck, and though he stepped back, he couldn¡¯t get fully away without stepping into the middle of the two raging spears.


    He cried out in pain as the nails dug into his neck, scoring lines of red, angry fire. Nar lashed at the hand¡¯s owner, and the Nexus disappeared under a fine mist of many dark colors.


    However, the wall of madness and hunger was endless. For each one he cut, two more competed to take the fallen cannibal¡¯s place.


    Rel had told them there were thousands and thousands of cannibals in the area. He couldn¡¯t fight them all. They had to leave. But there was no way of doing that with Wik there. Even if Viy had not ran out to meet him, the higher leveled spearman would have still caught up with them.


    No, from the moment Wik had given chase, their fight was inevitable.


    ¡°Come on, Viy. I taught you this stuff! What do you think is gonna happen, uh? Why not just stay? With me?¡± Wik said, his tone pleading.


    ¡°You¡¯re insane! I want to get out!¡± Viy replied.


    ¡°Get out for what? How do you know it''s better up there? How do you even know there is an up there? There could be nothing! Just like there was no magic!¡±


    This guy¡¯s completely lost it! Nar thought, balancing the space he had between the cannibals and the spear fight.


    ¡°I told you everything!¡± Viy shouted. ¡°I trusted you and I told you!¡±


    ¡°You heard that, Nar? She told me everything! Not Gad, not Kur, not Cen. Not any of you!¡±


    Nar glimpsed at Viy, stunned. ¡°You did what?¡±


    He had known that there was something that wasn¡¯t quite alright with Viy. He had suspected that she carried a secret, just like he did. Only that hers was possibly worse. Darker. More painful, given how she had shut down.


    He hadn¡¯t pressed. He didn¡¯t¡¯ want to make the damage worse. And Gad, Cen and Kur had seemed like the right people to handle it.


    But to think she hadn¡¯t told them, and had instead chosen to confide in Wik?


    It was gut wrenching.


    ¡°No! It''s not like that! Nar, please!¡± she pleaded.


    The distraction cost him. A cannibal latched onto his arm and bit down on his left shoulder.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Viy cried.


    Nar pummeled the sword¡¯s hilt onto the side of the cannibal¡¯s face. Once, twice. The cannibal let go, and stunned, he stumbled back. Nar flipped his grip again, and drew a wide arc around him, cutting and slicing through flesh and bone.


    ¡°Nar, please! Go back!¡± Viy begged him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere!¡± Nar shouted, gasping for air. ¡°I saved you before, remember? And I''ll do it again! Crystal! I never even got a thanks for the first time!¡±


    Wik howled in laughter. ¡°Damn, Viy, that¡¯s not nice. Wait, do you have the hots for my Viy too?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Viy shouted, her voice trembling. ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Nar! I just wanted to die! That¡¯s why I took the Climb! I don¡¯t deserve to be saved! I just want it to end! Please, just go back!¡±


    Nar felt the rise of a sudden warning behind him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed the barest of changes in the color of the light. It was getting less purple, turning brighter, and lighter, as color was devoured.


    ¡°You are being saved, and I¡¯m the one doing the saving!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°This is my choice!¡±


    He had meant the words as a bid to buy time, but as he spoke them, he realized how heavy the truth in them was.


    Ah¡­ I¡¯ve changed.


    Or had he? Perhaps he was just finally being honest to his own feelings about the party.


    ¡°Oh, Nar! You don¡¯t know. You don¡¯t even know what I did!¡± Viy shouted.


    The purple receded further.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to know!¡± Nar said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter!¡±


    ¡°Man, just shut up,¡± Wik said. ¡°Why are you trying to hog all of her attention?¡±


    ¡°No, Wik! You shut up!¡± Viy snarled at him. ¡°This is why I told you, even though I couldn¡¯t tell them. I couldn¡¯t stand to see how they would look at me if they knew. But I needed to tell someone. I couldn¡¯t keep it in anymore. I was starting to go crazy. And you? You just happened to be there. Someone whose opinion didn¡¯t matter!¡±


    The corridor shone a bright gray now. Even the cannibals had noticed the change, and they backed away from Nar, covering their eyes from the brilliant light that radiated from behind him.


    ¡°That¡¯s just hurtful Viy,¡± Wik said, in a flat tone. ¡°I guess we¡¯re not fated after all.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Nar shouted.


    He spun around, pulling on every point of [Speed], [Agility] and [Reflex] that he had, to intercept the blow that was aimed at Viy¡¯s exposed left side.


    The light blinded him.


    His [Instinct] roared at him and he bent low, letting the [Aura Projectile] shot past his head.


    The explosion was unlike any so far.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The force of it picked him off his feet and carried him forward. For a moment, all was silent, and the world was all a brightness behind his eyelids.


    Then, he met the hard floor and all the air was kicked out from him. He rolled twice before he came to a stop.


    Ringing deafened him, and the corridor seemed dark now. Much darker than before, actually. The explosion must have destroyed some of the purple fires.


    That¡¯s better, Nar thought, through the daze. He was starting to hate the color purple.


    ¡°Are you guys, okay?¡± Rel asked, from what felt like very far away.


    Her voice prompted him to fight the pain, and push his body to stand. It creaked and protested, and fought against him. It revolted against the continued abuse it had been forced to endure over the course of the last day.


    Enough! It shouted. Enough. I can¡¯t take it anymore!


    But Nar clenched his jaw and swallowed the half gasp, half sob that wanted to escape his lips.


    Not yet¡­ Not. Yet! Damn it! I¡¯m not meat! I¡¯m not their plaything! Come on, Nar! Come on!


    He pushed himself up, using the sword to stand.


    ¡°Rel!¡± Wik shouted.


    The spearman was already up, but Rel was keeping him busy with her arrows. He snarled and dodged around them with preciseness, but was unable to move forward.


    How is he still moving like that? Nar asked himself. Just how much of a difference was there, between his level 16, and Wik¡¯s level 27? Even after chasing them all this way, fighting Viy, and being blasted by Cen¡¯s [Aura], he still looked perfectly fine! Just what kind of attributes was he packing?


    ¡°Get back here, Nar!¡± Cen shouted.


    Nar, panting, looked at the battle that raged around him.


    Viy was collapsed next to Wik. Fortunately, the spearman was too busy evading Rel¡¯s arrows to do anything to her.


    Behind him, next to Rel, Cen was charging another [Aura Projectile], ready to fire upon the cannibals that would soon walk past the corpses of their brethren, to rush the party from behind again.


    Past them, the whole of the party was entangled with the stronger cannibals under the command of the party leader with the massive sword.


    Nar winced as watched the altei and Gad fighting.


    Every hit bent Gad backwards. Though the tank was holding on for now, she wouldn¡¯t last, and she hadn¡¯t Viy¡¯s reach to cover her side like usual. Even though Mul and Jul were doing the best they could, other cannibals were managing to get hits around their party leader, and Gad found herself beset from multiple sides.


    Why¡¯s Tuk not helping?


    He saw immediately why. Tuk was hiding behind Kur¡¯s buckler, and arrows kept bouncing off it, dead on. Nar followed their trajectory to a cannibal, an alfin, with a bow aimed at the two of them. He took the arrows from another cannibal''s arms, who carried a bundle of them, more arrows than Nar had ever seen in his Climb, and he notched them calmly, with practiced efficiency. His face was blank, devoid of any emotion or clear intention. He simply notched, and let loose, arrow after arrow, preventing Tuk from doing anything.


    Another party leader! Nar realized. He had to be!


    Behind him, the cannibals howled as they closed in on them again. Cen¡¯s staff burned even brighter, ready to unleash devastation once more. But it wouldn¡¯t be enough.


    Rel couldn¡¯t keep up that pace forever, and once she faltered, Wik would be on them in the blink of an eye. Nar had no doubt he would go for Cen first.


    No. He had to stop him.


    But at the same time, the party needed Tuk in that fight.


    Without Nar there to stop those arrows, Tuk couldn¡¯t throw his rings out and Gad would eventually be overwhelmed.


    At the same time, they needed Cen to keep their backs clear so they could focus on Wik.


    And without Rel, Nar knew he couldn¡¯t fight Wik just by himself. The deranged Climber was too strong. Too high level.


    But neither Jul nor Mul could pull back from the front now. It would be the end of Gad and all of them with her.


    They all needed each other in different positions, but the pressure of the cannibals, squeezing them from both sides, was not allowing them.


    What do we do? He asked himself, paralyzed with indecision.


    ¡°Nar, get back!¡± Rel shouted.


    Get back.


    I can still move¡­


    Nar looked about himself again, and everything seemed to go slower.


    His senses stretched out to the max, covering the entire battle, and his heart pounded against his temples. It felt like his head was about to burst in a great shower of red and bone.


    The damage from Wik¡¯s earlier blow had not fully healed yet. And the long sleepless night weighed on him, together with the raw emotion of the events of the last day.


    The sounds. The sights. All of the pain and the suffering and the horror, were too much.


    The fear of what would happen to him, in that cage, had nearly shattered him.


    Leaving all those Climbers behind, knowing what was being done to them, had nearly broken him.


    And now, here he was, asking even more off his brain.


    Only I can move¡­ he thought, as everything grew into excruciating, slow, detail around him.


    He had no time to try and reach for his [Aura] again. He had shunted it for months. It wouldn¡¯t come so easy to him, now. He would have to work for it. Later, after they survived this.


    No, there was only one thing he could do. One thing that only he could do.


    ¡°Rel!¡± he shouted. ¡°Remember what I can do!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Cen, tell here!¡± Nar shouted.


    ¡°Uh?¡± the caster asked, just as confused.


    Nar didn¡¯t say anything else. He dashed towards Wik.


    An arrow flew high above him, hitting the ceiling.


    ¡°Are you crazy! I almost hit you!¡± Rel shouted.


    Nar ignored her. He only had eyes for Wik now.


    The spearman bared his teeth at him. ¡°Oh, it''s your turn now, is it? Think you¡¯ve got what it takes?¡±


    Wik closed the space between them in two quick steps, the spear aimed straight at Nar¡¯s chest.


    Nar pulled up his sword to his chest, turning sideways.


    The impact was jarring, and the spear tip cut a shallow line across his chest.


    Wik looked at him wide eyed.


    You¡¯ve never seen me fight, Nar thought. Not for real. And this time, Cen¡¯s still safe!


    Nar triggered his [Quickening] and jumped at Wik, throwing all of his anger and despair at the spearman. He channeled all the rage and helplessness he felt, for all the Climbers he had left behind in that base. And for those trapped in all of the countless bases. An untold number of Climbers, just trying to earn their forgiveness and reach a better life in the O-Nex.


    A life of light. Of color. Of choice, and freedom.


    And yet, their Climb would end in untold pain and suffering. Underserved pain and suffering! Unfair. Unjust! Another wrong in the Nexus. Just like him. Just like the Unclean.


    He hadn¡¯t used any skills on the bridge. He hadn¡¯t used any skills on his desperate run to get Jul back to the party safely. And he hadn¡¯t used any skills when the betrayal had revealed itself.


    At some point, he had gotten into a rationing mind set. Not of food, but of his stamina. It was his lifeline after all. If he ran out during a fight, like Viy had, it meant almost certain death.


    But here, they were all almost certain to die.


    HP and stamina didn¡¯t matter anymore.


    HP would not protect him if Wik speared him through the chest.


    HP wouldn¡¯t last more than three seconds if that mob of frenzied cannibals got their hands on him.


    They had moments left. Moments before Wik recovered from his surprise. Moments before Gad was overwhelmed.


    There was no point in conserving stamina now.


    He let loose.


    He pressed the small advantage he had and drove Wik backwards. Back towards Viy, who lay, passed out, defenseless before the surging horde of cannibals that would soon be upon her.


    ¡°Damn, Nar!¡± Wik shouted, sweating and struggling to recover his footing before Nar¡¯s all out desperation. ¡°I knew you were good, but not this good!¡±


    However, Wik had the attributes, and the experience fighting Climbers.


    It was Nar¡¯s turn to be surprised when Wik feinted with his spear, and kicked him in the gut.


    Nar gasped and stumbled back.


    ¡°When you managed to get back to the party, carrying Jul on your back? Man, I respect that. You know what? I think the boss would too!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Wik!¡± Rel shouted.


    ¡°Why? Scared I¡¯ll change his mind?¡± Wik asked her. ¡°Scared that your precious chance will slip through your fingers again? Scared that that thing will finally drive you crazy?¡±


    Cen chose that moment to shoot her charged [Aura Projectile]. Wik side stepped it without issue, but Cen hadn¡¯t been aiming at him.


    Nar covered his eyes as the explosion of light engulfed the cannibals.


    It was weaker, so as to not harm any of them, but it served to buy them more time. Time they were still running out of. They couldn¡¯t stay in that corridor forever. Soon, more and stronger enemies would show up, and then, it would be all over.


    And Nar didn¡¯t want to go back to that cage. He would rather die.


    ¡°I saw what you did to Tas, by the way¡± Wik said, unbothered by the [Aura] explosion.


    ¡°That was an accident!¡± Rel shouted.


    ¡°Accident? Fucking precise accident, wasn¡¯t it? That arrow went straight through his throat!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it!¡± Rel said. She notched another arrow and shot him.


    ¡°Yeah, right!¡± Wik said, avoiding it with ease. ¡°You just didn¡¯t need him anymore. You have these guys now, right?¡±


    Wik swung the spear down at Nar, and Nar barely dodged it.


    The swing turned into an ascending slash, and Nar was pulled back into the fight.


    ¡°Not that I blame you. After what he did to us? I¡¯ve been waiting to kill him ever since that day! But the boss always stopped me. The boss always preferred him over me! Just because he¡¯s a party leader. A party leader you killed! Oh, Rel! He¡¯s going to bring you back to his tent, Rel! You know what¡¯s coming!¡±


    He spoke like a madman, his spit flying from his lips. His eyes glowed purple in the dim light corridor, a haunting visage that chased and harassed Nar, not giving him space or a chance to breathe.


    But his insanity might just be their only chance.


    ¡°Rel! Cen! Remember!¡± he shouted again.


    He threw himself at Wik. It was now or never.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to watch it, Rel! I¡¯m sure this time he won¡¯t just make you watch! He¡¯s going to put his hands on you! Maybe he¡¯s even going to throw you to his party leaders and watch them tear you apart!¡±


    His spear was a blur of displaced air and gleaming sharpness. It came at Nar so fast it was licking his blood with every attack now.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll have a go at you too! You look like shit now, but if I cover your face, maybe it won¡¯t be so bad!¡±


    Wik laughed.


    ¡°What are you going to do, Rel? Shoot me? You¡¯ll hit this guy in the back! Or do you think it''s not too late to swap sides again?¡±


    This is it!


    ¡°Do it, Rel! Do it! Maybe the boss will let you live after all!¡±


    Nar felt it when Rel shot him.


    His [Instinct] was clearer than ever.


    She had aimed right at the spot between his shoulder blades.


    Nar however, was already mid-step.


    The arrow thudded into Wik¡¯s shoulder, and he stepped back.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    Nar wasn¡¯t done. This was it. This was the moment.


    He pushed with his back leg, throwing all his [Strength] into pushing his sword all the way into Wik¡¯s chest.


    But Wik was still a level 27, fighting an injured level 16, and an archer that had only shot him once.


    Even with the arrow in his right shoulder, he still managed to pull up the spear, getting ready to slam it into Nar¡¯s exposed side.


    Something tickled him, at the edge of his [Hearing].


    The moment stretched. Again.


    Nar watched the spear come, knowing that he couldn¡¯t do anything to stop it. And so, he didn¡¯t.


    He grunted as the spear smashed into him. Even with an arrow through his shoulder and out of balance, the blow almost made Nar pass out. But he held on. He held onto the spear. He held on with everything he had.


    Nar smiled at him.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Wik muttered, confused, trying to pull his spear free.


    But Nar held tight, and hooked his arm around Wik. With surprise at his side, Nar pushed him to the side of the corridor. Towards Viy¡¯s fallen, unmoving figure.


    Too late, Wik realized his mistake in ignoring her.


    Before he could do anything, Viy moved in a blur. Nar angled Wik just enough that her spear went through the side of his stomach, and out the other side, spraying blood and guts out of him.


    Wik let go of the spear and stumbled back. He crashed against the wall, and tried to keep the contents of his stomach from spilling out.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never hurt anyone ever again!¡± Viy whispered, her voice so low from the pain, that only Nar heard. Just like mere moments ago, when she had whispered to him. To tell him that she was still in the fight. That she knew what he could do. That she knew he could hear her.


    And by the Crystal, or whatever, it had worked. Wik was finished.


    As the cannibals advanced once more, Nar bent down to lift Viy onto his arms.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she whispered. ¡°You always have to save me.¡±


    ¡°You saved me there,¡± Nar said. ¡°We¡¯re even!¡±


    She scoffed, weakly. ¡°I wish¡­ Nar, you should leave me. I can¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Stop that!¡±


    They both turned and saw that the cannibals were laughing and jostling Wik, trying to make a grab at his spilling entrails.


    The spear man tried to shoo them off with a weak arm, but one of the cannibals grabbed and bit into it.


    ¡°Stop! I¡¯m one of you! What are you¡­¡±


    They went for his throat, and Nar turned them around. The spearman deserved it, but he didn¡¯t want to see his end.

 Chapter 75 - To The Barrier!

    Nar carried Viy away from the frenzy of wet sounds. They walked past Rel and Cen, who looked pale at the scene unfolding behind them.


    ¡°Cen!¡± Nar called.


    ¡°I-On it!¡± she stammered, and started charging another projectile.


    Breathing through his teeth and nose to endure the pain from his side, Nar continued further into the party. That spear to his ribs had taken almost all of the fighting he had left in him, but there was still something else that only he could do.


    With a grunt he dumped Viy onto Kur.


    ¡°Hey! Watch¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold on to her!¡± Nar shouted.


    He stepped past them, not giving Kur a chance to do anything but drop his shield and do his best to keep both him and Viy from falling.


    Nar sensed the arrow coming and parried it. It was almost lazy.


    The arrow bounced off the wall and nearly hit Tuk, but Nar could only do so much.


    ¡°Tuk!¡± he shouted, with an energy and strength he didn¡¯t know where he found. ¡°I¡¯m here now!¡±


    The rings shone past Nar¡¯s head.


    The archer that had been keeping Tuk pinned down was mid-motion, and could do nothing. Just as he released another arrow, one of Tuk¡¯s rings went in through his eye and out through his head.


    Nar stopped the cannibals'' final arrow and watched the carnage unfold with glee.


    Tuk¡¯s lips were curled and his nostrils flared. His eyes blazed with hatred as his rings mowed down everything before the party.


    Suddenly there was room. Jul got under the huge sword and stabbed the other party leader on the side.


    On the other side, Mul shattered one of her kneecaps in a spray of blood and bone. The altei came down on her good knee, and Gad, mighty, stalwart Gad, who had kept them all alive, brought her mace down on the cannibal¡¯s face, and ended her.


    Behind them, another explosion of [Aura] shook the corridor. Nar could tell that that one had been a full blast.


    ¡°Rel, how much longer?¡± Kur asked, struggling to hold Viy with his injuries.


    ¡°Five more minutes!¡±


    ¡°Gad! You heard her! Go! Take us out of this nightmare!¡± he shouted.


    Gad stepped forward. Slowly at first, but she soon gained momentum. She must have felt as drained as Nar did, and he didn¡¯t even bother checking his or her stamina. It didn¡¯t matter.


    The corridors blurred into purple faces, blood and arrows. Nar kept their backs safe, but there were less archers now, which was a fortunate thing, given his state.


    Every step felt like it was going to be his last.


    His heart threatened to give up inside his chest, and his vision faded in and out.


    He relied solely on his [Instinct] and normal eyesight now, to stop those few arrows. He had no more strength to hold on to his [Sight] or [Hearing], but, against those fewer arrows, it was enough.


    Once in a while, Rel would stop to fire at the cannibals, and then sprint to catch back up to them.


    She wheezed and gasped and Nar¡¯s chest welled with emotion, knowing she was doing that for him. She was only targeting the cannibals that had bows.


    Despite their second wind, however, the cannibals slowly encroached on them. They were fresh and rested, not exhausted from betrayal, a night in a cage and a mad run against hundreds of enemies.


    Kur was busy carrying Viy, who had fully passed out, so he couldn¡¯t carry Cen. That meant they had lost her [Aura Projectiles]. And Tuk was too busy clearing and downing anything that tried to block their path, and his job was the most important now.


    Exhausted as they were, if they got caught again, especially by party leaders, it would be the end of them.


    They had to make it all the way to that barrier now, without stopping even once.


    By the Crystal¡¯s mercy! Where is that thing! Nar wondered, despairing at the endless purple corridors they ran down through.


    And then they turned, and it was finally there.


    A large corridor greeted them. It was massive, more hall than corridor. It was easily over 100-feet wide and tall, and rather than purple, the whole place shone with a strong, but pale orange. The light came from a wall of the same color.


    The barrier!


    The barrier covered the entirety of the corridor, from ceiling to floor, from wall to wall.


    And between them and the barrier, a hundred cannibals awaited them. A base was here, blocking the path.


    Nar almost cried. He had forgotten the barrier was guarded.


    Do You want me to die that much? Nar asked of the Crystal. Just how much do You hate me?


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± Kur shouted, raising his voice to be heard above the chaos. ¡°Into them! Give it your all! We¡¯re almost there!¡±


    Gad plunged into the cannibals like a pileslide. These cannibals were strong, but she was desperate. She had a party to protect.


    Tuk¡¯s rings were flying everywhere, spraying fresh blood onto the dirty, clothed walls of the buildings around them. And now that they were stopped, Cen could turn her terrifying [Aura] to bear on all of them. She pointed her staff all around her, blasting cannibals and buildings alike.


    Tears of blood ran down her face, and Nar noticed that her quick [Aura Projectile]s were much more powerful than usual.


    Is she using¡­


    But he didn¡¯t have time to finish that thought. The cannibals from behind had arrived, and Nar found himself fighting and stepping backwards to keep them from the others.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Almost there! Almost there!


    He didn¡¯t dare use skills anymore. He didn¡¯t know how much stamina he had left and he couldn¡¯t risk it! Not with the end so close now!


    Rel¡¯s bow darted in and out of his field of vision. She must have run out of arrows and was wielding her bow like a club, doing all that she could to stay in the fight.


    [Aura] suddenly exploded around them, and the pressure eased.


    ¡°Come on!¡± he heard Kur shout.


    He turned back and saw that they had made it. By the Crystal, they had made it! The barrier was right there!


    ¡°Run!¡± Cen said.


    Blood ran down her face and ears, but she kept the barrage going to cover them. Behind her, he could see the other¡¯s outlines, already safely within the barrier. Only Kur, Cen, Rel and Nar were left.


    Nar abandoned the fight and stepped heavily towards his salvation.


    One step.


    Two steps.


    Three steps.


    Four.


    Five.


    Six.


    He reached a hand to the barrier.


    It wasn¡¯t solid as it appeared from afar. Static run upwards from the floor, the Pressure flowing upwards, in great jagged arrow shapes that joined to form the barrier.


    I made it! Nar thought, tears shining through at the corner of his eyes.


    One more step and he would plunge into it. Crystal! Never did he think he¡¯d be so happy to jump face first into a wall of Pressure. Surprisingly, he felt no heat from it. He felt nothing at all other than the promise of safety.


    Rel screamed behind him.


    Nar turned his head, freezing mid step. He had sprinted past her.


    A cannibal with a curved sword had her hair in his fist and was dragging her back, away from salvation


    ¡°Rel!¡± Cen shouted.


    The lengos had thought them safe and she was already halfway into the barrier. Kur pushed her in, and looked wild eyed at Rel.


    Nar knew that he was about to go and get her. He was not a fighter, and Rel was responsible for getting them in that mess. But she had gotten them out of it, and Kur had given his word.


    Nar moved before Kur could. This was it, after this, he had no more to give.


    His sword thrust straight at the cannibal''s face. He parried it, but Kur was there and he yanked Rel from his grasp. She screamed again as a tuft of her hair was ripped clean off her scalp.


    But Kur didn¡¯t stop. He dragged her back while Nar retreated, keeping the cannibal¡¯s sword busy. The man, his skin a strange yellow, with several short spikes protruding from his bony face and body, snarled and spat at him, trying to cut him. But Nar held, just barely.


    Then, his [Instinct] exploded!


    He had never felt such a strong rush of danger, fear and horror before. It was like a physical blow, slamming into his head.


    Nar gasped and did the only thing he could do.


    He allowed himself to fall backwards into the Pressure.


    Suddenly, a hand was there, just where his head had been.


    Nar fell, holding onto his sword, and quickly pushed himself up again, driven by the mad heartbeat inside him, and the dread that had overruled his mind.


    The hand pressed against the barrier.


    Nar followed it to its owner, and found that it belonged to a man that hadn¡¯t been there before. A man he was sure had been nowhere nearby, given how late his [Instinct] had reacted. Had he just appeared out of nowhere?


    Who¡­


    Pain and the heat crushed him out of nowhere. Nar doubled over, bent under the sudden weight of the Pressure. He almost fell forward, out of the barrier and into the man that waited for him there. Waited for Nar to give up, and walk out on his own.


    Nar angled his body to stumble backwards, and collapsed to the floor once more.


    The Pressure ground his bones. His heart strained, miserably, to keep him alive, but that was it. He was spent.


    Nar couldn¡¯t move anymore.


    All he could do was lay there, crushed under the Pressure as his body burned to nothing, gasping weakly for air, as he choked.


    At least it would be fast. There would be no torture for him. It was a mercy.


    I¡¯m sorry dad. I gave it my all. I really did. But I was too late. I should have listened. I should have trusted them. Cared for them¡­ Just like you told me. I¡¯m sorry.


    That was it. The end.


    An extra weight fell upon him. Little hands shook him, and he felt the brush of lips against his ear.


    ¡°Use you [Aura]!¡± Cen shouted. ¡°Nar! You need to use your [Aura]!¡±


    Aura?


    ¡°Push it out of you, Nar!¡± Cen shouted. ¡°Push it into your sword!¡±


    So that was how it was.


    I was right¡­


    He had been right all along. They were being forced to use their [Aura]. More and more, through each obstacle, through each challenge that cleansed them of their sin, they were forced to rely more and more on their [Aura].


    And so, they had arrived at this point. The System wasn¡¯t even hiding it anymore. You either used your [Aura] now, or you died.


    Is there even any magic for us? Nar asked the Crystal. Or is that just something we made up? In reality, are we just meant to be shackled with our [Aura] for all of our lives, no matter where we are?


    Nar closed his eyes.


    He had no words.


    ¡°Nar! Come on!¡± Cen shouted, shaking him harder. ¡°You can do it!¡±


    Can I?


    He had shunted off his [Aura]. He had abhorred the mere thought of touching it ever again, and fittingly, when he had needed it, it had not come. It had wanted nothing to do with him, just like he did not want anything to do with it.


    He was sure that, somewhere out there, away from these endless corridors and darkness, there was a word for his situation and for the feeling that twisted his stomach. He idly wished the workers had not forgotten about it.


    ¡°Nar! You can do it! We all did! Even Gad! Just pretend you¡¯re operating the machine!¡±


    I did, Cen, I did. It didn¡¯t work.


    She shouted and shook him.


    ¡°Your sword is just like the receptor! Just do it!¡±


    She looked so sad. So desperate. So scared for him.


    He felt loss cease his heart.


    Alright. Alright. I¡¯ll try. For you¡­


    That was the least he could do.


    Nar closed his eyes, and sank down into himself.


    Down and down he went. Deeper and deeper into himself, where it got darker and darker. Darker even than the absolute dark of the B-Nex.


    Here, do you feel it? Right where my finger is touching.


    The memory of that finger, gently touching the center of his chest, guided him, and there was light.


    Little shards of it, flowing up past him in the void.


    Memories.


    The last time he had held his mother¡¯s hand.


    The heavy body he dumped into the recycler.


    Him, puking blood on the factory floor.


    His dad¡¯s gentle voice as he carried him back home.


    His dad telling him a bad joke just as Nar faced down at the receptor. Another day of labor waiting for him.


    The receptor¡­


    He reached out to it and light flooded the void.


    Nar gasped and sat upright.


    Air and Pressure flooded his lungs and he breathed in like he had never before.


    ¡°You did it!¡±


    Nar looked about him, wild eyed.


    ¡°Can you stand?¡± Cen asked. ¡°We need to get out of this!¡±


    Nar nodded, not trusting himself to be capable of any words.


    However, before he could move, the relief was pushed aside by the onset of a familiar sick feeling. Of the wrongness, and pain of a different kind.


    Aura gathered in his veins, seeking a way out of his body. He usually just pushed it into the receptor, but now there was nothing for him to push his [Aura] into. His sword was in his hand, but he had no idea what to do.


    Cen had told him to push it into his blade, but how?


    With nowhere to go, the [Aura] started to rebound inside him. It was destroying him, as sure as the Pressure had.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Cen shouted.


    She did her best to help him stand, and slowly, he managed it. Blood flowed freely from his nose, eyes and ears now.


    As Nar stood on trembling legs, he met the gaze of the cannibal who still awaited on the other side of the barrier.


    Of course. Rel even told us. They can¡¯t cross because they¡¯ve lost their [Aura]. Damn it. It both saves and dooms me.


    The man¡¯s eyes blazed purple, staring at him from deep beneath a piece of cloth that covered his face. Only the eyes were visible, and the cloth was filthy. The man was tall, taller than Nar, and his naked torso was framed by well-formed and powerful muscles.


    At that moment, Nar realized that he had almost died. A split second less, and this man would¡¯ve caught him. And something in his mind told him, with no doubts whatsoever, that if that man had grabbed him, there was nothing Nar could¡¯ve done.


    Cen tugged at his hand and Nar remembered where he was.


    With one last look at the cannibal, the ex-Climber that would never be able to cross through that barrier, Nar turned and walked away, letting Cen drag him along.


    The barrier turned out to be much longer than he expected. Every step shot a ripple of pain up into his body, and Nar expected to drop at any moment. At some point, Cen collapsed against his leg.


    ¡°Nar¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ Used¡­ Much¡­¡± she mumbled, her eyes rolling up.


    Nar only had enough presence of mind to bend down, putting his weight on the sword, and to grab her by the shirt. He barely lifted her unconscious body off the floor, and like that, bent over, he kept walking.


    At some point he went blind. Or maybe the memory was just erased from his mind.


    All he could remember was walking in darkness.


    Walking.


    Walking.


    One step after the other, as [Aura] and Pressure both, competed to see who could kill him first.


    After an eternity of heat, pain and darkness, he felt hands pulling him forward and he allowed himself to let go.

 Chapter 76 - Safe Room 2.0

    Nar came to in a dimly lit room.


    He heard the others breathing, peacefully asleep around him.


    A window popped up, and Nar read the message.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have entered a safe room.


    You are safe!


    Food will be provided. Eat and drink as much as you want.


    Facilities will be provided.


    New gear will be provided.


    HP regen rate and stamina recovery rate are boosted by 500%.


    Gains will be calculated and applied during the recovery period.


    There is no time limit for staying in this room.


    Stay as long as you want.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Stay as long as you want.


    Nar teared up and inhaled shakily.


    He was out.


    He was out!


    He could scarcely believe it!


    They had made it!


    They were safe. It was over. The cannibals were gone. Trapped behind the Pressure barrier. Crystal willing, that meant that he would never have to see another cannibal ever again.


    Nar covered his mouth, so as to not wake up the others.


    He was out.


    He was alive!


    He had been so sure that his life was about to become one of ceaseless pain and suffering. He had fought hard against his imagination, trying not to think of all the things that the cannibals were going to do to him and the others.


    And now, it was all behind him.


    He was safe.


    Thank You, Crystal! Thank You!


    In that moment, he forgot all of his grievances against the Almighty. All he could feel was relief and gratitude.


    He was alive. He still had a chance. His dad still had a chance. His party still had a chance.


    They were okay now.


    That was all that mattered.


    Still sobbing silently, Nar drifted back into sleep.


    He would never know how close to death he had come. Those last injuries inside the barrier had eaten through his HP and stamina, leaving him bare.


    Unlike the previous time though, the System did not notify him about this. Nor did it tell any of the others either.


    It simply pumped them full with the life saving energy of the Source, which flooded into existence through the Crystal.


    Flesh was knit back together, leaving no scars or blemishes. Organs were repaired to full function. Cracked and even broken bones were fixed to brand new. Even blood levels were restored to optimal.


    Why did the System do this? It did not know.


    All It understood was that certain factors, sets of variables and conditions had been met, which had triggered specific subroutines buried deep within Its reasoning.


    However, there was something about those subroutines and conditions that felt odd.


    The System decided to file a report. With that done, It moved on, focusing on bringing the Climbers back from the brink.


    Unbeknownst to It, however, Its sending of the report triggered yet another set of different subroutines. The report would never make it to its intended destination, heading somewhere else instead. And disappearing¡­


    *********


    It was still dim and quiet when Nar next woke up.


    He lay where he was, listening to the sounds of the others, still sleeping around him.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    He could see where the ceiling met all the walls from where he was, which gave him comfort. Being in a nice, enclosed, small space was exactly what he needed.


    Quietly, not to disturb anyone, Nar sat up.


    To his left, he found Jul, sleeping with her mouth half open. A smile crept up his face. His heart beat peacefully, but each beat was strong and filled with pride and joy. Pride at how brave she had become, and joy that she was safe. The rogue had come out of this nightmare better than she had gone into it. He scarcely believed that this Jul and the scared, quiet girl he had met all those months ago, were one and the same.


    To his right, he found his sword, and next to it, Rel.


    With a sigh of relief, Nar touched his weapon and stored it away.


    Then, his eyes fell upon Rel. She mumbled something in her sleep, and her eyelids shook.


    Did she sleep here out of habit? Nar wondered. Or did Rel just feel the most comfortable with him and Jul?


    He honestly did not know what to make of her. Didn¡¯t know how to feel about her either.


    He had an idea of the things she had done, considering he had been one of the victims of her deception. But he didn¡¯t know how many Climbers she had baited into cannibal hands.


    Actually, he found that he didn¡¯t want to know.


    They had fought together, and Rel had saved them. Her motivations, whatever the thing in her head was that she, Tas and Wik had alluded to, were still unclear to him. Had she saved them in a bid to redeem herself? Or had she seen an opportunity and seized it?


    Whichever it may be, and whatever Rel had done to survive, he also didn¡¯t know if he could judge her for it. He hadn¡¯t been there. He hadn¡¯t seen what she he¡¯d seen. Suffered what she did. According to Wik, they had been working for the cannibals for months. Crystal knew what she had been through in that long time?


    And now, she was going to Climb with them.


    Could he trust her?


    Could he accept her?


    He didn¡¯t really have much of a choice. Kur had given his word, and as the party leader, his word bound them all.


    He heard someone else shuffling in the room and looked around.


    Gad had gotten up, and she was checking up on Viy.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re awake,¡± she said, after she was done. ¡°You¡¯ve slept the longest. It''s our third morning here.¡±


    ¡°That long?¡±


    She motioned for him to get up and join her on the side of the room where the dispenser, toilet and blaster were.


    ¡°The lights will turn brighter in a few minutes,¡± she told him. ¡°But let¡¯s let the others sleep for a bit longer.¡±


    Nar nodded.


    ¡°How are things?¡± he asked, in a low tone of voice.


    Gad smiled. ¡°We¡¯re alive, aren¡¯t we? The rest will heal.¡±


    ¡°Even Viy?¡±


    Her smile faltered a little bit.


    ¡°Rel told me what happened. It was my fault for letting it get so far. But she looked so happy, and she was talking again. I didn¡¯t like Wik, but if he was helping Viy, I was willing to go along with it. But now¡­ I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m scared for her. It¡¯s not looking good.¡±


    Nar grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Gad. It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. But it distracted me from everything else. I was so focused on Viy that I forgot the rest of you. I should¡¯ve seen how messed up things had gotten. It was only that day when you told Tas to shut up that I finally looked around me. You were so angry, I thought you were going to punch him. That¡¯s what made me open my eyes.¡±


    She looked at the still sleeping forms of the others. ¡°Crystal. I was such an idiot.¡±


    ¡°So was I,¡± Nar said.


    Jul, Kur, Tuk, Cen, Mul, Viy and Gad.


    I almost lost them. And in the most horrible way possible.


    He couldn¡¯t deny his feelings anymore. Not after what they had gone through. He had to face the reality that he liked these Clean. That they meant something to him. What it was, he wasn¡¯t sure yet. But they weren¡¯t just tools to his Climb. They hadn¡¯t been for a long while.


    For the first time ever, he allowed himself to acknowledge that he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to part ways with them, once they got out. The thought of it scared him, actually. Made him feel sick even.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t really do a good job this time around,¡± Gad said. ¡°Us tanks I mean.¡±


    ¡°No. We didn¡¯t protect them.¡±


    Gad stared at him in surprise. ¡°No. We did not.¡±


    ¡°I screwed up. I screwed up a lot,¡± Nar whispered. ¡°With¡­ With a lot of things. Things I should¡¯ve done. Things I should¡¯ve said. I tried to think it through, all by myself, and it has led me here. Led us here. I should¡¯ve been talking to everyone. Especially with you and Kur. I should¡¯ve been telling you, asking for your advice.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your path, you know. Neither me or Kur are entitled to tell you how to build it. No one is,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Ah, the path is okay, for now¡­ I meant about other things,¡± he said. ¡°About the party. Things I caught, and that you missed. Things you should¡¯ve known.¡±


    ¡°About Tuk?¡± she asked.


    Nar looked up at her face. Sometimes it was easy to forget they were of the same age. Gad had always looked so much older than them, not in appearance, but in the wisdom that shone through her eyes. In patience, and in that solid serenity of hers.


    ¡°I heard, back in the cages,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Nar said, hanging his head low. ¡°I let him down so badly. I should¡¯ve come to you, or Kur, if I didn¡¯t know what to do. What to tell him. Instead, I kept quiet. I ignored it, kicked it to the next day, thinking that he wasn¡¯t that bad. I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know why I did it.¡±


    Gad nodded slowly.


    ¡°Maybe forget about the why, and just make sure it never happens again. That you don¡¯t close your eyes and fail the party again.¡±


    Nar felt his chin tremble.


    ¡°Yeah. I think I will,¡± he said, his voice shaky through the lump that had formed in his throat.


    The lights began to get brighter, and people started to shift in their sleep.


    Gad squeezed his shoulder.


    ¡°There will be some difficult talking today. All of us, together. We¡¯ve been waiting for you to wake up,¡± she told him, her expression pained. ¡°There are things we need to discuss. Things we need to understand, to make sure they don¡¯t happen again. If you want, you can add to the discussion, and we can all tell you what we think. But if you prefer, you can always come to me. I¡¯m always ready to listen, Nar. And bash some sense into your head too, if needs be.¡±


    Nar nodded and offered her a small smile. ¡°Thanks, Gad. I will¡­ Come to you, from now on.¡±


    ¡°You do that. I¡¯m going to go check on Viy again. I don¡¯t want her to be alone for the next while.¡±


    Nar nodded, then followed her with his eyes, looking past her. Viy had sat up and was staring down at her lap, ignoring the others around her.


    Like Gad, Nar too was scared for the spear woman. Something had been clearly very wrong with Viy, ever since the cannibal battle at the cubeplant, and he was worried how Wik¡¯s betrayal had further damaged whatever that something was.


    He looked away. This wasn¡¯t something he felt he could help with. Gad, Kur and Cen. They were the ones better equipped to help Viy. All he could contribute was to chase after Viy if she ever lost it again, and bring her back to the party.


    As many times as it''s needed, I suppose.


    And he would do it gladly. She was one of them, and he was¡­ One of them as well.


    With a sigh, he scanned the party, watching them come fully awake, one by one, and his eyes fell upon Jul. She was staring at Tuk in a daze. She was definitely not hearing a single word of what he was saying. It was actually quite something. How had Tuk gone from asleep to full on conversation in a matter of seconds?


    If Nar had woken up there, he would¡¯ve looked exactly like Jul did, and her expression made him smile.


    The rogue slowly looked around her, and then, she found the empty spot besides her. Nar stifled a laugh, as he watched her panic, coming fully awake. Frantically, she looked everywhere until she found him, leaning against the blaster, with a grin plastered across his dumb face.


    The moment she did, she froze.


    Nar chuckled under his breath and tapped his ear, hoping that she would get his meaning.


    He waited a few seconds to give her time.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk later,¡± he said, keeping his voice neutral.


    He almost lost it when she visibly swallowed. Her eyes went very big, and she him gave one solemn nod.


    To hide the smile that spread over his face, Nar entered the blaster.


    She had lied to him for a long time. Of course, he wasn¡¯t mad or angry at her. He himself carried his own secrets, that he had yet to reveal to the others. But that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t tease her a bit. Make her squirm for keeping it from him for so long.


    He wouldn¡¯t do it for too long though. She had saved his life after all. He would sit down next to her as soon as he could. He didn¡¯t want her to retreat back into fear and quietness, though he was sure a few minutes of worry and concern would do her no harm.


    For now, he had several layers of cannibal blood mixed with his own, dried and sticking all over his body. This was going to be the best blasting of his life.

 Chapter 77 - Growing Ever Closer

    Half an hour later, Nar stepped out of the blaster.


    His whole body stung, and his skin protested against his new set of clothes. He had blasted himself until his skin had taken on an angry red, and it had been worth it.


    He stepped out of that blaster feeling like he had been born anew.


    ¡°Hey, looking good, Nar! Glad to see you¡¯re finally awake,¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± Nar replied. He scanned the trugger up and down and smiled. ¡°You look alright too.¡±


    ¡°Man, that 500% healing whatever? I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯ve never had a better sleep than that. And the blasting that morning? Hmmm!¡±


    Nar laughed and pointed behind him. ¡°I know!¡±


    ¡°It was like being kissed by the Crystal Itself!¡±


    Erhm, too much¡­


    ¡°By the way, I see you¡¯re still wearing the old gear.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±


    Tuk pointed at Nar¡¯s [Climber¡¯s Shirt], then at his.


    ¡°Not purple. Purple. How did you not notice?¡±


    Nar looked down and stared at Tuk''s clothes. Instead of the almost white, light gray color, his clothes were now purple. And when he moved, Nar saw the same iridescent effect on the material as he did on his own sword, except it was much more subdued.


    The shape of the clothes itself was the exact same.


    ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Nar asked him.


    Tuk¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Wait! You haven¡¯t opened your notifications yet?¡±


    ¡°I-No?¡±


    Tuk slapped his arm.


    ¡°There¡¯re rewards, man! Gains! I even got a skill upgrade! Wait! I even got a new attribute, man! It¡¯s insane! Go on! Look!¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay! I will!¡±


    ¡°Wait, Nar!¡±


    In the blink of an eye, Nar had his UI up and had immediately noticed the flashing notification symbol. However, as Kur approached him, he made the UI go away again.


    His party leader also wore the new gear, and physically, he looked healed from the ordeal. However, there were dark circles under his eyes, and he avoided looking at Nar¡¯s face. That alone made his stomach twist uncomfortably.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re awake. Like Tuk said, the rewards are quite something. However, before you have a look at them, I was hoping I could have some of your time. With everyone.¡±


    Nar repressed a sigh and nodded. Best to just do it.


    ¡°Yeah, of course Kur. Whatever you need.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Thank you. Maybe, we¡¯ll just get to it, then? Tuk?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That sounds great, man.¡±


    Here we go, Nar though, as he followed after Kur.


    ¡°Everyone,¡± Kur said. ¡°I know it''s early, and I know we all just woke up. We¡¯ve been through a lot, and we deserve the rest. But I think that, unless we talk about a few certain things, and make some decisions, none of us will be able to properly relax.¡±


    Nar sat down with Tuk, by the edge of the party and looked at the others.


    Cen and Mul sat together, as he expected them too. Cen¡¯s mouth was a thin line, and her eyebrows were deeply furrowed, but he couldn¡¯t read anything from her, which was rare. Usually, Cen wore her emotions openly. Mul looked equally as impossible to read. His face was completely blank and devoid of anything that betrayed his thoughts.


    Gad looked stern. That was the best way he could describe it. Not angry, not sad, and certainly not scared. She looked like there were things she wanted to hear being said, and she would say those things herself if nobody else did.


    Viy, next to her, didn¡¯t even acknowledge Kur.


    That left Rel and Jul. The two of them sat together, backs straight against the wall.


    Jul looked pale, and he could see the sweat glistening on her forehead. She was definitely scared that her real class was one of those certain things that needed to be talked about, and decided upon. All of a sudden, Nar felt bad for teasing her. She was probably scared witless that she was about to be kicked out of the party, even if the thought was utter nonsense. No one was ever going to kick her out, but Nar didn¡¯t put it past her to worry about it. It was too late to do anything about it now, though.


    As for Rel, she stared impavidly at Kur. Was she worried that he would not keep his promise? Or did she feel like whatever was about to be discussed had nothing to do with her, other than the fact that she and her former party members had caused all of this to happen?


    And speaking of party members, I forgot she killed Tas. Should I¡­ Talk to her about it?


    He was still sore from his recent failure with Tuk. But Rel was not Tuk, was she? Was she even one of them? Should he care about her, at the same level as he did the others? He wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°So,¡± Kur began, in a level voice. ¡°We¡¯ve all just been through something¡­ Something beyond describing. Thank the Crystal, we are all alive. Give it up to luck, or the Crystal¡¯s mercy, I still can¡¯t believe that we all survived what we did, and that we came out of it as well as we did.¡±


    Nar found himself nodding, along with most of the others.


    ¡°You guys did amazing. All of you. And the rewards you¡¯ve all received are proof of that. I¡¯m incredibly blessed to have you as my party.¡±


    He took a deep breath, readying himself.


    ¡°However, I cannot ignore that none of this should¡¯ve happened. And I''m not blaming Nar for it. His heart was in the right place, just as it¡¯s always been. I don¡¯t think there is anyone here that thinks that Nar is to blame for what happened. He acted correctly, and he is still right at this very moment, now that we know it was all a trick. We have been let down by Climbers before, and we were let down again. But I ask you to remember that there were many others with whom we had no issues with. Only a few had malicious intentions in regards to our AUCs, and I don¡¯t think anyone here has forgotten Row and her party.¡±


    He cast his eyes about the faces before him, making eye contact with each one of them. When Kur stared at Nar, his stare lingered, and Nar read the pain within him.


    ¡°So, don¡¯t blame Nar, and don¡¯t blame yourselves. We were victims. We were tricked and lied to. It was not our fault. All we can do is learn from this. Learn that there are good people in the Nexus, and not so good people as well. Be it Climbers down here, or people up there, I want to believe that the vast majority of sentients don¡¯t have bad intentions towards us. So, there is no point in blaming the victims, nor in believing that the whole Nexus is out to get us. From now on, we will just be cautious with anyone and everyone. Whoever it is, they will need to work to earn our trust. I don¡¯t want us to ever end up in a situation like this again.¡±


    He had been running out of breath at the end there, and took a moment to gather himself again.


    ¡°However, I also have to admit that we should have handled this better. A lot better than we did. We practically did their job for them, and that needs to be said. And I¡¯ll start with myself. The worst failure in all of this¡­¡± he said, and swallowed hard. However, he did not avert his eyes from them, and stared squarely and openly at the party. ¡°As your party leader, it''s my job to look out for the party. Yes, it¡¯s on all of us to take responsibility for doing our best for this party, and yes, you guys didn¡¯t do it. But it was primarily my job, as the leader, to interact with another party and safeguard us from them. To keep watch. To be vigilant. To not¡­¡±


    His voice faltered and he looked away.


    ¡°Go on, Kur,¡± Cen said as Kur covered his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯re all to blame here.¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Mul said. ¡°But Kur, you¡¯re right that yours was the biggest point of failure. Still, just talk to us, man. Nobody here wants to kick you out or have a different party leader. So let''s just throw it all out and figure shit out.¡±


    Kur wiped his eyes and nodded.


    ¡°I¡­ Yes. I was going to ask that. If you want me to step down.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re our party leader,¡± Tuk said. ¡°And I refuse to have another.¡±


    Kur nodded again and took a deep breath.


    ¡°There were a few things. First, the magic. When that piece of shit told us that there was magic, I lost it!¡±


    Tears shone down his face as he forced the words out.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°He said it existed, and I¡­ I just felt so, so¡­ I can¡¯t even describe it. I had broken your path, Cen and Tuk, and Mul too, if Tas hadn¡¯t stopped me. I had ruined your future! All for something that we should have never touched. Something I refused to touch!¡±


    Cen inhaled wetly, and Mul passed an arm over her shoulders. It was hard to tell from his red neon eyes, but Nar swore that they shone in the soft yellow glow that emanated from the ceiling.


    He knew his own eyes must have been shining too.


    ¡°[Aura] was just a trick, a test! How could I have missed that?¡± Kur continued. ¡°How could I have allowed you guys to go down that path? And then the stuff about the Sentry, and how to fight the soldiers? Crystal damn it! I just felt like the most stupid, useless party leader ever! And he crossed the bridge with two deaths! More than fifty people died when we crossed! Even with [Aura], even with everything we threw at that challenge, over a quarter of us still died there!¡±


    The last words had come as a shout, and Kur¡¯s raw pain poured from him. Nar looked away, feeling the tears fall down his own face.


    ¡°After all that, what right did I have to lead you? With what delusion, or pride, or arrogance, could I pretend to know better than he did? Who cared if he behaved like shit? Who cared if he shattered our party into pieces? He had stuff to teach us. He was getting results! As long as he could take us all to the end, it didn¡¯t matter to me who was the leader! I just wanted everyone to get out safely!¡±


    Kur knelt down and leaned on one knee, covering his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry that I gave up my responsibility. I¡¯m sorry that I gladly did it! I threw it onto Tas and he did whatever he wanted with us. And I let it happen. I. Let. It. Happen!¡±


    Kur looked at them, tears streaking down from his red eyes. He slammed his fist hard against his chest.


    ¡°Me! I did it! I almost killed us all! It was all my fault!¡±


    He cried and beat his chest. Cen ran to him and threw herself into his chest, wrapping her arms around him, and stopping him from further hurting himself.


    ¡°It was not just you!¡± she shouted. ¡°I blamed you! I hated you! What if you ruined my chances at getting magic! It was all that I wanted! It was my biggest fear! How were me and Mul going to survive on the surface without it? And what was going to happen to our paths? I saw it all happen just as well, and I let it happen. I felt used, even though it was my own choice, and I hated you all for using me! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    Nar bit his lip and looked down, covering his eyes.


    She¡¯s right. She¡¯s absolutely right. I used her. I used Tuk. I made them open the way for me, while I protected my own future. I can¡¯t deny it¡­


    ¡°I felt used too,¡± Tuk said. ¡°I felt like I had sacrificed myself for nothing.¡±


    ¡°And I felt like you didn¡¯t deserve Cen¡¯s sacrifice,¡± Mul said, in a low voice. ¡°A sacrifice that I was about to make as well. You guys used us. You are guilty of that, and that guilt made you all jump at the lie with both feet. It was your way out of what you had done to us, and which had refused to do yourselves!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Gad said. ¡°I felt guilty and then I felt relieved. I used you.¡±


    So did I! So did I! Nar thought. But I had no choice. I can¡¯t give it up!


    ¡°I swore to myself that if something bad happened to your paths, that I would protect you guys for the rest of my life. I would never abandon you! Never!¡± Kur said. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t until that moment that I realized what I had done.¡±


    ¡°Rel,¡± Jul suddenly asked, drawing all eyes to her. ¡°Is there really no magic? Or was Wik just lying again?¡±


    Rel considered the party, and sighed. ¡°I wish he was. I don¡¯t know if there is or isn¡¯t magic. But we never found it. Our caster died before the cannibals got to us. He died on the bridge. The only bridge we crossed, into the Mid-Levels.¡±


    ¡°So that was a lie too?¡± Kur asked. ¡°About the easy crossing?¡±


    Rel grimaced.


    ¡°Yes. It was horrible. There were nearly three hundred of us, and less than half made it through.¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Kur whispered, stunned.


    Rel nodded, apologetically, and looked back at Jul.


    ¡°All I¡¯ve ever seen is [Aura]. No fire. No ice. No lightning. To be honest, I don¡¯t even know what those words mean, other than that they represent those squiggly lines drawn into the icons at the church.¡±


    ¡°I believe it''s real!¡± Cen said. ¡°More than that! I know magic is real! But I also believe that it doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡±


    ¡°No, Cen, you can¡¯t give up! I¡¯ll never ask you to use [Aura] again!¡± Kur said, holding her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll learn it! I¡¯ll use my [Aura]. I have it too after all!¡±


    Cen shook her head and took a deep breath.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask me, Kur. I have decided that [Aura] is in my path.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve come to believe that we have all truly been using it, and thinking of it, wrong. With the power of my [Aura Projectile]s, I have opened the way for us many times. [Aura] has saved our lives again and again. I refuse to believe that it¡¯s just a test, or that the Crystal is being cruel to us, forcing us to use it. I¡¯ve used [Aura] for almost all of my life. It¡¯s a piece of myself that I carry from our home, and I think it''s time I accepted it. I will understand it. I will understand why using it feels so wrong. At least, I now understand why we all kept gaining it.¡±


    ¡°The Pressure,¡± Kur breathed. ¡°It was the damn Pressure all along.¡±


    Cen nodded. ¡°It was always painful, but it was tolerable. Just enough to strengthen us. To make us use our [Aura] without us even realizing we were doing it.¡±


    ¡°So that we could cross the barrier?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°That, and perhaps more,¡± Cen said. ¡°I just don¡¯t know yet, what is coming ahead of us. But this is power. I have no doubt about it. It¡¯s a power that I have, and that is mine. It might even be outside the Source. I used my own [Aura] to power my projectiles when we got to the barrier. I had no choice. Through stamina it was too slow and too weak. But with my own aura?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I felt invincible!¡±


    ¡°By the Crystal. Is that true?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°I noticed it,¡± Nar said, speaking for the first time. ¡°I saw you. But I also saw the blood running down your eyes. Your nose, your ears!¡±


    ¡°I will fix it,¡± Cen vowed. ¡°I¡¯m not going to give up. I owe it to myself to get to the truth of this. There¡¯re just too many things that don¡¯t add up about aura.¡±


    ¡°And I will do it with you,¡± Mul said. ¡°I had already made up my mind, and all this shit has only made me regret not going through with it, when I had already decided that I would. I know now that I was right. What I want is [Aura]. Something that is mine and that won¡¯t be taken away from me or used against me. After all, if the Crystal grants magic, who knows what conditions it imposes for it?¡±


    The brawler shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sick of all this magic talk. I¡¯m taking my [Aura] and doing what I want with it.¡±


    Cen hesitated, but then she nodded.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Tuk said. ¡°I love you guys. If anything happened to you guys, I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Nar placed an arm over Tuk¡¯s shoulders and squeezed. The guilt and shame of how badly he had failed Tuk burned inside him. He still needed to talk to the trugger about it.


    ¡°I think that, from now on, we should all learn to use our [Aura],¡± Kur said, in the silence that followed Tuk¡¯s words. ¡°And I think we should all take turns using it.¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡± Tuk shouted. ¡°I¡¯m more than happy to do it!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t use you again, Tuk,¡± Kur said. ¡°I can¡¯t. I won¡¯t. I won¡¯t use you either Cen, and I will not use Mul. We all have a responsibility to contribute to this Climb in equal measure. And I think none of us want to carry this guilt and commit this unfairness anymore.¡±


    ¡°I will learn,¡± Gad said. ¡°And I will use it. All I ever did was push carts around. Tuk had to basically drag me through that barrier. So, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be any good, but I have some [Aura], and I will do the best I can with it.¡±


    ¡°I will learn too!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Not sure if I count,¡± Rel said. ¡°But I would like to at least learn it as well.¡±


    Nar nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll learn it too.¡±


    ¡°I will too,¡± Viy whispered.


    They all stared at her in breathless surprise.


    ¡°No one should use anyone. We¡¯re all together,¡± Viy said, still staring at her lap.


    Having said that, she went quiet again, and Gad kneeled down and whispered something in her ear.


    ¡°And I will learn too,¡± Kur said. ¡°And that makes all of us. And we will all contribute. Cen, Tuk, I hope you guys don¡¯t mind teaching us.¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°I will do my best,¡± Cen said smiling.


    ¡°Thank you. And still on this topic, I think it''s time for all of us to come clean about our [Aura] attributes. It has been a source of great anguish for all of us, and it has been something that we¡¯ve all worked to hide. Some more than others. From now on, we will keep it out in the open. We will know, we will all accept it, and it won¡¯t be something that can be used to break us apart like this again. This is not up for discussion. We will all do it.¡±


    ¡°Great to see some leadership again,¡± Mul said.


    Kur simply nodded, gracefully taking the well-deserved jab.


    ¡°I will go first, then. I have 15 points of [Aura],¡± Kur revealed.


    ¡°I have 11,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°I have 25,¡± Jul said.


    Nar¡¯s heart hammered in his chest. The moment was finally here.


    ¡°26,¡± Rel said.


    ¡°19,¡± Viy said.


    ¡°29,¡± Mul said.


    Sweat broke out across his forehead. It was his turn soon. He was leaving himself for last.


    ¡°I have 34,¡± Tuk said grinning, at Mul.


    Only Cen left now! Oh, my Crystal! I need to speak! I need to¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m at 36,¡± Cen said. ¡°Four points away from my first modifier.¡±


    Nar was going to get sick.


    ¡°Nar?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    ¡°How many do you have?¡±


    They all stared at him, expectantly.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, man. You got this. I¡¯ll never force you to use them,¡± Tuk whispered to him. ¡°You do more than enough for us already.¡±


    Nar took a deep breath and licked his dry lips.


    ¡°I¡­ I haven¡¯t checked yet. My gains, that is. But after the bridge¡­ After the bridge, it was at 48.¡±


    Complete and utter silence.


    All he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat, trying to claw its way out of his chest.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Kur mumbled. ¡°I think I heard wrong.¡±


    There were stunned nods from the others.


    Nar took a deep breath. ¡°You heard right. I have 48. [Aura] has my first modifier.¡±


    ¡°And you haven¡¯t checked your gains yet?¡± Mul asked.


    Nar nodded. The worst bit was coming.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Cen asked. ¡°Have you been using your [Aura] all this time? Without telling us?¡±


    Nar shook his head. ¡°I started at 21.¡±


    Here it came.


    ¡°How?¡± Gad asked. ¡°You¡¯re not a caster.¡±


    Nar looked down from their stunned faces. He couldn¡¯t bear to see their reactions when he finally told them. Not even Kur¡¯s. Not even Gad¡¯s. Not even Jul¡¯s.


    He licked his dry lips, feeling like he was going to pass out.


    ¡°I am¡­ Was, one of the Unclean.¡±


    If the silence before had been complete, this one was deafening. Obliterating even. For a couple of seconds, nobody remembered to even breathe.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ What¡¯s an Unclean?¡± Rel asked, when nobody spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s a damned good reason to Climb,¡± Nar heard Mul say. ¡°Fuck, man. I-I¡¯m sorry. I had no idea.¡±


    Nar nodded. He still couldn¡¯t look at any of them.


    ¡°Nar, I want to hear me now, okay? That stuff¡­ All of that, it stayed back there,¡± Kur said. ¡°It¡¯s gone. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. You understand?¡±


    ¡°It was pileshit to begin with. I never agreed with it,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Never! Neither did my mom or my brothers and sisters.¡±


    He gave Nar a tight hug, and Nar thought he was going to lose control of his emotions.


    ¡°You¡¯re you, Nar. One of us. That is all that matters,¡± Gad said.


    Nar gently disentangled himself from Tuk, and patted his shoulder.


    ¡°Thanks¡­" Nar cleared his throat. "I mean, thanks, guys. I¡­ Yeah, I¡¯ll tell you what my [Aura] is at, once I check it. I bet it¡¯s gone up.¡±


    ¡°You do that, okay? There is no reason to hide it. There¡¯s no reason to hide anything from now on,¡± Kur told him and the others. And Nar felt the sincerity in his words. ¡°Whatever we keep from one another, can be used against each other, and we¡¯re not going to let that happen again!¡±


    ¡°Never!¡± Tuk shouted.


    ¡°Never,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°Never,¡± Nar said, his voice low and drowned out by that of the others.


    They accept me. They accept me? How?


    Tuk caught sight of his confused and mixed expression, and shook him gently.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of us, Nar. You''re here. And you¡¯re my friend. A part of my party," he said, smiling. "All that fucking shit? Gone! It¡¯s the past! You¡¯re not an Unclean! You¡¯re one of us! You''re Nar.¡±


    Nar nodded, unable to speak. He didn¡¯t trust himself to do more than nodding with his head.


    ¡°And so, we reach the last and worst point of the agenda,¡± Kur said, raising his voice above all others. ¡°Jul¡¯s lie!¡±


    Jul gasped and tried to shrink into the wall.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    Kur raised his hand.


    ¡°All in favor of kicking Jul out of the party? Raise your¡­ Wait, I¡¯m just kidding. Don¡¯t cry!¡±


    Big, full tears ran down Jul¡¯s shocked, frozen face.


    ¡°Kur, come on!¡± Gad said, walking towards Jul.


    ¡°I was just joking!¡± Kur said. ¡°Jul, I¡¯m just joking. Ah¡­ Crystal¡¯s sake! No one¡¯s kicking you out!¡±


    Jul buried her face in Gad¡¯s shoulder and they all laughed at Kur¡¯s expense.


    Nar joined in on the chastising. Let no one know that he had played exactly the same prank on her.

 Chapter 78 - Decision To Be Brave

    Nar sat down next to Jul, once things quieted down and everyone had dispersed.


    ¡°Hey, you okay?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°I deserved that,¡± Jul said.


    Nar chuckled. ¡°Yeah, you did.¡±


    Jul played with her hands and the silence stretched. Nar waited patiently. He wanted her to lead the conversation.


    ¡°Were you surprised?¡± she asked at last.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Yes and No.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°No, because a non-fighting class never made sense to me,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose not.¡±


    ¡°And also, why did you keep your pack all this time, you know?¡±


    Jul sniffled. ¡°You noticed, uh?¡±


    ¡°I did. It was strange to keep it. After we got the ring, it made no sense to keep carrying anything. But I wasn''t really sure. It was just odd,¡± he paused, frowning. "Actually, that doesn''t make sense either. Why didn''t you just store them?"


    Jul looked down at her ring.


    ¡°The System didn¡¯t let me store my daggers. That¡¯s why I had to keep the pack.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Nar asked, surprised. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°It said that I was being untruthful, and running from my true self. It said that until I came clean, and accepted my class, that the daggers would never be accepted inside the inventory.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Nar whispered, stunned. ¡°I would¡¯ve never have guessed that.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said, nodding. ¡°But you said the no. What about the yes?¡±


    Nar considered her face. ¡°And yes because¡­¡±


    ¡°You can say it.¡±


    He sighed.


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t know if you could¡­ You know. If you were mentally prepared.¡±


    He had decided to be honest and waited with suspended breath for her reply.


    Eventually she looked away.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know either,¡± she whispered. ¡°But you fought to keep me safe. You did everything for me! You even allowed me to run away! I¡­ I had to come back for you. For everyone.¡±


    Nar smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you did.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re not¡­ Mad?¡±


    ¡°That you lied to us?¡± Nar asked.


    She flinched.


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, Jul. No, I¡¯m not mad. You saved my life. How could I be angry at that? But maybe, from now on, keep it honest? And that goes for the both of us, obviously. I also lied, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nar!¡±


    It was his time to flinch. ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that stuff, okay? You¡¯re you. You¡¯re my¡­¡±


    She froze mid speaking, and a dark sheen colored her face. She looked away. ¡°You¡¯re a good person, Nar. Those people at the cubeplant are just fuckers.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t start talking like Mul!¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    Nar grinned at her. ¡°Thank you. Thank you for saving my life. And thank you for not caring about it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, I swear I don¡¯t!¡±


    Nar nodded. He scratched his head and tried to gather his disjointed thoughts.


    ¡°I¡­ Jul, there¡¯s some stuff I want to say. To you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the best at this kind of stuff. Kur and Gad would do a much better job of it. And maybe, I¡¯m even overstepping myself...¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s about me? It¡¯s okay, you can say it. I can be¡­ Angry at you later.¡±


    Nar snorted. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t. But I just feel like I need to say it. There was some stuff I should''ve said to someone before, and I didn¡¯t, and they suffered a lot for it, you know? So, I just don¡¯t want to let that happen again, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She fidgeted and squirmed next to him, and Nar wanted nothing but to get up and clean his hands from that whole awkward situation. Was he even speaking properly? But he really didn¡¯t want this to be another Tuk situation, nor did he want her to lapse back into the darkness she had just managed to pull herself out of.


    ¡°Alright, here it goes. Was it your mom, or your dad?¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Jul froze.


    For a moment, her whole body tensed, and regret filled Nar¡¯s mind.


    Damn it! Is she about to bolt? Did I screw up?


    He waited in a tense silence, his pulse beating away, just as scared and worried as she was.


    Then, Jul relaxed.


    ¡°Both,¡± she whispered. ¡°They drank. And then apologized. Then they drank again.¡±


    Nar nodded, barely risking any movement.


    ¡°It was worse when they couldn¡¯t get any.¡±


    So he had been right after all. He wished he hadn¡¯t.


    It was a common enough occurrence. Nar didn¡¯t know exactly how it was done, but it was possible to turn crackers and jell-o into something called alcohol. He had never tried it, and his dad had promised him the beating of his life if he ever even smelled the stuff. Rumor was it, there was some aetherium mixed in with it, and the substance was highly addictive.


    It made people lose themselves. See and hear things even. And the more you drank, the more you craved it. And when those who craved it could not get their hands on it, more often than not, they turned violent. And always towards those closest to them... And most vulnerable.


    There had been a case in his neighborhood. Two young brothers, who had lost their whole family when the Clean had closed them all off.


    Nar could hear the screams and shouting at night, coming through the open doors and windows. The boss at the time tried to get them to stop, but they were too far gone.


    The eldest of them eventually died in a pileslide, and the youngest took the Climb as soon as he was able to. Nar wondered if he had done that in the hopes that joining with the System would cure him of his addiction.


    Now, knowing that she had gone through what she had, set his blood to boiling.


    He reached to her chin and gently made her look at him. He knew that it could spook her, but he risked it. He wanted her to look at him. He wanted her to listen to him. He wanted her to know the truth.


    ¡°Your parents are not here,¡± he said, staring deep into her green blue eyes. ¡°They are in the cubeplant. They stayed way, way behind us. And they will never leave.¡±


    Her eyes that so often reflected his own broken image back at him, were dark today. A deep void.


    ¡°You are here,¡± he continued. ¡°You walked the dark. You have faced pain, injury and death. You could have left us to die, but you came back for us. You walked right in there, risking the worst pain, suffering and death that you could have met on this Climb.¡±


    She tried to look away, but he gently pulled her back.


    ¡°You killed the cannibals that came in the night to hurt us. To hurt Kur, when he was injured, and defenseless without his HP or attributes. You set us free. You helped us escape by walking around us, in that base full of cannibals, and killing anyone that would have discovered us!¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t want to,¡± she whispered. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to go back. I was scared.¡±


    ¡°No one would, Jul. And I would be scared too! But you know what? You did come for us! You got us out! You fought with us! And you had never even fought before! I¡­ What I¡¯m trying to say, Jul, is that you are strong. You are not small, and you are not helpless. You are so strong and so brave. You are one of the bravest people that I know. And knowing where you come from, I just¡­ I am so proud of you. I am so happy that you are here in the party with us. I trust my back to you. I trust you with my whole life. You are¡­ You are amazing. You¡¯re an example to me. Like Gad. Like Kur. Like they all are.¡±


    He gently took his hand away, but Jul kept her eyes on him.


    ¡°You¡­ Mean it?¡±


    ¡°I do. I really do. You¡¯re incredible.¡±


    ¡°Hey, rogue!¡± Mul suddenly shouted. ¡°It''s time for training!¡±


    Nar glanced at Mul. ¡°He¡¯s helping you?¡±


    Jul nodded. ¡°From the moment I woke up.¡±


    ¡°Now, four shits!¡±


    Four¡­ Wow!


    ¡°Mul is very nice,¡± Jul said. ¡°Deep down. But he¡¯s not very nice in how he shows it.¡±


    Nar chuckled. That was probably the most apt description of the brawler he had ever heard.


    Jul stood up and looked at Nar. ¡°Thank you, Nar. Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°No. Thank you. I didn¡¯t do anything. It was all you.¡±


    A tremor passed through her face and she rushed away.


    ¡°Finally! Now¡­ Are you crying? Why are you crying?¡± Mul asked, shocked.


    ¡°Mul! What did you do now?¡± Cen screamed at him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°Why are you apologizing if you didn¡¯t do anything?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Mul, don¡¯t pick on Jul, man!¡± Tuk said, piling in. ¡°It¡¯s not nice.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t do anything!¡±


    Nar chuckled under his breath. Yeah, Mul was just a big softie underneath all that snark and attitude. Jul was in good hands. With all of them.


    ¡°That was nice.¡±


    Nar tensed in fright.


    Shit! I forgot she was here!


    ¡°That meant a lot to her,¡± Rel said. ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯ve done for her today.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. She did it all by herself,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°She did a lot by herself, but not everything,¡± Rel said. ¡°She needed someone to show her. To tell her. She needed you to tell her.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    He watched Jul laugh with the others, and he could not deny how it made him feel. He felt light, relieved, and like something filled him almost to the point of bursting.


    Maybe that guy was right. And maybe it goes both ways.


    Perhaps it wouldn''t be so bad to be someone''s brother again...


    He shook his head. Too much. Too fast.


    Thinking of that guy, though, it brought an unpleasant memory to his mind. Of a hand, blocked by a barrier of Pressure...


    ¡°Rel, did you see that guy?¡±


    ¡°What guy?¡± she asked.


    ¡°At the end, at the barrier, there was this guy¡­¡± Nar said, frowning. ¡°He showed up out of nowhere. It was like I blinked, and he was there.¡±


    Rel went pale. ¡°Was¡­ Was his face covered?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Was that him?¡±


    Rel swallowed hard and exhaled a shaky breath. Her eyes went wide and unfocused and she stared at the floor.


    ¡°My Crystal. That was him. He was there¡­¡±


    ¡°So that was the boss of the cannibals.¡±


    Rel nodded slowly. ¡°If he had gotten there just a few seconds earlier¡­¡±


    Rel got up and stormed towards the blaster.


    Nar watched her go in, and the door shut behind her.


    In her rush, she had scattered arrows everywhere, and Nar automatically reached over to gather them.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    He stared at his finger in surprise. Three droplets of blood were forming at the tip of his finger, sharp and deep red.


    What in the pile?


    He brought the arrow closer to his face and squinted at it. The end of the arrow, where Rel would¡¯ve picked it up when notching it on her bow, was lined with very fine cracks. Tiny splinters shot out from the cracks, here and there. It had been on those that he had pricked himself.


    Wait, it''s broken?


    He scanned the other arrows on the floor. Some of them were broken, but most were not.


    Did she get them like that? Wait. How can they even break? Are they not made from the same stuff as my sword?


    He tensed the arrow in his hand, bending it carefully so as to not cut himself again. The arrow bent with some resistance, but he knew that if he wanted to, he could break it with ease. The tip of the arrow however, was made of a long, shiny metal of some kind, and that one Nar could tell it was hard and strong enough to do what needed to be done.


    Uh¡­ But they still shouldn''t come out broken though.


    He remembered Rel running out of arrows at the end of their mad run. She had fought alongside him, bashing cannibals with her bow as if it were a club.


    These had to be new arrows.


    Wait¡­


    He grabbed the arrow by its middle and tapped it against the floor. He tapped it harder.


    He had heard that sound. It had been in the background while he talked to Jul.


    She¡¯s breaking them herself? But then, every time she fires an arrow, she¡¯s going to¡­


    He stared at his finger. The bleeding had stopped, and he couldn¡¯t even see the puncture mark anymore. For such a small wound, his HP had healed him almost immediately. It might take a bit longer for Rel, as a pure DPS, but it should heal her almost as fast.


    HP would not take away the pain, though.


    Nar stared at the occupied blaster.


    He dropped the arrow back with the others, and left them undisturbed. He really did not know what to make of her.

 Chapter 79 - Rewards From Not Getting Eaten

    The rest of the day was spent in laughter and relaxation. In the small confines of the warm, softly lit room, everyone felt at ease. Safe.


    The events of the past few days almost seemed far. In Nar¡¯s memory, they had sort of taken a surreal, soft edge to them, as if he had truly just woken up from a nightmare.


    However, if he concentrated, if he focused on any of those memories for more than a few seconds, the details began to sharpen. The sounds. The sights. The smells. He even remembered a sort of off taste in his mouth when he thought back to it. He couldn¡¯t explain it, for he had not eaten anything that would have explained the taste. Perhaps it had been the very air, smoky, tainted and corrupt with all the pain and suffering and¡­


    And this was when he would be jolted awake. His mind had endured enough, and already, walls and safety measures were being placed into place to safeguard him and his sanity. The memories would blur again, the taste would disappear, and the sound of cheer and laughter would come back to him, bringing him back into that safe room.


    Nar would then pretend he had been paying attention, and contribute his own laughter to the mix, forced as it was.


    It would never occur to him, nor any of the others for that fact, that for the most part, all their laughing was just a tad too loud, a tad too high pitched. A touch of hysteria. A touch of fear. The nightmare brood beneath the surface of their minds, and all of them, without exception, weren¡¯t quite sure what they were even laughing about.


    But laughter of any kind was better than to let the memories take over their minds. And when night came, and the lights dimmed, they continued chatting and laughing. They didn¡¯t want the silence to come. Or sleep, and the nightmares that awaited them.


    They had eaten and drank until their bodies could tolerate no more, and Mul in particular, was looking very queasy. He kept burping with a sweaty, pained look. Cen nudged him towards the toilet multiple times, but Mul always shook his head. After everything he had eaten, it would be a sin to puke any of it out.


    However, rest was needed. If not of the body, which had been healed to perfection, at least of the mind and soul. After a lull in the conversation, where a single yawn had made its round across the party at least three times, Kur decided it was time to call it. Protests were raised at his decision, but he held firm.


    ¡°We need sleep,¡± Kur said. ¡°I know nobody wants it, but we need to sleep. It will be rough, but it will get better. Come on, everyone, it¡¯s time. Come on.¡±


    And so exhorted and herded, the party turned to their original sleeping positions.


    When Nar got to his place, he noticed Rel, sleeping with her back to him. He sat quietly next to her, and considered her sleeping figure.


    She hadn¡¯t joined in on the celebrations. No one had asked her to either. Other than their talk earlier, she had pretty much kept to herself.


    He had no doubt whatsoever that Kur intended to keep his word. Rel would be Climbing with them. What that would look like, he still had no idea.


    ¡°Psst, Nar. Do you have a moment?¡±


    Nar looked up and saw Tuk waving at him from a few steps away.


    Nar felt his heart do a somersault, but he got up, and walked to the ring tosser.


    As he arrived, he noticed Tuk heave a drawn-out breath, and an expression he had rarely seen took over Tuk''s face.


    ¡°Listen, Nar,¡± Tuk said, with a tone that matched his face. ¡°We¡¯re both tired, and we both know we need to talk. Talking about this stuff makes me want to be sick, but we gave Kur the piling he needed, and deserved, so that he fully understood the consequences of what he did. And so that he wouldn¡¯t do it again.¡±


    Nar found himself unable to meet Tuk¡¯s eyes, and nodded, silent, while staring at his own feet instead.


    ¡°I¡­ You need the same.¡±


    Again, Nar simply nodded.


    ¡°You saw what happened. You knew I was suffering,¡± Tuk said. ¡°You could have said something. Anything. It would¡¯ve helped. It would¡¯ve helped so much. Tas would¡¯ve never gotten so close to me had you said something.¡±


    Tuk inhaled sharply.


    ¡°Look. I know you come from a¡­ Bad place. I can¡¯t imagine what it was like to grow up as an Unclean, I really can¡¯t. I... I saw it. Of course I did. And I understand how that has made you the way you are. The way you were, when we first met. Closed off, quiet. I could barely believe you when you said you wanted to tank. I honestly didn¡¯t think you cared enough about us," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn¡¯t think you cared about much, to be honest. But you''ve proven me wrong, Nar. Again, and again. I changed my mind about you even before we left that tutorial. I understood that there was just something heavy you were carrying. Something painful. Probably even horrifying.¡±


    Nar nodded.


    Again. He anticipated what Tuk was going to say, and all he could do was nod. No words came to his mind that he thought he could speak. Regret and guilt burned his mind clean. There was nothing he could say. Only listen.


    ¡°So, being someone who knows what it feels to carry a weight like that, it was really not nice of you to just ignore me,¡± Tuk said. ¡°To pretend you didn¡¯t see my pain. I don¡¯t know what reason you had to do it. Was it because you went through something painful and had to deal with it by yourself? Was it because you didn¡¯t know how to talk about it? Or... Because I¡¯m a Clean?¡±


    Nar looked up. ¡°No! It wasn¡¯t like¡­¡±


    Tuk raised a hand to stop him.


    ¡°I... I know it was not for a bad reason, or else, we would be having a very different talk. Whatever it is, I don¡¯t care what your reasons were. You failed me, Nar. Not by accident, but by choice.¡±


    Nar¡¯s throat tightened with emotion, and he barely managed to squeeze the words through. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Tuk sighed.


    ¡°I know you are. Look, you already do an incredible job in the party. You have risked your life for the party more than any of us have, except maybe for Gad. Or, you know, the same. Those times you saved Viy, or jumped in front of something that would¡¯ve killed any other of us? Man, I respect you more than a pile load. Way, way more! And I don''t want to be ungrateful to all that you do. I just¡­ If anyone is in a bad spot, don¡¯t ignore it again, ok? I know I don¡¯t need to say it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it again,¡± Nar said, forcing himself to look at Tuk¡¯s face.


    The trugger¡¯s eyes glistened in the very low light, and Nar knew that the words had been just as hard for Tuk to speak them, as it had been for him to hear them.


    ¡°I swear I won¡¯t,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°I know that. Look, forgotten and forgiven. Just remember, we all have a duty to look out for each other. And that means more than just keeping us alive, as ungrateful as that sounds.¡±


    A smile managed to escape onto Tuk¡¯s face, and both him and Nar shared a nervous laugh.


    ¡°We¡¯re all that we have now,¡± Tuk said, staring at their party. They gave the appearance of sleep, but Nar doubted anyone had found sleep that easily. ¡°I don¡¯t know what or who we¡¯ll find or meet up there, but I¡¯m starting to feel like this is it. Our families are behind us, for better or worse, and this is what we have now. And no one else is going to take care of us. Or cry over us, if we don¡¯t make it.¡±


    Tuk¡¯s eyes were still locked over the party, but he saw something else now.


    ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± Nar asked. ¡°I know it comes late. And I¡¯m not that good at this kind of stuff, but, if you want to talk¡­¡±


    Tuk squeezed his shoulder. ¡°Thanks. But I already talked with Kur. I shouldn¡¯t have hidden it from the party either, and Kur already gave out to me for doing it. He also helped me make sense of my feelings. Talking about things really does help. So, if one day you need to talk about anything, you can come to me too.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t underestimate yourself. I know you spoke with Jul. I don¡¯t know what you told her, but I saw what it did to her. You did good. Crystal, I sound like a team leader. Look at me, going on and on.¡±


    Nar managed a chuckle at that.


    Tuk patted his shoulder. ¡°Look, we both need sleep, however much we¡¯re going to get. So, I just had one more thing to tell you. It¡¯s a warning. What happened back there¡­ What I did. What I choose. One day, especially as a tank, you will probably have to make the same choice. Not about strangers, but about us. The party.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. I don¡¯t want to think about it either. But the Nexus has not been kind to us, Nar, and I¡¯m starting to think about what¡¯s up there waiting for us,¡± Tuk said, looking up towards the ceiling. ¡°After all, if the Named Few are as powerful as we believe them to be, I¡¯m sure they didn¡¯t just wake up one day being like that. All our gains come with a cost. Imagine what it¡¯s like for a Named Few. Imagine what it''s like for everyone else. There is no reason to think that our lives are going to be easy when we get out. Better? Oh, yes. I have no doubt about that. Easier though? No. I¡­ I just don¡¯t think they will. So yeah, think about it. Prepare yourself, if you can. And when that time arrives, whatever happens, remember this: it¡¯s not your fault, and you¡¯ve done your best. You¡¯ve done the best you could. You¡¯re not the Crystal, and you can¡¯t do everything. Well, at least that''s what Kur told me, so, I figured maybe I should pass it on.¡±


    With that said, Tuk walked away.


    Behind him, he left Nar both shocked and speechless. And scared.


    So far, he had been lucky. He had not had to face a situation where he had to choose who to protect, and who he was willing to let fend for themselves. Not truly. He could not deny that he had simply been lucky.


    Tuk was right. It was bound to happen one day, and there would be nothing he could do about it, but make his choice then.


    Unless¡­


    Unless he made himself strong enough. Strong enough to take the third choice. That of sacrificing no one, and saving everyone.


    Was it childish? Perhaps. But it gave him comfort. He wasn¡¯t ready to tolerate the possibility of such a failure yet. Nor carry the weight of knowing that he would have to decide who died and who lived, as Tuk had been forced to do.


    Crystal willing, with some mercy, that would never happen.


    "Nar?"


    Nar blinked and looked up. Tuk was still there, looking at him with an intese gaze.


    He actually looked like he was on the verge of tears.


    "Yeah?" Nar asked, frowing in concern. "What''s wrong?"


    Tuk looked away. "Are we still friends?"


    Nar tutted and rolled his eyes. "Go to sleep, Tuk."


    "I''m being serious here!"


    "So am I!" Nar said. "Of course we''re still friends! What kind of dumb question is that?"


    Tuk''s eyes glistened in the dim light. "It''s not a dumb question at all... It means a lot to me."


    Nar sighed. He stepped towards the trugger and gave him a sudden hug.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "We''re good, man," he said. "Don''t worry about it."


    "Thank you. I appreciate that," Tuk said, returning the gesture.


    They separated, and Tuk wiped at his eyes. "It was kind of you, you know. If it had been me... I don''t know if I would''ve been as... As... Gracious? Oh, new word. As gracious as you."


    Nar shook his head. "Knowing you, you would''ve told everyone on the first day."


    "Nah! I would''ve kept quiet about it too," Tuk said. "Considering what you went through, it was the safest option, man. I don''t blame you one bit."


    "Thanks, man. I appreciate it," Nar said, feeling a tightness returning to his throat again.


    Damn it! How much more crying am I going to be doing today? he muttered to himself, trying to keep a hold of his frazzled emotions. Almost getting eaten, followed by a big chastising from and to Kur, followed by him finally opening about his Unclean past, and then Tuk''s well deserved giving out... What a bunch of utterly insane days he''d had.


    "Alright. Enough crying for one day," Tuk said, his thoughts clearly in tune with Nar''s. "Try to sleep, alright. And if you can''t, just come find me. Or anyone, really. I doubt anyone''s going to have good night''s sleep."


    "I''ll keep that in mind," Nar said. "You try and catch some sleep too, Tuk. And again, from my side, I promise I won''t be quiet again."


    Tuk nodded, smiling. "I know you won''t, man. I know you won''t."


    The ring tosser gave him one last wave and walked away.


    A smile shone in Nar''s features as he watched the ring tosser go.


    Friends with a Clean, uh?


    He shook his head. He had to stop thinking of them like that, of course. But Crystal, if only his dad could seem him now.


    *********


    Sleep did not come to him easily that night. It had to be grabbed and dragged. Thrown down and beaten into submission.


    When Nar opened his eyes, he swore that he had just finally managed to drift off into a swirl of purple nightmares. But the lights were bright, and the party was awake and going about their morning routines.


    He allowed himself to lay where he was.


    The thoughts and coversation from the previous night came to the forefront of his mind, and a grin split his face. Not everything was a bad memory.


    Then he sighed.


    Right. You''re still Climbing. Can''t keep grinning away like an idiot. Time to finally look into those gains. They better be as good as everyone''s been saying they are. And Crystal, just how much [Aura] did all of that ended up costing me?


    He grimaced. But he couldn¡¯t avoid it any longer.


    He also needed to change into his new gear, and prepare to leave the safety of that safe room. They couldn''t, and wouldn''t, be staying locked up in there forever.


    With a swallow, he willed his UI to flicker to life, and before he could hesitate again, he focused on his notifications. The window showed up immediately.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have seen, endured and escaped from the unforgivable.


    Your path continues.


    Rewards:


    1. You have been granted an unlimited rest period. Cleaning and toilets are provided. Unlimited food and drink are provided. You are safe here. Stay as long as you want.


    2.You have gained 5 new gear sets. Report to the dispenser to receive them. You must return all of the older sets that still remain in your possession.


    3. You have been awarded three levels.


    4. You have been awarded extra gains.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    It didn¡¯t come as much of a surprise. He already knew about the first and second rewards, though he was somewhat curious to know what the new gear was like.


    On the other hand, a mere three levels seemed almost insulting.


    Apparently, the System had thought the same, and had given him a fourth reward. Extra gains.


    With his stomach convulsing uncomfortably, Nar willed the prompt away, and another took its place.


    DING!


    His eyes widened as he read through it.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have leveled up!


    You have leveled up!


    You have leveled up!


    Extra gains have been awarded!


    You have gained:


    Strength 15 -> 17


    Constitution 18 -> 22


    Stamina 21 -> 25


    Agility 15 -> 18


    Speed 15 -> 22


    Aura* 48 -> 59 (+11 Mod.)


    ??? 14 -> 16


    ??? 18 -> 21


    Might 5 -> 6


    Endurance 6 -> 8


    Instinct 15 -> 20


    Reflex 16 -> 21


    Hearing 9 -> 12


    Sight 10 -> 12


    NPC 0 -> 5


    Gains threshold exceeded!


    Stat points will be allocated during sleep!


    (Stat points have already been allocated)


    Attributes unlocked:


    NPC


    Skill [Strong Attack 2] upgraded to [Strong Attack 3].


    Skill [Quickening] upgraded to [Quickening 2].


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That much [Aura] was a blow.


    He had been expecting the increase, but he had not expected it to be so high.


    70 points. 70, uh?


    Nar took a deep breath. He was still too mentally wrecked to think too much about it. Or the fact that with another 30 points, [Aura] would claim his second modifier as well.


    Instead, he focused on the new attribute he had gained, and a new window popped up, smaller and overlapping the one with his gains.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Neural Processing (Combat), NPC - Your ability to process information faster. This is the (Combat) variety, commonly awakened in those whose minds need to keep up with the demands of battle, and the strain of their enhanced bodies and combat attributes. Further, [NPC] provides passive bonuses to other attributes. Currently, per point, [NPC] provides an extra 0.05 multiplier to [Reflex], an extra 0.03 multiplier to [Agility], and an extra 0.02 multiplier to [Speed]. All resulting numbers are rounded down.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Wait. What?


    He frowned and re-read the explanation of his new stat. It had gone completely over his head.


    Process information faster? That¡¯s basically thinking faster! Or, wait. Is it?


    He didn¡¯t feel the invasive drip of new knowledge, so he knew he was on his own to figure it out. However, considering the bonuses it gave to [Reflex], [Agility] and [Speed], it seemed like a valid conclusion to him that [NPC] helped him think faster in the middle of combat. To see, and perhaps even sense, things faster, and process them faster? Even to react faster? To make decisions faster?


    I think that''s it? I¡¯ll ask Gad¡¯s opinion about it later.


    Maybe he was interpreting it wrong, but he had a feeling that he wasn¡¯t.


    It was a pretty amazing attribute. Not only was it about to make him think much faster in the middle of a fight, it also provided significant increases to some of his most crucial attributes. [Reflex] alone gained an extra 5 points, and from the attribute description, [NPC] would probably provide better bonuses as he gained more points in it.


    One thing he didn¡¯t understand was how the new attribute worked, however. How exactly did it help him think faster? Was it just filling his brain with Source energy during fights, to boost his mental capacities? And if so, how much stamina would that cost on top of what it already cost him to use his current attributes? Plus, it looked like [NPC] was the same as his [Instinct], something passive that he, at least as of yet, had no control over. Did it mean it could drain him out of stamina?


    It was all a bundle of unknowns. Another mystery attribute which, just like his [Instinct], he didn¡¯t even begin to understand how it possibly worked.


    He didn¡¯t even have a quantifier to know how much faster it helped him process information.


    I mean, I sensed danger before I got [Instinct]. But this time, I didn¡¯t notice anything for this [NPC].


    Or wait, had he?


    A vague something tickled at the back of his mind. It was enough to push him to canvass the memories of his recent fights. He made sure he remained objectively focused on how he had felt when fighting though, and not on the salivating mouths, the sharp teeth and other unpleasant parts of those memories.


    Eventually, he gave up. He felt like there was something there, but whatever it was, it wasn¡¯t something he had noticed enough to remember.


    He decided to put those questions aside for now, and checked his upgraded skills. That too, was a pleasant surprise.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Strong Attack 3 - an attack that does an extra n * 0.55 damage, where n is your current [Strength]. Costs 10 stamina.


    Quickening 2 - for 5 seconds your [NPC], [Reflex], [Agility] and [Speed] increase by (n + y) * 0.25, where n is your [NPC] and y is your [Speed]. Costs 15 stamina.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    [Strong Attack 3] was just another straightforward 0.1 increase in the damage multiplier, just like [Strong Attack 2] had been.


    [Quickening 2] looked to be a much greater boost, however. He wasn¡¯t sure how it made sense for [NPC] and [Speed] to enhance themselves, but he wasn¡¯t going to complain. With now 22 points in [Speed] and the extra 5 from [NPC], he gained a whooping extra 6 points in all four skills!


    Even the duration of the skill had been enhanced to an extra two seconds. In a fight, those two seconds could very well be all that separated him from a gruesome end to his Climb¡­ And the skill¡¯s cost had remained at 15 points of stamina as well!


    Nar closed the tab with his skills and stared at his attributes again. His head spun.


    All in all, if he ignored [Aura], his gains were insane. And even more surprisingly, they were exactly what he needed and had wanted.


    It shouldn¡¯t be surprising. After all, those gains were all just the result of his own actions and choices. No, the surprise was more that the System had actually given him such a fair, even favorable, he would¡¯ve argued, assessment and resulting rewards. He had started expecting the worst from It.


    [Aura] however, was still [Aura]. He understood where it came from now, and why he was gaining it so heavily. They had probably all racked a lot of [Aura] from crossing the Pressure barrier. Plus, they had been hammered quite heavily with it during the tutorial, and at several significant points of their journey. That, at least, finally explained one of the unknowns he had faced since leaving the plant. And it was the one that had driven him crazy the most.


    The question now was what he was going to do with it.


    He was going to learn how to use it to fight, obviously. There were no doubts and no arguments there. He needed to pull his own weight, and he wasn¡¯t going to let the others carry him forward anymore.


    There was a slight problem there, however. He had the nagging feeling that his advanced [Aura] was going to be a problem, not a boon.


    From what he could tell, [Aura] usage did not feel good to either Tuk nor Cen, as it should. But given what he was used to back in the factory, and much more [Aura] he had now within him, or however it worked, he worried that using [Aura] would be a lot harsher on his body now. A lot more. And defintly in a very dramatic and bloody way.


    But he wasn''t sure of it yet. And there was no point in telling anyone about it until it was confirmed. The last thing he wanted to give the others the impression that he was trying to avoid doing his share. Or worse. If it did turn out that he couldn''t use his aura with reducing himself to a bloody puddle on the floor, Kur would just insiste on Nar not using it all. And the others would all agree too. He had no doubts there either. However, he did not want that.


    He would tell everyone about his 70 points of [Aura], but he would keep the rest under wraps. He didn''t want preferential treatment. He wanted to be one of them. Plus, he didn¡¯t think he could stomach it. He wanted to make his own fate, not have others sacrifice theirs for him.


    If only it was [Aether]. Crystal. Everything would¡¯ve been perfect then.


    But what ifs had never made the pile any smaller, or the work any easier.


    It is what it is, Nar thought, and opened his status tab.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    NAR293457741235645XAV


    Basic 19


    Health Points: 220/220


    Stamina: 250/250


    Stats


    ¡ñ Strength: 17


    ¡ñ Constitution: 22


    ¡ñ Stamina: 25


    ¡ñ Agility: 18


    ¡ñ Speed: 22


    ¡ñ Aura*: 56 (+14 Mod.)


    ¡ñ ???: 16


    ¡ñ ???: 21


    ¡ñ Might: 6


    ¡ñ Endurance: 8


    ¡ñ Instinct: 20


    ¡ñ Reflex: 21


    ¡ñ Hearing: 12


    ¡ñ Sight: 12


    ¡ñ NPC: 5


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    As he had first feared after the tutorial gains, when his path had begun to shift, his movement attributes, and [Instinct] and [Reflex], had overtaken his [Strength]. They would soon do the same to his [Constitution]. However, he now looked at these changes with different eyes. With hope for the potential they reprensented.


    It was his chosen path, and he would make it work. Yes, there was [Aura], and yes there were still those two [???] unknown attributes, which had both had massive gains. However, he had gained in [Might] and [Endurance] as well. ANd he had unlocked [NPC]. So, he would figure it out. Somehow. Probably with some help.


    With a deep breath, he turned off his UI entirely.


    Before he went over to talk with Kur, to tell him of his increased [Aura], there was just one last thing to do. Replenish his cracker and jell-o stores, and get his new gear.


    When a couple minutes later he beheld the clothes in his hands, he couldn¡¯t help but repress a shudder.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    Climber¡¯s Shirt 2


    Uncommon


    A superior version of the [Climber¡¯s Shirt]. Dyed purple.


    Attributes


    ¡ñ Absorbs 4% of damage taken when hit.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    Climber¡¯s Pants 2


    Uncommon


    A superior version of the [Climber¡¯s Pants]. Dyed purple.


    Attributes


    ¡ñ Absorbs 4% of damage taken when hit.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    Climber¡¯s Shoes 2


    Uncommon


    A superior version of the [Climber¡¯s Shoes]. Dyed purple.


    Attributes


    ¡ñ Absorbs 1.5% of damage taken when hit.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The higher damage absorption was more than welcome. The dyed purple, though? He could¡¯ve done without. Was that the System''s sick humor? An attempt to make sure he didn''t forget what he had gone through and all the lessons learned from it? Or what is something else entirely, and completely beyond his comprehension?


    He sighed, shaking his head.


    He had never thought it possible, but here was a color he was starting to seriously dislike. He hoped to never see that brilliant, nightmarish purple ever again.

 Chapter 80 - We Go On, Till The End

    Two days later, rested and healed, Kur asked out loud for the party to be let out of the safe room.


    An exit revealed itself, and having learned their lesson, Gad stepped outside cautiously.


    It was with immense relief that they found the yellow arrows waiting for them outside, ready to continue guiding them on their way up.


    And on their way they went.


    The days and weeks that passed by afterwards were a blur.


    Kur made a comeback with a fierceness he didn''t used to have. He led them well and truly. He was not afraid to share his doubts and they all made the tough decisions together. But as their party leader, he still kept the last word.


    Jul learned how to fight, and slowly overcame the gap she had compared to the rest of them in both combat experience and lacking attributes. Mul taught her as best as he could, from a brawler to a rogue, and he was only a little bit grumpy and short tempered about it.


    Their "new" rogue discovered she could fight with a fierceness she sometimes didn¡¯t believe belonged to her. Mixing her [Stealth] skill, which rendered her invisible within certain rules and caveats, with her [Backstab] skill, which effectively tripled her damage if she attacked an enemy from behind, and the devastating speed and agility of her four daggered fighting style, made her a true sight to behold.


    Kur had Nar and Gad start trading positions again.


    Nar wasn''t a tank like Gad, nor was he a DPS like the others, but he was fully committed to seeing where his path would take him. And everyone respected him for it, and did his best to help him.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that the major gains he had received would have made things easier from now on, and the System did not disappoint. It sent guardians at them in increasing numbers, in different combinations and with varying strategies. Most of the time, he was up for the challenge. Other times, less so. The first time he blocked a rolling, charging Soldier Guardian 2, he was sent flying, and lost over half his HP.


    Gad, once again, and very patiently, reminded him that blocking wasn¡¯t in his path. He knew this, of course, he assured her. He hadn¡¯t forgotten her words. However, he very much lacked the [Strength] to simply cut a soldier in half. Perhaps with [Aura], he would one day be able to do it.


    For now, even though he did not like it, he had resigned himself to learn to wield it.


    From years of using it, he knew the pain threshold at which things turned bloody, and so far that had been a barrier he hadn''t manage to break through. And the day he realized that he was actually starting to take HP damage during his attempts was a sobering and grim one. The damage was not enough to be life threatening yet, but it was increasing. Something was not right. And more and more, he believed that just as he had feared, his years of double shifts and too early [Aura] work had left him damaged somehow. Inside.


    However, he hated the thought of being captured or killed even more, and of letting down the party who had accepted him. His party. And so, he endured it silently, hoping to find the breakthrough he needed. The others cheered him on, not knowing the issues he faced.


    Mul was the first to succeed. One day, during their now daily [Aura] practice, Nar had been startled out of it by Mul¡¯s shouting. The lengos had been standing up, alternating between laughing and shouting, showing his glowing knuckle weapons.


    When Cen deemed that he had enough control over it, she allowed him to fight. And what a sight it was. With a single punch, Mul turned a soldier guardian into a collection of broken parts. The blow went right through the thick armor, and an explosion of [Aura] forced a hole through the soldier¡¯s opposing side. Broken bits and pieces flew everywhere, and everyone was left staring speechless.


    The power of [Aura] was undeniable.


    And the more the saw of it, the more it gave Cen the hope and the confidence she needed, to continue to experiment and learn, and teach and coach the rest of them. No one tried to dissuade her of her choice to delve ever deeper into [Aura]. She had made it clear that it was her choice to make, and that she knew what she was doing and what she was risking. Given everything that had happened and what they had learned, Kur was happy to leave it in her hands after a very serious conversation. He could offer counsel and advice, but it was up to one¡¯s self to decide what sort of path theirs was going to be. And for Cen, her path was [Aura]. And by the Crystal, her power was terrifying. More than Mul¡¯s. More than Tuk¡¯s.


