When I arrived at the balcony, chaos greeted me, yet, I cared about two things above everything else.

First, the barrier that was protected the balcony, like invisible glass — was gone, I tested it easily by touching it with my fingers.

Secondly, the condition of the barrier was around the floating fortress. I had a long range of tests I wanted to try to see if it was triggered by objects that moving from the inside, by throwing several things to test. If it was triggered, I would've been forced to climb the roof courtyard, to see if I could somehow figure out how to sabotage it before Toross caught up with me.

Luckily, that wasn't necessary. I could see that the barrier was gone, even without throwing any kind of object.

The horde of flying beasts, some barely as big as chickens, others large enough to rival elephants, filling the skies, diving toward the upper courtyard without any impediment was enough to show that, their numbers were enough to cover up the sky.

Just not enough to hide the fact that the flying castle had changed its direction, climbing toward the sky rather than moving down, its speed far greater than what it had been displaying earlier, but I let that slide. I was occupied by the reason for the lack of beasts in the fortress despite the great rush.

An answer came in the form of huge black tentacles, wrapped in the same crimson energy I had seen on the servants.

It was time to leave, I thought as I quickly tied up the blankets I had gathered, this time my haste was not just because of the risk of Toross' approach.

I might not be familiar with the new world, but I guess those giant black tentacles, easily taking down birds bigger than elephants didn't take that much. The spread of the crimson energy was an even worse sign. The two towers previously displaying an elegant sense of beauty, had long corroded into a half-broken state, the crimson energy dancing over their structure even more intense.

Whatever was happening was not good.

"I'm too old for this shit," I muttered, suddenly feeling more empathy for one of my favorite movie characters, and jumped.

It wasn't a suicide attempt, no matter how it might looked to the others. Firstly, I was confident — almost — that even if I had reached terminal velocity, the combination of a stronger body combined with health would have been enough to recover me.

Secondly, I wasn't falling at terminal velocity. No, I had my homemade parachute which tugging violently to my arms as I floated violently away, my grip a struggle to maintain even with the latest Strength assignment — which was part of the reason why I took the risk of leveling — but I managed to resist the temptation to assign even more.

I had no idea what kind of situation I would face as I floated away, into an unknown world, wearing nothing but rattled clothes, and armed with only a dagger.

"But maybe it doesn't have to be," I muttered as I noticed a welcome sight as I moved down. The flying vehicle the intruders had used to arrive at the castle, unaware of the gruesome fate that awaited them, was floating below, still in the same place.

An opportunity that was too great to miss, I thought even as I pulled the blanket, trying to direct my fall. There was a chance the controls were simple enough that I could figure. And even if the controls weren't as smooth, there might be something I could take to make what awaited me slightly easier.

I still remembered the rabid, crazed reaction of the beasts towards me, and while that crimson energy posed a greater temptation towards them, I expected things would change once — if — I got away from the castle fast enough.

Agility and Strength helped me to change my direction, even more accurately than I had been expecting it to be possible. And, for a moment, a happy, blissful moment, I thought that it would be it.

Then, I heard a cry of rage, one that overcame even the constant cacophony of beasts' desperate battle against the tentacle monster. I glanced up, only to see Toross looking at me…

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Or, at least, what I had assumed as Toross, but the changes were enough to make that only a possibility rather than a certainty. The crimson glow enveloped him, just like it had enveloped everything else, but much thicker, almost enough to prevent me from seeing the change underneath.

I wished it was completely effective, as whatever transformation was going on was the stuff of dreams. Most of his skin had already melted, replaced by some kind of scaly stuff, interrupted by occasional small tentacles that reminded me what was going on the floor above him.

But, that was the extent I could pay attention to his looks, because he raised his hand. For a solitary second, I hoped that it was just a show of anger, but once again, hope didn't survive for long. A blast exploded from his hand, targeting me accurately, aiming perfectly for my direct path.

Which was not too easy, considering both of us were moving on different vehicles, and the blast needed to be faster to require some compensation, but the aim was accurate.

