Chapter 5
Everyone had their own theories as to who the 1st Ranker was. Einrich thought it would be a Lord's child or sponsored by them. After all, one of the privileges enjoyed by the Lords were their weapons and equipment which could raise a peasant up to the upper echelons alone.
The person next to August was over seven foot tall. It looked like a man, draped in black shadow. His entire body was hidden by armor. He carried two, silver blades. I could hear him breathe.
"Rank 1--Amaraak. The monster who ran underneath the platform."
Underneath? Right. The rules didn't state they had to run over the platform. So that was why August never detected him.
Lord Meneesh's voice resounded across the room. "Any words from the Rank 1? No? How boring. Very well. Before I announce the rules of the 1-versus-1 Deathmatch Trial, the top 10 will be given gifts first."
The staffs entered the room carrying different-sized trays. They pushed the trays up the stairs until the top 10 stared face to face with a staff. August couldn't look away from the tray before him. It was covered by a sheet of iron, so he couldn't see what was inside.
"Starting with the first place. Amaraak. Your swords are chipped, brittle, and old. Here's a gift from yours truly. It mends by itself, which I believe you'll appreciate given your lack of care for the weapons that saves your life."
The staff opened the large iron box. It contained two similar, black swords that didn't reflect light. It seemed to absorb everything around it. Amaraak dropped his swords and picked these two up. He held it, and swung it against the tray. It split in half.
August sighed. A brute, then. A dangerous brute.
"August," Lord Meneesh said. "Your control of arcane is outstanding. Any mage worth their salt knows how difficult it is to achieve such a feat. But you don't seem to carry anything with you. Not even a weapon. Here's something every mage needs, and no, it's not a staff and shield as many of you might expect of a trainee."
The staff opened the tray. Inside was a small, white bracelet. August took it and wore it on his right arm. It slimmed down until it became so thin that it seemed almost part of him. He touched it. The bracelet responded with a translucent window, with words displayed on it. August was entranced.
"Well?" Lord Meneesh said. "Is it good? This is called an Info Bracelet. But it's custom made to be very durable. It also has additional features you might unlock in the future given the opportunity. Don't worry. It's all private--just don't lose the bracelet."
"It's better than what I hoped for," he muttered.
The translucent window displayed:
{ Personal Information }
{ Status }
{ Notes }
{ Contacts }
He didn't have the time to study it all so he had clicked on Status when he first saw this. It displayed as { Empty } and then a notification appeared: { Analyzing data from user. Please standby. }
When he clicked Notes, he found that he could write in it. And that was what amazed him the most. There were a set of keys he could manipulate with his arcane. He could write here with his mind. He could even draw and expand the window and push it far back! He could create three-dimensional diagrams like the creations he'd made back home and save it for later. And all of these depended on his ability to manipulate arcane. He was the only who could see it too, though he had an option to make it public.
This would be really useful when studying something. He didn't have a great memory, so something like a portable notes was extremely valuable. He could offload everything he had been thinking of down here. It would help him better track his progress!
"Rank 3--the Prototype."
August looked at Seven's gift. It was a small, white box. When she opened it, Lord Meneesh explained that it was a set of portable arcane tools she could attach to her body and repair herself. He thought it was a great gift, but he had also been distracted by the bracelet. He could lose his chance at climbing the tower now and still be perfectly satisfied.
"I am unable to repair myself," Seven said. "I cannot accept this."
"Exactly!" Lord Meneesh said. "You're here to be scrapped, aren't you? My greatest gift I can give you is something you will never, ever need."
Seven nodded as if that made sense. It didn't feel right with August. Before the staff could close the tray, he snatched the tool box and slammed it against her chest. "You can't repair yourself," August whispered. "But someone else can. Seven--what's your mission?"
Seven repeated what she had said before. "I am to enter the Tower to finish the tests and climb up the floors until I am terminated by the environment."
"This will help you climb the floors. You can rely on someone else to fix you. If you reject this, won't that go against your mission?"
He was slowly starting to understand her. To Seven, if a logic was sound, she would follow it. Everything was either black or white.
She turned to him. Her eyes were unreadable. She neither blinked nor used her eyes expressively. "That is an acceptible reason. I accept this gift." She took it and placed it around her lower back, which revealed arcane circuitry. She slotted the toolbox, leaving a small, nearly unnoticeable indentation.
August didn't exactly know how automatons worked. Everyone seemed to consider her a piece of equipment. A thing. He didn't like that. He might have been ignorant of the world outside the forest, but she looked smart enough to him.
Once the rewards for the top 10 have been announced, Lord Meneesh moved onto the real topic for why everyone was here.
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"The rules for the 1v1 Deathmatch isn't simply a gladitorial arena," Lord Meneesh said. "That's boring. So I devised a little rule." The wall next to them lowered down slowly. "You will all each be given a helmet.
"The goal of this trial is to remove the helmet from the other person. Should you fail to remove the other person's helmet within five minutes, a rematch will occur until one of you has either lost or died. Killing the other person is fine. It's much easier than removing the helmet. But if you do successfully do it, the climber will be eleminated, but they'll live. That's their ticket out of this Tower should they choose to surrender. If they can. Hopefully, this satisfies those other prickly Lords. Better thank them when you see them."
As the wall was lowered, the arena revealed itself. It was an elevated, enormous, black cage. The cage was half-spherical, and it extended all the way to the top. Before it, a stair led to an upper floor, overlooking the entire arena.
"Welcome to the Combat Dome," Lord Meneesh said. "This is where many of you will meet your end." He paused. Then, "This is the Selection Rules: to those of you who wishes to face Amaraak, step forward. If many of you wished to fight him, Amaraak may choose which person to fight against with. And if none of you step forward, he is free to choose from everyone. Including the Top 10. The selection will continue until the last person is chosen, starting from Rank 1. Does he have any brave volunteers? You have five minutes to decide."