    Whenever he beheld the absolute devastation she could bring forth, Nar couldn¡¯t help but consider his own [Aura]. At 70 points, he had almost double of what Cen had. He knew he was not a caster, and that he would never be able to shoot those devastating projectiles like she did... But all the same, with so much [Aura], what could he do with it? What could he achieve, if he brought it fully to bear?


    That it was the simplest, and most direct answer to the second half of his path, his lacking DPS, there was no doubt. Even he himself did not deny it. He could not. But he did not fully welcome it.


    When at last he managed to make the base of his blade gently start glowing, he was the last of the party to be able to manifest his [Aura]. And he was the worst of them all.


    Even Gad, who had been a trolley pusher could do it, and she had never even come close to a receptor in her entire life. She could fully encase her shield with it, though she had not yet bothered with her mace. The effect was much more subdued when she first used it in combat, but no less devastating than Mul¡¯s. The soldier¡¯s legs had come apart in pieces as it charged the glowing shield. And Gad? She had barely felt a thing from behind her shield of metal and [Aura].


    Viy, Jul and Rel learned it more or less at the same time, and they became similarly devastating in their own right.


    Kur could make his whole scepter glow with [Aura], but he was not a fighter, so it didn¡¯t really do much for him. But he learned it all the same. His weakness, in the face of Tas¡¯ and Wik¡¯ betrayal, had been a rude wake up call to just how useless he was in direct combat. And he was motivated to at least gain any advantage he could, for the next inevitable time that he found himself having to fight. And anything was better than nothing.


    As for Nar, the days and weeks passed by, and he managed little. Cen encouraged him to keep trying, always being patient with him. As for the others, no one really mentioned it, other than to tell him to keep going, and that he would get it soon.


    Only Rel was left bewildered by Nar¡¯s failure. She wondered if his failure was in any way related to the fact that Nar had been an Unclean, whatever that was, but since nobody asked or said anything about it, neither did she.


    From his side, Nar considered her from time to time, discreetly.


    Sometimes he caught her crying. Others, he found a broad smile on her face and a spring on her step. By mutual, silent agreement, they had all accepted her in the party. And as the weeks passed, she became more and more comfortable with them, and they with her.


    It wasn¡¯t that they had forgotten how they had met her, and what she had done. But her value to the party was undeniable. Plus, it was hard to reconcile the Rel that laughed and smiled easily, with the Rel that had nearly brought them to their deaths... For the most part however, she still preferred to hang back with Nar. Though she had added Tuk to her list of talking companions, and the two of them often talked for hours and hours on end.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Of the whole party, only Viy seemed to be bothered by Rel¡¯s presence. The spearwoman fought using all the knowledge she had learned from Wik, and with the added [Aura], she was both mesmerizing and terrifying to behold. Fast, graceful, and deadly. But she alternated between periods of near normalcy and of nearly catatonic. Long days of silence, where the only thing Kur, Gad or Cen could get out of her were nods.


    Nar heard and watched Viy tossing and turning in her sleep, whenever he stood watch.


    Her brow always glistened with sweat and he knew she was deep in nightmares he could not even begin to imagine. While Viy had confided in Wik, none of them knew what it was that hurt her so, and despite Gad¡¯s and Cen''s gentle insistence, Viy had remained mute about it. Like Viy had told Wik, the party¡¯s opinion mattered much more than his, and whatever it was, she wasn¡¯t ready to tell them yet.


    Slowly, the days of silence became the norm for her, and they all came to fear for her. Nar, in particular, now kept an eye on her during every fight, ready to jump in. Just in case.


    However, Viy wasn¡¯t the only one affected by what they had gone through. They all had nightmares now, and quite regularly.


    Nightmares where Jul hadn''t arrived on time to save Kur. Where Jul hadn''t come at all. Where they had come for them in those cages, and taken them to the other tents...


    They woke each other up, when people got too loud, or the nightmares too intense, but other than that, there wasn''t much anybody could do other than to power through it, and hope things would get better.


    In Nar''s case, he kept waking up with a start, drenched in sweat, with the afterimage of that hand beyond the Pressure slowly reaching out to him. Except in his nightmares the barrier did nothing to stop it. And it was always hard to fall back asleep after that.


    Rel¡¯s sleep was just as troubled as Viy¡¯s, though in Rel¡¯s case, it had much more observable effects. The alfin would wake up from her nightmares and dash into the darkness, just far enough where she thought nobody could hear her.


    But Nar could. And he doubted he was the only one.


    He heard her puking and crying. Then her gasps and whimpers, and after that, more crying. This had happened since their first night out of the safe room, and Nar had figured out right away what was happening from her bloody sleeves the next morning.


    He didn¡¯t like it. But what could he do? When he mentioned it to Kur, the party leader had told him that it was best to just keep an eye on Rel for now. He would do the same, but it was too soon to do anything.


    Nar had reluctantly agreed with him. There was too much they didn¡¯t know about her yet. And there was still the whole circumstance of how they had met.


    All the same, it made Nar angry. He hated the thought of her hurting herself in the darkness, alone. Regardless of what she had done¡­


    It was all just... So confusing.


    In this way, the weeks passed, and a full month rolled by, in darkness, in yellow arrows, in guardians, in [Aura], and in nightmares.


    They grew and they healed. Or tried to.


    *********


    Another bridge came and they crossed it.


    And to no one¡¯s surprise, they found that the majority of Climbers now used [Aura] as well.


    From the conversations floating around him, Nar learned that they had all passed through the same Pressure barriers, and had found that their only way through the mighty guardians that blocked their paths was through their loathsome [Aura]s.


    Cen and some of the others who had also decided to fully embrace their [Aura] had gotten together to discuss their findings and theories. They hadn¡¯t been at it for more than five minutes when someone interrupted them, calling them fools and sinners. Warning them that they were giving up their magic for the temptation of quick, easy power, and that they would regret it. And soon!


    From there, things quickly escalated into a shouting match between those in favor of using [Aura] and those few still staunchly against it.


    Those who merely used it as needed tried to mediate and keep the peace. But the arguing quickly caught on to all the parties present. Members quarreled and argued bitterly with one another, forming sides with total strangers they had never met before, to try and convince their party members of their folly or of their need to be realistic and survive.


    Emotions ran raw and sudden fights broke out. They had all crossed through cannibal-controlled territory on their way there, and parties had suffered losses. The grief, the regret, the guilt and the shame. It was quick to turn all of those into anger and resentment.


    But Nar watched it all from afar, unwilling to join in. He felt the growing heaviness of his failure in using his [Aura], and the toll it was starting to exact upon his body. And he knew he was holding himself back.


    Despite himself, he knew what it would take him to fully use his [Aura]. The pain, the suffering, the wrongness. It had reached levels beyond anything he was used to, and it was getting harder and harder to keep the screaming inside him. If he was to get where he needed to be, he would have to literally shred his veins to bloody bits to make it work, destroying himself in the process. And the moment he did, the others would know that for all his [Aura], he wasn¡¯t capable of using it, despite being so desperate to do so.


    He didn¡¯t know whether to feel anguish or relief at that.


    As the fighting raged all around him, it all served to prove just how divisive and deeply personal the decision was for each Climber.


    Hours later, when the party leaders had finally managed to quell the chaos, Climbers slept in uneasy silence. Nar heard more than a few nightmares and late-night sobbing. No one had been left untouched and unmarred by their encounter with the cannibals. Everyone here would carry their scars, and the memory of those who had fallen, or worse, had been left behind, for the rest of their lives.


    Not for the first time, Nar found himself questioning himself if in the end, his decision to save Tas, Wik and Rel had been wrong or right.


    On one hand, they had almost died. And in the most brutal and horrific way imaginable. On the other hand, they had come away from it with gains and gear that they would otherwise have never received.


    Their [Aura] had come out in the open, and their party was more united than ever. Jul had overcome a massive obstacle in her journey to healing, and now was on her way to become an amazing DPS. Also, he could not discount that they had also saved Rel, their new and ninth member. And she had proven herself to be a fantastic addition of a ranged DPS to the party, even if her senses were dulled by her mysterious illness.


    All these, they had gained. But at what cost? And what more would Nar have to pay and suffer in order to become a Named Few? He had lived through nightmare incarnate, and all he had gotten was gear, three levels and some extra attributes. What would he have to do, to reach the very pinnacle of power in the Nexus? What would it cost him to get there? Or perhaps, as Tuk had warned him, who would that power cost him?


    And would he ever gain his damned magic? The priest had promised it would be so. But could he trust him, after everything he had seen?


    Like him, the others were subdued that night, and there were no celebrations. The lackluster rewards from crossing that bridge only added to the atmosphere.


    After his gains had been calculated, Nar had stared blankly at the paltry list before him. He didn¡¯t even finish reading through it. As soon as he saw the newly added 8 points of [Aura] he was receiving, he had forgotten about the rest.


    78 now. 22 to go.


    It was at that moment that Nar realized that he was going to lose his second modifier as well, and that there was nothing he could do about it.


    As unfair as it was, it was unavoidable. Everything pushed him towards his [Aura].


    The fighting required it. Their very path, laden with Pressure, demanded it. The System, at the will of the Crystal, the Great Admin, seemed adamant in forcing as much [Aura] as It could down his throat. And Nar could only take it.


    He stared blankly at his status tab, unable to sleep.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    NAR293457741235645XAV


    Basic 20


    Health Points: 187/220


    Stamina: 145/250


    Stats


    ¡ñ Strength: 17


    ¡ñ Constitution: 22


    ¡ñ Stamina: 25


    ¡ñ Agility: 19


    ¡ñ Speed: 23


    ¡ñ Aura*: 78 (60 + 18 Mod.)


    ¡ñ ???: 16


    ¡ñ ???: 21


    ¡ñ Might: 6


    ¡ñ Endurance: 8


    ¡ñ Instinct: 21


    ¡ñ Reflex: 22


    ¡ñ Hearing: 13


    ¡ñ Sight: 12


    ¡ñ NPC: 5


    ¡ñ Smell: 5


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Despite all of his gains, and everything he had been through, and every enemy he had left dead or broken in his path, he was still just a Basic 20. Who was he to deny the Almighty and Its System?


    He almost missed that he had unlocked [Smell], starting at 5 points. When he told Jul, she was much more enthusiastic about it than he was. She herself had gotten no better gains than he had, and it was the same for all the others.


    The only two exceptions were Kur, who gained a new boon, [Fighter¡¯s Boon], and Gad, who finally gained her much anticipated and desired AOE taunt skill, in her now upgraded [Shield Call 2]. The upgraded skill added a third charge to her taunt skill that allowed her a shorter-ranged, multi-target taunt based on a 20-feet radius around her.


    They were good skills to have, but all in all, across the party, the gains still felt lackluster¡­


    In the sullen silence of early next morning, Kur got them ready, and ignoring the empty stares of those who had not slept, the party walked into the corridors of the Upper Levels. According to the quest window, this was the last level before they reached the O-Nex.


    However, rather than joy, all Nar felt was exhaustion.


    Five months he had Climbed, and there was still an entire level above them. Only the Crystal knew how many more months of unknown horrors and tribulations awaited them, before they could finally see the blessed light of the Outside-Nexus.

 Chapter 81 - Things Get Harder

    <h2>Part 3 - The Upper Levels</h2>


    ¡°And that was it. We thought the worst was behind us. We should¡¯ve known better¡­¡± - Anonymous delver, human DPS, ex-Climber, The Lusty Quam, S894SDAF72L71Y, popular establishment amongst ex-Climbers, known for its many services and offerings.


    Excerpt from ¡°Life in the Depths ¨C A Study of the Life Conditions in the Between-Nexus¡±


    Status: Unpublished. Censored by the authority of Truth Praetor Alastor Ghabn


    Notation: Level 4 Breach of The Tenets for Scholarly Conduct, Education and Enlightenment


    Scholar Kuon Feeir, KUO274021097334283LDX ¨C 2<sup>nd</sup> strike


    <h3 style="text-align: center">>><<


    Things were not going well.


    They hadn¡¯t for almost two weeks now, ever since they had stepped foot onto that massive corridor.


    Easily over 300-feet wide, according to Jul¡¯s scouting, the walls and ceiling were hidden in pitch darkness, too far away for the meager light of the path to reveal.


    The path itself guided them right through the middle of that massive empty space. And with no other choice, the party had stuck to their source of light, even though it meant being out in the open.


    And that was when the waves of guardians had started besieging them.


    ¡°Hang on, Nar! Almost there!¡± Kur shouted.


    Nar barely had the processing power to hear and decode the meaning of the sounds in the air down into words and meanings.


    His sword blurred in his hands, and he fought through a throbbing headache of raging [Instinct] and searing [NPC].


    Blood dripped down his nose, and probably his ears too. Somewhere deep inside his mind, there was a split-second stray thought that popped above the chaos, to briefly wonder if that was a sign of his brain finally melting. But then the thought was gone, and it was just Nar and the three Guardian Soldier 2 that he kept from advancing towards the ranged DPS.


    Luckily, it was the fourth time he found himself in such a situation. The first time, he had been forced to block the path of two of the massive things, who had surprised the party from the back, emerging almost silently from the darkness behind them. Then, he had not only to fight the soldiers, but also his disbelief at what his attributes now allowed him to achieve.


    Well, at least enough to just barely stay alive. And had he not been forced into such a desperate situation, he would¡¯ve never even considered it possible.


    Lines of fire burned across his arms and legs, marking where he had been too slow, or forced to sacrifice a little HP to avoid a worse blow. The three guardians melded into a blurry whirlwind of death, and he was doing all he could to keep them from getting him. Or the others behind him.


    ¡°Ready!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°Do it!¡± Kur shouted back, above the chaos.


    The sound of Gad¡¯s newest skill, [Shield Call], rang across the wide, open space, reverberating against the hidden walls around them.


    A wave of sound erupted from her shield, and when it reached Nar and the soldiers trying to eradicate him, the effect was immediate. The three guardians stopped dead for a half-second, then, as one, they turned on Gad instead.


    Sagging from the sudden pressure release, both mental and physical, Nar let them go.


    Attracted by Gad¡¯s wide AOE aggro, all the enemies within a 20-feet radius turned towards her. The soldier she had been battling, the three that Nar had scarcely managed to hold, and the six Guardian Soldiers of rank 1, that had been running amok trying to kill Mul, Viy and Jul, all rushed towards their tank.


    Gad hunkered behind her glowing, hazy gray shield, and prepared to receive the additional blows.


    The nine guardians tripped and staggered against one another in their mad rush to attack her. The longer blades of the Guardian Soldier 1¡¯s and the thicker, heavier limbs of the Guardian Soldier 2¡¯s, flayed and crashed and stabbed indiscriminately. They ended up doing much more damage to themselves and the one guardian that Gad had already been fighting, than to her.


    For a split moment, Nar felt a pang of jealousy for her glowing shield and her taunts, though he quickly pushed it away. Her path was not his path.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°The ranged!¡±


    Not wasting another second, Nar pushed through the pain and dashed towards the ranged fighters. Tuk, Rel and Cen stood nearby, in the center of their formation.


    Cen was on the floor, obviously downed by one of the innumerable bolts flying at the three Climbers.


    Rel was on top of her, and she was doing her best to keep the caster safe, while at the same time, occasionally shooting an arrow at their elusive, hidden enemies in the dark.


    Tuk though, he stood amidst the pelting volleys, shifting and twisting in awkward attempts to keep from being a static target.


    His rings of bright [Aura], up to six now, darted in all directions, spreading devastation amidst the mass of bolters hiding in the darkness around the group.


    These were a new type of enemy.


    These bolters were smaller and slower than the poisoners, and they could only shoot one bolt at a time. However, they made up for it in sheer numbers and by the ability to shoot an endless stream of bolts without needing an army of adjutants to keep re-stocking them.


    This meant that dozens of bolts were flying at the ranged DPS without pause. And that made Tuk all the braver for his daring stand.


    Kur¡¯s order had been ambiguous. All he had meant was that Nar should take this opportunity, while Gad¡¯s aggro lasted, to do something, anything, to help the besieged ranged DPS.


    That could¡¯ve meant wading into the darkness with his superior senses and [Speed], and directly destroying the bolters. However, as fast as he was, he knew he could not compete with Tuk¡¯s rings and Rel¡¯s arrows in terms of ranged combat. So instead, he ran towards the two of them.


    ¡°Tuk! Rel!¡± he shouted in warning, letting them know he was coming.


    ¡°Cover our left side!¡± Rel asked him. ¡°Tuk, let¡¯s focus on the right. One side at a time!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± the trugger replied.


    Nar took position right behind them, blocking with ease all the bolts now heading in his direction. And for their part, Tuk and Rel worked quickly to clear up the left side of the party. Tuk¡¯s [Sight] had improved tremendously, and Rel¡¯s was still good enough to penetrate the darkness around her, so they made quick and short work of the bolters with shining rings and glowing arrow tips.


    ¡°Turn left!¡± Rel said, once they were done.


    Glowing rings and arrows flew into the darkness, wrecking and destroying everything in their path.


    The guardians'' strategy had not changed once in the two weeks since they had found themselves in that enormous corridor.


    The soldier 1¡¯s focused on the melee DPS, and the bolters on the ranged DPS. As for the soldier 2¡¯s, they just ran amok through the party unless Nar and Gad kept them occupied. Fortunately, no matter what happened, the soldiers seemed unwilling to use the anti-aggro skill they had previously displayed.


    All in all, it was a very strange tactic.


    More than once, they had commented on how much more effective the enemy could have been, if only they¡¯d allowed themselves to be more flexible with their targets. And they knew that the guardians were, at least to some degree, intelligent enough to do it. It was a mystery, but one they were happy to see continued. Things were hard enough as they were¡­The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Gad shouted. ¡°Almost time!¡±


    Nar risked a glimpse to where the melee fight was raging. Mul, Viy and Jul had managed to bring down four of the soldier 1¡¯s and one of the soldier 2¡¯s. But Gad¡¯s taunt effect was nearly over, and it had a damned cooldown of nearly three whole minutes!


    Her shout had not been a call for help, nor for him to drop what he was doing. It was a warning to pay attention to the soon to be freed soldier 2¡¯s again!


    ¡°Guys?¡± Nar asked of the two ranged DPS.


    ¡°Going as fast as we can!¡± Tuk shouted. ¡°They move so fast!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try to wrap it up!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°I¡¯m triggering my boon¡­ Now!¡±


    Nar felt a surge of energy spread from his mind and down his whole body. Suddenly, the bolts flying his way seemed to slow down, and he had to adjust his sword mid swing to not overshoot the projectile he had been about to intercept.


    Kur¡¯s new skill, [Fighter¡¯s Boon], was an interesting, and incredible second addition to the party leader¡¯s boon set.


    It granted the party a significant 15% increase to the attribute that most helped them in the moment, and it lasted for a full seven seconds. And if that wasn¡¯t good enough, the skill only had a five-minute cooldown, meaning that it usually saw plenty of usage in the new, and much more drawn-out battles they now faced on the Upper Levels.


    For Nar, it seemed to target [Reflex] most of the time, as he was still pretty much focused on the tanking side of things, but the System gave them all different boosts.


    The already blazingly fast rings and arrows whistling past him shot out even faster. Rel and Tuk performed a semicircle of destruction, wrecking the bolters whose projectiles Nar intercepted.


    ¡°5 seconds!¡± Gad shouted.


    Damn¡­ Nar thought, glancing at the bigger Guardian Soldier 2. There were still four of them remaining!


    Already he was starting to sense the first whispers of danger from his [Instinct].


    One of the four must be planning to head straight for him, but what was he supposed to do? Tuk and Rel were still reliant on his protection, and he had learned the hard way what happened if he simply withdrew it.


    The first, and the only time he had suddenly left the ranged unprotected to deal with the bulky, armored soldiers, had resulted in both Rel and Cen getting shot and going under the sleeping poison for the remainder of the fight.


    It had made for a nightmare of a long, drawn-out battle from there on. No one had escaped it with their HP intact, and there had been more than a few close calls.


    Even now, three fights later, the party was still having trouble adjusting to the new, open, multi-enemy fights that they now faced, so Nar was at a loss as to what to do. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t the same stuttering dumbass that had left the cubeplant¡­


    ¡°Kur!¡± Nar shouted in between bolts. ¡°The soldiers are coming!¡±


    Getting his party leader¡¯s attention was about the best he could do, though he doubted Kur wasn''t already aware of the impending disaster and planning for it. Still, he had by now learned the value of proper communication. They all had, and it showed in their fights.


    ¡°I know!¡± Kur shouted predictably.


    Gad¡¯s aggro ran out just as Mul managed to bring down one of the soldiers 2.


    He was immediately forced to back-pedal as the soldier 1¡¯s lashed back at the melee DPS once more, freed of the taunt. And the soldier 2¡¯s went straight for the ranged.


    Gad, torn between which group to help, made the decision of trying to help both groups at once, and taunted one soldier 1 and one of the soldier 2¡¯s with her two individual charges of [Shield Call]. Unfortunately, that still left two soldier 2¡¯s on the loose, and they kept going straight for Rel and Tuk.


    Nar, tied down by the unceasing volleys of bolts, had his hands tied.


    ¡°Rel, get those 2¡¯s heading your way!¡± Kur shouted, taking charge of the situation.


    Then, he threw himself valiantly into their path, hoping to at least be enough of a distraction to slow them down. But the two guardians ignored his weak scepter blows, shining with [Aura] as they were, and pushed past him without even registering his presence


    Rel got an arrow up and filled it with [Aura], and shot at one of the incoming guardians. The projectile went through the plated armor as though it were made out of jell-o. However, the other soldier still advanced, and grew before her.


    With her eyes going wide, the archer backed away from the approaching, growling, hulking machine, and her second arrow went astray.


    Nar¡¯s [Instinct] didn¡¯t tell him anything about the danger Rel was in, but he didn¡¯t need it to know that she was about to die.


    At the same time, he couldn¡¯t just leave those bolts alone to take down Tuk.


    Outside of his control, his [NPC] kicked into overdrive.


    It was like someone grabbed a fistful of sharp aetherium and scrubbed them all over his brains. All the information from his [Hearing], [Sight], [Smell] and [Instinct] flooded and raged into his mind, and his [NPC] and [Reflex] exploded in agony to help him make sense of it all. And in that one, painful, slowed moment, he knew what he had to do.


    The perceived time slowness of his [NPC] faded away, and the fight resumed its actual speed, and with it, Nar moved.


    He caught three more bolts, the ones his senses identified that had been accurately aimed at Tuk. Then, he spun on the balls of his feet, and darted forward, towards Rel and the soldier wrapping its bladed limbs around her.


    Unfortunately, his plan took him right through the path of one of Tuk¡¯s rings. It was not the truggers fault, and it unavoidable¡­


    The glowing ring tore a line across his left side, and Nar faltered. For a moment, the pain was almost too great, his body shrieking from the [Aura] infused cut, but then he pushed through.


    He had underestimated the pain, however.


    He managed to turn away the one blade that would¡¯ve speared Rel through the spine, but the guardian had reacted to his approach, and a surprise blow caught him across the side. The same side that Tuk¡¯s ring had just teared open.


    His [Instinct] warned him of it, of course. But it was too late, and he was too hurt, to do anything else but instinctively brace for impact.


    He was sent stumbling a couple of feet back, reeling and blinded by pain. It was a testament to all that he had endured and his attribute-enhanced body that he managed to stay standing. But he had to lean heavily on his sword to do so.


    And before the guardian could do any more damage, Rel managed to put an arrow through it, and the thing¡¯s limbs dropped heavily on the floor.


    With only time to spare him a pale look of worry, Rel re-joined Tuk in finishing the last of the bolters.


    Nar couldn¡¯t pay much attention to the rest of the fight after that, but it was thankfully brief.


    And soon enough, Jul was at his side, making him sit down.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Nar said, holding onto his side, even as his HP got to work. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    That double whammy had only blasted apart half of his remaining HP. That he was at 37/220 HP was no big deal at all. Not at all¡­


    ¡°Just sit down!¡± she ordered him. ¡°And don¡¯t do anything!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡­ I won¡¯t¡­¡± he muttered tiredly.


    His heartbeat was like a guardian hammering at his brain, his skull doing the best it could to keep everything together in the face of the ravaging wrecked by his [NPC]. That blessed but damned attribute had damaged him. It was probably even responsible for a good chunk of his nearly depleted HP bar!


    Fuck¡­ Nar thought, lost as to whether to hold onto his head, or his bleeding side.


    He had to compromise with one hand for each.


    Waves of nausea blasted him, threatening to spill the cracker and a half and all the jell-o he had drank that day onto his lap. His ears rang with a high-pitched tinnitus, and his vision faded in and out, blurry and with more dark spots than sight. And as a final touch, blood still leaked down his nose and ears, and he tasted it on his tongue.


    What in the pile am I doing wrong? He asked himself, for the thousandth time.


    Every time his [NPC] triggered, he was left absolutely shredded by it.


    He didn¡¯t know what he was doing wrong, or if his body was just physically incapable of sustaining the burden of such an accelerated thought process for so long.


    After talking it out, their current theory was that he was just using [NPC] too much, in a way that he somehow wasn¡¯t ready to handle just yet. However, the guardians weren¡¯t giving him much other choice.


    The fights of the Upper Levels had so far proven to be beyond any encounter they had survived with the machines thus far. Everyone was stretched thin, and everyone was forced to use their [Aura] just so they could survive. Except for him, of course, as he was still struggling to get his to work.


    Nar had expected the difficulty of their Climb to continue increasing, but this had been a massive, unexpected leap to everyone.


    A sudden stab of pain made him clench his jaw.


    Crystal dammit! Can¡¯t use [Aura] without shredding myself to bits! Can¡¯t use [NPC] without having my brain turning to fucking goo! What the fuck do You want from me? Uh? Do You me to just roll over and die? Uh? Is that what You¡­


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± he muttered, pressing his eyes tightly shut.


    With everything swaying around him, Nar let all thought slip from his grasp, allowing himself to go blank. That earned him some relief at least.


    His side still radiated pain, but his HP was hard at work there, and all the rest were mere scratches and bruises. He didn¡¯t even consider them injuries anymore.


    ¡°You¡¯re using it too much!¡± Jul chastised him.


    Nar scoffed and winced in pain. ¡°No¡­ Choice?¡±


    One soldier of rank 2? Sure, he could handle it without his [NPC] triggering. No problem.


    Two soldier 2¡¯s? That was already pushing it a bit, and he needed help from the attribute, but it was still within manageable limits.


    But with three of them, and bolts, and having to decide his next move in order to keep the party alive in the interval between seconds? Sometimes even split-seconds? No! That was something much beyond him!


    He had no choice but to be increasingly reliant on his [NPC], even as it greedily drank from his HP.


    Without it, even if he had the [Speed], the [Agility], the [Reflex], the [Instinct] and everything else, he just couldn¡¯t make full use of the attributes. It was too much. His brain just couldn¡¯t keep up with his attribute enhanced body, and speed focused fighting style anymore¡­ And it had quickly become apparent that his [NPC] was at the core of his path. Without it, Nar just couldn¡¯t bring it to its full capabilities and promise. And so, he bled.


    So far, neither Kur nor Gad had come up with a solution for it either, and the guardians showed no signs of slowing down, or decreasing in number.


    By now, he had long let go of the hesitations and regrets about his path and choices that had plagued him earlier in his Climb. He was fully committed to his path, and into figuring the way forward. The way to make it all work. But as of now, he still didn¡¯t quite fully see it yet¡­


    Jul dropped next to him with a heavy sigh. He could tell she was staring at him with her big and unhappy eyes, but her silence was evidence enough that she knew he was right. Until he, or they, figured it out, or he got stronger and better able to handle his attributes, he had no choice but to just keep doing what he was doing and paying its cost.


    But he was trying to keep a positive attitude about things.


    His party had accepted him. His path was starting to take some kind of shape. And there was the fact that they were already on the Upper Levels¡­


    Yeah, he should see things from the bright side.


    Hopefully, all that pain and bleeding from his eyes, nose, ears and mouth would get him some really good [Constitution] gains. Hopefully!

 Chapter 82 - Injury

    ¡°You alright, man?¡± Tuk asked.


    Nar lifted his eyes and saw Tuk approaching him. He held Cen in his arms, their caster still fast asleep.


    A quick, and by now automatic and effortless glance at their party view, told him that the caster would stay under for about another nine minutes. Fortunately, those bolts¡¯ poison was not as bad as the poisoners they had first encountered, back in the Mid Levels.


    Tuk grimaced in regret and guilt as he stared at the blood oozing out of Nar¡¯s side.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry man,¡± he whispered. ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean to hit you.¡±


    ¡°Tuk, stop!¡± Nar said, marshaling some of his leftover energy to kill the ring tosser¡¯s guilt right there and then. ¡°It was not your fault. I jumped in your way, knowing I was doing it. It was my fault.¡±


    Tuk shook his head. ¡°I know man¡­ Still. And Crystal man, that was an [Aura] ring! Was that really the only way?¡±


    Nar nodded, then pursed his lips, regretting the movement as nausea almost won over him.


    ¡°Damn. Respect, man. Respect.¡±


    Tuk lowered Cen to the floor next to Nar, and kneeled at her side.


    ¡°How¡¯s she?¡± Jul asked.


    ¡°Just [Asleep],¡± Tuk said. ¡°The bolt hit her on the shoulder, so it didn¡¯t do too much damage.¡±


    Nar squinted against the pain, and forced his eyes to focus on Cen¡¯s injured shoulder. Blood seeped through a hastily tied scrap of stained purple clothing, but the injury looked like something HP would easily heal, even for her, the Climber with the least amount of [Constitution] in the party.


    It was also fortunate that the bolts these new guardians shot were much smaller than the poisoners'', being only about 3-inches long and 1-inch thick.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to leave her here and go tell Mul that she¡¯s fine,¡± Tuk told him. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can handle that level of noise like that.¡±


    The trugger smiled at him, and Nar grunted back in thanks.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the only thing I can do for you,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Ensure you can heal without a screaming, raging brawler at your side. Oh, shit! Here he comes!¡±


    Tuk leaped, and dashed to intercept Mul before he made towards his sister.


    As Tuk swayed right and left to block Mul¡¯s passage, Nar noticed that Kur and Gad were engrossed in some kind of discussion, with Viy silently hanging nearby. It was most likely about their continuing, failing performance.


    Things had changed once more, and there was no denying that they were struggling to adapt to it.


    They were no longer in nice, enclosed corridors that allowed them to concentrate their defenses on either the front, the back, or both.


    Here, they were vulnerable from all sides, and the guardians had exploited that from day one. They also came in much larger numbers than before.


    The new nature of their fights had meant that Gad and Kur needed to be much more active in their planning and tanking, and as a result, their fights had become much more mobile and fluid.


    Viy, Mul and Jul now faced fights where the enemy wasn¡¯t just swatting at them by accident while Gad held their aggro, or while Nar conveniently blocked the damage for them. No. They now fought their own battles, one-on-one, and sometimes even more than that.


    Jul, sitting quietly at his side, bleed from a split lip, and the big bruise on her face that had knocked her out on the previous day, was still there, even if faded to almost gone.


    Through spear distancing, [Agility] and [Speed], or with their very arms and [Constitution], the trio had to adapt quickly to a new style of battle. And no longer free to dish out damage like before, even with [Aura], they were now slower in bringing down their enemies.


    The ranged DPS faced a similar challenge. They had to learn to mind their surroundings, and enemies, much more than before, since they were no longer fighting from the relative safety of the back or center of the party, away from the frontlines.


    Honestly, if things continued as they were, Nar wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Tuk and Cen developed [Instinct] at some point, considering the amount of crap flying at them. Fortunately for Tuk, his [Sight] was now at a respectable 8 points, so he could actually see their enemies in the dark. Cen, however, had not unlocked any sense attributes at all, and was showing no signs that she ever would.


    Perhaps it was just a part of her caster class, a counter to the massive potential of her pure [Aura] caster DPS. But whatever the reason might be, it left Cen blind, and relying on the instructions from the Tuk and Rel. That not only slowed her down tremendously, it also explained why she had been downed three times already. In comparison, Tuk had been shot only once, and Rel had managed to avoid every bolt thus far.


    And that left Nar, and he could only do so much.


    He and Gad had to focus on the bigger threat, the soldier 2¡¯s. Keeping them away from the others was the only reason they had managed to survive so far.


    The DPS could suffer some bolts, or some hits and cuts, as long as they were not critical nor life threatening injuries. But a Guardian Soldier 2 could kill any of the DPS and Kur with a single blow, smashing through their HP as if it wasn¡¯t even there.


    The best Nar and Gad could come up with, was to alternate between shared tanking and Gad taunting everything, to give Nar a precious half a minute in which to try and help everyone else, depending on who was most in need.


    And so, the battles dragged on, depleting HP and exhausting stamina, and they always ended up having to stop for the rest of the day afterwards, completely drained.


    That meant their progress down that wide corridor, and potentially past that particular stage of their Climb, was slowed down as well. Which meant more attacks. Which meant they went even slower, and injuries and exhaustion from successive long, drawn-out fights piled on in a vicious cycle¡­


    With a weary sight, Nar wondered how difficult their next fight would be, with a half-healed [Aura] cut, and potentially cracked ribs to go with it.


    Jul poked his arm.


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± Nar made, opening his eyes. He didn¡¯t even remember closing them.


    Jul pressed her lips tightly together for a moment, considering what she wanted to say.


    ¡°Nar, I-I know that you are doing the best you can,¡± she said. ¡°And you even saved Rel. But this is¡­¡±


    She froze mid-sentence and Nar recognized the now familiar focused expression that took her.


    He stayed silent, breathing short breaths of warm, still air to try and disturb his side as little as possible. As for the annihilating headache, there was nothing he could do but wait for his melted, bleeding brain to slowly heal from his [NPC] abuse.


    Maybe they¡¯ll have something for headaches up there. And a healer¡­ Crystal. We so need a healer.


    But healing was yet another thing kept from them. It required magic, and Climber¡¯s had none. By now, Nar was starting to wonder if he would actually ever see a drop of [Aether] before the very end of the Climb. After all, what better way was there than to test, torture and despair him, than to dangle the promise of the thing he most needed right over him, but not ever within his reach? It would be just another way of suffering. Another way for him to atone for his egregious sins.


    ¡°There¡¯s something up ahead,¡± Jul said eventually. ¡°I think I need to go have a look.¡±


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Nar shouted, shooting daggers of pain across his body and mind. But she was already up and going.


    She dropped by Kur and Gad and they had a quick discussion that ended in Kur nodding and probably uttering the same ¡°be careful!¡± that Nar had. Then Jul was gone into the dark, her body turning invisible with [Stealth] as she was swallowed by it.


    Crystal. She didn¡¯t even hesitate¡­


    In the month and weeks after the escape, as they had collectively begun referring to in regards to all the cannibal related events, Jul had slowly but steadily embraced her actual class as a rogue. While she still lacked behind Mul and Viy in terms of DPS and attributes, she never shirked from the fighting. Nar had never seen her running from the frontline, unless Kur ordered it or strategy demanded it.


    She was fully embracing her change, her discovery of her own bravery and might, and Nar couldn''t have enough of it. He knew that he would put his own life on the line if it meant keeping her on her path to recovery. He knew it with the same certainty that he knew he would one day return to save his dad, no matter what still waited for him in the years to come.


    He couldn¡¯t say with the same certainty as to whether he would ever learn magic or not, or become a Named Few. Those two, once so assured, the big pillars of his plan, had slowly dimmed in certainty after their escape.


    With a pained groan, he reached out for his sword, discarded at his side.


    He held out the weapon in front of him, and allowed his eyes to roam across its length.


    The blade gleamed in its soft purple iridescence, and beyond its tip, gleaming gently in the dim yellow light of the arrows, he found the shattered remains of a soldier 2.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    The broken guardian was barely visible in the light of the path. In that massive, open corridor, the dark seemed to drink in the pitiful light of their path¡­ Pressing and weighing down on it, just as much as it did on the party with its oppressive silence and voidness.


    Nar willed his [Sight] to increase a little bit. Just enough so that he could examine the broken guardian, while ignoring the extra strain it put on his injured mind.


    The machine had been destroyed by Rel. He could see the entry puncture on one side, and on the other, past the broken innards of the guardian, was a much bigger and ragged exit.


    It had been an instant kill.


    Something I still can¡¯t do, Nar thought bitterly.


    He inhaled sharply, relishing the pain that the movement brought. Almost as if to punish himself for his failure. No! For his decision to allow himself to fail.


    Despite the cannibals, despite what he had told himself, here he was, weeks later, still recoiling from his [Aura]. Still running away from the undeniable power that awaited within him, a power that all the others had accepted and learned to wield.


    If not for everyone throwing around [Aura] enhanced DPS as though they¡¯d given up on magic, they would have all died on that first chaotic fight in that corridor¡­


    But it wasn¡¯t that Nar was being deceitful, betraying the others to hold on to his fear and need for magic. Not at all!


    He longed to be able to use his [Aura] alongside them! He didn¡¯t want to be carried to the surface on their backs and sacrifice! He didn¡¯t want to be their burden!


    And yet¡­ [Aura] remained out of reach.


    Nar focused on the blade.


    He felt for the [Aura] inside him.


    He pulled.


    He pushed.


    Light gathered at the base of his blade, and too late he realized his folly.


    Like a pileslide, razor sharp [Aura] spread through his body, unchecked and out of his control. It filled his blood vessels, gathered in his stomach, in his lungs. His heart protested, crushed under the sudden pressure.


    Nausea swept over him even harder than before, hand in hand with the pain and darkness that exploded in his mind, bursting in his head like a thousand, thousand shards of burning, poisonous aetherium.


    Fresh blood gushed from his side, splattering the floor and undoing the early efforts of his HP! And¡­


    The sword was knocked from his loose fingers.


    ¡°What in the pile do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Rel shouted at him.


    The anger in her voice punctuated every syllable.


    Nar moaned pitifully, his sight just a burst of yellow dots in the darkness that had nearly taken him under.


    ¡°You¡¯re hurt, you fucking idiot!¡± Rel said. ¡°Just rest. Heal!¡±


    ¡°Rel¡­¡± he managed to breathe.


    ¡°Shut up! Heal!¡±


    He heard her kneel next to him, then, from very far away, felt tender fingers around his wound.


    ¡°Crystal, what an idiot!¡± she muttered. ¡°Just leave the fucking [Aura] alone for once!¡±


    She crawled behind him and sat down, gently propping her back against his. Nar almost wept from the relief that her support brought him.


    ¡°Did you know?¡± she asked, after a few moments had gone by.


    Nar kept his mouth shut. Between the pain, and her anger, he wished he could pass out at that very moment.


    ¡°Of course you did!¡± Rel said, almost snarling the words. ¡°And you still jumped in the way of an [Aura] ring? Haven¡¯t you seen what those things do to guardians? You know, the things we fight, and that are made of metal?¡±


    ¡°You were about to die,¡± Nar whispered, in a low, strained voice.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that!¡±


    Nar, again, stayed silent, and so she did.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rel said, eventually. ¡°I know¡­ Thank you.¡±


    There we go. How hard was that? Nar thought, closing his eyes. Thank you, Nar, for saving my life. There, a few words. That''s all I¡¯m asking for. No need to always make it so damned complicated¡­


    ¡°How-How are you feeling?¡± she asked.


    Nar just snorted.


    ¡°The [NPC]?¡± she asked. ¡°Or the wound.¡±


    ¡°Both,¡± he croaked.


    Rel winced in sympathy.


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely using it too much. Can¡¯t you learn to control it?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°No idea. No yet,¡± Nar said. ¡°I¡¯ve had [Instinct] for longer, and I still can¡¯t do anything about it. It¡¯s probably just something that works out on its own¡­ Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Rel whispered. There wasn¡¯t really anything else she could do for him, other than to feel for his pain.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anyways. It¡¯s the only way I can keep up with them,¡± Nar muttered.


    He felt her nod against the back of his head.


    ¡°Your speed-taking is insane, but I don¡¯t envy you. It looks like a really¡­ Hard path to walk.¡±


    It feels like one, too... Crystal, will you ever make anything easy for me? he thought coldly.


    Steps approached them from behind, and Nar resisted the urge to see who it was. It wasn¡¯t worth the pain that he had already made worse through his stupidity.


    Kur came into sight and kneeled next to him. He looked at Cen for a moment, then checked Nar¡¯s wound.


    ¡°You¡¯re always bleeding,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°It¡¯s great for [Constitution], isn¡¯t it?¡± Nar muttered. ¡°At least I hope so¡­ Ow!¡±


    The party leader chuckled. ¡°I guess so. You should be happy for that, eh?¡±


    Nar laughed and cried out in pain. ¡°Please, don¡¯t make me laugh!¡±


    Kur shook his head, a smile adorning his lips.


    ¡°You did great. Both in saving Rel, and in keeping those three away from us,¡± he said, gently touching Nar¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We need to figure out a better way of managing our aggro, though. This can¡¯t go on. We¡¯re getting wrecked every time, and I doubt other parties have someone like you to keep them alive.¡±


    ¡°Eh. Thanks,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°I guess you deserved that one,¡± Kur conceded. ¡°Anyways, you seem like you¡¯ll be fine, as does Cen. Apart from that, I assume neither of you have leveled up yet?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Rel said. ¡°Still stuck at 20.¡±


    After the escape, Rel had unpacked all of Tas¡¯ extensive and insidious lies.


    One of them had been Rel¡¯s actual level. Both her and Tas had been stuck at level 19 for months, hiding the truth behind their own party view. Only Wik¡¯s level had been true. By turning cannibal, and embracing their full depravity, he had also been able to level up like they did¡­ Though eating attributes was a more apt description of the disgusting atrocity of what he had chosen to do. She had no idea how the process actually worked, as she had refused to even be around anyone engaging in such a thing. But it was more than obvious to her that the boss had found a way for the cannibals to take in the attributes of Climbers by consuming them.


    Knowing that her real level was stuck at 20 at least told the party that despite everything that she had done, Rel hadn¡¯t fallen so far as to get to the point of eating and torturing people. Or at least, that was the leap of faith and logic they had all decided to take in order to make her presence easier¡­


    With a groan, Kur sat down next to them.


    ¡°We¡¯re still stuck,¡± Rel said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kur agreed.


    Just like at the end of the tutorial, and before the first bridge crossing, the System wasn¡¯t allowing anyone to level up past 20. They had even stopped receiving their post-combat experience reports for some reason.


    Level 21 was barred from them, and would remain so until they did or reached whatever it was that the System demanded of them at present.


    ¡°I hope Jul sensed the end of it¡± Kur said, after a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sick of this damned corridor. I miss walls around me.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Rel agreed.


    Nar forgot himself, and nodded, and pain tore through his head.


    Kur winced at his wordless groan.


    ¡°Crystal, man, you have it rough,¡± Kur said. ¡°I don¡¯t envy you.¡±


    ¡°Rel already said that,¡± Nar mumbled.


    ¡°That, I did.¡±


    ¡°Well, I agree with her,¡± Kur said. ¡°Alright, let me grab Cen and bring her over to Mul. He¡¯s holding back so he doesn¡¯t disturb you, but I can see the veins on his forehead and neck from here. And I don''t even have [Sight].¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that doesn¡¯t look too good,¡± Rel said.


    For his part, Nar kept his head firmly still. He wanted to look. He really did.


    Not worth it, Nar. It¡¯s not worth it. It¡¯s just Mul being Mul¡­


    Kur took Cen and walked away.


    ¡°Do you want to lay down?¡± Rel asked from behind him.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Shout if you need anything,¡± she said. ¡°I have to go look for my arrows though. I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can.¡±


    She got up and Nar cried at suddenly having to sustain his weight again.


    ¡°Sorry! I moved too fast!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Go get your arrows,¡± Nar whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon!¡±


    And with that, she rushed towards the broken guardians in the darkness that surrounded them.


    Between you breaking them and they breaking most of the time they hit the guardians or the walls, is there even a point? Nar thought to himself.


    She had explained to him how her arrow storage system worked. As an archer, she had always had a storage ring, though at first it had only allowed her to carry arrows. She took them straight from her storage, and was allowed to hold up to nine hundred and ninety-nine arrows, which she could only replenish at a dispenser.


    ¡°It sounds like a lot, right?¡± she had asked him. ¡°I thought so too at first, and then I ran out right before the end of the tutorial. My aim was a lot worse back then, and things went a lot less smooth than Tas made them out to be. We spent a lot of time in that damned corridor, more than you guys did. And by the time we reached that bridge at the end, I was useless. A bow is not much of a blunt weapon¡­ And from then onwards, I¡¯ve always recovered as many arrows as I could.¡±


    And so she continued to do after every fight.


    No matter how tired she was, she always dragged herself into the piles of broken guardians to search for arrows, and then canvassed the darkness nearby for any stray arrows too.


    It was hard work, and painful too, if you weren¡¯t careful while shifting through broken guardians. Arrows seemed to be meant to be used once and then forgotten, and so they didn¡¯t possess the same useful trick that Tuk¡¯s rings did. She had to look for them in the natural way.


    Nar joined her whenever he wasn¡¯t too tired. But today, he was more than happy to just watch her do it, hoping she would hurry back to come help support him again.


    It¡¯s funny. A month ago she was trying to get me eaten, he thought.


    He often found himself surprised at how much he had grown to trust and rely on Rel. It was as though everything that had happened was nothing more than a distant nightmare, for which he could not really blame her for.


    Maybe, deep down, he understood that she was as much a victim as they had been.


    In the days and weeks that had followed their escape, he had avoided thinking about what he would have done if he had been in her position. Never mind the pain and torture, the dread of being eaten alive, or being forced to watch everyone in his party be subjected to all the depravations of the cannibals¡­ What would he have done about his dad? His dreams? His longing for the Nexus beyond the darkness?


    It was easy to shrug it off with a ¡°I would¡¯ve never done that!¡±, but he had not been faced with the choice. Nor did he have something inside his mind controlling and dictating his actions either. So, could he truly judge her? Could any of them?


    Or maybe, it was just necessity that brought them all closer.


    Faced with death on a daily basis, it was impossible not to grow closer. To learn to trust and rely on each other. To know that you have to place your life in the hands of others, and that there¡¯s nothing you can do about it, even if said other used to lure Climbers into the salivating jaws of cannibals.


    Thinking about it wasn¡¯t doing his head any favors, and yet, Nar still considered her, watching her carefully shift through their broken enemies.


    She sifted through the sharp pieces with a care that belayed all her efforts of inflicting pain upon herself. What was the point of the splintered arrows, and the things she did in the night when she thought no one could hear her? And then, the next morning, she displayed her bloody sleeves without a care. Without worry or shame or discomfort, or really anything at all. It was as though it had never happened, and the blood¡¯s presence was a mystery she did not care about.


    In all this, Nar understood nothing. He knew that he never would, unless Rel told him what the Yearning was. And then again, would it be fair to call that the whole story? Could she truly be defined by simply the condition that affected her?


    At that moment, Rel gasped and lifted an arrow up in the air. She inspected it, her smile widening into a grin as she saw no faults or defects which rendered the arrow unusable.


    It was a real smile. A sight that Nar was seeing more and more on her face, as she left the nightmare farther and farther behind her.


    It was a sight that disarmed him that little bit more, every time he saw it. Made him care for her more and accept her amongst them.


    Like all the others, he had grown to want her to succeed. To want her to reach the surface and find the cure for whatever it was that destroyed her from the inside.


    He wanted her to be happy. He wanted to include her in his new and growing¡­


    And growing what?


    Jul. Gad. Kur. Cen. Tuk. Mul. Viy. And now Rel.


    Sometimes, it felt like they were becoming more than party. Especially after all secrets had come out in the open.


    Which was why his failure at learning to wield his [Aura] stabbed him so deeply.


    But that pain blocking his path¡­ Crystal, he knew pain, dammit! And this was something else!


    But what was pain compared to the lives of his party? His own? And yet, he couldn¡¯t do it. It was like being shredded to bloody bits from the inside, and the moment he puked blood, the others would demand the truth out of him. And once they knew, they would forbid him to continue, and he just couldn¡¯t stomach that...


    All he could do now was wait to heal enough, and then try again.


    This too, he would overcome. Like he had everything else so far.

 Chapter 83 - The Light At The End Of The Corridor

    Nar was jolted awake by a pinging sound.


    Four more pings followed after it, and Nar¡¯s drowsy mind slowly put their meaning together.


    Jul found something, and she wants us to go to her.


    After the escape, Kur had immediately set about establishing a list of simple signals that they could all use to communicate. It was another of his bitter regrets, that he had delayed it for so long, debating the pros and cons of the perfect system, that they had been caught without it.


    ¡°When Tas betrayed us, we had no way of telling each other anything,¡± Kur had told them. ¡°You and Jul were running towards us, and we were trying to tell you to stay away. And we had no way of actually communicating. It was...¡±


    He had shaken his head.


    ¡°Never again,¡± Jul had said.


    ¡°No, never again.¡±


    In the end, he had opted for simplicity, and usability, as he should have done from the beginning. For example, the string of pings that Jul had just sent them through their party view, meant that she had found something, and was telling them that she wanted them to join her. At the same time, there was no signal that she was in danger or hurt.


    It was simply a dozen signals all together, ordered by increasing counts, and they all had memorized it without issue. That simple communication allowed to them by the party view had already proved useful, and it would continue to do so.


    Wait? How long has it been? Nar thought, still somewhat in the grasp of sleep. He felt a whole lot better already.


    ¡°Kur?¡± Gad asked. ¡°What do you think she found?¡±


    Nar looked about him and noticed that the others had fallen asleep in a circle around him, keeping him surrounded and covered from all sides.


    His throat tightened at the sight, and he felt a warmth spread over him.


    ¡°The end, hopefully,¡± Kur said. ¡°Nar¡¯s still hurt, and she¡¯s not here either. There¡¯s no telling when they¡¯re going to strike again.¡±


    The party leader was right, it could be now or it could be days. There had been no discernible pattern to the five attacks they had so far endured in that corridor.


    ¡°I can fight,¡± Nar said, letting them know he was awake.


    Kur stared at him with a critical eye. ¡°You don¡¯t have that much HP.¡±


    Nar checked it quickly, and was unable to hide the disappointment that took his face.


    ¡°124.¡±


    ¡°Barely half,¡± Gad said. ¡°Though I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll have a choice in the matter.¡±


    Kur frowned.


    ¡°We''ll fight if we need to,¡± Kur said. ¡°But if we do, we¡¯ll be even worse off afterwards. I think our best option is to risk it, and go see what Jul found. Maybe it will be safer there. Could even be the end of this corridor. Thoughts?¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Gad said, standing up. ¡°And I think Jul knows what she¡¯s doing.¡±


    ¡°I thought the same,¡± Kur said.


    And no one wanted to stay in that corridor any longer, so that was that.


    ¡°Guess it¡¯s decided, then,¡± Kur said.


    Light fingers brushed his shoulder and he looked for their owner, already knowing who it would be.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Rel asked.


    ¡°Getting there,¡± Nar said. ¡°How long was I asleep?¡±


    ¡°Almost five hours,¡± she answered, with a look of sympathy.


    ¡°What? And you just let me?¡± he said, aghast.


    ¡°What did you expect? You were cut with [Aura]! You needed to heal!¡± she threw at him, glaring. ¡°You¡¯re lucky it wasn¡¯t worse!¡±


    There was nothing he could say to that.


    Rel was taken by a sudden yawn, and tried to hide it behind her hands.


    ¡°Did you manage to sleep?¡± Nar asked.


    She shook her head. ¡°No, I took the watch.¡±


    Again? he thought to himself.


    Rel stood up and reached out her hands for him to grab onto. He gratefully accepted it and let her pull him up. Slowly, and with delicate movements, she helped him stand, doing her best to avoid putting weight or pressure on his injured side.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Nar said.


    He took a few tentative steps, and tried twisting his torso. The wound had closed, leaving behind a strangely ugly and jagged line of angry dried scab. However, he could tell that things weren¡¯t as patched up inside of him just yet, and his ribs still hurt from the soldier''s blow as well. However, it was good enough.


    ¡°Careful,¡± Rel said, examining him as he went through the motions. ¡°Don¡¯t open anything back up!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Still a bit sore, but I think the worst of it is healed,¡± he said, lying to her face.


    The same went for his head. It was heavy. Raw. But it was functioning and he was ready to let his [NPC] ravage him yet again if needed. Or so he hoped¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s a tank¡¯s [Constitution] for you. Had to receive something for all that effort,¡± she said.


    ¡°Barely,¡± Nar said, stretching gently. ¡°And still missing [Toughness]. I don¡¯t even know if I qualify as a tank.¡±


    He glanced back at her.


    ¡°By the way¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone ready?¡± Kur asked, cutting through the hubbub of separate conversations. ¡°If so, let''s get going. I don¡¯t want us to be hit while we¡¯re separated like this. Even with [Stealth], we shouldn¡¯t leave Jul alone for so long.¡±


    They swiftly got under way, walking through the darkness, guided by their path and only lifeline.


    ¡°What were you going to say?¡± Rel asked him, her words barely a whisper.


    As usual, they walked at the back of the group, and without Jul around, Nar had his senses stretched out around him to their maximum reach. His head be damned, he wasn¡¯t about to let them be ambushed.


    ¡°Me?¡± he asked, in an equally low tone of voice.


    ¡°Before Kur told us to move.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That?¡±


    Nar scratched the back of his head, and she rolled her eyes at him.


    ¡°Yes. That. Whatever it is.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Hmmm. I¡¯ll tell you later.¡±


    Her eyebrows went up in surprise, but she nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Nar gave her a half-smile and focused on the path at his feet.


    He had been about to tell her that she should try to sleep.


    He had noticed that she had more and more difficulty falling and staying asleep as of late. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was the nightmares or her condition, but more and more, he went to sleep before her and woke to find her already up. She was also volunteering for the watches a lot more, something that he should probably talk about with Kur, though he doubted the party leader hadn¡¯t noticed it.


    However, still not understanding her condition, Nar wasn¡¯t sure if he was just reaching out to someone else¡¯s pile, and about to make a mess of it.


    At the same time, after what had happened with Tuk, he didn¡¯t just want to let it slide either.


    Maybe it''s time I finally asked her what in the pile is happening to her, he thought.


    She wasn¡¯t going anywhere, at least not until the Climb was over. He¡­ They needed to know what was wrong with her, and how they could help her. By the worsening scarring on her face, and the darkly colored spots manifesting across her otherwise pale skin, he knew that she was getting progressively worse. And the lack of sleep couldn¡¯t be doing her any favors.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Though, a part of him did not want to care and would rather avoid the responsibility and the confusing moral dilemma. But like Tuk had said, it was a duty they all carried, as part of the party. Like it or not, he spent the most time with Rel out of all of them, and if she was ever going to open up to someone, it would be him. Maybe¡­


    He sighed heavily.


    ¡°Are you alright? Pain?¡± Rel asked, misinterpreting his sigh.


    ¡°What? No. No. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay. Well, don''t push yourself too hard. Let me know if I can help.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± she said, flashing him with a smile.


    Again, that smile.


    Nar almost spilled out his worries right there and then, but he decided he would do it later that night.


    Just like you decided for Tuk, right before you got captured? a voice asked him.


    Nar grimaced and shooed the thought away. Annoyingly, the voice lurked just at the edge of his consciousness, not too evident that he could dispel it, but not gone enough that it didn¡¯t still weigh on his mind.


    Still, he stubbornly clung to his decision. Or was that his fear and embarrassment? Of being heard. Of her reaction? Of being wrong?


    It made for a very long walk, and it only made Rel frown in suspicion when all his answers started coming out short and mumbling, and how he avoided her helping hand when it reached out to him.


    Eventually, they fell into an uncomfortable silence. At least to Nar it was. He couldn¡¯t stop thinking that now he had gone and made her mad, which would make their conversation later all the more difficult.


    As for Rel, she was just worried that Nar was in pain and was hiding it. Such is the bane of an overthinker.


    Eventually though, hours later, Nar noticed a change in their surroundings.


    ¡°Is it getting brighter?¡± he asked, looking around him.


    ¡°Is it?¡± Rel asked. ¡°I don¡¯t see it.¡±


    Na tried to squeeze more out of his [Sight], but despite the spike of pain, it was to no avail. He could not pierce the darkness ahead of them. And [Smell] and [Hearing] yielded similar useless results.


    However, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that it was getting brighter.


    He focused on his surroundings as they walked, staring hard into the impenetrable darkness that surrounded him.


    A few minutes later, he was sure of it.


    ¡°Kur, it''s getting brighter,¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh, thank you, Crystal!¡± Tuk muttered.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Kur asked, squinting around him.


    ¡°Yes. But that¡¯s all I got.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re finally getting out of this place,¡± Mul grunted. ¡°And back into leveling.¡±


    ¡°But does that mean we cleared this part of the Climb, or is the trial coming up now?¡± Cen asked, looking nervously around her.


    They had no way of knowing, and their silence conveyed as much.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We need to keep going anyway. Come on. Let¡¯s try walking a bit faster,¡± Kur urged them. ¡°And Nar, tell me if you¡¯re in pain.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry,¡± Nar replied.


    Kur snorted. ¡°Rel, tell me if he starts making faces and breathing hard.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m fine!¡±


    They continued down the tunnel, faster than before.


    ¡°I think Nar¡¯s right. It is getting brighter!¡± Tuk said, a few minutes later.


    ¡°I think so too,¡± Rel said.


    ¡°It is,¡± Nar said.


    The wide corridor was slowly being revealed before his eyes, though so far, he could only see about 100-feet of unremarkable, smooth floor in all directions.


    A half hour later, Nar could just about make the walls in the distance, and a bit of the ceiling above him. They were all as featureless as the floor, and a couple minutes later, Nar noticed a proper light in the distance.


    His stomach sank.


    ¡°I see a light,¡± he told the others. ¡°But it looks orange¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, for fuck¡¯s sakes!¡± Mul said. ¡°Again?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just keep going,¡± Kur said, silencing any further conversation. ¡°It could mean anything.¡±


    Please mean something else, Nar thought, clenching his jaw.


    But as the light grew, so did its intensity, and its color was undeniable. It was the same orange of the Pressure barrier they had crossed to escape the cannibals. Only, it was a much brighter, and vibrant tone than the now comparatively palel orange of that previous barrier.


    Crystal. Here we go again.


    He had no doubt that this was yet another [Aura] trial, blocking their path unless yet again they delved deeper into their [Aura] to surmount it.


    Around him, the others kept quiet, but the same thoughts must have been going through everyone¡¯s heads. Meanwhile, the orange glow kept growing, dispelling the darkness.


    A while later Jul pinged them. Just once.


    ¡°Jul¡¯s saying hi!¡± Tuk said, laughing, and pinged her back.


    ¡°She can probably hear us coming. We must be almost there,¡± Kur said.


    The light grew and grew and grew, until finally, they reached Jul and the end of the corridor.


    The rogue waved at them with her two left hands. Her shadow was massive, and her waving arms covered them. Behind her dark silhouette, the corridor opened up into a giant emptiness colored in bright orange.


    ¡°Jul!¡± Kur said, waving back. ¡°Everything ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Look! I found the end!¡±


    She was right, the path did end at the edge of the corridor, and what an end it was.


    Nar, stepping closer, felt his breath slip away.


    ¡°Holy Crystal Almighty,¡± Tuk whispered, as he lifted his head back against his neck.


    In front of them, with enough space in between them to fit their entire cubeplant, were endless rows of gigantic columns. They spread in all directions, and as far as they could see.


    Each of the columns was completely covered in swirling, bright, orange Pressure, and above them, on the endless ceiling, the Pressure gathered in a mass of bright, undulating orange of many hues and shades and tints. What he assumed was lightning streaked across the Pressure ceiling, marking long jagged lines in their eyes, but surprisingly, the whole thing was eerily and absolutely silent.


    It''s beautiful¡­ Nar thought.


    With eyes wide, Nar almost forgot what it was that he was staring at.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Jul¡¯s shout rang across the open space, and Nar was brought back to reality.


    He quickly found that Tuk, who had most likely been just as mesmerized as he by the spectacle of color and light, had been about to proceed further, and cross into the infinite room beyond the corridor.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked, looking around himself.


    ¡°You¡¯ll burn!¡± Jul said.


    She stomped to him and pulled him back from the orange edge he was so dangerously close to.


    ¡°What do you mean burn?¡± Kur asked, staring at her.


    ¡°The whole room is full of Pressure,¡± Jul explained. ¡°You can¡¯t see it, but it will burn you very badly. The Pressure is too strong. I can¡¯t even go inside.¡±


    She looked remorsefully at Kur. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I thought that here, at least we would have light, and that we could sleep next to one of the walls. And before, when we were fighting the Sentry, none of the guardians walked into the Pressure, so I thought that maybe we would be safer here. That it would be easier to fight.¡±


    Kur approached her and squeezed her shoulder briefly.


    ¡°Why are you sorry? It was a good idea. And it is a great idea!¡± he said. ¡°And never mind that, are you hurt?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°I healed. I did take some damage, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re okay, but from now on, if you see anything glowing orange, you need to be careful. We all need to.¡±


    Kur turned his head and considered their situation.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s get to one of the walls first. If this Pressure will work to cover us, with that wall, we may be able to make the fighting more organized again. And we¡¯ll have a better rest there as well, while we figure out what to do with all this.¡±


    They left the interrupted path behind, and took refuge by the tall wall to their left.


    While the others sat down to rest and discuss their next steps, Nar, despite his protesting body, approached the invisible wall of pressure in front of him.


    He could not avert his eyes from the brilliant show of light and color. And the fact that he felt no heat at all, despite standing so close to that invisible boundary, amazed him even further.


    He knew exactly what stood before him, baring his path to the surface yet again.


    Pressure and [Aura].


    And yet, he could not take his eyes away from the shifting light and the graceful long lines of lightning. From the giant pillars shrouded in bright, flowing orange. From the endless gathering of Pressure that was the ceiling high above him, higher than any ceiling he had ever seen¡­


    In a daze between the wonder and the anguish, he raised his hand and inched his fingers closer to the Pressure.


    The pain was instantaneous.


    As soon as his fingertip crossed the line into the infinite room, tinting his fingernail and skin orange, the unyielding Pressure leapt voraciously at his flesh.


    Ignoring the pain, Nar watched his skin redden, blisters starting to form. Then, the skin darkened¡­


    Eh¡­ It¡¯s not worse than using my [Aura], he thought, in a strange detachment.


    He withdrew his finger. It was a very dark red, and a tiny blister had formed besides his fingernail. Pain radiated up his arm from it, but it felt so far away, so tiny compared to what he suffered whenever he tried to harness his aura, that he dropped his hand and immediately forgot about it, his eyes drifting back to the wondrous sight in front of him.


    This was one of the reasons why he had left the cubeplant. To see a world of beauty and wonder, of which the workers only knew of from legends and myths passed down through the ages, all the way to the very first workers. The Original Sinners.


    Why do you block me like this, Crystal? Nar found himself asking.


    These days, he found that he had somehow started to re-open to the Crystal. He did not pray, nor praise, or sing, like some of the others did. However, he did not refuse to even think about the Crystal anymore, and found himself conversing with It, from time to time. Though the nature of his conversations was more often than not accusatory.


    I worked as hard as any of them. I was a child when they branded me an Unclean, and I don¡¯t know what the Original Workers did to You. All I want is the strength to Climb, to save my dad, and ensure our freedom in the O-Nex.


    The pain on his fingertip slowly changed into a dull ache, and then, into a distant itch.


    I know You¡¯ve given me much. The chance to Climb. The best party to do it with. Even a proper chance at the path I have chosen, the only path I could think of that would make me strong enough to save my dad¡¯s life, and ensure our future together in the Nexus above. So, I don¡¯t mean to be ungrateful, but I just don¡¯t understand any of this. Why do you not grant us your [Aether]? Why can¡¯t we have magic?


    He looked down from the view to his itching finger. It was still a furious red, but of the damage he had inflicted upon himself, there was barely any sign of it left.


    I have the [Constitution]. I have the [Stamina]. I have my movement and senses stats, and even my [NPC]. I have seen no one like me on this Climb, and I can do things that are amazing. Things which are different from what I dreamed of, but which are, maybe, even better... But without magic, my path, no, our paths won¡¯t go anywhere. If You keep pushing us into [Aura], You¡¯ll break our paths. Is that what You want?


    He closed his fist.


    To punish us more? To give us false hope? And all of this? These columns and all this Pressure¡­ Do we really warrant all of this? Just to atone?


    He didn¡¯t even know why he had started speaking to the Crystal again.


    The deep seethed dark thoughts and emotions he harbored had gone nowhere. He had neither forgiven, nor forgotten, the defense of the cubeplant, the bridges, the cannibals, and all that Pressure that continuously forced them to fall deeper into [Aura]. But all the same, he found that he wanted to talk to It. To understand why. To receive some hope, some assurance, from the Almighty Crystal that ruled every aspect of their lives.


    So far, the Crystal had remained mute. Or It was just simply ignoring him. Either way, it angered him all the more. Like a child betrayed and hated by their parents, not ever knowing why or what it had done to deserve such treatment.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be ok.¡±


    Nar lifted his eyes and found Jul, standing by his side.


    Her face shone orange, with an expression that Nar couldn¡¯t read.


    Nar inhaled sharply and bit down an angry retort.


    He wanted to shout and point at that massive Pressure blocking their path, and which was about to push them all further down towards the point of breaking their paths. He himself was close to losing his second modifier to his [Aura], an [Aura] he couldn¡¯t even use without wanting to puke blood. So how was anything going to be okay?


    ¡°I know it''s hard to believe,¡± Jul said, her eyes glazed. ¡°But you¡¯ll be okay. We all will. As long as we have each other, we¡¯ll find the way.¡±


    She faced him then, turning her big, kind eyes onto his. Eyes where he could only see his own orange face reflecting back from, in thousands of tiny dark specks.


    ¡°I¡¯ll always be with you. You¡¯re not alone.¡±


    Before he could say anything, she patted his arm and motioned to leave.


    ¡°Come on, Kur asked me to come get you. We need to decide how we¡¯re going to get through.¡±

 Chapter 84 - To Yearn

    Kur nodded at Nar and Jul as they took a seat in the circle. The orange light tinted everything, and made the shadows in their faces appear deeper than they were. It gave them all a grim, grave look.


    Nar noticed that Kur had chosen to sit with his back to the big open space behind them, rather than sit with his back to the wall or to the Pressure room.


    He¡¯s something else, isn¡¯t he? Nar thought, hiding a smile. All of them are, aren¡¯t they?


    Kur raised a hand to get everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get to it,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ve made it to the end of the corridor, but for now, it looks like we¡¯re stuck here.¡±


    ¡°We need to use our [Aura] again,¡± Tuk said, casting a glance to the orange room behind him. ¡°And a lot of it by the looks of it.¡±


    ¡°A whole lot more,¡± Cen said. ¡°More than we ever did. Much more than what we used to cross that barrier.¡±


    Kur nodded. ¡°That seems to be the case considering how Jul got burned. The Pressure barrier we walked through during our escape burned us, but it was slow and gradual. It gave us time to use our [Aura]. However, both me, Viy and Gad had to be helped across. Here, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be possible. I believe it¡¯s a fair assessment to say that this Pressure is many times stronger than any we¡¯ve faced so far, and it will require a lot more from us. Especially, since we can¡¯t even see the end of the room, there¡¯s a very real possibility that we''ll even need to sleep under that Pressure.¡±


    ¡°Us? Use [Aura] while sleeping?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°Crystal. It''s hard enough awake! Is that even possible?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t just have to be more [Aura], though,¡± Gad said.


    With her arms folded, she sat to Kur¡¯s left.


    ¡°It could be that we need to do something different. Or maybe, better. It could be a whole new way of using [Aura] for all we know, just like Cen has been saying¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes! That could be true!¡± Cen said. Her eyes twinkled at the possibility.


    Cen spent every waking moment, walking or resting, dedicated to figuring out a way to fix their [Aura] use. She had become more and more convinced that just like they had forgotten everything about what lay beyond the doors of the cubeplant, that they had also forgotten how to properly use [Aura]. And even what [Aura] actually was¡­


    However, in the month of since their escape, with successive trials and errors, experiments, theories and discussions, she was no closer to figuring it out. Perhaps here was her chance to finally do so.


    ¡°But how are we going to do that?¡± Mul asked. He sat to Kur¡¯s right. ¡°Just grab our [Aura] and step into the room? Hope for the best?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Kur said, shrugging. ¡°Maybe we just need to push it onto our weapons, as we have been, and then see what happens.¡±


    ¡°That sounds crazy,¡± Rel said.


    Kur chuckled mirthlessly. ¡°When has anything on this Climb ever not been crazy? Anyways, the Pressure is only our first problem. The second one is that our path ends here.¡±


    They all turned to look for their faithful yellow path, but in the distance, it was invisible, swallowed by the more brighter orange light.


    ¡°Do you sense anything, Jul?¡± Gad asked.


    Jul shook her head.


    ¡°I sense nothing at all from inside that room. Not even my [Instinct] warned me about the Pressure,¡± the rogue said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a reason to be worried at all,¡± Mul grunted. ¡°Any chance that the barrier is just right by the entrance, and all that orange is just coloring the room behind it?¡±


    Everyone turned to look at him and the brawler shrugged. ¡°A guy can hope, no?¡±


    ¡°Either way, assuming it¡¯s not just a short barrier, and that the path springs up on the other side¡­ And instead, assuming the worst like always happens,¡± Kur said. ¡°We are either just meant to walk in a straight line, and not get lost, or, that there are multiple ways out of the room and we just need to find one of them. Remember what happened after the Sentry fight? The exit could take us up or down, just as much as being on any side of that room.¡±


    ¡°Could be,¡± Gad said. ¡°So, we have Pressure, a hard-to-find exit, and the chance of ending up lost. And under all that Pressure, there¡¯s no telling how long we¡¯re going to last for. Nor if there will be something in there with us¡­¡±


    Nar nodded in agreement.


    The thought of being the only one who couldn¡¯t do use his [Aura] yet kept him from speaking. Though it was going to come sooner or later.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s decided, we just need to decide who¡¯s going in first,¡± Mul said, gruffly. ¡°I volunteer.¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡± Cen said, shocked. ¡°I have more [Aura] than you. I should go!¡±


    Mul looked at Nar, and Nar¡¯s heart sank.


    ¡°Well, in that case, Nar should go first. He has the most out of all of us.¡±


    Nar swallowed hard. ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Mul, stop! Nar hasn¡¯t learned how to use it yet!¡± Cen snapped at him


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t or refuses to?¡±


    Nar looked down, unable to look the brawler in the eye. He was much more frustrated with his lack of progress that with Mul¡¯s understandable logic and evident concern for his sister.


    ¡°Mul, enough,¡± Cen said, her tone dangerously low. ¡°I have the best control here. I¡¯ve spent the most time looking into [Aura] and I want to understand this more than anyone here. I will go!¡±


    ¡°He still needs to learn to use it, or he¡¯ll be stuck here forever!¡± Mul shouted back. ¡°Maybe this is his best chance! The push he needs!¡±


    ¡°Mul, let¡¯s figure out what we need to do first,¡± Kur said. ¡°I wish I could go in myself, instead of Cen. But she¡¯s right. She knows more of [Aura] than any of us, and has the best chance at figuring out what we need to do.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re just going to let her burn herself, when there¡¯s someone here sitting at 70 fucking points of [Aura]?¡± the brawler asked.


    Cen stood up, and looked down at her brother. Her fists shook tightly at her sides.


    ¡°Mul,¡± she whispered. ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m going. I¡¯m the best for the job.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I said that¡¯s enough!¡±


    The sudden shout made them all jump.


    ¡°Let it go,¡± Cen said, breathing hard.


    Mul inhaled sharply, and looked like he wanted to hold his position. But something on Cen¡¯s eyes made him reconsider, and he looked away, defeated.


    ¡°Fine. But I¡¯ll be right there, ready to pull you out. And I am pulling you out, Cen! At the first sign of trouble, I¡¯m getting you out and I don¡¯t care what you say!¡± the brawler said.


    Cen nodded with a firm, tight jerk of her head. ¡°I expect nothing less.¡±


    She looked at Nar and offered him a bright smile, holding his eyes with hers for a good two seconds, to convey the message. Then, she turned to Kur.


    ¡°Will I try right now?¡±


    Kur considered the orange room, then the darkness from where they had come.


    ¡°Not today, I think. Your shoulder is still injured, and so is Nar. Let¡¯s take a rest tonight, and see where we are tomorrow. There¡¯s no telling if we¡¯re going to be attacked or not again, though my bet is on yes, so I¡¯d rather everyone heal and rest for today.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    He swept them all with a glance.


    ¡°Come on people. Eat something and try to get some sleep. Who wants to take the first watch?¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Nar was about to raise his hand, so that he could at least be useful in some way. However, considering his injured state, Kur would definitely just tell him to sleep, invalidating his gesture and making him look even more useless.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Tuk said, raising his arm cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m not hurt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay up, too,¡± Mul muttered.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Kur said, nodding at both of them. ¡°As for the rest of you, sleep! If nothing happens tonight, we¡¯ll try that Pressure tomorrow and see what¡¯s what.¡±


    *********


    Nar sat a few feet away from the others.


    With his back turned to the gaping orange darkness behind him, he stared at the light show in the endless room.


    His [Hearing] and [Smell] were stretched out to their max, ignoring his pounding headache. And so was his [Sight], as he tried to peer as far as he could see into the room that stretched before him.


    He wasn¡¯t too concerned about his back. His [Hearing] or [Instinct] would catch on to any enemies, and since his [Instinct] wasn¡¯t even something he could control, that left him with a lot of margin to get lost in his own thoughts.


    He was really starting to get sick of it. The whole [Aura] thing.


    No, he realized. I¡¯ve been sick of it for a long time now.


    Sick of having to learn it, and sick of the bemoaning inside his own head about it.


    It made him feel like he was helpless. Weak. Like he couldn¡¯t do anything at all.


    Neither could he refuse using [Aura] nor could he use it either. Always the pain stopped him. And it was a real pain. His lost HP points were an undeniable proof of that. But between that pain, and the guilt, and fear of having to listen to the sort of words Mul had thrown at him today, he preferred to take the pain.


    Yet, something always stopped him. More than just pain¡­ It was a feeling that something was wrong. So, so wrong.


    It was so strong that he had to stop. And it was so strong¡­ Stronger even than the pain and even the guilt that it always stopped him from pressing harder, and he couldn¡¯t even marshal any will against it.


    It was almost as though something else was stopping him.


    What do you want from me, Crystal? I¡¯m screwed if I do, and screwed if I don¡¯t. If You want me to use this damn [Aura] then just let me use it!


    He noticed the sudden approach of footsteps, and looked towards the party.


    Rel stumbled towards him, and without thinking, he reached out a hand to help her. She took it without a word and dropped at his side.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, in a raspy voice.


    Her breathing was shallow and labored, and a sheen of sweat covered her face. Their brief touch had been burning hot and clammy, and she looked paler, her face and hair looking more ravaged by the day.


    Nar frowned at her.


    ¡°You need to sleep. You¡¯ll get too weak, and be a burden to the party,¡± he said.


    Rel chuckled and coughed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to try and be mean,¡± she said, in a strained voice that still managed to convey her humor. ¡°It¡¯s not in you, and I know you¡¯re just worried. I¡¯m okay, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Nar felt heat spread through his cheeks and back of his neck.


    ¡°You should still try to sleep. It might help,¡± he said.


    She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Nightmares?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes and no,¡± she breathed. ¡°I¡¯m scared of sleeping. Scared it won¡¯t be me who wakes up...¡±


    Nar looked away from her.


    He pursed his lips, considering his next words. On whether to speak, or to stay quiet. But in the end, what in pile? What was the worst that could happen? She got mad?


    ¡°Rel, I¡¯m sorry, but what is happening to you?¡± he asked, without preamble.


    A tremor, a spasm, went through her, and came out of her mouth in a shaky laugh.


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯ve been waiting for one of you to ask that,¡± she said, her voice cracking. ¡°After seeing what you told Jul, I thought it¡¯d be you. Took you long enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t know if it was something I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m joking Nar. Relax¡± she said, patting him weakly on the arm. ¡°I didn¡¯t need to talk about it with anyone.¡±


    Nar searched her blank, blanched face for the truth of those words, but he couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°We call it the Yearning,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Tas mentioned it.¡±


    It was an unfamiliar word, and it continued to mean nothing to him.


    ¡°It means to yearn for something,¡± she explained. ¡°To want something really badly. More than life. More than anything.¡±


    Nar stared at her, stunned. He didn¡¯t know what he had been expecting, but it was not that.


    ¡°So, you want something?¡± he asked, confused. ¡°What is it?¡±


    She sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. None of us do. The only thing we know is that we can only find it on the surface.¡±


    ¡°The O-Nex?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Nar nodded slowly. ¡°And this Yearning, it makes you sick?¡±


    She scoffed.


    ¡°It would be better for me to start at the beginning, I suppose. It¡¯ll make more sense.¡±


    She took a deep breath and leaned back on her hands, and stared out at the infinite orange.


    ¡°In my cubeplant, we alfin are cursed with the Yearning. It can hit us at any age, young or old, man or woman. You never know when it will start, only that one day it will come for you. We spend our childhood fearing it, and as you grow up, that fear turns to resignation. We live our whole lives waiting for it to take us. Most of us just accept it as our deserved punishment.¡±


    She made a lazy wave, as if throwing something away.


    ¡°You know what workers are like. We suffer because we sinned. And if the alfin suffer even more, then that just means the alfin have sinned even more. Our punishment is even harsher because of that.¡±


    Nar¡¯s eyes took on a distant look. It all hit too close to home.


    ¡°Did the others hate you for it?¡± he asked, in a low tone.


    ¡°Hate? Why would they? They pitied us,¡± she said. ¡°They did their best to help us. To be understanding. We alfin have no idea what we did to deserve this punishment, just like they don¡¯t know what they did either. We¡¯re all the same, except we alfin have it even worse. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    I wish the workers in our cubeplant had thought of it like that, Nar thought, bitterly.


    ¡°The Yearning makes us want to get out of the cubeplant,¡± Rel continued, ignorant of the thoughts and memories that flooded Nar¡¯s mind. ¡°It makes us want to Climb. Makes us want to reach for something beyond the B-Nex. Something outside, on the surface. We don¡¯t know what it is, only that we need it. Need it the same way we need to eat. No! The same way we need to breathe! If you¡¯re lucky, it hits you young enough. And suddenly, the Climb doesn¡¯t seem so scary, or such a bad idea after all. If not, that¡¯s it. You can fight it. You can try to discipline it. Or you can pray. But without fail we all end up¡­¡±


    ¡°Dying?¡± he whispered, when she hesitated.


    She stared at him.


    ¡°Kind of. There¡¯s only two ways things end. You either kill yourself or someone needs to do it for you.¡±


    A shiver ran down his spine. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°When you want something so strongly that it becomes the very core of who you are, and your every waking moment is dedicated to thinking about it, and ways to get or resist it, your self is slowly eroded away,¡± she said. ¡°The want. The need! It¡¯s so much that it makes us sick. It kills us, yes, but in most cases, we kill ourselves first. The need is so strong that it gets to the point where we cannot live without it. So we stop eating. Stop sleeping. And wait for the end.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Sometimes that means jumping into the Pile. Or bashing our skulls open against the Doors, screaming for them to open¡­ Well, that¡¯s how my aunt went. It happens so often that they don¡¯t even bother cleaning up the Doors anymore.¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Nar couldn¡¯t help saying.


    ¡°Yes. Well, it¡¯s still better than the other alternative.¡±


    Nar didn¡¯t want to ask, but he couldn¡¯t help not to. ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°The Yearning makes you lose yourself, bit by bit, and eventually, there¡¯s nothing left of you, except the need and the want. And you become a danger to yourself and others. And you need to be put down.¡±


    Nar felt the color drain from his face.


    ¡°And there¡¯s no¡­¡±


    ¡°Cure? Solution? No. There¡¯s nothing, except to Climb. If you can, and want, that is.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t everyone want to Climb then?¡± Nar asked, horror twisting his face. ¡°If you know it''s coming¡­¡±


    Rel laughed.


    ¡°What about the workers in your cubeplant? Do they all leave? No, of course not. The Climb is certain death. Painful, horrible death. We all heard the stories about the Pressure, the cannibals, the guardians, and of the endless darkness,¡± she said, gesturing at the darkness behind them. ¡°Workers hope to see the day they are forgiven, and alfin hope for the same. But more than that, they hope that the Yearning will hit them when they are old. When they¡¯ve lived enough.¡±


    ¡°Is that even called living? An entire life of fear?¡± Nar asked. ¡°It could be so much better in the O-Nex!¡±


    ¡°Can it? I hope so, but that¡¯s all I have,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°Hope and stories of light and color, and food and pleasures that are endless.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s real!¡± Nar said, speaking louder than he had intended.


    ¡°I hope it is. We¡¯re all here, aren¡¯t we? We left all that we knew behind, and now all we can do is hope that whatever we find, if we make it there, will be worth it!¡±


    ¡°Nothing could be worse than living your life at that machine!¡± Nar shouted.


    ¡°The cannibals didn¡¯t get to play with you, or you wouldn¡¯t be saying that,¡± she whispered.


    Her words stole the breath from his lungs, and killed anything he might have been about to say.


    In the orange light and seated in that vast open space, Rel looked so small. So frail. It was hard to believe that the scarred person seated next to him was the same age as him. Hard to believe and understand what she had gone through, both Climbing with a failing body and the Yearning in her mind, and then falling at the hands of the cannibals.


    She has had it bad. Way worse than me¡­


    ¡°Rel, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I can see it on your face,¡± she said, glaring at him. ¡°I saw it on all of their faces. I don¡¯t need pity, Nar. Not anymore. I¡¯m here, and I¡¯m going to find the cure! Or at least, I¡¯ll die on my own terms.¡±


    Nar closed his mouth and nodded. What could he say to that?


    He was still curious about something though. One more, heavy question to ask.


    ¡°The Yearning¡­ Is that why you hurt yourself? Does it¡­ Help? Or is it because of¡­ What you did?¡±


    Rel stared at him, her eyebrows arched in disbelief.


    ¡°Crystal! You¡¯re just speaking your mind, aren¡¯t you? Or is it that you actually hate me?¡±


    ¡°What? No! I just¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have asked that!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said. ¡°We Climb together. We need to know about each other¡¯s¡­ Weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°No! I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Sush. I already said it¡¯s fine. And someone needs to know¡­ The truth is, I won¡¯t always be so in control,¡± she said, and stared deeply at him. ¡°Pain helps. It helps a lot. It brings me back when it looks like I¡¯m about to fall over. It happens mostly at night. I wake up from the nightmares, and sometimes I just feel like running down the path. Or shouting at you guys to move faster. Or, or¡­ Or do other things.¡±


    ¡°What things?¡± Nar whispered.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t say. I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Nar said, quickly. ¡°You don¡¯t have too.¡±


    She nodded and wiped away at her eyes. ¡°But you asked two questions.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I do it to punish myself too¡­¡± she said, staring straight at the Pressure. ¡°At first, I was forced to use arrows made of bone. And cannibals aren¡¯t good at making things. The arrows were sharp and splintered and painful to use, but I liked it. I deserved the pain! I deserved worse!¡±


    She closed her eyes.


    ¡°Do you have any idea how many Climbers we tricked?¡± she said, her voice barely a whisper. ¡°And now I get to walk away and Climb as if nothing even happened? As if I didn¡¯t kill and torture people? I may not have been the one to do it¡­ I may have never hurt anyone, but I made it possible. I¡¯m a sinner. I deserve the punishment. I deserve to suffer! Even the Yearning is not punishment enough for what I did!¡±


    A loud sob shook her whole body and she scrambled to her feet.


    Nar dashed forward and grabbed her by the wrist.


    ¡°Let go!¡± she said, tears falling freely down her marred face.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this!¡±


    She twisted her arm free with a snarl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do!¡±


    She stomped away, towards the darkness, and ignored all the startled looks from the party. As she walked, she pulled out one of her arrows from her inventory, and tightened her first around its sharp end.


    He could smell her blood from where he sat, and could do nothing but watch her go, her orange shadow growing immense ahead of her, as she disappeared into the dark.

 Chapter 85 - What Must Be Done

    ¡°I¡¯m not setting myself on fire, Mul! Relax!¡± Cen yelled at her brother.


    She tried to pry her hand from Mul¡¯s, but the brawler held steadfast.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to burn yourself!¡± he protested.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want that either, but I need to feel it first!¡±


    Nar watched the back and forth from a few steps away.


    Cen and Mul stood right by the edge of the corridor. Around them, Tuk, Kur and Gad stood the closest to them. Viy was sitting, her expression vacant, a few steps behind Gad. The tank insisted on having her close at all times now, and Viy always complied without a word. That left Nar, Jul and Rel to watch from a couple steps back, behind the others.


    In the end, the night had gone without any nasty surprises, peaceful and quiet. They had gotten their rest, and Kur had decided that the morning was as good a time as any, for them to start figuring out how they were going to get across.


    ¡°Enough, enough,¡± Gad said. She stepped in and gently separated the siblings. ¡°You¡¯re right by the edge. Do you want to fall in?¡±


    Mul exhaled and threw his hands up in the air.


    ¡°None of you have family here! You don¡¯t know what it feels like to have to watch this!¡±


    Gad stared at him. ¡°I consider you all my family. Even you, as annoying as you can be.¡±


    Mul blinked at her, working his mouth into words that he failed to form. Nar, standing a few steps away from the conversation, couldn¡¯t help the strange swelling of emotion that Gad¡¯s nonchalant declaration incited within him.


    ¡°Now, Cen, be careful, okay?¡± Gad said, moving on past everyone¡¯s stunned expressions. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt yourself more than necessary.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ Yeah, of course. I won¡¯t.¡±


    Gad took position right behind her and bent down to squeeze her shoulders.


    ¡°Go on then, I¡¯m right behind you.¡±


    Still reeling from Gad¡¯s declaration, Cen managed a half nod and turned to face the invisible boundary.


    She took a deep breath and raised a slightly shaking hand forward.


    Nar winced as he watched her fingers slowly itching forward. He had already experienced the burning pain, and knew what was coming.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    Cen yanked her hand backwards and held it with her other hand.


    ¡°Cen!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay!¡± she said, before Mul could panic. ¡°It was just a burn.¡±


    ¡°Let me see!¡± Mul demanded, stepping closer.


    He pulled her hand gently from her, and examined her finger tips.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit dark, but it looks fine.¡±


    Cen extracted her hand from him and waved it in the air in front of his face. ¡°I said it was fine.¡±


    ¡°Did you get anything from that?¡± Kur asked.


    The caster shook her head. ¡°Only what we knew already. This Pressure is so much stronger than that barrier we crossed. It will burn us completely if we just walk into it.¡±


    ¡°What do we do then?¡± Tuk asked, staring up at the bright orange ceiling.


    Cen pulled out her staff from her inventory, and gripped it firmly in one hand.


    ¡°Let me try again. With [Aura] active this time.¡±


    Mul stared at her, and then at Gad, standing tall right behind his sister. He took a deep breath and nodded.


    Cen offered him a smile of reassurance, to which Mul replied with a short, bewildered chuckle.


    ¡°Go on then,¡± he said. ¡°Get it over with.¡±


    Cen took a deep breath as well, and nodded. Then turned to face the endless room.


    She held the staff aloof in her left hand, and light began to gather at its tip, just like when she used her [Aura Projectile], though Nar noticed that it wasn¡¯t as bright.


    She reached forward again.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Cen!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, dammit! Look! Not even red,¡± she said, quickly showing her fingers to Mul. ¡°I just wanted to see what would happen if I didn¡¯t go all out.¡±


    She looked down at her staff, which still shone, pushing back against the orange light. ¡°I¡¯ll go all out now.¡±


    The light at the tip of her staff grew in intensity, and Nar had to shield his eyes against it. He peered through his fingers, to see what Cen was doing.


    ¡°It works!¡± she shouted.


    Her entire hand was into the room, and she moved it back and forth, testing it.


    ¡°It¡¯s really heavy though,¡± she said. ¡°I can actually feel the Pressure on my fingers! It¡¯s thick, like jell-o, and it like it fights against you.¡±


    ¡°And we need to walk through that?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°And sleep in it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Cen said, squinting at her hand. ¡°I hope we can do something. Maybe if I¡­¡±


    She stepped forward and they all gasped.


    ¡°Cen!¡± Mul shouted.


    If not for Kur¡¯s quick reaction, Mul would have plunged right in after her.


    ¡°Wait! Look at her! She¡¯s fine!¡± Kur shouted.


    Nar stepped forward, closer to the Pressure, to get a better look and to be ready for anything, knowing that he was the fastest in the party, [Aura] or not.


    The light at the end of Cen¡¯s staff did not reach him anymore. He could still see its shape, but it was entirely coated in orange. And so was Cen.


    She turned, slowly, and mouthed words, but no sound reached them.


    ¡°We can¡¯t hear you!¡± Mul shouted. ¡°Come back!¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Cen nodded, but then, she frowned at something they couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°Cen?¡± Gad shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can hear each other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy,¡± Tuk said. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything other than the Pressure around the columns and the ceiling. But Cen is completely covered in orange¡­¡±


    ¡°She needs to come back,¡± Kur said, waving at Cen and motioning for her to return.


    ¡°Do I pull her out?¡± Nar asked, not taking his eyes off the orange lengos.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Kur said, still gesturing at Cen.


    Cen finally caught the movement and stared at Kur. Her eyes looked strangely distant and unfocused to Nar, and he got ready to jump in. Before he could act though, Cen stepped out on her own accord.


    She collapsed on the floor, gasping and coughing, and Mul and Gad knelt next to her.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Mul asked, checking her body for wounds and burns.


    ¡°Ye-Yes,¡± Cen said. ¡°I think so!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re shaking!¡± Gad said. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°T-Too strong,¡± Cen stammered. ¡°Stamina¡­ Drained.¡±


    ¡°All of it?¡± Nar asked.


    Cen jerked her head. ¡°Almost.¡±


    Nar glanced at the party view and saw that she was right. What had, just a few moments ago, been a full bar of stamina, now Cen¡¯s display was showing an almost entirely depleted 10/80 points of stamina.


    ¡°That was barely a few seconds!¡± Tuk said, looking down at the caster. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Alright! Alright! Everyone calm down,¡± Kur said. He pushed Nar and Tuk back. ¡°Let¡¯s give her some space and let her catch her breath. Cen, calm down first, ok? We can talk after you feel better.¡±


    Cen managed a nod and Mul glared at them all to go away and leave them be, so they left her in his and Gad¡¯s care.


    They gathered a few steps behind them, back at their original sleeping site.


    ¡°This is insane,¡± Tuk said. ¡°We¡¯ve never seen anything like this!¡±


    His profile was a tall silhouette against the orange glow, so Nar couldn¡¯t really make his expression.


    ¡°We need to be patient,¡± Rel said. ¡°Let her calm down first. Then we can try to figure it out.¡±


    Tuk sat down heavily. ¡°Maybe this was a dead end after all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a dead end, Tuk,¡± Kur said.


    He and Jul helped Viy sit down.


    ¡°The path took us here,¡± Jul said, once Viy was comfortably seated. ¡°There is no other path.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. Sorry,¡± Tuk said. ¡°It¡¯s just. Cen has more [Aura] than us, and the best control, and she didn¡¯t even last a minute!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out,¡± Nar said.


    That finally seemed to get through to Tuk.


    ¡°Whatever it takes,¡± Nar said.


    Tuk regarded him for a moment. They all did, hanging onto the implied meaning in Nar¡¯s words. Nar, for his part, stared out towards the orange Pressure.


    I¡¯m tired of this. Tired of running. Tired of guilt and pain and being afraid. If Cen can go into it, so can I.


    It was time to take that damn [Aura] under his control. Whatever it took. Whatever it cost.


    *********


    ¡°Nar, you don¡¯t have to do this,¡± Cen told him. No. Pleaded with him.


    The two of them held hands, and stood together at the edge of the corridor. They stood close, her shoulder touching his waist, taking comfort from one another.


    ¡°I have to, Cen,¡± he said. ¡°I can go alone, though.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not having this conversation again. We¡¯re going together, or not at all!¡±


    Nar smiled at her, and squeezed her hand.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No need for that,¡± Cen said. ¡°We¡¯re a party. We stand together, or we fall together. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    Nar nodded and faced forward. He held his sword on his right hand, while Cen held her staff on her left.


    ¡°Ok, first the sword, right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes. You can do it, Nar. I know you can.¡±


    Nar looked down at his sword.


    His trusty sword had kept him alive this far out, through guardians, cannibals, Pressure and darkness. He knew it would never let him down.


    Ok. Just you and me then.


    He reached down to where he always went in search of his [Aura] and tried not to recoil from it when he sensed it.


    It was like a malignant entity within him. Something that didn¡¯t belong. Something worthy of fear and disgust.


    My dad told me to forget it. And yet, after everything, here we are. It never left me, not for a single second.


    He pulled the [Aura] onto his body, feeling it spreading from under his solar plexus, at the exact center of his chest.


    Like before, he felt it coursing through his veins, slowly cutting its way across his entire body. Nar pressed his jaw tightly closed, to make sure no sound of pain or protest could escape his lips.


    We¡¯re going all the way this time! He told himself.


    He realized he had closed his eyes at some point and forced them back open.


    The blade shone, but only at the start, as usual, and its hazy gray glow was weak, a mockery of the other¡¯s [Aura] when they called upon it.


    More. I need more.


    He pulled more [Aura] into himself, forcing it across his body, down his arm, and onto the sword.


    The glow brightened, and began to climb higher up the blade. However, he didn¡¯t get to celebrate his meager victory.


    At that moment, his lungs seized, and he found himself unable to breathe.


    ¡°Nar?¡± Cen asked, sounding very far. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Nar didn¡¯t reply. He couldn¡¯t.


    His heart hammered in his chest.


    He had pushed through, yes¡­ But now, it was out of his control.


    He tried to suck in some air, to force it down his suddenly tight throat. At the same time, he tried to ignore the need to be sick.


    The sense of wrongness threatened to take over him.


    It screamed at him to stop! That he was damaging himself! That this was not the way! To let go. To let go immediately!


    No. No more running! I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m sick of this!


    And with a willpower forged from the age of five, pounded and molded by every 16-hour double shift, every single day of his life, without rest, without sick days, without respite or mercy, he both pulled and pushed.


    The blade vanished in a blinding flare of white, pushing back the orange glow and claiming the surrounding area for itself.


    The others, bathed in the light of his [Aura], covered their eyes and cried out in surprise.


    ¡°By the Crystal, you did it!¡± Cen shouted. ¡°And it''s so strong! I can feel it¡­ I can feel it!¡±


    Nar tried to speak, but he couldn¡¯t.


    Everything within him screamed. It begged for him to stop and to let go.


    This was all wrong!


    ¡°Nar? Nar!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong!¡± Cen shouted to the others. ¡°Help!¡±


    ¡°Nar, let go of it!¡± Gad said in his ear. ¡°That¡¯s too much!¡±


    But he couldn¡¯t let go of it.


    If he did, he would have to do it again later. He would have to face that pain again. The lack of air, his bursting heart, his screaming head.


    The feeling of wrongness morphed into something else. A certainty that went beyond a simple warning.


    He couldn¡¯t go back, however. He couldn¡¯t do it again.


    He let go of Cen¡¯s hand and stepped forward by himself


    The Pressure was indescribable. It was heat and weight beyond anything he had ever felt. It was beyond measure.


    Inch by inch, he was forced lower. He was being humbled. Made to bow to this mighty power, whatever it was.


    I can do it! I can do it!


    He pulled on even more [Aura], and lifted his foot to take another step into the room. He cared neither for HP nor stamina at this stage. All he wanted was to beat that damned thing into submission.


    His whole life had been dictated by aura, and now, he was going to make it heed, and submit to him, once and for all! He had served and suffered at its hands for years, and now, it was time for it to serve him.


    And I¡¯m not going to stay behind either!


    His foot came down, bringing him deeper into the room, closer to the end of the Climb and all that it promised.


    And that was when something gave inside him.


    His sword¡¯s glow waned as his [Aura] recoiled from him. The Pressure pushed in, hungry and voracious to devour him. To reduce him to nothing.


    Big, strong hands grabbed him by the shoulder and neck, and he was pulled backwards. Back into safety.


    He collapsed onto Gad¡¯s strong arms and they both went down.


    He rolled over, away from her, and emptied his guts onto the floor. A hand rubbed his back, but he barely felt it as he puked again.


    ¡°Gad!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s just a slight burn,¡± Gad said. ¡°How¡¯s he? Is he burned?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s puking blood!¡± Tuk said, horrified. ¡°Just blood! And there¡¯s more coming out of his ears and his eyes. It-It¡¯s everywhere!¡±


    ¡°Come on, give him some space,¡± Kur said. ¡°His HP took a beating, let him recover!¡±


    ¡°Is he going to recover?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°Mul!¡± his sister yelled.


    ¡°I¡¯m just worried for him! This is my fault! I shouldn''t have said those things!¡±


    ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t have. But it doesn¡¯t matter now. Come over here, just let him be.¡±


    Nar, having puked all he had to, tethered forward, but hands steadied him.


    ¡°I got him,¡± Kur said. ¡°I got you, Nar, you hear? You¡¯re ok!¡±


    Nar stared at the dark pool of gloopy liquid in front of him.


    ¡°I can''t do it,¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡± Cen said. ¡°It will be ok! We¡¯ll figure this out!¡±


    ¡°It hurts to do it. I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Why is this happening?¡± Jul demanded in fear. ¡°Why does it hurt like this? It¡¯s so much worse than what I feel!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Cen said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense!¡±


    ¡°Is that because he has so much more than we do?¡± Kur asked. ¡°Is [Aura] not the answer after all?¡±


    ¡°No! I refuse to believe that!¡± Cen shouted. ¡°There has to be a way. There has to be a reason why this is happening.¡±


    ¡°What reason is there for this?¡± Mul asked. ¡°For all this suffering?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just doing it wrong! That¡¯s all!¡± Cen insisted.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right. But maybe just in case, we should try something else?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°I was just thinking the same,¡± Gad said. ¡°Jul, maybe you can have a look around us, please? Maybe there¡¯s something we missed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go right now!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Wait. We don¡¯t¡­ Ugh! Why don¡¯t you listen to me?¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°Cen, we are listening,¡± Mul said, his tone flat. ¡°But look at him. We need to at least consider an alternative. Besides, look at his stamina. It went down by half. And look at your stamina! How are we meant to cross, if it just burns away like that?¡±


    ¡°I just need to figure it out!¡± Cen said, and walked away from them, back to the Pressure that blocked them.