Eerily so for a man who was turning into some kind of rage monster.

I reacted the best I could, stopped grabbing one end of the blanket, and plunged immediately, the wind exploding around my ears. Not the best strategy, but if it could bring me outside his range, I was willing to take the risk of directly plunging into the ground.

Unfortunately, that was another hope that died quickly. Another blast of that crimson energy targeted me a few seconds later, forcing me to push through my limits to grab and pull the blanket, struggling to turn it into a parachute once more. I dodged again.

Or, I thought so…

This time, just as the red energy was about to pass a few feet away, it curved, targeting my midsection. I tried to pull my body to avoid it, but I was only partially successful, receiving a glance at it.

The hit itself wasn't much, just a glancing hit that I could have written off easily if it was a gunshot or something similar, but it exploded with intense pain, the likes I had never felt before. Enough to trigger shock if it wasn't for the existence of Resilience — the mental sense of distance once again dominant.

[-8 Health]

I triggered the healing energies, and the pain disappeared … for a moment. Even as the wound it had caused healed, the crimson energy stuck in my body, diminished but was ready to burn again. Only another blast of Health extinguished it.

[-41 Health]

It costs me half of my reserves, and just for a glancing wound, when a few points were enough to heal several deadly bullet wounds… And, since I still had no idea about the Toross' rage had, I had only one gambit. Desperately, I directed myself toward the floating carriage, aiming at its open door, which was close enough that I hoped to avoid the chaos.

As I flew, I focused on my mental space, to see how much health I had. I hadn't lost count, but I needed the comfort of knowing I could handle at least another glancing at it.

[Health (47/100)]

[Archery of Destruction (2/X)]

Instead of the comfort I had been looking for, I found myself facing an unwelcome sensation. The skill appearing without my explicit aim, with its title carrying Destruction, was not good news, and the sudden change I could read was even worse news.

Maybe it wasn't Health that allowed me to get rid of that red energy…

"Another thing to ignore," I muttered as I continued directing myself toward the flying carriage, my best hope of escape — even if I failed to use it, it would still give me cover. My hands tight around the flight, I had tried to do the most complicated manoeuvre of my life, aiming at the open door of the flying vehicle.

My speed was dangerously fast, but that danger wasn't as scary as the crimson energy gathering in Toross' hand.

I burst through the open door at full speed, with no chance to bleed any momentum, pain hitting me hard as I collided against some kind of device at the center of the room, and several glowing orbs spread around the room.

An injury that would have killed me easily, or at least left me crippled back in my world.

[-9 Health]

Pity, I didn't have the luxury of enjoying the relative invincibility, especially since I was just a few years away from the period where a slip in the shower might prove deadly.

I immediately realized that, in my emergency landing, I managed to destroy a vital aspect of the flying vehicle. The glowing rocks were a small piece of evidence. So was the sudden plunge the device took toward the ground like its strings were cut.

However, that was not the biggest source of my focus — as I certainly enjoyed the existence of a cover that traveled with me as I moved toward the ground.

No, that honor went to another set of writing appearing in my field of vision, begging for my attention.

[Energy Source Detected - Promotion Available

Trigger Promotion

Accept / Decline]

I was tempted to accept it, as the System was the sole reason I was able to survive, and Promotion was worthy of testing. Unfortunately, I had no idea whether it would be instantaneous, and it was something that could await my landing.

I tried to stand up, but before I could do so, I felt a flare in the distance, coming from the flying castle. It was a flare of crimson energy, similar to how Toross radiated when he was ordering around the servants.

And, an order echoed in my mind.

ACCEPT.

I had no intention of following such an order and tried to reject it, but I felt a flare in my mind, my sole skill giving the same sense of redness, almost like a trojan horse. My mind filled with a desire to kill, to slaughter, to destroy...

ACCEPT.

I desperately tried to assign all of my free points to Resilience, that it would be enough to protect me from those commands.

It wasn't. Before I could even assign any of my free points, I lost my ability to resist, forced into the mental command, accepting the promotion…