Silence descended. People didn't want to face Amaraak. August certainly didn't want to. As he listened more to other climbers, he found that none of them wanted to face the Rank 1 either. None of them wanted to face the Top 10. It was a boon for August. Einrich's group seemed decent too, so he didn't have to worry about them. He might even get to choose anyone he could fight against.
Five minutes had passed.
Amaraak, who had been still as ice until now, jumped down the elevated platform and looked around.
Lord Meneesh giggled. He seemed to be the only person who was enjoying this entire affair. Amaraak crossed the line of nervous climbers until he pointed at a person on the far corner: Number 50.
August expected him to choose one of the monsters here. People bigger and meaner than him. But he didn't expect the Rank 1 to choose Rank 50, who was only a boy.
That boy wore nothing but an oversized white shirt. His hair drooped down and spread across the ground. He was staring at the ground and didn't notice the announcement.
{ Rank 1 Amaraak challenges Rank 50 Judah. You may return to the dining hall and rest. }
Amaraak left unceremoniously. When he disappeared behind that door, people began talking as if the poison in the air had been lifted. People cursed at him. A coward, going up against a child? And the Top 50 Rank too?
August reserved his judgement. He stared at the child who dragged his long hair out to the door. If anyone had been eerie, it would have been that boy. He survived the 1st Trial. That itself warranted suspicion.
When they announced August's turn, he expected no one to come forward. But the moment the timer ticked, one person immediately walked away from the group and onto the spotlight.
Einrich.
August jumped down from the platform and walked over to him. There was a tightness in his chest. Was this was what betrayal felt like?
"Why?" August asked. The timer ticked down.
Einrich smiled sadly. "I'm climbing up the tower."
"What's up there?" He had always wanted to ask people what their reason for going up were. He came here because he lost a deal. But learning arcane was what he wanted, so maybe he actually wanted to come here. He just needed Orlan to prove that the Tower was a better environment to learn about arcane. He rubbed the Info Bracelet around his wrist.
"Everything you can ever want," Einrich said, as though that was enough of a reason. He stretched his hand. "I'm sorry. You look easy to fight against, and it's just pitiful if I go up against a domestic automaton."
August shook it.
{ Rank 11 Einrich challenges Rank 2 August. }
Einrich left while August stayed. He waited for Seven. Over half of the climbers challenged her. He didn't understand why.
Domestic people should be strong. They maintained the household and hunted wildlife. He imagined Seven hunting bears and preparing it to those fragile people that couldn't hunt. He pitied them more. And they had the gall to throw her out.
She chose a person. Some Rank 49. It was just like her to choose someone from the lower ranks to increase her chances of winning.
When he walked to the dining hall with her, she explained that she wasn't taught to fight. She didn't use arcane to block the rain from those big huts, or kill bugs, or grow vegetables.
Apparently, each of those could be classified into a specific role. Hers was purely to cook for and clean the house.
"Then how are you supposed to climb the tower?"
"My chances are extremely low," she said. "Because I am to be scrapped."
"What are your chances of winning against the Rank 49?"
"Low," she said simply. "I may be terminated today. But I also chose a person who I may be able to win against. That is acceptable."
August thought about it. "You should come to my room. Maybe we can figure something out."
She stopped and turned to him. They could still hear the conversation from the other climbers.
"Why assist me?" she asked.
August frowned. "Isn't it because we're friends?"
"What classifies as a friend?"
He thought about it. "I don't know. You and I helped each other survive the first test. We're beneficial to each other. But that's not where it ends, is it?"
She didn't answer. It was more than that. When he learned what she was, and her circumstances were, the more he felt a certain kind of kinship. She was here because her masters wanted her srapped. He was here because master Visentii abandoned him. And they were both unaware of the cruelty they suffered. It had felt normal to be left alone for a year, but now that someone pointed it out to him, he started to stoke at his fury against his master.
They were both people who ended up here not because they truly wanted to, but because of the circumstances thrown against them.
As August walked past the dining hall, he saw Einrich eating alone. They ignored each other. It was hard to breathe here, so he returned to his room. In the end, he wouldn't be able to help Seven. She didn't seem enthusiastic at surviving. But then again, she had been emotionless so far.
He rolled around the bed until he heard a knock.
When he opened the door, he saw Seven. She was holding a strange, white food thing with a candle on top of it.
"I asked what 'friendship' meant," she said. "It is based on trust, respect, and understanding. I do not know what it means to trust, respect, or understand someone. They have also told me an automaton and a human can't be friends so I should give up--"
"Why not?" I said. "They don't get to decide that. Let's be friends."
"Very well," she said. She stretched out the food. "I asked the servers what the appropriate occasion is to celebrate friendship, so they have given me this food called chocolate cake. We are supposed to put out the fire with air. But seeing as I do not have air nor do I need to breathe--"
"I'll do it." I smiled. "You expected us to be friends already. Otherwise, you'd have asked me first before taking the cake."
She seemed to find staring at the hall more interesting now. "I merely calculated the chances of you being stubborn. And I don't wish to waste energy returning to the Dining Hall when the food itself is free."
He gestured inside. "Bring it inside," he said. "You're not being terminated today, Seven. I have an idea that might help you."
"That is a shame," she said as she entered.
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5 Minutes Later
August peered at the cake. "Are we just going to blow the candle?"
"There is a song we must sing first."
"I don't sing."
"It's simple. They have shown me how. Listen and follow. Happy friendship to you... happy friendship to you...."