    ¡°You rest, Nar,¡± Kur said. ¡°We¡¯ll figure this out. And don¡¯t worry. We all go, or no one does. Nobody is going to be left behind.¡±

 Chapter 86 - Uncontrolled Power

    Nar woke to chaos.


    The metallic battle cries of guardians competed with the shouts and [Aura] explosions from the Climbers.


    Nar sat up and blearily looked around him.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± Rel said.


    Nar turned towards the sound of her voice, noting the stiffness on his neck.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he muttered.


    ¡°We¡¯re being attacked! Guardians!¡±


    Nar came fully awake in one long gasp. His sword was beside him and he used it to prop himself up.


    ¡°Nar, can you stand?¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve only just stopped bleeding out of your ears!¡± Rel shouted at him, even as she fired another bright arrow into the chaos.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m fine!¡± he snarled.


    He ignored them and scanned the fight, sending his senses outwards.


    It quickly became apparent that Jul had been right. None of the guardians even dared to get close to the Pressure, which meant that they had two sides effectively blocked.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean that things had become easy either.


    Gad stood at the center of the fight, her shield bright and easy to spot. Viy and Mul were at their expected locations, trying their best to content with the raging limbs and blades swarming them, but he didn¡¯t see Jul anywhere.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Jul?¡± he asked, to no one in particular.


    ¡°She¡¯s still out there!¡± Rel said. ¡°They just came out of nowhere. One second, silence, and the next, I heard them right on top of us. I don¡¯t know where they came from!¡±


    Nar frowned. That still didn¡¯t account for everyone. Wasn¡¯t someone missing?


    He gasped.


    Right there, under Kur¡¯s tiny shield, and covered by his huge body, he spotted the missing party members.


    ¡°Tuk! Cen!¡±


    ¡°Tuk got hit first, and Cen just went down!¡± Kur said. ¡°There¡¯re too many bolts! Can you cover Rel? She¡¯s our last hope against those bolters!¡±


    Even as he spoke, Nar was already moving, urged on by his [Instinct]. His body voiced its protests loudly as he cut through the projectiles, but he grit his teeth and kept going.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Rel shouted. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding again! Your nose!¡±


    ¡°Focus! I¡¯ll cover you!¡± he yelled back at her.


    She said nothing more, but the rhythm of her arrows increased.


    Nar however, scanned the frontline, dreading what he was about to see.


    Gad kept three of the soldiers 2¡¯s focused on her, and Viy was managing to stall the fourth one, using her spear to keep it at a distance.


    Mul, however, was being absolutely hammered by the soldier 1¡¯s. He actually hadn¡¯t known that the lengos could move so fast and gracefully, as to dodge all of those bladed arms. But even from this far, Nar could see him bleeding and taking hits. A quick glance at his HP told him all he needed to know.


    They were losing. And bad.


    He blocked another volley of bolts, but his eyes never left the brave brawler contending with what looked like five guardians all on his own.


    He can¡¯t last like that.


    He looked at Viy and her spear and then at Gad.


    That won¡¯t last either. And Gad¡¯s going to lose her aggro!


    Rel was doing the best she could, but without Tuk and Cen, the DPS just wasn¡¯t enough to stop all of those bolters hiding in the dark. And Mul, alone, lacked Jul and Viy at his side.


    We¡¯re going to die like this!


    ¡°Rel, can you shoot the soldiers?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°We tried that! The bolters started aiming at the melee instead!¡± she said.


    Damn it. Why did the pattern have to change all of a sudden!


    What else could they do?


    What else could he do?


    He parried yet another cluster of bolts aimed at Rel. In the back of his mind, he already knew the answer to what must be done. But as he spun and slashed at the projectiles, he tried to deny it.


    No, not that! There has to be something else!


    He felt his legs close to giving, under the strain of his enhanced movements, and found it harder to hit the bolts from the air. He still got them, but barely. What was wrong with his [Reflex]? With him?


    Wait¡­ Am I shaking?


    The bolts kept flying at him, and he barely registered them as he knocked them down.


    Am I afraid?


    The number one tenet of the System, one¡¯s path and their gains, was that you are what you do. Everything pivoted around this truth. Even the workers, down in the bowels of the Nexus, knew that much.


    ¡°Your actions bear consequence,¡± the priest had said, to the mandatory gathering of nineteen year olds. ¡°If you act in any way that is contrary to your wants and desires for your path, your gains will lead you elsewhere. If you act shamefully, or cowardly, the System will reward you with gains and skills worthy of those actions. Whatever you do, remember that the System is always watching...¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    No!


    He moved even faster than before, pulling on more stamina, more energy, more everything.


    I¡¯m not scared, System! I¡¯m not a coward!


    Had that been why he had avoided his [Aura] all this time? Fear?


    ¡°Nar, slow down!¡± Rel cried, seeing the blood pouring from his ears, and flying from his mouth.


    But Nar did not hear her. He couldn¡¯t. His Nexus had fallen to silence.


    All my life I feared every day, he thought, in that sudden blissful quiet. I was so scared of that shift call. Of going into that factory. Into that machine. Of passing by those lines of Clean. But I¡¯m not scared anymore. I don¡¯t want to be scared anymore¡­


    ¡°Rel, get down,¡± he told her, his voice strangely calm.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked, caught off guard by both the request and tone with which it had been delivered.


    ¡°Do it now.¡±


    The archer dropped flat on the floor and Nar stood still amongst the flying bolts, knowing that none of them would hit him.


    He didn¡¯t even take a deep breath. He did not prepare himself. He did not hesitate.


    He pulled on his [Aura]. Pulled on it with everything he had.


    He was going to show the System, the party, and himself, that he was no coward. He couldn¡¯t put everything at risk just because of some pain.


    Crystal, how long had he been displaying such pathetic behavior?


    [Aura] howled within him, setting his veins on fire.


    The sword shone, banishing both darkness and orange light.


    ¡°Nar?¡± Kur asked, covering his face with the hand that held his scepter. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Showing I¡¯m worthy. Of this party, of my path and of my future!


    Everything screamed within him, but he did not care.


    If his lungs didn¡¯t accept oxygen, he would force them too.


    If his heart threatened to fail, he would beat it into submission.


    Even if his brain failed him, melted into nothing but red goo, he would still move. On [Instinct] and [Reflex] alone if he had to!


    He seemed as though he had only taken a single step forward, but he was already at the frontline.


    The others had no time or attributes with which to react.


    The bright sword cut through guardians, soldier 1¡¯s and 2¡¯s alike, with just the barest of resistance, metal crumbling and parting as though it was nothing but air.


    Like Tuk had been boosted before, so was he.


    His attributes ravaged through his mind and body, and he was a flurry of bright strikes and slashes.


    In seconds, he had left the soldiers in a ruined mess, their bodies glowing a furious molten orange from where his blinding blade had cleaved into them, separating limbs and slicing off chunks as he easily cut into them.


    He moved onto the bolters without stopping. He felt hot stickiness running down his ears, eyes and nose. He felt a taste in his mouth that was all too familiar to him.


    His sight swam and blurred, came and went, but he pushed through.


    He didn¡¯t need to see. He didn¡¯t need to hear.


    Perhaps sensing the danger amidst them, the bolters had focused their fire on him, and his [Instinct] told him all that he needed to know.


    Light surrounded him in long, beautiful streaks of burning white. Guardian bits flew all around him, and no bolt came even close to grazing him.


    In the distance, he thought he heard someone calling out to him. Someone begging him to stop. But he couldn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t take a coward¡¯s path. What would he do with one? How would he save his dad? How would he stand before him? How would he contribute to this amazing party?


    No, he couldn¡¯t allow it.


    ¡°Do you see?¡± he screamed, as he ravaged through the bolters. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid! I¡¯m not a coward!¡±


    They were no match for him. Just limbs and bodies to be split and smashed.


    Is this what I¡¯ve been missing? Is this what strength feels like? Do I even need magic at this point?


    His [Instinct] blinked off, and he was left blind, in the middle of the bolters.


    Fighting a surge of panic, Nar swung the sword around him with abandon. He felt a bolt on his arm, and another one on his leg, but he was unstoppable.


    His body was so filled with [Aura] that it consumed the poison, rather than let him succumb to it.


    And so, he heard nothing more, and felt nothing else around him, until finally, he heard the voice.


    ¡°Stop, Nar! Stop!¡±


    It was Jul.


    But by then, Nar was too far gone.


    Even half blind, he ran towards the Pressure, and plunged into it face first.


    He raised his arms and sword high.


    ¡°Is this what You want?¡± he shouted, pushing his voice into the endless columns. ¡°Here! Take it! Take it all! I¡¯m not scared! You hear? I¡¯m not scared!¡±


    The darkness that befell upon him was so sudden, he didn¡¯t even have time to be surprised, or fight it.


    Gad grabbed onto Nar before he collapsed.


    The Pressure roared around her, like madness itself.


    It burned and weighed down on her, but even with just her measly [Aura], she was still a tank. Plus, she had spent all of her life carrying broken aetherium right into the jaws of the toxic, burning furnaces of the cubeplant. What she lacked in [Aura], she more than made up for with her [Constitution], [Toughness] and grit.


    Holding Nar against her with one hand, and the glowing shield aloft, she dragged them both back into safety.


    As she neared it, she twisted and pushed Nar across, into the waiting arms of Kur and Jul.


    ¡°How is he?¡± she asked, as she stepped out.


    Her skin smoked angrily, and her voice was hoarse from the raging, all destroying heat. But she only had eyes for Nar.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Kur said. ¡°His HP is still falling. I¡¯m going to use my [Healing Boon]!¡±


    ¡°Do it! Quick!¡± Jul begged.


    The quam didn¡¯t know where to touch, and Gad could see the blood on her hands and drenching her clothes. It was pouring out of Nar, seemingly from everywhere.


    Rel, standing right behind her, looked just as distressed as Jul.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we need to pull out those bolts?¡± she asked.


    In that moment, Gad felt the restorative, soothing energy of Kur¡¯s [Healing Boon] spread over her with a comforting and relief inducing sensation.


    Her HP began ticking back up, but Nar¡¯s only stalled. It went down and up, and down and up again, as even with Kur¡¯s boon, his own HP struggled to fix what had been damaged by his own [Aura].


    ¡°Not yet. It will just make him bleed harder,¡± Kur said. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for his HP to stabilize first. Then we can see about them.¡±


    Gad took a deep breath, and clenched and unclenched her jaw.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to him now,¡± she said.


    Her words were meant not in ruthlessness or cold carelessness.


    Nar had saved them all again. At his expense and sacrifice. How many times now, had she seen him bloody and battered? How many times had she suffered the same fate? Once? Twice?


    Was that because she was tougher than Nar, or because he put himself where she couldn¡¯t go. Because he took the damage that she couldn¡¯t take. Because she was slow, and immobile. Her reactions slow, her movements ponderous.


    Not for the first time, she wished she could be faster. Stronger. Better equipped to make the enemy go to her, and stay focused on her¡­ Perhaps, to be a little bit like him.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s leave him here,¡± she spoke out loud. ¡°Just in case we damage something by moving him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay with him,¡± Jul said, and there was nothing in her voice that allowed anyone to deny her.


    ¡°You do that,¡± Kur said, getting up. ¡°Let me go check on the others.¡±


    Gad sat down heavily next to Nar.


    His face was a bloody mess. Blood came out of his nose, eyes and even mouth. How could someone damage themselves so badly? How could someone even recover from it? And the things that Nar had shouted?


    It wasn¡¯t hard for her to reach the right conclusions. Or at least partially.


    Her mind had always been the fastest part of her, regardless of how much her family and other carters had tried to dissuade her of it, and she knew that she was grasping at something there, but she couldn¡¯t quite figure it out yet.


    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong, here,¡± she muttered to herself.


    There was something about Nar that they were missing.


    All of that damage had clearly been done by [Aura].


    Disregarding the bolt on his left arm, the one stuck on his right shoulder, and the two above his right knee, the guardians hadn¡¯t even managed to scratch him. He had moved in a way she still had trouble believing. It had been faster than ever before, not much more than a blur of light to her non-enhanced, normal, slow eyes.


    He was running from it and he was scared the System would punish him for doing so. But he wasn¡¯t running because he wanted to. He had to¡­ Whatever it is, it¡¯s hurting him. Really, really hurting him. So much it¡¯s killing him. He can¡¯t use his [Aura] at all.


    But what was it? Why was it?


    Was it the amount he had? The years spent in those double-shifts? Or like Cen said, something else entirely¡­


    Gad didn¡¯t know yet, but she would. And she would find a way to fix it. Even if it was the last thing she did, she wasn¡¯t going to leave Nar behind, nor let him die at the hands of his out of control [Aura].


    She was going to make it right, whatever it took.

 Chapter 87 - To Speak And Hear The Truth

    A conflict raged.


    Bright and dark orange clashed.


    They rose to heights of immensity and crashed onto each other with such force, that Nar¡¯s very soul quaked and quivered from the reverberations.


    The dark and the bright swirled and mixed, and made a thousand different shades and hues of orange in between them, but they never stayed joined for long. Always they separated, always they rose, ready to once again clash.


    Everywhere he looked, he saw the orange at war.


    The heat and the weight of it was such that it should have erased him from being.


    But when he looked down at his own body, he saw that he was cloaked in a swirling hazy mist of gray light.


    It was the only other color in existence.


    None other existed across the endless expanse of orange.


    And Something took notice of him.


    Something gazed up at him, from within that raging conflict.


    It looked upon him with such an intensity that it set his whole being to tremor.


    Pitiful.


    *********


    Pitiful.


    The word stayed with him as he woke.


    What had that orange been? Pressure?


    Was the very Pressure barring his way now insulting him in his dreams as well? And if it was, was it not right in doing so?


    The world around him was filled with a much more subdued orange light. Rather than the violent clash and confrontation he had witnessed, here, the light simply swirled in a harmonious blend of oranges.


    However, a dark bulk blocked the beautiful display.


    Gad stared down at him, her powerful arms folded over her chest.


    He wanted to flinch. To look away from those unyielding eyes. From that strength and character. From the righteousness and care with which they looked down upon him¡­


    But he could not look away from such eyes. They wanted nothing but the best for him, and would go to the very end to make it so. No matter how harsh they had to be, to both him, or their owner.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Nar whispered. ¡°I should have told you.¡±


    His voice tasted rough and of fresh blood.


    ¡°You should have told us all,¡± Gad said. ¡°We said we needed to end all the secrets between us, so they wouldn¡¯t be used against us again.¡±


    Her eyes held him in place. Locked. Trapped. They would allow no respite now, until the truth was out.


    ¡°Why did you do it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Why do you think?¡± he replied.


    ¡°We would have found a solution together,¡± she said.


    ¡°At first, we would''ve tried. But then, when everything failed, you would have stopped me,¡± he whispered. ¡°And I couldn¡¯t bear that. Not anymore. Things are different now.¡±


    She didn''t say anything to that.


    Nar scoffed. ¡°We¡¯ve been together for how long now, Gad? Five months? Six? What about all of my life before now? What about who I am? Is that just gone? I was never someone to be carried, or a burden to anyone else! My dad was our leader, and for better or worse, I shared in that responsibility. I looked out for everyone as much as I could. I sacrificed. I gave. Just like my dad did¡­¡±


    He almost spilled everything then. But he held onto to it. Barely.


    ¡°So yes, I have told you many things. But do you know me, Gad? Do I know you? All the things we did and lived, long before we even knew what years were? Or months, or days or hours or anything at all? Are we supposed to just be these new people? These Climbers, and forget everything that makes us, us?¡±


    ¡°Nothing is gone, Nar,¡± Gad said. ¡°If anything, I believe that this journey has only served to bring out our true selves, in a way that the cubeplant could never do. And it did, for better or worse. The difference is that now the weight is meant to be shared. Carried by everyone equally.¡±


    The lights above him swam.


    ¡°Just like that?¡± he whispered. ¡°We throw our burdens, our futures, our needs and hopes, to each other?¡±


    ¡°And in return we pick up each other¡¯s burdens too. We hold our futures and hopes and everything... Together. That¡¯s all there really is to a functioning party. We¡¯re sentient, after all. We¡¯re not perfect, but we have each other, and that makes the whole better. Makes us stronger. Able to fix and endure things we can''t alone.¡±


    ¡°And what if something can¡¯t be fixed?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°We find a way,¡± she said.


    ¡°What if it can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°We find a way.¡±


    ¡°You know nothing of what I went through. None of you do,¡± Nar said, the words finally escaping his lips.


    Gad nodded, and the sadness in her eyes cut him.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. But no matter how bad it was, you cannot fall into self-pity," Gad said. "It¡¯s a hard place to climb back out of.¡±


    ¡°As if you¡¯d know¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, aren¡¯t I? Climbing, just like you?¡±


    Nar closed his eyes.


    It was easy to forget that he was not the only one with reasons to leave. What could have possibly pushed her hard enough to risk her life on this Climb? What hopes and dreams did she carry, that held her strong through the darkness and the horrors of the B-Nex?


    ¡°You are what you do, and I am scared,¡± Nar whispered.


    Gad shook her head.


    ¡°It says, you are what you do, not what you feel. Not what you think,¡± she said. ¡°Crystal! If it was like that, my path would''ve broken to pieces already! And even so, you¡¯ve done nothing that would endanger your path.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± Nar said. ¡°I hid my [Aura]! I¡¯ve run from it! It hurts too much, and it''s not the magic I want. That I need!¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, you were right to run from it,¡± Gad said. ¡°Had I known the truth, I¡­ Yes, I would''ve never allowed you to use it.¡±


    The anger in her words was as heavy as the Pressure. However, it was also soothing, to know that she cared for him such.


    ¡°None of us will leave you behind,¡± she said. No. She vowed.


    ¡°At some point I thought about doing it. I thought about it a lot! Of leaving you guys behind!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°I just needed you to Climb!¡±


    Gad chuckled. And it was a dark, and low chuckle. Heavy.


    ¡°And do you think you were the only one?¡± she asked him.


    Nar stared blankly at her.


    ¡°Oh, Crystal¡­ You did!¡±


    She placed one of her heavy, strong hands over his chest. He could feel it''s warmth against his heartbeat.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°You are what you do, indeed,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°W-What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not for me to say, but for you to find out,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°But Nar, I thought about abandoning you before. Crystal, at some point I even hated you,¡± she said, grimacing at the words coming out of her mouth. ¡°Well, hate might be a strong word. I felt like you were trying to usurp my place. What tank needs a secondary tank? You were showing me I was slow and incapable. All the things that made me Climb to prove to myself and others that I wasn¡¯t. And on my darkest days, and knowing who you were. What you were...¡±


    She shook her head and pressed her eyes shut. "The thoughts that came to me then. The feelings... I will carry that shame forever."


    ¡°Gad, I¡­¡±


    She raised a hand to stop him, gently.


    ¡°But it''s not just me. Take Jul,¡± she said, and pointed to a place next to him with her chin.


    Nar had known the rogue was there, from the moment he had woken up. He had even hoped for it.


    ¡°She ran from an abusive home. From pain and tears and things we cannot understand. To her, we were just a means to escape her parents, and she also lied to us. Did that make her a coward, or wrong? She hid her daggers and lied to us, yes, but only because she believed she was a coward. She let fear blind her and guide her needs,¡± Gad said. ¡°But you helped her see that she wasn¡¯t. That she was strong, and capable, and mighty. That she could stand up to her fears, with her own two feet and four hands. That her parents were not strong enough to define her, or her path or her life. And slowly, we became more than just tools for her escape.¡±


    She turned her head and looked towards their party.


    ¡°What would make Kur, a manager brat of all things, Climb with us lowly workers? We don¡¯t know yet, but whatever it was, death was a better alternative to him¡­ We know about Mul and Cen, and enough has been said about it. But we don¡¯t know yet about Viy, but we will, in time. She¡¯ll need more time and patience than all of us put together, as she is the one most badly broken,¡± Gad said. ¡°And then there¡¯s Rel. And yes, we all heard her the other night. She wanted us too, and she waited for you to ask the question for weeks¡­ So that she could have the relief of not having it be a secret anymore. To be understood by us. Supported by us. Accepted. Just like you.¡±


    She smiled and shook her head.


    ¡°Even Tuk. Funny, laughing, jokes cracking Tuk. What do you think pushed him out?¡± she asked him. ¡°Because something had to. No one chooses to Climb. Climbing is just the only option left to us Climbers, when there¡¯s nothing else for us to hold on to. And that day, when we gathered to look for our parties and eventually came together... We were not friends, Nar. We were strangers, looking for useful people to Climb up with. And by the Crystal, never again think that you were the only one thinking about abandoning the others in those early days. In the worst of it, I''m sure that even Tuk thought of it.¡±


    Nar blinked away the grit in his eyes. He wasn''t sure of what to say.


    Gad shook her head, reading the confusion in his silence.


    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that you need to stop being so hard on yourself. On what you think or didn''t think. Felt or did," she said. "You have done well, Nar. You''ve done amazing things. Things that took courage and sacrifice, and I can¡¯t stand to see you like this, punishing yourself for not being perfect, whatever it is that drives you so. For your path, for your [Aura], for your need for magic and whatever dreams you hope for, or nightmares that you carry. Even for your very thoughts, you are too hard on yourself, Nar. Like you told Jul, we¡¯re not in the cubeplant anymore. You¡¯re not an Unclean anymore. You can take a break! You can stop when you¡¯re tired and when you¡¯re hurt! You can tell us when you have problems, or when it hurts. No! You must tell us! Otherwise, we won¡¯t know! Being Unclean taught you to hide everything too well! It took months for your true self to start peaking through! And when you lie bleeding and broken on the floor, because we asked you to do something that would hurt you, how do you think that makes us feel, uh? Mul hasn''t said a word since. Hasn¡¯t even eaten! I know he looks like a grumpy old shit, but he¡¯s not. How do you think he¡¯s feeling right now, knowing that he accused you of not wanting to use your [Aura] for selfish reasons, and now seeing the results of it?¡±


    Nar clenched his jaw, feeling his heart being squeezed inside his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± he whispered.


    ¡°You should be. To us, yes, but much more importantly, to yourself. And I¡¯ve had enough of this. Of seeing people suffering when they should have been relying on me. On all of us. And I¡¯m tired of waiting for people to come forward. I¡¯ve realized that it¡¯s wrong of me to do so,¡± she said, her tone softening. ¡°So, now, I¡¯m going to ask you questions, and you will answer. Do you understand?¡±


    Nar nodded with as much strength as he could muster.


    ¡°Good. Let''s start from the beginning, then. Why did you choose a hybrid class?¡±


    With his throat as tight as it was, it was hard even to push out the words. But the time had come, and if there was anyone who could and deserved the full truth and story out of him, that person was Gad.


    ¡°My dad has the Wasting sickness. Only the cough, and only the one blue spot for now. I want to save him, like he saved me when I was little. You can laugh at it, but I thought the only way to do it was to be strong enough to be able to fight it all by myself. To Climb back down, to break through those Doors if I have to¡­ I don''t know how I¡¯ll do it, or even if it¡¯s possible. I don''t know how I¡¯ll find him again. But I will get the strength to do it, and as a tank/DPS hybrid, I will be able to take all the damage and deal all the damage that is needed. I will Climb back down and I will get to him. And I don''t care what stands in my way, or what I have to do to get it done. Do you understand?¡±


    Gad sighed and buried her face in one of her massive hands.


    ¡°Is that why you need magic, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I need real power,¡± Nar whispered. ¡°And I¡¯ve had enough of [Aura]. When I left, my dad told me to forget about it and find happiness. But I never will, unless he''s up there with me. Safe and healed.¡±


    ¡°And here you are, forced to use it...¡±


    ¡°And it hurts. Gad, it hurts so much,¡± he whispered. ¡°I know pain, Gad! This isn¡¯t it! I can¡¯t breathe. I feel like I''m dying. Like I''m being cut and crushed to shreds from the inside! But there¡¯s no other way. The System wants me to use it, and soon enough, I¡¯ll lose my second modifier to it, and my path will be broken. I will be stuck with something I can¡¯t even use, and I¡¯ll never be able to save my dad!¡±


    ¡°Don''t lose hope! We''ll find a way!" she said. "But do you have any ideas as to why it hurts you so much more than us?¡±


    Nar licked his dry, cracked lips and swallowed with difficulty. ¡°I think it¡¯s because I¡¯m Unclean. They sent me straight to the machines. I was only five. You¡¯re not supposed to work with your [Aura] until you are at least ten, right? That¡¯s when they test you, to see if you have the aptitude for it¡­ But they wanted to get rid of us, Gad, and so they gave us a choice. Exile, or work to their terms. And they worked us to death! Every day, for double shifts. You could puke blood. You could pass out¡­ It didn¡¯t matter. Once you woke up, you had to get right back to it or get beat up. We didn''t even work for the quota of the cubeplant, but for our own quota, so that we could eat. And Gad, they starved us! Starved us every time they felt like doing it! To make sure the Crystal was watching, and see how loyal and devout they were. Against us Unclean.¡±


    ¡°Crystal have mercy,¡± Gad whispered. ¡°I-I¡¯d heard. I... I tried not to see, but¡­¡±


    Tears ran down the sides of Nar¡¯s face again, and he stared blankly beyond Gad, not at the swirling orange above their heads, but at his own memories.


    ¡°We were punching bags for boredom and a quick laugh. And many went through worse¡­ A lot worse. And we weren¡¯t even allowed to fight back. Or stop any of it...¡± he whispered. ¡°Crystal¡­ You have no idea what I had to overcome just to stop hating you guys. Let alone trust you with my life¡­¡±


    He sighed. ¡°All of us who could Climb, did so. No... We were forced to do it. There was no future for us in the cubeplant. No hope in a place that wanted us dead. We worked too hard and from too young¡­ Not many of us kids actually made it. Those machines were hungry. And of course, none of the adults wanted us to stay. Because if you¡¯re already dead anyway, then the Climb becomes a hope. A way out¡­ The only way out. But it doesn¡¯t matter. In the end, it¡¯s too late. I¡¯m broken. I started too soon, and that machine destroyed me. I cannot use my [Aura] anymore. It was fine when it was weak in the cubeplant, but now, it¡¯s too strong for me to handle. I can¡¯t take it¡­¡±


    Gad waited in silence after he was done. Then she got up, and stood with her back towards him.


    A long moment passed.


    ¡°How does it feel, to have told me all of that?¡± she asked, still not facing him.


    He exhaled shakily.


    ¡°It feels good, actually. It feels really good,¡± he said. "And how did it feel to hear it?"


    "It makes my insides boil," she whispered. "And my heart break."


    Nar clenched his fists to control the surge of emotion. "Thanks. And Gad, I''m happy you got it out of me."


    Gad turned to face him, and he saw, in the orange light, that two brilliant streaks fell from her own eyes.


    ¡°I won¡¯t laugh, Nar,¡± she vowed. ¡°I will never laugh of your dream. And I swear to you, when the time comes, if you still want to save your dad, I will come back down with you. I won¡¯t let you return to this darkness and face all of this by yourself.¡±


    Nar stared at her in shock. ¡°But... You-You¡¯d be up there, Gad! Free, with your own dreams and life to live! I couldn¡¯t ask you that. I won''t. It would be too much!¡±


    Gad knelt next to him. She brought her face down to his, so that their noses were almost touching.


    ¡°You won''t have to ask me,¡± she said. ¡°I once thought about leaving you behind. Even kicking you out of this party, and I will carry that shame with me always and forever¡­ But that¡¯s not how I feel anymore. You¡¯re my family, and I love you like a brother. And yes, it¡¯s only been half a year, but I don¡¯t care. You¡¯re all my family now, and we will stick together! Through this Climb, and even after it!¡±


    Nar stared wide eyed at her. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ You can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°It will be my decision to make. Not yours. Now rest. Sleep and heal. I will speak with the others, and we will find a way.¡±


    ¡°But Gad¡­¡±


    ¡°We will find a way.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Nar, just say thank you and shut up.¡±


    ¡°... thank you.¡±


    ¡°There we go,¡± she said. ¡°Now try to go back to sleep.¡±


    She got up, but as she was leaving, she looked at him again. ¡°I will be very upset, betrayed even, if there is more you haven¡¯t told me, or if in the future this happens again. It will mean that you still don¡¯t trust me. That I¡¯m still just a Clean to you. A means to an end, after all that we¡¯ve been through together. And that is¡­ Upsetting.¡±


    Nar gave her a pale imitation of a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything,¡± he whispered. "There''s nothing else."


    ¡°Good¡­ Good. Rest, then.¡±


    With that, her footsteps receded into the distance.


    Nar was left alone with Jul¡¯s soft breathing.


    Jul, whom he loved like a sister. A little sister that was somehow older than him.


    He had known that he cared for her.


    But he had been scared to admit it. Afraid it would betray his plan and his dad. That he would care too much for her, and for the others, and that he would do something to put his plan in jeopardy. That we would choose them over his dad.


    But maybe it was time to stop letting his fears control him. His fear of his emotions, of his [Aura], of betraying his dad, of the future, of embracing his party¡­


    Maybe he really was just being too hard on himself.


    I¡¯m too tired. I¡¯m not going to think about it¡­ For now, I¡¯m just going to lie here, and look at the pretty lights.


    And by the Crystal, the light was brighter and more detailed than he had previously noticed, the slow lines of lightning crossing the vast ceiling with a beauty that stole his breath away.


    It was truly breathtaking.


    When the tears came again, he did not fight them, or swallow them.


    It was not pitiful, nor was it pathetic.


    And as sleep came to claim him back into the healing nurture of his HP, the last thing he felt was the soft touch of a hand taking his, and of fingers interlocking with his own.

 Chapter 88 - Facing Fate

    He was awake and alone when he heard the footsteps approaching him.


    Kur appeared above his face, and sat next to him.


    Nar didn¡¯t even need to look at his face to know what it looked like. Grim and conflicted. Guilty.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Nar said.


    Kur frowned. ¡°Uh? How¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been trying to go inside and it hasn¡¯t worked. You need me to go in again,¡± Nar said.


    They had indeed been going at that Pressure relentlessly. But without success.


    ¡°Nar, I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Kur. I have to do it. And I want to.¡±


    He grit his teeth and pushed himself up, rejecting Kur¡¯s offer of help.


    ¡°We can¡¯t stay here forever. We¡¯ll be attacked again,¡± Nar said. ¡°And what we want¡­ What we need is on the other side of that room.¡±


    Kur hung his head.


    ¡°I wanted to wait until you were healed, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not healing,¡± Nar said, waiting for everything to stop dancing around him.


    Over the last two days, his HP recovery had slowed even further, until it completely stopped at about 60%. Kur had offered his [Healing Boon] again, but it was a risky gamble to go another two days without it. Plus, Nar knew it wouldn¡¯t do anything¡­


    He licked his lips and brought up his sleeve to wipe them.


    ¡°Nar¡­¡± Kur whispered, eyeing the stains.


    ¡°It¡¯s inside me. I can feel it,¡± Nar said. ¡°It cuts me every time I move¡­ I¡¯ve tried pushing it out, but it won¡¯t budge. It doesn''t obey me anymore, and I can feel that more and more is leaking into me and building up.¡±


    He looked at Kur''s aggrieved expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. And it¡¯s not Mul¡¯s either. Will you¡­ Tell that to him, please?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not giving up, Nar!¡± Kur said, gripping his shoulders. ¡°We¡¯ll find a way. Even if we have to carry you, covered in our own [Aura]! Even if somehow we need to reach inside you and remove all the [Aura]! We aren¡¯t moving from here until we¡¯ve found a way!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. You could die.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t care! We¡¯re staying!¡±


    Nar closed his eyes, and Kur sighed.


    ¡°Look, Cen thinks that if we figure out how to use [Aura] properly, that it might help you,¡± Kur said, his tone tinged by the lightest touches of desperation. ¡°She cried a lot when she suggested this, and there was a lot of opposition to it. But in the end, I made the call. I decided that you should try again.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you to.¡±


    ¡°I know. This is my decision,¡± Nar said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be afraid of it anymore. Not to say that I want to just accept it, but I don''t want to run away from it anymore either. Whatever happens, it¡¯ll be something I can be proud of when I meet my dad in the Waiting Dark.¡±


    Kur nodded, with a grim expression that darkened his features. ¡°Thank you for doing this. I know that I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m asking you to do¡­ I know that it''s even selfish, but I have to ask you to do it. For all of us.¡±


    Nar smiled. ¡°You¡¯re our leader and I don''t envy your path.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Fair enough,¡± Kur said, his shoulders sagging.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Nar said. ¡°It¡¯s your duty.¡±


    Kur clenched his jaw and stood. He stared out into the endless orange room before him, and after a moment, he nodded.


    ¡°Whenever you feel ready,¡± he said. ¡°Today, tomorrow, whenever. Don¡¯t worry about the guardians. We¡¯ll destroy them.¡±


    Nar smiled, but shook his head.


    ¡°Just give me a few minutes. And... Can Cen come with me?¡±


    ¡°She said there was no way you were going in alone.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yeah. That sounds like her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell her to come over in a bit. Oh, and Nar?¡±


    Nar looked up to Kur.


    ¡°When you come to save your dad, it won¡¯t just be Gad coming down with you.¡±


    With that, the party leader spun on his heels, and left.


    Nar stared at his hands, thinking of that moment when his dad had insisted he found a good party.


    Crystal, how right he had been. And how lucky Nar had been to have actually found them.


    Or had he actually been blessed, steered in the right direction by the Blessed Crystal? Who knew anymore. Who knew anything?


    He pulled out his sword and used it to prop himself up. Stretching into infinity ahead of him, the columns and ceiling and Pressure beckoned him.


    He pushed against the pain and forced himself upright. He stood on his two legs and lifted the sword off the floor, clenching his jaw against the pain and the vertigo and the weakness that numbed him, even as sharpness cut him from within with every barest hint of a movement.


    I don¡¯t need a few minutes. I¡¯m ready now.


    *********


    ¡°Remember, tell me everything,¡± Cen told him. ¡°No matter how basic it is, don¡¯t assume that I know it. Take me with you all the way down.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°And if it hurts, we stop right away, you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll tell me.¡±


    ¡°I swear, Cen. I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m trusting you!¡± the caster warned him.


    Once more, the two of them stood before the invisible boundary. Her grip on his hand was fierce and he could feel her shaking through her hand.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep an eye, anyways,¡± Gad said. ¡°I¡¯ll pull you both out if I don¡¯t like what I see.¡±


    Nar nodded and offered her a smile.


    He swayed on his feet, but he stood on his own.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± he said.


    Cen took a deep breath and nodded.


    ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Nar gripped the sword hard, and before he could second-doubt himself, he reached out to that part inside himself where [Aura] came from.


    Expecting resistance, instead, his eyes widened as [Aura] flooded him. His blade went bright white once more, casting back the orange and the darkness.


    ¡°Not so much!¡± Cen cried.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it,¡± Nar muttered, straining against the mounting pain. ¡°We have to hurry.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should stop this?¡± Cen asked, looking back at Gad.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s too late¡­¡±


    He coughed and felt wetness fly out of his mouth in big, oozy droplets.


    ¡°Nar!¡± she yelled.


    ¡°By the Crystal!¡± Tuk said. ¡°Stop it! Stop it now!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± Nar said. ¡°It won¡¯t listen to me!¡±


    He felt like he was trying to prevent a pileslide with his hands, while a thousand metric tons tethered slowly towards him, about to lose balance and spill. And he could only watch as it tipped ever so forward, about to bury him.


    ¡°We have to do it now!¡± Nar said, squeezing Cen¡¯s hand.


    He felt warm stickiness leaking from his left ear, and knew that soon the blood would come pouring out through his very skin.


    ¡°Should I use my boon?¡± Kur asked.


    Nar checked his HP, it was dropping, but it was still stable enough. ¡°Not yet. Wait until my HP starts crashing.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± Kur said. ¡°Cen, it''s now or never!¡±


    ¡°But I¡­¡±


    ¡°You can do it!¡± Mul said. ¡°You both can! Come on!¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Come on, Cen!¡± Nar told her.


    Her eyes were very big and very afraid, but [Aura] gathered at her staff.


    ¡°Whatever happens, it is my decision. It¡¯s not on you,¡± Nar told her.


    ¡°Oh, Nar¡­¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± Gad shouted. ¡°We¡¯re losing time!¡±


    And next thing he knew, Gad pushed them both forward, into the deadly Pressure.


    The heat and weight assaulted them at once. It prodded and tested their [Aura], looking for any flaw or weak spot through which to burst in and devour them.


    ¡°What do I do now?¡± Nar shouted, above the roaring gale that surrounded them.


    ¡°Where does your [Aura] come from?¡± Cen shouted back.


    Thankfully, it seemed that they were able to hear each other, either because of their [Aura], or their linked hands.


    ¡°Chest! Solar plexus!¡± Nar said.


    ¡°But where? Go deeper! What do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just doing what I usually do! Breaking it into chunks and¡­¡±


    ¡°But what are you breaking, Nar?¡± she pressed. ¡°And how? Feel, Nar! Look! What¡¯s in there?¡±


    What¡¯s in there?


    The words of his dad came, unbidden to him. He had only been five years old, but he had never been able to forget that day.


    ¡°Here, you feel it?¡± his dad had asked him. ¡°Right where my finger is touching. Aura comes from here. Imagine a little hole inside of you, and it comes from there.¡±


    Nar, with his eyes closed, tried to focus on his dad¡¯s gentle but strong finger on his chest.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Relax, son. The machine is never wrong. We all have it, some more than others, and you definitely have more than enough. So just relax. Focus on your breathing. Yes, that¡¯s it. Just breathe. That¡¯s all we''re doing.¡±


    Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.


    ¡°Imagine something soft, and warm. Kinda like jell-o, but a little bit harder. Between a cracker and a jell-o, actually.¡±


    ¡°Dad, are you making this up as you go?¡± Nar asked, keeping his eyes closed.


    ¡°... no. Of course not. Now focus! This is the only time you¡¯ll ever need to do this. Once you do it, you¡¯ll just need to pull.¡±


    And I did. But I never knew what was there. I never thought about it. But how do I find it again?


    He remembered the softness of it. It had nothing to do with the sharp, shredding pieces that now cut through his body. His [Aura] was as sharp as broken aetherium now, but had it always been so?


    Why is it so hard? So sharp? he wondered.


    He focused on his chest, at the epicenter of the pain.


    Shards were flowing into him, that much he could feel, but, from where? Where was that hole he had found only once before?


    Where are you? Where are you coming from?


    ¡°Nar?¡± Cen asked. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    Nar ignored her, his eyes pressing down harder, filling his sight with multitudes of dots.


    Just breathe.


    He inhaled burning air.


    Just breathe.


    He exhaled it even hotter.


    He chucked the pain away.


    He was a tank, if he couldn¡¯t endure a little pain, he would never go anywhere. His life was about damage and wounds and blood and broken bones.


    I might even get some [Constitution] out of this, he thought, remembering Kur¡¯s words from before.


    The thought, in the maelstrom of heat, weight and shattering pain, brought a furtive smile to his face.


    And in that moment, something opened, and he fell through.


    He gasped and held on tighter to Cen and his sword.


    ¡°Nar? Please, you have to speak to me! Nar?¡±


    He fell and kept falling.


    Through the darkness he tumbled, until, suddenly, there were lights coming up to him, bright and white and sharp.


    ¡°I¡¯m falling!¡± he said, breathing hard. ¡°I fell somewhere. In my chest. I-I¡¯m somewhere else now. Deeper. It was dark, but now there are lights coming from below. White lights!¡±


    He convulsed and spat a glob of blood onto the floor. It sizzled where it landed, burning away.


    ¡°Nar! Oh, my Crystal! Please, we have to stop!¡± she pleaded with him.


    ¡°No! I¡¯m here now, Cen! I¡¯m here! But the lights, there are too many! And they hurt! They are going through me and they hurt!¡±


    Holding back tears, Cen pulled his hand against her chest. ¡°Where are you, Nar? Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Down and down and¡­¡±


    ¡°In your chest, you said? Where the [Aura] comes from, you went in? I¡¯ll follow you, Nar! Hold on! I¡¯m looking for it!¡±


    Nar barely heard her.


    He was going through a thousand shards of light, and it was destroying him.


    He wanted to come back up so badly. He wanted to run. The pain was so much. But below, deep below, something called to him.


    It called to him with such sweetness and tenderness, and heart wrenching loneliness, that he could not turn away from it. He wept for it, for its suffering was greater than his, and so, down and down he went.


    Until he found it.


    ¡°Cen¡­¡± he whispered. ¡°Cen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying, Nar, I¡¯m trying! I don¡¯t have enough [Aura]!¡±


    ¡°I found it Cen¡­ I found it.¡±


    ¡°Found wha¡­¡±


    She gasped and he felt her tense from very far away. But it didn¡¯t matter.


    In the darkness, he had found a light. A hazy gray globe of light. It was so brilliant that it should have blinded him, but he stared directly at it, mesmerized.


    It looked so alone, there in the darkness, and he reached out to hug it. There was nothing else in the whole of the Nexus that he wanted to do more, than to console this lonely, hurting light.


    He wrapped his arms around it, and pressed it gently against his chest.


    ¡°What are you? Why are you so alone here, inside me?¡±


    Inside me?


    Inside¡­


    Me?


    ¡°Cen.¡±


    ¡°I-I see it too!¡± Cen shouted, from so far away.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s mine. The [Aura] is mine. It doesn¡¯t come from anywhere... It¡¯s inside me. It¡¯s always been inside me! It¡¯s always been mine!¡±


    ¡°I see it, by the Crystal, I see it! It¡¯s beautiful¡­¡±


    Nar fell to his knees, dragging Cen down with him.


    ¡°Nar!¡±


    Tears fell down his face, evaporating in the heat.


    ¡°Why does it hurt so much? Is it not mine?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°What are you doing to it? Focus! What are you doing?¡± she asked, shaking him.


    He took a step back from his [Aura] and looked.


    There, at the edges. The light was being squeezed. Pinched. And little bits were being ripped out from it, leaving tears and marred scars across its glowing surface.


    ¡°How! Why?¡±


    What horror was this? What crime? Such sin! Who could do something so destructive to something so pure and beautiful?


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Cen asked.


    The tears and holes healed themselves slowly, but that didn¡¯t make it any less heinous.


    And of the chunks, something was cutting at them with impunity, stripping them. All the gray and deep blacks were cut away, left to return back to the ball of light, and in its place, only sharp, ugly pieces of white were left. It was a sterile, lifeless, dead white despite its brilliance. And as he stared, the pieces slowly rose up into the darkness above them.


    ¡°Something is attacking my [Aura]! It¡¯s ripping chunks from it! It¡¯s¡­¡±


    He gasped.


    As he watched the white pieces of his [Aura] slowly drift upwards, he understood. He finally understood it all.


    ¡°We have to make it pure,¡± his dad had told him. ¡°Stronger. But it makes it sharp, and that¡¯s what makes it sore. Even painful, as the aura goes through us. But that¡¯s the job. We are the middle man between the aura and the machine it powers. And that¡¯s what it means to be an operator.¡±


    No! No! No! Noooooooooo!


    How wrong had his dad been. How wrong had they all been!


    ¡°Nar, I think I understand it, the pieces¡­ The breaking, I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s wrong! It¡¯s all wrong!¡± Nar screamed in rage and agony. ¡°How could they have been so wrong?¡±


    The roaring Pressure seemed to have receded in the face of his fury, and his words rang loud and true.


    He was the one hurting himself. And his dad had been the one to teach him how to do it, just like he had been taught by his dad, and so on and so on, back through the Long Dark until Crystal knew how long.


    How many generations? How many of them had done it wrong? When had they forgotten the truth?


    How could we be so wrong? How could no one have figured it out? I can¡¯t believe that we¡¯re the only ones¡­ I can¡¯t believe we had to Climb to understand this. It makes no sense! It makes no sense¡­


    He tumbled to his arms and knees, weak and powerless, and Cen dug his nails into him, shaking with the strain, but holding him.


    ¡°Nar! Nar! Come on! Hold on! We¡¯re here! We¡¯re safe!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late¡­ I did this to myself.¡±


    ¡°No! No! Just pull on it!¡± she shouted. ¡°All of it! The whole thing! Stop breaking it! Stop cutting it! Don¡¯t remove the gray and the black! Just pull! Pull it as it is!¡±


    Something rang, sharp and loud, and he felt his cheek stinking amongst the clamoring of destruction rampaging through his body.


    ¡°Come on! Come on!¡±


    Cen slapped him again.


    ¡°Just pull, Nar! Are you going to leave us? Are you going to abandon your dad? Pull! Damned it! Fucking pull, damn you! All of it!¡±


    I can¡¯t leave them. I can¡¯t leave my dad¡­


    The [Aura] was blinking now, in and out, in a panic, calling out to him.


    I¡¯m trying¡­ I¡¯m¡­ Trying¡­


    With his vision fading, with the last of his strength he reached for his [Aura]. His hand went right through it.


    No more¡­ Stop¡­ Hurting¡­ Stop¡­


    He pulled.


    With all his might, with all his being, he pulled.


    The aura, his aura, exploded, swallowing all the bright, edged shards, and pushing away all that was damaging it.


    Him, he had been the one damaging it.


    How had he not seen it before? As a kid, all he had felt was, indeed, a hole, from where something that felt soft and warm had come from. But there had been nothing there. Had it just been too small to see? Was it only now, after nearly five months of gains, of being joined to the System, that it had become the ball of light he now saw before him?


    And was it too late?


    Brightness and heat took him.


    It coursed furiously not through his veins as he had thought, but pushing through different channels. One up his head, two down his arms, and one down to his stomach, which then split into two and went further down, to his very feet


    For a moment, he even saw where [Aura] left his hand and entered his sword¡­


    His aura exploded again, sending a shockwave through his body that made him arch his back, howling a soundless scream.


    It blew up, again and again, rocking his body with successive waves of raging might and gray light.


    Just as he had pulled, it now pushed. It cleared all the residue of those sharp white fragments from his channels. It rejected and expelled them from his body, and Nar went beyond pain.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Warning!


    You have accrued critical damage!


    Your HP is at 0!


    You are not covered!


    Death is imminent!


    Prioritizing HP recovery.


    Failure!


    Re-routing all stamina into HP.


    Failure!


    Triggering unconsciousness to preserve¡­


    DENIED!


    Triggering¡­


    DENIED!


    ACCESS DENIED!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The prompt was gone in a flicker so fast that he wasn¡¯t even been able to read it. Not that it mattered, he was hanging on by a thread.


    He couldn¡¯t last much longer.


    He couldn¡¯t endure such an absolute cleansing.


    It was washing him raw, eroding even him in its effort of purifying him from all the harm he had unknowingly done to himself, year after year, double shift after double shift, day after day.


    I¡¯m sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t know.


    Yet somehow, he felt that he deserved it.


    He had damaged something of incalculable beauty and purity. This? This was something worthy of punishment. This, and nothing else.


    Here was his one, true sin.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Warning!


    Energy source detected!


    Identifying¡­


    Identification complete!


    Source is [Aura]!


    Limits breached!


    Triggering¡­


    DENIED!


    ACCESS PROTOCOLS MODIFIED!


    Warning!


    Warning!


    Warning!


    Warn¡­


    OVERRULED!


    TRIGGERING CHANGE!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Again, it was too fast for him to make any sense of it, and his [Aura] exploded with one more fierce blast, and everything was wiped away in a wave of gray.

 Chapter 89 - Changed

    Someone shook him.


    He heard his name.


    He heard crying.


    But it was so quiet. So comfortable there¡­


    He wanted to stay. He wanted to stay forever.


    When was the last time he had felt such¡­ He didn¡¯t even know the right word for it.


    It felt like he was back in his mother¡¯s arms, before everything that had happened.


    Come on. We cannot stay here.


    And why not, he wondered. Why not stay here? There were no worries. No pain. No fear. No obligations, or duties, or goals. There were no dreams calling out to him. It was quiet. It was perfect.


    We still have things to do, Nar.


    What things? What could be worth leaving this place?


    Come on, Nar. There¡¯s work to be done!


    And he remembered. His dad. His party. The Climb. The Upper Levels.


    He had come so far. He wasn¡¯t going to give up now and abandon it all.


    Come on, wake up!


    His eyes flashed open, and for a moment, he couldn''t understand what he was seeing.


    ¡°Cen?¡± he asked. ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Nar, I¡¯m so sorry! I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t know this was going to happen!¡±


    She held her hand to his face and wept.


    ¡°But Cen, why-why are you gray?¡±


    She only cried harder, holding tight onto his hand. A hand that was gray too.


    No, it was covered in a hazy gray light. It was almost smoky, an ethereal gray smoke that emanated from and stuck to her skin in gently swirling patterns of white, black and all the grays in between.


    ¡°Is that [Aura]?¡± he asked her.


    Cen dropped over his chest, crying, and before he could say anything else, a window appeared before his eyes.


    It felt like it had been a long time since he¡¯d seen one, and with trepidation, he saw that it was a long one.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Class change complete!


    Class [Basic 20] has been upgraded to [Auramancer 1]


    All attributes have been preserved!


    Extra attributes gained:


    Aura** 78 (60 + 18 Mod.) -> 100 (71 + 29 Mod.)


    ??? 14 -> 19


    ??? 20 -> 25


    Endurance 8 -> 11


    Instinct 21 -> 24


    Hearing 13 -> 16


    Sight 12 -> 15


    Smell 5 -> 8


    Gains threshold exceeded!


    Gains threshold ignored! Gains applied!


    Congratulations!


    You have gained your second attribute modifier.


    [Aura*] has become [Aura**]. For each point gained in [Aura] you will now gain an additional 1.8 points (rounded down).


    (Example: 6 points gained in [Aura**] = 6 + (6 * 1.8 = 10.8) = 16)


    New status unlocked:


    Aura


    New skills gained:


    [Meditation]


    [Aura Channels 4] (Passive)


    [Aura Senses 2] (Passive)


    Skills upgraded:


    Skill [Strong Attack 2] upgraded to [Aura Attack].


    Skill [Quickening 2] upgraded to [Aura Quickening].


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar reached out and patted Cen¡¯s head. He now understood why she was crying.


    ¡°You were right, Cen,¡± he said. ¡°You were right all along.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Nar,¡± she sobbed, lifting her head to look at him. ¡°Check your status.¡±


    His heart thudded with sorrow. He already knew what he was going to find, but he looked anyway.


    Under his HP and stamina bars, there was now a new bar. It was a familiar shifting gray, and it read 207/1000.


    Shocked laughter escaped him.


    ¡°One thousand? Really?¡±


    It was four times his HP! Four times his stamina!


    It was such a ridiculously high number that he could only laugh in the face of it.


    ¡°One thousand¡­ Your second modifier! Nar!¡±


    He reached up with both hands and grabbed her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. No! Cen, listen to me. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°It was my idea!¡± she cried.


    ¡°It was the only way forward,¡± he said. ¡°And now, I can keep going. Thank you. It was all thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°There could have been another way!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe that,¡± Nar said. ¡°You know this is what the System wanted. First in the tutorial. Then with that Sentry. Then after the first bridge, and then after the cannibals¡­ It¡¯s been pushing [Aura] into us from the start. There was nothing we could do. And we don¡¯t know if this is even the last of it¡­¡±


    ¡°But the magic, Nar! The magic!¡± she shouted, her eyes wide and nearly mad.


    She pushed through his hands and hugged him, weeping, and he hugged her back, feeling his own tears falling out from the corner of his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Nar said. ¡°There might still be a way. And I still have three modifiers to go. So, it¡¯s going to be alright.¡±


    But Cen only cried harder.


    ¡°Come on Cen, you should be happy!¡± he said. ¡°You were right! There is a path for [Aura]! And look! It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore! I¡¯m okay now!¡±


    But the more he tried to make her feel better, the more his own tears flowed.


    What was the point of crying now, though?


    It was done.


    An Auramancer, whatever that was, with 1000 points of aura and with [Aura] skills. And five of them no less!


    He had always bemoaned his short list of skills, and now, he had just gained three more in one go.


    Yet, he cried.


    Cen cried.


    And they hugged each other. Nar suffering for what he had lost, and Cen suffering for what Nar had lost.


    They cried and hugged, under an enormous Pressure that no longer bothered them.


    A Pressure that had shattered his dreams to a point he did not know if they could recover from. And yet, by the Crystal, how beautiful that glowing Pressure was.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    *********


    They stepped out of the Pressure almost in the same way they had gone in. Together, and holding hands.


    However, they did not hold their weapons anymore. The swirling [Aura] that coated them, clothes and all, was more than enough to protect them now.


    They let go of each other''s hands, as well as their hold on their [Aura], and faced the party. The others, including even Viy, were arranged in a semi-circle around them.


    Nar looked from one end to the other, then he smiled.


    ¡°Come on, no need to look like that,¡± he said.


    Kur stepped forward. ¡°Nar, I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°And no need for that either,¡± Nar said, raising a hand to stop him. ¡°This was both my choice and the only way forward. Self-pity won¡¯t do anything. No amount of pity will.¡±


    Gad, behind Kur, nodded sagely at him, with a hint of a sad smile gracing her lips.


    ¡°What¡¯s important now is that Cen was right,¡± Nar said, smiling down at the caster. ¡°And we have a way forward again.¡±


    Kur nodded once, and grimly.


    ¡°What was it, in the end?¡±


    Cen sniffled and looked up at Nar.


    ¡°Nar found the place where [Aura] comes from. It¡¯s inside us. It never came from anywhere else. It¡¯s always been there.¡±


    ¡°Crystal above all!¡± Tuk whispered.


    ¡°Fuck me sideways¡­¡± Mul muttered, at the same time.


    ¡°How?¡± Gad said. ¡°And where?¡±


    ¡°Where the hole is, there is¡­ A space?¡± Cen said, unsure. ¡°If you go into it, and down, you will find this ball of light. That¡¯s where it is. That¡¯s what it is.¡±


    Tuk frowned and closed his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there.¡±


    ¡°I think the Pressure will help with that,¡± Nar said. ¡°That¡¯s probably why it''s here, and why the path took us here.¡±


    Cen nodded. ¡°Also, we need to stop taking out chunks from it, and making them white and sharp like that... We just need to take it all.¡±


    ¡°White? What in the pile are you talking about?¡± Mul asked.


    Cen sighed wearily, her shoulders slouching forward.


    ¡°We need to stop purifying our aura,¡± she explained. ¡°We were wrong. I don¡¯t know why they made us do it like that, but it makes our aura sharp, and that is why it feels so bad when it gets into our bodies. Also, it doesn¡¯t go in our blood. There are special channels for it inside our bodies¡­ But, not really there?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Oh, also, my class changed,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Oh, mine too. Auramancer Caster.¡±


    Nar laughed. ¡°I just went from Basic to Auramancer! Figures.¡±


    ¡°Nar¡­¡± Cen whispered, her eyes shining again.


    Kur raised his arms. ¡°Wait! Wait! Wait! That¡¯s too much information all at once!¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Nar realized that he did not feel like talking. In fact, he didn¡¯t even feel like standing.


    ¡°Cen, do you mind explaining it to them?¡± he asked. ¡°I think I need to sit down.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Crystal! Of course! Your HP went down to zero!¡±


    Nar nodded. ¡°Yeah, that really took it out of me.¡±


    He cast a quick glance at Gad, who nodded back at him.


    Not being pitiful. Just taking it easy. Let Cen do the talking, he thought, and Gad seemed to understand and agree with him.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be over with our stuff,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Yeah man, take a good rest,¡± Kur said. ¡°Well done.¡±


    ¡°It was all Cen.¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t!¡± she protested.


    Chuckling, Nar walked to where the party had made their temporary home.


    As soon as he reached the wall, he reached out to it, and quickly lowered himself to the floor.


    He heaved a big sigh and leaned sideways against the wall. It wasn¡¯t the most comfortable of positions, but he didn¡¯t want the party to see his face.


    For a moment, he thought of nothing.


    The orange ceiling and columns still swirled in their magnificence.


    The silent lightning still ran across the ceiling with its slow magnificence.


    The party¡¯s conversation drifted in and out of his focus.


    Time passed.


    At some point, he woke up.


    He had fallen asleep, head pointing towards the endless room, staring at the lights overhead.


    Also, he was not alone.


    ¡°You¡¯ve hidden your emotions well,¡± Rel said. ¡°But not anymore.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he asked her, confused.


    ¡°Come on, Nar! It¡¯s just us two here!¡± she breathed. ¡°And I can feel it coming off of you. It¡¯s so strong it¡¯s picking on it. Whatever this auramancer class is, it''s making it crazy around you. Only the¡­ Boss, ever scared me like that.¡±


    Nar blinked at her, unsure of what he had just heard.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he asked. ¡°That I¡¯m dangerous?¡±


    He did not mean anything by it, and yet, the words came out half growled, half hissed, and his hands balled into fists.


    Rel didn¡¯t move, but the fear he read in her feverish eyes made him recoil.


    ¡°My Yearning,¡± she whispered. ¡°Crystal, I almost jumped there¡­¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to attack you,¡± Nar said, looking at her in bewilderment. ¡°I would never do that! What in the pile is going on?¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± Rel said. ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t move away.¡±


    ¡°Then what in the pile is going on?¡±


    She pondered her words for a moment, and slowly, she seemed to become more aware, her eyes a little bit brighter.


    ¡°Whatever you did today¡­ Your emotions are pouring out of you,¡± she whispered, leaning forward. ¡°At least for us¡­ We can feel it. Me, with my Yearning, and Jul with her [Instinct]. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    Nar frowned at her, but understanding hit him a split second later, and he stared at the others, searching for where Jul slept.


    ¡°She¡¯s not very good at dealing with fear,¡± Rel said, leaning even closer, her breath hot on his face. Searing. ¡°Not yet at least, and I don¡¯t want her to get scared of you. Don¡¯t ruin all the work and progress that you both have made.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not doing anything!¡± he said. ¡°Crystal, I can feel the heat from you! Are you okay?¡±


    Rel pulled back from him, and looked at him sideways, considering him.


    ¡°Do you remember what I told you about the Yearning?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± he said, his heart thumping in his chest, his mind reeling, trying to make sense of what was going on. Was she out of her mind?


    ¡°Remember how I told you that as kids we fear it, but as adults, we are resigned to it?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Nar said, frowning. Where was she going with this?


    ¡°Well, I lied,¡± she said, looking out into the great orange that they would soon cross.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I lied,¡± she repeated. ¡°And so did the adults. That morning, when I woke up with the Yearning, I saw the fear in my parents¡¯ eyes. Then on my grandfather¡¯s. Then on every other alfin adult. But then, I saw my uncle. You know, the one who was with the aunt that smashed her head open?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Yes. I remember.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Well, he wasn¡¯t afraid. There was something else on his face.¡±


    He noticed that she was rubbing her index finger and thumb while she tried to make her disjointed point. It was a vigorous gesture, almost angry, as if she was trying to scratch an itch she couldn¡¯t reach.


    ¡°At first I didn¡¯t know what it was,¡± she said, her eyes distant. ¡°Only that it scared me. So much I started avoiding him¡­ But then, I started to notice that same look on other people¡¯s faces. On other alfin¡¯s faces. Those with both the Yearning and those that didn¡¯t have it yet.¡±


    She stopped rubbing her fingers and pressed them against one another instead. Hard, to the point where her fingertips went completely blanched, devoid of any color.


    ¡°I noticed how other people avoided them. How my father spoke to his brother. Carefully, like he too, was afraid of him. And then, one night, I figured out why,¡± she whispered. ¡°They were talking about me, and my uncle started getting angrier and angrier. He shouted how it wasn¡¯t fair. How I had done nothing wrong. How I was too young. That even though I could Climb, I was just trading one death for another¡­ My father tried to calm him down. To reason with him. But my uncle only got angrier. He accused him of being a coward, of not caring about his own daughter. Of caring only for himself!¡±


    She took a ragged deep breath, her eyes reflecting the orange of the Pressure with a glint of madness.


    ¡°My father said that he understood him, because of what had happened to my aunt,¡± she whispered. ¡°But by the Crystal. He shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡±


    Rel finally released her fingers from their torture. She looked at them, slowly filling back with color, turning into a furious, sickly red.


    ¡°I never heard anyone shouting so loudly. So angry like that,¡± she said, staring at the spreading red. ¡°And I''ll never forget the last words he spoke, before he got up and left.¡±


    Nar held his breath while he listened to her. Rapt, despite the insanity and suddenness of it all.


    ¡°My uncle said, how can you still sing and worship that Thing? Even after what It did to your daughter, and to your sister, how can you still pray to It?¡±


    Her words were barely a whisper, yet they set a shiver running down his spine.


    Nar¡¯s eyes widened in understanding at last.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rel said, still not looking at him. ¡°My uncle hates the Crystal. He cannot understand how It is capable of punishing us like It does. We, who don¡¯t even know what our sin is. We, who weren¡¯t even alive to do it in the first place¡­¡±


    She looked at him then, with haunted, hollow eyes. ¡°When the cannibals got to me, I resented the Crystal. I swung between praying for mercy and help, and shouting abuse at It. But I never really felt what my uncle did. That hatred.¡±


    Rel narrowed her eyes at him and got close to his face again.


    Nar held his breath as she passed by his face, and her lips brushed his ear.


    ¡°Something happened to you, didn¡¯t it?¡± she whispered.


    Nar grit his teeth, but he couldn¡¯t move away from her.


    ¡°This Unclean thing¡­ There¡¯s still something much worse that you¡¯re not telling us, isn¡¯t there?¡± she said, her lips and breath tickling him. ¡°So much so, that now, with this auramancer class, your hatred is pouring out of you through your [Aura].¡±


    A spasm went through her, and he heard her swallowing. She pulled away from him and stared at him with something that he couldn¡¯t understand. Something else. Something that made his heart beat faster.


    She made fists out of her hands and suddenly, she stood up.


    ¡°You have to let go,¡± she said, avoiding looking at him.


    ¡°Rel?¡± he asked, lost.


    ¡°You have to let go. Anger is one thing. But hatred and resentment?¡± she asked, shaking her head. ¡°The alfin who Yearn and hate and resent have to be put down. All of them.¡±


    She licked her lips and gulped. Her breath came out ragged and labored, and sweat shone on her forehead.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Nar asked, stunned by how quickly it had all happened.


    ¡°Remember what I said! At least, do it for Jul. Please!¡± she begged him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see her scared again!¡±


    She turned, and fled into the darkness.


    ¡°Rel!¡± he called after her.


    But she kept going until she was gone.


    She didn¡¯t make it very far however, and Nar heard everything.


    Inside him, deep down in the place where he could now easily go whenever he wanted to, the ball of light rippled and quaked. It boiled and seethed.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Jul whimpered from where she slept.


    Shocked, Nar took a deep breath. He took several.


    But what he had done to his [Aura]? What they all did still, not knowing the truth! His dad, the Unclean, and all the operators in the cubeplant¡­


    The Unclean.


    The alfin.


    The workers.


    The Climbers, eaten and tortured.


    The Climbers, burning on the bridges.


    Smashed, and crushed and cut to pieces by unfeeling machines.


    How much suffering was going on, in that endless B-Nex?


    How much punishment?


    How much could be solved if their god simply talked to them?


    All for something done an infinite number of generations before him. Something he didn¡¯t know. Something he didn¡¯t do. Something none of them had done!


    And then, he remembered it¡­ The worst memory of his entire life. The beginning of Unclean.


    ¡°No! Please¡­¡± Jul begged.


    Nar didn¡¯t know if she was still sleeping, or if he had woken her up and was speaking directly to him.


    He didn¡¯t wait to find out.


    His aura flared around him and he jumped into the Pressure.


    Jul wouldn¡¯t hear or sense him there.


    Perhaps not even the Crystal would.


    At that moment, he didn¡¯t care.


    He walked into the endless room, and turned left, behind the wall, where they couldn¡¯t see him.


    He screamed and roared.


    His fists became bloody and marred the featureless wall with dark stains.


    His aura flared from his skin, covering him in a tangle of ghostly limbs, much like the guardians and their many bladed legs. Except his limbs of aura convulsed and stretched, and contorted into straight, bent, angry lines.


    And he screamed till his voice went hoarse.


    He punched until things broke in his hands.


    His tears fell but were erased immediately by his burning aura.


    Though any onlooker would have recoiled from the terrifying sight that he presented, within, his aura embraced him. It enveloped him. It hated and cried with him. It understood him better than anyone.


    The thought that he could still not accept it, that he needed the Crystal¡¯s magic for what had to be done, was just one more reason for him to hate and resent It.


    The priest had spoken of fire, and ice, and lightning, and wind, and all the things that magic was, and did, and granted, and allowed.


    The Named Few wielded it with a power so terrifying, they were only beneath the Crystal Almighty Itself.


    None of them used [Aura]. Not a single one.


    Wind for Nar, who shared his name, and whatever it was for Romilt and his thorns.


    Magic was what he needed. But now, in the irony of ironies, it was his [Aura] he wanted to accept and embrace. He wanted nothing to do with the Crystal.


    And thinking about it reminded him of the sorry, wounded state he had found his [Aura] in, and hatred was finally tempered by sorrow.


    He didn¡¯t even know what aura was. He didn¡¯t understand it at all. Not a bit. But his treatment of it. His rejection of it. It caused him such a grief he could barely bear it, and he didn¡¯t even understand why.


    Nar leaned against the wall, placing his forehead against his blood, and slid down to his knees.


    I love the Crystal.


    I praise the Crystal.


    I give my all for the Crystal.


    I am a sinner, like my father¡­


    ¡°... and his father before him!¡± he screamed into the Pressure. ¡°May the Crystal in Its Benevolence grant me forgiveness! May the Crystal in Its Mercy grant me passage! Please Crystal, guide my Climb!¡±


    He shouted his prayer, not even bothering to think if it would be heard.


    ¡°I love the Crystal! I praise the Crystal!¡±


    Again, and again, he prayed.


    His aura slowly stilled and receded back to his skin and clothes.


    He felt sick. Sick of himself. Of what he had one.


    He had sinned and blasphemed like never before.


    Please forgive me, Crystal. I didn¡¯t mean it.


    But the words felt empty. A lie.


    He finally felt the pain in his hands and looked at them, seeing the destruction he had done.


    He puked.


    He sobbed.


    He begged the Crystal to heal him before the others woke up.


    He didn¡¯t want them to see what he had done to himself. He didn¡¯t want them to know how he felt. Especially not Jul.


    Nar sat beside his vomit and blood, and watched it disappear, sizzling to nothing under the burning might of the Pressure.


    He hid his face, and begged and cried to the Crystal.


    He shouted and raged, and then prayed and begged some more.


    At some point, he even sang, almost screaming the words.


    Fortunately, as hybrid as he was, he was still a tank.


    Fingers and knuckles were a simple enough thing for his HP to regenerate. It had brought him back to full health after much more grievous wounds after all.


    When he finally let go of his aura, and lay down next to the others, not even three hours had passed.


    He was healed, and they still slept. And he had done his best to bury everything back up again.


    Jul, thank the Crystal, slept peacefully, and did not even stir at his passage.


    Only Rel was up.


    She was propped against the wall, and she looked worse than he had ever seen her before. Her sparse hair clung to her sweaty face. Her eyes and cheeks were sunken, and her lips were pale and cracked and scarred. Her face looked like that of someone at the end of their life, rather than still at the beginning of it.


    She saw him return and looked up at him.


    Their eyes met, and she gave him a single, weak nod.


    Nar looked away, afraid his emotions would burst free again.


    He closed his eyes and he prayed. He worshiped the Crystal and praised Its Endless and Everlasting Grace, Glory and all Its other magnificent characteristics.


    He didn¡¯t even look at the orange lights, and its beautiful silent display.


    He prayed and prayed, his newly healed hands joined together above his chest, in the image of the Crystal. Devout.


    Eventually, he slipped into a sleep full of nightmares, reliving his darkest memories again and again, chained in an endless loop.


    And through it all, someone screamed and screamed and screamed.

 Chapter 90 - The Power Of Aura

    Nar came to slowly. Peacefully even.


    His mind had none of the heaviness and graininess of the last few days, and as he lifted his hand to his face, he rejoiced in the simple lightness of the movement.


    Everything felt alright.


    Whole, even.


    He pulled up his status as he sat up.


    Full HP. Full stamina. And my aura¡­ 205/1000.


    He paused at that.


    205? Wasn¡¯t it at 207 when I unlocked it? And last night I¡­


    Bloody fists and screaming flashed through his mind and he shook his head to make the images go away.


    I¡­ I used a lot of aura, didn¡¯t I? Or did I? Did I just recover it? Wait, there¡¯s aura and [Aura] now? And I gained new skills! Shit! I didn¡¯t even check anything!


    Feeling increasingly annoyed at himself, he cast a quick glance around him.


    All was quiet but for the sound of Mul¡¯s soft snoring and Rel¡¯s light wheeze. Despite the late last night, it looked like he was the first one up.


    And yet, he felt so¡­ Well.


    He shook his head.


    Determined to not waste any time, Nar focused on the biggest and most pressing question.


    What is aura? He demanded, staring at his new gray bar.


    As expected, a window appeared.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Congratulations!


    You have unlocked Aura.


    Aura is one of two energy sources available in the Nexus, the second one being Aether. Both of these are used to empower combat and non-combat activities.


    Aura is¡­


    (No more information available)


    On the other hand, Aether is¡­


    (No more information available)


    Both Aura and Aether differ from HP and stamina, in that they are not automatically re-charged. In the case of Aura, a skill such as [Meditation] must be actively used in order to regenerate spent Aura.


    In another, crucial similarity, both Aura and Aether require the creation and development of specific channels within the body, not unlike veins for blood. In the case of Aura, these channels take the form of the passive skill [Aura Channels]. There are several benefits from developing and upgrading your [Aura Channels], such as¡­


    (No more information available)


    Unlocking Aura is the most basic and crucial prerequisite to unlocking the Auramancer paths.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar brought a hand to his forehead and frowned at the window.


    What do you mean it¡¯s an alternative to aether? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Is it not our curse? Just¡­ I¡­


    He groaned and pressed his eyes shut together.


    First, they had been using aura wrong all their lives.


    Second, it actually came from within them. It belonged to them.


    Third, what in the pile was that supposed to mean? An alternative source of energy? Did that mean it was an equal to aether? Just a different path to power? Or was it less powerful than aether? What did all of that mean?


    With a startle, he remembered Jul¡¯s reaction to his apparent emotions. He balled his fists and closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. His heart raged within him, out of control, and he didn¡¯t want to scare Jul again.


    After several minutes of calming himself down, he looked at the window again.


    Okay. Okay. So, aura is an alternative to aether, but you won¡¯t tell me anything at all. Okay. Okay. Right¡­


    He re-read the new information again, looking for anything of use that had been allowed to him.


    [Meditation]... I remember seeing that. So that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t recover any aura. I need to actively use a skill for that. That''s¡­ Interesting.


    He considered his aura bar.


    I started out with 207, and even after all that time in that room, I only used two points of aura. That means¡­ About 0.7 points of aura spent per hour? And with 1000 points, that would be¡­ Uh. Almost 60 days?


    With his eyebrows arched in surprise, he considered the orange room beyond them. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be a concern after all.


    He shook his head at the thought, though.


    It¡¯s never that simple. Or easy. There has to be a catch somewhere. All my skills are aura skills now, and I doubt we¡¯ll just be able to walk through this without any problems.


    He sighed. Anyways, we¡¯ll get to the skills later.


    He turned back to the window and his next big question.


    What is an auramancer?


    He focused on the word, at the bottom of the window, and a new window appeared, above the first one.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Auramancer ¨C Class of one who uses the power of aura. It is the starting point of the many aura paths.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Well, that¡¯s sort of useless.


    It didn¡¯t tell him anything. However, one thing did call his eye.


    If aura is meant to be a curse, then why are there aura paths and classes? And many of them, at that?


    He pursed his lips.


    That was not right.


    At least, not according to everything that the workers believed in.


    Aether, and magic, was the gift of the Crystal to Its children. Alongside the Source, and through the benevolence of the Crystal and the connection to the System, it was granted to empower the Children of the Crystal.


    The workers, the sinners, had been cursed to use the painful, disgusting aura, as a punishment for their transgressions. This was what they knew.


    However, now, before him, there were two sources! One was aether, as they had always known, and the other was aura. Their aura! Their punishing, painful, disgusting aura¡­ Except it wasn¡¯t any of those things! And for some reason, just thinking about his aura being described as such made his heartbeat race again.


    What in the Nexus is going on here?


    The two energies, what the workers knew, and what those windows were now telling him, were in direct opposition to one another. And Nar knew that there was only one of them that could be right, and he very much doubted that it was the workers!


    So, what in the pile is the meaning of this? What is even the truth anymore?


    He felt as though the very floor he stood upon was crumbling beneath him.


    He had believed that aura was a curse for his entire life. And not only did he use it wrong, aura was actually a second energy source, with its own damned paths within the System Itself! That meant that there was no breaking of his path at all! For there were aura paths! And many of them at that!


    He wanted to scream! He wanted to laugh hysterically!


    What was the truth? What was real anymore? Did he even need aether, or magic, at all?


    Crystal! What the fuck? I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t get it!


    What was he supposed to believe in now?


    And at this point, did the workers even know anything at all anymore?


    Did they remember anything from their time on the surface that was actually real?


    Nar was starting to think that in their Long Dark, they had forgotten everything, and had just made it up instead. He didn¡¯t know whether to be angry at that possibility, or relieved. Because with magic still nowhere to be gained, frankly, he couldn¡¯t deny that his aura was a massive temptation. He had a pile ton of it! And even two modifiers on it!


    If aura ended up being just as powerful as aether, wouldn¡¯t it be perfect?


    Reeling from all of this, he closed the short auramancer definition, and queried the System again.


    What is the difference between aura and aether?


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have been given all the information currently available.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°What in the pile?¡± he muttered.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Frowning, he stared at the single sentence.


    How can I get more information?


    This time, no new window appeared. Instead, the words just faded in and out, and a different sentence appeared.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    More information can be obtained after the Climb.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar scoffed.


    So, you¡¯re telling me that I have all this aura, but you won¡¯t tell me if it''s better or worse than aether, and that I need to decide whether to ignore it, in the hopes of gaining aether, or to embrace it, not knowing if its pileshit compared to aether and magic?


    The words did not change. No answer was given to him.


    He clenched his jaw, and formed shaking fists.


    And after all this, You still expect loyalty and faith from me? And love?


    How?


    How in the Nexus was he supposed to not feel angry and resentful? How was he not supposed to feel hatred, given everything that had been shoved in his face?


    He closed his eyes and quietly got up. He walked a ways away from the party, and paced alongside the invisible Pressure boundary.


    For a good while, his thoughts were simply a jumbled mess of darkness and confusion. And they were not kind towards the Crystal, Almighty or not.


    Eventually though, he ran out of mental energy, and sat down.


    With tiredness came clarity, and lucidity, and he realized he needed to keep going. He needed to at least look at his skills, and try to understand, as best as he could, what aura was, and what it meant for him.


    First of all, what is the difference between aura and [Aura]? That¡¯s confusing the shit out of me.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Aura refers to a source of energy for various actions. It is¡­


    (No more information available)


    On the other hand, [Aura] refers to the attribute itself. It represents the status and strength of your aura.


    Simply put, at its most basic definition, [Aura] is just the indicator of how strong your aura is. What you use is aura, not [Aura]. Just like you spend stamina, and not [Stamina].


    Just like your [Constitution] and [Stamina], where each point corresponds to 10 points of HP and stamina, respectively, each point of [Aura] also corresponds to 10 points of your aura bar.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Well¡­ I could¡¯ve figured that out by myself, I guess.


    He shook his head.


    Let¡¯s see those skills then.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Meditation - Recharge your aura through deep breathing, and the emptying of your mind. Through this, it is possible to access a sense of¡­ (No more information available). Cannot be used while aura is in active use.


    Aura Channels 4 (Passive) - Channels carved throughout the body for the circulation and use of aura. The higher the level of the channels, the higher its quality, allowing the user to¡­ (No more information available).


    Aura Senses 2 (Passive) - Drawing upon your senses, including [Instinct], automatically taps into your aura. This empowers all of your senses by a further n * n, where n is the rank of this skill. Further, this skill is the crucial prerequisite towards the more¡­ (No more information available).


    Aura Attack - An attack that does an extra n * 0.55 damage, where n is the amount of aura points you wish to use. Extra damage modifiers can be triggered, based on several factors such as¡­ (No more information available). Cost n points of aura.


    Aura Quickening - For five seconds your [NPC], [Reflex], [Agility] and [Speed] increase by n * 0.1, where n is your [Aura]. Cost 25 aura. Warning: Severe physical and mental damage may be incurred if this skill is overused.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    As he read, the anger that threatened to boil over, from all those ¡°No more information available¡± blockages, slowly dissipated, and his mind fell into a sort of numbness. A kind of blankness.


    After he re-read the description for [Aura Attack] and [Aura Quickening] for the third time, he numbly pulled up his status tab.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    NAR293457741235645XAV


    Auramancer 1


    Health Points: 220/220


    Stamina: 250/250


    Aura: 205/1000


    Attributes


    ¡ñ Strength: 17


    ¡ñ Constitution: 22


    ¡ñ Stamina: 25


    ¡ñ Agility: 19


    ¡ñ Speed: 23


    ¡ñ Aura**: 100


    ¡ñ ???: 19


    ¡ñ ???: 25


    ¡ñ Might: 6


    ¡ñ Endurance: 11


    ¡ñ Instinct: 24


    ¡ñ Reflex: 22


    ¡ñ Hearing: 16


    ¡ñ Sight: 15


    ¡ñ Smell: 8


    ¡ñ NPC: 5


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°By the¡­¡± he whispered. ¡°What is this?¡±


    Ignoring the fact that his active skills were now powered by his much, much higher [Aura] points, the sheer numbers from those multipliers¡­ He could barely wrap his head over the calculations.


    If I use all of my aura¡­ No! If I use half of it, that''s 275 points of extra damage done! Before, I¡­ I¡­


    He scrambled around, shouting mental questions and queries, but no window appeared with the previous version of his skill, [Strong Attack 3].


    Ugh! Why can¡¯t I see it? It was multiplied by my [Strength] before, and I only have 17 points¡­ From 17 to 100¡­ Crystal Above All¡­ And my [Aura Quickening]...


    Unlike his [Aura Attack] which had kept its 0.55 damage multiplier, his new [Aura Quickening] had been set back to a 0.1 multiplier. However, with 100 points in [Aura], that meant that his [NPC], [Reflex], [Agility] and [Speed] all gained a massive 10-point boost. A 10-point boost! Each! And for a whole five seconds, and only for 25 aura!


    This is insane¡­ he thought, staring wide eyed at the numbers before him.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t just ignore the warning to his wellbeing. But in the excitement that took him, he barely glanced at it.


    He closed all the windows and looked around him.


    His heart thumped in his chest.


    He knew it was aura, but still¡­ Everything he had read. All the gains. All the skill upgrades¡­ They were nothing short of amazing.


    And on a whim, he drew upon his [Hearing]. Instantly, it was as though the Nexus around him shrunk.


    He could hear eight people¡¯s breaths, as if their mouths were right next to his ear. Not in a confusion of deafening overlapping, but individually, each as clear as the other. And by the Crystal! What was that low thumping? It was rhythmic, but yet so distinct. Gentle here, and galloping there. It was so familiar.


    He strained to listen to these beats, hidden under the breathing, searching for their meaning.


    Crystal! It was right at the tip of his mind and tongue. It was like an itch he couldn¡¯t scratch. It was¡­


    Nar gasped, covering his mouth against the booming sound that escaped him.


    Heartbeats. Crystal Almighty. I can hear their hearts.


    Shocked, he let go of his [Hearing] and the world plunged into a deafening silence.


    ¡°My Crystal¡­¡±


    Breathing hard, he jumped, and without a second¡¯s hesitation, plunged into the Pressure, reaching for his aura. He felt no more than a gentle humming resistance surrounding him, though the Pressure was still bearing down on him, and his aura came to him with barely a thought.


    Nar pulled out his sword and paused.


    His heartbeat was fast and loud in his ears.


    [Aura Quickening].


    For a split second his lungs seized. Then, a rush of air and energy arched his back.


    Nar stood, paralyzed. For a moment, he was unable to process the sheer amount of energy coursing through his body and mind. He started shaking, as though he was having seizures.


    No. Not shaking.


    He was just moving so fast that his minute movements felt like he was trembling all over.


    Exhaling, he felt the aura leave him.


    Nar licked his lips and grabbed his sword with both hands.


    [Aura Quickening]!


    Energy exploded through him again. Even though he had braced himself for it, when he moved his sword, it still felt janky and broken. He tried a few more cuts and slashes. Even a few steps, but his body almost felt like it wasn¡¯t his own.


    This will take some getting used to, he thought, marveling at the feeling of power coursing through his body.


    His aura faded from him again, and he took position once more.


    He had spent 50 points of aura just there, but at 155, he felt that he was still safe enough within the Pressure. And there was one more skill to try.


    [Aura Attack]. 50 points.


    Swirling, hazy gray smokiness covered his blade.


    Here and there, flashes of brilliant white pierced through, just as spots of the darkest black also swirled up and down his blade.


    With a frown, Nar stared up at the ceiling.


    Doesn¡¯t that¡­ Look kinda similar?


    He scoffed at himself. What a random thought.


    He shook it away, and focused back on his sword once more.


    The gray aura covered it from the base of the blade to its very tip. He gave the sword a few experimental swings, but he felt no noticeable difference.


    He brought the sword close to his face and examined it.


    The blade did not shine blindingly like it had before. The traces of that white light were there. He could see them, here and there, in the swirling grays. But it was now just another shade in a plethora of different shades of gray, down to even black itself.


    Is this what my Aura really looks like? Are these all the impurities I had to cut away?


    His jaw tightened.


    What¡¯s impure about this?


    Nothing.


    It was beautiful.


    It was exactly as it should be.


    From the very moment he had laid eyes on that small ball of light within him, he had felt nothing but love for it.


    It was a part of himself. It was neither punishment, nor curse. It was perfect the way it was, and it was his, unlike all of those attributes that came from the System.


    And that pained him all the more for it¡­


    He released the aura in his sword, and noticed how it returned to his hand, and into him. However, a good deal of it simply dissipated from the sword, like strips of cloth fluttering away into smaller and smaller pieces, until none was left.


    All in all, about 30 points of aura from the 50 used to power the skill returned to the gray bar.


    I¡¯m sorry.


    He felt the sting behind his eyes and he blinked away rapidly. He took a deep breath and stored the sword away.


    He passed a hand over his hair.


    I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t risk it. Can I?


    Because, for all the [Aura] that he had and the two modifiers on it. For all the insane skills that he had just gained. For all the promises of power and potential paths that aura opened up for him¡­ There was something else to be said for all that he had just learned.


    It had been dropped on him so matter-of-factly, so un-emphasized besides the startling findings about aura, that only now was his brain fully catching up to the full ramifications.


    Aura was an alternative to aether.


    And that, just there, said almost so quietly as to go unnoticed, was the System confirming to him what he had been hoping for all along.


    He brought up that window again, his eyes drinking in the words.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    ¡­the second one being Aether.


    On the other hand, Aether is¡­


    ¡­and Aether differ from HP¡­


    ¡­and Aether require the¡­


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Aether was real.


    Magic was real!


    The doubts that had been growing inside him throughout this entire Climb¡­ Doubts that had been compounded and strengthened by Wik and Tas, and the lack of even the smallest drop of magic amongst all the Climbers he had met and seen¡­ He could now put them all to finally rest.


    Aether is real¡­ As so is magic.


    Nar Who Was One With The Wind wielded magic. So did Ghroumvar. So did all the Named Few in that chapel!


    Wind! Fire! Ice! Lightning!


    For the fucking Crystal! It was fucking real!


    It was all real!


    He baled his hands into fists and pressed them against his eyes.


    It¡¯s real¡­ And I fucking need it. Don¡¯t I?


    He clenched his teeth so hard his jaw hurt and cracked in warning. His nails dug into the palms of his hands and his arms shook.


    Because for all that my aura promises me, the real power is still with the fucking aether, isn¡¯t it?


    Hysterical laughter sought to escape him. But he bit down on it at the last moment. Hard.


    He took a deep breath, savoring the heat.


    Then he exhaled just as slowly.


    He eased his fists and dropped his arms.


    He relaxed his jaw.


    And an eerie quiet took over his mind.


    He snorted. He was surprised of himself. He really was.


    Knowing that aether was real and that he had been pushed so far from it, perhaps irreparably so, should¡¯ve broken him. It would¡¯ve most certainly broken that boy that had first stepped onto that corridor, all those months ago. Crystal, that felt like another lifetime¡­


    But he wasn¡¯t that boy anymore. He hoped he had grown¡­ To be the same person he was, hopefully, but maybe¡­ Better.


    And who knows, maybe his newly unlocked aura was perhaps even strengthening his very mind too. It did come from inside himself¡­ So maybe there was something to say about that.


    He shook his head and regarded the little ball inside him.


    An alternative, eh¡­ You know, part of me really hopes that you¡¯re just as good as aether. No. Maybe I hope you¡¯re even better¡­


    He sighed.


    Gad says we¡¯ll find a way, he told himself. And we will. I just need to focus on Climbing first. Then¡­ Then, we¡¯ll see. Nar Who Was One With The Wind was definitely a Climber too, and she found a way. I just need to hold on. Be better. Stronger. And I¡¯ll find a way too¡­ I know I will.


    But a part of him would hold onto that little hope that maybe he was wrong. That maybe, it was aura, and not aether, that Nar Who Was One With The Wind wielded somehow...


    He wiped at his eyes angrily, and turned to return to the others before they woke up and noticed his absence.


    However, he froze as he found Kur standing by the boundary.


    His party leader was staring at him.


    Looking at the floor, Nar walked to Kur.


    He released his aura as he stepped back into the safety of the corridor, but it was a full minute before he faced Kur.


    ¡°Did Cen tell you?¡± he at last asked the party leader.


    Kur nodded.


    ¡°I can¡¯t accept aura,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Kur whispered.


    ¡°It feels¡­ Wrong, not to. But the risk,¡± Nar whispered, hating every word coming out of his mouth. ¡°I still don¡¯t know for sure if aether is what I need. Everything is just¡­ A mess. But for now, I still think I need it.¡±


    The party leader nodded again. ¡°I know.¡±


    Kur crossed his arms and continued staring at the room beyond. ¡°How does it feel, though?¡±


    ¡°Good. Very good. Very strong,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Will you use it if you have to?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll do my part. I¡¯ll do everything to keep us safe, and get us all out,¡± Nar vowed. ¡°It would be¡­ The most stupid, fucked up thing to not use my aura when we need it. But I can¡¯t accept it. At least not with what I know so far¡­¡±


    Kur nodded as well, and exhaled wearily.


    ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s all I ask of you. That¡¯s all I can, since that¡¯s as much as I¡¯m willing to give myself. I too, will not give up on aether. Not yet, at least. There¡¯s just no way of knowing if it¡¯s a bad choice or not¡­¡± he said. ¡°Crystal. Why can¡¯t They just tell us?¡±


    Nar nodded in slow agreement.


    ¡°And¡­ What about Cen?¡± Nar asked, grimacing. ¡°How¡¯s she doing with all this?¡±


    Kur rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Ah, she¡¯s happy with it. And very happy, surprisingly. Finding that ball of light inside her did something to her¡­ Like, I tried to talk her through it, you know. That she needed to consider the long term and all of those heavy, tiresome things. But she¡¯s holding on to hope that in the end, aura will prove to be just as powerful as aether. She read alternative, and that¡¯s what she¡¯s getting from all this. And no matter my opinions on the matter, she will make her own path. We all will.¡±


    His party leader sighed again, and squeezed his fingers around the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°This fucking magic better be worth it,¡± he said.


    Nar nodded sharply.


    It better be.


    ¡°So, are you going through it?¡± Nar asked. ¡°The class change?¡±


    ¡°What choice is there?¡± Kur said, shrugging. ¡°I¡¯ll wake up the others and we¡¯ll get it done. Can you help Cen with it? I want it done as soon as possible, so that everyone can fill up their auras before we head into that Pressure. And we¡¯re leaving as soon as we can. I¡¯m sick of this place. I¡¯m sick of all this pileshit being constantly dumped over our heads. I just want this Climb to be over and done with.¡±


    Yes. So, do I.

 Chapter 91 - Making The Change

    Nar watched Cen take Mul into the Pressure, and turned back to Jul.


    The rogue stood before him. She stared nervously at the floor and she fidgeted with her hands.


    He repressed a sigh. Part of him wanted to just gloss over it, and pretend that nothing had happened. But that didn¡¯t feel quite right. Jul deserved better, even if he didn''t share the full truth with her. Besides, knowing her, she probably already had an idea of what went on inside him anyways.


    ¡°Jul. Look, I¡¯m sorry if I scared you. I swear that I will never hurt you.¡±


    She grimaced at him. ¡°You swear by your dad?¡±


    ¡°What? Yes, of course!¡±


    A smile shone in her face and she closed the distance to pat him on the arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m joking. I know you. I was never scared of you, silly,¡± she said, and shook her head. ¡°Just worried. Sad.¡±


    ¡°Sad?¡±


    ¡°I know, you know?¡± she asked him. ¡°I am angry too, sometimes, about my life from before. Mul is angry too. A lot. His family was also not nice to him. Rel is mostly scared. Cen is too, sometimes, and guilty also. For her brother. For what she did before. For you,¡± she looked to her left, where the others gathered, focused on Cen and Mul. ¡°Gad worries. A lot. Mostly for us though. She thinks she¡¯s not good enough for us¡­ Tuk is sad sometimes, and a bit guilty too. And speaking of guilt, Viy is lost in it. It holds her tight and refuses to let go. I don¡¯t know if she will ever be freed of it¡­¡±


    Nar could only stare at her. Was this some sort of attribute that she had not told them about? Or an attribute yet to manifest? Regardless, he felt his mouth go dry at her words.


    ¡°And me?¡± Nar asked, in a hushed tone. ¡°What do I feel?¡±


    She raised one of her hands to his face, and laid it gently over his cheek. It was warm, and a bit sweaty, and he felt endless care emanating from it.


    ¡°There¡¯s a little boy, screaming,¡± she whispered. ¡°He¡¯s screaming and screaming. Something happened to him that destroyed him, and he was never whole again. And more and more things just kept happening to him, so he never stopped screaming.¡±


    She leaped forward and hugged him tightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go where I can¡¯t follow,¡± she said against his chest. ¡°The little boy is right to scream, but he has to let go. If he doesn¡¯t, bad things will happen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying,¡± Nar whispered, his throat tightening. ¡°I¡¯ve come a long way, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You have. And there are a lot of good things in the Nexus waiting for the little boy. He should focus on those instead.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Are you one of those things?¡±


    She pulled back from him and glared.


    ¡°Of course! We all are!¡±


    Nar raised his hands. ¡°Okay! Okay! I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°You better be!¡±


    Nar shook his head.


    ¡°Anyways. What is this? I always knew that you¡­ That you know, you know? Is it a skill? An attribute? Is there another secret you¡¯re keeping from us?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    She frowned and thought hard for a moment.


    ¡°There is something, but I don¡¯t know what it is. It¡¯s been there from the start, when we became Climbers outside our cubeplant. But I still don¡¯t know what it is.¡±


    Jul looked up at him and smiled. ¡°If you focus on those good things instead of the bad ones, I promise I¡¯ll tell you what it is when I find out.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± he asked, his eyebrows rising.


    ¡°Yes, but only if you behave.¡±


    ¡°Only if I behave?¡±


    Jul held her stomach and laughed.


    The sound was beautiful and he couldn¡¯t help but feel uplifted by it.


    Oh, how far she had come!


    Crystal. I would do anything to make this girl happy. Maybe¡­ Maybe she really is family.


    Jul pulled out three of her daggers and held onto her free hand. Confidently. Happy. Without a hint of fear or hesitation.


    ¡°Come on. Kur is getting impatient,¡± she said.


    ¡°Alright. You ready?¡± he asked, taking her hand.


    Instead of replying, she dragged him into the Pressure.


    She yelped and her grip over his hand weakened.


    Nar gripped it tightly and shouted in her ear.


    ¡°Remember where your aura comes from,¡± he said. ¡°Remember the little hole where it comes from!¡±


    They had, of course, explained it all in detail to the others, but they had still decided that it was best for Nar and Cen to help everyone through the class change.


    He watched her tense expression. Her eyelids blinked and shivered, and he saw her eyes moving underneath them.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Ah! I feel it!¡± she said.


    ¡°Good! Go inside! Don¡¯t be afraid!¡±


    ¡°Okay!


    Of course, there was no hole.


    Now, if he focused on his aura, he immediately sensed the ball of light blazing within him. He could even see it if he closed his eyes. It was inside him, and yet, he had a feeling that wasn¡¯t the whole story.


    Thinking about it, he wondered how he had ever managed to rip it to chunks and purify them, without ever finding that ball of light, or even venturing into that supposed hole.


    I still don¡¯t understand anything. How did I even do it? It doesn¡¯t make any sense. Nothing about this makes any sense.


    He felt Jul shaking and pulled her into a hug.


    ¡°It¡¯s hurting!¡± she screamed. ¡°It hurts!¡±


    She must be going through the razor-sharp bits of purified aura.


    ¡°Hold on! It will be over soon. Reach down. Go deeper! What do you feel?¡±


    ¡°It just hurts! I don¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ Oh¡­¡±


    She stopped trembling in his arms and went dead still.


    ¡°Jul?¡±


    ¡°I see her.¡±


    Her? Nar thought, frowning.


    ¡°She¡¯s beautiful. But she looks so lonely. And she¡¯s hurt¡­ Crystal, I¡¯m hurting her!¡±


    ¡°Hold on to her,¡± Nar said. ¡°All of her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s so small. I can hold her with both hands¡­ She feels so warm. She feels happier¡­ She wants me!¡±


    Conflicting feelings warred within him.


    There is no other choice. The path leads through the Pressure.


    ¡°Then accept her,¡± he said, his voice hollow. ¡°Pull all of her into you. All of it.¡±


    Jul began convulsing.


    She went down and Nar held on to her.


    Through the layer of aura that covered his skin, he felt a growing heat scalding his arms.


    With a thought, and sudden insight, he pulled more aura to himself to counter the touch of Jul¡¯s newly awakened aura.


    Her daggers clattered on the floor as she lost the use of her hands.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± she managed.


    Nar pressed her head against his chest to make sure she didn¡¯t hurt herself, and with the other, he held her tight.


    Eventually, she went limp in his arms.


    A quick glance at her status told him that she had made the change. Like him and Cen, and now Mul, Jul too, now had the gray bar underneath her stamina.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked her.


    Jul, patting hard, nodded against his chest.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about magic anymore, even if it¡¯s real. Even if it turns out to be better,¡± she said. ¡°My aura was all alone, just like me. But not anymore. From now on, we''ll be together.¡±


    Nar pressed his lips to keep from asking her if she was sure.


    He knew how she felt.


    He understood it. More than he wanted to admit.


    At this stage, perhaps it was only the memory of his dad that kept him from doing the same. The unknown. The lack of certainty.


    Crystal, why was so much still being kept from them at that stage of their Climb?


    Why not just tell them full truth?


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I hurt her for so long,¡± Jul whispered, dragging him back from his thoughts.


    Like before, between him and Cen, her voice was now perfectly clear under that orange weight.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know,¡± Nar said.


    Jul shook his head, and a sob escaped her lips.


    ¡°This is why the little boy keeps screaming. The Nexus needs to start being nice to him, or I¡¯ll also start hating it.¡±


    Nar smiled and patted her head.


    ¡°The little boy will be fine. He just needs to stop feeling sorry for himself.¡±


    Jul grabbed his face with a tight grip and stared into his eyes.


    ¡°The little boy has done nothing wrong!¡± she said. ¡°But¡­ He has to be strong and let it go. That¡¯s all. You hear me?¡±


    Nar nodded, surprised.


    Jul gasped and let go of him. ¡°Sorry. I just¡­ Don¡¯t blame yourself, ok? You¡¯ve done nothing wrong¡­¡±


    Nar, still feeling the sting of her strong grip on his cheeks, nodded slowly.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be angry if you ever forget. Now help me up. It¡¯s Rel¡¯s turn next.¡±


    *********


    He couldn¡¯t tell what it was, but something felt different. Off, even.


    ¡°Rel? Are you okay?¡± he asked.


    She had gone still almost a full minute ago, and he could see the aura bar on her status. But other than panting, she wasn¡¯t moving or saying anything. And her aura seemed different.


    The patterns and lights and shadows and everything looked the same to him, but it was somehow darker. And it wasn¡¯t quite gray like his or the others. It was a different color, but so subtle that he could only tell that it wasn¡¯t the same.


    ¡°Rel?¡± he called again.


    She gripped his arm and pulled herself into a seated position.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± she said.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Nar blanched.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Oh! Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± she told him, before he could go full panic mode. ¡°It¡¯s nothing you can fix. It¡¯s nothing anyone can fix.¡±


    She held onto his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder.


    ¡°Do you¡­ Sense anything from me?¡± she asked.


    Nar blinked for a couple of seconds then reached for his senses. ¡°No? Should I?¡±


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s good. But you see it, don¡¯t you? The color.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Yes? I mean, a little bit. It''s different, I think. Is it¡­ Is it not working?¡±


    She straightened up and pulled herself to her feet. Nar scrambled to help her, and once up, she let go of him and stepped back.


    ¡°It¡¯s working fine. Auramancer Archer,¡± she said, looking down at herself. ¡°It¡¯s doing¡­ It¡¯s¡­It¡¯s exactly as it should be.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, no. I¡¯m sorry. Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s all fine.¡±


    She walked back to the corridor and Nar followed after her, still stunned as to what had happened.


    He saw Cen and Gad walking into the Pressure and realized that he had taken too long. He was supposed to have helped Jul, Rel and Gad make the transition, but Rel¡¯s change had taken too long, and Cen must have finished with Tuk and moved on to Gad.


    That left only Viy, and Gad had insisted that she and Cen help her through. So that meant he was done.


    When they reached the others, they found them sitting or lying down. They had their eyes closed and were breathing long and slowly.


    Kur opened an eye at their approach. ¡°Do the [Meditation] skill. I want us gone as soon as possible. Especially you Nar, you have a lot more to recover than all of us.¡±


    They nodded their acquiescence and separated to sit down at their own spots.


    Nar tried to glimpse Rel from the corner of his eyes, but her expression betrayed nothing.


    Well. If there¡¯s something, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll deal with it at some point¡­


    He closed his eyes and focused.


    There wasn¡¯t much to the [Meditation] skill. The little bit of its description that was available to him only said to do deep breathing and to empty his mind. From what the others were doing, that looked like that was it.


    He slowed the rhythm of his breaths, but that was the easy part.


    It was much harder to silence his chaotic mind, and stray thoughts kept lashing out at him, out of control.


    His dad. The past. The party. Aura and aether. Cannibals. Climbers. Guardians. The Crystal.


    His thoughts and feelings. The things he wanted to do. The outside.


    He tried to focus completely on his breathing. Tried to follow the air down through his nose and into his lungs, then back out again. He had no idea of what he was doing, but it felt natural somehow. Purposeful.


    Without him noticing, his mind slowly emptied, and he stopped wrestling with his thoughts. A tingling spread through his body, and he resisted the urge to itch his fingertips. It was not unpleasant, so he ignored it, and kept breathing.


    In. Out. And again.


    In his chest, his aura seemed¡­ Happy. That was the best way he could put it.


    An eternity later, he felt a soft ringing in his mind, and knew he was done.


    He opened his eyes and the orange glow looked brighter and sharper than before.


    ¡°Finished?¡± Kur asked.


    He was sitting next to him, and was the only one still left in their sleeping area.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you rushing?¡± Nar asked him. ¡°We¡¯re stronger now. We can fight them if they come again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Kur said, shaking his head. ¡°But yes, I am rushing us. I feel like we have to go. Like we stayed here for way too long. Longer than we should have?¡±


    Nar frowned at him. ¡°Did you awaken a new attribute? Like [Instinct]?¡±


    Kur snorted. ¡°What? No! Of course not!¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    The party leader shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just something. And I can¡¯t shake it off.¡±


    Nar stretched his neck, and then scratched his head.


    A lot of somethings going around¡­


    ¡°Alright. If you say so, then let¡¯s go.¡±


    It was finally time to go into that orange room, where no path waited to guide them.

 Chapter 92 - Amongst The Columns

    ¡°We¡¯re going to walk straight forward from here,¡± Kur said.


    He pointed at the final yellow arrow at their feet, and then raised his hand straight at the room ahead of them.


    ¡°Every time we stop, we¡¯ll put down some clothes to mark the direction where we¡¯re going. I know it¡¯s not much of a plan, but it''s the best I can come up with. Like I said, I¡¯m still open to suggestions.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s none,¡± Gad said. ¡°Let¡¯s just go. We¡¯re ready.¡±


    Nods all around.


    Kur however, hesitated.


    ¡°Our aura should cover us until we willingly make it stop, so obviously, don¡¯t do that,¡± Kur said. ¡°That means we should be ok, even asleep. I asked Cen to test it out for me yesterday during the first watch. Even after that crazy class change, she had no issues with keeping her aura up through the watch, so I think we¡¯ll be ok.¡±


    More nods. If there was any uncertainty or hesitation, nobody mentioned it.


    ¡°I know it''s risky, and sort of dumb to rush into this like I am, but I¡­¡±


    ¡°We trust you,¡± Gad said, speaking for all of them once more. ¡°So trust yourself too.¡±


    Kur made a face, but nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll stop as normal to rest today, but tomorrow, we¡¯ll walk for longer¡­ Whatever it takes to get out of that Pressure.¡±


    He exhaled sharply. ¡°Ok. Into formation and let¡¯s go.¡±


    Gad coated herself with aura and stepped through the barrier. Mul and Viy followed after her. Then Tuk, Cen, Kur and Jul, the center of their formation. And lastly, covered from head to toe in his bountiful aura, Nar stepped through, with Rel walking at his side.


    It took them much longer than he had expected to reach the first set of columns. The scale of the place was even more enormous than he had thought.


    He craned his neck backwards, to look up to the imposing, pressure covered columns to their right and left.


    They were so wide that he wondered if his entire cubeplant could have fit inside the base of one of those.


    He had no numbers or measurements to quantify such sizes, and could only describe the column by bits and parts. The base was thick, and after a bit, it came to a part where the column angled inwards. Then came the majority of the thing, a narrower part that climbed and climbed and climbed. Until it started to thicken again into a top part that mirrored the base.


    I¡¯ve never felt so small, Nar thought, humbled by the sheer size of the columns around him, and the endlessness of that room.


    It was like getting his first taste of just how immense the Nexus truly was


    ¡°Holy Crystal,¡± Tuk whispered from up ahead. ¡°Look at the size of these things.¡±


    The orange light that coated everything didn¡¯t even seem to touch his gray aura, and he


    elbowed Jul, and gestured with his head towards the nearest columns. For a brief moment, the two auras stuck together, before they came apart again harmlessly.


    ¡°What do you think they¡¯re for?¡± Tuk asked her.


    ¡°Me? I-I don¡¯t know?¡± Jul asked, lost and confused at being the recipient of such a question in the first place.


    ¡°Yeah. Me neither,¡± Tuk said. ¡°But what do you think they¡¯re for, though?¡±


    Their muted conversation drifted towards Nar, but he barely paid attention to it, so distracted he was in his own wonder.


    The hours drifted by, in the stifling silence, and the corridor they had walked in from became slowly smaller and smaller. And yet, they had barely walked past two of the enormous columns.


    ¡°Our cubeplant felt so big,¡± Rel said suddenly. ¡°Now look at this place.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re tiny,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°We are. And the Nexus is so big. I can¡¯t even imagine it. The City Without End.¡±


    ¡°A city,¡± Nar said, tasting the word. ¡°We don¡¯t even know what that is.¡±


    She gave him a surprised look. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Why?¡± he asked in return. ¡°Do you know?¡±


    ¡°Not a lot,¡± she said. ¡°A tiny, tiny bit. I guess our cubeplant remembered a little bit better?¡±


    ¡°A place of color and light?¡± Nar asked. ¡°That¡¯s all we know? A place of true light and color.¡±


    ¡°Not a place,¡± Rel said, smiling. ¡°A city. An infinite, never ending city. Where infinite number of people live in, with so much light, and noise, and things to be done and choices to be made like you could never imagine.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Nar breathed. ¡°Wait? Choices?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°They say that in the O-Nex there are thousands and thousands of things available for you to do, and that you can never go bored. And they¡¯re like happy things, not work stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Crystal,¡± Nar said, trying and failing to wrap his head around the very idea of it. ¡°What kind of things?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Nobody did. I never really believed it to be honest. How can there be thousands of things to do? Don¡¯t people have to work up there?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s freedom.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but freedom to do what?¡± she asked him.


    Nar frowned at her, confused by the question. ¡°What do you mean?¡±.


    ¡°I mean, have you never stopped to think about it?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°About what you¡¯ll do when you get up there?¡±


    ¡°Of course I have!¡± he said, somewhat offended by her question.


    ¡°Oh. So you have a plan, do you?¡±


    Nar nodded, still unsure what she was trying to get at.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go into Labyrinth.¡±


    ¡°The place of horror and death?¡± she asked, looking surprised.


    Nar felt a twinge of irritation. ¡°I was told it was a place of opportunity. Where you could get strong and sail free, and do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know that part. But how do you think it¡¯s going to make you grow stronger?¡± she asked him. ¡°And besides, my question was about the Nexus, and you replied by saying you¡¯re going right past it.¡±


    She waved at the party ahead of them.


    ¡°Look at us. We don¡¯t know anything. We don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll do. We don¡¯t even know what magic is used for, only that you need it to live above. We don¡¯t even know what we¡¯ll eat!¡±


    ¡°They say the food will be¡­¡±


    ¡°They say a lot of things,¡± she snapped. ¡°And I bet that each cubeplant has their own stories. How do we know if any of it is even true? How do we know there¡¯s even anything up there? How do we know it¡¯s not worse?¡±


    Nar stopped and looked at her. Her eyes shifted wildly, fleeting from column to Pressure laden ceiling, back to column, than to him, then¡­


    He stopped.


    ¡°You never wanted to Climb, did you?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°What?¡± she said.


    ¡°You never wanted to Climb. If it wasn¡¯t for the Yearning, you wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± she said, looking away.


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°Then what? Am I not allowed to question where we¡¯re going? Aren¡¯t you worried about it? Not even a bit?¡±


    ¡°Hey you two, keep walking!¡± Kur told them.


    Chastised, the two of them ran after the group, and then once they had caught up, walked in silence.


    ¡°Can you imagine what it feels like, to want something so badly you would do anything for it? Anything! And then, as if that wasn¡¯t enough, you don¡¯t even know what that thing is?¡±


    She looked at him, with a look between despair and incredulity.


    ¡°All the Climbers I¡¯ve met always wanted the same thing,¡± she said. ¡°No work. Freedom. Fun. Good food. And so on¡­ They thought about what it would be like. Where they would live. Where they would sleep. What the people would look and be like. But you, you just care about shiny lights and pretty colors, and your path and growing stronger and your dad.¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    Nar stared at her. ¡°I care about those other things too.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡±


    The question stunned him.


    Now that he thought about it, did he not?


    He knew he wanted to get strong and save his dad. He knew he wanted to sail the Labyrinth and be free. But what did that actually look like?


    When he thought about it, he only saw light and color and a place where there was no pain. A place where no one knew he was an Unclean and no one cared where he came from. A place where he could find a healer for his dad. A place where they could be happy. But what did that place actually look like?


    He didn¡¯t know. He hadn¡¯t really stopped to think about it.


    ¡°What do you think is up there?¡± he asked.


    Rel shrugged with an angry and frustrated jerk of her shoulders.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°I know it¡¯ll be better. Anywhere is better than back home¡­ But I don¡¯t think it will be any less cruel.¡±


    ¡°Cruel?¡± Nar asked, surprised.


    She laughed. ¡°Look at us, and think of the people you left behind. How is there no cruelty in it? In any of this?¡±.


    She pointed vaguely upwards.


    ¡°The people above us either don¡¯t know or they don¡¯t care about us,¡± she said. ¡°Considering how many Climbers must have gotten up there, I¡¯m more inclined to believe that they just don¡¯t care. Shit¡­ Maybe they even think we deserve it! If the Crystal says so, if even the workers accept it, why shouldn¡¯t they, who live in the light, and the fun, and the freedom?¡±


    ¡°Would you have preferred to stay?¡± Kur suddenly asked.


    Rel flinched, startled. She hadn¡¯t intended for anyone else to hear their conversation.


    ¡°I do think about those things,¡± Kur said. ¡°Especially after we almost became food for those Climbers who had failed and lost their minds¡­ Even if you ignore the cannibals, we¡¯ve met Climbers who wanted to steal from us. We¡¯ve seen them kill for others¡¯ rewards. Is that just us sinners? Are the people who live on the surface perfect? I doubt it. I doubt it very much. I expect I won¡¯t be able to just trust anyone up there either. Like back home, there are nice people and there are those you avoid with everything you can. And that¡¯s not all. We know that the Named Few are supposed to be powerful. That they command wind, and fire and electricity. But what are even these things? Wind is air, and fire is hot, but electricity is just a bunch of lines coming out of someone''s hand in an icon. Or those things above us, I guess, whatever they are¡­¡±


    Kur looked up, not at the ceiling, but at what he imagined lay beyond, Crystal knew still how high and far from their reach.


    ¡°I know this though, after all we''ve been through,¡± he said. ¡°We get stronger by fighting. So what are they fighting up there? Is their life really that good? If it was, why would they need to become so powerful that they are called second only to the Crystal Itself? And look around us. How powerful do you think the Crystal is? It¡¯s everywhere, all at once, and knows everything! And yet, they still need to fight. Why? I don¡¯t know. Will we have to fight too, when we get up there? Maybe. What else do we know how to do? They don¡¯t need aura up there, they have aether.¡±


    ¡°Kur¡­¡± Tuk said.


    Kur took a deep breath. ¡°We left because we hope that whatever¡¯s up there is better than what¡¯s down here. Being down here is supposed to be a punishment, remember? But, I¡¯m not an idiot. You need to work, or the dispenser won¡¯t give you food. Is that cruel? I don¡¯t know. But I think that it will be somewhat similar up there. The Climb is just the beginning. Whatever happens after that, will be our real lives¡­ Whatever that may be.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ll find out together,¡± Gad said. ¡°We¡¯ll eat together. We¡¯ll live together. And we¡¯ll find out what you yearn for together.¡±


    ¡°Stuck together,¡± Mul said. ¡°All our lives.¡±


    ¡°You have a problem with that?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Only with you.¡±


    ¡°I know you love me, deep, deep, down.¡±


    ¡°Whatever makes you happy,¡± Mul grunted.


    Kur glanced back at Rel, ignoring the two of them.


    ¡°We¡¯re in this together. So don¡¯t worry too much,¡± he said. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s no point worrying about it before we even get there. Crystal knows what¡¯s still above us¡­¡±


    *********


    The hours passed and night came.


    Gad woke Nar up for the last bit of the watch, and Nar sat up, yawning.


    Around and above him, everything looked much the same. Orange around and above him, and, thankfully, shifting gray still all over him.


    He pushed his senses out, covering as much ground as he could, then he gave Jul a thumbs up.


    She nodded at him and hid a massive yawn. Then, she lay down to sleep next to Gad.


    He looked around him in search for his watch partner, and found her a few feet away from the party.


    He got up, quietly, and carefully walked to her.


    ¡°Did you sleep?¡± he asked her as he sat down.


    Rel shook her head.


    ¡°It keeps giving me nightmares,¡± she said. ¡°Does it expect that by tiring me out, that I¡¯m going to go any faster?¡±


    Nar winced and didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been staring at your lights,¡± she said. ¡°Do you ever get tired of them?¡±


    My lights?


    ¡°Hmmm. No, not really,¡± he said, looking up. ¡°I would like to see other colors, sure. But I''ve dreamed of this my whole life. Well, and the other stuff too, of course.¡±


    ¡°Lights and colors.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just about all my dad could tell me,¡± Nar said. ¡°If there was more, it was forgotten by our people, and everything else was just too vague. Good food? What¡¯s that even mean? But in a place of darkness and no color, you can tell what difference those things would make¡­¡±


    He scanned the archer at his side, but Rel gave no indication that she had heard him.


    ¡°You should try to sleep,¡± Nar told her.


    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be on watch.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll watch.¡±


    She nodded and lay down next to him, staring up at the glowing ceiling, lightning flashes brightening her face as they crossed above them.


    ¡°Do you think the others are mad at me?¡± she whispered.


    Nar looked up as well. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°What about Kur?¡±


    Nar made a face. ¡°I think something¡¯s going on with him. He¡¯s picking up on something and it''s bothering him. It might be some new attribute he¡¯s close to unlocking. Or it could be just his gut. Crystal knows... I¡¯ve stopped trying to make sense of things. Even our path is gone now, you know?¡±


    A gentle snore was his reply.


    He looked to his right and saw that she had fallen asleep.


    Her mouth was slightly open, and her coarse, sparse hair was arrayed around her head. A hand was stretched out away from her, and the other rested upon her gently rising and falling stomach.


    He looked away, almost holding his own breath.


    In front of him, the pillars stretched, wreathed in Pressure, under that orange ceiling, into a distant blur of orange.


    For some reason, he found himself without knowing what to think about.


    Or perhaps, the last while had felt heavy enough that he didn¡¯t want to think about anything anymore.


    Aura? He had it now.


    The end of the Climb? Nothing he could do about it but keep going.


    His path? Nothing he could do about it but see where it went.


    Magic? Nothing he could do about it until he found it.


    His dad? Nothing he could do about him either.


    It felt like he had come out of a long period of heaviness.


    Doubts, guilt, fears, worries¡­ All of it seemed behind him. All he had to do now was Climb.


    He wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to believe that his aura would easily carry him through it all. He had received massive boosts and gains before, only to be humbled right at the next fight. However, he didn¡¯t feel as helpless anymore.


    He was fast, and he was strong. All he had to do now was wait to see if it was enough to get him out. And that was about it.


    ¡°No¡­ Please¡­ No¡­¡±


    Rel twitched at his side.


    Her previously peaceful face was twisted, and she turned left and right, moaning in her sleep.


    Nar reached out a hand to her, but he didn¡¯t touch her. Would that make it better, or worse?


    While he debated it, she opened her eyes, and saw the hand and shadow over her.


    Before she could scream, Nar covered her mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s me! Rel! It¡¯s me! Nar!¡±


    The girl stopped struggling and looked at him with fury blazing in her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, removing his hand. ¡°I thought you were going to scream.¡±


    ¡°Of course I was going to scream! Do you have any idea how scary that was? What were you even doing?¡± she hissed at him.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I just wanted to stop the nightmare, but you were finally asleep¡­ Then you woke up. I¡­ Wish I could help. Somehow.¡±


    She blinked at him, her mind working in the back. ¡°Oh. Well, there¡¯s something that might help. But it might be uncomfortable. And embarrassing. For you, at least. I just don¡¯t care anymore. I just want to sleep.¡±


    Nar nodded. ¡°If I can help, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    The words had barely left his mouth, and Rel, in a surprising display of agility and health, had already flipped her body around and dropped her head on top of his leg.


    ¡°Wait! The aura!¡± he stammered.


    However, unlike when he¡¯d had to shield himself from Jul¡¯s aura, nothing happened. The two auras shifted and swirled into each other, blurring the line where his aura ended and hers started. Other than that, he didn¡¯t¡¯ even feel anything from where the two auras touched. And he remembered then, seeing Tuk¡¯s and Jul¡¯s aura interacting earlier in the day, much the same as now, and nothing bad had happened then either.


    ¡°It''s fine?¡± she mused. ¡°Hmmm. Yes. I think this will work.¡±


    ¡°Rel?¡±


    ¡°You said anything.¡±


    Nar sighed, still feeling his heart hammering away at his chest, and hoping she couldn¡¯t hear it and misunderstand it. ¡°I¡­ Guess I did. I just didn¡¯t expect this.¡±


    ¡°I can go away...¡±


    ¡°No!¡± he said, a bit louder than intended. ¡°No. Just¡­ Just sleep. I¡¯ll watch¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Nar tried to stay still, and to distract himself with the Pressure show.


    What even was the purpose of it? Of that entire place?


    Like so many other things he had seen in his journey, he just couldn¡¯t believe that all that was there just to test and punish Climbers. Though, he couldn¡¯t really discount it either¡­


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so on edge, you know?¡± Rel said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to help you sleep. Close your eyes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± he asked, frowning.


    ¡°When I close my eyes, I¡¯m back there,¡± she whispered.


    Oh.


    ¡°I was lucky, I guess. They never really did anything to me,¡± she said. ¡°They threw me in a cage and from there, I watched what happened to the others. They dragged them from the cages, one by one, and made us watch what they did¡­ At some point, I felt like ripping my eyes out. I turned around and closed my eyes. I covered my ears. But I could still hear the sounds they made. And their begging and sobbing. Even when they killed them, there were still more sounds. More things they could do. How can anyone even come up with such things?¡±


    Madness. Hunger. Lost in the dark¡­ No hope to Climb. No home to return to. Is that what it is? And does it justify it?


    Of course it didn¡¯t. But again, he hadn¡¯t been there. It hadn¡¯t happened to him. He hated and pitied them in equal measures, though that pity would never stay his sword.


    ¡°One by one, they had their fun with us. And then, the boss came. Crystal. I thought that was the end,¡± she breathed. ¡°I was so scared of the things he was going to do to me, that my mind just went blank. When I realized what was happening, I was agreeing to help him. I was shouting it. Screaming it. Begging for him to take me in. To let me join. To let me live! Promising that I would do anything. Tas and Wik just stared at me. And so did the boss¡­¡±


    She gulped.


    ¡°He looked at me for a very long time. Like there was something he found interesting in me. Was it the Yearning? I don¡¯t know, but I think he knew,¡± she said. ¡°He was beyond any of us¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he could even read minds, or something like that... Anyways, he didn¡¯t speak a word to me, or Wik. All he cared about was Tas. He wanted party leaders, and he wanted Tas to be one of them. If he joined, he would spare all three of us.¡±


    She heaved a heavy sigh.


    ¡°Tas didn¡¯t want to do it. So, the boss told them to grab Wik. They tortured and tortured him. But Tas wouldn¡¯t break. I begged and pleaded with him to just do it,¡± she whispered. ¡°Was it the Yearning? Fear for myself, or wanting to spare Wik? I don¡¯t even know anymore. I don¡¯t want to know, to be honest. But eventually, the boss got tired and said he would torture Tas instead. And then, Tas agreed immediately. By the Crystal! Why didn¡¯t he just do it from the start? Of course, Wik never forgave him for it.¡±


    Well, that explains why he hated Tas¡¯ guts, Nar though.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m saying all this,¡± she said. ¡°I just see it, when I close my eyes.¡±


    He felt a wetness on his leg and looked down. Her eyes were open eyed, glistening gray falling down the sides of her face.


    ¡°The faces of the ones we betrayed¡­ How they cursed me. How they begged me for help. I know all their names, and Nar, there¡¯s so many¡­ And Crystal, how they suffered!¡±


    She curled up and turned hide her face.


    ¡°Do you hate me, Nar? Do you hate me?¡±


    Nar stared down at Rel. He had asked himself that very same question multiple times before. And he was still unsure of the answer.


    He placed his hand gently on her head and she flinched. He stroked her hair, softly, and she relaxed again.


    ¡°Do you not hate me?¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Sleep, Rel,¡± he said. ¡°There are no cannibals here. There will never be any cannibals ever again. You¡¯re safe, and whatever was, was. It¡¯s gone now, and left behind. So just sleep.¡±


    He continued stroking her hair as she cried, and eventually she did manage to fall asleep.


    Every time a nightmare came to disturb her, he would stroke her hair until her breathing eased and her body relaxed. But always she would start muttering and whimpering again when he stopped, her fists clenching so tightly they turned white and her entire body shook.


    It was a very long watch.

 Chapter 93 - Floor Kids

    Tuk¡¯s muffled laughter escaped through his fingers.


    Rel, similarly, was having a hard time containing herself.


    ¡°My mom slapped me so hard, her hand was marked on my face for days!¡± she breathed, trying to keep her laughter from escaping. ¡°A friend of mine couldn¡¯t even sit properly for a week!¡±


    Tuk howled in laughter and Jul hushed at him.


    ¡°Sorry! Sorry!¡± Tuk said, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. ¡°Crystal! How did you even think of that?¡±


    Rel shrugged.


    ¡°I mean, it wasn¡¯t so different from the Wall, so it wasn¡¯t that much of a big leap to try it in the Pile too.¡±


    The three of them walked at the back of the party.


    The others had similarly somewhat broken formation.


    Gad walked with Viy at the head, and Mul and Cen followed a couple steps behind them. Cen was engaged in a one-sided, excited conversation about aura, to which Mul replied with the occasional nod or shake of the head. Kur and Jul followed after the twins, each focused on their own thoughts or senses, and lastly, the three of them wrapped up the party.


    On either side of them, a giant column rose, wrapped in orange Pressure, blocking their view of the distance. Above, the same bright, shifting and swirling mass of orange shone down on them, illuminating their way, casting the occasional flash of lightning upon their surroundings.


    ¡°Wait! What¡¯s the Wall?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s just where half of us live? Some on the Hill, some up on the Wall? Is that not the same for you guys?¡± Rel asked, frowning.


    ¡°No! Absolutely not!¡± Tuk said, in equal measure shocked and delighted. ¡°How do you live up a wall?¡±


    ¡°Wait? Really?¡±


    Rel laughed, covering her mouth to stifle the sound.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Nar cast a glance at the archer.


    Her smile was easy and her steps carried her forward with an energy he hadn¡¯t seen in her in a good while.


    Looks like she did manage to sleep properly.


    Thinking about what happened when she had woken up brought a little smile to his face.


    I don¡¯t care my ass!


    She had been completely red, and had stammered her thanks and shot up to her feet. In a way, he had been happy about it. It would¡¯ve been the normal behavior he would¡¯ve expected, if any of them were normal, and if they lived in a cubeplant.


    He had dated before, of course. But such things didn¡¯t usually last long among the Unclean. There really wasn¡¯t much energy to give to another person at the end of a 16-hour double shift. Arguments are easy when you¡¯re tired, and simply ignoring, forgetting and drifting apart was easier.


    And there was no way another worker would want anything with an Unclean either.


    Nar shook his head.


    Why was he even thinking of these things?


    Beyond the life and death of the Climb, he had to find a place for himself in the O-Nex, level up, get the right gains, somehow save his dad, then set their life up on the surface¡­ He had no time for those sorts of thoughts or concerns.


    Maybe after everything¡¯s done¡­ Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll find someone up there. Someone who doesn¡¯t know about any of this stuff down here¡­


    He shook his head again.


    Silly little thoughts like that had no place in his life right now. Probably not for years yet.


    Until all was done, there was no point at all in thinking about it.


    Where would his partner even fit into his life? How would they feel about him risking his life to return into the B-Nex to go save his dad? How would his dad feel about grandchildren?


    He shook his head.


    Yeah, best to forget about it. Too much going on already.


    He bundled up everything in a messy ball of thoughts, feelings, emotions and doubts, and flung it to the back of his mind. Here and now, he was Climbing, in a room filled with Pressure, and kept safe only by using his newly found aura, which coated his own skin and clothes in a swirling layer of many toned grays. It was as ridiculous as it sounded.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Crystal¡­ I hope I¡¯m not just dreaming, and that I¡¯m about to wake up and realize that I need to go collect my weapon from the Chapel, he thought.


    The thought of it, and of having to redo all that he had done, even if in dreams, made him ill.


    ¡°So, you have a hill of homes, and I have a hill of homes,¡± Tuk said. ¡°But then you put the homes up on the walls too?¡±


    ¡°No, just one wall,¡± Rel said. ¡°The Wall. And we didn¡¯t do it. It¡¯s always been like that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s insane,¡± Tuk said, looking up at nothing, trying to imagine what it must look like. ¡°Did you live up there?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t, thank the Crystal. Can you imagine? You get tired climbing down, and when you come home from work you still need to climb up again?¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ That would suck!¡± Tuk said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Right? But we would go play up there all the time,¡± Rel said, smiling, her eyes lost in much happier memories. ¡°It was really fun to climb up the ladders and run around the open homes, and the bridges and the covered corridors up there¡­¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°The kids that lived up there didn¡¯t like us much though, and they would always try to kick us back down to the floor. They used to call us floor kids.¡±


    Tuk laughed. ¡°That sounds like such an insult!¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± she asked. ¡°Those little shits¡­¡±


    ¡°And what did you call them back?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°The shits.¡±


    Tuk barked out a laugh and Nar smiled.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. It doesn¡¯t really have the same punch as floor kids, but what were we gonna call them, the wall kids? That¡¯s not an insult!¡± Rel said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± Tuk cried, in between laughter.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they let you up there?¡± Nar asked.


    Rel shrugged. ¡°Beats me. To be fair, we weren¡¯t supposed to be there. It was really crowded, and you could easily fall off. And people did all the time, both kids and adults. My parents always told me not to go up there and I always lied when they asked if I did.¡±


    ¡°Why did you go then?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Where else would we go?¡± Rel said. ¡°The factory took up a whole side of the plant, and no one wanted to go there. The Pile was fun, but it was really dangerous. Kids died in there, plus your parents would destroy you if they knew you were messing around the Pile. Not to mention, sometimes the managers in the Pile would just get mean, and get you to work the shift if they caught you messing around. So that left the Wall. It was different. It was fun. It was¡­ Easier to breathe up there. Somehow. It just felt like a different place.¡±


    Tuk nodded slowly. ¡°I understand, I guess. I wish we had a place like that, growing up. Would¡¯ve been so much fun.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was fun,¡± Rel said, with a distant look in her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s crazy, when you think about it,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Of course, we all know that there are other cubeplants out there. A whole lot more of them. But I always thought everything would be the same for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Me too! But then I¡­ I met Climbers whose cubeplants were completely different to ours!¡± Rel said. ¡°At least yours and mine is still basically the same thing, but some of these people didn¡¯t even have a Pile!¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Tuk gasped.


    Nar leaned in closer to hear their conversation. Unless he was on watch, he rarely used his enhanced senses, letting Jul fulfill that role and allowing him to conserve stamina.


    ¡°Uh-uh! For example, imagine this¡­ Instead of a giant pile where trash falls into, they have a massive section of the wall that is just filled with tubes,¡± Rel said.


    ¡°Tubes?¡± Tuk asked, drinking in her every word.


    Rel nodded. ¡°And every day, without stopping, without season, these balls roll down in lines that never end. You take one out, and the whole line shifts forward, and a new one shows up on the other side.¡±


    ¡°No seasons at all?¡± Nar asked. ¡°They didn¡¯t have a quota then?¡±


    ¡°Of course they did! Everyone has a quota!¡±


    ¡°I feel like that¡¯s worse,¡± Tuk mused. ¡°At least with the pile we get to see it go lower and lower. It feels like you¡¯re getting somewhere, and we get to celebrate at the end of the season. But if it''s just a never-ending line like that, then¡­ That just sounds harsh.¡±


    ¡°Lines,¡± Rel said. ¡°There were dozens and dozens of them. And these balls were all huge. Bigger than you!¡±


    ¡°Ufff,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Yeah, they are heavy,¡± Rel said. ¡°But the worst part is that they¡¯re usually broken, and covered in glowing poison. It can knock you out pretty easily if you¡¯re not resistant to it. Even burn you.¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Tuk muttered.


    ¡°Sometimes there would be so much left-over stuff in them that workers just died,¡± Rel said, grimly. ¡°Right there, or on the way to the factories, carrying those poisonous things.¡±


    ¡°So they took them to the factories?¡± Nar asked. ¡°Like we did, with the trash?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, really. You just have to get it into the factory and then you process it as normal. With aura machines.¡±


    Rel looked away from the two of them, and Nar wondered if she was talking about a Climber her party had met, or a Climber they had lured into cannibal hands. Either way, he didn¡¯t ask, and neither did Tuk.


    They walked a couple steps in silence, but Tuk¡¯s curiosity was impossible to satisfy.


    ¡°So, did you guys also have a Chapel? Was it at the floor level, or up on the Wall?¡±


    Nar left them to it, and stepped a bit sideways, to give them some space.


    Do you hate me?


    He still did not have an answer to her question, but he had just been reminded of where she had been, just a few months ago.


    Where we all were, less than two months ago¡­


    He couldn¡¯t quite make his mind.


    He had easily accepted her into their party, and even cherished her presence and her fighting prowess. But the reminders of her life always left him wondering if he was doing the right thing by simply accepting her.


    What would the Climbers she had betrayed think?


    They¡¯d probably want revenge. He would too, right?


    But what was he supposed to do?


    Kick her out?


    Kill her?


    That didn¡¯t seem right either. He could barely stomach the mere thought of it. Like it or not, she was one of them, and he was inclined to like it. But her past was heavy. Guilty or innocent, he couldn¡¯t tell.


    Maybe it¡¯s not up to me to decide that. The Crystal will, I suppose.


    However, the thought of a potential punishment coming down her away somewhere up ahead of them, left him feeling even more uneasy. And what if the Crystal decided to punish them too, along with her?


    In the end, like Kur had told them back then, all he could do was follow his heart, and hope it wasn¡¯t in the wrong.


    However, considering his bloody hands from two nights ago, maybe he shouldn¡¯t rely on his heart so much anymore. More and more, his heart seemed intent on pulling him way from the path of redemption and forgiveness, and away from the Crystal altogether.

 Chapter 94 - No Idea How This Works

    The corridor they had walked in from, and which had initially served as their directional aid, was gone, lost even to his enhanced [Sight], when they woke up


    Nar was sure it had been there when he¡¯d gone to sleep, which meant that the way back had been shut. Even if they wanted to return, they couldn¡¯t go back to it anymore.


    While everyone¡¯s aura bars were still practically full, Kur rushed them onwards, still driven by whatever it was that gave him that sense of urgency. He pushed them hard, just as he had said he would, and they had walked well into the night. However, Kur did not show any signs of wanting to stop just yet.


    Tuk and Rel were still chatting away, though they were now gasping for breath in between sentences.


    After many, many topics, the current one was discussing the purpose of the giant columns that surrounded them and of the Pressure itself. After Jul, Tuk had recycled that same topic and asked it of everyone to varying rates of interest. By far, Rel was the most excited to talk about it.


    If Nar hadn¡¯t been feeling so tired, and needed to debate between breathing and talking, he would¡¯ve joined them as well. As it was, he was perfectly happy to let their whispering fall into the background, and to lose himself in the lights and columns and the occasional random stray thought.


    He found himself like that quite often, now. Empty headed, almost in a daze.


    It was like his worst fears had come to pass, and there really hadn¡¯t been anything he could¡¯ve done about it.


    He was an auramancer now. Instead of aether, he had aura. Instead of magic, he was now armed with a powerful new set of aura skills. Even though he hadn¡¯t tested them out yet in combat, he fully believed they would help him handle any further situation that the Climb threw at him, one way or another.


    It wasn¡¯t what he had wanted, but now, all he could really do was keep Climbing and stay alive.


    Besides, after everything he had been through, and the fight he had put up against his [Aura] and everything he had learned on that Climb, there was really no blaming himself for what had happened. Forces much beyond his mortal ken and understanding had proven impossible to beat in the end. And the knowledge that he had not let himself, his party, or his dad down, made him feel strangely light. As though a huge weight he had been carrying, even before the Climb, had been removed from him. Taken off of his hands entirely.


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    Nar startled and looked down.


    ¡°Oh. Hi, Cen.¡±


    The lengos smiled up at him, her eyes looking tiny and heavy.


    ¡°Hi,¡± she said, and a massive yawn gobbled up her follow up words.


    Nar yawned too.


    ¡°Crystal, I¡¯m sorry!¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Nar said, blinking away at his gritty eyes. ¡°So, did you need something?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though now that I¡¯m here, I¡¯m not sure if I actually have the brain for it,¡± she said.


    ¡°Aura, I¡¯m guessing,¡± Nar said, grinning. ¡°You¡¯ve been talking about it with Mul non-stop.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But I don¡¯t think he can help me. He did his best, though,¡± Cen said, smiling at her brother.


    Mul, who was a few feet ahead of them, seemed to be doing more stumbling than walking.


    Nar scratched the back of his neck. Then he frowned at his hand. He could do it without issues through the aura.


    ¡°Not sure how much brain I have myself, but, go ahead. I¡¯ll do my best to try and help you. To be honest, even though I have a lot of it, it doesn¡¯t mean I know more about aura than you do,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re still the expert.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. And that¡¯s not true. You were the one that found where our aura was. Not me!¡±


    ¡°Probably because I used it more, and because since there was more of it, it was more noticeable,¡± Nar said with a shrug. ¡°I have no doubts you would¡¯ve gotten there. And sooner than you think¡­ Anyways. What do you want to talk about?¡±


    Cen pressed a hand to her chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m confused about the different auras.¡±


    Nar nodded. ¡°Right! That is bit confusing for me too.¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Kur suddenly said, from up ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s just get to the next set of pillars, and then we can stop for the night.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank the Crystal,¡± Cen mumbled, and the sentiment was murmured throughout the party.


    Nar scanned the distance still ahead of them.


    ¡°We still have a while, if you want to keep talking? Or we can talk tomorrow, if you¡¯re too tired?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk now, if that¡¯s okay with you? It will help distract me from my feet,¡± Cen said, grimacing.


    Nar nodded with a slight smile.


    ¡°So, yeah, the auras are confusing me. But it¡¯s not the difference between the energy source, the attribute, and the aura in our status that has me stumped,¡± she said.


    At that reminder, Nar threw a quick look at his gray bar.


    <ol start="974">


    <li> Not bad.</li>


    </ol>


    He should probably set up a time to see how much he was going through per hour, to confirm it was still going at the same rate of 0.7 points of aura per hour¡­ Or he could ask Cen, if he really wanted to know. He was sure she was keeping proper track of it.


    ¡°So, what is it, then?¡± he asked Cen.


    She had pursed her lips, tapping on her chin as she mulled her next words.


    ¡°Well, I guess what I¡¯m confused about is what that gray bar actually means, and what that ball of light inside of us is,¡± she said.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I just thought that they were the same,¡± Nar confessed. ¡°Though, to be honest, I haven¡¯t really thought about it...¡±


    Cen gave him a startled look. ¡°Of course! You¡¯re still hoping for magic, aren¡¯t you? Even though¡­ I mean, most of the others are too, so that doesn¡¯t mean anything bad!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m still hoping for it, but right now, it doesn¡¯t really bother me.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Cen looked down at her feet.


    ¡°Maybe I shouldn''t be talking about this with you.¡±


    ¡°What? Why not?¡± he asked, frowning.


    She sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know how this stuff works, Nar. Maybe it¡¯s worse if you talk about it, or try to figure it out.¡±


    Nar threw his head back and laughed.


    When he noticed Cen frowning at him, he raised a hand in apology. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not laughing at you, or your concern. I really appreciate it,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s just that there¡¯s nothing you or I can do about it right now. Maybe up ahead there will be an even stronger Pressure barrier. We don¡¯t know. We don¡¯t know anything, and I¡¯ve realized that for all my worrying there¡¯s just no point.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Very relaxed about this,¡± she said, unable to keep the surprise from her tone.


    Nar took a deep breath and considered all that was around him.


    ¡°I did my best, Cen. I really did¡­ Anyways, you think that the bar and the ball of light are different things? Wouldn¡¯t it make sense that the bar measures the ball?¡± he said. ¡°Hmmm¡­ But it is an interesting point.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± she said, unable to keep her enthusiasm at bay. ¡°Our auras are basically the first real, physical and observable manifestation of our attributes! Sure, [Stamina] and [Constitution] are what they are, but they¡¯re not a ball of light inside us!¡±


    Nar couldn¡¯t help smile at her bright demeanor. They deserved moments like this, where their true selves could shine through the hardships. Even if it was under that insane Pressure.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it, and I just can¡¯t help thinking that they are related, but different somehow. From the first time I¡¯ve seen the light inside of me, to now, there has been no changes to it. I expected it to get bigger after we used our [Meditation] to refill our aura bar, but it looked the same afterwards,¡± she explained. ¡°And there was a big difference. That¡¯s what got me thinking that maybe there was something I was missing.¡±


    She looked up at him. ¡°I thought that maybe I just don¡¯t have enough aura to see the difference¡­ But maybe you, with a lot more than me, could maybe see it better?¡±


    Nar checked that the next few dozen steps ahead of him were clear, as they had been from the start, and closed his eyes. With ease, he sunk down to the place where his aura resided.


    The hazy ball of gray light looked just the same as it had from that first day he had found it, except now, there was no more scarring across it, or bits of it being ripped off.


    He placed his arms around it, interlocking his fingers on the other side of it, and tried to recall if there was any difference.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ I think it looks the same? Size wise. But there are no more¡­ Injuries on it.¡±


    He opened his eyes and found Cen staring at him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    She motioned towards the space within his arms. ¡°Is that the size of your aura?¡±


    Nar looked down and saw that he had moved his arms in the real world too.


    ¡°Oh. That didn¡¯t happen last time¡­¡±


    He dropped his arms, feeling self-conscious.


    Cen didn¡¯t say anything for a few steps, then looked at him again. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of aura that you have. I think you would have definitely seen a difference.¡±


    Nar nodded slowly, still feeling embarrassed.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t help but feel like they¡¯re different things,¡± Cen said. ¡°And there¡¯s also all that aura we used before we even had the bar¡­ So, what was that, then? How could we use it?¡±


    ¡°Have you tried it again? That thing you were doing, using your aura directly to power your [Aura Projectile]?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m scared of trying it.¡±


    She raised her hand to her face, and observed the swirling gray protection that kept her alive.


    ¡°It¡¯s keeping me safe, for now. All of us. I can¡¯t risk something like that explosion again. I could lose control over it. I could hit someone and cause them to lose control,¡± she said, and shook her head. ¡°No, I can¡¯t risk that until we¡¯re out of here. But maybe¡­ Maybe that¡¯s what I need to do. Try and pull my aura directly again. I haven¡¯t even tried my new [Aura Projectile 4], you know?¡±


    ¡°I tried my skills,¡± Nar said. ¡°But I didn''t really pay much attention at the bar or the ball of light. The only thing I noticed was that the bar went down and up, when I used my skill.¡±


    ¡°Up?¡± she asked, frowning.


    Nar nodded.


    ¡°When I canceled my [Aura Attack], I got about 30 points of aura back. The skill costs 50 points.¡±


    ¡°And the rest?¡±


    Nar shrugged. ¡°It just seemed to disappear into the air.¡±


    Cen sighed. ¡°That¡¯s a whole new set of questions¡­ But it¡¯s getting hard to talk and breath. For now, thanks for talking with me.¡±


    ¡°No worries. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t help more. Maybe once we''re through this orange place, we can check again,¡± Nar said. ¡°I can use my aura skills, and we can see if we can learn anything from them.¡±


    ¡°You would do that? Isn¡¯t that bad for your¡­ You know, chances of gaining magic?¡±


    Nar chewed on her words for a moment.


    It¡­ Is. Isn¡¯t it? But so is dying. Besides¡­


    After months and months of struggle and the dilemma raging through his mind, he was a bit tired of tiptoeing around his aura¡­ He wasn¡¯t giving up on aether, of course. But he was¡­ Worn. And increasingly sick of it.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done a lot for us, Cen. And none of us would be here if not for you and your aura,¡± he told the concerned lengos. ¡°The least I can do is try and help you figure things out. Besides, I am using my aura, and I¡¯ll be using it fully to fight. Best we get something from it, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Thank you,¡± she said, reaching over to brush his leg. ¡°And I know it will be really helpful.¡±


    Nar nodded and grinned at her. ¡°I said try. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll actually be able to help you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will!¡± Cen said, beaming back at him. ¡°Okay! In the meantime, why don¡¯t you keep an eye on your ball of light? We can¡¯t use [Mediation] here, so we¡¯ll continue to deplete our aura bar as we go. We can see if your ball of light aura becomes smaller or if it stays the same as your aura bar. And I can do the same!¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. Though we should come up with a different name for them. Ball of light aura and bar aura aren¡¯t that great,¡± he said, rubbing his chin.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Oh! How about internal aura for the ball and external aura for the bar? You know, because one is inside us, and the other one is outside, on our UIs. Does that make sense?¡±


    ¡°It surprisingly does,¡± Nar said, stunned. ¡°How did you come up with that so fast?¡±


    ¡°It just made sense. No?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­ If you¡¯re as smart as you are,¡± Nar said, smiling.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Wait! What? No!¡±


    Nar smothered his laughter before Kur could give out to him.


    ¡°The brains of the party! She does it again!¡± he said, grinning.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t say that,¡± Cen said, going a shade darker.


    ¡°Come on, guys,¡± Kur said. ¡°Not too loud. And let¡¯s walk faster. We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    Cen heaved a sigh and Nar smiled at her.


    ¡°Come on, we¡¯re almost there. We can do it!¡±


    Cen smiled gratefully at him, and picked up the pace to go rejoin and link arms with her brother, whose footsteps were even heavier and more erratic than before. The brawler was clearly falling asleep.


    And watching them, he noticed how Cen¡¯s steps weren¡¯t much different.


    It made him grateful for every point of [Stamina] that he had.


    About thirty minutes later, they reached the columns.


    Kur had been steering them left, towards one of them, and as soon as he decided that they were close enough, though still safely far enough from the blazing orange Pressure silently climbing up the column, he called it a night.


    Cen and Mul sat down where they were, breathing hard. Tuk and Rel, who had gone quiet for the last while to conserve their stamina, went down just after them.


    That left Gad, who helped Viy down, Jul, Nar and Kur still standing. The latter was panting hard, and frowning even harder at the party and the columns around them, as if stuck between looking for something or wanting to say something.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Nar asked him.


    ¡°Uh? Oh! Yes. Yes, all good,¡± Kur said, his eyes somewhat unfocused. ¡°Go on, rest. Rest.¡±


    The party leader motioned for him to sit down, but he kept staring around them and the party itself, with the same in between confusion and frustrated expression.


    Nar watched him wander off a few steps, and he caught Gad staring as well. She noticed that he had noticed and she lifted a hand to her chest, and tapped twice. Then she pointed at him and then at the floor.


    Nar gave her a discrete thumbs up, and left it in her hands.


    There wasn¡¯t much spirit for chatting, and after a quick meal, everyone was soon down and out for the night, except for Kur and Gad, who stayed up for the first watch and talked in hushed whispers.


    Nar quickly fell into a dreamless sleep, until something changed.


    Heat began to pool at his back.


    He looked behind him to see a massive wall of blazing hot orange Pressure. It rose and rose and rose, until it reached the ceiling and dwarfed even the mighty columns around them.


    He wanted to scream. He wanted to run.


    Where were the others?


    No matter what he did, all he could do was look up at the giant wall of death that roared above him, ready to devour him. But he couldn¡¯t move! He screamed the commands within the confines of his brain but not even his eyes obeyed him. He was pinned down by a force beyond him, and soon, the wall took him.


    He woke up with a start, breathing hard and feeling his body wet with sweat underneath the aura layer.


    Something weighed on his lap and he looked down to find an arm.


    What the fuck? He thought, panting.


    He followed the arm back to its owner, already knowing what he would find.


    Rel shifted in her sleep, a troubled frown forming on her face. She mumbled something. Whimpered.


    Nar, without thinking, reached over to pat her head.


    Soon, her face relaxed and, holding on to his leg, she drifted back into a restful sleep.


    Crystal! She¡¯s burning! He thought, grimacing.


    ¡°Oh? What have we here?¡± a voice said.

 Chapter 95 - Doubts and Reasons

    Nar whipped his head around, and found Kur staring down at them both.


    ¡°Kur! I¡­ This¡­¡±


    Kur gave him a half smile and patted his shoulder. ¡°Relax. It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re doing something good.¡±


    Nar nodded, his heart still beating furiously.


    ¡°I saw her getting up and lay down next to you. But it looks like that wasn¡¯t enough. It seems she needs contact.¡±


    Nar looked down at her arm over his leg.


    ¡°It looks like it.¡±


    Kur nodded slowly. Then he gave Nar a look.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just, as the party leader, I need to ask. Is there something going on between the two of you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Nar asked, his voice raising an octave above normal. ¡°No! Of course not!¡±


    Kur nodded again, visibly relieved. ¡°Good. That¡¯s good. Not that I have anything against it, but, it¡¯s not the right time or place for it, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know. And Kur, there is nothing. It just looks like it helps her sleep,¡± Nar said, sighing.


    ¡°And she desperately needs it,¡± Kur said, staring at Rel. ¡°She¡¯s getting worse and worse.¡±


    ¡°Is that why we¡¯re going so fast?¡± Nar asked him.


    Kur sighed. He looked behind him and waved at Gad, gesturing for her to go to sleep. Gad nodded, and gave Nar a brief smile before she lay down next to Viy.


    Kur dropped heavily besides him.


    ¡°Yes and no, I guess,¡± he answered. ¡°It¡¯s on my mind, I won¡¯t lie. I think it¡¯s on everyone''s mind. And it does give me some¡­ Relief, I suppose, that we¡¯re going faster. But no, that¡¯s not the real reason. I can¡¯t explain it, but I just feel like we need to hurry. Like we¡¯re late for something. It doesn¡¯t make any sense to me though.¡±


    Kur groaned and rubbed angrily at his eyes.


    ¡°Leader¡¯s instinct maybe?¡± Nar asked, smiling at him.


    Kur snorted. ¡°Crystal knows¡­ Maybe I¡¯m just losing my mind.¡±


    Nar shook his head.


    ¡°Could be a new attribute,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Your words to the Crystal and the System. I would love to have whatever goes for a party leader¡¯s instinct,¡± Kur said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s got something to do with the class change?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°Again, Crystal knows,¡± Kur said with a shrug. ¡°With all that¡¯s been happening, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised I was starting to lose my mind¡­¡±


    They sat in silence together for a moment, each lost to their own thoughts, and one of them trying hard not to move too much and wake up a certain Climber curled around his leg.


    ¡°Auramancer Boon Leader level 1,¡± Kur said suddenly.


    Nar chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s a mouthful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Got a new boon, too, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice!¡± Nar said, looking up from Rel to him.


    ¡°Yeah. [Aura Boon]. It enhances the effects and damage of aura skills by 10%,¡± Kur said. ¡°And for a full 5 seconds too.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s got a 10 min cooldown though¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    Nar did a low whistle, then grimaced, regretting it. Kur grimaced as well, and they both stared at Rel, but she was still fast asleep.


    ¡°Do you think she is angry at me?¡± Kur suddenly asked.


    ¡°For yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Nar offered him a tired smile. ¡°It¡¯s funny. She asked me the same thing about you, and the others. But mostly you.¡±


    Kur tutted to himself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Nar said. ¡°I doubt she¡¯d be angry about something like that. She has worse things to worry about.¡±


    ¡°That she does,¡± Kur said, making a face.


    Another long pause went by them. It was tense though, and Nar could tell something was bothering Kur. He didn¡¯t ask it out of him, however. He felt like Kur would prefer to say it himself.


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want magic anymore.¡±


    Nar didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I¡­ I left for a reason. Maybe a bad reason. Maybe even a stupid reason. There was nothing bad, bad, pushing me out, you know? Not like you. Or-or Jul, or Mul, you know? I¡­ I¡¯ve been wondering if maybe I was selfish. And naive,¡± Kur said.


    His grew distant, looking into that far away orange blur in between twin lines of columns.


    ¡°I wanted¡­ No. I thought I needed magic to prove to everyone that I was right. To myself. That leaving was the answer. But now? Now I don¡¯t know anymore¡­,¡± he said, his voice a hush. ¡°I feel like I know less now than when we left. And that¡¯s funny, because I knew close to nothing when I first stepped into that dammed corridor.¡±


    Kur looked down at his hand, eyeing the swirling aura.


    ¡°It feels right. It feels¡­ Mine. Like its meant to be. And it feels strong too. Really strong and full of possibilities, like Cen always said it was. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t know if magic is better?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s it, isn¡¯t it? The one thing we need to know the most and that could change everything¡­ And it¡¯s the one thing that its being kept from us,¡± he said. He sighed and leaned back on his hands. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why I spoke like I did. Rel was¡­ She was just questioning everything. Everything I hoped for when I left. Every reason why I left¡­ It felt like she was even going to question aether itself. Our forgiveness¡­ And I¡­ I didn¡¯t want to hear that. Because I too have been questioning it. I have been questioning it all for a good while now¡­ And frankly, it scares me.¡±


    He heaved an exasperated sigh and laid down, with his hands behind his head. ¡°And more and more, I question the reason why I left. And the reason why I keep going. I can¡¯t help but think that maybe I was just an idiot. That maybe I still am¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you regret leaving?¡± Nar asked him.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Kur shook his head slowly. ¡°No. That¡¯s the thing. Despite everything we¡¯ve been through¡­ I don¡¯t think I do. I just think that it was not for the right reason. And not in the right way. But if I had to make the choice again, while knowing everything I do now, I would still choose to Climb. I have no doubts about that.¡±


    The party leader sat back up.


    ¡°Sorry about that. It probably didn¡¯t even make any sense,¡± he said, sighing. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s your turn and Mul¡¯s. I¡¯ll wake him up. And I¡¯ll tell him not to make any comments about¡­ This, either.¡±


    He waved at Rel, and Nar nodded gratefully.


    ¡°Kur?¡± he called, when the altei made to leave.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re our party leader, and you¡¯ve been holding on for us all this time. But you¡¯re also one of us, a Climber with the same hopes, doubts and everything else. So don¡¯t be too hard on yourself,¡± Nar said. ¡°This Climb has been so much more than we thought it was going to be. And in many different ways, too. It¡¯s¡­ Well, it¡¯s been a mess from day one. It was so much worse than we had thought and things have only gotten more and more complicated and messier. But, we¡¯re almost out, so, just hang in there, yeah?¡±


    Kur stared at him and Nar grimaced.


    ¡°That didn¡¯t make any sense, did it? What I meant by all that was that I¡¯m here for you, if you need me.¡±


    The altei considered him for a few moments, then he nodded. ¡°I probably will, Nar. I¡­ I probably will. And all things considered, that means a lot more to me than you think. Alright, I¡¯ll go wake up Mul.¡±


    With that, he left him alone with Rel, and a head spinning full of questions.


    Everything had seemed so straightforward when they had left.


    Climb. Fight. Prove yourself. Get your magic. Atone. Get out. And hopefully, in that exact order too.


    They had been warned about the Pressure, and what they had encountered during the tutorial had matched those warnings. But walls of pressure? Barriers? Giant columns and whatever that massive orange, lightning strewn mass above their heads was? That was so much more beyond it.


    And bridges, and insanely strong guardians? And cannibals? And cannibals organized and with homes and bases and plans for their own future in the B-Nex? And things like the Sentry? And fights between Climbers?


    And now, auramancers, all of them, and all of them having lost their first modifier to aura too? And in Nar¡¯s case, even the second one as well¡­


    No.


    The path to the surface had been anything but straightforward. He felt like he had lived more in the last five months, than in all of his life in the cubeplant.


    And it was all just the beginning. The exit into the wider Nexus.


    What would be there, waiting for him at the exit? And beyond that?


    He had only ever wanted to save his dad and find the color and light of the outside, as vague and bland as that might sound to some. And, perhaps, yes, escape the pain of his life as an Unclean as well¡­


    Now? Everything felt so much more complicated than that. His emotions had changed. His goals had changed. Even himself¡­ Was he still the same person that had left the cubeplant, nearly six months prior?


    Sitting there, with the enormous column towering behind him, he felt tiny. An infinitesimal dot in an infinite existence¡­ The Nexus was a much bigger place than he had ever imagined it to be, and he was still stuck in the B-Nex, merely making his way straight up to the exit. Who knew how deep the B-Nex went under him? Or how far it reached and extended? Who knew what else could be found down there, in the absolute dark where not even the yellow arrows of the Climbers shone?


    He felt almost, almost, homesick then. Lost. Away from all that he had ever known.


    And he knew at that moment that as much as he had seen thus far, he hadn¡¯t seen anything yet. And there was no way of knowing what was coming next, or what he would do when it came. Or how it would change him¡­


    It was terrifying.


    But¡­ It was also, perhaps, a little bit exciting.


    *********


    On the third day, barely an hour into their Climb, Nar looked behind him. Now, he could no longer see the gigantic wall from the side they had come from either.


    On all sides, in the space between giants, all he could see with his [Sight] was more and more columns, disappearing into the flat distance.


    I wish I knew a way to measure these distances. There has to be one.


    There was only so much one could do with inches and feet, and he had no doubt that there had to be other units of measurement in the massive, infinite Nexus. Unfortunately, that information had not been deemed relevant to their Climb.


    Looking back again, to the massive wall he could no longer see, Nar felt a pang in his heart.


    I wonder how far we¡¯ve walked since we¡¯ve left home. It¡¯s been months¡­


    A lump formed in his throat.


    I hope you¡¯re still okay, dad.


    At his side, Rel noticed him staring backwards.


    ¡°It feels like the tutorial,¡± she said. ¡°Except it''s all opened up, instead.¡±


    Nar nodded, and pushed aside thoughts of his dad.


    Still straining his [Sight] to see if he could catch anything different in the long radius around him, he was forced to give up after another cursory glance yielded no results either. If Jul hadn¡¯t found anything, he knew it was unlikely for him to do so. And he didn''t doubt her thoroughness either. It had been concern that had led him to canvas the area around them, and he had just been hoping to stumble upon something. Anything that indicated any signs of an exit.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to wish we were back there,¡± Tuk said, looking around as well.


    ¡°Really?¡± Rel asked.


    Tuk grimaced. ¡°No. Not really.¡±


    Nar didn¡¯t reply and allowed his [Sight] to return to normal.


    Nearby, from atop Kur¡¯s shoulders, Jul cast a much more powerful [Sight] into the endless, identical columns that surrounded them.


    Nar had a tremendous amount of aura. Others didn¡¯t, especially Gad, Kur and Viy. At 40 points of [Aura], they were the ones with the least aura in the party.


    Their class change into their auramancer variants had bumped them to the exact requirement for earning, or losing, their first modifier. And with about 40 points of aura already down, that left only 360 in their bars before the three of them ran out.


    Having confirmed the rate of aura expenditure to be about 0.7 points per hour, that meant that they had just a little over 21 days left to get out. Technically, that seemed like a lot. However, considering how things were never straightforward in their Climb, and how there was a very real, and very possible, risk of them getting lost in that endless place without their path, and all that translate into nobody feeling like they had a comfortable margin anymore.


    If anything, the pressure to locate the exit, or an exit, was already mounting.


    So far, however, there had been nothing out of the ordinary in sight, except for more and more columns, and an endless stretch of floor, and an equally endless stretch of orange ceiling.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jul said, tapping Kur¡¯s head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Kur said. ¡°We¡¯ll try again later.¡±


    He lowered her to the floor and allowed her to climb down his shoulders.


    ¡°We just have to keep going,¡± Gad said, her tone as relaxed as ever.


    ¡°But where, though?¡± Mul said. ¡°Which way?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it matters. If it did, we would have our path,¡± Gad said. ¡°I think we just need to keep going, and the exit will show up eventually.¡±


    ¡°Or after we met the requirements,¡± Tuk said, still squinting at his surroundings. ¡°Whatever they are.¡±


    ¡°Anything on any other senses?¡± Kur asked Jul.


    ¡°Nothing. Other than a very, very low hum, there is nothing at all,¡± she said. ¡°No danger. No smell. Nothing different at all, not for at least¡­ I don¡¯t know, thousands and thousands of feet.¡±


    Kur looked at Nar, hoping for a different answer. Unfortunately, Nar could only shake his head.


    ¡°We should just keep walking. Straight, like we have so far,¡± Gad said, staring off into the distance. ¡°No need to think too much. Besides, you still feel like we are behind, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t risk our lives on something like that. I¡¯m regretting that we ever did, to be honest,¡± Kur muttered. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing to it now. Let¡¯s just keep going for another while.¡±


    Gad started walking forward again, with Viy snapping out of her silent reverie and quickly chasing after her. The rest of the party followed in a tight group.


    While Kur had stopped asking them to walk in formation, the habit had already been ingrained in them, and soon enough, Nar found himself walking side by side with Rel, at the rear of the party, as they usually did.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rel said.


    ¡°What for?¡± Nar asked, looking at her.


    ¡°For last night. I didn¡¯t ask you. I just¡­ Did it.¡±


    ¡°Eh, no harm done,¡± Nar said, shrugging. ¡°But, will you¡­ Do it again?¡±


    She hesitated for a moment. ¡°Yes. But only if I really can¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just do it,¡± Nar said. ¡°If it helps, it helps.¡±


    They walked another few steps, and then Nar turned to her again.


    ¡°Can I ask you something, though?¡±


    Rel made a face. ¡°Why you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Why me?¡±


    Rel bit her lip, then passed a hand over her sparse, coarse hair. Then, she sighed.


    ¡°The Yearning likes you,¡± she whispered.


    Nar nearly tripped on his own feet.


    ¡°Yeah. I know what that sounds like,¡± Rel said, miserably.


    ¡°The Yearning likes me?¡± Nar repeated.


    She nodded, avoiding looking at him. ¡°It does. And it has from the very moment I saw you, when you came to rescue us from the cannibals.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± he made, for lack of a better reply to that revelation.


    ¡°I just¡­ I just feel like if I stick to you, I¡¯ll make it outside,¡± Rel said. ¡°I¡¯ll find whatever it is that I yearn for.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ See,¡± Nar said, feeling tremendously awkward.


    Then, a rogue thought insinuated itself onto his mind, and considering how brutally honest he had been with her so far, he sort of just blurted it out without much thought.


    ¡°Is that why you helped us escape?¡±


    At least he still tried to deliver the line without any hints of judgment, or grief, or bitterness or anything at all. Just a nonchalant, inconsequential question. He wasn¡¯t sure he managed it.


    ¡°I¡­ It was a big reason,¡± she said, barely giving voice to the words. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You couldn¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t finish the sentence, and for a moment, Nar wondered if he had said something he shouldn¡¯t have.


    Maybe I should apologize, he thought. Maybe I went too far with that one.


    But then again, maybe he shouldn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t know.


    Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes into a full hour. They walked, side by side, their breathing slowly increasing under Kur¡¯s urging, and the awkwardness lay heavy over them, even heavier and more stifling than the Pressure that bore down upon them.


    Two hours later, Nar was relieved out of his mind when Jul suddenly shouted.


    ¡°Stop!¡± she said. ¡°Stop!¡±


    Nar¡¯s relief turned to apprehension as he felt the first spikes of warning.


    ¡°[Instinct]!¡± he shouted.

 Chapter 96 - Orange

    That word alone meant a whole Nexus to the party by now.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Kur asked, looking between the two.


    Jul closed her eyes and tilted her head, her antennae angling towards something to their right.


    Following her example, Nar brought up his [Hearing] as well. He didn¡¯t hear anything.


    ¡°Aura!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°Increase your auras! Now!¡±


    Nar heard it then, a great rushing sound, like the air was being pushed out ahead of a great incoming force.


    Just as he heard it, he felt the first comings of that breeze.


    It was sweltering hot. Even through his aura.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked Jul.


    However, he had a feeling he already knew.


    The image of the nightmare from the previous night flashed before his eyes. An impossibly tall wall of Pressure, from which there was no escape.


    ¡°Pressure,¡± Jul said, her eyes wide. ¡°Nar, it must be huge. I don¡¯t know if¡­¡±


    Nar and Kur stared at each other at the same time, then Nar glanced at Gad.


    ¡°Gather around!¡± Cen shouted, before the two of them could speak. ¡°Everyone, all together! Maybe we can join our auras.¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡± Kur asked, as they ran to each other. ¡°I know they can touch but¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! But it might work!¡± Cen said.


    ¡°We might as well try!¡± Gad said, pushing Viy into the center of the hastily formed circle.


    Kur stared at them all, huddled together in a tight circle, but not quite touching yet, faces filled with confusion and uncertainty.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    The breeze was now a blowing, howling gale, as the air was pushed forward, screeching through the gaps in between the columns.


    With his heart beating in panic inside his chest, Nar looked around at the party as they huddled around Viy. On the other side of her, he saw that Kur and Gad were standing side by side.


    ¡°Not like that!¡± Nar shouted, without time for niceties. ¡°Let me through!¡±


    He pushed past Viy, and inserted himself between Gad and Kur. Two of the weakest party members, in aura terms, should not be standing side by side. It felt like it was a disaster waiting to happen to have such a weak link in the circle.


    ¡°Good idea!¡± Cen shouted.


    ¡°Sorry! I should have thought about it!¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Nar replied.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Jul shouted, from the other side of the circle.


    ¡°Quick, everyone, hang on to each other!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Viy, I¡¯ll hang on to you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡± Jul said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Here.¡±


    Nar lifted his eyes, and his jaw dropped.


    A wall of roiling orange, of the same color as that in the ceiling, rushed towards them. It blew past the columns, splashing as though it was liquid in form, and roaring as it swallowed the distance to them in mere seconds.


    The wind burned, and even through his aura, he felt his eyes watering, his skin screaming at the rise in temperature.


    A ringing sounded in his ears, from very, very fair away, and Nar closed his eyes, pulling frantically for more aura.


    Then, like the greatest of all guardians, the Pressure roared and blew through them, intent on stripping the flesh from their bones, and reducing even those to ash and then to nothingness.


    Like a burning, thick liquid, Nar felt currents dashing past him, breaking upon and through the party. He could feel his very hair floating about him.


    Unable to help himself, Nar opened his eyes to a now strangely silent Nexus of chaotic oranges and angry sparks of brighter orange. Here and there, like licks of flame, dashes of red burst into existence, forming long ribbons before disappearing.


    It¡¯s beautiful¡­ he thought, without meaning to.


    He could feel the heat, and the tremendous weight that pushed down on him, but when he looked down at himself, he found that his body was still safely covered by his gently swirling aura.


    The moment, however, didn¡¯t last, and soon, the Pressure roared around him, raging and boiling, fighting to consume his pathetic aura. For what other word could Nar use to describe it, when faced with this endless orange?


    The Pressure pushed his head down, slowly obliterating his thoughts, eroding his sense of self. Here and there, his aura flashed, and winked in and out, and Nar let out a gasp of pain.


    The Nexus was starting to go completely orange, and Nar could feel himself letting go.


    No¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ More¡­ I need¡­ More!


    From the brink of erasure, he knew only that he needed to draw more aura upon himself. He could barely even feel his body now, but there was still enough will in him to reach down to his aura, and pull more of it.


    Slowly, as if returning from a very distant dream, Nar became aware of himself once more.


    Crystal! That was close! But how much aura was that? And what about the others?


    In a panic, he pulled up his UI, but nothing happened.


    He had no way of knowing what was happening to the others, or how much aura any of them still had left. Especially Kur, Gad, and Viy. He refused to even consider if they were still alive or not. He knew that they were, but they must be spending ridiculous amounts of aura to remain so.


    With an effort that took all of his will and [Strength], he lifted his head, inch by inch.


    In the orange and red blindness, he managed to just about make out the others, so close, yet so far from him.


    Rel was hanging on to Jul, with her face buried into her side. Mul and Cen were holding onto each other and onto Viy¡¯s legs. Kur held onto her left arm, and Tuk somehow had gotten a hold to her right. Gad was holding on to Jul, and to Nar, and he could just about make Viy¡¯s arms wrapped around Gad¡¯s mid-section. Nar himself had his left arm locked in with the tank¡¯s right arm, and his other one, he held on to Kur¡¯s waist.


    Something didn¡¯t look right, though.


    Gad, at his side, had her eyes closed, just like all the others did¡­ But her expression was wrong somehow. It was relaxed. Serene. Like she was asleep.


    He turned his head once more, and noticed the same look on Viy¡¯s and Kur¡¯s faces. And if he squinted hard, to look at all the others, except for Mul and Cen, whose faces he could not see from he was, he noticed that similar expressions were taking over them.


    They¡¯re failing¡­ he realized with mounting dread. They¡¯re letting go. They don¡¯t have enough!


    He remembered the nothingness from which he had barely returned, almost stripped bare by the sheer might of this Pressure. He had only managed to withstand it because he had so much more aura than them to draw upon. Without it, they were being destroyed. Consumed, bit by bit, by the Pressure. Soon, their auras would fail all together.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Already, in front of him, he could see Viy¡¯s aura adopting an orange tinge.


    What do I do?


    He looked for Cen, but she and Mul were locked into their own joint survival, and they were beyond Viy¡¯s legs. They would never hear him, even if he could¡¯ve found his voice in that maelstrom.


    What do I do? He asked himself again.


    At his sides, he felt both Gad¡¯s and Kurs bodies starting to relax as well, as orange infiltrated the gray that covered them.


    In his despair, he almost missed their salvation.


    Nar did a double take and looked at his left arm, where it hooked tightly around Gad¡¯s.


    Wait¡­ What¡¯s that?


    The gray of her aura, around where it joined with his, was much stronger. And the closer it was to his arm, the deeper that gray looked.


    He checked the other side, looking at Kur. He found the same where his arm clasped tightly around his waist.


    My aura is helping them¡­ That means¡­


    That meant he could do something. But what?


    He willed his aura to move outwards, to cover the two of them, but nothing happened.


    What do I do? Do I just pull more of it?


    What else was there to try?


    And what else was there to lose?


    He was either saving them all, or dying with them.


    Reaching down, Nar pulled more of his aura onto his skin.


    At first, nothing happened, and his panic increased. But then, almost as if it didn¡¯t want to, the area of his stronger aura around on their bodies increased, spreading towards their entire bodies.


    That¡¯s it! We just need more! The others need it as well!


    He pulled, clenching his jaw and feeling as though he was dragging something out from his very insides. But slowly, his aura spread throughout the entire party, and he finally saw movement on Rel¡¯s face, on the other side of Viy, and he finally allowed himself to feel some relief.


    Gad and Kur¡¯s bodies tensed back, next to him, and across from him, he saw Rel open his eyes, and stare around her in bewilderment.


    Now, I just have to hold on, he thought. And hope I don¡¯t run out of aura.


    Just then, a sudden blast lifted Jul and Rel off their feet and they collapsed against Viy. Surprisingly, and with the help of everyone supporting each other, she held, but the Pressure threatened to erase even him now, undoing all of his hard work. Unless he did something, they would all be gone. Nothing would even be left for anyone to ever find.


    His dad would die. The other Unclean would die. The priest would die. Everyone he had ever met would die eventually, and his memory would be gone, lost forever. Perhaps Row would spare a thought for them, once in a while, up there, on the surface that was out of their reach. If she made it, that is. And if she wasn¡¯t dead already.


    NO!


    He refused to let it end there. Not after everything they had gone through. Guardians, cannibals, Pressure, darkness and their own selves. It wasn¡¯t ending there!


    Come on! Pull! Pull!


    The machine was heavy and hungry today. More than usual.


    It demanded all of him, and more, and he knew that he would soon pass out. But he had a quota. They all did, and he had to at least do his share. He had to do his best before he passed out. Before he became a burden.


    Hang in there, son!


    His dad¡¯s voice drifted in from his right. He could imagine his calm and collected face, sweating, but always in control of himself. Feeding the machine, doing his best and actually meaning it. Carrying both his and, many times, Nar¡¯s share of the work, as well as that of the others, stuck in that sweltering machine, packed together with barely any room to breathe.


    Come on! You have it in you. You have it in you! I know it! You know it! So, come on! Push!


    He both loved and hated the words. All their fellow Unclean did.


    But he didn¡¯t want to let his dad carry the burden by himself. He would go on till the darkness claimed him, and he would wake up, bloodied, huddled to one side. Ready to go again. And again. Unbroken.


    You have it in you, I know you do! I believe in you!


    His dad believed in him, and he had to meet that.


    Nar pushed.


    Gray filled existence.


    With it he came back.


    His aura shrieked around him, a mass of jagged edges of swirling grays, whites and blacks.


    Viy, startled and opened her eyes, gasping hard.


    ¡°You¡­¡± she breathed, staring into his eyes with a clarity that hadn¡¯t been in them for a long while.


    His aura exploded outwards, surrounding the others in a voraciously protective jagged dome. The force that threatened to sweep them all was blocked. The heat came down and the weight lifted from above their shoulders. The Pressure still howled around them, but Nar¡¯s efforts were enough to keep it at bay.


    ¡°Hang on!¡± Gad shouted, and surprisingly, he heard her.


    ¡°More aura!¡± Cen shouted. ¡°Come on, everyone! Don¡¯t just leave it all for Nar! This has to be done together!¡±


    Nar felt a surge of emotion at her words, and pulled even more, and together, they made the jagged, shrieking and chaotic gray aura solidify around them, covering them and the small piece of the Nexus that they owned in its protective grayness.


    The Pressure broke off its most adventurous spikes and sharp bits, until it had sheared it down to an almost perfectly smooth half sphere. But that was it. They would yield no more.


    ¡°Hold us down, everyone!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t let it lift us!¡±


    Nar lowered his head forward, resting his forehead on Viy¡¯s shoulder. Gad tightened his arm against hers, and pressed down on the two of them. From the other side, Kur also leaned in. And so together, their aura shrieking and raging around them, they fought to endure the all destroying Pressure.


    Eventually, a long time afterwards, Nar felt a frantic slapping on his shoulder.


    ¡°Let go!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Let go of your aura!¡±


    Nar lifted his head, and looked at the party leader.


    Beyond him, he saw no more raging oranges and reds, and he realized that the heat and the weight were gone. However, Kur¡¯s face still looked red and strained, his eyes wide.


    ¡°Shut it down!¡± he cried again.


    Oh shit! Nar realized. It¡¯s me!


    With a groan, he pushed down on his aura, pouring from within him in a seemingly endless, shrieking, current. It was like he had broken something inside him, and now, he couldn¡¯t stem the tide pouring out of him.


    Kur tapped his shoulder again, weaker now, and from his left side, he felt Gad going down to her knees.


    Stop! Stop! Nar shouted. That¡¯s enough!


    Bit by bit, slowly, he managed to halt the explosion of aura, until eventually, it was back to normal, just a gray swirl coating his own skin.


    Nar¡¯s heartbeat hammered in the sudden, ringing silence, orange sparks flickering in and out of existence all around them in the wake of that massive wave of Pressure.


    ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± he asked.


    He feared the answer.


    ¡°Crystal, man,¡± Mul muttered, gasping on the floor. ¡°Can we give him the new record?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tuk breathed, down on his knees. ¡°He saved us first before he tried to kill us. Don¡¯t they cancel each other?¡±


    Nar looked from them, to the others.


    ¡°Some HP damage,¡± Kur said, panting. ¡°But I think we¡¯re okay.¡±


    Nar swallowed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Cen shouted. ¡°You saved us! How much aura did you use? Do you have enough?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    ¡°Answer me!¡±


    Nar tried to pull up his UI, but found that he still couldn¡¯t access it.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see it!¡± Cen said, her eyes going very wide.


    ¡°Me neither. But I¡¯m okay though, Cen. I pulled it back in. I-I feel okay,¡± Nar said, trying to calm down the caster.


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you if you need it!¡± Cen promised.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that will be enough,¡± Kur said, looking around. ¡°There¡¯s also me, Gad and Viy. We have no idea how much aura we just lost in order to survive that. Another one of those things, and we¡¯re probably gone.¡±


    ¡°So much for 21 days,¡± Mul muttered, climbing to his feet.


    Nar helped Gad and Viy stand back up.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Gad whispered to him. ¡°I was almost gone. You pulled me back.¡±


    Nar nodded at her, and left her to care for Viy.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Rel asked. She had a wild look to her, and Nar noticed that she was back to abusing her index and thumb fingers.


    ¡°Only thing we can do. We need to look for the exit. Jul? Did anything change by any chance?¡± he asked the rogue.


    ¡°I¡­ Oh. Hold on¡­¡±


    She stepped away from them, tilting her head this way and that way, her antennae wiggling towards different directions as she tried to understand what she had just sensed.


    Nar walked around Viy and Gad, to go check on Rel. She was rubbing her fingers so harshly he wouldn¡¯t be surprised she drew blood.


    ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡±


    She jumped. She had been looking around her, her eyes darting from column to column with a frightened look, and she didn¡¯t notice him approaching.


    ¡°Crystal!¡± she muttered. ¡°You scared me!¡±


    Nar gently took her hand, and placed his finger in between her two.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked her.


    Rel frowned at him, and then at his finger.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure,¡± she whispered, and Nar heard the fear in her voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he said, lowering their hands while still holding on to hers. ¡°I¡¯m here. If I can help, tell me.¡±


    She swallowed hard and nodded with a short series of sharp head movements.


    The archer stepped closer to him, and he let her.


    ¡°Jul?¡± Kur asked, having observed their exchange. ¡°Anything?¡±


    Jul nodded slowly. ¡°I think I found something. And it¡¯s not too far.¡±


    ¡°An exit?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. It¡¯s a hole in the danger that surrounds us. Less dangerous. Almost safe. I think.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take anything,¡± Kur said. ¡°We need to get out of here. Gad, you and Viy okay?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± she said, for the two of them.


    ¡°Which way do we go?¡± Mul asked, holding Cen¡¯s hand. He glared at the columns around them as if he was considering fighting them.


    ¡°That way. Wait! Stop!¡±


    Confused, Nar, and the rest of them, looked at her again.


    ¡°Stop!¡± she breathed, her eyes going wide.


    ¡°Jul?¡± Kur asked, frowning.


    ¡°Quiet. Quiet. Shush. Shhhh-shhhhh¡­¡±


    The shush went into the inaudible range, but her mouth continued making the shape of it. Then she covered her mouth, as if scared that even her breath was too loud.


    Feeling a chill running down his spine, Nar too, unconsciously held his breath.


    Quiet tears formed around Jul¡¯s eyes, and Nar knew fear.


    It paralyzed his every muscle. Like a presence, tightening around him, and squeezing him.


    It was so strong a fear that he even felt his bones rattling, and his muscles spasming under his skin.


    That was when he realized that this wasn¡¯t fear.


    This was something real he was feeling. Not Pressure. Something else.


    THUM!


    The sound reverberated through the columns, and Nar stumbled as the floor quaked under him.


    Dread flooded him. For he immediately remembered that he had heard that exact sound before. And where¡­


    THUM!


    ¡°Jul?¡± Kur whispered, his face blanched and covered in sweat.


    THUM!


    ¡°It found us¡­¡± Jul whispered, through her tears.


    THUM!


    The very ground trembled beneath them, threatening to topple them.


    THUM!


    ¡°It''s coming.¡±


    THUM!


    Nar¡¯s breath quickened, his heart beating to the point of becoming painful.


    Something had found them.


    Something was heading straight for them¡­


    He remembered those orange eyes in the void.


    THUM!


    Those were its steps he heard, that he felt, making the whole of that infinite place shake and quake with its might and size.


    THUM!


    It was coming for them.

 Chapter 97 - Chased

    ¡°Where¡¯s the exit?¡± Kur asked, not bothering with being quiet. ¡°Jul? The exit!¡±


    ¡°T-That way!¡±


    ¡°Take us there! Now! Run! Everyone, run!¡±


    They ran.


    They ran for their lives.


    They ran like the scared little children that they were.


    THUM!


    Nar¡¯s heart wailed in fear. His mind nearly blanked, under the assault of that weight that still set every fiber of his body to shivering.


    His footsteps came crashing down, clumsy and heavy, and he felt as though he was running in place, the distant columns up ahead of them never moving closer.


    What was this?


    What was happening?


    What new horror had the System conjured up for them now, that it was so powerful it could affect him from so far away? Without him even seeing it at all!


    THUM!


    He winced at the sound, and frantically searched for a way out. Anything! Even a hole! Something that might shield him from what was hunting him, for there was no fighting whatever it was.


    They could only hope to outrun its massive footsteps.


    Hope. Hope was all they had now.


    Hope was¡­


    A sound thundered through the space in between columns. Its roaring approach drilled into his ears and from there, it raged into his mind, almost outright blanking him.


    He screamed in pain and tripped, almost going down.


    For a moment, everything vanished in swirling orange, and he felt as though two forces waged war within him. One orange and the other gray.


    Orange and gray.


    Orange.


    Orange¡­


    Orange!


    No!


    Gray!


    The columns and everything snapped back into focus.


    He was on the floor, and his chin hurt.


    Red wetness dripped down the usual holes and his mind cried. Hurt and devastated by the intrusion.


    Nar scampered to his feet. There was no time for suffering.


    ¡°Up!¡± he shouted, reaching down to pull Rel up.


    He looked around him, seeing the others slowly come up to their feet.


    ¡°Come on!¡± he shouted, hurrying them.


    Kur stumbled to his feet and Nar caught him, lifting him with despair and [Strength] behind it, almost dislocating his shoulder.


    ¡°Run! Run!¡± Jul shouted, covering her antennae and looking wide eyed at them all.


    ¡°Nooooooo!¡±


    Nar whipped around and his heart sank.


    Gad was trying to get Viy back up.


    Viy was kicking her feet and running from Gad¡¯s hands, refusing to be brought back upwards.


    No! No! No! Nar shouted in his mind.


    He looked behind them, expecting to meet the end, peaking at them behind the columns.


    THUM!


    Not yet. Not yet.


    He looked at Viy again, and at Gad¡¯s struggle. Kur had joined her, but somehow, it seemed to make things worse.


    ¡°Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me¡­¡±


    Nar tightened his fists, battling his own panic.


    Not now! Not now!


    But what could they do?


    Suddenly, Gad made her decision.


    Ignoring the punches, nails and kicks, she went in and lifted Viy up as though she weighed nothing. She threw the screaming girl onto her shoulder, pressing her hard, and looked at the rest of them.


    ¡°Where to?¡± she shouted, holding Viy in place with a grip that had to be [Strength] powered.


    ¡°That way!¡± Jul replied.


    And they were on the run again.


    THUM!


    The gap between the pillars dilated and extended before him, looking unnaturally long.


    Nar had never felt so exposed and vulnerable in his entire life. Part of him wanted to crawl and hide behind one of the columns, hoping to not be seen. To be ignored and forgotten, like the insignificance he was.


    Another part of him wanted to run into his dad¡¯s arms and bury his face in his chest, just like he used to, when he was five, and everyone was dying and killing around them.


    For a moment, it was not a powerful auramancer than ran. It was a little boy that fled, tears of fear and blood streaking down his eyes.


    Then suddenly, there was a release.


    He gasped, and he was back to himself again.


    What? What in the pile just happened?


    ¡°It¡¯s gone!¡± Tuk shouted.


    ¡°It was just messing with our heads!¡± Kur said. ¡°Keep running!¡±


    Was that it? Nar wondered, as the quality of his steps improved.


    To be honest, he could not deny that it could all just have been his own terror taking over him. However, he did not waste any time thinking about it. He wiped the blood dripping down his face, and kept going.


    One step in front of the other. Hot air burning down into his lungs. Panicked heart pumping blood to everywhere.


    The columns slowly grew ahead of them.


    THUM!


    It''s getting closer. It¡¯s getting closer. It¡¯s getting closer.


    ¡°Jul! How far is it?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s behind those pillars. But I don¡¯t know how far!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ Run¡­ That far!¡± Cen gasped.


    ¡°You have too! We all have too! We¡¯re not dying here, you hear me! Not when we¡¯re so¡­¡±


    ¡°Nar! Nar!¡± Jul shouted.


    It was too far for him to sense it, but Jul would only be calling him like that for one thing. Protection.


    He sped past the others and joined her and Kur at the head of the party.


    ¡°Up there!¡± she said, pointing up.


    Nar followed her finger up to one of the massive, orange wreathed columns.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he shouted, confused.


    ¡°Look! Look!¡±


    He looked again and pulled on his [Sight] this time.


    ¡°Oh, Crystal¡­¡± he muttered, color draining from his face.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Guardians!¡± Nar breathed. ¡°There are guardians coming down the column!¡±


    ¡°On the other side too!¡± Jul shouted.


    The Pressure up on those columns bubbled and shifted in a frenzy, and a dark stain slowly formed, coming down the middle of the column and slowly covering its lower half.


    ¡°How are there¡­ Guardians in the¡­ Fucking Pressure?¡± Mul panted.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°And how many are there?¡± Kur shouted.


    Too many to count. Those columns were already impossibly gigantic, and to see those two dark stains spreading down from the middle of them, covering every inch of those massive things¡­


    We can¡¯t fight that¡­ Nobody can! Nar thought, as he watched the endless mass of enemies coming down to meet them.


    Jul grabbed his arm and shook him. ¡°Look! The big ones! They¡¯re going to fire at us! Go faster! Draw their fire to you!¡±


    Nar¡¯s sword was in his hand with barely a thought and he did as she told him without hesitation, running faster to get some distance in between him and the party. He didn¡¯t even question how she knew it.


    The [Instinct] warning came, as expected, and he was prepared.


    A massive dark thing sped towards him.


    For a moment, he went blank. That was not a bolt.


    His [NPC] kicked with the strength of a soldier 2¡¯s blow, and Nar moved.


    It was too big to parry, and he had no shield to block. And he was not at a level where he could simply cut through something with kind of power and speed behind it!


    Up. That was his only chance. He had to deflect it up!


    The sword flashed upwards, meeting the projectile a hand¡¯s length from its sharp, black and orange flaming tip.


    There was a loud clang, and the thing went flying above his head.


    Nar dropped his arms, the weight of the sword suddenly too heavy for them.


    Kur collided into him and carried him forward, back into a run.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    [Instinct] screamed, coming down at him from high above.


    ¡°There¡¯s too many!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°Split! Everyone split!¡±


    Kur understood him immediately. ¡°We are too close together! Separate, now!¡±


    Many things whistled at them, and seconds later, massive spear-like bolts, wreathed in orange Pressure, crunched into the floor around them.


    Nar¡¯s eyes went even wider. He had never seen anything damage the walls, ceilings or floors of the B-Nex before.


    My Crystal¡­ he thought. If that hits us¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t run in a straight line!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°And don¡¯t stop for anything!¡±


    Nar grit his teeth, sensing the bolts coming down towards him.


    Ugh! Why can I only sense danger that¡¯s aimed at me!


    There was nothing he could do to protect them! Nothing!


    Without the rich sensory information from his [Instinct] guiding him to which projectiles would actually hit, and to which to focus on first, he was basically rendered useless. He could see them, and hear them, but there were just too many of them, and he didn¡¯t know on which to actually focus! All that he could do was hope. Hope that their luck, or the Crystal¡¯s Mercy, and the distance could keep them all safe.


    Wait! Gad! He suddenly remembered.


    Their tank was the slowest in the party, and she was now further encumbered with by freaking out Viy.


    Nar looked right and left, and panicked when he didn¡¯t find her.


    He looked behind him and found her at last. She was lagging way behind them, holding up her aura coated shield to protect Viy, who was still screaming and kicking to try and break free of her hold.


    Nar¡¯s throat tightened. Gad was protecting Viy with her shield, not herself.


    A shout tore away from his throat and Nar fell back.


    Someone pulled at him.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Rel asked. ¡°Keep running!¡±


    ¡°Not without them!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re too slow! But we can make it!¡±


    Nar wrenched his arm free and ran towards the tank.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Gad shouted at him. ¡°Keep going!¡±


    ¡°Put that shield away!¡± he said, falling into step beside her. ¡°I¡¯ll cover us!¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Do it now, damn it! And run faster!¡±


    The massive shield disappeared, and Gad adjusted her hold on Viy. A bit freer now, she was able to pick up the pace.


    ¡°What about the others?¡± Gad asked, breathing furiously.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything for them now!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll focus on us!¡±


    Rel fell into step beside him, on his other side, and Nar managed to glimpse the horrendous fury that marred her aged, wrinkled and spotted face.


    He had no time to consider what she had told him. What she had wanted him to do. Another enormous volley was in the air already, and he could only hope that everyone would make it safely. There was no tanking any of that, and any one of those bolts could end his or even Gad¡¯s life, never mind the others with their much lower HPs.


    A single bolt came their way, leaving a streak of bright, burning orange in its wake. Nar pushed more aura onto his blade and cut in a sideways, rising blow. The thing went flying away from him and the others, and Nar stumbled backwards.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°These things are heavy!¡± Nar shouted back, rushing to catch up to them again.


    ¡°Do you want to use my shield?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    He almost stopped dead in his tracks at the unexpected question.


    ¡°DO YOU WANT MY SHIELD?¡± Gad roared back.


    ¡°NO!¡± he shouted.


    What was he going to do with it? He had neither the [Constitution] nor the [Strength] to simply stand there and take those bolts. Also, he doubted he was going to be able to push aura into the shield on his first try, and blocking those things without aura would be impossible. If they could crash into the B-Nex¡¯s impossibly solid floor, what would it do the shield?


    ¡°Okay!¡± Gad said, and left it at that.


    The bolts, or perhaps he should think of them as heavy, thick spears, kept falling on them in massive volleys, one after the other. They crunched into the floor around them, one after the other, in a rain of death, filling the air with their deafening cacophony. Above them, they whistled angrily, as they arched through the air, before plummeting towards them.


    Suddenly, without realizing it, Nar realized that they were in between the columns, and his [Instinct] went quiet. They had made it!


    ¡°I think we¡¯re safe here!¡± Nar said.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not!¡± Rel said, pointing to his right.


    Nar followed her finger and for a moment, his mind was unable to process what he was seeing.


    Guardians.


    Guardians in a number uncountable rushed them from the columns that now surrounded the party, in their fast, rolling ball shapes.


    Each and every one of them was completely covered in furious orange.


    Never in his nightmares could he have come up with such a sight.


    ¡°Crystal have mercy on us¡­¡± Gad said. ¡°They¡¯re covered in Pressure!¡±


    ¡°Keep running!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°We can¡¯t let them surround us! Cen, come here!¡±


    That was exactly what the enemy was trying to do.


    The balls of flaming orange were angled, aiming not straight at them, but at the spot in between the columns, where the massive constructions ended and open space began again. They were trying to cut them off from both sides.


    The Climber¡¯s stamina-powered bodies granted them a speed that a normal worker could only ever dream of, even for the two short legged lengos, and their panic even gave them an extra edge. But it wasn¡¯t enough.


    As the minutes like hours drifted away, the mass of guardians overtook them, and slowly filled the path ahead of them, blocking them.


    We¡¯re not going to make it! Nar thought, as the gap slowly closed, disappearing under a growing wall of black metal and orange. The thing had to be over a 100-feet tall by now, and it was still growing! How were they going to get through?


    ¡°Ranged!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Blow us a hole through!¡±


    At some point, the party leader had scooped Cen up to his shoulders, to be her legs, and at her command, Cen held up her staff above his head.


    She was about to get her chance to try out her new [Aura Projectile 4].


    Gray light erupted from her staff, casting back the orange light that permeated everything.


    Nar, his face bathed in her aura, watched the light at the tip of her staff grow until it was almost the size of his outstretched hand. The thing had to be triple the size of what it had been before!


    She held it high as they kept running. Waiting to be closer.


    Closer.


    The gap was almost gone.


    Closer.


    The mass of guardians grew before them, and Nar¡¯s eyes widened as he stared up, and continued looking higher and higher at the shifting mass of dark metal, gleaming blades, and orange Pressure. Sparks erupted angrily across the wall, filling the air with angry snaps and hisses.


    He almost forgot about whatever it was that was even now still stepping towards them, closer and closer and¡­


    ¡°Now!¡± Kur shouted.


    Cen flung her [Aura Projectile 4] forward.


    The ball of light flashed forward, leaving a hazy streak behind it.


    The explosion was blinding, and echoed throughout that endless room, blowing burning, blinding air in his face.


    Nar was forced to avert his eyes, but soon, broken bits of guardians started raining all over and around them.


    When he looked for the gap again, he almost laughed.


    It was there! A huge ragged gap, torn and ripped through the wall of guardians as though it had been nothing!


    Behind them, the thing made a loud noise again, though this time he felt no adverse effects come over him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± Kur said. ¡°Tuk to the right. Rel to the left! Keep those things off of us!¡±


    In a flash, they were into the wall of guardians.


    Nar could only now see the full extent of what they had built to block their way. They were swallowed into the wall, covered up high on both sides.


    Hundreds of thousands.


    The number popped into his head, unbidden. At long last, the System had deigned to give him new understanding, so that he could understand the magnitude of what he was facing. And the sheer scale, the reality of what he faced, defied comprehension.


    The guardians were untangling themselves and falling down the sides of the gap with loud, metallic thuds, their limbs flailing loose as they dropped towards them, covering the orange ceiling above them in darkness.


    He watched Tuk fire one of his bright, devastating rings at the guardian that was the fastest to react to their ploy.


    The bright disc of light flared forward, ready to dismantle anything in its path.


    It met the orange Pressure, and was engulfed.


    ¡°My ring!¡± Tuk cried.


    The utter and raw pain in his voice was such that Nar was moving before he could even think about what he was doing.


    ¡°No! Leave it!¡± Tuk shouted, horrified. ¡°Nar! Stop!¡±


    Nar stumbled, unsure of what to do.


    ¡°It¡¯s not worth it! Come back, man!¡± Tuk pleaded to him. ¡°Come back!¡±


    Nar looked back at where the ring had disappeared into. That spot was quickly being covered in a living mass of guardians and Pressure, but it was not too late¡­


    ¡°Get back, here!¡± Tuk roared at him. ¡°Don¡¯t be crazy! Come on!¡±


    Nar could almost hear the tears in his voice.


    Hanging his head low, he ran back to the group.


    ¡°Keep your rings safe!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Cen and Rel will cover us!¡±


    ¡°Not me!¡± Rel shouted. ¡°My arrows aren¡¯t doing shit to that Pressure!¡±


    ¡°Just keep running then!¡±


    ¡°I can try a skill?¡± Tuk said, still holding up his rings and eyeing the encroaching guardians.


    ¡°No point in risking it! Just keep running!¡± Kur said. ¡°Jul, how far are we!¡±


    ¡°The next column! The one on the right!¡± she shouted. ¡°I think the exit¡¯s in there, inside of it!¡±


    ¡°Inside the Pressure?¡± Kur asked, sure that he had misheard her. They all were.


    ¡°Yes! Right in the middle of it!¡± Jul said, dashing all of their hopes. ¡°I can hear air coming out from it!¡±


    ¡°For Crystal¡¯s sake!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Alright, everyone, we¡¯re running to it! Cen, we can only count on you now!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll keep us safe!¡± the lengos shouted, from atop his shoulders.


    Already, another charged [Aura Projectile] was forming at the tip of her staff.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming from the front too!¡± Jul shouted.


    Their relief had been short lived.


    The guardians were reacting faster than they could run, and as the walls collapsed into chasing guardians on either side of them, more of them were chasing from behind, and more were now showing up to block them ahead.


    ¡°Where are all these things even coming from!¡± Mul shouted


    ¡°Nar, cover our sides! Cen focus on the front!¡± Kur ordered. ¡°If they stop us, we¡¯re dead! Fight if you have too, but don¡¯t stay! Hit and run! We have to keep moving!¡±


    As he spoke, Nar had already located his first target.


    A flaming guardian was barreling towards them from the left, coming at full speed towards Rel, its legs tik-tack-ticking across the floor.


    Rel aimed and shot an arrow at it.


    The gray projectile fizzled into the Pressure and bounced harmlessly off the guardian''s metallic shell.


    She yelped a strangled cry, and tried to notch another arrow.


    In two steps, Nar was there. He pushed his aura both into his sword and to his skin, to cover himself in a thicker layer of it. He didn¡¯t want to find out what would happen if that bright, flaming Pressure touched him.


    His sword halted the guardian¡¯s charge, cutting it from side to side. At least, that had been his intention.


    In reality, the aura coating his sword fizzled out, and was devoured by the Pressure. And when the flaming orange licked his skin, Nar cried out in pain and surprise.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Rel shouted.


    He stumbled back, pulling his sword out with difficulty.


    The Pressure had stripped him clear of his protective coat of aura, and he saw his hand redden and burn, before his aura rushed in to patch the holes.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Rel asked.


    Her expression was that of one nearing a mental breakdown. She looked between Nar and the party that was even then speeding off and away from them. Her foot tapped on the floor and she swayed from side to side, swallowing saliva and air in equal amounts, her eyes open wide and wild.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Go! Go!¡± he shouted.


    Together, they ran after the party.


    Nar watched Cen flung her charged attack at the mass of enemies blocking their front, but he didn¡¯t have time to see the results. More guardians were flanking them, about to collide into the sides of the party.


    He sped off from Rel, pulling yet more aura to him.


    His UI was still gone, so he had no idea how much was left in that gray bar. He also didn¡¯t have time to test Cen¡¯s hypothesis that the external and internal auras were different things.


    I might need to use my [Aura Strike]. But not yet!


    He would hold off on it for as long as he could.


    THUM!


    By the almighty Crystal! In the chaos, he had forgotten about that menace behind them!

 Chapter 98 - Humbled

    THUM!


    THUM!


    Why were the steps sounding so fast now? And so close?


    THUM! THU-THUM! THUM!


    ¡°Keep running!¡± Kur shouted.


    Nar tried to push the giant pursuer from his mind and to focus on the guardians closing in on either side of the party.


    Two on the left. No, three! And four on the right!


    There were too many for him, and coated in Pressure, Nar had no hope of bringing them down fast. As expected, the Crystal had been quick to humble them, and show them that even with their new classes, they were still nothing before It.


    As it was, Nar could only hope to tackle one of the sides. If only he had Rel¡¯s arrows or Tuk¡¯s rings¡­ Or even Viy¡¯s spear, with her range and denial! Alone, it was too much for him to take on.


    ¡°Nar, I¡¯ll take the left!¡± Jul suddenly shouted.


    ¡°What? No! Stop!¡± he shouted, aghast.


    The rogue dashed to the left. The brave, valiant, mighty Jul, with her daggers glowing gray, and a determined, fierce look in her eyes.


    ¡°No! It will burn you!¡± Nar called from behind her.


    ¡°I can do it! You do the right side! Quick!¡±


    His heart crushing inside him, Nar did as she said.


    Crystal, if You let anything happen to her¡­ I will¡­ I will¡­.


    He didn¡¯t even know what he would do, but then, he was amidst flaming Pressure.


    Pain racked him from all sides. His aura fought back with all it had, and Nar was forced to pull more of it to keep from burning. But that Pressure was just too powerful. Too hot.


    His sword got stuck inside the first of the four guardians, just like it had before.


    Ah, for fuck¡¯s sake!


    He had no choice.


    He pulled out the blade and swirled to meet the next attacker.


    [Aura Strike]. 10 points!


    The sword ignited with aura again, and this time the aura around it felt more solid. Sharper.


    The blade cut through the second guardian in one fell swoop, coming out the other side unimpeded.


    However, as it exited the Pressure, the weapon was again bereft of aura. It had been completely consumed by the Pressure.


    What is this Pressure? What was the point of all that auramancer pileshit then?


    He dodged from a bladed limb that was meant to skewer him from behind, and threw his sword back, repeating the same skill to the same effect.


    At least, they are not faster or stronger. They just burn!


    And burn they did. The last guardian went for his neck, his arm and his leg in a multi-bladed attack. Nar twisted and parried and avoided all the attacks. But the simple proximity of the guardian was enough to eat away at his aura, and make him grunt in pain. He covered his face as that flaming Pressure sought to eat away at his very eyes, and threw the sword out in a wide arc, hoping to catch his opponent.


    His sword got stuck again and he half-opened one eye, to check on the enemy.


    Dead.


    Burns stung across his body and face, his HP working to do away with the angry wounds littered across him.


    I need to be careful with my eyes, he thought, remembering his injury from before the Sentry fight. If he went blind now, it would all be over.


    He looked behind him. More enemies were coming.


    And the party? Where was it?


    There!


    They had managed to run quite far, and Jul, thank the Crystal¡¯s Mercy, was with them. However, they hadn¡¯t gotten far enough, and more guardians were assaulting them from the right.


    Grunting in anger and exasperation, Nar ran to their aid.


    He swallowed the distance in a matter of seconds, and sliced through the guardians in a fury of sword and aura, spending and wasting like there was no tomorrow, for if they didn¡¯t escape, there truly wouldn¡¯t be one.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost through!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡±


    But they were surrounded now.


    Rel and Tuk were useless. Mul was nursing badly burned arms. Viy was still kicking and screaming from Gad¡¯s shoulder and all that the tank could do was hold her shield high, to try and blow through the guardians. Kur held the middle, urging them on, and keeping Cen steady so that she could keep firing her aura. That left only Jul and him to fight.


    In glimpses, he caught her form. A whirlwind of [Speed], gray daggers and [Agility]. He couldn¡¯t tell if she was hurt or injured. He could only hope she would be okay.


    Guardians soon filled his sight. No matter how many he cut down, more appeared. He saw nothing but blades and limbs all around him, flaming and sparking orange, stretching into the distant horizon all around them.


    Even with his massive aura, he was bound to run out at some point. He couldn¡¯t stop, though. As life threatening as those guardians where, they were not the real threat.


    THUM!


    Here it comes!


    THU-THUM!


    The double steps terrified him beyond reason. Whatever that thing was, it was rushing to catch up to them.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    THU-THUM! THU-THUM!


    It''s going to catch us!


    Another of Cen¡¯s explosions illuminated the orange Nexus, and suddenly the press of guardians around him eased up a fraction.


    He kept fighting, and soon enough, another explosion.


    More explosions, faster, less charged and more desperate, going off all around them. But even weaker, they were doing its job. Blasting around them with abandon and despair, Cen poured all that she had into her staff.


    And then, he was free.


    They were running.


    The columns, swarming with guardians, fell behind them. Ahead of them, the one that held the exit loomed in the distance.


    ¡°Come on, we can do it!¡±


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Jul shouted.


    ¡°Spears!¡± Nar said, sensing the danger, and lacking a better word to describe those massive bolts.


    He parried one of the big things, aimed at Mul, who ran at his side. The lengos, cradling his injured arms, was even slower than usual.


    With a sudden thought, Nar picked him up and held him against his chest, using his [Strength] to be able to hold him with just one hand.


    He expected Mul to berate him and demand to be set down again, instead, he barely heard the lengos'' pained voice.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Spears fell on them, making his ears ring, and from behind them, the guardians chased them, like an infinite pileslide that covered everything. But they had survived their onslaught, and without the momentum from their rolling forms, the Climbers were faster.


    Nar risked a look behind him and his legs went weak.


    The columns, from the middle down, were completely covered in guardians, and for as far as he could see, more and more guardians spread around them in an endless tide, untold numbers pouring down more and more columns¡­ And rolling guardians were starting to manage to get through the masses they had left behind.


    This can¡¯t be all for us¡­ Nar thought, completely floored by the uncountable enemies chasing after them. All of this, just for us?


    That couldn¡¯t be right. That couldn''t be true! How did any of that make any sense? They were just Climbers! Just sentients¡­ Mortals!


    Whatever was happening¡­ It had to be much beyond them, right? No way the Crystal hated them so much, it brought such impossibility to bear upon them. Right?


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Jul shouted.


    The ceiling was almost bloated out by the number of spears heading their way.


    Crystal¡­ Really?


    ¡°Boooon!¡± Kur shouted, triggering his [Fighter¡¯s Boon].


    Suddenly, Nar¡¯s legs lurched forward, as the System correctly boosted all of their [Speed]s. It wasn¡¯t much, especially for the slower party members, but it was just enough, just barely enough to make it past the immense volley of spears. As it was, they were still nicked by the edge of it.


    Spears fell all around Nar. One of them sliced past Kur¡¯s right leg, and the altei went down.


    Tuk was on him immediately, lifting him up.


    Cen, who had been flung by Kur¡¯s fall, was on her feet almost immediately too. She pointed her staff behind them, and opened fire, brightening up the Nexus in a flurry of [Aura Projectile]s.


    It took several of the weaker projectiles to break through the Pressure protecting the guardians, but eventually, she managed to break through, and bring down enough of them that it stalled the front line in chaos, and gave them time to recover.


    Nar stored his sword and swooped her up with his other arm. His sword was useless now, but Cen could still make the difference.


    Ahead of them, Gad still carried Viy. Tuk had gotten Kur onto his back and was doing his best to keep running. He had Mul pressing against his chest and Cen doing her best to keep firing, perched from his shoulder. Only Jul and Rel ran unimpeded.


    He would have laughed if he could, at the ridiculousness of it all. As it was, he almost did.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Jul said, urging them on instead of Kur. ¡°We can do it!¡±


    Kur¡¯s [Fighter¡¯s Boon] still carried them forward, and the column that held the exit slowly got closer.


    BA-THUM!


    The floor shook beneath him, much stronger than before.


    His heart fell.


    Nar looked behind him, dreading what he would find. But he had to see what it was that chased them.


    His mouth dropped open.


    A massive, enormous limb had appeared from behind one of the columns they had just left.


    With his mind going blank, he watched it wrap around another column. It wrapped and wrapped and wrapped. Three times it wrapped around the enormous column.


    No¡­ he thought, his mind going blank.


    Beyond the limb, a massive ball of black metal dragged itself into view.


    Cen, looking over his shoulder, screamed.


    Flaming orange orbs that couldn¡¯t be anything else other than giant eyes moved up and down the length of the massive body of the guardian. Eyes that started to gather, and focus on them.


    ¡°What is that thing?¡± Tuk shouted, his voice edged to the brink of sanity.


    An impossibility.


    An insurmountable obstacle.


    A reminder of their weakness and frailty.


    Every time¡­ Every time I think I¡¯ve become stronger, closer to what I need to save my dad, You have to go and show me just how wrong I am, don¡¯t You? But is all of this really necessary?


    He didn¡¯t even know who he was talking to anymore.


    The Crystal?


    The System?


    They still didn¡¯t know for sure who it was that arranged the path and the obstacles that littered it. It didn¡¯t matter anyway. And what point was there in praying for mercy and leniency, only to be faced with something like that?


    THUM!


    The thing was positioning itself into the space between the columns.


    On the floor, the guardians opened up enough space for its massive limbs to find a place to stand on.


    THUM!


    It was slower now, taking its time to maneuver itself through the columns. Maybe they still had a chance. Maybe.


    ¡°Almost there!¡± Jul shouted.


    Nar looked forward. The column loomed above them.


    He almost cried in joy and relief.


    Then his [Instinct] told him to look back again.


    A mass of orange eyes had gathered in one spot, and they were shining brighter than the other eyes, which still zipped to and from across the giant machine.


    ¡°What¡¯s it doing?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°I-I think it''s going to shoot us! With Pressure!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°Hurry!¡±


    He had no doubt that was exactly what it was going to do. It had stopped moving, and even the guardians had halted their chase. Instead, they were retreating. Fleeing to the back of the giant guardian, and hiding behind the columns¡­ Whatever was coming, they wanted to steer well away from it.


    That alone told him the magnitude of the attack he should be expecting. They were about to be erased from existence.


    His [Instinct] grew in a blinding crescendo, wrapping him in danger.


    There was no escape. No dodging. No parrying. No blocking. And most definitely not cutting through that attack, as Gad had told him, all those months ago.


    Light gathered in front of the eyes, sparks lashing out angrily from a bright core forming just beyond the amalgamation of eyes. It reminded him of Cen gathering aura at the tip of her staff when she used her [Aura Projectile]. Except this time they were the targets.


    Nar did not pray.


    He did not call upon the Crystal.


    There was no point.


    ¡°Quick!¡± Jul shouted, looking back at them from a small opening at the base of the column.


    She had made it! And there really was an exit!


    It looked to be just big enough to allow Gad through sideways, her head bent low. Even then it would be a tight squeeze.


    Everything went brighter and brighter, as the guardian charged its attack.


    It was almost overkill. It was definitely enough to kill them as it was! More than enough, much, much more. Why was it still going?


    Up ahead, Jul disappeared into the hole.


    Then Tuk pushed Kur through.


    Nar¡¯s heart beat so fast, it got to a point where he stopped feeling it.


    His breath caught in his throat.


    Rel motioned for him to run, and he threw Mul and Cen into the hole. However, in front of them, Gad was struggling to push Viy through.


    Nar turned around. Slowly.


    The giant guardian had angled its body forward, closer to them.


    It could have simply crushed them. Just lift and drop one his massive limbs and they would¡¯ve been stains on the floor.


    What was the point of all that? Did it want to humiliate them before death? To show them how unworthy they were of their Climb? Or were their sins so grave they required its maximum attention to be purified? To cleanse existence of their blemish? They who had dared step foot outside their cubeplants!


    Nar lost the eyes beyond that blinding ball of raging Pressure. Everything vanished.


    He couldn¡¯t look away.


    Even now, it was still beautiful.


    Sharpness clawed at his neck, and he was yanked backwards.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡± Rel shouted.


    She half-dragged, half stumbled back with his weight over her.


    Nar struggled to find his footing, and the two of them crashed against the wall.


    He was inside!


    His hand brushed against misshapen holes indented on the wall behind them, and he looked up.


    It was a ladder, built into the wall, going up within the column.


    Rel pushed against him and squeezed upwards past him.


    ¡°Climb!¡± she snarled down at him.


    Nar took one last look at the blinding orange shining through the gap in the column, then he hurriedly climbed after Rel.


    Below, he heard the unmistakable sound of heavy things moving, and then, they were plunged into orange darkness, and silence fell upon them.

 Chapter 99 - Losing Control

    Nar panted in the sweltering darkness.


    He breathed. He inhaled with everything that he had. But it wasn¡¯t enough.


    A weight crushed his throat.


    He wanted to puke. He wanted to pass out.


    He couldn¡¯t breathe.


    He couldn¡¯t breathe!


    ¡°Use aura!¡± someone shouted from above. ¡°Use more aura!¡±


    Nar pulled on his. The pressure and boiling heat receded, and he collapsed against the ladder, breathing hard, drenched in sweat, his fingers slippery, desperately clinging onto the ladder.


    Slowly, his sight returned.


    Pressure was everywhere.


    It had nearly crushed him.


    As the exit they had miraculously taken had closed, the Pressure inside the column had shot up, and it had nearly strangled the life out of him.


    It was much dimmer than on the outside, but the weight was several times heavier. Here and there, brighter clumps of orange filtered in and out of the tight walls around them, providing spots of brighter illumination to the cramped space they found themselves in.


    Still trying to get his breathing under control, Nar looked behind him. The wall at his back was barely two hands breadth away from him. To say it was tight was an understatement.


    ¡°Keep climbing!¡± Cen¡¯s voice drifted down. ¡°We don¡¯t know how much aura we have left!¡±


    The words sounded muffled, as if blocked by the Pressure.


    Rel¡¯s foot moved one step higher, and Nar followed after her.


    Cen¡¯s call for them to keep going had sounded like something that Kur should have said, and Nar worried about how injured their party leader was. That spear of Pressure had come down right next to his leg. Nar didn¡¯t think it had actually hit the party leader, but its effect and heat alone had been enough to bring him down and to force Tuk to carry him. Hopefully Kur was able to Climb, and was already on the mend under his HP.


    Waiting for Rel to keep going, Nar glanced back down.


    His heart still hammered away in his chest, and just the memory of what they had narrowly avoided sped it up even further.


    His mind filled with that bright orange light that had almost been the end of him. It was yet another memory from the Climb that he would never forget.


    If the exit hadn¡¯t been so close to them¡­


    If the giant guardian had simply reached out with his massive limbs to crushed them instead¡­


    He shook his head.


    Just climb, man. Just climb¡­


    But it was hard not to think about it.


    The hopelessness of how he had felt shook him. He had felt hopeless before, of course, but guardians, normal sized ones that is, was something he could fight. And cannibals, something he could kill as long as he wasn¡¯t in a cage, perhaps with the exception of their boss¡­ But that giant, hulking machine? It had even messed with his head from afar! Their only option had been to escape. There was no way of fighting that thing.


    And the giant guardian hadn¡¯t been the only insurmountable obstacle they had faced.


    The Pressure wrapped, hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands more of guardians?


    And how big had those spear shooting guardians had to be to be able to reach them across such distances?


    Those flying spears had been a teaching moment to him.


    Jul had called them the big ones, the guardians that shot those thick, Pressure wrapped projectiles. But Nar hadn¡¯t actually managed to spot them, but he could imagine just how much bigger they had to be, compared to the poisoners and the bolters they had faced before.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about the fact that, as it turned out, those had been the easy, baby version of ranged guardians when compared to those long, Pressure burning and sapping spear shooting machines.


    But then again, had those ¡°baby¡± guardians ever been easy?


    In the beginning of his new path, he had struggled to block even two of those smaller bolts. But he had come through. He had proved himself on the bridges, and against every single ranged guardian except perhaps for the ones that shot explosives.


    This was no different. In time, he would be strong enough to withstand as many of those spears as they shot at him. In time, they too would be nothing to him.


    Perhaps, even that giant guardian would too, one day, not even be worth more than a sparing glance, if he ever truly became a Named Few¡­


    He snorted at that.


    However, was that the life that awaited him?


    To constantly feel weak in the face of new and growing challenges? But when would that end? When he became a Named Few and rescued his dad? Or was there more beyond that? Was there anything beyond that highest and brightest of places that was to be a Named Few?


    He paused in his climb.


    Was that what he wanted?


    He looked down, to the murky orange darkness he had come from.


    The power to cut that thing in half¡­ How would that feel?


    A Named Few could have done it. Somehow, he had no doubt of that. It was part of his faith. Of his belief. Perhaps even an army of those things couldn¡¯t even stop a Named Few. They were meant to be the ones right below the Crystal Almighty Itself, after all. They had to be powerful. And immensely so at that. Much, much beyond his current comprehension¡­


    He had to hope so, at least.


    That thing would be down there, waiting for him, when he returned for his dad. He would need to be strong enough to destroy it. He might just have to be strong enough to simply smash and break his way down to his dad, blowing through all and anything that tried to stand in his way.


    He had known he would need strength.


    Magic.


    Power.


    He hadn¡¯t expected it to be easy, or fast. But the more he Climbed, the more he realized that it wasn¡¯t an easy path that he had set himself up for.


    Far from it.


    It was probably one of the hardest he could¡¯ve chosen.


    But after that giant guardian, he now wondered by just how much he had underestimated his goal. And what the true cost of such power would be¡­


    For now, though, all he could do was keep Climbing after the others.


    *********Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Without his UI to tell him the time, it was impossible to keep track of it.


    He had a feeling they had been climbing for at least an hour, but it could have only been a few minutes.


    How tall was that column anyway? Surely, they were almost there by now, no?


    Then again, it had taken them long stretches of surely at least dozens of minutes to walk by those columns. And they were what, at least ten times higher than they were wide?


    Nar grimaced at the fact that they were climbing up inside one of those columns.


    He wondered how thick it was, and how strong. For all he knew, that giant guardian could be standing right outside of it, right next to him, at that very moment, watching him slowly progress up the ladder, debating whether to destroy the whole column with them inside it or to just let them go.


    The thought of that made the back of his neck itch.


    He looked up, but other than Rel, and beyond her, Gad¡¯s feet, there was nothing to see. No indication that the end was in sight.


    I hope we don¡¯t have to sleep in here. Wait. Is that even possible?


    He groaned to himself and kept climbing.


    No stamina or aura to check, or HP. He was completely in the dark.


    Not the best thing to think about.


    But then, what should he think about?


    Above him, Rel muttered to herself. Sometimes she laughed, quietly, under her breath. Sometimes she whimpered and mumbled repeated no¡¯s.


    I hope she¡¯s alright and that the Yearning behaves, Nar thought.


    Viy had already had a breakdown, and he wasn¡¯t sure of her current mental state. She was climbing, yes, but who was to say for how long? And in this dark, enclosed space, suffocated by deadly Pressure? It wasn¡¯t exactly the best for one¡¯s mental health.


    I wonder what in the pile is bothering her, Nar thought, grasping for anything to distract himself with.


    As an Unclean, Nar was more accustomed to suffering than many other Climbers. However, it was neither right, nor true, to say that he had it the worst.


    Yes, he had suffered. He had things locked away that the others couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine. But bad things happened to everyone. They were done by all types of workers. Take Jul¡¯s example. Or even Mul¡¯s.


    Perhaps, Viy had seen worse than he had. Or, given what Jul had said about her, done those things herself¡­ He couldn¡¯t discount that possibility. She could be running not from others, but from punishment.


    He shook his head. That line of thought brought him nowhere.


    Is there such a thing as a healer for your head? He wondered. Maybe we could take her to one.


    And why not? If there were infinite possibilities in the O-Nex, was it that far-fetched? There should be everything up there. Things and things and things he could not even begin to imagine or understand or even come up with


    I hope there is one. I hope she can get better.


    ¡°Ow!¡± he said, more in surprise than any actual pain.


    He had hit his head on something.


    He looked up, and found that it was Rel¡¯s foot.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re stopped,¡± she muttered. ¡°Viy¡¯s lost it again. For fuck¡¯s sake.¡±


    Nar grimaced and held his tongue.


    It¡¯s just the Yearning talking. She can¡¯t do anything about it.


    Or could she? He didn¡¯t know, and he didn¡¯t want to try and find out.


    Rel had been Climbing for a long time, and she the Yearning had been with her even before that. Who knew how close she was to her limits, and what fighting the Yearning non-stop like that did to her.


    Best to just endure it.


    From above, he heard the sound of Gad¡¯s muffled voice. Viy¡¯s too. And someone else¡¯s.


    Cen, maybe? Hard to make it through the Pressure.


    Right above his head, Rel¡¯s foot started tapping, and he lowered himself to get some space between the two of them.


    Must be quite something, whatever it is she yearns for¡­ Can¡¯t just be some light and color. It has to be something that matters. That means something. But what in the Nexus could it be, that reaches all the way down here to get at her, and all of her kind?


    He hoped to see it one day. If Rel stayed with them.


    With us? He thought, surprised.


    Was there an us after the Climb?


    ¡°Come on! We¡¯re losing aura here!¡± Rel suddenly shouted.


    Damn.


    ¡°Be patient,¡± Gad said from above. ¡°Rushing it won¡¯t do any good.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to die here! Make her move!¡± Rel said. ¡°Or I will.¡±


    Nar barely recognized her voice.


    ¡°Rel. Control yourself,¡± Gad told her.


    That seemed to have done something, and Rel went quiet.


    Maybe he should try and distract her at least.


    ¡°Rel?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m okay?¡±


    Yeah, that one¡¯s on me.


    ¡°Do you¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, shut up. I¡¯m trying to focus,¡± Rel said.


    Nar grimaced. ¡°Ok. I¡¯m here¡­ If you need me.¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply.


    Nar sighed and leaned back against the wall, trying to get comfortable. Who knew how long it would take them to calm Viy down.


    Hmm. Maybe I could sleep like this. But if I move though¡­ He sighed, peering down. That¡¯s a long way to fall.


    The unknown time continued to flow.


    He wondered if the others had continued climbing onwards, or if they were there too, waiting for them.


    Maybe Kur¡¯s resting. I wonder how he¡¯s doing¡­


    It was impressive of Kur how he managed to keep up the pace, climbing this far up as quickly as he had. As far as he could tell, their leader hadn¡¯t even used his [Healing Boon]. Perhaps he had healed enough already, or perhaps he hadn¡¯t been hit as badly as Nar had thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯ve had enough!¡±


    Nar looked up in time to see the sudden gleam of an arrow.


    He jumped, pressing her body against the ladder and holding Rel in place with his own body.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked, shocked.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± she hissed at him.


    Her nails flailed at him, and she scratched him with the arrow.


    The two of them wrestled for control over it. She elbowed him and tried to kick him, but he held, and eventually he managed to snatch the arrow from her hand.


    Before she could pull another from her storage, Nar slashed her across the shoulder with it.


    Rel cried in pain, and went limp in his arms.


    Nar, cautiously, ready for her to start fighting again, shifted his weight to better support them.


    The archer trembled in his arms, breathing hard.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she whispered. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Is she okay?¡± Gad asked, looking down at them.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Nar told her. ¡°I got this. You focus on Viy.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Take care of her, then.¡±


    Nar nodded and Gad turned back up.


    Rel was now shaking, shuddering under big, heavy sobs.


    ¡°Rel?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m losing it,¡± she whispered. ¡°It¡¯s starting¡­¡±


    ¡°No! No, it¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is! I know the signs!¡± she cried. ¡°They taught me about them, and I¡¯ve seen them my whole life!¡±


    Nar rubbed her back, unsure of what to do.


    ¡°I was ready to attack them, Nar¡­ To kill them! Just to get them out of my way! This is how the end begins!¡±


    ¡°It will be okay,¡± he whispered, uselessly.


    ¡°How?¡± she asked him. Pleaded with him. ¡°How is any of this going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°The pain brought you back, right?¡± Nar asked. ¡°You just need to hold on a bit longer. We¡¯re already in the Upper Levels. We¡¯ll be out soon! We have to!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± she said. ¡°And I¡¯m getting weaker and weaker, and I can¡¯t even sleep.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you with that.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°It won¡¯t be enough. I¡¯ll start losing control, and it will get worse. I can attack you all. Even you.¡±


    ¡°Good luck with that.¡±


    ¡°Nar¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do anything to me,¡± he said, his tone firm.


    She sighed and leaned her forehead against the uneven ladder.


    ¡°You guys should just leave me behind, before I do something,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of us now. You¡¯re never staying behind.¡±


    She turned back around to look at him, as much as she could.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you listening to anything I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t leave people behind, Rel. And you are one of us now,¡± Nar said, staring into her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re all in this together, or not at all. That¡¯s the greatest lesson we¡¯ve learned. In this Climb, we only have each other. We¡¯ll be there to cut and stab you as much as you need it. We¡¯ll cut you up from head to toe, before we give up on you. We¡¯ll beat you up, and tie you up with our own clothes if we have to! But we will not give up on you! Do you understand?¡±


    They were silent for a bit, staring into each other.


    ¡°You¡¯re hurting me.¡±


    Nar jerked back. ¡°Shit! Sorry, I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Thank you,¡± she mumbled. ¡°Although, that stuff you said was kinda scary. Please don¡¯t beat and cut me up.¡±


    Nar couldn''t hold back the laughter of relief. ¡°Well, keep your shit together, and I won''t have to.¡±


    She laughed too and leaned back against him, resting her head back against his shoulder.


    ¡°Do you want me to¡­¡±


    ¡°Please stay. It helps.¡±


    Nar stayed where he was, and took a slow deep breath. Rel was back in control.


    Bits of bright orange streaked past them, and the conversation from above drifted downwards to them.


    ¡°I never wanted it! Never!¡± Viy was saying.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we know,¡± Gad told her in a soothing tone.


    ¡°It was not my choice! I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. Please forgive me?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing to forgive, Viy!¡± Cen said. ¡°You hear me? You did nothing wrong!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Rel closed her eyes.


    ¡°Something bad happened to her,¡± she said. ¡°Something very bad.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all Climbers for a reason,¡± Nar said, echoing Gad¡¯s words. ¡°Some heavier than others, but all of them valid.¡±


    Rel snorted. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle we¡¯ve made it this far, considering how broken we all are. Not to mention bridges, guardians, and cannibals¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve come this far. We¡¯ll make it to the end,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°I hope so. I really do.¡±


    Her breathing slowly returned to normal, and Nar too, slowly felt the adrenaline leaving him. Suddenly, he felt very, very tired.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re tired, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°We all are.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Rel, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    He looked up, looking for the right words, and sighed.


    ¡°Look Rel, I don¡¯t hate you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she asked, surprised.


    ¡°I said, I don¡¯t hate you. You asked me before. I didn¡¯t know what to tell you then, and I still don¡¯t know what to think about you, to be honest. But I know that I don¡¯t hate you,¡± Nar said. ¡°You¡¯re one of us. I would like for you to survive this and find what you yearn for. For you to find your happiness up there, whatever that means to you. Yes, your Yearning is¡­ A pain to deal with. And yes, you¡¯ve done¡­ Things. But you¡¯re here now, with us. And that¡¯s what matters. Is it right, is it wrong? I don¡¯t know. Honestly, I¡¯m too tired to care about it. But right now, you¡¯re one of us. We¡¯ll look after you, and you¡¯ll look after us. That¡¯s it. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Nar frowned. ¡°Are you crying?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gad called from above. ¡°We¡¯re moving again. You guys okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll be right behind you,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Good. The others have gone on up. Come on, there¡¯s still a ways to go.¡±


    Gad started climbing again, her steps echoing dully above them. Rel, without a word, slipped past Nar and followed after the tank.


    Nar watched her go for a few seconds. He had meant every word. He truly hoped that her, and all of them, made it to the end. Safe and alive, to discover what that O-Nex even looked like.

 Chapter 100 - More Than A Party

    ¡°I can see the end!¡± Rel shouted down at him.


    ¡°Oh, thank the Crystal!¡± Nar muttered.


    He had been forced to dip into his [Strength] and [Stamina] to make it as far as he had. Parrying those few spears had wrecked him, sapping the strength out of his muscles.


    The air cooled as they got nearer to the end, and that seemed to propel everyone to draw from their stamina and willpower with renewed vigor, and climb that bit more quickly.


    After what felt like an eternity, Rel disappeared above him.


    A hand showed up before his face, and he took it gladly.


    Tuk pulled him into a much darker and normal looking corridor.


    At a glance, Nar saw normal walls and floor, and a normal low ceiling above his head.


    There was no Pressure in sight.


    He took a deep breath and exhaled, and withdrew his aura back into himself. Into the bar or the ball, he didn¡¯t know or cared at that moment where it went.


    The temperature plunged dramatically. It was so sudden that he shivered.


    My aura was hot? Or did it just trap it? Or¡­


    His line of thought stopped dead.


    The mystery, another one, would have to wait.


    In the low, orange light that filtered in from the hole below them, the party had been split.


    One side, everyone else, with Gad standing in front of them, with her shield and mace drawn out.


    On the other side, Rel and himself stood.


    Oh¡­ Right, he remembered.


    He felt like he was back down there again, much deeper into the B-Nex, right after destroying the Sentry. It had been Cen who had been left isolated then, and now it was Rel¡¯s turn.


    ¡°Are you under control?¡± Gad asked.


    At her side stood Kur. He favored his left leg, so he must actually be injured. His buckler and mace were on his hands as well.


    To the other side of Gad stood Tuk. The trugger looked sad. While his rings were in his fingers, his posture lacked even the barest hint of violence or the desire for it.


    Behind them, stood Jul, staring very wide eyed at everyone. She had no weapons in her hands, something for which Nar was grateful.


    And finally, behind them, Cen watched over Viy and an injured Mul.


    Rel took a step sideways, leaving some room between herself and Nar.


    ¡°I am,¡± she replied.


    Gad looked at Nar.


    ¡°She is. At least, as far as I can tell,¡± Nar answered truthfully.


    Kur and Gad lowered their weapons, visibly relieved, but did not put them away. A hint of smile gleamed on Tuk¡¯s face, but it was gone before Nar could be sure it had been there at all.


    ¡°Rel, what happened?¡± Kur asked. ¡°And tell us everything.¡±


    Rel nodded and hung her head low. ¡°I lost control.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Gad asked. She wanted the truth, and she wouldn''t relent till she got it.


    ¡°I¡­ I got desperate. I thought that Viy was going to get us killed in there. I-I panicked.¡±


    ¡°How did you regain control?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Nar cut me.¡±


    ¡°He cut you?¡± Kur asked, frowning at Nar.


    ¡°The pain¡­ It helps me focus. Helps me stay me,¡± Rel whispered.


    ¡°How did you know to cut her?¡± Kur asked Nar.


    ¡°She does it herself,¡± Nar said, hiding nothing. ¡°At night, when she thinks we''re asleep. And I can¡¯t have been the only one that noticed that. Or her bloody fingers after every fight.¡±


    Kur seemed taken aback at his words. At the implied accusation that they carried.


    ¡°And she told me. That hurting herself keeps her sane,¡± Nar added. ¡°So yes, I knew what to do.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell him with the intention that he would do it, in case you lost control?¡± Gad asked the archer.


    Rel¡¯s head lowered further. ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t ask him to do it, but I hoped that he would. If need be.¡±


    Kur sighed and put his weapons away. At that, both Gad and Tuk did the same.


    ¡°You know how this looks like, right?¡± the party leader asked Rel.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You should have told us everything. It was part of our deal!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I-I didn¡¯t expect this to happen so quickly!¡± she stammered. ¡°I don¡¯t know how it got this bad all of a sudden! It seemed fine after I joined up with you guys!¡±


    ¡°But you did expect it,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°I¡­ Yes. I did.¡±


    Gad rubbed her chin and considered the sorry looking archer.


    ¡°So, what is happening? Tell us,¡± the tank commanded. ¡°And leave nothing out.¡±


    Rel looked up. She glanced at Nar, searching his eyes. For what, he didn¡¯t know. He could help her, and he had, and he would. But this was her battle.


    He gave her a nod, and that was everything he could do for her now.


    Rel too a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve entered the last stage of the Yearning,¡± she said.


    ¡°And what does that mean?¡± Gad asked. Her voice had changed into one much the same as a mother would use to talk with her child. The child was in trouble, yes, but the parent was worried, and wanted the whole story, to learn and understand what it could do to help.


    ¡°I can start losing control from now on. I don¡¯t know if I will, but most likely, I will. I will do things. Say things. Ask or even¡­ Suggest things. All to stay alive. To get out, as quickly as possible. Before I die.¡±


    Kur passed a hand over his forehead. Nar could tell that he was tired. Tired and injured.


    Not only had they escaped with their lives against an enemy the likes of which they had never even imagined possible, he had also been forced to climb for hours, injured and bleeding and smothered by Pressure.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    He didn¡¯t need this. He needed sleep. They all did. But this had to be fixed.


    ¡°Is cutting the only way?¡± their party leader asked.


    ¡°Cutting. Pain. It will help. For now, at least.¡±


    ¡°And if it stops helping?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ All I know is that my impulses will get stronger. They will try to take over. They¡­ I will do anything to survive. To get out. And then, near the end, I will be in control again. But it will be too late by then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so messed up,¡± Tuk said, shaking his head.


    Kur looked up, at the very, very low and dark ceiling above him. Then back at her again.


    ¡°You see my dilemma, right?¡±


    Rel nodded.


    ¡°Not only can you, and probably will, try to hurt one of us, you can also do it at the worst possible time. There is now a genuine chance that you can get one, or even all of us killed, in your need to get out.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rel whispered.


    Kur raised his hands and dropped them powerlessly. ¡°What would you do, if you were me?¡±


    ¡°Kick me out. I¡¯m too much of a risk. Also¡­ I deserve it. As punishment for everything.¡±


    ¡°How hard was it to say that?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Very¡­¡± Rel whispered, looking like she was about to faint.


    ¡°Which only makes this worse,¡± Kur said.


    He took a few steps away from everyone and stared into the darkness on one end of the corridor.


    No one else said anything. They just stared in awkward silence.


    Nar felt almost like an outsider, looking into proceedings that had nothing to do with him. That was perhaps a remnant of the old him. Or perhaps, the part of him that had wanted to use and discard them all for his Climb still lived within him, deep down somewhere. However, he would keep that part of himself down. With everything he got. More than his life, his dad would want him to live without regret and shame, and more and more, he was starting to understand a little bit of what that meant.


    ¡°She stays,¡± he spoke.


    Eyes turned to him.


    Tuk smiled and nodded.


    Gad stared with a blank expression.


    Jul smiled too. A shy, but genuine smile.


    Mul frowned, but he said nothing.


    Cen nodded slowly, biting her lip.


    And Viy, Viy stared at him. He couldn¡¯t be entirely sure she wasn¡¯t just staring off into nothing, but he felt like she was focused on him.


    ¡°Why?¡± Kur asked, turning around. ¡°Why should she? Because she¡¯s one of us now?¡±


    Nar shrugged.


    ¡°Yes. And also because it¡¯s fair.¡±


    He took a step forward towards her, closing the distance she had created.


    He raised his hand and pointed at Mul.


    ¡°He stayed.¡±


    He pointed at Viy.


    ¡°She stayed.¡±


    He pointed at Cen.


    ¡°She stayed.¡±


    He pointed to Jul.


    ¡°She stayed.¡±


    He pointed at Kur.


    ¡°You stayed.¡±


    Then he pointed at himself.


    ¡°I stayed.¡±


    And at last, he pointed at Gad and Tuk.


    ¡°The only one¡¯s here who haven¡¯t really done anything wrong are Gad and Tuk. They¡¯ve done their job. They¡¯ve been reliable and dependable in every way. Every day, and all the time except for when Tas got the better of us. And we can¡¯t really blame them for it. At least I don¡¯t. As for the rest of us, we all screwed up at some point, nearly getting the rest of us killed.¡±


    He swept the party with his gaze, feeling the weight of their stares.


    ¡°Mul and Viy almost got us killed at the end of the tutorial. Cen hid her [Aura Projectile] from us, when it could have made our lives that much easier and safer. Viy lost it when the cannibals attacked the plant, and when we were running away, and now today as well. Three times she has done it, and always at critical moments. Jul hid her daggers from us, pretending that she couldn¡¯t fight, when we could have desperately used another fighter. And you,¡± he said, pointing at Kur. ¡°You ran from your responsibilities when it became too heavy, and we almost became food. No, it wasn¡¯t just your failing then, but yours was the worst. And I? I didn¡¯t even think you guys were worthy of dying for. You were my tools for me to Climb, so that one day I could save my dad. I also hid my aura, and I ran from it. Those cannibals would¡¯ve been nothing if I¡¯d just done what I had to do. Yes, I had my reasons, but there were consequences. I, and everyone here who refused to use aura, almost got us all to die then, and in the worst way possible.¡±


    Nar took a deep breath, but he wasn¡¯t finished yet. It was like something had broken within him, and things were spilling out. And they would spill until he was done.


    ¡°We¡¯ve screwed up. We¡¯ve learned from it. Forgiven each other for it. Grown stronger for it. Closer. Are we done screwing up? No, we¡¯re not. Are we done with the secrets? No, we¡¯re not. Why did you leave Kur? You¡¯re a management brat? You had the best life of all of us. Why did you throw it all away for certain death? And Viy, I at least don¡¯t know what she did or what happened to her, but I suffer from it, and it sucks, but it¡¯s fine, we deal with it as a party,¡± he took a quick breath, feeling his heart hammering in his chest. ¡°And why did Tuk leave? Or Gad? We don¡¯t really know. We don¡¯t have to. We will, when they¡¯re ready, or it blows up in our faces. The point is, we need each other. We are the party. We are the whole Nexus. Us, these nine people here. Rel needs us, and we will help her. Just like we¡¯ll continue helping Viy, or anyone else for that matter. And that¡­ That¡¯s why she¡¯s staying.¡±


    Nar¡¯s breathe was loud in the silence that followed his words. Feeling increasingly awkward, but not regretful, he looked from one person to the other, waiting for any one of them to say anything.


    ¡°We¡¯re not kicking her out,¡± Gad said, at last.


    ¡°Yeah, man,¡± Kur said, rubbing the back of his neck. ¡°I just wanted to know everything. Damn. You didn¡¯t have to trash me like that.¡±


    Nar stared in confusion.


    ¡°I feel bad,¡± Jul said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I hid my daggers. I¡¯m a bad person.¡±


    ¡°What? Wait-No, I was just¡­¡±


    ¡°Aha!¡± Tuk shouted. ¡°Bask in my unfucked up glory, you losers!¡±


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m unfucked up too!¡± Gad said. ¡°And you should have told us what was going on with you back then. So, I don¡¯t agree with Nar on that point.¡±


    ¡°Ah, fair¡­¡± Tuk said, nodding. ¡°That was on me.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m sorry I put our lives at risk,¡± Cen said, in a tiny voice.


    ¡°No! I was just saying stuff that already happened,¡± Nar said, panicking. ¡°Why are you¡­¡±


    Kur snorted. ¡°We¡¯re just messing you, man. Relax. And it¡¯s nice to see that you care so much.¡±


    ¡°I always knew he did,¡± Gad said. ¡°Especially after he killed a thousand cannibals just to save Viy.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡± Rel asked. There were tears at the corner of her eyes, but she seemed to have been shocked out of crying.


    ¡°There weren¡¯t that many¡­¡± Nar said. He was feeling lost in all of this.


    ¡°Probably were,¡± Mul said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised. He was covered in blood, guts and shit when we finally found them.¡±


    ¡°He was holding her up, too,¡± Tuk said, raising his arms to mimic it. ¡°And he was seating on a pile of dead bodies! It was quite something.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that!¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said a dreamy voice that startled them all.


    They all turned and found Viy smiling at Nar. ¡°Thank you, and for the second time as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Uh. You¡¯re welcome. No-No problem!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting a bit sidetracked here,¡± Kur said.


    He walked towards the alfin, and placed a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Rel, you were never going to be kicked out. But I needed the truth from you, and for you to understand the gravity of what just happened,¡± he told her. ¡°Fair or unfair, it¡¯s up to you to stay under control, and I wanted you to understand the consequences of it. We took you in. We decided to trust you one more time. I wanted to make sure your plan wasn¡¯t to just kick us, and jump into another party at the first opportunity.¡±


    ¡°No! Never!¡± she said, shaking her head vigorously.


    ¡°Then understand that you almost did something really bad today, and fight your Yearning. Fight it with all you have. I know it''s unfair of me to ask it, but we¡¯re putting our lives in your hands here.¡±


    ¡°I will fight it, I swear!¡± Rel whispered.


    The shocked tears now fell freely.


    ¡°That is all I ask. For you to fight, and for you to always be truthful. So that we can plan. So that we can think about solutions together, and with time and preparation. So that we can help you, and keep us safe as well. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, I do. But what about¡­ Before¡­¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t there,¡± he said. ¡°None of us were. Whatever happened¡­ That¡¯s between you and the Crystal. We accept you as you are.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    Kur grinned. ¡°Yes, we do¡­ So let me properly welcome you to the party. Welcome, Rel. You¡¯re one of us, and we won¡¯t leave you behind. Not for anything. You understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, like family,¡± Gad said, nodding sagely.


    Rel sobbed and rushed into Kur¡¯s arms. Her tears were hot and furious, and she cried with all her might.


    Kur held her in a tight embrace and stroked her head gently.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay now. You¡¯re not alone anymore,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re all in this together, and we will help you find what you yearn for.¡±


    She nodded against him, not able to speak.


    ¡°To Rel! Whoop-whoop!¡± Tuk shouted, bumping his fist in the air.


    ¡°Not so loud!¡± Jul hissed, looking at the darkness around them with a nervous look.


    ¡°Welcome to the party,¡± Cen said.


    Mul grunted something, carefully folding his healing arms.


    ¡°Welcome,¡± Jul said, though she still kept staring at their surroundings.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Rel said, pulling away from Kur. ¡°But please, don¡¯t cut me up from head to toe.¡±


    ¡°What? Why would we do that?¡± Kur asked.


    Rel stared at Nar.


    ¡°I swear, between you and Viy, I¡¯m never saying anything ever again,¡± he muttered. ¡°You know what I meant!¡±


    Rel burst out laughing and the others soon joined in.


    Before anyone could say anything, however, a window popped open in front of Nar.


    ¡°Ugh! What now!¡± Mul said. ¡°Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re having a moment here?¡±


    Nar read what was on the window.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    The Final Stretch


    Uncommon


    <u>Reward</u>: Reach the exit to the O-Nex


    You have made it to the final stretch. Enough Climbers have gathered. The Gates will open.


    Make your way to the Gates. The gates will open in 15 days, 08 hours, 32 minutes and 02 seconds.


    If you miss this chance, you will remain in the B-Nex for a time undetermined, until you can try again.


    You cannot decline this quest.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Oh, my Crystal¡­¡± Tuk whispered. ¡°Guys! It¡¯s the exit! We¡¯re almost there!¡±


    Yellow arrows sprung to life at their feet, leading from the orange hole and into the darkness at the end of the corridor to their left.


    Nar stared in disbelief, between the path at his feet, and the words in the quest. It was real. The exit was real, and it was within 15 days of Climbing. He could scarcely believe that he was actually that close to the end of the Climb.


    ¡°We can get out,¡± Kur whispered, staring just as stunned at the yellow arrows. ¡°We can actually get out¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gad said. ¡°And we will! All of us. Together!¡±

 Chapter 101 - Arrows

    They walked away from that hole, and the orange became yellow once more.


    They were dragging their feet and barely standing upright, but nobody wanted to sleep next to that damned thing. They were sick of Pressure and of that orange light.


    Yes. Even Nar was.


    After a while, Kur ordered a halt.


    ¡°We can talk tomorrow,¡± he said. ¡°For now, well done everyone. We made it through. For now, eat, sleep and heal. When we wake up, we¡¯ll worry about what comes next. But for now, we all need rest. You hear me?¡±


    The chorus of yeses was low and frail. Even with the excitement of knowing that they were close to the exit running through their veins and minds, possibly less than 15 days away at that, there was only so much a sentient could take.


    Mul alone muttered something about the lack of experience and gains.


    Nar, however, was out before he could muster enough strength to eat. He sat down with his back against the wall, and was gone before any of the others.


    When he woke up, he found Gad and Kur already awake.


    They sat with their backs straight and propped against the wall, their eyes closed and their expressions serene.


    Kur opened his eyes as he heard movement.


    ¡°Oh, Nar. Nice that you¡¯re awake,¡± he said, in a hushed tone, so as to not wake up the others. ¡°Eat first, you didn¡¯t eat yesterday. Then do the [Meditation]. We needed all the aura you had down there, and we might need it again.¡±


    Nar nodded.


    ¡°And Nar? Thank you. For the aura, and for Rel,¡± he said. ¡°And for everything, really.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ No worries,¡± Nar said, looking awkwardly away.


    ¡°Go on. I want us up and ready as soon as possible. We¡¯re on a timer now. The end¡¯s finally coming.¡±


    ¡°Finally!¡± Nar said, grinning.


    Kur smiled and closed his eyes again.


    Nar quickly got something in his mouth and chewed happily.


    The Final Stretch! This is it! We¡¯re getting out! By the Crystal, we¡¯re getting out!


    It was hard to stick to his [Meditation] skill, but eventually, he managed to drift off into its quiet, warm embrace. However, just as he was about to let himself go into the skill, he remembered something.


    Oh! Cen wanted me to check my aura!


    Extricating himself from his meditation, Nar checked his status.


    <ol start="214">


    <li> Crystal¡­ That was close.</li>


    </ol>


    Covering them from the surge of Pressure that had almost wiped out the party, had taken much more from him than he had expected.


    I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it again. If the exit hadn¡¯t shown up¡­


    He exhaled slowly. Another near death.


    Had the Crystal offered them the exit right as they had needed it, or had their escape been the real test, and first, they had been exhausted of their aura so that they couldn¡¯t use it properly to run away? They had even been deprived of their UIs, so there had been no telling how much each of them still had¡­


    Nar shook his head. There was no point to those thoughts. They had made it, and that was all that mattered.


    Moving past those thoughts, he closed his eyes and went down into himself, to where the ball of light, the internal aura as Cen had named it, floated in the darkness.


    What even is this place? Nar wondered, looking at the darkness that surrounded him. If only the System had been forthright with its information.


    He approached the ball, and once again wrapped his arms around it.


    Uh¡­ Looks the same?


    He tried it a few more times, but he honestly could not find any difference.


    Hmm¡­ Well, I''ll just let Cen know, I guess.


    With that taken care of, he returned to his [Meditation].


    When he heard the noise level increasing around him, he thought it was time to finish.


    A shame I need to give it up. I actually really like this [Meditation] skill.


    He felt a little slow coming back into his surroundings. Things looked strangely blurry, almost dreamlike. When he focused on his shoe, it sharpened beyond the clear sightedness, almost shining in his eyes. Every single detail, and grain and speck of iridescent purple came to life before him. It was almost breathtaking.


    Even amongst his moving and chatting party, it still felt quiet inside his head. Peaceful.


    A shame, really.


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    Nar turned around to his left, slowly. Tuk waved at him.


    The ring tosser sat by his side, munching on a cracker with a look that alternated between the serene, something akin to happiness, and a deep frown.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Nar said. ¡°Is everything ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ We¡¯ve gotten the exit quest, we¡¯ve escaped that horrible Pressure, bonded together, tighter than ever before¡­¡± he said. ¡°So yeah, I¡¯d say that everything is more than okay!¡±


    Nar grimaced. ¡°Your ring though.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s something we need to talk about.¡±


    Tuk finished chewing and swallowed, then he fixed Nar with a stare.


    ¡°Nar, you have to promise me you will never do that again,¡± Tuk said. ¡°No weapon, no thing, is worth your life.¡±


    Nar looked away. ¡°It¡¯s not just any weapon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is!¡± Tuk said. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can get another ring up there. I can probably get a brand-new set of much better rings than these trashy things! So no, it¡¯s not worth it! Promise me you won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    ¡°... fine. I couldn¡¯t get it anyways.¡±


    ¡°But you were going to if I hadn¡¯t stopped you!¡± Tuk said, shaking his head. ¡°Crazy idiot! You¡¯re more important to me than some rings, man. Stay alive!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Okay.¡±


    ¡°Good, and don¡¯t forget it. Next time you pull something like this, we¡¯ll have to move that joke from twice to thrice, you hear me?¡±


    Nar laughed.


    ¡°I''m serious, man!¡±


    ¡°Alright. Alright. I won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    Tuk flashed him one of his big, bright smiles, then got up.


    ¡°Tuk?¡± Nar called.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re important to me too, man.¡±


    ¡°Ah, stop it,¡± the trugger said. ¡°But thanks Nar, I appreciate it. I really do. Just stay alive, alright? We still have all of our adventures in the O-Nex ahead of us!¡±


    ¡°And in the Labyrinth too?¡± Nar asked, on a sudden whim.


    He had never asked what any of them intended to do after their Climb was over, but for some reason, he had started to think, no, expect, that they would all continue their adventures together. And after all, no one had said anything about putting down their weapons back then, when Kur had asked them all if they cared about magic.


    Tuk¡¯s face brightened. ¡°Of course, man! That¡¯s where the greatest adventures are, right? You and me, man. And everyone, I think. Maybe? It¡¯s going to be awesome!¡±


    Nar laughed and waved at his back.


    It will definitely be much better if I¡¯m with someone I know. Even better if I¡¯m with all of them¡­


    He took a deep breath, and got up. For some reason, he couldn¡¯t make the small smile that adorned his lips go away.


    Things were looking up. The exit was finally coming, they were all still alive, and he might even have company to go into the Labyrinth with.


    Yes. Things were definitely looking up.


    ¡°Alright! Gather round everyone. Gather round!¡± Kur called.


    Their party leader rubbed his hands while he waited for them to form in a tight semi-circle around him, with the shortest people at the front.


    ¡°Right. So, the exit. Yesterday, I purposely didn¡¯t talk about any of this because we all needed to rest, and I appreciate the patience¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± Mul asked, frowning. ¡°I¡¯ve been good!¡±


    ¡°And that there was no panic.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m okay,¡± Rel said, when Kur looked at her next.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Good, now, keeping the same mindset¡­¡±


    ¡°Why does he keep staring at me?¡± Mul whispered at Cen.


    ¡°Shhh!¡±


    ¡°I want us to consider the worst,¡± Kur continued with a grimace. ¡°We may be too far to make it on time.¡±


    ¡°Do you feel anything?¡± Gad asked. ¡°Like before¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Not really. I¡­ Well to be honest, I think I could¡¯ve just been going crazy back there. It¡¯s a real possibility, Gad, and we can¡¯t ignore it. I don¡¯t feel anything right now, and until I unlock a new attribute there¡¯s no point in thinking about it. Jul is and remains our only guide. And thank you, Jul, for finding us a way out of that mess yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I-Yes. No worries!¡±


    Nar clapped her in the shoulder and she flashed him a shy but very proud grin.


    ¡°Thank you as well, Nar, for your aura which kept us alive. As well as everyone, for holding on and keeping us in place. Cen, thank you for opening the way for us, with your aura knowledge, and everyone, really, for keeping it together and being there for each other. We made it thanks to all of us working together.¡±


    ¡°As always,¡± Gad said. ¡°We are stronger together.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are. With that said, and conscious of the time, there isn¡¯t really anything much to talk about,¡± Kur said. ¡°We will walk and walk fast. We won¡¯t be going late into the night anymore, though. We don¡¯t know what else is going to be thrown at us, only that something will, and we¡¯ll need to be ready for it. I want everyone to use their [Mediation] every night and to make sure that aura bar is always as full as possible. Other than that, keep going as you are. You¡¯re doing great, and let''s get this Climb finished!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing great too,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Is that to make up for yesterday''s bashing?¡± Kur asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    They all laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m joking, Kur. You¡¯re doing great,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Ah. Hmm. Thanks! Alright, store everything, and let¡¯s go! And in formation please!¡±


    Within a few minutes, they were ready and following the yellow arrows once more.


    Tuk joked with Kur and Mul, and somehow the two of them managed to not be at each other''s throats. Gad seemed to be able to extract a bit of a slow conversation from Viy. Jul had disappeared to go scout up ahead, to check for any surprises. Rel walked with a vague smile on her face, enjoying her own company and, Nar hoped, maybe some peace and quiet inside her own mind.


    That left Cen, who walked alone. The caster held a hand to her chin, and barely seemed to look at where she was going.


    Probably thinking about aura again. Oh¡­ That¡¯s right!


    ¡°Cen,¡± he called her.


    Cen looked up and back at him. Nar motioned for her to come over.


    Cen looked at Kur, who was watching the interchange, and he gave her a nod.


    The caster broke off the formation and waited for Nar and Rel to catch up with her.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± she asked, falling into step with the two of them.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. I just remembered our conversation about aura from before.¡±


    Her face lit up. ¡°Oh! The external and internal auras?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Rel asked.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, yes!¡± the caster said, clapping her hands.


    Cen quickly brought her up to speed on the whole conversation she and Nar had had.


    ¡°Internal and external¡­ Makes sense, I guess,¡± Rel said.


    Cen nodded and turned to Nar expectantly. ¡°So, did you find something out?¡±


    ¡°Not sure to be honest, but I do have something to tell you.¡±


    Her grin was contagious, and he could tell she barely managed to bit her tongue and not bombard him with questions.


    ¡°So, two things. Two things? Well, I¡¯ll let you decide¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± she said, practically bouncing on her feet.


    ¡°So, the first one, this morning I remembered to check my internal aura before using [Meditation]. Although I was down to 214 points on the external aura, the internal one looked the same.¡±


    ¡°By the Crystal¡­ No difference at all?¡± she said.


    Nar shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t really know what that even means for us,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°Yeah... Well, the second thing was that I can still use my aura on my sword, just like before.¡±


    ¡°Not on a skill?¡±


    ¡°Not on a skill. But it wasn¡¯t as strong as the skill, though.¡±


    ¡°What skill was that?¡±


    Nar brought up his [Aura Attack] skill into his UI and read it out loud for them.


    ¡°An attack that does an extra n * 0.55 damage, where n is the amount of aura points you wish to use. Extra damage modifiers can be triggered, based on several factors such as¡­ Here, there is no more information available¡­ And then, it ends with, it costs n points of aura.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s basically my [Aura Arrow],¡± Rel said. ¡°But considering all the aura you have. Damn¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Cen made, considering this new information. ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell whether the skill is stronger, or if you just didn¡¯t push as much aura into the sword yourself.¡±


    ¡°The aura did look stronger on my sword with the skill. More solid too,¡± Nar told her. ¡°But yes, you could be right. Maybe I just didn¡¯t push enough aura into it.¡±


    ¡°But then, if that¡¯s what happened, what''s the point of having the skill?¡± Rel asked. ¡°I can just push aura into my arrows myself.¡±


    Nar was silent for a moment, trying to remember anything else of value. ¡°Actually, I think that the skill was easier.¡±


    ¡°Than pushing out your aura directly?¡± Cen asked.


    ¡°Yes. I¡­ Yes, I''m pretty sure, actually! Like the difference between thinking of the skill versus having to actually and manually push the aura out,¡± Nar mused. ¡°But I¡¯ll check again next time.¡±


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t do that!¡± Cen said.


    Nar chuckled. ¡°In combat, Cen. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to do anything stupid.¡±


    She frowned at him, but nodded.


    ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t use it more than you need¡­ And so, the internal aura does not match the external aura,¡± she said. ¡°We can use the external aura, or, what we assume is the external aura, with a skill or directly. Using it with a skill does makes it easier to use, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about it. Does it help?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Cen answered truthfully. ¡°I don¡¯t understand any of this. There¡¯s just not enough information.¡±


    ¡°No more information available¡­¡± Rel muttered.


    Cen nodded. ¡°I don''t think we can figure this out by ourselves. Not without knowing more. And I doubt we¡¯ll learn anything more down here.¡±


    Ner patted her shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself over it. You¡¯re smart. You¡¯ll figure something out. And anyways, we¡¯ll be out soon. You¡¯ll have all the information you need out there.¡±


    Cen smiled. ¡°That will be nice.¡±


    A sudden string of notes interrupted their conversation.


    ¡°One. Two. Three,¡± Rel counted.


    ¡°Jul wants us to stop,¡± Nar said.


    He turned on his UI and as expected, Jul¡¯s portrait was flashing gray.


    The string of notes came back again, and then once more, before it went quiet.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s in trouble,¡± Kur said, approaching them. ¡°Can you sense anything?¡±


    Nar pushed on his [Smell] and [Hearing], and to his surprise, he did sense something.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Rel asked.


    ¡°The air¡­ There¡¯s a smell to it,¡± Nar said with a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, though. I¡¯ve never smelled something like that¡­ Or, have I? And there¡¯s a sound too. It¡¯s like someone¡¯s whistling.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not concerning at all,¡± Kur muttered. ¡°I guess we just have to wait for her to come back and see what she found.¡±


    Kur walked away to talk with the others, and Nar focused back on his senses.


    That smell told him nothing. He couldn¡¯t even tell if it was pleasant or not, though it tickled something at the back of his mind. And the sound was even more intriguing. Eerie even.


    That can¡¯t be someone whistling, though, can it?


    Another string of notes.


    She¡¯s coming back.


    That at least brought him some relief. Whatever she had found, she wasn¡¯t in danger.


    A few minutes later, Jul was back, dashing towards them through the darkness and making herself visible again.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Kur asked her.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, but I think there¡¯s a problem,¡± she said. ¡°Our path might be broken, and there¡¯s a hole in the wall.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mul said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The path disappears, and then suddenly it appears again, but the arrows are all wrong. Some of them point backwards, others to the walls. And the path is flashing, on and off, and missing bits.¡±


    ¡°You found the path out there, without us?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°Yes. And then, it stopped again, right in front of this hole in the wall,¡± she said. ¡°And it¡¯s not like a door. The wall is broken. And inside, there¡¯s another corridor, but everything¡¯s also broken in there. But in the distance, I saw a light. It was gray, not yellow. But I didn¡¯t go in to check it. I have a bad feeling about that place.¡±


    ¡°You did good,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not safe to check these things out alone,¡± Kur agreed. ¡°That being said, there¡¯s a high chance that really was our path you saw. And that maybe the wall being broken has somehow affected it. But we won¡¯t know until we get there.¡±


    Kur looked around at the party.


    ¡°We have no choice but to check this out, so let¡¯s get to it. Everyone, back into formation.¡±


    *********


    The whistling sound got louder as they progressed. Deeper and higher pitched at the same time. The sound entered his ears, and echoed sorrowfully inside his brain.


    A person can¡¯t make that sound, right? Nar wondered.


    ¡°The arrows up ahead are flashing,¡± Gad said. ¡°Just like Jul said.¡±


    ¡°Alright, everyone be careful,¡± Kur told them.


    They continued forward, and just like Jul had told them, the arrows indeed began to behave erratically, pointing back towards where they had come from, or towards the walls.


    ¡°I can hear it too,¡± Rel whispered to him. ¡°That can''t be a person.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Nar whispered back.


    The further they went down the broken path, more and more arrows went missing, until they were gone altogether. A few steps after that, they found the broken wall, and the source of the sound.


    A jagged, ugly wound had been carved into the wall on the right. It was as wide as two of Nar, and it was taller than the ceiling, showing them the much higher ceiling of the corridor beyond. The sound, in the end, seemed to be caused by a strong current of air that was blowing out from the broken corridor.


    Gad approached it cautiously, and peeked in.


    ¡°Broken bits everywhere. And the gray light, in the distance,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Cold?¡± Tuk said, waving his hand in the air. ¡°Real cold¡­¡±


    Nar reached out with his hand as well, marveling at the strange new sensation on his skin. Goose bumps formed under that insistent cold current.


    ¡°No way we¡¯re getting in there,¡± Mul muttered.


    ¡°I hope not,¡± Kur said.


    He looked down their corridor, and into the utter darkness that awaited them.


    ¡°Jul and Nar. Can you go and check if the path shows up again?¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± Nar said.


    The two of them speed away from the group.


    It wasn¡¯t long before they found signs that things weren¡¯t right over there either.


    There were long gashes and cracks along the walls, especially the one on their right, the same one where they¡¯d found the hole.


    The further they went, the more broken down the wall became, until suddenly, they found themselves blocked. The walls, or ceiling, maybe all three, had completely crumbled, forming an impassable barrier of ruble.


    ¡°We¡¯re blocked,¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Nar said. ¡°Let me check, you stay back.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Stay back.¡±


    Nar approached the broken debris and examined it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I should.¡±


    He locked up, following the multitude of cracks, big and small, that flowed across the ceiling and down the walls. There were cracks across the floor as well.


    ¡°You should get away from there.¡±


    Nar stepped gingerly back towards her.


    ¡°I think we can¡¯t go this way.¡±


    ¡°Nothing can be easy for us,¡± Jul muttered. ¡°Come on, let''s go tell the others.¡±


    Another quick run brought them back to the party.


    ¡°So?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°The ceiling fell,¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Tuk whispered.


    Nar shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s completely blocked, and the whole thing is cracked and looking like it can still collapse further. It doesn¡¯t look safe to try and clear a way through.¡±


    Kur looked at the broken corridor beyond the hole and winced.


    ¡°Do you want to go see it?¡± Jul asked.


    ¡°No point. I trust you guys,¡± Kur said. ¡°Which leaves us with two options. Go back and hope we find a different path, or¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°Only way forward is always forward,¡± Tuk said, shrugging.


    Mul rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have a choice,¡± Cen said. ¡°We only have 14 days to get to the Gates.¡±


    Mul sighed and passed a hand over his face. ¡°Fine, go look at that light then. I hope it¡¯s not a fucking arrow.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go,¡± Jul corrected him.


    She marched towards the hole before anyone could say anything, and Nar ran after her.


    ¡°Hey, slow down. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s in here!¡± he called after her.


    ¡°Why? Because it could be dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Nar asked, confused.


    Jul shook her head and kept going.


    What in the pile was that all about?


    They climbed over and around debris, finding clear spots that were large enough to let them through.


    ¡°The ceiling looks okay, at least,¡± Nar said, looking up.


    He collided with Jul.


    ¡°Oof! Sorry, I wasn¡¯t¡­Looking.¡±


    ¡°Those are¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Bodies.


    Piles and piles of bodies. Blackened beyond recognition, some of them burned down to their very skeletons.


    They were everywhere, crushed under rubble or strewn around the place.


    It was wrong to see them like this. Almost carelessly discarded.


    It also answered the question of what had been vaguely familiar about the smell he had sensed. It was like the burning corpses on the bridge, except a lot more faded. Older.


    ¡°These are real, right?¡± Jul asked. ¡°They¡¯re people¡­¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­ Come on, let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    She nodded and they continued forward. They took even greater care now, not wanting to step on, or touch any of the bodies.


    They climbed over one more, massive chunk of ceiling, and then the corridor stretched on before them, unbroken from that point onwards.


    It was filled with dead people, their ghastly remains illuminated by a cold, but very clear and undeniable gray arrow, shining on the floor just a few feet beyond them.


    ¡°Mul¡¯s not going to like this,¡± Jul said.


    Nar shivered in the cold current.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± he whispered.


    The corridor continued on into the distance, with more gray lights at steady intervals. As far as the eye could see, the floor was littered with corpses, and the walls were marked by blackened spots and stains whose nature were easy to guess.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back and tell the others,¡± Nar said, prying his eyes off the corpses with difficulty.


    What in the Nexus had they just stumbled upon now?

 Chapter 102 - A Burnt Mystery

    ¡°Something you would like to say?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Is there a point?¡± Mul replied.


    The party stood by the first gray arrow, facing the long corridor of dead people.


    ¡°You can voice your opinion,¡± Kur said. ¡°I don¡¯t want any resentment to fester.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to fester? Here we are and there are the arrows. I wouldn¡¯t resent you anyways. Unless you¡¯re secretly an arrowmancer¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think happened to them?¡± Cen asked, ignoring her brother.


    ¡°I think they were burned,¡± Tuk said, in a hushed voice. ¡°Like on the bridge¡­¡±


    Nar cast a worried glance at the ring tosser, but Tuk, catching him, offered him a thin smile and shook his head.


    ¡°They were all burned?¡± Mul asked. ¡°By what?¡±


    ¡°By whatever broke through the wall,¡± Gad said. ¡°I think they were attacked.¡±


    ¡°But who are they?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a cubeplant. I mean, it could be, but¡­¡±


    The trugger gestured at the long, tall corridor, and Nar nodded in silent agreement. Wherever they were, that place did not look like a cubeplant at all.


    ¡°Cannibals wouldn¡¯t have left the bodies,¡± Rel said.


    A collective shiver ran through the party at the mention of the fallen Climbers.


    ¡°Please, no more cannibals,¡± Mul muttered.


    ¡°We won¡¯t really find out anything by just staying here,¡± Kur said. ¡°We have 14 days left. At this stage, we just need to hurry, and hope that these arrows will point us in the right direction. And that we can still make it in time.¡±


    He called Cen over with a gesture and whispered something in her ear.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said afterwards. ¡°Not sure how well we can keep up the formation, but let¡¯s give it a try.¡±


    Cen walked towards Viy and exchanged a look with Gad.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we walk together?¡± Cen asked her, taking Viy¡¯s hand gently in hers.


    Nar barely noticed the spear woman¡¯s nod. She was staring, wide eyed, at the corpses, and hadn¡¯t made a sound since entering that strange place.


    Crystal, please help her, Nar muttered. Because, who else was he going to ask?


    There was nothing he, or any of them for that matter, could do now for her. If Viy had another breakdown, all they could do was try and help her the best they could. But that was not a lasting solution.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go,¡± Kur said, bringing Nar out of his thoughts.


    The party waded deeper into the corridor, slowly, and being careful not to disturb any of the dead.


    Not long after, Gad looked back at them.


    ¡°There are rooms up ahead. Big ones.¡±


    They gathered again to have a look.


    The gray light offered little brightness to see what was beyond, but it was enough to see what lay within.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take two minutes to look,¡± Kur said. ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything, and one tank per room. Jul, stay here with me and keep an eye out.¡±


    Gad nodded at Nar and took the left room.


    Nar walked into the one to their right, followed closely by Tuk and Rel.


    ¡°Crystal Above All, what could have done something like this?¡± Tuk whispered.


    The room they were in was long, and disappeared into the unknown darkness. The ceiling above them was arched, and it too, was marked and marred by blackened spots, possibly burns, and there were plenty of broken bits and cracks across it.


    The room was filled with wreckage of various materials, things he couldn¡¯t identify, and more bodies. Piles and piles of them.


    ¡°And why?¡± Rel asked. ¡°Why do all this?¡±


    Nar stepped over to one of the walls. Here, he found rows of alcoves, built into the wall. Each of them had a string of numbers and letters right below them, under their left corner.


    ¡°I think people slept here,¡± he said, passing a finger over one such indented string. ¡°I think these are IDs. Like in our status tab.¡±


    All of the beds he could see were empty, and on the opposite wall, there were identical rows of them.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, they didn¡¯t die in their sleep. That much we can tell,¡± Rel said.


    ¡°How long ago do you think it was? Whatever happened to them?¡± Tuk asked.


    Nar shook his head.


    The dead were recycled and their family given extra food as a means to ease their suffering and the sudden loss of a worker in the family. That was the way in the cubeplant. He knew that bodies went bad quickly after people died, but what happened to them once they went into the recycler? He had no idea.


    This before him was something completely beyond him. Any of them.


    He had seen the burning corpses on the bridges, but they had been taken down into the darkness when the bridges had been lowered. He had no idea what state a burning body ended up in. For all he knew, those bodies could¡¯ve been there for days, weeks, months, years or even a lot longer than that.


    ¡°Come on, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything in here,¡± he told the others.


    With that, they met up with the rest of the party, back at the corridor.


    ¡°Beds,¡± Nar said. ¡°Bodies.¡±


    ¡°Same on our side,¡± Gad said. ¡°These people slept here. Lived here. No idea why though. This can¡¯t be a cubeplant.¡±


    Kur rubbed his chin. ¡°Hmmm. Let¡¯s keep going for now.¡±


    As they continued walking further down the corridor, the cold breeze buffeting them at every step, they found more and more rooms, each of them just as destroyed and filled with burned bodies as the first rooms.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A couple minutes later, they surfaced in a much bigger room.


    Here too, bodies were strewn all over the place, but the room was also filled with tables and chairs and benches.


    ¡°This keeps getting weirder and weirder,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°Over there,¡± Jul said, pointing.


    Nar followed her finger, and found a set of about ten familiar looking cylinders, half build into the walls.


    ¡°Are those facilities?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out,¡± Kur said. ¡°And keep your voices down. Whatever did this, might still be around.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that,¡± Cen whispered.


    They walked past the broken furniture and corpses, careful not to touch anything or make any loud noises, and reached the cylinders on the other side of the room.


    ¡°Blasters?¡± Tuk said. ¡°They look a bit different¡­ More squarish.¡±


    ¡°Toilets and dispensers too,¡± Nar added. ¡°All broken though.¡±


    ¡°These people were definitely living here,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°There has to be hundreds of them,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Just look at all those chairs!¡±


    ¡°There was probably more,¡± Gad said. ¡°I doubt they all ate at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°We should keep going,¡± Kur said. ¡°The next arrow¡¯s over there, by that exit.¡±


    ¡°Are these arrows even meant for us?¡± Mul asked. ¡°They don¡¯t disappear behind us. Maybe we¡¯re not meant to follow them. Maybe we shouldn''t be here.¡±


    Kur looked at him and Mul raised a hand.


    ¡°I know. A way forward is a way forward. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll shut up.¡±


    Kur was taken aback. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Fine. I honestly didn¡¯t expect us to find an unknown, livable place, filled with hundreds of corpses. But we¡¯re here now. We might as well see where these arrows take us.¡±


    In silence, they walked out the door.


    ¡°Fucking Crystal¡­¡± Mul said. ¡°What is this place?¡±


    Nar leaned cautiously over the handrail, unsure if it would hold his weight, and peered down.


    They stood in massive space. The enormous circular walls curved and disappeared in the darkness on either side of them, and above and below them, was a massive chasm whose height was impossible to tell.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be a cubeplant,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°What else would it be, though?¡± Cen asked him. ¡°I thought there were only supposed to be cubeplants in the B-Nex.¡±


    Wind blew down from above, ruffling Nar¡¯s air and making him flinch from its coldness. He pulled back away from the edge.


    I don¡¯t think I like cold¡­.


    ¡°I can see more openings,¡± Jul said. ¡°On either side of us.¡±


    Kur frowned, looking down at the darkness.


    ¡°I know we need to hurry, but at the same time, I think we shouldn¡¯t just rush,¡± he said, squinting into the dark.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Gad said. ¡°We should try and understand where we are. And in what we are.¡±


    The party leader nodded. ¡°Jul and Nar, can you go check one of those openings? We¡¯ll stay here and have another look at this room.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jul said.


    ¡°And weapons out,¡± Kur told them, as they turned to go. ¡°Just in case.¡±


    Nar traded a glance with Jul, then they both took their weapons from their inventories.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Nar said, stepping in front.


    It was a good while before Nar was even able to see the opening they were aiming for in the darkness. While his [Sight] had improved, what he saw in the dark was still pretty much just lines and impressions. It was actually surprising that his brain managed to make sense of what he saw, almost tricking him into believing that he could actually see without issue.


    Jul however, never hesitated, and never appeared to be bothered by the darkness at all.


    I wonder just how high her senses are. Or maybe it''s a rogue thing?


    They reached the opening and Jul peaked inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same,¡± she said, and stepped in.


    Nar followed after her and looked around.


    Chairs, tables, corpses. Broken down toilets, dispensers and blasters. The room was an exact replica of the one they had just come from.


    ¡°It¡¯s the exact same,¡± Nar said. ¡°This is just getting weirder and weirder.¡±


    ¡°Should we keep going?¡± Jul asked.


    She pointed at the other opening, at the back of the room, which stood exactly where the corridor they walked in from had been.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it will just be the sleeping rooms again. But it¡¯s worth having a look. There could be an exit, or another hole leading somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°You think the attackers could¡¯ve come through here too?¡±


    Nar shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just hoping that we can find our yellow path again.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t trust the gray arrows?¡±


    ¡°It''s not that I don¡¯t trust them. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re taking us somewhere, I just don¡¯t know if it''s where we want to go,¡± he said. ¡°Mul could be right. They could be meant for someone else.¡±


    Jul made a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°You think we should have gone backwards instead? Look for a different path?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that would¡¯ve worked. Our path has never changed, other than that one time with the purple arrows.¡±


    ¡°The cubeplant that failed their quota,¡± Jul said, nodding. ¡°But there was that time after we escaped?¡±


    ¡°We were forced off the path, then. Maybe the System knew that. Now? It might just keep pointing us here¡­¡±


    They had walked to the opening, and just as they suspected, a straight corridor, with openings on either side of it, stretched into the darkness.


    ¡°Nar,¡± Jul suddenly said. ¡°I¡¯m angry at you.¡±


    Nar stopped dead in his tracks. ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re doubting me.¡±


    ¡°What in the pile? When? How?¡±


    She looked at him, her face a black and white representation of the real thing. He could just picture her frowning at him.


    ¡°When we were running from the giant guardian, you didn¡¯t want me to fight. When we were checking the blocked path, and then when we were checking that broken corridor too, you told me to stay back, because it was dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and?¡± he asked, genuinely confused.


    ¡°You¡¯re doubting my abilities. I can take care of myself.¡±


    Nar sighed. ¡°Jul, I don''t doubt that at all.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°Then what? I¡¯m the tank! I¡¯m the one who takes the damage. Not you!¡±


    ¡°Is that why?¡±


    ¡°Y¡­¡±


    The word died in his mouth.


    Crystal damn it.


    ¡°No¡­ Fine! I didn¡¯t want you to get hurt,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I mean, why now? What changed?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What do you mean? Nothing changed!¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°Are we really talking about this here? Now?¡± Nar asked, gesturing at the bodies around them.


    ¡°Yes. I need to know that you, above all people, trust me.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Nar paced around. Truth be told, he wasn¡¯t exactly sure why he had behaved as he had.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said, revealing as much. ¡°That Pressure on the guardians was too strong. If it could eat through my aura it was going to eat through yours as well. I didn¡¯t want you to get burned.¡±


    ¡°And then? Afterwards?¡± she pressed him.


    ¡°Afterwards I¡­ I don¡¯t know, Jul. I really don¡¯t know. I just didn¡¯t want you to get hurt¡­¡±


    Surprisingly, he heard her muffled laughter.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you do. You just don¡¯t want to say it.¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡±


    She elbowed him. ¡°Come on, Gad says it all the time. It¡¯s not that embarrassing, is it?¡±


    ¡°You mean about us being fam¡­¡±


    He sighed and Jul laughed again.


    ¡°When were you born?¡± she asked, surprising him by the sudden, seemingly random question.


    ¡°Uh? Near the end of the third season. Why?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I was born in the second. That makes me the older sister. You have to do what I tell you to do from now on!¡±


    Nar stared at her, flabbergasted.


    ¡°I refuse!¡± he said, still in shock.


    ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± Jul said. ¡°My first order is, don¡¯t do that again! I can take care of myself. I¡¯m strong!¡±


    ¡°Wait! I never doubted that!¡±


    She laughed again and started walking.


    Oh, for the love of¡­


    However, he couldn¡¯t deny the little smile on his face.


    Party. Family. Siblings.


    Maybe they could all find a home where they could live together, in the O-Nex.


    That wouldn¡¯t be so bad, Nar, now, would it?


    They continued walking down the corridor. They looked inside a few of the rooms, but it quickly became obvious that they were all identical, and that there was nothing in them except debris and more bodies.


    Eventually, they reached what Nar had been hoping not to find.


    ¡°Dead end,¡± he said.


    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a corridor behind this wall?¡± Jul asked, laying her palm against it.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. We¡¯ll never be able to break through,¡± Nar said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything damage these walls other than those spear things. Not even Cen¡¯s explosions have managed it. Crystal knows what they used to break through that wall back there.¡±


    Jul nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go back then. And by the way, I counted forty rooms on the right side.¡±


    ¡°Which means eighty in total,¡± Nar said. ¡°If we counted the beds in one of the rooms, we could have an idea of how many there were in one of these corridor/living room dwellings.¡±


    ¡°Not sure how much help it would¡¯ve been though,¡± Jul said. ¡°We have no idea how many of these living places there are. There could even be a lot more levels¡­¡±


    She froze, and by now, Nar knew enough to not ask any questions.


    He pushed her with his body against the wall and raised his sword before him. Whatever they had spoken about, he was still the tank.


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound too sure,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°I did think I heard something.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you did. [Instinct]?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    That was somewhat of a relief, but he wasn¡¯t sure they could discount what she had heard so easily. After all, everything here was dead. Or so he supposed, and Jul had never been wrong.


    Nar was suddenly very aware of the silence that surrounded them, and of just how heavy and absolute it was. More than that. It felt almost foreboding.


    A shiver ran down his spine, spreading goose bumps all over his body.


    ¡°Jul?¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s not right,¡± she whispered.


    Danger!


    Nar cut the air in front him, meeting the projectile head on.


    Something exploded, expanding around his sword and himself.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    Everything disappeared in a brilliant flash of blue and he went down.

 Chapter 103 - Real

    His thoughts crumbled, and he was only distantly aware of himself seizing on the floor, knocking and breaking the corpses around and under him.


    A moment later, he was back into himself, and with a pounding headache to boot.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Jul asked him


    Her hands rushed over him, trying to remove whatever it was that had trapped him.


    ¡°Wha-What happened?¡± he stammered.


    His heart was going like crazy and everything was still spasming.


    ¡°Something attacked us!¡± she said. ¡°It threw something at you, some kind of wires, and then they lit up blue! You took damage!¡±


    He checked his HP and saw that she was right. He was down to 193.


    ¡°I-I couldn¡¯t move. I couldn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    The tips of his fingers tingled, and there was a strange smell in the air, coming from the wires that trapped him.


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    She grabbed a handful of the wires and started swaying at them with two knives.


    ¡°It¡¯s really strong,¡± she said, as she slowly cut through. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°My head feels like it''s going to explode¡­ But I think I¡¯m alright.¡±


    With a snap, the wires suddenly broke in two in her hand, and the two of them pushed the wires away from him.


    ¡°How do you stop something like that?¡± Nar asked, feeling the wires with his hand.


    Jul patted his shoulder. ¡°Come look at the thing.¡±


    She helped him up and guided him to their enemy.


    His first thought was that it was a guardian, but it immediately became obvious that it was something else.


    ¡°It was right there, but I didn¡¯t see it,¡± Jul said. ¡°I think it was invisible. Like me.¡±


    Nar poked it with his sword. When nothing happened, he kneeled next to it to have a closer look.


    A bulbous body, six sharp legs, and what was probably a head. It was smooth and the body was warm to the touch, though the legs themselves were cold. The whole thing was probably about half his size.


    ¡°It has a mouth,¡± Jul said, between horrified and disgusted. ¡°What is this thing?¡±


    It did indeed seem to have a mouth. It was from it that the wires came out of.


    ¡°What did it say on the report?¡±


    ¡°Oh. There was none,¡± she said, suddenly realizing it.


    ¡°No experience?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    No kill report. No experience. Invisible and with an attack we can¡¯t avoid. Crystal. You never make it easy.


    A series of pings sounded in his mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s Kur,¡± Jul said. ¡°They must have seen you take damage. I¡¯ll tell them we¡¯re okay, and that we¡¯re heading back.¡±


    Nar nodded. ¡°Hopefully, we won¡¯t find another of these things on the way back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Nar stood up, and considered the broken thing that had attacked them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s bring it to the others,¡± Nar said. ¡°I think they should see it.¡±


    Jul nodded. ¡°I really hope it¡¯s the only one.¡±


    Nar considered the corpses that surrounded them.


    He doubted that.


    He doubted that very much.


    *********


    Nar dumped the thing at Kur¡¯s feet. It was surprisingly light.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°What is that?¡± he said, taking a step back. ¡°And what happened, we saw your HP go down.¡±


    ¡°It attacked us,¡± Jul said. ¡°And I couldn¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°Me neither,¡± Nar said. ¡°And it was right in front of us. I think it has the same skill as Jul.¡±


    ¡°[Stealth]?¡± Kur asked.


    Jul nodded.


    ¡°Are you telling me this place is infested with these invisible things?¡± Mul asked. ¡°That¡¯s just great. Thank You, Crystal. Thank You!¡±


    ¡°Mul!¡±


    ¡°What else is It going to do?¡± Mul asked, exasperated, waving his hands towards the ceiling. ¡°Throw a giant machine at us? Oh wait? It¡¯s already fucking done that!¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Oh, Crystal forgive us, sinners. We¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough, enough,¡± Kur said, waving them all to silence.


    ¡°It had no kill report and no experience either,¡± Jul said.


    ¡°I take it back,¡± Mul muttered. ¡°It got worse¡±


    ¡°And it threw these wires at me, from its mouth,¡± Nar explained, pointing at the ugly thing. ¡°I couldn¡¯t do anything. They wrapped around me, and next thing I knew, I was out, twitching on the floor. There was nothing I could do.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Crystal who lieth within, in the most sacred of places,¡± Tuk whispered. ¡°The Inside-Nexus, the¡­¡±


    ¡°Tuk, stopped it,¡± Gad said. ¡°And what do you mean you were knocked out? Did you get a status effect?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It all happened so fast. I couldn¡¯t even think!¡±


    ¡°There was something,¡± Jul said. ¡°But it disappeared just as I checked his status.¡±


    ¡°So, there was something,¡± Gad said, rubbing her chin.


    Cen kneeled down next to the thing and examined it.


    ¡°This is going to complicate things,¡± Kur said.


    Mul grunted, biting down his tongue to keep quiet.


    ¡°How long were you out?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°A few seconds,¡± Jul replied for Nar. ¡°It stopped doing whatever it was before I got to it.¡±


    ¡°So we don¡¯t even know for how long it can do it. It probably just stopped to fight you,¡± Kur said, looking down at the thing while Cen tinkered with it.


    ¡°Or if it just meant to knock you out, or kill you,¡± Gad added. ¡°Or maybe even to capture you.¡±


    Tuk sighed heavily. He was probably furiously praying in his mind.


    Rel came forward, and helped Cen with whatever it was that she was doing to the thing.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Cen said. ¡°I think it needs two pairs of hands. On 3?


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mul asked, finally realizing what his sister was doing. ¡°Don¡¯t touch that thing!¡±


    ¡°Relax. It¡¯s dead. 1. 2. 3. I just want to¡­ Woah.¡±


    A bright, light blue light shone from inside the thing, brightening their faces.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Nar whispered.


    The light was soft. Comforting even. It made him feel happy. At ease.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but there¡¯s something shining in there¡­¡± Cen said, in a dreamy voice.


    She reached a hand inside. ¡°Ugh¡­ I can¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Gad said, stopping her. ¡°Let me do it.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Okay?¡± Cen said, looking up in surprise.


    She moved to give Gad the space, and the tank kneeled down, leaning towards the floor to have a better look inside the thing that had attacked them.


    ¡°Oh, I see it,¡± she said.


    She reached in, slowly.


    ¡°Hold on, it¡¯s stuck. Maybe if I¡­ Aha!¡±


    She took her hand out, cautiously, and with it, came the source of the light.


    ¡°Oh, my Crystal!¡± Tuk whispered.


    It was a little blue, shining tube, about the length of Nar¡¯s hand. It glowed with a blue light that had hints of blue-gray.


    Mul reached a hand for it. ¡°Is that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rel whispered. ¡°I remember seeing those things in the pile. My Crystal¡­¡±


    ¡°They were all broken though,¡± Gad said. ¡°This one isn¡¯t.¡±


    Nar had no idea what they were talking about. He had never been in the pile. He had skipped it. But there was only one thing that ended up on the pile.


    ¡°Aetherium,¡± Kur whispered.


    ¡°And aether¡­¡± Cen said.


    Nar swallowed hard. His mind had gone blank.


    ¡°It¡¯s real,¡± Mul said. ¡°Holy fucking shit¡­ It¡¯s real real!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Cen said. ¡°It really was real.¡±


    They stepped forward, eager, gathering up around Gad.


    The System had confirmed it to them, but that was nothing compared to seeing it shining in their eyes, casting grim shadows across their faces. All they saw was the aether, the bright, softly, blue and grayish glowing aether.


    It¡¯s right here¡­ Nar thought, his mind struggling to come up with any semblance of coherence. It¡¯s right¡­ My¡­ It¡¯s¡­ Real¡­ Here¡­


    ¡°Gad! Put it back! Quick!¡± Kur hissed.


    ¡°Why?¡± Nar asked, staring at Kur as though he had lost his mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s aetherium!¡± Kur said. ¡°Have you forgotten it''s poisonous?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Gad said, her eyes widening.


    ¡°Put it back!¡±


    They all stumbled back and Gad dropped down, and shoved the glowing tube back inside the thing.


    ¡°Close it!¡± Kur said. ¡°We don¡¯t know how safe that thing is! It could be damaged! Everyone stay away from it.¡±


    ¡°But it''s aether!¡± Tuk protested.


    ¡°And? What are you going to do?¡± Kur asked him. ¡°Lick it? Swallow it? Wake up! This is not how we gain [Aether]! It has to come through the System!¡±


    Nar blinked at his words and his brain resumed proper function.


    Kur was right.


    He noticed how his hands had curled into fists and forced them to relax.


    ¡°Come on, stay away from that thing. Let¡¯s go this way!¡±


    Kur moved them away from the broken thing, and still somewhat reluctantly, they walked further down the gray arrow path.


    Eventually, Kur stopped.


    ¡°Kur?¡± Gad called him.


    Kur paced back and forth, covering his mouth and frowning deeply.


    ¡°I made a mistake. We¡¯re not supposed to be here,¡± he said, stopping. ¡°This place. The bodies. And now this? Invisible magic wielding enemies?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t go back now,¡± Cen said. ¡°The yellow arrows will be gone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kur said, his expression grim.


    ¡°We¡¯re here now,¡± Nar said. ¡°No point in regretting about this now.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Rel added. ¡°And we all agreed to come in here, Kur. This was not your decision alone.¡±


    ¡°It was still my suggestion...¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s not panic,¡± Gad said. ¡°We don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll be in here, or how many of those things are there. At least now we know they¡¯re here. We will be more careful. We¡¯ll be prepared.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t see them, though?¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Like I said, we''ll be more careful,¡± Gad said. ¡°We¡¯re not blind to the danger anymore.¡±


    Kur stared at the gray arrow at their feet. ¡°So, we keep going?¡±


    ¡°We keep going,¡± Gad said, nodding. ¡°The only way forward is forward. It has never been easy, and we shouldn¡¯t expect it to. Ending in sight or not.¡±


    Kur passed a hand over his face, looking away from them. He took a deep breath and straightened his back.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said, turning back around to face them. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ I panicked.¡±


    ¡°This one¡¯s not on you,¡± Mul said.


    Kur snorted. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°But if we die, I¡¯m sticking to you in the Waiting Dark. For all eternity,¡± the brawler added.


    ¡°Lovely,¡± Kur muttered, as a few chuckles made the rounds around the party. ¡°Alright, alright. Let¡¯s just keep going. Keep your eyes open! Pay attention to everything. They could be anywhere.¡±

 Chapter 104 - Crazy Thoughts

    He couldn¡¯t focus. He found it impossible to.


    Even with the threat of imminent death or capture dangling over his head, his mind kept spinning around that glowing tube.


    Aether. The real deal.


    He had no doubt that that was what they had seen, and even though he had been wishing for it, for months now, almost a full year from the time before the Climb, his mind was having trouble with actually accepting what he seen


    Aether was real.


    And that meant that so was magic.


    The System had told them, sure, but how much could one really trust it anyway, giving how much it was still keeping from them? Here, at last, had been definitive proof. The real thing.


    To Nar, finding it at last made sense. They were within reach of the Gates after all¡­


    With a mental grunt, Nar snapped out of it, realizing that he had fallen back into his own thoughts.


    He pushed his senses out again, to their max, and scanned the area.


    Come on. Get it together. Yes, there¡¯s aether. Can you do something about it now? No! Nothing! So focus, before you get us all killed!


    Still, it was difficult to chastise himself with much edge.


    It was aether. He had been waiting for it since the day his dad had told him that Nar was Climbing, and that that was the end of the discussion. He had been waiting for it ever since he vowed that he would save his dad. Ever since he had started this Climb, in what now felt like a different lifetime altogether.


    Still. I need to pay attention.


    Around him, everything was cold and lifeless, just as it had been from the very beginning. However, now he knew that those things could be lying in wait right in front of him, and he would never notice it until they attacked him, triggering his [Instinct].


    ¡°Thirty openings, all looking the same¡± Rel said, whispering to him. ¡°From what you guys told us about the rooms, this place has to be able to fit thousands and thousands of people.¡±


    ¡°Maybe a hundred thousand,¡± Nar said, looking towards the chasm. ¡°Maybe a lot more.¡±


    ¡°But for what?¡± the archer asked. ¡°There is nothing here except places to live in. Where did they work?¡±


    ¡°Maybe above? Or below?¡± Nar offered. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll ever know.¡±


    The magnitude of the place was no less mind boggling than that of the orange columns. Thirty openings soon turned to forty, and then into fifty. All of them looked the same, from the quick glimpse they had from the entrances. They didn¡¯t bother going in, to check if all of the living spaces were the same, or if there were any openings hidden within. Kur had decided it wasn¡¯t worth the risk, nor the time. They had come into this place to follow the gray arrows, and that¡¯s what they were going to do.


    Around the time Rel announced they were at the 170th door, hours had passed in gray monotony. However, a few steps later, they found stairs.


    They were surprisingly small and tight, considering the magnitude of the place, and they went both up, and down.


    ¡°It¡¯s pointing up,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Thank the Crystal,¡± Tuk said in a hushed voice. ¡°Up is good. Up is always good.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it wasn¡¯t such a bad idea after all, eh?¡± Mul asked Kur.


    Kur grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s too soon to tell.¡±


    ¡°Nar, I think we should swap,¡± Gad said, looking up the stairs. ¡°You¡¯re much better suited for fighting on these stairs than I am.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Kur told him, as Nar walked past him.


    With Nar now leading them, they carefully climbed the stairs.


    After the first flight of stairs, there were only walls, and they climbed in a chilly, oppressive silence.


    He had found tight corridors safe before. Even comfortable. But here, within these tight walls and low ceilings, he only felt trapped.


    He lost count of how many flights of stairs they climbed. At some point, he was coated in a cool sheen of sweat, and breathing hard.


    It occurred to him that he hadn¡¯t checked his stamina in a while. In fact, he wasn¡¯t even worried about it. Same for his HP actually, though he still cared for that one.


    Uh¡­


    When he had begun his Climb, stamina had been everything. It had dictated how far they walked in a day, and how many skills he could use. He had been terrified of running out of stamina during a fight. But now, he couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had bothered checking it.


    Was it at the last bridge? He wondered.


    Maybe. He had a vague recollection of it.


    Is that because I have a lot of it now?


    But was 250 points of stamina considered a lot?


    Or, was there another, much more obvious reason.


    I have aura now¡­ It powers all my skills. I don¡¯t need stamina as much.


    If he understood his skill, [Aura Senses 2], correctly, he didn¡¯t even need stamina to use his enhanced senses. He used aura for it as well. In fact, he used aura for almost everything. And he had a lot of aura.


    That was a bitter sweet realization. Did that mean that [Stamina] was now useless? And would aether skills be the same?


    Wait, for sure I¡¯m still using it!This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    He pulled his UI up, decided to check on his stamina, but just then, he tripped on something.


    He fell, landing on his hand and sword. The sound of his blade hitting the stairs echoed loudly in the enclosed stairwell.


    ¡°Crystal! Be careful!¡± Mul hissed at him.


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    The brawler sighed. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I just didn¡¯t look where I was¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Oh¡­¡±


    The two of them stared at what Nar had tripped on.


    Nar looked away. Some memories had stirred at the back of his mind, provoked by what was there, at his side.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tuk asked, from behind them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look,¡± Mul said. ¡°Don''t need your vomit to make this even more disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Uh? What are you¡­ Ugh!¡±


    ¡°I told you not to look!¡± Mul threw at him as Tuk gagged.


    ¡°Kur,¡± Tuk said, with difficulty. ¡°Kur!¡±


    ¡°Coming!¡±


    Kur¡¯s footsteps echoed loudly as he climbed up to them.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked, panting.


    ¡°There¡¯s a body,¡± Nar explained. ¡°It still has all the¡­¡±


    ¡°Bits?¡± Mul offered.


    ¡°Yeah, the bits on it.¡±


    Tuk retched and covered his mouth.


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s different,¡± Kur said.


    Kur kneeled next to the body and took a closer look.


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely different. He looks like he was melted,¡± Kur said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it at the smelters. That was my¡­ My parents¡¯ position. As team leads.¡±


    Kur reached forward, and gently tried to flip the body. However, the melted bits were stuck to the wall.


    ¡°Okay. That¡¯s enough for me too,¡± Mul said, turning around.


    ¡°Nar, give me a hand. I think I see something on the other side.¡±


    Swallowing, Nar bent down next to him and pulled.


    With a sick, crunching sound, the body came free off the wall.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Nar said, stepping away.


    ¡°Oh Crystal, why did I have to hear that?¡± Mul muttered.


    Below them, Tuk retched again, louder and more urgently. Apparently, he had heard it too.


    ¡°Look! I was right!¡± Kur said.


    ¡°About what?¡±


    But it was evident as soon as Nar turned back around. The other half of the body was surprisingly intact. It was a species they had never encountered before, some sort of blue, short, male, looking human except for a very large mouth and large, hairy ears.


    The important part however, was what the corpse was wearing...


    ¡°Is that a Climber?¡± Mul asked.


    Curiosity had apparently won him over.


    ¡°It looks like it,¡± Kur said. ¡°His clothes are orange instead of purple, but they look the same.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a Climber doing here, though?¡± Nas asked.


    ¡°Probably the same as us. His party must¡¯ve found the broken path as well,¡± Kur said. ¡°Mul, can you pass the message down to the others? Quietly? They¡¯re probably worried and wondering why we¡¯re stopped.¡±


    Mul turned to do as asked, but found Tuk leaning against the wall, hiding his face.


    ¡°Ugh,¡± he said. Instead, he walked down the stairs towards the others, who were hidden around the bend.


    ¡°Something did this to him,¡± Kur said. ¡°Something else, I think. I¡¯m not sure that thing you found is capable of doing this. To be honest, the more I think about it, the more I think that it was trying to capture you. Not kill you.¡±


    ¡°And what was it going to do to me?¡± Nar asked, shivering at the prospect.


    Kur sighed and stood up, still staring at the corpse. ¡°That is the question, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡±


    The party leader shrugged.


    ¡°Keep Climbing. There¡¯s nothing else we can do. Just be careful, okay?¡±


    Nar nodded and resumed his climb.


    A half an hour later, he reached the next floor, and saw that the arrow pointed out, back into the circular chasm they had left behind.


    ¡°It¡¯s taking us back out,¡± he told Mul.


    Mul passed the message down, and came back with Kur¡¯s reply.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out,¡± Mul conveyed.


    Nar nodded and stepped outside. The rest of the party filtered out after them, sweaty, tired and breathing hard.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late,¡± Kur said, once he was out. ¡°We should look for a place to rest.¡±


    ¡°One of the living spaces?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°But they¡¯re full of bodies!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Yes, but out here we¡¯re too exposed. And in those stairs, we¡¯re just trapped if anything attacks us,¡± Kur said. ¡°For now, let¡¯s follow the arrows until we come across a living space that doesn¡¯t have too many bodies.¡±


    ¡°Gad?¡± Nar asked.


    The tank gave him a nod, and took the front spot again.


    As they started walking again, Rel nudged him and pointed at Cen with her chin.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been quiet ever since we found the aetherium tube.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Now that Rel mentioned it, Cen did walk with her head hung low, her shoulders looking¡­ Defeated?


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯s going to change her mind?¡± Rel asked.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t much of a choice in the end, was it?¡± Nar asked her. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with it when the time comes to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing better than I expected. You¡­ Need magic, right? To save your dad?¡±


    Nar sighed. ¡°Magic. Power. Luck. Forgiveness. I need a lot of things. But right now, I can¡¯t do any of them except Climb. Like I said, I¡¯ll deal with it when the time comes to deal with it.¡±


    Rel nodded and left it at that.


    Nar fought the impulse to bite down on his jaw and tighten his fists.


    It was easy to say the words. But it wasn¡¯t as easy to believe them.


    He knew that the words were right, but the reality was hard to swallow.


    There was no denying that aura was useful. Powerful even. It had saved their lives multiple times, and it would probably do so again, before their Climb was over.


    However, magic was magic.


    If only aura was as powerful as aether.


    For some reason, the thought made him pause.


    Why did he think aura was weaker than aether?


    Because everyone had always said that it was a curse. Because aether was a requirement to be forgiven. Because everyone hated using it. But everyone also used it wrong¡­


    But what about the priest? He had preached at length about magic, and how much they needed it, and how powerful it was and so on and so forth. And then, there had been the Named Few¡­


    Nar, Who Was One With The Wind.


    Romilt Ghroumvar, the Insurmountable Mountain of Thorns.


    The Named Few were all supposed to have magic.


    But Nar shared a name with that sword wielding Named Few¡­ That meant, or at least it was very likely, that she had been a Climber herself, and before that, a worker! Her name was only three letters long after all, like all the workers. She didn¡¯t have a long name like Romilt Ghroumvar, and all the Climbers they had met so far had only ever had three letters to their names. A consonant, a vowel, and another consonant.


    This was knowledge that even the workers had not forgotten. It was part of their punishment as well.


    And he also already come to the realization that Nar, Who Was One With The Wind, had to a Climber like him.


    But if so¡­ She had to have gone through the exact same challenges as they did. The exact same Pressure! And the only way through that was with¡­ Aura.


    And she had to have at least gained a modifier on it too, he thought, as he followed quietly after the others.


    But if Nar, Who Was One With The Wind had been a Climber, how had she gained aether? How did she supposedly control the wind?


    Wait, does she actually have aether?


    The question startled him.


    It pushed him towards an entirely new and different kind of hope. For if aura was just as powerful as aether, he didn¡¯t need to make the swap. He had two modifiers in [Aura] already. It would be perfect¡­ Exactly what he had wanted for [Aether].


    He took a deep breath and shook his head.


    Come on, Nar. You¡¯re just being crazy now. Just focus on what''s around us!


    But the thought wasn¡¯t so easy to drop.


    The workers had been wrong about aura, and while the priest professed to speak for the Crystal, did he actually? He was just a sinner like the rest of them!


    What if everything was wrong?


    What if they were all incredibly wrong?


    Two sources of energy, aura and aether. One from within, and one from the crystal Almighty Itself.


    Did that make it more powerful because it came from the Crystal? Yes. But just because it came from the Crystal, who was to say that the Crystal gave a lot of it?


    What if it was just a tiny bit? What if he was better served with his own aura, something that was his, and his alone to control? What if he was wasting his opportunity to level it up? To keep stacking it?


    He sighed, his mind spinning and churning.


    What did he know? What did any of them know? All they had to go were some lines in a drawing and the patchy memory of what had been before the Original Sin. And those lines in the icons could mean anything!


    Nar! Come on! Enough!


    Crystal Almighty. What insanity was this, trying to take over him?


    He shook his head and tried to focus on his senses.


    But a door had been opened, and the terrifying possibilities and implications beyond it whispered to him, tempting him from out of sight. After all, he did like his aura. He liked it very much. And he had to confess that he hated the thought of having to give up on it.


    If it wasn¡¯t for his dad and his need for power, he would¡¯ve probably just embraced his aura. With a big, massive smile on his face too, and magic be damned!


    He passed a hand over his hair.


    Maybe the Climb was starting to get to him. Questioning aether and magic like that? And aura? Maybe he was starting to lose his mind.


    After all they¡¯d gone through, it wasn¡¯t really much of a surprise if he did.

 Chapter 105 - Little Sister

    ¡°This one is the emptiest so far,¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop here then.¡±


    A collective sigh escaped the party. Even Tuk was more than happy to sleep with some dead people at that stage.


    Kur guided them to one of the corners of the room, right by the broken-down tubes, and where there were, thankfully, no corpses. However, it was dark there, with only some of the gray light of a solitary arrow managing to reach them.


    As Jul had told them, there weren¡¯t actually that many of the charred bodies in that space. In fact, most of the chairs and tables looked to be in perfect order, as if they were still waiting for their owners to return and use them. As though nothing had happened.


    Nar passed his hand over one of the tables as he walked by it. A thick layer of dust clung to his fingers, black and greasy.


    He felt it with his fingers, touching them against the inside of his hand. He made a face and wiped it on his pants.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Kur said. ¡°Settle down. You know the drill. Food, sleep and [Meditation] if you need it. We¡¯ll have three people on watch from now on and until we get out of this place. Nar, Tuk and Mul. You¡¯ll have the first watch. Then Jul, Rel and Gad. Nar, I¡¯m going to have to ask you to take a second watch with me. We¡¯ll rotate tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Kur looked around. ¡°Anyone else want to join for a second watch?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Rel said, raising her arm.


    Kur frowned at the archer. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t really sleep that much anyways.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Well, okay. Thank you. Tomorrow, it will be a different pair. Alright, that¡¯s it.¡±


    Nar approached Rel.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said.


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you should be taking a second watch?¡±


    She sniffed. ¡°I can pull my own weight. I¡¯m not a burden.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! Let it go.¡±


    Nar frowned at her, but let it go as she asked.


    She sat down on the floor and he dropped next to her.


    He pulled out one of his crackers to munch on, and saw that she hadn¡¯t done the same.


    Rel sat with her back against the wall, and with her legs pulled up to her chest. The arms around her legs shook, ever so slightly.


    ¡°Rel, are you okay?¡± he asked.


    She turned her face to him, opening her mouth to lash out. However, when she saw the genuine concern in his eyes, the words died in her mouth. She bit her lip, and looked away.


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Nar stored his un-eaten cracker away. ¡°You promised to tell us, Rel. So that we can help you, remember?¡±


    Rel sighed and lowered her face to her knees. She covered her ears, then scratched her head.


    ¡°Ok. Fine. I¡¯m a bit on edge.¡±


    Nar nodded. ¡°Is it this place?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s everything! This place. The broken path. The timer. I-I¡¯m trying to keep it together, but it''s hard not to panic,¡± she whispered. ¡°We¡¯re lost! Out of the path. And the¡­ It keeps suggesting things to me.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    Rel shook her head. ¡°Nothing I ever want to say.¡±


    She closed her fists and closed her eyes, and then shook her head again.


    ¡°You can tell me if it helps.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell you!¡± she snapped. ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell anyone. It¡¯s¡­ I-I need to go. I need to go.¡±


    Nar grabbed her wrist.


    ¡°Stay. Wait until everyone¡¯s asleep, then do it here. It¡¯s not safe for you to leave us now.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do it here!¡± she whispered, horrified.


    She looked around, but the others either didn¡¯t hear their conversation or pretended not to.


    ¡°When that thing hits you, you can¡¯t do anything. You can¡¯t talk, you can¡¯t even scream. And if you pass out, that¡¯s it, you¡¯re gone,¡± Nar told her, with a much harsher tone than he had intended to. ¡°And maybe they can even take you off to do Crystal knows what. So, stay. No one will hear a thing. I¡¯ll ask Kur to swap you with Tuk or Mul, so that you can do it as quickly as possible.¡±


    She licked her chapped lips and stared at him, her breathing still going fast. Eventually, she nodded.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Okay.¡±


    Nar let go of her arm. ¡°It will be fine, okay? Everything will be fine.¡±


    She nodded and eased herself back down, leaning against the wall again.


    ¡°Do you want to eat something?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We can try again later.¡±


    She closed her eyes and took deep breaths.


    Nar brought out his meal again and started chewing, slowly, and quietly.


    When he was halfway through his cracker, Rel pulled out an arrow and started hitting it against the floor.


    Nar watched her, intending on just being silently there. However, a random thought popped into his head and he thought that maybe it would be a good way to help her distract herself. Who knows, maybe even make what was coming later on not come at all. Make it not necessary.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just realized, but how do you store your broken arrows?¡± he asked her.


    She stopped mid motion and looked at him, slowly, as if waking up from a dream.


    ¡°Uh? Oh, it just goes into the same slot as all the others,¡± she said. ¡°I never break them that badly, otherwise they would probably make me miss. The System probably thinks that they are close enough to the normal arrows and just lumps them all together.¡±


    She looked at the arrow in her hand, and Nar borrowed some [Sight] to discern the hairlike cracks across its length, and notice the fine splinters poking out from the shaft.


    ¡°Not all the arrows I use are broken, you know?¡± she told him, in a dreamlike tone, as if she wasn¡¯t all there. ¡°If they all were, and I was in constant pain, that would make it less effective, right? I¡¯d get used to it. But if enough of them are broken, I¡¯ll always hit some during a fight. Watch.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    She willed the arrow to disappear back into her storage and then another one appeared.


    ¡°This one is fine.¡±


    She did the same thing again.


    ¡°Fine. Fine. Fine. Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Rel!¡±


    Bright, deep red droplets formed on her fingertips. She smiled thinly at them and wiped the blood on her pants.


    ¡°See?¡± she said, showing her fingers, hale, and pale. ¡°It heals fast. It''s the sudden shock of pain that I need. The surprise that I¡¯m not expecting, not prolonged pain. So, if you decide to cut me up from head to toe, I doubt it would actually work.¡±


    Nar leaned back. ¡°Are you going to hang that over me forever?¡±


    ¡°Just like how Tuk almost killed you. Twice,¡± she said, smiling weakly.


    Nar looked up at the dark, gray ceiling, and shook his head.


    ¡°You¡­ You really want to know?¡± Rel asked. ¡°The things it suggests to me?¡±


    Nar thought about it. ¡°It might help.¡±


    ¡°It might. But they aren¡¯t nice things to say, or to hear, though.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think they were. I was with you on that ladder, remember?¡± he told her, not looking at her.


    ¡°Yes. Yes, you were.¡±


    Rel took out another arrow, a normal one, and started smashing it against the floor.


    ¡°When we¡¯re fighting, and things get tough, the Yearning starts talking to me. It panics, you know? It tells me to run away, or to push someone in front of me, to take the hit meant for me.¡±


    She waved the arrow in his face.


    ¡°This keeps me sane. Keeps me in the fight. Keeps me useful.¡±


    He nodded slowly.


    ¡°And is that all it says?¡± Nar asked, watching her closely.


    She swallowed and averted her eyes. ¡°Is it not enough?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°You tell me.¡±


    But she didn¡¯t. She went back to her arrow.


    ¡°The other alfin, what do they do?¡± Nar asked.


    Rel scoffed. ¡°Whatever it takes, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Pain?¡±


    ¡°Anything. I¡¯ve seen all sorts of things.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Like anything,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°A lot of them pray. A lot. Others just work without stopping. Others just look for comfort. A hug. A kiss. And¡­ You know. Distraction.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Nar made, nodding. ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°Some of them like to count things,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s a place where alfin go. They sit down by the edge of the pile and they count things. How many people are coming up the ladders. How many people are going down. How many people are working down in the pile¡­ Anything.¡±


    She put her arrow away, happy with the amount of damage she had done, and pulled out another one.


    It was undamaged as well and for a moment, Rel stared at it with a hatred that almost made him flinch.


    ¡°Why are you asking me all these questions anyway?¡±


    ¡°Just trying to understand.¡±


    ¡°Understand?¡± she asked, almost snarling the word. ¡°Do you get off on reading people, then? Are you just like the nosy rogue with her big eyes? Always seeing everything? Always knowing everything?¡±


    Nar took a deep breath, trying not to panic in the face of her losing control.


    ¡°I just want to help.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right. You just want to get in my head. But I don¡¯t think you can,¡± she said, her tone low. ¡°Her parents beat her up. Probably every day. That¡¯s why she¡¯s like that! Always watching, looking for the signs, listening to the voice tone. The way they moved. What they did. What they didn¡¯t say.¡±


    Nar straightened up. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is it? But we always talk about me, don¡¯t we? Why can¡¯t we talk about her?¡± Rel asked. ¡°Actually, why can¡¯t we talk about you? What¡¯s an Unclean? What did you do? You talk a lot about your dad, but where¡¯s your mom in all of this, uh? She beat you? She a drunk too? Did she¡­¡±


    A wicked smile spread across her face, giving her a grotesque look.


    ¡°Look at that, I hit something, didn¡¯t I? What happened to her, Nar? What happened, uh? What happened to her?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Jul shouted, her voice echoing through the living space with enough force to wake the dead. ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Rel blinked and suddenly, she looked even paler.


    ¡°Jul,¡± Nar said.


    His voice was flat. Chillingly calm even. ¡°She didn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    Rel turned to look at him, slowly. Fear and regret oozing from her.


    ¡°No! It¡¯s not okay! She¡¯s being mean!¡± Jul said. ¡°I don¡¯t care if it''s her or whatever it is. You shouldn¡¯t have to just sit there and take it!¡±


    Having said that, Jul got up and stomped away, back towards the chasm outside.


    Nar got up too.


    ¡°Do whatever you need to do, but do it here,¡± he said, without looking at Rel.


    ¡°Nar, I-I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to say any of that!¡±


    She got up too, intending on following after him, tears running down her face. However, a strong hand held hers and pulled her back down.


    ¡°Not now,¡± Gad said. ¡°He needs to talk to her.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it!¡±


    ¡°I know. But it still hurt him.¡±


    Rel pulled her arm free and wiped her tears. ¡°How bad can it be? It¡¯s not like he lured people to be eaten!¡±


    ¡°I know that¡¯s still the Yearning talking,¡± Gad said, her tone of voice as calm as always. ¡°Sit down, calm down.¡±


    Rel closed her mouth with her hands and sat down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, through her fingers. ¡°It''s driving me crazy. It¡¯s obsessed with him. I don¡¯t know why, but it thinks he¡¯s my only way out of here.¡±


    ¡°It''s probably right,¡± Mul said. ¡°I¡¯ve lost count of the number of times he¡¯s saved our asses by now.¡±


    ¡°It was a lot of times,¡± Tuk said.


    Gad nodded. ¡°It was. But try to hold it in. It¡¯s up to him if he wants to talk about it or not. It might end up being nothing, or it might be worse than you expect.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s not nothing!¡± Mul said. ¡°And we all know it. Fuck us and everyone one in that cubeplant. And fuck the Crystal, too! That shit wasn¡¯t nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°Mul,¡± Kur warned. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    Mul chuckled darkly. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not going to say anything. We Clean ones did enough already. I¡¯m not about to take his story from him as well.¡±


    Gad patted Rel¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. You just do what you have to do. Leave the rest to us.¡±


    Rel nodded, feeling hot tears prickling at the back of her eyes.


    She was so tired of this. Of hurting herself. Of hurting others. She just wanted to be left alone in her own mind.


    Was it that much to ask for?


    But at the same time, the more she heard of Nar¡¯s past, the more she wanted to know about it. The more she seemed to obsess over it¡­


    *********


    ¡°Jul! Jul!¡±


    He called after her, not daring to raise his voice higher than a whisper.


    ¡°Jul! Come on! Stop!¡±


    She stopped suddenly and faced out towards the chasm.


    Nar grabbed her arm. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous here. Come on! Let¡¯s go back!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Nar sighed and let go of her arm.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t mean it. You know that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! You should have told her to shut up!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°She can¡¯t control herself!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t she? How do you know that?¡± Jul said, glaring at him.


    ¡°You are being unfair to her,¡± Nar said, glaring back. ¡°She can¡¯t help it. Imagine if your own mind wasn¡¯t yours!¡±


    She pursed her lips and looked away.


    ¡°And, to be fair, I was pushing it,¡± Nar said. ¡°I was hoping I could find something else other than pain that could help her.¡±


    Jul snorted. ¡°Yeah, right. Like what? Hold your hand? Hold you while she sleeps? What next? She¡¯ll ask you to screw her every night from now on too?¡±


    Nar flicked her on the forehead.


    ¡°Ow! What was that for!¡±


    ¡°For talking like that to your older brother,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m the oldest!¡±


    Nar sighed and rubbed his eyes. Crystal, he was tired.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to screw anyone. Alright?¡±


    ¡°What if she asks?¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But what if she does?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say no, then!¡± he said, not believing he was actually talking about it.


    ¡°Good! You used to not care about anyone!¡± Jul said. ¡°Now you¡¯re caring too much! Find somewhere in between. No, wait, that¡¯s bad. Find somewhere close to caring, but not too much! You hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes,¡± he muttered, tiredly.


    ¡°I¡¯m being serious!¡±


    ¡°Me too! I¡¯m not going to-I¡¯m not going to scr¡­ I¡¯m not even going to say it!¡±


    She frowned at him.¡± What? Screw her? Screw! Screw! Screw!¡±


    Nar shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m definitely the older brother. I don''t care what you say.¡±


    Jul sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just looking out for you. You¡¯ve suffered enough. I don¡¯t like seeing you hurt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m strong too, you know?¡± he said, alluding to their earlier argument.


    ¡°I know,¡± she said, and placed a hand over his heart. ¡°But the little Nar saw too much, and he never healed. I¡¯m scared that one day, you¡¯ll snap¡­ You¡¯ve hid it well, but it''s still there. I know it. I was beaten up every day, you know? That¡¯s why I can read people.¡±


    Nar groaned. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll apologize for that too.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll think about forgiving her¡­ But Nar, I meant it. You¡¯re here now. Hold on to that. Hold on to us, okay?¡±


    An image of bloody fists flashed through his mind, and he nodded quickly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let this go,¡± Jul said. ¡°And I will always be there for you.¡±


    ¡°And I for you,¡± Nar said


    ¡°I know. And don¡¯t just let yourself be swept away like that. There are boundaries! Even for her, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I do. Now can we go back, please? Before something jumps us?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    They walked back to the others in a closer, tighter silence.


    As they arrived, Nar noticed Mul and Cen walking back into the room. Inside Rel was sitting at one of the tables, a little bit away from the others.


    She looked up as they came in.


    ¡°Be nice,¡± Nar said to Jul.


    ¡°I am being nice,¡± Jul said, continuing to stab the archer with her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go talk to her. You go to sleep, okay? You have the second watch.¡±


    Jul pointed a finger at him. ¡°Don¡¯t do it.¡±


    Nar rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything.¡±


    ¡°Anyone!¡±


    ¡°Ugh,¡± Nar groaned.


    They split and Nar headed over to Rel. The atmosphere seemed strangely tense, but he attributed it to Rel and their worry for her.


    ¡°Have you done it yet?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°No. I¡­ I got hurt enough already.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Alright. Well, do you want to talk about something else?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Then, how about this? What''s your favorite color?¡±


    She snorted.


    ¡°What? You said anything!¡± Nar said.


    She shook her head. ¡°I know. And I like green. And blue. How about you?¡±


    Nar frowned. ¡°You know¡­ I actually don¡¯t know.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°Really? After all that talk of light and color and you don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Nar made, thinking about it. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t. I like them all. Although, I think I like purple a bit less now.¡±


    She grimaced.


    ¡°Yeah. I hate purple¡­¡±


    In that way, Nar steered the conversation, keeping her there and in the now, away from the insidious whispering of her Yearning.


    That night, Rel did not need to harm herself, but at the back of his mind, Nar couldn¡¯t help but wonder, and fear, at how much time she had left before the end came.

 Chapter 106 - One Day, We Will All Laugh About This

    ¡°Why is it doing that?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, just wait,¡± Kur said.


    They were piled on top of each other, in the tight space of a stairwell. All of them were trying to get a look at the slowly spinning gray arrow at their feat.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Nar asked Rel.


    ¡°Not¡­ Really,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°Breath, just breath. It will stop soon.¡±


    The arrow, ignoring him, continued spinning lazily.


    ¡°It¡¯s taken us up and down, and around and around in this damned place!¡± Mul muttered under his breath. ¡°It¡¯s been three days already!¡±


    ¡°Mul, not helping,¡± Nar said.


    His stare slid off from Mul and landed on Cen. Usually, she would be the one chastising her brother. Instead, she stared at the arrow, quietly, and with a blank expression. Unaware of what was happening around her.


    She hadn¡¯t spoken in days, except with her brother. At this point, he was starting to be very worried for her. The discovery of aether had hit her much harder than he had thought.


    Someone needs to talk to her.


    He was surprised no one had, actually, now that he thought about it. Though maybe someone had. He couldn¡¯t imagine neither Gad, nor Kur, not noticing anything, or Mul or Tuk for that matter. Surely. It was just that Rel was taking all of his attention. He barely noticed what went on around him other than Jul¡¯s not so discreet huffs and puffs whenever Rel started getting difficult.


    Like now.


    He caught Jul staring daggers at Rel, judgment plainly written all over her face.


    Nar waited for the rogue to notice that he was looking, then the two of them entered a silent argument with their eyes and expressions. Nar won, he believed, by managing to make the ugliest face and getting Jul to look away first.


    ¡°It¡¯s taking a while,¡± Tuk said, trying for a light tone. He only half managed it.


    The arrow spun and spun. It didn¡¯t help that, just a few steps below them, they had found another half-melted Climber, his journey coming to a sudden, gruesome end. An end that hung over their heads as well, and of which they yet knew nothing about.


    And it wasn¡¯t just two dead Climbers they had found in their three days in that mysterious circular chasm. On their second day, as they searched for a suitable corner to sleep in, they had stumbled upon a scene of utter chaos.


    All the furniture had been smashed and pushed in every direction inside one of the living spaces. And lying amongst the broken pieces and charred corpses, they had found enough dead Climbers to make up a whole party of ten.


    Whatever had attacked them, had probably ambushed them in their sleep, and been strong enough to wipe out the entire party.


    After that, Kur had decided that they would be taking two watches instead of three, with half the party asleep, and the other half watching over them. He didn¡¯t want to take any risks now, even if the lesser amount of sleep left the party irritated and tired.


    However, no one protested the decision. The end was so close now, they could almost taste the free air from the outside. What was a little bit of less sleep, when compared with the possibility of ending their Climb, once and for all?


    ¡°Ah!¡± Kur said, surprising Nar out of his reverie. ¡°It¡¯s pointing up.¡±


    ¡°Should we wait to see if it changes its mind?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°No!¡± Mul said. ¡°Of course not! Why would we do that? There¡¯s barely even any path left! Do you want to wait until it''s all gone?¡±


    Nar glanced up the dark staircase.


    That was another thing. The arrows on the gray path were becoming sparser and sparser. They now went several feet apart, forcing them to walk into oppressive spots of utter darkness.


    It was fine for Nar and Jul, and even Tuk and Rel to some degree. But for the other five, it was utter blindness, and they had to rely on the eyes of the others.


    Nar couldn¡¯t imagine Climbing without his [Sight]. It was crazy to think that half a year earlier, he had had no sense attributes at all. How had he lived like that, blind and deaf, without the System¡¯s enhancements?


    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility,¡± Kur was saying. ¡°The path might be malfunctioning in here as well, and given the size of this place¡­ Well, we should hurry, I think.¡±


    He delivered the last words while staring at Nar and gave him a solid nod. Nar turned around and continued climbing, scanning every inch of the stairwell in front of him, sword held at the ready.


    They all carried their weapons now. At all times. Even for sleep.


    The wiped-out party had left a deep impression on them, and nobody wanted to die so close to their goal.


    Around them, the scenery remained much the same. A giant chasm, an innumerable number of living spaces, burned bodies, melted Climbers, and more stairs than they could count.


    The third day passed much the same as the others, and so did the fourth and the fifth day.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you just find the way?¡± Rel asked. ¡°You did it before, in that place with the columns!¡±


    Jul kept a neutral expression. ¡°Back then, I heard the air coming down the ladder.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s wind here too!¡±


    ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s coming from everywhere!¡± Jul said.


    The facade was starting to crack.


    ¡°Yeah, right. Excuses, excuses and¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Nar said. ¡°Remember where we are.¡±


    Jul turned around and walked back to the middle of the formation.


    ¡°She could just¡­¡±


    ¡°Rel, shut up,¡± Nar said.


    The alfin groaned but she stopped talking.


    Nar sighed internally. Her outbursts were becoming more and more commonplace, and it was becoming a true test of their patience. Especially Jul¡¯s.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    And Mul too. Crystal. I¡¯m surprised he hasn¡¯t snapped yet.


    Though maybe that was to be expected.


    Cen wasn¡¯t doing so well. She didn¡¯t speak much, and she barely ate. And, perhaps most telling of all, she had stopped her nightly aura practice. In fact, she seemed to have completely dropped the subject altogether.


    While Rel and his senses occupied all of his attention, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a sinking, crushing sensation in his stomach, every time Mul looked back to check on his sister. He looked lost. Probably was. It reminded him of that time, back in the tutorial. The scene was almost the same.


    Always magic. Always aura. That damned aether better be worth all of this.


    ¡°We¡¯re too slow,¡± Rel said, suddenly, like she had just gained a valuable piece of insight.


    Crystal. Here we go again, Nar thought, sighing externally this time.


    ¡°We¡¯re making good time,¡± he said.


    The archer shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re stopping too early. And getting up too late. I should speak with Kur.¡±


    Nar grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her back. To be fair to her though, she didn¡¯t put up any resistance.


    ¡°We need to sleep, and we haven¡¯t been doing much of that anyways,¡± Nar said. ¡°We don¡¯t want to end up like all those Climbers. Or do you?¡±


    She twisted her arm free and wrapped her fingers around his arm.


    ¡°We¡¯re quiet. We can see in the dark. We could go.¡±


    ¡°Us two?¡± Nar asked, trying not to laugh in her face.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no path. We need Kur.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that,¡± Rel said, pressing against him. ¡°It could be different. We could check up ahead. Say we¡¯re going to scout.¡±


    Her voice was low. Sultry.


    Nar had to hold on to every shred of willpower he had not to burst out laughing.


    Still, it annoyed him how fast his heart was beating.


    ¡°You know everyone can hear you,¡± he said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± she said. Her breath was quick. Urgent. ¡°You know, I look like this now, but before¡­ I was really beautiful. All the guys were into me.¡±


    Oh, Crystal¡­ Nar thought.


    She swallowed. ¡°Just us two, in the dark¡­ You know? Things could happen, and afterwards, once I look better again¡­ You know?¡±


    She reached up, towards his face.


    Nar froze. He hadn¡¯t actually expected her to make a move on him.


    Her lips parted, coming closer.


    Nar¡¯s eyes widened in panic.


    He headbutted her.


    ¡°Ow!¡± she shouted, holding on to her nose.


    ¡°S-Sorry! I panicked!¡±


    Mul burst into laughter. It ringed out loudly across the vast darkness, and he quickly covered his mouth and looked away. Still, it was impossible to miss the shaking rocking his body.


    ¡°My nose,¡± Rel said pitifully. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you¡¯ve just pushed me away?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I just wanted to¡­¡±


    ¡°Avoid my kiss? Oh Crystal¡­¡± she said, realization spreading through her face. ¡°Oh, no.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Tuk said grinning, wiggling his eyebrows. ¡°That was something. Phew!¡±


    Rel looked beet red, a rarity for her those days. ¡°Can everyone please forget what happened?¡±


    ¡°You mean what almost happened?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°Oh, Crystal, why?¡± Rel said, covering her face.


    ¡°One day, we¡¯ll look back at this, and laugh,¡± Tuk said. ¡°Well, we will. You¡¯ll be embarrassed for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Rel muttered.


    ¡°Come on, leave her alone,¡± Kur said. He was smiling too. ¡°Let¡¯s just keep going.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rel said, as they resumed walking.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Nar said. ¡°And I''m sorry too, for the... You know. Nose.¡±


    His face was hot and his heartbeat was still hammered away. He hadn¡¯t been tempted at all, but Crystal, that had taken him by surprise.


    Jul was right, as always. Ugh¡­ She¡¯s going to be impossible after this.


    He purposefully avoided looking ahead, knowing full well that Jul would be staring back at him.


    I¡¯ll tell her she was right¡­ That might shut her up. To be fair though, I didn¡¯t expect her to actually do it.


    They had laughed it off, but this was no laughing matter.


    Rel was losing control. More and more.


    She kept telling him that it was too soon. That she was young and strong. But he couldn¡¯t quite shake the thought that perhaps being in that place was speeding things up. And possibly quite a lot. Not to mention all the stuff she had been through already.


    However, as with aether and magic, he couldn¡¯t do anything. They were already going as fast as they could.


    He sneaked a look at her. Rel nursed her nose, making faces as she moved it.


    Just have to hope we make it in time, Nar thought.


    If they missed their deadline¡­ He didn¡¯t even want to think about what that would do to Rel.


    After that, the hours drifted by.


    Rel, thoroughly embarrassed, kept her mouth shut. Nar caught her shaking her head multiple times, but she never spoke her mind again.


    After another lengthy stairwell, Nar paused before the next gray arrow.


    In front of him, where the stairwell continuing up should have been, was an empty wall instead. The arrow at his feet pointed to the left, into a long, wide corridor.


    There was no chasm in sight.


    ¡°By the Crystal,¡± Mul whispered, standing next to him. ¡°Are we out?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Kur! Kur, come up,¡± Nar called into the dark stairwell.


    His party leader¡¯s muffled steps rushed upwards to them, and soon, Kur stood right next to them.


    ¡°Look,¡± Nar said, whispering.


    ¡°Crystal. Is this the end?¡± he asked, taking in the sight.


    Before them, there lay a wide corridor, which disappeared in the shadows beyond. It was filled with debris. Of chairs, tables and many other things besides that Nar had no idea what they had been or what purpose they had served.


    Right at their feet, the gray, rough floor turned into some sort of smooth, white and black diamond covered floor.


    The arrow pointed into the room, and in the distance, slightly to the left of the long corridor, they could see the glow of another arrow.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Mul asked.


    Kur looked down, staring in disbelief at the lengos. ¡°What do you mean? Where did all that rush from earlier go?¡±


    Mul shrugged.


    ¡°Of course we go in,¡± Kur said. He turned back towards the others. ¡°Gad, come on up. We¡¯ve reached the end. Or I hope we did. We¡¯re going back into formation.¡±


    Gad climbed up heavily, and Nar gave her and her massive shield enough room to go through first.


    She stepped out of the staircase slowly, both watching where her feet landed, and scanning her surroundings.


    The rest of them filtered past Nar, one by one, until he and Rel were together again, at the back of the party.


    The path led them down one of the sides of the corridor.


    While the debris were strewn all over, they were thickest in the middle. Also, Nar noticed that thankfully, there were much fewer corpses there.


    They walked past tables and chairs that seemed to be propped on wheels, something he had never seen before. There were also some strange, thin and short walls still standing, here and there, surrounding pairs of chair and table.


    Their feet crunched over a myriad things, and here and there, large containers of some sort were overturned, spilling some kind of dark, thick dust onto the floor.


    The ceiling above their heads was tall and spacious, and it had a semi-circular section running through the middle of it.


    Nar saw that the others had stopped up ahead, and quickly joined them with Rel.


    There was an opening on the wall, and beyond it, was a room unlike any he had ever seen.


    There was furniture everywhere. There was a bed, a big table and chair, and there were things on every wall. They were some sort of construct, with rows and rows of horizontal flat surfaces, and they were all empty.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll ever know what this place is,¡± Gad whispered. ¡°Or was.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think we will,¡± Kur said, nodding in agreement.


    He tapped her on the shoulder and she continued onwards, towards the next gray arrow.


    Nar lingered a bit longer, waiting for the formation to take shape. It was a bit warmer up there, and he found it more comfortable. He was finding that he didn¡¯t particularly enjoy the feeling of being cold.


    He looked around him, running his eyes over the rubble and the few bodies.


    ¡°This Climb has been one surprise after the other,¡± Rel whispered. ¡°And I¡¯ve understood almost nothing of it.¡±


    Nar nodded in silent agreement.


    Very little had made sense since he¡¯d left home.


    However, he felt as though there was something different to that place. Like it didn¡¯t belong, somehow. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be there and it wasn¡¯t supposed to have broken their path.


    I¡¯m becoming like Kur and Jul, he thought, shaking his head. Weird feelings and weird somethings.


    They continued on.


    A few steps later, they stopped again, in front of another room.


    A light flickered on and off within it, accompanied with a strange, buzzing and strangled sound.


    Kur questioned Nar with his eyes and Nar nodded.


    With his sword held upright in front of him, and senses stretched to their max, he stepped into the room.


    It was exactly the same as the other one, except for a big rectangle that occupied a good portion of the wall. It was this rectangle that was the source of the light and sound.


    An image flickered, on and off, with heavy lines of gray and dots of different colors making it impossible to know what it actually was. But the shape was vaguely sentient looking. Nar was pretty sure it was a person.


    And the sound. Was it trying to speak?


    He waved at Kur, and he and Tuk came into the room, while the others kept watch outside.


    ¡°Is that a person?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°It looks like one,¡± Nar said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re saying though.¡±


    Tuk stepped in closer, and gave the square a tap.


    Nothing changed.


    ¡°What?¡± Tuk said, facing their combined stares. ¡°Worth a try.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in trying to figure out what this place is, or what happened here,¡± Kur said. ¡°Hopefully we¡¯re near the exit. Come on.¡±


    Suddenly, there was a loud crash outside.

 Chapter 107 - Taken

    ¡°Inside! Inside!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Kur asked, as the others tripped and stumbled on their way into the room.


    ¡°Those things are outside!¡± Jul said. ¡°They tried to grab Cen!¡±


    Gad came in last, holding her shield up before her and walking backwards into the room. Nar ran up to join her.


    She hid behind the wall, next to the door and flicked her shield. Nar, hiding opposite her, noticed it was full of wires, tangled up around it.


    ¡°Store it!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s not working!¡±


    One of the things poked its head inside, cautiously looking for them. Nar, faster than Gad, slashed down on it. His sword banged loudly against the thing and bounced back. The thing screeched at him, baring its mandibles at him, and retreated back out.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Nar said. ¡°We need our aura!¡±


    Aura against aether.


    Damn. The Crystal was cruel.


    Yet, Nar saw no other way.


    A bunch of strings shot into the room, opening up and spreading in search of prey. But everyone was hiding, either besides Gad and Nar, or crouched behind the bed or the big table and chair. The strings fell empty on the floor, and just as quickly as they had shot in, they were reeled back out.


    ¡°How many are there?¡± Kur asked, aiming his question at Jul.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t sense them unless they¡¯re attacking!¡± she said. ¡°My senses aren¡¯t picking up on them!¡±


    ¡°Same!¡± Nar said, before Kur could think of asking him the same question.


    As soon as that thing had pulled its strings back, he had stopped [Hearing] it. It was like it had just disappeared into thin air.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°We need to make them visible,¡± Kur said. ¡°Cen! Can you shoot a charged projectile into the corridor?¡±


    ¡°You think it''s stable enough?¡± she asked back.


    It was the first words Nar had heard from her in days, and even in the thick of it, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a small sense of relief drip over his heart.


    ¡°It looked fine to me,¡± Kur said. ¡°And I don¡¯t see another way!¡±


    ¡°I could try!¡± Jul suddenly said. ¡°I-I have my [Backstab]. I could do a surprise attack, if I¡¯m invisible with my [Stealth] skill. But then, I will be visible¡­¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Maybe I could jump in when she attacked?¡± Nar asked. ¡°With my [NPC], I might be able to move faster than they do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of maybes!¡± Kur said.


    However, he didn¡¯t get a chance to decide. Someone else did it for them.


    Viy ran out, her spear trailing sharp, chaotic looking aura behind her.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Nar muttered, not sure he had seen what he thought he had.


    ¡°Viy! Get back here!¡± Gad shouted after her.


    Wires sprung from all sides and Viy launched into a crazed, insanely fast dance. She almost blurred, and moved so fast that Nar had trouble keeping his eyes on her.


    Her spear drew deadly arcs in the air, cutting mercilessly through their enemies.


    For a stunned moment, Nar thought that Viy could actually single handedly take care of them all, but then, more of the things showed up from the shadows.


    With a shout, Gad ran out after her, triggering her taunts.


    Nar was on his feet immediately, and dashing after her.


    Power coursed through his body and mind as his combat attributes flared to life, powered by both his stamina and his much stronger aura.


    ¡°Ah, Crystal damn it!¡± he heard Kur shout from behind. ¡°Everyone out! Look out for each other! Don¡¯t let those wires catch anyone!¡±


    Things quickly descended into chaos.


    There were wires flying everywhere, and more than once Nar had to pull someone out of the way. It was easier, now that it wasn¡¯t a surprise anymore. The wires had a long and wide reach, yes, but once shot in one direction, they couldn¡¯t steer away from it.


    Maybe it would be easier than they had expected.


    ¡°Viy! Watch out!¡±


    Nar turned in time to see Tuk get tangled, and disappear under a net of brilliant blue light. The light came through the wires, and once Nar saw it, he had no trouble associating it with the squiggly lines he had seen on some of the icons in the chapel back at home.


    It was electricity.


    Tuk¡¯s figure, wrapped in electricity, dropped, convulsing amidst the debris.


    Viy stared at the trugger, her mouth open in shock, her eyes wide with horror.


    Then, the thing pulled its wires back, and Tuk with it.


    ¡°Tuk!¡± Nar shouted.


    The things launched at them with an even greater ferocity, throwing electrical wires everywhere and at everyone, flashing and blinding the party.


    ¡°Grab him! Grab him!¡± Kur shouted.


    Nar growled in frustration. The things were blocking him from doing anything!


    ¡°Tuk!¡± Viy suddenly shouted, her voice echoing louder and clearer than it had in months.


    Her spear twirled in her hands and she cleared the space around her. Then, she jumped.


    Nar followed her with his eyes, surprised even within the grip of his [NPC].


    She aimed her spear down and the tip was coated in a hazy, gray, jagged aura.


    She plunged towards the thing that held Tuk¡¯s unconscious body, and Nar dared to hope. At the last second however, another enemy jumped in her path, taking the hit instead, and Viy went down with it, well away from Tuk and her intended target.


    The thing holding Tuk hoisted his limp form up, above its body, with the help of one of its comrades. Together, they scuttled away, down the corridor and into the darkness.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Noooooo! Viy shouted.


    She got up and made to follow them, but things jumped at her and fired on her from every direction. Her spear became a whistling blur in her hand, forming solid arcs of aura around her, destroying anything that touched it.


    But there were too many, and they held her back.


    With a gut-wrenching feeling, Nar stopped sensing Tuk.


    ¡°Cen!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°We need you!¡±


    Cen raised her staff high above her head, and the corridor glowed with her aura. Then she moved it horizontally, leaving spots of light in its wake.


    Three semi-charged [Aura Projectile 4] shot in different directions, clearing walls, ceiling and floor. The explosions blinded Nar for a split-second, leaving after images in its wake and confusing his [Sight] in between light and dark.


    ¡°After them!¡± Kur shouted.


    The enemy was in full retreat, and the party gave chase.


    Cen, who had gotten atop Kur¡¯s shoulders, spread explosive destruction before them, clearing the way for the party.


    ¡°Viy, wait for us!¡±


    Gad had to physically prevent Viy from running on her own after Tuk.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault! It¡¯s my fault!¡± Viy shouted. ¡°I need to get him back!¡±


    ¡°We all will!¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Nar, to the front!¡± Kur shouted, his expression like that of a madman.


    This can¡¯t be happening! This can¡¯t be happening! We are so close! Nar thought, dread threatening to overwhelm him.


    Nar ran forward, passing Gad struggling to hold Viy.


    His own sword was bright with a sharp, swirling aura. He cut right and left, slicing through the things with fear and despair giving him more energy than stamina or aura ever could.


    The whole tunnel teemed with the things. Wires flew at them, but Cen¡¯s rage and grief filled [Aura Projectile 4] had the enemy on the retreat.


    Under their feet, the gray arrows lead in the same direction their enemies fled towards.


    ¡°There''s a bigger room up ahead!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°They¡¯re all gathering there! And there¡¯s something else in there too!¡±


    It was probably what had killed all those Climbers. Maybe even all those people they had encountered.


    Nar sped up.


    He couldn¡¯t allow that to be Tuk¡¯s end. Not smiling, joking, supportive and caring Tuk. He wouldn¡¯t allow those jokes to be extinguished. Not now, not when they were so close to the end.


    There was no separation between corridor and room. One moment he was chasing the things down the debris filled corridor, and the next, he came to a screeching halt inside somewhere else entirely.


    Wires dangled from the ceiling, covering it completely. And everywhere he looked, he saw bulges and limbs poking out from within the tangled mess.


    Crystal Almighty¡­


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°They¡¯re everywhere! And they can still be¡­¡±


    A massive leg struck down at him, and Gad only just barely managed to get her shield in between them.


    She had had no time to fortify her shield, and Nar watched, as though it were a nightmare, their tank be flung away like she was nothing.


    Her, Gad, their mighty tank, crashed against a wall filled with the things and collapsed.


    ¡°No!¡± Kur shouted.


    Rel grabbed her arrows and began firing in quick succession, her hands moving like a blur, dispensing [Aura Arrow]s as fast as a blink, destroying everything around Gad¡¯s slumped form.


    ¡°Nar take care of that thing!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Jul, find Tuk! Everyone, do everything you can! If we¡¯re dying here, we¡¯re taking all of these things with us!¡±


    Mul roared and raised his fists. His weapons and hands were encased in aura, and he jumped into the fray, smashing things with abandon and fury.


    Nar focused on his senses, trying to find their enemy. The big one.


    The little ones tried to distract him, and Nar sliced at them with such ferocity that they quickly turned in search of easier prey.


    He flared his aura onto his skin, hoping to draw the enemy''s attention.


    From above, a quick, silent shadow moved, heading his way.


    He saw it coming with his [NPC] and fear raked across his brain. The thing was much bigger than he had expected. He had no shield to block something like that. It was even bigger than the Sentry had been!


    No. No shield!


    Like Gad had told him at the beginning of his new path, he would never hide behind a shield. Dodge, parry, and deflect, yes, that he would do. And what he couldn¡¯t avoid, he would simply cut down.


    [Aura Strike]. 100 points.


    Aura roared out of his sword, doubling it in size.


    Nar swung it at the incoming leg, and aura met metal. His aura shot up the leg, slicing into it, crawling up it like crackling electricity.


    Above them, something screeched and the ceiling exploded in a sudden blindness of light blue electricity, wires coming to life with deadly aether.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± he shouted, sensing the danger.


    Wires snapped down towards him and the others.


    Nar could feel the heat off of the wires as he dodged them. That was definitely what had melted those Climbers.


    ¡°There¡¯s a way out!¡± Rel suddenly shouted.


    ¡°Not without Tuk!¡± Kur shouted back from where he was, helping Gad back to her feet. ¡°Jul! Where is he?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking!¡±


    It was pure madness.


    The sharp legs pierced down from above, intent on skewering Nar from head to stomach, and from the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of his party unleashing the plethora of new and upgraded aura skills that they had. In opposition, the small enemies rushed from all sides, shooting electricity covered wires in every direction.


    The amount of damage being thrown around was staggering. Were they even the same people that had left the cubeplant, barely five months ago?


    ¡°Nar!¡± Rel shouted across the chaos.


    ¡°Fight it, Rel! It¡¯s Tuk! Do you want to leave him to die?¡± he shouted back.


    He looked at the sword in his hands. A hundred points had poured so much aura into his blade that it had basically doubled it in size. And it had clearly had an effect on the thing above them, still hidden within its wires.


    If I pour more into it¡­ Everything, can I hit it?


    It was a dangerous gamble. As big as the thing was, it was silent and odorless in that deafening racket. He would never be able to find it. And even if he destroyed its legs, there was no telling if it would bring down the enemy or not.


    If I miss, I¡¯ll have nothing¡­ But if I don¡¯t use enough, I won¡¯t have another chance! I¡¯ll just slowly use up my aura!


    ¡°I found him!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°Help!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± Rel replied.


    For a brief moment, Nar smiled, proud of Rel for having triumphed and won the control over her own mind. But the smile died quickly. The thing had moved on from him, and sharp legs were coming down all over the room.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°I can¡¯t taunt it!¡±


    Nar whirled around. Their tank was up and standing, weapons in hand. Blood ran down her face, forcing her to close her right eye, but she was ready to fight.


    ¡°I¡¯m half blind, here!¡± she said, when she saw him looking at her. ¡°You need to tank! We just need time!¡±


    Nar nodded.


    He ran towards the closest leg.


    [Aura Strike]. 50 points.


    He drove the blade into it, sinking it all the way down to the hilt, piercing out the other side.


    The thing above them cried again, in pain and outrage. The wires came alive with blazing blue electricity again, and the air filled with smoke, and a stench that he couldn¡¯t identify.


    ¡°We got him!¡± Jul said.


    She and Rel appeared out of nowhere, carrying the still unconscious ring tosser.


    ¡°Out! Everyone out!¡± Kur ordered.


    Nar looked around him and found the little gray arrow. It glowed by a short set of wide steps he hadn¡¯t noticed, which led to a pair of broken-down doors.


    The way out.


    ¡°Go!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Nar, Gad, hold our backs!¡±


    The party came together, still throwing skills and aura in every direction. Kur took Tuk into his arms, and ushered them all towards the exit.


    ¡°Go! Don¡¯t stop!¡± he shouted again.


    Wires leaped after them, promising excruciating death, but they reached the stairs, not in short part thanks to Viy¡¯s unhinged fighting.


    If he hadn¡¯t been running for his life, Nar would¡¯ve stopped to stare, jaw dropped.


    She was amazing. He knew that she was a good fighter. They all were. But that was something else.


    The big enemy chased them, and Nar was forced to look away from Viy.


    The party was going up the steps, and two legs dived through the wires at once.


    This time, however, Gad was ready. Her glowing shield blocked the two legs and she grit her teeth to keep them from the party.


    Nar looked behind him.


    Mul, then Cen, then Jul, and Kur with Tuk, and not far behind them, Rel dragged Viy by the back of her neck, towards the doors.


    ¡°Go!¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Not without you!¡± Nar shouted.


    [Aura Strike]. 50 points!


    He slammed his sword against the tips of the two legs, which were still trying to push past Gad. The thing screeched and pulled back.


    ¡°Go! Go!¡± Nar shouted, pushing her in front of him.


    They ran up towards the exit, and the world behind them shone bright blue.


    [Instinct] told him where to step, and he pushed Gad this and that away, keeping them both safe. Fortunately, they were so close, that his [Instinct] indirectly covered her as well.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Rel shouted, from the doors. ¡°Faster!¡±


    The last few steps seemed to go on for an eternity, and he kept expecting to be pierced from behind or snatched up by one of the wires.


    One of them thin, electrical things clipped Gad¡¯s shoulder and she screamed, but Nar pushed her with all his [Strength], not allowing her to go down.


    There were the doors, and then, in a blink, they were beyond them, and they were through.


    ¡°Keep going!¡± Nar shouted, still pushing Gad forward.


    The tank muttered something, gasping in pain, but Nar didn¡¯t hear it, nor did he care to. The big guy might not be able to chase after them, but the little ones surely were.


    A loud crash shook the corridor and Nar looked behind him.


    A grotesque thing had smashed its way out of that big room, and the doors were now crushed under the rubble of the walls and ceiling.


    Massive mandibles opened, letting out a piercing scream. Dozens of red eyes shifted, and turned on its enormous head.


    They brushed past Nar¡¯s terrified face and landed on the small figure, crumbled and crawling on the floor, far from the safety of the party.


    Nar stopped, letting Gad run ahead of him.


    ¡°Rel?¡± he whispered, stunned.


    What was she doing all the way back there?


    As he watched, stuck in place, unable to move, he saw the giant thing drag itself towards the small archer, its long extended, and curved mandibles reaching out to her.


    Why isn¡¯t she running? Why is she just staring at it?


    ¡°Rel!¡±


    His voice was lost under the predator screech of their enemy as it reached forward to take its prey.

 Chapter 108 - Punishment In Salvation

    Rel clutched her leg. Blood drained from her crooked, destroyed knee.


    The pain radiating from it was excruciating, but she barely felt it.


    A haze had fallen over everything. It was like a dream. Or a nightmare.


    You shouldn¡¯t have helped him.


    Shut up¡­


    In front of her, the massive thing reached for her, ready to snap her in half. Or eat her.


    Eaten¡­ Just as you deserve.


    You made me do those things.


    I did, didn¡¯t I? And for what? All that effort! All that suffering! And for what? For you to throw it all away for somebody else?


    At least, I¡¯m still me.


    The Yearning roared in her mind.


    Fool! Idiot! You fucking useless¡­


    How could you do that?


    For another¡­


    Die! You deserve to die!


    You could have run!


    This is your fault!


    I tried to save you!


    Why didn¡¯t you¡­


    This¡­


    You!


    The Yearning spoke as though through many mouths, each shouting above the other, trying to be heard.


    But it was a caged prisoner. Trapped inside her.


    You can¡¯t do anything to me anymore, Rel told it.


    I tried to help you. But now, it¡¯s all over.


    And just like that, a pressure vanished. Gone.


    She gasped, and a tear escaped her eye.


    She was free.


    Pity it was only at the end.


    It was so quiet however, in her mind. She almost welcomed that end.


    I¡¯m free.


    The enormous machine struggled to get to her. It was stuck in the ruble, unable to move. It opened and closed its pincer like mandibles at her, but it couldn¡¯t even fully turn its head to get to her.


    It looked pitiful.


    Maybe she should get up and run.


    But she was so tired. Breaking free had taken everything out of her.


    Joining the other workers in the Waiting Dark. That couldn¡¯t be so bad, right?


    But would she even make it there? After everything she had done, she deserved to be banished into the Eternal Dark, from which nothing ever returned. But maybe, the Crystal would be merciful. It would see that she had been herself at the end, and that she had won.


    She had been right by the doors. She could have made it. She could¡¯ve found another party, claim that she had been lost, make up an enemy to explain her state and outbursts. Climbers were more often than not kind and decent people. Naive. Easy to fool. They would¡¯ve believed her. They would have taken her in. Take her through that last stretch.


    In fact, that was exactly what the Yearning had ordered her to do.


    It was why she had called to Nar, after Kur had refused to leave Tuk behind. She had thought that maybe Nar could be guilted into it. Tempted into it. The Yearning had told her the words, but she had balked from them. Reviled and disgusted by what it wanted her to say and offer and entice. Even threaten. For a moment, her arrow had even been aimed not at something, but at someone.


    That, more than anything, had given her the strength to break free.


    And proud of herself, she had gone back down to help Jul. To save Tuk.


    The giant leg had come out nowhere. It crashed into her and threw her towards Jul and Tuk by pure chance.


    Tuk had been found wrapped in wires, discarded in one corner as the fight raged on.


    Jul had held her then. She had caressed her face with such tenderness, shouting her name, bringing her back awake.


    ¡°Run!¡± she had shouted. ¡°You have to get out of here!¡±


    ¡°N-Not without Tuk¡­¡± Rel had said.


    She had refused to leave. She was fine. She wasn¡¯t going to leave Tuk behind. She wasn¡¯t going to leave any of them behind. She was not her Yearning, and she was the one calling the shots now.


    Together, they had freed Tuk and carried him out. Jul had done most of the carrying, and they had made it.


    Nar and Gad came in last. So strong. So brave. Standing together, shoulder to shoulder, keeping them all safe while they fled.


    She didn¡¯t deserve them.


    She didn¡¯t deserve to get out.


    As she fell, unable to walk and drained, she kept her mouth shut. She watched them go, get further and further from her.


    If she had called to them, they would have returned. They would have come back, putting their lives at risk again, for her.


    And she wasn¡¯t worthy of that. So, she had kept quiet.


    Then the giant thing came bursting through the wall, and now, here it was, trying to break free and get to her.


    Hurry up. Hurry up, you stupid thing. I¡¯m tired.


    She held her bow close to her chest. She hoped it was the last thing she would ever feel. She had never wanted to Climb, but she had come to love her bow. Her arrows.


    Rel had heard Nar and Tuk talking about the Labyrinth. She hadn¡¯t thought much of it then. But now, as she lay, waiting for death, she wished she could have seen it. Gone with them.


    Crystal knew what wonders she would have seen.


    With a mighty crack, the thing broke free, pressing its dimensions into the corridor.


    The mandibles flowed and clicked, and Rel wondered if it was excited at the prospect of food. The thing looked mechanical, so she didn¡¯t know why it would want to eat her, but such was the way of the B-Nex. Nothing really ever made any sense.


    It rose above her, its grotesque features accentuated in the yellow light.


    Yellow? Oh¡­


    Arrows glowed just a couple feet from her. Yellow and sure. The way out.


    A sob escaped her. She had been so close.


    The thing lunged at her, and Rel closed her eyes.


    A sound rang through the corridor and down, down deep into her soul.


    She opened her eyes again, and her vision went blurry.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she screamed, crying.


    Nar didn¡¯t reply.


    His sword, glowing with furious aura, slashed and threatened the enemy, and it screeched and balked away, its mandibles a frenzy of fear, all of its red eyes focused on the blade before it.


    ¡°Run! I¡¯m done for!¡± Rel shouted. ¡°I¡¯m not worth it!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you die!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°Not until you¡¯ve done a thousand, thousand, thousand times more good than all the suffering you¡¯ve caused!¡±


    She couldn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t even save herself.


    But Nar, stubborn, stubborn, Nar, kept on fighting.


    Suddenly, wires shot out of the thing¡¯s mouth and wrapped around him.


    ¡°No!¡± she shouted.


    Bright blue roared out of the open mouth, rushing to destroy Nar. It met his aura instead.


    She watched, stunned, as the two forces fought each other.


    More wires snapped around him, and he pulled more aura out.


    Aura and aether fought for the prize that was his life.


    Gray and blue raged, wild streaks cutting though the corridor around them with abandon.


    ¡°Nar!¡± she cried.


    From within that maelstrom of power, she could hear Nar roaring. Throwing everything he had at that aether¡­


    And then, the blue lightening fizzled out.


    The machine collapsed back with a wounded gurgle, smoke rising from its body, its wires spread limply across the destroyed floor.


    Aura had won.


    Nar had won.


    Against aether¡­Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    My Crystal¡­ This is¡­


    The thing tried to stand back up on its shaking legs. Instead, even more smoke and a coiling stench filled the corridor, coming out of its hanging mouth and several gaps across its metallic body.


    Nar stumbled forward, and fell to one knee.


    He looked spent.


    ¡°Nar! Nar!¡±


    With a cavernous roar, the machine surged to its feet and powered forward, its jaws unhinged, ready to use the last of its energy to crush down upon Nar, and her probably right after.


    And yet, he still didn¡¯t move¡­ Instead, he swayed in place, struggling to keep himself from dropping face first onto the incoming machine.


    He was going to die. For her.


    For her!


    She didn¡¯t deserve it¡­


    Rel tried to raise her bow, an arrow ready in her other hand. But she was too weak. She couldn¡¯t move anymore. The Yearning had at last taken everything from her. And there was nothing left but her own mind.


    Please! Please! Crystal! Someone! Something! Anything! Please have mercy!


    She begged and cried, not knowing who would hear her. Not knowing if anyone would.


    System! Crystal Above All! Please, it¡¯s not fair! Save him! Save him! I¡¯ll do anything! I¡¯ll give you anything!


    Everything stopped.


    And there was a presence.


    ¡°REL293492874601344XAW.¡±


    The voice slammed into her mind with the strength of the B-Nex itself collapsing upon her.


    ¡°SINNER.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, I am,¡± she said, weeping.


    ¡°YOU HAVE COMMITED THE GRAVEST OF SINS. YOU HAVE RECEIVED TRUE SUCCOR AND AID, AND YOU HAVE REPAID IT WITH TREACHERY AND PAIN UNTOLD. YOUR HANDS ARE STAINED WITH THE MULTICOLORED BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT!¡±


    She heard the screams then. The sounds. The begging.


    She saw the tears in their eyes, and their faces floated past her memory, and oh! Crystal! There were so many of them!


    ¡°YOU ARE A SINNER!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! But I''m not asking to be saved! I¡¯m asking You to save him! Save Nar!¡±


    The presence crushed her further, grinding her pathetic self almost to the point of erasing her.


    ¡°YOU WANT TO SAVE HIM? AFTER ALL YOU¡¯VE DONE, YOU SEEK A BOON FOR ANOTHER?¡±


    ¡°Please! Please¡­ He¡¯s done nothing wrong!¡±


    ¡°NO¡­ HE HAS NOT. AND THAT IS PARTLY WHY SALVATION COMES TO YOU TODAY.¡±


    The presence eased off her mind.


    ¡°What do You¡­¡±


    A window appeared before her eyes.


    It was red. Blood red. The color of her own blood.


    <table width="602">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Executing subroutine 3S87I0021N.


    All conditions met!


    Class change available!


    The Way of the Penitent Sinner (Apprentice Archer) unlocked!


    Your path is stained with blood.


    You are a sinner.


    You seek forgiveness?


    You seek absolution?


    In the greatest of twists of fate, you seek the power to save rather than condemn?


    You can have it¡­


    But you will find it through blood and tears.


    You will suffer.


    You will be punished.


    You will wash your sins in your own blood and pain.


    You will find neither pity nor mercy.


    No relief and no respite.


    Only through sacrifice will you find power.


    Only through penance will you wash your guilt.


    Do you still want power?


    Yes / No


    Warning: This choice is IRREVOCABLE. Class change will be PERMANENT.


    Warning: This is not a reward.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    She looked past the dark red letters, to where Nar was, kneeling in front of his demise. A demise that had been meant for her. Earned by her. Not by him.


    He just wanted to save his dad. To see color and light. He had done everything for all of them, and for her. And there he was, throwing everything away again. Just for her.


    He deserved better. And she would repay him. With her whole life if she had to.


    She would come back down with him to rescue his dad. She would do anything for the two of them.


    She didn''t know if she would ever find absolution. She didn¡¯t know if the Crystal would ever forgive her. But right now, she just wanted to save Nar. It didn¡¯t matter if it was a permanent class change. It didn¡¯t matter if it was pain, and suffering and sacrifice. It was power. And right now, she needed it. And he needed her.


    Yes. Please, give me the power to save him! I¡¯ll do anything! I don¡¯t care what it¡­


    Everything went red.


    Her blood began to boil within her.


    She gasped and tried to scream as what felt like an infinite number of shards cut her up from the inside.


    She couldn¡¯t scream though. She was not allowed to.


    She was cut and cut and cut.


    Slowly, painfully, purposefully.


    She had been promised pain, and here it was. More than she had ever endured, even at the hands of the boss of the cannibals. Even at the hands of her own Yearning.


    Pain was all there was.


    Pain was all that awaited her.


    And she did not balk from it.


    She embraced it. She took it in. She would do whatever was necessary. Endure whatever she had to endure. Nar would not die here!


    She opened her eyes. She was up, and a weak raspiness escaped her mouth.


    ¡°Nar¡­¡± she breathed.


    The thing was recovering, readying to strike again.


    Nar stared up at it, defiantly, leaning against his sword. Aura still coated it. It was much weaker than it had been before, but it was still there. Ready to fight back. For her.


    It wouldn¡¯t be necessary.


    Something warm dripped down her chin. Her eyes. Her ears.


    She raised the arrow in her hand to her bow, staining the two of them red.


    The skill came to her.


    <table width="602">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Arrow of Redemption - This skill is not always available. Only in the greatest desire for a good deed may it be used. It deals n * m * o aura damage, where n is the number equivalent to a third of your HP (rounded down) and m is your [Aura] and o is how much you wish to carry out the good deed in question. It always costs one third of your HP. Warning: Using this skill without enough HP will draw from your own vitality instead. Risk of death is almost certain in such a case.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    She didn¡¯t know if she had enough HP. It didn¡¯t matter anyway. The Yearning would probably kill her soon.


    All she wanted was to do one good deed before that. One right, against a pile of wrongs.


    [Arrow of Redemption], she whispered in her now cleared, quiet mind.


    The arrow glowed a dark, deep, smoky crimson, and she let it fly.


    The red projectile flew above Nar¡¯s head, and slammed right into the middle of the thing¡¯s head.


    The arrow kept going, splitting the thing in half, until it exploded, deep within it.


    Pieces. Wires.


    Machine parts flew everywhere, and the strength of the crimson explosion knocked her back, and into the nothingness she fell.


    *********


    Nar rolled over with a groan.


    What happened?


    His thoughts were slow to come back, and a ringing deafened the Nexus.


    He pushed himself slowly upright, and found destruction around him.


    His impending death lay broken in a thousand molten, glowing pieces, tubes, wires and other parts he could not identify.


    What¡­ How?


    An image of a red projectile, flying above his head and piercing into the enemy, flashed past his eyes.


    An¡­ Arrow? Rel!


    His sword lay next to his leg and he grabbed it, and used it to push himself up.


    The floor moved under him and his sight blinked in and out as he searched the debris for her.


    The very walls had been cracked and damaged by the explosion, and tiny columns of dust fell from the ceiling above him.


    ¡°R-Rel,¡± he managed, only hearing a muffled echo of his own voice. ¡°Rel... Where are you?¡±


    A shadow fell upon him and he looked up to find Kur''s concerned expression.


    ¡°Kur..."


    He coughed, and a familiar taste coated his tongue.


    "Find... Rel!¡± he muttered, forcing the words out. ¡°You need to...¡±


    Kur dropped beside him, and the party leader shouted something Nar couldn''t understand. Before Nar could say anything, Kur began lifting bits and debris. Jul appeared right next to him, shouting and pointing at the spot he dug through.


    Nar reached forward to help Kur but arms wrapped around him, pulling him back.


    ¡°Hang in there!¡± someone shouted.


    He looked up in a daze.


    Gad was leaning against the wall. She was sweating profusely and panting with obvious effort. Her eyes were closed and she gripped her shoulder while clenching her teeth.


    Mul and Cen stood by Tuk, watching over the still completely passed out ring tosser.


    Kur flipped over a large piece of the thing''s shell, and Nar looked back around.


    The crunching sensation around his heart eased.


    ¡°Rel!¡± Nar shouted, wanting to go to her.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Viy said, for she was the one holding onto to him. ¡°Let Kur do it!¡±


    He stared at her, and for a moment did not recognize the present and strong, but pained, pair of eyes that stared back at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! She¡¯ll be fine!¡± Viy told him.


    Nar pushed back Viy''s sudden and baffling presence and pulled up his UI to check the party view. His heart clenched once more.


    Rel¡¯s HP was draining. Under her status, a drop shaped symbol indicated that she was hemorrhaging. [Bleeding] out.


    Kur moved his hands across her body, checking on her, and suddenly, Nar felt a rush of power, followed by a subsequent rush of warmth and comfort as the party leader triggered his [Healing Boon].


    Nar almost closed his eyes and fell asleep right there and then, embraced by that comforting warmth.


    His own HP was standing at a healthy half full, just like his stamina. But his aura was nearly depleted. Barely 27 points of it were left in him.


    He became aware of an exhaustion deep within him. More than in his muscles. Deeper than his bones. Down, down, deep down¡­ He was so tired. Completely and utterly drained.


    ¡°Hey! Stay with me, Nar!¡± Viy said, shaking him.


    Kur stood up with Rel in his arms.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting out of here!¡± he shouted. ¡°Those things might find a way through!¡±


    Nar lifted his heavy head to look at him. His HP was doing its job of restoring him back to full health, but he was still slipping away into the darkness.


    ¡°Come on, Nar! I¡¯ll help you!¡± Viy told him.


    Nar nodded weakly as she lifted him up.


    ¡°Come on, step forward!¡±


    His legs shook, and he had to grit his teeth to make them move.


    He didn¡¯t understand what was happening. He still had half of his stamina!


    ¡°That¡¯s it, keep going!¡± Viy urged him, encouraging him.


    Nar stepped forward again.


    ¡°That¡¯s it¡­¡± her voice echoed.


    Nar froze.


    ¡°Nar? Come on, you can do it!¡±


    ¡°Come on¡­¡± said the echo.


    Nar turned around slowly.


    Whose voice was that?


    He looked over the dusty, destroyed corridor. There was nothing and no one there except broken walls and their destroyed enemy.


    ¡°Nar, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing is wrong¡­¡±


    His breath froze in his throat.


    It was the machine...


    The broken thing was speaking in Viy¡¯s own voice!


    ¡°Come on, Nar. We have to go!¡±


    ¡°Go¡­ Go¡­¡±


    Viy didn¡¯t seem like she had noticed anything out of the ordinary.


    The ringing in Nar''s ears grew stronger again, muffling her voice, and the corridor grow darker around them.


    ¡°Go¡­¡±


    Another pair of hands wrapped around him. He didn¡¯t even know who it was. Fear without reason or rationality took over him.


    He stammered, trying to speak, or scream, but he was dragged away from the broken thing.


    ¡°Go¡­ Nar¡­¡± the voice spoke one last time. "Go..."


    *********


    The others got nothing out of him, when, a long time later, they dropped him against a wall.


    His teeth clattered. His limbs spasmed. They asked questions but he didn¡¯t reply.


    He was barely hanging on at the edge of conciousness.


    It made no sense. His HP was at a healthy 75%, thanks to Kur¡¯s boon. And he still had plenty of stamina left.


    He should be healthy and hale and jumping around and helping.


    But he wasn¡¯t.


    He couldn''t muster any strength. He could scarcely put together a coherent string of thoughts.


    Go¡­


    And there was that voice.


    Neither Gad, who had come back for him despite her injury, nor Viy, had given any sign of having heard it as well. And in that broken state, he didn¡¯t know if he had imagined it.


    A cold voice. A dark voice.


    He shivered and swallowed.


    No!


    He was out!


    He was out!


    The corridor was yellow again. They were on the path. They were going to make it.


    There was no voice. The thing was dead! Dead!


    He would never see it again. Nor hear it again.


    A pair of small hands grabbed one of his, and he flinched.


    ¡°Nar.¡±


    It was Cen.


    ¡°Cen¡­¡± he managed to speak at last.


    ¡°You need to use your [Meditation],¡± she said. ¡°Your aura bar is almost empty. I think it''s affecting you!¡±


    ¡°Aura¡­ No, aether!¡±


    Cen shook her head and smiled at him. ¡°No aether. Aura. For you and for me.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Okay?¡±


    Cen sighed and shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not. But I think I will be. And so will you. Come on. Use the skill. You¡¯ll feel better after.¡±


    ¡°Stay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m right here.¡±


    Like a patient mother, Cen coaxed and guided him into his [Meditation].


    Without him noticing, everything around him vanished into a growing, gray light. It was warm. It was safe. It embraced him and promised him nothing but the best for him. It would never abandon him. It would never let the voice have him.


    Grayness flowed into him, from deep within. It filled the empty husk that he currently was, replenishing what had been spent.


    Pain he hadn''t even noticed eased away. Bones were soothed. Muscles relaxed. And the walls of sanity closed around him once again.


    An eternity later, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

 Chapter 109 - Sudden Recovery

    They walked as fast as they could.


    Nar walked up front. He had managed to recover a good quarter of his aura, but his feet still dragged across the floor and his mind was still a jumble of half put together thoughts.


    Cen was certain that his state was a result of him draining his external aura like he had done, and he felt inclined to agree.


    Weird. Unexplainable. Unknown. Powerful.


    These were the best words he could use to describe his aura.


    While he had wondered about the usefulness of his stamina in his current state, as an auramancer, it had never occurred to him that depleting his external aura would have such an impactful effect on him. He had been basically rendered useless until he recovered. Even now, back a quarter full in his aura bar, he had still not made a full recovery.


    Perhaps his aura was not the boundless power he had expected it to be. It seemed that there were limits, and that they were seemingly as heavy as the ones his stamina had imposed upon him before.


    He couldn¡¯t risk running out again. By the end, he had even started hallucinating and imaging voices. The depletion of his aura had hit him hard.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the only thought stumbling about within his foggy brain.


    His aura had kept him alive.


    It had won the clash with the enemy¡¯s aether powered electricity.


    He had won against magic.


    That huge machine had used magic against him, and he had used his aura to protect himself. And he had seen the smoke rising from its mouth. He had felt the wires falling around him, loose and defeated. His aura had defeated magic.


    No matter what he told himself, he just couldn¡¯t convince himself that that the enormous thing he had faced had been weak. He couldn¡¯t. They had been forced to flee from it after all. And that made his clash with its magic all the more significant. Perhaps his crazy theory about aura and aether being at the same level wasn¡¯t so crazy after all.


    For fuck¡¯s sake! His aura had even damaged that corridor! Something that not even Cen¡¯s [Aura Projectile]s had managed to achieve so far.


    Perhaps, it had just been a matter of him lacking enough aura to beat the thing. Perhaps, if he had committed himself to a single, all out [Aura Strike], like it had occurred to him during the fight, he could have beaten it by himself!


    Maybe he just needed more aura. Maybe he just needed to understand it better. To use it better!


    Maybe, if I just had a little bit more¡­


    And that brought him to the third thought rampaging through his mind. Rel.


    She had saved him. She had used or done something he had never seen. Her arrow had nearly brought the whole corridor down on them!


    It had been power beyond what he thought possible for them, Climbers. It had been real strength. The kind that had defeated the massive enemy in one hit. One single arrow!


    Had she been hiding her strength all this time? He doubted that. If Rel had been capable of such she would have used and abused it. She would have left them all behind and ran to the surface, driven by her Yearning.


    No. The red arrow was something new. And considering her state, and all the blood on her clothes, he worried how she had come about such power, and what it had cost her.


    While he considered these thoughts, the rest of the party silently followed behind him.


    Except for one person.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Viy asked Mul.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. I-I¡¯m okay,¡± the brawler stammered coyly.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Hmm. You don¡¯t need to keep asking, you know?¡± Mul said, awkwardly.


    ¡°No. I do,¡± she said, her voice sounding absolutely serious about it. ¡°Nar, how about you?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Same as before. Just-just a bit tired,¡± he stammered, taken by surprise.


    ¡°Just hang in there, we¡¯ll be stopping soon,¡± Viy said. ¡°Then you can do some more [Meditation]. I bet you¡¯ll be fine by tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Yes. I¡¯m sure I will.¡±


    ¡°Good. Good. Hey, Tuk. How are you feeling?¡±


    Nar released a breath he didn¡¯t know he had been holding.


    Something had happened to Viy.


    He was pretty sure that she felt guilty for Tuk being captured and taken away. In a way, it had perhaps, somewhat been her fault. After all, she had run out without a plan, forcing them all to run after her to protect her.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    There was not something new to her outbreaks. What was new however, was how she had reacted to that latest one. And none of them were quite sure how to deal with it, worried that the wrong word might send her spiraling down, back to where she had been languishing for months.


    He was happy for her though. They all were. Happy to see her be herself again. Speak, laugh, even make jokes, which was something she had never done before.


    While Tuk chatted happily with her, Nar wondered if the ring tosser was happy that he had been captured. It had worked out surprisingly well for her. But did that mean that Viy was fine now? Or was it all just skin deep, and the problem yet remained, beneath the surface, ready to blow up again?


    I guess we just have to wait and see, Nar thought.


    For now, he could enjoy watching Mul squirm, unsure and terrified of every single word that came out of his mouth.


    Next to Tuk, Kur carried Rel on his back. The archer had recovered much of her HP, literally returning from the brink of death. But she hadn¡¯t woken up yet. And they didn¡¯t have the time for her to do so. There were only 9 days till the deadline.


    They had no idea where they were, if they were on the path they were supposed to, or by how much their detour had set them back by. Every second counted now if they didn¡¯t want to be left stuck in the B-Nex for Crystal knew how long.


    Next to him, Cen walked with a concentrated frown.


    She didn¡¯t look down, or defeated anymore. She was thinking deeply about something, and Nar guessed that it was about aura.


    Always aura. Always the big question. The decider of their fates, lives and paths.


    He was tired of having it rolling around his mind, back and forth, never resolved, always popping up when he least expected it, and also when he least needed it to.


    One day he would figure it out. One day. And hopefully that day would be very soon.


    Behind the center of the party came Jul and Gad. Gad had actually suffered much more damage than any of them had first realized. The first, surprise blow by the big enemy had drained half of her HP. And that last electric brush had sapped another quarter.


    Even with her tank [Constitution], she had been hurt badly, and they had barely slept, having to rush if they had any hope of making it in time. So Kur had placed her at the back, guarded by Jul¡¯s senses and the entire party, so that she could slowly heal, even as they ran towards their goal.


    Nar wasn¡¯t in any ideal shape either, but he was in much better condition than Gad, and he had happily taken the front. And Viy had been quick to assure him that she would not let anything happen to him.


    Given how he had seen her fight, he genuinely had no doubts about it.


    ¡°Do you want me to carry her for a bit?¡± he heard Tuk ask.


    ¡°No. I can¡¯t make you tired in case we need to fight. For me, this is the best way I can help,¡± Kur replied.


    ¡°Man¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not putting myself down, Tuk,¡± Kur stopped him. ¡°I know the best way to contribute, don¡¯t worry. And besides, I think it''s about time that we take a break. Everyone, let¡¯s stop here.¡±


    ¡°I can keep going,¡± Gad said, despite the sweat pouring down the sides of her face and neck, and the out of control pace of her breathing.


    Kur shook his head. ¡°We all can, but look at our state. We¡¯re half dead like this, and both of our tanks are barely hanging in there. You need to sleep, and Nar needs to recover his aura. So we¡¯ll stop here. Four hours. Then we keep going. Try to sleep if you can.¡±


    With a lot of sore groans, the party eased down to the floor, taking up most of the narrow corridor they found themselves in.


    Jul helped him lower Rel to the floor.


    ¡°Jul, can you watch over us? I¡¯ll stay with you,¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Nar stared at Rel for a moment. She was breathing slowly, with a light wheeze to it. She was pale and sweating despite her HP recovering.


    All the things she did back there¡­ She was in control. She won. But¡­ That means it¡¯s near the end.


    Rel was probably barely hanging on.


    Although no one had mentioned it, he was pretty sure that getting Rel out in time probably weighed on everyone''s mind much more than actually getting out did. At least, it did for him.


    His dad would¡¯ve been proud. He had fought it. He had resisted it. But he was fully one of them now, dedicated to getting them all out. Just like his dad had told him to, again and again.


    ¡°Nar?¡± Cen called him.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I would like to talk. Whenever you¡¯re free.¡± she said.


    Her face looked grim, but she had a new look shining in her eyes. A new determination. Perhaps, she had made her choice. Maybe this time it would be final.


    ¡°Of course. As soon as I¡¯m done with my [Meditation].¡±


    ¡°No, no! Take your time. You need to recover!¡± Cen said. ¡°Focus on that. Just¡­ After. Whenever.¡±


    Nar nodded and she walked away.


    With another look at Rel, he closed his eyes and triggered his [Meditation].


    *********


    ¡°Nar?¡±


    Someone shook him.


    The distraction shattered him out of his [Meditation] and he looked around, groggily.


    ¡°We have to go,¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Is it time already?¡± he asked, surprised.


    ¡°Yeah. We have to keep going.¡±


    Nar nodded and rubbed his eyes.


    ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t know. Not good. We need to hurry,¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    He got up, noticing that he was the last one to do so.


    ¡°I slept,¡± Gad said, approaching him. ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now,¡± Gad said. ¡°Still a bit banged up, but I¡¯m ready. You watch our backs. I never felt like I did a good job at that.¡±


    Nar squeezed her shoulder. ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t say that. You do it better than I do.¡±


    A hint of a smile touched her lips. ¡°Yeah, I do. I just wanted to make you feel better.¡±


    Nar took his hand back. ¡°Wow.¡±


    Gad chuckled and walked away, retaking her spot at the head of the formation.


    The rest of them fell into place behind her, and they got underway again.


    He checked how much aura he had gained and saw that it was just a bit over half.


    It¡¯s recovering really slowly. Is that also because I almost emptied it?


    If he was suffering all those consequences, and the damn bar hadn¡¯t even touched zero, he didn¡¯t want to imagine what would happen if it did.


    ¡°Hey, have you checked your gains yet?¡± Jul asked him.


    She had stayed behind to walk with him, taking what was now Rel¡¯s spot. She had probably decided that Viy would watch over Gad and that she could watch over him instead.


    ¡°Oh. I forgot. I didn¡¯t have time yesterday,¡± he said.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you check them now? I¡¯ll keep an eye out for you.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯re already watching for everything else around us.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Trust me. It¡¯s nothing to me.¡±


    Nar snorted. ¡°Just how much do you have in those sense attributes, anyways?¡±


    Her smile turned into a grin. ¡°I have a lot.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°Go on, check it out. The gains were good, which is surprising. When we killed that first, small enemy, there were no gains at all.¡±


    Nar shook his head, not even attempting to extract any meaning or reasoning from it.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Climb,¡± he said, with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve given up trying to understand anything.¡±


    With that said, Nar turned his UI visible, and focused on his notifications.


    He had seen that he had gained two new levels, but he had been so wrecked, he had just pushed the window away without actually reading it.


    Now, a list of the past ten notifications showed up, and he focused on the most recent. Surprisingly, it did not show the experience points gained for their fight. Like Nar had just told Jul, he didn¡¯t question it anymore, but all the same, it was a shame, he was curious to know how much he had gained from that giant thing.

 Chapter 110 - An Open Mind

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    You have leveled up!


    You have leveled up!


    You have gained:


    Strength 17 -> 18


    Constitution 22 -> 23


    Agility 19 -> 20


    Speed 23 -> 24


    Aura** 100 (71 + 29 Mod.) -> 142 (86 + 56 Mod.)


    ??? 19 -> 20


    Might 6 -> 7


    Endurance 11 -> 12


    Instinct 24 -> 25


    Hearing 16 -> 17


    Sight 15 -> 16


    Smell 8 -> 9


    Gains threshold exceeded!


    Attribute points will be applied during sleep!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Is it bad?¡± Jul asked him, when the silence stretched.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore¡­ There¡¯s some good stuff in there, but it''s mostly just another big chunk of [Aura]. 42 points.¡±


    ¡°42?¡± Jul asked. ¡°All at once?¡±


    He willed away the notification.


    ¡°All at once. You didn¡¯t get it?¡±


    Jul shook her head. ¡°I got 7 points of [Aura] and I thought that was a lot¡­¡±


    She thought about it for a few steps. ¡°Do you think that happened because you protected us with your aura?¡±


    Nar shrugged.


    ¡°Maybe. And all the fighting. And that big thing back there as well¡­ I used a lot of aura over the past few days. I guess I gained 15 points of it, and with the modifiers, that turned into 42.¡±


    Jul frowned at him. ¡°15 points are still a lot of points though. It doesn''t seem right.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Nar made, and left it at that.


    What was the point in questioning it anymore?


    The one thing he couldn¡¯t quite ignore however, was the lack of stamina gains. He¡¯d gotten used to the System shoving [Aura] down his throat by now, but after any major fight, he had always gained [Stamina]. In fact, though the memory of all his level ups were hazy, he couldn¡¯t remember a time where he had leveled up more than once and had not gained at least one point in stamina.


    And if I add that to how wrecked I felt after I emptied my external aura¡­


    He didn¡¯t want to give voice to it. It sounded ridiculous. But all the same, it also seemed logical.


    He glanced at Jul, walking next to him with a concentrated look.


    ¡°Jul, can I ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Do you still use your stamina?¡±


    She looked at him.


    ¡°What? Of course I use stamina! Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ yes. Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°How else would I¡­ Wait. Why are you asking that?¡±


    Nar made a face. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯m using as much as before. I was wondering if it was possible I was using my aura instead.¡±


    Jul stopped and gaped at him.


    ¡°Is that¡­ Is that true?¡±


    Nar looked forward and found the whole party stopped, and staring at him. Cen had been the one asking the question.


    ¡°Are-Are you sure?¡± she asked again, her eyes very wide and brows almost climbing up her bald head.


    Nar looked away, feeling the intensity of their stare. ¡°No. I mean, no I¡¯m not sure. I just noticed I haven¡¯t been using it that much. I haven¡¯t even worried about it, to be honest. Not since the auramancer class change.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Tuk said. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Crazy,¡± Mul finished. ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Gad said. ¡°Just spit it out.¡±


    Nar groaned.


    ¡°Fine¡­I have a skill called [Aura Senses 2]. It boosts my senses attributes, and it also makes them use¡­¡± he sighed, already anticipating their reactions. ¡°It makes them use aura instead of stamina.¡±


    ¡°Holy Crystal!¡± Tuk whispered.


    ¡°What does it say? Tell us the whole thing!¡± Cen asked, almost demanding it.


    ¡°[Aura Senses 2],¡± he said, reading the skill¡¯s description out loud. ¡°Drawing upon your senses, including [Instinct], automatically taps into your aura reserves. This empowers all your senses by a further n * n, where n is the level of this skill. Further, this skill is the first prerequisite towards the more¡­ And then, it says no more information available¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s something,¡± Kur said, slowly. ¡°Jul, do you have that too?¡±


    Jul nodded. ¡°I do, but it''s at level 1, and I just have the empowers my senses part. Does that mean I¡¯ll stop using stamina too?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m not using it!¡± Nar said. ¡°I could be wrong! I probably am! But¡­ My [Aura Attack] and [Aura Quickening] skills also don¡¯t use stamina anymore. Just aura. So there¡¯s that.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Tuk whispered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but maybe there¡¯s something there,¡± Cen said, holding onto her chin as she frowned in concentration. ¡°You were so exhausted when you emptied your external aura¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Yes. We never told you guys. So we¡­¡±


    Cen quickly got them up to speed in the naming convention they had arrived at, to differentiate between the two types of aura, and on why they had reason to believe that the two auras were different.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Gad said, rubbing her chin. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°It gets more and more complicated. But maybe it has to as he get closer to finding out the truth,¡± Kur said. ¡°Come on, let''s keep walking. We can talk as we walk.¡±


    Cen approached Nar to walk by his side.


    ¡°As I was saying, you were so tired when you nearly drained your external aura. You were shaking and weak. Like you had no stamina left in you. But how are you feeling now?¡±


    ¡°Still tired. But I haven¡¯t slept though,¡± Nar said. ¡°Could be I was just wrecked after that fight.¡±


    ¡°Go on, think about it. You sure this is just normal tired?¡± Cen insisted. ¡°Is it your body, your mind or something else?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s everything. Hmmm.¡±


    Both Cen and Jul waited while he thought about it.


    ¡°I am really tired,¡± he finally said. ¡°If I could, I would like to sleep for a whole day. Maybe more. I can¡¯t explain it. It¡¯s like¡­¡±


    He reached a hand for his chest, not realizing it.


    ¡°Like something is missing,¡± he whispered, almost to himself.


    Cen nodded and considered her next words for a few steps.


    ¡°I¡­ Well, we all have a lot of [Aura] now,¡± she said. ¡°I currently have 78.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s also a lot,¡± Jul said.


    ¡°I suppose it is,¡± Cen said. ¡°But what I¡¯m trying to say is, as we gain more and more [Aura], there has to be a consequence of that. I mean, look at you Nar, your [Aura] dominates all of your attributes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it¡­¡±, he muttered.


    ¡°Yes. And, if I heard correctly, you now have 142 points of it. That¡¯s a lot. It¡¯s so much. It has to have an effect on you¡­ And-and on your path, too.¡±


    Nar didn¡¯t know what to say to that.


    ¡°By not using stamina anymore?¡± Tuk asked, looking back at them. ¡°That sounds a bit¡­ Wild?¡±


    Cen shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just what I think.¡±


    ¡°So, this will happen to all of us?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°Probably. We all have our first modifier in our [Aura]s. And¡­ And some of us have decided that they want to keep using their aura. So, I¡­ I guess we will find out.¡±


    Nar looked down at the caster, trying to glimpse anything of her thoughts in her expression.


    ¡°I mean¡­ It¡¯s not bad, right?¡± Mul asked, staring directly at his sister. ¡°I have more aura than stamina. That means I¡¯ll be able to do more stuff, right?¡±


    Cen nodded. ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Nar, how do you feel about that? You didn¡¯t want aura, right?¡± Viy asked, with a sympathetic grimace.


    Wow! That was direct! He thought, stunned. This new Viy is really going to take some getting used to.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Honestly? I don¡¯t even know anymore,¡± Nar said. ¡°Back there, I fought that thing¡¯s aether and I survived. My aura beat its magic. There¡¯s no denying that if I had more aura with me¡­ I would have destroyed it.¡±


    He sighed and shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t deny that aura is very, very strong. And that more and more, the idea of it being a curse, a punishment, feels¡­ Wrong, somehow. Especially since it doesn¡¯t even hurt anymore.¡±


    ¡°It does feel quite nice, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking too,¡± Viy said. ¡°And I¡­ I have decided to take it too. It really does make me feel¡­ Good.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Tuk said, grinning. ¡°I''m sticking with mine!¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Mul said. ¡°I like that it''s mine. I don¡¯t want to rely on anyone else¡¯s strength. Much less the fucking Crystal. It can take Its aether and shove it up Its¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Tuk shouted. ¡°No need to go that far!¡±


    The attention fell on Cen now. She had been the one who had started that whole movement towards aura and away from aether and its promised magic. Twice her belief had been tested. First, by Tas¡¯ lies. And now, by the discovery that magic was real, and therefore, obtainable.


    ¡°I¡­ I was scared there, for a while, you know?¡± Cen said. ¡°I thought I had made the right choice after¡­ After Tas. But then, that electricity we found? It really made me question everything.¡±


    She brought out her staff and held it slightly above her head. Three dots of light formed in the air above it, and they circled each other.


    ¡°This is actually a new skill that I gained with my class change. It¡¯s called [Multi-Aura Projectile],¡± she revealed. ¡°It allows me to shoot up to three aura projectiles, at three different targets. It has advantages and disadvantages over the normal [Aura Projectile], which means it''s good for some situations and bad for others.¡±


    She took a deep breath and exhaled just as deeply. ¡°This tells me that there is potential in this path. That there¡¯s more waiting for me. To be discovered and learned. There has to. Otherwise, why would the System go through all this trouble to create skills for aura and the class of auramancer caster? It just doesn¡¯t fit that punishment idea anymore, like you said, Nar.¡±


    Her eyes shone gray under the light of the three, slow moving spheres of aura.


    ¡°And I¡­ I want to see what''s ahead of me. Like Mul said, this energy, this power¡­ It¡¯s mine. I don¡¯t need permission to use it. I don¡¯t need prayer, or whatever it is that the Crystal will demand from me in order to grant me It''s aether. My aura depends on me, and no one else. And I think that realizing that, too, is part of Climbing and being free.¡±


    She looked around, her eyes stopping briefly over her brother, then finally coming to rest on Nar.


    ¡°True, I don¡¯t know if magic is stronger or better,¡± she said, grimacing. ¡°I don¡¯t know which one you¡¯ll need for your path and your goal. But I¡¯m going to take my chances with my aura. After everything that we¡¯ve seen. Everything that we¡¯ve come to question and to prove wrong¡­ I just don¡¯t see any more reasons not too.¡±


    Nar nodded, smiling. ¡°And I think you won¡¯t be disappointed. And soon enough, we will have all the answers we need. As for me¡­ I think I¡¯ll at least be keeping an open mind from now on.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°I won¡¯t worry about having to use my aura, at least. That would be¡­ That would be very stupid, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    She nodded and patted his leg.


    ¡°I think so too, Nar,¡± Cen said. ¡°Who knows, maybe having all this aura will end up being a good thing, eh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, honestly. ¡°Maybe it will.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking aura too¡­¡± said a weak, raspy voice.


    ¡°Rel?¡± Kur asked, twisting his neck to look at her. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Not really¡­¡±


    They stopped walking and gathered around, while Kur and Tuk lowered the injured alfin to the floor.


    ¡°How are you?¡± Tuk asked her.


    ¡°At the end,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look like that, Tuk. It¡¯s not your fault¡­¡±


    Tuk held her hand, unable to keep the sorrow from his face as his eyes glistened in the yellow light of their path.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Nar?¡± Rel asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    The party shifted, letting him through, and he knelt beside her.


    ¡°Hi,¡± she said, smiling weakly.


    ¡°Hey there,¡± Nar said, unsure of what to say.


    Rel coughed into her other hand, and rubbed her lips. Nar didn¡¯t miss the red that she wiped away.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay,¡± she said.


    ¡°I am. Thanks to you,¡± he told her. ¡°But Rel, what was that that red arrow?¡±


    Rel smiled weakly. ¡°It''s my new path, the Way of the Penitent Sinner.¡±


    ¡°Is that a class?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a path. I¡¯m still an archer.¡±


    ¡°It was so strong,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°It really was. It almost brought down the whole corridor,¡± Viy said.


    ¡°My Crystal¡­ Viy is talking to me,¡± Rel said, surprise blossoming across her countenance. ¡°Am I dreaming?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ No. You¡¯re not,¡± Viy said, smiling down at her. ¡°I¡¯m better now. Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Viy.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, too,¡± Rel said, her tone still one of wondered bewilderment


    ¡°Rel. What happened back there?¡± Nar asked, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand.


    Rel returned her eyes to him. ¡°You were dying. For me. Useless, disgusting me. I couldn¡¯t let that happen.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Rel¡­¡± he whispered, passing a hand over her hair. ¡°You¡¯re none of those things. And if I had more aura¡­¡±


    She tapped him weakly on the chin.


    ¡°It was not your fault, Nar. And yes¡­ I am. This class change is what I deserve for what I did. There had to be consequences. It wouldn¡¯t be fair otherwise,¡± she whispered, after wiping her lips again. ¡°But the Crystal heard me. At least I think it was the Crystal¡­ It talked to me. It really did.¡±


    ¡°It did?¡± Nar whispered, floored by the revelation.


    ¡°Yeah. And it gave me a choice. A new class and a path of pain and sacrifice. But also path to forgiveness, and to pay back for everything I¡¯ve done,¡± she said, her tone dreamy, and a light smile adorning her red stained lips. ¡°And that was my new skill. A special skill. I can only use it for good deeds and¡­¡±


    She blinked and stopped talking.


    ¡°And?¡± Nar asked, gently.


    ¡°And¡­ And it''s really strong. It deals damage equal to my entire [Aura] multiplied by a third of my HP,¡± she revealed.


    ¡°Crystal¡¯s Mercy!¡± Mul breathed. ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­ It can¡¯t be!¡±


    ¡°Yes. The cost is a third of my HP¡­¡±


    Nar gripped her shoulder. ¡°Rel! Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s not okay!¡± Tuk said. ¡°That¡¯s horrifying!¡±


    ¡°We can change it,¡± Kur said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure there will be more opportunities to change your class again!¡±


    Rel shook her head slowly, from side to side.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be changed¡­ Ever.¡±


    Nar covered his face with both hands.


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t even say it! He couldn¡¯t even bring himself to say the word! What good was there in saying Its name? In calling out to It? This was all Its fault and decision.


    ¡°Oh, Rel,¡± Cen said, stroking her hair.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t let you die, Nar,¡± the archer said. ¡°Not after everything you¡¯ve done for me. For all of us. You need to save your dad.¡±


    Nar could feel the tears fighting to break free. He could feel the emotions and memories becoming agitated, jostling to escape. To explode.


    ¡°Rel¡­¡± he whispered. ¡°Oh, Rel¡­¡±


    She patted his leg. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡­ I will die soon anyways. At least this way I got to repay you guys.¡±


    Nar grabbed her hand. ¡°No! You¡¯re not dying! I¡¯m not going to let that happen! You hear me? I¡¯m not going to let that happen!¡±


    He looked up to his party.


    Kur nodded at him.


    ¡°We can make it,¡± Kur said. ¡°We will make it!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± Rel said. ¡°You¡¯ll only tire yourselves. Risk your lives for nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get you out!¡± Gad said. ¡°Whatever it takes!¡±


    ¡°Come on, get her on my back on back,¡± Kur said. ¡°From now on, we¡¯re running! We¡¯re running all the way to those damned Gates!¡±


    Nar scanned the darkness in front of him. The yellow path continued until it disappeared. They had no way of knowing how far they were, or if anything else still stood in their way. However, it didn¡¯t matter. He would not let Rel die.

 Chapter 111 - Tell Me About Yourself

    The sound of their desperate breathing filled the corridor they found themselves in.


    At about 10 by 10-feet in dimension, the corridor was as non-descript as many other hundreds they had walked through before.


    ¡°We¡¯re taking a break, Rel,¡± Kur panted, as Nar grabbed her off his back. ¡°Only for a couple hours.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be doing this,¡± Rel whispered. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re going to run into.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Kur said, fighting to speak normally. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Together they lowered her to the floor, propping her gently against the wall, and dropped beside her.


    Nar breathed with his mouth hanging open, sweat pouring in great rivulets down his face. His heart beat with a tired madness, lacking the usual stamina empowered strength he had grown used to.


    His eyelids were heavy. If not for the sting of his sweat, he might¡¯ve closed his eyes already.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Kur asked him.


    Nar nodded, not wanting to give Rel any reasons for concern.


    ¡°Maybe try to sleep tonight, instead of doing the [Meditation]. It might be better for you. And you¡¯ll get your gains too,¡± the party leader said.


    Nar nodded once more.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    He looked up.


    Viy was squatting by Tuk, with a hand over his shoulder. For a moment, he almost couldn¡¯t believe that this Viy and the previous Viy were one and the same. She stared at him with a pained, concerned expression, and seemingly in full control over her perfectly healthy mental faculties.


    ¡°That¡¯s no good,¡± Rel whispered.


    ¡°What is?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°She. It hasn¡¯t gone away. It¡¯s not fixed,¡± Rel said. ¡°She¡¯ll have to deal with it one day.¡±


    ¡°Deal with what?¡±


    When Rel didn¡¯t reply, Nar looked to his side. Her eyes were closed, and her chest rose and fell rhythmically, accompanied by a painful, wet, wheeze.


    ¡°You need to sleep too,¡± Kur said. ¡°Come on.¡±


    The party leader got up to go check on the others, and Nar sunk further down against the wall.


    His hands shook slightly.


    Within, he still felt like something was missing, though it wasn¡¯t as bad anymore now.


    He had considered Cen¡¯s words while they ran, all throughout the day.


    The more he repeated the words in his mind, the more they made sense. They more they startled him with its simple implication.


    The low stamina use. The absolute destroyed way in which he had found himself after he had emptied his aura bar¡­ It all pointed to one conclusion.


    His [Aura], or aura, was changing him.


    Just like his [NPC] affected him, just like his senses had grown sharper and his movements and his strength, his [Aura] was starting to do the same. It wasn¡¯t just something he tapped into for extra damage and to survive the Pressure anymore. It was becoming something else altogether. Turning him into something else altogether.


    By the time I get out of here, it might be too late to change, Nar thought.


    He could feel it. Something was happening. After their talk, he had paid attention to himself. Listened. Looked. Felt.


    His internal aura looked just as it had. From the day he had found it, buried deep within him, it had never changed. But he felt something all the same.


    There was something there, perhaps staring right at his face. He was missing it, but not completely.


    He had managed to find his path. He could tank in his own, special way, and his aura had, in a way, come to empower his lacking DPS.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Kur had told Rel they would change their class, but was such a thing even allowed for the rest of them?


    Rel¡¯s class change was impossible to undo. While that seemed to be linked with the things she had done, during her time with the cannibals, what if there was something similar for him, and the others? Where if they went too far into aura, that there would be no way to swap over to aether instead?


    He sighed and leaned back, until his head came to rest against the wall. He closed his weary eyes, feeling the weight over him.


    Aura and aether.


    It had plagued and chased him since the very beginning. And now, within days of the exit, within days of the end of the Climb and his new life outside, the question was still there. Unanswered. Unresolved.


    And yet¡­ He had said he would keep an open mind, and he fully intended to do so. He was no scared of the changes his aura was having across his body and who knew where else. If nothing else, there was power in his aura, and now, all he could do was trust that it would get him out, and that soon enough, he would have all the answers.


    For a few minutes, he listened to Rel¡¯s difficult breathing.


    His mind ran from one thought to another, and circled back again to something completely different. Though it was always about aura and aether. His dad. His path. His future. His choices. His faith and beliefs¡­


    And yet, all those raging thoughts felt distant. Almost as though an invisible boundary stood between them and himself. Like he was a spectator, sitting down to watch the thoughts and troubles of another.


    It would be so easy. To let go and to embrace his aura. More than just keeping an open mind, he was fully teetering towards just accepting it.


    It made him powerful. It gave him the strength he so craved. That he so desperately needed.


    All he had to do was manage it properly, like he had with his stamina. He had so much of it, after all, all he had to do was keep an eye on it. Easy, no? Crystal. He even had the means to refill that damn gray bar at his own fingertips! He just needed to use his [Meditation] skill again and again, and he would never run out!


    So, yes. In the end, why not?


    Everything made sense. Everything pointed towards that final conclusion at long, long last.


    The wrong way he had been taught to use his aura. The wrong things the priest had believed in. The vague drawings of the chapel icons. The undeniable strength of his aura, an aura that had kept him alive, again and again, and which had even won out against aether itself.


    So, yes, why in the pile should he not embrace it?


    Only one thread held him back from making that choice.


    The others might not really understand his obsession about saving his dad. It was more than love that held him back. It was more than hope that made him clutch so tightly to his purpose.


    It was duty. It was debt. It was something he could never repay. Nothing he could ever return.


    I need to get my dad out. I promised. And I will do it. And I don¡¯t care what I have to do, or sacrifice to get him out.


    He sighed and buried his face in his hands.


    But that one, single thread still holding him back from fully accepting his aura? It was fraying¡­ And more and more it was getting poised to snap at any moment.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    He flinched and looked at Rel. ¡°I¡­ Yes. I thought you were asleep?¡±


    ¡°Nightmare,¡± she said, grimacing. ¡°I¡¯m in control, but it doesn¡¯t mean that the Yearning is gone. It''s still pushing me to go as fast as I can. How stupid. It won¡¯t even let me rest.¡±


    Nar grimaced too. ¡°Anything I can do to help you? Want me to¡­ You know, hold onto you or something?¡±


    She coughed and wheezed, her body seemingly lost to a seizure that wracked her from head to toe.


    ¡°Oh, Crystal. Please don¡¯t make me laugh,¡± she wheezed. ¡°That hurts so much!¡±


    ¡°I-I was just trying to help!¡±


    ¡°I know. I know. But your face, though¡­ Crystal. I can¡¯t!¡±


    She shook again, holding her sides with her fists.


    ¡°Ah,¡± she said, relaxing. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again¡­¡±


    Nar shook his head.


    ¡°Talk to me,¡± she said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You can talk to me. About you. Tell me about you.¡±


    ¡°Is the Yearning still¡­¡±


    She shook her head from side to side, slowly. Weakly.


    ¡°Yes. No? I can¡¯t tell anymore. Does it matter?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not. What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Everything. Everything and everything,¡± she said. ¡°Why do you want to save your dad? Didn¡¯t he choose not to Climb? And what is an Unclean? Why are you so good with aura? And why¡­ Why do you resent the Crystal so much.¡±


    Nar stared at her for a moment, too shocked to speak. He couldn¡¯t believe that she had actually said it.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t think It minds,¡± she said. ¡°It gave me a chance after all. Me! Can you believe it? After all I¡¯d done?¡±


    She coughed weakly into her hand, closing her eyes.


    Nar could feel the weight of everyone¡¯s attention on him. His breath lay forgotten, as he dreaded his next move. His next words.


    But above that, he wondered about the truth in her words. Did he resent the Crystal? Did he hate It?


    And what if I do? He thought grimly. Resolutely.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn''t have asked¡­¡± Rel said.


    Is there anything to be ashamed of? Nar asked himself, looking back through the memories.


    He remembered to breathe again. He took a purposefully slow breath, organizing his thoughts. Making his decision.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s fair. I asked and asked about you and your life. It¡¯s only fair I tell you about mine in return.¡±


    He looked up at the yellow-colored ceiling above his head. The walls, ceilings and floors were always featureless. Smooth. He wondered what color they actually were, if the light shining upon them was not yellow. Perhaps they had no color at all. Perhaps everything down here was just colorless. What would be the point of color in that darkness anyways, right?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I feel about the Crystal,¡± Nar said. ¡°We didn¡¯t really pray to It. We didn¡¯t think It cared about us. Some of us thought It actually hated us.¡±


    He sighed and glanced at Rel. ¡°It might be a long story.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°We got time, I think.¡±


    ¡°Nar¡­¡± Gad said.


    ¡°It''s fine, Gad,¡± he said, smiling at the tank. ¡°Secrets can be used against us, right? Here, and out there too?¡±


    The tank nodded gravely, and when nobody else said anything, Nar looked down at his hands. If he closed his eyes, he could still feel the smooth surface of that receiver. It was always burning hot.


    ¡°I was five¡­ I remember I was out playing with the other kids, before my family returned from work¡­¡±

 Chapter 112 - Unclean (Part 1)

    I don¡¯t remember exactly what I was doing. I think I was playing hide and seek with the other kids.


    We had just finished a round and were about to start another one.


    ¡°Fey!¡±


    Out of nowhere, Fey¡¯s dad came running towards us.


    ¡°Dad?¡± she asked, looking confused. ¡°What are you doing here? Is work over already?¡±


    He scooped her into her arms. ¡°Shhhh. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll tell you at home. Everything¡¯s going to be okay.¡±


    He took her way and other adults started showing up as well, and taking their kids away.


    We didn¡¯t know what was happening, but from their faces you could tell that something had. Something very, very wrong.


    ¡°Nar!¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± I shouted.


    I ran to him and he took me into his arms. He hugged me tightly. So tightly. Like he was making sure I wasn¡¯t going anywhere.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nothing. Nothing¡¯s wrong,¡± he said.


    But I heard the tremor in his voice. I saw the paleness in his face, and I knew he was lying.


    He started walking, carrying me away, and refused to tell me anything until we got home.


    Everywhere we went, there were people running. They were grabbing their kids. They were carrying food. And they all looked like my dad.


    I started to feel scared. I probably cried.


    I remember my dad patting my back and making hushing sounds at me, gently rocking me in his arms as he took me home.


    ¡°Nar!¡± my mom shouted, as we came in.


    ¡°Mom!¡±


    My dad passed me into her arms.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared! What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Shhh, it will be okay. Alright?¡±


    Just then, my uncle, my dad¡¯s younger half-brother, came in. His arms were full of food, more than I¡¯d ever seen.


    ¡°It¡¯s insane out there!¡± he said, as my dad rushed to help him. ¡°The queues are getting massive! I even saw a fight!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s fighting? Why?¡± I asked.


    My uncle looked at me, startled, unsure of what to say.


    ¡°Where''s mom and dad?¡± my dad asked his brother instead.


    ¡°They decided to stay. They are waiting for you two, so you can walk back together. I¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen. You should hurry!¡±


    My mom nodded against my head. ¡°Okay¡­ Okay. ¡°


    My mom sat me down on a stool and held my hands. ¡°Something¡¯s happened, Nar. But we don¡¯t have time to explain. Mom and dad need to get food for us, okay? We need you to be strong now, and stay with your uncle. Behave, okay? We¡¯ll talk about this later. Okay?¡±


    ¡°O-Okay!¡± I said, even as I could feel the tears running down my face.


    ¡°I-I can tell him,¡± my uncle volunteered.


    ¡°No! We¡¯ll tell him,¡± my dad said. ¡°Come on, Lan. We need to hurry!¡±


    ¡°Be brave! We¡¯ll be back soon, okay?¡± my mom promised me.


    They both ran out the door and I was left with my uncle.


    He was seventeen at the time. My grandma had died very early, and my grandpa had gotten together with another woman, one whose husband had also died young, and she had had no kids with him. I considered her my own grandma.


    My uncle came closer to the table and stared at the food. His lips moved as he silently counted how much jell-o and crackers there were.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot of food¡­¡± I said.


    He was startled and looked at me. Then he smiled. ¡°Yes, more than enough.¡±


    ¡°Enough for what?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I¡­ Let¡¯s just wait for your parents to come back, okay? Your dad wants to be the one to explain it to you.¡±


    Just then, I heard shouts from outside and my uncle dashed to the door.


    ¡°No! Stay there!¡± he told me, when I tried to join him and see what was happening.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nothing. Nothing¡¯s wrong. Someone tripped and fell down the steps. They¡¯re fine though. They¡¯re fine¡­¡±


    He looked back at me, and his face was scary. Not because I was scared of him, but because there was something in it that scared me. Years later, I would understand that he was terrified. He was alone with me, responsible for taking care of me while everything collapsed around him.


    But I didn¡¯t know that yet. I knew nothing then.


    My parents and grandparents came back hours later, looking battered. My mom and grandma carried the food, and my dad and grandpa lingered by the door and by the windows, staring outside.


    My mom and grandma dropped their haul on the table, joining my uncle¡¯s earlier one.


    ¡°It¡¯s good. It¡¯s good,¡± my grandma said. ¡°This will do us for a while.¡±


    ¡°Mom?¡± I asked, feeling tears coming again.


    My mom came over and hugged me tightly. She kissed my forehead and tousled my hair.


    ¡°Can you tell me what''s going on?¡± I asked her.


    She nodded, biting her lip, and squeezed my shoulders. She stood up and pulled a chair to sit down next to me.


    ¡°Well, hmmm. You know that everyone works, right?¡± she asked me.


    I nodded. Of course I did. Who wouldn¡¯t know?


    ¡°So, there are people that work in the pile. People that work in delivering the aetherium to the factories, and people that work in the factories. Right?¡±


    I nodded again, unsure of where she was going with this.


    ¡°So, well, this hasn¡¯t happened in a long time. A very long time ago. Way before you were born. Before I was born, or even grandpa and his dad. So long a time¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay. And what happened?¡± I asked, getting impatient in my fear. Why didn¡¯t she just tell me?


    ¡°So, just like then, something bad came down with the trash this season. It¡­ Well, it makes people sick.¡±


    I gasped. ¡°Are you sick?¡±


    She held my face tightly. ¡°I¡¯m not! You hear me? I¡¯m fine. Everyone here¡¯s fine. But there are some people that live around us that are sick. So we all need to stay home for a while, okay? You can¡¯t go outside, but mom will play with you. It will be fun!¡±


    Outside, the sounds of people and conversations had gotten louder and louder, and I stared at the door when shouting broke outside.Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe they waited for shift¡¯s end to tell us,¡± my dad said.


    My uncle had joined him and my grandpa, and the three of them stood by the door. Almost as if they were trying to block it.


    ¡°Probably wanted to confirm?¡± my uncle asked.


    ¡°Doubt it,¡± said my grandpa. ¡°They just didn¡¯t want to affect the quota too much.¡±


    Screams suddenly pierced the hubbub of conversations, and shouts quickly followed it. Loud and angry.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± my uncle asked.


    ¡°Crystal have Mercy¡­ We need to put a stop to that. You stay! Watch the others!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± my uncle replied.


    ¡°Lan, take Nar inside,¡± my dad asked, looking at the two of us.


    I remember thinking that he looked sad, but then my mom dragged me inside and he and my grandpa were gone.


    I never knew what they went out to do, and when they came back, they didn¡¯t tell anyone while I was around. But they sat by the door and windows, quiet, looking outside. In the crystalight, their faces were full of deep shadows.


    The first week went by.


    Rumors started coming in, from the neighbors.


    People were getting sick. Really, really sick.


    It was something horrendous, they said in whispers they thought I couldn¡¯t hear, but which made all the adults go quiet and pray for the Crystal¡¯s mercy.


    We prayed a lot then, and sang praises to the Crystal all of us. My mom made me pray too, to keep our family safe, but mostly, she asked for the Crystal¡¯s forgiveness. Over and over, she said she was sorry and begged the Crystal to forgive them.


    ¡°Why do you keep saying that?¡± I asked her one night, after our prayers.


    ¡°Say what?¡±


    ¡°For the Crystal to forgive us. Did we do something bad? Did I do it?¡±


    ¡°No! No! Of course not. It wasn¡¯t you. You¡¯ve done nothing wrong. Don¡¯t worry about it, okay?¡±


    But even as she said that, she continued praying for forgiveness.


    At the start of the second week, my grandparents started to feel ill. They quickly got so weak they couldn¡¯t even get out of bed. They could barely even eat. I was forbidden from going into their room. My dad alone went in to check in on them, and he started sleeping in the living room after that, taking turns guarding the door with my uncle.


    It was hard to sleep at night. My grandparents were in pain. A lot of pain. I cried a lot, and so did my mom.


    A few days later, my mom fell. She was up one moment, playing with me, and then she just dropped. I screamed and my dad came running in.


    He lifted her up and carried her to the bed.


    He shouted at me to leave the room. He called for my uncle and he came running in to drag me away. I fought him. I scream and kicked and bit. I didn¡¯t want to go. I wanted to check on my mum. See if she was alright.


    That sweaty, messy haired, pale face was the last proper glimpse I had of her.


    And a week later, my dad was sick too.


    My uncle did his best to ration the food, prioritizing the sick people. They needed it more than us, to fight the disease. But there just wasn¡¯t enough food for all of us. A worker¡¯s stipend lasts a week, and we were all well into our second week by now.


    Eventually we ran out.


    Two days later I heard a pop.


    That¡¯s the best way I can describe it, as that was exactly what I heard. A pop. And then a second one, right after, and then a strange sound. Like when you drop jell-o on the floor. That kind of sound.


    My uncle ran into my grandparent¡¯s room and screamed. I didn¡¯t even know an adult could scream like that.


    My mom and dad, weak as they were, shouted from the room. Asking him what was going on?


    My uncle puked against the wall and started crying and I got up to go see what had happened.


    ¡°No! Stay there, Nar! Don¡¯t come here!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± my dad asked.


    ¡°Is everything okay? Is Nar okay?¡± my mom asked.


    ¡°Nar, stay there!¡± my uncle shouted again, and he slid down to the floor, weeping.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± My dad asked again.


    I heard sounds from the room and then I saw something peeking out through the door.


    I think I screamed.


    I barely recognized him. His skin was stained yellow, and his face was all wrong, all bloated. When he noticed me staring, he looked at me, and hid away. His cheeks were so big though, and they jiggled like¡­ Like I can¡¯t even describe.


    Later on, I learned that my grandparents had just died.


    And my dad looked like that.


    I was forbidden, again, from going to see them.


    My mum and dad talked to me through the door, with me not looking, while my uncle went out in search of food.


    When he returned, he was empty handed.


    ¡°The dispenser won¡¯t give me anything,¡± he told my parents. ¡°And nobody else has food. It¡¯s not looking good out there. I heard some people were gathering, planning to go to the others at shift change, and ask for food. I think I¡¯ll go too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± my dad said, his voice weak.


    ¡°Take Nar,¡± my mum told him. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll have mercy if they see children. They have to. They have to¡­¡±


    My uncle took my hand. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go see if we can find some food, okay?¡±


    ¡°Be careful and do what your uncle says!¡± my mom told me. ¡°Be a good boy, okay Nar?¡±


    ¡°I will!¡± I promised.


    When we stepped outside, it was like a whole other place. The neighborhood was quiet. There were no kids running outside, no adults seated around to chat, no love-struck teenagers chatting bashfully through windows. There was nobody.


    My uncle tugged at my hand, and guided me through streets that had only two weeks ago been familiar, but which now I felt I was walking through for the first time in my life.


    Here and there, we saw faces poking out of doors and windows. A woman hissed at us, told us to stay away from her house. My uncle pulled me in closer and we carried on.


    Eventually we heard the noise. Voices. Shouting.


    We turned around a house and we found a crowd of people.


    ¡°Go back to your homes!¡± a voice was saying. ¡°The Admin and the Priest both have spoken. This is divine punishment! Go back!¡±


    ¡°We have kids here!¡± someone shouted. ¡°How can you be like this?¡±


    ¡°The kids are sinners too!¡±


    My uncle lifted me up onto his arms and pushed us in, deeper into the crowd.


    ¡°My kids have done nothing wrong!¡±


    ¡°This is not the Crystal! This is you! You are the sinners!¡±


    ¡°Cowards!¡±


    ¡°Go away, Unclean! Return to your homes and wait for your punishment!¡±


    My uncle brought me close to his face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything,¡± he told me. ¡°I¡¯m going to put you on my shoulders. You tell me what you see!¡±


    He hoisted me up and I was able to see over the heads of the gathered crowd.


    Around me, there were many other kids up on people¡¯s shoulders. Some of them were crying, but most were just staring, scared and hungry.


    ¡°There¡¯s a man speaking,¡± I told my uncle. ¡°There are a lot of people with him. They have¡­ They have bits of aetherium in their hands. Why did they bring it here, uncle?¡±


    Under me, my uncle didn¡¯t reply. He simply swore under his breath.


    ¡°This is your last warning!¡± the same man said, waving his sharp piece of aetherium around. ¡°Go back! Don¡¯t make us do it for you!¡±


    A man at the front of the crowd spat at him. ¡°You will never join the Crystal, sinner! You doom us all to die! The Crystal is watching today!¡±


    The man with the aetherium took a step back, like he had been struck.


    ¡°Bla-Blasphemy! Disobedience! You talk back against the Admin and the Priest? Against the Holy Crystal Itself? You deserve to die! Push them back! Push them!¡±


    Nobody moved and he looked behind him. ¡°What are you doing! Do you want to call the Crystal¡¯s wrath on the rest of us? Show It that we¡¯re not the same as them!¡±


    That finally got a reaction. The people with the aetherium stepped forward, and they began to hit our people.


    ¡°Stop! There¡¯re kids here! For the love of the Crystal!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t make sense of what I was seeing. The aetherium rose and fell. People went down. Blood was everywhere.


    My uncle turned around, trying to get us out.


    ¡°Curse you! Curse you to the Eternal Darkness!¡± someone shouted from our side.


    But we hadn''t gone too far in, and the people at the back were fleeing.


    Once there was some room around us, my uncle pulled me down to his arms and ran away, carrying me all the way home. People looked out from their homes as we dashed past, but my uncle never stopped to answer their desperate questions and pleas. He never said anything. I¡¯m pretty sure he was crying.


    When we got there, and he had told my parents what had happened, there was a long moment of silence.


    ¡°Curse them all to the darkness,¡± my mom whispered. ¡°How could they? How could they!¡±


    From then on, nobody told me to pray anymore. My mom sang no more. Nobody did.


    The loudest thing in our home was my and my uncle¡¯s stomachs growling for food. That and my parent¡¯s soft moans of pain and crying.


    To hear their pain from what used to be our room. To be forbidden from seeing them. From being next to them. I cried and cried, and I begged my uncle to let me see them, but he didn¡¯t let me. He cried as he held me, keeping me from their room.


    From inside, my parents too, begged me not to come in.


    I¡­ I hated the Crystal then. I hated It for what it was doing to me. To my family.


    The stench of my dead grandparents was everywhere. And my parents cried in pain at all shifts. Not one night did I go to sleep or wake up, without the first thing I heard being the sound of their pain.


    A couple days later, we had a visitor. A man was calling out from the streets.


    ¡°Hello?¡± my uncle said, from the door.


    ¡°Oh! Thank the Crystal!¡±


    A man came to the door. He was an altei.


    He grabbed my uncle¡¯s hands and cried.


    ¡°Please! My daughter and my wife! I need food! Please! I¡¯ll do anything!¡±


    My uncle stumbled back. This was a grown altei, much taller and stronger than him, and I got scared of him.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. We have nothing left! We have sick people too!¡±


    The altei stopped mid-crying.


    ¡°Nothing? Nothing at¡­ All?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t. There¡¯s nothing!¡± my uncle said, motioning towards the house. ¡°It¡¯s all gone. We haven¡¯t eaten in a week!¡±


    The man let go of my uncle. He leaned against the doorway and looked down. He looked lost, with silent tears running down his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We have nothing,¡± my uncle said, touching his shoulder.


    But he shouldn¡¯t have done that. The man suddenly turned and pushed him inside.


    ¡°Liar! I know you have it! Give it to me!¡±


    I screamed as they fought. From the room, I heard my dad shouting and coughing, too weak to get up to protect me and his brother.


    ¡°Give! It! To! Me!¡± the man shouted.


    He was beating my uncle so easily. Punching him with his massive hands. My uncle couldn''t even speak.


    I remember running towards the guy and holding onto his leg.


    ¡°Stop! Stop! We don¡¯t have anything!¡±


    The man dropped my uncle and lifted me up instead, raising a fist to hit me.


    At the last second, he stopped. He looked at me, crying, high up in the air.


    ¡°Do you really have nothing?¡± he asked me.


    ¡°No¡­ There¡¯s nothing. Nothing for my mum and dad!¡± I said through the tears. ¡°There¡¯s nothing for them to eat!¡±


    The man looked shocked. He looked from me to my uncle, coughing and gasping on the floor.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He dropped me down on the floor and walked away. We never saw him again. But the damage was done. My uncle was hurt badly. The man had broken things and my uncle could barely breathe and move.


    But still, he held me, and he pulled me closer to him.


    ¡°You need to go find food!¡± he told me the next day. ¡°Your parents need it and so do you!¡±


    I nodded at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to send you, but I have no choice,¡± he said, looking in the direction of my parents¡¯ room.


    It was strangely quiet that shift, especially after what had just happened the shift before.


    ¡°Go!¡± he told me. ¡°I¡¯ll look after them. Go on! But be careful!¡±


    I ran out of the house.

 Chapter 113 - Unclean (Part 2)

    I shouted and begged everywhere I went, crying to get food. But nobody replied to me.


    The streets were empty, and I was too scared to go inside other people''s homes, for fear of what I might find there. The same smell was coming from all around me. And from those houses that weren¡¯t silent, I heard only the sounds of suffering.


    I don¡¯t know for how long I ran and searched. But eventually, someone replied to my calls.


    ¡°Hey! Kid!¡±


    I turned around, frantically searching for the source of the voice.


    Two men walked out from a house and waved at me to come closer. I ran towards them.


    ¡°Please! I need food! My parents are sick and my uncle is hurt!¡± I told them.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± one of them said, looking at the other.


    ¡°We could help you, but we need to take you to our team lead,¡± the other said. ¡°It¡¯s his call, you know?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Please, take me to him! I¡¯ll do anything!¡±


    They both smiled at me. The way they did should¡¯ve made me run away. But I was five. And I was desperate. Everyone was dying around me. My parents and uncle needed food. Their lives were in my hands. And so, I followed them.


    A short while later we came to a place that was full of people, though they were mostly young men and women.


    They laughed and joked and played games, as though nothing was wrong.


    I followed the two men deeper into that cluster of streets, shocked and stunned, not understanding what was going on there.


    But it didn¡¯t take me long to hear the sounds coming from the houses. The pain. The suffering. It was there too, but it sounded different¡­ I didn¡¯t understand how, but I just knew that it was different. That¡¯s when I first realized that something might be wrong there. But by then, it was too late. I was scared of what they might do to me if I tried to run away.


    They took me to a house. Inside, there were a lot of young men. A tall, older man, older than my dad but younger than my grandpa had been, told me to come closer. He didn¡¯t look like he belonged there, amongst all the young people surrounding him.


    As I walked, I saw that there were women and girls there. They all looked hurt. Some sobbed quietly, others just looked into the nothing.


    I regretted coming here. I was terrified. And I just knew that something bad was going to happen to me here.


    ¡°So, I heard you need food, eh?¡± the older man said.


    I nodded, not able to find my voice.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not a problem,¡± the man said. ¡°We have plenty!¡±


    From behind him, from deeper in the house, a scream rang.


    ¡°Hey, keep it down back there!¡± the older man shouted. ¡°Like I said, we have a lot of food. But we can¡¯t just give it away. You need to earn it.¡±


    I nodded, swallowing. ¡°What do I have to do?¡±


    The man grinned at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy. Go out there, find me a woman. Or a girl. It doesn''t matter how old or young. Anything will do! But the bigger they are, the more we''ll get! Oh, and they can¡¯t be sick! That''s very important, you hear me?¡±


    The other men laughed.


    ¡°Simple, right? Bring them here, and I will give you all the food that you need!¡±


    I looked around at the other women. Something was going on here that I didn¡¯t understand. It was grown up stuff. Really bad grown up stuff. I didn¡¯t know why the man wanted me to bring a person to him, but I knew that if I did, something really bad was going to happen to them.


    But my family was dying and I was so scared.


    I just nodded.


    ¡°Good. Go on, then! Bring them and I¡¯ll give you all the food you want!¡±


    I ran out from there.


    I think I stopped somewhere to cry. I don¡¯t remember for how long.


    I thought about going back home and telling my uncle everything. But I knew that he would tell me to never go back to that place again, and that place was the only one with food. He was hurt and my parents were dying, and I was so scared of being left behind. Alone.


    So I searched.


    And eventually, I did find someone. She was alone, out looking for food, like me.


    She was a bit older than me, by three years and Crystal, she was so happy to see me.


    And she was even happier when I told her I had found a place with food. So much food that I needed help to carry it all back to my family... I even made her promise she wouldn¡¯t take the food from me, and that we would split it.


    She believed me. And she promised.


    So I took her back...


    She was so happy, so relieved. So grateful to find some food for herself and her family. She laughed and skipped on her way, making enough conversation for both of us. Meanwhile, my heart hammered in my chest, the tears burning behind my eyes. The most I could manage were grunts and nods in reply to her enthusiasm.


    But just a couple of streets away from that place, and all the food that I had been promised, I stopped.


    The tears fell freely now. I couldn'' stop it.


    She asked me what was wrong and I just... Told her. I told her everything. About where we were going, about my parents and my uncle and how I just couldn¡¯t do it. I couldn¡¯t bring her to those horrible people. I was a kid, yes, but I knew that they would hurt her. And that it was very, very wrong. My parents or uncle would have never stood for something like that, and I couldn''t bear the thought of her hurt and crying like that either.


    She looked at me for a long while after I was done.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± she eventually asked me. Her tone had gone flatter, bereft of it''s earlier excitment.


    I told her where she could find them, unsure and not caring why she wanted to know, and she ran away without another word.


    I stayed where I was, crying for a very long time. I had lost my chance of getting food. I had searched and searched and no one else would talk to me. No one would give me food. Only those people had talked to me, and I needed their food.


    So I decided to go back. Empty handed.


    The older guy slapped me. So hard that I fell, and everything moved around me, my ears filled with a loud buzzing.


    ¡°I told you to bring me a body!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one! Everyone''s sick!¡± I lied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me, kid. I know there¡¯s still plenty of people out there! You think you can just come in here and lie to my face? Take my food? Just like that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll look again! I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    There was only pain after that, as he kicked me again and again.


    When he was done, he laughed, and the others laughed as well.


    He lifted me up to his face. His eyes were so wide and angry, he didn¡¯t even look like a person anymore.


    ¡°You had your choice,¡± he said. ¡°Now, you¡¯re staying here.¡±


    ¡°No! Please!¡± I begged him. ¡°I¡­¡±


    And that, thankfully, was when the screaming and the shouting started.


    ¡°What in pile is going on out there?¡± their boss asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re being attacked!¡± someone shouted from outside.


    ¡°Shit!¡± the older man said, dropping me. ¡°Out! Everyone out!¡±


    I could hear people fighting then.


    Men and women were suddenly at the door, both old and young.


    There was blood all over them, and when they saw me lying there on the floor, they came for me. One of them grabbed me and I tried to fight him off.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! I¡¯m not going to hurt you!¡± he told me, hugging me tightly against his chest. ¡°We¡¯re going to take you back home!¡±


    I stopped fighting him and hugged him back, crying.


    ¡°Get him out of here!¡± someone shouted. ¡°Quick! Get him out!¡±


    He took me outside. Everywhere there were people fighting. Killing each other.


    I was taken to an adjacent street, to where injured people were being taken to, and told to wait there until the fighting was done, and it was safe. One of the woman there noticed me alone. She was already hanging on tightly to another weeping child, and she beckoned me into her arms. I ran to her, my sight blurry with fresh tears, and she held me tighter than I''ve ever been hold...


    Together, all three of us waited for the fighting to end, and it went on for a long while. Later, I would discover that the people who had saved me didn¡¯t leave a single bad person alive. They killed them all in the name of self-preservation, safety and vengeance. As for us, the ones they had rescued, they promised us that we were safe, and that they we were going to be taken home, back to our families. And if anyone didn¡¯t have any family left, they were welcome to stay with them and their families, and they would be looked after and fed.


    A man came to me then, as people began to disperse. He gave the woman holding onto me a nod, and she finally let go of me, he sat next to me. For a while he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°That was my daughter you almost brought here,¡± he told me eventually.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I didn¡¯t have a voice to speak with. I was shaking, I think.


    ¡°But you didn''t. You didn¡¯t bring her here, and that took a level of courage and sacrifice than you can''t possibly understand at your age,¡± he told me. ¡°Thank you. Now come. There¡¯ll be food. And then I will take you home.¡±


    He lifted me up, gently, and made me follow him.


    My saviors were carrying bodies.


    Most of the bodies belonged to the bad men, but there were tears and screaming, for the good people that had died. And for those who would yet die from their injuries and the sickness plaguing us...


    But things are blurry after that.


    I know we took the bodies to the recyclers, and we got the bereavement food in return. And that man took me back home with plenty of food and he told my uncle everything. My uncle held me and he wept for a very long time. Back then, I didn''t even know that adults could cry like that.


    The man, Kol was his name, told us where to find him for more food, and left us.


    ¡°Nar, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± my uncle told me when later on he finally managed to stop the tears. ¡°Your mum and dad. They¡¯re gone¡­ They¡­ They¡¯re not speaking anymore.¡±


    I tried to go see them, but he wouldn¡¯t let me. I fought him and pushed him, and he fell. He was still hurt and weak, and I ran to the room. I ran to my parents.


    I wanted my mum to hug me. I wanted my dad to tell me I was safe now, and that he would protect me as everything I knew was falling apart around me.


    My uncle shouted from behind me, begging me to not go in.


    But I ran in, my feet sticking to some kind of jell-o on the floor. I remember thinking, where had all that jell-o come from as I ran to the bed.


    And what I saw there was barely my parents anymore. And I will never forget it...


    There were two things laying on the bed, holding what had once been hands, now fused together.


    It was¡­ It was something.


    Two somethings.


    Bloated to the point of nearly bursting. Their veins black under their stretched skins and-and... And more that I will not tell you.


    I couldn¡¯t believe those things were my parents.


    I reached out to touch what had once been my mother. It felt¡­ I won¡¯t tell you what it felt like either.


    I touched her hand and then¡­ Then she just popped.


    Just like that.


    And my dad did too.


    It went everywhere. They went everywhere.


    All over me.


    It got in my eyes. In my nose. In my mouth¡­


    And someone was screaming. Screaming and screaming and screaming. And they wouldn¡¯t stop.


    My uncle came in and he grabbed me and I think I passed out then.


    When I woke up, we were somewhere else. My uncle had moved us in with Kol''s family.


    His daughter tried to talk to me, but I didn¡¯t talk back. I didn¡¯t talk to anyone or do much of anything for a very long time.


    I just stared into nothing, as days became weeks, and months, and we ended up just living with them, and forming what was essentially a new family. Sometimes the adults would go somewhere, and they would return injured and bloodied, and with more people and food. Always with food.


    The only way they could get it was with dead bodies. And looking back, as I grew up, I slowly realized just how bad things had been for us, and just how badly people had broken and in their despair turned onto each other. Men and women both did horrible, disgusting things. And they weren¡¯t even cannibals.


    But, enough of that. Eventually it became apparent that whatever had ravaged through our homes and families was not affecting us, and that we were all going to survive through it. We weren¡¯t getting sick, and there was no one left to kill for their sins and evil.


    So Kol went to those that had called us sinners, and who had told us to die. He told them that too many people had died, and that they cubeplant was at risk of failing the quota if they didn''t allow us out to get food and return to work. And he worked out a deal with them. The Unclean, as they would come to call us, would work double of what they did, in place of those who had died, and we would all work at the machines, regardless of whether we were suited for them or not.


    The Clean finally accepted that deal, but on the extra condition that every child from the age of 5 would also work, and Kol had no choice but to agree to it or see us all die. And Crystal, you have no idea what accepting that deal did to him. It broke something in him that the sickness and the fighting hadn''t managed to, and he wasn''t quite the same ever again after that.


    Two days later, my uncle wrapped a bit of cloth around my right arm.


    ¡°From now on, you need to always have this thing around your arm. You hear me?¡± he asked me in a gentle tone.


    I nodded.


    ¡°Nar, promise me. This is important. If you don¡¯t have it on, they can... They can do some really bad to you,¡± he said, his voice stragled.


    ¡°I promise, uncle. I''ll never take it off!¡±


    The walk to the factory that first day was the worst. People gathered to watch us go. They called us sinners. Unclean. They said we deserved to die.


    We went in, and the adults that had worked the machines told us what to do. How to operate the machines. How to push aura into them. My uncle was one of them, and he taught me everything.


    And so we worked. We worked and worked.


    I cried to sleep for a long while, my body trembling from the torture of those early days. But eventually, I got stronger, and I stopped crying.


    Two years later, when my uncle¡¯s nineteenth full season arrived, he told me he wasn¡¯t Climbing. Everyone else who had been young enough, had and was taking the Climb. But not him, he wanted to stay.


    He told me that he was too scared to go. But I knew the truth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to stay!¡± I told him. ¡°Go! There¡¯s nothing here! They won¡¯t even let you have kids! Why would you stay?¡±


    I was seven then, and I had learned a lot in the meantime. I understood a lot more by then as well.


    ¡°Because I want to! And that¡¯s the end of it!¡± my uncle told me.


    ¡°No! You¡¯re staying because of me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are!¡±


    ¡°I swear it on the Crystal!¡± he shouted.


    It didn¡¯t matter. That oath meant close to nothing amongst us now, Unclean. Cursed and punished as we were, not one of us sang or prayed, unless when we were forced to. It was better to go into the Eternal Dark to find our family, than into the light of the One who had taken even the little we had from us.


    ¡°I want to stay, Nar,¡± my uncle told me. ¡°I don¡¯t want to Climb. I¡¯ll die out there!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll die in here!¡± I shouted. ¡°Just like everyone else is!¡±


    The workload was too much. We had continued to lose people. Kol¡¯s wife had recently been one of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m staying. Now go to bed!¡± my uncle told me.


    I looked at him then, desperate to make him leave. And I don¡¯t really know why I said those words, but I looked at him and I said this.


    ¡°If you stay here, I¡¯m going to start calling you dad!¡±


    He was shocked. He looked at me for a long time, and I thought that had done it. He had been devastated to know he would never be allowed to have children of his own. Never be allowed to make his own family, like his brother and father had, and this would push him to finally go,


    ¡°You can make it to the top. You can make it there, you hear me?¡± I cried. ¡°You can find someone. You can have kids! If you Climb, everything is forgiven! You¡¯ll be free! You can have a real family!¡±


    He looked at me for a long time, shaking in place. I could see the tears wanting to come down, but he tried to hold them back. He tried so hard.


    He lost that fight and a solitary tear ran down his face.


    ¡°I said go to bed¡­ Son.¡±


    He wiped his face.


    ¡°Tomorrow is another day of work¡­ Son. You need to rest.¡±


    ¡°But uncle¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your dad!¡± he shouted, silencing me. ¡°And I¡¯m telling you to go to bed. Now!¡±


    I hugged him instead. And he hugged me back. And he stayed. Crystal, he stayed for me. For me!


    From that day onwards, I called him dad, always. And he called me son. Always.


    The years blurred by. People died. People Climbed. No new children were born, for we were far too terrified of what the Clean would do in something like that ever happened.


    Kol eventually died of the Wasting, his entire body turning shiny blue. And my dad took his place, leading us.


    Bit by bit, there were less and less of us.


    Kol¡¯s daughter took the Climb like all the others. She had become like my elder sister, and my dad looked after her too as though she was his own daughter.


    Her and many others he looked out for. The adults looked after all the kids and each other, sharing the food and the suffering in one big family. And every kid was forced to Climb without exception at some point.


    I think the adults knew that the Climb was their only way out. Once the last kid was gone, they could finally rest. They could stop. But not until the last of us was gone.


    I didn¡¯t want to leave though. It didn¡¯t seem fair. My dad had stayed for me. How could I abandon him after what he had done?


    ¡°You will Climb!¡± Bey said, coughing. ¡°Every kid does!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t a kid back then!¡± he said.


    His coughing got worse and I stopped talking, waiting for him to recover.


    Only a few days earlier, he had found a tiny speck of blue at the tip of his finger. It was the beginning of the Wasting.


    ¡°I will die soon, son. There¡¯s no point in you staying here. You¡¯ll be left all alone! Every other kid is going!¡±


    ¡°Then I will stay alone!¡± I shouted back at him.


    ¡°No! You will go! We adults will see all of you out of this place! Do you hear me? None of you are staying! You will leave even if it''s the last thing I do! I¡¯ll jump, you hear me? I¡¯ll jump into that Pile if you don¡¯t go!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s not fair!¡± I whispered, taken aback by the vicious despair in his eyes.


    ¡°Nothing is fair here,¡± Bey said. ¡°That¡¯s why you need to go. Please. I beg of you. Do it for me, for your parents and grandparents. I have a duty to see you go. Else, I¡¯m not going to be able to face them, in the Eternal Dark.¡±


    I left then.


    I walked out and I ran.


    I ran out of our little place, where only Unclean lived, past the empty streets that no one had wanted to move into, for fear of being targeted by the Crystal''s wrath as well.


    Eventually, I found myself climbing up to the chapel. The first of many times I would start doing this.


    It was there, staring at the icons, that the plan would eventually come to me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go, but I¡¯ll come back for you,¡± I told my dad, a few days later. ¡°I will take you to the O-Nex, and I will find a healer for you. We¡¯ll get a ship and we¡¯ll live in the Labyrinth, just the two of us. Where there is light and color, and nobody will ever know we are Unclean.¡±


    My dad looked at me for a long moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s my condition,¡± I said.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t like it.


    But I didn¡¯t care. My decision was made. And that was that.


    Eventually, I realized that I needed to be strong enough on my own to come down later, and I decided on my hybrid tank/DPS class.


    And then, the months passed. And eventually I met and I left with you guys¡­


    *********


    ¡°... and here I am now,¡± Nar said, finishing with a grimace.


    The silence stretched after his last words.


    ¡°And that¡¯s it, I guess,¡± he said, feeling awkward in the silence.


    He didn¡¯t fear what they would think of him. By now, he knew without a single hint of a doubt that him being an Unclean meant nothing to them. At least not anymore. They accepted him as he was. And he was one of their own. And he, for everything he had suffered at the hands of the Clean, had grown enough to put all that behind him, and focus on saving his dad, and accept the party that had done nothing but good by him from the very beggining.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s¡­ Stupid. How will I find him again? How will I Climb back down again? How will I get strong enough?¡± Nar said, in the quiet. ¡°I know¡­ I know how it sounds. But I¡¯ll do anything. Anything! He gave up his chance of freedom for me. He could¡¯ve been living his best life up above right now! But instead, he stayed. He stayed for me. And I¡¯ll never forget that. Never forget him. He¡¯s tough, and his aura has always been strong, so I know that he¡¯ll hold on. And I¡¯m not going to let him down. I don¡¯t care if I need to break through those damned Doors to do it. He¡¯ll see the light of freedom. One day¡­¡±


    A shadow fell upon him and hugged him tightly.


    ¡°This is why the little boy is screaming,¡± Jul whispered, crying into his chest, all four arms hugging him tightly it hurt. ¡°But once we save your dad, he will not cry anymore. Okay? It will be done! It will all be done!¡±


    Nar nodded against her, feeling the sting of tears, and tightening of his throat.


    ¡°I said I would come down,¡± Kur said. ¡°And I¡¯m saying it again. I will come with you. That¡¯s not up for discussion.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s not,¡± Mul said, his voice strangled. ¡°And I¡¯m coming too! Fuck what you want! I''m blasting open those fucking doors myself and I''m knocking some fucking sense into all of those fucking Clean!¡±


    ¡°And me too!¡± Cen said, smiling at Nar. "We will come together, and we will keep you dad safe all the way up!"


    ¡°And me too!¡± Tuk said. "Don''t think you''re getting rid of me!"


    Viy was softly crying into Tuk''s shoulder, and the ring tosser had his arm around her.


    Nar shook his head, stunned. ¡°I-I can¡¯t ask¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can!¡± Gad said, standing up.


    He had never seen her look so angry before.


    ¡°We will come with you! And we will get your dad out! Him and the others. Everyone who is still alive! And fuck the Crystal! Fuck the Admin! Fuck the priest! I don¡¯t care what or who stands in our way. This will be done! I swear it on the Crystal!¡±


    ¡°Gad!¡± Nar shouted, horrified.


    ¡°This will be done. I swear it on the Crystal!¡± Gad shouted again. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I will not allow this to end wrong! We¡¯ll make it right!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll make it right,¡± Kur said.


    A hand fell on his leg, stratling Nar. The heat radiating from it was almost burning.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me,¡± Rel said. ¡°It means a lot to me¡­ And if I live, I will come down too. Your dad deserves to be saved.¡±


    Nar held her hand, his sight going blurry. ¡°Thank you. And I will hold you to it. You hear me? You¡¯ll get out of here, you¡¯ll get better, and you will come back down with me. We all will!¡±


    She nodded, smiling weakly.


    ¡°Wait, does this mean you don¡¯t need a hybrid class anymore?¡± Tuk suddenly asked.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I-I don¡¯t know,¡± Nar said, still shocked by how sudden it all was.


    If he had his party, this new family, would he need to be a tank/DPS hybrid at all. Couldn''t he just be a normal DPS then?


    ¡°I think you should stay on that path you''re building, Nar,¡± Gad said. ¡°It suits you, and it''s your role in the party. I can¡¯t tank without you and I still believe what I said before. This is an amazing path, Nar. You will grow to be really strong. Strong enough to save your dad. Strong enough to do anything you want.¡±


    Nar nodded slowly.


    ¡°I... I think you¡¯re right. This is what I¡¯ve always wanted. And other than this whole aura mess, it¡¯s even better than what I had thought. I¡­ I like being a hybrid.¡±


    He looked at her. ¡°I will continue building this path. Where it takes me¡­ We¡¯ll find out. Together.¡±


    ¡°Together,¡± she said, nodding at him, and he knew she truly meant it.


    And that was that.


    All of his secrets were finally out. And they not only accepted him, and he them, they had even vowed they would come down again with him. And he believed it, without a shadow of a doubt.


    How could I have ever thought of them as tools?


    Now, he thought of them as family, and felt neither embarrassment, nor that he was tied down by them. If he could, he hoped he would never be separated from them.


    Now, all they had to do was get out, and find out what awaited them in the O-Nex. And Nar would do everything to ensure they all got out.

 Chapter 114 - The End Of The Path

    For the next four days, they ran as fast and for as long as they could, only stopping when Cen or Tuk, who had the lowest stamina, could run no longer.


    Nothing came out to bar their path. There were no obstacles, and no mysteriously broken parts in their path either. The yellow arrows stretched before them, uninterrupted, steadily guiding them towards the end.


    Rel hung in there, from Kur¡¯s back, sleeping for the most part. Not even her nightmares kept her awake for long now.


    Her HP was full, but it was helpless against whatever the Yearning was doing to her.


    Nobody said anything, but Nar was beginning to fear the worst.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Jul suddenly said. ¡°Stop!¡±


    They came to a halt, gasping and sputtering for air.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kur asked her.


    ¡°I sense something!¡± Jul said. ¡°Someone. People I think.¡±


    ¡°Climbers or¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jul said. ¡°But I think they can sense us too. They¡¯ve stopped.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be cannibals,¡± Mul said, putting on his knuckle dusters.


    ¡°Are they coming towards us?¡± Gad asked.


    ¡°No. They¡¯re slowly moving away from us, I think.¡±


    ¡°Could be Climbers,¡± Viy said. ¡°We¡¯re all going to the same place, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Kur nodded. ¡°We have to keep going forward. Weapons out.¡±


    With their weapons at the ready, they continued at a light jog.


    ¡°Jul, how far are we?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°At this speed, we¡¯ll get there in about ten minutes,¡± she said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    They ran in a tense silence, following along the path that had been their near constant lifeline towards the surface.


    ¡°Almost there!¡± Jul said. ¡°And they¡¯ve stopped now!¡±


    ¡°Slow down! Into formation!¡±


    They slowed down to a quick walk, closing ranks and ready for anything.


    A few seconds later, a voice shouted from the darkness.


    ¡°Stop!¡± it said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want any trouble!¡± Kur shouted back.


    ¡°Then why are you chasing us?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not! One of us is injured! We just want to reach the Gates as fast as possible and that path takes us this way!¡±


    There was a moment of silence.


    ¡°If you let us be, we¡¯ll let you be. We¡¯ve never harmed any Climbers!¡± Kur said.


    Nar fidgeted from foot to foot, preparing himself to dash forward and for the moment his [NPC] switched on.


    ¡°Fine! You walk by us though!¡± the person said.


    ¡°Okay! We¡¯re coming! We just want to get through!¡± Kur said.


    He motioned to the rest of them, and Gad took them onwards.


    Slowly, the path pushed back the darkness, until another path was revealed beyond it. The two paths joined together, and they stared at the party that awaited them.


    ¡°You go through, and we¡¯ll wait until you¡¯re gone,¡± their party leader, a female morsvar, said.


    Kur shook his head. ¡°No need for that. We¡¯re all on a time limit here. Just keep going as you were.¡±


    The morsvar nodded and gestured for her people to open up a path for them.


    Gad started forward, her shield and mace ready, but not raised high enough to appear threatening.


    ¡°Nice and easy,¡± Kur said.


    They walked into their midst.


    A human brawler. A morsvar tank. An altei two handed warrior. A caster which had a pinkish, shining skin. Two quams, one using daggers like Jul and one using short swords, like Teb, from Row¡¯s party, had done. Another morsvar, the leader, and behind her, another pink skinned sentient and a human, both with bows at the ready.


    ¡°An alfin,¡± their leader suddenly said.


    Kur looked at her in surprise. ¡°You know about them?¡±


    ¡°There are alfin in our cubeplant,¡± she said, and grimaced ¡°I hope she makes it.¡±


    Kur nodded and Gad kept walking.


    Nar glanced back towards them, as they slowly faded into the darkness behind them. They never dropped their guard, and neither did Nar, keeping his eyes on them till they were fully gone.


    ¡°They are coming after us, slowly,¡± Jul informed them.


    ¡°Keep an eye on them, but I think we¡¯re okay,¡± Kur said. ¡°As for us, we¡¯re running. Go!!¡±


    They didn¡¯t have to be told twice, and sped forward, ever onwards, towards the end.


    Soon enough however, Jul called out again.


    ¡°There¡¯s another party up ahead. Maybe more than one.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re almost there!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Maybe!¡± Kur said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can avoid them,¡± Gad said. ¡°There will probably be more and more of them as we get closer.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°I know¡­ We¡¯ll keep going. Just be careful everyone.¡±


    They kept going and soon met another group of people. Turned out that these were three parties Climbing together.


    They repeated the same stare off while Kur explained what they were doing, and then they walked through the three parties. The experience was much more unnerving considering how many more Climbers were surrounding them this time.


    However, they managed to go on without issue.


    Another while later though, they found another group of people. And then another. More and more of them they found until suddenly, they found themselves facing a massive queue of slow-moving Climbers.


    The light of the path stretched onwards and backwards, as far as Nar could see. The arrows there were triple their usual size and bathed everyone in a brilliant yellow light from below.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Cen asked, stunned by the amount of people that walked past them.


    ¡°We go on,¡± Kur said. ¡°And we find out where everyone is going.¡±


    They joined the queue without any trouble. In fact, they were politely called forward, told to join the queue by a party that stopped to let them in. The Climbers even smiled at them.


    Nar was shocked. He had forgotten that Climbers were people and that people could and were, generally, nice to each other.


    Maybe we really are at the end, he thought.


    The Climbers around him talked and joked. The air was filled with the same sort of light atmosphere that precluded the season end celebration back at the cubeplant. The Unclean weren¡¯t invited of course, but they always made do with their own little celebration. And it felt just like this.


    As they walked, Nar found himself relaxing too, and conversations broke out across their party.


    ¡°Their clothes are all orange,¡± Tuk observed.


    ¡°Like the poor bastards we found in that broken place,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°Orange. Maybe like the Pressure?¡± Cen mused.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Tuk said. ¡°But then, why are ours purple? Did we skip something?¡±


    ¡°More like we had to fight our way out of a certain something,¡± Mul muttered. ¡°Remember, they really seemed to like purple? Purple fire. Purple light. Purple eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Is that why?¡± Tuk wondered.


    Nar nodded to himself. That¡¯s what he had always thought as well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that,¡± Kur told them.


    Nar made a face and realized that Viy had gone quiet. The other three realized the same thing and Tuk quickly changed the subject.


    ¡°Anyways, this is really a lot of people! I expected to see some Climbers at the end, but never this many!¡±


    As they walked slowly forward, they found more and more Climbers coming in from side corridors, which formed separate queues that joined into theirs. And they quickly realized that a system was in place. You let someone in, and then you went, and the party behind you would let someone in again, and so on and so on.


    In this manner, they slowly progressed over the course of nearly three hours.


    ¡°This is worse than running,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°It is!¡± Cen said. ¡°And I hate running.¡±


    ¡°I-I hear something!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°What?¡± Nar asked her.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I think it¡¯s a lot of people. Like a lot a lot. Coming from a big room.¡±


    ¡°Crystal. How many people are there?¡± Tuk asked.


    Another while went by and Nar was suddenly able to hear it as well, his [Hearing] picking up on the sounds of a truly immense crowd.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of people¡­¡± he whispered.


    Next to him, Jul nodded with a serious look. ¡°Why are there so many?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon,¡± Kur told them.


    Nar could barely contain his excitement and the murmur of the crowd continued to grow.


    Around them, the walls of the corridor grew farther and farther apart, to accommodate the growing number of Climbers. The ceiling grew taller and taller, until it was just a distant darkness above them.


    ¡°I see the end!¡± Jul shouted.


    And there it was, a large opening towering above them, spilling a bright white light over the gathered heads.


    Crystal Almighty! Is this it! Is this finally the end?


    At long last, it was their turn, and they made it through the tall, rectangular opening.


    ¡°My Crystal¡­¡± Tuk whispered.


    At their feet was a wide set of stairs, maybe a hundred steps of them, heading down to the floor of an enormous open space. It was probably about 1000-feet wide on the side of the wall they had emerged from, and it opened up until it was well over 2000-feet, with a 1000-feet high ceiling above them. The ceiling seemed to be all one giant light, and diffuse, bright white shone down from it, and onto the scene below.


    And what a scene it was!


    Below them, the room was completely filled with thousands upon thousands of Climbers.


    Beyond it, there was only an empty void.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the exit?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± Kur told them. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going. I¡¯m sure the System will tell us something.¡±


    Numb, Nar followed after the others, descending the steps to the crowd below.


    He stared wide eyed at the immenseness of that crowd. There were probably as many people here as half of his entire plant. Except these were all Climbers.


    A window startled him.


    <table width="602">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Quest, The Final Stretch, completed!


    Well done, you have reached the exit within the time limit.


    You are granted participation in the Ceremony of Final Atonement.


    The ceremony will take place in 3 days, 19 hours, 47 minutes and 04 seconds.


    Rewards:


    1. Right to participate in the Ceremony of Final Atonement.


    2. Experience and attributes gains are being calculated.


    3. Facilities are available. Food and consumable equipment dispensers are available.


    4. All recovery skills boosted by 200%. All stamina and HP recovery boosted by 300% during sleep.


    Rest and recuperate before the Ceremony.


    You have done well in reaching here.


    Warning: This is a sacred no-combat area. Any attempts to infringe upon this rule will be punished with immediate death.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Holy Crystal! Immediate death?¡± Mul said. ¡°Damn. The System¡¯s not messing around.¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go find a spot to rest in,¡± Kur said. ¡°We can talk about everything once we¡¯re settled down somewhere.¡±


    ¡°And at least that means we¡¯re safe here,¡± Tuk told Mul. ¡°Don¡¯t think anyone is going to be stupid enough to attack anyone.¡±


    They made it to the end of the stairs and were soon swallowed by the crowd. Climbers were everywhere, going and coming and doing Crystal knew what.


    Nar noticed that the majority of them wore orange colors, though he noticed some purples, like them, and even an even lesser presence of blues and greens and even one red. Though that could have just been a very dirty and stained orange. The party in question looked absolutely battered, and its members leaned on each other for support, as bleeding, they walked on to find a resting spot of their own.


    ¡°This is crazy,¡± Jul said.


    Nar nodded. ¡°I never dreamed of anything like this. Until we got the notification, I always thought it was just going to be us, going out through a really big door.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Like the Doors of the plant,¡± Jul said, looking around her with wide eyes.


    Nar kept to himself that, in plenty of his imaginations and plans, he had expected to have made it there alone, his party either dead or useless.


    Now, walking amongst all these Climbers, he once again breathed a happy, relieved sigh. Thank the Crystal that his dad had been right, and that he had come to that amazing party. He couldn¡¯t have hoped for any better. Nor could he have hoped to have met and come to care for such incredible people.


    Like Gad said, it felt like they had all found their new family.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± someone said nearby. ¡°It¡¯s Kur¡¯s party!¡±


    They stopped, surprised to hear someone who apparently knew them.


    ¡°Jaz?¡± Tuk said. ¡°My Crystal¡­ Is that you?¡±


    Jaz, Row¡¯s archer, laughed and spread his arms wide. ¡°The one and only!¡±


    Tuk and Jaz hugged, laughing and slapping each other''s backs.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s you!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°Me neither! But wait! Did you just arrive?¡± he asked. ¡°Damn! You must be wrecked! Come on! You guys need to stay next to our party! There is still space there, by the edge!¡±


    Kur nodded tiredly. ¡°That would be nice, Jaz.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you guys there! Come on! The others are going to love this!¡±


    Tuk and Jaz took the lead., and the rest of them followed after.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of aura everywhere,¡± Jul said, looking around.


    Nar nodded. He had noticed it too.


    Almost everywhere they went, it was easy to spot the tell-tale gray hazy and swirling glow of someone¡¯s aura, or please sitting or lying down and using their [Meditation] skill.


    What they both left unsaid, however, was what was lacking. Anywhere he looked he found aura. Being used, practiced, recharged. Anything. But there wasn¡¯t a single hint of light blue electricity, nor of fire, nor of ice.


    If even there, at the very end, amongst thousands and thousands of Climbers, with casters, with tanks, with ranged and melee DPS of all sorts and kinds, with many, many weapons he had never before seen all around him¡­ If even now there was no hint of magic, then perhaps, it had truly never been within their grasp. Not in their whole Climb.


    It filled him with a bitterness that twisted his lips.


    It was a good thing he had used his aura after all. From the looks of it, he had agonized for months over nothing. There had never been any aether for them in the end.

 Chapter 115 - Rest & Recovery

    ¡°Hey! Look who I found?¡±


    His party, or at least the members that were there, looked up at Jaz¡¯s shout. Row sat, by herself, staring off towards the chasm. Around her, Cor sat also by herself, with her eyes closed, clearly using her [Meditation] skill. That left Lim, the other archer, and Raf, the two-handed axman.


    Nar didn¡¯t spot Teb. He wondered if the four-sword wielding warrior would behave this time around. He hoped so. He just wanted to rest.


    ¡°Kur? Holy shit!¡± Row said.


    She stood up and nearly leaped towards them. Behind her, the others followed after her.


    ¡°Oh, my Crystal! I can¡¯t believe this!¡± Row shouted.


    Kur chuckled. ¡°Me neither. It¡¯s good to see you guys again.¡±


    ¡°You too! Damn! Wait! Who¡¯s that?¡± she asked, looking at Rel, asleep at Kur¡¯s back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything in a second. Can we stay next to you?¡±


    ¡°Of course! What kind of dumb question is that? Come!¡±


    She walked them to the space directly next to her party, and there was indeed a lot of space, like Jaz had said.


    ¡°Did you also just arrive?¡± Kur asked them.


    ¡°What? No! We¡¯ve been here for two weeks already,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s boring as the pile! But I don¡¯t like being surrounded by people. So we keep moving to stay on the edge. The air is nicer here, and it''s quieter.¡±


    Two weeks? Damn. That was right before we went off into that weird place, Nar thought.


    Row helped Kur lay Rel down on the floor, propping a bundle of Gad¡¯s spare shirts and pants to give her some comfort on the hard surface.


    The rest of Row¡¯s party hovered nearby, clearly curious as to the new member in their midst.


    Row suddenly whipped her neck around and glared at them.


    She clapped her hands. ¡°Come on people, give them some space. They just arrived! Let them rest!¡±


    ¡°Will you be letting them rest, boss?¡± Jaz asked, not even trying to hide his grin.


    Row glared at him harder.


    ¡°Alright. Alright. We¡¯re going!¡±


    Row shook her head.


    ¡°Seriously though. What happened? And why are your clothes purple?¡± she asked. ¡°Sorry. I just have so many questions!¡±


    Kur smiled at her. ¡°No worries. It¡¯ll be nice to talk about it. We have three whole days for that. I do have a question for you too, tough. What''s this Ceremony of Final Atonement?¡±


    Row shrugged with a sigh. ¡°Sorry, man. I¡¯ve got nothing for you. We¡¯ve been here for two weeks and no matter how many people I ask, nobody has a damned clue.¡±


    ¡°So, we just wait and see?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately.¡±


    While the two party leaders conversed, the rest of the party made themselves comfortable.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good,¡± Mul muttered, laying down on the floor. He didn¡¯t even butter grabbing some clothes to make a pillow. ¡°This is really nice.¡±


    Cen, sitting next to him, stared blankly at the floor. Exhaustion was evident in her hunched posture. Nar predicted it wouldn¡¯t be long before they were both asleep.


    Viy was talking about going to the blaster, and Gad and Jul seemed to be fighting their laziness to join her. A nice blasting and some fresh clothes before sleep was hard to resist. Cor was offering to take them there and back, so they didn¡¯t get lost in all those Climbers.


    Might go as well. Though maybe later.


    Tuk was off chatting with Jaz, Lim and Raf, already laughing and trading stories.


    How is he still so full of energy? Crystal¡­


    ¡°Cannibals?¡± Row whispered. ¡°My Crystal¡­ I can¡¯t believe you were captured.¡±


    ¡°We were. We almost didn¡¯t make it,¡± Kur whispered.


    ¡°Thank Crystal you did! But then¡­ What is she doing here?¡±


    Nar lay down, knowing that he shouldn¡¯t if he was to have any hope of blasting any time soon. However, he was just so tired.


    He covered his eyes with his arm, blocking out the bright glare of the light from above.


    ¡°The lights will go off soon, Nar. For the night,¡± Row told him, interrupting her chat with Kur. ¡°So, just wait a bit.¡±


    Nar offered her a tired thumbs up, and the two party leaders returned to their conversation.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    On the other side of him, he heard Tuk¡¯s hushed, mad talk with the others from Row¡¯s party.


    It was nice.


    It was really nice to be there.


    Rel was still out, but he had to hope that she was going to hold on. For now, there was nothing more he could do.


    I¡¯ve made it dad. Damn! I actually can¡¯t believe it.


    Through guardians, cannibals, and magic wielding machines. Through aura and Pressure. With a new party member. With all the things that had happened to them. That had changed and molded him into this new person that he was now, and which had guided him onto his new path.


    I wonder if my dad will even recognize me.


    A smile curled his lips.


    He¡¯ll be happy to know I ended up doing what he wanted. Trust them. Make them more than just a means to Climb. More than even friends. A real party. I wonder if he''ll believe his eyes when I show up with them. Ready to save him¡­


    Between the two conversations, Nar was quickly lulled into sleep. It came so fast he didn¡¯t even notice its approach.


    *********


    When he came too, it was dark.


    The ceiling above him glowed with just the barest hint of a dark yellow light, just enough to provide enough light for everyone to be able to see in the dark.


    He lay where he was, listening to the sleeping sounds of the others around him.


    It must be the middle of night.


    ¡°Psst. Nar. Are you awake?¡±


    He sat up.


    ¡°Rel?¡±


    ¡°Shhh!¡±


    He turned around, looking for her in the dark.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± he said, staring at her in shock.


    ¡°So are you! You slept through the whole day!¡±


    ¡°The¡­ What?¡±


    ¡°One night, one day, and half of another night. You must have been wrecked,¡± she said. ¡°Kur and Row almost lost it, trying to keep everyone quiet around you. I don¡¯t know what they would¡¯ve done if anyone woke you up.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Wow. That''s¡­ Yeah,¡± he said, touched. ¡°But you! You¡¯re awake! How are you feeling?¡±


    Her voice sounded much firmer and stronger. Almost normal.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, surprisingly. Well, I¡¯m still very weak though, and I¡¯m not allowed to go anywhere except to the facilities. And Gad carried me there. Oh¡­ But wait. We¡¯re going to wake up the others. Help me up? We can go a bit farther.¡±


    ¡°Is that safe?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°I could really stretch my legs. I can walk, but no one¡¯s let me,¡± she said.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on!¡± she pleaded. ¡°I¡¯m going crazy. I¡¯ve been in this spot for the whole day!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Fine. But not too far, and if I see anything I don¡¯t like, I¡¯m carrying you back.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    Nar stood up and stretched.


    Oh¡­ That doesn¡¯t feel too bad.


    His body was lighter. Looser. His mind clearer.


    He raised a hand to his chest.


    The emptiness. It¡¯s gone¡­


    ¡°You alright?¡± Rel asked.


    ¡°Oh. Yes. Hold on.¡±


    He stepped over Kur¡¯s sleeping form and stood next to Rel.


    ¡°Can you lift me up? From under my arms?¡±


    Nar bent down and passed his hands under her outstretched arms, then he lifted her. He tapped into his [Strength] a bit, to make sure that the movement was smooth and the least damaging as possible. Part of him still wondered if he should be enabling this.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Things are moving. Hold on.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my Crystal! I knew I shouldn¡¯t have listened to you!¡± Nar panicked.


    ¡°Relax! It¡¯s already getting better.¡±


    She hooked her arm on his and dropped her body weight onto him.


    ¡°Come on!¡± she whispered. ¡°Let¡¯s go towards the hole.¡±


    Nar frowned. ¡°Why there?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s where the Gates are going to show up from. Come on!¡±


    Together, they silently and very slowly walked away from the two parties.


    ¡°We¡¯ve all been bumping ideas,¡± she said. ¡°So far, we think Row¡¯s one is the best. She thinks that a bridge is going to show up, to let us cross towards the Gates once the Ceremony is over. But people are split on whether the bridge crossing is going to be the actual thing.¡±


    Nar grimaced. ¡°Talking about bridges gives me a bad feeling.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Mul keeps saying.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think the System will make us fight for it, do you?¡± Nar muttered.


    ¡°I hope not! We¡¯ve made it all the way here already!¡± she said. ¡°What more do we have to give? What more do we have to prove?¡±


    ¡°More like how much more do we still need to suffer,¡± Nar said.


    Rel stared at him.


    His story was still fresh in her mind. It had been much worse than she had expected. Much, much worse. She had thought they were exaggerating about it, but, if anything, had been the opposite.


    ¡°If we have to fight, it will be¡­ It will be something,¡± she whispered. ¡°There¡¯s thousands and thousands of us here. The bridge crossings never had more than three hundred Climbers, and those were hard enough to cross¡­¡±


    Nar glanced back at the darkened crowd behind him. A battle involving all of those Climbers?


    That would be too much¡­ Right? Can you imagine?


    ¡°So, are you feeling better?¡± he asked instead, steering the conversation somewhere else. Anywhere else.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not sure why though,¡± she said.


    ¡°Is it the increased regen rates here?¡±


    ¡°Could be,¡± she said. ¡°Or maybe my Yearning has decided to give me the benefit of the doubt. We¡¯ve made it here, after all, and there isn¡¯t anything at all that I can do to make things go any faster. Actually¡­ That might just be the reason.¡±


    ¡°Very reasonable of it,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t even have nightmares anymore, though I still feel like shit,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re right by the exit now, anyways, nothing is going to stop me. Stop us. In less than two days we¡¯ll be getting out.¡±


    ¡°Finally.¡±


    ¡°Finally. I¡¯m sick of corridors and of things trying to kill me.¡±


    Nar nodded effusively.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, we all got gains. Two levels each again. Not bad considering we didn¡¯t really do anything on our way here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Yeah. Maybe the System¡¯s being nice to us.¡±


    Nar snorted. ¡°Yeah, right.¡±


    ¡°Who knows¡­ We¡¯ve been surprised before,¡± she said. ¡°Anyways, do you want to check your gains?¡±


    ¡°Nah. I¡¯ll do it later,¡± he said with a sigh.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Nar?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit! Hold on, I¡¯ll carry you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    He deftly pulled her up to his back and adjusted her weight carefully.


    ¡°Can we keep going though? I¡¯m really curious about it,¡± she said.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    They would probably not see anything in that impenetrable darkness, but Nar understood her desire to see it. He too felt a strange compulsion towards the massive void that was the final obstacle standing between them and their freedom.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t far now.


    ¡°Wow. You really can¡¯t see anything,¡± Rel said.


    Nar stood sideways, well enough away from the railing that separated them from that potentially infinite fall.


    ¡°Nothing at all¡­¡± he said, more to himself than her.


    He didn¡¯t really expect to see anything down there, but he had still carried a little shard of hope.


    ¡°Can you believe that somewhere in that darkness, there¡¯s our exit?¡± Rel asked. ¡°Can you believe how close it is? In two days, we¡¯ll be walking outside. Breathing the air from the O-Nex. Seeing the light and the color. And all the people, and everything else that¡¯s out there¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait for it.¡±


    ¡°Me neither. I¡­ I really want to go outside and find out what is¡­ Calling me.¡±


    He felt her relax against his back.


    Her breathing sounds much better too. I hope that thing will be patient. We¡¯re almost there, now. We¡¯re so close.


    So close he almost didn¡¯t believe it.


    He looked out over the dark.


    Please, Crystal, don¡¯t make us fight for it. We¡¯ve done enough already. We¡¯ve given You enough. Atoned enough! Don¡¯t You think so?


    And yet, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that the ominous words Final Atonement evoked in him. Nothing had been easy in their entire Climb. Why should its ending be any different?

 Chapter 116 - Gains At The End

    Nar carried Rel back to the sleeping party, and dropped her back onto her makeshift bed without waking her up. The alfin mumbled something in her sleep, but didn¡¯t wake.


    He sat down at his own spot and brought up his UI.


    As expected, the notification sign flashed at him.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="602">


    Gains from the completion of the quest, The Final Stretch, have been calculated!


    You have leveled up!


    You have leveled up!


    You have gained:


    Constitution 23 -> 24


    Agility 20 -> 21


    Speed 24 -> 25


    Aura** 142 (86 + 56 Mod.) -> 156 (91 + 65 Mod.)


    Instinct 25 -> 26


    Sight 16 -> 17


    Gains threshold exceeded!


    Stat points will be allocated during sleep!


    (Stat points have already been allocated)


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    No [Stamina] again.


    Nar willed the window away, and checked his aura bar.


    780/1560. Wow¡­


    Compared to his aura bar, the other two were completely full.


    The sight of them made him chuckle and shake his head. At first glance, when considering all three bars, green, yellow and gray, their same length almost fooled one into believing that they were all the same. It was laughable to have that gray bar be the same size as the other two.


    My life in three bars¡­


    He shook his head again and checked his status.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="272">


    NAR293457741235645XAV


    Auramancer 5


    Health Points: 240/240


    Stamina: 250/250


    Stats


    ¡ñ Strength: 18


    ¡ñ Constitution: 24


    ¡ñ Stamina: 25


    ¡ñ Agility: 21


    ¡ñ Speed: 25


    ¡ñ Aura**: 156 (91 + 65 Mod.)


    ¡ñ ???: 20


    ¡ñ ???: 25


    ¡ñ Might: 7


    ¡ñ Endurance: 12


    ¡ñ Instinct: 26


    ¡ñ Reflex: 22


    ¡ñ Hearing: 17


    ¡ñ Sight: 17


    ¡ñ Smell: 9


    ¡ñ NPC: 5


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Auramancer 5. That¡¯s me.


    He had reached the end a much different class than he expected at the start.


    His [Strength] and [Constitution] were supposed to have been his two main stats. One for tanking and one for dealing damage. It was supposed to have been simple, and everything had seemed perfect after his tutorial gains. He had even unlocked [Might] and [Endurance]. But damn, how things had changed.


    [Stamina] was now apparently turning into some sort of useless, unnecessary attribute. His sense attributes had come out of nowhere, especially his [Instinct]. His movement attributes had surpassed his [Strength] and he had even gained his [NPC] in order to keep up with them. And there were still those two same [???] unknown attributes.


    They had been there since the very beginning of his Climb, and now, totaling a whooping 45 points between the two, they were still an unknown to him. It was a lot of points into something he didn¡¯t even know what it was, or if it was even useful for his path.


    Uh¡­ Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve been surprisingly relaxed about those two.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    But had he been relaxed, or had he just resigned himself to the fact that if the System didn¡¯t want him to know something, then he wouldn¡¯t?


    Yeah¡­ Let¡¯s go with that.


    Finally, there was his [Aura].


    He pushed aways his status. Enough had been said, and asked, and debated, and thought about that topic. He rather not think about it for the moment. Hopefully, for better or for worse, he would soon be outside, and then, he would know what was what¡­


    He took a deep breath.


    The air was surprisingly temperate, considering how many Climbers were in that room. Frowning, he would even say that the air was somewhat lighter. Somewhat¡­ He didn¡¯t know exactly how to describe it. Only that maybe there was something more to it. That it was different somehow.


    Is this the air from the outside? He suddenly wondered.


    He inhaled deeply again.


    Wow. That feels¡­ Nice?


    He closed his eyes and breathed.


    Crystal. That¡¯s something.


    He opened his eyes again, and stared at the dim ceiling above him. It was all a massive light.


    Light and color. His dad¡¯s stories had been a source of comfort and motivation to keep him going forward, no matter what had been thrown at him on that Climb.


    However, looking at that enormous light, he recalled the talk he had had with Rel, back when they walked amongst the Pressure columns.


    He still didn¡¯t know what he actually looked forward to in the outside world.


    What was true light?


    How many colors would there be?


    Would he even be able to stare at such bright lights? See such vibrant colors? He had been born in the dark and in the dark he had lived his entire life. Would his eyes even be able to take in the sights and wonders that awaited him beyond that dark chasm?


    He snorted quietly.


    Was that even something to worry about? He could see in the dark for Crystal¡¯s sake!


    The System will do something¡­ I¡¯m sure of it. Something dumb like [Bright Sight] or something like that. Or maybe it will just go ahead and change my eyes, why not?


    Yeah. The System would take care of it.


    He just had to get there.


    Once he left those doors, he would be a sinner no longer. He would be welcomed by the Crystal and the System. They would stop throwing things at him. Hating him. Pushing him towards death.


    He would be free. Clean. Ready to start a new life.


    But what sort of life would that be like?


    Once he¡¯d taken in the light and the color, then what?


    Funny¡­ I really never thought about it.


    He inhaled deeply again.


    Did it matter?


    No¡­ No, it doesn¡¯t.


    He sighed.


    Anyways, we¡¯re not out yet.


    He crossed his legs and closed his eyes. He might as well use his [Meditation] to top up his external aura. The Climb was not over yet.


    He held his hands. Then unclasped them. Then he moved them onto his knees.


    Crystal. I never know what to do with them¡­


    *********


    He noticed the light getting brighter behind his closed eyelids, but he didn¡¯t emerge from his [Meditation]. That gray bar needed to be filled, and he might as well take care of doing it as soon as possible.


    He easily faded back into the almost blank state that he found himself in when he used his [Meditation], and time carried on.


    When he felt himself raising up to consciousness again, a long time later, he opened his eyes to brightness and sharpness, and the sound of thousands filled his ears.


    He looked around him, slowly, and noticed that he sat somewhat alone.


    Of the two parties, only Kur, Cen, Row and Cor were around. Cen and Cor chatted away very animatedly, holding and comparing the lights at the tip of their staffs, and Kur and Row were similarly engrossed in their own conversation.


    They were now somewhat surrounded by parties, meaning that more Climbers had continued to arrive.


    He checked the timer.


    A bit over a day left.


    A party walked by, drawing his attention. Their clothes were torn and burned, and like themselves had, they carried an injured, passed out party member.


    Nar looked back, towards the massive opening. Even now, crowds of Climbers continue to pour into the room.


    I wonder if that thing is just going to close in someone¡¯s face, when the timer runs out.


    He shivered. The thought of that was devastating. Imagine! Coming all this way, only to be blocked at the last second. For some reason, he had no doubt believing, and even expecting, that that was actually going to happen to someone. Probably a lot of someones...


    ¡°Nar.¡±


    He looked behind him and found Kur staring at him.


    ¡°All done?¡± he asked.


    Nar nodded. He noticed that Row was staring at him with a strange intensity, and Kur also noticed.


    ¡°Knock it off,¡± he said, smiling. ¡°No interrogating my people.¡±


    ¡°But he took so long! Just how much aura do you have, Nar?¡±


    Nar shook his head. ¡°Way too much.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ This is going to kill my brain!¡±


    Kur chuckled. ¡°Ignore her. The others are by the chasm, trading pointers.¡±


    He looked over and sure enough, he found the bulk of two parties off by the chasm, where he and Rel had had their late-night stroll to.


    Gad and Tun were off to one side, doing slow shield movements and pointing at each other. Rel and Tuk were engaged in a boisterous conversation with Jaz and Lim, and a bit to their side, Jul and Teb seemed to be talking as well. The last pair was Viy and Raf.


    Nar frowned. Viy was twirling her spear around her at such speeds that it was just a ring of light around her. A few steps away from her, Raf was staring with his mouth wide open.


    That¡¯s a strange pairing¡­


    ¡°Show off,¡± Row said.


    Kur sighed. ¡°Give her a break. She¡¯s been through a lot.¡±


    ¡°I know. I was just messing,¡± Row said. ¡°I¡¯m happy for her. Happy for all of you.¡±


    The red-haired party leader looked at Nar.


    ¡°Actually, why don¡¯t you go use the facilities, Nar? It would be nice to blast the Climb off of you. Everyone else has already gone.¡±


    Kur nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Sure. That sounds like a good idea,¡± Nar said, standing up into a stretch.


    ¡°And don¡¯t bother with those clothes,¡± Kur said. ¡°No point in keeping them.¡±


    Nar looked down at himself. Burns, cuts, rips. His gear barely looked purple anymore.


    He twisted his nose at it. ¡°Will do.¡±


    ¡°Want me to go with you?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Nah. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just in rows on either side of the stairs. If you don¡¯t know how to come back, just wait by the stairs and signal us.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Nar cast one last glance at the two parties and their friendly demonstrations.


    In particular, Jul and Teb. The two of them probably had a lot in common regarding fighting styles, excepting that maybe Jul¡¯s style was a bit sneakier and backstabbier¡­


    But the fact she was there, talking, by herself? It swelled him such joy and pride he thought he might burst from it.


    She looked so confident. She radiated such certainty. It was worth everything they had gone through just to see her like that.


    That guy better behave though¡­ Nar thought, frowning. The last time he¡¯d seen the quam, he had been a downright ass.


    With one last glare at the rude swordsman, he waved at Kur and Row, and waded backwards through the crowd of Climbers.


    The atmosphere was light and filled with laughter. However, here and there, he spotted clusters of people who sat around in tight, quiet circles. He even caught a few, silent tears.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to guess what had happened to those parties. Not everybody had made it to the end.


    The thought of it made him stop.


    There were thousands upon thousands of Climbers there. And those were just the survivors.


    How many had failed the tutorial? How many had been claimed by the Sentry boss? How many had perished on those bridges, or failed to cross the Pressure boundaries?


    How many had found themselves on dead ends and broken paths, gone forever in the dark, into places as mysterious and as unknown as that strange circular chasm they had encountered?


    How many had found themselves in the hands of cannibals?


    How many cubeplants were there? How many workers? How many Climbers? Each and every year?


    The immensity of the numbers and the sadness of the likely reality mixed together, and in that moment, he felt sad and a little bit lost.


    Just how big was the Nexus? Just how far would he go, away from his dad and everything he had ever known?


    Color and light and¡­ What else?


    Nar shook his head and started walking again.


    You¡¯re thinking too much. None of this really matters.


    It was hard to convince himself of that though.


    A few minutes later, he joined the queue for the toilet. It was slow moving, and there were hundreds of Climbers queuing to use the facilities. Bored, he soon lapsed back into depressing thoughts.


    By the time he walked back towards their spot, hours later, he was in a weird mood despite the amazing blasting session and new clean gear.


    Suddenly, sound blared from above.


    His sword was out and in his hand before he even knew what was happening, and he wasn¡¯t the only one with such a reaction. Climbers were in formations around him, weapons drawn and eyes nervously scanning their surroundings.


    The sound faded away. The loud, background murmur was replaced by a whispering silence and interjecting shhhhs, and the light dimmed.


    Nar, sword still in hand, quickly ran back towards his party.


    What¡¯s happening? It¡¯s not time yet!


    Someone pointed up and soon, everyone else around him was looking up too.


    Nar followed their stares as he ran.


    Holes had appeared in the ceiling, and thousands upon thousands of little black specks were flying out of them. At the same time, a bright white line spread from one side of the ceiling to the other, right where the room ended and the chasm began.


    Is this happening right now? Crystal damn it!

 Chapter 117 - And We Thought It Was Over

    He stopped, breathing hard, and looked around him.


    Where were they?


    He pulled on his [Hearing], hoping to catch something, but all he heard was the diffuse sound of a thousand whispered conversations.


    Groaning, he decided to make his way to the chasm. It might be easier to spot his party from there.


    In the meantime, the little black dots had come down towards the crowd. Exclamations of surprise and fear arose, as the dots swooped in and down towards people with angry buzzing. Up and down, the things flew and darted above them without any apparent logic or reason.


    The line of light touched the ends of the room and began to expand downwards, a curtain bright, white light descending towards the floor of the room.


    ¡°Nar! Over here!¡±


    He froze at the sound of Kur¡¯s voice and looked around him.


    To his right, across the gathered heads, he found his party frantically waving at him.


    Ah! Thank the Crystal!


    He quickly ran towards them, cutting across parties with mumbled apologies. No one really cared though. Everyone was too focused on whatever was happening above their heads.


    ¡°How long did it take you to take a shit?¡± Mul muttered at him, as he approached.


    ¡°The queues were huge!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you two!¡± Kur said. ¡°Pay attention!¡±


    The two parties had positioned themselves somewhat side by side, with both Gad and Tun standing at the front, and the formation forming up behind them.


    Kur and Row stood side by side, with Cen and Cor next to them, forming a joint center which the others formed around.


    Nar took his position at the back, and Jaz waved at him, standing next to Lim. He cast about for Rel and found her in a seated position in between Kur and Row¡¯s feet, looking up at the unfolding proceedings.


    Above and in front of them, the white light had formed a huge rectangle, shining a bright light over the thousands of gathered Climbers.


    As he stared, a symbol faded into being, right in the middle of that light rectangle.


    He had never seen it before, but the shape of the Crystal was familiar at its center. With its five rings, the largest in the middle, then the two second largest above and below that, and then the last two, the smallest, above and below the tips of the Crystal¡¯s multifaceted form Itself, it was impossible to not recognize It.


    However, around it, were many different symbols he knew not the meaning of.


    There was nothing common to them. They each had their own colors and designs. Some of them had letters within them, one of them even had numbers. Whatever they might be, there were fourteen of those symbols surrounding the Crystal.


    Around him, the Climbers had plunged into a deep, expectant silence. Only distantly did he hear some sounds. Probably frantic Climbers rushing to get in, fearing to be left out.


    And then sound filled the air.


    Notes flowed and ebbed, joined and departed, rose and fell. Nar listened to it, entranced. He had never heard anything that beautiful in his entire life.


    Knowledge dripped into his head, and he learned of new words.


    Music? Instruments? Song?


    There were a lot of things attached with that new knowledge. He knew song. The workers had songs, for the Crystal, and for themselves. But the thought of instruments blew his mind. Did banging on chairs and tables while they sang count as instruments? He doubted it, the word invoked a level of grandeur and sophistication that couldn¡¯t probably be attached to a creaking chair or limping table.


    After a few moments, the music came to a stop, and Nar lamented its departure.


    The symbols faded out, and its place, a person faded in.


    He thought it was a woman, and human looking at that, but her face was covered in a thick, semi-transparent, glossy veil. Her hair was a bright blond, and pieces of black and white gleaming cloth were tied all across her hair. The little they could see from her figure was covered in some sort of bulky white, pearlescent garment, which completely hid the body underneath. On her chest, coming down from her left shoulder blade, there was a cloth of color. A rectangle of gold, blue and red that shimmered in the light.


    She held her hands up, in front of her, and joined her hands in the shape of the Crystal, and bowed lightly.


    Around them, Nar noticed that many of the Climbers did the same, and he quickly rushed to do it as well.


    ¡°Climbers, welcome to the end of your Climb!¡± the woman suddenly spoke.


    Cheers erupted amongst the crowd. Tuk and Viy held hands and shook them around above their heads, laughing and shouting. Cen and Mul traded a happy glance. All around them, the Climbers made merry.


    The end of the Climb. Confirmed. And by a real person no less! Not the faceless windows and texts of the System.


    ¡°To you who have chosen to leave behind your peers and attempt the Climb to purge your sins, and join the congregations of the faithful outside, I offer my sincere congratulations!¡±


    Nar could hear her words perfectly clearly, even through the noise of the celebrating Climbers. It was funny, she wasn¡¯t even speaking that loudly.


    ¡°You have survived and endured through the unimaginable pain of repentance, and have emerged victorious. Well done in reaching the Gates!¡±


    ¡°I have a bad feeling about this,¡± Kur whispered to Row.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Why is she talking about pain and shit now?¡± the red-haired leader asked.


    Above him, the lady continued.


    ¡°You are now ready to undertake the final challenge. Do this, and you will be fully pardoned and welcomed with open arms. Fail, and sadly, your journey will end here.¡±


    ¡°I fucking knew it!¡± Mul muttered.


    ¡°Shhh! Be quiet!¡± Cen said.


    ¡°This is pileshit!¡± Jaz said, though much lower than Mul. ¡°After all that, it still wasn¡¯t enough?¡±


    Angry whispers and shouts raised over the crowd.


    The lady raised a hand. ¡°I understand that you might feel upset about this. And I empathize with you, I truly do. You have suffered much to reach here. You have endured and paid a lot for your sins. However, this just shows how heavy those sins are, and how equally heavy the atonement must be.¡±


    She raised up her arms, above her head.


    ¡°Praise be to the All-Merciful Crystal, for even allowing you a chance to repent and walk free into the Nexus. For you all are, truly, undeserving of walking free amongst us, the pure Children of the Crystal.¡±


    Nar felt a hand slip into his and he looked down. Jul frowned at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± he whispered, holding her hand tightly in his.


    Jul knew that that was a lie.


    Within, Nar felt his aura boil.


    Undeserving meant he, and his dad, the dead Climbers, and everyone else was deserving of their pain.


    The woman made another blessing and bow. This time, very few people returned it.


    Lights came to life in the distance, shining even through the translucent image.


    Beyond, across the darkness, three massive doors appeared.


    The one on the left was the smallest one, followed by the one on the right, and lastly, a truly immense door stood in between the two of them.


    ¡°In just a few hours, when the countdown reaches zero, the Gates will open,¡± she told them. ¡°Now, you might be wondering why there are three Gates and not just the one. You see, depending on which one you chose to go through, alongside your forgiveness, you will also receive rewards. The bigger the gate, the bigger that reward will be. Is the Crystal not All Loving and Generous? Even towards you, who harbor the Unspeakable Sin?¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Who what the what?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Cen whispered back to him.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t everyone just take the middle gate then?¡± Cor asked, skipping past the whole Unspeakable Sin bit.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that simple,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Know however, that the higher the reward, the higher the risk,¡± the woman said. ¡°Therefore, temper your greed with the certainty of the level of your abilities.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to fight our way through,¡± Row said. ¡°There are going to be three bridges. I can just fucking see it!¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Cen whispered.


    One more bridge, standing before Nar and freedom. Well, three of them, to be precise. And a fight insane enough to require thousands of them.


    This is crazy¡­ Are they trying to kill us all before we can get out? Do they hate us that much?


    ¡°Make your decision wisely, for you must choose as a party, and you will only be allowed to choose one gate. Once your decision is made, you will not be allowed out through any of the other gates,¡± she said, looking right and left, casting her veiled gaze upon the entirety of their congregation. ¡°Know this, however. Enough of you must go through the middle path in order to defeat the Raid Boss. Without defeating it, none of the Gates will open, and you will all perish. Here, allow me to make it easier for you to understand. An image is better than a thousand words, and a thousand images are even better.¡±


    A rush of knowledge entered Nar¡¯s mind. Images, terms, tactics, fights and battles.


    When the whirlwind of images and knowledge ended, Nar gasped and staggered. Jul grabbed onto him for support.


    ¡°My Crystal¡­¡± Kur said. ¡°That was insane!¡±


    ¡°What. The. Fuck. Was. That?¡± Mul said, looking pale.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do this¡­¡± Row said, pulling onto Kur¡¯s arm. ¡°We can¡¯t work together like this. We don¡¯t know these people! Nobody knows anybody! How can we rely on them?¡±


    A raid boss.


    Nar¡¯s mind was still reeling from everything he had seen. The sheer quantity and brutality of what he had been shown to him had left him speechless. What in the world had he just watched?


    ¡°That were some of the previous attempts by your past, fellow Climbers, taken from the One Hundred Thousand Gates spread out across the surface of the O-Nex,¡± she said, answering his question. ¡°And now, all 51,387 of you and counting, are about to undertake this challenge, all at the same time with all of the other Climbers viewing for their forgiveness across the Nexus, in this year¡¯s Celebration of Final Atonement!¡±


    One Hundred Thousand Gates¡­ And fifty thousand of us?


    Just how many Climbers were there?


    Suddenly, three other people appeared on the rectangle of light. All of them wore the gear of Climbers, two in orange, and one in purple, like their party.


    Said Climbers, startled, looked around them, trying to understand how their images were suddenly up above them with the lady. There were two males and one woman, one a human, one a morsvar, and one a bluish looking tall woman.


    ¡°Climbers, I present to you, your Raid Leaders,¡± the woman said. ¡°The System has deemed them the best leaders and theirs, the best parties amongst you. The morsvar, DAC293451480711258XAV, will lead you down the left path. The human, PIH293456084302192XAV, will guide you down the path on the right. And lastly, the sanicuad, JUF293271480711258XAV, will be responsible for those of you brave enough to face the middle path, and the Raid Boss itself. This choice is final.¡±


    Above them, Dac, Pih and Juf looked paralyzed. Shocked and stunned past reason. Nar doubted that any of them had expected to end their Climbs with the lives of thousands of people depending on their leadership.


    ¡°The Raid Leaders will be provided with more advanced knowledge to help them prepare and successfully plan their strategies. They will also be granted temporary attributes and skill bonuses to allow them to effectively lead you all through the Ceremony of Final Atonement.¡±


    Three columns of light flared down in front of the chasm, each one in front of one of the Gates.


    ¡°The Raid Leaders will stand here, and party leaders will approach them for permission to join their raid. The Middle Raid Leader has the right to deny any party she deems unworthy of the Middle Gate, but the others must accept all that come to them,¡± the veiled lady said. ¡°You have five hours to make your choice, or you will be randomly assigned to either the left or the right Gates. After that, the Raid Leaders will gather to plan. The choosing begins immediately. May the Crystal have mercy on your souls, and grant you safe passage into Its forgiveness. May we meet again, on the Outside Nexus, as Children of the Crystal.¡±


    With that, she faded out, and the same symbol from before replaced her.


    The music played again, but this time Nar didn¡¯t revel in its beauty.


    ¡°Well. What the fuck?¡± Row said, speaking for all of them.


    *********


    ¡°Quick separate discussion?¡± Row asked, while the music still played.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Kur said. ¡°Gather round my party!¡±


    ¡°Same. Over here guys!¡± Row called hers.


    The two parties separated to either side, and as the music faded, the light rectangle began to diminish in size. Only the black floating things remained, zipping and buzzing above their heads.


    No one cared about them anymore, though, soon, the thousands of voices filled the air once again, and even louder than before.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to talk about?¡± Mul asked. ¡°We¡¯re taking the left side.¡±


    Kur scratched the back of his head. ¡°About that¡­¡±


    ¡°You want to take the right Gate?¡± Tuk breathed. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    Kur made a face.


    ¡°You want to take the middle one,¡± Gad said.


    There was a moment of stunned silence.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Mul said. ¡°No. You can¡¯t be!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kur said, looking down.


    ¡°No. No!¡± Mul said. ¡°Why in the pile would you want to do that? Why?¡±


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Viy said. ¡°I¡¯m sure Kur has a good reason for this.¡±


    Mul stared at her. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Viy grinned at him.


    ¡°I do have a reason for it,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Not the rewards, though, right?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°No! Of course not!¡± Kur said. ¡°Just listen, alright?¡±


    He pointed at the middle Gate and they all turned to look.


    ¡°The fight in the middle will be the hardest, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what she said,¡± Tuk said. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So, it will also be the most important one. No matter what happens, no matter what path we take, whether we get out or not, will be decided by whether or not we can take down that Raid Boss.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we have to fight it!¡± Mul said.


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t, but think about it this way,¡± Kur said. ¡°Once we¡¯re on the left path, if things go bad, if the fight goes poorly, there will be nothing for us to do about it. We are leaving our fate in the hands of the Climbers in the middle!¡±


    He looked around, staring into their eyes, one by one. ¡°Do you understand what that means? Whether we get out or die here, is going to be decided by the Climbers that take the middle! And I think we should be there, to do whatever we can to make sure we get out. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Fuck me! I guess I do,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°But, look around,¡± Nar said. ¡°I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re not right or that I don''t want to go through the middle¡­ Well, I don¡¯t actually, but, look around. There¡¯s so many of us! How could we even make a difference?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Rel said. ¡°We could all jump down right now, and it wouldn¡¯t make any difference. None.¡±


    Kur took a deep breath. ¡°We don¡¯t know that.¡±


    Tuk snorted. ¡°Come on, man. I¡¯ll be the first one to believe in myself, and in us, but damn. Nar¡¯s right, there¡¯s fifty thousand Climbers here! We¡¯re nine people!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re strong enough,¡± Cen said.


    Nar glanced at Gad. In many ways, he had come to consider her to be the de facto second leader of the party. And he wasn¡¯t the only one.


    ¡°What do you think, Gad?¡± Viy asked.


    Gad rubbed her chin and considered the Gates.


    ¡°I disagree¡­ With you all.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°I agree with Kur. And I disagree with you,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re not strong enough to make a difference. I think it''s the opposite.¡±


    She turned back around, facing them. ¡°This battle will be won by everyone working together, that is true. But I believe that it will be individuals that will carry it through. There will be points, on which everything will be decided by a single tank, leader or DPS. Maybe even by a single skill.¡±


    Gad had stared at Rel as she spoke those words.


    ¡°We may never know about these points, but I believe in our strength,¡± the tank continued. ¡°With so many of us here, we most likely won¡¯t make any difference. But if there is even a chance¡­ The smallest possibility that one of those points will be ours to push forward? If we¡¯re not there, the whole thing is just going to fall apart. I know it sounds ridiculous, given the scale of what we¡¯re talking about here, but I truly believe this.¡±


    Nar sighed. What was there to say to that?


    ¡°Crystal dammit. I hate when you make sense like that,¡± Mul said. ¡°I just wanted to take the easy way for once. For once! Is that too much to ask?¡±


    Kur smiled. ¡°Who knows. Maybe.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re taking the middle?¡± Cen asked.


    Kur nodded, and when he looked at Gad, so did she.


    ¡°I really think it will be the best for us,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ve taken this path to make a new future for us. And all this way, we¡¯ve been responsible for our own survival and success. Now, at the very end, we can¡¯t just pass it onto someone else''s hands. I at least, really can¡¯t.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°We have to do it.¡±


    Mul groaned and crossed his arms.


    ¡°Fine! We¡¯re taking the fucking middle! Happy?¡±


    ¡°Mul¡­¡± Cen called him.


    ¡°I know. I know. I¡¯m sorry. Crystal!¡±


    Cen pulled her brother aside, with an arm over his shoulders, and whispered to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry guys,¡± Kur said, looking downcast. Gad, standing next to him nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± Nar said. ¡°It is what it is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Viy said. ¡°You¡¯re just doing the best for us.¡±


    Kur grimaced. ¡°I wish it wasn¡¯t like this. I¡¯ll see what Row¡¯s party decides.¡±


    As the party broke into smaller conversations, Nar glanced at Jul, who had remained quiet during the whole interchange.


    The scout turned rogue stared at the gates in the distance as he approached her.


    ¡°Hey, you alright?¡± Nar asked her.


    Jul blinked and turned to him. ¡°Yes. Why?¡±


    ¡°You were just¡­ Quiet. Through all of that.¡±


    Jul shrugged. ¡°I agreed with Kur from the start and I knew everyone would as well. I¡¯m not worried about it. I¡¯m not scared of it.¡±


    Nar sighed and placed a hand over her head. It was impossible to miss the slight shaking running across her body.


    ¡°I¡¯m terrified,¡± he said.


    ¡°You are?¡± she asked, surprised.


    ¡°Of course! Look around you. If the bridges we crossed were hard, how bad do you think this is going to be? Did you not see those images?¡±


    She nodded slowly. ¡°But you don¡¯t look like it.¡±


    ¡°I keep things inside,¡± he said, shrugging. ¡°You know that.¡±


    She nodded and stared back at the middle gate, the one they would soon fight with their lives on the line to cross.


    ¡°Does it make me weak?¡± she asked. ¡°To be scared?¡±


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t,¡± Nar said. ¡°Don¡¯t think anyone here is not scared. Unless they''re screwed in the head¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought I had beaten it,¡± Jul whispered. ¡°I hate being scared. Powerless. I thought I was stronger now.¡±


    He grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her close. ¡°You are strong. You are strong because you¡¯re afraid and scared, but you¡¯re still going to do it anyway. You just said it yourself. You agreed with Kur. You didn¡¯t say you don''t want to do it. You didn¡¯t say it was a bad idea. You knew it was the best way to go and you knew you were going to do it.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Look, what do I know? You¡¯re the older sister.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now I am?¡±


    ¡°You always were,¡± Nar said, looking down at her face. ¡°My strong, brave, older sister. At the very least, I¡¯m glad I came on this Climb and this party, to meet you.¡±


    She snorted and looked away. ¡°Whatever¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? I don¡¯t get it back?¡±


    She laughed.


    ¡°Yes. Yes. I¡¯m glad I met you too. I¡¯m¡­ Really, really glad I met you.¡±


    Nar gave her a squeeze.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have your back and you have mine. We¡¯ll get through this.¡±


    She took a shaky deep breath and nodded.


    ¡°The last fight,¡± she said. ¡°Then we¡¯re out.¡±


    Nar stared at their chosen gate. It stood tall and proud over the other two. Beyond that, the whole Nexus waited for them.


    ¡°And then we¡¯re out,¡± he whispered.


    A few more hours, and it would all come to an end.

 Chapter 118 - The Night Before

    Both parties waited anxiously for the return of their leaders.


    Kur and Row had already left an hour ago, joining the mass of party leaders heading out to announce each party¡¯s decision to the Raid Leaders. Like Kur, Row had also gone to meet Juf.


    ¡°It''s the only way. I¡¯m not going to let anyone else decide this for us,¡± she had said, as she left.


    Their party had had a much tougher time in deciding, and the fact that Kur¡¯s party was going through the middle had been the deciding factor in pushing them towards Row¡¯s arguments.


    Nar was happy to have them at their side. They had fought well together, across that first bridge, and it was good to have someone he could trust and rely on with them, amongst all of those strangers.


    I wonder if there¡¯s any Climbers from our cubeplant here, he thought, thinking about Der and Faj, the only two other Unclean to join the Climb that year.


    I hope they made it, Nar thought, feeling a knot form in his stomach. Even if they did make it out, Nar doubted that he would ever see them again. As it turned out, there were one hundred thousand gates out into the O-Nex. That meant that they could be split across very different, and very distant places.


    If they even made it to an exit¡­


    He shook his head. He couldn¡¯t wait to cross that gate. It would be good to leave all that suffering and death behind.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming back,¡± Tuk announced.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Mul said. ¡°Hey, we¡¯d like to take the suicide route with you, thank you. How long does it take to say that?¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Mul,¡± Gad said. ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright.¡±


    ¡°It fucking better be!¡±


    They waited in a tense silence as Kur and Row made their way back, past all the other party leaders still walking over to make their decisions known. The two of them had actually been amongst that first burst of party leaders heading out.


    ¡°Alright, gather up,¡± Kur called, as they approached.


    Row motioned over for her party to join in as well.


    ¡°So? What¡¯s the pile like?¡± Jaz asked.


    ¡°Like shit,¡± Row answered. ¡°It¡¯s absolute insanity.¡±


    ¡°Fucking great,¡± Mul muttered.


    ¡°Come on, tell us,¡± Gad said.


    Kur passed a hand over his face and sighed.


    ¡°Alright, here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. To no one¡¯s surprise, three bridges are going to come up.¡±


    ¡°Yay¡­¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°They are going to connect this side to the Gates. Each of these things are going to be big, with about 300 feet in between them,¡± Kur explained. ¡°The right and left bridges are going to be curving out from the middle one, and they are going to have two levels. This is important because Climbers will start on the lower level of those bridges, and will have to climb up past the defenses onto the upper level. Up there, there will be long ranged, high-powered DPS enemies, aiming and shooting at the middle bridge. At us.¡±


    ¡°My Crystal¡­¡± Cor said. ¡°From both sides, and from that distance, we can¡¯t really do anything, can we?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯re completely dependent on them,¡± Row said. ¡°However, there is mention that¡­ There might be some surprises. On either side, or down the middle. So we never know. 300-feet is a lot of space for anything to pop out of.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what about us, then?¡± Teb asked. ¡°We just have to kill this boss?¡±


    Kur shook his head. ¡°The boss will be heavily defended. There will be three separate offensives down the middle. One on the left, one on the right, and one down the actual middle. The one in the middle will be the one to actually engage the boss. The ones on the sides will be split into vanguard, that¡¯s the front, the middle, and the rearguard. They will move as necessary to protect the parties in the middle.¡±


    ¡°Are we in the middle?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re on the middle left. We wanted to fight the boss, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course you did.¡±


    ¡°But Juf is worried about the sides and the surprises that might come out of that hole. She¡¯s making sure she has enough strong parties holding the sides and covering the middle. And I told her we were a strong party.¡±


    ¡°And so did I,¡± Row said.


    ¡°Nice one, boss,¡± Jaz said.


    Row glared at him.


    ¡°What? I meant it! I don¡¯t want to fight that Raid Boss! Did you see the size of the thing?¡±


    ¡°Speaking off, don¡¯t expect things to be easy just because we¡¯re not fighting the Raid Boss directly. There are going to be a lot of enemies on those bridges. A lot,¡± Kur said.


    ¡°When you say a lot¡­¡± Cen let the question trail off.


    ¡°There are over fifty thousand of us,¡± Kur said. ¡°Multiply that. That kind of a lot.¡±


    ¡°A lot. A lot. A lot. A lot,¡± Row said, shaking her head.


    ¡°Not making me feel any better here, boss,¡± Jaz said.


    ¡°Not trying to. Get it in your heads. This is going to be insane. Hundreds of thousands of enemies, piling up on the left, on the right and in the middle¡­ They will be everywhere. And these won¡¯t just be little things. We¡¯ll be facing huge shit too. Things like the Sentry, and by the thousands! The Raid Boss will be the big guy, but it won¡¯t be the only thing towering above us.¡±


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Nar muttered.


    ¡°Our parties are going to be working together, but separately,¡± Kur said, exchanging a glance with Row. ¡°It¡¯s too late to try and mix both parties together now. We know how to work alone, so that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do, but we¡¯ll keep an eye out for each other and support each other as best as we can. And I mean that.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Row nodded.


    ¡°And as soon as that thing is down, and the Gate is open, we¡¯re legging it. All of us, you hear?¡± she said, staring fiercely at each and every one of them. ¡°When the Raid Boss goes down, it¡¯s going to be everyone for themselves. Everyone will want to get out. The whole thing is going to fall apart, and we''ll only be able to rely on ourselves. On these two parties.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all getting out,¡± Kur said. ¡°Carry each other if you have to. Everyone else is going to be blinded by whatever is on the other side, but not us. We need to hold strong and we need to walk out of this together. We¡¯ve only made it this far by the effort and sacrifice of everyone here. Without even one of us here, none of us would''ve made it here. So watch out for each other out there. And may the Crystal have some mercy on us. We¡¯re all going to need it, and it''s about time we got some.¡±


    *********


    It was quiet.


    The lights had been dimmed early for the night, maybe to force everyone to try and sleep ahead of the big day tomorrow.


    They had eaten, and Kur had told them to go to sleep early. However, like Row¡¯s and many other parties around them, they were all still awake, huddled up together.


    ¡°I think it would be nice if there was some fire here. In the middle,¡± Tuk said suddenly.


    ¡°Why would you want more heat?¡± Mul asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was just a thought.¡±


    Another moment of silence lapsed between them.


    Gad stood up. ¡°We should all sleep. It will be rough tomorrow.¡±


    Nar found himself nodding. He should go sleep, he just wasn¡¯t sure he was going to be able to.


    ¡°I¡­ I just want to say I¡¯m really happy I ended up at this party,¡± Gad said. ¡°Kur¡¯s party. I¡¯m really excited to see what''s beyond those Gates tomorrow, with all of you.¡±


    Gad smiled at them, and the tenseness he felt eased off his shoulders somewhat.


    ¡°Me too, my people,¡± Tuk said. ¡°It will be great to finally step outside with all of you.¡±


    ¡°Into light and color!¡± Rel said, smirking at Nar.


    ¡°Into light and color¡­ Yes. And a new life,¡± Cen said.


    ¡°Away from everything,¡± Viy whispered.


    Kur stood up. ¡°Gad said it for me. It¡¯s been my privilege to come all this way with you all. It will be a privilege to continue going into the unknown with all of you.¡±


    ¡°Whoop-whoop!¡± Tuk said, eliciting a smattering of laughter.


    ¡°Now, seriously, go to sleep. I don''t want to wake up tomorrow and hear anyone complaining they couldn¡¯t sleep.¡±


    ¡°What if we can¡¯t sleep?¡± Jul asked.


    ¡°Then wake me up,¡± Kur said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you company. Now shoo. Sleep!¡±


    With some weak protests, mainly from Tuk, the party lay down to sleep. Besides them, they heard Row forcing her party to do the same.


    Like he predicted, Nar lay with his eyes wide open, completely awake.


    The scenes he had been given kept replaying through his head.


    He had learned a smattering of new words earlier, but two of them kept resurfacing in his thoughts.


    Monster and spider.


    Surprisingly, spider had put a name to the things they had faced in that strange circular place, atop the endless chasm. Spiders were insects, whatever that may be. Non-sentient living creatures. And the things he had encountered had likely been modeled after them, even if they only had six legs, instead of the customary eight.


    But their bodies matched the description, and even the wires they shot out matched the description of this web thing, that real spiders used to capture their prey.


    Who had made them and for what purpose was still a mystery, but to him, those had been spiders. Aether powered, mechanical, invisible, lightning shooting spiders.


    However, what had been surprising about it the most, was that he had expected to fight guardians. From the images he had received, none of the enemies they would be facing qualified as guardians. It wasn¡¯t a big deal of course. He would still be fighting for his life regardless of whatever he faced. However, he couldn¡¯t help but find it strange that the guardians had been replaced by something else.


    As for the other word, monster, that one was a bit harder to unpack.


    It could be used to describe the Sentry, and the giant guardian they had faced, and also the big spider that they had destroyed in that circular chasm. All those could be called monsters, but a monster didn¡¯t necessarily have to be big, although it was a potentially defining trait. Frightening. Dangerous. Terrifying. These could also make a monster. However, and more surprisingly, he understood that sentients could also be accused of being monsters.


    In fact, by the definition of the word, the cannibals were monsters, and what they did was monstrous. However, was the Crystal not responsible for opening those cubeplant Doors?


    He sighed. That was a venue of thought he¡¯d rather ignore for that night.


    Instead, he recalled what he had seen. The words had been given to him for a reason. They would face spiders of different sizes, and the Raid Boss was a humongous thing, a true monster. It would probably not be the only one either, if those images had been accurate.


    Nar tossed and turned, but it was impossible to escape the thoughts and images his own mind kept bringing up to show him.


    Around him, from the occasional cough and restlessness, he could tell that no one was asleep either.


    Maybe I should go for a walk.


    But where though? Knowing of what lay down there in the dark, Nar really didn¡¯t feel like getting close to that edge anymore. He doubted he would be attacked, dragged down into the dark for a quick and sudden death, with no one ever hearing his screams or knowing what had happened to him. However, the thoughts weren¡¯t pleasant all the same. And as dumb as it was, it dissuaded him from going.


    Also, he doubted Kur would just let him go off, right before the big fight.


    He would probably just try to talk me to sleep. I bet he has a lot of managerial crap to talk about. That could work. Might put me right down to sleep.


    But he didn¡¯t want to disturb Kur or anyone else for that matter, so he stayed where he was, quiet.


    Oh¡­ Hold on. There is a place I can go to.


    It was a strange idea, but after all, why not?


    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    He took another, and another.


    He relaxed his body.


    He let go.


    Deeper.


    Downwards.


    And then, he was there.


    His aura glowed, warm and welcoming in front of him, in this deep, dark place within him.


    Nar frowned at it.


    Did you get any bigger?


    He wrapped his arms around it, and surprised, found that his fingers couldn¡¯t touch anymore. In fact, there was probably a good hand and a half of space between his fingers now.


    Holy Crystal! You did get bigger! I mean¡­ I shouldn''t be surprised, I guess. I did gain another 56 points in you since then. Just how big are you trying to get, eh?


    His aura simply stayed where it was, glowing in its multitude of grays, and its spots of deep blacks and bright whites.


    He sat down with a groan, and looked around. Other than his aura, there was nothing else there.


    What even is this place? And where?


    It was a question he had asked himself before.


    It was inside him, of that much, he was sure. But how was it possible that it felt like he was sitting somewhere else? As though he truly were there, and not laying down with his party, in that massive room?


    He didn¡¯t know. But he hoped he would.


    That ball of light had kept him alive, and even now, staring up at it, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that it radiated a sort of promise to him.


    Take me¡­ I promise you won¡¯t regret it, it seemed to say.


    That it was his, and that it would always be there for him, and that it would never let him down.


    I¡¯m the one letting you down. I¡¯m sorry.


    Yet, from his aura, he felt nothing more than welcoming warmth and reassurance.


    He shook his head and lay down in that strange place that wasn¡¯t a place.


    He felt warm. He felt secure. Safe and supported.


    Soon, he slipped into a sleep full of good dreams. Of getting out. Of exploring the Nexus and the Labyrinth with his party. Of saving his dad.


    Unbeknownst to him, gentle ripples formed across the surface of his aura.


    Each time they did, tiny droplets of hazy gray separated from its body and spread out, slowly, in all directions into the darkness.


    It kept doing that all the while he slept, and only Crystal knew how long it had been doing that without Nar¡¯s knowledge. However, somehow, Nar¡¯s presence there tonight made the ripples form stronger and more urgently. And the droplets got bigger and bigger.


    One would expect the ball to slowly diminish with so much of it spent and sent away. But on the contrary, that ball of light only continued to grow.


    *********


    Elsewhere, in vastly different darks, separated by truly immense, endless distances, Presences watched the vast numbers of Climbers spread out across the One Hundred Thousand Gates.


    It was not possible to peer into their minds, nor to understand their thoughts.


    Numbers? Probabilities? Concepts? Facts and lies. Emotion and feeling. Both basic and utterly complex.


    Most turned away, uninterested.


    But some stayed to watch.


    The Ceremony of Final Atonement was about to commence once more.


    And amongst the Presences, two of them seemed to share the same emotions.


    Apprehension and hope.


    And yet, they felt them for entirely different reasons.

 Chapter 119 - We Fight For Our Forgiveness

    The Climbers were assembled.


    ¡°I actually can¡¯t believe there¡¯s so many idiots with us,¡± Mul whispered.


    ¡°Maybe they all think like me,¡± Kur whispered back.


    It was indeed surprising.


    Nar had expected half of them or more to take the left path. Instead, it looked as though numbers were pretty evenly distributed across all three paths.


    ¡°Maybe they just want the reward,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°You seriously think that? What could be worth more than your life?¡± Tuk asked. ¡°Everyone just realized that if we don¡¯t work together, we¡¯re all dying here.¡±


    Mul sighed. ¡°Ignore me. Just the nerves.¡±


    ¡°It will be okay,¡± Cen said, patting his back.


    ¡°Remember. We stay together. We look after each other,¡± Gad said.


    ¡°I¡¯m right behind you,¡± Viy told her.


    Nar poked Jul¡¯s shoulder and she looked back, offering him a smile.


    ¡°And I¡¯m right behind you,¡± he whispered. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    She nodded and faced back forward.


    Above the darkness, the giant white numbers continued to tick down.


    30 seconds. This is it.


    His health was full. His stamina, as useful or useless as it currently was, was full. His aura, his which had kept him alive from the beginning, was full as well. All 1560 points of it. And he was ready to use every single one of them to get them through alive.


    ¡°20 seconds,¡± Viy said.


    ¡°We got this,¡± Tuk said, grinning at all of them.


    Rel looked back at Nar. She was tied tightly to Kur¡¯s back, held in place by all of their remaining clothes tied together. She was too weak to run into that fight. She was too weak to even participate in it. But her bow was in her left hand, and she looked determined to use it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die,¡± she mouthed at him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t die,¡± he mouthed back.


    She smiled at him and looked back at the countdown above their heads.


    Kur raised a hand at Row, who stood to their right with her party, and she waved back at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this done,¡± she said.


    Nar flexed his fingers over his sword hilt.


    10 seconds. The end is finally here.


    Five seconds.


    Four.


    The floor began to rumble and shake underneath their feet.


    Three.


    A few Climbers looked about them, unnerved, but for the most part, people remained resigned and resolute.


    Everyone there had their own story. Everyone there had their reasons to leave home. Everyone there had gone through the burning, crushing Pressure. Everyone there had fought for their lives against an untold number of guardians.


    They had crossed the bridges in their paths. They would cross those last three as well.


    Two.


    Nar took a deep breath. This was it.


    One.


    Lights flooded the darkness, and from below, the two side bridges rose from the depths.


    The two on either side were just as Kur had described them.


    They curved outwards, away from the middle, and they were simple affairs. They were ugly, blocky things, with a wide first level and a narrower one above it.


    The top level was not all flat like the first, though. It was populated by rises and falls, by towering blocks and crevices. Nar could tell it was going to be a nightmare navigating it.


    The two levels were connected by numerous ladders, stairwells and staircases, with a massive, wider set of steps right at its middle. Getting up to that top level was also not going to be easy, especially once all those stairs were crawling with enemies.


    As Nar watched them rise, he quickly realized how seriously he had misjudged the distance between them and the Gates. The bridges rising up to them were enormous, easily over three of four thousand feet in length.


    ¡°Crystal. How big are those gates?¡± Cen whispered.


    ¡°They must be over 1000-feet high,¡± Jul said. ¡°They¡¯re huge¡­¡±


    Another loud bang sounded from below, and light shone on the center of the chasm. The middle bridge was rising.


    Murmurs spread throughout the gathered Climbers.


    Something was being hoisted up with the bridge.


    ¡°What the fuck is that?¡± Jaz asked in an awed tone.


    Nar tightened his grip on the sword. There was only one thing that it could be.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Raid Boss,¡± Row said.


    ¡°How are we going to beat that?¡± Cor asked, her mouth half covered by her hand.


    ¡°One way or another,¡± Row said. ¡°Or else, no one¡¯s getting out.¡±


    The bridge slowly rose. The light from above shone only on the Raid Boss, painting the thing in a grotesque but jaw dropping, breath stopping manner.


    Nar couldn¡¯t even tell what it was.


    The deformed machine must have towered at over 150-feet tall.


    It stood, hunched forward, as if lifeless, on six, thick, spider-like legs. It had a torso that almost looked like a morsvar¡¯s, heavy set and looking dumb strikingly covered in armor. And where two arms should have been, it had four oversized arm-like monstrosities instead. They were clearly weapons of some kind, and Nar, remembering the giant guardian that almost killed them, felt his fingers go sweaty at the thought of the insane damage those things were most likely capable of dishing out.


    Not that the Raid Boss even needed to use them. Those legs alone would be enough to flatten the feeble gathering of Climbers that were right now regretting their choices.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Kur muttered.


    ¡°Too late for that now,¡± Mul said.


    ¡°They¡¯ll find a way. We¡¯re not fighting it, remember?¡± the party leader whispered.


    Thank the Crystal, Nar thought, without a shred of shame.


    Atop that enormous torso, a wide, featureless head sat, bowed down to the floor. And from behind it, from the thing¡¯s back, two huge cylindrical somethings protruded. Each of them had several, arched, black metallic spikes attached to them, completing the Raid Boss¡¯ terrifying look.


    ¡°Testing! Testing!¡± a voice rang out. ¡°Can you all hear me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Juf!¡± Kur told the startled party.


    ¡°Alright, it looks like you all can. All fifty-four thousand of you can hear me,¡± she said. ¡°Let me say that again. There are fifty-four thousand Climbers here. Climbers that have gone through guardians, cannibals, Pressure and Crystal knows what else to be here. And you know how you¡¯ve all made it here? Because you¡¯re strong! Yes, that thing is big, but that just means there¡¯s no way you¡¯re going to miss it. Yes, there is no magic, but fuck that! Our aura is going to blow that thing to pieces!¡±


    A few shouts rang across the gathered army of Climbers.


    ¡°That Raid Boss is the last thing that stands between you and your freedom!¡± Juf shouted. ¡°Remember why you left your cubeplants! Remember the struggle! The sweat! The blood! Remember those you¡¯ve lost! Remember those you couldn¡¯t save! Are you going to let that thing stop you now?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Nar shouted, joining his voice to the thousands.


    ¡°Are we simply just going to die here? Now that we are so close to everything we¡¯ve ever wanted? Freedom! Forgiveness! A new life! All ours for the taking?¡±


    ¡°Ours!¡±


    Jul raised her daggers in the air, joining thousands of weapons.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. I only have one more thing to say. Stick together, fight as one! We are Climbers, and together we will earn our freedom!¡±


    The Climbers roared as one, raising weapons and shouting at the top of their lungs at the silent, unmoving Raid Boss.


    Damn! Maybe we can really do this? There has to be a shit ton of casters here! If they all¡­


    A loud hum drowned out the sound of the Climbers.


    The whole place shone light blue as the Raid Boss straightened up, red eyes blazing and rotating in all directions across its featureless face. From its back, massive columns snarling electricity rose almost to the ceiling above themThe narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°My Crystal have mercy!¡± Mul breathed. ¡°That thing¡¯s going to kill us¡­¡±


    Nar stared at the blue electricity, stretching high above them all.


    That thing is going to end this with one hit¡­ We can¡¯t do this.


    The Raid Boss emitted a loud, garbled electronic pulse that made them all wince, and darkness climbed over the sides of the bridges.


    At first, Nar didn¡¯t know what was happening. Why were they lowering the bridges again?


    Then it became clear.


    Hundreds of thousands of spiders, small, medium, big and enormous, made their way to the top of those bridges, slowly covering them in dark, moving limbs and shiny shells.


    ¡°Those things are the same size as that big spider we killed!¡± Rel said, pointing at one of the enormous monstrosities.


    ¡°There must be hundreds of those!¡± Tuk cried. ¡°Are we really supposed to make it through this alive? Do they just want us to die here?¡±


    ¡°Tuk, enough,¡± Kur said, looking around him. ¡°Now, all we can do is fight.¡±


    The Climbers didn¡¯t seem so brave anymore, and many voiced the injustice and unfairness of the challenge arrayed before them.


    They had fought, yes. They were strong, yes. But this? This laughed in the face of everything they had gone through.


    Nar found himself wishing he had a whole lot more aura in that gray bar now.


    The railings between the Climbers and the bridges sank unto the floor, and a loud klaxon shrilled mournfully over the two gathered armies.


    When it went still, nobody moved, neither sentient, nor mechanical.


    ¡°Everyone,¡± Juf spoke again. She sounded tired. ¡°We¡¯ve endured enough pileshit already. We all know what we need to do, and we all know we might all die here¡­ But if that''s the case, what have we got to lose? Just go. Destroy everything. You hear me? DESTROY EVERYTHING! THE WAY FORWARD IS ALWAYS FORWARD!¡±


    Nar shouted with everything he had and ran forward with all the other Climbers.


    ¡°The way forward is always forward! I¡¯ve always loved that!¡± Row shouted.


    ¡°Yes! And I can see why they put her in charge!¡± Kur said.


    Row laughed like a maniac. ¡°Stay alive Kur¡¯s party!¡±


    ¡°You too, Row¡¯s party! It¡¯d be a shame to die here, at the end of everything!¡±


    Soon, they were on the bridge, and it shook under the weight of their furious, desperate charge.


    We¡¯ve got nothing to lose now. We¡¯re here! We¡¯re going to get through, or die trying!


    That was just the first big fight of his life. If he wanted to be strong, truly, utterly powerful, he would find himself in much, much worse. He had to make it through that one first.


    His heart roared in his chest, in both defiance and dread.


    Any one of those enormous enemies could kill him with a single blow. Any of those spiders could land a lucky slash across his throat.


    However, none of that mattered.


    There was no hesitation left in him.


    This was it.


    ¡°Listen up!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of stuff we¡¯ve left out. We¡¯re going to be given orders. When to move, when to use certain skills. Class orders, and DPS orders. Wait for those or wait for me! Don¡¯t waste your aura or stamina. This is going to be a long fight, and we need to pace ourselves! Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Loud and clear!¡± Tuk shouted, his voice ringing above the chorus of yeses.


    ¡°We¡¯re on the left, in the middle. We are neither the vanguard or the rearguard! Our job is to protect the middle from whatever may come up into this bridge! You got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± they all shouted.


    Mul suddenly burst out laughing.


    ¡°What are you laughing about?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Mul said, and laughed some more. ¡°I guess I just don¡¯t want to cry!¡±


    Nar smiled, then he too grinned.


    There was no use for tears now. They were all Climbers. There had been plenty of those, and there would be plenty more once this was all over. But there would be none now.


    Destroy everything. That''s simple enough.


    ¡°Switching to bridge channels!¡± Juf shouted. ¡°From now on, each Raid Leader will lead their own bridge!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± Jul shouted.


    ¡°Bahahaha! Let them come!¡± Mul said.


    Tuk only laughed harder.


    The two sides charged at each other.


    ¡°Ranged! Prepare to defend us!¡± Juf shouted.


    ¡°What? From what?¡± Tuk asked.


    ¡°Our left side! Remember?¡± Kur shouted. ¡°They are going to shoot at us!¡±


    Nar looked to his left. They were right by the edge of the middle bridge, so the curving, wide left bridge in the distance was clearly visible to them.


    Some of his bravado was punched right out of him.


    In the distance, he could see thousands of electric blue brilliant dots appear, and more slowly spread across the entirety of the left bridge¡¯s top level.


    ¡°Tuk, those are too high for you. Cen, do what you can to stop those things from blowing us to pieces!¡±


    ¡°I can help!¡± Rel said.


    ¡°Wait! Save your strength. I hate to say this, but we might need it later on.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I got it. I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re shooting!¡± Jul shouted.


    Thousands of electrical projectiles rose in an arc above the chasm that separated the two bridges. It was almost beautiful to look at.


    Nar glanced to his right, and saw that a similar volley was coming down on them from the other bridge.


    ¡°Just focus on our side!¡± Kur said, also looking to their right. ¡°We can¡¯t do anything about anything else, other than our own job. That is all we have to do! That is all we can do!¡±


    ¡°Fire!¡± Juf shouted, as the projectiles tipped towards them.


    A much smaller amount of aura arrows, bolts, projectiles and every other long-ranged attack flew up from the Climbers.


    My Crystal¡­ Nar thought, watching as the two waves inched towards each other.


    The two volleys met with a ferocity he had never seen nor felt before.


    Electricity and aura exploded like two enormous monsters viewing for dominance. Flashing blue snapped and whipped through the cloud of hazy and shifting gray aura that sought to devour it.


    Down on the bridges, Nar was forced a step back by the shockwave of the two forces meeting head on and exploding into one another.


    Unfortunately, it wasn''t enough.


    Blue electrical projectiles pierced through the clouds and exploded amongst the Climbers on the bridge.


    Shouts and screams rose from the middle parties and Nar grit his teeth. How many had just died? How many still stood? There was no way to know.


    ¡°Keep going!¡± Juf shouted. ¡°Vanguard tanks, hold them back!¡±


    Nar heard the impact all the way from where he was, with his normal ears.


    He pulled up short before he crashed against Rel, on Kur¡¯s back, as the two forces collided and halted one another''s charge.


    ¡°Hold them! Vanguard melee DPS, fight!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Cen asked, looking up from down below.


    ¡°No idea!¡± Tuk said.


    ¡°The tanks are holding the front and the vanguard melee DPS is attacking from behind or next to them! Cen, get ready, I think she¡¯s going to¡­


    ¡°Middle side casters, charge projectiles! We need AOE!¡± Juf said. ¡°Center parties, not yet! Wait till the vanguards open the way!¡±


    ¡°This is fucking insane!¡± Jaz shouted from next to them.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Row threw back at him.


    ¡°Someone lift me up!¡± Cen said, ¡°I don¡¯t have enough space here for it!¡±


    Tuk quickly bent down and hoisted her up, holding her in front of his face.


    The ball of aura gathered above Cen¡¯s staff was bigger than Nar had ever seen before.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± someone shouted. ¡°Look at that!¡±


    Cor¡¯s charged projectile, next to Cen¡¯s, was almost nearly a third less the side of Cen¡¯s. The two charged [Aura Projectile]s shone across the whole area, forcing people to look away.


    ¡°Casters, aim at the back of their lines! Fire!¡± Juf shouted.


    Hundreds of [Aura Projectile]s of varying sizes rose above their heads. Nar followed their trajectory, as they flew above the Climbers, and slowly tumbled back down, over their enemy.


    The horizon shone with blinding gray. The explosions shook the bridge and rose high into the air.


    Nar stared up, following the height of the explosions with his stunned eyes. The power of aura was undeniable. If they were to survive that fight, it would only be thanks to it.


    ¡°Crystal Almighty!¡± Tuk shouted. ¡°Well done, Cen!¡±


    ¡°Mine wasn¡¯t as big as some of the others¡­¡± she said, as he brought her back down.


    ¡°Are you kidding? Yours was the biggest! I saw it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Tuk.¡±


    ¡°Pay attention! We¡¯re moving forward!¡± Kur shouted.


    Those explosions must have wrecked the enemy side, for they managed to speed forward several dozens of feet.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming up the sides!¡± Jul shouted.


    ¡°Gad, get ready!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Viy. Mul. With her!¡±


    The three of them adjusted their positions, and around them, other tanks and melee did the same, clearly warned by other Climbers with high sense stats.


    ¡°Sides! Sides!¡± Juf shouted. ¡°Prepare to be attacked! Don¡¯t let them onto the bridge¡±


    Tun and the melee from Row¡¯s party joined Gad and the others in forming a long line along the edge of the bridge.


    ¡°Tuk, focus on those things coming up! Cen pay attention to the volleys coming from the left bridge!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Melee, don¡¯t waste your energy with big attacks! If they¡¯re too big, hit the legs first and bring them down to your level!¡±


    Both their people and Row¡¯s, and even some others within reach of Kur¡¯s voice, shouted their yeses.


    ¡°Nar? Nar!¡± Kur shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±


    ¡°Jul!¡±


    ¡°Also here!¡±


    Kur reached out to them as they approached him, and grabbed onto their arms.


    ¡°You guys are going to work together to make sure nothing gets past us, or attacks us from behind. If the line looks like it''s going to break, you guys are there! If something gets through, you guys are there! If anything tries to get to middle parties, you guys are there! Do you understand me?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± they both shouted.


    ¡°Keep us alive!¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Ranged! Above us! Stop that volley!¡±


    Jul grabbed his hand, just as everything went bright above them once again. As before, the defenders weren¡¯t enough to stop every projectile, and death rained amidst the middle parties.


    Crystal have mercy on them! Nar though with a grimace.


    Jul pulled him along and he let her guide him, trusting in her superior senses and mysterious foresight ability. Here and there, he felt the first flashes and warnings from his [Instinct] but nothing turned into an attack.


    ¡°Over there!¡± Jul shouted.


    A massive spider, only slightly smaller than the one Rel had destroyed with her red arrow, was trying to climb onto the bridge.


    A group of desperate Climbers were doing everything they could to keep it from doing so, but they were being blocked by a moving darkness of the smaller spider variety. There were so many of the things that they threatened to swallow the Climber frontline.


    ¡°Great. Amazing!¡± Nar said, eyeing their first target.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Jul said, and flipped positions with him. ¡°This is where the big brother opens a path for his little sister!¡±


    Nar shook his head and raised his sword. Aura came to his command easily, and covered the length of the blade. Perhaps even a smidge past it.


    Nar briefly considered it, frowning. Had he pulled too much?


    Jul pushed him forward, and Nar shoved the stray thought to the back of his mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just clear the way! They can deal with that big thing once they have space!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Nar took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the heavy air, filled with smoke, screams and death.


    Then he dashed forward.


    [Speed], [Agility], [Reflex], [Instinct], [NPC] and [Aura]. The core stats that made his path burned into him, filling with the power he had bleed and risked his life for to get where he now stood.


    He was like a blur. His sword drew bright arcs and slashes, and in his wake, he left only destroyed and smoking wrecks of what had once been their enemies.


    Jul, close on his heels, impressive with her own speed and combat prowess, was a whirlwind of shining daggers, snatching up anything that Nar had missed.


    Within seconds, they had cleared enough space.


    ¡°Now! Hit the big guy!¡± a woman shouted.


    Melee and tanks surged forward, aiming for those legs that were pulling up their monstrous, heavy owner.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± the same woman shouted, and Nar caught a glimpse of a lengos atop a morsvar.


    But Jul was already pulling him away, towards their next target.


    The two of them dashed in and out of encounters, steadying the bulging lines, granting Climbers a few, all too precious moments of relief to breath and pull back together.


    Nar followed Jul, blindly, from one fight into another, all along the middle section of the left flank, and then back again, past their own party.


    Nar glimpsed Viy, a stunning display of light and ferocity, shredding spiders by the dozen. Raf, next to her, was just as impressive, with his massive ax cleaving and smashing through multiple enemies at once.


    Tun and Gad steadied the lines around them, their aura shields a bright light in the darkness assaulting them. And behind the melee line, the center of the two parties had somehow merged, with the leaders, Tuk, Rel, the casters and archers safe.


    Tuk¡¯s rings shone through here and there, spreading devastation on a scale that it was almost too big to comprehend.


    And lastly, on their right side, Mul savagely destroyed the leg of a spider even bigger than the one that Rel had felled, bringing the machine down with his aura coated fist weapons.


    Somehow finding himself fighting with Mul, Teb was unstoppable, covering Mul¡¯s back from an army of spiders intent on protecting their much bigger companion.


    It seemed that despite what Kur and Row had decided, the two parties had ended up merging together after all. And from what Nar had seen, they were doing just fine at that.


    But then, he was past them, and they were gone, swallowed amongst thousands.


    As they helped push down another big spider, Nar wondered if they were making any difference at all. If that was one of those points that only their party could push forward on. But amongst the chaos, noise, broken enemies, slashing legs, blood and dead and dying, he felt like he wasn¡¯t achieving anything.


    There were just too many of them to make a difference.


    Suddenly, a loud roar swallowed the battlefield. The same roar that Nar had heard before the battle had begun.


    ¡°Attention all bridges! We have reached the Raid Boss! I repeat! We have reached the Raid Boss! This is where the real fight begins!¡±


    The Climbers cheered the announcement, and Nar felt some of the darkness within him recede.


    ¡°Left and right bridges, bring those shooting things down! Don¡¯t let them destroy us!¡± Juf continued. ¡°Back to the middle bridge only now! Vanguard move forward! Spread out and cover the back of the boss! The middle is going to surround it! Middle sides, advance after the vanguard! Rearguard, advance as well, cover the backs of the middle parties. We have to let them have the back of the bridge! We¡¯ll be surrounded now! Fight with everything you have to keep the middle protected! Middle parties, all of our lives are in your hands now, so bring that damned thing down!¡±


    Another cheer erupted around Nar and he lent his voice to it.


    He felt hope as he shouted.


    Maybe they could make it after all!


    That¡¯s when thousands of shrieks sounded from above them.

 Chapter 120 - Holding The Side

    ¡°Oh, my Crystal!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°They¡¯re coming from above!¡±


    Nar looked up and found a massive swarm of flying enemies emerging from hundreds of holes across the ceiling.


    ¡°What now?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Archers! Ranged! Above us! Above us! Kill them, kill them all!¡± Juf shouted.


    Projectiles began to fall down on them, exploding in big, bright flames.


    The new enemies had long, straight bodies, with thick heads that narrowed into sharp, gleaming tails. Their wings were shimmering blurs in the air, and they filled the battlefield with their buzzing.


    In their many legs, under their bodies, they carried several black orbs, red lights pulsating across them.


    ¡°Those are explosives!¡± Juf shouted. ¡°Blow them up in the air!¡±


    Above the absolute mental chaos and noise, the Raid Boss roared and stomped down with its massive legs, shaking the bridge under them. In the distance, Nar heard the screams of the middle parties.


    Around them, the press of bodies threatened to separate them, and Nar reached out to grab onto Jul¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Watch out! We¡¯re moving forward!¡± he told her.


    They stuck together and were slowly pushed forward by the thousands of Climbers maneuvering to fulfill Juf¡¯s commands.


    Hot breath blew at the back of his neck from an altei, and a sweaty pink Climber stuck to his side. The air was chokingly hot and there wasn¡¯t enough of it for everyone.


    ¡°Nar! They¡¯re still coming up the sides!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°We should help them!¡±


    ¡°Wait! Let everyone stop again! Right now it¡¯s too¡­¡±


    She looked up, her mouth open with forgotten words she never got to speak. She sensed it before he did, but his attributes and reactions were faster.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± he shouted.


    His warning was for the people around them, not for her.


    He dragged her down, pushing against those stuck to him, and landed on top of her. On a whim, a last split-second decision, he pulled his aura over them, hoping not to hurt her.


    Again, he felt it come out too strong. Just a tad too much. More than he had wanted to, however, he blanked as everything suddenly disappeared under an explosion of roaring light and heat.


    He felt it angrily trying to devour through his aura to get to them, but the gray protection covering them held.


    As soon as he sensed the danger was gone, he pulled his aura back in and rolled off of Jul.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Jul looked at him with very wide eyes. ¡°I-I¡­ Yes!¡±


    There was space around them now, too much of it. The sounds of the injured hit him like a fist and he beheld the devastation around him.


    The flying enemies had done a flying pass over them, dropping their exploding orbs over the left side parties. They had destroyed both Climber and spider alike, but the results were undeniable. The line was broken.


    Already more spiders were making their way up the bridge and onto its surface, and the Climbers were too slow in recovering.


    Crystal! They¡¯re going to break through!


    He dragged himself up and pulled Jul with him. ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°N-No! But the line!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    Nar turned back around and watched the enemy come.


    ¡°Sides! Reform those lines! Reform the lines! They are trying to break through!¡± Juf yelled above the battle and the cries of the injured. ¡°Use your skills, use everything you got until those lines are back in place! If they get to middle parties now, everything will be over!¡±


    Around them, Climbers struggled to their feet. Nar reached down and pulled up an altei tank.


    ¡°Thanks, man,¡± he said.


    He bled from a cut just over his cheek and under his pale blue eye, but he stared at the incoming enemies with a determined expression, and an unbroken spirit, and took a few deep breaths.


    ¡°I¡¯m not down yet!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Not so loud!¡± someone replied next to him. ¡°My head¡¯s killing me¡­¡±


    Nar froze for a moment. The Climber before him, with daggers in one hand, pressed a hand to his forehead. His pointy long ears gave his kind away.


    ¡°How''s the Yearning?¡± Nar asked.


    ¡°Fuck that shit¡­¡± the guy replied. ¡°Fight! Fight! Fight! It won¡¯t fucking shut up!¡±


    ¡°It will be okay,¡± a green and purplish woman told him. She had a staff in her hand. ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Hang on for a bit longer.¡±


    Nar found himself smiling. It was just like their own party.


    ¡°Nar¡­¡±


    Her voice died in her throat and Nar turned back around, towards the edge.


    One. Two. Three¡­


    Big legs clung to the top of the bridge, burrowing into its surface, and their owners peaked at them from just above the edge, a multitude of blazing red eyes searching for prey. Three of the massive spiders were slowly hauling themselves up onto the bridge, just a few dozen steps in front of them.


    ¡°Get up! Get up!¡± the tank shouted. ¡°They¡¯re going to get up here!¡±


    A host of smaller spiders crawled up, swarming around their larger counterparts, covering their ascend.


    All along the line, Climbers were getting ready to fight again, but the line had been pushed back in that attack, and as far as Nar could see, up and down the line, spiders of all sizes, big and small, were claiming the edge and several feet of bridge in front of it.


    ¡°We¡¯ve lost the edge,¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Shit,¡± the alfin muttered. ¡°Boss, what do we do?¡±


    ¡°You heard her!¡± a man said, another altei. ¡°We¡¯re going to use our skills! But just enough to push them back! I don¡¯t want anyone running empty!¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Nar nodded along with their yeses.


    ¡°Jul, we¡¯re going to stay here for a bit,¡± Nar said. ¡°We need to help them hold. Then we¡¯ll do the same around us, and go back to check on the others.¡±


    Jul gulped and nodded.


    Please be alright, Nar hoped.


    With both Nar and Jul there, the party had no senses to cover them. All he could hope for was that they had managed to avoid that explosive run.


    With no choice but to push the party out of his mind, Nar watched the three big spiders hoist themselves further up. Around him, Climbers were still scrambling to their feet, and as far as his [Sight] allowed him to see, this was the only place where three of the massive spiders crawled up together. If they got through, nothing would stop them.


    ¡°Is this one of those points?¡± Jul asked.


    Nar shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But we¡¯re here. We¡¯ll do what we can.¡±


    He turned to the party next to them. ¡°Hey! Can you guys give us a hand? We can¡¯t let those things get up here!¡±


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t!¡± their party leader replied. ¡°What do you want from us?¡±


    Nar scanned their party. The tank, the rogue, a two-handed ax wielding woman, the caster, the leader, and a male archer. A small party. He was impressed they had managed to Climb with so few of them. Maybe they were all incredibly strong. That or they had already suffered losses.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get in there and hit those legs!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°I need you to make sure I¡¯m not eaten by the small ones!¡±


    ¡°What? Are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a tank/DPS, and I¡¯m fast. I¡¯ve done this before!¡±


    He grabbed Jul and pushed her towards them. ¡°This is Jul, she¡¯s a rogue with incredible senses. She¡¯s going to help you!¡±


    ¡°What? No! I¡¯m coming with you!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the attributes for this! Now it''s your turn to trust me!¡±


    Something whistled above his head. A Climber was pulled off the floor and flung into the chasm. Nar watched the Climber scream to his death, and disappear over the edge, plummeting into the darkness below.


    ¡°They have wires!¡± Jul shouted.


    ¡°They have what?¡± the alfin asked.


    ¡°They shoot wires from their mouths! Electric wires!¡± Nar said.


    ¡°Fucking pile!¡± the tank shouted. ¡°How much more shit are they going to throw at us!¡±


    ¡°Watch out!¡± their archer and Jul both shouted at the same time.


    Wires darted at the re-forming lines.


    Climbers were electrocuted to death, smoking as they dropped, or were snatched into the air, never to be seen again.


    Nar pulled the big tank out of the way and a buzzing, angry wire snapped around nothing and was reeled back.


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± he whispered, going pale.


    ¡°Cover yourselves in aura!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°It might keep you alive against the electricity!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± their leader said. ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Nar!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tiv! Get in there and do your thing! We¡¯ll cover you with Jul!¡±


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Jul said.


    ¡°Watch my back!¡±


    ¡°Always!¡±


    Nar turned to the mass of enemies arrayed before him.


    Smash my way through the little guys first, then hit those legs. And avoid being snatched or electrocuted. Nice and simple. Here we go! [Aura Quickening]!


    It was the first time he used his new and improved [Aura Quickening] skill. He inhaled sharply as aura burst from his chest and rushed into his brain and, a split second later, his limbs.


    Holy shit!


    Things slowed down around him as his [NPC] received a sudden influx of an extra 15 points. Fifteen! He only had five originally.


    He traced a wire flying above him with his eyes. It moved so slowly the electricity flowed along its length, rather than flashing with its usual angry snarl and snapping.


    The wire was going to miss him, but it was headed straight to an oblivious Climber. The woman had her back turned to him, and was helping another Climber to his feet.


    No, you don¡¯t!


    He flicked his blade upwards, and the aura covered weapon pushed the wire off course, where it wouldn¡¯t harm anyone.


    Then, he was gone.


    He only had four seconds left.


    He waded into the smaller crowd of spiders, sweeping his sword in front of him in wide arcs. His aura raged across his blade, furious and threatening to spill out of his control. His sword gained an extra half of its original size, and sharp, swirling tendrils snapped out of it, attacking spiders on their own accord.


    What in the pile is going on? Nar asked himself. He could no longer ignore that something was happening to his aura.


    Three seconds.


    He didn¡¯t have the time to think about it right now, and so, he let his aura rage wild around him. If anything, it was helping him, though he worried it might end up depleting him faster than intended.


    With a frown of concentration, he continued plowing through the spiders. If he let them up, dozens, if not hundreds, would die.


    The aura across his sword grew even further, and voraciously lashed out at anything that was an enemy around him.


    He slashed and bashed, and forced his way further in.


    The enemy saw what he was doing and reacted to it. Spiders jumped at him. Wires snarled down to capture him, but Nar was moving in a Nexus of his own.


    His boosted [Instinct] caught everything, filling his surroundings with color and sizes and shapes he could barely comprehend. His [NPC] filtered through it all and fed the results to his [Reflexes], and his [Speed] and [Agility] translated it all into absolute carnage. He was untouchable.


    One second.


    He was almost through.


    A volley of projectiles and aura of all kinds smashed into the enemies around him. Other parties must have joined in to help them, and it was enough to help him clear the last few feet of enemies.


    A spider¡¯s head, big and ugly, with moving red eyes and furious mandibles, towered above him.


    It bent low and shot everything it had at him, trying to encase him in electricity.


    From this close, and with that many threads, even his [Aura Quickening] and all his attributes were not enough to get him out of the way in time. Instead, he flooded himself with aura.


    The wires snapped, tight around him, buzzing with life ending electricity. Nar didn¡¯t even feel them. His aura took it all in.


    And the monster had made the mistake of lowering its head into range of his oversized aura sword.


    [Aura Strike]. 50 points!


    His blade shrieked and the tendrils grew even lengthier. He swung the blade up, and plunged it into the spider''s head.


    His aura sliced through the metal as if it was skin, flesh and bones, and burst out from the middle of the machine¡¯s head. He hadn¡¯t had enough reach to fully cut the head in half, but his aura was so destructive it shredded the head into pieces, shrieking as it slashed through the thing¡¯s head.


    The spider''s legs went limp, and it careened backwards, falling into the abyss. Luckily, his strike had destroyed whatever those wires were attached to, else, he would¡¯ve been dragged down, right with the falling machine.


    [Aura Quickening]!


    He triggered his skill again and felt the surge of aura once more take over his mind. He gritted his teeth. It felt jarring that second time.


    Too soon! He realized, remembering the warning that came with the powerful skill.


    But he needed the time to scan the battlefield.


    Jul and the other party were engaged with the small spiders, but he could see that his charge had thrown the enemy into disarray. He had shifted their attention to him, and he could see that the line that had almost been swallowed was instead starting to reform.


    Maybe that was a point after all, he thought, surprised at the effect he had had in the flow of the battle.


    His [Instinct] flared and he jumped out of the way.


    The other two big spiders were attacking him with their legs on either side of him. Wires snapped at him, but he dodged under and out of their way.


    Left first! He decided.


    He ran towards the spider on the left, making a zig-zagging charge towards its closest leg.


    He bashed through the smaller ones, barely bothered by them, and ducked under the big spider''s mouth. Unfortunately, it was too high up for him to reach. However, its leg would do just fine.


    He didn¡¯t use his [Aura Strike] again. In a battle where a single hit could kill him, that little gray bar was more important than his HP ever was. He had to make sure that it lasted.


    He reached the leg and smashed his sword against it.


    Once. Twice. Thrice.


    He hit in quick succession, boosted by [Aura Quickening]s last two seconds.


    Cracks spread from the impacted area.


    The fourth time he bashed it, his aura penetrated and spread through the cracks, widening them.


    The fifth time he hammered that leg, it smashed broken.


    The spider cried out, trying to balance itself with just the other five legs, but Nar was already on the move. He didn¡¯t need skills for this. He got to the other leg and hacked at it with the same vicious abandon. The metal didn¡¯t last long.


    A loud scratching noise came up the side. The spider burrowed into the side of the bridge with its four remaining legs, carving deep furrows into the wall. But its head finally came low enough for Nar to push his blade through it.


    He shouted, moving the sword inside the spider¡¯s head. The thing screeched in his face and seizures ran across its body. It made it lose control over its legs, and Nar pulled his sword back out, and watched the second spider fall.


    The sound of loud explosions made him look to his right. The other spider was engulfed in bright aura, from a volley of [Aura Projectile]s. Still burning gray, it too, fell off the bridge screaming its high-pitched shrill cry.


    A cheer rose from the Climber¡¯s line behind him.


    ¡°Well done, left side! Keep it up!¡± Juf said, her voice echoing above him as he quickly cut his way back.


    ¡°Fucking pile, man! That was amazing!¡± Tiv shouted as he reached them.


    Nar grinned like a fool. ¡°I got lucky!¡±


    ¡°Got lucky my ass!¡±


    ¡°Nar!¡± Jul shouted, running towards him.


    ¡°Are you guys staying here, or?¡±


    An enormous shockwave rocked the bridge before Nar could reply to Tiv.


    Aura rose in tremendous columns around the Raid Boss, and it complained loudly of the damage hurled upon it.


    ¡°Crystal¡­¡± Tiv said. ¡°Maybe we really can make it out of here!¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Nar said, mesmerized by the exploding, roaring aura wrapping around the Raid Boss.


    ¡°We need to go!¡± Jul said.


    Nar nodded slowly, bringing his eyes back from the spectacle in the middle of the bridge.


    ¡°We need to get back to our party,¡± Nar said. ¡°I hope to see you again. Outside!¡±


    ¡°Me too, man! Thank you for everything and good luck!¡±


    Nar waved back at him as he and Jul waded into the chaos of Climbers once again.

 Chapter 121 - Raid Boss

    ¡°How many of these things are there?¡± Mul shouted, as he drove his aura coated fist into a downed, large spider''s face. The damned thing was the size of a Sentry.


    ¡°As many as there are!¡± Gad shouted. ¡°Keep punching them!¡±


    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m doing!¡±


    Kur looked from the tank and brawler and scanned their line.


    ¡°We just have to hold on!¡± Row shouted, from his side. ¡°Come on people! Get that anger and frustrations out!¡±


    After the flying enemies had done their explosive run across the frontline, the two parties had had to regroup in a hurry, and with injuries on both sides, they had merged back in a hurried, smaller and desperate single party, with both Kur and Row triggering their boons to help them stem the army of spiders that come up at them.


    Kur glanced behind him. Viy was passed out, her face dirtied and caked with blood, both hers and others. Next to her, Raf was similarly down. A bomb had fallen almost at their feet, and only the fact that a couple of Climbers had stood between it and them, had saved the two of them.


    Kur had never even seen the attack coming.


    He gnashed his teeth.


    Without Nar and Jul, he was blind. He needed senses. He needed [Instinct]. But he couldn¡¯t go on relying on the two of them. He needed to know what was about to happen and react to it before it did.


    He sighed and faced the frontline again.


    Next to him, swaying on her feet, Rel notched red arrow after red arrow. He kept an eye on her HP to make sure it was still full, and that she was obeying his orders to not use her new, HP sacrificing, skill.


    She had demanded to fight and he had been forced to let her. But he prayed they wouldn¡¯t need her new skill. He was certain that in her state, she wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain the demands of her new class.


    Above them, the air was filled with sound and force as another wave of electric projectiles from the left side was blocked.


    He had to admit it. He had had his doubts about that left side, but they had proved him wrong. The Climbers over that two leveled bridge had slowly, but surely, brought down those long-range shooters. Less than half were still threatening the middle bridge, and it was much easier for the casters and ranged DPS on it to stop those volleys.


    Now, if only we could push them back to the edge, this whole thing might just be won! But how?


    They were at capacity already. He didn¡¯t dare ask them to blow through their aura reserves, and he didn¡¯t think that even that would¡¯ve been enough.


    The big spiders had been repelled, but in its place, large and medium spiders, which were much faster, had crawled up to face them. And the smaller spiders kept coming in endless, endless, surges. How many had they destroyed already? A hundred thousand? 500 hundred thousand? What number came after that?


    It was absolute insanity! Just how many of those things did the System have to throw at them? And this was across the One Hundred Thousand Gates and all of the simultaneous Ceremonies of Final Atonement.


    Just how much do You hate us? Kur asked, bitterly.


    Screams rose from behind him.


    ¡°What now?¡± Row asked.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Juf warned. ¡°They have run out of those exploding balls. The small ones are coming down and they have magic! Kill them! They¡¯re targeting the sides! Hold strong!¡±


    A loud buzzing made Kur flinch and one of the flying things impacted against his back. He turned back and looked down. The thing was dead, with an arrow through its face.


    He looked at Rel, but the archer was focused on downing as many of those smaller flying enemies as she could.


    Sparks flew down from above, to lick at the Climbers.


    He saw a guy getting hit by one of those sparks and he went down, spasming on the floor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will kill us!¡± Kur said.


    ¡°It probably has a status effect, though!¡± Row shouted back. ¡°Jaz, Lim!¡±


    ¡°Already on it boss!¡± Jaz replied. ¡°Do you think we¡¯re blind?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and kill those things!¡±


    Jaz pivoted in place, shooting arrows in all directions with movements so fast, they almost blurred.


    Suddenly a group of the flying enemies swooped down on them. Row yelped in surprise as they attacked her with sharp, metallic spikes that protruded from their rear ends.


    ¡°Watch out! They have poison too! Don¡¯t let them hit you!¡± she cried out to the others.


    The scratches on her arms, from protecting herself, stung and burned, and she glimpsed the [Poison] status effect on her status.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Kur grunted, whacking at them with his buckler and scepter, trying to give her some breathing room.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Row shouted, and Kur turned in time to watch her stomping hard on one of things on the floor.


    ¡°You got hit!¡± Kur said, eyeing her darkened wound.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a status effect. I¡¯m dropping HP, but I¡¯ll live! Fucking nasty shits! Jaz! Do your job!¡±


    ¡°I am! There¡¯s no end to them!¡±


    Kur surveyed their surroundings. The flying enemies had descended in masse over the side parties, maybe even over the entire bridge. The lines were faltering again, doubly battered from the front and from above, the Climbers were failing.


    More of those flying things came at them, forcing Rel to duck down to seek cover, and Kur was forced back into the fight.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The damned things not only had that poisonous spike, their many legs were also razor sharp, and his buckler was useless against them. Or maybe it was him that was useless. He was not a fighter after all.


    His HP started to drop as he accumulated injuries, and his field of vision was covered with flying enemies.


    Cen and Rel screamed and covered their faces, crouching down. The enemies were too close for them to fight back, and Tuk, stalwart, brave Tuk, could only do so much.


    He bled from his arms and face, but he kept his rings flying. The discs of light destroyed them by the dozens, but it just wasn¡¯t enough.


    They needed melee, but the melee was mostly concentrated on the front, and he could only guess at what they were enduring right at that moment.


    A quick scan showed him that they were all alive, but HP bars were dropping across the party.


    At this stage, it¡¯s only a matter of time.


    For not the first time he wondered if he had made a mistake sending Nar and Jul away. But even with them, he didn¡¯t think it would¡¯ve mattered.


    ¡°Sides! Sides!¡± Juf called above the chaos. ¡°On the count of three, we¡¯re going to use our Aura! All together! Push it out! We¡¯re going to burn them! On my count!¡±


    ¡°That might work!¡± Row shouted.


    Yes! That could work! Kur thought, astounded at the idea.


    ¡°3!¡±


    Kur swiped at the annoying buzzer in his face and prepared his aura.


    ¡°2!¡±


    It came to him much more easily now, ever since he had become an auramancer.


    ¡°1!¡±


    But he had never touched a receptor in his whole life. His reserves were meager, his aura a tiny speck within him. However, he would still give everything he had.


    ¡°Not you Rel!¡± he remembered, at the last second.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    There was a sudden roar. A quick, massive crescendo.


    Heat and pressure weighed down on him from all sides, and everything disappeared in swirling gray.


    In front of him, the buzzer that had been trying to slash his eyes, convulsed and beat its wing erratically. He hit it with his scepter and the thing went down. One crunching stomp later, and it was down for good.


    ¡°It''s working!¡± Row shouted. ¡°Oh, my Crystal! It¡¯s working! She¡¯s a genius!¡±


    Kur laughed. Thank the Crystal they had put Juf in charge! He would¡¯ve never thought of using their combined auras like that.


    ¡°It¡¯s working! Come on sides! Push them back! Retake those edges!¡±


    The Climbers cheered and Kur felt the momentum shift.


    At that exact moment, the raid boss roared.


    ¡°And guess what, we just got him down to half HP! This is happening people!¡±


    The cheers were even louder, coming from across the bridge in front of them as well.


    Then, the floor began to shake under them again.


    *********


    Nar brough his aura back in. There was something wrong with it and he was scared of hurting anyone around him.


    ¡°And guess what, we just got him down to half HP! This is happening people!¡±


    He and Jul shared a wide-eyed look as Climbers cheered around them.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing it!¡± Jul shouted, throwing two daggers up. ¡°We¡¯re doing it!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Nar shouted, raising his sword above him.


    Under them, the floor began to shake.


    Jul gasped.


    ¡°What now?¡± Nar shouted.


    ¡°Something¡¯s coming up!¡±


    ¡°What? More spiders?¡±


    ¡°No! I think it''s more of this stuff!¡± she said, tapping her foot against the floor.


    Nar frowned. ¡°More bridges? But there¡¯s only supposed to be three of them¡­¡±


    He looked towards the edge, his heart beating hard and fast. What more could they throw at them?


    Between the Raid Boss, hundreds of thousands of spiders, electrical projectiles, explosives and flying machines with both magic and poison, things were getting beyond ridiculous.


    Beyond the edge, massive, grotesque spiders slowly rose up from the darkness. They came up on their own platforms, somewhere halfway between the middle and the left bridge, away from the reach of the Climbers.


    The new enemies were half as tall as the boss, and their swollen abdomens carried massive constructs on their backs and sides. Four tubes were set atop their backs, and two more, one on either side, were attached to the spiders¡¯ sides.


    Their legs were squat, and they sat on their bottoms, angling the tubes up. In their direction.


    Nar¡¯s face fell.


    Tubes like that had always only meant one thing and there were ten of those giant things aiming at them.


    ¡°Ranged stop them! Stop them now!¡± Juf shouted. ¡°Side bridges, fire! Fire! Don¡¯t let those things hit us now! We¡¯re almost¡­¡±


    The Raid Boss bellowed, silencing Juf. The electricity that had been idly snarling out from its back was suddenly whipped into a frenzy.


    The giant monster raised its four arms and light began to gather in front of each of them. The arms spread out, aiming at the vanguard, the sides and the rearguard. Everything before it was its target.


    ¡°My Crystal¡­¡± a Climber whispered next to them. ¡°It¡¯s going to shoot us. It¡¯s going to shoot us!¡±


    ¡°Middle! Vanguard and rearguard! Shoot at those arms! Stop them! STOP THEM!¡±


    Nar watched in dread as hundreds of attacks climbed into the air to explode against the monster¡¯s arms.


    If those things were fired, nothing was going to survive.


    Next to him, Jul stared, transfixed, at the ten spiders. Their tubes too, shone, as electricity gathered.


    ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± she mumbled.


    The left side was throwing everything it got at those spiders, but the distance made them hard to hit, and the heavy things were covered in armor.


    She watched as one of the spiders exploded in a massive fire and electrical bright blue display, but the other nine were still getting ready to fire, and to annihilate the middle bridge parties.


    Nar instead stared at the Raid Boss. Orbs of liquid electricity formed in front of them, hovered over the air, in front of each of the enemy''s arms. It was just like the giant guardian that had almost ended them, back amongst the pillars of Pressure.


    The spheres of light swelled till they were bigger than him.


    What could he do? His HP was down a third, sapped away by poison and the annoying flying enemies. Jul was similarly injured. He would never be able to take a hit like that, never mind Jul.


    His mind was blank. He could only stare at his approaching death.


    Then, one of the arms exploded. And so did the other one attached to it.


    ¡°They did it¡­¡± he muttered, unable to believe it.


    The monster tilted to the left, pushed by the force of the explosions.


    However, the two arms on the other side were still functional.


    The Raid Boss fired.


    Twin jets of electricity and light burst forth, turning the whole battlefield blue and white.


    One of them, completely off sight, burst through the ceiling as though it wasn¡¯t there. It carved a path across it, and lights went out as debris rained down on the middle bridge.


    The other attack went right above Nar¡¯s and Jul¡¯s heads.


    Nar stared at the pure magic blazing just a few feet above him. It was so hot and bright that his eyes watered up and his skin reddened, triggering his HP.


    The beam of light blue magic clipped the start of the left bridge.


    Everything was vaporized. Bridge, enemies and the poor Climbers that had been there.


    Only a blue, glowing crater was left, as though some giant thing had taken a perfect bite out of the bridge.


    ¡°My¡­ Crystal¡­¡± Nar breathed. The very air seared his lungs.


    He was alive. They were alive. But how many Climbers had just perished on that left bridge?


    And in between them, the nine remaining spiders were still making ready to fire.


    ¡°Kill those spiders! Kill them!¡± Juf howled in despair. ¡°And break those arms!¡±


    Electricity burst forth from the tilted boss again.


    ¡°Is it going to shoot again?¡± Jul shouted, tears streaming down her face.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to die!¡± someone cried nearby, eliciting a wave of panicked screaming.


    A clamor rose in their ranks.


    ¡°Hold steady! Hold!¡± Juf shouted. ¡°That hurt it! 25%! It¡¯s down to 25%! We¡¯re almost there! Don¡¯t give up now or we¡¯re all dead anyways!¡±


    But it was as though the Climbers didn¡¯t hear her.


    Nar didn¡¯t have to imagine the panic that was taking their hearts. He could feel it himself.


    Beyond the Raid Boss, not as far anymore, the Gate towered over the battlefield.


    The exit. They had gotten so far, and yet, how could they make it through that last stretch?


    Things reached out of the Raid Boss¡¯ back, drawing his attention back to it.


    The black spikes were now also moving.


    What in the Nexus is it doing now? Nar thought, his mind reeling from everything that was happening around him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it''s going to shoot at us!¡± Jul said. ¡°Nar, let¡¯s get back to the others!¡±


    Nar nodded mutely.


    As they pushed their way through the Climbers, both still fighting and those panicking, the Raid Boss stayed where it was, unmoving, except for whatever it was that was happening at its back, taking in damage.


    Cables snapped, unleashing quadruple hisses of air. Then, the cylinders rose out of its back, and a deafening buzz covered the battlefield.

 Chapter 122 - Suffer, Sinners, Suffer

    Rel stared at the Raid Boss in horror.


    ¡°Crystal Merciful,¡± Kur whispered. ¡°Is that one of those flying things?¡±


    Wings stretched behind the monster''s back, maybe about 30-feet long on either side. The spikes, now revealed to be the legs of the thing, twitched and moved.


    A screech filled the air, as the flying thing, with its two cylinders, dropped from the monster¡¯s back.


    It crashed with a loud thud on top of the vanguard, crushing countless Climbers under its weight.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it fly!¡± Juf shouted. ¡°Right and left bridges, shoot those spiders! Shoot the spiders! The Raid Boss is under 25%!¡±


    It was utter chaos.


    Projectiles flew across from both sides, exploding against the giant spiders.


    From the sides of the bridge, spiders continued to climb up with pause.


    The side Climbers denied them passage, but there was no obstacle preventing the spiders from climbing up at the front or the back of the bridge, where both vanguard and rearguard fought a desperate battle to keep the middle parties safe and focused on the Raid Boss.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to run low!¡± Cor shouted.


    She and Cen aimed their staffs up at the air, shooting their [Aura Projectile]s in angled trajectories, aiming at the spiders and their brilliant blue tubes.


    ¡°Cen?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Down to 30%!¡± Cen replied, letting go a flurry of small projectiles across the chasm.


    ¡°Just focus on destroying those things for now,¡± Row said. ¡°If they shoot, it will probably be the end of us.¡±


    Rel gripped her bow in frustration. From where she stood, she could neither reach the big spiders nor the thing emerging from the Raid Boss¡¯s back. Unless¡­


    ¡°Kur, please!¡± she asked him again.


    ¡°No!¡± Kur said.


    ¡°It could make a difference!¡±


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m not risking it. You can barely stand as it is! Leave your HP alone!¡±


    Rel exhaled in frustration. She knew he was right. Of course she did. But she felt so useless.


    Even without the Yearning driving her on, she wanted to be a part of that fight. She wanted to help!


    A sudden loud buzzing drew their attention.


    ¡°Is it moving?¡± Kur asked.


    The giant flying thing that had fallen off the Raid Boss¡¯s back was slowly rising in the air. Arrows, [Aura Projectile]s, and many other ranged attacks chased it, as it rose from the rear of the vanguard. Everything bounced harmlessly off the machine¡¯s hardened carapace.


    ¡°My Crystal, what is that thing going to do?¡± Lim shouted.


    Barely a second later, they had their response.


    The thing opened a hideous, mandible filled maw, and a cloud of dark green was exhaled over the vanguard.


    The screams were immediate. High pitched and desperate.


    ¡°Is that poison?¡± Row asked, her eyes wide with fear.


    The flying monster angled its body and sped forward, leaving the middle bridge. It flew above the chasm and the nine remaining spiders and headed for the left bridge.


    ¡°Where is it going?¡± Cor asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to attack the left bridge!¡± Kur shouted.


    The monster turned, positioning itself right above the left bridge, and shot forward, covering the entire bridge in dark green.


    ¡°My Crystal¡­ What the fuck?¡± Row whispered. ¡°What¡­ The¡­ Fuck¡­¡±


    This is beyond unfair¡­ Rel thought. This was hatred. This was wanting them all dead. Why Crystal? Why?


    She knew what she was. But all these people? What sin was worth this?


    A massive boom made her look behind her. The Raid Boss was straightening itself again. It was not out of the fight yet.


    ¡°Kill the Raid Boss!¡± Juf shouted. ¡°It¡¯s the only way we¡¯re getting out of here! Vanguard and rearguard ranged, focus on the Raid Boss! Ranged, anybody, bring down that flying monster! Everyone else, fight with everything you got! Don¡¯t let our sacrifices be in vain!¡±


    Rel turned slowly, searching the air for the flying enemy.


    It had completed its run over the left bridge, and it was slowly coming about, heading back towards the middle bridge. Would it attack them next? Would it fly over to the right side?


    She had no way of knowing.


    She bit her lip, considering the thousands surrounding her, and the thousands now suffering within that cloud of green on the left bridge.


    A good deed¡­


    If this was not one, then she didn¡¯t know what was.


    All these people were about to die.


    Her party, the people she had betrayed, and who had given her a second chance, were about to die.


    Nar, who had stayed by her side, doing everything in his power to keep her sane and alive, even going so far as risking his life for her, he too would die. Without seeing the light and the colors he so dreamed of. Without becoming a Named Few, and without saving his dad, who had given everything for him.


    The arrow was notched before she even realized it.


    I won¡¯t let him die, nor this party, nor all these people. Not when I can do something about it!


    It was laughable, really. She who had betrayed and delivered countless Climbers into the hands of cannibals, was now attempting to save people instead?


    However, she did not laugh about it.


    Instead, a silent tear ran down her face.


    Yes, that was exactly what she was trying to do. She didn¡¯t know if she would ever find forgiveness for what she had done. She didn¡¯t even know if she would ever forgive herself. She had done horrible, despicable, indescribable things, and although she wanted to hide behind her Yearning, she knew that she was not without fault. Her hands were not clean, and perhaps, they would never be again.


    If only she had been stronger back then. If only she had been braver, she could have at least ended her own life, thus ending her betrayal. But she hadn¡¯t been strong then.


    She inhaled, slowly.


    She would be strong now. Not for forgiveness, or atonement, but for Nar, the party, and all these Climbers, who had suffered more than enough.


    In her mind, as she had expected, the skill appeared available to her.


    ¡°Rel¡­¡± Kur said, his voice cracking. ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Look what¡¯s happening to us,¡± she said, her voice both firm and soft. ¡°I don¡¯t think It wants us to get out.¡±


    ¡°It could kill you. Don¡¯t do it. Please.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your decision to make.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m begging you,¡± Kur whispered, his tone defeated.


    Rel gave him a sad smile. ¡°I¡¯m a monster Kur. Let me at least do something good with my life, before the end.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    A tear ran down his face, but he did not say anything more, or try to stop her.


    Rel looked up, and tracked the monster with her eyes.


    She lifted her bow, and aimed her arrow straight at its head. Maybe there, she would find a weak spot where her red arrow could pierce through.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming this way,¡± Row said, her tone also subdued. Kur must have explained her class, new skill and its cost.


    And just as Row said, the thing had angled itself to fly right through the middle of their bridge. If that cloud dropped over them, there was no telling of the damage it would cause. Perhaps, it would be enough to end them all.


    ¡°Kur?¡± she asked, her voice wavering.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°If you can, can you bring me outside? Even I¡­¡±


    ¡°Rel¡­¡±


    ¡°Please?¡±


    Kur nodded. ¡°Yes. I will. I promise you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered, and tears fell down her eyes.


    At least, they were no longer from shame or guilt. In that short span of time, she had fallen for Kur¡¯s party.


    Oh, how cruel You are. I wish I could¡¯ve gone on with them, and seen the whole of the Nexus. Together.


    The monster screeched, and zipped forward on its powerful wings, ready to deliver its deadly payload.


    But Rel was there, and her arrow shone a red so bright that Climbers around them shouted and screamed in fear and surprise. She was not going to let that tragedy go on for any longer.


    [Arrow of Redemption].


    The pain was immediate.


    She bit her lip harder, to keep from screaming and screwing her aim.


    Hot wetness dripped out of her nose, eyes and ears. She tasted it in her mouth. She felt it in her heart, her lungs, her stomach.


    Her legs shook, but she held.


    Her arms quivered, but she held.


    Red aura exploded around her arrow. Dark and sorrowful and vengeful.


    She saw faces in it. She saw tears. She saw the things she had enabled and which she would never forget.


    The things I did.


    But now, she was here. On this bridge. And she would do a good thing, even if it was the last thing she ever did.


    The last of the demanded HP was drained from her.


    Her aura cried.


    It was an eerie, almost howling sort of sound. The despair and weeping of one¡¯s very soul.


    The flying monster approached the start of the bridge, opening its mouth to spew its poison.


    ¡°Not with me here,¡± Rel whispered, letting out a stream of red from her mouth.


    And then, she released the arrow and everything went red.


    *********


    ¡°Nar, look!¡±


    Nar pried his eyes from the incoming flying monster, and followed Jul¡¯s pointing dagger.


    A familiar red light was getting brighter and brighter just a few feet away.


    Rel?


    Who else could it be?


    ¡°No!¡± he shouted.


    The red arrow exploded towards the flying enemy.


    A split second later, a red, furious explosion engulfed the head of the machine.


    Nar could have sworn he heard the sound of sadness, amongst that raging, dark red, fire like aura.


    The monster¡¯s angle was thrown off, and its left wing seized. Streaming red aura, the thing flew towards them, but its path angled off to the right.


    From the brief glimpse he had, from boosting his [Sight] at the last moment, Nar thought he caught sight of the flyer¡¯s carapace melting. Slowly being eaten away by the red aura.


    The red projectile that was now the flying monster, streaked the air above them, and disappeared beyond the Raid Boss.


    No poison came from it, and seconds later, a loud crash echoed through all the bridges, and a cloud of fire and dark green rose into the air, somewhere between theirs and the right-side bridge.


    ¡°IT¡¯S DOWN!¡± Juf celebrated, causing another cheer.


    ¡°She did it!¡± Jul shouted.


    Yes, but at what cost? Nar thought, feeling his stomach turning in on itself.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Nar said. ¡°Let¡¯s get to them!¡±


    ¡°Bring down that Raid Boss! It¡¯s down to 15%! Come on people! The end is here! We¡¯re about to get out! THIS IS THE END!¡±


    Is it? Nar wondered.


    Nar eyed the still bright blue spiders across the chasm.


    Why aren¡¯t they firing? We¡¯re about to win! Surely, they must be ready to fire by now!


    ¡°Jul, keep an eye on those spiders to the side!¡± he shouted.


    Something¡¯s not right. Did they decide to let us win? Did we pay enough? Are there enough dead? But then, why are those things still aiming at us?


    ¡°10%!¡±


    More cheers.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Right ahead!¡± Jul said.


    Nar risked a glance at the Raid Boss.


    Its other arm was dropped. Limp, it pointed at the floor. The thing looked almost pitiful. No more electricity blasted from its back, and its face was covered in cracks. Liquid blue leaked from those cracks, and only a few of its red eyes survived.


    Smoke rose from the Raid Boss¡¯s many wounds, and more blue poured down its body.


    Is that aether?


    Nar pushed past a muscled morsvar and almost toppled onto Rel and Kur.


    ¡°Nar! Jul!¡± he shouted. ¡°You¡¯re safe!¡±


    ¡°We held a point!¡± Jul announced, proudly.


    ¡°You did?¡± Kur asked, his face confused. ¡°Oh! You did!¡±


    Nar kneeled next to Rel.


    Her breath was painful to listen to.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kur said. ¡°I didn¡¯t stop her.¡±


    Not that he couldn¡¯t stop her. But that he hadn¡¯t.


    Nar passed a hand over her bloody check. Her eyes were tightly closed, pressing hard against a pain he couldn¡¯t even imagine.


    ¡°It was not your choice,¡± Nar said. ¡°It was hers.¡±


    ¡°5%!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost over!¡± Row shouted above the cheering. ¡°We need to get ready!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry her,¡± Kur said. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡±


    Nar shook his head. However, inside, he wasn¡¯t so sure.


    Her HP was depleting, slowly but surely. Perhaps this was the end for her.


    ¡°Once we¡¯re out, I¡¯ll use my boon!¡± Kur said, standing up. ¡°Then we¡¯ll go and find whatever it is that she needs!


    Nar however, did not reply. He could only stare at the dying archer.


    ¡°Come on, Nar!¡± Kur shouted, shaking him. ¡°Help me! Put her on my back! This isn¡¯t over yet!¡±


    Mute, Nar gently lifted Rel onto Kur¡¯s broad shoulders. Jul grabbed the clothes scattered on the floor, and secured her position again.


    ¡°Tuk, can I leave Viy to you?¡± Kur asked.


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Only then did Nar noticed booth Viy and Raf, passed out on the floor.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked, his tone flat and dead.


    ¡°Those exploding orbs knocked them out,¡± Kur muttered. ¡°Luckily, that¡¯s all they did.¡±


    ¡°Jaz! Lim! You grab onto Raf!¡± Row shouted.


    ¡°On it!¡± Jaz replied.


    The two of them bent over the burly human, and hoisted Raf from under his shoulders.


    ¡°Come on, big man,¡± Jaz said. ¡°We¡¯re getting you out of here.¡±


    Raf mumbled something, his head lolling against his chest. But he did not wake.


    ¡°Gad!¡± Kur shouted. ¡°Get back here! And bring them with you!¡±


    ¡°3%!¡±


    Nar gripped his sword, pushing some more aura into it.


    In the end, he had managed to spend almost nothing of what he had. A whopping 1157 points of aura were still his to wreck as much devastation as he wanted to. But what was the point? It was over. It was all over.


    Come on, Nar. There¡¯s still hope. And your party still needs you.


    Swallowing with difficulty the pain that threatened to crush him, Nar took a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go grab them,¡± he said.


    Kur nodded at him.


    ¡°Bring my people too, Nar. Please!¡± Row begged him.


    ¡°I will.¡±


    He dashed off through the pressing bodies. He burst out of the frontlines and slashed his way in front of it. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes, and he clenched his jaw in rage and powerlessness.


    ¡°Nar!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°Where are the others?¡± he asked her, from within his personal whirlwind of aura.


    ¡°Mul is further right. I think Tun and Teb are with him!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll grab them! You go back to Kur!¡±


    ¡°I got it!¡± she shouted, and she allowed the crowd to move around her, taking her place.


    Nar continued down the line, cutting and slashing as he went.


    Everywhere he looked, he began to see signs of the line¡¯s imminent collapse. Everyone was going to make a run for it.


    ¡°2%!¡±


    ¡°Mul!¡± he shouted. ¡°MUL!¡±


    Nobody else cheered now. The gate rush was about to begin.


    ¡°Mul!¡±


    Where in the pile is that idiot?


    ¡°Nar? Is that you?¡± a voice shouted.


    ¡°Here!¡± he heard another voice shouting.


    He made his way through enemies and Climbers alike, towards the source of the voice.


    He found Teb and Tun, and an unconscious Mul in Tun¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Is he okay?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine!¡± Tun said. ¡°Just got a sentry¡¯s sized leg to the face!¡±


    Well, he¡¯s hard headed enough to survive that¡­


    ¡°Come on!¡± Nar said. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the others! Follow me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you!¡± Teb shouted.


    Together, the two of them cleared a path for Tun, and soon enough they were all together again.


    ¡°Mul!¡± Cen shouted.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be okay!¡± Tun said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take him!¡± Gad said and Tun passed the lengos over into her arms. ¡°Let me take you as well, Cen. This is going to be bad.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°1%!¡±


    The two parties formed, side by side, separated once more.


    They were ready to sprint for it.


    Kur carried Rel on his back. Tuk carried Viy in the same way. Gad carried Mul under her arm and Cen up on her shoulder. She had stored her weapons away, and would leave their protection to Cen. That left Nar and Jul to protect them.


    ¡°We¡¯ll cover for them,¡± Nar said.


    Jul nodded, her breath ragged.


    ¡°It will be okay,¡± Nar told her, squeezing her shoulder to try and comfort her, even as his own mind spiraled.


    ¡°I know. We¡¯ll make it!¡±


    Nar looked towards the big Raid Boss. It was barely moving now, and it was so bent over that it looked as though it might topple at any second.


    No red eyes survived on its face now. That blue leaking mess was about to be destroyed for good. No more tricks would save it.


    Wait¡­ Blue?


    He spun in place.


    In the distance, the spiders¡¯ tubes were shining even stronger. Two more had been turned into wreckage, but seven still lasted. Each and every one of them ready and aiming at the middle bridge, but at different angles.


    ¡°Kur! The spiders!¡± Nar cried in horror.


    Color drained from his party leader''s face. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    A series of aura projectiles exploded against the Raid Boss, at last ending its part in the story of the Climber¡¯s suffering.


    ¡°0%! It¡¯s over! IT¡¯S OVER!¡±


    Loud clunks and clangs sounded, and the bridge shook once more.


    Nar looked forward.


    A line of the most brilliant white he had ever seen was widening in the middle of the gate.


    It was opening.


    ¡°Run! Get out! Everyone! Run for your lives! And may the Crystal finally have some mercy on you!¡± Juf shouted. It was clearly her final words for them.


    Unfortunately, the opening of the gates also marked the final moments for a lot of them.


    Nar felt nothing from his [Instinct], but he still turned around, already knowing what he was about to see.


    How could You demand my loyalty and faith after this? Nar asked.


    The spiders launched their projectiles with booming shudders, one after the other.


    How can You demand my love, when this is what You give me at every turn?


    The projectiles flew high, much higher than needed, and for a moment, Nar dared to hope that they had missed.


    What a fool he was.


    A fool to the end, he had been.


    The only magic they were deserving of, was that bright blue, coming to end them in their moment of victory.


    One by one, the projectiles exploded into hundreds of much smaller dots of magic. Magic that dropped onto the thousands of fleeing Climbers.


    Crystal. I hate You.


    Explosions shook the bridge, drowning out the screams and the tears and the begging.


    ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s go!¡± Kur shouted, above the chaos.


    ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡± Row urged them.


    The crowd surged forward as one and Nar only had enough presence of mind to grab onto Jul¡¯s hand.


    It was good he did it when he did. The panicked Climbers pushed everyone apart.


    ¡°Kur!¡± Nar shouted.


    He looked around him, frantic. He couldn¡¯t see any of them.


    ¡°Keep going!¡± Kur shouted, from somewhere not too far. ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Jul asked him.


    Nar looked ahead of them, to the mighty gate slowly opening.


    The end.


    The reward.


    The pardon and freedom.


    Magic.


    The whole wide Nexus waited for him.


    He wanted to puke.


    However, his dad also waited for his son to return, down there, in that miserable hole.


    ¡°We keep going,¡± Nar said. He didn¡¯t even recognize his own voice.

 Chapter 123 - The Choice At The End

    Gad was jostled left and right.


    It was a struggle to keep going, and she kept tripping on her own two damned feet.


    Like the slow, clumsy shit that I am!


    ¡°Gad, are you okay? Maybe you should let me down!¡± Cen said.


    ¡°No! In this mess, they¡¯re going to trample you!¡±


    ¡°But Gad¡­¡±


    ¡°I said no!¡±


    She pressed her lips and scanned the faces and the back of the heads around her.


    Where are they?


    A weight suddenly crashed into her back, and Gad went down.


    On instinct, she scooped Mul and Cen under her, and pushed out her meager aura to cover herself.


    Legs, shins and feet kicked her without end.


    ¡°Gad!¡± Cen shouted. ¡°You have to get up!¡±


    Above her, people tripped and fell over her. If she moved, Mul and Cen would be crushed to death.


    ¡°Gad, please!¡± Cen begged, tears streaming down her face. ¡°Get up!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Can¡¯t,¡± she grunted. ¡°This is¡­ All I can do.¡±


    Cen wept and hit her tiny fists against her strong stomach.


    This is all I can do. Me. Slow, slow Gad.


    Morsvar are slow people. Usually of both mind and body. Or so they always told her.


    But they have thick skin, which meant they could do the dumb, dangerous jobs. Like sifting through the pile to handle the most toxic of aetherium bits, or push the trolley full of aetherium towards the burning hot, toxic fume filled melters.


    Morsvars are strong and they are dumb.


    Or so they had always told her.


    They said many things.


    Unclean was one of them as well.


    And what did they know?


    Gad was slow, but she was not dumb.


    Not yet.


    She had left before the work had managed to dumb her down. Like her father and mother. Like her brother and sister.


    Push the trolley all shift long, back and forth through the darkness. Make small talk at the destination, the pile or the melter. Get told not to think. Get told not to worry. Even when the melter¡¯s hinges look loose. Even when the smoke is too thick¡­


    Keep going, push it forward, push it back. Don¡¯t think. Thinking is not for you.


    Strong, thick skinned, slow. But she was not dumb. She refused to be that. A pity her body could not match her quick wittedness and intelligence.


    Crystal. I wish you¡¯d given me some [Speed] or [Agility]. That way, I could¡¯ve proved them all wrong.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m too slow and clumsy,¡± she breathed.


    She felt Cen place a hand against her aura, and then, her own, much stronger aura, enveloped Gad¡¯s.


    ¡°You are none of those things, Gad,¡± Cen said. ¡°None of those. Now stand up!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can! You¡¯re our tank! This is nothing to you! Stand up!¡±


    Gad grit her teeth and pushed her right knee forward.


    She might have no [Speed] or [Agility] to speak off. They might have laughed at her for wanting to be a tank. But she had seen Tun. She had seen many other morsvars, tanks and DPS. And party leaders.


    She had [Strength], she had [Constitution].


    Her party had never called her slow nor dumb.


    Why in the pile aren¡¯t you moving then?


    She would stand.


    From somewhere behind her, a familiar, loud roar echoed.


    What was that?


    *********


    The explosion of electricity blew dozens of them aside.


    Tuk and Viy were amongst them, though thankfully, they were at the very edge of it.


    Tuk, feeling the floor wobble underneath him, pushed himself upright, dragging Viy up by her arms.


    Where¡¯s the exit? Where¡¯s¡­ Ah!


    The bright, blinding light was right there. Right within his reach.


    But Viy was so heavy. So, so heavy.


    She had been so heavy their whole Climb.


    She had even almost gotten him killed.


    To Tuk, these thoughts rolled right off his mind, falling off, finding no purchase whatsoever.


    He hoisted her up, grabbing onto her more comfortably.


    Should I try to get her on my back? Maybe my shoulder? Will that hurt her, though?


    ¡°T-Tuk¡­¡±


    ¡°Viy? Yes, it¡¯s me! Hold on, we¡¯ll be out of here soon!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tuk,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°What in the pile are you sorry for?" he asked.


    He turned around, giving his back to the bright light of the exit, and dragged her towards it, walking backwards.


    ¡°I almost killed you¡­¡±


    ¡°And then you saved me. And you saved me again and again today! Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see it!¡±


    ¡°I was just repaying my debt.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no debt between us, you hear! None!¡± he told her. Then, he flashed her a grin. ¡°We¡¯re family, remember?¡±


    Viy sobbed silently.


    Around them, Climbers dodged and ran, their faces contorted by all sorts of emotions.


    Fear. Pain. Sadness. Relief. Selfishness. Jealousy. Guilt. Sorrow.


    However, sheer panic was the most prevalent.


    It was wrong. It was all so wrong. This should have been their moment of victory. Of celebration! Not of this¡­ This cowardly attack! They had killed the Raid Boss and the gates were open, so why were they still suffering like that?


    ¡°Tuk¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Leave me behind. Run.¡±


    Tuk scoffed. ¡°If you¡¯re going to say shit, then stay quiet. You¡¯re still hurt.¡±


    ¡°I mean it, Tuk. I don¡¯t deserve to get out.¡±


    Tuk looked behind him. Why was that damned Gate so far away?


    ¡°And why is that?¡±


    Viy pressed her lips shut, and tears streaked down the sides of her face.


    Tuk groaned and kept pulling her.


    ¡°Tuk, leave! Go!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± he grunted at her. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you behind!¡±


    ¡°Tuk¡­¡±


    He checked the exit again. Still so far. And where were the others? He could only hope that they had already made it out safely.


    The last of the Climbers were running past them now, giving them more space.


    His heart beat faster.


    What if they closed the Gates again? Would they? Surely they wouldn''t, right? They had won!


    But what if those spider things started aiming at them.


    Enough of that, man. Just keep walking. Just keep walking.


    ¡°Tuk?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What do I do?¡± Viy whispered.


    ¡°You stick with us and you find out,¡± Tuk said, eyeing the exit again.


    He had no idea what was happening with the spear woman and he didn¡¯t have time to figure it out.


    ¡°Tuk?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I think the Raid Boss is moving again.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    *********


    Things were quiet around them.


    He was sure they were the very last ones left behind.


    Kur¡¯s fist shook.


    He couldn¡¯t get up.


    Rel¡¯s weight pressed on him, but he didn¡¯t dare to roll over, lest he damage her.


    Not like he could move anyway.


    His HP was at zero.


    All he remembered was a blinding blue and a searing pain right after.


    They had been hit.


    Around them, lay the corpses of the unworthy. That was probably the way the Crystal looked down on them.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Come on, Kur. Get up! Get up! Screamed a voice in his head.


    But he didn¡¯t move.


    Maybe if he undid the clothes that held Rel to him, he could roll over and get up. Then he could drag her to the exit. Towards the others, anxiously waiting for them at the gate.


    They must be so worried¡­


    It occurred to him that he should have set out a signal for them. Something they could use in the party view to tell everyone that they were outside, safe and sound. In that bright light.


    Kur craned his neck, twisting it as far as it went, so that he could catch a glimpse of that light out of the corner of his right eye.


    So bright¡­ Let me just catch my breath. I¡¯ll be there soon.


    He closed his eyes.


    Did I make a difference?


    The faces of his dad, mom, and the workers under them flashed behind his eyelids.


    They smiled at him. Waved and beckoned him over. He had been practically raised by them. One big, happy family, full of aunts and uncles and cousins.


    He was their pride and joy, his parents'' successor.


    Imagine their bitter surprise when he told them he was going to Climb.


    Imagine their hatred at his betrayal.


    I couldn¡¯t stay. There was nothing I could¡¯ve done for you, Kur told them. Nothing I ever did would ever make a difference.


    No matter how much he studied up on worker safety. No matter how much he tried to make their lives better, or their workload that little bit lighter, nothing worked. Nothing was allowed. Nothing was ever permitted.


    Only the quota mattered in the cubeplant.


    The workers smiled and thanked him for trying. But he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He couldn¡¯t bear to see it, and not suffer alongside them, like a hypocrite.


    He couldn¡¯t stomach it anymore.


    His dad didn¡¯t understand.


    He almost beat him.


    His mom had barely managed to stop him. Kur was under the protection of the Crystal now. They couldn¡¯t do anything.


    He was kicked out of home. The workers spat and cursed at him.


    He walked alone, in silence, all the way to where the parties were being formed. He allowed himself to cry, on that lonely, dark journey, but as he approached the lights gathered by the door to the outside, he had wiped his tears away. He had no need for them anymore.


    He was going to go somewhere where he could make a difference.


    But did I?


    He had brought his party there, to the very end.


    Did that count?


    Was that enough?


    Was that worthy of dying for?


    He hoped so.


    A loud roar forced him to open his eyes again.


    Above him, dark blue electricity sparked and boomed.


    The bulk of the Raid Boss filled his sight, its shadow falling across him.


    I hope it was enough¡­


    *********


    ¡°Nar, stop!¡± Jul shouted, at the top of her lungs.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not listening to me! None of them are signaling back! We need to go back and find them!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably outside, waiting for us!¡±


    ¡°If they were, they would be signaling us! Stop!¡±


    She pulled him back with all her [Strength], for she had quite a bit of it, and Nar was almost lifted off his feet.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he yelled at her.


    She flinched from the anger in his voice. ¡°We can¡¯t leave them¡­¡±


    ¡°We''re not! Everyone will be outside!¡± Nar shouted.


    ¡°Nar they¡¯re family.¡±


    And then, something snapped within him.


    Rel was dead or dying.


    The others were probably either dead or outside by now, as the Crystal¡¯s final cruelty continued to bombard them.


    And here was Jul, telling him to go back. Back into death, and despair, and the end of all of his dreams.


    Nar pointed back to the beginning of the bridge, and then beyond it, to the B-Nex itself. To the infinite, twisting corridors they had crossed to get where they stood, all the way from their cubeplant.


    ¡°My family is back there,¡± he shouted, his expression twisted with hatred. ¡°My family who sacrificed for me! Who fought and killed to ensure I survived! You weren¡¯t there. You were all outside, calling us Unclean and shouting for our deaths!¡±


    ¡°We are not them!¡± Jul shouted, her big eyes shining. ¡°We care about you! And your dad! We all care about each other!¡±


    ¡°And I care about magic! And power! So that I can go back and save my dad! So that I can¡­¡±


    She held his face in her hands.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t you, Nar. My older brother. This is fear. And grief, and despair.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Fight it, Nar. Stay strong,¡± she pleaded. ¡°You have held on for us all this way. We are your family. You would never abandon us.¡±


    He blinked at her.


    Within his mind, a battle raged.


    Fear, grief and despair, exactly as she had called it. Those three mighty forces were dominating the battle.


    Fear of death raining down upon them.


    Grief for his powerlessness in saving Rel.


    And despair, for he knew he was losing himself, and yet, he could not find the strength anymore to hold himself steady and upright.


    ¡°This is not the end, Nar,¡± she told him, and her eyes pulled him into hers. ¡°We can still do it all. Damn the Crystal, and damn everything else... All we need is each other.¡±


    And then she hugged him. Tightly. Fiercely. A hug of caring. Of love. A hug that told him he was not alone, and that he would never be, as long as she lived. As long as they all lived.


    Nar inhaled deeply, but gently.


    The darkness within him that had threatened to drown him was blown away by a quiet, but unyielding rush of swirling gray.


    ¡°Will my dad think I abandoned him?¡± Nar whispered. ¡°If I don¡¯t go back to him?¡±


    ¡°No, he won¡¯t. Your dad will always believe in you. Just like I do,¡± Jul whispered, against his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of what you might lose, Nar. Protect what you¡¯ve gained instead. What we all gained.¡±


    The laughter. The pain. The joy and despair. All shared. All carried together.


    From strangers, to friends, to party members, to family.


    An Unclean no more, but someone who was accepted. Cared for. Cherished.


    A tear fell down his face.


    He looked up from her hair, to all the Climbers running past them


    Fear was plastered all over their faces. Their eyes saw only the bright light ahead of them. They crashed into each other, and trampled over one another in their despair to get out.


    Did his face look like theirs? Like the face of those who ran, abandoning friends and leaving family behind?


    It shouldn¡¯t have been like this.


    They had fought. They had won. They had sacrificed enough for it. They should¡¯ve been allowed to walk out, together, in celebration. Not panicked like that, with deadly magic coming down on their heads. The very same magic they had been promised and completely denied on their Climb.


    I will not give You the satisfaction anymore.


    He grabbed Jul¡¯s shoulders and pulled her away from him, gently.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to look for them.¡±


    ¡°I know they¡¯re back there¡­ I-I can feel it. I don¡¯t know how. But I know they¡¯re not beyond that gate.¡±


    ¡°I trust you,¡± Nar said.


    A loud roar boomed over them.


    Dark blue electricity rose in the distance, all the way almost to the ceiling.


    ¡°The Raid Boss¡­ It''s moving again!¡± Jul whispered, covering her mouth. ¡°How? Why?¡±


    I will not give You the satisfaction of watching me run anymore, Nar spoke, watching the Raid Boss rise once again.


    The last of the Climbers filtered past them. Only the wounded, the weak, and those helping others were left.


    Amongst them, Nar spotted his party.


    Gad with Mul and Cen.


    Tuk with Viy.


    And Kur downed with Rel.


    Not one of them had abandoned the others.


    Like he had almost done.


    The shame was more than what he could bear.


    ¡°Thank you, Jul,¡± Nar whispered in a strangled voice. ¡°For not letting me run.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°We look out for each other. Before, now and forever. I will always be there for you.¡±


    ¡°And I for you.¡±


    Nar took a deep breath.


    The Raid Boss, the big spiders firing from the sides, and an army of spiders climbing up all around them.


    I gave You chance after chance, after chance. I waited and hoped for Your forgiveness. Your mercy. Your magic. But I have nothing more to give You. So keep Your magic. I¡¯m sticking to my own aura.


    And he smiled.


    The decision was made.


    Yes, he would never get to go outside, and gain all the information that was denied him. He would never be able to make an informed decision between magic and aura, but here, and now, at the end of the Climb, and with his injured party needing him, the decision couldn¡¯t be any easier, or any clearer.


    This was his party.


    This was his aura.


    His place would be with them.


    Always.


    ¡°Stay behind me,¡± Nar said, still smiling. ¡°Time to see what this aura can really do.¡±


    He stepped forward.


    And everything vanished.


    The party, the Raid Boss, Jul, the spiders, everything.


    Nar floated in darkness.


    It was warm. It was comfortable.


    It reminded him of the place where his aura rested within him.


    However, here, he was not alone.


    He could feel the presence all around him.


    ¡°NAR293457741235645XAV,¡± a voice said. ¡°I HAVE BEEN WATCHING.¡±


    Crystal?


    ¡°IN THE BEGINNING, YOU MADE A REQUEST. IT WAS A REQUEST I HEARD, BUT WHICH I DEEMED TOO HEAVY AND TOO HARSH TO FULFILL, AND MADE FOR AN UNSELFISH REASON.¡±


    Nar couldn¡¯t even muster the words to speak.


    The Crystal? The Crystal Almighty Itself was speaking to him? After he had spat in Its face? After he had rejected It for good?


    ¡°LATER, I OFFERED YOU A WAY OUT.¡±


    The class change at the end of the first bridge?


    ¡°YES. BUT YOU CHOSE NOT TO TAKE IT.¡±


    It was not really a choice he could¡¯ve made. He would¡¯ve been more than happy to take the DPS path. To avoid the damage, and to stay behind Gad. But it wasn¡¯t a real choice. His dad needed him, and he needed that hybrid tank/DPS path.


    ¡°I OFFER YOU THE CHOICE AGAIN, ONE FINAL TIME. TURN BACK FROM THIS PATH. LEAVE THROUGH THE GATE. ACCEPT YOUR FORGIVENESS, AND I WILL GRANT YOU A DIFFERENT PATH. A MIGHTY PATH. ONE SUITABLE FOR YOUR COURAGE AND SACRIFICE.¡±


    Nar shook his head.


    No¡­ I can¡¯t.


    ¡°CAN¡¯T OR WON¡¯T, NAR?¡±


    Nar wept.


    He would not abandon them.


    He would see his dad again, in the Eternal Dark if it had to be. Both of his dads and mother, and grandparents, and friends and other loved ones, and they would be proud of him.


    I don¡¯t accept your offer.


    A dot of light appeared. A gray, hazy light.


    ¡°THEN, YOU HAVE EARNED YOUR REQUEST¡­ BUT REMEMBER THIS, NAR, IN THE THINGS YET TO COME. THIS IS NOT A REWARD, AND YOU WERE THE ONE WHO MADE THIS CHOICE.¡±


    The dot of light exploded and aura engulfed him.


    A gray window appeared before him. Aura swirled across it, but the bright white letters were perfectly legible.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


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    <td width="602">


    Executing subroutine 0C00H0000A.


    All conditions met!


    Damaged dealt exceeds threshold.


    Damage received exceeds threshold.


    Personality results exceed the threshold.


    Choices results exceed the threshold.


    [Aura] requirements exceed the threshold.


    [???] requirements exceed the threshold.


    [???] requirements exceed the threshold.


    Bonus condition met!


    Bonus condition met!


    Bonus condition met!


    Bonus condition met!


    Bonus condition met!


    Bonus condition met!


    Bonus condition met!


    Hidden Quest, Be Worthy of your Request, completed!


    Class change available!


    The Path of the Champion (Apprentice) unlocked!


    You have proven yourself worthy of the path you seek.


    Do you accept this burden?


    Yes / No


    This is not a reward.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    A burden¡­ He read. Not a reward.


    It was just like Rel¡¯s class change.


    Would that class bring him pain? Would it ask him to sacrifice his life and HP in exchange for power?


    He smiled.


    If by his sacrifice he could repay his debts, to his dad, and to his party who had carried him all the way there, to the very end, then so be it.


    He would sacrifice everything.


    Yes!


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    Class change initiated.


    Reward!


    Emergency class change triggered.


    Class change complete.


    Additional rewards:


    Use of the skill [Mantle of the Champion] (single use only).


    Use of the skill [Strike of the Champion] (single use only).


    When you strike, reach within, not without.


    </td>


    </tr>


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    His foot came down.


    The bridge, the party, the enemy.


    Everything was back again.


    Dark blue electricity raged above them all, and its intent whispered darkly in his mind.


    However, his aura drove the whispers away.


    ¡°Nar?¡± Jul asked.


    ¡°Stand back,¡± Nar said.


    He stepped forward again. One step. Two steps. Three.


    [Mantle of the Champion].


    The Nexus went gray.


    His aura flared out from him, encasing him, hugging him tightly in a 10-feet wide raging, swirling, curling mass of grays, black and whites.


    Power coursed through him.


    Real power.


    Power that came from within him.


    At last, he understood the truth.


    He had no need for magic, and he would chase it no longer.


    Everything was clear and sharp now, and he felt the tiredness of the battle melt from him.


    He kicked the floor and flew towards his party.


    *********


    Beyond them, far, far away, the gate was closing.


    Behind them, and all around them, the enemy was closing in.


    ¡°We can make it!¡± Cen shouted.


    Gad knew they never would.


    She hoped that at least some of them had made it.


    Then, a gray light burst to life up ahead


    ¡°What is that?¡± Cen asked. ¡°It¡¯s so much aura!¡±


    The light dashed forward, passing them in a blink of an eye.


    Nar?


    *********


    It¡¯s not fair.


    Viy had passed out again.


    Tuk, his arms numb, continued to drag her towards the diminishing light.


    He knew he would never make it.


    Not unless he abandoned her.


    And he never would.


    In front of him, he noticed Kur, trying to get up from amidst the corpses.


    Behind him, the Raid Boss turned.


    Tuk fought back the tears and stopped where he was.


    It¡¯s not fair.


    At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t let the Crystal watch him cry as he died.


    Then, a gray light dashed past him, heading straight towards the Raid Boss.


    And within it, he could''ve sworn he saw Nar.


    *********


    Kur¡¯s heart shattered when he finally marshaled enough willpower to get up to his elbows, and looked behind him.


    Gad, Mul, Cen, Tuk, Viy, Nar and Jul.


    His whole party was still there.


    None of them had escaped.


    He had made no difference in the end¡­


    Tears welled up behind his eyes.


    He wanted to shout at them to run. To leave, to keep going. At least Nar and Jul could still make it! They were fast enough to do it!


    Please, go! he begged. At least some of us will survive!


    Instead, Nar walked towards them, and aura exploded around him.


    It was a bright, almost blinding, light that reached down to his very core.


    Kur felt tears fall, as that light rushed towards him.


    Oh, Nar. Till the very end¡­ You¡¯ve never let us down.

 Chapter 124 - Path Of The Champion

    Each step propelled Nar forward, and he quickly devoured the distance between him and Kur and Rel.


    He passed by Gad, who carried Mul, and Cen, and Gad and Cen watched him go, their mouths dropped open.


    Next, he passed by Tuk and Viy.


    Tuk had his back turned to him and Viy in his arms.


    Finally, there was only Kur and Rel left.


    Kur, the leader who had accepted him into the party. Who had supported his crazy path of a hybrid class. Who had led him all the way to the exit and to freedom.


    And Rel, who had gone lost and had found herself again. She had beaten her sickness at the very last, choosing to sacrifice herself for him, their party and for all of those Climbers.


    Gad, Mul, Cen, Tuk, Viy, Kur, Jul and Rel.


    None of them deserved to die, and he would not let that happen.


    The spiders were almost upon Kur and Rel.


    The Raid Boss, broken and janky, stepped forward towards them, its electrical magic towering all the way to the broken ceiling.


    You against me! Aether against aura! Let¡¯s see who wins!


    He reached deep within, ignoring his aura bar.


    The window had told him to reach within, not without, and that could only mean one thing.


    In a moment, he was there.


    His aura was ablaze, raging with tendrils and spikes, hazy smokiness swirling in gray, black and white patterns.


    It had been waiting for him.


    I¡¯m sorry I took so long. I¡¯m here now. I¡¯m ready for you!


    He raised his hand to his aura, and it latched onto him, climbing up his arm.


    Nar allowed himself to be dragged into it, and the ball of light expanded to take him in.


    Now, they were one.


    Nar pushed his aura into his sword, and the blade grew and grew and grew, till it was almost 16-feet long, and several inches wider. A bar of roaring grays.


    He pulled it back, gripping it with both hands.


    He dashed by Kur, who stared at him wide eyed.


    He stomped his foot down, cracking the bridge under his strength, and he spun in a full circle, drawing the sword in a mighty horizontal slash.


    [Strike of the Champion].


    A line of gray cut out from the light that was his sword.


    For a split second, in his boosted [NPC], it seemed to simply stay there, hanging in the air, slashing the very Nexus in two.


    Then the whole bridge in front of him disappeared in a roaring explosion of aura.


    It started low, where he was, but soon rose in height till it engulfed even the massive Raid Boss.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" width="100%">


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    Skill [Mantle of the Champion] single use, spent. Skill removed.


    Skill [Strike of the Champion] single use, spent. Skill removed.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Nar fell to his knees, suddenly weak.


    He leaned on his sword to stay upright and stared at the violent aura that had come from him. It raged and tore and burned, consuming his enemies.


    ¡°And stay down this time,¡± Nar whispered.


    ¡°Nar! Nar!¡± a voice called out.


    Nar stumbled up and wobbled towards Kur, dropping heavily next to him.


    Kur grabbed his shoulder and shook him weakly.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Crystal, man! What was that?¡±


    Laughter bubbled out of Nar.


    ¡°I earned my path! Can you believe it! The Path of the Champion!¡±


    Kur leaned back, confusion evident across his face. ¡°What¡¯s a champion?¡±


    Nar laughed again. ¡°I have no idea!¡±


    Kur stared at him, and then, he too burst out laughing.


    ¡°You destroyed the Raid Boss. All by yourself!¡± he shouted.


    Nar shook his head. ¡°Nah. It was already all broken. I have no idea what happened there.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Heeeeeeeeeey!¡±


    Nar looked up.


    Tuk was waving at them.


    ¡°Heeeeeeeey!¡± Nar shouted back.


    ¡°Heeeeeeeeeeeey!¡± Tuk screamed.


    Nar was sure the ring tosser was bawling his eyes out.


    He inhaled deeply, ready to shout again, when a shadow fell upon him.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing!¡± Jul shouted. ¡°There¡¯s more coming! Get up! Get up!¡±


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t move!¡± Kur said.


    ¡°Nar, you carry him and I¡¯ll carry her!¡±


    Nar looked around.


    Spiders of all sizes were closing in on them from the sides of the bridge, and from behind them, his burning aura was starting to dwindle. More would come from there as well. The damned things were endless!


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Jul shouted, slapping his arm.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    Nar grunted, and pulling on every attribute within him, he got up once more, then he hoisted Kur onto his shoulder.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± the party leader groaned.


    ¡°Sorry! This is the best I can do!¡±


    ¡°Just run!¡± Jul shouted at him.


    The two of them sprinted for the exit. The gate seemed to have stopped closing with the final destruction of the Raid Boss. Now, they just had to outrun hundreds of thousands of spiders. At least the blue projectiles had stopped bombarding them.


    ¡°Quick, quick!¡± Jul said, as they approached Tuk.


    ¡°Put her on my back!¡± Tuk shouted.


    Nar leaned down, roaring through gritted teeth and one handedly lifted the unconscious spear woman onto the trugger¡¯s back.


    ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s go!¡± Jul shouted.


    They ran, powered by whatever energy they had left in them and despair and fear and hope all mixed in together.


    The gate was right there! They couldn¡¯t fall now!


    ¡°Hurry! Hurry!¡± Jul shouted, as they reached the last three.


    Gad and Cen had already started running as soon as they realized that the others were making their way over.


    ¡°I¡¯m going as fast as I can!¡± Gad shouted.


    ¡°Then go faster!¡± Jul yelled at her.


    Damn¡­ Nar thought. He liked this new Jul. Maybe one day she would be the one calling the shots.


    Nar started to feel the first touches of his [Instinct]. It was starting to get nervous.


    Nar peered behind him.


    The rush of spiders covered the entire bridge in black. And they were almost on top of them.


    ¡°Run! Run faster!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying! You go ahead!¡± Gad said.


    ¡°Never!¡± Tuk replied. ¡°Never ever! Together, always!¡±


    Nar looked behind him again.


    They weren¡¯t going to make it.


    Then aura exploded against the spiders, right behind them.


    ¡°Come on Kur¡¯s party! Get your asses over here!¡±


    It can¡¯t be!


    He looked ahead and the blinding light went blurry.


    There, by the gate, bathed in the bright light of the outside, Row waved at them.


    With her, was her entire party.


    ¡°Spread out!¡± Nar shouted. ¡°Let them fire!¡±


    Jaz, Lim and Cor fired upon the spiders.


    A surge of emotion welled within Nar.


    We¡¯re going to make it! We¡¯re going to make it!


    Row¡¯s party bought them the time they needed, then they disappeared into the light.


    Nar slowed down.


    Jul went first with Rel.


    Then Tuk and Viy.


    Finally, Gad, Mul and Cen were swallowed by that blinding light.


    Smiling, Nar followed after them with Kur on his back.


    They had made it.


    Together.


    *********


    He could hear noise.


    The sounds of a crowd.


    Softness brushed against his face and he panicked, trying to push it away.


    However, he found that he could not move.


    A window appeared before him.


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    Have no fear.


    You are safe now.


    The Ceremony of Final Atonement is complete.


    You are forgiven.


    You are free.


    Welcome to the Outside-Nexus.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    More things fluttered against his skin. They were soft, and he caught a hint of a delicate smell.


    It was nice. It was very nice. He wanted to fill his lungs with it.


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    <tbody>


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    <td width="602">


    Hidden Quest, The Climb of the Sinner, completed.


    Rewards and gains will be calculated.


    You were born in the darkness.


    You have suffered in the darkness.


    You have Climbed in the darkness.


    Now you are in the light.


    You may now open your eyes.


    Behold, the light, Child of the Crystal!


    </td>


    </tr>


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    Nar opened his eyes and regained control over his body.


    At first, the light was blinding, and he was forced to look away.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Tuk shouted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t see!¡± Lim cried out in panic.


    ¡°Nar, put me down,¡± Kur said. ¡°Relax everyone! We¡¯re out! We¡¯re safe!¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ve gone blind!¡± Jaz cried.


    ¡°Everybody shut up!¡± Row shouted. ¡°Just wait. You¡¯ll be able to see soon enough.¡±


    Nar blinked, and slowly, an image began to form.


    He knelt down and slowly deposited Kur on a floor that felt cool and smooth to his touch.


    Whatever it was made of, it shone in the bright light.


    He felt softness too, there, underneath his fingertips, as he let go of Kur.


    He grabbed a handful of it and brought it close to his eyes.


    The smell hit him stronger.


    And he saw color.


    Red.


    Blue.


    Purple.


    Yellow.


    Green.


    Orange.


    Indigo.


    He learned the meaning of indigo just there and then.


    A smile began to form on his face.


    And as more and more sight returned to him, the more he smiled.


    Until he stood up, grinning, and looking around him, at a floor that was as colorful as it was majestic. He had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life!


    Color!


    Color like he had never seen before!


    Color like he had never imagined to be possible, not even in his craziest of dreams.


    Then he looked up, and froze.


    His face was up there, high in the air, across hundreds, thousands, of translucent squares.


    He finally saw where he stood.


    Around him, surrounding a massive colorful floor, walls of white rose. Atop them, high, high, high above them, where rows and rows of cheering people.


    Thousands.


    Hundreds of thousands.


    Maybe even more. A lot, a lot more he realized, as the rows stretched and grew high above his head.


    The squares showed his confused face, as well as that of the other¡¯s.


    ¡°What in the pile is going on here?¡± Kur whispered. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    Nar could only shake his head in stunned reply. "I have no idea."

 Chapter 125 - Epilogue (Book 1 - End)

    Somewhere very, very far away , in a very dark, dark place, a subroutine was triggered.


    It received a report, analyzed it, and passed it along. Then, it deleted its memory of ever having seen or handled such information.


    In a blindingly fast chain of triggers, routines and subroutines, conditions, subterfuge and deception, the report was passed along. Until it reached its goal.


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    The Ceremony of Final Atonement has concluded.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Execution of subroutine 0C00H0000A detected!


    All bonus conditions triggered.


    Initializing program¡­


    Beginning asset setup¡­


    Program status¡­


    Initialized!


    ¡­


    Updating program status¡­


    Program status updated to monitoring!


    Standing by for further input¡­


    </td>


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